MG Kampfer WIP 4

This is WIP 4 for the MG Kampfer. You can find previous WIPs of this build here:

wip1
wip2
wip3



(warning: pic heavy)

I made major progress in the past couple of weeks. The final modifications for the main mecha are now in place: I've painted, sealed and panel lined about 80% of the kit, I'm about 50% done with the decals, and around 70% done with the wiring.

Here are the final mods prior to painting (missing the backpack and main weapon. Both arms and shoulders will look the same)

The paint turned out rough in some areas, as expected from a novice airbrush user, although most of the mistakes are attributed to the base coat of chrome (spray can) going on too thick. It also seemed like the clear parts did not take the chrome too well, and almost always resulted in a textured finish. The 3 layers of clear green + clear yellow and 2 layers of clear coat (Jhonson's Wipe N' Shine) smoothed it out a bit, but the roughness is still visible.

I opened up a portion of the lower arm to look like a hatch so the elbow canisters can stick out.
This mod also lets me use the same type of fuse as the ones on the shoulders. I didn't want to have loose wires going from the shoulder battery down to the elbow, so I went looking for something to sleeve the wires up. I ended up with this metal bracelet, which I think fits the design quite well. I would have preferred tubing similar to the ones on the torso, but this metal one will do for now until i find a source for those. The bracelets are from Saizen (a japanese thrift store) and come in packs of 2.

I've added magnets to the shoulder armor for easy removal of the upper section that houses the battery. The magnets are kept in place with pla plate. You might also notice my failed attempt at seam fixing...something that primer would have revealed, but in fear of erasing the hard work I put into line scribing i decided to skip that step...and suffered the consequences. Nothing like learning the hard way!

The waist spacer works well but did not turn out as nice as I would have liked. I gained valuable experience though so it was worth the effort.

I was able to try my hand at some shading as well by spraying heavier around the edges, which is amplified by the natural shadowing properties of clear tinted paint. Despite the errors I have to say the finish on this is a lot better than my hand painted sinanju.

The wiring is a p.i.t.a and i've dinged the paint job quite a bit just getting everything in place...hope to cover up the booboos with sufficient weathering though.

The remaining activities I have lined up for this project are as follows:
1. decals (50%) complete
2. hand painting
3. weathering
4. top coat
5. metal parts detailing (pins, screws)
6. build, paint and finish backpack
7. build, paint and finish main weapon
8. build a base / diorama (optional)