This isn’t the absolute latest I’ve published my traditional Gunpla Retrospective - that would be the very first one, which I published in February of the next year - but this one is still later than I would have liked. I blame it on the Master Grade Mk II build spilling into the New Year.
In any case, lets get to it. Looking back, 2022 and 2023 managed to be relatively stable and consistent, but 2024 was a banner year filled with lots of changes (and lots of builds).
Tallying the Numbers
Here are the builds of 2024:
- 22 High Grades
- 6 Accessory Packs
- 3 Master Grades (I’m counting the Mk II, since most of the work was done in December)
- 2 Real Grades
- 2 Entry Grades
- 2 Mobileharos
- 2 Gundam Universe Figures
- 2 Star Wars Kits
- 1 Gunpla Kun
- 1 G-Frame figure
- 1 Gashapon Toy
- 1 Workshop Kit
That makes for a whopping grand total of 44 builds!! That’s more than double my previous record.
Granted, you could argue that some of these shouldn’t count, like the Gatcha toy or the Workshop kit. But even if you stripped away everything but the High Grades, Real Grades, and Master Grades, it would still be a record year.
Heck, if you stripped out everything but the High Grades, it’d still be roughly on par with last year. Anyway you slice it, 2024 was extraordinarily productive.
Which leads to the obvious question - why was it so productive? The main reason, I think, is that I felt a lot better mentally than I did in years past. Turns out that it’s a lot easier to enjoy your hobbies when you’re in the right state of mind!
But there were other factors at work. For example, a good chunk of those High Grade Builds were Planet Armors, which were near identical in construction, and most of which I chose not to topcoat. That meant I was able to knock them out relatively quickly.
The same was true of three different Dilanza variants I knocked out in the summer. By the time I got to the third one, I could put it together in my sleep.
And then there’s the fact that I chose not to - or simply didn’t need to - topcoat a bunch of kits I got from the Gundam Base Tour. In some cases I was able to snap these kits together in a single day.
Lastly, while I’m not sure if my build quality improved during 2024, my build speed certainly did. I feel like I’m able to deliver the same level of quality in less time than before. That made it easier to tear through multiple builds in a given month.
For now, I’m feeling proud of what I got done - but I’m also not guaranteeing that future years will be quite as productive as this one.
Too Many Kits
One bad thing about 2024 is that I bought too many kits. Like, way too many kits. Far more than any other year, including those years where I was stuck indoors due to COVID and had nothing to do (and nothing else to spend leisure money on).
Some might think that this is anything but a bad thing, but I don’t like buying a bunch of kits that sit around going unbuilt. If you know any gamers, you might know that they often deal with feelings of guilt regarding their video game backlog. A Gunpla backlog is just like that, except the stacks and stacks of boxes make those feelings of guilt it far more literal (which in turn makes it even worse).
Thankfully there’s hope. I haven’t been buying as much in recent months, and I got none for Christmas. Also, I’ve been focusing on building new kits as they come in; that doesn’t help whittle down the existing backlog, but it also means it isn’t growing either.
And then there’s the fact that Bandai’s release schedule has slowed to a crawl:
If I keep up the pace - and if nothing else interesting comes out - I should be able to make some progress on the backlog this year. But who really knows.
Not Enough Space
Imagine that, hypothetically, I was able to build all of my backlog by month’s end. I’m 99% sure I’d have enough space for all of them on my existing shelves.
But after that? I’m not so sure. Which means that sooner or later I’m going to run out of space.
There are solutions. I could always add more shelves, though I’m not sure I want to. I’m not sure if my family would appreciate an entire floor of the house being overtaken by Gunpla.
I could also buy a storage bin to put some of them in. A big Rubbermaid bin would likely store a lot of models. But I’m also afraid that once they’re out of sight, they’d also be completely out of mind.
Which brings me to the final option - getting rid of certain older models (whether that be via donation, selling, or even disposal). I’m not going to do anything rash right now, but the idea is certainly on my mind.
I think that about covers all the major moments of the year. Now let’s look at some of the most notable builds. Remember, this isn’t a ranking - it’s not “top 3 best” or “top 3 worst”. It’s more of a loose collection of categories; the models I found notable for good or for bad.
Favorite Builds of the Year
Zeta Gundam Ver. Ka
I said it before, and I’ll say it again This is the best out of the box build I have ever seen.
Even without decals or topcoating, it looks absolutely gorgeous. I could probably leave it like this, “unfinished”, for the rest of my life and still be pleased with it.
I have no idea if this is in any way indicative of the overall quality of the Ver. Ka line, but I know that this one is an absolute gem. If you want a model that will make you truly appreciate the design of the Zeta Gundam, this is the one to get.
Real Grade Build Strike
This is the first Real Grade that I did up entirely with waterslide decals, and I’m still in shock at just how much of a game changer that ended up being. I thought I couldn’t love Real Grades any more than I already did, but I was wrong. As Bandai loves to say about Real Grades - this is Excitement Embodied.
High Grade Aerial
This kit completely changed my opinion of Aerial, and in the months since building her my admiration has only grown. She just looks great. The details, the color separation - it’s all there. I’m starting to think I might even like her more than her sister
High Grade Full Armor Gundam 7th
This one took a lot of work to make it look nice, but damn does it look nice. The amount of detail and color separation is unreal for such an inexpensive kit. And while I was initially skeptical of how colorful it is, I’ve really come around on the design.
Also, it has surprisingly good articulation for such a bulky mobile suit, so it’s even fun to pose.
All in all, this is probably one of the best sub-$20 High Grades I’ve ever built.
Core Gundam 2 and its Armors
I was so excited to build Core Gundam and its Planet Armors. Really excited. I know that because I built them all in short order.
But Core Gundam 2 and it’s armors took a lot longer, and there’s a good reason for that. They weren’t as fun to build, they aren’t as sturdy, they’re not as nice to pose, and in my humble opinion, they’re not as interesting visually (with the exception of the Nepteight. I think that one looks pretty good).
It was a huge bummer, and if I wasn’t such a completionist I might not have bought them all in advance, before realizing what I was getting myself into. Lesson learned (hopefully).
Gundam Universe Tallgeese II
The Gundam Universe Shining Gundam figure surpassed my expectations, but not the Tallgeese II. It’s lacking in detail, articulation, and gimmicks. It’s certainly not worth it’s full retail price, but I’m not even sure if it’s worth the half price I paid for it.
Master Grade Gundam (Origin Version)
I absolutely hate the hands on this kit. I don’t like the look of the head. And while I think the rest of the body looks decent enough, it doesn’t quite blow me away in the same manner as the Zeta Ver Ka or the Master Grade Mk II.
Is it a dud? Maybe not quite; I think I can say I’ve warmed up to a bit since I built. But it still failed to meet my expectations. I think I may have been better off building the Master Grade 3.0 instead.
“Middle of the Road” Builds
Gundam Universe Shining Gundam
The articulation and gimmicks could be better, but from a purely visual perspective this is thing is unbelievable once you add some color correction.
In fact, I think it holds its own visually even compared to the soon-to-be-released Real Grade Shining Gundam:
Super Dilanza Bros
All things considered, these guys came out looking pretty good.
But, between some nasty seamlines, and those crummy C-Clip joints, they don’t reach the level of overall quality and engineering I come to expect from a modern High Grade.
Which I could accept if they were at bargain basement prices, but I don’t think any of these kits retail for less than $22, with some places selling them for $25. At that price I expect a little more.
Does this Count for 2024?
Master Grade Mk II
Technically I had all the parts assembled and ready to go by the end of 2024. They just didn’t have any decals or topcoat until the beginning of January. So does it count as a 2024 build? I’m not sure, but I’m going to put it here as an honorable mention. I love the Mk II, and I love this rendition of it. It may be old, but it’s still a looker.
What’s Next?
It’s hard to say. Every time I come up with a plan for next few builds, either something else comes along, or I change my mind.
For now, what I can tell you is that after such a busy 2024, I’m going to take a bit of a break for the rest of this month. I’m going to try and get at least one build finished, though I make no guarantees. It’s been so cold this month that I haven’t had much a desire to go down into the basement, and that makes building difficult.
For now, here’s to 2025. May it be filled with lots of great Gunpla.