Bandai RX-78-2 Gundam Ver. 2.0

As expected, I haven't had the chance to update my blog lately, that's because we've been rushing to meet several deadlines at the office these past few weeks.  It sure is welcoming to have some time off from work during the Christmas break.  Hopefully the remaining days of the year will be quiet and relaxing.

I've recently decided to try my hand at assembling a Gundam kit.  Bandai, the company who makes these robot models, had churned out quite a number of kits depicting the different 'mecha' and vehicles appearing in the various Mobile Suit Gundam animated series.  I must admit I am not really a hardcore fan of the anime, although I did manage to watch an episode or two.  But as an avid modeling fan, I do admire the engineering of the model kits.  So for my first foray into unknown territory, I went to the local hobby store this afternoon and I decided to pick a Gundam which I have seen many times before... namely the RX-78-2 Gundam.

The RX-78-2 was the model of the Mobile Suit that was piloted by Amuro Ray. He's the lead character in the 1979 Japanese animated series Mobile Suit Gundam.  The success of the series has spawned multiple sequels, spin-offs and the metaseries have grown into a billion dollar franchise.

Since this Gundam is the most well recognized it has been produced in a lot of different scales and the kit have been improved and re-released multiple times over the years.  I bought a more recent version of the RX-78-2.  Bandai calls it a Master Grade Version 2.0.  

'Master Grade' kits are typically 1/100 scale in size however the level of detail and articulation are quite extensive.  I should say it is pretty decent for the price you pay, especially if you cannot afford the much more expensive 1/60 scale 'Perfect Grade' model kits. 

As for Version 2.0, that's because this one is supposed to be an improvement over older versions of the same RX-78-2 kits released earlier.

I guess that is it for now... Happy Holidays everyone. 

Aston Martin DBS Build Journal Volume 7: Conclusion

I’ve been quite busy lately and was not able to post any updates on my Aston Martin DBS project.  I did however manage to sneak a few hours of modeling every now and then, but was too tired to post anything on my blog.  I finally found some free time to go online today and do a wrap up for this project.

A few weeks back I started work on the exterior of this scale model.  The first thing I had to do was to inspect the body for areas that needed some preparation before the paint job.  The Tamiya body was quite clean; however, I did find some excess casting lines that needed to be sanded down.  After that task was done, I went ahead and primed the body for painting.

This needed some sanding down...

Trying to keep the work protected from dust in between coats...

The following week I stated painting the body.  The instructions called for the use metallic black to simulate “Quantum Silver” from the DBS used in the James Bond movie Quantum of Solace.  I didn’t really want a black car and wanted more of a greyish color, so I opted to use Tamiya TS-42 Light Gun Metal instead.  While waiting for the paint to dry I went ahead and applied some carbon fiber decals to the side mirrors and front bumper trims.

Once everything was done, all that was left was to give it a coat of clear gloss and finish the assembly.  Here are some pictures of the finished product.

The V12 engine under the hood.

Front profile.

Rear view.

For the last photograph, I wanted to play around a bit... So I staged a scene using a picture from one of my architecture books as the background, my newly assembled kit and a collectible 3" James Bond figurine by Corgi that was released back in 2001.  It is quite unfortunate that they didn't get to produce a Daniel Craig - Bond figurine to add to this collectible line after the iconic role was passed to the new actor.  It would have been a better match for this DBS miniature.

Oh yeah before I forget, I’ve also added a simple “rating” feature at the bottom of my posts, feel free to use it to rate my work.

Aston Martin DBS Build Journal Volume 6: Interior Completed

We were hit by a nasty typhoon last Tuesday.  Work was suspended and we were allowed to leave the office around noon.   The storm was so bad that it knocked out the power supply in the area where I lived.  Having no electricity available, there was little to do at home.  I decided to make use of the time to continue work on my DBS interiors while the sun was still up.

Taking advantage of the available light, I proceeded to tackle the dashboard first.  One nice thing about the Tamiya kit was that the interior was divided into several parts making the painting job much easier.  After painting the remaining components, I went ahead with assembling the dashboard and applying the decals. 

 

The photo-etched pedals came with the kit.

Having finished the front section of the interior, all that was left was to apply the decals on the seats and combine all these with the work done the previous week. 

The trim on the air vents and knobs were from the sticker set purchased from HLJ.

The carpet turned out okay.  Too bad it'll hardly be seen once the body is on.

Now the interiors are done, next up is the car body…

Aston Martin DBS Build Journal Volume 5: Interior (WIP)

Having completed the chassis the previous week, I went ahead and started work on the car interiors this weekend.   First off was to spray the individual parts in “German Grey”.   While waiting for the paint to dry, I used the time to review some reference images of the DBS interior.

For this build I decided to have some fun and do some simple carpeting.  Usually an interior carpet effect is done by using really fine flocking powder.  Unfortunately I didn’t have any on hand; so I decided to use something easier to get a hold of, namely some felt paper.  Felt paper, in my opinion, is much easier to handle.  Gluing flocking material can get really messy and I wouldn’t want to accidentally apply the material in areas I didn’t need to cover with carpet.

Using some tape to trace a template for my carpet.

Here is the template used as my cutting guide.

The felt paper was cut slightly larger than my template.

Doing a final test fit.  Scoring the paper in preparation for the final trim.

 

The kit also came with a sheet of photo-etched parts.  These tiny metal parts add another level of detail to the finish product.  I had to attach a couple of these at the rear of the interior.

Things went well this weekend.   Hope my luck persists for the rest of the build.  Here is a picture of what I managed to finish.

Halfway there... Up next, the seats and dashboard.

Aston Martin DBS Build Journal Volume 4: Hobby Link Japan

I recently bought some third party decals from an online store called Hobby Link Japan.  The order arrived promptly and in excellent condition.   Since I was happy with my purchase, I’ve placed a link to their site on my newly created “Favorite Sites” section found at the lower left portion of my blog.

 

The first item I bought was a sheet of 1/24 scale Aston Martin logo decals by a company called Hobby Design.   I’ll be using this to replace the original Tamiya decals which I’ve accidentally torn earlier.  Although my photo does not show it clearly, these emblems have a metallic look to it.

Using some tape, I carefully removed the old decals and applied the replacement logos on the brake calipers.  I guess that problem is now solved.

After applying the decals, I went on and finished up the chassis

The second item I bought was a sheet of carbon fiber decals by Scale Motorsports.  Also scaled for 1/24 kits, this decal has tiny spots printed on a clear transparent sheet.  You could hardly see it while it is still on its backing sheet.  One will have to cut a piece of the decal to the appropriate size before applying it to the model.

This was the first time I tried doing a complex decal job like this; I first tried applying a small piece on a scrap piece of plastic to get a feel of how to use this product.  After my practice run I decided to go for the real thing.   

From reference photos, the actual DBS had a rear diffuser that was made of carbon fiber.  This part had a real tough surface to work with and probably the hardest piece I needed to cover with the C/F decals.  To prepare for the task, I first painted the part with semi gloss black. After the paint dried, I proceeded to measure and cut a piece of the decal a little larger the size I wanted to cover up.  For this job I also used some “Mr. Mark Softer” which helps soften the decal and stretches it a bit over curved or irregular bumpy surfaces.  After applying the decal I gave it a coat of gloss.

Since I was really trying hard to concentrate on this nerve wracking process, I forgot to take some pictures of the process.  I did however take a picture of my finished product.  As expected, it was not a perfect job but I reckon it was a good attempt for a first-timer.

Aston Martin DBS Build Journal Volume 3: Uneventful Week

Started work on the chassis and rear suspension this weekend.  The task went along smoothly with no major incidents.  I'm not a hundred percent content with the results of my paint job.  I guess I'll still need more practice to get my painting skill improved.  Well, that's it for tonight, see you guys again soon...

 

All the effort exerted, only to be covered up...

Aston Martin DBS Build Journal Volume 2: Murphy's Law

We were fortunate to have an easy week at work.  Our team managed to finish all our tasks before the close of business last Friday afternoon allowing us to have a worry free weekend.  I used my free time to work on my DBS kit once again.  

I started the weekend working on the brake discs.  Painted each part individually, glued them together and applied the decals as per the instructions.  This task went fairly well.

Weird, this picture made the brake discs look like they were made of stone...

I moved on to assemble the engine and front suspension next.  Once again, I painted each part prior to assembly.  I find it much easier doing this since I need not worry smearing paint on adjacent parts unnecessarily.  

This kit came with a sheet of metal transfer for the lettering on the engine.  I’ve only worked with wet decals before and it’s the first time I’ve worked with these dry transfer sheets.  Just a brief explanation on the difference between decals and transfers for those who couldn't follow:

First wet decals, you will need to dip these in water for around 10 seconds, by then they could be slid from their backing sheets and positioned into place on the model.  You will need to dab the decal with a soft cloth or paper towel to remove the excess water and air bubbles.  It should set once everything is dry.

The dry transfers on the other hand, will require you to position the sheet on the location where you want the transfer to be placed.  You will then proceed to gently rub on the transparent film that is holding the transfers.  Once the metal transfer sticks to the model part, you will need to gently peel off the film.

I’ve read several anecdotes on the internet wherein some of the transfers fail to cling to the model.  It was quite disheartening to learn about this, especially for a first-timer.  I did manage to execute my task successfully and I did learn a few things about these transfers in the process.  Peeling the transparent film takes a lot of patience; I did mine one letter at a time.  Whenever I notice the transfer fail adhere to the model part, I would reset the backing film and rub on it again.

After all the decals and transfers were applied, the only thing left was to assemble the engine and suspension. Should be pretty straight forward...

"If anything can go wrong, it will..." – Murphy’s Law

Had another mishap in the process, I might have accidentally touched one of the break caliper decals while assembling the kit. The decal probably did not set properly and was sheared off when I unconsciously made contact with it.  This is my second decal incident encountered for this build.

I guess I have to call it quits for now and continue working on this car some other time.  I'll need to think on ways to salvage this project.  Until then...

Here is what was successfully completed this weekend...

Aston Martin DBS Build Journal Volume 1: Off to a Bad Start

Scale modelling has been one of my hobbies since my teens.  I’ve assembled several model kits throughout the years, ranging from cars, planes and military vehicles; all with varying results.  I have to admit I messed up quite a lot early on and built a few decent ones as my skills developed. At this point in time, I’ll probably classify myself somewhere between an intermediate and advanced modeller.  I still have a long way to go before being labelled an expert in this field, and have yet to make one product that I could really be proud of.  Problem with modelling is that it takes a lot of practice to improve one’s skills and with my office workload I rarely have time to indulge in this hobby of mine.

Today was a holiday and I had the opportunity to start working on my Aston Martin DBS kit.  I decided to do something simple first; assembling the wheels.  Pretty straightforward I should say, just pop in the rubber tires to the rims and we’re done.  It when I was applying decals to the wheel caps when things got frustrating.  I had a hard time setting the tiny Aston logos in place and it took me a while to finish the task. I also ended up ruining one of the decals in the process.  Not really a great way to start the project.

Damn those decals!  Wish they provided some spares.

I decided to do some painting next.  The model kit came with a sheet of pre-cut masking seal to be used for covering up parts of the windshields in preparation for spray painting.  After prepping the clear parts I went ahead with spraying the windshield trims, chassis, as well as a whole runner of parts in semi-gloss black.

This job went much smoother than my first task.  I decided to call it a night and quit while I’m ahead.  I had a tendency to mess up more often when rushing a project to completion.

What a relief! At least this one went well.

 More updates to come as I continue working on this car replica.