Custom Candy Coated Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type [Assembly Part 2 of 5: Arms]

 Continuing with the assembly process for the Evangelion Unit-01 (EVA-01) Test Type, it was the turn of its arms or specifically the shoulder pylons, arms, and various hand options. Apart from a matte top coat for the black sections and a candy metallic finish for the rest, the EVA-01's arms differ from its legs in that the former have the added touch of water decals on them (see below). 

Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type work-in-progress: Candy Metallic Arms (isometric view of outer side)

Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type work-in-progress: Candy Metallic Arms (isometric view of inner side)

Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type work-in-progress: Arms with hand options

 A unique structural characteristic of the EVA-01's arms are the existence of shoulder pylons, which in theory can be used to restraint the Evangelion to a fixed structure (e.g. plane, cage, etc.) as well as to store weapons such as the progressive knife. While later and newer Evangelion scale model kits did come with shoulder pylons that could store weapons, this early 1999 model is pretty basic and as such does not come with the appropriate gimmick to serve this function.  

(A) Arranging and sorting out individual parts/sub-assemblies of the hands, arms, and shoulders

(B) Assembling both custom painted shoulders, arms, and hands of the EVA-01 Test Type

(C) Both assembled arms and alternate hand options, with yet-to-be-applied water decals

 Water decals were the icing on the cake for this EVA-01 model kit. It's rare nowadays for Bandai mecha scale model kits to come with water decals inside the box. Most mecha kits come only with stickers and/or at best dry transfers. Granted the water decal selection provided for the EVA-01 Test Type is limited but the ones provided, once applied, made the arms look so much better. At the very least, the EVA-01's arms look less bland and devoid of details. 

Both EVA-01 Test Type arms before the water decals were applied

Both EVA-01 Test Type arms after the water decals were applied

Inner side of both arms (that connect to the body) do not have any decals

 Other hand options (see below) are available but these are for use only to hold the yet-to-be-completed weapons such as the positron rifle, progressive knife, sonic glaive, and pallet gun (note: photos of the weapons are not shown in this blog; they will be shown in a later blog post).

Other hand options for the EVA-01 Test Type, specifically ones for holding weapons

 With the fully-painted extremities of the EVA-01 Test Type now assembled, it's time to look inwards towards the Evangelion's body, spine, and most importantly its head. The fully-painted body and spine will be worked on first before I move on to the head. Following that, the major sub-assemblies will all undergo a final assembly into a completed Evangelion, hence the five part assembly process. 

 Meanwhile, if all goes well I hope to increase the frequency of blog posts to showcase my new-found hobby related productivity. I find projects are being completed with increasing speed, so much so that I can barely keep up in terms of writing the corresponding blog chronicle as well as edit the accompanying videos. It's a nice problem to have though, much better than suffering a hobby malaise. On that note, it time's to end this blog post. Do stay safe dear reader, and be well.

 Important Note: Videos showcasing a more in depth view of the Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type assembly process, of which there will also be five parts, will all be released simultaneously only after the blog post updates have all been uploaded. If you are the type who prefers watching instead of reading, then the videos will be more to your liking. Be sure to stay tuned for that.