How to Start Making Gundam Plastic Models (Gunpla)

Gunpla are plastic models of Gundams featured in the multiple animes of the Gundam franchise.

No matter how much effort you plan to put into making your Gunpla, here are a few tips to help you start.

-Pick a Comfortable Place to Work.

Gunpla making takes hours, some times days. The pieces are all attached to runners, which require you to cut them out, clean off the nub marks,which are the pieces of plastic left on them when you cut of the actual piece, and attach the pieces. Removing nub marks is optional, but is usually done, as some of the pieces won’t fit together, and it looks better. To do this, pick a place with a table/desk and your comfortable to sit at for decent lengths of time.

-Assemble Your Tools

You can get away with only using Side cutters, but for the best results you’ll also want a hobby/exacto knife, sand paper with varying grits, and a marker with a thin diameter(gundam marker works best). The Gundam Marker is not essential, but allows you to make panel lines, which make the Gunpla look much better. If you do decide to use Gundam Markers, then Cotton swabs will help if you make a mistake.

-Pick your Gundam Model

Find a Gundam you would like to build and purchase it. Barnes & Noble tend to have a small collection of Gundam Models, other wise amazon is your best bet. For a guide on picking your first gundam click here.

The finished product of a straight build. Look at first picture for what it will look like with panel lining and weathering.

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