Lexus LFA - 1/24 Tamiya (1)

After almost a whole year of Zeong, it's back to something more real-world. Here it is, the Lexus LFA from Tamiya, I wasn't a big fan of Lexus cars, but this one just caught my eye.

I bought it back in Hong Kong 2 years ago, unfortunately the car body was crushed when I post it back by mail....I had to order a replacement part from Rainbow Ten, too bad they now stopped taking overseas orders.

Tamiya has done an excellent job on this kit, the engine detail is amazing. Just a little modification here and there, the exhaust, for example, needs....well, the exhaust.....

just some simple drilling and sanding...

One drawback about the kit is the way they divide the parts for the exhaust pipe, as shown in the picture below, it's right in the middle, and you can't glue it together first before the fork on the right end will get in the way of the front suspension parts...

So to get around I separate one side of the fork instead:

with the problem solved next it's the paint job, I used Mr.Metal Color Chrome silver on the exhaust, just spray on, wait 5 min, than polish to give it the shine.

The rest of the engine was quite straight forward, one thing about painting the suspension spring, instead of painting it all black, as in the instructions, I sprayed the flat aluminium and hand painted the black spring onto it, an easier way to make it stand out than actually replacing it with a real spring

A bit of note on the colors used:
Mr Metal Color Chrome Silver
Mr Metal Color Aluminium, then a top coat of Gaia Notes Flat Clear
Tamiya X-31 Titanium Gold
Gaia Notes EX-02 Black + Gaia Notes Flat Clear

Next will be the interior~

Shinden - Ah! My Goddess version - 1/72 Hasegawa

Finally, the parcel I sent from Hong Kong has arrived! Took just a month~ Now I can finally know whether my models can survive the trip...............

Seems not..........

That's the Shinden......from Ah! My Goddess. I was all in one piece when I packed it.....Actually I haven't read the comic, but I love the Shinden, and back then this is the only kit I saw. Can't quite remember when but I think I bought it in 1999........

Luckily all the parts are here, so off to some repair work...

And return it to it's former glory!

Maybe I should get the military version later....

MSN-02 Zeong (High Mobility Type) - 1/100 G-System (Complete)

Finally..........after almost 10 months (9 months of work actually with Sep away on vocation), the Zeong is finally complete. One of the biggest resin kit ever built, enjoy!

Hope you all enjoy my work!

Next time will be something easier..........

MSN-02 Zeong (High Mobility Type) - 1/100 G-System (6)

Almost there.....

and Char himself, that Zeon uniform of his is quite challenging...

Next to the head, the Zeong's pretty big...

MSN-02 Zeong (High Mobility Type) - 1/100 G-System (5)

After a month's vocation, it's back to work. Similar to the side panels and skirt, the surface has a large flat area which can be a bit blend, so I added some panel lines

and the front skirt:

The tail is being worked too, due to it's size and weight, I have to paint it in 2 sections:

While on vocation in Hong Kong, I have thought about getting a base for the kit, and luckily, I came across one which suits well:

Orginally the top part is a screwed joint which can be tilted, however with the kit well over 1 kg, I don't think it can hold, so I removed that part, modified the column so it can slot straight into the kit's base.

With most parts completed, I can't wait to put everything together. It's all coming together(the base at least):

Hopefully next time when I write it will be the finished kit!

MSN-02 Zeong (High Mobility Type) - 1/100 G-System (4)

Painting....instead of following G-system's guide, I prefer the orginal color scheme, with a bit of modification. (Referenced from the FIX version of Zeong). Most of the color I used are left overs from other kits: the red is from Victory Gundam, the dark blue is Unicorn's, and the white is from Millennium Falcon....I'll put in the details later. The main color that has to be mixed are the grey of the main body, a darker grey for mechanical parts, and the silver. 

and so the painting begins.... the burners base:

the skirt..I realized the panel lines I added are not symmetry, so needs a bit of rework...

Rear skirt done, I didn't bother working on the missile pod on the rear. I just don't like the idea of missiles shooting straight onto the tail...

and with the burners attached:

The side skirts, with some added panel lines:

The arms, the easiest part, it's straight from the 1/100 MG Zeong

The shoulder joints: 

The top part of the body, with the modified waist cannon:

and the head:

The only part that's left now are the shoulders, the front skirts and the tail. That will have to wait until October after my vocation back to Hong Kong. Hope I can get some new kits on my way back!