RG Freedom WIP 1

My EXS project is officially on hold to make way for this little guy...
I managed to snap him up in a reasonable amount of time, marking nubs with a green pen just to make sure I don't miss anything during cleanup.

Click on the read more link to see my progress!

My first impression was "damn, that's small!", which is understandable after working on the EXS. I'm going to have to consider size when planning any modifications, as extra complicated designs will be very difficult to pull off when scaled down.

The next thing that struck me about this kit is that it doesn't leave a lot of room for customization. It
took me a while to think of what direction to take with this build because the design is just so tight.
This is probably why there are hardly any heavily modified Freedoms out there. I had to stop thinking of it as the Freedom just to get the ideas flowing. Luckily I have pictures of Shunneige's RG Strike Azzuro for inspiration.

Although the RG line has fairly good proportions, I still prefer a more statuesque stance. This equates to proportion mods in the torso and legs, which is the first on my list. The internal frame for the legs on this thing come pre-built - so lengthening them is *almost* out of the question. For now, I'm modifying the feet to give it high heels.

..bitch I'm fabulous!

I've also added spacers to the pegs that connect to the feet. This leaves a gap between the shin and the ankle armor, giving it more room to move around, and more room for mechanical detailing later on.

Combined with the foot mod, this gives the legs the height I want. I'll be leaving a
gap between the front and back leg armors to show off some internal detail.

The torso also has a peg spacer, allowing the lower waist piece (the white part) to move down. This lets the chest dip sideways even more.

I trimmed off some internal frame here, and when fully bent, the gap on the side leaves ample room for more hydraulics.

In the final pose for this model I plan on showing off the articulation this kit is capable of, but
there's a catch...Bending it this much pinches the opposite side such that the white and blue parts meet, which means I'm actually just doing hydraulics for the side with the gap. I'll find a way to hold the hydraulics in place without having to glue them in, so I can still do other poses later on.

The hydraulics are built using plastic tubes, paperclips and IC pins. I plan on building even smaller ones...if I can conjure up even smaller tubes.

..tiny hydraulics are tiny...

I was able to order some waterslide decals from SamuelDecal.

My brother-in-law was generous enough to let me dig through his pile of HG scraps, so I may be
incorporating parts from other kits in this build. Mr. Gav was also kind enough to share his lineart for the Freedom, which will be a big help in coming up with a paint scheme.

That's all I have for now, but I've got a lot more mods planned. The segmented look on the white part of the knee cap is just bothering me too much...and the chest guns are probably going to be shaved off in favor of pla-plating similar to my EXS. The gun is just way too boring and will be either replaced or modified.

Stay tuned!