Fleetscut Wrote:though i recommend having like a pocket knife or nail clippers or something handy cause usually when you try to force a few pieces out of the frame they sometimes break.
Nail clippers FTW.
Don't force out. Cut out neatly. Any kind of forcing, even torsional, will put strain on the plastic, and this may change the tint to become whiter. At which point, even if you cut it off neatly, it'll still have a spot of white that's rather noticable.
I used to use a knife, but it's too unstable. Use either pliers or strong scissors to cut at least 1~2mm away from the connection point, then trim down first with nail clippers, then file off. It's helpful if your nailclipper has an attached file.
Also, I personally don't recommend you get anything HG and below. It's just... not worth it, as compared to the awesomeness of MG. I would recommend that you buy it in Japan if you can, or find a contact in japan who can buy it and ship it over... or yahoo japan? The price goes up heavily with import costs. A 1/100MG set should not cost over 2500 yen; at least that was the standard pricing the last time I visited. Can't remember offhand the prices of the rest. 1/72 is generally the most worthwhile type, since they usually have more detail (heck, even the fingers are articulated) and should be about 5000 yen or so.
If you're having problems with marker coming off... I hope you're not using normal ink markers. If you use paint markets, you'll have to wait for it to dry. I've a friend who uses ink, and with a toothpick carefully goes through lines and such to accent them. Personally, I don't go for fine detail work, but when I recolour, I do it as an entire piece. I use spraypaint, two layers, one for colour and a transparent layer for protection.