Anyone into gunpla - Japanophiles unite to share tips on painting our toys (GUNPLA IS FREEDOM)

[Syn_32]

I'm tired, been building more Gunpla, now sit around and let me show you... the Lone Gundam

Yes, I made clothes for a damn gundam, and I don't plan on doing it again soon.

The cloth was very troublesome to work with, it was a hassle but I did it with only super glue (I'm not a Taylor, I don't make clothes at all, so for this, I think i did good...I think?)

Now I know what you're thinking... (Why is it super sucky?) How did you get the cloth to hold poses? Well, I used photo wire and placed it within the fabric (yes I bendy wired the jacket, hat, and scarf)(as to why its super sucky its because I suck at dealing with cloth).

So the buster Gundam has become a lone wanderer, scouring the land for war. So, in short, build was fun, but I'm not dealing with the cloth part anymore... it was just experimentation and it was kinda painful, so I'm not doing it again.

Hope your builds are going good friends!

 

[CHARizard]

Did you enjoy the Buster Gundam? I really wanna pick it up as my next MG if I still cant find a Sazabi.

 

[Syn_32]

Did you enjoy the Buster Gundam? I really wanna pick it up as my next MG if I still cant find a Sazabi.

Yea the build was fun and straightforward (the instructions tell you what runners you need for each part which is pretty nice), so if you can find it for a decent price I'd say pick it up.

 

[Poyo Sato]

My current project. The MG Mobile Ginn. Built and finished the inner frame yesterday.

I usually don't like "zaku type", mono eyed suits, but somehow I like Ginn's design. I think because it's more "blocky" than Zaku.

The wings/thrusters on the backpack are really cool. They can slide slightly to the sides and bend backwards.

So far, the build was fun. No complicacies or problems whatsoever. As expected from modern MG, there's no polycaps, and no stickers except for the eye and decals. The articulation is very good, altough I'm sure some of it will be hindered after I put the armor parts.

 

[Gar For Archer]

My current project. The MG Mobile Ginn. Built and finished the inner frame yesterday.
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I usually don't like "zaku type", mono eyed suits, but somehow I like Ginn's design. I think because it's more "blocky" than Zaku.

The wings/thrusters on the backpack are really cool. They can slide slightly to the sides and bend backwards.

So far, the build was fun. No complicacies or problems whatsoever. As expected from modern MG, there's no polycaps, and no stickers except for the eye and decals. The articulation is very good, altough I'm sure some of it will be hindered after I put the armor parts.

I’ve been tempted to pick this one up as well. The bulked-up shoulders and head crest make it look sufficiently different from the normal Zaku and I think improves on the design quite a bit.

 

[murdered meat bag]

I usually don't like "zaku type", mono eyed suits, but somehow I like Ginn's design. I think because it's more "blocky" than Zaku.

the zaku looks good in animation but looks like shit as a model.
The local anime store and hobby store is running low on gunpla and tamiya stock. whatever they're getting it's from 3rd party "wholesalers" (people taking suitcases to LA or getting people in japan to mail them in). so the prices are 2-3 times as it was pre covid. Most of the stock is like 10 kits of 6 models of "no one's looking for this" stuff like the death army from Ggundam and the sandrock's militia guys and then $150-400 MG kits. according to the anime store, bandai thinks stock should hit pre covid levels by late 2022-early 2023.

 

[EyelessMC]

Finally finished my last kit until I move. Also the last one I'm ever painting on this level. I like building and panel lining, not painting. Maybe a bit of matte and gun metal spray but that's it.

I now give to this thread my last chance at saving face from my terrible destruction of a rare kit and my subsequent failure at painting a red barbatos.
I give you...

Spoiler: EVAGEAR 01

 

[Syn_32]

Finally finished my last kit until I move. Also the last one I'm ever painting on this level. I like building and panel lining, not painting. Maybe a bit of matte and gun metal spray but that's it.

I now give to this thread my last chance at saving face from my terrible destruction of a rare kit and my subsequent failure at painting a red barbatos.
I give you...

Spoiler: EVAGEAR 01

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Looks freaking cool! The paint apps is executed very good, way better than anything I can do (don't feel bad i don't like painting either, but I find it oddly pleasing to wield a brush and some paint and getting it just right like you did here.) Hopefully your move goes smoothly and you'll return with more stuff to marvel at!

Now, firstly, happy 4th to American viewers, its also Sunday... say, have you heard about our lord and Savior, Guyver Gundam?

Yea I decided to completely paint an auge kit (ironically in guyver colors although I was aiming for religious colors (hence the purple, blue, some silver, and some red (the head was painted, not the front crest and the arms.) The yellowish gold and the cross on front and back were not painted because at that point, I was kinda getting sleepy.)

This HG kit is pretty interesting, the build was simple and easy to do and the small number of runners made it simple for my tiny brain to understand where my runners are. (Yes, it uses PolyCaps, but I didn't have issue with that, still pretty good. (Need more stands to get more posability.) The feet are the wierd point, it has a front toe that moves independant, the heel moves independant and it has a duopod set up to give more security but can be a hassle posing, so if you get this kit, be aware, the feet may trip you up, but once you learn how to work it, it works good.


He has a pretty big sythe and (technically) 2 beam sabers (I say 2 because the sythe hand can be converted to hold the second one, the other hand in the picture is carrying the other one.) He also has weapons under the shoulder pads (not shown because I painted that area grey to make it less obvious.)

Now, if you pick this up, you will need to possibly consider painting this kit, its gold is a kinda goldenish mustard yellow, not too appealing to me, and the other parts were dull, so consider painting, the kit is very cheap (about $40 after shipping from Gundam Planet (in USA)) and I find it pretty interesting that there is an anime with religious people piloting mechs (guessing Christianity due to the crosses) and the paint I used was fairly cheap (folkart metallic blue purple and grey, found at Walmart, best recommend not using isopropyl, as it gunks too hard, and only use small amounts of it if you decide not to thin because it will be a bit thick, cut with water as its water based if needed.)

In closing, I hope you're all doing well and enjoying the holiday (if from US), or enjoying time elsewhere. Hope your builds go smooth!

 

[EyelessMC]

Looks freaking cool! The paint apps is executed very good, way better than anything I can do (don't feel bad i don't like painting either, but I find it oddly pleasing to wield a brush and some paint and getting it just right like you did here.)

Now don't give me too much credit-- I cheated and used spray cans, not even airbrushing or hand brushing like you. Your recent paint work is a lot better than anything I could do by hand. Glad everyone likes it though.

Now I'll go make it extra good by boiling it jk

Now, firstly, happy 4th to American viewers, its also Sunday... say, have you heard about our lord and Savior, Guyver Gundam?
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lol nice. And great job. I like the color scheme honestly. It really does look like a Gyuver-inspired crusader mecha or something. This design is from L Gaim, right? Don't know anything about the series but it's an unorthodox (no pun intended) design with that giant shield pauldron. The feet and shoulder remind me of the kind of unique designs from Five Star Stories (FSS). Those designs are wild and beautiful but sadly they never got a decent model kit produced. Only resin statue kits look good.

And I don't blame you for getting sleepy lol You did all this by hand! Nicely done. Besides, it looks good as-is like this. The cross fits fine.

I find it pretty interesting that there is an anime with religious people piloting mechs (guessing Christianity due to the crosses)

You gotta remember that in Japan the cross and Christian symbols are more for aesthetic than actual religion. Sometimes you'll have actual references like in Trigun or Ultraman but overall if it has a cross it may as well just be a symbol of knights and Midieval Europe. I could be wrong about the anime this mech comes from, though, since I don't know anything about it.

Either way, it's a different mecha now after your work on it.

Hope your builds go smooth!

You too, mate! All your posts are peak comfy like the rest of this thread. Happy 4th!

 

[Str8Bustah]

Watching Hathaway's flash for the second time and listening to the OST got me in the mood to revisit one of the more ambitious custom projects I've been working on.

I completely redesigned both of the shields, the articulation system for the melee weapon, replaced both the arms and added detailing to the shoulders, got rid of extra weight on the legs and moved it to behind the hips, completely rebuilt the back-skirt GN-condenser/ I-field generator/ Booster-pod/ hyper-charger from the ground up and made the long-range cannon less of a clusterfuck to pose.

Spoiler: longest on-going build project

EDIT: been re-watching build fighters and re:rise and just putting random bits together while the shows play in the background, and I came up with this funky looking thing;

Spoiler: drone?-

I have no idea what I want to do with it, but it does look cool. Any suggestions for weapons or further mods? I'm thinking little folding feet hooks and/ or articulation at the tip of the claws are a must build but I'm not sure where to go from there.

 

[EyelessMC]

I have no idea what I want to do with it, but it does look cool. Any suggestions for weapons or further mods? I'm thinking little folding feet hooks and/ or articulation at the tip of the claws are a must build but I'm not sure where to go from there.

Definitely gotta put a little nozzle or something in the center underneath it where the legs unfold. Make it an elaborate funnel drone weapon.
Aside from that, see if you can fit a pair of beam sabers onto the kit and you'd have a top tier unorthodox Gundam design. Melee weapons are necessary, or so we learned from the story of the MkV Gundam destroying three FAZZ in one battle and later fighting off and defeating the Ex-S Gundam.

But really this kit looks so cool. I really like how the shield looks, too.

 

[Str8Bustah]

Definitely gotta put a little nozzle or something in the center underneath it where the legs unfold. Make it an elaborate funnel drone weapon.

good idea. I could probably have the feet literally work like the funnels on the Nu gundam.

Aside from that, see if you can fit a pair of beam sabers onto the kit and you'd have a top tier unorthodox Gundam design.

It actually has two beam sabers stored just above the calf muscles as backup melee weapons in case the main HEAT scissors get damaged. I haven't really shown them off because they're one of the base parts of the HGUC plutone, kit so not really worth showing off.

But really this kit looks so cool. I really like how the shield looks, too.

Glad that other people think it looks good. It really makes me want to start properly painting up the stuff I've built, the only problem being that I don't have anywhere /to/ paint at the moment.

 

[Syn_32]

Hello friends and welcome to another custom paint job, but... it turned to shit very quickly. See, I decided to take a mass production eva kit, paint it glow in the dark green and have it be interesting, sadly, due to the age of the kit in question or the paint being unusable, it kept peeling off when it dried and it doesn't dry evenly, so unfortunately that dream died (cue Komm, susser tod) but fortunately it somewhat bonded and it looks kinda interesting (more marbled with white underbody and green glow in the dark paint), and I even tested the glow and it looks cool (not bright but its enough to see to the naked eye) and I'm honestly happy it kinda worked, but I'm not painting things in glow in the dark paint due to it being super delicate.


Looking at it now it looks frogish? I was aiming to make it look like kiwi farms logo... dream died yet again (continue Komm, susser tod)...

I may do panel lining, but I don't want to mess with it even further if the paint keeps being difficult. He has wings, but I don't want to peel anymore paint, lest I lose what mind I have left. So in summary, DO NOT buy folkart glow in the dark paint, yes it works, but its too fragile for model kit needs.

I hope everyone's builds are going smoothly! I also have another kit arriving soon (how soon? Dont know, its coming from Japan via EMS) and its gonna be interesting (no paint on that kit due to its rarity... what information I got on it is very limited and USD prices for that kit is insane!) So look forward to that, I'm sorry if I disappointed you with my craptacular paint job, its not my best and I just got tired of dealing with that paint... hope you have a good day and good builds!

(P.S. : don't worry I'll be fine, just kinda exhausted from dealing with paint being stupid.)

Edit: after several hours, a few beers and a few slices of pizza, I can safely say I'm done with the kit paint wise for right now


Looks a lot better, I did some panel lining, but the paint is very rubbery once I was done painting it, so the lines look a bit sloppy

I painted inside the mouth, which sadly can't be opened (unless you get the retooled version which has posability) that was the simplest of the paint apps

I also did the sword up a bit using some metallic grey but it kinda smeared at the ends a bit (I just say its eva 02's dried blood and gut stains just to make an excuse) but it came out okay?

What bits of white you see I did touch up after this shot, but the wings I don't care about too much... so this lizardman eva isn't going to fly, and the paint weakly glows (which sucks that its weak after applying near double digit coats of paint on this thing...) so it can be a glow in the dark lizardman (cue x-files theme). Anyway, while lmhg kits are fun and simple, I don't really care to paint any future lmhg kits, they are really big and require more paint that I can't get right now due to the alcohol, not drunk or even popped, just don't wanna give myself anymore issues. So hope the update was worth it, till then, hope your builds go smoothly

 

[Gar For Archer]

Hello friends and welcome to another custom paint job, but... it turned to shit very quickly. See, I decided to take a mass production eva kit, paint it glow in the dark green and have it be interesting, sadly, due to the age of the kit in question or the paint being unusable, it kept peeling off when it dried and it doesn't dry evenly, so unfortunately that dream died (cue Komm, susser tod) but fortunately it somewhat bonded and it looks kinda interesting (more marbled with white underbody and green glow in the dark paint), and I even tested the glow and it looks cool (not bright but its enough to see to the naked eye) and I'm honestly happy it kinda worked, but I'm not painting things in glow in the dark paint due to it being super delicate.

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Looking at it now it looks frogish? I was aiming to make it look like kiwi farms logo... dream died yet again (continue Komm, susser tod)...
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I may do panel lining, but I don't want to mess with it even further if the paint keeps being difficult. He has wings, but I don't want to peel anymore paint, lest I lose what mind I have left. So in summary, DO NOT buy folkart glow in the dark paint, yes it works, but its too fragile for model kit needs.

I hope everyone's builds are going smoothly! I also have another kit arriving soon (how soon? Dont know, its coming from Japan via EMS) and its gonna be interesting (no paint on that kit due to its rarity... what information I got on it is very limited and USD prices for that kit is insane!) So look forward to that, I'm sorry if I disappointed you with my craptacular paint job, its not my best and I just got tired of dealing with that paint... hope you have a good day and good builds!

(P.S. : don't worry I'll be fine, just kinda exhausted from dealing with paint being stupid.)

Edit: after several hours, a few beers and a few slices of pizza, I can safely say I'm done with the kit paint wise for right now

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Looks a lot better, I did some panel lining, but the paint is very rubbery once I was done painting it, so the lines look a bit sloppy
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I painted inside the mouth, which sadly can't be opened (unless you get the retooled version which has posability) that was the simplest of the paint apps
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I also did the sword up a bit using some metallic grey but it kinda smeared at the ends a bit (I just say its eva 02's dried blood and gut stains just to make an excuse) but it came out okay?
View attachment 2352617
What bits of white you see I did touch up after this shot, but the wings I don't care about too much... so this lizardman eva isn't going to fly, and the paint weakly glows (which sucks that its weak after applying near double digit coats of paint on this thing...) so it can be a glow in the dark lizardman (cue x-files theme). Anyway, while lmhg kits are fun and simple, I don't really care to paint any future lmhg kits, they are really big and require more paint that I can't get right now due to the alcohol, not drunk or even popped, just don't wanna give myself anymore issues. So hope the update was worth it, till then, hope your builds go smoothly

Prime prime prime! Normal craft paint does NOT stick to bare plastic, it’s way too smooth and takes a billion coats to cover (as you discovered). It’s really just not suited for plastic models outside of maybe weathering and dry brushing.

I had a bunch of kits come in but between starting my master’s and fucking around with 3D printer upgrades I haven’t had time to build recently. Think I’ll crack into the MG Barbatos tonight though.

 

[Syn_32]

Prime prime prime! Normal craft paint does NOT stick to bare plastic, it’s way too smooth and takes a billion coats to cover (as you discovered). It’s really just not suited for plastic models outside of maybe weathering and dry brushing.

I had a bunch of kits come in but between starting my master’s and fucking around with 3D printer upgrades I haven’t had time to build recently. Think I’ll crack into the MG Barbatos tonight though.

... You're right. Look, I know you "probably" didn't want to sound demeaning, but that's what came out to me. I'm probably just gonna stop painting altogether since I can't seem to do anything right when it comes to painting anyway so why bother with it? Dont worry, I'm not leaving, but I'm not going to be demeaned by another person on something so trivial as painting, so I'm just gonna not bother... (this response was tempered down to remove tmi bullshit, I'm just tired of feeling like I don't belong.)

 

[Gar For Archer]

... You're right. Look, I know you "probably" didn't want to sound demeaning, but that's what came out to me. I'm probably just gonna stop painting altogether since I can't seem to do anything right when it comes to painting anyway so why bother with it? Dont worry, I'm not leaving, but I'm not going to be demeaned by another person on something so trivial as painting, so I'm just gonna not bother... (this response was tempered down to remove tmi bullshit, I'm just tired of feeling like I don't belong.)

lol, defintirly didn’t intend to be demeaning. Just giving some easy advice on how to achieve better results, because following the “proper” technique will make the whole process go much more smoothly and avoid frustration like you experienced with paint peeling and uneven coverage.

If you’re going to stick with hand painting (understandably, not everyone has the money/workspace for airbrushing or spray cans) priming is especially important, because it’s hard enough as it is getting even colors with a brush without having to worry about the paint not sticking in the first place.

Easiest way to up your painting game with little skill, money or effort is just invest the $4-8 dollars on a nice can of hobby primer. Guarantee you’ll find painting way less frustrating if you do!

 

[Syn_32]

lol, defintirly didn’t intend to be demeaning. Just giving some easy advice on how to achieve better results, because following the “proper” technique will make the whole process go much more smoothly and avoid frustration like you experienced with paint peeling and uneven coverage.

If you’re going to stick with hand painting (understandably, not everyone has the money/workspace for airbrushing or spray cans) priming is especially important, because it’s hard enough as it is getting even colors with a brush without having to worry about the paint not sticking in the first place.

Easiest way to up your painting game with little skill, money or effort is just invest the $4-8 dollars on a nice can of hobby primer. Guarantee you’ll find painting way less frustrating if you do!

Thanks for being understanding sorry I flew off the handle, I'm just mentally fragile, but I will definitely do it next time (hell there is a hobby lobby that stocks primer so I have no excuse) so again I'm sorry I flew off the handle.


EDIT: So, I decided to visit the hobby lobby a few towns away and I found good stuff, some mr hobby primer, a fine tip panel liner pen, some paint (which was for airbrush which I don't have,) and finally a Jesta HG. I'm trying to avoid double post, so I decided to get cracking on that Jesta, priming was simple, and thankfully my workbench is near my back door so I could open that and not inhale the fumes (I also had a gas mask on, an old Canada military surplus gas mask my stepmom gave me lol.) So now, I present to you today friends, the Renegade Jesta!


(If you are confused, I used a different paint I had on hand because of the mishap of paint I bought being for airbrushing.)

This guy took me a good amount of time to paint and build (about 8 hours), but the result was very much worth it.

I used the spare beam part for the gun and I painted the other part darker so it looked like he was wielding a dark beam.

The build was straightforward and not that complicated, made painting the thing very easy. The red I used was Citadel Paint Mephistos Red. The blacks and metallic gold looking parts are Gundam Markers and the Gunmetal Grey is from Folkart.

The picture doesn't capture how I did the shield, I painted base red and dabbed some grey on there, cleaned brush and then started smearing it around to make it look a little more worn (so, drybrushing). Honestly this was the most fun I had painting, due to priming it and only needing one, maybe two coats max, I also painted the bottom of his feet grey (not shown)

So there we go, the Renegade Jesta. I hope this is acceptable recompense for the eva 05 I did, hope your builds are going smoothly

(oh and if you're wondering how I've been able to afford so many kits recently, long story short, I "soft" retired from Yu-Gi-Oh and got rid of my super expensive cards and got a decent chunk of change for them, and I find model building more enjoyable than dueling, so thats why.)

 

[Moguro Fukuzou]

I put a hold on building the Kampfer Amazing because I literally hadn't touched it in awhile, which is a good sign I wasn't enjoying it. Just didn't feel that fun (if that makes sense) building and I already wasn't looking forward to the stickers. Sucks not being able to paint due to lacking a nice space for it. Anyway, I decided to open up one of the new kits I got for my birthday a while back and picked the Baund Doc. Thing is huge, both the box and pieces. There aren't even that many runners, just really bulky pieces. Color separation also looks great if the tiny sticker sheet is anything to go by. Might snap a picture once I'm finished.

I've also realized I need to pick up a second pair of nippers for the close clean up because my current pair of Xuron ones are too bulking to get a nice clean cut though they're perfectly fine gettting them off the runners. Might see if I can find a nice pair local since there's still a few hobby shops where I am.

 

[Syn_32]

I put a hold on building the Kampfer Amazing because I literally hadn't touched it in awhile, which is a good sign I wasn't enjoying it. Just didn't feel that fun (if that makes sense) building and I already wasn't looking forward to the stickers. Sucks not being able to paint due to lacking a nice space for it. Anyway, I decided to open up one of the new kits I got for my birthday a while back and picked the Baund Doc. Thing is huge, both the box and pieces. There aren't even that many runners, just really bulky pieces. Color separation also looks great if the tiny sticker sheet is anything to go by. Might snap a picture once I'm finished.

I've also realized I need to pick up a second pair of nippers for the close clean up because my current pair of Xuron ones are too bulking to get a nice clean cut though they're perfectly fine gettting them off the runners. Might see if I can find a nice pair local since there's still a few hobby shops where I am.

I understand what you mean by fun, I built a RG Zaku Minelayer and that was hell, worst experience with RG kits and had no fun and I can understand the painting situation, its why I paint by hand, and if I prime I have to open my screen door near my bench so I don't get high off fumes (already happened today) and I look forward to seeing the kit

In kit related news, I decided to get the Moon Gundam (and paint it) today... I need to control my building itch (its like legos, but less worries of bricks disappearing on me, the kits look a lot better and you can paint it whatever you want and make it yours). The build was a bit convoluted for a HG, it featured a lot of runners, its more akin to a HG and MG and the moon gimmick is pretty interesting (may get pics of that later, right now my shoulders are killing me as I just finished building). It even comes with its own action base stand, and since I know how to utilize the crap out of them I decided that Moon can share with the Renegade Jesta, as shown,


Best shot of the Moon in the air. Oh and this is a PSA on the paint I found in Hobby Lobby's toys and hobbies isle. The "acrylic" paint is too runny and it took forever to dry (even after priming) i think I screwed up and grabbed another airbrush paint bottle... so, if you see paint in tiny dropper bottles at Hobby Lobby, it is not meant for brushes.

Current pose I have them in now, the Psyco plates put too much weight on air poses. I will try to get more pics tomorrow and see if I can't get a pic of his eyes, because I used neutral glow in the dark paint I picked up from Walmart a bit ago. Hope your builds are going smoothly!

EDIT: Added a few more pics of the Moon Gundam

(More close up look of the front)

(Pic of back, may do some panel lining on the psyco panels later.)

(Now you may be thinking of what am I looking for? Look for two greenish dots on the pic, those are the eyes of the Gundam, and maybe a slight glow from the horns may be apparent, I'm surprised my camera captured it at all lol.)

 

[Poyo Sato]

At last, I finished the MG Ginn after about a month. This month is loaded with work schedule, so it took quite a while to finish this guy.

It looks good, especially with the decals applied. The articulation is superb, even after I put the armor on. The accessories it come with are also decent. I paint the the missile launcher a bit with grey, because I think it's too dull.

Spoiler: Spoilered because of big images

The biggest gripe I have about this kit is, that the arm joint is fucking fragile. It is one thing that the right arm broke off when I'm playing around with it. But it baffled me when the left arm also broke off, while I'm posing it for photoshoot. They broke at the exact same spot.

Spoiler: It's quite painful to look at

For comparison, I played with the RG Nu Gundam for months, and it doesn't even come loose, let alone break. I hope this accident only happened to me. Thank God I can still somewhat fix them with Tamiya cement. Altough it left the arms with reduced range of articulation.