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Battle Damage Basics :

Sometimes battle damaging your kits can be a daunting task. I mean, who would really want to chop up a brand new Master Grade kit if the damage isn't going to look realistic? Well, in this tutorial, I'll outline 4 easy methods to effectively damage your kits.

WARNING : Some of the steps involved in this tutorial can be hazardous to ones health so please take care when cutting, melting or otherwise modifying the plastic.

 

What you need :

  1. A Rotary Tool (such as a Dremel).
  2. Hobby Knife with a sharp blade.
  3. Pin Vise with appropriate drill bits.
  4. Sprue Cutters.
  5. Soldering Iron (the type you would use for electronic soldering).
  6. Your kit (in this case the Master Grade GM ver 2.0).

Method 1 : The Soldering Iron

Soldering Irons can be used to simulate melted metal caused by Beam Sabre slashes or bullet holes made from laser weapons. For bullet holes, simply heat up your iron and gently press it against the kit where you want the hole to be. It will slowly melt and create a melted 'crater'. Keep melting until you get the desired size and effect you are after.

Here is the final bullet hole I have made in the chest :

Beam Sabre slashes can be made but gently dragging the iron across the part you want to have the damage on. More on this can be seen in the video at the bottom of this page.

Method 2: The Rotary Tool

Rotary tools can be used to chip away the edges or just make general dents and scratches over the kit. Begin by marking out where you want the chips to be using a black marker to do so.

With an appropriate engraving bit installed, gently tap and running tool on the edges and 'erase' the marks to create your chips. This can be done away from the edge as well if you are looking to make a dented up Mobile Suit.

Method 3 : The Hobby Knife

Drill a hole with the pin vise to act as the center of the 'explosion' hole. Now take your knife and gently carve out the hole - there is no need to be accurate here either, the rougher the better as it is simulating an explosion.

Remember to flick the knife away from you and your fingers when carving the plastic as sharp knives can do a lot of damage!

Method 4: The Sprue Cutters

This one is simple as well. Just take your cutters and gently nip the edges of the piece to simulate chipped away metal. Remember to cut shallow though as you are trying to make dents and chips not huge holes.

Here is what it looks like :

And here is the kit with the damages completed :

 

Finally, here is the video tutorial on this topic (please forgive me if the quality isn't up to scratch as it is my first video tutorial) :

 

As you can see, these 4 simple methods can be used to really knock a kit around and make it look like it has had a hard life. Experimentation is the key with this - take these 4 methods and make them suit the situation you have and give your kits a realistic, weathered look.