Welcome to the Beginner Gunpla Essential Tools Guide and amazing world of Gundam, where gigantic mobile suits and their pilots fly across the sky and engage in awesome battles across the galaxy. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise. Gundam has had a massive influence since its debut in 1979 with the anime “Mobile Suit Gundam” capturing the hearts of fans worldwide. But, its impact has gone past its anime. Gundam has created a community of enthusiasts that builds and customizes Gundam models, known as Gunpla. Models will range from beginner (High-Grade), Intermediate RG (Real Grade), Advanced MG (Master Grade), and Veteran (Perfect Grade). Whether you’re a beginner or a seasonal builder there are kits for everyone. Here are some tools I recommend for new builders!
Essential Tools for Building Your Gundam Kit
Having the correct tools is essential to building the best Gundam possible. Also, the quality of your tools can make a difference in the precision and ease of your builds. Using the correct quality tools not only improves the overall finish of the build but also enhances your Gundam building experience. Therefore, with the correct equipment you will be able to achieve cleaner cuts and smoother finishes. This will make your Gundam look like its anime counterpart. In this Beginner Gunpla Essential Tools Guide 2024, I will introduce you to the most essential tools every Gundam builder should have and how to use them effectively for the best finish possible.
Bandai Nippers: The Tools for Clean Smooth Cuts
The most essential tool for Gundam building are Nippers. They’re a tool designed specifically for model building. Nippers have two flat, sharp blades that allow you to cut parts from the runners (The plastic holding the pieces together) much easier. However, unlike scissors, nippers provide you with precision and control when cutting, reducing the risk of damaging the part. Lastly, nippers allow us to achieve a clean, smoother finish, helping make the build look close to its anime counterpart. For example, I personally love using my GodHand nippers as they give me a great finish when cutting.Therefore, when buying your own set of nippers take into consideration its comfort, sharpness and quality.
Here is a link to the nippers I personally use and some recommendations for other nippers that are good too!
Beginners Gunpla Essential Tools: The Tweezers that make Handling Small Parts Easier
Tweezers are tools that allow you to pick up smaller parts easier and with more precision. For instance, in the situation of Gunpla Kits, tweezers are used for handling small parts and applying colour correcting stickers onto the model. These tweezers come in many different forms. For example, there are tweezers with rounded edge tips and those with more sharp pointed tips. For Gunpla building tweezers with pointed tips are the most commonly used because they offer better precision and control when applying either handling parts and stickers. In conclusion, tweezers make building Gunpla so much easier as they make handling smaller parts and stickers more smoother and efficient.
Additionally, I use the Vastar tweezers. I personally love this set as they make applying colour correcting stickers so much easier. Overall, any set of tweezers make a good tool to have in your Gunpla Building arsenal. Therefore, below I have put a link to the tweezers I use.
Smoothing Out The Details with Sanding Sticks
Sanding sticks are small, handheld tools that allow the user to smoothen out and clean up surfaces and edges of the Gunpla Model. In addition, sanding sticks are thin rectangular shaped that are wrapped with abrasive material at the bottom, similar to sandpaper, above all it offers the users better precision and significantly better handling when using. Furthermore, sanding sticks come in many different levels of grit. For example, these sticks can come in at 2000 level grit, all the way to 12000 level grit. With such a variety of different level grits. It will help you perform rough shaping and fine finishing allowing for versatility. In similar fashion, you may use a hobby knife instead of sanding sticks. But I wouldn’t recommend them for beginners as you have to be good with your hands or you will risk injury. Therefore, sanding sticks are a safer option for beginner builders.
I personally use the Raser Origin sanding stick. Firstly, this stick is high quality offering a perfect finish for my builds. Also, it incorporates super-nano technology which makes sanding the edges of my builds with fewer scratches. The only downside to the Raser Origin is that it’s quite pricey. Therefore, I would also recommend the GodHand Migaki-Kamiuasu which is a cheaper alternative giving you sanding sticks from 2000 grit all the way to 12000 grit.
Beginner Gunpla Essential Tools: Keeping it Stress Free with Single Bladed Nippers
Single bladed nippers are a cutting tool that is used in model kit building like Gunpla. Even though it shares a similar appearance to bandai nippers, their roles and function are very different. For example, regular bandai nippers will feature two sharp blades and zero flat blades, compared to the single bladed nipper which has one sharp and one flat. This design allows the single bladed nipper to perform precision cuts when cutting off the remaining nips, which minimizes stress and damaging of the part. In addition, single bladed nippers are crucial because, Firstly, they provide a great way to successfully pick out nips, this will help reduce your chance of getting stress marks. Secondly, they make a good segway into sanding your part later on. By making cleaner cuts, the single bladed nippers make the sanding part of your build so much easier.
Personally, here is how I use the single bladed nippers. Firstly, I use the regular bandai nipper to cut the part from the runner. Secondly, I then switch over to the single bladed nipper to cut off the remaining nips that have been left on the part. Lastly, I then move over to the sanding sticks to finish with a smooth clean finish part. For this Beginner Bandai Gunpla Essential Tools Guide 2024, I highly recommend the SPEEDWOX model single nipper, this tool has helped me so much for my builds as it helps me from damaging my parts. In addition, it is also affordable making it very accessible for everyone.
Beginners Gunpla Essential Tools: Some Additional Tools That You Can Consider
Self-Healing Mat: To protect your workstation, the self healing mat can help prevent damage and scratches to the surface of your desk. This mat is made from PVC material which prevent cuts from getting onto your desk, this helps ensure that for each cut there is a strong, surface. In addition, these mats can be found in different sizes and they usually have grid lines printed across the mat.
Brush: For Gunpla building, brushes are small tools with bristles at the end of them. They’re mainly used to clean off debris and dust that have occurred during the building process. Furthermore, these brushes come in various sizes and shapes. It does not matter which brush you use. As long as the brush has soft bristles it will get the job done.
Balancers: The balancer white from Gunprimer is a gloss polisher sponge with ultra-fine abrasives. This tool was designed to create an extreme glossy surface. This helps enhance the look of the Gunpla making it look smooth. I personally recommend this tool to beginners as it will make your Gunpla look much better on display. Though it is pricey, I believe it is worth the investment as it enhances your builds.
GUNDAM TOOL SET: Now as an alternative, you can buy these tools in a set instead of individually. These sets include tools such as: Bandai nippers, numerous tweezers, and hobby knife. These sets are a great alternative for those looking to save a bit of money or not wanting to buy each item individually and prefer them in a set. This is how I started when building Gunpla. I first bought a Gunpla tool set because I was looking to save money. But slowly I kept building more models, and I upgraded to newer tools.
The Journey To Being a Great Gundam Builder
As you embark on this exciting journey revolving around Gunpla, envision yourself at your workstation where tools such as tweezers, knives, and nippers come together to help build and produce the best Gunpla possible. Furthermore, remember don’t be nervous because everything will be okay. You will encounter bumps and mistakes on your journey, but these challenges are all valuable steps toward being the best Gunpla builder you can be. Embrace every moment, learn from your experiences and have fun building something amazing. To add on, Gunpla building is not all about the final look. It’s about the fun, journey, and enjoyment you get along the way. Step in, and explore the wonders of Gunpla. In addition, Welcome to the Gunpla Building Community.
Ask For Advice or Questions Below!
Now that you’re beginning your Gunpla building journey. You might need some help that goes beyond essential tools. If you need help, advice, or have any questions I will love to help you out. In addition, please fill out the forum below to get in contact with me. The Gunpla community and I are here to support you on this amazing journey. We’re so excited to be a part of your Gunpla adventure. Furthermore, whether you’re looking for tips and tricks, recommendations, looking for a community to join, or want to share your current build’s progress, Don’t be afraid to reach out. In conclusion, thanks for reading our Beginner Gunpla Essential Tools Guide, have fun and happy building. Your Gunpla building journey awaits!
