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[killatopak]

The metal frame pre-painted ones do look great in-person, especially the Metal Structure Nu Gundam which is on display in various spots in Tokyo. At around $3k aftermarket though it'd be nice to have a DIY kit alternative.

There actually is. I have to say they are chinese made bootleg if that makes sense. They basically made a gunpla model kit version of Metal Structure Nu. Something that isn’t available in official bandai releases. It’s pretty common really. They made gunpla versions of the Metal Build lines as well. The specific manufacturer for the Nu is named Daban. There are others however like Dragon Momoko. They are a lot cheaper as well. I think my friend bought one around $160 USD. He did it as a preorder 1st release though so it’s definitely a bit more pricier nowadays.

Here’s how it looks.

 

[SF Kosmo]

I remember watching the Adam Savage video a while back and was very interested. What would be the best starter Gunpla for noobs like me? And where would you find it if living in the US?

Pretty much all HGs are relatively simple in terms of construction, the problem is that because of that a lot of them need paint and detailing in order to look good, which actually makes them less beginner friendly in a way.

There are exceptions. The Beyond Global is a fantastic build that manages to be fully color accurate, super posable, and also a relatively simple build with a low part count. I would recommend that as a starter kit.

But I also wouldn't rule out Master Grades. They're longer, more involved builds but they aren't necessarily harder, since they often look good without painting and and they're larger and less fragile. The biggest drawback is just the higher price.

Real Grades are affordable and amazing, but they do trend to have a lot of very tiny parts.

 

[newtypepilot]

the problem is that because of that a lot of them need paint and detailing in order to look good, which actually makes them less beginner friendly in a way.

This hasn't been true for like the past 20 years. Most HGs look great out of the box. People just have unrealistic expectations that a 1500 yen kit should have perfect colour separation.

 

[Porcile]

Just panel lining HGs is enough to get them looking pretty good if you're okay with the plasticky look. They are small enough that the cheap look doesn't really bother me. Although some decals for HG are really awful like the F-91 HG and not worth putting on.

 

[SF Kosmo]

This hasn't been true for like the past 20 years.

Bullshit, 90% of them still have sticker seals (which look awful) or color inaccurate details. I say this as someone who has built dozens of them.

 

[newtypepilot]

Bullshit, 90% of them still have sticker seals (which look awful) or color inaccurate details. I say this as someone who has built dozens of them.

you aren't the only one who has build "dozens of them".

I'm saying they look good even without the stickers. You don't have to use the stickers (which I agree some are bad). All you need is some panel line and maybe some top coat. To say HGs are not beginner friendly is outright misleading.

 

[SF Kosmo]

you aren't the only one who has build "dozens of them".

I'm saying they look good even without the stickers. You don't have to use the stickers (which I agree some are bad). All you need is some panel line and maybe some top coat. To say HGs are not beginner friendly is outright misleading.

It depends on what you want to get out of it. I build all grades and I often find HGs have extra challenges, but I also want my kits to look nice.

There are exceptions, of course. I'm pretty impressed with the GTO and WfM kits I have seen. And Moon Gundam and Beyond Global.

 

[EviLore]

WfM HG kits are pretty nice yes.

 

[SF Kosmo]

Y'all got me wanting to pull a kit off the shelf. My last build was a really intense thing that took a couple months, so maybe a good time to do a quick high grade or something.

 

[FunkMiller]

So, what‘s the prestige line for this kind of thing? I’m in Tokyo later in the year, and would like to buy a single, expensive figure that’ll take a while to build, and is regarded as the cream of the crop.

Any suggestions/recommendations, my gunpla loving pals?

 

[SF Kosmo]

So, what‘s the prestige line for this kind of thing? I’m in Tokyo later in the year, and would like to buy a single, expensive figure that’ll take a while to build, and is regarded as the cream of the crop.

Any suggestions/recommendations, my gunpla loving pals?

So Perfect Grades are the most premium "line" (they are made to be large in scale and high part count), but they're released infrequently and there's a tendency for newer kits to be much nicer than older, so you can't really assume just from the "line" that you're getting the best kit.

So instead I'll just call out some specific kits:

Perfect Grade Unlimited RX-78-2 -- This was a kit specifically designed to cram in every bit of plastic technology possible, and it's an absolute unit. Insane layered inner frame, metal etched parts, lights, pre-articulated parts, just everything you can do in a kit.

Master Grade Extreme Strike Freedom -- This was also a special kit designed to represent a more premium version of an existing grade. It's sized like a normal Master Grade, but it has an insane part count like a perfect grade. The inner frame is made from four different types of metallic gold parts. Pricey kit, almost $200 but really gorgeous.

Master Grade Extreme Unicorn Gundam -- This is also a special MG with extra gimmicks. In this case it has a fully LED lit inner frame, plus the usual transformation to Destroy Mode you expect from Unicorn.

Master Grade Zeta Ver. Ka. -- This one is a little more reasonably priced, and not as over the top, but it is a seriously well made kit and it's fully transformable. Comes with water decals in the box too, unlike most MG kits. Generally considered one of the very best, even if it's not as over-the-top.

 

[FunkMiller]

So Perfect Grades are the most premium "line" (they are made to be large in scale and high part count), but they're released infrequently and there's a tendency for newer kits to be much nicer than older, so you can't really assume just from the "line" that you're getting the best kit.

So instead I'll just call out some specific kits:

Perfect Grade Unlimited RX-78-2 -- This was a kit specifically designed to cram in every bit of plastic technology possible, and it's an absolute unit. Insane layered inner frame, metal etched parts, lights, pre-articulated parts, just everything you can do in a kit.

Master Grade Extreme Strike Freedom -- This was also a special kit designed to represent a more premium version of an existing grade. It's sized like a normal Master Grade, but it has an insane part count like a perfect grade. The inner frame is made from four different types of metallic gold parts. Pricey kit, almost $200 but really gorgeous.

Master Grade Extreme Unicorn Gundam -- This is also a special MG with extra gimmicks. In this case it has a fully LED lit inner frame, plus the usual transformation to Destroy Mode you expect from Unicorn.

Master Grade Zeta Ver. Ka. -- This one is a little more reasonably priced, and not as over the top, but it is a seriously well made kit and it's fully transformable. Comes with water decals in the box too, unlike most MG kits. Generally considered one of the very best, even if it's not as over-the-top.

Thanks man, you’re a star I now have a shopping list

 

[EviLore]

Thanks man, you’re a star I now have a shopping list

The Perfect Grade Unleashed RX-78 is a good one to fill your luggage with, as it’s only $150 USD after tax free discount, compared to more like $300 after tax in the States, looks like $450 AUD MSRP in stralia. There are some cool exclusive kits sold at the Gundam Base too. Tbh, right now stock is low at most stores other than the Gundam Base due to around 1 trillion Chinese tourists buying everything, so best to just go to the Base where they ensure their stock. They were bringing in more stock of the PGU every day there. Just do not go on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. You won’t be let into the store without having a preregistration lottery ticket on those dates. Just go during the week, no issues.

At the base, consider grabbing an exclusive Unicorn kit too, like the RG Unicorn Perfectability, or the RG Unicorn TWC which is the representation of the life size Gundam statue outside. As Kosmo said, the new MG Zeta Ver Ka is a nice choice as well. But that is easy to get outside of Japan for not that much money. The rare stuff is a cooler souvenir.

Also, there is Tokyo Joypolis nearby, the last Sega arcade. As an arcade it sucks but there are some fun rides.

Have a good trip!

 

[FunkMiller]

The Perfect Grade Unleashed RX-78 is a good one to fill your luggage with, as it’s only $150 USD after tax free discount, compared to more like $300 after tax in the States, looks like $450 AUD MSRP in stralia. There are some cool exclusive kits sold at the Gundam Base too. Tbh, right now stock is low at most stores other than the Gundam Base due to around 1 trillion Chinese tourists buying everything, so best to just go to the Base where they ensure their stock. They were bringing in more stock of the PGU every day there. Just do not go on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. You won’t be let into the store without having a preregistration lottery ticket on those dates. Just go during the week, no issues.

At the base, consider grabbing an exclusive Unicorn kit too, like the RG Unicorn Perfectability, or the RG Unicorn TWC which is the representation of the life size Gundam statue outside. As Kosmo said, the new MG Zeta Ver Ka is a nice choice as well. But that is easy to get outside of Japan for not that much money. The rare stuff is a cooler souvenir.

Also, there is Tokyo Joypolis nearby, the last Sega arcade. As an arcade it sucks but there are some fun rides.

Have a good trip!

Excellent, thanks lore

 

[SF Kosmo]

So I have only built one Gundam in the last year, it was a monster and took me months, so I wanted to see if I could built something quick in 2-3 days and not worry so much about making everything perfect and just have fun.

I have a bunch of kits in the closet so I just grabbed what looked like an interesting High Grade, the HG Rose Gundam, one of a hanful of G Gundam refreshes they've done recently. G Gundam always had such stupid and silly designs, so it seems like a good one to have fun with.

I didn't radically reinterpret the colors because there's really no escaping the Napoleon theme, but I darkened up the palette and added some nice gold for the trim. I had some decals lying around but they were damaged so I didn't use too many.

 

[SF Kosmo]

Also, this one comes with a stand and a bunch of effects parts in the box and it's pretty cool.

 

[BusierDonkey]

I got my first MG kit back in the late 90s. I quit the hobby for well over a decade but picked it back up in 2016. I've built north of 200 MGs and other 1/100 scale kits, 6 PGs and a small collection of Build series 1/144 kits. Almost every kit is fully painted frame and all. Some were built when I was working long hours and only had time to snap kits. I've been going back to those and tearing them down so I can rebuild them properly. That's the nice thing about model kits that don't require glue.

The racks are still a WIP, I'm just not sure what route I want to go with them yet. I'd like to add steps but not block the white panels as they provide bounce lighting. Acrylic would work but doing all the racks would be expensive. I am not enclosing the racks. The house doesn't get dusty and closing in the front limits what poses the kits can be in. I also need to figure something out for lighting on the top shelf and I need to replace the LED strips as they aren't near as bright as I'd hoped.

This was the day I moved all my kits downstairs to fill the racks.

Some of my favorite Plamo kits I built over the years:

Plamo Kits

Discover topics like toys, collection, gundam, mecha, plasticmodel, and the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. Lift your spirits with funny jokes, trending memes, entertaining gifs, inspiring stories, viral videos, and so much more from users like...

imgur.com

 

[EviLore]

I got my first MG kit back in the late 90s. I quit the hobby for well over a decade but picked it back up in 2016. I've built north of 200 MGs and other 1/100 scale kits, 6 PGs and a small collection of Build series 1/144 kits. Almost every kit is fully painted frame and all. Some were built when I was working long hours and only had time to snap kits. I've been going back to those and tearing them down so I can rebuild them properly. That's the nice thing about model kits that don't require glue.

The racks are still a WIP, I'm just not sure what route I want to go with them yet. I'd like to add steps but not block the white panels as they provide bounce lighting. Acrylic would work but doing all the racks would be expensive. I am not enclosing the racks. The house doesn't get dusty and closing in the front limits what poses the kits can be in. I also need to figure something out for lighting on the top shelf and I need to replace the LED strips as they aren't near as bright as I'd hoped.

This was the day I moved all my kits downstairs to fill the racks.

Some of my favorite Plamo kits I built over the years:

Plamo Kits

Discover topics like toys, collection, gundam, mecha, plasticmodel, and the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. Lift your spirits with funny jokes, trending memes, entertaining gifs, inspiring stories, viral videos, and so much more from users like...

imgur.com

What you need is some kind of room-sized battle diorama to put them in action, not mere shelves

 

[Sub_Level]

Also, this one comes with a stand and a bunch of effects parts in the box and it's pretty cool.

Great show.

 

[BusierDonkey]

What you need is some kind of room-sized battle diorama to put them in action, not mere shelves

I have twice the space I had in 2022 for these things but I still don't have that kind of space. I do want to try my hand at making one though.

 

[SF Kosmo]

I got my first MG kit back in the late 90s. I quit the hobby for well over a decade but picked it back up in 2016. I've built north of 200 MGs and other 1/100 scale kits, 6 PGs and a small collection of Build series 1/144 kits. Almost every kit is fully painted frame and all. Some were built when I was working long hours and only had time to snap kits. I've been going back to those and tearing them down so I can rebuild them properly. That's the nice thing about model kits that don't require glue.

The racks are still a WIP, I'm just not sure what route I want to go with them yet. I'd like to add steps but not block the white panels as they provide bounce lighting. Acrylic would work but doing all the racks would be expensive. I am not enclosing the racks. The house doesn't get dusty and closing in the front limits what poses the kits can be in. I also need to figure something out for lighting on the top shelf and I need to replace the LED strips as they aren't near as bright as I'd hoped.

This was the day I moved all my kits downstairs to fill the racks.

Some of my favorite Plamo kits I built over the years:

Plamo Kits

Discover topics like toys, collection, gundam, mecha, plasticmodel, and the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. Lift your spirits with funny jokes, trending memes, entertaining gifs, inspiring stories, viral videos, and so much more from users like...

imgur.com

Jesus, this is amazing but it is also a great example of why I don't collect. In a hobby about working on small details, it really becomes hard to notice anything when there's so much.

I think it's important to have a space to display only the best work that you're really proud of, and to have the discipline to retire anything else when it's time to make room.

For me I'm not precious about getting rid of stuff. I have been building for a long time like you but if I don't really keep models that are more than a few years old.

 

[The Sum of Zero]

One of my recent builds

And something non-Gunpla but still a model kit

 

[BusierDonkey]

Jesus, this is amazing but it is also a great example of why I don't collect. In a hobby about working on small details, it really becomes hard to notice anything when there's so much.

I think it's important to have a space to display only the best work that you're really proud of, and to have the discipline to retire anything else when it's time to make room.

For me I'm not precious about getting rid of stuff. I have been building for a long time like you but if I don't really keep models that are more than a few years old.

I understand your sentiments and I get it's a bit much for some people's tastes. I'm just happy I finally have a place to put these kits I've enjoyed building over the years where I can see them whenever I want to. For years they were crammed into some bookcases in a bedroom. Now they're all spaced out and staggered so I can actually reach in and grab them if I want to look at them or re-pose them without needing to move the surrounding kits. Keeping the older kits in the mix also gives me incentive to improve them. The idea is eventually they'll all be at or near my skill ceiling sits. I keep a massive spreadsheet of every kit, what shape it's in and what supplies I need to rework them like paint/decals/plate. I actually enjoy planning out my builds as much as building them sometimes

I do remove kits when they get upgraded with new versions unless I can repurpose them into something new. When the Zeta Ver.Ka released I rebuilt my Zeta 2.0 into the Evolve Zeta 3A. I got satisfaction for completing the set and for not paying Bandai for a recolor kit.

 

[Robot Carnival]

and there are always plenty of videos on Youtube for Gunpla stuff.

from the more advance ones.








to the more easier (on the eyes) ones.

 

[Robot Carnival]

came across this. there's even a game for Gunpla coming out soon

 

[EviLore]

Cool stop motion vids.

 

[Toots]

Cool stop motion vids.

This, as well as the dude's whole channel, is mindblowing (i'll admit last stop motion stuff i ever saw must have been wallace and gromit 20 years ago )

 

[EviLore]

This, as well as the dude's whole channel, is mindblowing (i'll admit last stop motion stuff i ever saw must have been wallace and gromit 20 years ago )

Yup, great work, and almost no views. Stumbled upon it randomly.

 

[Toots]

Great find !
It didn't even occured to me that he wasn't raking hundreds of thousands of views with a youtube channel of this quality. He should start growing tits and film his highly instructive tutorials in a bath tub.

 

[winjer]

 

[Robot Carnival]

He should start growing tits and film his highly instructive tutorials in a bath tub.

you know what? that's actually not a bad idea. the bath tub part, not the growing tits part I mean . put a stopper in and keep the tub empty, and put a steady working platform over the tub. now you at least would have all the parts fall inside the tub and no need to look for it all around the room.

 

[SF Kosmo]

Gundams do make amazing stop motion puppets.

 

[calistan]

I'm quite tempted to try one of these. I've made a few model ships in recent years, so a giant robot would be a nice change of pace. I'd probably paint it dark and weathered.

The models being poseable seems to be quite an important thing with these kits. For those of you who paint them, do you find that the moving parts tend to scrape the paint off?

 

[SF Kosmo]

The models being poseable seems to be quite an important thing with these kits. For those of you who paint them, do you find that the moving parts tend to scrape the paint off?

No, but you have to use the right kinds of paints. Most Gundam builders like lacquers from Mr. Hobby, Gaianotes, and similar brands because they have really good adhesion and opacity, and you can spray them on nice and thin without damaging functional movement.

If you brushed on a bunch of acrylics like you were making a Warhammer model, yeah you're gonna see paint scrape off, at least on the functional frame parts.

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

I only collect PG Gundams. I have another 2 in another room and 1 I unfortunately smashed to bits . I love this hobby but all Im going to say, if you are like me and move around often, theres nothing worse than to be dealing with these figures because they are so fragile and obviously not meant to move that much. I changed 2 countries and end fo the year Ill be moving again. Im just wondering which piece will break off this time lol. I even contemplated selling but its not really worth it, the time and money you put into it and thn someone wantes it for 30% of its original price.

 

[SJRB]

Amazing.

 

[SF Kosmo]

I only collect PG Gundams. I have another 2 in another room and 1 I unfortunately smashed to bits . I love this hobby but all Im going to say, if you are like me and move around often, theres nothing worse than to be dealing with these figures because they are so fragile and obviously not meant to move that much. I changed 2 countries and end fo the year Ill be moving again. Im just wondering which piece will break off this time lol. I even contemplated selling but its not really worth it, the time and money you put into it and thn someone wantes it for 30% of its original price.

Yeah I have moved every couple years and each time, I lose some models. But like I said before I am pretty okay with my builds being impermanent. You can always make a new one.

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

SF Kosmo yeah you can see on my photos Unicron lost its horn and Strike Gundam has a broken tip on the right . There used to be this website from Japan, you could order broken parts. They dont sell you just that part because it would be too inconvenient for them but the they sell you the whole runner on which that piece is. It helped a lot when I bought Strike gundam and there is a notorious partholding the wings that is prone to breaking. Unfortunately they closed down.

 

[SF Kosmo]

SF Kosmo yeah you can see on my photos Unicron lost its horn and Strike Gundam has a broken tip on the right . There used to be this website from Japan, you could order broken parts. They dont sell you just that part because it would be too inconvenient for them but the they sell you the whole runner on which that piece is. It helped a lot when I bought Strike gundam and there is a notorious partholding the wings that is prone to breaking. Unfortunately they closed down.

Those sites still exist, I can't remember the name but I had looked into it when I broke the V-fin on my Strike Freedom, but ultimately got a metal replacement part instead.

 

[BusierDonkey]

I just recently finished this Hyaku-Shiki Crash kit. It lost the cockpit and pretty much any waist articulation from the other Hyaku-Shiki kits which limits what poses it can be set in. Dynamic action poses are basically a no-go. The grey/blue paint I mixed for the armor ended up a tad lighter than I wanted but still turned out alright in the end.

 

[Auto_aim1]

I will never buy RG sets again. Small and fragile sophisticated parts that cause serious eye strain and stress. MG and PG are the way to go. I had a RG Strike Freedom that I finished last week that was pure hell to assemble. Had to glue a lot of parts.

 

[EviLore]

Was looking over all the 0083 Stardust Memory kits, and Bandai really hasn't shown it any love in the past 20 years. Such a shame. But a third party released this Solomon Physalis GP02 kit recently, and it looks fantastic. Motorized anime-accurate joining nuclear missile launcher, LED system, detailed inner frame with tons of hatches. Like an MGEX++.

 

[SF Kosmo]

I will never buy RG sets again. Small and fragile sophisticated parts that cause serious eye strain and stress. MG and PG are the way to go. I had a RG Strike Freedom that I finished last week that was pure hell to assemble. Had to glue a lot of parts.

RGs have changed a lot as the line has gone on. From Nu Gundam and Sazabi on they are kind of more like mini-Master Grades. Small parts are still a thing but the kits are sturdier and hold up a lot better.

I'm interested to check out the new RG RX-78-2 2.0, it'll be interesting to see how far the line has come.

 

[Ma-Yuan]

Just got into gunpla with my oldest son. So far we build two kids together. Three more kits laying around.

 

[Robot Carnival]

came across this video and seems to be a good way to practice.

 

[Saiyan-Rox]

Got the black luster soldier and Wargreymon for my bday

Super fun to build tbh but man are these expensive for the size of em

 

[ForAcademicPurposes]

 

[Diatribe1974]

There's only Zaku and then there's garbage My Little Pony Pals of Power.