Podcasts about master grade

Welcome to Episode 148 Sponsored by CultTVMan, and Sean's Custom Model ToolsHostsStuartTerryGeoffThanks to our latest Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee Supporters:Check out our What We Like page for lists of what we like.Topics we rambled aboutEstate PlanningWHAT'S ON YOUR Bench.Stuart - Some smaller kits such as Bandai's Death Star II were completed over the last month and a half. I have a Meng Spice Harvester from Dune to be painted and weathered and I've started a Revell 1/24 Land Rover Series IIIGeoff - nothing. Sweet diddly squat. Up to my neck in a 1:1 home demolition/renovation with lots of “surprises” that - like most surprises - were unexpected! On the positive side, the F16 I built as a USAF pilot's retirement gift was very warmly received, as was the C47 in Rocco Flamefart Fire Rescue markings, which now has a place of honour on my brother's mantle. Also still plugging through the latest ex-modellers stash and library…Terry - Christmas birds are done.[foogallery id="3845"]Tony - I've been working on a bunch of (Premium) P-Bandai Gundams since September. There are a total of four Master Grade, (1:100 scale) Gudams which were re-released in special black and neon colors. Included are Barbatos, Exia, Aile Strike along with the original RX-78-2.All are being built straight out-of-the-box, in an attempt to breathe some life back into my numerous, ongoing modeling projects which have been relegated to my Shelf-of-Doom!To date, I've completed 3 of them, (Barbatos, Exia and Aile Strike), with just the RX-78-2 Remaining.In the meantime, I recently started two Gundams from Netflix's Requiem of Vengeance series. I just finished applying and cleaning up a wash I applied to my assembled RX, and am in the midst of trying to do a color conversion of the dark gray portions of the Zaku. I'm looking to give these parts a metallic look, but using diluted AK True Metal (paste).[foogallery id="3855"] 

When it comes to music it doesn't get better than when a guitar is involved. We can't argue that! But does a guitar worth more money sound better than a guitar made of a tissue box? We're going to find out when we review Taylor PS24ce-K Master-Grade Koa Limited-Edition Grand Auditorium Acoustic-Electric Guitar Shaded Edge Burst.

Bandai is teasing ANOTHER new category of Gunpla called Master Grade Super Deformed (MGSD). Is this real, and if it is, it is a good idea? Ben and Musashi investigate fully! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gundamfromjapan/support

On this episode of the Otakuology Podcast. We talk all about our love for Gunpla. What you need to start building yourself, what different types of kits. what's the differences between a High Grade and a Master Grade. and what are some of our favorite and not so favorite Gunpla kits are that we have built. if you would like to contact us you can do so at. Otakuologypodcast@gmail.com or on our Instagram Otakuology Podcast link to our merch store https://shop.spreadshirt.com/otakuology-podcast/all Links To our Youtube Channels https://linktr.ee/Otakuologypodcast --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/otakuology/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/otakuology/support

A new live-action Gundam series appears out of nowhere... it's Gundam Build Real!  Plus, Isaac's archenemy returns in the newest MSG Hathaway trailer (also featuring Xi vs. Penelope action)!  And look at all this cool new(ish?) merchandise - a replica of Char's helmet, the Zeon grunts finally get their articulated due, and the leader of the New Desides takes his rebellion to the Master Grade scale!

Welcome to Episode 54 Sponsored by Goodman Models. Hosts Stuart Clark Geoff Heyland – secretary of IPMS London, retired-ish and fairly long time (but sporadic) modeller. Thanks to our latest Patreon Supporters: Mike Tally *************************************** LATEST NEWS A new Modelling podcast is out Plastic Posse Podcast The Golden Sprue Awards https://www.goldensprueawards.com/ Scale Model World UK has been cancelled for 2020 https://ipmsuk.org/scale-modelworld/cancellation-of-scale-modelworld-2020/ https://ipmsuk.org/viewpoint/spilling-the-beans/ Wonderfest will return in 2021 https://www.facebook.com/211585008915512/posts/4315322458541726 Atlantis Toy and Hobby announces an agreement with Peanuts World Wide for Snoopy model kits. Full press release Lots of new content posted to the website scalemodelpodcast.com *************************************** MAILBAG Jay asks Hi Stuart. I am behind on my listening and just learned that Anthony is cutting back his time. Could you pass a question along to him, please? “Which of the Macross plane model kits are the best as far as detail and quality??” Thank you for your dedication to our hobby and the work you put into SMP!! Anthony's reply Hi Jay, Anthony here. You can not go wrong with a 1/72 or 1/48 VF-1 kit from Hasegawa, for quality or price! There’s also very nice kits from Bandai who maintain very high-quality kits of the more current series! Hope you enjoy it! Wayne Peters Hi guys, just been listening to Ep 52. Re the new release Italeri 1/9 German Infantryman, I’m pretty sure this is a re-pop of the old Esci kit (#6001) which I have somewhere in my stash! And re the HobbyBoss XM706E2, they also did an M706 (kit # 82148 from 2008) and Verlinden did an XM76E2 way back in 1988 (kit # 369). Frank Ramsay First I want to say I’m going to miss hearing Anthony every episode, I think he’s been a great co-host.  But I completely understand life comes first.   And I’m glad he will still be involved doing the interviews. I was about to type up a big discussion on model railroad scales but decided it wasn’t really that interesting.  So all I’ll say on the subject is that you mentioned at least one of the odder scales (I think it was On30) where the train is a different scale than the track and you wondered why that was.  The reason these exist is because not every actual railroad uses the same distance between rails and if you want an accurate scale model railroad of such a railway then you need these odd scales. You also asked us to write about our thoughts on constant-scale modeling.  For me, I’m “sort of” a constant-scale modeller in that I have a specific scale for each type of subject:  Aircraft (early flight) I do in 1:32, Military Vehicles of all types are 1:35, Maschinen Krieger is 1:20,  Gunpla is Master Grade (aka 1:100).

Topic:  Gunpla Tutorial & Building   This week, bolstered by the understanding and knowledge of what Gundam is and its historical significance to the Anime and Japanese media landscape, we dive in to the hobby that still keeps the company in business.  Gunpla itself is the ancient art of folding American firearms, or Guns, into unique shapes and…. Okay this joke didn’t work on my Mom so much, but come ‘Watch’ us build a Gundam!   This week, we recorded the Podcast once again.  So we recommend visiting our Youtube Page to see the build process and progress we made. You can visit this week's Video Version Here.   Tutorial: Gunpla = Gundam + Plastics Gunpla kits are prepackaged with various part trays or ‘Runners’.  These much be snapped or snipped off in the order of the included instructions to be built properly.  Some kits also include stickers, decals, and water stickers for further decorating.  While the original kit includes all you need to build a Gunpla model, there are various ways to improve the base model, from repaint and adding panel lines, to added damage or additional panel lines, to adding them to dioramas, and even adding LED lights to your model.  People have done a lot of real cool stuff with these kits. Most kits sizes range from 1:144 (approx 13 cm tall), 1:100 (approx 16–19 cm tall) and 1:60 (approx 30 cm tall).  There are some exceptions for unusual models or Super Deformed models, but these are among the norms.   Like any good hobby, there are levels to the kits: High Grade (HG) These are improve quality over more basic models(Kits with no grade rating), offering good range of mobility and greater possibility.  Often 1:144 or 1:100 scale.  Real Grade (RG) These kits are smaller 1:144 scale kits that take elements from Master Grade and Perfect Grade kits and scales them down.  Elements such as inner frames and high degree of motion. Master Grade (MG) These are more superior model kits of the High Grade, offering greater quality controls and higher level plastics, but generally more expensive.  They can take much longer to build as a result, but reward with straight out of the box presentation quality.  These are always in a 1:100 scale. Reborn-One Hundred (RE/100) These are kits that are too large, obscure, or costly to normally produce.  Often kits for unpopular side mobile suits or more hard to find Gunplay.  They’re similar in quality to the Master Grade, but lack internal frames and some greater articulation as Master Grade.  These are typically 1:100 scale kits.  Perfect Grade (PG) The highest level of quality you can get.  These 1:60 scale kits will have high complexity to them, including full metal pieces and even LEDs that need to be wired together, but offer the greatest level of detail in a Gunpla.  These are often limited runs and very expensive, and can often take days to weeks to properly build.  These are only if you are truly dedicated to the craft.   There are lots of tutorials online for building Gunpla, including how to put together, paint, and even full demonstrations of that you will get out of the line, so you can know in advance if it’s worth the purchase and what you will get. For more information, visit: https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Gunpla

ANIME MONTH!!! Like every anime month, somewhere Gundam will show up. On this entry, we talk about Gundam's in the jungle. That's right we're goin to Nam!!! ...kinda. We talk Zeon, Dub vs Sub, Japan's real Mobile Suit program, the black space colony, Master Grade sets and Rain from G Gundam being thicccccc. It goes into BAM territory on this show. Like us on Facebook/Join our Facebook Group/Follow us on Twitter  Follow PrimeGundam on Twitter Full track of out Intro and Outro by Cxdy

Take part A1-2 and add part D3-5, then turn the middle part top-wise?? This week, we're talking about the world of Gundam plastic models, AKA Gunpla, with special guest, Lauren Orsini—_[The Otaku Journalist](https://www.otakujournalist.com/)_ and author of _[Gunpla 101](https://www.gunpla101.com/)_! Next week: Are you hearing voices? Animal noises? The creme-de-la-creme? The feminine abyss? I'm not sure what any of that means, but we'll be hear to talk Scott Pilgrim with a special guest! ## Where can I learn more about Lauren Orsini? If you want to learn more about Lauren, you can [follow her on Twitter](https;//twitter.com/laureninspace), or read about more of her work on [The Otaku Journalist](https://www.otakujournalist.com/), _[Gunpla 101](https://www.gunpla101.com/), or the [Gunpla 101 twitter](https;//twitter.com/gunpla101)! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** While doing the research for this week's topic and unearthing the history of Gunpla, we inevitably were lead to our guests on words. From [Gunpla101.com's "the History of Gunpla"](https://www.gunpla101.com/the-history-of-gunpla/): > Mobile Suit Gundam, the first Gundam series ever, aired in 1979. > > Less than a year later, the first Gunpla kit appeared. And for the past 30 years, people of all ages have continued to enjoy this unusual hobby. > ... > - The word “Gunpla” was coined at the same time as the first kit. Like “cosplay,” it's a Japanese amalgamation of two English words—“Gundam” and “plastic,” as in “plastic model. English speakers will interchange this with “Gundam models,” but we usually say Gunpla because it's shorter. > - The first Gunpla, released in July 1980, cost just 300 yen, or about $3. Obviously, it was a kit for making the very first Mobile Suit Gundam model. > - The earliest Gunpla kits, released between 1980 and 1989, are nothing like the Gunpla we build today. Instead of snapping together, you had to glue them together with cement. Even trickier, they were all one color, and you'd need to paint them first! You'd get a rigid, hardly poseable model for your reward. Today these are called FG (First Grade) kits. > - The first High Grade was released in 1990 and cost 1000 yen, or about $10. As would become a tradition, the first model of any grade was the original Mobile Suit Gundam. Today High Grade is synonymous with “cheap and easy,” but in 1990 it was considered a more detailed, poseable grade of Gunpla. > - The first Master Grade was released in 1995 and cost 2500 yen, or about $25. It is the first time the original Mobile Suit Gundam was named correctly, as the RX-78-2. The grade was originally designed to be used for a select number of models to commemorate Gundam's 15th anniversary, but the popularity of these more accurate models is why they're still being manufactured to this day. > - The first Perfect Grade Gunpla appeared in 1998 and cost 12,000 yen or about $120. Today's Perfect Grades make this look cheap, often topping $200 or more. Perfect grades come in 1/60 scale and include so much detail that they can take weeks to build. They may even come with wiring for LEDs or other electronic features. > ... > - The first Real Grade showed up just recently, in 2010. It was designed to be a step up from High Grade in terms of realism, without being as complicated as a Master Grade. **Search Data:** Looking at some of the [Google Trends data since 2004](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F077wn1), Gunpla has gained some popularity, and is relatively stable in terms of search volume having grown by 50% since 2004. There appears to be some precipitating event around September 2013 where interest picked up quite a bit, possibly in relation to _[Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Suit_Gundam:_The_Origin)_ being released in North America? It's unclear. [// Gundam build fighters - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun

Take part A1-2 and add part D3-5, then turn the middle part top-wise?? This week, we're talking about the world of Gundam plastic models, AKA Gunpla, with special guest, Lauren Orsini—The Otaku Journalist and author of Gunpla 101! Next week: Are you hearing voices? Animal noises? The creme-de-la-creme? The feminine abyss? I'm not sure what any of that means, but we'll be hear to talk Scott Pilgrim with a special guest! Where can I learn more about Lauren Orsini? If you want to learn more about Lauren, you can follow her on Twitter, or read about more of her work on The Otaku Journalist, _Gunpla 101, or the Gunpla 101 twitter! Episode outline Fandom Facts History and Origins: While doing the research for this week's topic and unearthing the history of Gunpla, we inevitably were lead to our guests on words. From Gunpla101.com's "the History of Gunpla": > Mobile Suit Gundam, the first Gundam series ever, aired in 1979. > > Less than a year later, the first Gunpla kit appeared. And for the past 30 years, people of all ages have continued to enjoy this unusual hobby. > ... > - The word “Gunpla” was coined at the same time as the first kit. Like “cosplay,” it’s a Japanese amalgamation of two English words—“Gundam” and “plastic,” as in “plastic model. English speakers will interchange this with “Gundam models,” but we usually say Gunpla because it’s shorter. > - The first Gunpla, released in July 1980, cost just 300 yen, or about $3. Obviously, it was a kit for making the very first Mobile Suit Gundam model. > - The earliest Gunpla kits, released between 1980 and 1989, are nothing like the Gunpla we build today. Instead of snapping together, you had to glue them together with cement. Even trickier, they were all one color, and you’d need to paint them first! You’d get a rigid, hardly poseable model for your reward. Today these are called FG (First Grade) kits. > - The first High Grade was released in 1990 and cost 1000 yen, or about $10. As would become a tradition, the first model of any grade was the original Mobile Suit Gundam. Today High Grade is synonymous with “cheap and easy,” but in 1990 it was considered a more detailed, poseable grade of Gunpla. > - The first Master Grade was released in 1995 and cost 2500 yen, or about $25. It is the first time the original Mobile Suit Gundam was named correctly, as the RX-78-2. The grade was originally designed to be used for a select number of models to commemorate Gundam’s 15th anniversary, but the popularity of these more accurate models is why they’re still being manufactured to this day. > - The first Perfect Grade Gunpla appeared in 1998 and cost 12,000 yen or about $120. Today’s Perfect Grades make this look cheap, often topping $200 or more. Perfect grades come in 1/60 scale and include so much detail that they can take weeks to build. They may even come with wiring for LEDs or other electronic features. > ... > - The first Real Grade showed up just recently, in 2010. It was designed to be a step up from High Grade in terms of realism, without being as complicated as a Master Grade. Search Data: Looking at some of the Google Trends data since 2004, Gunpla has gained some popularity, and is relatively stable in terms of search volume having grown by 50% since 2004. There appears to be some precipitating event around September 2013 where interest picked up quite a bit, possibly in relation to Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin being released in North America? It's unclear. The top ten countries by search volume are: Japan (by a huge margin), Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, China, Indonesia, and Taiwan. Canada is 11th, and the United States is 13th. Size of Fandom: Based on a number of different sources: The Gunpla Subreddit has over 48 000 subscribers The Advanced Gunpla Subreddit has over 3000 subscribers "As of 2015, Bandai has sold an estimate 450 million units, with nearly 2,000 different Gundam plastic models" Wikipedia. A simple calculation of units per model gives us over 225 000 units per model (and a good rough estimate of the number of fans). It's safe to say that there are probably more than 100 000 fans. Fan Demographics: We don't have data for this week's fandom, but we do have some data of fans of Gundam from the Gunpla subreddit, which is close (it's at least the same sample population). From a survey conducted by MrUsamaKhan... Most folks got into Gundam via the Anime (79.7%), but a large percentage also got into it via Gunpla (13.5%) Gundam Wing was the first Gundam anime that most saw (42.1%) followed by Mobile Suit Gundam (14.2%), and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED/SEED Destiny (12.7%) There was also a link to Gunpla demographics in Japan which includes some age data and a comparison of 2010 to 2015 (along with when different Gundam series were released): Age: The largest group is folks ages 40-50 (30%) followed by folks ages 30-40 (22%) then folks age 20-30 (20%). It looks like, for the most part, folks are growing up with the hobby, but also, younger folks are getting into it too! From Lauren's own Gunpla 101 stats: Age: About 33% are ages 25 - 30 (the largest group) followed by folks 18-24 (Google Analytics does not report on folks younger than age 18) Gender: Fairly even, with 54% male and 46% female Fanac Fast Facts: There are over 6300 works on Archive Of Our Own in the Gundam series: Age ratings: Teen and up (1900+), General Audience (1700+), Explicit (1200+) Categories: M/M (3700+), Gen (1500+), F/M (1200+) Fandoms: Gundam Wing (5100+), Gundam 00 (400+), Gundam Seed (200+) Japanese researchers discovered in 2005 that in a study of university students, building Gunpla before doing mathematical drills produced a significant improvement in completion time. Last Episode's Famous Last Words Michael How big can the models get? G Are there enthusiasts who don't care about the series at all? T What are the forbidden techniques of Gunpla? (think about Lego) Z Gunpla is the modern day ship-in-a-bottle building. This week's spotlight Gunpla Builders World Cup > “Gunpla Builders World Cup” is the official Gunpla global tournament presented by BANDAI where modelers around the world show off their completed Gundam models. The competition determines the greatest Gunpla builder in the world and let creators fight for the title of Gunpla World Cup Champion! If you happen to be at Otakuthon next week, you can probably participate in the Canadian semi-finals portion of the GBWC! OR if you happen to be at Otakon, you can check out Lauren's panel, 39 Years of Gundam Anime, or the Art in Gundam panel. Race Against Time IV > Now in its fourth year running, the Race Against Time is an annual charity marathon to raise money for the Alzheimer Society of Canada by beating the SNES classic, Chrono Trigger, as many times as possible in 24 hours. This year, the event is running every week until August 11 and 12 for the main event (see website for detailed schedule). > > Alzheimer's is a terrible disease that slowly robs those afflicted of their memories, and, eventually, their very sense of being. We are racing to help preserve those memories of loved ones and for a cure to stop it once and for all! > > All donations go directly to the Alzheimer Society of Canada. Famous Last Words This week's famous last words around next week's fandom, Scott Pilgrim! T How popular is Scott, as a character within the fandom? G Is the music portion of Scott Pilgrim as important to the GN fans as it is to fans of the movie? Z How divisive was the movie? Lauren What did you think of Lost at Sea?? Do you want to talk about Lost at Sea with Lauren? Where can you find us online? We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media: If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on twitch.tv every Monday at 20:00 Eastern Time! For all the latest updates, check us out on Facebook or Twitter To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on Instagram For our latest convention updates, Let's Plays, and other in-real-life video, check out our YouTube channel We're also on iTunes, and Google Play, and would love it if you could leave a review and rating! if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try nick@thenickscast.com You can check out our website; that will mostly bring you back to this stuff. Everything is thenickscast, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that! What is "Fanthropological"? How did you read this far without asking this question?! Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish. Who is "The Nickscast"? We are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative (dare we say, the most creative). Ahem We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more. We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. Because everyone's a fan. Thanks Special thanks to Lauren Orsini for making the time to chat with us, especially as she was in the midst of a move when we had chatted with her! Credits Sources Wikipedia - Gundam Models Gunpla 101 - The History of Gunpla Wikipedia - Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin r/Gunpla - [Results] The Definitive Gundam Survey 2016 - Initial Results Archive of Our Own - Gundam Series and related fandoms Prezi - Model kit building and its effect on the brain Crunchyroll - Social Media Falls In Love With "Gundam" Relationship Story Gunpla 101 - Trust You: The Making of a PG Gundam 00 Diorama Gunpla 101 - How Gunpla First Came To America Wikipedia - Impossible Bottle Instructables - Building a Ship in a Bottle YouTube - Putting a Ship Into a Bottle Marine Insight - Everything About Ship in a Bottle - The Famous Nautical Gift Folk Art in Bottles - The History of Ships in Bottles Wikipedia - Gundman Model The Gundam Wiki - Gunpla Gunpla 101 - About Us Anime Amino - Why Build GUNPLA? (An Introduction to Gundam Model Building) The Escapist - Scientist Says Building Gundam Models Makes You Smarter FROM JAPAN Blog - Why Is Gunpla So Addictive? Quora - Can You Buy Gunpla When You Become Adult in Japan. And Do "Most" People Look Down on You? r/Gunpla - Why Do You Build Gunpla? r/Gunpla - Dear r/Gunpla, Thank You r/Gunpla - Does Anybody Else NOT Watch Gundam? r/Gunpla - Thoughts on SD Gundams Shaolin Wahnam Institute Forum - Model Building, Another Form of Meditation? Music / Sound "Conjuring a New Enemy" by TeknoAXE used under CC BY 4.0 All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!

In this video, you'll take a close look at the new Master Grade in Flame 2019. This next generation grading toolset is HDR ready and float-point capable and gives you amazing control over your grading capabilities in Flame while accurately respecting the colour sciences and information within a given colour space. We'll be covering the general workings of the toolset but please read the online documentation and application tooltips for detailed explanations of every available control.

Welcome back to Gunpla Club! Pigs are flying, hell has frozen over, and we've ALL built kits this month. Not just any kits, either — a full round of Master Grade reviews come in from your boys. Elsewhere, there's Gundam Build Divers chat, lots of new and exciting video games announcements to mull over, a bit of Darling in the Franxx analysis, and questions from YOU, the wonderful listenership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Gunpla Club! Pigs are flying, hell has frozen over, and we’ve ALL built kits this month. Not just any kits, either — a full round of Master Grade reviews come in from your boys. Elsewhere, there’s Gundam Build Divers chat, lots of new and exciting video games announcements to mull over, a bit of Darling in the Franxx analysis, and questions from YOU, the wonderful listenership. Find us on Twitter and Instagram @gunplaclub, and Facebook at /gunplaclubuk. Tell your friends!

Sign up! http://acousticletter.com/join -- For weekly guitar comparisons, demo videos and acoustic guitar knowledge delivered to your inbox!Photos, Price, BUY NOW: http://acousticletter.com/shop/taylor-custom-ga-koa-9136/This custom Grand Auditorium guitar from Taylor features Master Grade hand selected Koa and Abalone inlay throughout. Clear powerful tone on this all Koa guitar. Great for finger style playing or other folk stylings... Master Grade Koa Top, Back & Sides Adirondack CV bracing w/ relief rout25.5" Scale Length 1 3/4" Nut Width (Bone)P.S. If you need help deciding on the best guitar for you, I've set some time aside to help you. There's no obligation to buy anything.Click here to schedule a "find my perfect fit" call!   Chad Fadely   Guitar Advisor   Music Villa / Acoustic Letter   (855) 55-STRUM   Watch my interview-jam with Tony HERE.

Take part A1-2 and add part D3-5, then turn the middle part top-wise?? This week, we're talking about the world of Gundam plastic models, AKA Gunpla, with special guest, Lauren Orsini—_[The Otaku Journalist](https://www.otakujournalist.com/)_ and author of _[Gunpla 101](https://www.gunpla101.com/)_! Next week: Are you hearing voices? Animal noises? The creme-de-la-creme? The feminine abyss? I'm not sure what any of that means, but we'll be hear to talk Scott Pilgrim with a special guest! ## Where can I learn more about Lauren Orsini? If you want to learn more about Lauren, you can [follow her on Twitter](https;//twitter.com/laureninspace), or read about more of her work on [The Otaku Journalist](https://www.otakujournalist.com/), _[Gunpla 101](https://www.gunpla101.com/), or the [Gunpla 101 twitter](https;//twitter.com/gunpla101)! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** While doing the research for this week's topic and unearthing the history of Gunpla, we inevitably were lead to our guests on words. From [Gunpla101.com's "the History of Gunpla"](https://www.gunpla101.com/the-history-of-gunpla/): > Mobile Suit Gundam, the first Gundam series ever, aired in 1979. > > Less than a year later, the first Gunpla kit appeared. And for the past 30 years, people of all ages have continued to enjoy this unusual hobby. > ... > - The word “Gunpla” was coined at the same time as the first kit. Like “cosplay,” it's a Japanese amalgamation of two English words—“Gundam” and “plastic,” as in “plastic model. English speakers will interchange this with “Gundam models,” but we usually say Gunpla because it's shorter. > - The first Gunpla, released in July 1980, cost just 300 yen, or about $3. Obviously, it was a kit for making the very first Mobile Suit Gundam model. > - The earliest Gunpla kits, released between 1980 and 1989, are nothing like the Gunpla we build today. Instead of snapping together, you had to glue them together with cement. Even trickier, they were all one color, and you'd need to paint them first! You'd get a rigid, hardly poseable model for your reward. Today these are called FG (First Grade) kits. > - The first High Grade was released in 1990 and cost 1000 yen, or about $10. As would become a tradition, the first model of any grade was the original Mobile Suit Gundam. Today High Grade is synonymous with “cheap and easy,” but in 1990 it was considered a more detailed, poseable grade of Gunpla. > - The first Master Grade was released in 1995 and cost 2500 yen, or about $25. It is the first time the original Mobile Suit Gundam was named correctly, as the RX-78-2. The grade was originally designed to be used for a select number of models to commemorate Gundam's 15th anniversary, but the popularity of these more accurate models is why they're still being manufactured to this day. > - The first Perfect Grade Gunpla appeared in 1998 and cost 12,000 yen or about $120. Today's Perfect Grades make this look cheap, often topping $200 or more. Perfect grades come in 1/60 scale and include so much detail that they can take weeks to build. They may even come with wiring for LEDs or other electronic features. > ... > - The first Real Grade showed up just recently, in 2010. It was designed to be a step up from High Grade in terms of realism, without being as complicated as a Master Grade. **Search Data:** Looking at some of the [Google Trends data since 2004](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F077wn1), Gunpla has gained some popularity, and is relatively stable in terms of search volume having grown by 50% since 2004. There appears to be some precipitating event around September 2013 where interest picked up quite a bit, possibly in relation to _[Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Suit_Gundam:_The_Origin)_ being released in North America? It's unclear. [// Gundam build fighters - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun