As I promised last time, there were no updates this week. The reason?
As you can see, the lenses did not break (got lucky), but one of the inner ones did fall out of its place. So what else was there to do? Get it repaired by an authorized/experienced shop/whatever? No way! Let's take it apart!
It did not take as much time as I thought it would... But some parts were tricky to disassemble.
See that part in the middle that's missing one if its three pegs? That's what needed fixing.
So I carved a new peg from... a Kshatriya runner :D So my camera has now officially a part of Kshatriya inside it ;D
BTW, I had to take the photos above with my cell phone (d'oh), but they turned out suprisingly good - some problems with focus aside :P
The disassembly was over on day 1, but it took me like five days to assemble the whole thing again XD 95% of that time went into reassembling the whole unit containing the lenses (how do you call it?). Eh, the lenses had to be inserted in a particular order, I had to look out not to leave any stains/dust on them in the process, re-align those rings a few times... It was not easy ;) But I finally managed to reassemble the whole thing and, surprisingly, it works just as well as before. Phew.
On to the gunpla stuff:
I've painted the binders with metallic black, but they turned out to light - they look more like burnt iron or something. I will have to repaint them either with a black base (I used just Mr. Surfacer before) or try to darken it with some black. I need the blue "funnel holders" to stand out more.
I've test-fitted one of the legs, just to see at least one part of Kshatriya assembled :D
The armour parts are white because I repainted them with Mr. Base White 1000... But I must say, a white Kshatriya is a tempting perspective... Anyone? :D
The thruster's masking on the feet turned out nicely (finally). The black and burnt iron mix well, too.
I've also started modding the kit a bit (a bit, mind you, I don't want to overdo it, plus I'm still missing some tools)
My drill will pierce through the Heavens! (obligatory TTGL reference)
First, I use a smaller drill, then switch to a larger one...
...and then test-fit some metal beads I was able to find. They are supposed to be the mini-thrusters that Kshatriya has there, according to the anime. I don't have the money to buy real aftermarket parts, so these will have to do... for now.
You can see here two versions - one uses the beads, the other one just has... holes :P The latter seems true to what we see in anime, but I, of course, prefer the beads. BTW, anyone know how to remedy that, hmm, "rough" Mr. Base White surface - I want/need gloss finish, and I'm afraid this will hinder then final effect. (Wet) sanding did not help, as it removes the primer too :D And I used a very high grit (2000-2500) and low force, just to be sure.
What else happened...
See that logo in upper left corner? Yep, I ordered...
...dietary supplements- wait, what? Ah, there's something on the other side.
Delicious Gundam Decals!
Big thanks to Samuel from Samuel Decal for printing the Kshatriya 1/144 decals in black - I don't know what I'd have done without them. I'm sure this won't be my last purchase from him :D
And I've run out of things to talk about... Next time, maybe I'll have the funnels and/or emblems read to show off :]
I am liking your style, the way you build & mod is akin to my methods too.
As for the color scheme I would be the first to be against a white color scheme, because the Kshatriya won't looke good in total white, it would seem like it is not painted but just primed. But of course to each his own in regards to mods & paint scheme. I myself is mostly a stick to original color scheme kinda guy.
I like your progress thus far. I also plan to use metal bead too. Good call on that one!. And good call with the Samuel Decals as well, I have yet to purchase anything from them, but I think one day I would.
Glad you like it :D
As for the white colour scheme - I was thinking more like white + some shading - you are right, "pure" white would be too much ;) But anyway, that's not the colour I chose for my Kshatriya, the white now is just from the primer/Mr. Base White. I'd like to keep my final colour scheme a secret for now - bigger "wow" at the end (or "ewww" ;)).
Thanks for your response about the RG 1/144 Gundam, Igro! My yahoo mail seems to have trouble sending email back to you. So I guess I will leave a message here.
I had thought that you were in the US. =) But let me check on international shipping and see if I may give u a competitive price on the kit. Let me get back to you on this shortly.
As for my online hobby biz plan, it is still in an infant stage. Currently registering for a LLC and researching pricing from varous wholesalers. I also have coming in my first shipment of gunpla & toys. But I guess the most important things is thru which means I intend to sell my products, since I need to work within my budget. Amazon & Ebay seems to charge a lot for selling on their stores. To create my own website to selll will take some time to develope. And then there is the shipping cost for buying & selling....etc. Yeah I am banging my head & learning as I move forward, hopefully I won't make too much mistakes along the way. LOL
Yeah, so you can see why I have not been building gunpla recently. I will take a short trip to Hong Kong & Japan in mid August to meet / find wholesalers & distributors to try to get more products.
Thanks,
G.G.