ModelMakerMike said:
Hey John,
that'll be sweet.
I have NEVER hear of snapping parts together while they are still connected to the sprues.... EVER, have you?
What is the benefit of doing it that way? Or is it just another Bandai/Gundam "Gimmick"?
One of the Master Grade kit of the Gundam RX-78-2, therefore 1/100, had the leg parts entirely connected and just needed to be fold after cutting the sprues. And it's articulated, functionnal.
That's the big cool thing with Bandai : after the first years on selling "normal" kits, with one color, that needed glue and paint, the modern ones don't even need any... Or maybe some panel lines with markers, some weathering, and after that a coat of satin (semi gloss) or matt varnish.
If you build it straight from the box, just try to use white and black primer in a different variation, to have some nice pre-shading with the normal color scheme. With white you'll have a good red, flashy color. With black you'll have a darker red, so with a mix of that, black in the panel lines, grey and white on the surfaces, you obtain subtile panel lines and variation with one color coat.
With that kind of scale, lighting the eyes is in order I think. A simple let with a button battery usually suffice, but you may think to add some more position lighting like in the Real life size model in Japan ?
I think you know it, but for those who don't two resourceful videos :
English news
Giant Gundam comes to life!
Night show at Shizuoka in 2010 (with the Lightsaber, I thought it was added later)
1/1 LIFE-SIZE GUNDAM at Shizuoka. [Night Version 2010][HD]