Gunpla

The MG Delta Plus was an instant day one purchase. Another in the line of fantastic designs from Gundam Unicorn, the Delta Plus is a worthy descendant of Kazumi Fujita's famous Zeta Gundam. Like him, or hate him, I think Hajime Katoki's Delta is fantastic. Design wise it's hard to argue against the aesthetics, but how would it fare as a Master Grade kit? As any Gundam modeler will tell you Bandai doesn't have the greatest of track record when it comes to transforming kits, both within and outside of the Zeta inspired lineage. So how well does this newest addition hold up? Let's take a look...

((From this point on, you can click on any of the images to enlarge them))

Ah, it's that time of month again. Gunpla Review is an attempt to share some projects, finished in the past month, which have caught my eye. I also wanted to highlight some ongoing WIPs worth following. If I missed any of your favorites please share them via the comments below! And no, these are not in any particular order. Okay, they're alphabetical by how I named the pictures.

But first, don't miss GAF's MG Delta Plus Recolour Challenge! Will there be prizes? Most likely. Will there be a superfluous letter U here or there? Unfortunately. But will there be fun for all? Absolutely!

Featured Kits

This is a participating project in GAF's Grunt MS Group Build

At last, she is finished, and I'm pretty damn happy.

Click to Enlarge | On Flickr

This is a participating project in GAF's Grunt MS Group Build

Time to take a break from FFXIII and share some WIP shots of my purple Nemo. It's coming along quite well, though there are a few issues. One of the things I was worried about was getting the kit from green to a proper white. Several parts look good but there are two that could have used a few more coats of primer. Unfortunately I couldn't tell by looking at them during the painting stages, but now that they're together along side an appropriately painted counterpart, it's pretty obvious. Luckily they don't seem to show that evidently in my photos.

Hand painting is the traditional method of detailing up a kit. While it takes considerable patience, one can achieve the same great look as though the work was done with an air brush. It's also the best way to touch up and detail kits. The Devil is in the details, or so they say.

Brushes

There are many different types of brushes out there, with many different bristle types. While they play an important part in conventional painting, I have yet to experience an issues when working on Gunpla. Instead, look for a size and hardness that suits your need. For small, detail work, a thin stiff head would be most appropriate. If you're working on a larger area a wider, little softer brush, would probably suit your needs. Brushes can get fairly expensive, especially when purchased individually. Luckily many craft stores sell reasonably priced bundles with various shapes and sizes. With proper care a brush will last you a long time.

After all that work, cutting, building, priming, painting, lining decals, weathering, and the top coat, you're all done. Before you stands the latest addition to your collection. There's only one thing left to do, and that's show it off. Now you can't exactly go traveling the country randomly presenting it to passing strangers (well, if you really wanted to...) so you whip out your camera and snap a few shots. While everyone does kits their own way I feel that getting proper photos should be important whether it's a straight build or plethora of pla plate craftsmanship. Don't let anyone fool you, a $80 point and shoot will perform just as admirably as a $2000 DSLR when it comes to this task. Here a are a few basic tips to get you started...

Use a Tripod

I often see photos suffering from blur. When shots are blurry it's hard to see the details and properly appreciate the work being presented. There are two common issues for blurry photos and the first is a result of a slow shutter speed. Aside from adjusting your shutter speed you can alleviate the effect by utilizing a tripod. One can find cheap, regular sized tripods for $20 and mini travel sized ones for less than $10. With your camera attached to one you eliminate any natural body shake. If you don't want to pick up a tripod try setting your camera on a solid surface, such as a stack of books, or increasing the points of your body supporting the camera. The vibrations recorded while a camera is held at arms length are considerably larger than a camera supported by two elbows on a sturdy surface.

In addition consider using your camera's timer feature. Most cameras come with one these days. Letting a couple seconds pass between pressing the shutter and the actual exposure can make a big difference. Many tripods and mounts shift a tiny bit but will settle before the picture is taken.

Before you start to paint, whether by hand or airbrush, it's important to prepare your workspace before hand. Proper prep will help keep your space clean as the project proceeds and help facilitate cleanup when it's all said and done.

Reusable & Washable Drop Cloth

I recommend getting some sort of reusable drop cloth to use while painting. I picked up a fairly large one from a home improvement store for a lot less than I would have thought. It's protected my floors against unexpected paint drops and particulates (see below). The best part is that it's washable, making it a lot easier to clean up than my carpet (which already has enough paint on it).

Masking is a very important step when it comes to detailed painting. Once you venture from painting whole pieces, you will find that great detail can come from treating different parts of the same piece differently. To do so, you'll need to mask the pieces to avoid getting paint on the rest of the piece. While primarily used when applying paint via a can or airbrush, it can be used during hand painting to ensure a straight line.

Click to Enlarge

Ah, it's that time of month again. Gunpla Review is an attempt to share some projects, finished in the past month, which have caught my eye. I also wanted to highlight some ongoing WIPs worth following. If I missed any of your favorites please share them via the comments below! And no, these are not in any particular order. Okay, they're alphabetical by how I named the pictures.

Featured Kits

Anazasi's Mega Size RX-78-2 in Real Type Colors - Who doesn't love this bad boy?

This is a participating project in GAF's Grunt MS Group Build

Been awhile since I updated with any progress on this kit. Things have been sorta slow going. Partly due to the demands of work and partly due to the difficulty getting parts the proper color. Priming to white is a lot more difficult than I thought it would.

Anyhow, some photos. Starting with the purple bits...