Love it. :D

I think it looks amazing. Except imo the Satellite Cannon 'effect' stickers seems out of place

They just released the MG full armor...so they still got one RX-78 out there. or another effin Zaku....Can we get a Alex 2.0 or something?

http://pikachiu.txt-nifty.com/wotaku...post-379b.html

Some pics of the RG Gundam here.

Long, long time, no post (at least here...)

Friend of mine went to Japan on vacation, and bought me an HG 1/144 00 Raiser+GN Sword III (and a same scale Akatsuki Shiranui, but that's beside the point), so I figured I'd sit down and clean up my Exia (also HG 1/144) while I'm waiting for his return...

Having a spot of trouble, though - since I was going to paint the whole thing, I never used any of the stickers, and now they've gone missing. OK, I can do without, I've got appropriately colored paints for nearly all of it. Less fun is that I'm missing the GN Long Blade, which I've now looked everywhere for. Really really irritating.

I checked at Dalong, and it seems that the Exia Repair II comes with a full set of parts for the original Exia, including the sword I'm missing. Getting one of those would work, the problem is I don't really like the R2 version and I'd rather spend that money on some other kit, like the Reborns Gundam or something. So, I figured I'd ask - does anyone have both the original and Repair 2 Exia, and would such a person be willing to part with the "spare" GN Long Blade?

Secondly, I remember seeing around the time I got the Exia that there was a waterslide transfer set for the S1 gundams in 1/144 (Celestial Being markings, warning signs, etc - the kind of stuff you see in the MG kits). I can't find it on HLJ anymore though, so I'm starting to wonder... did such a set really exist in that scale, or was it a 1/100 only item? and does anyone know where it can be gotten today? Decals really add to the look of the finished items... Similarly, are waterslide transfers available for the 1/144 OO Raiser? Where?

Thirdly, are there any scanslations available for the booklets you get from the kits? I've looked at the Gundam Wiki, which seems to be the most informative site around, but I'm guessing from the look of the booklet scans I've seen that all the info hasn't been entered.

Finally, does anyone else find it irritating as heck that they use photos of the 1/100 kits to illustrate the instruction booklets for the 1/144 kits? I discovered after painting the intakes of my Exia white (in preparation for making the intake edges yellow) that only the 1/100 version was colored that way - the MG goes back to just the splitter plate being yellow...

Also, two tips for those who paint their gundams:

Best way to strip off Humbrol (or other enamel) paints: oven cleaner. Spray the bits, leave them for half an hour, clean the loosened paint off with a toothbrush and rinse well. Won't eat the plastic or cloud clear parts. The stronger alternative is break fluid (for cars), IIRC that will take acrylics as well. Be careful with that stuff though, I haven't used it myself.

Best clearcoat on the market: SC Johnson's liquid floor waxes, US name is "Future". Amazing self-leveling acrylic gloss clear coat, goes on really smooth even with a brush. Use ammonia-based window cleaner to thin if needed, or to wash it off completely. Best of all, you get half a liter in a bottle for about twice the price of a tiny Tamiya bottle, and it will last forever (unless you do what I did, and spill it...) Also, it works pretty well with flattening agents like Tamiya's Flat Base.

Cheers!

SP

how to mount astraea f GN Pistol to Dynames Leg??
i'm sorry if my english very bad:D:D

There's gonna be a free shipping sale for paypal at HLJ next week! I got an email early because I don't use paypal (yet) lol.

You lost the best bit of the Exia, lol! Well it's your lucky day, I have a solution for you, since you like painting, buy the Astrea type F, it comes with all of the exia parts, so you can build the astrea and all of its weapons, and there will be the exia parts still on the sprues (at least the longblade is) so, you get a new model (although it's close to the Exia), loads of accesories, and the Exia parts you wanted. Though painting is required, (the blade is brown, the shield is red).

You will need to be wary tho, because even with the free shipping, other websites could still be cheaper. The kits that would benefit from this deal would be SD kits and Large 1/100s or 1/60s

Hmm, yeah, I do like hobby search. oh yeah it's free 'express' shipping apparently, so maybe that would make it mre worth it.

I think you're talking about the wrong sword here - the one I've lost is the one that goes on the left hip, not the folding one that goes on the arm...

Thanks for the tip on the Astrea F - I'll hold off on that one though, I think someone mentioned an original color Astrea being in the works, and that would at least have the parts in a manageable color. Red and black are a pain in the butt to paint over, especially when you want white as the end result. (not that blue is much better...) Also, I still need to pick up some "villain" suits before I get another hero, even an anti-hero. :-)

Still looking for info on the waterslide transfer set for the Celestial Being suits - anyone know anything about those, or a set for the OO Gundam + O Raiser?

Cheers,

SP

It depends on where you live. EMS shipping to Poland for HG 1/144 is usually the same amount of money as the model itself.

Will this free-shipping-for-paypal-users be available for everything, or only for select products like the last time?

Oh yeah, sorry I'm really stupid xD I though the GN sword was what you were talking about :heh: sorry, I forgot... I guess it's because I'm not that into 00 now, UC series' are where it's at!

I don't think the email specified what products, I'll look again but it will probably say on their website.

Unfortunely you can't mount Astraea F GN Pistols container on Dynames leg. But at least Dynames can hold the GN Pistols on its hand.:D

If the deal is available for all products, I'll propably get the 00 Seven Sword/G.

I absolutely loath white paint...

I decided that since I was painting the shield on the Exia, I might as well paint the rest of the white pieces too - should be easy, right, they're already white so I won't need to paint them over and over to make sure the plastic color doesn't shine through like on the shield.

Except that the damned paint didn't come out white, it came out *cream*. AAAAARGH.

Thankfully, I know how to painlessly strip this brand of paint off so I can start over, but I'm still pretty angry. Does anyone know a brand of enamel paint where the white stays white? Acrylics and I don't mix well, since I brush paint (acrylics tend to go wax on, wax off when you brush paint them), and the only brand of white spray I really trust comes out too grainy (Citadel Skull White).

Also, still looking for the CB decals in 1/144, especially for OO Raiser and the S1 suits. (edit: NVM, the official set is available at www.1999.co.jp, though the third party ones from Samueldecal.com were much nicer, if also a lot pricier)


Cheers,

SP

I'll be away for a while, I'm clearing up my internet so I'll spend less time surfing on 'unnecessary' sites for a while, I'll be back though, 4 weeks maybe. So cya guys.

i use enamels alot. i havent found one thats pure white but 34 matt white humbrol is rather close. it doesnt stick that well if its not properly mixed but it goes on well once theres a dry first coat. it works well if the peices are primed. H 22 white gloss doesnt really come out white, it does have some yellow tint to it. those are the only 2 white paints from humbrol ive used so far, had no need for satin/gloss white. if you ever do go with humbrol, dont buy matt varnish H49, its absolutely useless in its finish. it goes yellow and is more satin. its only useful in dealing with loose polycaps if you want to avoid using glue. the matt cote in a glass jar works better.

I have a spare Long Sword from the R2 that I don't want... It's not painted, just matted and freshly cut from the runners. But the only way I can give it to you is if you get it from me. :( I live in Singapore. I'm 16, and I don't paint and stuff because I can't afford it. So I won't be able to ship it to you or anything. Just if.

Unfortunately, this is a problem with all white paints I've tried.
Even though I can't say its the problem with all white paints in general, I have tried a TON of paints, of every base and tons of brands.

I've found two solutions.
1) TONS of coats. Even when painting on a light beige plastic, I've had to use two or three HEAVY coats of white before it shows (2 for enamel 3 for acrylic...sprays is WAY more). And as you're hand painting, the outcome is going to look kinda bad as the brushstrokes are layered onto each other.
2) Use primer. Primer sticks to everything. With primer, one layer should work. But primer is expensive and kinda high-maintenance after sprayed on. But the outcome is better.

Its a general rule that light colors won't show up well on darker-colored surfaces. This is going to happen a lot unless you want to shill out more cash/time/work for primer.

I usually build aircraft and helicopters, which nearly always (at least for the kits I build) need paint and glue, so I'm not exactly a newbie. I'm just getting a leeetle bit tired of having to buy a new tin of white each time I start a new project, just because the old tin has turned yellow...

Anyway, I found a tin of Gloss White (Humbrol 22) that appeared OK, so I'll give that a shot later. (Gloss is better for decalling and weathering anyway...) First of all though I need to strip the old paint off and sort out the damage I made to it when I was detaching the pieces from the sprues. Some parts of the kit (especially the backs of the lower legs) look awful, and will require some work to get decent again.

Right now my Exia is in its box, completely and utterly disassembled. I've spent the past several hours looking at various other people's Exias (and 00 raisers), to get some kind of feel for where I want to go. I've got the paints needed to do the original scheme (dark blue, white and red). Not sure I want to stick to that, though - I saw several cool alternatives, including a yellow and black version. We'll see...

Here's a quick question - if I go with some variation of the original color scheme (i.e white blue and red), what color would be the best suited for the frame parts - dark gray, black, or gunmetal?

Cheers for now,

SP

ive just noticed this but the humbrol white matt 34 does seem to tend to go yellow a bit. atm ive used it unmixed on my SD lunamaria zaku. had to touch up some small spots today, i finished painting it over a month ago. it may be the tin of paint in my case, the shield has enough coats of paint on it atm.

All the different versions have their own problems...

Flat white is either too thick, in which case I get serious brushstroke problems; or too thin, in which case it doesn't cover at all except in the corners, where it builds up and looks awful. It also tends to be almost too flat - the surface feels gritty, worse than other flat paints.

Satin white is easier to get to the right thickness and coverage, though it turns yellow in its tin faster than the others. It also seems sensitive to being rubbed off, which is no good at all.

And gloss white is slow to dry and attracts dust particles like a magnet while drying...

...so, who has a cool alternative to white for the main color of the Exia? :-)

SP

thanks for the info on the other humbrol white enamels. i'll probably stick to the flat white because im a bit tired to see a gloss finish on my models when possible. i dont mind if it goes a bit gritty atm.

Dark gray in my opinion, but then again I rarely repaint. I usually use dark grey to complete the missing frame colors in my HG 00.

But frankly, black may look better depending on color variation you choose which is highly subjective but my default answer would be dark gray.

Take a look at the Astraea F if you wish, its frame color is different by default from the Original Astraea. The F has have more brownish frame color against its full red armor. The Original Astraea uses the same dark grey frame with the traditional hero colors on the armor. This trait carries over to its successor the Exia.


As for information about the booklets, some of us may be aware of the information of some of the booklets due to some of the translators doing some partial translating for us but it varies depending on the kit, so we dont have all of them, not even close to a full scanlation. If you want to know about something in a booklet, I may have some from the info that ppl may have translated from the past and I'll help you whatever way I can if you want, as long as it falls under the Anoo Domini category. Just be careful about what you read in Gundam Wikia, it may not necessarily be true especially if it isnt sourced.

I learned from building aircraft etc, and reading about aircraft modelling, that regardless of what the end finish is supposed to be, you want a gloss finish for when you add decals and panel lines. A flat finish causes microscopic bubbles under decals, which makes them look silvery when they dry. When you're done with the decals and panel lines, you can change the whole finish of the kit by adding a flat clear coat. I use SC Johnson floor wax for my clear coats, with some Tamiya Acrylic Flat Base added when I need a flat coat, a trick I also learned from the aircraft modelling sites.

From the look of some of the finished models I've seen so far, and the MG/PG kits, I may end up deciding on black, gray or gunmetal on a case-by-case basis - there are sprues of all three colors in the higher grade kits, after all.

As to the booklet stuff, it's not too important. What I'm looking for mostly is translations for the weapons descriptions. No hurry. :-)

In other news, I've stripped the paint off completely now, with a few really stubborn exceptions that thankfully won't matter (hard to see spots). I'm waiting for the parts to dry off right now, will probably try to start painting again tomorrow.

Cheers,

SP

thanks for the tips, my next project once i clear my backlog of 3 MS kits is an SU-47 Berkut jet with its wings swept forward. it'll be the first time ive worked on a kit requiring glue to assemble for 7 years or so atm.

In my experience, all kits require glue. Eventually. :-) One of the frames that go between the torso and arm on my Exia broke in two when I was cleaning the paint off, so Gundam kits are no exception.

Good luck with the Berkut, hope it comes out looking good. I haven't built that thing myself, I've been a bit bummed out by the lack of decent 1/72 scale Russian fighters. They all have serious problems... (for a decent Flanker model in 1/72, you need to combine three different kits - Airfix or Heller for the frame, Nakotne/Encore for the wings, and Hasegawa/Revell for the weapons pylons and decals...)

Cheers,

SP

My HGFC God Gundam can do unsupported handstands it seems...

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...mHeadstand.jpg

OMG!!!...that is wicked,that kit lived up to it name as "God gundam":p...look likes there are also Nu Gundam on top of that system unit..err that is a dangerous place for model kit...

Just got a MG Strike Freedom FBM from a guy on a local forum. I noticed the front armor skirt are very loose. It is natural for the kit to have a loose armor skirt??

I would say no. I have mine for awhile now and it doest have any weak joints until now.

lol i see dota players in the background :heh: :heh:

anyways

nice pose on the God Gundam :)

Ello guys, I would just like to invite you all to join are 2 day old group at Facebook.
It is an international community that encourages members, specially the new and young modelers to share there works. This site promotes equality amongst ALL members and foster true friendships amongst people of the same fandom - GUNDAM.

MECH ARTS community

http://i540.photobucket.com/albums/g...023/DCFB-1.jpg

Hope to see your kits there. thanks! XD

some of my MS have glue already though nothing too major broke ie large moving parts. so far its only small and/or immobile peices. the su-47 is made by hobby boss, i might skip over the 2 untouched MS kits to do it but i still need the final push to finish my current model. when in make models i waste several hours to build and paint and a lot of procrastination in between. one is a nebula blitz gundam crab that i'll repaint to the original color scheme but repainting a whole kit usually has caused procrastination more than the minimal painting kits i have.

do you have any advice on glueing cockpit canopies and axles/landing gears? ive always had problems with those in particular. canopies became clouded from the glue and axles were rather melted at times from the glue. what sort of things should i pay attention to check the quality of the russian kits? i have a badly made v-22 1/72 osprey, RAH-66 commanche. the commanche is decent if you disregard my mistakes in glueing the rear rotor, the main rotor wobbles, those were the avoidable problems i had if i just planned ahead.

I'm partway through my HG Unicorn Mode model and realizing that I'll probably never have to paint this one. It's amazing how little colour it actually has. Luckily I picked up an HG V2 Buster Gundam at Anime North for my second model. I saw the new Perfect Grade 00 Raiser there as well with one of the store employees always appearing to be standing right next to it just in case.

Sounds like you have a lot of kits to work on! (though I shouldn't be saying anything, I've got forty or so helicopters, tanks and jets in 1/72 scale that I still haven't finished up).

It sounds like you're using too much glue on your models, if you're having trouble with melting parts. It only takes a tiny bit. I use cement that comes in a needle applicator bottle (it has a long thin metal tube that the glue comes out of). This makes it easy to get the glue exactly where you want it, and in the proper amount.

For clear parts, the fogging is due to fumes from the glue, and also from fresh glue being applied directly to clear plastic. Try applying the cement to the non-clear part instead, and leaving it to dry for just a bit so that the worst fumes can escape. As long as it's still sticky, the clear part will stick fine.

Also, there are non-reactive glues you can use for clear parts - white glue, normally used for woodworking; Humbrol Clearfix, which is made for this stuff; or you can use clear varnish. These aren't very strong, but for some parts it doesn't matter.

Finally, there's superglue. It has kind of the same problem as regular cement (it fogs parts if you're in too much of a hurry), but for a different reason (cement fumes actually eat the plastic, superglue instead leaves a residue when the fumes dry). It's excellent for things where you need a strong joint but have a tiny area to work with (the hinges on an open canopy), or for that matter for landing gear. Superglue is one of those things where less really is more, though - the less you use, the stronger it is. Be really careful with it, because the one thing it sticks absolute best to is skin. Gluing yourself to a table is no fun.

Cheers,

SP

i dont have that many, gotts stop procrastinating on the akatsuki and someday get around to the SD blitz gundam. its not the biggest back log ive had, so far its 4 MS kits back log. then again a 1/772 aircraft is still a kit. i cant really stand having a backlog of 4 or more unopened kits. i think i once was 5 behind but it forced me to clear up some backlog.

thank you very much winchester. i do have a needle applicator humbrol poly cement, humbrol dope and another poly cement in a jar (unsure if jar is still good). i got the lesson of overglueing various parts quite early on in the kits. i never did wait for the fumes to clear up when i glued any canopies but fortunately they dont seem to be too cloudy. my father does have a balsa model which he started but never had the time to complete, i'll see if he has clearfix or an equivalent.

i also have humbrol matt varnish but not clear varnish. its slightly yellow and absolutely ineffective in matting finishes but it might be useful for canopies. not sure how the yellow will stand out but testing may help in that case. ive had encounters with super glue on skin, not very fun at all but it worked wonders to fix broken parts on my MS kits. how long do you hold the poly cement so it can seal sufficiently to move on to the next while wainting it to fully dry?

Ello guys, just inviting you to our first ONLINE Gundam model kit competition -
DC23 M.A.C. at facebook

http://i540.photobucket.com/albums/g...stPOSTER-1.jpg

I usually test it by releasing the pressure on the part and seeing if it moves. If it does, hold it for a little longer. A couple of minutes is usually enough.

Cheers