Gunpla: The EB-05s Schwalbe Graze (IBO HG)

A common design archetype in Gundam is the idea of a commander type. This is a mobile suit closely related to a rank & file machine, but with maybe a new head, a new model number, and a few performance improvements. This is closely related to the "Ace Custom" trope, although is not necessarily the same thing, as a commander type is usually an uncommon variation, not a personalised machine. The Schwalbe Graze is one such mobile suit, one explicitly intended for leaders and talented pilots. Its also blue and has a weapon on a string, which puts me in mind of the Gouf/Zaku dynamic. And its a good kit, but I fell down a rabbit whole of indecision.

I'd like to ramble for a moment to ask rhetorical questions about detailing gunpla. Consider blue boys model here, which is in a conventional 2D, and especially the areas around the thrusters. 

Are these areas actually black, or is this just suggesting shadow? Or is it dirt/burnt-bits that accumulated around the thrusters? Was it ever painted? The art style does allows for several interpretations. And then there's the kit, it's 1/144 scale, so design elements have to be fairly obvious or exaggerated to stick out. And then you ask which came first, the model or the kit? Are they both interpretations of the same idea, equally valid? And what my point actually is? Well, the point is you'd have to choose between realism and screen accuracy, and I'm still finding that balance. Or, how much do I paint, if at all? 

With the Swallow here I tried a few different techniques to detail it. First, I decided that the shoulder thrusters would indeed have a black around them, laying it on thick, then drybrushing with Game Color Silver to highlight then and the edges of the axe. I used stickers for the yellow bits, this being a colour I find troublesome, especially when its used in fiddly areas like the eyes. Meanwhile, I used my first big blue Gundam marker for some areas, and felt tips for clean up, before opting to ink wash the thing. The majority was done in the old standby that is Nuln Oil, layered thick on the skeleton, but otherwise moderated with a cotton bud. The blue segments were treated with Macragge Blue. The end result certainly isn't bad, but clearly I've done for “realism”, and not “anime accuracy”. My which I mean, its messy rather than clean.

The actual construction makes for favourable comparisons with the Astaroth, having a similar internal skeleton gimmick going on, but with colours more immediately pleasing and significantly less stickers. Some areas like the shoulders were a little annoying to cut & assemble, with some obvious seam lines, but little that's actually bad. Articulation is also in the goldilocks zone, moving well for something in such high heels. Where the kit starts to falter is with those design elements unique to it, as opposed to the regular Graze. The wired claw is weedy and prone to popping off, when I feel this should be a centrepiece. I ended up halving the length and applying Ard Coat to stop it flopping around. Something something your mum. The weapons inherited from its grunt sibling have more presence and did not require additional work.

In summary: it's definitely a nice kit, and I'm starting to understand why IBO models have such good reputations. But maybe there's another variant that's more up my street. And I still have much to learn. Especially with the damn robot photography.