Renegade Freedom, clear to launch!

After a ton of other projects, I finally found the time to get back to this one. Presenting my latest completed build: Renegade Freedom!

Click on the Read More link for the rest of this post... (pic heavy)


The RG Freedom has so much detail out of the box, I found it hard to come up with a redesign that would suit my taste. Out of all the projects I've done, the conceptualization stage for this took the longest.

Modifying an RG kit is NOT easy. The parts you have to work with are so small. In any case, I was finally able to throw in (and remove) a few things to get it looking the way I want it to.

The rear skirt was replaced with some parts from an Avalanche Exia. The chest guns were shaved and replaced with pla plate detail. Some pla plate was also added to the chest vents for a sharper look.

The waist armor has been trimmed and the torso was extended. Four working hydraulic cylinders mounted on magnets have been installed for added mechanical detail without reducing waist articulation. The feet have been given heels to complement the rear skirt. The shin armors have also been trimmed to expose internal detail.

 The bow was constructed from the wing cannons, some extra parts and some pla plate. This made the wings lighter, improving overall balance. The shield was modified with pla plate to function as a quiver, and is mounted onto the side skirt for arrow accessibility. The arrows are made of pla plate and tubes.

Some scribing, pla plate detail and metal photo-etch bits were also added. I originally had an LED installed in the head, but there was way too much light bleed that I decided to ditch it. There was also a diorama planned for this guy, but it will have to wait. Minor weathering was done with clear smoke, and waterslides from Samuel Decal were used in place of the stock stickers. The final topcoat used was Future (Johnson's Wipe N Shine) mixed with a bit of Mr. Hobby flat base for a satin finish.

This build will be my entry to Mechapinoy's upcoming Formula 1/144 Anniversary event, to be held tentatively at the SMX convention center this August. I've joined several online competitions before, but this will be the first time I'll be taking a kit to an actual live event. I am both excited and terrified. I know for a fact this isn't my best paint job, as I've learned a lot over the period where this project went into hiatus - but I am hopeful that it will at least grab the attention of my fellow builders and receive some praise as it is.

A few more angles before we wrap up... (click on the images to view in full size)

As always, I leave you with a simple cost analysis for this project.

Stay tuned for updates on my next project. Till next time, keep building plamo!