Gunpla Chronicles - Upper Body

For reasons which will be explained later, I'm going to detail the remainder of the build process in this single post.  Apologies for the lack of photos.

Right Arm - I was a bit too tired when I assembled the right arm, and when I get tired, I tend to do things fast and sloppy.  Some of the pieces became warped at the cut points, though luckily most of these pieces were part of the exoskeleton, meaning they'd be concealed under the outer armor.  The rest of the assembly process went smoothly, which was a welcome state of affairs after the crisis I had with the leg joint.

My stickering got a lot better with the right arm.  I found myself coming up with a process; I would remove the sticker with the hobby knife, transfer it to the nail care stick, and apply to the model.  I then used the stick to reposition and set it in place.  All told, the stickering wasn't perfect (the larger decals on the shoulder mounted shield are a little off angle), but it was still a dramatic (and noticeable) improvement.

I did the entire arm in a single night, spending a little under three hours.

Left Arm


My cuts were a little less messy with the left arm, and my stickering was better still.  I'm especially proud of how I placed the decals on the spiky shoulder pad.  This is also the section where I got a lot better at sanding and filing.  I discovered that if I used a lighter touch, I could remove much of the discolored plastic. I also began to file along the length of the piece.  Previously, I'd put the tool at an angle, focusing it on the target area.  If I wasn't careful, this could cause even more damage.  I used my new skills on the scratched section of the Heat Hawk, and the results were more than acceptable.

Between the legs, arms, and weapons, this was my best work yet.  When I started writing these posts, I said that I didn't believe one could get significantly better as a builder after just one or two kits, but now I can see how wrong I was about that.  If you strive to do good work, and pay attention to your mistakes, you can make major strides after just one model.

This arm was also done in one night, though I can't recall how much time it took.

Chest


I felt more awake for building the chest than for either of the arms, yet I probably made some of the worst cuts yet.  Just like with the arm, a lot of them ended up being concealed, but there were more than enough on the visible sections.  I also got a little too heavy with the file, to the point where I started to file away otherwise good sections of a piece.  I don't think this is easily apparent anywhere on the torso, unless someone were to hold the model right to their eye.  Nevertheless, I must not repeat this performance in any future builds.

I did the chest over the course of two nights, and probably spent another three hours total on it.

Head


The head is the defining part of a Zaku, and I wanted to make sure I didn't screw it up.  I was careful to the point of paranoia, and it paid off in spades. I even managed to note and interpret the suggestion in the instruction book which said to set the red eye sticker before sticking the eye construction into the head proper.

In terms of perfection, I think this was ultimately my finest work (though due to the greater number of stickers, I'm still most proud of that left arm).  Build time was well under than hour.

 A note on topcoating


I used my entire can of paint to topcoat this model.  In fact, I barely had enough to give the head a once over.  This makes me wonder whether I didn't start with enough paint in the first place, or if I simply wasted a lot of it due to bad technique.  I don't think any of the parts wound up with a spotty topcoat, but I'd have liked to have gone over them one more time.

Gunpla Chronicles - Surgery Edition

In today's post, I'd like to show you my first near disaster.  Take a look at the following picture of the Zaku's right leg:

Part of the joint is pretty nasty looking, eh?  That's because it snapped off when I tried connecting the legs to the torso.

I'm not exactly sure how it happened - or rather, I know how it happened (I tried pulling it back out from the torso when it seemed to be in too snugly), but I'm not sure how it broke the way it did.

What I also know is that I almost made the situation go from "bad" to "unfixable". Note to any other potential Gunpla builders - try not to panic if something breaks, but if you can't help yourself, step away from the model until you can calm down.If you're panicked, you'll be pressed to find a solution as quickly as possible, and in such a state of mind, you likely won't come up with the best solution.  Also, your work will be rushed and sloppy, which can easily sabotage your plan.

This is exactly what happened to me.  My first reaction was to see if I can simply glue the piece back onto the leg.  I knew I would lose flexibility, but I was willing to sacrifice that if need be.  Unfortunately the glue wouldn't stick.  I thought it was because I was simply being impatient and not letting it set, so what did I do?  Continue to be impatient and not let it set.  The broken joint piece became encrusted by glue as the night went on, and I began to lose hope.

I was only saved by the wisdom of my wife, who pointed out that what I was using was not super glue, but "Extra Strength Adhesive".  She promised that if I got some actual super glue, the piece would hold.  Naturally I trusted her, and feeling better, I went to sleep for the night, determined to get a new tube of glue the next day.  In a narcolepsy fueled spout of heavy sleep, I had a lightbulb moment.  I woke up and went to test my theory, and sure enough I was right.  It turns out that certain pieces of sprue had the same diameter as the hole in which the broken joint piece plugged into the leg.  If I sanded off the broken part of the joint piece, I could super glue on a small piece of sprue, at which point the piece would be functionally good as new.  Then only problem remaining would be removing the plastic that was stuck inside the leg after the break.  Some further googling revealed that I had a drill bit of exactly the right size for the job.

I knew that if I took a drill bit to my model, I could very well break it for good. So I went online to find out if anyone else had the same crazy idea.  This is when I came across the concept of "pinning", in which you fix or reinforce a fragile joint by drilling a hole all the way through one or more pieces and inserting a support shaft.  With my theory confirmed, I knew my plan could work if only I was careful. I decided to turn the drill bit by hand, partly to be careful, and partly because I didn't have a working drill to use.  Suffice to say that after a few cuts and some very raw fingers, I did it.  The broken plastic fell right out, and I was left with a perfectly ready joint.

This is the closest example I could find of what "pinning" is.

The next day, I got some new super glue, and by sheer coincidence I also found a tube of the Extra Strength Adhesive on the shelf.  Looking at the package, I saw that it was not meant to bond to plastic.  My wife was right; I was using the wrong stuff from the very start.

The super glue, on the other hand, worked faster than I expected (I almost got my fingers stuck together). It bonded the joint to a small piece of sprue, and I filed it down to the right size. I plugged it back into the leg joint, and voila - a perfectly working leg, albeit one that was ugly as sin.

I'm incredibly happy that I managed to fix my problem and repair my Zaku, but I wish I never put myself into this position in the first place.  This incident was an important reminder that these kits are not toys.  It is crucial to be slow and careful when moving any joint on any piece, no matter how sturdy it feels.  A broken part isn't worth a spat of impatience.

Gunpla Chronicles - Torso and Weapons

At this point, the torso is built, but not fully assembled (I have to clearcoat them first).  For my standards, I did a near flawless job with the stickers, but the plastic itself got roughed up a bit much.  Here's a bit of scuff on the right side:

Aaaaaand the left side:

The only major screwup with the stickers can be seen in this pic. On the white sticker on the bottom, there's supposed to be a shiny gold part near each tip of the 'V' shape.  On the right side, I accidentally cut that part away.  This mistake bugs me the second most of any of them so far.

The most annoying mistake belongs to the weapons.  I built them out of order on account of them being so simple.  It was a nice way to wind down the evening, but look what I did to the Heat Hawk:

If the clearcoat doesn't cover up some of that scratch, I'll have to attribute it to "battle damage".  On a side note, I kind of wish that light grey blade on the Heat Hawk was colored translucent red.  Whenever it is wielded in the shows, it gets red hot, and I think it'd be a cool effect (maybe one day I'll try and add that myself with some paint).

The rifle and bazooka came out mostly unscathed, but here are some pics for completion:

The next step for me is to coat all these pieces and put them together.  I'll probably start the next post with those results, followed by the building of the upper body.

Gunpla Chronicles - Beginning the build

Before chronicling the build process, here's a list of tools and supplies I'm working with.

Sprue Cutter - I actually found a sprue cutter in Hobby Lobby, so I decided to grab it rather than relying on nail clippers for cutting out pieces.  So far, I'm happy with the decision.  They work really well as long as I'm careful.  I'm sure the clippers would function well enough, but I feel like they would also be less intuitive.

X-acto Knife - In all honesty I didn't need this, but it cost three bucks, so it wasn't really a splurge.  I've used it to remove certain pieces in lieu of the Sprue cutter, and for cleaning up some of my shittier cuts.  I've also found that some of the kit's joint pieces are kept rigid via very small pieces of connecting plastic that only the knife can really remove.  I've also found it to be useful for taking stickers off the sticker sheet.

.02mm art marker - It isn't a Gundam Marker, but it's acid free and wipes off clean, so I think it'll suffice.  It looks like this was one of the thinnest markers available, and yet it is still a bit too big for some of the panel lining I've done.

Cotton Swabs - I'm using these for removing mistakes made with the marker.

Nail care stick - I learned that you can use a toothpick to better position stickers on a model.  Instead, I'm using nail care sticks.  They're longer and sturdier, making them easier to wield, and rather than having two pointy tips, the bottom of the stick is a flat end.  This makes it a 1-2 punch for sticker application; one side positions, while the other sets in place.

Super glue - I had a bottle already, and I keep it handy just in case.

Nail clippers - I still found an old pair which I'm also keeping handy.  I occasionally use the nail file attachment to clean up excess plastic.

Actual nail file - Same use as above.  I think it's a bit too heavy in grit, so I have to be careful.

Hobby Tweezers - My wife insisted that I buy these, instead of using facial tweezers.  She says they're better for the task.

Testors Matte style spray lacquer - Most builders say that even if you don't paint your kit, you should still spray it down with clearcoat paint.  It removes the toylike finish to the plastic and can hide certain mistakes.  Most builders also recommend specialized brands, but I just went with basic Testors.  I'll report on my findings later.

Now, without further ado, the build....

I started where the manual told me to - the right leg. It took me three and a half hours on my first night of building, plus an unknown amount of time to apply the stickers later on.  I definitely made some mistakes on this one, mostly in regard to the stickering.  These decals are incredibly tiny, making them tough to remove, tough to manipulate, and tough to position. I didn't have a good feel for getting them on, and as a result I lost a few to the carpet, while others were applied with wrinkles.  Some I took off myself after coming out terribly.  My other big mistake was in not letting my panel linings dry completely before continuing my work.  The marker started to smear where I touched it, and some of it came off underneath the stickers, giving them a permanent blackish hue.  Nothing I can do really.

On the other hand, I'm rather proud of how well I did with cutting.  I didn't leave behind too many noticeable marks, and those I did make are hidden underneath the model's exterior armor.

In regards to filing, I shied away from it.  The two filing tools I currently have seem a bit too aggressive, and can really scratch up the plastic.  Since I'm not painting the kit, I won't be able to go over these mistakes, so in the future I'll have to be more precise with where I use them.

As you can probably tell from the pic, the sticker on the knee portion is janky, as are the two on the foot.  Also, on the front right part of the toe there is some damage from cutting, though in this picture it is obscured by shadow.  

With the left leg, my fortunes reversed.  I ended up acting much quicker during the cutting phase, and wound up with more poor cuts than I did with the right leg.  I tend to do everything fast and sloppy when I'm tired, and I believe I was a bit too sleepy when I tried to do the work (also, the beer I drank got to me a lot more than the one I had on my first night).  Here's a good example of where my sloppiness is clearly visible; the left circular vent thingie is nice and scratched:

 

On the other hand, I got into a nice groove with the stickers, and for the most part they all came out a lot better.  Here's a comparison of the backs of the legs to give you an example (notice the gold stickers in particular):

The right leg was the first piece of the kit I gave the clearcoat treatment to, and if you look at the photo above, you can kind of see the difference in the shine and coloring of the two legs.  So far, I like the results. 

The next post will cover building the torso and weapons.

Gunpla Chronicles: About Gunpla

When I returned home, the first thing I had to do was pour over the Gunpla scene and determine what it is I got myself into.  The news was almost entirely good.  Most modern model kits do not need to be painted, nor do they need to be secured using glue or modeling cement.  The only thing stopping them from being build-able "out of the box" is the fact that you still need a handful of tools to put them together correctly.

The other good news is that, contrary to my fears, the Gunpla scene is a healthy mix of casual hobbyists and hardcore builders.  This is a big deal for me; the internet communities surrounding most hobbies are made up entirely of enthusiasts, and enthusiasts lack the perspective needed to help beginners.  They'll recommend setups which require significant investments in time and money, without any regard to the fact that a newbie is probably looking to get their feet wet with something small and simple, to see if they're really interested before they lay down any serious cash.

This is not the case with Gunpla.  There are still super fans with potentially damaging advice for newbies (for a good example, look up Danny Choo's posts related to the topic), but I found far more guides and tutorials warning rookies not to jump into the deep end.  Some of their aggregate suggestions include:

• Don't start off with a Master Grade or Perfect Grade kit (but if you do, it probably won't kill you).
• Don't buy every single tool someone recommends.  Buy a few basics, and try to rely on things you have lying around the house to fill in the gaps.  Become familiar with these simple tools before moving on up to something better.  To give a more concrete example, a newbie can get away with using nail clippers and a nail file to snip out and clean up pieces, and once they get a feel for it, they can choose to upgrade to a sprue cutter and sandpaper.  No one I found (aside from Choo, the moron) insisted that you run out and get yourself a spray gun and air compressor for painting.  
• You need to take your time.  Not many people in the community seem to be impressed by speed.  It is better to go slow and wind up with a great looking piece.
• Most tutorials pointed out that newbies will mistakes (some writers went so far as to show examples of their early screwups).  Their suggestion is to learn from them, and then move on (after trying to salvage your model of course).  The overall vibe I got was that no one expects your first kit to be flawless, so don't worry if it isn't.
• I found a few forums which which looked very supportive.  When someone showed off a finished kit, they were quick with pointers and comments, but they were also happy to see folks of beginner or intermediate skill actually finish a build.  It felt like these users wanted to help their colleagues get better and become more involved in the hobby, as opposed to erecting a wall of impossible standards that only a dedicated few could climb over.  To give an example, I saw a husband and wife team show off their build of a High Grade Gundam AGE model, considered one of the best starter kits available right now.  The feedback in the comments section was enthusiastic and positive.  It was almost hard to believe.

As for the negatives of the scene, they were fewer, but still present:

• Most Gunpla fans import both kits and equipment from Japan.  That means they tend to recommend tools and materials which are specifically made for Gunpla.  These include special Gundam Markers meant for filling in panel lining on the kit's armor, as well as special glues and clear coat paints.  There are only two ways to obtain these goods - from an online retailer, or "your local hobby shop", which for most people is something which only exists in fairy tales.  Since most online shops sell the kits and the accessories, you can probably get all this stuff from one place (except for the paints.  Those spray cans apparently can't be brought into the States anymore).  Otherwise you'd have to buy them piecemeal.  I know it sounds odd, but I don't like buying small, inexpensive merch off the Internet.  It seems like a waste of shipping and handling, and I don't like the notion of registering for a store solely so I can spend five dollars.  I'm sure all these specialized tools are fantastic, but I've decided to take my chances with whatever I can acquire at Michael's or Hobby Lobby.


• On a similar note to the above, even the friendliest guides were against the use of plain, standard stickers on a Gunpla model.  Everyone seems to agree that they don't look very nice when applied.  Their recommendation is to use special "water slide" decals (I forget how these work) and rub-on decals, which as expected rubs the details right onto the plastic, like a rub-on tattoo. Some of the best quality kits come with these special decals; for the ones that don't, you have to go online and see if Bandai (or some other company) sells them for your specific kit as a standalone product. This is one of the only examples I've seen in which the community on a whole asks a bit too much from newbies.

Lastly, some thoughts of my own:

• I understand that you are supposed to learn from your mistakes and improve your skills with each kit.  But something about this feels counterintuitive.  Even the simplest kits aren't so cheap that I'd buy one to serve as a trash-able practice run, and when your first kit happens to be one of your very favorites (which mine certainly is), you don't want it to show off all your first time mistakes. The only way I see to remedy this would be to rebuy and rebuild it in the future when I know how to do a better job.  That's my mistake for not starting with something I care less about (the gift shop at Disney had a Real Grade standard Zaku, as well as some other suit from Gundam Seed that is wholly unfamiliar to me).

What's more, as cool as I find Gunpla to be, as a married man looking to start a family, I don't see a lot of display space in visions of my future homes.  I'm not sure how many kits it takes, on average, to get really good, but I can't imagine accommodating any more than half a dozen in my lifetime (unless I feel comfortable enough with myself to continue it as a hobby after retirement, in which case I could go nuts).  As a result, I want any kits I buy to be done right.

• Despite what I said above, I've already made mistakes on the parts I've built due to acting too quickly and carelessly.  I can't even follow my own advice!

Gunpla Chronicles: Intro

While we were at Disney World, my wife insisted that I buy something "nice for myself" while I was there.  This was not an easy task for me.  As a child souvenirs were mostly off the table, and as an adult I'm still affected somewhat by that conditioning.  But even when I find something intriguing, I'm still held back by the fact that anything I'm going to find is either going to be a simple trinket, or a replacement for some household item I already have.  In my mind, a souvenir should be something special, something you keep for years as a symbol of all the good memories you made on your trip.

In the end, I found something that was absolutely perfect.  It won't be used or broken, I'll see it all the time (thus reminding me constantly of the best vacation I've ever been on), and it is something that lines up perfectly with my interests.  I bought a Gundam Model kit.

Never in my life did I expect to find something like this in a Disney park, but the gift shop in the Japan section of Epcot's World Showcase has all sorts of anime related merch.  I've never built a model kit before, and when I picked it up, I had no idea if I'd even have all the tools to do so.  But seeing it on a shelf, I knew I had to have it.  Nevermind the fact that model kits can be easily obtained on the Internet.  To someone outside the hobby, these things still feel rare and exotic. Finding one on a physical store shelf felt akin to unearthing buried treasure.  I vowed not only to buy one, but to built it at any cost.

This series of posts chronicles my attempt to built the Real Grade Zaku II Char Custom.  I'll do my best to take quality photos of each section as they're built, but I make no guarantees about my photography skills.