>>23512858
I personally buy both IP stuff and non-IP stuff. The former is due to emotional connection as I do like Gundam lore very much.
One of my main purpose of buying toys is to create new battles, and also to view a certain MS design in a new angle especially obscure MSV stuff that get very little representation in media(HGUC D Gundam First). This also applies to me buying underutilised characters like Slaughter Dagger and Strike Noir to defeat all of ZAFT so EA will no longer be the underdog.
For non-IP stuff, there is less restriction in terms of factions and pilots and timelines, so I could use them to create any battle.
IP stuff tend to have more restriction but I could recreate hidden offscreen and what-if battles. e.g. If early batches of Light Cannons were at Jaburo fighting Zakus(GQ) and Doms. If Jeddah was formally adopted and used by the Stark Jegan ace, if Amuro used orange Zeta Plus in UC 0088, but it gets to the point where I have to have a certain character in a machine and can't put anyone else in it. So buying grunts is always more fun due to less restriction. The only reason I would buy Freedom Gundam is to get Windams to destroy it.
The Kondo Kazuhisa era fan fiction manga, PC Engine video games, RPG books brought about non canon fan made battles in UC like Return of Zeon. Giren's Greed and GQX did bring that back. Tsurumaki did categorise his work as war fiction, in the same vein as WWII fiction.
The Sheik Mainland stuff aesthetics does allude to that era plus some modern Ebikawa-ness.
My problem with 30 Minute Missions is that they are too building blocky with exposed 3mm ports with no sense of beauty and cohesion. There is no sense of character at all, just generic Sunrise style mechs with a few Front Mission Wanzers.
Having too much lore has too much restriction, having no lore doesn't feel like it serves any purpose. That's why Warhammer 40k they have all their named characters as immortal so they are relevant for any battle.
