Gundam Model Building: Adding Detail With Gundam Markers

Once you are comfortable with the basics, or if you already have a history with traditional plastic models, then you can easily up the ante on your Gundam models by adding a little paint. This article will touch on the finer points of adding detail the easy way.

Gundam kits have some very unique color palettes. Due to this you can wander your local hobby shop for hours trying to find just the right paint. When you are just trying to add detail to a kit you plan to keep mostly unpainted this can be a quite frustrating. Fear not because Bandai has you covered.

Gundam Markers are available in most of the traditional Gundam colors and in a variety of sized tips. These are perfect for adding detail, or painting the contrasting colors on a 1/144 scale kit that are all molded together. Bandai has a basic set of 6 markers that includes a large gunmetal marker for weapon detail as well as the red, white, yellow, and blue that you will need to pull detail out of the 1/144 and HG 1/100 scale kits. The Master Grades and Perfect Grades are molded in more separate pieces and need less paint to look incredible. The 6^th marker is a black fine point. It is good for general detail, but isn’t small enough to add panel line detail without a great deal of work. More on adding panel detail in a moment.

When you build some of the less detailed kits you will encounter something that is molded in a single, or incorrect, color for simplicity’s sake. The perfect examples are the 1/100 No Grade Red Frame Astray that has an almost entirely chrome sword and the 1/144 HG Bawoo that is striking in detail for its scale, but horribly lacking in fine yellow details. The large logo on the shield that can be seen in the attached image was molded with the shield and thus dark green. A little masking tape and a few quick cuts with the ever handy hobby knife and the shield was ready for two coats from the yellow Gundam Marker. You can see the result.

Panel line detail is the easiest way to increase the visual appeal of your kit. Gone is a large lump of flat looking plastic replaced by a display model that draws the eye from one detail to the next. There is an image of a 1/100 MG GP01 that is bare plastic save the added panel line detail. It is truly striking. To easily add panel lines you need to get the very fine tip Gundam Markers. You can do great things with only a black marker for this purpose, but if you want to bring you’re a game then you should also buy grey and maybe a brown. Use the brown or grey to add panel detail on white areas and the black to add detail to the color areas. If only black is used the panels tend to appear too heavy and distracting.

If you make a mistake while adding panel detail or you feel the line is too bold then fear not. Grab a standard pencil eraser and remove the error. It’s that easy. It is very difficult to make an error bad enough to destroy your expensive kit. Gone are the days of plastic models that are destroyed beyond repair by too much overspray or the wrong combination of paints and cement.

These kits make it very easy to move to the next level without having to practice the skills on blank parts or a scrap kit. The novice can quickly become a master of these intermediate techniques and be happy with the result for years to come.