MRNVL Art

Nub removal is one of the fundamental techniques of model building, not only for Gunpla but all other forms of plastic modeling as well. It is a process of shaving and sanding down excess plastic until it disappears. Some new builders try to build their kits as fast as possible, while others may not know there is a proper process for removing the excess mold plastic. Still others just don't care. The result is the same, a lazy sloppy kit which is almost universally looked down upon. Even if (really, especially if) you’re a reviewer, trying to rush the content out, you should always aim to build well rather than build fast. Doing cut rate work in hopes of being the "first one" on social media is a great way to lose the respect of anyone who takes the hobby seriously. Be fastidious with your work and you won't have to fix it later! There are two different methods based on the tools available to you, however both require a good sanding sponge. If you don'...

MS-07B Grimoire An HG kitbash presented in 1/100 scale. Kits used: HG Grimoire, HG Zaku F2000, HG Black Tri-stars Zaku Origin ver, HG Geara Zulu Angelo Sauper ver, MG Zaku 2.0, HG Hyakuren, HG build campaign parts. I built this kit with a fun goal in mind. Can I make a Grimoire look like a Gouf custom without using any of it's parts? The answer is a resounding yes! Although some artistic license is taken with the design, most Gundam fans could easily identify which grunt suit this little guy is cosplaying as. I dropped some design elements of the Gouf that I really don't like such as the shoulder spikes and energy cables. I usually like cabling on Zeon MS quite a lot but for some reason the way they are placed on the Gouf really irks me. A 1/100 scale command fin is used to match the size of the Grimoire head and really underscore the commander suit vibe. I grafted a Zaku 1 round shoulder onto the stock piece to give a nice Zeon suit look.  ...

Seam lines are the second most problematic fix on most kits – right after nub marks. Whether painted or not, a seam line running down the middle of a part completely ruins the sense of scale and immersion. Fixing these things is a royal pain so I've come up with a sledgehammer method to make sure it gets done the first time. More modern kits are often engineered in such a way that part joints are covered by other parts or assembled in such a way as to make the joint look like a natural part of the model. That said, they’re still present on many cheaper kits – especially SDs, HGs, and NGs. Your loving design team at Bandai spent their budget on RGs, MGs and PGs. As such, seam line removal is a skill that will always be useful in modeling. You may be asking, why would I even do this? The answer is that seam fixing is one of the cornerstones of competitive model building. In competitions that use a derivative of the IPMS standard you will lose a point for each unfixed line. This...