Robot Battle V MK44 in progress - Red Lobster Quasimodo From The Future!

After a long wait, mister MK44 finally gets some painting done. Meaning I can get some practice.

Decided to use enamel and lacquers with mr levelling thinner.

Started with the MK44 in black (spraybomb) and then roughly added a layer (or more in places) of dark brown.

Then I added some lighter brown, more or less randomly brushed on, intentionally a bit splotchy.
this should serve as a tone modulator thingy for the top colour.
I'm not making this up, though I am trying stuff I never did before ^_^

Add some red and stuff gets interesting. Obviously more coats are needed, many more. But the overal effect is quite lovely. Still just using enamels with mr levelling thinner, works a charm and dries really quickly due to the thinner.

the effect of the undercoats is really amazing, this being about the fifth model I ever painted, I'm quite amazed. Just need it a bit more red and a bit less uneven.

Of course, the thinner stuff reeks and is hardly any good for my health, let alone the asthmatics I have living in the house. therefore I work in a small paintbooth/spraybooth with quite the strong extraction fan and a very professional looking ventilation tube ^_^

I painted the undercoats with my own brushes (marterhaired) then switched to a new brush for the red. This I got from Charley of JSAN9 fame.
It's really a great brush, not sure if it's the hair type (no idea which type either) or the fact the hairs are almost twice as long as on my other brushes, but it painted way better and softer. I need more!
fame.

Robot Battle V MK44 in progress - Weldlines are FUN

Finished up all the weldlines I planned, and some more I didn't plan but looked logical.
Almost time for paint

I also decided the smokepots should get wires atached to them, just for good looks and all that ^_^
But the wires should also fit somewhere of course,
So I added a small plate of plastic and drilled three holes in it to fit the wires.
weld lines added, of course.

Everything is ready for primer now, just waiting for the weather to clear up so I can whip out the spray bombs.
Groupshot!

I'm still debating whether to add extra detail pieces here and there, but I fear they'll get swallowed up in the texture anyway...

Robot Battle V MK44 in progress - Heavy Texture Knight

Forgot to make photos of the steps in between....

Added a heavy texture coat on about every part. I loved the effect it had on the PKA I did earlier and wished to replicate this. Just applied it with a sponge and then sanded it down a bit until it was about 0.5mm thick.

Some parts have a smoother texture (Mr.Surfacer 500) or no texture for some diversity, but mostly heavy texture.

All the armour parts yet to go.

I decided to close this model completely, and the texture was great help in smoothing the fit issues on the engine cover. 

The placements for the rivets were marked by drilling them before applying the texture so I could find them after. Weld lines to be added on many parts and them it'll be boxed until I can find the will to paint it ^_^

Robot Battle V MK44 in progress - Battlesquids, Assemble!

Had some time to start the kit. I'm going to try to document the progress, but no promises if I'll be able to remember making photos.

Feet first into the build:

The feet can be detached from the hoverpads because of multiple polycaps in the feet, really cool and could lead to some interesting dioramas or different versions.

Legs, just two parts pressed togheter with a single polycap, forgot the photo, sorry :(

Pelvis, same story as the legs, simply two parts and some polycaps, also no pictures

Lower lower legs (the model has an extra joint compared to humans, they apparently step into a sorta boot which contains thrusters and other stuff.

Added some filler as the seams were pretty large in some areas.

'helmet' plate, added the ears and some filler to blend them in completely.
You can see that the further I go, the more I forget to take pictures. It stops the flow of building to take pictures and I just can't seem to remember it until after I finished a part...
Maybe with the next model it'll be better documented ^_^

 Arms, there will be subassemblies for the wrist ball, upper arm and lower arm.

To ensure they close properly I clamped the parts, I noticed in gundam models that polycaps sometimes don't fit too well and cause seamlines or push the model apart over time. These had similar issues so I trimmed the polycap edges a little and applied plenty glue and force to glue them.

That's for now, more to come (assuming I don't forget the in progress pictures ^_^

Unboxing Robot Battle V MK44 Ammoknights by Hasegawa

Back in august I received a big box from Japan, filled with the new Kow Yokoyama kit, the MK44 Ammoknights from Robotbattle V by Hasegawa.

The box is huge! about A3 size with beautiful artwork by the master himself.

Compared to a 1/20 Wave SAFS

Contents when opened, not exactly filled to the brim, but full nonetheless.

There was some discussion online about the high price for the kit (more than twice a Ma.k kit) but as the box contains two models it's well worth it. It's a weird decision though, boxing them per two. 

Each model has it's own load-out, either a handheld gun or an integrated gun (or no gun of course).

Big sheet full of decals is provided, with some nice options and way too many different decals fro these two. I'll enjoy this sheet on many models ^_^

The decal sheet is in a bag with a camo card, this is traditional for Ma.k kits and shows decal placement and possible (canon) paintjobs. It's also very cool as a collectible item ^_^

And then there are the instructions, very detailed with clear pictures and hints where you have to pay attention. Of course a lot of Japanese, but some decent engrish is provided to.

The arms and legs of the model are movable by polycaps. In contrast to Ma.k models, no joint covers are provided, but the armour simply covers the joints. This means that, unless overstretched, the polycaps and holes of the joints should remain invisible. With the amount of armour plates these things have the joints may not be visible no matter what you do.

The model features a complete interior of the cockpit and engine areas. The faceplate and front section of the armour are removable using polycaps and some simple mechanics. Really great ideas, although I'll likely build them closed, if only to save the cool interio parts for other models where they will be more visible.

Plastic crack, some really cool runners with great parts. I wish I ordered more than one box after seeing the parts it contains, so many options for other things.
The parts are huge too, this thing will be larger than a SAFS, maybe more of a size as the Grosserhund.
There's a whooping 11 different frames per model, some of which you need twice and 1 of these 11 is unique for each version (the gun)
I think it's a shame there is only one pilot variation in the kit, but as it won't be that visible anyway with all the stuff in the cockpit and the helmet and breather, it doesn't matter much.
Interestingly there is a wire/hose on a frame (frame U) that isn't used, suggesting another version.
*update 14-11-2014 - at the time of writing I didn't know this, but now I know another version is coming soon, the white knight (space version?).

Torso and cockpit stuff:

Feet, with the hoverpads loose so you can choose not to attach them. Might be interesting for one of the other versions from the manga.
The foot is cool as it's clearly a rotor part from a large helicopter, probably the 1/32 apache (I have a couple of the revell one and the parts are 1:1 the same), never thought of using that for a foot.

Engine cover, armour for the engine and basis for the smoke launchers

Engine detail, faceplate, armour and mechanics.

Leggies, arms and assorted armour pieces. With some often used parts in the bottom-left corner, no idea which kit this came from originally but most Ma.k space models have this part too.

Polycaps and leghoses. I'll exchange the hoses for springs or something, not much of a fan of the rubber stuff.

Lower legs, pelvis and 'helmet' Also a bunch of rivets in two types, on a flat surface and on the runner pegs. The placement of these is detailed on the model (the model has some shallow circles where they should be placed) and in the booklet.

I seem to have left out the pilot, gun and clear frames, will upload those later.

It's a really cool model, and I wish I had ordered many more, and I will for sure ^_^