The Sci-Fi & Fantasy Model Madness Realm

Bandi's HG Gundam Wing Mobile Suits:

WING GUNDAM &GUNDAM EPYON

(Page Two)

I decided ahead of time to apply a dark black wash to the numerous recessed panel lines to help bring the robots to life. This would help offset the fact that I had not painted them.

I had purchased some Polly Scale Acrylic Grimy Black paint just for this purpose. The Grimy Black was diluted with Polly S thinner and applied to the panel lines with a fine 10/0 paintbrush.

The application of the wash to both Gundams took around five days in total. I applied the wash in a couple of sessions followed by removing the excess on the following days. Because my wash was too thick and because I should have only waited a couple of hours for the paint to dry, removing the excess paint turned out to be more difficult than it should have been. However, ultimately, I prevailed.

I was now complete! With a minimal amount of effort and time I was left with two very good looking finished Mobile Suits. (Oooooohhhh Yeaahhhhhh!)

(Conclusion)

It took me roughly 35 hours in around 10 model building sessions to finish both of my Gundams. By far the most amount of time was spent on applying the wash and removing the excess paint.

The Wing and Epyon Gundam robots are just under 7 and 8 inches in height respectively. They have all sorts of articulation in their arms, legs, hands, feet and heads. Also, these two particular types transform into flying vehicles.

I was very pleased with the outcome of both of my kits, along with my sons' as well. Anthony and Michael were equally pleased with theirs along with being happy that they were able to finish them quickly.

Anthony ended up weaseling a total of three of these Robots out of me. The final one he built was the Altron Gundam, one of the more expensive kits. However, despite the additional number of parts and the fact that it took him an entire day to finish, he did complete it.

This was the best modeling experience I've had in quite some time. No matter how serious you are about building models, it's always good every now and then to take a break from the serious-side of our hobby and just have some fun.

I had so much fun with these small robots that I am looking forward to building my Gundam Deathscythe Hell and Altron. I will probably invest some additional time and completely clean up the seams on my next two, along with re-painting them, to see how good I can make them look.

I was able to track down quite a few other versions of the Gundam robots at the HobbyLink Japan Web site. All were listed at substantial savings off their (US) retail price. This ends up helping to offset the shipping fee for kits delivered from half way around the world.

When I finish my remaining two, I'll probably venture onto some of other Gundams. Heck, I might even "invest" into a 1:60 scale Zeta Gundam (Perfect Grade) This is a REAL KIT for a REAL MODELER! (Smile).This is the largest and most detailed kit of any kind that Bandai has ever released. The sucker has 825 parts, lighted areas (including batteries), has metal die-cast landing gear struts, and a whole lot of detail! The clincher here is that it ONLY runs around $185.00, (excluding shipping)!

The next time you are in a model store, or better yet, at a Toys R Us Store, see if you can locate one of these Bandi kits. If not, give the folks at HobbyLink Japan a yell and pick one (or a couple) up from them. I have a feeling you'll be glad you did!

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