Anyhoo, moving on.
Did a final putty layer and sanding session on the swords.
Now, the binders. I wanted the green piece to be an effect part.
But as you can see it's actually pegged in there and not easily removable. Especially since I planned on removing the seam lines on the black parts.
Took a gamble and just snipped the part that 'grabs' onto the peg. It's not perfect but they will slide in and out now.
The binders definitely don't look as cool without the green parts. But I guess you could call this the normal mode. In my head the binders act as normal verniers without the green pieces in. So Zero not having it's wings won't hamper its mobility.
Next up was a random thing I did kind of last minute. Took these little pieces off an old junk HG Deathscythe Hell's wing/cloak and cemented them to the arms. Again, in my head these work as cooling vents so that when the Wing Zero fires the Twin Buster rifle at full output it doesn't wreck the arms.
I also just realized that aside from the back pack this is the only mod I've done to the Wing Zero itself.
Clipped some plastic off the yellow pieces on the rifle so they could slide in after the two halves were together. The seam lines on the Buster Rifles are probably the worst on the whole kit. On that same note though, those are the only really noticeable ones.
I learned that Tamiya's Extra Thin Cement isn't the best for seam line removal. As it's name suggests it is indeed really thin. I had tons of issues with removing the seam lines on the rifle because of this. It was just too much area to cover before the cement lost the gel like state that's great for seam removal. You know, that point right when it starts to dry and is kinda like regular super glue.
Luckily the black parts went together without a hitch. Above is my first attempt on the rifles. It just refused to cooperate with me -_-.
Getting it all ready for priming.
One thing I forgot to mention. On the white parts on the shoulders and chest there are tabs to help you get them open. Although practical, they are unsightly. Bye bye tabs.
I forgot to take pics after priming. For those who are interested, I use Model Masters Acrylic Primer Gray and have for a while now. My airbrush loves the stuff and it goes on in nice, thin, even coats.
Used regular Tamiya black acrylic for the black parts.
And regular Tamiya red acrylic for the red.
Kind of a last minute decision I made was to leave some parts in the primer light gray. I thought the contrast of black, dark gray (joints), the light primer gray, and white would look cool.
This thing was a nightmare. I dropped the v-fin as I was painting and of course.. it broke. I quickly cemented it, used my airbrush as an air gun to quick dry the cement, and hit it with another coat of red. Luckily it actually turned out pretty good.
Some random hand painting I did right at the end. Being the big dummy that I am, it didn't click in my head that the clear green piece wasn't coming out of its collar. Then again I wasn't originally planning on doing anything to this HG. Anyway, just carefully hand painted the red around it. Problem solved.
Looking back I really should have taken more pics for this WIP. But alas, I was on a roll and wanted to get this thing done. I have to say the hardest part was the hand painting. And even as I look at the parts drying with top coat I can see my mistakes/brush strokes. Oh well. Here's hoping the second coat of flat lacquer helps hide my mistakes.
I'll have a photo review of this guy up shortly. I really want to make sure all the paint is dry before I put it together again. I've made that mistake before and don't plan to do it on this kit.
Til next time...
