Bootleg Rayquaza

Previous Suletta updates: 1, 2, 3

Suletta is done! Truth is, she would've been done a couple of days ago if I hadn't gotten wrapped up in another project (figure-related, but non-plamo) while I was waiting for the topcoat to cure. The umbrellas are from a Sousai Shojo Teien accessory set which I completed at the same time (I made the partially open umbrella too, but it isn't pictured here). Suletta happens to be the same roughly 1/10 scale as the Sousai girls, so the umbrella matches with her perfectly! Now if there was only rain in space...

Also pictured, for the first time, is that cursed Haro. I rendered the panel lines as thick as they are on purpose. The Haro and Suletta's ponytail were the only spots where I used the "regular" stickers. Everything else is paint, engraving stickers, or waterslides.

Most fun part of this kit: painting the gold in the inner sleeves. A little tricky, but the results speak for themselves. Least fun: applying the gold engraving stickers to her upper torso (speaking of gold...).

Going to take a break from plamo for awhile, then hopefully get back into the swing of things toward the end of the month.

The progress continues...

Have done a bunch more painting, and now Suletta's lower torso, right leg and arm, left forearm, and both feet are more or less done. Today was all about painting the hair-- primarily to hide dark bits left over from trimming off the nubs. The final red-orange mix I came up with is damn near identical to the base runner's red, so I'm not going too heavy on the coats. I also figured out the dark blue for the headband, so that's in progress as well.

This evening, I tidied up a little and started decaling. The faceplates went a bit easier this time not only because I have a better idea of what I'm doing, but because for this kit, each brow and eye are attached as one piece. As I'd anticipated, the gold engraving stickers for the torso were tricky. They look pretty decent once they're set in place, but of course, it's the setting that's hard. You can't see it here, but the pointy back ends of the collar trim tore off during application. I've dabbed a little gold paint on both ends to try and make it look a little better.

As for the experiment I mentioned last time, check out the third pic. I finally tracked down Tamiya's Weathering Master sets for figure kits (G and H), and picked up both sets, along with one of set B. I also found a shop that carries individual AK Interactive weathering pencils, but haven't messed around with those much yet. I've been primarily focusing on the wrinkles in Suletta's clothes, with a little bit of shading on her skin. I can already tell that like with so many other things related to plamo, getting better at using weathering tools will take practice.

Not much longer to go now! Hopefully I'll have her done sometime early next week.

I started building Suletta in earnest late last week. Cutting the pieces from the runners went very well; the plastics used in this kit feel wonderful, more pliable than Fumina's did. Started sanding and assembly a couple days ago. It's gone smoothly so far, save for the orange Haro (not shown). I had ignored my experience with dark pieces and cement on my previous kit and... used cement. It didn't look right. Pried the pieces apart, breaking one peg each on Haro's flaps in the process, scraped off the dried cement, and started over. Haro's currently sitting off to the side waiting for panel line refinement.

As for the rest, so far, so good (knock on wood). I don't think I've had to refer to a kit's color guide as much as I have this one. Suletta's shoes need grey details, and I will be (or have started) painting some of the larger gold and black bits on her uniform, the pink in her open mouths, her hair, and some other odds and ends. Did you know that Suletta's hairband is not black, but a very, very dark shade of blue? I couldn't believe it when I saw this in the color guide, so I dug out one of my G-Witch artbooks to double check and yep, it is indeed a very dark blue. Anyway, I'm currently trying to mix the perfect gold and red-orange; pretty much nailed the grey on my first attempt.

Once some additional work is done, I'm going to experiment with something new, but more about that later!

I'm steadily wrapping up another plamo (more about that later), so in the meantime, I thought I'd announce my next kit, which is for Cohost Build Club. The theme this time is Prototypes. So, without further ado, my kit is... Suletta Mercury!

Wait, what?!