Full Armor Gundam Heavyarms Igel Part 3

Short update on heavyarms.I didn't really do much these 2 weeks,started a little on the diorama,did some pla plating and thats about it.I've been looking around for a new compressor,hopefully i'll get it sometime soon and speed up the progress.

Here are some photos of some parts with pla plates added.i will continue doing next week and start on adding rivets and panel lines.

For mods,i have only extended the feet attachment to match the scale of the rest of the parts.

Ok,i think thats about everything.

MG Gundam Epyon "The Hydra" SNEAK PEEK

Let me start off by saying sorry to those who were patiently waiting for the update,that never came...I thought i will have enough new content for 1 last update before the completion of this kit,but i was wrong.I couldn't show you guys the dragon head like i said i would,because of time.i didn't want to hold up the progress of other parts,so i went to paint the front portion of the head which doesn't need detailing first.And after that i went to mask that part up,so that i can work on the back portion of the head.So when i was finished with the detailing,i didn't take any photos of it because of the ugly maskings.

So to make up for that,I took some photos after applying the decals and panel lines.Now all thats left to do is to spray a layer of clear flat on them and do some final touches,and the model will be done.The only thing i'm worried about is the weather here,it has been raining almost everyday which makes spraying those clear coats tough...Hope you guys are looking forward to this,i should be able to finish this soon.Cheers!

Oh ya,for the name,i was thinking of "Lermaean,the Indestructible".What do you guys think?

WIP MG Kampfer Part 1(Damages)

My overall concept for this model is that i want to make it into a gundam that have gone through many battles,and to do that adding damages to the kit is a must.If i have the time to make a diorama i would make it as if this kampfer is the last machine among his squadron,still standing and battling its way out.Thus i went a little light on the damages,just a few scratches and slashed marks.So as to make a significant contrast to his fallen comrades when the diorama is done.However,i won't be able to make the diorama in time for the group build since i started this project quite late.

Anyway,here is what i have done for the kit over the past week.

Let me show you guys the tools i used for adding damages.There are these mini tools that you can attach to a router to make realistic damages by scraping plastic off of parts.I used them for slashed marks and small cuts mainly.Next is a corse sanding tool that i use to scrap the edges of the parts to show bump marks that is creating during melee fights and also the age of the machine.Lastly,to create burns holes created by beam rifles or cannons,we need to first make a hole and using soldering iron,melt the plastic around the edges of the hole to show the beam melting through the thick layer of metal armor.If you don't have a soldering iron,you can also use the fire from candles,but its harder to control the radius of the burn.So i only use direct flame when i'm making big burn marks.

Here are some useful tips that i would like to share with you guys.Take a photo of the kit after assembly and plan out the damages on your model by drawing them on the photo first.Also i found it useful to fully prime the kit before adding damages,so that you can roughly see how the damages will look like after painting.

I hope you guys learned something from this week's update.I will start painting tonight and the color scheme will be the same as the one in the manual,only the blue will be a little different.Thank you for viewing this post,cheers:).

24 Hours Build Challenge(SD Qubeley)

Recently,i joined this group build on gundam eclipse that requires the modeler to finish building a kit within a 24 hour time frame.I think this group build will be very interesting because i'm a very slow worker and i am curious to see whether i can complete this challenge.I don't want to be over ambitious so i choose a small SD kit which i think is easy to build and paint.The kit that i will be working on is the SD Qubeley which have been collecting dusk even since i got it years back.

The rules are simple,every models must be completely painted and have the seam lines remove.For this build,my only concern would be the curing times for the cement,putty and of course the paints.For example,putty and cement can take a few hours to completely dry so that means during those few hours i can't do anything else.For the paints,i'm worried about the clear coats because clear coats must be applied when it is sunny and when the moisture level is low.Otherwise,white spots will appear on the parts and i will have to repaint them.If that happens,i don't think i will be able to finish in time.

I will be working on this build on the 8th of October.I will be posting the wip on gundam eclipse forum and also on this blog as i'm working on it.What do you guys think?Will i be able to complete this challenge?

Speaking about group builds,there will be this Universal Century VS Alternate Century group build starting on the 10th October to 31th December,which the admins and i have organize on gundam eclipse forum.Basically this group build is spilt into 2 groups,1 group will be making UC models and the other group making AC models.And for each group there is a list of colors you choose from and create a custom color scheme for your model.Sounds interesting?Go check it out here and for more information...

How to recast parts of your gundam model using epoxy putty

I have wanted to post this tutorial for a long time,but have always been lazy to do it.But since i have time today,i decided to get this posted.
Here are some examples of recast.

This method is actually quite simple and most of you may already know.So I will try to summaries everything and keep it short.
First,make a casing and fill it halfway with epoxy putty.

Secondly,apply a small amount of baby powder onto the putty and spread it well,this will prevent the piece from sticking onto the putty.Then press down the piece halfway down into the epoxy putty.

Wait until the putty have cured.(Note:Do not remove the piece after the putty have cured.)

Thirdly,apply some more baby powder and press down some more epoxy putty so that it will cover the piece.
Wait until putty have cured,and you have your mold.

Remove the top of the mold and the piece inside.Fill a big piece of epoxy putty into the gaps and using the top mold,gently press it down.(Note:Always apply baby powder to the mold before recast,this would prevent the putty from sicking to the mold.)

Wait for it to cure.Remove the recast and after some sanding,the piece will be good to go.

Gundam Epyon "The Hydra" Week 4

Wow,1 whole month have passed by so quickly.I wonder if i really can finish this in 3 months,that means i only have 2 months left...I always doubt myself when there is a time limit,i got to change that mentality and enjoy the build to the fullest...Ok,time to stop my whining and lets talk about the progress i've made this week.

Most of you may be wondering how is the wing doing,so lets start from there.The epoxy work on the wing is almost done and i'm currently focusing on cleaning the boomerang spikes up and duplicating them.And for the extra booster,i'll have to wait for the metal thrusters to arrive in order to progress further.The next step for the wing will be to use pla plates to beef it up.

I have also mixed the colors which i want to use,the main color is dark green and dark grey.For the yellow,i'm going to change it to yellow/orange which looks nicer with the green.For the light grey,i'm still thinking whether i want to change it into another color.Finally,i will be using metallic yellow for the eyes and orb.Tell me what you guys think about the color scheme,ok?I'm still a noob at choosing colors:(

I didn't show any pictures of the body that i have detailed up last week,so here is how some of the parts look after priming.

Here is one mod i did this week on the wing.I putty up the part highlighted in black and cut out a portion of the red part.I did this to cover the frame(which is the red part),now there is a clear separation between the red and dark grey part at the side.
This is how it looks before the mod.

 Picture from dalong.

I hope you guys like what i've done so far,and please stay tune for the next update.Cheers!

Gundam Epyon "The Hydra" Week 3

For this week,i've been working solely on the body as i got tired of sanding the wings.Sometimes,its best to change and work on something else,this helps me from getting burnt out.

Basically what i did was the same as my deathscythe hell,drawing the panel lines,adding rivets and pla plates,so i won't talk about those.

I did some modding to the ankle,to make the parts separable even after i cement them together and removing the seam line.How i went about doing so is rather simple and most of you should already know this.After i cement the 2 red parts and removed the seamlines,I drew a wide panel line right in the middle.Make sure the line is deep and use a hobby knife to cut in between the panel line and separating the 2 parts.Now,i can paint the red parts and the inner frame separately.

Most kits' ankle are like this,and if you do not want a panel line in the middle,you can draw 2 parallel panel lines on the sides and cut 1 of those right through to separate the 2 parts.After painting,the panel lines will look like its part of the design and the ugly seamline will be gone.

I wish i got more examples and photos to show,but i kinda got lazy...

The next thing i did is also a mod to clean up the seamline on the claw.First,i cut out the portion that is highlighted in black.Next,cement it onto the other part of the claw and putty the gaps.And the unpleasant seamline is gone.I hope the pictures will explain the steps better than i do...Haha...

And for all the joints,i sanded the black portions down so that they won't rub against other parts and scratch the paints off after painting.Even when the parts aren't touching each other after priming,it is likely that they will after painting because paints will add to the thickness of the surface.

Arm frame(Left),Leg frame top portion(Right)

For additional details,other than the rivets,panel line and pla plate,I added pipes underneath the shoulder to enhance the look of the inner frame.

I was thinking whether i should combine the 2 shenlong weapon and make it into the EW version,or use epyon's sword as the main weapon.What i don't like about the sword is the guard,it looks too small compared to the huge beam.So i went to test fit the fin onto the side of the guard,so as to extend the width and make it look bigger.The fins fit pretty nicely to the side,so i hope after some modifications i can make them movable so that when the beam is not activated,i can close the fins.

I'm going to mod the boomerang from destiny gundam into spikes for the wing.Here is the basic design for it.

I'm sorry for the wordy post,but i hope that some of the mods i explained can be of help to those who are just starting out gunpla.Thats all for now,see you guys on the next update:)

Gundam Epyon "The Hydra" Week 2

For the past week,i've been continuing with the wing's mods and the fifth head.I'm not sure whether my working pace have slowed down but i do feel a little burnt out over the week.I am spending more time on my xbox now when i have free time rather then on gunpla.Its not that i have lost interest in this build but i'm just a little tired.I hope i can regain my momentum and finish this in time for the local competition that was postpone.

Enough about me,lets get down to the project itself.The dragon head gave me the hardest time because i can't draw,that means i can't sketch out the design that is in my head which would make sculpting it out so much easier.When i'm sculpting,it is usually trial and error.But when that doesn't work,my only option is to finalize the design on paper.Luckily,i was able to sketch out a design that looks like a dragon's head after a lot of tries.

After i got the design on paper,i was able to sand the head out but i'm still thinking where i should attach the weapons to.And the funny thing is that my first few tries on the dragon's head,looks nothing like a dragon.It was more like a eagle's head,and that made me second guess the whole concept.But its better now,and i'm glad i continued.

The progress on the wings are going smoothly,they just need some more time and i think they should be good to go.The thrusters just needs some detailing and i have ordered some HIQ parts for it.

I also needed to make some changes to the backpack for me to attach the fifth dragon to.And thats when i thought of putting the shield on the back since i won't be putting it onto the arm,which turned out to be a rather neat idea.

And for the fangs on the feet,i shorten the fangs a little and sanded them down,before cementing them.I will have to apply some putty to seal up the gaps at the side later on.

This a trial piece of a pillar that i've made using plaster for a pantheon theme diorama.I have some problems with it,so i want to ask whether any of you have tried this before.How do i make the plaster not stick to the corrugated paper?

This is a very ambitious attempt for me and i'm not sure whether i can pull it off but i'll give it a shot.

Thats all for now,thank you guys for viewing my post:)Cheers!