Welcome!

Hello ladies and mental-men, and welcome to my little slice of self-indulgent nonsense!

As listed, my name is Max Crawford, I'm currently working on a few different blogs, videos, etc. and this is here just to vent about something I love but also hate that I love and sometimes just hate in general, Gunpla!

Lets start possitive though!

For the uninitiated, Gunpla is the collective term for models based on the Gundam franchise. So giant robots shrunk down to about 5-inch (or taller) versions of themselves. One aspect that sets them apart from regular models is that the kits don't require glue, and once assembled aren't just static lumps of flammable substances, they are more like typical action figures!

Gundam is a great subject matter for a model line-up as there is a HUGE backlog of various designs to draw from, from the vintage, borderline Super Robot origins, and totally not Nazi inspired Universal Century line to the rough-and-tumble brutal designs of Iron Blooded Orphans. There is a lot to go on here, just check the background pic for a literal comparison of those two styles and you'll see the difference. So there is really a style to suit almost anyone, even varying scales, from 1/144th all the way to 1/48th, or if you're Bandai and have a shit ton of money lying around, fuck it, 1/1 scale!.

"Sieg Zeon!", anyone? - Art by kzchan at deviantart. 

What's also good is that with most recent ones they are built in ways that promote customization, and there is a healthy Gunpla modder scene on Instagram, Pintrest, etc. that showcase the cream of the crop to inspire people and show what is possible with skill, patience and a lot of free time.

Mine will probably never end up on such a place, as I am currently awful at painting. I don't even have any examples left of my attempts, as I killed them, because as mentioned you can switch up parts so my terrible handiwork has been hidden among my other kits, or left to rot in my bits bucket.

BUT, that isn't going to hold me back, and that's where this blog comes in. It's a tool (*cough* excuse *cough cough*) to encourage me to get better at this. I have a head full of ideas that I want to make a reality, so that's where I'm at now. So far I only really do HGs (High Grade) which are the smallest scale, and cheapest line if you are looking for semi-accurate representations, so not counting SDs (Super Deformed). I think I've built just under 30 or so of them, but as mentioned, some have been destroyed.

Here's a little pic of what I any girlfriend refer to as "The Shelf".

"The Shelf" - From left to right: 00 Seven Swords, G-Exes Jackedge, Gouf Custom, Age-1 Normal, Crossbone Full-Cloth, Sinanju, GM Sniper, Gouf Ignite, Rx78, Mk2, Cherudim Sage, Kabakali, GM/GM, Freedom, Graze Ryusei-go (Sprayed black), Land Man-Rodi, and lastly the Ninpulse. Bottom shelf has the 'Amazing' Red Warrior.

A few eagle-eyed readers will probably notice that the right-most suits are all a bit different from what they should be, and I'll get to those, I promise.

But yeah. This is where I'm at. Nothing too special; a few simple to slightly less-simple mods and that's about it. I've got a few topics I'd like to talk about, from going into detail about some of the kits I've enjoyed, to moaning about how in the UK we have 2 stores for Gundam. In all of the UK.. not just in Scotland... and they aren't even in Scotland... Current problems for Future-Max to moan about. Thanks for reading all this if you did, feel free to follow this or share it with your friends or call me a fucking casual because I only do HGs in the comments (preemptive counter-arguments: 1; I've made 1 RG and 1 MG, RG was too fiddly and annoying and the MG was a plastic hand grenade (It was a Ver. Ka, so definitely not a good idea for a first MG). 2; HG's are easier to swap parts. 3; I'm poor).

Thanks again, and see you later!