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

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CHARizard said:
Did you build these close together? Since I have 0 experience with the Kotobukiya kits did you notice a difference between the two?
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Yes, I bought a bunch of kits in Japan recently and that's how I got into the hobby. I still have a very large Nier: Automata kit that I have to finish, I barely even started this one. I went to some large Gundam stores that a huge selection and it's just impossible to leave empty handed.

I only have HG Gundams, but I can say that the plastic feels 10-20% better. They're also easier to file nub marks off of. The Kotobukiya models have nice joints with some parts made of softer rubber so that they're more mobile and tolerate more force, this also increases friction so they won't collapse on their own when you pose the model. Some of their parts are of noticeably worse quality, for example EVA-01's shoulder pylons tend do detach pretty easily.

Initially I just wanted to assemble the kits and call it a day, but I ended up getting sanding sponges, a primer, a couple of paints and brushes, spray paint, Mark Fit for decals, etc. And also a few action bases to display the models on a shelf.

The decals are giving me a hard time, some of them are like 1mmx1mm and even with tweezers they're hard to apply. I got a few sheets of them to practice (that's why there's so many on Zowort, and I plan to put even more).
 
George Floyd said:
Initially I just wanted to assemble the kits and call it a day, but I ended up getting sanding sponges, a primer, a couple of paints and brushes, spray paint, Mark Fit for decals, etc. And also a few action bases to display the models on a shelf.

The decals are giving me a hard time, some of them are like 1mmx1mm and even with tweezers they're hard to apply. I got a few sheets of them to practice (that's why there's so many on Zowort, and I plan to put even more).
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Highly recommend adding some top coat to your tools. Top coat makes certain kits really pop and its fairly cheap. I buy Mr. Hobby or Tamiya and its never more than 10 bucks a can. If you are doing waterslides I would also recommend it because it basically seals the slides onto the kit, making it harder to damage them.


Small waterslides are an absolute pain for me personally. I have big hands so I usually skip the tiny ones and just go for the easy big decals like icons. That Nier kit looks sick, I would love to see it when its done.
 
I forgot to mention but I've got a glossy top coat, I just haven't used it yet, because all of the models I've got still technically have something missing (like some gimmiky optional parts). I've also got Tamiya's panel line accent color, but use it sparingly, because I heard it causes some plastic to become brittle. I use gundam markers instead wherever there are movable parts.

For the Nier kit, I got some monochrome weathering pencils.

I tested a primer I got from a WH40k store on a completely blank kit I got from Gundam Base in Odaiba, it's designed for painting. I also used some spray paints, and regular acrylics which I applied with brushes, so that I can get a good feel for what to do and what to avoid. And while I was in Yokohama, I visited the Gundam Factory with the giant moving Gundam, and got a complimentary kit they give to every visitor (made from some kind of eco-friendly recycled plastic). After painting all that, I still have a ton of paints left over, so I guess I've got to buy more kits.
 
George Floyd said:
I forgot to mention but I've got a glossy top coat,
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Grab a bottle of matte as well, the matte can help the more colorful kits appear more anime accurate at times. You can experiment on what you like with spare parts and see what works better for each model. Those weathering pencils seem neat, I have one kit on backlog that I know I want to weather so I think I will grab some as well. I am a straight builder so I cant give any tips on painting, but its cool that you are diving right into that!

Sounds like you had quite the tour, I only went to the Odaiba base when I visited Tokyo last year. It was so crowded, and I walked away with a giant bag of kits and spent close to 300 bucks in the clothing store alone.
 
Im going to double post here and shill for a modelmaker with two really impressive custom RGs.
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The guy made the Dynames repair 3 and Exia Repair 4. Models that Bandai should be making kits of already, and they look perfect!
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Graham Gundam may be my top mobile suit, its just so cool. The best aspects of both the Qan T and the Exia rolled into one, with bushido bob piloting it on top. Fucking Bandai really needs to make these a reality, I am so tempted everytime I see the metal builds go on sale but I want to build it myself!
 
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An Ghost said:
Finally done. He's fine. Don't feel compelled to do a huge photoshoot for it though.
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Do have plans for a basic hg gouf custom that I am extremely excited for.
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Love it, hows your experience with the manipulators/hands? Mine cant hold onto anything anymore and I am tempted to just super glue the shield on .
 
CHARizard said:
Love it, hows your experience with the manipulators/hands? Mine cant hold onto anything anymore and I am tempted to just super glue the shield on .
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Occasionally a thumb might pop out but pops back in. The rest of the digits are fine. I didn't mess with them or clean them up too much, masked them while coating. I'd say the waist is the fidliest part.
The shield is weird because it isn't really held. It just clips to the arm at an angle that has it rub against the pauldron (which are the 78's cutest feature).
 
Haven’t had the chance to build much in the past year due to getting into some more active hobbies, but I took something from the backlog to build while visiting my parents for the holidays. MG Ginn - I think my second MG after the Barbatos. Just a straight build with some basic nub mark removal, no paint or stickers or anything fancy.
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I’d rank it a solid 8 out of 10. It feels very solid and playable, the posability is pretty good for this chunky body type, and plenty of color/parts separation with only a couple annoying sprue placements. It’s funny because I can immediately identify which parts in the build would’ve been molded as a simple 2-part assembly in an equivalent HG figure. The thrusters/wings are the highlight for sure, I wasn’t expecting them to work this well for the profile on a chunky robot.

I just wish Bandai figured out some other system for the fingers, maybe add a little locking tab or something, because those things will fall out with only slight provocation.
 
Managed to get my mitts on an HGUC Penelope. Just started him, but he's got a lot of runners. I think this will be the longest I've spent on an HG, even if I limit myself to "just" removing excess plastic and sanding. Can't wait to pose him next to my HG Zaku II for comparison's sake.
 
After almost a year from release, I managed to get the HG Lfrith for a fair price. This kit and Aerial were scalped like no tomorrow for about a year in my country.

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I must say, this is an amazing kit. The build, details, and the articulations are top notch. The only minor problem I had was the right foot that keep popping off from time to time when I try some poses.

Each body parts also come in surprisingly small amount of smaller parts than I would have thought despite the detailed look. This is a blessing while also can potentially become an obstacle imo. While this make the kit quite sturdy, repainting it requires a lot of masking and discretion, since some parts can't be taken apart.

For example, the faceguard, the rabbit ears, and the lower back of the head is already in one piece, so if you want to do anything with any of those, you have the risk of messing up the other parts. This also make taking apart the head parts quite difficult.

Also, I'm not really into the backpack that looks like a... backpack, just for storing the bits/funnels that can be combined into a shield. It's fine when the rifle and the funnels are attached, though.

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The equipments are a pair of standard beam saber (although the blue color is quite uniqe), a beam rifle with beam effect, and the aforementioned shield funnel, which for me is the coolest of the bunch.

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Another unique feature is the pre-molded clear part on the upper chest, that I think also come by some other Witch of Mercury kits. A minor note, is that the plastic used on the white and gray parts feels different to me, like it's already slightly matted and not as slippery as usual.

All in all, a very good kit. I don't really like the color at first, but after building it, I think it's fine. I actually repainted the kit and replaced the backpack later. I already have an idea for the colors even before I bought this, since this suit's head actually resembling another mech I really like, especially with the rabbit ears. I'll post it on later date.

Random poses:
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M3xus said:
Managed to get my mitts on an HGUC Penelope. Just started him, but he's got a lot of runners. I think this will be the longest I've spent on an HG, even if I limit myself to "just" removing excess plastic and sanding. Can't wait to pose him next to my HG Zaku II for comparison's sake.
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I keep seeing that at Hobby Lobby and I'm sorely tempted to pick it up. I'd rather get the Xi Gundam because I prefer the all-in-one mech over the "regular Gundam with a fighter jet backpack" design, but I can always pick it up later. Keep me posted on how the build turns out, if you would.

I'm honestly impressed by how good Hobby Lobby has become for Gunpla in recent years. I remember a few years ago when you were lucky to find three or four kits in total, usually HGs with the occasional RG, and they were very slow to update stock. Nowadays, while not as good as a store dedicated to the hobby, they still have a pretty good selection of a couple dozen HGs, a few RGs, and now even MGs. Plus they have a biweekly 40% off sale on model kits, so you can often save a fair amount just by waiting a week. And as an added bonus, you get to make troons seethe by shopping at the evil Christofascist store.
Went to FanExpo New Orleans this past weekend, partly because the Gundam Base Mobile Tour was stopping in there and I wanted to check it out. The event was pretty neat: you could build a very basic RX-78-2 kit and take it home for free (and I mean basic, like even simpler than EG basic, but free's free), shop some exclusive Gundam Base kits, play some Gundam vidya (I didn't check what they had on offer), and get your picture taken with a Gundam backdrop. Most of the kits didn't entice me because I'm not generally a fan of clear/metallic/etc. kits, but I did get a Mobileharo and a Gunpla-kun. And from a different vendor, I picked up an Ez8 HG to go with my finally finished Gouf Custom, and I'm in the middle of building that now.

Word of warning about Gunpla-kun: the instructions say that you should choose a single way to display it, and that they don't recommend taking it apart and doing it the other way. I understand why now. I initially put it together in the normal mode, but I wanted to see the runner mode as well. Everything came apart smoothly except for one of the arms that got stuck, and when I tried to pull it out, the arm snapped off of the joint. I think the Limex material they used for it in place of traditional plastic is softer and a bit more prone to breaking, so you need to be more careful with it. Some cement put it back together again, and I don't think I'll be touching it again. I think the runner display is more fun anyway.
 
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I wish I could make my way up to Hobby Lobby more often. Bought some new sandpaper and nippers from them and their selection's pretty nice, especially in lieu of no dedicated stores near me.
Penelope's going fairly well. Main body's done, he's pretty detailed and sturdy even with stickers. Going to start work on the flight unit this week. The kit even comes with its own stand, which is appreciated. Going to have to get another one for when I put Helios together, I'm told he suffers from the same problem the HG Freedom suffers from (the backpack's too heavy for it to stand well).
 
M3xus said:
I wish I could make my way up to Hobby Lobby more often. Bought some new sandpaper and nippers from them and their selection's pretty nice, especially in lieu of no dedicated stores near me.
Penelope's going fairly well. Main body's done, he's pretty detailed and sturdy even with stickers. Going to start work on the flight unit this week. The kit even comes with its own stand, which is appreciated. Going to have to get another one for when I put Helios together, I'm told he suffers from the same problem the HG Freedom suffers from (the backpack's too heavy for it to stand well).
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I hope your build is still going well, because I slightly lost my mind this weekend and not only got Penelope, but also the Xi Gundam from Hobby Lobby, thanks to a Reddit post noting that they found Xi at their local store (don't bother going until next week though, as their 40% off model kits sale isn't on this week). The designs might be a little goofy, but I'm a sucker for gigantic mobile suits, and these are some of the biggest.

And then I went a little more crazy and also got the RG God Gundam (not from Hobby Lobby, though I did see some HG God Gundams there). I'm gonna be building for a while.
 
Be a bit careful with Penelope. Main body wasn't bad, but putting the flight unit on was slightly stressful. The instuctions ask you to put pressure on small joints to get it attached to Oddyseus, and while it felt like they engineered it to prevent joint breakage, it still felt like I was going to break it putting it together a few times.

It it surprisingly stable standing with all that extra bulk, though, and the included stand is appreciated. Just don't expect to pose it very dramatically.
 
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