1:24 PAC-48M "Mashhit" Powered Armor suit (Dorvack/Whif!)

Dizzyfugu · January 16, 2021, 01:09:50 AM

The kit and its assembly:
This Powered Armor model from the Japanese Dorvack TV series was motivated (but not inspired) by the canonical PAC-48G "Doldian" kit that I had built before. The idea of an "up-gunned" version, with the help of several aftermarket ingredients, had already lingered for some time, and I had already stashed away appropriate parts the project. And now the time was right to collect mojo and tackle it!
This PA is not canonical but was created in the spirit of the "Hyper Dorvack" conversions that eventually found their way into kit form: basic PA kits with additional sprues/parts and also as vehicle sets. The PAC-48 as starting point is apparently a heavy infantry support variant within the wide range of Powered Armors in the Dorvack universe, and all variants have the right arm more or less replaced with a heavy weapon, too big for a hand-held weapon, even for the big PA-36, and ranging from a missile launcher (standard), a twin laser ("Z") to a three-barrel gun-thing (on the "G" variant).

I always wanted to outfit a PA with a gatling gun, and my first attempts were a PA-58N with a light minigun in the forearm many years ago and a more recent, large PA-36 with a hand-held three-barrel weapon, taken from a Kotobukiya M.S.G. set.
However, the concept still had literal growth potential, even more so because Kotobukiya also offers a full-fledged six-barrel gatling gun in another M.S.G. set – a MASSIVE weapon, too big to be hand-held by any PA, and there would also be the problem of a realistic ammunition supply...

The only potential carrier for this thing was IMHO the PA-48, and I had hunted down an original Gunze-Sangyo PAC-48G from the early Eighties as basis for this conversion. Even though the Dorvack PAs are rather simple kits, they need some skill. The parts do not fit THAT well, you need PSR almost everywhere. Furthermore, the PAC-48 kit has some inherent weak spots like the lower legs and their integrated jet nozzles in the heels. These parts just do not fit well.

While the end result will look dramatic and massive, not too much was actually changed. The most obvious modification is the massive gun installation on the right arm. The Kotobukiya Gatling gun is in so far funny because it contains a small clockwork that actually drives the barrels(!). A nice detail, but it occupies all of the internal space of the gun, so that a modification of its housing was limited. On the housing's left side, the PA's original arm ball joint was integrated.

Dorvack +++ 1:24 PAC-48M "Mashhit" Powered Armor suit (what-if/modified Gunze-Sangyo kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Dorvack +++ 1:24 PAC-48M "Mashhit" Powered Armor suit (what-if/modified Gunze-Sangyo kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The ammunition supply issue was solved through a drum magazine, mounted on top of the gun's housing – a leftover piece from another Kotobukiya M.S.G. set (which also contains a flexible ammunition belt). It was placed high enough to allow the clockwork mechanism to be winded up with a well-hidden knob underneath, and the drum's placement prevents the gun from becoming wider (a detail I do not like about the PAC-48G, the layout with the box mounted on the side just makes little sense).
The gun barrels were, after an initial dry-fitting, reduced in length by about 2 cm, because the original gun would have been too long to be plausible, shifting the CoG (too far) forward and making the PA's movement rather cumbersome. To protect the barrels and offer the pilot a stabilizing handle, a suitable construction was scratched and attached under the gun barrels.

Dorvack +++ 1:24 PAC-48M "Mashhit" Powered Armor suit (what-if/modified Gunze-Sangyo kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Strangely, the PAC-48's hull took the big gun installation almost without a problem, with enough space underneath so that the waist guards could still be fitted and the gun would remain movable in two dimensions. I just cut away a bit from the PA hull's rear flank to make space for the drum magazine, so that the gun arm could be turned outwards a little more.

Some changes were made to the hull, too. One is a new visor section on the helmet, scratched from a leftover gun bay cover from a 1:100 Destroid Spartan from Macross (Arii kit), outfitted with new, recessed optical units and blended into the hull with lots of PSR. I wanted this converted PA to look taller and more massive, visually balancing its big gun, and I think this worked well.

Dorvack +++ 1:24 PAC-48M "Mashhit" Powered Armor suit (what-if/modified Gunze-Sangyo kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Dorvack +++ 1:24 PAC-48M "Mashhit" Powered Armor suit (what-if/modified Gunze-Sangyo kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Another change into the same direction was the replacement of the OOB air intake scoop on the back. It was cut away and replaced with what actually is a Gundam-style rocket thruster exhaust, taken from a third Kotobukiya M.S.G. set. Mounted horizontally and "the wrong way around" it now serves as a dust filter for the internal jump jet engines. The more massive and edgier look matches the new helmet design well, contributing to an overall more tank-like look.

Dorvack +++ 1:24 PAC-48M "Mashhit" Powered Armor suit (what-if/modified Gunze-Sangyo kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Other minor changes include a different left hand, taken from a PA-36 kit and with the fingers bent into shape to hold the gun handle, and I added louvres to the jump jet's main exhaust orifice, simply created from styrene profiles. A cable connects the gun with the hull, and I mounted four smoke dischargers (at least that's what they are supposed to be) as a defensive measure onto the left shoulder, intended to hide the forward-facing vertical surface in that spot.

Dorvack +++ 1:24 PAC-48M "Mashhit" Powered Armor suit (what-if/modified Gunze-Sangyo kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

More coming soon...

zenrat · January 16, 2021, 02:17:43 AM

It always makes me chuckle when we do something like worry about the practicalities of ammo supply when the weapon in question is being carried by something as impractical as a giant robot.

Dizzyfugu · January 16, 2021, 02:24:06 AM

Well, that's probably my critical worrywart nature...

But I like to keep (at least a small) eye on plausibility, even on mecha. The Dorvack PAs are IMHO among the realistic designs - they look funny and a little awkward, but they are just individual/personal armors and not skyscraper-high robots that would collapse under their own weight or sink into the ground after two steps.

But the question still is: If there's no laser or other pure energy weapon, where does the ammo come from? At this place some respect to Kotobukiya's designers who spent a thought on this issue when they designed the M.S.G. aftermarket sets. The gun weapons come with (rather small) ammo packs, just like this massive gatling gun, but there is also a set with a dedicated belt feed kit for these weapon sets that also includes the massive drum that I used here. However, all the sets are designed to be used with much bigger mecha models, but they are still great conversion/whiffing fodder - at least in the right context.

Dizzyfugu · January 16, 2021, 11:29:34 AM

Painting and markings:
This took a while to develop. Many PAs in the Dorvack TV series are colorful, but there are also camouflaged specimen and in the TV series many animated PAs sport simple and subdued paint schemes. Since the big gun is so prominent and adds a purposeful look to the model, I went for rather restrained colors, but I also did not want a disruptive paint scheme that "hides" the gun and the conversions. So, I took some inspiration from the PAs that appear on TV (but of which no kits exist) with clear canopies: they typically wear beige/greenish liveries, and I adopted this concept for the PAC-48M. I also had modern U.S. Army vehicles in all-over sand camouflage in mind.

Keeping things as simple as possible, I gave the parts an overall coat with RAL 1019 (Graubeige) from the rattle can, a dull sand tone that comes close to RAF "Hemp". This color also matches well with the subdued OOB tactical markings in gold and black, for a very consistent look.
Initially I just wanted to set the helmet section apart with a darker color, but eventually went for a three-tone livery that refers to the more colorful PAs' style but still works as a kind of camouflage.

Dorvack +++ 1:24 PAC-48M "Mashhit" Powered Armor suit (what-if/modified Gunze-Sangyo kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The two other tones became RAL 7013 (Braungrau, Revell 46, a brownish German version of NATO Olive Drab) on the helmet section and the jump jet exhausts, and RAL 7003 (Moosgrau, Revell 45, a greenish tone very close to RLM 02) for the lower left arm and the legs as well as for the jump jet exhaust fairing. This is, esp. the Revell 45, not very far away from the Graubeige base, and I think that the result looks interesting because it still works as a camouflage, despite the ornamental/decorative nature of the pattern? The PAs "chest box" was painted in white, the only detail with higher color contrast. The ball joints were painted in a dark silver tone (Revell 91). Fingers and details on the feet were painted with Revell 09 (Anthracite).

Dorvack +++ 1:24 PAC-48M "Mashhit" Powered Armor suit (what-if/modified Gunze-Sangyo kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

As per usual, the kit received a black ink wash for weathering and some dry-brushing for light effects and panel shading. I also gave the metallic surfaces a treatment with grinded graphite, enhancing the metallic shine and giving the model a noticeably worn look that adds some seriousness to the colorful PA - after all, it is a piece of military equipment, fighting an alien invasion! Once the kit had been prepared this far, decals were added. All stencils and markings come from the PAM-48G's OOB sheet, which is quite exhaustive for such a small model.

Dorvack +++ 1:24 PAC-48M "Mashhit" Powered Armor suit (what-if/modified Gunze-Sangyo kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

After some more detail painting work, e .g on the feet or the optical units, which were laid out in silver, then painted out with clear, light blue paint and filled with Clearfix, the PA received a thorough weathering with water colors in brown, grey and reddish hues. Finally, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish overall and I gave the PA a dusting with grey-brown mineral artist pigments, simulating dust in general and mud crusts around the feet.

Dorvack +++ 1:24 PAC-48M "Mashhit" Powered Armor suit (what-if/modified Gunze-Sangyo kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Old Wombat · January 16, 2021, 05:53:09 PM

Coming along nicely, Dizzy, & the paintwork is brilliant.

NARSES2 · January 17, 2021, 06:08:50 AM

Quote from: Old Wombat on January 16, 2021, 05:53:09 PM
Coming along nicely, Dizzy, & the paintwork is brilliant.

Certainly is

Dizzyfugu · January 18, 2021, 04:09:01 AM

...and here are some impressions of the finished model:

Dorvack +++ 1:24 PAC-48M "Mashhit" Powered Armor suit (what-if/modified Gunze-Sangyo kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Dorvack +++ 1:24 PAC-48M "Mashhit" Powered Armor suit (what-if/modified Gunze-Sangyo kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

A lot of aftermarket ingredients were integrated into this PA conversion, plus some minor scratched modifications. But the overall look is pretty conclusive: I wanted a gatling gun-armed heavy support variant, and this is what the PA-48M looks like. Thanks to the simple livery and the subdued markings, it has an overall military look and feel, but that's not bad. After all, the TV series where the PAs come from is – apart from being science fiction and animated – pretty "realistic", and this PA would blend in well.

Old Wombat · January 18, 2021, 04:36:07 AM

I like the aesthetic of the "realistic" science fiction mech genre, especially Ma.K, & this is right up there, too!

Dizzyfugu · January 18, 2021, 05:06:16 AM

Well, the Dorvack PAs precede the Ma.K. universe, and they actually inspired the respective, initial armored suit designs.

PR19_Kit · January 18, 2021, 06:01:52 AM

Quote from: Dizzyfugu on January 18, 2021, 04:09:01 AM

Thanks to the simple livery and the subdued markings, it has an overall military look and feel.....

Well yes, that socking great Gatling gun may have something to do with it as well!

Dizzyfugu · January 18, 2021, 06:17:54 AM

"Guns, guns guns... my life would be so dull without them."