1/100 00 Gundam Complete!!

This looks like my last post for 2008, as well as my last model for 2008 as well. I’m surprised I managed to finish it up so soon. Of course, not exactly the fastest review but I’m glad there weren’t many hitches along the way.

If you don’t see pictures, it means I’m currently taking photos of the model and am trying to upload them onto the blog ASAP. Uploading pictures takes the most time when preparing an entry so I’m writing this while the last few parts are drying. I will also update more content into this entry after publishing it.

Front View.

Back View

Front view with light-up GN Drives turned on.

Taken in the dark.

[edit 12.43am] Oh no I dropped my lamp and the bulb shattered… Now the photos will all look weird without the extra light… 😦

The model comes with a pair of weapon-holding hands which are the same as the standard ones used in 1/100 Seed models as well as a pair of fists molded in better detail. They are almost comparable to aftermarket parts like the exorbitant B-Club resin High Detail Manipulators. The GN Shields are included unlike the HG 1/144 version of which they will come with the HG 1/144 O Raiser. The back of the blades were painted gray just like the box photos. Only the blade slides; the blue part is affixed in one of two different positions. The GN Sword IIs convert from Rifle Mode to Sword Mode but the blade/barrel needs to be pulled out and re-attached and do not simply rotate about their joint. The clear blue bits were originally one clear part and were painted gray and clear blue. A pair of GN Beam Sabers are also provided and mount onto the back of the 00. Clear blades are provided. There are also attachment parts to mount the GN Sword IIs on the 00’s waist hardpoints, a piece to hold them in naginata mode as well as an Action Base 1 attachment.

From the photo below onwards, I have used Auto Color in Adobe Photoshop 7 to balance the colours as they were all too blue.

Here’s a closer view of the head. The red bit is painted clear red, and the eyes were done by cutting out bits of leftover foil sticker and painting them clear blue.

A closer look at the arms. The GN Condensers (the round lenses) were painted clear green in front and Chrome Silver at the back. According to the label on the jar of the Mr. Color Chrome Silver, you can burnish the painted surface with a cloth. I tried but the paint got thinner and made a blemish that you could see through the lens. Not much of a difference compared to painting just Silver alone. Perhaps I really need to do the burnishing to see the shine.

The same process was also done on the big lens on the knees. All of the lenses were then given a spray of Mr. Super Clear Gloss.

The verniers on the backpack were painted Chrome Silver. However I forgot to cover them when I was spraying flat so they weren’t as shiny as they were supposed to be.

Time for some action shots. I used the Action Base 1 Black for the poses. Also the addition of the waist joint helped tremendously in the articulation and allowed for more exaggerated poses.

The beam saber hardpoints rotate 90 degrees for the 00 to pull them out.

Strike a pose before dishing out some justice.

Naginata mode to look badass.

Sorry for the blur shot.

Wide range of articulation for the Twin Drives. However I’m not too sure if they can stand the weight of the O Raiser’s wings. Speaking of which, I still haven’t got one…

Getting the Twin Drives to look symmetrical were a pain because of the multiple joints. I don’t like it when parts of a model such as wings look asymmetrically posed.

I forgot to mention that the backs/insides of the arms holding up the Twin Drives were painted gray as well.

Another try at a close-up. I cut off the safety bits on the V-fins. I love how the eyes catch the light well. It’s a nice compromise between achieving depth and maintaining visibility.

So, here is the work process for this model.

1. Initial assembly and sanding to reduce the sprue/gate marks
2. Removal of seam lines (shoulders, lower arms, GN Sword II blades)
3. Took apart into Mr. Surfacer 1000
4. Addition of waist joint
5. More work on the seam lines
6. Paint (all parts were airbrushed in their correct colours, minor details were hand-painted)
7. Re-assembly and given Mr. Super Clear Gloss
8. Panel lines done using Tamiya Enamel Paint Neutral Gray
9. Took apart and given Mr. Super Clear Flat
10. Final re-assembly

The 1/100 00 Gundam is essentially an upsized version of the HG 1/144 version albeit with a more complete armament and the light-up GN Drive gimmick. Articulation is inferior compared to the 1/144 version especially in the waist and legs. The swivelling shoulder joints seem a little too loose for my taste. The joint design for the hips is similar to the 1/144 version but differs in that the hip joint is a ball joint which limits how far the legs can open. The ankle joints are also based on the 1/144 version but have extra bits of plastic to limit their range. No use trimming them down as the hip joints are still limiting them.

If you wish to perform post-assembly work, the model is rather dis-assembly friendly. After gluing certain parts together (like the lower arms for example), you can still take the whole arm apart and do painting with minimal masking required.

As my first airbrush job I’d say I’m pretty satisfied with the results. I didn’t do any shading or whatever advanced trickery besides some amendment to the colour scheme. I adopted a slightly lighter palette by lightening the red, blue and gray areas.

Now I just need to get the O Raiser… The shop I frequent as better prices but the O Raiser’s arrival has been strangely slow. They have already stocked MG Sinanju Ver. Ka but it’s not the distributor version so it lacks the lame gold coin Bandai Hong Kong is giving away. I think other shops already have O Raiser but the price may be slightly steeper and I don’t want to make a wasted trip if I go and find out it’s sold out.

Colour scheme:

White: Flat White + Neutral Gray (tiny bit)

Gray: Neutral Gray

Blue: Cobalt Blue + Flat White + Blue (tiny bit)

Red: Red Madder + Flat White + Fluorescent Pink (tiny bit)

Yellow: Did not paint the yellow parts at all 😛

Clear Red: Clear Red

Clear Blue: Clear Blue

Clear Green: Clear Blue + Clear Yellow

Silver: Chrome Silver

Panel lines: Tamiya Enamel Paint Neutral Gray

Lastly, Happy New Year 2009!!