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Buck Wildman posted:more of a shotgun kinda guy  
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Mar 22, 2024 16:54
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Tin Tim posted:With 30MM you can just put a shotgun barrel on your minigun assembly the hot new tricep routine everyone's raving about
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Mar 22, 2024 17:03
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Tin Tim posted:With 30MM you can just put a shotgun barrel on your minigun assembly A magic spell that transmutes space into lead
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Mar 22, 2024 17:21
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Tin Tim posted:With 30MM you can just put a shotgun barrel on your minigun assembly They had this poo poo in Getter Robo.
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Mar 22, 2024 17:41
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poo poo Getter Robo would be a weird spinoff.
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Mar 22, 2024 17:45
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Deviant posted:huh. aren't kotobukiya kits generally fiddly? They've been getting better over the years. I've been building a lot of their Hexa Gear stuff lately, and the newer models aren't bad at all. A few tolerances are a little iffier than Bandai, but not too much, and they hold together well, even for the tiny guys. The catch is that they're much more expensive. For example, both 30mm and Hexa Gear have robot horse kits with optional centaur modes. Both are solid enough. Both kits are about the same size, even if the Hexa Gear has a bit more detail (the connection point is an articulated arm, not a single peg). So, basically an aesthetic choice so far. The thing is, the Bandai kit is 1,000 yen. The Koto kit is 4,500.
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Mar 22, 2024 21:45
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Mar 22, 2024 22:51
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 Finally got all of the addon stuff for the FM Aerial kit I've had for months and got the test assembly done, this is the FM kit and the metal frame kit so far. I'll be adding the LED kit after I get the armor painted. First time I've used addon kits in this way, this stuff is pretty cool!
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Mar 23, 2024 19:54
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Can I use a Q tip and rubbing alcohol to spot clean gunpla for errant pen streaks or washes? So long as I don't hit abs plastics it should be fine right?
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Mar 24, 2024 06:46
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Arc Hammer posted:Can I use a Q tip and rubbing alcohol to spot clean gunpla for errant pen streaks or washes? So long as I don't hit abs plastics it should be fine right? Wait, can I not use alcohol on ABS?
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Mar 24, 2024 09:47
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Welp, that Hizack is an instant buy but come on P-Bandai
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Mar 24, 2024 11:35
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I had wanted to keep lurking the thread until I had some decent builds to post, but something came up that I wanted to ask about. It seems like a few stores are getting the master grade Rick Dias restocked, and it's one of my all time favorite suits. The thing is it's an older kit and I was wondering how well it holds up. I'm not expecting top of the line articulation both due to it's age and the design itself since it's a chunky robot, I just want to know if it's a worthwhile and fun kit. I've also never built a MG kit of any kind before so I'm not really sure what to expect or to compare it to other than just the general "bigger, more details, more gimmicks" that MGs promise. A lot of the googling I've done just keeps returning hits on the refreshed high grade instead. Does anyone here have any experience/opinions/advice/etc on the kit?
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Mar 25, 2024 05:42
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Phantombane posted:I had wanted to keep lurking the thread until I had some decent builds to post, but something came up that I wanted to ask about. Well, if you want details, Dalong should help. It's in korean, but the images are pretty good, including some showing off the articulation. MGs are most notable for being more building a frame and armoring it than the basic snap together of the usual HG. Rick Dias is still early enough to not have a complete skeleton, but it's still above most non-IBO HGs in that department. MGs also have pilot cockpits with figures, so that's a nice touch. If you've built a RG, you should be more than ready.
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Mar 25, 2024 06:01
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Phantombane posted:I had wanted to keep lurking the thread until I had some decent builds to post, but something came up that I wanted to ask about. I haven't built the kit, and fun is an entirely subjective thing, but I don't think you have to worry about its age. The old kits you want to avoid are the non-grade, pre-2000 ones. They have very simple builds, low articulation and colour separation. The Dalong link above will give you a lot of information about the build. If you click on Information at the top, you can see scans of the instruction manual. That'll show you things like: This is an older kit with the older style of showing the steps. The manual is entirely in Japanese. It comes with sticker decals and dry transfers. The instructions for the decals use Japanese characters instead of Arabic numbers. All of that will add up to a more challenging kit than the modern HGs but that doesn't mean you should write it off. If you find fun in challenge and feel like it's time to step up, go for it. If you're getting frustrated with some aspects of the kits you've made, maybe give it time. FOMO is a big problem with this hobby, but in this case I'd say buy the kit if you love the suit and build it when you're ready. Kits don't go bad if you don't build them right away. Just don't end up with a... 50something backlog like I have.
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Mar 25, 2024 12:24
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I could've sworn they did a Rick Dias refresh lately but apparently that was the Galbaldy. That's my bad, that one is one me. My question for the thread is, anyone aware of smaller (like tabletop sized) model kits in the mecha domain? I've been hooked on those Gundam Artifact kits. They're perfect for short bursts and easy to take with you, I can throw 2 pairs of nippers and a tube of glue in the box and carry it in my pocket! But I've built almost all of them now. Is there something else like this out there?
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Mar 25, 2024 13:42
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Phantombane posted:I had wanted to keep lurking the thread until I had some decent builds to post, but something came up that I wanted to ask about. As MGs go it's one of the simpler ones, but I found it quite enjoyable. The main issue is the hand design that makes a lot of weapon holding poses a little awkward as it's hard to avoid bumping into the wrist armor. But nothing I'd consider a dealbreaker.
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Mar 25, 2024 13:47
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Marx Headroom posted:I could've sworn they did a Rick Dias refresh lately but apparently that was the Galbaldy. That's my bad, that one is one me. Have you looked into Warhammer models? They've got some pretty cool robots. They are on the pricey side, although very nicely detailed for the price, and do require plastic cement though
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Mar 25, 2024 13:53
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Unless you're willing to get a drill and magnets. Then you can at least swap out a dreadnought's weapons
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Mar 25, 2024 14:25
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Scribing and adding plaplate for some extra color is a lot of fun. Going to be starting weathering pretty quick. 
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Mar 25, 2024 16:52
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Thank you for all the input! All of it was actually really useful, and the Dalong images were very informative and reassuring. I decided to go ahead and order the kit, though I do think I may end up saving building it until after I've finished a few more of the high grades I already have. Maybe when I'm all done I can take a "family photo" of the MG plus the HG and G-frame Rick Diases I already had. Marx Headroom posted:My question for the thread is, anyone aware of smaller (like tabletop sized) model kits in the mecha domain? I've been hooked on those Gundam Artifact kits. They're perfect for short bursts and easy to take with you, I can throw 2 pairs of nippers and a tube of glue in the box and carry it in my pocket! But I've built almost all of them now. Is there something else like this out there? I can actually help with that, tabletop minis is my background moreso than model kits as a whole. I can do a more in depth effort post of sorts if you'd like and the thread doesn't mind, but the already lengthy tl,dr is basically; Tabletop sized mecha is largely pretty under-served because the driving force for most tabletop minis is actual wargames or rpgs to go alongside them, and there just aren't very many mecha games out there. You do have some options though, but they are going to vary depending on what you are looking for whether that's the building experience, the painting experience, and whether you care at all if you can use them to play an actual tabletop game later. Some of the options you have that I am aware of are: 1. Games workshop's Tau Empire model line, specifically the battlesuits. They are reasonably close to gundam style mecha in aesthetics, though have their own sensibilities and spin on things. There are only maybe 3-5 kits that fit the bill with the Crisis battlesuit team, Broadside battlesuit, and Tau empire commander/commander battlesuits being your best fits. The quality and build options on these tend to be pretty good. They are made of the same plastic as gundam kits. Unfortunately the pricing on these is horrible, they are absurdly expensive for what you actually get. If you go this route I would recommend a secondary retailer because they tend to sell at 10-15% off msrp, or look on ebay where you may get a good deal. Now may be one of the better times to look for deals as this faction just got a new rulebook that had some... divisive changes in it as far as battlesuits go, so some people may be selling off either used or un-built kits. This is probably the best option if you are looking for a slightly more complex build and the ability to also use the models for tabletop gaming, they also are good kits for painting by design. 2. Catalyst game lab's Battletech. These mech designs tend to be of the heavier "tank with legs" design type aesthetically. They come pre-assembled with no build options and are made of a softer plastic, but not the lower quality "board game" style soft plastics you usually see. They do have mold lines you have to remove that can be pretty prominent depending on the model in question, and the softer material can make it a bit harder to remove with files or sand paper, but not impossible. The price on these tends to be pretty reasonable as long as you are ok with mixed sets of mechs rather than being able to buy individual ones. It's generally a little north of $20 USD for 4 mechs. These are probably the second best for being able to be used in gaming, are reasonably fun to paint even if they are a bit basic, but have no kit building experience whatsoever. 3. Dream Pod 9's Heavy Gear blitz. Some Canadians watched Armored trooper Votoms and thought the scopedogs were very cool, so they made a game inspired by it. All the designs are very "this is a mass produced military vehicle" in style, and are expendable though not disposable. They are very in line with the Scopedog visually, but are distinct enough to not be a 1-1 copy, and each faction has their own design and aesthetic sensibilities. The model line itself is a bit of a mixed bag, as everything outside of the starter boxes for the main factions are made of metal rather than plastic, and the first few factions that got their plastic starters had some design problems due to them being the company's very first plastic kits. The newer starters however are pretty good quality, are made of the same plastic you'd be accustom to with gundam kits, and have pretty good build options. I personally chose them as my go to for tabletop mecha, but they may not be to your tastes. The pricing is pretty good if you are willing to buy the starters, though it is buying in bulk of sorts. It's around $60 USD, but you get 15 or so mech models. It's a Canadian company however so shipping costs may be bad depending on where you live, I know a few US retailers for it but am ignorant of any outside of that. The newer better kits are pretty fun to build in my opinion, with the earlier ones still being ok if you are willing to put up with some flaws or put in some fixing work, they are decently fun to paint as well. As far as gaming prospects go they are unfortunately somewhat slim, though not non existent. It's a niche game that I personally think is much better than the two mentioned above, but not very popular. There is also a tabletop rpg if you are into that. As an amusing side note, these models are technically the same scale as HG gundam models, but the mechs in universe are way smaller. So if you wanted shin high escort units for your HG kits, or wanted to share some crew models or accessories you should be able to. 4. Games workshop's Adeptus Titanicus. This is if you want your mechs to be part big mech knight, and part gothic architecture. Carries all of the same qualities and problems of Games workshops' other products as mentioned above. The game is apparently liked well enough, but I have no experience with it. 5. Palladium game's Robotech/Macross. These are out of production, and the building experience is apparently not very fun and in fact ludicrously infuriating with the finished models also being pretty fragile. Apparently the product of a design team that straight up does not know how to part out miniatures combined with source designs that are largely pretty spindly. The Destroid models are apparently better, but the Valkyries and Zentraedi mechs are pretty notoriously bad. I don't personally know what these models are made of plastic-wise. These can sometimes be found either secondhand or in the clearance sections of some web retailers and generally are decently priced even without a markdown. Gaming prospects are absolute zero. I'm not going to lie I can't really recommend these, but they technically exists. I will warn that regardless of what you choose that none of these product lines are going to live up to the standards set by Bandai, they pretty much are in a league of their own. I hope any of this was helpful, and would be happy to try to answer questions if you had some.
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Mar 25, 2024 20:05
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Phantombane posted:Thank you for all the input! All of it was actually really useful, and the Dalong images were very informative and reassuring. I decided to go ahead and order the kit, though I do think I may end up saving building it until after I've finished a few more of the high grades I already have. Maybe when I'm all done I can take a "family photo" of the MG plus the HG and G-frame Rick Diases I already had. To narrow this down a bit and provide context Phantombane may or may not have, the closest thing to Gundam Artifact you'll find in this list are the Battletech minatures and Heavy Gear. If I'm remembering my sizes right, the Gundam Artifact figures are a bit larger than your average Space Marine in 40k just over two inches in height, and both Battletech and Heavy Gear seem to operate in the same "32mm base" scale of 40k. TBH looking at the Heavy Gear selection, these all look absolutely sick. Battletech might have nostalgia and time on its side, but these things absolutely NAIL the vibes. https://www.fortressminiaturesandgames.com/collections/heavy-gear-starter-army-boxes
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Mar 25, 2024 20:45
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The people that made chinese robo thor are getting close to producing their next thing; a cyborg soldier. Robo dog and base optional. First batch comes with bloodborne coat, apparently. Hemoxian UTX-6030 "Tastier"    
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Mar 25, 2024 21:14
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Warmachine posted:To narrow this down a bit and provide context Phantombane may or may not have, the closest thing to Gundam Artifact you'll find in this list are the Battletech minatures and Heavy Gear. If I'm remembering my sizes right, the Gundam Artifact figures are a bit larger than your average Space Marine in 40k just over two inches in height, and both Battletech and Heavy Gear seem to operate in the same "32mm base" scale of 40k. Yeah this is correct, though I did a little more looking and found a size comparison between a Gundam artifact kit and a Tau crisis suit, they seem to be roughly the same size. I fully agree about nailing the vibe as well!  I also decided to take a few photos of my own to hopefully add a bit more context. Apologies for the somewhat poor quality photography.  Here's a Heavy Gear Jaeger, a Games workshop Primaris space marine, and a Battletech Wolverine mech side by side. For clarity's sake the Jaeger is the 2nd smallest mech in it's box set, and this one has a 3D printed head instead of the stock one that came in the kit. The Space marine and the Wolverine are closer to the "standard" size for their respective lines. Here they are again with a ruler for scale.  And here they are in front of a HG IBO Sigrun that I was helping my brother build.  Finally, to demonstrate some of what I meant between the older Heavy Gear plastics and the later ones, here's the comparison between a sprue from two different sets:  The one on the left is the sprue for the same Jaeger mech I posted above and it's from the 2016 Southern army box, the one on the right is a newer Chasseur mech from the 2018 NuCoal army box. In universe these are related designs and are nearly the same mech, it's a bit of a Zaku II versus Zaku II high mobility or F2 kind of situation. However the Chasseur has more parts, mostly better laid out parts (note the head orientations on the upper left of the sprue for instance, the Jaeger has a gate connected to it's face while the Chasseur avoids this), and more opportunities for posing because of things like the arms and shoulders being separate pieces unlike the single piece versions on the Jaeger.
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Mar 25, 2024 23:01
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If you're able to 3d print or in the market for 3d printing, Pipermakes does exceptional Tau/Eldar adjacent mech design
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Mar 25, 2024 23:08
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I was a little disappointed by the Battletech minis I’ve had. soft plastic and the details aren’t as sharp as I’ve come to expect from both Bandai and Warhammer models.
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Mar 25, 2024 23:19
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Zodack posted:If you're able to 3d print or in the market for 3d printing, Pipermakes does exceptional Tau/Eldar adjacent mech design Also some public libraries will 3d print stuff for you for super cheap! Like less than a dollar for small prints.
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Mar 25, 2024 23:38
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Gripweed posted:I was a little disappointed by the Battletech minis I’ve had. soft plastic and the details aren’t as sharp as I’ve come to expect from both Bandai and Warhammer models. I seriously wish they'd make scale battletech models I'd buy the crap out of them
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Mar 26, 2024 00:53
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Buck Wildman posted:I seriously wish they'd make scale battletech models I'd buy the crap out of them Just give Bandai or Good Smile Company the license to churn out some HG's or MODEROID's  .
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Mar 26, 2024 01:42
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TheDK posted:Also some public libraries will 3d print stuff for you for super cheap! Like less than a dollar for small prints. From what I can tell you really want resin printers if you want to print small scale items with high detail resolution like miniatures. But it seems like libraries would mostly have filament printers. (My local library has a makerspace with Prusa filament printers, according to their website). Which makes sense as resin 3d printing seems to involve working with various potentially-hazardous chemicals, wearing gloves, taking proper safety precautions etc.
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Mar 26, 2024 02:36
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Marx Headroom posted:I could've sworn they did a Rick Dias refresh lately but apparently that was the Galbaldy. That's my bad, that one is one me. They did. It's the old HG with about 30 percent new parts. P-Bandai only, alas.
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Mar 26, 2024 09:36
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This was very helpful, thank you so much!! I've painted a lot of Battletech minis but I had no idea about Heavy Gear Blitz and that looks like a lot of fun. GWS prices stink but I might have to hold my nose for those Tau figures once I run out of ideas. I did some more digging and found these Front Mission kits that also fit the bill: https://www.gundamplanet.com/front-mission-structure-arts-1-72-plastic-model-kit-series-vol-3.html The scale is pretty small and they come in bulk packs. I hope Bandai does more Gundam Artifact though, those tiny shokugan kits scratch a really specific itch. Edit I feel like plugging for Artifact a little bit. They're really small but still intricate, each kit has 3-5 runners for a total of around 60 pieces. The instruction sheets are a single page. Glue isn't required but some of them really benefit from it. The gaps are really big in places, I don't think the usual seam filling method is worth the effort and I am never sanding those microscopic nubs so while I plan to paint some of these, I'm not sure I'll ever prepare them for display or competition. I don't even bother breaking out the Godhands. They're just a lot of fun to bust out and put together.  My favorite thing about them is (bear with me) the special colors. All these kits come in that neutral beige orange plastic, but some rare packages contain plastic in clear or neon colors!!  Those ones go straight in the Detolf thank you very much. Great for special occasions! Marx Headroom fucked around with this message at 14:47 on Mar 26, 2024 |
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Mar 26, 2024 13:58
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Marx Headroom posted:I could've sworn they did a Rick Dias refresh lately but apparently that was the Galbaldy. That's my bad, that one is one me. Aside from the recommendations that have already been suggested, and this is more for other support stuff, there's also Dropzone Commander and the upcoming Warpath from Mantic. I believe DZC is approzimately to scale with Battletech (although it doesn't have much in the way of mechs and a lot of their ranges are in metal or resin) which are about the closest you'd get to being in scale wtih Artifact stuff, while Warpath is going to be in 8mm scale - although their Space Marine equivalents are going to be 12mm tall, which is about the right height for a normal human in HG scale so if you wanted some infantry and vehicles that are the right size for those kits, they'd be an interesting option. But it's several months before they release.
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Mar 26, 2024 19:09
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I’m finishing up my MG Wing Zero. It’s the first time I’ve used water slides. They turned out mostly good, though they do occasionally come off and it’s never the ones I expect. I can see why marker setter is a thing. There are the occasional ones where the border of the piece I juuust too big to fit on the part. I left one day and came back to find one tiny red wedge seemingly gone forever. I wasn’t planning on buying anything fancy like topcoat or softener or setter, and I feel like re-wetting the ones that fall off works surprisingly well, even after some time, as long as I plan on never touching them again. But I’m sure someone’s going to say that yes, you idiot, of course you’ll need something extra if you want to keep something that’s fallen off.
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Mar 27, 2024 03:55
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Marx Headroom posted:This was very helpful, thank you so much!! I've painted a lot of Battletech minis but I had no idea about Heavy Gear Blitz and that looks like a lot of fun. GWS prices stink but I might have to hold my nose for those Tau figures once I run out of ideas. Honestly they seem like they'd be great for practicing hand painting techniques. They look like the perfect target for going down the rabbit hole on that.
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Mar 27, 2024 04:06
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Dr Christmas posted:I’m finishing up my MG Wing Zero. It’s the first time I’ve used water slides. You can get away with just water as long as you plan to never touch that model ever again. Mark setter is cheap enough and doesn’t require any equipment/ventilation/etc. if you’re on the fence about it. As for decals being slightly too big, yeah that’s definitely a thing. For best results you’ll want to trim off as much of the clear backing as you can with a nice sharp hobby knife.
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Mar 27, 2024 06:06
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 One unpainted Wodom Pod. One more for the monoeye crew with some size comparisons. Build wise its' very unusual for a HG. Like the entire main body is 'What the hell am I doing?'. Size wise it's quite bulky. It's comparable to my Battle Pod, just not as tall. The only head scratching thing about this is that there's a hatch mechanism of some sort but once in place I'm not exactly sure how it's supposed to work, and the tail fin can easily become disassembled while messing with it. Otherwise top notch aesthetics, adorable tiny hands. Wonder how I'm going to paint it. The eye is just one piece so its going to be really challenging to paint. It was already a pain enough putting stickers on Synthbuttrange fucked around with this message at 07:41 on Mar 27, 2024 |
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Mar 27, 2024 06:44
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The hatch is for a combiner gimmick. If you get all four of the main Re:Rise final kits, or the gold special edition, you can make a ridiculous super mode.
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Mar 27, 2024 08:11
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RillAkBea posted:You can get away with just water as long as you plan to never touch that model ever again. I had a bunch of decals fall off my Titans Mk2 back when I actually bothered to dust my kits. I can't blame it though, I think it's my second oldest kit that doesn't use stickers. My Ground Type's stayed on due to their superior dry rub technology 
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Mar 27, 2024 11:35
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Synthbuttrange posted:
You should watch Gundam Re Rise. It's really very good.
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Mar 27, 2024 13:44
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does anyone know if there's like, a 3d builder program for gunpla? i wanna make a custom kitbash out of a handful of different sets, but i want to make a design mockup first to make sure the idea i have in my head actually looks good before comitting to buying 3 or 4 different HG kits i know that bandai announced a game that'll have that functionality built into it, but it also seems like it has actual competitive gameplay attached to it and i dont care about that also speaking of kitbashing, i know having an airbrushing setup looks the best, but i shouldn't have any problems if i just did primer + spray paint + top coat, right?
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Mar 27, 2024 23:13
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