Click on the read more link for the rest of this post, and look for the discount code towards the end!
Mr. Dash is an incredibly talented mecha modeler with more than a few GBWC wins under his belt. He's represented North America 4 times in the world championships, and has built some of the most recognizable customs the world has ever seen. Let's go pick his brain!
Q. What is your full name, nickname, or online name?
A. My name is Kevin Zhang, and I go by K.dash or Mr.Dash online.
Q. How old are you, and how long have you been building kits?
A. 32. Oh gee, does snap fitting count? If so, 20ish years I guess..
Q. Where are you from and where do you currently live?Q. How old are you, and how long have you been building kits?
A. 32. Oh gee, does snap fitting count? If so, 20ish years I guess..
A. I was born in China and raised in NYC, I currently live in the state of Connecticut
Q. Where do you get your kits from?
A. There aren’t any gunpla related retail shops near me, so I get everything online
Q. What other hobbies do you have aside from Gunpla / Model building?
A. WAY TOO MANY. To list a few, Traveling, Photography, Cooking, Computer Graphics, etc.
Q. What is your current occupation, or are you still in school?
A. Right now nothing, I left my job back in July of 2016 to focus on writing my book - Clash of the Deities – A Guide Book To Gunpla Modification.
Q. Are you married? Do you have kids?
A. No, and GOD no. I’ll probably fight my kid for toys if I have one. But I’m open for options tho ;)
Q. What was the first kit you ever built and how was the experience?
Q. What kind of kits do you usually build? Is there any specific line you collect or just build anything you like?
Q. How many kits have you built to date?
A. I’ve lost count, I’ve snapped fitted pretty much every single 1/100 kits Bandai has ever made..
Q. Between work/school/family, how do you find time for Gunpla?
A. I mean, if you have the will to build, you will find the time to build. After work, weekends. There was a time when I used to compete in GBWC, I’ll take vacation days just to finish the kit.
Q. What is your favorite kit? Why?
A. Don't have one really. But I LOVE UC mono eye kits, and there aren’t enough of it!
Q. What is your least favorite kit? Why?
A. Also don’t have one, I would say certain kits looks horrible, but with that being said, that certain kit makes a great challenge for modification! and I sure do love a good challenge!
Q. What is your dream kit?
A. MG TR-6! Some body in Bandai make it happen before I lay 6 feet underground!
Q. What is your favorite tool in your toolbox, and why?
A. Krazy Glue lol. I can’t live without it, and I go thru a ton of them in each build! I also stock them all times, I remember one time I ran out and brought all the stock at a local store. You should’ve seen that cashier’s face when I slammed a dozen of those things on the counter..
Q. What do you use to paint your kits?
A. Nothing special about the paint I use, in U.S, good paints are pretty hard to find. Only thing stores stock(both online and local) are Mr.color, Lacquer wise, and it sucks because there are so many great paints I’ve heard about, you can’t buy them because of shipping regulations.
Q. Where do you get inspiration for your custom projects?
A. My most recent complete series, Clash of the Deities was heavily inspired by ancient Chinese myth. The whole series took almost a decade to finish. Now that is finished, I’m still scrambling for ideas and inspirations for my next project…
Q. How do you stay motivated to finish large projects?
A. You know when you have a concept about a build? That excitement and anticipation to see it come to life? Hold on to it. That’s your biggest motivation.
Q. Do you work on multiple projects simultaneously or do you focus on one project at a time?
A. I try to focus on one at a time. Because once you start going off track, chances are, it will be years till you get back to that kit, or it’ll just be abandoned forever. Trust me, been there, done that…
Q. What techniques do you use when building your kits?
A. I mostly focus on reshaping + scratch building, I can elaborate on these 2 techniques, but it’ll take days and pages to explain…
Q. Can you share any building tips?
A. Let me take a page from my book, since I’m too lazy to type…
Q. What kit/s are you currently working on?
A. Nada. I haven’t been building anything for couple months since I’m working on my book, I’m dying to get back to it though.
Q. What advice can you give to people who are just starting in the hobby?
Q. What advice can you give to people who have been in the hobby for a long time?
A. I’m still a noob! I have no right to give advice to veterans in our community :)
Q. Do you offer any gunpla related services or products for sale?
A. Check out my book! It's currently on sale, and you can use coupon code otakuwellfare for a 10% off! ---> http://shop.studiodash.net/ <--- (coupon code valid until April 10, 2017 only!)
Q. Do you have a website or blog? Please share the link here.
A. For most up-to-date WIP and my non-sense jokes, you can find me on facebook.com/kdash71.
And for HD photos of my work, you can find them on studiodash.net
Big thanks to Mr. Dash for taking time out of his busy schedule to do the interview! Check out his website for more pics of his awe-inspiring work, and if you're interested in learning more about his modeling techniques, go order a copy of his book! Don't forget to use coupon code otakuwellfare to get 10% off when checking out! ---> http://shop.studiodash.net/ <---
(*coupon code valid until April 10, 2017 only!)
Until next time, keep building plamo!
*images borrowed with permission from the artist Mr. Dash (studiodash.net)
Q. Are you married? Do you have kids?
A. No, and GOD no. I’ll probably fight my kid for toys if I have one. But I’m open for options tho ;)
Q. What was the first kit you ever built and how was the experience?
A. I’m going to refer this to my 1st painted kit, I don't have a picture of it, since it was so long ago. But it was a Wing Zero Custom. Experience wise, it was hella fun. But the result was a bloody mess!
Q. What kind of kits do you usually build? Is there any specific line you collect or just build anything you like?
A. Pretty much anything I like really. But they’ll have to be decent sized, like 1/100s.
Q. How did you get into building gundam / mecha kits?
A. My mom brought me a gunplay kit when I was like 7ish, and it was love at 1st built!
Q. How did you get into building gundam / mecha kits?
A. My mom brought me a gunplay kit when I was like 7ish, and it was love at 1st built!
Q. How many kits have you built to date?
A. I’ve lost count, I’ve snapped fitted pretty much every single 1/100 kits Bandai has ever made..
Q. Between work/school/family, how do you find time for Gunpla?
A. I mean, if you have the will to build, you will find the time to build. After work, weekends. There was a time when I used to compete in GBWC, I’ll take vacation days just to finish the kit.
Q. What is your favorite kit? Why?
A. Don't have one really. But I LOVE UC mono eye kits, and there aren’t enough of it!
Q. What is your least favorite kit? Why?
A. Also don’t have one, I would say certain kits looks horrible, but with that being said, that certain kit makes a great challenge for modification! and I sure do love a good challenge!
Q. What is your dream kit?
A. MG TR-6! Some body in Bandai make it happen before I lay 6 feet underground!
Q. What is your favorite tool in your toolbox, and why?
A. Krazy Glue lol. I can’t live without it, and I go thru a ton of them in each build! I also stock them all times, I remember one time I ran out and brought all the stock at a local store. You should’ve seen that cashier’s face when I slammed a dozen of those things on the counter..Q. What do you use to paint your kits?
A. Nothing special about the paint I use, in U.S, good paints are pretty hard to find. Only thing stores stock(both online and local) are Mr.color, Lacquer wise, and it sucks because there are so many great paints I’ve heard about, you can’t buy them because of shipping regulations.
Q. Where do you get inspiration for your custom projects?
A. My most recent complete series, Clash of the Deities was heavily inspired by ancient Chinese myth. The whole series took almost a decade to finish. Now that is finished, I’m still scrambling for ideas and inspirations for my next project…
Q. How do you stay motivated to finish large projects?
A. You know when you have a concept about a build? That excitement and anticipation to see it come to life? Hold on to it. That’s your biggest motivation.
Q. Do you work on multiple projects simultaneously or do you focus on one project at a time?
A. I try to focus on one at a time. Because once you start going off track, chances are, it will be years till you get back to that kit, or it’ll just be abandoned forever. Trust me, been there, done that…
Q. What techniques do you use when building your kits?
A. I mostly focus on reshaping + scratch building, I can elaborate on these 2 techniques, but it’ll take days and pages to explain…
Q. Can you share any building tips?
A. Let me take a page from my book, since I’m too lazy to type…
Q. What kit/s are you currently working on?
A. Nada. I haven’t been building anything for couple months since I’m working on my book, I’m dying to get back to it though.
Q. What advice can you give to people who are just starting in the hobby?
" PATIENCE. I keep telling people that. Some builders nowadays are too eager to jump from point A to point Z. In this hobby, basic foundations are IMPORTANT. Get better at the basic techniques 1st, then move on to something new. Like, PLEASE. We all need to walk 1st before we can run. "
Q. What advice can you give to people who have been in the hobby for a long time?
A. I’m still a noob! I have no right to give advice to veterans in our community :)
Q. Do you offer any gunpla related services or products for sale?
A. Check out my book! It's currently on sale, and you can use coupon code otakuwellfare for a 10% off! ---> http://shop.studiodash.net/ <--- (coupon code valid until April 10, 2017 only!)
Q. Do you have a website or blog? Please share the link here.
A. For most up-to-date WIP and my non-sense jokes, you can find me on facebook.com/kdash71.
And for HD photos of my work, you can find them on studiodash.net
Big thanks to Mr. Dash for taking time out of his busy schedule to do the interview! Check out his website for more pics of his awe-inspiring work, and if you're interested in learning more about his modeling techniques, go order a copy of his book! Don't forget to use coupon code otakuwellfare to get 10% off when checking out! ---> http://shop.studiodash.net/ <---
(*coupon code valid until April 10, 2017 only!)
Until next time, keep building plamo!
*images borrowed with permission from the artist Mr. Dash (studiodash.net)
Keep it up mr. Dash! you're awesome!
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