I’ve had this kit snapfitted for a few years already so I thought it’s time to finish it before Bandai eventually releases a new version. Except for the overly large hands typical of older HGUC releases, I’ve always liked the proportions of this kit. So there’ll just be very minor mods on this one.
First up, I changed the fists to the ones from the Bandai Builder Parts MS Hand set. This one change improves the look by a lot IMO. The beam rifle doesn’t quite fit properly into the new fist so it will need to be cemented in place.
Another odd trait of HGUC kits are the short bodies. To address this I added 1.5mm plastic plate on the waist and sand it to shape.
The hole on the back of each arm to mount the shield is bare so I closed up the one on the right with plastic plate. For the left arm, I inserted a piece of sprue into the hole so it connects directly into the hole on the shield. This method replaces the original awkward looking U-shaped mounting piece.
I added additional pistons on the feet that goes into the lower legs. These won’t really be visible though.
One last modification is sharpening the antenna and the v-fin. Luck was on my side and I didn’t break either of them while sanding them down.
A final look at the kit together before I start working on the gaps and painting the kit up in subassemblies.
Build Log
Pt. 1 – Construction | Pt. 2 – Painting & Finishing