Our Endless Waltz

Trying to decide the final color scheme for the Deathscythe.  I've got the main colors planned out but the real question is what goes where.

Unto Death - 1

MG XXXG-01D2 Gundam Deathscythe Hell (OVA - Endless Waltz version)

I saw a picture a while ago and decided that I needed the MG Deathscythe Hell. I was never a huge fan of the suit itself but I always thought that it was cool. I mean it has a giant beam scythe. What other suit has that? It's hard to beat and also very iconic in its own right.

According to MAHQ the Deathscythe's only fixed armament and only ranged weapon is the weak anti infantry head vulcans. I don't think they serve much of a purpose outside of that. I have seen them used to shoot down rockets and for harassment but they don't do much damage (edit - the kind Plamo Addicts at my fb page have let me know otherwise.  They're for shooting out camera's too.  Thanks guys!). So it's not a long range suit at all. Close quarters melee combat. It doesn't even have beam sabres. The scythe or nothing basically. It's got some sharp forearm mounted shields and spikes everywhere but that's it really. So this suit is meant to cover ground quickly and cut the enemy down within spitting distance.

Impractical. Vain. Cosmetic. And I love it. So what was it that made me fall in love with the suit? This.

Please let me know the artist if you know.  I'd like to give credit where it's due.

 

I know it's a kit bash of the Wing and Deathscythe together but it's the darkness of the piece that attracted me to it. It's the scythe. Everything is great. The colouring, the combinations, the paint job, the gradients, the subtlety and the totally awesome custom stand but it's the scythe that brings it all together and gives this piece some real attitude, character and charisma. There were others as well.

My vision of the Deathscythe is something like this.

 
There is a high chance that I will paint this kit later. I want to pair it up with the MG Wing Zero Custom in a Life and Death motif but stages... This needs to be built first so let's get on with it.

Some crazy box art!

My phone camera doesn't seem to like this light source.  I'll have to see what I can do about that.

My impression so far is that the kit is pretty complicated and maybe isn't for beginners. It's a relatively new kit and design but I felt like it was about 20 years old sometimes while I was making it. Some pieces look the same but there are small variations between the left and right versions. Many small pieces come together to form larger more articulated sections and these have to be assembled with great care and attention to detail. A lot of newer kits are built with symmetry in mind and it's somewhat more forgiving. If two pieces look the same they probably are and can be used interchangeably. Not so with this kit. Proceed with caution. Take your time and pay attention.

So far I'm feeling rewarded. I plan on building the inner frame first to get an idea of the range of motion and articulation. And I just really want to play with it lol

New Beginnings

I suppose it's appropriate. I do kind of feel like I'm starting over.

At the height of my Gunpla career I was living in Japan and working full time. I think having a full time job helped with my Gunpla. I had a routine and I was always working on something. Be it assembling a new kit or painting another one. I'd do a little bit each night before I went to sleep. Kind of a thing to relax and unwind a bit before wrapping up the day.

Yet sometimes it did the exact opposite. Sometimes I'd get like a fever and really want to finish something and I'd just keep going and the time would fly by. That's the dangerous side of this I guess. In my case I can't finish until the entire section I've allotted for myself is complete. Like a checkpoint. And then after that I'd want to re-assemble things to see how it looks... and then I'd want to do a bit more and on and on. It can be brutal.

During the past year it's been pretty crazy. A lot of ups and downs and getting used to things and re-acclimation and whatever. Life and Gunpla are intertwined. At least in my case and my life is constantly changing so naturally the Gunpla follows suit. Actually, let's not say "changing". Let's say "evolving". Which brings me to my next project. I've decide that it's going to be the 1/100 HG Endless Waltz Heavyarms Custom.

Now from looking at this picture I can already tell a couple of things. They left some stuff out that you can find in the MG version of this. Specifically all the missile pods on the waist. They just aren't on this model.

I'll be starting a new job soon. It's my first full time job since I've been back... so hopefully it will bring a return of normalcy and routine back to my life. I'm been living for a year as a Ronin and it's kind of nice to have a master to serve again. I know it sounds strange to say that but there it is. Plus this is my first real job I've had in my home country. I hope everything works out but I'm nothing if not flexible.

Anyway after seeing all the images on the net recently of the new MG Heavyarms, I decided to pull my own out and take a look at it again. It kind of symbolizes what's been going on with me recently. Not quite complete. Not new. Semi discarded... very cheap but I'll find a way to make the most of it. Making 1 and 1 = 3 somehow. Realize what you have and make the most of it instead of always striving for the next and newest thing. Flies in the face of convention I know but consider it... This was isn't for everyone but it is for me.  I like this "Mecha Recycling". In the meantime I've been transporting the Gundams that I re-assemble to the display area in the basement. That's basically the process. There are only a few left in my room now.

Here are my sword fighters.

1/100 Red Frame - The Vangaurd

OYW Gundam with MG Red Frames swords.  2nd kit I ever painted, right after 1/100 Red Frame.

Musha still waits for his turn in the sun.  Only the frame work is done on him.

Asianskill1 this is all your fault.  If I hadn't seen your MG Heavyarms I probably wouldn't have went downstairs to grab my own.

This is one of the few Gundams that comes with an alternate face and I go and lose both of them.

I bought this guy when I was about 20 while in Buffalo, New York.  I was at a shop called Target.  We don't have those in Canada but apparently that's all about the change next month.  I got him for a really good price too.  Comparable to what I'd pay in Japan... but that was a different time.  A different era economically.

At first I was just going to do a simple clean up of this guy.  As in dust him off, re-assemble, pose and put him in the display case but as I was working with him I realized that it'd be very simple to make him look really good.  My skills now are light years beyond what I knew when I was 20.

This guy is just an HG and an old one at that.  It'd be very easy to disassemble him and spruce him up in just about every area.  Joint range, seam lines, details, panel lines and naturally I'm going to recolour him.  And yes... face fabrication.

I look at him with new, older and wiser eyes now.  Eyes that have evolved with time and experience.  New but old.  Old but new again.  Maybe some things are just timeless

Ah... I'm adrift in time. I just finished FFXIII-2 today.  What a time traveling mind **** that was!  But such a beautiful beautiful game!  Actually since I'm here let me drop some candy for the fans.

Anyway since that's done and I destroyed Skyrim I have nothing really to play until Mass Effect 3.  Which I'll get for sure but maybe after this guy is done.  No need to rush.  The games will always be there later. (Man I am getting old.)

But for now I just want to have fun with Gunpla again.  I don't care so much about what happened in the past.  The past will always be there but the present demands your attention. 

It's time to just live in the moment and work towards the goals in the future.  Starting here.

Just say NO to flash w/ XXXG-01H2 Gundam Heavyarms Kai (OVA version)

Let me show you why you shouldn't use flash in your pictures young man. To his credit, he's got great poses and his lining/decal work is solid. But come on... you're going to go that far and not even take decent pictures? Give your models some more credit!

Check it out!

This is your Gundam model 'au naturale'.

This is your Gundam model with FLASH.

Any questions?

Just say NO to FLASH

This message has been brought to you by Busterbeam; "For a FLASH free Gundam modelling community."

Yeah I'm a cheeky bastard. Moving on...

I bought this model in America in a shop called "Target". I found it during a road trip to Buffalo. It was cheap and it looked cool so I bought it. Glad I did. It really is a great looking model. I don't have many complaints. It looks pretty good OOB (out of the box) and stands up reasonably well, that is if you're willing to let it's arms just hang to it's sides. Which brings me to my one major complaint about this model. The arms are way too puny to hold those massive gatling guns outward. I had to use a little bit of wood glue on the elbow joints just to get them to hold up even a bit. Otherwise... I love this model.

Let's be honest... no one is going to buy this thing to do some agile space flying battle pose. You're going to buy it because it looks freaking badass posted up with those giant double gats in either arm. None of us really have high expectations for this model so it's hard to dissappoint since the proportions are spot on.

Upgrade outline: seam lines, panel lines, hard core weapon/missile pod detailing. I already like the colour scheme so maybe just some flat topcoat.

Rating: 8/10 - Really... it's just cool to look at.