I’ve wanted too build this thing ever since I saw the picture in this rulebook many, many years ago.
Sorry that’s a bit blurry, but the flash bleached out half the page so you couldn’t really see much.
The kit:
Here are some progress pics, including the arm sub-assemblies to date and the test-fitted torso sections.
I lost the battery charger for the camera in the resent move, so there are no on-the-sprue pics due to sudden inspiration to get to this asap and lack of patience to wait for the charger.
I’m going to go with the pattern described in the caption, green camo patches on the lower section and silver on the top two-thirds or so, the idea being the feet blend in with most green terrain while the top blends in with the sky under most weather conditions ( and, I guess, the random shade of a forest canopy ) when seen by enemy ground troops or tank crews.
I may also end up adding the little bit of battle damage on the left leg, but since I’ve already cemented the thighs that might get a bit tricky without something to keep you from seeing the hollow interior.
I’m going through a phase of adding an experiment or two to new projects as I get new tools or materials, often mentioned by you guys to solve problems. This time I’m pushing the personal kitbuilding envelope by adding some of the plating detail similar to the original art. I doubt I’ll be able to get it exactly like the original, but I figure some panel lines will add some character to the rather bland surfaces as well as make the silver sections more interesting.( so far I’ve only used scribing tools to restore details lost to sanding on occasion, and to replace all of the raised panel lines on the old BSG Viper kit ) and trying to make my own decals without a printer, since I don’t think I have the right equipment or software.
That’s not a bad idea. I’ve been bothered by the look of those shoulder joints in the box pic, but hadn’t really thought of anything to do about it. Even though there’s no such covering in any of the art depicting this 'Mech, I’d say that would be a reasonable way to make those joints look less flimsy.
Using real cloth of some sort might be tricky to pull off, especially making it look to scale. I think one of the Patlabor kits has extra soft vinyl parts for joint sleeves.
I was thinking something like that - I wondered about adding epoxy joint covers like folks do on MaKs. Maybe it would help to make the stance a little less stiff and give the model a more natural looking pose when finished.
In the original series the machines wore a giant set of white coveralls similar to what snow troops used in WWII for mountain operations. they covered everything except the weapons and canopy.
Yeah, I haven’t seen the anime but some of the line art I found while looking for pics of what others have done with this kit showed the covers you mentioned.
As for my build, progress has been slow. I don’t have much experience with scribing tools and am taking my time figuring out how to do the irregular plating patterns from the original art, since I’m guessing corrections would be a pain. I’m beginning to accept there may need to be some compromise in being faithful to that pic. Any tips on scribing odd edges and on curved surfaces would be appreciated. I’m quickly finding some limitations to the magic tape approach.
Another thing that makes these mecha kits take time ( at least, the way I’ve usually built them ) is trying to plot out when to paint what subassemblies before going to the next step of construction. It’s not just cockpit interiors to worry about, as I’m sure many of you know. There’s also balancing out such things as keeping bare plastic from showing on the insides of joints ( like the back of a knee ) when you won’t likely be able to fit a paintbrush in at at decent angle after full assembly, then being able to mask off whatever you painted when taking an airbrush or rattle can to it after further assembly is done.
More pics soon once I have some side-by-side comparisons ready.
Something like that. Here’s the line art of the original:
And the “jumpsuit”
As for my project, still thinking about options on the scribing. Maybe it’s rationalizing, but at this point I’m thinking about just using a different plating pattern on some sections. Instead of just using the exact patterns from the art, which seem rather random, I’m considering looking at what could be seen as “making sense” taking into account likely maintenance access, high-wear points that would need more frequent replacement, etc. Somehow, I don’t see the interlinked “Chevy logo” pattern the BT art shows on the forearms as being particularly based on any functional concept.
In case that smiley means you’re worried, GM, no I’m not building the jumpsuited mecha. The “something like that” was just saying your description pretty well fit those pics from the show. I’m still just doing the reflec camo thing from the BT book ( no jumpsuit, no yellow ribbon, no bunny ears ) but am still trying to sort out patterns for scribing the armor plating.
If that smiley was a “what the ****” at whoever came up with the idea of a jumpsuited mecha, Im kinda with you, but it’s a lot less strange than the model I saw years ago of a Gundam-esque mecha styled after Sailor Moon or some such, ( skirt, pigtails and all ), so this only registered about a 2 on my wierd-o-meter for anime-related oddities.
Progress pics by Sunday night, I promise unless we suffer internet catastrophe of some kind.
For awhile now, I’ve been toying w/ the idea of building a MaK w/ add-on ballistic cloth armor. I just don’t think my sculpting skills are up to it yet. Honestly, I don’t think flexible supplemental protection is that bad an idea, except that it might cover up detail inherent to the model itself.
For scribing the marks on the hull, I think you might be better off just painting them. use a thin liner brush, and go slowly. In case of catastrophic failure, you just strip and repaint.
If you have to scribe them, I used to do something similar by scraping carefully w/ a needle chucked in a pin vice. used that trick to make cracked winshields on post-apoc car models back in the day.
Got to watch this one also. Picked up the same kit over 25 years ago. Planning on making mine as the version used by Prince Davion in the book The Sword and the Dagger.
