I finally finished this thing! And just in the nick of time. I have completely run out of enthusiasm for this project. When originally planning this kit I had a good idea what I wanted it to end up like. I feel I have reached that idea more or less, but the getting there was definitely tough.
To end this post on a good note, I will list the bad things first. haha. And then finish with the things that I think I did well. So here we go!
The things I don't like about my Hi Nu:
Because I made a mistake right off the start in how I went about extending the legs, it took me quite a while to find a solution that I thought would work. I don't mind the proportion, but it seems that the ankle joint is really loose and I don't have faith that this thing will stand up on its own for very long. Also, the idea I came up with to extend the pistons worked pretty well except the length is slightly off so there is a risk of the piston coming out of the housing.
I originally wanted this kit to be a different colour but the shades were not correct, so I had to come up with an idea to fix it. I like the gray so I wanted to keep that. I experimented by painting matt white over the gray so I had a really light gray. I thought this would work, but using Tamiya Pure White would have cost me a fortune with all the coats I would have had to do. So I paid 198 yen at the local hardware store for a spray can. It comes out thick. So thick that it interferes with how the pieces go together. It is also difficult to sand down for repaints. I will stick with Tamiya in the future.
What a piece of crap. The joints on this kit can't seem to hold up to the weight of the aftermarket pieces I put on it. One of the knees was starting to give out. 'It's okay', I told myself. 'I can just put it in a cool pose on the stand'. So I connected it to the stand and a piece immediately snapped off. Now the joint at the top of the stand won't stay where I put it and only sags. So my cool pose is him just hanging around. This angers me and may be the straw that breaks Mr. Hi Nu's back.and now... The things I do like about my Hi Nu.
It took some effort to make sure that these pieces worked, but I think the result is good. All the thrusters seem aligned and pointing in the right direction. I do feel they add to the kit.
the Head
the feet
If you have been following the blog from the beginning of this project you can see that I added about 1 mm of thickness to the head. There is no visible seam line and the proportion looks really good. Also, the expanding of the black part around the eyes worked well (except the eyes are too big ;) ) The chin has been reshaped and looks good and symmetrical as well. While I did rush the panel lines the result is still good.
These worked out really well. From the cutting and adding plastic to the filing down edges to reshape, to painting the internal parts everything seems to work well. I created the space I needed to fit the foot thrusters and didn't mess up!
I really like this shade of gray. And the Tamiya can sprays so evenly and cleanly it ends up looking really good. I have a feeling I will be using this paint in the future. I already have an idea to use it for the frame on one of my future projects. The Matt Black I used for the frame is sexy too, although depending on the climate when spraying different pieces can have different textures.
I think that about concludes my summary of this build. I my try to take pictures of this at work for some kind of gallery, but I don't have faith that the stand and joints will hold up for too much longer.
Okay, Mr. Amuro.. Walk your mecha off into the sunset.
The End
I think that about concludes my summary of this build. I my try to take pictures of this at work for some kind of gallery, but I don't have faith that the stand and joints will hold up for too much longer.
Okay, Mr. Amuro.. Walk your mecha off into the sunset.
Wow, お疲れ様 man, definitely put the time in work into this.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I like the grey color scheme, comes out really nice, and the black panel lines help accent the kit details. Also, the AM thrusters look nice, particularly the feet and back thrusters.
As for the stand, suck to hear about that, did the modding really add that much weight?
I'm going to look into Tamiya spray cans myself for an idea for my summer paint project, but that won't be until 梅雨明け for sure.
Nice build! Good paint job too. I like your horse decal placement on the front chest (I did that too).
ReplyDeleteFor the eyes, maybe you can still try to put the stickers on.
americansalaryman: Tamiya spray cans are the best I have tried so far, especially the darker colours. but definitely wait for this rain to end, ne.
ReplyDeleteGundam Guy: I ruined the stickers trying to use them as a template for the plastic I was cutting out so that option was taken away from me. unless I wanted to order replacement stickers of course...
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ReplyDelete^Deleted to edit. Sumi masen! orz
ReplyDeleteI think you're being a bit hard on yourself. You've put a lot of effort into this kit and produced a great result. The grey is smooth and even, and the black frame sets it off nicely.
A/M thrusters are excellent, head and foot mods are spot on too.
Edit: I see you've ruined your stickers, do you have another MG you could pinch the stickers from?
I agree that the eyes are too big. Maybe you could try cutting the "pupils" out of the sticker and putting the black part on, and if that doesn't work try the pupils. I find the panel lining on the head to be a bit thick as well, but they are my only criticisms. I think you've done an outstanding job.
Sucks about the stand. Maybe you'll have to switch it out for a black action base? I think that would look ok and offer a bit more support.
Regarding the stickers, I think they're releasing water slides for both Londo Bell and Neo-Zeon sides this month, it would be cheaper to pick those up, and probably look better?
ReplyDeleteAs an afterthought, agree with Tonzo and GG on the eyes, perhaps you paint them black than apply the sticker? Currently they do look like SD eyes...
Other than that, I also think your being a bit hard on yourself. You definitely put more effort into it than most others do!
It seems we are all in agreement about the eyes. I will have to give it some thought. Perhaps even colouring the outside edge with black marker would make them look smaller. But I am not in much of a hurry at this moment. It is good to have a few nights free. ;)
ReplyDelete