In one day, this artist adds years to this phone case.
Gundam fan, plastic model artist, and self-proclaimed “weathering fanatic” @niiharu80 recently showed how he took a plain acrylic iPhone case from 100-yen shop Daiso, gave it some Gundam flair and turned it into a rusted, weathered shell of its former self.
▼ Finished the iPhone case! I painted over a case from Daiso. Took the whole day. Rust is fun~”
Because of the attention it got and the questions received from commentors, @niiharu80 kindly broke down the process for everyone, providing a step-by-step guide to how the look was achieved.
As there weren’t any plain plastic cases at Daiso, @niiharu80 first used some sandpaper to remove the patterned surface of the case, before coating it in a surface primer.
Next, as groundwork for the chipped look, he used a few different shades of brown to coat the entire phone case.
Once the brown undercoat dried, @niiharu80 used a coat of “super hard” hair spray, and let that dry before painting over that with the main color. Once that had completely dried, he used masking tape to mark out where he wanted the stripe accents to go, and used a sponge to dab on the white paint.
To give the case its chipped and weathered look, once the paint had dried, @niiharu80 submerged the case in water for a while, causing the hairspray underneath to dissolve, which helped the top coat of paint to chip off easily. @niiharu80 used a sponge and a metal scrubbing brush to achieve this look.
Once he’d gotten his desired look, he used a glossy top coat, applied a couple of decals, and gave them a few scrapes and scratches before applying another top coat with a matte finish.
Then, he used some pigment around the chipped areas to give it a grainy and rusted look. He painted on some Tamiya brand “weathering color”, then gave it a wash with enamel remover. As a final touch, he used Real Touch Markers, dabbing here and there and using cotton swabs to drag the color down before it dried, giving the rust a smeared, rain-washed appearance.
Japanese 100 yen stores carry many useful items, which are perfectly useful as-is, but are also great bases for creative upgrades like @niiharu80’s phone case. There are plenty of uses for items you wouldn’t even expect, so be sure to check out these household and cosplay hacks for more inspiration!
Source, featured image: Twitter/@niiharu80