Got this directly from SA Forums posted by Silentman0 figured I would copy/paste so people can read it since its good no credit for this section quoted here:
I then went to AnimeSuki and a nice poster by the name of
AaKkisa was so kind to PM me two other stores not listed above which are:
http://www.Hobbywave.com
http://www.Imageanime.com
https://www.plajapan.com/index.php?cPath=32
Gundam Blogs:
http://ngeekhiong.blogspot.com/ Shows Box Art etc of new Gundams Models etc
http://mygunplamodels.blogspot.com/ Anubis20's Blog of super l33t gundams (mostly painted, Fellow CAG)
http://mrcapcomds.blogspot.com/ My Blog of my Poor Man's Gunpla (Still updating)
My Orginal Post
Feel Free to post up experiences,tips&tricks,Store locations and best of all pics of your Gunpla if anything pls note if its painted or not.
Hey you! You like giant robots, right? Of course you do! How'd you like one in your very own home, only tiny and made of plastic? Well, boy, are you in luck, because unless you already know more than me about the hobby (which is probably pretty likely, since I'm relatively new to the hobby and only made this thread because it didn't already exist and I have no idea why), I'm going to educate you on tiny plastic hunks of plastic that represent something far cooler than you will ever be!
Who makes 'em?
The two big producers of the stuff are Bandai and Kotobukiya. Bandai makes Mobile Suits and anything with "Gundam" in the name, and make the only ones that can be called "Gunpla" if you're an anal retentive rear end (Oh, yeah, and they make Knightmare Frames too, apparently). Kotobukiya makes pretty much everything else, such as Banpresto Originals, Gunmen, and Armored Cores. Apparently there's also a company called Hasegawa that mostly makes realistic models like planes 'n' poo poo, but also make pretty nifty Valkyries. I don't have any experience with them, though.
The Grades
Bandai decided it would be an awesome marketing move to label their kits with "grades", in order to help uneducated consumers differentiate how much value they were getting by spending obscene amounts of money on glorified Lego. Here they are:
First/Speed Grade
Designed for small children, the mentally disabled, and people without any time on their hands. Cheap as poo poo, but unless you spend a ton of time on painting and detail, it doesn't look so hot. Tiny, too, at only 1/200 the scale of whatever it's representing.
High Grade
Probably what you're going to start out on if you're not a complete waste of space. It's still relatively cheap, but doesn't look like complete crap either. Usually 1/144th scale.
Master Grade
Now we're looking at the big boys. Slightly more expensive than the High Grades (you're looking at a $30-60 USD investment), but it's worth it because even if you're lazy and don't paint it, it still looks awesome. Probably a good idea to practice on cheaper stuff first, though. Usually 1/100th scale.
Perfect Grade
Whoa-hoa-hoa there, big spender! Absolutely have to have the best possible version of Heero-chan's Gundam with the pretty wings, no matter what the cost? Well, here you go. They can set you back more than $100 USD, and are about 1/60 scale (that's big).
SD
What the gently caress is this, some kind of bobblehead? Either way, chicks dig 'em.
Wow, what a lovely OP. I want to hear some stuff by people who know more about this than you.
Ok.
Wikipedia
Collection DX - They've got reviews of kits so you don't waste money on something you'll end up hating.
Dalong - It's like Collection DX, only in Korean. They've got pictures of what kits will end up looking like if you don't paint them and decide to go crazy with the panel lining.
/m/ & /toy/ - Somewhere among all those threads about Tieria Erde having sex with Domon Kasshu and whether or not Optimus Prime could beat up G.I. Joe you'll probably find a few modeling threads.
The /toy/ Box - More 4chan crap but probably more enlightening.
How about some tutorials?
Layman's Gunpla Guide - Start here.
FitchenFoo - End here.
Danny Choo's Modeling Tutorial for Busy People - This dude's got some good ideas, too.
I live in the middle of Buttnowhere, AK, and I have to take a train to get to my nearest modeling store. I need internet stores!
Hobby Link Japan - Probably the first place you'll want to look, because if they don't have it, good luck elsewhere. Prices (especially on shipping) can be fairly steep, however.
Gundam Store and More - Don't let the horrible design and layout fool you, it's actually pretty good.
BigBadToyStore - Usually reliable. People have gotten screwed on new releases before, though.
I know more about giant robot models than you could ever hope to dream of, and find your pitiful attempt at information laughable!
Well, it's a good thing this cliche'd "question-and-answer informational" OP is just an excuse to start a discussion thread, isn't it? If you've got more/better information than me or are some kind of modeling guru just tell me to put something in the OP and I'll probably do it.
I then went to AnimeSuki and a nice poster by the name of
AaKkisa was so kind to PM me two other stores not listed above which are:
http://www.Hobbywave.com
http://www.Imageanime.com
https://www.plajapan.com/index.php?cPath=32
Gundam Blogs:
http://ngeekhiong.blogspot.com/ Shows Box Art etc of new Gundams Models etc
http://mygunplamodels.blogspot.com/ Anubis20's Blog of super l33t gundams (mostly painted, Fellow CAG)
http://mrcapcomds.blogspot.com/ My Blog of my Poor Man's Gunpla (Still updating)
My Orginal Post
Feel Free to post up experiences,tips&tricks,Store locations and best of all pics of your Gunpla if anything pls note if its painted or not.
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