Perfect Grade Strike Gundam WIP Part 01 [480p]

There are going to be a lot of WIP videos and pictures on this kit as it is a perfect grade. I know I'm bad- I should be working on Wing Zero proto but this PG has been screaming my name. I have to sand proto with 600 grit yet and then clean the parts. After that things need mounting and we can set up the paint facilities. The Strike Gundam is deceptively simple in its PG form, but the details are everywhere. In fact I would say I don't mind the streamlined build compared to the PG MK-II, and this kit will shine (ok, it will be dull in color) with all of the details painted on the inner frame.

Disappointment with the 1/100 MG Jesta

I just cannot get used to the hands on this kit. They were molded separately from the normal trees- and it's that new molding technology Bandai has been using. However, as you will soon discover if you try to move the fingers too far they will go flying. Already I have had one finger go flying after I put too much pressure on it. I can't find it, and I don't have the patience to look any further than I did. I am going to see if I can order some aftermarket parts instead.

The dual peg system is just awful. There is one peg in the hand and one in the rifle that both fit into the same grove. Since the pegs are free to rotate up and down, they never line up and make it more of a pain in the ass to get the hands the way you want them.

Compounding these issues is the fact that he cannot hold his weapon very well. I am getting limp-wristing already, and immediately I suspect the construction of the hands.

Replacement parts for 1/100 MGs can be found here. Hobbylink Japan gets free advertising from me because they are saving my ass by offering an availability of kits and aftermarket parts. I have done business with them and I trust them 100%. Shipping has been early or on time.

EFSF Hands 1
Verniers (Boosters)

Gundam LED Lights

Bandai sells individual LED lights that work with some Master Grade Kits and Perfect Grade Kits. Though, for every gundam out there it may be difficult to develop a unique solution to get the head unit to light up. For those kits that do take the LED units though, I have come up with a design that will work.

The reason I choose to not import the LED light set is because they are expensive. I don't want to deal with sending them half way across the world when I can build them here AND have them in any color I want. With Bandai LEDs, you are stuck with orange or green, I think.

An example of LED light up eyes.

There are five parts to this device. The LED, the top plate, the batteries, then the bottom plate. I am using plates so that I do not have to solder to the battery. When the plates make contact with the batteries, they will help to complete a circuit. When you attach the negative LED lead to the bottom plate, you must ensure that that portion of the LED does not touch the top plate or a short circuit will result. Use electrical tape for this job.

It might be necessary to use a resistor in this circuit, due to the specs of the LED. If this is the case, the design will be moved into a new prototype stage which will accommodate for the resistor. Until the Jesta gets to my doorstep, I have no idea what the diameter of the LED unit is. I am guessing half an inch, but I want to measure just to be sure.

The drawing is not to scale. It may be that the batteries are way smaller than half an inch- and that may give me room for a switch.

Initial Thoughts on the 1/100 MG Jesta

I decided to run out the other day to Hobby Lobby and I picked up the last pair of plastic nippers. While my current pair is fine, it is about time I replace them for something a bit sharper. I will donate the pair to a friend who wants to get into model building. It's a nice store- unfortunately the closest one back home is 30-40 miles away. I'd rather suck it up and go to Pier 1 Imports 3 miles away. ANYWAYS, back on topic.

I decided to work on my MG Jesta. There is zero way in hell that I would have the time to build a complete PG Strike Gundam. The Jesta came highly recommended- and I didn't feel like fiddling with a real grade. I figured I would post my initial thoughts of the kit, which will be translated later into a video for RobsGamingNetwork.

I really like the construction of this kit. Outside of Wing master grades I am not terribly familiar with bread and butter grunt suits; or other gundams for that matter. He feels bigger and fatter than a Gundam Wing kit. This isn't a bad thing- I really like the proportions and how large the kit came out. I am very impressed with the LED that can be put into this kit. It isn't included in the box. Since I don't want to import Bandai's LED unit, I will design a system myself that can be plugged in. I wish all gundam chests had a cavity for this thing so I could light up the eyes for all of my master grades. That would be amazing.

There is a panel on the back that slides out with the neck and head assembly. Put your LED unit in their and boom! You can light the head up. You have to disassemble the kit (albeit very little) to turn the thing off, but that's ok. They made the process very painless. The head and visor remind me of master chief from halo, I a new to Gundam Unicorn stuff but I have always loved grunt suits- especially Zakus.

The colors are great, but it's going to be difficult mixing that very dark bluish-green to get the desired effect. I am hoping Testors makes a WW-II camo paint that is close to that shade. I had to experiment with Epyon, so I don't mind dipping my toes in (not into the paint) to see what mix is right for this kit. I love the arm joints and the gear detail that they added. I can't decide what to paint those joint areas. The shoulder and arm mechanisms are awesome. They can pivot up at 30 degrees, adding more mobility and movement to a kit that can already pull some pretty awesome poses.

Leg construction is simple, but there are a lot of details that make someone like me happy. My only complaint so far with the kit is the fragile hands. They are taking PG hand technology and scaling it down a little bit. I have nothing wrong with it- but all of the fingers are on ball joints. This makes it more difficult to keep the fingers in place as they want to fall off all the time. Be very careful of this fact. However, there is a peg on the palm of the hand that comes out and helps to secure the weapons. I have no doubt that the Jesta will be able to hold his weapons securely. I had a little fun here for the holidays, but this particular project will be put on hold as I get painting facilities up for 1/100 MG Wing Zero Proto.

Master Grade Wing Zero Proto Parts Part 03 480p [Weapons and Shield]

Master Grade Wing Zero Proto Parts Part 02 480p [Backpack and Head]

Master Grade Wing Zero Proto- Parts Part 01 480p [Chest, Waist, Legs, Arms]

Master Grade Wing Zero Proto Unboxing

Master Grade Wing Zero Proto- WIP 01

MS-06F Zaku II with Cannon

Not really much to say about this- other than I'm getting it. I'd like to preorder it, but I don't want to get stuck in the stockpile bug again where I keep buying kits but finish them at a slower rate. I might just wait and order it when I am just about ready (a convenience of tracking how long it takes to build a kit).

I borrowed HLJ's image- so they get free advertising. You can preorder it there. I've done business with them and they are great.

New Glass Display Cabinet for Gunpla

Awwww yeah.

Dinner at work last week.

Puddy (Kelly) back at the house in Illinois

If I fits, I sits.

Wing Zero Proto Released

I just got ringed on le old debit card for Wing Zero Proto. With shipping charges the price came to $54.77- or about 5300 JPY. $16.37 to ship 8000 miles via SAL? cheaper than what UPS will do stateside. Good thing I preordered- this bastards out of stock.

I won't be able to resist building it once it arrives. I'll break out the nippers and have a go with it.It was a must order.

Gundam Build Fighters

I just got done watching gundam build fighters- the new gundam anime that is airing in Japan. I'll be honest- at first I thought it was a silly idea having remakes of mobile suits and their variants fight each other. This series is an excellent way for Bandai to integrate their animated works (with Sunrise) and their plastic models- letting more people know about them. Though I am sure many Japanese and other peoples all over the world know about Gunpla, which stands for Gundam Plastic Models. More or less, this is a way for Bandai to get a boost out of their model sales and it may be targeted to a younger audience of 7-14 year olds.

When I got through a lot of the opening episode's cheesiness I began to enjoy the meat of the episode- which is mobile suits fighting each other. There have always been fantasies about which suit would win versus another- and this is kind of a neat way to portray that. The last thing I thought of was seeing Wing Gundam (reanimated) fight the Gyan.

They can really pull off some of the neater aspects of building as well- showcasing what it takes to build a plastic model kit and get people further along in the hobby- though I'm not sure how many will take the experience as far as some have.

The anime also encourages kit bashing. That is a cool concept that I would like to try- but am afraid that I might mess it up. Through this anime Bandai made the announcement of the All Gundam project- where I believe all of the lead Gundams from every series will come out in HG form based on a common frame (hint: not an inner frame). I don't know if this will tie in with the arcade games in Japan.

If I can get access to future episodes I might watch them. It's not really something I would hold in a lineup of anime to watch, but I'm sure it will stir the cooking pot of interest when it comes to gundam model building- something that is always welcome.

Proto Zero Pre-Order a MUST

Oh dear god yes. With all of my sweet, sweet love shall I preorder this kit. A few people have been complaining that this new MG "doesn't hold true to the original design from the anime". You could say that for a lot of the EW master grades, up to and including Epyon. I happen to love the retcons more than the anime versions.

1/144 RG Gundam MK II Titans Color WIP Part 3

1/144 RG Gundam MK II Titans Color WIP Part 2

Disassembled the MK II and sorted the parts out by color. Took all the parts with inner frame color (gray) and rough sanded them to get the nubs off. I'm disappointed out of the box that the rifle has seam lines. I can take care of it, and have. Will wet/dry sand tomorrow with 400 grit then move on to 600 grit, then prime, then paint. Then I'll find the next set of parts and paint them. I may just paint all of the accessories and swappable parts, too (the bazooka). In the future I'd love to get the AEUG colors and build half the armor; show half of it and cut that layer in half to show the skeleton, all buttoned up. I like the kit so much I don't mind building it a second time.

15 days remain to work on the project. I spent 1hr 20min working this morning- will do it again later today and if I continue to do so I will remain on track to finish the kit before I leave the state.

Real Grade Zaku II Work In Progress 05

Real Grade Zaku II Work In Progress 04 (2)

Real Grade Zaku II Work In Progress 04

There are a couple of things of note to discuss. In the last paint session I dropped the right shoulder shield and it messed up the primer work- so I sanded the affected area and re-primered it tonight, along with the connection plate for the torso and the beads for the head unit.

I've abandoned the leg unit beads because I dropped them all over the floor and I don't have the patience for it. I can get away with the excuse of "those are modular connection points for the future aerial pack". Or something like that. Only die hard Zaku zealots would be fuming at me. Ah well. My project.

Everything is looking good. I need to seal the bottom color down but I want to do it when the kit is one entire enchilada- which means I have to finish painting the primered parts later and then paint the stock of the rifle. I was holding onto it during the painting process- so all it is is primer.

I'd like the project done by the end of the week. I switched to Elmer's contact cement for the guillie suit and we'll see if that works. If not I will try Elmer's white glue. I have a feeling that guillie suit, regardless of what is attached or not may cause a mess on my shelf- and since I don't move my kits around much anyways so long as someone doesn't bump into it I think it will be ok. Vacuum can fix any falling debris. It should look awesome when it is done. Contemplating stealing Zaku sniper's rifle.