Author: Falldog

Hyaku Shiki 2.0 Project – Pale Rider
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Hyaku Shiki 2.0 Project – Pale Rider

Come with me if you want to live.

Here’s a fun, relatively quick, project I started on following an inspirational post by Gamera Baenre on r/Gunpla. Turns out the new MG Hyaku Shiki 2.0 is actually a milky clear transparent plastic underneath the gold plating. I love quirky little projects like clear MGs allow for so I figured I’d strip the Shiki and detail up the internal frame for fun. If you’re interested in stripping your own kit here’s how.

Wanting to reuse some paints I had on hand I ended up going with a tame palette of blues, gray-ish blues, and gray up against an inner frame of light gunmetal with gold, silver, and copper details. I also applied some regular gunmetal to the frame in an attempt to add a bit more depth here and there. Unfortunately Light Gunmetal is so similar to regular Gunmetal and Silver and those details didn’t really pop like I had imagined. There’s not a lot of contrast between the different blues on in the torso, or the blue-gray and gray used on the gun (Sazabi ver. Ka’s over sized gun for fun as well). It’s just enough of a subtle contrast such that it looks good in person, but has the tendency to get washed out in photos or casual viewing. That was the point of the kit at least, as the project was originally called “Ghost.” Something subtle and spooky compared to the brilliant gold original. One of these days I’m going to do something in bright, contrasting primary colours for a change. read more

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Layman’s Gunpla Guide – Other Chip Effect Methods

This tutorial was contributed in part by the great Vonschlippe! You can check out some of his builds on imgur or catch him helping others on r/Gunpla. If you see him around please give him your thanks let him know what you think of the tutorial. – Falldog

Hairspray chipping methods may not be for everyone, especially for modelers who do not own an airbrush or are not confident with their airbrushing skills yet. Here are some other techniques to get that worn, chipped look onto your kits. For best results, chipping should be executed using a combination of techniques! read more

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Layman’s Gunpla Guide – Advanced Hairspray Chipping Tutorial

This tutorial was contributed to the Guide by the great Vonschlippe! You can check out some of his builds on imgur or catch him helping others on r/Gunpla. If you see him around please give him your thanks let him know what you think of the tutorial. – Falldog

Hairspray chipping is already somewhat complex on its own, but with experience it may be combined or improved upon to create some rather elaborate effects.

Pre-shading

Pre-shading involves precise airbrush control and can be considered a challenge on its own. Here is a tutorial on the basic technique. With a bit of courage, it’s possible to combine hairspray chipping and pre-shading, but this means working on a timer and requires a bit more planning. read more

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Layman’s Gunpla Guide – Hairspray Chipping Tutorial

This tutorial was contributed to the Guide by the great Vonschlippe! You can check out some of his builds on imgur or catch him helping others on r/Gunpla. If you see him around please give him your thanks let him know what you think of the tutorial. – Falldog

It’s been hailed as the best invention since sliced bread by its adepts, but also called a time consuming gimmick by naysayers. It’s a technique pioneered by Philip Stutcinskas and has widely spread beyond miniature armor model making. When it comes to gunpla, it is my opinion that there is no better technique for simulating paint chips that are scalable and hold up to macro-photography. It’s not necessarily the holy grail, but when combined with other chipping techniques it offers unmatched realism and control. read more

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Layman’s Gunpla Guide – Oil Weathering Tutorial

This tutorial was contributed to the Guide by the great Vonschlippe! You can check out some of his builds on imgur or catch him helping others on r/Gunpla. If you see him around please give him your thanks let him know what you think of the tutorial. – Falldog

There is a lot to say about oil weathering. For starters, it’s the best technique to simulate any kind of grime, residue, oily streak, dust, stain, and filth out there. It is less risky than enamel weathering because all the solvents involved are safe for plastic, and the longer drying time means more flexibility for adjustments and cleanup. It’s a great tool to add to your arsenal. read more

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Ernest Cline’s Armada – A Book Review & Comparison to Ready Player One

Ernest Cline is repeating himself, this time with with his new novel, Armada. I’ve never been one to write lengthy book reviews but this is a special situation. Ready Player One (RPO) is such a well received work that more often than not the true nature of the piece gets lost behind the glare of blind appreciation. I worry that Armada will be received the same way. While I primarily want to talk about Armada is this review, it helps to review Ready Player One as it makes for a good comparison point. read more

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Layman’s Gunpla Guide – Decanting Paint Tutorial

Decanting is the process of removing paint from a spray can so that you can use it in an airbrush (or possibly with one of those old fashioned regular brushes I’ve been hearing about). Depending on the manufacturer the colour of paint you have in a spray can may not be available in other forms. Or you’re looking to get a thinner, more precise paint job than a spray can can usually offer. That’s where decanting comes into play. It can be a bit messy, but if you follow some simple steps, you’ll be off and running in no time. read more

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Layman’s Gunpla Guide – Changelog

I used to have a log of all the Guide’s updates and changes. Then I put a “New” tag on updated and new tutorials on the main menu. However, some folks don’t swing by the site that often so having a full out change log going forward can’t hurt. I just gotta remember to keep things updated…

2023

  • December – All kinds of fun changes…
    • Updated the header a bit, plus I changed the menu orientation to make it more mobile-device friendly
    • Updates to the construction guide
    • Updated the decade old Glue Guide

    2021

    2020

    • 11/27 – Restored some updates that were lost when I switched the site over to the new version

      2019

      2018

      2017

      • Shit, I think I made changes. But apparently I didn’t update the change log? Or maybe I really didn’t make any updates. Shit.

      2016

      12/2 – Added the Pre-Shading Tutorial 5/6 – Language upddates to the

      Priming Tutorial read more

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Falldog’s Gunpla & Model Collection

[flickr-photo:id=11678003396,size=n] 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. read more

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