Current Events > I bought Gundam model kits.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Not master grade yet but I'm looking into it!

Honestly, don't get intimidated by master grades. Although if you're looking into one, I'd suggest one of the more recent ones. The engineering is so much better in the last 5 or so years, it's insane. If price is the problem, try a recent RG kit, the downside is since they are smaller they might be a little trickier to build
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LordFarquad1312 posted...

Honestly, don't get intimidated by master grades. Although if you're looking into one, I'd suggest one of the more recent ones. The engineering is so much better in the last 5 or so years, it's insane. If price is the problem, try a recent RG kit, the downside is since they are smaller they might be a little trickier to build

The main reason I didn't get master grade was selection. I'm looking at some online, but the store only had two master grade. They had more perfect than master. I'm super excited for them!

Gundamplanet and amazon are some good places. Sometimes you can also find great deals at barnes and noble and tokyo otaku mode too. I waited to build my first MG after like 20 HG kits and was surprised how easy it was. MG F91 is a good starter kit, they just released a 2.0 version too. Can't go wrong with RX 78 3.0 or The Origin version either! What's your favorite mobile suit so far?
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Oh I don't know about favorites. I haven't watched Gundam in too long :(

Well what do you like in a kit? Are there certain aspects you look for? Like deathscythes wings or maybe enemy Zaku stuff? Idk haha. What's your favorite kit that you've built so far?
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Bloodmoon77 posted...

Well what do you like in a kit? Are there certain aspects you look for? Like deathscythes wings or maybe enemy Zaku stuff? Idk haha. What's your favorite kit that you've built so far?

I haven't built any in so long! I LOVE Zakus and will be looking into them. I like transformation and other extraneous articulation, I suppose.

OctilIery posted...

LordFarquad1312 posted...

Honestly, don't get intimidated by master grades. Although if you're looking into one, I'd suggest one of the more recent ones. The engineering is so much better in the last 5 or so years, it's insane. If price is the problem, try a recent RG kit, the downside is since they are smaller they might be a little trickier to build

The main reason I didn't get master grade was selection. I'm looking at some online, but the store only had two master grade. They had more perfect than master. I'm super excited for them!

I'm assuming you live in the US, in which case you have more options to buy the kits from than I do. From my experience, Amazon is probably the best place to buy from. If you see a kit you want on Amazon, buy it immediately, their prices are pretty good but they are not likely to restock all their kits.
Otherwise, check out hlj.com, their selection is awesome, but the downside is they ship from Japan so it can get a little expensive or take a while to get what you bought.

OctilIery posted...

I haven't built any in so long! I LOVE Zakus and will be looking into them. I like transformation and other extraneous articulation, I suppose.

To me that sounds like the RG Unicorn is gonna blow your mind.
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are there kits where you dont need a cupboard full of paint to actually make it look how the boxart presents it?

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LordFarquad1312 posted...

OctilIery posted...

LordFarquad1312 posted...

Honestly, don't get intimidated by master grades. Although if you're looking into one, I'd suggest one of the more recent ones. The engineering is so much better in the last 5 or so years, it's insane. If price is the problem, try a recent RG kit, the downside is since they are smaller they might be a little trickier to build

The main reason I didn't get master grade was selection. I'm looking at some online, but the store only had two master grade. They had more perfect than master. I'm super excited for them!

I'm assuming you live in the US, in which case you have more options to buy the kits from than I do. From my experience, Amazon is probably the best place to buy from. If you see a kit you want on Amazon, buy it immediately, their prices are pretty good but they are not likely to restock all their kits.
Otherwise, check out hlj.com, their selection is awesome, but the downside is they ship from Japan so it can get a little expensive or take a while to get what you bought.

OctilIery posted...

I haven't built any in so long! I LOVE Zakus and will be looking into them. I like transformation and other extraneous articulation, I suppose.

To me that sounds like the RG Unicorn is gonna blow your mind.

I love unicorn!

ModLogic posted...

are there kits where you dont need a cupboard full of paint to actually make it look how the boxart presents it?

Most modern kits these days look great just snap built with no paint. If anything I just panel line a bit and boom you got yourself a good looking kit.
Theres also some new Zaku HG kits like Chars Zaku that are great as well. Heck almost all of my HG Zakus were great. Definitely stay away from the MG version till you get more experience tho. The pipes on the waist, legs, and head are hell that will blister your fingers.
RG unicorn is the pinnacle of greatness as of late. Amazing poseability, holds together like a brick, and it transforms...once. There is a good Zeta kit out there. It might be the HG zeta gundam revived. All others tho avoid like the plague that kit will fall apart just looking at it.
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Aw man thanks for the warning, I was thinking of getting a Zaku for my first master

Level 4: 9 hours

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tag
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Behaviorism posted...

Level 4: 9 hours

2 days with breaks maybe more :(.
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Nobody tagged me? :l *stares at my username*

Zakus are my favorite, too. So cute and moddable.
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I've built quite a few of these and I don't even watch Gundam. I have 4 MGs in reserve, but I'm working on really doing up an Exia right tho, like sanding, cementing, panels, and washes / weathering. HGs are pretty fun for experimenting with advanced techniques, especially the IBO kits since they're like 8 bucks so you don't have to worry about messing it up.

I usually get my kits from hobbylinkjapan, but usagundamstore has some more rare kits and the prices are competitive enough with domestic shipping.
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ModLogic posted...

are there kits where you dont need a cupboard full of paint to actually make it look how the boxart presents it?

Honestly, the absolute best way to improve the final look of any kit is to give it a good top coat. I use a Tamiya matte for almost everything, but I've used semi-gloss to get a fresh off the assembly line look. Panel lining also drastically improves the look.
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I started gunpla building with a PG Char Zaku set. Took me two hours to complete the head unit. Kinda too daunted to finish it lmao

DespondentDeity posted...

Honestly, the absolute best way to improve the final look of any kit is to give it a good top coat. I use a Tamiya matte for almost everything, but I've used semi-gloss to get a fresh off the assembly line look. Panel lining also drastically improves the look.

is this an out of the box look or only after painting?

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gunplagirl posted...

Nobody tagged me? :l *stares at my username*

Zakus are my favorite, too. So cute and moddable.

Last time I @'d you to ask if you actually build gunpla I never received an answer.

Unknown5uspect posted...

I started gunpla building with a PG Char Zaku set. Took me two hours to complete the head unit. Kinda too daunted to finish it lmao

I would never suggest a PG as a starting point to gunpla lol.
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ModLogic posted...

DespondentDeity posted...

Honestly, the absolute best way to improve the final look of any kit is to give it a good top coat. I use a Tamiya matte for almost everything, but I've used semi-gloss to get a fresh off the assembly line look. Panel lining also drastically improves the look.

is this an out of the box look or only after painting?

They painted, that's why you don't see any of the snap together seems.
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LordFarquad1312 posted...

Unknown5uspect posted...

I started gunpla building with a PG Char Zaku set. Took me two hours to complete the head unit. Kinda too daunted to finish it lmao

I would never suggest a PG as a starting point to gunpla lol.

PG is just too rich for my blood on 1 model. I'd only go MG at most.
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LordFarquad1312 posted...

I would never suggest a PG as a starting point to gunpla lol.

Tbf I really REALLY wanted the Char Zaku PG.

I bought a model when I went to the Gundam store in Japan. A MG 00 Quanta Full Saber. What's great is that it was only around $45 (right now it's $60 on Amazon). What sucked is that the box was huge af and it took up like half my suitcase lol.

Although...I haven't even opened it yet. I got caught up in playing all these gacha games and there's too much to do everyday D:

It would've been better if I had it after one of my Pneumothoraces so I had like 2 weeks off from work, where they expected me to just sit in my room and get rest lol
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I wanna see some more Gundams built wtf
This is boring
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fuzzylittlbunny posted...

Although...I haven't even opened it yet. I got caught up in playing all these gacha games and there's too much to do everyday D:

There's a Gunpla gacha game if you wanna dive down that rabbit hole. I been playing it pretty heavily. Gundam Battle Gunpla Warfare

I've played a lot of Gundam games, but I never heard of that one. I'll look into it, even though I already have a buttload of games right now lol
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Froakie posted...

I wanna see some more Gundams built wtf
This is boring

I was gonna post the image I had before realizing how outdated it is



Unfortunately my phone is not cooperating right now, so I'll post my whole collection later.
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Get the gurren from code geass next

I love RG designs. Want to get the Nu amd Crossbone kits soon. RG is probably the way to go if you want something that looks decent without any extra work done. Recent MGs can be fine without extra work too, but the concept behind RGs is "realism," which translates to more decals and out of the box details.

I suggest practicing on HG's untill you are confident to tackle MGs. On the HG's I suggest learning how to air brush. Get comfortable learning and don't be afraid to mess up. Experiment and see what works for you. When you are proficient enough, move on to a GSI Ceros Gundam marker spray pen. You can literally use any paint pen as long as it fits.

https://tinyurl.com/y2ydr7zl

(it's an amazon link)

When you get real comfortable or just board of just building just to build, add in some effects like weathering, rust, battle damage, ect...

Example:



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Dragonblade01 posted...

Recent MGs can be fine without extra work too, but the concept behind RGs is "realism," which translates to more decals and out of the box details.

Tbh, I'm not a fan of the stickers that come with the kits. If I wanna pretty up my gunplas I buy some nice waterslides.
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Yo, let's go! Image dump warning!!

The whole collection so far:



Don't speak to me or my son ever again feat. Big Bad Boy Sazabi and what's left of the normal ass CS frame:



Good ol' grandaddy, it's the only kit I have with fully articulated fingers so I took advantage of it:



The HG boys as well as the beast RG Unicorn:



The first kit I built was the Full Mechanics Bael. There's so much I would do now to make it look prettier, but it'll always have a special place in my heart <3



BONUS: An X-Wing. Painting the Luke pilot figure and the R2-D2 is probably one of my greatest acsomplishments in life:



I should probably invest in some shelves... I got 2 more 1/144 coming, as well as the MG Barbatos preordered for November.
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LordFarquad1312 posted...

I should probably invest in some shelves... I got 2 more 1/144 coming, as well as the MG Barbatos preordered for November.

Is the Pre-order Barbatos the one to replace the other MG Barbatos with the weak as hell shoulder and elbow joints? I found that one horrible just because of that. He couldn't hold his weapons properly because his joints were so loose. Took a lot of plastic cement, sanding, and test fitting just to get it decent.
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DirkDiggles posted...

LordFarquad1312 posted...

I should probably invest in some shelves... I got 2 more 1/144 coming, as well as the MG Barbatos preordered for November.

Is the Pre-order Barbatos the one to replace the other MG Barbatos with the weak as hell shoulder and elbow joints? I found that one horrible just because of that. He couldn't hold his weapons properly because his joints were so loose. Took a lot of plastic cement, sanding, and test fitting just to get it decent.

There's only one MG Barbatos and it's the one coming out in November. I think you're referring to the Full Mechanics Barbatos Lupus Rex. Here are some images from the MG:





It's based on the season 1 design, so no Lupus or Lupus Rex (yet!). As for the joint strenght, it could go either way. From what I gather, recent MG have been fantastic (the more recent one I got is 2016's Freedom Gundam 2.0 and it's amazing!), but on the other hand, the mace is so ridiculously big I can see it being an issue. I guess we'll see when it comes out.

EDIT: Now that I look closely, it looks like the mace is being supported by a base, so that makes me question wether or not it can hold it on it's own lol.
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Yeah, it was the Lupis Rex also, it is supported by the base when being held in one hand. When you use the two hand mode, it would still fall. Putting any weight would cause the arms to fall.

The new hand system should help out a lot, which I love. Found that out when I built my RX78-2 -3.0. The only drawback I have found with the new hands is that you can't make a complete fist without dis-jointing the fingers.
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Might get another today as a present

@LordFarquad1312

You really need to work on your posing lol. The awkward standing and shit.
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If I were to get into these, I'd probably go with F91 or Kshatriya. Maybe Banshee.
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Gundam kits are cool but if I'm gonna go through all the effort to build and paint models, I would prefer something I can play a game with. I had a 40k army I built but I couldn't will myself to paint all of it. And the ones I did paint weren't great.
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I should really get back to work on my backlog. I burnt myself out a bit ago and have like 6 MGs one being a sazabi vers ka, a PG Zaku, and about 10 more HGs. Downside is theres no more room in my 2 detolfs u.u
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MrNintendo1213 posted...

Gundam kits are cool but if I'm gonna go through all the effort to build and paint models, I would prefer something I can play a game with. I had a 40k army I built but I couldn't will myself to paint all of it. And the ones I did paint weren't great.

I do Xwing and Gundam, combined it's cheaper than 40k

I'd like to have a model of all the units Char has piloted. Maybe I'll pick up a HG Gelgoog or Z'Gok or MG Hyaku Shiki and come back to the PG Zaku later.

I'm a sucker for UC. Do you guys have any preferences when buying kits?

I've been sitting on a backlog of RG kits for a while now: Sazabi, Sinanju, Unicorn, and Banshee. I've thought about picking up the Nu and Crossbone, but I just haven't been in the mood for model making in a while and the last couple I worked on didn't turn out the way I hoped. I was almost thinking of paying my friend to just make these for me, but that's no fun.

When I have time in the future, maybe I'll hit up a model club in the future so I can get some tips. It's been years now and I still consistently have problems with nubs. Maybe I need new nippers or a file?
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FridgeBeard posted...

When I have time in the future, maybe I'll hit up a model club in the future so I can get some tips. It's been years now and I still consistently have problems with nubs. Maybe I need new nippers or a file?

Use the nippers to cut the piece from the gate. Use again if you want a closer cut, but never too close to the piece. Then use a hoby knife to cut as close to the piece as possible.

If that's still not good enough for you, get yourself some sanding sponges used for manicure, the ones that have different grits on each side and sand with progressively increasing grits, always in a different direction each grit. Otherwise, get yourself some 400, 600, 1000 (and 2000 if you're obsesed with the pieces being polished, 1000 works well for me) and do the same thing.
Honestly, I don't even consider using a file unless I'm modifying the piece, as I feel they're too rough.

With the RG Sazabi you don't have to worry too much about nub marks, as most of the pieces are undergated, and the Unicorn is mostly white so the marks aren't as visible.
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Hey, thanks for the advice. Dumb question, but you have any personal recommendations from where to get some decent sanding sponges? My friend uses sheets he got from a local hobby shop and, yeah, they're a bit too rough.
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I found the Turn X Gundam MG which is what turned me onto the hobby years ago. I want it

FridgeBeard posted...

Hey, thanks for the advice. Dumb question, but you have any personal recommendations from where to get some decent sanding sponges? My friend uses sheets he got from a local hobby shop and, yeah, they're a bit too rough.

Honestly, look into shops that send beauty products and buy nail buffer blocks with different grits, kind of like this ones:

https://tinyurl.com/y5zashvc (Amazon link).

Obviously, it helps if you can actually touch the product before buying so you know you're getting the grits you want.
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Unknown5uspect posted...

I'd like to have a model of all the units Char has piloted. Maybe I'll pick up a HG Gelgoog or Z'Gok or MG Hyaku Shiki and come back to the PG Zaku later.

I'm a sucker for UC. Do you guys have any preferences when buying kits?

Does that include Sinanju?
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