Building the Old Kit Ingram to Look Cool! Part 4

Good work everyone! Last time, the Ingram was painted to a certain extent.
This time, we are finally going to take it to completion!

First, let's start with the cockpit area. I opened up holes in pursuit of realism, but just having holes there actually makes it look less realistic.

It also looks strange to be able to see straight through to the back. So, I've decided to add window parts!

First, I'll apply masking tape over the open holes to create a template.

Then, I'll stick that tape onto a clear plastic sheet and cut it out. After that, I'll apply adhesive to the edges of the window and attach it! The clear plastic sheet is from a food container I bought at the supermarket. I saved it from when I ate sashimi.

Finally, I'll dab some liquid cement onto the plastic sheet. This will make the surface cloudy. You know how when you look at a car from a distance, the windows aren't completely transparent, but you can still see through them, right?

That's why I made it a bit cloudy. Lastly, I'll just touch up the window edges where the adhesive caused the color to fade using a brush, and it's done!

I've finished attaching all the windows! I also made the bulletproof section that goes in front of Noa's face.
Doesn't it look good?

Next are the stickers. These aren't water-slide decals, but regular adhesive ones.
While it's nice that these are easy to apply, the margins are quite large, and if you're aiming for realism, they're a bit unacceptable.

For example, take a product with some kind of printed pattern. Sure, there's a bit of a border for printing convenience, but it's not several centimeters wide, is it?

So, this time, I'm going to cut away all of these margins.

I intend to leave only the lettering and trim off all the excess margin. This makes them harder to apply, but the finish looks just like a print.

I'll do this for all the stickers and then spray them with a top coat! This will unify the surface texture and remove any sense of awkwardness!

Now then, let's build the joints from here...
From the very first installment, this joint has been my main concern. The rubber parts originally included have nothing but disadvantages.

This isn't good, is it? So, I thought about it.
A joint cover must protect the mechanics inside the joint. That means it should be waterproof.

I spent some time thinking about that, and at one point, my eyes landed on the hose part of the shower in the bathroom. It's silver, waterproof, and bends flexibly.

Could the Ingram be something like this?
So, I went looking for it.

And that was a motorcycle cover! It's waterproof! And above all, it's easy to move! (Or rather, it's very thin.)

Cut this out and glue it into a circular tube.

I made sure the glue tab was on the inside.
Once I readjusted this to the right length and inserted it into the joint...

Like this! Isn't it amazing!?
The surface has a slightly rough texture, which gives it a nice sense of scale.

The wrinkles don't look out of place either. Also, by only gluing a part of the connection between the torso and the shoulder, it won't come off and it doesn't interfere with movement.

I did the same for the legs, and once I combined them with the torso!
The Ingram is complete!

What do you think? Personally, I think it turned out pretty well.
The joints are just the right amount of stiff and easy to move. The surface is shiny, and I was able to bring to life the Ingram I wanted when I was a kid!

Since it's an old kit, there are some awkward parts, but it moves well!
It's truly cool!

Noa at the neck, drilling with a pin vise, and replacing the joints. It was worth the effort!

By the way, these are the Alphonse models I've built in the past.
They are in order from oldest on the left.

This oldest one was originally a completed junk model.
I unearthed it at my grandparents' house. It's tattered, but it's actually a rare kit. It's a version that is now out of print.

It was initially sold as number 1 in the Patlabor series, but it went out of print after number 2, which had a modified mold, was released.
Since then, even when used in other sets, it has used the number 2 mold.

Also, the most troublesome part is definitely the rubber parts.

The molding and color are good, but they melt the plastic. This is terrible!

And this is the version that was revised and is still re-released today.
However, this one has its own drawbacks.

And because I built it without adjusting the polycap joints, the kit ended up in this state while I was moving it.

It's so loose that it can't even stand up! If I bend the legs and let go, they just flop right down.

All things considered, I think it came together quite nicely this time.

So, that's it for this time!
It was rewarding to build for the first time in a while😄 I suppose the main reason is that I performed some modifications!
I tried to pack in as many elements of the Ingram I wanted when I was a kid as possible, so I'm very satisfied with it!

Well, I'll wrap it up here for now! Thank you for sticking with me until the end!

Goodbye~👋