MG Buster Gundam

[Brisk_Risk]

Hey y’all!

I see that this sub doesn’t get much love so I am gonna try and give it some. I think gunpla has a key part to play in the future of this hobby. The kits Bandai produce today are second to none. From having to use no glue, very clear instructions, pre-colored plastic, near perfect fit, no flash, guarantees a great looking model OOB.

Buuut I wanted to try my hand at my first full repaint and clean (no weathering) paint job since I got my airbrush.

I went with a charcoal, light grey, and yellow color scheme for the armor. I chose gun metal for the inner frame and weapons. I effing love how it turn out!

I couldn’t bring myself to put many decals on, so I hit the hot spots lol. I kinda like the minimal look.

Thanks for looking!

[Fubar]

Im a little late to this post but this looks awesome! I was actually thinking about getting into gundams soon, trying to do something different… i have a few questions for you… since the parts come pre painted, do i still need to prime them if i want to do a custom paint job? And what’s the easiest way to paint the pieces, like paint them while they are still on the sprue or partially assembled. Last question… are there any websites dedicated to gundpla where people share their creations?

[Brisk_Risk]

I would say priming is almost necessary for a couple of reasons. The plastic is glossy and paint can come right off. Since the pieces do come in different colors, having that uniform color to start will give you a uniform finish also. I primed the armor in light grey and the inner frame with black. A black base works way better for metallic colors.

For painting, I first build the model to see how it all looks together and find where I want my color separation. You do not want to paint while the pieces are still on the runner because you have to trim and sand the nubs for a smooth finish and that can destroy the paint you put on.Then I take off all the armor pieces and keep as much inner frame together as possible. I paint each armor piece individually for best coverage. It can feel like a chore but the results show for themselves

And for a website, the best place I have found would be r/gunpla on Reddit. Instagram can be good, but there is not much discussion happening there.

Since you say you want to get into gunpla, here are some tips I can give. If you just want to dip your feet and see what’s up, buy a High Grade (HG) kit. They are pretty cheap, like 15-20 bucks and do not take long to get together.

Buy a kit that looks interesting to you! Do not feel like you cannot buy a kit because you do not know anything about the mobile suit. There is over 50 years of manga and anime from Mobile Suit Gundam! It’s impossible to know every suit! I have only seen a handful of the shows and usually just buy whatever looks the coolest!

If you want to buy a bigger model with more detail and more pieces, buy a Master Grade, the Zaku 2.0 is one of my favorite designs and it is a fantastic kit when built up.

Since almost all gunpla have articulalation ( arms, legs, head, etc can move) you have to be really careful with your paint job when adjusting the poses. Paint can and will get scraped off in the process, just try and minimize it.

I know this is quite I bit, but I’m pretty passionate about gunpla. If you have any more questions, please ask and I’ll reply the best I can! I hope you dive in and build a kit!

[Fubar]

Thanks for the tips! I have some experience with gundams. I built the Sinanju Stein MG about 2 years ago, which was a fun build and off recently i have actually really been getting into gundam… so far i watched 08th ms team (so for my favorite), iron blooded orphans, and now I’m watching MSG the origin. Thinking about watching all the shows in order soon so i have a better understanding of the gundam universe! Anyways after completing the Sinanju, it looked kinda boring… i guess i wasn’t pleased with the end result. I gave it a panel line wash but that only helped it a little. When it comes to scale modeling, especially 1/35, there are so many ways to build it to your style like stowage, and mounted weapons. I was wondering if there was a way to apply that to gunpla, i just saw a Kampfer and that thing looks awesome, i just don’t want it to end up like my previous build. Im definitely gonna check out that Reddit page…
Thanks again!

[Brisk_Risk]

Iron Blooded Orphans is my favorite series that I have watched. Absolutely love the design of the Barbatos.

A couple of ways to enhance gunpla that come to my mind besides panel lining, would be putting on decals, scribing panel lines, giving it a different paint scheme.

Decals can give quite a bit of creative freedom for a build, you don’t have to buy the decals for the exact kit and do not have to place them where the manual says. Personally I tend to buy the appropriate decal sheet, but place them where ever feels the best for me and add more from spare decals I have, if I really want to.

Scribing panel lines is another way of added some personality to a build, but takes patience and practice to get good at it. I am not really good at this, but what others can do it pretty amazing. Check out Studio G on YouTube to see what scribing panel lines can do for a build, he is also just an amazing builder in general though.

Changing or customizing the paint scheme is the most obvious way to put a personal touch into a build. If you cannot decide what colors to use. Use your favorite sports team color, looks up flags from different nations, or use websites like Canva to help make your own schemes. If you get some grunt suits like the Zaku or Jesta, a military camo scheme works pretty well on it!

[CanadianOp84]

That is bloody awesome man love those colors what brand is that grey ?

[Brisk_Risk]

Thanks man! I used Vallejo paints for the greys and Reaper for the yellow.

[CanadianOp84]

Awesome !

[Trisaw]

The color contrast and smooth paint finishes look great! Very dynamic pose…great job!