[Kit Insight] HGUC F91 Gundam F91 (Afterimage Clear Ver.) (Gunpla Expo Exclusive) (Light Build)

Very beautiful clear version of an already beautiful HGUC kit!

[Kit Insight] Bandai Star Wars 1/72 TIE-Advanced X-1 (Painted Build)

Detailed but simple kit of Lord Vader's personal machine!

[Accessory Analysis] HGBC 1/144 Amazing Lev A and Amazing Lev D (Painted Builds)

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's actually both as well as a shield booster! They also provide a railgun and a beam gatling cannon!

Note: the Amazing Lev A and D are posed with the HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam for the purposes of this post!

[Kit Insight] SDBF/HGBF 1/144 SD-237S-2 Star Winning Gundam [S-Type] (Customised Build)

When it was first introduced, the Star Winning Gundam created a great big hooha both in the anime and in the real world, with multiple theories sprouting of the new Winning Road, the waist- and appendage-like assemblies that comprised its strangely-large backpack as well as what seems to be a V-Fin upon a V-Fin. With the conclusion of episode 18 (and "leaks" of the box art prior), all these fantastic theories were finally put to rest when we finally saw the Star Winning Gundam's Real Mode in action, and even if it was a little tame as compared to the antics of Sekai Kamiki, it was still wondrous to behold.

Many builders thought that this SD to HG transformation gimmick is new, some brilliant new maneuver to sell kits thought up by the famous (infamous) Bandai Hobby Division. However, this class of SD kits has been around since 1995, in the form of a series of BB Senshi Musha kits that were able to shed their SD facades to become 1/144-scale mushafied versions of UC mobile suits. Therefore, the technology behind the Star Winning's primary gimmick isn't new, it merely is a resurrection of 20-year-old model kit engineering. Nevertheless, the transformation system in the Star Winning has received substantial refinement and upgrade to close the 20-year gap, but fundamental flaws still mar the articulation and poseability of an otherwise beautiful and very unique model kit. 

[Kit Insight] RG 1/1 RX-78-2 Gundam (Straight Build)

All Gundam fans should try to be here at least once in their lives. This masterpiece is truly wondrous to behold.

Gunplanerd in Japan!

So I had some free time during a recent work trip to Japan, needless to say I went Gunpla hunting (come on, it's JAPAN)! Following are three places I found that could net you Gunpla at RIDICULOUSLY low prices! Read: at least 50% off Singapore retail prices.

I also explored the fabled Gundam Front!

It's not an exhaustive list, just a collection of the shops I managed to find. If you have other places for fellow Gunplanerds to visit, feel free to let us know in the comments below!

WARNING: lots of photos after the jump!

[Kit Insight] HGUC (HGBF) 1/144 AMX-104R-2 [B] R-Jarja [Beam Equipment Type] (Customised Build)

Model Number: AMX-104R-2[B]

Designation: Zeon General-Purpose Heavy Assault Use Mobile Suit

A refined version of the prototype R-Jarja, this particular model boasts a more powerful generator to support the multitude of beam weaponry onboard: a handheld heavy beam launcher, dual back-mounted beam gatling cannons, a powerful beam sword stored in a purpose-built scabbard as well as a handheld experimental beam shield. With an output almost equivalent to battleships, the R-Jarja [Beam Equipment Type] is able to sweep the battlefield clean of enemies with its agility and lethality.

The actual kit however, suffers from a poor mounting design for the shoulders: the pop off way too easily and those huge shoulders do not help matters at all. Such a pity.

[Kit Insight] HGBF 1/144 Hi-Mock & HGBC 1/144 Mock Army Set (Straight Builds)

Although the part count is substantially low, it is still a deceptively simple HGBF kit. Nevertheless, the build itself is smooth and uneventful, with plenty of polycaps laced throughout the kit to aid with its more than decent articulation. The weapons feature extra handles and grips for 1/100 hands, and the Hi-Mock's own hands look to be from a MG kit.

State of the Hobby

There has always been debate among the various "factions" in Gunpla's hobby community, comprising modelers and hobbyists like you and I, each with our preferences, idiosyncrasies and of course opinions. 

We have the purists who engage in every conceivable form of modification and/or customisation for their works: from seam line removal to metalizing every nook and cranny of the internal frame. We also have the straight builders, with an onus on quantity, preferring to complete as many model as possible. Then we have the casual builders, like yours truly, who just want to have nicer, more unique models that I can truly call my own to display in my mini-museum at home.

But whichever segment you fall into, it is important to enjoy the hobby, to enjoy what you are doing. Yes, you can build a model out of the box and call it a day, or you can spend months on a single part and only see the completed masterpiece after an eternity. At the end of the day, the finished product is yours and yours alone - every nub mark, every misplaced decal, every accidental smudging of the paint job is testament to the sweat, blood and tears that have been poured into this little plastic construct standing proudly before you.

No one can stop you from doing what you want to your own Gunpla, because life is already hard as it is. Do what you wish, modify as you deem fit, customise as much as your imagination can muster and produce the finest Gunpla you yourself have ever seen.

Because Gunpla is freedom.

[Kit Insight] HGBF 1/144 PF-78-3A[FS] Gundam Amazing Red Warrior [Full Spec.] (Customised Build)

Model Number: PF-78-3A[FS] Gundam Amazing Red Warrior [Full Spec.]
Designation: Meijin Kawaguchi the Third's Customised Heavy Assault Mobile Suit