Weekly WIP: Y-Wing and Joker

So here we go, the second consecutive edition of the weekly wip. This week I am hoping to add all the pictures via the WordPress app for my phone. If this works out I may decide on a daily WIP and just fill empty days with featured posts. We’ll have to see.

Bandai Y-Wing

Finishing this kit was bittersweet. Due to licensing restrictions Bandai has had to stop allowing the export of their Star Wars model kits. I think that whatever deal Bandai made with Disney included this clause but Bandai was turning a blind eye to it until Disney put the foot down. I hope this means some nice kits available in North America but since Bandai is the very pinnacle of snap-fit kits I don’t know if it will be the same.

Almost finished. No glue or paint used at this stage. Bandai 1/72 Star Wars Y-Wing

Joker Band

I decided that since I want to wait for the matte additive for my Golden High Flow Acrylic paints before I start painting my Joker band, and since I really want to paint them instead of my last Infinity model, I would fix the assembly issues I’d discovered after priming.

Additional assembly. Joker and Ringmaster miniature by Knight Models.

The worst issue was the tails on Joker’s coat. You can see the v-shaped gap between the body and the tails where the two parts connect. If I was starting from scratch I would have removed more material from underneath the tails and then used putty to make sure the level of the tails matched that of the body. As it was the tails were sticking up a little bit leaving a noticeable step. During initial assembly I had smoothed some of the join with putty but I decided I would try to carve down some of the extra material to improve the appearance.

Unfortunately when I did this the primer started peeling off. I use Vallejo primer, which I like because I can brush it on or airbrush it, but if after priming you want to clean a mold line you missed it is likely that you’ll have to strip the entire miniature. Just a little warm water and vigorous brushing was enough to remove the majority of the paint. A little windex helped speed things along and the miniature will be ready for priming once again.

The Ringmaster miniature didn’t give me as much trouble. I’m not sure how the blend on his shoulder will look. I’ve tried to keep it nice and rounded with a feathered edge but I don’t know until I re-prime that area. Fortunately the primer didn’t lift as badly as that of the joker so I won’t have to re-prime. I really wish Vallejo primer stuck better to miniatures. I’ve yet to see any peeling or flaking with a finished miniature and I really like how easily I can apply it. I’m not sure if I would recommend the primer at this point, though I’ll continue to use it.

Nothing like a close picture to show all the mold lines I missed. Knight Models Joker re-primed

After re-puttying and re-priming the Joker the seam on his tails isn’t as bad but it still noticeable. I’m going to paint it as is and hopefully cover some of the flaw with paint. We’ll have to see.

I also attended Batman Day today, which was a fun day of playing the Batman Miniature Game and enjoying hobby tutorials. Although people could come and go from the main tournament as they pleased I believe they had 18 players at one point. I took some pictures which I’ll share this week.

Well, that’s it for another week of WIPs. Please let me know if you enjoy this kind of post and whether you’d rather see a daily edition rather than weekly. You can also find me on Google+ and Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe if you’ve enjoyed this post.

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