Full use of the tool road introduction technique! Easy but Cute! I made a plastic model of a popular character "Chotopura Shinjo-kun"! The Tool Way! The Tool Way!

Hello, this is Karyas! This is the 14th edition of "The Tool Way! This is the 14th issue of "The Tool Way!

Thank you for reading this series of articles! This time, using the tools we have introduced so far, we would like to produce and review "Choto Pramo Shinjo-kun," which can be easily made by anyone!

What is Choto-Plamo?

Choto-Plamo is a plastic model series developed by Studio YUWA Co., Ltd. in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, which is involved in various projects ranging from newspaper inserts to original plastic models. Choto-Plamo is based on the concept of "just a little plastic model to support the community and businesses," and features affordable and easy-to-create plastic models!

What is Shinjo-kun?

Shinjo-kun is the mascot character of Susaki City, Kochi Prefecture, which won the Grand Prix at the Yuru-chara Grand Prix 2016. The model is a Japanese otter (designated as an extinct species in 2012), which was last seen in the Shinso River that flows through the city, and also serves as the Kochi Prefecture Character Tourism Special Envoy. He is good at dancing and swimming, and is energetic and active in promoting Susaki City while on a journey to find his otter friend, participating in e-sports, and serving as the host of the "Local Character Festival" in Susaki City! By the way, the hat Shinjo-kun wears is based on the image of Susaki's specialty, Nabeyaki Ramen (delicious)!

Choto Plamo Shinjo-kun has only a few parts and can be made for two, making it perfect for parents and children to build together!

Check out the contents!

Inside the package are two sets each of Shinjo-kun parts and stickers, an assembly instruction manual, and a tourist guide to Susaki City.

The parts are snap-fit so no glue is needed, and can be assembled quickly with nippers and a file. The colors are also molded in cream and brown-gray, so they can be completed without painting.

When applying the included stickers, tweezers, cotton swabs, and a design knife or small scissors for cutting margins are useful.

The assembly instructions are all in color and carefully explained. Advice for first-time painters and color recipes for each maker are also included to motivate you to create your own!

The sightseeing guide includes information on sightseeing spots and gourmet food in Susaki City. I would like to visit there once!

First, let's make it simple!

The kit comes in two sets, so I'll go with easy modeling for the first one!

Be careful not to gouge, and separate the parts from the runner. I am using God Hand plastic nippers. The official price is 1,320 yen (including tax), which is reasonable and has good sharpness, so it is the best choice for your first pair of nippers.

The cut-off part should be neatly shaped. We recommend God Hand's sponge file, "Kamiyasu! God Hand's sponge file is #240 to #600. If you work with a #240 to #600 file on a mini FF board (acrylic), you won't be able to see any marks where you have cut away!

After assembling the parts, apply the stickers without coloring them. Use a design knife, cutter, or small scissors to cut off as much of the blank space (unnecessary transparent area) as possible so that you can apply the stickers neatly.

After carefully removing the stickers with tweezers, carefully apply them to the parts. The tweezers used this time are Mr. Tweezers Tapered Bend (Tapered Crane Neck). The official price is 1,100 yen (tax included), which is reasonable and easy to work with. And after applying the paste, stick it firmly with a cotton swab to prevent it from peeling off.

Shinjo-kun, finished! It took about one hour at a slow pace.

The hat can be removed and attached, and the arms can be moved back and forth. So cute!

If you want to see it in video, please click here!

Let's make it slowly! (For advanced users)

It's not enough as it is! For those of you who are not satisfied with the first one, we took a little more time to make the second one.

The assembly method is the same as the previous one, but since there are still gaps in the entire body (so-called "monaka" state), we will use pour-in adhesives to firmly glue the parts and melt the plastic to fill in the gaps.

The parts that could not be filled in are filled in using putty. There are various types of putty, but the one used this time is lacquer putty, which is the cheapest and easiest to use. However, lacquer putty has a strong smell, so if you do not like it, we recommend using instant adhesives instead of putty.

Also, do not forget to erase the extrusion pin marks on the arm parts (like holes that are created when the parts are extruded from the mold).

*We hope to feature the putty and shaping method sometime in the future, so please look forward to it!

After the putty is dry, shape it well with a file. The file sizes used are #240 to #800.

After shaping, I sprayed "Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500 White". By spraying the surfacer, you can check if the surface has been properly shaped and it will make it easier to paint. If you do not want to use lacquer-based products, we recommend substituting "Water-based Surfacer White 1000," also available from Creos.

No stickers are used, and all painting is done by brush painting. Recommended paints for brush painting include water-based Hobby Color, Acridion, and Tamiya acrylics, but this time, we used Farejo Color, which is completely odorless and hard to make unevenness. Falejo is a water-based paint made in Spain that can be diluted with water alone, and has a very complete lineup of colors, so it is recommended for brush-painting modelers!

Falejo can only be purchased in Japan through authorized distributor Volks (in stores and online). The price is a little expensive at about 300 yen per bottle, but the quality is high for that price!

After painting, I sprayed "Mr. Premium Top Coat (water-based glossy finish)" to protect the paint film. The glossy finish eliminates the plastic look while also making it difficult to see any unevenness in the paint.

Lastly, the smudging was done. The molded parts were smudged with "Gundam Marker Fude Pen Type" in black.

The black eye part could not be filled in cleanly with the Fude Pen, so I applied Tamiya Enamel Flat Black with a brush (with enamel, even if a mistake is made, it can be corrected by dissolving it with a solvent).

Completed! The main color of the head and body part is a brighter brown than the first one.

I used a black brush pen to smudge the paint clearly, so the cuteness was emphasized!

You can make it quickly and casually, or you can make it more elaborate. Enjoy building plastic models in your favorite style!

Click here to see the video.

So, what did you think? There are still very few plastic models of local characters, so we hope to see more of them released in the future. Well then, see you again~♪

[Product Information

Choto Pramo Shinjo-kun 2pcs (Plastic model)

Now on sale

Price: 990 yen (including tax)

Manufacturer: Studio YUWA

<Writer Information

Kariyasu

Entertainment and hobby writer. He loves models, dioramas, and figures, and is in charge of tool reviews and various interviews, as well as examples of plastic models and miniatures. I'd like to visit Kochi Prefecture someday!

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