Level Up! Results

Thank you all for your tremendous interest and enthusiasm for this, my first modelling contest. All-in-all there were a total of 21 entries, of which 9 entrants managed to complete their builds within the deadline.

So, the time has finally come, I have spent the past week going over the entries and scoring them according to 4 different criteria, WIP (work in progress, so I can see how much work has gone into making the model), Skill Advancement (how much I think the planned skill advancement is), Success (how well the advancement turned out) and completed final model.

It was incredibly hard to choose a winner.. there were modellers of all skill levels involved and all the completed models were of a great standard. Although I can only give out two prizes, I hope that all the entries have come away with at least a new string to their bow.

I would like to take a moment to just give a few thoughts on each of the 9 entries:

Char Z'Gok by Tadych:
Tadych's aim was to remake a previous model he had painted using rattle-cans, an improvement on a previous model. Some great detailing put into this one on a crisp and neatly coloured paint job. Some very impressive weathering, paint chipping and rusting detail put in is a lifelike bonus to this highly displayable kit.

SD Kampfer by Effael:
Effael's first resin cast model is a superbly crafted little mean machine with a superb, clean paint job topped off with an ominously mean LED installation. Some real expert detailing here with some top-notch colour separation and decals. The material paintwork here is really something that stood out from me, giving a real 'feel' for different surface texture in the metallics, offset by the ceramic-esque armour parts.

Efreet Nacht by Justinius Builds:
Justin's first resin conversion is a gorgeously spiky and dangerous looking Efreet Nacht, a conversion build over a Zaku MG frame. Superb, clean paint work with some very expert shading, great detailing and some really cool metallic parts. The orange accents really make the overall piece pop right out showing off a keen eye for aesthetic balance. The Kunai-style daggers are a personal favourite part of this model.

Chromed Death by Event Horizon Gunpla
Event Horizon was looking to improve his painting skills with the legendary Death-sythe Hell. Event Horizon most certainly outdid himself in this model, advancing his understanding of metallic coatings to produce a very shiny and gorgeous reproduction of a previous model. The addition of some great decal work produced a great piece, setting him on the path to some future great works.

Sabre Tiger by Chadwokie
His first Zoids kit (and an impressive choice at that) is pretty superbly painted in a desert camoflage colour scheme, with a pleasingly complex construction. Great detailing and one mean looking cat.

Gundam 0 custom HG by Tian Hong:
This heavily modified HG model is a great example of Tian Hong's impressive scratch building skills, taken even further with the addition of one huge cannon! Tian Hong was looking to improve his modification skills, and weathering and has pulled of a great looking model. The almost classical full-armour colour scheme is very well thought out with some skilled colour separation. Great to-scale weathering and material detail.

RG GP-01 Fb by Zubaun Builds
Zubaun's first painted RG is stunningly good considering it's 1/144 scale. Some amazing masking skills shown here with a great eye for colour contrast. Great textures, perfect subtle shading and super-sharp detailing, a real work of art - setting aside my own bias for the bad-ass design of the RG GP-01fb :)

My Winners

My first prize winner is Pawces, with this superb fantasy/medieval concept based off a tallgeese. Pawces was looking to make a custom based on something he had not tried before - born out of a like for Game of Thrones. The level of modification here, and how well it has been pulled off is nothing short of great. The colour choices, the addition of the "chain mail" style shoulders, the fluffy cuff and the cape to my mind would never work on a mecha model, and Pawces has pulled it off spectacularly, and proved my thoughts entirely wrong! The addition of the exquisitely detailed white and gold paint job literally below my socks off, and has become most certainly one of my most favourite models this year so far. Pawces wins the Jehuty HD edition model. Many congratulations to you sir :)

The second prize winner goes to Tigrillo, with his awe inspiring scratch-build of the classic VF-001S. You simply can not ignore the amount of work that has gone into creating this. Tigrillo's aim was to improve upon a previous scratch build of the same model, improving its proportions, transform-ability and mechanics and has pulled it off in style. With the addition of an excellently done paint job, the detail put into the cockpit is stunning, and the overall aesthetic is a pleasure to look at. Very, very well done. Tigrillo wins a £20 Amazon voucher :)

Thank you all. 

Finally, I would like to thank everyone for your excellent support for this contest, and commiserations to those who did not win or manage to finish your models in time. It was a genuine pleasure to look at all your work, and I look forward to seeing more from you all. You are an inspiration to everyone who wants to improve in this community, and keep doing what your doing and sharing your works with the world. 

I look forward to holding another contest later this year :) 

Level Up! contest update and more

Hello 2014! I know, its already been going for 13 days but this is of course the first blog post of 2014. I have now returned from a most excellent visit to Japan and am now spending some time attempting to defeat my jetlag..

Level-Up! Contest - Update

Just a reminder that the deadline for the contest is drawing near! If you need a reminder for the rules then please click here. I have 1 entry in so far out of around 20 so keep those WIPs coming :) I have decided that the top prize for the winner will be the awesome Kotobukiya Jehuty HD edition . Second prize will be announced later!

The Japan trip

The trip itself was fantastic. This is the 4th time I have been, but my first being a Gundam fan since it was my previous trip in 2011 that get me into Gunpla, and the world of Mecha. I was incredibly happy to see the 1/1 Gundam at the Gundam Front exhibition in Odaiba, and took great pleasure in perusing last years GBWC entries and witness the most epic 3d dome-projected Gundam movie. The other exhibits were awesome too of course, a day I will not forget for sure. A short video of my trip is here:

Picked up a total of 10 kits, inclusive of the huuuuuge MG EX-S and found a great way to compact them all into my luggage - just cut all the parts off the runners, stuck them in baggies and flattened the boxes. Managed to fit them all into 1 suitcase! (bar the ex-s, I did not really have the time to cut ALL those runners!). Most of them were purchased at a local hobby store, which mainly specialised in RC but had a fantastically huge selection of Gunpla, mecha and modelling parts on offer - cheaper (surprisingly) than Akihabara.

I also did an awful lot of eating since I am a massive fan of Japanese food. We also took a trip to the Anpanman museum in Yokohama for my 4-year old who had great fun. We also had great fun at a restaurant designed for babies where the tables were wooden round discs on a huge padded floor which was an entirely new experience for me.. :) Ibuki made some great baby friends and the meal was packed full of cuteness. The rest of the time was spent getting over a cold, visiting naighbours and well... shopping. Miss it already and already looking forward to our next visit. One thing is for sure though.. not going in December again as it was freeeeeezing!

What's coming next modelling wise and more..  

Still working on the Victory MG, close to completion with only a few parts to be painted and some panel lining/decalling and assembly to go. Next will be.... announced later. I will also be giving some thought to Justinius Builds new contest where he has thrown down a challenge to create a kit bash! 

There will also be a new year Google Hangout with the venerable Gunpla Fixation and guests coming soon. Stay tuned to the GundamUK facebook page to find out when!

Off to Japan, some updates and looking back at 2013

Off to Japan in a while, so thought I would round up the year with a final post looking back at 2013, which has been a all-round good one for me, as well as give a little update as to what I have been up to. 

Setting aside personal things like (finally) getting myself in employment I actually like, watching my first born growing up past the toddler stage and into boyhood, and of course welcoming our second child into the world, my Mecha building world has grown substantially. Whereas I did not get as many models completed as I would have liked to, I have definitely improved a bit and learned a hell of a lot from my peers. I have also made some great friends and interesting characters this year through the hobby. The mecha lounge has continued to grow, with the success of the CHAOS group build setting a new standard in forum-based competition. Hats off to all the chaps on the mecha lounge for a year of fantastic work. 

Gunpla Fixations google hangouts have been a tremendous success this year, bringing together for the first time many you tube and Mecha modelling community members and continues to gain popularity, I have been lucky enough to be chosen by Jim to be a co-host of this awesome fortnightly event that you can catch up on by clicking here. New events currently in planning for the new year, and we always welcome new faces so if you are interested, do drop Jim, Justinius or myself a message through G+ :)

Updates wise, the Level Up Competition now has an amazing total of 20 entrants! I am admittedly shocked by the amount of entries and am very pleased everyone has entered into the spirit of the competition, and are genuinely upping their games. Prizes will be announced in the new year, so keep an eye on the gundamuk facebook page for updates. 

The Victory Gundam is nearing completion, I have been doing a little filming here and there so should cobble together a final WIP and reveal video in the new year. Made some slight errors on masking the red circle parts and they ended up looking a little wonky.. still I am hoping some retouching and panel lining should fix this. Just a few parts and weapons to paint now, then I can move onto assembling.  

So, after a 2 year wait I am finally going back to Japan, I'll be staying for a number of weeks and (hopefully) regularly updating the sights and sounds of all things Gunpla related on my travels in Japan. I will be (of course) visiting Gundam front and praying to the almighty 1/1 scale to provide me with another year of smooth air brushing application and non-splitting parts. I have an extensive list of items I plan to purchase, and a pretty ingenious way to get them back here to the UK with the aid of a set of clippers, and some plastic containers. Some things on my list are all the thunderbolt kits (as many as are released during my stay), and MG Nu Ver.Ka, and a HG Gerbera Tetra. I will also be picking up some exclusives that are actually worth buying and are not just recolours. No doubt there will also be large amounts of ridiculous tat that are Gundam related. The first thing I am going to eat when I arrive? A McDonalds Teriyaki Burger. If you have not had one of these, these are things that if you ate more than 2, you will have a heart attack. They are simply, stunningly tasty. We already spent considerable time planning our eating plans.. :) 

A couple of bits of news to share: Monoeye press' fantastic beginners Mecha building guide has topped the "arts and crafts" section over on Amazon. If you are new to Gunpla or need some handy and comprehensive instruction on basic technique - then this is for you. I was lucky enough to get an advance copy and I can personally say, its excellent - covering everything from the history of Mecha in Japanese culture through to panel lining, assembly and modification techniques. Pick it up now! 

Anyway, that's enough rambling for now. Thank you all for a fantastic 2013 and I wish you all a great holiday and New Year! 

A quick vid saying more thanks :)

The GundamUK Contest: Level Up!

With my hands tied for a while by parental duty, I thought now would be a good time to launch a contest!

The concept is really quite simple, I want every contestant no matter how few or many, to UP YOUR GAME and LEVEL UP!

What do I mean by this? Well, the idea is you must build yourself a mecha model, within certain constraints listed below where you improve upon your own modelling ability in some way.

Some of you are already pretty shit-hot when it comes to mecha modelling, but everyone, no matter what your skill level is has something they have not yet tried, or have reached a plateau in which they have been stuck in over time.

This contest however is not locked into the idea of improvement on your technical ability - it can also or be inclusive of an improvement in your creative skill. Perhaps you have had an idea swimming around your head for some time, but have not yet found the drive to put it into action. Or maybe you are tired of doing the same old model in different colour schemes, or for once you feel like adding a few extra barrels to that gun.

With all this in mind, I want to set some ground rules.

The Model:

• Must be modelled. By this, I mean no plain snap-fits. Anyone can snap-fit and make an ornament. Modellers make it a model. 
• A single model. No dioramas. Scratch building/modification fine. Weathering is fine. Any scale fine. 
• Must be Mecha/sci-fi based. No real-world stuff. Sorry Gary. 
• Not limited by manufacturer. 
• Must be made purely for this compo. If I see it elsewhere, sorry your disqualified. Re-entries defeat the whole premise of the contest. 

The entry requirements:

• I need legible quality photo of your kit or parts, with the entry graphic in frame (below). This can be done with a mobile phone or on a monitor in the background. Adding it in with software won't count. You can enter any time up until the closing date. Details on how to submit are below. 
• A link to a WIP somewhere. A good place to do this is on the Mecha Lounge. Judgement will be on the final model, but it always helps to see how the model was built and painted.
• Preferably a link to your previous work. Helps to see how far you have come so far. 
• A little info on what you intend to do.
• Any skill level accepted. Don't be put off by others skill levels, it's about you, not them.  
• *EDIT* 31/08/13: One entry for contestant only please! 
• *EDIT* 31/08/13: You can enter a model you have started, but it'll be on a case-by-case

Time

I will start accepting entries from today, the 31st of August and will close on February the 1st 2014. This gives you 4.6 months to complete your entry. 

The Winners

Will be chosen by me, with perhaps a little advisement from my non-participating friends and non-mecha modellers -  and will win prizes. What these prizes will be will be announced later but your motivation should be improvement and enjoying the competition and not material gain. I do understand however making models costs money, so the winner will be suitably rewarded :). I have chosen to do this to sort out the chaff from the real people who want to improve and/or compete in something they really love doing. I will also announce later on how many places will be given. 

There will also (depending on how many entries) be one winner chosen by my 3-year old son JK. 

Ok, got it and have read everything above. How do I enter?

Easy. You need to give me a "like" on my GundamUK facebook page. 

http://www.facebook.com/gundamUK

Click on "message", and attach a legible picture for your submission. I will then add your picture to an entries folder, and add your name or alias underneath with your proposed model. Once you see it here, consider that your entrance acceptance. 

Rightio, now then, once I am done?

I don't really need to tell you that they need to be a good enough quality for me to see your model in good detail, with good lighting and absolutely no photoshop trickery. Please submit 5-10 good quality pictures to:

chokaiuk+levelup@gmail.com

Please include a link to somewhere I can see your work in progress - this can be YT vids or a link to a flikr account, blog post, facebook photo set, forum thread - anywhere I can easily access. Please check links work!

Anything else?

Of course! I would also request that all entrants accept me using any material posted in WIPs, YT videos and so on in my own social media channels, so I can talk about them. These will be progress reports, nothing more and will not be showing favour to any particular participant. Depending on how many entries I get will depend on how much is featured, and of course how much spare time I have :)

I will hopefully be featuring entries (if any) on my youtube channel, youtube.com/gundamUK.

I also advise that, as the time frame is relatively short - have a good think about the scale of what you want to make and think ahead about how long it is going to take you and the stock of material you have.

If you have any questions, you can either post them on my facebook wall or message me directly. I am frequently online as I am a social hermit who scowls at sunlight.  There is probably something I have not covered here that I will later kick myself for not adding.

Please enjoy this contest, and take that extra step towards a greater potential. If your reading this, you have the interest. Now up your game. I greatly look forward to seeing what you can do.

Entry Graphic:

Mid June Update

Hello folks. Just a quick update really, finally managed to get started with the painting of the Jesta HG, which if all goes to plan with most certainly the most psychedelic model I have ever created.

Here is a quick update vid:

If you are interested, the great GundamUK sale is still ongoing over on my facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/gundamUK

1 week remains before it all goes on eBay!

I also have a few gashapon items for sale over on my ebay, one such listing is here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130929946162?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

All the best! :)

The GundamUK collection sale!

Some of you may know that we are expecting our second child this July (exciting.. mortified.. happy.. scared.. lol). Some of you may also know that my better half is Japanese, and of course it would be marvellous if we could afford to go to Japan later this year and take our new addition to meet his grandparents in Saitama. With this in mind, I have decided to have a huge blow-out collection sale of many of my rare Gundam and mecha-related items, and I would so much prefer that these go out to members of this awesome community before it all goes onto ebay. 

So, I have now put up a list of items, and pictures on my GundamUK facebook page, so please head there if you are interested in purchasing a nice little rarity!

the site is

http://www.facebook.com/gundamUK

The list will be active for a couple of weeks, and anything unsold shall be going onto ebay. If you have any questions or queries, do feel free to PM me on facebook via the GundamUK page!

In other news, I am still in the process of making up the HG Jesta for Justinius Builds contest, seam line removal has just been completed and I should be getting it primed during the week. I will hopefully find the time to make a vid on it, but its hectic at the moment as we prepare for our new arrival!

Thanks all :)

May Update

Yes, I know, its been ages right? Well, if you have been following me on my facebook or on youtube you will know I have actually been pretty busy of late, working on the Kagustuchi Kou frame arms model for the mecha lounge's CHAOS group build. In a nut shell, I am around 40% done, and with a fast approaching deadline It's looking tight but doable.

So, here's how its all going so far:

Part 1

part 2

part 3, uploaded today.. 

More progress coming next week, as well as (hopfully, if i can think of something..) a response to mokanamans awesome 2000 subscriber vid where he has asked people of the mecha universe to vid response a tutorial of some kind.

There is also some news I would like to share in regards to the awesome first ever English translated mecha-building guide from Monoeye press. An unfortunate setback in regards to images has meant the book has been slightly delayed, but fear not, its on it's way and having seen a same of the said publication I can honestly say its looking rather marvellous.. and I am looking forward very much to reading it. My thoughts on it shall be shared of course.

More later!

End of March update

An incredibly unproductive weekend due to numerous unforeseen circumstances. Unfortunately Mrs.GundamUK has done something funny to her knee, and as a result I am having to take up the reigns of her usual tasks such as shopping, cooking and taking master GundamUK to nursery. Gunpla time has suffered - and aside from that I am experiencing a bad shortage of acrylic thinner so no work can currently progress on the F91.

On the plsu side however I have managed to dedicate a little time to planning out my mecha lounge chaos GB entry, the Kagustuchi Kou.

I am going to try out something a little more daring than my usual builds - I will be scratch-building some additional weaponry, and trying out some new damage and weathering effects. My original idea was to have a dio, but with my time limited and a June deadline I may reduce this to a simple plinth.

I have begun sanding and cleaning parts - the model itself is actually quite simple and the number of parts lies somewhere between a HG and MG, at a large HG scale. Assembly should be a breeze, and I already do not forsee any requirement for seam line removal. Some pix below along with some koto parts I will be using for the additional weaponry. I have also taken the liberty of purchasing a stack load of styrene rods and such from a good 'ol Chinese ebay-er. Delivery time will be somewhat lengthy but by golly gosh I have saved some bunts. Seriously, from a UK seller, 5x .2mm rods for nearly 9 quid including shipping? Fuck off. How about 48 from a Chinese seller for only a tenner? Hell yes. No wonder model shops are a dieing breed here in the UK. There all greedy bastards. lol.

Oh yeah.. pictures.. here you go:

Early March update

Working on a bit of a re-vamp of the old looks of GundamUK, here on the blog, the site, and on the youtube (and wherever else I happen to lurk). The below is something I have been playing around with, its a very short intro sequence test for future vids.

I also made this mock today, which will possibly be the new backdrop of the site and this here blog..

Which still I might add needs a little refining.. this will take time. Here is the intro vid:

I also posted up a Gunpla Update today showing off some models I recently received  as well as other news (including that awesome londo bell badge sent to be by Tian Hong!). 

And yet another vid should be coming tomorrow for the WIP#2 of the F91. Phew, busy weekend!

Gundam F91 - WIP#2

Having completed the inner frame parts of the legs (well, mostly bar some additional things I would like to do once the whole inner frame is completed) I worked on the inner frame parts for the torso and head.

This complete, I thought I should start working on the armour parts for the legs. Unfortunately they did not turn out as expected, but none the less are mostly done.

Having applied the primer a little thick on some parts (and regrettably not sanding them smooth as you are supposed to), adding the first base coat of white created a bit of a mottled finish, so I added another layer of white to smooth it out a little. Worked to a degree - then I decided to do a little pre shading - a technique I am new to. This to, resulted in a bit of a mottled finish but much smoother. All that remains now it to add a top layer of white to smooth it all out, hopefully this will fix it because right now it looks terrible..

Sorry for the lack of video this week.. I did film some but today's and yesterdays work took a ridiculous amount of time.. so much in fact I did not have time to cut a video, so next weeks will (hopefully) be a kind of "double" WIP.

Anyway, a pic below of the pre shaded parts :)

Mid-January update

Hello!

After completing the Rick Dias MG I thought I should take the pace down a bit with a HG model, and decided to build the "Geara Zulu Angelo Sauper use". I say take it down a bit.. in fact this is probably going to take some time, the trim on this kit is very detailed so no doubt i'll be frustratingly hand-painting the detail on this kit. Progress to follow in later posts.

Still having a think about what to do for the chaos GB. I have a model in mind, the Kagasuchi-kou from Kotobukiya (with some additional modifications in the shape of missile launchers, and "AA" style guns, still being planned). I have bought the model but unfortunately it's on backorder form HLJ so I am in for a bit of a wait..so having some thoughts about a possible diorama. I should also probably consider another model in case this one has troubles getting to me.. hmmmm.

Anyways, here's a vid of my latest update:

2012 in review

Hello! It has been some time I know and as you may have noticed it has been the festive time of year (again, I don't know how it happens every year around this time its weird..). Thought I would take this opportunity to say I hope you all had a nice Christmas, and to have yourself a awesome new year.

I have been spending lots of time with the family, and working steadily on an MG Rick Dias (WIP will eventually be posted, probably next weekend or something).

2012 has been a special year for me, it's the year I think I have learned the most about the art of Gunpla. This year I have learned how to airbrush, learned about paint types, thinners, modifications and seam line removal and am of course, still learning with each experience. Most of what I have learned has come from the awesome people in the gundam community across the world, so here are a few youtube channels I would like to mention who have helped me (and could help you too if you don;t know about them already!) along in some way this year:

deezipp3011
TheGunplameister
vegeta8259
crapmunky99
enensis
NigelTehTianHong
Kamniks
sneeper1980
mokanaman

I would also like to thank everyone on the mecha lounge who's advice has been invaluable :) I also completed watching nearly every Gundam anime that has ever been made, apart form superior defender which is just a steaming pile of shit. Patlabor next.. :)

Heres a quick vid update, the last of 2012!

Happy new year to you all and see you in 2013!