Weekend update

This was another busy weekend with the June model build gathering, meeting with the Gunpla World Cup (aka BAKUC) competition sponsors to hammer out final details, and finally getting to finish up the Mitzuki commission repair job. The build gathering was one of the smaller gathering in comparison to the past few months. It was a nice change of pace, I got to spend some time working on my own projects. Manny showed up and brought along a finished Akatsuki kit that he had picked up from the day that we had 200+ kits donated I think he did a damn good job being his second gunpla kit ever.

Starting off with the Mitzuki. With the repairs to the hair done, I sprayed some primer to check for the fix.

A few areas needed some additional attention, so those were applied, the area re-sanded, then re-primed. With the fixes satisfactory, the parts were painted. Since I don’t have the exact formula for the hair color, the paint needed to be custom mixed and blended to fade the repair area in with the original color. Here is the before and after pictures for the repairs.

Now on to the build gathering. It was kind of an off day for everyone. I wasn’t feeling very motivated to build either, but sorta forced myself. Dan looking for some additional motivation from a good crowd didn’t get that because it was a smaller than normal gathering. But we sat down and got to work on our own projects.

Su came over with Red Dead Redemption and that pretty much took me out of building anything. But before that, I did get some work on a REALLY old Mazinger kit, trying to help Su out with that project. Then I got work on yet another Yoko kit I picked up from May’s Treasure Festa event in Japan. The kit is sculpted by Buster Seven. And the sculpt is influenced by Shunya Yamashita’s style. Plus it was just a pretty damn good looking kit.

After completing the Mitzuki, I spent the rest of my “build” time at the gathering working on cleaning up the major resin excess areas and pinning the kit. The sculptors thought into engineering the kit makes for a really easy time when pinning. The guess work is taken out with very well marked pin guides.

I really hate when they break hair down into two pieces like this. So the first step is to pin the two pieces together so that there is added strength between the two areas. Then the parts are glued. Next some putty and sanding should resculpt the area so that the part will look like one whole piece instead of two.

Again, I cannot say enough about how well the sculptor thought through the engineering of the kit. This makes for some easier painting. The small bits are pieces of the bikini strings, bows, small hair pieces, and a few other things. This will reduce the hassle when it comes time to painting and masking.

And here are some pictures of those little bits and pieces for the bikini in place.

The engineering for the head makes it easy to keep it unglued so that Yoko can be displayed with or without her signature neck scarf.

Manuel showed up with his recently finished 1/144 Gundam Akatsuki kit that he picked up from the September model build gathering’s free for all with over 200 kits donated to the group. I think he did a fantastic job. Also of note is that this is his second painted Gundam kit. There are a few rough spots, but only seen through the most critical of eyes. Very well done, and if he keeps this up, we definitely have another great model builder in the works.

For more pictures of Manuel’s Akatsuki are here: http://gamerabaenre.com/manuel.htm

And finally, from my meeting with the sponsor for the Gunpla World Cup Competition (BAKUC), a final update for information and rules:

Gunpla World Cup 2010 – U.S. Championship
The United States Championship of the larger Bandai Gunpla World Cup will be held initially at a number of regional events at conventions in the United States in 2010, with the finals winners being determined from the pool of regional winners. The Bandai Gunpla World Cup is a yearly contest held amongst modelers using Bandai “Gundam” kits to show off their modeling skills. Competition will be held in several categories and age brackets.
Main Category
This category is designed for modelers who want to push their skills to the limit by “modding” (modifying) Gundams, as well as creating dioramas that tell a story (optional). The Gunpla World Cup is held once a year, where top modelers from countries such as Japan, China, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Italy, USA, Thailand, Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia and Malaysia battle it out for the title of Gunpla World Cup Champion. The US winners in the open, junior and group categories will be invited to participate in the World Cup held in Hong Kong.
Open Category: Modelers 15 years of age and older
Junior Category: Modelers 14 years of age and younger.
Group Category: No age limitations.
· Open to any type of kit remodeling as well as scratch building of additional parts to incorporate into the original Bandai kit is permitted.
· Entries can be entered as part of a diorama. Base dimensions of the diorama can no larger than 50cmx50cmx50cm (length, width, height).
· Open to any type of modification, scratch building, remodeling, and diorama construction.
· Use of commercial full resin or resin conversion kits is not permitted.
· Models must be made from original Bandai kits.
· All grades and scales allowed
· Group competition is not limited by age or the size of the group.

Prizes for Main Category Competitions
1st Prize:
· Round Trip to Hong Kong representing United States at the 2010 Gunpla World Cup Finals. Three nights, four days. Group category winners will select one representative of the group to attend.
· Medals for Open and Junior competitions cool Bandai stuff (to be determined).
· Badges for Group competition winners, cool Bandai stuff (to be determined).
2nd Prize (for Open and Junior Competitions only)
· Medal, cool Bandai stuff (to be determined).
3rd Prize (for Open and Junior Competitions only)
· Medal, cool Bandai stuff (to be determined).
Prizes for Regional Competition
Cool Bandai stuff. All participants will receive a GWC “Swag Bag”.
Secondary Categories
This category is designed for modelers who have yet to venture into the complexities of remodeling (“modding”) Gundams as well as diorama construction. Points are awarded for unique paint schemes as well as panel line work and build quality, and are also awarded for dynamic and creative posing. This is for the U.S. Championship only; winners do not advance to the Hong Kong competition.
Open Category: Modelers 15 years of age and older
Junior Category: Modelers 14 years of age and younger
Best SD (Super Deformed) Sangokuden
Best 1/144 High Grade
Best 1/100 No Grade / Master Grade
· Models must be built out of the box, no modification or scratch building is allowed. Different paint, decal designs are encouraged as bonus points will be awarded for individuality.
· Models mounted on a display stand is highly recommended
· Kits must be made from original Bandai kits.
· Only Bandai Gundam decals are allowed.
Prizes for Secondary Categories
In the Open and Junior Categories, first through third place will receive original medals. The winners of the Group Category will receive an original badge. Additionally, model kits and other cool stuff will be awarded (check back for specifics).
Prizes for Regional Competition
Cool Bandai stuff. All participants will receive a GWC “Swag Bag”.
Judgment criteria for U.S. Regionals and Finals:
Painting (0-100 points): Quality and execution of the painting, including detail, of the entry.  
Technical (0-100 points): Includes build and finish and excellence of any modifications.
Creativity (0-100 points): Aesthetics of the entry, including concept, posing, unique painting scheme and presentation, including diorama.
Other information
Category winners will advance to the U.S. Finals where a final determination on the overall winners will be made. Models need not be present for the finals; judgment will be made from photos and notes taken at the previous event locations.
All entries must submit an official entry form available at the contest sites. No entry will be accepted without an official entry form.
Participants may submit more than one entry per category.
All regional participants must bring their own models to the convention site. Participants may pick up their entries at the conclusion of the prize ceremony and must pick them up before the closing of the show (details will be posted at the venue sites).
Strict inspection on all models will be carried out; any entries found to be using counterfeit kits or excluded items will be disqualified.
Event organizers shall endeavor to take care of all submitted entries. However they shall not be held liable for any loss or damages should they occur.
Judges decision is final; no further correspondence will be entertained.
Prizes won cannot be exchanged for cash or any other form.
These rules may be subject to change without notice.
Winning models/dioramas from previous BAKUC (Bandai Action Kit Universal Cup) competitions are ineligible for prize consideration.
Schedule of Regional Events and Finals Judgment

Regional Events
Regional contests will be held in at the following conventions:

Anime Expo, Los Angeles, California, July 1-4, 2010
Website: www.anime-expo.org
Entries must be submitted at the Bluefin booth by no later than 5:30 PM Saturday July 3rd, along with an entry form (available at the convention). Entries will be displayed at the Bluefin booth following judging after-hours on Saturday, and be available for pick-up at any time between 1:00 PM on Sunday July 4th, and the close of the show.

Otakon, Baltimore Maryland, July 30-Aug. 1, 2010/06/12
Website: www.otakon.com

Other venues may be added at a later date, so please check back.

U.S. Finals
Date: to be determined. Winners will be contacted by telephone and e-mail, and the results will be posted at the Bluefin website (www.bluefincorp.com). The Gunpla World Cup Finals will be held in Hong Kong in late December, 2010 (exact date to be determined).