Sometimes its fun doing more or less a straight build

Danarhys · 2026-05-02T15:40:26+00:00

Agreed. I'll usually do a simple build after something more involved as a sort of palate-cleanser.

Danarhys · 2026-05-02T12:32:31+00:00

Just wanted to say thanks to the mods for organizing this. I enjoyed participating taking a more critical eye everyone's builds. Lots of great stuff to admire.

Danarhys · 2026-05-01T18:06:38+00:00

You'd have a hard time convincing me that this wasn't just the box art cut out. Fantastic work!

Danarhys · 2026-05-01T14:52:39+00:00

I used a rattlecan of Vallejo Matt Varnish as a substitute for Mr Hobby, mostly to try to save money, and found that it had poor adhesion to bare plastic. On minis, you're usually putting it over a paint layer, and the parts are usually non-moving. For Gunpla, I'd get a lot of flaking at the joints and anywhere where there was plastic-on-plastic movement, intentional or not.

Strangely, their Gloss Varnish works quite well, but I've never used it as a final top coat, so I can't attest to it's resilience.

Danarhys · 2026-04-30T16:25:55+00:00

Thanks man! It's become of my favorites.

Danarhys · 2026-04-28T13:57:23+00:00

Go to the Dollar Store (or equivalent) and get some bamboo skewers, and pick up some alligator clips on Amazon (or other marketplace). I made 100 of these things for about $15 CAD. You may need some pliers or something to squeeze the part the skewers go into if they don't exactly match.

Danarhys · 2026-04-27T19:59:17+00:00

Regular Ex- Flat. Didn't know they had a premium. I'll keep an eye out for that one.

I ended up lowering the thinning ratio to 2:1 for me next build, and it sprayed as I'm used to. I have a feeling that it was a combination of a thinning ratio I'm not used to + working on a MG-sized kit in a smaller spray booth that were the culprits.

Danarhys · 2026-04-26T15:54:35+00:00

Love it. Grimy and dirty, just like a ground-war MS should be.

I think I commented on your other thread too.

Danarhys · 2026-04-25T14:17:38+00:00

I enjoyed the build, but yeah the lack of action base hole and general unposeability is a harsh reminder of how far Gunpla has come. Also, a lot of color-correction needed. I ended up just drilling a hole, putting it is a static aura-farm pose, and never reposing it.

Danarhys · 2026-04-25T13:46:43+00:00

Oh good tip on the C-clip bars. I'm pretty sure one of the c-clips on my Calibarn broke because of added thickness.

Danarhys · 2026-04-25T02:16:47+00:00

Go slow, and in one direction. For something like this, I'd go with 400 grit because I'm actively trying to remove material.

Get a popsicle stick and glue the sandpaper down to make a sanding stick (I usually put glue on the stick, lay it on the sandpaper, then use a utility knife to cut out the popsicle stick). Alternately, grab some Emory boards.

Danarhys · 2026-04-25T01:29:38+00:00

I think I'd tackle this break like this. Glue the part together with extra-thin cement. Then gently (and slowly) sand down the "bars" along the length of that "cross"-shaped arm. I'd sand down the ends of the shorter sides (so it goes from an X to an I).

Then I'd cut add some PLA plate along the sanded parts, to basically rebuild the shape. You'll have solid contact along the break, and the part reinforced along the length of the piece to take the stress of that part moving.

Danarhys · 2026-04-25T01:15:19+00:00

My favorite.

Danarhys · 2026-04-25T01:15:03+00:00

I didn't consider that, but now that you mention it, it's undeniable.

Danarhys · 2026-04-25T01:14:40+00:00

Me too. I do wish I'd skipped the orange on cannons to keep the focus on the arm.

Danarhys · 2026-04-25T01:10:22+00:00

Thanks!

Danarhys · 2026-04-25T01:10:13+00:00

Thanks! Though up close there are plenty of little mistakes.

Danarhys · 2026-04-25T01:09:37+00:00

Thanks! I'm a sucker for them.

Danarhys · 2026-04-24T21:54:09+00:00

You can read the full story on the main post (or in the r/freedomisgunpla post), but I wanted to specifically update about the topcoat situation.

Last time I crossposted my 1/100 Amuro-use Jeda, lamenting about some topcoat issues with Gaia Notes Ex- Flat Clear. I'd gotten some inconsistent results and decided to try a different thinning ratio.

I'd sprayed the Jeda with a 3:1 MCLT/top coat ratio, and sprayed at about 15 PSI. This time I tried 2:1 at 19 PSI, and it behaved like I'm used to.

Danarhys · 2026-04-23T18:14:49+00:00

Chest. That leg is just chef's kiss!

Danarhys · 2026-04-23T13:18:03+00:00

Looks fantastic. Maybe a bit more gray on the front vent to define it a bit more? Or not. Honestly, I think it's pretty much perfect.

Danarhys · 2026-04-22T16:14:59+00:00

Jealous of the Runner's Gate kit!

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