MG Wing Zero Custom - 2 - Concept

I was thinking of what I wanted to do with the Wing Gundam but then I realized that it isn't really for me.  It’s a model that I’m building for another person. In fact I didn't even build this one.  It is my friend’s first Gundam.  She’s never made one before but she’s seen me do it many times and has helped me on more than one occasion.  

Looking back I realize how much she has helped me with this hobby.  Around the first time I met her was when I’d first gotten the PGSF and had just sprayed the frame gold.  She was really interested in that.  Since then she has brought me many Gundams. Two HG Jestas, HG Zee Zulu, two Phantasy Star models (one for my sister), MG Shenlong, MG Nu Gundam, HG Strike Freedom (her choice), MG Wing Zero (her choice) plus two more models that I haven’t mentioned yet (upcoming projects for 2013).

She brought me extra parts and helped me to get new hands for the MG Nu Gundam that I thought that I’d lost.  But it turns out that I actually didn't so I have an extra pair of emotion hands. I customized the HG Strike Freedom based on her colour choices and this Wing will be no exception.

She built this one herself and I helped her with some minor things.  Really glaring nub marks and making sure the moving parts were set up right.  Some things with the mask that can be tricky (if you even care about them). But not really that much.

Before I could continue with the work on this suit I wanted to get her input on the colours to use.  I'm really painting it for her so I guess it’s kind of like a commission.  What I want doesn't really matter. So there was a bit of back and forth about what colours to use.  What the options were, how things could be changed etc.  What should go were…  A lot of negotiating but in the end we've come to an agreement.  I wonder if doing real commissions is anything like this? 

Maybe you can detect some similarities between the design of the Wing and Strike Freedom.  The question I asked her was; “Imagine you are the pilot of any Gundam.  Which one would you choose?|  And without even realizing it she chose the first Gundam that she’d ever seen.  The gold PGSF frame that she saw when we’d first met.  She’d just picked the smaller version of it.  This Wing Gundam is the one that she really fell in love with but when she went back to pick it up it was sold out.  So she got the HGSF instead.  When she had the chance to get this Wing again she didn't hesitate.

Her favourite colour is purple so it is a colour that she always wants in there.  But because it’s spring and the Wing is kind of a light and airy mech she wanted something lighter and not something that uses dark tones so we've settled on a kind of pastel type of scheme that doesn't deviate much from the regular design.

The next stage is to separate the parts into sections for sanding and painting.  I’m going to try and stream line the painting process this time as I noticed that I have a lot of inefficiencies from when I was building the Nu Gundam.  I’m going to try and do this one more “by the book”.

Which means priming and sanding, hopefully I've be able to get a good layer of paint down and will have a good finish.  That’s what I’m going for this time.  I’m going to try and not do anything too overly complicated.  I don’t want to get caught up in my own mind and be stuck in the procrastination zone.  As always my biggest obstacle is myself.

I aim to finish this before the first day of summer.  Spring project.  Hopefully this project will go a little bit faster because I’ll be using her as my assistant whenever I can.

I probably would never have bought this for myself.  But it sure is awesome...

Good movie!

Still don't know what to do with this...

Ah well.  Time to get to work.

MG Wing Zero Custom - 1

Well it's been over 3 weeks since the Gauntlet finished and I think I'm ready to go back to Gundaming again. The MG Nu kind of burnt me out a bit because of all the failures and troubles I had with it... After I finished the Gauntlet I was thinking of going back to it and finishing it the way that I wanted to but I have nearly 100 models that need attention too... I'll be coming back to the Nu later on but for now I want to try something a bit simpler.

Enter the MG Wing Zero Custom.

Actually I didn't build this one. My friend built it by herself and it is her first Gundam. She wanted to get it a while ago but ended up getting the HG Strike Freedom instead when she found out that it was sold out. That one I made and painted for her. This one she made herself and I helped fix up a bit. Some work on the nubs, sanding and getting the moving parts to fit right. Work on the head. Nothing too crazy. She did most of the work... But now that the model is done and has been sitting around for a while I think it's time to kick it up a notch.

I've had a lot of time to mull over what I'm going to do with this thing but for now take a look at the test shots.

Gotta clean up the desk before I start a new project.

He waits.  His time will come.

Heavyarms - 1

Going back a bit to a different time... I had saved this as a draft and never published it. This may also be happening more often as I try to "get my house in order" so to speak. This is from some time ago... I can't remember when. Anyway it goes into the archives for what I'm doing with this project. I'll explain as I go and probably provide a bit of details into my modeling technique.

I somehow lost both face plates for my 1/100 Heavyarms.  The clown one disappeared years ago and the regular one just fell off in transit sometime and was never seen again.  I tried using a replacement 1/100 F91 face but it didn't quite fit right.  Close.  I decided I'd try some customizing myself.  The type of putty that I use is the one shown above.  Mix the two types when you're ready, mold it into place, wait until it hardens and then do what you want from there.   Here I'm thinking of designing another face plate.

This is after I've applied the putty to the helmet.  I decided to do away with the V-Fin too.  No re-sculpting this time.  Just going for a straight helmet.  I also had problems with the backpack, as in I didn't want the Gatling guns to be facing upwards in their mounted positions.  I preferred the look of them pointing downwards.  Like a cloak or something.  A cloak of giant guns.

There is no way have it that way with the way the pieces are in any configuration so I have to change that configuration by turning the mounts upside down and then re-connect them back to the joints.

While I was at it I decided to re-do the back pack.  I'd tried to fix it years ago in my beginning days with  a different type of modelling glue.  It was messy.

Now on to the arms.  The problem I had with these arms is the fact that they twisted on the elbows.  The elbows are REALLY important on a mech like this since they are being called upon to hold up those huge gats.  The elbows are the only place in the arm that can twist and that just makes the whole situation there terrible when you include the cheap abs plastic that's used in the area.  Just a bad idea all around.

So I decided to make another point of rotation on the arms and strengthen the elbows up.  I really need them to be tight.  I'll customize this part later but for now I'm sure this is what needs to be done.  Probably use some pla plate and piping like I did in the legs of this suit.

I did some seam work on the arms years ago so it's just a question of sanding and painting now.  I really wanted to do something about the hip missiles to make them pop a bit more but I found out that the things are molded incompletely.  There is a slight straight edge on the inside edge.  They are not completely round and don't extend all the way in.  I expected them to be completely round with a bit of free space at the end in the case of full extension.  It was the opposite.  They made a shortcut here and I'm not impressed.  Just do it right!

I had some problems with the joints years ago and tried to stiffen them up with glue.  It may have worked in the beginning but that effect didn't last and just left a mess.

So I decided to crack it open, clean it up and do it right with the tools and skills that I have today.

After I removed the putty you can see the slot that fits into the helmet.  Now it's just a matter of shaping it.

Just a shot of the missile racks on the legs.  Took them apart, re-organized  them (because I think I did them wrong when first built it) and glued.  Ready to be sanded and painted.

Enjoying some Fireball while I work.