Tuesday, June 16, 2015

PG Red Frame - WIP 6

A little comparison doesn't hurt
 
Since the metal katana and the Daban katana are at the same place at the same time, I thought it might be a good time to do a quick comparison between the two.
 
Left: Length comparison between the plastic (left) and metal (right) katana
Right: Details at the pommel
 
Left: Metal (top) and plastic (bottom) katana handle
Right: Details of the guard between the metal (left) and plastic (right) katana
 

The plastic katana is longer than the metal katana. The details on the guard are the same. I just need to find the motivation to panel line it to really bring out the details. The only detail which is seriously lacking are the ones found at the pommel. The plastic katana has the face of a demon on it but that cannot be seen on the metal katana. I'm glad that I decided to paint the handle of the plastic katana in two colors. They are more eye catching than the standard single color handle.
 
Remember the katana stand which couldn't fit the scabbard in previous post? After a few rounds of major sanding and test fitting, I manage to widen the 'handle' enough for the scabbard to fit nicely without scratching the paint.
 
 A perfect fit
 
Now that one 'handle' is done, I have 3 more to go but too much sanding at one go can be hurtful to the fingers and bad for health. So I decided to stop the sanding and start assembling the katana from BanDai instead.
 
The difference between the two is obvious when removing the blade from the runner. BanDai has a special sticker covering the tip of the blade to prevent it from (I assume) breaking and accidentally stabbing someone in the eye. The protective sticker is easy to remove and it doesn't leave the sticker residue on the blade.
 
Protective cover on the blade
 
Mentioned in the previous post are the parts of the Gerbera Straight waiting for the paint job to dry. The red used here is the same as the red used for the feet in WIP 3.
 
 
Side by side display of parts from BanDai (left) and Daban (right)

There is only a slight difference between the parts of the katana. Other than that the details for both company are the same. Daban really did a good job copying from BanDai. As mentioned a few times during the build, the only complain I have is the fitting issue for Daban.

Did you notice the difference? The blade of the BanDai katana has the hamon; the visual effect on the blade created during the hardening process. According to Wikipedia:

"Hamon is the visual effect created on the blade by the hardening process. Blades made in this manner are known as differentially hardened, with a harder ha, the cutting edge, than mune, the back edge as a result of clay applied on the blade during the cooling process. Less or no clay allows the ha to cool faster, making it harder but more brittle; more clay allows the mune to cool more slowly and retain its resilience.

The hamon is the transition between the region of harder martensitic steel of the blade edge and the softer pearlitic steel of the back of the sword. This difference in hardness is the objective of the process; the appearance is purely a side effect.
"

I guess this is one process that Daban is not able to copy. Kudos to BanDai.

Hamon on the blade
 
Remember in WIP 4 where I mentioned: "After taking out the katana, something black came out along with it"? Since I forgot to take a photo of where the black piece goes in the scabbard during that time, I remembered to do that this time round. Talk about second chances.
 
Rubbers in the scabbard
 
Also mentioned that the purpose of this rubber it to have an additional grip when the blade is in the scabbard. I know I don't have to worry about the rubber coming out for this katana because the glue from BanDai is very sticky.

The building process of the scabbard and katana is the same as Daban. After putting some decals, shading and top coating, the scabbard is assembled.
 
Completed scabbard from BanDai
 
There is another way to differentiate between BanDai and Daban besides the red color. The decal used for the name is red instead of grey.
 
Completed Gerbera Straight
 
Katana and scabbard on a display stand
 
Now that both Gerbera Straight are done, it is time for a little photo comparison:
 
 Completed Gerbera Straights
 
Katanas and their scabbards
 
Katana comparison
 
Scabbard comparison
 
As mentioned before, there is only a difference between the Daban and BanDai's katana. The hamon on the blade. Other than that, both the katana and scabbard are identical.
 
With the comparison out of the way, the Gerbera Straights can be placed on the modified katana display stand to show off its glory.
 
Top view
 
Front view
 
Back view
 
Left and right view
 
There are gaps at the braid/cord wrap/handle wrap for the Daban Gerbera Straight. No matter how hard I've tried to push the two pieces together, they don't seem to be able to close the gap. It is not very noticeable unless you are looking at it very closely.
 

Comparison between BanDai (left) and Daban (right) braid/cord wrap/handle wrap connection
 
If you were 'playing' with the model and drew both swords out together and in a rush to keep them before heading out, you don't have to worry about keeping the katanas in the wrong scabbard. The katanas might look similar but the moulding process is different. Due to this different mould, the Daban katana cannot be fully inserted into the Bandai's scabbard and vice versa.
 
 Daban katana in BanDai's scabbard
 
I shall end this post with a picture of (almost) all the katanas for the Red Frame. Why is there an almost? This Red Frame has a total of 5 Gerbera Straights. 3 metal katana and 2 plastic katana. The last katana is not shown in the picture.
 
4 Gerbera Straight on 2 katana display base
 
Now that the most interesting part of the build has been completed, time to start work on the legs of the Red Frame.

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