Hi World, Gunjap Interviews today with TK Mechworks !!!
Hi World, Gunjap Interviews today with TK Mechworks. Let’s Start!
[G: Gunjap]
[T: TK Mechworks]
Thank you for the opportunity and feature on your website. Really big thanks man. Good luck to you and all the best.
-James / TK
G – Who is TK Mechworks in the Gunpla Modelers World? And where do you come from?
T – First of all, I would like to thank Gunjap for this opportunity! I’M TK Mechworks and usually known by a few in our local group – Mechapinoy asTK, which are the initials of my forum name and usually is the “Trademark” on all my builds. My real name is James Marc and I’m from the Philippines, I work as an Architectural Engineer in the Middle East, and this hobby now is just another outlet for creativity to break the cycle and stress related from work. I do not dare say that “I’m well known in the Gunpla Modelers World”, but I’ve been modeling since 2004 (which I know is not at par with all the Pros featured here).
That same year, I joined my first mid-year competition, got recognized w/ a special award. Won the yearend competition and represented our country in Hong Kong for the BAKAC 2004. I joined all the Bandai sponsored competitions (midyear, nationals, BAKAC, BAKUC, GBWC), ZOIDS Custom Competition, Mechapinoy In-house Competitions, IPMS BAC Nationals and won 1st or 2nd podium finishes from 2004 ~ 2007 and a brief period of 2008 and 2009. I also received several commendations or special awards from Bandai. In 2009, I retired from the competition circuit due to rule technicalities and work, I just watch from the sidelines as witness to the growing popularity of gunpla in the local and international scene.
G – When did you start building Gunpla?
And when did you made your first Custom?
T – I was just snap building ZOIDS models made by Tomy way back in 2000 ~ 2003, and basically started building / created my first gundam build / custom at the same time in 2004. It was just supposed to be a fun build together with friends, to test our creativity and breakaway from the thesis burnouts. I remember myself creating a mech fusion of the HG 1/100 Freedom Gundam and Providence Gundam (imagine a Providence Gundam with all the wing of Freedom Gundam sticking into it…LOL). Entered it in the Bandai sponsored mid-year competition and got the nod for the “Special People’s Choice Award”, and from there the rest is history.
I never stopped doing radical builds in gunpla, whether for competition entry or not. I eventually ventured out doing other genres and using other mediums, from Ma.k Builds to full-scratchbuilds, ZOIDS, resin kits, armor etc. just to keep me interested in the hobby as a whole.
G – Do you have some inspiration for your creations?
T – There are a lot of inspirations for every build, it’s just a matter of taking into consideration the things that “I” like or see from an individual build, style of painting or weathering, approach in modification, orientation of diorama, arrangement and scenarios etc. From those I can piece out my own creation and really call it mine and be at least happy with a build with all the ingredients of what I like…isn’t that fun? I build for myself. Notable local inspiration for me will have to be around my group (oldschool gunpla dinosaurs) like Nathaniel Barrera, Mechanoid Paranoid, Jake, Mechaion, Mechdesigns Mdgelo, Singlemedia, these are just some of the guys that push the quality of my works from every detail and aspect of my builds. For the overseas guys, I have a lot and can only name a few like Zluca, Michael Fichtenmeyer, B.K (Maschinen Krueger), Lincoln Wright, Ian Mcque, Kunio Okawara, Kow Yokoyama, Tomoyuki Kato, Francesco Benedettini…… the list goes on and there will never be enough space for them to be mentioned here.
G – After you have finished snap-fitting a model, from where do you start to mod it?
T – It always depends on the general concept of my builds. If the concept is a full blown armored custom build, I’ll start with the backpack then work on the major weapons or attachments, after that I’ll slowly build up the body / torso and head. If the concept is more streamlined, I’ll start with the limbs / extensions then work on streamlining the body / torso and head in relation to the limbs. Full scratchbuilt works is just like playing Lego without the manuals for me, no rules, just letting my creativity flow wherein mistakes can be acceptable.
G – What do you think about Gunpla in all the World? modelers, attitude, modelers behavior etc..
T – I pretty much just re-booted my system on how I view things in the Gunpla World these days. With all the social media, blogs, links etc. connecting all the different personalities behind every build, sometimes it just gets crazy. It’s totally different from before, now everything can be viewed, downloaded or openly discuss viewpoints which more than often are twisted and annoying. I learned just to sit back, relax, sometimes comment and let it all sizzle down to amusement. In general, I think Gunpla now is very popular which is good for all of us and for the hobby.
G – What do you think about GBWC Event?
T – Bandai really did a great job in terms of reaching out to the international scene, bringing in the best from each country, not only for competition but also for friendship. Uniting all the modelers / hobbyists in one big event is great, and as result the quality of the builds every year just keeps getting better.
G – Please some advices for modelers that wanna start building a gunpla for the very first time!
T – I’ll just echo the advices from the previous interviews.
– It is not a cheap hobby, so start saving up and invests for “legit” hobby tools, paints and kits. If collecting gundam toys or doing gunpla is your thing, try and think of your priorities first.
– Research, Research, Research. Everything is just a click away, and I don’t mean private messages. Learn the basics first, and be patient in mastering it. It’s like building your own house on good foundations that can withstand even the strongest earthquake. Same goes with this hobby, a weak basic skill foundation will just let your build crumble (sometimes literally).
– Practice, Practice, Practice. With your basic building knowledge and foundation in check, just keep building and experimenting on other mediums, styles, customs etc. A lot of times I make mistakes on my builds but still make or build it to my advantage. It’s just my mindset to keep building no matter what.
– Don’t take this hobby too seriously, just have fun and don’t be afraid to just go for what you like, to just build for your own satisfaction.
G – Have you a Website/Blog to show your Works?
T – I have a blog : http://tk07mechworks.blogspot.ae/ , which rarely gets updated due to my previous workload. Though you can still check out some of my works and current work in progress (sometimes..lol), really hoping to get settled in and start updating the blog more.
G – Future Projects?
T – I got a couple of 1/35 iMech kits, 1/144 Real Grades, FSS and Ma.k kits on my workbench. This year is going to be busy for sure.
Again, thank you to Gunjap for this opportunity. Good luck and all the best!
G – Many Thanks to TK Mechworks for this Interview 
See You soon for the next!
