Bandai Figure-rise 6 Black Lotus Modification WIP Part 2

  
Bandai Black Lotus WIP Part 2.



Out of the whole kit, there are 4 places where purple light up panels are achieved with stickers:
- 2 thin lines on the neck
- panels on the side of torso
- the central gem on the torso, lower one of the 2
- gems on the front of knee armor.

Out of all of them, the only ones I am confident of modifying are the panels on the side of the torsos.

Bits of the leftover clear purple spruce are trimmed to match the recess of the light up panels. The original stickers are applied, before sticking the plastic pieces on, first with small amout of clear paint to hold it in position, then tiny amout of polycement to secure it in place. The plastic pieces are however, too thick. So the next step is to file it down until flush. Clear plastics like these works by taking in light from the edges and reflect it out. so filing it flush reduce the brightness of the panel compare to the photo below. But it's the best I could do.

Painting WIP:

first Tamiya Gloss Black spray can. Of course, with the part in just plain gloss black, there are hardly anything to photo...

 

Here is the interesting bit though: Mica Pearl Powder. this stuff are plenty available on Ebay, and comes in various colour and effect type, from bright strong colour, glittering to pearl effect here. The one I use here is the Lilac Pearl powder.

In essense it is similar to glitter. But unlike the metallic spark of the glitter, the pearl effect flakes don't shows a definitive colour, and when no light is hitting them they look more or less like the background colour. With the lilac version, it does gives off a more red hue to light.

To use on model kit like this, I mix a small spatular worth of powder with some water, then add some Citadel gloss hard coat into the mix, then spray in of as a lght mist using an airbrush. The Mica powder aparendly do have an adhesive binder mixed in, so in theory I can just use it with water. but just in case I add the hardcoat anyway.

In real live the glitter is more subtle but more numerous then shown on photo. It also change greatly due to the lighting. I might try to photo the complet kit outdoor and see if it will show it off better.

 

Next: a clear gloss coat to protect the Mica Powder, before attempting to panel line the kit with silver paint. I need some advice though. Right now I only have Citadel acrylic mithril silver and Humbrol's enamel Metal Cote silver. Do anyone reckon the Metal Cote would work as a thinned silver paint? Alternatively I do have some Humbrol enamel gloss purple paint...