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Gundam Modeling Questions

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  • Member since
    November 2014
Posted by HansStuck on Saturday, February 7, 2015 5:13 AM

1/144 HGUC RGM-79D GM Cold Type

I built around 30 gundam kits OOTB without even painting 20-25 years ago when I was a kid, then left the hobby until 2008, when I picked up a 1/144 gundam kit and decided to try build a model kit properly, to actually paint and glue it. To me it was like the first true modelling experience in my life.

After a 6 years gap finally I made my second model. I tried to apply some AFV technique to this GM because my ambition is always AFV modelling. Currently I've started a Bronco 1/35 tank and it is a bit tricky for a beginner, so this GM is a testbed for me and I hope I did it justice.

The model is hand-painted with Vallejo Model Color. I made a lot of mistakes and had to do a lot of extra to save the model. I guess it took me about 150 hours to get to this point. Anyway, here we go.

 

The final 2 photos: my first painted model 1/144 Tieren, an AA battery, and a 1/144 Tiger toy.

Thanks for watching. Any comments and critiques welcome.

  • Member since
    January 2014
Posted by JayF on Tuesday, February 10, 2015 11:26 AM

Wow ! Just wow !  Big Smile

I'm still in the process of trying to build mine without painting them, sanding seams and trying my best to glue everything together without making a big mess.

Talking about painting, I see that Bandaï has a lot of color markers, are they any good ?

  • Member since
    May 2013
Posted by Josh Ryder on Tuesday, February 10, 2015 3:09 PM

Great to see this thread continue! I just cracked my first kit last night and started with the weapons. (looked like the easiest step!) Are there any translated instructions online?

  • Member since
    May 2011
  • From: Honolulu, Hawaii
Posted by Real G on Tuesday, February 10, 2015 9:16 PM

Josh Ryder

Great to see this thread continue! I just cracked my first kit last night and started with the weapons. (looked like the easiest step!) Are there any translated instructions online?

 
Unfortunately, I don't think there is a one-stop resource for translated instructions.  If you have any questions though, post a photo of the instructions and we can help translate.  (I personally can't read the Asahi Shinbun, but can read words like "reinforced new type", infra-red, beam cannon, do not cement, and unuse this part.  Big Smile  Colors are easy too, but Bandai has an irritating practice of just listing colors and the general description of the parts that require said colors.  Really poor for the newbies.  They should have a look at a Tamiya instruction sheet to see what good color callouts look like.  But I don't see them changing their ways, as their instructions are basically pictograms with some assembly notes.  Anyway, I'm sure others on the forum can also assist as well.
 
BTW please post progress photos!

“Ya ya ya, unicorn papoi!”

  • Member since
    November 2014
Posted by HansStuck on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 1:38 AM

JayF

Wow ! Just wow !  Big Smile

I'm still in the process of trying to build mine without painting them, sanding seams and trying my best to glue everything together without making a big mess.

Talking about painting, I see that Bandaï has a lot of color markers, are they any good ?

 

Gundam Markers are useful if you're not going to paint the whole model and just need to paint some small parts such as thrusters, muzzles, or the "horns" or "mouth" on the gundam head etc. In short, only small areas. Don't try to paint the whole arm or leg with the Gundam Markers, it will probably look messy.

  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: NE Oklahoma
Posted by Allen109 on Thursday, February 12, 2015 11:45 AM

Pre-painting the kit won't work I either,I've been told. I plan on assembling the model,then disassembling  for later glue and paint. This way I can avoid painting stuff that won't be seen.

Problem with building a PG kit is that they are huge,and have a lot of articulation. My kit made it harder to figure out because it actually transforms to a flight mode.

Good luck with your kits,and have fun.

  • Member since
    November 2014
Posted by HansStuck on Friday, February 13, 2015 4:19 AM

Allen109

Pre-painting the kit won't work I either,I've been told. I plan on assembling the model,then disassembling  for later glue and paint. This way I can avoid painting stuff that won't be seen.

Problem with building a PG kit is that they are huge,and have a lot of articulation. My kit made it harder to figure out because it actually transforms to a flight mode.

Good luck with your kits,and have fun.

 

Hi Allen. I'm not sure if it is a good idea. The snap-fit sockets and pins in Gundam kits are NOT designed to separate again once they're snapped together. You can push them in but they're not always strong enough to let you pull them out again. If you completely assembled the model then disassemble it, I'm almost 100% sure that you will face a lot of difficulties in trying to disassemble it without breaking something, or having to resort to brute force and damage the parts.

Even in the best scenario, you will probably break some locating pins or at least weaken them (the plastic turn white). Some pins will simply got torn off and stay in the sockets forever. You don't want to weaken the plastic especially the joins on a PG kits, as you know they are huge, heavy, and expensive.

Talking about transformation (yours is the Zeta Gundam, right?), if you paint the model, it is likely that some paint will be scratched everytime the model is transformed. That's why many gundam modeller only transform the model ONCE after they complete it, take dozens of photos, transform it back to humanoid mode, and stay there for good. And that's also why some gundam "builder" don't even paint the model, so they can enjoy it any way they want.

Just my 2 cents. Have fun.

  • Member since
    May 2013
Posted by Josh Ryder on Friday, February 13, 2015 12:23 PM

First few steps shown here- I really like deciphering the directions and getting everything together. More to come when I get some time at the table.

qdRCsw

qTrBJe

  • Member since
    May 2011
  • From: Honolulu, Hawaii
Posted by Real G on Friday, February 13, 2015 12:31 PM

Agreed with Hans Stuck.  I bore out the sockets and shave off the slight raised bumps on the pins so that parts can be test fitted yet removed with ease.  It doesn't always work though, as I do occasionally get a surprise when a pin mysteriously jams and I end up snapping it when separating a part.  Also, some sockets are an "in between size" that do not correspond to a standard English or metric size drill.  I really hate those.

Paint scraping is a problem with poseable kits.  Sometimes you can just sand parts down a little to get additional clearance, but sometimes not.  For the transforming models, it might be a good idea to build two kits, one in each mode if you really like both forms.

I have built only one PG kit (GP-01) and it kicked my butt.  It's main failing was that it was too heavy for the poly caps.  The waist joint ball socket failed almost immediately after being finished.  The overly complicated design also put me off building another PG.  I was eyeing the Zaku, but decided against buying one.

I am still on the fence about Bandai's "Reborn 100" series.  While I agree on the simplified construction relative to the MG series, I have yet to examine one.  Still waiting for something I would be interested in.  Maybe if they did something like a Kazuhisa Kondo Geara Doga from the comic "The Dogs of War", I'd give the series a try.

 

“Ya ya ya, unicorn papoi!”

  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: NE Oklahoma
Posted by Allen109 on Saturday, February 14, 2015 2:56 PM

HansStuck-I'm 34,been building conventional since I was 5. I got this.

If your joints are too loose,cover the poly-cap with clear nail polish.Should thicken the joint up enough.

  • Member since
    November 2014
Posted by HansStuck on Saturday, February 14, 2015 11:52 PM

My apology if there is any negative interpretation on my previous comment. I'm sure you're very skillful, but the problem I've pointed out has nothing to do with the modeller's skill. You said you've been told something, have you ever tried it yourself? What I've pointed out is something that we gundam modellers learnt the hard way over the years (and agreed by a fellow gundam modeller too).

If you want to avoid painting stuff that won't be seen, you really don't need to assemble the gundam and disassemble it again. The instruction, google and your experience will do just fine. But if you don't mind breaking some pins and end up with some chipped / deformed edges or corners on the parts, nevermind.

Some may believe that we can always glue the parts so nevermind the pins, well maybe true on scale model, but absolutely not true on gundam kits. I like your idea with nail polish on loose poly-cap, in fact I did the same trick 25 years ago, but sadly many joints and moveable parts on a gundam model can never be repaired, especially after the model is painted and finished.

Even the latest and much smaller RG kits have issues on the durability of the joints and even the plastic itself (joints failed or parts broken right after finish, can't even hold its own weapon, parts keep falling off the model etc), let alone the much larger, heavier and older PGs. That's why it is not a good idea to assemble the model and disassemble it again just to see which part won't be seen after assembled.

Anyway, good luck with your PG kit, have fun, and have it your way.

  • Member since
    May 2013
Posted by Josh Ryder on Saturday, May 30, 2015 5:32 PM

We're about 70% on the original first kit (first time building Gundam) I really like it. I've still got some stickers, weathering, washes, weathering, detailing, and weathering. Then I might weather it a bit more.

  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: NE Oklahoma
Posted by Allen109 on Sunday, May 31, 2015 2:19 PM

Lookin forward to the finished one. Pretty dang nice as is.

  • Member since
    January 2006
  • From: California
Posted by SprueOne on Sunday, May 31, 2015 7:00 PM

Your paint and weathering look great! Please, do not use the stickers. I've built the similar kit. Probably it's brother or something like that

Anyone with a good car don't need to be justified - Hazel Motes

 

Iron Rails 2015 by Wayne Cassell Weekend Madness sprueone

  • Member since
    May 2013
Posted by Josh Ryder on Sunday, May 31, 2015 9:26 PM

Thanks for the heads-up about the stickers. I didn't know a great way to include them that wouldn't make them look like, well, stickers. I thought that the weathering/washes would accumulate around the edges and look fakey. More pictures to come.

  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: NE Oklahoma
Posted by Allen109 on Monday, June 1, 2015 2:50 PM

If you are looking for examples of weathering that would be appropriate to Gundams, I recommend looking at armor and ships.

  • Member since
    May 2013
Posted by Josh Ryder on Monday, June 1, 2015 4:02 PM

He's about 80% right now- coming along.

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