People who don’t build Gunpla don’t realize how much work it is! I’m only partially kidding. Not only are there techniques to master and perfect in order to put Gunpla together, but there’s cleanup and storage and repair… the list goes on.

That’s why, in order to continually improve ourselves as Gunpla builders, John and I like to set Gunpla New Year’s Resolutions. But before we get to those, let’s look at how we did at achieving our 2015 goals:

Watch the series our Gunpla are based on — I’ll have you know John and I made it through a complete rewatch of Gundam Seed Destiny… and it’s nowhere as nice as our MG Destiny model. But looking at the scenes of Destiny in action, beam-a-rang in hand, gave me some new posing ideas.

We didn’t get around to watching Gundam X, which wasn’t readily available in our country at the time. But RightStuf has announced they’re releasing it for DVD in 2016!

Learn to airbrush — Nope. We learned to apply top coat, but airbrushing is a different beast, complicated by the fact that we live in an apartment without a lot of ventilation. Next year!

Clean out our backlog — We built more than 10 Gunpla this year… but we also bought more than 10. So even though we did finish our MG Build Strike and Beargguy Family as promised, I am looking around the apartment and see six unfinished kits just from here! (Not to mention one I just bought, oops!)

Review more Gundam shows — Check and check! Anime News Network is an awesome place to work. Not only did I review Gundam Build Fighters Try and Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans for them in 2015, but they also published my articles on Gunpla building for beginners and every Gundam show ranked! (you might hate me after reading that second one).

Spring clean our Gunpla — You bet we did this! I think it is best illustrated by a picture:

Ta da! We bought a bright yellow (“Winning yellow,” I would say) Ikea cabinet to keep the bulk of our Gunpla collection in. Now they’re protected and I barely even have to dust them! There are a ton of different glass display cabinets for every space and budget, and I encourage you to check them out.

And now… 2016’s resolutions!

Build a Perfect Grade Gunpla

At Katsucon 2015, John and I finally bought a Perfect Grade Unicorn kit, complete with the LED add-on. At several hundred bucks, this is too pricey and way too good looking to let molder in a box. So our number one most important resolution this year is to build this kit, all the while documenting what we learn so you can build better Perfect Grade kits, too. Watch for this series!

Catch up on Gundam Manga

Remember when Crossbone Gundam showed up in Gundam Build Fighters Try earlier this year? The reason lots of fans were blown away by this cameo was that up until 2015, Crossbone only existed in manga form. It had never been animated! It made me wonder which other mobile suits I’ve been missing out on because I just watch anime and don’t read much manga.

This year I want to start off with Gundam Seed Astray because it’s a manga that’s legal, cheap, and contains downright INSANE-looking suits like the one pictured above. I want to build that, but first I want to know the story behind it!

If you’re looking to catch up on Gundam manga, too, might I suggest the entire Gundam: The Origin series if you haven’t seen it yet? These stunning watercolors and high-drama storylines made me see the original Mobile Suit Gundam series in an amazing new light.

Actually Airbrush Something This Year

Last year we didn’t even TOUCH this resolution, so it’s time to try again. This year, we know an extremely talented airbrusher in the form of one Ashe Blitzen, so we have fewer excuses. As Gunpla 101 grows, we are increasingly getting questions from readers about tougher techniques like this, so who would we be if we didn’t try them out ourselves?

Just three resolutions this year, but I think we’ll have our hands full trying to fulfill them!

Do you have any Gunpla resolutions for 2016?

See also: Our 2015 Gunpla Resolutions