I've sort of moved over to HF due to this site being up, down, up, down, not sure , but I won't be as active here now that I'm getting used to HF forums, but I'm not leaving completly. I'll post pics of the contiuing work on this kit, but I'm not writing all the info that goes with it, go to
http://www.hobbyfanatics.com/index.php?showtopic=21898 to read the details of the rest of this WIP.
The pictures will be alittle larger due to them being cropped allready for a site that allows larger pictures. Aw hell, heres some of the info:
Finnally got the legs done, ready for primer now. Man, I just love sanding and scraping the parting lines on the conduits (the last pcs to be removed from the trees, wonder why ? ) The lower legs had a really deep sink-hole in the front of both sides of the legs that took 3 rounds of putty and wet-sanding to get smooth. All the other putty that is visable is what will be needed to make these parts smooth before primer, considering the type of paint and cost involved, I don't want any flaws in the paint job that can be avoided at this stage of assembly. Yes, I consider myself very "picky" when it comes to this kind of detail, takes alittle longer but the results will be worth it. Also added alittle more detail to the upper knee area by removing the small recessed area at the top of the knee, it looks much better now I think. Why do allmost all kits have a "good side" and a "bad side" when it comes to the molding process ? More pics soon... Anyone have an extra set of good MG Zaku moveable hands they don't need, I don't want to use the static ones from the kit, they suck, but I'm not going to buy a MG one just for the hands, so I'll use the ones from the kit only if I have to.
The pile of parts is becoming alot smaller, good, actually getting somewhere. Test fitting the major parts now, only afew more parts to sand before final "mock-up". Hopefully I will get this done in the next few days, pull it all apart, wash, and start priming by Friday night, then maybe, just maybe I'll start painting Sunday. At least thats the plan. Still wondering about the hands, anyone within 1500 miles of Winnipeg that has a set of decent MG Zaku Hands, I'll buy'em (not the static ones, and unassembled pls). I'm thinking of using the ones from the MG Kampfer (thats the only double kit I have), the size is very close but I'll have to change the ball socket. PM me if you have an extra pair.
I knew earlier that a very thin strip of plastic needed to be removed from the inside lips of the shoulder armour. The upper arm was rubbing agaisnt the sides, and added layers of primer then paint would cause problems and scratching of the arm. Probably spent about 2 weeks looking at this mod, and 15 min tonight to get them done... lazy.
Glued, sanded, primed, sanded, primed upper arms (ball for shields, and inside shoulder halves) because they will be hard to paint later, and I want good primer coverage. The shoulders are what has been slowing me down, but their done now.
I was looking through my MG Wing Zero kit, (due to beertax's quest for the last remaining Wing Ka kits on the planet) and to my surprize, there is an extra set of hands in it, I did not know that, thanks beertax. So, out with the HG hands, in with the MG ones. Removed the location tab and pin from the backside of the hand armour, then cut in half with a .2 mm saw, and then glued together again. They needed to be just slightly smaller to fit the hands properly, but I think they look much better than the stock ones. The ball and socket are the same size as each other, so theres another bonus.
Final test-fit is done, still need to finish the axe and gun though. I'll take it apart today and hopefully wash all the parts and start priming. The primed parts will be lightly sanded and checked for fit, but I won't be assembling the whole thing again just so I can take a couple of pictures of a fully primed kit. Also wondering if I should make a hole underneath the stick a 1/4 inch acrylic rod up his butt so it can be displayed later if I decide to make a stand for it.
Decided that I want this on a stand instead of just "standing" there, trying to look mean. So I liked the idea of being able to pose the finished kit, I've got the stand part covered, now I need to figure out a base.
The build-up of plastic inside is to keep the clear rod in place, so the weight of the kit won't matter, regardless of what pose its in, side to side, and front to back. I went for about a 8 degree (guessing) tilt forward.
And by aligning the rod at about the centre of the hip stems ensures for better centre-of-gravity, hopefully, I'll find out when its done.
