Just like with OG Gundam, I started this build by working on the weapons. I find them to be a good warmup - they consist of fewer pieces, and tend to better withstand mistakes and errors (since they’re less of a focal point than the mobile suit itself).
My goal with this build is to minimize visual blemishes as much as possible through more careful trimming and more diligent sanding. I expected that I would excel at the former and, if all went well, slightly improve at the latter. So far the reverse has been true. Some of my attempts at trimming have been close to causing permanent damage. The problem isn’t so much with the knew hobby knife as it is with my greediness in trying to remove as much sprue as possible. Occassionally this has led to me digging too far into the plastic, thus forcing me to sand down an even bigger mistake than if I had left it alone.
Thankfully, my sanding skills are in fact getting better. I’ve always been nervous about applying sandpaper to my models. I don’t have the exact levels of sandpaper grit recommended by other builders, and I feared that what I did have would simply scratch up the pieces and ruin them if used to much. As a result, I tried to apply it as little as possible in my previous two builds. This time I put on my bravest face and tried to sand properly, using delicate strokes and applying finer and finer grits. Amazingly, it actually works as well as advertised. As some gunpla builders have pointed out, you can tell when a piece is sanded if you look up close, but from a distance it looks completely normal. The only exception to this are the Mk II’s light grey pieces, as these tend to discolor more easily. Nevertheless, I’m pleased with the results overall, and if I can get a little more conservative with the knife, I’m hoping the build of the actual mobile suit will go even better.
Let’s take a look at our first two weapons - the beam rifle and vulcan pod. Visually, the Mk II’s weapons look like more practical versions of OG Gundam’s. The beam rifle, for example, has the same general shape, but it loses the big yellow scope thingie on OG Gundam’s rifle, and the silhouette is more streamlined and angular. You’ll notice a bit of discoloration on both the barrel and the ammo pack. Those pieces are in the shade of light grey I mentioned before.
Here is the other side of the rifle. It looks a bit better if you ask me.
A front view of the rifle. The green sight can be flipped downward and into the rifle, which is a nice little touch, though I don’t understand why you’d want to conceal it.
The vulcan pod wraps around the mobile suit’s head. It is a very simple part, probably the least troublesome of all. I’m not sure if I want to put it on the finished model. I imagine it makes poses difficult.
In the next post, I’ll cover the remaining two weapons.