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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.

Introduction >Equipment >Building >Painting >Weathering >This and That >Falldog's Kit Reviews & Collection

> What is Gunpla?
> Buying Kits & Difficulty Grades
> Terminology
> First Kit Recommendations

> Building Equipment
> Detailing Equipment
> Painting Equipment
> Misc Equipment Recommendations
> Glue Guide

> Project Flowchart
> Construction Guide
> Detail Lines
> Decals & Stickers
> Top Coats

> Paint Space Prep
> Paint Types
> Sampling Paints
> Paint References
> Priming
> Airbrushing		 > Preshading
> Spray Cans
> Decanting Paints
> Masking
> Camouflage
> Hand Painting

> Weathering (Old Tutorial)
> Weathering General
> Oil Weathering
> Hairspray Chipping
> Advanced Hairspray Chipping		 > Other Chipping Methods
> Battle Damage
> Dry Brushing
> Other Weathering Tips

> PlaPlating
> Sig Super Stripe
> Mini Thrusters
> Option Parts
> Action Bases & Posing		 > Misc Tricks & Tips
> Kit Photography
> Gundam Line Art
> Recommended Sites

> About Me
> My Projects
> My Model Reviews
> My Collection
> LGG Change Log

Want to see what kits and builds I’m getting into? Follow me on Instagram and BlueSky! Hey all, did you know I had an Etsy Store? Complete with customizable Gunpla bases, stickers, and more! Please come checkout my odd collection of wares.

Layman’s Gunpla Guide

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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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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Archive Reference: What I need to know about chemical compatibility by Jack Jella

This an archive replica of a blog post What I need to know about chemical compatibility written by Jack Jella circa 2014, from the National Association of Scale Aeromodelers. It’s been referenced over on the Layman’s Gunpla Guide for many years and it appears that it has been pulled from the original site. I’m guessing it got left behind when they did a global site redesign. In order to preserve it better I’ve created this archive copy. For further reference here’s the original link, the Wayback Machine Archive, and the last Google search cache.  read more

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State of the Hanger: My model collection as 2016 comes to a close

[flickr-photo:id=32016457125,size=z]

To wrap up 2016 I want to take few minutes and share some details about my plamo/hobby collection, which is predominantly Gunpla based. I’ve had quite a few folks ask me for info about my collection, and display set up, but have been lacking any single place to point them. Before I start I’d like to thank all of the builders out there who whose simple and complex works have pushed my builds further and driven the Layman’s Gunpla Guide. In particular I’d like to thank those on r/Gunpla and (the now renamed) Gundam Complex on Facebook. Of course a shoutout to the place I’m most guilty about being absent from, Gundam Australia. Over all, the Gunpla and plamo communities are some of the best hobby groups out there.  read more

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Layman’s Gunpla Guide – Pre-Shading Tutorial

Have you ever looked at a finished kit and noticed that the paint has a bit of depth? That the edges have a subtle darkness to them? Well that’s the result of a very common technique in the modeling world known as pre-shading.

Pre-shading, at it’s simplest, is essentially a layer of darker paint under the top colour to make certain areas pop-out. Commonly used in model aircraft to highlight panel lines it’s been adopted on Gunpla for panel lines as well, or more often, shading around the outer edges of a piece. read more

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Layman’s Gunpla Guide – Other Weathering Tips

Here are some other weathering tips that didn’t quite fit in any of the other sections…

Distressed Decals

If you’re going to weather a kit with decals it’s important to weather those decals as well. A scratch or faded decal can add a lot of depth to the look of a kit. For the most part, weathering and stickers don’t work well together as weathering tends to accentuate the sticker’s border.

The simplest method to distress a decal is to scrape at it with pointy end of a toothpick or similar tool. It’s important to make sure that they’re fully dry and set with decal set solution before doing so. Don’t scrape too hard, you don’t want to mess up the paint. Note that your surface is heavily chipped, the decals should not cover the chipped area, as the paint would normally have worn off there as well. read more

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Layman’s Gunpla Guide – Weathering General

Welcome to the weathering section of the Layman’s Gunpla Guide. Why a whole separate section? Well weathering is a complex thing to talk about and would be immensely cumbersome to scope out over a single plage. The good news is that weathering is a lot of fun and accessible for modelers of any skill level.

What is Weathering

Weathering is the process of taking your kit, be it Gunpla, tank, airplane, etc. and giving it the appearance of having been exposed to the elements of time, combat, day to day work, and the weather (hence the name). 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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