Mobile Fighter GF13-017NJ Shinning Gundam

Construction Note
Constructing a Master Grade Model is a lot of work. The last MG that I did on took me a month to get one done. I have hand painted a model (MG Master Gundam), airbrush painted a model (MG Gundam Spiegel) and even used spray can to paint a model (1/100 Turn-A Gundam). However, I have never tried not painting a model.

Bandai's Master Grade always boasts on how its MG model is not required to paint and still looks good. I did try to construct a MG without painting (MG Char Zaku II). The result is a horrible looking piece of glossy plastic. I ended using up a month to get the Zaku painted. From that day onwards, I always paint my model disbelieving whatever Bandai claim. Until one day, an idea and boredom finally struck me to get a MG model done without painting. I took the challenge and I am preparing the materials required to get a good-looking unpainted model done.

The first trick is that I will use 'Gundam Real-Touch' marker, a product use for spicing up Bandai's MSIA figures. The second weapon will be my Gundam markers just in case I need to touch-up certain area. Next will be a subject and I choose this Shinning Gundam as my test specimen. The reasons here is simple. Firstly, this is a tournament mecha, so no weathering is needed to look good. Secondly will be its action frame, where when the result is not satisfactory, the armor pieces can be easily taken out to be painted.

The project started up with a wire cutter, blade cutter, a sanding stick (just in case) and a nail clipper.

The inner frame is constructed first. The parts are carefully cutout with a wire cutter and the excess is cleaned using either a nail clipper or a blade. No sanding is done. The pumps like connector at the knee are colored with a silver Artline marker. With my experience on the action frame design, I am leaving the screw to the last. Once the parts are screwed, there is no way you can get the parts undone.

Next will be the armor pieces. I started with limbs from legs to arms and then its Corelander and the torso. Each white armor parts are paneled with either a dark gray or a black Real-Touch marker. The marker works something like an oil paint where it is simply applied on the panel lines, wait for a moment and then rub off the excess with a cotton bud.

The Corelander is a difficult piece to deal with. The movable exhaust is the only parts that are molded in a wrong color. It is in yellow and I have to use a white Gundam marker to paint over it. The result is not that satisfactory with a white marker where the color opacity is low and it could not really cover up the base color. The rest of the Corelander parts are buff up with black and blue markers. I purposely painted on a wider area with the blue marker. The edge is then slightly rubbed with a cotton buds or finger on the edge of it ink to blend the color to the plastic piece. The rest of the blue parts are shaded this way.

I got myself a gold marker pen ready to paint the inner shoulders, inner arms and leg side thrusters. I decided to do otherwise and break little rules over here. I actually airbrush Tamiya X-12 Gold Leaf on these parts to provide a nicer gold color. X-12 is a pale gold color and it is excellent for Shinning Super Mode parts. The metallic paint comes with heavier metal particles and in order to airbrush with it, I mix a higher ratio of paint to thinner (1:4) or else the paint will not spray out.

The rest of the armor for the torso is constructed the same way. The red plastic parts comes with a challenge as it is cutout from the tree, it will leave a whitish scars on it. The scars do appear on other plastic parts and are countered with a Real-Touch marker. It is just that the scars on the red plastic parts are too obvious. I have to use Gundam Marker to paint over the parts after some sanding.