During this past year, I got back into building gunpla. I figured that, if I wasn't able to effectively work on the strip, I'd still do something creative with my time.
I ended up falling in love with the Bandai's SD Cross-Silhouette kits. They're effectively an all-purpose version of their old Super Deformed kits. Instead of being locked into whichever squished down versions they were made in, they're built on an adjustable inner frame. With the help of a booster kit, I can take a SDCS kit from being an okay cartoony size and either go taller with a body that has longer arms, better knees, moving hips and some decent shoulder movement or shrink it to the old school extra stubby version with no knees or even thighs and super limited movement in its stubby little arms. A fun (and surprisingly cheap) toy to build and play with. = )
I have plans to actually take one and build the "Super Atomic Powered Bundam" from this story bit starting All the way back in strip No.305 - The Red Comet. It's a bit of a running joke as you can see it pop up in other places since. I never really fleshed the design out in the strips but, with all the extended parts on the SDCS frame, I can get the right look for how I drawn it and make it a real toy to boot.
Well... last year, I painted up a frame with some usually reliable spray can primer that just came out chunky and terrible. It was toward the beginning of winter so things were got cold before I could make time to clean and respray it. It's finally warm out here so I did that cleanup today.
Folks, fair warning. The plastic Bandai uses for the CS Frame parts is not the same as some of the other plastic in their kits. The paint thinner I dunked it in to clean it up didn't melt it but it did pull some dye out of the plastic and soften it up enough that I'm now down a CS Frame. -.-
Thankfully, that's kinda' what all these were originally for. Get the cheap kits, test stuff on them and use any knowledge gained on the better/more expensive kits I have waiting in the wings. Didn't expect to dig the size of the SDCS kits as much as I do. I also didn't expect my go-to paint thinner that I've used on other parts of the kit to have such a dramatic effect.
Anyhoo! I've got to get back to going through my extra parts bins and hoping I still have a spare torso and hip section lying around. I'm also getting some new scripts written before I jump back on building the finished strip buffer up. Putting in work again on the regular. Feels good.
Remember: Stay Safe. Wear a Mask. Get vaccinated if you can.
'Till next time! = )
*Poof*
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