Joseph Song

The diorama depicts an asteroid field scene with the wreckage of a Zeon spacecraft.

To mount the Rick Dom and simulate it floating among the asteroids, I used transparent PS rods. Initially, I used only one rod to support the Dom, but its weight caused it to shift out of position. To improve stability, I added a second rod, which provided much better support.

Thank you very much to everyone who has supported me from the very beginning, as well as to those who are just joining along the way. I’ll try to take better photos if time allows. What I’m presenting right now is the best I could achieve with the time I had available.

The scene depicts the wreckage of a Zeon vessel resting on the surface of an asteroid.

• Prepared the diorama base using foam insulation board and covered it with a homemade papier-mâché mixture made from PVA glue and toilet paper + joint compound to create the asteroid's terrain.
• Added crushed cork to introduce additional rocky textures and surface details.
• Painted the terrain with a black acrylic base coat, followed by several layers of gray tones to build depth and highlight the rock formations.
• Applied a matte clear coat to unify the finish and protect the painted surface.
• Painted the wreckage sections in the characteristic Zeon military green color scheme.
  Used thin corrugated cardboard to scratch-build sections of the ship's metal plating, creating the appearance of damaged hull panels and structural debris scattered across the asteroid surface.
• Added the Zeon emblem in ochre yellow using a stencil and airbrush, followed by sponge weathering techniques and touch-ups to create a worn, battle-damaged appearance.
• Added weathering effects and battle damage details to the metal plating, including paint chipping, scratches, and worn edges to enhance the realism of the wreckage.
• I will continue refining small details, adjusting weathering effects, and fine-tuning the overall composition to achieve a more cohesive and polished final presentation.

• Applied water decals to the Rick Dom Dozle Zabi, incorporating its signature gold ornaments and additional markings inspired by the classic MG Rick Dom version.
  
• Applied the corresponding decals to the Shin Matsunaga Zaku.
  
• Painted the Rick Dom's Scattering Beam Cannon, which had been overlooked in the previous progress update.
  - Added a lens detail to the Beam Bazooka and painted several small details
  
• Sealed both kits with a matte clear coat to protect the decals.
  
• In the upcoming stages, I plan to apply subtle weathering effects to both models to help them blend more naturally with the diorama and enhance their overall realism.

Painted the Rick Dom using Kaleido paints:

• “Gun Metal” on the inner frame parts.
• “Zirconium Black” for the beam bazooka.
• “Tungsten Steel” for the thrusters, spikes, and Heat Hawk axe.
• “Armor Carbon” for the black armor sections.
• “Flashy Gold” for golden ornaments and parts of the axe.
• And for the green armor I used another brand I had on hand since it resembled the color, but it gave me some problems.
  
  The assembly of the Rick Dom was frustrating because, being an old kit, it has very delicate connections that break easily.
  
  Painted the Zaku using Kaleido paints:
• “Armor White” for the armor.
• “Grey Z” for the gray armor sections (I wanted to use “Light Grey” but it was too light and didn’t contrast well with Kaleido’s Armor White).
• “Gun Metal” on the inner frame parts.
• “Metallic Red Marker” from DSPIAE for the red sections on the armor and backpack.
  

• For the Zaku’s armor I used gray primer before painting it with Kaleido “Armor White” the gray primer I used is from the brand Sunin).
• For the Zaku’s inner frame I applied black primer + Kaleido “Gun Metal”.
• For the weapons of both the Zaku and Rick Dom I used black primer and Kaleido“Zirconium Black” .

This week’s progress:

• Finally finished the scribing on the Zaku.
• Added the hand spikes on the Rick Dom.
• Installed mini magnetic LEDs, one pink and the other red for better contrast (luckily they fit well in the Rick Dom’s chest and the Zaku’s backpack).
  

It’s time for Phase 3: Priming and painting!
Then comes Phase 4: Decals and Phase 5: Diorama base.

Hopefully I’ll make it in time!

This week progress:

• Progressed with scribing on the Zaku’s legs and a bit on the chest.
• Cut and fused part of the arm joint using extra thin cement, then sanded it to make the assembly look more realistic.
• If possible, I’ll try to finish this entire phase next week so I can start priming the Rick Dom and the Zaku.

This week progress:

• I finally managed to finish the chest of the Rick Dom (maybe still needs a bit of sanding and filling small details). Still need to define and finish the hand spikes.
• Did some scribing on the Zaku’s head and its mono-eye. While at it, I tested adding a 2.5 mm pink lens from the brand Wave for the future LED installation.
• I decided to skip the leg modifications on the Rick Dom due to limited time and the project deadline.

This Week’s Progress – HG Zaku Shin Matsunaga

• The week was very limited, I didn’t make much progress.
• Just a bit of scribing on the Zaku arms and shield.

This Week’s Progress – HG Zaku Shin Matsunaga & Rick Dom Dozle Zabi Custom

• Had limited time this week.
• Marked a few tentative panel lines on the Zaku and remving seamlines using extra thin cement and sanding.
• Gap-filling on the Rick Dom’s skirt with sprue goo, preparing for later line marking along the ornamental edge. Did some scribing on the skirt as well.
• removing seamlines on the arms.