Perfect Grade RX-178 Gundam Mk. II

not my kit.

(via GundamForums.com)

Introduction and Expectations
This project is gonna be huge. So huge it needs it's own thread. What... in the world have I gotten myself into. From what I have seen of this kit online, it's is a gargantuan behemoth that will demand all of my skills I have developed over the course of 10 years. I make it sound bad, but I have heard PG's aren't anything complicated. This is 1/60. The scale is large, and each section needs it's own build order. Feet, Legs, Lower Waist, Chest, Arms, Head, Backpack, and Weapons. This monster will take up valuable time, resources and money to complete, but will be one of my greatest personal triumphs to date. I have not yet built a perfect grade.

From all of the actuators, hydraulics, wires and detail I have seen, this is an engineer's wet dream. I happen to be one (an engineer, not a... you know...) as well as a model builder. There is ZERO WAY I am leaving this inner frame untouched. My intent is to build the kit, and I hope for it's old age it has some decent posing options. If I can, I want to light up the eyes and the cockpit. I want to at least get #1.

What I Paid
I paid 16,000 yen for this kit with shipping to get it out of Japan. It should arrive within a week. I should probably head out tomorrow and get the paint necessary for this behemoth. Depending on the length of time spent on the kit, the end product will be worth approximately $1,500 USD (abt 140,000JPY), (1167 Euros), (991 GBP). I expect this monster to take on the order of 125 hours to complete. I can finish a MG in about 35-40 hours.

What are you going to do with it?
Everything. No battle damage. Debating on weathering. Decals yes.

Paints
1x Steel [Enamel]
1x Brass [Enamel] [x]
1x Metallizer [Lacquer]
2x undecided [acrylic] (main armor color)
2x gunmetal [acrylic] (inner frame)
1x insignia yellow [acrylic] [x]
1x insignia red [acrylic] [x]

possible colors:
1x orange [acrylic] [x]

Will you update us on the build progress?
Every step of the way will be an interactive experience. I have a brand new camcorder I intend to use. If you folks want to come along for the journey, sub this thread. I'll update it when I have content to share regarding the project.