Sunday, December 05, 2010

Deathscythe EW: Session 5 & 6

It sucks recovering from a cold.  I managed to put in two sessions as I try to get better.  However, after finishing up session 5, I could not muster up the strength or the mindset to post.  Trying to put the pieces together without coughing up a storm wasn't a major issue, as I did this when the coughing was minimal.  Having a bottle of water kept nearby kind of helped a bit.  Assembling the legs were not too bad, but it ate up a lot of time due to the complexities in the leg mechanics.  It's similarly designed to the other models I have assembled.  The most I could ever get out of that session was assembling the internal pieces and part of the covering exterior.  But it was enough of a start.  I knew after a while I had to put it all away and stop there and resume on the next session.

The sixth session resumed from that point.  I took some careful steps to see what details I can mark and paint.  But there was little I can do for the leg parts.  Eventually the legs were finished up and they were connected with the other pieces that lay about.  Now the legs stand on their own, connected to the ankle part and to the foot.  I personally like the additional joints that created the ankle, which not only added flexibility to the ankle joint but also made it easier to move the feet.  It also mostly removes the articulation constraints imposed by a single ankle joint that many models before it used.

The main model is almost finished.  There only two components are left before it all connects together: the waist and the connector that connects the upper body to the waist.  Assembling the waist turned out to be a bit tricky.  One of the continuing issue with Gundam designs that translate to model kits are the waist design.  About 90% of all Gundam models themselves feature a waste design that had parts that cover the joints connecting the legs to the waist.  Some people may even call it the skirt design since that's what it basically amounts to.  Very rare are there any Gundam designs that don't feature this traditional waist design.  One of those rare designs happens to be part of the Astray line (google for Red or Blue Frame).

There is also another thing that bothers me a bit.  As I assemble the pieces for the waist, I find that some of them don't snap very well and that they are loosely fit, so to speak.  In other words, it takes very little effort to remove the pieces themselves, even when moving the legs or the piece itself.  But since I have just finished assembling the waist, I'll see if this becomes a recurring issue when I tinker around with it after I completed the rest.

And finally, the main model is completed.  I think I should find some matching paint to cover up some parts.  But I do not know if I should snag Gundam markers or just find a color that closely match it.

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