 |
| Bandai R2-D2 - Panel lining the main body and applying a semi-gloss coating |
I perfectly understand why this is still a no-no among purists who feel that fixing damaged paint is not only double work but also prevents a smooth finish where required. However, I believe the trade off is acceptable in situations where it would be time consuming to anchor small parts for painting and when the model is going to be weathered anyway. In R2-D2's case, I applied black wash/panel lining on the main body and applied a clear semi-gloss coat over everything.
 |
| R2's metallic parts were detailed using diluted Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color |
And because the grey parts didn't look in any way like the metal parts they were meant to be, those parts had a layer of metallic paint applied, specifically the Tamiya TS-30 (Silver Leaf) and was then given a diluted black wash. Meanwhile, hardest of all to do was to get an approximation of R2's blues, especially since I wanted to use an existing hue straight from a spray can. With such a restriction in place, it's no surprise I wasn't successful in locating the desired shade of blue. I did the next best thing with available resources namely Tamiya Metallic Blue (TS-19) and Smoke (TS-71).
 |
| An approximation of R2's blue using Tamiya's TS-19 (Metallic Blue) and TS-71 (Smoke) |
Next on the agenda is to put the astromech's head together followed by his main body. Then minor touch ups to the paint job and some weathering should see yet another Bandai Star Wars project reach completion. I find having the simple stuff done up on sprues speeds up the project considerably. Having said that, there are still things I will not paint on sprues, and that includes organic flesh and clothing parts. Both require time consuming techniques comprising numerous diluted layers of paint which doesn't take kindly to paint touch ups of any kind. So I guess I haven't completely gone over to the dark side. The again, a wise master once said ... In a dark place we find ourselves, and a little more knowledge lights our way. Master Yoda, if you were wondering.
Never a fan of painting on sprue since I prefer a good fit of my models. Some parts may overlap each other which would make joining them a little extra work.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, looking forward to the final product.
Bandai's stuff is a little bit different from GW's in that a lot of the parts attached to the sprue won't be visible in the end. Bandai parts also almost always fit perfectly to each other but there are times GW parts just don't fit well without some 'expert' fiddling. :) But that being said, there are strong cases for not painting on the sprue even for Bandai kits. Thanks for following the progress on R2 :)
DeleteBandai does make their models to a perfect snap fit. But on the rare chance when they have parts that overlap, the perfect fit may have issues if the paint is applied.
DeleteI've not tried painting on the sprue, but can certainly see the benefits, especially when the kit is this intricate. Looking forward to seeing it put together now.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michael ... hopefully the end result will be worth it. :)
DeleteI really look forward to seeing your finished product! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you pulpcitizen :)
DeleteMan, you make even a sprue look as an interesting work. You have my trust, I'm sure this will be another success :)
ReplyDeleteHa ha Suber you're just being nice and I thank you for it. Painting on sprues is pretty boring ^_^ but it's an act that will make some modeller's bold boil and rightly so as the results sometimes don't justify the means. It's a trade off I make when I just want to complete a project without spending too much time on it. :)
DeleteLooking forward to the next step!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Phil! :)
Delete