Ikaruga Model!

[greg]

Mintyfresh/Mouser, am I correct in assuming that the model gives two build options: a white or a black ship?

[GaijinPunch]

So for someone that knows jack shit about making models, they could probably put this together and not have it look like a 5th grade science project?

[mouser]

Mintyfresh/Mouser, am I correct in assuming that the model gives two build options: a white or a black ship?

Nope, colors are only for the white ship. I suppose the white parts could be sprayed with this for black, but the decals provided only have blue colors, not red

So for someone that knows jack shit about making models, they could probably put this together and not have it look like a 5th grade science project?

Hmmm...I think so, just make sure you have something like these for cutting the parts from the sprue:



...and there's these two pieces that connects the wings to the center of the ship that will definitely need either superglue or plastic cement.

Other than that....instructions are in Japanese, but I just looked at the pictures and figured it out.

[greg]

Uh, yeah... I wouldn't recommend modeling novices to use superglue. That's a disaster waiting to happen. Use the regular glue that takes a bit to set. It'll give you a second or third chance in case you make a mistake.

[MintyTheCat]

I finally caved in and had to pick one up. It looks lovely.

Many thanks for the Photos Jeff. The boxart looks stunning.

[Obiwanshinobi]

So for someone that knows jack shit about making models, they could probably put this together and not have it look like a 5th grade science project?

Don't start with an expensive, complex model. Practice on something cheap beforehand (import if there aren't any cheap models in local stores). Read some book on the subject as well.

Uh, yeah... I wouldn't recommend modeling novices to use superglue. That's a disaster waiting to happen. Use the regular glue that takes a bit to set. It'll give you a second or third chance in case you make a mistake.

When I was (briefly) into model kits, a special glue (nothing expensive) mixing itself with the plastic was standard. The combination of materials had that melting effect giving the joints proper heft.

[bcass]

A small cheap Zoid would be a good thing to practice on as they come on sprues like this kit and assemble in a similar fashion. This company has actually produced quite a few high-end Zoids over the years.

[Minzoku]

jesus fuck

For that price, you could buy THREE sundaes!

[mouser]

Uh, yeah... I wouldn't recommend modeling novices to use superglue. That's a disaster waiting to happen. Use the regular glue that takes a bit to set. It'll give you a second or third chance in case you make a mistake.

Hmm....I did superglue my fingers together a little too often as a kid....okay, nix the superglue

I never tried the normal Elmer's glue on a model though, so I'm not sure how strong the hold would be.

[mortified_penguin]

jesus fuck

Different kit. YetiGK sells prepainted bootlegs of garage kits at ridiculous prices. His/her? hundreds of listing are annoying as hell when searching for legitimate items on ebay.

[Gmintyfresh]

Uh, yeah... I wouldn't recommend modeling novices to use superglue. That's a disaster waiting to happen. Use the regular glue that takes a bit to set. It'll give you a second or third chance in case you make a mistake.

Hmm....I did superglue my fingers together a little too often as a kid....okay, nix the superglue

I never tried the normal Elmer's glue on a model though, so I'm not sure how strong the hold would be.

Thanks I've been watching your top tips, they really have been helpful. Going to have a go at building mine when I've done a bit more practice. To be honest my experience of building model kits is limited to building airfix kits of planes when I was a kid!!

I finally caved in and had to pick one up. It looks lovely.

Many thanks for the Photos Jeff. The boxart looks stunning.

No problem

[greg]

I never tried the normal Elmer's glue on a model though, so I'm not sure how strong the hold would be.

Ugh, no! You can find Testor's glue at any hobby/crafts store. Elmer's is white and messy. It's great for seven year olds' art projects gluing construction paper together. Not plastic models.

Trust me guys, you just need some regular Testor's glue, if at all. I imagine this kit might not even need any gluing.

Specineff, your Virtual On model by Kotobukiya does't require much gluing at all, right?

[mouser]

A shot of how the Ikaruga model will look unpainted:

http://dalong.net/review/kotobukiya/ika1/ika1_p.htm

[greg]

This is so cool. I can't afford this model at the moment, but eventually I want to get this as well as the Leynos model.

I hope they come out with a Radiant Silvergun model eventually! I remember seeing something like that in a Hobby Japan magazine, but I believe it was a garage kit.

[SFKhoa]

Black version of the Ikaruga model is available for preorder. It'll be released sometime in October.

[cyprien]

Ordered the white ship from AmiAmi, mail-person never left a notice(twice) and now it's back in Japan. =\ They refunded the cost of the kit so I think I'm just gonna order it from HLJ now.

[mouser]

Black version of the Ikaruga model is available for preorder. It'll be released sometime in October.

Cool! Preordered! If Kotobukiya's willing to release the black Ikaruga, here's hoping they're willing to get the 2P ship, the Ginkei, out to the masses. After all, the original resin kit's already been created.

Ordered the white ship from AmiAmi, mail-person never left a notice(twice) and now it's back in Japan. =\ They refunded the cost of the kit so I think I'm just gonna order it from HLJ now.

Dang, that sucks....EMS shipping is like $30 My sympathies...

[greg]

Ordered the white ship from AmiAmi, mail-person never left a notice(twice) and now it's back in Japan. =\ They refunded the cost of the kit so I think I'm just gonna order it from HLJ now.

If there is tracking, the USPS should be able to determine who the mail carrier was on both days. If they weren't leaving notices, they weren't doing the job right. You could make a case that due to their negligence/incompetence, they cost you the shipping for this parcel. At least the mail carrier will be reprimanded for not doing their job right.

Good news about the black version. I may just hold out and get this one instead. Sexy!

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Was checking out the NCSX site today and lo behold, the Kotobukiya model kit of Ikaruga is up for ordering today. With an impressive 150 seperate parts, it'll take a good snail's pace to get it put together, painted & glued right the first time. Am mulling as to whether or not to get one for my own personal modelling kit collection. Hmmm...I'll just have to bite the bullet and order one for myself. Cool to hear that Kotobukiya is releasing the black Ikaruga variant model upcoming October 2011.

http://www.shopncsx.com/ikarguawhitefine.aspx

And why not whip up some cool Ikaruga end-stage boss model kits (and have a cool scratch-built Ikaruga/boss background scenery diorama set to spice things up)? For that extra detailed realism, some minature LEDs would be even better placed inside the Ikaruga fightercraft -- it's just a matter of figuring out the wiring layout and mounting of the mini LEDs to accomodate such a cool mod though + the utilization of some tiny button cell batteries to illuminate the LEDs. This type of extra detailing isn't for the novice modeller, of course, since such parts would have to be further modified to accept extra internal components. But if it's done right the first time, it's well worth it in the end. (This type of extra detailing/realism is commonplace with the Hollywood minature models effects studios that make them completely from scratch for the big budget sci-fi films like T2, Aliens, Robot Jox, etc.)

(Old school mecha modellers might recall the awesome Gunze Sangyo produced Dorvack anime series Powered Armored (PA) kits that came out back in 1984 were ahead of their time for allowing the option to use optional mini-wheat based light bulbs and a pair of "AA" batteries to power/light them up. Even came with a handy off/on switch as well.)

I do have a pair of cool Kotobukiya Armored Core kits...so they are quite detailed from the get-go and no glue is needed to construct them. It's just that I haven't found the spare time to properly sit down and put them together. Surely, they'll be done one day as a "rainy-day" project type of deal.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I finally ordered myself one of those cool Kotobukiya white colored variant Ikaruga model kits. Should be a delight to put together, considering the high standards of Kotobukiya themselves with producing model kits. What's nice about their model kits is that if you don't feel like painting them when putting them together, the plastic parts are already colored in for you just like with the Bandai Gundam model kits nowdays.

Only if such a transforming model kit of the famous Ka-1 and/or Ka-2 (aka Mosquito 1 & Mosquito 2) fightercraft from Mars Matrix were made, that'd be ace to buy/construct.

I remember going to a Japanese model shop in Akihabara and coming across some professionally built and airbrushed Gundam models. The most expensive one was priced at 400,000 yen and the cheapest one was priced at 30,000 yen. There was a sign posted saying "We ship to USA"...but still too pricey for me. It was nice to look at them through the fancy glass display case though.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Evrain]

One question: does someone know of a retailer in Europe that carries the Hitekkai Ikaruga? I would love to get my hands on a kit, but customs here in Italy would outright rape my wallet...
Also, I see paint is required to give the ship more than the standard details: now, I have some experience building Gundams and those lovely Keroro dioramas (don't ask), but not with painting them. Are specific types of paint required, like those sold in shops, or can I simply bring the reference card to the local hardware store and ask, say, for acrylic paint with that point in color?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

For Evrain,

It'd be best to go to a hobby shop that sells plastic model kits and take the reference card with you so that the hobby shop owner can suggest buying the proper colors to paint the Hitekkai Ikaruga model (as it should appear in real life/in-game). Of course, if you have access to an airbrush/compressor setup, it'd look much better than if painted by hand (for that more uniform and consistant applied paint application).

Painting by hand sometimes takes a really good steady hand, especially when applying those super thin black painted lines for extra detailing -- you can use one of those handy weighted bases with flexible bendy arms with a metal spring loaded clip on the ends of the arms to hold said plastic parts for painting purposes/and for the paint to settle/dry as well.

Or you could use one of those super-handy Gundam pen-based black detailing markers...it gets the job done quite well.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Evrain]

For Evrain,

It'd be best to go to a hobby shop that sells plastic model kits and take the reference card with you so that the hobby shop owner can suggest buying the proper colors to paint the Hitekkai Ikaruga model (as it should appear in real life/in-game).

Thing is, they are harder to find than a needle in a haystack here where I live Or better, there are a few in the city I work in, but I seriously doubt they carry such specific items. Any brands/average prices I should look for?

Of course, if you have access to an airbrush/compressor setup, it'd look much better than if painted by hand (for that more uniform and consistant applied paint application).

Compressor yes, airbrush no: at best it's going to be hand painting, unless I can use the gun attachment for large surfaces. However, I think 100W/160bar are a tad bit overkill?
Will have to look for an airbrush attachment

Painting by hand sometimes takes a really good steady hand, especially when applying those super thin black painted lines for extra detailing -- you can use one of those handy weighted bases with flexible bendy arms with a metal spring loaded clip on the ends of the arms to hold said plastic parts for painting purposes/and for the paint to settle/dry as well.

Got it!
About cutting the pieces loose from the grilles, so far I've either used plain patience by gently bending the junctions back and forth until they broke at the piece, a common clipper pincer or a surgical scalpel (being an intern helps when procuring hardware...), the latter also for refining: is it worth buying a specific clipper or am I still good to go?

Or you could use one of those super-handy Gundam pen-based black detailing markers...it gets the job done quite well.

Hmm I've never really seen them, ebay time I guess. I do own detailing pens but for hand drawing, I assume they are not the same thing?

As for Europe-based shops, no tips?
Thank you for your precious advice

[PC Engine Fan X!]

For Evrain,

It'd be best to go to a hobby shop that sells plastic model kits and take the reference card with you so that the hobby shop owner can suggest buying the proper colors to paint the Hitekkai Ikaruga model (as it should appear in real life/in-game).

Thing is, they are harder to find than a needle in a haystack here where I live Or better, there are a few in the city I work in, but I seriously doubt they carry such specific items. Any brands/average prices I should look for?

Of course, if you have access to an airbrush/compressor setup, it'd look much better than if painted by hand (for that more uniform and consistant applied paint application).

Compressor yes, airbrush no: at best it's going to be hand painting, unless I can use the gun attachment for large surfaces. However, I think 100W/160bar are a tad bit overkill?
Will have to look for an airbrush attachment

Painting by hand sometimes takes a really good steady hand, especially when applying those super thin black painted lines for extra detailing -- you can use one of those handy weighted bases with flexible bendy arms with a metal spring loaded clip on the ends of the arms to hold said plastic parts for painting purposes/and for the paint to settle/dry as well.

Got it!
About cutting the pieces loose from the grilles, so far I've either used plain patience by gently bending the junctions back and forth until they broke at the piece, a common clipper pincer or a surgical scalpel (being an intern helps when procuring hardware...), the latter also for refining: is it worth buying a specific clipper or am I still good to go?

Or you could use one of those super-handy Gundam pen-based black detailing markers...it gets the job done quite well.

Hmm I've never really seen them, ebay time I guess. I do own detailing pens but for hand drawing, I assume they are not the same thing?

As for Europe-based shops, no tips?
Thank you for your precious advice

I'm based out of the USA so I couldn't help you about the Europe-based hobby shops in regards to pricing of said hobby-grade based paints.

If you can find/source a Testors brand "Micro Shear Sprue Cutter," those are quite invaluable for cutting plastic parts off of the plastic tree and minimizes the possibility of excessive plastic "flash" bits or you can use a scapel/hobby knife (and get the same job done properly). And yes, a hobby knife or scapel is handy for removing any excess paint on the gluing side portion of the plastic parts for the glue to set (to get a better surface adhesive contact area).

If your local hobby shops in the city stocks (American branded) Testors or (Japanese branded) Gunze Sangyo produced hobby paints, those work quite well with said plastic model kits. Or if they don't, ask them to special order them in for you. Can't hurt to ask though.

About those techincal art pens, those are quite different compared to the Gundam detail pen marker sets. Any good hobby shop will have those type of Gundam detailing pen marker sets in stock...they're necessary if you want your completed & painted model to really stand out.

Not to mention, you can also buy a transparent display case to showcase your completed model if you wish to do so. And by adding some optional minature lighting within the display case itself, said model can be futher illuminated for that cool and professional highlighted effect/overall presentation.

There's a fine art to applying water-based decals/stickers to model kits as well. A steady hand, a super sharp hobby knife and/or scissors to cut them down to size, and plenty of patience to position them just right before the water-based decals dry. You can apply a thin layer of special model decal coating to further protect said decals from the elements/enviroment (to keep them from cracking/peeling away later on as the years go by).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Evrain]

I admit to having no experience with water decals, so I'll have to either seek live help or buy a stack of printable decal paper and start exercising the models I have built so far were much simpler, to be honest, in terms of building process - snap the pieces together, superglue everything that is not a juncture, make sure there are no residues, apply decals. Rinse and repeat.

I've found an italian shop that carries it for roughly 70$ (50€) but I'm slightly wary of buying knowing the effort it takes, stitching wounds and painting walls I do just fine, building polarity-switching crafts is a whole different matter altogether.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Lol! Yeah, it's something else putting together such a reverse polarity fightercraft...but like just with any other hobby, with the right tools, everything will be much easier to get it painted, glued and displayed. Or you could ask a hobby shop if they know any professional or semi-professional model kit builders in the area and if they would be willing to paint, build it for you at the right price. Then all the hard work would be taken care for you. That's another option to consider as well.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Evrain]

Lol! Yeah, it's something else putting together such a reverse polarity fightercraft...but like just with any other hobby, with the right tools, everything will be much easier to get it painted, glued and displayed. Or you could ask a hobby shop if they know any professional or semi-professional model kit builders in the area and if they would be willing to paint, build it for you at the right price. Then all the hard work would be taken care for you. That's another option to consider as well.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Letting others build it would spoil the fun I guess I'll simply start looking around for the required paints and markers, and then off we go. And in the meantime, train to hell and back with the decals: I'm particularly worried by the "wing" ones, from the shots it seems they also extend to the tiny appendices, and if I got it correctly they need to be cut down to exact size, right?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Yep, they'd need to be cut down to the exact size. You could get some specialized hobby-grade micro cutting scissors, perfect for precise cutting such intricate decals right the first time around. Any good modeller has one in his/her model kit tool stash if it needed be.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Evrain]

Yep, they'd need to be cut down to the exact size. You could get some specialized hobby-grade micro cutting scissors, perfect for precise cutting such intricate decals right the first time around. Any good modeller has one in his/her model kit tool stash if it needed be.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

I think micro surgical scissors should do the trick equally well... in doubt, I'll ask around, or ask for the decals only to be applied by someone more skilled. Oh whatever, I like this kit too much to not pull the trigger.

[greg]

Compressor yes, airbrush no: at best it's going to be hand painting, unless I can use the gun attachment for large surfaces. However, I think 100W/160bar are a tad bit overkill?
Will have to look for an airbrush attachment

What is that compressor used for? If it's for filling up car tires, it will be way too powerful to try to attach an airbrush. An airbrush compressor will only put out about 12-16 PSI.

Unless you're serious about getting into plastic modeling as a hobby, I'd suggest getting some model paints in a spray can. What colors are listed in the instructions? I can't imagine there being anything more than white, black, and an engine gray color or something. Testors makes enamel paints in spray cans, and Tamiya makes lacquer paints in spray cans. Mr. Hobby Color also comes in lacquer, but you'll likely not be able to find those, judging by your description of where you live. Give it a misting coat at first, then wait 30 seconds. Make sure to hold the can no more than about four inches away from the plastic, and pass over it back and forth real fast until you cover the model.

Once you are satisfied with the painting, give it a gloss clear coat. apply a decal setter to the area where the water slide will go. This helps to give the decal a surface to stick to. Once it is set and dry, apply a decal solution to melts the decal's film to the surface. Then when you go over it again with another gloss coat, the edge around the seal will nearly disappear, giving the decal a "painted on" look.

There are two products for the setter and solution. There's Micro Set and Micro Sol, made by Microscale Industries. Then there is Mr. Mark Setter and Mr. Mark Softer by Gunze Sangyo. You can watch me applying this process to a car model in this video. I'm using the Mr. Mark Setter (blue bottle) and Mr. Mark Softer (green bottle) in the video. After this, I gave it another clear coat and it looked fabulous.