| 這部萬代(Bandai)的 Gundam Astray Blue Frame Second L (GABF2L)模型是在2004年十月買下來，但一直只作假組而沒有認真開始製作。直至今年四月，我才決定把它拿出來製作，以參加今年的香港電擊高達模型王大賽2006。而選擇它參賽，除了之前曾製作過紅色的 Gundam Astray，對這模型熟悉之外，這模型的質素只有 HG 水準(雖然盒上並無這樣說)，故此有較大空間作修飾及改裝也是主因。 | I bought this model of Gundam Astray Blue Frame Second L (GABF2L) in 2004 but I simply put it together hastily at that time. I never really started building it until April this year for the KOGM Competition 2006. I chose this model because I built the 1:100 model of Gundam Astray Red Frame before; thus I am familiar with this kit. Secondly it is an HG model (not say so on the box but the quality is definitely high grade) and has more room for improvement and modification than those MG or PG models. |
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| 起初的構思是要把姿勢做成雙手把那柄極大的刀高舉過頂，但仔細想想後發現，用原本的武器未免失禮專業組，所以需要另覓其他龐大的武器，以保留那個霸王舉鼎的姿態。後來從高橋留美子的《犬夜叉》中得到靈感，決定製造一把類似珊瑚所用的巨型回力刀作為武器。因為武器的改變令到背包的裝置亦需作出調整，所以最後決定另加兩把回力刀放在背後。 | At first I conceived this Gundam holding the huge blade by both hands over its head. I thought this was rather cool but not long I realised that the blade should be replaced by some other weapon; otherwise the finished model would not be suitable for Group B of the Competition. Inspired by Sango's boomerang in Rumiko Takahashi's InuYasha, I decided to give this Gundam a boomerang as weapon. Thus the original backpack system must be replaced by some other thing. After some thought, I decided to put two spare boomerangs on the backpack system, which holds a maximum of three. |
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| 在外形設計上還欠一環才可正式動工製作，這就是雙肩的護甲。故然個人覺得原本 GABF2L 的護甲設計得不好，而如果再加上雙臂把大刀或回力刀高舉過頂的話，效果則更加不堪。畢竟護甲原本的設計並無照護到把它向前轉90度的姿態，要做到這舉刀的姿勢實在會犧牲不少美感。故此有需要重新設計過肩護甲，令它在垂臂和舉臂時都不失美觀。對於設計不甚了了的我，這問題倒也艱難；但十年的數學訓練令我還記得，球形在轉動90度後還是一模一樣的！至今外形的設計才可算是大至敲定，可以開始施工，但 GABF2L 中"2L"的特徵(大刀和肩護甲)已經被棄用，所以我只把模型稱作 Gundam Astray Blue Frame (GABF) 吧。 | Before starting the work, there was one last major problem to address, namely the shoulder armours. Since I have decided to have the Gundam holding the weapon, either the original blade or boomerang, over the head by both hands, the shoulder armours will rotate forward by at least 90 degrees to accommodate the raised arms. I never think the original design of the shoulder armours look good at all, putting it in this odd position looks even worse. Here is the tricky question, given that the arms will be raised, what is the best shape of the shoulder armours? Being not good in design, I found the question hard to answer. However being a mathematician, I know one shape that looks good, alright looks okay, after a 90-degree rotation; it is a sphere. As a result, I want two spherical shoulder armours. At this stage, this GABF2L is no longer very "Second Lowe". The signature of "2L", namely the huge blade and shoulder armours, are replaced. This is why I simply call it Gundam Astray Blue Frame (GABF). |
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| 回力刀看似簡單但內裡卻大有學問。首先我把雙刀臂的夾角定為約110度，如此這般的話三把相同的回力刀邊接邊放在一起時就不會侷促在一塊平面上(夾角為120度的話則然)，這樣就能做就一點立體感。說回製作方面，製造一把回力刀說易不易，話難不難，但造三把就不折不扣的是一件麻煩事。故此有需要使用複製方法。雖云是要製做三把回力刀，但因為刀中夾著鋸齒的關係，每一把刀需要分為上下半爿。回力刀另一學問所在是它的厚薄分佈。經考證，回力刀的上半爿和下半爿的厚薄分佈並不一樣(見下圖)，不能夠用同一個模胚把上下兩半爿複製出來。因為刀的設定大小的關係，身邊跟本沒有足夠物料製造出兩套矽膠複模，所以我最後決定做一個半爿的原模，複製件經些少改裝後可以變成上半或下半爿。在下面繪圖中，左面兩半爿是真回力刀的厚薄分佈而右邊則是兩個完全相同的半爿複製件。改裝的步驟是把兩隻黃色的刀臂鋸開對掉就行了。這樣做雖然花時間，但不失經濟實惠！ | Creating the boomerangs is quite tricky, even before actually building them. After experimenting with paper mock-up, the angle between the two arms was set to be about 110 degrees. A 120-degree suspension angle will properly put three boomerangs edge-to-edge nicely together but they will lie flat on a plane and look quite boring on the back of the GABF. Thus a less-than-120 suspension angle is used. Building a boomerang is not too difficult but it becomes quite laborious when I need three. Therefore replication is needed. Since saw-teeth will be sandwiched between each boomerang, two one-sided master copies are needed for each boomerang. After some research on the real boomerangs, I realised that the top side is not identical to the bottom (See the drawing below). That means I cannot just make a one-sided master copy for both top and bottom sides. Here is the problem: I did not have enough mould-making rubber to make two moulds! (Hey the boomerang is big, it requires quite a lot of rubber.) So my solution is to make a single-sided master copy that can be modifed to top or bottom half. In the drawing below, that means the two yellow arms must be cut off and exchanged. Although this approach is tedious, it is more economical to have one mould making six replicas than two moulds making three replicas each. |
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| 設計過後自然是開始製作回力刀的原模。我是先以1mm膠板做出它的外形，之後鋪上膠條及高密度發泡膠作補強之用。為了做出如飛機翼般漸變厚薄的表面，我在回力刀的骨架上加上了一薄層原子灰(汽車補土)以便打磨成形。雖知原子灰會收縮而令回力刀屈曲變形，但想膠條和高密度發泡膠的補強能減少這方面的問題。可惜事與願違，回力刀的變形還是太嚴重，唯有放棄這個原模，改用5mm的膠板做出另一個實芯的回力刀原模。當然用這種硬做蠻幹的方法自會做出一爿平整的回力刀，但要修整它的外形倒費周章。猶幸我有一個打磨器，令到過程中最麻煩的事只變成了吸塵。而回力刀夾在中間的鋸齒，因為數量的關係需要用複製的方法來製作。鋸齒的原件共分兩種，一種供外露的鋸齒而另一款為收藏形態時使用。外露的鋸齒因為顯眼的關係，需要一個一個鋸齒去做；相反收藏起來的鋸齒大可做得粗糙一點，故此可以以一排數個的形式製模。無論那一種都很花時間去複製，但見兩個月的時間換來不錯的效果也可算是值得的。 | After I finished the design, my first attempt of making the master copy of the boomerang was to use 1mm plastic sheet as structural base, reinforced by plastic rods and high-density modelling foam. In order to create the aerodynamic surface, a thin layer of auto-body filler was used. However this approach was proved to be bad because the boomerang was bent due to the auto-body filler contraction. Although I can restore the bent master copy flat by brute force, cracks will certainly appear. As a result, I gave up this work and re-built another master copy using 5mm plastic sheet. This proved to be successful; the only down side of this approach is the difficulty of carving the piece of plastic into aerodynamic shape. Fortunately I have electric rotary tool that saved the day! For the sawteeth, they are replica of two different sets of master copies. The first one is for the sawteeth extended out and the other one is for those retracted sawteeth. The extended sawteeth require making one sawtooth at a time; the retracted sawteeth are made from a set of nine teeth. Needless to say, there is a lot of replication work done for these sawteeth. They took me more than two months to make that many teeth! |
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| 雖然那三把回力刀會比較搶眼，但以趣味性而言卻還不及製作那對圓球肩護甲。肩護甲基本上是從兩個空芯圓球改裝出來，而製作那兩個圓球才叫有趣。圓球製作的方法是從某期的電擊 Hobby Magazine 內學回來的。首先用膠板切出一個半圓形的「刮刀」，然後把它安置在一支可轉動的軸心上(見下圖)。當一切準備就緒後，就在軸心的空間上堆上一些泥膠，利用轉動的刮刀把泥膠塑造出一個球體來。當泥膠球完成後就把原先的刮刀除下，換上另一把半徑略長的刮刀。當預備好後，就可以在泥膠球上鋪上一層造形畢地，轉動刮刀把造形畢地刮成一層圓殼。但因為造形畢地太軟又太黏，這層圓球狀的造形畢地表面不會怎麼滑溜，需要待造形畢地乾後鋪上一些造形畢地，轉動刮刀把表面修正。有時侯為了使造形畢地更幼細，需要加上一點郡氏油性稀釋劑把造形畢地稀釋，以便令圓殼面更光滑。 | The boomerangs may attract most attention but they are not the most interesting parts to build. Although they look simplistic, the two spheres as shoulder armours are really fun to build. I used a method that was learned from an issue of Degenki Hobby Magazine. I started from creating two half-circular templates with rotating axes along their diameters as shown below. The radii of the two half-circles are about 3mm apart. Then here comes the fun part. I put crayon on the rotating axis and made a sphere by rotating the template. The volume of this ball of crayon will be the hollow space of the finished sphere. Once the spherical crayon has been completed, I put another template with larger radius on. On the surface of the crayon ball, I put some polyester putty and sculpted this layer of putty into a spherical shell by rotating the template. After the putty was cured, the surface was not smooth; this process was repeated several times until the surface was reasonably smooth. Sometimes the polyester putty was diluted by a few drops of Mr. Thinner in order to make the surface of the shell smooth. |
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| 模型主要的改動也大至提及了，其餘地方亦加上一些零碎而相對容易的改裝。但因為時間所限，我亦沒有精神在此一一細表，唯有憑圖寄意吧！ | Finally the model underwent some modifications here and there but they are relatively easy, and thus less interesting. Needless to say I am also tired of putting a complete list of them in black and white. I will leave the photos to speak for them. |
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| 因為時間緊迫和夏季較潮濕的關係，我主要用了郡氏的高達專用色作主體塗裝。模型上的藍色是來自 HGUC/MG 魔蟹的一隻藍色，腳和腰部的啡色乃來自 HGUC/MG 戰蟹的啡色。至於那個淺灰綠色則不詳。而回力刀上的鋸齒是噴上了 Alclad II 的油性鋼色。而模型上的銀色則是 Model Master 的琺瑯鍍銀色。 | Because of the lack of time, I mostly used GSI's Gundam Color for the work. The blue on the model came from a blue color for HGUC/MG Z'Gok; the brown is the brown color for HGUC/MG Gogg. Finally please don't ask me the greenish grey, I simply don't know the mix ratio! The sawteeth was painted using Alclad II's steel color and some of the silver came from Model Master's enaemel chrome silver. |
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