Gunpla Tutorial: Pre-building Stage

This is the first part of my Gunpla Tutorial where I'll show you how I build my kits from start to finish. There are tons of tutorials online on how to build plastic model kits and my method is just one of many. However, this is the method that I have found to be the most efficient for me. Bear in mind that this tutorial will be for a straight build with a customized paint scheme. It is also my intent to share with you guys how you can build and paint your kits using the cheapest and most common supplies as possible since most hobby shops here in the Philippines are closing up.

As much as possible have a dedicated building space. I know that for some people this might be a problem so in that case try to come up with a set up that is easily portable. My workbench used to be an old office desk I bought from the ad agency I used to work for. The top, which was made of particle board, got destroyed when our house was hit by a heavy flood. Being part lazy and part cheapskate, I got an old cabinet door, placed it on top of the metal legs and placed an old drafting board on top to act as a small bench. 

Have sufficient lighting and do have a plastic tray with compartments with you so that you will be able to keep the pieces grouped together as per the manual's instructions. This will also help keep you from misplacing the pieces if you need to stop building for a while.

I noticed that one of the most time consuming task when it comes to building kits is looking for that particular tree that you need. What I do is I stick masking tape around the part tree and I label them as needed using a marker. This makes looking for that nasty part so much easier than having to squint at the tab that identifies the parts tree. 

I use a generic side cutter that I bought from the hardware store when I destroyed the Bandai one that my cousin gave me when I tried to cut copper wires with it. This one costs around Php160 (or around $4) and works just as well. I haven't tried using the Xuron Micro Shear that most modelers from other parts of the world use but I think what we have available locally here works fine enough for most kit building needs. These cutters blunt easily, so please do not use them on other materials aside from plastic.

Before you start cutting away, make sure that you have an apron whose end is attached to the edge of your table...

... as this will help catch parts in case you drop them. I've wasted tons of time looking for parts that fell on the floor and using an apron has spared me the headache of having to sweep the floor just to find that one polycap or vernier that my clumsy hands have dropped. So there, go all chef-like and get one for yourself, preferably in white.

Try to cut from the bottom as much as possible so you can see what you are cutting. The most common method of getting parts off the tree is this:

1. Cut away from the part and leave some plastic gate behind (that small plastic that attaches the part to the tree)

2. Cut excess plastic.

3. Trim as close to the part as possible and then sand or file part until smooth.

 I'm not a fan of this method because it wastes a lot of time if  you are planning on painting your kit. If you are going to just snap build your Gundam then this is fine but for us who want to paint our kits I see step 3, that takes up the most time, as unnecessary as filling and sanding should be done after the kit has already been glued together.

Notice that the gate marks are still there and there are still some nubs present but that's fine. The goal for this step is just to separate the parts and get them grouped together for easy assembly.

Here's what we are aiming for. The parts are separated per grouping as per the manual. Trust me, it is not as confusing as it looks. It is a tad bit harder than doing the assembly step by step but it is a whole lot faster than the method suggested by the manual because once you start snap-fitting you do not need to go through steps 1 and 2 as mentioned earlier and you can proceed to building right away. 

For the next installment of this tutorial we'll be discussing how to snap build efficiently, cement parts together and how to fill seams using super glue. Until then do keep building and have a pleasant year ahead guys, God bless!