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| Projects › Lockheed Martin F-16C Fighting Falcon '414th CTS' |
So I finally got to fixing the problem with the intake. Taking the suggestion of KGM (a member of Plamo), I removed the rough patches by wetting the tip of a cotton bud with lacquer thinner and basically swishing inside the intake, removing all the offending paint. Then I proceeded to very carefully mask the inside of the intake and stuff the rest with tissue. Then it's just a matter of sprayng the color I want. I ended up having to fix some blemishes with the paintbrush. The brushmarks should be covered up by subsequent weathering.
 
Onto the tiny details!
The inflight refueling door is supposed to be a natural metal color so I masked the section off and sprayed on some gun metal on it. Ended up being quite subtle which I like.
 
I then hand painted the tips of the intake pods and the RWR 'beercans' pods.
 
Tomorrow I will start the decaling process! HOOZAAAAH!
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| Projects › Lockheed Martin F-16C Fighting Falcon '414th CTS' |
Back to the Viper! Now it's time for all the itty-bitty details. First up are the weapons. Aggressor aircraft are usually armed with one inert AIM-9 Sidewinder and an ACMI (Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation) pod. I got these from Hasegawa's Aircraft Weapons Sets C and D respectively. The inert (blue) bands are not included so I had to mask off and paint the bands.
 
Inert rounds and ACMI pods come in a variety of colors actually. Red, blue, white and various shades of grey. I went with grey as it's the color shown in my reference photos.
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| Projects › MSA-003 Nemo Custom |
| It's time for the Mega Beam Rifle mount on the Ballute. First up though, I needed the side grip to basically fold back. Simple matter of cutting off some of the plastic to make room for the grip.
 
I figured since this Nemo Custom (I still haven't thought of a better name for it) is a one-off design, stuff on it would be on-the-field modifications. So nothing too fancy for the rifle mount. Here's what I came up with.
 
Very plain and simple. Very special magnetic hooks perhaps? Who cares. It doesn't look too weird is all I care about.
And... I think I'm done with construction! Starting tomorrow, the tedious process of prepping for painting!
Beep beep beep... 24 DAYS LEFT... beep beep beep |
| Projects › McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II |
Bugger. The kit took a nosedive from about 2 meters up. It hit the bed and crashed to the floor and pars are now broken... sigh...
The damage to the kit are as follows...
 
- The control stick went missing although if I shook the kit, it's rattling somewhere inside.
- The right wing broke off and a whole chunk of the flap went missing. Going to be hard to scratchbuild due to the teardrop shape of the flaps.
- The most damage was to the tailfin where an antennae has almost broken off and the whole triangular extension behind the tailfin went missing.
Bugger! Bugger! Now what do I do? Replace the whole kit or try to fix the problems? I'm leaning towards the former but man... this sucks big time!
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| Projects › MSA-003 Nemo Custom |
| Change of plans. The BAKUC event actually requires I purchase something. Crap. But then, Peter & Partner (a local model shop) is holding an in-house modeling competition and Gunpla is one of the subjects being covered. And due date is now December 4, 2008. Onward!
My Nemo won't be mounting the shield so I sealed up the mounting points with plaplate.
As mentioned previously, the Ballute doesn't attach to the kit in any meaningful way. It sort of just... hangs there, so I figured I needed to scratchbuild some sort of mounting method for the Ballute.
Simple matter of doing up a realistic-enough looking mount for the backpack. Here's what I came up with.
 
More or less done! Only thing left is coming up something on the Ballute for mounting the Mega Beam Rifle.
 
Clock reset! Beep beep beep... 26 DAYS LEFT... beep beep beep |
| Projects › MSA-003 Nemo Custom |
| I gave myself a week for all the mods I wanted.
First up is an additional sensor for the head. Only got it right on the third attempt, which ended up being the simplest looking.
 
Next up is allowing the Nemo to bend further backwards than was possible. Only a simple matter of cutting a groove on the back of the waist piece. See the below and after below.
 
 
I also needed to allow the legs to flay more outwards since I'm thinking of a parachuting pose. I just cut out part of the indie of the inside thigh. Simple.
 
Next comes the weapon. It's the Mega Beam Rifle from Akohobby which in turn is bassed on the lineart from the RX78GP04 concept art by Hajime Katoki. It's huge! about as tall as the Nemo. Which means I have to figure out a way to stow it in a decent manner.
At first I thought of mounting it directly onto the Ballute but it looks too bulky and awkward. TIme to wrack the brains...
 
My mods are almost done. What's left is maybe making some panels and adding some details to be pretty bare chest area.
Beep beep beep... 25 DAYS LEFT... beep beep beep |
| Projects › Lockheed Martin F-16C Fighting Falcon '414th CTS' |
Typically for me, something bad happens to my builds about 70% into the project. I'd then have to spend some time and elbow grease to fix the problem(s). I thought it won't happen for this one, seeing as how I was 90% into the build. But Mr. Murphy must have known and well... disaster has struck.
 
In my zeal t quickly finish this thing, I decided to use spray paint to finish the inside of the air intake. And in my zeal to get it over quickly, the spraypaint ended up being too thick. Sigh... so now the air intake looks like something exploded in it and messed up the lip.
After looking at it for 15 minutes, I realized there's only 2 things that can be done:
- Carefully saw the lip and the intake apart then paint separately. Of course that would mean having to fix the whole outside of the intake later
- Keep things as is and slowly sand the inside of the lip smooth and redo the color again
Of course, I also realized I should have keep them separate in the first place. But I'm an idiot.
Both aren't easy solutions, but I'm leaning towards the latter. Which still bugs me either way. More delay! Pah!
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| Projects › MSA-003 Nemo Custom |
| I'm building this one for Pre-BAKUC Indonesia 2008. I have no idea what the 'Pre' means, but basically it's Indonesia's side of the regional BAKUC competition. Winner gets 2 tickets to Hong Kong for the Grand Final. Pretty good deal.
Due date for the entry is November 30, which leaves me just 28 days to rush this thing out. It's gonna be close. I really hope I can finish this thing.
Anyway, my entry will be the MG Nero with the Ballute System from the Hyaku-Shiki kit. I'm also adding a long range rifle of some sort and pose the whole thing as the Nemo in the process of a HALO jump. I also haven't come up with a decent name for the custom so for now, it's simply called the 'Nero Custom'.
 
Unlike a typical MG kit, I find the fit a bit off. Some parts were loose, some parts didn't fit well. Still, it's nothing really serious. The kit is really poseable with the armor off.
 
With the armor on, the poseability is reduced somewhat but it's still quite good compared to the old MGs.
Strangely, the Ballute System doesn't fit well at all. There are pegs on the legs to fit the leg thrusters, but they fall off with the slightest movement. The front and backpack themselves fit only due to friction. Nothing more.
Nothing serious that can't really be fixed though. I'm also still considering some simple mods to make the whole look more customized (Nemo Sniper maybe?) and to make the planned pose look better.
Time's ticking... 28 DAYS LEFT... beep beep beep |
WOOB stands for Wired-Wolf Out Of Box.
It all started 4 years ago on the Wired-Wolf forums which is the predecessor of Plamo. It's basically a competition where the entries are all built out of the box. I won Silver in the first WOOB and did not join in the following years. Now I'm a moderator for Plamo so I can't win anything if I join. Still, I plan to do something to show my support.
This year's topic is 'Mecha Madness, with a twist. Members can join as long as their entries are not from the Gundam franchise. Anything else goes as long as it's mechanical, hence Mecha.
I expect a very eclectic mix of entries for this one since most modelers I know do like something else besides Gunpla.
Here is my contribution to the festivities. A banner that's now rotating on the forum:
Unlike my previous banners, this one is very colorful. It also came together pretty smoothly. I like it alot. Here's hoping WOOB 04 will be a success!
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| Projects › Lockheed Martin F-16C Fighting Falcon '414th CTS' |
Another 3 months has gone by and we have moved to our own place. Ongoing house matters put this on the backburner. Now it's back on the worktable.
Gear has now been painted and ready for assembly. Unlike some modelers, I don't even try to mask the wheels before painting the tires. I just freehand everything. Carefully. Aircraft kits tend to have a lot of itty-bitty parts so this might take awhile even after everything has been put together.
I... am... edging... closer... to... finishing!
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| Well, much more detailed pics of the upcoming Voltes V Respect for volt in Box from Bandai's Soul of Chogokin line are now out. And I'm underwhelmed.
 
 
Right at the top of my mind, here are the problems I have with this version:
- The color is much more garish than the original SOC
- The stickers are really ugly and I have a bad feeling it will come with the stickers already pasted on
- While it's nice that it has a firing function, considering the price it's not exactly a toy that you're going to play with
- The tank mode is a nice nod to the original Chogokin, but for display purposes, it's not that impressive
- All the extra antennaes for the vehicles, while accurate to the original toy, kinda make them look really old-looking
The only good thing going for this version is the double-jointed elbow which allows more dynamic poses. But it isn't enough for me to actually get this version. Sad really. I like seeing Bandai paying homages to the original toy but the execution seriously leaves a lot to be desired.
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| Ahhh... ignored this site for too long. And the hobby show season is here! Lots of goodies that grabbed my attention I must say. Among them:
 
 
Bandai's upcoming line-up of 1/72 Macross Frontier VF-25 Messiahs! Ozma's VF-25S (which I have pre-ordered), Alto's VF-25F Super Messiah (as expected), Luca's recce VF-25R (even comes with a Ghost drone it seems) and Michel's sharpshooting VF-25G.
One thing that concerns me is that the R and G Messiahs don't seem to have Super packs on them. Sheesh, does that mean they will be released as separate reboxes? That will suck big time. Only time will tell I guess.
A very interesting release from Wave! 1/72 Destroid Tomahawk! I already have the resin version of this kit, but there is now a very good chance the other Destroids (Phalanx, Defender and Spartan) will be released as well. I'm not holding my breath for the Monster though.
On the Gundam front, there were many announcements but they didn't really grab my attention. Except for this one. Yet another Zaku 2.0 conversion kit from B-Club. This time it's the Zaku Marine from the MSV series. It has a very old school look though. There has been times when B-Club releases were subsequently released as injection kits. Let's hope this one's the same.
 
 
On to Zoids. Kotobukiya's HMM line is getting more stuff! This includes the Genobreaker which I think retails in the 9,000 yen region (!!). While it's impressive, I don't think I'll get this one. The Cannon Tortoise and Buster Tortoise were also announced, and man, I must get the Cannon Tortoise. Always had a soft spot for this particular Zoid and I must say, Kotobukiya has done a wonderful job of upgrading the look of the Cannon Tortoise. The front feet have been repositioned and the turret can now rotate. Nice!
The Buster Tortoise is also quite impressive though I find the BFG on its back a bit jarring compared to the overall rounded-ness of the design. Now oreviously the Molga and Molga Cannonry were released together in one box. I think this will also be the case for these two. Can't wait.
 
I think this has been released already but it ought to be here just for nostalgia sake. I owned the original DX Danguard Ace of so many years ago (1980s) and this new updated version from Yamato is simply amazing. It's almost anime accurate and man, would I give my left kidney for this one. It retails at around 19,000yen...
 
I grew up on Voltes V (much like most folks my age) so obviously, it holds a particular sweet spot in my memories. Bandai had released the Soul of Chogokin Voltes V that I hadn't gotten a hold yet. Now they have announced a version 1.5 of it and calling it Voltes V Respect for volt in Box. This time, improvements have been made and as a nod to the original Chogokin toy, it can also be transformed into a huge tank when all 5 components combine! I'm not sure I like the extra markings and flourishes though. So for now, it's a wait and see till more images popup.
Lastly, we have Soul of Chogokin Tetsujin 28, another reimaginging of an old toy I had. It's much more anime accurate with modern touches which I find very appealing. This is so going into my shopping basket! |
| So my house is finally done (after almost a year of renovations. Yeesh) and I'm in the process of moving in. I created an area specially for a hobby room, which is sort of a loft built on top of the guest room. My architect did some initial sketches when he proposed doing the hobby room as a loft.
 
So after the rest of the house was completed, I got the architect to start designing the hobby room. The pictures below are 1st drafts:
 
The first floor is the guest area. Since I don't expect to have many guests, only a sofa bed is required. All around the sofa bed are display cases and storage space.
The concept art for the 2nd floor are below:
 
The display/storage space downstairs doubles as the stairs, which is limited to 6 steps due to the limited size of the room. Once when the 2nd floor is reached, there will be a wall mount for my airsoft guns. Immediately after that is the workdesk. The exhaust fan built-in to the wall is about a meter or so away from the desk so there needs to be customized casing to redirect the exhaust fans suction feature.
The section right above the balcony will be all filled with storage racks. These are indicated by the boxes with 'X'es. Opposite the storage racks are display racks made of glass. According to the architect, glass will reduce the 'heaviness' of the loft. I don't really see much point in it as I'd rather have more storage space in the loft itself. However, seems like the space is pretty cramped and the bigger display cases are only 20cm deep. Can't really be of any use as storage space.
I'm still thinking over the concept, although construction material costs have been shooting up. But I really want to get this right. |
| Projects › Lockheed Martin F-16C Fighting Falcon '414th CTS' |
Crap. It's been almost 3 months since I did anything else to this build.
Today, I finally got around fixing the demarcation lines.
And boy did I have a 'great' time doing it.
 
First I used blutack to mask all over the kit. And ended up not doing anything to it for 3 weekends. And what happened? For some reason the blutack left some sort of residue that of course, couldn't be rubbed off. So I ended up having to spray everything all over again.
So what I did was for each color, I'd slowly blutack and spray to fix the soft camouflage pattern. Took awhile. Over 3 weekends in fact. But I... am... done! In the process however, I lost the shade of green I originally used, so I ended up respraying all the green again. I also quickly masked off the grey parts and sprayed that on too. The left stablizer also fell off but that's a small easy fix. So all the major parts (except for the parts that need to be white) are... done! BOO YEAH!
Here's a before and after look at the camo:
 
Up next will be the rest of the detail parts. Won't be long now. Won't be long...
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May 2008 news archived
March and April 2008 news archived. Removed Collections section. Kinda redundant...
February 2008 news archived. Also redesigned the works pages, adding an intro to each finished kit.
January 2008 news archived.
December 2007 items archived. Also restructured how the Archives look. See below. |
| This site has been tested on Firefox 2.0 and Internet Explorer 7.0. It's compatible on both Windows and Mac OS-X platforms. This is an image intensive site so it's gonna be really slow for narrowband
users. Just in case you're wondering, this site is coded from scratch.
Old skool baby! |
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