Layman’s Gunpla Guide

Posted in

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

Falldogby Falldog••0
Posted in

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

Falldogby Falldog••0
Posted in

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

Falldogby Falldog••0
Posted in

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

Falldogby Falldog••0
Posted in

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

Falldogby Falldog••0
Posted in

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

Falldogby Falldog••0
Posted in

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

Falldogby Falldog••0
Posted in

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

Falldogby Falldog••0
Posted in

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

Falldogby Falldog••0
Posted in

Layman’s Gunpla Guide – Guide to Glue

Now, 90% of the time, you’ll be able to complete a kit without needing any glue. Unfortunately, that other 10% is filled with broken parts, loose joints, and extremely small pieces. There’s quite an assortment of glues out there and picking the best one for the task can make life a lot easier, and make your kit look better. These all should be available at your local hobby shop, aside from super glue, which is available at grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations etc.

For simplicity’s sake I’ve divided glues into five basic categories with recommendations based on personal usage. There’s a lot of glues out there and, depending where you’re located in the world, may not have access to the same ones I do.You can search for the active ingredients in most glues online, cross referencing them to what I have here. Though, at the end of the day, nothing beats a bit of old school experimentation. read more

Falldogby Falldog••0