It had been well over a year since I last even made an attempt at assembling a Hobby Rock kit, despite the backlog of them I have sitting around. So, while I finally had a little break from work the past week, I got started on this Ariga Blues figure, by tamanegikororin. And I feel good enough to call it done today.
This kit was originally from the 2016 Wonderfest. There was a follow-up version the next year with his helmet and a much larger scarf, but I think this sculpt was a little better. The twig-like arms are a bit too thin for my taste, and led me not to want to pick it up for a while, but otherwise, it actually is pretty nice.
To see a little more detail from when I first started painting the individual pieces, you can see this Blues has some really shredded abs. He is supposed to be whistling, but the detail in the tiny little crevices of his lips were a bit harder to line. I kinda prefer an angle where you can’t see his mouth at all, honestly. Looks cooler covered up by the scarf. After all, Ariga’s Blues probably oozes the most suave coolness over his other iterations.
My main issue is really finding something at a good height for him to sit on real sturdily. Nothing I had onhand really fit, to also allow the figuarts stand to hold him securely. But he can balance just fine as is with it, so for now, he sits on his imaginary invisible ledge.
But in any case, good enough to add to the Hobby Rock Miyabi shelf of model kits. Which is now basically full. Perfect? Of course not. But as is tradition, offer that cake for my amateurish painting and assembly efforts, Bart: