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Read more about the article Time for a quick resin figure build

Time for a quick resin figure build

Time for the first resin figure project of the year. This has been a fairly productive year so far with finishing a number of gunpla project. Time to get at least one figure kit. I picked this kit up at Anime Expo at the Volks booth. They were there last year and back again this year. They even have a location in Torrance, so if I ever need to order something, I believe I can pick it up at their warehouse. Damn cool for folks that have had trouble getting original resin kits. And these are not your run of the mill resin figure kits. These have a high level of quality control. They are engineered using the bandai gunpla model; everything is molded in color. The color separation for these kits are insane. Last year, I grabbed a Revy kit from them and I was sold. You just shake the box and the kit’s done. It’s that friggin simple. Ok, maybe not quite that easy; but if you’ve ever built any other resin anime figure (original or recast) try these Volks kits. For anyone interested in trying their first resin anime figure kit; get a kit from Volks. The comparison is akin to building a macross kit from hasegawa to building any bandai gunpla kit released in the last 5 years.

Last week, we had our July build gathering and the goal for the day was to get her semi cleaned up and pinned together. Like most other Volks kits, she has some options. She comes with two sets of right arms to hold up a sign or her jacket. Pinned together, I have her holding the jacket. Again, the pictures below show the kit as is out of the box, pinned together. The color separation and engineering is amazing.

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Continue ReadingTime for a quick resin figure build
Read more about the article Volks Revy Progress

Volks Revy Progress

I was meaning to write up a quick little post before my business trip to Toronto two weeks ago. We see how well that panned out. So better late then never. And I have much more material to write about since I’ve progressed a little more since I returned from the trip. To start off things, I had originally pinned her together using the small guides and clues in the resin from the sculptor. Some of those worked, some not so much. The main parts I want to keep the pins are in the feet and legs to the lower torso. Since she’s freestanding, I want as much inner support as possible. I had also pinned together the arms and head piece but didn’t get as good a placement for the pins in those areas so the fit was slightly off. It’s not a big deal, I can just go and use glue for those areas and they’re not load bearing so again, not an issue.

Moving on, this kit actually came with some extra parts. There’s an extra Barretta, an extra holster, an extra gun clip, extra hand and an extra head piece. They’re not duplicate parts, but option parts; which is pretty damn cool. There are two options for the head; one to hold the extra gun clip in her mouth, and one with her mouth closed. There are two left hands, one to hold a magazine clip, and one that holds the extra Barretta. With that, there’s an extra right side holster. So I have the option of having one gun holstered (which is a third gun that is just the barrel piece and handle – put with the holster, looks like a holstered weapon) or two empty holsters. Indecision got the better of me so I turned to using small rare earth magnets. I had originally planned on pinning this, but the parts are a bit too small for that to work.

Holes were drilled into the hands, the guns, and the holster pieces. Magnets glued into position taking care with the proper polarities, and the problem of multiple build options is solved.

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Continue ReadingVolks Revy Progress
Read more about the article New Figure Build: 1/7 Revy by Volks

New Figure Build: 1/7 Revy by Volks

A few days of rest after AX is always healthy; but I’m still fairly gunplaed out after pushing pretty hard to finish the sucker punch diorama. I’ve still not taken a quick video showing the kit with all it’s lights and morse conversation between the two zeonic suits; but I’ll get around to it soon.

From AX, Volks was in the exhibit hall and while I didn’t really put much faith in seeing resin kits. The booth was fairly simple with some display pieces; and historically, most booths with these figures were not selling kits. I did notice some FSS kits they were selling, all plastic and no resin. But I asked about resin figures and they pointed to a sign right in front of me with their whole line of charagumi kits. Picking up my jaw off the floor, I immediately asked if they had the Revy kit. I’ve been interested in this kit for a while as well as the Saber kit; but I was immediately suckered into picking up the Revy kit. I am usually pretty good at walking away from AX without picking up a single kit; but damn, I could not pass up getting at least one kit from Volks. I hope they did well enough that they come back next year.

Cracking open the kit, the parts separation is amazing. They are using colored resin. There are still gates that need to be removed and mold lines that need sanding. But baring any pinholes, it would be as simple as just clear coating the thing, gluing everything together, and adding the decals. But like the colored bandai kits, I will be priming and painting this kit. It will definitely be an easier resin figure kit; but the same work for any resin kit is needed.

Another note about this kit is the extra parts. The kit comes with two heads, one with her mouth open biting down on a gun mag; then another with her mouth closed. There are also options on her left hand, either holding another gun mag, or holding the second gun. This leads to options for the holsters; an extra empty holster and one that has a gun holstered. Pretty damn cool to include all these extra parts; and effectively, all the parts can be painted and then interchanged.

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Continue ReadingNew Figure Build: 1/7 Revy by Volks