Asphalt wrote:thats part of what looks the most off, the bright brand new shiny smooth plastic tip. if you were going to go with battle scarred why not physically scar the figure, those scars and pits you are talking about. there are dozens of ways to age and weather a piece without just making it look dirty. check out some gundam websites and use some of those techniques. weapons straffing, inpact points, laser burns, sword slashes, denting, that kind of thing.
Because phyisically scarring the model isn‘t necessary, and can negatively effect the structural integrity of the model. If US law didn’t require toy guns to have the orange tip, I would have no problem painting over it, because, yes, it does have an effect on the model, but the law requires that bright, shiny, orange tip for a reason, and I agree with that reason, which is why I kept it. Otherwise, I would have painted over that too.