真係好慶幸得到 The Student Standard 的編輯Andrew Ho賞識，在Workshop內接受了其訪問～當日還請了禮傑兄及蟹Sir黎助拳，大家都傾得好開心！～

因為有好多模友已經不是學生了，未必有機會看到，所以特此Post整篇英文原文吧！

The Student Standard 英文真係好適合學生睇，自己英文水準咁差，就咁睇都睇得明喎！

↑本YA果然不太適合上鏡 T.T　(可點圖放大)

Gundam nation

Tap into talent with toys constructed from a creative sense.

Turn to E06-07 to learn more about model crafting and Gunpla.

Model masters

Unlike ordinary Gundam fans, Ambrose Cheng is devoted to crafting models and treating toys with respect, and he has proven that building models is an art in its own right, writes Andrew Ho.

Ambrose Cheng, also known as YAYA by many model fans, is an expert in crafting plastic models, especially Gundam toys. He has won numerous prizes both in local and international Gundam circles.

Some might think that Gundam builders are geeks, spending ten hours a day watching Japanese animation. But these people might think again when they see Ambrose, who has demonstrated his ability to create new things with unmatched creativity.

In his latest work of art, Ambrose has managed to merge a notorious monster from the game World of Warcraft with the world model mech world of Gunpla. He used several boxes of Gundam and merged them together to produce a fantastic hybrid monster.

Ambrose isn’t a geek who makes models all day when he is not staring at screens. Before the interview began, he went to the bookshop nearby and bought the bestselling Angel & Demons. Perhaps a great pool of knowledge is what a creative mind needs.

Understanding creativity

Ambrose is undoubtedly a creative and innovative mind. But he wasn’t particularly lucky in his school days as the art subject he took never treated him well. “I remember when I was in Form Three,” Ambrose said with a bitter smile, “I wasn’t allowed to pick art as my core subject in the HKCEE.” When asked why, his face changed from a bitter smile to an angry frown, “simply because the principal didn’t want me to. I still remember he said ‘you’d better study first before you play with your art.’ I felt very down at that time because I have always enjoyed designing and crafting.”

One could take this as evidence of a creatively stifled local education system; one that passes off creative talent as play.  He raised an interesting point, “You know, it has to do with the mentality of people. Rarely do you see a rich artist.”

His friend Crabchiu, another expert in model crafting, joined the conversation: “It is bad that art, especially model crafting, is usually undervalued. I had to quote my friend who is a professor at the Baptist University. He said no parents encourage their children to play with Gundam because model crafting doesn’t have a certificate.”

This immediately tangible reward exceeds anything else. But what is truly invaluable is the process of crafting a sculpture or a plastic toy. “You learn
a lot in the process and that’s what is important.”

Creative constructions

Gunpla is a word used to describe Gundam crafting. Ambrose, as the winner of the Japanese hobby model competition, has a lot to share. “I believe I won the competition by my ideas, not by skills.” Ambrose said condescendingly, “let me be frank, many of the competitors have outstanding skills and I don’t think I am particularly bright at this. In fact I am not a professional Gunplaer, I work as a game designer.”

He revealed that his job might have helped him design and create wild ideas. “Those tough guys (the adjudicators) have probably seen hundreds of outstanding and extremely detailed models, and that’s why I don’t think skill matters much at that level,” he explained. “Instead, what they are looking for is the motive behind the artwork. I have blended a famous creature from a famous game into the world of Gundam and this has never been done before.”

Being creative means being able to think outside the box, and thinking wildly. Crabchiu added, “We have a model fellow, she has won many prizes of its kind and has been producing outstanding and seriously innovative Gundam.” Ambrose nodded vigorously and said, “her work is simply wonderful. Last year during the Olympic Games, she crafted five Gundam models using five elements. She displayed the five Chinese elements with Gundam to mimic the five Olympic mascots. It was stunning.”

Patience, an artistic sense and an eye for detail are essential in building Gundam or any models. In military modelling, the history of a certain tank, aircraft or battleship is important. The position of a logo, an icon or even oil stains is what the professionals look at. And in advanced Gunpla where modellers have acquired the skill to alter the structure of an original Gundam, an extreme mindset is a must.

Ambrose pointed to his winning work and said, “you see, here is the oil pump and I have deliberately added some dust. I have changed the structures and added many new parts in these models.”

Crabchiu pointed out that there is a boring side to building and crafting Gundam: “You can say it’s boring to build a good Gundam model because every piece has to be polished and painted with extreme care. It requires a lot of patience and focus. Good training I would say.”

“Model crafting is no different to playing a piano or painting,” Ambrose concluded, “the skills and the mentality are the same, it just hasn’t been re-organised yet and it lacks a certificate.”

The right attitude

The right attitude is a humble and open one. Both masters said there are many people out there who consult them on their opinions in crafting Gundam but most of the time, they end up in argument. “Sometimes when you try to guide someone and give some suggestions, some people sternly argue back act very defensive,” Ambrose said. “An open mind to criticism and a willingness to learn are very important and I believe this applies to everything else in life too.”

Procedures

Amateur modellers may want to follow these steps to build Gundam models:

1. Follow the instructions and assemble the plastic pieces.

2. Try to polish the extra bits from plastic mouldings.

3. Fill up some black lines with a Gundam marker.

Advanced players may want to do the following:

4. Fill up visible gaps with modelling glue.

5. Polish all the ends and uneven surfaces with modelling paper.

6. Spray a surface polisher on every piece.

 Paint and finish (this requires a lot of skill)

悄悄話：嘿嘿～今次可以打少好多字！正！

模魂志33期-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

今期電擊課題作竟然有六大版～好開心啊(p.s.好多稿費啊～)！

特別龍飛兄將本YA所有狗屁不通的文字重新執過！如果之前睇本YA網誌介紹睇極都唔明講乜既Blog友有福了，今次包大家睇得舒服啊！

P.S. 非常多謝龍飛的辛勞執稿，本YA的爛文你都睇得明同改得咁好，你實在太專業了！也多謝美術排版的朋友，排得好正呢！

P.S. 孫小姐仲係未攪掂添 T.T