AxeKnight - Completed
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Well, decided to take the plunge and try out a MaK kit and it was a blast. The kit is basically straight out of the box, the only changes I made to it was to switch out the small misshapen hoses on the outer thighs with wire and give almost the entire piece armor texturing using Tamiya putty.
Unfortunately, I spent a lot of time painting the cockpit only to find that, once the small "face" hatch was actually glued to the hull, that the small periscope above it prevented the hatch from opening all the way! So you can really only see a portion of the interior through the crack in the face hatch, using a really strong flashlight. The only other two minor issues were the lack of lenses for all the optics and the cheap vinyl hoses attached to the calves. So, if you build this, I recommend either not installing the small periscope or moving it further back than the kit instructs, replace the vinyl hoses with guitar wire, and be sure to remove all the flash around the inside of the knee joint so it doesn't rub off paint when it moves.
This is painted using a base of Tamiya Deck Tan with Panzer Blue soft-edge camouflage. My headcanon is that this is a Marine unit patrolling a port area (not sure that's a thing in the MaK universe), so the camp helps it blend in with docks, warehouses, beaches, and water. The orange accents are Tamiya Orange airbrushed over hairspray to increase wear and chipping effects. The smoke lauchers and smart gun magazine were painted in Vallejo Brown Violet (headcanon says these are one-and-done, so are just painted in standard 'military' colors from the Quartermaster). These also lack chipping because of their frequent replenishment. Smart gun and manipulator are in Vallejo Grey Black (again headcanon says these need frequent maintenance, so aren't included in the camo painting process). I wanted the smart gun and hover boosters in the feet to look like they get super hot, so added some metallic effects using AK Oily Steel, Reaper Drow Silver, and TurboDork Absinthe.
Chipping on this was mostly sponge and brush chipping done using Ammo Burnt Brown Red, with the exception of the wear chipping on the orange accent panels. The optics were a challenge, as only 1/2 the optic sensors came with clear plastic lenses, nearly the entire face hatch lacked clear plastic lenses! I painted the recesses in Bright Red and then mixed Secret Weapon Dark Red Wash with Testors Canopy Maker, building up the optics in layers. While it's time consuming, this creates a depth of color that looks black in shadow and dark red in high light. Almost all the decals are right from the kit and they are very detailed (yes, you can even read all the warnings!) and were excellent to work with.
