Monday, January 19, 2009

MSN-06S Sinanju - Work Log 9 - Shield / what to do about the gold detailing

Ok, the shield is completely finished now. Disassembled, and re sprayed all the components again. Painted the inside and outside. Hand painted in all the little details... and then did it again. Dry decalled and top coated. This is my first time to use top coat. I did it on OYW Gundam but had to scrape it off because it ruined my lining job. Applied it too soon.

I'm done with it the shield. There might be more I could do as a bit of the red is still showing through on the underside of the shield but... it's really not worth it so I'm just going to let it go.

About the decals. Foil or Water slide? The answer is neither. I went for hand painted.
Reasons:

1. I tried to apply the main crest foil sticker on the front of the shield first. But I wanted to cut out the black parts first. Too troublesome. Faster to paint. Couldn't stand the idea of having that extra black sticker on there.

Start painting and realize that I'm going to need a couple of coats to get it even. Screw up a bit, shave off the excess paint, using Gundam markers on the edges to get them even and get clean lines. Paint chips off occasionally, need to do touch ups on it.

2. After that try using the foil stickers on the long lines on the edges. Does NOT match the colour of the hand painted crest. Easy? Yes. Acceptable? No. Foil stickers have too much reflection compared to the paint and are a bit lighter. Water slide or just way too yellow. In the end the included decals will be going in the trash. I have no use for them. It doesn't look good and I realize that I have to stick with one and go all the way with it. Can't mix and match. I can't at least. Probably better that way though. Things will be the same colour across the board so the model will have a uniform look upon completion.

I'm glad to have this first major component done. I want to keep my Sinanju in poses while I'm working on it so I'm moving onto the back pack next. Slow and steady! That said... I'm going through a LOT of paint. Already on my 2nd can... Big re-recolouring job...

In the meantime, OYW Rx-78-2 is taking care of the rifle.

Can you imagine what Amuro would have done with this rifle if he had it during the One Year War? By the time the Sinanju is created the 78-2 is TOTALLY outdated but still... it's kind of funny to think about it. It's like double the size of the regular beam rifle!

8 comments:

  1. I have several questions about how you custom paint your models.
    Firstly, what brand of paint do you use?
    Second, do you paint your parts while they're still on the part runner and then touch them up after you cut them off, or do you paint them after you cut them off clean them up.
    Lastly, what do you think about painting a part completely with gundam markers? Like for changing the entire color of the part, not detailing.

    Please let me know.

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  2. I'm intrigued by your intent to paint on the details. Are you using the stickers as a stencil or doing it by eye?

    Very much looking forward to some pics.

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  3. Tonzo:
    I'm currently planning to custom paint a MG Impulse into sword impulse colors, so I am trying to learn some new techniques for painting gunpla

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  4. Tonzo: I thought you were talking to me since I didn't read his post before asking my question >_>

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  5. Necro -

    1. I'm using a lot of different paints. For this project it's mostly Tamiya mini laquer spray cans for the main colour and Gundam markers for detailing. I also use Testors enamel for detailing as well. I have a variety of other paints but am not using them on this project.

    2. I did a combination of both for this project but I won't for future one's because it's not very efficient and I was impatient. I primed and sprayed on the runner to get the main colour change down, then assembled, looked at the problem areas, disassembled and re sprayed each part individually THEN did touch ups. Similar to my MG Impulse WIP but I did a lot of touch ups without disassembling and re spraying. It'd be smarter to cut, prepare the pieces, spray, detail then assemble. But doing it that way you won't get an idea of what the model looks like until the end. I wanted to get that step sooner so...

    3. Changing the part ENTIRELY with Gundam markers is NOT recommended. I tried it on my SD Aegis and Justice. a) the paint doesnt go on that evenly over large flat surfaces. b) you're going to need a lot of it. c) it can be a bit thin. You're better off hand painting with a couple of coats or going for the spray cans like what I'm doing. It also depends on how drastic the colour change is going to be and what colours are being changed to what. Going from red to white requires a lot of paint. Best to prime then paint. But going from Blue to black... well you can just spray/paint over it most of the time. Of course the ultimate option is airbrush but that way is a bit pricey and I'm not even there yet myself.

    I'd like to see your Impulse when it's done! Let us know when you've finished it!

    Tonzo -

    The detailed parts are actually upraised a bit so you don't have to do it by eye. The lines are already made for you. It's actually not that hard to paint. All you have to do is stay within the lines!

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  6. First off, thank you for replying to my questions, your answer has provided me with a great deal of information.
    The color changes would be blue to red, red to black, and light blue to gray/silver. Personaly, I don't think those color changes would need a coat of primer, but please share your opinion on that.
    Do the coats of paint add too much thickness that the parts don't fit together well? I don't want this to happen and I certainly don't have the budget for airbrushing. What I might do is get the colors in spray and hand paint versions. That way I can spray the entire frame with the new color, and then touch up with the hand paint. Please share your thoughts about this aproach too.
    It will be awhile before I even start on the impulse because I plan to get a 1/144 HG kit to practice on first (I'm currently planning to get a tieren toazi and repaint it into dark blue/ light blure color scheme).

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  7. sounds good but blue to red concerns me. your red might end up a bit darker than you think it will be and could look a bit purple. if you aren't priming make sure you put enough paint on.

    yes painting does affect the fit if you paint the pegs/slots, which can be a good thing for loose parts. not so good for parts that are supposed to be able to move easily. also be careful when painting moving parts. the paint can harden and then suddenly those parts won't move anymore. you can crack the seal and get the parts moving again (maybe with a bit of sanding too) but its a gentle process. you may end up breaking the piece if you use too much force.

    your strategy is a good one. it's fast and will give you decent results. but its hard to get all the nooks and crannies when you're spraying on the panel. be careful of that. you may have more touch ups to do in the end than you think.

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  8. I'm planning to buy a cheap hg or two to practice custom painting on.
    When I think I'm ready for custom painting the Impulse, I'll put the normal one together first, so I can see how the parts fit together and all that good stuff. I was also thinking about covering up portions that I don't want painted with some masking tape.

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