Figures
Current Project:
MG RX-78-2 ver. 2.0
Projected Projects
Various
Contact
| 2008.10.23 - Connectivity A quick update to note that I've added a link to E2046, a fine modeling shop which kindly invited me to participate in a banner exchange. I'm pleased to link to them. 2008.09.25 - Looking Toward Winter As I feared, the Reed routine has thus far done a fine job of keeping me too busy to do much with this poor site. (Playing Zelda hasn't been helping, either.) I have managed to at least get my act together to pass on the splendid news that the Char-esque Sinanju, fancy-pants successor to the Sazabi, will be released in Master Grade come December (so I hear via dannychoo.com). This lean, mean, Zeon remnant machine has been added to the Proj proj page. 2008.09.05 - Dorm Gunpla  Despite many trials, tribulations, and confusion about my college mail stop number, my beloved Gunpla have arrived intact. Thus far only Gundam and the Wolfgar Zakus have been unpacked, and for the time being I'll leave it at that. Display space is somewhat limited in my dormitory hermitage, and moreover I'll have to pack the poor guys up again before I know it. In any case, as the anniversary of the rekindling of my Gunpla habit approaches, I look forward to another good — if different — year of modeling. In other news, I'm in the ponderous process of investigating the use of Drupal, a fancy-shmancy content management framework, to rebuild the site. From what I hear the learning curve is steep, but it also sounds like it'd offer me just what I need to make this little project just what I want it to be. More on that as the plot thickens, my dear readers. 2008.08.25 - It's Super, Thanks for Asking Our trip to San Francisco's Japantown yielded a little loot: the impressive Super HCM Pro Char's Zaku. 我愛臺灣好地方  Long time no update. The models seem to have survived the arduous Pacific crossing in my baggage, and will make the second leg of their trip (to Portland) probably via UPS. While the rest remain packed up, Gundam has emerged to scope out my folks' house in California. Meanwhile my considerations regarding how to revamp this little site continue. My father and I will be looking into WordPress and perhaps other possibilities in the near future, and one way or another I hope I can get the site restructured sooner than later. Realistically, however, I'll probably be limping along with this clunky design for awhile yet. Bear with me, beloved readers. 2008.08.06 - MOAR Lizard  A clearer photo of one of my reptile guests (this one seems to be lighter-skinned than the one I've seen in my room). This little guy has shown himself in the hallway near the kitchen a couple of times now. They must like it in here because our apartment is like an oven. Apologies to any of my readers for whom lizards are less remarkable. 2008.08.05 - Super Smash Bots Gundam takes advantage of a visit from the Wolfgar Team to showcase his completed arsenal in the most civilized manner possible. 2008.08.03 - Really, It's The Last One The results of last night's Hyper Hammer'd Gundam 00 Modeling Challenge are in: the hastily (and somewhat tipsily) assembled 1/100 Gundam Astraea Type F. 2008.08.01 - Another Lizard Sighting  Not that it's related to anything, but my tiny lizard friend made another appearance last night. 2008.07.31 - Giant Robots How To Facing the last two weeks of my time in Taiwan, and as such the end of this period of lively and active modeling, I feel it's a good time to present this guide. It is both a culmination of my Gunpla work this year, and as such, also an indicator of my progress so far. I look forward to revising and adding to it in the future as I (hopefully) learn more about what has once again after a hiatus of several years become my beloved hobby. The guide is linked on the Various page. And, while I've got your attention, Gundam wants to show off his new beam rifle. 2008.07.30 - Red vs. Blue At last new pictures showing off Shin Musha's weapons have been added to his gallery. My comments on the kit have also been appended. 2008.07.27 - Mighty Guard 0079 Gundam's impressive shield is complete, and a couple more photos have been added. The hyper hammer is actually done as well, and no doubt we'll see some of that soon. 2008.07.26 - Fly, Gundam! Final assembly complete. The last two days' worth of photos have been added to the gallery. Weapons soon to follow. 2008.07.23 - Gundam/Ganmen Built Gundam's right leg yesterday, and added one photo of the internal frame. In other news, word on the net is that Revoltech Enki will include Gurren Lagann's missing wings (both of them), as well as an additional Lagann-sans-Enki-helmet head. Enki appears to be set for a September release. 2008.07.21 - The Heart of the Matter First step in building Gundam: the core fighter. A few shots of this remarkable little plane have been added to the gallery. Construction of Gundam itself will proceed from the feet up. 2008.07.19 - V Project. Surprise! As I'm fairly certain Gundam's release date is indeed next weekend, it seems that the good old folks at Ximending managed to get ahold of a few kits from the early release pool. In any case, a little earlier than I expected, the MG RX-78-2 ver. 2.0 is in hand, and work will begin shortly. Countdown to V Project  Assuming the planets and stars all align properly, the MG RX-78-2 ver. 2.0 will be released a week from today. Looking ahead on what will in all likelihood be my final Gunpla project during my adventure here in Taibei, I've been reflecting on the future of the site, my thoughts and feelings about Gundam and mecha generally, as well as what paints I should get for the upcoming kit. To begin with the broadest of these questions: I intend to continue running this little site, though its form and scope will change. I've enjoyed working on these pages as a project, most of all because of those of you who stumbled upon my sloppy work and took the time to get in touch with me and discuss your questions and thoughts. My conversations with you have made me realize how much I just love talking Gundam. (Though no doubt poor Katherine could've told me that after enduring many a one-sided rant of mine.) There are two main issues I need to address, however, in seeing to the continuation and growth of this project. Firstly, as I return to my senior year of college in Oregon, the availability and affordability of Gunpla will both probably be significantly decreased. (I'll also no longer have the benefit of the Taiwanese Ministry of Education funding my modeling habit.) Moreover, of course, returning to my full-time studies will afford me less free time. As such, for awhile at least there will be fewer new galleries of my own work, and probably just fewer updates all around. However, I hope to counter this change by posting more writings and discussions exploring the fascination with and significance of Gundam and related ideas. Additionally, I'd like to connect with some of the other Gundam bloggers I've met, and work on establishing a network of shared interest. Secondly, this site's infrastructure requires a complete overhaul. Much as I'm fond of doing things the old-fashioned way, as is things are extremely clunky and tedious to manage, and the site's organization is pretty messy. With no real web skills to speak of, I'm considering rebuilding the site with some kind of fancy blogging software. (WordPress has been recommended to me fairly highly.) Simply put, I'm not sure when that'll happen, but it needs to, and when it does it will also give me a chance to realign the site from a chronicle of my modeling madness during this Taiwan trip to an ongoing Gundam work. As for the paints, I'm thinking of taking a little jaunt over to the hobby shops to pick them up beforehand. On another note, Shin Musha's weapons have been finished for awhile now, but I'm waiting on taking more pictures. With any luck, dear reader, you'll find it worth the wait, but regardless there will be some more photos of that kit before my stay is up. You're probably wondering about the lizard. He had just shown up in my room when I got back from lunch. Not sure where he's got to now, but since I assume he eats bugs, he's quite welcome. 2008.07.12 - The Power of a Gundam Ez8, probably still my favorite Gundam-type MS, gets his turn on the action base. A handful of new pictures added. 2008.07.09 - Big Fat Update One of the Wolfgar Zakus happened to be in Shin Musha's neighborhood, and the two had themselves a sporting little mobile suit duel. A slew of photos covering the contest may be found in Shin Musha's gallery. 2008.07.08 - Giant Robots Shin Musha has been completed, with only a couple of the weapons remaining. He's probably going to want his lance back from Nida soon... 2008.07.07 - That Golden Suit?! Been meaning to take a few more pictures of old Goldilocks, and finally got around to it this afternoon. Meanwhile, Shin Musha's additional arm and shoulder armor is finished. (The topcoat on the shoulder shields dries as I type.) Only the dome-piece remains. 2008.07.05 - More Giant Robots One more photo of the completed arms. Giant Robots Working on Shin Musha's arms today. So far posted one photo of the arm internals. 2008.07.03 - Giant Robots Shin Musha's legs are complete. 2008.07.02 - Giant Robots Nice to be back in the swing of things, making regular progress updates. Shin Musha's torso, waist, and right leg are assembled; the latter two components have been weathered and topcoated. No pictures of the finished leg yet, but for now have a gander at its fascinating internal workings. 2008.06.30 - Needa Hint? Nida seems to have helped herself to Shin Musha's yari. Better not say anything to make her mad. 2008.06.29 - A Warrior's Soul is in His Gut Having gone back to Ximending again to get the gold paint needed for Shin Musha, work began during a rather dark and stormy afternoon. So far the torso unit is available for your perusal. 2008.06.28 - Unexpected Giant Robot How'd that happen? 2008.06.27 - Ganmen Ahead The Wikipedia entry on Revoltech, which keeps a list of current and upcoming figures in the line, has been recently updated to reflect a September 15 release date for the Revoltech Enki and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. While I'm unsure where this information originated, I've no reason to doubt its accuracy. 2008.06.25 - Zaku Party Added a couple photos of the three Wolfgar Zakus completed so far. 2008.06.23 - Finally, Giant Robots Finished Lester's Zaku yesterday, and have now added the first couple photos. 2008.06.22 - Revoltech Trickery It's come to my attention that, aside from the whole flight pack question, a second "drillized" version of the Revoltech Gurren Lagann is being released on August 15. Aside from a recolored giga drill, as well as the numerous mini drills all over its body (don't know yet whether they're fixed or not), there doesn't appear to be any difference from the original figure. As for the wing pack, it seems the wings themselves will be included with upcoming figures. Current speculation holds that one wing will be included with the Revoltech Enki and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann respectively, neither of which have known release dates as yet. 2008.06.19 - Spiraling out of Control Please enjoy the third and final episode of the past two days' ongoing bout in Lazengann's gallery. 2008.06.18 - Sporting Contest? Yesterday's tiff continues. Meanwhile, I realize there hasn't been a Gundam-related update on this ostensibly Gunpla-related site in some time. In a word, this is because I'm taking my sweet time finishing up Lester's Zaku, while no further models have occupied my attention. Only the legs remain to be constructed, which should happen in the next week or two. After that, it's just waiting for the ver. 2.0 Gundam... 2008.06.17 - Giant Squabbling Robots Lazengann and Gurren Lagann seem to be getting their spiral gauges in a twist over the incomplete flight pack. This could get messy. 2008.06.15 - LAZENGANN 'Nuff said. 2008.06.10 - Needa Break II Added a few more photos to Nida's gallery, taking a look at her shorter rifle configuration. 2008.06.06 - Kings of Mecha Just a couple news items for now: First off, apparently this part which will be included with the upcoming Revoltech Lazengann turns out to be a wing pack for Gurren Lagann. At present it appears anyone who wants a winged Gurren Lagann will have to add Lazengann to their collection as well. Secondly, Gunota Headlines mentions that the MG RX-78-2 ver. 2.0 (which I, at least, am excited about) is slated for July 26, so save the date. I know where I'll be. 2008.06.03 - Needa Break Nida seems to have gotten into a bit of a scuffle, and though she seems to have disposed of her enemies without a trace, the melee has left her clothes in tatters. 2008.06.02 - Thinking of You  2008.05.26 - Do I Needa Excuse? Still not quite sure how this happened, but some of my money seems to have disappeared, and Good Smile Company's new Nida Schuetlich figure is standing on my desk. 2008.05.22 - Wolfgar Ponderings Have yet to begin work on Lester's Zaku. In the meantime, I've been thinking about how to make the remaining two of the Wolfgar Zakus more interesting, as I've predictably had about enough of the ver. 2.0 Zaku II after building two in a row. In looking ahead and thinking about how Ray's Zaku should be armed, I realized that it might as well be a cannon type, rather than a more or less normal Zaku carrying a cannon. How fortunate that the upcoming MG Zaku Cannon was revealed at the recent Shizuoka Hobby Show. At present we're told that one is scheduled for an August release, so it looks like it'll be awhile before the Wolfgar Zakus are finished. Hopefully I'll at least be able to pick the kit up before my flight back to the States. It'd be nice if I had enough time to prep and paint the parts, too, but that'll all depend on the exact date of release. I'll take my time with the third Wolfgar machine, biding my time until the Gundam ver. 2.0 comes out in July. As such, updates may be a little slow for the next while. 2008.05.20 - Gurren Lagann IV A last couple photos, and that'll be all for now. Back to the Zakus... Until Lazengann's release next month. 2008.05.17 - Gurren Lagann III Added one more picture of the new Revoltech. 2008.05.16 - Gurren Lagann II With much better lighting, I've taken some much better pictures. 2008.05.15 - Gurren Lagann Success. Photographs so far are not so good, but more will come tomorrow when I've got better light. News Like Wildfire Gunota Headlines passes on news and images of the long-awaited MG Gundam ver. 2.0 from the Shizuoka Hobby Show. As I suspected, the Gundam is evidently scheduled for a July release. Fanning the Flames Martin Hagar's Zaku unit is now equipped with a rather makeshift flamethrower. Next up, Lester's unit. Meanwhile, today sees the release of the long-awaited Revoltech Gurren Lagann. Hopeful that it will appear in Ximending concurrently (which my observation of the last Revoltech release would seem to suggest is the case), a swift expedition is planned for this evening. Should we succeed, I may be excited enough to get the gallery up tonight, but tomorrow, at the latest. I will in any case at least report on our outing later this evening. 2008.05.13 - Female Gorilla With the release of the Revoltech Gurren Lagann looming (the day after tomorrow), I've at last got the final pending figure galleries complete. Our latest addition, WAVE's 1/10 Kusanagi Motoko, is now available for your perusal. 2008.05.12 - Wolfgar Again One week later (after a brief topcoat shortage), Martin's Zaku is complete. Saki's machine is also at last packing the promised special weapon... 2008.05.05 - Wolfgar Progress After dragging my tail for awhile, I've gotten back down to work and made some progress on the second Wolfgar Zaku, this one belonging to Martin Hagar (no relation). I've become much more comfortable using the weathering compact, as Martin's sand-blasted suit can attest. Arms are next, then some brainstorming to figure out how to go about making his flamethrower. (Anyone who's played those last levels of Cross Dimension is bound to remember this one.) Speaking of special weapons, Saki's still working on that one of hers, so that'll remain a surprise for now... 2008.05.04 - Lazengann Again Been awhile since I went googling for my favorite ganmen, and today I was pleased to discover new images of the Revoltech Lazengann coming next month. Take a look here. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to Revoltech Gurren Lagann in two weeks. 2008.05.02 - April Showers, May Robots? Happy Mayday to those still stuck in yesterday back Stateside. Today we have Katherine's delightful 1/24 Tachikoma gallery up and running. The Major should follow shortly... 2008.04.27 - To The Pain After a fair wait, we are at last pleased to present a face-off of epic proportions. In the red corner, representing the disgruntled spacenoids and hurling celestial bodies at Earth for great justice, the heart of Neo Zeon, the Red Comet, Chaaar Aaaaznable! And in the blue corner, legendary wiz-kid of the One Year War, still holding hope for earthbound humanity, Londo Bell's super ace, the White Unicorn, Aaaaaamuro Rrrrrraay! Right, that's enough of that. 2008.04.24 - Giant Robots Saki is now equipped with her bazooka. Still working on that additional accessory... 2008.04.23 - Also News Having heard nothing at all for months, at last Gunota Headlines reports, that the MG RX-78-2 ver. 2.0 is scheduled, albeit vaguely, for "Summer." Since the next-latest MG release is evidently in June, I'm going to tentatively (and hopefully) speculate that July may be the winning month. More information as I stumble upon it. Giant Robots I've been going at a leisurely, if not downright sluggish, pace with Saki's Zaku, but this was partially because the kit is so painless and fun to put together that I didn't want to run through it all at once. In any case, Saki's Zaku, the first of the Wolfgar Team, stands complete. She'll soon be armed with the "giant bazooka" from the ver. 2.0 F-type kit, as well as an additional accoutrement, an unusual one for a Zaku... 2008.04.20 - Go Team During a routine Ximending run to pick up more topcoat and Zaku light green, I succumbed to the temptation of the new F-type Zaku II ver. 2.0 at an especially low price at one of the usual haunts. As such, I am hereby committed to the project to build the Wolfgar team's four Zaku II units, of which Saki's is, as already noted, the first. The page for Saki's Zaku will also serve as the gallery for the other Wolfgar Zakus as I get around to them. 2008.04.15 - And Another Thing... While I was at it I also changed the thumbnail images for completed robots, using my own photos. Go Figure Relatively long time no update. Some more work has been done on Saki's Zaku since last post, but I'm waiting to get more flat topcoat before doing much more, so I can seal the weathering makeup as each major component is completed, and thus avoid rubbing the stuff off. In the meantime, however, I've added a new section to the site: the figures page. The idea to add such a page originated in thinking about where I'd put galleries for the Gurren Lagann and Lazengann Revoltechs (the first of which will be released a month from yesterday!). At first I thought I'd just toss them under the Various heading, but then I thought about taking pictures of Katherine's Tachikoma figure, my lone Major Kusanagi, an eventual Yoko figure, &c. While most of the content for this page remains in the works at present, I am pleased to bring the figures page online with coverage of our household's beloved CATS Booze Club. 2008.04.10 - Giant Robots Two more Zudah pictures added. 2008.04.09 - Change in the Weather First couple pictures of Saki's Zaku are posted. Hurrah for Tamiya's weathering kits. Giant Robots 1ly, Zudah has been showing off that anti-ship rifle. 2ly, work has begun on Saki's Zaku. Pages updated accordingly. 2008.04.07 - Giant Robots After a slothful long weekend (thanks to Tomb-Sweeping Day), the Zudah's rather ludicrous anti-ship sniper rifle is complete. Char's not quite ready to take aim with the beast yet, but another photo or two should come in the near future once he's gotten used to it. Meanwhile, after much deep thought, I've resolved to go ahead and build Saki's ground type Zaku unit. (Yet) Another trip to Ximending awaits. 2008.04.03 - And in The Green Corner... Desperate lest I not have another MG to build, I'm considering yet another Zaku. (Surprise, surprise.) See the Projected Projects page for details. 2008.04.02 - Char ga Kuru! Zudah stands completed and mostly armed. When I went to Ximending the other day to get more "Red Comet pink" paint, I was sad not to find another Zudah kit. I still would like to build a second one, however, so I'll keep my eyes peeled. In the meantime, I'll keep busy with Zudah's remaining weapon... 2008.03.30 - Giant Robots First two shots of Char's Zudah posted. I kind of want to get another one and paint it in regular Zaku colors... Housekeeping Uploaded Zudah's gallery page. Will add some photos of today's work before long. 2008.03.29 - White Unicorn Wrap-Up The usual thoughts have been posted to Hi-Hu's gallery. 2008.03.28 - Giant Robot-fest Gunota Headlines has links up to some photo galleries from Gundam World 2008, which looks like it was pretty sweet. I wish I could've sat in a 1/1 RX-78 cockpit. One day... Red Comet's Revenge Taking Hi-Nu's fin funnel test as a clear sign of aggression, Sazabi has also taken wing. Their battle must be at hand... Rise of the White Unicorn IV We conclude our coverage of the rollout of the Hi-Nu Gundam with images of its highly successful fin funnel test run. 2008.03.27 - In Other News Hi-Nu's domination of the front page is hereby briefly interrupted to note that the Projected Projects page has been updated A. To reflect the Zudah's status as no-longer-projected; and B. With a new entry for yet another Char's Counterattack mobile suit, the Re-GZ. Rise of the White Unicorn III With Hi-Nu's stand complete, Amuro is ready to take flight. The (kickass) bazooka is also done, and no doubt will appear shortly, perhaps during Hi-Nu's fin funnel test run in the near future. ...And that wraps up the MG Hi-Nu Gundam. A joyous satisfaction fills me, though a tinge of sorrow accompanies that feeling. 2008.03.26 - Rise of the White Unicorn II One more before the camera battery died. Rise of the White Unicorn I Added a handful of photos of Hi-Nu at beam saber practice. Topcoat's drying on his shield as I type; will add more when that part's ready. 2008.03.25 - Another Lazengann Sighting A routine Google-dredging turned this up. Giant Robots With those all-important fuel tanks complete, the usual front and back pictures have been added, as well as a side view. Hi-Nu will probably start practicing his beam-sabery in preparation for the upcoming cage match with Sazabi, so expect more images soon. 2008.03.24 - Giant Robots Six times a bajillion little pieces worth of work to produce Hi-Nu's fin funnels: worth it. Waiting on adding the all-important auxiliary fuel tanks before taking pictures. 2008.03.23 - MS IgLoo 2 Gunota Headlines reports that a new installment of MS IgLoo is in the works, this time from the perspective of the Federation Forces on Earth. Still have to finish the last couple episodes of Apocalypse 0079, but I've very much enjoyed these OVAs thus far. I'm glad to know there're (probably always) some more threads of the One Year War story to look forward to picking up. 2008.03.22 - Head's Up Hi-Nu dome-piece assembly complete. Taking a break before tackling the fin funnels... 2008.03.21 - And Another Thing... Completed Hi-Nu's arms and shoulders. Requisite images have been added. Hi-Nu, Side of Type 100 While the topcoat on Hi-Nu's completed legs and torso dries, thought I'd post a couple images of said torso unit. Additionally, I finally got around to taking a new front view photo of Hyaku Shiki. While I was at it, an bonus image was added as well. 2008.03.18 - Giant Robots Armored Hi-Nu's waist unit, which wraps up the lower body. Looking good so far. Camaraderie Today this lonely blarg has the honorable distinction of receiving a comradeship with dannychoo.com. Three cheers. Expect an update on Hi-Nu later today. 2008.03.16 - Taking Things in Stride Sanded and painted the armor for the right leg last night, and this afternoon got started building. So far only the internals are done, so I took the opportunity to post a few images before adding the armor. While sanding and painting each piece is indeed a tremendous pain, it has already proved worth it with the first batch of parts. The set of medium Tamiya abrasives turned out to be still too rough, but the fine set is perfect. (I'm sure an additional pass with the ultra-fine set would really be the finishing touch, but I'm happy for now.) 2008.03.15 - Images of Addiction It occurred to me that it might be worth taking some pictures of our stomping ground on the fourth floor of Ximending's Wan Nian building, since, after all, that place is the wellspring of my modeling habit. Having completed a brief paint run, a little gallery of the place has been added to the various page. 2008.03.14 - Giant Robots Built the inner portion of Hi-Nu's waist unit today, and tried to get started on the legs, but didn't get past the first heel because I'm out of white paint (and probably about to run out of purple), and thus can't do touch-ups. Also didn't quite have the energy to experiment with the sanding/cover-up process at present. However, the first three photos, taking a look at Hi-Nu's impressive torso and arm frames, have been added to the gallery. I'll head to Ximen tomorrow if not this evening to replenish the paint supply, then we'll be back in business. 2008.03.13 - Fugly Ads You may have noticed, dear reader, that there is a big bar of Google ads sitting on top of my once pristine site. Indeed, this somewhat unsightly bar has nested atop each of the site's main pages. I hope it's not too troubling. I'm forbidden from asking my readers to click the ads, so I won't. (Wink wink, say no more.) Hopefully AdSense will figure out what the site is about and maybe give some pertinent links... eventually. MS IgLoo Upon watching the third episode of this CG side-story adventure, I was instantly smitten by the ill-fated competitor against the prototype Zaku, the high-performance (but regrettably explody-prone) Zudah. The only iteration of this suit in Gunpla, an HGUC 1/144 model, has been added to ProjProj. 2008.03.12 - Hi-Nu Progress After building the inner frame of the torso and arms, I've decided it ultimately makes the most sense to spray the runners first, then do a selective second coat to touch up once clip marks are removed. I wish I had a workspace in which I could set up a storage system with enough little compartments for me to cut out, clean up, and paint each piece individually, and then store them by runner number until assembly. Alas, not yet. Joints so far are excellent, clearly designed along the same lines as the standard-setting ver. 2.0 Zaku. I may take some pictures of what I've got so far tomorrow, or wait till the whole frame is done. (Let me know if you've got any preferences, dear reader.) 2008.03.10 - Housekeeping Two points of order today: 1ly, as we will be moving on to build the Hi-Nu, the current project link has been accordingly updated. 2ly, I have added a little Contact page, in case any of my beloved readers are actually fellow wanderers whose paths I've yet to cross (rather than my unfortunate friends, who're forced to check the site from time to time). 2008.03.09 - Lazengann Sighting It would appear this (and this) is not the upcoming Revoltech figure, but another iteration of the Spiral King's ganmen, by Konami. No further information at present, but sure looks good. 2008.03.08 - Let's Go Shopping One trip to Ximending and a couple thousand NT later, the lovely Hi-Nu Gundam awaits at home (I'm updating from the hip Cafe Oso, an internet/cat cafe across the street). After some thought and consulting Katherine's superior color sense, I've decided to indeed replace the painter's-tape blue with Tamiya "lavender," a nice purple which will bring the Ni-Hu's paint scheme in line with that of Amuro's custom Zeta Gundam unit. Additionally, I picked up an "action base" for Sazabi, so he can be on equal footing (ha) with the Hi-Nu, which comes with its own base. As usual, a new gallery page has been added for the Hi-Nu. 2008.03.07 - Accouterments A fair bunch of new images document Sazabi's testing of his new beam tomahawk and beam shot rifle, which complete his arsenal. He'll be ready for Nu Gundam any old time. 2008.03.06 - Giant Robots Sazabi got to practice his beam-sabery a little today, and left us with a few more pictures. 2008.03.05 - Mighty Guard Finished Sazabi's gigundasaur shield, and accordingly added one more photo. Really Giant Robot Completed metallo-Sazabi the day before yesterday, and have been getting it together to make the present update. Another batch of pictures have been added to the gallery, along with my usual overall comments. More photos to follow as Sazabi's gear is assembled. 2008.03.02 - More Spiral King's Machine Another (grainy) shot of an ad for the Lazengann figure here. Wandering about in Ximending this afternoon, I took note that indeed several shops in the Wan Nian building carry Revoltech figures, so I imagine I'll be able to find it there (when the time comes – the middle of June seems very far away). I also noted that those figures are rather small, at least compared to my usual idea of action figure dimensions. I hope the Lazengann isn't too... short. Then again, I've got a very good impression of these figures, though I haven't gotten to see much of them myself, and I'm sure Kaiyodo will come through on this one. A lovely review of the Wonder Festival early release edition of the Revoltech Gurren Lagann demonstrates the quality of their design and excellence of their poseability. (The general release of that figure is scheduled for May, a month before Lazengann.) Spiral King's Machine Hobby Link Japan has a clearer photo of the upcoming Revoltech Lazengann, though it's not yet available for pre-order. Not sure if I should pre-order it when it becomes available, to be safe, or wait till the release and see if it turns up at Ximending. We'll see how the other Gurren Lagann releases do over the next few months, in terms of local availability. 2008.03.01 - We Are Moved to Tears By The Size of This Thing Even with the head yet unfinished, Sazabi's sheer size is stunning. I'm not sure what else to say. Look at some pictures. 2008.02.28 - Skirting the Issue Finished the front and side skirts of Sazabi's waist unit. The waterslide decal on the left front skirt was a bit harrowing, but went on very nicely. Will post pictures when the whole waist is done. Degenerate Age Gunota Headlines reports this morning that Bandai plans to increase Gunpla prices due to the rising cost of oil. No details as to how much or when exactly this will happen, though there are some speculations. (10-20% for MG kits, in May.) 2008.02.27 - Leg Up Built Sazabi's left leg this afternoon. The waist, head, and accessories remain. 2008.02.26 - Giant Robots Back to our regularly scheduled update: Sazabi's right leg stands completed. A handful of photos have been added to the gallery. Additional Information Smarter people than I (namely Ngee Khiong) have reported that indeed a Revoltech Lazengann is to be released on 15 June. Consider the date saved. A photo of the nimble mech (the very one protruding into Danny's picture) can be seen here. Long Time No Update Been a bit of a lull in work on metallo-Sazabi. Most of the right leg has actually been assembled, but I need to add the booster array before taking pictures of the internals, and then adding the armor. Meanwhile, among his numerous photos of Sunday's Wonder Festival, Danny Choo caught this one, a shot of a prototype figure of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. My own interest was piqued by the black foot and tail protruding into the right side of the composition. These no doubt belong to my favorite ganmen, the Helix King's Lazengann. I eagerly await further news of this figure, and will keep my eyes open for it. 2008.02.22 - Armed and Dangerous With both shoulders complete, the whole upper half of the metallo-Sazabi (aside from the dome-piece, which will be the final addition) has been assembled. Check the gallery for a couple new pictures. 2008.02.21 - More Update? Having discovered the effectiveness of the macro mode on Katherine's camera (yes, I am a genius), I set out to replace some of those monumentally bad photos of the lovely Hyaku Shiki. This I have done, as you will see upon revisiting the gallery. You may also notice that the plain front view picture is missing. I didn't manage to get a good one, but Goldilocks was worn out from the photoshoot and not up for more posing today, so that one will have to wait. Level Up Just got back from a little stroll over to the old Wan Nian building to pick up some finishing abrasives (fancy sandpaper). While the metallo-Sazabi already suffers from some incurable clip-marring, with any luck these should eliminate that problem in the future. We'll see how it turns out. Tried to scout out prices on the MG Hi-Nu, with little success. All four of the usual suspects had the kit, but only two of them had prices on it, and those both the same (about NT $1600). Probably not much variation, but I'll have to ask when the time comes to pick that up. Additionally, much to my bemusement, two of the usual places also suddenly both had the elusive MG GP03S. Not sure whether I should grab it as soon as I can, since the Hi-Nu isn't likely to disappear, or count on it being back in stock. At the moment I think I'll stick to building Hi-Nu next; maybe I should splurge a bit and get both, to keep the Stamen around for a rainy day. On the other hand, the thought of how much that trip would cost makes my wallet hurt. Shouldering the Burden Finished Sazabi's left arm and right shoulder yesterday, with a lone picture to show for it. More of the shoulders will be seen, of course, in later photos. 2008.02.19 - Hand Over Hand While the paint dries on the parts for the left arm and the shoulders, thought I'd post the first pictures of Sazabi's dexterous hand. (The left one's still in the works.) As usual, they've been added to the gallery. 2008.02.18 - Fancy That I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that my sandpaper from the everything store in the night market isn't fine enough to clean up clip marks, but... Well, in any case, looks like all I need is better sandpaper. A nice modeling scalpel wouldn't hurt, either, but that'll have to wait till after we win the lottery, no doubt. Meanwhile, minimal progress on the Sazabi this afternoon, prepping the black pieces which needed painting before assembling the right arm. The hand, beautifully articulate, was among these parts, but I'll wait till I've got an arm to go with it before taking any pictures. Housekeeping I've updated Projected Projects on two points: 1ly, as the Sazabi is no longer merely projected, and indeed, a project in progress (ProgProj?), it's entry has been removed. 2ly, I've added the "top o' the list" note, appropriately enough, to the top of the page. This note specifies which kit I'm planning on building next. Additionally, I've updated the Hi-Nu Gundam's entry. 2008.02.17 - Bit by Bit Metallo-Sazabi's funnels and backpack are complete and attached to the torso unit. Usual pictures posted. Dazed and Confused After watching Char's Counterattack last night, I felt compelled to organize my thoughts concretely. The resulting lunatic diatribe may be found here. 2008.02.16 - Shiny Red Update Work has begun on the Sazabi, and the first couple photos added to the gallery. 2008.02.15 - Update Indeed the sanding shows through the paint (though the Tamiya metallic black is very nice). I may have better success carefully carving away the clipping marks, until I can equip myself with better finishing tools. Finished Gundam ZZ. Poor Haman; if only Char had loved'ed you better. Speaking of which, I plan to spend a nice, leisurely Saturday working on the Sazabi (topped off, perhaps, with Char's Counterattack), so expect a shiny red update. Giant Robots Clipped and sanded the first parts for the Sazabi this afternoon. The paint is drying as I type. I think finer sandpaper, or better yet, files, may be in order before I may expect the filing marks not to be visible through the paint. We'll see how this first batch goes. Only two episodes of Gundam ZZ remain, and there'll likely be a showing of Char's Counterattack this weekend, so my rule about being familiar with the mecha before building the model won't be broken so much as slightly bent after all. Meanwhile, all the parts for Katherine's Rabscuttle are prepared for painting. With any luck we may get to that this weekend, and afterward may proceed with building the suit. 2008.02.14 - A Message From Our Sponsor  2008.02.12 - Char Garage Why would I consider building Char's Gelgoog, a mobile suit I never cared much for? Check the new entry on the Projected Projects page and find out. 2008.02.11 - Last Day of Break Rainy and overcast in Taibei as we enjoy our last day off before continuing with our studies. Katherine and I made a relatively brief run over to Ximending to pick up the paints for the Rabscuttle and Sazabi, and holy Zaku spikes was it busy! We'd never seen it so crowded. There were so many people that a couple flights of the escalators in the Wan Nian building seemed to have broken (they stopped, anyhow). I also acquired a nice scarf of +3 coziness. In any case, we're now properly prepared to get underway with the projects at hand, so with any luck there'll be another substantive update before long. 2008.02.09 - Housekeeping Tidied up a few spots around the site, notably updating the GP03's entry on the Projected Projects page. 2008.02.08 - P.S. Also recombobulated the links in the sidebar so they made more sense. Not Random, Assorted Added the Various page, where links to odd topics (such as the Rabscuttle project) may be found. Speaking of Rabscuttle, Katherine and I began work today, clipping and cleaning up selected parts from the two Hazel kits in preparation for painting. Once we've thusly readied a few more parts (and made yet another trip to Ximending for paints), we'll be ready to begin assembly. 2008.02.07 - Housekeeping Having completed the Type 100, the time has come to move on. My first kit of the (lunar) new year, the beautimous Sazabi, now has it's page set up and linked from the main robots page and the current project link. However, since I'll be working with my better half to build her custom HGUC Gundam Rabscuttle first, it may be some time before work begins on the Sazabi. A page will be added before long for the Rabscuttle, and I'll of course keep you, dear reader, up to date on this interesting side-project. Happy year of the rat! 2008.02.06 - Giant Robots Built Hyaku Shiki's weapons today, though I promptly broke the beam rifle and didn't get any pictures with it. A couple decent ones with the bazooka have been added to the gallery, though, along with my (relatively) brief comments. Today is the last day of the lunar year, and here in Taibei it's very quiet, as everyone has gone to visit their families and eat a big fat new year's dinner. Just about all the shops are closed, and it seems like no one's around. After yesterday's shopping spree some big projects await the intrepid modeler, but for now he shall rest. 2008.02.05 - Where'd Those Come From?  It's not all my doing. Granted, I have broken my usual rule and got the metallic coating Sazabi, which was on sale at one store in the Wan Nian building for NT $2700 (the lowest price elsewhere: about NT $3200), and moreover that rule was really more of a guideline anyhow. (The Sazabi has accordingly been struck through on the Proj. Proj. page.) The three HGUC kits, however – Gundam Hazel II, Advanced Hazel, and a GM Quel – are Katherine's. When she discovered that some of the mobile weapons from the manga Advance of Zeta were named after characters and Lapine words from her beloved Watership Down books, she became interested despite her general ambivalence toward all things Gundam. Long story short, she and I are are going to mix some of these kits' parts around and build her a 1/144 Gundam Rabscuttle, a custom suit of her own conception. We may also throw together a Gundam Bigwig from the many extra parts. This interesting project will keep me occupied while I slog through Gundam ZZ (if the first episode was any indication, it'll be a slog indeed), and at the end will be waiting the incredible Sazabi, with which I intend to really take my time. 2008.02.04 - Connectivity Added a link to the popular blog of Danny Choo, otaku king, and excellent source of gundam and figurine news. 2008.02.03 - Hyaku Shiki, Launching! Completed Goldilocks, who now stands as a shining example to the other Gunpla. A first spate of photos have been added to the gallery, though this gleaming model proved exceedingly difficult to photograph. (Not that I know how to go about it. May need to ask one of the resident professionals to lend a hand.) Be prepared for some ugly pictures. The ranged weapons remain to be completed, and more pictures will follow, along with my usual comments. Suffice to say for now that this kit was a very positive experience. 2008.02.02 - We're in Yuor Base... After a bit of searching, Ben and I lay eyes upon the aforementioned Gundam Base Taibei, and went for a little look-see. You may peruse my report here. While there was an MG Stamen in one of the display cases, it was completely out of the box, and without paint nor ink looked quite sad. Other than that, there was no sign of the kit, which turns out to be for the best, as we found everything to be quite expensive (the cost, Ben observed, of the real estate they occupied: the building right next to Shin Kong Mitsukoshi). As usual, I feel a trip to Ximending coming on. 2008.02.01 - Giant Robots Built Hyaku Shiki's backpack and wing binders today. Waiting on adding new pictures until it's finished (and getting a new battery in the camera). Having done some more research, I've decided that I will build the Dendrobium Stamen, if the kit turns up. As I mentioned on the Projected Projects page, I have yet to find it at Ximen. However, tomorrow we've planned a stop at Gundam Base Taibei on our way back from the new year's market near Shuanglian. My wallet withstanding, I can get it there if from anywhere. 2008.01.31 - Standing Up For The Right Hyaku Shiki now stands on its own completed two legs, though I get the feeling it already would rather go dancing off in outer space. Soon enough. The Future Revealed ...And from the looks of it, my wallet's going to be perpetually empty. The Projected Projects page is up and running, with a link added from the sidebar here, as well as the Giant Robots page. 2008.01.30 - I See the Future I've begun work on that projected projects page I thought up in the other day's post. It'll be uploaded tomorrow. Leg Up Began work on Hyaku Shiki's left leg. Will probably finish that limb tomorrow, which'll just leave the backpack, wing binders, and head (plus the weapons, of course). All Your Gundam Base... Pawing through Gunota Headlines this morning, I read the first I'd seen of Gundam Base Taibei, from the looks of it a major Gunpla gallery and shop in the Taibei Main Station mall. An expedition must be organized... 2008.01.28 - Show Us Your Ankles! Assembled Hyaku Shiki's right leg this afternoon. Not one, but two images have been posted. I've also added the Current Project link to the sidebar. It will take you directly to the gallery page for whichever giant robot I happen to be in the middle of. As I typed that description, I asked myself, "Self, what'll that link do when you're between projects?" This led me to the notion of creating a projected projects page, as it were. I may just do that in the near future. Keep your eyemeats peeled, dear readers... Hello? 2008.01.27 - Getting a Grip Back After a week of miserable illness which left me indisposed, I've finally gotten back to the Hyaku Shiki. Spent a good part of the afternoon enjoying the leisurely construction of the other arm and the torso. The usual photo has been posted. 2008.01.20 - Getting a Grip Goldilocks' left arm has been assembled. Those clippers really are something, though even with such a fine tool, avoiding leaving any sign of clip-points on those gold-plated parts remains difficult. 2008.01.19 - Heaven's Tools...   ... In the hands of
man.
2008.01.17 - Old Favorites With work temporarily suspended on the Hyaku Shiki, it occurred to me to take a picture of the Ez8 with it's machinegun, which was completed some time ago. It has been added to the gallery. 2008.01.16 - Update, Really. Those bungled things should be properly un-bungled now. Nothing should be more broken than usual. Erm... Update? Some things got bungled up in the process of uploading the files for the below-mentioned update. I'm in the middle of fixing them, so forgive me if you find something broken in the meantime. Update I've taken the liberty of changing the format of the gallery images from somewhat pudgy .png to much slimmer .jpg. Hopefully gallery pages will load faster as a result. I've also slightly recombobulated said gallery pages so the text isn't quite so willy-nilly. 2008.01.15 - Difficult Beginning All went well with the first non-gold runners of the Hyaku Shiki until the topcoat – the same whitening occurred as on the Ez8's backpack. I've come to suspect this is an adverse effect of using topcoat directly on raw, unpainted plastic. In Ez8's case, it would seem I was lucky to have sanded most of the model first, which seems to have largely prevented this mishap. Fortunately, acetone can remove the offensive coat, and I can repaint the parts in question. From here on out, no unpainted models. 2008.01.13 - As Expected Please find the aforementioned pictures of the Zaku I posted in the appropriate gallery. I've resolved to get those Tamiya clippers next time I swing around by Ximending. I've set up a little collection egg on my desk to gather change for the purpose. In any case, I can still begin working on Goldilocks, at least the not-gold parts thereof, which will need to be separately pre-inked and topcoated before assembly. This method should give the process an interesting rhythm, to say the least. We'll see how it goes. 2008.01.12 - Golden Weekend Apparently I couldn't keep away very long at all. An extremely shiny MG Hyaku Shiki awaits my attention. I may need to go back (again) and bite the bullet on those lovely Tamiya model clippers I've been eying. (And I was trying to save money this month.) In the meantime I'll limit myself to building the suit's weapons, to avoid scratching that gorgeous gold coating with my vicious box-cutter. Meanwhile, I've got a couple more pictures of the Zaku I sporting both his machineguns. Expect to post them tomorrow. 2008.01.11 - Giant Robots The promised photos and a lengthy dissertation have been added to the Zaku I's gallery page. Next on the list was the Gouf Custom, but presently I'm inclined to take a break from One Year War suits and jump ahead briefly to build the audacious Hyaku Shiki. We'll see how long I can keep away from Ximending. 2008.01.10 - Compy Reborn A harrowing week nears its close, and while on the plus side, my computer has twice as much disk space, on the minus side I'm back to being stuck with OS 10.3.9, alas. Upgrading to Leopard looks more attractive by the hour. While my machine was out of commission, I had to keep myself busy, and so the Zaku I has been finished. There should be a nice fat post soon with all the images which would've been posted over the last few days, plus thoughts on the kit. The moral of the story is: eat your veggies, drink your milk, and back up your files regularly. 2008.01.04 - More Giant Robots Armored the Zaku I torso, and assembled the major components completed thus far. The usual documentary image has been added to the gallery. 2008.01.03 - Giant Robots Built the core block of the Zaku I's torso today, and added a photo. 2008.01.01 - Happy New Year Posted a picture of the progress so far on Ramba Ral's Zaku: the arms and head. 2007.12.25 - Blue Robot Xmas Katherine got a lovely little Tachikoma from Santa (pictures on her Flickr), and I got Ramba Ral's Zaku I. Fancy that. The appropriate runners have been initially sprayed, but otherwise I haven't started yet – just finished Shiro's favorite machinegun for the Ez8, wrapping up that project, and figured I should give it a rest. In any case, the gallery page for the new model has been set up. 2007.12.24 - Giant Robots Pompous pontifications on the Ez8 promptly promulgated per previous post. 2007.12.23 - Armed and Dangerous Posted new photos of the Ez8, now sporting most of his armaments. Comments on the kit soon to follow. 2007.12.21 - Moving Ahead Having dealt with the chorus of minor disasters which befell the Ez8's lovely dome-piece last night, the whole suit is now in order. The weapons and other gear remain in the works, pending acquisition of the proper paints. A picture of the exuberant mecha is here. 2007.12.20 - Giant Robots Posted the rest of my comments on Char's Zaku. 2007.12.19 - A Cautionary Tale of Topcoat... ...Apparently if you spray on too much, it turns your model all snowy-looking. Fortunately only the Ez8's backpack was affected, and I managed to sand it down. Certainly got the beat-up look, though not exactly what I had in mind. I've also posted some of my thoughts on building Char's Zaku. 2007.12.18 - Giant Robots Added a new picture of the Ez8. The skirt armor is complete and the shoulders and arms are attached. I've also topcoated everything built thus far. 2007.12.17 - Up and Running |
