Hanekawa Tsubasa (Cat-girl version)

She's supposed to look like this:

I just got the kit yesterday so I just finished rinsing the parts after an overnight Ajax detergent dip and putting the parts together using iron wires. I also finished priming the parts using Bosny's grey primer but I haven't took a photo of her impaled limbs just yet. :)

Update as of 10/11/2010 @ 12:42 GMT+8

Done with the basic painting. About 90% complete. Just need to fill up some gaps with putty, stick the pyjama decals and of course, painting the eyes - the hardest part to paint in any garage kit. Wish me luck!

Update as of 10/17/2010 @ 09:40 GMT+8

Finally finished with her. Here the last few WIP pics. Thanks for viewing!

After applying the chalk pastels to give her lip more color, I then worked on the eyes. Eyes are my nightmare when building garage kits. I just discovered that I'm more comfortable with a fine point art pen. Oh, and I can use a plastic eraser to cleanly get rid of the lines in cash I made a mistake.

Next would be applying the pyjama decals. I actually applied and let the white parts of the pyjamas to cure a day before applying the decals. I just placed the decals haphazardly. Later on, I applied a layer of flat clear paint to protect the decals and seal them.

The head part is ready to go.

Next I've decided to work on while waiting for the paint to dry is the base. This is actually a black pastic base from one of my old PVC figures. I bore a couple of drill holes where I'll put the support for this GK, and painted it pink to complement Hanekawa's pink pyjamas.

This just came to me so I downloaded the simplest and elegant image I can find for her, 'shopped it with the anime's logo and printed it on sticker paper. Then I cut the piece carefully using my hobby knife and placed it on the base to give it a more unique and attractive look. I had some leftover cat decals from the PJ's so I just applied them to the base as well. I finally sealed them all in with a protective layer of flat clear.

Finally, some gallery images:

Thanks for viewing!

WIP: Celia Cumani Aintree ~ 1/8 scale Wonderfest garage kit

Hi guys, finally finished this third GK. I would really appreciate additional tips and suggestions so I can further enhance my skills for this wonderful hobby. I just skipped taking pics of the basic steps (cleaning, assembly, puttying) since almost all of us here are already proficient with those steps at least.

This is my compact workstation. Our house is small so I can't keep a dedicated workshop where you can just leave everything around. I setup, work then clean up afterward.

I messed up with the body armor's paint so I have no choice but to remove the paint by giving it a thinner wash. The problem is that the lacquer thinner I've used is somewhat too strong that it "softened" the resin and chipped a part of the armor (see the crack in the lower left corner). But then again, maybe I've used too much pressure as well.

For the shiny armor finish, I've used Bosny's Chrome lacquer spray paint. The sole reason is that I don't know how to mix paints to achieve the stainless steel smooth finish, as well as the chrome shine. I've tried using Tamiya's Gun-Metal and Chrome colors and somehow they didn't meet my expectations.

The problem with this chrome spray paint is that you can't apply a protective layer to it using clear or flat clear paints since it will take away the shine and will just leave you with a dull gray finish. Another problem is that when you press on the painted part too hard, you will leave fingerprints.

The eye-decal that came along with the kit was a life-saver. I can't imagine painting those lovely eyes myself. I daresay, the eyes carry a figure's elegance and "aura".

Thanks to the other WIPs I've seen here in the forums I've decided to give non-paint shading a try. I've used chalk pastels from our local art shop since they can be easily cleaned with water and cotton buds if you messed up. To preserve the shading, I usually add a layer of clear or flat clear depending on the surface.

I wanted to follow the kit's original color scheme but I was unable to find the right color so I mixed a bit of blue and purple for the cloth parts of the kit. Also, I colored the fine lines as gold instead of white, contrary to the original color scheme. Just for reference, do you guys know the exact color used in the original kit?

And the finishing touches...

Finally, some photoshoot pics: