Sticky-Tack Camouflage Masking

On my recent Rick Dom II I used the rolled sticky-tack masking method. The idea is that the rolled edge of the sticky tack gives you a slightly soft edge on your camouflage that simulates a to-scale overspray patterns from a paint gun. It’s very common among airplane modelers. Since I don’t see this camouflage technique used much in the world of Gunpla, I decided to make a tutorial. Aircraft modelers often use sticky tack to create camouflage patterns on their airplanes. One method is to blow up the instruction manual to match the size of the model and cut out the camouflage pattern. They put sticky-tack on the back of it and stick it to the model. The sticky-tack raises the edge of the paper mask and allows some of the spray to slip under it and create a … Read More

Anime Expo Model Contest and Bandai Gunpla Builders World Cup

Bandai GBWC

I’ve talked with Clem (Gamerabaenre) who usually organizes the AX model contest, and with Steve at Bluefin, who organizes the Gunpla Builders World Cup Live Events and since I’m judging both contests I wanted to coordinate the judging and model placement since it was kind of disorganized last year. Last year more-or-less ALL models were entered and physically placed in the artist area of the exhibition hall. We judged the models Saturday afternoon for the Anime Expo contest, and then contestants had about an hour to make the mad dash with their models to set them up again at the Bluefin booth for the judging of the Bandai Gunpla Builders World Cup Contest. Some people weren’t there to move them, and they were disappointed that their models weren’t entered in the Gunpla Builders World Cup (GBWC). Bandai and Bluefin were … Read More

Model Build Gathering This Weekend 6/11/2011

BG Pic

Just wanted to post on the front page that the June Build Gathering is coming up this Saturday June 11th at Gamerabaenre’s house in Placentia, California. Get more information, including how to get on the email list that announces the monthly gatherings at Gamerabaenre’s forum. BTW the last two words of that las sentence are a link, they just aren’t a diffferent color (at least on my PC). Here’s the URL, just to be safe: http://gamerabaenre.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5$t=944 Getherings start at 1pm and go until the last person leaves, usually around 1-3 am. This month will be the last BG before Anime Expo and the local leg of the 2011 Bandai Gunpla World Cup so hopefully people will be working on their entries.

Funaka’s Scratchbuilding Guide

Hazel Hummingbird Before Paint

Every wanted to do a heavy modification to you kit? The kind that you can’t do just by swapping parts around from different kits? Or maybe you want to create something new from the ground up. This article covers design, materials, tools and techniques for a variety of scratchbuilding and detailing methods. Click the title below to view/download the PDF: Funaka’s Scratchbuilding Guide

Decal Creation Tutorial

Sometime in 2010 I finally finished this… I worked on this decal tutorial on and off for at least a year. When you see it in its 37-page glory I think you’ll see why it took so long to finish. Rather than make another massive multi-part series of webpages like I did with my scratchbuilding tutorial, I just made this PDF: Funaka’s Creating Custom Decals.pdf Now you too can make decals like these!!! :)

Three GM Weekend

Snapped HGUC GMs

This last weekend was the April “Those Gundam Guys” Build Gathering (yes, we have a name now). Earlier in the month Gamerabaenre and Angel went and got the Dengeki Hobby issue with the GM Wagtail conversion kit in it. They were nice enough to pick me up a copy. Last week I visited the Robot4Less store for the first time and picked up the HGUC RGM-79C GM Ka kit that goes with it. Believe it or not I didn’t take this kit to the build gathering, even though the guys were planning a 0083-era GM group build of sorts that would culminate in a large diorama of a Zeon remnant base about to be swarmed by a herd of assorted GMs. But I was going to stick to my plans and work on sanding seams on my Valkyrie and maybe … Read More