Bandai HG 089: MS-18E Kämpfer

How it started. 

Front view from Great Mechanics' "MS-14 Gelgoog & Zeon Special Book."
Rough translation of the callouts:
1) Compared to the Zaku, the head is smaller and, with close combat in mind, its shape is designed to blend smoothly with the body and protect the monoeye.
2) Both sides of the head are equipped with 60mm cannons. This is a method adopted by the Federation's GUNDAM and has the advantage of being able to fire in the direction the head is pointed.
3) Other than the main parts, the armor, such as the front chest armor and front waist skirt can be removed, and holes have been drilled in some of the exterior panels, etc., to reduce overall weight.
4) This aircraft is designed to be disassembled, transported and reassembled in a simple workshop which is why it is said to have been mainly deployed to special mission units. 

Rear view (artisticly tinted, but appears to be the closest features-match to the kit molding). 

Drilling 

More drilling (attempting to mimic the 'dimple' style shown in some of the line art. 

Decided to try using 2mm "bedazzling" rhinestones instead of the sticker or LED for the mono-eye... 

I have to admit I was skeptical at first, especially since they're faceted, but honestly this actually helps catch light sources from many angles and does give a nice glow, in my opinion! I dabbed a little gundam marker red onto a yellow rhinestone to give it a touch of pink, although it doesn't appear to translate well to photographs. 

Admittedly there were some issues with my custom paint mix. Not so much the color (I like it, just didn't expect to mix it up 3x LOL), but the 2 Hobby Colors mixed with Tamiya thinner left some chunks to the armor's finish.
Mak