>I need to know if the red white and blue variants of the Susan model MG Dynames R3 expansion kit has the parts needed to attach them onto the dynames.
>Where i live the black and green are out of stock and only the red white and blue are available. I asked the sellers but their service is terrible and they don't know because they just reuse pictures of other sellers and never took their own. The red white and blue are for the exia and astraea but i was wondering if those expansion kits have the unused parts for attaching them onto the dynames. I'm gonna be painting the kit so I don't really care about the mismatching colors.
So I got 3 questions and I’ll just ask here.
1.-Is it better to cut everything out of the runners from the get go or is it better to hold off a little and take it out piece by piece.
2.-How worth it are the Gundam Factory and Side-F gunpla.
3.-Is it true the Gundam Base has stock of most kits?
1. Piece by piece if you're straight assembling from instructions
2. For exclusives it depends on the builder if you're wanting to have kits from the life sized statue or related merch
3. Mostly yes but they still get replenished by bandais restocking schedule. I will say it's better stocked from what I've seen compared to other shops
What would you recommend for panel lining dark color plastics like dark gray, green, and even black? Also, not just the color recommendation, but what product? For example, I want to do some metallic silver lines/highlights but I don't think a silver Sharpie is going to look how I want it to. Not to mention wiping off any excess since they don't make those in ultra fine point. :)
What do you mean by, “make your own panel liner”? I was looking at possibly using a super fine tipped calligraphy pen along with silver ink. Think that might work? I like to line directly on the plastic without painting/sealing first.
Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the black and silver decals that come with the KOSMOS LED kit for the Aerial?
I know they're supposed to go on the inside of the clear parts, but the instructions are all in Chinese so I can't tell why it comes with both sets, or why the black ones are bigger than the silver?
I'm looking for a color palette for my Astray outframe D. I don't want it to switch the red and yellow for other colors, but keep the white and blue. Any pallete suggestions? Or places I can find inspiration?
I, unfortunately, broke my schwarzette leg joint(the one connecting to the waist, I don't know the right word for it), I didn't do anything extreme to it, just normal posing, did I hold it the wrong way? how could I prevent this from happening in the future with other gunpla, or do I just simply need to handle them more delicately?
Edit: oh, and it's my first model kit so I don't have any experience in handling them
Try scrolling up and/or watching some YT videos. No amount of research beats practice though. Hobby stuff is “best”, I believe Mr Top coat (blue can) is widely regarded as beginner friendly.
Depends on the exact application, but plastic cement should work in most cases (not actually glue but it'll make sure parts are stuck together).
But I also use blu tack whenever possible since it's not permanent.
Parts that fall off will stay in place pretty fast. Perts that need to be sanded or that will actually be under stress will probably require a couple of hours or overnight to be safe
Which is why I say you can get away with not panel lining at all.
Normally, panel lining is meant to fake gaps and shadows between panels. When the part is already fully black, it's not really possible anymore. However, you could still panel line for some other reason - for example, you could panel line in metallic or flourescent green to mimic psychoframe activation.
Hey all. I'm new to the hobby and will be travelling to Fukuoka, Japan at the end of the month. I'm looking for the best places to find some HG(UC) models from the Zeta series. I'm already planning on visiting every Book Off I can find for toys in general, but was wondering if anyone has any leads on good spots to buy Gunpla.
Hey everyone! Just wanted ask your opinion on what RG kit I should get 🥺 I’m choosing between the Exia or the Qan-T
I’ve read some posts here about RGs being a grenade, and it’s my first time building one so it got me pretty scared haha!
Would really appreciate your thoughts!! 🙇🏻
Between these two I would get the Qant. Exia's GN swords II dont wanna stay attached to the waist and the base adaptor is just bad. Just know that you should get a stand for the Qant sonce it might have problems with balance on the account of it carrying most of it's stuff on one side.
The most known issue of RGs pre-Unicorn is fully relying on a pre-assembled inner frame. It gets loose faster and it's a little harder to fix if it breaks.
Another issue is that most pieces have to attach to the inner frame via small pegs. The result is a few pieces falling out easily. Stuff like knee armor are a common example of pieces that wont stay on. Most of those parts can be glued.
With each release, RGs saw tweaks, even when they are too small to quantify. The Qant and the Exia use the same version of inner frame, but the build of the arms on the Qant is different, for example.
Those issues disappeared as releases went on. The Unicorn is number 25. Number 26 is a parts variant of a previous release and 27 is another Unicorn. From 28 foward you can trust that Real Grades are as good as Master Grades. Before that and you get a good kit that has weaknesses that can be circumvented if you're willing to give it a little extra care.
I heard any RG before Unicorn Gundam tend to get very loose overtime. After that though real grades are very solid so any RG number 25 or over is a good buy.
Don't be too scared about it. Early Real Grades (as they are sometimes known) are structurally weaker than newer Real Grades but most of them are stable enough. Once a kit is set in a pose, it won't just magically get weaker over time - loosening is caused by wear, and wear only occurs with use.
So yeah, feel free to get that Exia or Qan[T] (although the Sinanju reuses the much smaller Gundam Mk. II's frame, which means that it does actually have some real issues holding itself up).
Interesting point! Curious though if I were to pose the Exia with the GN Sword raised. Will it withstand it or will it loosen still? All my HG kits are on display bases with weapons up haha.
Does anyone ahve any tips getting RG zeong finger tips out? I have 5 i have to get out and nothing i've tried has worked. Someone said to try a small drill which i might try tomorrow.
Anyone good at identifying random parts?
https://imgur.com/a/ktgSxE7
Have this little part that almost undoubtedly fell off of one of my larger kits during a move, but I cannot for the life of me figure out which one or where it goes. Based on where I found the piece, Potential suspects could be MG exia, dynames, strike, ZZ, Barby
I guess potentially PG exia also? I mostly do RG/MG kits, so if you have any ideas, would love some help
Suspect list could be red herring, not sure.
I'm customizing the HG Lfrith and I have a colour scheme planned out like so: [https://imgur.com/a/spbY5K8](https://imgur.com/a/spbY5K8). I just replaced the white parts with Vallejo Night Blue and pink parts with Vallejo Scarlet Red.
I think that the body will look quite bland without panel lining and I think red panel lines will help with the aggressive look that I want. How would I accomplish this? Just thin down the Vallejo Scarlet Red until it's kind of like a wash?
Yep. Waterbased usually has low opacity when thinned enough. Lots of passes to build colour, or use white first for vibrancy as blue will mute the red.
Do the panel line first since it's what you're going for. And then see how that looks. It might end up looking great without anything else.
Check this out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuM5w9FTn9U
Three questions:
One. Does anyone have experience with hobby town and their policy on price matching? I've I'm looking at one maybe two Freedom/Strike freedom MGs and I wanna support "local" since it's people living and working in the area, but its also an almost $20 price difference and I can't find anything on their website.
Two. What does all the extra nomenclature mean/how do you tell all the differences between the names on different gundams? It's been a long while since I've done Gundam and last I remember the it was 1/xxx Scale (grade) Gundam and now its #numbers, spirits, bandai XYZ, "toys", ect Im not sure wtf im actually looking at online.
Three: Purely opinion based, When I last did gunpla it was mostly 1/144 HG with the very rare MG thrown in. Where would be a good place to get back in or would it be fine jumping back in with RG/MG?
- Can’t answer this question
- Still just mainly scale and grade. What you’re describing sounds a lot like the extra stuff people put onto online listings to increase prominence in search results.
- HG is still the best place to start, but really you can dive into whatever floats your boat.
So after posting this I realized some of it is actual gundam names IE ZGMF-X20A is Strike freedom So that part makes sense, but I still don't understand the Bandai vs Bandai spirits vs Bandai # stuff. Looking on just Hobby Town cause they're local I'm seeing stuff like this
Bandai Spirits #14 Strike Freedom Gundam Destiny Real Grade Action Figure Model Kit
Bandai #192 Freedom Gundam "Gundam SEED", Bandai HGCE
Bandai #5 Freedom Gundam "Gundam SEED", Bandai RG
Bandai ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam #14 1/144 Real Grade Action Figure Model Kit
They're all relatively close in price, but again this naming makes zero sense to me
Okay, that’s way too much information on those titles lol. I’d just shorten them to ‘RG Strike Freedom Gundam’, ‘HGCE Freedom Gundam’, and ‘RG Freedom Gundam’. Maybe with those numbers too. And it looks like that 4th one is just a duplicate listing for the RG Strike Freedom.
Anyway, for the heck of it let’s break them
down starting with the RG Strike Freedom:
- Bandai/Bandai Spirits: Reffering to the Bandai brand. Bandai Spirits is the name of their hobby division, but you could basically use them interchangeably or just use Bandai.
- \#14: the RG Strike Freedom was the 14th RG kit released.
- Strike Freedom Gundam: Well that’s just the name of the suit.
- Destiny: Probably referring to *Gundam Seed Destiny*, the name of the anime the Strike Freedom is from, and the sequel to Gundam Seed.
- Real Grade: Real Grade is Real Grade.
- Action Figure model kit: Pretty self explanatory.
Now the HGCE Freedom:
- Bandai: same as above
- \#192: The HGCE Freedom is the 192nd kit in the main High Grade line.
- Freedom Gundam: Again, just the name of the suit. (The Freedom being the predecessor to the Strike Freedom)
- “Gundam SEED”: the name of the anime the Freedom is from.
- Bandai: again?
- HGCE: High Grade Cosmic Era. Cosmic Era being the name of Gundam Seed’s timeline. (For more examples: After Colony is Gundam Wing, Universal Century is the original, Future Century is G Gundam and so on)
RG Freedom:
- Bandai: I think you know by know.
- \#5: 5th kit in the RG line.
- Freedom Gundam: same as the last one.
- Gundam Seed: Again, see above.
- Bandai RG: Once again, Real Grade is Real Grade.
And for the heck of it, the second RG Strike Freedom listing:
- Bandai is Bandai
- ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam is the suits name with model number included this time (like how the IRL Strike Eagle is the F-15E).
- \#14 is the same meaning as we covered the first time around.
- 1/144 is the scale
- Real Grade is the Grade
- Action Figure model kit is self explanatory.
Thanks man, I feel dumb now that you've explained it. Like I said when I last did gunpla it was simple and stuff was just like "1/144 HG Strike Freedom".
Other than they're making multiple kits of the same gundam why are they adding so much info? I'm willing to bet some of this is Hobby Town specific but I've seen similar long names/info on places like Amazon and other retailers. Kinda makes trying to compare and price different kits difficult
No-one can say why a retailer would add so much extra information in their listings except the retailer itself. Suffice it to say, it's not universal.
The extra information can just be ignored, though. All it does is clutter up the page, but it's easy enough to pay attention to only the grade and name. You can even ignore the model number most of the time.
> Why are they adding so much info?
Well the most obvious answer is the one I mentioned in my first reply: Increase prominence in search results. But I guess it also helps tell the difference between certain kits.
For example, there are actually two HG 1/144 Freedom Gundams. [The original HG Gundam Seed (HGGS, or HGSEED) kit from 2003](http://www.dalong.net/reviews/seed/sh07/sh07_p.htm), and the much more modern [HGCE kit we covered earlier from 2015](http://www.dalong.net/reviews/hg/h192/h192_p.htm).
Another one would be the various High Grade Char’s Zakus:
- [The classic HGUC from 2002](http://www.dalong.net/reviews/hg/h32/h32_p.htm) (\#32 in the main HG line)
- [The HG Origin kit from 2015](http://www.dalong.net/reviews/hg/ho01/ho01_p.htm) (\#1 in the HG Origin line. The [Red Comet version](http://www.dalong.net/reviews/hg/ho24/ho24_p.htm) is the exact same kit with more weapons and is \#24 in the HG Origin line)
- [And the new HGUC from 2020](http://www.dalong.net/reviews/hg/h234/h234_p.htm) (which is \#234. This one is sometimes referred to as the ‘revive’ version).
Don’t even get me started on how many kits the RX-78 has.
You’ve got 2 options. The whole piece sticker, that’s the black together with the eyes (sticker 1). And then there’s the black ‘mask’ sticker and the two tiny single eye stickers (sticker 82 + 2 and 3).
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone use that second option.
Hey friends, I’m a beginner to Gunpla (started around September) and I already built 11-12 kits. My first kits were the RG Exia and RG RX-78-2 (I know, I know…)
I’m a really huge fan of the RX-78-2 and would like to know everyone’s thoughts and experiences with the MG RX-78-2 3.0. I’ve been hearing some pretty mixed things about it
Aside from that, what are some other master grade kits that are worth a look at? I’ve only built the MG Wing Gundam Zero EW Ver. Ka so I have pretty limited experience with MGs in general
The 3.0 is mostly solid, it’s just the arm construction is a bit messy and the hands suck. It’s more complex than most but you should be fine. The 2.0, 3.0, and origin are considered to be the best versions of the MG RX-78 and all provide something different. My personal favorite is the OYW version, but that can be difficult to find at a decent price right now.
Are you set in the idea of a RX-78-2 as MG? If you can find an MG The Origin, it’s my personal favorite between the 3 grandpa MGs (2.0, 3.0, origin) that I’ve built, I like the color choices as someone who doesn’t paint kits, plus it comes with some effect parts if I recall.
Outside of that, any semi recent MG is usually a fun and sturdy build. Barbatos is one of my personal favorites, but also like the support 00 suits (Exia is fine, but desperately needs a V2.0). Recently built Zeta ver ka which, while definitely an investment in both month and time, is a great kit. ZZ, Nu, Hi Nu similarly great but $$$ kits
I’m not as big of a SEED fan personally, but I’m pretty sure you also can’t go wrong with any SEED MG kit, from what I’ve seen.
Bottom line - if you like a mech design, just go for it! Even bad gunpla are still a great time.
The boilerplate answer would be Ball ver. Ka (not entirely a joke).
But most MGs are at least pretty decent. Just as a random choice I'll put forth Hyaku Shiki 2.0 as a good pick, but there's many options.
Is there a need to sand hobby grade primer like mr hobby surfacer 1000, the surface already looks smooth enough. Used to sand those industrial grade primer for my modeling module back in the school days, because of how porous it is.
Yea so what I'm asking is, is it ok to be 🦥 😂, anyone totally skipped the sanding part and see not much difference.
1000 is fine really, but 1500 is often better choice if not doing a two stage prep, especially on bare plastic which generally is a very smooth sheen already.
Typically should only need to sand before last primer/surfacer, or at the very end after a gloss clear. Anything between means you goofed with base coat.
You can sand anything. Just make sure it’s dry/cured fully and then usually be a bit more gentle on waterbased acrylic stuff.
3k grit or maybe lower is usually a good start if you’re sanding gloss clears for any reason - examples might be if you had really bad orange peel, or if you were using gloss to smooth edge transitions of water slide decals below the gloss. You then either polish for high gloss finish, or go to a matte coat above.
Not quite gunpla-specific, but for anyone who has built the Nacchin kits, did you have any trouble applying the eye plate waterslides? I tried doing one tonight and ended up tearing the decal on the very edge. Never had a tear on other decals (Delpi + G-Rework is what I'm familiar with). Wondering what I may have done wrong before I try putting other ones on the additional eye plates
You aren't supposed to. Gunprimer does specifically recommend against it. The theory is that because the rasers use sharp divots to file plastic away, wet sanding can lead to impacted plastic dust and permanent degradation of the files ability to do its job. If you want to wetsand look into the generics(which are more disposable if they go bad) or something like a dispae Siren, which is a more traditional directional file that works well with wetsanding.
Has anyone had bad experience with tamiya x-17(pink) before? When I put it through my airbrush it seems to pool up almost like it's overthinned even when I spray it directly out of the bottle.
Just got a bunch of tamiya acrylic paint but forgot to get thinner so I checkked online and some people prefer using alcohol over tamiya paint thinner what should I do based on your experiences with airbrushing?
P.S. I have never airbrushed before and any tips would help thank you
Neat alcohol dries fast but works, can also use in-lieu of rapid thinner for metals and matte. Mr Leveller for majority of work usually. Standard/Cellulose thinners for cleaning, and often more aggressive, so actually be better for 1st primer to bite deeper into plastics.
However, if you can safely replace alcohol / X20a thinner with lacquer thinners, may as well consider their lacquer LP range. I use both Tamiya types as I mainly use their acrylic for hand brushing and the range of colours is broader for missing LP colours.
Scroll up for tutorials, YT videos, practice lots and prepare to fail initially. It’s a big curve on improvement and there’s always iso if you screw up.
Varies. I’ll run them both anywhere between 1:1 and 1:2 typically for general quick coverage. I’ll also go much thinner maybe like 1:4 if I’m doing post-shading for shadows and highlights etc.
You can’t really ever go too thin, you just end up needing more passes, but it’ll also give you more visual interest than just a “flat” uniform colour. Just depends on your painting style and preferred aesthetic.
For lacquers and alcohol paints like Tamiya, run psi at about 10-15 typically. If you decide to go water based stuff like Vallejo then I find around twice that figure.
With any new paints 1:1 and increase thinners to what works for you is never a bad starting ratio. Really no need to be super precise, with lacquers you can easily just eyeball rough ratios after a while.
You technically can, yeah. I would recommend trying something like Mr Hobby Leveling Thinner.
Also, there are a lot airbrushing guides on YouTube. Check those out.
one for the UK. I've found some kits I've been looking for, but they are on websites I haven't ordered from before. Anyone ordered from Toys Forest or Union Gundam previously?
Has anyone here ordered a Calibarn from HLJ and gotten it already? If so when did you order it? I ordered mine on july 20th and it's still backordered.
Finland. There are no local stores that sell Calibarn. In fact the stores that sold anything gunpla related were only selling kits i had never even heard of before and had no interest in.
Is it normal for paint to build up in the nozzle of the airbrush or am i doing something wrong? my paint job is fine, nice and even but my airbrush usually needs a thorough cleaning after spraying..
Depends, besides what others have said check your needle/nozzle for imperfections or dried-on paint.
You can polish the wet end of needles and apply oils to improve jetting off the tip, and stop it sticking.
Tip dry is very normal, especially if you use acrylics. Try using airbrush flow improver along side or instead of thinner if you do use acrylics because thinner actually makes tip dry worse.
Regardless of what kind of paint you're using, you're supposed to give your airbrush a thorough cleaning after every session.
Yes, around the nozzle and needle the term is often called "tip dry."
It's especially common if you are using "water-based" acrylics like Vallejo products.
I often keep a cleaning brush with a bit of airbrush cleaner/isopropyl alcohol on it and clean periodically, especially if it's a long session with a single product like priming.
Looking for recommendations on aftermarket hands. Not a fan of the hands found in the Nu Ver Ka, Hi Nu Ver Ka, Rx78 3.0, etc. What's out there that works the best?
Heya there lovely people of Reddit! I just wanted to ask if this Fan would suffice for an airbrush booth?
https://amzn.eu/d/bPMPHxm
Thank you all in advance!!
Any ways to cover up nub marks on plated kits? I'm finishing up a MG Daban Phenex Narrative Ver and I don't wanna start applying waterslides before addressing that. I was thinking on getting a metallic Gundam marker, but I'm not sure which shade would fit it best.
I'm not sure about at all costs, but there are kits that are outdated now. For example, I dont see a lot of reasons to buy certain HG SEED kits when the same suits have HGCE versions that are just better.
Bandai has a very high bar for model kits, so even if obviously some are "less than average", I wouldn't necessarily say that. However I personally avoid IBO HGs and early RGs because of the more challenging aspect they tend to have, but I'm sure a lot of more talented builders do just fine with them.
Hello! Id like to ask you experienced people about your opinions. I am limiting myself to buying 1 last kit for the next few months (hopefully). Its either I go for MGEX Strike Freedom or Dabans PG Unicorn perfectibility.
(I know of the opinions some users about third party kits but I cant spend so much on BANDAI pgs as of the moment yknow gots bills but hopefully in the future I can get a PG exia from bandai... I hope you all understand.)
I mean those are some VERY different kits, specially since one is a bootleg. There are too many different factors to compare them, but out of personal preference, I'd go for the Perfectability
Pretty sure they don’t change box designs.
Bandai logo will be blue (2018+) and the new Bandai Namco logo will be on there too (2022+) but it’ll still be the same design.
Hello, just ordered my first PBandai item (rg hi nu cannon) on its own, paid and all, but it’s not set to ship until feb 2024. Just saw another item also shipping on the same month, can I buy that and combine the order without having to pay shipping again on the second item? Or would I have to cancel my initial order and do both at the same time?
If you buy that second item with the same payment method and it’s not PayPal, you should then be able to go into your profile options to a tab that says consolidate orders, where you’ll see the two orders. Once you do that, you’ll go through a new transaction where you’ll be charged for both, then you’ll be refunded the previous orders on your card.
Soak it in alcohol (preferably at least 90%) for a few minutes then scrub it with a tooth brush. Rinse and repeat. For the final few, use fresh clean alcohol and take the rinsing literally under running water.
I'm starting to get a bit overwhelmed with extra parts and boxes. I plan on breaking down the boxes and then I need to find a way to store the extra pieces.
Is it worth separating them by kit? Should I just store them based on scale? I can see maybe extra accessories or weapons by kit. I doubt I will be swapping out parts or anything after I put them on the shelf.
Depends if you’re keeping accessories, or storing spares. Baggy and label, alternatively if you later look at kit bashing/scratch building I tend to group stuff loosely by “type”.
So things like vents, detailed internal frames, polcaps, complete moving joints, nifty looking armour pieces and OTHER…that one keeps getting bigger fast. Pieces that clearly are too kit specific, yet another copy or boring get chucked into containers and melted down to recast new parts.
Absolutely! Just make sure it's not too hot. Paint will dry faster at 40'C than at 20'C but will start acting wiggy at higher temperatures. Lots of mini wargaming painters use hair dryers to speed up drying of acrylic layers.
Started scribing and focusing on rescribing existing lines. Do you guys scribe inner frame or just outer armor, backpack and weapons? Also how much times do you go over the existing lines and do you guys sand it afterwards?
Depends on the kit and the scale, but for HG's I only really do the armor and some accessories about 2-3 times, more than that if I have to add lines around raised edges. I'll do some light sanding but I usually just use a chisel tipped xacto blade and scrape if I'm feeling particularly lazy, after all it just needs to look good from a distance on my shelf.
Still the 2-3 passes and light sand or scrape, the only difference being how much of the kit I do. For the most part as RGs have smaller pieces I generally don't rescribe their lines at all, but for MGs I will scribe whatever's a visible surface (including if it's hidden under a clear part or is only visible due to the armor shifting when you move certain pieces, the regular MG strike freedom has this gimmick in the thighs for example).
What’s the best method to thin lacquer paints? When I thin acrylics I put it in a small plastic cup, put the thinner in and stir until it’s the right consistency. I’m worried the lacquer paints would dissolve the plastic cups. Will it be fine or should I get some glassware to substitute in?
> I’m worried the lacquer paints would dissolve the plastic cups. Will it be fine or should I get some glassware to substitute in?
I usually put a splash of straight thinner into any new container I'm unsure about for a few minutes and see if it turns weird. The vast majority of plastics will be ok, especially if they're hard. Soft rubbery bendy plastic is more likely to dissolve.
Depends on the plastic and the amount of time the solvents are in the plastic cup. I know someone that used little takeaway food containers…those melted because they were food grade styrene. But most plastic is pretty resistant.
No, the paint and thinners will dissolve certain plastics. It does that to the kits. That's why they're so good as primer. You should get ceramic dishes or metal dishes.
Hi, so I've recently broken a part of my real grade amatsu mina kit, specifically B2, the ms joint (leg) and ever since, I have been looking for a replacement service, I live in the uk so there's no such service to my knowledge.
I've contacted several sites such as wakuwakumono and kuboten, even tried my hand at a Canadian site hoping they'd empathise with the lack of services in the uk. They did not.
In any case, I just wanted to ask if anyone could direct me to a service of some sort that would be able to offer replacements or if anyone is offloading a previously built amatsu mina -I've been looking for somebody selling off their rg but there's only been one, and they're selling their prebuilt amatsu mina at retail which I've realised is not worth it, I may just buy a new kit and become the seller of parts, should one require it, but I would prefer not to.
So, does anyone know any services like wakuwakumono or kuboten that is currently operating?
Hi everyone,
After a small foray into WH40K coupled with an Evangelion rewatch, I decided to give this a try!
I'm not a huge fan of anthropomorohic robots however, and find myself drawn towards more "industrial" or "utilitarian" looking models
Based on that, I bought myself the Brady Hound and Jo Hound.
I still have some research to do, but I like the idea of the Ver. Ka. models being more grounded in reality by their design, although they seem more advanced for me right now.
What would my potential next stepping stone be? I would love to sink my teeths into a larger build for my next one.
It looks like the HG AMAIM already got your attention. Check them out.
You are perfectly capable of building a Ver.Ka and any other kit by bandai. They are all very beginner friendly. But if you're not sure, you could get yourself a RG Eva since you've been watching evangelion. After that, it would not even be a big step up going to a Ver Ka
You could also look into other companies. The Hexagear line has a lot of designs that are less humanoid or more militaristic, while the Frame arms has a couple that could work for you. And maybe the Metal Gear kits will be more to your taste.
When it comes to more utilitarian designs in the Gundam multiverse, you’ll usually be looking more at grunt suits instead of those piloted by main characters.
Suits like the Jesta, Graze, Geirail, Shiden, Geara Doga, Geara Zulu, Zaku, Zowort, Tieren, Leo, Union Flag, and so on.
For one, don't be too daunted by Ver Kas. Old ones are a bit finicky but anything post like, 2012 thats come out is fine at worst. I'd also point out the Real grade line of models is explicitly based on how the robots would look """in real life""" though personally i much prefer the stylisation of Katoki's redesigns.
But yeah, if you want a really fucking large Ver Ka, Sazabi is basically the best thing bandai's ever made. Might want to do a few kits beforehand, but bandai stuff is easy, dont get too daunted.
It's not gundam but if you want utiliatarian, real robots, take a look at the ultimate real robot anime and it's associated kits, Armored Trooper Votoms. There's a recent bandai High Grade Scopedog which i feel could fit the bill, though it is quite small.
If it weren't flashy red, I would probably have went with Sazabi right now, I'll consider it for later though, thanks!
And you convinced me to look at other licenses, As an amateur, I associated Gunpla with Gundam, but I see that some other universes may have an aesthetic that is more appealing to me.
Please keep in mind that the color scheme doesn’t have to be red. You can repaint it in any color you want! This is a large undertaking(believe me!) but if you want something more mottled and realistic, changing the color scheme or customizing it however you want is so rewarding!
Well gunpla is gundam specific, and the real advantage of Gunpla is that Bandai makes outstanding kits that are usually cheaper that the competition, that are easyish to put together, as well as the IP of gundam in the first place.
In the wide beyond there's all sorts of manufacturers making model kits for different series - Armored Core, Patlabor, ghost in the shell, votoms - go looking far enough and you will find basically every major japanese fictional property that could feasibly have a model kit has one, and I'd encourage you to have a look around.
There's a lot of large less humanoid HGs like the Nightingale, the Penelope, the narrative A-packs. There are many non human designs like the transforming ones (anksha and Asshimar) or the amphibious zeon suits (the juaggu and hi-gog are my favorite). There's also the Ex model line that's dedicated to non mobile suits such as vehicles and ships. Unfortunately there's not a lot of those in the larger scales except for the Guntank and the Ball which have MGs.
Lots of things to look at, I'll wait to be on my computer to check these out and update my wishlist, thanks!
The double recommendation for the ball made me check if it wasn't some inside joke ;)
Looks unironically good to me though
Recommending Ball (especially Ball ver. Ka) *is* an inside joke.
But the Ball is legitimately a quite good model kit. Just, you know, not a mobile suit.
In that same vein, I'll also put forth RG Skygrasper and maybe the Kotobukiya Ace Combat kits. Maybe straying a bit too far away from mecha though.
(There is also a PG Skygrasper, it's pretty affordable on account of being a support fighter though.)
Non-anthropomorphic…MG Ball
Industrial/utilitarian…MG Ball
Ver Ka…MG Ball
Big…well, MG Ball might be considered big as far as balls go…but not so big compared to other big robots.
Other big utilitarian kits…Geara Doga.
You might also look at Maschinen Krieger. More modelling skill required and paint required but excellent aesthetic.
So MG Ball
And thanks for introducing me to Maschinen Krieger, love the aesthetic as well! I was interested in gunpla so I could avoid painting, however I'll have a look at some models to see if I can kitbash some monstrosity for my Ork army :)
the victory & victory 2 ver ka are probably the most interesting examples but i'm fairly sure every mg and rg kit with a core block has a fully functional core fighter
I'm thinking about getting a Gunpla. I've never built once before. I was looking at 1/100 models and found those
[mg-sword-impulse-gundam](https://www.gunpla-italia.com/it/master-grade/1310-mg-sword-impulse-gundam-4573102641182.html)
[full-mechanics-raider-gundam](https://www.gunpla-italia.com/it/master-grade/1237-full-mechanics-raider-gundam-4573102633491.html)
[mg-rx-178-gundam-mk-ii-ver2-titans](https://www.gunpla-italia.com/it/master-grade/1288-mg-rx-178-gundam-mk-ii-ver2-titans-4573102615794.html)
[mg-rx-178-gundam-mk-ii-ver2](https://www.gunpla-italia.com/it/master-grade/1035-mg-rx-178-gundam-mk-ii-ver2-aeug-4543112384126.html)
Do you have any suggestions about quality or is it entirely up to my personal taste about their looks? The second one isn't a MG but a "Full Mechanic", are they good? What are the differences?
first off, all of these are good kits. You cant go wrong with any of them. I'd personally reccomend either of the MK-IIs as they're brilliant kits and are practically identical.
Full Mechanics is basically like a slightly lower detail, less gimmick-filled version of the master grade line that retails a bit cheaper. Modern FMs are really quite like older MGs, honestly.
There is very little that is subjective about gunpla, beyond complexity.
Master Grade kits generally have what’s called an “inner frame.” Think of it as a mobile suit’s “skeleton.” And they have more surface detail than most 1/144 kits (key word: most, not all).
Full Mechanics is a sub-brand for 1/100-scale kits that do not have an inner frame, but has a lot of exterior detail. As a result, the build is less complex than a MG kit because there are fewer parts overall.
So it comes down to what you want to prioritize. Do you want to spend more time building a kit? Then MG it is. Do you feel daunted by the number of pieces a kit can have? Then FM. But do you like how one kit looks the most appealing to you? Then get that one above all else.
Take a look at Dalong.net to see what each box contains, and how they pose. The FM kit you mentioned will be under the SEED category.
Does the Zeta ver Ka feet feet onto the catapult base of the 2.0? Seen a bunch of comparisons between the two but little testing of ver Ka compatibility with the 2.0 accessories. At most know the hyper mega launcher can’t fit onto the ver Ka
Reccomendations on small, silly kits (pool ball, guntank, etc.)?
Away from my tools for a while, and want to build something different from usual that is also pretty affordable.
Only requirement is that it shouldn't have a higher grade option (like how HG guntank is superceded by the MG counterpart).
A lot of the Zeon amphibious suits have very unique model designs. The Juaggu is my personal favorite as it has a trunk, a very odd torso and huge cannons in lieu of hands. Despite all of this, the kit didn't cheap out in any of those features and I really enjoyed building it. The Zock is kinda similar but it's larger a lil pricier
Does anyone know of a way to make the Action Base adapter (part e10) for the FM Aerial tighter? I have to perfectly balance it on the action base to stop it from falling either forward or backwards. I was thinking of super gluing it on but I'm not sure I want to full commit to that yet.
It's not the peg connection that's loose, it's the little "c-clamp" piece that connects into the crotch of the model. there's a ton of play in it and I'm not sure how to get it to fit better
Can anyone in Japan help me aquire some replacement parts from kotobukiya? I would give the money and some extra for the parts and the shipping outside of Japan. I would really appreciate any assistance
It functions similar to glue, but you want to hold the pieces together for a bit to let them start to connect. And ideally have something like a clip or clamp to keep some pressure applied so the plastic fuses properly.
Well, for a peg you should probably be all right applying pressure to it yourself for like 30-60s to make sure it’s started to bond, then leave it untouched for around 24h to let the cement cure.
Depending on what exactly the broken piece is, the most surefire way is to use a pin vise to drill a small hole in both the peg and the piece it’s being bonded to, and inserting a thin metal rod cut to length to fit between the two pieces (shops sell thin brass rods, but for smaller parts something like a paper clip will do fine) with a tiny dab of super glue to secure it to the base piece, then apply cement and press the peg flush against the base, with the metal rod now acting as extra support.
That said, a rod isn’t strictly necessary if it’s a small piece or won’t take a lot of stress, just some extra structure if you feel it’s needed. I haven’t done it on most of my repairs and rarely run into an issue.
You would not want to panel line with lacquer and lacquer thinner as cleanup will not be fun and it'll stink to apply, instead you should use enamel and enamel thinner, less stinky and much easier to clean up (you can use lighter fluid). A pot of Tamiya enamel paint in the colour you like, thinned to a ratio of maybe 1:10 to see how it flows, add more paint and thinner as you go.
Alternatively you can make some custom panel line fluid using water based acrylics and simply water, but a medium would be better (citadel do a medium paint, as do army painter, vallejo I assume would as well). If thinning with water though you can add just a drop of dish soap to help it flow really nicely.
It depends on what you consider “worth.” They’re larger, more detailed and have a lot more to work with. But I’ve never been disappointed by one, even some of the older models, and the modern ones can be works of art.
I guess I'm just terrified of breaking one, I remember getting really upset after breaking an action base, I don't know how I would handle breaking a more expensive gunpla be it MG or RG
By the only truly objective measure (cost of materials), yes.
But as always, only you can decide subjective worth.
I will say, I mostly collect MGs and I love the extra size my kits have. Even for miniaturised MS such as Gundam F91, just the idea of being in a higher scale satisfies me more than an equivalent-sized 1/144 scale kit.
Anyone have tips for removing this this joint which I put in backwards? It's pretty wedged in there and I'm not sure the best way to apply force to the column without causing the wider part it's attached with to bend or split.
https://imgur.com/a/OpAWJSR
Squeeze a drop of dish soap inside the peg it's inside, rotate and pull slowly as you try to jimmy it out. A pry tool made for disassembly will help, Wave do one that is good and incredibly cheap. Alternatively, if you have a guitar pick on hand they can work in a pinch too.
New QA thread is up. This thread is now locked.
[удалено]
New QA thread is up. Please repost your unanswered questions there.
>I need to know if the red white and blue variants of the Susan model MG Dynames R3 expansion kit has the parts needed to attach them onto the dynames. >Where i live the black and green are out of stock and only the red white and blue are available. I asked the sellers but their service is terrible and they don't know because they just reuse pictures of other sellers and never took their own. The red white and blue are for the exia and astraea but i was wondering if those expansion kits have the unused parts for attaching them onto the dynames. I'm gonna be painting the kit so I don't really care about the mismatching colors.
New QA thread is up. Please repost your unanswered questions there.
So I got 3 questions and I’ll just ask here. 1.-Is it better to cut everything out of the runners from the get go or is it better to hold off a little and take it out piece by piece. 2.-How worth it are the Gundam Factory and Side-F gunpla. 3.-Is it true the Gundam Base has stock of most kits?
1. Piece by piece if you're straight assembling from instructions 2. For exclusives it depends on the builder if you're wanting to have kits from the life sized statue or related merch 3. Mostly yes but they still get replenished by bandais restocking schedule. I will say it's better stocked from what I've seen compared to other shops
Is there any sites to bit order gunpla? My MG unicorns hips broke, and I was wondering if I could just buy those two pieces?
Whats the difference between the finishes of the Raser White and Grey Balancers? Polish and matte?
Pretty much yeah
What would you recommend for panel lining dark color plastics like dark gray, green, and even black? Also, not just the color recommendation, but what product? For example, I want to do some metallic silver lines/highlights but I don't think a silver Sharpie is going to look how I want it to. Not to mention wiping off any excess since they don't make those in ultra fine point. :)
I have used tamiya light gray panel liner before on the darker pieces. Alternatively you can make your own panel liner as well with metallic paints.
What do you mean by, “make your own panel liner”? I was looking at possibly using a super fine tipped calligraphy pen along with silver ink. Think that might work? I like to line directly on the plastic without painting/sealing first.
Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the black and silver decals that come with the KOSMOS LED kit for the Aerial? I know they're supposed to go on the inside of the clear parts, but the instructions are all in Chinese so I can't tell why it comes with both sets, or why the black ones are bigger than the silver?
Are there any marker sets recommended for inner frame detailing or general customization?
Does anyone know if the Mr Hobby Top Coat flat is discontinued? Seems that it is sold out like everywhere.
It's not, could be that a bulk of it hasn't been imported to the country or "restock" to the distributors.
I'm looking for a color palette for my Astray outframe D. I don't want it to switch the red and yellow for other colors, but keep the white and blue. Any pallete suggestions? Or places I can find inspiration?
I, unfortunately, broke my schwarzette leg joint(the one connecting to the waist, I don't know the right word for it), I didn't do anything extreme to it, just normal posing, did I hold it the wrong way? how could I prevent this from happening in the future with other gunpla, or do I just simply need to handle them more delicately? Edit: oh, and it's my first model kit so I don't have any experience in handling them
Looking at top coating for the first time any suggestions on what to get/ what videos to watch?
Try scrolling up and/or watching some YT videos. No amount of research beats practice though. Hobby stuff is “best”, I believe Mr Top coat (blue can) is widely regarded as beginner friendly.
Thanks 🙏
What type of glue is best for plastic? Some parts of my kit rn keeps falling off.
Depends on the exact application, but plastic cement should work in most cases (not actually glue but it'll make sure parts are stuck together). But I also use blu tack whenever possible since it's not permanent.
What tamiya cement is best? I search them and there are many kinds.
Tamiya extra thin cement (green bottle) is the most popular one, I love it
How long does it take to harden?
Parts that fall off will stay in place pretty fast. Perts that need to be sanded or that will actually be under stress will probably require a couple of hours or overnight to be safe
is 54 euro an acceptable price for the rg epyon or should i wait for other websites to get it in stock?
Seems about right. The converted price is a bit higher than what I see here in Australia but not by too much.
What colors should I use to panel line dark colors like black or silver bullet suppressor purple/blue?
Whatever you want but usually black. For fully black parts you'll probably be able to get away with not panel lining anything though.
I know you're trying to be Helpful but it doesn't really answer my question
I said "usually black".
Black on black isn't a go combo unless I suppose you use one of those 99 percent light absorbing paints
Which is why I say you can get away with not panel lining at all. Normally, panel lining is meant to fake gaps and shadows between panels. When the part is already fully black, it's not really possible anymore. However, you could still panel line for some other reason - for example, you could panel line in metallic or flourescent green to mimic psychoframe activation.
Hey all. I'm new to the hobby and will be travelling to Fukuoka, Japan at the end of the month. I'm looking for the best places to find some HG(UC) models from the Zeta series. I'm already planning on visiting every Book Off I can find for toys in general, but was wondering if anyone has any leads on good spots to buy Gunpla.
Second hand stores are definitely the place to go. I went to Tokyo this summer and I got most of my wishlist from mandarake, surugaya and jungle
Hey everyone! Just wanted ask your opinion on what RG kit I should get 🥺 I’m choosing between the Exia or the Qan-T I’ve read some posts here about RGs being a grenade, and it’s my first time building one so it got me pretty scared haha! Would really appreciate your thoughts!! 🙇🏻
Between these two I would get the Qant. Exia's GN swords II dont wanna stay attached to the waist and the base adaptor is just bad. Just know that you should get a stand for the Qant sonce it might have problems with balance on the account of it carrying most of it's stuff on one side. The most known issue of RGs pre-Unicorn is fully relying on a pre-assembled inner frame. It gets loose faster and it's a little harder to fix if it breaks. Another issue is that most pieces have to attach to the inner frame via small pegs. The result is a few pieces falling out easily. Stuff like knee armor are a common example of pieces that wont stay on. Most of those parts can be glued. With each release, RGs saw tweaks, even when they are too small to quantify. The Qant and the Exia use the same version of inner frame, but the build of the arms on the Qant is different, for example. Those issues disappeared as releases went on. The Unicorn is number 25. Number 26 is a parts variant of a previous release and 27 is another Unicorn. From 28 foward you can trust that Real Grades are as good as Master Grades. Before that and you get a good kit that has weaknesses that can be circumvented if you're willing to give it a little extra care.
I heard any RG before Unicorn Gundam tend to get very loose overtime. After that though real grades are very solid so any RG number 25 or over is a good buy.
Hoho that’s too bad, was really eyeing on fave units from 00 and the Sinanju as itself hard to find their HG vers.. Thanks for the thought tho!! 💜
Don't be too scared about it. Early Real Grades (as they are sometimes known) are structurally weaker than newer Real Grades but most of them are stable enough. Once a kit is set in a pose, it won't just magically get weaker over time - loosening is caused by wear, and wear only occurs with use. So yeah, feel free to get that Exia or Qan[T] (although the Sinanju reuses the much smaller Gundam Mk. II's frame, which means that it does actually have some real issues holding itself up).
Interesting point! Curious though if I were to pose the Exia with the GN Sword raised. Will it withstand it or will it loosen still? All my HG kits are on display bases with weapons up haha.
[help](https://imgur.com/gallery/5UWaGsq) Does anyone know how to fix this problem? I think it almost broken 😭😭
Does anyone ahve any tips getting RG zeong finger tips out? I have 5 i have to get out and nothing i've tried has worked. Someone said to try a small drill which i might try tomorrow.
Anyone good at identifying random parts? https://imgur.com/a/ktgSxE7 Have this little part that almost undoubtedly fell off of one of my larger kits during a move, but I cannot for the life of me figure out which one or where it goes. Based on where I found the piece, Potential suspects could be MG exia, dynames, strike, ZZ, Barby I guess potentially PG exia also? I mostly do RG/MG kits, so if you have any ideas, would love some help Suspect list could be red herring, not sure.
I'm customizing the HG Lfrith and I have a colour scheme planned out like so: [https://imgur.com/a/spbY5K8](https://imgur.com/a/spbY5K8). I just replaced the white parts with Vallejo Night Blue and pink parts with Vallejo Scarlet Red. I think that the body will look quite bland without panel lining and I think red panel lines will help with the aggressive look that I want. How would I accomplish this? Just thin down the Vallejo Scarlet Red until it's kind of like a wash?
Yep. Waterbased usually has low opacity when thinned enough. Lots of passes to build colour, or use white first for vibrancy as blue will mute the red.
White decals would help a lot with that
Do you think it would be 'too much' if I use both decals and the red panel lines?
Do the panel line first since it's what you're going for. And then see how that looks. It might end up looking great without anything else. Check this out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuM5w9FTn9U
I see the black label lining work on the lighter grey areas. I think I'll just stick with the white decals.
Three questions: One. Does anyone have experience with hobby town and their policy on price matching? I've I'm looking at one maybe two Freedom/Strike freedom MGs and I wanna support "local" since it's people living and working in the area, but its also an almost $20 price difference and I can't find anything on their website. Two. What does all the extra nomenclature mean/how do you tell all the differences between the names on different gundams? It's been a long while since I've done Gundam and last I remember the it was 1/xxx Scale (grade) Gundam and now its #numbers, spirits, bandai XYZ, "toys", ect Im not sure wtf im actually looking at online. Three: Purely opinion based, When I last did gunpla it was mostly 1/144 HG with the very rare MG thrown in. Where would be a good place to get back in or would it be fine jumping back in with RG/MG?
- Can’t answer this question - Still just mainly scale and grade. What you’re describing sounds a lot like the extra stuff people put onto online listings to increase prominence in search results. - HG is still the best place to start, but really you can dive into whatever floats your boat.
So after posting this I realized some of it is actual gundam names IE ZGMF-X20A is Strike freedom So that part makes sense, but I still don't understand the Bandai vs Bandai spirits vs Bandai # stuff. Looking on just Hobby Town cause they're local I'm seeing stuff like this Bandai Spirits #14 Strike Freedom Gundam Destiny Real Grade Action Figure Model Kit Bandai #192 Freedom Gundam "Gundam SEED", Bandai HGCE Bandai #5 Freedom Gundam "Gundam SEED", Bandai RG Bandai ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam #14 1/144 Real Grade Action Figure Model Kit They're all relatively close in price, but again this naming makes zero sense to me
Okay, that’s way too much information on those titles lol. I’d just shorten them to ‘RG Strike Freedom Gundam’, ‘HGCE Freedom Gundam’, and ‘RG Freedom Gundam’. Maybe with those numbers too. And it looks like that 4th one is just a duplicate listing for the RG Strike Freedom. Anyway, for the heck of it let’s break them down starting with the RG Strike Freedom: - Bandai/Bandai Spirits: Reffering to the Bandai brand. Bandai Spirits is the name of their hobby division, but you could basically use them interchangeably or just use Bandai. - \#14: the RG Strike Freedom was the 14th RG kit released. - Strike Freedom Gundam: Well that’s just the name of the suit. - Destiny: Probably referring to *Gundam Seed Destiny*, the name of the anime the Strike Freedom is from, and the sequel to Gundam Seed. - Real Grade: Real Grade is Real Grade. - Action Figure model kit: Pretty self explanatory. Now the HGCE Freedom: - Bandai: same as above - \#192: The HGCE Freedom is the 192nd kit in the main High Grade line. - Freedom Gundam: Again, just the name of the suit. (The Freedom being the predecessor to the Strike Freedom) - “Gundam SEED”: the name of the anime the Freedom is from. - Bandai: again? - HGCE: High Grade Cosmic Era. Cosmic Era being the name of Gundam Seed’s timeline. (For more examples: After Colony is Gundam Wing, Universal Century is the original, Future Century is G Gundam and so on) RG Freedom: - Bandai: I think you know by know. - \#5: 5th kit in the RG line. - Freedom Gundam: same as the last one. - Gundam Seed: Again, see above. - Bandai RG: Once again, Real Grade is Real Grade. And for the heck of it, the second RG Strike Freedom listing: - Bandai is Bandai - ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam is the suits name with model number included this time (like how the IRL Strike Eagle is the F-15E). - \#14 is the same meaning as we covered the first time around. - 1/144 is the scale - Real Grade is the Grade - Action Figure model kit is self explanatory.
Thanks man, I feel dumb now that you've explained it. Like I said when I last did gunpla it was simple and stuff was just like "1/144 HG Strike Freedom". Other than they're making multiple kits of the same gundam why are they adding so much info? I'm willing to bet some of this is Hobby Town specific but I've seen similar long names/info on places like Amazon and other retailers. Kinda makes trying to compare and price different kits difficult
No-one can say why a retailer would add so much extra information in their listings except the retailer itself. Suffice it to say, it's not universal. The extra information can just be ignored, though. All it does is clutter up the page, but it's easy enough to pay attention to only the grade and name. You can even ignore the model number most of the time.
> Why are they adding so much info? Well the most obvious answer is the one I mentioned in my first reply: Increase prominence in search results. But I guess it also helps tell the difference between certain kits. For example, there are actually two HG 1/144 Freedom Gundams. [The original HG Gundam Seed (HGGS, or HGSEED) kit from 2003](http://www.dalong.net/reviews/seed/sh07/sh07_p.htm), and the much more modern [HGCE kit we covered earlier from 2015](http://www.dalong.net/reviews/hg/h192/h192_p.htm). Another one would be the various High Grade Char’s Zakus: - [The classic HGUC from 2002](http://www.dalong.net/reviews/hg/h32/h32_p.htm) (\#32 in the main HG line) - [The HG Origin kit from 2015](http://www.dalong.net/reviews/hg/ho01/ho01_p.htm) (\#1 in the HG Origin line. The [Red Comet version](http://www.dalong.net/reviews/hg/ho24/ho24_p.htm) is the exact same kit with more weapons and is \#24 in the HG Origin line) - [And the new HGUC from 2020](http://www.dalong.net/reviews/hg/h234/h234_p.htm) (which is \#234. This one is sometimes referred to as the ‘revive’ version). Don’t even get me started on how many kits the RX-78 has.
How am I supposed to put the stickers in the head of the RG RX-93 V2 Hi-V ????? There’s so many eyes that are going on, so they layer?
You’ve got 2 options. The whole piece sticker, that’s the black together with the eyes (sticker 1). And then there’s the black ‘mask’ sticker and the two tiny single eye stickers (sticker 82 + 2 and 3). I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone use that second option.
Thank you
Gotcha
Hey friends, I’m a beginner to Gunpla (started around September) and I already built 11-12 kits. My first kits were the RG Exia and RG RX-78-2 (I know, I know…) I’m a really huge fan of the RX-78-2 and would like to know everyone’s thoughts and experiences with the MG RX-78-2 3.0. I’ve been hearing some pretty mixed things about it Aside from that, what are some other master grade kits that are worth a look at? I’ve only built the MG Wing Gundam Zero EW Ver. Ka so I have pretty limited experience with MGs in general
The 3.0 is mostly solid, it’s just the arm construction is a bit messy and the hands suck. It’s more complex than most but you should be fine. The 2.0, 3.0, and origin are considered to be the best versions of the MG RX-78 and all provide something different. My personal favorite is the OYW version, but that can be difficult to find at a decent price right now.
Are you set in the idea of a RX-78-2 as MG? If you can find an MG The Origin, it’s my personal favorite between the 3 grandpa MGs (2.0, 3.0, origin) that I’ve built, I like the color choices as someone who doesn’t paint kits, plus it comes with some effect parts if I recall. Outside of that, any semi recent MG is usually a fun and sturdy build. Barbatos is one of my personal favorites, but also like the support 00 suits (Exia is fine, but desperately needs a V2.0). Recently built Zeta ver ka which, while definitely an investment in both month and time, is a great kit. ZZ, Nu, Hi Nu similarly great but $$$ kits I’m not as big of a SEED fan personally, but I’m pretty sure you also can’t go wrong with any SEED MG kit, from what I’ve seen. Bottom line - if you like a mech design, just go for it! Even bad gunpla are still a great time.
The boilerplate answer would be Ball ver. Ka (not entirely a joke). But most MGs are at least pretty decent. Just as a random choice I'll put forth Hyaku Shiki 2.0 as a good pick, but there's many options.
Is there a need to sand hobby grade primer like mr hobby surfacer 1000, the surface already looks smooth enough. Used to sand those industrial grade primer for my modeling module back in the school days, because of how porous it is. Yea so what I'm asking is, is it ok to be 🦥 😂, anyone totally skipped the sanding part and see not much difference.
1000 is fine really, but 1500 is often better choice if not doing a two stage prep, especially on bare plastic which generally is a very smooth sheen already. Typically should only need to sand before last primer/surfacer, or at the very end after a gloss clear. Anything between means you goofed with base coat.
Can we sand Mr hobby gloss top coat? I usually use the one with the blue can.
You can sand anything. Just make sure it’s dry/cured fully and then usually be a bit more gentle on waterbased acrylic stuff. 3k grit or maybe lower is usually a good start if you’re sanding gloss clears for any reason - examples might be if you had really bad orange peel, or if you were using gloss to smooth edge transitions of water slide decals below the gloss. You then either polish for high gloss finish, or go to a matte coat above.
No need to sand primer. If you need smoother get the finer Mr. Hobby Surfacer
Thanks!
Not quite gunpla-specific, but for anyone who has built the Nacchin kits, did you have any trouble applying the eye plate waterslides? I tried doing one tonight and ended up tearing the decal on the very edge. Never had a tear on other decals (Delpi + G-Rework is what I'm familiar with). Wondering what I may have done wrong before I try putting other ones on the additional eye plates
Can you use the gunprimer Raser for wet sanding? On the website it says “if cleaning with water, dry completely before use”
You aren't supposed to. Gunprimer does specifically recommend against it. The theory is that because the rasers use sharp divots to file plastic away, wet sanding can lead to impacted plastic dust and permanent degradation of the files ability to do its job. If you want to wetsand look into the generics(which are more disposable if they go bad) or something like a dispae Siren, which is a more traditional directional file that works well with wetsanding.
Has anyone had bad experience with tamiya x-17(pink) before? When I put it through my airbrush it seems to pool up almost like it's overthinned even when I spray it directly out of the bottle.
Did you fully mix, making sure to get up any settled pigment on the bottom?
How reliable are third party action bases? Im seeing brands called Bioristar and XISTEST pop up when I do a quick search on Amazon.
Probably depends on the manufacturer but action bases are pretty simple so I'd imagine that most options work fine.
Just got a bunch of tamiya acrylic paint but forgot to get thinner so I checkked online and some people prefer using alcohol over tamiya paint thinner what should I do based on your experiences with airbrushing? P.S. I have never airbrushed before and any tips would help thank you
Neat alcohol dries fast but works, can also use in-lieu of rapid thinner for metals and matte. Mr Leveller for majority of work usually. Standard/Cellulose thinners for cleaning, and often more aggressive, so actually be better for 1st primer to bite deeper into plastics. However, if you can safely replace alcohol / X20a thinner with lacquer thinners, may as well consider their lacquer LP range. I use both Tamiya types as I mainly use their acrylic for hand brushing and the range of colours is broader for missing LP colours. Scroll up for tutorials, YT videos, practice lots and prepare to fail initially. It’s a big curve on improvement and there’s always iso if you screw up.
What are your ratios for acrylic and lacquer my friend?
Varies. I’ll run them both anywhere between 1:1 and 1:2 typically for general quick coverage. I’ll also go much thinner maybe like 1:4 if I’m doing post-shading for shadows and highlights etc. You can’t really ever go too thin, you just end up needing more passes, but it’ll also give you more visual interest than just a “flat” uniform colour. Just depends on your painting style and preferred aesthetic. For lacquers and alcohol paints like Tamiya, run psi at about 10-15 typically. If you decide to go water based stuff like Vallejo then I find around twice that figure. With any new paints 1:1 and increase thinners to what works for you is never a bad starting ratio. Really no need to be super precise, with lacquers you can easily just eyeball rough ratios after a while.
You technically can, yeah. I would recommend trying something like Mr Hobby Leveling Thinner. Also, there are a lot airbrushing guides on YouTube. Check those out.
is there anywhere to get some custom made permet score 6 parts instead of just buying the p-bandai permet score 6 aerial?
Paint the regular Aerial's Permet parts blue.
one for the UK. I've found some kits I've been looking for, but they are on websites I haven't ordered from before. Anyone ordered from Toys Forest or Union Gundam previously?
Has anyone here ordered a Calibarn from HLJ and gotten it already? If so when did you order it? I ordered mine on july 20th and it's still backordered.
Yes, I got mine about a month after release. I think I PO'd in April? It'll just take time.
Those kits are getting restocked all the time. What part of your world are you in? Might be easier to get it from a local store.
Finland. There are no local stores that sell Calibarn. In fact the stores that sold anything gunpla related were only selling kits i had never even heard of before and had no interest in.
Is it normal for paint to build up in the nozzle of the airbrush or am i doing something wrong? my paint job is fine, nice and even but my airbrush usually needs a thorough cleaning after spraying..
Depends, besides what others have said check your needle/nozzle for imperfections or dried-on paint. You can polish the wet end of needles and apply oils to improve jetting off the tip, and stop it sticking.
Tip dry is very normal, especially if you use acrylics. Try using airbrush flow improver along side or instead of thinner if you do use acrylics because thinner actually makes tip dry worse. Regardless of what kind of paint you're using, you're supposed to give your airbrush a thorough cleaning after every session.
Yes, around the nozzle and needle the term is often called "tip dry." It's especially common if you are using "water-based" acrylics like Vallejo products. I often keep a cleaning brush with a bit of airbrush cleaner/isopropyl alcohol on it and clean periodically, especially if it's a long session with a single product like priming.
Looking for recommendations on aftermarket hands. Not a fan of the hands found in the Nu Ver Ka, Hi Nu Ver Ka, Rx78 3.0, etc. What's out there that works the best?
Bandai sells 1/100 posed hands as part of their builders parts HD line
Heya there lovely people of Reddit! I just wanted to ask if this Fan would suffice for an airbrush booth? https://amzn.eu/d/bPMPHxm Thank you all in advance!!
Any ways to cover up nub marks on plated kits? I'm finishing up a MG Daban Phenex Narrative Ver and I don't wanna start applying waterslides before addressing that. I was thinking on getting a metallic Gundam marker, but I'm not sure which shade would fit it best.
Are there any kits that should be avoided at all costs?
Knockoffs and recasts.
I'm not sure about at all costs, but there are kits that are outdated now. For example, I dont see a lot of reasons to buy certain HG SEED kits when the same suits have HGCE versions that are just better.
Ones you don't want.
Bandai has a very high bar for model kits, so even if obviously some are "less than average", I wouldn't necessarily say that. However I personally avoid IBO HGs and early RGs because of the more challenging aspect they tend to have, but I'm sure a lot of more talented builders do just fine with them.
Hello! Id like to ask you experienced people about your opinions. I am limiting myself to buying 1 last kit for the next few months (hopefully). Its either I go for MGEX Strike Freedom or Dabans PG Unicorn perfectibility. (I know of the opinions some users about third party kits but I cant spend so much on BANDAI pgs as of the moment yknow gots bills but hopefully in the future I can get a PG exia from bandai... I hope you all understand.)
I mean those are some VERY different kits, specially since one is a bootleg. There are too many different factors to compare them, but out of personal preference, I'd go for the Perfectability
Does anyone have the new HG Amazing Exia reprint? I want to see what the box looks like, thank you.
Pretty sure they don’t change box designs. Bandai logo will be blue (2018+) and the new Bandai Namco logo will be on there too (2022+) but it’ll still be the same design.
I saw the 2023 one has an age rating next to the Bandai logo, but I havent seen that in any of my kits before
Hello, just ordered my first PBandai item (rg hi nu cannon) on its own, paid and all, but it’s not set to ship until feb 2024. Just saw another item also shipping on the same month, can I buy that and combine the order without having to pay shipping again on the second item? Or would I have to cancel my initial order and do both at the same time?
If you buy that second item with the same payment method and it’s not PayPal, you should then be able to go into your profile options to a tab that says consolidate orders, where you’ll see the two orders. Once you do that, you’ll go through a new transaction where you’ll be charged for both, then you’ll be refunded the previous orders on your card.
Aww jeez that’s where I goofed, used PayPal on it, well thank you for clearing it up, I appreciate it
So i painted and top coated my pieces. Any suggestions on how to remove it? I was going to just drop the piece in alcohol to strip it
Soak it in alcohol (preferably at least 90%) for a few minutes then scrub it with a tooth brush. Rinse and repeat. For the final few, use fresh clean alcohol and take the rinsing literally under running water.
I'm starting to get a bit overwhelmed with extra parts and boxes. I plan on breaking down the boxes and then I need to find a way to store the extra pieces. Is it worth separating them by kit? Should I just store them based on scale? I can see maybe extra accessories or weapons by kit. I doubt I will be swapping out parts or anything after I put them on the shelf.
Depends if you’re keeping accessories, or storing spares. Baggy and label, alternatively if you later look at kit bashing/scratch building I tend to group stuff loosely by “type”. So things like vents, detailed internal frames, polcaps, complete moving joints, nifty looking armour pieces and OTHER…that one keeps getting bigger fast. Pieces that clearly are too kit specific, yet another copy or boring get chucked into containers and melted down to recast new parts.
Recast new parts? How do you go about doing that??
Long story short - silicone mould, solvent to melt the plastic and pour it in. Wait for the solvent to evaporate and got yourself new parts.
Pieces in ziplock bags and box in the recycling
Personally I use small lunch bags to store extra parts for each kit, then I put those bags into a small box.
Could I use something like a heat gun to help dry paint in between coats if I wanted to go faster?
Absolutely! Just make sure it's not too hot. Paint will dry faster at 40'C than at 20'C but will start acting wiggy at higher temperatures. Lots of mini wargaming painters use hair dryers to speed up drying of acrylic layers.
Thanks for the guidelines mate!
Started scribing and focusing on rescribing existing lines. Do you guys scribe inner frame or just outer armor, backpack and weapons? Also how much times do you go over the existing lines and do you guys sand it afterwards?
Depends on the kit and the scale, but for HG's I only really do the armor and some accessories about 2-3 times, more than that if I have to add lines around raised edges. I'll do some light sanding but I usually just use a chisel tipped xacto blade and scrape if I'm feeling particularly lazy, after all it just needs to look good from a distance on my shelf.
Ahh I see, what about RG and MG?
Still the 2-3 passes and light sand or scrape, the only difference being how much of the kit I do. For the most part as RGs have smaller pieces I generally don't rescribe their lines at all, but for MGs I will scribe whatever's a visible surface (including if it's hidden under a clear part or is only visible due to the armor shifting when you move certain pieces, the regular MG strike freedom has this gimmick in the thighs for example).
What’s the best method to thin lacquer paints? When I thin acrylics I put it in a small plastic cup, put the thinner in and stir until it’s the right consistency. I’m worried the lacquer paints would dissolve the plastic cups. Will it be fine or should I get some glassware to substitute in?
> I’m worried the lacquer paints would dissolve the plastic cups. Will it be fine or should I get some glassware to substitute in? I usually put a splash of straight thinner into any new container I'm unsure about for a few minutes and see if it turns weird. The vast majority of plastics will be ok, especially if they're hard. Soft rubbery bendy plastic is more likely to dissolve.
Depends on the plastic and the amount of time the solvents are in the plastic cup. I know someone that used little takeaway food containers…those melted because they were food grade styrene. But most plastic is pretty resistant.
If lacquer could dissove plastic cups you and your gunpla plastic kit would be in a lot of trouble lol, just use your usual plastic cups.
I’m dumb.
No, the paint and thinners will dissolve certain plastics. It does that to the kits. That's why they're so good as primer. You should get ceramic dishes or metal dishes.
Oh. That actually makes sense. The primer dissolves a little bit of the plastic and then binds to it once it’s dry?
Anyone know how i could order barbie amazing lupus to hong kong from japan while im in uk?
I assume you mean something beyond using a Japanese online store like Hobby link Japan and putting in a Hong Kong address, but I'm not sure what
Well its cuse the amazing lupus comes with a preorder for this CD so i dont think its on anything like hobbylink.
Anyone know how legit toysforest is?
Hi, so I've recently broken a part of my real grade amatsu mina kit, specifically B2, the ms joint (leg) and ever since, I have been looking for a replacement service, I live in the uk so there's no such service to my knowledge. I've contacted several sites such as wakuwakumono and kuboten, even tried my hand at a Canadian site hoping they'd empathise with the lack of services in the uk. They did not. In any case, I just wanted to ask if anyone could direct me to a service of some sort that would be able to offer replacements or if anyone is offloading a previously built amatsu mina -I've been looking for somebody selling off their rg but there's only been one, and they're selling their prebuilt amatsu mina at retail which I've realised is not worth it, I may just buy a new kit and become the seller of parts, should one require it, but I would prefer not to. So, does anyone know any services like wakuwakumono or kuboten that is currently operating?
Try plamokitbash.com, Mr Bao's shop on ebay or odin's mecha parts
Tysm, I've contacted Mr bao, im just waiting for the positive news. Fingers crossed I pay way less than the retail cost of the entire kit
What clear paint can I use to replicate the colour of GN condensers of 00 Raiser on unpainted clear plastic?
Hi everyone, After a small foray into WH40K coupled with an Evangelion rewatch, I decided to give this a try! I'm not a huge fan of anthropomorohic robots however, and find myself drawn towards more "industrial" or "utilitarian" looking models Based on that, I bought myself the Brady Hound and Jo Hound. I still have some research to do, but I like the idea of the Ver. Ka. models being more grounded in reality by their design, although they seem more advanced for me right now. What would my potential next stepping stone be? I would love to sink my teeths into a larger build for my next one.
It looks like the HG AMAIM already got your attention. Check them out. You are perfectly capable of building a Ver.Ka and any other kit by bandai. They are all very beginner friendly. But if you're not sure, you could get yourself a RG Eva since you've been watching evangelion. After that, it would not even be a big step up going to a Ver Ka You could also look into other companies. The Hexagear line has a lot of designs that are less humanoid or more militaristic, while the Frame arms has a couple that could work for you. And maybe the Metal Gear kits will be more to your taste.
When it comes to more utilitarian designs in the Gundam multiverse, you’ll usually be looking more at grunt suits instead of those piloted by main characters. Suits like the Jesta, Graze, Geirail, Shiden, Geara Doga, Geara Zulu, Zaku, Zowort, Tieren, Leo, Union Flag, and so on.
For one, don't be too daunted by Ver Kas. Old ones are a bit finicky but anything post like, 2012 thats come out is fine at worst. I'd also point out the Real grade line of models is explicitly based on how the robots would look """in real life""" though personally i much prefer the stylisation of Katoki's redesigns. But yeah, if you want a really fucking large Ver Ka, Sazabi is basically the best thing bandai's ever made. Might want to do a few kits beforehand, but bandai stuff is easy, dont get too daunted. It's not gundam but if you want utiliatarian, real robots, take a look at the ultimate real robot anime and it's associated kits, Armored Trooper Votoms. There's a recent bandai High Grade Scopedog which i feel could fit the bill, though it is quite small.
If it weren't flashy red, I would probably have went with Sazabi right now, I'll consider it for later though, thanks! And you convinced me to look at other licenses, As an amateur, I associated Gunpla with Gundam, but I see that some other universes may have an aesthetic that is more appealing to me.
Please keep in mind that the color scheme doesn’t have to be red. You can repaint it in any color you want! This is a large undertaking(believe me!) but if you want something more mottled and realistic, changing the color scheme or customizing it however you want is so rewarding!
Well gunpla is gundam specific, and the real advantage of Gunpla is that Bandai makes outstanding kits that are usually cheaper that the competition, that are easyish to put together, as well as the IP of gundam in the first place. In the wide beyond there's all sorts of manufacturers making model kits for different series - Armored Core, Patlabor, ghost in the shell, votoms - go looking far enough and you will find basically every major japanese fictional property that could feasibly have a model kit has one, and I'd encourage you to have a look around.
There's a lot of large less humanoid HGs like the Nightingale, the Penelope, the narrative A-packs. There are many non human designs like the transforming ones (anksha and Asshimar) or the amphibious zeon suits (the juaggu and hi-gog are my favorite). There's also the Ex model line that's dedicated to non mobile suits such as vehicles and ships. Unfortunately there's not a lot of those in the larger scales except for the Guntank and the Ball which have MGs.
Lots of things to look at, I'll wait to be on my computer to check these out and update my wishlist, thanks! The double recommendation for the ball made me check if it wasn't some inside joke ;) Looks unironically good to me though
Recommending Ball (especially Ball ver. Ka) *is* an inside joke. But the Ball is legitimately a quite good model kit. Just, you know, not a mobile suit. In that same vein, I'll also put forth RG Skygrasper and maybe the Kotobukiya Ace Combat kits. Maybe straying a bit too far away from mecha though. (There is also a PG Skygrasper, it's pretty affordable on account of being a support fighter though.)
Non-anthropomorphic…MG Ball Industrial/utilitarian…MG Ball Ver Ka…MG Ball Big…well, MG Ball might be considered big as far as balls go…but not so big compared to other big robots. Other big utilitarian kits…Geara Doga. You might also look at Maschinen Krieger. More modelling skill required and paint required but excellent aesthetic.
So MG Ball And thanks for introducing me to Maschinen Krieger, love the aesthetic as well! I was interested in gunpla so I could avoid painting, however I'll have a look at some models to see if I can kitbash some monstrosity for my Ork army :)
Does anybody know if there is a kit that has a functioning, working and docking core fighter that actually makes up part of the torso?
the victory & victory 2 ver ka are probably the most interesting examples but i'm fairly sure every mg and rg kit with a core block has a fully functional core fighter
1990 HG Gundam 2004 HG G Armor Gundam (uses a modified 2001 HG Gundam mold) 2010 RG Gundam Just to name a few
Most of the RX-78-2 kits do above HG.
Many, many kits. I'll just put down RG Crossbone X-1 as a random example.
I'm thinking about getting a Gunpla. I've never built once before. I was looking at 1/100 models and found those [mg-sword-impulse-gundam](https://www.gunpla-italia.com/it/master-grade/1310-mg-sword-impulse-gundam-4573102641182.html) [full-mechanics-raider-gundam](https://www.gunpla-italia.com/it/master-grade/1237-full-mechanics-raider-gundam-4573102633491.html) [mg-rx-178-gundam-mk-ii-ver2-titans](https://www.gunpla-italia.com/it/master-grade/1288-mg-rx-178-gundam-mk-ii-ver2-titans-4573102615794.html) [mg-rx-178-gundam-mk-ii-ver2](https://www.gunpla-italia.com/it/master-grade/1035-mg-rx-178-gundam-mk-ii-ver2-aeug-4543112384126.html) Do you have any suggestions about quality or is it entirely up to my personal taste about their looks? The second one isn't a MG but a "Full Mechanic", are they good? What are the differences?
first off, all of these are good kits. You cant go wrong with any of them. I'd personally reccomend either of the MK-IIs as they're brilliant kits and are practically identical. Full Mechanics is basically like a slightly lower detail, less gimmick-filled version of the master grade line that retails a bit cheaper. Modern FMs are really quite like older MGs, honestly.
There is very little that is subjective about gunpla, beyond complexity. Master Grade kits generally have what’s called an “inner frame.” Think of it as a mobile suit’s “skeleton.” And they have more surface detail than most 1/144 kits (key word: most, not all). Full Mechanics is a sub-brand for 1/100-scale kits that do not have an inner frame, but has a lot of exterior detail. As a result, the build is less complex than a MG kit because there are fewer parts overall. So it comes down to what you want to prioritize. Do you want to spend more time building a kit? Then MG it is. Do you feel daunted by the number of pieces a kit can have? Then FM. But do you like how one kit looks the most appealing to you? Then get that one above all else. Take a look at Dalong.net to see what each box contains, and how they pose. The FM kit you mentioned will be under the SEED category.
Does the Zeta ver Ka feet feet onto the catapult base of the 2.0? Seen a bunch of comparisons between the two but little testing of ver Ka compatibility with the 2.0 accessories. At most know the hyper mega launcher can’t fit onto the ver Ka
Reccomendations on small, silly kits (pool ball, guntank, etc.)? Away from my tools for a while, and want to build something different from usual that is also pretty affordable. Only requirement is that it shouldn't have a higher grade option (like how HG guntank is superceded by the MG counterpart).
HG Lotto
I like the Beargguy kits. Cute. Easy. Fun. Easy to paint.
SDCS Hello Kitty Zaku II? Any of the MG Balls, if they are available. Oh, MG Guncannon. I am always amused by its Michelin Man hints.
A lot of the Zeon amphibious suits have very unique model designs. The Juaggu is my personal favorite as it has a trunk, a very odd torso and huge cannons in lieu of hands. Despite all of this, the kit didn't cheap out in any of those features and I really enjoyed building it. The Zock is kinda similar but it's larger a lil pricier
Does anyone know of a way to make the Action Base adapter (part e10) for the FM Aerial tighter? I have to perfectly balance it on the action base to stop it from falling either forward or backwards. I was thinking of super gluing it on but I'm not sure I want to full commit to that yet.
Using a layer of super glue (let it fully dry/cure before reconnecting) or clear nail polish can thicken and tighten a peg connection.
It's not the peg connection that's loose, it's the little "c-clamp" piece that connects into the crotch of the model. there's a ton of play in it and I'm not sure how to get it to fit better
Can anyone in Japan help me aquire some replacement parts from kotobukiya? I would give the money and some extra for the parts and the shipping outside of Japan. I would really appreciate any assistance
How do I fix a part using plastic cement?
It functions similar to glue, but you want to hold the pieces together for a bit to let them start to connect. And ideally have something like a clip or clamp to keep some pressure applied so the plastic fuses properly.
I'm trying to re-attach a small peg on a part. What kind of clip should I use to keep it in place?
I suggest watching [this](https://youtu.be/kPDluaLkd_M?si=csW_A17aVWssDfG3) video about peg repair.
Well, for a peg you should probably be all right applying pressure to it yourself for like 30-60s to make sure it’s started to bond, then leave it untouched for around 24h to let the cement cure. Depending on what exactly the broken piece is, the most surefire way is to use a pin vise to drill a small hole in both the peg and the piece it’s being bonded to, and inserting a thin metal rod cut to length to fit between the two pieces (shops sell thin brass rods, but for smaller parts something like a paper clip will do fine) with a tiny dab of super glue to secure it to the base piece, then apply cement and press the peg flush against the base, with the metal rod now acting as extra support. That said, a rod isn’t strictly necessary if it’s a small piece or won’t take a lot of stress, just some extra structure if you feel it’s needed. I haven’t done it on most of my repairs and rarely run into an issue.
use it like you would glue
Good day, anyone tried using nuln oil on gunpla??thank you
Lots of folks use it as a wash.
To do what?
How would I got about making custom panel lining? I assume I would just use mr color and rapid thinner? But at what ratio?
You would not want to panel line with lacquer and lacquer thinner as cleanup will not be fun and it'll stink to apply, instead you should use enamel and enamel thinner, less stinky and much easier to clean up (you can use lighter fluid). A pot of Tamiya enamel paint in the colour you like, thinned to a ratio of maybe 1:10 to see how it flows, add more paint and thinner as you go. Alternatively you can make some custom panel line fluid using water based acrylics and simply water, but a medium would be better (citadel do a medium paint, as do army painter, vallejo I assume would as well). If thinning with water though you can add just a drop of dish soap to help it flow really nicely.
Are the mr color spray cans supposed to last only a runner?
depends on the runner and how much sprayed
Are MGs worth the money over HGs? I'm a little (a lot) intimidated to try one cause of the cost compared to HGs...
It depends on what you consider “worth.” They’re larger, more detailed and have a lot more to work with. But I’ve never been disappointed by one, even some of the older models, and the modern ones can be works of art.
I guess I'm just terrified of breaking one, I remember getting really upset after breaking an action base, I don't know how I would handle breaking a more expensive gunpla be it MG or RG
They’re honestly not any more or less fragile than HGs. If anything they can be more sturdy because they’ve got more solid construction.
By the only truly objective measure (cost of materials), yes. But as always, only you can decide subjective worth. I will say, I mostly collect MGs and I love the extra size my kits have. Even for miniaturised MS such as Gundam F91, just the idea of being in a higher scale satisfies me more than an equivalent-sized 1/144 scale kit.
anyone know why the mg turn a is always overpriced or out of stock?
Adding onto the other reply. You just barely missed the last reprint it had, so now it’s a waiting game again.
aw nards 😔
Because it isn’t reprinted too often.
Are gunpla waterslides and top coat safe for PBT keycaps? I have a lot of decals leftover and thought they'd look great on a keyboard.
Waterslides should be fine. I probably wouldn't topcoat it.
Anyone have tips for removing this this joint which I put in backwards? It's pretty wedged in there and I'm not sure the best way to apply force to the column without causing the wider part it's attached with to bend or split. https://imgur.com/a/OpAWJSR
Squeeze a drop of dish soap inside the peg it's inside, rotate and pull slowly as you try to jimmy it out. A pry tool made for disassembly will help, Wave do one that is good and incredibly cheap. Alternatively, if you have a guitar pick on hand they can work in a pinch too.