How to Fix Broken Gunpla

superglue

We try to be careful with our gunpla, we really do. But accidents happen. Things get dropped and broken, and although we didn’t mean it, we have to put them back together.

SD Gundam Unicorn is a victim of my cleaning sprees. Although he survived an earthquake we had a while back with no issue, that wasn’t the case for falling off a bookshelf.

broken_unicorn

Here’s what to do when your gunpla is a little worse for wear:

1) Assess the damage. Are one or two parts askew, or did its arm become your puppy’s latest chew toy? The extent of the damage will govern the extent of the repair.

2) Fix small breaks with superglue. That’s what we did for Gundam Unicorn. This is standard glue you can get at the drug store. Lay your dust-free model on a paper towel. Then, dab the superglue on the part and hold it in place for at least 30 seconds.

Leave the model lying down to prevent any falls while it is drying, and check in a few minutes.

fixed_unicorn

3) If it’s really bad, buy a replacement kit. Sometimes there’s just too much damage to glue back together. One option is to buy a duplicate kit and mine it for parts. The best part is that, even if it gets broken again, you’ve still got tons of replacement pieces to choose from.

4) Alternatively, disguise it as battle damage. If the model is expensive or you just don’t want to buy a second kit, you could try to pass it off as the results of a Gundam battle. Distress it with a weathering kit to add sand, mud, or gunpowder wear, and maybe add some scrapes to other parts of the armor, too.

These are definitely not the only ways to fix a broken gunpla, and we’re always interested in hearing about the especially creative ways you’ve fixed up yours.

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89 Comments.

  • One thing to be careful with superglue is that it make cost fogging. fogging is just some glue that evaporates and attaches itself to the sorrounding plastics.

  • Toñito Acuña
    January 26, 2015 7:41 pm

    Try to use some of plastruc bondene is a cement for plastic,just put alittle and wait to star melting then just put the pices together use a sandstick to smooth

  • kragled!

  • My blue frame had some problems with flight mode, in the back, a small piece that joints Tactical arms with the body broke a few days ago and i tried with cyanoacrylate but this part keeps broking and broking again, Any tip?

    • @xarlyx:disqus cyanoacrylate has a short shelf life. Did you check if it’s still good?

      • Yup, that thing keep gluing my fingers once and again, but… It repaired the piece!! i dropped some sodium bicarbonate and that dust/ grains filled all the spaces in the broken piece, and that solutioned the problem Thanks so much, aaaand, you can use my trick for your broken pieces or something else

  • Hi i have a MG epyon and one day my mom was cleaning and the sword fell to the ground and the hilt piece broke where it connects to the guard. It was a somewhat clean break but with the model glue i bought (which i used for another kit that had a few finicky parts) didnt keep it together.

    How would i fix this? really want it to hold its awesome sword again.

    • @disqus_tr5RsUXLux:disqus I bet your mom feels very bad. I remember when I was dusting and I broke the hand on John’s Crossbone Gundam! I felt awful for weeks.

      I highly recommend super glue, as I have used it on four models around my house now, and they haven’t broken a second time. (And I still dust them and sometimes topple them!) If it is in a really sensitive spot, see if you can get another copy of the kit for cheap and replace the part with one from the new kit. Good luck!

  • my blaze zaku phantom or should i say “blaze zaku” considering that my phantom booster in the back is broken and have to replace but that’s not the point here.

    I dropped Blaze zaku from the top of second bed(bunk bed) by accident while trying to see if all his parts put together i dropped him and his neck joint broke! if you are asking what size its an sd version. will gorilla glue work if i put it on properly? and if so will it be poseable again?

    • @mythxross:disqus oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. I have used Krazy Glue in the past to repair an SD (as shown) so based on my experience, that should work. However, I doubt his neck will be very posable so make sure it’s at a straight angle when you glue it!

      • Ok thanks for the tip!
        I guess I’ll have to buy another one and mine that one but oh well I am making custom!

    • To go with that, almost all SD kits use the same neck join, though some (even HG use the same joint) Will actually ahve an extra or not use it at all and you can use that as a replacment.

  • Lelouch vi Aznable
    June 5, 2015 1:53 am

    Heeeeeeeeeyyy. I’m new to Gunpla and I just wanted to ask how conuld I cover up scratch marks.

  • Two nights ago, I suffered 2 major setbacks while assembling the upper body section of my RG RX-78GP01fb Gundam Zephyranthes Full Vernier. I accidentally cracked two sections of part C21 (the blue part on the left) during the paint washing process. The crack was so bad in such a way that the section itself broke off from the the part. Same thing happened with part G7 (the silver gray part on the right) https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b5a5dc4d261dd9403b0fe75dd4d12c5610dae09aaee327112d30721dbe513ad6.jpg . The lower section of G7 (part of the neck) snaps into the upper body before the head itself can be attached to the neck. I tried to salvage both parts by supergluing the broken pieces but it didn’t work. The hatches that will be mounted to C21 won’t close properly (due to misalignment). Same goes with part G7. The only solution I came across was to use the same parts from the RG RX-78GP01 just to complete the Full vernier’s upper body assembly since both kits came from the same mold. Now I have to purchase an extra RG Zephyranthes kit just for parts. The second image is https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/61c1f1436c47ea0d73a8c30b2aa1f7164f0c1a395f36b1f331af665524e04854.jpg the repaired upper section of the Full Vernier using parts from the other RG RX-78GP01 kit.

  • Two nights ago, I suffered 2 major setbacks while assembling the upper body section of my RG RX-78GP01fb Gundam Zephyranthes Full Vernier. I accidentally cracked two sections of part C21 (the blue part on the left) during the paint washing process. The crack was so bad in such a way that the section itself broke off from the the part. Same thing happened with part G7 (the silver gray part on the right). The lower section of G7 (part of the neck) snaps into the upper body before the head itself can be attached to the neck. I tried to salvage both parts by supergluing the broken pieces but it didn’t work. The hatches that will be mounted to C21 won’t close properly (due to misalignment). Same goes with part G7. The only solution I came across was to use the same parts from the RG RX-78GP01 just to complete the Full vernier’s upper body assembly since both kits came from the same mold. Now I have to purchase an extra RG Zephyranthes kit just for parts. The second image is he repaired upper section of the Full Vernier using parts from the other RG RX-78GP01 kit. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b5a5dc4d261dd9403b0fe75dd4d12c5610dae09aaee327112d30721dbe513ad6.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/61c1f1436c47ea0d73a8c30b2aa1f7164f0c1a395f36b1f331af665524e04854.jpg

  • Two nights ago, I suffered 2 major setbacks while assembling the upper body section of my RG RX-78GP01fb Gundam Zephyranthes Full Vernier. I accidentally cracked two sections of part C21 (the blue part on the left) during the paint washing process. The crack was so bad in such a way that the section itself broke off from the the part. Same thing happened with part G7 (the silver gray part on the right). The lower section of G7 (part of the neck) snaps into the upper body before the head itself can be attached to the neck. I tried to salvage both parts by supergluing the broken pieces but it didn’t work. The hatches that will be mounted to C21 won’t close properly (due to misalignment). Same goes with part G7. The only solution I came across was to use the same parts from the RG RX-78GP01 just to complete the Full vernier’s upper body assembly since both kits came from the same mold. Now I have to purchase an extra RG Zephyranthes kit just for parts. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/61c1f1436c47ea0d73a8c30b2aa1f7164f0c1a395f36b1f331af665524e04854.jpg The second image is he repaired upper section of the Full Vernier using parts from the other RG RX-78GP01 kit.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b5a5dc4d261dd9403b0fe75dd4d12c5610dae09aaee327112d30721dbe513ad6.jpg

  • Two nights ago, I suffered 2 major setbacks while assembling the upper body section of my RG RX-78GP01fb Gundam Zephyranthes Full Vernier. I accidentally cracked two sections of part C21 (the blue part on the left) during the paint washing process. The crack was so bad in such a way that the section itself broke off from the the part. Same thing happened with part G7 (the silver gray part on the right). The lower section of G7 (part of the neck) snaps into the upper body before the head itself can be attached to the neck. I tried to salvage both parts by supergluing the broken pieces but it didn’t work. The hatches that will be mounted to C21 won’t close properly (due to misalignment). Same goes with part G7. The only solution I came across was to use the same parts from the RG RX-78GP01 just to complete the Full vernier’s upper body assembly since both kits came from the same mold. Now I have to purchase an extra RG Zephyranthes kit just for parts. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/61c1f1436c47ea0d73a8c30b2aa1f7164f0c1a395f36b1f331af665524e04854.jpg
    The second image is the repaired upper section of the Full Vernier using parts from the other RG RX-78GP01 kit.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b5a5dc4d261dd9403b0fe75dd4d12c5610dae09aaee327112d30721dbe513ad6.jpg

    • So for joints like that where its somewhat like a polycap, the only way to fix it (though more of a bandaid) Is to shape it back together and use liquid cement and or super glue. Itll hold it but it will be very weak. You can also use button around the part and shave it to be about the right size to get it back, but best bet is to order a repalcement part.

  • The V fin from my RG Gundam Astray broke off from the connection part of the head. It goes back in and stays if not touched. Should I try glue to see if it stays on or just leave it alone? Any advice would be great.

    • @chimera00:disqus do you move it around a lot? If it’s fine the way it is, that’s great! Otherwise, superglue is the way to go.

      • It’s fine the way it is right now on it’s current pose, but if I were to slightly move the head from the front it’ll fall off. I’m thinking to glue it to the head later-on though. Once again thanks for all the tips and advice that have been posted on this site. They’ve been very helpful.

        • I would advise to glue the vfin of any astray kits. They tend not to stay in well at all, no matter the astray type or grade. Even sengoku astray has the same issue. The connection is not enough to hold it together with friction.

  • Aappleipaduser
    December 2, 2015 4:38 am

    I recently had my Try Burning Gundam and I’m very afraid I might break the fin. What can I do to avoid breaking it?

    • The v fin of any kit can sometimes be finicky and is usually the part that breaks first. The only advice for this is to be careful when handling the head and wherever you pose your kit make sure its stable. if it does sadly break, you can use this opportunity to turn the kit into a battle damaged kit.

      Turn disaster into opportunities.

  • Hi, What about missing pieces? My RG Gundam Astray red frame fell to the floor and one shoulder piece is missing altogether. What can I do apart from buying a whole new kit just for the replacement?

    • You can attempt replacement parts from bluefin directly or gundamstoreandmore as they both tend to have replacement parts. They can take some time to arrive however.

  • Hi, what to do when you over sharpening your v fin, and its impossible to extand it back? My barbatos’s v fin being over sharpen by me and its really short, i just want to fix it back to the original size.. pls help.

    • You can attempt replacement parts from bluefin directly or gundamstoreandmore as they both tend to have replacement parts.

  • Sean S. Negron
    December 21, 2015 1:38 am

    I have a broken gun handle stuck on Fenice Gundam’s backpack, how do I remove the broken handle?

    • Hg or MG thats stuck? A picture will help on giving advice how to remove.

      • Sean S. Negron
        July 9, 2017 6:29 pm

        HG Fenice, it’s the main gun handle that can that can also be attached to the backpack

  • I recently bought a HG Wing Honoo, and while taking the lower leg apart to clean it, one of the connecting pins that hold the two halves together broke. Do you know of any way I could possibly pull the pin out, or should I just glue the pieces together? I would prefer not to do that, so that I can completely disassemble it.

  • I misplaced the knee joint from my HGUC delta kai MSN-001X. Is there a alternative solution for this or will I have to buy a new model?

  • ExpressCornet
    May 25, 2016 10:47 am

    The leg joint on my MG Hyaku Shiki 2.0 broke at the point where it goes into the top of the leg, so I am wondering if using glue is OK or could possibly freeze the joint

    • Is the joint stuck on a peg or is it like a polycap? Show me a Pic and i can help.

      • This imgur album has a picture of it and another break that happened since then http://imgur.com/a/MgAGr

        • Ah, that kind of hip joint. So its still best to order a replacment from blufin, however you can either glue it back on but the connection will be weak. Or the other alternative, you can take a dremal, make a hole at the location of where it was at, a little smaller than the same of the piece, then you can take a rod roughly the same size as the original peg, and hammer it in there. You want the hole slightly smaller so that friction will hold it tight. I hope this helps, If not order all the hip parts for that from bluefin for replacment.

          • It has no bluefin sticker on the box, don’t they only replace parts from kits with the sticker?

          • If there is no bluefin sticker, they wont be able to replace it. (one store i have imports directly from japan so i cant get replacements from bluefin) But with http://www.gundamstoreandmore.com/parts-store.html they should be able to have a similar if not that same part as replacement, you have to sometimes check a few times a day as their stock goes pretty fast, but shipping is great here.

        • Now with this hip joint you can still fix if you use some copper rods to strengthen it. You can get some at a hobby store or a store that specializes in hobby trains. You can use a pen vice or a dremal to drill a hole slightly bigger than the rod, test fit, cut out a length and then use a bit of glue around the end to make it snug as you place it in the hole and repeat on the other side. This will help strengthen it than just gluing back in as there is something inside taking the weight. for this peg, I recommend trying 3 rods in a triangular formation when you glue them in if you have room for maximum support. You may lose a bit of movement from the leg in terms of side to side movement, but it will be working better than no leg at all. Im working on my own article to fix pegs as well on my blog at milkykou.com that will help out more if you would be interested in more thorough steps later.

  • I have lost my PC/PE part from Kurenai Musha Amazing Warrior, how do I fix it when I’ll lost one piece?

    • One of the polycaps right? If it is luckily most if not all SD kits have the standard polycaps that you can easily replace it with an extra from another kit.

  • my HG g gundams corelander wing is broken how do i fix it

    • Hey there cozy. Thanks for your concern. Where on the wing is it broken at? Depending on the location it could be an easy fix or it can be a work around to get it working again. Can you provide a picture showing where?

  • Jarrett Forester
    October 1, 2016 7:17 pm

    the hinge joints for my RG Wing Zero’s flight wings are cracked. Is there any way I can fix this?

    • Hello Jarrett. For fixing hinges on rg, it depends on if the hing broke on the inner frame part of the wing or on something like one of the poly caps. Can you provide a picture (and if possible the part number and runner) of the part that broke and I will try my best to help advise on how to fix this.

  • im alil new to the site here but i am a big gunpla fan i recently accidently cracked a part of my powered GM cardigan’s back pack, the hole slot on the left shoulder gun mount, its a very thin crack and hasn’t split all the way through. how does one fix something like that?

    • Hey laths, Can you provide a picture of the crack? If its small and around the hole you should be fine with clear glue. But depending on the location you may need more than that.

  • What about a shoulder joint on the full armor gundam? I thought it was just a little stuck and then I hear a snap and now I am out of luck and hoping to find help here.

    • Hey sean, good question. I have a follow up question to you. Is this the HG kit or the MG kit? Depending on the kit will give you 2 different results, though it will be about the same for the method. You can fix the kit with 3 things, a pin vice, metal rod, and glue. I am working on steps on how to fix this myself to show you how its done, but what youll do is youll take your pin vice drill a hole into both sides, not all the way through, fit in a slightly smaller rod into your hole for test fitting, put in glue and put the pin on both sides and glue. The rod will add support for holding the weight of the part. Depending on the joint and size itself you may need multiple rods.

      Hope this helps, if you put up a pick showing the broken part ill be able to help more.

      • It is the mg kit and that broken part is B-32. I should of said that in my first comment sorry.

        • Ah, I have not put together the FA yet, provide a pic and ill see what I can do to help fix that.

  • The A12 part on my hg star build strike was broken and now I can’t connect the upper and lower parts. What can I do to fix this?

  • The A12 part on my star build strike was broken and now I can’t connect the upper and lower parts. How can I fix the broken peg (I think) on the A12 part?

  • Hello Gunpla Gurus.. I had the same problem as this guy:
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1ZH6FNO14AK4S/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_viewpnt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00YGEKDLW#R1ZH6FNO14AK4S

    but mine finally snapped 🙁

    Can I still fix those? 🙁

    • hey there! Im actually working on a tutorial for fixing things like this for this site. To give you an idea, for something like this youll need a pin vice, copper rods and glue, the rods build stability and strength inside the part for holding it together. Once its finished ill have a big tutorial on this.

  • My gundam joint (that little ball thing)
    that connects the right arm to the body snapped off. How do i fix it 🙁

    • Hello, which kit and where did it exactly snap? If you can provide a pic I can give my best advice for fixing this.

  • GundamNinjaSamurai
    January 4, 2017 1:58 pm

    Hi, my friend gave me her hguc zaku 2 from the early 2000s and it has a broken ball joint. The cylinder part that connects the ball joint in the left thigh to the hip snapped off and now the ball joint and some of the cylinder part is stuck inside the thigh joint. I tried supergluing it, but it doesnt dry fast enough and I think the weight of the whole left leg is causing it to not glue together. I also think that the ball joint is too tight, which probably caused the snap when I tried to make a Zaku kitbash by removing the leg first. I didn’t mean to break it. I did not build the zaku and I thought the side skirts were clipped in, so I tried to remove the leg by swiveling it to the right horizontally and then pull, but it snapped off. Then I realized that the side skirts were on polycap joint, so that meant that I didnt have to worry about breaking the side skirts. I felt really bad yesterday and right now, the superglue is keeping the leg in place, but the leg is not connected properly and is dangling from the hip. Please help me! And thank you for your time.

  • Hello. The hinge on the inner frame left arm of my Wing Gundam Rg had broken. Do you know how to fix it? Thank you.

    • Hello. Is it one of the hinges on the frame when it was prebuilt? I.e. right out of the runner or a part you added on? Im not familiar with the RG wing but if its similar to other RG should be simple to fix.

      • Yes. It’s one of the pre built hinges from the inner frame right out of the runner.

        • Ah that will be a bit harder to fix since its once of the prebuilts. can you show a pic of the hinge in particular?

  • Hey i recently broke the head piece of my fenice rinascita master grade, would super glue do the job of fixing it?
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/62564a845d47a37df100ea8449d930988a9520d115762b2276e6776fbecdc4a4.jpg

  • Hey, so I snapped the stand included with the 1/100 kimaris trooper, I broke the little hook thing. I broke it because I don’t know the proper way to remove it but, any tips on how to fix it? Can I just super glue it?

    • You might be out of luck there. Clip pieces, while able to be repaired with super glue, will not be able to withstand the stress of clipping the model on it 🙁

  • First time gunpla builder
    I accidentaly grip it hard on the runner T_T is super glue enough? https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d0f79bae2c8bdc99638e5773d59bdb3d52339ae4fb4cac42f02bb04988a1c6b0.jpg

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