[WIP] MG Nu Ver. Ka X LED WIP 4

Next up would be the main body.

Good thing the kit is designed in a way that lets me remove and install the armor pieces without disassembling the inner frame. That way I can finish wiring this kit first, then paint the armor parts.

I forgot to mention that I've actually already painted the inner frame before doing the LED mods. I used a custom mix of Zurc gunmetal for this. I say custom mix since it's just regular Zurc gunmetal mixed with either pearl white or metallic black to get the shade I wanted.

Since I'm almost already done with the LED mods, I've started on painting the armor parts.

I'm using Zurc paints here. The white is pearl white, the blue is Zurc's "Exia Blue", I actually wanted a darker shade simillar to the original color but I really like the finish so I'm going along with it.

The two-tone whites were done by first spraying a layer of primer gray on the desired parts then spraying pearl white all over the piece. 

I'm still undecided on modding the fin funnels. I want them lit up if I'm going to do some dynamic posing but if they're just going to be placed at the back then I don't see any reason to light them up.

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[WIP] MG Nu Ver. Ka X LED WIP 3

Continuing where I left, I started working on the lower body.

The feet was one of the simplest parts to do. but since the clear part goes around the feet. I had to put 2 LEDs on each side for it to be lit properly.

The legs would be the hardest part since it's built with lots of layered and interlocking parts. Not to mention there are moving pieces for the psycho-frame gimmick. 

I wouldn't try explaining it here in detail because that will be really hard. But hopefully you get some idea with the pics here.

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[WIP] MG Nu Ver. Ka X LED WIP 2

On to the harder parts of the project.

One thing about this kit is the complicated joint mechanism on the elbows. 

For the elbow joint, the best that I could think of was to go around it instead of embedding the wires within the joint. 

For the shoulders, I had to use 3 LEDs just to spread the light evenly across the clear part. The 0603 SMD LEDs' size really help in embedding the LEDs into the parts. The downsize would be that it only illuminates a smaller area. 

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[WIP] MG Nu Ver. Ka X LED WIP 1

So I scrapped my previous MG Nu ver.Ka project and started a new one.

My last MG Nu ver.Ka was ages ago and I've learned quite a lot since then. My WIP posts from that time are still here so we can compare what's changed and new with this one.

One notable difference would be the 0603 SMD LEDs and the 30AWG magnet wires I'll be using for this project.

Since the head is actually designed to be lit, everything in this part makes my work a bit easier. In the end, I decided to put the LED onto the neck piece so I can maximize the space originally designed for the LED module. plus this way, the head can still be removed for whatever reason necessary.

Next up would be the backpack. I think this would be one of the simplest parts of this project to work on. Wiring was pretty straightforward since there was plenty of space on the backpack part.

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[REVIEW] My Airbrush Setup

Since I've finally started painting, might as well share with you what I use to paint my kits.

I'm currently using an cheap unbranded 0.3 mm gravity feed airbrush. For the Air compressor, I'm using 2 generic tire pumps with a 12v 5A power supply.

I'm using 2 pumps since 1 pump doesn't have enough pressure and that it pumps out air in pulses which is not good for airbrushing. With 2 pumps, I get around 25 psi with the airbrush pressed.

The fittings and hose came from a pet store in the aquarium section, These are what they normally use in aquarium pumps. Good thing they fit quite well to the airbrush and pump. 

To prevent the pumps overheating, I turn on the pump only when I'm about to spray on a piece. I use a DIY extension socket with a switch that I can press with my foot to better control the pump. I make sure to give the pumps some rest around every 30 mins to prevent overheating the pumps, and since I'm only able to work on painting for very short periods of time.

Even with this setup, I'm very satisfied with the results it gives. I know that this setup will not be able to achieve advanced effects. But this setup works well for basic painting.

As with other, regular air compressors, moisture buildup is an issue. This setup builds up moisture in the tubes quite quickly so you will get some splatter quite quickly.



To deal with that, I got a mini moisture trap to prevent water from mixing with the paint. I also got a quick release valve mo make removing the airbrush easier during cleaning and other stuff.



Though the moisture trap slightly dampened the pressure, It does a really good job of preventing the water from reaching the airbrush. That much water was just from around 15-20 minutes of running the air pump.





So far I'm really satisfied with the result this set up provides. I know I wouldn't be able to do much more than basic coats with this but I can see myself working with this setup for the foreseeable future.

Though I still suggest getting a proper airbrush setup. For the total price I've spent here, I might have been able to buy a proper basic air compressor. The air pumps cost me around 10 USD, the power supply cost around 13 USD, other stuff like hose and fittings cost around 5 USD. Still proper airbrushing equipment is a very good investment which will serve you well in the long run.

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