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a short thread to teach you about garage kits! 
so while most figure collectors probably know what im talking about, ive noticed that on my account and on another account i was inspired by, @mikumikufigures, people unfamiliar with figures are often confused as to what garage kits are.
so i figured I’d make a short educational thread on what garage kits are, for people who are confused as to what they are! im no professional in garage kits or a figure collector so if you wanna correct me on some of these, please do ^^” just wanna provide a basic idea!
— so what are garage kits?
garage kits (ガレージキット) are assembly scale model kits that are usually cast in resin. garage kits are often amateur-produced, and often produced in limited quantities and more expensive due to the labour intensive method of making them.
garage kits (ガレージキット) are assembly scale model kits that are usually cast in resin. garage kits are often amateur-produced, and often produced in limited quantities and more expensive due to the labour intensive method of making them.
while they can come/be sold pre-assembled, garage kits are most commonly sold as separate pieces which the person glues together and paints themselves. they are often airbrushed, but can also be hand painted if that’s the desired effect of the person building it.
there’s even full YouTube channels dedicated to painting and making garage kits, they provide a good idea into what goes into crafting a garage kit! (original video: )
— what’s the difference between scales and garage kits?
scale figure companies sell their most of their figures pre-assembled, and they are usually injection-modelled, which allows for more production of the figure, because it’s not as labour heavy.
scale figure companies sell their most of their figures pre-assembled, and they are usually injection-modelled, which allows for more production of the figure, because it’s not as labour heavy.
also, scales are also made out of ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) or PVC (Polyvinyl chloride), instead of resin, like most garage kits are.
sometimes, scale figure companies will choose garage kits and convert them to PVC, which allows for wider production of the figures. some examples here: garage kit on the left and scale on the right.
often garage kits will be shown off at conventions like Wonder Festival/WonFes. major scale figures companies also participate in these events now, but originally, they would be mostly garage kits, traded and sold between hobbyists.
garage kits are a wonderful medium because they let people make figures for characters that may not have official figures sold by major companies, original characters, or incorporate their more unique art styles into their figures!
