Gundam Model Q's...(newbie)

[Syan48306]

So ok, I've been looking into these Gundam models...and I have several questions. First of all...from what I've gathered there are 4 levels? Beginner, High, Master, and Perfect. (maybe one low in the bunch i missed) Anyway I've been considering a MG Freedom...and probably other MG models. Seeing how I nvr did any modeling before I really don't kno what I'm getting into, but I really want a challenge. Something that will only last a couple hrs just wont do me any justice. Plus if I'm spending money...I want it to be worth something...PG's are just tooo much lol. Now my 2 main questions about MG gundams. From what i can tell they are more or less glueless assembly...right? Some ppl still use glue but it is not required. Second, this one i really don't kno, are they painted? I mean do i have to go out and but other stuff ie. 10 different colors to finish one model or is the set ie. MG Freedom a completely sufficient set with paint if required and stickers? (Do you need to paint em?)

Finally what is a good site to get these models...being the cheap person that I am lol

Thanks in advanced!

[Mad-B_Man]

If you are new and you wuold actually like to paint them, I would recomened cheap kits to try first. doesn't matter what grade or whatever, since the dificulty isn't that much of a difference, just to ammount of work.

If you live in the USA, then you are lucky. Amazon .com has a big MG sale on going, marking them down to be even cheaper than HGUC kits. Most MG are already color molded, though they will like like plastic rather than metal without a proper paint job. The RGM-79 kit pretty much forces you to paint it, since it's molded in light green for the white parts.

The colours required for the RGM-79 aren't that many, white, red, green, yellow, and black for the normal paint job. But since it's a model kit, you can pretty much do it whatever you like to do with it. You can plan paint jobs in photoshop (or gimp, or whatever program you have) in advacne to spare the trial and error.

Glue is pretty much required if you are going to paint. You'll also need to fill the seems also, which can be done in many ways, with glue (liquid cement rather) itself, putty, or paint if you're hand brushing.

I can't really give good advice, since I suck at painting myself (but I'm trying to improve though, lol) so here are some sites that might prove useful.

- There's actually a disscusion about gundam building at hongfire. call me blind, but I can't find it right now.

-http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/13664681/ref=br_dp__3/102-6915555-6078526
The mentioned sale at Amazon.com. Ships within US only though.

- http://www.fichtenfoo.com/index.html
has some tutorial, though the one you might find helpful is the photoshop tutorial, so you can plan your paint job in advacne.

- http://forums.gundamofficial.com/forumdisplay.php?f=15
Has some knowledgable people there and informative threads, but watch what you post, the mods are rather... "active" there (though I don't think they ban peeple, just lock the thread and make you look like a fool)

- http://www.childofmecha.com/
People say it has a great comunity, though I've never actually signed up there myself.

- http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=12081&st=0
This is a step by step PG progress thread, but it's full of a lot of wonderful tips. A great read.

[Syan48306]

Thanks, more specifically I've been looking at the
MG 1/100 ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam. found here
http://www.mahq.net/models/gundam/gundam.htm
click Mobile Suit Gundam SEED--->ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam (under master grade)

The questions about glue and pain regard more specifically to this model...so if anyone knows if this exact kit NEEDS paint or glue...given that u can always go up and beyond...If it doesn't need glue or paint, then what would paint/glue make a major difference?

Edit:is it worth to wait for strike freedom? Any info about the s-freedom? quality wise...rumors or info? Is it gona be a MG?

[alpha3six]

Are you referring to this specific kit? http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN926794

MG's don't need glue, but some joints probably benefit from the extra sturdiness.
I don't have anything to add regarding that since Mad-B_Man covered the essentials.

This following url should contain photos of the unpainted sprues for the MG Freedom. As you can see it'll look pretty basic without paint.
http://www.1999.co.jp/asp/GoodsDetails_e.asp?Bno=&Typ1_c=109&Typ2_c=180&Typ3_c=678&SPage=1&SC=18&SN=Search+result+Search+for+%3A+freedom&It_c=10038295&andor=0&scope=0&scope2=0&thumb=1&sortID=1&urikire=1&sort_sort=0&ItKey=freedom&app_url=KeyReference_right_e.asp

[alpha3six]

There's a photo of a completed MG Freedom in this post .
http://www.hongfire.com/forum/showpost.php?p=254030&postcount=6

[orisa]

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT get into something hard without any experiences on modelling!

It's great that you are looking for challenge and all, but without any experiences, you'll just wind up messing up your model. Gundam models are much deeper than you think. If you are new to painting especially, you'll just confuse yourself when it comes down to it. Unless you are a born genius of painting or something, everyone needs a point to start, and it's definitely not a MG level. I advise you to start with SDs, they take less time but if you want to make them absolutely perfect, they'll take MUCH more than a couple of hours. You can pretty much count on a whole morning to be used.

The choice is ultimately up to you, but don't say I didn't warn ya.

[valkyrie1337]

wouldn't starting with HG models be better? it gives a slight feel of how painting a MG model would be like...while SD's are right down easy to paint...or am i mistaken on this issue? pls correct me if i am wrong...

[psiber5]

If you're really bored, you could probably look for paper models. I recall a tachikoma paper kit floating around somewhere...

[alpha3six]

Hmm I didn't even think about the difficulty rating... Freedom definitely is more complex than a less intricate design like a GM.

My first non SD Gundam kit was the original 1/144 HG RX-78 back in 1991, and I got through it without too much of a problem, though I did have to fix a dumb mistake I made while assembling one of the legs (put the lower leg together without attaching the thigh first).

[Mad-B_Man]

Like I said, the dificulty on most gundam models are the same, the only difference is the ammount of work needed. The skill rating that Bandai America has is pure bullshit, since it's based on the ammount of parts.

Normally I also wouldn't reccomend starting with a MG, but only becuase they are expensive. With the Amazon 's current discount, you get better material (Master grade = less seam lines[most of the time = less work, bigger space to work with) than High grades or eve SD models at the same (or less) cost (MG GM for only 9 dollars, HGUC GM is about 7-11 dollars depending on store).

Here's the new step by step MG building giude made by Michael Fichtenmayer. Though it says MG, it pretty much applies to evey grade.

http://www.fichtenfoo.com/02GiantRobots/02c-MGHowTo.html

[Shinreineko]

I'm working on a MG Wing Zero Custom right now, rather slowly lol. The MG kits are a lot of work, and also i'm painting it as well, which i'm not too great at but getting better. I imported Gunze Mr. Color paint from japan, which is Laquer based and looks wonderful but its a ton of work to paint everything. So far I have the arms done and the big double beam cannon finished, still a lot of work to do. Its been around a month if not more since I worked on it. I really need to work on it again here, its been entirely too long.

[Hiryu359]

MG doen't require paint, but I'm sure everyone will agree that paint adds another level of detail that the pre-colored molds couldn't give. Don't get me wrong though, MGs generall still look amazingly good and detailed even without paint. From a distant glance, you wouldn't notice if it was painted or not.

Here's my Bandai collection: 1/100 MG Freedom (unpainted), 1/100 MG Wing Zero Custom (unpainted), 1/1700 Enterprise NCC-1701-E (pre-painted with lights), 1/850 Enterprise NCC-1701 Refit (pre-painted with lights), 1/850 Voyager NCC-74656 (pre-painted with lights) and 1/850 Enterprise NX-01 (prepainted with lights).

http://members.shaw.ca/pulsar359/pics/Bandai%20Collection.jpg

I'll have to take another picture at night with all the internal lighting systems turned on for the starships, gives them a movie-look.

Currently working on a 1/100 MG Aile Strike, justing waiting for Bandai to release (if ever) MGs of the Strike Freedom, Justice, Initie Justice, Destiny, Legend, Akatsuki, Gaia and Providence.

[imako1986]

All model kits need to be sprayed to look goods, unless u treat it like a toy collection then it doesnot really matter. Better will be airbrush for better surface and more technique to be applied which greatly boost the look of the gundam or car. Without painting, the gundam give out the plastic feeling which make them donot look really great like they should be.
For beginner, do 1/100 NON GRADE but not Hg1/144, reasoning : 1/144 is a masking hell, they require lots of work in term of painting ( the pre assemble is pretty easy though ). And if u are just beginner, presume u want to try shading with small model, hard to achieve, unless u have a stable, precise control and 0.2 mm nozzle airbrush. But wait, if u are that good, u r not beginner already. MG, dun try them too early or else u may regret as mg cost alot, a lot of part to paint, and when you are still a beginner, hard for you to pay attention to small details and all. So stick to 1/100 non grade. When u r confident enough, move to Mg then Pg. No 1/60 real detail either, they are crappy and a big failure as a model. Those model in that lines are SUPER HYPER fat and Short, not much details ( more than non grade but not as much as mg )
My humble WCZ ( did it last year ) http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/imako1986/HAG_Int_25.jpg

[X0Anime0X]

I disagree with the MG costing a lot. 1/100 Seed and Destiny are about $20-$30. And a MG is about $30-40 so for only $10 more, you get a better deal. Besides, MGs are easier to paint due to their exo armor being able to be taken off the frame and painted individually.

[imako1986]

Maybe because of the price of gundam models at different places or the kits itself. I didnot buy any Seed or Destiny kits so i am not sure ( i am more fascinated with GMs and old Zaku, old gundam ), so the price might not be the same.
Regarding the painting: there are more pieces for mg = more paint work, remember the internal skeloton needed to be painted also. More over, there are small details ( like engines on mg skeloton, or pistons ) that need to be painted which mean either hand brush or going through masking hell to airbrush them ). Not to mention the sanding process to get rid of the cutting marks. Usually, mg has double amount of parts which equivalent to double amount work for sanding. And this is wat u recommend for beginner, isnot it a bit inappropriate to start with something which need too much work?
This is just my 2 cents worth comment only :o

[gundamjehutykai]

Painting the inner details on MG is only really a minor extra as the armour parts obscure 90% of all the inner frame (save for the knee and elbow joints) and the kit isn't designed to show off inner detail like the PG anyway. so you're really doing more work that will never be seen. The armour peices aren't that easy to casually remove either.

I don't really paint my kits as i think they look pretty good on thier own with a little touch up during building. But i do put panel lines on mine.

[X0Anime0X]

Acually, it depends on how old he is. If he's only like about 15 or something, MG may be a challenge to him but if he's older than 19 then it doesn't matter what grade he should start with. The only thing that seperates a MG from HG is the frame, and a couple of more pieces. I'm sure spending an extra 15-30 minutes wouldn't hurt. And like I said earlier, $10 jump to MG is more bang for you buck.

[kenshinchong]

Acually, it depends on how old he is. If he's only like about 15 or something, MG may be a challenge to him but if he's older than 19 then it doesn't matter what grade he should start with. The only thing that seperates a MG from HG is the frame, and a couple of more pieces. I'm sure spending an extra 15-30 minutes wouldn't hurt. And like I said earlier, $10 jump to MG is more bang for you buck.

Yeah.. totally agree that a MG is more worthwhile. Man, with instructional booklets, no one can go wrong. I built an MG at 14 and its quite ok. The recent MG MK-II ver.2.0 needed 5 hours just to built :D . Maybe because I was too careful with the spruce. Don't wanna cut too deep.

[X0Anime0X]

BTW I keep hearing that the waist can't turn. Is it true? And does it seem easy to mod it so that it can turn?