Weird... I'd have thought the basics should at least be available in different scales. But it's probably a popularity / sales numbers thing. Maybe I'll wait for the HG then. Anyways really appreciate the help :)
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Plastic Scale Modelling |OT| Gunpla and Everything Else
- Thread starter erd
- Start date
There's lots of MG non-fed grunts as long as you like Zeon grunts. For anything else, you are mostly going to be out of luck.
When it comes to MG grunts, its mostly Zakus, GMs, then everything else.
It took a very long time for the basic Seed Gundams to get an MG so please be patient.
Imagine being a Jegan fan and after seeing that an HG is released (2009) having patience for 9 more years for its MG release (2018).
Releases for stuff that isn't in a series currently or recently being aired can be tremendously unpredictable.
Releases for stuff that isn't in a series currently or recently being aired can be tremendously unpredictable.
Heck HG Death Army grunt From G Gundam at the end of last year was a huge surprise, heck we don't even have all the main hero MS's in modern Hg(we have the primary hero's 2, a popular second half ally/antagonist in both forms, and the rival. There's 5 major good guy suits we're missing 4 of which show up in 2/3 of the episodes)
As much as it probably pains you, I don't believe the G Gundam IP has the sales potential for Bandai to do more than what they've been doing: release a kit now and then with gaps of 4 or 5 years with nothing in between. HG versions of Maxter, Rose, etc. will probably come but it could take from 5 to 10 years. Or it could be next month if the second season of Re:Rise featured a Maxter variant.
I have a question regarding enamel panel wash on painted kits.
So I painted my kit with Tamiya spray cans, followed by a coat of Mr Super Clear Gloss. After that I tried to use Tamiya Panel Accent Wash to do my panel lines but there were parts where the paint got taken off during my clean up. I'm using E7's Enamel Thinner to do the cleanup.
Just wondering if it's a problem with the thinner or that I didn't do the gloss coat properly. I did let it cure for about 6 hours before I did the panel lines. Maybe I should stick to Zippo fluid or the Tamiya Enamel thinner but one good thing about the E7 is that there's barely any smell.
So I painted my kit with Tamiya spray cans, followed by a coat of Mr Super Clear Gloss. After that I tried to use Tamiya Panel Accent Wash to do my panel lines but there were parts where the paint got taken off during my clean up. I'm using E7's Enamel Thinner to do the cleanup.
Just wondering if it's a problem with the thinner or that I didn't do the gloss coat properly. I did let it cure for about 6 hours before I did the panel lines. Maybe I should stick to Zippo fluid or the Tamiya Enamel thinner but one good thing about the E7 is that there's barely any smell.
OP
OP
I don't know about that specific thinner and I can't find much about it online (it's not even listed on their site). I've seen a lot of people online use enamel thinner from other brands to clean up washes so it should theoretically be fine unless this specific thinner is really weird. The simplest way to know for sure would probably be to give it another try on a spare piece, let the paint cure for 24 hours and only use a tiny amount of thinner (a slightly damp cotton bud, for example, which should still be enough to clean up the wash) - if even that still strips paint then the problem is very likely the thinner.
If you want another alternative without a smell, I personally use odorless mineral spirits picked up from an art store for cleaning up enamel washes. I've never had any problems with those stripping paint (even acrylic paint, which is the worst when it comes to that) provided I let it cure for about 24 hours.
Thanks! I might try to see if I can get odorless mineral spirits. I suspect it could be that I didn't let it cure enough or that I didn't spray the gloss coat properly. I shall test on some spare piece. That particular thinner was recommended by a hobby store owner who ran out of Tamiya enamel thinner. Maybe they don't sell it anymore.
Was thinking of making a thread in Etc. but was told by FigureERA about this OT, so guess I'll ask here.
Been thinking of getting into model kits for quite some time, but I've always had this fear that I would screw something up & result in a broken part or figurine, thus feeling like I just wasted money.
Of course, the response to that would be "start with something easy/cheap", but I guess that's my question. How do I know the skill level required for making certain models?
Right now, I'm eying two $30 kits where you make replicas of the PS1 & Sega Saturn that release in March as a good test model to see if I enjoy building it & feel confident in my skills. Afterwards, I wouldn't mind trying my hand at this $80 R-Type model or this $68 Gradius ship which says "level 3 skill" that makes me a bit nervous.
Hell, I saw a $400 model kit of the Swordfish II from Cowboy Bebop & holy hell that's expensive & something I would be so scared of messing up or losing a piece or having something happen to it where it break. It's cool, but that's just waaaaay out of my budget for something to display on a shelf.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Been thinking of getting into model kits for quite some time, but I've always had this fear that I would screw something up & result in a broken part or figurine, thus feeling like I just wasted money.
Of course, the response to that would be "start with something easy/cheap", but I guess that's my question. How do I know the skill level required for making certain models?
Right now, I'm eying two $30 kits where you make replicas of the PS1 & Sega Saturn that release in March as a good test model to see if I enjoy building it & feel confident in my skills. Afterwards, I wouldn't mind trying my hand at this $80 R-Type model or this $68 Gradius ship which says "level 3 skill" that makes me a bit nervous.
Hell, I saw a $400 model kit of the Swordfish II from Cowboy Bebop & holy hell that's expensive & something I would be so scared of messing up or losing a piece or having something happen to it where it break. It's cool, but that's just waaaaay out of my budget for something to display on a shelf.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Gundam is a really nice friendly easy and cheap place to start. Plus if you're in the US if you get a kit that was distributed by bluefin you can request a replacement piece. Again in the us Barnes & Nobles is a pretty common chain where you can go in and see a variety of kits all along the price scale
The closest B&N is about 40 minutes away but next time I'm near there, I'll swing by & see if they have anything. Are there any other places where I could easily check for models based on franchises, like AmiAmi? That's how I saw the ones based on R-Type & Gradius via Big Bad Toy Store. Plus I figured for $30 each, that was a decent entry point & mini versions of consoles I could build is totally up my alley.
I see two different Evangelion figures in the $50 range, one by Bandai Spirits & another by Kotobukiya, would those perhaps be a good entry model? I hate to admit that I always sort of appreciated some of the Gundam designs, but outside of G-Gundam, the series never really clicked with me, so I'm probably making it harder to get into model kits when I have less interest in what has perhaps the most kits available in terms of variety & accessibility.
I guess if it also matters, I kinda would prefer staying away from painting for the time being unless it doesn't require precision.
Edit: holy crap Ikaruga has some model kits. Maybe I should a site like MyFigureCollection to look for models based on franchises that interest me?
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For reference, most Gundam HG kits are between $13-20 that's why they are a good suggestion, a way to whet your teeth. B&N generally has gundam, Star Wars, Power ranger megazord minipla, and Figurise(Dragonball, Naruto, Toy Story). That's why I suggested them, because unless you have a local hobby shop they're your best bet for seeing some in person kit options. They also tend to carry starter kits(hobby nippers, tweezers and a hobby knife) that while not top of the line are convienent. Also most of the lines I mentioned are Bandai, who are a great place to start as 95% of their modern lineup are snap kits(don't require glue), with a strong level of color separation and fill in the rare color gaps with included stickers
edit: if you want a suggestion for one of my all time fave easy but cool lines, Bandai's One Piece Grand ship 5" line is awesome, it's all ships from one piece in a sliding scale. they look awesome although truth be told they'd look best with paint but the stickers do a good job
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I have a Hobby Lobby that just opened up, but all their Bandai kits are based on Star Wars from what I saw online & don't seem to be as of high quality compared to most models. I miigghhhtt have a more dedicated hobby shop in town, but I need to check, they might've gone out of business a while ago.
Cool, so sounds like Bandai is the brand to keep an eye out for in terms of starting out. I don't mind glue, but to start off, I would gladly take models where they just snap into place. Thanks for all the advice. Maybe what I'll do is try to find a place where I can easily search by series/brand & then make a list of all the ones that interest me & order them from cheapest to most expensive so then I can work my way up. Plus I need to figure out room to display them & ensure they don't get knocked over by my cat.
I'll keep an eye for that One Piece one, that's a series I didn't think would have a lot of model kits aside from the main ships.
Cool, so sounds like Bandai is the brand to keep an eye out for in terms of starting out. I don't mind glue, but to start off, I would gladly take models where they just snap into place. Thanks for all the advice. Maybe what I'll do is try to find a place where I can easily search by series/brand & then make a list of all the ones that interest me & order them from cheapest to most expensive so then I can work my way up. Plus I need to figure out room to display them & ensure they don't get knocked over by my cat.
I'll keep an eye for that One Piece one, that's a series I didn't think would have a lot of model kits aside from the main ships.
They have about 12 unique ships excluding redecos of the sunny and merry including the Arc Maxim, baratie, Garps ship. Hobby search is handy. Here's the one piece ship line https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/m/search...ies&searchkey=One+Piece+Grand+Ship+Collection
They usually are a good database. Also thanks to bluefin you can get most Bandai kits through amazon for us msrp within reason. Just know some may come from japan
Also hobby lobby doesn't carry the really good stuff, might be able to get nippers there.
There will be more suggestions from the more experienced guys here soon
Oh man, Zone of the Enders has a line.....but are from the early 2010s so might be harder to find.
Any place online that would be the best overall to order from in terms of shipping and/or price? BBTS seems like the best price overall due to their $4 flat rate shipping despite some slightly higher product prices.
I guess if it helps, if I were to help narrow down what I'd go for first, it'd be the video game related stuff like the ones I linked to/mentioned previously, which I'm sure is a bit harder to find compared to anime. Right now, I guess I'm looking at:
- Bandai Spirits PS1 & Saturn models
- PLUM R-Type Final R-9A
- Kotobukiya Mega Man X
- PLUM Gradius IV Vic Viper
- either the PLUM or Kotobukiya Evangelion Unit 01
- one of Kotobukiya's Ikaruga models
- Wave Taiko no Tatsujin Arcade Cabinet (I'm a sucker for mini versions of arcade cabinets & game consoles & it's only $25ish)
- Wave Astrocity Arcade Machines (Capcom Titles)
- Wave SV-001 Metal Slug
Just to quick give an idea based on what I've been able to find. May have to make up a wish list on Hobby Search just to remember all this.
Any place online that would be the best overall to order from in terms of shipping and/or price? BBTS seems like the best price overall due to their $4 flat rate shipping despite some slightly higher product prices.
I guess if it helps, if I were to help narrow down what I'd go for first, it'd be the video game related stuff like the ones I linked to/mentioned previously, which I'm sure is a bit harder to find compared to anime. Right now, I guess I'm looking at:
- Bandai Spirits PS1 & Saturn models
- PLUM R-Type Final R-9A
- Kotobukiya Mega Man X
- PLUM Gradius IV Vic Viper
- either the PLUM or Kotobukiya Evangelion Unit 01
- one of Kotobukiya's Ikaruga models
- Wave Taiko no Tatsujin Arcade Cabinet (I'm a sucker for mini versions of arcade cabinets & game consoles & it's only $25ish)
- Wave Astrocity Arcade Machines (Capcom Titles)
- Wave SV-001 Metal Slug
Just to quick give an idea based on what I've been able to find. May have to make up a wish list on Hobby Search just to remember all this.
I wouldn't recommend going for Plum kits as they require a lot of work to look good like the promo shots. Same with wave.
I recommend going with Bandai or Kotobukiya, though with the later you'd want it to be much more recent than Bandai. You can go to Dalong to look at mostly straight build kits to make sure how they'll likely look when you're done with them.
I have the Ikaruga kit and it's nice but kinda fragile.
I think USA Gundam Store and Gundam Planet are good alternate options, as well as plain old Amazon.
This. As someone who almost exclusively does "out of the box" builds plus panel lining and a couple of details here and there, there's certain kits that look incredible in promo shots and then you go to Dalong and it's "Eeew!" unless you put a lot of work on them.
Sucks to hear about PLUM & Wave not being as good quality considering they make half the stuff that appeals to me, i.e the shoot-em-up ships & mini arcade cabinets. But I'll keep an eye out for Kotobukiya & Bandai if I can. Glad to know Amazon carries some of these, that makes it easier for me & sometimes cheaper with all the credit/gift cards I slowly earn.
Thanks again for all the tips. Probably won't be until March that I give the hobby a try since that's when the Bandai Spirits PS1 & Saturn release, plus I wanna wait for my tax return to arrive. My friend is excited that I'm getting this a shot, though it's one of those things I thought was neat when I'd see really ones that cater to me like the MMX one or all those shmup ships, but money was the main factor. Hoping it goes well because I totally see the appeal of building a figure instead of just buying one outright since I'm thinking when it's displayed, I'll feel more happy about my purchase since I can look at it & remember "yeah, I built that!" with a sense of accomplishment.
Thanks again for all the tips. Probably won't be until March that I give the hobby a try since that's when the Bandai Spirits PS1 & Saturn release, plus I wanna wait for my tax return to arrive. My friend is excited that I'm getting this a shot, though it's one of those things I thought was neat when I'd see really ones that cater to me like the MMX one or all those shmup ships, but money was the main factor. Hoping it goes well because I totally see the appeal of building a figure instead of just buying one outright since I'm thinking when it's displayed, I'll feel more happy about my purchase since I can look at it & remember "yeah, I built that!" with a sense of accomplishment.
They're not bad at all. However, they're from an old school model kit mentality (especially Plum, who used to make resin kits) so they require more work from the side of the builder. Kotobukiya and especially Bandai have made strides making building kits more accessible.
Aaah, okay, so it's more "wait until I'm more experienced" then. I'm okay with that, especially with the cost of a few.
I think I have a good list/idea of what to focus on for the time being. Maybe I'll look for some older models based on video games & maybe one of those Gurren Lagann ones.
If anything, if I get to go to another convention, I'll keep an eye out for models, despite knowing the prices may be a bit more expensive due to the fact they've already been shipped over.
I actually did some reading on Wave's arcade cabinet kits and it seems they okay for beginners. Guess the simple design and shape helps. Here's a straight build after decals are applied.
Cool, maybe I'll make that my first purchase or the one after the PS1/Saturn models since they're the cheapest models that also appeal to me. I'll probably look for a starter tool kit as well just to be on the safe side & order it the same time as my first purchase.
No working buttons because it's tiny. The picture I chose isn't complete. Here's the full review.
Wanted to come in here again and thank everyone for the advice etc they provided a few months ago. Moved up to MG over the last month or so and just completed my MG Acguy. Here he is posing with my MG Char Zaku 2. Honestly thinking of painting one of these guys, I just love his design so much, couldn't stop smiling once I finished him.
A little bit. I also did the RG Z'gok, but if I'm being honest I wasn't toooo into the RG engineering. I've heard that they've changed it up with more recent releases but the fiddlyness of the pre-assembled frame on that put me off. I'm still definitely going to try the RG EVA-01, just because I love that design so much and it's the newest kit for it, but I'm looking into the Kotobukiya kits for the other Units. Honestly I'm really glad I built these though, gives me a lot of insight into what I like in these kits, which makes it a whole lot easier to choose stuff for the future. There's like 4 or 5 kits now that I definitely want at some point, whereas when I first started building I really had no idea where to start outside of the essential suits like the RX-78 and Zaku 2.
Nice!
Don't fall victim to weapon paralysis, though. Feeling burnt out from the build once the body is finished and then taking a long time to finish the weapons (or never getting to it) is a common pitfall and, I suspect, a possible reason why some manuals put weapon and shield building as steps in the middle instead of the end.
Oh, and I don't think you need to limit yourself to posting only one image and linking the other two. Otherwise, I'll feel bad for always posting 4 angles of my builds. ;P
Linking I feel is more appropriate with bigger galleries, specially for those that include lots of images like several steps during the build, etc.
Thank you...normally I don't push off weapons but, I want to do some painting on those too. They'll get done eventually! Alright, I won't be too shy about posting multiple pics next time :p
HG Mazinkaiser is next, I'm painting it too although it'll be the same colors as the parts. Just want to have it look less plastic.
HG Mazinkaiser is next, I'm painting it too although it'll be the same colors as the parts. Just want to have it look less plastic.
One more quick question. I was looking for a starter tool kit & my friend said this one I found would be good since I should get a step up from the basic starter set. Anything else I should buy? Was also wondering what's the best type or brand of glue to use.
Hunh fancy but this all you really need(this is what I still use)
Thanks, I'll order this when I order my first model in a few weeks when I get an Amazon gift card as a gift from work. I just remember my friend saying to get a kit that includes multiple blades for a x-acto knife. I'll probably go with that arcade cabinet mentioned/pictured above since that seems like the easiest of the ones I have interest in, plus it's the cheapest.
Hopefully the next time I post in here, it'll be my results of giving the hobby a try & succeeding.
Picked up the SDCS Wing Zero EW while out today. Had an itch to build something but didn't want to spend too much, and apparently this released without me noticing.
Don't have a CS frame for it though...so I'll steal the one from my Ground Gundam.
Don't have a CS frame for it though...so I'll steal the one from my Ground Gundam.
Master Grade RX-78 GP02A Gundam Physalis
This was a longer build than I expected. I tend to use the Christmas holidays to do bigger builds but afterwards I become a bit burnt out and I'll probably do a couple of simpler builds next.
In an instance of reality imitating art, during the build I broke the shoulder articulation of the arm that holds the shield because the fit of a polycap was too tight and I had to use plastic cement to reattach it. Fortunately it seems it hasn't affected it negatively.
The shield, though, is a bitch to pose due to its size and the provided hands being too weak to grip it firmly so it always stays in a very precarious balance and any movement can make it fall.
In a nutshell, one of those builds that serve to remind you how much Master Grades have advanced in more than 20 years. I love Gundams with chunky lower legs and it can look good in the self but only if you never attempt to do any advanced posing with it.
As I've said in the Gundam OT, I'm sure someone will complain about there not being a 2.0 of this already.
I decided to use a white background instead of the usual grey to emphasize that it is itself grey coloured as is fitting for antagonist Gundams.
This was a longer build than I expected. I tend to use the Christmas holidays to do bigger builds but afterwards I become a bit burnt out and I'll probably do a couple of simpler builds next.
In an instance of reality imitating art, during the build I broke the shoulder articulation of the arm that holds the shield because the fit of a polycap was too tight and I had to use plastic cement to reattach it. Fortunately it seems it hasn't affected it negatively.
The shield, though, is a bitch to pose due to its size and the provided hands being too weak to grip it firmly so it always stays in a very precarious balance and any movement can make it fall.
In a nutshell, one of those builds that serve to remind you how much Master Grades have advanced in more than 20 years. I love Gundams with chunky lower legs and it can look good in the self but only if you never attempt to do any advanced posing with it.
As I've said in the Gundam OT, I'm sure someone will complain about there not being a 2.0 of this already.
I decided to use a white background instead of the usual grey to emphasize that it is itself grey coloured as is fitting for antagonist Gundams.
I don't quite understand why some SDCS kits come with both frames and some only come with one. Has Bandai ever commented on this?
Yeah the RG kits these days no longer use a full pre-assembled skeleton frame. Here's what the leg of my RG Crossbones looked like in comparison:
Oh cool! Definitely excited then. I don't really love the "realistic" look (aka just a ton of stickers) of the other real grades but Unit 01 doesn't seem to have been given much of a redesign (outside of the odd way they did the arms), so no qualms there.
Well from what I can tell, only the RX-78-2 has a version that includes both frames (unless you count Gundam Base exclusives like the G-3), and I figure the reason is because it was the first kit in the line. Bandai may have wanted to show off the whole Cross Silhouette frame thing with it since it was the first.
I mean for the non Gundam ones they are technically a seperate line and work a touch differently(it's all in the hips and it's an easy swap in on full knee/ankle joints) while the Gundam line is more involvedI don't quite understand why some SDCS kits come with both frames and some only come with one. Has Bandai ever commented on this?
Yeah the RG kits these days no longer use a full pre-assembled skeleton frame. Here's what the leg of my RG Crossbones looked like in comparison:
Oh I had no idea. The only Gundam SDCS I have is Nightingale and the rest I built are the non-Gundam supers.
I do like how these only take about an hour to finish.
I'll do poses later, it's about time for bed.
I'll do poses later, it's about time for bed.
Yeah for the Gundam line they have two completely different skeletons, you have to take the kit 90% apart to swap. Allows for some bigger parts
Do you think it's worth picking up a CS frame for my Nightingale?
It's your call, just make sure you get the right color(that's the other difference, the Gundam line has like 3-4 different skeleton colors)
Same. No other bulky Gundam clicked with me like this one did.
I wonder if Bandai is still feeling the sting of G Gundam toys absolutely flopping in the west. I know they lost a LOT of money on G Gundam merch, expecting it to be big, and it just resulted in stores being clogged full of unsold Mermaid Gundams and Zeus Gundams and Zebra Gundams...
It was pretty much the thing that killed Gundam as a major brand in the west because of how many retail stores told them to stop cluttering their aisles with unpopular piles of Viking Gundams and Haow Gundams and even that windmill Gundam...
The series has some of my favorite Gundam designs and was mostly well-liked... so I imagine we'll get more of the "core" group of hero Gundams at some point, but it's probably not a priority.