Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I am looking to get my hands on a 1/100 Gusion to turn into a Tau Stormsurge, but I have seen pictures of 1/100 Strike Gundam's which look to be the same kind of height of a Imperial Knight from what I can recall.

Speaking about height and sizing for Gundam models to compare to GW offerings, I purchased a 1/144 scale Tieren Ground Type. Cost me about $15AUD, including shipping with a variety of other items I purchased from Japan. I have assembled it and it looks like it would be a good stand-in for a Tau Riptide.

Here are the size stats for the model

Height 13.7cm, standing as straight as it can
Width 10cm, shoulderpad to shoulderpad
8cm arm to arm, removing shoulderpads
Torso width 5cm, including shoulders
Torso depth 5cm, including backpack
Torso height 4cm, to top of head
Leg length 8.5cm
Thigh length 3.5cm
Lower leg length 5cm
Arm length 6cm
Upper arm length 2.5cm
Lower arm length 3.5cm, including hand
Foot length 4.8cm, width 1.7cm at widest part

Weapon length is 7.7cm, 1cm wide on one side, 2cm on the other including the drum mag

Anyone have a Riptide on hand they can measure to see how close to the above dimensions it is, and share it here?

If you used this model all you'd need to add is a jetpack, which could be easily modified onto the existing backpack, some suitable weapons, a shield unit (I will be using an Antares Concord drone for mine), and any other additions you feel are necessary to show upgrades purchased for the model. The price per unit is fantastic, and the kit goes together like a dream. It will require very little filling or sanding, and is also brilliant because it's fully poseable. This allows you the option to just magnetise the feet and pose how you like each time you play with it, only requiring a base that magnets will stick to to make it work.

Edit: Another bonus is that because Gundam kits use polycaps, it's easy enough to switch around parts from one to another to get the desired look you are after. I am looking into using a few different kits to come up with stand-in's for the XV 107 and XV 107 models from Forgeworld. As an added benefit there are a ton of both official and aftermarket kits to help get you the weapon or add-on piece you are after for your kit. It's a converters/detailers paradise, and best of all the add-ons don't cost a whole lot to purchase. I am also using brass flat beads, tubes, half-pearl plastic beads, metal beads and a bunch of other scrap-booking and jewelry making bits to help detail the parts, and these are even cheaper to purchase.

As soon as I come up with something cool I'll let you all know.

I recently learned that Mandarake has an online shop.

https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/?lang=en

(note the extra A, it is not Mandrake)

If you've not been Mandarake is a chain of HUGE 2nd hand manga/model/CD/DVD shops around Japan. Their shop outside Tokyo (Nagano) is basically the size of a mall. Their shop in Osaka has a full sized woolly mammoth skeleton. And the staff do cosplay karaoke while you shop.

Japan is the land of obsessive fans and small storage space so there is a lot of stuff there for flea market prices. Real collectors items will get collector item prices but most stuff is pretty cheap.

Some of the translations are a bit dodgy, the familiar Macross Destroids for example are listed as Macross Destroyed, so try a few search terms.

My package got held for a week in customs but other than that no problem. Shipping was about $12.

Worth a window shop even if you don't buy anything.

Update on the Mandarake order - It arrived after a week or two in customs.




And one wrong ship

But I emails and they refunded my 300 Yen. So kudos for good service. I'd use the site again.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Update on the Mandarake order - It arrived after a week or two in customs.




And one wrong ship

But I emails and they refunded my 300 Yen. So kudos for good service. I'd use the site again.

That manadarake site is definitely tempting me to load up on a bunch of cheap hg gundam kits, my kids really enjoy building and playing with them...

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Update on the Mandarake order - It arrived after a week or two in customs.

Spoiler:

And one wrong ship

But I emails and they refunded my 300 Yen. So kudos for good service. I'd use the site again.

Can you advise on the postage costs to US?
I got started but saw that they wouldn't advise on postage until after payment so am a little gun-shy.

For 4 small kits in something the size of a shoebox it was $12.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
The Bandai Super Star Destroyer is up for preorder. $12 on Amazon. Ships Aug 31.

Should be about the size of a BFG battleship.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R3XYC5C/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1

Thanks for that KK, will give it a go and see how much it costs to get some Gundam stuff to Aus.

I've used Mandarake before. They're great.

I miss Mandarake so much. Too far of ride from the sticks of Niigata to get to the closest store.

They used to have a shop though in Torrance in the early 2000s I would frequent as often as I could. Spent a ton of money there and probably made just as much off of them flipping stuff I'd picked up in Japan or off eBay. I know my obscure Go Nagai manga quite well!

I spent way too much time looking through their website. Sadly a lot of the stuff from both my childhood and early internet days is selling for a heck of a lot more than I used to pay for it.

If more of those garish old Aoshima, Arii, or Imai kits were in the sub 500 yen range (rather than the 30,000+ they want) I'd pick up quite a lot of them.

Hobby Link Japan has the new 1/144 "2001: A Space Odyssey" Discovery XD-1 in stock at the moment. When fully assembled it will be over a meter long and has a display stand to go along with it. For the size of the model, the price is actually pretty damn good, and would be great either kept as is, or used as a base for conversion. I am becoming more and more impressed with the kinds of models being created these days, as well as how detailed they are.

Moebeius is a US company so look around a bit, not much need to order from HLJ if it's available domestically.

https://hasbropulse.com/collections/haslab

The Space 1999 Hawk gunboat is out.

10.5" long. $20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FH6SHDC?ref_=pe_623860_70668520_dpLink

Noice. I wonder how easy it would be to embiggen that model into a battlecruiser.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Noice. I wonder how easy it would be to embiggen that model into a battlecruiser.

At 10", you'd already be looking at the biggest ship in BGF.

Might be a good bit of terrain for Titanitcus, one of the system ships.

Bulk lander for Dropzone or CAV?

Macross Destroids and Zentradi are being reissued for Feb 2020.



I have the 1/200 Monster from the last reissue (actually 3... unpainted... mistakes were made... let's not dwell on the past) it's a great kit about the size of a 40k Chimera.

I still have 20 warehouse days left on my new/reissued Glaug apparently. And one Monster. Not sure if I need anything else from this line.

Now, if they started selling some 1/144ish Invid, that would get me in trouble.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
I still have 20 warehouse days left on my new/reissued Glaug apparently. And one Monster. Not sure if I need anything else from this line.

Now, if they started selling some 1/144ish Invid, that would get me in trouble.

Hope you're not following the Robotech Miniatures group then.

I’m not. Why?

For a second I was really hopeful that those were reissues of the Nichimo kits. I'm a little disappointed that they're the Bandai/Imai kits.

Just a quick heads up! Maschinen Kreiger are doing Gashapon thing for pretty cheap (out here at least, not sure about shipping out of 日本) and scale nicely with 40k stuff (1/35 I think) I stuck mine on a 35mm base, bc I wasn't sure how big it would be, and tbh I think 40mm-50?60?65? might look a bit better. The pilot heads are really easy to just whick off and replace, and the models, though detailed, are really easy to work with, and kinda unadorned, so it's not to hard to clap on some bits and goth them up, or just leave 'em deisel punk-y.

 posermcbogus wrote:
Just a quick heads up! Maschinen Kreiger are doing Gashapon thing for pretty cheap (out here at least, not sure about shipping out of 日本) and scale nicely with 40k stuff (1/35 I think) I stuck mine on a 35mm base, bc I wasn't sure how big it would be, and tbh I think 40mm-50?60?65? might look a bit better. The pilot heads are really easy to just whick off and replace, and the models, though detailed, are really easy to work with, and kinda unadorned, so it's not to hard to clap on some bits and goth them up, or just leave 'em deisel punk-y.

Ooh! Do you have any photos you could share?
I've never been able to find a good source for Gashapon that would give me a price for shipping before asking me to pay here stateside.

 Gallahad wrote:

 posermcbogus wrote:
Just a quick heads up! Maschinen Kreiger are doing Gashapon thing for pretty cheap (out here at least, not sure about shipping out of 日本) and scale nicely with 40k stuff (1/35 I think) I stuck mine on a 35mm base, bc I wasn't sure how big it would be, and tbh I think 40mm-50?60?65? might look a bit better. The pilot heads are really easy to just whick off and replace, and the models, though detailed, are really easy to work with, and kinda unadorned, so it's not to hard to clap on some bits and goth them up, or just leave 'em deisel punk-y.

Ooh! Do you have any photos you could share?
I've never been able to find a good source for Gashapon that would give me a price for shipping before asking me to pay here stateside.

No problem! These lil boyos are about 円500, but I picked mine up in Osaka, which isn't super close. As you can see, he's pretty tall, but I think it works. I think the other kits in the range are a smidge larger, but the detail is utterly beautiful. I'm adding mine to my inquisition warband, but I could easily see them being useful to guard, stealer cults etc.

Gundam in grimdark fashion? Im interested.

Is that a new run of the SF3D gachas?


I haven't seen any in stores for quite a few years. Naturally the few times I encountered them in the wild I'd never have any coins with me.

 highlord tamburlaine wrote:
Is that a new run of the SF3D gachas?


I haven't seen any in stores for quite a few years. Naturally the few times I encountered them in the wild I'd never have any coins with me.

Hmm, couldn't say I'm afraid - they aren't being promo'd in any of the hobby magazines I get, and I legit only picked this one up because the GF agreed to a half-day of nerd nonsense in Denden town (to be fair, I've not encountered anyone better at bullet hell arcade games than her ) I'll keep an eye out for more info, esp at my various local dork shops, but I honestly don't know if these are a new wave, or the dregs of the last one. They're very nice though, I reccommend anyone curious about Maschinen Kreiger to pick one up, if you can find them for a reasonable price. BY FAR one of the better Gacha that I've ever encountered.

Could that space 1999 gunboat reasonably be a shuttle at 28mm scale?

 kestral wrote:
Could that space 1999 gunboat reasonably be a shuttle at 28mm scale?

I have the 1/72 Eagle and with a cockpit swap it works. So these should as well. There's also a 1/48 Eagle for $100 if you want to commit.

It's good to see new plastic kits coming out from SNK's Metal Slug franchise.

Posted on the World War Toons facebook page

(Meng makes the WWT chibi kits so this might mean they're going to be doing metal slug too, but i'm not certain...… Whoever ends up behind the kits I want them both for my chibi collection, and potentially as conversion fodder for Grotz & Orkz