Gundam F91 Model Kits

Gunpla Build - Master Grade Gundam F91 (Conclusion) 2022-08-03

This is it. I promise this is the last post about the Master Grade F91.

Cracking the Code

I finally, finally figured out the root reason why the High Grade F91 doesn’t look right. You can see it in this side profile comparison:

It’s the chest. It doesn’t stick out as far, and this fundamentally changes the look of the mobile suit.

However, it’s not a change that is super obvious in isolation, without something “correct” to compare it to. This explains why I had a hard time fingering what, exactly, felt “off” about it. But now I know - with a smaller chest, the HG F91 just doesn’t look as mighty.

Gunpla Build - Master Grade Gundam F91 (Photos Part 2) 2022-07-30

There I was, worried about whether or not the Master Grade F91’s articulation would hinder it’s ability to pose. As it turns out, I never got far enough to really find out.

Seriously, this photo shoot was a disaster. Thankfully nothing broke, but it took me almost an hour to get less than twenty shots. I ended up stopping out of fear that I would break something if I spent any more time.

Gunpla Build - Master Grade Gundam F91 (Part 6) 2022-07-13

I don’t have a quippy intro for this one. Let’s just get this wrapped up.

Shoulders

I am happy to report that all of the dry rub decals on the shoulders went on without (much) issue. The only problem is that there are a few tiny wrinkles in the “F” on the right shoulder. I didn’t dare try and smooth them out, lest I accidentally scrape the decal off, and thankfully it’s only noticeable from very close up, under the very specific lighting.

Gunpla Build - Master Grade Gundam F91 (Part 5) 2022-07-11

After all the mistakes and blunders I’ve made during the course of this build, you’d think that I would have gotten them all out of my system by now. But no - everything that’s happened so far was little more than a warmup. You have no idea how close I was to having the wheels come off this build entirely.

I’m serious - if not for the fact that this model comes with two different heads, I would not have an intact Gundam F91 to show you. When building one of the heads, I lost two parts, and broke a third. The only reason I’m still left standing is luck, plain and simple.

I don’t want to get too grim here - despite facing that many more gruesome screwups, thankfully I was able to fix or recover from most of them. There’s only one flaw that’s glaringly obvious, and only if you’re looking very carefully. This could have been waaaaaaaaaaaaaay worse.

With that out of the way, let’s dive and finish this build.

Gunpla Build - Master Grade Gundam F91 (Part 4) 2022-07-10

I know I said I’d do the VSBRs last, but I changed my mind. After building the upper torso, it just seemed like the next logical thing to do.

Plus, the VSBRs are one of two sections where we can use the model’s dry-transfer decals, and I wanted to get those over with sooner rather than later. If I waited until the very end and screwed them up, it would be a downer ending to the build.

Which brings me to a little detour …

Gunpla Build - Master Grade Gundam F91 (Part 2) 2022-07-05

It’s time to start work on the body of the F91. But before we begin, I want to clarify that this build is going to be a little different than usual.

Normally I snip out all the pieces for a given section and photograph them, so that you have an idea of just how complicated the assembly is (and to give you an idea of what kind of pieces are used).

There are times where I haven’t done this - including a stretch of time where I flat out gave up on the idea - but in recent years I’ve tried really hard to make the effort. For whatever reason, it matters to me.

For the purposes of this build, however, I’m going to be a bit lazy. Being a Master Grade and all, there are simply too many pieces for any given section. If I snip them all out at once, I’m either going to lose some, or I’ll potentially get some of them mixed up.

Instead, I’m going to at least photograph most - but not necessarily all - of the parts. And rather than stage the parts spread under decent lighting, I’m just going to photograph them as-is on my workbench (that way I don’t have to move them from one room to another and risk losing any).

To make up for this change, I’ll try to take more “mid assembly” photos, so you can see how each body part comes together.

With that out of the way, let’s begin …

Gunpla Build - Master Grade Gundam F91 (Intro Part 2) 2022-06-20

Spoiler Preface!!!

This post contains small spoilers for the Gundam F91 film. You have been warned

About the F91

For all intents and purposes, the F91 Gundam was the culmination of the entire Formula Project. While previous prototypes were meant to test specific concepts and technologies, the F91 combines everything SNRI learned in order to create a single, multi purpose attack unit.

In my oh so humble opinion, the F91 feels like one of the largest technological leaps ever seen in a Universal Century mobile suit. The amount of new technology packed into it is staggering. Let’s enumerate it all, just to give you a sense of what I mean: