Models made by Airbrushheaven staff

Models made by Airbrushheaven staff

Wednesday, 15 June 2016

1/48 Zaku II - Part 4

 I want to do some detail work on the head & as part of the colour scheme there is going to be a fair amount of metallic paint on show, so the finish will have to be smooth.

The lower head & neck area is made of 3 pieces & a large polycap where the eye sits. This was primed & painted with Vallejo Plate Mail primer (VAL 70.628).   The 2 head side pieces were primed as normal.
Primed head parts of the Zaku II

To follow the blue/grey colours I am using UK Mediterranean Blue the same as the legs.
Zaku’s eye is a simple 2 part unit & the main section was done the same as the neck with the clear eye painted inside with 3 thin coats of Ammo Of Mig Crystal Red (A.MIG-0093) that will just push into place.
Main parts of the Zaku II head painted


I used a small amount of glue on the front & back of the head just to help seal the joint lines that may need filling & sanding later.
Clamps holding head together while it dries

To say I was unhappy with the seam line on the head was an understatement, would ruin the look & would make me grumble every time I saw the finished kit. A quick 2 stage fill & sand resolved this, then masked off most of the head & touched up the primer/blue top coat. To add a bit of detail to the inner part of the head I used some  “Metal Color” Steel & Ammo Of Mig Brass just to lift some of the mouldings out.

The top of the head was painted in the same blue after fitting his crest. Now for some “bling” on the energy cables. These may be small pieces but they did need a lot of gentle sanding & filling to get the desired smoothness of each of the bands, but I can assure you it is well worth the effort. The cables were undercoated & sprayed with gloss black.

The reason for the gloss is the next coats I am going to put on are light covering of Vallejo Chrome (77.707) to provide a nice shine & then a couple of light oversprays of Ammo Of Mig metallic blue (A.MIG-0196) that are just enough to provide a light blue tint.

Painted energy cables ready for fixing


When put together this has made the head come alive in my view & the rest of the Zaku’s not far off now.
Finished Zaku II head unit

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