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I want to make a Christmas present for a friend of mine that is Gundam fan. I want to assemble one of his fav mobile suits and paint it, but from what I see on ebay and the gundam site, all of them come with colored plastic sprue like this one: http://www.gundamplanet.com/rg-zgmf-x42s-destiny-gundam.html

The question is. Are those colored parts just for assembling or I can prime them and do my own? This sounds kinda dull if you ask me, so if there are kits that require assembling and priming the way Citadel stuff is modeled, it will be great to share me links for stores.

Most gundam kits that I have seen are made from "prepainted" or coloured plastics.

There is no reason that you can't prime over it and paint from there. There are a huge ranges of products from Japan that were specifically marketed for gundam painting.

You can paint them, its just that they are made that way so you don't have to, as not everyone likes painting.

You also may be able to get away with a lower end model if you paint your self as one of the main points of the higher end ones is more parts so that they can be more colour accurate.

Though they may end up being issues with paint coming off around joints and such as they are designed to move.

You should fix them with glue and wash before priming. Also give a good varnish after, paint tends to stick to them much less than to citadel colors. Models are much less detailed, ideal for airbrushing.

http://www.coolminiornot.com/ has a few really cool ones on display.

Orc painter nerd has quite a few relevant tutorials on his youtube channel. Try there. Good luck!

http://www.fichtenfoo.com/blog/, specifically http://fichtenfoo.net/blog/how-to-build-master-grade-gundams/

have a look through this blog, he's been active since 2002 and I've learned a lot from it over the years, everything from how to properly apply decals to using oil washes and weathering pigments. His earlier stuff was mostly Gundam, he does mostly non-anime sci-fi projects nowadays. He has some tutorials, and a lot of photos including a fair amount of step-by-steps and a message board that's dedicated to modeling, primarily Gundam kits

Starship Modeler has a pretty good message board for all kinds of modeling, including an Anime & Mecha Kit section. You do have to register an account to view it, but it's a wonderful resource.

Whoah thanks a lot for all the guides guys.