NG 1/100 Astray Green Frame Review

Finally, I have some time to post up this review. Ah, how sudden that Monday can be a more "free" day now since I have gone to a higher learning institute. =P

Okay, here it goes. SEED is not my most favorite series but I do like it quite a bit, especially from the view of the mobile suits, especially the Gundams. ^^ Well, the Astray line of mobile suits are mass produced versions in the animated SEED and SEED Destiny but this one is slightly different, as far as I know. It is still an Astray but at least it is a main character's one. XP

Grade: NG
Scale: 1/100
Pilot: Trojan Noiret
Price: 2500 Yen
Extra Stuff: Cutting Mat

Extra Details(according to story);
MS No.: MBF-P04
Height: 17.53m
Weight: 49.8t
Weapons; Beam Rifle Beam Saber( Shield Igelstellung Twin Sword Rifle(main weapon)

Part 1: Box Opening The glorious box, how wonderfully green and has a very basic pose for the Astray. Since this model came out in 2009, they should have at least give it a better boxart than one that is similar to the rest of the older SEED NG boxarts.

I seriously did not buy it because of this! Serious! Well... I kinda did... >.>

The box itself is pretty tall.

Opening the box.

Yep, NG amount of runners, much less than a standard MG.

It is a Astray Red Frame Cutting Mat! I haven't even open it from its own plastic wrap. ^^

As said before, NG amount of runners. This is not much as some of you may think.

Normally the manual is put at the very bottom of the box and here it is. They blended the finished product of the Green Frame with greenery. It is an interesting choice.

Tokubetsu no Hi

Kyou wa watashi no tanjoubi desu!
Today is my birthday!

Kyou mo watashi wa juhasai desu!
I'm also 18 today!

Dakara ne...
Therefore...

...
Well, what happens when you're 18? I dunno. At any rate, my father gave me some cash and that's basically it. XP Though, I shouldn't think of getting so much, as being greedy is not a good thing. Ah, wait, with that said, looks like I have another boost of budget to buy a certain something. XD

That's all, just a random say since I just felt like it. Though, I wish something in a big box would come to my house out of nowhere with a certain something. ^^

This Morning, Then Tonight

Today has been a filled up day that involves lots of going out. I'll just give a brief insight of my day today, since my pictures are filled with noise and just looks horrible(taken w/ phone). XP

Well, today is a special day, especially to SMK Batu Lintang Students that scored impressive results in their PMR, SPM and STPM 2008. Well, maybe the word 'impressive' may be too strong here, since I'm one of them. XD Let's go with 'good' then. ^^ It was held at the MBKS Auditorium and I and my mother arrive there by 8.30AM(right on the dot!).

Okay, so the whole thing started at about 9.15AM when the Pengetua, YDP(PIBG) then the Timbalan Menteri Kerja Raya respectively made their speeches which were full of 'lol'. I mean serious, they were like old buddies that says funny(but true) stuff on the stage, especially when it is mostly directed at the Timbalan Menteri Kerja Raya. XP

After that, at about 10AM, we had our prize giving. Around 101 lucky students came, inclusive of myself. ^^ A certain someone, a person from a certain class, a certain person that owns a Perodua Viva is going to US of A soon, which is second half of next month. >_>

Before and after the prize giving, there was a choir performance. Pretty good stuff. ^^ IIRC, the Timbalan Menteri Kerja Raya said something funny when the girls of the choir club went to get their prize. XD

The prize? Well, we get a certificate, RM50 and one set lunch of chicken rice plus one bottle of 500ml mineral water. I was hoping for more money, but ah well, this will do fine I guess, for some extra cash to buy... ^^

At evening just now, the Swinburne Anime & Manga Society(SAMS) had a Welcoming Party. I came at about 5.45PM and it only started at 6.30PM, since we're all M'sians, right?

I gave a hand, a rather big hand I guess during the duration of the party. But I think it wasn't much. Ah, volunteer work from a renegade who goes around, a lot. It was as if I was part of the committee already. <.<

The party held at Mitsu Shabu Shabu and was full of talks of otakuness and stuff like that. Someone even brought his Sinanju! Well, I get to know better the committee members and a few other people of our nice lil' club. However, i did not really like the food since it wasn't really within my tastes, steamboat. Yes, blame it on me not liking vegetables very much(though I can eat, with the risk of vomiting it out as a rejection from my stomach). XD Though, I managed to eat quite a bit, just didn't finish is up very well. Moreover, the food for the steamboat was pretty fixed. If you wanted more or other stuff, you'll have to pay extra.

There was a lucky draw, but I didn't win anything. The prizes were... Oreo, Oreo, figure keychain, figure keychain then... OREO! Yes, three Oreos for THREE LUCKY GUYS. XD

At any rate, it was fun with some 'lol' moments in-between. Yeah, hope to have another big outing with lots of people. Social activities are just that much interesting. ^^

I went back at 8.50PM and then went to H&L for grocery shopping before coming back home here.

Well, that's it. =)
FYI, I'm currently finishing up the Astray Green Frame, I want to add a nice little extra to it. ^^ Though I daresay I might not panel line the main body for now. =X

Streamyx got a new T&C!

OMG! Today I was like surfing on the computers in the open labs in Swin and suddenly, I read this topic; http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1002200

WTF? Streamyx wrote down a new T&C!?

xv. Streamyx download and upload speed is guaranteed for local content access only. TM is not responsible for the low speed of either download or upload of international content access.

Seriously, what is wrong with them? This is the worst way to say sorry our line sucks. Then, what? They expect us to surf local sites only? How are we going to enjoy "broadband" if all we are doing is surfing local sites and locally available locally hosted non-local sites. Sigh, looks like my downloads will not be recovering in the near future...

To read the complete T&C, click here.

I'm so totally disappointed with Streamyx here.

BB Gundam Exia - Side-Project Part 1

Here's a small side project I've just started and only can be done during free days, mostly during weekends though.

Yesterday I went to the local hobby shop to see if there were any new Gunpla are available, yes, I'm looking for you MG Sword Impulse. Though completely obvious it was not gonna be available so soon, I just came to ask when it was possible for it to be available. Looks like I have to wait till next month. Ah well.

At any rate, I kept thinking whether to deviate from my budget planning a little to buy the SD Exia, in a sense to fill up my Exia collection, which is almost done, just need a few more. ^^

After 20-30 minutes worth of standing in the shop and a little bit of chatting(since there were my seniors there, one of them works there), I decided to buy the SD Exia, so that I do not walk in and stand awkwardly in a shop then go out without buying anything. I did want to buy a second cutter, but I was afraid I might not have enough cash for when the MG Sword Impulse comes out later, or some other budget planned Gunplas. At the same time, I managed to get a sneak peek at the Dengeki Hobby April Issue, just a little bit, since it does not belong to me. ^^

So, I bought the SD Exia, thinking of building and painting it a bit yesterday, but my body has felt come really painful cramps due to holding something heavy for long periods of time. Gah.

So, today I start this little side-project, which might take 3-4 weeks if I just do on the weekends. Oh well, better than never.

Acer Aspire 3935 is out in M'sia!

So, I went to Saberkas today to buy some stuff and manage to come across Acer's brand new product brochure.

Flipped through the brochure... 4 pages only anyways.

Then I saw, at the 3rd page, the Aspire 3935-742G25 for RM2999! Nice price! Though not much different than the one on the post previously, we are getting a faster processor(P7450 @ 2.13GHz). Hey, 0.13GHz can make a world of difference sometimes. But, however, we are still getting the dinky GMA 4500MHD from Intel, meh.

At any rate, it is 1.9kg and less than 1" thick.

Now here's waiting for the 18.4" monster. BD burner FTW.^^

On an unrelated news(RELATED >_>), I bought a 32" standard LCD TV... well, my mother did, and it belongs to my sister now. Oh yayz... there goes some budget as well as my sister has to abide to some rules. XD Now... I just need a PS3, XBOX 360 and Nintendo Wii. >_>

New Acer Lappies Soon-ish?

http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/15/acers-13-3-inch-aspire-3935-now-available-for-899-18-4-inch-8/

Please, click on that link. Mmm, beautiful looking laptop Acer has there!

Acer Aspire 3935-6504 Specifications

• Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7350 (2.0GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
• Microsoft Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
• 13.3-inch HD Acer CineCrystal™ LED Display
• Mobile Intel® GM45 Express Chipset
• 3072MB DDR2 1066MHz Memory
• Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
• 250GB SATA Hard Drive
• 8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
• Acer Crystal Eye Web Camera
• 5-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
• Intel® WiFi Link 5100 802.11a/g/Draft-N Wireless LAN
• Acer Bio-Protection Fingerprint Solution
• 3 – USB 2.0 Ports
• Acer Touch-Sensitive Hotkeys
• Convenience Buttons
• 4-cell Li-ion Battery
• 4.18 lbs.
• 12.8" (W) x 1.0" (H) x 9.3" (D)
• MSRP $899.99

Hopefully it will be available here soon and at a really reasonable price. To my direct raw exchange rates conversion, the Aspire 3935-6504 should come at the earlier RM3k, which seems quite reasonable for the specs and portability.

There are two problems you might see with the laptop, spec-wise... WTF they give only a 4-cell? Hopefully it is long lasting or... there goes portability(I must see 4 hours clocked or else!). XP Another one being the chipset being used. Why can't they use the nVdia chipset with the built in GeForce 9300M or even 9400M? That would had made the laptop all the better.

Ah well, since it hasn't come over to this side and that that' the US specs, does not mean we will get those specs... if it comes here. >_>

Acer Aspire 8935G Specifications

• Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor technology
• Microsoft Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
• 18.4-inch Full HD Acer CineCrystal™ LED Display
• ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4670
• 4X Blu-ray Disc™ Writer/DVD SuperMulti double-layer combo drive
• Acer Crystal Eye Web Camera
• 5-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
• Intel® WiFi Link 5100 802.11a/g/Draft-N Wireless LAN
• Acer Bio-Protection Fingerprint Solution
• 4 – USB 2.0 Ports
• Backlit Keyboard
• Acer Touch-Sensitive Hotkeys
• Convenience Buttons
• 8-cell Li-ion Battery
• 10.1 lbs.
• 17.34" (W) x 1.73" (H) x 11.62" (D)

At any rate, the more important one here is the 8935G. Looks like a screen size upgrade to our current 16" version(well actually the 18.4" never came over here, to my knowledge). To my personal view, the gaming graphics doesn't change much and the screen resolution is the same, but you'll get a much bigger screen, which in turn makes it easier to read, especially with that kind of resolution on a laptop screen(though I guess battery life will reduce).

Hrm, the thing that kinda interest me this laptop is the... BD writer. w00t! Finally! But in the end, I'd probably won't be getting such a powerhouse of a laptop. X/

Okay, that's all for my randomness for now. This is yet another filler post. XD

Oh BTW, for those who are gamers and did not went to the PC Fair recently, the ATI Radeon HD4890 is everywhere in M'sia already. ^^

HG 1/144 Gundam Exia Review, Part 2 - Finale

Okay, I got some free time right now, so I'm gonna finish up this review and showing off my newb experience in painting with a Gundam Marker. XP

Read the first part HERE.

Exia and all of its armaments and alternate left hand. Yep, 1/144 scale Gunpla are quite small when you put a bottle near em' and can be quite fragile(So you'll have to hold em' a bit more carefully!).

Quick Filler Post

Lack f time is lack of time, especially with one assignment due later next week, a test at the end of next week and another assignment will be given next week. Oh my. Because of that, I barely had time to update this blog. So, for now, I'll just give a brief insight of things to come. =)

1. Japanese Language Club Annual Dinner - Write-Up
2. HG 1/144 Gundam Exia Review Part 2 - Finale
3. NG 1/100 Gundam Astray Green Frame Review - CD buys a SEED NG?
4. NG 1/60 Gundam Exia Review - IT'S HUGE!
5. Random Things You can do with Gunpla - >_>

Well, those are the planned things so far. I do have pictures to finish up the HG Exia review but I don't have the free time to type it out properly(and Internet connection sucks currently). Normally it takes me more than an hour to post a review, half of it being uploading the pictures(20-30 minutes, depends on amount and size of pictures). Probably post it up tomorrow night or the day after.

Astray and 1/60 Exia are good enough for part 1 of a review, but I haven't finish up Astray's weapons. Their reviews will come soon.

Random things you can do with Gunpla is just a record of random things I did with mine that had a chance to have their photo taken while posing some randomness. XP This one might not come soon as I think I want to make some kind of drama. XD

But most of all, I will post the annual dinner of the Japanese Language Club, I just need the pictures from the commitee members so that the write-up will look better than boring walls of text. I tell you, it was really, really fun. XD

HG 1/144 Gundam Exia Review, Part 1

Since I have much lack of time as of late, I would not be able to build many models(then again it is impossible for me to buy so much) for the next few... years. Though, July seems to be free and there are some Gundams I want to get at that time, both being HGs. ^^

This particular model took me 4 days to complete, built after I got back home right after classes has ended. Even if it is a HG, it took me a while, as I tried to "level-up" my Gundam Marker skillz, which, personally, has ways to go.

For this review, which is not entirely a review, as I'll give comments on my building process and what not. Another thing is that this Exia, is not the previous Exia I shown which is the special edition one, which I dare not play much with as it might do damage to the coating. Coating versions actually are preferred not to be built but left within their boxes for braggin' rights. XD

Now, onto the first part.

Gundam Exia is the main Gundam of the newest installment to the Gundam franchise, Gundam 00. It appeared in the first episode od Gundam 00 defeating an ace pilot from the AEU(forgot what it means, sorry) with great ease, using its main weapon, a huge "gun-sword", the GN Sword. The pilot of this short-range/melee Gundam happens to be Setsuna F. Seiei(also known as Soran Ibrahim), who happens to specialise in close quarter combat(and sucks like hell in shooting).

The Exia is my total favorite Gundam of any Gundam series, due to the fact it is most a melee suit and has a big sword. Who doesn't love big sword warriors? XD It also has the most special design of any Gundams ever seen, making it even more special. I was especially happy when Exia R2 came out in the end of Gundam 00 to fight the final boss, it was just, awesome(comming out June).

But, enough of the walls of text, onto the review and building process!
Note: The pictures has been re-sized to 10% of original size to quicken up uploading, decreasing bandwidth usage and to not show you my "suckiness" in painting that much. >_>

Price: 1200 Yen

Gundam Exia, GN-001
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

Exia is also known as the Seven Sword Gundam, since it incorporates the seven sword system, whereby it is equipped with seven swords and all are used as they have specific uses(though, it is mostly a throw fest for Setsuna XD).