Year: 2022

Introduction

In this piece I will go over the basics of what to do once you have got the parts off the sprue. Note this is very basic and very much from my point of view. I am totally open to any feedback and suggestions that people may have on either improving this technique or any other techniques.

What is a nub?

I think that is a valid question, so thank you for asking! If you are new to the hobby or to model building in general a nub is a small piece of plastic/resin/material that is left attached to the part, after you have cut it free from the runner/sprue. So for example if you have a look at the following image:

The above image is the MS-06F ZAKU II bazooka. As you can see near the end there is a piece piece jutting out from the main barrel of the weapon. Generally speaking to remove the part from the runner you would make a cut in the piece connecting the part to the runner but not to close to the part. This should minimise plastic stress. You then trim this with either a second cut, and/or trim with a hobby knife. Finally you can optionally file with some form of sandpaper or sanding stick (like these in our store).

Post sanding

After the clean-up the art will look similar to this:

After I had done my first round of cleaning up the nub there was a small dark patch. I wasn’t happy with this so I went in for a second round of sanding. I tend to use a combination of 600 grit sandpaper and 2500 grit sandpaper, predominantly because I already had it to hand. After the second clean-up the bazooka was looking like this:

Now the dark spot on the end was nicely cleaned away. However the beautiful sheen the rest of the Bazooka has was removed. At this point I decided to give it a VERY basic paint job.

Painting

I am fortunate enough to have an airbrush that I keep to hand. So I gave it a quick undercoat of Vallejo Mecha Grey Primer. I then gave it a quick cover with Vallejo Mecha Gunmetal. I then covered the dips and pieces with some Vallejo Mecha Black Wash. Once this was done it looked like this … (yes very messy but I was speeding through it).

I then worked over it doing a dry brush of the gunmetal again to clean up the over spill.

Conclusion

After all of this work my “nub” spot now looks like this:

All told I am very happy with the end result! It now looks smooth and seamless and clean. I would like to do another and distress it, add chipping and soot and mud and dirt etc. However, for now I am very happy with the end result.

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Due to my awesome sales rep keeping an eye out for me, I have managed to snag a few extra items. This new stock has now been listed on the site and is available immediately.

First up is the HG Brady Phantom 1/72.

This is a great looking model. Why not check it out here on the store for even more pictures!

Next up is the HGUX Guncannon RX-77-2 Revive 1/144.

I have a soft spot for this model. I originally didn’t really like it, but something about it has really grown on me over time. You can check it out, along with the other images here.

Following that we have the Gundam RX-178 MK II Titans 1/144 model.

I love the style on this model and the details on the feet and legs specifically. You can check out some more images of the model in the store here.

Next up on the list of extra models I managed to get hold of is the HGUC Silver Bullet 1/144.

This is another fantastic model. Again the shield legs and torso details all combine to make this a unique looking model. I really like the overall aesthetic of this model. You can find more pictures of this over on the store here.

Finally I also managed to bag an extra couple of MG Gundam Shining 1/100 kits.

For the price point this is an amazing kit. It is an older one, and a couple of the joints have screws to help them tighten. However, from all the reviews I’ve read that doesn’t seem to detract from the build, or the overall model. I think it looks pretty fantastic! You can find that in the store here.

I am hoping that the next Bandai shipment to my supplier will have even more of the new stock that I have on back order. I will keep everyone updated!

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Introduction

The Witch from Mercury is the latest show from Sunrise. Sunrise are a company who make Japanese anime, and are also a subsidiary of Namco Bandai. The production of The Witch from Mercury has been designed with a lot of care to cater to all of the markets the brand now appeals to.

Having not released a mainstream TV show for 7 years, the Witch From Mercury is a beautifully put together piece of entertainment. Interestingly it is the first show to have a female character as the main protagonist.

Watching

For those of us outside of Japan the show has, thankfully, been picked up by crunchyroll. With the episodes released weekly, it is a welcome break from the binge watching box sets we have all gotten used to. I find that with the weekly release schedule there is time for viewers to digest the show, discuss the episodes, with everyone in the same point in the journey.

It should be noted that if you like anime and haven’t checked out crunchyroll you really should, they have a fantastic catalogue of shows to watch.

Where it excels

I think what I am enjoying the most about this show are the various layers that there are too it. Firstly there are regular battles with large mecha suits. Secondly are the political wranglings of the various business factions. Thirdly are the interpersonal interactions of the characters (young and old). Finally are the tensions caused by differing political views.

What I love above all else is that no one theme feels forced or overpowering. They are all, so far, nicely blended together providing a show that you can watch and discuss, or just watch and go .. ooo big mecha suits. You can enjoy and engage with it at whichever level you want to.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would say if you haven’t watched it, and you like this genre then it really is worth checking out. So far it has been an absolute joy.

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As I continue to build and work on my models I find that sometimes, techniques that I assume will be easy, can in fact be ruined in a multitude of ways! I thought that panel lining would be an easier technique to perfect. How wrong I was!

Not that long ago I was showing off my panel lining. I was so proud of the result I had gotten that it looked like the image below.

I even gave it its own post here. However, little did I know that there was still a way I could mess this up! So in essence, to protect the work I had done I sprayed it with a top coat. I was devastated when the next morning the ink was all run.

After some productive googling I discovered a few things I may have done wrong.

• Left too much pen/ink on the model
• Not heated up the can before spraying the piece
• Spraying too close to the model

I decided to test all three using a couple of test pieces. I figured as the parts either side of the crotch piece keep coming off anyway they would make fantastic testers!

First I relined them, and then I went through these steps:

• Remove the excess ink, paying attention to really remove off as much as possible
• Warmed the can up in my oodie while watching the TV (don’t judge me!)
• Sprayed the pieces making sure to use small sprays at a much further distance from the parts.

I then left the pieces to dry overnight. The following morning they looked like this:

As you can see there is still what looks like a little bleeding along the edge but that is only visible when you zoom in. This version was, by far, 1000% times better than my original version.

In conclusion I would say don’t be afraid to practice. You are unlikely to get things perfect first time. If you do, then absolutely awesome. If, like me, you need to work at it. Then don’t worry. Practice, if possibly not going to make perfect, should see improvement.

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Some time ago I bought a HG RX-78-2 model to practice a few techniques on.

I wanted to have a look at a few techniques I have seen people working on, and the RX-78-2 is such an iconic suit I couldn’t resist!

Reading the various online posts and seeing peoples customisation’s I decided I wanted to try:

• Airbrushing
• Lighting
• Weathering
• Diorama

Now in hindsight I should probably have picked one of these and just done that. However, never being one to shy away from a modelling challenge I went for it.

The first thing I did was put the model together to get everything in place before starting to modify the model to fit the lighting into the helmet.

Unfortunately for me I decided to take apart one of the arms while half asleep. Half, asleep me convinced myself that the arm pulled apart .. let me spoil the surprise. The elbow joint does not pull apart unless you break 2 of the pieces.

This then left me in a quandary. My options seemed to be limited to:

• Buy a replacement for just the elbow pieces
• Model it as having the arm blown off (sort of intrigued to see how this would play out)
• Try and buy a replacement runner (only seems available in Japan)
• Cast myself some replacement parts

After doing this I foolishly convinced myself that casting my own pieces would be the “easiest” option. I think I should lay my cards on the table now. It really really wasn’t.

The first pieces I cast snapped. Now I have to say I think I didn’t mix the milliput for long enough. Today, after deciding to go back and try again, I took two pieces I had cast. One using super fine milliput, and one using brown stuff. After much filing I finally got it to go together. My completed re-assembled arm now looks like this:

As you can see there is still some cleanup needed (on both) and a fresh undercoat before a fresh paint. However the final result seems to work fairly well.

So looking back at this there are a few things I haven’t learnt. The first is to ensure I spend longer mixing the two part epoxy. That seems to make a massive difference. The second is to not rush while trying to file and cleanup the pieces. Finally I have learnt perseverance. I have broken many many many pieces while getting this back together. However, I am happy with the final result.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you haven’t already done so please like and follow us on our social media platforms and checkout our website!

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