With the Black Tri-Stars Zaku out of the way, I can finally work on a project that I’m totally dedicated to. I’m sure anybody who’s ever been some kind of artist would sympathize with the idea of needing to act on an idea the second you get it because otherwise, you’ll lose it or get distracted by other projects. That’s why it’s been eight years since I first read the Mobile Suit Gundam novels and I still haven’t made my G-3 Gundam and Char’s Rick Dom in MG form. That and bad timing. Regardless, the Titans Hyaku Shiki is here, and it’s happening.
I haven’t made much progress on the kit so far due to outside factors, but what I’ve done so far is the torso, head, and weapons. I’ve actually shelved the LED unit for the time being simply because I haven’t had much luck finding the actual battery the kit needs! I figured it would be something you could just find at a pharmacy or something, but, nope. I guess I have to check a hardware store or something. At least it’s not like some kind they only sell in Asia or something.
As I’ve said before, the Char color scheme I’m using is pretty basic. The yellow plastic underneath is INCREDIBLY glossy but doesn’t need much trimming because it just… breaks off. It’s actually kind of wonderful. The yellow is such a great color to have underneath the red, too. It works as a great base color and really makes things pop. I’m giving it a pearl coat like my Qubeley so it still retains some sense of shininess—it’s still the Hyaku Shiki, after all.
With the eyes, I got a little creative. I used some far-too-thing metallic black and gave it a smoky look by painting behind the “glass”. It manages to give it the “sunglasses” look without completely covering up the translucency. It’s damn near perfect.
My hatred of red paint reared its ugly head yet again today with this thing’s backpack. The color palette on this is basically ripped from Char’s Zaku, so it has that pointless red backpack that doesn’t match the rest of the body. I primed the hell out of this thing and the paint STILL came out splotchy. Ugh, whatever. Apparently Monty has the same problem I do, but with blue! Which is weird, because I never have issues with blue, and he never has issues with red. How about that…
The cockpit opens with the two parts moving to the side, and the door swinging open to reveal Cha-uh, Quattro inside.
The weapons are cool, but their construction seriously shows the kit’s age. They’re all basically two halves slapped together, meaning you get to engage in the wonderful act of sanding bazooka barrels. Bluh. However, the bazooka and rifle both have removable magazines, which is incredibly cool. Also, I like how the kit had the instructions for the weapons right after the head and torso. That way, I didn’t get lazy and never made them!
This build is proving to be pretty good so far, and I’m excited to finish it. Hopefully next time I’ll have some limbs to talk about. Remember, check FPNYC for all of your Gunpla needs!
