I am sure there are exceptions, but I believe that in general most model kits can be assembled in any order you choose. I personally tend to start with the weapons first. They’re smaller, simpler, and hide mistakes better than the mobile suit itself, which makes them a great as a warm up.
As is typical of Gundam Wing mobile suits, the Wing Zero’s arsenal is simple; two beam sabers, two beam rifles, and a shield. In this post we’ll take a look at all of them.
Beam Sabers
Back when I reviewed the Iron Blooded Arms Option Set 1, I lamented how manipulator design varied so much between different kits. The same is true for beam saber hilts as well. Some kits get specially shaped hilts (like the RX78-2 and the Mk II), while others get fairly generic looking ones. But even among the generic ones, there are some that are made out of a single piece (Zeta Gundam’s), and some made out of two pieces (EZ-8), for reasons I don’t understand.
Wing Zero keeps the tradition alive. It’s beam saber hilts are simple and generic, but they aren’t the same shape as any others I’ve seen. They are surprisingly short and fat. I know they’re essentially just tubes, but they feel like an afterthought.
Also curious is that both beam saber blades are curved. I know they are sometimes drawn this way in anime for effect, but it isn’t their default state at rest. It would be nice if the set came with two pairs of blades, one curved and one straight.
Buster Rifles
The Buster Rifles are the iconic weapon(s) of the Wing Zero. I actually love these guns because of how absurd they are. They feel like a cheat code within the universe of the show. When fired together, they have enough pop to destroy an entire space colony. And unlike the Vayeate, the Wing Zero wasn’t designed entirely around this accomodating this singular weapon. They’re just standard issue, and that’s nuts.
Assembling the guns was a bit trickier than expected. They involve quite a few small pieces, some of which I almost lost as they rolled across the basement’s concrete floor.
The Buster Rifles were also my first exposure to a new type of model kit detailing - dry transfer decals. These are essentially like temporary tattoos. You rub down on them and they transfer over to the plastic. They are a bit tricker to handle, however, than a child’s play tattoo. They come with a paper backing, because if the decals are placed upon any other surface, there’s a chance they’ll begin to rub off. Keeping the two sheets together is a constant struggle. When applying a decal, you obviously only want to transfer that decal, so you have to cut it out of the sheet. Doing this with a hobby knife is dangerous (it feels like it is going to slip), and using regular scissors lacks precision (you don’t want to cut into another decal). I managed to use both to get the job done well enough.
You will also want to tape the decal down onto part, so that it doesn’t move around. Again, you have to be careful to secure it in place without applying too much pressure. Once it is set, it rubs on nice and easy. All told, I did six dry transfers between the two rifles, and only one is messed up (it curves upwards a bit, like an inverse Nike swoosh).
Once the two rifles are complete, they of course can be snapped together to make one big gun. This doubled-up look really does make them appear a lot more powerful.
Aesthetically, I like that they use two different shades of grey. I also think the yellow sections add a lot of color and character to what otherwise would be a dull piece.
Shield
Looking at photos of the shield, I assumed it was very complex to assemble. It is a very busy blend of not only different colors, but shapes. It has curves, straight edges, and both convex and concave surfaces.
In reality, it isn’t hard to put together. Construction boils down to simply layering the pieces on top of each other. The hard work is undertaken by the pieces themselves, some of which are extremely intricate. Look at how much is going on with each individual part.
That’s a whole lot of detail already taken care of for you.
In regards to the look of the shield, I’m torn. I like the intricate design and the color combinations, but it also looks far too much like the cockpit of a fighter jet, which makes sense considering its position at the front of hte mobile suit’s Neo-Bird flight mode. This is a common problem with all but the best transformable designs. Generally one of the two transformation modes is going to suffer in service to the other.
Painting
My new painting rig worked well. The alligator clips hold on tight to every piece, and none of the skewers moved around when set in the shoebox.
As for the results, that’s still a work in progress. The two rifles looked very good while drying, but there is now some discoloration in a few spots. I chalked it up to the fact that the weather is getting colder. With the shield, I dried the pieces indoors, and at first sight it looked like my best paint job ever. But now there’s some splotchiness and (more) discoloration in a few places. Hmm…
Other Thoughts
- How much bigger is the Buster Rifle compared to some of the 1/144th scale weapons? Let’s take a look:
Clearly nothing is going to match the Hyper Minovsky Chohoken from the Tryon-3, but at least the Buster Rifles are bigger than the RG Hyper Bazooka. However they’re barely bigger than the RG Zeta’s beam rifle. They’re almost exactly the same length. Is one of these weapons too short? Or is one of them too long? I’ll let you know when the Proto Zero is complete, and I can see how the gun looks fitted in its hand.
- I’m trying really hard to develop habits that will result in consistent topcoating results. Any time my work looks off, I’m taking my time to think it over and figure out what adjustments I can make. So far, I have “keep a steady distance”, “avoid the cold”, and “try not to saturate the piece”. I’m also wearing gloves and cleaning each piece before spraying, to remove fingerprints and the like. I’ll need to finish a few more pieces to know if any of it is working.