'My chisel heads are on their way back to China now, because I failed to try to intercept it before it got returned to the sender(s). I guess I'll message the vendors and try to give them the actual address to send to. If I have to pay shipping again, so be it.';

'>all non-Japan P-B sites all down for nearly a week
>Email notifications for April releases still are not received even though today is the date of the shipping

IT'S JOEOVER';

'Does anyone have experience using paint pens with gunpla?

and anyone recommend a brand that I can get in the US without having to worry about importing?';

'>>10964497
Just get Gundam markers, which are pretty easy to get in the US. They will have the colors you're looking for, and they cost about the same as other decent paint pen brands anyway, like Posca. Which will also work fine, but probably don't have the color range you're looking for, which leads me back to Gundam markers.';

'Does anyone actually paint with markers? WTF';

'>>10961552
>>10961574
bought two of these, thanks anonymous.';

'What's the best airbrush plamo primer? I'd especially like something white or pink.';

'Lessons learned today:
>plastic used in 40+ year old kits is very brittle
>strips can reinforce where pins can't, so leftover PE runners are worth keeping';

'>>10966063
>leftover PE runners
wait what? are those strips plastic and not glued-on brass?
and who even uses PE, I've only seen PS and ABS';

'>>10966094
PE in this context is photo etch so it's brass';

'>he doesn't use blood for modelling';

'>MG kit missing one single runner with two parts on it
>pretty sure my stupid ass kept everything in the box and I definitely didn't throw it out, nothing on my floor or under anything
>none in stock on the bandai replacement sites
>jack shit on the other sites I can find
they're fucking arm joint parts so i guess thats 80 dollars out the window';

'>>10967545
>not just making the missing parts out of sticks and shit lying around';

'Man I'm so torn on new MMS Minilla figure. If he was like an inch shorter and slightly cheaper I'd go for it.
Anyone have him?';

'>>10967985
Oops, my bad, just realized this is the Gunpla thread
To stay on topic: I haven't done panel lining before, but I'm watching tutorials to do so for my next kit. I may make a Dark Army soldier next time.';

'What do archery, fishing and plamo have in common?
The need to store long thin things.';

'>>10968374
How much does it cost to even get this much plastic tubing?';

'>>10968826
Like $10.';

'>>10968831
For a single pack or a few at a time? I've been trying to figure out the best way to get this stuff but Amazon listings always make me wonder if there's a better way in terms of quantity to value.';

'>>10968839
Aliexpress is the answer. Most third parties on Amazon are just dropshipping from Aliexpress anyway, and pocketing your extra money.';

'>>10968893
And aliexpress sellers are dropshipping from taobao while taobao sellers are dropshipping from pinduoduo';

'>>10968839
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003313806881.html';

'>>10968911
Well yeah but Aliexpress is the last "non-pain in the ass" tier if you don't live in China, cause Taobao and Pinduoduo require middlemanning.';

'>>10968839
>Amazon
only 2 reasons to buy from Amazon:
1. you need it yesterday
2. overseas shipping is prohibitive due to size or weight (see: A0 cutting mat)
for all other cases there is Aliexpress';

'>>10968911
>>10968921
and also the markup from Pinduoduo -> Taobao -> Aliexpress is minimal, and usually would require buying in bulk to get good savings. It's nothing like the huge jump in markup from Ali -> Amazon.';

'What are "third party" Gundam kits that look fast? (Preferably without having a parade worth of stuff as a backpack)';

'>>10968932
Why do the kits I want on Aliexpress come with no boxes? Are they second hand or something?';

'>>10970355
>Why do the kits I want on Aliexpress come with no boxes?
It's cheaper for the seller to repack the contents into a single sturdy shipping box instead of sending the original thin cardboard box, plus padding to protect that box, and then a BIGGER shipping box around all that.
still most aliexpress sellers that do shit like that seem to have a cheaper no-box option and a slightly more expensive with-box option';

'>>10970686
I tend to throw out the boxes, but it just seems like there'd be a lot of room for error and suddenly I'd be missing runners.';

'>>10970776
aliexpress's dispute resolution system is usually pretty in favor of the customer so if there's runners missing you'll be able to get a refund.';

'>>10970791
That's good to hear. I've been eyeing off a couple of kits on there but wasn't sure if it was worth the risk.';

'>>10970791
>aliexpress's dispute resolution system is usually pretty in favor of the customer
I get 50%+ discounts on crumpled boxes and parts torn off the runners all the time thanks to that system. That said, proper model stores pack the kits properly.';

'>>10970801
Wow, you can even claim for shit like that? I've only been claiming serious damage or missing parts, and just accepting stuff like that as the way things are. That said, I really like shopping on Aliexpress, and don't really want to risk getting my account flagged for too many disputes, or pissing off certain stores. So maybe I'm fine just claiming more serious shit.';

'>>10970809
>don't really want to risk getting my account flagged for too many disputes
This made me curious so I went to see how many disputes I filed. It turns out I filed 654 disputes over 9 years I've been using Aliexpress. Now, most of those were for stuff never arriving or missing/broken/wrong kind, but I'm sure a few dozens were for minor damage where I didn't claim full amount (protip: claiming less than full amount for refund increases the probability of said refund). So don't worry Anon, this isn't AmiAmi, they won't ban you unless you repeatedly commit obvious fraud or something.';

'>>10970829
damn dude, I think you actually shop there more than me. And I'm an "order 100 different tiny items/parts at once" type of customer.';

'Are there any deals nowadays on Aliexpress except for a couple of WfM kits? Everything else looks more expensive then legit stores.';

'>>10970959
you order chinese shit from aliexpress. lots of original shit there like hemoxian, motor nuclear, etc

obviously shipping a bandai box from japan to china and then back outta china isn't gonna be a cost savings compared to shipping it straight from japan (or buying from a local store who shipped it from japan on their own dime)';

'>>10970959
Aliexpress is not magic. They can't offer cheaper than retail price on legitimate products unless like, they have a huge surplus they're liquidating or something. The lower prices you are seeing are typically unwanted shelfwarmers, or lower-quality bootlegs (off the top of my head only a few WFM ones exist).';

'>>10970986
>>10970984

That's too bad, I just started the hobby and holy fuck, shit's expensive. And had I started a few years ago things were all cheap and available back then.';

'Anyone know what this joint tightener is? The label claims that it contains nylon resin
https://youtu.be/0iB9kN84IoU?si=Yk9eyE_GA-8GJrKt&t=264';

'>>10971041
the orange one at the timestamp is daiso brand "ほつれ止め液" which translates as anti-fraying liquid. it seems like it's mostly for fabrics and doll clothes
https://jp.daisonet.com/products/4549131717785
the green one earlier in the video is anti-slip liquid, "すべり止め液", which is probably what you want for tightening joints.
https://jp.daisonet.com/products/4549131717792

but the point of the video is that this shit costs only 100 yen, if you have to pay much more than that to import it you should probably just use something available locally. there are plenty of ways to tighten joints.';

'>>10966063
>when you have to glue 2 parts together in 4 different places and hit those places with CA accelerator more or less at the same time or the parts crumble, collapse on themselves and form a black hole
I don't know what they made plastic of in the ancient times, but that plastic sure isn't a good match for modern plastic cements (and I am not brave enough to unseal that which slept for 4 decades in a little lead tube that came with the kit), so it's better to just treat it as a resin kit and use CA cement everywhere.';

'>>10971327
>there are plenty of ways to tighten joints
This. My favorite is the nail art masking fluid.';

'>>10971030
The main component-kits themselves-are still relatively manageable for just about anyone. EGs start at like $10 and they're quite good. And as usual, if you're poor in this hobby, spend lots of time working on your skills. A $20 kit can last literally months if you give it the full treatment.';

'>>10971390
And that works? Doesn't just peel off after any articulating? First I've heard.';

'>>10964497
They can be fine for small touch ups, but don't expect stellar results. I used a pack of £20 acrylic paint markers for the Barbatos as a test to see how they'd be.';

'>>10971875
They’ve been going in and out of stock for PO on BBTS for the same price as other retailers last I saw rusty was back in stock and so were the option parts. BBTS is not the best store for 30mm in general, though. HLJ or amiami is usually the best bet. Who knows about these kits? 30mm is a budget line but pretty solid and these AC6 kits look more complex than other kits in the line.';

'>>10971528
Not inside joints it doesn't.
Nail art masking fluid is different from hobby masking fluild in that it isn't rubbery, it dries hard, more like white glue, but not as permanent.';

'What is your opinion on Frame Arms? Not Frame Arms Girls, but Frame Arms?';

'>>10971950
They're cool. The older ones with the prebuilt frame have some issues because the frame is pretty sloppy but newer ones use less and less of it.';

'>>10971991
What is that little yellow armored guy?';

'>>10972063
Yellow 30MM Portanova.';

'>>10971875
30mm are some of the best beginner friendly kits bandai has ever produced.';

'>>10971875
Like the other anon said, 30MM is a beginner-friendly line focusing on easy builds (it's called 30 Minute Missions bc you're supposed to be able to build it in 30 minutes) and part swappability/modularity.

The existing 30MM stuff is alright, it's well-designed for the most part, but they feel dinky and light, and the joints are pretty flimsy feeling. They never really feel good, like they're right on the verge of looseness. I am hoping this will be improved for AC, since they will be a bit larger than usual. And I certainly hope they've designed the joints with enough strength to withstand part swapping and potentially heavier loadouts. Only time will tell.';

'DSPIAE Complete Polishing Solution (TM) has arrived.
Too bad all the polishing on my current project is already done, but there's always a next time.';

'>>10971875
>How are the plastic, stability, enginering aspects of the line?

It's same as other bandai kits. Unless they are specifically calling out the material like limex or ay of their other experimental plastic replacement, there's no difference.';

'Just ordered the Motor King 1/100 Zaku Tank, should be an interesting build';

'>>10972114
They really are, I buy them for some easy builds I can do before or after work.';

'>>10974286
i wish they didn't feel so cheap though. i know they ARE cheap, but damn these guys start to feel floppy real fast. I expect a little better from modern Bandai, even on budget lines-especially when they're doing spectacular work on lines like HGCE for just a few bucks more.';

'>>10974763
>but damn these guys start to feel floppy real fast
Tell me about it I loaded up that spinatia with the cannons and now it can't stand on its own without a ton of delicate adjustments.';

'I do love all these extras required for doing very specific conversions.
also need a quick knowledge refresher, is sawed resin completely harmless as opposed to sanded resin?';

'>>10975981
Man, this reminds me to try and actually finish my fucking car models. And considering it's still resin and you're still doing some kind of work on it, you should probably wear a mask just to be safe.';

'>>10975981
>is sawed resin completely harmless
It depends on what it's sawed with: any kind of power tool would fill the air with resin bits, so you would want to protect yourself and extract the air. Hand saws (or resin nippers) do not normally produce particles small enough to float in the air, so they are reasonably safe.';

'>>10976166
Having a gel cleaner ready to quickly mop up the resin particles is still a good idea though.';

'>>10976132
sawing was fine but gonna have to bring out safety equipment for grinding and sanding now.(bringing it to the sink)
>>10976166
>Hand saws (or resin nippers) do not normally produce particles small enough to float in the air
my thought too, real life reflects that by the looks of things but I wanted to make sure I won't be coughing up blood.';

'Really fucking awesome build so far';

'>>10963605
>Arwing
>Ray-01

I want these';

'>>10976846
bruh the snapfit by itself looks great';

'>>10971918
Well, I'll be. Taught me something, anon. Neat.';

'I regret buying Gundam artifacts. I thought the idea of a gundam mini was cool but Bandai do not know how to design miniatures. they have really awkward part separation so they require a lot of putty.The joints are dangerously thin and the pegs connecting parts together are often too tight a fit for how small the pieces you're putting together are. I was working on a transparent tall geese and had to give it a dusting with primer so I could remove nubs. was enough to ruin tolerances and need extra force to get the parts glued together as intended. I started cutting the pegs down but thankfully an ankle broke when inserting the leg into the hip. Thank fuck for that being over. I'll sell the others and 3d print small models instead. shrinking gunpla does not work well but Bandai did just that.';

'>>10976972
You're supposed to put it all together first and then prime it.';

'>>10976251
don't listen to that idiot. Any thing you do to cut resin will make dangerous dust. knife, saw, chainsaw. it doesn't matter. use proper safety equipment.';

'>>10976974
Usually I would but Bandai transparent plastic and the tiny size made building it extremely difficult. priming it to see what I was building was essential. With the transparent plastic at this size nubs would run riot.';

'>>10976994
>Bandai transparent plastic
??? Aren't they mostly in brown plastic?';

'>>10976984
>Any thing you do to cut resin will make dangerous dust.
People are working with resin in your city. There are resin atoms all around you, anon, all the time. Let that sink in.';

'>>10976972
>shrinking gunpla does not work
>3d print small models instead
Unless the models you have are properly thickened, this will not work well.';

'>>10976972
I had similar frustrations with them. But the problem is the designs are so cool. Way too cool for such shitty dinky little "kits." I hope Bandai gives me these HGs someday.

And no, this one isn't mine. Wish it were.';

'>>10977007
clear ones were variants';

'>>10977069
Looks like a good masking exercise.';

'>>10977090
well-planned masking and some smd leds would make a really cool little display piece.';