MG 1/100 Strike Freedom - Full Burst Mode

Finally I was able to finish off my MG 1/100 Strike Freedom after I have it for 2 years!!! The reason for such a long wait is because I wanted to get an airbrush compressor so that I could start to do some serious work with it. I'm quite please with the result, although there I'd occasionally yelling because of frustration over certain detailing works.

The finishing product is what it looks like in the following pictures. I must say that the proportion of this kit is well done and it's way far better than it's 1/100 Seed Destiny counterpart.


This is how it looks like from the back. As you can see the wings on displayed without the Dragoons units. The wings come with a very nice mechanical gimick that by moving the back wings upward, the wings' branches would move together, so you could get a very nice proportion layout like how it looks like in the picture after the following picture.



And here's an upclose shot from on the head. I was thrilled by this kit because it looks nice!!!

And here's another picture that displaying it in the full burst mode.


This is a full burst mode version, so it comes with the action base and effect parts to display the Dragoon units. It is such a killer and I couldn't describe how much joy that I have when I finally finished making this kit. The airbrush is really handy and it gives me the freedom to mix and match the color that I desired. The color that I used are listed below.

• White: Mr Color White + Mr Color Metallic Blue (extremely little)
• Blue: Mr Color Cobalt Blue + Mr Color Fluorescent Pink (little)
• Black: Mr Color Navy Blue
• Red: Mr Color Metallic Red
  
• Gray: Mr Color Intermediate Blue + Mr Color White (little)
• Gold: Tamiya Titanium Gold + Tamiya Clear Yellow

I must say that in comparison to Tamiya color, Mr Color gives a smoother surface and it's not sticky. I used Tamiya color before and I found that it's very sticky. But in this case, I'm using a Tamiya for the Gold instead because I couldn't find Mr Color Gold, and it's a good thing because I did try to use Mr Metal Color Gold when I was painting my MG 1/100 Hi-Nu Gundam, and the color could not give the desired effect as compare to the Tamiya Titanium Gold. Surprisingly though, the Tamiya Titanium Gold doesn't give me the sticky feeling like the spray can, so it's a good thing.

Also, this is the first time that I applied decal for my Gunpla. I got the decal from HLJ after waiting for about 2 years? It was previously discontinued by Bandai. So it is advisable to grab the decal together with the Gunpla when it was launched because you might have to wait for about a year or 2 or it will never be produced again if there are no demand for it. A kit without a decal might be great enough, but a kit with a decal is even better and it's such a killer!!!

The weakness in this kit? I just don't know why Bandai don't want to make the head of this kit like the F-91, that divided from the center line, making it less hassle to hide the parting line. It's such a pain to deal with the parting line on the head, and I don't dare to do modification because I don't know what the outcome is like, so I have to do it the way that I used to do - color the face, assemble the head, mask the face, deal with the parting line, and color the head. It's a long and tedious procedures.

Anyway, like most of the Gunpla expert has said, it's not easy to do modification on the latest MG Gunpla series like this one because of the complex design, so it has to be done carefully. So should I do modification on my next kit? I did actually, and it's a 99% success rate on my MG 1/100 Hi-Nu Gundam (job done) but it's a 70% on my MG 1/100 Strike Noir because it's harder to modify the head with my lack of experience.

Lastly, I must give the credit to how stable it is when it's holding the beam rifle because unlike the previous MG 1/100 F-91 and the MG 1/100 Crossbone X-1, this kit surprisingly could hold the beam rifle steadily. Although the F-91 and the Crossbone X-1 do have connector on their palm that could connect with the beam rifle, but this Strike Freedom seems to be able to connect and hold the beam rifle with no sign of dropping.

Non-Gunpla: Revoltech - Laevatein

Revoltech is a series created by Kaiyodo, another Japan toy maker. It is a famous line-up because the Revoltech toys are able to be posed with a lot of action thanks to its Revolver joint. I'm not really a big fan of Revoltech because it's small(comparable to a 1/144 Gunpla) and the design is not really my kind of taste. But, I still have to give it credit because the Revoltech design resembles closely to the anime design and it's able to perform variety of poses that's almost reminiscene the actions seen in the anime. The cost is about RM 90++ each. Since it was released, it has come out with a lot of sub lineup like Fraulein Revoltech series, which is specifically for Bishojo (beautiful lady), Street Fighter, and Fist of the North Star.

The Revoltech that I got is ARX-8 Laevatein (No. 59) from the series Full Metal Panic. Although I never watch any of the Full Metal Panic episodes, I do remember that I didn't see this in action at all. From what I could understand from the box, this ARX-8 does appear in the serialized novel. It is considered as a deluxe Revoltech because it comes with a lot of extra parts that you could choose from, and the box is 2 times bigger than the normal Revoltech but surprisingly it cost the same.


Here's a picture on how it looks like. This set comes with a display stand as well so you could display the ARX-8 in the air like in the following pictures. I must say that it looks quite nice and cool and overall it looks pretty anime.



The ARX-8 comes with a long rifle that could be detached to become a short assault rifle. I don't really know what's the name for the weapon although a couple of googling could help, but I just don't bother to do it. The rifle would look something like the following picture. This rifle reminds me of the rifle used by the Gespent MK II Kai in Super Robot War Orignal Generation Gaiden.



So it looks nice & cool and it's able to pose a lot of difficult action, so it's great!!! Not exactly though because like Gunpla that could break easily, I'd see that Revoltech has a weakness too. Although the Revolver joint is great, but it's very hard to get it into the desired position. Sometime you may have to take out the joint, twist it to your desired position, then put it back again. For a toy like this that made of durable plastic, I'd enjoy it if I could just twist and turn the joint wherever I want without the needs to take it out, twist, and put it back. The maker surely have their reason behind this, so I won't give any further comment on this.

On another note, like the GFF series, this comes with a lot of spare parts that could render useless because you can't use all of them at the same time, so you might considering to get another one. Also, it's very hard to get this Revoltech to stand still because of it's small feet under full equipment load, so the display stand will have to be used to make it stable.

Conclusion? I still prefer 1/100 Gunpla. Revoltech is very innovative, but it's just not my cup of tea.

Soul of Chogokin - Godmars

Previously, I may have posted about Godmars from the Bandai Soul of Chogokin line-up. I've finally decided to buy this toy for nostalgic reason as well because I still remember how I love this show when I was a kid, especially the scramble sequence, the combination sequence, and finally the finishing move.

Godmars is a story about a teenager who was sent from another planet to observe and to destroy planet earth. Of course, the teenager was sent when he was a baby, so he doesn't know much about his pass until his older twin brother transfer/unlock the memory to him. In fact, much like Superman, the teenager was from a race that possesses phsychic power. Then it evolves around the teenager on how he discovered that he's not an earthling, being rejected by the people that he's being protecting, discouraged, overcoming these obstacle and save the earth, being cursed by the main villain of the show, and finally defeating the main villain and finally, the time has come for him to embark on a journey to save the universe alone(together with his first and only lover of the show as shown in the final scene). Frankly, I only dwell into the story after I got the DVD set like 5 months ago. When I was a kid, I could understand none of these.

Godmars is the giant robot that created by the father of this teenager(whose name is Mars) to protected Mars from harm. When Mars is in trouble, his protector Gaia will appear to get him out from the situation. And, when Mars itself can't handle the enemy, Mars will be able to summon the other 5 robots - Shin, Ra, Sphinx, Uranus and Titan, to come and rescue him. Together with these 5 robots, they are able to combine into the ultimate and unstoppable, unscratchable, and heavy-duty giant robot Godmars. It is unstoppable because once Godmars is here, its opponent will only suffer defeat, and it's 100% guarantee.

Design wise, Godmars is very boxy. Yet, despite of this boxiness, it looks cool and it suits well because it gives the unstoppable impression. I used to have the old format toy that produce by some company in the 80's, and I love it. With this new release, it's even better because it resembles more closely to the anime and at least the legs and amrs can be moved. That's a job well done for Bandai.

This toy costs me RM798. I regretted for not buying it from XL-Shop because if I do, I'll be able to get a lot of points for this because it costs the same. I bought this one from Fantasy in Low Yat Plaza, KL. The price shown is after charged with 3% credit card transaction fee.

The following picture shows the content of the box when it's opened.


The picture above shows all the robots that serve as parts for Godmars. The following picture shows the extra goodies for this toy, of which it has a replica of the Cosmo Squad, or whatever squad that is(goole it) fighter craft that can be divided into 3 smaller craft. In the anime it is shown that this fighter craft can penetrate the atmosphere and travel in space with ease. Of course, it shows the sword of Godmars - God Flash, which is a big improvement from the previous toy.


Due to the limitation of picture size, I can't really post much pictures over here, so I'll just concentrate on uploading the picture of the necessary one instead. First off, the 6 robots with the pose that it can do.

Next up, the combined Godmars from the back side. The reason to show the backside is because in the old toy, the back of Godmars is not as smooth as this one because the arms of Sphinx, Uranus, and Titans are exposed due to the combination gimmick limitation at that time. Unlike this one, where all the hands are hidden within the body.


And finally, here's something from the front with what it could do.


Unless you're 80's anime lover, otherwise you would not appreciate this toy. This is more like a collector item instead of a toy to let your children to play with. Best of all, this toy is contructed with nearly 80% die-cast metal, so it's quite heavy. The only complain that I have is that Gaia supposed to be as tall as Uranus and Titans, of which they have to ommit it in order to allow the combination of Gaiai with Sphinx to work.

Non-Gunpla: GFF Metal Composit RX-78-2

Bandai, as we know is the company that presents us with the Gunpla. In fact, IMHO Bandai is the major working force behind promoting the Gundam. Beside the plastic model kit, Bandai did come out with a few other line-up for the Gundam series, i.e. Gundam Fix Figuration, MS in Action, and HCM-Pro. Yet, none these line-up really attract/persuade me to invest because i.e. HCM-Pro is too small for my taste, Gundam Fix Figuration is very nicely done but it's still too small for my taste and too many parts, and MS in Action is also too small although it's rigid.

However, I did make an exception because I did buy a Gundam Fix Figuration. Yes, the small size but very detail Gundam Fix Figuration(GFF), but unlike the normal GFF, this is a 1/100 scale GFF Metal Composite series, meaning it has die-cast metal part and it's 1/100 scale! My favourite range. The GFF Metal Composite that I bought is RX-78-2 Ver. Ka. I don't think I need to explain what it is since you can google it yourself, so let's see how this thing looks like.

Here we are we have the GFF placed nicely in a poly styrene box. I must say that this reminds me of the first ever Gundam RX-78-2 die-cast toy that I got from my dad when I was 8 years old, except this one doesn't come with the G Fighter and it looks very detailed.


Overall, this GFF feels very solid and obviously heavy because of the die-cast metal. However, I did notice that the legs are the only parts that uses die-cast metal; the rest are still plastic. What a shame, they could have put in more metal. As expected, the articulation is not a flexible as compare to the Gunpla, but at least the arms and the legs can bend.


As expected out of Katoki Hajime's design, this GFF looks great. Above is how it looks like from the front, and the picture below shows the back.


Below is another close-up picture from the front.


As I said previously that this kit can't really pose much action, so the best pose that I could think of would be something as shown in the following picture.

As with the GFF counterpart, the GFF Metal Composite line does come with numbering as well, and this one is GFF Metal Composite #04. GFF Metal Composite #01 is a combo of this Gundam together with the G Fighter. The price of ths GFF Metal Composite is about RM 298, whereas the GFF Metal Composite #01 is about RM450++. I bought mine from XL-Shop, and they are the only one so far that I noticed to brought in this GFF Metal Composite line-up.

Is it worthy to get this kit? I would say yes because of it is well designed despite the fact that it can't pose much. Yet, the main reason that I bought it is because of nostalgic reason that I mentioned earlier.

Why do I say 'Second Wave'?

In my earlier post of 1/100 Infinite Justice, I did mention about 'Second Wave'. The meaning of this is because after my last Gunpla - the PG 1/60 Strike Gundam, I tried to improve on my modeling making by acquiring more tools that's necessary to make a better kit. The following picture shows the collection within this 'wave'.

So what have I done? Firstly, I learned that there's actually different grade of Surface Primer. Surface primer is the underlying coating on the plastic surface before applying the main color. The degree of surface primer ranges from rough to fine, with the rough one having bigger particles that could granulate on the surface, making it necessary to sand it down to have a smooth surface before spraying the main coat.

Secondly, it is during this wave that I realized how important it is to have a underlying coating before spraying the main color. But in order to do so, I'll need a lot of paint for that purpose.

Thirdly, instead of having the parts arrange on a flat surface for spraying, I learned to stick the parts onto a stick. It is a lot more easire to do it this way.

Fourthly, I discovered that Mr Color has nicer finishing as compare to Tamiya color; but Mr Color finishes quicker as compare to Tamiya.

So that's all for now. I'll shall continue to talk somehing about toys thats' not based on Gundam as soon as possible.

Gundam 00 - 1/60 Gundam Exia

The latest Gundam series that is now showing and is nearing its climatic end is Gundam 00. Like all previous Gundam series, it has no exception here as well that Gundam is the main focus of war, or rather Gundam is the reason why there's a war. It is similar to Gundam W of which the Gundam is the one that ignitiated the war. The design of the Gundams in Gundam 00 took a major change, of which I'd say extreme because the Gundams look more slimmer and although it's still boxy, but it lacks the similarity with all the previous Gundams. Currently Season 2 is showing and it's going to be finishing soon.

In this post, I'm going to talk about the 1/60 Gundam Exia from the first season, the Gundam that plays the leading role. Among the 4 Gundams(Dynames, Kyrios, Virtue), I'd say that Exia is the best looking, although I still like the other 3 Gundams. Exia is considered as the trump card because of its GN Sword that could pierce through the GN field. If you're confused with the word GN, try google it. Pilot of Exia is a young man called Setsuna F. Seie, who is of middle-eastern origin. Here are the pictures showing the front and back with full equipment.




Much like the anime, this kit has all the melee weapons, ranging from the GN Sword(Convertible to GN Rifle), GN Blade(Long & Short), GN Beam Saber(2), and GN Beam Dagger(2) plus a GN Shield of which Exia hardly uses it to dodge the enemies' attack. Although this kit is 1/60 scale, but it lacks the ability to pose as compare to it's 1/100 scale, and it looks 'fatter' as compare to the 1/100 scale. In example, the foot is totally 1 piece as compare to 2 pieces in the 1/100 scale, making it not able to bend down; the arm is like the 1/60 scale Strike Gundam, wich is without the double joint, meaning it can only be bended until 90 degree; the body is another one that I really dissapointed with because if they are able to make the 1/100 scale to at least lean to left and right, why can't they make this one to be like that as well? Since it's bigger in scale? It is the same though with the 1/60 Strike Gundam; big scale but yet can't pose much.

Anyway, I got this kit because it's a gift. I don't think I would personally wanting to buy this kit, and it doesn't really stir me to 'buy me! buy me!'. In conclusion, here's another picture showing it wielding the GN Sword and the GN Blade(Long).


1 thing I do hope for is that Bandai could at least come out with a MG for this kit or rather a PG. But if they could only make one PG from this 00 universe, then I'd rather to have them made the 00 Raiser(Gundam 00 & O Riser) instead.

MG 1/100 Crossbone Gundam X-1

Last post I've put up the MG 1/100 F-91 Gundam & it's variation, the F-91 Harrison's Suit. In this post, I put up some pictures of the Crossbone Gundam X-1. The following picture shows how it looks like.

A brief history about the Crossbone Gundam. It is the continuation of Gundam F-91 that has never been made into an anime. Instead, it is told in the form of Manga and it is set 10 years after the event in F-91, with Seabork Arnold and Cecilia as the Crossbone Vanguard Space Pirates that trying to fend off the Jupiter Empire from destroying earth. But Seabork Arnold(called Kinkid in the manga) is not the main protagonist, but it's a young man called Tobia Arranox.

Crossbone Gundam is made by the same organisation that made the F-91, code name F-97, and it was secretly delivered to the hand of Kinkid for the war. There are 3 Crossbone Gundam being made - X1, X2, and X3. Among all these, only X1 survives the war and subsequently being modified into X1 Kai Skull Heart, of which Bandai has came out with another MG 1/100 for this kit. Crossbone Gundam is designed to deal with the high gravity field of Jupiter, thus making it capable of maneuver at high speed. It also one of the Gundam that has a core fighter as it's main block in the chest. The significant features of Crossbone is the X-shape thrusters at the back, and it's appealing pirate signature. In constrast with F-91, Crossbone X-1 has a lot of melee attack weapons but bear only a Beam Samber as it's main beam projectile weapon, unlike the F-91 that wields a pair of VSBR. Here's a picture of the back side showing the X-shape thrusthers.


This kit is designed by Mr Katoki, so the box art is just plain white with the Gundam standing straight and is very beautifully done. Unfortunately, it can't pose as much as F-91, although it uses the same parts as F-91. This kit can't squat like F-91 because of the front armored skirt. Then, the main weapon, the Beam Zanber, can't hardly be fitted to the hand because of the handle. The Beam Rifle part of the Beam Zanber supposingly be able to be held by the hand, and it's also very unfortunate because the handle is too big for it to grab. Then what's the point of having this kit? Well, the purpose of this kit, IMHO, is to include as much feature as possible, especially the melee attack weapons. All these weapons are hiding all over the body - knife from the leg, some chain like weapon from the armor skirt(front & back), beam knuckle from the arm, and the cloaking pirate cloak. I'm not an engineer so I'm not sure if it's possible to do so, but I do appreciate Katoki's effort of making this kit as detailed as it can be without sacrificing much on the possibility. In fact, I do find that this kit is much more sturdier as compare to the F-91 kits. Below is another picture that I've taken to show the beam knuckle activated on the left hand.


So why would you want to get this kit? Firstly, I bought this because it's Katoki who designed it. Second, the pirates feature of this kit is cool. Thirdly, there is something that looks nicer as compare to the Manga version. Lastly, it's another protagonist's Gundam along the UC time line. I got this kit at about RM130.

One other fact: the Crossbone Gundam X-1 is produced during the time line where all mobile suits are being made smaller to cut cost, so like the F-91, this kit is only 15cm tall.

MG 1/100 F-91 & F-91 Harrison

Now, after the Seed Destiny kit, let's talk about the revolutionary MG kit from Bandai - the MG 1/100 F-91 Gundam F91 and the MG 1/100 F-91 Gundam F91 Harrison Suit. The reason why I called these kits revolutionary is because Gundam F91 is only 15 Meter tall in the anime, so 1/100 would means that it will only be 15 cm tall. To make a MG at 15 cm tall would be a challenge because there are limitation on how much parts that can be used just to construct i.e. the leg and yet allowing it to do the trademark of the latest MG series - squatting. In order to do so, they opt for a new way to design the kit - not using any polycap.

Above is a shot for F91, the first prototype. F91 appears in the 1991 movie Mobile Suit Gundam F91, happening in UC 113, the continuation of the UC timeline. This Gundam is special because it wields a pair of VSBR (Variable Speed Beam Rifle) that could be adjusted according to situation, either to have a high speed penetrative beam or a slow wide range attack beam, which only F91 would have. Then, the amount of heat that this suit generated could actually dissipated through the whole suit and created some after image hologram that could be used as decoy, which it does in the final battle scene with the Rafflesia. The main pilot is Seabook Arno, a New Type pilot.

As for the kit, I'd say that Bandai did a good job with this kit because of the articulation of each join and the variety of pose that it could do. The down side? Well, if you try to spray it, do not spray the joint part because this kit doesn't have any of those polycap joint. That's why it's revolutionary because Bandai uses polycapless design for this kit. As a result, the joint are precisely meassured to make sure that it will not losen easily.

Sadly, as I said, do not try to spray the joint. The reason is because spraying the joint will cause the joint to be thicken by the color, and it may cause the joint to stuck inside the connecting point. It happened to this F91 kit. I tried to pull out the right hand from the main arm, and I broke the ball-joint part, and the damage I did is beyond repair. Too bad I'm not in Japan, otherwise I could have just mail in my order form to purchase the spare part. So, I have to discard the joint, glue some shorten stick to the hand, and use a polycap to join the arm to the hand. I must say that although it is not brilliantly done, it still looks alright.


As you can see from the above picture, the display stand is like some octopus thingy. Well, it is not a octopus, it is the main nemesis of the F91, the Mobile Armour Rafflesia. The stand is only showing the cockpit part, as the original Mobile Armor Rafflesia is actually 10 times or more bigger than F91.

And here is it posing the trademark selling point - squatting. I must say that this kit does what it does, but the front armor skirt sort of like spoiling the whole posture because it raises too high. The other comment that I have about this kit? The VSBR is restricted by the side armor skirt, making it very tedious to pose it with both of them together.

And now, here's a picture of the Harrison Suit of F91. Harrison is the name of the person who piloted this F91, and the color scheme is changed to show that it's his mobile suite. This is a modified color scheme, because the original color scheme is without white color. This color scheme is adapted after his suit is partially damaged during a war. What war?

Well, this F91 is produced few years after the first F91 that I mentioned above, and it's categorized as limited mass production unit, meaning it's only for ace pilot. It happens a few years after the original F91 story, and before the story of Victory Gundam. It involves in a war on the planet Jupiter, where the Jupiter empire is trying to conquer earth. Jupiter empire is another group of human that migrated into space colony, and decided to achieve independant on their own and would fight against the earth alliance. The story about this can only be found in the manga series Crossbone Gundam. It has never being make into an animation.






Above are some more pictures about this kit. I must say that because I didn't spray on the joint, thus the joints are a bit loose. This is also the first time I used Mr Color spray, and I like the texture that it provides because it's very smooth.

1/100 Seed Destiny - Legend Gundam

The last of the 4 most powerful Gundam in Seed Destiny, this Legend Gundam entered into the world of Gundam modelling after Destiny, Strike Freedom, and Infinite Justice. As with the previous batch, the first batch of this kit comes with a display stand as well. But, it is not the same stand included with the first 3, it is a special stand, the 'prototype' IMHO of the current Bandai Action Base.

In comparison to all the previous kit, the proportion of this kit is more proportionly made. The head, the torso, the arms, the legs, the rifle, the dragoon pack, all just nicely fit together, making this kit outshine the other 3. Here are some pictures of the front and the back of this kit. Again, please forgive me of the poor background.




Articulation wise, I would say that it is the best out of the 4 kits. Honestly, I like the overall structure of this kit because it feels more solid and could really stand firm on its own. In every single angle, it looks fantastic. Here is a picture with it posing with the 'prototype' action base.


Some up close shots from th






In summary, this is a nice kit to get. Again, if there is a MG version, it would be better to get that instead. The Dragoons can be separated, so if you have time, you might be able to make a full burst mode of this kit, which I don't have the time to do so.

1/100 Seed Destiny - Infinite Justice Gundam

Finally I've been able to put up some pictures for this kit that I built 3 years ago. Not only this, the 1/100 Legend Gundam, 1/60 Gundam Exia, MG 1/100 F-91, MG 1/100 F-91 Harrison's Color, and MG 1/100 Crossbone Gundam X-1 ver. Ka will be updated here in my blog with pictures. Thanks to my friend who borrowed me her digital camera because without it, these second wave kit will not be able to show their faces in this blog. Now, I won't go into detail of what second wave means. I'll explain that after I've uploaded all the above.

Now, let's start off with some pictures of this 1/100 Inifnite Justice Kit. As you can see from the following pictures, the background is not as pleasant as it looks, so please forgive me. This kit is based on the fictional mobile suit in Gundam Seed Destiny with the same name Inifinite Justice Gundam, pilotted by one of the main protagonists called Athrun Zala. The base color scheme is pinky red, but instead of that I sprayed it with metallic red instead. Following are pictures taken from the front and the back of this kit.






The significant feature about this Gundam is the flight lifter at the back of it's body. As compare to the anime, the whole body slimmer, and the flight lifter is bigger, so one can consider this as out of proportion. But in my opinion, it is out of proportion but it still doesn't look extremely horrible like its twin brother, Strike Freedom. The reason for such a slim body figure is to accommodate for the flight lifter because the lifter can be moved upward with its head connected to the shoulder of the Gundam's body, thus the body has to be smaller to allow the Infinite Justice head to move around.

As compare to the previous Gundam Seed universe kit starting from the 1/100 Strike Gundam, this is the first kit in the line that has double joint in the elbow, allowing it to be more articulated. If the lifter is moved to connect to the shoulder of the kit, it won't be able to stand firm by itself because the back will be very heavy. It requires quite a few trial and error to make the legs to be in a position that could sustain the weight. Thank goodness that this is one of the first batch that being produced because the first batch comes with a display stand, that could allow it to be displayed with the lifter in flight mode (connected to shoulder of the Gundam's body). The picture above shows the Infinite Justice displayed with the display stand, with the flight lifter in flight mode.


Some not-so up close shot of this kit. Notice that the color scheme on the torso, where the silver lining from the upper chest towards the shoulder. The original color of that line is actually green, but because I don't have enough resources, namely money at that time to purchase a can of green color spray just for that purpose, I decided to spray it silver instead.


It comes with another palm for the left hand that could be used to show display it dispatching the anchor... whatever it is... from the shield. Speaking about the shield, it is another weapon that is out of proportion because it is too big, and the beam saber that comes with the beam boomerang is also too big in proportion. Despite of the proportion, it comes with the affect part for the flight lifter, the beam saber on the legs, and 2 for the beam boomerang.

Overall, it's not such a bad kit. The reason for me to get this kit is because I want to make up the collection of the 4 major Gundams that appear late in the Seed Destiny series, namely Strike Freedom, Destiny, Legend, and this one. But if one is thinking to buy this kit, if one have enough budget, I'd suggest to get the MG version of this kit, of which I've got one. The MG version is much more proportionly made, so it should be a better option as compare to this one.

Latest Update - PG 1/60 from Bandai!!!

I scouted around certain blog site like NgeeKhiong's blogspot, and found out that Bandai is going to release a new Perfect Grade gundam. It is indeed a great news, 'coz the last PG that Bandai ever released was the Strike Gundam back in 2005 (not counting the Pearl edition PG Wing Zero Custom that released last year).

This time, it's not a Gundam from any major TV series that we all know, but it's from a side story instead. It's from the Seed universe side story, Gundam Seed Astray. Yes, it's the Astray Red Frame.

It is basically built on Strike Gundam PG frame, since in the story line, Astray is built on the reference to Strike Gundam. I'd love to have it because it's so original and it has a Katana as armament, which making it looks so much like a Samurai without the armor, like a lone warrior wandering around... Sounds like Rurouni Kenshin, but coincidentally, Kenshin also wearing red and white clothing, and he has a lont red hair too! Why would I say that? 'coz Red and White are the major color scheme for Astray Red Frame. Further information can be found from Bandai website. They even released a PDF document to be downloaded for viewing purpose.

But seriously, I'd prefer Bandai to come out with something in the future that would be from the UC century, like a PG version for Nu Gundam, PG for F-91, PG for Double Zeta Gundam, and most of all, PG for V2 Gundam!!! Issue probably is with the marketting, but hey, if it came out, I'm sure people would go for it despite the price tag (if it's reasonable). Is that too much of a request? No, 'coz I have a friend who wants a PG of GP-04 Gundam Gerbera. Never heard of it? I'm not surprised, since GP-04 has never made it's official appearance in the Gundam UC universe.

Latest Update - Pla Model Acquisition

In case there's someone out there wondering "What is Pla Model?" , it means plastic model. The reason why I called it Pla Model is because it's a direct adaption from how the Japanese addresses plastic model kit.

So, continue with my saga, I have purchased 2 new pla model of Macross series. Which Macross series? The Macross Frontier, 1/72 scale VF-25F Messiah Alto Custom, and 1/72 scale VF-25S Messiah Ozma Lee Custom. Yup, these 2 I'd consider as hot pick, with Ozma Lee's VF-25S being the hottest. But the thing that distracted me the most, is that they care going to come out with VF-25F Alto Custom with Super Pack in the coming February/March, so I was like "Arrrggg!!!! Why didn't they release the information earlier?" But thankfully, Bandai is going to release the Super Pack separately as well, meaning I could buy 2 for both of this Valkyrie!!!

Macross is considered as the gateway for me to enter into the amazing world of Japanese mecha series. I watched it when I was 7 years old, dubbed in Cantonese (that's where I learned my Cantonese). I was amazed with the jet fighter for its ability to change form into a robot and immediately I like it. I used to have 2 of the original Valkyrie die-cast metal toys, of which Bandai has reproduces it recently, both the Skull Leader yellow stripe version and Ichijo version.

I was amazed with the detailing and the proportion of the VF-25 Messiah, 'coz it's just so beautiful and nicely done. Althought he transformation may not be as flexible as compare to its DX Chogokin counter part, but it still very nice. I told my friend about this, and he said "They should come out with it in a bigger scale" like the biggest scale for aircraft. Wow, that would be nice, but if all model kits should be that big, where on earth I should store it?

Anyway, update of my progress for my current pla model:

1. MG 1/100 Strike Freedom - Waiting to be painted
2. MG 1/100 Hi-Nu Gundam - Waiting to be painted
3. MG 1/100 Strike Noir Gundam - Waiting to be painted
4. MG 1/100 Unicorn Gundam - Waiting to be painted
5. 1/72 VF-25F - Still in the box
6. 1/72 VF-25S - Still in the box

Anime: Psalm of Planet Eureka 7

I was playing Super Robot Taisen Z for quite some time now. This is the latest game produces by Banpresto, which features a lot of new mecha series - Gravion (1st & 2nd), Big-O, Genesis Aquarion, Overman King Gainer, Eureka 7, Gundam Seed Destiny, Baldios, and God Sigma, with the ever popular Mazinger series, Gundam (UC series, X, and Turn A), Getter Robo, and with the Banpresto original.

Currently I'm following the storyline of Eureka 7, of which I started to spark interest in this series. Eureka 7 was broadcasted in late 2005, and it spanned for 50 episodes. I noticed about this series from the Sunrise official website, but yet I was not interested to watch it at that time. I tried to search for it on the Internet, and found that some one has actually put it on in flash video format.

I watched from episode 25 onwards, and I found that the story line is nicely done. Wikipedia stated that this series has been voted with the best anime of 2006, which I think that it does deserve that title, 'coz the story line is indeed very captivating, fantastic. I took the trouble to visit Anime Tech to try my luck if I could find the whole DVD box set of this series, and walla!!! I found it and without any hesitation, I purchased it, and watch it until 6 o'clock in the morning. It's a really good series, and the character design is modest, not too much of 'flamboyant' movement on the female character, if you know what I mean.

The mechanical design of this series is done by Shoji Kawamori, from the fame of Macross series, Cyber Formula series, and Genesis Aquarion.

MG's Modelling Update

It's been a while since my last posting about Chogokin Godmars. The Godmars has been out for about a year now, yet I was not able to even own one. Despite of that, here's what I've been up to in partial detail.

1. MG 1/100 Strike Freedom Full Bust Mode

I haven't finished with the construction of this kit yet. The parts are all being processed, meaning cutting out from the runners, sand down the surface, putty the necessary place, and even use cement to glue together the parts that needed to. I tried to follow some advice of Dengeki Hobby magazine dated 2007 on how to modify this kit, and I would say that it's difficult for me to do so since I don't have the necessary tool at that time, and I don't think I have the confidence to do so.

2. MG 1/100 Hi-Nu Gundam

The status is the same as Strike Freedom. In comparison with the Strike Freedom, I'd say that it's harder to deal with the surfaces of this kit, since there's a lot of linings that needed to get rid of.

3. MG 1/100 Strike Noir Gundam

Same as the above. This kit is basically a kit uses most of the MG 1/100 Strike Freedom parts for the body, thus although it's newer than the above, the articulation is not as good as the above, especially with the hip part. When I was working with the parts, I've purchased certain modeling tools from Hobby Link Japan, which are mainly scribers (Tamiya Scriber and Hasegawa Needle Scriber), files, and sponge file. The files especially is useful to sand down the gates/the cemented extra.

4. MG 1/100 Unicorn Gundam

Same as the above, but with much more detail being done on the surfaces, by having the line to be engraved deeper. I would say that I'm not a good craftman, 'coz there are some lines that I tried to engrave have become a disaster, which I needed to correct it by applying putty. I tried to apply the epoxy putty, but it hurts my skin, and it doesn't stick anymore, thus I need to give it up and use the Gunzo Sungyo Pre-Thinned Putty instead.

I'm trying to proceed with my latest acquisiation - the MG 1/100 Inifinite Justice, while trying to save money to purchase an airbrush set to apply the color.

Roku Shin Gat Tai - God Mars

Oh yes, this is another toy that I'm looking forward to collect. It cost about RM800. I can't afford to pay that much of money in one shot because of my other commitment, what a shame. But anyway, it's very nice for Bandai to come out with this toy again after 20 years or more. I could see that they have really put in effort to re-design the whole toy to make it looks more closely to the anime design. I like it.

I used to own the original Godmars (might be a fake one) about 20 years ago. I like it very much because it feels solid, and the combination gimmicks. Godmars is one of the combination robot toys that I owned 20 years ago. The others that I could remember are Godsigma, Baxinger, GoLion, and Transformer Victory's Leo Caesar.

As compare to the original Godmars, this latest chogokin from Bandai is much more closely resembled the Godmars from the animation, better articulation for posebility, and better combination. Good job, Bandai.

Latest Modelling Update

It's been quite a while since I started to work on my Gunpla. First, I have finished to cut out and sanding the parts for MG Strike Freedom Special Edition. Then, I have the Fin Funnel, weapons, and the thrusters that have yet to be done for my MG Hi-Nu Gundam. After this, I would continue to do the same on both MG Strike Noir and MG Unicorn Gundam.

The reason for me to process only the parts and not assemble them is because I'm saving money to purchase a new airbrush set. I have purchased an airbrush from a local art shop recommended by my friend, and I'm currently saving for the compressor that would cost a lot of money.

I used to favour the Tamiya spray can, but because of the amount of works involved in making the Gunpla is slowly increasing, it's about time to invest in some tools that would help to improve the expanses. Yet, it would cost a lot more at the initial stage, but 1 bottle of color costs only RM 7.00 to RM 10.00, of which it could be used to color a few Gunpla (if I'm not mistaken). Plus, with the airbrush, I would like to learn some Gunpla coloring techniques like shadowing and weathering.

The Origin of Valkyrie

I found out from Bandai's Tamashii website that they have come out with a series of Macross toys, named The Origin of Valkyrie. Unlike the nice looking, high priced Yamato's Macross series, this is based on the very first Macross toys produced by the company that made it during the early 80's. I could recognize that the design is indeed the very first Valkyrie. Why? Because I used to own the original Roy Foker's VF-1S and Hikaru Ichijo's VF-1J from that time (although mine is probably fake).

I have not own any of the latest Yamato's Valkyries, so I can't make any comparison between the 2 in term of the playability. But, as judging from the design, one could see that the Yamato's Valkyries are actually more closed to the original design as compare to its counterpart, especially the VF-1J, where the mouth and chin portion are missing.

I still remember that the original Valkyrie is made with plastic and some die cast metal, of which I think they still preserve this judging from the picture. As for playability, I'm not sure whether it will still be the same. I still remember that the transformation of the Valkyrie between different mode is very solid, not fragile, and I don't have to worry that I may break anything.

The price is cheaper as compare to the Yamato's version with less goodies and smaller box. VF-1J and VF-1S are available for sell at Hobby Link Japan. Max and Miria verions of VF-1J will be released in the coming month.

MG Unicorn Gundam

Forgot to say about this: I got my hand on a MG Unicorn Gundam. First glance at it - it's all white, and it's pretty hard to build, and there's a lot of transformation gimmick with translucent red plastic parts, which means it's really hard to build.

Yet, I haven't have time to build it yet partly because I'm trying to finish the easy to build Gundam Exia (relatively), and partly because I'm waiting to get my hands on an airbrush compressor set from Tamiya - the new Revo Compressor with HG trigger double action airbrush that cost a lot. I'm not really a fan in using airbrush initially because I found that it's hard to get the color. Yet, it's time for a change because it's pretty easy to get Mr Color here, and I'm moved by the fact that there's a lot of tricks can be done perfectly with airbrush. So, I'm going to wait for that, probably endlessly...

Goodby to Squier

I sold my Squier Strat 1 week ago for the reason being that I felt it's a waste on money to get something that I'm not going to use it anytime soon, and is sitting there collecting dust. So I sold it to Cash Exchange instead, and only got like less than 25% back from the original price that I bought.

Yet, my friend who's into guitar said that I could get at least 50% - 70% from the price that I purchased if I sell it through guitar forum. Honestly, I don't really like to join any forum at all because I just don't like it.

Guitar: Squier Stratocaster

I bought a Squier electric guitar on last Saturday. It is a strat model. I'm an amateur in electric guitar, so I may give mis information on what is a strat model. A strat model is an electric guitar that bears similar appearance as the Fender Stratocaster, which normally has a pickup configuration of Single Coil - Single Coil - Single Coil. Other electric guitar models that I know of are:

1. Tele - Something like the Fender Telecaster
2. Les Paul - Something like the Gibson Les Paul

Squier is a subsidiary of Fender. It basically produces the same electric guitars like it big brother, but with cheaper material to reduce the production cost. A Fender Stratocaster would cost about RM 2000++, and my Squier cost only RM 500++.

I tried the sound with the ZOOM practice amplifier (15W) that my friend gave me. It sounds great with the pickup sets to neck & mid position, with some chorus & some delay. As compare to playing an acoustic guitar, I personally find it that it's much more enjoyable to play with an electric guitar because of the sound that it created. Not to say that acoustic guitar doesn't sound nice, and I really wanted to get a new acoustic guitar too, and top of my list would be the McPherson acoustic guitar (USD 4400, about RM 16000++); it is the array of sounds that an electric guitar can produce that I really appreciate. After all, I'm struggling to get the right sound to accompany in a church worship setup, because my Fender Stratacoustic (acoustic electric) can't produce the same fill as nice as the electric guitar when I'm playing with another acoustic guitar.

At first my friend doesn't really like to buy anything below RM 1000 because of the quality. Yet, after trying out my Squier, he's amazed by how much it could accomplished with RM 500 nowadays as compare to 10 years ago. Well, face it, as years go by, technology is advancing to a state where it will be getting cheaper and cheaper to obtain the things that are impossible to be owned 10 years ago.

Even though my Squier could produce the nice sound, I still prefer a Parker Fly/NiteFly. Yet, I don't want to spend so much money into buying such expensive guitar at first place (Parker Fly - USD 3000/RM 12,000, Parker NiteFly - USD 1500/RM 6,000) because I won't be able to harness the potential of the guitar if I don't really have the skill to play it. So hopefully I could play well on my Squier that I would feel like to change it to a Parker next time :)