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!

Saber Commission: Washes and Pearls

Getting down to the home stretch for this project. This weekend saw work on the base. The base is from Michaels and is unfinished wood. An example of what the wood looks like in comparison to the finished base is the first picture. The unfinished wood is sanded down. Once sanded down, it is stained with an ebony stain. Allowing that to dry, the base is sprayed with several layers of clear gloss. After several layers, the final layer is sanded down with high grit sanding pad to smooth out all the rough edges frozen in the cured clear gloss. A final clear gloss leaves the base in a ultra smooth glossy finish.

Most of the parts are curing after final detail painting and have been sprayed with clear gloss on some pieces to prepare those parts for detail washes. The other pieces are sprayed a final clear flat to finish them.

More after the jump.

(more…)

Continue ReadingSaber Commission: Washes and Pearls