Results
The lance is the first item I worked on. Notice how thick and uneven the paint is. It’s so bad that I could no longer see the panel lines on any of the parts. I tried to guestimate, but it didn’t work out too well, so I painted over many of those lines with more white paint.
I don’t think this is going to be one of those “doesn’t look so bad from a distance” situations. It’s just a mess.
The shield is no better. Same thick looking paint job, and black panel lining which is in no way uniform or symmetric. This is probably the worst looking of all the accessories.
Here is the smooth bore gun. This is when I switched to using water as a paint thinner. The black paint went onto the barrel of the gun so cleanly and effortlessly that I thought I had done something wrong. Any second now, I thought, *and it’s gonna drip off or turn purple or something”. But it just dried. Normally.
I applied a few more coats, and they dried too. The paint was so even and clear that it actually looked like black plastic. Flush with success, I got a little risky and tried painting a few sections of the gun black (per the photos on the box). Those too looked great.
This was a huge boost in morale for me. I’m not saying I’m a master painter or anything, but the outcome of the Smooth Bore Gun was the proof I was looking for. Namely, it was proof that even without fancy paint and equipment, you can still do a half-decent job, and that practice really does make perfect.
Last but certainly not least is the Mobile Worker. This was easily the toughest accessory to work on due to its size. Masking it was not easy, so in some cases I left a section unmasked and then just scraped the paint off later. This is also where I learned how to panel line with paint. I’ll admit that there are a few spots where my work is a little sloppy, but the details are so small that it all comes together in the end. Or at least it does for me.
Final Thoughts (on the act of painting)
For many builders, painting is a fundamental step in the process. I think I finally understand why that is the case. I don’t think that every kit made by every fan needs to be repainted from top to bottom, but I can also see why someone would. Painting can create a level of color separation and even detail that even the best kits may lack. Maybe this is just me, but when I look at the Mobile Worker, its windows (now painted black) have the appearance of three dimensional depth to them, as if they’re sunken in behind the khaki colored armor. Painting also grants the opportunity to personalize a model, and add a unique spin on it through the use of color and contrast.
This is all great stuff, but there’s a flipside to it as well; a bad paint job can make a piece look worse than if it was left well enough alone. It is critical that you take your time and get it right. If you are just starting out (like me), then I highly recommend you follow my lead, and practice with something like these Option Sets. Regardless of whether they are a good value, the fact of the matter is that if you manage to ruin one, you won’t waste more than ten bucks in the process.
Going forward, I can definitely see myself using paint to spruce up weapons, and occasionally using some white or black to touch up a model. I also hope that this activity taught me to have a little more patience. Despite my imperfect results, I took my time with this. For example, I waited over a week for an opportunity to topcoat because I wanted to do it on a weekend, during the day, with good weather, rather than do a hack job outside when it is cold and dark.
Here’s a link to a gallery containing some different angles of the finished pieces. In the next post I intend to show the Gundam Astaroth demonstrating these pieces in action.