Previous HoiHoi-san updates: 1, 2, 3, 4
After much work, some setbacks, and a big ol' chunk of procrastination, my 1/1 scale HoiHoi-san is finished. Turned out the painted gradients, as I was implementing them, worked best on the front bangs and ahoge and progressively worse everywhere else. I ended up painting the longer bits of hair with flat shades.
I did spray primer on the broom and katana, and although I ran into some problems with the middle part of the broom (the color wasn't working, so I stripped the paint on that section... which also took off the primer), I got some decent results in the end. Very pleased with the katana, though; not perfect, but looks really good considering my skills.
As I was finishing assembly and posing, one of the antennae on her hairband broke off. I ended up going with the nuclear option and using Krazy Glue to set it back in place. Old kits aren't just a pain to work with thanks to older designs and manufacturing techniques, but they're also physically old. Plastics, especially ones like ABS, which HoiHoi-san is mostly made out of, can become more fragile over time; I'm willing to bet that was a contributing factor here. Very glad most of the rest of my backlog isn't as old as this kit.
Sorry about all the shine in the pics; I kinda rushed them since I wanted this to be over and done with. Perhaps I'll attempt better shots later. As for that last pic, since HoiHoi-san is a bug-hunting household appliance, I couldn't resist setting up the shot with your favorite mascot and mine 
Anyway, think I'll take a break until the next theme is announced, and dig into my jigsaw puzzle backlog. Can't wait to see what said theme'll be, and looking forward to checking out the rest of this round's completed kits!