Major Focker

a kit version? is that confirmed? damn, that means i'm buying another one. oh well, i was undecided anyway in which mode to display the SDF, so i guess this'll solve that

there's a version of those thrusters with built in LEDs

got 1, still in box

nope, i meant small 1/3000 VF-1's to attach to the 1/3000 SDF1 from Yamato. a member did this for the 1/2000 SDF sculpted out of styrene and putty. to go any smaller it would probably have to be PE. while i'm dreaming, can we have the launch arms to go with that?

nice. with the fine detail demonstrated here, 1/3000 VF-1 should be possible, right?

not bad. hopefully i'll have similar luck. in the meantime i plan to take the BPX-01 out of storage, put in on display for a week or so, then put it up for sale. if the girlfriend asks why i have two of these things, i'll just allude to why she has several colors of the same shoe style. on second thought, i might save that for when the TV SDF comes out having a blast with the GX-57. not missing the retractable wings, nor the cannon and engine internals. but i do have a couple of peeves about it: - there is a noticeable pause before the final firing sequence engages. wish there was an option for a continuous charge up to firing sequence (like the one in BPX-01) which presumably would be more seamless compared to the current two-stage, user-triggered version - there are some light leaks near the wave gun. it was excusable in the BPX-01 since it had opening panels, but not for the GX-57. fortunately, the light leaks only become obvious in a very dark setting here's to hoping they fix those in the next decade's update. perhaps by then they can also squeeze in fiberoptics for the main guns, maybe even for the AA too ..

wasn't planning on getting this since i already have the older version, but i was killing time in the mall today and chanced on a GX-57 for about USD220. too good to pass up. now i have to think about what to do with my old one. when i mentioned to the guy at the toy store that i now have to consider selling the BPX01, he was aghast and advised me to hang onto it instead, saying that it will become much more valuable than the GX-57; which i found strange since the GX-57 seems to have been released in fewer numbers. i collect to display rather than for the purpose of reselling later, although my BPX-01 has remained mostly in storage since i got it a few weeks before i moved and never got around to opening the box of toys it was in after i got to my new place. i'm inclined to sell but nonetheless curious what you guys plan to do with your BPX-01

umm... Kingdom of Heaven?

lots of the HMV exclusive edition here in Singapore. unfortunately, they're priced almost double at ~USD75 equivalent. probably why there are still heaps of them left. given the price, i'm having a hard time convincing myself to get one. so i get a top (cool but not exactly a display piece), a briefcase (again cool, but hardly useful. my bladerunner case is just in storage), some artcards (never figured out what to do with those), and an instruction manual (admittedly i'm curious what it contains, anything interesting?). so i guess i'll either wait for the price to come down, or maybe just hold out for the rumored special edition. any news on what that would come with?

i was prepared to skip this one until you posted those pictures. still not yet fully convinced so i'll have to see it in person before pulling the trigger. is the cape removable this time?

which dealer would this be? might place my future preorders with him if he's consistently this fast. mine will only arrive next week or perhaps even later

thanks for the link. that is truly one amazing build! now the hunt begins..

just picked up a copy this afternoon (kino@taka for interested SG members). what immediately struck me was that this had much more text than pictures compared to prior books in the series. as sketchley mentioned, the Fastpack v4 is particularly intruiging. to my frustation though, there are no internal schematics of the fastpacks which was my main reason for buying this book. i thought that was a glaring omission. i also would've wanted more pictures of the ARMDs or other space vehicles even if they were just in the background, and i was also expecting pictures of valks being serviced, or perhaps hangar scenes. so i guess i'm disappointed. if not for being a completist, i probably could've skipped this one. that might change though if i ever learn to read japanese. folks who can read japanese will probably be over the moon with the info packed in this one.

so where does one get a Cordoba? first time i've seen it and just blew me away.

i'm still hoping for a Jim Raynor in Terran Marine armor. in the meantime, i'll be sated with the Tron Lightcycle (why are they making Jeff Bridges before Olivia Wilde?! ) and Stane's bulky iron suit. which reminds me, i need to get War Machine out of the box, can't believe i've kept it in there for over a month

Eagerly anticipating your build-up, er..., paint-up thread. Hopefully I'll be able to follow along. This SDF really needs a proper paint job to complement the fine detail. Wave had the right idea with painted panel details, but really, the contrast is too much for the scale. So I'm contemplating using filters instead of paint shades, but perhaps the effect will be too subtle? Or maybe, paint shades for major panels and filters for smaller ones, or should it be the other way around? Looking to you for inspiration my man!

my peeves are about what powers technology, or more precisely, the transmission and connection. plugs/outlets - why do need someting like 9 different configurations? excluding considerations about the inclusion/exclusion of the third "ground" prong (which has some merit), what's the point in having the prongs in different sizes/angles/shapes? for the 3-prong varieties, why can't at least the orientation be consistent, particularly for power bricks/wall warts? Motorolla and Western Digital were on the right track when they included swappable prong faceplates, but when i use the 3-prong one and plug it into a wall outlet, the cable end is pointing up instead of down, and on some of my power strip/surge protectors, they end up covering the switch. plugs for gadgets and small appliances aren't off the hook either, in some cases actually worse off. where i work, all laptops are sourced from HP, and limited to just 2 models (13" and 15") for each refresh cycle, and they are all within 1 or 2 generations of eachother. yet when we are in meetings, at least half the people can't mooch power off the others since the plugs won't fit. ironic, considering the power bricks have roughly the same output. thankfully, USB has made some headway. when i travel, i only bring my laptop power and charge my phone and camera through the USB on the laptop, or the USB port on my univeral plug adapter. if the iphone/ipod cable had USB on both ends, i wouldn't need to bring that too. and apple was just being obnoxious when they made the headphone socket just a tad deeper the breakaway magnetic power plug on the macbook was cool though (not to mention safer), and the compact power brick with built-in cable harness was thoughtful. now if only the rest of their design choices were similarly functionality driven rather than just for "being different".. power strips/surge protectors - why can't they all have universal sockets? i know it's a function of cost, so it's forgivable for the basic power strips. but the higher end ones like what Monster or Belkin puts out, why make country-specific variants of the same model rather than using universal sockets? i fancy the Belkin Conceal because it neatly covers the power bricks and has a cable organizer, but soon as i need to use a plug adaptor on a power brick -- no joy. the worst offenders are power strips designed specifically for 3-prong but have sockets spaced a mm too close preventing standard plugs from fitting side by side. 110V - it's debatable whether it is significantly safer than 220V (yet to see conclusive statistics). 220V is more efficient and allows for lighter components. same mess with 50 vs 60Hz. really, one would think the world would have consolidated to 220V/60Hz by now...

there's a nice story arc starting episode 5, so you might want to stick around. and don't worry, that little kid's screentime will be drastically reduced. my struggle with the series was actually towards the end, when the battles were really drawn out. or then again, maybe i was just tired after marathoning the series, and that was after doing the same with GITS:SAC the day before.

yeah, go ahead and finish watching mnemosyne. don't know where the "train wreck" comment comes from, personally i thought it neatly tied up more plot threads in just 6 episodes than some other series over a longer run. it is not a straightforward story structure though, so it does risk having the audience "get it" or not at all. some points are not explicitly resolved and left to the audience to connect themselves. i suppose this was its appeal for me, it was not only risque but also risky, or at least atypical, in a number of things.

got me thinking... if they released this to theaters outside japan... will we also get 3D subtitles?

i would so want that to happen!

i'm mad about that song. it's in constant circulation on my ipod. would be great if they put it in the 2nd movie. for one thing, i still haven't managed to track down where exactly in the series they used "is this LOVE?" another one i liked was "Kira" or "Twinkle". also can't trace where it was in the series, but love it regardless

some countries have SAL Registered. in others, tracking can be an added option for a fee

had the tickets for JAM but missed it like you, i had some domestic obligations to attend to. the concerts are a much bigger production this year, but the exhibition/festival part seemed meh. did have a kiss blown my way though, from one of the celebrity cosplayers, but no clue at all who she is. anyway, back on topic. anyone watching Fairy Tail? just realized that i've caught nearly all episodes aired thus far on animax while not really trying to follow the show. fun diversion, now starting to grow on me. i like how they develop the characters by showing their backstory, but it's rather formulaic how they do it. a couple of episodes they devoted on the ice dude, next couple on another character and so on. they're on Ursa's story now and i'll be sure to watch. she's hot and i'm hoping a PVC of her gets made so she can join my kickass babes collection. imagine the potential for variants-- she has a costume for every occasion! (but still nowhere near Mylene levels ).

sort of OT: i caught the anisong festival in SG last weekend and saw Scandal(K-On) for the first time. man, those chicks rock hard! and in school uniforms and knee-high socks as with the anime, i found the bassist the cutest, though she is the opposite of Mio as she seems to play to the crowd the most. May'n was there too, and she sure is an energizer bunny. i got hungry though and stepped out between Scandal and May'n to grab some food. when i got back May'n was already singing Universal Bunny. anybody else went? what May'n songs this i miss?