The EZ8’s head is tricky. It has tons of panel lining grooves, and one look at the manual shows just how much great detail you can get out of it if you ink it properly. Trouble is, it’s so small. Somehow, whether due to the markers, or my own skill, it came out well (who am I kidding, it had to be the markers). I’m not going to assemble it until it is painted, but I can’t help but feel like the final product is going to look almost Real Grade quality.
After finishing the head I worked on the arms. They are assembled in much the same way as they are in the Tryon-3. Once complete, they don’t present a ton of obvious opportunities for panel lining, but I got creative whenever I found a seam. This is also the first time I’ve lined the hands. I’m not sure it will be noticeable, but I figured “why not?”
I finished this night of building by completing the EZ8’s parachute pack. It’s a pain in the butt. The pieces are big and dark, and I found them hard to cleanup and panel line. And the worst part? I’m not even sure if I’m going to strap the damn thing to the finished model.
Other Thoughts
Normally I’m not good at noticing things, but during this build I (luckily) noticed a bunch of very subtle, yet very important things in the manual. For instance, you have to look at some of the photos for guidance on where to place decals. But you have to find the right photos, because some pictures have no decals at all. It gives me the impression that Bandai considers them optional for this model, and simply left a couple of clues for those curious to follow.
I also discovered, sadly, that the model is not fully painted. Specifically, there are a few sections that are shown as grey in the manual that are made out of white plastic (an antenna on the head, a piece on the foot, etc). I guess the idea was that it was too costly to mold separate pieces, so builders just have to paint it themselves. It’s not a deal breaker, but this is the first time I’ve encountered this, and the completionist in me is trying to come up with a solution that won’t cost me an arm and a leg.
A galley of this post’s photos is here.