HMM Zoids 1/72 Red Horn Part 12

Time to pay for all those IOUs
Completion is near for the entire work on Kotobukiya's HMM Zoids 1/72 Red Horn, with only parts from the head, plus a few others with mesh pipes painted in Part 9 left to detail after the previous posting


Head parts to be detailed.

With excessive panel liner solution on the head parts rubbed away using cotton swab soaked with thinner, and with additional line details added the usual way. ^^


Following the detailing did for the lower part in Part 9, the cockpit top is panel lined using Tamiya's Panel Line Accent Color (Gray).


One screw-like detail on either side of the cockpit part is painted gold using Sharpie marker.


Even though the jaw parts had been painted black in Part 4, I just noticed the mouth area is left without any paint work to match the look.


The targeted areas are painted using black whiteboard marker refill ink (using toothpick, a painting solution I have not attempted since the work on Master Grade Sinanju Ver. Ka in January last year ^^), Gundam Marker Black and normal marker.


Test fitting the painted parts to see how the mouth area would turn out when assembled. ^^


More previously completed parts that I'm returning to for additional paint work: the base areas behind the front legs' frame parts that the rear vent pipes (painted in Parts 6 (gold) and 7 (silver)) are connecting to should be painted gold to complete the look.


The targeted areas are painted using Gaia Metallic Color No. 122 Star Bright Gold.


(Left) With excessive paint around the targeted areas scratched away using a knife, and panel lines reapplied the regular way.
(Right) Test fitting the painted parts (again) to see how the fixed hydraulic pipes would turn out when assembled. ^^



Plenty of "blank" areas on top and beneath the leg armors to be painted.
I initially left them unpainted back in Part 5 since they can be seen as being part of the armor. However, the more I think about it, the more I would prefer them to look like being part of the inner frame instead.


The exposed rear face of the thigh armors is going to be painted as well.


Another set of parts, the connectors on the Composite Sensor Unit are going to be painted as well, but this is not an added work out of changed preference, but because I actually forgot to paint them back in Part 5. ^^;




All the selected parts are painted using Gaia Color 074 Neutral Gray IV.



Plenty of excessive gray paint spilled over onto the red armor parts needs to be removed.




With excessive paint around the parts scratched away using a knife, and panel lines added the regular way.


More unfinished detailing to be handled: mesh pipes details on the backpack and leg vent parts painted silver in Parts 6 and 10 respectively.


The excessive silver paint on the detailed parts is not going to be removed, but simply "drowned" out instead. ^^
This is done by first applying excessive drops of black paint from Tamiya's Panel Line Accent Color (Black) to the painted areas.


After the paint has spread to the entire area evenly, a piece of tissue is placed at the edge of the area to soak up excessive paint.
Timing is essential - the tissue needs to be removed very quickly to prevent too much black paint being soaked up.


The completed result.


Due to the parts beings smaller and harder to reach, the result of the work on the side panels and leg vents is not as well as that of the main back parts.


Even more unfinished detailing to be handled: 30 buttons that were panel lined using Tamiya's Panel Line Accent Color (Black) back in Part 1.


All the buttons are removed from the runners, ...


... after which excessive panel liner solution on the parts is rubbed away using cotton swab soaked with thinner, one by one. ^^


Minor detailing on the top face of the parts is done using normal panel liner, one by one as well. ^^
Done with the buttons, all the detailing according to this HMM Zoids kit's color guide, and plenty more according to my imagination, is completed. ^^ However, there's still one more task that is very important to be done before I call it a wrap. ^^

All the parts are going to inspected to make sure they are sorted according to their components.

As seen in previous postings in this review series, many parts were separated from the components they belong to before they were painted and detailed. They were returned to their designated paper boxes after the paint has dried, but after so many round of work, I'm not sure if they were returned to the right box. Since the experience of handling all the parts is still pretty fresh at the moment, I have no trouble recognizing the different parts to know where they would fit on Red Horn, but I cannot be so sure of that months from now when I see them again for the final assembly.

Furthermore, I can despair and panic right now if I find any part missing. XD







Reviewing all the parts.


The parts to form Red Horn's body are separated into four boxes. ^^
Interestingly, I started the work on the kit by removing all of its parts from their runners and sorting them into paper boxes according to their components; I ended the whole work with the arrangement of the parts again. ^^

Will wait for a while before returning to this kit for the final assembly.