Some of Our Favorite Gunpla 101 Reader Builds, Part 4

You know what makes running a Gunpla blog worth it? Our readers.

We’ve always asked for Gunpla submissions on the Contact Us page because we’re not writing in a vacuum. If Gunpla 101 has inspired you to build your own, we want to know!

This time around, I’m sharing some reader builds that are positively art forms. If you’re craving some Gunpla inspiration, look no further than some of our latest submissions!

@JaredRay92 shared his incredible take on the RX-TR-1 Hazel Custom from the Advance of Z manga, a side story to the Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam anime.

Jared said the kit, which was a Christmas present from his wife, arrived damaged, so he worked around that. “It pained us both to see it damaged so I put a lot of work into the weathering. It is 100% dry brush using a 75-cent bottle of “Real Grey” paint from walmart and some cheap 2nd grade classroom brushes. I Googled a lot of photos of weathered Gunpla. In all it took maybe 45 minutes for the shield and 2 hours for the whole unit,” he told Gunpla 101.

Next up is the Try Burning Gundam from @GundamF4L. The model’s flexibility and durability is shown off in an extremely dynamic pose, with the help of a Bandai Hobby base.

“The inspiration for the pose I used for my Try Burning Gundam model is from a picture of Bruce Lee doing a flying kick,” he said.

Here is @stevenlambson’s detailed take on the MG Gundam Astray Blue Frame. From the panel lining to the pose, we love everything about this well-crafted kit.

To demonstrate that two readers can have totally different (but gorgeous) takes on the same model, here’s Kenneth Lorico’s Gundam Astray (High Grade this time). This is just a nice looking suit—no matter the grade or scale, the colors and intricate armor really pop. The Astray is one of the top-selling Gunpla in North America for this reason!

Finally, here’s Eddie’s SDEX Gundam Barbatos.

In most cases I’d advise against using black panel lining marker on white (gray is more subtle) but with a little experience, you can learn when it’s okay to break the rules. Here, Eddie gives a super-deformed model a more fittingly cartoonish feel with bolder-than-normal panel lining, which is exactly what I would have done.

Great work, everyone! Can’t wait to see what our readers come up with next.

See also:

Some of Our Favorite Gunpla 101 Reader Builds, Part 3

Some of Our Favorite Gunpla 101 Reader Builds, Part 2

Some of Our Favorite Gunpla 101 Reader Builds