Alright grunts, let’s roll up our sleeves and make this Zeon abomination into the pride of Earth Federation!
This is the part where I show you the runners, which is normally something I do in the name of tradition more than anything. But this time I’m excited to talk about them. When we last left off, we talked about how this Zaku’s coloring isn’t exactly consistent between different depictions and illustrations. Now we get to see what colors they molded the model itself in. Which, if any depiction will it line up with?
It looks to me as if these runners split the difference between the depiction on the box, and the depiction in the OVA. All of the dark pieces are the same shade of grey, except the outer chest armor, which is navy blue.
Here are a few other observations of note:
- The tan pieces are mostly on point. They’re a bit darker than I expected, though matte top coat tends to make colors look slightly lighter than usual, so I think the color is going to look right once all is said and done.
- A good chunk of the A Runner is dedicated to weapons, which means the parts for the mobile suit itself are largely relegated to the other four (smallish) runners. This is looking like a simple and straightforward build, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
- As far as painting goes, it looks like it will require the usual amount of detailing for a kit of this vintage. I can already see a bunch of pieces molded in tan that need to be (partially) painted black. The most complicated job looks to be the Heat Hawk, which is supposed to have a tan handle (in addition to a shiny metal blade).
- You probably can’t tell, but the decal sheet is pretty nice. It is similar to the one for the HG GM Custom, in that it has a lot of numbers and Earth Federation Logos for you to slap around as you please, as well as a few logos and emblems specific to Stardust Memory (including two emblems for the Torrington Base and its troops) One thing that bugs me about the decal sheet is the monoeye. One thing that’s constant about this Zaku is that it is depicted with a monoeye that is darker (and more red) than on a standard Zaku II. But the decal looks like the same generic pink tone that comes with all Zaku models.
Coloring Strategy
Overall, I’m happy with the base colors of this plastic. I could do a straight build of this and be happy. Even still, I’m going to do some recoloring to make it even better. Here’s my plan:
- I’m keeping the navy blue chest armor. Navy blue goes well with tan and black, so I think it should add a nice bit of color.
- All the other dark pieces are to be colored black. This is how it looks in my head, and it’s the look I like the most. We’ll see if I’m right about that.
- The tan pieces are only going to be panel lined. Being a mobile suit that fights in the desert, I know this Zaku is a primary candidate for weathering, but I like the color scheme so much that I want to keep it pristine.
- Upon close inspection, it looks like the inner piece of the head - the part that you apply the monoeye sticker to - has the monoeye molded into the plastic. I’m going to paint it a pinkish-red, rather than use the decal, so that the eye will look “correct”.
- I think I’m going to also paint the weapons in black, and then use a light layer of gunmetal weathering compound.
This is probably going to take a lot of work, but I’m excited about it. Which means it is time for another tangent …
My Fluctuating Build Mindset
I’ve been hinting and probing at this in a number of posts over the winter. Long story short, sometimes I react very differently to doing the same kind of work in different builds. For example, the painting and detailing I just did for R2-D2 felt like torture. Meanwhile, to use another Star Wars kit as a comparison, the weathering and detailing I did on Boba Fett or the Death Star - both of which forced me to seriously up my game - were extremely fun and satisfying.
My recent working theory has been that the difference lies in me. That is, it all boils down to my current mood, mental state, energy levels, etc.
But this current build is making me question that theory. I can tell you right now that, as of writing this post, I worked on this model for three or four consecutive nights. That hasn’t happened in months (Lately I can go no more than two nights before taking a break). I’ve had to stop building just to let paint dry, the same as with R2, but this time it didn’t make me grumpy, nor did I have any desire to cut corners and rush through.
This is notable because I started building this only two or three days after finishing R2. My energy levels are the same (meaning low), and if I’m being honest, my general mood has only gotten worse since then. And yet when I’m building this Zaku, I feel good again. It’s back to feeling therapeutic and meditative, rather than feeling like a chore. Heck, I can work for only an hour, and still feel happy with my progress (which wasn’t true for R2, or BB-8, or Nu Gundam).
All of which is to say that maybe my mental state has less to do with my attitude than I thought. Maybe it has more to do with the model itself. How much work does a given model involve? What kind of techniques will it require? And most importantly - what is the end result of that work? I’m starting to think that the answers to these questions have more to do with whether or not I’ll eagerly dive into a build, or begrudgingly trudge through it.
Indeed, I think I even have evidence to support this new theory. I have started - and immediately stopped - several builds over the last year, including:
- The High Grade Gerbera Tetra, because I agonized over whether to make it look matte or metallic
- The High Grade HyGogg, because there is a lot of fine detail to paint, and I wanted to weather it on top of that, and I got overwhelmed
- The Real Grade Exia, because I agonized over whether I wanted to shade it, or (for the first time ever) build it without using most of its decals.
- The High Grade Blazing Gundam, because I agonized over how to detail the feet (long story)
Some of this work was not meaningfully different (or more difficult) than the work I’m doing right now, but it felt more arduous. And I can of only two possible reasons as to why:
- I came up with a clear plan of attack for this model before starting it. I can’t say the same about the ones I quit on.
- I know that the work on this model is going to lead to a look I really, really like. With the other models, my ideas were simply guesswork. It might like how they turn out, but maybe not.
- I’m not entirely sure if these new theories are accurate, or what to take away from them if they are. I suppose it suggests that maybe I shouldn’t buy a model kit unless I know it will kindle the same level of excitement and passion as this Zaku. Or maybe it means giving up the drive for perfection, not overthinking, and doing more straight builds.
I dunno. I’ll have to let these thoughts roll around in my head some more. For now, let’s take a break. We’ll get to the build in the next post.