Building your first Master Grade Gundam

Figures and Toys

Edit: Since this post has gone up, I’ve built a brand new site all about Gundam model building! Like Gunpla? Click the image below to visit my new blog, Gunpla 101. 

gunpla101

I recently hit a milestone in Gundam building—my tenth ever Gundam. Finally, after eight High Grade models and two SD models, I’m ready to tackle my first Master Grade—an Endless Waltz Deathscythe Hell that we got as a wedding present (yes, we’re geeks and so are our friends).

Ever since I wrote Gundam Modeling 101, I’ve gotten lots of questions about the relative difficulty of Gundam modeling, especially in regard to the grades. It can be a little confusing, so I made a chart with some of my Gundams to clear it up:

sizechart

As you learned in 101, Gundams vary in both size and complexity, or as manufacturers refer to it, grade and scale. The difficulty of a Gundam lies entirely in its grade. The scale has nothing to do with it. Which of the Gundams pictured was the hardest to build? It was NOT Victory Gundam (High Grade 1/60). It’s easy to make this misconception because the hardest Gundam models on the market—Perfect Grades—are almost always 1/60 scale.

Actually, the real toughie of the bunch is Crossbone Gundam (Master Grade 1/100). As a Master Grade, it has the most parts, and these parts have been manufactured with the finest quality. For example? A Master Grade is likely to have working fingers that can grasp weapons just like a real hand.

destinyhand

John bought a new Master Grade, Gundam Destiny Extreme Burst Mode, at Otakon and ever since he put it together, it’s been the centerpiece of our living room. From his iridescent wings to his metallic skeleton to his glittering weapons, Gundam Destiny inspired me to get cracking on my first Master Grade.

destiny

Differences of a Master Grade

  • Higher quality. Ever started building a High Grade only to find a factory error? I feel you; my Gundam Unicorn is definitely super-glued in some parts. And it isn’t about size. If you look at the “wings” on Victory Gundam in the first picture, you might be able to spot a sharp edge where there ought to be a round one. Little imperfections are far more noticeable on a High Grade, and far less common on a Master Grade, because of the increased level of attention to detail.
  • Significantly more complex. They call it a Master Grade because it’s not for beginners. If you think your latest High Grade has a lot of parts, you’ll be amazed by a Master Grade. For example, Gundam Destiny came with 16 different plastic sprues, compared to the 6 sprues it took to put my High Grade Bearguy together. And that’s not even saying how much longer the instruction booklet is! On a related note, expect to devote a lot more time to putting a Master Grade together.
  • Bigger investment. A High Grade will set you back anywhere from $20 to $60, depending on if it’s common or a special edition. A Master Grade, on the other hand, can easily cost anywhere from $50 to $100+. It’s a lot to put into a hobby, even if you’re serious about Gundams. That’s why you’re far more likely to find High Grades of every model, and Master Grade versions only of select and popular models.

Are you ready to build a Master Grade?

Here’s a quiz:

☑ I’ve built at least one Gundam model before.

☑ I built my last High Grade model quickly and easily.

☑ I’m looking for a bigger challenge.

If you feel confident checking all three boxes, then I feel confident recommending that you build your first Master Grade. Otherwise, why not try another High Grade or SD until you get more comfortable? There’s no shame in it; I built 10 before I felt ready for something harder.

zeta2

Tips for Master Grade building

  • Choose your model carefully. Sometimes there are multiple Master Grade variations of the same Gundam. I can’t even tell you how many MG variations of Gundam Unicorn there are now. Like with any Gundam purchase, do your research and make sure you’re getting the one you actually want, down to the model number.
  • Invest in the right tools. Gundam kits are put together in a way that you CAN construct them using just your hands. But if you’re going to spend upwards of $50 on a Master Grade, you want it to look good. See the notches on Zeta 2.0’s gun in the photo above? Those could have been minimized with a toolkit that included sidecutters and a fine razor. Here’s the toolkit I now use and recommend.
  • Don’t work ahead. When I work on a High Grade, I often cut out a bunch of parts in advance in order to speed up the process. But with a Master Grade, there are so many more parts that it’s easy to lose track of what goes where. Only cut out the parts you need for one step at a time, and only move on after the step is assembled.
  • Take your time. Even if you’re an ace at building High Grades, don’t plan to build your first Master Grade in just one night. Pace yourself and save yourself the trouble of having to retrace your steps after the fact. Since the final touches are often the most visible, slowing down at the finish will result in a cleaner look.

I hope this helps you feel a little more confident about building your first Master Grade. Be sure to check back as I update with photos of mine in progress!

Like Gunpla? Click the image below to visit my new blog, Gunpla 101. 

gunpla101

Otaku Links: Has Crunchyroll redeemed itself?

Otaku Links

gundam_diorama

  • Has Crunchyroll redeemed itself? An interesting r/anime discussion about the ethics of supporting CR given that it once profited off of other peoples’ fansubs. Personally, I think that CR as it exists now makes up for its past mistakes.
  • Yaya Han is writing a series of cosplay tips on her Facebook page. I think this would make a great How To book or digital guide when she’s done.
  • Let the sexy cosplay debate begin! Hideo Kojima, director of the Metal Gear series, claims he embraces “erotic” character design to encourage cosplay. Do you think, like Kojima seems to, that cosplayers prefer sexier costumes?
  • I was honored to have been interviewed by Natalie Cameron, a journalism student in Australia, about my blog and my freelance work. You can read her blog post here.

(Diorama by Francesco Coriglione.)

Otaku Links: CNN, NBC, and the Onion

Otaku Links

betta_art

  • A shoujo magazine will be running an Attack on Titan spinoff that focuses on Levi and Erwin’s past. Not sure what’s going to make this specifically oriented toward women, (except that I know from experience that the ladies love Levi).
  • Heroes of Cosplay sure isn’t winning many fans. The latest scandal? A cosplay photographer who plans on suing NBC for copyright infringement.
  • I just discovered CNN iReport through this call to the community for Dragon*Con coverage. Imagine the resume boost that would come from your reporting being featured on CNN!
  • Did you know fake newspaper the Onion is 25 years old? I got to see the founders speak at the National Press Club back when I was in graduate school and it was one of the more entertaining talks about the news industry I’ve heard.
  • As somebody who has written a LOT about Etsy, I really liked Kevin’s in-depth feature on Etsy’s crumbling economy. Kevin is fluent in Chinese and I think that gave him a pretty unique perspective on the reselling market.
  • And finally, since my links are pretty sparse this week, enjoy TONS MORE with Justin’s latest Reference Resource Monday at Organization Anti-Social Geniuses.

(Photo by kenglye HT curiosiko.)

How to make money anime blogging

Uncategorized

I honestly never thought I’d be in a position to write this article, but here we are. At nearly four years old, Otaku Journalist is actually making a profit. And since I’m a journalist obsessed with transparency, I want to tell you all about it.

So here’s the backstory: it costs about $100 a year to keep Otaku Journalist online, and I don’t make a ton on a freelancer’s salary. My goal has always been to have it pay for itself.

Over the last four years, I’ve experimented with all kinds of ways to make money blogging. I’ve put up banner ads using Project Wonderful, and made literal pennies. I’ve used Google Adsense, and made nothing at all. Finally, I settled on becoming a Bluehost affiliate. I make double digits when people sign up with Bluehost through my link, so I only need a handful of clicks for Otaku Journalist to pay for itself. (The money goes right back to Bluehost anyway!)

That’s been perfect. For the past two years, Otaku Journalist has netted me $0, but it’s also cost $0 for me to maintain. I thought that was the end of my scheming.

That is, until I started to notice Amazon sending me periodic “gift cards” to my account. And the amount of money on each gift card was getting larger and larger. I forgot that I was an Amazon affiliate, because my affiliate links had never paid off before. And now I had an additional $150 in funds for 2013 alone, with no effort at all on my part.

What happened? Back in 2010 and 2011, I used to put affiliate links into lots of posts, hoping to make money. But since my blog was young and small, nobody ever clicked. Now, for some reason, some of my older posts, especially about Gundam building, are getting tons of traffic. And readers are clicking and buying Gundams.

Granted, an additional $150 in eight months (update 4/2014: now more like $150 a month!) isn’t close to enough to live on. But it’s surprising to earn that much when I’m not actually DOING anything. Especially when you consider that Otaku Journalist’s 200 uniques a day are nothing in Web traffic.

Are you an anime blogger interested in making a little extra? Here’s what worked for me:

  • Affiliate programs, NOT banner ads. Project Wonderful works for big sites like Questionable Content (I believe it’s the bulk of Jeph’s income), but small blogs shouldn’t even expect to make a dollar there. Same for other ad services. What’s worked for me is affiliate programs with smaller click rates, but larger payoffs.

  • Create valuable content, not a shill. There’s a reason Gundam Modeling 101 is the most popular (and lucrative) article on my entire website. It’s not an ad for Gundams, but an extensively researched tutorial on everything you need to know to get started with model building. Readers aren’t stupid; they know when they’re being used.

  • Don’t be afraid to promote. So many anime bloggers seem afraid that somebody will bite their head off if they’re caught making money. But when it’s an affiliate link, readers are spending the same amount they would anyway. The only difference is that you get a cut for turning them on to it. You don’t have to go in the other direction and become a sales blog, but if you’re reviewing an anime, it makes sense to place an affiliate link to where the reader can buy it on DVD.

  • Give away your best stuff for free. The reason I’m so happy giving away my digital guides is because they’re the most valuable thing I can offer my readers. They’re what makes Otaku Journalist worth returning to. And in the end, that’s going to make more people come back—and click on affiliate links while they’re at it—than if I charged for my best work.

  • Try not to worry about it too much. They call it passive income for a reason. If you spend all your time checking your affiliate accounts and tweaking your site to get more clicks, you’re exerting way more energy than a couple of extra bucks a year are worth.

I realize there are people who make WAY more than I do who might have differing opinions. But whenever I hear about somebody actually making money online, I figure it’s some sort of spammy pitch to get my money. So I wanted to offer up one regular person’s perspective.

If you’re brave enough to share in the comments, let me know about your blog’s relationship with money. Do you think making money from blogging is disingenuous? Or, if you’re also a blogger who finds yourself in the black, what are your favorite money-making techniques?

Cosplay USA is on sale now!

Anime, Journalism

cosplay_usa

Like most online journalists, I long ago gave up the dream of ever seeing my name in actual print. But that changed in March, when Patrick Macias gave me a freelance job offer I couldn’t refuse.

I’ve been in touch with Patrick ever since I interviewed him back in 2010 for How to start a career in anime journalism. I guess this is one way blogging can open doors for you, because ever since then he’s kept me in the loop on journalism opportunities.

Patrick told me Otaku USA magazine was planning a cosplay-exclusive edition for late August, and asked if I’d like to work as assistant editor. I couldn’t say yes fast enough! Sure, it was tough at times to balance the work with several other freelance gigs and a wedding, but it’s all worth it now that I can finally share the issue with you.

history_of_cosplay

My largest contribution to the magazine was an article on the history of cosplay. I couldn’t have done it alone, and quotes from expert sources like Ashbrie and Charles Dunbar really helped me ensure accuracy.

Buy the digital version of Cosplay USA for just $5.95, or look for it on newsstands and in bookstores. Or, if you like what you see, buy a one-year subscription.

I’ve been having a great time collaborating with Otaku USA and I hope to have more articles published there to share with you soon!