Been sitting on this kit for more than 3 years, finally got around building it when a friend dropped by to build his Gundam.

This kit took more time to build as the painting process was much more involved. All the red and black pieces went through a layer of metallic color, followed by shading, then a coat of transparent red or black, and finish off with multiple layers of clear coat.

I envisioned the white pieces to be just as shiny as the red and black ones, but I messed up in two places:

I used Gundam white, which is too dark for what I want

The paint was semi-gloss, which gave it a texture that’s not friendly to the clear coat

Basically, clear coat that went on a rough surface will not be as shiny. I should have went with a glossy white paint for the effect I want.

Messing up aside, the kit itself is spectacular. Tons of moving parts and it comes with a cool samurai sword. What’s not to love?

Took about 50 hours to build, I think. Definitely more than the usual time because of the painting, and experimenting with different clear coats.

Speaking of which, I got to try out different clear coats with varying results. Here are some notes:

Pledge floor finish – Praised by many Gunpla builders, I was very disappointed with this clear coat as it is far too runny. Very easy to drip and the finish is far too thin to be effective. Water based and dry very slow. Will never use again for I don’t have the time to apply 5 layers and waiting days before handling.

Polycrylic – An acrylic based polyurethane product that is clear and leaves a shiny finish. However the regular version is far too thick, so I have to use the spray can instead. The spray can version is still pretty thick and requires a bit of tuning on the airbrush to get right. It’s water based but dries pretty fast. I do wish it’s thinner. Not mixing with acetone for cleanup is also a problem.

Polyurethane – Perfect balance in viscosity and durability. Slow drying compared to acrylic paint but very easy to get a mirror finish, and leaves a very hard surface. A major drawback is that it’s slightly yellow. Won’t affect most dark colors but absolutely can’t work with white.

Instead of polycrylic, I should have went with lacquer instead. Will definitely try that next time. Though polyurethane will still be my go-to for it’s performance and price. A $6 can of Minwax will last forever.

Waffles photobombed during the photo shoot. Naturally it’s time to give our master a little massage.

Lastly, here’s my attempt to re-create the cover photo on the instruction manual.