Monday, August 31, 2009

MG 1/100 Gundam Exia "Ignition Mode" Review - Part 2

Continuing from part 1.

Part 1: Box, Box Open, Runners, Building Process & Some Gimmicks

Part 2: Articulation, Action, Gimmicks & Comparisons
Part 3: Gundam Exia Repair & Conclusion

Read on for part 2 of the review! There's also an early conclusion since I'll only be able to review the "Repair Mode" by the end of this week by the earliest as I have to prioritize on my assignments after I'm down with this. =/

Merdeka!

Happy Merdeka to everyone! I wonder how many of you stayed up past 12 midnight to celebrate another Merdeka in M'sia? Probably not so many as I guess most anyone would prefer to stay by their computers and play some games and what not.

At any rate, enjoy the extra day of weekend! I'll probably not enjoy it so much as I want to do the MG Exia review, do 2 of my assignments and watch some old 80s anime. Woah, so many things I want and have to do but such short amount of time. If only time would go easier on me. =P

MG 1/100 Gundam Exia "Ignition Mode" Review - Part 1

"Premium" Price: 5000 Yen
Normal Price: 6500 Yen

This will be quite an extensive/long review as the MG Exia shows quite the number of gimmicks and points of articulation. But most of that will be covered in part 2.

Part 1: Box, Box Open, Runners, Building Process & Some Gimmicks
Part 2: Articulation, Action, Gimmicks & Comparisons
Part 3: Gundam Exia Repair & Conclusion

Pilot: Setsuna F Seiei
Height: 18.3m
Weight: 57.2t
Armaments:
1x GN-Sword/Rifle
1x GN-Shield
1x GN Long Blade
1x GN Short Blade
2x Beam Sabers
2x Beam Daggers

Read on for the first part of the review! =D

Saturday, August 29, 2009

HG 1/144 Arche Gundam Review - Part 2

This will be the last part of the review of the Arche Gundam. You can read the first part here.

This model kit impresses but at the same time I felt like it could have been more. Nonetheless, it is a pretty wicked model kit for 1600 Yen!

Read on for a review on the articulation, actions and gimmicks then my conclusion.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Life Update - August 2009

Instead of the usual Gunpla fare, lets view the life of the person behind this blog, me. Well kinda.

For the past few months, my air conditioner started leaking, again. This was probably due to my lack of care towards it that led to that problem. At first we thought of repairing it as usual but in the end, my mother opt to buy a newer "energy saving" air conditioner.

Before - Due to the leakage, I had to resort to weird but workable methods. Some tape and buckets. =P Yes, my ceiling needs some fixing as well as my wall.

After - No, the scribbles won't disappear from my wall anytime soon.

The new air conditioner was not cheap and rather expensive as my mother just went with the brand she trusts most - Panasonic. we also got a silverware set together with the air conditioner. Yay, more spoons and forks!

For the scribbles... well, lets just say it is something any little kid would do in their youth. The difference is that my younger sister was quite the artist. =P

Some rat got caught in my father's trap. Oh yes, it was doomed, very doomed. Weirdly, the rat didn't move when I was snapping its photo...

Want to buy games? Want to get your game on? Come here(located at The Spring 2nd floor), they have a variety of consoles for sale and games as well. Burn your cash here for your gaming needs! >)

I got to play the drums for Rockband 2(and sucked as it was my first time touching it) and the Final Fantasy XIII Demo(one battle) just now. =V

Nothing much really happened in my life as I'm still not old and experienced enough to traverse the streets of Kuching alone or have the disposable income of a stable working adult. I'll work on that in 3 years time.

This is a post especially for my close friends who have left Kuching and are expecting in-country/town related posts. Do not fret, I seem to have some club events coming up but at the same time assignments are going to pile up.

I might not post much Gunpla related stuff next month since I'll be really busy with two assignments and I want to get good grades for the better of my future. I might still post some other real life stuff if I have a good amount of photos and info. =)

That's all for now. Arche's review will be finished by this weekend hopefully and one big Gunpla review before the blog become less active. Be prepared for one extensive review with at least 3 posts if I end up doing it on Blogger. =O

Sunday, August 23, 2009

HG 1/144 Arche Gundam Review - Part 1

Price: 1600 Yen

I bought this guy last week and immediately put it together by night until past midnight. This one really has a lot of panel lines that needs to be done! After I built this, I realized I haven't even begun on the 0 Gundam. >_>;

At any rate...

Quick MS Bio;
Built from the remains/data of the Throne Zwei and piloted by crazy battle maniac Ali Al-Saachez. This is one very formidable melee oriented mobile suit. It was able to put up a good fight against 00 and Seravee at the same time!

Pilot: Ali Al-Saachez
Height: 20.9m
Weight: 72.9t
Armaments: GN Buster Sword, GN Beam Saber(2), GN Shield, GN Fangs(4?)

Part 1 of this review will cover the box, runners and building process only. The rest of the review will be covered in part 2 later on. =)

Saturday, August 22, 2009

PG 00 Raiser AND MG Gundam Astray Blue Frame 2nd Revise?!

Yesterday, especailly those who read Ngee Khiong's blog or any Japanese hobby site, would've known that some new model kits are coming out soon which are highly anticipated by many "Gunplayers".

PG 00 Raiser?! So soon? I heard the rumored price that it will cost 20000 Yen... I don't think I can buy this guy when it comes out in November this year. =/

MG Gundam Astray Blue Frame 2nd Revise?! Oh yes. I think I can afford this guy. It comes out in October.

NG Astray Mirage Frame? Not too familiar with this MS but if it looks nice, maybe I might try to get it when it comes around in October unless MG Gundam Astray 2nd Revise eats enough of my cash before I can buy this one. =P

There're also a few other model kits of interest such as the HGUC Gundam Unicorn "Unicorn Mode" and "Destroy Mode" coming soon in November which I think I might get the "Destroy Mode". Lucky I haven't gotten the MG. ^^;

All images taken from Ngee Khiong and their respective sources.

If I want to buy the PG 00 Raiser, I might have to forfeit my earlier plans of getting a NDS, which is slightly changed to getting the new PS3 instead. Hrm, it depends on circumstances in the end. If the PG 00 Raiser is that darn awesome, I might have to do something, otherwise, I can just continue on with life until I can actually afford a PG one day later. =/

That's all for now. ^^

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The Spring - 2nd Floor - Opening

Today was one of the best days ever. A nice cool day since it rained most of the day and my only lecture class today lasted for a mere 50 minutes! Amazing but sadly this won't happen again, I believe. At any rate, with the great amount of free time available, I went to The Spring to check out and lepak at the 2nd floor.

Read on for the photos and commentaries. =)

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

MG 1/100 Freedom Gundam Review (WordPress Ed)


Go to that link to see another test post on WordPress but this time featuring a full review on one of my earlier MG model kits - Freedom.

Don't worry, I think I might stay with Blogger since I think I wasted more time when I was using WordPress(well, being unfamiliar and all) just now. However, I do like to see your comments on the different reviewing format which is more like a computer part review. XD

Monday, August 17, 2009

Momotoys - New Shop & Stock

Note: Momotoys is located at The Spring, Kuching.

So, today I manged to go to Spring and went to Momotoys. When I went there, I was surprised to be able to meet SwatWolf, whom I met at KL during the trip last month, playing with his PS3 and working there part time during his holiday.

At any rate, if anyone went to the shop today - you would have known that a **** load of boxes came in today including the MG Exia Ignition Mode and HG Cherudim GNHW/R! Of course, there were a lot more other stuff as well like Transformers, figmas, figma guitars and so on. If anyone wants to get their hands on the Exia, better be quick(I think there are only 2-3 boxes and are all 1st batch)!

Furthermore, on 19th of August(this Wednesday), the 2nd floor of Spring will finally open! That means that the shop will move to the 2nd floor on that day! So, from that day onwards, go to the 2nd floor instead. I wonder if anything special will happen? =)

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Cleaning Up

I just removed the "News Reel", "Gunpla Grades" and "Gunpla Scales" as I find them seeming useless as I state the scale within the title of the reviews and, normally, do height comparisons.

If there are anything else you, the readers, find useless in the sidebar section, please leave a comment so that I can do some cleaning up. Otherwise, I'll leave it as it is. If you want me to tweak some of the sidebar contents, except the non-customizable ones, please tell me also.

That's all for now as I am going to continue my game on SD G Generation Wars. This game simply takes a lot of your time... just like Disgaea. =P

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Time Up

My semester break just ended last week and yesterday was the first day back to Swinburne. With that said, it is undeniable that I won't have as much time to spend online or with this blog for quite some time. Updates will still come in due time but around two-three per week.

Yesterday
When I went to Swinburne yesterday, I was surprised to see the large number of people around. I guess that's mostly contributed to the August 2009 intake students. The place was pack full especially the lobbies and stairwells of the various blocks of Swinburne. The cafes are jammed full and you can hardly find a seat, having friends is a must if you want to make sure you can get a seat in any of the cafes. o.o

I am also quite happy that most of my previous semester classmates are basically the same, with some minor differences. Shall we have more "fun" this semester together once again? ^_^;

---

For Gunpla, I am sad to say that I haven't built the Hg 0 Gundam yet due to SD Gundam G Generation Wars taking my full attention currently. Seriously, this game sure wants to eat a lot of your free time. Nonetheless, it is quite fun. XP

Oh yes, if anyone wants to request content, please leave a comment what you to see me post up on this blog of mine. Of course, please don't request things that are absurd or just plain wrong/weird. If I can do it, I'll try to do it as soon as possible as long as time and what else I need is available. =)

I also noticed that 2 people voted that "much improvements needed" on the poll. If you can, please post a comment for what kind of improvements I can do. Unfortunately, I might not implement it instantly as I haven't even did the extra work needed to make the layout in mind yet. =/

That's all for now.

Friday, August 7, 2009

SD Gundam G Generation Wars

Platform: PS2, Wii
Language: Japanese
Those who are familiar with the world of gaming and Gundam would already know that the latest SD Gundam G Generation game just came out earlier this week. With that in mind, I manage to "get" the Wii version first as it came before the PS2 version which I should be playing with instead. Lucky for me...

EDIT(18/08/09): Few corrections since I finished the game. =)

Thursday, August 6, 2009

NG 1/100 00 Gundam Review Ex

Price: 2800 Yen
Something slightly different than normal this time! Since I was in the mood to snap some photos just now, I'll re-review the NG 1/100 00 Gundam.

You can read the earlier review here.

Pilot: Setsuna F. Seiei
Height: 18.9m
Weight: 54.9t
Armaments: GN Sword II(2), GN Beam Saber(2), GN Shield(2)

Read on for the full review.

For Those Curious...

I made an account on WordPress around April to try out another blogging service for the fun of it.
If you want to check it out, here's Randomness X4 for the fun of it. =)

Note: Don't worry, this blog here is still my main blog, I won't be migrating services anytime soon since I'm still not familiar with WordPress and that I just customized this blog to my ease of use. XD

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

TT Hongli HG 1/144 Dynames Review

I bought this for RM18 while I was at Miri at June this year. Pretty reasonable for that price but if you are at KL and you can go to Jalan Raja Laut, you may be able to get bootleg Gunpla at a much lower price like RM10.50 per HG. Otherwise, RM18 is one of the most reasonable prices you can get for bootleg HGs. The original costs 1200 Yen which is about RM45-50 currently.

Brief Summary of MS;
GN-002 - Dynames. It is the 2nd mobile suit used by Celestial being which is piloted by Lockon Stratos. Mainly being a sniping unit, Dynames is mostly seen far away from the core of the battle, sniping away its targets. It also comes with an orange Haro! Haro helps to control the shields of the MS while Lockon snipes the targets. =)

Pilot: Lockon Stratos + Haro
Height: 18.2m
Weight: 59.1t
Armaments: GN Sniper Rifle, GN Beam Saber(2), *GN Pistol(2), GN Shield, GN Full Shield
*Not available in this HG version, you need to get the "HG GN Arms Type D" for the GN Pistols...

Read on for the full review.

MG 1/100 Crossbone Gundam X1 "Ver. Ka" - Cloak Review

Since I didn't review on the cloak last time and the recent comment from Chris whom was disappointed at the lack of it, I'll dedicate this post to the "Anti Beam Coating Mantle" of the Crossbone X1. =)

Part 1
Part 2

Note: This is just a small review, there are only 26 shots in total. Nonetheless, those who want to see the Crossbone wearing the cloth should take a peak. ^^

Read on for the awesome cloak.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

2000 Hits!

As of today, 4th August 2009, this blog has received 2000 hits since 9th March 2009!

Well, that's there is to say for this post since I already said most of the need to say stuff in the previous but also today post. =P

In celebration of 2000 Hits, I'll try to code the blog up a bit. Now, to play with the XML coding... =P

Oh yes, if you think my very simple template edits are a bit "broken", please give me some advice on how to improve whatever part you deem "bad coding". I don't have enough experience in coding work. =P

Internet is Back?

Looks like my line is back to normal now. Seems like the root cause was my phone cable was damaged due to moister. Well, I don't really feel that's the main caused since the line was pretty much better since the beginning of this week BEFORE the said problem was fixed. At any rate, at least my DC problems has faded away, hopefully. Yay! Stable connection FTW? We also got a new red phone and red phone cable for it! Woah, redness!

Also, today, I finally obtained it, the very last box... oh yes, the HG 0 Gundam!
Just couldn't resist pairing up the HG 0 Gundam boxart with the HG Gundam Exia R2 boxart. ^^

At any rate, I won't be building it today or maybe not even tomorrow since my arms are aching due to the extra force needed to build the TT hongli HG Dynames earlier this morning which I just finished building. The review will be up for that soon after I have the mood to photoshoot it. =P For those curious, the Dynames is quite stiff but most of the parts don't seem to fit in completely though can be put together.

That's all for now, untill the next post. =)

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Simple Gunpla Buying Guide

Some of you may be curious at where exactly did I buy my Gunpla from? Well, those who go to the Lowyat forums should be able to get the answer real easy.

There are many ways to get Gunpla and other goods, but I found that Lowyat's Trade Zone to be the best place to look. Even so there are so many things you may be able to get from there and other online trading places/forums, its highly advisable you look at their trade and feedback history first. Of course sometimes you may need to take risks to get what you want. Good things never come easily without taking a good amount of risk in life. ^^

At any rate, this is a simple where to buy guide based on my experience and feedback I've read for a while.

Note: Links to their respective websites are hotlinked through the seller/shop names.

Part 1: Glitz83
Seller Location: Seremban, Negeri Sembilan
Postage Rate: RM5++(Peninsular), RM10++(Sarawak)

I bought quite a few Gunplas from him like the MG Force Impulse, MG Strike Gundam + I.W.S.P. and soon enough the MG Exia Ignition Mode. Really nice guy but often busy. Getting in contact with him can be quite hard sometimes but he'll do his best to offer you a reasonable price and probably a little extra. ^^

Part 2: subang880/Famitoy
Seller/Shop Location: Kota Damansara, Selangor
Postage Rate: RM10++

I bought a number of Gunplas from him like the MG Sword Impulse and HG O Raiser. Really nice guy as well but also often busy. You may not be able to catch him online most of the time so a SMS or phone call is the best way to contact him. His prices can be a little high when you do a total comparison between Peninsular shops but sometimes he might drop in a really nice promotional price like the NG Astray Red Frame Clear Ver. for RM70. =)

Part 3: Gundamcool/Touch DIY
Seller/Shop Location: Cheras, Kuala Lumpur
Postage Rate: Look here.

I haven't bought from him yet but I've contacted him via PM on Lowyat a bit and find him rather nice as well. His prices can be really low when I compare it to the other shops but not all the time. Overall, his prices seems really good and he seems to be having a sale soon this month...

Part 4: Graffiti Toys
Shop Location: Times Berjaya Square 5th Floor, Kuala Lumpur

Bought once from them while I was at KL the other day. They have a big selection of Gundams in their premise and they stock in a lot of special edition versions such as the clear ones(though priced greatly higher). The prices are quite good, especially their promotional prices. Can't beat RM135 for a 5000 Yen product. ^^ They also have quite a variety of hobby related stuff there as well stacked until the ceiling...

Part 5: AF Hobby
Shop Location: Ampang.
Postage Rate: ???

Never bought from them before but the selection seems to be wide and the prices can really be really good.

Part 6: Momotoys
Shop Location: Ground 2nd Floor Spring, Kuching, Sarawak

Bought from them quite a lot of Gunpla stuff especially earlier this year such as the HG GNX, HG Exia R2 and NG Astray Green Frame. I later became rather acquainted with the staff there especially since one of them goes to Swinburne also(senior). Prices are decent but not as good as before the sudden Yen increase. I feel the prices are so-so but at least they are better than those in the "normal" stores. ^^; Of course, sometimes they do have really good prices like the recent promotional price of RM250 for the MG Sinanju. They also sell a good amount of figurines too.

Part 7: Wide86
Seller Location: Kuching, Sarawak

Bought from him once which was the MG Crossbone Ver. Ka for a really good price. He's a really nice guy and he sells the Gunpla at KL price which make his prices really cheap especially to us who live in Kuching!

Part 8: There Are More Than That
There are of course many other sellers and shops selling Gunpla and hobby related stuff but these were the few that I know, read about and some bought from. If you want to buy Gunpla "smart", you can try buying from the sellers/shops above especially if you're thinking of buying online. You can look for more through the Lowyat's Hobbies & Collectibles section though. However, always be careful when handling online transactions. ^^

That's all for tonight. =)

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