New Site is Up

Hey Gang,

The New Location's up.

Visit

http://korewagundam.wordpress.com/


Jaa~

New Location

Hey Gang,

The move will be to http://www.korewagundam.wordpress.com/ - the sites still under construction so please be patient!

Jaa~

We're Moving!

Hey Gang,

Korewa Gundam will be moving shortly. I want things to go very smoothly so there it is a 1,2,3 - switch over.

The move will be to wordpress. The main reason is that Blogger is a little to stiff when it comes to adjusting the site.

I want to get more active with Korewa Gundam, and so part of that will be having categories much like Z's site, which you can see here.

I'll keep you guys posted. Also, I just read how to take close up pictures on my camera, so I want to get a few shots of the S Gundam's Incom unit that I finished last night.

Big weekend for me, I'll be very busy!

Jaa~

S Gundam Update: Arms Done

Finished the S Gundam arms tonight. This was the first time I tried using masking tape to do multiple colors on the shoulders. (Click on the Photos for more details). First I painted the whole piece in normal red, then applied various strips of masking tape, then painted the whole piece again in a different mix of red. Once dried, removing the tape leaves the the design, I'm really happy how it turned out.

Here's more detail on the left. One small bit of the Gundam System decal didn't stick, but I'll live with it. Fixing that one spot could potential ruin everything else.

Here's the arms together.

Here's the right arm. You can see the striping design better here.

Left again with the wing binder attached. You can see the metallic grey on the wing binder joint. I used the metallic grey for the venting in the shoulder too.

The PIII decal needed to go on the shoulder in my opinion. I love the Pegasus III. I'm still not entirely certain if its just the Nehl Argama or not, but its still one of my most favorite Assault Carriers in the Gundam Universe. I wish I could find a model of it, but I have the Albion to build so that'll have to do for now.

I'm going to take a look at the instruction book tonight to figure out what section I'll work on next. I suppose I could just go in order, but that would be the legs, and I might want to do the whole upper body first. I'll keep you guys posted.

Until next time -

Jaa~

Sorry for the Delay in Updates.....

I've been battling it out at my work this week, starting my new position and whatnot. I'll update soon!

- Jaa

S Gundam: Oh My! It's Thursday!

Whoops. It's Thursday already. This week slipped by so fast!

Just about done with the shoulders of the S. I've been reading my cameral manual non-stop so hopefully I'll be able to take some actually view-able pictures tonight or tomorrow.

I have to admit, there is a lot of beauty to the inner frame of the S Gundam's shoulders. None of which is seen unless you're willing to disassemble and un-do a few screws. Yes, screws. The S Gundam was produced back when Bandai still included parts that needed screws for a firm connection. Regardless, the final product should be a beauty.

Anyway, I'll post pictures once the shoulders are done.

Until then,

Jaa ~

S Gundam Update

A few updates tonight.:

First, finished the wing stabilizers. I think they turned out pretty good. I used Wave System's decals for the striping on the mounts. I had to mix Light Ghost Grey, Engine Grey and just a drop or two of Flat Black to get the Light Grey of the mounts.

I also finished the inner shoulder armor frames. Unfortunately, I had cancel my plans to do the shoulder armor split. I have a small hack saw which would work, but quite frankly, I just don't want to risk it. I'll make my own modifications, including an idea I had for the INCOM unit in the head.

I like to use a Gold Gundam marker for the detailing. I also use a Chrome Silver Sharpie brand marker. The gold and silver work great for hydraulics.

I also finished the shoulder lift bars. The fin blade stabilizer that sticks out of the shoulder frame is Light Grey like the mount.

Finally, I have to say, I've fallen in love with a new brand of paint. I made it known last post that I use Testors Acrylic paints, but I came across Tamiya Paint this weekend, and picked up a Metallic Grey for various parts on the Gundam. I love it. It looks fantastic, goes on perfectly smooth and still is Acrylic so it washes out with water. I may have to switch over all my paint to Tamiya after this.

More to come this week. I'm hoping on finishing both arms/shoulders in full.

Jaa~

MG S Gundam

Quick update tonight,

Finished the forearms and top stabilizer wings (base). I like the how the red turned out, I ended up mixing International Orange with Guard Red for a nice, deep combat Red.

Had a little trouble detailing the Red outline on the wing. It'll take some more work, I think.

I also finished painting the wing mounts tonight as well.

More to come, I plan on having the wings completely done, including the latch clips and mounts. I'll post pictures tomorrow.

Jaa~

MG S Gundam: First Post

Well here we are, this is my first post and the beginning of the S Gundam construction.

To begin every kit I build, I first wash all the sheets with warm water and a little soap or detergent.

Then its on to the primer. Primer comes in 3 main colors: white, grey and black. The darker the primer, the dark your colors will end up when painting. Priming the pieces also serves as a surfacer, filling small holes, and also gives the paint something to cling to.




I usually spray a fine layer from about 6 inches away. Once this dries, construction can begin. Each part requires sanding, as to remove the excess primer, leaving the bare minimum. Clipping the parts with a spur-nipper and sanding down the spur flash needs to be done anyway.








Before Air brushing, I still hand paint a layer first, this creates a much more adhering surface, and gives a much smoother final surface for the final product. Here are two pieces for the forearm of the S Gundam. I normally will build a unit's core fighter (if available) first, however, with the S, I decided to start from the begining, which is the arms.



Here's a close-up of a forearm panel so you can see what the final product will look like. Typically, I will detail in sections. So once all the forearm parts are painted, I put them all together, then add detail lining and decals before moving on.

White tends to be the most difficult color to air brush. However, I use (oddly enough) Testors Acryllic paints, so when air brushing with white, the paint tends to dry almost on contact, which avoids any "pooling" on the parts. I do recommend buying a bottle of acryllic thinner. Many say that water works fine, but in my experience, one small drop of thinner does wonders to avoid any clogging in the air brush (which happens if you let paint sit for a while and it dries within the passage ways).

I stopped here tonight. I really wish this picture was more clear and I'm going to have to figure out my new camera at some point because the close-ups turn out terrible. Anyway, what you see here is one of the back stabilizer wings. In the G Cruiser mode, this surves as main wing of the fighter. The reason I took this picture is to show what trouble can be found in a part that should have two seperate colors, but Bandai molded in one (for cost effective reasons). The edge of the wing should be Red. The wing itself should be white. See the issue? What I will end up doing is, now that the edge has been air brushed, I will use masking tape and cover the red sections, re-sand and paint the rest of the wing with white. Remove the tape and I should have a nice looking duel colored wing.

Stay tuned for more!

Trying something new..

Hey gang,

So I've decided, as I'm becoming more and more excited and obsessive about my MG S Gundam project, that I'm going to, starting tonight, document and post full updates on my progression and progress!

This way, you can see just how I go about painting, and assembling a kit step by step.

I don't plan on having every single moment documented, but once or twice a week show where I am.

Also, any modifications, or steps taken 'out of the norm' will be fully explained so that you don't see a plain piece in one picture, and a completely changed final result with no discription.

So until tonight (and believe me, getting through the rest of this day is going to be a pain!)

Jaa~

The Problem with My Brain...

Well, I'm all set to start working on the MG S Gundam. Still have no idea where he'll go when he's done but I'll deal with that when I get there (how odd that I refer to a MS as a 'he').

Anyway, I want to use Erix93's color scheme shown here. You can check out Eric and his friends site here. They do amazing work. I love Eric's S Gundam design.

The problem with my brain though, is I start looking at all the modifications Eric made to the kit and realize I don't think I could possibly do that. Some of them I could pull off. Some not at all. I like how the shoulder armor seperates and I emailed Eric to see if there is any change in how it would mount to the should joint of the kit or not.

But from looking at Eric's modifications, I went to look at other items that can be used, products to be bought and soon found myself in a whirlwind of items I, for some reason, seem convinced I need.

The truth of the matter is, I'll never be able to produce something like this. Whether its lack of time, lack of patience, lack of materials or lack of money, its far beyond my reach.

So I need to remember that the whole idea is to have fun while you build the kit and enjoy your own skills as they progress, right?

I'm still going to try that whole armor seperation thing on the shoulders though!

I'll keep you guys posted.

-jaa-

Max Capacity!!

*Edit: Click on the pictures for a much clearer picture!*

Okay, its crunch time...literally. Here's a picture of my main Gundam Shelf.

Yikes, right? I'm "packed to the rafters" as they say and really, before I begin the S Gundam, I need to figure something out for more space.

I took some closer shots so you guys can see what I'm working with.

Here's the left side of the shelf. My Powered GM MG Conversion kit, the PG Mk. II, and MG GPo1 are the most easily viewed. They're all painted kits. The Mk.II and Gp01 are hand painted, the Powered GM marks my first Air Brushing attempt (and resin conversion as well!) Around them are the GFF FA Gundam and Gundam 05, MiA Gundam Hazel, Zaku II Ultimate Op. Stand Art, and various Robust Silhouettes. I think the HCM Pro Death Scythe was jut cut off in the shot.

Here's the right side of the shelf. My PG RX-78-1, MG Alex, and MG Zaku II F2 can be seen. My MG Blue Destiny Conversion is just cut off, but you can see its 100mm Machine Gun behind the Zaku II. Then we have the GFF Nu Gundam and F90-2 along with the Ultimate Op Stand Art Gundam Mk.II Titans. You can just see the wing of the HCM Pro Wing Gundam as well.

And here's the master piece. The GP04 Bust that I waited for more than a month arrived and look at what an Amazing job GundamPro Shop did (Ebay seller GundamProShop) - I don't have the lights on, as I want to conserve the batter for as long as possible. You can also see the MG X1 behind it, both are actually dead center on my shelf.

Here's my TV. My MG Gp02 and 1/144 Resin FA Gundam Mk.II as well as my DX V2 Assault were moved to the TV as clearly, there is no room on the main shelf. How is the GP02 actually holding it's shield you ask? It's permanently plastered to the display stand. I grew tired of it falling all the time. This works great though! The FA Gundam Mk.II is mounted on it's display stand in a similar fashion to the V2...a copper pipe running strait between the legs and attached into the base. He's very very fragile (I think it was a re-cast resin kit...actually, I'm sure of it) so this way, he won't fall ever again!

Here's my Ultimate Operation Shelf. Q did a post today on various "Gashapon" collectibles in Japan, and Ultimate Operation is by far my favorite. The GP01, FA Gundam, Aile Strike and Dom Tropen can be seen, but the shelf actually goes down about four more cubes on each side. On top is my 1/100 Leopard Destroy (He's been through a lot...lost most of its weapons in moving) and 1/100 Burning/God Gundam from G Gundam. Its actually a toy, but it was a present so I keep it on display. I'm not a huge fan of G Gundam, but the Burning Gundam is pretty cool. It's fun to use in Dynasty Warriors Gundam for Xbox 360.

Finally, here's the "collective shot" of the shelf again. I added my Ez8 High Mobility Custom MG Conversion (of my own design..it was pretty tough) and you can see it on the far right side next to the Zaku II.

I gotta figure something out guys! I need a new shelf or something because I have the MG S Gundam, MG Aile Strike, and MG Z plus to add, plus a kit of the Mobile Assault Carrier Albion from 0083, and a 1/144 GM Cold Climate as well!



Until next time -

Jaa~

Robot Damashii Line

I'm going to post on this, even though I just left a comment on Ngee's blog as well.

I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed in the Robot Damashii line. You can see the Robot Damashii Diary here. Don't get me wrong, they look amazing and I would love to add a few to my collection. But If Katoki-san is really as involved as the line claims, then I think its time the Gundam line branches off from OO Gundam.

I know the series is a big money maker right now, but I'm sure fans of the older series would agree that it would be nice to see some other timelines. UC, AW AC, CE are all left untouched so far.

The V2 Gundam from Victory Gundam would be a great addition, seems the V Gundam line hasn't really been explored by any of the current action figure lines (Robot Damashii, GFF, HCM Pro, etc).

I suppose this is a ranting post, but I want to get on board with the Robot Damashii line, and so far, I don't have a reason too.

Hopefully they have more in store for the development as the line gets older.

Lack of Posts

I have to apologize for the lack of recent posts. I've had a rough couple of weeks, with my friend recently passing away due to breast cancer just last week and so I haven't had any time to get much done.

I'll be back this week though.

My G System GP04 Bust came in from GundamPro Shop on Ebay, and its perfect! I'll have pictures up soon.

I'm also working steadily at fully repairing and mounting my 1/144 resin FA Gundam Mk.II. Its supposed to be a fully pose-able kit, but because its a re-cast, the parts don't fit that well. He took a fall off my shelf a few years ago and I haven't fixed him since.

Jaa mata -

The Force is Strong With This One...

In my 26 years, I've managed to narrow my interests down to a quartet of specific mythos:

The first, of course, is Mobile Suit Gundam, this is truly untouchable in terms of the four powerhouses.

The other three, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Monster Hunter tend to be in a continual battle royale for the number two spot.

Right now, that number two spot is Star Wars. And unfortunately for my resin FA Gundam Mk.II, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed hit the shelves in the US yesterday..I picked up a copy on my way home from work (I had been playing the demo on Xbox Live for about 3 weeks now)

Let me paint you a quick picture of Force Unleashed.

You're a Sith (Vader's Apprentice) -

Vader sends you on missions that are top secret. He doesn't want the Emperor to know about you so you need to wipe out Imperials and Rebels.

A Stormtrooper draws near....

You can either:

• Deflect his blaster shot with your lightsaber and kill him.
• Use the force to push (read: blast) him into a huge steel door
• Use the force to lift him, then hurl him into
• a door - a pit - lava - other Stormtroopers - anything else you can see
• Use the force to lift him, shock him with lightning then
• drop him dead on the ground - or see above options
• Use the force to lift him off the ground, chuck your lightsaber at him - then see all above option
• Use your lightsaber to kill him with various awesome moves and combos (
• Or any of the above options combined, plus an infinite number of other options.

You can also unlock different uniforms, and various lightsaber crystals that affect the strength and color of your blade.

This game is awesome, truly awesome. It will be hard for me to balance playing the game and working on the plethora of models I need to fix up before starting on the S Gundam, but there are worse problems in life to try and figure out!

Till next time -

Ja Matta~

Crossbone Gundam Follow up

Being anal-retentive, I've been looking at the pictures of My Crossbone Gundam from the last post and cringing ever so often.

So I wanted to note a couple of things:

The face looks horrible, I know. The Head was one of the most complex units I've ever put together. For one thing, the face vents, which to me, make the Gundam, were very hard to work with. The top slot was molded into the upper half of the face plate, which is fine - but with the design of the Crossbone, the upper half slides up to allow excess heat to escape - this doesn't work so well with a small scale model though and the lower face vent is molded into the separation between the upper and lower halves of the plate, which doesn't look right, as you can see.

The head has the detail of a 1/60 perfect grade, but at a 1/100 scale and I had a hard time with the grey under section of the eyes.

I also accidentally threw out the chin piece, which had me nearly pulling my hair out this weekend. I used the chin piece of my old MG Gundam Mk II, so it looks a bit too big. Luckily it fit though.

The head really just fell apart on this kit. The V Fin and Skull & Crossbones were easy, but everything else just was more difficult than I had expected.

Also, the inside of the Beam Sabers (in the upper chest) does not appear white like it does in the photos. I believe this is the flash from the camera reflecting on the paint in there.

I'll stop because I'll end up tearing my work apart on this. He looks a lot better without a super-zoomed in photo, trust me, and I do like how he turned out, but these pictures sort of highlight my mistakes. Bleh.

Until next time -

Jaa ~

Crossbone Gundam X1 Ver Ka Kit Review

Well, I finished my X1 today, so I thought I’d do a kit review.

The Master Grade Crossbone Gundam X1, Ver. Ka represents the pinnacle of Bandai’s Gunpla kits, with the exception of the newer 0079 kits being released.

The X1 uses very simple, yet tremendously sturdy designs for all of its inner frame, allowing you to a multitude of poses.

Here’s a shot of the inner leg frame under construction

Compared to the older kits, Bandai chose less inter connected parts, but modified the joints, allowing for more posability as well as tremendous support for the kit’s balance.

The new ball joints work very well to allow balance in the legs.

Here’s the completed lower half of the X1. (sorry for the inverted pic, Blogger isn't cooperating tonight)

The armor panels attach to the outer frame perfectly, allowing move

ment in the thigh, ankle and foot.

The X1 also comes with the core block system, one of my favorite concepts in the Gundam Universe. I actually build the core fighter first, which was nice as I could display it in my collection as it can completely stand along as its own model, much like all the other kits that have core fighters.

I botched a few things though. I didn’t start air-brushing until I got to the X thrusters, so the body of the jet looks a little less smooth. You’ll notice too that I switched out the yellow for gold. I do this for all of my kits. I don’t really care for the whole “school bus yellow” idea on a war machine, and gold seems to add a bit more realism to the kit. I’m regretting not painting those red “v” decals on the thrusters. I used the stickers and they didn’t line up well, so the look a little off.

Here’s the upper body before assembly. Again, the arms (while not pictured here well) use the same, simple, yet study inner frame design, which works great. I mixed the blue coloring myself, and I think it turned out pretty dang well. The cockpit is open here, but without the core fighter, there’s nothing inside.

The X1 uses the Zambuster Beam Rifle. The Zambuster separates into the Beam Zamber Sword and Buster Gun. I had a hard time painting the grey trim, and the heat dagger handles actually tuck into the back of the calf unit, so I had to make sure the paint wasn’t too thick which is tough for white!

So here is the final product. I have the X1 tearing off the beam cloak. The cloak that comes with the kit is pretty terrible, but I did manage to burn some “beam holes” into it. I just didn’t like how it looked attached so I thought this works well.

The whole thing is painted. I use black spray primer, then sand and air brush section individually. The kit is amazing, but I do have one gripe (besides the beam cloak), some of the parts are attached to the trays in awkward areas. For example, the thumb pieces, are attached at the base and tip, its pretty tough to sand the flash point down on a tiny little thumb. Other than that, this has been a blast!

But now I’m running into some trouble. Here’s the X1 among my collection…

As you can see…I’m at full capacity! (I even moved some Robust Silhouette figures and my DX V2 Assault Buster Gundam to the top of my TV~!)

My next project is the S Gundam, but before that, I have a bunch of repairs to do, including my resin 1/144 Full Armor Mk.II – but before that….I gotta find some space!

Until next time guys,

Jaa matta~

Gundam Vs Gundam on PSP

I’m really excited for Gundam vs. Gundam on PSP.

For one, the PSP, in my own opinion, is quite a little power house. My favorite game is easily Monster Hunter 2nd G, but I do love the Gundam Battle Chronicle Series.

GvG looks amazing. I’ve reviewed another “Vs.” game here, OMNI vs. Zaft, but this title will encompass every series…including Double 0 and my personal favorite, X!

It is currently scheduled to be released in November, for readers in the US, not to worry, PSP does not have a country code built in, so Japanese format games work just fine…provided you have a rudimentary understanding of the Japanese language.

Gundam StandArt

I have to hand it to my fiancee, she's so very supportive of my Gundam craziness. You would think most women would think it's silly, but honestly, my wife-to-be loves to help me hunt down Gundam merchandise, and often gets as excited about it as I do (well...almost, I mean, c'mon).

I had mentioned to her tonight that I would like to get a hold of the Gundam StandArt recent release of the RX-78-2 or RX-78-3. I love the design. If you can't see the pictures well, one of the things I really love is the thrusters in the back are rectangular. Instead of two circle thrusters on each side, this version (and the old Ultimate Operation Fusion Works version) have rectangular thrusters instead. I don't know why, but I love that look on the Gundam.




Not to mention that I love how Fusion Works's mobile suit designs tend to exagerate the shoulders and make most of thier models (especially Gundam type units) look more...Beefy I guess. And given that I love the S Gundam and it's giant shoulder armor, you can see why I would like this style so much.

The StandArt collection is great. I currently own the Gundam Mk.II (Titan's colors) and MS-06J Zaku II from the first collection. I bought the full set, but gave the Wing 0 Custom and AEUG Mk.II to my good friend (secretly, I really wish I would have kept them!)

I hope she can find either the Gundam or the G3. While normally I would push for the G3, I find that I'm lacking in RX-78-2s in my collection, so I think this beauty would be a fitting addition.

Oh! and on a side note - Its been a full month since I placed my order for the GP04 Bust from Gundam ProShop. The proprietor, George, seems like a nice guy, and I can't wait until I get his email that its finished.

Until next time~

Jaa~

PS - Don't forget to vote on the new POLL OF THE WEEK!

X1 is Nearly Complete -

Hey Gang,

Just about done with the X1. I'm Guessing it'll be by next week Wednesday. I only have the arms and Head to finish.

Once done, I'll post a review/pics for you guys to see and get my take on the kit.

Still working on the banner and getting some ideas down on paper for how I want to take the site.

Any suggestions, just leave a comment, I'd be happy for an outside point of view!

New Banner

Hey All -

Well, I guess I took more time off than I thought. But I'm working on a projects and will be back in full swing this week.

First off is the new banner! I'm working on creating a few banners for a banner exchange, and this was a bit of a test bed.

Its my Perfect Grade RX-78-1. One of my most favorite units in all the series and one of my best paint jobs done by hand ever (with the exception of my PG Mk.II).

I'll post more this week, and maybe work a bit on those eyes on the banner. I wanted them to be gleaming, but that'll take some tweeking.

Until next time -

Jaa~

News

Hey Guys,

Took last week off, its just been crazy with work lately.

I'll post hopefully tonight as the HCM Pros that my fiancee sent me arrived. Wing Gundam is awesome but Deathscythe is just unbelievable!

Take care!

Jaa~

Game Review: SD Gundam G Generation Portable

This week, I’ll be reviewing SD Gundam: G Generation Portable for the Sony Playstation Portable®.

There have been a variety of SD Gundam games released by Bandai in the past, and the original G Generation game debuted back in the 90’s on Play Station 1. It was followed by G Generation 0 and then G Generation F (with an add on disc called F.I.F.).

In its debut for PS2, G Generation was released as G Generation Neo, and featured full 3D animations using somewhat realistic designs instead of being hand drawn. Neo was followed by G Generation Seed which, as you can guess, was focused on the Seed Story line. And most recently, G Generation Spirits, which returns to the 2D roots but with beautifully animated cut scenes, as well as returning to the “choose a series” format. In which you choose a Gundam series, and play the missions associated with that storyline.

G Generation Portable was released for PSP in response to Spirits for PS2 and features many of the newer features to the series as well as the “choose a series” story progression.

General Overview

For fans of the series who played G Generation F for PS1, they will be greeted by a feeling of severe nostalgia. Basically, Portable IS F. But with a few major changes, most notably, the addition of both Seed and Seed Destiny. Bandai included both stories, with Seed being 9 missions long and Destiny being 6. This, unfortunately, forced them to cut other stories, such as Crossbone Gundam (I know! I almost cried!) and G Unit (an offshoot of Gundam Wing).

There are, however, a ridiculous amount of units available to unlock and use. As with G Generation F (which was 3 discs long), almost any unit you can think of from a series is included in the game, including Ace units like Johnny Raiden’s Zaku and Gelgoog. Many units have "abilities" such as Phase Shift armor on the Seed units, which will reduce munition and physical attack damage sustained by 2/3 (but also drains energy every turn until the armor phase shifts down). The Crossbone Gundam X1 and 2 feature the ABC cloak which will negate one beam attack (very helpful!), and so on for the various units.

The player is allotted a battle ship and 4 units at the start, along with a handful of original characters designed for G Generation (some of which have been in the series since the original G Gen on PS1!). From there, you can choose any story to start on (I began with Z Gundam) and can play in any order they so choose. For each story, there are numerous stages that depict the series through dialogue scenes and battles, and of course, given the right circumstances, beautiful CG rendered movies like the picture taken below from Destiny Stage 1 (Sword Impulse Gundam)

Basically, G Generation is an RPG where you move a unit, attack and gain experience with each kill. The twist is that both the Mobile Suit AND the Pilot have experience to gain. The pilot gains better stats, where as the mobile suit gains levels and, once a specific level is attained, can be “evoloved” into the next unit in the technology line (I.e. if you Start with a GP01, at level 3, you can then change it to the GP01 FB, 02, 03, and even the 04! Guess which one I use? *wink*).

Game Play

Game play is fairly straight forward. You command your units, plus the main characters of the story and duke it out with the enemy force. Typically, if the main character (i.e. Amuro, Kamille, etc…) are shot down, the game is over. However, usually this main character is a “master unit” and does not need to rely on a ship to refuel or repair itself.

Stages typically start with an opening story to read (explaining the series) and will most likely start with a “mini-skirmish”, i.e. Amuro will have to fight off Denim and Gene in the first stage of Gundam. Then the next part of the battle starts, usually with dialogue, and finally the player can set forth his personal units to fight alongside the story characters.

Overall Rating

Overall, I’d give this game a B+. I was a little disappointed to see the same stages from F reused, but honestly, its such a great game and there is just so much to do that it doesn’t matter after about four stages in. The shear number of units to unlock will keep you playing long after you’ve finished every mission!

We're Back!

Okay, well after a crazy..CRAZY week, I'm back.

Sorry for being MIA there gang, and thanks Q for sending comments, even in my absence! Glad to see you're still checking in -

Okay, well, I should update the situation on the GPO4..because I've gone completely crazy over the design. As stated in the last post, I found a private dealer on Ebay. Yes, Q, you're right, kinda sketchy, but the guy is legit has nothing but positive feed back and assured me his products are 100% G-System made. And seems G-Systems won't get back to me, I'll take the risk. Now, the GPO4 he had wasn't a finished version, but he is going to finish it for me. Again, another risk, but I was given assurance that the final product will look exactly like the picture to the right. We'll see what happens, as it'll be about a month before its done. The things I do for Gundam sometimes....

I've run my funding into the ground though so it will be a while before I make any new purchases. As luck would have it, my fiancee called me at 5:30 am this morning (in the US) because she was in the electronics store in Kawasaki picking me up a couple of HCM Pro Gundams...just because she loves me that much....awesome sauce. I was pretty groggy but after she listed off to me what was available, I got to pick the Gundam Deathscythe....

And the Wing Gundam...

Again...awesome sauce. Both the Wing and the Deathscythe come with display stands I believe, so I may take the Deathscythe's and donate it to the Impulse Gundam (with some minor modifications), which will look great I think.

I know some of you don't care too much for the HCM Pro's (Ngee, I think you said you're not a big fan) as they come pre-assembled, but for being pre-assebled, and basically action figures, I honestly love the little guys. Plus it is a good thing they are, seems I have plenty of MG kits to assemble.

Which brings me to the final part of this post: The Crossbone's legs are nearly complete. I've got pictures, but I'll upload them when I finish the kit and do a whole "kit" review type of thing. Next up on my list is the hip armor pads and weapons...followed by the skirt armor, and arms, and finally the chest and head. The ABC cloak will be last but that's because I have a secret plan to use for getting a great looking cloak as the kit comes with a god-awful nylon-ish thing..utterly useless.

So that's the scoop. I'll post tomorrow on my review of SD Gundam G Generation Portable for the PSP.

Jaa~

Crazy: An Update III

Q's comment on the last post reminded me I need to post an update. Unfortunately, I'm so swamped with work this week, that's all I have time for.

Yes, unfortunately, the Gundam and GP04 heads were out of stock. And what's worse, I've become so taken with the GP04 design that I've gotten even MORE crazy and started a search for a finished kit while passing, for now, on the Z Gundam head. I like the Z, but not that much. And certainly not as much as the GP04.

What I found was the Gundam Proshop on Ebay. He's a private seller, of sorts, but I'm currently working out details to have a finished GP04 done for me, and possibly* in a custom color scheme (mainly switching the blue for combat orange/red...I like the blue, but that sure would look nice!)

We'll see what happens. The worst case scenario would be, I'd just order the unfinished kit and test my skills to the utmost max.

Until next time,

Ja matta~

*I doubt this will fly, but we'll see what kind of response I get


-----------------------------------------------

On a side note, part of my funding for this is an auction on Ebay where I'm selling my makeshift Decepticon Collection. Pay a visit if you'd like. If you're interested, let me know and I can certainly cut my readers a deal on the price.

Crazy: An Update II

I heard back from G Systems.

The GP04 isn't in stock. What is currently in stock: Gp03 (bleh), Gp02 (kinda cool but..meh) and Z Gundam.

Done. Z it is. My plan is to have this be a part of my collection that is not incorporated elsewhere. I originally wanted the RX-78-2, because I don't have a model of the Gundam. I don't have a model of the GP04 or Z either, and seems Z is pretty important to the Gundam universe, it will do the job quite nicely.

So now I just have to wait for the confirmation back from G Systems.

I'll take full pictures when it arrives as well.


Ja na~

Typo

Whoops.

I just realized I had the Mobile Suit of the Month section titled: Mobile Suite of the Month.

Fixed.

Crazy: An Update

After all weekend and no word from G Systems on my last post, I emailed them again to see what the deal was.

After a short while I received very polite email apologizing for the delay but also letting me know that the RX-78-2 Bust was out of stock.

I emailed back stating that I understood and would like to go for the GPO4 then (I have a soft spot for the GPO4...plus...just look at it!). I haven't heard back, but considering it was 11Pm in Asia when I replied, I'll wait until tonight with patience. I hope it's in.

Also, I've decided this isn't so crazy. I'm totally making up the money by selling some things on Ebay...most notably, my Masterpiece Megatron and Transformer Collection. Sad to see him go, but Megatron doesn't hold a candle to Gundam in my book (Sorry Megs! Don't blast me for that).

Anywho...I realize the last two posts are basically me rambling. Work is crazy and I have to get back. I took pictures of the X1's legs (complete inner frame and feet) that I finished and I'll post on that tonight or tomorrow.

Until then -

Ja matta~

I'm doing something Crazy

Okay, I'm doing something kinda crazy here, because I'm totally broke, but just made 100 bucks and can make up the rest pretty easily.


I'm ordering the 1/35 RX-78-2 Bust from G Systems. I'm opting for the completed kit because well...c'mon, look at it (Just click on the title of this post).


If they don't have it in stock, I'm ordering the S Gundam.


This thing will end up being the center piece of my collection. I honestly don't have a RX-78-2 Model (my Perfect Grade was changed to the RX-78-1) and what better way to honor the Gundam?


Uh, I can't believe I'm doing this, my fiancee would freak! But what she doesn't know (until its staring her in the face) won't hurt her!


I'll keep you guys posted. The price for the completed kit is $195 USD (sans shipping fees, which I'm sure will jack up the price a lot).


Oh, and I'm back in town.


Oh, and this way, I don't have another model to get in the way of the X1!

This Week

I'm out of town this week. I suppose I should have mentioned that. I can still read blogs but in order to post, I need my laptop or 10 mins at work (such as this little break) to get something down.

I really want to be at home so I can keep workin on the Crossbone Gundam. I love how the right foot unit turned out and I'm jonsin' to get the legs done. Patience.

I did manage to take my PSP with me. I've been playing SD Gundam G Generation Portable. I'm on the Wing Gundam Mission 4 (out of 5) so I'm currently defending the Sanc kingdom from an invasion of Virgos. If anyone is familiar with Gundam Wing, or more specifically the SD versions of the Virgo in the G Generation games, you'll know that means I'm facing a tough fight. All you can really do to them is get up in their face with a beam saber. They lack a melee weapon, but make up for it by a LOT of HPs, so its a daunting task. My main battle ship has the following though:

Team 1
The character I use as my own Avatar in the Crossbone Gundam X1 kai (naturally)
TR-1 Gundam Hazel
Zaku Phantom Gunner Type
GMIII

Team 2
Gundam F90 II
S Gundam
FA Gundam
Gyan Mass Produced.


......we'll be okay.

Until I get another 10 mins~

Jaa matta~

Gundam Robust Silhouette Vol. 0

Radical.

I had ordered the box set of Gundam Robust Silhouette Vol. 0 from Hobby Link Japan, and I'm sure glad I chose EMS for delivery. It may have cost a bit more, but these little statues are awesome.

I took a picture with my phone (terrible, I know) of the two I'm keeping in my office. On the left, is the rare color version of the RX-78-3 G3. The normal colors have purple (light purple) for the highlights, but the rare shown here is all Greys and Black. The G3 is posed "blasting off" from the surface of Luna II after an unseen threat just trounced the RB-79 "Ball" next to him.

On the right is the regular version of the MSM-07 Z'Gok, attacking a waterfront EFSF base, claw beam a-blazin' and smashing the crane/structure as well. I love that the light from my window makes the explosion effect parts actually glow (not so much on the G3 statue). Just an awesome purchase. HLJ is having a clearance sale, so you can get the whole set pretty cheap. The roll out is the G3 and Z'Gok, shown here, A Zaku I installing B3 Gas, Johnny Raiden's HM Zaku II blasting the cannon of a Magellan class EFSF Ship and an Accuy attacking a EFSF submarine.

You get the 5 regular color versions and 5 alt colors or "rare" colors.

Vol. 1 is coming out soon, I'd love to add the RX-79 [G] Gundam to my collection.

Jaa ne~

*edit: It turns out there are 2 color variations, the regular, and the rare, but then there is a 3, extra rare version of the statue figurette! As an example, instead of the regular RX-78-3 G3 statue, I got the RX-78-2! It's even using a beam rifle instead of two hyper bazookas and doesn't have a shield on the back. What a nice surprise!

G-System

I put a link up to the G-System Shop. A word of caution: If you consider yourself to be even an 'above average' modeler, I'd bring Kleenex. These guys'll make you cry.

Their designs are simply breath-taking, and even thier conversion kits (definitely check out the conversion kit for the Nu-Gundam using the PG Strike) are just simply unbelievable.

Of course, they're absolute pros. The kits do not come painted and assembled as shown so only the most experienced and hard-core enthusiasts should attempt to construct these masterpieces.

On the other hand, I emailed G System to see if they offer an option to pre-assemble/paint a kit that has been purchased through them. Here's what I got in return:

Dear sir,

Thank you for your credit for our works.

We receive request from customer for offer of semi-finished / finished kit from time to time. Indeed, we do offer pre-finished kit for specific order. Price ranges from 3 times to 6 times on the unassembled kit rate. We cannot consider a mass production of finished kit because of the complexity and cost-effectiveness of the kit. Thanks and regards.

Customer ServiceG-SYSTEM (TM)http://www.g-system-shop.comTrademark owned by New Art Creation Ltd.


So there you go. I'll tell you this, if I ever come into a lot of money*, my first order of business is to order from G-System and have them build the kit (and paint it) for me. What better center piece for your collection could you ask for?

*I'm honestly considering picking up the $45 S Gundam Smart Gun and head conversion kit...but I'm not quite sure yet.

CD Review: MS Gundam Seed Destiny: Theme Song Insert Song and Character Song Selection

Okay, let me start off by saying that one of the main reasons I was drawn to both animated Seed series was the music. It is, in my opinion, a truly emotional aspect to the story line. I can still remember the first time I saw Episode One of Seed and See-Saw's Hauntingly Tranquil An nani isshoo taata no ni begins as the Strike Gundam stands amidst the fire and destruction of Heliopolis.

Music has always been a strong aspect to the Gundam Series.

That being said, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny: Theme Song, Insert Song and Character Song Selection (I know, long title) is by far, the best sound track CD I have ever bought. This includes the other Seed Soundtracks, Both the instrumental and theme song CDs, but also any other sound track to any other series. Biased? Maybe, but in my opinion its just an amazing, emotional and powerful collection. The track list is as follows:

Disc 1.

1. Ignited - TM Revolution - Great song, gets you fired up, TM is a pretty amazing artist. Ignited to me is better than Invoke and Meteor, but only because it has a bit more "umph" to it.

2. Reason - Don't know the artist..can't read Kanji that well. Regardless its still a great ending theme. It drives fast at first but hints at a little sadness, which works well for Seed Destiny.

3. Pride - High and Mighty Colors- Meh. I know, odd reaction. But I have issues with Pride. Its a major theme song, but to me it conflicts with itself. The female vocals are unbelievable, but then they throw in this odd, Heavy Metal sound bit, that to me, has no place in the song. Honestly, it brings the whole thing down.

4. Life Goes On - again, can't make out the artist. (If anyone knows them, please drop me a line!) - I love this song. It's a pretty powerful idea for a series that is criticized for it's "Emo" characters.

5. Bokutachi no Yukue - Kanji Artist, sorry - Good song all around. Catchy. Has a fast drive and a slow refrain.

6. I Wanna Go To A Place - Rie Fu - Love it. Rie's vocals almost sound natural in both the English and Japanese lines. That's impressive. Its a pretty little song and breaks up Disk 1 nicely.

7. Wings of words - Chemestry - Listening to it again right now, its pretty decent. I'm pretty neutral on it but it has a nice R&B bass line if that's your thing.

8. Boku wa kimi ni Niteiru - See-Saw- Love it. See-Saw is an amazing duo, and this is right in line with An nani issho. One of my favorites.

9. Vestige - TM Revolution- Meh. He's got better songs on the CD. Its not bad, but it has a very familiar beat that has Invoke hidden in there somewhere, I'm sure of it.

10. Honoo no Tobira - Fiction Junction YUUKA - Easily one of the best songs of both series and honestly one of my favorite songs of all time. I love Fiction Junction, they're just amazing in how they can make a song both beautiful and powerful at the same time.

11. Hoonoo No Tobira Hearty Edition- Just a remix, but slower, a nice version worth listening to, but probably not right after the original.

12. Hoonoo No Tobira Instrumental- Same as above. Very nice to just hear the music.

13. Wings of Words ReMIX- Alas de palabras -Chemistry: Very classic Spanish acoustic sounding.

14. Pride Nu School ReMix - High and Might Colors: Meh again. They sell Pride a lot on this CD, this remix isn't that great.

15. Pride R&B Mix- I actually like this better than the original, but again, they throw in the heavy metal bit. Heavy Metal and R&B don't mix.

16. Pride HAL's MiX 2005- Of the various versions I like this the best. Kinda Techno-ish, but the Space Odyssey Hal reference is kinda nice.

Disc 2

1. Pride DDINORe Mix:- Meh. 'nuff said.

2. Pride Real Latin Player's Mix- Kinda interesting. Kinda not.

3. Pride Phantom Pain Mix- See above. The gave Pride 7 tries and I still can't get on board. Oh well.

4. Now Instant Everything - Souichiro Hoshi - Very unique. Not bad and its a nice come back from 6 Prides.

5. Precious Rose - Naomi Shindou - Kinda classic 80's rock meets classic 50's Japanese vocals. I could take it or leave it.

6. Mizu No Akashi - Rei Tanaka - Very lovely. Ms. Tanaka has a beautiful voice and at No.6, you really hear it after the first 5 of the CD.

7. Shoot (For the Future) - Tomokazu Seki - I really like this song. It has a classic Gundam feel to it with a more updated spin. I can't help but sing along to this.

8. Primal Innocence - Kenichi Suzumura - I'm giving this another try. On another round of listening, its actually pretty awesome. It starts off very Castlevania Sympathy of the Night-ish, but picks up right away.

9. Eden of Necessity - Suwabe Junichi - I just love the title. Its a good song, but the title takes it for me.

10. Pale Repetition - Morita Masakazu - Slow song. Not bad, but not great. I left it off my iPod.

11. Quiet Night - Rei Tanaka - Tanaka-san comes back again and for a song called "Quiet Night" it is anything but. Very cutsie (But its from the Concert episode with Lucas' twin/look-a-like). Its okay, but...

12. Emotion - Rei Tanaka - Emotion is a total guilty pleasure. Its so very cutsie that its almost embarrassing but the beat is entirely addictive. Gah! I have this on my iPod. There. I said it.
....
13. Akatsuki no Kuruma - Fiction Junction YUUKA - Okay...remember how I said that Honoo No Tibira was one of my all time favorite songs? Well Akatuski no Kuruma tops it. I spent a long time looking for this song. I honestly can't listen to it enough. And for the 9,000 versions of Pride on this CD (okay, only 7) we get 4, count 'em 4 awesome version of Akatsuki, starting with 13, the original.

14. Akatsuki - Piano Version - Yeah. Piano. Its just that good. The piano version stands out strong among the 3 alt versions.

15. Akatusk - Acoustic version - I love this, and I know there's a You Tube video out there of this as well. Just a nice emphasis on the vocals here. Beautiful.

16. Akatsuki - No Vocal version - There are vocals actually, the back ground vocals. Very mellow. Very awesome-sauce.

So there we go. 2 CDs chalk full of great and memorable music. Like I said, easily this is one of the best CDs I've ever bought. There are other Sound Tracks to Gundam Seed out there, and I'll cover the ones I own in time, but if you can find this, I'd highly suggest you pick it up if you have the chance. If you end up liking Pride by High and Might Colors, you'll love it even more!

My DX V2 Gundam came today, I'll post on that tomorrow I think.

Jaa~

Mondays

Lots to do again.

I realize this picture isn't that clear but I'm currently working on the Crossbone Gundam X1 Ver. Ka. You can see the Core Fighter X1 here, which is already complete.

Its a fantastic kit of one of my most favorite Mobile Suits, the SNRI XM-X1 Crossbone Gundam.

Also have the Battle of A Bou A Quo on G Generation Portable to finish and OMNI vs. ZAFT II came today, which (thanks Q!) is awesome in every sense of the word.

Needless to say I've been busy. The Seed Destiny Soundtrack is coming up tomorrow or the next day, I promise!

Jaa na~!

Falling a bit behind

I fell behind a bit this week. I know I said in the last post that my next segment would be on the Seed Destiny CD, but I haven't gotten around to that just yet.

My HCM Pro Impulse Gundam came yesterday. I spent some time assembling the Force Silhouette pack and various parts that needed assembling. (By the way, Silhouette is like the hardest word to spell ever...)

I have to admit, I love the HCM Pro line now. I was pretty skeptical at first, but for a 1/200 scale mobile suit, they have ridiculously great detail. Plus the line includes not just Gundam class units, but many common ones too, like the work horse of 0079 Zeon's MS-06 Zaku II, and the A.E.U.G.'s Nemo. I'm currently trying to convince my fiancee to pick me up the HCM Pro Freedom Gundam so I can display them both in the classic Clash of the Titans scene.

I'll post more this weekend. I'm currently playing SD Gundam: G Generation Portable for PSP and would like to write a bit on that too -

Jaa na~

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, Renpou vs ZAFT (PS2)

I'm realizing the difficulty in this project. I have a LOT to catch up on. So lets get a game review in here.

The "VS" series of Gundam video games has had quite a few iterations, and most, if not all, are ports from Japanese Arcades (because in Japan, they actually do still have arcades still, unlike the rare mall/movie theater excuses we have in America). The "VS" series works well as a port, however, as the gameplay consists of the player and an assisting unit fighting the computer and it's assisting unit. Usually in the port versions, however, they include a mission based story mode, which adds considerable depth to the game.

Renpou vs ZAFT (also called O.M.N.I vs ZAFT) is no different. Released for the PS2 in Japan, it replicated the arcade version perfectly, to the point that they even left out the story mode. However, that's not to say that there isn't depth to the game. While you start out with a generous selection of Mobile Suits from the show, including the various Jin customs, as well as the 5 OMNI Gundams, you can unlock a surprising number of secret units, including a rather amazing selection from Gundam Seed Destiny as well.

Once you select your Mobile Suit, you are then given the option to select one of many characters from the show, from either side of the conflict (and ORB as well). Your choice of character will generally dictate what missions you are given, in what order and your choice of mobile suit dictates the difficulty. For instance, if you select the X105 Strike with Kira, you will be given missions that start from Heliopolis and conclude at the final climax of the series. However, if you would choose Issac and the Strike, you'll start at about mid-series with your first mission.

The controls translate very well from the Arcade, though in my opinion, the PS2 controls feel a little more tight and accurate. Unlike the UC games in the "VS" series, Renpou vs. ZAFT allows for a "block"; by pressing down, then up quickly on the directional pad, your Mobile Suit will bring its shield (if it has one) out front and block any forward attacks. Timing plays a key aspect though, but there's nothing better than watching the Freedom Gundam block a full fledged assault from the Dual Gundam AS version and retaliating to win the mission.

If you have the means, I highly suggest importing this title. It is easy enough to be a "pick up and play" game (it is an arcade port after all), but there's enough playability to keep even hard core gamers involved for quite a while.

Next Post: Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny: Theme Song, Insert Song, and Character Song Collection, Audio CD OST.

New Purchase -

On a tip from Ngee Khiong, I picked up the DX Display Model Special V2 Gundam Assault Buster type from HLJ today.

Its a pretty sweet little find, considering its a UFO Catcher prize in Japan, meaning once Banpresto (Manufacturer) stops making it, that's the end of the line. Hobby Like Japan still has some in stock, so if you're not heading to Japan anytime soon, you can pay about $14 (before shipping) and secure you're V2 Gundam now.

Victory Gundam is the last in story that takes place in the Universal Century time frame. Set in UC 0153, the story features (as per usual) a young pilot named Uso Uwin, who fights for the

League Militaire (a sort of private military, like Z Gundam's A.E.U.G.). The LM312V04 Victory Gundam is the League Militaire's trump-card mobile suit during the war, and Uso eventually obtains the LM314V21 Victory 2 Gundam or V2.

The V2 can be equipped with various equipment, so it can be role specific. As the name implies, the V2 Assault is used for full fledged assault runs.

The DX Model comes pre-painted in 8 parts and, while says in a fixed pose, also comes with a little display arm, so the Gundam can be set up in mid-air. Accurately enough, the V Gundam was the first (and only) mobile suit to feature a full fledged Minovsky Drive system, allowing it to "hover" in place, off the ground.

I had it shipped EMS, so hopefully it'll arrive by Friday. I also picked up the HCM Pro Force Impulse Gundam, but more on that later.

GT-9600 Gundam Leopard

I wanted to kick off the blog with a kit review and a little information on a Mobile Suit very close to my heart, the GT-9600 Gundam Leopard.

The Leopard is one of three main mobile suits in the series After War: Gundam X. The story is like Mad Max meets Gundam and is quite an original twist on the original Gundam Story.

The Federation built experimental units to turn the tide of the war, called Gundams. One of the three types was the Gundam Leopard. I was a heavily armed unit designed for the front lines and featured substantial firepower. However, 15 years after the war ended, there were only a few left. One was entrusted to a young man named Roibei Roy*. Uniquely colored Combat Green, the Leopards main feature is a massive gatling gun that can be affixed to the left arm of the unit. It also features tank-like treads on the bottom of both feet, allowing the Leopard to move more quickly than if it were merely running.

The 1/144 scale Kit (box art featured above) was my very first Gundam model kit ever built. I used no paint, and wasn't very good with a Gundam Marker** just yet, but never the less, it will always be pretty dang special to me. My second kit, coincidentally enough, was the later, supped up version of the Leopard called the Leopard Destroy. Both kits feature about 5 pannels of parts and, un-painted, take about 20 mins to assemble (if you're detailing it). Once build, the Leopard has all it's weapons available, including the big gatling gun, two extra gatling guns on the chest (that are covered by panels), a missile pod on the right shoulder and a beam knife which fits nicely into a holster on the right calf. The kit is likely out of production at this point, but Ebay is your friend here, so check it out if you want a nice, simple little kit. There is a 1/100 scale as well, but that is even more rare.

*Roibei's name is often debated. Because L and R are relatively interchangeable in Japanese, some argue that it's Loibei Roy, Roibei Loy or other variations. His name is even seen sometimes being Robby, but that is very uncommon.

**Gundam Markers are specific markers designed to be used with Gundam Plastic Model Kits (Gunpla). While basically "sharpie" and "paint" markers at heart, they come in common Gundam colors and there are fine tipped Black and Grey sets for detailing panel lines on a Mobile Suit.