Gunpla Builders World Cup (GBWC) 2016, Korea

These are my photos of Gunpla submitted to the Gundam Builders World Cup 2016 Korean Preliminaries. Before we begin, let’s note how entries in this year's contest were grouped:

• Builders Challenge: For all ages / any type of entry*
• Junior Course A: For ages 10 and younger
• Junior Course B: For ages 11 ~ 14
• Open Course A: For ages 15 ~ 20
• Open Course B: For ages 21 and up

*The Builders Challenge is a course exclusive to the Korean Preliminaries, which means course participants cannot proceed to the GBWC finals.

There were so many models on display at the Expo that I decided to only photograph those I found particularly noteworthy. Most of the Gunpla that stood out to me belonged to Open Course B and the Builders Challenge categories--I took only a few photos of models in Junior Course B and none from Junior Course A.

So... Did I submit an entry this year? Unfortunately no, as I just didn’t have time to build anything worthwhile. Disappointment breeds resolve however, and I look forward to trying again in 2017. In the meantime, my 2015 entry still sits comfortably on my desk.

Right! With nothing further to say, please enjoy my (rather large) photo album. I offer a hearty congratulations to all of the builders who entered this year's GBWC, and I look forward to next year's competition!

Gunpla Expo World Tour 2016, Korea

It's that time of year again! The Gunpla Expo World Tour has come to Seoul, bringing with it the 2016 Gunpla Builders World Cup. Since school is currently out for summer vacation I was able to attend opening day on July 27th, and I have pictures to show for it.

I'll break up my report into two parts: in Part 1, I'll share photos of the Gunpla Expo, and in Part 2 I'll upload my pictures of the models entered in the 2016 GBWC.

The 2016 Expo was fairly exciting, but overall not as much fun as the 2015 Expo. Last year's event was in a larger venue and had more to see and do (the stamp rally was a lot of fun), and I was easily able to spend several afternoons there. I wouldn't call this year's Gunpla Expo a letdown however, and I absolutely recommend attending if you have a chance to do so!

The Gunpla Expo World Tour will be in Seoul's Coex shopping mall from July 27th to July 31st, with GBWC finalists being announced at 2pm on the 31st. For a full breakdown of the Expo schedule, check out the posting on the official Gundam website.

Gunpla: Astray Red Frame, my first RG

It's been awhile since I last posted (again), and even longer since I built a Gundam model! Truth be told it's been a busy year for me with more ups and downs than I can count... I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever have time to get back into Gunpla. That's the nice thing about hobbies though: they're never really gone for good. They just get put on a shelf, tucked safely away where they wait until you're ready to pick up where you left off.

I'd never built an RG (Real Grade) model before; usually I stick to the simpler and faster to build HG (High Grade) kits. I've been curious about the RG line however, so when I was gifted the RG Astray Red Frame by an old friend I thought it was a good chance for me to try building something out of my comfort zone.

I built the RG Astray straight out of the box with no customization minus a little touching up with paint here and there. The RG line is known for its attention to detail, so I wanted to see how the RG Astray looks when built strictly by the manual. For the most part the whole process was relatively straightforward: clipping, trimming and sanding parts, drawing on panel lines and dabbing paint. Different from the HG line, RG models come with a hefty number of stickers and decals to apply. At first the task was a chore, but once I found my rhythm it became quite an enjoyable process. I completed the kit by spraying on a gloss coat; normally I give my kits a flat topcoat, but since the RG Astray is special I wanted to make it shine.

It was fun getting back into Gunpla, even if just for a little bit. Hopefully the next time I post a model on this blog it won't already be 2017!