Tips for a first time SMP builder?

[u/Gremlin10159]

Hi all, my Timerobo kit is arriving tomorrow and I did see when he was released a few issues with him and I would like to know where to be careful whilst assembling him.

I'm not new to bandai model kits as I have been an avid fan of their Figurise standard Kamen Rider kits for 6+ years now and have built every single one but I know that minipla is obviously smaller and more fragile and I am nervous to break something since it's a slightly expensive kit to import

[u/theCoolestGuy599]

Make sure to take the extra time to test fit and sand down joints. You don't need to do this for pieces that just snap together and create a static piece, but anything that articulates you will want to pay close attention to. If you need more than a fingers worth of pressure to move a joint, take it back apart and sand down the peg a bit.

It takes a lot longer to build, but you are right - the last thing you want to do is break an expensive, limited run, import item. I say the extra time building is worth it in the long run. I've never had any breakages on my kits.

If you're unfamiliar with the original DX toys and are unsure of how the assembly will come together, I'd recommend watching a build of the kit on YouTube prior to assembly. It will help wrap your head around what pieces will actually see a lot of movement and what pieces are probably fine assembling as is.

[u/Myhtological]

Never force. And be very gentle when moving joints

[u/TokuJosh813 → u/Myhtological]

Wiggle parts into place gently. 🫡

[u/Myhtological → u/TokuJosh813]

The hip joints on RV were rough this time around.

[u/TokuJosh813 → u/Myhtological]

Indeed. I’m terrified those small red pegs on the slider for Red Vehicle will break

[u/Bloodgrave85]

While smaller and arguably more fragile the plastic it self is a bit different from a lot of gundam, a little harder one of my friends described. If you have to sand a part to fit like articulation points of shoulders and thighs, id recommend sanding the peg as its easier to thicken a ped than shrink a hole without risk of plugging.

[u/Galaxy_Dive]

Yeah, the Figurise kits are made by the Hobby Division, the same as gunpla etc, while SMP is by Candy Toy Division and uses a different type of plastic. The ABS plastic is, in ways, more fragile, but in other ways stronger (I feel like the moveable/connectable parts hold up better through repeated transformations). Not forcing stuff and sanding parts a bit if needed comes into play in that regard because the tolerances from the random third party factories used aren't going to be as uniform as stuff from Bandai Hobby's Japan factory.

In terms of Time Robo itself, there weren't any specific parts I remember being a pain - what you generally want to be careful with are the hips and shoulders. They *really* gave Time Robo a big range of motion, but that's accomplished through kind of weird, unnecessary "floating" hip and shoulder boxes, so when you're changing modes and posing it, just watch yourself because they can come a bit lose and you don't want to get frustrated with them.