Completed Build: MG Sandrock Custom Ver. EW

Intro

Capping off the year with the completion of my MG Sandrock custom ver EW. I started this in April, but it ended up taking about 6 months (on and off) to complete. I wanted to paint up the kit in the P-Bandai Sandrock Kai EW colour scheme while adding surface details, with a pre-shading and factory-clean painting style.

I was interrupted in the middle of building by Zakuaurelius' 100k subscriber contest, where I built my Delta plus ver. Centurion to win the grand prize of a Mechanicore Pyrannosaurus.

For more frequent updates on builds and WIPs, please follow my insta: @yulongsgunpla

Here are my work in progress posts leading up to this completed build.

• WIP#1: Head and torso
• WIP#2: Limbs

Workflow

• Snap-build, remove nubs, clean seams
• Scribe custom panel lines and add surface details
• Light prime with Mr. Surfacer 1500 to check for surface flaws
• Correct flaws and re-prime
• Painting:
• Inner frame:
• Airbrush with metallic lacquer (burnt iron)
• Seal with gloss acrylic topcoat
• Enamel wash
• Flat coat
• Outer Armour/Shield/Uzi:
• Pre-shade base colours with lacquers
• Apply lighter colour highlights
• Hand paint small surface details with enamels
• Enamel wash
• Seal with gloss acrylic topcoat
• Apply waterslide decals
• Shotel blades:
• Apply black gloss base
• Apply steel lacquer
• Shade with reds/orange/yellow
• Finishing
• Clear acrylic coat to seal waterslides
• Clear flat lacquer topcoat 
• Superglue metallic detals

Comparison Photos

Side-by-side comparison of the finished build with snapped kit:

Head - fixed seams and redesigned the side plates and chin:

Shoulder - scribed panel lines and added more facets to the armour pieces:

Arms - custom panel lining and scratch-built inner piston:

Waist - custom surface details using pla-plate:

Legs - armour separation, custom panel lines, and additional vent pieces:

Pilot figure:

Gallery

Final thoughts

Overall, I'm quite happy with the build in which I focused mostly on the paint job. This was my first attempt at pre-shading, and I enjoyed the aesthetics of this style. This is only the second of 6 Gundam Wing MGs that I have completed, but as I narrow down my style and workflow, productivity should increase. This year was already more productive than the last. Hopefully I can reach my goal of 6 kits per year (or my backlog will never be done).

Until next time!