This tutorial is a good place to start. It covers the basics of everything related to Gundam models.
Ver Ka kits usually look decent without paint, and they come with a bunch of decals, too. I hear that a lot of the Ver Ka kits have stability issues, so some people prefer to paint them for the sake of tightening the joints. Sticky tack or Elmer’s glue can be used, though, if you don’t want to paint.
None of the main Gundam grades come pre-painted (HG/MG/PG/RG). The main difference is the number of parts and size. High Grade kits don’t have that many parts, so they don’t have inner frames like the Master and Perfect Grades and are 1/144 in scale. Master Grades have a lot more parts and are 1/100 in scale. Perfect Grades have a ridiculous amount of parts and are 1/60 in scale. There’s also the Real Grade line which comes in 1/144, but they have inner frames and almost as many parts as the Master Grades.
High Grades and early Master Grades are the only kits that “need” paint to be displayable. For Real Grades and newer Master Grades, I’ve heard of people having good results without painting. They just panel line (You can do this with Gundam markers or enamel paint), apply decals, and then spray a topcoat on them.
Sorry if my explanations suck butt. I’m new to this, too.
Oooo there’s higher than MG lol, I’m such a noob =P, I might try a PG or RG instead. Also do you guys get your models from local places, different online places, or a one stop online shop?
Perfect grades are worth it, but they’re pricey. My strike was like… over $150 in 2006. Do I think it was worth it? Definitely. It was so fun to build it and the detail and articulation is crazy. I wish I painted it though since I already dropped that much money for it, but it still looks great w/o paint. If you don’t want to drop that money for a PG, I’d stick w/ MG’s. I’ve never tried a RG though, so I can’t add any input on that.
As for where to buy it, I can’t really help with that either. I’d actually like to know that too since I don’t have a local place to go to anymore & I’d like to pick up maybe a MG or another PG
Hobby Link Japan is the most popular online store, I believe, but I go from site to site to take advantage of sales. This hobby is hella expensive, especially with the Yen/US Dollar exchange rate being awful right now. If you have a HobbyTown USA nearby, they carry them, but they’re marked up a bit.
I would go with a RG if you don’t plan on painting. They’re cheaper than Master Grades (around $30), and they all look great, even without paint. The only downside is that they have really small parts, so you have to be careful not to lose or break them during assembly.
Nice, I actually do have a HT USA in town, except i didn’t really see any of the “original” gundam in particular my favorite Deathscythe. But I will check for others and definitely look forward to others post and pics. =D
A Master Grade Deathscythe Hell was released a few years ago, so there’s finally a proper 1/100 scale version of it.
High Grades have color, just not that many. They have stickers to compensate for it, but stickers aren’t classy. The 1/144 Fuunsaiki I’m working on right now comes out of the box solid white except for the red head pieces and some stickers. I don’t think Bandai makes 1/100 High Grades anymore.
Ok just so I’m a little less confused, the order is HG/MG/PG/RG right, and are the scales specific to the grades or do some grades have different scales, if that makes sense lol…?
Am I the only one thinks Wing is extremely overrated. It’s good, but not a masterpiece that everyone sets it out to be.
I thought the original and the 0080’s were good. I also liked Victory, but it’s unfortunate that it will never get an English dub and imported to the states. It would work well for the new Toonami.
In retrospect, Wing is an inferior show especially after watching the Universal Century shows, G Gundam, and even 00 to an extent. Still need to finish up watching Gundam X and Turn A Gundam.
At any rate, I need to dust off the Gundam models I already built and post some picture up.
The people who like Wing haven’t seen it since they were 10. “Peace” drinking games and the mobile suit designs are the only reasons to watch it. I would buy a Master Grade Tallgeese with the quickness.
It’s more like HG<RG<MG<PG in terms of the number of parts. Real Grades are basically souped-up High Grade kits with more detailed parts and decals (instead of stickers) to make them seem more realistic, hence the name. As for scales:
*High Grade: 1/144
Real Grade: 1/144
Master Grade: 1/100
Perfect Grade: 1/60
*There used to be other High Grade sizes like 1/100, but Bandai did away with them because they didn’t sell. Why buy a 1/100 HG Shining Gundam when you could spend a little more to get the MG version with badass articulation (for its time)?
I see. The wholesale outlets in Guangzhou are out of this world, in terms of selection.
I am often able to find figures and kits (original legits) without boxing and print. I save big.
Getting them out of the country in a cost-effective fashion is virtually impossible. The mecha scene is good here, though.
Still in box yet to be made. Guy seemed like he couldn’t sell the Nirvash, dropped it to $23 when I was looking at it. Didn’t even need to try to haggle. Almost got my 1st MG once, a G Gundam something, Black w/ Yellow accents, since the price was good.
HG Heavy Arms, Epyon, Wing Zero, Shenron? on my desk old stuff.