Welcome to the top coat tutorial on the Layman's Gunpla Guide. Top coating is an incredibly easy way to add an extra dimension to your Gundam model. Unpainted kits can look great with just a nice top coat while painted kits will gain that extra umph. Top coats also serve to protect the underlying paint and details while the difference between a matte and gloss finish can dramatically change the feel of a project. Top coats, especially a dull one, has the extra benefit of helping to hide the edges of any applied decals.

First timers might be wondering where exactly to start. There have been hundreds of kits released since 1980, if not thousands. Over the years the complexity and engineering has (generally) improved as Bandai's production technologies and design methods advance.

Size and Scale

Gundam models, like most other plastic models have an accompanying original to model ratio, or scale. A 1/100 kit would be roughly 100 times smaller than actual size of the object the kit represents. A 1/60 scale kit would only be 60 times smaller resulting in a larger model.

Probably the most important thing you can do after putting together a model is give it a pose. Add some life and personality to your kit.

Posing

It's a rookie mistake, your Gundam shouldn’t stand around stiff as a robot. It should be allowed to loosen up as to look and feel more natural.

 (click for larger, via ??? with thanks to /m/)

From here on everything is up to you. Reenact a scene, pit it in combat against another model, make it dance, facepalm, etc. If you’re working on your first kit with individual fingers, do what everyone does the first time, flip the bird. I really shouldn’t have to help with this part.

I decided to break this page down into three different sections relating to airbrushing equipment, hand and detailing painting equipment, and everything else that you'll need. Of course, you're also going to need some paint!

Airbrushing Equipment

Airbrushes

(Click to Enlarge)

Picking out an airbrush can be pretty daunting at first. Here's some information on the basic types of airbrushes...

If you're looking to build Gunpla you're going to need some tools. Thankfully you only need a small set at your disposal to accomplish great builds. 

Hello and welcome to the Layman's Gunpla Guide!