HOME | DD

Description

[MOBILE SUIT DATA]

-----

MS-21CA Dra-C Air Reconnaissance Type

-----

A specialized mobile suit refurbished from the space-use-only Dra-C, outfitted for in-atmosphere flight via dual Tiltrotor units in place of the original spherical thruster pods.

Thanks to the fuel tanks replacing the leg units, this MS is capable of prolonged flight, making it ideal for long deployments on operations involving patrol and surveillance duties for Zeon Remnant forces still active on Earth.

Armaments include:

-MMP-80 90mm machine gun
-2x 3-tube missile launchers
-Shield-mounted beam saber

-----

[MODEL DISCUSSION]

-----

This custom Gunpla was something I floated to myself as soon as the HGBC Tiltrotor pack was announced, and when Schizophonic9 went ahead and test-fitted the parts to the Dra-C in his Tiltrotor review, I knew I had to make it a reality.

The colors are the same combination of Tamiya Deck Tan and Khaki I used on my last custom, the Geirail Scharfrichter done a year ago from this week. I also used Tamiya Semi-Gloss Black and Flat Red for details on the head and left upper arm, respectively. I was particularly happy with the asymmetrical aspect of the red armor part, as I wanted to make a part of the kit pop the way many pro modelers do with their highlights! Tamiya gloss Orange was also used inside the three thruster bells on the bottom/rear of the kit.

Vallejo Neutral Grey was also used to paint the smaller thrusters on the backpack. These include the 3 in a row facing the rear and the 2 on top of the backpack, adjacent to the antenna.

It should also be noted that all colors were hand-painted, save for the primer and topcoat layers, which were from Tamiya/Mr. Hobby spray cans. This meant that getting an even coat on the large fuel tank parts was quite difficult, but I managed to find a workaround with my brush strokes.

The most harrowing part of the build had to be the head, as it required gloss varnish tricky masking with the kit's stickers to get the black lines on the head. The right side of the head is cleaner than the left, but fortunately the topcoat hides a bit of the blemishes. Once I completed the head, the anxiety passed.

The rest of the kit went along smoothly, but I learned from my mistakes on the Geirail Scharfrichter and masked the INSIDES of the parts that were tight-fitting so that the primer/paint didn't clog up the connection ports; this was smart and allowed me to assemble the finished product without hassle.

I historically don't panel line nor care about seam lines, so that means this won't elevate me to the "big leagues" of the fantastic builders in this group, but I made this more for the concept than as a work of art!

That said, I did panel line the chest hoses and some grooves on the MMP-80 90mm machine gun to break up the solid grey.

I avoided painting the frame grey parts of the kit in the joints so that I could easily pose the kit without fear of scratching or damage; I understand it is frowned upon to not paint 100% of the kit, but I was hoping that topcoating all of the parts would remedy the discrepancy in finish; this was mostly true, but then again I don't have the trained eye of more skilled modelers.

-----

[END MODEL DISCUSSION]

-----

The main model image can be found here:

www.deviantart.com/cissuperdro…

Description

[MOBILE SUIT DATA]

-----

MS-21CA Dra-C Air Reconnaissance Type

-----

A specialized mobile suit refurbished from the space-use-only Dra-C, outfitted for in-atmosphere flight via dual Tiltrotor units in place of the original spherical thruster pods.

Thanks to the fuel tanks replacing the leg units, this MS is capable of prolonged flight, making it ideal for long deployments on operations involving patrol and surveillance duties for Zeon Remnant forces still active on Earth.

Armaments include:

-MMP-80 90mm machine gun
-2x 3-tube missile launchers
-Shield-mounted beam saber

-----

[MODEL DISCUSSION]

-----

This custom Gunpla was something I floated to myself as soon as the HGBC Tiltrotor pack was announced, and when Schizophonic9 went ahead and test-fitted the parts to the Dra-C in his Tiltrotor review, I knew I had to make it a reality.

The colors are the same combination of Tamiya Deck Tan and Khaki I used on my last custom, the Geirail Scharfrichter done a year ago from this week. I also used Tamiya Semi-Gloss Black and Flat Red for details on the head and left upper arm, respectively. I was particularly happy with the asymmetrical aspect of the red armor part, as I wanted to make a part of the kit pop the way many pro modelers do with their highlights! Tamiya gloss Orange was also used inside the three thruster bells on the bottom/rear of the kit.

Vallejo Neutral Grey was also used to paint the smaller thrusters on the backpack. These include the 3 in a row facing the rear and the 2 on top of the backpack, adjacent to the antenna.

It should also be noted that all colors were hand-painted, save for the primer and topcoat layers, which were from Tamiya/Mr. Hobby spray cans. This meant that getting an even coat on the large fuel tank parts was quite difficult, but I managed to find a workaround with my brush strokes.

The most harrowing part of the build had to be the head, as it required gloss varnish tricky masking with the kit's stickers to get the black lines on the head. The right side of the head is cleaner than the left, but fortunately the topcoat hides a bit of the blemishes. Once I completed the head, the anxiety passed.

The rest of the kit went along smoothly, but I learned from my mistakes on the Geirail Scharfrichter and masked the INSIDES of the parts that were tight-fitting so that the primer/paint didn't clog up the connection ports; this was smart and allowed me to assemble the finished product without hassle.

I historically don't panel line nor care about seam lines, so that means this won't elevate me to the "big leagues" of the fantastic builders in this group, but I made this more for the concept than as a work of art!

That said, I did panel line the chest hoses and some grooves on the MMP-80 90mm machine gun to break up the solid grey.

I avoided painting the frame grey parts of the kit in the joints so that I could easily pose the kit without fear of scratching or damage; I understand it is frowned upon to not paint 100% of the kit, but I was hoping that topcoating all of the parts would remedy the discrepancy in finish; this was mostly true, but then again I don't have the trained eye of more skilled modelers.

-----

[END MODEL DISCUSSION]

-----

The main model image can be found here:

www.deviantart.com/cissuperdro…