The waiting is the hardest part.......

So I started snipping and sanding today. The bane of my existence is the current sprue cutter I have. The local hobby shop in my city carries the Xuron brand of sprue cutters, and these things cut like a chain saw. I have to cut well away from the sprue to ensure the gate doesn't leave a pock mark on the piece, and then overuse the Xacto blade to shave the gate down to a more manageable sanding size. I just need to break down and get a good quality pair of Tamiya sprue cutters and hope they last longer than the Xuron my hobby shop carries. And for all of you builders out there who have a half decent hobby shop in your vicinity, do not take them for granted. I have a franchise shop, you all have at least one of these, you know the one that would rather sell you an RC car or helicopter than actually help you with anything that has to do with modeling. They don't carry any Gunze products, at all, they only carry Tamiya paints, no tools, and they fill their shelves with off branded second rate companies that sell you $15 dollar sprue cutters that go dull after 4 kits. Thank god for the interweb, or I would have given this hobby up months ago. But I digress......

The torso is the first sub build for this kit. Shoulder joints, neck joint and the main frame of the torso is the first set of steps. No real inspiration as of yet, although I would like to find a way to show off the detail in the frame of the torso, as there is some quite nice sculpting in there, that will otherwise be covered up by the main armor. Maybe I'll do one of those hanger bay dioramas that I have seen quite a few times. Or not......

So on with the build, and I'll update as progress is made.