ARMS - The hands of this model are quite advanced, with their moving fingers, but the joint to the forearm harkens back to the first series models, keeping the hand practically stuck. I extended the forearms about 2 mm each and inserted two small B-joint to mobilize the hands. I left the other joints just the same, except the shoulder-to-body ones that were rebuilt with sprue and 4 mm plastic tube to allow more grip. I added some extra armor on the shoulder. Consider it an example of frontline engineering. Something similar, but much better defined, can be seen in the Dom Tropen and Rick Dom models, so I thought that it would have been natural for this older mobile suits to have some add-ons, even if on the rough side. I think that the decals enhance the feeling of a veteran mobile suit.

	LEGS - I used two B-joints for the feet and consequently I had to lower the feet about 5 mm. Having the legs grown about 5 mm taller, I had to redesign and extend the lower leg covers, too. I added a lot of details for the feet soles and the lower legs covers. I also added other tubes for the lower legs motors, using more electric wire. As I said before I used other two B-joints to connect the legs to the lower body, widening their housing in the upper legs.

	PAINTING - I really think that the green shades camouflage proposed for this model stinks! Instead I liked the desert colour scheme of a 1/100 Dowadge model seen in the "Gundam Wars: Mission ZZ" book, so I started from that. I used Humbrol enamels and normal brushes to paint the model. I think that using the brush instead of the airbrush gives the model the extra roughness that a frontline unit should have. The colours are Sand (HUMBROL MATT 63), Dark Earth (HUMBROL MATT 29), Black Green (HUMBROL 91) and Red for the visor (HUMBROL MATT 174). WEATHERING - I used some "sponging" done with matt black and light grey. The most worn out spots were painted with silver.   Lewismaster

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