Coming Soon!

HG Legend Gundam

1/144 HG Legend Gundam completed! An old kit which I got it cheap off another modeller. Stripped the paint off the kit and re-worked on it.

Snap-fitted kit (Image from Dalong.net). Proportions look quite weird, head too short, shoulder movement limited, thighs and lower legs too short. Whole kit looks short and stubby.

So I did quite a few modifications to the problematic areas:
- Increased neck height by 1mm
- Increased upper arm height by 1mm
- Re-worked shoulder joint to increase movement slightly
- Separated lower torso, increased height and added ball joint
- Extension of thigh area by 2mm
- Extension of lower leg region by 2mm
 

Academy F-14A Sundowners

Attached the final bits onto the kit, same antennas and the pitot tube. This kit is now complete (Well pilot figures not included). Kit is the standard Academy F-14A, decals stolen from the Hasegwa kit. In-flight display was supported by 2 rods through the exhausts. Took me quite a while get it right because the whole weight of the plane was supported by the exhaust area, had to stuff some epoxy putty in as additional support.

More pics below....

[WIP] F-14A Sundowners Part 3

So after the paint had dried on the kit, I brushed on a coat of Future as a gloss undercoat for decaling. Hasegawa's decals are quite nice to work with, but a little on the thicker side.

Decals for the tailfins are especially quite challenging to deal with since I'm using them on the Academy kit.
Panel line wash also done after decaling, using oil paint thinned with lighter fluid.

Another coat of Future over the decals and wash to seal them. Left it to cure for about 2 days. In the meantime, I made a trip to an art supply shop to hunt for materials to make an in-flight stand for this plane.