Another update:
Man there is nothing like building like a mad man to learn ton of things. What I have learned so far during this challenge:
1. Thinned Future kicks ass!!!! I mean I though it was good straight from the bottle but thinned I am able to get a glass like finish the first time without all the build up.
2. I hate panel lining. I think part of it is that Future straight out the bottle is just to thick and I ended up filling what little detail there was on the RX-78 2.0
3. Time flies when things are going your way. LOL I was up until 2:00 am putting the first coat of Future on the Astray parts and did not realize that I had been spraying for over 3 hours.
4. Clean your airbrush, DUH!!!! Seems obvious but I tore it apart and gave everything a good 2 hour soak in thinner before I started the Astray and I found that most of my dirt problems were coming from my airbrush. I still have some dirt but it's just a few specks not even noticeable.
5. Use my other air compressor. I fired up my big air compressor that I use for my air tools and used it to blow off each part before painting. It's freaking noisy as hell but much more efficient than canned air.
OK a few picks of the Astray:
As with the RX-78 2.0 I decided not prime any of the parts. Mainly because I did not want it to be obvious if some paint got scratched off.
The blue parts are Mr. Color Metallic Blue #76 straight out of the bottle. I love the way it looks and with a gloss coat it really shines
MGX4 Challenge
MGX4 Challenge
MGX4 Challenge
The Metallic parts are a mix of Alclaid Stainless Steel and Jet Exhaust mixed 1/1. By accident it is almost the same color as the bare plastic but is a little brighter and has a much better shine.
MGX4 Challenge
No close ups of the grey or orange parts but the grey is Mr. Color Mitsubishi Grey (the same as on my BD conversion but no pre shading) and the orange parts are Mr. Color fluorescent orange with a few coats of clear yellow on top.
MGX4 Challenge
Another tip. This is how I mix my paint. I buy these epoxy mixing cups from my LHS. They are marked in Drams and Oz. and make measure super easy. Also I use metal mixing tins as a cover on top of my mixed paint so that is readily available and it also keeps dust out.
MGX4 Challenge
Thats it for now. I have to get a lot done today since I am in garage now I have to take advantage of the good weather. And if you have never been to Texas get this, it is going to get up to 75 degrees today and then snow tomorrow. How f*cked up is that. Every day it's a different season here.
So today I m going to give my MIG oils a try for panel lines. I plan on mixing Blue and Black oils for the grey and orange parts and straight black for the metallic parts. I think I might give the fame a wash of black too to bring out all the details. Then Decals and final coat of Future. This kit has so many detail you could spend a month on just on painting details. Probably one of the best MG kits put out yet.
Hey Mike, if you have made it through this post LOL. I love the thinned Future and I want to use it for my final flat coat on the armor as well. Do I mix the Future with Tamyia flat base as normal then thin that mixture 50/50 with Tamyia Thinner?
