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This Gunpla builder designs amazingly life-like Gundam dioramas out of plastic model kits

Dale Roll Oct 11, 2020
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This is the mark of a truly dedicated hobbyist!

Model-building is a multi-layered hobby. Some people are casual builders who just pick up their tools once in a while to enjoy on a leisurely afternoon. Then there’re people like Mannen Factory (@hide94373 on Twitter, mannen_koubou on Instagram) who spend years and years and thousands of dollars to create extensive landscapes and scenes using plastic models, all for fun.

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A post shared by まんねん工房 (@mannen_factory)

Mannen Factory’s specialty is recreating scenes from the Mobile Suit Gundam anime series using Gunpla, plastic model kits of Gundam mobile suits, and they’re amazing, especially because there’s a lot of work that goes into building just one Gunpla. Before even putting the pieces together, you have to clip off the nubs that connect the parts to their plastic sheets, then file them down so they don’t get in the way of building or stick out on the design. Then, once you’ve assembled the mecha piece by tiny piece, you have to try to place the miniature accessory and lettering stickers on exactly the right spots without accidentally ripping them, bending them, or sticking them to your fingers. It’s hard work!

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A post shared by まんねん工房 (@mannen_factory)

That’s enough for some, but others go to further lengths to create their Gunpla by decorating them. Lining the panels with fine-tipped markers and airbrush painting the model are some of the ways to customize a Gunpla, but really, the sky’s the limit.

And Mannen Factory really blasts past the stars. They not only do all this for one Gunpla model, but dozens of others, and then build an entire background setting, complete with a ceiling and floor, and arrange everything together to create a realistic scene. Their work is so impressive that their most recent diorama, which took them about four years to make, earned them Internet fame among Japanese modelers.

4年越しの作品、やっと完成しました
ほんま、いつまでやってるねん🤣🤣🤣

適当に撮った写真ですが、また後日しっかりと撮影やりなおします。
「決戦-Decisive battle-　宇宙要塞ソロモン」
です。
楽しみにして頂いてた方、遅くなってすみません。 pic.twitter.com/5a44XbpwLo

— まんねん工房 (@hide94373) October 3, 2020

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A post shared by まんねん工房 (@mannen_factory)

It’s ridiculously detailed and absolutely massive. There is not only a large-scale Big Zam and a Rick Dom placed in an extremely detailed and painstakingly rendered hangar, but there are tiny people all around the Big Zam, which had to be painted individually. On the left hand-side of the diorama, there’s even a window to a room where a troop of Zeon soldiers are standing in formation–all hand-painted, of course–, being briefed by someone who looks suspiciously like Dozle Zabi, the Big Zam’s pilot. Not even the ceiling was neglected!

▼ Here’s a more detailed look at the Rick Dom, and the walls of the hangar.

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A post shared by まんねん工房 (@mannen_factory)

Mannen Factory’s work isn’t limited to dioramas, however. Of course, they build and remodel Gunpla and other models to enter into Gunpla competitions, but they also do live demonstrations and workshops of Gunpla and diorama building. Most notably, they appeared at the Japan Expo 2016 in Paris, France to share their knowledge of models and dioramas.

▼ Their model of Char’s Custom Zaku II earned them a top prize in the past.

As you can see, Mannen Factory also has a YouTube channel! Though they don’t seem to update regularly, they have a several videos that go into great detail about their dioramas and models. If you’re a Gunpla fan, you’ll definitely want to like and follow to keep up with their work!

Want more? Here are some other cool Gundam creations that have seriously impressed us recently. Check out this human-sized Gundam that’s made entirely of cardboard, and these plastic Gunpla built within liquor bottles. The dedication and creativity will blow you away!

Source: Twitter/@hide94373 via My Game News Flash
Top image: Twitter/@hide94373
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