Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Here's another gem of the gunpla community, breaking through the stereotype that ours is a hobby for males.
Meet Aileen Federico, a Filipina gunpla enthusiast currently based in Abu Dhabi, who, with her busy life of work, adventure, and travel, still finds time for building and customizing her kits - a true embodiment of "work-life balance."
Aileen indulged us to a quick interview (which lasted for about an hour and a half) and gave us a chance to get to know her better. So, without further ado, here's how it went:
V: How did you get into the hobby?
Aileen: How did I get into the hobby... hmm... Actually, I started with Burago die cast model cars. I was fascinated with toys that needs to be assembled. But since they stopped selling Burago in Philippines I need a new diversion. I've been seeing Gundams from toy stores ever since but wasn't really a fan until I went to Japan for a visit and got my first 2 kits... that was HG Strike Freedom and Freedom Gundam... and that's how it all started...
V: So since then, how many kits do u have na?
Aileen: I have no idea, but i think about 30 - 35, since I have the whole collection on RG... I lost count!
V: Wow! Complete RG line! I noticed you only post SD kits though.. pero ganda ng custom paint ah
Aileen: Yeah, most of my pics posted were only SD. Yung RG, I only had built 2 of them - one is Zaku and the other one is RX-78. These are some of my Gundams... Yung iba nasa Malaysia pa...
V: Dami na nga hehe.. So how was the transition from cars to mechas?
Aileen: I didn't have a hard time at all. But i think the only difference is the nubs - that was kinda very challenging to deal with. With cars kase, there are no runners anymore. All you have to do is attach everything and that was it. The good thing about mechas is you could do action pose and stuff, unlike with cars.
V: Haha, onga.. So gunpla is more challenging?
Aileen: Yeah!!! Very challenging!!! Especially RGs!!!
V: Yeah i hear you.. built 2 RGs myself and they are harder than MGs. Pero the articulation, the best!
Aileen: So right!!! However some of the stickers don't stick so well... like the gold ones... huhu...
This is my HG unicorn build...
V: Wow! You're really into custom-painting..
Aileen: Yeah. Actually i do have my airbrush with me, but i left the compressor back home. Kaya di makapaint...
V: By the way, do you also watch the anime?
Aileen: Haha!!! That's the funny thing! I never watched any of the Gundam series... I'm just a plain gunplay enthusiast.
V: So how do you choose which kit to get? Usually kasi hobbyists tend to buy yung idol nilang MS..
Aileen: Hmm... usually I choose kits with nice backpacks and weapons... and i don't have a specific scale preference too... But now, since there are too many choices out there, I choose to focus with RGs...
V: Haha.. mas gusto ang challenging..
Aileen: Yeah... and I like smaller ones coz they are very intricate...
V: I believe you're also a sports/health buff? What other hobbies do you have?
Aileen: Aside from gunpla, I also skate, I love to swim and snorkel, I love to keep my self fit and healthy and I do love multimedia art such as photo and video editing.
V: Very active pala eh..
Aileen: Yup!!! And i do love sports too!!! I used to be team captain of one of the Accenture ladies football team.
V: Nice.. So what is it with gunpla that you like most? Since you have many activities kasi, you still find time to build.
Aileen: I think its the accomplishment part of it, to build something out of disassembled part was an accomplishment. And i think its also a skill... It's the type of hobby that helps you to improve your patience, frustration tolerance, decision making, creativity and so much more.
V: So ano naman reaction ng ibang tao when they learn that you do gunpla? Parang rarity kasi sa community ung girl builder eh, or yung iba hindi lang nagpaparamdam.
Aileen: Well, most of them were fascinated and were very supportive about it.
V: That's good to hear..
Aileen: haha! baka hindi lang nagpaparamddam... or they are shy, coz its like a stereotype that this kind of art is more for boys.
V: Onga eh.. and we're trying to break through that stereotype by doing this and telling people na, "hey, girls do it too".. Some are even better than boys.
Aileen: Hahaha!!! And that's a nice initiative... and pretty cool since it's nice learning stuff from the opposite gender too.
V: Any kit you're currently working on?
Aileen: I'm still finishing my rx-78, haven't placed the stickers yet...
V: How do you find the community?
Aileen: The community was diverse and I have learned a lot of tips and tricks from it. It was also nice how other enthusiasts show their works of art and serve as an inspiration to others.
V: Buti naman.. maybe someday you'll also share your own tips and tricks.
Aileen: I actually did!!! I think I posted something about decanting paint cans... I shared my blog about it... hehe!
V: Oops, i think i missed that.. Yeah, you should definitely show your work too, inspire other girls to come out.
Aileen: Haha! Will do!!! Especially once i get my compressor!!! I have a tutorial on spray paint booth too, but I still have to post it.
V: So to wrap it up, any message for our blog readers?
Aileen: What could i say... To the experienced gunpla enthusiasts, continue to inspire newcomers in this intuitive art and hobby and let us all support each other's uniqueness and creativity in building our mechas. To novice ones, keep on building and never get tired on learning new things! Always speak out your ideas and bring it to reality.
There you go, plasmates. And to give you an idea on how skilled she is, here are some of Aileen's works of art.
But wait there's more! Visit her blog for more gunpla love. As of the moment there is only one entry yet (about decanting paint cans), but stay tuned on her blog for a new tutorial on spray paint booth.
Keep a lookout for this gal, because there's definitely more up her sleeve! Until next time, MISMO!
