Month: January 2023

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Advert / Stock 29/01/2023

RG_Freedom_2

Advert / Stock 29/01/2023 is a quick update on the stock and the shop and a blatant advert for the shop 🙂

The items below you will need to contact me directly, however, I have provided quick links to the store and the specific grades at the bottom of the post for all other models.

As you may be aware I still have some models that the boxes were damaged from packing / transit. I’m trying to shift them directly if possible so that it is easier to communicate any box damage. If you are interested in any of them they are:

RG Freedom £26.99 + P&P

RG_Freedom_2
RG_Freedom_2

HG Setsuro £25.99 + P&P

SETSURO
SETSURO

HGUC Gundam RX-0 Unic Full Arm Dest Red 1/144 £34.99 + P&P

HGUC_Unicorn_Red
HGUC_Unicorn_Red

BB Gundam Destiny £9.99 + P&P

Destiny
Destiny

They are all stunning models which would look fantastic in any collection. You can also just browse the shop which is available here. Note the models above are not listed there at present due to the boxes. However, if you are interested in them please contact me directly. I also have lots of other models available on the shop, as well as the awesome GUNPRIMER Balancers and starter kit and Raser products. You can see them here.

Conclusion

That concludes this weeks “Advert / Stock 29/01/2023” roundup. Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you haven’t already done so please like and follow us on our social media platforms and checkout our website!

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Guess The Model Part 4

Assembled Arm Top Down Guess the Model Part 4

Introduction

Guess The Model Part 4 is the latest instalment in my current model build. As I follow the manual and build it section by section. If you missed them the previous parts are available here:

Today’s Part

With yesterdays part being the right arm, it is probably not a shock that today we have the left arm. This comes with the added bonus of the anchor and launcher.

The Parts

Unassembled Parts Guess the Model Part 4
Unassembled Parts Guess the Model Part 4

I should probably mention the mints are not a mandatory part of the build, but they are certainly acceptable additions. There are twenty individual parts making up the arm. I did find, as with the other arm, that some of them are quite small. However, they all fit together nicely, everything was to the high standard I have come to expect from Bandai.

Assembled Arm

Assembled Arm Top Down Guess the Model Part 4
Assembled Arm Top Down Guess the Model Part 4
Stun Anchor Fired Guess The Model Part 4
Stun Anchor Fired Guess The Model Part 4
Assembled Arm Closeup Guess the Model Part 4
Assembled Arm Closeup Guess the Model Part 4

Again I found myself really happy with the level of articulation on the kit. The arms have a great range of motion. I also love the stun anchor which with the added wire, can be used to make an awesome look. As with the rest of the kit I am not going to put the red stickers on it. I am planning on masking off pieces and undercoating and painting the parts that should be red. I am also tempted to add a little white into the mix as well but I haven’t decided yet.

Conclusion

The kit is coming together nicely. If you want a kit that is as satisfying to build as it is simple and relaxing then this is a great option.

I’m guessing a lot of you will already know what model it is by now! If not feel free to guess away. I will continue on with the build, as step by step I edge it towards completion!

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you haven’t already done so please like and follow us on our social media platforms and checkout our website!

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Guess The Model Part 3

Assembled Front Bent Arm Guess the Model Part 3

Introduction

Guess The Model Part 3 is the latest instalment in my current model build. As I follow the manual and build it section by section. If you missed them the previous parts are available here:

Today’s Part

Next up in the manual I am going to be building the right arm. Something I have found with this build, so far, is that it goes together really nicely. I think it has a nice balance between chunky and thin with some nice detail.

The Parts

Guess the Model Part 3 Bits
Guess the Model Part 3 Bits

As you can see above the right arm consists of 20 parts. I found several of them to be quite small, but still easy to handle. Cutting them out, and sanding them down wasn’t a problem, and by the time I had cleaned them up with the GUNPRIMER Balancers they were as good as new. (You can see a post I did on that here.)

Assembled Arm

Bent Arm Closeup
Bent Arm Closeup
Front View Bent Arm
Front View Bent Arm
Side Bent Arm
Side Bent Arm
Angle Front
Angle Front
Side
Side
Rear
Rear

I was surprised by the level of articulation that the arm had in the elbow joint. Overall I am quite happy with how it fits, looks and moves. It is worth mentioning, as I have earlier, that multiple pieces in this build should have stickers on them. However, personally, I feel they look a little cheap. As I have an airbrush sitting at my feet, I think it would do the model more justice to add those parts via paint.

Conclusion

I have to say this is turning out to be a really enjoyable build. There is not a single part so far I have found frustrating, or awkward. I’m guessing a lot of you will already know what model it is by now! If not feel free to guess away. I will continue on with the build, as step by step I edge it towards completion!

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you haven’t already done so please like and follow us on our social media platforms and checkout our website!

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GUNPRIMER Balancers

Balancer Gray

Introduction

Ok so I was planning on this being Part 3 of the guess the model series. However, I found I had a great opportunity to show people why I love the GUNPRIMER Balancers so much!

What are they?

They come in two colours and you want them both. The GRAY sticks remove scratches from the surface of a piece of plastic (like you would get from sanding down a nub or imperfection). The WHITE sticks (actually one side is green and the other is white) are used for polishing the piece back to its original condition.

The example

I was taking some pictures of a finished leg for the guess the model series when I noticed a nub. This is the picture:

Nub and Foot
Nub and Foot

I took one look at this and thought … now here is a great chance to show off the Balancers! I mean look at that little nub. It is quite offensive to the eye!

Sanding

Step 1 was for me to sand the nub down. I did this with wet and dry sandpaper with a little water. In the future I will use the Raser but I want to use up all my sandpaper first as I don’t have any other use for it 🙂

Sanded Nub
Sanded Nub

As you can see in the image above, the offending nub has been sanded to oblivion! This does, unfortunately have the side effect of really scuffing up the plastic. I deliberately went all over the side to make it easier to see.

GRAY Gunprimer

The next step was to use the Gray GUNPRIMER stick to remove those scratches. This restores the piece to a matt finish. If that is the look you like then you can stop there. It is worth noting that both sides of the Gray stick can be used for this stage.

Matt Foot
Matt Foot

As you can see from the image above the foot has been restored to a flat matt finish. It could do with a couple more passes along the edge. I think you can see how effective that is though.

Polish

So for me, I prefer the shiny finish, so the end step is to use the White balancer. This has two sides; a green, and a white. The green prepares the surface, the white then polishes it back up. Once finished it looks something like this.

First Polished
First Polished
Second Polished
Second Polished
Third Polished
Third Polished

As you can see, I have completely removed the nub, and the plastic is nice and shiny again with no scratches or flaws on it. I think I did 6 strokes on the green side and 4 on the white to give than shine.

Where can I get these magical devices?

I would agree, they do indeed work like some sort of magic! Fortunately I have them in stock! You can find the GRAY Balancers here and the White BALANCERS here.

Conclusion

I am, it is fair to say, a real convert to these products, I think they allow you to quickly, and easily, get really top notch quality finishes on parts.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you haven’t already done so please like and follow us on our social media platforms and checkout our website!

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Guess the Model – Part 2

Assembled Head

Introduction

Welcome back to “Guess the Model – Part 2” the second instalment in my latest guess the model series. If you want to catch up Part 1 is here. I did a quick summary of the tools I was using, and then got right on into it!

Todays Part

Todays part is short and sweet. After the Torso, which was a nice simple, and quite cool build, the manual has the head. So without further ado!

The Parts

Head Parts
Head Parts

As you can see the head consists of 7 parts, two of which are quite small indeed. To be fair, it does also have some stickers to go on it. However, I feel I’m going to forgo the stickers in favour of painting some of the bits to give is a slicker finish.

Assembled Head

Assembled Head
Assembled Head

As you can see without the stickers it is a little bland. However, once I add a little paint I’m hoping it will just elevate it that extra bit. This is a mobile suit that took a while to grow on me, but once it did I really wanted the kit. I like the little details on it. The vents etc. on the torso from yesterday, and the antenna being on the side giving the head a distinctive look.

Conclusion

If you think you know what it is then please drop me a comment and let me know. I am happy with how this build is going, and learning a lot on using all my tools to the best of their ability… or the best of my ability at the moment 🙂

That concludes todays “Guess the Model – Part 2”. Tune in tomorrow (hopefully) for the next installment!

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you haven’t already done so please like and follow us on our social media platforms and checkout our website!

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Guess the Model – Part 1

Underside Front View

Introduction

Back by popular demand (by me) is my guess the model series; leading off with Guess the Model – Part 1. This is where I post the build up of a model I am working on. The rules are simple. I have to build the model in the order it is in the manual. So if feet come before heads so be it! Actually I said the “rules” but really that is pretty much the only rule. Please feel free to guess the model and let me know what you think.

The Tools

Tools Image
Tools Image

A quick note on the tools. Firstly that is a bit of cheap sandpaper. I have a load that I won’t want to waste. Once it is all used up I will be using a RASER but I’m not a fan of waste so this gets used first! The toothbrush is because the sandpaper is wet and dry. When I use it I put some water on it and get a watery mixture with a sort of white dust from sanding. The toothbrush is perfect for cleaning that off. On the right are the cheap nippers for cut 1, and the left has the slightly less cheap nippers for cut 2. The GUNPRIMER balancers (you can find the grey here and the white here) are for cleaning up and polishing the plastic. Note I cut a piece off one to get into some smaller nooks and crannies. Finally at the top is the GUNPRIMER brush which I use for cleaning off the balancers after use.

The Pieces

The first section in the manual is the main Torso of the model. Below are the images of those pieces.

Guess the Model Parts
Guess the Model Parts
Forgotten Red Bit
Forgotten Red Bit

As you can see I forgot to cut out that little red piece. Still I got there in the end!

Assembled Pieces

Underside Front View
Underside Front View
Underside Rear View
Underside Rear View
Closeup Side View
Closeup Side View
Front View
Front View
Side View
Side View
Torso Rear View
Torso Rear View

As you can see the Torso is quite distinctive. Note I haven’t put the stickers on, mainly because I think they will cheapen the model. I’m going to have a think and paint a few sections to hopefully really make them pop. Then coat and finally panel line and coat again.

Conclusion

There we have it! Can you tell what model it is from that torso? If you can let me know in the comments.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you haven’t already done so please like and follow us on our social media platforms and checkout our website!

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Company Culture – A day in the life of

Boxes

Introduction

So I thought I would do a “Company Culture – A day in the life of” to give people a flavour of what it is like running a small business.

As you may, or may not know, I am running this alongside my day job. That means I have to balance everything to keep things moving nicely.

06:30 AM

So the day normally starts at 06:30 AM. I get up and get logged on for the day job. I am fortunate enough to be able to work remotely and flexibly so that works wonders.

07:00 AM

If I have anything that needs posting I log out on my time sheet from the main job and take packages to the Yodel drop off point.

07:30 AM

Log back in to the day job and carry on working.

Boxes
Photo by Kadarius Seegars on Unsplash

12:00 PM

Lunchtime! Grab some food and reply to emails. Check to see whether anything has updated on Yodel. I like to keep an eye to be able to chase up if there are any issues. I will reply to any emails from my sales rep, or anyone else. This pretty much takes me through my lunch!

17:00

Log off the day job. Log on to the website admin. If there are any orders go to my storage, and pack them. If I get them prior to 10:00 then I can normally get them to the Yodel drop off point before they close. Anything after then cycles round to the next morning.

The whole process however consists of:

  • Print off all orders
  • Go to the storage
  • Pick the relevant items
  • Make the relevant boxes and pack the items
  • Weigh everything
  • Purchase the Yodel postage (needs the box size and weight)
  • Print the postage label(s)
  • Attach the invoice(s) and postage label(s) to the box(es)
  • Drop off at Yodel drop off point

I will also check and update the relevant financial information. For the book keeping I need to:

  • Download a PDF of the Yodel Invoice
  • Attach the Yodel invoice to the relevant financial transaction
  • Download the sale invoice
  • Amend the VAT on the inbound funds (as they have the transaction fee taken off so the actual VAT needs to change to reflect what is on the invoice)
  • Attach the sale invoice to the relevant financial transaction

During this time I will also check the stock, check if there are any new items coming in. Work my way through the relevant industry news, and check out the various social pages. Once I have done that, if not already sorted I’ll setup my blog post for the following day.

All of the above can take me up to 21:00 – 22:00 depending on everything that is going on. Also depending on the day of the week I may also have to pop out to pick up various family members from work etc. After all this I will try and either watch some Anime or work on one of my builds or other projects.

Conclusion

As you can see it is all glamour! However worth every second spent on it. I am still loving running the business and want to keep working at it to see it succeed. My hope, is that is grows to the point where it is generating business tax that I can then donate to local charities. My personal preference being the local food bank. That all pretty much sums up “Company Culture – A day in the life of”.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you haven’t already done so please like and follow us on our social media platforms and checkout our website!

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Advert / Stock 21/01/2023

RG_Freedom_2

Introduction

Sunday comes around so fast! Advert / Stock 21/01/2023 is both an advert and quick stock update.

Items coming in

I have the following items due in soon. I am just waiting on the UPS delivery to leave Italy, but while we wait here is the mini list.

MG GUNDAM BUSTER 1/100

MG GUNDAM JUSTICE 2.0 1/100

RG GUNDAM DESTINY 1/144

RG GUNDAM FREEDOM 1/144

RG GUNDAM STRIKE FREEDOM ZGMF-X20A 1/144

RG GUNDAM WING ZERO CUSTOM EW 1/144

RG ZAKU II MS-06F 1/144

RG ZEONG 1/144

RG Freedom
RG Freedom

Other Items

As you know, my previous delivery had some boxes that had some bangs and knocks, and eventually I may have to list those on the site with big notices at the top. However, my preference is to deal with people directly so they know up front the box may be bent or slightly damaged. To the best of my knowledge the kits inside are fine, it is just packaging damage. However, I believe in transparency. Of those kits I have the following available.

RG Freedom £26.99 + P&P

RG Freedom £26.99 + P&P

HG Setsuro £25.99 + P&P

HG Setsuro £25.99 + P&P

HGUC Gundam RX-0 Unic Full Arm Dest Red 1/144 £34.99 + P&P

HGUC Gundam RX-0 Unic Full Arm Dest Red 1/144 £34.99 + P&P

BB Gundam Destiny £9.99 + P&P

BB Gundam Destiny £9.99 + P&P

Conclusion

Because I am a one man band, I get to do the ordering, unpacking, storing, cataloguing, website updates, posting, blogs, and advertisements. I would love to see this small business flourish so that I could make it my full time occupation. At the moment Model Kits Ltd is done alongside the day job, as a result I have some very busy days! However, I wouldn’t have it any other way 🙂

Thank you to everyone who supports us, follows us, and just enjoys hobbying. If you get chance please like and follow us on the various social media accounts, and feel free to share the links to the shop and facebook page.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you haven’t already done so please like and follow us on our social media platforms and checkout our website!

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P-Bandai Forgotten Europe

MG 1/100 Blast Impulse

Introduction

OK I better start this by saying this is purely an opinion piece on why I think we are in a P-Bandai forgotten Europe. You can take it or leave it as however works for you. I want to outline the frustrations that we, or at least I, have around P-Bandai products.

What is it?

P-Bandai are premium Bandai products, and from out point of view, they release limited edition GunPla. I know this doesn’t sound like a lot, especially given the models we do get, but they can’t be directly sourced within Europe. You can find the P-Bandai page here. What is great is when you go to this page, you will (normally) see all the areas / regions they deal with directly, and subsequently you will notice Europe is missing.

MG 1/100 Blast Impulse
MG 1/100 Blast Impulse

This bad boy is on the USA store.

Why don’t we get any?

Ok this is where I start going into the realms of personal conjecture. I think for some time Bandai as an organisation has seen GunPla within Europe, and the UK, as niche with not having the level of demand as other areas. Couple this with the limited production capacity and they are, I believe, focusing predominantly on The home markets, and the US, as being large consumers. I do think this opinion is changing, but slowly.

Can we get any?

Some online stores get stock of them. Whether they order from an external third party, and have them shipped on I couldn’t say. But yes there are online stores that do sell them. I would say that, again in my opinion, this is likely to end up costing us (the UK consumers more) as their overheads are more likely higher. I don’t blame the shops for that, it is the cost of bringing them in, and is outside their control.

Conclusion

So in short, I just don’t think Bandai has realised the European potential, and with limited production capacity they focus on the home markets.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you haven’t already done so please like and follow us on our social media platforms and checkout our website!

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RX-78-2 Revive

RX_78_2_Revive_1

Introduction

Anyone who has been around the Gundam / Gunpla world is more than likely going to have come across the RX-78-2 models. For anyone coming late to the party the RX-78-2 was the Gundam piloted by Amuro in the original series. It is the poster boy of the franchise and has had many iterations and releases.

Attainability

Arguably none as attainable as the RX-78-2 Revive. For only £12.99 (you can get it here) this HG model is both affordable and is great fun to build. Not only that but is ripe for customisation, and at that price you don’t mind experimenting!

The RX-78-2 Revive looks like this:

RX_78_2_Revive_1
RX_78_2 Revive

In my case mine currently looks more like this:

Parts Ready to Paint
Small holder of parts
Ready for undercoat
Large holder of parts

As you can see I’m doing an attempt at an undercoat and paint on this. I have also wired up an LED in his helmet, and made space/holes down the inside of the suit to get the wires down to his feet. There was, I have to admit, a fair amount of butchery had to go on. However, a lot of this was a learning curve. I really want to get another once this one is done and do it totally differently.

Conclusion

If you don’t have one in your collection I really would recommend one. The Revive version is a really enjoyable build. At the end you have an iconic looking model, that has a timeless look and feel. I think when I look at this model I see the groundwork being laid for many of the suits / designs that have followed it. They may have more details, but the feel and general layout of items is often very similar.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you haven’t already done so please like and follow us on our social media platforms and checkout our website!

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