circa Decmber 2013
Like most American Gundam fans I got into the series during the franchise's Toonami heyday in the early 2000's. I built Gunpla back then without any real awareness of what I was doing or what things would become. Years later I would rediscover Gunpla at a local model shop. One thing lead to another and eventually resulted in one of the largest private collections in the United States.
When I got back into building Gunpla wasn't as big as it is now, especially since the release of Gundam Build Fighters and other direct Gunpla promotions. There wasn't nearly as many tutorials and guides out there, related to models in general or even Gunpla specifically. I started this Guide back in 2008 to share what I've learned. Part of the hobby which I enjoy the most is trying new things and experimenting with non-traditional methods. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they don't. The Layman's Gunpla Guide gives me an opportunity to share that experience.
Of all the hobbies I've got, building Gunpla and other mecha related models is my most prevalent. As such I've spent countless man hours, and a lot of money, building, painting, and collecting. To me the process of building a kit is very relaxing and helps smooth out the stresses of life and work. I can't draw or paint so Gunpla is the closest I get to artistic expression.
Most of my builds are clean, factory fresh. That's just my style, even if it doesn't lead to the most impressive builds you'll see out there. I'm also terrible at scratch building and customization, such that most of those projects are still laying around incomplete. Two of my biggest inspirations are Good Guy Dan and Gamera Baenre. There are a handful of others out there as well, like Vonschlippe (who helped quite a bit with the Guide) who don't have steady websites I can link to.
My collection consists of over 130 models, many of those build, some still in boxes, and plenty painted and detailed. In that collection there are 14 Perfect Grade kits and 76 Master Grades. For various reasons I've always been a fan of 1/100 scale and larger so my collection leans predominantly in that direction.
My project backlog, as one might imagine, is quite large. At the very least these kits usually aren't sitting around a box somewhere. Most end up built, placed on a shelf, with a promise of paint and detailing at an undisclosed date.
I have a lot of Unicorn Gundams (and variants), at least 15 by last count. What can I say, I love the design and the colour potentials are limitless.
Unicorn Photo Coming after the PG Banshee is Released!
I have done some Gunpla reviews for Gundam Guy but that's about as commercial (for lack of a better term) as I'm willing to get. Sorry, no commissions!
If you'd like to reach me, the best way is by commenting on the site or via Twitter @Falldog.
