Just a question...

V-Siren · Post by **V-Siren** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 2:25 am

Ok well im new to fss models...havent really picked one up yet but im planning too....

So i just got a few questions;number 1. I have a bunch of gundam kits....are the fss models sligthly prepainted liek the gundam ones?To give ya an idea of what the colors should be? or are they that beige-ish color?

Question number 2. Are the fss models poseable?From all the pics ive seen they seem to be preposed?

Question number 3.Where would be a good place to get these models?Ebay has some...but really not alot...only like Gold knight,Led mirage and like the last junchoon...(I want v-siren

)

Question number 4. What would be a good kit to start off with? V-Siren and the prominence are my fav suits...but...the v-siren seems expensive? the the prominence...well never saw a place to buy it.
Phantom looks really cool too for a first model....so which out of all the models would be best for begginers?

heh thats it...thx...and sry for the time spent..

Sheizzel · Post by **Sheizzel** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 2:27 am

It is really difficult for me to read what you're typing because of the font color you chose...

Edit: I had to switch the color for the board to read what you've typed

.

Answer to question 1: Nope, FSS resin kits come in tan resin for the originals. Recast is usually white.

Answer to question 2: FSS kits are mostly fixed pose. However, Volks has produced a lot of "Mechanical Moving" series kits which are posable because of the use of polycaps and ball joints.

Answer to question 3: On line shops such as http://www.e2046.com and http://www.hobbyfan.com carries recast FSS kits. For original kits, try http://www.hlj.com . Search under company name: Volks, Workshop Cast, and Wave.

Answer to question 4: If you like the V-Sirens then I would suggest you to get the Prominence. It is a simple kit to build, and painting it shouldn't be too difficult.

Others may have better things to add to what I've said. I hope the answers will help be of help to you.

elemental · Post by **elemental** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 10:46 am

As Sheizzel said, the V-Sirens are relatively easy to build and paint. They aren't too expensive either (compared to other MH kits).

Also as Sheizzel said, your blue text is difficult to read. Any chance you could post in standard text colour?

Falk · Post by **Falk** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 12:18 pm

Mmh, it looks like you're mixing resin kits and injected plastic kits (IP kits) in your message.

Well if good results require some solid experience for both sort of kits, working on a resin kit is different than working on a plastic kit. And as resin kits are more expensive than plastic, you usually don't want to ruin it.

That's why there's so many KOG, LED & Junchoon kits on ebay, cuz' only a few MHs were produced as IP kit (and that's why only those ones are cheaper than the resin kits, cuz' they're mass-produced).

(When a message is difficult to read, I select everything (ctrl+A), it usually highlights the text on a relatively opposite color^^ But yup', everyone using the same color would be better, though a bit less fancy^^)

V-Siren · Post by **V-Siren** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 2:43 pm

lol sry for the font color...i usually like to take a color that goes with the current theme im using...in this case the v-siren.

Are resin kits hard to build? are they snap together? or you need to glu parts together?

Falk · Post by **Falk** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 3:46 pm

Well I have no experience in resin kit building, so others will reply better than me.

But resin kits are heavier than IP kits (not hollow), so you've got to pin the parts together with some brass rod, cuz' you don't want your kit to fall apart 2 weeks after completion. It looks like they make it easier now, with pre-made marks for you to make holes in the parts (at least of my Phantom recast).

Then there's the painting part. Resin kits are made of relatively big parts, which may contain many details that need several colors. In that case you've got to mask some parts, paint one color, mask what you just painted, paint another, etc etc... (while on IP kit there may be more parts, that requires only one color each).

Anyway if you want exellency results, you've got to be rigorous with either resin or IP kit, clean the parts well, fill the gaps, prime it well, etc etc...

When comparing resin to IP, I don't find it's that much more work "theoretically", but aniway pinning and masking looks pretty boring.

You may start with a recast (half the price of an original, not that much more than a good, detailed IP kit) if you fear to ruin it.
But I just find it's a bigger challenge to make a resin kit than IP kit. Maybe cuz' I never did one and that my Phantom is waiting in his box until the ypothetical day I'll start working on it.

(a MG strike gundam IP kit is about 150$ I think, you can find recasts for 50~100$)

KOG · Post by **KOG** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 5:11 pm

V-Siren wrote:lol sry for the font color...i usually like to take a color that goes with the current theme im using...in this case the v-siren.

Are resin kits hard to build? are they snap together? or you need to glu parts together?

Most resin kits are not really hard, once you know what you are doing. But they can be challenging at first, if you are accustomed to working on snap together gundam kits only.

1) resin kits are always moulded in one color - the color of the resin. These days it is most often tan or white or off-white. Some 'special event' resin kits may be moulded in red resin or blue resin or something else... but always, the entire kit is cast in one color. So for this reason, every resin kit needs to be fully painted. You can't leave it unpainted, and you can't just 'paint the details' like some people do with gundam plastic kits.

2) resin kits do not snap together. At all. They have to be glued. And as Falk and Sheizzel have mentioned, the kits need to be pinned. It's difficult to describe in words without pictures, but it basically means that you drill a hole into the 2 parts you want to join (making sure the holes line up when the parts are connected), and then you run a metal rod/pin through the holes. This provides some stability, or an 'anchor' for the join. The join is then fixed in place with glue. You can't use plastic glue on resin kits. Some people use super glue, but I don't advise it. It sucks. It's best to use a good epoxy glue.

3) resin parts will require cleanup. Unlike plastic kits, where all you have to do is clip the parts from the sprue... resin parts require a lot more preparation. If the parts have leftover mould release residue (greasy stuff), that will need to be washed off before you can start painting. Also, each part will have excess resin at the point where the liquid resin was injected into the moulds. This excess resin needs to be carefully trimmed away from each part. Also, the 2-half mould process means that most parts will have a noticeable 'mould seam line' running through the part. This needs to be sanded and cleaned up before you can start painting. Also, if you buy a poor quality recast or an older original, you may face moulding imperfections like air bubbles, clogged detail, etc. These imperfections must be searched out and eliminated. Air bubbles must be filled with putty or epoxy, clogged details must be cleaned up...

In short, building a resin kit takes a lot more work than it does to snap together a plastic gundam kit. The results are worth it, and it gets easier with practice. But you do need to be aware of the differences.

V-Siren · Post by **V-Siren** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 10:22 pm

wow....im actually quite worried of getting one now....

Cuz ive always been use to the gundam kits....and i always painted them and what not...so that aint the prob...prob is...the pinning....sounds so hard and complicated....im so gonna screw up my first model sigh......

and damn why these models so expensive! lol there like the price of mg and perfect grade gundam kits...

Took me forever to save up for my perfect grade mk-2 titans...

sigh...fss models..seem hard...im gonna need help big time...

KOG · Post by **KOG** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 11:57 pm

Resin construction isn't hard, you just need to learn how it's done. It's best learned by showing... I really should take photos of the process some time.

Resin kits are expensive for a few key reasons:
1) they are made in much smaller quantities than plastic kits, which means there's less room to make a profit
2) producing resin kits involves a lot of costly manual labor, whereas plastic kits are stamped out by the thousands in automated factories
3) raw materials used in resin kits are more costly than the cheap plastic used in plastic kits

But you're right, you shouldn't build a resin kit without first studying the procedures used, reading up on guides, and asking questions of those with experience.

V-Siren wrote:wow....im actually quite worried of getting one now....

Cuz ive always been use to the gundam kits....and i always painted them and what not...so that aint the prob...prob is...the pinning....sounds so hard and complicated....im so gonna screw up my first model sigh......

and damn why these models so expensive! lol there like the price of mg and perfect grade gundam kits...

Took me forever to save up for my perfect grade mk-2 titans...

sigh...fss models..seem hard...im gonna need help big time...

V-Siren · Post by **V-Siren** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 12:06 am

yup yup....

Where would i get these rods anyways? and how would i place em....man there so much i dunno....

maybe i should jsut get a plastic kit...

KOG · Post by **KOG** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 12:10 am

V-Siren wrote:yup yup....

Where would i get these rods anyways? and how would i place em....man there so much i dunno....

maybe i should jsut get a plastic kit...

The rods can be purchased on various metals and diameters at any good hobby shop. Can probably find them at online hobby supply shops too.

Where do you place them? At the points where 2 parts join together. Like I said, it's best explained in photos.

I'll try to do that sometime soon...

V-Siren · Post by **V-Siren** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 12:53 am

ok cool.....

I think im gonna get a plastic model first....i think maybe last junchoon...or so..although i wanted the gold plated kog...

KOG · Post by **KOG** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 12:58 am

V-Siren wrote:ok cool.....

I think im gonna get a plastic model first....i think maybe last junchoon...or so..although i wanted the gold plated kog...

Last/Final Junchoon isn't available in plastic.

The plastic Junchoon is the middle form.

V-Siren · Post by **V-Siren** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 1:05 am

Ohh...lol...then i guess ill get that one...

Although i saw a v-siren for like 15$ or so...

Sheizzel · Post by **Sheizzel** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 1:08 am

V-Siren wrote:yup yup....

Where would i get these rods anyways? and how would i place em....man there so much i dunno....

maybe i should jsut get a plastic kit...

I hope this would help to better explain about pinning a resin kit.

You can get brass rods locally. If you're having a hard time finding the right size then you can order some from on-line shops, which is what I did. As for holes, FSS resin kits usually have pre-marked holes. All you need to do is drill away and insert the brass rod.

EDIT: A typo in the picture>_<. It should be spelled as "Pin Vise"

Here's a picture of everything you need when it comes to pinning a resin kit-

This is what you get after pinning some of the parts-