{"id":35,"date":"2026-03-26T23:25:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T23:25:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dkhobby.com\/blog\/?p=35"},"modified":"2026-03-26T23:25:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T23:25:32","slug":"gunpla-101-how-to-start-gundam-models","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dkhobby.com\/blog\/gunpla-101-how-to-start-gundam-models\/","title":{"rendered":"Gunpla 101: Your First Kit &#8211; Where and How Do I Actually Start?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Gunpla 101 - Your First Gundam Kit - Where\/How Do I Start?!?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7c4FZi2AmuY?list=PLoM5FamVpjTmhUUxeP5XfglWQtSWVYZYK\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So, you\u2019ve just bought your first Gundam box. You open it up, see five sheets of plastic parts, a tiny sheet of stickers, and a manual that might be entirely in Japanese. <strong>Don\u2019t panic.<\/strong> Building Gunpla (Gundam Plastic Models) is essentially like building a high-tech LEGO set, but with a few specialized tricks. In this guide, we\u2019re breaking down the absolute basics using the <strong>HG Demi Trainer<\/strong> from <em>The Witch from Mercury<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Decoding the Manual<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Newer kits (like those from the <em>Witch from Mercury<\/em> line) usually have English translations [<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7c4FZi2AmuY&amp;t=116\">01:56<\/a>]. However, if you&#8217;re building an older High Grade (HG) or Master Grade (MG), you might be looking at 100% Japanese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The &#8220;Part List&#8221; Secret:<\/strong> Before you snip a single piece, check the parts list at the front. If you see an <strong>&#8220;X&#8221;<\/strong> over a part on the runner, it means that piece isn&#8217;t used for this specific build\u2014it\u2019s just an extra from a shared mold [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7c4FZi2AmuY&amp;t=220\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">03:40<\/a>].<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Icons Matter:<\/strong> Look for the <strong>&#8220;x2&#8221;<\/strong> symbol (build two of these, like arms) and the <strong>&#8220;Diamond&#8221;<\/strong> symbol, which indicates a specific assembly order that must be followed [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7c4FZi2AmuY&amp;t=479\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">07:59<\/a>].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. The Essential Toolset<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You don&#8217;t need a workshop to start. DK Hobby recommends just two things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Double-Sided Nippers:<\/strong> Good for the first &#8220;rough cut&#8221; from the plastic runner.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Single-Sided Nippers (e.g., GodHands):<\/strong> These act like a razor, slicing the plastic rather than crushing it, which prevents those ugly white stress marks [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7c4FZi2AmuY&amp;t=639\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">10:39<\/a>].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. The &#8220;Two-Cut&#8221; Technique<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Never cut the part directly against the runner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Rough Cut:<\/strong> Use your Nippers to cut the &#8220;gate&#8221; (the plastic rod) about 1\/8th of an inch away from the part [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7c4FZi2AmuY&amp;t=406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">06:46<\/a>].<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Clean Trim:<\/strong> Once the part is free, use your high-quality nipper to trim the remaining &#8220;nub&#8221; flush with the surface.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pro Tip:<\/strong> If you see a small white stress mark, use your <strong>fingernail<\/strong> to rub it. The friction and pressure can often make the mark disappear without any sanding [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7c4FZi2AmuY&amp;t=463\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">07:43<\/a>]!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Stickers and Assembly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Placement:<\/strong> When the manual shows a side profile or &#8220;zoom-in&#8221; view, pay close attention to the orientation of the piece. Some parts look symmetrical but actually have a top and bottom [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7c4FZi2AmuY&amp;t=546\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">09:06<\/a>].<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Click it in:<\/strong> Most modern kits are &#8220;snap-fit,&#8221; meaning no glue is required. If a part isn&#8217;t clicking, check for leftover plastic nubs\u2014they are the #1 cause of parts not fitting together.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New to the world of Gundam? Don&#8217;t let the runners and Japanese manuals intimidate you. Learn the &#8216;Two-Cut&#8217; technique and manual decoding secrets to build your first masterpiece<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,10],"tags":[12,14,11,15,6,8,7,13],"class_list":["post-35","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-gunpla-101","tag-airbrushing-tips","tag-diy-airbrush-thinner","tag-gunpla-painting","tag-gunpla-primer","tag-hg-demi-trainer","tag-tags-gunpla-painting","tag-tamiya","tag-water-vs-alcohol-paint"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dkhobby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dkhobby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dkhobby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dkhobby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dkhobby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dkhobby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36,"href":"https:\/\/dkhobby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions\/36"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dkhobby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dkhobby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dkhobby.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}