I’ve been intimidated by this build. I originally attempted to build it back in November, but I gave up almost immediately. It has a lot of pieces for a High Grade, and some of them are quite large. And most of them have a lot of surface details. I assumed it was going to take a lot of time to both plan and execute all the painting and detailing, and I wasn’t in the right headspace for that.
Here now, in the Spring of 2022, I am in a better place mentally, but early on this build was still an exercise in frustration. Over the years my family has gifted me many bottles of pink paint, and I’ve been waiting for this build to use them. Unfortunately I discovered that only a few of them were actually viable. Rather than panic or overthink it, I grabbed those colors and just used them. No planning, no thinking, just gut.
Doing so felt liberating, and the final result is, at the very least, good enough.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. First we have to start from the beginning.
Gloss Coat
This is my second build in a row that will use a gloss coat. The Gerbera Tetra is in fact the kit that really got me thinking about finding a good gloss top coat in the first place. For some reason I thought it would look best if it were shiny.After this build I don’t see anything else I’d need to use gloss coat on in the near future, other than maybe some Star Wars models. But between this and the Gundam Ground Type, it's certainly been a fun experience.
Beam Sabers
One of only two handheld weapons in this kit, the beam sabers your bog standard design (though it does have those yellow beam effect parts, which I love so much).
The handles are made in the same color as the model’s frame, a sort greyish blue. I think this is a phenomenal color choice that pairs well with the pink armor of the mobile suit.
Beam Machine Gun
It’s only made out of two pieces, but the result is huge and highly detailed.
The Beam Machine Gun is one of those iconic, centerpiece weapons that commands attention. The Gerbera Tetra may not have much in its arsenal, but you get the sense that it doesn’t need anything more.
Booster
This isn’t a weapon, but I would classify it as an accessory. And what an accessory it is. The booster easily falls into the territory of what I would call “comically large”.
At least it has a lot of nice panel lines and other details to fill in. And since it is so big, it was easy to do.
Conclusion
I know this is an extremely short post, but this is just one of those models that’s light on extras, and I’d rather not tackle the main body until Part 2. See you then.