Archive for the 'The Hobby' Category

On the workbench

Posted on November 6, 2011 in Musings and The Hobby. 0 Comments Tags: .

Been snapfitting kits all week along. Four done!

First up is the Bandai HGUC RGM-89De Jegan ECOAS Custom. A nice thing is it can be easily backdated to the normal RGM-89D Jegan D.

Then it’s the Bandai HGUC RGM-96X Jesta. What can I say, this is one of the best RGMs ever designed. It’s right up there with the GM Sniper II and GM Custom in my book. Unfortunately a part on the shield went missing. I’ll figure out what to do about that.

Next up is the Bandai HGUC RGZ-95C ReZel Commander Type. Comes with a BFG that unsurprisingly has a long seamline running down the weapon. Sigh. And while it looks good, it’s kind of fiddly. The joints aren’t loose, but it doesn’t feel solid at all.

And lastly, the Bandai HGUC MSN-06S Sinanju, yet another big ass red mobile suit used by the enemy ace, this time Full Frontal (sounds like a porn actor’s name I know). People really like the Sinanju but I find the design awkward: small feet, white (for some reason) propellant tanks and thruster shrouds and it’s going to a bitch to paint those itty bitty ornamental markings on the chest and arms. Still, it does have a presence although the Sazabi looks more bad ass.

So you see, I’m slacking but not totally…

On the Workbench

Posted on August 23, 2011 in Musings and The Hobby. 0 Comments Tags: .

I’ve had this partially snapfitted for a while now. Figured I’d finish it tonight. This is the Geno Saurer from Kotobukiya’s Zoids HMM line.

Its claws are really (really) sharp and is fragile as hell. The cockpit and Zoids Core come as a connected unit and is for some reason only friction-fitted to the chest. Move the arms and it’ll fall off. Sigh. I left out the vents on the legs just in case if I ever want to paint this thing.

All complaints aside, it’s yet another impressive entry to the line.

On the Workbench

Posted on August 17, 2011 in Musings and The Hobby. 0 Comments Tags: .

In between mucking about with putty and paint, I try to snapfit as many kits as possible. One is to fill up my (so far) empty display shelves. Another is reducing the stash is always good: less complaints and more room for new stuff! Hahahaha

This is the Kotobukiya HMM Molga. Each box comes with 2 units with this one having the option of a repair bay on the tail or a pair of swiveling guns. Guess which version this is. :D

Typical of Kotobukiya’s HMM kits, this one is highly detailed and has a ton of parts, which means many many sprue cut marks.

A dearth of updates

Posted on July 11, 2011 in Musings, Real Life, Site News and The Hobby. 0 Comments

Yeah updates have fallen on the way side but it’s for good reason. For one thing, I’ve been busy at work. For another I’ve had a bout of fever that won’t go away. I’ve also gone on holiday with the kids for almost a week.

I haven’t really done much modeling either so it’s not just about not updating the site.

Anyhow, I’ll be ramping up soon again. Yes, endless WIPs will continue real soon.

A sign to stop modeling for the night

Posted on June 22, 2010 in Musings and The Hobby. 0 Comments

Note to self: Chisel AWAY from the finger, not TOWARDS…

Time to switch paints?

Posted on June 17, 2010 in Musings and The Hobby. 0 Comments

Ever since I got married and had kids, I’ve consciously used acrylic paints for my models. The most important reason is because they are much less toxic than enamel or lacquer paints, which is always a plus with toddlers running around. So for awhile now, I’ve been using Vallejo paints almost exclusively.

However, they are not the easiest paint to use. They handbrush very well (especially Vallejo) but airbrushing-wise, they’re more finicky. They require precise thinning: too thin they run all over the place, not thin enough they leave splotches all over the kit. They also tend to scrape off the kit easily so touchups are inevitable. I find enamel and lacquer much easier to handle and use. Their main disadvantage of course is that they are much more toxic.

I’ve recently finally have a workbench setup in a separate room which means I can keep the kids away when I’m painting so the health concerns are now less important for me (I’ll be the only one breathing the fumes after all). So I’m considering adding enamel or lacquer paints to my painting options.

Now the question is whether to go with enamels or lacquers. Both are surprisingly hard to find here in Jakarta with most shops only carrying Tamiya acrylics. But there’s always the online option, though it seems like shipping lacquer or enamel paints are now much more restrictive.

Peter & Partner’s Jakarta Model Competition 2010

Posted on May 14, 2010 in Hobby News, Musings, Others, Real Life and The Hobby. 0 Comments

Peter & Partner is arguably the largest scale model retailer here in Jakarta (maybe Indonesia). Except for last year, they ran a yearly competition that covered all genres of the hobby. Incidentally, I joined the one in 2008 (my first) with 2 entries: my F-16C ’414th CTS’ (which hasn’t been uploaded to this site) and PGM-79 Powered GM. I didn’t win anything, but I came out of the competition having learned that besides a well-made model kit, there needs to be other considerations which are just as important.

This is the entry form:

The basic points:

  • Registration begins April 25, 2010 to July 18, 2010 at the shop
  • Submission dates are July 23, 24 and 25, 2010
  • Display will commence July 25, 2010 to August 8, 2010
  • Winners announcement on July 31, 2010
  • Collection of entries begin August 9, 2010

Pretty standard. Most of the rules are also the same as 2 years ago. You submit your kit and choose a genre to enter. Depending on the number of entries, they might merge or expand categories (ie. 1/48 and 1/72 aircraft into one category or vice versa). The rules are pretty much the same as IPMS rules. Now what’s interesting is this year, instead of OOB (out of the box) and Expert (whatever’s added to make the kit NOT out of the box) categories, they have decided to categorize them as ‘All Plastic‘ and ‘Multimedia‘.

The reasoning behind this is simple enough. There are many kits in the market nowadays that come will all the bells and whistles like resin and PE parts which enhances the look of the kit compared to a straight injection plastic kit.

Some thoughts on this rule change:

  • I like this new rule. It levels the playing field somewhat. It also rewards effort. I could submit a kit with all the modified parts made of plastic (doable though will be very difficult) and still enter into the ‘All Plastic’ category.
  • Alternatively, a multimedia kit will go up against other folks’ kits which have aftermarket parts tacked on. Enhanced details vs. enhanced details. Effort will also be rewarded here as the more things you throw into a kit (especially different branded ones), the harder it is to fit everything.
  • I assume that if I added aftermarket decals, an ‘All Plastic’ kit would be upgraded into ‘Multimedia Kit’ which is fair. Which will also encourage me to enhance the kit beyond just slapping on an interesting color scheme.
  • Consequently, scratchbuilt seatbelts for ejection seats with anything other than plastic will make the kit a ‘Multimedia Kit’.
  • The same advise I got from the judge 2 years ago still applies. If I wanted to add aftermarket parts, go all out. Otherwise, just straight OOB.

I felt I could have done a lot better 2 years ago so this year, I’ll try my best to submit at least 1 kit. Now the question is what kit. 2 months isn’t a long time (for me), but I think if I keep it simple, it should be doable.