GUNPLA: HG Sinanju (MSN-06S) Ban Dai

After gaining confidence from painting parts of my MG Shin Musha Gundam, I decided it was time to do a complete paint build.  I was still undecided on what kit to use until inspiration hit me after seeing the titanium finish Sinanju at a local Gundam convention.  The finish was just awesome so I thought why not try replicating it.  I settled on the HG version of the Sinanju given that I really didn't know what I was doing and couldn't bear the thought of ruining the MG version. (For obvious financial reasons) 

I decided to paint the parts while they were still on the runners which I now consider a rookie mistake.  While this definitely made the painting process faster, I was still left with the task of cutting the parts off the runners resulting in the inevitable nub marks.  I sanded them as smooth as possible without ruining the paint and used a red Gundam paint marker to cover up noticeable blemishes.

My weapons of choice for this build: Gundam markers and Bosny spray paint and clear coat

Knowing very little and doing almost zero research, I foolishly, due to sheer excitement perhaps, started painting my Sinanju using Bosny's Honda Red.  I figured the clear/candy tone of the Honda Red would give it the titanium shine I so badly wanted.  Needless to say, I didn't get the desired effect.  Still determined, I sprayed a coat of glossy clear thinking this would do the trick. WRONG again! (Though now that I look back, the glossy clear coat helped protect it)   
   

 

After letting the paint cure for a good 48 hours, I ended up with a deeper, richer red tone with less of a plastic look from what I would have gotten out of the box.  You might also notice that I opted to use the stickers to outline the gold parts of the kit which didn't turn out too bad.  I wasn't aware of the reverse wash technique at the time but will definitely try it on the next build.  Again, much props go out to Ban Dai for the quality of their products.     

Overall, I'm still very proud of this build and satisfied with how it turned out in the end.  Of course I'm disappointed, more at myself for not doing the needed research on painting, that I couldn't replicate the titanium finish on the Sinanju.  There's no better teacher than experience, I always say, and will definitely take these "lessons learned" to improve on my next build.  I'll leave you with a few more pictures of the finished product. (Please use the Comment box below to provide feedback, constructive feedback is always appreciated)  Till my next post.  Thanks, everyone!