06.08.2007 » Concepts/Initial Progress

I can't describe how glad I am that Bandai started doing a 1/35 scale Gundam line of support vehicles and ground troops under the Universal Century Hardgraph (UCHG) name. Really fantastic releases so far and lets me do Gundam and 1/35 armor at the same time which just rocks. Best of both worlds! I've had my UCHG releases on my shelf for a little while now while working on other projects and planning for this one. This project will be a diorama of the Type 74 Hovertruck and the Zaku head.

All of my recent projects have allowed me to test certain elements of the terrain and building that I've been planning for this amd now I get to put them all together. The terrain will consist of a dirt road, a grassy slope and a rocky stream. The hovertruck will be sitting on the road while the severed Zaku head will be resting half in the stream. This will give me the chance to do some nice rusty effects to the head. The figures will be resting and taking a break while on the road delivering supplies or maybe just making camp for a few days while out on maneuvers. Below is a diagram I did to map out what I'm planning. As usual the actual terrain will probably be modified and shifted as I adjust to fit the elements into place. Each square is 1 inch so as you can see, this will be a rather large piece.

I started on the hovertruck first as I think that'll take the longest to complete. I decided to add an interior to this since the kit does not have one. Pretty surprising since there's so many openable hatches and doors. I found some reference pics of the interior from the anime and source books thanks to some helpful folks on the forum. I'm using these mostly as rough guides and am not going to kill myself making it anime-accurate. There's really no need since the hatches in which you can view the interior are actually not that big. I guttet out a wall that had been placed between the driver/nav area and the rear communications/gunner areas of the interior as it wasn't there in the refs and would allow more visibility of all the work I'm doing. Here's some images of where I'm at. Mostly I've got rough parts and areas installed and will detail them up more later. I had to order some diamond-plate textured styrene sheet from the LHS since they were out so much of my next steps are waiting on me installing the flooring. The chairs in the front are leftovers from my 1/35 Cobra since I got resin updates for them.

Lastly is the stowage I'll be adding to the rear bed of the truck. I only had 1 of each of the 2 gas cylinder sizes you see below so I ended up making molds so I could cast a bunch. While I was at it I made molds for some other resin stowage bits and radio equipment from armor kits to use on the truck.

06.14.2007 » Base

I finished most of the part removal and nub-sanding for the hovertruck and zaku head. Still some seams to sand down however on the HT. For now though I've been focusing on the base as I need it partially ready before I can start the damage mods to the Zaku head. I started with some scrap plywood for the base and added some other scraps to build up the base for the roadway. Leftover sprue and citrus netting was used to make a frame for the hillsides and then paper mache towels were added. Rocks are temporarily in place until I add the rest of the celluclay. I used Balsa sheet for the sides of the base and stained them. I'm in the process of adding the successive coats of polycrylic to seal them. Once that's done I can add the rest of the celluclay. You can also see how I'm using some wood molding glue to partially seal the inside of the balsa from the future wetness of the additional celluclay which may warp it.

While for now it just looks like a boring HT and Zaku head, I think it'll be the modified figures and their actions that will make this very interesting. That and the rocky stream. That'll be VERY fun and challenging to create. Here's some pics:

06.17.2007 » Base and Stowage

I've been making some simple one-piece molds to create additional stowage for this project. There's a lot of room in the truck bed for stuff, but most stowage sets available for armor don't really have what I want, enough of what I want, or just plain don't fit right. The Italeri Modern Battle Accessories set had 2 different sizes of gas cylinders, but only one of each. Growing up I lived near a Corning Glass Plant and saw many trucks carrying loads of gas cylinders. They always intriqued me so I wanted to recreate that here. I first made a mold and cast 4 cylinders. Then I took those 4 (of each) and made another mold so that I could cast a bunch at one time. I added a barrel and some small canisters too to fill up the space. The hovertruck also came with 2 large ammo boxes. They have openable lids, but for my needs that wasn't necessary. I took one and glued it shut and filled in any gaps. I made a mold of it (and a beer and water bottle) and made a bunch to use here and for later projects as well. These are large enough to look good on 1/20 MaK projects too. The beer and water bottles will be cast in clear resin, having made a new mold to cast a bunch at once. Then I can paint them with clear green or brown and the water bottles will have just a clear blue lid. The resin I've been using mixes clear and dries white. What's great is that you can see any air bubbles in these simple molds and tease them out with some wire before it sets. Below you can see my truck bed filled.

Also I finished applying the celluclay to my base. Now I can start on the damage to the Zaku head!

06.19.2007 » Figs and Damage

Next up for this in-progress report is the Zaku head damage and the figures. I've used figures from a few different sets for this project. I've used the squatting figure from the Hovertruck (unaltered) and the "relaxed" figure who will have a new head (gotta sculpt a new neck) who is laying on a rock. I used two figures from the Dragon Afrika Korps set as well. As far as modifying them, they both have caps that match the Hovertruck figure (included in the Afrika Korps set, but for the other 2 figs) and the one who is fishing has a new right hand that will hold the pole better. The fishing poles will be scratchbuilt. The tan figure from the Tamiya German Tank Loading Crew set will be carrying bags of ice and has had his hair removed. The box below him will have a tarp inside, and bottles of beer, bottled water, and ice.

The Zaku head is almost done now too. I just need to clean up the "d-rings" and add a rough cast texture. I might dent up the "nose" too. To make the damage I used a Dremmel, candle (to bend the plastic out), and pliars. I made a dent on the top left of the head by heating that part with a candle and pressing it in with the handle of my pliars.

More Progress

Concepts & Construction | Zaku Head Paint & Weathering | Hovertruck Paint & Weathering | Base, Figures, and Final Touches