RB-79 Mobile Pod Ball Ver.Ka

Building two RB-79 Ball Ver.Ka kits at once sounded like a fun way to compare a fully built version with one left “open” to show off the inner workings. But, as with any Gunpla project, a few problems popped up along the way, and that’s where the real fun (and frustration) began.

First up: painting before assembly. I’d already picked out my metallic shades of Steel, Pale Burnt Metal, Gold, Gun Metal, and more. The plan was to get all the side panels and thrusters looking sharp before snapping them in. But as soon as I started fitting the painted parts, I realized some paint had to be scraped off just to get things to fit. Not a fault of the kit, but a classic “snap-fit meets paint” problem. If you’re building one of these, expect to do a little touch-up after assembly.

Another challenge was seam lines, especially on the mounts for the manipulating arms and the lower panel. The original design left a pretty obvious seam, so I decided to modify how the parts went together. After some test fitting, I figured out I could cut off a section, glue things in a different order, and then fill and sand the seam for a much cleaner look. It took extra time, but the result was worth it, no ugly lines breaking up the model’s silhouette.

The arms themselves were a bit of a puzzle. The kit comes with red wire for the manipulators, but I swapped it for yellow wire from my electronics box for a custom touch. Fitting the arms together meant removing paint from the mounting holes (again!), but at least the ball-and-socket joints worked smoothly once everything was in place.

Painting the multi-layered inner frame was a highlight experimenting with different metallic shades really made the details pop. But the real test was patience: building two at once meant every problem was doubled, but so was the satisfaction when both models came together. If you’re thinking of a similar project, don’t be afraid to tweak the build and play with paint. The little fixes and custom touches are what make your Gunpla stand out.