Spoiler alert - the hands did not in fact hold together. They worked extremely well for a while, but at a certain point in the photoshoot the fingers started popping out again, and the sockets were so stretched that I couldn’t get them to stay any more.
Then the right arm broke clean off.
So yeah, this one ended poorly. The good news, I suppose, is that I was at least able to reattach the arm using some glue and a pin vise, and the fingers (along with the sniper rifle) are now permanently glued onto the hand. If it has to be a statue for the rest of its life, so be it. Better that than for it to be permanently broken.
I’ve had issues here and there with some of my Master Grades, but this is the worst breakage I’ve had with one since the Epyon. I suppose it’s an important reminder that they can still be very delicate, even if handled properly. Well, that, and also that if you try and push your models to the limit and pose the hell out of it, you’re more like to introduce irreversible wear and tear.
Regardless, I’m really proud of myself for not getting upset over the breakage. If this happened even just two years ago I would have been freaking out and fuming for weeks on end. Now I know can take comfort in the fact that I have the best version of it captured in photos (74 total!). Also, so long as the glue holds, it’s still going to look great on the shelf.
No one likes a broken model, but it does happen. Some of that breakage is going to be so bad that you’ll be entitled to all the tears you want, but in cases like this, where you can at least salvage it for display, the best thing you can try to do is let it go and still be proud of your work. It’s not easy (it took me literal years to get to that point), but it’s worth trying, if only for your own peace of mind.
(Side note - there was a small handful of additional poses I was really hoping to do before everything went to hell, but in the end I still got nearly 75 shots. If this had happened after the first dozen or so photos I might be singing a different tune, but I can’t say that I failed to capture this thing in action)
Extra Detail (via Decals)
The G-Rework decal sheet comes with a ton of these little … things. They’re the decal equivalent of Greebles, adding extra surface detail that wasn’t there before:
I wouldn’t necessarily place these on the original GM Sniper II, as I don’t believe it would need them. But there’s something about the color scheme on the White Dingo Custom such that these little decals greatly enhance the look.
You’re supposed to put them in all sorts of different places on the body, and they really work to add that little bit of extra surface detail that the model is otherwise lacking.
Indeed, the entire decal sheet was a revelation. With all these markings, this thing finally has the sleek, powerful, high tech look that the GM Sniper II is supposed to exemplify.
Articulation
It’s decent enough, though I’m beginning to realize that Master Grades have just has much trouble as High Grades when it comes to cross-body range. That, combined with the delicacy of the fingers, makes certain two-handed poses extremely challenging.
Not this pose:
But something like this:
Side note: most of the photos in this post are with the bullpup machine gun. It turned out to be the best looking and most versatile of the bunch.
Like I’ve said before, it’s a perfect fit for the GM Sniper II.
Unfortunately the shield is too short for the MS to really take cover behind it, but I’ll make do:
I had this vision of a really cool reloading pose. I didn’t quite capture it the way I had in mind.
This would have worked better if the shield was taller, but again, I’ll have to make do:
There’s no need to use its sniper visor with the machine gun, but it just looks so cool:
I’ve got more action poses, but we’ll get to those later. For now, let’s wrap this post up with something else.
Comparison to High Grade
This is a fun comparison. I think the High Grade holds up extremely well (granted, I had to do a lot of detailing work, but still)
The High Grade still looks so crisp in that original color scheme
And while it doesn’t have quite as much surface detail, it still feels like it has plenty.
They’re just a perfect pair. I love them both in their own special ways:
And here are a few other photos I didn’t have a place for:
Next Time
We’ll go over some more action poses with all the other weapons. See you then!