Episode 45: Gunpla Tutorial & Building

Topic:  Gunpla Tutorial & Building

This week, bolstered by the understanding and knowledge of what Gundam is and its historical significance to the Anime and Japanese media landscape, we dive in to the hobby that still keeps the company in business.  Gunpla itself is the ancient art of folding American firearms, or Guns, into unique shapes and…. Okay this joke didn’t work on my Mom so much, but come ‘Watch’ us build a Gundam!

Tutorial:

Gunpla = Gundam + Plastics

Gunpla kits are prepackaged with various part trays or ‘Runners’.  These much be snapped or snipped off in the order of the included instructions to be built properly.  Some kits also include stickers, decals, and water stickers for further decorating. 

While the original kit includes all you need to build a Gunpla model, there are various ways to improve the base model, from repaint and adding panel lines, to added damage or additional panel lines, to adding them to dioramas, and even adding LED lights to your model.  People have done a lot of real cool stuff with these kits.

Most kits sizes range from 1:144 (approx 13 cm tall), 1:100 (approx 16–19 cm tall) and 1:60 (approx 30 cm tall).  There are some exceptions for unusual models or Super Deformed models, but these are among the norms.


Like any good hobby, there are levels to the kits:

High Grade (HG)
These are improve quality over more basic models(Kits with no grade rating), offering good range of mobility and greater possibility.  Often 1:144 or 1:100 scale.

Real Grade (RG)
These kits are smaller 1:144 scale kits that take elements from Master Grade and Perfect Grade kits and scales them down.  Elements such as inner frames and high degree of motion.

Master Grade (MG)
These are more superior model kits of the High Grade, offering greater quality controls and higher level plastics, but generally more expensive.  They can take much longer to build as a result, but reward with straight out of the box presentation quality.  These are always in a 1:100 scale.

Reborn-One Hundred (RE/100)
These are kits that are too large, obscure, or costly to normally produce.  Often kits for unpopular side mobile suits or more hard to find Gunplay.  They’re similar in quality to the Master Grade, but lack internal frames and some greater articulation as Master Grade.  These are typically 1:100 scale kits.

Perfect Grade (PG)
The highest level of quality you can get.  These 1:60 scale kits will have high complexity to them, including full metal pieces and even LEDs that need to be wired together, but offer the greatest level of detail in a Gunpla.  These are often limited runs and very expensive, and can often take days to weeks to properly build.  These are only if you are truly dedicated to the craft.



There are lots of tutorials online for building Gunpla, including how to put together, paint, and even full demonstrations of that you will get out of the line, so you can know in advance if it’s worth the purchase and what you will get.

For more information, visit:
https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Gunpla