Droid DeSoto (1/24 scale model), Part 1

What follows (for a little bit) is largely the exact same content as my KITT post because it's the same base model kit and there's just so much crossover in the early build stages (and I don't assume everybody reads everything I write here). 

Box art (front).

Even after building KITT, I still have no idea (and still no significant interest in finding out) what a MechatroWeGo is or does (it looks like a robot helper/friend of small children), but that doesn't matter. I really like the design and, seeing as dozens of modelers around the world have made amazing customized versions of these things, I wanted to join in the fun (with my own twists, of course).

Box art (sides).

Like many recent Bandai kits, Hasegawa has designed these figures to be highly poseable and, I suppose, played with. My plan is to have this robot simply standing in a display case, maybe with some kind of reference to the Station 51 firehouse from the show to fill out the space (the display cases I have are quite a bit taller than the figures).

Views of standard completed robot.

These things look great box stock and yet they're almost like a blank slate, as though they're begging for custom paint schemes or other additions (just Google "MechatroWeGo custom" and have a look at the wonderland of amazingness people have created).

Assembly instructions.

The build is made easy by instructions, while in Japanese, that are clear and easy to understand, pictorially. Also, like many recent Bandai kits, this one doesn't really need glue, but I used some anyway in key areas to make sure nothing ever comes apart in case of a posing or handling mishap.

Sprue tour.

I used just about all the parts but I didn't bother to model the inside or use the figure provided since this one won't be opening up for any reason. Like with my KITT robot, I used after market hands instead of the clamps provided with the kit; I figured these guys need extra dexterity in their jobs, so they both got hands and fingers.

And now, the twist:

Squad 51 from Emergency!

I love this little truck and I had a little Hot Wheels-type version as a kid; it's both cute and rugged-looking at the same time.

I may have had the engine, too.

Of course, after years of watching the show, this truck is a reassuring sight: help is on the way. After recently re-watching the series I was struck by how much it holds up today –it was so realistically done that, as a kid, I thought it was a documentary of sorts before realizing I was watching extremely well-made fiction (based on real events, however). Of course, Droid DeSoto is named in honour of the TV character Roy DeSoto, the paramedic (and senior partner of Johnny Gage) who drove the Squad (and helped rescue countless people).

I seriously considered building a model of the truck, but that would require buying garage kit resin parts for the back storage compartments and merging them with a Dodge pickup kit. Lots of work and expense involved in that proposition. But I'd become aware of these nifty Mechatro robot kits and decided to customize one and dress it up as Squad 51. The kits aren't very pricey and just how hard could that be?

Photoshop mock-up.

Appropriate after-market decals.

These were pretty cool, but quite thick –probably because the DIY decal paper used has thick carrier film. I was happy to have plenty of duplicates because I had some placement problems and had to redo a couple of them.

Sub-assemblies ready for primer.

I initially was going to paint every single piece individually, but after building KITT, I realized I could assemble quite a lot of the parts (whole sections of the arms and legs, etc.) before painting.

Seams to address.

These fairings cover the shoulder and hip joints and I almost considered not adding them to the final model, but I liked the finished look they gave i, so I closed up those seams with putty to make them look like one perfect unit. It's a robot, and seams and other artifacts of mechanical construction should be expected, but some parts look better smooth and shiny. The ones with the cream-coloured "hub caps" were used on this kit and the other four were used on KITT.

Take the lightbar challenge!

Of course, to properly recreate Squad 51 (and certainly my Photoshopped mock-up) I needed a lightbar, preferably the kind used on the actual vehicle and there happened to be an accurate after market kit available, so I ordered one. To say I was slightly intimidated by the complexity of this is almost an understatement, but I'm still confident at this point that I can build it adequately.

My favourite part of the instructions: "For simplicity sake and to keep the assembly frustration level from going orbital..."

Fire engine red!

I used a Rustoleum red gloss rattle can for the red and it worked perfectly, giving me the colour I wanted, plus a smooth, glossy durability after it cured for a few days (making it easy to handle (no fingerprints!) for further assembly and decal application).

Back panel decals.

You can easily see the thickness of the decals' carrier film here.

Mech suit, not robut?

I'd left the head until last because of the complicated lightbar build (it's practically a mini model kit in itself) and the more I looked at the model at this stage of completion, the more I liked the look of it...

Mech suit in the shop!

Then I added a 1/24 scale mechanic I was going to use in a garage diorama for my A-Wing Roadster (for interest, but also to bring that model up to 1/24 scale) and BAM! This thing is now a mobile mech suit that needs a driver/pilot/paramedic/whatever...and it's going to be in the display case as though it's undergoing some maintenance or repairs.

But that'll be in Part 2...for now, some more outdoor shots: