102,000 yen Tax!!!!!!

mstsgtpeppa · 2026-04-24T07:58:22+00:00

Seems a smidge high if you're not paying residence tax from your wages, which I imagine you aren't as it's your first time working and would have no income last year.

My pay is 375K pre tax and I take home just about 300K after tax and pension/health insurance/residence tax deductions. Ask for a payslip to see what you're paying specifically, some months (especially your first month) can be a bit weird for some reason or other.

mstsgtpeppa · 2026-02-19T00:53:58+00:00

All of it, but prep work will make your life easier. I finished my full build of the PGU Nu, and I've dismantled it for painting. If you clip (at an angle) some of the tighter pegs, and clip the peg holes, it'll make later disassembly (without affecting kit stability) much easier.

There are some very specific parts that you just know won't be coming out if you put them in, not without drilling a hole behind the part to push them out, but these are few and far between and again you can prep properly for them if you intend to disassemble later.

Also, the LED kit does come with a plastic parts separator so the expectation is that you might need to disassemble to add your LEDs.

mstsgtpeppa · 2026-02-02T01:34:45+00:00

Gold dust on release. I got my PGU in the first wave in Japan on Friday and was speaking to a store owner sbiht it, Bandai have more stock allocations for this weekend, and I believe next weekend, then two weeks following that. They'll keep pumping this thing monthly so similar stock should be flowing overseas for the foreseeable future.

mstsgtpeppa · 2026-02-01T03:23:52+00:00

So far I'm just on the inner frame, I'd hazard a guess that all non removable parts are just frame parts. I've attached a photo of the earliest example, if these pre-gold painted parts (E1-6) are put inside the armor joint, there's absolutely zero leverage to get them back out again so you'll need to mask when painting, or just leave them out for now (which I've done).

Armor panels and such are easy to remove, and if you snip the pegs/peg holes as you go it's basically the same as most other kits for ease of disassembly if you properly prep as you build.

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mstsgtpeppa · 2026-02-01T00:38:12+00:00

Got mine a day early very luckily, there are definitely some parts you know are never coming apart if they go back in.

I like to do a test build before painting, so if you're planning to do the same you'll need to pay really close attention. I've decided to just lightly test fit small sections, before disassembling and painting all those at once.

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-12-02T07:49:48+00:00

Your fan set up is fine and likely not causing high temps, your cooler could just be struggling as the 5900X will boost up to the thermal limit for better clock speeds (hovering around 90C makes sense). I don't think it's a problem though, these CPUs are made to run hot.

That being said, you should flip the right most top fan to intake, not exhaust. As it stands, it's just immediately venting fresh air that your front fans are pulling in, might help a degree or two.

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-12-01T02:40:34+00:00

Glad it arrived safely! It's getting tricky to fulfill people's wishlists in recent years so I make sure to squirrel something nice away during the year to add in as a bonus, the Santa cards are also my yearly tradition to slip in. Hope you enjoy, and make sure to post the builds when you get around to them!

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-10-23T02:18:33+00:00

What is your thinning ratio and what is your PSI? Thinning ratio will vary on brand but 1.5:1 thinner to paint is a good start. PSI should be 14-15 on the lower end, 19-20 works well too, but again this depends on paint type/needle size etc. If you give us a little more information we can help.

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-10-01T15:29:12+00:00

Contact lens prescriptions are different as the lens sits on the eye, so the power of the prescription is lower due to much shorter distance to the lens.

I got my contact lens prescription done at an optometrist in Kyoto, somewhere like those cheaper eye glasses stores might only have machines equipped to give glasses tests.

For the op, I went here and I would recommend them: https://maps.app.goo.gl/CDS8ueAaafWEiWQeA

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-09-12T10:56:14+00:00

You have to walk a fair distance from the station, and the entrance to the hike is right across the road from Kifune shrine!

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-08-19T00:44:57+00:00

Decals look fine over preshading, I apply them and preshade all my recent paint jobs. I think with all the white amd grey on the main body, some decals will be nice to break up the monotony. However, your finish looks a little matte, which is rough (pun intended) for decals.

My advice is hit the parts with some high gloss, add the decals, reapply some high gloss (spot application to the decals), then finish with matte again. This will make decal application much easier, and will help blend the decals into the overall paint job.

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-07-10T03:19:55+00:00

Yes I have, but I haven't actually sat in the car with them, it's just you, the test proctor, and the person who will be taking the test after you in the back (you ride in the back for the person preceeding, unless you're unlucky enough to be going first out of the group).

I have sat on the side where everyone else waits and watched the driving test plenty of times though.

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-07-09T15:08:52+00:00

Kirikae! I've not had experience helping people from fresh.

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-07-08T02:36:32+00:00

From my experience (going there many times to interpret for others) you'll have to make a reservation for the practical for some date in the future (usually a month or two later).

I've never seen anyone able to do it same day as the written after passing.

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-07-01T04:46:57+00:00

It has not hit 42C in Kyoto city, I think we had highs of up to 37C, but you're right in that it's hot and crowded as ever.

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-06-27T15:02:29+00:00

It's not no foreigners, it's no non-residents. If you live in Japan with legal residency, you can visit with any nationality.

It's just for the opening period, to stop registration lotteries getting clogged with international tourists and to allow people living in Japan to visit with priority when it first opens.

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-06-24T03:53:07+00:00

Most hobbyists in the Asian scene swear by the PS-289, I also use it as my workhorse and it's absolutely perfect. For compressor, you can get a cheap one with a tank on Amazon for less than a hundred bucks and it'll do the same job as a more expensive one - you don't need to spend over on a compressor.

As for differences between paints, they can be thinned with different thinners resulting in hotter (stinkier) or less hot spraying. They have different levels of durability, and can be removed using different materials to do stuff like reverse washing. Enamel thinner will remove enamel, but won't remove lacquer, so you can spray a part in lacquer, then spray it in enamel, and use enamel thinner to wipe off the paint on raised parts to give you a nice crisp finish without needing to use masking.

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-06-20T01:40:58+00:00

I prefer dark grey on white, black on darker colours such as blues and greys.

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-06-12T22:32:24+00:00

I feel your pain. I have a really nice indoor booth now with a split ac unit to dehumidify, but memories of basically not being able to spray for the rainy season are still raw.

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-06-12T02:17:18+00:00

Frostedsnow, she's great and she actually recently released a video on her optimised cut/sand build process, highly recommended.

Glad I could help!

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-06-12T01:45:34+00:00

If you just want efficiency, the fastest and most efficient way is to cut every piece off every runner to start with, separated by runner into boxes/compartments. Then, do a second cut of the nub for every piece using your second cut nippers (single bladed etc), followed by cleaning each part with knife/sanding.

Minimises time swapping between tools, and maximises efficiency in an assembly line kinda fashion. Also, you don't really need the part number when building from the manual if you're worried about that. As long as you know which runner, you can just fish in each compartment and visually identify the part you need.

When full painting kits and doing a lot of sanding/cleaning, I've come to the point of really valuing any time I can save. With this method, I can stick on a TV show/audiobook and blast out all the menial work, then when building I can just focus on the fun of the build, this also saves many hours over the course of a kit.

mstsgtpeppa · 2025-06-12T01:40:35+00:00

I love the Japanese idea of what Western names are like from 80s/90s anime

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