I built a couple of HG Gundam kits last year and some of the larger frame pieces got warped during assembly or storage. They're not terrible but the legs don't line up perfectly and it bugs me. Is there a way to straighten them out without ruining the paint, or should I just accept it as part of the hobby?
Don't try boiling or microwaving painted parts - that's a fast way to wreck the finish and potentially melt seams. The safest method is a heat gun on low setting, keeping it moving and staying a few inches away, then gently bending the piece back into shape while it's warm and flexible. If the warping is mild, you might just need to adjust how the parts snap together rather than force them - sometimes filing down connection points slightly or loosening the fit helps legs align without stress. For future builds, store kits upright in a cool, dry place instead of stacked flat, since that's usually what causes the warping in the first place.
Warm water works better than you'd think for painted parts - soak the warped piece in hot (not boiling) water for a few minutes to soften the plastic, then gently reshape it by hand or against a straight edge while it cools. I had a leg frame that looked like a banana after sitting in a hot car, dunked it, straightened it out, and the paint held fine. If the warp is really stubborn, a hair dryer on medium pointed at the problem area for 30 seconds or so gives you more control than a heat gun. Just let it cool completely before you touch it, and avoid repeated heating cycles on the same spot.
The warm water approach does work, but you've got to be careful with painted pieces since even gentle heat can soften the paint's surface or cause adhesion issues if the primer underneath expands differently. A better middle ground for already-painted parts is to use a hair dryer on medium heat held at a distance - it gives you more control than dunking, lets you reshape gradually while watching the plastic respond, and you can stop instantly if the paint starts looking compromised. If the warping is mild enough that it's just a fit issue rather than visible bending, sometimes swapping which leg goes where or slightly adjusting how the frame connections sit can make things line up without any heating at all. Worth trying the non-destructive stuff first since repainting large frame pieces is genuinely annoying.
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