RG 1/144 Gundam RX-78-2 Part 5

Detail-loaded single-piece parts
After the work on the torso parts in the previous posting, only the weapons, shoulder armors and head of this Real Grade kit remain to be checked off on the list. ^^

The weapons would be the focus of the detailing work this time.


The inner side of the shield feature the most molded details for a single-piece part, which isn't surprising at all given that the part itself is the largest in the entire kit.
Then again, the detail design is actually identical to that on the HGUC version, released back in 2001.


Detailing of the part was done using a combination of normal panel liner and
Tamiya's Panel Line Accent Color (Black).

Much simpler panel lining for the other shield parts.


The "in-between" part, which was molded in a different shade of red as compared to the top layer, has two round protruding parts that were painted white using Gundam Marker, and two sunken areas that were painted black using normal marker. ^^


The top side of said "in-between" part had its details panel lined, which was done quite easily, but I found out later that the work is actually pointless as the details would be hidden beneath the top red layer. ^^;


The white and black extra paint work shown earlier on was meant to cover up some areas of the red part that pop up on the inner side of the shield: the two round dots, and the interior of the beam saber mount racks.


Panel lining for the beam rifle parts.



Tamiya's Panel Line Accent Color (Black) was most useful in making the detailing of the beam rifle's body parts a simple task.
Then again, most of the details are going to be hidden when the rifle is assembled actually. ^^;


Unbelievably, the simple-looking thin molded details inside the targeting sensor were really difficult to panel line. ^^; They were too shallow to be revealed properly with the panel liner solution, but thicker lines produced using normal panel liner would look too ugly on them. ^^; Eventually, I managed to draw the thin lines using a normal panel liner, but only after countless failed attempts. ^^;


Panel lining for the bazooka parts.


The large bazooka parts were quite enjoyable to work on, especially when compared to the beam rifle sensor part as mentioned above. ^^;


Test fitting the panel lined parts to see how the bazooka clips would turn out when assembled. ^^
Based on the rear part's color, the entire magazine should be painted in black, but in order to allow part of the rocket clips to be revealed through the slits on their cover, I prefer to omit said paint work. ^^


For some extra details, the thrusters of the rockets were painted silver using normal pen.


The connector tabs beneath the bazooka's body were painted black using normal marker to match the color of the bottom part.


Panel lined the other two beam saber handles the exact same way as the first pair grouped with the backpack.


With a total length of 16cm, the beam saber is actually longer than the Gundam itself in 1/144 scale. ^^;
The work on the shoulder armors and head coming up next will conclude the first part of the review on Real Grade 1/144 Gundam RX-78-2. ^^