Kit no.3 of my “build before I can’t for a long time” series!
The Schwalbe Graze wasn’t originally on my list of kits to get whilst I was in Japan earlier this year, but I had just gotten off an 8 hour plane ride binge watching IBO and I was hot for some kits. Unfortunately there were no Barbatoses in sight anywhere, so I had to settle for a HG Schwalbe Graze to go with my Graze Kai instead.
My first impression of the kit is that the stock colour scheme is rather boring and makes the whole design kinda blend into a murky blob. I also don’t quite like the goofy “baseball cap” design of the head and I think it’s much better when it’s posed down to give it that simple mono-eye look.
My only complaints about these Graze kits is that the torso rotation is kinda blocked by the various skirt armours. Other than that, the internal frame allows an unprecedented amount of articulation for a HG kit. There’s only one seam line to fix to fix on the rifle, and a couple of places which need masking, which are the faceplace, the yellow sensors and the little details on the shoulders. It’s also pretty sturdy for a HG, and the joints are still pretty tight after I was done with my photoshoot.
I think this kit turned out way better than my Graze Custom and I could recommend it only if you change up the colours a bit.
Painting
The decision to make the shoulders red and the chest white was on a whim, and I think the final product looks way better than I ever expected it would. I think the red really accentuates the high mobility and elite aspect of the suit and also serve to catch your eyes at first glance. Your gaze is then directed towards the chest and finally the head. I also changed the blue from what’s recommended in the manual to the more purplish blue that you see from the anime and promotion pictures.
Paints listed are Gunze Mr Hobby acrylics. I also used some Hi-Q decals that I bought from Japan earlier this year.
Dark Blue – Blue (70%) + Red (30%). White is added into the mix for highlights.
Blue – Bright Blue (60%) + Purple (40%). White and a bit of red is added into mix for highlights.
Red – Black Primer follow by Starter White technique (100%), followed by Shine Red (100%). Yellow and White is added into the mixture for highlights.
White – Base coat Intermediate Blue (100%), followed by White (100%) for shading.
Yellow – Base Coat Orange (100%), followed by Starter White technique (100%), followed by light coat of Orange Yellow (60%) + Yellow (40%). White is added into the mix for highlights
Grey – 80% Neutral Grey + 20% Black followed by 90% Neutral Grey + 10% Black for highlights
Internals – Tamiya TS Gunmetal Spray
Gallery
Action Pose
