Strider Hiryu

Painting is completely optional for Gundam models. Most come with stickers to add extra detail. Every set of models looks fine without painting it's just painting tends to add a personal touch and extra detail to the models. If you want the hierarchy of quality from best to last it is Perfect Grade, Master Grade, High Grade, etc. Its the same going from most difficult to easiest. Perfects are generally for those who make models as a main hobby and come with pretty cool stuff (like light up eyes and body parts, die-cast metal parts (most of the model in fact), see through beam parts, etc). Masters are for those who do it as a side hobby and have, for the most part, made models before (I generally stick to Masters myself, for quality reasons and price range (best price for good quality compared to HG's)). Highs and lower are generally for novice model builders with less parts and generally less detail.

Technically getting government based subsidized and unsubsidized loans is the way to go, they're much more affordable when it comes to paying them back over the long-term. 80% of my loans are government based and unlike private based loans you don't have to pay back the government ones till you graduate, guaranteed (I have a private loan that says this but fucked me over and I'm repaying it right now). Plus government interest rates are always lower then private lenders and aren't subject to huge raises (the government interests rate are generally stuck at 6-8%, private lenders generally start at 6% and shoot to around 12% but are prone to raising it pending on situations out of your control). Obama is actually helping students so I'm having a hard time understanding what your mad about here. Then again imo government based loans are so much better then private based loans (being in college for the last 6 years has given me plenty of insight on this).

Picking a Gundam model is a very personal endeavor, one better left to yourself. Your personal favorite series is always a good place to start when buying one (I generally stick to 8th MS Team, Zeta Gundam, and Char's Counterattack). Keep either scissors (like Cabbit said) or an exacto knife nearby when remove your pieces from their holding brackets (or whatever you want to call them). It makes for easier cleaning and keeps the parts from killing your fingers when snapping them together. I also suggest getting nothing below Master Grade and only go to High Grade if you can't get the model your looking for in Master Grade. Only go to Perfect Grade if you think you can make the model and if you think you can afford it (they're expensive as hell). MG models look so much better then the rest (and pale in comparison to PG) so that's why I suggest getting them. As for painting that's out of my league. I've never painted a model before except for one time and it turned out like crap. I've been meaning to paint my Zeta and Nu Gundam models but don't have the time or money to buy the correct paints and actually paint them (would love to though). If you go that route take pictures, I'd love to see it and get some pointers on how you did it.

Holy crap it's Hell_Cat! Where have you been young lady? I've totally missed you. Welcome back btw.

Meh, I'm used to the sarcasm about locks. Got a lot of it when I raided and I picked up on it. Just wanted to point out to HK it isn't that easy. WoW PvP is a joke only from the experience I've had (only being World PvP and BG oriented). I'm making only an informed opinion based on watching my friend in arena and researching it. Like I said having a life takes away from the ability to devout the time needed to do the arena (full-time student with a full-time job gave me very little time to do anything in WoW, one of many reasons I quit). I originally planned on trying it out but considering that every arena team on my server does it purely for gear and your only considered to be on a team based on gear and resilience it took away from the fun I saw in it. Nobody on my server did it for fun so I just didn't take it up. I do agree though it is a bit ignorant to comment on something I've never done but like I said from a logical standpoint it's nothing but macros and reaction time. Skill is a factor but that skill comes at the cost of giving up actually having a life, something I just don't respect or really see a point in. I do respect those who juggle it with raiding and actually having a life though because it takes a lot to raid, arena (and be good at it), and have a life outside of the game. But meh, it's a game. Getting worked up over it is silly and adolescent. We all had our fun and most of us moved on from it now it seems (either waiting for the next MMO or moving on with their life (I'm in both, sadly no good MMO's will be coming out for a long while).

Now your simplifying my class, it's not that easy to play a Warlock (unless your affliction and then I have no respect for you. Destro or Demo is the only way to go as a lock, they actually require foreknowledge and skill to play). Knowing how to control dps spiking and how to control what debuffs are up and what time takes a lot of precision (thank god I originally rolled a rogue back in the day, controlling dps is easy when you've played a rogue). Yea healing in arena isn't that hard but then again neither is dpsing (my friend plays a rogue, ret pally, warlock, and druid in arena. He has no life so he has 4 80's). I've seen it all and like I said I don't find it that difficult, especially considering how much of it drops down on macros and just reaction time (which most people have both if they pvped). I digress though, like I said Arena never interested me because it's just another way to farm gear in a game that's nothing but gear in the end game. Rogues aren't that slow to level, all depends on what talent spec you use to level (believe me a lot of people do it wrong these days). I leveled my rogue to 40 in 4 days and to 60 in a month (back before the 2 expansions, with the lower xp required to level now it should take less time then that to hit the higher levels) and a month to hit 70 (never hit 80 with her, focused on my lock). All you need is plenty of bandages. Warriors I'll agree with though, they're harder to get up then rogues. Nah HK, don't worry about what we're saying. If you don't plan on raiding or pvp in the future of your character just play and enjoy. This is stuff you worry about when you get into the end game (something your far away from right now).

Yes and no, all depends on your team set up. Arena imo was rather bleh as well and something that killed pvp more then BG's did (BG's tried and failed to bring PvP to the forefront (eventually turning it into a gear farming area), Arenas turned PvP more into gear farming then BG's did). I never did arena personally (the whole having a life thing kills your ability to do so, hence why I quit WoW because as we all know you can't have a life and raid or pvp in WoW) but my friend did and though he was rarely above a 2k rating all he ever did was spam heals on his friend to keep him alive (druid pvp heals with warrior arms). It was all pretty boring to watch and I could tell it was boring by watching his face while he played (when I still lived with him). Plus most of my friends on my server were in the top Arena teams so I've heard how boring Arena can be (these were guys that raided 5 nights a week and were in the arena every day (in the top raiding guild as well)). Though good in concept I don't think the Arena was a good thing for WoW, it killed it as it made PvP harder (seriously doing Winterspring with people in full glad gear (newest season gear that is) made it harder to have fun when you were in pretty much outdated gear for the time. To each their own though. I don't miss WoW and don't think I ever will. I originally played for the lore and story but considering how much Blizzard fucked that up the game as a whole was ruined for me.

I quit 9 months ago. Being a beta nub the game got boring really fast for me (especially since the end game revolves around raid, dailies, raid, pvp, raid, dailies, etc. Not all that fun once you do it for three years straight). Don't ever plan on going back either since raiding is bleh and pvping is just boring (plus my account got hacked last week while inactive, got it back but Blizzard won't reset the authenticator the hacker put on it so even though the account is mine I can't get in it. Go go Blizz customer service). I fear for your future GG if you think WoW is too complicated. Pending on class and talent spec all you do is spam certain keys to do certain things that either damage a mob, heal an ally, debuff a mob, etc. It's all really simple (and very boring if your ranged dps).

Cute is a matter of opinion. They got these weird ass side burns going for them (the ones you ride) which I do like but it doesn't exactly add a cuteness factor to them (makes them look more bad ass imo). As Eli and I have said the baby chocobo is by far the cutest thing ever (it even does little cute dances that make you go "Awww").

You don't get the ability to use them until Chapter 11 and on top of that you need to do 15 or so side missions until you even unlock the ability to use them (something with saving their clan or what not, didn't see that side mission when my roommate did it). About the only real thing they're useful for is digging up items for weapon upgrading or selling for money. They don't seem to increase your characters speed when you ride them and they give you some wacky jumping distances.

I've watched the entirety of the game while my roommate played it and am quite glad I did not buy it (the story is good and the visuals are awesome but the battle system is highly simplistic and the whole item upgrading system too tedious (my roommate is shooting for all the ultimate weapons so he's been grinding money and items for the last week)). Sadly the game can be beaten using the original weapons you start with (showing how much it's not necessary to upgrade said items and weapons). I will agree that the baby chocobo is by far the cutest thing I've ever seen and so damn funny, it's really the only reason I was watching my roommate play it towards the end.

Considering the lack of discretion parents have these days about what they say around their kids it's not that surprising (I hear 3 year olds swearing in front of me at work). Hell I've been having adults swear around me since I was 3 and picked it up then. However, considering my dad put the fear of death in me I never swore around my mother until I was 20. I still won't swear in front of my father and I'm 24 and have moved out (goes to show how much he scares the shit out of me). As Lady and Dubie said explain to her that using those words is a no no until she's older and even then it's still disrespectful to use those words even when you're an adult. I'm sure she'll understand (then again you'll probably have to have her father say the same thing to her because if she gets mixed signals between the two of you she'll probably continue to swear).

Who's calling Rozen Maiden a girly anime? Seriously it's a manly man's anime with epic fights and awesome bouts of greatness, it'd have to be since I loved it. Ok who am I kidding, it's girly as hell but it's an awesome show. I highly suggest anyone who hasn't seen it to see it, it's really good with lots of drama and comedy (Detective Kun Kun is the win, you cannot deny this).

The jist: Very mentally scarring show is being talked about. Said show makes you think it's a normal school anime with the usual dating teens and what not. Turns out it's not, guy is hornier then most school boys and sleeps around on his "girlfriend" but is instead in love with a different girl. All of it wraps up with one of those wtf moments where you're traumatized because you saw it coming but didn't think it would happen but it did and in such a violent way they refused to show it on TV in Japan and the only way to see it was through various fansub groups that got ahold of like the showing on two networks overseas. There was a nice boat though (inside joke, most who have seen the show or have read stuff on the MAL forums know what I'm talking about). Basically it's an anime that scarred poor goku for life and is based off of a very interesting if not violent ero-game. If that confused you more then we'll leave it at that. I've seen the show and even I admit it was rather traumatizing (I watched the first 4 eps got sick of it and skipped to the last after a lot of talk about it, however I understood where it was going from my knowledge of the game). As for actually being on topic with this I have no where to go with it. Most of the animes I'd of recommended are listed. Plus I don't usually recommend anime unless I understand what exactly one is interested in (listing shows doesn't help me but genres do help).

Happy Birthday sexy pants!!!!! Make sure to do what I'd do, get shit faced drunk and get into lots of trouble (oh wait, you're probably already there )

I figured as much which was why I'm waiting for my roommate to start playing it (he's waiting until Monday to start due to a school oriented project taking up his time). Once I see a some of the game I'll make my own decision on it but a lot of other people have been saying mostly the same things about the game which is why I'm hesitant to buy it.

I'm still waiting for my roommate to play the thing so I can see it before I decide whether I buy it or I pick up Resonance of Fate instead. I was turned away from buying it when I read Dom's review of the Japanese version over at MegaTokyo (and I so looked forward to this since it was first announced all those years ago).

Holy Batman on a stick, it's Eli! What's up dude? Long time no speak. How's life been treating you?

Oh good god the relationship chart, that brings back memories X'D

I don't know whether to say I'm impressed or greatly saddened. Is it just me or does anybody else want to just set that thing on fire?

Nostalgic

Well I've finally got caught up on the show (up to series finale, after searching for two weeks for the last three episodes). Interesting last episode and Will dancing was hilarious. I really can't wait for season 3 now.

Not yet but I now know what I'm buying on my next trip to the liquor store (besides Jameson).

I've tried quite a few of them but I'm not an overly huge fan of the flavored variety of Smirnoff. Has a weird taste imo. If I'm going for flavored vodka I generally stick with Absolut or UV (insert color here). They taste better then Smirnoff does with flavor but I'm generally a traditionalist so I stick to just straight vodka (it's written into my genetics being 1/4 Ukrainian). What I really need to get my hands on is a bottle of Jameson, oh how I love me my Jameson. I think a trip to the local liquor store is in order tomorrow.