Gundam models!

Zeromus

So. Gundam Models.

In the past, I've built a few. Nothing particularly significant, I snapped together all the main mechs from Wing, did some of the super deformed ones. Really, though, I'm kind of a modeling newb; I've never painted, never really took the time to clean up a model, etc. I'd like to change that, and any tips you guys can give me would be nice.



I'm thinking about springing for that guy up there, the Gouf Flight Type High Grade. It's $12 over at Gundam Shop, which seems reasonable. I've never done a "High Grade" model, though - what exactly does that mean? What sorts of paint and tools should I get? Supplies available from www.gundamshop.com would be optimal, but I'm open to all suggestions.

Thanks.

Etch

Man, I must say those prices are WAY cheaper than my local hobby store. Even with shipping, so yes, the price is very reasonable.

Zeromus

Yeah, the only place I've seen them cheaper is in Japan, and, uh, the slight surcharge and shipping rates are slightly below airfare to Tokyo. :P

Mmmm... Cocks...

Zeromus wrote: »

I've never painted.

Tip that a few new comers ignore, paint all the parts before you put them together.

Also I found that with my gundams, to fill in the little lines with black(if you have any idea what im talking about) I just kinda globbed some paint on there and took a towel with some paint thinner on it and wiped it down leaving a very clean and awesome line. Dunno how many non gundam models have that so I figured I'd just throw that out there. Just be sure to not let it sit or even water it down. Dont want all that paint thinner sitting on the plastic.

Steel Angel

The grades of Bandai models can vary a bit, but here's a general guideline:

No grade listed: Either really old stuff before they used the grade system (as in, you may need cement) or the 1/144 scale snap together stuff for some series.
High Grade: More parts and details. This can be 1/144 scale or 1/100 scale depending on the series. Gundam Wing put out a lot of 1/100 HG things while UC HG stuff is usually 1/144 scale.
Master Grade: 1/100 scale, lots more parts and details and obviously more cost. In the more modern MGs, you usually first assemble a skeleton, which itself is detailed, then fit the outer plating on top of it. In older MGs, this might be limited to just the legs having a skeleton.
Perfect Grade: Master Grade on steroids and usually costing $150+ from the cheaper sources like Gundamshop and Hobby Link Japan. Stuff like light up eyes and full skeletons is expected.

I think they may have added a few variations to this since the last time I collected the stuff a few years back, but not sure.

Paint wise, acrylics are recommended for starting out. Tamiya and Gunze make model paints in Japan and can sometimes be found in your local hobby shops. Primer is also recommended.

I can't really give you any tips though, I'm kind of in the same boat as you. I just know this stuff because I had been planning on learning to paint and did some minor touch up attempts when I kind of stopped spending as much time with the hobby.

blanknogo

I used to be into Gundams quite a bit, and at that time I was really into buying them and not so much into assembling them. When I did though, I painted using Enamel and that worked well enough (painting with brush).

At the end though I started using spray clear coat instead. Testor brand clear coat either in glossy or flat. You're suppose to use it on top of your paint to protect it, but I just sprayed the plastic directly and it actually works out very well! It gets rid of that plastic-y look and gives it a much nicer either flat or less-plasticy gloss.

Honestly, if you think the colors of the plastic are reasonably close to how you want it to look, there's really little point in painting the same color on top of the plastic. Just use the spray clear coat and save tons of time and money. The end result is fantastic too.

Consider getting some nice metalic paints and a shitty brush for dry brushing (put paint on brush and then remove almost all of it by just painting paper or something until there is barely any paint left, then when you brush the plastic the paint will just hit the parts that curve, like the corners are details, this is a very nice and simple way to detail the parts that should be metal).

Also use find sand paper for the plastic bits that you cut out. If you're not already using a clipper, I recommend you do (small wire clippers work great).

That's basically my recommendation. Try buying either a glossy/flat (your preference, I like flat) clear coat spray can (by Testor) and spraying one your existing models. That will give you a good idea how it will look.

Bunta

The nice thing about gundam models is you don't need too much work to make them come out nicely. A sharp X-acto and a panel line paint marker will make any model turn out nice.