Gundam Plamodel Thread IV

[anime52k8]

Once you add glass shelves and clear doors to a billy they get really expensive; significantly moor than detolfs for the same cubic footage of display space. Also, they discontinued the version with deeper shelves so now its basically impossible to fit anything of value in them and close the doors anyways.

[Vifam7]

Once you add glass shelves and clear doors to a billy they get really expensive; significantly moor than detolfs for the same cubic footage of display space. Also, they discontinued the version with deeper shelves so now its basically impossible to fit anything of value in them and close the doors anyways.

Even with the shallower depth shelves, the tall Billy bookcases are better than the Detolfs for display space. With glass doors, they're also better at keeping the dust away. The Detolfs have too many gaps IMO. But yes, the Billy bookcases can get expensive once you add glass doors. Though still way cheaper than getting a curio cabinet of similar size.

Here are of my Billys with glass doors.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Vifam7

[Hikuro]

I did a lot of research on closed glass cases, they're not cheap. i like these, if I had more the display would be less crammed, but I like them better than book cases cause if something shook they won't fall. I remember my ex bumping into a case and my MP-10 Optimus made a nose dive from the top shelf. I almost had a heart attack.

[Hikuro]

Alright guys just finished about an hour, hour and a half worth of work. And let me tell you that doesn't say much!

Most of my time was spent here, trying to feed all the LED wiring into the proper grooves and slots and takes a bit of working them in to get a good fit. I was more worried of puncturing something on the insulation and ruining the wires than anything else. There's a lot of zigging and zagging and weaving the basket kind of thing imo....BUT I think I did it all just fine and that's what matters!

This though is where it's all at, I love how well everything is closed together, and the gaping there near the center of the torso helps give it a nice bending level of articulation I don't think exists in the master grade.
So far, even though they took a lot of things from the master grade, they've spent more time in redesigning new things to make the model pop!

I'm really enjoying it and not being able to see the sprue stress marks on this kit is just heaven for once.

[SchizophrenicMC]

Once you add glass shelves and clear doors to a billy they get really expensive; significantly moor than detolfs for the same cubic footage of display space. Also, they discontinued the version with deeper shelves so now its basically impossible to fit anything of value in them and close the doors anyways.

A double full Billy has 330sqft of shelf space for $160, plus $200 for 4 doors. You would need 5 Detolfs to get the same amount of shelf space, at $65 each. Five Detolfs is actually marginally cheaper than a double-Billy with glass doors, but the glass doors on the Billy would keep more dust out. And, if you don't need as much height per shelf, you can add shelves to Billy for pretty cheap, and push up the square footage even more. It all comes down to what you're displaying.

And if you're like me, and don't like shutting in your displays, it's a lot cheaper. My only inhibition is, if I replace my single bookcase with a double Billy, I'll have to take some of the posters down from my walls. I do like my posters. Even still, eventually, I'll need more display space. Ikea is on my list.

Hikuro, the undergating must be nice. I keep wanting Bandai to put more undergating on more kits. Especially since Bandai is all about snap-fit kits, they could really boost the finish just by using that technology.

[Hikuro]

A double full Billy has 330sqft of shelf space for $160, plus $200 for 4 doors. You would need 5 Detolfs to get the same amount of shelf space, at $65 each. Five Detolfs is actually marginally cheaper than a double-Billy with glass doors, but the glass doors on the Billy would keep more dust out. And, if you don't need as much height per shelf, you can add shelves to Billy for pretty cheap, and push up the square footage even more. It all comes down to what you're displaying.

And if you're like me, and don't like shutting in your displays, it's a lot cheaper. My only inhibition is, if I replace my single bookcase with a double Billy, I'll have to take some of the posters down from my walls. I do like my posters. Even still, eventually, I'll need more display space. Ikea is on my list.

Hikuro, the undergating must be nice. I keep wanting Bandai to put more undergating on more kits. Especially since Bandai is all about snap-fit kits, they could really boost the finish just by using that technology.

I know that the newer Version Ka's and RG's over the last year or so use the undergating mold....I would certainly like to see it incorporated more into the future release of all including HG, even if it raises the price point just a bit more so we can have a nicer quality product to build and look less chewed on.

I was going through the next section of the instructions which are the two legs and it looks hard, mainly just the wiring portion looks hard the instructions aren't very clear I think.

But I also don't exactly want to work on it tonight.

[dizman]

Wiring up the PG Zeta is the last time I'll ever mess with lights in a kit, good luck with the Unicorn! If you are confused on any part of the build remember that HLJ released a set of full build and wiring videos for the PG Unicorn.

[SchizophrenicMC]

Yeah, Syd from HLJ/Gaijin Gunpla did a full set of videos on the build. It's pretty helpful.

[Hikuro]

yeah if it gets to confusing I'll look at syds wiring guide.

it should be just massively more simpler than the wing zero

[mikeszekely]

After the price increase I decided against renewing my Amazon Prime sub. So when I wanted to order the HGUC Crossbone Gundam (ie, not the Maoh one), I needed to spend more if I wanted free shipping, and the free shipping was adequate since I wasn't in a hurry. Anyway, I decided to throw in the HG Turn A Gundam. Ironically, Amazon shipped them separately.

Well, I'm still waiting for Crossbone, but the Turn A arrived already. RG's have me working from the bottom up, so that it can stand as I work, so I got the legs built. Here's why I'm pretty excited about it... it's my first time doing panel lines. Now, I can see how some of the other HGs I've built might benefit from panel lining, but with the smoother surfaces and more natural curves it seemed more optional. Turn A has a lot of flat surfaces and sharp angles, plus grooves that run deep along those flat surfaces. It's the first model I've worked on where I've really felt that doing the panel lines was absolutely necessary for the model to look correct. So I'm using the "run over the line with a Gundam marker then wipe away the excess with a Q-tip" method, and I gotta say I'm really happy with the results.

As with some other recent HGs, like Victory, V2, and F91, Bandai included stickers for some of the detailing, but not all of it. For instance, there's red stickers for the line on the knee and the dot on the thigh, and black stickers for a line on the edge of the thigh and the triangle on the front of the thigh, but not for the verniers on the sides of the lower legs, even though they're bigger than the triangles, nor the top part of the lower leg (when standing straight, the knee covers it, but in every image of Turn A with a bent knee it looks black to me). Since I figured I was going to have to do some painting anyway, I opted to paint all the black and red, so I haven't used any of the stickers. While painting isn't my strong suit, I think this might be my best work yet. Can't wait until it's done so I can show you guys.

[Hikuro]

buddy of mine made a meme of me.....he's also the man who wore that infamous halo master chief suit in front of a bbq if anyone saw that.

[SchizophrenicMC]

There have been a lot of those. I used to be a part of the 405th, the main Halo armoring community. There are literally thousands of Master Chiefs.

[mikeszekely]

It's done! Again, it's my first time doing panel lines, and all of the color is either molded that way or painted. The only stickers I used were the eyes and the Turn A on the forehead.

Well, there's a lot to like about this kit! Turn A is a bigger unit than the Victory, V2, F91, and Crossbone I've worked on recently. Combined with his big round head, and it felt like I was working with a lot fewer tiny, difficult parts. I dig that Bandai included a clear yellow runner just for the cockpit hatch on the crotch, and the legs have an interesting design that gives Turn A a shallow joint halfway between the knee and the ankle.

I have my complaints, though. As I mentioned, it's kind of frustrating when Bandai includes stickers for some of the detail not all of it, but it's kind of moot because I painted. My biggest complaint is actually the way the shoulders are built. The back of the shoulder armor is actually built into Turn A's back, so it's fixed in place. That'd be bad enough, as it limits the range the arms can move, but the front/top of the shoulder armor is the style that has a hole that slides over the peg from the torso and his held in place by the arm. So, most of the shoulder armor isn't lined up well with the back, but the fact that the back is fixed limits the articulation anyway. It would have been better if the back was connected to the front instead of the torso, or better still, if the shoulder armor connected directly to the arm.

My other gripe is the accessories. Two beam sabers, a shield, and a beam rifle. That's standard. Two sets of beam saber holders, one set for just the sabers and a second set with extra bits to hold the shield and rifle on the back. Handy, although the rifle looks kind of dumb on the back, and either add a bit of bulk. Four total hands; two in the fist pose that can hold either weapon, two open. A little light compared to other recent kits, but it's plenty, really. Two butts for the rifle, one a single segment and one extended with a handle on the side. As seem in the anime, I suppose, but nothing to write home about. A core fighter, molded entirely in white. Honestly, if you're not going to make the core fighter a transformable part of the actual suit, like the RGs, I'm not a fan. Finally, there's extra chest and back pieces, so you can make the Turn A have the open hatches look. Now, this is the sort of thing that if they'd made one chest and back with doors that actually open, it'd be cool (like maybe on an RG version?), but I don't see too many people disassembling a large chunk of the model just to switch them around. Now, between the core fighter and the extra chest and back, that's four largish pieces that I feel are basically useless, and yet there's no Gundam Hammer. That's a shame, because even more than the RX-78 I associate the Gundam Hammer with Turn A.

Gripes aside, I'd say this is one of the better HG kits I've built. The details are pretty easy to paint, and if you panel line all the grooves it certainly looks detailed enough.

[SchizophrenicMC]

HGs usually can't fit the kind of gimmicks that RGs or MGs can. I'd just be glad they included a core fighter and transformation parts at all, with an HG. If you want transforming core fighters, buy some MGs. You'll also get a lot better color separation and more sticker detail. Usually not RG-level, but MGs are a lot more stable and imposing than RGs. All my RGs keep falling over and falling apart, and 1/144 isn't a very big scale. You can really sense a difference in scale between my Unicorn twins:

Of course, even within a single scale, you can be deceived. Unicorn is one of the biggest Gundams. X is one of the smallest:

Sometimes I can only tell it's an MG because I keep my RG GP01 at its feet.

[anime52k8]

A double full Billy has 330sqft of shelf space for $160, plus $200 for 4 doors. You would need 5 Detolfs to get the same amount of shelf space, at $65 each. Five Detolfs is actually marginally cheaper than a double-Billy with glass doors, but the glass doors on the Billy would keep more dust out. And, if you don't need as much height per shelf, you can add shelves to Billy for pretty cheap, and push up the square footage even more. It all comes down to what you're displaying.

There's also the $80 in glass shelves you'd need to replace the wooden ones that come with the BILLY (The glass shelves are absolutely mandatory IMO if you're using it as a display cabinet). at that point you could buy 6 detolfs and you'd still have $50 left over.

Edited December 23, 2014 by anime52k8

[SchizophrenicMC]

Part of why I don't like Detolf is it's all glass. I don't like glass shelves. If I wanted to portray the illusion of flight, I'd buy an action base for $8.

[anime52k8]

Part of why I don't like Detolf is it's all glass. I don't like glass shelves. If I wanted to portray the illusion of flight, I'd buy an action base for $8.

It's got nothing to do with "illusion of flight"; it's so you can actually see the things you have on display.

Edited December 23, 2014 by anime52k8

[mikeszekely]

HGs usually can't fit the kind of gimmicks that RGs or MGs can. I'd just be glad they included a core fighter and transformation parts at all, with an HG. If you want transforming core fighters, buy some MGs.

I'm not debating that you have valid points for the MG line... indeed, I think all of the lines have their advantages and disadvantages, and one of the things I think makes gunpla great is that there's something for everyone. Me personally, I prefer the RG line for the insane detail, and I supplement my RGs with HGs of suits that I really want because scale is essential to me. Respectfully, though, I think you might be missing my point. I'm not upset that an HG model kit doesn't have a transformable core fighter or working hatches on the torso; I even suggested that Bandai wouldn't do it (at least in 1/144) unless they do an RG Turn A. My point is that I'm NOT glad they included a core fighter or the open hatch parts, and the reason I'm not glad is because I think they're a waste. I don't care about the non-transformable, single-color core fighter, and I sincerely doubt anybody is going to build and display the Turn A with the hatch open parts, or even further, take the model apart to swap them out later. I really feel that, instead of extra chest parts and a core fighter that the majority would have been way happier with a Gundam Hammer, a weapon Turn A is really known for.

I'm also saying that, despite the unwanted junk and the lack of a Gundam Hammer, and despite the shoulder issues, that the HGUC is a pretty good kit, and I actually recommend it.

Of course, even within a single scale, you can be deceived. Unicorn is one of the biggest Gundams. X is one of the smallest:

I'd say that's fairly true for Unicorn, excluding extra huge stuff like the Psyco Gundam, and excluding non-Gundam MS like Kshatriya or the Zaku III. In Destroy mode, it should be similarly-sized with the Nu Gundam, around 22 meters. Most of the MS in the various Gundam series are around 18-19m. Gundam X, at around 17m, is definitely on the smaller side, but it's still bigger than most of the Gundams in G and Wing (around 16m), and a lot bigger than F91 or V (around 15m).

Seeing the difference in size (F91 comes up to around Nu's waist) is part of the fun of keeping everything in scale. I happen to like 1/144, partly because I love the insane amount of detail on the RGs, partly because I like the relatively low cost and abundance of the 1/144 kits, and partly because I can fit more in a similar space. But like I said, the 1/100 MGs and even the 1/60 PGs have their charms, too. There's no right or wrong when it comes to Gunpla.

Edited December 23, 2014 by mikeszekely

[SchizophrenicMC]

It's got nothing to do with "illusion of flight"; it's so you can actually see the things you have on display.

What, like I can't see my stuff with wood shelves? I've been putting gunpla on display in a bookcase for like 7 years now. It works for me.

[Hikuro]

This is kicking the crap out of me. It's taken me 4 hours to get the bare bones of the legs assembled, an extra hour just to figure out the LED's and then snap everything in place.............for one leg.

I DID have to look at Syd's video cause I felt like I was seriously missing something and I realized what it was, 2 things. Near the hip just before you insert the LED underneath the ball, you need to tuck it underneath where there's a little groove. But it's really small and slim so the insulation kinda split apart but the wires were just fine. Then you have to take the top portion of the wire and tuck it above the LED so it can clear and remain inside the leg.

After that it's just snapping the armor parts in place and you're done. I'm just astonished by it's size so far. Just whammy!

[SchizophrenicMC]

Coming back to scale, that leg is taller than MG Unicorn!

[McFly!!]

This is kicking the crap out of me. It's taken me 4 hours to get the bare bones of the legs assembled, an extra hour just to figure out the LED's and then snap everything in place.............for one leg.

I DID have to look at Syd's video cause I felt like I was seriously missing something and I realized what it was, 2 things. Near the hip just before you insert the LED underneath the ball, you need to tuck it underneath where there's a little groove. But it's really small and slim so the insulation kinda split apart but the wires were just fine. Then you have to take the top portion of the wire and tuck it above the LED so it can clear and remain inside the leg.

After that it's just snapping the armor parts in place and you're done. I'm just astonished by it's size so far. Just whammy!

Thanks for posting your wip pics, Hikuro! Did you have to put some electrical tape where the insulation split? Keep up the awesome work!

[Hikuro]

Thanks for posting your wip pics, Hikuro! Did you have to put some electrical tape where the insulation split? Keep up the awesome work!

Welcome, both legs are done now. And no, I didn't split the insulation open, just the two wires insulated are kind of glued together and that's what split. They're fine, or at least they should be for the money, I would hope Bandai really did well on these. Apparently once I'm done with the waist I can test the LED's out or something.

Coming back to scale, that leg is taller than MG Unicorn!

Oh yeah this thing towers all. I think the Nu Gundam will come to above the waist in terms of scale. This thing is a monster I'm telling you guys, a white devil!

[Nekko Basara]

Syd's review of the RG Wing Gundam EW is up.

Really dig the wings on this version. I feel like for the first time they look like legitimate mechanical structures, rather than just being "this Gundam has angel wings because that's cool."

[SchizophrenicMC]

Gunpla TV also posted up a video of the build:

I don't really like the EW version of the Wing Zero Custom. The angel wings are just a bit much for me. Of course, so are Deathscythe Hell's batwings. And Sandrock's scimitars, and Heavyarms' enormous gatlings and acrobatics, and Shenlong's... um. Just Shenlong Gundam in general. (I thought we were done with Racism Gundam when G Gundam wrapped up) Gundam Wing has a nostalgia factor, for sure, but I've just never been a huge fan of the show, especially not when 08th MS aired around the same time, on the same channel. Beam weapons are cool, but they're even cooler when you don't see them until the second half.

[Hikuro]

I MIGHT get the EW Wing Zero, but it's a big might. I haven't even finished the MG line up and I think all I'm short on are the Deathscythe and Epyon. I"m not gonna bother with the exclusives like Tallgeese II and III....it's just meh for me. I have Tallgeese sitting in the garage boxed right now and I should of gotten that damn kit somewhere else as it was 10 dollars cheaper at another store and kicked myself for it.

I'm coming to hate the LED gimmick of the Unicorn....for really a simple reason. This kit has to remain stationary on it's stand and can not be properly posed. Basically I have to treat it like it's inside an MS cage if I want to use the LED's....I mean come on! Couldn't there of been a simpler way of doing it? Maybe have the backpack a little more hallow? Or build something into the torso? I feel horrible that I can't give it one of it's classic poses with the beam saber, or look like it's gonna fly over and rip something apart all judo chop like to the Neo Zeong. It's just a big bummer! You know Iw as just thinking how interesting it would be if there was a PG Neo Zeong.....I think t hat would stand about 4 or 5 feet tall wouldn't it?

Right now I have the torso and legs connected to the waist. the G LED parts are connected to the B and A sides and kind of tucked inside. Now it's telling me I need to connect all the B links to the stand for a test and I dunno if I really want too or not. Haven't decided....I don't exactly want to connect anything and find out I screwed up big time. But also I'm realizing that if you haven't stickered up your Unicorn before finally assembly you are kind of screwed as I like to tear everything apart so it's easier to sticker without something in the way.

[SchizophrenicMC]

In your opinion, do you think the stand is sturdy enough or big enough to hold the kit up for flight poses? I know the PG Strike's is only barely tall enough, and it's certainly not heavy enough.

This is actually a pretty big PG issue. None of them come with good enough stands to show them off. They are usually legendarily stable on their feet, but there's only so much you can do with a standing pose.

[kanedaestes]

There's a third party company that makes the action base stands for perfect grades. They initially it was made for the perfect grade wing zero.

Also after a slight hiccup with PayPal I'm excited my PG Unicorn is on its way. I've been going back and forth on whether or not to get the LEDs. While it looks amazing how often will I actually light it up?

As for the RG EW line I was initially excited but I'm moving away from models now more for robot spirits line for better posing and because the wing line has enemy mecha. I know the moment I invest on the RG wing suits they will announce the RS line of them. I have the entire RG line except for Z'Gok though so we will see.

Edited December 25, 2014 by kanedaestes

[Hikuro]

I'm gonna need another can....

[Hikuro]

In your opinion, do you think the stand is sturdy enough or big enough to hold the kit up for flight poses? I know the PG Strike's is only barely tall enough, and it's certainly not heavy enough.

This is actually a pretty big PG issue. None of them come with good enough stands to show them off. They are usually legendarily stable on their feet, but there's only so much you can do with a standing pose.

The stand it comes with is just like an MS Cage, you just store it there and that's it. It stays at attention standing straight no more no less. The back pillar is just to keep it from falling. Right now as you can see up top above my previous post, the model stands just fine on it's own right now. It's insanely tall I'm just floored but it. Depending on how well the antennas close together I MIGHT just keep it in it's Unicorn/Normal form.

There's a third party company that makes the action base stands for perfect grades. The initially it was made for the perfect grade wing zero.

Also after a slight hiccup with PayPal I'm excited my PG Unicorn is on its way. I've been going back and forth on whether or not to get the LEDs. While it looks amazing how often will I actiakky light it up?

As for the RG EW line I was initially excited but I'm moving away from models now more for robot spirits line for better posing and because the wing line has enemy mecha. I know the moment I invest on the RG wing suits they will announce the RS line of them. I have the entire RG line except for Z'Gok though so we will see.

Well the LED kit takes I think 5 AA batteries to power it all up, it's doing a fairly decent job at hiding all the wires cause it gives you plenty of slack cause my stuff isn't lining up as nicely as I"d hope so there's a little wiggle room to make it work when you snap these into the armor parts. I'm completely done with the waist and it tells you to start connecting it to the base and try it out....I had 8 AA batteries I purchased recently and I can't find them cause my room is such a damn mess and I've been spending my time christmas shopping and working on 1 section a day on the kit.

I'd like to say this should last so long as you don't leave it on for long hours, and LED's are suppose to last thousands of hours but....I've proven that wrong with the LED light that was attached to Exia that crapped out big time.

I'm kind of wondering, once this is done what's the next PG I should do? There's Zeta, RX-78-2, Zaku and Char's Zaku, Strike, MK II, and the GP01 which if I did GP01 I'm doing the first version I hated the Full Burn with a passion.

[kanedaestes]

Well the GP01/FB is the same kit. You have the option to display it which every way you like and it comes with a cage to hold the other parts. I did the zeta long ago and while it's cool I know longer care for the more rounded shape of it compared to the Real Grade or the MG 2.0 which has sharper edges. The Strike is on the the Kings of the PG kits and from the looks of it RX-78, 178 and Char are pretty amazing and still hold up almost a decade later. I feel the Unicorn will make me revist the PG line as I move away from modeling as a whole and go for more impressive display pieces for my shelves.

[Nekko Basara]

Just when I was making peace with the idea that the PG Unicorn had to be on its base for the lights to function, I get this nasty pair of revelations. Hikuro says it basically can't pose on the base, and - if I saw correctly in the build videos - it is actually wired to base with same sort of couplings used throughout the wiring process. Meaning that disconnecting it requires messing with those. I was at the very least expecting Bandai to use a system of spring contacts in the stand, so that you could connect/disconnect the light system simply by slipping the MS on/off the stand (similar to what cordless phones and other rechargeable devices have been using since the 90s).

I'm still amazed by the Unicorn PG, but my enthusiasm for the LED system is nearly gone.

[SchizophrenicMC]

On the upside, Bandai farmed out the LED system to a company that specializes in it, so we should be seeing better results than some of their other LED ventures. The whole stuck-to-its base thing is a bit of a drag, but the parts all do come separately from the base as well. No reason you couldn't fabricate a new base that lets it pose in Destroy Mode with the lights on.

Hell, I always intended to build it a custom power supply so I could plug it in, rather than fill it with batteries. I'm still excited for the LEDs. I think they'll add a powerful effect to the kit, and if combined with a better base, could create some amazing views. Half the fun of gunpla is figuring out how you're going to pose it, and making that work.

[Hikuro]

If you're good with wiring and can figure it out I say go for it if you wanna. But yes it does have to remain on it's base. There are two locations that have to be connected to get the full effect of the Unicorn's 30 LED's. After switching on the power box pressing the circular button once will light up the eyes which is connected to a smaller pigtail which I dunno right now where it all connects too cause I'm not done there.

However a larger pigtail connected to the power pack after you hit the circular button again will light up the entire frame and eyes.

Is it a bummer it has to be on it's stand? Yes. Is it a waste of money buying the LED's cause it has to be on the stand to power on? Matter of opinion.

Best way to look at it, is without the LED kit, you have NOTHING that even gives you the Bandai tradition of a light up head! This is the first Perfect Grade which has no power box and LED to light the infamous green eyes of the Gundam, truly sad. A seperate kit just for that should of been included and also would make it one less thing the frame lights would have to power. Truly a waste.

But the overall affect it gives when powered on is very nice.

There is bleeding though! Under the ankles there is light bleeding sort of purplish. The feet have psycho frame parts, but they don't give you any wiring for it that's a bummer. The sides of the shoulders which you can peek thru are bleeding as well, no way around that, and the back skirt has a bit of bleeding when you open them up. There's freaking reflective stickers to help direct the light too, you would think there would be some for the ankles to help with that bleed or something.

Tomorrow is a crap shoot, it's christmas but I mean I could be busy I could be bored off my ass and not participate in anything and just finish this build so I can move on and relax lol.

[Nekko Basara]

Can't sleep - I'm waiting to ambush Santa!

Honestly, from the photos and videos I've seen, I like the look with the LEDs on in Unicorn mode the best. The way all the edges of the panels leak light perfectly captures the second in the animation before they start opening up. I hadn't noticed the purple color in some areas until you mentioned it, though.

I dunno, I'm just... urgh. Part of me feels like if you're gonna build the kit, it'd be crazy to skip the LEDs. But I simply cannot believe that Bandai couldn't manage a better stand-connection system than pulling out and undoing two separate wiring connectors.