Gunpla Weathering for Beginners: A $12.50 Palette, Then Oil

A $12.50 Tamiya palette that works like makeup is the gentlest start to Gunpla weathering. The choice after that is whether you want oil paint you wipe back with thinner, which looks more real but comes with a crack warning from its own maker.

Key Takeaways

• Dry first: Weathering Master is three colors and a brush-and-sponge tool in a card-sized palette.
• Wet second: Mr. Weathering Color is oil-based, and GSI Creos warns it can still crack polystyrene.
• Thinner matters: use the dedicated Mr. Weathering Color thinner, never a heavy dose.
• Order: top coat, weather, let it dry, top coat again.
• US prices, Oct 24: palettes $12.50; bottles $5.50 to $7.00.

Overview: two ways to weather Gunpla

Weathering means adding dirt, rust, soot or wear so a kit looks used. Beginners have two main product families.

Dry pigment palettes. Tamiya's Weathering Master puts three colors and a dedicated tool in a business-card-sized palette (our translation from the Japanese page). The tool has a brush at one end and a sponge at the other. Tamiya's tagline: "Easy Way to a Pro-Level Finish."

Oil-based washes. GSI Creos's Mr. Weathering Color is an oil-paint-based color for adding dirt to a painted kit, also usable for panel lining and washing (our translation). A modeler, Kazuya Yoshioka, supervised each color, the page says.

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Sources: Tamiya 87079 and 87080 pages; set names for C to H from Gundam Planet listings, Oct 24.

Desk note: At Gundam Planet on Oct 24, a $12.50 Weathering Master set worked out to about $4.17 per color, against $7.00 for one 40 ml Mr. Weathering Color. The oil route also needs its thinner: color plus a 110 ml bottle came to $13.98 at USA Gundam Store.

Step-by-Step: Gunpla weathering for a first kit

1. Top coat the kit first. The Gunpla 101 tutorial says to apply top coat before weathering "so the weathering paint will not adhere directly to the plastic". GSI Creos also pitches its weathering paint at a painted kit. Our Gunpla top coat guide covers the spray step.

2. Pick one palette. Set A is sand, light sand and mud. Set C is orange rust, gun metal and silver. The 2015 tutorial recommends C for beginners because it does not depend on a setting.

3. Flick the brush toward the edges. Tamiya says moving a loaded brush in a sweeping flick gives weathering that emphasizes edges (our translation). Use the sponge end for wider dust.

4. For washes, shake gently. Mr. Weathering Color has a stainless mixing ball inside, and GSI Creos warns that shaking too hard can break the bottle. There is no brush in the cap.

5. Apply a little, then wipe back. GSI Creos sells its Weathering Color thinner for wiping off color, adjusting thickness and cleaning. Its warning on the paint page is blunt: avoid a lot of paint or thinner at once.

6. Let each layer dry. The maker recommends letting one coat dry well before you use another weathering paint.

7. Seal it. A final top coat keeps dry pigment from rubbing off on your fingers.

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Sources: GSI Creos Mr. Weathering Color and thinner pages (Japanese, our translation); Gunpla 101 tutorial for the top-coat step.

GODEEPER: The same wash technique, applied to panel lines first. How to panel line Gunpla →

Tips: Gunpla weathering without cracked parts

• Respect the crack warning. GSI Creos says the paint is designed to be relatively unlikely to crack polystyrene, "but cracks or breakage can happen" (our translation). Thin layers, little thinner.
• Do not mix families. Mr. Weathering Color cannot be mixed with water-based weathering paint, the maker says.
• Filters are a different bottle. WC09-13 are Filter Liquids for tinting, not grime.
• Pencils are an option. USA Gundam Store had AK Interactive weathering pencil sets at $10.99 and a Mr. Weathering Liner rust set at $6.99. We found no maker instructions for Gunpla use in this check, so try one on a spare runner piece.
• Practice on the runner. Leftover plastic costs nothing. One fewer ruined shield.

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Sources: Gundam Planet, USA Gundam Store and Newtype listings, Oct 24.

What the tutorial author says

These lines come from Gunpla 101's "Gunpla Weathering 101" (2015), a fan tutorial. Reddit search was rate-limited during our check.

"I'd recommend Master Kit C for beginners because it is not dependent on a setting." Lauren, Gunpla 101, 2015

"There's not really any technique involved in using the marker. It was a lot like panel lining" Lauren, Gunpla 101, 2015

The tutorial counts six Weathering Master kits, A to F. Gundam Planet now lists sets up to H, so the shelf has grown since.

GODEEPER: Weathering markers sit in the same family as the pens you may already own. Gundam Marker types →

What we don't know yet: No maker page we read gives a drying time for Mr. Weathering Color. Wait until it is fully dry before another layer or a top coat.

Our take

Start with one $12.50 Weathering Master set; buy Mr. Weathering Color only once you top coat every kit. The palette needs no thinner and its tool does the edge work. The oil paint looks more real, but its maker warns it can crack polystyrene, and the bottle plus its thinner cost $13.98 at USA Gundam Store. We recheck these prices with the next tools update.

How we checked this

On Oct 24, 2026 we read Tamiya's English and Japanese pages for Weathering Master A and B, GSI Creos's Japanese pages for Mr. Weathering Color and its thinner, and US listings at Gundam Planet, USA Gundam Store and Newtype. A research assistant gathered the pages; we re-read the Mr. Weathering Color page. Gunpla 101's tutorial is quoted as a voice only. Bandai's site was in maintenance. We did not test these products.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the easiest way to weather Gunpla? A Tamiya Weathering Master palette. Tamiya puts three colors and a tool with a brush at one end and a sponge at the other in a business-card-sized case. Gundam Planet listed sets C, D, E, G and H at $12.50 each on Oct 24.

Which Weathering Master set is best for Gunpla? Set C (Orange Rust, Gun Metal, Silver) is a common first pick. The Gunpla 101 tutorial recommends Master Kit C for beginners because it does not depend on a setting. Set A is sand and mud; set B is snow, soot and rust.

Will weathering paint crack Gunpla plastic? It can. GSI Creos says Mr. Weathering Color is designed to be relatively unlikely to crack polystyrene, but cracks or breakage can still happen. It warns against applying a lot of paint or thinner at once, and to let one coat dry before the next.

Do I need to top coat before weathering Gunpla? The Gunpla 101 tutorial says yes: top coat first so the weathering paint does not sit directly on the plastic. GSI Creos describes Mr. Weathering Color as paint for adding dirt to a painted kit. Seal the finished weathering with another top coat.

What thinner do I use for Mr. Weathering Color? Its own thinner. GSI Creos says to use the dedicated Mr. Weathering Color thinner for thinning and cleaning, sold as WCT101 (616 yen with tax) and WCT102 (1,210 yen). USA Gundam Store listed the 110 ml bottle at $6.99 on Oct 24.

Are weathering pencils good for Gunpla? They are another dry option. USA Gundam Store listed AK Interactive weathering pencil sets at $10.99 on Oct 24, and a Mr. Weathering Liner rust set at $6.99. We found no maker instructions for Gunpla use in this check, so start on a spare part.

Related Reading

• Gunpla Tools Guide: every tool from the first nipper to the finish.
• Gunpla Surfacer vs Primer: what goes under the paint you will weather.
• Gunpla Water Decals: markings go on before the dirt.
• Gunpla Grades Explained: pick a kit to practice on.

References

• Tamiya: Weathering Master A Set 87079 (Japanese page), Weathering Master B Set 87080
• GSI Creos Mr. Hobby (Japanese): Mr. Weathering Color, Mr. Weathering Color thinner
• Gundam Planet: Weathering Master C Set, WC03 Mr. Weathering Color Stain Brown
• USA Gundam Store: Mr. Weathering Color Solvent 110 ml, Mr. Weathering Liner Rust Color Set
• Newtype: Mr. Weathering Color Multi Black Some shop links on this page are affiliate links: PlamoDesk may earn a commission if you buy through them. How affiliate links work.
• Gunpla 101: Gunpla Weathering 101 (2015 tutorial)