Long Haul Legends Class 2010

My wife got this for my son today when we went to the mall, a Long Haul figure by Hasbro for their 2010 Transformers line of Legends Class toys. As soon as he fell asleep I was able to pry it away from him in order to do a review *snicker*

Heat

The 1995 movie entitled Heat was for me, one of the best bank heist movies ever made. It had an all star cast top billed by Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. It's a great movie with an interesting plot, because aside from the robbery theme, it takes a peek into the intertwined and personal lives of cops and robbers. Then there is also the added dash of treachery that further spiced up the story. And because of that the movie is nearly 3 hours long!

Kotobukiya Frame Arms Type 32 V Zenrai English Manual & Color Guide

Another Frame Arms kit from Kotobukiya is the Type 32 V Zenrai that comes in 1/100 scale and was released in July of 2010. This is marketed as the Zenrai but the manual says that it can also be assembled as the Gourai type. Its supposed to be a close-weapon specialist as oppossed to its other variants which are typically geared towards long range attack.

Bandai HG 1/144 Tieren Ground Type English Manual & Color Guide

Human Reform League's main battle suit, the MSJ-06II-A Tieren Ground Type. This is the 1/144 High Grade version made by Bandai that initially came out in the latter part of 2007 as part of their initial run of Gundam 00 Season 1 merchandise. There was also a 1/100 Tieren Ground Type that Bandai made.

Kotobukiya Frame Arms Type 38 Model 1 Ryurai Kai English Manual & Color Guide

1/100 scale Type 38 Model 1 Ryurai Kai by Kotobukiya for their original series line dubbed as Frame Arms. The Ryurai Kai is a heavily armored artillery piece that is based off the Type 32 frame.

Bandai HG 1/144 Gundam Dynames English Manual & Color Guide

Lockon Stratos' GN-002 Gundam Dynames rendered by Bandai as a 1/144 High Grade kit for their Gundam 00 line of model kits. This is actually an old kit having first come out in the latter part of 2007. I actually have the 1/100 Gundam Dynames in my collection and had a ton of fun building it. Aside from this kit, Bandai also released a HG Gundam Dynames attached to the GN Arms Type-D.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

I'll just leave this here....Coming in February 2012 is the sequel to the 2007 Ghost Rider that had Nicholas Cage starring as the damned and tormented Johnny Blaze. Official title of the sequel is Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

Kotobukiya Frame Arms RF-9 Revenant Eye English Manual & Color Guide

Another issue from the original Kotobukiya Frame Arms line is the 1/100 RF-9 Revenant Eye. This particular model kit was released in the latter part of last year. Like all kits in the Frame Arms line, they use the common Architect Frame to put parts on in order to form their unique mecha frame.

Kotobukiya Frame Arms SA-17 Rapiere English Manual & Color Guide

I have to say that my interest in the Frame Arms original title line of Kotobukiya has been piqued after seeing the EXF-10/32 Greifen. So because of this I took at gander at the SA-17 Rapiere that was released earlier this year.

Clone Wars Season 4 starting on Sept 16

Its only less than a month away already! Clone Wars Season 4 will start on September 16, 2011. Except for the Ghosts of Mortis story arc, I liked very much Season 3 of the George Lucas' Clone Wars.

Kotobukiya Frame Arms EXF-10/32 Greifen English Manual & Color Guide

Released last month was the 1/100 EXF-10/32 Greifen from the Frame Arms original model kit line by Kotobukiya. I've always liked the well crafted mecha designs of the Frame Arms series and the Greifen does not disappoint, what with the well formed panel lines and surface details. For me, the beauty of a model kit is really defined by the amount of details crammed into the plastic part.

Kotobukiya HMM 1/72 RZ-041 Liger Zero Schneider English Manual & Color Guide

Bit Cloud's Liger Zero Schneider from Zoids New Century Zero made into a 1/72 HMM by Kotobukiya. The Liger Zero Schneider is basically the Liger Zero wearing the orange colored Schneider pack.

Bandai HG 1/144 Union Flag English Manual & Color Guide

1/144 High Grade variant of Graham Aker's Union Flag from Gundam 00 Season 1 that was released around the latter part of 2007. Hard to believe that its been quite a long time already since Gundam 00 was released. The Union Flag was the flagship mobile suit fighter for the Union forces at that time. Really no match for the GN powered Gundams of Celestial Being. What made it unique was that it could transform to Mobile Suit mode from Aircraft mode.

Bandai HG 1/144 Gundam Exia English Manual & Color Guide

The one that started it all for the Gundam 00 Franchise, the 1/144 High Grade GN-001 Gundam Exia released in late 2007 by Bandai. GN-001 Gundam Exia was the lead Gundam of Gundam 00 Season1 and piloted by Setsuna F. Seie. From this, Bandai made a lot more variants like the 1/100 Exia, 1/60 Exia, MG Exia, MG Exia Ignition Mode, Exia TransAM and slew of other HG variants. Lets also not forget Exia Avalanche Mode in 1/100 and HG

Underworld: Awakening

Scheduled to be released by January of next year, Underworld: Awakening continues the tale of Selene in the Underworld series. It is set more than a decade after the events of Underworld: Evolution. Check out the trailer above for more details.

Hobby Search's: Answer a Survey and get a chance to win a Prize

Hobby Search just announced today a chance for you to earn prizes by just answering their survey. In order to answer the survey you will have to sign up for an account with them. Signing up for an account at Hobby Search is free.

Yamato 1/60 GBP-1S Armor Parts for VF-1 Valkyrie English Manual

Yamato's optional 1/60 GBP-1S Armor Parts for their 1/60 line of VF-1 Valkyrie toys. Yamato's 1/60 scale rendition is truly an amazing toy as it is highly detailed and sticks true to the form of the GBP-1S from the original SDF Macross anime series. Product review of this awesome option parts can be found here. Translated Manual for the 1/60 VF-1S Hikaru Ichijo DYRL by Yamato can be found here.

Bandai MG 1/100 Delta Plus English Manual, Paint Conversion & Color Guide

Riddhe Marcenas' Delta Plus from the Gundam Unicorn OVA made into a 1/100 Master Grade model kit by Bandai. Riddhe transitioned from the ReZel into the Delta Plus. Prior to the Master Grade version, Bandai already released a High Grade version of the Delta Plus.

Visiting the Heron

Went to the zoo today together with my family and cousins of my son. While there we made sure to visit an old friend.

Bandai HG 1/144 Gundam Virtue English Manual & Color Guide

Tierra Erde's Gundam Virtue made into a 1/144 High Grade kit by Bandai. Gundam Virtue first made its appearance in Gundam 00 1st Season anime series as part of Celestial Being's fleet of GN powered Gundam's. Gundam Virtue was the heavy weapons specialist of Celestial Being, what it lacked in maneuverability it made up in firepower and defense due to the GN shield that it could employ. There was also a 1/100 version Gundam Virtue that was released by Bandai.

Senna

Just finished watching the 2010 Senna documentary which touches on the life of 3 time Formula 1 Champion Ayrton Senna (Ayrton Senna da Silva in real life) whose life was abruptly cut short by a fatal racing crash. Back in his time there wasn't much computer assisted electronics incorporated into a Formula 1 car to help a driver negotiate curves, it was pure driving skill, proper car tuning and raw machine horsepower that allowed a man to win a race.

Bandai HG RX-93 1/144 Nu Gundam English Manual & Color Guide

Here's an oldie but a goodie... heck lets call it L-E-G-E-N-D-A-R-Y already! Amuro Ray's RX-93 Nu Gundam from Char's Counterattack OVA.

Transformers Voice Actors

Was trying to convice my son yesterday that Peter Cullen was the voice of Optimus Prime, he didn't seem convinced. Thank God for youtube that I found this video short of the voice actors recording for their parts during the 2007 Transformers Movie.

CAT Mini Machines by Toy State

I just love these CAT Mini Machines by Toys State. I bought these for my son a couple of months back for doing good on our agreement to master writing his ABC's. These are for kids aged 5 and above. I bought the 5 pack set of this that cost about $12. The toy comes with a back hoe, dump truck, bulldozer, roller and front loader.

What's in the Bag you say?

What's in the Bag you say? My son's presents. His Birthday is a couple of months away but my wife and I already planned ahead by buying this early the toys he wants. As a just-started-schooling kid his toys have started to become expensive.

How to quickly cool a car that was parked under the sun

Not mecha related, just wanted to share this little life hack. Also, I can confirm that this method of cooling a hot car compartment works because I tried it last week when my car was parked under the sun for about an hour. I think I saw this video in reddit but I can't seem to find the link anymore.

1/60 VF-1A Valkyrie Mass Production ver w/ Strike Pack

My 1/60 VF-1S Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijo ver from DYRL) by Yamato Toys usually wears the 1/60 Strike Pack Armor, after transitioning it to the 1/60 GBP-1S Armor I decided to switch the Strike Pack Armor to the 1/60 VF-1A Valkyrie Mass Production version so that the Strike Pack gets to be displayed also.

1/60 GBP-1S Armor Parts for VF-1 Valkyrie by Yamato Toys

Update: Translated the manual already of the 1/60 GBP-1S to English, you can find it here.

Got this from HobbyLink Japan, the 1/60 GBP-1S Armor Parts for VF-1 Valkyrie Transformable by Yamato Toys. This is just the GBP-1S armor parts and does not include a 1/60 VF-1 Valkyrie ver 2 from Yamato Toys. I used my 1/60 VF-1S Valkyrie (DYRL version) to serve as a model for this armor unit. This armor unit can be installed on any 1/60 VF-1 Valkyrie ver 2 that was made by Yamato Toys.

Anne Hathaway/Catwoman Sneak Peek

Whoa! sneak peek by Warner Bros on Anne Hathaway dressed up as Catwoman riding the Batpod. Definitely made my morning. Saw this picture at an article at Wired magazine

Red Tails

Yet another movie I'm looking forward to next year when it gets released on January. Lucas Film's, Red Tails, touches on the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. They were an Afro-American complement of Fighter Pilots that performed bomber escorts for the B-17 Fly Fortresses operating in Europe. They were known as the Red Tails because of the distinct red markings on the their planes. They were made famous by their record of minimum losses during their bomber escort duties in Europe that some bombing squadrons specifically asked for them during their sorties.

Tower Heist

Looking forward to this movie that has an allstar cast that will come out this November 4. Starring Ben Stiller, Casey Affleck, Matthew Broderick, Eddie Murphy, Alan Alda, Michael Pena, Tea Leoni and Gabourey Sidibe. Its a comedy wherein staff in a high class apartment building find out that their pensions were defrauded by one of their guests (Alan Alda) and therefore seek compensation.

Heron Rescue

It happened again! Two days ago while going for a stroll my wife and son saw a baby heron hopping along the road where stray cats frequented. To save it from being some feline's dinner they brought it home so that we could bring it to the zoo for adoption then eventual release.

Wonfes 2011 Summer VF-17 Nightmare poster

Saw this posted by Mr. K at Yamato Toys blog. Not really much mentioned on this post except about the great Summer Wonfes 2011 and the Macross 7 DVD. The picture at the end however I don't know what to make of, its a poster that was supposed to be used at Wonfes by them.

Light Post Outpost

In the imagination of a young boy, an ordinary lamp post can serve an even greater purpose than just as a lowly bringer of illumination. Was walking in a village and I passed by a house that had this little lamp post. Seeing it reminded me of a lamp post that was in a former house of ours. My friends and I would play with this lamp post and imagine that it was a GI Joe outpost.

Bootleg Transformers Toys

Was in the mall recently and I spied some bootleg Transformers toys being sold in one of the stores. Didn't bother buying any to get a sample of it because the price is half as astronomical as the original ones... hehehe. I have to say however that they have a lot of varieties of it. Some are copies of existing toys while others just ride on to the Transformers toy's name. Characteristic of bootleg toys are cheap price and cheap plastic that will break easily.

So Long Bubba Smith

Found out that ex-NFL player and actor, Bubba Smith, died today. Bubba Smith was a staple of my childhood during the 80's having grown up watching him in the Police Academy movies and Blue Thunder during popcorn and cola fueled VHS watching marathons with my family.

Rain - Madonna

I suddenly remembered this video of the song Rain by Madonna. Aside from it being a great song I was really enthralled with the video because of its Japanese theme and setting. Ryuichi Sakamoto was even cast in the video as the director along with other asian faces.

Number 1 Reason why I would recommend a Sliding Door Display Case

Update: One year after buying this, I noticed that there was some visible dust forming already on the glass shelves. Guess nothing is really perfect in this world. At least compared to my leaving them on an open shelf where they'll get dusty after just a few days, this is still a good option.

Its been 5 months since I decided to have a $90 display case fabricated to place my toys & model kit collection in and I have to say that it was a worthy investment. The fabricator gave me the option of a cabinet door type or a sliding door type. I chose the sliding door type so as to save space and so that I can easily lock it. Turns out that that was a good option to take for me.

Amazing Card Trick by Shawn Farquhar

Saw this amazing card trick from Penn & Teller's Fool Us via reddit. Definitely made my morning.

Yamato Ozma Lee Macross Frontier Skull Squadron Motorcycle Helmet for Pre Order

Just saw this for pre-order at HobbyLink Japan and Amiami; Ozma Lee Macross Frontier Skull Squadron Motorcycle Helmet (size Large/Large & Medium/Medium) made by Yamato Toys. Scheduled for release by September, the selling price for either one is 15,130 yen each at HLJ, while 14,540 yen at Amiami. Of course you have to take in to consideration the shipping price of this also because of its weight and its size.

1/60 VF-1A Valkyrie Mass Production Version by Yamato Toys

Update: English Translation of the manual can be found here, took a while to finish for me *snicker*

I'm starting August on a good note with this, a 1/60 VF-1A Valkyrie Mass Production version by Yamato Toys. Got this from from HobbyLink Japan. This is the workhorse Variable Fighter of the UN Spacy that was produced in massive numbers as seen in the SDF Macross Anime that came out in the 80's.

Bandai RG 1/144 MS-06F Zaku II English Manual and Color Guide

The Mass Produciton MS-06F Zaku II from Mobile Suit Gundam gets made into a 1/144 Real Grade kit by Bandai. Prior to this the Crimson Zaku II of Char Aznable was already given the Real Grade treatment by Bandai. One feature of this Zaku II model kit is ability to build it as a commander/ace type with the addition of a larger antenna.