(Fang of the Sun) Dougram +++ 1:72 Abitate F44D "Desertgunner" (Doyu-sha kit, Revell re-boxing; modified for arctic use)
Can you say... vintage? This kit is like a cat: it seems to have several lives! It is a Dougram Desertgunner, released in 1985 or 1986 by Revell under their hodgepodge Robotech label as "Sand Stalker" - and this one is STILL alive, even though it sees it third(!) build now. Tough piece...
The first time I built it it was OOB in the Revell livery, but you can imagine how it looked like when I tinkered it together enthusiatically at the age of about 15... Then, in the wake of improvement, I re-did the kit in a winter livery several years later, hiding the worst building flaws under fake snow.
I recently "found" the kit again, in pieces but complete, together with two Dougram Goliaths, and spontaneously decided to revive this bizarre and retro-looking mecha. The Desertgunner is a favorite of mine - I have tried to find a NIB Takara or Revell kit for some years, but they seem to have become really rare in 1:72 scale, so you have to use what you have at hand with as little loss as possible. True antique restoration!
For its third life on stage, I decided to renovate the personal snow livery status. Firstly I think it looks more interesting than the bleak ochre desert look, maybe with some signs of wear and lots of dust, then there are still flaws (and some repair) to hide, so the snow cover is a neat option.
As a first step, the old fake snow cover was scrubbed off - as well as the coat of dust the kit caught during the past 15 years. Revamping was done sparsely. I removed some parts I added years ago (e. g. additional rocket launchers), so that the kit was back to basics again. The only changes I made then are scratch-built equipment racks alongside the middle turret section, with some stuff from the junk box inside, plus some details like ladders and steps all around the hull, an IR searchlight next to the gun, the anti-aircraft machine gun on top, and some new and more delcate antennae. I also added two new figures because the orginal ones got unfortunately lost - they show how huge the whole F44D actually would be (and how ridiculously lousy its armament for its size is...)!
For camouflage I just re-used the last paining I did almost 20 years ago: a dark olive green with white zig-zag patterns, which look like improvised in the field. Here and there I used some lighter very dark slate grey and some brown shimmers through, for a ratty and worn look. Decals are few, just the yellow "8" on the side panels and a sqaudron emblem, that's all. Some sparse detail painting with sienna and umbra acryllic paint simulates rust and oil.
Finally, the kit received some camouflage nets made from gauze bandages, dipped in a mix of water, white acryllic paint and white glue - they not only break up the F44D's shape, but also cover the huge "empty" hull areas, making the kit look more interesting? Then, a new, light snow coat with fine, white joint mortar (plaster is too grayish and becomes yellow over time, as it absorbs up humidity!), rinsed through a fine mesh onto the kit which was sprayed with water. Some hair spray helped fixing the snow, and a matte varnish coat seals everything in place.
For display, I decided build a small simple 30x20cm winter landscape diorama for it - a small rigde which allow the F44D - better called "Snowgunner" now - to show its high mobility, even as a kit!
Considering that it is not a newly-build kit, rather a kind of youth heritage, I am quite happy with the result. True nostalgia!