Assembly and Painting

Hobby Knife
The most common brand of hobby knife is Xacto. Make sure to use a sharp blade both for a good cut and for your safety. Knives are used for a number of purposes, most of which include cleaning parts after they have been removed from a sprue and doing fine detail work and conversions. Try to avoid cutting towards yourself whenever possible. Take you time when cutting. Not only do you not want to cut yourself, but if you damage the model parts, you might have a lot of work ahead of you to correct your mistakes (if they are even reversible).



Clippers
Clippers are primarily used to remove parts from their sprues. Though you could use your blade, its much safer and easier to use a pair of clippers.



Glue
There are a number of different glues or hobby cements that you can use, but the two most common are super glue and plastic glue. Because Bandai's Gundam miniatures are designed to be assembled without glue, gluing your models is done to make them more sturdy and less likely to fall apart. Pay extra attention to the instructions about which parts are are movable or not. Always double check before applying glue in order to avoid a lot of hassle later on down the road. Super glue creates a strong but brittle bond. I prefer plastic glue. Plastic glue actually melts plastics together, making it much more powerful. Be careful when using it, however, because it can easily damage the surface of parts and will strip paint.



File
Most of the cleaning of the model can be done with a blade, but some fine tuning might require a file. Files come in a variety of shapes and grades. I prefer thin round files because of their precision.



Cutting Mat
Using a cutting mat will help you avoid damaging your work desk as well as your tools. A mat also comes in handy when painting to avoid making a mess.



Primer, Spray Paint, and Sealant
Primer is used to allow paint to adhere better to a model, as well as enhance its color. White primer is best for light colors, like yellow, or to help lighten other colors. Black primer is used for dark colors. Gray is good rounded primer and is more universal. It can also be used to make colors more neutral. Spray paints are used to paint the larger areas of you model. The colors are entirely up to you, but be aware of different types of paint. Matte or flat paints are dull and non-reflective. They are good for more realistic looking armour like what you would see on a tank. Glossy paints have a high sheen to them. They can make a model look flashier, but might also come off as fake or toy-like. Satin is in between glossy and flat. Sealants are used to protect the final paint job as well as enhance the effect of the paint. These also come in matte and glossy and will in turn effect the final look of the paint job.



Brushes
Brushes are used for hand painting your model, which is what you will need to do in order to get the best detail out of the miniature. Brushes come in many varieties and styles. You will find that some brushes suit you better than others, though you will be primarily working with smaller, high detail brushes.



Model Paint
Its best to use paints designed for models because they will adhere better to the surface and will lay more evenly on the fine details.



Palette
You can use any non-absorbent surface as a palette, though there are some nice ones designed for model painting. This will allow you to mix and thin your paints, as well as keep your paint pots from drying out.



Water and Paper Towels
Water is used to clean you brushes and thin out paint. Its best to apply many thin coats instead of only a few thick coats if you want the model to look its best. Use paper towels to dry your brushes (as well as check to see if they have much paint left in them).

Tape and Tack
You can use tape to keep parts from blowing away when spray painting them. Tack is a kind of putty that is often used to hang posters. You can use tack to temporarily cover areas on a part when spraying so that it does not get paint on it. This is usually the case when you need a part to move freely, such as in joints. You can also use tack to acheive certain patterns when painting



Checking the Kit
Before you start clipping and gluing away, the first thing you should always do is check the contents of your kit. Inside the instructions should be a list of all the sprues that are included. Though these kits are written in Japanese, they are designed to be read visually and include English letters for each of the sprues. The instructions will also tell you which parts on the sprues will not be used. Check to see if the mold lines are matched up. Sometimes when molding the sprues the two halves will be off center. There will always be a mold line, but if the whole sprue is off center, you will need a new one. Depending on who you bought the kit from, they may be able to replace the sprue, though usually the whole kit will need to be replaced. Make sure that none of the parts are missing from the sprue. I prefer to put the sprues in alphabetical order so as to make finding your parts as easy and quick as possible.



Clipping
Carefully note where the sprue ends and your part begins. Clip as close and as flush to the part as you can. Some parts have details that stick out and can be mistaken for the sprue. Keep note of flimsy parts that might easily break if too much pressure is applied at the wrong angle. Always make sure to hold onto the part especially when you make the last snip so that you do not drop it. The smaller the part, the more careful you should be. I have had a few instances of pieces shooting off into the unknown because of the tension.



Cleaning
Using you knife, carefully examine the part for left over sprue, of flak. Keeping the blade at a low angle to the part, cut away any excess plastic. You will also notice the mold lines left over from the sprue manufacturing process. Turn the blade away from you and scrape at a low angle towards yourself to remove the mold lines. Be extra careful to watch how much plastic you are removing and how flush it is to the original piece.







Stage One Assembly (Preassembly) and Separating Parts
This stage is one of the hardest. These kits are designed to be assembled without paint or glue, but if you want to make the best looking model possible, you need to make some decisions. Some parts that are in high friction areas, such as the joints of legs, are best left unpainted. Most of the paint you would like to apply will probably get rubbed off and can actually cause the joints to stick together. Some parts will be very hard to paint because of how they are positioned on the model, such as the inside of shoulder pads, between the head and torso, underneath the waist and feet skirts, or certain accessories. Try to assemble these parts as best you can without creating unreachable spots. Another reason to avoid complete assembly is to allow large areas to be spray painted different colors instead of hand painting the entire model. If you have a good Idea what you want the parts to look like, put together what you can without mixing parts that will be painted differently and separate the parts into piles. Each pile will be primed and painted separately. Another huge problem for some beginner modelers is knowing how to assemble the model without the part numbers to guide you. There is no easy answer for this aside from paying extra close attention to the instructions, separating the parts in a way that makes certain parts easier to find, and performing trial assemblies in order to familiarize yourself with how the kit is assembled. Obviously the more parts the harder this is, so take your time and constantly look back at the instructions before gluing anything together.





Pre-Spray Paint Setup
Before you actually start to prime and paint, you should be aware of a few tricks to make things easier for you. Pay close attention to which parts are stationary and which are movable. If there are slots or pins that are designed to allow a part to move after assembly, apply tape or tack to that section in order to avoid the paint from gumming up the part. Try your best to cover just the parts that move so that the paint can get to the rest of the piece.





When spray painting, its a good idea to use old boxes to elevate the painting surface and not get paint on anything you do not want colored (such as your table). Because the spray cans put out pressure, its a good habit to use tape to hold your parts down so they do not get blown away. Some larger parts might not need it, but its still a good idea. Nothing gets more frustrating than loosing a part or having wet paint get screwed up because the part fell on the floor.



Priming and Spray Painting
Space the parts a few inches apart so that the paint gets maximum coverage, but do not put them too far apart if you do not want to waste paint. Remember to spray in a well ventilated area. First apply a primer. Choose a color primer that suits the darkness/brightness of the final paint job. Use white for bright colors, black for dark colors, and gray for dull colors. This does not need to be as thorough as your final paint job, but do your best to cover as much and as evenly as possible.

Make a test spray on the side of the box to ensure that the paint is coming out properly mixed. Spray in short, quick strokes about six inches away from the parts. Be careful to not spray too much on at one time as the paint will cake up and can obscure details or crack. Try spraying all the parts in one direction and then rotate the box and spray from the opposite direction. Give the parts time to dry, which depends a lot on the heat and humidity. It will probably be necessary to paint from more than one angle or even to spray both the top and underside. Always remember to take your time and allow the paint to dry before moving the parts. If you flip a part over to spray underneath and the top is still too wet, you will damage the paint and perhaps even the part.

Once you have primed your parts, move onto your spray paints. It is better to apply multiple light coats than it is to apply fewer heavy coats. The main difference between priming techniques and color techniques is how thorough you are. Try to get in every nook and cranny, but do apply too much at once in order to avoided loss of detail, caking, or cracking. Depending on how you want you model to look, you may be using a flat, satin, or glossy paint. The more glossy the paint, usually the longer it takes to dry and the more careful you will have to be to avoid damaging the surface.

A neat trick for getting patterns, such as camo blotches and lines, is to use tape or tack. First spray the area you want to have the pattern. Next, use tape or tack to cover up that area in the shape of the pattern you desire. Next, spray the areas with the next color you desire and cover them up with tape or tack. Repeat this process untill you reach the final color. This is the color that usually will dominate the rest of the part. Once you have applied all the colors you want, peal off the tape or tack and reveal the patterns underneath.



Stage Two Assembly and Hand Painting
Now that your parts are spray painted, you can start to hand paint your model. It is often easier to hold and paint the parts if you start to assemble some of them. Make sure, again, that you are not putting parts together that will inhibit your ability to paint in deep crevices or tight spots. Hand painting is an art in and of itself, but there are a few pointers to help you. Use appropriately sized brushes. Since these are models and not canvases, you are likely to be using some small, fine detail brushes. Most of the larger areas to paint should have been covered by spray paint. Any areas that need to be hand painted that were sprayed glossy should be re-primed by applying a thin coat of black, white, or gray paint. Much like the spray paint, it is better to make many thin coats instead of fewer thicker coats. Not only do you want to avoid the same pitfalls as the spray paint, you also want to avoid streaking and clumping. Multiple thinner coats will allow you to create even, bold colors. Once you have painted your model, you might want to do line details. Not everyone likes the look of these details, but I am particular to them and find them to do a good job at making your model look bold and finished. Use very fine pens (try to find ones designed for the hobby) and fill in the lines between armour plates, grates, around rivets, etc. The level of detail depends on you and how much is included in the model. Make extra sure the paint is completely dry and not tacky to the touch otherwise your pens could easily get ruined.



Seal Coat and Final Assembly
Using the same techniques for priming and spray painting, apply a sealant coat to the remaining parts. Depending on how you would like your model to look, you can use a matte or glossy finish. Though matte often times looks more realistic for some models, I prefer glossy because it gives the model a more finished look. Remember to cover any exposed movable parts with tack when sealing so that they do not become stuck together later. Though you want to coat the whole model, be extra sure to apply a seal to any parts that will rub against other parts or come in regular contact when being handled, such as the edges to the feet, the tops of feet and hips that are near ankle and waist skirts, and weapons/equipment that might be inserted into the model's hands. Once the seal has dried, assemble the remaining parts...and you are done! Enjoy and get cracking on your next mobile suit.







Airbrush
I personally don't use an airbrush and instead depend on spraypaints. This is mostly due to cost and maintanence, but it is something I would like to invest in the future. That being said, here is an article written about comparing the two methods from DC23 Mech Arts.