Let's have a Gunpla thread

[Menorah Jams, Pham]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that maybe a handful of people are into talking about Gunpla/Gundam models/plastic model kits/what the heck ever.  I don't know if anyone else is into Gunpla here, so let's start a Gunpla thread!

I always thought Gundam models were cool as heck, also Gundam itself too.  I built one or two back in like 2003/4ish, but not to the point where it was anything more than wire cutters and that was that.  A good start, but last Katsucon, I was hanging out with two meidos around the model contest, one of whom had a figure entered into it.  I was apprehensive, thinking that with my schedule I didn't have the time to make Awesome Gundam Models.  With some reassurance, and leaning on that friend and another non-meido friend who is basically the crown princess of Gunpla in the northeastern US (at least in my opinion) I started actually making 'em!

So if you want to learn more, ask here and I (and others, if there are any) hopefully can help! 

A bit of philosophy that should be kept well in mind as you embark onto this rewarding hobby:

Gunpla building is meant to be fun.  It is not a race, it is not a contest.  Never let what someone else says be what guides you.  You are doing this for nobody but yourself.  If you want to do more, there are always options to do more.  If you like what you have, then let it be that way. 

It's way too easy - and I fall victim to this myself - to see some pro as fuck build winning contests, and then you look at what you're working on, then think "shit, I suck and should stop doing this."  As a metaphor for life, this happens way too much to all of us at some point, and it behooves you to take things easy, at your pace, and start easy.  Don't start hard.

Gunpla's closest allegory is golf: you are playing against nobody but yourself, it is an unnatural act that you have to get good at over time, help is always available, and your sole goal is to complete the course/kit. 

Have some photos of my recent works! 


I'm building a shrine to Aila Jyrkiainen, best girl of modern Gundam and best girl of Build Fighters.  All that remains is her figure, soon to be released!


Not Gundam, but related: Metal Gear Rex, black version.  Painting 1/100 figures SUCKS A LOT but nothing else illustrates scale, especially in an iconic scene like this.


He's a veteran ground-type with an eye for justice, his feet on the streets, and one hand on his Heat Hawk.

He's a new model fresh from Zimmad, with a chip on his shoulder as big as his experimental beam bazooka.

This summer, these two suits... are getting mobile on crime.
Zaku Morris II and Rick Dominguez are...

ZEEKS
Thursdays at 9/8 Central on Zabi TV

[Mеа]

Ooh, gunpla thread, perfect timing. I have a very modest collection, like a handful. A couple HGs and some MGs (Exia, Blue Astray, Astrea, currently making Destiny). But I've not really liked the plastic-y cheap look, so I want to get into painting too. Do you know anything about that? There was only one time I painted, and it was with a brush and it was terrible, and nothing fit right. Probably because I didn't really plan ahead and just went over the exterior-showing bits.
I'm wanting to get one of these White Glint+VOB models, but I really want to do it right. Make it look really great. If you have any suggestions and advice, that would be great. If you do, hopefully it's small stuff I can keep in a school dormitory.
The Metal Gear looks pretty awesome by the way.

[Menorah Jams, Pham]

Ooh, gunpla thread, perfect timing. I have a very modest collection, like a handful. A couple HGs and some MGs (Exia, Blue Astray, Astrea, currently making Destiny). But I've not really liked the plastic-y cheap look, so I want to get into painting too. Do you know anything about that? There was only one time I painted, and it was with a brush and it was terrible, and nothing fit right. Probably because I didn't really plan ahead and just went over the exterior-showing bits.
I'm wanting to get one of these White Glint+VOB models, but I really want to do it right. Make it look really great. If you have any suggestions and advice, that would be great. If you do, hopefully it's small stuff I can keep in a school dormitory.
The Metal Gear looks pretty awesome by the way.

There's one quick answer to the plasticky look: matte topcoat.

Any hobby store or place that sells plastic model kits/paints will probably sell Testors Dullcote.  Spray it on with two light coats and you've flattened out the reflectivity of the plastic, making it look nice and dull, closer to a non-toylike surface. 

Painting is its own beast, but it can easily be done.   There are two things you need to do to ensure successful hand painting, from what I've seen so far:

1) Prime, prime, make sure you prime.  Tamiya spray primer is very good stuff, but your local Autozone/Strauss/Pep Boys, in the paint section, will have Duplicolor Scratch Filler primer.  It's gray, sprays on smoothly (you wanna spray from around 10-12" away), fills scratches and small imperfections, and dries in about 30 minutes.  A surface with primer is MUCH easier to get a smooth coat of paint on.  I recommend buying cheapo alligator clips at Harbor Freight Tools or elsewhere, tape or glue them onto bamboo skewers, and stick them into styrofoam for handy storage and painting at a distance. 

2) Thin a little bit.  Don't brush right out of the bottle.  I've had great success with Tamiya acrylic paint and Tamiya acrylic thinner but for ease of use (droppers vs. having to buy pipettes) I'd suggest looking into Vallejo paints.  Vallejo can take any acrylic thinner, or even just water.  Tamiya paint needs Tamiya thinner given its makeup. 

Thin at a rough ratio of 1 part thinner to 3 parts paint.  You can always add more later. 

What a lot of people do when they paint is also fill the seams in, which is always good practice.  That takes reading ahead a little bit in the instructions, knowing which parts have a seam and which are engineered to have a panel line.  I'll have to see about some examples on my current builds to show a better example, but seam filling isn't really that hard.  Use Tamiya Extra Thin cement on both parts - I use two coats applied right after each other - with about 15 seconds for it to moisten the parts.  Really press the parts together hard, hopefully to ooze some plastic out of the seam, and hold together for around 30 seconds.  Let it cure for two hours.  Cut off the oozed plastic with your hobby knife, sand the seam down, and boom - the seam is filled. 

Priming a part will give a preview of how it'll look painted.  You can always sand it down more after you prime. 

That is a B.A.M.F. of a kit you linked.  I would suggest starting with something you don't care about.  Get your practice on.  I can't speak to that kit specifically but if it's like an MG, you'll be in for a big build.  Find another Kotobukiya kit for cheap and see how the assembly comes together, get an idea of its construction and engineering.  I was lucky with Koto's Rex kit - it's so well engineered, any seams on the inner frame are covered by external armor, and external armor seams are all within panel lines. 

[Quad City QBs]

What a lot of people do when they paint is also fill the seams in, which is always good practice.  That takes reading ahead a little bit in the instructions, knowing which parts have a seam and which are engineered to have a panel line.  I'll have to see about some examples on my current builds to show a better example, but seam filling isn't really that hard.  Use Tamiya Extra Thin cement on both parts - I use two coats applied right after each other - with about 15 seconds for it to moisten the parts.  Really press the parts together hard, hopefully to ooze some plastic out of the seam, and hold together for around 30 seconds.  Let it cure for two hours.  Cut off the oozed plastic with your hobby knife, sand the seam down, and boom - the seam is filled.

I would note that newer kits tend to integrate the seams into the panel lines very nicely, hide them under another part, or whatever. On something like a RG, you can probably get away without doing any cementing at all.

BTW, Tamiya Extra Thin may not work on some formulations of plastic. I think anything Bandai should play nice with Tamiya Extra Thin, but if not, there's always Plastruct Plastic Weld.

I would suggest starting with something you don't care about.  Get your practice on.

SD kits work well for this. Not only are they dirt cheap, everything is very simple, so you can easily get a feel for how Gunpla pieces fit together in general before you graduate up to something more partsy.

[Menorah Jams, Pham]

I would note that newer kits tend to integrate the seams into the panel lines very nicely, hide them under another part, or whatever. On something like a RG, you can probably get away without doing any cementing at all.

BTW, Tamiya Extra Thin may not work on some formulations of plastic. I think anything Bandai should play nice with Tamiya Extra Thin, but if not, there's always Plastruct Plastic Weld.

SD kits work well for this. Not only are they dirt cheap, everything is very simple, so you can easily get a feel for how Gunpla pieces fit together in general before you graduate up to something more partsy.

The thing about SD kits if they're anything like the SD Command Gundam (the little olive drab green guy in the Aila shrine) - their nubs are not designed to be cleanly clipped away and sanded down.  They're basically right from the sprue to the part, meant to be twisted off by kids' hands.  It's going to leave a mark unless you paint, and SD kits are put together such that your only real option is to clip the parts apart, then prime/paint, then assemble. 

I had no issues with all the Bandai kits and the Kotobukiya MG Rex with Extra Thin - Maullar, do you consider Plastruct better?  Never tried it, eager for something that doesn't require two serious business coats like Tamiya.

Maximum truth to the seam integration - I built the HGUC Gyan lately, and it has not - NOT - aged well with its seam placement and size. 

Edit:

http://www.hlj.com/product/ban958758/Gun

HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG

[Quad City QBs]

The thing about SD kits if they're anything like the SD Command Gundam (the little olive drab green guy in the Aila shrine) - their nubs are not designed to be cleanly clipped away and sanded down.  They're basically right from the sprue to the part, meant to be twisted off by kids' hands.  It's going to leave a mark unless you paint, and SD kits are put together such that your only real option is to clip the parts apart, then prime/paint, then assemble. 

Actually, that is a good point. Even on the G-Generation SD Sazabi I'm working on--somewhat high-end for a SD kit--the sprue attachment points don't really taper down like you would expect. So that makes it tough.

I had no issues with all the Bandai kits and the Kotobukiya MG Rex with Extra Thin - Maullar, do you consider Plastruct better?  Never tried it, eager for something that doesn't require two serious business coats like Tamiya.

I actually prefer the Extra Thin--smells better, dries cleaner. Plastruct is strictly my backup bottle if I encounter a plastic that Extra Thin doesn't melt.

[Menorah Jams, Pham]

Also if you aren't using Perfect Plastic Putty to fill your seams, you should really be using Perfect Plastic Putty to fill your seams. 

Apply with something flat, blunt and straight into the seam, let dry, use moist q-tips to smooth out, sand, boom - filled seam.

[Mеа]

Thanks for the tips. I would have experimented with the paints on some random HG or something anyway, but I really wouldn't put it beyond my lazy self to just just straight into some huge mess.
Alternatively, on an RG or the MG Turn-X that recently came out. That one has like only 2 colors so it shouldn't be all too hard.
As for the seam filling, I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about or the final effect it turns out looking like. Do you have any examples?
And just out of curiosity, how much experience do you have with weathering or custom part making with putty?

[Dr Rawr]

ive actually been wanting to try building one of these for awhile just for the hell of it. so any recommendations for a noob like me?

[Menorah Jams, Pham]

ive actually been wanting to try building one of these for awhile just for the hell of it. so any recommendations for a noob like me?

What's your favorite series/mecha/Gundam?  There's tons of options out there.  Zeitgeist opinion is "build what you like" but there's very real value into building something that teaches the basics even if it's not your single favorite.  Hit me with four or five things if you can, I'll see if I can do some digging and make a recommendation or two.

Thanks for the tips. I would have experimented with the paints on some random HG or something anyway, but I really wouldn't put it beyond my lazy self to just just straight into some huge mess.
Alternatively, on an RG or the MG Turn-X that recently came out. That one has like only 2 colors so it shouldn't be all too hard.
As for the seam filling, I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about or the final effect it turns out looking like. Do you have any examples?
And just out of curiosity, how much experience do you have with weathering or custom part making with putty?

I'm better at explaining than taking pictures, so I'll link something that'll be more visual.

Basically, if you have two parts that come together, there's a seam - a gap, a space, etc. - between them, unless some thoughtful soul engineered a panel line or structural component between them.  If you're going to paint your kit, the seam will remain and make it look like there's a gap between parts.  Starting out, this is fine - you're new to the game, you're not a master, but if you want to make your two parts look like one, you need to fill that seam. 

Seam filling is very simple.  It sounds like a lot of work but the hardest part is waiting two hours for your cement to cure. 

Once it's cured, you sand down the oozed plastic.  The cement basically works as an acid, causing your plastic to melt.  When you press the parts together, they basically melt and become one.  Kind of like a weld. 

Sometimes the weld isn't perfect or doesn't ooze out.  To be honest, I have never really had a perfect oozing.  That's OK - putty comes in here.  You use some putty to fill the gap.  Sand down the putty.  It's now ready to prime, which will expose any flaws - gaps remaining in the putty, stuff like that - which can then be sanded down and primed again. 

Also, if you don't have the facilities to spray primer like Tamiya or Dupli-color, Vallejo Surface Primer is an indoors-safe acrylic primer that you can handbrush on.  I love the stuff.  Dries as fast as Dupli-color or Tamiya, washes up with water. 

This is the best guide that illustrates seam filling I can recall - http://www.ghostofzeon.com/diy/seams/seamremoval.html 

[Dr Rawr]

What's your favorite series/mecha/Gundam?  There's tons of options out there.  Zeitgeist opinion is "build what you like" but there's very real value into building something that teaches the basics even if it's not your single favorite.  Hit me with four or five things if you can, I'll see if I can do some digging and make a recommendation or two.

probably my favorite ones are

freedom
epyon
zoids liger
that one if full metal panic :V
that really cool blue zaku from 8th ms team

thats pretty much all i got. i would have said aldnoahzero but i think thats to new

[Menorah Jams, Pham]

probably my favorite ones are

freedom
epyon
zoids liger
that one if full metal panic :V
that really cool blue zaku from 8th ms team

thats pretty much all i got. i would have said aldnoahzero but i think thats to new

Oh man, you have good tastes - unfortunately, the only readily available FMP kits are horrendously expensive due to rarity, or D-Style, which are basically chibi/SD forms.

This is a great opportunity to talk about grades.  HG/MG/etc. 

If it says "HG" it means it's a High Grade kit.  Decently engineered.  It's 1/144 scale.  It doesn't have a full inner frame and while it's usually well articulated, don't expect Olympic gymnastics.
If it says "MG" it means it's a Master Grade kit.  This is basically all I build.  There is zero difference in difficulty, just more parts.  Usually has a full inner frame, or some type of inner frame, with opportunities to get very detailed if you want to say paint the armor, add some third-party metal detail-up parts, etc.  Articulation is usually amazing. 

The buddy cop Zaku and Dom from the OP are MG kits.  They stand around 10" tall and have full inner frames.  The Zaku is the Zaku II 2.0, and the inner frame for the 2.0 is CRAZY articulatable and detailed.  If you want a bigger/more challenging build, the MG Zaku II 2.0 is a wonderful start.  It comes with parts to build the normal version or the commander version with a horn, and if you're a Char fan, there's a Zaku II 2.0 in Char colors as well.

If it says "PG" it means it's a Perfect Grade kit.  These require a little more care and a lot more time to build.  Don't jump right into PG.  If for no other reason, the cost alone should deter beginners.

That "really cool blue Zaku" is a Gouf Custom.  It comes in several scales but after a cursory look at Gaijin Gunpla's review, it looks like there aren't that many seams to fill.  If you take a look at the upper torso armor, the sides of the chest don't have a seam to worry about.  Meanwhile, take a look at the back of the legs.  That panel line gap is an engineered seam - one leg part has the panel line gap, the other doesn't.  When the two parts come together, there's no visible seam since it's basically a panel line. 

I should also mention that using a gel pen on those panel lines (clean up mistakes/excess with Q-tips soaked in water or rubbing alcohol) is a great way to really make your kit pop. 

Meanwhile, take a look at this review of the HG Strike Freedom.  Take a look at the lower legs, the beam cannons attached to the waist, and arms.  There are very clear seams going down the middle of each lengthwise.  These are parts coming together.  If you just wanna build, by all means build!  But if you wanna paint, you should at least cement them together if not fill them entirely. 

Pick up an HGUC Gouf Custom.  It seems like a better option to take a shot at it if you wanna take a shot at just building a kit. 

You will also need at bare minimum a halfway decent pair of flush cutters/side cutters/nippers.  If you don't have a pair (and don't use wire cutters, those cause a lot of damage as they cut plastic nubs) pick these up for $10. 

Be clean with your cuts.  If you really want an amazing result, use a fresh Xacto knife blade to gently shave the nubs down.  If you take care, you turn a basic assembly into something you're really proud of and keen to show off. 

If you're really into a clean build, you can get a set of sandpaper at Lowe's - 3M has a higher-grit set that I think starts at 600 - and sand the nubs down using a popsicle stick.  I use Squadron flexible sanding sticks but we don't wanna turn this into "buy X, git gud" - start with the basics.  Build the kit; you can always disassemble it with some care if you really want to.

This is a good tutorial on nub management, should you wish to undertake it.

Edit: I should have probably said this earlier and will add it to my OP, but Gunpla building is meant to be fun.  It is not a race, it is not a contest.  Never let what someone else says be what guides you.  You are doing this for nobody but yourself.  If you want to do more, there are always options to do more.  If you like what you have, then let it be that way. 

It's way too easy - and I fall victim to this myself - to see some pro as fuck build winning contests, and then you look at what you're working on, then think "shit, I suck and should stop doing this."  As a metaphor for life, this happens way too much to all of us at some point, and it behooves you to take things easy, at your pace, and start easy.  Don't start hard.

Gunpla's closest allegory is golf: you are playing against nobody but yourself, it is an unnatural act that you have to get good at over time, help is always available, and your sole goal is to complete the course/kit. 

[Mеа]

that really cool blue zaku from 8th ms team

The Gouf Custom? This is no Zaku boy! No Zaku!
If you're wanting to make a Freedom (not Strike Freedom), then I'd say go for the RG one. The HG one doesn't allow you to do the HiMat full burst pose correctly (the wing shoulder cannons can't fold over the shoulder and have the wings folded out at the same time), and I don't think you want to do an MG or PG as a beginner. Plus RG ones are cheap yet very detailed.
If you're just beginning, then the HG line is probably the best; they're the easiest. If you want something more detailed for about the same price, then go for the RG ones. Pick the one you want to build, ie: a mobile suit that you like. Like he says, you're really only playing against yourself. It only gets more and more in depth the longer you want to spend time on it. If it's just cutting the nibs off and sanding/cutting, then I think anyone that's not a kid can do any kit.

[Menorah Jams, Pham]

If you're wanting to make a Freedom (not Strike Freedom), then I'd say go for the RG one. The HG one doesn't allow you to do the HiMat full burst pose correctly (the wing shoulder cannons can't fold over the shoulder and have the wings folded out at the same time), and I don't think you want to do an MG or PG as a beginner. Plus RG ones are cheap yet very detailed.
If you're just beginning, then the HG line is probably the best; they're the easiest. If you want something more detailed for about the same price, then go for the RG ones. Pick the one you want to build, ie: a mobile suit that you like. Like he says, you're really only playing against yourself. It only gets more and more in depth the longer you want to spend time on it. If it's just cutting the nibs off and sanding/cutting, then I think anyone that's not a kid can do any kit.

RG is basically MG detail in HG scale.  Personally it scares the pants offa me simply because I'm a bit fumbly.  I also am not huge enough into any of the suits on offer in the RG line to build them smaller rather than bigger. 

I can't recommend enough as a beginner that HG is a far better starting point than RG. 

[Mеа]

RG is basically MG detail in HG scale.  Personally it scares the pants offa me simply because I'm a bit fumbly.  I also am not huge enough into any of the suits on offer in the RG line to build them smaller rather than bigger. 

I can't recommend enough as a beginner that HG is a far better starting point than RG.

Was it HG price + MG detail + PG frame? Forgot about the latter bits.

But yeah, don't get the HG Freedom if you're considering it. Otherwise, HGs are excellent territory for beginners.

[Dr Rawr]

I'm not a totally beginner to model making I did a lot of warhammer 40k. I'm thinking I'll grab that gouf custom first and see how that goes.

But I have to say this RG freedom looks cool as hell

[Quad City QBs]

Just wanna throw out that Dalong.net has reviews of pretty much every Gunpla out there, including shots of what it looks like out-of-box, and comparisons with different grades of the same scale. For example, here's HG Freedom versus RG Freedom:

[Mеа]

For example, here's HG Strike Freedom versus RG Strike Freedom:

Please forgive my nit picking
The HG Freedom vs RG Freedom would be below:

[Menorah Jams, Pham]

Dalong is great if you can read Hangul!  Also that HG vs. RG looks like the RG has been panel lined.  Just keep that in mind. 

Mech9 does some translation of Dalong stuff, and also will scan/translate manuals.  This is extremely useful if you intend to paint, as it gives what colors go into each mixed color. 

Keep in mind that Bandai's color names are based off of Gunze Sangyo's Mr. Color line, which is A) not as easy to obtain in the US as other manufacturers, B) lacquer and thus really stinky, also requiring lacquer thinner.  Some older kits also call for colors that no longer exist - my MG GM QUEL calls for Indy Blue as the base of its dark Titans blue color scheme, and that doesn't seem to be anywhere purchaseable on the internet, nor does it have an equivalent in Vallejo or Tamiya.

I should also add this has been my go-to for the current lineup of Mr. Color and its American/global equivalents.  http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/colorcharts/stuff_eng_colorcharts_gunze.htm

[Menorah Jams, Pham]

Let's talk painting stuff!

I'm working on an MG GM QUEL, and I figure this is a good opportunity to try fully painting a kit.  Painting is the best way to hide discolorations from shaved nubs entirely, if you are aiming for such a thing.  In the past I've lived with just cleaning the nubs up via shaving them down with Xacto knives and progressive sanding them out.  Laborious but the best way.  It leaves behind a slight, slight discoloration.  Simply put, the spot where the nub was is a bit darker than the surrounding plastic if done properly.  Matte topcoating takes away most of its appearance given that it'll lessen the reflectivity. 

But in this case, I've opted to paint.  I'm also trying preshading for the first time.  Preshading is basically going over panel lines and borders of parts in a dark color in order to give the air of panel lines/demarcations/softer edges.

This is a primed part of the leg armor, with preshading over accents - panel lines, bolts, and edges. 



All I did was airbrush (poorly) over the lines, just getting enough to make a very dark but not completely black line. 



Then we airbrush the main color over it, just enough to color the part.  Under a flash and bare CFL bulbs, you can't really see much. 



Here's how they look assembled- pretty cool, huh?

[Rotten]

It might be inappropriate, but I feel obligated to post this.

Spoiler:

http://a.pomf.se/tuckji.jpg

[Menorah Jams, Pham]

It might be inappropriate, but I feel obligated to post this.

Spoiler:

http://a.pomf.se/tuckji.jpg
massive feels

Dead fucking serious, THIS.

triangles can attest, more than once have I snapped a critical structural part and cursed up a storm. 

When I snapped the hip joint of my 1/100 Metal Gear Rex, that I'd spent the better part of three weeks building painstakingly well, I was basically on the verge of tears as I was desperately supergluing it back into place. 

[Menorah Jams, Pham]

Hi gang!  The decals went onto the GM QUEL last night and I put on the second coat of topcoat a while ago.  I'll have photos hopefully tomorrow.

Meanwhile, my Rick Dom took some scratches in the topcoat en route to/from a Gundam Planet meetup.  I figured I'd roll with it and take a shot at battle damage.  Have some photos, with a quick and easy methodology write-up afterwards!






-Bullet holes were done by drilling with a #61 pin vise (which later snapped, my own fault) that were slightly opened up with the point of a soldering iron. Excess plastic was trimmed, but some was left to denote an impact. Tamiya chrome silver acrylic was drybrushed on.
-Paint chips were the tip of a brush in Tamiya Chrome Silver, gently tapped onto a few spots.
-Beam saber strikes were drags of the soldering iron. Excess was trimmed, some was left to show sabering. Tamiya Chrome Silver was drybrushed on.
-Slight wear on the upper chest gray part's bottom rim was done by lowest speed Dremel 80-grit wheel, drybrushed Tamiya Chrome Silver.
-Large hemispherical impacts were done with a Dremel engraving bit at lowest speed, roughly done, drybrushed Tamiya Chrome Silver.