Decaffeinated

Z made a very interesting entry in his blog and you can read it here. I follow this dude's blog because his reviews are good and he gets the latest models as soon as they come out. I know I haven't been active lately, and it surprised me to find out that Z feels that he should quit Gunpla for now.

I also had an on and off relationship with gunpla. Started with a few kits from Wing, then stopped. Saw the new series Seed and started buying when Seed Destiny came out. I got hooked on Danny Choo's blog, and got myself some MG models. I wanted to share my gunpla interest with others so I put up this blog last year.

Now I'm busy with work and I dont get to regularly check updates on the web, but I try my best to catch up by checking Z's site and Ngee Khiong. I can say the interest is still there, but I try my best to not buy gunplas impulsively. I used to envy guys like Z who can buy stacks of gundam and constantly deliver updates to the readers. When I finished college, I told myself I'd buy a compressor and airbrush kit on my first pay check. I've been working now for 5 months and still no airbrush set. I dont think I have enough time (and space actually) to paint MGs. My solution? Go on a diet, or plastic decaf for the sake of my blog's name.

I just bought HG 1/144 OO Gundam and Cherudim. I planned on buying these even before I saw Z's entry on quitting gunpla. My last two purchases before them were HG Exia and GN-X. And I wasnt even able to post of pics of GN-X yet. I'm starting to love Bandai's High Grades. The details and quality just improved over the years, and they are more affordable compared to the bigger kits. They still lack some details compared to non-graded 1/100s and MGs, but you can still do something to make them more impressive. I just go WOW when I see modelers who totally modify their 1/144 kits, to work on such a small scale requires patience and talent. What I also like about HGs is that they dont require too much time to build. You can finish a kit within two days on a laid back pace. Exia has been on my desk for how long now. I play with him when I work sometimes on my desk, while the other kits have been kept inside my small glass cabinet. HGs are just so handy, you wouldnt get too scared that a piece might get broken because you pose them too much.

So I guess the key is to take a break once in a while, to have some "balance". If you have been to Z's site already, then you must have seen the pile of gunpla waiting to be assembled. It is an overwhelming task. Switching your attention sometimes to other interests will also help. After several days of not knowing anything about gunpla, I check out other bloggers to see the latest updates and their projects to see how a gunpla kit would look like, then decide what to buy later on. I became excited too when I saw Sinanju at first, but thought that I might not be able to devote time and effort to the Gold Emblems, because I know that the foil stickers will not work for me as well. I still believe that the right time will come for me to take on a really serious project, with all the right tools and equipment, and plenty of spare time.

Good luck to Z and to all the other gunpla enthusiasts out there. Keep the passion burning =)