RG RX-178 GUNDAM MK-II

Seeing so many great pre-shaded builds over the past few years, I’ve always wanted to try pre-shading myself.  Now that I have an airbrush, I can finally start to apply this technique to my builds!  Using pre-shading is a bit of a learning curve, but I was able to learn a great deal during this build, particularly from the gunpla community and their advice on airbrushing white paint.  Initially, I had used white like many of my other paints, but it ended up clogging up my airbrush or coming out too watery.  Thanks to feedback from the community, I’ve gotten the hang of the paint/thinner ratio and feel more confident using white paint!  While I think the result came out great, I still feel like it will take a few more builds to fully come to grips with the technique.

The RG RX-178 was one of those groundbreaking builds that was hailed as being one of the best RG kits prior to the RG Unicorn.  Having built it before (Titans version), and revisiting the kit, I can say that this build still holds up as being one of the best.  The RX-178 combines the classic Universal Century look with the articulation and detail of the best modern Bandai kits.  The kit has a great range of motion in its arms and legs compared to its predecessor, and you don’t have to worry about parts falling off while doing so.  The detailing with the tubing and decals are also stand-outs for this kit.

While I’ve praised the kit for its articulation,  I did manage to break the right arm joint while taking pictures for the kit.  I’ve glued the parts together, but I took less pictures of the kit than I had originally intended to.  I think this is more the fault of painting the joints of the inner frame which made them more brittle and susceptible to breaking, as this has happened to me in the past with painted inner frame RG kits.  Do take caution if you plan on painting it!

I managed to finish my first kit for #gundamber, and might be able to squeeze in another before the end of the month.  My 2nd kit using pre-shading is coming along nicely and using laquer white paint instead of acrylic seems to be making my life easier.  I’ve hit an unexpected snag with my Megaman X kitbashes, but I think I’ve settled on a final design and am waiting on some additional parts to be delivered before they can be finished.  The builds are nearly complete, so stay tuned for more details!

Kit review and build details to follow the gallery!

Beam Saber Shots

Build Details

PROS:

• Good Articulation and range of motion
• Classic design with nice detailing and panel line opportunities
• Good amount of accessories and manipulators included
• armor parts won’t pop off when posing!

CONS:

• Head seems to be a bit stiff when moving
• Beam sabers are super long (almost MG size)

Paints Used:

• White: Grey primer followed by flat black preshade then 90% flat white with a few drops of neutral gray
• Greyish White: Grey primer followed by flat black preshade then 70% white with 30% neutral gray
• Blue: 70% Flat Blue+30%white.  Added white for highlights
• Black:  Flat black then added white for highlights
• Red:  Grey primer followed by flat black preshade then flat red with a few drops of white
• Yellow: Orange base coat followed with white.  Then used 90% flat yellow+ 10% orange
• Tamiya TS 100, Bright gun metal