Custom Candy Coated Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type [Assembly Part 3 of 5: Torso]

 With extremities of the Evangelion Unit-01 (EVA-01) Test Type completed, it was time to focus inwards. What this entailed was assembly of the Evangelion's custom painted neck, chest, back, spine, and lumber sections. Notwithstanding a slight misstep caused by a lack of mindfulness, the entire torso assembly process was pretty uneventful, which I'll elaborate on later.

Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type work-in-progress: Candy Metallic Torso (isometric view, front)

While the joints weren't painted, in hindsight they should've been to create a tighter fit between parts

 For the first time a candy metallic color other than purple, orange, and green were evident in the Evangelion's overall color scheme. Initially I had intended to airbrush on a less saturated shade of candy blue onto the torso to approximate the original molded azure-like hue . But because the purples were already significantly saturated, I went for a more consistent look, which translated into a more saturated candy metallic blue. So technically it's not 100% true to the original EVA-01 Test Type color scheme. However in this case, a consistent look trumps color scheme accuracy.

In a color scheme tweak, the EVA's torso has candy metallic blue on the chest and along the spine

Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type work-in-progress: Candy Metallic Torso (isometric view, back)

Apart from the addition of candy blue, the rest of the color scheme is similar to the legs and arms

 Assembly of the Evangelion's neck, body, back, spine, and lumbar was a straightforward event except for a slight hiccup in the form of a missed step. Soon after I thought I had completed the torso assembly process, I noticed a gaping hole at the Evangelion's back (see Step E). This has never happened to me before. I blame it on the fact I was trying to take a video of the assembly process which required me to assemble the parts at an odd angle that deviated from my usual vantage point. 

(A) Arranging and sorting out individual parts/sub-assemblies of the neck, chest, and back sections

(B) Custom painted neck, chest, and back of the EVA-01 Test Type, after assembly

(C) Arranging and sorting out individual parts/sub-assemblies of the spine and lumbar sections

(D) Custom painted torso of the EVA-01 Test Type, front end assembly completed

 Unfortunately I couldn't just slot the forgotten piece right onto the Evangelion's back. I had to first disassemble the back section, put the missing piece in, and then reassemble the back section again. The problem with this process was that it was quite difficult to disassemble the back section as I had to be careful not to chip the paint. Eventually it got done, and the torso was finally completed.  

(E) A piece of the EVA-01's custom painted torso was inadvertently left out of the assembly process

(F) Custom painted torso of the EVA-01 Test Type, fully-assembled

  As it stands, there is only one other section of the EVA-01 Test Type left to assemble namely its head. I have already finished the paint job of the Evangelion's head so all that remains to be done is to assemble the head. Once that's done, the final assembly process of the Evangelion can begin. I leave you with a quote from a Neon Genesis Evangelion character named Ryoji Kaji ... "If you know pain and hardship, it’s easier to be kind to others". On that note, I wish you well and hope you are staying safe amidst a seeming resurgence of a new pandemic variant. 

  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 after all (or most) of the blog post updates have 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.

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. 

Custom Candy Coated Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type [Assembly Part 1 of 5: Legs]

 Momentum is a wonderful thing, more so when it relates to the progress of hobby projects. Not unlike an Evangelion running full tilt towards an Angel, my EVA-01 Test Type custom candy metallic paint project has gathered enough momentum that I'm left with no doubt that, like the aforementioned Evangelion's eventual clash with the Angel, the project will be completed shortly ... at least when it comes to the EVA unit itself sans accessories. With all individual parts of the EVA-01 Test Type already painted and panel-lined, the assembly process begins with its legs.   

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

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

 Prior to the painting process, I had already put together some sub-assemblies to make the painting process easier to manage. That means assembly of the legs did not begin from scratch with just the individual painted parts to work with. I also had completed sub-assemblies like the knees, inner thigh frame/joint, and inner foot frame/joint to use in the leg assembly (see below). 

(A) Arranging and sorting out individual parts/sub-assemblies of the thigh, knee, and feet

(B) Assembling both custom painted thighs, knee, and feet of the Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type

(C) Laying out parts of the shin/calf and ankle, together with the assembled feet/thighs

(D) Completed assembly of both legs of the EVA Unit-01 Test Type (light source from top)

(E) Completed assembly of both legs of the EVA Unit-01 Test Type (light source from bottom)

 One of the reasons I decided to paint a candy metallic finish was due to the pale muted purple hues on the original molded plastic. It gave the kit the kind of washed-out look which I'm not a fan of. As such I decided to convert the color scheme to that of a candy metallic finish. Results so far seem encouraging. I'm optimistic that my choice of changing the color scheme from a flat non-metallic hue to a candy metallic one will be vindicate once the entire kit is assembled. But in the end, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As long as the modeler himself likes the hues, then it's good enough.

(F) Assembly of both legs of the EVA Unit-01 Test Type comprised Steps 1 through 4

 Articulation is extremely good in terms of the level of bend you can obtain at the joints. In fact you can achieve close to a 180 degree bend at the knees - certainly a greater bend than is shown in the photo below. There is also articulation on the feet themselves (not shown here) which is perhaps better demonstrated via action poses once the Evangelion is fully assembled. 

Articulation of the legs with one straightened and the other bend slightly

 Below is a couple of final top-down views of both Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type custom painted legs. One shows the inner side/half (showcasing the joints which will eventually connect to the pelvic piece) while the other shows the outer side/half of the legs.

Both legs of the Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type (view of inner half, joints visible)

Both legs of the Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type (view of outer half)

 Not to belittle the assembly process of scale model kits, but I've always found the painting process to be more difficult or at least more time consuming. No matter how complex the assembly process becomes, for example the latest Bandai Master Grade Extreme (MGEX) product line which incorporates fairly intricate LED lighting into 1/100 scale kits, things almost always becomes much more complicated when you have to paint the parts before you put them together. 

 So perhaps it's no surprise momentum for this project has gathered the pace it has, seeing that the painting process for the EVA unit itself has been completed. And with the leg assembly now completed, the next step will be to assemble the EVA unit's fully-painted shoulders, arms, forearms, and hands. As such the next work-in-progress blog update for the EVA-01 unit. With that it's time to end this particular blog update. As always, stay safe 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. 

Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type [WIP - Candy Coat for the Shoulders, Neck, Arms, Hands, Legs, Feet ... & more]

 Once a key mental hurdle for a project had been overcome, the floodgates to progress tend to open as a consequence. It certainly took awhile but after the Bandai LM-HG Grade EVA Unit-01 Test Type model kit's high inertia-coefficient was sufficiently countered, my first Evangelion project has tasted progress. If anything, the only thing slowing down this project is that it's a tiring endeavor for an old scale modeler like yours truly to paint so many small parts in so many steps. It took me four days to reach this stage as parts needed to dry overnight at each step. And yet this candy coating process wasn't even for the whole EVA-01 unit. Its head, torso and lumbar pieces have yet to be painted.

Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type work-in-progress: Metallic purple and green candy finish

Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type work-in-progress: Metallic light green candy finish closeup

Evangelion Unit-01 Test Type work-in-progress: Metallic orange, green, and purple candy finish

 To achieve the candy coat finish or metallic candy gloss effect, first the parts were primed in black using the Mr.Finishing Surfacer 1500 Black primer. Secondly, a highly reflective paint layer in the form of Mr.Super Metallic 2 (Super Chrome Silver 2) was airbrushed onto the black primer coat. Finally the respective Mr.Clear Color GX hues of purple, orange, and green clear color pigments were airbrushed onto the chrome 'plated' EVA-01 parts. End result is the candy coat you see here.

Step 01: Prepped Evangelion Unit-01 parts in their original molded colors

Step 02: Evangelion Unit-01 parts after receiving a black primer coat

Step 03: Evangelion Unit-01 parts after receiving Mr.Color Super Chrome Silver 2 paint

Step 04: Evangelion Unit-01 parts after receiving their respective clear paint colors

 One key ingredient of the candy coating process is the reflective paint layer. For the candy coat to shine, the reflective layer needs to be extremely shiny. In the Mr.Hobby website, it is recommended that painters use Super Fine Silver 2 as the base metallic coat. Because I had not read Mr.Hobby's tutorial recommendation beforehand, I had to figure out what paint to use based on my own limited knowledge. What I decided upon was a different paint in the Mr.Hobby Super Metallic Line 2 namely the Super Chrome Silver 2. Results seem satisfactory although to know which of the two is better I will have to eventually do a test paint using both aforementioned metallic lacquer paints.

Key to the candy coating process is the reflective basecoat layer ...

... which in this case is the Mr.Hobby Mr. Color Super Metallic 2 ...

... or specifically the Super Chrome Silver 2, a shiny lacquer metallic paint.

 Because the EVAs are living organic creatures with cybernetic components grafted onto them, I didn't want the pieces to be too glossy hence the exclusion of a final gloss top coat. If the Evangelion unit was a mechanical robot then perhaps the use of a gloss top coat would be justified. Since they are not, the gloss top coat won't be used in the Evangelion Unit-01's painting process.

EVA Unit-01 work-in-progress: parts chrome 'plated' in preparation for the clear paints

EVA Unit-01 work-in-progress: parts with the metallic candy finish via a clear color layer

 Although there will be no gloss top coat, the pieces you see here are not yet finished. There is still the panel lining and decals to be applied to the painted parts above. Once that is done, the EVA Unit-01's shoulders, arms, hands, legs, and feet can finally be assembled. The neck parts won't be assembled yet as they are part of the main body. They were included in this painting phase because I wanted to paint all the candy metallic orange parts together in one go. I could not do that with the candy metallic purple parts because I don't have enough Model Painting Alligator Clips/Stand Base. In essence, extremities of the EVA unit is nearly complete. Good progress for a week's work.

Short Update: Soon after I completed the candy coat for the EVA-01 unit's shoulders, necks, arms, hands, legs, and feet (as chronicled in the blog paragraphs above), I was so buoyed by the progress that I actually went on to quickly candy-coat (as well as paint) the rest of the parts/sub-assemblies. So below are the before and after photos for the EVA-01 unit's body, lumbar section/spine, head, and entry plug innards (i.e. the surrounding structure into which the plug inserts).   

EVA Unit-01 Test Type work-in-progress: remaining parts/sub-assemblies to be primed/painted

EVA Unit-01 Test Type work-in-progress: remaining parts/sub-assemblies after painting

So the hobby train continues to chug along slowly but surely. Knowing how I always procrastinate on hobby projects, I am surprised by how quickly this one is progressing. As mentioned earlier, once the panel lining and decals are applied, the final assembly process can then begin. Aside from ongoing projects, up to five new projects are about to begin. Crazy right? For a hobbyist whose projects tend to progress at a snail-pace, starting on so many new ones at the same time is kinda insane. This time though, it feels different. For the first time in a long while, I feel really good hobby-wise. It may yet all end in tears, but hope springs eternal. I plan to sustain this newfound enthusiasm by maintaining a healthy variety in the type of kits I work on. More details to follow. Until then, stay safe and be well.