I haven’t built model figures in a long time; the last time was back in the ’90s when I was in high school. Technology has advanced a lot in the past 20+ years. The latest SHF and true bone carving figures are nearly perfect in design, so there’s really no need to build Rider models anymore – you can buy beautifully detailed ones for just a few hundred dollars. However, old-school model figures still have a certain charm, and these hollow plastic figures offer more of a challenge. I’ve always felt that as a Rider fan, I should at least make a Shadow Moon figure once in my life. And when I saw it on sale for about 1,800 yen (around HK$130) on Amazon Japan, I bought it, but it took me a year to finally start working on it!
The Making of
This kit is actually a re-release of a 1990s product by Kaiyodo. I couldn’t afford it back in high school, but now I finally have the chance!
Casting plaster and inserting copper rods are basic steps for hollow plastic figures.
The limbs, antennae, and shoulders of Shadow Moon are secured with rods.
The original antenna was meant to be cut out of a piece of soft plastic, but it was too flimsy and couldn’t be smoothed out. I had to recreate it using SketchUp and found someone on Taobao to 3D print it for 30 HKD.
Before applying Gaia 123 Bright Silver, I first coated it with 032 Ultimate Black, which gives the silver a richer appearance.
Since the sword wraps around the figure’s hand and can’t be disassembled for painting, I painted the main body first, then crafted the hilt. I also used epoxy putty to reshape it to match the show’s appearance.
The sword itself was originally made of opaque resin, but I went to Taobao again to get it 3D printed in transparent material.
