Gundam - Shaldoll Scout Turntable.

Associated turntable for the Gundam - Shaldoll Scout.

Gundam Turntable from Tom Lewis on Vimeo.

Gundam - Shaldoll Scout.

Crikey!  What do we have here?  A finished project!  I have had a bit of a block on finishing stuff:  I've another two projects that are 3/4 done, hence the lack of updates.  Here's a bit of a departure from ladies and monsters though:  A robot!  Not done one before and yes it's thematically similar to the Tortilus but this felt much different to build.

I say "robot", it's a Gundam, technically, and a RGE-C350S Shaldoll Scout to be precise.  I have a big book of Gundam line art of *all* Gundam ever, so thumbed through and found this model to use as reference.

So it felt like a departure from the Tortilus as this was 99% zModeler and dynamic subdivisions, which as an old box modeler makes me happy.  I can think in low poly cages.  No visible UV work either (the shoulder has a decal on it but I couldn't have a front view and that in the same shot) meaning all the noise is procedural noisemaker 3D placement rather than UV placement which made it way quicker.  Three layers: erosion, dents, and paint colour variance.  All composited together in Photoshop in post.  I'll definitely use that tactic again.

I like:

• Big robot!  Definitely fulfilling my own brief there!
• All the lines aren't super sharp, there's a little bevel on most everything.
• My noise work.  It seems too much up close but when it's printed A4 size it should be just right.
• That I didn't spend another x hours doing more kibble that wouldn't be visible or in keeping with the cleaner Gundam style.
• I have had all the practise with the zModeler brush I'll need for a time!  With that it's so easy to add secondary detail on low polygon cages then cheat the high polygon look.
• The Photoshop composite has made it look like there's WAY more fidelity than there actually is.  It oughta, there's 50 layers actually doing something!

I dislike:

• No visible decals.  Would it have killed me to add some warning signs in a PS layer?  It would've helped sell the size even if they became barely visible.
• That I didn't bevel the shoulder gun where the barrel meets the housing.  Look at it!  Amateur hour!  I mean, I'm not being paid so it's not professional hour but still...
• That you can't really tell that he's 18.2m tall but I did keep the camera low to aid that.
• Gundam v Transformer gripes:  If I'd done that latter I'd've had more visible interest with an endoskeleton, it wouldn't all be one material, and it would have been way more poseable!

Right, time to man up and finish one of those almost done projects!