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MG 1/100 Zaku FII (Out of Box build) |
Posted by Whitebase : 18th May 2008
- 3:00pm
Experiencing a ‘brain dead’ period where I have absolutely zero inspiration to do any of my other existing builds which are mod intensive. So I decided to take it easy and start a ‘simple’ OOB build. If I complete this project, it will be my first OOB and also my first MG! Yayy! So the model I chose to be my guinea pig is the MS06F-2 Zaku II F2. The kit looks pretty good straight out of the box, so I won’t be tempted to modify it at all… I hope. That plus the fact that I have 3 of these makes it the best candidate… I started out by sanding the many rings for the conductive cables on the head, torso and legs. This was done by cannibalizing on a motorized massage toothbrush I bought for a couple of buck long ago. |
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The rotating pin of the motor is layered with just enough tape to make it thick enough to hold the rings. Switch on the motor and sand away! I used more or less the same basics here, from a course 500grit, moving on to 800 / 100 grit. |
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Next up the head parts. The original design of the kit separates the top and bottom portions of the head to allow easy access to the internals so that the mono-eye can be posed. |
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The assembly requires internal structure to be ‘threaded’ through the lower head part like so. |
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This result in an unsightly seam line in the head assembly. If we glue this up permanently then the internal parts would be locked in as well. It would also mean that for painting purpose, I would need to complete all internals first, mask the clear plastic visor, then glue the outer shell, sand putty etc… you get the idea. |
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So I did some minor cutting to allow for easier assembly. I started out with the rear part like so. |
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Then excess plastic was removed from the lower plate, so that the entire assembly can be mounted on like a helmet, instead of the ‘threading’ through action. |
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The top, bottom and nose portion of the outer helmet was then glued in place. The nose area of the internal skeleton was separated so that it can be inserted into the nose area of the outer helmet like so. |
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Here’s how the assembly looks like right now, where the entire outer shell behaves like a helmet. |
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| MG 1/100 Zaku FII (Out of Box build) |
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This is achieved via a slot which the entire shoulder assembly sits in. |
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Then entire block sits in the body cavity like so… |
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To facilitate painting, slots were cut up like so, to allow the entire shoulder joint assembly to be pulled out completely. The cut way area was sanded back shape. |
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Next up the legs… The MG Zaku F2 comes with a moveable piston gimmick which looks really cool, but makes painting a bit difficult. Also, the upper thigh, the knee block and also the lover calf pieces will be locked in as 1 single piece. |
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I got around the piston problem by just shaving and sanding away some excess plastic. Shown here is the comparison of the original part versus the one I reshaped. |
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With the reshaped piece, I can now fit in the piston into the upper leg assembly easily... |
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The knee block can be assembled post painting like so… |
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Problem solved… _ |
