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My google-fu isn't working very well because any site tagged with "games" or "image sharing website" is blocked by our system admins at work. (Yay jobs funded by the FCC and weird federal regulations!)

The reason I ask is because a friend of mine who plays Tau is a huge Mecha anime fan, the Gundam series in particular. If they are roughly the same size as a Riptide, I wanted to get one of the Wing Zero kits and use bits and pieces for a custom Riptide.

Think it'd work?

As long as you don't mind the stylistic differences between the GW kit and the Gundam kit it will work fine.

 SRSFACE wrote:
My google-fu isn't working very well because any site tagged with "games" or "image sharing website" is blocked by our system admins at work. (Yay jobs funded by the FCC and weird federal regulations!)

The reason I ask is because a friend of mine who plays Tau is a huge Mecha anime fan, the Gundam series in particular. If they are roughly the same size as a Riptide, I wanted to get one of the Wing Zero kits and use bits and pieces for a custom Riptide.

Think it'd work?

You do know Gundam kits cost around the same as the GW stuff if not more.

Gundam kits range from fairly cheap to about the same as large GW kits depending on the range and model. The mid range kits are surprisingly good, moulded in multi-coloured plastic using slide mould technology, and provided with moving parts and limbs, and cost about $40.

Here is a master grade kit which costs about $90.
http://www.hlj.com/product/ban986534

Here is a cheap kit, about $25.
http://www.hlj.com/product/ban989487

Note that the second kit is a smaller scale. Gundam comes in various scales of which the 1/100 and 1/144 are the best for 40K.

There are some astonishing bargains to be had. This kit is under $4. It's rather old fashioned, but if you just want the weapons it's still cheap.
http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN04409/Gun

There are also separate "giant robot" weapons available, and spare parts like rocket nozzles.
http://www.hlj.com/product/KBYAW-15/Sci

http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN973136/Gun

Search for Kotobukiya and Armored Core, and for Detailing and Option kits.

 Sammoth wrote:

 SRSFACE wrote:
My google-fu isn't working very well because any site tagged with "games" or "image sharing website" is blocked by our system admins at work. (Yay jobs funded by the FCC and weird federal regulations!)

The reason I ask is because a friend of mine who plays Tau is a huge Mecha anime fan, the Gundam series in particular. If they are roughly the same size as a Riptide, I wanted to get one of the Wing Zero kits and use bits and pieces for a custom Riptide.

Think it'd work?

You do know Gundam kits cost around the same as the GW stuff if not more.

I don't think he wants to buy a Gundam kit because they are cheaper (but a lot of them are), I think he wants it for the aesthetics.

Here is a pretty cool one that is about the size of a Riptide: http://www.amazon.com/Gundam-00-Tieren-Ground-Scale/dp/B000VO0564/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1365461415&sr=8-2&keywords=gundam+tieren
Here is a picture of it next to some Crisis Suits, courtesy of Heavybolter:

 Sammoth wrote:


You do know Gundam kits cost around the same as the GW stuff if not more.

Ones currently in production are pretty cheap, as are most plastic products out of Japan. Having access to Chinese manufacturing just across their relative pond, most Chinese models manufacturers get pretty amazing deals. Some out of production Gundams are ridiculously expensive but that's not what I'm planning on cobbling it together for.

Plus, as has been pointed out, it's for aethetics.

@Kilkrazy: You think the 1/100 or 1/60 scale ones would work best? I'm having a hard time finding size comparison photos that aren't just Gundams next to each other, if they aren't just a solo photograph to begin with.

I think a lot of people like the 1/144 scale models.

Most Gundams are about 15 to 20 metres tall (if they existed in reality) so in 1/144 scale an average one would be about 12cm tall, or 17.5 cm tall in 1/100 scale.

There are a couple of other threads about Gundams on the board at the moment, which are worth cross-referring to.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/577445.page#6551432

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/60/519461.page#6551948

Awesome! Here I was thinking the Riptide was so big, I'd need a larger model.

Thanks a million.

I just got my riptide done! Needs painting which I will do soon, his arms are moveable and I really like the look of the helmet, bits were 35 bucks and gundam 23bucks! I'm happy with it! I need one more peice for his right front shoulder!

That is awesome, jamesavp! I love when I think I've got a cool idea, ask about it, and someone actually has that idea realized already to show off it's indeed really, really cool.

Just to confirm, you used a 1/144 scale model for the Gundam bits?

Thanks!
I used a RMS 108 Marasai (unicorn ver)
1/144 scale gundam confirmed!
I wanted to bring in an elite unit of tau with a different look, fire warriors really look good with a big Samuri leading them to battle! Lol

Those pieces actually work surprisingly well with each other.

I got lucky that tau leg armor works with a samurai look. I think the key is finding a gundam that doesn't have too much going on up top. You can always add detail from random bits. I pulled the respirator from the head,

It's not entirely luck. The original Tau aesthetic was based on Chinese and Japanese armour design.

Good Point, I do have a question on why for tau they went with bonding knifes instead of Samuri Swords? call em bonding swords. lol. It would be cool if tau had Elites that were good at close combat. An option would be to use stealth suits, give them swords and a gun and use them as allies to stand in for terminators from dark angels codex. Bring in a converted Belial in as a stealth suit and count them as troops to hold objective and use their swords to protect the objective! lol what you think?

I've been thinking about doing something similar to this ever since I dug out my old Gundams out of the attic.
Thanks for the scale confirmation, yours is looking awesome so far!

Been working on my riptide when I can, here it is 60% done, I need to layer the red some more, highlight the armor and touch up a lot of my lines, I tend to like a weathered look to the Armor to show that this ripetide has been in the field.

Tau are meant to be rubbish at H2H so a bondage sword may have seemed a bit too silly even for GW fluff.

That's pretty great, jamesavp. I actually think it still fits the GW aesthetic in a weird way. That head is more rounded than boxy but the singular lense in the middle makes it still Tau-like.

I posted it on Warhammer Proxies! FB group. Thanks.