Hello again! Jetto Hobby is back with another custom build episode! This time around I put my hands on the Gundam Astaroth. I have packaged everything nicely into a short 7-minute video here. Unlike my other videos, this time I have revamped my whole customisation procedure. Instead of painting everything in one go, I did it section by section starting from the head down to legs then the weapons, all thanks to KevModels, be sure to check out his instagram! Using this new workflow, I present you an all new cinematic custom build experience in my latest video!
Read Time: 5 minutes
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Now let’s take a general look at what I’ve done to the Gundam Astaroth
- Scribe existing details
- Color planning
- Gradient painting
- Jetto Hobby Logo Masking
Before I get to the meat, let me declare something. I did not add any pla-plates and only minimum custom scribe lines. My reasoning is that:
- The HG Gundam Astaroth is amazingly detailed as a high-grade kit
- I was under time pressure for Studio G’s IBO Secret Santa event
- I took it as a challenge to repaint a kit to a high detail level without heavy customisation
- I went overboard with details on my last kit, I want this to be as clean as I could
SCRIBE EXISTING DETAILS
No heavy customisation does not mean I don’t have to scribe. It was tempting to skip scribing altogether but no, go the extra mile and put in the work! What it does is that it really makes all the details pop, it also makes your panel lining inks flow better in the crevices. If you want to make your painted kit look good, this is a step you should not skip.
But how to do this?
Super duper easy! Grab any fine line scribers you have, for example Hobby Cutting Tool Chisel set that comes with various sizes, just use the smallest possible. For me personally, I only have the Tamiya Scriber II in my arsenal for now, but it will do the job. Go over the existing detail edges as light as you possibly can, keep going over the same line lightly until a line is formed. If you go too hard, you might risk cutting out of line! So do be careful ya :D
COLOR PLANNING
Look at them sexy legs!
Here comes the delicious meat! (Sorry vegans and vegetarians...) This project was really an experimental build for me, I took a big risk by changing up the whole color scheme of the Gundam Astaroth. For anyone interested in mixing colors, I highly recommend Color Mixer on Android to mix the colors virtually, this gives me a general guideline on the ratio before the actual mix. Of course, the App does not give you the 100% accuracy on the mix result, so that’s why there are still trials and errors. But don’t worry, I have provided you the exact formula to my mixes and it is super easy to follow!
Beau Blue
3 White: 1 Blue
Blue
Default GPaint Blue
Metallic Blue
3 Blue : 1 Dark Iron
Gunmetal
Default GPaint Gunmetal
Dark Iron
Default GPaint Dark Iron
Black
Default GPaint Black
Copper
Vallejo Model Air Metallic Copper
Gold
Vallejo Model Air Metallic Gold
Aluminium
Vallejo Model Air Metallic Aluminium
All the lacquer paint mixes were done using GPaint! Use coupon code: JETTOHOBBY for 5% discount!
What color goes where?
My color scheme for this build is made up of two main colors, the Beau Blue and GPaint Default Blue accompanied by dark shades like the Metallic Blue, Gunmetal and Dark Iron. For most major parts you will see the main colors whereas all the weapons and the shield were painted with the darker shades. The inner frame was mostly painted with Dark Iron but to bring out the beautiful details, I used a combination of Vallejo Model Air Metallic Series on certain parts. For example, all the pipes were painted with Vallejo Model Air Metallic Copper and the cylinders were painted with Aluminium and Gold. Just don’t forget to paint the base black before you paint any Vallejo Metallic on top!
GRADIENT PAINTING
The main reason why I did gradient paint only on the leg area is because the empty space on the leg is too large, the gradient paint would make it look less empty in my opinion. Gradient painting is actually very fun and pretty easy to do. So what I did was paint with the darker shade on the lower half but make sure only to paint up to mid way of the leg, then I used the lighter shade to paint from the top half up to the middle. Make sure that you only make light and quick passes for the transitional area.
JETTO HOBBY LOGO MASKING
To make this Gundam Astaroth truly special, I marked it with my own logo. The way I did it was by painting it white, cut out the shape of my logo and lay it on top. Then I can just forget about it and paint the rest as usual. The biggest difficulty is having the patient to cut out something small and intricate :’)
FINAL THOUGHTS
All I can say is I have been through hell and back! What I meant was I have done so much masking on this kit that I have started to enjoy it… (I might have gone crazy XD) In all seriousness, I honestly can say that the reason why I could achieve this result is because of the new workflow that I have adopted. Working through sections by sections not only gives me the sense of progression, but it provides a better focus on each of the parts that I was dealing with. And because of this, I have started to enjoy masking more and making sure that the details and popping right! I hope you enjoy reading my work so far! If you like it, stay tuned for more blog posts on my custom Gunpla stuff and even 3D printed and painted projects!
BEFORE YOU GO
If you are interested in my last custom build project please check it out here <Custom Build SDCS Freedom> and/or if you want to see my latest 3D printed and painted project check it out here! <Charmander | 3D Printed and Painted> Please do come over to my YouTube Channel to have a look at what I’ve built so far! I am constantly improving my filming and editing techniques to make somewhat cinematic content for my viewers to have an enjoyable experience. If you like what I’ve done up to this point, why not follow me on Facebook and Instagram while you’re at it. I plan to post more Work in progress posts on my Instagram for the coming projects! :D
See you there!
