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Plastic Scale Modelling |OT| Gunpla and Everything Else
- Thread starter erd
- Start date
5 months in to the hobby, and I've been loving it so far. Definitely making loads of mistakes still (the Leo NPD I posted earlier in the thread has sadly been destroyed by my inept attempts at removing paint) but learning as I go. Watching loads of YouTube tutorials and makers to help. Even moved on to my first RG, and managed to not totally mess that up! Gonna be trying some panel lining, painting and weathering soon, and have for plans for a bunch of IBO Graze 1/144s to paint and customize into a Tekkadan Kill Team and to try and kitbash a Hyakuri into a ground type (without that maaasive backpack booster).
Still have a couple of other IBO HG kits to build up, and my RG Gundam 00 Raiser has still been unopened but here's some pics of what I've got so far.
A mish mash of series old and new.
My first RG (stickers still in progress, and def needs some panel lining) Wing Gundam EW
My IBO lot. Love the Graze so much, such a great design.
Still have a couple of other IBO HG kits to build up, and my RG Gundam 00 Raiser has still been unopened but here's some pics of what I've got so far.
A mish mash of series old and new.
My first RG (stickers still in progress, and def needs some panel lining) Wing Gundam EW
My IBO lot. Love the Graze so much, such a great design.
I've seen them at B&N but the closest store is an hour away so I tend not to be at one. About the only time I stop in is when there is a national boardgame clearance going on.
I was on a gunpla online store a bit ago and saw some of the G Gundam models. I was surprised to see newer HG kits and even more surprised at the amount of MG kits and that there was a Spiegal kit. I probably won't get into G Gundam kits too much though because Shining, Burning, and Master Gundam aren't really suits I'm fan of. If they made a Master Grade Gundam Rose though, I'd buy it. I'll have to try my hand at some HG kits though. Initially I thought I'd stay away from them and stick to MG or higher but I have heard that HG kits have improved a bit in complexity and a lot in quality since the early 2000's kits I remember building.
Bought the kit I was talking about and just got home with it. I'll order some tools and Gundam pens off Amazon tonight at work and start it in a few days.
What's the best starter tool kit on Amazon? I'm trying to decide between https://www.amazon.com/Gundam-Modeler-Assemble-Building-Alemon/dp/B01D1JYXKO and this https://www.amazon.com/Tamiya-TAM74016-Basic-Tool-Set/dp/B01AND0FRG. I know Tamiya is something of a brand name, but the set is more expensive and doesn't include as much stuff.
I don't suppose anyone knows a paint that matches or is close to the hull colour of a TOS starship Enterprise?
The guide says to mix 3 different paints for the right colour, but aside from getting the measurements of all 3 the correct ratio, it's quite a large model and I'd either have to mix way too much paint to be on the safe side, or attempt to re-mix the same shade as it cannot all be painted at once (and I doubt I can mix the same from 3 paints twice or more).
It's a Revell model so they obviously not recommending other brands paints.
The guide says to mix 3 different paints for the right colour, but aside from getting the measurements of all 3 the correct ratio, it's quite a large model and I'd either have to mix way too much paint to be on the safe side, or attempt to re-mix the same shade as it cannot all be painted at once (and I doubt I can mix the same from 3 paints twice or more).
It's a Revell model so they obviously not recommending other brands paints.
Haze grey from tamiya looked pretty close, just iff of memory though, I could be wrong
Seems like a lot of Gundam Markers on Amazon are not sold by anyone in the US so I might be waiting several weeks for some of them. Total last night though I ordered the following:
-A 21pc tool set with hobby knife and blades, a ton of files, nippers, and more
-A Sparkle Green Action Base 2 (I figure that green should go well with the almost aqua-colored greens of the 00 Qan[T])
-A Gundam Marker Basic set
-A Gundam Marker Pouring Inking set
-A GM01 Black Fine Line and GM02 Gray Fine Line set
-A single Black Pour-type Gundam Marker
Some of it will take a while to get here but the tool kit, base, and fine line pens will be here in the next few days. The tool kit gets here tomorrow in fact, so I'll be starting my build probably tomorrow night at work.
-A 21pc tool set with hobby knife and blades, a ton of files, nippers, and more
-A Sparkle Green Action Base 2 (I figure that green should go well with the almost aqua-colored greens of the 00 Qan[T])
-A Gundam Marker Basic set
-A Gundam Marker Pouring Inking set
-A GM01 Black Fine Line and GM02 Gray Fine Line set
-A single Black Pour-type Gundam Marker
Some of it will take a while to get here but the tool kit, base, and fine line pens will be here in the next few days. The tool kit gets here tomorrow in fact, so I'll be starting my build probably tomorrow night at work.
Way too dark, that more likely to look right on the aircraft carrier named Enterprise.
I wondered if anyone had an AMT or Polar Lights Enterprise and what those say for paint colour.
lol, I know. Not like I don't have enough other hobbies that I've been neglecting. I've got a problem with jumping in really deep to new stuff too. I've always wanted a nice Wing Zero model though and when I saw pictures of the feather base and the model displayed on it I was immediately sold. Moments ago I grabbed the base from Big Bad Toy Store and I just got the model from USA Gundam Store (saw they had a 15% off promo code floating around) and it all came out to be cheaper in total than Amazon and it won't take weeks to arrive (looks like most of the kits and bases on Amazon aren't fulfilled by Amazon and are shipped from Japan).
I should have my 00 finished by the time Wing Zero shows up, if I do in fact get started on it tonight. The prospects of that are looking slim though because my coworker and I have been watching Bleach at work for the past few weeks and right before leaving this morning we cleared the Sword Beast Hunt filler arc and are back to the main story now. So I'm hyped about watching it. But if I don't start it tonight then the odds are that I won't get to it this weekend due to the big Apex Legends update.
But I don't see myself getting too many gunpla kits too fast. I want to get the MG Epyon at some point soon and then the only other kit that I would really want is the MG Plan303E Deep Striker, and that is over $150 so I'm in no rush to get it quickly. Luckily most of the kits at my local board game store are HG kits (and I don't really want to buy any HG kits) or Unicorn kits (and I don't really like the Unicorn anime, though the MG RX-0 Full Armor Unicorn Ver.Ka they have sitting on the shelf does look pretty impressive).
I should have my 00 finished by the time Wing Zero shows up, if I do in fact get started on it tonight. The prospects of that are looking slim though because my coworker and I have been watching Bleach at work for the past few weeks and right before leaving this morning we cleared the Sword Beast Hunt filler arc and are back to the main story now. So I'm hyped about watching it. But if I don't start it tonight then the odds are that I won't get to it this weekend due to the big Apex Legends update.
But I don't see myself getting too many gunpla kits too fast. I want to get the MG Epyon at some point soon and then the only other kit that I would really want is the MG Plan303E Deep Striker, and that is over $150 so I'm in no rush to get it quickly. Luckily most of the kits at my local board game store are HG kits (and I don't really want to buy any HG kits) or Unicorn kits (and I don't really like the Unicorn anime, though the MG RX-0 Full Armor Unicorn Ver.Ka they have sitting on the shelf does look pretty impressive).
Wow, lucky to see this thread. I'm considering getting back into modeling. I just want to expand into creating dioramas and such instead. Have ton of WW1/2 models I have done, might convert into a diorama later.
However I want to start out big. Anyone have good links to buy Godzilla related kits? Or things based on monsters etc? Maybe can even go Gundam...
However I want to start out big. Anyone have good links to buy Godzilla related kits? Or things based on monsters etc? Maybe can even go Gundam...
I want to eventually make dioramas as well, I see it as the final stage of modeling, like the natural end point, haha. Post your models, would love to see them!
Godzilla models don't release often, they are usually expensive and don't seem to get restocked with any regularity.
Example of regular Godzilla out of stock. https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=FIGURE-024408
Available kit, not Godzilla but Mecha-Godzilla. https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=TOY-RBT-4780
I really have no idea how good or bad any of these really are. Scales for those two might be far too small for your purpose.
An enormous 1/80 kit is eye-wateringly expensive. https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=FIGURE-029930
Regarding Godzilla since it was part of my last buying spree...
For scale (doubled shipping costs for me):
Not actually that many parts, still 16 page manual though:
But this is one kit which wants to be painted, since the runners are essentially black or the other color:
It looks better if hit by a bright light though:
I hope the plastic will not be too brittle once I get the courage to build (or rather paint) it :|
For scale (doubled shipping costs for me):
Not actually that many parts, still 16 page manual though:
But this is one kit which wants to be painted, since the runners are essentially black or the other color:
It looks better if hit by a bright light though:
I hope the plastic will not be too brittle once I get the courage to build (or rather paint) it :|
Kit box sizes can be deceptive. When I finished building Kotobukiya's AGNI, I couldn't believe that with a box that's the size of a Master Grade, the final product wasn't taller than a High Grade. I have to admit that it is very wide, though.
You'll have to allow me to double post.
The gunpla section of HLJ's summer sale is live. https://hlj.com/summer-sale-2019-07gun
I've gotten myself a Grimoire Red Beret, a Geara Ghirarga and a Z'Gok E.
The gunpla section of HLJ's summer sale is live. https://hlj.com/summer-sale-2019-07gun
I've gotten myself a Grimoire Red Beret, a Geara Ghirarga and a Z'Gok E.
I bought the first one you linked when I was starting out. It served me fine for my first few kits, but be advised that the knife blades are pretty thin and liable to break off at the tip. I ended up upgrading the knife and nippers in due time.
Thanks. I'll probably get that kit to start. It's hard to say no to that many supplies, regardless of quality, for that price.
Just got my EX-S / S Gundam Mastergrade and this thing is a MONSTER!
I have a question though for you guys before I start assemblying: For panel lining, should I buy a grey pen and line before I assemble and just do it on the sprues? or is it okay to do so after assembly?
I have a question though for you guys before I start assemblying: For panel lining, should I buy a grey pen and line before I assemble and just do it on the sprues? or is it okay to do so after assembly?
Has anyone here built any of the Space Battleship Yamato kits? Thinking about getting the 1/500 scale Yamato 2199 kit, it looks like a beast.
This is just me but I do it like this: I'll build the torso then panel line/decal, build the head and panel line/decal before attaching to the torso, ect. I do that with each individual part before putting the whole kit together.
This is just me but I do it like this: I'll build the torso then panel line/decal, build the head and panel line/decal before attaching to the torso, ect. I do that with each individual part before putting the whole kit together.
I have also been doing that recently and it works pretty well. Just pay attention to the parts you're building, if you notice one part you want to panel line that's going to get a bit covered, you should remember to panel line it before proceeding with the build. Same with the stickers really, if you plan to use them.
I panel line piece by piece just after I've cut it from the runner and cleaned the nubs. Sometimes I may panel just after assembling a couple of pieces if proper alignment is important but I avoid delaying it to bigger parts like arms, torso, etc. because I hate it when a panel line is hard to reach with the marker but still clearly visible.
I panel line before cutting it off the sprues. I do all the panel lines for the whole kit at the same time this way. I'll touch it up a bit later when I finish the kit and see if I missed a line due to it being inaccessible due to nubs.
Mild Update/Question
I fucked up making the G-Core of the S Gundam, thankfully I'm making EX-S, but did anyone else have trouble with this part that I marked with arrows? Can I still use the normal G-Core on the Display Stand or do I need the other things on it to look right?
I fucked up making the G-Core of the S Gundam, thankfully I'm making EX-S, but did anyone else have trouble with this part that I marked with arrows? Can I still use the normal G-Core on the Display Stand or do I need the other things on it to look right?
I mean taking things pretty slow with my RG 00 Qan[T]. I just finished up the left and right frame legs and then packed it away for the day. I'm having a blast with it though. So many of the little moveable parts of the joints and things on the frame that slide around as the leg moves are just too cool. Despite most of the frame not really being something that is seen on the completed model, I'm still going slow and trying to trim everything up perfectly. The practice will be worth it once I get to exterior armor pieces, I think.
Some notes on things from what I've done so far:
-It may just be that the new blades on the hobby knife I bought are not sharp or are dull because they were so cheap, but I'm having a lot of trouble trimming nubs and flash off. I saw several videos were people drug the hobby knife blade across that area and likened it to shaving but letting the blade do the work and not pulling too hard. Well I pretty much have to saw the pieces off. I thought about leaving a little bit there and then wet-sanding it down but when I went to Lowes and saw how much sandpaper was I said "Forget that." Sandpaper was sold in packs of three sheets and it was $6 a pack. I figured I'd get 1000, 1500, and 2000, and then maybe like a 600 grit also for when I've left a lot of material, but even with a military discount that's close to $20 for not that much sandpaper.
-What I've ended up doing is cutting super-close to the piece with the sidecutters/nippers. I imagine that these nippers don't compare at all to a pair of Godhand nippers (wish I had a set of those) but they are working very well. The HG kits I built as a teen saw me using nail clippers, the hobby knife, and wire-cutters, which did a number on the plastic. These nippers I got in my tool kits are probably a really cheap pair but they are getting flush to the piece and leaving really tidy cuts with no stress marks. I just drag the knife over the area afterwards and it is looking great. I wish I had a pair of these when I was younger...
-All of the little pairs of fine-point tweezers in my tool kit are a life-saver for applying stickers and decals. I've applied stickers to a lot of different wooden board game components over recent years and I dread doing it because I always go too far to one side of a component and they end up looking bad. Tweezers are helping me line things up perfectly and then drop them down.
I'm taking a few pics as a I go. Maybe I'll post them all up once I'm finished? Like I said, I'm taking it slow and don't feel anxious about wanting to go faster or finish it, despite my Wing Zero for my second build showing up in the mail today. I'm having a blast. I really love slow repetitive tasks like this that require attention to detail. It reminds me of when I was in Korea and would volunteer to clean everyone's rifles after an exercise because it was a task that allowed me to clear my mind and zone out a bit while still dedicating myself to the task.
Some notes on things from what I've done so far:
-It may just be that the new blades on the hobby knife I bought are not sharp or are dull because they were so cheap, but I'm having a lot of trouble trimming nubs and flash off. I saw several videos were people drug the hobby knife blade across that area and likened it to shaving but letting the blade do the work and not pulling too hard. Well I pretty much have to saw the pieces off. I thought about leaving a little bit there and then wet-sanding it down but when I went to Lowes and saw how much sandpaper was I said "Forget that." Sandpaper was sold in packs of three sheets and it was $6 a pack. I figured I'd get 1000, 1500, and 2000, and then maybe like a 600 grit also for when I've left a lot of material, but even with a military discount that's close to $20 for not that much sandpaper.
-What I've ended up doing is cutting super-close to the piece with the sidecutters/nippers. I imagine that these nippers don't compare at all to a pair of Godhand nippers (wish I had a set of those) but they are working very well. The HG kits I built as a teen saw me using nail clippers, the hobby knife, and wire-cutters, which did a number on the plastic. These nippers I got in my tool kits are probably a really cheap pair but they are getting flush to the piece and leaving really tidy cuts with no stress marks. I just drag the knife over the area afterwards and it is looking great. I wish I had a pair of these when I was younger...
-All of the little pairs of fine-point tweezers in my tool kit are a life-saver for applying stickers and decals. I've applied stickers to a lot of different wooden board game components over recent years and I dread doing it because I always go too far to one side of a component and they end up looking bad. Tweezers are helping me line things up perfectly and then drop them down.
I'm taking a few pics as a I go. Maybe I'll post them all up once I'm finished? Like I said, I'm taking it slow and don't feel anxious about wanting to go faster or finish it, despite my Wing Zero for my second build showing up in the mail today. I'm having a blast. I really love slow repetitive tasks like this that require attention to detail. It reminds me of when I was in Korea and would volunteer to clean everyone's rifles after an exercise because it was a task that allowed me to clear my mind and zone out a bit while still dedicating myself to the task.
While it could be that your hobby knife blades are less sharp than ideal, even with a sharp blade the "shaving" technique works better when there's not much of the nub left as you've already found out.
However, going to close with the nippers can leave holes where the nub used to be, specially in connection points that are large, less so on small connections.
The trick is to leave enough plastic so that you don't damage the actual part but not so much that makes the shaving motion difficult.
I think why using the nippers so close has been working so well is because so many parts I've cut so far have had the connection parts taper and narrow down almost to a thin flat line where it meets up with the piece. On pieces where the connection point is thicker, I plan to stay away from cutting so close to the part because I imagine that is where most of the risk of 'sqeezing' the plastic rather than chopping through it and leaving stress marks comes from.
What you want to do is have two pairs of nippers - an ok/decent pair (i use Xurons for this) and a pair of sharper/finer ones (like god hands, etc). You use the OK piece to snip the piece off the runner, but don't make a very close cut. Leave a bunch of nub. Then use your GOOD pair to cut close to the piece. this works especially well for smaller pieces like those found in RGs. Also remember to keep your hand holding the piece still while cutting so you dont torque the piece away from the nippers while cutting, that will give you a nasty hole where the nub was
another thing - if you do get some really fine nippers like godhands, etc. Be careful with them, especially how you store them and handle them when you are not cutting because they are EXTREMELY easy to break.
So my cousin got me the RG 00 Qan[T] Full Saber Clear Color edition as a gift. It's the kit seen here.
Any advice on actually building something with clear parts and making it look good? Pitfalls to watch for? Does it even need to be panel lined or top coated?
Definitely a no on the panel lining.
Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I've been holding the piece as I cut, so no holes yet. Getting a second set of nippers sounds like a good idea though. A pair of Godhands would be nice (not only just because they are supposed to be great but also because I love the game God Hand, so the name makes me want them even more) but I think the price for them that I saw on Amazon was like $55? I haven't checked any Gundam retailers yet to see if that is just an overinflated Amazon price for something probably shipping from Japan, or if that is the regular price they sell for. I'd rather just get two more Real Grade kits at that price, lol.
And double-post, but I wanted to share some pics from this morning. I sat down at about 4AM to do a little work on the 00 Qan[T] after building the frame legs yesterday.i built the frame torso, and then decided to do the arms, and then decided to put some armor on the legs, and then next thing I knew it was 6 hours later and I forced myself to get to a stopping point and pack it away. If I hadn't, I would have kept going all day and I need to get sleep sometime before work tonight. Also my son woke up and he's two, so as soon as he sees all of my stuff sprawled out on the table his eyes light up and he starts wanting to grab sprues.
I'm just floored by how posable these RG kits are. The amount of cool action positions the frame can get itself into is crazy. I had a blast just posing it different ways and taking pictures.
Anyway, here's what's up so far, what I did yesterday and this morning. I'm pretty bummed that the white pieces that come off of different sprues are not the same shade of white, the 'D' sprues that hold a lot of the leg armor pieces is more of a bright white compared to some of the other pieces, and it is noticeable on the legs. Also I had a hard time getting the calf armor under the knees to mate up; the bottom part kind of fits a little bit under the shin armor that is already there. It took a while to get the right leg but it all worked out. The left leg is a different story. I tried to force them together as hard as I could but there is a noticeable gap running down the from of the shin area where the R and L calf pieces clip together. Right inside that is a sliding piece that allows the lower leg to move and it was hard to get the pieces over that. What's more is that the shin armor below that section now also has a pretty noticeable panel gap. It's pretty disappointing. I took the shin off multiple times but I can't get it to look good. I didn't take the calf pieces off though because they were hard enough to get on in the first place.
Only mistakes I've made so far is I placed the wrong side's stickers under the wrist domes on the arms. I put the left sticker on the right arm and the right one on the left arm. The only thing that means is that the text inside, that is too small to read anyway, is slanted the wrong direction. Not a problem or the end of the world by any means, but I was hoping to get through this error-free. I'm not beating myself up over it or anything though; it's the most-minor of errors.
Here's what I accomplished yesterday, the left and right frame legs:
My workspace at the dinner table:
After I assembled the torso I stuck the legs on. The torso was so quick I decided to do some more though.
He has arms now:
The arms went so quick that I decided 'hey, why not do one let's worth of armor?'
It looked so cool with armor on the leg that I decided 'hey, why not do another leg?' In the following two pics you can see the gaps I was talking about on the left lower leg pieces:
It looked so great with both legs done and it didn't look like the torso had many armor pieces, so I decided to go ahead and do those:
The left leg's left and right calf armor that didn't mate correctly and has a big gap going down the center of the shin is pretty visible in the above pic as well.
Welp, that was my morning. Here's hoping I can get some more done before next weekend. I tried to break the kit out and start it at work on Thursday night but I couldn't concentrate on watching the show my coworker and I have been watching while trying to cut pieces.
I'm just floored by how posable these RG kits are. The amount of cool action positions the frame can get itself into is crazy. I had a blast just posing it different ways and taking pictures.
Anyway, here's what's up so far, what I did yesterday and this morning. I'm pretty bummed that the white pieces that come off of different sprues are not the same shade of white, the 'D' sprues that hold a lot of the leg armor pieces is more of a bright white compared to some of the other pieces, and it is noticeable on the legs. Also I had a hard time getting the calf armor under the knees to mate up; the bottom part kind of fits a little bit under the shin armor that is already there. It took a while to get the right leg but it all worked out. The left leg is a different story. I tried to force them together as hard as I could but there is a noticeable gap running down the from of the shin area where the R and L calf pieces clip together. Right inside that is a sliding piece that allows the lower leg to move and it was hard to get the pieces over that. What's more is that the shin armor below that section now also has a pretty noticeable panel gap. It's pretty disappointing. I took the shin off multiple times but I can't get it to look good. I didn't take the calf pieces off though because they were hard enough to get on in the first place.
Only mistakes I've made so far is I placed the wrong side's stickers under the wrist domes on the arms. I put the left sticker on the right arm and the right one on the left arm. The only thing that means is that the text inside, that is too small to read anyway, is slanted the wrong direction. Not a problem or the end of the world by any means, but I was hoping to get through this error-free. I'm not beating myself up over it or anything though; it's the most-minor of errors.
Here's what I accomplished yesterday, the left and right frame legs:
My workspace at the dinner table:
After I assembled the torso I stuck the legs on. The torso was so quick I decided to do some more though.
He has arms now:
The arms went so quick that I decided 'hey, why not do one let's worth of armor?'
It looked so cool with armor on the leg that I decided 'hey, why not do another leg?' In the following two pics you can see the gaps I was talking about on the left lower leg pieces:
It looked so great with both legs done and it didn't look like the torso had many armor pieces, so I decided to go ahead and do those:
The left leg's left and right calf armor that didn't mate correctly and has a big gap going down the center of the shin is pretty visible in the above pic as well.
Welp, that was my morning. Here's hoping I can get some more done before next weekend. I tried to break the kit out and start it at work on Thursday night but I couldn't concentrate on watching the show my coworker and I have been watching while trying to cut pieces.
This is by design and a staple of RG kits. Bandai is perfectly capable of making two different sprues the exact same colour. The RG look emphasizes the fact that those are different pieces by giving it slightly different shades of the same colour, be it white, blue, etc.
You'll even see people complain that the shades for one colour in certain RG kits aren't different enough.
OP
OP
I spent a couple of hours today experimenting with an approach to weathering that I've never yet. The idea is to take a tiny bit of enamel/oil paint (as in, wiping 99% of the paint from the brush before starting) to create an effect of worn paint or dirt, potentially layering multiple colors (from lighter to darker) to add some nice visual variety. I wasn't planning on doing this when I started with the model, but I recently saw it mentioned online and thought it looked quite cool, so I wanted to try it out.
It's definitely a very interesting (and surprisingly simple) technique, though I'm not completely sure how I feel about the results so far. It definitely adds some nice variety to the otherwise boring olive drab camouflage so I'm pretty happy with it. It makes the model look a bit more interesting. However, I also feel like it doesn't quite look 100% right just yet in a lot of places (but then, the model is also not fully finished, so that's probably to be expected):
One super nice thing about this approach is that oil paints take forever to dry, which makes it really forgiving as mistakes are easily erased. It also means I can hopefully come back to this after a couple of days and still make changes. I also really like that I have a a lot of control over how opaque/transparent I want the paint to be since I can blend it out until it's almost completely transparent. Annoyingly, the oils aren't as reflective as the gloss coat underneath, so they look really odd under direct light, which also means I don't fully know how it will look after the final matte top coat. I'll keep playing around with it and seeing what I can do since it seems like a really interesting technique.
I'm really enjoying these impressions. It's nice seeing more people getting into the hobby.
It's definitely a very interesting (and surprisingly simple) technique, though I'm not completely sure how I feel about the results so far. It definitely adds some nice variety to the otherwise boring olive drab camouflage so I'm pretty happy with it. It makes the model look a bit more interesting. However, I also feel like it doesn't quite look 100% right just yet in a lot of places (but then, the model is also not fully finished, so that's probably to be expected):
One super nice thing about this approach is that oil paints take forever to dry, which makes it really forgiving as mistakes are easily erased. It also means I can hopefully come back to this after a couple of days and still make changes. I also really like that I have a a lot of control over how opaque/transparent I want the paint to be since I can blend it out until it's almost completely transparent. Annoyingly, the oils aren't as reflective as the gloss coat underneath, so they look really odd under direct light, which also means I don't fully know how it will look after the final matte top coat. I'll keep playing around with it and seeing what I can do since it seems like a really interesting technique.
I'm really enjoying these impressions. It's nice seeing more people getting into the hobby.
what is the difference between the 74040 and 74020 tamiya modelling knife? they are the exact same price here (australia), but one comes with 25 blades and the other is 30.
my godhands should be here in a few days too. curious to see what impact they make since i don't paint.
my godhands should be here in a few days too. curious to see what impact they make since i don't paint.
You don't need GodHands, I just used those as an example. Another great set of cutters is the Tamiya 74035. These seem to come in 2nd on everyone's list behind the GodHands.
My haul from my trip to Beijing! Got one of each grade. The RG was a gift from my cousin who got it from the Gundam Base in Tokyo. It was $87 USD for everything except the RG after conversion, which I think is relatively inexpensive, especially given that the HG Moon Gundam seems to command a premium versus other HGs.
Also bought an HGUC Revive RX-78-2 to shake off the rust from Amazon US for when I get back to the states.
Also bought an HGUC Revive RX-78-2 to shake off the rust from Amazon US for when I get back to the states.
This is no Zaku, boy. No Zaku.
Master Grade MS-07B Gouf Ver 2.0
I have had this in the backlog for years and the reason I didn't build it sooner is because it's very similar to the Zaku II Ver 2.0, one of the first Master Grades I built. Sorry Ramba Ral but this is almost a Zaku in terms of build which also means it's a great kit.
The tubing and the heat rod require a bit of patience but it pays off as it looks good and the rod is very posable.
Bonus picture comparing the MG 2.0 to the old High Grade I built a few years ago. The Revive HG is in the backlog but I probably won't get to it any time soon.
Master Grade MS-07B Gouf Ver 2.0
I have had this in the backlog for years and the reason I didn't build it sooner is because it's very similar to the Zaku II Ver 2.0, one of the first Master Grades I built. Sorry Ramba Ral but this is almost a Zaku in terms of build which also means it's a great kit.
The tubing and the heat rod require a bit of patience but it pays off as it looks good and the rod is very posable.
Bonus picture comparing the MG 2.0 to the old High Grade I built a few years ago. The Revive HG is in the backlog but I probably won't get to it any time soon.
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So, the HG Z'Gok E I ordered arrived today and it was kind of weird seeing the blue Bandai Spirits logo on an (obviously reissued) High Grade that is numbered 39 and is from 2003.
For those of you who delve in military kits like Eridani, today's part of HLJ summer sales includes those.
I'm not really sure how competitive the prices are when including shipping costs for kits that, I have to guess, are readily available in the West.
For those of you who delve in military kits like Eridani, today's part of HLJ summer sales includes those.
I'm not really sure how competitive the prices are when including shipping costs for kits that, I have to guess, are readily available in the West.
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OP
OP
HLJ sales are always frustrating for me because I always end up seeing some nice deals but after doing the math, it always turns out to not really be worth it. In this one, I was excited when I saw they had a PG Zaku for 60€, but with shipping+taxes+fees it was pretty much the same price as just buying it from an European shop for 120€. Plus the fact that their items are always displayed as being on sale makes it hard to know how much you're actually saving, which has always felt a bit scummy to me.
So yeah, not particularly great for kits that are available from outside Japan. Surprisingly, there actually are a couple of kits that are discounted deeply enough to still be cheaper even after shipping+taxes. The difference ends up being pretty small though and it's kits I'm not particularly interested in to begin with. There is a bunch of stuff that isn't really available in the west (like kits from smaller Japanese companies) that looks kind of interesting though, so I might end up buying something.
HLJ permanent discount for gunpla is 15%. Anything above that is extra savings. For other product lines the permanent discount might be different but it's generally consistent inside the product line.
If one finds a kit that is at 50% or 60% discount, I very much doubt buying locally is going to be as expensive, specially if one can avoid taxes (unlikely on something as expensive as a PG).
I have no idea how expensive those
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Good to know that it's always 15% for gunpla. From what I've seen for other kits it's between 10% and 20% without any obvious rule to it.
This is exactly what I was thinking before comparing prices, which is what makes it so frustrating for me. I thought a 50% off kit was obviously going to be a great deal, but it's not necessarily true. For the World of Tanks kits, as an example, a bunch of them would be a great deal for me as they are cheap enough to avoid taxes. But then there's this Tiger kit, which is 50% off (24.68€ from 49.36€) - just above the tax-free threshold of 22€. It seems like a great deal, but then there's:
- VAT (5.42€)
- Shipping (9.79€)
- A flat fee for customs to check the package (5€)
- A fee for paying the VAT (7€)
There's still some good deals though - mostly for Japanese kits that are either overpriced or flat out not available here, so It's overall still a pretty interesting sale to me but I pretty much have to compare prices for every kit instead of just impulse buying stuff that's heavily on sale. Though that's probably a good thing for my wallet, so I can't complain too much.
Yeah, I know the feeling. Anything below 22€ falls into impulse buy if it has a decent discount, say over 35% or 40%.
Over 22€, though? I'm doing a fully-fledged economic viability study on it which often ends in a "Sorry but no, sir." except when I pull the trigger and get a bunch of kits for about 150€ that I know I'll never get otherwise so the condition to get them is that they have a discount that is high enough to soften the blow by putting it below local prices.