Happy New Years!

That time of the year already eh? Wow. Well 2010 was certainly an eventful one for me. Life changing to be honest, but let's keep all of this confined to my Gunpla life for the time being!  If that's even possible... the two are so intermixed now.

Last year I did this on my blog's 2nd anniversary but I've decided to do this now as... it's a new year and I feel the need to recap. Luckily my blog's anniversary isn't that far away from New Years' so I don't think it will make that much of a difference.

Jan. - I was putting up a bunch of hypothetical Gunpla battles that were actually very popular topics. Got a lot of interesting responses whilst unfortunately turning my blog into a battle zone. Decided I was going to work on the Infinite Justice which I still didn't finish *embarassing* Picked up the Advanced Hazel and finally went to Fuji Q Highland to see the 1/1 Gundam there (don't get that one confused with the Shizuoka one). Finished the Zeta C1 (which was a gift from my ex). Getting stoked about the Unicorn movie coming out. Highest month of traffic to this blog ever. Decided not to renew my Flickr Pro account.

Feb. - I was away in China and New Zealand for the better part of this month and my blog traffic sank to amazing levels. Consecutive monthly growth stopped here and never recovered. Good news is that this was when I first learned that the Musha Mark 2 was coming out. My life hasn't been the same since. Mass Effect 2 seriously took over my life and I loved every minute of it. at 120 hours of it technically.

March - Ex-gf is getting ready to leave Japan and decides then that she wants to try and build a Gundam. Cue GF Group Build which was extraordinarily fun while it lasted. New Unicorn MG released. Finished Advanced Hazel which I love to death. Working on VF-25G Messiah. HG Astraea Type F announced. Decided that it will be mine. Buy HGUC GM Quel and HGUC MP Bawoo.

April - Big changes in my personal life. Finish VF-25G. Start MG Infinite Justice. Finish GM Quel. Polled about Sengoku no Jin set for MG Musha Mk.2. 62% said it would be released soon. You were all wrong. Glad I went for it when I did. Astraea F is released and I do my first "Quick and Dirty" WIP. 23 posts that month. Record.

May - BIGGER changes in my personal life. MGIJ work, Astraea F work, 1/100 NG F-91 GET as a birthday present. Still have big plans for that. F-91 month, meet a girl who loves it. Good memories. Musha Mark 2 get. What to do with runners + women with long hair post. One of the most popular posts on this blog. Ever. 1.5 Gundam GET. HG Murasame GET. Gundam Nadleeh and Lacus Zaku Warrior HG's bought and presented to F91 girl who would later become my 'apprentice'. Met ASM and Gaigun for the first time!

June - Everything get's put on hold for the Musha Mk. 2.  1.5 Gundam finished.  Ordered some special powder recommended by Lupes that I STILL haven't used properly yet.  HGUC Zeong finished (birthday present from 2 years ago!)  Start thinking about my life's direction hardcore.

July - Bawoo finished.  Murasame finished. 1/144 Tank picked for scale.  Get the VF-27 from HLJ!  First commission of a sort.  As it turns out I'm not really fit for that type of work.  Too damned meticulous and can't get things done on a reasonable time scale.  So much **** going on in my life though...  RG RX-78-2 GET.  Break it almost immediately.

Aug. - Best UC Mobile annouced!  Sinanju!  Putting to bed the poll topics that have been up since this blogs inception.  HLJ contest.  I make a video.  I lose but it was fun!  Sinaju upgrades.  Powering away at the VF-27.  Met the Four Bloggers of the Apocolypse at the 1/1 Gundam in Shizuka!  Awesome time.  Eco Mk. 2 GET

Sept. - The year has just been insane so far.  Getting to the tail end.  Watch the HD Zeta Gundam movies.  Quality.  PG Strike Freedom annouced!  Eco-pla Mk.2 finished.  Girls Generation obsession begins. ANA Gundam GET!  Working away at the VF-27.

Oct. - Blogging legend Ngee Khiong hangs it up.  Mokei Senshi/Gunpla Builders interest starts.  VF-27 finally done but my camera work sucks large.  Screwed up the settings.  Buy a new camera but the problem was me.  Not my device.  Start another blog that's almost all about beautiful women.  Don't know why but I just wanted to become more familar with Wordpress as that's how I'm writing my post for HLJ.  HGUC Sinanju GET!

Nov. - Combat San GET.  Super Zaku GET. MG Red Frame GET. MG RX-178-2 Titans GET (now you know)  Finally fix the RG RX-78-2's leg.  I have 4 active 'assistants' all together this month.  Totally insane.  They all help me with my Gundam projects to a greater or lesser extent.  Generally just cutting parts from sprues but I finally realize that Gunpla is definitely a thing couples can do together.

Dec. - F91 girl / my #1 apprentice calls it quits for damn good reasons.  Holds my Gunpla hostage.  I rescue them later through diplomacy.  We go to the Gunpla Expo together.  MG Red Frame finished.  LOVE IT.  PG Strike Freedom GET!!! and BROKEN! and FIXED and PAINTED progress is insane on this.  Reminds me of what Gunpla used to be liked before I got bogged down in ****.  Start MG Mk.2 on New Year's Eve with newest assistant (who also helped me with PG Strike Freedom).  Number of assistants finally whittled down to a more manageable number but not without... difficulties.

So... if I have to use one picture to summarize what 2010 was like for me in Gunpla this is it.

Cell phone pic that F91 girl sent me.

Really touching stuff for me personally.  It's hard to look back on this year and not feel a bit... sentimental.  And conflicted.  Great times.  Glorious times but a lot of painful ones too.  My personal, normal life, is so intermixed with Gundam that it's hard to separate the two.  I mean it's great when someone you like takes an interest in your hobby... isn't it?

Some year.  Like a god damned whirlwind and it's over now finally.

Now 2011.  New year, new outlook, new challenges. To be honest... I'm pretty sure that the HG Nobel Gundam is going to be the last Gundam I buy for a VERY long time (until the Jesta is released someday.  I'll make an exception for that.)  Never say never but that's what it's looking like.  That, however, does NOT mean that this blog is coming to an end!

I want 2011 to be a year of when I concentrate on what I have.  Making individual masterpieces that I can be proud of and not just buying a bunch of things that I think look cool.  It won't be about 'acquiring' anymore.  It will be about 'enhancing'.  Quality over quantity.  With Gunpla.  With women.  With everything.

Besides I don't see how I can go back to paying those marked up prices in Canada that I was paying before when I've been getting Gundam for so damned cheap here for all these years.  We'll see.  I'm not closing any doors.  Just making a plan based on the information I have.

I have a month to wrap up my life here in Japan and then it's back to the motherland for a new set of challenges and adventures.

And one thing in particular that I've been looking forward to the most as far as Gunpla is concerned...

This will be the first chance ever to combine my collections back home and my collections abroad.  ALL of my Gundams will be united for the first time EVER.

And then... I will finally begin to usher in a NEW era of Plamo Addiction.

Hope you'll be along for the ride and thanks for coming this far with me.


Peace, love and continued blessings upon all for you for 2011!