#hattersmodelbuilds

[madhattersez]

Model Kit Build: "Cup Gunpla RX-78-2" by Bandai and Cup Noodle

It's time to get... noodly?

Yup, it's an actual, officially licensed Cup Noodle container with a tiny Gunpla inside to build!

These were special Gundam 40th anniversary promos.

Oh my god. This is everything! The sprues, the instructions, and the stickers.

It's so goddamn adorable!

Everything is miniature up in here. Please notice how small the eye sticker is. Thankfully, I've got these razor-sharp tweezers in my kit!

Torso shot! It only took about 10 minutes to get this far, and I was taking my time. :P

And here it is in its full, itty-bitty glory, complete with Cup Noodle logo on the shoulder armor. :)

This was definitely a fun little kit to snap together. An entry grade entry grade, if that was a thing. One step above a gacha toy.

I just imagine a cool little kid in Japan getting a surprise with dinner one night and getting to put together a Gunpla before bed.

Or maybe it was some grown-ass otaku like me instead who went out and bought every possible variation and spent a night putting them all together in a row while eating multiple cups of noodles.

Posing it on top of the cup here so I can show the size comparison.

Super neato. :)

For more of my model kit builds on Tumblr, click here:

[madhattersez]

Model Kit Build: "Gundam Heavyarms Ver. Endless Waltz" by Bandai

Awwwwww yissss. I've been so excited to build this one.

I really dig the transformable pieces on this kit. You'll see what I mean here in a bit!

First of all, a quick look at all the sprues - lots and lots of pieces. A good chunk of color on this one!

You'll have to enlarge these to see, but I always love that you get to take the pilot and build the entire cockpit around them as the first step for Master Grade kits.

It's not easy (even with the opening door) to see the pilot later, and folks that don't build might not even know that the pilot is hiding away in the chest. It's still satisfying to me to get them in there. :)

The classic torso shot, but also one for the waist/skirt. I absolutely love the white, yellow, and red colors on this unit. It's gorgeous! A little splash of blue, too.

Here is something I put together to show the impressive mechanics of a Master Grade - You have to put together skeletal/mechanical moving parts first, and then you add the armor pieces on top of those frames.

The top piece is the final unit's leg from thigh to ankle, bent at the knee. The bottom piece is the same thing, but only the mechanical parts within. For reference, the piece on the bottom is 9-12 parts (I forget) put together. The armor on top adds around 23 additional pieces!

The ammo belt for the giant chaingun took awhile - Had to get all these pieces snipped and facing the right way, threaded on the rubber strip in the middle.

Here is the final result, fed into the fully built chaingun and ammo backback, showing off the shiny "gunmetal" color/finish from the sprue.

Goodness sakes. Lots and lots and lots and lots of tiny decals to put on this sucker. That Master Grade kit life.

The final result, with no weapons active! Argh, it's so gorgeous, I love it! What a colorful one this is. Very big samurai feel. Awesome shape and form.

But wait... There's more! Let's transform all the parts and get this sucker fully armed - the whole reason I wanted this ridiculous kit to begin with:

Hell yes!

Look at all the missile compartments! The giant, swinging army knife! That big ol' gatling! The chest cannons! This is just pure, awesome overkill.

Funny thing is, you can actually buy more kits to build on top of this to add even MORE missile racks and dual quad gatlings! Yes, 8 gatlings total... I might upgrade this guy someday. For now, though... it's super rad already.

For more of my model builds, click here:

[madhattersez]

Model Kit Build: "Gundam The End" by Bandai

Hooooo boy, this one was super-weird. In the best way. I LOVE this crazy-ass design. Every time you build a gimmick for this, there's always a crazier one coming up in just a few more steps.

First things first, I have to mention that this is a pretty rare kit, but I only paid $6 for it! I saw it in a Japanese auction and it showed the above parts being already put together or loose - the seller couldn't guarantee that all the parts were included.

Thankfully, all of them were indeed there, so I really got a steal on this one!

Let's just talk about the visuals of this model first. While it's a majority black and gray unit, it has so many splashes of bright colors, too. Just look at this sticker sheet!

And here's the main unit, all done. What a radical weirdo! Aside from the unique design (including double horned boots, pyramid-shaped helmet, psychedelic shoulder eyes, and chest that opens up like a fang-filled mouth), he's also packing two Dirty Harry-style revolvers.

How can it get any more interesting?

Well, this is some of his shielding, which looks like a giant, silly choir robe. They convert to bat-style wings, too. Because, of course they do.

"But, wait," you might say, "What about those big yellow hands? What's up with those? Can you, like, make them flip someone off or something?"

Lawl, yup.

And I had considered keeping the middle finger pose on them both for display thinking that would be hilarious, but this guy's hands have additional Gundam heads inside the palms... which can open up and shoot lasers.

Sorry, "fuck you" fingers, but that's way cooler.

What the hell else can we add now? Well, how about a fetus?

So, yeah, this Gundam has another little Gundam living inside of it, connected by an umbilical-looking cord. Sure, that's totally normal. Oh, his name is "Narwhal," by the way.

Even though having him pop out of the chest covers up the top of the main unit, I just had to pull out every single gimmick for the final pose... Behold:

Holy shiiiiiiit, right? This dude fuckin' rules.

This Gundam looks more like a Darkstalkers character than a giant robot.

And that's sweet. Definitely one of my top three favorites now.

For more of my model kit builds on Tumblr, click here:

[madhattersez]

Model Kit Build: "Transformers Furai 11 Devastator" by Flame Toys

This was my first Flame Toys kit, and I have to say... Not my favorite.

Don't get me wrong, I love Devastator. He's one of my favorite Transformers of all time. My dream is to have a G1 version, even just a reissue.

So what made the experience all goofy? ... Pretty much everything, hah.

First of all, the instructions. Holy shit.

Where Bandai would have separated the above image into 4 or 5 different steps, this book would often combine so many small steps into one box, which was sometimes confusing and easy to get lost in.

There was also an entire missing step at one point, like they skipped a few pieces by accident. I eventually reverse engineered what was missing, but... Really?

Most of the print was ridiculously small. Like "I have to take my glasses off and hold it an inch from my eyeball" small. This is a photo of my pinkie, y'all. The words in the lower right hand corner are especially way too fuckin' smol.

Aside from the instructions, some of the design choices were also iffy - The plastic used was noticeably harder than your average Gundam, and the parts were laid out in weird positions sometimes, which meant lots of jaggies.

I don't know if it was due to the heavier plastic or less-than-perfect design (or both), but I had to use extreme physical force to get several pieces to snap or fit together. My hands were beat to shit when I was all done.

You know how each Constructicon has a windshield in vehicle form? This kit had red, shiny stickers for each, which was cool... but they completely missed a few windshield pieces on the sticker sheet, leaving some plain plastic sections that look off. That's a crazy thing to overlook on a model this pricey.

You may also notice that the purple and green colors on the model itself do not match the ones on the box or the instructions or the original character. That kinda sucks.

Still, my love for Devastator pushed me through.

After some turmoil and more stress than you would expect from a favorite hobby, I completed the big guy. All building faults aside, he looks pretty damned neat.

This one's definitely a big ol' fella. Here is a size comparison to a High Grade Gundam:

The issues with this model are disappointing - Mainly because Flame Toys has already made several other incredible-looking Transformers kits, including a new Arecee model coming up from the new movie.

The poor experience during this build kinda has me spooked, though.

Just so you know - Not that Hobby Lobby deserves your money - but they have Flame Toys models (and Gundams, too!) on a half-off sale quite often. Might be worth the try at that price.

For more of my model kit builds on Tumblr, click here:

[madhattersez]

Model Kit Build: "GF13-050NSW Nobell Gundam (Berserker Mode)" by Bandai

You may remember the last Nobell Gundam I built, who had a beam weapon that was a rhythmic gymnastics ribbon... Haha. Well, it's time for another installment of "Lady Gundams!"

This is another Nobell, which is basically the Gundam version of Sailor Moon. Unabashedly.

This model's different from the last one for a few reasons:

This one has a different color scheme, including soft pink pieces of main armor rather than white, purple and pink armor colors instead of blue and red, and orange hair instead of yellow.

You'll also notice a completely different hairstyle - This one is huge and fans way out behind her. In the anime, this is a system that lets the heat dissipate better than the standard configuration.

If you were around a few weeks ago, I actually built this much on Tumblr Live! It was pretty fun to share the building steps with folks that have never put models like this together.

Also, this shows just how tiny she is.

There is just something so fancy about these hands compared to other Gundams, haha.

Wow, I really, really love this color scheme.

And here is that crazy-ass hair I was talking about. It's a really good thing this model comes with a stand, or she'd be doing backflips all day.

It's attached to her head with one vertical and two horizontal joints, connected together at three different points itself, and is held up by two more pieces just to make it work.

I only mentioned this before, but didn't illustrate it - The Nobell Gundams feature a unique hip and chest swivel not seen in other Gundams, just to pull off cute and sexy poses... Yes, it's ridiculous, and yes, I'm here for it.

The final results? Wonderful!

Again, I absolutely love the garter. Cracks me up.

I went with the very-Sailor-Moon peace sign hand on this one, and a saber in place of a "Moon Stick."

I'm really happy with how these Nobells turned out, and it seems like they're helping turn my (now second) model shelf into a lady's night:

Hell of a party.

For more of my model kit builds on Tumblr, click here:

[madhattersez]

Model Kit Build: "Chinagguy" by Bandai

Okay! Here she is: Chinagguy. Undoubtedly the most ridiculous and cutesy model kit I've put together so far.

Are you familiar with the actual Gunpla that this one is cosplaying? Here ya go - The equally silly KUMA-03 Beargguy III:

The most uncuddlable teddy bear since Roosevelt.

Anyways, let's get started, shall we?

Here we have another one of those horrifying face masks, like the Mrs. Loheng-Rinko model had. I'm just gonna hurry up and put the head together before this thing Chuckys me.

Ahh, much better. Here she is. Much cuter now.

So, this kit had the option to use these "invisible lens" style frames or an actual pair of plastic glasses that kind of made her eyes bigger, like real ones. I wanted to use those instead, but I really botched putting the red frames on them because they were a tiny, slivery sticker. Ah well, these are nice, too.

And the torso shot. There's not a lot of photos for this build because it had a surprisingly low amount of parts and stickers for a High Grade kit! I built this one in maybe about an hour, and I was taking my sweet time.

I legit wish all Gundams had a thigh gap like this. They would all be able to actually stand sturdy if that were the case, haha.

In this state, this also looks like some sort of Loli fashion Fryguy or some shit. Maybe I should have just stopped here to confuse people, or just popped the head on top!

But I'm not a monster (?!).

Here she is in full bear costume glory! Ms. China Kousaka, ready to kick your Gunpla's ass.

In an adorable way. Look at that ridiculous maid-style outfit! I love it, y'all.

What's next for building?

I have a teeny, tiny little Gundam that fits in a literal Cup Noodle container. Stay tuned!

For more of my model kit builds on Tumblr, click here:

[madhattersez]

Model Kit Build: "Mrs. Loheng-Rinko" by Bandai

Yesssss! I've been wanting to build this kit the moment I saw the box the first time years ago.

If you squint real hard, you may see a traditional anime-style space battleship, and that's just what they were going for! It's a battleship, but also... a gorgeous Captain lady.

What it is is amazing, I tell ya.

This was the first thing my eyes darted to when I opened the box. Welp, that's creepy as hell. Haha.

This is the first model I've built that had... eye and eyebrow sockets. The eyes are like this because there are a ton of different-looking options you can swap out.

Funny enough, this isn't even the eye option I was going for, but I didn't realize it until I had already solidly placed the first eye down and I thought it looked really cute anyway, so I went ahead with the matching one.

Obligatory torso shot, seeing as how I apparently include one in every build post. It's just a great checkpoint, I suppose.

Decision time - Plastic butt or rubber butt?

This is the first model I've ever built that had rubber pieces! Only her skirt is rubber, and I guess that's to make sure it keeps shape no matter which way she's bending.

The plastic butt is what I need, though, because it's a necessity to put her on the included base(kind of like a seat) in the pose I'm aiming for. The front of the skirt will still be rubber, though.

I didn't take a ton of progress pics because this model was super easy and I just kind of forgot to pause now and then.

Here's a shot of her with all of the battleship gear on - I'm pretty impressed she can balance with all this shit on, honestly, haha.

She has a more "human" looking option that includes loafers for shoes, no turrets in the knees, and, you know, no spaceship parts. But where's the fun in that?

Let's get right to it - Fully built and posed on the included stand! I have her somewhat in the same position as on the box, because again, I really dug it at first site.

I'm blown away - She's incredible!

I also tried a new technique rather than the "clumsy gaijin nipping parts directly from the sprues" technique I have used up to this point. I now clip the branches around the part (like professional builders do) and then do a quick twist to set the parts free.

I had almost zero jaggies or stretch marks. It took longer, but it was so, so worth it. Cleanest build I've ever done, by far.

A back and side shot so you can see all of the battleship equipment on her. What a dope design!

And here are the rest of the peepers that will sit lonely on this sheet, maybe forever.

I was originally going to use 3 and 4. Ah well.

The ones on the right look like some Sonic the Hedgehog shit.

Welp, that's all for this one! The next one I'm putting together is probably the silliest and girliest one yet. And that's saying something! Stay tuned.

For more of my model kit builds on Tumblr, click here:

[madhattersez]

Model Kit Build: "The King of Fighters XIV Nakoruru" by Degenerator Industry

This one was interesting. To start with, I had no idea these models were even a thing!

I went "Christmas money" shopping at HobbyTown USA for some new kits to put together. I had already picked up the Devastator model from my previous post, but this Nakoruru one caught my eye immediately (even though it was stacked up high and pretty much out of sight).

I am an absolute Neo Geo freak and I love pretty much anything SNK-related, so I started flipping out. I think I took a look at the front of the box, then the side, then I just hugged it for several seconds. What a crazy, cool kit to stumble upon!

Interesting to see nature's protector here with her trusty hawk suddenly turned robotic. Nakoruru is also sporting some sort of mecha skirt, but... Okay. I was down no matter what.

I asked the people behind the counter if there were any more in this series, and they had no idea - Said a guy just came in and ordered it through them because he was gonna put it together and display it inside one of his anime rides at a car show, but then he never picked it up. My score, I guess!

By the way, there -is- a series, including Mai Shiranui, a transforming Metal Slug tank, and more.

I got home and opened the box... My initial reaction?

Holy hell, why the fuck are there so many sprues?! This looks like what you get in an MGEX Gundam kit, haha. Wow.

So, how does Degenerator Industry stack up against Bandai when it comes to instructions and quality?

Not great, I'm afraid.

While the instructions were far better than my experience with the Flame Toys kit, there were a couple flaws.

First, as seen above, there were a lot of the "your choice" icons, much like you see in Bandai kits.

This usually means that there are two or more styles for the part you're working on. However, unlike Bandai kits, there were no pictures of the differences between the two versions anywhere to be found. How am I supposed to pick if I don't know the changes between them and have no image to guide me? I didn't design the damned thing...

This led to me taking multiple pieces apart and switching to a different part when I later realized the actual functions of each option many steps later.

Just about the only "your choice" part that made sense was when I got to the "breast unit" step:

I would be terrified, too, honestly.

Well, after building both units, I had to choose between "smaller, rocky gray boobs that don't match the outfit" or "bigger, rounder boobs that match the rest of the figure.

After trying both out and consulting a Wikia to see that Nakoruru was now at least 20, I went ahead with the better matching, larger dodonhonkeros.

Another hidden problem I found in the directions and even the initial photos on the outside - I figured out just why there were so many damned sprues in this kit: There were nearly two complete sets of everything in the box. Why, you may ask?

Well, there are no pictures of this on the box or in the instructions in a completed state, but you can basically build a "more accurate to the games" version of Nakoruru, or choose to craft a "wacky cyber armor version" because reasons. Surprise!

When I got the model, I had no idea this was even an option.

There are separate directions for making this version of her, which makes sense, but there are two versions of Mamahaha (that's the falcon) - an alternate white and red motif and a basic Samurai Shodown brown motif - but only one set of instructions.

You see, they use the same sprue letters and instructions for both colors... That wasn't obvious until I'd already built the white and red version, but that's okay - I wanted to match it to her anyway.

So, you know how I said there's almost two copies of everything in the box? Well, the only thing preventing you from building both versions of each model is that there is only one torso for Nakoruru and one head for Mamahaha. If they would have included pieces for a second set of those, then there wouldn't be so many wasted parts when you're done.

I mean, if you don't plan on changing out the parts often, which... I imagine not many people would.

But, whatever, check out the finished product:

She's got an attitude because of the troubles I'm about to mention.

These both came out looking super cool, even though (much like the Devastator kit I built previously) it took a lot of physical force to fit some of the parts.

I even had to soak the head in boiling water for a bit to get the neck joint to pop in! Pretty annoying.

Aside from all that, the sprues had thick sections connecting to the parts instead of thin or precise ones, so I had jaggies on literally every single piece I snipped. It took a long-ass time to fix those as I went along.

I guess no one can beat Bandai at their own game, huh?

Ah, well. They are both done now! Nakoruru and Mamahaha look really rad.

One more mention of waste - With double the parts and such, check out how much bigger the box was than the model, lawl:

For more of my model kit builds on Tumblr, click here:

[madhattersez]

Another kit down, and this one's ridiculous - The Nobell Gundam:

Isn't she lovely? Haha. I had so much fun building (and posing) this one. :) The beam ribbon is such a nifty gimmick.

Can't wait to try building the other Nobell I have (Berserker Mode) on Tumblr Live soon!

For more of my model kit builds on Tumblr, click here: