Kit Information :
Scale : 1/144
Grade : HGUC
Made by : Bandai
Completed : 7th May 2007
Box Art :
EMS-10 Zudah
Introducing the Experimental Mobile Suit Zudah!
My original plan with the Zudah was to add a ton of add-ons and really 'bling' the kit right up, but as always, plans never turn out the way I would like.
The color scheme came from an idea I had to paint a Zaku II in a blue/gold combination (well I had planned to get a MG Zaku II ver. 2.0 and use the scheme for that). But since it didn't look like I was going to get that kit, I thought it would be a good idea to use it on the Zudah, especially because of all the small panel lines and edges that the kit has.
Colors used were Tamiya Flat Blue (for the main blues), Tamiya Flat Black (for the neck, knees and feet), Mr Color Cobalt Blue (for the cockpit hatch which really ended up a purple color instead of cobalt blue), Mr Color Steel for the Weaponry, hands and chest armour, and finally, Mr Metal Color Brass for the panel lining and other armour.
The jet 'flames' from the feet were made from a piece of left over sprue which I carved into a shape I wanted with a knife. The rear thruster was done the same way but using the Dremel and thicker acrylic rod. They were then painted with a mix of Clear Blue for the 'flames' and Clear Red for the really hot section of the 'flames'.
Decals used were the official set released from Bandai and were purchased via Hobbylink Japan. They were applied after a decent coat of gloss and sealed in with Mr Color Flat Clear (first time using and I was really happy with the results it gave me).
Being an experimental space MS, I thought some sort of asteroid type base would work well with the kit. The base was built out of foam (which was carved with a knife) and coated with Plaster of Paris. Craters were made by tapping my fingers against the wet plaster. Once the plaster dried, I air brushed a several layer combination of Black, Dark Gray, and Sky Gray. Highlights were air brushed on with Brown and Black. Once the paint had dried, I highlighted the craters more by using the Snow pastel in the Tamiya Weathering Kit. I also added some gray ballast to simulate small rocks on the asteroid surface.
The Zudah is attached to the asteroid using an acrylic rod, some styrene sheeting, a small screw and glue. I made a simple attachment to plug into the base of the Zudah out of the styrene, painted it black and attached it to the acrylic rod using the small screw. The rod was then pushed into a glue filled hole in the 'asteroid' and left to dry. I adjusted it until I got both the position and angle I wanted and glued the attachment in place so it no longer moved.
There is a few things I thought of while I made this kit that I wish I could go back and do - mainly add fibre optics to the jet flames and and LED Mono-eye - but overall, I am quite happy with the end result.