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

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I'm in Vietnam for reasons I don't want to get into, so I naturally started looking for bootleg Gunpla kits. I got an HG Gundam Mk II, and the colors are completely wrong. I love it lmao
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Gunpla announcements are starting to be posted, so here's a rundown of the kits so far (apologies for the Reddit links, I'll try to update with official pages later):
  • No surprise, we got our first look at the PGU Nu Gundam, and it's a beast. You can see all the details on the English site here. Retail price is 60,000 yen before tax, so if you're planning on picking this one up, be prepared for your wallet to hurt something fierce. Scheduled for release in January.
  • The big winner on kits this time is IBO, with a MG Barbatos Lupus announced, as well as two HGs from the upcoming Urdr-Hunt anime: Monkey Crab Rodi and Gundam Zagan. They also teased an expansion kit for the Lupus with additional weapons, probably a P-Bandai release. The Lupus was another of the kits mentioned in that leak image from a while back, so it's looking a little more credible; however, the leak showed a (very blurry) Lupux Rex instead, so you could argue it's not entirely correct. Then again, since the two suits are very similar, it probably wouldn't be hard to make both. Unfortunately, that's also the only additional kit from the leak, so it's still a bit early to confirm it's entirely legit. No word on release dates, will update if I see them.
  • GQuuuuuuX continues its lineup with HG Char's Zaku as a retail release and HG Sayla's Light Guncannon as a P-Bandai. Char's Zaku is scheduled for December, Sayla's Light Guncannon is TBD. The HG Zaku and HG White Gundam are also confirmed as retail releases, with the Zaku out in November and the White Gundam in December.
  • Two manga series are getting a bit of love as well, with HG Gundam Zillius from Mobile Suit Gundam Eight and HG Gundam Nion from The Witch from Mercury - Vanadis Heart. Both are P-Bandai releases, with dates TBD.
  • For SRW fans, the original Huckebein is getting an HG kit, scheduled for December.
  • Finally, the Entry Grade line gets updated after a few years with EG Wing Gundam, presumably as part of the 30th anniversary celebration.
I don't really care too much about IBO, so those announcements don't really intrigue me that much, but I'm glad that Bandai is actually doing more MG releases for it after so long. Meanwhile, I'm saddened that there remains absolutely zero Gundam X kits being announced, not even the Gundam Leopard to round out the protagonist trio. I suppose the 30th anniversary is still a little ways off, but it'd be nice to at least get some confirmation. Maybe at the next event.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go drool over the PGU Nu some more.
 
Out of all the things, the fucking Hucklebein ffs man. Gimme my shura units bandai!
 
3D printing was fun when all that mattered was getting outputs within +-0.25mm of target scale (large functional parts, or standalone prints where all that matters is precise scaling), but now I'm trying to print addon parts for Bandai kits and it's all screwed up. FDM with PLA? Some kind of calibration issue or thermal contraction, everything's just smaller than my 3mm diameter targets and I don't yet have the equipment to measure out and calculate the scaling difference, might just trial-and-error it with a range of upscalings. Resin? Everything is slightly oversized, my models are getting glazed with excess cured resin, they look better than sloppy FDM parts but have worse tolerances.
 
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Been wanting to learn how do weathering on models and was wondering if anyone has used these before ? Any good tips for the weathering/chipping process ?
 
Shine-369 said:
Been wanting to learn how do weathering on models and was wondering if anyone has used these before ? Any good tips for the weathering/chipping process ?
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The Tamiya sets are pretty good. I hate that they're a little oily, but it's necessary for it to stick to the model. I haven't tried them on gunpla yet, but I do use them on traditional, military subjects.

The typical process goes something like this:
1. Apply matte clear coat. This is after painting, panel-lining, decals, etc.

2. Apply Tamiya weathering master. These are powdered pigments that you dry brush onto your model. After getting some of the pigments onto a brush, test it on a paper towel first. It's better to apply a little at a time than too much at once. The silver in particular could be useful to highlight edges. Be careful when handling the model because the pigments can be smudged.

3. Apply a clear coat to seal in the pigments. Don't apply too much, otherwise the pigments will melt into the clear coat and disappear. If this happens, repeat step 2.

For chipping, there's multiple ways to do it. I prefer to just drybrush with metallic paints like gun metal or silver. Some people use make-up sponges in place of a brush. If you're airbrushing your model, there's the hairspray method, but it's a pain in the ass.
 
Junkers 87 said:
The Tamiya sets are pretty good. I hate that they're a little oily, but it's necessary for it to stick to the model. I haven't tried them on gunpla yet, but I do use them on traditional, military subjects.

The typical process goes something like this:
1. Apply matte clear coat. This is after painting, panel-lining, decals, etc.

2. Apply Tamiya weathering master. These are powdered pigments that you dry brush onto your model. After getting some of the pigments onto a brush, test it on a paper towel first. It's better to apply a little at a time than too much at once. The silver in particular could be useful to highlight edges. Be careful when handling the model because the pigments can be smudged.

3. Apply a clear coat to seal in the pigments. Don't apply too much, otherwise the pigments will melt into the clear coat and disappear. If this happens, repeat step 2.

For chipping, there's multiple ways to do it. I prefer to just drybrush with metallic paints like gun metal or silver. Some people use make-up sponges in place of a brush. If you're airbrushing your model, there's the hairspray method, but it's a pain in the ass.
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Thanks. 1 -3 seems easy enough. I had my doubts about clear coating after using the powdered pigments , so that piece of info was extremely helpful. For chipping can I use any type of acrylic paint or should it be testors or something like that ? I was gonna add a matte clear coat before panel lining , paint and stickers.
 
Shine-369 said:
Thanks. 1 -3 seems easy enough. I had my doubts about clear coating after using the powdered pigments , so that piece of info was extremely helpful. For chipping can I use any type of acrylic paint or should it be testors or something like that ? I was gonna add a matte clear coat before panel lining , paint and stickers.
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No problem, I found out the hard way what too much clear coat does to pigments so I'm glad to be able to pass that on.

For chipping, any type of modeling paint should work. The risk of a 'hot' paint damaging a previously painted surface is pretty low, probably non-existent when drybrushed. The amount of paint used just isn't going to be sufficient, especially on a fully cured surface.

I think the process would go something like this:

1. Build.
2. Clear coat. A gloss clear coat might be worth considering if you're using something like Tamiya panel line wash. Not sure about gundam markers. I think if you're using the gundam marker that looks like a thin tipped pen, then you might not need to clear coat prior?
3. Panel line.
4. Matte clear coat to seal the panel lining.
5. Apply weathering & chipping, stickers**
6. Final matte clear coat.

**I'm not sure when to apply stickers. I feel like covering them with a clear coat could help seal them in/make them stick longer?
 
Shine-369 said:
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Been wanting to learn how do weathering on models and was wondering if anyone has used these before ? Any good tips for the weathering/chipping process ?
Click to expand...
Ah, I love these. Weathering with them is exceptionally simple, just use the ‘sponge’ end of the included tip and run the silver across any edge you can find. Smear the gunmetal dust on all sorts of surfaces etc. Personally I just lightly use the silver and just try to hit the edge.
Just don’t overuse the rust, it kinda sucks and makes your gunpla look indian.
 
I finally built the HG Methuss, and I highly recommend it. It's kind of ugly in its vehicle mode (especially without stickers), and it definitely needs some wings to look good, but the engineering is great and the transformation is fun. I especially like how the cockpit doesn't rotate during the transformation, and I like all the tubes on the feet and arms as well as the opening jet flaps. I also really like the flipout beam sabers.
 
Ollie Beach said:
I just started getting into Gunpla and have had some fun building some HG's , are there any must have kits out there without going all out for a PG?
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Honestly is hard to answer since your preferences are a factor. That said there are also the Real Grade catalog and in there are some nice kits. From my personal collection that i would recommend:
-GaoGaiGar
-God Gundam
-Exia
-Destiny
-Gundam Ez8
-Dygenguar
-Weissritter
-Alteisen


If you want to try non-gunpla kits i would recommend the 30-Minute Misson line.
 
I bought a Zoids kit to try out, and I have a Rg Exia sitting in my cart teasing me. Thank you for the list. I've only done a few models so not too sure what I like yet aside from just putting it together and painting some.
 
Ollie Beach said:
I just started getting into Gunpla and have had some fun building some HG's , are there any must have kits out there without going all out for a PG?
Click to expand...
This is where I give my standard advice: most modern kits are going to have similar build experiences, so it's generally going to come down to personal taste with regards to a kit's design. As long as you're not picking up an old No Grade kit, you'll have a well-designed kit that will look good. Typically, newer entries in a line are going to be better still, but don't knock an older kit just because of its age. As an example, I just finished up panel lining an HG Guntank, and while the build was a little subpar (and I somehow snapped a couple pegs when disassembling, something I rarely do), it still looks just fine now that it's done.

As always, browse Dalong's listings and look for kits that appeal to you visually. It doesn't matter how great the build is if it's not something you'd want to display on your shelf. Real Grades are typically a good bet since they have exceptional detail in a smaller size and price point, though the tiny pieces do have the potential to drive you crazy. Older ones also have some issues with the inner frame, though basically everything released from the Sazabi on made significant improvements in that regard.

If you want some personal recommendations from my collection that I particularly like:
  • For High Grades, Moon Gundam, Ez8, Gouf Custom, Messer, and Xi Gundam. I also love the Shuffle Alliance kits from G Gundam that have been coming out, though those are P-Bandai exclusive. Honorable mention to Guntank because it's cheap and cute.
  • For Real Grades, Sazabi, Crossbone, Hi-Nu Gundam, God Gundam, and GaoGaiGar (optionally including Goldymarg). Z'Gok is also fine, albeit a little simple.
  • For Master Grades, F91 2.0, Hyaku Shiki 2.0, and an assortment of Ver. Ka kits (Zeta, ZZ, Nu, Sazabi, Sinanju Stein).
 
Just wanted to share my first Gunpla I finished yesterday.

RG Gundam Astray Red Frame

I am definitely going to do more. Very cool
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@Blasphemian nice man!
I've also finally made a start on building my haul. Went with my least favourite of the HG I picked up as a sacrificial kit to get the hang of tools with. Now I'm working on that Guncannon I picked up while I bring myself to part with money for primer/paints. I know its total overkill but that giant Vallejo AV Mecha colour kit is calling to me.
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