Beautiful Girl Plastic Model - Easy Finishing for Blue Magic Girl [Removing Seams]

Bishoujo plastic models, or Bipla for short, are all the rage right now!
New releases appear almost every month in the world of beautiful girl plastic models, but I feel that 2022 will see an even bigger boom than ever before!
New products are being displayed at the Model Hobby Show, and it seems that a big wave of beautiful plastic models is currently taking hold.

So, this time, I would like to introduce a simple method for finishing beautiful girl plastic models, aimed at people who think, "I want to start making beautiful girl plastic models, but I want to make them look nice if possible...but I've never painted them before..."

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters Cross Frame Girl Black Magician Girl

The name is really long...
It makes you think, "Wow, beautiful girl plastic models have come this far!"
There aren't that many parts, they are clearly color-coded, and you can create a variety of poses.

All the accessories listed on the outer box are included, and there are four variations of the facial parts alone.
There are also plenty of eye decals and blush decals available for those who prefer to paint their entire model.
What's more, you can even choose whether the hat and hairstyle faces left or right! Considering that you can buy something like this for around 6000 yen, it's clear that beautiful girl plastic models have really come a long way.
It really feels like I've seen Kotobukiya's true colors!

Check the contents of Black Magician Girl

Let's open the box and take out the contents.

Various beautifully color-coded runners, facial decals, clear part base, and instructions.
The skin-colored parts, clear base parts, and some colored parts are made of ABS.
Even if you pile up the runners, they don't get too high. Even if you pile up the runners, it's safe because avalanches are less likely to occur.

Beautiful girl plastic models tend to have a relatively large number of parts.
As a result, the number of runners has increased, and it will take quite a bit of time just to assemble it, but Black Magician Girl seems relatively easy to make.
Instead, some parts of the staff are not color-coded, but the finished plastic model is relatively faithful to the original.

Black Magician Girl Part Cut

First, separate the parts from the runner.
The nippers used are Tamiya's standard plastic model nippers and the Ultimate Nippers.

For the first cut, use Tamiya nippers.
We will be cutting twice later, so leave a small amount of space for the gate when cutting.


Once separated from the parts it will look like this.

I usually use sorting trays from the Plastic Model Improvement Committee, but since I currently only have a few trays, this time I'll put the parts in Ziploc bags and store them temporarily.
Stick double-sided tape to a Ziploc bag and write the alphabet of the runner on it with a marker.
This will make it easier to find the parts when reassembling.

It's a little hard to see in the image, but some ABS parts are made of a softer material than plastic parts, so be careful not to pierce the parts with the nippers.

Also, some parts are already separated, so you may not need to open them until you are ready to assemble them.

Cut and cut out parts.
When using sorting trays, it is convenient to separate them by alphabet.

Cutting parts twice (gate processing)

Once the parts are cut out, the next step is to cut twice.
When cutting out parts from the runner, if you cut out all the way to the gate, the parts may be gouged or whitened (※ 1) will occur, so if you want to assemble the plastic model neatly, you will need to cut it twice.
※ 1,Whitening...A phenomenon in which plastic parts turn white when force is applied to them.
Some parts are under-gate, so there are gate marks (※ 2) can be assembled without worrying about cutting the degree and gate processing (※ 3) becomes a bit tedious.
※ 2Gate marks: marks left behind by the gate that connects the runner and the part when the part is cut.
※ 3Gate processing: Processing to make gate marks less noticeable by using sandpaper, etc.

Use the Ultimate Nippers for double cutting.
These nippers are single-edged nippers, meaning they have a blade on only one side, making them excellent for making gate marks less noticeable.
It takes some skill to use them, and a pair of nippers costs about 5000 yen, so if you're serious about building plastic models, it's useful to have a pair.

First, we will cut it twice.
When it is cut out, a gate remains as shown below.

This is what it looks like when you cut off this protruding gate.
Be careful not to press the nippers against the parts when cutting, as this can gouge out the parts.

When cutting the gate, it will be easier to process it if it is in the state shown in the image below.

Then, this little protrusion that remains...
We will smooth it out using a file, then sandpaper or sponge sandpaper.
For a clean finish, use a file with a grit size of around 800 to 1000.

ABS parts are softer and more brittle than plastic, so avoid using too much force when sanding them.
It wears down more than you would expect and the parts get gouged out.
When applying the skin-colored parts, try to do it gently and without using too much force.

Also, if you sand down some parts too much, the base coat or clear coat will become visible, so you need to be careful.

Do this for all parts.

Temporary assembly work

Assembling each body part and temporarily assembling the plastic model is called a mock-up.
By doing this, you can check where modifications or painting will be done, and where seams will need to be removed.

If you can complete the mock assembly, half of the process is essentially complete.
You could assemble it as is and be done with it, or you could spray on a matte top coat to remove the plastic/toy-like feel and then be done with it...but this time I'd like to take just a little extra step to further improve the finished product.

However, although I am quite experienced in building Gunpla, I am a complete amateur when it comes to building beautiful girl plastic models.
I've watched the production video, but I have no idea what to do to make it look good.
So ...

Receive advice from Myojinshita Kurumi FACTORY

We also interviewed at the Akihabara base camp.Myojinshita Room FactoryI went to the store and asked the owner what I should do.
We approached professionals in the field who could be considered pioneers in the field of beautiful girl plastic models and asked them, "Please teach us an easy way to finish beautiful girl plastic models that even beginners can do!"

I asked the owner for advice
"I'm concerned about the joints of my legs'
"Adding shading to the hair makes it look nice'
It is said that the itinerary is not difficult and even beginners can do it.
・Remove seams
・Shading and inking
We decided to do this!

Incidentally,Myojinshita Room FactoryPlease see the link below for his article

https://akihabara-bc.jp/croom_factory/

Remove the seams. Make runner putty.

What is seam removal?
This is the process of sealing the gaps that form when parts are put together with glue, and then sanding away the melted glue to remove the seams.
If you look at the image below, don't you think there are gaps between the parts?

Simply removing this seam will result in a more realistic design.
However, even if you glue it together and then sand it down, the color will change in that area.
That's where runner putty comes in!

This runner putty is made by cutting out the parts and then cutting the remaining runner into small pieces...

Pour a certain amount of glue into a glass container, such as a small paint bottle, and add glue up to the same height.

Leave it in this state for about a day and the runner putty will be complete.

Next, use this putty to fill in the joints between the parts.
Take the runner putty and squeeze it onto the ground!!
Apply the putty firmly so that it overflows, then leave it for about a day.

Once dry, scrape off any excess putty with a craft knife.

The ABS material is soft, so here is what it looks like after being scraped off so that only a little putty remains.

Sand off the remaining putty.
Be careful not to sand down too much, so start with a slightly finer 600-grit file and finish with a 1000-grit file.

This is what it looks like after sanding all the joints.
It's now much harder to see where the seams are.

Adding shadows using water-based paint

Next, we will add shadows to the hair.
If you just assemble the hair, it will look flat, so fill the gaps between the strands with a darker color of the same shade.

The paint used is water-based acrylic orange yellow.
The colour here is a matter of personal preference, but I chose this colour because adding orange to yellow creates a different aura.

If left as is, it will be quite viscous, so mix in some thinner to make it quite runny.
It's okay to add something like this, even if it makes you wonder if it's okay.

Next, use a thin brush to apply paint to the recessed areas.
It's no problem if some of the paint goes over the edges, so just go ahead and apply it.
I think it's easier to paint with a brush that's a little thicker than a face brush.

The standard way to adjust the paint is to wipe it off with Magiclean after the water-based acrylic has dried, but this time we will use thinner to wipe off any excess paint.
We use cotton swabs, which are found in every household.
Apply the thinner to the cotton swab and wipe off any excess paint.

If you can make the shadow areas look like a gradation with a little paint remaining, it will be 100% perfect!
Well this time...I'd say 90 points!

Spray on a matte top coat

The final step before assembly is to spray on a matte top coat to remove the toy-like feel.
This time we will use a spray can.
Use a can of matte spray that suits your taste.

First, let's prepare.
Handles are essential. They can be cheap, but it's a good idea to have around 20 of them.
The sponge block below can be purchased at a 100 yen store.

If you spray matte finish on clear parts, they will become cloudy, so be sure to remove it beforehand.

Here it is attached to the handle.
There are quite a few…

When spraying, keep a distance of at least 10-15cm.
The idea is to spray it as if you were applying a top coat.

Spray just enough so that it doesn't become sticky.
Since it's matte, you don't have to be too fussy about it, but it looks good if you apply a shine amount similar to that shown in the image below.


Once all the parts have been sprayed, let them dry.
It's also fine to leave it for a day or so.

Finally, assemble and complete

Spray on the matte finish and let it dry completely before assembling.

When you spray on a top coat, the surface becomes slightly thicker, which may make it difficult to join the parts together.
When assembling, be sure to use force but do so gently.
Once everything is assembled, it's complete!!!

Light it up to make it look great on social media, or add a little blur to the image to make it more emotional!

My first attempt at a beautiful girl plastic model, after completing the easy finish

This was my first time making a beautiful girl plastic model, and my first time doing a simple finish.
Unlike Gunpla, it has a lot of skin color and curved surfaces, and I was a little confused by the differences in specifications, but I managed to complete it.
The model is quite good even just assembled, but with a little modification it will lose its toy-like feel and become more complete.
This easy finish isn't a particularly difficult process, so if you'd like to take a step beyond the basic assembly and try your hand at making something more advanced, why not give this easy finish a try?