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Rolling out the new site slowly, fixing things and updated a decade of content, also slowly. If you encounter any issues please shoot me a message on Bluesky or Instagram.

Author: Falldog

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2024 Topps Formula 1 – Paddock Pass Photo Variation Guide

The 2024 release of Topps Formula 1 Paddock Pass features an extensive list of photo variations*, one per driver, and available in the base “paper” material as well as chrome.

As I look back at the Formula 1 IV cards released over the prior years I can never find a comprehensive reference guide. When Mastodon Cards put together a quick Instagram story of the variations he collected and sorted from the 2024 Paddock Pass release I knew I had to save that for larger posterity. All credit for Mastodon for capturing these images. Regular card is on the left, IV on the right. It’s not really clear which is the IV, and which is “base,” on account of the general availability of both. read more

Falldogby Falldog••0
MG Narrative/Unicorn Remix
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MG Narrative/Unicorn Remix

Why yes, it has been a long time since I built a kit. And, based on the quality of my technical work here, it shows.

I envisioned this right when I saw the MG Narrative ver. Ka announcement and began scrutinizing all the marketing photos looking to make sure everything was doable. I got the MG Narrative from HLJ, which arrived so quickly it was probably a part of the first shipment of Narrative kits to make it to the United States. Quickly built, started modifying, then stuffed in parts bins for many weeks while working on other things and partaking in this year’s PMW. Naturally I had a spare MG Unicorn laying around. I mean, who doesn’t? For the Sinanju Stein I grabbed some ‘junk’ kits from Yahoo Japan. A regular Sinanju Stein, and a Sinanju Stein Narrative ver, ’cause why not. read more

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Falldog’s Guide to Topps Formula 1 Cards

While Formula 1 cards have been around in some way or another for most of the league’s lifespan, general interest has really popped off when Topps acquired the license and released their initial set of cards back in 2020. During the height of the COVID collectible boom it quickly took off and has maintained high demand since.

Value

Before I get into the different card types I want to discuss the concept of value as it’s something I see asked about quite a bit.

Generally speaking there are two types of people, those who collect Formula 1 cards because they like the sport, and those who are looking to build monetary value/sell for profit. read more

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Falldog’s Gunpla Collection – State of the Hanger 2024
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Falldog’s Gunpla Collection – State of the Hanger 2024

You can view the full size of this on Flickr

Holy shit. It’s been seven years since my last official update on my collection. Friends and followers have seen it change in leaps and bounds since then, but for whatever reason, none of that ever made it into a blog post here. The room, which started off with just four display cabinets against one wall, just ballooned in density. More cabinets along the sides. More cabinets in the center of the room. Custom displays on top of those cabinets to fit larger items. Then I was out of space. Not long after that I ended up moving and into house with an unfinished basement. That’s where this story beings. read more

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Real Grade Zeong – Gundam Base Limited Clear
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Real Grade Zeong – Gundam Base Limited Clear

Well fuck, I guess I haven’t really painted anything in the better part of two years. The one kit I did paint in 2023 was this, the RG Zeong with the Gundam Base Limited clear colour armor.

In the grand scheme of things this is a pretty basic build. Gun Metal across everything, then various details made of gold, silver, and copper. I also used some third party effect pieces, as the Last Shooting official set is incredibly expensive. The pieces themselves had to be sanded quite a bit to get rid of the mold seams and were then painted including an orange clear wash to add some depth. Oh, and I forgot, I also added a bunch of metal effect pieces ’cause why not. read more

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Layman’s Gunpla Guide – What Gunpla kit should I start with?

Alow me, to once and for all, answer this most burning of questions, ‘I’m new to Gunpla, what should I build?”

Have you ever built a model kit before?

 No…

 Yes…
 

Pick a High Grade or RE/100 grade kit.

Doesn’t matter what kit you get, go with whatever design you like the best.

  

Any damn kit you like

Seriously, you got this

Seriously. Stop. Don’t overthink this.

If you haven’t built a kit before you can’t go wrong with the simplicity of a High Grade or RE/100 kit. The complexity is low, the part count is low. The process isn’t fundamentally different than any other kit, even Perfect Grades.

Yeah, some HG kits are better than others. It is a product line that has been around for over two decades now (in its current form). But this isn’t about building the best kit, this is about you. You building a design you like. You, getting to know the build process. If you mess up, break something, that’s okay. I’d say a majority of us in this hobby look back at our first few kits and cringe a bit. read more

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Falldog Hobby Works’ Custom Acrylic Bases – A Guide

As some of you know I’ve started making custom acrylic bases for Gunpla and other models. I wanted to put together a quick guide to them that answers questions with more detail than I can throw into Etsy.

Everything I do is geared toward folks who want to add something special to their kits. Acrylic bases, etched or otherwise, add a custom look and feel. In addition the added weight makes displaying kits in lofty positions a lot easier.

Don’t know what I’m talking about? Check my Etsy storefront! read more

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MG Psycho Zaku Thunderbolt Diorama
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MG Psycho Zaku Thunderbolt Diorama

As many of you know I have a ton of Gunpla ideas floating around in my head and only a small portion ever see the light of day. One and a while I get off my ass and actually carry one of those ideas to completion. Thanks to GoodGuyDan for running a Zaku oriented group build and offering that extra motiviation.

This build was inspired by a quick scene in episode 2 of Gundam Thunderbolt. In this scene we see Daryl connected up to his Zaku connected up to a gantry, stripped of outer armor, so they can test his mobility with the Reuse “P” Device. In it he begins to daydream and run, the key pose I wanted to capture. Ah hell, here’s the scene itself. read more

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Perfect Grade Unleashed RX-78-2 Gundam – Review
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Perfect Grade Unleashed RX-78-2 Gundam – Review

Alright, let me get this out of the way. The marketing surrounding this kit is pure bullshit. Take everything you’ve heard about this being the ‘next evolution of Perfect Grade kits’ and toss it out the window. What it really is a nice PG RX-78-2 2.0 release. It’s will built, well designed, and very accessible for folks who haven’t built a Perfect Grade kit yet.

I’m also going to get a bit of a tl;dr at the top of this article which I’ll detail out in a bit…

The Good

  • Good looking take on the classic design
  • Phased construction (really 3 phases, not 5) make for an approachable and fun to build kit
  • Good overlapping frame design
  • Strong amount of detail both on the inner frame and the outer armor
  • Photo etched metal details with a pre-applied adhesive backing
  • Coated silver and chrome elements of the frame look great
  • Snap-off runners
  • ‘Bout time we got some magnetic hard points up in this bitch

The Bad read more

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The Great Gundam & Gunpla Census of 2020

Welcome to the results page for the Great Gunpla Census of 2020! This is a follow up to a census, of a similair title, from back in 2018. The 2018 census was a big success with a lot of interest and positive feedback. There was also a good amount of constructive feedback that I brought into this year’s survey. This time around there were more questions pertaining to the Gundam franchise in general for all the folks who’re into Gundam but not necessarily Gunpla. 

This year we got over 1400 respondents answering multiple questions, some open ended. Everyone who answered a simple question with a sentence, I hate what you made me do to my master spreadsheet, but some of your comments are provided great insight. It doesn’t help that everyone has 2-3 different ways of spelling the same kit name (looking at you, Mk-II, or was it MK-2, or MK-ii?). If you’re interested in the raw results from the survey you can find them here. For the 2022 census I’m thinking of slimming down some of the questions and creating some more comment oriented ones. Instead of just telling me what kit you hate, tell me why you hated it. read more

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