prety colored clear. for full clear really can't see the details of the robot, only good if you really paint the inner frame to showcase it. but price are too much.

smd is too small for amateur solderers. however it's the only option for things like signal lights. you need special magnetic solders & good solder gun and surgeon like hands to pull it off and only takes a jerk to pull everything loose. it's designed to be mounted on boards instead of solder.

a 2mm LED would be a better option.

my solder gun is so bad, either it's the solder or the gun, that i gave up soldering and just wrap the pins with wire and tape them together.

btw for cheap stuffs like LED just buy from ebay 100pc LED only cost you around rm10 can give best offer somemore, China sellers. many colors, many size, few shapes, blinking/dual/triple color changing/flashing, even wires i buy from there since hard find think wires locally. price wise confirm cheaper than Jalan Pasar. i mean 1 LED cost only 10cents.

while you at it don't forget the Resistors, bought from China mix starter pack, comes in set of many different ohms. also battery holder, micro switches.

Also don't forget the tiny handrills for making holes for wires. bought from ebay chinese seller made in Japan. Ace hardware smallest drill is still too big.

Why not buy from Samuel Decal, they have decals specifically for Char & Normal Zaku's & few ace Zakus.

Sticker is more user friendly for average buyers, whom just aren't as skill as you, even the Rub on decal i cut the whole piece and glued it onto my 1st MG. Since menu were in Japanese and 1st time i've seen rub on decals. I was wondering why they don't stick...

Most people would mess up the water decals.

Some normal kits did came with water decals though, but usually is special set.

3rd party decals, may be thin, but will they have same shelf life as normal ones before they become unusable?

I just killed of my 2nd marker in less than 5 months. i know there's still ink inside, but just can't get it out. i used it on painted surface and i know they will dry up the tip but i managed to get it running by rubbing it on paper frequently instead of wait until no ink comes out but i got lazy 1 day and next day no more ink... dipped it in thinner, paint came out near the head but no ink on the tip... really waste even though they cost rm10.

I tried Pencil & Color pencil, they can't reach narrow edges, and they don't look as smooth as markers. Good for light color parts but not dark enough on dark parts.

I'm not comfortable with wash technique. Any other good alternatives?

how many decals did you buy? 2 sheets decal i would guess over USD$10? You used express? Coz i ordered 5 pcs of 1/144 decals in envelope cost me less than $4.

use normal mail lo unless you urgent, takes 3 weeks, but less than $4.

you're too used to unlicensed cases that prints trademark images without permission, in Japan you won't find them so easy, so if you want a Gundam Themed Case, this is the only way to get it. Same goes for those File holders, pencil case, stickers etc. IMO official products are usually better than those you find in Pasar Malam & Mr. DIY.

stickers on gloss surface, top coat with flat, because sticker sticks better on smooth surface resulting less frost effect, flat coat hides the corners because it has a rough finishing and also the matte effect hides the reflection on the edges. And more coats you apply, surface will look more even. Of course you can light sand to make them look even but need to take extra care.

having problem with seamline covering. i used putty and sanded them evenly, it looks flat, however after painting they become visible, scratch marks & uneven surface harder to spot before priming/coating even though they look even from eyes.

they do look much better than before but still visible.

i painted the parts before assembly puttying/sand then another coat on the seam sanded areas.

i find the problem more on spray painting, whereas brush painting can hide the marks easier by putting wetter coat around the seam but need to sand them afterwards due to uneven/too thick.

Spray Can. I know the putty sanding ain't perfect but it's 90% there. if i use brush paint i can cover the gap but sanding is really difficult on painted area.

it's Likk Tak, what you expect from them? their main target customers are clueless parents and people new into the hobby, coz they know no matter how cheap they sell they still cannot compete with smaller private importers because they have higher operating cost being the official distributor in Malaysia.

my compressor just stopped working suddenly, not sure if it's overheat protection or circuit fried, any cheap & reliable compressor sold locally? normal size is ok. I heard local compressor price quite expensive...

Marasai get from Japan cheaper. Around 3000yen + shipping. Unicorn ver. more expensive.

don't know who is what but the 5th one looks the best, from the front.

personal opinion, i don't know who voted, but it has the best proportion and is closest to the original design.

1st you have to understand Lik Tak is the sole official distributor for Bandai in Malaysia, their operating cost is pretty high warehouse/transport/workers/cost to keep lots of stocks, they aren't like online or small gamer arena type shop that only focus on few products & few models at 1 time. So the cost & risk are higher for Lik Tak.

Also don't forget Jusco/Toysrus/Parkson etc have high operating cost, so you don't expect them to sell them as cheap as small shops that imports directly from Japan/HK/China.

And for most people and parents, they usually go Jusco/Toysrus when buying toys for children, you don't expect them to go 5th floor to find gamers arena or some 2nd floor shoplot in the middle of no where. Most of them probably don't know web stores. Unless you are talking about younger parents who are more experienced with online shoppings. Those people are usually too poor to buy their kids Bandai Gundam, usually.

nowadays can just preorder from Toyspanic, their price either cheapest or same price as cheapest webstores, and cheaper than Gamers Arena, if you buy at preorder price. Gamers Arena consider one of the cheapest for In-Stock price. Free shipping also.

in modern countries many 40's working in comic shop. i don't see a problem there. it's his attitude problem i guess.

finding the mold & cast material and not poisoning yourself is the hardpart.

i know the art market opposite pasar seni got sell, but price not cheap at all. you can order bulk from sellers in penang at cheaper price but do you use so much? also takes try & error to get your mixture & mold correct.