HG Grimorie Start to Finish Part 2: Basic Build
First things first, lets review the tools you're going to need. Nippers, X-acto knife and abrasives.
I am using the following tools for those interested:
Godhand Ultimate nippers
Basic garden variety X-acto knife
Alpha abrasives files (various grits)
Cutting mat
If you would like to follow along with the start to finish build of this kit consider picking up your own from Amazon using the link below. Amazon gives me a tiny percentage of the sale on anything you buy using one of my links. It doesn't cost you a cent and it helps me tremendously!
Cutting mat
If you would like to follow along with the start to finish build of this kit consider picking up your own from Amazon using the link below. Amazon gives me a tiny percentage of the sale on anything you buy using one of my links. It doesn't cost you a cent and it helps me tremendously!
When you get a kit, a good first step is to open up the bags and familiarize yourself with the runners. During this step you should check to ensure that you have all of the parts that should be on the runners. If not, you can get replacements through Bluefin if you purchased a kit through one of their re-sellers and if you meet all of their terms.
Basic Build
I built this kit by section and commented on things that I will need to fix later on in the build.
Head
The head is as simple as can be. It's only comprise of 4 pieces. A foil decal can be placed behind the "eyes" or you can choose to paint that area.
Notice how I cut the pegs down in this photo. That will make disassembling the kit much easier later on. Leave enough material so the pegs can fit into the receivers; if it feels too loose you can always bond it with glue later. This is something I will continue to do throughout the kit but won't keep pointing out.
The head is fine right out of the box, there are no seams to fill or other modifications that I would deem necessary.
The head is fine right out of the box, there are no seams to fill or other modifications that I would deem necessary.
Torso & Waist
The torso is built in three stages the upper, middle and lower sections.
Upper
This section is only comprised of a few pieces, but there are a few thing I am going to improve.
In the next post I will fuse the seam that runs from the collar down the torso.
Notice the flashing here? This happens when there are a few microns of space between the molds. The plastic will seep into the gap during the injection process.
The flashing can be easily removed with a tiny bit of sanding.
Middle
The middle torso is made up of two pieces.
The middle torso is made up of two pieces.
When sanding round shapes it's important to pay attention to your sanding direction. Sanding too much in a single direction can create flat spots. I find working my abrasives is a large circular motion produces the best results.
The seam line along the sides of the middle torso (not visible) will also be fused in the next post.
The seam line along the sides of the middle torso (not visible) will also be fused in the next post.
Lower
So far the lower torso or waist is the most part intensive.
The front and rear armors definitely have some room for improvement. In the next post I will explore modifying the joined skirts to move independently and discuss using pla-plate to fill the hollow space on the insides of the skirts.
So far the lower torso or waist is the most part intensive.
The front and rear armors definitely have some room for improvement. In the next post I will explore modifying the joined skirts to move independently and discuss using pla-plate to fill the hollow space on the insides of the skirts.
The rear skirt armor will also require some tight masking to achieve the correct look.
Arms
I really like how Bandai designed the arms, the colors break down well into sub assemblies. This will reduce the amount of modifying needed to eliminate seam lines and make painting the sections very easy.
In this photo you may notice the arms are slightly asymmetrical. The left arm has a slight detail for the integrated grappling hook type weapon.
A good tip for sanding multiple pieces that connect together to form a a single part like the shoulder and upper arms is to sand the pieces while they are connected together. Working this way will create much more consistent transitions between parts.
Feet
In the next post I'll demonstrate how pla-plate and putty can be used to fill the hollow parts on the bottom of the feet. Hollow areas on the bottom of the feet is a very common feature of HG kits.
Legs
The legs have a good variety of joint types, this makes posing the kit fairly easy and natural.
My intent for the lower legs is not to fuse the seams along the back of the leg. Instead I am going to show how you can use panel line scribing to make a seam look like an intentional design choice.
Backpack
The backpack design is large but also very simple being only composed of 3 parts. Modification won't be needed, but this will provide an opportunity to discuss different painting techniques in later posts.
Weaponry
The Grimoire has a fairly basic weapons set including a rifle, close combat weapon and combat shield.
The legs have a good variety of joint types, this makes posing the kit fairly easy and natural.
My intent for the lower legs is not to fuse the seams along the back of the leg. Instead I am going to show how you can use panel line scribing to make a seam look like an intentional design choice.
Backpack
The backpack design is large but also very simple being only composed of 3 parts. Modification won't be needed, but this will provide an opportunity to discuss different painting techniques in later posts.
Weaponry
The Grimoire has a fairly basic weapons set including a rifle, close combat weapon and combat shield.
The rifle will require a seam fusion, and I will also demonstrate a very easy way to add a painted sight detail to the weapon.
Finished
The HG Grimoire is a very basic fun kit with a lot of nice surprises. Overall from start to finish (including taking time to photograph) the kit probably took 4-5 hours to complete.
In the next post
Many of you probably found this first post to be a bit simple and slow. I promise that the next post is going to be more exciting as I dive into improving the overall design of the kit.
Stay Tuned!
Finished
The HG Grimoire is a very basic fun kit with a lot of nice surprises. Overall from start to finish (including taking time to photograph) the kit probably took 4-5 hours to complete.
In the next post
Many of you probably found this first post to be a bit simple and slow. I promise that the next post is going to be more exciting as I dive into improving the overall design of the kit.
Stay Tuned!
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