While I was snapping photos of my RGM79 from different angles, a thought hit me—how cool would it be to see this thing spinning in all its glory? A 360-degree view to capture every panel line and every modifications. And once an idea like that gets into my head, you know I’m gonna make it happen.

So, I grabbed a mini rotating turntable (yup, couldn’t resist), set up my camera, and got to work. Filming the RGM79 slowly turning felt oddly satisfying—watching those custom panel lines and ear modifications catch the light was like a victory lap for all the time and effort I poured into the build.

Editing the video was the next fun part. I laid it out with shots of the RGM79 from every angle and added graphics of the RGM79 box art to give it that extra flair. But you know what really brings it to life? The music. I found some exciting free-for-use tracks (https://pixabay.com/music/build-up-scenes-epic-cinematic-trailer-113981/) that perfectly capture the energy of my spinning GM79—and trust me, it adds a whole new vibe.

Watching the final video? Pure joy. Seeing my RGM79 go round and round on that turntable feels like the perfect tribute to my first Gunpla build. It’s one thing to admire it on a shelf—but watching it spin? That’s next level.

Check out the video below and enjoy the spin as much as I did! Check out more picts in my previous post.

After much research and practice, I finally started the Bandai Hobby HGUC 1/144 #20 RGM-79 GM “Mobile Suit Gundam” Model Kit. First phase—getting the parts off the sprue with nippers, then sanding them down—a standard process for Gunpla, as seen in countless videos and tutorials. Assembling was straightforward, just like any Bandai kit. Some parts needed glue and sanding to remove seam lines, but other than that, it was mostly snap-fit.

But the real excitement? The scribing process. The default GM79 kit had plain surfaces with very little detail. So, I did some research and planned my own panel line design. Scribing was fun and satisfying, though I made a few mistakes along the way. Guess that’s part of the learning process, right?

Since the GM79 is an old kit, the detail on the ear areas was pretty poor. I decided to modify them, using some round accessory parts from Kotobukiya and scribing extra details. The end result? Pretty cool! Though, I’ll admit, my scribing still needs more practice to get those lines perfect.

When it came to painting the mecha, I realized that brush painting didn’t look great on flat panel surfaces—those brush strokes just stood out too much. Airbrushing was definitely the way to go. And lacquer paint? That’s the best choice for durability. Since Bandai mecha are poseable, acrylic paint might not hold up as well. I followed the standard process for painting mecha, touching up minor details with acrylic paints. I’ve seen other Gunpla builders mask tiny areas and airbrush every detail, but honestly, that’s too much work for me. I’ll stick to acrylics for small touches.

The final step—the most exciting part—was applying decals. They really take a mecha to the next level! I used water slide decals from other brands to enhance my GM79. Once everything was done, a clear coat sealed it all in, and my GM79 was good to go.

The entire process was incredibly rewarding—just like miniature painting. My first build isn’t perfect; I made plenty of mistakes and learned a lot along the way. But that’s part of the journey! Just like with miniatures, I’ll keep practicing, improving, and growing with every build. Can’t wait for the next one!

Enjoy the pictures! Want to see the GM79 in action? Check out the video!

Just last year, I got into Gunpla. Yes, Gundam and its universe. I’ve always known about Gunpla and model building, but it never really caught my interest despite my years of painting miniatures. I guess what finally got me started was social media bombarding me with videos of Gunpla and Gundam. At first, I wasn’t too keen. But then, one video changed everything—it was a clip of someone scribing and customizing their Gundam. The technique, the precision, the process of creating those crisp panel lines… that was what really hooked me.

To top it off, one of my clients happened to be into Gunpla, and he explained the whole process—scribing, customizing, the different model grades. Inspired, I dove deeper, watching more videos, learning about the tools, techniques, and methods of customization. That was it. I knew I was going into Gunpla.

Now, the world of Gunpla and Gundam is massive, with rich lore and timelines—much like Warhammer 40,000. As I read more about Gundam’s different universes, I realized it had multiple timelines, just like Warhammer 40K, Horus Heresy, and Age of Sigmar. So, my collector’s rules kicked in—I had to decide which timeline I was going to focus on. (I wrote a short post on my rule of collecting, check it out here. And, wow it’s been that that long already.)

And that’s when I realized something: I never really liked the traditional Gundam designs. What caught my attention were the mecha that didn’t have a humanoid or human-like head. Enter the infamous Zaku. The more I researched, the more I saw how deep the Zaku lore went. That was it—I decided I was going to collect only Zaku from the Universal Century (UC) timeline. And I’d stick to the High Grade (HG) series.

At first, the Real Grade (RG) series caught my eye, but after learning that they had intricate inner skeletons that would later be covered up by armor, I decided to pass. HG was the way to go. But along the way, I found myself liking another mecha—not a Gundam, but a design from the Earth Federation Forces. Guess what? Ha! The GM caught my attention. So, I added one more rule to my collection: RGM suits.

As with any collecting hobby, my collection quickly outgrew my ability to build. Haha! What people call the “pile of shame” in the hobby world? Yeah, mine became a full-blown pile of collections within a few months. One thing about Gunpla collecting is that Bandai’s HG kits are cheap—compared to Warhammer, a single 40K character model can buy you three HG kits! But Bandai’s kits are also limited in production. Once they sell out, it can take a long time before they get reprinted and restocked. So, whenever I spot a Zaku or a mecha I like, I grab it immediately. No hesitation.

And that, my friends, is how Gunpla entered my life alongside miniature painting. My first kit? The humble GM79.

Honestly, I’ve probably been a Kingdom Death fan since Adam Poots first started his journey. I used to collect his resin pin-ups girls, which were absolutely stunning with razor-sharp detail. I guess I stopped collecting when most of the pin-ups switched to plastic, but I still have a nice collection of Kingdom Death pin-up girls hanging around. In case you missed any of my previous painted Kingdom Death pieces, Great Game Hunter, Flower Knight and Preacher.

For this project, I kicked things off with the Kingdom Death White Lion, Giga Lion, Antelope, Butcher, Manhunter, and Flower Knight. After tackling these monsters, I moved on to the human survivors—8 of them, to be exact. I made sure to stick as closely as possible to the iconic Kingdom Death art style colours in the illustration cards throughout.

Most of these miniatures were new to me, except the Flower Knight. This is actually the second Flower Knight I’ve painted. If you’re curious about my first one, you can find it here. If I were to paint another Flower Knight for myself, it would be the third one I’ve done. But, haha, I think that’s going to take a little while to happen.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy checking out the Kingdom Death monsters and survivors. Cheers!

After some serious brainstorming, I settled on painting the Digger Armed Prospector. This Infinity miniatures figure is a tough, resourceful miner, so it felt like the perfect subject for this challenge. Being a miner, I envisioned her in a rugged mining terrain. That idea pretty much determined the direction for the base, which I kept simple but effective with a weathered 50mm base and a backdrop of mine walls to set the scene.

One thing that immediately stood out about miners is the need for light — especially in the dark, ominous depths of a mine. To give my prospector the most realistic feel, I knew I had to add some lighting features. The inspiration came from real-world miners wearing headlamps, so I knew I had to put one on her forehead. But why stop there? I thought back to the iconic Aliens movie and remembered the shoulder-mounted lights the Colonial Marines had. That gave me the idea to add powerful shoulder lights to my miner — after all, she’s in the future, and technology’s evolved.

So, the plan was set: a basic mine terrain, with a headlamp and shoulder-mounted lights, all working together to highlight this powerful miner.

I built the shoulder-mounted light using plastic card, tubes, and thin wires for the cables. For the terrain itself, I kept things simple with more plastic card and bits to create beams and support structures.

As for the color scheme, I took some inspiration from the official art box design, leaning toward yellow accents. But I decided to make her pants blue — after all, miners are often seen in jeans, and I imagined that, even in the future, that classic style would hold on. It gave the character a bit of a vintage vibe, which I loved. And yes, I might’ve even added some test red scribbles on her armor just for fun!

The real challenge came with painting the light effects. I did some research on object-source lighting and gave it a shot. While I’m pleased with the result, I know there’s room for improvement, so I’ll definitely be practicing more to refine this technique.

Now, for a little creative fun, here’s a short story to set the scene for Ally, our fearless prospector:

“Ally’s ears perked up at the faint sound echoing through the mine. In her power-packed mining suit, she felt every vibration of the terrain beneath her feet. The suit, a beast of metal and hydraulics, powered by cutting-edge technology, amplified her strength and made her feel more machine than human. With her red bandana snug on her head and a trusty headlamp illuminating her path, her KX75 shoulder lights cut through the surrounding darkness. She was ready for whatever the mine’s depths had in store.

Then, a silhouette appeared in the distance. Without missing a beat, her mechanical fingers tightened on the chain rifle’s trigger. The soft click of metal as the weapon’s system engaged blended with the increased pressure of her grip on the hammer. Her voice rang out, sharp and commanding: “Who goes there?”

Overall, I’m super happy with how the Digger Armed Prospector turned out for the Corvus Belli painting contest. While I feel good about the results, there’s always room to grow, especially in techniques like object source lighting and weathering. Miniature painting is all about experimenting, learning, and improving, and I can’t wait to dive deeper into these areas in future projects.

Just a heads-up – commission paintings are still open! Though, as usual, things will be moving at a slower pace with my day job and some backlogs. If you need some paint to bring your miniatures to life, field them in your tabletop battles, or make them shine in your display cabinet, feel free to reach out!

On a side note, this year, I’m planning to slowly revamp my paint collection, slowly phasing out GWs. I’ve already tried and been using some new brands like Pro Acryl, Warpaint Fanatic, and Two Thin Coats, and I’m really liking them so far. I’m excited to dive into their color ranges and see what they can do for my work.

Oh, and a little teaser for what’s coming next – I got into Gunpla last year! Stay tuned for some posts on that, I’ve been having a blast putting together some awesome kits.

And of course, I’ll be sharing more of what I’ve painted soon, so stay tuned for that!

When Corvus Belli announced their Infinity Painting Contest, I had the perfect excuse to finally paint my favorite Infinity miniatures. Knights are in my blood, so I chose to go with the Military Orders. I grabbed the Military Orders Expansion Pack Alpha and decided to create a mission diorama featuring the Knight of Santiago and Father-Officer Gabriele De Fersen.

I envisioned a simple story: Knight of Santiago clears Sector Area 738 while Father De Fersen hacks into the enemy database. As he gathers intel, Knight Santiago covers him. Below’s a short write-up printed on the plinth.

“Following the liberation of Sector 738, the resolute Knight of Santiago held the line while the brilliant Gabriele De Fersen meticulously accessed the base’s database. As De Fersen extracted critical data, the Knight’s vigilant protection ensured the operation’s success, showcasing a powerful alliance of courage and expertise.”

To bring this vision to life, I set out to build a diorama with an Infinity-themed feel. After researching, I constructed the terrain using plastic cards. The floor panels are all plastic, and the sector booth and details were crafted from a bottle and recycled materials I found around the house. Once assembled, it started to look like a genuine sci-fi scene. I opted for a dark blue theme with colorful stripes to capture the Infinity environment’s vibe. The terrain even features a window with a painted landscape on a card sealed behind it. For the console, I cut a thin transparent plastic from a packaging box window, which perfectly reflects the holographic touch-screen design of the Infinity world.

The Pan Oceania Knight and De Fersen were painted in the default Pan Oceania theme. Having read the stories and fluff about Pan Oceania, their color scheme is etched in my mind, and nothing beats bringing them to life in those classic colors.

Enjoy the journey and the photos! Hmm, maybe I should buy more Military Orders and paint more knights, haha. Then again, my Pan Oceania Operation Kaldstrom set is still waiting for some love… lol. Cheers!

This particular piece is the Warhammer 40k Ministorum Priest, Taddeus the Purifier. I painted him quite a while back, and he seemed like one of the potential choice for the event entry. I remember getting this miniature from the Blackstone Fortress box set, which I snagged from someone selling it individually.

I decided to stick with the color scheme as illustrated by Games Workshop. The most satisfying part was painting the 40k Inquisition symbol on the robe around his legs. With those symbols on his robe and the holy book he’s holding, the 40k Ministorum Priest, Taddeus really looks like he means business in the Inquisition order!

For the base, I went all out with a scratch build using plastic card and tubes. I added mesh and textured surfaces with brass etch and gave it a final touch with some spent shell casings beside the servo skull weapon.

Inquisition order, purge the heretic! Stay tuned for the other two entries. Cheers!

I decided to get it painted for the event and dove right in! Since Shima Rin is an anime character, I opted for a light, simple shading effect, which contrasts with the extreme highlights and contrasts typical in other miniature paintings. I followed the color scheme closely to what was suggested in the packaging and stayed true to the actual colors of the character in the anime.

For the base, I found a cover from a candle bottle that fit perfectly as a plinth. I laid out the road using Greenstuff World’s Ground Texture Asphalt paste and built the side of the road with a barricade made from plastic tubes and wires. To give it that roadside charm, I decorated the pavement with leaves, twigs, and grass.

The only complaint I had was the poor quality of the facial decals. I had to paint over the decal to achieve better eye and face features, but it was worth the effort. Other than that, the kit assembles well and perfectly. Though minor putty and sanding were still needed, the end result was well worth the extra effort.

And finally, it’s done! Shima Rin turned out amazing, looking just as cute and lively as in the anime. It feels like she’s about to ride off the plinth and into the real world. Shima Rin, I can feel your presence… cheers!

One of the local miniature painting events, M Workshop Minicon 2024, was my motivation, and it inspired me to paint the Mounted Noble Lord, which turned out to be an exciting and motivating experience. Deciding on the color theme for my Hundred Kingdoms army took a while. At first, I thought about a red, black, and white scheme, but it felt too similar to my Warhammer Fantasy Empire Swordmen colours.

Then, inspiration struck! I decided to go with a dark and green, brown theme inspired by the Para Bellum artwork for The Hundred Kingdoms. For the horse’s caparison, I chose a yellowish-green theme, while the Lord got a brownish theme paired with gold and silver armor. To mimic the Para Bellum artwork, I added a thin shade of green metallic tint to the armor on both the horse and the Lord.

When it came to posing and basing, I imagined the Hundred Kingdoms Noble Lord charging and leaping over a spear barricade into a group of enemy archers. Just placing the horse on a simple base felt empty, so I brought my vision to life with a dynamic scene. I added spears from my spare bits and sculpted a small slope hill terrain to complete the scene.

After the base was done, I decided to place the piece on a plinth with a small printed plaque for the event gathering. The plaque reads:

“Amidst the conquest of war, a Noble Knight of the Hundred Kingdoms, astride his armored charger, charges forth with valor. With a daring leap over a barricade of weathered, ancient spears, he drives his lance into the heart of darkness, a beacon of heroic might amid the swirling chaos of battle.”

Overall, I think the Mounted Noble Lord turned out pretty close to the illustration theme—or at least a little! I’m thrilled with the result and plan to follow this color scheme for the rest of the army. Charge!