2012

Gunpla Chronicles - Beginning the Build 2012-04-30

Before chronicling the build process, here’s a list of tools and supplies I’m working with.

Sprue Cutter - I actually found a sprue cutter in Hobby Lobby, so I decided to grab it rather than relying on nail clippers for cutting out pieces. So far, I’m happy with the decision. They work really well as long as I’m careful. I’m sure the clippers would function well enough, but I feel like they would also be less intuitive.
X-acto Knife - In all honesty I didn’t need this, but it cost three bucks, so it wasn’t really a splurge. I’ve used it to remove certain pieces in lieu of the Sprue cutter, and for cleaning up some of my shittier cuts. I’ve also found that some of the kit’s joint pieces are kept rigid via very small pieces of connecting plastic that only the knife can really remove. I’ve also found it to be useful for taking stickers off the sticker sheet.
.02mm art marker - It isn’t a Gundam Marker, but it’s acid free and wipes off clean, so I think it’ll suffice. It looks like this was one of the thinnest markers available, and yet it is still a bit too big for some of the panel lining I’ve done.

Gunpla Chronicles - About Gunpla 2012-04-29

When I returned home, the first thing I had to do was pour over the Gunpla scene and determine what it is I got myself into. The news was almost entirely good. Most modern model kits do not need to be painted, nor do they need to be secured using glue or modeling cement. The only thing stopping them from being build-able “out of the box” is the fact that you still need a handful of tools to put them together correctly.

The other good news is that, contrary to my fears, the Gunpla scene is a healthy mix of casual hobbyists and hardcore builders. This is a big deal for me; the internet communities surrounding most hobbies are made up entirely of enthusiasts, and enthusiasts lack the perspective needed to help beginners. They’ll recommend setups which require significant investments in time and money, without any regard to the fact that a newbie is probably looking to get their feet wet with something small and simple, to see if they’re really interested before they lay down any serious cash.

Gunpla Chronicles 2012-04-28

While we were at Disney World, my wife insisted that I buy something “nice for myself” while I was there. This was not an easy task for me. As a child souvenirs were mostly off the table, and as an adult I’m still affected somewhat by that conditioning. But even when I find something intriguing, I’m still held back by the fact that anything I’m going to find is either going to be a simple trinket, or a replacement for some household item I already have. In my mind, a souvenir should be something special, something you keep for years as a symbol of all the good memories you made on your trip.

In the end, I found something that was absolutely perfect. It won’t be used or broken, I’ll see it all the time (thus reminding me constantly of the best vacation I’ve ever been on), and it is something that lines up perfectly with my interests. I bought a Gundam Model kit.

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Thoughts on 'Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky' 0001-01-01

Spoiler Preface!!!

This post contains extreme spoilers. You have been warned

I’m doing my recap of all the Gundam movies I watched on Youtube in order, which means we have to start with Part 1 of Gundam Thunderbolt

Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky is quite beloved by fans. I can understand why. It’s beautifully animated, with some of the best looking mobile suit fights I’ve ever seen. It’s (mainly, but not exclusively) jazz-driven soundtrack is the kind of thing you can either genuinely appreciate, or at least pretend to appreciate in order to look smart.

Most importantly (in the sense that it’s key to understanding its popularity), December Sky wallows in the kind “#wellactually both sides were wrong” whataboutist BS that is increasingly (and disturbingly) common in modern Gundam stories. And it does so by being excessively dark and edgy in the name of highlighting the horrors of war (which, I imagine, is also part of the appeal).

So I understand why it is popular, but that doesn’t mean I think it’s good. Yes, the animation is good. Yes the music works (the chaos of improv jazz really does match the chaos of the Thunderbolt sector, a region place where the remnants of destroyed colonies crackle with lightning). But as a story, this one falls flat.