Introduction—Aaron Skinner

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Skinner Try stellar asuper vinyl vignette—Aaron Master style—Steve Gundam Pontius Replicate an extraterrestrial RV—Mat Irvine RV—MatReplicate an extraterrestrial Irvine Light aStar and detail Destroyer—Nicholas Sagan Skinner Working aball—Aaron is resin with Hasegawa Vega/AltairHasegawa Wave and Raptor, Maschinen Krieger Make Hair red—Brad see aViper

scratch—Ro Annis from astarfighter Start techniques!—Mat Irvine modeling simple Holy Sink your claws into a superhero—Tim Kidwell Elevate to Boba Fett contest quality—Jeff Pollizzotto Paint Flaptter—Aaron Skinner afantastic Dragonfly—JeffLight the up supersonic Pollizzotto Improve post-apocalyptic and pose W foes—Brett figures—Joe plastic Produce purr-fect Hudson Skinner Spray airbrushing—Aaron when ontarget Skinner new techniques, out newExplore seek projects—Aaron Skinner Introduction—Aaron Polar Batmobile, Lights Batman Polar Wolverine, Lights X-Men Star Fett, Wars Boba Bandai Flaptter, CastleBandai the Sky in Dragonfly,Moebius Jonny Quest Catwoman, Moebius Revell X-wing, Star Wars Trek Star USS Enterprise, Polar Lights Y-wing, Destroyer, Star Star Republic Revell Wars Chariot, LostMoebius Space in the of Guardians Galaxy Raccoon, Rocket with Groot Dragon RX-78,Bandai Suit Gundam: The Mobile Origin Models Xenomorph, DarkSkyhook Star Viper, Mk.I Moebius Galactica Battlestar Star Wars . . Batman ......

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1 2 To make the Scarlet Viper, a little surgery to the kit is required, In a second round of surgery, the Viper’s unique swept wing is 100 starting with the intakes. With a razor saw, I cut the intakes at achieved by cutting a triangle out of the wings and filing and XXXXXXXXX around a 45 degree angle, and then sanded them smooth and to sanding to shape. Deck shape.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY BY LINE

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91 Master Gundam style 12 BY STEVE PONTIUS

n 1979, Mobile Suit Gundam revolutionized the mecha genre of science-fiction anime. Gone were “right vs. wrong” 1 2 3 stories, replaced by complex subjects such as the human costs I begin each build by assembling the kit Removing some of the armor reveals the This pose demonstrates the range of of war, the role of youth as soldiers, and the causes of armed according to the instructions. This gives ABS-based internal frame. articulation possible with the internal Iconflict. In the far future, humans establish large space colonies me a chance to look for areas I can change frame. There are two separate joints in the near Earth to supply the overpopulated and polluted planet and note how any modifications may left knee, and the figure tilts in the middle with resources. A faction of the colonists plan to declare affect movement or stability. This kit is of the waist. independence from the Earth Federation and create a new equipped with the weapons used in the government in space known as the Principality of Zeon. Secretly, Origin manga. the colonists modify the large humanoid robot suits used to construct colonies, and turn them into weapons of war known as mobile suits. To counter this threat, the Earth Federation develops their own powerful prototype mobile suit, the RX-78-2 Gundam. Since 1979, Bandai has produced scores of kits of many sizes, scales, and complexities. Over the years, there have been many interpretations of the original Gundam. I built a kit based on a version seen in a recent manga adaptation, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. The 1/100 scale Master Grade RX-78-02 Gundam (Origin version) features a wide selection of accessories, including removable armor and a fully articulated inner frame. Bandai’s engineering on its modern Gundam kits is exceptional with injection technology that is among the best in the industry. Dips, flash, and pin marks are rare, and its push- together fit lets builders of any experience create a nice replica out of the box. Painting presents challenges because the tight tolerances and numerous moving parts require good color adhesion. For experienced modelers, the fun of building these kits lies in designing and modifying the parts to create something unique. design the same but add detail and enhance the realism. And Some builders try new variations of suits to fit a specific theater some modelers imagine what their own mobile suit would be in the series, much as an armor modeler does. Others keep the like. A recent trend is modifying and painting the kits to look 4 5 6 exactly like the old low-budget animation cels. From flashy I began by sketching out ideas directly on Small pieces of styrene help maintain On the chest hatch, I added scalloped A law student from Tulsa, Okla., Steve built models as a kid and has fond candy paint to heavily rusted husks, mecha builds allow for an the parts for some changes I wanted to distance from other parts when scribing rectangular details that are common in memories of watching Gundam Wing. Five years ago, he found a kit enormous degree of freedom. The only rule is “Do whatever you make. lines. The GSI Creos Mr. Line Chisel is my mecha design. I cut thin sheet styrene he hadn’t built and rediscovered the hobby. Mecha kits are his favorites think is cool.” favorite tool for scribing—and I’ve tried and molded it to the top surface and then because of the variety of designs, the blend of functional and aesthetic For this build, I kept the design close to the original but added almost everything! added a latch at the top. elements, and the freedom to customize. some detail.

103 Light and detail a Star Destroyer BY NICHOLAS SAGAN

1 2 Out of the box, Revell’s Venator builds okay, but it lacks detail After examining the kit parts, I marked areas in need of 15 when compared to the screen shots from Revenge of the Sith. improvement or replacement.

3 4 Using 3-D modeling software (SketchUp), I created upgraded The hull required modification to fit the 3-D printed parts. I parts that could be produced on a 3-D printer. They will replace removed plastic to make room for the turret bay drops and the sidewall trenches, ventral and dorsal hangars, main bridges, dorsal hangar doors. ventral trench, and the bays beneath and in front of the main turrets. irst seen in Revenge of the Sith, the Venator- box-scale has become popular as a good middle class Star Destroyer’s bulk and sharp lines ground for larger science fiction and naval Fcaptivated me. Superior to its predecessor, subjects. Many frigates, destroyers, and other the clunky-looking Acclamator-class assault ship, support vessels can be found in resin or 3-D this modest behemoth served during the transi- printed on the aftermarket.) tion from the Old Republic to the Galactic Empire I wanted to build a Venator from the and its hulking Imperial-class Star Destroyer. transition period with details akin to the later Revell produced a 1/2256 scale kit of the Imperial-class ships. Venator in 2005 to coincide with the release of Lighting a model can be intimidating, but Revenge of the Sith. (In response, the odd with practice, lighting brings your ships to life. Different techniques can be used, and there’s no Like most kids who like science fiction, Nicholas’ initial exposure was to one right way to do it. The choice comes down to 5 6 Ertl kits, which his father picked up on business trips. After a long pause After cleaning up the new openings, I attached the black 3-D Unlike those parts, the dorsal hangar doors easily dropped into to discover growing up and everything that went with it, he dove preference, accuracy, ability, and feasibility. You printed bays. They required extra trimming for a good fit, and place. headfirst back into the hobby in 2004 and has yet to surface. can light just about anything if you plan. scrap styrene helped align the parts and cover gaps.

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