Keep building stuff! And don’t buy something difficult or expensive until you are comfortable with it. You can improve your techniques and make the little HG and SD kits look amazing! I jumped into MG kits too fast and now I notice everything wrong with them, but I’m too lazy to re-do them lol.
Definitely work on nub removal and panel lining. Practice makes perfect! When I first started building, my fiancé bought me this tool set and it helped tremendously. Happy building!
I've been using a pair of Tamiya 74035s for gate cuts, I'm looking for a heavier pair of nippers that will hold up when doing initial cutting, a bit further out on the runners.
I was considering the Bandai Entry nippers or maybe the GodHand PN-125s. Looking for something that will hold up and cut well on the thicker parts of the gates.
I had someone recommend the nippers in this Tamiya set on Amazon (not an affiliate link) as being nice and positive when snipping, but then a couple other people said they won't hold up well for the heavier cuts.
Any advice?
I would also recommend finding out if he still has the tools to build them as well. This is an inexpensive tool kit I used to get back into building: Tamiya Basic Tool Set
Personally, the High Grade (HG) GM kits are easy and fun. Grunt suits are good builds. Like the other poster said, any HG RX-78 kit is going to be a win.
As for the tools, nippers are the most essential. A good little file or razor blade help clean nubs (nub marks). Tweezers help with stickers. Sent you a PM, but this is the basic Tamiya set I got for a friend to use on a kit I sent him.
Tamiya actually has a 'Basic toolset' it's relatively inexpensive and you get a nipper, file, cutter, tweezers, and a flat and philips head screwdriver.
The tools are decent, definitely enough for someone just getting into the hobby and it's not too expensive that you'd mind if your friend's daughter turned out not to like the hobby and never use them again.
That doesn't look bad, but for that price, I'd pick up the Tamiya Basic Tool Set. It doesn't look as fancy, but the tools are pretty solid. I still almost all of it from time to time even though I've upgraded.
This is the tool kit I currently use: https://www.amazon.com/Tamiya-TAM74016-Basic-Tool-Set/dp/B01AND0FRG
I'm just getting back into Gunpla and that has worked well for me so far. It's decent for a starting tool kit. If you're using the Gundam Markers, I would suggest getting the grey and brown ones as well. Opinions differ, but most white pieces look better with the grey; black for the darker colored pieces and brown for reds and yellows.
I'm prepping to do my first painted kit as well and it's recommended that you remove the pieces from the runners and then spray them. If you don't, you will have nub marks from cutting them and will have to use a brush to touch up the marks. Skewers with alligator clips can hold the pieces for you to spray.
It's not hard, it just requires some patience. Taking your time is key assembling these kits. Also have fun doing it because it's for leisure anyway right?
I would recommend getting a lot. This is the one I got but if you have a pair of wire cutters and tweezers handy those should suffice
I have no recommendations because to be honest I just started too. I got my first model for Christmas two years ago and my reason as to why I bought it was solely based on the fact that it looked cool. And my choices on models are still determined by that sole factor to this day.
TAMIYA America, Inc Basic Tool Set, TAM74016 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AND0FRG/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_VPZW8R5AXADGJX0CQ513?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Hello! Uh, not really used to reddit or forum sites in general. I literally made this account just now since I really wanted to try painting a Gunpla kit for the first time and finally had the time to do so this summer. Really wanted to try and 'go all out' to make it look nice...
I've built maybe a dozen or so kits (mostly HG and a couple RG) so I know how to build one to an extent using a basic tool kit I found in a hobby shop when I first started building but outside of the tools it came with I haven't used anything else. (So no sanding paper, glue or etc...) I've tried reading/watching some of the guides posted on the FAQ but some of them are close to a decade old so I don't know how up-to-date information from them can be or if a better method for something has possibly come up over the years.
Anyway, I guess I should get to the main questions I have...
1. The kit in question that I want to build is a MSM-07 'Z'GOK' that I've been holding onto for a little over a year. Has anyone else built the kit or a variant of it that might have any tips when cutting/assembling it? (I get that there are general videos for stuff, but I had issues with kits like the 'RG MS-06F Zaku II' where its hands kept falling off and so it couldn't hold anything.)
2. What sort of paint should I use? I know this is a really broad question but despite checking the FAQ and finding this really cool guide on what paint/colors I should use I found that quite a few of the paints shown are unavailable and I don't know what alternatives I can use... I'm also still unsure what kind of paint I should go for (like Acrylic or Enamel) as well as what brand of paint do people find to be reliable for its price. (As an art student I understand how expensive buying paints can get so I'm hoping to be sure on what exactly I should buy before I actually order it online.)
Do people have a particular 'best reference' video that they go back to/think of when trying to build and/or paint a really nice Gunpla? I've found several on YouTube and in the FAQ that I've started watching but I'm wondering if the community of Reddit have any in mind that they'd be willing to share that I may have missed.
What's the best way that people dust/clean their finished builds? I've seen some links to display cases for where to store them but I have a few kits that I've already built that have gotten dusty due to neglect and I was wondering how people go about cleaning them, particularly if they have a large amount of them...
This is what I can think of for questions so far. Sorry that it's a bit long, looking at other questions they seem to be more along the lines of a couple sentences in comparison to the several paragraphs I have, but I'm hoping to give this an honest try and want to do it right.
(to the mods) - I read the posting rules for asking questions but if I missed anything or posted something that I shouldn't I'll change the post appropriately, I'm not too sure how Reddit works yet and the site always looked super complex/dense when looking at it from 'outside' so apologies ahead of time if I broke a rule somehow... ^^'
TL;DR Which kit is better for a beginner with basically no tools at all?
So, I've been looking at some tool kits on amazon and I have basically narrowed it down to two brands. (I realize there are others, but these are the two I find most promising, I could be wrong though.)
1.Tamiya
This kit is from a brand I recognize and have been told about. I am aware of their high quality, but the small number of tools for $20US is a little underwhelming.
So, this one has a lot more tools and a cutting mat (something I was going to purchase anyway) but I'm not sure of the quality of the tools. If anyone has any experience with Keadic, or if you know any other brands or kits that are better than Keadic, but still have the variety and amount of tools, please let me know. Thanks!
I see it looks like you're using a hobby knife.
I strongly suggest getting a pair of nippers, or a Tamiya Hobby Kit.
Nippers are game-changers over using knives alone, and they're very affordable.
Oh ok. While technically you can, you shouldn't as it can cause fitting issues and look ugly. You'll also be crucified for it. You'll want something like a tool set to get you started. You don't need to get this one; but its easy to show some of the basic tools needed. The most basic 2 are the plastic cutters and the hobby knife. Then I also suggest a panel lining marker to make the details pop out a bit. If budget is an issue then arguably you can substitute the plastic cutters with something similar(I've heard people use nail clippers). That's just to cut out the part. The hobby knife is then used to shave off excess plastic from where it came off(cleaning nub marks).
So while yes you can just build it with no tools, I recommend at least the plastic cutter, hobby knife, and marker. They'll go a long way to making your first kit(s) look nice out the box.
I use this
Clear nail polish can be used to stiffen polycaps so they are more snug.
I'm a fan of this kit, since it comes with a little bit of everything that you'll need.
https://www.amazon.com/Tamiya-TAM74016-Basic-Tool-Set/dp/B01AND0FRG/ref=dp_ob_title_toy
If you don't already have a proper tool kit like This you'll want to get one, when i first started i just used household tools like scissors and my kit's came out horrible with nub marks all over the place. The file or some sandpaper will work wonders to remove those. You'll also want a panel line marker like This they come in different colors so look around to get the one that matches the model your working on, adding panel lines alone greatly improves the look of the model. After you have the nub mark removal and panel lining down the sky is the limit you can dabble in custom painting or try your hand at kitbashing custom models. Research each thoroughly before trying them and expect a lot of errors at first if you try those.