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Layman’s Gunpla Guide – Sampling Paints

I’d just like to speak briefly about an easy and cost effective way to test your paints.

Traditionally, I would test my paint by spraying some on an unused action base, paper, or leftover runner. Since then, I’ve found that a better way to go about it is to test on some disposable white plastic spoons.

One can usually find 100 count packs of these disposable utensils at the local grocer for less than $5. They provide a nice consistent colour and surface to test upon. (Note – Make sure your spoon’s surface is clean before painting, sometimes there’s dust and other material floating around in the shipping container) If you’re interested in establishing a collection, you can write the paint’s information on the stem for later reference.  You can pull them out at a later date to compare and contrast paints you’ve already tested when planning a colour scheme. read more

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PG Zaku II ver. Reprise – Update 01

Long ago, in the depths of 2008, I built a Perfect Grade Char’s Zaku II. It was horrible. A travesty of all things great. A concoction of orange peel’d gloss and stickers. Thus, 2012 being the end of the world, the only proper thing to do would be to light it on fire and sing a sad song in remembrance. Or I could cover it in awesome.


Click to Enlarge | On Flickr

Yeah, I’ll do go with the awesome option instead. Okay, maybe I’m being a bit presumptuous of myself. read more

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Gundam AGE Episode 13 Review

 Episode 13, "Space Fortress Ambat"

  *****SPOILERS*****   Synopsis: With the Diva armed with a AGE System-created beam weapon, the crew prepares for battle. Grodek commands the fleet from the bridge. The mobile suit forces launch. The fleet approaches Ambat at fires, but at first there’s no response. Suddenly, a massive ship emerges from behind a forcefield. The Diva transforms into more of a battleship. Combat ensues, but the UE outnumber the rebels. Flit draws the enemy towards himself and takes out many of them. The Diva nears the base and fires it’s beam weapon at the ship, which is heavily damaged. Ract tries to sacrifice himself to stop the remaining part, but before he can, other friendly forces arrive to assist them.      Comments:   Wow, this was an excellent episode!   First of all, let me get this out of the way: what the hell is up with everyone’s normal suit? The Diva crew dress like they’re in their pajamas. The Zalam normal suits look like Zakus. The Euba MS normal suits are probably the best looking. It’s hard to take the Diva crew seriously with such ridiculous suits. Get some normal normal suits, guys! This isn’t a sleepover.    Speaking of the Diva (and we’re getting to the good parts now), it’s transformation is pretty cool. It’s transformed state looks like the Albion from Gundam 0083. Before, it looked a bit like the Ptolemaios from Gundam 00.    Considering how predictable this show has been, I was really pleasantly surprised by a the cliche-avoiding scene in this episode where Ract tries a suicide run but is stopped by Flit. Ract is unable to make himself a human missile like Don Boyage. The little talking-to he gets from Flit is a great moment. It feels like the kind of thing you’d see in FMA (though in FMA, it would be a big speech about not throwing your life away).   Emily’s really got her shit together now. She’s in full support of Flit’s decision to continue fighting in the Gundam. For a while, I thought she was going to go crazy or something.    There was some good action in this episode. I especially enjoyed when Flit drew a bunch of UE suits to himself, and then took them all out himself. That was pretty badass, especially the way he did it. It’s probably the best action scene in the show thus far.    This episode was a lot more compelling than the show has been overall. I only hope the episodes that follow can live up to it.   Overall Score:

4.5 out of 5

   
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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – Episode 52 ENGLISH DUB Review

Episode 52, "Combined Powers"

*****SPOILERS*****   Synopsis: Using the Philosopher’s Stone, Alphonse battles Pride and Kimbley. Kimbley is impressed, but is curious as to why Alphonse hasn’t used the stone to retrieve his body. Alphonse claims that the possibility exists to save everyone and regain his body. Kimbley argues that it’s possible that neither will occur, and attacks using his own, refined stone. In Central, the Armstrong siblings take on Sloth, who proves to be the fastest of the homunculi. Pride seemingly gains the advantage against Alphonse, but it turns out to be a trap. Heinkel comes from behind Kimbley and bites his neck. Edward, Scar, and the other chimera continue to fight the homunculi army, who try disabling them by taking out their legs. As Pride taunts Alphonse and his group, a car comes out of nowhere and hits him. The car is driven by none other than Yoki, who helps the others escape. Alone with a dying Kimbley, Pride decides to devour him like he did with Gluttony. Back at Central HQ, the troops who corner Olivier are attacked by the homunculi army and she tells them to make a choice between dying or making a stand. Beneath Central, Envy chases Mei. In the room where Ed and the others are, they are beginning to get overwhelmed, but Roy and Riza arrive.   Comments:   I just don’t know what to make of Eric Vale’s Kimbley. It sounds rough and detached. I guess it works to some degree, given Kimbley’s attitude, but I’d have preferred a smoother, sharpened voice for the character.    I like the transition from Alphonse’s battle with Kimbley and the Armstrong siblings’ fight with Sloth. For a second it looks like Kimbley was creating the dagger-like rocks.    Speaking of the Armstrongs, Sabat and Young both do an excellent job as the siblings, as usual. Even with the smaller things, like grunting when hurt sounds convincing from them. You can’t beat Young’s yells when she attacks.    Jerry Russell’s Marcoh still sounds crappy, though. It’s too bad that Brice Armstrong retired, he brought a real sense of weight to the role. Armstrong had a certain authoritative air to it. This one sounds like he’s a million years old and is dying of throat cancer.   There’s mercifully little of Vic Mignogna in this episode, and when there is some, it’s not that bad.    I really like Barry Yandell’s Yoki in this episode. He hams it up, but that’s Yoki for you. I love how he’s crying as he saves everyone.    Monica Rial’s May has improved over time. At first I found it a little off, but fitting, since I found May kind of annoying. But it evolved a little over time.    Next episode has a lot of drama in it, but it’s mostly Travis Willingham’s Roy, so I have faith it will be well-performed. Well, it also has a lot of Wendy Powell. Shudder.      Overall ENGLISH DUB Score:    4 out of 5    
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Gundam AGE Episode 12 Review

 Episode 12, "The Rebels Set Sail"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: The Diva prepares to depart from Minsry. Federation forces intercept them as they leave. Reasoning with them fails and Grodek refuses to surrender. Zalam and Euba ships come to the Diva’s defense. The stalemate is broken when UE appear and attack everyone. Flit, Woolf, and Largan attack the UE in their mobile suits. The Diva is allowed to pass by the Federation ships to fire at the UE. The Federation ship then fires its own weapons at the UE, causing them to retreat. The Diva is allowed to continue on its way. Later, Grodek surmises that Flit could be a "X-Rounder", a person with extrasensory skills. Back at Minsry, Desil and the cloaked men threaten Yurin. read more

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Falldog’s First Convention

So this weekend I visited my first convention, MAGFest 2012, held this year at the Gaylord Convention Center at National Harbor, MD.

So, what did I think? Well here, enjoy my random rantings…

  • I’d love to know the profit margin of an event like this. While I still haven’t decided whether the entry fees are justified ($40 for a single day, $55 for all three days) I really want to know more about the finances of this (and other) conventions. My badge tag was #9469, and working under the completely baseless assumption that there are 9468 paying folks before me, I’m going to baselessly assume they pulled in $378,760 (which I’m also going to assume is on the low end, considering the multitudes who paid $55. It’s also safer considering that not everyone had to pay for entry). That’s quite a pretty penny. I doubt the hotel charges too much, they probably made a bucket load on their own through room rental and parking fees. I was informed that most of the bands perform for free, but what about the guest speakers? How much of the equipment/games/tables/etc were donated v. rented? I suppose it’s just the information nerd in me coming through. Either way, I hope that margins are good enough to support holding the event at the same location next year.
  • The Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center was awesome. Though I have gazed upon the Gaylord (who still uses that name in this day and age?) from the safe confines of Old Town Alexandria this was my first visit. The hotel and convention center was awesome. The large open air atrium was simply spectacular all decked out for Christmas. It’s the kind of place I would want to stay at if visiting the area. Unfortunately I can’t say too much about the National Harbor area. While it’s nice that it has easy access to I-495 it’s too touristy for my tastes, it lacks charm like Old Town across the river (sorry if I’m going too local for our random assortment of readers). Also, if someone knows, throughout some of the halls there are sections where the walls and ceiling were separated by foot wide aluminum plates… expansion joints, hidden fire doors?
  • Cat ears and or tails, really? While I can understand the random fetish nature of furries I don’t understand people who dress normally but throw on a pair of cat ears or a tail of some sort. If you feel so jealous of our furry underlings then please, commit all the way with your attire.
  • The same goes for welding glasses. And welding glasses on top hats, especially when the rest of your outfit isn’t remotely steampunkish. (On a site note, I saw a magazine for steampunk styles at Michaels. Is the fad officially over now?)
  • Cosplayers… could you at least not half ass it? I don’t really have the highest opinion of cosplayers. Now, I don’t have a problem with folks who want to dress up like their favorite character and have a good time. That’s fine, I can see how that would be fun. You lost me when a handful of folks became "professionals" and with the development of some of the most pretentious photography ever. "Oh, you’re Sephiroth? Well stand over against that wall, look to your right and think really hard about how much you hate Cloud." Okay, I’ve digressed from my main point which was cosplayers who half ass their costumes. I saw several folks who clearly spent time on their costumes, only to give up at the very end and wear tennis shoes or gardening gloves to complete the look. Go all in or not at all.
  • TURN THE MUSIC THE FUCK DOWN! This boggles my fucking mind. Scoping out the concert venue before the start of festivities I noticed a sign saying that they were selling ear protection. I was also witness to hotel room stashes and was even offered a pair later in the evening. At first I thought to my self, that’s silly, I’ve never needed ear protection at a concert before. Oh, how I was mistaken. The music was terribly fucking loud, and not just ‘I can’t hear what I’m thinking loud’ but ‘every other note is peaking’ loud. You have a relatively small, enclosed space, a crowd not normally characterized by their rambunctious audience attitude, and bands who’s main repertoire consists of video game covers. So take it down a notch. There’s no bloody need for things to be cranked to 11. Turn it down so the music comes through clearer and no one has to worry about tinnitus. Or at least start off low and turn it up as needed. I don’t know, it all seems so obvious.
  • There’s no crying at game conventions. Suck it up or go to your room. Or at least chat with all the passers by, pausing in an attempt to lend assistance.
  • The gaming areas were great but in need of refinement. Not only did MAGFest feature a decently sized LAN party but an even larger area for various board and table top games. So popular was the latter that finding a free table could be difficult at times. The hall next to it featured a vast array of electronic games ranging from networked consoles to pinball and classic arcade games. All very cool and a great experiance. Yet I couldn’t help feel that something was just not quite right, that something was missing. In general single player games seemed far too prevalent. Where was the row of several Cruising machines? Why did I only see one DDR machine and the soul iconic X-Men arcade game (apparently the source of some infamous yell, randomly bellowed out and echoed among he non-committed crowd like a poorly executed wave)? I figure they would want to foster more friendly competition. The designated area for Nintendo DS multiplayer games had the right idea. Most perplexing of the whole situation was the folks sitting around playing single player classics like Mario. I understand you like Mario, we all do, but we also have it at home.

For as much as I love to bitch, everyone I met seemed really nice and definitely were enjoying themselves. The staff members I interacted with were all very helpful, though some were a bit blunt at times, something I can’t fault them for considering the circumstances. One has to admire the folks who not only have to drive and commitment to put something like this together, but that patience to deal with thousands of tired/drunk/caffeinated nerds. read more

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Bandai Entertainment, R.I.P.

Yesterday, anime licensor/publisher Bandai Entertainment announced that they will no longer release DVDs or Blu-Rays. According to an interview at Anime News Network with Ken Iyadomi today, the decision was made in October by parent company Namco Bandai Holdings. February will be the last month they release anime and all planned releases for after then are cancelled. Cancelled titles include Yoshiyuki Tomino-directed Turn A Gundam. Their entire manga division is also cancelled. However, they will continue to handle licensing and sub-licensing for "group companies". Iyadomi added his gratitude to the fanbase for supporting the company.  read more

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Gundam AGE Episode 11 Review

 Episode 11, " Reunion at Minsry"

*****SPOILERS*****   Synopsis: The Diva ports at the colony of Minsry to prepare for the last battle with the UE. Flit, Grodek, Woolf, and the Euba leader head for the Birmings mansion. On the way there, Flit hears something and runs after. He discovers that it’s Yurin, the girl he met at Nora. Alzack Birmings, a wealthy friend of Don Boyage, tells him he will support Grodek’s plan. Alzack turns out to be Yurin’s adoptive father. As the team prepares for the mission, Flit spends time with Yurin. Flit promises to return after the fighting is over. On the way back to the Diva, a boat carrying Federation soldiers and several Federation mobile suits block their path and arrest Grodek. Flit uses the Gundam to disable the Federation MS. Grodek is rescued.      Comments:    A whole lot of nothing happens in this episode. It felt more like half an episode. You could easily cut half of what happened in this episode and not have lost anything important. Far from being relaxing, it was merely boring. If it weren’t for all the beautiful scenery, I’d say it was a total waste of my (oh so precious) time.    First, what’s with all these guys with ridiculous hairstyles? Birmings looks like he stepped out of Rose of Versailles. The Euba guy looks like he could be Chara Soon’s brother. I know anime hairstyles are weird on principal, but there are plenty of characters with more ordinary hair and then there are the anomolies. I hate to sound like my mother, but dem Chinese cartoon characters have stupid, stupid hair.    Second, wow, could Yurin be sending up any more death flags? Sudden relationship with a shy girl with a tragic past. Spending time enjoying each other’s company to a musical montage. Flit making a promise to her to return after the fighting.  Just have a piece of the colony fall on her already. I know me some Gundam, and my Gundam instinct is telling me this girl’s as good as dead. It’s almost stupid if she doesn’t die.    It is interesting, though, that the AGE system is being used to upgrade the Diva. I’d like to see what sort of mechanical monster that creates out of it.    Another interesting tidbit is Grodek saying that the Federation is covering up who the UE really are. The Federation knows but isn’t saying? What kind of retarded Federation is this? This is Gundam 0083-level Feddie retardation.    Do you realize I actually wrote a freaking paragraph on hair? On hair. That’s how little this episode had going for it. I had to write a paragraph on the hair.    Overall Score:

3.5 out of 5

 
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RaDGoK – The Radioactive Z’Gok

Confused, mind bruised, it seeps out

About the Build:

Earlier in the year I came into possession of a MG Z’Gok. Without a plan of attack the kit was put in to storage awaiting the day it would triumphantly return and lay waste to gaggles of unsuspecting GMs. Later, getting my hair cut back in October, I noticed that the place was selling something called Black Shatter nail polish by OPI. The premise seemed simple, apply a base coat using a colour of your choice, let it dry, then cover it with a coat of their shatter nail polish. This crackle polish is designed in such a way that the paint shrinks as it dries, allowing it to split, exposing the underlying surface. At the time, with Halloween less than a month away, the key combination on display was a glow in the dark base coat with black shatter on top. I thought to my self, "Well, that’s a pretty interesting idea. I wonder if that could work on a model," and filed the thought away for later reference. read more

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