1:48 Sinanju Bust by Julius Lim

Master Jules is at it again, this time with a 1:48 Sinanju Bust.  The main head and collar is a 1:48 Sinanju Head stand.  The rest are built from scratch with plaplates and enhanced with putty.

Incidentally, I started a Chimera bust last October (whilst taking a little break from the Ronin) using a 1/48 Unicorn head stand.  Whereas Master Jules only plans to make his Sinanju Bust a la Formania, the Chimera bust might slowly progress into a full-built statue.





Imagine this guy,

at 55cm total height.

I'm currently working on that Super Top Secret Confidential Project that I can't reveal until after March, for obvious reasons, but here's a teaser.

Watch out for it.

Height Proportions

This tip was brought on courtesy of a question Krescenhaze asked regarding height proportions of Gundams (or any MS design for that matter. I used to teach a little comic book art back in the 90s, so I'm quite familiar with the subject in human anatomical terms.

My reply:

Regular human proportions is 7.5 heads tall (1/0.5/2.5/3.5) for the head/neck/torso/legs respectively, or 3.5 from head to groin and 4 from groin to feet. Ideal "heroic" proportions is 8 heads (1/0.5/3/4) This proportion is used to balance the bulk of heroic or muscled characters. Most Gundams and other MS designs do not follow any standard proportions but follow mostly the flow of the design of the MS, so some are like 4/5, with the head too small and looking as if it's hammered down the shoulders, with the neck not visible in most cases. So far, only two are "almost" human in proportions; The Strike, and the Exia.

I know you're asking this mainly for the Unicorn, because so far that kit has the WORST proportion, around 3/5.

Check this link out for reference

Try this yourself though; you can gauge proper proportions when you do this; sit down, then prop your knee toward towards your shoulder. You'll see that the tip of your knee should just be about the same level as the base of your neck.

The link above provides images I am too lazy to reproduce, so let me just credit the author for having it done, before allowing my lazy @$$ hotlink his post. It was quite coincidental I found it having relative images for both human and Gundam proportions.

Mishaps, Contemplation and More Kossute Magic

 
As the BACWC draws near and most everyone are doing the finishing touches on their entries, I've also slowed down a bit from painting especially with the weather changing like a woman who can't make her mind which donut to pick.  In my experience, I've been able to "sense" the weather changes and adjust how I paint parts.  The good thing about painting with cans is one can work quickly even with layered colors because of their fast drying properties and most primer-based paints like the Flat Black I adore so much doesn't really care what kind of weather there was (or for that matter, what mood I was in).  With flat black, my layering works still, but with longer drying times since I was going for a smooth finish instead of textured this time off. 

I've had a few mishaps, but, nothing I can't handle.  I've finished the Chimera in less than week, considering that painting that monstrosity was a PAIN to begin with with all the parts interlocking with each other.

Anyways, most people think my entry consists only of the Chimera Diorama, but, to some, it should come as no surprise that the Angelus hopefully will also ascend this weekend.  My previous blog entry, the Sinanju cables, was the clue that I'm cooking up more than just one mythical beast.

It seems that my itch turned rash turned zombie infection of a build called the Chimera superseded the Glory of the Angelus, but I was actually deciding if I'll simplify the Angelus wings further.  While deciding (after completing the Chimera's paint job), I did start painting the Angelus, almost with disastrous results.  The shield basically disintegrated before my eyes as paint trial upon paint trial just wouldn't work.  The red bled through the paint mo matter what I did. I even layered both flat black, and primer gray to shield the white paint (Bosny 40 White and Flat White) to no avail, so, Instead of ruining my momentum and wasting any more paint, I realized I should use that to my advantage.  I shan't be showing the booboo turned "innovation" just yet, though.

Also, I've got a few "negative" reactions from some people about the Chimera's chosen scheme (Owing that I was using the same Nickel Alloy) paint, but, hopefully, they'll change their minds later on.  Sufficed to say, the Angelus and the Chimera, both being mythical creatures, have similar schemes with different accents.

Anyways, here are a couple of snapshots of the Angelus' main back pack frame, painted with the usual flat black then enhanced with Kosutte.  To achieve the effect on the thruster bells, I masked the outer then painted the inner of the bell with my layered red combo.  I left the outer plastic bare and progressively sanded the surface (400-500-2000) for the Kosutte to give it that "almost-metal" shine everyone likes.

I mentioned before that all will be revealed on the 5th of November (as a post-dated entry), but I misread the details of the submission regarding the dates.  Deadline for emailing is on the 3rd, actual submissions on the 5th and 6th, NOT the 4th and 5th as I originally thought.  I originally set it on the 5th because I though that was the second day of submission, and Kisapmata offered me a ride on that date.  Worse case scenario is I will have to submit on the 6th to maximize my build time, because I still don't have a diorama to speak of.

The Chimera Borne Part IX

Clawed.  The storm came in as I added the finishing touches to the main kit.  I felt the weather change as the temperature dropped and the wind started to blow, taking with it much of the humidity that accumulated.  I'm glad that the sudden change did not affect the curing paint, as I really don't want to redo anything.  I've had a few mishaps and misfires which I have easily fixed, and I've noticed that I could work faster with cans even with the changing weather.  I screwed up the shield earlier since I used a paint that smelled like Tamiya Basic Putty and dried/cured just as slow, so I had to forego the effect I was going for with that paint.

Anyways, another snippet.  I decided to sharpen the Lion Claws, for maximum effect and consistency with the Dragon Blade and Ram Daggers.

I also had the idea of making the claws independent from each other for that middle finger action, but decided against it because of stability issues.

Edit:

More sneak pics...

Just in case you're wondering, the pictures are in duotone, and do not represent the actual colors of the kit.

The Chimera Borne Part VIII

Procrastinating.

As the days pass me by,
with Bosny getting me high
I look back to the itch
that started this all.

The deadline looms so close
and I continually scratch my nose
I stop every now and then
And my build comes to a crawl.

I'm almost well and done
and sure do I have fun
but somehow something seems
to make my body stall.

With still a ways to go
there is no way to know
I got to answer that
one last delaying call.


Here's how a jumble of painted parts looks like.

I sure do dig RED.

And here's the RAM SHIELD,

Which should give you an Idea of the color scheme.  As of this post, only the feet, hands and the scratch0built, er, backpack, remain unpainted.

The Chimera Borne Part VII

 
The mods are 90-95% complete, then it's off to painting and the diorama. I'll say again that this has been the most challenging project I've tackled as of yet. I'll be very "tame" in painting this. I won't be posting any more full updates, but a few snippets every now and then. I'll keep the major scratch-build under wraps until November 5. For the meantime, here's a sneak peek.




 
What a jumble of parts prepped for painting looks like.



Some of the modified parts. The Ram shield is now lightly detailed.



The modified back pack. This one is a simple modification to fit the polycap attachments. The plaplates are added to "lock" the modifications in place when the pack is assembled

The Chimera Borne Part VI

I've finished the Lion Claws and have begun sanding the parts. This is also the first time I've employed wet sanding with 2000 grit paper and I'm quite amazed how it actually helps smooth the plastic, giving it back its factory shine.

I've only one minor modification to do, and it's painting time, during which, I will do a major scratch build that will complete the Chimera. I intentionally made it the last build of the project since the Chimera can stand without it, just in case I ran out of time while doing the diorama.

Carbonized. I've done the "carbon metal" look with the Jinx and was quite satisfied with how it turned out, so I decided to employ this on the frame of the Chimera, as well as the weapons.



To achieve this, I used my all-around paint of choice Bosny Flat Black. This paint is rather versatile since I can use it both as a primer and base coat. I'm not too fond of glossy or semi-glossy blacks anyways, so this one is a mainstay in my armory. I then used the magic powder Kosutte Gin San, which I believe if highly refined graphite. The stuff is rather sticky to the touch, but gives most anything that metallic silvery look or mirror-like finish, depending on the surface you're working on.

Applied lightly over flat black with a cotton swab, the powder gives a cast-metal/carbon metal effect without polishing. I tried this technique with the Ram Daggers with a bit of polishing.



The result is good enough for me, with that textured metal, but, I felt I needed to enhance the blade a bit further, like so.







I've given the "sharpened" edge a mirror-like finish in contrast with the textured metal look. I'll keep this technique a secret for the meantime and post it after the BAKWC, though I believe there are guys out there who probably have an idea how this was done.

The Chimera Borne Part V

Rammed. It's been bugging me that I needed to have a Ram head somewhere. Looking at the shield gave me a rather nice idea (then it was later confirmed by someone else), to place the Ram on the shield. The holes does make it seem there's a face there somewhere, and all it really took was adding a couple of horns and voila!



I've also modified the Shield attachment for a hand-held look.

Clawed. I actually had this idea after the Lion head modification, but wasn't quite sure if it would work at all. I've seen some claw modifications elsewhere, and I didn't really want to spend too much time trying to figure out how it would look like or how I'll execute it because I wanted something retractable without making it overly huge.

Again, with plaplate sandwich magic, I made claws arranged in a way that it should just cover the back of the Chimera's hand. I've also modified the hand plate to reduce the thickness I have to contend with. It's a good thing that the pegs are also secured to the side of the hand plate, making it easy to maintain connectivity and stability of the pegs.



Test fit.

The Chimera Borne Part IV

Locked and Loaded. I used pieces of styrene to lock the legs into Destroy Mode by inserting them into the sliding mechanism.



Ive also scratch-built rather simple weapons for the Chimera; A long sword (Dragon Blade) and a couple of daggers (Ram Daggers).





I've modified the shield connector so it mounts vertically straight to the backpack, but still allows for rotational motion. I will custom-build a hand mount for the shield later on.



like I mentioned earlier, I've incorporated some elements of the mythological chimera itself. I believe with the double Vfin, it can pass off as a dragon head, while I modified the chest to make it look like a lion. I'm not really particular with having a goat head anywhere, hence the Ram Daggers.



Test fit.







Only a couple more minor mods and a major scratch build to go, and the Chimera will soon fly...

The Chimera Borne Part III

 
Elbow Grease. With the pose I was planning I found it difficult if not impossible to position the arms in a sweeping motion because of how the saber stock was placed on the forearms. Much like some of the mods I've done for the Chimera, I was trying to avoid this modification as much as possible (since joints are trickier to modify owing to the fact that they are high stress points, and a poorly done modification can cause more problems than it solves). The OCness won in the end, and I proceeded in hacking lower elbow joint in two to turn the forearm 90 degrees so that the saber stock is behind the arm.

Much like the Knee modification, this one required a little bit of foresight to determine the maximum area I needed to cut to maintain the joint's overall integrity. I sawed the joint portion down 1mm below the base using the slide lock of the ABS frame as a depth guide.



The resulting parts are rebuilt over one another through a series of overlapping pieces of cut plaplates shaped to fit the resulting crevices. The plaplates provided enough hold area, fitting snugly within the modified part that it holds even without cementing the parts together yet.





Test fit (after only 5 hours of curing).






I've also thickened the collar further with additional shaped plaplates to compliment the layered armor look as well as enhance the overall balance of the shoulders.

The Chimera Borne Part II

Misplacement mishap. I spent the better half of my evening yesterday when I discovered the top chest armor (collar armor) was missing from the rubble of plaplates on my workstation. I was pretty sure I didn't remove it since I was making test fits for the head and the waist, so I turned my parts containers upside down, literally, looking for the part, as well as underneath my couch which I spend a lot of my time whittling away on plastic, and my cutting table. I had a mild panic because it was a semi-critical part that I might have swept at one point when I was tidying up, but I wasn't too worried because I had another unbuilt kit stashed under my bed. I was also considering rebuilding the thing, since I was basically going to make modifications anyways.

I had a sudden burst of realization that it might be somewhere near my computer, so I did a rough search. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found it lying innocently amidst dust and dirt just a few inches outside the lower shelf of my computer stand.

Moral of the story: always keep note of what you are working on.

Anyways, Another "cascade" flaw I discovered and fixed is the front skirt not having enough allowance to flip upwards when the Chimera is in kneeling position. I made modifications on the connections themselves by extending the ball joint and shaving a little from the top of the socket. I also cut about 2mm from the top part of the skirt and rebuilt it with 0.5mm plaplate to maximize the angle it can flip upwards.

The Chimera Borne

I decided to convert my "Tutorial in Progress" Unicorn project (otherwise known as "The Itch") into my BAKWC entry this November.

The Chimera is a mythological creature that Has the head of a Lion, the body of a Goat and the tail of a Dragon/Serpent, and is sometimes depicted by artists as having 3 heads (Lion, Goat and Dragon) and wings like that of a bat or dragon. I chose the Chimera more for its mythological meaning rather than the visual, though I might take a few elements of the mythos into the build

I've had additional modifications made on the Vfin assembly to make it stable and "thicker" on the forehead. The modifications have a secondary purpose.

Anyways, the flaws of the Unicorn continue to reveal themselves the further I dwell into the project. For an MG, it's quite strange that the Unicorn does not have crystal eye (the NG RF Astray had one, and so did the older 1/100 HG Wing mechas). The eyes are cut from the H-runner which is made of ABS, and thus prevent any "easy" LED modifications to be made. I wasn't planning on using the Destroy mode's face anyways so it wasn't much of an issue. With that I opted to give the Chimera a monoeye LED.

The modification is rather a simple one. I used a 1X2 surface mount LED, this one had rather small contact points that I crimped a little to be able to mount the 0.5mm koto springs I used for contact points.

I wanted a Red Monoeye, but the only color available with that size is green, so I cut a piece of transparent red runner, shaped it to fit the internal mask assembly and glued it directly over the LED. The resulting color was a bright orange, so I hand painted it with several coats Tamiya Clear Red (with 30 minutes of drying time in between for maximum adherence) and top coated it with Semco clear acrylic.

The result is actually very favorable. Will fix the light leaks, of course, as soon as I start painting.

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Also, I missed my HLJ/Tomopop Prize delivery yesterday.  It was a Saturday after all.  The Delivery guy left the receipt with my neighbor who gave it to me this morning.  Will be getting it hopeful on Monday.

More Itchy and Scratchy...

Like I mentioned previously, I cut the top part of the hind leg armor fins and reattached them "flayed out" to allow the free movement of the knee joint.






The Unicorn now kneels more naturally, with the addition of the waist articulation and extension.






With the waist comes the neck. I was trying to avoid having to extend the Unicorn's neck (to no avail), mainly because it's significantly smaller than the Sinanju's, and as i discovered later, had not much leeway for cement hold with a core extension even after a full day's curing (letting it cure for longer than that wouldn't have made any difference because the PS core simply had too little to hold onto the ABS base).

The solution: I shaved a V-shaped cut that tapers towards the plaplate sandwich extension (a total of 2mm thick). I then cemented a piece of plaplate of the same shape as the tapered cut. The taper helps hold the PS extension to the ABS along with that of the core. I also extended the neck casing with small pieces of shaped 0.5mm plaplates.




I used the single Unicorn horn as the base for a smaller, simpler, custom Vfin (which I may or may not detail later).




I've also lengthened the part that locks the back of the Unicorn in Destroy mode. It now serves as an articulation lock. Along with that, I've shortened the middle part of the waist that hampers waist rotation. The waist can actually rotate more than 90 degrees, similar to the improved OVA/HD version.




Strike a pose...