



Introduction:





Hitting a thousand subscribers on YouTube was good, getting a million hits on my blog was better; but completing 100 kits feels like I achieved a real milestone; and one I never thought I would actually reach. The RX 78-2 is the 'original' Gundam, but that's not the reason why I decided that this model had to be #100. I chose this kit because out of all of the models I had completed as commissions, I regretted not being able to keep the original 3.0 the most.





Kit Talk:





My goal was to build this model as cleanly as possible like the first one while pushing the detail further. I used the first model as a reference for color applications for the internal frame. I used a combination of dark metallic and neutral grays to highlight different construction materials used in the frame. I used photos of the 1:1 Gundam in DiverCity as a reference for external details. There are many small pops of color or other details on the 1:1 Gundam that are overlooked in the RG or 3.0 models.





Unlike the first version, I used hand painting throughout the build to add silver detailing in many of the recesses found throughout the kit. This is the first kit that I painted the black surround of the eyes by hand using Vallejo's line of paints instead of using a reverse wash technique. I was pleasantly surprised by how accurately I was able to paint and area and by how smoothly the paint dried.





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Hit the bump for the full photoshoot!





Detail Photos:





Painting the white outlines on a canopy was tough. It requires a lot of very careful micro masking.





I really like the detailed added by highlighting the lips of certain thruster bells





I found painting the pilot in this kit to be fairly difficult compared to other figures.





Adding the green and red pops of color onto the shoulders. If you're not ware this is commonly found in present-day air and spacecraft.





This is the "wrong" Amuro for this kit, but I prefer this character over the bland normal suit included.





Notice the small pops of silver color in the oval depressions. On the 1:1 Gundam in Diver City there are small silver latch type details in nearly every panel line and surface detail on the Gundam. Many of the decals on the kit had to be modified or cut down because they would have covered these details with a plain gray shape.









I prefer the appearance of the RG style decal design for the shield instead of the 3.0 version.









Painting the interior of the shield grey was unnecessary and a huge pain, but I love the contrast that it creates.





360:









Action Poses:









I love how bits of the inner frame poke outside of the back of the elbow in this shot.





I took the camera off of the tripod at this point and worked my way around the kit. This changed the white balance for some reason.









Group Shots:









Right now the ball is the only other 1/100 kit form the 0079 time line I have on my shelf. The color scheme of that kit was RG inspired.