Back of the pack!

I have left the armour pieces to the Unicorn to the side in order to focus on the backpack. Why the backpack? Because I am using aftermarket thrusters and they look cool! Also, the backpack is rather simple, consisting of few parts, which means that it doesn't take a lot in the way of time to finish it.

Two nights ago I rubbed on the dry-transfers that came with the kit. They aren't overstated like Ver Ka transfers would be and there aren't a lot of them. Don't overdo it folks!

While the transfers on the left side of the backpack went on flawlessly, that was not the case for the right side. Things started to get misaligned and the transfers started sticking on their own so I had to rub them on or risk ruining them further. Once they were on I compared the right side to the left and noticed that things weren't quite symmetrical. I demand symmetry! Thusly, I scraped off some of the dry transfer on the left side so they would match the right side and vice versa. I am satisfied with the result.

After the transfers were applied I left them until the next morning which, thankfully, was sunny and clear and it was then I applied the flat coat. That night (yesterday) I returned home and put the backpack together. It was then that I could move onto the last part; the lower thrusters.

This is my second time using after market parts, the first being on my Hi-Nu. I want the metal thrusters seen well when the kit is viewed from behind. The kit has the thrusters pointing downwards which would mean that someone viewing my Unicorn would not be able to see the clear blue I painted onto the inner thruster. But I want people to see it (and I want to see it too).

The solution: taking my nippers I cut the ball which is used to attach to the plastic thrusters at an angle leaving a flat surface directed more upwards. I drilled the holes and prepare my aftermarket thrusters; put them together and snip off the majority of the shaft leaving only a small length that is needed to go into the drilled hole.

I test fitted the thrusters first to see if they were both pointing the proper direction and had the look I wanted to achieve.

As you can see, the alignment on the right thruster is not quite correct.

In order to remedy this I had to slightly redrill the hole and also cut the shaft smaller. Then hold it in position while the glue took hold. This pictures shows the second test fit and how it is closer to being correctly aligned.

It has since been corrected by me (hopefully).

I noticed when transforming the backpack, read as opening the side flaps, that the metal thrusters scrape on some plastic inside. It seems my measurements were not quite correct. However, being that the thrusters are metal, they won't wear down but will instead just scrape a groove of their own in the plastic. As this isn't visible it's no problem.

Til next time.