Small scale gunpla - WIP 5 (Final)

An interesting feature

 

Detailing work can start for the Gyan since the Zaku has been assembled. The first thing to tackle is the color for the body. I used violet as the base color for this kit. The only work left is to paint the body a dark blue.

 

Left: On-going painting work

Right: Completed paint job and panel lining

 

Once the paint is dry and matt coated, the kit is assembled. In WIP 1 I mentioned both the instruction sheet for the Gyan and Zaku are the same. I'm guessing that since this build is so straight forward that the manufacturer could save money on creating a new instruction sheet for the Gyan and just print the Zaku instruction instead.

 

After a few minutes of snapping everything together, here is the completed Gyan:

 

Gyan assembled

Small scale gunpla - WIP 4

Too much arm rotation

Now that all the painting work has finished, the assembly process can start after all the parts have been panel lined. The main thing to watch out for are the right shoulder joint and the energy pipe at the leg which was glued back in Part 2. It would a shame for those parts to break again.

All parts waiting to be assembled

 

There is nothing complicated in assembling this kit. It is very straight forward build. After a few minutes (there were some issues assembling the body), you have the completed Zaku II:

 

Front and back view of the kit

Small scale gunpla - WIP 2

Mystery solved !!

 

Started working on these kits after the unboxing and completed the pending part of the PG Astray Red Frame. Removed the parts from the runners into their respective container. This time instead of keeping different parts of the models in different containers, I kept all in the same container. The parts are easy enough to differentiate without any having any confusion.

 

Being curious about the scale of this kit, I did a quick snap fitting (after removing nub marks) to see how big the final kit will be and also how the odd colors come together. First thing I did was to attach the right hand onto the body, adjusted it a little and to my horror this is what happened:

Some smaller kits - WIP 1

What is your scale?

 

Mentioned in the last post, I will be doing some smaller kits. When I mentioned that, I don't think these guys popped into your mind. I'm betting you are thinking in the size of 1/200 or maybe even SD gundam. I assure you that that is not the case.

 

I happen to come across them by chance in a sundry shop in my neighbourhood. I went there with my missus to look for some cheap hangers and toys for her nephews. While browsing the shop, I saw a few lego minifigures (bootleg), bubble blowing chemical and a few of these hanging on a cardboard. Did a quick scan through and there was only 2 different types available. Since it cost only MYR 3.90, I got them both.

HGUC MSV Zaku II - WIP 5 (Final)

Warning!! Damage acquired !!

In the previous post, we have completed the kit. Now is time for it to show off with it's weapons.

 

Zaku II and its armaments

HGUC MSV Zaku II - WIP 4

Fine looking MS

In the previous post, we have completed the body and legs for this MS. It is time to give this MS hands to hold the weapon and finally the head to complete the kit. The hands are simple and straight forward. There are no hidden surprises here like the legs and body section. 

 

Parts of the right (left) and left (right) hand before assembly

HGUC MSV Zaku II - WIP 3

Not so straight forward build

 

Mentioned in the previous post, this post will be about the legs and body. There are some things in this build which was unexpected. This makes the kit more interesting (for me) and I wish Ban Dai has done more of this for more kits. In order to reveal the twist in this build, let's start building from the legs.

 

Parts of the legs before assembly

 

Section of the legs after assembly
 

HGUC MSV Zaku II - WIP 2

Paint job

 

After taking a look at the manual and separating the parts into their respective boxes in the last post, this post will be about parts which requires painting. I did not take photos of how the pieces are before they were painted. All I can say is that they all come in one color. The amount of parts required for a paint job is not a lot. This is also true for the number of paints required. One thing I did differently are putting on the decals/stickers right after the paint job has been completed.

 

Parts that required a paint job

HGUC MSV Zaku II - WIP 1

Another MSV suit

 

After completing the MG OO Gundam Seven Sword /G, the next project I decided to tackle is another MSV (Mobile Suit Variant) kit. This is the MSV Zaku II. From what I know, the only difference between this suit and normal suit are the legs. This suit has more thrusters and stickers compared to other hg kits.

 

SD Blaze Zaku Phantom - WIP 6 (Final)

A changed mind-set
 

Since the backpack was painted and assembled in the previous post, now is time to complete this kit.

Parts of the kit before final assembly

 

SD Blaze Zaku Phantom - WIP 5

More mistakes to come...

 

Since the mistakes made during the process of paint the backpack was rectified, it is now time to assemble it for the second time. I started assembling the side of the backpack first. I shall call them 'wings' for easier reference. It has the most parts and also I want to see the gimmicks of this piece. From what I can gather from the manual, the 'wings' are able to expand and collapse to hide the missiles.

 

Closed form of the 'wings'

 

When the 'wings' are expanded. In this form, you are able to see the various colors on the 'wings'. This makes the 'wings' look more interesting.

SD Blaze Zaku Phantom - WIP 4

Mistakes, Mistakes and more Mistakes

In this post, we will look at the hands and the painting required for the backpack. The hands are simple enough with minor paint job like the rest of the kit. I'm beginning to feel that either this kit has little paint jobs to be done or I'm just too lazy to do so much painting.

 

Anyways, back to the hand. The parts which requires painting are the hands which are white when they are suppose to be in black and a small vent which will be painted yellow.

  

Comparison of painted and unpainted parts of the hand

SD Blaze Zaku Phantom - WIP 3

Put your right foot in, put your left foot in...

 

Mentioned in the previous post, the shields were being painted Orchid color instead of pink. To be honest, they are not the only one with the Orchid color. There are parts of both the left and right legs which requires the same color.

 

Can you spot the part which has the Orchid color?

SD Blaze Zaku Phantom - WIP 2

Small but useful

 

No I'm not talking about this kit. I'm talking about something else which I accidentally found out its existence. As you all might be aware, I have an on-the-go box for my kits. The thing I need and could not fit into the box is a cutting mat. Recently I went to a stationary shop and saw that they were selling a precision knife with a A5 size cutting mat. I instantly knew I had to get it to complete my box.

 

 

SD Blaze Zaku Phantom - WIP 1

Start of something new

Started this little fella after getting tired of shadowing the armor of the MG OO Gundam Seven Swords/G.

 

Got this kit from a toy exhibition few months ago. They were selling 3 kits for the price of MYR 15. I actually only wanted one but since they only have the option of getting 3 kits, I got the SD Red Frame, SD Dendrodium and this kit. 

 

P-Bandai Hobby Online Shop Exclusive: Mobile Suit Gundam 35th Gundam Premium Set

Here is another P-Bandai Hobby Online Shop Exclusive. This is for the Mobile Suit Gundam 35th Anniversary. Pre-order begins on June 11, 2014 and the release date is set on August 2014. The price for this kit is 5,940 Yen.