Some of our Favorite Gunpla 101 Reader Builds, Part 5

Gunpla 101 is a blog for amateur builders, by amateur builders. And nowhere do we realize how far we still have to go than looking at our readers’ submissions.

Our readers’ impressive attempts elevate Gunpla building to an art form! We could look all day at these amazing takes on weathering, painting, and other techniques.

Take a look at some of our latest submissions and get inspired to build:

Jazz Lovah shared this thoughtfully weathered Gundam Barbatos Lupus build:

Jazz Lovah said, “[this was] my entry to a local out-of-box Gunpla Build-off contest here in Honolulu, a battle-weathered version of the 1/100 IBO Full Mechanics ASW-G-08 Gundam Barbatos Lupus. I basically utilized Tamiya’s Weathering Master color pigments in applying weathering effects on the Gunpla including dry brushing the random explosion soot marks on the armor. The dents on the sword mace were achieved using a dremel cordless tool.”

Ali Dragonnight shared this fantastic MG Gundam Exia Dark Matter:

Ali is also working on an MG Sinanju, the same kit I’m working on right now! Except where I’m using stickers, he’s painting it gold and it looks incredible.

What a neat idea! Ben and his girlfriend have “robot dates” where they get together and build Gunpla on date night. Here’s their latest:

You can check out more photos of the robot date, plus Ben’s Gundam Gusion and Man Rodi builds, on his Flickr account.

Stu is giving his five-year-old son an early appreciation of Gunpla by allowing him to assist with building kits like this Build Strike Gundam:

Stu says, “My son Griff is five and we adore Gunpla. It’s an excellent way to improve fine-motor skills and concentration. We have worked our way through a few UC high-grades and first-grade 00 kits. I have discovered that the Gundam Age range of advanced-grade kits are excellent for young builders, providing a simple build and impressive results for those short on time or skill. They can be found if you dig through eBay and Amazon for around $10, as we live in the Uk getting hold of juicy kits can be tricky.”

Jon submitted this Graze Custom:

Jon’s blog, Building Gundam, contains detailed accounts of the kits he builds. His blog post about this Graze Custom shows the washes he used to get the look.

Thanks to all of our readers who submit their finished builds to Gunpla 101! I always love looking at them.

See also:

Some of our Favorite Gunpla 101 Reader Builds, Part 4
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