D-Style Gustav - WIP 8 (Final)

Transport ready and waiting

 

With the platforms completed in WIP 7, let us link both together and connect them to the Gustav which was completed in WIP 6.

Linking the 2 platforms together is as easy as ABC. Just attach the peg into the hole and you are done.

Both platforms linked together

Platforms can be moved up or down

 

The same method is used to connect the platforms to Gustav.

 

Gustav connected to the platforms

 

A little comparison between the original (right; Image taken from flickr) and the painted Gustav

Top and aerial view of the completed Gustav 

 

To conclude this review, below is a list of all the pros and cons and the conclusion of what I think about the kits according to my personal experience.

Pros:

+ Lots of details

+ Cute
+ Includes pilots
+ Moving wheels

Cons:
- Huge nub mark at the front
- Loose pieces
- Requires glue

Conclusions:

Overall, this is a nice and fun side project. There are a lot of details on the shell and at the platform area if you are willing to spend some time coloring them up. There is nothing much to be said about this kit. There are no articulation involved. The good thing is that the wheels do move.

While assembling this kit, it is best to have the hobby cement on standby. Not sure if I bought a faulty kit or if this is happening to other modellers as well. This is not a big issue though. Just be careful on where you hold the piece while putting the cement. 

 

All in all, I would highly recommend this kit. This is also a good kit for wetting your toes if you are planning to have some hand painting and masking practice.

All WIPs for the D-Style Gustav:
WIP 1 - Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma
WIP 2 - Just keep trying, trying, trying
WIP 3 -  Adding a little color here and there
WIP 4 - To paint or not to paint?
WIP 5 - D-style pilots
WIP 6 - Escargot anyone?
WIP 7 - Here comes the train

D-Style Gustav - WIP 7

Here comes the train

With the completion of the Gustav in the previous post, this post will take a look at the assembly process of the platform/train.

Parts required for both the platform

Attach one side of the base to the platform

D-Style Gustav - WIP 6

 Escargot anyone?

 

With the painting completed about a month ago, it is time to revisit the Gustav for the assembling process.

 

The first step in the manual is to assemble the base.

 

Parts for the base

Pilots in their respective seats. It does look a bit cramp but I guess Moonbay and Fiona doesn't mind.

D-Style Gustav - WIP 5

D-style pilots?

In the last post, all the painting work for the Gustav has been completed. All that is left to do is spraying a layer of matte finish and painting of the pilots. There are 2 pilots provided with the kit. They are Moonbay and Fiona.

 

The first thing I did was panel line both the pilots using the Tamiya Accent Panel Line (Black). This will help determine the color separation later during the painting process. The first pilot to work on is Moonbay.
 

Moonbay panel lined and waiting

D-Style Gustav - WIP 4

 To paint or not to paint?

With all the major paint work completed in WIP 3, there is only box which requires my attention. I kept this last because it has the most parts but I did not notice that it contains the least amount of paint job to be done.

First thing I did was to separate the parts into different groups to get a better idea on what paint to be used on which parts.

Parts being separated
 

The first group selected are the wheels for the shell. The tyres are painted black while the rims are left in the Orchid.
 

Painted tyres

D-Style Gustav - WIP 3

 Adding a little color here and there

 

Now that the holiday season is over and RG Exia has been completed, I can resume working on the Gustav. In the previous Gustav WIP, I mentioned that I am 'thinking of painting the beige color of the snail to another color.' I decided to paint them Orchid which was last used on the SD Blaze Zaku Phantom. I have also changed the platform color from beige to brown.

 

All necessary parts painted Orchid and brown for the platform

 

While waiting for the paint to cure, I started adding more colors to the details on the shell. From only silver in the second WIP, this is the final outcome after adding some gold, metallic purple, panel lining and a layer of Future.

D-Style Gustav - WIP 2

Just keep trying, trying, trying

After some deep thought about the dilemma faced in WIP 1 and having a break from RG Exia again, I have decided to paint the shell and use both markers and paints to paint the details. I guess I will have to be extra careful when painting the details.

The first part I attacked was the pistons found on the shell.

Pistons to be painted gold and silver

D-Style Gustav - WIP 1

Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma

 

I will be working with the D-Style Zoids along side the RG Exia. Since the Exia is almost at the completion stage, there should not be any problems if I were to start working on this. I'm going to do something a bit different. Starting from now, I will put a scanned image of the box art.

 

There are a few reasons which made me thought of doing this: 1) Able to appreciate the box art, 2) Able to help If anyone wondering how the box looks like, 3) If I'm going to do some painting, I can use the box art as a reference.

Front of the box