Real Grade Zaku!

Hello all!
Over the course of a Saturday evening I decide to build one of my Real grade Zaku II models. The Zaku II with the distinctive red colour belonged to Char, full details of the mech here:http://www.mahq.net/Mecha/gundam/msgundam/ms-06s.htm

Any way, for the build I decided to copy Elvin's idea of using the hanger bay bases as a backdrop, but for this I needed more people for the crowd.
Cue this: 1/144 scale people!

The figures are of a soft plastic (maybe silicon or vinyl) so I decided to stick them to little bits of left over pla-plates so that they'll stand by themselves. 

 Here's a couple of close-ups:

 The hanger bay in its original state for my Real Grade Gundam.

 Time for the build!!!!!
Starting from the bottom up - the build was supervised by Char himself!

 Start of the leg build up to the hip, the internal frame isn't the normal plastic but a softer plastic used for the RG internal frames.

 Armoured up for the first leg, crowd is starting to build.

 Same pic, minus the flash.

 The side links for the legs, using metal beads to detail it up, I used the sets bead for the 1st and last beads on the spring and the rest are metal. The metal beads are slightly smaller than the set beads, 2 set beads are the same as 3 metal beads.

 Again, minus the flash.

 Second leg made: Crowd is building.

 Hip skirt build and being transported to the mech.

 Slowly does it!!!!!!!

 All attached safely!!!!

 RG Gundam is getting interested in the build

 Less blurry pic

 Chest part built again with metal beads, same as the legs!

 Gundam is getting nervous with the new mech.

 Arm built.

 Shield built. Gundam getting to a better position if there's to be a fight!

 Second arm and head on!

 IT LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 OOOH, my axe!

 Axe vs Beam Rifle.

 Aaaahhhh, right so. need better weapon.

 HAHAHA Bazooka and Beam rifle vs beam rifle

 Evenly matched! Let battle commence!

 Posing for the camera, get my good side!

 Close up of the gun.

 1/144 tanks.

 Fight! Or check out my ass.

 Ass, minus the flash.

 Ammo!!!!!

 1/144 HG vs RG grade

 And again minus the flash.

 Side:

 Back:

 Shield Side:

 All done!
Thanks to www.gunpla.co.uk for the quick delivery of my detailing part!!!!!!
My next build is another RG grade Zaku, but this will have metal thrusters, more metal beads and decals. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! 

InstantMold and a WIP Tyranid!

I'm back! With an article! Text and Pic heavy for those on low-bandwidth.

Ok, so I bought this stuff called Instantmold from ebay. Here's a pretty picture of it!

Here's two links: one for the product from collminiornot.com (http://www.coolminiornot.com/shop/tools ... -mold.html) and the other is a review from inquisitorlordaki.blogspot (http://inquisitorlordaki.blogspot.com/2 ... -mold.html)
Its a reusable material that you can use to make molds of your item and then recast it. I'm testing it out with a warhammer 40k part now, just waiting for the greenstuff to cure. Pictured is the set with 3 large blocks, I got the set with 6 smaller blocks, however the smaller blocks can be mashed together to make the bigger block.


So far, I've had mixed results. I'm not using a container to hold the mold in place, merely wrapping it up in itself and pressing the item in. This is causing 'layers' to form in the mold agent. And after 12hours the layers are peeling from each other which is a pain as the item might be molded into 2layers.


Anyway, I made a test mold from the tyranid Mawloc head carpace piece just with those side tubey bits. The mold wasn't easy to mash into a blob from the block and had hard parts in it. Figuring the water wasn't hot enough, I dumped it into a cup of boiling water and that worked fine.
Here's some pictures:

New blocks

 My Stock piece

 Green stuf added to the mold.

 Finished piece, straight from the mold.

 Stock piece, first and second casts. Not bad.

As you can see, I was able to make two casts from the mold. The second cast wasn't as good on the little stubs, probably because of the bending I did to get the first cast out. By the way, the casts are made from greenstuff.


I've then threw the mold agent into hot water and and now trying to make gundam hands as a test as they are more complex and are multiparts. 
Here's some more pictures

They are setting now, but as I'm away this weekend, it'll be Tuesday before I can see how this works out with the two press molds. I'm not holding much faith in my skills (these are my first casts ever) so I'm going to be trying them again. Just looking at them now there's a lot of flash greenstuff, the items I was making a mold of don't appear to have been pressing in right so details are lost and the top and bottom molds seem to have slid in opposite directions. But this is all part of the learning curve.


OH, here's some WIP pictures of the tervigon based on the one here:http://darkfuturegaming.blogspot.com/2011/05/arachnarok-tervigon-conversion-painted.html

Tervigon Vs Carnifex (Just to show some scale)

Rant - Has Games workshop gone too far?

So Has Games Workshop gone too far?

Games Workshop have over the last week or two made two rather large announcements, both of which have made their customers very angry indeed.

The first announcement was the new terms and agreements between the company and 3^rd party companies in the EU who sell on their products.

Basically, GW have told the independent sellers that they can ONLY sell to EU customers. That means that Australia, Canada, South America and America can’t buy from Independent stockists for a lower price that set for their own countries.

Now this doesn’t affect me, but it does affect many people all over the world.

The second announcement was that the old metal figures were being pulled and a new material was being introduced. The new material was supposed to have a more stable price than Tin (which was used as part of the metal figure). This stabilisation of their costs should have meant that the new ‘Finecast’ line should have been cheaper if not the same price as the old metal one. However GW have increased their price.

This also has angered customers.

And in a way, I’m pissed off too. First off, how can GW do that to their customers abroad when they can’t offer the same service themselves that the independent stockist can? Internet means fair and international trade. GW seems to be stuck in a time warp. And dictating who Independent (INDEPENDENT) stockists can sell too seems to counter the global harmonization that’s happening. I say if someone was to bring them to the EU court they’d be told that they can’t dictate who the end purchaser is if a third party seller is involved. And how are they to know who the independent stockist is selling to anyway?  

And secondly, we are in a recession, less and less people have disposable income and many as giving up their hobbies to survive. GW doesn’t seem to notice this and have on cue every year, increased the price of their products. Sheer madness.

GW has made alot of people very unhappy.

I only got into this hobby less than 4 years ago and I’m thinking that it’s time to slow down on my expenditure on GW products. Alot.

Just get a few terrain pieces, finish off my Grey knights, Space Marine and Tyranids army and leave it at that.  No new armies for me!

Anyway enough of ranting. Must build something!

Whats a guy to do!

I picked up the Grey Knights codex for the Warhammer 40K game.
Reason was, I already own a dozen or so of the metal Terminator models as part of an Inquisitor army and wanted to stay up to date with the options and rules for a Grey Knight only army.
Only problem is, Gamesworkshop have brought out new plastic models. And I want!

Basically, if I were to expand my army I would need (like) to get the following:

1 Storm-raven flyer (52euro).
2 Dread-knights (42 euro each)
3 Terminator squads (30ish euro per squad)
3 Space Marine squads (30ish euro per squad).
2 Rhino tanks (35euro each)
1 Crusader tank (50euro)

That brings the cost of a new army to over 400euro.
Ah thanks but no thanks. Even with buying in the Art'n'hobby shop the cost would be over 360euro.
May look out on ebay. Or kibash, or cry.

Damn GW for having such nice looking models!!!!!