I had a painting “disaster” with this kit.
It turns out that the Gundam Markers do not mix well with Testors paint, as the latter acts like paint thinner to the former. The result is a lot of panel lining that became runny and smeary.
If this was almost any other kit, I would call this a full on disaster, sans air quotes. But not with this one. There are a few spots which really, truly look ugly. The shoulder pauldrons, for example, and the parachute (which I don’t care about). Maybe the shield. Everywhere else, however, I think the smudging becomes a positive. It gives the model a worn, dirty look, the kind of look you would expect a ground type mobile suit to accumulate after constant battle.
It’s an effect that many builders deliberately add to their models, and while this was certainly an accident (and certainly not as good looking as the intentional jobs), I think it still manages to work in spite of itself. Maybe I’ll change my mind when I put the whole thing together (I still haven’t gotten to the legs and lower torso yet after all). For now, I’m OK with what I got.
Still, I have to prevent it from happening again. I did some research, and it looks like I might have switch to Krylon brand clear coat, which allegedly won’t cause the markers to react like this.