Gundam Plamodel Thread IV

[Duymon]

I just don't like that I can't get the phat discounts I get on regular releases

To compare, I paid ~60 each for my MG GM Command units, but only $29 each for the Mass release Ground version preorders coming out in January. Literally the same model sans the Beamgun and backpack of the space version and for half the price :0

Also bought all my regular GM Sniper 2's for under $35 while the P-Bandai one costed me ~$60 each as well  

Edited December 13, 2017 by Duymon

[no3Ljm]

Double the regular price. That's true too. 

 

[Sandman]

16 hours ago, dizman said:

Are you talking about these older kits? http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/1/144_Gundam_Sentinel_Model_Series

AFAIK Bandai dusts off the old molds and produces a few of these kits every now and then, so I don't think they are out of production yet. 

Yup those are ones. Thanks for the response.

[kajnrig]

Has anyone built the 2007 MG Hi-Nu? If you have, what's your experience with it been? To me, so far it represents almost everything I hate about modern MGs. Such obtuse, overcomplicated construction.

I've been snapping one together and literally EVERYTHING on it is way too tight. I thought I had the backpack frame connected securely to the chest frame, but couldn't get the collar piece to fit right and ended up stressing that thin piece of plastic only to realize that I was supposed to push the backpack frame and chest frame together EVEN MORE. They went together with an audible SNAP!, this on top of the first audible snap when I initially put them together. And even after doing that, the collar and central chest piece/cockpit cover barely fit into place.

The crotch is the absolute worst. It uses a straight circular peg that plugs into an ABS socket that fits inside the lower chest, and again the connection is too tight, such that when I went to remove the chest and crotch (to fix the below issue), the chest actually split open (along the natural parts separation lines, so thankfully nothing was damaged) and the socket was almost fused to the peg. There were actually stress marks on said socket from the peg being almost too big for it.

The issue is even worse on the joints connecting the crotch to the legs. The engineering is absolutely terrible; the joint is made up of three separate sheets, two with pegs protruding out of them to connect to the (also ABS) sockets in the legs. These two are supposed to sandwich the third, which has a series of studs for the two parts to "ratchet" along in order to give the legs some of that forward-and-back swivel. Unfortunately, these three sheets are all too thin, too weak to survive the forces necessary to move them back and forth, and the pegs themselves are again too tight, this time resulting in the pegs actually shearing clean off when I tried to rotate the leg. And this was with the pegs only half-way inserted into the legs' sockets.

I don't get how Bandai ever thought this was good engineering. It's not. It's terrible. It's the epitome of gimmickry at the cost of the model kit. None of the joints needed to be that tight. I spent all of last night drilling out those socket pieces to get a good balance of friction, tension, and mobility. I have to rebuild the entire crotch-to-leg mechanism. The intent was to resell this because I just wanted something quick to pass the time, but now I have to deal with this nonsense.

I'm so frakking pissed off at this kit. It should not be this hard to build. I snapped together the MG Sazabi from all the way back in 2000 and it's such a better kit in almost every single respect. Why? Just... why?

(And before you voice your opinion about the Ver Ka, don't, I don't give a damn about the Ver Kas, they're ugly busy redesigns of perfectly good mobile suits and yeah maybe the Hi-Nu Ver Ka would have made for a better building exercise, but I didn't know at the time how crap this one would be and at the end of the day this one looks better anyway. Sorry for cursing, it's not you, it's me being frustrated.)

[Beltane70]

I don't recall having any problems with that kit, kajnrig.

[Golden Arms]

Haven' built mine yet, it's in the backlog.   I did However build the MG Nu gundam and aside from the poor connectors on the fin funnels I think it's a great kit.

[kajnrig]

4 hours ago, Beltane70 said:

I don't recall having any problems with that kit, kajnrig.

Thanks for the insight. Maybe this is the exception that proves their exceptional QC, then, because I have never had a Bandai kit sabotage itself so spectacularly before. Generally bad kits, sure, but never sockets bulging with stress marks bad. I haven't touched it since; it's sitting on my work table, backpack and fin funnels and weapons still unfinished, because I am wracking my brain trying to figure out how I should go about fixing their mistake.

3 hours ago, Golden Arms said:

Haven' built mine yet, it's in the backlog.   I did However build the MG Nu gundam and aside from the poor connectors on the fin funnels I think it's a great kit.

I have a MG Nu coming in the mail eventually, too, and I'm looking forward to building it. It was released just a couple months after the Sazabi (so also part of that early 00's golden era of MG kits), so I'm not expecting it to be nearly as problematic as this kit has been.

[dero]

What's the opinion of the special edition "Titanium Finish" variants of kits?

More specifically, I really quite like the look of the RX-93 Nu Ver.Ka and came to the understanding of there being a Titanium Finish version of it.  Looking at the images and videos posted online the slightly darker colours of the kit are nice and the coating catches the light so the differing angles coming out of the panel lines makes for not needing to actually panel line the kit.  This sort of stuff appeals to me.

The question I have though is relating to the waterslide decals.  A Ver.Ka kit is nice because of the usage of these decals.  In previous history, after a few years, I've always found that waterslide decals dry out and flake off or lift off.. ultimately losing the joy of the look that would be brought about in the kit.  Stuff that I've read is that one of the reasons for applying a top coat spray is to seal the decals in and prevent this dried lift-off that may come down the line.

A concern I have though for doing this for sealing the decals in is that the top coat will adversely affect the titanium finish of the kit itself.  Major question out of this post - will a top coat negatively affect the overall look and presentation of a Titanium Finish variant kit?

[Golden Arms]

Hello Dero,

That is another kit in my backlog.  I may build the titanium finish RX-93 over the Christmas break.   It a toss up between it and the Titanium finish Banshee.   I love to snap build a MG kit over the break while away from home.  To answer your question about decals.   If you place waterslide decals on any kit, be it titanium finish or not, it needs to be sealed with a top coat.  The top coat will protect them over time. Non sealed decals will  chip and flake off over time if touched too much.  For non titanium finish painted models, it's recommended  you gloss coat them before applying the decals.  The gloss coat provides a smooth surface for the decals to easily adhere to.  The gloss coat also makes it much easier to manipulate the decal onto the surface it's applied to.  ( Yes it should be gloss.  Flat coats create a rough texture so not recommended.)  The titanium finish kits already have a smooth surface, so there is no real need to gloss coat them before applying decals.  I would use just Mark setter and Softner to adhere. Since the RX-93 is mainly white, I don't think the top coat over the finish will be too noticeable.  Now the Gold Plated Phenex, That may be another story, but I chose not to decal that kit.   

   The only other  drawback about the titanium, gold plated or special coated kits is that most of them aren't undergated.  So you will need a paint marker to cover up gate marks.  I've built both the MG Phenex and the titanium MG Unicorn and I covered up the gate marks with gundam markers.  They aren't that noticeable unless you are looking to find them.   

[dero]

Thanks for the advice - some of it I understood already - my major question was would the top coat applied to the kit, would it negatively affect the titanium finishing?

I guess it doesn't matter too much now though because I contemplated too much... the shop I was considering buying it from sold it yesterday.

Does Bandai continue to make these Titanium Finish editions of the kits or is it done once, all done type of thing?  I may end up just having to wait and when I've cleared off some of the kits in my backlog, it may end up being the non-glossy version of the Nu Ver.Ka.

[anime52k8]

On 12/14/2017 at 11:45 AM, kajnrig said:

(And before you voice your opinion about the Ver Ka, don't, I don't give a damn about the Ver Kas, they're ugly busy redesigns of perfectly good mobile suits and yeah maybe the Hi-Nu Ver Ka would have made for a better building exercise, but I didn't know at the time how crap this one would be and at the end of the day this one looks better anyway. Sorry for cursing, it's not you, it's me being frustrated.)

But the Nu/hi-Nu ver. Ka are way better looking than the original designs.

[kajnrig]

4 hours ago, anime52k8 said:

But the Nu/hi-Nu ver. Ka are way better looking than the original designs.

Someone's about to get shivved. 

[close313]

To be fair, the Hi Nu ver Ka. is more faithful to the original design soo.....And I never ever bought the 2007 MG Hi Nu because those swinging hip parts are an engineering disaster. Ive seen a review of a single legged 2007 Hi Nu and it was heartbreaking.

Hope u get yours fixed somewhat, if you did like that design maybe the HG might do you good.

[Golden Arms]

7 hours ago, dero said:

Thanks for the advice - some of it I understood already - my major question was would the top coat applied to the kit, would it negatively affect the titanium finishing?

I guess it doesn't matter too much now though because I contemplated too much... the shop I was considering buying it from sold it yesterday.

Does Bandai continue to make these Titanium Finish editions of the kits or is it done once, all done type of thing?  I may end up just having to wait and when I've cleared off some of the kits in my backlog, it may end up being the non-glossy version of the Nu Ver.Ka.

The top shouldn't affect the Titanium finish at all.  

Bandai never stops production of their gundam kits.  I would order it from HLJ.  If not it stock, they will restock.  I've done this with several of their gundam kits.  They've even rstocked some that were limited production release ( RG unicrorn with unicorn cover).   

 

[kajnrig]

1 hour ago, close313 said:

To be fair, the Hi Nu ver Ka. is more faithful to the original design soo.....And I never ever bought the 2007 MG Hi Nu because those swinging hip parts are an engineering disaster. Ive seen a review of a single legged 2007 Hi Nu and it was heartbreaking.

Hope u get yours fixed somewhat, if you did like that design maybe the HG might do you good.

Is it? I'm not a big fan of the Nu/Hi-Nu, so I've never paid its design revisions much mind, but I have a beef with Ver Ka's in general, so most anything with that label gets a reflexive eye-twitch from me (the exceptions being the Wing re-designs for Endless Waltz).

And yes, those swinging hip parts are indeed a disaster. I haven't found it in me to touch the kit since The Catastrophe, but I can't imagine that any scratch-built mechanism I come up with could possibly be worse than what's there now.

[Scyla]

9 hours ago, kajnrig said:

Is it? I'm not a big fan of the Nu/Hi-Nu, so I've never paid its design revisions much mind, but I have a beef with Ver Ka's in general, so most anything with that label gets a reflexive eye-twitch from me (the exceptions being the Wing re-designs for Endless Waltz).

And yes, those swinging hip parts are indeed a disaster. I haven't found it in me to touch the kit since The Catastrophe, but I can't imagine that any scratch-built mechanism I come up with could possibly be worse than what's there now.

I'm on the other side of the spectrum. I love the Ver. Ka kits. All the MG kits I build so far are from that line. I think the Hi-Nu is my favorite. In the pipeline I have the ZZ and the Sinanju Stein.

I especially dig all the small labels. To me this brings the toy to life. The only think I prefer on the old MG kit are the "camo" markings on the shield since it looks so plain compared to it. I'm also not a fan of the fading out effect on the fin funnels. It looks out of place with the rest of the kit. I think I would preferred it if the had the blue pattern in the same style as the old MG shield. 

[kajnrig]

8 hours ago, Scyla said:

I'm on the other side of the spectrum. I love the Ver. Ka kits. All the MG kits I build so far are from that line. I think the Hi-Nu is my favorite. In the pipeline I have the ZZ and the Sinanju Stein.

I especially dig all the small labels. To me this brings the toy to life. The only think I prefer on the old MG kit are the "camo" markings on the shield since it looks so plain compared to it. I'm also not a fan of the fading out effect on the fin funnels. It looks out of place with the rest of the kit. I think I would preferred it if the had the blue pattern in the same style as the old MG shield. 

I used to think that those "small labels" and other bits of surface detail were indicative of "realism," too, but 1) I've learned not to hold "realism" up on a pedestal, and 2) they're actually not. Real-world aircraft, tanks, etc. don't have red caution signs peppering them, nor do they have tons of windows cut into their armor panels to expose sensitive inner mechanisms.

What the "Katoki style" does is break up monotonous surfaces. It makes the kit look busier, not necessarily realistic. And that's not to say that the red decals and small notches everywhere doesn't look good on certain designs. But the Wing Zero Custom I like the most has none of those things. It doesn't bother with copious warning decals and little ticks and notches everywhere. It's the least "realistic" of Katoki's designs, and it's my absolute favorite of them... well, aside from the Deathscythe Hell Custom, but that's just more to my point.

But bah. I always get going on this thing. Anyway, I'll force myself to take another crack at the Hi-Nu tomorrow and see what I can do to fix it.

[Scyla]

I didn’t say they look more realistic. To me they bring it to life. Meaning, the decals make it more interesting to look at. Something that catches the eye. Especially the red markings on the Hi-Nu.

Good luck with your kit.

[kajnrig]

1 hour ago, Scyla said:

I didn’t say they look more realistic. To me they bring it to life. Meaning, the decals make it more interesting to look at. Something that catches the eye. Especially the red markings on the Hi-Nu.

Ah. Yeah, you're not wrong there.

[dero]

On 19/12/2017 at 5:51 PM, Golden Arms said:

The top shouldn't affect the Titanium finish at all.  

Bandai never stops production of their gundam kits.  I would order it from HLJ.  If not it stock, they will restock.  I've done this with several of their gundam kits.  They've even rstocked some that were limited production release ( RG unicrorn with unicorn cover).   

 

Thanks for this knowledge.  I'll just keep an eye on things and pick the kit up whenever it comes back into stock.

I did however also did some more looking around and there were some Reddit recommendations that a top coat would not go nice with the titanium finish of the plastic.  Recommended instead to use something like some Microscale Micro-Set solution for the decals to further suck the decals onto the surface.  I guess I'll do that.  Small amounts can be applied and mop-up to minimise run-off, etc.

[Ignacio Ocamica]

Love the ver Ka kits, currently decalong my Sazabi after a long hiatus:

[dizman]

Classic Act Zaku getting a P-Bandai release, what a surprise.

[captain america]

23 hours ago, Ignacio Ocamica said:

Love the ver Ka kits, currently decalong my Sazabi after a long hiatus:

That's one of my all-time favorite MG kits. The box illustration looks amazing with all the panels in spread-eagle mode, but I leave all the Psyco-frame parts closed on the actual kit, otherwise the kit just looks like it's trying too hard and comes across as silly. I need to modify the handle on the shield also.

[ArchieNov]

Thinking of buying the PG Exia Lighting version. Anyone here got it? If you do, can you share the dimensions of the base in inches? Is it the same as the PG Unicorn? Thanks.

[MILKAUTICO]

3 hours ago, ArchieNov said:

Thinking of buying the PG Exia Lighting version. Anyone here got it? If you do, can you share the dimensions of the base in inches? Is it the same as the PG Unicorn? Thanks.

check here http://dalong.net/review/pg/p16/p16_lm.htm

[joppewo]

Rumblings all over the internet (including supply chain leaks) that the next MG to be unveiled on 01.01.2018 will be the 303E Deep Striker

[seti88]

WHOA!! After all these years? will it be the first bandai deep striker kit ever?
I remember I got the MC deep striker few years back cos i couldn't find it ever being released by bandai...

[chyll2]

[captain america]

2 hours ago, joppewo said:

Rumblings all over the internet (including supply chain leaks) that the next MG to be unveiled on 01.01.2018 will be the 303E Deep Striker

Well that's interesting if it turns out to be true! I wonder if it would employ new tooling or a re-hash of the older kit parts with new sprues added.

[kajnrig]

1 hour ago, captain america said:

Well that's interesting if it turns out to be true! I wonder if it would employ new tooling or a re-hash of the older kit parts with new sprues added.

Not sure who said it but confirmed it's reusing the old S Gundam.

[dizman]

With the many new parts that are on the Deep Striker I don't blame Bandai for reusing the small amount of S Gundam parts they need to save some cash. Maybe we will get a Ver Ka FAZZ announcement for the 30th anniversary too, ooh is a RE100 MK-V too much to ask for?

[captain america]

26 minutes ago, kajnrig said:

Not sure who said it but confirmed it's reusing the old S Gundam.

*Interest quickly evaporates*

It's quite odd that Bandai would opt to re-use parts from a 15 year-old kit that way. Particularly as the parts of the S/EX-S that would benefit most from an upgrade are the head and shoulders--the very parts that carry over to the Deep Striker.

[Duymon]

If the S-gundam is re-used as part of the Deep Striker I'm kinda on the fence as that S-Gundam kit will require a bit of love to look nice.

Thankfully there's multitudes of aftermarket kits for the S-Gundam to look better...but still.... :0

On another note, just snapped up the P-Bandai GM-II (Unicorn ver) and was pleasantly surprised it came with a GM Kai head so I decided to experiment hehe. He'll look way cooler than the Other GM's for the .5 sec he survives before getting Zapped

[joppewo]

The MG 303E Deep Striker is confirmed as the 'Mystery' MG.

The local established hobby shops over here just opened their pre-orders today.

April 2018 release

[captain america]

Assuming the pic is legit, my excitement has all but evaporated.