I want to be rich. And one of the reasons for this is so that my wallet can keep up with my hobby needs. Gunpla is especially expensive. Its very fine attention to details, badass mech designs, and superb articulation of its models (these characteristics are especially true for Perfect Grade 1/60 scale models), however, keep hobbyists including myself. So while I do not have the resources to satisfy my Gunpla hunger, I have come up with ways as to how to save money from my Gunpla addiction. Here they are:
1. Hone your skills on lower grades
While the most worthwhile models to assemble are the master grades and perfect grade models, I found that you can save more money by settling on lower grades like 1/100 high grade or 1/100 low grade and practicing your skills on them. This way, you are keeping yourself busy doing what you love to do, which is gunpla, and are honing your skills at the same time. Developing your painting, cementing, assembly and decal skills can make you produce better models that are on a whole new model. With
good enough skills and know-hows, you may even be able to produce NG models that look as good as MG’s. This cannot, however, replace the beauty that is PG. Nevertheless, I suggest mastering your painting skills before moving to a PG model.
2. Take your time
I know some hobbyists who would assemble their Master Grade and Perfect Grade models in under three hours and under a day respectively. However, I find this as a very inconvenient way of doing gunpla. First, you are finishing your model within a matter of hours which means you have exhausted most of your money’s worth in that time. And as a result, you will want to buy a new kit immediately. Second, you are assembling it very fast which means that you are not painting, filing, or cementing it
together. This results to an inferior model than the ones that was given more time and more effort. Giving your model kits some extra time results to a better looking model and extra savings on your pocket. To make my kit last longer, I prefer spraying it with primer, painting it by hand, cementing the obvious connection parts, filing excess plastic, marking it with gundam marker, and carefully sticking the decals. Sometimes, I go for customizing the colors or using metallic paint on the internal skeleton of the
PG models.
3. Purchase it online
Shopping for Gunpla for years, I discovered that the best prices of gundam model kits are to be found online rather than hobby shops on malls. Personally, I get my model kits from leotoyshop or other online suppliers. However, I do not let the chance pass up every time I see an applicable amazon coupon in the internet. Amazon is a highly reliable online shop and its delivery options are very convenient. Their prices are competitive and using a coupon can rival, if not beat, the suppliers’ prices.
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