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The Official Gundam Thread of Gunpla, Origins, and 35 Years of GUNDAMUUUU!
- Thread starter Snaku
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Finished the Star Build Strike! With the Universe Booster (Which is as much of a rip off as I expected!) it took me some 6 hours to build. Images to follow.
So this is the Universe Booster with Plavsky Gate. Took me like, 1-2 hours to get it all built. And it was a fun little build and all, but frankly there's no real reason for this kit to exist. The Star Build Strike comes with everything you see in these pictures except the gold fins. As it is the Universe Booster has left me with a ton of extra, redundant parts I didn't need and that didn't go to it. Like leg parts for the Star Build Strike, extra shield covers and extra beams for the beam sabers. Honestly I expect that by the time I'm done assembling all my Gunpla I should have enough parts to assemble a really, really ugly Gunpla of spare bits. Which would be nice, actually.
This is the booster that comes with the Star Build. The blue and pink on the stand is just a bunch of parts I had to remove from the Star Build to outfit it with the Plavsky Wings and Star Gate. The SBS has to have a Core Fighter/Striker Pack like this, though, because the Plavsky Wings and Star Gate both attach to it. Still, I'm left with an entire core fighter of spare bits, haha. Plus there were some pieces that even after constructing both sets never appeared in the instructions at all.
That said, the fully finished Star Build Strike is still the pride of my collection. It's nifty, it's detailed, (including some decals that were left over that I just sorta slapped on it) and with that God Finger it looks even cooler. Unfortunately, the hands are sorta too wide to effectively hold the beam sabers, but whatever.
I was honestly stumped for a good five minutes on how to attach both the Wings and the Gate at first. The instructions put them both on the same part of the Booster, but eventually I figured out how they were supposed to fit and got it all lined up. It was definitely a treat seeing it all finished and as an added bonus I now have a second display stand. I hope the Fenice comes with one, too, since I like posing them with the stands a lot better than just splaying the legs so I can get them to remain upright. Fenice came with a bucket load of extra weapons as part of HLJ's sale on HG 1/144 kits or something. I doubt that Zeta will, even though Zeta and ZZ were both bought in that month. At this point I honestly have way more Gunpla weapons than I know what to do with. Still, once I have the Zeta and ZZ built I'll get everything set up for a little mock Super Robot Wars.
So this is the Universe Booster with Plavsky Gate. Took me like, 1-2 hours to get it all built. And it was a fun little build and all, but frankly there's no real reason for this kit to exist. The Star Build Strike comes with everything you see in these pictures except the gold fins. As it is the Universe Booster has left me with a ton of extra, redundant parts I didn't need and that didn't go to it. Like leg parts for the Star Build Strike, extra shield covers and extra beams for the beam sabers. Honestly I expect that by the time I'm done assembling all my Gunpla I should have enough parts to assemble a really, really ugly Gunpla of spare bits. Which would be nice, actually.
This is the booster that comes with the Star Build. The blue and pink on the stand is just a bunch of parts I had to remove from the Star Build to outfit it with the Plavsky Wings and Star Gate. The SBS has to have a Core Fighter/Striker Pack like this, though, because the Plavsky Wings and Star Gate both attach to it. Still, I'm left with an entire core fighter of spare bits, haha. Plus there were some pieces that even after constructing both sets never appeared in the instructions at all.
That said, the fully finished Star Build Strike is still the pride of my collection. It's nifty, it's detailed, (including some decals that were left over that I just sorta slapped on it) and with that God Finger it looks even cooler. Unfortunately, the hands are sorta too wide to effectively hold the beam sabers, but whatever.
I was honestly stumped for a good five minutes on how to attach both the Wings and the Gate at first. The instructions put them both on the same part of the Booster, but eventually I figured out how they were supposed to fit and got it all lined up. It was definitely a treat seeing it all finished and as an added bonus I now have a second display stand. I hope the Fenice comes with one, too, since I like posing them with the stands a lot better than just splaying the legs so I can get them to remain upright. Fenice came with a bucket load of extra weapons as part of HLJ's sale on HG 1/144 kits or something. I doubt that Zeta will, even though Zeta and ZZ were both bought in that month. At this point I honestly have way more Gunpla weapons than I know what to do with. Still, once I have the Zeta and ZZ built I'll get everything set up for a little mock Super Robot Wars.
Sucks.
Yeah, think Zero EW's combined with V2's and you pretty much have Star Build's.
Eww it already looked like shit on Zero and it doesn't look any better this time. I liked that energy cape thing from the anime way more.
The Wings a from the anime, they just aren't used very often.
I do think it looks worse here. Wing Gundam Zero's Wings are unique not even because of the Angel Wing style, but because of the very fact they are physical.
Energy Wings aren't new in Gundam, tons of them have them and they aren't special anymore. Taking the one gundam that actually physical Wings, and turning them Energy for a Strike variant doesn't make Strike's Wings special, you just made a love it/hate it design and turned it generic.
They both look awful, energy at least has an excuse that it can be made into a different shape, like as a cape. Wing's was actually designed as a physical angel wing and that just makes it infinitely worse. It's basically the reason why I hate the Deathscythe gundam too among other reasons. The whole angel wing/grim reaper contrast of the two is such a cringe worthy thing. Jesus 90s why you gotta do that.
I disagree completely with this entire view point.
However it doesn't change the fact they took a unique look for a Gundam and then shoe-horned in a energy version which doesn't look good on the new gundam and takes away the uniqueness of the previous.
They are more flexiable then any version of Zero's Wings. You got to remember that Zero's Wings are actually his thrusters, combine that with the physical nature of an Angle wing it would be extremely awkward to give it the mid wing joint that Star Build has, it would make it appear as if Zero's are broken some how haha.
Finished the Wing Fenice today! Almost as if the set were trying to remind me of how brittle Wing sets are, the frickin' crest snapped while removing it from the sheet. Luckily Wing sets have busted on me enough times that I'm getting fairly good at doing super glue repairs of tiny little pieces, haha.
Like any Wing model, it has a hard time staying balanced, but the Buster Cannon helps keep it sort of stable. The asymmetry of the set is actually my favorite part. It comes with a series of pieces so you can make it symmetrical (and basically just a straight up alt-color Wing if you want) but I enjoyed the asymmetry too much to make it jive. I also really liked the fact that the white parts are tan, as if they were just really old pieces of plastic. Really adds to that whole "Felinni's been modding the same kit for his whole life" feel. And of course, the beam cape is the real treat. Just too stylish to ignore.
Pissed as I am that several pieces had to be glued together after they snapped under no pressure at all, the set actually took me like, no more than 3 hours to build. I think the things I like most about these modern kits is, aside from the no more red goatee stickers, that they have ball sockets instead of just rod sockets like the old wing ones. Not only does this make the extremities more flexible, but there's no nightmare of snapping the torso together and realizing you hadn't put the part for the head on just yet. The Fenice's wings are a little tough to figure out how to pose, but compared to the Wing Zero Custom's wings it's not as much of a bother. Speaking of...
Here they are together! I realize Ezalc's no fan of the Wing Zero Custom's angel wings (although I am) but hey, I built the God and Nobel and stuck 'em inHomewrecker Bridal Pose, so lemme show this off, haha. Although the Special Edition is a little unusual I actually really like the clear parts on it, and I think it kinda gives off this weird, Christmasy vibe. I will probably some day buy an actual Wing Zero Custom because I love the Mech that much, but for now I think this'll do. They look rad next to each other and I wish I had the shelf space to display them together. Currently my whole room is host to other people's things, though, so no go on that for now, hahaha. Maybe at the end of the Summer.
In any case, that's all the Gunpla I had sitting and waiting for me. Zeta, ZZ and the ARX-8 are still to come, but they're at the mercy of HLJ's shipping.
Like any Wing model, it has a hard time staying balanced, but the Buster Cannon helps keep it sort of stable. The asymmetry of the set is actually my favorite part. It comes with a series of pieces so you can make it symmetrical (and basically just a straight up alt-color Wing if you want) but I enjoyed the asymmetry too much to make it jive. I also really liked the fact that the white parts are tan, as if they were just really old pieces of plastic. Really adds to that whole "Felinni's been modding the same kit for his whole life" feel. And of course, the beam cape is the real treat. Just too stylish to ignore.
Pissed as I am that several pieces had to be glued together after they snapped under no pressure at all, the set actually took me like, no more than 3 hours to build. I think the things I like most about these modern kits is, aside from the no more red goatee stickers, that they have ball sockets instead of just rod sockets like the old wing ones. Not only does this make the extremities more flexible, but there's no nightmare of snapping the torso together and realizing you hadn't put the part for the head on just yet. The Fenice's wings are a little tough to figure out how to pose, but compared to the Wing Zero Custom's wings it's not as much of a bother. Speaking of...
Here they are together! I realize Ezalc's no fan of the Wing Zero Custom's angel wings (although I am) but hey, I built the God and Nobel and stuck 'em in
In any case, that's all the Gunpla I had sitting and waiting for me. Zeta, ZZ and the ARX-8 are still to come, but they're at the mercy of HLJ's shipping.
You had issues with the Wing F model?
That is very surprising, I've built both variants (Wing TV and Wing F) and at no time did the parts fill flimsy or weak. I'm also surprised you find the balance off, he has a very slight issue because of the Asymmetrical design, but honestly I was incredibly shocked at just how balanced he was. I actually have mine with a foot up with only his toe touching so he can semi mock the big Buster blast from the S. Strike Vs Wing F fight, and he pulls it off with almost zero problems.
I did break the V Fin on F, but that is because of me being fucking stupid and not anything to do with the model kit or the plastic.
The ALL Gundam Project has brought down the quality of the HGUC line a bit, but even still hearing you had any difficulties with the HGAC Wing is really shocking.
No my bad, I had problems with the HGAC Wing Zero Custom Special Edition. One of the joints to hold the back wing snapped and one side of the twin buster rifle did, but then, it's a 20 year old kit. I've not yet built a regular Wing set.
The HGBF Wing F kit I broke the, whatever you call it. The V that goes on the fore of the helmet. All I was trying to do was remove it from the sheet with the same clippers I use on every piece and the long part broke. I had to super glue it. Likewise the front of the skirt busted clean in half, but you can't tell because the broken part is obscured by the crotch guard and technically it came with the benefit of being able to lift one side of the skirt's front without lifting the other so it isn't unnaturally poised while I hold the one leg up.
The three Wing sets I have built, the Wing Zero TV, the Wing Zero Custom Special Edition and the Wing Fenice all kinda have this balance problem where they tend to fall backward. Wing Zero TV was the worst, because the CSE's wings are actually long enough that they can support it from behind, while the F is undoubtedly the most balanced of the lot. The problem is that the F is sort of likely to fall back and to the right because of its wings, though the Buster Cannon really helps balance it out.
The secret shame is that the Wing Zero TV I have no longer has its wings, shield, or beam saber. I used to have all five of the six TV Wing Gundams and one EW. Now I have four from the TV show: Death scythe, Shenlong, Sandrock, and Wing Zero, and Heavy Arms from Endless Waltz, in various states of disrepair. Epyon is completely broken for some reason. I don't know how I let so cool a suit get so thoroughly scrapped, but probably because I used to play with those kits, whereas now I just basically display kits on my shelves.
EDIT: Checked and I don't have Sandrock anymore. Poor thing must've been scrapped at some point in time. Oh well. A little bit of work and I could probably make these last four look half-way okay.
The HGBF Wing F kit I broke the, whatever you call it. The V that goes on the fore of the helmet. All I was trying to do was remove it from the sheet with the same clippers I use on every piece and the long part broke. I had to super glue it. Likewise the front of the skirt busted clean in half, but you can't tell because the broken part is obscured by the crotch guard and technically it came with the benefit of being able to lift one side of the skirt's front without lifting the other so it isn't unnaturally poised while I hold the one leg up.
The three Wing sets I have built, the Wing Zero TV, the Wing Zero Custom Special Edition and the Wing Fenice all kinda have this balance problem where they tend to fall backward. Wing Zero TV was the worst, because the CSE's wings are actually long enough that they can support it from behind, while the F is undoubtedly the most balanced of the lot. The problem is that the F is sort of likely to fall back and to the right because of its wings, though the Buster Cannon really helps balance it out.
The secret shame is that the Wing Zero TV I have no longer has its wings, shield, or beam saber. I used to have all five of the six TV Wing Gundams and one EW. Now I have four from the TV show: Death scythe, Shenlong, Sandrock, and Wing Zero, and Heavy Arms from Endless Waltz, in various states of disrepair. Epyon is completely broken for some reason. I don't know how I let so cool a suit get so thoroughly scrapped, but probably because I used to play with those kits, whereas now I just basically display kits on my shelves.
EDIT: Checked and I don't have Sandrock anymore. Poor thing must've been scrapped at some point in time. Oh well. A little bit of work and I could probably make these last four look half-way okay.
Well with any luck we will see an HGAC Epyon so you will be able to replace the old crappy one with a newer kit. I don't expect the whole Wing line in HG form, but given G got God, Shining, Nobell, and Master I think we will at least see Epyon down the line.
You could do the same with Wing Zero TV, but I got to say Zero TV at least from must appearance alone with the online shots is quite possibly the worst HGUC kit to come out since the Rozen Zulu.
I'm frankly shocked that Bandai released the Zero with the way it is. Granted apart of that is because they followed the line art, and Okawara I swear designed an 18/19 Meter Gundam and then just squished the thing down into a 16.7 meter height. To this day I can't get over how fucking awful Zero and to a lesser degree Wing Gundam are even in their line arts when it comes to just head/shoulder/body proportions.
Thankfully Epyon has never really been as bad, so I have hopes that an eventual HGAC will look much better then the Zero counterpart.
You could do the same with Wing Zero TV, but I got to say Zero TV at least from must appearance alone with the online shots is quite possibly the worst HGUC kit to come out since the Rozen Zulu.
I'm frankly shocked that Bandai released the Zero with the way it is. Granted apart of that is because they followed the line art, and Okawara I swear designed an 18/19 Meter Gundam and then just squished the thing down into a 16.7 meter height. To this day I can't get over how fucking awful Zero and to a lesser degree Wing Gundam are even in their line arts when it comes to just head/shoulder/body proportions.
Thankfully Epyon has never really been as bad, so I have hopes that an eventual HGAC will look much better then the Zero counterpart.
Zeta Gundam 22
I seem to recall someone saying in here that ZZ was a dumb show because Bright lets Judau pilot the Zeta without questioning it beyond "Maybe he's a Newtype!" I'd like to point out that Bright does this in this episode of Zeta Gundam. To Fa Yuiry of all people. So it's hardly out of character for him. I mean, it can still be dumb, but only if Zeta is as dumb as ZZ. To which I am not opposed.
I seem to recall someone saying in here that ZZ was a dumb show because Bright lets Judau pilot the Zeta without questioning it beyond "Maybe he's a Newtype!" I'd like to point out that Bright does this in this episode of Zeta Gundam. To Fa Yuiry of all people. So it's hardly out of character for him. I mean, it can still be dumb, but only if Zeta is as dumb as ZZ. To which I am not opposed.
Dear lord what kind of clippers are you using? These?
Invest in a set of Tamiya sharp pointed side cutters, Xuron 2175ET or Micro-Mark #82393. The Tamiya sharp pointed cutters are my most beloved tool. You can trim parts off with little to zero nub remaining and never break small parts (well small clears may still crack but that's a different topic). I haven't used the Xurons or Micro-Mark options but I hear they are decent. A good pair of cutters are a very worthwhile investment!
Haha, no, I have some fairly standard clippers which have worked just fine for like, everything else so far, but out of nowhere this piece just split in twain. Honestly, thinking about it now, I should've just rocked it free with my fingers, but sometimes that really hurts my thumb and index finger to do, heh. Honestly until this Wing F kit I'd never busted a piece while clipping it free. The two that broke while piecing the Wing Zero Custom Special Edition together broke under incorrectly applied pressure.
EDIT: Sooooooooooooooooooooooooorta fucking pissed at HLJ now. I ordered this HGUC ZZ Gundam in like, the first week of March. Back then, it said it was a March Restock. Then it was an April Restock. NOW IT IS A MAY RESTOCK. Come the fuck on, HLJ. Get your shit together.
EDIT: Sooooooooooooooooooooooooorta fucking pissed at HLJ now. I ordered this HGUC ZZ Gundam in like, the first week of March. Back then, it said it was a March Restock. Then it was an April Restock. NOW IT IS A MAY RESTOCK. Come the fuck on, HLJ. Get your shit together.
You should be pissed at Bandai instead.
I can't tell if it's Bandai pushing it back or not, though. AmiAmi makes it sound like they're only back-ordered by a couple weeks, not until friggin' May.
Gunpla production runs are in batches. Typically a kit only get produced 3 or 4 times a year, i've been told. Kits that are older and aren't bestsellers less than that, maybe once a year. So whenever you see "xxxx restock" its not because hlj or amiami or whoever are being lazy, its because the kits are not being produced at the moment and the suppliers aren't getting their hands on them.
Yeah.
Even kits that do very well take time to see Restocks. Take the Wing MG's, they are very good sellers at least for the international crowd and you will constantly see almost all the online retailers sell out fairly quickly when they get in new stock yet it can be up anywhere from a month to three before most places get restocked.
Sadly if your like something that isn't really popular and you don't order it as it releases, it can be a pain in the ass to get. Take Nobell Gundam for example, that things restock rates are not that good so you can be waiting up to half a year or more to get it, and that is only if you get lucky and aren't really far back in line.
ZZ probably falls in this area as well, also it doesn't help that a lot of fans of ZZ are still waiting on Full Armor, or even skipped the original release making it so it likely doesn't need reproductions all that often.
To be fair Corvo, it's possible they did restock this month, but only got a very limited stock so so it sold out before it got to you.
However I do understand your frustration. I had something similar happen over Nobell, I got myself Berserker, but my 4 year old daughter wanted Normal Mode for her room last year and it took forever with several changes.
Honestly I kept my backpack. Granted it's giant, and outside of G-Fortress it's the worst part of the kit, still though, it's apart of the design and I always feel weird just ripping off parts I don't like.
The only exception I've ever made to this rule is Strike Gundam because the Aile Pack is so fucking stupid. However even then I had to buy the limited edition one that didn't come with the Aile to make myself feel okay about leaving it out.
I got some weird back attachment thing with the Wing F that was part of the All Gundam project, so maybe I'll stick that onto the ZZ instead and just holster the giant beamsabers there. The backpack is the worst part of the ZZ, but it feels like something should be back there.
nah, it's like a month afterward.
What's the cheapest, yet effective panel-lining option?
Thinking of lining my M1 while I'm waiting for my others to come in.
Also I've been on a major Gundam kick lately. Watched all of SEED (wtf why is there so much reused animation?) and am currently going through the original series. It's crazy how much is lifted from the original series. Some of the same lines reworded. Is this a thing? Are all of the series just retellings of the same story with slight variations of the same characters and situations?
Thinking of lining my M1 while I'm waiting for my others to come in.
Also I've been on a major Gundam kick lately. Watched all of SEED (wtf why is there so much reused animation?) and am currently going through the original series. It's crazy how much is lifted from the original series. Some of the same lines reworded. Is this a thing? Are all of the series just retellings of the same story with slight variations of the same characters and situations?
Gundam markers are the way to go. If you can find a really fine tip marker that can work as well. Also if you have a steady enough hand, you can clip a paint brush and use that. I've also read about people using a mechanical pencil.
SEED is a loose retelling of the 0079.
I use sakura microns, tip is 0.20 mm and works pretty well, just be careful not to press too hard or you're ruin it. They usually go for $2-3 individually, you can buy them in packs but I tend not to as the rest in the pack are either fatter sizes or random colors I won't use.
You'll see certain elements and themes reused in several of the series, but none of them are nearly as strong as SEED and that was because SEED was meant to be a modern 0079.
The only other one that would be close is AGE, it does have several call backs to 0079/Zeta/ZZ but they don't really try to be those shows with a new coat of paint.
Speaking of 00, I recently started rewatching that for the first time and it is way, way worse than I remember. Going to post on it after I finish S2.
I think the first half of S1 is actually the low point of the show. It's very slow and meandering.
S1 is actually the part I'm willing to rewatch and admit I was wrong about.
S2 is an unholy demon.
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions & explanation. I think I'll head to my local art store to see if I can pick up something comparable for panel lining before I order Gundam markers.
Since I'm just getting back into Gundam since watching GBF, its hard to find any consensus online with respect to what is the best series to watch. The only things I can find any shred of consistency on is the original series, Char's Counterattack and 08th MS Team being must watches. It's intimidating to say the least. Kind of thinking about checking out 00 next as apparently its the most deviant in terms of plot according to that infographic, but really I just want to see a ton of different Gundams in well animated fights.
Since I'm just getting back into Gundam since watching GBF, its hard to find any consensus online with respect to what is the best series to watch. The only things I can find any shred of consistency on is the original series, Char's Counterattack and 08th MS Team being must watches. It's intimidating to say the least. Kind of thinking about checking out 00 next as apparently its the most deviant in terms of plot according to that infographic, but really I just want to see a ton of different Gundams in well animated fights.
I use sakura microns, tip is 0.20 mm and works pretty well, just be careful not to press too hard or you're ruin it. They usually go for $2-3 individually, you can buy them in packs but I tend not to as the rest in the pack are either fatter sizes or random colors I won't use.
These are what I used when I first did gunpla like 15 years ago, but they do leave you with REALLY heavy panel lines.
If i were you, id just panel line with a wash. Actually easier than using a marker. Lots of how-to's on blogs and youtube.
EvilKatarn
Member
Can't wait for all the nice Exia builds to make me regret cancelling my pre-order.After a bunch of considerations, I'm going to get this for panel lining my RG Exia:
After a bunch of considerations, I'm going to get this for panel lining my RG Exia:
just make a black, brown, or grey wash with paint you have on hand, foo! No need to buy that stuff!
Enamels work best for this afaik. When Japanese modelers make their own washes it's always done with Tamiya enamel paints (not the acrylics, the enamels in the square jars). The Tamiya accent colors are actually just their enamel paints pre-thinned.
I'd assume testors/model master enamels would work as well. I don't have any so can't say.
There's a small company in the US that makes washes. I've been wanting to order a few bottles of these to try out. I remember seeing someone rave over them on another forum but don't remember where. Only $2.99 a bottle:
http://www.thedetailer.net/index.htm
I don't have any paint on hand or I would. You know how lazy I am!
Might be a mistranslation or something, but this article is saying Gundam Reconguista is a movie
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/movies/AJ201404190012
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/movies/AJ201404190012
distantmantra
Member
Yeah, I saw that as well. Definitely a typo based on all previous information.
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