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

[EyelessMC]

well, i finished the eva kit. pretty good.

POST PICS

but, one of my kits got near a heater, my cat knocked it around without me noticing.

Cats are the bane of every builder's existence lol

and now its all floppy, wont hold any pose. anyone know how to fix this?

Something I've used is super glue. Take the model apart at the joints, baste a light, thin layer of superglue on the peg that gets inserted into the joint, leave it to dry (do not insert it into the joint, it'll glue solid) and then return to it later on or the next day and see if that's thickened up the joint. No idea if it'll work for your issue but it's worth a careful try--again, don't glue the joint. Just put glue on the insertion part of it (like the peg, not the hole it goes into) and maybe it'll work.

 

[Hot Dog]

Sanding requires a few steps. I use a glass file to remove the bulk of the material (if necessary), 1000 grit to smooth it out, and 2000 grit to prep for polishing, and a rag to return the shine to the plastic. Panel lines are usually done with a marker or a wash, marker's he easier and more accessible option.

I guess my biggest question is do you assemble as a test build before detailing or do you know what to detail before you put it together? I'd think once you understand how the kits are put together they should be relatively similar. Any pens you'd recommend?

 

[Gar For Archer]

I guess my biggest question is do you assemble as a test build before detailing or do you know what to detail before you put it together? I'd think once you understand how the kits are put together they should be relatively similar. Any pens you'd recommend?

I haven't detailed any of my kits because I want them to all get painted eventually, but if you're just doing panel lines and decals, I'm pretty sure most people do that after it's been fully assembled. There's like dedicated panel-lining markers you can get, they usually come in a set of black, brown and grey.

 

[Hot Dog]

I haven't detailed any of my kits because I want them to all get painted eventually, but if you're just doing panel lines and decals, I'm pretty sure most people do that after it's been fully assembled. There's like dedicated panel-lining markers you can get, they usually come in a set of black, brown and grey.

What do you use to paint then? I'd love to hear more other than they were airbrushed and took a special set up.

 

[9263900263]

Why do people think it's a good idea to post their work in the thread? Some of it is cool and I might try some gunpla. I don't know why you would associate your account here with pictures you will probably post else where. Could someone explain please?

 

[Gar For Archer]

What do you use to paint then? I'd love to hear more other than they were airbrushed and took a special set up.

For detailing, I use enamel paints and a fine brush. I just finished the inner frame for the Reincar recently, and it came out pretty good. If you're not planning on completely customizing a kit, just a basic set of metallic and color enamels can go a long way. Detailing uses VERY little paint, so those tiny bottles will last you pretty much forever.

If you don't have the space/money for an airbrush, your only option really is spray paint, which is a lot messier but gets the same results if all you care about is a single consistent color. If you watch the various Gunpla youtubers who actually show their painting process you'll notice they tend to use a mix of airbrush and spray paint anyways.

 

[Hot Dog]

Why do people think it's a good idea to post their work in the thread? Some of it is cool and I might try some gunpla. I don't know why you would associate your account here with pictures you will probably post else where. Could someone explain please?

Seriously? If you care about online credit that much you shouldn't be here in the first place. I post here and no where else. Autistic hobbies aside, who really gives a fuck. Post your tiny robots.

 

[EyelessMC]

associate your account here with pictures you will probably post else where. Could someone explain please?

That implies there's anywhere else worth posting, and further implies that if we did post there that anyone else would bother image searching our pics to find this site (if it can be found that way since we already know the popular search engines do what they can to hide the farms from normalfags).
As long as you either don't care (like most) and don't post your face/exif data you're fine.

Here: http://www.verexif.com/en/
And another nifty thing you might need some day https://10minutemail.com/
Also Tor but we all know that already.

I post here and no where else. Autistic hobbies aside, who really gives a fuck.

Exactly.

 

[9263900263]

Seriously? If you care about online credit that much you shouldn't be here in the first place. I post here and no where else. Autistic hobbies aside, who really gives a fuck. Post your tiny robots.

I don't make tiny robots. I thought gunpla was something to do with air soft when I saw the thread title.

 

[Hot Dog]

I don't make tiny robots. I thought gunpla was something to do with air soft when I saw the thread title.

Buy some kits and contribute. It's actually pretty fun. Welcome to the jam.

 

[Troonos]

I hate anime and don't know anything about Gundam, but I really enjoy building complex models. Now that I got my Master's and am getting real paychecks, I've been wanting to get into these excessively pricey Gundam kits. What would you guys say are the best PG, MG, and RG kits when it comes to a fun, long building process and interesting engineered mechanisms involved in articulation? I don't care if the construction is difficult; I just want it to be satisfying.

 

[Sanshain]

I hate anime and don't know anything about Gundam, but I really enjoy building complex models. Now that I got my Master's and am getting real paychecks, I've been wanting to get into these excessively pricey Gundam kits. What would you guys say are the best PG, MG, and RG kits when it comes to a fun, long building process and interesting engineered mechanisms involved in articulation? I don't care if the construction is difficult; I just want it to be satisfying.

https://www.usagundamstore.com/products/pg-1-60-rx-78-2-unleashed-2-0

 

[Troonos]

https://www.usagundamstore.com/products/pg-1-60-rx-78-2-unleashed-2-0

Haha, I appreciate the suggestion, but that's actually the only one I already have on my list. It looks freaking incredible.

 

[Optimus Prime]

I finally finished the initial assembly/painting on my RG NU (until my HWS set arrives, I got it for retail!). Now I just have to apply decals and topcoat.
Question for everyone ITT: how the fuck do I into waterslide decals? I have some tamiya markfit, what's the best way to not absolutely fuck up?

Definitely watch some youtube videos if only so you can get an idea of how you're supposed to handle waterslides. They're daunting but the end result is great.

I'm not familiar with tamiya markfit, but a quick search of the product page shows it works identically to my choice of decal solvent; Microsol.

What you want to do is have all your materials set up beforehand - a bowl of warm water (but not too big - I have a bunch of 'decomissioned' rice bowls from my mom specifically for this purpose, they hold about half a cup of water each), the markfit, some tweezers, the part you want to apply the decal to, the decals (cut down as far as you can if film is a problem) and some brushes.

What you want to do is first apply markfit to the area you want to apply the decal to with a brush, and then take the decal and soak it in the water for about a minute or however long the instructions recommend usually a couple of seconds but I find that a full minute often is the bare minimum for me). Once time is up, you'll want to take the decal out and carefully try to slide it on the backing paper - you're just checking to see that the decal film has released from the paper, if it doesn't slide then soak it again for about 30 seconds, then repeat. Once you're satisfied the decal can move, then bring the decal over to where the part is with the markfit applied and slide the decal off - I prefer to use toothpicks because waterslides love to stick to your fingers instead of the actual part where it's supposed to go. Then, when the decal is on the part, use the toothpick to carefully nudge it around if need be to be lined up. Take care as the decal could tear if you're too forceful - especially with markfit as what's actually happening is markfit is 'softening' the decal so it will adhere tighter to uneven surfaces so the underlying physical detailing can be shown. While it's drying, use a cotton swab to soak of any leftover water and then apply more markfit on top. Once everything is dry, give a spray of matte flat topcoat brand of your choice (I usually go with Testor's Dullcote myself but I hear they've discontinued that so I might have to switch to Tamiya flat clear), taking care to avoid clear plastic parts (mask if necessary) because it'll likely fog those up.

I guess my biggest question is do you assemble as a test build before detailing or do you know what to detail before you put it together? I'd think once you understand how the kits are put together they should be relatively similar. Any pens you'd recommend?

I personally try to identify the various pieces first through examining the instructions, that way I know to set them aside if I can.

And while understanding how kits go together can help if we're talking normal kits, like bipedal UC Gundam/GM types or Zakus, it is rather uncommon given how wildly different some kits can be. No kit will prepare you for trying to build something off-the-wall like the Baund Doc.

I hate anime and don't know anything about Gundam, but I really enjoy building complex models. Now that I got my Master's and am getting real paychecks, I've been wanting to get into these excessively pricey Gundam kits. What would you guys say are the best PG, MG, and RG kits when it comes to a fun, long building process and interesting engineered mechanisms involved in articulation? I don't care if the construction is difficult; I just want it to be satisfying.

RG SAZABI AND RG NU.

Not even joking, these two kits are amazeballs. They can do JoJo poses without a sweat and have multiple components that can expose interior mechanisms for detail.

I also hear RG Crossbone is great, and that guy is tiny as far as Gundams go.

I don't know about Master Grades all that much - I've built one which was an utter nightmare (P-Bandai Banshee Norn) and I've got a Gundam Base color version of the RX-78-2 3.0 kit in backlog. But if you're shooting for the biggest and baddest, nothing comes close to the EX-S Gundam[BST] Plan 303E Deep Striker. It's...largely a static fixed thing, admittedly, but it certainly commands attention with its sheer size and detail.

 

[Sanshain]

Haha, I appreciate the suggestion, but that's actually the only one I already have on my list. It looks freaking incredible.

I'd also recommend these two in the Master Grade line.

https://www.usagundamstore.com/products/gundam-1-100-mg-neo-zeon-msn-04-sazabi-ver-ka-mobile-suit-model-kit-bandai

https://www.usagundamstore.com/collections/model-kits/products/bandai-mg-1-100-rx-93-v2-hi-v-nu-gundam-ver-ka

 

[Hot Dog]

Definitely watch some youtube videos if only so you can get an idea of how you're supposed to handle waterslides. They're daunting but the end result is great.

I'm not familiar with tamiya markfit, but a quick search of the product page shows it works identically to my choice of decal solvent; Microsol.

What you want to do is have all your materials set up beforehand - a bowl of warm water (but not too big - I have a bunch of 'decomissioned' rice bowls from my mom specifically for this purpose, they hold about half a cup of water each), the markfit, some tweezers, the part you want to apply the decal to, the decals (cut down as far as you can if film is a problem) and some brushes.

What you want to do is first apply markfit to the area you want to apply the decal to with a brush, and then take the decal and soak it in the water for about a minute or however long the instructions recommend usually a couple of seconds but I find that a full minute often is the bare minimum for me). Once time is up, you'll want to take the decal out and carefully try to slide it on the backing paper - you're just checking to see that the decal film has released from the paper, if it doesn't slide then soak it again for about 30 seconds, then repeat. Once you're satisfied the decal can move, then bring the decal over to where the part is with the markfit applied and slide the decal off - I prefer to use toothpicks because waterslides love to stick to your fingers instead of the actual part where it's supposed to go. Then, when the decal is on the part, use the toothpick to carefully nudge it around if need be to be lined up. Take care as the decal could tear if you're too forceful - especially with markfit as what's actually happening is markfit is 'softening' the decal so it will adhere tighter to uneven surfaces so the underlying physical detailing can be shown. While it's drying, use a cotton swab to soak of any leftover water and then apply more markfit on top. Once everything is dry, give a spray of matte flat topcoat brand of your choice (I usually go with Testor's Dullcote myself but I hear they've discontinued that so I might have to switch to Tamiya flat clear), taking care to avoid clear plastic parts (mask if necessary) because it'll likely fog those up.


I personally try to identify the various pieces first through examining the instructions, that way I know to set them aside if I can.

And while understanding how kits go together can help if we're talking normal kits, like bipedal UC Gundam/GM types or Zakus, it is rather uncommon given how wildly different some kits can be. No kit will prepare you for trying to build something off-the-wall like the Baund Doc.

I would assume all HG kits are relatively similar. Is the HG Zaku II similar to other HGs? Would eventually like to try Wing Zero and Nu Gundam eventually.

 

[Gar For Archer]

I would assume all HG kits are relatively similar. Is the HG Zaku II similar to other HGs? Would eventually like to try Wing Zero and Nu Gundam eventually.

I've built 5-6 HG kits at this point and the builds are very diverse. Granted, I do purposely get more "interesting" looking kits because I don't really care for classic Gundam designs. But HG's definitely have a wide range of builds if you go looking for them.

Are there any RG's or MG's that look good displayed half-armored? What makes me sad about these pricier kits is that they put so much mechanical detail on the inner frames, only to cover all of it up in armor.

 

[Grundlejungle]

Are there any RG's or MG's that look good displayed half-armored? What makes me sad about these pricier kits is that they put so much mechanical detail on the inner frames, only to cover all of it up in armor.

A lot of RGs are pretty bland without the armor (With the exceptions of the MK II, and the sazabi). If you want a kit that looks good half armored I recommend:
MG alex 2.0
MG RX78-2 2.0
MG acgguy
MG guntank
MG barbatos
MG ball ver. KA
MG zaku II 2.0 (Pick your favorite flavor, I like the desert cannon)

I don't know about Master Grades all that much - I've built one which was an utter nightmare (P-Bandai Banshee Norn).

As someone who has built the banshee in every grade (It is my favorite gundam, 1/48 mega model when?), I can safely say that the only version of that mobile suit that is actually fun to build is the RG. The MG unicorn ( along with its assortment of retools), is actually kind of a bad kit. Its a goddamn nightmare to transform, and a lot of the nub marks are a real bitch to get off too.

 

[Optimus Prime]

I would assume all HG kits are relatively similar. Is the HG Zaku II similar to other HGs? Would eventually like to try Wing Zero and Nu Gundam eventually.

In short: essentially

In long: it really depends on which kit, because engineering with these things takes leaps and bounds.

For example, I don't think there's a version of Wing Zero in HG form that's actually anything approaching modern standard - the closest would incidentally be the Real Grade version with the angel wings.

Same problem with Nu Gundam, as there hasn't actually been a new version of the HG for the better part of two decades - every HG version of it I.E. the Nu-Zeon Gundam is using the same old tired HG kit as a base and its age really shows. Again, the RG is superior in every way.

And as for the HG Zaku II, there's a zillion such kits. The HGUC MS-06C Mass Production is going to be less well engineered than the HGUC MS06F2 from Stardust Memory, there's a handful of minor variants of the Origin Zaku (C, C5, C6, R6, Char's, Char's + all the correct marking stickers), and then there's the revive HGUC Zaku II which is the modernized version of the HGUC Mass Production essentially.

As someone who has built the banshee in every grade (It is my favorite gundam, 1/48 mega model when?), I can safely say that the only version of that mobile suit that is actually fun to build is the RG. The MG unicorn ( along with its assortment of retools), is actually kind of a bad kit. Its a goddamn nightmare to transform, and a lot of the nub marks are a real bitch to get off too.

Nub marks weren't even a concern with mine. No, I just have to deal with:
- the damn gun sliding open and self-ejecting the ammo if it's pointed any direction that is not up.
- the 'beam jutte' handle fucking broke inside the multi-launcher barrel so now that has to be permamently deployed.
- that goddamn back hinge lock tab, that goddamn back hinge lock tab.
- who the actual fuck looked at this thing and decided that the flimsy support arm could handle the shield being inverted and having a ton of bullshit attached on the long end for the Armed Armor DE!? WHO?! Mine can't even handle the weight, the left arm is physically holding the top of the shield up.
- Speaking of the Armed Armor DE, one of the external fins right behind the beam emitter at the tip broke and then somehow fixed itself. I don't even know.
- waterslide decals were discernably slightly lower quality than what I usually get from companies like Microscale.

I'm eager to eventually get to my MG RX-78-2 3.0 because then I'll have a Master Grade that isn't going to collapse under its own weight and terrible engineering. One MG I really want to get is the MG GM Sniper II, I've heard nothing but good things about that one.

 

[Weebsperg]

I hate anime and don't know anything about Gundam, but I really enjoy building complex models. Now that I got my Master's and am getting real paychecks, I've been wanting to get into these excessively pricey Gundam kits. What would you guys say are the best PG, MG, and RG kits when it comes to a fun, long building process and interesting engineered mechanisms involved in articulation? I don't care if the construction is difficult; I just want it to be satisfying.

Not going to lie my favorite kits are the RG kits. They're every bit as complex as the MG kits and typically have great articulation as well as gimmicks like opening cockpits and rocket boosters. The thing I really like about them is the smaller scale makes it more challenging to assemble than the MG. To date my favorite kit to build was the RG Sinanju, it looks fantastic but it's also one of my least favorites now that it's done. The thing is a hand grenade, you even look at it wrong and something is going to fall off of it, it has great articulation but the joints are not strong enough to hold a pose and it is so back heavy it won't stand on its own.