Weekly WIP - 1/100 MG Marasai (Part 2)

Been doing some work on the Marasai. Progress has been a bit slow as I've been trying out a few different things on this kit. Not use to doing some shiny metallic paint job. Basically, the process has become fairly routine now. For the parts that are going to remain chrome, first is a coat of enamel black gloss. Then a coat of Alclad Klear Kote. Future fogs the chrome and takes away the shine. For the blue parts, the process starts the same, black then chrome. Then I sprayed a few coats of Vallejo Transparent Blue. I really like this paint and color. Then I put on 3 coats of future. Then panel lined and added decals. Then another 3 or 4 coats of future. The dark blue is a similar process. Just swapped the chrome with the steel. The black parts also went through a similar process. I swapped the chrome with metallic black and skipped the blue. That's pretty much where I am now. Still have some polishing to do. I'll be explaining that process in the next WIP. With all that said, here are some photos.

Here are the rest of the parts and nice and clean.

What else I'm into...

The return of How I Met Your Mother. I love this show and the new season is starting in a few minutes. Got to run. So until next time...

Weekly WIP - 1/25 Chevy Camero SS/RS Coupe (Part 1)

Here's an update on the Camero. For those that read the unboxing, I'd like to confirm my suspicion about the quality of the plastic and casting. It's just like working with a TT kit. Lots of flash, not all the pegs fit in the holes, and just a lot of little clean up things to do. But, being a much smaller kit, there's not nearly as much to do.

As for my progress, things are going ok. I tried out Vallejo's German Panzer Grey Primer on this kit. Had some issues spraying it, but once I got those sorted out, I think it went on pretty well. Looks really smooth.

Here are some of the parts I've started painting. Black looks good, but it's not as smooth as I would like. Guess I didn't sand the primer as well as I thought. Hopefully this will clear up with some gloss and buffing.

Well that's all for now.

What else I'm into...

Tekken Tag Tournament 2. This game is a lot of fun, but I have no idea what I'm doing.  is a pretty interesting. I prefer 2d games myself and haven't really ever played a 3D one. It's quite the change. But so far I'm enjoying the challenge of learning a system that is nothing like anything I've played before. I think it's getting some low reviews, but I think it's a solid 8. I it's fun, there's a ton to unlock, a bunch of different modes, and the netcode works pretty good. Personally I'm not a fan of interactive stages, there are a few interface things I don't like (it only remembers the first character of your team), and there's a story linking certain characters but it's not explained anywhere in the game. Someone new to the franchise (like me) is a bit lost. If you like fighting games, give it a shot.

What's in the box? - AMT 1/25 Chevy Camero SS/RS Coupe

Recently picked up this kit for a local competition. I've never built a model car before and I've got a feeling that most gunpla modelers haven't either. So here is the first of a series of post going from unboxing to completion comparing my experience of building a model car to building gunpla.

With that said, here's a tour of the box. Very nice photos. There's just one issue. They appear to be of the actual car and not of the kit. Nice for reference, but not so good for what I should be looking for.

So here's what's in the box.

Got some promo stuff. Interesting, but not really relevant for me.

Next up are the instructions. There are instructions in 6 different languages. Pretty neat feature. I know impractical, but it would be if Bandai could do the same. Maybe continue with the nice manuals and some cheap B/W pages for the stories and info pages. Since I only know English, I don't have a need for the others.

Up next are the parts. The plastic feels a little different than Bandai plastic. Seems like something in between Bandai plastic and the plastic knock off companies use. Feels very clean and smooth. Interesting. Wonder what it's like to work with.

Vinyl parts. This is new. Going to need to do some research to find out how to clean these up. Not sure what the rods are for. Axles?

Clear parts are really nice. Maybe it's just the shape but these are much more clear than Bandai's clear parts.

Chrome parts are really nice. I don't have any experience with Bandai's titanium finish kits so I can't do a comparison. But these are shinny enough to see my reflection.

Last up are some water slide decals. I think they are pre-cut, but I'm unsure at the moment. They look pretty nice. But an Indiana license plate isn't going to cut it. Guess I'm going to have make my own California one.

Well that's all for the unbox. Time to snap it together...