MG RX-78-2 Gundam Ver.3.0 [WIP: Torso Outer Panels, Body Unit Part 2 of 5]

Attachment of the outer panels give us an inkling of the familiar form that is the RX-78-2 Gundam as it is arguably its most recognizable attribute apart from the head. That's done and dusted, and below are the work-in-progress photos leading up to the completion of the Torso Outer Panels.  

Master Grade RX-78-2 Gundam Version 3.0 work-in-progress: Torso Outer Panels

In addition to what came before, two new paint colors were used for this stage of painting. Both the Nazca NC-004 Million Blue and Side Red (a mix of white, grey and red) hues are meant to add color variety to the primary blues and reds respectively. While contrast is stark between the Gundam Blue and violet-like Million Blue, it is less so with the pinkish magenta-like Side Red and Gundam Red.  

As per the Gundam norm, all parts were painted separately before being assembled

Nazca Color NC-004 Million Blue is the paint proxy used for the violet outer panels

A lighter, more pinkish red hue forms an alternate outer panel color to the pure reds

Assembly of the outer panels was pretty straightforward without any complications apart from the infuriating decal stickers which I will expound yet again, ad nauseam, later on in this post. 

Pieces of the painted outer panels prior to being attached to the inner frame

Sub-assemblies of the torso: (from top to bottom) the upper, mid- and lower sections

Torso outer panels with sticker decals, all fully attached to the inner frame

Various angled views of the torso with its outer panels attached to the inner frame are shown below.

Torso inner frame with outer panels attached; view from the bottom-up

Torso inner frame with outer panels attached; the top-down view

Again having to use decal stickers was less than ideal. While I'm getting better at using them, more often than not I tend to get really bad results. A particularly bad pair of decal stickers can be found on both sides of the lower torso. I compounded the issue by positioning the sticker at the torso's lower right (on the lower left in the photo showing the front view of the torso; second photo from bottom) wrongly. Placing decal stickers on uneven surfaces like grooves is a recipe for disaster as it makes the decal stick out like a sore thumb. Sadly sometimes this cannot be avoided but in this case it could.

Back view of the torso showing the H-shaped connector which will attach to the backpack (ransel)

Side view (from right) of the torso; note parts of the inner frame showing through

Front view of torso; two connectors jutting out from the left and right will attach to the shoulder/arms later

Side view (from left) of the torso; note the panel lining on the grooves which add depth to the outer panels

Next for the RX-78-2 Gundam is its Ransel or backpack. So stay tuned, and have a good one.