Gunpla: Tips for starters

sa mga collectors at mga experienced builders ng gunpla anu mabibigay nyo na tip sa mga gusto pumasok sa hobby na ito at anu ang ma i recommend nyo na dapat muna nila i build as starters at kung pano nila iingatan ang ginawa nila at yung mga do's and dont's sa pag build ng gunpla at budget issue

For Starter hmm i'll recommend to build a TTH(TT Hongli) Exia(00 series) for 150-180 at 168mall(divisoria) or DM(Dragon Momoko) AGE(Gundam AGE) for 300 to 350. My 1st build tth and practice to remove nubmarks, and painting.

For guide the please read this came from Master Zen of GFP(Gundam Fans na Pinoy)

Introduction

Hi everyone! Ayun, wala kasi ako magawa kaya eto... pagpasensyahan nyo na noh.
Since we have a lot of queries searching for ALTERNATIVES, I purposely created this TUT para hindi tayo na tatanga kakaulit ng sagot natin, instead link na lang netong DOC file na to ang ipopost natin ^_^ hehehe KATAM!!!

Definition of Terms

GunPla Model - do I even have to define this? if you’re here sa group you should know this. Nyahahahha, joke lang yun syempre, short for Gundam Plastic Model. This is the realization of the Mobile Suits na napanood/napapanood/papanuorin. Basically under the category of Hobbies and Crafts > Scale Modelling > Mecha > GunPla.

Tree/s or Sprue/s – this is the frame like thing that holds your molded parts into place.

Parts – eto naman yung mismong pinagkakabit-kabit to build the most beautiful plastic product in the universe.

Gates – eto naman yung segment connecting a part from its tree. Source or origin ng NubMarks

Nub Marks – Fugly, usually rectangular in shape, discoloration sa isang part. Most of the times it accumulates dust, making it more fugly!!!

OOTB – acronym for Out-Of-The-Box, meaning building a kit using only the materials that is included in the box.

Collector, Modeller, Modder – this is just my own description ha.. wala magagalet.. a collector is someone who collects a specific item. Modellers, as for our hobby, all GunPla collectors who build their own kits are at the same time called Modeller, or basta nagbubuo ka ng Gundam, Modeller ka!... While a Modder is an advance type of a modeller. Usually not contented on how the kit looks OOTB so he/she will add something to it.


THE BASIC TOOLS, USES AND ALTERNATIVES ^_^

Side Cutter
- used to remove parts from the trees
- also used to remove the gates attached to the parts as you remove it from the sprue.
- can be bought at your suking hobby store, price ranges from 300-700, and price varies directly proportional sa durability and performance ng cutter. meron ding mga cheap versions ranging from 80-120 sa mga japanese "one-price" stores, specially SAIZEN, particularly sa branch sa Ali Mall Cubao.
- alternative #1 - your mom's old nail nippers. yes! side cutters din yun pero smaller version, just be sure na hindi na sya ginagamit ni mommy ha!!! P25 pesos lang pa-hasa nun, or buy a new one for around 100 pesos sa Watsons.
- alternative #2 - your household nail cutter, the bigger the better. Medyo mahirap lang gamitin pang remove ng parts from sprues, pero swak na rin for removing gates from parts. ^_^

Hobby/Craft Knife

- used to further remove left-over gates and to lessen nub marks. Xacto ang famous brand neto.
- can also be used to cut out decals for easier application
- alternative #1, mahal kasi per se ang X Acto Knives, so para makatipid ng onti, go for a much cheaper blade holder, then buy orig Xacto blades. some alternative Brands are DAFA and MAPED, lahat yan available sa Engineering Section ng National Bookstores Nationwide. Price range is usually from 100 to 200 pesos
- alternative #2, cutter. as in yung ini-slide yung blade. choose yung pinaka manipis. nakakatakot yung makakapal eh, parang kitchen knife na. nga pala when you buy this, don't forget to grab a case of blade refills, since cutter blades ay masmabilis maging dull kumpara sa Xacto Blades.
- alternative #3, so wala ka pa rin kahit yung mga nasa taas, at yung nail cutter sa bahay pa rin ang meron ka. di ba usually it comes with a slide-out knife [at pangbukas ng softdrinks]? yun! pwede na yun!!!

Gundam Markers

- isama ko na rin to, used for adding further details for your OOTB build. ginagamit to ink those parts na hindi na na-detail in terms of color.
- has two types, tawag ko dun sa una, PENTEL type, eto yung GMs na ginagamit pang color sa parts na hindi nakulayan OOTB. second, PANEL Liner, eto naman yung uber fine tip GMs used for adding ink sa seams. to give your GunPla a more mecha-look! Eto lang din yung lalagyan ko muna ng alternatives ha hehe...
- alternative #1, mula ulit sa suki nating National Bookstore, you can grab the UNIPIN markers. Ang alam ko available yan hanggang 0.03 na nipis. Price is around 50-70, meron pang isang brand eh... ZEBRA, pero 0.07 yata pinaka manipis nun[Price is 70-90], then we have the COPIC Markers, a bit pricy over the other brands pero ayun.. price nun nasa 100-200? Tama ba?
- alternative #2, PANEL WASH. Pero pang GunPla Modelling level 5 na to eh.. may pre-requisite yan ng basic painting knowledge..so saka na natin to iduscuss hahaha..

Cutting Mat

- not really a necessity when it comes to GunPla building, but it would be a safe way to protect your work surface [could be your dining table, study table, center table sa sala, bedsheet, yes may mga kakilala ako sa kama nagbubuo ng GunPla] from getting cut/sliced/dirty during the building process.
- So from our suking National we have there A3 sizes na Cutting Mat, 300-400, masmahal masmakapal.. DAFA rin brand nun. Kung medyo tipid ka naman, sa mga Jap Stores around, meron nung HALF A4 size. A bit small pero will surely protect your small workspace. ^_^ price is 70-100.
- alternative, a piece of cardboard or illustration board. 1/8 size will do. price is 8-12 pesos sa mga school supply stores hehe


Spray Paints
- Considering wala tayong AirBrush and we suck at Hand Brush Jutsu, only option is to go for Spray Cans! Weee~ most advisable paint for GunPla is Acrylic type ng paint. [wiki na lang po ha] and for spray cans, highly recommended ang TAMIYA spray cans. Tamang buga ng hangin, wide selection of colors.. lahat shoot! Pero may kamahalan sa price na 200-300 per can sa mga suking hobby shop ulit, tulad ng LILs, STC.
- Alternative, BOSNY SPRAY CANS! Cheaper na, masmarami pa laman, 60-200 price. Mura to sa divi, at OP sya mga hardware sa Mall or Streets.. yun nga lang masmalakas ang buga ng paint neto. So kelangan ng matinding finger control sa pagpindot ng nozzle at basic skills sa GAYFLICK Jutsu. [saka ko na ituturo, apprentice level pa lang din ako eh] or pwede nyo ring gawin yung VEKnique [search youtube]...

For Removing Nubmarks and Seamlines.

Please Refer to this Removing Nubmarks Credits to Master Michealtan of PG(Pinoy Gundam)

very helpful ang mga tips mo :-)bakit pala recommended ang exia for starters?tsaka anung grade ng model kit ang maganda for starters?

I forgot hahah 1/144 grade pala madali kasi siyang buoin and sexy sarap i pose ng badass lahat ng guide na yan galing sa mga master ko ^.^

ang galing isa ka na din master :-) nag try ako magbuild ng gundam strike freedom na high grade but i ended up a mess :-(

thank you for the tip im gonna use this when i buy another Gunpla :)

Yehey! Fellow Pla-meyts! Tips? Shadow-san already laid all beginner terms here :) I'll just add some personal opinion.

Okay, I'm not pro, just a rookie/amateur. I learned and polished my skills through practice, observation with guidance from masters too.

I'll also add this up

SANDING - is a practice/way of cleaning excess plastics from newly cut parts. Cutting alone the piece from the gates and chipping the nub using a hobby knife doesn't guaranty a clean look. Use sandpaper ranging from grits 400-1500.
-Pag nag cut ka ng piece, and let's say may natira at hindi abot ng side cutter mo, try sanding it with 400/600. Be careful though, lalo na sa mga edges or corners, kasi tendency ma dedeform un pag nag sand ka. Advisable gawa ka ng sanding sticks mo. para straight ang pagkaka sand. After sanding with 400/600, tapos snapbuilt ka lng(no paint) sand it with 1000 or higher to buff the piece. Ako mahilig ako nagsasand para silky smooth ang kutis ng mga Gundam ko. Para na din, pag mag pa paint ako, ready na.

For kits. They say, it's a must for beginners to build 1/144 High Grades or 1/100 No Grades. Because of it's Low Complexity. If you're entirely new to Plastic Modeling, you should start building the easier ones. HGs and NGs are easier to build because of the parts. Unlike MGs that has gazillion pieces not to mention PGs who have infinite parts LOL.

And also, by practicing with HGs, you can master your skills in nub mark removal, sanding, and clean cutting too.

But, if you're a bit stingy like I was before XD try building a MG. My first Kit was a Daban(yes bootleg! For my first LOL) MG Red Frame. It took me straight 18hours to snapbuild it.

And also, pag medyo may pera ka, I recommend BANDAI HG kits. Bootlegs kasi, madaming problems, and is very hard for beginners to fix them. TT Hongli HGs has a lot of loose parts/fittings eh. Ako personally okay ako sa bootleg, kasi dun ako lalo natu-tuto. First kits were Daban and Hongli. fourth kit ko Bandai MG. Pero kung talagang newbie ka, wag ka muna sa Bandai MGs. Haha. Baka masira lng XD ako, bago ako ang Bandai MG, nag practice ako sa bootlegs. After learning a lot, saka ako ng MG.

But then again, it's your choice na rin :) If you're up to the challenge, MG ka agad. Pero if you want to learn slowly but surely, HG ka muna. After weeks or months of practice. Matututo ka din. Ang basics di ganon kahirap pag aralan. Kailangan lang isapuso mo ginagawa mo. And add patience as well.

And oh, about kits, I advice to pick kits from your favorite Gundam Series. Ako kasi SEED at Unicorn at 00 na din. Haha. madaming kits jan at madami pang techniques na matututunan on the way. Ako ngaun, tinatackle ko is airbrushing haha.

And if you're near to Baguio, you might want to come to SM at February 7-10. IPMS-Baguio is gonna host it's invitationals and different groups from Manila will be displaying their model kits(halo halo, tanks, ships, cars and gunpla) at SM Baguio. I will be joining, pero 2 kits lng. MG Infinite Justice and HG Reborns(hongli XD)

haha

That's all.

Simple yet effective advice

Spoiler:

strikefreedom008 wrote:ang galing isa ka na din master :-) nag try ako magbuild ng gundam strike freedom na high grade but i ended up a mess :-(

No I'm not a master marami pa akong kakaining bigas(unlimited rice) para sumabay sa lvl ng mga master tulad ni Daddy Vans(Founder ng GMAC Gundam Mechas Arts and Crafts) i'm just a amateur/rookie like puroskishi ^.^.

@Purokishi

Nice Added info about sanding.

@Topic

Added tips if you want to buy Bandai at cheap price i'll recommend some of my dealer.

Coldfire Gundam
I Love Omocha
Zerofour

Trusted Seller Sila Pre-order it takes 2-3 weeks before item has arrived.

Or kung ayaw mo naman mag antay you can visit this shop
Great Toys Online check pages to see their branch

Wasabit Toys Ito katabi lang ng Great Toys dun sa Greenhills Shopping Center

For Bootlegs
MypotoToys Pasyal
Staticghost
168 Mall (Divisoria)
Please check the map. Credits to Papa Carl Yu XD

Spoiler:

That's All ^.^

Spoiler:

+1 to the online sellers Shadow said.

I already had experiences with ZF and CF. Okay sila, for bootlegs, okay din kay sir MypotoToys.

Meron na kasi smn pde pag orderan same price lng dito sa baguio, kaya medyo di na ako nakakakuha sa kanila.

Last kong order siguro kay Zerofour ung pre-order ng RG destiny

paano ba ang ginagawa nyo na maintenance sa mga nabuo nyo na gunpla? halimbawa kung may mga parts na dapat kelangan ba may naka reserve din na spare parts?

strikefreedom008 wrote:paano ba ang ginagawa nyo na maintenance sa mga nabuo nyo na gunpla? halimbawa kung may mga parts na dapat kelangan ba may naka reserve din na spare parts?

Not necessary, Basta keep in mind that they're not toys to play with. Wag maxadong galaw ng galaw sa mismong unit. Dahil pde kasing mag loosen ung joints at fittings. Kung sakaling gusto mong mag photoshoot at pose pose XD ingat lng sa paghandle. kung hindi topcoated ang mga kits mo, try to check every bi-monthly to see kung marumi na. Ugaliin ding icheck mga maliliit na parts, baka kasi may mawala. at kung sakaling may loose parts, i blutac mo to keep it in place

PuroKishi wrote:

strikefreedom008 wrote:paano ba ang ginagawa nyo na maintenance sa mga nabuo nyo na gunpla? halimbawa kung may mga parts na dapat kelangan ba may naka reserve din na spare parts?

Not necessary, Basta keep in mind that they're not toys to play with. Wag maxadong galaw ng galaw sa mismong unit. Dahil pde kasing mag loosen ung joints at fittings. Kung sakaling gusto mong mag photoshoot at pose pose XD ingat lng sa paghandle. kung hindi topcoated ang mga kits mo, try to check every bi-monthly to see kung marumi na. Ugaliin ding icheck mga maliliit na parts, baka kasi may mawala. at kung sakaling may loose parts, i blutac mo to keep it in place

Agree dude.

What Is GUNPLA? Never heard of them..

†GraYoy26 wrote:What Is GUNPLA? Never heard of them..

Gundam Models refers to plastic and non-plastic model kits depicting the mechas, vehicles and characters of the fictional Mobile Suit Gundam universe by Bandai. These kits have become popular among anime fans and model enthusiasts, especially in Japan and in other nearby Asian countries since the 1980s. The popularity of Gundam models increased in the 1990s with North America and Europe being exposed to Gundam through television, video and manga. These Gundam Models are also called Gunpla (ガンプラ Ganpura?), a portmanteau of "Gundam plastic model". "Gunpla" more commonly refers to the practice of building Gundam models, rather than the models themselves.

-Wikipedia

any updated stores kung saan makakabili gunpla ... hobby ko to nung elementary gusto ko uli gawing hobby ngaun, ,kaya san san mall ba makakabili ngaun ng gunpla especially mga HG???(hehehe HG lang Saka na MG ) hehhehe Anyone??

jofrank wrote:any updated stores kung saan makakabili gunpla ... hobby ko to nung elementary gusto ko uli gawing hobby ngaun, ,kaya san san mall ba makakabili ngaun ng gunpla especially mga HG???(hehehe HG lang Saka na MG ) hehhehe Anyone??

I would discourage you to buy from Malls such as SM. It's costly and somehow, clerks doesn't have a clue about model kits. They see it as "Toys" or "profit" for the store itself. Try some Modeler friendly shops. I would advice you to see some online shops. These are safe, friendly and trusted among users over the PH. Search them over Facebook.

Check Shadow's earlier post in these Thread. One of them is Zerofour Gundam and Coldfire Gundam(for original Bandai Kits) and Mypototoyspasyal and staticghost for Bootleg kits. Also, if you happen to be near 168 Mall at Divi, there are lot's of cheaper kits you could find there. Plus haggling works :D

TT Hongli for starters?! Are you sick?? hahaha ain't nobody got time for that.

DJSturluson wrote:TT Hongli for starters?! Are you sick?? hahaha ain't nobody got time for that.

I smell an elitist here. Yes, Honglis may be fake and have problems with it specially fittings and plastic quality. But for starters, it's great way for them to practice and hone their basic skills. By starting from these, you learn new tricks and skills. From the basic cutting, sanding even removing seamlines too. I for one will discourage beginners to build Bandai kits, specially MGs. You don't wanna waste your kit being your first build.

But don't get me wrong, I still prefer Bandai as much as possible, but from starting with Honglis, I learned a lot and when I shifted to Bandai, it was a piece of cake. I myself am not a pro, yet. I'm still at the "amateur" zone. As of now, I'm confident with my basic gunpla skills, that's thanks to bootleg kits. Plus bootleg kits are also encourage to be your first painted kit. As much as possible, specially if you don't have any background at all. Just my 2 cents btw

Hahaha found a bootleg hater

PuroKishi wrote:

DJSturluson wrote:TT Hongli for starters?! Are you sick?? hahaha ain't nobody got time for that.

I smell an elitist here. Yes, Honglis may be fake and have problems with it specially fittings and plastic quality. But for starters, it's great way for them to practice and hone their basic skills. By starting from these, you learn new tricks and skills. From the basic cutting, sanding even removing seamlines too. I for one will discourage beginners to build Bandai kits, specially MGs. You don't wanna waste your kit being your first build.

But don't get me wrong, I still prefer Bandai as much as possible, but from starting with Honglis, I learned a lot and when I shifted to Bandai, it was a piece of cake. I myself am not a pro, yet. I'm still at the "amateur" zone. As of now, I'm confident with my basic gunpla skills, that's thanks to bootleg kits. Plus bootleg kits are also encourage to be your first painted kit. As much as possible, specially if you don't have any background at all. Just my 2 cents btw

I agree that TTHongli are good for Beginners , there are things that you can do to TThongli to train oneself before building a bandai kits:D.

Ill Train Myself to TTHongli kits before building a Bandai one~

anyway, thank PuroKishi for answering my question ~

Thanks for the tips! dba po class-A yun TTHongli? matibay po ba yun? ask lng po~

jetslash wrote:Thanks for the tips! dba po class-A yun TTHongli? matibay po ba yun? ask lng po~

matibay din yun :D

jofrank wrote:

jetslash wrote:Thanks for the tips! dba po class-A yun TTHongli? matibay po ba yun? ask lng po~

matibay din yun :D

Cge po try ko po bumili ng TTHongli~

Try MC(Model Comprehend) or DM (Dragon Momoko) you can check the review here