Bandai Super Deformed Gundam Cross Silhouette - Zaku II [Work-in-Progress: Assembly & Panel-lining]

 After completing the cute Hello Kitty figurine from the Bandai Hello Kitty/Zaku II Super-Deformed-Gundam-Cross-Silhouette (SDCS) Gunpla kit, next up on this scale model kit's to-do-list is the SDCS Zaku II. The second of three possible figurine variations that can be created from this kit is a chibi-style take on the Zaku II Zeon Mobile Suit. It's a stand-alone figurine that uses parts unique to itself that is it does not share any parts with the Hello Kitty figurine. Below are the main sub-assemblies of the SDCS Zaku II that have been put together as a straight-out-of-the-box build with some minor work done to bring out the details of the kit sans painting.

SDCS Zaku II work-in-progress: Straight out-of-the-box build of the main sub-assemblies; with foil stickers and some panel-lining for added detail 

 So at this point of the build, the main sub-assemblies such as the head, upper torso, waist, limbs, and weapons have been put together and are only awaiting the final assembly process. These sub-assemblies have not been painted. Apart from having to clean and prep the parts prior to assembly, the only work I did on the parts are to panel-line them with Mr. Weathering Color as well as apply foil stickers on the mono-eye and on the lenses of weapons like the machine gun and bazooka.

Mr.Hobby's Mr.Weathering Color was used to panel-line the main sub-assemblies of the SDCS Zaku II

 While photos alone cannot really do justice to the SDCS Zaku II parts, you can still get a general idea of the quality of its plastic finish from the photos shown here. As someone who hates the plasticky look of most scale model kits, I tend to spend an inordinate amount of time painting the parts to prevent this issue from being an eyesore. But as was the case for the Hello Kitty figurine, I didn't do any painting for the SDCS Zaku II sub-assemblies because they look like glossy painted pieces already without having to actually paint them. Is it perfect? Well, no. The black parts, especially the weapons, can look better with a proper paint job. But because the kit is a chibi-style piece, the glossy black weapons don't look as out of place as they would be with a standard Zaku II mobile suit.

SDCS Zaku II sub-assembly: Head with poseable mono-eye

SDCS Zaku II sub-assembly: Hands and arms with shield armor on right shoulder and spike armor on left shoulder (bottom up view from hands)

SDCS Zaku II sub-assembly: Hands and arms with shield armor on right shoulder and spike armor on left shoulder (top down view from shoulders)

SDCS Zaku II sub-assembly: Upper torso (isometric view from the front)

SDCS Zaku II sub-assembly: Upper torso (isometric view from the back)

 Color separation for a kit this small is surprisingly good. Neither stickers nor paint were required to make the SDCS Zaku II itself reasonably color accurate. The dark and light greens as well as the blacks and dark greys were adequately separated from each other. That being said, the weapons especially the missile pods on the legs could have done with better color separation between the missiles and the pod they were housed in. But it's something most hobbyist and scale modellers can live with seeing that the SDCS Zaku II is a chibi-style figurine. Moreover, I believe molding the weapons in dark metallic grey would've been a much better option than having it in glossy black. But that's just my own personal preference. Most would be satisfied with the glossy black.

SDCS Zaku II sub-assembly: Waist (isometric view from the front)

SDCS Zaku II sub-assembly: Waist (isometric view from the back)

SDCS Zaku II sub-assembly: Legs and feet (isometric view from the front)

SDCS Zaku II sub-assembly: Legs and feet (isometric view from the back)

 My color preference for the weapons meant they would have benefited most from a coat of paint. Painting the weapons in metallic gun metal would've been a step towards making them look better than just plain glossy black. Yet in the end, I didn't paint the weapons because I felt the end result wouldn't be worth the effort. This largely had to do with the fact that the SDCS Zaku II was a chibi-style figurine. The style's cute cartoon effect meant the SDCS Zaku II could still pull off having to wield plain glossy black weapons. After all, realism isn't a key requirement for chibi-style figurines.

SDCS Zaku II sub-assembly: Weapons comprising heat sabre, ankle missile pods, machine gun, and bazooka

 With the main sub-assemblies completed, all that is left to do is to put the SDCS Zaku II together in the final assembly process. I usually do posts like the one you see here in order to appreciate the details of the sub-assemblies in isolation. In the coming post, I will upload photos of a fully-assembled SDCS Zaku II and talk a bit about the completed figurine. For now I'll take my leave, and end what is technically the 650th post of my hobby-related blog. Until my next post, please be well and happy!   

Bandai Hello Kitty in Green Overalls [Completed]

 A key feature of the Bandai Hello Kitty Gunpla series is that each kit allows for the creation of three unique figurines via the sharing of parts. This post will showcase the first of the three namely a figurine of Hello Kitty herself dressed in a yellow shirt and green overalls. In the finished build she is holding an apple, and can either be stood or seated on top of a flat base shaped liked an apple.

Bandai Hello Kitty scale model kit; completed (standing pose, front view)

Bandai's version of this popular anime feline is not only well proportioned ...

... but also designed with an excellent color separation of the various parts ...

... with no need for either painting or panel-lining for the figurine to look good.

 Being a straightforward out-of-the-box build, the Hello Kitty figurine has had absolutely no paint work or panel-lining done on her at all. Due to good color separation as well as excellent gloss, semi-gloss, and matte finishes on the plastic, the finished build of Hello Kitty already looks good as is. However, the end result is not perfect in terms of color separation. So if you want to nitpick, then there is a case for the figurine's accessories to be painted for full color accuracy. These are the apple fruit that Hello Kitty holds in her hand and the apple-shaped base that she either stands or sits on. Both have stalks that can be painted in brownish hues as well as leaves that can be painted in greenish hues.

Bandai Hello Kitty scale model kit; completed (standing pose, back view)

Perhaps the only complaint one might have about this Hello Kitty figurine ...

... is the fact that the base she is standing on, and the apple she is holding ...

... are both mono-colored, hence for complete color accuracy one will have to paint ...

 Hello Kitty has two simple poses predicated on the limited freedom of movement found withing its simple leg mechanism. Both legs have a 90° freedom of movement. Therefore she can be posed in either a simple standing or seating pose on top of the flat apple-shaped base provided with the kit.

... the stems of the apples (both base and fruit) in brown and the leaves in green.

Bandai Hello Kitty scale model kit; completed (seated pose, front view)

Apart from the simple standing pose, the Hello Kitty's legs can be manipulated ...

... to allow her to be in a sort of a laid-back seated pose atop the flat apple-shaped base ...

 Apart from it being in just one flat color, another thing about base was its lack of a secure attachment point. This means the Hello Kitty figurine sits or stands only loosely atop the base. To be fair, this arrangement is probably fine for most hobbyists who would just place the figurine in a display cabinet and never touch it again. If I were to hazard a guess, I believe Bandai didn't want to mar the surfaces of either the base or figurine with a peg/hole connection points. Moreover hobbyists, experienced or not, can get around this little problem by using a bit of Blu-Tack adhesive at the point of contact between Hello Kitty and the apple-shaped base. So no harm, no foul.

...  which unfortunately does not have a peg and socket joint to secure the figurine to it.

Bandai Hello Kitty scale model kit; completed (seated pose, back view)

Overall, this is a straightforward out-of-the-box build that is simple to put together ...

... yet rewards you with a great looking figurine at the end; this is perfect for the novice hobbyist.

 For something that was put together almost effortlessly with no painting required, the results are admittedly fantastic. So far, that is after checking only one of the three figurines possible from this kit, I already believe this to be a great kit for beginners to the scale modelling hobby. Young ones, especially fans of Hello Kitty, will be thrilled with what they can create with almost minimal effort. Heck, even as a jaded hobbyist with mid-life crisis issues who is not even a fan of the feline, I find the Hello Kitty figurine to be an absolute delight. Coming up next is the second figurine that can be build from this kit i.e. the Super-Deformed-Gundam-Cross-Silhouette (SDCS) Gunpla in the form of the Zaku II. That promises to be another new experience for me, which I'll share in the upcoming blog post. Until then, stay safe, and may you be well and happy.

Bandai Hello Kitty / Zaku II SD Gundam Cross Silhouette Gunpla [Unboxing & Pre-Assembly Review]

 Only one word comes to mind when you lay your eyes on a Hello Kitty. It's kawaii and you just can't help yourself. Having not watched any anime involving this famous Japanese feline, I can't say I'm a fan of the Hello Kitty franchise. Neither is the missus. But it was she who suggested I do a project using a Bandai Hello Kitty kit. I was game because as supportive as she already is, it's not everyday the missus takes an active interest in my hobby projects. That she will get a cute display figurine at the end of it means it's also a win-win situation. So here then is an unboxing and pre-assembly review of the Bandai Hello Kitty/Zaku II Super-Deformed-Gundam-Cross-Silhouette (SDCS) Gunpla. For the uninitiated, Gunpla (or ガンプラ Ganpura) is a portmanteau of Gundam plastic model kit.

Bandai Hello Kitty / Zaku II Super-Deformed-Cross-Silhouette (SDCS) Gunpla

 This particular scale model kit is actually one of three that Bandai has in its Hello Kitty Gundam lineup with the others being the MS-06S Char's Zaku II and the RX-78-2 Gundam versions. In addition to the different SDCS figurines that these kits come with, the Hello Kitties come in different color schemes. More on these variations later, for now let's look at the side box art (see below).

Side box art showing the unique Hello Kitty Gundam configuration

Side box art showing the Hello Kitty and the Zaku II SDCS figurine options

More side box art, this time a closeup of Hello Kitty Zaku II 

 Being a kit that's meant to appeal and be accessible to less experienced hobbyists, I fully expect the build to be a straightforward one. And from what I gathered so far, the instructions do indeed lay out an easy to understand assembly process that should present no problem even to the absolute novice. The pamphlet itself comes in a mix of colored and black-and-white pages, with the former used for its front and back pages as well as a small section of the assembly instructions inside. And while it does provide a color guide for hobbyists who want to paint their model kits, the glossy finish to the plastic parts are so good that it becomes pointless to do so unless you want to customize the kit's colors.

Front and back pages of the scale model kit's instruction pamphlet

With instructions being clear and easy to follow, this build falls under the beginners category

 There are three distinct parts to the collection of sprues that come with this scale model kit. First are the parts that make up the Gunpla, specifically the SDCS Zaku II (see below). In this particular Bandai product line, the mecha kits are deformed into chibi anime characters. In fact the SDCS Zaku II is sold separately on its own. So if you aren't a Hello Kitty fan but like the chibi style Gundams, you can forego this kit completely. As for me, I don't like the chibi-style Gundams hence I've never done any projects involving them up until now, for reasons explained in the opening paragraph of this post.

Sprue A: Inner framework for the SDCS Zaku II figurine

Sprue B1 & B2: Dark and light green as well as clear parts for the SDCS Zaku II figurine

Sprue C: Black parts mainly for weapons; with some for the Zaku's chest, knees, and feet

 A unique feature of the kit is its not one but two Hello Kitty themed sprues that we find in the box (see below). One is shaped in the form of the iconic Hello Kitty head while the other resembles her ribbon bow. Both sprues contain all the parts necessary to build a Hello Kitty figurine holding an apple as well as a reasonably sized base that is shaped like an apple. Quality of plastic parts were generally superb especially the matte of Hello Kitty's head. In terms of finish, the base looked terrible with some plastic warping seen on its surface. Nothing a solid coating of the Mr. Super Smooth Clear flat/matte top coat can't fix, to be fair. Yet I wished they could've done better with the base.

Sprue A (alternate): Multi-colored sprue with parts for the Hello Kitty figurine

Sprue B : Red parts for the Hello Kitty base, her apple and ribbon bow

 Last of the sprues are parts for the conversion of both the Hello Kitty or the SDCS Zaku II into a Hello Kitty clad in Zaku II green armor. In the conversion process, parts from the Hello Kitty figurine (the head and ribbon bow) and the Zaku II figurine (essentially the body, arms, and legs) will be used with the parts in Sprues D and E below to form a whole new entity or a Hello Kitty Gundam if you will.

Sprue D: Green parts (note cute helmet with cat ears) for conversion to the Hello Kitty Gundam figurine

Sprue E: Clear tinted part used as the visor on the Hello Kitty Gundam figurine's helmet

 Apart from plastic parts, the kit also comes with a normal sticker sheet and a foil sticker sheet. The former is for use on the resulting Hello Kitty Gundam figurine as well as for turning the apple into a Zaku head. Meanwhile the latter is for use solely on the SDCS Zaku II and its weapons.

Sticker set for the Hello Kitty Gundam and for turning the apple into a Zaku head

Foil stickers for the SDCS Zaku II figurine and its weapons

 Of course, the completist and OCD in me means that I'll likely work on the rest of the Hello Kitty Gundam series in Bandai's lineup too. It's always great to finish projects that the missus can relate to, not unlike my previously completed Toy Story projects. And while a fair amount of time has passed since my last post, I have a good non-malaise reason for skipping the hobby. These past two weeks I had been writing a short story for submission to a scifi periodical. It's not everyday I find a US-based publication that welcomes diverse voices from other countries. Come what may, I'm just grateful to be given an opportunity where my story can even be considered. Anyway, I'm digressing. Hopefully my hobby projects will get back on track soon. And as always, I wish you well and happiness!