Gundam Plamodel Thread IV

[Hikuro]

The p-Bandai effect parts for RG Destiny and Strike Freedom are getting reissued. Do you guys know where I can po them? Im not sure if NY will make another po for these (since they have some at scalper prices) and genteikits don't have any.

In anycase, P-Bandai has just spammed different types HGUC Jegans for PO. The CCA one looks tight. And the Wings of light set for HGUC V2 Gundam is stupidly expensive

You can order most p bandai exclusives on gundam planet or GG infinite. Problem is you'll pay about double or more for them CAUSE they're exclusive. I have yet to find any online retailer else who will sell them at a fair market value

[Nekko Basara]

hey guys, does this look real?

i tried following that video beginners gunpla. i attempted using the silver on the side hip bars to make it look like paint chipping of metal using a tooth pick.

I think that looks like realistic paint chipping, yes. You are being brave, and I think that's awesome. Don't worry about subtlety - I say go overboard with weathering and get more practice. You can dial it down when you have more comfort with the techniques.

In terms of whether that looks "real" - get ready for a long-ish post.

One of the reasons that I don't personally get into weathering gunpla very much (although I appreciate the work of those who do) is that I don't have a good sense of what is "real" weathering in a giant military robot context.

Weathering isn't just a matter of technique - it's about asking questions and making observations.

I like to ask, what is this surface made of? How does it weather? If it's a paint, how easily does it come off and where does that tend to happen? In what way does it come off (does it flake off with sun or time, does it scrape off in a direction, etc.)? What's underneath, and how will that look when it's revealed (is there a tougher primer coat that becomes visible, or is it bare metal; will the process that removed the paint damage the metal or leave it smooth)? If the surface is metal, how does it oxidize (change color) and how recent is the damage (should it be bright and fresh or dull and oxidized)? To give some examples, WWII aircraft tend to get most of their paint wear from personnel, so there will be a lot of paint wear on the wing surfaces where the pilots board and some where maintenance personnel work (like around the engine and gun bays in the wings). Anyplace there is a panel that gets removed regularly, expect its edges and especially any bolts to show wear. There can also be wear on the leading edges of the wings and the prop from dirt/sand/rocks in the air during landing or takeoff, depending on the operating environment. These planes are mostly made of aluminum, so surfaces where paint is removed don't oxidize much and stay a bright or dull silver/gray. There are also special cases - for example, Japanese aircraft, particularly late in the war, had pretty bad paint and were exposed to lots of strong sunlight, so very often the paint would start flaking off with little or no provocation, especially around edges. WWII armor is very different - it tends to have a very heavy and resilient paint, with a primer under it that will sometimes be exposed by (or, at least, visible at the edges of) damage to the surface. Damage to the paint comes from personnel, but also largely from scraping through vegetation, running over and into dirt and stones, and of course sometimes from enemy fire. The underlying material is steel, so it oxidizes quickly and darkly, and there can even be staining from rust in some situations.

For observations, I like to look at period photos, of course (although these are rarely color, so that complicates things). But I'll also look at modern photos, or visit museums and displays, especially outdoors. On top of that, I just try to notice any machinery or similar objects I can in day-to-day life. One of the best resources for armor weathering, for example, is to just pay attention to construction sites and see all the ways that equipment gets scraped up and dirty. I've taken wrong turns on the road because I wanted to keep looking at a particularly interesting looking old semi- or dump-truck.

The trouble for me with mobile suits is that I don't have a way to answer so many of my questions or make relevant observations. I don't know how the paint on a Gundam acts (if they even are painted), or how Luna Titanium oxidizes. I have trouble imagining what areas the maintenance personnel move around on, or what they open frequently. Would all of a Gundam's armor be covered in scrapes, or just up to the height of bushes or trees? Can the limbs impact the body and each other, the way human limbs can, or are there limiters built into the system to prevent contact? Of course, at some level it's fun to think about these things and simply make up answers. But it feels too easy to just slip into covering a mobile suit with scrapes and paint chipping without regard for if or how it could happen. Part of the fun for me in both producing and appreciating weathering is the thought behind the process.

At the end of the day, though, the goal of weathering and other detailing techniques isn't to replicate reality, but to give the viewer a sense of reality - which will, by nature - be subjective. If you think about panel lining and dry brushing, as examples, there are very few real situations that will cause dark material to build up in all the cracks on an object, or cause the paint on all of its edges to lighten. Those techniques aren't replicating reality in a literal sense. What they are doing is giving a sense of shadow and reflection that bring out details lost to scale. They make a model in a case more closely resemble to our eyes and (more importantly) our mind what a full-sized object in bright light would look like. By the same reasoning, while it might not make strict sense that a 6-story robot would be covered from head-to-toe in scrapes and paint chips, if that looks more "real" to your sense as an artist, then go for it.

[mikeszekely]

Oh, another thing to consider is the scale. While you might reasonably expect that having your mobile suit punch a hole in the chest of another might leave some scratches, the sort of paint chipping and scratching that comes from, say, removing and replacing an access panel or other human contact might be a huge part of the wear on a WWII-era airplane while being totally insignificant on an 18-meter robot. I mean, when I look at what David did, my instinct based on seeing how paint has chipped on metal objects I've encountered in daily living is to say that, yeah, that looks realistic. But consider this part, if you will.

The scratch, marked "A", would be something like 3' long and 6" wide. The chip I marked "B" would be close to a human head in size. Which isn't to say that a mobile suit couldn't get scratches like that, but like Nekko says, it's more difficult to imagine the sorts of interactions that cause those scratches.

And that's assuming that the parts in question are silver metal painted black and gray (the black makes sense, because that's what color it is with phase shift on; the silver part becomes red... and the whole color change that occurs with phase shift armor opens another can of worms anyway). Which, of course, brings up another consideration... how much cosmetic damage does a mobile suit take before it gets repainted? I mean, in my personal life, the paint can chip off the metal railing on the stairs outside until the metal is bare, but I'll take my car to get a noticeable scratch repainted the minute it starts to bug me that there's a scratch on my car. With no military experience, I can't say how military maintenance approaches these things, but I do know that 36x6" mark that seems miniscule on a 1/144 scale model would certainly be noticeable on a 1:1 scale.

At the end of the day, though, it's not really about whether we like it or not (or how analytical we are about it), all that matters is how it looks to you, personally, David. I know when I painted my Sinanju I didn't do it the way Hikuro suggested, or would have done for himself (in fact, he rather suggested against the way I did it). I'm thrilled with how it turned out, though, and it's one of my favorite models that I've done.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

the Sinaju looks great. Nekko damn that's pretty well thought out process, i can tell you're definitely a pro at modeling and very modest. thanks for your thoughts.

Mike S. that's pretty well thought out about the sizes of scratches.

well... umm after reading these intelligent posts, it's sorta embarrassing to share that um... i tried to panel the side holster with silver but the tooth pick wouldn't fit in the panel line

so it's sorta just came out that way by accident

then i thought wow it looks like black paint scraped off the panel line so i started to try and dab a little randomly looking at the beginners guide to gunpla remastered. he just said to do the edges.

the mark "B" is just a careless tooth pick accidents missing the edges but i left it bc it looked ok. "A" is when i went back to accent it a bit more trying to practice weathering intentionally.

my reasoning for the scrapes? Shinn scraped his sides trying to get out of a narrow gundam docking bay

Edited April 1, 2015 by davidwhangchoi

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

almost done, just need to do the head and backpack. decaled chest and put some silver in the neck area:

Edited April 1, 2015 by davidwhangchoi

[treatment]

1/100 MGs of Ez-8 and RX-79[G] chillin' on top of my dvdshelf back in 2003.

Miss them kits...

Edited April 2, 2015 by treatment

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

i just re-watched seed destiny and athrun wooping destiny, impulse, cutting down the minerva, then saving the world again like the first seed. the ending + the final episodes, there's alot of de-active scenes for destiny. i hope they come out with a rg infinite justice and legend.

Edited April 2, 2015 by davidwhangchoi

[treatment]

whoa! a 1/100 Dijeh ???

http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail?gcode=TOY-GDM-2813

anybody seen a colored prototype of it, yet?

Edited April 2, 2015 by treatment

[areaseven]

whoa! a 1/100 Dijeh ???

http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail?gcode=TOY-GDM-2813

anybody seen a colored prototype of it, yet?

Yeah, it's been in discussion since Bandai first announced the RE/100 line.

Quite frankly, I don't know why the Dijeh is considered to be too obscure for the HGUC or MG lines. After all, Amuro Ray himself piloted it.

[mikeszekely]

i just re-watched seed destiny

I'm sorry to hear that.

...I kid, I kid. Any Gundam is better than no Gundam. Especially if it inspires you do to do more gunpla!

In all seriousness, though, SEED/Destiny is probably my least favorite Gundam series (although, two episodes in, G-Reco is NOT very promising).

As for me, when I get a free day that my buddy is available, I'm gonna head out to IKEA for another Detolf and have one shelf (or two) just for Unicorn.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

I'm sorry to hear that.

...I kid, I kid. Any Gundam is better than no Gundam. Especially if it inspires you do to do more gunpla!

In all seriousness, though, SEED/Destiny is probably my least favorite Gundam series (although, two episodes in, G-Reco is NOT very promising).

As for me, when I get a free day that my buddy is available, I'm gonna head out to IKEA for another Detolf and have one shelf (or two) just for Unicorn.

seed was good though just ripping off 0083. destiny was just silly, i was re- watching for the destiny battle scenes. the character development was so broken. yzak joule makes me laugh.

i need to see 00 since rg raiser is coming out. (have the complete set on dvd siting one shelf unopened) and unicorn (which i don't have access to)

[areaseven]

seed was good though just ripping off 0083. destiny was just silly, i was re- watching for the destiny battle scenes. the character development was so broken. yzak joule makes me laugh.

i need to see 00 since rg raiser is coming out. (have the complete set on dvd siting one shelf unopened) and unicorn (which i don't have access to)

You'll love 00 (except maybe A Wakening of the Trailblazer).

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

You'll love 00 (except maybe A Wakening of the Trailblazer).

yeah thanks, i'm getting excited about 00, got to finish this destiny rg...

[McFly!!]

You can order most p bandai exclusives on gundam planet or GG infinite. Problem is you'll pay about double or more for them CAUSE they're exclusive. I have yet to find any online retailer else who will sell them at a fair market value

I get mine from genteikits.com

[close313]

Thanks guys, gentei kits just listed the new preorders.

If theres any show i'd recommend, it'll be those UC OVAs like 8th MS team, Stardust Memory and Unicorn. Im not so fond of overly fancy action stuff like 00 and seed though I do love the mech designs from those series.

[electric indigo]

I don't care about the show, but I'm really glad that Naoki found a way to put his refined Zeta into Build Fighters, and now we get a 1/144 kit of it!

[McFly!!]

Thanks guys, gentei kits just listed the new preorders.

If theres any show i'd recommend, it'll be those UC OVAs like 8th MS team, Stardust Memory and Unicorn. Im not so fond of overly fancy action stuff like 00 and seed though I do love the mech designs from those series.

Agree with 8th and Unicorn, would also recommend the latest Gundam The Origin. Wishing for Char's Zaku v3 and Ral's Gouf v3 (though his Zaku I is a more likely candidate for the next episode)

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

i'm trying to use silver to panel line the shoulders of de active destiny since it's a dark grey color. if i mess up i'll just wipe it off and use traditional black panel lines.

Edited April 4, 2015 by davidwhangchoi

[Hikuro]

i'm trying to use silver to panel line the shoulders of de active destiny since it's a dark grey color. if i mess up i'll just wipe it off and use traditional black panel lines.

Rubbing alcohol knocks them out too or the enamel and lighter fluid thin that out just tap tap tap little of no clean up compared to sharpie.

[mog_kupo]

I just ran out of topcoat with my Destiny

[RyuRoots]

Yeah, it's been in discussion since Bandai first announced the RE/100 line.

Quite frankly, I don't know why the Dijeh is considered to be too obscure for the HGUC or MG lines. After all, Amuro Ray himself piloted it.

I find it pretty annoying, personally. I have an HGUC Z+ A1 in Amuro colors, a Nu, and...I've passed on the original Gundam since it's just not that interesting. But I *adore* the early/mid UC designs and I've always been a fan of Amuro. I've also always been a stickler for scale. I really don't understand the point of a RE100 DIjeh. It won't be in-scale with my Z/ZZ HGUC suits, and it won't be as detailed as my MGs. I guess I'll pass and just hope they make an HGUC someday. It leaves kind of a bitter taste since I've been wanting a good Dijeh kit for a while.

[Hikuro]

That's after 2 hours of paint and paneling. LOVE my markers I'm now very adept on them thank god!

I'm holding a quick contest among my builder groups. If they can guess full designation and military affiliation they win a new marker. You guys can't play

[mikeszekely]

RGM-86R Nouvel GM III. Judging by the colors, AEUG.

Too bad we can't play.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

heehee

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

ok i this is what i came up with: not sure if i should redo it or just put the decal on top of it:

i just did the left shoulder with the gundam paint market and doing the right shoulder (not pictured) with the sharpie.

what do you guys think, should keep it? or redo it in black

Edited April 4, 2015 by davidwhangchoi

[mikeszekely]

It kind of depends on what look you're going for. Panel lining in a light color can really make the lines pop (like Hikuro did with RG Zeta awhile back). I personally tend not to panel line dark parts, though. On an actual mobile suit, those lines represent seams where two parts are fit together or a there's a hatch or something. On real objects like that, those lines are usually dark because light isn't getting inside them. Obviously, there can be exceptions, such as when there's a light source behind the panel then the lines would be whatever color the light is, but for the most part the lines are shadow, and black or gray doesn't really show up on black or gray.

In any case, it comes down to a personal preference. Do you want the lines to be visible, to add detail? Or are you ok letting the detail be obscured in a realistic fashion?

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

It kind of depends on what look you're going for. Panel lining in a light color can really make the lines pop (like Hikuro did with RG Zeta awhile back). I personally tend not to panel line dark parts, though. On an actual mobile suit, those lines represent seams where two parts are fit together or a there's a hatch or something. On real objects like that, those lines are usually dark because light isn't getting inside them. Obviously, there can be exceptions, such as when there's a light source behind the panel then the lines would be whatever color the light is, but for the most part the lines are shadow, and black or gray doesn't really show up on black or gray.

In any case, it comes down to a personal preference. Do you want the lines to be visible, to add detail? Or are you ok letting the detail be obscured in a realistic fashion?

here's the right shoulder (left from the back view) that came out more even with the sharpie and way less time: i still have to use the toothpick to file off the silver on the rectangular box indent at the edge of the shoulder piece.

i guess was looking to make it even as the panel lines on the light grey legs come out detailed while the upper body is very dark and looks so plain. i never thought about the realism factor of light not getting into dark parts. that's something to think about. i just didn't want it to look to empty on top while the legs looked busy.

Edited April 4, 2015 by davidwhangchoi

[Hikuro]

RGM-86R Nouvel GM III. Judging by the colors, AEUG.

Too bad we can't play.

RRRRRRRR wrong it's actually sparked a debate with the group too. One saying it's AEUG cause they used the GMIII first, another got it correctly with EFSF and they're both showing wiki pages lol. I'm accepting the EFSF answer simply because that's what's labeled on the HGUC box!

here's the right shoulder (left from the back view) that came out more even with the sharpie and way less time: i still have to use the toothpick to file off the silver on the rectangular box indent at the edge of the shoulder piece.

i guess was looking to make it even as the panel lines on the light grey legs come out detailed while the upper body is very dark and looks so plain. i never thought about the realism factor of light not getting into dark parts. that's something to think about. i just didn't want it to look to empty on top while the legs looked busy.

Yeah what I did with the Zeta I should of gone a different route than using a paint sharpie because it's kind of like a chalkie substance when you wipe it off with rubbing alcohol. So that's my biggest fear when using silver is you start rubbing it off but it kind of just spreads like a chalk residue and that's gonna leave glitter like stuff on the armor. There's no real way of applying it cause the tip of the marker isn't thin........well my white tip is thin, but not thin enough for 1/144 line.

I think right now you're looking fine. Phase Shift Down variants I think should show off armor scratches and imperfections imo.

Just about done with my GMIII, arms and shield are left to go then it's just sticker application. Turning out good.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

Yeah what I did with the Zeta I should of gone a different route than using a paint sharpie because it's kind of like a chalkie substance when you wipe it off with rubbing alcohol. So that's my biggest fear when using silver is you start rubbing it off but it kind of just spreads like a chalk residue and that's gonna leave glitter like stuff on the armor. There's no real way of applying it cause the tip of the marker isn't thin........well my white tip is thin, but not thin enough for 1/144 line.

I think right now you're looking fine.

definitely know what you mean about the chalk residue: i didn't get brushes yet as i went amiibo hunting all day yesterday and got some good ones...

taking a pic: Destiny de-active docked for assembly:

Edited April 5, 2015 by davidwhangchoi

[mikeszekely]

RRRRRRRR wrong it's actually sparked a debate with the group too. One saying it's AEUG cause they used the GMIII first, another got it correctly with EFSF and they're both showing wiki pages lol. I'm accepting the EFSF answer simply because that's what's labeled on the HGUC box!

OK, I see where I went wrong. In Zeta Gundam, the AEUG GM II was green, and the EFSF GM II was red. What I forgot is that they didn't have different color GM IIIs in ZZ Gundam; they were all greenish blue. And what threw me off is the extra hip parts- they weren't there in ZZ Gundam, but I remember them on the Nouvel GM III, and the Nouvel GM III is red. What I figured out now is that they had greenish blue GM IIIs in Unicorn that had the hip armor bits, but not the rest of the extra stuff on the Nouvel GM III.

[Hikuro]

Finished! Overall I liked it, only complaint was I lost the sticker sheet so I recycled with what I had left and truthfully that wasn't much.
I like it more in standard ops than it's tactical variant a lot more. So I'll keep it that way!

OK, I see where I went wrong. In Zeta Gundam, the AEUG GM II was green, and the EFSF GM II was red. What I forgot is that they didn't have different color GM IIIs in ZZ Gundam; they were all greenish blue. And what threw me off is the extra hip parts- they weren't there in ZZ Gundam, but I remember them on the Nouvel GM III, and the Nouvel GM III is red. What I figured out now is that they had greenish blue GM IIIs in Unicorn that had the hip armor bits, but not the rest of the extra stuff on the Nouvel GM III.

Char's Counter Attack as well.

[mikeszekely]

With the introduction of the Jegan, I completely forgot that their were GM IIIs in CCA.

[Hikuro]

Working on my RG Z'Gok, almost had an accident with the leg frame cause it's confusing how and where it bends.

But I love the detail job I'm putting on it! mm yeah assembling that like buttah!

Edited April 5, 2015 by Hikuro

[Hikuro]

STORY TIME!!!!!

Hey that looks like a new model mobile suit!

I'll get those space aliens and show them how a real mobile suit fights!

Stop! You're to far up front!

A red mobile suit?!

Damn! It's so fast! I can't lock on!

GAH! NO!

KA-SAN!!!!

CHAR!

This time no escape Gundam!

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

good Sunday comic strip!