A mixture of Gunpla, Cooking, SCUBA, Corgis, and Life

Read more about the article RX-78 Gundam Exceed Model Head DONE!

RX-78 Gundam Exceed Model Head DONE!

This is easily one of my quickest projects to complete in the past 10 or so years. The tough part was figuring out how to take the damn thing apart, and you can check out the disassembly video here:

Naturally, I need to add lights to the thing so I built a light setup for the eyes and the mohawk piece. I also wanted to lower the light bleed below the eyes so I added some styrene to the face piece just under the eyes. The nose vents are just holes so I covered this area with some plastic as well. Styrene tubes are glued to the back of the eyes to focus the light as well as have a place to slide the eye light assembly.

The complete finishing steps after the jump as well as completed pictures. (more…)

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Read more about the article Tearing down the Gundam Exceed Model Head

Tearing down the Gundam Exceed Model Head

This past weekend, I saw a FB post from one of my local shops (Neo Happy Land Co) saying they had the RX-78 Gundam Exceed Heads in stock. They’re selling them there for $10. Which isn’t too bad a markup being that they’re gashapon items from Japan. I have a few of the Zaku Exceed Model heads from my own trip to Japan, so I definitely needed to get this one as well.

Also over the weekend, a modeler that goes by Marcogunpla post up pictures of his 3D designed neck piece for displaying the ’78 Head. He also posted the files up on Thingiverse. Marco printed it on a SLA printer in resin and the neck piece looks very nice. I downloaded the file and printed it on my FDM printer at .25mm and this took 3 hours. I did a print estimation for .15 and that would have taken 6 hours. I also ran a print estimation for an SLA printer (Formlabs preform software for the Form 2) and at .05mm the print would take about 8 hours. Still not too bad for the quality of print that I saw in the FB posts. The head unwrapped, the assembly is very simple. There is a chin piece and the V-fin that need to be assembled. The sides of the head pull out and you can grab the forehead piece to bring it up and the display is complete.

If you don’t build/paint/etc stop here. If you are a model builder and have picked one up or are planning on getting one to mod/paint/etc; read on!

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Read more about the article Dom Barrage Progress Update 2

Dom Barrage Progress Update 2

Progress slowed down a bit because I spent a few days making a mold of a crappy Thai made resin recast of Faye Valentine that a friend of mine picked up back in 2003. The resin is so brittle and ceramic like in texture that it is near impossible to work with and sand. I had made some casts of the Dom’s leg thruster parts and had extra silicone to make one of the Faye parts and after that one piece, I just fell down the rabbit hole.

But back to work on the kit and like the last post, I will try to keep things organized towards the sections I got work on since the last update. First up is the work on the head. I started with tamiya epoxy putty quick type but that stuff takes a little too long and is pretty hard to sand, so I switched over to the polyester putty. And here are some comparison pictures to the original head. I also got the LED wired up and tested that look as well.

More head work after the jump.
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Read more about the article First new project of the year! 1/100 Dom Barrage

First new project of the year! 1/100 Dom Barrage

Feb 1, 2019. I started this immediately after finishing the Dreissen project. Pretty much the same day. I stumbled upon the Dom Barrage, MS-09 F/Br a few years ago and was interested in doing a build of it off the MG Dom. But the reference pictures were pretty lacking and I think I found one online, built from the HGUC Dom Tropen. Using a Dom Trop really makes sense since the Barrage is a variant of the Tropen (Funf). I did find a conversion kit for the Dom F, but since I’ll have to modify that kit. So since there wasn’t a 1/100 F, next best thing was one of the MG Dom’s off my backlog. I already built 2 of these. And for some reason I have 2 more. According to a friend, one of them belongs to him, but he doesn’t build so he doesn’t mind me using it. Ok, references aside, the idea lingered in my head as a possible big project. But with the limited reference materials, I was hesitant. Fast forward to a few months ago, while playing Gundam Battle Operation 2; they released the Dom Barrage as a playable support suit. Once I got the suit, it meant unlimited screenshots from as many angles as I can get. Challenge accepted!

An MG Rick Dom is sacrificed for this and the project officially begins after the jump.

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