i'm such a pathetic loser. i tried painting my MG rx-78-2 OYW, i even bought paints for it, i tried, but i can no longer go through the sequence, and "stress", of painting hehe.
e.g. priming, masking, spray and hand painting, detailing, correcting paint mistakes, etc. ahhh!
now i remember why i stopped doing this hobby 11 years ago hehe. it's so damn stressful and time consuming. there is no darn-right-lazy method of painting, it will always involve a lot of work. i can probably do this if i'm single (no kids around to take care of), out of work and have a lot of spare time, and live with my parents for sustenance hehe. i've had it with painting gundam kits.
i have renewed enthusiasm for gunpla, but i think i will go the direction of treating them as toy robot figures, than as gundam models which needs to be painted.
but of course you can choose hehe-
A. paint my gundam:-the gundam will look wonderful (if ur good in painting).
-i can enter a gundam modelling contest and win prizes and for bragging rights (if you are really good in painting).
-enjoy my gundam on the shelf, but rarely touching and posing it, for fear of damaging or scratching the wonderful paintjob (hehe).
-be ready to cut down on quality family time and lock yourself in a room and paint gundams. wife, kids, and painting gundam don't mix (take it from me). you either drive them away with the offensive paint fumes, or end up always correcting your paint mistakes due to the kids playing with your paint stuff hehe.
or you can choose..
B. will not paint my gundam:-i can really enjoy and play with my gundam figure, because there is no fear of damaging any paint job.
-go thru the wonderful articulation and gimmicks of the gundam figure, do some killer poses every now and then. again without the fear of messing up the pain job, er paint job (retouching or correcting damaged paint job is a lot of work)
-collecting gundam model kits would be enjoyable and stress free from the gruelling sequence of the painting process.
i now choose "B" hehe. it is no longer an enjoyable hobby if it involves stress and a lot of work
lastly in "B", to further improve the look of an unpainted kit, you can add panel lines to spruce up the details by using gundam markers or technical pens. and you can spray the figure with matte or satin/semi gloss top or clear coat from spray cans (available in most hobby shops) to remove the unsightly sheen of bare plastic.
and i've read this from another wonderful site, you can periodicaly clean ur unpainted gundam figure with cotton buds dampen with isopropyl alcohol. to remove dust/dirt and oils from fingers after handling.
;D