Question and Answer about modeling technique can be ask HERE
If you still insist and still posting question in here...it will be remove/deleted immediately from here...so dont waste your time posting in here and straight post your question at the proper thread.

OK for those really really new to gunpla...question about gundam grading are always become a deja vu in gundam thread...so i stated it here for easy reference.

Perfect Grade(PG) - 1/60 - the most details and have alot of parts. most of the time the eyes part can glow and usually come in a big box

Master Grade (MG) - 1/100 - the most popular grade among others. second most details kits than perfect grade. has a inner frame and also outside armour.

Normal/Non Grade (NG) - 1/100, 1/60(Big Scale NG) - MG scale with no inner frame and also of course less details than MGs

High Grade(HG) - 1/144 - NG level with smaller scale.

First Grade(FG) - 1/144 - The most less details grade among all...usually been mold in just 2 or 3 basic colors. and the manual usually printed on the box

Speed Grade(SG) - 1/200 - Painted kit straight on the runner...just cut the piece out and assemble...minor lining needed to look more nicer

Super Deform(SD) - err...short gundam with big head??

Gundam Fix Figuration(GFF) - 1/144, 1/100(most of them are from Metal Series) - Painted gundams model(usually a very nice paint job)...or also can be consider as a action figure...take out from the box and straight display

SHCM Pro/HCM Pro - 1/200, 1/144 - same as GFF version but smaller and lesser details and paint job

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Type of Decal

Water Slide - Blue - Need water to applied this type of decal and also the most nicest among other type. usually after been applied nicely the decal will look like it been painted on the model

Dry Transfer - Transparent/White - Usually comes with MG set along with sticker type decal. This decal need to be rub on the kit surface to apply.

Sticker/Glue Decal - Green - Most commonly comes with MGs and also sometimes HGs set. sticker type and can be directly apply on the kit

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For those who just start build gunpla or other model...here are some of the tools that i use, and what they do.

First..these are the basic tools you need..

Cutter
- also sometimes knows as Nippers/Side cutters are a must if you are making many models. Nail clippers can do the job but this is much more comfortable and faster


Craft Knife
- All purpose knife for cutting plastic and also scraping away flash lines. Blade are change-able
*the picture show 2 of my craft knife..the red one i usually use to cut decal and the grey one is my main knife, to shave the parts


...and some others for advance modelling, painting and modding...

Cutting Mat
- Useful for cutting masking tape. It has gridlines to guide and make sure things are lined up straight


SandPaper
- your super duper best friend! It is the most used tool in the modelling process. Without it, a nice smooth finish is almost impossible. There are 2 kinds, wet and dry. Wet clogs up faster but produces a smoother finish. Sandpaper used dry last longer. They also comes in different roughness or grit. A higher grit produces a smother finish but clogs up faster. Use the right grit for the right job.


Cement
- this liquid cement disolves styrene plastic. When applied to 2 surfaces and pushed together, the surfaces are more o rless permanently stuck together as one


Masking Tape (tamiya)
- Expensive masking tape...use and throw. Masking tape are use to cover those parts that you dont want to spray or paint on.


Masking Tape
- same as tamiya masking tape and also cheaper alternative. careful with this normal masking tape and make sure you buy a good one as some cheaper one leave behind glue on you plastic which is bad news. Recommended to mask a very large area as they are cheaper to waste rather than the tamiya masking.


Masking Neo
- this is still a masking tape, only in a liquid form. it dries up as something like a rubber. good to cover up those transparent areas when you wanna do spraying.


This post has been edited by VincC454: Jun 9 2009, 06:42 PM

Super Glue
- Super glue comes in different consistencies, some runny, some a bit thicker. Its good because it hardens really good and can also be used to fill seams and gaps. There are also thin nozzle to apply small amount accurately


Knife
- well..i didnt use this tool much actually..can be use as alternative to craft knife...but it is very dangerous as you can accidentally cut your fingers


Metal Ruler
- My trusty 30cm metal ruler help me to sand flat. If you use your fingers to sand, chances are you hare going to lose some nice panel edges and angles. You could use a table or flat surface to sandm but its less easy to work with than a ruler. This ruler still flexes abit but its a good balance between flat surface and ease of movement.


Tacks
- can be use to hold parts when do spraying and painting. also as some one suggest sometimes can be use as a replace to a masking tape.


Cleaning Brush
- to clean and brush off those parts that you just sand, also can use toothbrush for this job, up to you


Paints
- 3 kinds - enamel, laquer and acrylic. Listed in descending order of toughness, difficulty of use, drying and curing time

Enamel Paint
- Enamel paint for panel lining. Enamels have used a relatively mild petroleum-based solvent. They are an extremely stable paint and can last for decades without degrading, if properly stored. There are now enamels that dry nearly as fast as lacquers and nearly as hard.


Enamel Thinner
- For enamel paints. Usually use for applying washes to panel lines.

This post has been edited by VincC454: Nov 7 2007, 10:04 AM

Laquer Paint
- Lacquers tend to dry quicker and to a harder consistency than enamels.


Laquer Thinner
- Used for laquer paints.


Retarder
- Used to slow down the thinning of paint so that it can level, especially for gloss paints, It also prevent the paint from spider-webbing due to the paint drying when it comes out of the airbrush.


Bamboo/ Satay Sticks
- Use to hold parts while spraying them.


Lump-of-dense-foam
- Dense foam works much better than noraml styrofoam. It doesnt flake all over the place and its semi self healing

Compressor
- My compressor is a mini one and also no need for oil, its quiet and it produces enough pressure one airbrush.

Airbrush
-Its a double action meaning air and paint mix can be controlled. Pressing down the trigger will release the air and pulling back will release the paint. Totally essential for a nice controlled paintjob


Cotton Bud/Swabs
- Sometimes you need to clean up a small hard to reach areas. And also it can be use to clean up those extra when you do panel lining with water base lining markers


Topcoat
- A kind of spray to coat the model with a proctective layer. Comes in Gloss, Semi-Gloss and Flat types


This post has been edited by VincC454: Nov 7 2007, 10:01 AM

Decal Softener
This liquid makes decal soft and conform to the surface it is stuck on. Usually on a gloss surface across the panel lines, the decal is cut and this liquid is brushed on to let the decal stick in the insides of the line to make it look painted on


Acrylic Paint
- water base paint. Some people think aqueous paint doesn't "stick" to styrene parts like chemical paint. Aqueous paint is more sensitive to humidity and temperature.


Needle Nose Tweezers
- Excellent for holding very small pieces such as details parts. Also great for applying decals

Primer
- Spraying primer on your model before you paint will give the paint a surface to better adhere to rather tan bare plastic


Pastels
- Pastel can be grinded into powder to be used in weathering a model. Pastels come in two kinds, soft and oil pastels, and i only recommend the soft pastels

This post has been edited by VincC454: Nov 7 2007, 10:02 AM

Self-made customizable topcoat solution

Now i'll share my little foundation to u ppl out there , being cheap and efficient...this is my self-formulated topcoat solution...very reliable indeed,
it's consist of PYE-SLATE SEAL + Tamiya X21 flat base mix it 1:1 ratio without dilution...this is my personal
standard flatness for my gundam surface finish.....apply on ur kits with airbrush at recommended 30 PSI -3 inch range


more information regarding the product can be found here http://www.pyeglobal.com/prodetails.php?pa...y=rbs&code=RESL

How it's made manipulable
Compared to the bloodsucker, it's even better than the flat base spray from Mr Hobby series...alongside with the superiority that u can manipulate the surface finish by altering the mixture ratio..
from gloss to super flat hehe...the more flat base u add...the more flat it'll get...in short u can have gloss->semi gloss->semi flat->flat matt->rough flat
in according to the addition of flat base into the original slate seal solution. It's just like normal airbrushing spreading a layer of clear solution with
manipulable amount of granular agent to produce desired surface finish. It's very manageable and you'll like it when ur skill is seasoned by ur respective modelling experience.

How it works
Also it might will work theoritically with other flat base solution such as from the Mr Hobby series...because the slate seal is a medium and binder provider
for the fine granular particles inside those flat solutions...

Why is it better? u ask lolz
Ask u know...canned topcoat has a lame control of muzzle..compared to this airbrush-propelled topcoating solution..sometimes, canned topcoat causes overspray/inconsistency that resulted in heavy coat which forms drips..omg...with this AB topcoat..everything is under the exploitation of ur AB..u can even respray on uncoated(forgotten) surface without concerning overcoating. Furthermore, u are eligible to spray effortlessly on certain areas of ur kits that tends to complexify canned-topcoat spraying attempt.

Additional protection
Another specialty is UV radiation protective layer from the slate seal..yea..it's heavy duty.... that u can even expose ur kits under sunlight without degradation
concern from excessive exposure...it's another way of protecting ur kits and paints of being liable to scratch too...and u can easily clean ur kits with water-based solution without having the protective layer, paint and decal goes off.

Handling and storage
Keep it at room temperate...and BE SURE that ur storage container is really tightly sealed...small seam to surrounding oxydizing agent exposure will lead to
hardening of the solution in like 2 weeks...if u don't realise..also do not tend to let it loaded on your airbrush longer than 2 days, if u were to continue your job time to time..it will cause difficulties in cleaning

Cleaning and maintenance
So far, the dissolving agent to clean this topcoat solution from ur kits or air tools are restricted to methanol and Mr hobby thinner considering the refractoriness of the plastic to sustain any chemical reaction dealt with plastical deformation. Do no attempt to use normal hardware shop-sold thinner on any parts associated with the plastic in contact with the coating..it will cause severe smearing and damaging effect. However, for economical approach, cleaning of non-plastic tools upon finish work with conventional thinner is ok.

This is what i have to share with u modelling enthusiasts out there!! good luck and have fun on ur goodies!! stay tune for more tips coming in^^
Feel free to drop by further suggestions and opinions

This post has been edited by heatdriv3: Nov 1 2007, 07:56 PM

I have found the BEST link on teaching u HOW-TO-BUILD A MG KIT!

fichtenfoo.com

http://www.mo-xie.com/main.htm
HI another Nice website for Noob and Advance Gunpla Player.!!!!
step by step with pic but Chinese only.
Cheers mate

This post has been edited by blinky_w: Dec 3 2007, 11:59 PM

Some Colors Charts and Mr.Hobby Tools and Products.


Tamiya Enamel and Acrylic Paint Chart



Mr.Hobby Products Chart







This post has been edited by VincC454: Jul 16 2008, 03:34 PM

Simple Basic Gundam Modelling Skills
LINK

More infos bout paints
LINK

What does the logos means in the manual book.. Translated!
LINK

This post has been edited by z3r0717: Jan 29 2008, 04:03 PM

Self-made customizable topcoat solution update and pics

Let's make it clear...so u'll have to prepare these


wanna know what's the content of the slate sealer like?


After the mixture has been done..ur solution will be like this...looks familar with some of liquid


Choosing the appropiate airbrush? starting from the left 0.5mm, 0.3mm, 0.2mm, 0.2mm...the choose the 0.5mm since
it's best to serve as sprayer


Somemore it comes if cup and bottle....which is good for long term spraying and storage of the topcoat after use


Gettin ready to spray at 30PSI at range 2-3inch


this is normal plastic surface


After being sprayed with the flat based topcoat prepared earlier...and this is wat u got




Any questions feel free to PM me

This post has been edited by heatdriv3: Jan 30 2008, 06:38 PM

Gunpla modelling basics: How to do panel lining

The most common tool for panel lining is to use gundam markers, although others may also use fine brushes. Below is an example of a commonly used gundam marker:


Notice the tip of the marker - see how fine it is!


Ok, let's go straight to it. How does one apply panel lines? Let's take the piece below as an example. See how it has a groove right in the middle?


In order to panel line, you just take your gundam marker, and draw inside the groove. Dont worry if it smudges a little, like the picture below:


After you've applied the ink, simply rub off the excess with your thumb or a cloth. The ink within the groove will not rub away, and voila, you have your panel line! Simple, no?


Just one simple step, and your kits look way better already! Notice the SD Gundam head in the first picture, and notice panel lines being drawn at the mouth vents and also the sides of the head. Now imagine if there are no panel lines. How dull would it be eh?

Now get out there and get your own gundam markers! Panel lining is easy! It's fun! And it certainly makes your kits look wayyyy nicer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`


Refer to the pictures in the manual, or even be creative and decide on your own!


You can ask here bro: http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/478741

This post has been edited by jhcj: Apr 3 2008, 10:14 PM

found this - donno whether ok to place it here..

example layer of AB or handpaint..


candy effect.. as know as those glossy shining just like candy



Shading Skill.

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Added on January 1, 2009, 4:39 pm
Oil based gundam marker
normaly can use eraser or tootpick to clean it


water based Marker
can use earbud or tissue to clean it also

Inking or weathering style of lining

and the way of clean it.



This post has been edited by KyoLee: Jan 1 2009, 04:39 PM

this is good. thanks for the tip. just got my first gundam and with your tips above, hopefully it will look better.

Finally found some nice tutorial on youtube.

Very good for starter, newbie and also those new to airbrushing

Part 1 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkjuWl3MMA0&feature=related
Part 2 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gSq8_9Js2c&feature=related
Part 3 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5ub86-fOsQ
Part 4 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVpZtRPVjFQ&feature=related
Part 5 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9duFaerDlpE&feature=related