Shenlong be all like "yo, I got no arms. Not cool." :U (Last update for now 'cause I'm gettin' sleepy.)
yay go Shenlong~!
i have a question, is that MG? (i'm just new in this Gunpla thing) >w< why does it have -_-pits while HG doesn't have? ._.
Yep, all the Gundams I'll be building in this thread are Master Grades. Gundam model kits come in 4 levels of difficulty when it comes to assembly (not sure what the standard is concerning Zoids or other robot model kits, but these are the categorization levels for Gundam models specifically).
no grade - Cheapest model kits (generally around $10 or less); least amount of pieces which is good for beginners to the hobby. Downside is that the pieces aren't very detailed so painting is a must if you want it to look decent. Common size is 1/144 scale.
High Grade - Moderate price range; has more pieces than no grades, but still not quite detailed enough to look good without paint. I'd say it's still around beginner level, but somewhat eases into intermediate level. Comes in 1/144 scale and 1/100 scale.
Master Grade - Pricey (cheapest go for around $40 if you're lucky); a lot more pieces than High Grades with much more details. Can display fine with little to no paint required, but it's a pretty big leap in difficulty from High Grades. Because the Master Grades are generally bigger (1/100 scale) than no grades and High Grades, extra details to illustrate c0ckpits and underlying mechanical structures are standard.
Perfect Grade - Highest grade with a hefty price tag; extreme model kits with electrical wiring capabilities for lighting effects. As such, you won't find much under 1/50 scale; these will take up a good amount of display space.
So generally, the higher the difficulty of the model kit, the more detailed the model will be at the end. I've built enough no grades to be able to assemble them fine without instructions, but only built a few High Grades so still need instructions for those somewhat. Definitely can't build a Master Grade without instructions and dunno if I'll ever be able to. x_x My very first Gundam model was a 1/144 no grade Shenlong Gundam back in... 2001? 2002? So yeah, I've been into this hobby for a pretty long time.