SAFS Type R Raccoon

The Raccoon is a SAFS variant that dates back to the original SF3D era. It introduced the helicopter-derived nose sensor that has since been used on many recon variants. This was the first kit of mine where I felt I was finally starting to really "crack the code" on the Ma.K hand paint style.

The kit was painted with Tamiya paints thinned with Leveling Thinner, and this was when I began experimenting with adding retarder to the paint mixes in order to create more transparent and blended paint effects. Some old WIP photos are available here. The vinyl kit hoses were replaced with metal coil springs from Kotobukiya, and a section of thin styrene rod was used for the antennae.

The Raccoon has one of my favorite pilot head sculpts of any Wave kit - the intense expression and the pilot goggles on the head make for a very characterful figure. The kit comes with a wide variety of decals, including what has to be one of the most egregious uses of Comic Sans font on a model kit (which I did not choose to employ on my build). Some epoxy putty was used to add weld beads to the torso details as a last bit of detailing work.

There isn't too much else to say about the Raccoon other than it is a classic variant of the SAFS, and I hope you liked this build!