Author: Falldog

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MG RX-78-2 Gundam Ver. 3.0 – Review – Updated 5/16

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Welcome to my review of Bandai’s latest Master Grade Gundam model, the RX-78-2 Gundam Version 3.0. The redesigned kit takes after Bandai’s new and improved vision of the original Gundam, matching the giant statue in Tokyo and the previous Real Grade release. While it features a more traditional frame than the RG, the MG is, for better or worse, simply a scaled up version of its little brother.

I should point out that I don’t have a RG RX-78-2 so I can’t compare the two directly. While I could compare the RG and MG based on other RG kits I figure it be best to make most of my comparisons within the same product line. Though I will reiterate that the MG and RG look exactly alike (other than the size and some panel gap issues, more on that later), even down to the included markings. Between the Mega Size, Real Grade, and Master Grade it wouldn’t surprise me if Bandai re-released the Perfect Grade in this scheme as well… anyhow, I digress… read more

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Pre-Shading Experimentation

I haven’t been taking a break from modeling as much as slowly destroying one of the best kits Bandai has ever released, the Master Grade Zaku II 2.0. This one, specifically, is a Johnny Ridden version that’s been in various stages of completion since at least 2010. Just recently I decided it would be the perfect sacrifice for practicing new techniques and generating new tutorials. It was recently the testbed for The Army Painter primers, pla plating, option parts, and now, pre-shading. read more

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OR Joint Review – Man of Steel

Falldog: Thanks for checking out Otaku Revolution’s review of The Man of Steel. Normally we don’t do movie reviews around here (not sure that we’ve done one ever, actually) but Neon and I felt that in light of the poor critical response that we take the time to write up our commentary on the film. We both liked it. I thought it was fantastic and way better than this year’s Iron Man 3. And I’m saying that as a long time Superman fan.

And guess what! This review is filled with a fuckload of spoilers! Stop reading here if you haven’t seen the movie or don’t care. read more

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Layman’s Gunpla Guide – Pla Plate Tutorial

Welcome to the pla plate tutorial, where Gunpla starts needing some expert level craftsmanship. Now, don’t get me wrong, pla plating at it’s simplest isn’t too difficult to manage. It’s when you go down the rabbit hole of customization that time, patience, and skill really comes into play. More of that later, for now, the basics.

Pla Plates

Pla plates, short for plastic plates, is the term generally used by gunpla modelers to refer to what’s commonly known as styrene sheeting. Styrene, a type of plastic, is a preferred material produced for modelers looking to scratch build or customize their projects. It’s fairly common and applies to many hobbies, most commonly model trains, making it quite common in hobby shops. In the United States many shops feature a shelf with plates from Evergreen Scale Models or Plastruct. read more

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Metal Gear REX – Finished

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After about two weeks of painting and delays my Metal Gear REX from Kotobukiya is finally finished. It was certainly a nice change of pace from working on Gunpla and I’m really glad how things turned out. REX really is a fine kit and I feel like I treated him well. For those interested in a full review of the kit, or to see the before photos, click here.

When it came to the colours I wanted to go with something realistic and fitting for REX but outside the normal gray & green. I started with four types of Tamiya grey. The blueish tone of one I didn’t fully realize until after I did some painting. At first it looked a bit bright but after lining and top coat it calmed down and thing looks great. The full list is XF-20 Medium Gray for the camouflage pattern, XF-66 Light Gray for the colour, XF-19 Sky Gray for the lighter parts of the inner frame, and XF-63 German Gray for the dark parts of the frame. For the details I used some X-11 Chrome Silver and X-12 Gold Leaf. A bit of red was used for the launchers and the yellow lines are a random mixture of yellow and gray. The lenses were coloured with Tamiya’s TS-72 Clear Blue spray can but backed with silver to give them that reflective nature. read more

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Layman’s Gunpla Guide – Camouflage Tutorial

Painting your kit with camouflage patterns is one of those weird things that’s not quite for beginners but is incredibly easy and satisfying to do. Getting camo to come out just right needs only a bit of extra materials and some patience,

Before you begin to contemplate camo designs, you should at least be comfortable painting your kits with an airbrush. While it’s possible to hand paint or use spray cans, there are some issues that arise. Spray cans typically leave a thicker coat of paint than airbrushes. Normally this isn’t a problem over entire parts where, after assembly, you can’t tell where the paint begins and ends. Camo typically involves masking hard edges of overlapping colours and these edges can become unsightly with thick paint coats. While I’ve never tried hand painting when camo has been masked out, I would be concerned with the potential for moisture to seep into the edges. read more

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Gargantia, Majestic Prince, and Valvrave the Liberator – Who’s off to a better start?

Mecha fans have having fun this spring anime season with three new shows currently airing, Valvrave the Liberator, Majestic Prince, and Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet. Each have their own style, own theme, and own general feel. There’s something for every mecha fan and have their own positive merits. But the question arises, which is the best? Let’s take a quick look based on the first four-five episodes thus far…

Best Animation?

While this category is somehow more subjective than this very subjective article I think the winner is Valvrave. The vibrant background, consistent and well done characters, and impressive battle sequences make it stand out. Gargantia features fantastic backgrounds but pretty simplistic character animation. Outside of battles Majstic Prince is pretty boring looking. Backgrounds and character designs lack detail and just look very quickly done. read more

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