Note - The weather really screwed up my schedule for the end of this build. As a result, the photos in this post were taken after I sprayed the backpack unit with clearcoat paint. Also, they were taken outside, so they look unusually sharp.
We come to the last part of the build - the Mk. II’s backpack. This piece is what most differentiates the Mk. II from its predecessor. The backpack is much bigger than Gundam’s small, boxy rocket booster, and adds a much needed sense of size and definition to the mobile suit.
I’m quite happy with how the backpack locks into place. To connect it to the mech you push in and down, and once attached it doesn’t feel like it will go anywhere. On the other hand, the four small rocket verniers are all too happy to break loose and fall off. They’re able to move quite freely, which is probably why they’re so fragile. I’ll have to be careful not to disturb them; if any of the verniers pop off, they may be difficult to find on a carpeted floor.
The backpack also houses the Mk. II’s beam sabers. These look and feel like they’re ready to fall out, but as far as I can tell, they’re actually quite secure. I like the way they line up with the two “prongs” of the backpack - when either one of them is equipped, the mobile suit doesn’t lose any of its symmetry. This thought never occurred to me when I originally watched Zeta Gundam; now that it has, I appreciate the design of the Mk. II even more.
In regards to the build itself, the story was largely the same as the torso. I made no major mistakes with the plastic, but I lost of few decals, which were replaced with similar looking spares. The backpack is also where the last of the mesh tubing is used. The measurement was a little trickier, as the length isn’t an even number of centimeters. Luckily I made two clean, accurate cuts without any fraying whatsoever. The hard part turned out to be securing the tubing to the unit. Each length of tube is secured with a small plastic piece, and if the tubing isn’t positioned just right, the plastic caps will pop right off. They seem stable now; I just hope they stay that way.
This may be the most fragile section of the entire model kit. I don’t plan to tinker with it much, but it’s possible that moving and posing the other limbs may affect it.
We are in the home stretch now. With all the pieces constructed, all that’s left to do is paint and assemble them. The only problem is that the weather in my neck of the woods has been absurdly cold, which is bad both for me and the spray paint. I’m debating whether I should just put the model together now and wait until spring to spray it down. Stay tuned.