Gundam Plamodel Thread IV

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

nice pics hikuro!

I'm all finished!

GMII Before Weathering and Decal Application.

GMII After weathering and decal application.

GMII ready for close quarters combat.

GMII thought it could take on my EZ-Blue Destiny....bless it's heart!

[Hikuro]

Thanks, it was a good GM kit, much nicer than the original of course.

I went over my instructions to the GM Powered, Alex NT-1, and GMIII.......they all use a different mobile limb system which I thought bandai was gonna start making these things all similar so you COULD create different unique units? Ah well. Sadly my idea of parts here and there just wasn't going to work without taking the chance to cut and destroy and snip certain areas. I still got a couple of ideas to maybe make it work but I really dunno.

It's kind of hard to envision this Gundam in my head....or place it UC time wise.....somewhere after OYW, but maybe not before the end of the Gryps conflict? I dunno.

Either case! I noticed that Bandai had released a Real Color Type Zaku 2.0 that's just a glorified RG before RG's came out. There's decals available and thought that'd be good to have and do some color job on my Zaku 2.0 I got while back. Problem is, like we all know the decals you can buy seperately don't come with instructions.
Any idea if there's an image laying around the net of the decal placement from the Real Color type Zaku?

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

I thought that was kind of the idea. When I do panel lining, I run the Gundam Marker along the line, then I use a q-tip to wipe off the excess. It cleans the surface, but the ink from the marker gets down in the crevices where the q-tip can't wipe it.

as a little tip, if you use a fine tip gundam marker for panel lining then you can use a q-tip to clean up the excess. You have to clean it right away after drawing the line before it has a chance to dry at all, and the wooden toothpick will absorb the paint leaving only a subtle line.

The way I handle excess gundam marker, especially when the lines are too thick, is to gently scrape it off with a toothpick that won't scratch the plastic.

On tight areas where the marker uses up the entire panel space leaving you a black or gray glob, I use my thumb or finger and wipe away the excess area. Works about 99% of the time just fine. You'll stain your finger for a little while but it's no big deal.

ok guys, i didn't have any q-tips (i brought some but must've thrown them out) but i used gundam marker as you suggested and used my thumb as a q-tip and a tooth pic. thanks it really works!

those little boxes on the legs i couldn't get to before i used a gundam marker then did the toothpick trick:

i used the thumb to wide off the small rectangular indents to get a shadow effect

and then for the complete square where i couldn't reach i used the toothpick.

Either case! I noticed that Bandai had released a Real Color Type Zaku 2.0 that's just a glorified RG before RG's came out. There's decals available and thought that'd be good to have and do some color job on my Zaku 2.0 I got while back. Problem is, like we all know the decals you can buy seperately don't come with instructions.

Any idea if there's an image laying around the net of the decal placement from the Real Color type Zaku?

i'll try and look around.

Edited March 8, 2015 by davidwhangchoi

[Hikuro]

ok guys, i didn't have any q-tips (i brought some but must've thrown them out) but i used gundam marker as you suggested and used my thumb as a q-tip and a tooth pic. thanks it really works!

those little boxes on the legs i couldn't get to before i used a gundam marker then did the toothpick trick:

i used the thumb to wide off the small rectangular indents to get a shadow effect

and then for the complete square where i couldn't reach i used the toothpick.

i'll try and look around.

At least your strike is coming along.

Washed the parts for my Dark Matter, I'll pick up paint for it after work or something tomorrow.

I ordered some HD builder parts for my Zaku 2.0. Not bad for 15 dollars worth picked up the mono eye and spike parts. I'd like to custom paint the zaku too but I can't find the greens I need do the job and the kit isn't exactly as highly detailed as a RG. I do wanna do a little bit of something to it, I just hadn't decided on exactly what, nor any clue how I'll paint the spikes as they're gonna come as a light gray color.

Anyone know a Tamiya paint that resembles very closely to the Zaku?

[Doublepush]

That looks awesome, nice and clean. RG Strike was one of my favorite builds I've completed

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

got some decals and starting to build torso:

i had a question. i had some panel line ink seep through a side crack and soak in the ink underneath surface of the plastic just enough to make it look dark. is there a way to get rid of it? i'm trying to experiment: i took the pieces off and soaking it in a small bottle of rubbing alcohol hoping it will soak and dissolve the ink.

hopefully it works

Edited March 9, 2015 by davidwhangchoi

[Hikuro]

got some decals and starting to build torso:

i had a question. i had some panel line ink seep through a side crack and soak in the ink underneath surface of the plastic just enough to make it look dark. is there a way to get rid of it? i'm trying to experiment: i took the pieces off and soaking it in a small bottle of rubbing alcohol hoping it will soak and dissolve the ink.

hopefully it works

isopropyl alcohol and a q tip might help

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

isopropyl alcohol and a q tip might help

i'm using isopropyl 70%. but the ink seeped in the pores of the plastic too deep for a q-tip to reach it.

[Nekko Basara]

i had a question. i had some panel line ink seep through a side crack and soak in the ink underneath surface of the plastic just enough to make it look dark. is there a way to get rid of it? i'm trying to experiment: i took the pieces off and soaking it in a small bottle of rubbing alcohol hoping it will soak and dissolve the ink.

I would suggest rubbing the area with an alcohol-soaked Q-tip, and if that didn't work to your satisfaction, you may carefuly shave or sand the surface down (with a very fine grit) to remove the discolored plastic. I would not soak parts in alcohol because this can cause the plastic to become stiffer and more brittle over time. You may also notice when the parts dry that they have a whitish film or dust on them that you'll need to rub off; I'm not sure what this is, but I suspect it's related to the plasticizing agents being removed. I'm not saying parts will be ruined this way, but it's something to avoid, especially if the parts undergo stress.

If I understand what happened, I'll just say that sprue attachment points and other areas you have cut do tend to be a bit porous and can let panel marker seep into the plastic a little bit. The best defense I have found is to simply keep the ink away from those areas (as you are rubbing it off, for example, rub away from nub marks). If you have to mark an area right next to an attachment point, that's a good time to do the marking on the sprue, before you cut.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

ok thanks hikuro and Nekko, i guess i can live with it and try to avoid it. learning something new everyday

[Scyla]

Can someone can tell me what the difference is between this:

http://www.hlj.com/product/GNZGM301P/Sup (black hilt)

and this:

http://www.hlj.com/product/GNZGM01 (blue hilt)

I'm especially interested to know which tip is finer.

[chyll2]

afaik, the blue hilt is the finer tip from GSI Creos (GNZGM01), and I never heard anyone discussing or using the other thin pen, so my "assumption" is that the other pen is similar to normal gundam marker which might be thinner but not as fine.

[Nekko Basara]

GM01 is the standard Gundam panel line marker, which has a sort of felt-tip pen-style tip (a thin metal tube with just a tiny amount of porous material sticking out). The liquid it dispenses basically an ink, very different from the paint contained in most other Gundam markers.

It looks like the GM301 is a new marker that uses a "Fine" Gundam paint-type marker tip to dispense a thinned paint mixture, similar to what you get in a bottle as Tamiya's panel liner (or what many folks just make themselves by thinning enamel paint.) This mixture flows into panel lines via capillary action, rather than being applied directly to each line. I haven't used the GM301 myself, I'm just getting this from some badly-translated descriptions and this excellent video.

Incidentally, it was not of any help here, but this link is tremendously valuable to me for identifying Gundam markers and sets.

[mog_kupo]

Can someone can tell me what the difference is between this:

http://www.hlj.com/product/GNZGM301P/Sup (black hilt)

and this:

http://www.hlj.com/product/GNZGM01 (blue hilt)

I'm especially interested to know which tip is finer.

Yep, the guy up its right, the black one its not very thin, hope this picture helps

I used this one for the RG line, but they seem to be out of stock on hlj

http://www.hlj.com/product/TOO04187/Sup

[Hikuro]

That's a much nicer pen imo than the normal everyday gundam markers we all use. Infact I would say I'd rather use the GM301 than having to mix my own enamel wash and rubbing alcohol will work jsut fine and I got that in plenty supply. I'll have to go looking for those.

What I usually do is I take about 3 drops of flat black enamel to a bottle cap with a good amount of lighter fluid and mix that all together and it works decently well, but won't last long as the lighter fluid will start to evaporate or the enamel paint will begin to settle at the bottom.

[Nekko Basara]

Just about finished with the Infinite Justice (sans flight pack). This kit doesn't have enough color separation or decals for my liking, but it certainly does cut a nice profile.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

Just about finished with the Infinite Justice (sans flight pack). This kit doesn't have enough color separation or decals for my liking, but it certainly does cut a nice profile.

that's incredible Nekko, it looks really good. how long did that take you?

[Nekko Basara]

Hey, thanks! I'm not sure how long it took. It has been on my bench for the past three weeks or so, but I've only been able to spend maybe 20-25 hours actually working on it. As I've said, I'm also really slow.

[mikeszekely]

Not much luck finding RG Zero on Amazon (disclaimer: I'm looking for either sold by Amazon, or fulfilled by Amazon).

I ordered an HG G-Self, though.

[Hikuro]

Not much luck finding RG Zero on Amazon (disclaimer: I'm looking for either sold by Amazon, or fulfilled by Amazon).

I ordered an HG G-Self, though.

I wish I had waited until the perfect g self showed up before I got it.

It's kinda hard getting rg zero from Amazon direct it sells out pretty quick. I just picked it up last month from the hobby store they had 4 of them. Price wasn't to much different either.

[MILKAUTICO]

Check this guys!!

[mikeszekely]

I wish I had waited until the perfect g self showed up before I got it.

It's kinda hard getting rg zero from Amazon direct it sells out pretty quick. I just picked it up last month from the hobby store they had 4 of them. Price wasn't to much different either.

If I went to a local hobby store and they had it, I'd buy it. But I'd have to find a local hobby store that sells gunpla, of which there aren't any. Maybe if my buddy wants to make the hour drive to the IKEA again...

As for the the G-Self, I haven't watched G-Reco yet, so I don't know much about the G-Self. From what I've seen, it's like Strike or Impulse, with different packs, and I know that the HG model came with the atmospheric pack. I've seen a space pack sold separately (for almost as much as the actual G-Self kit!), and I've seen artwork for a ton of other packs. Is Bandai planning on selling the G-Self with the perfect pack? Or will the perfect pack be sold separately? I haven't seen kits for anything but the G-Self with atmospheric pack and the space back option parts.

I'm actually thinking I'm in the mood for something a little different... I might get the HG Psyco Gundam. Is there anywhere to get decals for it, though?

[Nekko Basara]

Something else I want to share with all you crazy Gunplars - I went looking for an alternative to the expensive and hard-to-find Mr. Hobby topcoats, and I landed on Krylon's Crystal Clear Covermaxx. Unlike most consumer clearcoats, it's an acrylic, so it shouldn't attack hobby paints or make Gundam markers run. The Infinite Justice was the first kit I've coated with it, and I am very happy with the results. The finish of the Satin version is comparable to Mr. Top Coat Semi-Gloss, but it seems even harder when dry (and it dries fast). I probably need practice with the spray, which is heavier than a little hobby rattle-can's, but the Krylon goes on thick. Nonetheless, I had no problems with it pooling or running at all. The only issue I had is that it lays down such a hard and heavy topcoat that any dust or fuzz ends up throughly sealed-in and hard to remove (with Mr. Top Coat I can just gently scratch any imperfection out with a toothpick and re-spray if necessary). But that can probably be addressed by careful surface prep and/or lighter coats.

I tracked this stuff down at Walmart after having no luck finding it at Home Depot, Lowe's, or Michael's. I haven't played with the Gloss or Matte yet, but I plan to. By my rough calculation, this stuff is about 1/8 the price of the Mr. Hobby alternative by volume.

[TheCaptain]

Hey guys noob question here but when building the kit, is sanding down nubs the best way to get rid of nub marks? I've also never too coated so what time of day and temperature would be best for top coating? Thanks

[mikeszekely]

Hey guys noob question here but when building the kit, is sanding down nubs the best way to get rid of nub marks? I've also never too coated so what time of day and temperature would be best for top coating? Thanks

I know nothing about painting.

As far as the nubs go, the accepted best practice is, I believe, to leave a bit of the nub when using nippers to cut the part off of the runner, then to use a hobby knife to cut the nub off, then use a very fine-grit sandpaper or file to sand off any remaining mark.

Me personally, I use the nippers to cut as close to the part as I can, then hobby knife off the remainder, then say, "screw it, good enough".

EDIT: I preordered RG Gundam G3 from Gundam Planet. It seems like it's quite a bit cheaper at GG Infinite, but I dunno, I guess I like the presentation better at Gundam Planet? HLJ and Gundam Store and More don't seem to have preorders available.

Edited March 11, 2015 by mikeszekely

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

I know nothing about painting.

As far as the nubs go, the accepted best practice is, I believe, to leave a bit of the nub when using nippers to cut the part off of the runner, then to use a hobby knife to cut the nub off, then use a very fine-grit sandpaper or file to sand off any remaining mark.

Me personally, I use the nippers to cut as close to the part as I can, then hobby knife off the remainder, then say, "screw it, good enough".

EDIT: I preordered RG Gundam G3 from Gundam Planet. It seems like it's quite a bit cheaper at GG Infinite, but I dunno, I guess I like the presentation better at Gundam Planet? HLJ and Gundam Store and More don't seem to have preorders available.

gg infinite is 10 flat shipping so it'll 48 shipped (but i would get more stuff to take advantage of flat shipping)

gundam planet has it for 54. they used to be free shipping but now i think they charge 9.99 up to 100 bucks of stuff

personally i would get it from gg infinite.

this is a bandai premium so he wont' show up at hlj. but i think gundam planet and gg infinte nippon yasan orders specialty gundams.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

finished arms and core:

Edited March 11, 2015 by davidwhangchoi

[Nekko Basara]

That is looking great, David!

I see you used the copper-colored stickers on the elbow joints. Are they staying on ok? They've given me and others some grief by not adhering well to the corners they have to bend around.

Also, a gripe I have with this kit is that mine tends to have a pretty visible gap between the torso and pelvis armor unless I pose it just-so. Yours looks fine in this area, though. Is it the pose, or does yours feel alright in that regard?

[mikeszekely]

gg infinite is 10 flat shipping so it'll 48 shipped (but i would get more stuff to take advantage of flat shipping)

gundam planet has it for 54. they used to be free shipping but now i think they charge 9.99 up to 100 bucks of stuff

personally i would get it from gg infinite.

Have you ordered from either of them?

The price difference after shipping is around $17, which is definitely enough to make me think twice, but having never ordered from either I did a little poking around. The consensus seemed to be that Gundam Planet is more expensive, but the service is top notch. As for GG Infinite, I've heard complaints about price (although $48 shipped actually seems pretty cheap to me), a lack of response to customer inquiries, late shipping, shipping wrong quantities, shipping orders for multiple items and forgetting some of the items, etc. I don't know if they're isolated incidents or what, but throw in the fact that Gundam Planet doesn't just sell the models, they have all kinds of useful information on their site versus GG Infinite, which looks like it was designed in the late '90s, and I'm just not feeling confident enough about GG Infinite. That extra $17 is buying me peace of mind.

[Hikuro]

I do reviews on GP for the points but Monday was the first time I've ever ordered from them as I wanted to try those markers, I'm sick of the mess enamel washes leave and how much time it takes to clean it off the plastic when I don't get a good mix done.

I should have a couple packages today from Amazon though. 1 is just a new volume of origins bringing me to I think volume 5 and it'll answer some questions I had about blue eyes casual.

The other 2 are HD parts for my Zaku 2.0 like the spikes and mono eye.

Next week I'll have decals for my GM 2.0 a guy in my build club got me from the new hamsphire store.

I'll be turning that GM into a White Dingo custom

[mikeszekely]

Yeah, Amazon is still my go-to web store for gunpla. Even if it's not sold by Amazon directly, the marketplace is so competitive there that price + shipping is lower than just about everywhere else, even if you pick a seller that uses Amazon for fulfillment to get the Prime shipping. I only ordered from Gundam Planet because I wanted to lock the G3 down, in case it winds up like Zeta 3, and it won't turn up on Amazon until after it's released. Judging by the RG Casval Gundam, though, the price plus shipping at Amazon would be around the price before shipping at GP.

EDIT: I got an order in this morning for an RG Wing Zero and an HG Psyco Gundam. Both and the G-Self should be here by Friday. Between those three kits and the preorder on the G3, I think I'm going to put the Vrabe on the back burner for a bit. In fact, I'm going to need a third Detolf sooner or later. I might see if my buddy and his truck want to do the Ikea run when the weather's a little nicer. There's a HobbyTown there, and I can look to see if they have the Vrabe at that time.

Edited March 11, 2015 by mikeszekely

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

Have you ordered from either of them?

The price difference after shipping is around $17, which is definitely enough to make me think twice, but having never ordered from either I did a little poking around. The consensus seemed to be that Gundam Planet is more expensive, but the service is top notch. As for GG Infinite, I've heard complaints about price (although $48 shipped actually seems pretty cheap to me), a lack of response to customer inquiries, late shipping, shipping wrong quantities, shipping orders for multiple items and forgetting some of the items, etc. I don't know if they're isolated incidents or what, but throw in the fact that Gundam Planet doesn't just sell the models, they have all kinds of useful information on their site versus GG Infinite, which looks like it was designed in the late '90s, and I'm just not feeling confident enough about GG Infinite. That extra $17 is buying me peace of mind.

gundam planet is right around my house so i go there and hang out. they have top notch customer service. their prices were ok when they offered free shipping. but i think now amazon is the way to go. i still get action base stands from them bc they're like 6 bucks and a few rg here and there if i want instant gratification and not wait for shipping.

gginfinite is run by gundamguy. i've ordered only twice through him. the first time every thing was ok. the second time i ordered through amazon and he sent the wrong item. i ordered freedom de-active and he sent strike freedom de-active. shipping was fast, item came in 3 days even though it was not offered as amazon prime but just as a third party. he responded immediately and shipped out the correct one and told me they'll be a return label in the new box and just ship back the wrong item once the new item arrives in the same box. I thought it was great customer service. once the correct freedom de-active arrived, i found there was no return label to ship back strike freedom. i contacted him again bc i wanted to return the strike and he said he'll send out another label. he never did and i'm guess i think it prob wasn't worth the cost as shipping would be 10 bucks each way and prob kill profit he already lost by having to ship freedom de-active.

anyways, yeah the communication sounds about right re: getting orders mixed up. i think gginfinite is a single guy that's doing it out of his home.

That is looking great, David!

I see you used the copper-colored stickers on the elbow joints. Are they staying on ok? They've given me and others some grief by not adhering well to the corners they have to bend around.

Also, a gripe I have with this kit is that mine tends to have a pretty visible gap between the torso and pelvis armor unless I pose it just-so. Yours looks fine in this area, though. Is it the pose, or does yours feel alright in that regard?

the're sticking clean so far but i think the stickers are looking like they're probably going to come off in the future. i tried really hard to cut them but the joint surface feels very slippery even after washing it. (edite: actually i was looking through my photos and didn't see too much of a gap: i think they're might be a gap but i'm not sure if that's how it's supposed to look as this is my first rg let me mess with it a bit more...)

Edited March 11, 2015 by davidwhangchoi

[Nekko Basara]

Thanks, David. I'll try to get some shots of my Strike to show what I'm talking about. Although I like the Strike design and really enjoy the weapon pack concept, I haven't been happy with how my RG Strike looks. There's a sort of gappy, disconnected look to the waist, shoulders, and head attachments that I attribute to it being built on the RX-78 RG frame. I believe all of the other SEED RGs use a different, common frame and I like tjem better.

Regarding the stickers, neither stickers nor paint adhere very well to the ABS in the joints, and when you ask tiny stickers to hold on over so many folds, it just seems to be too much. I think it's a common experience that those elbow stickers come up over time. Personally, I prefer to paint those spots with copper paint; it can also wear off of the ABS with handling, but at least it's easily replaced.

[mikeszekely]

Thanks, David. I'll try to get some shots of my Strike to show what I'm talking about. Although I like the Strike design and really enjoy the weapon pack concept, I haven't been happy with how my RG Strike looks. There's a sort of gappy, disconnected look to the waist, shoulders, and head attachments that I attribute to it being built on the RX-78 RG frame. I believe all of the other SEED RGs use a different, common frame and I like tjem better.

Regarding the stickers, neither stickers nor paint adhere very well to the ABS in the joints, and when you ask tiny stickers to hold on over so many folds, it just seems to be too much. I think it's a common experience that those elbow stickers come up over time. Personally, I prefer to paint those spots with copper paint; it can also wear off of the ABS with handling, but at least it's easily replaced.

Yeah, I've pretty much stopped using those stickers in favor of a copper or gold metallic Sharpie.

I also used the silver one on Destiny's wings after all the stickers fell peeled off.

Aside from the joints and Destiny's wings, though, the only stickers that I still have trouble with are the red/red and gray stickers that go on beam saber hilts. I seriously don't think any have remained in place except the Mk-II, which uses a boxier hilt.

Oh, I had some trouble with some of the stickers on the front of the RG Zaku's feet, until I figured out to just cut the sticker along the fold. Once I did that, no problems.

[McFly!!]

You guys are really inspiring! I took a week off work to relax a bit. I think I'll try panel lining some of my kits (all plain so far, no decals, panel lines, or paint).