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Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Episode 20 – A Wrong Kind of Soggy Biscuit

Gotta give this show some credit. Immediately after landing on Earth (and on an island paradise no less), the episode thrusts Tekkadan into more political intrigue, with a bit of character friction as a topping. Pretty darn nice of the show to do so, given after this we’ve only five episodes left and we needn’t spend an ENTIRE episode stranded on said island navel gazing about life and/or whether to fight.

This week we’re introduced to the strange Japanese man who appeared a couple of episodes back: Maganai Todonosuke, a former Arbrau prime minister in exile. While the talks with Kudelia and him go nowhere (predictably thanks to the exile part), we do learn more about Earth. Gjallarhorn seems not to have as much jurisdiction on Earth if this episode’s any indication. Unless you have some pull like that Carta lady in the last episode, or you’re the Oceanic Federation (IngSoc saves Tekkadan’s hide!), they sometimes will stay out of things. A neat, if short-lived, development as said Carta lady pulls some strings to set the stage for an island battle next episode. Other than that, hard to feel much about this part of the episode, since we don’t truly know if Todonosuke will be a boon or a burden to Tekkadan, either here or when he and Kudelia attend an important plenary session a few episodes down the line. read more

Juu-kuchiby Juu-kuchi•
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Batman & Robin Eternal #19 Review

Man, the Tumblr crowd’s getting rough.

School’s in session for spy kids with aggression and the cure is fear possession which leads Harper to an expression towards Cassandra’s past transgression all in this nineteenth issue of DC’s weekly Batman throwdown. Merry Old England has become a little less jovial when Mother’s Icthys virus brings out the killer in St. Hadrain’s already well-trained student bod, which means our heroes are either up to their necks in teenage girl fists or in the case of the teen heroes, now psychotically violent. Helena isn’t too pleased about the situation, either. She didn’t kill Mr. Minos only to lose her school to some frumpy old bag Johnny-come-lately supervillain with a Mommy Dearest gimmick, damn it. read more

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Lupin III (2015) Episode JP 19 (Italy 20) Review

“Dragons Sleep Soundly”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Just when he thought he was out, they pull him back in! Nix’s short-lived retirement dissolves when his boss, Gibons, forces him into a mission to retrieve a disc with a list of MI6 agents stolen by a mercenary named Fox. Fox is having trouble decoding the disc, and now both Nix and Lupin are looking to steal it from him. The world’s greatest thief is tired of having British intelligence on his back, and having the list would be a trump card. But MI6 is determined to either recover the disc or kill everyone reaching for it. Can Lupin beat the odds and get the list or will Fox kill him irst? Or will Nix? Or will…? When the Dragon Tail’s been stepped on, it’s bound to bite! read more

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Mechanicore – Tief Stürmer/Deep Striker Kit Review Part 4: Main Gun and Radar (Steps 8 and 9)
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Mechanicore – Tief Stürmer/Deep Striker Kit Review Part 4: Main Gun and Radar (Steps 8 and 9)

Welcome back to my multi-part review of the of Mechanicore’s 1/100 scale Tief Stürmer. In this section I’m going to review the main gun and the radar/ dome(?).

Review Menu:

Common Issues

This is a quick list of the common issues on the build. They apply pretty much across the board and pop up so much that I’d probably go crazy trying to specifically mention each time it occurs throughout the build.

  • Beware pegs and holes with fitment issues. Whenever inserting pegs watch to make sure that the peg actually fit. Quite often they’re too large for the hole they’re supposed to go into. This can be resolved by a properly sized drill bit (use an hand held driver instead of an electric one, or be very careful, to avoid going through the other side of the piece) or with a fine round metal file to widen it from the inside out.
  • Beware pieces who’s sprue connection often coexists with an important piece. In other words, runners have been connected to the pieces themselves in areas that are also happen to be connection points to other parts of the kit. Never cut flush with the plastic to get it off the runner (which you shouldn’t be doing anyway. For the second cut, make sure you check out the part and how it’s going used to make sure you don’t lop off something important.
  • Beware pieces with subtle flashing around the connection points. Connection points may have subtle flashing issues that result in a poor fit. If something doesn’t quite work like it should, make sure this is not the case before proceeding. Use of a hobby knife is recommended to clean these areas up.

Build Notes

  • There are quite a few piece that really should be glued into place. Since I intend to go back and paint I’m holding things together with masking tape.
  • Because I’m going back and repainting I’m not applying any of the metal detail parts at this point. When I finish the build, and add them, I’ll add any additional thoughts regarding their application to this review.

Main Gun (Steps 8.1 – 8.28)

From a build prospective the building of the gun is pretty straight forward until you start on the second half of the unit. The layout in the manual for this second half of the is all mixed up. On the first page, you have 8.4, then it leads into 8.5 and 8.6… and 8.4 is actually another view of a complete 8.5/6. Then it jumps into 8.2, even though there was already a step 8.2 on the previous page. There’s otherwise steps 8.7/8/10/11/12/etc so I’m not sure what went wrong here. Doesn’t really affect the build, it’s just weird. read more

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Mechanicore – Tief Stürmer/Deep Striker Kit Review Part 3: Booster Pods and Core Thruster (Steps 6 and 7)
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Mechanicore – Tief Stürmer/Deep Striker Kit Review Part 3: Booster Pods and Core Thruster (Steps 6 and 7)

Welcome back to my multi-part review of the of Mechanicore’s 1/100 scale Tief Stürmer. In this section I’m going to review the long booster pod things and the large rear booster.

Review Menu:

Common Issues

This is a quick list of the common issues on the build. They apply pretty much across the board and pop up so much that I’d probably go crazy trying to specifically mention each time it occurs throughout the build.

  • Beware pegs and holes with fitment issues. Whenever inserting pegs watch to make sure that the peg actually fit. Quite often they’re too large for the hole they’re supposed to go into. This can be resolved by a properly sized drill bit (use an hand held driver instead of an electric one, or be very careful, to avoid going through the other side of the piece) or with a fine round metal file to widen it from the inside out.
  • Beware pieces who’s sprue connection often coexists with an important piece. In other words, runners have been connected to the pieces themselves in areas that are also happen to be connection points to other parts of the kit. Never cut flush with the plastic to get it off the runner (which you shouldn’t be doing anyway. For the second cut, make sure you check out the part and how it’s going used to make sure you don’t lop off something important.
  • Beware pieces with subtle flashing around the connection points. Connection points may have subtle flashing issues that result in a poor fit. If something doesn’t quite work like it should, make sure this is not the case before proceeding. Use of a hobby knife is recommended to clean these areas up.

Build Notes

  • There are quite a few piece that really should be glued into place. Since I intend to go back and paint I’m holding things together with masking tape.
  • Because I’m going back and repainting I’m not applying any of the metal detail parts at this point. When I finish the build, and add them, I’ll add any additional thoughts regarding their application to this review.

Booster Pods (Steps 6.1 – 6.3)

Step 6 features the construction of four booster pod modules (not usre if there’s a technical term) which will later be attached to the rear of the kit (two off the rear torso and two off the leg boosters). read more

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Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Episode 19 – It’s STILL all about the atmosphere.

Since the show still does a lot in terms of its world building and theming plus… y’know… the action in this week’s episode takes place just above Earth’s atmosphere but anyway…

Best episode of the series? Best episode of the series. In fact, it’s one of the best atmospheric battle episodes in the Gundam franchise. In fact it makes all the Dort downtime more than worth it, as the battle is pitched with very intensity and such sakuga. Everybody gets to be cool in this episode, protags and antags alike, and they milk this life-or-death struggle for all its got. It isn’t just Eugene taking control of TWO spaceships utilizing the Alaya-Vijyana System, it’s Galli-Galli and Ein vs. Mika and Shino as the former team tries to stop the latter from entering Earth (FINALLY!). Then it’s the Outer Earth Orbit Regulatory Joint Fleet’s turn when THEY try to stop Tekkadan. Everything is awesome here, and is performed with such unpredictability that once again, you fear for any potential deaths of our heroes, and yet are completely relieved everybody makes it out alive. read more

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Lupin III (2015) Episode JP 18 (Italy 19) Review

“The First Supper”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Art is never finished, only abandoned! Strange portraits of the Lupin group, and even Rebecca, begin to appear on the side of buildings. Lupin is approached by both Nix and Inspector Zenigata in inquiry, but Lupin has only one idea: go to the Santa Maria delle Grazie Basilica. It is there where a several course feast has been prepared for them and even Nix’s boss at the MI6. As the meal is eaten, Lupin pieces together that this has something to do with Uraga’s research and British intelligence. But just who is their enigmatic host and what does he have planned for the diners in this holy abode? It’ll take a true Renaissance Man to uncover the truth in this matter!
  read more

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Batman & Robin Eternal #18 Review

In which Batman fights the Kool-Aid man’s star pupil.

 

As a new fight nears, in the past Mother sneers, and as the shroud disappears on dark deeds in past years, it all ends in tears. The shocking truth is revealed about Harper and Batman’s bungled gamble in the eighteenth installment of DC’s weekly Batman chronicle. Dick, Tim, Jason, and the rest are in the worst possible place for an outbreak of a virus that turns kids into killers, Mother ends up on top even while at rock bottom, there’s panic in the panic room, and… is that Poppy Ashmore in the tube next to Orphan? Huh. Anyway, a lot is revealed, some of it we didn’t even already know! (Like, apparently, Harper’s mom was part of her father’s criminal activity, albeit reluctantly.) read more

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Lupin III (2015) Episode JP 17 (Italy 18) Review

“The Murdering Marionette”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: A man named Greco holds a cultlike control of masses at his church, promising them justice by pronouncing the deaths of criminals who subsequently all end up dead. This time he says a final reckoning has come for the Lupin gang! The fearless foursome intend to take it to the pernicious priest, but they get caught in his trap and told that one of them is unknowingly his agent against the others. In the underground labyrinth, will Lupin’s crew succumb to paranoia? Who is the backstabber (boobstabber, really) in the gang? With the odds against them, they’ll need a bit of monkey business to win through! read more

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Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Episode 18 – Conspirators’ Medley

As I predicted last time, Kudelia’s speech was effective enough to halt the WDoJ/Arianrhod’s impending assault. Mika’s reaction was also shown, and while still maintaining his usual stoic self, continues to be impressed by Kudelia’s resolve.

I was initially wary of this episode thanks to Daisuki’s rather unpromising preview synopsis:

“Tekkadan’s members attempt to leave the colonies behind and descend to Earth at last, but they miss their chance due to one last item of business in the colonies. They are contacted by someone who claims to be their supporter.” (emphasis mine) read more

Juu-kuchiby Juu-kuchi•