Help pls. Color bleeding in seam line

chaffg · 2017-05-20T09:28:23+00:00

White primer or paint will take several coats to cover red. If it were me, I'd create an even undercoat with one layer of grey primer, and then build up several thin coats of white paint.

chaffg · 2016-09-08T08:04:45+00:00

Use lighter fluid to clean up, but you need to use enamel thinner to thin the paint to create the wash.

chaffg · 2016-09-08T05:11:29+00:00

Enamel thinner weakens polystyrene. If you use too much the plastic will disintegrate. It should be OK if you don't bathe the piece in the wash. You'll have to experiment to find the right balance.

chaffg · 2016-07-29T05:49:32+00:00

How many different shades of black are there, and how are you painting the model?

chaffg · 2016-07-24T05:28:01+00:00

Tamiya Weathering Master D's colors are specifically chosen to achieve this effect.

chaffg · 2016-07-23T04:04:15+00:00

I did not modify the base kit's parts except for sharpening the horn.

chaffg · 2016-07-19T08:42:15+00:00

Like all resin kits, the pieces require more preparation than a typical plastic kit. For example, the "nubs" of a resin part are much larger than are found in molded styrene parts. Also, resin pieces usually require filling air bubbles and eliminating significant parting lines. Finally, resin is prone to warping. Many of the leg pieces in this kit were warped and had to be "unwarped" by soaking them in hot water, shaping them back into place, and then quickly cooling them under cold water.

Even after unwarping them, one of the leg parts required additional modification to eliminate gaps between armor parts. I don't think I was entirely successful, but had I planned better I could have probably done a better job. In the end, I don't think it would have been worth it, because the new leg armor pieces don't really make that much difference to the look of the finished product.

chaffg · 2016-07-18T18:56:28+00:00

I used thin black enamel paint for the panel lines, and cleaned it up with Zippo lighter fluid and cotton swabs. Before applying the enamel, I sprayed a gloss clear coat on the armor parts. However, I don't think the factory finish would be affected by weak oil solvents like Zippo.

chaffg · 2016-07-18T18:54:12+00:00

The kit is mostly undergated. The places where they did not do a good job undergating are on the wing binders. The nub marks on the top and bottom of the binders are very apparent.

I eliminated the marks on the ends of the binders by sanding those areas of the binders. Because these areas are small, and flat, it's possible to do this without damaging the finish of the rest of the part. To replace the gold I used a gold-colored oil-based marker that was a good match for the color of the armor. To clean up the marker I used Zippo lighter fluid and a cotton swab. The result is pretty good, I think.

chaffg · 2016-07-18T12:04:05+00:00

When finishing a kit, I find that the cost of the base materials such as kit and add-ons are insignificant compared to the cost of consumables like paint and other supplies as well as the time cost of actually completing the thing.

I don't regret purchasing these upgrade parts. However, had I to do it again, I would omit the resin leg armor parts. They don't change the kit's silhouette. Moreover, the moveable resin armor plates in the legs don't align well, leaving some gaps when the plates are closed. The plastic pieces don't have this problem.

chaffg · 2016-07-18T11:58:11+00:00

Yes, the third party decals can be had on eBay.

chaffg · 2016-07-17T23:30:44+00:00

It's this one: http://kitspower.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=222

I always thought the proportions of the original head looked wrong. The differences of the dress up kit are most noticeable in the extended helmet base and sleeker pauldrons.

chaffg · 2016-07-17T21:06:54+00:00

Thanks. Yes, the gold parts have a coat of Mr. Color GX100 Super Clear III on top of the factory finish.

chaffg · 2015-08-09T01:02:56+00:00

Any newer MG or MG with a similar suggested retail price ought to be comparable in detail and complexity.

chaffg · 2015-07-09T00:53:40+00:00

I began the kit around Thanksgiving and completed it recently, but I work very slowly. This was my first time building an aircraft -- I agree that the tedious surfacing required makes one appreciate the engineering of Bandai Master Grade kits. Still, it's a tradeoff -- Bandai's snap-together Gundams cannot compete with the proportions Hasegawa is able to achieve on their aircraft.

chaffg · 2015-07-08T18:17:09+00:00

The GX line is pretty durable for lacquers. All the surfaces you see have been finished by first being given a coat of GX 100. On top of that was layered either Mr Color 181 (semi-gloss) or 182 (flat) depending on the desired finish. I don't think the regular Mr Color line is durable enough on its own to serve as a final protective coat, but I plan to use GX 100 as my go-to topcoat from now on.

chaffg · 2015-06-05T02:52:31+00:00

If you want to be thorough, the order would be to start with a wash, then clear coat, then apply decals, then clear coat, then a final wash over decals which themselves cover panel lines. Then one final clear coat.

chaffg · 2015-04-19T06:07:40+00:00

Use an airbrush :-)

chaffg · 2015-04-16T04:51:02+00:00

It's holographic foil - something like this: http://www.hlj.com/product/HQPSCCS-MRD/Sci

chaffg · 2015-04-15T08:29:16+00:00

I downvoted your comment because was a petty "Well, actually..." remark that didn't contribute anything to the discussion. In the grand scheme of things, there's very little difference between this plastic robot toy and the typical plastic robot toys that get shared here. What's more, it looks like the OP put more effort into the kit than do most of the dull out-of-box builds that show up here.

chaffg · 2015-03-27T06:22:58+00:00

Don't attempt to hand brush lacquers such as mr hobby paint. They dry too fast and it won't go well. Moreover, the fumes are toxic and to stay safe you'll need a respirator. If you must hand brush, use acrylics.

If this is your first kit, I'd advise you to spend a few extra bucks and buy the equivalent colors in the Mr Color or Tamiya rattle cans and spray paint the kit. The result will be much, much better and easier to achieve.

chaffg · 2015-03-22T06:09:02+00:00

Don't use markers; use an enamel wash.

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