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Who is into GUNPLA?

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04 Jan 2017 17:09 - 04 Jan 2017 17:10 #241818 by Michael Barnes
Sevej, I know you are...anyone else into Gunpla (Gundam modeling) here? We've never really talked about it. I got into it briefly in the 90s and sort of drifted away from it along with 2nd/3rd edition 40k at the same time (girls...) My son saw some models at one of those outrageously priced "pop culture" shops at the mall so he asked a very bewildered Santa for a Gundam. I got him a pretty great 1/60 Strike Gundam that was, strangely, only like $40 shipped from Japan. It's quite big, and we had a really good time building it.

So of course, being Michael Barnes, I have to go psycho all-in. I have 12 1/144 models on the way from various sources for his birthday next week. Picked up some classics- the vintage RX-78 and Char's Zaku II. Got some things from the new show, Iron-Blooded Orphans- the Barbatos and a few different Grazes. The 1/144s are small but they look cool and they're quite inexpensive...some of them were like $7-$8.

Thinking about painting some of these, or doing that panel lining with the markers. I'm heading down another hobby rabbit hole at that point though!

I am thinking about melting down all of the empty sprues in my house and building a barn for our back yard with the plastic.
Last edit: 04 Jan 2017 17:10 by Michael Barnes.

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04 Jan 2017 17:53 #241822 by barrowdown
Replied by barrowdown on topic Who is into GUNPLA?
I used to do Gunpla, when I was in high school and early college. I never actually bought any kits, but my youngest brother would get them and they would remain untouched so I would build them.

If you are wanting to paint one, AMMO does a fantastic guide for them (LINK) that goes over weathering techniques. It is pretty heavy on airbrushing and oils/enamels, but the techniques should still be generally applicable.

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04 Jan 2017 17:59 #241825 by Michael Barnes
Replied by Michael Barnes on topic Who is into GUNPLA?
Beau it seems like you are always trying to lure me into airbrush purchase! I'M NOT LISTENING LA LA LA!

At this stage I'm more interested in what you can do with the markers, that sounds like something I could get River to do...do people actually paint with them or just pick out details?

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04 Jan 2017 18:02 #241826 by barrowdown
Replied by barrowdown on topic Who is into GUNPLA?
I never painted them beyond simple detailing like panel lines or highlighting, but some of the sections in the AMMO book are pretty extensive modifications/painting.

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04 Jan 2017 19:49 - 04 Jan 2017 19:50 #241832 by Sevej
Replied by Sevej on topic Who is into GUNPLA?
Barnes, if you want to keep things simple, stick with a can of Topcoat and do the lining by markers (or washes, up to you). A spray of Topcoat gets rid of any plastic-y sheen of the model, preserve any lining you made, and make your gundam looks the way you want. Also, it removes scratches and sandpaper marks off the model.

If you want though, you could hand prime the small parts in the "wrong color" and paint them to add details.

The thing with gunpla is... painting a fully articulated model is a chore. The standard practice is to build the gunpla, then disassemble it again to paint it.

My scale of choice is the bog standard 1/144, but only because I find the larger models lack details. As you have said, it's very cheap.

Even if you have more to spend, stick with 1/144. There are 1/144 models called "Real Grade", that's like a miniaturized 1/60 perfect grade. Gazillion of parts, excellent movement mechanisms and great detail, in addition of fully realized skeleton.
Last edit: 04 Jan 2017 19:50 by Sevej.

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04 Jan 2017 20:12 #241834 by Brewmiester
Replied by Brewmiester on topic Who is into GUNPLA?
I haven't done the Gunpla but I did pick up some of the playsets (Albion, Peer Gynt, and Lili Marleen) when Kay-Bee toys had them on clearance. I planned on using Dream Pod 9's Jovian Chronicles Lighting Strike rules to do some Gundam gaming.

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05 Jan 2017 10:07 #241851 by barrowdown
Replied by barrowdown on topic Who is into GUNPLA?
I consider them whenever the local B&N puts them on clearance where they usually make it all the way to the 75% or $2 stage. However, I then look at my pile of unpainted GW stuff and I'd just rather paint that.

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03 Jul 2017 10:37 #250788 by barrowdown
Replied by barrowdown on topic Who is into GUNPLA?
So in direct contradiction with my last post, I decided I would rather do something other than my currently unpainted GW stuff (helped by a disastrous 40k 8th edition meetup by the FLGS where literally no one else showed up).

I picked up and assembled an HG Gundam Kimaris (clearance at B&N). It has relatively little in the way of stickers, so I didn't feel the need to paint as I was testing the waters. This was a fun, quick build though I question the stability of the arm attachment points. They pop off fairly easily when I try to position it.

I am currently prepping a SD EX-Standard Gundam Barbatos (store liquidation sale at a local hobby store) for painting because the coloration is almost entirely stickers.

I will probably swing by B&N today and grab the clearanced MG Gundam Gusion/Gusion Rebake kit. Depending on how the liquidation sale at the hobby shop progresses, I might be grabbing a bunch there as they hit decent discounts.

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03 Jul 2017 11:56 - 03 Jul 2017 14:03 #250789 by Michael Barnes
Replied by Michael Barnes on topic Who is into GUNPLA?
We have that Kimaris and the Barbatos...my son has gotten to where he will build these completely unsupervised. I have the newer, upgraded HG RX-78 and Char's Zaku that have the more complex internal structures...they look awesome. I keep thinking about trying an MG or PG kit. They are expensive, and I'd probably rather just get a 40k tank for the price.

The thing about these HG kits is that they are DIRT CHEAP. Like, $10-$15. So I don't even really bother looking for a discount, I'm more concerned with places overcharging for them (like B&N!).

The joints are sometimes SUPER crappy though, shit just fallin' off. It's frustrating for my son, because he wants them to be more like action figures. But I think he gets that playing with them is more about posing them than manipulating them now. We've got several of the stands, they are a must-have IMO. We've got a whole shelf with all kinds of Gundam battles going on, all kinds of dramatic poses.

The newer kits are DEFINITELY better than the older ones. It's like night and day. But there are some cool older kits out there worth looking at. Don't know the name, but we've got this one older "Heavy Arms" one that has missile pods EVERYWHERE. Love that one.

It's a fun hobby...we haven't gotten into painting them yet though. Just building. I usually buy at USAGundamstore.com- good prices and they have pretty much everything.
Last edit: 03 Jul 2017 14:03 by Michael Barnes.

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03 Jul 2017 12:20 #250790 by barrowdown
Replied by barrowdown on topic Who is into GUNPLA?
The HG kits are all $10-$15 at my local B&N. Assuming the MSRP on USAGundamstore.com is accurate, my B&N is actually below MSRP on most of the tiny lineup they have in stock. The hobby shop is more likely the one that is overcharging, but they are going to be out of business in the next few weeks. Thanks for the advice on stands. The hobby shop has lots still in stock, so I will grab them when I get the chance.

So is the Zaku an RG? I am going to try out an MG kit with the Gusion set as it is on clearance (around $25). The only think lame about that kit is that it has all of the parts to build both a Gusion and Gusion Rebake separately and MSRP'd accordingly, but only one internal skeleton.

I'm probably going to be painting most of them for a while to look like the box art, but I think I will begin weathering them once I am confident in my assembly skills.

On a related note, I know nothing about the actual Gundam mythos, is it worth looking into?

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03 Jul 2017 12:57 #250792 by Black Barney
Replied by Black Barney on topic Who is into GUNPLA?
Why isn't this thread full of pictures??
The following user(s) said Thank You: Gary Sax

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03 Jul 2017 13:03 #250793 by barrowdown
Replied by barrowdown on topic Who is into GUNPLA?
I was going to add pictures when I completed the Barbatos, but the Kimaris was a stock build and I am terrible at posing so I chose to push it off for now.

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03 Jul 2017 13:10 - 03 Jul 2017 14:03 #250794 by Michael Barnes
Replied by Michael Barnes on topic Who is into GUNPLA?
Weirdly, my first encounter with the Gundam story was with these paperback novels that came out in English in the late 80s. There were like 3, and I read them before ever seeing the anime. It's strange that there's never really been a big push for Gundam anime in the US, apart from when Cartoon Network was showing Gundam Wing.

It's pretty good overall, it's more of a hardcore military SF thing than most anime is. It's all about the hardware, of course. There is the usual psychic teen kind of nonsense too. But there are some awesome mecha battles, as you might expect- look at the Amuro Rey vs. Char battle from Char's Counterattack on YouTube for a good example. Probably the best example. The first three Mobile Suit Gundam movies are considered classics, and they are a FAR better way to get into the story than watching the TV show. As was popular at the time, the films sort of condense the show into much more cohesive, digestible features. The most recent show, Iron Blooded Orphans, is pretty good- it's where the Barbatos comes from as well as the Graze, which is kind of like the modern version of the Zaku. I am by no means a Gundam scholar, and I find that my interest in the mythos is casual at best. But there are some things worth checking out even if you just like the mecha.

The Char's Special Zaku we have is an HG kit, but it sort of an HG+ thing. These were like around $25 each, I think. So they are intended to be more high end HG kits. It has some of the features you'd normally see in a MG kit like the internal skeleton and removable armor plates. They did this and the RX-78 as part of a line corresponding with a Gundam Origins show, which goes back to some of the original designs. The RX-78 is the vintage Gundam design, very classic look. It isn't as complex as the Zaku though. My son is actually building it right now, he just came down to get me to put the sticker on the eyes. GOD I HATE THOSE STICKERS.

I found a place a couple of weeks ago that had PILES AND PILES of Gunpla, it was one of those doofy "pop culture" stores at a mall. They were priced pretty decently, too. Thinking about picking up a few next time we are there. And to think it used to be that you had to either buy this stuff at a convention or at a comic shop with a 1000 percent markup.
Last edit: 03 Jul 2017 14:03 by Michael Barnes.

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03 Jul 2017 13:14 #250795 by Michael Barnes
Replied by Michael Barnes on topic Who is into GUNPLA?
Oh, if you want a big one...take a look at the "no grade" 1/60 kits. The first one we bought was the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam. It's BIG. It's not super detailed, it isn't quite as articulated, but it's a lot of fun. Easy to build, and very satisfying because it's more "play" oriented than the HG sets. There is also a Gundam Exia. These things are like $40-$50. I got the Strike from a Japanese seller for $40 shipped. Amazon usually has these too at a good price. They are like 1/3 the price of most 1/60 kits.

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03 Jul 2017 14:46 - 03 Jul 2017 14:46 #250798 by barrowdown
Replied by barrowdown on topic Who is into GUNPLA?
So the Gusion/Gusion Rebake is not a MG kit, it's official name is No Grade Iron Blooded Orphans Full Mechanics, so the easy to remember NG IBO FM class. They are more complex than an NG and have a full inner skeleton, but are not as complex as an MG.

I picked it up and will see how it goes.
Last edit: 03 Jul 2017 14:46 by barrowdown.

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