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

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I can't upload pictures at the moment but if you see the HG G-Line Standard Armor on P-Bandai, buy it. Very good build and 0 polycaps. I'm leaving it in Light Armor configuration for now until the Full Armor variant is released.
 
With the Shizuoka Hobby Show this week, Bandai's announced a bunch of new kits, some interesting, some expected, and some completely out of left field.

On the HG front, more Seed Freedom kits: the Destiny Gundam Spec II with Zeus Silhouette, the Black Knight Squad Cal-re.A, the Murasame Kai, and the Z'Gok (which looks like you'll be able to fit the Infinite Justice Gundam Spec II inside of it). With the exception of the Z'Gok which doesn't have a date yet, all these are scheduled to come out in October or November. They also revealed the Requiem for Vengeance HGs are scheduled for October, and the Bolinoak Sammahn HG is scheduled for November. Other kits that don't have release dates include a Gyan Strom recolor and another Advance of Zeta kit, both of which you can see preview images of on their main page I linked at the top.

For RGs, they announced the Akatsuki Gundam with Oowashi pack as the next mainline RG after the RX-78-2 2.0, to be released in December for a rather insane ¥8000 (the Full Armor Unicorn was previously the most expensive at ¥5400). Was hoping for a Master Gundam RG to pair up with the God Gundam, but I guess Seed is still the cash cow franchise. There will also be a weapon pack for the 2.0 Gramps released on P-Bandai. Speaking of, the preview page for the 2.0 is fully updated with info on weapons and posability.

And for miscellaneous releases, the third MGSD kit has been announced as the Wing Gundam Zero EW. The biggest surprise, however, has to be the Best Mecha Collection RX-78-2 Revive. It's a remake of the very first Gundam kit, old blocky proportions and all, but with 45 years of Gunpla improvements taken into account. The parts can be snapped off the runners like an EG, you won't need glue as the parts are snap-fit, and it has proper color separation so paint isn't required. I know I'm picking up one of these as soon as I can, it'll look fantastic next to the RG 2.0:
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CHARizard said:
Im buying that MGSD Wing Zero. Not even a Wing fan but the EW Wing Zero gets me every time.

Also check out this guy who made a Kshatriya Mk - II. Bandai, for the love of god make a MG Kshatriya, I do not care if it costs over a hundred bucks, I need it.


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I'm almost certain it'll never happen, but along the lines of the Kshatriya, I'd love to see a Queen Mansa HG at some point. It's not entirely outside the realm of possibility since it's roughly the same size as the Psycho Gundams and the Destroy Gundam, all of which have or are about to have kits released. But ZZ isn't as popular as other UC series, so it's probably harder to justify making a kit for it.

Speaking of, here's a topic for discussion: what mobile suits do you wish Bandai would make kits for, especially ones you doubt they ever will? Before they'd started releasing the Shuffle Alliance as HGs, I would have said those, but they do seem committed to eventually rounding out the main five. A top pick for me would be the Bertigo from Gundam X, I love bulky mobile suits in general but I also like how it's got a very sleek design, kind of a cross between a Qubeley and a Gyan. But considering how Bandai tends to forget Gundam X even exists, I'm not getting my hopes up any time soon. Hell, there's only been six Gundam X HGs released so far, half of them are X variants, and two are P-Bandai.
 
It would be cool if gundam had some equivalent to mechassault 2's iteration of battle armor to hijack them and actually have a threat that isn't a gundam for once. It literally makes zero sense for there to be any other units besides Mobile Suit Carriers and Gundams in these fictional militaries. Especially after the U.C. war. Since Gundams counter literally everything else on the field. Including other Gundams.

Gundams are cool and all but it does get really boring when no one can scratch the paint on the damn thing. Which is why I love Barbatos so much. Because that thing always needs to be repaired in a believable manner, gets upgraded several times over its story, ends up going out in a blaze of glory with pieces of it actually being chipped away, and has to be turned into a fireplace trophy before it will stop swinging.
 
Zero MK 2 said:
It would be cool if gundam had some equivalent to mechassault 2's iteration of battle armor to hijack them and actually have a threat that isn't a gundam for once. It literally makes zero sense for there to be any other units besides Mobile Suit Carriers and Gundams in these fictional militaries. Especially after the U.C. war. Since Gundams counter literally everything else on the field. Including other Gundams.

Gundams are cool and all but it does get really boring when no one can scratch the paint on the damn thing. Which is why I love Barbatos so much. Because that thing always needs to be repaired in a believable manner, gets upgraded several times over its story, ends up going out in a blaze of glory with pieces of it actually being chipped away, and has to be turned into a fireplace trophy before it will stop swinging.
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Try watching Gundam Thunderbolt, I know I cheered for the Psycho Zaku.
 
Put together a gundam from 08th MS Team years ago. It was very fun but requires a level of patience that seems to leave me day after day. When it comes to coloring and doing the finer details forget it. The professionally done ones look really cool.
 
Another one I just remembered that I want to see a Gunpla of: RX-78-1 Prototype Gundam. It exists in MG form thanks to a P-Bandai release a while back, but there's no 1/144 kit despite the rest of the RX-78 line being available in some form or another in that size (okay, there is an old NG, but I'm not including that). I want to dedicate a shelf to one of each of the RX-78 line, but you can't do it in either 1/144 scale or 1/100 scale; the former is missing RX-78-1 while the latter is missing RX-78-6 and RX-78-7. If they'd do a HG release of 1, then I could make it happen, but for some reason they've forgotten about it. Could always mod an RX-78-2 HG, but that would require more skills than I currently possess.
Lone MacReady II said:
Put together a gundam from 08th MS Team years ago. It was very fun but requires a level of patience that seems to leave me day after day. When it comes to coloring and doing the finer details forget it. The professionally done ones look really cool.
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The beauty of Gunpla is that you can put as much or as little effort into it as you want and still come away with something that looks good. Some are truly mind-blowing to look at, but most people don't ever get to that level, and that's fine. It's also not something that needs to be rushed; if it takes a month to put a kit together, no big deal.

If I may, here are a couple tips on how to get a good-looking kit without too much effort, in case you decide you might want to get back into it:
  • Invest in a good pair of side cutters and a glass file. They save a lot of time on nub cleanup, they're easy to use, and they make the process of getting to the building portion a lot faster. I've got the GodHand Ultimate and a Gunprimer Raser, which are pricey but have served me incredibly well since I got them. You can get cheaper ones that work about as well if you're not sure about long-term commitment, but they pay for themselves over time. Plus, not using an X-Acto knife for nub removal has meant a lot less injury to my fingers.
  • Kits generally don't need to be painted outside of maybe color correcting some tiny details. But panel lining is the easiest and cheapest way to make the details of the kit pop. Get some ultra-fine Gundam Markers and simply color in the recessed lines on the parts (black for darker parts and gray for lighter), then rub away excess with an eraser or a Q-tip (possibly dipped in rubbing alcohol). It's a fairly basic process, but the results are worth it.
  • Topcoating is nice for covering up blemishes, sealing in decals if you used them, and giving the entire kit a particular appearance. Matte is most popular since it makes kits look more like the realistic war machines they're supposed to be, but gloss has its place, especially on kits with a lot of curved pieces (and in the end it's up to personal preference). Getting it in an aerosol can is the easiest, just make sure you don't spray it if the humidity is too high lest you end up with a frosted Gunpla (I've done it at about 70% without issue, though I don't want to try higher). Give it a light coat all over as you turn the piece, making sure to get all sides; let it dry, then apply another coat if you want.
Most importantly, go at your own pace! There's no reason to rush, and even if you only get a few pieces done at a time, you're just that much closer to finishing. Personally, I find it a very relaxing hobby, it's easy for me to get into a zen state as I clean up the pieces, and watching the kit come together a little at a time and ending up with something really cool to go on my shelf is always satisfying. But that also might be my autism talking, I won't rule that out.

(Sorry if this was a lot of unnecessary autistic rambling and you have no intention of building Gunpla anymore, just wanted to lend some encouragement!)
 
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The Solomon GP02 that I keep seeing everywhere is making my wallet itch. Maybe customizing the HG GP02 I just grabbed will cure the itch. Anybody have some experience with 3rd-party kits or even the Solomon Physalis itself?

I also saw they are making RG Nightingale equivalent. If so, I'll probably grab it just to put up next to my RG Hi-Nu.
 
Commander Shepard said:
The Solomon GP02 that I keep seeing everywhere is making my wallet itch. Maybe customizing the HG GP02 I just grabbed will cure the itch. Anybody have some experience with 3rd-party kits or even the Solomon Physalis itself?

I also saw they are making RG Nightingale equivalent. If so, I'll probably grab it just to put up next to my RG Hi-Nu.
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Everything that I've seen about it is that it's an excellent kit on par with what Bandai puts out, maybe even better. I've heard more than one person calling it a MG-sized PG, the amount of detail is incredible. While I don't have any experience with it or other third-parties, I think that one's a safe bet to pick up if you can find it for a reasonable price, especially since I doubt Bandai is going to do an updated GP02 MG anytime soon.

The pics of their Nightingale look really fantastic too, so if the GP02 is any indication, it'll probably be a good kit to pick up. I don't really have a problem displaying HGs next to RGs when they're smaller, but for bigger kits like the Hi-Nu and the Nightingale, the differences in build quality are a lot more apparent.

Speaking of HGs and RGs, I just finished my God Gundam RG build, coming off of building the Gundam Rose and Gundam Maxter HGs. All three were a lot of fun to put together, and it's impressive how much detail they put into even the HGs, with additional joints for better fighting poses and every gimmick you could want out of them. Still have to panel line them and do waterslides on the God Gundam. I'm debating whether I want to get waterslides for the HGs or not; the detail is nice, but it doesn't match the anime. I'm hoping they'll announce another G Gundam kit soon, whether it's another Shuffle Alliance HG or a RG Master Gundam. Doubt the latter will happen, but I'd love it if it did.
 
King Dead said:
Everything that I've seen about it is that it's an excellent kit on par with what Bandai puts out, maybe even better. I've heard more than one person calling it a MG-sized PG, the amount of detail is incredible. While I don't have any experience with it or other third-parties, I think that one's a safe bet to pick up if you can find it for a reasonable price, especially since I doubt Bandai is going to do an updated GP02 MG anytime soon.

The pics of their Nightingale look really fantastic too, so if the GP02 is any indication, it'll probably be a good kit to pick up. I don't really have a problem displaying HGs next to RGs when they're smaller, but for bigger kits like the Hi-Nu and the Nightingale, the differences in build quality are a lot more apparent.

Speaking of HGs and RGs, I just finished my God Gundam RG build, coming off of building the Gundam Rose and Gundam Maxter HGs. All three were a lot of fun to put together, and it's impressive how much detail they put into even the HGs, with additional joints for better fighting poses and every gimmick you could want out of them. Still have to panel line them and do waterslides on the God Gundam. I'm debating whether I want to get waterslides for the HGs or not; the detail is nice, but it doesn't match the anime. I'm hoping they'll announce another G Gundam kit soon, whether it's another Shuffle Alliance HG or a RG Master Gundam. Doubt the latter will happen, but I'd love it if it did.
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Sounds like my backlog is going to grow.

I've been looking at RG God gundam as my next RG. It looks absolutely amazing as far as articulation is concerned! I believe this year is the 30th Anniversary of G Gundam, so I do expect at least something. RG Master is probably a good bet with a P-Bandai of Fuunsaiki that can be used with either RG Master or the RG God.
 
Commander Shepard said:
Sounds like my backlog is going to grow.

I've been looking at RG God gundam as my next RG. It looks absolutely amazing as far as articulation is concerned! I believe this year is the 30th Anniversary of G Gundam, so I do expect at least something. RG Master is probably a good bet with a P-Bandai of Fuunsaiki that can be used with either RG Master or the RG God.
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RG God already has a P-Bandai expansion, including effect parts for God Finger, Sekiha Tenkyoken, multi punches, and an extended Hyper Mode effect that spreads the rings more than the default kit. It also comes with a clear Action Base and the Fuunsaiki from the HG Master set, which isn't super detailed but it works well enough.
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I'm pretty sure the anniversary is why they've finally gotten around to doing the Shuffle Alliance as HGs, but if they were going to get an RG Master out before the end of the year, they probably would have announced it by now. Since G came out 15 years after the original MSG, it shares five-year anniversaries, so it doesn't always get the same recognition (same with Turn A and G-Reco). Maybe it'll get announced later in the year to be released next year, we'll see!

In the meantime, I definitely recommend RG God, the detail is top notch and the posability is incredible. The fact that they went to the effort to ensure you could recreate all the fighting poses from the show, even crossed arms, shows just how much effort they put into its design.
 
One of my old military friends had a particular hatred for the "moustache gundam". Any time we talked about animu he would somehow find a way to steer the conversation towards gundam, and then onto hating the series where the moustache gundam came from.
 
Lone MacReady II said:
One of my old military friends had a particular hatred for the "moustache gundam". Any time we talked about animu he would somehow find a way to steer the conversation towards gundam, and then onto hating the series where the moustache gundam came from.
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Your friend has shit taste, Turn A is one of the best Gundam series. To keep this Gunpla-related, the Turn A MG comes with a cow figure, so it's automatically a great kit. (It makes sense that it does if you have context from the show; one of the episodes has the main character using the Gundam to transport a cow.)
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King Dead said:
Your friend has shit taste, Turn A is one of the best Gundam series. To keep this Gunpla-related, the Turn A MG comes with a cow figure, so it's automatically a great kit. (It makes sense that it does if you have context from the show; one of the episodes has the main character using the Gundam to transport a cow.)
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CENTURY COLOR, MILLION COLOR
 
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