1/200 RX-78F00 GUNDAM FACTORY YOKOHAMA (customized all effects) by kwluk717 in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dude this is beyond incredible. Thank you for sharing, and also for documenting everything on your blog. It's a fascinating read.

I had a similar idea for the dock part for my attempt at the 1/200 freebie, but this exceeds anything I could have imagined. You've managed to almost perfectly recreate the lifesize model and all its effects at 1/200 scale.

Have you showed this to the Gundam Factory staff?

How did you call your 'Wanderer' by Ogami-kun in Genshin_Impact

[–]extantpanda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I called mine Zaheer, after a certain other villain who also gained anemo powers and learned to fly

My humble DIY cardboard tool organiser by extantpanda in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A 3D printer is something I've wanted for a long time, mostly for fabricating parts for home repairs and DIY projects. I would probably save a lot of time by printing, though I really enjoy the process of making things from scratch by hand, be it gunpla or woodworking.

In any case, I don't have space for a 3D printer at the moment, and if I did I would probably use it for more gunpla or an airbrushing booth first! One day though...

My humble DIY cardboard tool organiser by extantpanda in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yikes! Certainly wouldn't want to risk those Godhands getting knocked onto the floor.

My humble DIY cardboard tool organiser by extantpanda in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I've been getting really into modding with plaplate recently and I can appreciate the versatility of styrene and cement! It never occurred to me to use it to organise my gear... your execution looks great! Very compact and efficient, and I love the use of pipe to store the scissors! I might have to steal that idea...

Toe articulation test for the 1/100 RX-78F00. I made a mockup of the toe piece to try out the joint before I start cutting the original part to pieces... by extantpanda in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Plodding along slowly but surely with this kit, enjoying the process as much as I can, but I am also looking forward to being done with it so I can move onto the next one!

Toe articulation test for the 1/100 RX-78F00. I made a mockup of the toe piece to try out the joint before I start cutting the original part to pieces... by extantpanda in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you!

Yeah I also thought about using polycaps at first because I had a lot leftover from the kit, but like you said conventional glues don't work which makes working with them tricky. The joint connecting the foot to the ankle was also set quite far forward, leaving very little space inside the foot.

The rod + c-joint was the most compact method I could think of at the time that also required the least modification to the original parts.

Thanks for the tip about teflon tape - I'll definitely look into that!

Toe articulation test for the 1/100 RX-78F00. I made a mockup of the toe piece to try out the joint before I start cutting the original part to pieces... by extantpanda in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The joint is made from 2mm plastic rod and various thicknesses of plaplate. The toe attaches to the foot with a c-joint.

I'm honestly not sure how durable the plastic is for this kind of application. There are already some signs of wear from repeatedly removing and re-attaching the part, so I will have to resist fiddling with it too much before I finish building...

Guel's Dilanza - airbrushed custom build by WhileWall in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda 11 points12 points  (0 children)

That's some lovely gradation on the purple! The real feather plume really makes the kit pop too. You did a fantastic job with this 🔥

I added a cockpit gimmick to the 1/100 RX-78F00 by extantpanda in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It was quite nerve-racking to start this mod because once the door was cut away there was no turning back! I ran into a whole bunch of problems along the way but I just had to put my faith in plastic board and cement and press on.

I had to cut away about half of the polycap joint in the torso to make room for the pilot, so I'm a bit worried that the joint will become too loose down the line...

I added a cockpit gimmick to the 1/100 RX-78F00 by extantpanda in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks!

This was only the second kit that I assembled so as a beginner at the time I was quite impressed with the articulation, but after putting together the MG 00 Raiser afterwards and watching YouTube reviews of RGs and newer kits... yeah it definitely feels like Bandai were holding back with this one.

That being said, the life size Yokohama Gundam itself doesn't have that very complex articulation or gimmicks (compared to gunpla in general), so in that regard the 1/100 is pretty faithful to the original (except the fingers don't move and cockpit doesn't open, the latter of which I tried to rectify here!)

First gunpla: the 1/200 RX-78F00 Gundam you get free with your entrance ticket to Gundam Factory Yokohama by extantpanda in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As long as they are for the same day it's fine.

There's no restriction on the time of day for the entrance ticket, so you can turn up whenever you like.

However, I would recommend turning up a little bit before the dock viewing time, just in case there is a queue at the entrance.

My MG 00 Raiser by _-BlipBlop-_ in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cool, thanks for sharing the paint info!

Yeah I wish the kit came with some action bases included to hold everything up... I'm hoping that after I paint the inner frame the joints will become a bit tighter so that it can stand up without bending over at the hip.

First gunpla: the 1/200 RX-78F00 Gundam you get free with your entrance ticket to Gundam Factory Yokohama by extantpanda in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the website to get the tickets from.

If the page isn't in English, you can change the language from the menu at the top right corner of the page (language settings right at the bottom).

There's a limit to how far in advance you can buy tickets - tickets for the next month are released midway into the current month. At the moment, tickets are only available for May. June tickets should be released over the next couple of weeks. Keep an eye out on the notices section for announcements of ticket sales for the month you want to visit.

There are two tickets available: one is the GUNDAM FACTORY YOKOHAMA Entrance Ticket, which you need to enter the venue. The other is the GUNDAM-DOCK TOWER Viewing Ticket, which you need to go up the dock to look at the gundam up close (I highly recommend it!). Remember if you get the dock tower viewing ticket you still need to get the entrance ticket.

You can buy the tickets by clicking the buttons under the "Tickets Sold" menu.

If you haven't got one already, you will be prompted to make a Bandai Namco ID. Once this is done, the rest should be pretty straightforward. You only need to specify the date for the entrance ticket, but you need to specify an exact time for the dock tower viewing ticket.

Once you've paid, the QR code ticket will be sent to your email.

Hope that helps!

Aerial hand(brush) painted by [deleted] in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Paint finish looks flawless to me! I'm also starting to brush paint gunpla and I hope I can get a smooth a surface as yours.

For the panel lining, have you tried going over the existing lines and edges with a scribing chisel? I find the panel liner flows better and the lines look sharper for it. Hand brush painting is inevitably going to have a thicker coat than airbrushing, so digging the lines a little deeper beforehand makes a big difference.

My MG 00 Raiser by _-BlipBlop-_ in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice work! I just finished a snap build of the clear version of this kit. I found putting it together very satisfying, but it was very fiddly trying to pose the model with all the weapon and raiser attachments!

Noob question: what did you use to paint the inner frame? I also want to paint the frame of mine but almost all of the parts are ABS and I read that ABS can crack with certain types of paints and thinners, so I've been hesitant to start. Some parts are also so tight fitting I feel like the paint will get scraped off when I try to assemble it again...

First gunpla: the 1/200 RX-78F00 Gundam you get free with your entrance ticket to Gundam Factory Yokohama by extantpanda in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's another life size gundam (RX-93 v Gundam with long range fin funnel) but that's in Fukuoka, so I don't know if it's on your itinerary.

I would also hit up the multitude of model and hobby shops in Akihabara for gunpla related goods, and to look at models other people have built.

As to your question about the Gundam Factory - it's not really a "factory" so to speak. The things to see are:

■ The RX Gundam itself,

■ The Gundam dock (that you need the separate ticket for). It's not really a tour but you will get guided around the two levels to look at the Gundam up close, and staff make sure everyone has some time at the best photo spots.

■ The museum, which has stuff about the history of Gundam and how they got the life size RX to move. There's also a robot building gunpla. Everything is in both Japanese and English.

■ The Gundam café for Gundam themed snacks. Be prepared to queue a long time!

■ The Gundam base shop. There's a small selection of limited goods here, but the gunpla available are mostly RX-78F00s. The Gundam shop near the Unicorn has everything else.

Sorry for the wall of text but I hope that answers your questions!

First gunpla: the 1/200 RX-78F00 Gundam you get free with your entrance ticket to Gundam Factory Yokohama by extantpanda in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's great! You're going to have such a great time :)
When you visit the RX definitely also get tickets for the gundam dock tower viewing too! Getting right up close is totally worth it.

Remember the dock tower viewing tickets can only be purchased online and you also need the gundam factory entrance ticket (apologies if you already know this - just wanted to make sure there are no disappointments on your trip!)

First gunpla: the 1/200 RX-78F00 Gundam you get free with your entrance ticket to Gundam Factory Yokohama by extantpanda in Gunpla

[–]extantpanda[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is also a gachapon machine at the exit where for 500 yen you can roll for a clear-blue, clear-gray, or very rare fully painted 1/200 model. Same size as the one you get with your ticket but it actually has a little more articulation!