antampatz

This week marked the transition from preparation and clean-up work into the more creative side of the project, focusing on customisation and finalising the auxiliary backpack that has been gradually evolving throughout the build.

A wide range of materials and aftermarket parts were used during this stage, including option parts from Bandai, Kotobukiya, and Wave, together with metal wire, beads, and heat-shrink tubing. The latter were particularly useful for creating cables and connection points between the backpack and the mobile suit, helping reinforce the idea that the unit has been modified and upgraded in the field.

One of the main goals of this phase was adding additional armour and detail parts to support the Gatekeeper narrative. To achieve this, I made extensive use of keys from an old, decommissioned keyboard, combined with modelling bricks and aftermarket detail parts. These were used to create improvised armour panels and additional protective plating across various areas of the model.

An unexpected discovery during this process was that the modelling bricks bonded surprisingly well using plastic cement. I had assumed they would not react in the same way as styrene, but testing on spare parts showed that the bricks, keyboard keys, and Bandai plastic could be combined successfully. Whether this is due to the material itself or because the absorbent surface helps retain the softened plastic produced during cementing, the result was stronger than expected and proved useful throughout the build.

Work also continued on the auxiliary backpack. Earlier in the project, I used lego bricks as a fast way to explore shapes, layouts, and proportions. This week that structure was finalised and further refined using additional detail parts, custom-made tubing, pen caps, pla-plate, putty, and cyanoacrylate (CA) glue.

Because the backpack is primarily built around the lego core, significant refinement work was required to smooth transitions between the various components and create a more cohesive appearance. The goal was to move away from the underlying construction method and towards something that feels like a purpose-built piece of mobile suit equipment.

Magnet installation also formed a major part of this stage. Magnets were incorporated within the backpack structure both to attach it securely to the backpack rack and to provide mounting points for the various weapons. As these magnets would become inaccessible once enclosed within the structure, additional care was needed to ensure the polarity was correct before final assembly. Installing them also required modifying and hollowing out several of the internal components to create the necessary space.

From a design perspective, the backpack was developed around the operational requirements of the Gatekeeper concept. The aim was to increase both mobility and endurance through the addition of extra thrusters and fuel capacity. The final layout includes four thrusters: two directed downward to provide additional upward thrust, and two angled rearward to improve manoeuvrability. Fuel capacity is provided by a large central tank supported by two additional cylindrical tanks mounted either side of it.

Particular attention was paid to integration with the planned weapon loadout. Thruster placement, fuel tanks, and weapon mounting points were arranged to ensure that none would interfere with one another during operation. The bazooka can be mounted on the right side of the backpack, while the beam rifle or the machine gun can be carried on the left side when not in use.

Unfortunately, I failed to photograph the model with all of the additional armour and detail parts installed before moving into the priming stage. However, these modifications will still be visible in the later updates as the project moves into painting, weathering, and final assembly.

This is one of the more significant milestones of the project so far. Many of the ideas first discussed during the concept and planning stages are now physically present on the model, helping transform the standard Ez‑8 into a machine better aligned with the Gatekeeper narrative: a field-modified rearguard unit built for mobility, endurance, and sustained defence.