One of the coolest things about the Real Grade RX 78-2 is the inclusion of a working Core Fighter. The tiny aircraft can actually be used to help form the torso of the Gundam just like in the show. Due to its small size, I decided it was a good place to begin.
Before beginning this build, I told myself that I needed to improve on my skills and make fewer mistakes. To that end, I got a few additional tools to help me out, most notably a set of hobby sandpaper sheets to use in place of the very coarse grit nail file I abused the Zaku with. Unfortunately, by the end of the first night of work on the Core Fighter, I feel like I haven’t gotten any better, and may have even got worse. Here’s a picture of what I wound up with:
You can’t quite see it, but the clear plastic of the windshield is a bit scratched up. Furthermore, those big black panel markings on the top of the fighter are dreadfully ugly, and it turns out that I placed them in a spot where stickers are supposed to go. I’m not really sure if I can remove them now that they’ve dried, but I’m crossing my fingers that I can find a reasonable solution.