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Go buy any buil-able model air plain, car, Gundam, ship. Anything that's not from the dollar store or some cheap outlet and you will see the difference.

Lets put it this way.

Show me a pic of gundam you own

Don't own a Gundam i said i own model plains which is made of the exact same plastic gundam models use which is called polyethylene, while GW models are made from polystyrene which is a much harder plastic then polyethylene. While certain older models are still polyethylene most if not all newer plastic models are made from polystyrene.

Drayzero wrote:Don't own a Gundam i said i own model plains which is made of the exact same plastic gundam models use which is called polyethylene, while GW models are made from polystyrene which is a much harder plastic then polyethylene. While certain older models are still polyethylene most if not all newer plastic models are made from polystyrene.

if its not too much trouble, could you show me what type of plastic gundam uses? Like where you get that info from?

Thanks.

Wow. Just wow guys. Lots of speculative misinformation here.

Here's some hard FACTS - based on years of GW and Gunpla experience.

1. Plastic Type
Games Workshop uses a softer, more impact resistant plastic. -edit- this is why you scrape off the mold lines. Typical panel thickness is 2-3mm on Imperial kits, and 1-2mm on curvy kits like Eldar kits. Thin parts detail parts are becoming more common. Given the look of the new Necrons, GW looks like they're finished with the clear plastic experiment outside of canopies.

Bandai uses a harder less impact resistant plastic. -edit- if you try and scrape the mold lines on this plastic, you will only scratch it. Hobby files are required for these kits. This alows for sharper details. Typical panel thickness is usually 1mm. Bandai has a "system injection" system which alows for multiple on-sprue colours including clear bits. Extensive use of polycaps for joints.

2. Detail Level
Games Workshop uses heavy details such as oversized rivets and skulls. While some kits have much improved detail, many are relatively featureless - i.e. Monolith, Rhino (and most SM vehicles), Eldar and DE vehicles. This is due to their aesthetic and not due to any process.

Gundam kits come in 4 major detail levels.
At level 1 (HG 1/144 scale) they have basic panel lines, vents, verniers and engines. Basic articulation
At level 2 (HG 1/100 scale) they have all of the above including additional panel lines articulated armor, additional articulation, weapons, option parts
At level 3 (MG) they have all of the above including additional panel lines removable armor panels, articulated under skeleton, screw reinforced underconstruction, articulated engines, verniers and sensors.
At level 4 (PG 1/60 scale) they have all of the above including more of everything included at MG level.

Some Gundam kits look devoid of detail. This is because they are based off old legacy 70's designs and not due to limitation in process. If anything, Bandai's injection system alows for finer panel lines.

From my experience, GW detail level is about the same as Bandai 1/144 level.

1/144 Wing Gundam Zero (800 Yen)

3. Durability
I wouldn't say that Gundam kits are not durable. The fact that each built up assembly is smaller (and denser) due to the internal peg and polycap system - each sub system is pretty durable. In fact, I would put Gundam durability above GW kits like the landspeeder, and DE vehicles. Sure, your Gundam will shatter into its component pieces if you drop it, but it is only a matter of putting the polycap joins back together again. As for not holding up to play - I can refute this from experience. In my experience, a standard 1/100 kit can stand up to play - where the only downside is a loosening of the polycap joins - usually in the hip ball joints. Most builders don't play with them for this reason, but this is a purely individual choice.

4. Miscelany
Bandai also makes and sells these for 6800 yen. The engineering involved to make a fully artuclated, transformable, three mode model kit makes GW's kits look stone age.

keezus wrote:level headed evidence and fact.

This.

/thread

Wow, that is the entire thread.

I just wanted to confirm keezus' post. I've dropped Gundam models and GW models, and the Gundam models tend to stay together if only because of the many, many connector pegs and how snugly they fit. Sure, the plastic is indeed thinner, but the substructure and connections make it much more structurally sound.

Also, I made the OP when I was really, really tired.