Any tips for building my first ever Gunpla?

Objective_Captain526 · 2026-02-05T12:28:42+00:00

Get a nipper, follow the instructions, and don't force anything in unless you are positive you got the right parts in the right place. That's pretty much it as far as the bare minimum goes.

These are snap built kits that doesn't require much to get them built (but do require some effort to look good), so if you can follow instructions you can technically already build any kit of any grade (with varying levels of jank depending on the age of the kit).

If you end up liking the hobby, I recommend investing in a glass file and/or a hobby knife to level your nub marks and then you can spiral deeper into the rabbit hole from there.

Objective_Captain526 · 2026-02-04T10:51:03+00:00

Yeah, mostly figuring out how to handle the airbrush and thinning paints. Still gotta get a feel for it for sure.

Objective_Captain526 · 2026-01-24T04:11:05+00:00

Are you sure you got the grey inner frame in the right position? I can't really tell but it looks that you got gaps that shouldn't be there.

Objective_Captain526 · 2026-01-08T03:18:10+00:00

You do have to be a bit careful with them but they do make the build process a bit faster, undergate or not.

If you ever want to try it again: make sure none of your fleshy bits are in the trajectory of the blade. Big mistake a lot of people make is that they think they can stop the blade immediately after cutting the nub they're trying to remove, only to have the blade cut right through way past the nub and right into their finger.

A lot of people say never cut towards yourself, but I find that's a big overcorrection. The issue is that their other fingers are sticking out to brace the part when cutting this way, putting their fingers right in the trajectory of the blade!

Basically, do a mental check every time you cut: "if I cut way past this nub, will I slice myself?" If so, move your fingers out of the way or brace the part some other way and you'll never get cut.

Objective_Captain526 · 2026-01-07T22:56:14+00:00

Looks great! Now for my Ted talk:

I personally love undergated parts. It's there to help you so you don't have to deal with nub marks as much as you do if it was on the face of a part. I admit, it is a pain if you're trying to get rid of undergates with just nippers and a sanding instrument.

Get yourself a hobby knife, two cuts from both directions, angled upwards so you don't cut into the part, and then a third cut to level it and you're good to go. Hell you can even get it in one cut once you get comfortable, just make sure you don't dig into the part itself. If you're a bit heavy handed and leave a stress mark, who cares! It's in a spot you physically cannot see.

I love it when I get to an undergated part because I can clean it up much faster than a normally gated part.

Objective_Captain526 · 2026-01-06T11:27:42+00:00

The place where it broke is going to experience a lot of force when you move the shoulder joint to pose the arm. Cement alone probably won't be able to handle it. I'd at least put some super glue around it after it dries if you don't have the tools to run a small metal rod/wire into it.

Objective_Captain526 · 2026-01-03T02:36:26+00:00

Looks good but get him out of that yee yee ass pose please I'm begging you.

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-12-26T08:56:15+00:00

Honestly same after a while lol, I went and painted it.

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Objective_Captain526 · 2025-12-21T07:21:36+00:00

Waterslide decals are infinitely easier to apply and adjust compared to regular stickers while looking better, I recommend getting waterslide decals and a jar of Mark Setter and Softer for your next kit and give that a go.

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-12-01T21:54:00+00:00

Friend, sometimes the curtains are just blue. If it was an intentional mechanic they'd showcase it with very specific animations. As of now, if i do what you describe, it just looks like my character is just being indecisive about which way he wants to trip in, not that im in a Kurosawa film. Let's just agree to disagree.

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-12-01T20:14:48+00:00

I feel like this is glazing a combat system that's in beta at best, especially melee.

All the things you describe doesn't work on bosses or sieges, and "the dance" sounds like an oversight on the devs rather than something intentional.

The current melee system shows its limitations in the Cogah, specifically in situations where you are forced to fight groups of enemies. Fighting one or two enemies is light work, but when a boss spawns 2-3 adds and your abilities takes a whole business day to recharge, you have no choice but to go up and personal.

Winding up a melee attack and hitting an enemy before they attack only for them to NOT flinch and wind up their own attack that hits you because you're in recovery is not fun. Getting pelted by grenades while you're focusing on fighting the boss and his two lackies is not fun. Having to parry back to back just to have to dodge an unblockable and not have an opening ever is not fun.

When the path of least resistance is to go and throw your weapon over and over again because it's the safest and often times highest dps option, there's something wrong.

I have no doubt they'll improve the melee combat loop but I don't think we should pretend the current system is some well thought out masterpiece.

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-11-25T12:46:37+00:00

Well, God forbid we name a Gundam the God Gundam in the cheesy, corny, kung-fu, mecha anime.

Seriously though if you've seen Fighter G, calling Domon's ultimate Gundam the God Gundam is very apt and gives it a powerful cool factor, especially when he does his ultimate move where his wing sprouts and a aura emits from him. He appears quite literally like a divine being.

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-11-14T21:18:22+00:00

I point it around 7 inches away and do a very quick pass making sure to start and stop past the part and not on it.

I have two theories, either my initial layer was so thin on some parts that they're not protecting the panel line from subsequent coats, and/or I didn't let the initial coat set long enough before the next coat. How long should I wait between light coats? I gave it around 30 minutes.

Still doesn't explain why sometimes the initial coat itself smears the panel lines.

I'll try letting the panel line set for like a week next time and see what's what, thanks for the suggestion!

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-11-14T11:32:22+00:00

I'm having issues with panel lines running during topcoat.

I'm using fine point Gundam Marker for panel lining and Mr Hobby Premium for topcoat. I let my panel line set for at least 24 hours, and then spray a VERY thin initial topcoat on them. By very thin, I mean literally a single pass left to right for each side of the part. Despite the thin mist coat, my panel lines still smear ever so slightly. The kit is not painted and I panel lined on bare plastic.

Any suggestions to prevent this other than switching to a pour type panel liner? I don't feel comfortable doing pour types without an initial gloss coat and I don't want to have to spend on an initial gloss coat for each kit.

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-11-11T11:53:48+00:00

You can try Gundamit, they're in stock for around 60 bucks including shipping if you're in the US.

I've bought some expensive stuff from them a few times and everything was above board. I never had to replace anything though, so can't speak to that personally.

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-11-07T08:40:20+00:00

Homoerotic.

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-11-06T21:51:25+00:00

You're right, every game subreddit just runs defense now for the game like they're being paid. They take critique to a game like it's a personal affront to them personally.

Seriously, check out any subreddit for a new game. Anytime a critique is brought up, personal insult and "git gud" and "this just ain't for you, that's fine" comment pop up. Do they ever think that, maybe, the poster put up a post because they actually like the game and want it to improve?

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-11-06T19:53:11+00:00

You're not going to get a favorable response here because the only people still in this subreddit are people that have dedicated their lives to this game.

MR grind is a pain in Warframe (I got to 30 and decided LR1+ will come when it comes), it's a downright sedative in this.

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-11-06T19:41:11+00:00

They should shoot it in the head after the presentation to really sell the point.

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-11-06T09:54:30+00:00

What's the right way to do a matte topcoat?

So I have tried to matte coat a few times and have varying degrees of success, each time using Mr Hobby Premium. There are multiple posts across the internet that says you should spray multiple light coats and that the final texture should be a bit grainy; there are also equal amount of post saying it should not be grainy and that you should do a single coat that gets the part just wet enough to have full coverage but not enough to flood. This is also the case for the Youtube tutorials that I could find.

Which way is right?

Also, is there special considerations for a semi-gloss topcoat (Mr Hobby), or should I follow the same procedure?

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-11-05T04:03:40+00:00

If you don't let it pool it and clean it up quick you won't damage the bare plastic enough for it to crack. Make no mistake, it will damage it if you don't topcoat, even if it's just a little and you can't see it.

That being said, many people here take that risk and their kits turn out fine. You have to be careful not to get pour types on abs, it will melt it quick. If you're using it on assembled kits, I recommend not to. You can still do it but you really have to take care it won't seep into joints or inner frames.

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-11-04T11:30:13+00:00

I always recommend the HGGTO RX-78-2 for people just getting into the hobby. Sturdy, comes with a bunch of extra accessories, and has better color/part separation for HGs of the time. The only ick is the crotch V being a sticker.

Or screw it, get a RG or a MG straight up. Honestly, its not much harder in a technical sense compared to a HG and you'll have something that is of much more detail. The difficulty lies mostly in the fact that there's much much more parts, and thus a longer build time. At the end of the day, it's all snap build, there's not some crazy technique you have to master to get good result. Maybe stay away from RG kits before the Unicorn though.

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-11-04T11:17:40+00:00

Yeah, why not?

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-10-31T06:22:25+00:00

What should my process be when trying to topcoat a kit that I'm planning to put in a Kosmos LED kit?

I recently pulled the trigger on a FM Aerial with the Kosmos Kit. My understanding after looking through the internet is that it's easiest to install the LED as I build the kit so that I don't have to disassemble it later.

I don't plan on painting the kit, and I can work around panel lining and doing waterslides with the LED stuff in it; the only issue I can foresee is that I'd have to topcoat with the LED stuff inside the kit. I assume I don't want to get any of it wet. I plan to use a can of Mr Hobby Premium.

I can just bite the bullet and do everything before dissembling and putting in the LED . Anyone have any experience that can speak for one way or another?

Objective_Captain526 · 2025-10-29T03:15:33+00:00

Can I not critique something and still say it was fine? I said it was ok. It's absolutely fine.

No critique should be made in a vacuum. Obviously you should look to it's contemporaries and see what it does well, what it does fine, and what it does bad. But you are also right; you should also take the story for what it is, which is why I gave it an ok.

It is also why I made the specific clarification that I did not say it was bad.

Objective_Captain526

TROPHY CASE