SD 00 Raiser WIP - Priming the Head, GN Rifles/Blades, V-fins and Twin GN Drives

This is the very first time I am priming Gunpla parts. Therefore, I did not spray too much primer, otherwise, "flooding" might occur. I gently squeezed the nozzle, move from left to right, in short bursts. Thankfully, everything turned out alright. 


Check out the pics below ^^

Ready for priming.

I tried to organise the parts according to the components they belong too.

This makes it less confusing for me.

Masking the face.

Looks kinda creepy -__-"

After priming......

The small scratches are covered. Yay!

After cementing, sanding and priming, the seamline on the top of the helmet is gone!

Magic! ^^

I am quite satisfied with my progress so far. The hard work is worth it.

Just a question. Should I spray another layer of white primer on the white-coloured parts? I used grey primer the first time.

Peace Out,

Gunpla Warrior

 

SD 00 Raiser WIP - Head, GN Rifles/Blades, V-fins and Twin GN Drives

Besides restoring my MG Freedom Gundam, I am also commencing work on the SD 00 Raiser. I started with the head, GN rifles/blades and twin GN drives.

Unboxing the kit

The manual. 

Applied cement to remove the seamline in the middle.

I will sand it after the cement dries.

Look what I found again in my storeroom. 

My freakin 20 year-old styrofoam float which I used for my swimming lessons in primary school! >_<"

I have given an old thing a new lease of life again.

I am using it to pierce my satay sticks in. ^^

Preparations for priming. I am going to use Tamiya fine grey surface primer.

Double GN blades

V-fins. I tried to make the tip slightly sharper by using a file.

Personally, I dun like it too sharp.

Twin GN drives.

So, that's what I have managed to complete for today. Any advise on the priming process? Any important things to take note of? Please comment below. Thanks!

Peace Out,

Gunpla Warrior

Maiden Shopping Trip at Hobby Art Gallery and M Workshop, Sunshine Plaza (Singapore)

Today, I finally visited HAG and M Workshop at Sunshine Plaza. The shop owners were pretty nice, helpful and chatty. The place were crowded too. Saw lots of modelers hooting left and right. One of bought a huge Hi-Nu Gundam. The uncle had to climb up the ladder to take it from the top of the shelf. >_< 


I spent some time admiring the completed models on display. However, I dun feel comfortable snapping pictures of them, maybe next time. After ogling at the kits, I decided to buy my tools as a crowd was gathering (difficult to move around in the small store). 


So, these are my humble hoots in my maiden visit to HAG and M Workshop. Enjoy! ^^  

Ya. Tats my iMac in the background ^^

Hoot Tamiya hobby knife and spray cans from M Workshop.

Rest of the tools hoot from HAG

Plastic nipper, files, sandpaper, hobby knife, cement, panel line markers, plastic knife, chisel.

Mr Super Clear "UV Cut", Tamiya Grey Primer, Mr Surfacer 1200.

My humble SD kit hoots! ^^

I love the Strike Noir. Looks so kick-ass and cool! 

Total damage to wallet is about $270. Still within my budget of $300. Heh >_<

Retail therapy really works!

Peace Out,

Gunpla Warriror

Restoration WIP MG 1/100 Freedom Gundam (Shield) - Nub removal and Sanding

A quick update on the restoration WIP of my MG Freedom Gundam. I removed the nubs and did some sanding.  

Disassemble the parts of the shield.

After sanding, the edges are much smoother now. 

No more ugly nubs.

However there are some scratches on the plastic surface after sanding. 

Can these scratches be covered by surface primer and later, paint? 

Peace Out
Gunpla Warrior

Restoration WIP MG 1/100 Freedom Gundam (Beam Rifle) - Nub removal and Sanding

My original plan was to get my supplies and tools from Hobby Art Gallery and M Workshop at Sunshine Plaza today. However, I decided to postpone my shopping trip to Good Friday as I need more time to confirm my shopping list. I do not wish to overspend. 


I started on removing the nubs and sanding of the beam rifle. This will be the very first Gunpla part I am working on after 8 years. Hopefully, I will not mess up.

The 3 main parts of the beam rifle. Body, cover and scope.

Weapon stripped apart completely. Lol. 

Reminds me of my NS days.  

I can strip my M16 rifle in 45 seconds. >_<

Ugly obvious nubs on the body and cover of the rifle.

Ugly stickers removed. 

After using my hobby knife to scrap away the nubs and sandpaper 400 for sanding, these are the results.

Much smoother and cleaner. ^^

There was one problem I faced while sanding the parts. I was afraid to "oversand". Do you think I have done enough sanding? Or should I sand even more?

Peace Out 

Gunpla Warrior

Restoration of MG 1/100 Freedom Gundam

I have decided to restore my 8-year old MG 1/100 Freedom Gundam. This will help me keep my startup cost low as I do not need to buy new models. I will treat this as a practice exercise.


The Freedom Gundam is one of my favourite gundam. I feel sorry for letting it "rot" in the storage room for such a long time. This reminds me of Tory Story 3 where the old toys were abandoned by the child. In the end, the child actually still cares alot about them.


Before you read any further, I have to warn you that the pictures below are so bad, they will induce nauseousness. Alright then, read on at your own risk.

Viewers Beware

Totally unpainted. OMG! Horrible....... Sighz.....

Ugly seamlines on the head. Huge pieces of excess plastic nubs everywhere! Arghhhh!!!!!!!

More seamlines at the sides of the legs. My eyes!!!!!!!!!

This is so bad, I have no idea where to start. Well, no matter what, I have to try. At the same time, I will also have fun too! ^^

Peace Out,

Gunpla Warrior

Re-igniting an old hobby

Yesterday, I did some cleaning up of the storage room in my humble 4-room flat. Guess what I found. No, not stacks of cash or pieces of gold bars >_<"

I found my old Gunpla kits. I dun even remember having these. It brought back feelings of nostalgia and beautiful teenage memories. In an instant, the passion for gunpla modeling came back. I decided to pick up my old hobby again.

Ok. Some of you might be asking "So, why did you stop gunpla modeling back then?" These are the reasons.

1. As a teenager, I did not the luxury of spare cash. Gunpla is an expensive hobby for a teenager. My dad was the sole breadwinner and did not earn much. My mom is a housewife. I know, I know. I could have gotten a part-time job or give tuition but my "kiasu" parents insists I focus on my studies. My Dad did not want me to waste his hard-earned money on gunpla, which brings me to the next point.
2. My school commitments and workload just did not allow me to indulge in gunpla modeling. See how I bold and underline the word "indulge". Yes, indulging in a hobby is important. I do not wish to rush through kit after kit and become a production factory.
3. The third reason why I quit was the most critical one. My gunpla modeling is worst than amateurish. When I first started on this hobby, I did not bother to do any research at all. I will just cut the parts out with a scissors and snap the parts together. Totally horrible. I am wasting the kits and my time. In the end, I gave up.

I do not hate my parents for stopping me from gunpla modeling. In fact, I felt guilty spending my pocket money buying the kits because my parents scrimped and saved to provide for me. If not for them, I will not be able to be a graduate with a good, stable job today.

Having said all that, I am now an adult with enough financial power to re-ignite my interest and passion in gunpla. This time, I am determined not to repeat my past mistakes. I did my research and planning. This is what I intend to do in phases. 


Phase 1: Setting up my gunpla workstation

• A desk
• Tool box
• Storage box to keep my backlog of kits

Phase 2: Gunpla Tools

• 1 Plastic cutter
• 1 Hobby knife
• Sandpaper (different roughness)
• 1 Panel lining marker 
• Gundam markers (blue, yellow, red, white, black, silver) 
• 5 Tamiya spray cans (blue, yellow, red, white, black, silver)
• Tapes (different sizes)
• Satay sticks
• Cotton sticks
• Eraser
• Styrofoam board (to pierce my satay sticks in)
• metal clips
• blue tack

Phase 3: Sharing and Showcasing my Gunpla models

• Digital camera
• Display area
• Videos

I do not aspire to be the greatest and best gunpla master in the world. I just wanna have fun and do all the basic things right. My biggest worry now is removing the seamlines. Please give me advice and suggestions. I really appreciate your help.




Peace Out,
Gunpla Warrior