Ciaran

I'm absolutely exhausted, but yesterday I was very fortunate to be invited by @bandai_hobby_uk to display my GBWC 12 entry at Bandai UK's booth throughout the weekend at MCM London. This was an enormous surprise to me, and I am so lucky to have been able to display my little Knight alongside amazing works by some of the most incredibly skilled and talented builders in the UK. Never could I have imagined that picking this hobby up, having never really done anything of the sort before, would have led me to having MCM attendees looking at something I made. Stuff like this is usually pretty hard for me, and it can be difficult to get me to come out of my shell, but everyone was so welcoming and really made it such a great day. Unfortunately, I didn't get to take as many pictures as I would have liked, with nerves and excitement getting the better of me, so you'll just have to use theatre of the mind to fill in the gaps. Now to spend the next couple of days recovering. 😅 I just want to give a huge shoutout to all the builders displaying their works, including: @jcx.gunpla , @derelictpixie , @gundom_uk , @savage_ork_guy , @scruffyfigs , @chills.exe , @mochimecha , and @rivals.corner . And the biggest thank you of all to @bandai_hobby_uk for allowing us this opportunity! #gunpla #gunplabuilder #gundambuilder #scalemodel #bandai #gundammodel #instagunpla #instagundam #gunplacommunity #gundamphotography #mecha #anime #manga #modelkit #plamo #plasticmodel #thebackloggers

There's something very exciting happening... Creeping up to it's first public anniversary, The Backloggers discord server is hosting its very first ever Technical Competition! This is the chance to benchmark your technical skills and capabilities against experienced Judges to measure where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Judging the competiton will be @blukara7 & @zakunamis , two incredibly skilled, knowledgable, and experienced builders prominent in the NA modelling scene. To get involved, click the link in my bio to join us over at the Backloggers. You really do not miss out on your chance to take part and get feedback from unbiased and experienced judges! #gunpla #gunplabuilder #gundambuilder #scalemodel #bandai #gundammodel #instagunpla #instagundam #gunplacommunity #gundamphotography #mecha #anime #manga #modelkit #plamo #plasticmodel #thebackloggers

Pleased (and exhausted) to finally reveal my GBWC Entry for the UK division: "Victory Screen". SD LEGENDBB KNIGHT GUNDAM Inspired by the classic JRPGs close to my heart, and the massive soft-spot I have for SD Gundam designs, I wanted to create something that could serve as a tribute to both of these loves of mine together. I'm fairly new to the Gunpla hobby, having only started my journey in Gunpla back in March 2024. I wanted to use this opportunity to really push myself beyond my current limits, so this build was a list of 'firsts' for me; having never touched an airbrush before (and basically zero painting experience in general), and no experience building dioramas or working with foam, never having topcoated, among other firsts. To add a further challenge, I was working with very limited time, having just under two weeks to get this started and finished, as I had to save up for all the equipment. Despite all these challenges, I think the build turned out okay, but most importantly, the skills and experience have proved invaluable; much like a JRPG character, I truly feel like I've earned enough EXP to level up. I also need to give a massive shout out to everyone in the Backloggers discord. I've been a member since early on, having joined in April when @scruffyfigs and @jacky_parktato opened the server up and started to build this absolutely incredible community, welcoming a complete newbie like myself. I don't think I would have even thought of attempting half of the stuff I've done over the past year since starting the hobby, let alone going all out with this build, if it wasn't from all the support, inspiration, and encouragement from everyone in the discord. With that, it feels fitting that my entry, "Victory Screen", serves as a tribute to all the great friends I've made, and to all those I have met through the Backloggers, over the past 6 months since the server opened up. #Gundam #Gunpla #gundamcommunity #KnightGundam #SDGundam #SuperDeformed #LegendBB #GBWC #GundamBuildersWorldCup #ModelKit #Plamo #TheBackloggers #gundamstagram #gundambuilder #gunplaphotography

Some solo shots of my Ikaruga build for Team Shmup's (@chills.exe , @mecha.lex and myself) entry to the Mecha Squad competition. Life has been very hectic with a lot going on, so I haven't really had time or energy for hobbying, so of course I decided to agree to take part in the Mecha Squad competition. I had a nightmare putting this kit together; it's easily the most frustrating build I've experienced so far. I probably wouldn't have even finished the pre-assemble if it were not for Alex and Craig's support and helping to push me through it. Very pleased with how our team's entry turned out! #ikaruga #mechasquad #plamo #shmup #plasticmodel

Proudly presenting...Team Shmup! By @mecha.lex @buildfighterc @chills.exe This is our entry into the 1st Mecha Squad World Championships hosted by @gryps_ii and Plamoexpo! The MSWC is a team-based modelling competition where you strive to build the best mecha squad you possibly can with your mates 😁 For our theme we drew inspiration from our passion for video games and dipped into the surprisingly large range of shmup (shoot 'em up) model kits out there. All choosing Kotobukiya kits, Alex went for the NieR:Automata 9S Flight Unit, Ciaran went for Ikaruga from Ikaruga, and Craig went for the R-GRAY1 from Raystorm. To hold the kits we also have an epic video game inspired base, complete with a working screen showcasing scenes from all 3 of the games and programmed lighting cycling through the Konami code and breathing modes!! Let us know what you think of our squad! We had a blast making this 😁

Popped along to the @rivals.corner Gunpla workshop at @cha.fe.uk this evening. Had a super chill time building a workshop RX-78-2 kit and also meeting some new faces too. Big thanks to Rivals Corner and Chá Fé for hosting; really hoping for more in the future! #gunpla #gunplabuilder #gundambuilder #scalemodel #bandai #gundammodel #instagunpla #instagundam #gunplacommunity #gundamphotography #mecha #anime #manga #modelkit #plamo #plasticmodel #thebackloggers

Check out this icon @heyimhelly drew for me! How cool is that?! Of course, an SD Gundam had to make an appearance too! Anyway, it's been a while, I'm still alive, I've just been very quiet lately. A lot has been going on, and life has been kicking my arse, so I just haven't had the motivation or energy to do much of anything (let alone any hobbying). I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things soon with a couple of different things I've been slowly working on, and a few ideas I'd like to start soon. As a side note, I will be at MCM on Friday, so if you see me, feel free to say hello! ✌️ #gunpla #gunplabuilder #gundambuilder #scalemodel #bandai #gundammodel #instagunpla #instagundam #gunplacommunity #gundamphotography #mecha #anime #manga #modelkit #plamo #plasticmodel #thebackloggers

Hello builders! Welcome to the very first official Backloggers Instagram post! Our incredible community is officially 1 year old today, and we thought what better way to celebrate levelling up than by actually levelling up. This account has been created so we can do more for the community - to connect you with more like-minded builders, to celebrate and showcase the fantastic creativity amongs UK builders, and be a one stop source for Gunpla and plamo news. On this day last year, The Backloggers founders, George and Jack, decided to open up their regular Discord build meets to the public out of curiosity, and this decision led to the creation of The Backloggers Discord. It’s now grown into a 150 member strong force of creativity within the UK Gunpla space, and it’s continuing to grow and evolve - securing even further it’s position as the friendliest and most positive gunpla group in the country. The coming year is going to be an exciting one, and we thank you for joining us! If you’re not already a member, then there’s a link in the bio - jump in and say hi! #Gundam #gundamstagram #gundambuilder #gundamcommunity #gunplaphotography #gunpla #MobileSuit #MobileSuitGundam #HG #buildfighters #gunplauk #gundamcommunity #thebackloggers

I finished the weapons on the MGSD Wing Zero EW yesterday morning and tried a little posing, so I thought I may as well try to take one last picture of the completed snap build before I put it into my painting queue. I’m trying to “find” my style of taking photos, but I’m definitely in need of some better lighting and space for taking photos other than my computer desk (especially since my tiny hobby desk is currently covered in stuff for airbrushing my next couple of projects). It’ll definitely be a bit of a learning curve and lots of trial and error; my only experience in photography is with b&w analogue photography using my Pentax K-1000, and I’m currently restricted to using my Pixel 9 Pro for now. Let me know if you have any tips! Are there any skills that you’re wanting to level yourself up with lately? #gunpla #gunplabuilder #gundambuilder #scalemodel #bandai #gundammodel #instagunpla #instagundam #gunplacommunity #gundamphotography #mecha #anime #manga #modelkit #plamo #plasticmodel #thebackloggers #wingzero #wingzeroew #gundamwing #endlesswaltz #gundamwingew

With just the weapons left to go, pre-assembly is almost complete! The MGSD Wing Zero EW has been such a great building experience, and I have not been disappointed (despite my lofty expectations). I’m itching to get round to painting this and building the other MGSDs after this, but I've already got a small little project on the go which I'll be finishing off, and also the Backloggers Technical competition which will be started ASAP. What are your current hobby plans? #mgsd #mgsdwing #sdgundam #gunpla #gunplabuilder #gundambuilder #scalemodel #bandai #gundammodel #instagunpla #instagundam #gunplacommunity #gundamphotography #mecha #anime #manga #modelkit #plamo #plasticmodel #thebackloggers #wingzero #wingzeroew #gundamwing #endlesswaltz #gundamwingew

It’s been a long week, but I've been very slowly chipping away at the MGSD Wing Zero EW. Most know how excited I’ve been to get my hands on this kit, but it’s been a while since I’ve done anything other than HGs and SDs, so I was a tiny bit overwhelmed by how thick the box was when I received it! That said, it’s been an absolute joy to build so far. Huge thank you to the always fantastic @rivals.corner delivering the goods as always! Once I’ve fully pre-assembled this kit, I’ll be sticking it back into the box and sticking it into my painting backlog (although I’ve never painted anything with quite this many parts), because I’ll be immediately starting work on my entry for the Backloggers technical competition. Be sure to check out my previous post for more details; I’ll look forward to seeing everyone’s entries! What have you been building this weekend? #gunpla #gunplabuilder #gundambuilder #scalemodel #bandai #gundammodel #instagunpla #instagundam #gunplacommunity #gundamphotography #mecha #anime #manga #modelkit #plamo #plasticmodel #thebackloggers #wingzero #wingzeroew #gundamwing #endlesswaltz #gundamwingew

Yesterday's Gundam GQuuuuuuX premiere at the BFI IMAX was an absolute blast, and it was fantastic to see so many Gundam fans (new and old alike) out to show their support for this series and hobby. We had a fantastic turnout for The Backloggers at the pre-film and post-film meeting at the Brewdog in Waterloo, and it really shows why we have the best community in Gunpla, bar none. So a quick thank you and shout out to any of the Backloggers who joined us: you guys rule, and I can't wait for future Backloggers meets! As a bonus, I managed to find this red label LegendBB Musha Gundam Mk-III at Dark Sphere, and my fellow Backloggers know just how much I love SDs like these, so this was a no-brainer. Huge thank you to @bandai_hobby_uk and @alltheanime for arranging and putting on the premiere for GQuuuuuuX, and to @britishfilminstitute for hosting us, in IMAX no less! I am already looking forward to future Gundam events and screenings here in the UK!