As I said before, I have now began work on Hobby Crazy's 1:35 H-V model. (just the head)
To start of this WIP, i was pretty hyped when i first un-boxed the kit.The Details looked good and the overall quality and design were just as pleasing. As I began the assembly process I started spotting many flaws, mostly on the molding. This isn't new to kits especially on Third-party producers.
But this is still a WIP / Review so I will try to update you guys on this build as well as give you an insight what you'll have in store if ever you choose to purchase one.
The supposedly final look after finishing putting it together. ^
I really dig the eye sensors, its molded in transparent plastic just like most of the higher grade Gundam model kits only WAY bigger haha. Another reason for this is that this model comes with an LED system, and it will connect to the eyes. One problem I found here is that the clear pieces don't always attach securely on to the sockets of that black "eye piece". Yes it sticks, but its prone to getting pushed in which can ruin a build once its done. So I temporarily secured it with blu tak from the insides.
Okay so this part is supposed to be its head vulcans. In the manual, and pictures, it looked like a mini gattling gun and from what I see, it doesn't seem so convincing at it is. I dealt with this "problem" later on in this article.
Getting some work done in bed. :)
The chin piece above as you can see is was badly molded, fixable with some putty and sanding. By the way, if you have seen the unboxing of this kit you would know that it comes with alternate parts if ever you want a color change. Check the link!
An LED was supposed to be fitted thru here (as stated in the manual) but guess its just another flaw in this kit. Nothing to fret about really, just had to drill in a hole with my trusty pin vise.
And viola! Nicely done.
Majority of the head is now assembled, and it turned out looking quite bad ass if i may say. I really dig all the detail and not only that; there is still plenty of space for further modifications i may do in the process.
The Eye Sensor's really stand out here, cant wait to see it all lighten up.
Told you I'd try to deal with the head vulcan problem. haha drilled in some holes with my pin vise for this one. Could be a temporary fix, might replace it with little plastic pipes instead to make it pop.
Head fully assembled. ( different angled shots)
Don't mind the tape, placed on to protect the fragile V-fins. One drop and its over.
And lets fast forward to the finished build! Don't worry I'll still tackle the kits flaws as i prep it for painting and modifications.
So this is basically what you should expect if you got to put this kit properly. It would need slight mods to attach part in some areas but that wouldn't be much of a problem if you know how to deal with these kinds of things.
That metal spring actually dos a great job in adding "realism" to this model.
Okay so I actually disassembled it right after i put it together, to prepare it for painting.
(further inspections and mods etc.) And thru out the whole kit, you will encounter lots of warps, and other errors in the mold. (mostly warps) to those that do not know what a warp is; it is certain areas where the plastic is deformed or distorted. For example: areas where the plastic just sinks in.
Just like the ones on this part above. Can you see the how the plastic is slightly dented in 2 areas? Those are warps, and when painted.. It will be seen, so i suggest removing it as soon as you can.
That's when putty comes in handy. You can check out my starter guide to filling in warps with putty.
More molding flaws! (the rings on the plastic) sometimes these may be removed by simply sanding it flat. But as you can see it goes a bit deeper than the surface and i'm going to fill that in with putty as well.
After the "putty fix" the surface should be flat and smooth. You will see if it needs any fixing once you spray on your layer of primer.
As for my last "update" a tip would be proper to end this article. If you look at the image above; there will be parts that would require pushing in and sometimes once its in, its very hard to get back out. What i do is before i even insert the piece, i would drill small holes on the back
(just make sure it will not be seen) so that when you do push in the part there would be a way to easily take it back out.
Inserting something thin like a toothpick for example will pop the part right out!
Like so :)
Anyway that's all for my WIP / Review on this build, Hope I was able to be of some help. I really appreciate those SHARE my articles and if you have any questions or requests you can always comment down below, I would love to help.
Till next time!