Well I first started when gundam wing was on cartoon network. I went to toys r us, they didnt have the action figures there, the only place that did was Kb and they were like 12$ each, this is when action figures were 5$. They had the wing model kits though. so I started buying them and snapping them, and well... using them like toys.
When Ms Gundam went onto cartoon network toys r us had a few of the new ones, Im not sure what kits, they were HGUC I got a Dom and Gouf (really bad tooling compared to the new ones...), mainly because it was buy 2 get one of the MSIA figure figures free (I got Gherin Zabi, like an idiot I opened it, I now have, in packages, hammon, sayla, delaz, garma, and matilda aian, as well as the G-wing hero pack with the pilots and zechs). After that I got a kit or two from this (now I realise) over priced hobby store. from there I got... a GM sniper (yes, THAT gm sniper) a korean bandai re-release of a vintage Bawoo kit (such a bad kit... especially as a snapper, it didnt snap) and the hguc Hyaku shiki. I never painted any of those kits though.
I lost interest after those kits. Maybe... a year ago, or so, I was looking up stuff online, and for some ungoddly reason I looked up gundam, found gundamstoreandmore.com and started lookin at the selection, I couldnt believe the kinds of kits that were out. I got myself alot... atleast for one purchase for me at the time, hguc palace athene, gaza c, qubeley mk II limited edition (like an idiot I freaking built it... I have the qubeley 1 and 2(red) ltd editions now, unopened.) wing gundam ver ka MG, hguc Hazel Custom, and the GP02.
After snapping them I saw gundam markers for sale, I got one pack, then a second, I have all of them now, even the real touch ones that are suposto simulate washes. After a while I decided that my old paint (for painting army men) would work nice (testors paint) and I tried painting my Gm sniper (also used some non testors stuff, studio gough... it made a mess.) It turned out ok (I eventuially destroyed it) and I painted a normal GM{G} cannon (crappy mod) red and black, which is on my Bakuc. The paint job was actuially not to bad, not bad at all, if only the mod didnt look crappy, and I didnt use stickers, as well as decals on the kit.