Hikaru… win! (Misaki and Hikaru)

This is the kit that made me realize how inferior recasts can be. Many years ago, I was excited to even find a kit at all from this series and hurriedly placed an order from one of the popular Hong Kong recast sites. I'm used to ugly seam lines, extra air bubbles and fit issues with recasts, but this one set the bar even lower with outright vandalism to the skirt piece from the original mould, foreign particles in the resin and completely deformed parts.  If I hadn't known better I would have sworn it was a Thai recast. Big reason why I only buy originals now unless it's for a modification project. Enough negativity, onto the pics!

Legend of Zelda – Tingle and Barkle in Rupeeland

Finally finished the nightmare that was Tingle and Barkle from Freshly Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland. If ever there was a kit that was "out to get me", this was it! And I thought it would be a nice break from my last rough kit.. From putty cracking and just plain not working to paint peeling for no reason to almost breaking my new memory card upon completion, this kit was one piece of bad luck after another.

Humble Beginnings

Everyone starts somewhere in this hobby.  The most common way to start in on Garage Kits for most of the English speaking fans is the same way I began. You find a cool figure on eBay and think "wow, I need to own that! It's from my favourite series and looks amazing!" Only to find out that it's something called an unfinished, unpainted Garage Kit and not the action figures or PVC statues you're more familiar with. After a little more research you find out "oh wait I have to pay someone to paint this but I'm not independantly wealthy and there's a ton of these figures that look awesome!" Then from there, perhaps you do what I did.  You buy a couple figures that usually ship from Thailand, Hong Kong or some other exotic locale and panic when it arrives. "How am I going to DO this?" Never fear, brave adventurer! Many have come before you.