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Anyone into gunpla - Japanophiles unite to share tips on painting our toys (GUNPLA IS FREEDOM)
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Ball our Lord and Savior.
Junkers 87
kiwifarms.net
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- Aug 7, 2024
Hey guys, I'm thinking of picking up a couple of kits and I have a few questions.
1) Why is there no Gerbera Tetra in 1/100 scale? They made the GP04 Gerbera Gundam in that scale, but not the actual mobile suit it was repurposed into...
2) One of the kits I'm thinking of getting is the Akatsuki from Seed but the default gold plastic finish is a bit much for me, at least based on pictures I've seen online. Does anyone know if applying a satin or matte clear coat would tone down the colors a little or am I going to have to paint it myself?
3) How's the sprue gating on these kits in general? Probably pointless to ask due to the amount of kits that are out there and variations based on year of tooling. I'm thinking that if the sprue gating is cleverly done to where the areas that would need clean-up are hidden, then I could apply primer and paint directly onto the sprues themselves and not worry about repainting the connecting points once they're clipped off. I'd prefer to avoid painting if at all possible, but I'll do it if the default plastic colors turn out to be ass. Or if I fuck up and leave a stress mark while nipping pieces.
4) I mainly build armored vehicles and military planes, but I want to change things up because I don't really like painting. I'm thinking of doing something like this: build, apply gloss coat, apply tamiya panel line wash + oil dot filter for tone variation, apply matte top coat. Does this sound viable or should I swap out the panel line wash for a gundam marker?
Right now I have my eyes on the 1/100 versions of the GP04 Gerbera, Akatsuki, or Providence. Maybe Double X but I can't seem to remember much from that particular show.
I attached a photo of my latest project. It's not animu, but it is autistic.
1) Why is there no Gerbera Tetra in 1/100 scale? They made the GP04 Gerbera Gundam in that scale, but not the actual mobile suit it was repurposed into...
2) One of the kits I'm thinking of getting is the Akatsuki from Seed but the default gold plastic finish is a bit much for me, at least based on pictures I've seen online. Does anyone know if applying a satin or matte clear coat would tone down the colors a little or am I going to have to paint it myself?
3) How's the sprue gating on these kits in general? Probably pointless to ask due to the amount of kits that are out there and variations based on year of tooling. I'm thinking that if the sprue gating is cleverly done to where the areas that would need clean-up are hidden, then I could apply primer and paint directly onto the sprues themselves and not worry about repainting the connecting points once they're clipped off. I'd prefer to avoid painting if at all possible, but I'll do it if the default plastic colors turn out to be ass. Or if I fuck up and leave a stress mark while nipping pieces.
4) I mainly build armored vehicles and military planes, but I want to change things up because I don't really like painting. I'm thinking of doing something like this: build, apply gloss coat, apply tamiya panel line wash + oil dot filter for tone variation, apply matte top coat. Does this sound viable or should I swap out the panel line wash for a gundam marker?
Right now I have my eyes on the 1/100 versions of the GP04 Gerbera, Akatsuki, or Providence. Maybe Double X but I can't seem to remember much from that particular show.
I attached a photo of my latest project. It's not animu, but it is autistic.
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Space Police
kiwifarms.net
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- Dec 12, 2022
God, I'm excited for this.
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2021
Optimism for Tenryujin model kit
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- Sep 14, 2020
1. Bandai tends to focus on the main mobile suits of a series when it comes to 1/100 scale. Almost everything ends up in 1/144 scale for retail/P-Bandai. The Gerbera Tetra has a 1/144 (I'm sure you know this) and I actually like the kit quite a bit. You, me, and many other people wish Bandai would make more 1/100 or RE/100 kits for secondary or obscure mobile suits.
2. I haven't top coated a plated kit but applying a water based satin top coat would probably dull the shine. The decals do not look good on the gold so I'd skip them and just topcoat it.
Forewarning - the leg pegs at the waist are very flimsy and the backpack it comes with makes it difficult to pose once the waist is loose. You'll need an action base to preserve its integrity or never pose it after building it.
3. The sprue gating is great on pretty much every kit but you will have nub marks unless you clean them up with Godhands and light sanding. There are parting lines from the two mold halves that you will have to deal with aside from the nub marks, too. The color matching is very good on most kits as well but they include stickers to correct areas that aren't molded in the correct color. This will create the need for painting in the long term because their adhesive isn't great and you often have to fold or angle the sticker(s).
4. You probably know paint strengths from experience so apply the enamel panel line wash before the water based top coat. If you want your kit to look its sharpest, top coating each individual piece after sanding/smoothing away blemishes will do it. The default colors are pretty accurate as I mentioned in #3.
Space Police
kiwifarms.net
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- Dec 12, 2022
I'd prefer Gekiryujin or any of the new Hakaioh characters.
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- Jan 30, 2021
Hakaioh Genesic Gaogaigar would be sick, especially if it comes with a tiny mars that he can hold in his hand
Junkers 87
kiwifarms.net
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- Aug 7, 2024
Thanks for the response, it's much appreciated. I placed an order for a RE/100 GP04 and a 1/144 Gerbera.
Coming from a 'traditional' modeling background, using the default colors of plastic as a base to build upon is a foreign concept to me.
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- Sep 14, 2020
Anytime. The RE/100 line is basically 1/144 in Master Grade scale. I have a few RE/100 kits and I like them for what they are.
I come from a traditional background as well. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened my first plamo kit that was injection molded in mostly correct colors.
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- Dec 17, 2019
Adding on with a little extra:
1) In general, 1/100 scale kits have really suffered a lot in recent years. It used to be that most years would see at least five or six Master Grades, but ever since 2020, we haven't had more than three in a year, and since 2022 we've technically only had one new MG per year (2022's Dom and Rick Dom are basically the same model, 2023 had only the Zeta Ver. Ka (and even that is an updated release of a kit done twice already), and 2024's only brand new release was the Narrative Gundam Ver. Ka, with the Sinanju Stein (Narrative Ver.) Ver. Ka being a parts variant of the original). As for their other lines, there hasn't been a new Reborn One Hundred release since 2020's Shokew, and no new Full Mechanics releases since 2023's Forbidden Gundam.
Bandai's process for determining what mobile suits get a kit can seem pretty arbitrary, but there are some patterns. For one, if a series is approaching an anniversary, then you can likely expect at least some nod in the form of new gunpla. As one example, for G Gundam's thirtieth anniversary last year, Bandai is not only releasing two Real Grades (Shining and God Gundams), but also finally releasing the Shuffle Alliance's mobile suits as High Grades, the first time most of them have gotten kits in that entire timespan. For another, if a series is popular, it's pretty likely that eventually all of its mobile suits will get at least a High Grade release, though it might take a while; for instance, the Bolinoak Sammahn from Zeta Gundam finally got its first gunpla release late last year, 37 years after the show aired. So if it's from early UC, Wing, or Seed, you stand a much better chance of seeing it in gunpla form. And finally, if it's the RX-78-2, it will get yet another kit made. I swear, it's practically every year that it gets another re-release in some form or another.
In short, it's best not to hold your breath waiting for a particular mobile suit to get made into a gunpla, especially from an unpopular series (being a Gundam X fan is suffering). Keep an eye out for announcements, but for the most part, stick to what's already out so you won't be disappointed.
2) A matte coat should be more than sufficient to make a plated kit look less shiny. As I'm sure you're aware from your previous model building experience, you can test it out on part of the runner first before you commit to the actual parts to see what the result looks like. If you don't like it, then yeah, you'll need to paint.
3) Generally speaking, Bandai's nub placement is pretty good, especially on newer kits. Real Grades in particular make heavy use of undergating on the external armor parts, so the marks will be nearly invisible when properly cleaned. I use a GodHand Ultimate nipper for the bulk of nub removal since it cuts very clean, followed by a Gunprimer Raser glass file to sand down what's left without hurting the rest of the piece (occasionally using an X-acto knife for nubs that are in too small a spot for the file to get into). The end result is smooth and almost impossible to see from a distance, while also not being challenging for cleanup.
I would not advise painting on the runners, however, since many nub marks will still be in places that will be visible, requiring touchup later that may end up looking sloppy. That said, you shouldn't need to due to Bandai's excellent color separation on most kits, so it will look accurate with an out-of-the-box build. As @Baby Cakes said, small amounts of color correction are sometimes needed through stickers or paint, but generally speaking, the only time you'll need to fully paint a kit is if you're going for an entirely different color scheme.
4) That's a fine strategy for detail work, although you generally don't need to worry about gloss coating before panel lining unless you painted first. On kits that I've detailed, I've simply panel lined (originally with fine tip Gundam Markers, currently with pour type Gundam Markers), applied decals, then topcoated, and I haven't had issues. The only time I've needed to be careful is when I've had a decal over a panel line, and in that case I'd gloss coat before applying the decal. I also only top coat large sections of a kit at a time, splitting it up into individual limbs and spraying each one, bending the limbs to ensure good coverage all over. It looks better if you do individual parts, but it's a lot more top coat, and since I don't have an airbrush and use spray cans, it's important to make those last longer.
The only thing to keep an eye out for things like Tamiya's panel liners and the pour type Gundam Markers is on ABS plastic, as the solvents can cause them to crack if they're left to pool. For those, stick to the fine tip Gundam Markers instead. The instruction manual will tell you if a runner is ABS, though it doesn't come up often as most gunpla use PS.
Hope that helps! Welcome to the hobby!
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- Jan 30, 2021
Remember that once the eye stickers touch the floor, they will dissappear into another dimension. Also never fuck up the V-Fins, is like sacrilege.
Junkers 87
kiwifarms.net
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- Aug 7, 2024
Thanks, for the explanation.
I thought it was weird that there's a 1/100 Virsago, but only a 1/144 Ashtaron hermit crab. I can only speculate, but I think it could be due to the costs of producing the tooling themselves. I've heard that the estimated cost to tool a slide molded 1/35th scale Sherman tank from WW2 is around $40,000 on the low-end, and that's for a kit that requires glue and has a fit that is negotiable but not perfect. I could see a gundam being double or triple that due to the amount of engineering and testing required to produce a kit that's expected to fit perfectly, without adhesives or modification. From what I've seen, those tiny SD gundams have superior fit and engineering than the most refined Tamiya kits out there.
If I do ever get an Akatsuki, I'll test a matt and a satin finish on separate bits of sprue and post the results.
As for sprue painting, I'll take your guy's advice and avoid it. It's something that doesn't work particularly well for real-life subjects either. For clean-up, this will be my first time using sanding sticks with a grain that's higher than 1000. I have sticks that go up to 7000 which I never thought I'd be using.
Sounds pretty straight forward. Due to the nature of kits that depict traditional subjects, the typical process is paint, gloss, decals, gloss again, followed by washes + weathering (with another potential gloss coat somewhere in-between), with a final top coat to seal everything. I also use rattle cans for my top coats and yeah, they don't last very long for other subjects either.
Thanks for the heads-up regarding the pour type markers. I picked up both types to test alongside my usual enamel panel liners.
I once lost a tow cable hook for a tank I was building. I thought it disappeared into the ether but I later found it in my pocket.
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- Jan 30, 2021
Also something that youll have to figure out is if you want to completely decal your model kit(decals come with the kit) personally i dont tend to decal kits beyond the bare minimum since i like the "smooth" look unless is a kit i really like(GaoGaiGar) and it wont look ugly with said decals.
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- Dec 17, 2019
Part of the thing with Gundam X in particular is that it wasn't an overly popular show even when it was running (Gundam fatigue from having one show after another on the air constantly for years plus some schedule fuckery led to low ratings and to its final arc being cut down), so any plans to do a more complete lineup of gunpla at the time were likely scrapped when it was determined people probably weren't going to buy a lot of them. Thus, no grunt suits, not all of the Gundams were produced for both 1/144 and 1/100 scales, and the unique suits like the Bertigo weren't made either (my personal pick for an X suit to get a gunpla).Thanks, for the explanation.
I thought it was weird that there's a 1/100 Virsago, but only a 1/144 Ashtaron hermit crab. I can only speculate, but I think it could be due to the costs of producing the tooling themselves. I've heard that the estimated cost to tool a slide molded 1/35th scale Sherman tank from WW2 is around $40,000 on the low-end, and that's for a kit that requires glue and has a fit that is negotiable but not perfect. I could see a gundam being double or triple that due to the amount of engineering and testing required to produce a kit that's expected to fit perfectly, without adhesives or modification. From what I've seen, those tiny SD gundams have superior fit and engineering than the most refined Tamiya kits out there.
And when it comes to modern kits, X is really suffering, with I think only Turn A having it worse overall. For High Grades, you've got the X, X Divider, Double X, Airmaster, Airmaster Burst (P-Bandai), and Daughtress (P-Bandai), with the last one only being produced because they'd already made the molds for a Build Fighters kit. And for Master Grades, it's just X and Double X. They haven't even bothered to put out a Leopard or Leopard Destroy, let alone any antagonist suits. However, with X's thirtieth anniversary coming up next year, we might see some new gunpla get released, so I'm keeping a little hope alive there; they've been making a big deal out of G/Wing/X's thirtieth anniversary celebrations, after all.
For reference, for modern Turn A kits, it's literally just an HG Turn A and an MG Turn A and Turn X. No SUMO, no FLAT, not even a Kapool despite having done most of the work on the molds for it, again thanks to a Build Fighters gunpla. That's one way that Bandai ends up saving on development costs; the Build series remixes various existing mobile suits into new designs, so it gives them an excuse to create a gunpla for a less common design and get more mileage out of it by producing both the regular and Build variants. Another recent example was the Typhoeus Chimera Gundam which used runners from the soon-to-be-released Psycho Gundam Mk. II.
I should also note that the old kits (often referred to as No Grades or NGs since they don't have a grade like HG or MG) are definitely not the best quality when compared to anything more modern. The proportions will be out of whack, the parts and color separation will be lower quality, and they won't be anywhere near as posable as a more recent kit. Sometimes they'll be the only option for a particular mobile suit if you can track them down, but even then, it'll take a lot more work to make them look good, so most people don't bother. Here's a comparison shot of a NG and its corresponding modern HG to give you an idea of what thirty years' gunpla development looks like; note the blockier proportions, the colors being off, and the larger number of stickers, to say nothing of the many more features and gimmicks the HG has:
I seriously can't recommend a glass file enough, it really changed my cleanup game. It's easy to use, doesn't require you to go back over a part repeatedly with higher grits, can't scrape your fingers, and produces really smooth results. You don't have to pick up one of Gunprimer's files, you can grab a cheap one off of Amazon instead if you prefer. I like the Raser since (they claim) they've developed it specifically for model making, with a rounded edge that won't accidentally scratch the parts and smaller holes for a finer sanding. It's a bit of an expense, but it's been so worth it. I can't ever see myself going back to regular sanding again. Plus, not needing to keep buying sandpaper is nice too.
ETA: I should add that it can sometimes be a little less useful for sanding down mold lines since those are typically smoother, so the file has a harder time wearing down the little bit of plastic that's there. Still, that's less of an issue if you're not planning on painting, and most of the time the mold lines are barely noticeable anyway.
Yeah, that's the same general deal with gunpla, so if you have experience with other model making, you should already know the general order of how to do your detail work. It'll probably just take some getting used to not needing to paint before you do anything else!
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Space Police
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2022
Sadly, HyoRyu and EnRyu partsform because Bandai is allergic to making a fully transforming HG that's not just spreading some wings out or pulling a few parts down. On the bright side, today was Good Smile's reveal day, and we're getting a Platinumhugen Ordian Moderoid!
Hopefully this means Discotek will pick the show up soon and we'll get some good subs. We're also getting a very nice Superbia to go along with Bravern.
Hopefully this means Discotek will pick the show up soon and we'll get some good subs. We're also getting a very nice Superbia to go along with Bravern.
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2021
This is all cool, great even and im happy, but i keep getting denied of a Compatible Kaiser G model kit.
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2019
I dabbled with a couple more Master Grades recently, my first built in a couple years.
The ZZ Ver. Ka was a lot of fun to build. ZZ has been one of my favorite series so far, and the titular Gundam is such an interesting and unique design. I love the detail put into it, as to be expected of a Ver. Ka, and the end result looks fantastic. There are all kinds of parts to move about and open, from tiny vents to the big missile launchers on the backpack. The transformation gimmicks are cool, although the manual could have been a little more detailed as to how certain parts were supposed to move, and some parts feel a little fiddly, especially attaching the double beam rifle to the front. Still, you can transform to G-Fortress mode with practically zero parts swapping (only having to swap out the hands to slightly smaller ones that will fit inside the forearms), as well as split it apart into the Core Top and Core Booster components. I did each once to say I did and took some pics, but I don't think I'm likely to do it again. I have yet to panel line and decal, but I'm sure it'll look even better when I do. Oh, and the beam saber parts for this kit are comically huge, I love 'em.
Practically the polar opposite of the ZZ, the F91 2.0 was a real treat. While I have mixed opinions on the movie, I absolutely love the design of the F91, and I've been wanting this kit for a while. Being a late UC Gundam, it's considerably smaller than the typical mobile suits you'd expect, and standing it next to the ZZ is amusing. It's smaller than a lot of High Grades I own as well (I can't imagine how hilarious it would look next to a MG Xi if they ever came out with one). That said, the detail is exquisite, and I love all the colors they managed to use, especially the metallic gold highlights for parts of the inner frame.
I'm floored at the sheer amount of gimmicks this kit has as well, especially for a kit so small. You can open and close the faceplate, deploy vents on the shoulders and thrusters on the legs, have it wield a beam rifle or beam launcher, stash the beam launcher on the rear skirt, open the cockpit hatch, deploy the beam shield, stash a spare beam shield and beam sabers in the side skirts, deploy the V.S.B.R.s, and even make the torso internals light up with a separate LED unit. It's truly impressive how much they've crammed into such a small kit. The only downsides are that the V.S.B.R.s are a real pain to actually pose with, requiring you to keep repositioning and trying to get the hand to line up with the trigger, only to curse as the fingers pop out yet again. The feet also have a limited range of motion, so you may have issues with some poses. It also comes with some dry apply decals and stickers, which I'm not a huge fan of, so I'll probably look for some waterslides.
The ZZ Ver. Ka was a lot of fun to build. ZZ has been one of my favorite series so far, and the titular Gundam is such an interesting and unique design. I love the detail put into it, as to be expected of a Ver. Ka, and the end result looks fantastic. There are all kinds of parts to move about and open, from tiny vents to the big missile launchers on the backpack. The transformation gimmicks are cool, although the manual could have been a little more detailed as to how certain parts were supposed to move, and some parts feel a little fiddly, especially attaching the double beam rifle to the front. Still, you can transform to G-Fortress mode with practically zero parts swapping (only having to swap out the hands to slightly smaller ones that will fit inside the forearms), as well as split it apart into the Core Top and Core Booster components. I did each once to say I did and took some pics, but I don't think I'm likely to do it again. I have yet to panel line and decal, but I'm sure it'll look even better when I do. Oh, and the beam saber parts for this kit are comically huge, I love 'em.
Practically the polar opposite of the ZZ, the F91 2.0 was a real treat. While I have mixed opinions on the movie, I absolutely love the design of the F91, and I've been wanting this kit for a while. Being a late UC Gundam, it's considerably smaller than the typical mobile suits you'd expect, and standing it next to the ZZ is amusing. It's smaller than a lot of High Grades I own as well (I can't imagine how hilarious it would look next to a MG Xi if they ever came out with one). That said, the detail is exquisite, and I love all the colors they managed to use, especially the metallic gold highlights for parts of the inner frame.
I'm floored at the sheer amount of gimmicks this kit has as well, especially for a kit so small. You can open and close the faceplate, deploy vents on the shoulders and thrusters on the legs, have it wield a beam rifle or beam launcher, stash the beam launcher on the rear skirt, open the cockpit hatch, deploy the beam shield, stash a spare beam shield and beam sabers in the side skirts, deploy the V.S.B.R.s, and even make the torso internals light up with a separate LED unit. It's truly impressive how much they've crammed into such a small kit. The only downsides are that the V.S.B.R.s are a real pain to actually pose with, requiring you to keep repositioning and trying to get the hand to line up with the trigger, only to curse as the fingers pop out yet again. The feet also have a limited range of motion, so you may have issues with some poses. It also comes with some dry apply decals and stickers, which I'm not a huge fan of, so I'll probably look for some waterslides.
- Joined
- May 4, 2024
@King Dead you should check out the MGEX strike freedom if you like gimmick points. All the vents are posable, and includes some extra hip gimmick so the legs can sit in line (crossing the toes) Personally I'd never buy one, but I won one so 
The gold was supreme with this kit, everything was an undergated. This is the latest model kit I've worked with, and it was nice not needing too sand so much (in comparison too my last builds.)
I have a Zeta Verk.Ka in my backlog, think I'll save "the best for last", as well my cousin's kid is getting into model kits as well now. I got him an HG ZZ Gundam and HG Gremory. Seriously gets me stoked too see younger people be interested in something physical versus glued too an iPad.
I think my next project is an MG Sniper (blue variant), I've still been on the hunt for an MG Turn A but I might as well order a pillow for that dream.
The gold was supreme with this kit, everything was an undergated. This is the latest model kit I've worked with, and it was nice not needing too sand so much (in comparison too my last builds.)
I have a Zeta Verk.Ka in my backlog, think I'll save "the best for last", as well my cousin's kid is getting into model kits as well now. I got him an HG ZZ Gundam and HG Gremory. Seriously gets me stoked too see younger people be interested in something physical versus glued too an iPad.
I think my next project is an MG Sniper (blue variant), I've still been on the hunt for an MG Turn A but I might as well order a pillow for that dream.