[GBWC] Bandai HGCE 1/144 ZGMF-X42S/S-Revolution & ZGMF-X42S/A Destiny Gundam - The Concluders (Customised Build)

Model Number: ZGMF-X42S/S-Revolution
Designation: ZAFT Limited Production Commander Type High Performance Mobile Suit for Heine Westenfluss

Model Number: ZGMF-X42S/A
Designation: ZAFT Limited Production General Purpose Use High Performance Mobile Suit for Concluders Ace Pilots

It is one thing to start interstellar wars but another altogether to conclude them.
Due to time constraints and other adult commitments, I couldn't find the time to do a large scale and dramatic GBWC entry. The new HGCE 1/144 Destiny Gundam kits are so excellent that I decided to do one up as a quick GBWC entrant, but I wasn't content to just send in a singular model. This is why we now have the Double Ds.

Fictional Lore
Consisting of two painted and slightly modified HGCE 1/144 Destiny Gundam units, the GBWC 2019 entry materialises the Concluders special forces branch of ZAFT, with Heine Westenfluss commanding the pack of ZAFT aces all piloting specially-adjusted Destiny Gundam units in his own customised and performance-tuned orange Destiny Gundam. 

As per its namesake, the Concluders were intended by ZAFT Chairman Gilbert Durandal to swiftly and decisively end the conflict with the Earth Federation through crushing, overwhelming force. Given his exceptional skills in mobile suit warfare and tactical leadership acumen, Heine Westenfluss was the only candidate for commanding officer of this select branch of the ZAFT special forces division. Similar to FAITH, another ZAFT special forces branch from which many Concluders pilots were drawn, the Concluders reported directly to Durandal and had a special communications line maintained with him at all times. This allowed Durandal to order blitzkrieg hits and assassinations on Federation targets at any time, with the Concluders carrying out those orders with lightning speed and extreme prejudice.

Heine Westenfluss' machine evokes a demonic visage due to the lengthened leg units with sharp points and edges, complementing his fondness for close range combat. In an alternate retelling of the events in Gundam SEED Destiny, Heine survived the literal backstabbing attack by Stella Loussier in the Gaia Gundam and went on to obtain his personalised Destiny Gundam upon the official formation of the Concluders. Despite his prowess with the high performance machine, Heine got overly confident in a particular engagement, taking on both Kira Yamato in the Strike Freedom and Althrun Zala in the Infinite Justice, resulting in the loss of both of the Destiny's legs and Heine barely escaping with his life. Upon his return to ZAFT territory, Heine swore vengeance upon the Three Ships Alliance and set about personally upgrading his Destiny Gundam, the resulting design the physical manifestation of him trying to come to terms with his descent into demonic madness (the edgy leg units and beam scythe) while maintaining a semblance of who he once was (the original Destiny). 

The regular-coloured Destiny units were reserved for ace pilots who had proven their skills in lower-performance machines, with assignment of such a unit a testament of the pilot's inculcation into the coveted Concluders ranks. While Heine Westenfluss' customised machine was specially tuned for his fondness towards high speed, close range melee attacks, his wingmen preferred to support from long range and the Concluders' version of the Destiny Gundam was specially adjusted for long distance combat. The M2000GX High-Energy Long-Range Beam Cannon on the original version was replaced with an experimental compact "Tannhauser" positron cannon that was first seen on the Minerva battleship. Capable of delivering three times the damage at twice the distance of the default weapon, the Tannhauser was used to deliver crushing blows to enemy mobile suit forces and fleet formations alike, with the Destiny Gundam blitzing out of range with the wings of light long before a cohesive enemy response could be mounted.

Build Notes
The HGCE 1/144 Destiny Gundam is an extremely fulfilling and very remarkable build, heads and shoulders above its aging predecessor in terms of proportions, design, colour/ part separation and above all, articulation. The intricately designed wings of light effect parts are also a definite bonus, completing the Destiny package.

Rather than a complete recolour, I decided to preserve the colour scheme Bandai intended for both Destiny Gundam units while adding my own Ver. GPN flair, which means a darker, more tactical colour palette and usage of at least 3 shades of grey.

Heine Westenfluss' Destiny Gundam

Colours Used:

1. Tamiya Clear Orange
2. Tamiya Gun Metal
3. Tamiya Semi-Gloss Bright Gun Metal
4. Tamiya Metallic Red
5. Tamiya Metallic Black
6. Nippon Pylox Mars Red
7. Nippon Pylox Grey
8. Nippon Pylox Medium Grey
9. Nippon Pylox Deep Grey
10. Nippon Pylox Haier Grey
11. Nippon Pylox Naval Grey
12. CT7 Gold
13. Bosny Gold
14. Bosny Sparkling Gold
15. Red Fox Flat Black

Some of the stock orange parts on Heine's Destiny were left unpainted to provide some depth and variance, the deeper-hued Tamiya Clear Orange nicely complementing the original shade. 

Inspired by the demonic motif of the awesome Metal Build 1/100 Destiny Gundam, the original legs on Heine's Destiny were replaced with the legs from the HGBD 1/144 Gundam Love Phantom, itself a derivation of the SEED-universe Strike Freedom (which was technically a ZAFT machine). The longer legs serve to visually balance out Heine's Destiny, especially with the wings of light splayed out.

Concluders' Destiny Gundam

Colours Used:

1. Tamiya Gun Metal
2. Tamiya Semi-Gloss Bright Gun Metal
3. Tamiya Clear Blue
4. Nippon Pylox Light Blue
5. Nippon Pylox Deep Blue
6. Nippon Pylox Mars Red
7. Nippon Pylox Grey
8. Nippon Pylox Deep Grey
9. Nippon Pylox Haier Grey
10. Nippon Pylox Naval Grey
11. CT7 Gold
12. Bosny Gold
13. Bosny Sparkling Gold
14. Red Fox Flat Black
15. Red Fox Primer Grey
16. Red Wheel Silver Grey

While the main body of the Destiny Gundam remained relatively untouched, the M2000GX High-Energy Long-Range Beam Cannon was replaced with the satellite cannon (sans the shiny bits) from the HGBF 1/144 Gundam X Maoh. The new cannon provides a little more variation to the regular Destiny and beefs up the back presence of the Destiny significantly.

The wings of light effect parts were done by a good friend of mine (@sldsstudio on Instagram) who wanted to try out gradient airbrushing techniques on clear parts. As a working adult with a little more disposable income than the average student, I am more than happy to provide younger builders with opportunities to hone their craft. After all, practice makes perfect!

Gallery