1:100 GM (Unit Ten) |
Ever since I started doing the Mecha Modeling Workshop in 2004, I've needed to cook up "demo models" from time to time. Usually the demo model would be done with techniques people would be learning in the workshop, and it'd be side-by-side with an assembled but unfinished copy of the same kit. When Amazon had their sale I picked up a bunch of GMs and Gundams for demo purposes, and considered giving away a kit or two as prizes at the event as well.
With this model, I decided to combine the two parts of the demo: on your left is the snapper's version, an unfinished Master Grade with panel lines done in Micron pen and stickers applied. (Though I did trim the stickers - when the massive excess sticker film was hanging off the edge of parts I decided I'd rather have the unfinished side at least look like a somewhat competent snapper did it. On your right is my build-up - not done with workshop techniques, but still representative of what a beginner could accomplish.
While most of the robot's right side is unpainted, there are two areas where I did paint the right side. First, I painted the whole visor clear green, mainly because just about any newer kit would probably have the visor color-molded anyway. Second, I painted the whole backpack, because I was using the twin beam saber backpack which is molded in black rather than white. (It's a holdover part from the MG Gundam) I went with the twin-saber version for a few reasons - I didn't really like the MG GM's "termination block" that's used in place of the right-side saber, and I didn't want to mount a whole bazooka that I'd be not painting - and I wanted the GM to be pretty symmetrical anyway. So the backpack is painted white on both sides, because normally such a part would be color-molded.
I'm on a Mazinger kick lately (or is that a "MAJIN KICK!"?) and so naturally when I look at this thing I think of Ashura Danshaku. "Ashura" is an Arabic word meaning "tenth", hence the unit number 010.
Incidentally, this is the first MG kit I've ever finished - even if it is only half finished at this point. I love the old Master Grades, I love the look of the old MG GM especially, so I'd really enjoy building another one someday, and painting both halves instead of just one.
Oh, yes, there were some foul-ups in this project. I applied decals way too soon after applying future, and so some of the future dissolved and created weird surface effects in the neighborhood of the decals. I also hadn't drained the spit valve of my compressor since before Christmas, there was a bunch of water sitting at the bottom of my airtank, and I think that some of that was getting in the air supply and causing paint adhesion problems. I also had some ideas for how to do the paint chipping effects that really didn't work out so well: all the white is undercoated with burnt iron, and in some places I sanded down to expose the metallic, and in some places I applied liquid mask to expose the metallic. But the liquid mask didn't work so great and it was a waste to spray the whole parts with burnt iron since only the edges are showing the paint-chip - and the effect is easier to just apply by hand anyway. I didn't go all-out trying to hide decal edges and things like that, either, and there are some places where the paint may have some kind of particles caught up in it. Still, I think it worked out pretty well.
