About PlamoDesk
A desk for Gunpla and mecha kits, with the source for every number.
PlamoDesk is an independent site for model kit builders in the US. It tracks which kits come out each month, explains the grades, and says what to buy first, which tools to get and where to buy safely.
How we check a kit
Start from the Bandai Hobby Site
Kit name, grade, scale, release month and yen price come from the official Bandai Hobby schedule and the kit's own item page, read on the day we write. Those pages give Japanese release months and Japanese prices before tax, and we say so.
Add US prices with the shop's name
US prices come from named shops (for example HLJ, Gundam Planet, USA Gundam Store or Newtype) on a stated day. They change often, so every one carries the date we checked it. We never write "currently costs".
Keep a source file
Each article has a source table: one row per fact, with the URL, a short verbatim quote and the access date. A fact without a row is cut before publishing.
Use images we are allowed to use
We do not copy product photos from Bandai's sites. Photos come from Wikimedia Commons or Flickr under a Creative Commons license, credited the way the license asks; diagrams are our own. Each kit we name links to its official item page for the real images.
Quote builders, never invent them
Opinions from other builders are quoted word for word from public posts and shop reviews, and linked. We do not claim to have built, painted or handled a kit unless a linked source says so.
What we cover
- Release calendar: every kit on each month's official Bandai Hobby schedule, with a subscribable .ics feed
- Grade guides: EG, HG, RG, MG, PG, SD, 30 Minutes Missions and Figure-rise, explained from official pages
- Beginner kits by budget, with dated US shop prices
- Tools and finishing: nippers, knives, sanding, panel lining and top coat
- Buying in the US: shops, Japanese exporters and how to spot bootleg kits
What we leave out
- Resale prices, investment returns or "will it sell out" predictions
- Paid placements or sponsored reviews
- Leaks and rumoured kits without an official source
We also do not publish build reviews of kits we have not built.
Who writes it
Articles carry one byline, PlamoDesk Editorial. There are no invented reviewers or personas on this site. The PlamoDesk desk. Every article is built from a source file: Bandai Hobby schedule and item pages, maker pages for tools, dated US shop prices and quoted builder comments, each linked in the article.
PlamoDesk fact-check: Before publishing, each fact in a PlamoDesk article is matched to a linked source and the quote is checked on the live source page. Each article ends with a "How we checked this" box that shows the number of sources and the day of the last full check.
Independence
PlamoDesk is an independent fan resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or approved by BANDAI SPIRITS, Bandai Namco, Sunrise/Bandai Namco Filmworks, or SOTSU. GUNDAM, GUNPLA and related names are trademarks of their respective owners. Product names are used only to identify the kits we write about.
The site carries no ads, no affiliate links and no sponsored content today. If that changes, links will be labelled and this page will say how they work.
Corrections and contact
Spotted a wrong price, release month or kit name? Email admin@plamodesk.com with the article and the source. We fix errors in place and note the change in the article. The same address handles takedown or copyright requests, privacy and legal matters.
For general questions, feedback or a kit or topic you want covered, email contact@plamodesk.com.