Hi World, Gunjap Interviews today with Eric Capucion !!!
Hi World, Gunjap Interviews today with Eric Capucion. Let’s Start!
[G: Gunjap]
[E: Eric Capucion]
G – Who is Eric Capucion in the Gunpla Modelers World? And where do you come from?
E – I’m quite possibly the oldest guy in the Gunpla scene here in the Philippines who is actively engaged with the community. I’ve been in the hobby for 6 years now and enjoying myself with fellow enthusiasts. I’ve also been conducting Gunpla workshops since the summer of 2013 where I share my knowledge to those who are willing to learn and enhance their gunpla building skills.
I’ve won in 2010 BMKWC (the GBWC equivalent then) and that was the very first time I flew out of the country to attend the main event in Hong Kong. My entry was the MG Ball that I modified to somehow look like Bumblebee from the Transformers franchise. I even dubbed it BumBallBee. [first photo above GUNJAP]
G – When did you start building Gunpla?
And when did you made your first Custom?
E – I was bitten by the Gunpla bug in 2008. I was already 38 years old then and the ongoing affair with these plastic wonders is really strong. It’s like having a high school crush and I can’t get my mind off it. I then went around the internet to research more about the hobby and man, the rabbit hole is quite deep! I enjoyed every bit of knowledge I got from Gunpla-related blogs and forums. I applied these gathered information on my first custom kit, a 1/100 Exia where I modified the big sword into a chainsaw, that same year where I joined it in a local competition. I started out using industrial paint in spray cans to paint my kit. From there it was quite a ride. I still use industrial spray can paints though, only now I decant them and apply it using my airbrush.
G – Do you have some inspiration for your creations?
E – The works of Erix93 really inspired me a lot. His posts on his blog were quite detailed which really gave me an insight on what it really takes to make awesome looking kits. I also look up to local modelers such as Nath1977, Shar, TK and many others. Other inspirations I look into are those outside of the Gundam world. I like doing cross-overs from movie characters and other genres on my builds but I also love doing out of the box builds.
G – After you have finished snap-fitting a model, from where do you start to mod it?
E – When I do plan on modifying a kit, I do not snap fit them immediately. I consult first the kit manual and look into what needs to be modified to the point of memorizing each and every part. I see the kit as a canvass and intend on transforming it into an art piece. I then look into the pre-paint modifications needed to be done. Sometimes I don’t even see the whole kit snap fitted until every modification is in place.
G – What do you think about Gunpla in all the World? modelers, attitude, modelers behavior etc..
E – Gunpla is dominated by Asians. The west seems to shy away from the hobby maybe because of high cost of kits or it could be that the westerners are more into military scale models and don’t take sci-fi mechs seriously like Gundam. Modelers can be the best and the worst. There are those who put out great works and some are just quick on bashing anything and everything their fellow modelers create.
G – What do you think about GBWC Event?
E – The GBWC event has improved a lot over the years. It now has a universal look all over the world including their websites. Updates are now in real time from official channels, unlike before where you have to rely on the top bloggers and forums for updates and that means a lot to us Gunpla enthusiasts. The GBWC is a great event that pushes Gunpla modelers to up their level to get that coveted title of being world champion. On the one hand, some become bitter because it seems that the same people in their respective country always win the top spot. I think those who become bitter should just up their level and take it as a challenge to compete with the top modelers using their skill instead of babbling around in forums and social media.
G – Please some advices for modelers that wanna start building a gunpla for the very first time!
E – Information overload is the enemy of those who are new to gunpla. There is so much to learn and too many wannabes who pose as authority in the hobby. But when you look at the wannabes’ works, they lack the basics like seam line sealing and nub mark removal. The best route to take is research on military scale modeling which has been around way longer than Gunpla. The basics are there and most alternative tricks and materials have been tackled and proven by veteran modelers. The knowledge gained should also be put into practice.
Another thing that distracts those who are new to gunpla is the endless stream of newly released kits by Bandai. You have to discern whether you will be a collector or a builder. If you wish to be both, remember there is this thing called life. This is a hobby, something that complements our lives and not dominate it.
There are many types of modelers I’ve met. There are posers, purists, those who love to modify, bootleg lovers, and scratch builders. Choose carefully whom you hang out with. And never stop learning.
G – Have you a Website/Blog to show your Works?
E – I do but I have not updated it for the longest time. I am quite busy with the Facebook page of my workshop https://www.facebook.com/PMKWorkshop where some of my works are posted along with the works of those who have attended the workshops.
G – Future Projects?
E –For now, I only have the Nobel in mind. I am planning put out a pin-up-ish gunpla build for my GBWC entry this year. I have commission builds in the pipeline too. Other than that, I am still waiting for some inspiration to hit.
Thank you Gunjap for the time and opportunity to be interviewed here.
G – Many Thanks to Eric Capucion for this Interview 
See You soon for the next!
GUNJAP