I bought a gunpla model on discount
A couple of days ago I went to Hobby Lobby to pick up a bottle of Vallejo Model Color German Grey. While I was there I looked over the models because they were 40 percent off for the week. I don’t usually look at the section with the Transformers and Gundam models because that’s not really my thing.
But, I noticed a Bandai RX-78-2 Gundam kit for $12. So, I grabbed it impulsively. I don’t know much about gunpla, but I know the Bandai models are poseable, so I was curious about the parts involved in the articulation of the model.
Once I opened the box, I took a look at the instructions which basically said, no nippers needed and no glue needed. To be honest, when I first looked at the instructions, there were rather confusing. But, after studying the sprue trees and seeing how the parts were laid out, it was pretty simple to put the kit together.
It took me less than an hour to put the RX-78-2 together. I wasn’t really that interested in how the model looked, I was mode interested in how it went together and the articulation. To be honest, it was a pretty fun experience.
Once you understand how the parts are laid out on the sprues and referenced in the instructions, it’s very simple to locate the parts. Even though the instructions said nippers aren’t needed, I’d recommend nippers in order to remove the part from the sprues cleanly. Once removed, the parts will need cleaning up in the area where they were attached to the sprue. Since the parts are colored, you’ll need a really fine grit sandpaper to clean them up. I went back and cleaned up some of the visible cut marks and polished it up with 1200 grit sandpaper, but it left the area a little dull looking. So, I need a finer grit to really polish it up to the point it matches the finished plastic.
I was really impressed with the overall engineering and manufacture of the kit. The sprues had no flash at all and there were no ejector marks on the parts. There was also very little cleanup on any parts due to mold lines. The only clean-up needed was there area where the parts were attached to the sprue.
The parts also assembled very precisely. The engineering on the parts was top-notch. If you think you need to glue something, you’re probably putting the parts together wrong.
Overall, this was a pretty fun, as well as easy, kit to assemble. Since I put the kit together, I’ve done a little research into gunpla and I’ve found some very impressive modeling on Instagram. There’s also a lot of good content on YouTube from modelers who put a lot of time and effort into modding the basic kits.
I’m preferential to military scale models, but, there are lot of similar techniques used in gunpla. I had originally planned to use the RX-78-2 kit for kit bashing, but it’s a nice looking model. So, I plan to take it apart and do a better job of cleaning up the sprue marks and sanding. Once, I get that done I’ll put it back together and stick it on the shelf.
This was a fun project. I don’t think I’ll ever get into gunpla hardcore, but, I may buy another kit or two in the future.
Boondock Bight 