Alright,so I've been saving up for a Rx-78-2,master grade ver. one year war gundam.This gundam is the first one I've bought and, I have no real paints for it or,modeling glue. Do any of you have tips for a beginner gundam builder?

- Omega knight

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! dont think we have the technology yet......whys everyone looking at me funny?

 

Did you buy it already? If not, get a lower grade. Master Grades are no point to start off for a beginner. To build kits, you need cutters, an Xacto knife, modeling glue, and a few hours of free time. Read the whole step first, cut off the parts, use the knife to cut off the leftover plastic from the runners(the thing the pieces are attached to), and when you're sure that that's the way to put the part together, use modeling glue to seal it up. It melts the plastic a little bit and reglues it as 1 piece, so there are minimally visible seams

 

Yes I know Master Grade isn't really the beginner level but, it was the only level of models they had.

 

Omega, it's been a long time since I've seen you around here. I really feel as though I should compliment your growing grammatical skills. I'm impressed.

As far as the Gundam goes, you should be ok as long as you're patient and you really look closely at the instructions every step of the way.

I personally take a less im depth approach than EvaUnit13 does. I only use glue when I just can't get the part to stay or something. It doesn't happen very often. Also, if you have a pair of nail clippers with a longer cutting edge. Sort of like really, really narrow, sharp scissors. Those work pretty well because you can get in close so you don't have much trimming to do on the pieces to get extra bits of plastic off of them. An Xacto knife might also be a worthy investment if you plan to build a lot of models, though.

 

Thank you dark ravage, I dug around in my father's tools and found an Xacto Knife.Although I have cut myself twice I completed the torso piece in 2 hours. Not bad for a first timer eh?

 

Not bad at all   You'll be fine, just be careful putting it together. My first one I ended up putting bits on upside down and all sorts, haha

 

Just patience and following the instructions carefully. Dont apply too much pressure on anything,Double check yourself often, understand the mechanics of each piece, like how you just made a double joint work etc etc ....
It's always a good idea to panel line the pieces while they're still on the tree


You'll get it. Good thing is there's no glue, so you can just take it apart and backtrack in the instructions to fix where you went wrong. Once you've finished it you may find yourself addicted so watch out

 

there's not a single thing in that kit that requires glue or paint. just follow the instructions and it will turn out fine.

 

Thanks guys, I stayed up all night and I have the Helmet, both arms torso and thrusters connected and running well I had some problems with its hands I got it fixed up pretty well. I'll try and get some pictures of the finished product once I'm done.

 

Wow, that is impressive that you're that far along already.

Just be careful that you don't cut yourself more with the knife. I usually put the sprue down on a table or a surface that you can cut on, and then cut the pieces out. Helps to prevent cuts.

One thing you might want to think about after you're done with the construction is panel lining your Gundam. They look really slick when they're panel lined.

 

I remember when I was building a 1/60 Freedom Gundam, it took me 11 hours

 

It took me about 2 days (on & off) to build my MG Burning Gundam.
Take it slow and be careful.

 

well my first model kit EVER was the RX 78 OYW MG version. It's not that hard to do to be honest. I painted mine as well. some people make it out to be a bigger deal than what it is. if your going to paint, I recommend priming first, and don't prime anymore than the same color runners at a time, you might loose track as to what was what color. if you prime pretty much any kind of spray paint you can get can work on a kit. I just get my paint from wal mart to be honest with you, unless I want more of a military looking kit, then you should go to a hobby shop for model kits. any ways here's a pic of the same kit your doing that I did a year ago.





I've since fixed the crest on his head though. be careful because of the pieces on these kits are fragile. I broke about 3 pieces on my last kit

 

That looks pretty slick man, I now have both feet done, So now for the legs.( B.T.W my shirts all bloody, so now I can say I put my blood and sweat into my first gundam.)
Thanks for your help everyone!

 

You really shouldn't have started with a master grade, but to late now. Panel line it, it shows the detail insted of being a flat color.

 

What are you doing? Laying the runners on your chest to cut out the pieces?

 

I use a nail clipper to cut the pieces out...

 

I knew that I left somthing important out of my post!