Introduction:

            I've loved Japanese animation, or anime as it is referred to in North America, since I was four, when I would wait excitedly for each episode of Battle of the Planets to show on TV.  When I was around 10, Robotech hit the airwaves, and I knew right then, as I sat down for the first episode, that I loved giant robots.  Well, it's been more than a decade and a half since then.  I still love giant robots, space battleships, walking tanks, variable fighter planes and all the other good stuff that goes with anime science fiction.

            Thankfully, as a modeller, there is no shortage of kits out there to slake my thirst for mecha, as these fanciful war machines are called.  It used to be that finding mech kits was something of a difficult proposition.  You could order them from Japan, or you could find them in very specialized hobby stores, at very high prices.  However, especially in the States, anime has hit the mainstream.  That means there are a lot more stores around that carry at least some mech kits.  Heck, even Toys R Us and Zellers stock various Gundam models!

            Many veteran modellers who grew up with planes, cars, tanks and battleships are not always that enamoured with mecha, although we all know many Japanese companies make excellent models of other subjects.  In many cases, you either love mecha or you don't.  However, if you've ever looked at the lavishly illustrated box art on some of these oriental beauties and wondered exactly what they were all about, then maybe I can help you.

            Another important fact that needs considering is that many modellers have kids who also like to build models.  However, in some cases the kids have seen mecha on TV, and begin building them themselves.  As a parent and fellow modeller, how can you determine if a kit is the right one for your little one to work on?  Sure, you might know which armour kits are best, but faced with the choice between a Gundam Limited Model (LM), an LMHG Evangelion and a Perfect or Master Grade MS kit, which do you choose?

            Don't sweat it.  That's what this article is for.  It's here to provide you with a brief overview of some of the more likely to be found Japanese mech kit series.  In this article, I'll be describing some of the things you want to look for in a kit, as well as a few tricks that can come in handy when building them.

Mech Kits: Models a Breed Apart

            Most mech kits are in the shape of humanoid fighting machines.  This leads to the impression that mecha are piloted robots which can be used for everything from waging interstellar war to taking out tanks in urban combat.  This is basically true, although the term 'mecha' generally means any sci-fi vehicle used in anime.  Thus, ships, cars and tanks from anime series can also be considered as mecha, although I tend not to think along those lines myself...   

The bulk of the kits you'll see in any hobby shop or department store, however, are of the piloted robot variety.  Most modern mech kits have a number of features not found in most other types of kits, and they are a different beast than many of us are used to.  One main reason for this is that mecha move when finished.  Most mech kits are quite poseable, and can be put into a number of interesting positions, yielding increased possibilities for dioramas as well as making for more exciting displays in and of themselves.

            Because they have to bend, Bandai (the world's largest producer of anime-related kits) has put considerable effort into the engineering side of things.  Most kits newer than those from a series called 'Vifam' will have a jointing system based on what is called a 'polycap' (poly caps have been a fixture of Tamiya armour kit roadwheels for decades, and more recently have been used by Hasegawa in aircraft kits to affix propellers, landing gear, and ordnance - ed.).  These are little rubber washers that have, over the years, evolved to a very sophisticated state.  Today, it is common to find polycaps for ball joints, ring joints and general purpose hinges.

            Polycaps work by reducing the friction between moving parts.  On a ball joint, the ball is usually solid plastic, but it fits into a polycap cup.  The rubber holds the ball tightly, but allows it to move.  This means you can 'play' with your kit considerably before it gets loose.  Older kits don't have this feature, and become loose very quickly after being completed.

            One flaw with polycaps is that they can split after some time, especially if they're under stress.  It's best to make sure that whatever part goes into a polycap (be it a post, ball joint or whatnot) doesn't have excess paint on it.  The extra thickness of the paint causes undue stress on the rubber, eventually ripping it.  At this point, the piece in question is not likely to stay attached to the kit no matter what.

            Also, polycaps are almost impossible to paint.  The shiny rubber sheds paint easily, and can become a mess if not handled properly.  The good side of this is that if some paint slops onto a polycap, then it is quite easy to scrape off.  Overall, polycaps are a great invention that you soon get used to.  If you go to build an old polycap-less kit, you start cursing very quickly, believe me.

            Another feature of most modern kits, including all from the Gundam series that are newer than Char's Counterattack kits from the late 1980's, is full colour molding.  While mech kits are often assembled by extremely proficient professional modellers for magazines such as Hobby Japan, there is still a push at Bandai headquarters to make them as simple as possible for beginners.

            Thus, most of what needs to be a different colour is molded as such.  This leads to some neat first impressions when you open the box: a veritable rainbow sometimes awaits.  Personally, I don't care for this, since I paint everything anyway.  However, for beginners, the full colour molding lets them get a fairly good replica of a given mech without having to worry too much about painting.  Is this a good or bad thing?  I think it's bad, but kids with little painting experience love it.  It's up to any modelling parents to teach their progeny the painting basics anyway, I guess.

Where to Start? Lost in a Sea of Choice

            Some of the easiest kits to start with are the  Bandai  "High Grade", or HG kits.  HG kits have a better fit than most others, which means you'll get a better final product.  There are many different series of HG kits, and thankfully, some of the best are now available domestically!  That's right, the 1/100 HG Wing Gundam kits are probably some of the all around best kits to start on, and now you can even find them in mainstream toy stores.  Hobby shops will also often stock HG X Gundam, G Gundam and Evangelion kits as well.  All of these are nice kits to start with.  They are a bit bigger than others, have good engineering and fit well.

            It's best to start with a large scale kit, to get a feel for how these things actually go together.  With larger pieces, the overall "logic" of the kit is more readily obvious, and it is easier to figure out what needs to be done when. 

Age is also a critical parameter: older kits are less sophisticated, have a poorer fit and some don't even have polycaps.  Most modern kits have a copyright year written on the box in "normal" Arabic numerals (usually near the bottom left corner of the lid).  If you can't find it, or the box design looks really old, then chances are you're holding an older kit.  My advice is to either put it back or buy it for later.  Start with a newer kit; generally anything 1994 or newer should be fine.  If you don't buy a Bandai kit, I can't guarantee anything.

There are a number of features that make some models better for beginners than others.  A good starter kit has a good ORDER OF ASSEMBLY, meaning that most if not all subassemblies can be completed separately from one another.  More complicated kits often have quite ugly orders of assembly, requiring some subassemblies to be totally completed (paint and everything) before they can be "built around" as part of the next step.  Older kits such as Valkyries and early Gundams are particularly guilty of this.

While this might not seem like much of an inconvenience to those used to aircraft and armour kits, it is indeed a pain in the backside.  Because build around occurs where there are moving parts, it is EXTREMELY important to make sure paint doesn't slop into any hinges or actuator pins.  This is tough even for me, so novice mech modellers, and those new to the hobby in general' should take care.  If you build older, rarer kits, you can't get away from this.  If you go to the newer stuff, you won't run into it.

Another feature of a good kit is good PART SEPARATION.  Often, if a piece needs to be a different colour, it is molded separately.  This is important when painting, since it prevents spillage onto the surrounding pieces.  Of course, it is impossible to separate every differently coloured piece, but a good kit will split off the really dicey ones.

Fit is also a key factor.  In some cases, kits will need very little sanding and filling, but in others major surgery will be required.  Aside from age, there is no way to tell by looking at a box whether a given model will have a good fit.  Usually, though, modern mech kits are very precisely engineered.   Rotational clearances and tolerances are quite tight, so you have to be careful of paint scraping when posing or even assembling some kits.

Now What? Building Tips

            Unfortunately, the instructions don't always tell you everything.  In particular, it is always possible to work simultaneously on multiple, well-separated subassemblies.  By this I mean that even though the instructions don't show it, it's easy to work on parts of the legs, arms and torso all at the same time.

            Most kits, regardless of their age, can be assembled in a similar order.  Usually, the feet, upper legs and upper arms can all be worked on at the same time.  Once these are done, the lower legs and arms can be completed, and then you can follow with the body and head.  Weapons can usually be built separately at any time.  Before you swear by this order of assembly, however, you should realize that it doesn't always hold.  Some kits will require you to follow a more strict order, and others, like 1/144 Wing/X Gundams, will give you even more leeway.

            The most important things to look at when planning a kit's order of assembly is how the major subassemblies are connected.  If the kit is older, it is probable that subassemblies such as the feet, upper legs and upper arms will all have to be "built around": usually there's no way around it.  If the kit is newer, then chances are that it will have a more modular order of assembly.  In this case, the subassemblies are usually connected by a ring-and-post or ball joint polycap combination, or a snap fit connector.  It's also important to take a look and see which pieces can be completed simply by gluing two halves together.

            Most Bandai mecha of the last decade and a half are supposedly 'snap fits'.  This just means the parts will hold together well when pressed.  For someone looking for the instant gratification-type reward, this is okay.  Same for kids, although I think teaching glue usage is a good thing to do early on.  However, it is a real problem for those of us who like to test fit parts.  It is often impossible to separate them easily once you've snapped them together, so be warned!

The best way to plan the attack on a kit is to use logic.  By looking at the assembly instructions, it should be obvious which steps can be performed before others.  Having said this, one of the keys to efficient building is knowing when to circumvent the instructions.  In many cases, the instructions will indicate that a certain piece should go onto a post, and then the rest of the assembly can be build around it.  A perfect example of this is upper legs.  Older kits insist that the upper legs be in place before the halves of the body are glued together.  This is due to a perceived lack of clearance.  In some cases (the Geara Doga from Char's Counterattack is one of them), this is true.  However, in other cases, you can get away with putting the legs in afterwards.  You can test this simply by test fitting the pieces in question together, and then seeing if there's enough room to wheedle the subassembly in or not.

War Paint: Decals and Mech Kits

            Most mech kits do not come with decals that most modellers would consider good.  Many Gundams come with foil decals, similar to what used to be found in old Transformers toys.  These are bright and reflective, and are fun for kids to apply.  There's no mess, no fuss, and usually no cutting involved.  However, the decals are also very sticky, and once they're on, that's it.  Trying to remove the decal usually ends up destroying it.

            Kits from other series often have plastic decals, although to my horror so does the Perfect Grade RX-78-2 Gundam.  These decals are the worst, and show any dirt or smudges.  They are printed on fairly thick, heavy plastic, like the old GI Joe toy decals in the 80's.  These are very difficult to bend around contours, and dirt gets stuck in their edges something fierce.  They look like hell and generally are a pain no matter what you're trying to do. Patlabor kits (the 1/60 ones, anyway) and F-91/SF-91 Gundams  have these, and I try to avoid using them whenever possible.

            If you're lucky, then you'll get a mech with normal waterslide decals.  Old Bandai-reissued Valkyrie kits have these, as do a lot of Imai kits.  Galvion, Mospeada and even the old Vifam kits have waterslide decals too.  Usually the waterslide decals that come with mech kits are very good, and have a minimum of edging on them.  They tend to be much better than North American or European decals of similar vintages, which can be either too thin or too leathery.

Don't Just Sit There!  Build Something!

All the information I've so far given you  may be totally useless if you are a  novice modeler or you are just plain new to mech building.  Below is a list of different kit series and some comments about them.  This should help you when choosing a specific for yourself, a friend or even a child in the family who just has to have one of those cool giant robots.  (I personally feel every child should have at least one Gundam.  Give generously...)

Kits for Beginners:

            These kits have lots of pieces, good part separation, and by and large a friendly order of assembly.  Many times there are copious sticker sheets, clear accessories or chromed parts as well.

1/100 HG Wing/X Gundam/G Gundam

1/144 HG Universal Century Gundam

1/100 Master Grade Gundam

1/60 HG Ex and Perfect Grade Gundams (BEWARE! High cost ahead!)

1/48 HG Nadesico

1/100 Gundam F91/Silhouette F91

1/144 V Gundam

1/144 Char's Counterattack

1/144 Gundam 0080

SD Gundam

Moderate Kits:

            These kits are easy for experienced modelers, but may present some challenges for newer hobbyists.  They have fair part separation, but may have a somewhat less forgiving order of assembly.

1/144 Wing Gundam/X Gundam/Turn A Gundam/G Gundam

LM HG Evangelion

1/60 Patlabor

1/144 Macross 7

1/144 Gundam 0083

Mid-Level Kits:

            These require more skill than others, and may have complicated subassemblies to make life tough.  Also, the fit may be a little off, depending on the kit's age.

1/35 Gasaraki

1/144 Original and MSV Gundam /Z Gundam/ZZ Gundam

1/144 Wing "G-Unit"

1/144 Gundam Sentinel

1/100 Round Vernian Vifam

1/100 V Gundam (Great kits, but a bit more complex - transformable too!)

1/16 Tekkaman Blade

Expert Kits:

            These kits require extensive skill and patience.  Don't attempt them unless you have some experience.

1/100 Variable VF-1 Valkyrie

1/72 VF-1 Valkyrie  series

Any scale Yamato kits

Any Limited Models (LM) kits

Captain Harlock ship kits (Including the big Arcadia)

1/72 and 1/48 Legioss

Various Scale Galvion kits

Technopolice 21C kits

1/24 and 1/35 Votoms kits

Any Galaxy Express 999 kits

Any L-Gaim kits

and, of course these guys, not known for their precision engineering:

Any Korean/Taiwanese knock-offs (includes the infamous Ben-Di and Hobbycraft knock-offs of Layzer and Vifam)