What's in the box? - Raira Ria Soreru

Received another kit from e2046. It's of Raira Ria Soreru. I have no idea who this is or what series or game this is from. I just really like the design of this kit. Probably wont go with the standard colors though.

Now let's see what's in the box. Box is much smaller than a standard MG box. The figure is 1/8 scale so this seems about right.

On top is a photo of the kit. Finished product looks pretty good.

Next is the parts like and the instructions.

A nice little throw in are some decals for the eyes. I like these. Wish more kits had them.

Lastly are the parts. Not too many parts. Details look pretty good. No noticeable defects.

Overall, I'm really pleased with this kit. I'm a big fan of the eye decals. Going to have to see how well these work. I have some concern about them fitting properly. Plus things can get dicey with curved surfaces. Unfortunately, I have a rather large backlog. So it may be a while until I get to this one.

What's in the box? 1/144 HG 0 Raiser

Just received the 1/144 HG 0 Raiser today. I need this along with the 1/144 HG XN Raiser upgrade parts for reference for my Mecha 2012 contest entry. The box is has the standard length and width dimensions, but is thinner than your standard HG box. Cover art looks pretty good too.

Inside, there are 2 sealed bags and an instruction sheet.

The instruction manual looks nice. One side is color, which has lots images of the kit, information about the 0 Raiser (I think), and how to transform it to attach to a 00 Gundam. Other side is black and white. This side has the instructions to put the 0 Raiser together.

There's only 2 runners and a small set of poly caps for this kit. First runner has the colored parts. Even has parts for a stand. Unclear if this stand is for the 0 Raiser only or if it can work with other kits. Second runner has all the white parts.

 

Lastly are the stickers. I don't know where they go and I don't really care as I will be painting this kit.

Well that's all. Despite only having 2 runners, it seems like this was treated like an actually HG kit and not some upgrade parts that you get with a hobby magazine. The parts look good. From the images in the instructions, it looks like this can turn out to be a pretty nice kit.

What's in the box? Ms. Marvel

Recently received a new kit from e2046. It's Ms. Marvel. She's a lesser know Marvel character, but I'm a geek so not only am I aware of her, I think she can be interesting. In looking at the photos of the kits, I think the figure looks really nice. I like added clear effect parts too. Compared to the other kits in this line, the base is a little underwhelming. But all things considered, I feel like this would be a quality piece for my shelf... assuming I get around to building it. Time to move on to the box.

The box is much smaller that a standard MG box.

Like always, on top is an image of the kit.

Next is a parts list. No instructions. Lots of clear parts and I'm not sure how they go together. Can;t really figure this out until I clean up the parts.

Next up are the parts. There are both clear and solid parts.

A few close up shots.

 

The mask is very thin and thus very fragile. This part will require some serious care.

Well that's all. Parts look good. Nothing is broken or missing. I'm a little disappointed with the lack of instructions. Probably wouldn't mind much but assembly of the clear parts doesn't look straight forward. Other than that, I'm please with what I got.

My 2012 NCAA Tournament Picks (Round 1 Update)

Well after one round, my bracket is not in good shape. On the plus side, I'm beating my friend which is all that really matters. Well here's what the bracket looks like. Hopefully Round 2 goes better, but I have no reason to actually believe that.

My 2012 NCAA Tournament Picks

So one thing that I like to share on this blog is what I enjoy when I'm not model building. If you read my last post, you know that I'm a huge fan of the NCAA Tournament. I'm also a big North Carolina fan. I rarely pick them to win as I try to separate heart and head. This year I'm not sure I did that. They have a really good shot and I didn't watch as much of the regular season as normal, so I figure why not? Below is my bracket. Time to sit back, hope for the best, and enjoy a fun weekend of basketball.

Weekly WIP - Goddess of Death (Part 1)

So I've hit a roadblock with my Mecha 2012 contest entry. The images and instructions for the XN Raiser do not make sense. Parts are reversed and I'm not sure about certain detail. To help fix this, I've ordered the HG version produced by Bandai. While I wait for that to arrive, I've started another project. Trying something a little different. Going to try and make a Gundam Girl. However, I'm not interested in making your standard Gundam Girl. I think it's the "girl" part I don't care for. Why can't they be more on the sexy side? Well that's what I'm going to try for. So I'm going to try and make an attractive Deathscythe Hell Gundam Girl, which I will call the Goddess of Death. I will be combining the MG Deathscythe Hell and the resin Herald of Hell Airi (unboxing) kit from e2046.

I have no intention of rushing this kit, but in case I finish it before July1, I took a few photos so that it can be entered in the Mecha 2012 contest.

Started putting the kit together. Looks great. I'm really happy with it.

As far as the kit itself, only a few things to do. First up are the seam lines for the arms. Not a big deal. Only minor gaps to fill. Very happy with this.

Other fix is the dress. Yes I'm keeping the dress. Adding the chest and skirt armor seems boring to me. Unfortunately, the dress parts just do not fit. Not sure what I'm going to do with that. Going to try the heating thing and see if I can get them to fit together. I've never done it before, so my guess is the dress wont be clear (or clear-ish). I think I'm going to need putty and pla plate to fill the gap. I tried taking a photo but I couldn't get the back to stay on.

Next up is getting adding the Deathscythe Hell parts. Legs appear to be the perfect size. All I need to do is is add a little pla plate to make a connector for the knee.

Arms wont be so easy. They don't match at all. The plan is to just extend the piece. But as you can see, it's a pretty big extension.

Next up is the head. I have to get rid of the maid headband. That's not going to work at all. Not sure what I'm going to do there though. Might just make a simple headband. The biggest head issue I have is with the V fin. I like the way the bangs hang and I have no idea how to add a V fin so that it doesn't look like I just glued it on. Anyone have a suggestion?

Lastly are the wings. No image because I don't know what I'm going to do there. I think the only problem with the wings is going to be the attachment to the back.

Well that's all for now.

What else I'm into...

MARCH MADNESS!!!! I love the NCAA tournament. It's my favorite sporting event not involving the Raiders. Well the brackets just came out. Don't have much more to say about this now, but I'll have more in few days once I fill my bracket out.

Completed! - AGE-2 Normal

Here is my completed kit for the iShop2go AGE-2 Custom Coloring Contest. When I first saw this kit it seemed very reminiscent of the Freedom Gundam. However, to me, that color scheme just wasn't interesting enough. So I went with the Strike Freedom color scheme.

*Check out the WIPs - 1, 2

Thoughts on the kit...
This kit is pretty nice. I don't usually do 1/144 scale kits. Haven't done one since the NG Wing kits. Haven't done an HG since the 1/100 Wing days either, so I'm very impressed with how far Bandai has come. Fewer seam lines, fewer visible numbs, better color separation, etc. I don't care much for the standard color scheme, but the design of the suit itself I like. I like it so much so, I will definitely get the MG and I'm thinking about getting another HG.

Thoughts on my work...
I think the color scheme fits pretty well. I wish I would have spent more time on it. Got squeezed with this contest and the HLJ contest ending at the same time. For the most part I'm pleased with the paint job. There are a few parts that I had to hand paint to save some time that I'm not pleased with, but the rest can out really nicely. Even the masking and touch ups look pretty good. The biggest issue I have is with the poor prep work. Lots of scratches from the sanding process. Most are hidden, but they can be seen. Overall, this wasn't my best work, but I'm pleased with the results. Not a show piece, but it's shelf worthy.