Testing out different light sources.

Using my Mark 2 to test out some different lighting combinations. I didn't use a flash but I used different combinations of 3 different light sources.

In the end I settled on natural sunlight.

If sunlight wasn't an option I'd go for the one just above this picture. I like a bit of shadow in my pictures to provide some depth. It does make the details a bit more difficult to see but I like the added 'drama' haha I didn't edit these photos at all for the record. Only a bit of cropping.

Which one do you prefer?

These are just the options I have here in Canada. I think I can take better shots back in Japan but the problem with that is... my apartment is terrible when it comes to natural sunlight. I mean... it's really bad.

As far as other modellers go, I've always liked the way lupes does his photos. What do you think?

Love at first sight. MG Gundam Mark 2 ver.1

Now that I'm back home and spending some time fixing up my old models, I feel it's important to talk about the Mark 2 in detail before I go on.

Mark 2 was the first MG that I ever bought. I think that was just over 10 years ago, when I was in university.

I remember thinking, I like the colour (Titans) and I like the weapons. Quite simple. Shield, rifle and bazooka.


After assembly I noticed that it was superior in almost every aspect to any of the other models I had. Before I came to Japan I only had two MG's. Mark 2 and FAZZ. And we all know there's not really that much you can do with the FAZZ.

I know a lot of people out there could care less about the Mark 2 and their reasons are valid. It's plain, it's not really that special, too bulky, etc. All true. But those are some of the reasons why I like it.

I liked it even more once I started learning more about Gundam.

MAHQ says that the Mark 2 is based loosely on the RX-78 design. Aethetically and armament wise I'd agree. The Mark 2 was a technological breakthrough in many ways. Starting with the moveable frame construction and the 360 panaramic display cockpit. Both innovations became the standards in future MS production.

For more on moveable frame technology, click here.

Let's not forget that the Mark 2 was a prototype that that was slated for mass production. Only 3 units were made. This is one of the things I like about the Mark 2. It was unique but it wasn't at the same time, innovative but not. It wasn't a straight prototype like the RX-78-2 but it certainly wasn't a mass produced unit like the GM. Not many MS fall into this category.

If you think of mass production, the slim/simple armament is a good thing. I mean it doesn't even have built in vulcans. It is simply a frame. That's it. No stock weapons, AT ALL.

Are the core of the Mark 2 is base MS technology at work. Innovative design with a variety of applications.

I'd say that the Mark 2 frame didn't really get it's day in the sun because it got out classed quickly but the next generation of transforming MS, but even still I have to give the Mark 2 the credit it deserves.

What they really should have done was have the 3 Mark 2 units come out with different weapons loadouts, or different configurations or something to really sell the versatility of the suit. Like Strike Gundam's, Striker packs or something. It'd be the perfect testbed for something like that, but instead they went with the Hazel for that, but I won't speak on that because;

1. Because I don't know much about it

2. Because it should have been the Mark 2 dammit!

3. The Hazel is actually based of the GM Quel.

The official succesor to the original Gundam was the Mark 2. It should have been played up more!

Zeta, ZZ, Nu, Unicorn - all decendants of Amuro's RX-78. But try mentioning the Mark 2 in the same breath as those MS and it feels like it doesn't fit and that's not right.

In the end the Mark 2 didn't carve it's name in history as much as it's successors or predecessor. It that aspect it is lackluster and perhaps even sub-par. Regardless, I will always love and stand beside the Mark 2 for a 1000 other reasons.

I make this blog post in defence of it and to preface what will follow.

All images from Dalong's scans of the MG Mark 2 v.1 and v.2.0 manuals.

My question to all of you is; What is your favourite MS and why? You don't have to go into as much detail as I did obviously but I am curious as to what of you will say and your reasons.

Intermediate Gundam Modelling Tutorial Video - Vol.1 - MG Titan's Mark 2

First of all this is a widely available video on Youtube and I'm sure some of you may have seen it already. I watched this video for the first time... a long time ago. I can't remember. But as I'm going through building my RX-77D I decided to take a look at some of the videos again to get some ideas for the processes that pro modellers like to use.

Although it's not my favourite video in the series it is a good one as the techniques the modeller uses (Sorayama Ryuji) aren't that advanced, but they do require a lot of patience. I would be interested in knowing the total time he spent on making it.

For these posts I'm going to do a running commentary of what's going on. Let's get to it.

Part 1:



3:20 - First we can see that he STARTS by spraying the surfacer on the individual panels before cutting. Like I did with my MG Impulse and with the Sinanju (didn't take pics of that part). Now while I believe that Surfacer and Primer or two different things I think how they're used in this instance largerly achieve the same objective; preparing the modelling surface for painting and smoothing over imperfections. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

3:50 - C.Men. Semen?! Sorry. OK well I can totally understand why he'd do this because I had this exact same problem on my GM Powered. I didn't prime and sprayed right on the part and sure enough the edges were still in orange. I am using a similar technique to this on my RX-77D but I'm sanding it by hand and not using a design knife to make the C Men/surface. Thing is... for this model he's not doing a drastic colour change at all so I think this step could be omitted. But for the sake of perfection/completion/safety... It makes sense.

5:23 - 500-600 grit! I'm using 240 right now to prepare my surfaces... Too rough? I wonder. We'll see after I prime it.

5:53 - They don't say what he does about the nubs...

6:10 - Some parts seem to be sanded down and others don't seem to have been touched at all, as in the surfacer is still totally intact - compare the shoulder and the cockpit hatch. I wonder why?

7:00 - 2nd round of surfacer! But it is a good way to see errors that you might have missed.

7:20 - Drawing his own panel lines... That must have taken forever.

7:35 - Holes... good idea. I'm going to steal that one.

8:40 - That tool looks useful. I could have used that when I was trying to do the lines on my G04. Man was that difficult. Just the design part, nevermind the execution.


Part 2:



0:40 - To make one bit look deeper he raised the whole surface... a bit extreme but I understand it. Gauging it out with the other tool would have been uneven. Kinda clever actually.

1:45 - OK this is just a space/equipment/jealousy thing. Setting up all those parts on sticks like that... and being able to spray in his room... WITHOUT gloves or a mask. With a decent chair and desk. I can only dream about that right now.

1:55 - Surfacer round 3! Wow. That's a helluva way to be exact.

5:20 - Black undercoat for the silver to make it darker... hmm... Probably works better when you can control the flow/stream/pressure/consistency of the paint with an airbrush. This technique won't work well with cans I think.

6:00 - 4 hours to paint?! Wow. That's why I never do all my painting in one sitting.

6:30 - I LOVE this lining technique. Thing is you need to thin the lining paint with something that won't destroy the paint job underneith. And how do you do that?


I enjoy these videos but I'm often left without of lot of questions at the end of them, and my Japanese isn't good enough yet to understand all of the explanations. I can make out bits and pieces here and there but... I'm a long way from understand all the words and grammar patterns used for this type of talk. Oh well.

Notes:
-It seems like he left all the seam lines intact.
-They didn't talk about what he did for the lenses and the face.
-I wonder if he had any problems with movement because of the paint/surfacer.

Welcome back!

Decided that I'll try to write a couple of short posts more often just so that there's less of a gap in between posts (I wrote this day's ago but then Blogger was giving me trouble my picutres and I haven't had the time to sit down and figure it out until now. Took a lot of time. Who would've thought that blogging would be so time consuming!).

Gundam really has become almost of a daily thing for me. I guess I should have made this a Gundam board more than a 'Plamo' one. Oh well. No going back now.

Today (well, then. Which was the 8th) I decided to haul out my Perfect Grades. I missed them too much. I'm glad they're out now. I cleared out some place to display them. While I was assembling them again I realized that I look at them with different eyes now. I see a lot more of the details in them now. I see broken things that I know how to fix now. Fix more effectively I should say. I know how to order parts from Bandai now. I've already done it.

Doing one of these guys over the way I'd like to would take A LOT of time though. But what the hell. I have it. It's not like I have a deadline. If it takes 10 years that's OK. I mean I've already had the Mark 2 for 5. The thought kind of filled me with hope. Like... I don't have to rush. I can just do it. Take me time and do it right. Enjoy the process you know. The time you put in reflects the outcome. The PG's will have to wait until I can more experience though. I want to airbrush them I think. I mean I really want to do a totally overhaul on them with an insane paintscheme. Something that people will look at later and think, "wtf did that guy do?! That must have taken forever!" haha.

The other day I put up this pic as my wallpaper and I got to miss them so much.

This is what they look like now.

Welcome back guys! It's about time you saw the new apartment!