The time has come...

I started this guy a long time ago. About 9 months. Early-Mid December 2010 is when I first got him and first did the unboxing ceremony with all my PG's present, saluting what would be their new leader. The most advanced, newest and most majestic Perfect Grade amongst them... The one called "Strike Freedom". That time in my life and now seem like polar opposites. So much can change in less than a year! Complete life upheaval in my case. And these poor guys were taken along for the ride. Caught in the great Tohoku earthquake, beaten and battered by tsunami waves, never mind the regular rigors of international transport across half the planet...

But they survived.  WE survived.  The family is all together again.  So as it began... so shall it end! Honour Guard!!! Salute!!!

Mark II.  My first PG ever.  Bought him in my first year in Japan so he's a Chiba/Tokyo kid through and through.  This guy has had the **** kicked out of him over the years but he's still standing and still looking good!  I've always been so proud of him.

Zeta. Hand was lost to the Great Tohoku Earthquake of this year. But he made it home basically in one piece but a bit broken.  Had to do some repair work to get him to this stage.  Bought him during my 2nd stage in Japan and finished him in my 3rd.  Started in Kasugai, Saitama - finished in Matsusaka, Mie.

Red was in the most amount of pieces but he's almost completely intact minus some minor breakage in the ankle area.  Bought in the place that would become my 2nd home in Japan, Nagoya - Aichi at Bic Camera during the "heyday" of my time in Gunpla.  4th stage of my life in Japan.

Strike.  Almost as good as the day I first bought him.  He's been waiting a long time for "Big Bro" to arrive.  Bought in Matsusaka, Mie and finished there.  He's the country boy or 田舎物 (inakamono) of the group.  He would get an upgrade later when his twin brother Red stepped into the picture.

The Throne.  Made for he that I would acquire during my 5th and final life in Japan or my 2nd life in Nagoya.  Completed during the transitional phase back into Canadian life.

Indeed... The Gauntlet has finally come to it's conclusion...  Time truly does wait for no man.  All of these mechs mirror parts of my lives.  I can see my whole time in Japan by looking at each of them.  8 years worth of experience and memories.  It's not just about building robots for me...  It's about the memories associated with them... so I just want to take this time right now to thank all the participants of this group build for helping me forge new memories in my new/old home.

One day left!  ONWARD!!!

Late August - Moving hard on the PGSF

Time's running out but I think I can really do this provided my commitment stays as it's been recently.

But this is kind of the best part! I can see it now! And I want to see it ALL. This is when it gets kind of crazy for me. The big pushes, working through the night. Not because of deadlines but because of excitement. It's one of the things I love about this hobby. All that patience. All that time. Never really knowing what it's going to look like in the end when you cut that first piece from the gate! What am I making? And somehow it comes together in all of it's complexity. And creativity.

Anyways to cut it all short... I'm ****ing stoked about this thing now!

He will be a welcome addition to the family!

Red Frames

Sorry I've been out of circulation for a bit.  I've been really busy and a lot's been going on.  Hopefully I'll have the chance to make a post about it soon.  Thanks G.G. for your concern.  Just in a time of transition right now.

That said, even though my personal life as been somewhat of a whirlwind recently I still make time for Gundam!  This MG Red Frame was a spur of the minute purchase.  Not in the plans at all but a few of the guys around here made some comments, namely Z, said that I'm the only person that loves the Red Frame as much, if not more, then him, and Sonar who said that he hadn't seen me this excited about a model since when the MG Red Frame was announced (referring to when PG Strike Freedom was announced).  Then I saw what Z did with his and it got me thinking... Why the hell didn't I buy it?  This is a model I should have.  Now I do.

No full gallery just yet but I have to post about this before I allow myself to talk about the PG Strike Freedom which I just picked up today.

Couple of comments about this kit.  I ****ing love it.  The mechanical details on the parts are superb.  The parts are small and there are a lot of them so it makes painting and detailing a bit easier. Initially the proportions threw me off a bit (because I was so used to the 1/100 version I think) but now they've grown on me and I like the way this kit looks a lot.  I made a couple of changes to this kit already.  Can you see them?  I only changed two things concerning the weapons.  I'm so glad they included the extra parts from the MG Blue Frame!  Not enough though... I need just one part to get the Blue Frame's feet but that wasn't included... but I'll take whatever I can get.  Lovely, lovely kit.  Highly recommended.  I'm really looking to giving this kit the attention it deserves someday.  This write up doesn't fully express how I feel about it the suit and this kit but I'll write more about it sometime later.

Brothers

MG Red Frame Kai

Hijacking Z's content here because it totally shocked me. I didn't realize that he made this with his limited edition gunplas including a RED Blue Frame 2nd L.

Now that the MG Red Frame is officially going to be released along with a REDESIGNED Tactical Arms that turns into a CROSSBOW (omg...) and TWO katanas (omg x2... T_T) it looks like his imagination has finally became a reality.

You might all know that the Red Frame is one of my favourite mobile suits if not my favourite outright. Getting this an absolute no-brainer for me even though I already have the 1/100 version along with the PG version. The fact that it comes with the MG Blue Frames articulation makes the pot that much sweeter for me.

Anyone else excited about this or is it just me?

MG Blue Frame vs. PG Red Frame: Proportions

Stolen from Sandrum.

The Red Frame looks like an old clunker next to the Blue Frame! What's with all that bulk!? At least the Blue Frame as the "anorexic" design we're used to seeing from CE suits. To be fair I'm not completely satisfied with either of them.

What does it say when the MG's have better proportions than the PG's? Hell I'd take the 1/100 proportions over the PG Red Frame's (I already have both of them though...)

And don't get me started on the PG 00 Raiser and how it's wing binders don't even move making it inferior in some ways to it's HG counterpart! Put the PERFECT back in Perfect Grade for goodness sakes. Are the day's of the quality of the PG Strike behind us? Is this the 'new' standard? I'm not impressed.

Strike Vermillion & Astray Strike Frame

A couple more shots of Strike Vermillion and Astray Strike Frame. Both models are incomplete. I still have a lot of work to do on both of them but for now this project is on hold and I'm moving back to my MG G04.

Tonzo mentioned in the last post that the katana on either side of the mech looks good as seen with the Astray Orange Frame and I'm starting to think that he's right on two points. One; in response to what I said about being a traditionalist and having two blades on one side of the warrior... He said that's true in the case of a Katana and Wakizashi but not necessarily a Katana and ANOTHER Katana. And I must agree. Two; there is the balance issue. The Katana/Wakizashi combination wouldn't look like how the Astray wears the double blades. It isn't that cumbersome and bulky (spoken with experience as I've done it myself on numerous occasions - don't ask.). I think it might be better if the Astray has a blade on either side... I mean it's not like robots are left or right handed right? And balance is more of an issue for machines... So... I can make the change and still maintain my principles haha

Without question the Astray is a bulky mech especially in comparison to conventional Seed designs like the Strike, Impulse, Freedom and so on. TheAastray looks like a football player next to a swimmer. But hey! We're all built differently right?! Just because he's bigger doesn't mean that he's not as effective or uglier! It's all perspective/opinion! I know a lot of guys out there who can't stand Seed's "anorexic" designs and like the Astray style a lot more.

That said... I like both of them. From the waist up I like the Astray but from the waist down I like the Strike... hey wait second... I wonder would it would look like if...

OK guys take a look at these pics, cause you won't be seeing these guys for while. In the meantime I'm going to try some 'experiments'.

Had to leave 'Afro Samurai Gundam Pilot Double B' in the pics for scale. These are some tall war machines!

PG Astray: Strike Frame

From all of these runners, he emerged. Seriously. This is all of them. I didn't throw any away.

Construction operations completed.

*but I still have a long way to go before I can say this project is done*

PG Astray: Strike Frame - Sub armour sections complete

I painted the figure just to show the scale. Yeah I know Lowe isn't black but I am! Where are all the black Gundam pilots?! Anyways I had no flesh tone paint so I just went with brown.

Dry Brushing for Metallic Effect

So a couple people have been asking about how I achieved the weathered metal look on my PG Astray. Well it's actually quite a simple technique. I initially tested this technique on the soles of my RX-78-2 OWY Gundam.

Seeing the results, I decided I'd try this technique out again on the Astray (I can't call it the Red Frame anymore...)

Here are my tools.

Pretty simple. Usually I use a napkin (I keep the extra fast food napkins I get when I get take out) dap a bit of paint on it and rub the toothbrush bristles in it. The bristles on the toothbrush are normal softness but have gotten harder because of the paint that’s dried on it. Generally I use a silver enamel paint for this because it gives the type of contrast and light reflection that I'm looking for however I might move on to 'Dull Aluminum' the next time I try this. Just to switch things up and try something new.

I 'scratch' some marks onto the part and that's it! This technique works really well on edges and parts that have extra detail (as in some raised or sunken sections). The bristles catch on those sections and leave the paint there adding a lot of depth to the part.

Depending on the type of look you're going for, you can use a different kind of brush. For example of you're going for a slight wear and tear look or a more metallic but slightly dull finish to the part (ideal for people who like to do internal frame work) a soft brush would be recommended. The most important thing is to take the excess paint off the brush before applying otherwise it won't be much different than painting the part normally. Get rid of that excess paint! The less you have on the bristles the finer it will look in the end. After all... it's called DRY brushing for a reason! haha Also a brush with bristles in a fan shape is best for this. Recommended but totally optional.

The theme I'm going for on this Astray (you'll understand why when you read the story I made for it) demands this type of hard bristle work. I wanted the frame to look well used. Not like it'd been through hell and back or damaged but just that it had seen it's fair share of usage.

In this case I didn't even use a napkin and just used the lid of paint jar and applied the markings lightly (but still leaving thicker lines than usual). I didn't do this for any special reason. I was just lazy and thought that since most of the frame is going to be covered up that I don’t need to do a superior job on the frame; just an adequate one. And the results are adequate for me.

Astray Strike Frame Update:

Sub armour has been painted, touched up and attached. I don't have much left to do here. I'll be starting the armour application process before the end of the week. Trying to eliminate all the red from this project has been quite the undertaking but my experience with my EE Sinanju has definitely been coming into play with this process. Again. What is it with me and red? Just can't stand seeing it on my mechs sometimes.

PG Astray: Strike Frame

PICT0437
Originally uploaded by Busterbeam

I mentioned before that I'd be spending a bit more time on the frame than usual on principle and I'm think I'm finaly done with the basic frame.

I wanted to give it a used, metallic look so I did a bit of silver dry brushing all over the frame and painted the tubes/wires. I could have done a better job but it's all going to be covered up by armour anyways so I didn't put in my best effort. However I do believe that some of my efforts will pay off once the armour is applied because a bit of the frame is going to peek out in places so... We'll just have to wait and see if I'm right or not.

As usual there are more images at my flickr.

PG Red Frame / PG Strike frame comparison - Part 2

This post was long over due but here's the 2nd half focusing on the PG Astray with the PG Strike frame.

Starting with the cockpit. The only change here is a pretty minor one. The cockpit cover latch is different. Really it's almost insignificant. I dont know why they made it like that.

The neck connection is a bit different.

Most of the changes can be seen in this shot. Chest frame cover, cockpit hatch cover and the torso/shoulder joint are all different from the Strike.

This is the last part. The elbow armour connection panels are different. Outside of the parts I mentioned here, there are no extra parts that are necessary for the Astray frame.

As you know all know now, I've used the PG Astray Red frame for my Strike Vermillion and I will be using the Strike frame for my PG Astray. Here they are side by side before armour application. I really like the Strikes lower legs and feet. The Astray feet seem really bulky to me now.

That's all for now. I'm a bit behind on posts so I suspect that I'll be blogging a bit more within the next couple of days. I have a free weekend with no plans so that means I can finally concentrate on the things that matter. *looks at his Red Frame box*

More Strike Vermillion + Where are they now? Current poses for my models

Thought it'd be nice if I put up some pics of the current poses that my 'boys' are in. I have a lot of models but these days I only keep the ones that I've painted/lined out. You can see the gallery for all of these models on the side bar.

Also there are couple of extra pics of the Strike Vermillion. More of that to come in the future but for now... I'm going to try and put that aside until my Astray is done. I think I can officially say that my distraction is now over. I'll put all of these pics up on my flickr in case there are any problems with the links.

PG Red Frame Comic - Part 3/3

Final Round!

Side note - Modifications on the PG Strike are coming along well besides some minor 'hue' problems. Basically just have to line the armour, wait for the paint to dry on a couple of pieces, get a new battery and assemble the head.

*edit* just realized that I saved over my 2/3 post... ugh. Oh well it wasn't anything pressing or important. I'm putting all the images up at my flickr for posterity.

PG Red Frame Comic - Part 1/3

Those who purchased the PG Red Frame got this comic included with the model itself. I'm not sure if this is out on the net yet but if it isn't, it is now. I'll post them in installments.

All images are also at my flickr (don't trust this html crap)

PG Red Frame / PG Strike - Frame comparisons

I've talked about this a few times in my blog but here is the visual proof of just how similar these kits are. I've taken the Red Frame and put the necesary Strike parts on it to make it into the Strike Frame. The differences were minimal to say the least. I havent changed any of the colours here. The dark grey parts are necessary to make the Strike frame.

The major part is the torso. Because of the way it's constructed you must use the cockpit housing of the Strike. Technically the difference between the two is slight but significant. I've highlighted the differences here in red. Thanks to Dalong for the scans.

Red Frame

Strike frame

Because the cockpit housing is built as one piece you have to use the entire unit, even tough 90% of the construction is the same. The re-occuring theme with this is that the PG Red Frame actually uses less parts than the Strike. At least concerning the frame.

After swapping the parts it looks like this. The neck and shoulder joints are slightly different. The torso's outer frame is significantly different than the Red Frame.

Couple of slight differences concerning the arms. Just the elbow/forearm armour mounting and the shield attachment unit.

I did repaint the foot of the Strike black because the red just clashed too much with the colour of the frame. I like it better like this. Actually, the Red Frame comes with almost all the parts necessary to make a complete Strike frame but there were just counted as extra/useless parts on the runners in the Red Frame manual. For example the Red Frame comes with the Strikes "Combat Knives" but they were considered 'useless' parts for the Red Frame.

Conclusion - Not a lot of differences in the frames at all. Bandai certainly saved a lot of money in this area. Frame wise, the Red Frame uses about 90-95% of the Strike frame but the Strike uses 85-90% of the Red Frame. Consistent with SEED chronology, the Strike frame clearly came first in the development process and Red Frame is just a slightly slimmed down version of it with a couple modifications here and there.

It's funny that despite the percieved bulkyness of the Red Frame with armour, it actually has lighter and thinner frame than the Strike. However the Strike's armour is considerably thinner and less bulky than the Red Frame. Perhaps this is to better accomodate the various Striker packs it uses.

More frame comparisons to come but next time we'll look at making a Red Frame from a Strike frame.