I agree with putting a gloss coat on the first layer (to prep for decals) and the second layer (to lock the decals in). Just don't overdo it as some waterslide decals may corrode if you apply too much lacquer paint to it.

If you can, look up online or in model magazines about the wonders of Future Floor Polish. I kid you not.

Right. *nodnod*

Welp. Okay, guess I'd better stop by Ace Hardware tonight and buy that Future Floor Wax (for plastic floors, so I was told), and then use that on my Command.

Thanks for being so patient to my noobness, wave. :heh:

^ Future is best applied with an airbrush, if you have one. The alternative of handbrushing it on is possible but often at the cost of obvious brush strokes unless you're highly practiced. Just some friendly advice.

Future Floor Polish, not wax. Be wary: some countries don't have the same formulation.

Future is essentially a clear acrylic paint, and in the US it's commonly available and reliable. In Melbourne we don't have it so most friends of mine either import from the US or Malaysia. I mainly use it for immersing clear parts (like aircraft canopies or the clear lenses of 00 kits and the like), friends of mine go whole hog and bulkbuy the stuff.

tfw no Future/pledge product in Indonesia

has anyone tried to make an entire new you-created-yourself MS using Gunpla Battle Arms parts as basis? :heh:

Hmmmm. So anyway I'm gonna make a 2nd attempt at finding Future. If I can't find it, what other things could I substitute with?

Also, I can't into airbrushing, so what sort of brush should I use?

...worse come to worse I just topcoat. (Jesus, that's a pretty small can of topcoat, was expecting it to be bigger.)

- No, I don't think there's enough parts. You'd have better luck using some of the cheaper AGE kits if you want to do a scratchbuilt, as the kits are relatively cheap and easy to build and mod.

- Depends on availability. As mentioned, Future is common in the Us thus why people use it. If you don't have it you'll have to spend the extra $$$ for Mr Color (Acrylic), Tamiya (Lacquer), or Testors (Lacquer) glosscoate/dullcote paints.

Some people have hit-and miss results buying car or house paint, but I recommend against it because some auto/house paints are too strong to be used on plastic so doublecheck first. I'm sick and tired of arguing with idiots that try to use Polycarbonate or some other type of paint and get surprised when their gunpla becomes a molten slop.

Thanks for the advice.

Well, I'll give it another shot on the weekend - there's a bigger Ace Hardware near Ikea, so I'm rather tempted to just go there, since I'll be in PJ on the weekend, and it might have what I'm looking for; the Ace in IOI Mall is pretty small.

And when/if all fails, I guess I'll just resort to buying a can of Mr. Hobby gloss coat. (Also good grief, the matte coat I bought is like fits in my hand!)

Try getting Mr Super Clear, the grey cans. A bit more bang for your buck. Plus they've UV cut so a bit better protection for your paintjob from solar or display lighting UV rays.

yeah the AGE kits are really easy to kit bash or scratch build entirely due to their modular Wear system gimmicks, which is a total waste considering the series's status & could have been carefully executed the correct way, which is ironic that they have yet to appear in Build Fighters who's gimmick is creating your own designs, its a shame really,

did they also released the Wears that did not appear in the show too? counting the variants from the side stories & spin-offs?

Only Razor, so far

AGE couldn't appear in GBF because of exclusivity issues. Exia Repair was juuuust able to sneak in by the skin of its teeth.

http://s19.postimg.org/lkbi9s977/1401856683744.jpg

The corrected the colorscheme lol

:upset: I hope that's what we will get this time. All the promotion images last time showed it was violet, instead of the brownish purple we got.

Cant wait for Exia Amazing.
http://s4.postimg.org/vj47k5hod/1036...98820394_n.jpg

Razor and Artemis. I prefer Razor's look and style but my friends like Artemis for the big Kira Yamato Style Guns.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bqcCU_R6lo.../12072702a.jpg

Hmmmm. Just saw the K9 Pack on sale. I wonder if I could combine the K9 pack with my GM Sniper II?

I just picked up a RG Exia for myself today. It'll be my first experience with chromed parts! Could I get some advice from some of you expert modellers here on the proper/best way to remove them from the sprues? :D

Well, I won't call myself an expert, but from my experience, you can't do much with chrome parts beside being careful when cutting the trees. Just do it like usual (but with extra care): cut the sprues with a nipper then carefully cut the leftovers with file or a very thin & sharp cutter. Do it gently (no rush allowed) if you want to get good result. That's pretty much what you can do to remove chrome parts. My experience includes MG Exia Trans-am, some 1-100 kits from Wing-line that have chrome-parts (eg. 1-100 Deathscythe-Hell's golden "ribs"), and others that I can't recall right now.

Maybe some more "experts" builders here can give better suggestions?

Unfortunately thats painted, we still have no idea what the oob kit will look like

As much as i'd love a rozen zulu a part of me still doubts they'll get this release right colour wise. I hope i'm wrong.

The last time I had a chromed kit I used paint stripper to get rid of the chrome finish.

...you can tell I'm definitely not the person to talk to about metallic or chrome plated kits.

Well I tried to get rid of Akatsuki's chrome with Mr. Muscle as some forum said

.... it failed so hard, maybe it's my method which at fault?

Bleach. Chlorine Bleach.

There are different versions of Mr Muscle, so you might be using the wrong kind.

And you'll be doing it at least 4-5 times. To get the chrome plate off an old 1/144 Shining Gundam Hyper Mode I spent 3/4ths of a month repeatedly immersing the parts in bleach, then washing, then pouring paint stripper alternately. This was so I could get it down to the ugly black underplastic, cover it with white primer, and paint it to get an 'updated' version of the Shining Gundam.

...then when I'm nearly finished, Bandai announced their HGFC Shining Gundam.

http://th02.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/...90-d4u7nss.jpg

So there I was at my local comic book store, hoping the last issue of Deadpool vs. Carnage was out. I was 6 days too early so I decided to check the gunpla section. High Grade Guntank. TWELVE FRIGGIN DOLLARS. Just finished it and it only took me 1 hour 45 minutes. Unfortunately the main peg for the cockpit seat broke when trying to unsnap the head pieces off because I put a polycap in wrong, but everything managed to snap back into place. Really thinking of getting a Titans and Neo Zeon gunpla before getting the V2 Gundam and eventually mother f**king BEARGGUY SAN! (two kits were there, I smiled, on my own!). Also thinking of getting a Master Grade, are Hyaku Shiki or Nemo a good place to start?

Both kits are good places to start due to their simplicity. MG Hyaku Shiki is an old kit and is decent for its time but not great. On the other hand, MG Nemo is teriffic for a grunt unit. It’s solid and has very good articulation.

Then Nemo it is! (unless someone buys it first)

Window cleaner and oven cleaner, using both.

Do I have to let it drown for hours? What about insulation?

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...zNk1qzlvmi.gif

[wavehawking intensifies]

The curse continues I see :nod:

Wow, you guys have some pretty bad experiences with chrome parts, huh. :heh: I bought the RG Exia mainly because I'm a sucker for shiny stuff... Here's hoping this turns out well for me!

I see, thanks! I'll experiment first with the 'handle' parts of the blades to see how it goes.

I already own the previous Rozen Zulu. It's an excellent kit, just a pity about the colour... Unfortunately I don't think I have the spare cash to shell out for the new version if it does come in the correct colours. I'll just continue hoping for a Robot Damashii Rozen Zulu... :D

According to 4chan, Exia's chrome blades are... slightly problematic
http://s19.postimg.org/63fkgjb0z/1402062234757.jpg
Not something unfixable, just really bothersome

- Why do you think I said "3/4ths fo a Month"? Majority of the time it was soaking in bleach for 24 hours, then I'd take it out to wash under cold running water. What happens is the metallic coat will start flaking off, leaving the black plastic underneath. But you still have to wash it off with water as there's a coat of the electroplating material underneath.

So once all of the metallic coat is off, you'll still need to take an old toothbrush and scrub off the remainder. Then let it dry, then coat it with primer for painting.

...you see now why I hate chromed kits, and why I've onl ever done it once and plan to never do it again?

I was talking about Mr. Muscle, but either way thanks for the tip.:heh:

Well it seems Future is sold here as Pledge. But i can only find Pledge window cleaner.

I'll make one last try next week, but it looks like I'm going to have to skip gloss and go straight to matte.

For what it's worth, don't use Matte UNDER decal, just stick em on the plastic directly.

Wait, what's the problem here - the fingerprints are hard to come off?

Those are not fingerprint

Those are coat blotch and bubbling

Okay, so I experimented with using gold marker on my Banshee's bling faceplate and horn. ACtually looks a lot nicer.

On the other hand I think I botched my application on the neck area so I feel like I need to redo. I guess I should either sandpaper or use the marker eraser, shouldn't I?

I've also found a few things:

1: Marker eraser is significantly more effective when used immediately.

2. I'm experimenting with a light bluish color for my Banshee norn's e-caps. Am doing some tests with drawing white on blue marker, and blue over white marker, and then using the eraser to thin and mix the colors...

What sort of paint markers are you using?

Bandai gold marker and AGE blue and white paint markers. All official Gundam markers.