Welcome Gundamnoob,I have my MG kit in front of me and I think youre going to be happy with it! First, take your time and carefully review the instructions as well as the parts. I love the MG kits, I have been building for almost forty years now, and was intro'd to Gundam four years ago. I will not build less than MG kits now. yes, the parts are molded in plastic colors but you will not be happy withthe result if you just assemble as-is. I use marker pens on each panel line for the style of assembly/finish that I do, but thats not truly necessary.
This is your first model, so here is my advice: R E L A X! This hobby is supposed to be FUN and I have introduced many people to it over the years. Do NOT expect too much of yourself on your first run!!!!!! Now, that being said, this is a MG kit and you wont be dealing with many seams, fit issues, etc. What I will advise you to watch out for is the foil stickers: they are junk and I dont use them. If your kit comes with the rub on type dry transfers you may be happier withthem, and they are not hard to install.
I would strongly suggest you check out the fantastic, blow by blow photo tutorials over at
www.fichtenfoo.com [on the first page look at the bottom right corner, how to build mecha] and at Codys Coop at http://codyscoop.com/models/how-to
As far as painting, take your sprues to the sink and gently wash them with dishwashing detergent and cool water, and let them dry. Dont lose any parts that may come loose!
Always use an inexpensive sprue cutter for your Mecha, I have one pair just for mecha, and use fine and medium grit fingernail buffers to buff down the stub when you cut a part you. Bandia has great plastic that cuts well but can be tough to sand down, so take your time.
For paint you want a good hobby enamel. If you decide to go the spray can route, warm the paint and the model together to the same temperature, I just leave them both in the garage for a while to come up to temp together (prevents serious problems with the cooler solvents in the paint drying too fast when it contacts warmer plastic]. Mount the parts on skewers [check the pics of my Kempfer] to hold them while you spray and keep it thin and light. Let it all dry and use markers for your panel lines, or as Fichten does, apply a coat of Future floor wax and apply a sludge wash and remove excess with Formula 409. I dont do this myself, I prefer the Zig marker route (size .005 works best).
I hope these tips help, defintely check out the two links I have posted, and most of all, HAVE FUN!!!!
David
Build to please yourself, and don't worry about what others think!
TI 4019 Jolly Roger Squadron, 501st Legion