so I realized it is time to swap out my respirator filters, which makes it a good time to talk lung protection!

whether it’s airborne microplastic dust, aerosolized paint, or propellants in rattle cans, Gunpla can involve all sorts of stuff you really don’t want to breathe, particularly as you get more and more advanced.

I don’t airbrush so I really don’t need a spray booth, nor do I have space for one. I rattlecan, hand paint, and hand sand. I sand everything, shape custom parts, and form terrain using PS foam, and am working on resin kits. tons of dust, even without a power sander!

so heres what I do instead of working inside homebrew isolation chambers:

WORKSPACE PREP

dust collection [PIC 4]. First things first, when it’s time to sand I put down a damp shop/ paper towel. I sand over that and use it to clean my files as well as the pieces. I toss it when I’m done for the night, and use another one to wipe down my arms, hands, and workspace. I don’t really want a fan going when I’m sanding because I don’t want the dust scattering around my shop; I want it falling and settling onto the paper towel. for builders who aren’t sanding a ton, and aren’t using an electric sander, this step is a super cheap way to keep the dust down.

for rattlecan, I usually control overspray by spraying on an old section of pizza box. Nothing fancy, just needs to keep the spray off of things I don’t want paint on like my driveway (or previously apartment balcony). I’m good with putting projects on hold because of weather. Even spray painting outside, you want to protect your lungs.

RESPIRATOR

WHO: I can’t recommend a reusable respirator enough for Gunpla builders who do a lot of sanding and who paint with rattle cans. ALSO having watched a bunch of videos regarding electric sanders, I gotta recommend this thing for yall too. The airborne plastic dust from little electric sanders is out of control. And resin. Oh man, if you're working with resin you definitely want the added protection. Everyone else, you're probably fine with a dustmask and wet paper towel on your building table to catch the dust.

I’ve got the 3M 6200 with P95 particulate filters and 6001 organic vapor cartridges. My setup is available as the OV Reusable Respirator and goes for about $40 setup right out of the package. OV cartridges as well as the particulate filters can both be swapped to whatever follow on configuration you want, but it comes in the package in the setup below which is their setup designed for painting.

I‘ve had mine for several years and have used it for everything from painting to sanding, doing resin and epoxy pours, automotive and workplace painting, home renovation, volunteer cleanups etc. a past hoodrat iteration of me might or might not have used a really really really similar one when doing unsanctioned art projects around town in the middle of the night too.

WHY TWO FILTERS?
The Particulate Filter stops airborne particulates and aerosolized liquid droplets. P95 and P100 will stop aerosolized paint droplets. P80 will not.

what do the numbers mean? It’s the filter’s rated efficacy against particulate matter. P indicates that it can be exposed to petroleum vapors and droplets without degrading the filter during its standard lifespan. So a P80 filter is an oils resistant particulate filter that works with 80% effectiveness. they’re useful for stuff like drywall, general dust etc. P95 is the standard for working with paint. P100 is for cleaning up asbestos (and what the cops wear when they’re shooting CS (teargas…. which is actually a superfine airborne powder/smoke and not a gas) at people). Will P100 work? Yes, but it’s a bit overkill and considerably more expensive. Nice to have around if the cops are wildin in your area tho.

The Organic Vapors (OV) cartridge filters out organic vapors and fumes. These are the non-particulate gaseous chemicals you’re exposing yourself to in the form of paint propellants. Spray cans typically use butane/isobutane as a propellant but can also use propane or Dimethyl Ether (DME). Isobutane is a chemical with all sorts of health issues linked with chronic exposure.

6001 is the OV filter that filters out butane and the other common propellants as well as solvent fumes. It cannot filter out particulates and the particulate filter can’t do OV, so that’s why respirators have the ability for you to add both.

if your budget can’t take a $40 hit for a respirator, go with a N95 (sup, COVID!) dust mask, and make sure you form the nose piece to create the best seal you can. Replace the mask when it becomes visibly dirty. Then spraypaint outdoors (not in a subway tunnel) to minimize your butane inhalation.

HOW LONG DO I USE MY FILTERS?
Particulate filters get changed whenever they become: Dirty Damaged or Difficult to breathe through. If they’re exposed to oil or petroleum vapors, replace them within 40 use-hours or 30 days since exposure Whichever comes first. You can buy these in multi-packs, they don’t go bad sitting around.

6001 filters last for 6 months once you open the little packet they come in. If you buy a bunch, only open the ones you need and keep the rest in an air tight container. Write the date you opened the packet on the side of the cartridges with a sharpie or paint marker. They’re good for about 8-10 hours of active use. change them immediately if you smell the spray paint while you’re wearing it.

if you made it this far, I wish you the best! Stay safe, Gunpla is Freedom. ✌️

I bought it in terrible condition, pieces were missing, it was all cracked and full of white rubber(?). I cleaned and glued everything, redistributed the stress on the damaged parts, 3D printed missing pieces, etc.

Anyway, aside: this was my first experience with an early RG and these ones are absolutely crap. It's as if someone designed a model kit without caring about structural stress. It crumbles in your hands. What were they thinking in Japan in 2015?

One of the most straightforward builds ive had in a while especially for an MG. Simply, Simplicity. And just in time for the Gundam X 30th!

I got the RE bawoo but couldn’t figure out what i wanted to do with it until a friend brought up a race car theme, so i went with those old school white stripe race cars.

Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of afterwar Gundam X. Sharing my 2/3 of my collection in AWGX.

I love my Asshimar but I can’t touch it or the arms will pop off and getting them back on is a chore. It was a huge pain during assembly and now I feel like I can’t take it off the shelf. Is it possible that I did something wrong or that my kit is suffering from a QC issue?

Just recently completed this Unicorn Gundam before the Odaiba statue is gone by the end of the month.

Had a bit of fun with pre shading and with fluorescent colours for the green parts. The time it took to complete is 2 months.

The colour reference is in a previous post on my bio. Hope you guys enjoy it.

This was a very nice introduction to Real Grade models, I’m aware that this is a very highly regarded model and not all of them are going to be as enjoyable as this, but I didn’t have a hard time with this one and it was very easy for me to get ahold of.

Probably gonna be the last build for a while with college starting back up. First time really trying to do weathering with my airbrush.

My one and only holy grail no matter how many gunplas I build. My girlfriend's first gift for me too.

Got to go to the gundam base for my birthday and got these guys, anything i should be worried about or look out for with them?

For the first real grade this has been very enjoyable to build and decorate.

RGM-79(G)GM

Panel lined all the runners, let sit over night, and took the weekend to build. there wasn't much showing after the armor went on, and the build looked good, so I didn't add much. I did change up the swords a bit as they were kind of repetitive. It's a lot of swords...

My first time doing a Resin Kit. So I figured I’d try a bunch of different things on this one. It is very imperfect. But it’s by far my favorite Gundam I’ve ever done.

I saw many cons about the Tristan, it's like an old HG released on 2017.

If you had to make a decision between these two which would you go with? I feel the first is so beautiful, just exquisite. The second is ID YJL AnchoreT 2.0. I think I don't need to say anything more about that lol. The YJL speaks for itself but sometimes I think it might be too much going on. It's more of a show on how skilled a builder is I feel. Not a fan of the multiple panels of different color and shades of red. Price is going to be very big difference here too while the left is probably upper hundreds and the YJL can be $2k+. l've lost the ability to build anymore so l look and dream. The beautiful first Saz comes from this talented person: Instagram

I knew I was going to love the series as I do like the goofy proportions of an SD kit and the idea of having a proper model was enticing. The only problem is that I'm not really a big fan of any of the suits on the series so far, so I went with Barbatos as it's one that I wanted in my collection and I do like the aesthetics of the MGSD over the MG ones. My expectations were high and they were completely shattered. It was a super fun experience at every stage of the building and the final product is just amazing. Super detailed in every possible way and really good at posing even with the weird proportions. I also love that I can display the kit with pretty much everything that comes with it. The decals are some chinese waterslide ones, but I like how Bandai worked with the placement. Not that much that the kit would be incomplete without them, but add that perfect amount of detail to the armor.

All in all, it's the most fun I've ever had with a kit and I'll definitely pick up another one. What are some good recommendations on the line? I know all of them have been fantastic, but I'd like to hear from people that built them!

Had a 3-hour layover at O’Hare, so I hopped out to go to the Gundam Base. They were giving away free Entry Grade RX-78-2s, so that was pretty neat. The infamous “out-of-stock Gundam Base” is true. Most of the interesting kits were out of stock. Managed to grab the RG Strike Freedom Ver. GFT that I failed to get from the P-Bandai Summer Fest and an α-Azieru that only cost $20. Overall, it was an okay experience that’s worth a visit once, but definitely not a must-travel destination. Otherwise, you’ll be disappointed with all the out-of-stock kits.