Layman’s Gunpla Guide

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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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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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Gunpla and Model Reviews

Here’s a list of the Gunpla and other model reviews I’ve done, either here on Otaku Revolution or for other folks like Gundam Guy. These are sorted (roughly) by publication date, not kit release date.

2020


Perfect Grade Unleashed RX-78-2 Gundam


MGEX Unicorn – A review and model retrospective

2019


Kotobukiya Ace Combat 1/144 X-02S and XFA-27 Model Review


BSC 1/35 Zeta Gundam Bust Short Review


Steel Legend Metal Build 1/100 Kshatriya Review


Nillson Works PG Astray Grayscale Review


Max Factory PLAMAX 1/20 Macross VF-1 Super/Strike Gerwalk Valkyrie – Dry Fit Review read more

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Layman’s Gunpla Guide – What is Gunpla?

Whenever folks ask me about my hobbies I have to bring up Gunpla. They then, very predictably, ask me what Gunpla is. Most don’t have the background for a long answer and I usually I just tell them, “Gunpla are model robots based on an animated Japanese franchise.” Sometimes I make a comparison to military or car models. Short, simple and to the point.

The long answer is that Gunpla is the term used to describe plastic models from the Gundam franchise, gun + pla. Back in 1979 there was an animated series in Japan (anime) called Mobile Suit Gundam. Since then it has developed into an expansive franchise with additional series, movies, games, and toys. Not long after they released the first series Bandai started to make plastic model kits of  the show’s mobile suits. Over the years the model line has developed with the franchise. As production technologies improved Gunpla models became more and more sophisticated featuring a wide range of gimmicks and detail. The cost of a Gunpla kit can range from $10 to over $300 depending on the size and complexity. 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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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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Layman’s Gunpla Guide – Priming Tutorial

I wanted to take a minute to write about priming as it’s something a lot of modelers do before painting a kit. Though generally a good idea, it’s not always needed.

You should use primer when……

  • You have a rough or uneven surface – Primer does a good job of evening out surfaces. If you have a kit that has heavy sanding marks, paint may not do a good enough job leveling them out. Typically, you should work the pieces with a lighter grain of sandpaper  before priming. If the surface has pot marks or other defects, priming can help identify them prior to paint and provide a good working surface for sanding and filling. If this is your main concern, consider using something from Mr. Surfacer.
    .
  • You’re going to a lighter colour than the surface plastic – This is the most common reason for priming. Any time you want to go to a lighter colour, the plastic should prime before hand to provide a lighter andThis is especially important for vibrant and bright colours. The look of many paints will be dependent on the tone below and bright colours will pop considerably more if the underlying colour is also bright. Darker colours won’t be impacted nearly as much and subsequent coats will help close the gap.Here are some examples of how basic colours look depending on the base coat below them. If I’m painting a like colour to the plastic underneath, I generally don’t prime as the effect is generally negligible.

  • You’re going to paint on a multi-toned/coloured surface – As paints will often appear differently depending the surface colour they’re applied on top of, having a base surface with different colours can result in tone differences amongst pieces. Sometimes this is results in a desired effect (i.e. pre-shading) but when unintended it can make a kit look awkward.
  • Your paint has difficulty adhering to the plastic – Paints will sometimes have difficulty adhering to plastic. A good coat of primer creates a nice consistent coat for paint to stick to. Most modern kits don’t have this issue and many older ones just need a wash before painting. Resin, on the other hand, needs both a wash and prime for best results.

Note that covering with white primer is going to be time consuming and require a lot of a lot of coats. Whether it’s the lightness of the white, or a thinner mix that’s used, you’re going to spend more time applying coats than simply going with a darker colour. Because of this, it’s important to make sure all your pieces are coated to the same extent. If not, you may assemble and find that two concurrent pieces, having not received the same coats, feature different tones. It’s also worth noting that in my experience, shades of red are generally the hardest colour to completely white out. read more

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Layman’s Gunpla Guide – Option Parts Tutorial

One of the easiest ways to add unique details to your project is through the use of option parts. Option parts are a generic term for accessories ranging from thrusters, hatches, and other details to extra and unique weapons. Kotobukiya makes the most options parts under their Modeling Support Goods (M.S.G.) line (HLJ / Hobby Search). Bandai has their own line called Builder’s Parts (HLJ / Gundam Planet).

Option kits featuring weapons or stands come with instructions and can be built like any other kit. Kotobukiya’s weapons generally come with standard attach points that allow them to be easily utilized with their original models. The fun stuff is the random patches, panels, rivets, thrusters, spikes, lenses and others armament details. These can be glued to your kit in any number of ways to really change how a kit looks. Where you add them, how many you add, it’s all up to you. Painting is generally recommended but if your kit already has a bunch of gray components you might be able to add some option parts without having to paint. read more

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