I'm going to tweak it a bit more, but the rock is starting to look really good, so here's a close-up of just that part.

I am struggling in my quest for the ideal rock.

This is a test shot. I think I'll tweak the base a little more. It's starting to look good—just like I imagined... or at least, I *think* so... #zoids

I wonder if it's starting to look like a real rock... The paper clay connecting the base to the rocky outcrop—I really need to do something about that...

I went ahead and slathered the diorama base in black gesso. It really transforms the atmosphere in an instant.

I’ve made a little bit of progress. Today, I added some modeling clay and positioned the legs on top to get the "bracing" pose just right. I keep muttering to myself, "Is this really okay?" while I work. 😁

I went ahead and made a reservation...

It's starting to shape up quite nicely, I think.

It's getting much closer to the image I had in mind!

I'm working on something like this right now.

I’ve finally escaped the hell of photo-etched parts. Man, that was a grind. But it was fun, and I feel like I’ve leveled up a bit. A plane taking off from a submarine! That is the ultimate dream for a guy—nothing else comes close.

I finally put together the "Ziek-Axe" version of the Zaku that I bought on Sunday. It’s a quick and easy build. Personally, though, I wouldn't pay more than 1,100 yen for it. That said, it really made me realize once again just how incredibly cool Kunio Okawara's Zaku design is.

I'm really grappling with these photo-etched parts! 💪 Man, this kind of work really makes my shoulders stiff... But it's super fun. In the second photo, the machine gun barrel ended up getting sacrificed during the installation of the photo-etched parts... 😭

I tried changing the pose. Yeah, looks good. Yeah, it really is great. It would probably look even cooler if I built a diorama for it. But I need to get moving on the I-400... Guess I'll start working on the photo-etched parts.

I really tried to hold back, but I ended up buying it after all. It is my favorite kaiju after Godzilla, after all.

The pressure at work has been intense lately, and I haven't had the focus required to attach the photo-etched parts to my I-400 model, so I've been building Chinese plastic kits instead. You know, these Chinese kits are actually pretty good.

Oh no, I messed up... I completely skipped the step of drilling the holes for the photo-etched parts... 😅 I guess I have no choice but to move forward without the holes and trust my intuition (my "Seventh Sense"). I really should have read the instructions more carefully. 😭

The figure of the boy is finished, and the project is finally complete. It was a long journey. I am satisfied with how it turned out. I hope you can sense the story behind it.

The periscope... it was quite a challenge to assemble given the incredibly tiny parts. But things are progressing smoothly, and it’s turning out nicely. There’s still a long way to go, but I’ll keep working on it little by little.

I managed to get home early again today, so I made some progress on the I-400. The photo-etched periscope parts are just too tiny... It's a real struggle for an old guy like me. 😭 I guess I'll spray on some primer and start layering the colors on my next day off.

I get home late from work, so Tamiya Weathering Master is the only thing I can manage.

Time to splash on the weathering color. In the background, there are some works-in-progress... My cold symptoms have finally subsided, and I've got the energy to work on models again.

Checking the composition. I tried cutting up a boy figure and gluing the pieces together with super glue for the first time.

In my dreams, I am not the person I once was, nor is there a Chinese dream. So cool! The problem is the halfway point of the movable field. But I'm terrible at posing, so it's just standing there...😅

My Chinese model kits have also arrived. You definitely can't build them in 3 minutes...

I bought it just to see what would happen.

I unraveled some hemp twine and tried to make it look like ivy by letting it trail, but can you tell it's ivy? Probably not, right? The color didn't stick well to the hemp twine...😭 That's how slowly I'm making the diorama.

Good morning 😃 I've been adding soil to the diorama I've been working on since the other day. The Mechatro WeGo and the base are starting to blend in nicely! But I need to make the Mechatro WeGo look a bit more weathered and decayed.

Almost there!

It's currently in progress!