Building Gundam Models:

Advanced Panel

Intros

Simple tricks to improve finish

Perfect finish!

Make it shine!

Now Break it!

Contests

http://angelmex.net

Using glue

Using glue in some key sections

in the skeleton can help make

the model sturdier.

You can use glue to close gaps

between pieces.

Gundams don’t need much

glue. Use very small amounts, mostly or only around the

pin/hole sections.

Test fit the parts before

applying glue, make sure

you’re gluing the correct parts

Using Glue

Regular plastic glue/cement

melts the plastic and welds it

together. Takes several minutes

to fully dry, and can’t be used

as a filler for gaps.

Gel superglue dries faster, and

can be used as a filler for gaps.

Liquid superglue is not

recommended. More difficult

to control, dries too fast.

Be careful…

Not to glue your fingers

If there’s glue on you, stop

working on the model immediately and wash your

hands.

Super glue fumes will frost clear

parts. Keep them away from

super glue.

For clear parts, use white glue,

or Testors clear parts glue.

Dealing with gaps/seams between

parts

Newer models rarely have any

visible gaps between parts.

Most modern Gundams have a panel line depression in

between parts to help hide the

gaps.

You can just use a bit of glue to

make sure the parts stay firmly

together, and paint the panel

line between parts.

Gaps between parts

If you want to completely hide

the gap, that’s a lot more

work, especially in a

Gundam…

The most important thing is to

be consistent. Whichever

approach you take, make sure

you follow the same approach

all over, or at least symmetrical

pieces.

Hiding gaps using putty

1. Planning planning planning. Are

the pieces a single assembly? Do

they cover other sections with

different finish/color? For the leg

example…

2. Mask the skeleton sections, like the

knee joint

3. Glue the white pieces around it,

using a good amount of gel

superglue. It’s ok if some glue

squeezes out.

4. Let the glue dry solid.

Hiding gaps using putty

1. Use a xacto knife to cut out the

biggest chunks of dry glue.

2. Use sandpaper to sand the

remaining glue.

3. If parts of the gap are still visible, fill

them with putty.

4. Let the putty dry.

5. Sand again.

6. Once there are no visible gaps,

prime the piece.

7. Check for gaps again, and repeat

from step 3 if needed.

Hiding gaps using putty

1. Paint the white piece as you

normally would.

2. Remember the Red shoe? Now

you need to do it all again for the

shoe, if there are any gaps you

want to hide…

3. Unmask any masked pieces.

Airbrushing

Opens up a world of creative

possibilities

You can minimize the use of spray paint.

You can use mostly acrylic

paints

Long term, it’s cheaper than

spray paint.

Needs commitment and attention.

Airbrushing

Nice airbrush and compressor

set is about $150 to $200.

Get a double action

Practice writing and drawing

simple shapes

Try to use mostly acrylics: Easier

to clean, cheaper thinner

(rubbing alcohol), usually non-

toxic.

Before airbrushing

1. Recommendation: Tamiya

acrylic thinner is just rubbing

alcohol, so save some

money…

2. Thin the paint. About 2:1

thinner:paint ratio. Consistency

should be about the same as

skim milk.

3. Make sure the airbrush is clean.

Consider running a bit of alcohol thru it before starting to

paint.

Quick cleaning

You can immediately continue painting with a different color after a quick cleaning

1. If you have a bottom feed container, cover the airbrush tip and pull on the trigger to make the paint flow back to the container.

2. Shut down the air compressor

3. Clean the paint container

4. Add some thinner to the container.

5. Airbrush some thinner to clean remaining paint.

Full cleaning

Never store a dirty airbrush.

1. When you’re ready to store the

airbrush, do the quick cleaning, then disassemble it.

2. Dip pieces in thinner for a few

minutes.

3. Check for any remaining paint.

Remove it using a cloth dipped

in thinner.

4. Dry pieces.

5. Reassemble airbrush.

Airbrush process

1. If you go from light to dark

colors, you can just do a quick

cleaning in between.

2. You must do a full cleaning in

the following cases:

1. If you go from a dark color

to a light color (especially

white)

2. If you go from any color to

a clear coat.

3. If you go from a metallic

color to any color.

Shading process

1. Prime pieces

2. Optionally apply a quick coat

of the final color

3. Pick a pre-shade color:

1. A darker shade of the piece

color will give a subtle

effect.

2. A darker complementary color will give a more

dramatic effect.

4. Airbrush around panel lines,

depressed areas, etc.

Airbrush process

1. Optionally pre-shade raised

areas with a lighter color.

2. Blend all the shades together by applying the base color in

light coats until you get the

desired effect.

3. Optionally post-shade with

both darker and lighter tones

for additional effects.

Dry Transfer markings

Usually included in Master

Grade and above

1. Cut out the marking you’re about to apply

2. Place on the desired spot.

3. If possible, secure with tape.

4. Rub the marking with a pencil

tip

Dry transfer markings

1. Keep rubbing until the marking is

fully transferred. You’ll notice how

it detaches from the backing

paper.

2. Make sure the decal completely

transferred before removing the

backing.

3. Remove the backing

4. Clear coat to seal.

Waterslide decals

Official ones are High Quality,

lots of detail

Most popular Gundams have their own official waterslide

decals set

For the rest, you can get a

generic set

Usually $10 to $15

If nothing works… you can make your own ;)

Waterslide decals: Process

1. 1. Cut around decal

2. Dip in water for 30s

3. Set on a tissue or napkin to

absorb excess water

4. Wait 30s to 1 min. for the decal

to detach from the backing.

(continued)

(continued)

5. Put some decal softer on application spot

6. Apply decal solution to spot

7. Place decal in place

8. Gently and slowly squeeze with cotton swab or napkin or cloth to remove excess water.

9. Apply mark softer on top.

10. Remove excess

(continued)

Waterslide decals: Process

Waterslide decals: Process

(continued)

11. Continue making sure the decal is

in place.

12. Repeat a couple of times to make

sure the decal takes the piece’s

shape and the clear film blends

in.

13. Apply finish coat

Custom waterslide decals

What to do if there aren’t official

waterslide decals? Make your

own!

What you need:

Decal paper

Decal bonder spray

Scanner

Photoshop or similar picture

editing software

Xacto knife

Patience… Lots of patience

Custom waterslide decals: Process

1. Scan stickers sheet

2. Open picture in Photoshop.

3. Remove background color using Photoshop

tools:

1. Magic wand

2. Eraser

3. Lasso

4. Once you’re done, you should have a

transparent picture file, with the original

decals

5. Print decals sheet on decal paper

Custom waterslide decals: Process

6. Let ink dry at least a few minutes

7. Lightly coat the decal sheet with the decal coat spray. Don’t overdo this.

8. Let the clear coat dry, apply one extra coat.

9. Let the decal sheet dry overnight.

10. You now have a decal sheet that’s almost as good as the official ones.

11. You just need to cut each and every decal with the exacto knife… have fun

12. There’s also white decal paper…

Paint inside of armor

Panel lines using enamel or acrylic

wash

Get enamel paint (usually grey, black

or brown)

Piece must have glossy finish.

1. Thin the paint with lighter fluid at a 3:2

fluid:paint ratio

2. With a small paintbrush, get a good

amount of paint and place it on the

panel. The paint will just flow

3. Continue doing this for the rest of the

panels on the piece

Panel lines using enamel wash

1. Let the piece dry for a few minutes

2. Clean the excess using a cotton

swab dipped in lighter fluid.

Better Clear Parts

1. Get Pledge floor polish (formerly known as Future Floor polish)

2. Pour some in a container

3. Dip transparent pieces into container

4. Cover the container

5. Remove the pieces very gently. Watch for air bubbles.

6. Let the excess drip away and cover the piece to avoid dust landing on it.

7. Excess can be removed with rubbing alcohol

Better Tinted parts

Instead of stickers that go on clear

pieces, use clear-colored paints.

Available in most common colors.

Gives a nice extra shine.

Clear-colored paints can also be

used for high-gloss finish. We’ll talk

about it later in this panel.

Contests (Part 1)

Fun and great way to learn

more about model building.

But if you go to a contest with the wrong expectations, it can

be stressful.

Your friends and family will

always tell you your Gundam is

the best. They’re not objective

Doing tons of (imperfect) modifications to a model

doesn’t guarantee winning a

contest.

Doing tons of (PERFECT)

modifications to a model will likely get you to the top of the

contest

Normally, a PERFECT model

without fancy modifications will

beat an imperfect model with

tons of modifications.

Masking

Use masking tape to protect

painted surfaces while

airbrushing.

Tamiya Masking tape is great.

Great for

Camouflage

Painting the interior of

armor pieces

Adding detail to pieces

Along panel lines, to have 2

similar color shades

Masking

1. Paint the first color. Let it dry

overnight

2. Cut the masking tape pieces to

the shape you need.

3. Place the masking tape. Make

sure it sticks all the way.

4. Paint the next color. Do quick,

light coats, to avoid building a

paint edge

5. Remove the masking tape

carefully.

Be careful when masking…

Use only masking tape.

Don’t cut the tape while on

the piece, or you could scratch the piece.

When removing the tape, do it

very slowly and carefully.

Don’t let a masked piece sit for

days (or weeks, or months… or

years)

Alcad II

1. Prime pieces with Tamiya Gloss

black spray.

2. Airbrush Alclad II normally

3. Let it dry overnight

4. At this point, you can polish the

finish, you can apply decals,

weather the piece, etc.

5. DON’T clear coat. That would

hide the metallic finish

High Gloss finish

Nicely done glossy parts or

models can look very nice.

As usual, planning is key

Paint a couple of glossy pieces

to contrast with the rest of the

model. Example: head crown.

Or you can go all the way with

some of the most colorful

Mobile suits, like any of Char

Aznable’s Red Mobile Suits.

High gloss and pearl finish

1. Apply a wet coat of the base

glossy color. Repeat if needed.

2. Apply a wet coat of the same

color in its clear version. Repeat if

needed.

3. Apply a wet clear gloss coat.

Repeat if needed

4. Apply decals

5. Apply a final clear gloss coat.

Let the parts dry for at least 30

minutes between same color

coats

Let the parts dry overnight before

applying the next color.

Coat and immediately cover the

piece to protect it from dust.

For a “Low visibility” look, apply the

decals BEFORE the colored-clear

coat (step 2)

You can follow the same steps

when using Pearl paints.

Marble paint1. Apply a wet coat of the base

glossy color

2. Using a brush, dip it in thinned

black paint, clean it a bit, and

apply paint in random patterns

over the pieces. Make sure not to

over do it.

3. Repeat to darken some spots.

4. You can also use a sponge.

5. Apply a gloss clear coat, then

decals, then another clear coat.

Candy coat paint

1. Prime with a wet coat of Gloss

black

2. Spray paint a wet coat of Metallic

Silver

3. Spray paint a coat of clear color

(blue, red, green, yellow).

Optional: polish in between coats

Dry brushing

Adds metallic highlights to show

some wear and tear

Best results are on a completely

finished piece.

Dip brush in metallic paint. Start

with a medium or dark metallic.

1. Clean brush with a piece of paper

until brush is almost dry but still has

some pigment

2. Gently brush around the edges

you want to highlight

3. Repeat with progressively lighter

tones, and covering less area

(more focused in the raised areas).

4. Gunmetal -> metallic grey ->

aluminum -> gloss silver.

Paint chipping

Similar to dry brushing.

Instead of a brush, use the

corner of a sponge.

Apply in random patterns. Be

careful not to overdo this.

Similar to drybrushing, start with

a darker color, then move to

adding highlights with

aluminum or silver.

Adding dirt, rust, snow, dust

Easiest way is to get a

weathering kit and just follow

the instructions.

Tamiya weathering kit is pretty

nice, and comes with an

applicator.

Just like with all other

weathering techniques, be

very careful not to overdo it

Paint chipping using salt

Most realistic paint-chipping,

though easy to over-do.

1. Pick a contrasting metallic color (if

the top color is lighter, use a

darker metallic and viceversa)

2. Prime

3. Paint with the metallic tone

4. Let it dry overnight

5. Use an old brush, dip it in water,

then in salt, then apply in the

areas you want to chip

Paint chipping

Some salt will fall, some will stay,

this helps the random patterns

Let it dry for a couple of hours.

Airbrush/spray paint the top color

Let it dry overnight

Remove the salt: rub with your

fingers, sand it off, etc.

Use other weathering techniques

to blend the look.

Battle Damage

Plan carefully before you start.

Sketch what you want to do in

Photoshop or similar software

Decide what type of damage

you want:

Blunt weapons

Bullets

Explosions

Energy beams

Energy saber

Battle Damage tools

Hobby knives

Soldering Iron

Sandpaper

Dremel power tool

Bullet Holes

1. Mark the places for the bullet

holes

2. Use a drill bit to start the holes. Not all holes need to go all the

way through.

3. Create fractures around the

hole by CAREFULLY using a

xacto knife

Energy blasts

1. Open the holes with a drill bit

or Dremel, similar to the bullet

holes

2. Open fractures around the

hole, similar to the bullet holes

3. Melt the plastic around the

holes using a soldering iron. Be

very careful not to overdo this.

4. Don’t breathe the fumes

Beam saber cuts

1. Mark where the cuts will be

2. Follow the lines with the

soldering iron.

3. Depending on how much of

the melting vs cutting effect

you want, either do a quick

pass, or slowly bunch up some

of the plastic around the

edges.

Blunt damage

Damage by collision with a blunt

object or hand to hand combat

Armor is not perforated, jut bent

Easy to do with power tools, but

also easy to overdo and end up

with a hole in the armor.

Best pieces to do this are curved,

spherical pieces, shields, etc.

Also possible to do using

sandpaper, it just takes longer.

Blunt damage

1. Use a power tool with a drill bit

or a sanding bit to start

depressing the piece.

2. Move slowly and make sure

you don’t poke a hole thru the

piece

3. Blend the main depression with

the rest of the piece with the

power tool, so it doesn’t look

like a cavity, but a deformation on the armor.

4. Use sandpaper to blend

everything in.

Exposing inner detail

MGs and RGs include skeletons.

The detail in them is nice, though

not perfect

Exposing inner detail from the

skeletons is not as simple as

removing the armor pieces.

As usual, plan what you want to

expose, and based on that you

can estimate the amount of work.

Depending on the skeleton

sections you want to expose, the

pre-existing detail may be

enough.

Exposing inner detail

Removing a complete piece or

sections usually exposes the

pins and holes in the plastic

pieces.

To make the gundam look

“realistic” you need to hide

these pins and holes, and add

any detail wherever it may be

lacking.

There’s no single way to enhance the exposed pieces.

Here are some ideas:

Exposing inner detail

Cut and sand out the pins

Use putty to fill in the holes

Get some network cables, get

the small wires out of the

cable, peel out some of the

cover to expose the wire, and

stuff them in the holes.

Use your spare Gundam pieces

and attach to areas lacking

detail.

Drybrushing, paint chipping,

panel lines, styrene panels, etc.

Depending on the reason why

the piece is exposed, add

more or less weathering or

battle damage.

Maybe the skeleton is

exposed for regular

maintenance, or just for

display.

Or maybe it’s exposed due to battle damage.

Dioramas

The sky is the limit

Plenty of resources to get

started at any hobby shop:

1. Finished and unfinished bases

on different sizes and types of

terrain

2. Trees and vegetation

3. Rocks

4. Buildings

5. People

The key for a good diorama is

to blend all the elements together in a cohesive and

harmonious way

Use the techniques for

painting, weathering, battle

damage, etc to achieve these

effects

Barbatos Display base

Contests

Fun and great way to learn

more about model building.

But if you go to a contest with the wrong expectations, it can

be stressful.

Your friends and family will

always tell you your Gundam is

the best. They’re not objective

Doing tons of (imperfect) modifications to a model

doesn’t guarantee winning a

contest.

Doing tons of (PERFECT)

modifications to a model will likely get you to the top of the

contest

Normally, a PERFECT model

without fancy modifications will

beat an imperfect model with

tons of modifications.

Contests

Be consistent in your finish:

If you’re going for “new” look,

don’t do weathering, keep panel

lines discreet, use glossy finish, etc.

For the weathered look, make sure

you don’t forget to weather some

spots, like the bottom of the

Gundam feet. Don’t try to hide

imperfections with heavy

weathering.

Be consistent on hiding or showing

panel lines

Make sure the finish is clean of any

glue, or putty drops.

Use latex gloves to avoid leaving

fingerprints everywhere

Be consistent when painting the

inside or armor, especially the

edges.

NO transparent stickers, and use

foil stickers only where the edges

will be hidden.

Clear film on decals or dry transfers

must be completely blended.

(gloss coat, decal, gloss coat, final

coat)

Contests

Don’t do extras half-way

If you add a display base, make

sure your Gundam “blends with it”

If you expose the inner frame,

modify or hide the pins/holes, and

add mechanical detail.

If you add custom LEDs, hide all

wiring.

But most important, build for you, not for the judges

Scribing new panel lines

RG, newer MG and newer PG

don’t really need this.

Older, larger MG and PG could benefit from this.

Most Larger HG could benefit

from this.

Significant planning and work

required.

Scribing panel lines

1. Draw the design on the piece. This

may be easier on a primed piece

2. Use thick masking tape along the

larger panel lines

3. Use a small scriber knife to start

scribing, using the masking tape as

a guide

4. Switch to a larger knife to finish the

panel

5. Sand around in case there’s any

plastic sticking out.

Adding styrene sections

Similar to scribing new panels, it’s

probably not necessary on newer

models.

Brings life to large, flat pieces

Styrene pieces

1. Plan the design you want

2. Get the styrene sheet in the

proper thickness.

3. Draw the design on the styrene

sheet

4. Cut the styrene pieces

5. Sand the edges

6. Glue the styrene on top of the

Gundam pieces. Make there are

no gaps or glue sticking out.

7. If needed fill any gaps, clear any

glue, sand down any remaining

imperfections, etc.

Answer a Question, Get a

Gundam!

Resin Parts

Resin casting allows some

additional detail compared to

regular plastic injection.

Plenty of Resin kits to improve

the look on your Gundams:

More detailed parts

Conversion Parts to modify a

model and turn it into a

variation.

Resin conversions are

expensive

Difficult to work with resin

Pieces need lots of cleaning

Dust from pieces is highly toxic

Must use Glue

Usually impairs Gundam’s

poseability

Resin Parts

The day you buy a Resin

conversion, the rumors start

about an official Bandai

release

The day you start working on your Resin conversion, Bandai

officially announces a release

The day you complete your

Resin conversion, Bandai

releases the same model, with

better detail and infinitely easier to build

Resources

http://angelmex.net

http://www.gundamkitscollection.com/2015/02/painted-build-neo-grade-

160-msn-04.html

http://www.hobbylink.tv/hlj-gundam-battle-damage-weathering-tutorial

http://codyscoop.com/ht-damages.html

http://www.hobbylink.tv/hlj-gundam-battle-damage-weathering-tutorial

http://web.ipmsusa3.org/content/ipmsusa-competition-

handbook#booknode-2037

Q & A

http://angelmex.net