antampatz

While the beam rifle and machine gun could be addressed by modifying their grips, the bazooka presented a different challenge.

One of the limitations of this kit is that the bazooka lacks a pivoting handle. As a result, achieving the classic shoulder-fired pose requires the wrist to bend downward significantly. Unfortunately, the wrist articulation is fairly limited, making it difficult for the model to support the bazooka securely using the hands alone.

Rather than modifying the bazooka's grip, I decided to approach the problem from a different angle.

A magnet was installed within the shoulder assembly, hidden inside one of the internal cavities formed where the shoulder armour halves come together. Corresponding magnets were then installed within the rear section of the bazooka. To position them as close as possible to the shoulder contact point, small cavities were drilled into the bazooka before the magnets were secured in place with cyanoacrylate (CA) glue.

This creates a secondary attachment point between the weapon and the mobile suit. The hand still grips the bazooka through friction, but the magnetic connection at the shoulder helps support the weapon and stabilise its position when shouldered.

The result is a much more secure and natural-looking firing pose, while remaining almost completely invisible once the model is assembled.

This solution also fits well with the Gatekeeper concept. As a machine intended to operate as a rearguard unit, the bazooka is one of its primary long-range weapons, and ensuring it can be deployed reliably felt worth the additional effort.

With the weapon handling issues addressed, I also began preparing for how the weapons will be carried when not in use.

Magnets were installed inside all of the major weapons assemblies, including the beam rifle, machine gun, and bazooka, before the weapon halves were bonded together. These magnets will eventually interact with mounting points on the custom auxiliary backpack currently under development.

The intention is to allow weapons to be stored securely on the machine itself while remaining easy to remove and deploy. This supports the broader Gatekeeper narrative, where the unit is expected to defend a position independently and maintain immediate access to its available weapon options.

Although most of these modifications will remain hidden once the build is complete, they should significantly improve both the functionality of the model and the practicality of the final loadout.