AGES ASSEMBLE!! [AGE Trident dio for Mid-Yr Challenge]

    So here we go! I might just be able to pull this off. As you know, I've churned out 3 Ages with no plan to submit them for any competition, and then up until slightly over a week ago, I decided ah hell why not just send them for the Mid-Yr compy. Presenting, the AGE Trident!! Next step was to come up with a dio. Bang!

    Here's a step by step evolution of the dio. Firstly, I painted the two bases that will give the overall shape and form of the piece. Then secure them to a round acrylic base with superglue and metal rods. I also measured the placement of the three kits before setting everything. The three metal rods you see are for the kits when everything's done. The white bits are styrofoam glued to the base. They will form the foundation and shape for putty-laying. Those fragmented grey knick-knacks on the edge are remnants of a pathetic attempt at 'wall damage' I had initially intended for the Titus to smash. They weren't realistic enough so I scraped the idea, then found that they actually came in handy in laying the foundation for putty, especially for that particular edge, as I want the effect of sand displacement. You'll know why when you see the final product...

Next, lay the putty. After 3-4 days of drying, I then masked the bases. (This part's painful, but necessary. Alternatively, you could use enamel paints for the putty, but because I used enamel for some basic weathering on the bases already, I'm not confident that I won't ruin those when I wipe over, even when sealed with a top coat. So I stuck with lacquer for the putty painting.) Once masked, I primed it and whacked black all over the thing with a spray-can.

Step 2: HIghlight certain elevated parts with a lighter shade of grey, to give some texture and depth to the ground...

Final step: Dry brushing with white enamel paints highlights the texture and elevated bits, giving the rocky, sandy look..

A bit of 'wave' effect for this particular corner of the dio, cos a Gundam will be skimming the ground here. Guess which one ;D

Some embellishments.....

    Apparently the Age Amphion Launcher Strike is not a legit entry b'cos it was displayed for HAG's Age GB, even though I did not participate in it. So, back up plan was to redo the Amphion. Give it a different colour tone, and change the whole weapons system. I was honestly not counting on completing it, especially with a hectic work week, but somehow I managed to pull the friggin' thing off. More details later when the dio is finished and proper pics are taken. Meanwhile, all I've got is this -

 Tomorrow: Putting everything together. AGES ASSEMBLE!! Stay tuned!