WIP: HG 00 Raiser Sky ANA Project Part 2

December 26, 10:44am, no sunshine... Shoot... Can't paint the Clear pieces for the GN Condensers. I settled for the legs and built them. Just like with the HG RX-0 Unicorn ANA kit, Bandai's efforts in terms of hiding/minimizing nubs are evident. Although some can't be avoided, I still think Bandai made a superb job.

Built the legs, waist and applied the ANA decals, check them out:

Gundam 00 kits have superb articulation thanks to simple parts like the waist. The 00 Raiser for example do not have skirt parts which could hamper thigh articulation, like Seed kits.

Gotta love the decals. Its the decals and paintjob that makes ANA kits really cool.

Christmas WIP: HG 00 Raiser Sky ANA Project

Merry Christmas Gunpla fanatics! I'm sure most of you now have their respective Christmas hauls with them. Exactly 1h 9mins from December 25, I decided to build my 2nd HG ANA kit. My wish came true when I got this guy, I have the RX, 00 Raiser and RX-0 now in my possession. Although i'm still thinking hard if I want to get the HG RX-78 ANA for the sake of uniformity (1/144 scale).

Some photos:

Hopefully, I can finish this before Monday. Enjoy the Noche Buena everyone! :)

December Christmas Hauls!

End the year with a BANG! I hear this a lot. And so here I am!

- Revoltech Iron Man Mark IV Limited Edition

- MG Sinanju Titanium Finish

- HG 00 Raiser ANA Sky Project

More to come for December! Merry Christmas!

November Hauls!

Busy and stressed for the past couple of days. Prolly because of the Christmas season? Regardless of what the occassion is: collectors like me would always find time and funds to secure their desired items (now that Christmas Bonus is out and teasing me like a devil haha!).


I'm also worried and scared. The photo below is a proof that i've extended my interests beyond Gunpla, which means extra strain to my finances. Here are my hauls for the month of November:

Left to right:
- Senhime (Hyakka Ryouran) Queen's Gate MegaHouse Limited
- MG White Unicorn Zeta Karaba Limited
- RG Freedom Gundam
- Revoltech WarMachine

MG Full Armor Unicorn - Runners

Images of Runners (for the MG Unicorn Full Armor kit) from both GundamGuy and GunJap came out of nowhere. And guess what?

Image from GunJap's blog

Yes you're right, THREE RUNNERS for the Gatling Gun. Darn you Bandai, the value of the Gatling Guns are now down the drain because of this. People like me who searched high and low for the Gatling Guns can only bury their faces on their hands. Congratulations to those who do not have these yet, now's your chance...

More photos from GundamGuy and GunJap!

Coming Soon for 2012!

As part of my action plan, I decided to include other Grades in my inventory such as RG's and soon-to-be released HG's like the coveted Unicorn Banshee.

The past few weeks have been very hectic not only with my work but with my Gunpla activities. Orders for the MG Unicorn Full Armor, Metal Build Freedom Gundam, my group's Christmas Party, December has always been wicked! But fun of course.

A glimpse of what's to come!

HGUC Unicorn Banshee (Unicorn & Destroy Mode)
Release: January 2012

MG HeavyArms EW (Preorders closed)
Release: January 2012

MG Gundam Age-1
Release: February 2012

MG Duel Gundam Assault Shroud
Release: February 2012

RG Aile Sword Launcher Add-on Pack
Release: February 2012

Gunpla Meisters Raffle Prizes!

Gunpla Meisters: my real-life barkada here in this dreaded, money-burning hobby.


Glad to be a part of this group. Never imagined that I would have thrice the fun with my modelling/selling activities because of them. We meet on a regular basis, with hauls or w/o hauls. We crashed several conventions. Even had fun while drinking after the GWBC event recently!


Coz of that, the admins and close friends who are loyal to the group decided to whip out some prizes for our fellow meisters:

Grand Prize courtesy of:

ZeroFour

Kira Lacus

BZ-Bee

Red Astray Amuro

Doyzilla

Ed Phoenix

Win
Elbert Isaac

Brandnew MG Gundam 00 Seven Sword/G

Consolation Prizes from yours truly:

Brandnew RG Freedom

Sealed Dengeki December 2011 issue

MECHANICS:

Current Gunpla Meisters members (list as of December 4) are qualified if they meet the following conditions:

1. Must have purchased an MG kit from me, does not matter when, as long as there was a succesful transaction

2. Must have the current Gunpla Meisters Badge on their profile pic in Facebook (to express support for the group)

3. Must attend the Christmas Party to be held @ Central 2 Makati on December 10, 2011, 7pm onwards

Questions? Feel free to ask any of the admins! Thanks!

November Hauls and Expansion

My trip to Japan was tiring. but rewarding if I may add. Made negotiations and such so that I may expand my inventory. Recently included Revoltechs and RG to my arsenal with more on the way (hello Excel).

I do hope that I would receive the same attention I had with my MG line-up for the Revo's and RG's!

Boxes arrived today and here's what I've got so far:

Again, my sincerest thanks for your trust, patience and continued patronage!

MG Sandrock arrives

My box for the MG Sandrock finally arrived. Thanks to all who waited patiently for them. I have to admit, the MG Sandrock did tickle my fancy. There's a lot of room for paint customization, not to mention the Heat Shotels. I'm such a sucker for suits with big-ass weapons. Can't wait for Sunday, time to hangout with my buddies again and spend the morning/afternoon having fun. Some photos:

October Personal Loots - non-Gunpla

October shaped up pretty good for me. Started this wallet-wringing hobby August this year. After countless hours of searching with my ever-trusty friend, Google, and asking loads of questions from experienced collectors/sellers, I managed to streamline which figures I would collect. I learned that figure-collecting is WAYYY different than gunpla. Here's why:


1. When a company (Alter, AlphaMax, MegaHouse etc.) announces a figure, which could be several months ahead or even a year, retailers/resellers opens a preorder list. Once its closed then that's it. Gunpla does not work that way, you have all the time in the world to think, check reviews, and save money to get the kit you desire. Figure collectors do not have that kind of luxury. Think fast, make your wallet ready and place a preorder. If you miss the boat, then securing that figure would be quite difficult, not to mention possibly more pricey compared to a preorder because figure companies mostly manufactures a specific set number of that product. Add the fact that if the figure was rated top-notch, then prices would sky-rocket.


2. Opening the box lowers the value. If you are the buy and sell type, then don't dare open the box. A MISB (mint-in-sealed-box) commands a higher price compared to a MIB (mint-in-box) fig.


3. Dust proof cabinets IS A MUST. If your figure starts to eat dust then cleaning could prove to be fatal for the paint finish of the figure because you would have to clean it. I was even concerned that the heat here in the Philippines might "melt" the fig or something, but Otakai (a fig-collecting forum here in the Philippines) veterans confirmed that keeping them in an air-conditioned room is not essential. Whew...


4. Deposits is mandatory. I don't ask for deposits unless the total cost exceeds 5k but in the figure-world, you have to shell some hard-earned cash right away, even if the figure would be out months later.


Still learning new stuff about figs every day, and honestly, I can feel a small sting to my finances already, no thanks to my new hobby. A photo of my loots:

Got a Naoe Kanetsugu (by Penguin Parade) and a Jubei Swimsuit White (by Alter, hallelujah for this recolor coz the Red version can cost 15k php easily) slated for a March 2012 release. Although the AlphaMax Hyakka Ryouran Swimsuit collection's calling my name madly recently. Thank god Christmas is around the corner...

MG Full Armor Unicorn - more images!

December is around the corner, and boy oh boy, how happy Unicorns fans would be this yuletide season. These images came from GundamGuy's blog. As far as I can see, the FA Unicorn variation is well worth your money. Some questions I have in my head though:


1. Will it have the OVA or Ver. Ka articulation? I damn hope that it has the OVA articulation, even better please!
2. How about an Action Base? or is it just the stand-like things for the fuel tanks?
3. MG Hi-Nu/Strike Freedom Full Burst Mode like box? or MG Sinanju size like box? As seen in the All-Japan Hobby Show?

October 23 Meet

Our routine meetup every Sunday was great yesterday. Lots of people to chat with about Gunpla and other stuff, customers claiming there MG kits from me, and of course, jokes and pranks galore to make the Sunday morning and afternoon light for everybody.


Some photos to give you an idea on how much fun Gunpla building can be for anybody:

Goofy poses galore!

DBZ Fusion..? Yaiks!

Starbucks, our real life Batcave...

I wonder what they're looking at..?

While i'm busy bashing heads in Tekken with a friend, some people talk about kits, some check their  hauls or loots

RedAstray and Doyzilla preparing for the Faceoff!

A satisfying meal from the group's official fastfood, aptly named "KEPS". Nothing beats a warm, salty, juicy and moist meal from them XD

Never imagined that this hobby could be great...

Gunpla Meisters: FACE OFF

My Facebook Group, named Gunpla Meisters, would have its own face-off between DoyZilla and RedAstray. Both participants agreed to post their WIPs and would be categorized as a friendly contest.


They would both work on a Master Grade Bandai MSA-0011 [Ext] EX-S Gundam. Both participants have experience painting their kits with their ever-trusty airbrushes so its something I would definitely watch out for.


Stay tuned for updates!

MG Heavy Arms EW..?

Could this be the long awaited MG HeavyArms EW? I must admit, I've had far too many questions about this kit compared to the Epyon or DeathScythe Hell. I don't think December would be the release date though, considering the fact that Bandai announced that the MG Full Armor Unicorn would roll out on that month.

January 2012 perhaps? As Bandai's new year present to Gunpla fanatics? Waiting game begins...

Edit:

And yes, it would be released in January 2012 as GG's blog states... Fast forward to January pleaseee? XD

MG Unicorn Full Armor Weaponry

A friend showed me this photo while I was sipping my good ol' warm cup of coffee...

And I almost spewed out my coffee...


Why? Here's the story:


Getting your hands on a pair of MG Unicorn Gatling Guns proved not only difficult, but costly as well. Can't find one when I was in Japan. If it was released today for example, I visited my supplier tomorrow only to find out it went out of stock in a single day.


Secured 2 pairs for a total cost of 1600 php. Bloody expensive for just 2 weapon pieces. I had no choice, the Unicorn and Sinanju look dull and "green" without them. It adds a certain bad-ass element to the kit. Great, can't believe it. That was back in March.


Seeing this image infuriated me. Not only did it wreck the value of the add-on, it pissed people like me who spent cash on these suckers. I'm sure people who have plans to buy the Unicorn FA (this December) and does not have Gats would be glad like hell... That spear-axe thingy looks awesome though, I wonder what sort of gimmicks Bandai has in store for us with that particular piece.


Credits to Renan Salumbre for sharing this image to me!

September Stocks are here!

Selling Gunpla ain't an easy task. There's a whole lot of things to consider, some of the toughest would be stocks, yen/php conversion and shipping. Not to mention dealing with customers, each and everyone is unique in their own way. I do love what i'm doing though, can't say its about the moolah (try to convert each box's SRP to php and add shipping to it LOL), its about the hobby, its about the friends I gained since February. 


Been thinking if I finally need to turn the notch all the way up. I have a good job which is kinda hard to let go, considering that the Gunpla business is not 100% stable. I can't do both at the same time, I would have to choose one and cross my fingers everything's okay, or just keep things the way they are. Will see come this November hehe when negotiations would finally take place.


Some might ask where are the MG Gundam 00 Seven Sword/G boxes, well they should be here soon enough if things would be smooth sailing.


Thanks a lot to those who waited, and see you on Sunday! :)

Spartacus Protagonist dies...

300 sparked the interest for Greek stories back in 2006. Countless movies and productions were made hoping to topple the magic 300 had, but nothing comes close to Spartacus. It had loads of violence, stunts, and of course, a healthy dose of women in it, not to mention erotic scenes. Spartacus made me sit back in front of the TV after several months.


The protagonist, Andy Whitfield, died today, no thanks to non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He was geared up for Season 2 when he was diagnosed and had to undergo treatment. Season 2 for me is not up to par with the first. Although Season 2 helped answer questions on why is this and that, Season 1 is still way better.


Now that Andy's gone, will Liam McIntyre manage to satisfy hard-core Spartacus fanatics like me? We'll see, but one thing's for sure, nobody can replace Andy's portrayal of Spartacus... Rest in Peace sir, thanks for the awesome acting, and may the gods of the arena be with you...


More news here: http://www.news.com.au/spartacus-star-andy-whitfield-39-dies-in-sydney/story-e6frfmq9-1226134662983

MG 00 QanT WIP

This kit was with me since December 2010, no thanks to my work and selling activities, my MG 00Q kit still rests inside his box. Had some free time in my hands this weekend and decided to do the internal frame for the body unit and other parts. The armor parts require a bit more work coz I won't be painting them so I have to be careful on how I sand, apply the waterslides and topcoat them. Some photos of my ultra slow progress:

Otaku 2011 Expo!

Sunday is always a day for my hobbies. I work during the weekdays, and rest/tend family matters by Saturday. Had an opportunity to visit the Otaku Expo 2011 @ SM Megamall Megatrade Hall 3. The place was not as big as Ozine's or ComicCon's and there weren't much figs on sale (zero Gunpla darn...) but it was good I guess. Snapped photos like hell including cosplayers, let's see if you can recognize them all... Without further ado, enjoy!

One of my dream figures

My other dream figure

Hallelujah! Someone finally decided to play as Ghost!