Completed MG 2.0 MK-II Titans

The MG MK-II Titans is complete, and with it my tutorial walkthrough series comes to an end. Thanks for following along! This has been a cathartic experience considering the fact that this kit sat in storage for three years while I finished my degrees. More photos after the break!

If this is the first you've seen of this project and you're curious about my process, here's the link to the beginning of the walkthrough:

MG MK-II Tutorial Walkthrough

Mk-II Walkthrough Part 5: Decals, Panel Lining, and Finishing Touches

Onward we march, as we near the end of this tutorial walkthrough series! In this, the final post, we will be talking about how to properly detail one's kit before the matte (or gloss) clear coat and the eventual photography process. You probably saw the title photo and you were like, "but, wait, we didn't panel line or anything.."; not to worry, there's a few steps before we set up the improvisatory studio you see above. Read on for more!

Mk-II Walkthrough Part 4: Painting Outer Armor

With our inner-frame complete, it's time to cover it all up! In all seriousness, the concealment of the inner working is an eventuality...but what we're hoping to craft preceding this traumatic event is an outer armored layer so polished, so precisely executed, that you won't even mind covering up the majority of those shiny interior mechanics. Read on to learn how!

Completed HG Graze Kai

HG Graze Kai is complete! Truth be told it has been complete for a few days now but I finally got around to taking some pics. This was a good project to get back into things, however, I realized during the painting process that my Alclad High-Shine paints don't really work as well as they used to...might have to procure some more before my next build. More pics after the break!

HG Graze Kai WIP 2

Back at it with the HG Graze Kai, painting armor pieces and applying decals. I'm working quite slowly on this kit, perhaps due to my old-man-back, that which prevents me from sitting in my chair for the hours on end necessary to complete a full kit. This is a young man's game! Read on for more geriatric musings.

HG Graze Kai WIP

After a very extended hiatus from all things Gundam related, I am happy to announce that I am building and painting Gunpla again! I definitely want to finish the MK II walkthrough that I started ever so long ago, but first I wanted to get my chops back. I figured this HG Graze would be a good little project, and I have been enjoying Iron Blooded Orphans, so this kit has been a fun little foray back into this great hobby! Read on for more!

Mk-II Walkthrough Part 3: Painting Inner Frame

As the engineering behind Gunpla becomes more and more advanced, so do the inner workings of our favorite bipedal war machines. For years, Perfect Grade and Master Grade kits have included intricate inner frames. That detail has now been extended to the Real Grade line and nearly perfected in kits like the MG Sinanju. Because of all the moving parts, some people might find the task of painting an inner frame quite daunting! In actuality, all it takes is planning and patience. Read on to learn more!

Mk-II Walkthrough Part 2: Pre-Painting

Nice job building your kit! Now it's time to take it apart. Despite feeling like wasted effort, it's very useful to build the kit first and then disassemble it to paint. Assuming you have selectively trimmed your male pegs throughout the build, then this step should not take long. I also have some tips and tools that can make this step much simpler. Read on to learn more!

Mk-II Walkthrough Part 1: Denubbing and Assembly

On to part 1 of my MG Mk-II modeling walk through! This post will cover everything related to the assembly process. I'll be approaching this build with regards to painting, but considering that a lot of people just enjoy snap building their gunpla, I'll also include some tips to help your unpainted models look their best. Read on to get started!

MG Mk-II Walkthrough: Intro

After a month long trip to Singapore, I'm back and writing some posts again. As my first summer project, I've decided to write a walkthrough that documents my modeling process from start to finish. Although others have done this sort of thing before, I think that seeing how different modelers work can be very beneficial to those just getting into Gunpla. For this walkthrough, I will be building and painting the MG Mk-II Titans Ver 2.0. Despite being one of the first kits to receive the 2.0 treatment, the Mk-II is a very solid kit with some awesome articulation. I'm looking forward to building this kit and I'm excited to document my progress. My next post will cover the very first steps: tools, denubbing, and construction in general. Thanks for reading, I hope to make these tutorials very informative!

Although I was unable to paint or write any posts while I was away, I did talk to some very knowledgeable modelers and pick up a few supplies. For anyone interested, read on for details!

Completed MG Astray "Sky Blue" Commission

The MG Astray "Sky Blue" Frame is complete, and it's hard for me to even imagine it being red at this point. This was a great project, and I had a lot of fun doing the custom paint job. I'll be parting ways with it soon though, and I'm very excited to hear what my client thinks! If you'd like your own commission just shoot me an email and I'd be happy to see what I can do:

Gunplacore Commissions

More pictures after the break!

MG Astray Commission WIP 2

For anyone who didn't see the first WIP, this is a commissioned project I've been working on for a few weeks. It's a Master Grade Astray Red Frame with a custom sky blue and black color scheme. I've been making steady progress but life tends to get in the way. Thankfully I should have plenty of free time for a while. Everything is going smoothly and I've just about completed the Mobile Suit itself. Read on for some of my processes.

Iwata Power Jet Review

I've recently started to airbrush a lot more and it came to my attention that my current compressor just wasn't going to cut it long term. I've been using the Iwata Smart Jet for close to 8 months now and it's a great compressor. The only problem is that I like to airbrush at around 20 psi, 12-15 if I'm spraying Alclad or pre-shading, and the Smart Jet has no air regulator; only a bleed valve and an air pressure gauge. This means that it was constantly running while I airbrushed, and believe me, that thing gets hot! I decided to upgrade to the Iwata Power Jet and thought I'd do a product review for anyone interested since I couldn't find a single review for this thing online. Read on for the details.

MG Astray Commission WIP

 

A couple weeks ago I was commissioned to paint an MG Astray Red Frame. My client requested a blue or teal frame with black armor plating. After a little bit of planning, and some terrible attempts at line art (seriously, where do you guys find the templates for your line art) I got down to work. Keep reading for the completed inner frame!

Tutorial: Easy Photo Setups

Gunpla is, for the most part, a solitary activity. The average Gundam Modeler spends hours locked away in their bedroom or basement, toiling away to craft the next best Mobile Suit. When you finally finish that awesome kit that you've been working on for so long, do you just put it on a shelf and let it gather dust? No! You want to show it to people and get critiques and compliments; and to do that, you need to take nice photos. Believe it or not, it's actually quite easy. I see a lot of people advocating light boxes for gunpla photography, but I've found a couple ways to get great results with simple desktop setups. I am by no means a professional photographer, but I wanted to share these methods for anyone interested.

Completed HGUC Unicorn Destroy

Unicorn Destroy is complete! It only took around 10 days on and off work but it was a pretty fun little kit to paint. This marks my completion of the HGUC Kshatriya, Sinanju, and Unicorn, so I'm going to take a break from HG kits and Unicorn Mobile Suits in general since we see them so often. Gallery to follow!

Tutorial: Panel Line Wash

I thought I'd do a small tutorial on how to apply enamel washes to your panel lines. It's a very simple process for panel lining your kits, and it's a lot faster than using a panel line marker. In addition, this technique can be used on painted or unpainted kits, so even beginners can get in on the action provided they have some enamel paint and a little patience. Read on for the process!

MG Astray Red Frame Commission

I'm starting work on an MG Astray Red Frame that I was commissioned to paint. My client wants all of the red replaced by baby blue and the white armor painted black. I'm going to approach this kit in three stages:

1. Inner Frame
2. Outer Armor and Dual Katana
3. Tactical Arms Accessory

I'm excited to get started and I'll be posting WIP's as I go. Keep checking back for more!

HGUC Unicorn Destroy WIP

I've had this Unicorn laying around for a while now, and figured it would make a fitting next project, seeing as I recently completed the HGUC Sinanju. I'm trying some cool stuff with this kit, and I'm really excited for the final product! Read on for the details.

Tutorial: Candy Finishes

This will be a quick walkthrough on how to paint super vibrant candy coats using Alclad Chrome and any type of clear color. For this demonstration I'll be using Mr. Color Clear Red for a "candy apple" paint job.