Decaffeinated

Z made a very interesting entry in his blog and you can read it here. I follow this dude's blog because his reviews are good and he gets the latest models as soon as they come out. I know I haven't been active lately, and it surprised me to find out that Z feels that he should quit Gunpla for now.

I also had an on and off relationship with gunpla. Started with a few kits from Wing, then stopped. Saw the new series Seed and started buying when Seed Destiny came out. I got hooked on Danny Choo's blog, and got myself some MG models. I wanted to share my gunpla interest with others so I put up this blog last year.

Now I'm busy with work and I dont get to regularly check updates on the web, but I try my best to catch up by checking Z's site and Ngee Khiong. I can say the interest is still there, but I try my best to not buy gunplas impulsively. I used to envy guys like Z who can buy stacks of gundam and constantly deliver updates to the readers. When I finished college, I told myself I'd buy a compressor and airbrush kit on my first pay check. I've been working now for 5 months and still no airbrush set. I dont think I have enough time (and space actually) to paint MGs. My solution? Go on a diet, or plastic decaf for the sake of my blog's name.

I just bought HG 1/144 OO Gundam and Cherudim. I planned on buying these even before I saw Z's entry on quitting gunpla. My last two purchases before them were HG Exia and GN-X. And I wasnt even able to post of pics of GN-X yet. I'm starting to love Bandai's High Grades. The details and quality just improved over the years, and they are more affordable compared to the bigger kits. They still lack some details compared to non-graded 1/100s and MGs, but you can still do something to make them more impressive. I just go WOW when I see modelers who totally modify their 1/144 kits, to work on such a small scale requires patience and talent. What I also like about HGs is that they dont require too much time to build. You can finish a kit within two days on a laid back pace. Exia has been on my desk for how long now. I play with him when I work sometimes on my desk, while the other kits have been kept inside my small glass cabinet. HGs are just so handy, you wouldnt get too scared that a piece might get broken because you pose them too much.

So I guess the key is to take a break once in a while, to have some "balance". If you have been to Z's site already, then you must have seen the pile of gunpla waiting to be assembled. It is an overwhelming task. Switching your attention sometimes to other interests will also help. After several days of not knowing anything about gunpla, I check out other bloggers to see the latest updates and their projects to see how a gunpla kit would look like, then decide what to buy later on. I became excited too when I saw Sinanju at first, but thought that I might not be able to devote time and effort to the Gold Emblems, because I know that the foil stickers will not work for me as well. I still believe that the right time will come for me to take on a really serious project, with all the right tools and equipment, and plenty of spare time.

Good luck to Z and to all the other gunpla enthusiasts out there. Keep the passion burning =)

Still Alive

It has been more than a month since my last entry. I really missed blogging. I've been quite busy with work, and most of my weekends were spent going out.

I'm pretty excited about the upcoming movie of The Watchmen, which was recognized as one of Time Magazine's 100 Best Novels. This one is a graphic novel, to be exact. The movie is coming out March 2009, and I think the guys behind the big screen adaptation of 300 are also the ones behind this movie. The pic above is the trade paperback version which contains all 12 issues/chapters. I read this before I go to sleep, whenever I'm not super tired/sleepy. Is there a Manga out there that you think has a good potential to be a Hollywood flick? My vote is Death Note.

Still not done with my HG GN-X. The lower half of the body still requires my attention. That is why I decided not to buy any more kits until this one is finished. The good thing is I now have the capacity to acquire another kit if I want to =)

HG Exia

Finished building and taking pics of HG Exia weeks ago. Been really busy the past few days.

I didn't get the 1/100 model, still waiting and hoping for an MG release.

I was supposed to color the chest orb with a green pen, but I think I gave it away already. I didn't want to use the foil sticker so I looked for a better alternative. I saw this shiny green sponge in the kitchen cabinet, then I decided to use it inside the clear chest plastic.

Then, I painted the shield. I ditched the white sticker, didn't really settle well on top of the blue shield.

Inking some parts and application of top coat were done for the finishing touches.

I hand-painted the cheeks yellow, and inked the face plate with black pen.

This kit has very good quality. A few details were missing as expected, but still a good kit that can also do a lot of poses.

I also used the green sponge inside the leg parts.

I wonder if the Double 0 HG is as good, or even better =)

Nendoroid Tsuruya Pics

It has been more than two months since I bought my Nendoroid Tsuruya. I took her photos a few days back but I wasn't able to post it right away. I have been really busy taking care of some stuff. Blogging wouldn't be that often too since I now have a job (Yey!).

I really love the cheerful and goofy faces that came with this nendoroid. The fang made her even cuter.

Actually, my first nendoroid (so it seemed) is L from Death Note. I wasn't able to tell that it was a bootleg figure before. I might post something about that some time, to share and help others spot the difference between a fake and original figure.

Another Plastic Obsession

The picture below is a box of a vinyl toy called Dunny. It is a collectible figure similar to the Japanese "Gashapon". These toys are what they call "Designer Toys" because popular grapic artists/designers are commissioned to design the toys with their own distinct style. Dunnies are made by the company Kidrobot.

The side shows the designs, and its probability ratio to determine how rare the design is.

I started collecting them last summer, around march I guess. I've always been fascinated with vinyl toys because of their cool designs. I started buying some when I visited a special store here in Manila which sells almost all kinds of designer toys from abroad.

This is already the Fifth Series of the 3-inch Dunny, although they released some other lines, like the French (which was the first series I bought) and Azteca. The Dunny also comes in 8-inch and even 20 inch varities. They come in identical boxes so you can't tell which toy is inside. And the toy is wrapped in foil bags so that scanning machines can't detect it too. The company makes sure that buyers can't cheat. Thing is, some designs are so rare that the price goes way up, and die-hard (and RICH) collectors are ready to spend that much just to acquire that special figure. Is that similar to Jap Gashapon, or even statues/PVC models?

Here is the first one I opened, and I think this is the first time that the figure is wrapped in plastic inside the foil bag.

The first three designs I got from the Fifth Series.

Some figures come with their own accessories.

The pink pirate has a sword, the ice cream serves as a hat =)

It also comes with a sticker. Collectors are also hunting the Golden Ticket which entitles you to claim a rare figure for free. Which can also be converted to mega bucks if you decide to sell it.

Here is my incomplete French Dunny series collection. This hobby can cause serious injuries to your pocket. There is a big tendency to get the same toy more than once. It's a good thing if the store (or another collector) can offer you to swap with a figure you don't have yet. You can also buy an entire boxed set which has 25 individual Dunny boxes. It is exciting to choose a random box, then hope that the foil bag contains a special figure or the golden ticket. There are so many good designer toys other than the cute Dunny, and they are also pretty pricey.

Pantsu shot! =)

Dunny Series 5 mainpage: http://www.kidrobot.com/2008/ds5/