Gunpla Build - 7-Eleven Gundam Part 1

This is one of the oldest, if not the oldest kit I have ever built. There are some things about it that are different than what I am used to.

For instance, the decals are numbered using Japanese numeric characters, rather than Arabic numbers:

Similarly, the instruction manual looks ever so slightly old. Each step of the build is far more cramped and condensed, and everything uses a thicker font:

Lastly, the kit uses the old school style of beam saber, where the entire thing is a single piece, and you have to paint the beam:

These aren’t complaints, but merely observations. I don’t need to be able to read Japanese numerals in order to properly apply the decals, and with all the spare beam sabers I have, I could keep or ditch the included one as I see fit.

Anyway, here are all the runners:

Something about this set of runners feels different. There aren’t many of them, but most of them are huge, and very well organized. All the white pieces are together, all the grey ones are together, and all the colored ones are too. Not every kit does it this way. Sometimes colored pieces are on multiple small runners, and sometimes white pieces go on two separate runners (usually B1 and B2). This makes it harder to sift through them all to find the one you need. With this kit, I’ve basically got three core runners, and I know exactly which one to grab for any given part.

There are a few other interesting tidbits among this pile of parts. For example this here is the chain for the Gundam Hammer:

And this little runner contains all the special parts that are unique to the 7-Eleven Gundam:

For example, you can see the two pieces needed to form the banner:

You can also see a white cross-shaped piece, which is pretty interesting. In fact, let’s talk about it in detail.

Two Shield Designs

As I mentioned in the [intro], you can choose between two different shield designs. The first is the traditional Gundam shield, albeit in 7-Eleven colors, and with 7-Eleven decals:

Here is the alternate style, which has no cross piece, and features a full, shield-sized decal:

This is where that white piece comes into play:

As you can see, the white cross piece fits flush with the shield. With the surface flat, we can apply the decal (pictured below):

I find myself torn on which one of these two styles to use. One adds a nice shot of orange and red to the model, while the other adds a splash of green. I don’t think I can make the choice based on color (I like them all!)

Instead, I will choose based on another factor …

Shield Build

I decided to go with the decal-based shield design. My reasoning was simple - I liked the idea of a shield without the cross piece. It is unique style for the Grandaddy Gundam, and this decal is exclusive to this kit. Why not use it?

Answer - because the decal is extremely hard to apply properly. I ended up putting a few tears into it, and I scratched off some of the finish. I was actually afraid I might have to scrap it and give up, but after a bit of touch up paint and a layer of clear coat, I think it came out well enough:

Mrs. Wolfe swears that she cannot notice the mistakes, but I can, especially in this photo. And yet I do think it looks good enough, especially from a distance.

Here is the back of the shield:

I now have three variants of the Grandaddy Gundam, and all three have basically the same design on the back of the shield. It is weird how this one piece is so wildly consistent across models.

The shield mount is a very simple two piece setup that lacks a handle. That’s not normal. Both of my other models of the Grandaddy Gundam have a handle on the shield. It adds much needed support and stability, and I am worried how this one will fare without it.

This is the special banner that comes with the 7-Eleven Gundam. A simple piece to be sure, though you have to be careful with the decals. They are easily prone to scratching:

Beam Saber

Here is my first ever old-school beam saber:

You know what? I don’t hate it like I thought I would. In fact, if you think about, it kind of looks more accurate. Here is what a beam saber looks like in the original show:

That looks pretty close to what I just built.

Beam Rifle

I said in the intro post that I was thinking of making this a quick and simple build. That … didn’t happen. I went ahead and painted the heck out of the beam rifle. I suppose that maybe I wanted a chance at redemption after only doing a so-so job on the Revive Gundam’s weapons.

I think this actually has the same amount of parts as the Revive Gundam’s rifle, though these pieces have more panel lines and details etched into them:

Interesting that they colored the scope orange. I feel that if you are going to add some 7-Eleven colors, you ought to go all the way. Instead, it looks like tossed in a replacement part that isn’t meant to go with the kit.

I think this one came out very well. The paint dried well, and it has a whole lot of color and detail.

Gundam Hammer

The Gundam Hammer is a simple but effective construction. Each of the eight spikes is its own piece, which plugs right into the ball:

Throw the chain on each end, and you’re done:

It’s funny - the Gundam Hammer’s been considered a goofy weapon for decades. And yet I feel like it would now fit perfectly in a show like Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans. Make what you wiil of that.

Hyper Bazooka

I decided to have a little fun with this piece. After building all the other weapons straight, I had an idea for how to theme the bazooka. Yes, it’s Slurpee themed. Again.

Once again, I had problems with the white paint drying poorly. All the other colors were perfectly fine, but the white was either too runny, or too thick. Nothing I can do about it now.

There are three components to the theming on this piece:

Obviously, it is in 7-Eleven colors.
In the back, the missles are painted to look like Slurpee cups:
3. At the end of the barrel, one will find the top of a Slurpee cup, filled with a frosty blue raspberry sugar bomb:

I wish I could say this was a fun paint job, but not after the white paint misbehaved so much. It almost ruined the whole thing. Still, it looks about as good as it’s going to.

Conclusion

There you have it folks. All the weapons are complete. In the next post, we’ll get started on the body itself.