Plamo Addiction

Sinanju "Ver.Ka" Poster

2012-02-14T14:40:00.000-05:00

Trying to scan these things and I want a proper archive of them here. Blogger won't let me upload the full file size (3200x2400) and re-sizes it down to 1600x1200. I don't really want to keep them on my Flickr because access to that is temporary. Oh well. I'll think of something.

Just talking - Early Feb 2012

2012-02-09T21:23:00.001-05:00

Well it's been a year since I've been back and I have to admit that I'm kind of surprised at the amount of gunpla I've managed to get in since I've been back. It really helps to have so many unfinished kits to work on.

Granted I’m not always doing gunpla stuff... I spent most of my time looking at other people's work but gunpla has definitely been a consistent thing during the past year. Off and on. There’s always something to work on.

Recently it’s been trying to improve my photo taking ability and that really hasn’t worked out so well due to my lighting situation and generally how I like to take shots.I generally do it with one lamp light and it tends to flood the shot and cause some saturation making things 'glow'. Maybe there are some settings on my camera for it but... yeah.

My talent is in making models not photographing them. I can’t be bothered with the setup. I’m kind of a guerrilla photographer like that. I want to get the angles, the poses, keep my hands steady and go for it. I don't like spending a lot of time setting things up. It’s hard to get the angles I want with a tripod (even though I have one) so it all comes down to a cool hand in my case. What makes matters worse is that I generally shoot low light shots which just compounds the damage. What to do...Oh well.

Here’s a shot that I quite like of the White Demon and Ebon Enforcer, plus some shots of Elenor and Shino combination mode I called Elenor Assault Setting. Painting will be happening on both kits sooner than later. My sister said she wants my pink armour parts because she wants to go for purple and pink would be a good base for that. If I can keep the blue parts I may keep most of it as is and just do some highlights, detailing and panel lining. We're both gonna sit on the idea for a bit.

hm.. same camera but different light settings. It's definitely my lighting setup that's the problem.

Got something planned for the dark face too.

A bit blurry and saturated. Can't quite get it right with this lamp.

Jestas 2 - Main Assembly Complete

2012-01-27T02:01:00.000-05:00

All done and it was a lot of fun. Prepping the parts wasn't so enjoyable but it has to be done. Nubs all over my clothes. On the desk. In the box. On the table. On the carpet. Sanding. Blah. Messy.

But it was a nice opportunity to enjoy listening to music, talking to friends or family, watching stuff on TV. Sometimes I wonder if it's not the Gundam's so much as being able to do the other things at the same time.

No way. It's the Gundam's! But it really is such a relaxing hobby sometimes... I've learned a lot of stuff while building Gundam's and goodness knows it helps with women because they can just keep talking and I can actually pay attention to what they're saying because I'm doing something else at the same time. Weird how that works. Can't give a woman your full attention. That's just ridiculous! (jk to all my female readers.)

Anyways, onward! To the pics!

After the cleaning I brought out all the parts and organized them by section. Guess work but when you've built as many Gundam's as I have this part is actually pretty easy.

Very fun! Trying to think of names and which one is going to be #1 and which one is going to be #2. Hard to decide since they were both made at exactly the same time and parts from either box have been intermixed.

Oh yeah! Alternate configuration. Ngee and I don't have anything in common there. I NEVER want to do it the standard way like it is on the box. I'm going to switch it up if I can. I need to do it my way.

U.C. 0096 Big Boss. I have 6 suits from that era now and they are all GREAT.

Tag Team Champions

Sinanju vs. Jestas x2. Who wins?

Yes!

Totally worth it!!!

Jestas - 1: Pre-production

2012-01-23T01:06:00.000-05:00

Alright time to get started. For this build I've decided to just cut everything off of the runners first and then sort out the details later. Here are shots of all the parts plus the runners they came from.

Ho ho this one is made in Japan. Kotobukiya stuff is made in China. At least that's what I learned from building Elenor.

Here are all the Jesta parts, minus polycaps and poly hands.

All parts for both Jestas

Quite a mass of plastic here... Next step is to remove the nubs. Gonna scrape and sand all of these.

In the meantime stored in the Crown Royal bag. Hope I don't lose anything! If I do... serves me right for doing it like this.

I did do a fair bit of work tonight while watching a special about Morgan Freeman's life. Quite inspirational. You know that guy didn't really become successful until he was in his 50's! I know all of us are relatively young so that just goes to show you... life can have a lot in store down the road. Our best days might actually be ahead of us!

More to come.

4 Years

2012-01-22T02:46:00.000-05:00

Yep it's been that long already. I won't make some long winded post this time... Anyone whose been reading this blog already knows most of the story but here's a quick recap of the past year of Plamo Addiction. Sorry no links. It's all there on the sidebar if you want to know the details.

Jan - My last of month of 8 years in Japan. It was a hard and busy time but an amazing one. Packing up my kits and posters preparing them for the voyage across the Pacific to meet relatives they've never seen before. It was also the last time I met fellow Gunplars ASM and Gaigun and had a great time in Osaka enjoying many beverages, food, discussions and all things Gundam. I'd bought the PGSF the month before and continued work on that up until it was time to leave. I bought my last few kits (MG Mk.II ver.2, GN Sword IV Full Saber Kit, HGUC ZGok Experiment, HG Nobel, 1/144 Nataku, ANA OO a gift from ASM and Graham's Union Flag, a gift from Gaigun) got rid of as much unnecessary plastic as I could and finally left the Land of the Rising Sun, a place which I'd called home for yearly a decade! さようなら and 本当にありがとうございました! Looking back on it getting that many kits in a month, considering what I paid was truly luxurious. I had no idea how much my life would change in that department.

Feb - I bought the new HGUC GM Custom at Narita on my way back. The last Gundam that I'd buy with my own hands and money. The end of an era. I did one of my first reviews if not my first actual proper one. I had time and space now living back at home. A lot of time and space but how to use them? My Gundam's ended up being absorbed into my mom's doll collection while I sorted it all out. I didn't do much Gunpla but I kept following the news and did a couple back posts on the PGSF and some other smaller kits, HGUC Sinanju, RG RX-78-2, ANA 00 and RX-78-2 Gundam while also talking about new/upcoming releases, MG Epyon, Shenlong and HGUC Dreissen which was a lovely surprise for me.

March - Decided to follow through on the polling results and picked the MG Exia as one of the next kits that I'd work on.

And you know what... I'm just going to stop there. Too much really happened to recap. This post will read like a boring novel if I keep going. And I don't want to bore myself. Because if I do that I'll stop and nothing will happen. (See fall posts for 2011)

Which brings me to something I want to talk about now for this 4th year anniversary post. Unfinished business and finishing it.

I'm going to try and do that. Progress has been slow. A lot has happened. And not just to me. A lot of my fellow bloggers have slowed down or all but disappeared. Things have changed. People have moved on with their lives. Children. School. Work. Moving. Natural disasters. Accidents. Deaths. Births. Life.

All that stuff plus paints, airbrushes, putty, camera settings, lighting, tripods, tools, competitions, plastic. Our chosen hobby.

Man I've been gone for a while. Forgot what it was like to write again. Well let's see if I can't get a feel for this blogging thing again.

No longer a blog about Japanese experiences with this hobby. Now we do it entirely from North America. Think I've got a handle on how to do it here now. It's so nice to have the space to spread the army out finally. No one has to stay in boxes anymore. One mech at a time... they have have a place now and I'm happy about that.

But let's start this new year in my blog and in my Gunpla life with a project that I've been looking forward to for some time.

Jestas

Aas is my custom when starting a new build, let us first bring out the honour guard to welcome our new brothers into our midst. Every project has an overseer and for this it is the HGUC Unicorn Gundam. It's only right. The Jesta units were made from Unicorn data to protect and supplement that suit. I now also have a lovely Phatasy Star maid-bot so she will probably be present during the sanding/cutting/cleaning process. Thank you Elenor. Your first job.

Also present are Hazel and GM Quel as brother units and also as predecessors to the Jesta design and scheme. We always give respect to those that came before us here.

So here we are. Enter: Year 4.

Jesta parts are kept in the black Crown Royal bag.

Been a while...

2011-12-28T18:52:00.001-05:00

Well there's a lot to say but let's just start with this.

All Christmas gifts. This is what's coming. No I haven't given up making models but now that I've finished Skyrim maybe you'll be seeing me blogging a bit more. I'm already starting the process of getting back into it. If you're still around and reading this... thanks for your support. Things certainly got a bit crazy in September. The same day the Gauntlet finished I got a new job and couple that with exhaustion from that project and some awesome games (Uncharted 1,2 and 3, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Modern Warfare 3, Skyrim and I tossed Heavenly Sword in there just to check it out, quite good actually)... took me away from modelling until Gaigun's GMII came in the mail and that kind of stoked the plastic fire under me to get back into things.

Time's up I guess.

Oh I also can't forget the new paints I got as well (also a Christmas gift)! A new hobby shop opened up down the street from me (providence?!) and they sell all my old paints I used in Japan plus some other stuff that I couldn't get there.

So some new stuff to look forward to in 2012. There's also a lot going on my fb page so if you haven't checked it out yet get on it and you can start to fill in the blanks. While I've been away from blogging I haven't been away from Gundam and fb was just so fast and easy so that's what I gravitated toward. Check the link on the sidebar.

Anyway... more to come! Hope you'll continue with me on this journey.

Merry Christmas and Happy New year to you all!

Just Talking - Early October 2011

2011-10-07T05:33:00.000-04:00

Fall has come.

The days of summer lightning have long passed. I feel like I've been away for a while.

Not necessarily away from Gundam but away from this blog. That was intentional. I decided to force myself to focus on other things in my life. It was something that needed to be done. And I'll have to do it again this month.

I don't want to leave this hobby behind. And I won't but I'm in a transitional phase in my life right now and I have to focus on whats happening now. If September is any indication then October will also be a very busy time for me. It's funny. I picked up this hobby during the most stable time in my life. And I haven't really been able to shake it.

If I was still in Japan I'd still be buying kits like crazy, just because of accessibility and honestly because of habit. I am addicted. Let the title of this blog remain forever as a reminder of that.

But like any addict when you've been forced away from your 'trigger' you find a way to make do and I guess I've done that.

But the longing...

August Photo Dump

2011-09-19T21:35:00.001-04:00

2-DSC_1384, a photo by Busterbeam on Flickr.

Behind schedule as usual...

RGM-96X Jesta

2011-09-08T03:11:00.000-04:00

If there's a day that I regret not living in Japan anymore it's today.

I must have it. I MUST have it!

July Gundam Pics

2011-09-05T17:29:00.003-04:00

9, a photo by Busterbeam on Flickr.

Long over due but here's the file dump! Check it out!

Gauntlet - Epilogue 1

2011-09-05T03:50:00.000-04:00

I will be posting the same message on my blog and at GAF as well just so that everyone is on the same page.

***

Time for the text wall.

An overdue post but a necessary one. I put off writing it until I had the time to do so. My life became a lot busier on the last day of August with new job orientation and starting work the very next day on Sept.1. Couple that with plans for the long weekend and you have me out of commission for a while.

I want to thank all of you for your patience. I know I haven’t been much of a leader for this as I don’t post nearly as much as some others do but I have to admit that this GB has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience even though I left everything for the last minute and severely under estimated the amount of time it would take.

I tried a lot of new techniques on this build. Namely all the masking work using tape and masking solution (which worked surprisingly well). This was also the first time that I tried using a gradient paint scheme and also doing some mods with pla-plate to reshape and essentially shorten a few select pieces.

I enjoyed tackling such a huge project and I will be the first to admit that I’m quite pleased with the end result… while at the same time admitting that there is still a lot of work left to be done on this to get it to my own personal standard of excellence in gunpla! Haha. Still though I count this as completed as the essential parts are done. It’s definitely battle ready.

However I must admit, if I am to be strict to the rules, I failed this test. I didn't complete everything. Some touch ups need to be done, I didn't do enough decals, and finally as complete assembly approached I decided to repaint some sections and change the scheme. So I have to say... to be honest with myself and to take responsibility as leader, I'm not sure if my Gundam should be in the same ranks as the others. But since this is my show I'm giving myself a PASS because of one thing alone. The feeling of PURE satisfaction I felt when it was totally assembled and ready to sortie! This is why I make models! That feeling! Pride? Maybe. But that is something that all of us as modellers earn and can own! I'll will own that. There's nothing wrong with taking pride in your work! *okay need to relax. getting too excited*

There’s so much to say so I should probably just break it up into sections of what I’d like to address:

1. The GB itself and how it started.

2. The participants and what they’ve made

3. The concept of “Theta +” / Design notes – Original concept / “The Gauntlet”

4. Connection with Strike and Red Frame

5. Technical issues of the build process and the kit itself

6. Final comments

I will respond to each of these things in time. Call me verbose but you don’t have to read it. I, on the other hand, feel compelled to write about it since this blog is a chronicle of my experiences with this hobby. If I don’t mention it here it will never be mentioned at all. Let it rest in the digital archives.

I know that over time enthusiasm for projects can diminish quite quickly. I’m sure a lot of us are eager to jump into our new projects. I know lupes is already hard at work on the PG Wing and Gaigun is working on any number of kits simultaneously… it’s hard to know what he’s going to focus his attention on next! ASM will probably be concentrating on his new son. We certainly did miss his presence in this GB but seriously… priorities.

Anyway this whole GB started in early May with me coming home after a night of drinking and looking on the internet at lupes PG Strike Freedom. I remembered talking to ASM and Gaigun about ours a couple of months earlier when we’d met in January and it got me to thinking about the Sinanju GB that we did during the “Evil Cow” days. So I sent a message to all of them + Sonar at GAF asking what they thought and low and behold here we are now. Sonar brought a tremendous amount of talent and resources to table. Not to mention the forum itself! A key player in all of these so major props to you brother!

Now for those of you who may be wondering what this whole Apocalypse thing is, it started last year when myself, ASM, GaiGun and Gundam Guy all went to see the 1/1 Gundam together in Shizuoka. I can’t remember who coined the phrase (GaiGun I think) but it stuck. That said GG has never done a GB with us but lupes has so he becomes the fourth in that situation I guess. I liken it to Voltron when Lance had to step out of being pilot for the Red Lion and Sven came in. At least I think that’s how it went! haha

Anyway, ASM commented on how I threw down the gauntlet to all of them and somehow we started joking about the Gauntlet of the Apocalypse and there you have it. Humble beginnings… but I’m so extremely proud of what it’s become, with the banners and the videos and the support and so many others jumping in and building along with us. Your names will never be forgotten except for… what’s his name again? You know… that guy. That did the thing? J

I thought that having a deadline would be important because if it was left open ended who knows when we’d finish. Motivation can be lost, people can get side tracked. Life happens. It happened to some of us during the process of this GB and some had to bow out because of it. A mixture of happy and sad news... My issues weren’t familial but more concerned with my career. Still though I managed to push through it and make the time to get it done. Because of the deadline and when I actually committed myself to working on the PGSF steadily… I was basically forced to streamline my build process. I became a lot more efficient and by the end of it, doing a full Perfect Grade kit with paint job seems like something I can manage relatively well now. This was my first time to ever try and complete such a task. And I’m proud of that and the results so I’m glad that this GB gave me that experience and consequent skill upgrade. The lesson I learned from that was; “Intimidating tasks can be overcome with steady progress.”

Anyway, even though this GB is officially over, I’d like to leave this topic open for future modellers who wish to try their hand at the PGSF or to any of the participants who completed it but may eventually feel the need to go back and do some touch ups later. Just because the deadline has passed doesn’t mean that we have to stop learning from each other or helping others who come in late. So now I’d like to openly invite ANYONE who has ever finished a PGSF or is working on one to post their work in the topic at GAF so we can all help each other and see what type of creativity is out there. I’d love to see some more custom schemes. If this topic is any indication I’m sure there are still some great ones out there waiting to be discovered. Or created.

I’ll just leave it there for now… I’m a completionist so I do intend on mentioning all the things above in due course but I know how intimidating a giant wall of text can be so… like I’m building a model it will be done in incremental steps until it’s all finished.

Thanks again everyone. None of this would have been possible without you. You are all key players in this and I thank you all for your time, support, dedication and enthusiasm!

Finished but we move ever onward!

Theta is the 8th letter of Greek alphabet.

Theta +

2011-09-01T00:06:00.000-04:00

That's what I'm calling it. And I think it is the most insane Gundam I have ever made.

The time has come...

2011-08-30T22:03:00.001-04:00

I started this guy a long time ago. About 9 months. Early-Mid December 2010 is when I first got him and first did the unboxing ceremony with all my PG's present, saluting what would be their new leader. The most advanced, newest and most majestic Perfect Grade amongst them... The one called "Strike Freedom". That time in my life and now seem like polar opposites. So much can change in less than a year! Complete life upheaval in my case. And these poor guys were taken along for the ride. Caught in the great Tohoku earthquake, beaten and battered by tsunami waves, never mind the regular rigors of international transport across half the planet...

But they survived. WE survived. The family is all together again. So as it began... so shall it end! Honour Guard!!! Salute!!!

Mark II. My first PG ever. Bought him in my first year in Japan so he's a Chiba/Tokyo kid through and through. This guy has had the **** kicked out of him over the years but he's still standing and still looking good! I've always been so proud of him.

Zeta. Hand was lost to the Great Tohoku Earthquake of this year. But he made it home basically in one piece but a bit broken. Had to do some repair work to get him to this stage. Bought him during my 2nd stage in Japan and finished him in my 3rd. Started in Kasugai, Saitama - finished in Matsusaka, Mie.

Red was in the most amount of pieces but he's almost completely intact minus some minor breakage in the ankle area. Bought in the place that would become my 2nd home in Japan, Nagoya - Aichi at Bic Camera during the "heyday" of my time in Gunpla. 4th stage of my life in Japan.

Strike. Almost as good as the day I first bought him. He's been waiting a long time for "Big Bro" to arrive. Bought in Matsusaka, Mie and finished there. He's the country boy or 田舎物 (inakamono) of the group. He would get an upgrade later when his twin brother Red stepped into the picture.

The Throne. Made for he that I would acquire during my 5th and final life in Japan or my 2nd life in Nagoya. Completed during the transitional phase back into Canadian life.

Indeed... The Gauntlet has finally come to it's conclusion... Time truly does wait for no man. All of these mechs mirror parts of my lives. I can see my whole time in Japan by looking at each of them. 8 years worth of experience and memories. It's not just about building robots for me... It's about the memories associated with them... so I just want to take this time right now to thank all the participants of this group build for helping me forge new memories in my new/old home.

One day left! ONWARD!!!

Late August - Moving hard on the PGSF

2011-08-25T03:57:00.001-04:00

Time's running out but I think I can really do this provided my commitment stays as it's been recently.

But this is kind of the best part! I can see it now! And I want to see it ALL. This is when it gets kind of crazy for me. The big pushes, working through the night. Not because of deadlines but because of excitement. It's one of the things I love about this hobby. All that patience. All that time. Never really knowing what it's going to look like in the end when you cut that first piece from the gate! What am I making? And somehow it comes together in all of it's complexity. And creativity.

Anyways to cut it all short... I'm ****ing stoked about this thing now!

He will be a welcome addition to the family!

Just Talking - Mid-late Aug 2011 - PGSF

2011-08-20T03:07:00.001-04:00

This blog needs an update but I'm so busy working on stuff that I don't have time to update really. But I'll tell you this... 3 painted suits in 6 months is kind of a record for me. It's nice getting into a pattern while learning new stuff along the way. My biggest issue right now is finding what type of thinner works with what brand of paint.

To be honest with you... I'm thinning a lot of this with water and naptha based lighter fuel. I can get it in bulk and it's cheap. Relatively. I mean compared to the brand name thinners. If you got your chemistry right you can save a lot of money. I have to run a series of paint tests with 4 different solvents before I can start spraying. Sometimes the chemistry actually works out and I can get a decent... atomization?

Here's where I am now.

This is the Gauntlet.

2011-08-07T03:08:00.001-04:00

3 more weeks to go? Gotta push this. Still working out the scheme. This one is going to be crazy folks. Just a warning.

The Countdown Begins!

2011-07-31T18:14:00.000-04:00

What an awesome video by Kjasi! Great job man!

Whoo! Getting really excited for this!

HGUC Jesta

2011-07-25T14:33:00.000-04:00

Oh yes. Finally. Must have. Hell I might even get two or three of them!

MG Exia - 2nd Stage - Complete

2011-07-24T05:21:00.000-04:00

VS.

No I'm not done with it yet... but I'm done for now. There's a certain Gauntlet I have to take care of.

MG Exia - Supplemental

2011-07-22T00:49:00.001-04:00

Let's go!!! Almost there!

MG Exia - WIP 6 - Painting

2011-07-19T02:42:00.000-04:00

Lotta pics so I'm just going to let them do the talking. You can probably figure it out. Will talk about the paints I used and the painting process in a bit more detail in the coming posts.

Before

After

Good old hockey stick!

Getting close to the assembly stage... But of course there are still a lot of little details to do... and then natural extension of that is choosing which ones are a worth the effort. Gonna start with the decals soon.

MG Exia - WIP 5 - Putty

2011-07-15T20:51:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned before I've always always hated the feet for this thing. Impractical design with too many moving parts that don't really do anything. The feet look nice but they've sacrificed functionality. I'm going to change that. After closer inpection of the joint for the "toe" I concluded that it's too much work to increase the range of movement because of the joint shape and placement. But I suppose some movement is better than none (unless it's too loose) so I'm going to leave that as is. If it becomes a problem I'll glue it in place.

Thank you, Seven6398 for this pic! As you can see the heel doesn't exactly extend all the way to the edges. It's not such a big deal but I did have some balance problems occasionally. This is a specifically 00 series type of design so I'm going to change it to make it more conventional.

Using the only type of putty I have. I don't know what type it is but it's the type where you mix a green and white one together to make this.

After it hardened, it's time to shave and sand. Note the lack of symmetry.

Then I primed. Sanded and painted.

It's not perfect. I didn't manage to make the edges as sharp as I wanted to and some of the edges where slightly rounded. Instead of re-puttying I just rounded off the opposing side to make it even. It's just the feet and they're going to be painted black. I can let this go. Like I often say, when it comes to modelling sometimes you just have to choose your battles and let stuff go otherwise you'll never finish. At least if you're a modeler like me. I haven't test fitted it yet to see if it works. More to come!

ANA Unicorn Gundam

2011-07-12T18:15:00.000-04:00

Another late post but one made in the interest of thoroughness. I did finish the ANA Unicorn Gundam some time ago but I don't think I ever got around to posting pics of it here. The full gallery can be found at the links at the bottom of any of the photos.

From ANA Unicorn Gundam

Beautiful kit. So glad I managed to get my hands on one! Definitely one of the high points of my collection.

GM Cannon II

2011-07-10T04:38:00.000-04:00

Honestly this is what I was waiting for...

The regular one was killing me with that light blue base and dark green armour. Hard to look at it. I can deal with it on the GM Custom because that's just the colour of the suit but it don't think the contrast with the dark green armour on the GM Cannon II is good at all. Hurt my eyes man seriously. But this... I don't know what to say. I feel such a sense of relief.

From who? Top guy on the side bar is the source. Check him out!

Just Talking - Early July 2011

2011-07-06T05:03:00.000-04:00

Well... might as well give you a summary. For those who like to read here's your recap.

I am still whittling away at the kits I've got here. In progress are MG Exia, HGUC GM Command and PG Strike Freedom.

Currently at work on Exia, GM, Strike in that order.

Shenlong was fun. Titanium Finish was great. Decals finished on the ANA 00.

Brought a bunch of the army out of their boxes. Still about half to go so that means... God help me... about 40 kits.

But I'm plugging away. You all know life gets in the way sometimes.

Still... great stuff is coming out constantly and right now I'm talking about the Gundam Wing kits.

Honestly I'm loving these things. Not because I'm a fan of the series and not because it was the first Gundam series that I ever saw... speaking as a North American... but because... the kits are ****ing awesome.

Wing, Shenlong and now... Epyon which to be completely honest... has impressed me a lot. I love that thing.

So I want to make a couple of special posts today. Special in my opinion. One I saw from Gundam Guy.

Blue Epyon. Lovely. This is why I love modeling. Doing stuff like this.

The second is from a modeler that I've had... a kind of infutation with for some time and this time she has really and truely blown me away. I'm SO glad that they actually interviewed her for this project. This girl SHOULD be as popular if not more so than Mariemon but... where is her blog? Anyway just an awesome awesome Shenlong. I shouldn't be surprised that it comes from her but I am. I can tell you now... in some cases appearance doesn't matter. Whoever this woman is I love her. Damn. Also from G.G.

Wing and Double Beam Trident! + Semi Nataku colour scheme!

Double FUNCTIONAL and EXTENDABLE Dragon Fangs?! *explodes* Channeling some Virsago here maybe?

PLUS the TAIL?! omg

Seriously, I'm shocked. This model has made a HUGE impression on me for one and to find that it's from a modeler that I've really liked for a while...

Can you imagine if your gf made Gundams like that? That's crazy! All I'm going to say is that I hope she's with a man that can appreciate what she does! Because if she isn't that's just a straight tragedy.

So I'm going to take this moment now to profess my love in public.

上原さん．あなたの事全く知らないけど...大好きです！

June Photo Dump

2011-07-04T01:33:00.001-04:00

256995_216876398345688_100000699887470_700008_2146374_o, a photo by Busterbeam on Flickr.

Beginning of the month so I gotta start over again! Check out some of these pics!

陸ガンダム

2011-07-02T15:22:00.001-04:00

陸ガンダム, a photo by sandrum on Flickr.

This is such an awesome picture. Love this type of stuff.

Red Army

2011-06-30T02:41:00.000-04:00

If you've been a reader here for any length of time you know the story behind these. No links to that. I'm going to leave that in the past where it belongs.

The crew is slowly coming out of their boxes. One Gundam, one shot! No retakes!

MG Titanium Finish RX-78-2 - Complete

2011-06-29T01:41:00.000-04:00

It was a true joy to make this. Some of the nub marks were really terrible so I used what Gundam Markers I had to help make it look slightly better. I did a lot of work on the frame for this model and spent a lot of time on the little details. As I mentioned before this was a going away present from my volleyball team so I wanted to do it justice. Here are some pics.

MG Exia - WIP 4 - Shoulders

2011-06-27T23:43:00.001-04:00

Let's just get right to it.

After I shaved the excess putty off, I hand sanded with 180 grit to get it down to the level I wanted it at. In hindsight, I needed this to be flat so I should have used one of my files or sanding sticks. My mistake.

I have a choice of two types of extra vent parts. Wave or Kotobukiya. I used the Kotobukiya ones for a similar mod with my Infinite Justice. Because of the area I'm working with the Wave vents seemed like a better option.

I flat sanded the back of the vents and glued them in place using Tamiya Extra Thin Cement (basically the only cement I use now). It doesn't fit exactly flush. There is a slightly less than 0.5mm gap at the top of the vents. So again, in hindsight, I should have either sanded the shoulders flat or attached the vents when the putty was still malleable and pushed it all the way down in order to leave no gaps. I'll know better next time! Either way... it's barely noticeable and it definitely passes my inspection. At this point, mods to the shoulders are essentially completed.

MG Exia - WIP 3 - Refining

2011-06-26T23:56:00.000-04:00

This is where we were last time.

I decided to come back to this after working on and finishing a couple of smaller projects that I've yet to post about. I kinda went through some **** last week but hopefully it will leave me more focused for what's coming up.

Anyway, sorry for the lack of posts recently... but I haven't been idle during that time. Let's take a look.

After the hacking and cutting the edges were left a bit rough.

All the rough edges were fixed. Either shaved or sanded down.

I love this type of work. The refining. I used 180 grit sandpaper to take it down and then my exacto knife to make sure the edges were up to my standards. I'm happy with how it looks now. Pics of the finished product to come later.

More cutting!

Putty to fill in the gaps and even out the surface.

I used a bit of the left over putty on the feet. I'm probably going to have to add more to this later. A little bit of putty goes a long way! I just shaved off a couple of thin slices but it ended up being more than I needed so I was searching for ways to use it. Then I remembered the feet. More about that later. Now it's just a waiting game.

Old friends

2011-06-15T03:33:00.000-04:00

Since I have a bit more time than I thought to finish the GM Command I'm going to go back and finish something I should have done long ago. I was working on this and then the earthquake hit and I just kinda forgot all about it... Time to wrap it. That's what this era is about. Wrapping it up and finishing kits!

MG Shenlong - WIP 7 - Finished Painting

2011-06-13T02:14:00.000-04:00

Old hockey stick and electrical tape. This is my way.

PGSF hand is in there by accident.

Fangs? These have got to go. I cut them off.

HGUC - GM Command

2011-06-11T23:35:00.001-04:00

GAF Grunt MS GB!

Something is coming for you!

Decided.

I've spent a couple hours thinking about it. Which suit to use. Scheme. Story. Concept. Modifications. Specifications.

I decided to jump into this one first because the deadline is sooner than the PGSF GB. Beginning of August as opposed to the 1st of September. That said I hope to finish this before Canada Day which is July 1st. Yeah... ambitious. Where did that come from? I never could finish kits in a timely manner. Well that before. And this is now.

Doing the MG Shenlong in under a month showed me that I could do it and now that I'm back in Canada and it's summer the game has changed. I find more things constantly in this place that help me with my modelling. In fact my mom was nice enough to fix up my modelling station for me with some more equipment!

Also... I have a LOT of free time. That helps more than anything. Gonna enjoy this life and this time while I have it! This is all transient. It'll be over before I know it... anyways...

Onward! Gundam Australia Forums - Ode to Cannon Fodder. Grunt Mobile Suit Group Build! Here we go!!!

Respect your tools

2011-06-11T05:22:00.002-04:00

And they will serve you well.

お疲れ様です．

This project is over. Time to clean it up! Thank you for all your hard work! *bows*

This is why I love airbrushing. One whole kit and tons of leftover paint. Trying to be economical here! Clear Green exploded over the Pacific Ocean.

ありがとうございました！

New project so it's time to dismantle this bad boy for cleaning. Onward!

And now for the purification process.

MG Shenlong - WIP 6 - Greens

2011-06-10T04:47:00.000-04:00

Preface? Unnecessary.

This was fun. The model is simple enough so that it doesn't feel very daunting.

3 types of green

Had some tone trouble. Matching parts weren't sprayed exactly the same. I would need to go back and correct it again later. Kinda got held up with that otherwise I would have been done sooner.

Simple enough. Can't believe how much fun I'm having. This is what it's all about! Watching these things come alive!

MG Shenlong - WIP 5

2011-06-09T02:01:00.003-04:00

Just trying out different back grounds. I did nothing to the white armour. Just left it as is as I'm prone to do. I'm not finicky about my whites unless we're talking about my t-shirts and socks.

Sometimes when you're making Gunpla you gotta make some cinnamon rolls too. What? You don't do that?!

Which one of the backgrounds do you like and why? Any opinions? Just curious.

MG Shenlong - WIP 3

2011-06-08T00:17:00.012-04:00

Going backwards now just to fill in the gaps so bare with me. After I sprayed the frame again I decided to work from the bottom up as usual.

Regular Krylon black for the feet + chrome silver for the vents and smaller parts.

Lining parts in Testors enamel black. Cleaned up with a cotton swab dabbed in enamel thinner. Came out very clean. I also painted some of the vents here in chrome as well.

Tried to make each step as solid as I could. Well... within reason.

MG Shenlong - WIP 4 - Hands

2011-06-06T03:16:00.001-04:00

Although I'm basically done there are still a couple of things I still want to do. Refining the hands are one of them.

Hate that "webbing" in between the fingers. Dragon or not that has got to go.

180 grit sand paper, 0.1 mm micro file and exacto-knife

Saw, shave, saw, shave, shave, saw, saw, shave, sand, sand, shave.

Now I can relax. Sometimes you gotta do these things!

Plamo Addiction Tradition

2011-06-05T04:14:00.000-04:00

Why?

Because. That's just how we do it.

MG Shenlong - Paints

2011-06-04T02:55:00.002-04:00

Not the best picture to show off the paint scheme but... The Dragon. That's all I'm going to say.

Here's the run down basically.

Testors Green (Armour), Jade Green (Metallic - armour secondary colour), Gold (trim) - Enamel
Tamiya Chrome Silver, Clear Green (on the skirts - tough to even this out but looks great) Gold flake (shield) - Acrylic

Black base coat. Same grey base coat in there too. Both enamel sprays. Testors is grey and Krylon Fusion is black.

MG Shenlong - Finished!

2011-06-03T19:02:00.000-04:00

Skipping ahead because I can't wait! I have to share this immediately!

I love this kit! I'm telling you... the Dragon Fang has got to be one of the best ideas ever. Love it! More to come!

May Gundam

2011-06-01T15:44:00.002-04:00

DSC07550, a photo by Busterbeam on Flickr.

You know what this is. Flickr has been updated!

New Gundam Life

2011-05-30T04:02:00.003-04:00

This is what it's all about. Nothing new for the fb folks sorry. The blog readers need to see this too.

Resurrection Process 2

2011-05-28T03:49:00.000-04:00

Rise from your graves!!!

I allowed myself only one shot to get it right. No retakes. This is the result. Everybody gets their own picture! They're all special to me.

Lotta guys are coming up out of the boxes. More than half are out... Gonna have to start prepping a bigger space.

MG Exia - WIP 2 - Scoring and Cutting

2011-05-26T02:44:00.000-04:00

Because it's gotta be done.

Hack and slash. Gotta fit these onto the shoulder frame and check the lines again. Re-assess.

MG Shenlong - WIP 2

2011-05-24T02:11:00.000-04:00

Technically this would be WIP 1. WIP 2 is just me spraying the whole frame again with the same acrylic chrome silver.

Made sure to hit the joints properly... of course almost all of it gets covered up but I do this on principle not for practically. If there's one thing I've noticed about my building process it's that I consistently build the entire frame first and then attach the armour to it. I look at them as separate entities so I almost never follow the build process in the manual. I love seeing the frame before I launch into the armour section. Long time readers will have noticed that with me. I don't know why I do it that way. All I know is that I have to do it that way.

What came before.

What comes now.

Recap: First I sprayed on runner. Cut, nub work, assemble. Paint does come onto my fingers as I do this. Spray again, same colour hitting trouble spots and joints. Tissue in the cockpit so Wu-Fei doesn't get hit.

Next: Armour time starting at the bottom and working up. Also something I always do. I don't know why. I'm going to stop questioning it. It is what it is.

The end?!

2011-05-21T03:04:00.006-04:00

This is why everyone should have a Valkyrie. Raptures comes and then everyone can just hop in the cockpit and head out into space.

I don't know what we'd do once we got there but one step at a time.

Celebrate your life - Exodus

2011-05-20T05:22:00.000-04:00

Day's finally winding down. I did everything totally randomly. Spur of the moment with no plans. The overcast skies finally opened for me. Literally. More randomness and then back to normal. Maybe.

And now the time of Taurus comes to an end bringing in the twins, the dichotomy, the duality, the balance. Gemini's your time is now.

Celebrate your life - supplemental

2011-05-19T14:59:00.015-04:00

Source: As per request. This one as well. Sorry I couldn't find that lit up forearm. I found it on facebook but just can't remember where. If anyone knows please share as I'd like to give the artist his props too.

oh! welcome back!

Celebrate your life.

2011-05-19T05:26:00.000-04:00

Not just today or on your birthday but everyday. Especially when you don't feel like doing it. Today is my birthday btw. So... we need LIGHTNING! And MECHA!

For on this day... chaos was released on Earth!!! Well... uh... maybe just on this blog.

more electrons please

that would be some birthday present. i dont think id even need cake.

Guess what I started watching again...

2011-05-17T22:01:00.005-04:00

You're perfect for Hiro. Alway so serious.

I laughed out loud a couple times at the cheesiness but it is pretty good! This was the first Gundam series I ever watched. I remember being so excited about it because I had some models but had NO idea what the story was about at all or where they even came from. If you haven't seen it I do recommend it.

PGSF - Wing Fix - Ver. Busterbeam

2011-05-16T23:07:00.003-04:00

Don't think I ever did post a follow up to this problem so here it is now that the GB has officially started.
The pics kind of explain everything. If you aren't aware of the breakage/weight problems, check this out.

Ver. Sephiroth

1mm drilling as usual.

+ cement and epoxy putty

Drilling

Ended up using 4 for strength

Then puttied

Then shaved and sanded. In hindsight I should have left a bit more on for strength but I wanted to make sure that it fit properly.

Works!

Actually I should say that it worked. It would later come loose and it disconnected. It didn't break again... but it is possible for it to slide out and it does sag a bit. It will stay in place but structurally it's not very sound.

I will probably revisit this again as I'd like to fix all the problems with the wings but a lot of it is beyond me. The dragoons snapping open at the slightest touch plus the fully extended wings not really being able to support their own weight... what to do there?

Someone made a sarcastic comment here about how all problems with the model are the fault of the modeler. I disagree. Sometimes things are just designed badly. I think the PGSF wings are ingenious but are actually a little too smart for their own good.

Some of the locking mechanisms featured on the PG00 would have been really useful here. No wonder the price for the PGSF has dropped so much!

My Newest MG

2011-05-14T22:37:00.000-04:00

The pics say it all.

Sprayed with Tamiya acrylic X11 Chrome Silver on runner just because it was easy to do and can get to some parts that are hidden later. It's good but it could definitely use another coat... which it will get.

I have to admit that I really like this frame. It's simple and it's sturdy. I like the round shield and I also like the fact that the Dragon Arm also has it's own frame. I'm treating it less as a weapon and more as a part of the suit itself. Very enjoyable experience.

He loves the Gunpla boxes.

What's coming...

2011-05-14T04:54:00.014-04:00

You might have heard already.

More to come. A lot more to come. But for now I got this.

September 1. 2011.

Update: If you have an unfinished PG Strike Freedom or even if you're thinking of getting one... you may want to think about this.

GP02 ver. what?

2011-05-12T10:39:00.000-04:00

1304707827468, a photo by sandrum on Flickr.

oh my goodness

Just sharing

2011-05-10T02:07:00.001-04:00

love this pic

April Photo Dump

2011-05-09T17:34:00.001-04:00

5592396546_fdfe7bccb5_o, a photo by Busterbeam on Flickr.

Thanks for the help guys!

Canadian Paint Options

2011-05-07T17:34:00.002-04:00

Sorry, it's a bit blurry

This is all I can find at the shops near my place. Well there are lot's of paints for wood and metal but not many for plastics. I decided to go for these two first. Each is about 7 bucks. Pricey!

I took the gloss black because I'm planning on doing metallics later. I picked up the grey primer just to see how it compares to the Japanese stuff I'm used to using.

I couldn't find a place that sold Japanese primer (or any type for that matter) in a bottle for airbrushing so I'm trying this for now.

Both are enamels. I'm not so happy about that. I tried the grey out already and it smells bad (toxic so it actually smells kind of good but it's bad for you!).

Also it takes a lot longer to dry. And I'm worried that it might damage the plastic as in making it too soft and too easy to break.

We'll see. I plan on spraying enamel on it again. Man... it's funny. Enamel is what I'm trying to get away from but it seems that's all I can get here. I knew I had it good in Japan!

Plus a lot of paints don't even say if it's acrylic or lacquer or enamel or what. Pain in the butt. I might try some of the acrylic bottles I saw and thin them down with water. I'm really trying to stay as non- toxic as I can but... I don't want to just waste the stuff I have so I'm going to try and use as much as I can before buying new stuff.

* * *

Side note: Yesterday I cleaned up the garage and got it set up as my new paint station. I primed on panel using the Testors can show here and then sprayed a different panel with acrylic paint. No primer there. Pics to come.

You may be asking what kit am I working on? I will also reveal that later. Sorry kind of jumping around a bit.

GFF #0014 Exs/S Gundam U.C. 0087

2011-05-06T02:49:00.019-04:00

A gift from my former student Manabu. My 1st year in Japan and living in Tokyo.

Only for the mecha lovers. He was a big fan of 0083. (We were totally talking **** about Nina. Traitor.)

So when I left Japan the first time he got me this as a going away present. I mean I knew that he liked Gundam but I didn't know that he liked this type of stuff!

Ultra grateful to him and I know he's not reading this but 学さん本当にありがとうございました！

I'm still enjoying it almost a decade later.

This thing does demand time though. I have so much respect for people who have made the larger versions. And I don`t even know what to say about people who make this.

off topic...

2011-04-28T04:30:00.000-04:00

Just a small note to let the interested parties know that my 2nd blog now has a facebook page. I'm hoping some other people will come and post some links and pics as well because I can only do so much myself. Besides... I think my horizons need to be expanded so come and show us who you think is beautiful!

And now... candy for you.

Jun Natsukawa. I've been a fan for a long time.

PLUS we need at least something Gundam related here.

Nobell Gundam she is not and I think any female Gundam should have at least 2 bazookas but I can accept this. Any girl that will wear a costume like this is a winner for me.

MG Exia - WIP 1 - Break down

2011-04-27T04:50:00.001-04:00

After looking at it for some time and mulling things over I decided that I'd finally dis-assemble the whole thing and get it ready for painting and modifications. I spent a lot of time talking with my family this weekend (it being Easter and all, relatives were stopping by relatively often hehe), I took the opportunity to get some work done because I'm a social Gunpla guy like that. I like to have someone to talk to or listen to while I'm working.

While I was taking it apart I made note of areas of concern (and I did manage to break a part in the process but I think I can salvage it... or just do away with the whole concept all together.) I'm talking about the extra, collapsible "antennae" on either of the "collar bones". I know it's a key part of the design and I do like them but I think they're impractical and get in the way sometimes. I'll probably scrap them or put them some place else on the suit.

I won't be keeping any secrets with this but I will be revealing things as I work on them.

Despite my efforts in setting up a decent laboratory in the basement I still prefer working in my room so I bring up tools and equipment from the lab as I need them. Right now the one I'll be working with is the 'saw'. Time to start hacking up some of this plastic.

ZZ Gundam - Redux

2011-04-25T21:34:00.001-04:00

Think about this for a bit.

Opinions? Bigger pic link here.

Mariemon

2011-04-23T05:32:00.000-04:00

Looks like the English name Mary with similar pronunciation but it's actually more like mah ree eh (if you didn't know). I recently found her blog and I'm so happy about it for some reason. It's probably because I really loved her tutorial videos. What do you think about her Crossbone?

No subtitles but I think you can get what she's doing.

ANA Unicorn - Thoughts

2011-04-23T05:17:00.001-04:00

What's not to like right?

I like this configuration. I'll have to mod a hand in order for it to hold the 2nd beam rifle. Paint that. Clean it up, gloss black, hit it with some metallics. Get the proper beam saber blade. Blue or green one if I can find it. Four reds sprayed with a florescent pink maybe just for the sake of variety.

Heavy work on the shield to get it to turn metallic blue. Colour matching is going to be a pain.

Seems weird to strip the regular Unicorn of its weapons like that but I can do something else for him. I've got a couple of unopened weapon packs around here.

Just the decals left and then... Gonna have to work on the new arrival.

No backlog, I'm sticking to it. I will build everything I get right away. No one goes back into boxes anymore.

HG 1/144 ANA Unicorn Gundam - GET!!!

2011-04-15T20:36:00.000-04:00

Yeah! Each one just gets better and better. The first one blew me away and then I saw the 00 and I was like "whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat" and then I saw the Unicorn and I thought "omgwtf how can i possibly get this fml" BUT I'm proud to say that I OFFICIALLY now have ALL THREE ANA Gundams! I never thought it would happen but it has and it's all be thanks to one man. ASM has hooked me up with all three. The first in Shizuoka, the 2nd in Osaka, and now the 3rd in Canada.

In fact this time I didn't even ask him but he held one back for me! What a great guy. I certainly do appreciate that my friend. Looks like I'm not done building Gundam's yet! Plus I have one more coming in 2 weeks but I'm not sure what I should get... Maybe Echoes (ECOAS) Jegan.

Definitely looking forward to this!

VF-27-Lucifer

2011-04-15T04:33:00.000-04:00

Some of you may remember this kit from a while back (in July I know it's embarrassing). I'm still struggling with the Wordpress system... (you all know what I'm used to) so I've been a bit slow on the photo upload side (that and the complete life upheaval) but I did make a pretty significant update recently and I'm pretty close to being finished. Take a look.

I want to thank Gaigun for hooking me up with this. He just wrapped up his first Macross fighter; the VF-25F Tornado Messiah. Be sure to check that too if you haven't already.

Naturally HLJ.com gets a "Respect Due" as well. Click the link on the side for more info.

Labour of love with this thing man. I put a lot of time into it. On and off of the computer. Learned a lot. It was an experience and an opportunity to expand my skills. I think I could do that so that makes this kit a win for me... Even though it's a pain to get looking right!

MG Exia

2011-04-14T00:11:00.000-04:00

Damn this is a good looking model. Kinda glad that it won. Also glad that I didn't pay for it... great free addition to the collection. +C1 is nothing to scoff at either. Girl's got some taste in mecha!

I'm keeping it close and just looking at it over time and letting the ideas come slowly although I've pretty much decided what I want to do.

I'm not sure what to do about primer though. I didn't see any at my local shop. Looks like I might have to prime from my airbrush for the first time. Probably for the best. What do people in North America use for that? A friend's coming to visit me from Japan. Maybe I'll have her bring me some.

Funny note. I had the hip sword mounts assembled backwards all this time. Easy to fix. I knew something was wrong! Lesson learned: Trust your instincts. If you think it's wrong it probably is.

My ENTIRE Collection

2011-04-12T22:24:00.000-04:00

Finally got around to cataloging it all. Here it is.

1/144:

00 Raiser ANA Original Color Ver.
G30th ANA Original Color Ver.
Buster
Lunamaria Zaku
Lacus Concert Zaku
Savior
Justice
Aegis
Infinite Justice
Murasame
L.O. Booster
Nataku
Astraea Type F
0 Gundam (Type A.C.D.)
GNX-III
1.5 Gundam
Graham's Union Flag Custom
Nadleeh
RX-78-2 (RG)
GM Quel
Bawoo Mass Production Type
Z'Gok Experiment
Sinanju
ReZEL (Commander Type)
GM Custom
Powered GM
Hyaku Shiki
Advanced Hazel
Unicorn
Eco Pla Mk.II
Zeong
G30th
Gouf Flight Type
GM Command
Mass Production Guncannon
Hi-Zaku
Nobel
Airmaster
S-Gundam (NG)
Zaku F2000

1/100:

G05
Infinte Justice
Zaku F2
Sinanju
Impulse w/2x Excalibur
Musha Gundam Mk-II
Mk-II Ver.2.0 Titans
Mk-II Titans
Exia Ignition Mode
Blue Frame 2nd L (NG)
Red Frame (NG)
Red Frame (MG)
Heavy Arms
Zeta Plus C1
Victory Dash (HG)
V2 (HG)
FAZZ (Standard color)
Hyaku Shiki (NG)
OYW Anime Color
Titanium Finish RX-78-2
F-91 (NG)

1/60:

Mk-II AEUG
Zeta
Strike
Strike Freedom
Red Frame

Misc.:

1/48 Unicorn Head
XN Raiser x2
Sinanju Bazooka x2
Masterpiece Skywarp
GN Sefer
Rasiel
GFF Ex-S
SD Aegis
SD Justice
Combat san (Normal version)

Macross:

Revoltech VF-1S
Revoltech VF-1A
Revoltech VF-1J
Valkyrie Egg Plane
VF-19SF Fire Valkyire (Metallic Finish)
15th Anniversary VF-1A Super Valkyrie
1/72 VF-25G Messiah Michel Custom
1/72 VF-27 Lucifer Brera Sterne Custom
1/60 Yamoto VF-1S Roy Fokker

85 items as of this post.

No pics? Come on... you know me better than that. Here are a couple from the archives. All the box art is of stuff I own and all the pics I took myself over the duration of this blog.

I've come along way... and still have SO much further to go...

Triumvirate

2011-04-11T23:31:00.000-04:00

This is the project I'm looking forward to the most. It will more than likely be my first diarama and the project that I pour all of my cumulative modelling skills into.

I want to make a "name" for myself with this one.

Test shots.

It's still a long way down the road but I can't tell you how happy I am to have all three of them together at last.

Models featured: Musha Mk.II, Mk.II Titans, Mk.II Titans ver. 2.0.

Taking some shots...

2011-04-11T03:08:00.003-04:00

I do prefer the lighting I have in my room. Just taking some test shots. Trying to get in tight and get some of the detail. If you can see the dust then I'm doing my job.

My tea!

Sketch book as my backdrop.

I can not wait to get started on this guy someday! I'm really going to enjoy that project!

Can you see all the errors and how unfinished this is? Good. I want you to see that. Personally speaking I love the way my 0 Gundam looks right now. Just like this. Of course I can do more work on him and get him looking proper but you know what... I like to PLAY with him! He's going to show a little wear and tear. I don't ever want to forget that this stuff is supposed to be fun. However he too will eventually get his day in the sun and I'll do it properly. This was just a stop gap measure to change the colours quickly so I could be happier with it. He definitely deserves the extra attentional he'll get in the future.

Models featured: G-Unit! L.O. Booster, ANA 00, 0 Gundam custom.

Exia / Zeta+C1 Resurrection

2011-04-09T03:49:00.002-04:00

Well protected in the Duvel box, these two survived the journey back with little damage. A broken handle, a couple missing parts which I may actually have here already.

I am reminded that the Exia is essentially the "Viewer's Choice" mecha that is next to be worked on. Exia gets moved to the forefront with Titanium Finish.

I'm still getting adjusted between places to work. I set up a decent lab downstairs that gives me solitude but I do more work when I'm around people. Namely in the kitchen so I'm thinking of setting up a work station there.

PLUS

Natural light shots. Guys... seriously. It is not over rated. Check it out. I will let the pictures do the talking. You can figure it out.

The last pic demonstrates my biggest problem with this suit. Balance. Gonna have to start with the feet first and mod for stability. Need to tighten up the joints too and make them stiffer. Armour will probably be glued in place. Light frame painting, no major detailing. The head/face is exceptional. Will spend some extra time there.

The real work is going to come down to how the blue is treated and changing the tones of the white. May be forced to do a little bit of light weathering for the first time.

It ain't over.

2011-04-08T03:04:00.001-04:00

7, a photo by Busterbeam on Flickr.

It's never over.

March Photo Dump

2011-04-07T15:29:00.001-04:00

32122_120872301269594_120871391269685_187225_6789766_n, a photo by Busterbeam on Flickr.

You know what this is. Check it out! Couple surprises in there.

Double Dragon Shenlong Gundam

2011-04-07T03:46:00.001-04:00

Just gonna copy my fb blogging style and do the quick posting thing here for a while because a post is better than no post.

This pose is AWESOME

Double Dragon Shenlong from you know who.

New Era - Work space

2011-03-31T00:27:00.000-04:00

The last shipment of soldiers came in a couple of days ago so I officially have of all my Gunpla amassed in one location. This is the moment I was waiting for. Granted, on the first day of spring the first wave of Gunpla came in but it didn't officially "end" until this Monday.

Since I've been back I haven't been posting as much on my blog but more on my fb page as it's easier and faster but I have been working on Gundam related things relatively consistently. I did lose a lot of my motivation after the earthquake hit though. I don't know why. It didn't affect me directly but... I don't know. I was in a weird state. I couldn't focus on anything really so I just threw myself into games for a while.

Up until that point I was working on the Titanium Finish RX-78-2 and was trying to set up the basement.

So let's talk about that right now.

There was a room in my basement that's wasn't being used for anything expect storage... and there isn't even really a lot of things in there. Some tools and some old technology. It's a really nice room though. Finished flooring, painted, double french doors, pot lights.

I decided to confiscate it.

I would have liked to have had a wood grain finished table like I had in Japan but that's not that big of a deal. It's just that I did ALL of my Gunpla on that table in Japan and it sometimes feels strange doing it in another setting. State dependent learning maybe. I had everything set up perfectly... but that took 3 years to get right.

Gonna miss this thing...

But this is 2011 and this is the new era so let's get to it!

Had some old speakers and a very old stereo set (from when I was in highscool! No aux option, pre mp3 era) so after a bit of re-wiring I got all 3 speakers connected WITH an extra connection for my mp3 player. Could use a bit more speaker cable though... When my mom's old company downsized she got a lot of office equipment from them. This desk is courtesy of the global economic downtown.

This shelving is also from my mom's company going out of business. Could have used another shelf but I'm certainly not complaining. Most of this stuff was just sitting around in my house disassembled for I don't even know how long before I came and give it all a purpose.

Gonna be spending a lot of time here.

Currently playing. The old speakers can still kick out enough power and bass for my purposes. RIP Guru.

Limited edition Hyaku Shiki PS2. A gift from my very first Japanese "assistant" before I left Tokyo. God bless her. We went to the Gundam Museum together when it was in Matsudo. She lived in Kita-Matsudo and I lived in Shin-Matsudo. Her family lived in Higashi-Matsudo. I can only thank my lucky stars that of all the places in Japan I could have been sent for my first tour I was sent to the only place in the world that had a Gundam Museum. I went there so often that it stopped being special. I even found a secret way in so I didn't have to pay. I bought my PG Zeta there. Memories!

Testing out the lighting from the pot lights. Position 1. Dark.

Position 2. Dark but better.

High position, high contrast. Better but impractical. These shots are a bit inaccurate. It's actually brighter than this down there.

I may just make that my work area and take the final shots in another place. Like my room. I prefer this type of lighting personally.

It's still going to take a while for everything to get setup properly but... It's going to happen.

It has to happen. The best part of all of this is that it has cost me NOTHING. It's just stuff that was laying around unused. That in itself makes me feel good.

This is the moment I've been waiting for. It's time to commence; "Operation Unification".

First day of Spring

2011-03-21T14:45:00.000-04:00

March 21, 2011. The time has come. The army has arrived. Beaten up, damaged but in tact and most importantly... UNITED.

The new era starts NOW.

Each box is filled to capacity with plastic, decals and accessories. No extra space was left for runners. Every thing was assembled and then broken down into sections for maximum storage efficiency.

This is a lifetimes supply of Gunpla right here.

I'm going to wait until the final box comes before doing "The Group Shot to End All Group Shots."

I may not blog so much but don't think for a minute that I'm going to be leaving this hobby behind. Not now. Not EVER. The boys have come home. I will never abandon them.

Just talking... Mid March 2011

2011-03-18T13:11:00.001-04:00

I'm worried that my boys may have been lost at sea. I've received one box of the 4 that I sent from Japan and it was the box I sent on the day that I left. The last box I sent arrived first and it was the only box that had nothing in it but some clothes and some personal letters.

Where are my Gundams?! I am concerned.

I've been working on getting things setup here and I have a decent display area now... for ALL of them... but will I see them again? The earthquake and the tsunami... were they lost in transit? I sent them by surface/ship. Held up at customs? It's been just over 6 weeks. I'll give it a bit more time I guess. What else can I do? I suppose I could try and talk to the post office to see what they have to say about it but I doubt they'll be able to give me any information.

Outside if that... work on the Titanium Finish RX-78-2 has slowed to a crawl. I spent a lot of time painting the frame details and I didn't do everything that I wanted but I basically burned myself out. I've done enough I think. I guess that was the point I was waiting for. I might do just a couple more things just for the sake of being a completionist and then I can say say I'll be satisfied with the inner frame details. It doesn't look pretty good now if I do say so myself. I love the natural gunmetal finish of the frame.

After that... paint the missiles in the napalm launcher and I should be ready for final assembly.

My enthusiasm for Gunpla has kind of gone down because I don't have a convenient place to work anymore. I cant work in my room because of the smell of the paints/chemicals (I have to sleep in here) and I didn't want to work in the basement because it's cold down there and I didn't have a proper desk/table until just recently.

But with the weather is getting better and with the new setup downstairs hopefully I can renew my focus... not in just Gunpla but in art in general. I'm going to try and put together a portfolio to apply for art school. Computer animation specifically. New country, new life, new direction... We'll see how that all goes though.

So with all the new things happening in my life now, the new adjustments, stimuli and circumstances... I'm not sure how prevalent Gunpla is going to be from now on.

It's so different here. Back in Japan, Gunpla was a part of life because it was literally everywhere. Here... I'm pretty sure that I have the biggest supply of Gunpla in the whole city... and my city isn't small. I easily have more than the leading shop here... I mean I would if I could combine my collections...

So who knows... I'm sorry that things will be slowing down here. I'll still update my facebook page pretty regularly because it's just so damn easy to do (specifically because of how easy it is to upload pics because of no space caps and it auto resizes everything.)

Long story short, with the things I'm planning on doing I will have to focus less on Gundam stuff and more on getting my life in order. I won't be coasting anymore like I have been for the past couple of years. I don't know where that's all going to take me but I'd love it if somewhere down the road I can combine it all together like how Sandrum is doing. Talk to me about that in 5 years.

Hopefully by this time next month I'll have something positve to report as it pertains to my lost soldiers.

Sad to think that things are going to slow down around here as, all of that stuff aside, I plan on concentrating more on overall site restructuring stuff rather than posting but... I'll still be around. Just may not be as often as I'd like. But we'll see how that all goes. Maybe my flame will come back again!

Anyway, enough of that. Let's talk about this now!

G.G. hooked this one up as well. Loving both of these things. The Prototype Stark Jegan kind of reminds me of the Ingram from Patlabor a little bit and the Ecoas Jegan is like a cross between a Jegan and GM Sniper, GM Custom and the, yet to be seen but heavily anticipated, Jesta.

No matter what is going on in my life the Jesta is a must have for me.

OK what's next...? How about some candy?

Whee! Eva candy! That Rei is SO beautiful! Yes I know it's not Gundam but I'm not a hater! Or a discriminator. Eva is welcome here. Well, Eva girls are welcome here at least. Shinji can get the f out.

Guess that's it for now. While things are a bit slow right now I'm pretty sure that my best work is still ahead. For now I pray that my boys reach home safely! Godspeed fellas! My thoughts are with you!

8.9

2011-03-11T17:55:00.001-05:00

Biggest earthquake to hit Japan in it's recorded history. Some of us have a greater connection to Japan than others but if you're coming to this blog you are guaranteed to have at least one.

I just want to take this moment to send my thoughts and well wishes out to all of those in my adopted homeland who are suffering from this tragedy.

日本，頑張れ！

Extreme Gundam Mash Up

2011-03-11T03:06:00.000-05:00

+ some others courtesy of Hobby no Toriko! LOVE this guy!

Feeling ALL of this stuff! SO creative! Can't get enough!!!

Gundam Unicorn OVA 3 - Download it here!

2011-03-09T17:04:00.000-05:00

Quality and subtitles CONFIRMED. This is a good one folks! Go for it while you can.

As usual, props due to the "Master of All Things Gundam"

MG Deathscythe - Modifications

2011-03-07T18:11:00.001-05:00

Even though the pictures are there to spell it all out I did, and occasionally still do, find some of this stuff confusing. Take a look. At the top it shows some masking procedures for painting the face vents. Who has time to do all that masking for parts that small?! Why not just hand paint it? Is it not easier? I don't know... It all seemed a little extreme to me for a couple of small parts. That could just be my hand painting bias talking though. Just seems so time consuming and wasteful.

But now here's the confusing part. On this page it shows that the face vents are already yellow parts that are added in separately. So which is it? White or yellow? I really don't know.

Here too. Check out this work on the scythe. What is the point of just puttying up that ONE hollow section. Why not do the whole thing? As far as the other mods in this pic... I really have no idea why he's doing it. Apparently the flat crotch section just bothered him and he wanted to push it out more? Which is funny because I always want to do the opposite. I also thought that it's interesting how the Japanese modelers call the front crotch section a "Fundoshi". Didn't know that!

I love the work these guys do yet... it's one thing to know HOW but it's entirely another to know WHY.

All images courtesy of G.G.

The one I'm happy to do.

2011-03-05T05:52:00.001-05:00

Someone on my facebook page said "want to see the one you happy to do..." about the preceding post.

This is the Gundam I'm happy to do. Titanium Finish MG RX-78-2 V.2.0

I truly think I am addicted to Gundams sometimes. While at the same time feeling like "I'm the guy who used to build Gundams". Now I'm the guy who "makes" Gundams.

I have NO backlog. Everything is built. This MG is the last one and then finally everything is built. And all I have to do for that is the armour now.

Yes I'm going to take my time with this because this is the one I love. This was a GIFT from my volleyball team and I'm going to make it worthy of them! That means "time" and "patience"... And my favourite thing... Meticulousness.

No I'm not done but I'm working on it. Just taking my time. Nothing more to build! It's nice actually. I can actually focus on making one of these things as great as I want it to be. SO looking forward to the "Mark 2 Project".

Happy to do Gundams. As it should be.

Top 5 kits you want to see me do.

2011-03-03T02:42:00.001-05:00

I started this poll nearly a year ago and finally here are the results.

Runner's up: FG Rasiel w/GN Sefer & HG 0 Gundam w/XN Raiser

I never did get a shot of it with the FG GN Sefer attached to it.

Always wanted to do it like this though.

Granted this is with heavy joint mods, extra parts from the Nadleeh and 3 full Sefer kits but you get the idea.

I painted this to be partners with the HG G30 Gundam. Still not completely finished yet but basically there.

5. MG Zplus C1

Planning on doing a familiar repaint for this while also doing something very much NOT like me at all.

4. PG Zeta, 3. PG Red Frame, 2. PG Strike

(I might as well just complete the set and do the Mark 2 as well)

I started work on the Red Frame and Strike but I'm not completely done with those either. Still need a couple more touch ups. Zeta and Mark 2... well I've been thinking about what to do with them for years. Still haven't settled on anything.

And the WINNER...

1. MG Exia

An X-Mas present from my ex along with the Zplus C1 (coincidence that they're both in the top 5? You be the judge.) I'm planning on painting them BOTH in matching colour schemes (I like all my mechs to have matching "partners") I mentioned on my facebook page what I'm planning on doing to this so that will give you a clue to my plans for the Zpluc C1 as well. Only a handful of you may remember though!

Thanks to everyone who voted!

Here are the numbers:

FG Rasiel w/GN Sefer	17 (10%)
FG Unicorn Display Base	11 (6%)
HG Zeong	9 (5%)
HG GM Command	7 (4%)
HG Powered GM	11 (6%)
HG Gouf Flight Type	6 (3%)
HG Hi-Zaku	6 (3%)
HG 30th A. RX-78-2	11 (6%)
HG M.P. Guncannon	9 (5%)
HG Advanced Hazel	11 (6%)
HG Aegis	6 (3%)
HG Justice	6 (3%)
HG Savior	13 (7%)
HG Infinite Justice	12 (7%)
HG GN-X III A-Laws	13 (7%)
HG 0 Gundam w/XN Raiser	18 (10%)
15th A. Super Valkyrie	12 (7%)
NG S-Gundam	13 (7%)
1/100 Blue Frame 2nd L	15 (9%)
MG Zplus C1	20 (12%)
MG Exia	38 (22%)
PG Zeta	23 (13%)
PG Mark II AEUG	14 (8%)
PG Strike	32 (19%)
PG Red Frame	29 (17%)

Let me end with a couple pics from the old days, before a PG Red Frame was even a thought.

*sigh* Those were the days! Before I even considered panel lining never mind painting. It certainly was a different time. Addicted to Gundams yes but... not nearly as pronounced as I am now. Ah youth!

Avalanche Astraea Type F Dash

2011-03-01T10:31:00.000-05:00

What do you think? One of my favourite modelers, Schizophonic9 did this.

His photos and finish, as usual, are awesome but... that mass of pink is killing me, even if he did break it up with different tones... I would have liked to have seen a bit more variety in there... a couple more white pieces would have gone a long way I think. Almost hurts my eyes... It's just too much.

I mean it's not like I'm opposed to pink. Check this out.

Doesn't that look nice? Tasteful. Not so gaudy. At first the pink Hi-Nu was making me feel strange but I think it looks okay now!

But that pink monster above... Wow.

Also... maybe it's just me but I think all the Avalanche Dash armour is a bit much. If it was just the regular Avalanche I might be ok with it... might be.

Still... It's no Musha Avalance Astraea. That one will always take the cake for me.

Salt

2011-02-28T23:41:00.001-05:00

Seriously. Salt. Wow.

From Julius. Check out his Ma.K Gans WIP's. Very inspiring stuff.

HGUC Dreissen

2011-02-27T19:51:00.000-05:00

From G.G.

As much as I love the Dreissen... This doesn't look quite right. I think I would have liked the head to be just a bit flatter... Guess I'd better wait for the finished model shots. My enthusiasm has gone down a bit though...

MG Shenlong Gundam (Head)

2011-02-27T05:08:00.000-05:00

Photo from Yellow Submarine.

Doesn't this head look a lot like Wing (all of them) and Epyon? Or is it just me?

MG Epyon - 2

2011-02-25T13:12:00.001-05:00

Gotta admit... this is looking REALLY good. Hope it stays on line with this line art!

HG 1/144 ANA Unicorn Gundam

2011-02-24T18:02:00.000-05:00

Ugh... Why did they have to go and make this...

5000 yen though! Whoo! As much as I want it.. at that price? Plus shipping and mark up costs...

*shakes head*

I really would love to finish the collection though (unless they make yet another one after this!)... Might have to settle for looking at pictures of this one on the internet.

It's going to be a stunner though... I can already tell and if I was in Japan with a job... I'd probably go for it. *feels sudden wave of reverse home sickness*

Argh. Just gotta learn to love what you have and not get possessed by what you want I guess!

From G.G.

Ah... It's so... beautiful!

MG Epyon

2011-02-23T14:38:00.000-05:00

From Gundam Guy

ALMOST looks like some Ver.KA stylings here. Never been a big Epyon fan but there is no question that the the suit is cool. Maybe this is the model that will finally turn me on to it?

After the disappointment I felt with the "supposedly" Ver.KA PG Strike Freedom I'm going to hold off on this. But... I know a LOT of people are going to be happy about this news regardless of how good the model is. Epyon on principle. I should too. Melee God. I have the MG Infinite Justice and Exia... I think I'd need this to finish off the collection of "Top 3 Melee Combat MS".

What do you think? Epyon for best melee suit? Who's excited about this model?

MG 00 Gundam

2011-02-22T15:25:00.000-05:00

The source.

Considering that the PG didn't impress me much with all the new technology it had, this isn't doing much for me either. Never really liked this suit. The stock 00 by itself isn't bad but... Not really feeling any of the upgrades (outside of the 7 Swords). The 1/144 00 ANA Gundam I have is enough for me.

Opinions? Who wants this?