c o n te nts

Back to Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Letter
Editor
from the

Quick Resin Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Pretty Guardian
Nobel Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The Last Hope
for the Federation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Readers Gallery:
Steamguy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Neon Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
1/60 NeoGrade
Sazabi Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Building and Painting the
1/60 NeoGrade Sazabi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Gaza-D Diorama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Mr. Finishing
Surfacer 1500 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Starting Gunpla: 10 Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Gunpla Origins:
Plamo Kyoshiro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Facebook Zaku Contest . . . . . . . . . . 64

G-Plus has been a dream of mine for a long time. Like many modellers who
grew up building without the internet, I learned the most from imported magazines. Unable to read the Japanese content, I was subject to whatever I could
interpret from the pictures alone.
After so long we finally have the first English language mecha modeling magazine, and I am proud to say that it is totally free to read, copy and distribute.
Unlike physical magazines which are restricted by geography, G-Plus was
envisioned as being totally accessible. Anyone, anywhere with an internet
connection and basic English can access it and enjoy.
All of the articles and photography in this magazine were contributed by
members of the online mecha community. They took a risk putting time into
this first issue, but I think it paid off. There is a lot of work to still be done
getting the format of this magazine right, but I am confident we will get lots of
great submissions in the future and iron out all the kinks so this magazine can
truly represent what our great hobby is capable of.
I would especially like to thank our Facebook page members who competed
in our Facebook Zaku Contest. The response was very strong and we have
included all of the entries in an Ora-Zaku style presentation.
Im really excited about G-Plus and its potential, so
please show your support by following Monoeye
Press on Facebook and contributing to the
next issue!

Nick M
Vancouver, BC

THE BASICS OF MODELLING

HAVE BEEN FORGOTTEN.
An awesome way to open up an article, I know, but it seems that all too
often I see models that have skipped
the over common fundamental tasks
to tackle other, more advanced tasks.
For instance, I recently saw a model on
a site that was decently painted and
had metal detail parts, but still had a
blaring seam line down the shoulder.
I thought at first that this had to be an
intentional aesthetic decision, but no,
it wasnt. The modeler just didnt fill
the seam. I was shocked.
I couldnt believe that someone that
would put the time and effort into
painting and spending money on
metal detail parts wouldnt do something as simple and basic as filling a
seam line. Filling a seam is Modeling
101, and is the first skill most modelers
learn when first entering the hobby.
Sure its often a messy, unglamorous,
menial task, but its one of the most im-

portant things when creating a model.

A seam completely dispels any form
of realism or proper representation of
the subject.

happening? Why are people skipping

over very basic techniques? I could
think of a few big reasons, but theres
probably many more.

IN OTHER WORDS, FILL THE

DAMN SEAM!

LAZINESS

Unfortunately filling seams isnt the

only basic skill thats being overlooked. Ive seen seemingly nicely
finished models with nubs, sanding
marks, smudges in paint, and the list
goes on.
I will say that Ive done all of these in
the past when I was first learning, but
I did them on very early models that
I only hand painted and I also used
cheap models, not Master Grades or
Perfect Grades, like some Ive seen.
Once I felt my basic skill level was decent enough, I tackled a Master Grade.
It was a straight out of box build, then
I moved onto more advanced techniques, but the thing to remember is,
I didnt tackle a more advanced kit or
techniques until my basic foundation
of skills were in place.
Its almost like a baby trying to run
before it can walk. It just doesnt turn
out well. Imagine a basketball player
learning to shoot a jumper or slam
dunk before they can even dribble the
ball. Funny right?
Its the same thing with modelers who
skimp on the basics. The model just
doesnt look right in the end and that
usually is a discredit to the modeler.
So I wonder to myself, Why is this

Ahh the dreaded L word. Laziness gets

to all of us at one point or another. It
is one of the great constants in our
world. When your energy and enthusiasm about something has been spent,
what do you do? Thats right, be lazy!
WRONG!!!
I understand that getting over laziness
is extremely difficult sometimes, but
its the true modeler that is able to fight
through it. I probably understand that
better than most. Back in 2007 when I
shut down CoM, I was burned out with
the hobby. I just couldnt bring myself
to walk into my studio, much less actually sit down and work.
It became increasingly tough even to
think about it. It was THAT bad, but
with time that feeling subsided and
Im back in the hobby with fervor of
old. Sometimes you just have to take a
break. Ive also had luck with working
on something else for a short amount
of time and coming back to what I was
working on and also looking through
forums, repost sites, art sites, and concept art sites, to kick start my enthusiasm again.

FEAR
I think this is another one that we can
all admit to at one point. The fear of
messing up your model is ever-constant, especially when starting out, be-

cause you may not know how to fix it.

As experience builds, I believe that
this feeling subsides for most of us,
but there are some out there that are
still gripped by fear of error. I know
this is easier said than done, but fear
of messing up is something that a
modeler just has to get over. If you
mess up, figure out a way to fix it. Its
a simple solution, but a tough one at
the same time.

No matter the reason, not covering the

basics on a model is usually a large
faux pas. If youre creating a model
for yourself and are not showing, then
thats one thing, but if youre going to
show it to the world, dont expect any
mercy from more advanced modelers
whove spent years working to improve their craft.

NO DESIRE TO BE BETTER
Believe it or not there are some of us
out there that have plateaued and
are comfortable with that. Some just
dont want to be better. This is a completely foreign concept to me, so I
wont lie and say I understand it, but
I would still question, Why? Why
would someone spend money on
something and devote their time and
energy and not want it to be the best
they can? Are they comfortable with
mediocrity?
There are many people in the world
that are not competitive by nature
and are not driven to try and prove
their worth opposed to someone
else, but I would still tend to believe
that there is a fundamental need to
do the best we can for personal gratification; maybe not. I probably will
never understand this concept.
Maybe I just notice things that others
dont. Maybe I vcritique too harshly.
Maybe Im an asshole (probably). I
just cant stand to see a nice kit with
such basic flaws.

This article was originally published on

www.childofmecha.com. Visit it!

quick
resin
tutorial
Justinius Builds

Many people familiar with Gunpla start off building

the Bandai plastic models, but after a while the plastic
builds become a bit monotonous, so sometimes builders will seek more challenging builds.
Be it in the way of modifying their kits, looking at different manufacturers for more challenging model kits,
or perhaps dabbling in resin. Resin kits are a special
material that you can find some very beautiful and
detailed kits in, that may not be available or possible
in plastic form. Some resin kits even require a plastic
frame from an existing kit for improved possibility!

Resin comes in many different shapes and

sizes, as far as how its packaged. Recasters
generally use generic packaging, but more
dedicated casts get their own boxes with
fancy box art and other goodies stuffed
inside. But inside these boxes the contents
are generally similar. Your resin pieces will
be divvied up into vacuum sealed plastic
bags, this is where the absolute most
important part of the pre-build process
comes into play.

Its incredibly important

to make sure your instructions are present (or at
the very least a parts list)
and you want to check that
against your pieces. Here,
Ive arranged everything
according to the photo,
and everything is there. But
for larger kits, or smaller
workspaces, this might not
be an option. What I typically
do is cut the bags open and
lay out the parts, then using a
Sharpie, I dot or check off the
pieces in the instructions as I
come across them.

Some of the
basic tools
youll need to
assemble a resin
kit arent much
different from a
standard Gundam
or really any model
kit. Some cutters for
removing the larger parts
of the gates, a knife for
small areas and rescribing,
a file and/or sandpaper for
smoothing areas, and blu-tac
for test fitting.

When I cut resin, I try not to cut too close

to the piece because resin is harder, but
also more fragile than plastic. You can
crack or break your piece and create
more work for yourself. So here I take my
time, and I trim the resin gate down.

Another common
issue with resin,
is your longer,
thinner pieces
have a tendency to
warp either in the
molding process,
or in the shipping
process. Fortunately
its a relatively easy
fix. All you have to
do is throw some
water in the microwave (or boil it) and
dip the part just
past the bend for
about 5 10 seconds
at a time, and slowly
work it until its at
the desired shape.
(fun fact: This also
works for most
plastic!)

After trimming itll look something like

this. Not too shabby for some cheap-o
cutters. Next well take sandpaper and
try to round it out so it looks nicer and
fits into the other part of the chest better.
Another thing to take note of, is that resin
is more toxic than plastic, and as such you
should wear a mask whenever sanding or
prepping the pieces.

Looking good! The bottom (front) part

of the molds are a little different, but it
looks fine so Im not going to mess with
tweaking it too much.

10

11

PRETTY
GUARDIAN
NOBEL
PROJECT
ASHE
BLITZEN

Every Gunpla Builder has that

dream project. A project that
piques their interest, challenges their abilities and
becomes more than just a
project: it becomes their
passion made tangible through
paint, putty and plastic. The
HGFC 1/144 Nobel Gundam
and Nobel Gundam (Berserker
Mode) were two of my very first
model kits, nearly three years
ago. At that point I wasnt
aware of the importance of the
basics: sanding, puttying,
removing seam lines so my
Nobel Gundams sat on their
action bases, unaware of what
was ahead of them.
After some much-needed
tender love and care, my
Nobels were nicely sanded

12

and fit together well. I sat and

thought about what I could do
with them. Then, it struck me;
the most obvious choice!
Sailor Scouts! As an avid
Sailor Moon fan since childhood, it was only natural to
combine my two great loves. I
would recreate each Sailor
Scout in Gundam form,
keeping each one as accurate
to its anime counterpart as I
could while maintaining the
traditional Gundam look.

simulate the Sailor

Scout tiaras. Every
Nobel has a vinyl decal of
each Scouts planetary symbol on the
right thigh, opposite its
trademark garter. The silhouette decals on the shoulders
are actually nail art decals I
found online. (All paints Ive
used are Mr. Color unless otherwise noted.)

All of the Scouts were painted

with Mr. Metal Iron inner frame
and a Cool White base color.
Each of their sailor uniform
collars, bows, and skirt armor
correspond with their color
schemes in the anime/manga,
along with a gold V-fin to

13

I began with Sailor Moon. For the hair buns I cemented two
Builders Parts scopes together around a ball joint, smoothed
it out with putty, and put a crystal sticker on each side. After
that, I modified the two pigtail-like Berserker hair pieces to be
twin-tails to replicate Sailor Moons trademark locks.

I stuck to traditional Gundam colors when I painted the body,

keeping it as simple as possible. For her hair, I decided to do
two coats of MS Yellow, topped with three coats of Mr. Crystal
Color in Topaz Gold to give it that ethereal gold sheen.

My favorite scout, Sailor

Jupiter, was next. Her color
scheme consisted of a lightened Mitsubishi Green with
Pink as an accent color.

To recreate her ponytail, I modified a Berserker hair part by

using cement to slightly melt the plastic so I could bend it
into the right shape. I also added two individual pieces for
her bangs.

The hair color is a mix of Red-Brown, MS Red and a touch of Cool

White with one coat of Mr. Crystal Color Ruby Red on top. I found
a spare HGUC Jegan antenna, painted it gold, and mounted it
over the base of the V-fin to be Jupiters signature lightning
antenna. Finally, I added some water slide decals (also nail decals
found online) to her boots to simulate laces.

14

15

Mercury had many shades of

blue, so I mixed a bunch of
shades. The front and rear
bows are a mixture of Cool
White and Light Blue, while the
rest of the armor is AEUG Blue
mixed with a touch of Cool
White. I wanted to give her
Gundam a weapon similar to
Mars Flame Bow, I made a
water trident using another

For Mars, I wanted to recreate the purple sheen she has over
her jet black hair. I did a base of Ueno Black and topped it with
Mr. Crystal Color Amethyst Purple with just a bit of Ruby Red at
the ends. Her dominant color was a deep burgundy red accented
with a purple bow on the front of the uniform. Russet was a
great match for the red and Purple for the front bow.

weapon from the Matsuri set

and painted it in a gradient of
Mr. Metal Stainless, Mr. Metallic
Blue and Mr. Metallic Silver,
topped with Mr. Crystal Color
Royal Blue. Her hair was the
real challenge here, and I went
through 3 different ideas for it
before I settled on something
that worked. I ended up harvesting an armor part from my

broken HG00 GN Archer,

sanded it to shape and painted
it with a mix of Light Blue with
AEUG Blue topped with two
coats of Mr. Crystal Color Royal
Blue. I mounted the hair to her
head and my Sailor Scouts
were complete!

Her weapon was a mixed-media experiment for me. I cemented

two Lego fire plumes to a bow from the Kotobukiya MSG Weapon
Unit MW011 set. I wanted a nice flame effect, so I went with a
nice gradation of red-orange-gold with Mr. Metallic Red, Mr.
Metallic Gold, and some Mr. Metal Brass all topped with two
coats of Mr. Crystal Color Ruby Red and a touch of Mr. Crystal
Color Topaz Gold to top it off.
I had fun with the colors for
Venus because she was so
varied compared to the other
Scouts. For her front bow I
mixed AEUG Blue with Ueno
Black to get a deep Navy. The
back bow was MS yellow with
a touch of Cool White. The
shade of orange was a bit of a
challenge because I didnt
want it to be a neon orange,
nor a deep orange. I mixed up
Orange-Yellow, some MS Red
and a touch of White, and there
it was! I wanted her hair to be

16

slightly different from Sailor

Moons. I added some Cool
White to MS Yellow and only
did two light coats of Mr.
Crystal Color Topaz Gold for
the sheen. For the bead-chain
weapon, I used a part from the
HGBC Matsuri Weapon set,
painted it with Mr. Metal Color
Brass, and topped it with a mix
of Mr. Crystal Color in Ruby
Red and Topaz Gold to give it
some shimmer.

If youd like to see more, come find me

on Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr!
AsheBlitzenBuilds
asheblitzen
asheblitzen

17

Now was the time. The war had been

raging on for months now and
the Zeon forces had decided to
make the last push towards the
Federations base in a section of
space near what was Side 7.
The Federation had lost so many
men but they were still determined
to win this battle. An army of Zeon
Mobile Suits approached the base
at an amazing speed.
My God! a gasp came from the
bridge of the Federation war ship
Incoming Zeon forces! Estimated
count 120 units.
The Captain had to make a
decision fast. If he hesitated, the
Federation would be in serious
danger of losing their position
and the Zeon forces would gain
a foothold in an area of space
that would be difficult for the
Federation to regain.
If he hesitated, they would die.
Launch the Deep Striker!!

THE LAST HOPE FOR

THE FEDERATION
Scott Taylor

Building the
Deep Striker
Ive always had a soft spot for the
Deep Striker, so I thought Id give
making my own version a go. I
began work on the build around
mid August 2013 starting
with the Master Grade
Ex-S kit that was released
in 2003. The kit went
together as most Master
Grades do and then it
was time to plan the
Deep Striker conversion.
I searched online for
pictures of other models
for reference and found a
few customs as well as the Fix
Figuration model. There were a
lot of things I liked about those
models but a lot I didnt, which it
was at that point I realised I
wanted to do my own version of
the Deep Striker rather than a
copy of the Mobile Suit.
First, the legs were taken off to be
replaced with the large thrusters
pods and then the front section
was created using parts of the
transformable pods that are on
the shoulders of the Ex-S and the
knees. The pod part was modified

20

at the end to accommodate the knees by chopping

away the plastic using a razor saw
and knife. Once the knees were
installed, the problem came up of
the big hole at the top just
behind the knees and how to fill
it. There was a sub assembly that
came from the back of the legs
that I used the centre of to hide
the hole and also add more detail
where there was none.
Next up was the separation of the
shoulder armour. I always liked
the look of the open shoulder
armour, so using a razor
saw, I chopped along
the centre panel lines
which separated the
top and bottom armour
and then filled in the
gap along the edge using
some styrene and putty.

Propellant tanks were added to

the rear of the Deep Striker using
the tanks from the HGUC Full
Armour Unicorn and the legs of
the Real Grade Zeta to hole the
tanks in place and add some
further detail. The weight of the
tanks caused issues with the legs
sagging, so to remedy this, I used
some standard self tapping

screws to secure the legs to the backpack

using some mounting holes on the RG Zeta
legs for the screws to go through. This
combined with some pinning at the top of
the torso using some left over parts of the
Ex-S made it very sturdy.
I wanted to add some smaller thruster packs
similar to the ones on the legs at this point
as it looked too bare on the back. I couldnt
get a hold of the HGUC version of the Ex-S
to get the parts I
needed, but
I did find
some old
school kits
from the 1980s
that were just
being reissued that
had the exact parts I
needed.
The building
part was
getting close
to being
done at

this
point but
there were
some other details
that needed attention as some areas
looked bare or showed sections that
needed to be hidden from view. Using
some more parts from the RG Zeta, MG
Full Armour RX-78, MG Sazabi and left
overs from the Ex-S, I added some more
details where it was needed on areas
like the shoulders, the front armour and
the rear wings.
The larger thruster packs on where the
legs used to be were beginning to cause
problems with the weight causing them
to sag and not stay in place. I tried
adding some glue to the ball joints that I

22

had installed and that worked for a little

while but the more it was moved, the less
effective it was. I tried a few different
methods including magnets but ended up
settling on using the arms from the HGUC
Full Armour Unicorn mounted using brass
rod on both ends which kept it locked
into place.
The last thing I needed to do was add the
Gatling guns, which were modified using
two different Kotobukiya weapons setsthe
Gatlings and the Ammo drum/belt. These
were added together to make a meaner
version of the standard Gatlings but needed
some Builders Parts hands to hold onto
them better which the stock hands struggled to do.
A red colour scheme was the original plan
for the paint but I decided to stick with
traditional Gundam colours of blue, red
and white. Lacquers were the choice of
paint with a mixture of Mr Color and

Gaianotes paints used. I decided to

use lacquers instead of my usual
acrylics because I wanted something
a little tougher seeing as this build
was to be pulled apart for future
transport to the GBWC.
The white was the hardest part to
paint due to the pigments allowing
much of the grey primer to show
through. To combat this, I used Mr
White Base Coat in the spray can to
get a nice even colour before
applying the Mr Color MS White
over the top.
With the base colours down, I did
some small detail painting on some
of the vents and panels across with
model. Decals were then applied
after a clear gloss coat by

24

using a combination of various

sheets from Bandai, HiQ, and some
other 3rd party ones that I picked up
during my trip to Japan and also
from eBay.
Another clear coat was applied to
protect the decals and then the
weathering began. I wanted to give
the look and feel of a well worn
machine that had seen its fair share
of service. Using a standard kitchen
sponge, I applied some Mr
Metal Dark Iron around
the edges and across
various panels. I then added
some Mr Metal Silver to add
some depth. I finished up
with a wash of
dark grey as
a subtle highlight of the
panel lines rather than
a stark black.

The Scene
I wanted the scene to portray how
menacing the Deep Striker could be. I
played around with many variations of
a debris field but finally set on using
some old electronics boards, wire
mesh and some old sprues to make
the debris. The main base was made
using an old motherboard that was
pulled apart and damaged using a pair
of pliers and wire cutters. The wire
mesh and sprues were fixed in place
using some epoxy glue and the large
fan cover was added. Once painted,
everything was weathered using
sponge chipping and pigments after
some decals were applied.
Using multiple scale kits has been
something I have done in the past, so I
decided I wanted to do that again to
show how large and menacing the
Deep Striker was. I settled on two
different Zaku IIs, the Thunderbolt
version and the Tri Stars High Mobility
version (both in 1/144
scale) to get
this effect. Some
minor
modifications were
done to both models
including replacing the

piping with springs and adding IC pins

inside the thrusters for example.
Both were painted in similar colour to
their OOB colours with some slight
variations. Decals were applied again
using Bandai and 3rd party sheets and
then they were also weathered the
same way as the Deep Striker.
The final step in the build was to
mount them on the base itself which
was achieved using some clear acrylic
rods. The ones holding the Deep
Striker were mounted to the underside
of the base using some screws and
epoxy glue as they needed to be
sturdy enough to hold the model in
place. The other smaller ones were
mounted using some holes drilled into
the base, just large enough for the
rods to be inserted without them
moving but still the right size for them
to be removed easily enough for
transporting. Using a heat gun, I bent
the rods at angles as I wanted the
models to be sitting outside the base
itself to give an extra feel of depth and
the effect of floating in space.

25

GBWC
The Australian Gunpla Builders World
Cup was held over the weekend of
August 9th and 10th 2014. I made my
yearly trip up by car which took nearly
12 hours with my models packed away
in a large box.
This year, I was excited to win 3rd place
in the Open Course category which I
received a bronze trophy and a gift
voucher for Australian store Hobbyco
(the GBWC organisers and sponsors in
Australia).
I enjoyed this build greatly as it gave me
a chance to build a non Zeon suit as my
main centre piece and try something a
little different to what I have built in the
past. Granted, it has its flaws, but it has
taught me some new skills and thought
processes that I will most likely apply to
future builds.

If you would like to see more of my

work, you can check them out at the
following places online:
ghostofzeon.com
TheGhostofZeon
TheGhostofZeon
theghostofzeon

26

27

BEARPUNK

1/144 Bearguy
Modelled by cekidot

The concept is mixing

steampunk, rustic, and
Gundam aesthetics... I
want to make something
in a different way from
how people normally
look at Gundam. I want
to make cute+scary+detailed work...
- cekidot
28

29

NEON KNIGHT

This is my first time customizing a

exactly customizing. I just used sh
er to do the edge lining. Since th
green psycho gundam already a
terial, i just need to edge line the
by one with my neon marker.

It was tedious and time consumin

great for me as the whole gunda
UV light.

SD FA Unicorn
Modelled by Anthony Tan, Malaysia

30

31

Anthony Tan used a neon Sharpie

marker to line the edges of this SD
kit.

32

It was tedious and time

consuming, but it turned
out great for me as the
whole Gundam pops out
under UV light...
- Anthony Tan

33

1/60 NeoGrade Sazabi

S T A T S : 1/60 NeoGrade Sazabi (original cast) 18 tall | 8 lbs | roughly 365 parts
12 cans of Krylon Primer

3 bottle of Alclad Steel

5 bottles of Mr. Color GX Astray Red

2 bottles of Alclad Matte top coat

3 bottles of Mr. Color GX White

Prep & Pinning 5 weeks

Panel Lines 10 hours

5 bottles of Mr. Color Black Grey

(And several other assorted

colors)

Painting 7 weeks

Photography 3 hours

2 bottles of Mr. Color GX Black

India Ink pens for panel lines

Dry Transfers 20 hours

Approximately 275 hours of work

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

building and painting the

1/60 NeoGrade Sazabi
When I was asked to write a piece on my process of building and painting the 1/60 Neograde Sazabi, I was first very
honored, and second very nervous. I have never written an
article so how was I going to explain what I did with words?
Well here is my attempt at explaining how I built and painted
the best resin kit I have ever worked on.
First let me say that this is not a review of this kit. The following
paragraphs will explain my processes, thinking and strategy on
tackling this monster of a garage kit. That being said, I cannot
help but to mention how fantastic this kit is. It is by far the best
resin kit I have ever worked on, and being that I own about 200
of them I feel comfortable saying that I know what I am talking
about when it comes to resin/garage kits.
As with any garage kit the first step is to do a parts check. Luckily Neograde provides a very nice and clear parts sheet to check
against. Some garage kit manufacturers just give you line drawings
or no parts list at all. This kit has roughly 350 pieces give or take. I
went through the kit marking off each piece. If there are missing
pieces, it is important to contact the company that the kit is purchased from ASAP to get replacements. The sooner you contact
them the better your chances are that you will get what you are
missing quickly and without any additional fees. I have had to pay
for parts in the past because I waited too long and the kits were out
of production. Sometimes its a few bucks, sometimes its more.
Once you verify you have all the pieces, its very important to examine
and study the instructions. I do this step over the coarse of a few days

46

Matt
Mrozek

or weeks. As with most garage kits, the instructions are

broken up into major sub assemblies unlike a Bandai kit,
which is broken up into several steps. Where a Bandai kits
may have 3060 steps, garage kits may have only 15 steps.
The 1/60 Sazabis instructions are broken up this way. There
are steps for the following: 1 step for both legs, 1 step for both
arms, 1 step for the weapon, 1 step for the shield, and 1 step for
the torso. So studying the instructions and visualizing how you
are going to assemble the kit is very important. Its critical that
you have a game plan in mind so that you reduce the chance
of making mistakes.

Cleaning the Pieces

Once you are familiar with the instructions and your set to build, its
time to start cleaning the pieces. Luckily the 1/60 Neograde Sazabi
is casted almost perfectly. What I mean is that there are little to
no mold lines, the gates are small and located in inconspicuous
locations, and all the details have been reproduced very well.
When cleaning up resin, I use a large Sharpie marker to indicate
the areas that need work. These would include the gates (the
tabs of resin that protrude from the pieces from where the resin
was poured into the mold), and mold lines or seems, and areas
that look or feel rough. The Sharpie will act as a sanding guide for
us. I usually work a few pieces at a time. I find that I miss things less
frequently, plus on such a large kit, working on a few pieces at a time is
less overwhelming. I use a variety of tools when cleaning resin. I have a
spru cutter dedicated to resin kits that I use for cutting gates off. You do

47

not want to use your $65 God Hand cutters or

your $40 Sharp Pointed Tamiya cutters. The resin will ruin these in just a few cuts. For sanding I
use a diamond file and my home made sanding
sticks with 400grit wet/dry sanding paper. I
usually start with the gate since that is typically
what needs the most work. Like I mentioned
before, the gates on this kit were fairly small and
pretty easy to clean up. I start with the diamond
file sanding the gate. This is where the Sharpie helps. As you sand, the Sharpie will slowly
disappear as the area gets worked. Once the
Sharpie is gone, you know that area is smooth.
I then finish up with the 400 grit sanding stick.

Any scratches left by the sanding stick will get

filled in the priming stage. So this method
works great for flat areas, on curved areas I
dont use a diamond file at all because it will
just create a flat spot. The thrusters are a great
example. For the gates and other areas I simply used 400 grit sanding paper in my hand.
This allows you to conform the sanding paper
to the shape of the thruster avoiding any flat
spots. Continue marking all the areas and
sanding the gates and any imperfections from
all the pieces of the kit. Once done, we are
ready to move onto the pinning and magnetizing phase.

Pinning and Magnetizing

Pinning is the process of drilling holes and inserting metal rods into the resin. This does two
things for us. It makes it possible to dry fit the kit
together and it also creates stability within the
kit once assembled and glued. Adding magnets
to certain areas does a couple things for us. It
will allow is to assemble and disassemble the
kit as many times as we want. This is important
for two reasons. First, it allows us to break the kit
down into major sub-assemblies for transport
and second, it allows us to access parts of the kit
in the future like the battery box. The great thing
about this kit is that there is minimal pinning.
The kit is engineered so well that the weight
alone pretty much keeps it together. This is
where studying the instructions and developing
a game plan makes all the difference. As I studied the kit and the instructions, I soon realized
that I was going to build the kit in five major
steps. The steps are as followed, the shield,
legs, arms, torso, back pack, and rifle. I decided
that it would be easier and less overwhelming
to complete each of those phases up to the
point of adding the dry transfers. The first thing

48

I did was dry fit the shield together. There are

no pins in the shield. It is simply held together
with epoxy. The second phase of pinning was
the legs. I dry fitted the interior structures of the
legs to get a sense of how they went together.
At this time I also dry fitted the armor to make
sure everything fit well. Of course the quality of
the kit showed through at this stage. Everything
fit perfectly. I clamped the interior sections
together and while clamped I drilled a 1/4 hole
through all the pieces with an extra long drill
bit. The clamp insured that nothing slipped as I
drilled. These would be the two most important
pins in the entire kit. They insured that the legs
stayed straight and they also support the weight
of the nearly 8lbs of resin that make up this kit.
After I was satisfied with the holes I drilled, I cut
two sections of 1/4 threaded rod to length and
epoxied them into the holes of each of the legs.
Pinning for the other areas of the kit are pretty
straightforward. I used my Blue Tac method for
lining the pins up. I would drill a 1/16 hole into
one piece and then put a small piece of Blue
Tac on the opposite piece. I would then put
the two pieces together and give them a little
squeeze. If done correctly, the Blue Tac on the

opposing piece would have a little tab of Blue

Tac sticking out from where it went into the hole
that was drilled into the other piece. I would
then mark that spot with and exacto blade and
proceed to drill a 1/16 hole where marked. I
repeated this step for the whole kit and then did
the first dry assembly of the entire kit. I was able
to get the whole kit pinned and assembled and
in a few days. I used magnets where the top and
bottom halves of the torso went together so I
could change the battery as needed and I also
used magnets on the arm where the slot into
the shoulder joint. This allows me to take the
arms off easily for transport.

49

Priming
Once I was satisfied with my pinning and magnets I moved onto priming.
Before doing any priming or painting on a resin/garage kit, it is imperative that the resin be cleaned thoroughly. This means a nice long soak in
Purple Power, usually 24 hours or longer. What is Purple Power and why
do we need to soak in it you may ask? Well, Purple Power is an industrial
degreaser. You can get it at Walmart and I buy the gallon size jugs. You
can re-use it over and over. I typically buy a new jug at the beginning of
the year. The reason we need to soak the pieces is because in the molding process of resin, the molds are coated with a releasing agent called
mold release. This is a necessary step in molding to insure that after the
resin has cured in the mold the pieces will be able to be removed cleanly.
Without the mold release the cured resin will stick to the mold ruining
it. The Purple Power removes this mold release leaving us with
clean resin. I use Purple Power at full strength on all my resin and
plastic kits. It doesnt hurt either. It is important to wear rubber
gloves when using Purple Power as it will burn your skin if it
comes in contact with it. After soaking in the Purple Power for
at least 24 hours, I give the pieces a thorough rinsing in water.
I then use my ultrasonic cleaner with a few drops of dish soap
to give the pieces an additional level of cleaning. Then another

rinse in water and then the pieces are left out to

dry. You can never clean your resin too much,
trust meyoud rather spend extra time cleaning
than having your paint lift.
Once I cleaned all the pieces I broke them
down to the following stages I mention earlier. I
am just going to explain the priming and painting for the shield since its the same steps for
the entire kit. I place the pieces of the shield on
skewers to get ready to prime. When building
larger kits I use Krylon Grey Primer with the fan
tip. It is simply awesome for these large kits. Its
inexpensive, you can get it at Walmart, and it
covers and adheres very well to resin. When using the Krylon primer, its important to use thin
coats. The primer is fairly thick, and if you spray
heavy coats you risk filling in small details. This
is one reason why I only use this primer on kits
1/72 and larger. Make sure you shake the can
very well, usually for five minutes or so. Spray
the first coat very lightly. This coat will be very
transparent but it lays the foundation for the following coats. The second coat is sprayed fairly
wet. Let that dry for a few minutes and follow up
with the third and final coat, spraying it fairly wet
again. Once all the pieces of the shield were
primed, I left them to dry over night.
The next step is to check the parts over for any
imperfections that we missed in the very first
round of clean up. The primer will expose any
additional areas that need work. Again, the
quality of this kit shines through, as there were

50

maybe three tiny areas that need extra sanding.

I wet sand the primer with 400-grit wet/dry
sandpaper. This will sand most of the primer off,
but thats okay because we are going to prime
one more time. After checking and fixing any
additional areas that need work and wet sanding, the pieces are rinsed again to remove any
sanding residue. Once they have dried thoroughly we are ready for the final primer. This
time I only spray two light coats, just enough
to cover the resin. The parts are left to dry over
night in prep for the next phase.
The final step before we lay any paint down is
a final buffing of the primer. The downside to
the Krylon primer is that
it dries extremely flat.
If we didnt buff it, the
following paint layers
would reflect the texture.
I use 3M Micro fine
sanding sponges for
this. I buy them by the
box and they last a very
long time. The Micro Fine
sponges are the equivalent of 1200grit sand
paper. Once the parts
are buffed out they will
have a nice sheen to them
and the perfect surface
for painting.

51

Painting
Now for the fun partpainting. The shield was
the first thing I painted and the rest of the kit
was painted using the same steps so its only
necessary to explain how the shield was painted.
When painting, its always best to start at the
lowest area of the part and work your way to
the top. The reason for this is that it is much
easier to mask off recess than it is raised areas
or details. When I airbrush I use a consistent PSI
of 20lbs. Lots of painters vary their PSI based
on what they are doing but for me 20 PSI works
for everything and I control the paint flow with
the trigger of the airbrush. So the first areas
that were painted were the dark grey areas on
the red armor parts. I first sprayed a base color
of Plamo Color Dark Grey. I sprayed a light
mist coat first just create a tacky layer for the
following coats. I then sprayed two wet coats
ensuring even coverage and a nice slick base
coat. I did the same procedure for some of the
other areas of the shield, most notably on the
center section. I let the base coat dry over night.
I like to let my base coat dry over night because
as the paint dries it will dry down or get darker,
also I will be able to see if there were any areas
that I missed.
Once satisfied that I had a good base coat I proceeded to highlight the dark grey. I used Plamo
Color Medium Grey for my highlight. I did this

by starting in the center of the dark grey areas

and building up a highlight in the center by
slowly pulling the trigger back on my airbrush.
Once paint starts to flow, I work my way out
close to but not all the way to the edges. This is
where personal preference comes into play. For
a more drastic shading effect, dont highlight
very close to the edge. For a more subtle effect,
fade the highlight closer to the edge. I tend to
like a more subtle look but on this kit I went for
a slightly more dramatic look. Once I was happy
with the initial highlight, I back away from the
part and mist some of the highlight color over
the whole area. This helps blend the highlight
a bit making it look more natural. Once all the
highlighting was I done, I let the parts dry over
night. The next day I look at my highlighting to
make sure I have the effect I want. Again, the
paint dried down and was darker than the day
before, but now the highlight and shading looks
more natural. The next step was to mask these
grey areas in prep for the next colors.
For the red parts it was fairly simple to mask. I
used wide Tamiya tape to do this. I simply laid
tape over the grey areas extending the tape
past the edges. I next used a blunt skewer and
pressed the tape into place. I took extra care
and made sure the tape was snug to the edges.
This is important because for the next step, we
want nice clear, crisp edges showing through
the tape. Next I took a brand new #11 exacto
blade and lightly followed the edges. A new
blade is important. With a new blade you dont

52

have to use hardly any pressure to cut through the tape. I went through 1015
blades on this kit. So I lightly followed the edges with my blade and removed
the excess tape leaving a perfectly taped off area. The process was repeated for
all the large areas. For smaller areas I simply cut several small pieces of tape and
taped off the areas that needed masking. I used my blunt skewer again making
sure to seal the tape around the edges to prevent any bleeding of the next color.
For the red color I again laid a base coat. This time I used Mr. Color GX Black. The
GX line of Mr. Color paints is awesome. The have a very high pigment content,
which means they cover extremely well. Also, they spray
smoother than your typical Mr. Color paints so I use the
GX line whenever possible. So I base coated the red areas
using the same steps as before. I also base coated any of the
metallic areas in the same manner. I let the black base coat
dry over night, and to highlight the red I used white. The first
step to get the red shading that you see was to highlight
the black using white. I use the same method I did with the
grey. Once all the highlighting was done it was time to spray
the red. One thing about red paintand this is true for any
red paintis that red
does not cover well.
For what ever reason it
just doesnt hide well
so we are going to use this to our advantage. When I spray
the red on top of the highlighted black, the highlights will
show through the red. If we tried to highlight with just red,
it would get very muddy. I did the red in four layers. First, I
sprayed a very light mist coat. This coat is barely visible but
its important because I was going to really lay
on the paint in the next three coats. The second
coat was sprayed on wet, almost to the point
where I thought the paint was going to run. I
let that layer set up for about five minutes and
I sprayed on a second wet coat, let that set
up for five minutes and sprayed on the fourth
and final wet coat. Spraying wet coats can be
easy to screw up if your not used to it. Its easy
to run the paint so practice on some scrape
plastic or spoons, but the final results are a

53

few minutes and then

removed the tape.
Once the shield
was painted and
assembled I set it aside
and moved to the feet. I
followed all the same steps for
the feet and set those aside. I then repeated
the process for the legs, then the skirts, then the
waist and torso, then the arms and back pack,
and finally the head and gun. All together I
estimate I spent 125 hours painting.
Once everything was painted I gave everything
a nice coat of Mr. Color GX Clear. This seals all
of my hard work and preps the kit for my least
favorite part, panel lining.

glass-like paint finish. I let the

red dry
overnight to check my work and
everything looked great. I removed
the tape
and I could see for the first time what the kit
was going to look like in the end. I based the
rest of the kits red paint on this method to keep
everything consistent.
Now that the red was done I went ahead and
sprayed Mr. Color Super Metallic Titanium for
the main metallic color. I let the Titanium dry
over night because I wanted to mask and spray
a second metallic color. I masked the little circle
details and sprayed those with Mr. Color Super
Burnt Metal. I then removed all the tape. This is
where I had a slight boo boo. I had some lifting
of the paint. It just lifted down to the primer,
which tells me that the resin was clean, otherwise it would have lifted to the resin. But I must
have had a contaminant on the primer so the

54

I started using India ink pens for panel lines on

this kit. The technique is the same as it is for
Gundam Markers. Simply fill the panel line with
ink, and wipe away the excess with a Q-Tip or
paper towel. I love this method because the
India ink is water-soluble and is easily removed.
I spent about 20 hours putting panel lines on
the kit. Once done it was time for my favorite
partdecals.

paint did not adhere. The solution

was
fairly simple. I lightly sanded the area that lifted
and cleaned the area off with some soap and
water. I then masked all around the area that
needed to be re-sprayed and then just went
through the steps of spraying the grey again. It
only took me about 15 minutes to fix. This was
the only problem I had through the whole build.

Surface Details
Now that the recess and the red were all
painted, I moved on to some of the surface
detail. The shield was fairly easy but the other
pieces required a bit more work so I will use a
leg armor as an example. After the red had
cured, I masked off the areas that I wanted
silver. I simply laid a piece of tape on top
of the area and using the panel line as a
guide, I used a brand new blade to lightly
cut around the area. I removed the tape
and then sprayed the silver. I did this for all
the silver areas. Once the silver dried, I wanted to paint the raised details another color. I
masked around the raised details and using
a dull skewer I sealed the tape around the
detail. I then sprayed Alclad Steel. I let dry for a

I was surprised to find that Neograde provided

dry transfers rather than decals. I dont mind dry
transfers, but they are very tricky to use. The final results are spectacular though since they are
very thin and have no visible edge. The way I do
dry transfers is pretty simple. I carefully
cut out the dry transfers one at a time as
I use them leaving the protective backing
on them until I am ready to place them. I
use clear Scotch tape to pick up the cut out
dry transfer. Its important to use clear tape
because you need to see where the transfer
is being placed. I locate the spot I want the
dry transfer and carefully tape in place. This
step is crucial as you only get one shot with dry
transfers. If you mess up you have to scrape it
off and move on, unlike waterslides in which
you can reposition them. Once satisfied with its
location I used a very blunt skewer and rubbed
each transfer starting from the center work my
way out to the edges. Once I though it was
down I slowly lifted one edge of the tape to
check that the transfer was all the way down. If I
noticed that it had not laid down all the way, I
carefully laid the tape back down in the exact
same spot as before and re-rub the transfer.
Repeat this process until the transfer is in
place. This took me forever since there
were so many. I am proud to say that I
did not mess a single transfer up.

Final Steps
After all the dry transfers were on, which
seemed to take days, it was time for the final
step, which is topcoat. I usually do a flat coat
on my kits. I do this because one I like the way
it looks and two flat coats does a great job of
making any shading pop and it also does a
fantastic job of hiding decal and dry transfer
edges giving them a painted on look. I use either Testors Dullcote from my airbrush or Alclad
flat. For this kit I used the Alclad flat coat. It is
fairly thick and can be sprayed straight from the
bottle but I like to thin it a bit with their airbrush
cleaner. It just goes on smoother and easier if
thinned a bit. I spray each sub-assembly with
three wet coats of flat and they are left to cure
for a few days.
The last step in the building process is final
assembly and photos.
Well I hope all of this makes sense. Its a lot to
take in but I hope that I explained things in a
manner in which you understand. Building this
kit was an awesome experience. I loved it so
much I have another one (the SMS version) in
my collection for another day.
Happy building!
Matt Mrozek AKA mvm3897

55

GAZA-D DIORAMA
ALAN BRITTEN

aka

MOKANAMAN

An online group I am part of Gunpla Builders Australia,

set a friendly and challenging group build titled Forgotten
Relics. The general theme and rules were to build a model
in a state of disrepair and forgotten with a mandatory
missing limb. Time limit for me was one month and my
goal was to tell a story through a diorama without a
description or title.
Being a 1:144 scale model and only wanting a small vignette
the whole diorama was based inside a cheap picture frame with
0.5mm styrene sheet glued over the glass panel. The model, High
Grade Gaza-C from Mobile Suit Gundam Zeta and 2 1:144 military
dressed officers in heavy coats were positioned on the base and
attached using rare earth magnets. I traced the Gaza-C feet to
prevent the model not fitting on the diorama in future. The military
figures were based on a mount of Milliput epoxy putty. The Gaza-C
transforms into a mobile armour which was taken advantage of
in its pose. A drawing was produced as well as this photo for
future construction reference.
The general impact Im going for is a hilly dense forest during
cold climate winter. Around the outline of the feet I started
PVA gluing scrap balsa wood around the base to form a
hill. Substitute for balsa wood would be stacked corrugated
cardboard sandwiched in between PVA glue and bound with
masking tape. Make sure to regularly test fit your model on the
base in case elements of the diorama obstruct its placement.
The Gaza-C model kit was
separately built and painted
from the diorama. A lot of areas
were sculpted with Tamiya
quick type epoxy putty to add
bulk and round surfaces onto a
lot of the blocky features. This
gave the model a more of a
Gaza-D look, seam lines were
filled and a little plate work
followed suit.
The kit was broken down in
to individual pieces, primed,
pre-shaded then salt chip
weathered using Mr. Hobby
lacquer paints. Each piece
was then pin washed black
and edges dry brushed for

56

weathering. The model was

assembled and mid-section
glued down for the pose. The
entire kit got clear coated mat
and airbrushed white on top
and around for the snow effect.
A little baking soda was also
glued down on top.
An additional prop, a surrender
flag was scratch built using
a brass rod and a thin piece
of leather. The rod got cut to
size using a hack saw and the
leather piece cut and glued
to place using super glue.
More super glue was then
used to stiffen the flag in its
current shape.

Scale model shops stocking

railway layout diorama supplies
are well-known as an amazing
source for military and mecha
diorama needs. Examples:
water effects, flock, trees and
buildings. Unfortunately they
are marketed as pre built/
painted and ready to be used
out of the box leading them to
be extremely expensive. I paid
over $50 AUD for two packs of
trees in colours I did not really
care for. Some railway trees
can look quite fake or cheap,
so look carefully at the shape
as they can be repainted later.
Trees can also be scratch built
quite easily with war gamming
modelling methods. These
trees were super glued down
to the base again, test fitting
the model for fitting issues.
To add depth and realism to
the terrain of the diorama,
cheap hardware wood putty
was mixed with PVA glue.

After one month and a few

late nights the photos were
submitted hours before
the dead line. I admit the
HGUC Gaza-C is not a very
good kit or build plagued
with awkward seam
lines and a mid-section,
stressing a 1mm beam of
styrene ready to snap under
the weight of half the kit. But I
enjoyed the entire process and
finish of the diorama. None
of the techniques or products
used are hard and can be
attempted by anybody with an
active imagination and willingness to challenge themselves.

The sticky putty mix was then

applied around the balsa
wood to smooth out and add
definition to the hills and
valleys. Looking at pictures
online of real life terrains you
are trying to depict is fantastic
for inspiration. After a day or
so drying I covered the whole
base in a thin layer of PVA glue
and sprinkled natural sand for
texture. After drying, shake
off excess sand followed by
sealing the glued sand with
a heavy coat of primer. To
save money, a cheap automotive primer out of a rattle can
is fine.
Painting was done via airbrush
and Mr. Hobby lacquers. The
whole base received a matt
black under coat and a few
layers of brown from dark
to light on the earth. Same
approach on the trees but
green as flock can be
painted easily. The

tree trunks were hand painted

different shades of brown and
the ground received some
light hand paint dry brushing.
Both earth and tree trunks were
sludge washed black for definition and detail.
The snow effects were applied
considering where snow
commonly lands and collects
though reference material
online and some though
put into the trees and bent
over mobile suit preventing
build-up of snow. The effect
was easy enough by dusting
white paint across the whole
diorama via airbrush and
densely painting and shading
some areas solid white. These
areas were followed up by
a thin layer of PVA glue and
baking soda just like applying
the sand. Once dry the whole
model received a coat of clear
matt varnish.

If you have enjoyed my article and build you can find

more of my work and content in the links below:
mokanaman
mokanaman
Happy modelling!

57

INTRODUCTION TO PRIMING MR. FINISHING

SURFACER
1500 REVIEW
Many scale modellers struggle to achieve
affordable application of primer. With many
products on the market it is extremely confusing
to beginners and veterans. To add
to this
frustrating topic parts of the
online
community have advised to
avoid
the use of primer all together.

Primer is a type of paint designed

to stick to bare clean surfaces.
Its job is to give the surface
a uniform colour. Example:
if the bare plastic is black and
white, application of yellow paint
will create darker shades of colour
on top of the former black areas and
a brighter yellow colour on top of the former
white areas. This is due to different paint colours
having different pigment density. Most colours
of primer are grey, a neutral colour which
benefits a large range of lighter and dark paints.
Paint also does not have the ability to stick to all
surfaces. Only a base coat of paint may crack,
rub off or chip over time while handled. Think of
primer being like glue between the surface and
paint allowing dry paint to be more durable to
being touched or moving parts making contact.
Application of primer has other benefits. Many
apply a coat of grey or white coloured primer
while still building and fine tuning the surface
of a model. A light colour of paint applied over
the surface of a model casts shadows and shows
all faults such as fine scratches, gorge marks,
flash and seam lines. This alerts the modeller to

58

attend to these faults though sanding or putty

work, the coat of primer is normally sanded
off with high grit sand paper. Another type of
primer known as micro filler or liquid putty is
also useful for surface preparations. The GSI
Creos Mr. Hobby paint range normally
indicates micro filler though a grit
number. Examples in the range is
Mr. Surfacer 500, Mr. Surfacer
1000 and Mr. Surfacer 1200 all
grey or in colour and white
in 1200.

Micro filling has benefits

and disadvantages. If your
model is riddled with seam
lines, fine scratches and putty remnants Mr.
Surfacer 500 has larger filling particles and
thicker properties to fill and level these issues.
The more minor the faults the finer grit required.
Unfortunately all bottled hobby primers are
micro fillers. These primers struggle to spray
though 0.3mm standard airbrushes resulting in
regular clogging. Efficient priming requires a
perfect thinning ratio using
a lacquer
retardant and a well maintained
airbrush. Micro filler also fills and

My original approach to Mr. Finishing Surfacer

1500 is a cheap outlet for matt black lacquer
paint. Reading the titles of Mr. Finishing Surfacer
indicated to me as a base coat after priming but
I was soon proven wrong in this assumption.
During my first session on a partially scratch
built Gaza D the model was primed using
Mr. Surfacer 500 and pre shaded using
Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500 Black. Using a 50/50
ratio of lacquer thinner I found the primer to
spray just as smoothly as Mr. Hobby paints are
famous for. Shading gradients and fine splatter
free line were very possible as required for
pre-shading. The colour came out vibrantly;
thick in pigment and the matt finish did not
affect the intensity of the black as sometimes
you may get white spots or a frost if matt clear is
applied too thickly.
Second and third sessions were on a normal out
of box high grade Gundam kit and a strange
One Piece tank. The two models are modern
and have above average fitting with some
obvious seam lines. Time was taken to glue the
models together; Squadron green type putty to
fill seam lines and nub marks carefully cleaned
using a file. In two coats the primer applied like
a dream without issue for both models. Detail
popped out quite nicely and due to my prior
surface preparation and careful seam removal,
no noticeable faults.

USEFUL INFORMATION
Brand: GSI Creos (Mr. Hobby)
Base: Lacquer or general purpose thinner
Recommended thinner: Mr. Levelling Thinner or
Lacquer Thinner mixed with 10% Mr. Retarder (Mild)
Thinning ratio: Between 2:1 to 1:1
Application: Airbrush and hand painting
Price: 420 yen or above $10 USD
Amount:40mL
Colours: Matt grey and matt black
Grit: 1500 fine
Surfaces: Can be applied to styrene, ABS, cloth, resin
and other scratch building materials. Metals need to
be treated with Mr. Metal Primer and soft vinyl will be
damaged from the solvent. Do not uses on soft vinyl
model kits.
Conclusion: Highly recommended on out of box
models post mid 1990s and high end resin models.

After about 15 minutes the paint appeared to

be dry to the touch, of course you should allow a few hours curing and hardening. Next day I
handled the pieces in my bare hands realistically rubbing and lightly scratching curved and flat
surfaces. The paint appeared to be as durable as the other Mr. Surfacer primers.
damages detailed areas which you may want
to paint and highlight latter. Airbrushes with a
larger nozzle 0.5mm or aerosol cans are impossible to control while minimizing over spray.
Normally you spray from afar and waist a lot
of paint in over spray which is costly to the hip
pocket. You can also apply the primer far too
thickly for kits with recessed or panel detail.

In conclusion, I am extremely excited for an easy to airbrush primer with little to no micro filler
and highly recommend the use of Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500 Black or grey. Micro fillers do
have a place in my inventory but most current released mecha models are precision snap fit and
highly detailed. I can see this product covering 80% of my personal priming needs and will buy
this product again including the grey colour in the future.

ALAN BRITTEN
59

Starting Gunpla
G

unpla can be a little intimidating to get into as a hobby. For the serious hobbyist,
it can seem like a vast ocean of techniques, styles, and kits. It can be tough to
weather some of the early waves, but here are 10 tips that may help you get through it
a little less bruised.

10
tips

Nick M

10
4
9
8
7
6

3
2
1
61

of the manga is named Kyoshiro, hence, Plamo

Kyoshiro. The story regards a young group of
plamo-kyo, and follows Kyoshiro.
After rushing out of school to purchase the
latest Gundam model kit from the hobby shop,
Kyoshiro gets into an argument with some
classmates. It nearly turns into a brawl, except
for the owner of the hobby shop who manages
to pull the kids apart. He convinces them to go
home and build their kits, and compete in a
virtual reality simulation against each other.
All of the kids tear home, where Kyoshiro hastily
puts together his RX-78-2. Meeting back at the
hobby shop, they sit in front of the large
machine and fight, just as though they were in
the Gundam anime. Kyoshiro manages to defeat
his nemesis Zaku II, but the cost of the battle is
damage to their precious kits, forcing them to
learn and build new
kits throughout the
series in an attempt
to constantly one-up
each other.

GUNPLA ORIGINS

Plamo Kyoshiro
E

arly in the Spring of 1982 the third Mobile

Suit Gundam film Encounters in Space
enjoyed success in theatres across Japan. The
following months saw the launch of the Real
Type line of model kits and proved commercially successful as the hobby of mecha modeling
grew exponentially.
It was a critical year in the development of
Gunpla culture, and unfortunately it is the early
years of which we have the least information
available in the West. The first Gunpla books,
How to Build Gundam I & II were released in
1982, as well as the first Gundam manga, titled
Plamo Kyoshiro.
Serialized in Kodanshas monthly 700+ page
comic epic Bon Bon Comics, Plamo Kyoshiro ran
from 19821986 to massive popular success. It
is possibly the most significant manga to the

62

NICK M

Gunpla community, and played an integral role

not only in Gunpla culture, but in the Gundam
franchise as a whole.
Comic Bon Bon was published from 19812007,
and was the venue for a large variety of mecha
anime tie-in manga. Popular Comic Bon Bon
series included Fang of the Sun Dougram, Aura
Battler Dunbine, Armored Trooper Votoms,
Galactic Drifter Vifam, Heavy Metal L-Gaim,
Mobile Suit Gundam MS Senki, Mobile Suit Zeta
Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, and many
others related to Plamo Kyoshiro, SD and
Musha Gundam.
Appearing early in the life of the comic, Plamo
Kyoshiro was one of its first runaway hits. The
title is a play on words, as Plamo is a portmanteau of PLAstic MOdels, and plamo-kyo literally
means plastic model fan(s). The main character

The series would be

considered unusual
today, as it includes
not only Gunpla kits,
but various mecha
anime and even
tanks and real-life
armour vehicles.
While the series is a
fantastical take on
mecha modeling, it
realized the dreams
of so many young
plamo-kyo, the idea
of piloting your own
kit in a non-fatal battle, and its popularity
endured for four years before launching spin-off
series that further the adventures and conflicts
of Kyoshiro and his friends.
Impact of Plamo Kyoshiro on Gunpla culture
was profound, as the Real Type kit line succeeded at retail, the manga introduced and popular-

ized many new designs, most notably the

Gundam MSV kit line released in 1983. The
original MSV (Mobile Suit Variation) series was
masterminded by the modeling collective
Stream Base, two of whoms members were
active in the writing collective Craft-DAN, who
authored Plamo Kyoshiro.
The two men, Masahiro Oda and Masaya
Takahashi worked with author Hisashi Yasui and
artist Koichi Yamato to produce storylines to
introduce new designs, and then promote them
and the kits to market. This lead to the production of not only MSV, but BB Senshi (SD) andthe
Musha series of Gundam kits and media
properties.
Plamo Kyoshiro is essentially the heart and
origin of Gunpla culture and the course it ran
over the next two decades. While there is

unfortunately no fan or official translations

available, it is still worth viewing if possible even
just to see the first appearances of the Perfect
Zeong and other MSV classics.
Its influence is still strong today, as Gunpla
Builders, and continues with a new generation.
Plamo Kyoshiro Kodansha

63

FACEBOOK ZAKU CONTEST

alessandro leparulo

ER!
WINN

adolfo roberto
zambrana

andre martins
andres sandoval
rodriguez

barry grimlock
roxas

alfonso carvallo

andrea
riboldi

aditya hari antara

64

bruno gustavo

anthony laureano

alfredo mei

carl mari
giankristo limpin
dario
rainman
nicolo

WINN
ER!

bryan ong
tun shen

allen tiong
coco crunch

ashley j. moore

carlo
lhakeem
tarantini

carlos david
diaz lopez

chris alba
65

damiano
marini

fancesco
fossella

jerome or so

ethan den b
anggayuh
sarwo edi

deus ex machina

david
ceremonia

christopher suntrup
eddy chong

christian
christopher
pascual paulus adi yanuar

evan waggamon
chris robledo

daniel aliaga

izzy rayyan
66

fizz hola hola

christopher
mcgowan

ck le

fernando aureliano do nascimento

daxim
naz
elia mister
david
quaranta bacciega caliendo
67

WINN
ER!

WINN
ER!

jeffery febrian
lesmana henry mcclellan

rick le

john paul valencia

jet cabanilla
garrett
watson

james ravelo II

gino alberto
chumacera villanueva
judd felipe
domenico
febbo

joey bassett
68

elreicht
la ferte

jo ker

henry goll

elisur
borromeo

kengi
stargazer

jigs nido

jc gunpla johnroy riego

anime models
de dios

john yuen
69

michael nakpil

tomasso
medici

perry goll

keiran miller

ray gonzales

maximo rodrin jr.

luis e bonilla

luis
esteves

parn namngam

mark james
radeb dino
mattia ziomet meoni
richard flanagan

rafif khosyi
nicoll bustamante
mannex del rosario austria

justin lind

muhammad hafeez
70

WINNER
!71

mojoe joe

hemish
dekker

WINNER!

sabrina bazan
richard andrew
olds jr.

matteo campana

philip olson

suterisno wangi
orenji renji
mohd shamsul mohd ali
tiar ikhtiar

kevin
bustos

tony ng

mechdesigns
mdgelo
khai chuan

ryan seideneck

jorge hernandez
72

lautaro
brizuela

paul yasser
domanais
73

salvatore amendola

richard
montee
villadolid

michael
christopher evans
simoun
nuque

justin
madruthless carmine

teerapat pop
pachimkul

ryan chong

simon curry

the zephyranthes
74

wlmar
75