Evangelion Unit-08a [Completed & Post-Assembly Review] - Bandai Real Grade Plastic Model Kit

 Another straight-out-of-the-box build of an EVA Unit is now complete, with the Bandai Real Grade 1/144 scale Evangelion Unit-08a finally fully-assembled with some additional work along the lines of the application of foil stickers, third party water decals, as well as selected top-coating, and panel-lining. Absolutely no re-painting was done on any of the parts seeing that the majority of the kit was covered in pink and white parts that had an excellent matte finish to them. So much so that they looked like painted parts, and not just the plain molded plastic they actually are.

 If pushed to chose what I would do differently than just a straight-out-of-the-box build, perhaps I would've re-painted the yellow parts with lacquer paint. Of all parts, those were the ones that look the most plasticky and toy-like. But in the end I did not go down that path because in the overall scheme of things, the yellow parts didn't look too bad, mostly because there wasn't that many of them.

 There is, however, one thing that's non-negotiable in a straight-out-of-the-box build. And that is to replace the subpar sticker decals with third party water decals. The former always ends up looking horrible in the final build. It's the least you could do to ensure best results for a non-painted build.

 While the Evangelion Unit-08a scale model kit had also included other standard weapons such as the palette knifes and the 209mm Assault Rifle, I decided against showing any of them here as the EVA Unit-08a is mostly associated with using a pistol (weapon not provided) as well as the sniper rifle (see photos immediately above this paragraph). At least that's what I remember seeing from the Neon Genesis Evangelion  3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time anime movie.

 Now the clear transparent base that you see the Evangelion Unit-08a attached to wasn't provided together with the kit. In fact no base displays were provided together with the kit. As such, what you see in the photos is actually a display base kit called Action Base 6 [Clear Color] that's sold separately by Bandai Spirits. It's a display base that's worth getting for use with Bandai's Real Grade Evangelion scale model kits. But because the action base wasn't made specifically for these kits, the fitting between the base's peg and the hole at the back of the EVA Unit isn't perfect. In fact, it's a bit loose. That being said, it's an acceptable compromise seeing that the base has a small footprint, which is always a good thing if you are a collector for whom display space is at a premium.

 Below is the 'Completed & Post-Assembly Review' video of the Real Grade Evangelion Unit-08a scale model kit that can also be found on my YouTube Channel i.e. FourEyedMonster Miniatures.

 As I work on more and more Gunpla, I have come to depend on a paint strategy that comprises a mixture of painting and top-coating rather than a straight-out-of-the-box-build. I didn't apply that strategy here because the majority of the model kit already looked pretty good unpainted. But in the future, especially for the Real Grade kit of the Evangelion Unit-02, it is likely that I'll apply the aforementioned strategy because EVA Unit-02 is mostly in red, and parts with in-mold red color tends to look extremely plasticky and toy-like. To avoid that, I'll have to finally paint a Real Grade Evangelion scale model kit. But that is in the future. For now, this is another project done and dusted. Let me just revel in that, and wish you dear reader, to be well and happy!

Evangelion Unit-08a [Unboxing & Pre-Assembly Review] - Bandai Real Grade Plastic Model Kit

 Due to time constraints arising from attempts to generate more content on my YouTube Channel FourEyedMonster Miniatures, this will be the last photo/text-based unboxing post I'll upload to my blog. Instead, any future 'Unboxing and Pre-Assembly' related content will be done via video only. Anyway, the following is a detailed and closeup look at the sprues and runners included in the Bandai Spirits Real Grade Evangelion Unit-08a plastic model kit.

Bandai Spirits Real Grade Evangelion Unit-08a (front view of the box art)

Bandai Spirits Real Grade Evangelion Unit-08a (first side view of the box art)

Bandai Spirits Real Grade Evangelion Unit-08a (second side view of the box art)

More side box art, this time a closeup image of the Evangelion Unit-08a

Instruction booklet (view of the back and front cover)

 Real Grade model kits are more complicated than regular ones so it's no surprise that there were so many sprues and runners included with the kit. Having the parts on these sprues/runners molded in a myriad of colors allows for a color accurate EVA Unit to be assembled from scratch without worrying about having to paint the parts. However, if the parts look too plasticky or toy-like, then they will still need to be painted so that the final build will look good.

Runner/Sprue A: Light pink parts for the heel, ankle, shin, and leg

Runner/Sprue B1: Light pink parts for the shoulder, arms, body, leg, etc.

Runner/Sprue B2: Yellow parts for the shoulder and arms

Runner/Sprue C: Black/dark gray parts for the inner frame, palette knife, etc.

Runner/Sprue D: Black/dark gray parts for the inner frame

Runner/Sprue E: White parts for armor on the arms

 Thankfully, the finish quality of parts that make up the Evangelion Unit-08a model kit is pretty decent on the whole. And because the colored parts that make up the majority of the EVA Unit's color scheme  i.e. the ones in pink and white have a nice matte finish to them, I don't intend to repaint any of the other parts as any plasticky or toy-like sections will be kept to an acceptable minimum.

Runner/Sprue F1: Dark red parts for the shoulder, back, and power plug

Runner/Sprue G1: White parts for the armor around the abdominal area, and knees

Runner/Sprue H1: Yellow parts for the knuckles

Runner/Sprue H2: Dark green parts for the feet and spine

Runner/Sprue I1: Dark brown parts for the neck, clavicle, and ammo belt for the 209mm Assault Rifle

Runner/Sprue I2: Yellow parts for the feet and knees

 While I don't intend to repaint the armor, I still plan to do some top-coating if need be if the plasticky sheen of the non-pink and non-white parts, especially the yellow sections, become too jarring to the eye. Ideally I should paint such parts, but for now I don't plan to. 

Runner/Sprue J: Multi-colored parts with dark gray/green for the 209mm Assault Rifle for the heel, ankle, shin, and leg; and light grays for the hands

Runner/Sprue K: Silver parts mainly for the umbilical power cord, and gun barrel

Runner/Sprue L: Clear red parts for the core organ, and forehead

Runner/Sprue N: Multi-colored parts with yellow for the shoulder fins and chest; and black/dark gray for the shoulder pylons, arms, chest, upper body, etc.

Runner/Sprue O: Multi-colored parts with green/reds for the shoulder patch; and light pink for the chest body armor, shoulder pylons, and knee

Runner/Sprue R2: Dark pink parts for the crotch area

 And although this scale model kit provides sticker decals and foil stickers to apply onto the EVA Unit-08a build, I plan to only use the latter and not the former. I have already bought some third-party water decals to replace the sticker decals. Those of you who have been following my Gunpla builds would know by now how I feel about these stickers. Not only do they look bad most of the time, but they also tend to peel off sometimes. Water decals are infinitely better than sticker decals. However, I will make exceptions for the foil stickers here. Since they have a chrome-like finish, the foil stickers will save me time from having to paint the parts in the metallic paint equivalent.

Runner/Sprue U: Multi-colored parts with light pink for the feet; and pink/whites/purple for the head

Runner/Sprue V: Gray parts with yellow for the sniper rifle

Runner/Sprue W1: Yellow parts for the nape, and yet more knuckles

Runner/Sprue W2: Clear green parts for the eyes

PVC wire for use as the umbilical cord

Sticker decals and foil stickers for use on the model kit

 Below is the YouTube video of the unboxing process as well as the pre-assembly review.

 So what's next? Since there isn't any painting in the works, the next upload should have photos of the completed build of the Evangelion Unit-08a with both the water decals and foil stickers applied as well as some selected top-coating on the yellow parts, which together with red ones tend to look the most plasticky and toy-like in a straight-out-of-the-box build. Well that's it for what is possibly my last 'unboxing blog post' (note: future ones should be uploaded as videos on my YouTube Channel - click on banner immediately below this paragraph to get there). See you back again soon with the completed photos of the EVA Unit-08a either next week or later. Till then, be well and be happy!  

Mecha Gals from the Gundam & Evangelion Universe

 In this iteration of my budget-friendly pre-painted figure unboxings and reviews, I'll be looking at characters from mecha-genre anime franchises. And in this instance, there are none bigger than the big two i.e. Mobile Suit Gundam and Neon Genesis Evangelion. While there will definitely be more bishoujo figures from this two universes being unboxed and reviewed, for starters I'll be looking at prize figures of Lalah Sune from the Bandai Spirits Banpresto product line, and Mari Makinami Illustrious from the SEGA Super Premium (SPM) line.

 Even at this stage of my pre-painted figure collection reviews, I'm still looking at mostly budget-friendly bishoujo figures. Unfortunately, this won't be changing in the short-term. But going forward I plan to eventually add more mid-tier pre-painted figures as well as upper-tier painted scale figures to my unboxing/review repertoire. The addition of mid-tier figurines to the market as well as rapidly improving prize figures is fast closing the gap to the upper-tier scale figures. However the latter still has the best quality, on average, that a collector can hope for. 

 Well at the very least there is some good news for those of you who actually prefer posts on scale model kit projects. I'll be starting on a Real Grade Evangelion plastic model kit project, specifically the EVA Unit-08 that is piloted by non other than Mari Makinami Illustrious. I have been wanting to do projects closely related to equivalent bishoujo figures so what better time to start than next week. Until then, thank you for reading this post. Have a good weekend, be well, and be happy!

Emilia and Ram Prize Figures from the Re:Zero Dreaming Future Story Ichiban Kuji

 Emilia and Ram are the first prize figures in my collection that come from an Ichiban Kuji, specifically one called Re:Zero Dreaming Future Story. And while technically both are won via winning tickets i.e. Prize B for Emilia and Prize C for Ram, I didn't get them by playing the Ichiban Kuji. Instead, I had gotten them pre-owned or second hand from online third party resellers.

 Above is the Unboxing & Review video for the Ram figurine while below is the video for Emilia, both of whom are important characters in the Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World isekai anime. 

 So figure by figure, my pre-painted collection is growing slowly but surely. Eventually I'm hoping for some higher quality scale painted figures to join my collection. But those are pretty expensive, so most of my early pieces will be more budget friendly ones. Anyway, that's it for this week. I hope you'll take a look at the videos, and like it. Until next time, be well and be happy! 

Pre-Painted Figurines Begin Invasion Into My Collection

 There was a time when I would never have considered putting a pre-painted figurine up for display in my personal hobby collection. Misplaced pride and egotism meant I only displayed figurines I had painted myself. But with age comes the humility to accept that this self-imposed criteria is just that ... misplaced pride and egotism. With this in mind, I finally allowed myself the luxury of collecting pre-painted figurines. And in the interest of time, all unboxing and reviews of pre-painted figurines will be done via videos, which I'll upload to my YouTube Channel. Coincidentally Nami is my first ever pre-painted figurine review (see below) although she isn't the first one in my collcetion.

  Technically, Rem from the Re:Zero-Starting Life In Another Word anime is actually the first ever pre-painted figurine in my collection (discounting gasahpon figurines). Incidentally, Rem's own unboxing and review video was the second one I uploaded to my channel, and I've embedded it below for your ease of viewing. For more related content or other videos on either scale model kit or miniature painted builds, please visit FourEyedMonster Miniatures, my YouTube channel.

  However the miniature painter in me means it's inevitable that I'll be reviewing these pre-painted figurines with more of a critical eye e.g. pointing out what is lacking in a particular figurine's paint job. A pre-painted figurine's quality will vary from the budget-friendly prize figures to the larger and more expensive scale figures. Despite having these pre-painted figurines invade my collection, I'll definitely still be working on custom painted builds of my scale model kits and miniatures. After all I still love the hobby, and still have my health, which means I can still create.

  In fact, I've actually finished at least five scale model kit/figurine projects that I have yet to blog or vlog about. Somehow it seems harder to find the time to photograph/video and edit the resulting content. Hopefully I can figure thigns out eventually as I love this hobby, and love sharing the fun/happiness to be gained from it. And on that note dear reader ... stay happy and be well.