P-Bandai MG Hazel Progress

This kit arrived a few weeks ago while i was finishing up my “RX-78 GP03” Mobile Student entry for SCGMC 2017. So there was a little bit of an overlap on the projects while I waited for things to cure on “Osaka”; I got to clipping and sanding the P-Bandai Hazel. The Hazel variation is the Custom, so we get one gun, 1 booster shield, and 1 normal shield. Fifteen or so years ago, an online acquaintance scratch built a resin conversion using the MG GM Quel and made about 100 copies of it and sold it to the online community. Here’s my build of that kit. The 12 year old conversion kit came with 3 booster shields as well as parts for a Full Armored version of the Hazel. So, I guess I was a little disappointed that the p-Bandai version didn’t come with more booster shields at the very least. But that’s a problem I can easily solve later. For now, I got to snapping and sanding the kit.

More progress after the jump.

(more…)

Continue ReadingP-Bandai MG Hazel Progress

RX-78 GP03 Ver. “Osaka” Completed!

This was a very quick project. These small resin figures are pretty simple and perfect to squeeze in between projects. Last time I posted that the parts were sanded and soaked in an industrial strength cleaner. A day later, they get the scrubbing treatment with a dip in the ultrasonic cleaner and water.

After the scrubbing session, the parts are laid out to air dry. Once all the parts are dry, I can work on the immediate problem areas on the kit. There are a few bubbles and chipped resin, but a short session with some light curing putty and sanding fills and fixes things. This is just on the bare resin. The parts are now ready for priming.

More after the jump!
(more…)

Continue ReadingRX-78 GP03 Ver. “Osaka” Completed!

IPMS OC OrangeCon 2017 and starting a new resin figure project!

This past weekend was the annual IPMS Orange County’s Region 8 Contest: OrangeCon. This is always a great contest to attend. More so now to spread the word that is Gunpla. While setting up, an older gentleman looked over at me and exclaimed, “Hey, you’re one of Those Gundam Guys!” This always makes me chuckle. He then proceeded to tell me that he had met me a few years back at a previous OrangeCon with a friend of his that I had known from a previous IPMS Nationals in 2007. The guy was from Arizona and was inspired by our talk about gunpla and brought his own custom made Zaku; pictured below. Apologies for the dark pictures. SciFi is the redheaded stepchild of model competitions, so we’re usually in some dark corner out of the best lit areas!

He said that he was having a blast building gunpla and was building more. He ended up winning 1st place in the Sci/Fi Mech/Gundam category – that got split into SciFi Gundam and Scifi Non Gundam. But more on that later. I chatted with him for a while and told him about our show, but he’s unable to come because he lives in Tucson. Blah, people from all over the country are flying/driving in for SCGMC. But that’s another story. Fellow TGG members Brandon and Jonathan came and entered their kits. They got 2nd and 3rd in the SciFi Gundam category.

More about Orangecon after the jump.

(more…)

Continue ReadingIPMS OC OrangeCon 2017 and starting a new resin figure project!

Volks Saber Bride Commission Completed!

The project is finally coming to an end with this update. The last bit of detail work was to apply some black pastels on the edges of the dress to create some burn marks as per the original box art. The cape was first coated with a flat finish. Once that cured, the pastels will stick best to the flat coated surface. A q-tip is used to feather the pastels to blend the surface. Another clear flat is sprayed over the pastels to seal them in.

More final steps and completed picture gallery after the jump.

(more…)

Continue ReadingVolks Saber Bride Commission Completed!