The Sazabi build has been progressing nicely since my last post. 70% or so of the kit is completed, with only the arms, shield, and gun remaining. The kit looks amazing now that it is really coming together. The addition of the head and wiring of the LED’s really made it look fantastic. I am hoping to have the rest of the kit finished up in the next week or 2.

The current project on my workbench is the massive 1/72 Sazabi from G-System. One of my absolute favorite designs, this rendition of the Sazabi is spectacular. Standing 43cm tall at the highest point, this kit is gigantic. I have completed just about all of the lower 1/2, and have begun work on the upper body and arms. The kit is progressing nicely, and I am hoping to have it done within the next month or so. Keep an eye out for updates!

In order to properly end 2009 and kick off the new year, I present the kick off to my kit reviews. I am going to start with the newly released 1/60 Gerbera Tetra from G-System. This kit is a full resin kit, with an internal frame, and a multitude of metal option parts. It retails for $424 USD plus shipping and is currently available from www.g-system-shop.com or www.hobbyfan.com.

Basic Kit specs:

Height 345mm

Width 230mm

Depth 400mm (with backpack on)

Resin parts 265

Aluminum parts 125

The Gerbera Tetra is the first multi color resin cast kit from G-System, and the kit comes brightly cast in six distinct colors. The quality of the color parts is on par with any other colored resin kits I’ve come across, however this is the first I’ve experienced that can literally be built without any major painting.  Actual part review and kit breakdown will be in Part 2 of the review, so look for it soon.

Out of the box, the presentation is top notch and G-System has really stepped up the overall buyer experience since they started selling kits many years ago. The overall quality of the packaging and extras when put side by side with any of their older releases has really improved immensely. The first 100 orders came with a commemorative gold plated plaque with the number of the kit embossed on the face. The plaque was then presented in a satin clam shell box with the kit name and details on the top. Along with the kit came a photo cd full of various pictures of the kit. The one item that stood out the most for me was the decal sheets that accompanied the kit. G-System included full die-cut waterslides that features several metal etch/silver coated decals that really look great. The decal quality is on par, if not better then the Bandai option decal sheets for MG’s and such.

Initial impressions so far, this kit is a must have for any 0083/Gundam fan. Once I get further into the part review and assembly, I will provide more feedback on the overall experience, but presentation and packaging for this kit is a win. It finally feels like G-System wants to be taken seriously, and is offering a product to back that up. Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon!

The MG Viscious Project Infinite Justice has been finished and added to the completed gallery! Click the thumbnail below to go to the gallery.

Today I finished up the mobile suit itself, and was able to do the final assembly. I am really pleased with how it’s turned out so far, and love how the subdued colors really make this suit so much more interesting. I snapped some preliminary “finished” photos, and can’t wait until its all done and together. Next up will be finishing the backpack, gun, and shield which I will hopefully have done tomorrow/Monday.

Today was spent finishing up assembly on the backpack, as well as paint on the mobile suit. All of the parts have now been painted and are ready for their gloss coat so panel lining and decals can begin.

I’ve made a bunch of progress since the last post on the IJ. I was able to start on the paint this weekend, and have more then 1/2 of the mech painted so far. After talking with the owner a bit, he mentioned that he really liked the color scheme on the GN-X from Gundam 00. So I worked out a scheme that is similar to that, and played off the purple and dark hues used. There is a small teaser shot of part of the chest shown below. The rest are basic progress of the parts, base coats of Mr. Surfacer, as well as the first coat of gloss black on the torso section, which will become metallic silver.

I have added several new items to the gallery tonight. I have added my 1/3 scale Bome Meg that was completed back in September, right after I had finished up the 1/35 RX-78. I have also added my 1/35 Briegel that I had completed in May of 2007, and just tonight re-shot better photos of. The 2 Hazels were completed back in 2007, and I have just now taken decent photos of them, along with the MG Kampfer which was completed in 2006.

The 1/6 Saber has been completed and added to the gallery section. Click the picture below to see the final photos.

Tonight I continued work on the base plate for Saber to stand on. I had sprayed the base with a coat of primer the previous evening, and now was able to paint it, and begin a bit of weathering to start making it look like stone. The photos below show the stages of progress: Primer base, shadows, mid tone, final paint with gloss coat, first ink wash.

I sprayed the first flat coat on, and once thats dry I will begin working with some pastels and pigments to bring out the stone and dull the shadows a bit from the ink wash.