Astray Red Frame: Day 3

So where was Day 1 and Day 2?  I didn't bother to make a post for it.

On Wednesday, I started assembly of the Gundam Astray Red Frame Kai.  The first order of business is to make sure that I got all the parts and that nothing was somehow missing.  After looking over the parts, I started looking to see where one parts are so I can start the assembly.  The first major component is the body, which took me about 2 sessions to complete.  Some of the parts were really hard to put together and it makes me wonder if they are meant to be that tight-fitting.  But if it means that the parts are going to stay that way for a long time, then this is something I am willing to live with.

I know that at some point some minor touch-ups are going to be necessary.  With that, I have made some early purchases in preparation.  Gundam Markers are one of the easy methods of getting rid of scrubbed and sanded plastics that show.  This is due to getting rid of the extra nubs that remains after clipping and sanding the piece off the sprue tree.  At first, I wonder how well it'll work so I did some marking tests by streaking a line on the sprue itself.  After drying, the color appear fleshed with the plastic but when viewed in a different angle, the place where the ink was drawn on becomes obvious.  I now question if this will actually work after doing this test.

I figure that I'd make a few touch-ups using some small parts as a second test, thinking that they are small enough to not be completely obvious.  After applying the paint mark on the piece, and using a napkin to remove the excess paint off and to accelerate the drying process, the appearance now looks a bit better.  I then proceeded to evaluate each piece being put together to check if they will be visible.  Along with this, I evaluate whether or not I need to apply panel lining details using the fine point markers.

So far, detailing on the body is minimal as most of the assembly is for internal parts and for parts that form the joints.  But after two sessions, I managed to finish the chest component.  The next step is to assemble the head piece itself, which will involve a bit more detailing for panel lines than before.  Step by step, I was able to put each part together and the component is becoming more like an actual Gundam head.  In a single night, the head piece is finished and most of the panel line details are drawn in.  I am satisfied in how it appears but I am also a bit disappointed in some of the mistakes I've made in trying to ink one or two spots which are a bit difficult to rub off.

The next parts to assemble are the arms.  I am wondering if I should attempt in applying some model cement onto the internal pieces of the arms to make sure they hold together.  After assembling the Sword Impulse Gundam, the joints and parts for the arms are holding very well after moving it around a few times.  So maybe I will do the same unless the pieces become too loose for the arms to really hold themselves together.