I’ve been a plastic modeler for more than four decades. More than half of that span was with Gunplas even before it was officially called “Gunpla” by Bandai. One of the prevailing issues I had to deal with is the increasing number of paints I have to use with my builds as I continue to learn and develop new techniques to improve my craft. I also invested in tools and materials as well. When all of these materials are placed together in a limited workspace without proper and efficient organization, that workspace becomes more of a premium. Just like Tokyo, Japan, figuratively speaking.

Over the years, I’ve collected Tamiya, Mr. Color and just recently, Gaia Color paints so much that with all of the paints only laid out openly in my desk without organizing them, working with my builds has become challenging more than ever. It was only this year that I started looking for solutions to resolve my paint storage dilemma. One solution I came across was Hobby Zone’s modular system. The system looked promising but the seller that offers it don’t carry it regularly. When I saw an Arttystation ad featuring a modular paint storage posted in my Facebook wall about a month ago, I got curious. The feature that really caught my attention was the unit’s overall simplistic and efficient design, particularly the sliding and tilted paint drawers which stores about 20 paint bottles with 36mm lids ideal for Mr. Color and Tamiya paints.

Because of the amount of Tamiya paints I currently have, I decided to order two Opera-19B storage units directly from Arttystation in Korea on February 9, 2020. Arttystation shipped the units promptly via FedEx. A week later, the units arrived at the FedEx processing center in Honolulu International Airport. I called FedEx to hold the items at the processing center so I can personally pick it up the following day. 

When I picked up the items, I didn’t wasted time to open the package to check and make sure it never got damaged in transit. The items were neatly packed and in very good condition.

Later that day, I went to a local hardware and bought a Gorilla Super Glue Gel and a couple of 150 grit sandpaper sheets. Hours later, I started assembling one of the two units. Laid all of the materials and confirmed all were present including a small bag containing 8 ball bearings and 6 pieces of wooden dowels needed to connect the storage unit with the other Arttystation product line.

In the assembly guide, Arttystation noted it very clearly to use Super Glue / CA glue in fastening the boards. Assembly was pretty much straight forward with only two things to keep an eye on. One, make sure the ball bearing mounts are in the upright position and two, the side elements for the drawer have the grooves facing towards the inside of the drawer. These grooves are intended for the dividers. Both are clearly noted on the assembly guide as well.

It took me about thirty minutes to complete the assembly. The super glue made the unit sturdier and solid. Used my Mr Color paints to test the unit out. Even at full storage, the drawers’ simple sliding mechanism worked like a charm.

Shortly thereafter, went on assembling the second unit. Encountered some fitting issues with the main board but managed to resolve the problem without damaging the unit. Connected the two units together using the coupling dowels that were inside the plastic bag. Managed to store majority of my Tamiya Acrylic paints on both units and reused the Cobaani paint racks for my Mr Color and Gaia Color lacquer paints. Honestly, I’m completely sold with this wonderful product. With that in mind, I’m already planning to order more Arttystation units to complete my work desk reorganization plan.

As a closing note, here are the before and after images of my work desk setup.

This module can be purchased online directly from Arttystation’s website at https://www.arttystation.com/ko-KR

For local inquiries in the Philippines, contact them at

https://www.arttystation.ph/pages/contact-us

#scalemodel #gunpla #modelkit #arttystation