MS-09R Rick Dom | Master Grade Zeon Mobile Suit [WIP: painting & topcoating parts/sub-assemblies]

 Without fail, the early phases of a mecha or Gunpla project always fills me with a deep sense of trepidation. Be it the amount of planning involved or just the sheer amount of individual parts and sub-assemblies to be painted, it's something I almost want to avoid. Almost. While the hobby is supposed to be fun, it's not the be-all end-all of why we do what we do. At least not for me. A good finish to a demanding custom paint build, which for me means display quality, can be even more satisfying than a simple fun build, if not more. Well that's enough of the why of mecha projects, here now is the what i.e. the initial painting phase of the Bandai Master Grade 1/100 scale MS-09R Rick Dom model kit.

Master Grade Rick Dom painting progress: Mr.Finishing Surfacer 1500 Gray primer

 As with all my mecha projects to date, the painting process begins with the application of a light gray primer (see above). But instead of using my usual go-to primer paint, which is the Tamiya Fine Surfacer Light Gray, I decided to use a GSI Creos Mr.Hobby product namely the Mr.Finishing Surfacer 1500 Gray. I chose the latter this time around because I wanted better control in applying primer coats on parts of differing sizes from tiny to large. This was achieved via airbrushing, which I could not do with the Tamiya primer because I only have those in spray cans at the moment.

Master Grade Rick Dom painting progress: Gaianotes 019 Lavender plus some black

 First and foremost in my color painting to-do list was to decide on the predominant color for the Rick Dom mobile suit. In general that color is purple. But purple is a very general description considering I have seen many different hues, shade, tint, and shades of purple being used to represent the Rick Dom whether in anime or in painted kits. In the end, I decided on a mixture between the Gaianotes 019 Lavender and pure black lacquer paint. I don't have the exact ratio because I was just eyeballing it by adding drops of black until I reached the desired shade of purple/lavender (see above).

Master Grade Rick Dom painting progress: Mr.Color Super Metallic 2 & Mr.Weathering Color

 Another key color choice was to either maintain anime color accuracy by painting the inner frame (and other molded-in gray parts) in a flat gray or to make these parts look more realistic by airbrushing them with metallic colors (see above). It's obvious from the photo above that I had gone for the latter approach. To make the details 'pop', I panel-lined the grooves and indentations with a black wash, Mr.Weathering Color (Multi-Black). The metallic paints used comprised Mr.Color Super Metallic 2 specifically Super Iron 2 and Super Titanium 2, with pure black added to either in some cases where a darker hue was required e.g. the elbow/knee joints.  

Master Grade Rick Dom painting progress: Mr.Color & Vallejo Model Color red mixtures

 Apart from the iconic purples of the Rick Dom, one other flat color that I needed to paint was the reds. In this case, I airbrushed a custom mixture of Mr.Color red lacquer paints on the parts/sub-assemblies. If I remember correctly, the reds I used were a combination of pure Red (C3) and Shine Red (C79) in a 9:1 ratio. Meanwhile for the reds inside the bell-bottom leg armor (see top-left corner of photo above), I used Vallejo Model Color acrylic paints i.e. a rough mixture of Carmine Red and Red. I didn't use the Mr.Color lacquer red paints because to do that I had to mask the intricate purple lattice design on the insides of the bell-bottom leg armor before airbrushing the Mr.Color reds. Hand-brushing lacquer paints is a no-no in my experience unless there is absolutely no other option.

Master Grade Rick Dom painting progress: Mr.Super Smooth Clear Coat

 Finally it was the turn of stuff that didn't require painting with colored paints. These are the molded-in black and gray parts/sub-assemblies, which only needed a combination of clear top-coating and panel-lining to make them look as good as painted. Based on my experience, the best matte clear coat in the market today by a country mile is the Mr.Super Smooth Clear. Use that! Results make the plain plastic look like it has been painted albeit in a flat finish.

 A final thing to note is that all the above painted/top-coated parts and sub-assemblies have had decals applied where applicable. The types used were either sticker decals or dry transfer decals. Next for the Rick Dom is to put together all the stuff you see here into its major sub-assemblies such as the head, body, and limbs. That step should be completed soon, and results will uploaded in the next post. Until we meet again, as always dear reader, be well and happy.