PG Astray Red Frame - WIP 5

Missing caps here and there

 

I know I mentioned in one of the previous post that all work on the Red Frames will come to a halt. I figure I might as well complete what I was working on before my work schedule went bonkers. This way in future I won't have to try and figure out what I was working on and what was my idea for this kit when I decided to stop. I know that I should be working on the smaller kits instead but I promise that after this, I will either concentrate on them or start another small kit. Why another small kit? Well, if you compare any other kits (other than Mega Size) to this, all other kits are small. ^_^.

 

Back to the main purpose of this post. Since the inner frame of the upper legs was completed, the next work to be done will be the inner frame of the lower leg.

Parts of the lower legs separated into their respective color boxes

PG Red Frame - WIP 7

Remember what happened the last time...
 

Back to working on the Red Frame after reviewing Roar. Since the katanas were completed, the legs for the Red Frame will be the star of this post. I will use the same concept when I was building the legs of the Blue Frame i.e. splitting the legs into two sections: upper and lower legs.

Work will begin with the upper legs first. Parts of the legs were split into their respective boxes according to the color they will be sprayed in. I started on the gold parts because they were the least amount of pieces to work on.

Gold pieces for the upper leg

Some minor detailing, panel lining and a layer of Future was applied to pieces when the paint was dry.

 

Gold pieces of the upper legs waiting for the Future to dry

PG Red Frame - WIP 6

A little comparison doesn't hurt

 

Since the metal katana and the Daban katana are at the same place at the same time, I thought it might be a good time to do a quick comparison between the two.

 

Left: Length comparison between the plastic (left) and metal (right) katana

Right: Details at the pommel

 

Left: Metal (top) and plastic (bottom) katana handle

Right: Details of the guard between the metal (left) and plastic (right) katana

 

PG Red Frame - WIP 5

A display for something exquisite

 

With one set of the Gerbera Straight (Daban) done, I should start work on the second set but I could not bare to see the completed katana in the a plastic. Makes the Gerbera Straight looks like it has been abandoned. 

 

Completed Gerbera Straight kept in a plastic

 

The katana should have a place where it can be displayed to show its full glory:

PG Astray Red Frame - WIP 4

Extra care is given to the process of making the katana

 

With the completion of the legs and waist of the ABF and only the feet for ARF, it is fair to start work on the ARF. By the way, I have been given a dateline by my missus to finish both kits and tidy the room. Dateline: 30th November 2015.

Instead of starting with the legs, I went and start work on the katanas instead. This is the main reason I fell in love with ARF in the first place. What is sexier than a mecha with katanas. I am planning to make one of the sheath to be a darker color scheme (hopefully) than the other to differentiate between the Daban and BanDai version of Gerbera Straight.

PG Astray Blue Frame - WIP 7

Can I have some more, please?

 

One leg was completed in the previous post while waiting for the paint on armor of the other leg to be dry. Once they are dry, the assembling process can begin. This is the leg where the peg of the knee is broken. I did not manage to find a solution to that problem so will just leave it as it is and manually move the knees if I were to do any poses with this kit.

 

Completed legs of the ABF

PG Astray Blue Frame - WIP 6

Difference in size is very obvious

 

After taking a short break to do a review on Transformers ToyWorld TW-D02: Muddy, I am back to continue working on the PG ABF. Mentioned in the previous WIP, the white parts were given a coat of pearl white from Anchor brand spray can. The color did not come out as expected. I was hoping it would be something like the pearl coating on the PG Wing Zero Custom but it came out like as though it has glitter on the parts. I don't think it can be seen in the photo but it is very noticeable when you look at it in person.

 

It took some time for me to get use to the outcome and when that happens, I'm liking how the white looks with the candy blue. Now that the armor parts are done, this will be the first time putting on the complete armor for this PG. I do hope it comes out nice.

PG Astray Blue Frame - WIP 5

Sexy legs with tons of armor parts

 

Since the upper leg was completed in the previous WIP, this post will be concentrating on the lower leg and finally putting both together to see how it will turn out. All the parts of the lower leg inner frame is lined up to confirm that there are no missing parts.

 

Parts of the lower leg inner frame

PG Astray Blue Frame - WIP 4

Too much bending is bad for the joints

In WIP 3, the foot armor was left in the undercoat silver. Having decided to do a Blue Frame, I picked up the candy blue spray from a hardware shop nearby and started painting the armor parts.

Parts waiting for the paint to dry

 

Also mentioned in the previous post that leg will be split into 2 sections: The upper and lower leg. This is to not mix up too many parts together. Another reason is my box is not big enough for all the armor and inner frame parts to go in. By doing this I get to reduce the workload and hopefully don't get burnout too soon.

PG Astray Blue Frame - WIP 3

Another set feet?

As the feet for the Red Frame was completed in previous post, it is now time to work on the feet for the Blue Frame. The inner frame will be the same color except for the pipes and thrusters. By doing it this way, I will be able to differentiate between the two models without keeping them in separate boxes. The color of the armor will also be different. I have decided to go with the Blue Frame because I already have the TA ready. Suggestions are still welcome until I start painting the armor.

Ran into some minor fitting issues while assembling the feet. The pieces are hard to snap together. They do go well together once they are in place. Just need to use a bit of force to close them properly. Also make sure that the parts assembled are correct else you will have a fun time trying to disassemble them.

23 parts for the feet

PG Astray Red Frame - WIP 3

Impossible task ahead

 

From this post on I decided to split the title to PG Astray Red Frame and PG Astray Blue Frame as opposed to PG Astrays. This might seem redundant because both kits are PG Astray Red Frame but in the long run it will make an easier reference.

Mentioned in the previous post, the other RF has arrived. I'm thinking of building both RFs together meaning I will be building double of everything. I might be crazy but I think this is the way to go for this project. Besides, I need to clear space before the Mechanicore Deepstriker arrives later this year. With that being said, I will need lots more paints and time to complete the kits.

Plus side to this craziness is I will have to stop this project sooner or later to replenish my paint stocks or to prevent burnt out from working on 2 pg kits simultaneously. When I stop, I can do other smaller kits to clear even more space. Another plus side is I can do a direct comparison between the BanDai and Daban RF. This is like killing 3 birds with one stone.

PG Astrays - WIP 2

Unsteady pilots

Mentioned in the next kit post few weeks back, I have decided to get a 2nd PG Red Frame just for the accessory (mainly the Gerbera Straight). The kit has finally arrived and I'm more excited than ever because now my RF is able to carry 2 sheath instead of one. For now I'm still pondering on what frame to paint the other RF to. Blue, Green, Gold? Blue would be more suitable because the 2nd RF kit comes with a free 1/60 TA. While thinking about a new color scheme, I decided to paint the pilot figures first before embarking on the MS.

 

Why did I choose to paint the pilot first? I decided to join a Pilot Painting Contest hosted by DC23. The prizes are attractive. GreatToysOnline.com will be shipping a couple of Gundam Metallic Nano Puzzles, myhmshop.com will be shipping a HM135 0.3 nozzle airbrush and Don himself will be shipping a set of Vallejo Acrylic Paints.

Secret kit - WIP 1

Secret kit revealed

 

Mentioned some post back that I have this urge to start building this particular kit. I also mentioned that 'I have all the necessary materials ready. There is this one particular accessory which I'm thinking whether I should get. If yes means I have to get another kit but the kit can be painted in another color scheme. Still undecided if it looks nicer with one or two. One thing I can say it that this will be a big kit'.

 

Did you manage to figure out what the next kit will be? The next big and I mean big project is none other than.....

HG Red Frame (Flight Unit) - WIP 15 (Final)

This is the final part for the Red Frame (Flight Unit). In this post, the entire arsenal of the RF will be shown and how he will carry it into battle. First off as mentioned in the previous post, I shall give the Red Frame a new name. Been thinking of a name for a long time and I feel this name is appropriate. I present to you the Shinobi Astray Red Frame Seven Swords (Flight Unit).

Why the name Seven Swords? If you remember correctly, there are a total of seven swords built in this entire process. First is the Gerbera Straight, next would be the 2 Caletvwichs and followed by 2 katanas from the Builders Part. If you are counting, the total comes up to 5. Where are the other 2 swords? They are the 2 beam sabers on the back of the kit. Hence the name Seven Swords.

HG Red Frame (Flight Unit) - WIP 14

In the previous post, we saw how the flight unit was attached to the RF with a few action poses and all the standard weapons were shown, I will show the RF with the Caletvwich as discussed in Part 10 and the additional 2 katanas which was reviewed in Part 11.

Before we go into that, let's change the RF's front section of the helmet first. All we need to do is to replace the existing V fin and front helmet with the ones supplied with the Caletvwich kit.

The parts to be replaced

The assembly is a simple process. Attach the front helmet on, attach the pink V fin and finally the red V fin on top of the pink. Once completed, the RF should look like this:

HG Red Frame (Flight Unit) - WIP 13

In Part 6, the flight unit was assembled and waiting for its time for Red Frame to summon it. To attach the flight unit, you must first move the backpack of the RF down.

There is a peg at the back of the backpack. Align the peg with the hole found in the flight pack and push them in.

HG Red Frame (Flight Unit) - WIP 12

Since all the work are done, it is now time to assemble the Red Frame. What I usually do when assembling any gundam is from the bottom up.
  

Left to Right: Red Frame before assembly. Assembled the legs

 

To assemble the legs, you just need to insert it into the peg and then attach it to the waist section.

Waist and chest section assembled.

 

HG Red Frame (Flight Unit) - WIP 11

As mentioned in WIP 8, I got the Gunpla Builders Parts HD: MS Launcher 01. I will be only using the katanas. There was a slight problem with the silver paint when I used it. It came out too thick for one of the katana. The only thing I could do was sand the paint off and re-spray.

By the time I got all the silver out from the blade, the plastic was already thinned till breaking point. I had to make sure that the silver comes out properly this time round. Worse case scenario, get another set of builders part.

Katanas from the Gunpla Builders Parts HD: Launcher 01

HG Red Frame (Flight Unit) - WIP 10

A continuation of the functions of the Caletvwich from the previous post. This post will be about the different types of combination the Caletvwich. For me, the main form of the Caletvwich is the gun mode with the 2 blades on it.

The next mode would be the sword mode which can be seen in most Gundam Hobby magazines. To make this mode, just remove the big blade on the top, flip it 180° and attach it to the front. The handle will be changed from the bottom to the top.

HG Red Frame (Flight Unit) - WIP 9

From the last post, the decision was made to paint Caletvwich. The whites were painted black and red. There are 2 V fins included in the kit. The big V fin was painted pink and the other is painted red. Some white parts on the big V fin were left unpainted. Hopefully it will come along nicely when both the fins are attached together.

Parts of the Caletvwich before assembly.

Notice anything missing in the above photo? Yup, one V fin missing. Looking at the parts, the assembly of this kit should be a straight process, right? That's what I thought too. When I first assembled the Caletvwich, the thrusters were loose and both blades could not be assembled on without touching the thrusters. After looking for a solution on the net (the instructions were no help because they are in Japanese), I found out that there is a proper way to assemble the thrusters. There are holes in the thrusters for you to connect the big blade to it.