Absolute beginner to gunpla, but former modeller, mainly military Tamiya kits, but we're talking previous century. I got intrigued by Gunpla due to the possibility of building without glue, paint, etc. and in fact I found this first kit fun and relaxing to build.

I understand it's an old kit, early 2000s, I picked this to start as it seemed rather simple: the thing is, I found it impossible to remove gate stems' marks without scratching and damaging even more the pieces, marring the plastic. I have brand new nipper and hobby blade, but no matter how precise the cut, marks are always visible. And sanding, no matter how fine the sand paper (tested both 500- and 1000-grit), make the overall situation even worse.

Wondering if is it possible to build a decent model without painting it...