MG Shenlong Gundam

The MG Shenlong is my 3rd MG build and I am beginning to really appreciate this line of kits. I am primarily a 1/144 scale builder because I like how compact the kits are and somehow, at the back of my mind, whenever I am working on something that's taller than 8 inches, I feel like I am working on a toy.  Specifically a doll is what I see in my hands, instead of a model kit. The size just bugs me... it feels really really big.

However, having painted the MG Strike Noir and the MG Deathschyte, I feel like the MG's are growing on me and for obvious reasons.

For starters, I find them easier to build. Compared to HGs, they have very few seams to cover and since almost all the parts are molded in color I do not have need to mask as much as I need to do with HGs and older kits. I hate masking, I would rather hand-brush a large area than spend time cutting masking tape and aligning them. When I was younger it was fun, now I see as a waste of time and something I would only do as a last resort if I knew that I cannot hand paint the exact color that I needed. Also, the internal frame looks awesome. I initially wanted to shoot the frame as well but due to time constraints decided that it will have to be done  next time.

You may notice that the lighting is a bit harsh here and there and that's because I was experimenting with my camera. I shot these when I was still working the night shift at home so I needed the flash and the lamps and since I do not have a DSLR (yet) I had to make do with what I have and I think I like what I came up with although not as nice if I were using natural light.

I was initially excited to build this kit because of the sword that I got as a freebie but when I've built it I found out that the sword is way too heavy and could not latch onto the hands. If you look real closely you will find some blu-tac holding in the hands. The sword looked awesome but did not lend itself to very cool poses because of its weight.

All in all it was a fun build and my first attempt at painting without using a primer. I think it worked, though some of the parts did not have even paint coverage but I guess that just requires more practice on my end.

Am considering going back to using a double action airbrush but whenever I remember how hard to clean those things are I cannot help but  enjoy what I can do with my Badger 250. My brother has an internal mix model 150 that he loaned to me since I was in college but when I started using heavier paints I switched to a mini-spraygun and did my weathering by hand using oil paints. Still undecided but may try using the AB again on a smaller test kit just to practice smoe

I am currently working on an MG Wing and since the last upload I've finished a Zaku Amazing and the aforementioned MG Deathschyte Hell. I was sidelined by DOTA a couple of months back but now I'm back to modeling so hopefully more frequent updates from me :)