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I've never built a Zaku before. It's not that I don't like them - on the contrary, I actually love the design - reminiscent of a WW1 shock trooper in a gas mask - even though a breathing apparatus on a giant robot where the cockpit isn't even in the head makes absolutely no sense whatsoever - I think zakus look downright menacing. I've just never done one because there are so many ways I want to go about it, I couldn't make up my mind. The only way I think I can get myself to build a Zaku is if I had at least 3 of them going simultaneously. The only exception would be a commission build where the client had a solid grasp on what he wanted - which is exactly what this is.
This kit was surprisingly easy to build for an older design. The armor bits slot in snugly but hardly any of them lock in place, making disassembly for painting that much easier.
The only seam lines that need fixing are on the Chuck Norris Uzis, with the rest of the weapon barrels molded in single pieces. I remember how the GM Sniper required seam fixing on every gun, including the missile launchers and the rifle's external power source. Zeon > Feds on this one. The only real challenge was doing the pipes, but my DIY pipe sander made quick work of the little bastards.
The client wants a slightly weathered Grimoire color scheme for this build. Everything was given a light dusting of mr. surfacer 1200 - not enough to drown out the stock color but enough to give the paint some grip.
Most armor parts will be painted in a mix of black and brown, doing a sort of "quickie pre shade" (for lack of a better name). Basically it's just preshading with the base color, doing the recessed areas and borders of panels first.
Then I apply light coats of the same paint on the entire surface to blend the shaded areas, but taking care not to completely drown out the original color. I keep a previously painted piece handy for comparison, so I can check if the part I'm working on is already the same shade.
That's all I've got for now. Also on the chopping board are a couple of SDs, getting ready for their epic battle against the Neo Zeong.
Until next time, keep building plamo!
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