07.19.2006 » Concepts / Intro

I kinda wish Gundam would get big then die again in the US so I could pick up more super cheap Master Grade kits from Amazon.com. This Kampfer is one of my stash of kits I got during the now legendary sale.

This Kampfer is from the Zeon Special Forces [Black Ops Unit 6]. This unit specializes in attacking fortifications deep in enemy territory where most sane soldiers would dare not. They usually utilize suits that are either stealthy like the Z'Gok, or fast like the Kampfer. This particular Kampfer will be outfitted for taking out the larger command ships in a fleet of Earth Federation vessels.

Build-wise, I'll be doing more of my "heavy-metal" style modifications using Alclad 2 Lacquers and brass/aluminum tubing. I'll also be adding my usual array of MechaSkunk option parts such as balls, beads, and screws. The color scheme will be a very dark gray camo with a flat-coat and all-black decals, even warnings. This will make the natural metal parts really pop. While not a totally stealthy look, it'll be total eye-candy when done which I love.

07.19.2006 » I got Shotgun!

So far I've just been cutting and sanding the Kampfer while planning out modifications, so there's not a whole lot to show off. I did however start modifying the shotgun. I'm replacing all the "barrels" with aluminum tubing. I've even hollowed out the "pump" so that it actually slides back and forth along the shaft. Here's a pic:

07.21.2006 » It's all MINES!

Since the Kampfer has no holder for its mines, I decided to create one. This 1/2 circle rack was something I had planned for a while, but later found pics from hobby mags where other modelers had made racks similar to my plan, but much better. So the following is based on those. My Kampfer will sport 2 of these racks stocked with 12 mines each. The K comes with 13 mines, but that's an odd number for the rack. Plus 6 makes a very nice 1/2 circle. Here's a pic of it slapped together so far. I have a lot of clean-up to do.

07.22.2006 » More Mine Rack

Here's more shots of the mine rack for the Kampfer.

10.31.2006 » Shotgun!

Here's a shot of the shotgun progress. I'll be adding some extras to them of course likie a shell rack and scope. I also have add a shot of my woven tube replacement, a very thick spring from a decorative plate wall-hanger.

11.04.2006 » Screws and Kart

I started on the Kampfer Kart even though I'm waiting on some parts. I was playing around with making something that the Kampfer would stand on to ride, but am not 100% sold on that idea yet. I've also been playing around with ideas to make these large propellent tanks/thrusters a backpack. Same puropse though... it would just mount to the back on the bazooka mount polycaps and be easily removable/ejectable once the Kampfer reaches its destination. Regardless of which route I go the tanks will stay the same. There will be to tanks with bells on the the ends with an armored cover over both. The armored cover was actually a paint to do. To get the right shape I wanted I needed to first make the shape from brass sheet, then cover it with thin sheets of styrene to make it sandable and workable. Here's some pics:

Also I drilled out most of the holes for the MechaSkunk screws I'll be using. Here's a shot of them.

11.05.2006 » Kampfer Kart

Here's a few shots of the bare-bones Kampfer kart. I adjusted my plans a bit based on a lack of spare Ball Stands, but nothing major. Below you can see it with and without the armored covers. The covers will be removable and have hard-points for the mine-racks and bazookas. I may even make them workable as removable shields too. There will be smaller Co2 tanks underneath as well on the ends closest to the large tanks. The center underneath will have some various boxes and missile launchers from the MG Guncannon. Like I said, this is barebones, but will look much much cooler when detailed. The bells will be detailed like the booster image below. The Kampfer Kart is meant to be a cheap disposable unit. A one-way trip so to speak so it doesn't need a lot of armor and such. So the simple design works well.

11.08.2006 » Kampfer Kart Part Deux

Here's another shot of the Kart. Sorry for the vertigo... I rotated the image so that the kart is right side up. There will be many more tubes, wires, bells, etc added later. The small tanks are from Walmart. I emptied the Co2 from the so they would be "safer" to work with.

09.14.2007» Been a while...

Here's the Kampfer parts with some paint on. Love how the black decals look low-vis. Right now I'm in the process of finishing this up... adding screws, steel balls, thrusters, etc. I decided to skip the Kart for now, but have it set aside for a later project. The biggest reason was that I'd need to create more Kampfer decals for it. But I'll probably use it with a Zaku 2.0 or something of the like. Definitely Zeon! You can also see the mine rack is painted and in the process of having the mines and cables added to it. Expect pics of this finished kit early next week.