Jesus Loves Noobs: Mobile Fighter G Gundam

Hello fellow noobs! It's been awhile so hopefully y'all have had the chance to hope on to some of the stuff we introduced the last few JLN's and you're ready for something new. Today I want to introduce you to my guilty pleasure Gundam animated series: Mobile Fighter G Gundam! I say guilty pleasure because it may not rank up there as the best series but it's just fun, and at the end of the day isn't that what matters?

Protagonist Domon Kasshu with his assistant Rain Mikamura with the Shining Gundam in the background

Jesus Loves Noobs: Marvel Movie Character Rights

Although, Spiderman looks like a natural for the Avengers in comic book land, all is not well in movie land :(

Jesus Loves Noobs: Gundam Build Fighters

So glad to be able to post another edition of "Jesus Loves Noobs!" As in faith and in nerdom, everyone starts out as a noob. And as a noob, we have lots to learn! Just like John 3:16 is only the beginning of one's journey into faith, learning about one character in a comic/movie or model kit is only the beginning of one's journey into nerdom. In order to have a fuller appreciation of a hobby, you have to learn more.



This week I wanted to walk everyone through a Gundam anime series that just started maybe a month and a half ago: Gundam Build Fighters. Perhaps you're wondering where do all these Gundam models come from? Is there source material? Well you have come to the right place, and the answer is YES! Every Gundam model you see comes from a very rich line of story telling that involves many different series, universes, and 30 years of Gundam history. Gundam Build Fighters is the latest anime series released by Bandai and Sunrise.

Gundam Build Fighters the latest Gundam anime series still in progress

Gundam Build Fighters leaves the normal backdrop of Gundam series, war, for a more realistic (well as real as it can be) theme: building Gunpla to the best customization and battling with other builders/fighters. The setting is Japan in the near future where Gunpla fever has taken over the world so much that technology has been developed for people to be able to battle their customized Gunpla in a virtual battleground.  The story follows a young builder named Iori Sei who's father was a build fighter world champ, and his friend Reiji, who can be described as other worldly.

Sei has always been an incredible Gunpla builder but not a very good fighter. He spends his time making Gundam models for his family's Gunpla shop (I know right? dream business) and getting his butt kicked in Gunpla battles by the neighborhood rival. The adventure starts when Sei meets Reiji, who with the help of Sei's latest Gunpla creation, the Build Strike Gundam, promptly puts a lashing on the neighborhood rival. This starts a chain reaction of adventures that puts Sei and Reiji on course to follow in Sei's father's footsteps to the Gunpla Build Fighters World Championship!  

Iori Sei and the Build Strike Gundam

So basically, Bandai has gotten smart. For so many years, the Gundam model kits have served as great advertisement for the Gundam anime series, mangas, and movies that have come out over the last almost 35 years. Now the newest show is pushing the love back the other way and is advertising the models. Not to mention the show follows a japanese icon that started the Japanimation invasion into America so many years ago: Pokemon. Everyone loves the ability to train up/customize their Gundam so they can test them out against other builders through battles. It's a great idea. So yes it's designed to make more money for Bandai…who cares? It's an enjoyable show! Yes it can be for kids if you are used to the more mature backdrop of war, but this show grows on you if you give it a chance. The characters are compelling, the story is pretty sensational, and the new Gundam models coming out are pretty cool looking. So try an episode or 7. It's a fun watch, and you can watch it free weekly on youtube! And please, comment below what you think of the show!

Be blessed noobs! Jesus loves you!

Jesus Loves Noobs: Gundam Scale and Grade for Beginners

So I'd like to start a new corner on the blog for beginners getting into new hobbies called "Jesus Loves Noobs! Beginners tend to get a lot of flack especially from more established veterans and naysayers (ask Jesus), so hopefully this is a safe place for you to get your questions answered on different nerd (or spiritual) topics. But bear with me since in some areas…I am also a NOOB.

So today I'd like to talk about the different scales and grades that Gunpla has to offer. I hope that more people will find a new hobby in Gunpla through this post.

So let's talk about scale first. Scale simply means the number of models it would take to fit into one life size model. So most HG (high grade) and RG (real grade) models are 1:144 scale. This means your model is 1/144th the size of a life size Gundam. 1:144 is the smallest scale that Gundam models come in (about 13cm tall).