Who’s building Gundam right now?

Hello everybody! As we all continue to weather the lockdown who in here is building gundam? I just finished the Sazabi ver.ka. I thought the panels would lie down a little flatter, but all in all it’s a pretty great package. I’m going to put the decals to it soon and do some panel lining. There are some amazing YouTube videos out there on gundam modeling competitions. I’m nowhere near that level!

Stay safe!

Yeah I have been too! I'm currently painting my Sazabeer Ver.Can model. It's taken me a few 4L nights to get there though.

I haven't built one since the early 2000s, but I might grab one the Hyaku Shiki shirt that Uniqlo is releasing this week. Which, coincidentally, is the best model I built... But it's in my parents' attic.

The MG Hyaku-Shiki is one of the best kits I've ever put together. Well worth the time and money.

The MG Origin RX-78-2 is also a stellar kit.

I've heard the MG Gyann is also great. I own it but haven't put it together yet. The HG Gyann is one of my favorite HG kits ever.

The HG Zock is goofy fun. It has barely any articulation but it's so hysterically goofy looking that it's worth the time for the cheese factor.

I recommend any of the HG Origin kits. They are all articulation marvels, fun to build and with great details. Char's Zaku II MS-06S is a GREAT HG kit. You will see how good HG kits can be after you build it.

All three of the new HG Blue Destiny kits are worth the time. Excellent 'revive' style kits.

The RG Unicorn is also a brilliant kit. As is the HG Unicorn FA Destroy mode. I'm sure the other HG FA Unicorn is spectacular, too.

HG Sinanju is also remarkable.

The MG 'The O' is a great kit because of it's unique design. It's always been hard to see just what the fuck that unit is supposed to be but once I built it, I was like 'oh, that's where the mono eye is.'

For this reason, I HIGHLY recommend building the Atlas Gundam HG. I didn't like the design from until I built the kit. After I built it, I understood just how cool it was. I love the design theory of an 'all purpose Gundam.' I also love its unique, almost demonic design. This, I imagined, was how most Zeon soldiers imagine the 'white devil' in their heads. An unstoppable angel of death come to claim their souls. I can't remember the last time I read as high octane a chase scene as Io in the Atlas Gundam chasing an escaping DSRV carrying Zeon dissidents and refugees away from the offshore platform-turned-South Seas Alliance recruitment station. Great stuff.

I have an HG Origin 78-2 OTW. I've heard its the best HG version of that unit yet. I bought the G40 RX-78-2 and love its articulation from the images I've seen but have yet to put it together. If these two are better than the Revive 78-2, I will be impressed.

Also recommend the MG RX-178 MK. IIs. The black Titans' version is sexier but if you're going to build one, build both. The HG 'Revives' of these kits are pretty great, too.

Yeah. I got Master Grade RX-78-02 and RX-78-2 and a Large scale 78-2 that's finished I've been detailing the armor with fades and highlights

As usual Taiso knows what's up the Origins series is awesome as fuck

I've got a Real Grade 00 Gundam that's been waiting to be built forever. The last kits I did build were the HG Turn A and HG Zaku II + Big Gun set from Thunderbolt, and those were a few years ago already. I just haven't had the time.

The kit I really want to build is the MG Victory Gundam. I started it a while before I moved to Japan and it's still in the US. I've been tempted to buy a new one here and start over. It's my favorite design of all-time, replacing my previous favorite of many years, the Mk II.

terry.330 said:

Yeah. I got Master Grade RX-78-02 and RX-78-2 and a Large scale 78-2 that's finished I've been detailing the armor with fades and highlights

As usual Taiso knows what's up the Origins series is awesome as fuck

Click to expand...

Which MG 78-2 kits do you have? There is the 1.0, the 1.5, the 2.0 (anime authentic aesthetic), the 3.0, the One Year War version, the Origin version and the Ver. KA.

For neutral poses, the Ver. KA is my favorite because I love Katoki's redesign. For articulation, the 2.0 is unreal. The Origin version is a good mix of the two, finding a satisfying middle ground between form and function. The OYW version is really good but not as good as the Origin version but it comes with a fine loadout, including the Gundam Hammer. I haven't built the 3.0 yet so I can't speak to that.

As for the large one, is it the Perfect Grade or THE MEGA scale?

BTW there is a new PG of the 78-2 coming in July. Apparently it's going to be the pinnacle of Perfect Grade, which is saying something.

STK:

If I'm not mistaken, I believe the only V-Gundam MG is the Ver. KA but I'm not sure. Is that the one you have? I built it a few years ago. Challenging kit but very rewarding. The V2 and V2 Assault Buster Ver. KA kits are both fucking great. In case you care, there is also a Ver. Ka V-Dash, if the shoulder cannons are your thing.

The Ver. KA ZZ is a beast. They just released a FAZZ Ver. KA from Sentinel.

The MG Origin EFSF Prototype, the MG Ver Ka. and the the big one, like 14 inches. So prolly Mega.

I had a shit ton of perfect grades but traded them off once I got into 3A.



Spent 10 years collecting these shits. Sold most of them and bought a new car.

Taiso said:

STK:

If I'm not mistaken, I believe the only V-Gundam MG is the Ver. KA but I'm not sure. Is that the one you have? I built it a few years ago. Challenging kit but very rewarding. The V2 and V2 Assault Buster Ver. KA kits are both fucking great. In case you care, there is also a Ver. Ka V-Dash, if the shoulder cannons are your thing.

The Ver. KA ZZ is a beast. They just released a FAZZ Ver. KA from Sentinel.

Click to expand...

Yeah, the ver KA. I do like the V2, and I built the HG V2 a few years ago, but I really like the cleanness of the vanilla Victory design. I saw the V-Dash kit, but I really only need the basic. If they ever do a Perfect Grade of the Victory, I'll be all over it. Actually, because it's a smaller suit, I really wish they'd do something even larger than 1/60.

i love me some modeling, but this stuff is a whole other language.
I want to build something, but I don't really need shelf stuff when i have miniature games.

I've following this studio for awhile. You can motorize them.
https://machinationstudio.com/

If they ever made a PG F-91 or Nu, they would be Day One buys from me.

Those are in my top 5 Gundams ever. The original is still my favorite, though. It's the blue jeans of mobile suits and will never go out of style.

All right, stupid question here...but how do you guys build the models? When you buy a model does it include everything you need to assemble? I've always wanted to try building one but I never had the guts for it. I never believed in myself to put them together.

They snap together for the most part.

Buy some snips and some markers for shading. The only tricky part is the stickers. Look on YT for tutorials.

NeoSneth said:

i love me some modeling, but this stuff is a whole other language.
I want to build something, but I don't really need shelf stuff when i have miniature games.

Click to expand...

Same, as far as mechs go, there was/is a really nice (bootleg) Guges-D resin kit what I've thought of building one day.

LoneSage said:

All right, stupid question here...but how do you guys build the models? When you buy a model does it include everything you need to assemble? I've always wanted to try building one but I never had the guts for it. I never believed in myself to put them together.

Click to expand...

Start with something simple and don't invest in top of the line tools.

I'd also recommend picking up one of the Gunpla starter kits, which don't offer the best articulation but are specifically meant for cutting your teeth on this hobby:

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/m/10116929

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/m/10138098

The links are only so that you can see what the boxes look like. Buy from whichever vendor suits you best.

You WILL need nippers to cut the molded pieces from the sprues. Watch a few tutorials on best techniques. Some will recommend a hobby knife for shaving off whatever remains of the nub but yiu can also sand them down and then use a Gundam marker to deal with any discoloration. Or, since you're getting started, maybe don't worry too much about how pretty it looks and focus more on interpreting the instructions and putting the kit together. You can worry about seam lines and other cosmetic stuff with future builds.

Many of the newer kits come with multilingual instructions, including English, but it's really not hard to understand the instructions.

Another great kit to start off with is the RX-78-2 'Revive':

http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/ban/ba...sFYpQag4t6KnYCGWcOk2PZVZZYT-8U9oaAvS3EALw_wcB

They have small starter gunpla modeling kits with nippers in them on amazon. Super cheap. They come with files and a cutting mat. All super useful. There’s no need to blow money on Tamiya/godhand tools. Pretty pricey, if you ask me.

The best part of any gundam build? Panel lining! So satisfying, and if you’re sloppy who cares! It’s cheap weathering!

JohnnyFever said:

Hello everybody! As we all continue to weather the lockdown who in here is building Master Grade Gundam? I just finished the Sazabi ver.ka. I thought the panels would lie down a little flatter, but all in all it’s a pretty great package. I’m going to put the decals to it soon and do some panel lining. There are some amazing YouTube videos out there on gundam modeling competitions. I’m nowhere near that level!

Stay safe!

Click to expand...

Hey, just decided to pick up gundam modelling again, and I was wondering if anyone knows any good online (or local) retailers to shop from. As a RFDer, price is always one of the most important things. This thread _should_ belong in this forum I believe... There are local too, but I know everyone says Pmall rips everyone off, and there are little to no stores downtown that sell them at good prices either. I know of HLJ.com and 1999.co.jp, but that's about it. Also wondering if anyone knows any other gundam discussion forums, since the one I use to be on (gundam.com) "died" years ago. I guess the hobby community just isn't what it used to be (life is too fast-paced for model kits?). Thanks.

gunpla is at hobby lobby. wtf you mean it aint what it used to be. It's at an all time high right now.
you can get them all over the place.