Science Fiction Flavour

Tag: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

  • Mobile BuCue

    HG 1/144 Mobile BuCue — SEED × DUNE: A What-Should-Have-Been

    I have been working on Bandai’s 1/144 HG Mobile BuCue over the past few days, and what started as another modelmaking project gradually became something more personal.

    The BuCue is one of the more distinctive machines from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: a four-legged, low-slung ground-combat Mobile Suit that looks less like a conventional humanoid robot and more like an armoured mechanical hound. Its desert-combat character made it particularly appropriate for an idea that had been sitting in my mind since 2024.

    I began the build in my usual way, soaking the runners in soapy water before using a toothbrush to rinse away the residue. After leaving the runners and parts to dry, I airbrushed the solid-coloured moulded parts with Mr Hobby Mr Colour No. 13 Neutral Grey.

    The red moulded parts were subsequently airbrushed with Gundam Colour UG10 MS Char Pink, over the Neutral Grey base. The yellow parts received Mr Colour No. 109 Character Yellow, also over the grey base. For the joint components, I used Mr Colour No. 8 Silver over the Neutral Grey, giving the mechanical areas a more metallic appearance.

    Once the paint had dried, I moved on to panel lining. The Neutral Grey surfaces received Tamiya Panel Line Accent Colour Pink-Brown, while the MS Char Pink areas and silver mechanical components received Tamiya Panel Line Accent Colour Black. After allowing the panel liner to dry, I removed the excess with cotton buds moistened with Tamiya X-20 Enamel Thinner.

    Then came assembly—and this was where the build started becoming distinctly my own.

    Some of the BuCue’s components have an aircraft-wing-like appearance, accompanied by engine-like compartments and sticker details. Instead of using the supplied stickers, I decided to highlight those areas with a gold permanent marker.

    While working on those parts, I also decided to inscribe the words “SEED” and “DUNE” onto the wings, taking inspiration from the typography of the Dune film logo.

    Why?

    Back in 2024, Gundam SEED Freedom and Dune: Part Two were promoted together in a special cinema collaboration. The official crossover artwork placed the SEED Freedom protagonists at the centre of the visual. My personal feeling was that a desert-themed SEED × Dune collaboration could have taken a different direction.

    Instead of focusing on the characters of SEED Freedom, I imagined the machines and characters associated with the desert operations of the original Gundam SEED taking centre stage.

    Hence the BuCue.

    This build is my little tribute to a “what should have been.”

    I wanted to take an actual desert-combat Mobile Suit from Gundam SEED and reinterpret it through the visual language of Dune. The BuCue seemed almost tailor-made for that idea: a quadrupedal machine charging across a desert landscape, looking more like some enormous mechanical hunting beast than a conventional Mobile Suit.

    I also decided not to use the supplied sticker for the BuCue’s monoeye camera.

    Instead, I cut a small piece from the leftover clear-pink plastic runner, shaped it and glued it onto the head as a physical optical element. The recessed area surrounding the camera was then shaded with a fine-tip black marker. The dark surround creates contrast against the translucent pink piece, allowing the monoeye to read more like an actual recessed sensor rather than a flat sticker.

    Toward the end of assembly came another choice. The kit provides the option of equipping the BuCue with either a twin-cannon turret or a multi-rocket launcher battery.

    Naturally, I tried both.

    I also tried the BuCue’s famous dual beam sabers once.

    With the two sabers mounted in front, the BuCue looks like a mechanical hound biting down on a double-edged sword and charging straight at its opponent.

    But after giving the configuration a try, I set it aside.

    My favourite is the rocket launcher.

    The rocket battery reinforces the BuCue’s identity as a desert assault machine. Low, wide and four-legged, it looks like something built specifically to race across hostile terrain while delivering a considerable amount of firepower.

    Which brings me back to the two words on its wings:

    SEED. DUNE.

    This isn’t an attempt to recreate an official Bandai or film collaboration. It is my own interpretation of one—a small-scale model that combines a machine from Gundam SEED with the visual language and atmosphere of Dune.

    And I deliberately wanted to finish it today, 22 September 2026.

    Today marks the release of Dune: Awakening on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, bringing Funcom’s journey across Arrakis to console players.

    So there was something fitting about finishing a desert-themed BuCue on the same day.

    A machine from one fictional desert battlefield, reworked through my own SEED × DUNE interpretation, now marks the arrival of another journey across the sands of Arrakis.

    A little experiment in paint, markers, plastic and imagination.

    A little piece of “what should have been.”

    And, appropriately enough, it is finally complete on a day when we return to the desert.

    SEED × DUNE.

  • Archangel Catapult Launch Deck and Freedom Gundam (Phantaci edition)

    Building Log: MegaHouse Realistic Model Series 1/144 Archangel Catapult Deck & HGCE Freedom Gundam (Phantaci Edition)

    5 August 2026

    There are modelling projects that come together quickly, and then there are those that test one’s patience from beginning to end. The MegaHouse 1/144 Archangel Catapult Deck proved to be the latter.

    Although the display is largely pre-painted from the factory, I wanted to reinterpret it with a darker, more industrial appearance. A majority of the parts were airbrushed with Mr. Hobby Mr. Color Gloss Black (No. 2), requiring slightly more than three 10 ml bottles of paint. The original grey sections were then weathered with Mr. Hobby Mr. Color Gold, giving the launch deck a worn metallic finish while preserving the intricate moulded details.

    The distinctive 120-degree “L” runway markings received a different treatment. After allowing the gloss black base coat to cure, I carefully masked the surrounding areas before airbrushing Mr. Hobby Gundam Color Char’s MS Pink (UG10). Once partially dried, a light mist of diluted Mr. Hobby Mr. Color Wine Red (No. 100) was applied to tone down the pink and create a richer, weathered red that better suited the overall atmosphere of the display.

    One of the most time-consuming stages was the panel lining. Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color Grey was applied to the gloss black surfaces, while the gold and pink sections received black panel lining to enhance depth and definition. Cleaning the excess with X-20 thinner and cotton buds required patience, but it was this final stage that brought the surface details to life.

    For the side walls, I decided against airbrushing the grey-green moulded components. Instead, I used a gold permanent marker to add subtle metallic shading. This approach preserved the transparent light windows, allowing the integrated LED lighting to shine through without the need for extensive masking.

    Assembly was an undertaking in itself. The runway, support frame, protective cage, side plates, rear cover, access gate and illuminated wall sections all came together piece by piece. Wiring beneath the main structure had to be routed carefully before the installation of two AA batteries and final testing of the lighting system. Seeing the launch deck illuminate successfully made the many hours of work worthwhile.

    To accompany the completed display, I revisited an HG Cosmic Era 1/144 Freedom Gundam that I had painted several months ago. After cleaning away any remaining panel line residue, I assembled the kit and applied custom Phantaci waterslide decals. The decals were lightly misted with diluted Wine Red to harmonise them with the colour palette of the mobile suit, while the loose head crest was permanently secured with Tamiya Cement.

    This project was not always enjoyable. There were moments during assembly when frustration set in, and I genuinely questioned why I had chosen this hobby in the first place. Large-scale display pieces demand concentration, patience and perseverance, especially over several late nights. By the end of the project, I was physically tired and in need of a break.

    Yet, standing back and seeing the completed Archangel catapult deck with the Phantaci Edition Freedom Gundam docked on the runway made the effort worthwhile. The finished display represents not only a scene from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, but also the many hours spent painting, weathering, wiring, assembling and refining each component.

    This project is dedicated to 5 August 2026, commemorating the release of Jay Chou’s Children of the Sun in Super High Material Compact Disc (SHM-CD) format. As with every modelling project, the finished display tells only part of the story. Behind it are countless small decisions, repeated adjustments, moments of frustration, and ultimately, the quiet satisfaction of seeing an idea become reality.

  • Strike Noir Gundam

    The HG 1/144 Strike Noir Gundam is one of the most distinctive mobile suits from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: STARGAZER. Its predominantly black colour scheme, combined with the Noir Striker backpack and tactical weaponry, gives it a unique aesthetic that stands apart from many other Gundams in the Cosmic Era timeline.

    For this project, I wanted to preserve the Strike Noir Gundam’s sleek, dark appearance while introducing subtle metallic highlights and weathering that would add depth and realism to the finished model.

    The kit was first separated by runners before any assembly began. Every solid-coloured part on Runners A, B, C and D received a complete base coat of Mr. Color No. 2 (Gloss Black), creating a uniform foundation for the subsequent painting process.

    Once the base coat had fully cured, each colour group was treated individually. The yellow-moulded parts on Runner A were finished with Mr. Color No. 9 (Gold Metallic), applied as a full colour coat rather than as weathering. The red-moulded parts on the same runner were weathered using Mr. Color No. 108 (Character Red, Semi-Gloss).

    The light grey parts on Runner B were weathered with Mr. Color No. 107 (Character White, Semi-Gloss) to create subtle highlights and visual depth. The dark grey parts on Runner C, together with the grey parts on Runner D, were weathered using Mr. Color No. 159 (Super Silver), adding a worn metallic appearance that complements the Strike Noir Gundam’s design.

    After the lacquer paints had dried, two different Tamiya Panel Line Accent Colors were used to complement the finished paintwork.

    Black Panel Line Accent Color was applied to the parts painted in Character White, Super Silver, and Gold Metallic, creating strong contrast that enhanced the panel lines and mechanical details. Light Grey Panel Line Accent Color was applied to the Character Red and Gloss Black surfaces, producing a subtler effect that remained visible without overpowering the darker colours.

    Once the panel liner had cured, the excess Black panel liner was carefully removed using cotton buds dampened with Tamiya X-20 Enamel Thinner, leaving crisp and well-defined panel lines while preserving the painted finish.

    For the Light Grey panel liner, less of the excess was removed intentionally. The remaining residue created subtle streaks and smudges across the darker surfaces, resembling the marks left on a machine after exposure to rain and environmental conditions. This effect helped create a more weathered and realistic appearance, as if the Strike Noir Gundam had returned from repeated combat operations.

    With all painting and panel lining complete, the model was finally assembled. The combination of metallic finishes, contrasting panel lines and restrained weathering transformed the kit while retaining the distinctive identity of the Strike Noir Gundam. Rather than appearing as a factory-new machine, the finished model portrays a mobile suit with a sense of history and operational wear.

    This build is published on 14 July 2026, marking the 20th anniversary of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: STARGAZER, which first premiered on 14 July 2006. Two decades later, the Strike Noir Gundam remains one of my favourite mobile suit designs from the Cosmic Era timeline. Completing this project is my own way of commemorating the anniversary of this memorable ONA series and celebrating one of the franchise’s most distinctive and enduring mobile suit designs.

  • METEOR Unit and Freedom Gundam

    This HG 1/144 Bandai build pairs the METEOR Unit with the Freedom Gundam in a customised Ver. J theme. The parts were primed in dark tones and weathered with pink and gold accents to bring out a warm, stylised finish. Clear red paints were used on the optics for extra depth, and Phantaci decals complete the look. The project was finished to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Jay Chou’s November’s Chopin.