Gundam modeling FAQ

So here are the most asked questions that I get every day!

1. Where do I get Top Coat from?
   • Well it depends on where you live - if you live in Japan - there are hobby shops just about everywhere (I have one just around the corner from where I live ;-) but if you live elsewhere, you will probably have to do a Google and order some online.
2. What paints did you mix together for shadowing?
   • Have a look at this picture of some of the paints that I use. The small pots of paints are the ones that I use - typically grey or black - Mr Color or Tamiya paint. I then use thinner to thin the paint so that its watery - about 10-30% paint and the rest thinner.
3. I have seen your Gundam pics and am convinced - tell me how much?
   • There are different solutions you can go for..
     • High Grade 1/144 scale (Bandai)
       These are generally between 800 and 1,500 yen (8-15 USD). Anybody could put these together - all the TV commercials show kids of about 10 (?) playing around with these kits. A whole leg for example may only be six pieces and because they are cheap, they lack detail and articulation. The HG series does have another audience however - the expert user who loves to modify these models so that they *are* detailed and *are* articulate - they carve off bits here and there and add extra joints and what have you. All HG models are snap fit so you dont need to worry about gluing your finger to your nose (for those who like to cleanse out your nostrils regularly). Judging form the pieces - you can probably put one together in less than an hour (without painting).
     • Master Grade 1/100 (Bandai)
       These are generally 2,500 - 5,000 yen. Models of late are particularly good because Bandai (after running out of Gundams to make) are releasing previously released MGs with new molds and frames - most are now so articulate that they can do the "adjusting-under-pants" pose. You can put together a MG model in an afternoon (without painting).
     • Perfect Grade 1/60 (Bandai)
       There are generally 10,000 - 20,000 yen. As the name of the series suggest - these "perfect" models have an extremely high degree of detail and articulation. The detail can be a bit tooooo much because you would spend half an hour on an engine or something only to find that it will be covered up by two more pieces - meaning that you would never see what you just spent half an hour on. Aile Striker has some nice inner engines but they are totally covered up - I never get to see them!
     • Resin Kits scale varies (B-Club etc)
       B-Club has a license to make Gundam kits but as they are not mainstream, the kits can be quite expensive - 17,000 yen (170 USD) for a 1/100 scale kit. As you can see from the link, all pieces are not colored at all - and to make matters worse - you still have to do a ton of mods to assemble - definetly not for the faint hearted.
     • G-System - from what I have read about G-system on Japanese bulletin boards is that they are an un-licensed dealer ripping off Bandai and licenced Gundam Kit makers like B-Club. I cant comment on the quality of the kits - the photos on their site look great but I recommend that you do tons of research before buying one.
     • Kits from China - I was watching a documentary on TV about how China goes about ripping off Japan by pirating. The program staff went to get a 1/144 scale Strike Gundam from China and tried to put it together but failed miserably - not suprising too - what the pirates done was to take a mold from the retail kit and stick it in a box without instructions...The pieces did not even fit together. I think the message here is dont buy kits from China.
4. Exactly what colors did you use for your Strike Gundam?
   • I dont remember - I just went along to my local hobby shop and looked for white, blue, gray and red. I remember that the red and blue was gloss - I prefered matt but that did not matter because going over the finished model with matt Top Coat turns everything (including clear parts so be careful) matt. if you want the exact colors - there is always a color chart on the box of your Gundam kit.
5. Is it difficult to make one?
   • This question gets on my nut but I can understand it coming from people wanting to take up modeling. The thing is that I wont be able to answer accurately - it may be easy for me but it may be difficult for the next man.
     All kits come with instructions and are in Lego style (dont need to be able to read Japanese). You can check out the Gundam modeling tutorial for more tips.