MG RX-78-2 Gundam Ver.3.0 [WIP: Neck & LED Light, Body Unit Part 4 of 5]

While the neck region was the easiest step of the entire RX-78-2 Gundam Body Unit to paint and assemble, it did however require the addition of an LED light unit which I hadn't attempted before. Fortunately, though, the Bandai LED Unit (Yellow) was a straightforward propriety lighting system that did not require any extensive knowledge of electrical wiring.

Master Grade RX-78-2 Gundam Version 3.0 work-in-progress: Neck region with LED light switched on

Only a few parts were involved in the paint/assembly process of the neck region. No new colors were needed as the color scheme utilized existing paint mixes. And from the outset it was clear that its design was to channel light from a LED lighting system housed in the Body Unit onto the Head Unit. 

Pieces of the RX-78-2 Gundam neck region all laid out prior to assembly

All the pieces were painted except for the clear part and the ring-like connector it's attached to

Neck region of the RX-78-2 Gundam fully assembled sans the LED lighting unit

To light up the clear part in the neck - which subsequently lights up the eyes on the Head Unit, a story for another day - I used Bandai's proprietary LED Unit. Also available are units with either blue or green lights but the RX-78-2 Gundam required the version with the yellow light. Putting together the LED Unit (see series of photos below) was a quick and effortless task; the only tools required are a nipper to cut the part off its sprue, a hobby knife (or sanding stick) to clean up nub marks and a Philips screwdriver to securely fasten the cover onto the LED Unit and keep the batteries in place.

Bandai LED Unit (Yellow)

Assembly instructions for the LED lighting unit was printed on the insides of the packaging

Instructions state that the LED unit requires two LR41 alkaline cell batteries in order to light up

Bandai's LED unit comes in two separate parts and a screw to put them together

One complaint I have of the Bandai LED Unit is that the battery contacts were a tad wonky. At one point I couldn't switch on the light and had thought my LED Unit was defective. But after fiddling about with the contacts and repositioning them with a toothpick, I managed to get the light to turn on.

LED unit parts out of the packaging and ready to be assembled plus LR41 batteries from Daiso

LED unit's parts all cleaned up and the batteries out of their packaging

Cover enclosing the LR41 batteries inside the LED unit needs to be screwed on with a Philips screwdriver

Isometric view of the unlighted Bandai LED unit

Isometric view of the LED unit with its lights on (note: lights look dim when viewed from the side)

When viewed from a side angle, the brightness of the LED light seemed a bit dim. However when viewed from a top down angle the light looked much brighter. In a way, this makes sense because the light needs to be directed upwards towards the RX-78-2 Gundam's Head Unit to light up its eyes. 

Top down view of the unlighted Bandai LED unit

Top down view of the LED unit with its lights on (note: lights look brighter when viewed from above)

Upon completion of the LED lighting unit, it was then attached to the neck part (see below). The connection is secure as the neck part was molded to accommodate the proprietary LED Unit.

RX-78-2 Gundam neck region prior to the LED unit being attached to it

RX-78-2 Gundam neck region with the LED unit attached to its underside

RX-78-2 Gundam neck region complete with LED unit now ready to be fixed onto the torso

At this stage, the various sub-assemblies making up the RX-78-2 Gundam's Body Unit is essentially done. So all that remains to be done, for the Body Unit at least, is to combine the Neck plus LED Unit as well as the Ransel (Backpack) to the Torso, which itself comprises Outer Panels attached to an Inner Frame. Once that's done and the requisite photos taken, I can then move on to the next stage of the build. Actually before that happens I'm hoping to complete a different project which is in its final stages i.e. the 1/12 Race Queen figurine. For now though, it's goodbye until next week.