1:60 Shinohara Industries GSL-102A "Raijin" Light Scout Labor; JGSDF, 1998

[Dizzyfugu]

Meanwhile...    This is not a new/current build, only some (more) new pictures from a relatively old model, due to public interest in it because I was asked about the ingredients. This mecha is a (fictional) so-called Labor, and a kit conversion of Bandai's ARL-99B "Helldiver" kit from the Patlabor TV series. I found the idea of a military Labor in JGSDF use pretty conclusive, so I cooked up this close relative as a pure ground use Labor. From this concept the "Raijin" has become a light and highly mobile army support Labor for the Japanese Army during the Millennium era, its use would be observation/scouting, support for light/mobile ground troops and tasks which would call for high mobility and secrecy, e .g. as an enemy Labor/tank sniper...

The basic Helldiver frame was kept, but the conversion includes a different head unit and cockpit arrangement, as well as "normal" legs - the air brakes from the airborne landing troops' ARL-99B were "closed", the holes PSRed away. I also added hand-held armament: a single-action anti-labor rifle for sniping purposes (a converted piece from a 1:144 Gundam RX-79) and a kind of machine pistol (from the same donor kit), kept in a hip holster, but detachable.

The 3-color camouflage scheme was inspired by JASDF fighter paint schemes - the SEA-style scheme used on RF-4E Phantom II's and F-1 fighters. I just got the colors VERY wrong - at the time I built this model (pre-millenium, IIRC), I just had a few print pictures of such aircraft and no internet, and I ended up with guesstimated Humbrol 66, 98 and 121 as basic colors - but the brown and green ware/are much too dark. This looks a bit wacky, esp. for Japan, but when the model is placed into typical Japanese mountaineous landscape or into a forest setting, it fits surprisingly well!

There is also a dedicated base for the model (not used in the pics here, though), built on a wooden 8x8" base and includes some rocks (made from plaster and water-based paint), a small pond in the front and a tree that is to remind of a mountain pine,


Patlabor +++ 1:60 Shinohara Industries GSL-102A "Raijin" Light Scout Labor; JGSDF use, summer 1998 (Bandai kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Patlabor +++ 1:60 Shinohara Industries GSL-102A "Raijin" Light Scout Labor; JGSDF use, summer 1998 (Bandai kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Patlabor +++ 1:60 Shinohara Industries GSL-102A "Raijin" Light Scout Labor; JGSDF use, summer 1998 (Bandai kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Patlabor +++ 1:60 Shinohara Industries GSL-102A "Raijin" Light Scout Labor; JGSDF use, summer 1998 (Bandai kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Patlabor +++ 1:60 Shinohara Industries GSL-102A "Raijin" Light Scout Labor; JGSDF use, summer 1998 (Bandai kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Patlabor +++ 1:60 Shinohara Industries GSL-102A "Raijin" Light Scout Labor; JGSDF use, summer 1998 (Bandai kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Patlabor +++ 1:60 Shinohara Industries GSL-102A "Raijin" Light Scout Labor; JGSDF use, summer 1998 (Bandai kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Patlabor +++ 1:60 Shinohara Industries GSL-102A "Raijin" Light Scout Labor; JGSDF use, summer 1998 (Bandai kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[Old Wombat]

Neat build, Dizzy!

[zenrat]

 

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you, it's vintage stuff. 

[Wardukw]

Yup this is very cool...love the camo job ...sure makes me miss my Gundam models.

[Dizzyfugu]

I was also a bit inspired by the quick pics. I just dug out a Phantom Labor kit from the Patlabor TV series - I still have to build one for my respective mecha collection, OOB/in authentic livery.