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I tried a thing!

I got the bug after finishing my first diorama. The background is pretty basic but the concept works! If I can improve my art skills I might try painting one with a colony or something on it in the future.

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No mistakes, only happy accidents

So I bought the Netflix Zaku, weathered the heck out of it, and . . .

The arm broke off. Sucks, right?

Nope. Opportunity, right there.

I used it as an excuse to do my first diorama! For the most part, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

The baseboard is MDF, and I stacked together layers of thin self-adhesive foam to create a basic terrain. A little bit of work with a dremel and some rocks, and then I gave it a top coat of brown paint.

I made fenceposts from cocktail sticks, and the fencewire is just unleaded solder. Got some terrain grass from the local hobby shop and stuck it down with PVA, as well as some little tufts for character.

The tractor was a resin print I found on ebay, and clumsily painted up myself. Not the best, but I think it does the job.

Then I got the Netflix Gundam, weathered that up a bunch too - took a soldering iron to the shield to make it look like the Zaku had put up a fair fight.

And voila!

I'm pretty happy with the results, though I think I should have bought the tractor first so I could scale things a bit better - the country road look I was going for is a bit more of a country six-lane motorway. But I'm pretty proud of myself for my first attempt! Hopefully we'll be moving soon, and then I'll have more room to experiment with dioramas, and my next one can be even better!

(Here's a bunch of other random shots)

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They really nailed this

Imagine the entire UC history being rewritten because one guy had to take the day off and the guy they got to cover for him was Char fucking Aznable.

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I have wanted this kit for actual years

And finally, it was in stock in the UK! I was so excited that I had to go and get my wife before I could unpack it because I didn't want to experience it alone.

Apropos of nothing, I now have a hankering to watch Sailor Moon . . .

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Finally got my first katoki!

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Not gundam related but reblogging because I'm so proud of how they turned out!

I built myself some hi-fi cabinets out of old boat!

So I live near the SS Great Britain (the first iron steamer to cross the Atlantic!) and it's currently a super cool museum project and if you're ever in my part of the world I'd definitely check it out.

But on to its relevance: recently, they replaced the deck plating on the ship because it was just getting way too worn out. And some of the old deck plates ended up at my local wood recycling place. We've needed a new sound system for a while, because all we had was a crappy dying boom box that sounds like ass. And I'm a sucker for building things I could buy.

Surprisingly, they actually sound really good! They've got a nice range and can get very pokey when you push them. They're definitely good enough for my living room.

Construction wise, they're mostly MDF with some walnut veneer on the sides, and the front panel made from deck plating is Jarrah (which is no longer permitted to be logged for timber, so I don't think I'll be making anything else out of it!) The drivers are just cheap car speakers, and the amplifier is a little DIY kit I found online. I didn't keep exact track, but all told it came in at around £100 in materials - definitely punches above its weight for the cost!

Now I just need classier shelves to keep the pair of them on...

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This slaps

workin on a custom Chuchu's Demi Trainer

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I managed to find the netflix Zaku!

This kit is practically begging for some weathering

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Meeting my inlaws for the first time! after three years of marriage

Have a Wing Gundam Zero Honoo to celebrate the occasion.

This is a pretty cool kit but I think I'm too lazy to take more photos

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It's been a minute

Ooft, I love this guy. Probably the best kit I've ever done, in both design and execution.

No fancy pictures with backdrops and editing though I'm afraid - it's been a rough few months and I just haven't had the energy for that kind of thing.

But suffice to say, I really love this kit and need to pick up the other MGSDs.

And hopefully soon I'll take some pictures of some of the other kits I've been working on.

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I understand the hype about this kit now

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I think this guy definitely needs some battle damage

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Mother in law very kindly sent my wife and I some money each as a holiday gift (being 6000 miles away makes it easier than posting anything, thank you MIL!) I'm debating getting my first Ver. Ka kit as a little treat. Does anyone have any recs? The new Narrative looks cool, but that might just be because I'm a sucker for a core fighter, and the RB-79 Ball is tempting because its very existence amuses me.

Thoughts, gunplablr?

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Got some AK weathering pencils months back and finally tried them out! Lots to learn but I'm happy with the preliminary results!

Now this guy needs a topcoat and then it's time to make a diorama for him.

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The Italian Dandy strikes again!

I really like the Fenice. It's such a cool design, and the little beam-cape is fantastic. The kit itself is pretty good, although it has much of the same issues I have with the standard Wing Gundam (polycap waist and weak wrists that just do not want to stay attached.)

I was also only today years old when I realised it was in the colours of the Italian flag.

I'm gifted in other ways.

As an aside, if anyone is debating getting the Gunprimer gate removal set, I would highly recommend it. This is the first kit I built using it, and in that respect I'm very happy with it indeed. One of the best gifts I got this holiday!

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I've been busy, and have a few kits to show off!

First up is this Gundvölva that my little brother got me for my birthday. We built it together! I think the weathering got away from us in places, but it was a really fun kit and a really nice thing to do together. We've had a rough year so it's nice that we're getting closer and doing things together more lately.

Next up we have this Ez-8! Not counting this as finished because I'm planning on using him for my first diorama and will be weathering the heck out of him, but I wanted to include a picture. He was a pretty fun kit, and the decals he comes with are pretty nice. Not so much a fan of the parachute pack (not pictured, obviously) but the base kit is pretty cool.

Lastly we have the Knight Gundam! Now, I'm not normally that into SD kits but this. is. AMAZING. Very few stickers involved, not of them egregious, and he's just so much fun to pick up and play with! I put a little paint on the V fin and the shield, but other than that he's just panel lined. He is friend shaped!

Next up I have the Wing Gundam Fenice that I'll probably start on today, and I was gifted the MGSD Barbatos for the holidays which I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth into. I also received the Gunprimer gate remover set, so hopefully my kits going forward will be a little cleaner!

Happy Holidays!

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Merry Christmas