レナ＆PG 1/60 ダブルオ－ライザー

This week, although a busy one which I didn't really spent a lot of time in my office, marked the end of my tour in my current appointment. It hasn't been awfully long since I took over, but I guess given the pace and tempo of our surroundings we can't really stop and appreciate the enviroment. At least not for too long. With the end of this tour, the guys in my company prepared a something as a form of a farewell gift for me. Though, technically I'm still in the same building with my new posting. Nevertheless, I really, really appreciate it very much and for those who are reading, thanks again. For those who still have no clue what I'm talking about, it's the model kit which you can see Rena happily holding on to, in the picture to the left. It's a 1/60 Perfect Grade Gundam 00 Raiser. I'm not sure how the guys got it, but it's not a cheap set if you check out the prices in the deparmental stores.

I used to be an avid Gundam collector, with my own airbrush kits and other modelling nessecities. I was passionate about it since the Seed series, and started airbrushing my kits after seeing how much different they look after the process. But as an impatient guy, I usually spend only 2 days to go up one 1/100 kit. I skip steps and do things chop chop, but I thought the results weren't too bad. In fact, I even wrote a dummies guide on it which you can check out here. It's a little dated though :)

But I've already sold my airbrush set to a friend lately, and there's no actual way for me to paint the kit. And for some one who's used to seeing his kits painted, it's hard to accept something which is not. Firstly, I'll need to rely on stickers which ruin the kit in my opinion, and secondly I don't like the original plastic feel of the pieces. Repainting them would get rid of the plastic effect and make the pieces look matte in comparison.

 As a friend on a forum suggested, the other alternative would be to get those matte sprays, and use it on the completed model. All I need to do is to remove the clear parts. It doesn't solve the sticker problem, but there's not much to worry as PG sets uses more optional decals than stickers. I'll be checking up on these sprays and see whether I can find more information on the net.

The box itself is massive, and it comprises of 3 separate packages within. One of it holds the main parts of the actual Gundam, while the other box holds the parts for the attachment, 00 Raiser.

The 3rd package is the GN drive. It's actually battery operated and has light effects when turned on, to emulate the effects found in the anime. Pretty neat, though I'm sure it will be under utilised.

The 2 main boxes has lots of stuff inside, namely the parts for the kits and also some other stuff such as the decals, rubber pieces, batteries, and screws. Lots of them. Seems it will be hard work just getting the pieces cut out and smoothened.

Over 400 pieces of individual parts. This will surely take up some time. For now I've no plans to get started, but I'll definitely go check up on the matte spray first. If I don't need to plan ahead for the spray, I might start doing a little everyday (if I can find time and Rena isn't there to hide the pieces). I can't promise though, since I'm really very hasty and can't stand seeing something uncompleted. All of my Gundams are assembled in one day, and air brushed the next day. This will surely be the first to break that tradition, but I see it as something good. I'll be documenting the process here too, hopefully. Even if I complete the whole thing, there is still a problem of where to display it.... And yeah the guys also threw in the official stand (another separate package), so that would help a lot. :)

I also picked up some other stuff earlier this week. They include 4 Kamen Rider candy toys, in the form of Hibiki, Kiva, DiEnd, and Decade. Can't really remember when I ordered those, since I've not been collecting my ordered items for a while now. Also received my Master Grade Son Goku, which I finished piecing in around 3 hours (see what I mean). It's big, and really posable, hence the MG tag. No painting required too, and it looks cool. I've already ordered the Super Saiyan version coming next month too. Well, lots of new things to display, and running out of space. Notice Rena carrying yet another famous figure in the left picture. Until the next week, this will be all I've been buying. Ja!

レナ：ダイソに買い物～

Just a quick update! Although I mentioned in the previous update that I would be updating via my phone from since then so that I can upload my updates to blogger, Twitter, and Facebook at the same time, I've decided while it was technically viable, the objective was a little bit side lined. For Facebook, I didn't really want to update the status as frequently as Twitter. For blogger, I figured that I would rather take time to really do some photoshop editing before posting. Hence, I figure all 3 different networks have their own perks and disadvantages.

Hence, Facebook would remain the main place for me to upload albums and other daily status updates. Twitter, on the other hand, would allow me to post all my thoughts and updates, and also pictures should the situation allow (since I don't really carry the camera everywhere I go). So far, I've already got nearly 250 twits in over a week. Yes, I like to write my thoughts down, hence all the posts. Do add me if you've not done so. Just do a search for my name. Blogger, will remain as it is and again, I hope to update often, with not just pics but also news and MVs of what I like.

(Click for full size!)

I did up this picture of Rena and her cards today, while tending to her on the bed. It was really a random thing, since I was trying to entertain her with a set of round poker cards. And as they say, the pics were quite interesting and the rest is history. Will also be uploading this picture to my other Akiba Studio site. Do check it out if you've not done so, and I'll appreciate links! :p

That's the end of this week's chop chop update. A busy week is up ahead, but hopefully I'll still find time to Twit and also post updates. Also, I've began my run regime in prepartion of the North East run in 2 months time, and also the Sundown Marathon in 5 months time. Ending off with a PV from Jpop group Ikimonogakari called Yell. It's a very nice song with meaningfull lyrics. Till next week, ja!

明けましておめでとう

Happy new year and may 2010 be a year full of pleasant surprises! Yeah I'm a little bit late due to laziness, but there's quite a lot of stuff for me to do. Nah, not really work related cause we're still in a lull period, but that's going to change soon. I've been working on my new site, working on cleaning up the house or rather just tidying my toy and book sections, which you can see here. I've also started my tourney of the Multiplayer mode of Modern Warfare 2, since there really wasn't much to do since I've already completed Veteran mode, and there's only so many stars to get in Spec Ops. Luckily I've met a friend also into MW2 and we've had a few games online using the BT Headset, so it was pretty sweet. For the multiplayer mode which I have hesistated on starting since I thought it would be hard to catch on, boy was I wrong. The game is really easy to get into, unlike Metal Gear Online, which isn't too friendly to newbies since the Vets will almost surely own your ass with headshots. The game is fun, and there are tons of things to unlock. Really, there's so much to do, so many perks and titles and emblems to earn, and it's rewarding just to try and level up and rise above your ranks. As of this writing, I'm around level 32 and increasing almost every other day. :)

And that's the reason why I don't go for runs any more. Haha, nah, I've just signed up for the NorthEast Run, which is 16km. Couple that with the Adidas Sundown in May and the Army Half Marathon in August/September, I will have at least 3 medals for this year. I'm kinda motivating myself to run and collect the medals, and hopefully I can join in for another 2 or 3 runs (perhaps Standard Chartered again) so that I can reach a tally of 5 and above for the year.

With the advent of mobile internet, it has never been easier to get online, and start shooting and posting. As I bought my new phone lately, I figure that I should make blogging easier so that I can update easily, whenever and whereever I go to. I just need to take shots, think of something witty to write, and then I can post it up Facebook, Blogspot, or Twitter. I've neglected my Twitter account for so long, but with mobile apps from all 3 social networking sites installed on my phone, I'm thinking of going into it with more commitment, starting from today. What it means is that instead of a consolidated weekly update, with photoshop edited blog covers and Japanese text splashes, I'll have mini updates but no picture enhancements. I'll see how it goes from here, but if you have a Twitter account, please add me at http://twitter.com/Sean_Goh

News and pictures of this year's Super Sentai series have surfaced and made official. From Wiki: Tensou Sentai Goseiger (天装戦隊ゴセイジャー) is the title of Toei Company's thirty-fourth entry in its long-running Super Sentai Series of Japanese tokusatsu television series. Set to premiere the week following the finale of Samurai Sentai Shinkenger[1] on February 14, 2010, it will air alongside Kamen Rider Double in the Super Hero Time programming block. The series ties in with the upcoming arcade game Super Sentai Battle: Dice-O, with the characters using cards resembling those used in the game to transform and access various weapons, similar to the concept of Kamen Rider Decade and Kamen Rider Battle: Ganbaride. End quote. I'm not really liking the suits too much, but it's been a long time since we had those artificial mouth pieces so they seem pretty retro. Here is the trailer for them:

That's the end of this update. I'll most probably do short updates from now, but hopefully on a more frequent basis, since it's easier to post from phone or take shots. Do continue to come back here, since the Note import feature on Facebook doesn't really seem to work that well. And again, have a great year ahead!