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by Richie Ramos Now that Gundam has been shown on TV, there’s been a lot of attention on the merchandise of gundam, which is basically the model kits of the Mobile Suits, or MS. Most of these kits are already good looking off the box but it would also help if one learns a few skills to get these kits to look better. So here are some tips on model kit building and painting. I would suggest that one read the tips through before doing anything on a kit. I. Basic There are a couple of things that one needs for basic stuff: paint, brushes, and thinner. I would suggest Tamiya stuff — the small bottles, not the large bottles, since those are for airbrushes. These Tamiya paints are good for hand brushing. As for the brush...all I can say is that it’s a matter of trial and error on what type of brush you like. For me, I prefer to have three brushes: a wide and flat brush, a round medium brush, and a fine point brush. The thinner is used to get the paint to the consistency you want. Granted, Tamiya has its own thinner, but I use industrial strength thinner, and I use only a little of it...the consistency of the paint is dependent upon your preference, but a word of warning: when using industrial thinner, too much causes the paint’s component chemicals to separate, which is a bad thing especially for metallic paints, so take care. For gundam kits, the official paint is actually Gunze Sangyo — they even have the exact colors mixed out for certain gundam kits, like the Qubeley...but hey, no one is importing them, so one may as well stick to Tamiya. It’s also a good idea to experiment with different color combinations — if you want to personalize your kit. At the most basic, all you have to do is paint small sections which are a different color from the rest of the part, like antennas, the intakes and radiators, even fins and eyes. One needs a small brush for this, though certain parts are best painted with the edge of a flat tipped brush, like the eyes, or edges of certain wings. This is pretty easy, and it creates more detail for your kit. A good example would be to paint the eyes of your gundam kits, or perhaps paint some parts the color you see them in the manuals. No need to paint the whole part, just the part that needs to be a particular color. Once you’ve painted that, the paint needs about 24 hours to dry completely. So leave the kit or kit part alone when you finish.
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