Over the course of my Gunpla builds these past few weeks, you may have noticed I just finish the main build and leave it there, without adding anything cosmetic to the Gundam model. There are several reasons for that:
- Building a Master Grade Gunpla kit, or any grade to be honest, in one sitting is a tiring process. In fact, for the latest build, Gundam Exia Master Grade, I had to take a quick break between sections just so I could get something to drink. By the time I’m done with the build, I really don’t have the energy to add the different decals and stickers, or line the panels with the super-fine markers, to highlight the contours and angles of the Gunpla.
- Stickers are small, but generally visible, but decals, especially the dry transfer ones, are minuscule, some in what I can only describe is Times New Roman size 4. They are so small no one in the audience, no matter how much I magnify the image, will even notice it. I think you’ll have a better shot looking at a gnat’s butt than some of these decals. And I can only be thankful I don’t have a “Ver. Kai” Gundam model, where the decals are smaller and twice as many.
- I don’t have the equipment for custom jobs, particularly paints to add some character to some of the models.
The first two reasons are the most important, because between the exhaustion and the diminutive size of the decals, I would lose the will to keep going fairly quickly.
Having said so, I am planning on adding decals to the Gunpla models, all of them, and will probably record the process so you can see what I’m doing. To make sure you see the different ways you can enhance a model you just built, I’ll make one video per decoration, which means at least two:
- Panel Lining
- Decals
But speaking of models, I regrettably won’t have another Gunpla build for a few weeks. I do have models to build, of course, but one will be a custom job for which I need an airbrush painting set and the other is a personal build. What I mean by this last bit is that while I do enjoy making Gunpla models on camera and then showing them to the world, I want to build one Gundam at my pace, taking my sweet time. As we speak, I’m building the Turn A Gundam Master Grade kit, but other than a few “finished” snapshots, you likely won’t see much of this one, because I want to keep it private. It might sound silly, but I do need to build one of these without having to worry if I’m putting the pieces together in front of the camera.
As for the custom job, the good news is I’m due to receive an airbrush kit sometime in the near future, so I’ll be able to get on with that one and make that custom Beargguy III a reality. I’ve seen so many awesome custom jobs done on that little model so I want to make my own, though the first custom Beargguy III will probably be a gift to someone else.
But come January I’ll order a few more models, so if there any Gunpla you’d like me to build, let me know and I’ll see if I can order it. I have the Epyon and Tallgeese from Gundam Wing in my sights, as well as the Unicorn, RX-78-2 and Strike Freedom Gundam in Perfect Grade scale for a later date. These models are much more expensive, bigger and much more complicated, so I’ll need to be careful about those. Hell, some of them include LED parts for some added special effects, so that’ll be really interesting, if not completely terrifying.
I can’t give you a definite date for the Decals and Panel Lining videos, I’m afraid. For next week, the only content I’m pushing out is a new Final Fantasy IV episode, because much like with my day job, I’m taking a week off to unwind and recharge my batteries for the next year.
Because I’m slightly workaholic with The Mental Attic, even though I’m continuously pushing myself to the limit in how much I can do on my own, I’ll probably be working on some of these videos during my holidays, but you’ll have to wait until January to get them.
