High Grade Sandrock Gundam

Introduction:

About eighteen years ago, I picked up my first Gundam model kit from a Walmart or ToysRUs. I can’t remember which model was my ‘first’ but I think I’ve narrowed it down to the 1/100 HG Wing, ‘no grade’ Tallgeese or Sandrock. As a result, this brand new 1/144 High-Grade Sandrock felt very nostalgic. I’m hoping that Bandai will hurry up the other suits from Gundam Wing so I can complete my nostalgia trip

Kit Talk:

This kit is very basic, the part count is fairly low, there are some seam lines to contend with and some masking that needs to be done. Despite all that, I think it’s a very nice design and a well-rounded kit. 

One element that I thought was off was the height of the neck. With the stock piece, this kit looks a little stretched. I cut about 2mm out of poly cap before gluing it back together. The left 'before' image is from Dalong and the right is my 'after' image.

I also took the time to rescribe some of the edge detail on the legs and ankle guards. I wasn’t convinced there was enough for the panel wash to grab onto.


If you look at all the work collected here on my site, you’re going to see that I don’t shade kits very often. I don’t really care for the way it looks, and while it’s not a difficult technique, it’s time-consuming. Despite that, I do periodically use this technique as a form of creative ‘exercise’.

I started by shaded the white, and grey areas with a violet purple color; the dark blue of the armor started with black and they yellow with scarlet. Those colors were then base coated and blended with their respective colors. The grey and dark blue areas also received a slight highlight in places.

No decals for this kit, I think that kits can look too busy with both shading and decals.

This kit is available now through JoJoHobbyNStuff, and if you use coupon code "GOODGUNPLA" between now and the end of 2019 you can save 15% off on this kit and just about everything else in store!

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