The Shift is on the Horizon...

'Nuff said (for now...)

The Angelus Emblem

Resting my hands for a while from all the engraving and after a 24-hour power outage from that nasty storm.  I actually started creating this line art yesterday before the storm started, and with my mouse malfunctioning, it gave me about the same amount of pain as I would during engraving.

The line art will allow me to experiment with color schemes for the Angelus as well as design the engravings. 

Looks pretty nice as is.  I've also redesigned the emblem, this from a year ago when the Wings were still in the planning stage and this was still called the Impaler X.

Update:

The line art is almost done with preliminary color ideas. 

Angelus Rising Part IV: Neck Extension Mods and Skull Cap Tattoo

Neck Extensions.  One thing I have noticed with most kits (or MS designs for that matter) is the apparent shortness of the neck to the point that some basically have no necks that they look as if their heads were smashed into their torsos with a hammer.   Some kits, like the Exia and the Strike are proportioned well enough that they hardly need any extension modifications.  Though this might not bother some people, I believe some designs do need to have an ample length of neck to display a suit's awesomeness.

I've done neck extension mods for the Ronin, the Kshatriya, and quite recently, the JinX.  The thing about neck extensions is that if you are working with MGs or PGs, you'll run into the inherent problem of ABS plastic's semi-resistance to cement, and the problem of CA/superglue becoming brittle over time thus making it worthless for high stress/tension area repair work or modification.

The Kshatriya's Neck Extension was the "easiest" by far to pull off because of the frame construction and being made of PS.  It was quite easy to simply saw off the neck, stick an ample-sized beam in between, and mount it on to the modified frame with a generous amount of cement (saturating the modified parts allow resin build up from the cement which reinforces the ABS/PS bond since ABS will also melt a bit when saturated enough with the solvent from cement).

A Query via Email...

I got this email from JML (his initials), asking me about my painting process.  It's in Tagalog, but he simply asked about the Semco acrylic paints and if I used an Airbrush (AB).

This got me thinking, why not make this a regular segment?  I will post email queries and make it part of my blog in the Tutorials section so everyone can benefit from it.


--- On Mon, 7/12/10, JML<***************@gmail.com> wrote:

From: JML
Subject: re: painting
To: xanderx007@yahoo.com
Date: Monday, July 12, 2010, 10:40 PM

Hi sir xander, pahabol na tanong lang sir, curious lang ako nakita ko na gumamit ka ng semco paints for your Ronin Astray project so gusto ko lang malaman kung ok ba syang gamitin sa mga kits? also sir gumagamit ba kayo ng Airbrush kasi parang napansin ko na wala kayong ginamit na AB sa mga build niyo? at yung mga bosny paint na ginamit niyo is there any way to recreate them using AB kung may idea lang po kayo kasi parang pakiramdam ko if I use an spray can I would just mess it up, I don't I haven't tried it yet pero nagbabalak ako pagka kumpleto na ko kasi madami na kong nakatamabak na kits na gusto ko sanang gawin OOB pero I'm still practicing at magkukumpleto pa ko ng mga gamit at materials para hindi mahirap, well sir goodluck sa mga builds at sinusundan ko yung blog mo ang lupet lalo na yung big red.well sir thanks sa time and looking forward to your future builds

JML,

I was planning to use the semco acrylics for the dio, which I haven't finished.  For kits, I paint exclusively with Bosny and RJ spray cans.  Both Cans and AB can be messy if you don't know what you're doing, in a rush or not careful.

The gradient/multitone schemes are actually easier and finer with an AB than with cans, but, I prefer not to invest on an AB because I wouldn't have other practical uses for it and would only be laying around when I'm not doing gunpla.  I prefer the throw-away convenience of cans as well as the the texture I can achieve with metallic paints.  I prefer texture/grainyness over a smooth texture because it gives the paint job its identity.

Angelus Rising Part III: Of Horns and Wings

The Angelus Horn.  Like in most kits, the V-fins and horns are often the most easiest to modify or customize.  These are identifiers of those MS designs that sport them, and is most variable in protagonist machines.  The Sinanju's stock horn is very basic and is similar to the "stabilizer fin" of most Zakus and seem out of place in a slew of curvy and massive armor plates.

Scratchbuilding master Julius "Juju" Lim built a whole Sinanju using an MG Saz as a base which was also featured later on in an Issue of Dengeki.  I kinda like how he remodeled the Sinanju's horn and made it look organic.

But, rather than copy his redesign, I opted to design mine own that follows the Angelic theme I had in mind, well, sort of.  I usually start with a sketch, and with trial and error prototyping, arrived at this semi-final shape.

Shift...

Paradigm Shift. A change from one way of thinking to another. It's a revolution, a transformation, a sort of metamorphosis. It just does not happen, but rather it is driven by agents of change.

A shift is on the horizon...

Angelus Rising Part II: The Revelation

The Rise of the Angelus.  A Major Update.  By now, a few people already have an idea what kit the Angelus is built on.  The Sinanju, by far, is my most favorite MS design (next is the GN-X, then the Exia), both in form and "functionality."  It has the perfect blend of lines and curves, and has a great overall balance.  My first Sinanju, the Grim Impaler, attests to that; it looks great out of the box, and better with the right color scheme even without modifications.

The Angelus technically is a year in the making, after I've shelved the Impaler X/Devil Wings idea.  I've now resurrected it and gave it a new call sign, as well as a new overall concept.  Like I mentioned before, this is a thematic, non-Gundam universe build, so I guess I'll have a few more raised eyebrows and condemnation from a few UC hardcores I know.

Lighting Up the Angelus' Mono-Eye.  LEDs have always been a dilemma for me mainly because it has been difficult to procure small enough SMT/SMC (Surface Mount) LEDs.  The smallest I could get so far were the standard 3mm bulbs, then I was able to find a few 1X2mm surface mounts at a cellphone shop at Baclaran, which later on proved a bit difficult to use because of its size (as in, they are almost flat, and their contacts are a tad too small for my taste).  Then a fellow modeler tipped me off to a shop near De La Salle Taft called e-Gizmo.  The shop sells a lot of nifty electronics stuff, surplus machine and board parts, robotics, and of course, LEDs.  Though their LED selection is still basically limited, they have more compared to other shops like Alexan and Deeco.

I got me a few 1X2mm Surface Mount LEDs, but it was these that got my interest.