Tallgeese III Completion: Endless Waltz Soundtrack

Well I had a fun time restoring my Tallgeese III that I bought a year ago or so- it's great to finally have the project complete as I try to empty my stash. The shield colors are a bit off- but if necessary I can fix that in the future if it bothers me "that" much. The model look badass! For fun I am going to paint the Miliardo Peacecraft figure that came with the model and stick it in there with the tallgeese (the tallgeese will overshadow Zechs).

I installed a brass rod to help support tallgeese- he likes to lean backwards and a simple rod fixed that problem. Looks great too. I affixed the feet to the base with velcro incase I ever want to fiddle with Tallgeese. Fun project! I will take pictures and get them uploaded as soon as I can. Meanwhile, enjoy this- I uploaded it after finding the original files on my computer. I also condensed the tags so things are easier to find.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Airs on Sci-Fi Channel

I caught wind of this last night on DannyChoo.com and decided to stay up later to watch- and it was worth it. Bandai did a great job on the voice overs, I had a fun time last night following along with the episodes and I thought they were well done. One thing I thought was odd was that I thought things were slightly sped up to get in commerical time, though that just may be my hypothyroidism (it may seem like time is SLOWING DOWN or SPEEDING UP for me at times, though it doesn't change). The dub could have been a lot worse, but I thought it was pretty dang good. More on this post later- gotta rush into work.

To answer Q's question:

Gurren Lagann so far has my two thumbs up: I would equate it in stature to Full Metal Panic but just under- they are both good and they have my stamp of approval- worthy of watching. For age groups, I say 14+, but I can't gauge that accurately since I havn't seen the entire series. Lots of fan service with Yoko so I say 14+.

Mighty Muggs Darth Vader

I saw this in Wal*Mart today and almost burst out a squeel- they made Darth Vader not only chibi, but cute! Immediatly bought him as a collectable. They also have Jango Fett, Luke and a few others- I want to collect some. Appararntly the market is preparing for the release of the new Star Wars animated movie- can someone fill me in on when it hits theaters?

Tamiya Inc

Tamiya is a Japanese company that specializes in producing model kits, knick knacks and supplies parts and makes RC Cars. You can find them in Japan, Europe and North America. They have been around for a while- I built a kit not too long ago that was from one of their 1970's lineups and was re-issued. They spend a lot of time developing armor, military vehicles, vehicles, airplanes/jets, and ships. I have three of their 1/350 ships from their 1/350 series, another in my stash. Tamiya engineers did a brilliant job with this line, and I'm a bit disappointed that they arn't adding to it. Regardless, they do one heck of a job in the quality and accuracy department; their stuff is good; pure and simple.

Tamiya's F-15E Stike Eagle. Not done by me- by someone else.

I am always impressed with the articulation on some of their models- my german half track had an accurate and working suspension! The only other company that I would say rivals Tamiya in quality is Bandai, who is a large producer of Gunpla (Gundam model kits). Their model accessories are also second to none- I had purchased additional aircraft sets for my USS Enterprise and to my amusement the Tamiya F-14 Tomcats shot down Trumpeter's aircraft set. The quality of the molds- the fuselage, the canopies, the wing and body detail- were all incredible.


These guys know what they are doing. As I go along and build my 1/350 ships, I find things are generally "easier" than other brands of kits. This tells me that Tamiya had been at the stage I was at now and thought ahead. I like that, in fact I like that a lot! It made things easier and virtually painless, allowing me to focus on finishing the model instead of fiddling with it. No tamiya model that I have ever built has ever given me build problems. The stuff is that good.


Their paints are also second to none. Albeit their paints are only really good with airbrushes, their sprays are exceptional. Their tools are exceptional- the masking tape brand Tamiya produces is exceptional. Thats all I can really say about their stuff- it is expensive, but exceptional. It's good stuff- there is not much more to say about it. I use their paints almost exclusivly because they work so well. Tamiya paints look really friggin good on Tamiya models, but they also look good on everything else. Quality assurance and testing, again by Tamiya- these guys know what they are doing, they know what I want and they are here to help me out. That means that they are going to get me to return and buy more of their stuff, and why would I think it is a suckering scam, their stuff is some of the best if not the best!


Tamiya is currently a organization I am looking into right now in terms of a career path, and so is Bandai. Aside from the free trips to Japan, I really enjoy building model kits and it is really something I want to learn how to do (that is, to make them). Bandai is also another one I am looking into- I would be set with Gunpla for life, but I also love models. I am thinking very seriously about my career choices, and although I don't have doubts about working for the defense industry- in the event that I cannot locate a job right away, I want to do something that I enjoy immensely until I can make up my mind as to if this is what I want, or if that is what I want.


By the way, good job Tamiya. I will be buying your stuff for a long time to come. (Pics to follow when I get back from work).

Lucky Star DVD 2 Review

ROFL.

Oh man, that has got to be one of the best purchases I have ever made- the show keeps getting FUNNIER! Lucky Star continues in this DVD (episodes 4-8) with more otaku references and many paradoxes found in life (if you do the homework my way, they will make you do it again!). Wendee Lee did an AWESOME job on the episode when they were poking fun at MMORPGs. "I'm a tanker and teach is a wiz!" In MMO terms, a tanker fought at the front of the group and took damage so that characters from a distance could fire powerful attacks and not be hurt (or hurt as much).

For the otaku or person that will understand the references, this is a MUST see. I feel that those new to anime will not get many if any of the references, so I feel bad for them being left out. Best Buy had this DVD on sale for $19.99, I am a bit worried, don't they usually cost $25 upwards? (not that I'm complaining, I just hope all is healthy). The animation is great, I love the moe, and we see more funny faces from Kagami. This is again a must buy. I enjoyed and am still enjoying it- now that everyone is introduced this is getting loads funnier. Great stuff! Please, Disc 3!

Tallgeese III Weathering Tutorial

Enjoy! I got to weather my Tallgeese today.

WTF?

I literally said WTF out loud when I saw this. Currently making a weathering tutorial video. Oh well- I guess the internet is the cess pool of the human mind.

Geneon Titles Shift Over to Funimation

This is the best piece of news I have heard all year. I have been in such a bad mood today and this piece of news makes my day bitter-sweet. Geneon left the animation industry in the USA and left many titles unfinished. Funimation has now picked up the rights to start finishing the titles Geneon left behind, in particular for me Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni. Anime fans- looks like we are getting what we wanted. Thanks for the heads up from Marlo on Dannychoo.com

Mahandi ande budidippi (The Ketchup Song)

NO! THE INFERNAL SONG!!!!!!

Lucky Star 2 DVD- Bandai Release

Priceless.

Thursday is fast approaching (paycheck) and I am looking forward to getting the next release of Lucky Star! So far Bandai has released up to DVD 2, and I am looking for information in regards to when DVD 3 will be released. Refer to this post to learn more about Lucky Star.


Once I can get my grubby mitts on it I will make sure to post a DVD review pronto. Since this is a Bandai release I trust them to release the entire series on DVD- and I will probably feel left out once they release the boxed set- but then again I have all the extras here in the individual releases (I like extras).


And again I have to apologize for not posting lately- it's not so much that there isn't anything to talk about, but rather I am on a leash at the moment with work- I worked last Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and I will work today and tomorrow, so naturally I am tired. I have actually lost weight by all the exercise I am getting by lifting freight at work. That must mean that my synthroid is working and that my metabolism is working (see hypothyroidism).


Other than that, I have slept approximatly 16 hours since yesterday afternoon. I had absoloutely no trouble falling asleep. I slept from 2:00pm to 8:00pm, then again from 12:00am to 10:00am, and have been up for a little more than two hours. I have Thursday and Friday off, so I will be weathering my Tallgeese and making a trip (you know what, I will call real fast to see if they have it, with gas prices and all) to Suncoast to see if they have the DVD I want. Then this week, it's all about capping my spending because I almost ran my first paycheck dry.... I have been desperate to get some things afterall, and now it is time to save for that apartment.

Tallgeese III Revisit

I am heading off tomorrow, but figured I would post something that I havn't posted about in a while. GUNPLA! I have decided to revisit the Tallgeese III model I acquired last summer around this time, and I am going to finish it up. The head needs a little bit of touch ups, the entire model needs a flat coate, then I will weather the body. I then need to repaint the beam cannon (after seam work) and paint the shield its appropriate colors, as well as paint the heat rods.

I had a brilliant idea with my Walker Bulldog tank- to be able to secure the tank to a base, yet have it removeable at the same time to fiddle with it and turn the lights on, I am going to secure the tracks with velcro dots. I used velcro dots on the Tallgeese here to make sure he stays on his base- and if he begins to lean then I will secure his joints by gluing them. This should be a neat project when it is done! Then I need to fix my Legend Gundam, a whole other story. Maybe I am getting back into Gunpla again?

The Lee is Going English

Yeah this is a suprise- I decided that instead of an Olive Drab color I am going to pain the Lee with a dark tan and add British markings to the tank. Why? because many were sent along the front in Africa to the British. This should look really cool when it is done- I am debating on adding sand to my base (I have the necessary turf).


I pre-dated this post, so right about now I should be getting out of work (late shift) and unfortunately I have to hit the hay because they want me again at 6am in the morning, but after that day I have off. Time to go work on the Lee before work!

Nintendo Press Conferences at E3- Disappointing

After reading about Nintendo's Press Conference at E3, I have to say that I am very disappointed with the now apparant "direction" Nintendo wants to take with the Wii. The system is selling well, and naturally any company would want to capitalize on that. Unfortunately Wii has put many game publishers in an awkward position- They are avoiding developing games for the Wii despite it's crazy success.

For the Otaku or hardcore gamer, this is all bad news. The last major title that was released was Super Smash Bros Brawl, and Nintendo has not hinted on any future releases other than games aimed to capture the casual gaming crowd. I am in said crowd from time to time and even I am not happy. I am also confused about the WiiPlus periphial. I also keep hearing about more add-ons, more... more... more. Unless games require this feature, I won't buy it. If they do require this feature, then Nintendo has overstepped its boundary and I will be cautious of the move.

Things wern't very cool in the Microsoft side either- their new dashboard design closely mimicks Nintendo's Mii System. I have not read on what Sony has offered.

Meet the Engineer

M3 Lee Progress

I've been working on the Lee a little bit- in between cleaning my room and closet. I chose the M3 as a model because it has an odd design. I began by assembling the wheels, drive sprokets and idler wheels. I then attached them to the hull and worked on the front, back, then I worked on the sponson gun. I always like articulation- however this kit hasn't exactly been a "good soldier" in regards to fitting together. It isn't a pain in the rear, but it could be more convinient, though. I decided that I will assemble the entire model, paint it, then go into hand painting then weathering.

I also went out and bought small wood plaques that will serve as tiny bases. I know, I know- I said I wouldn't get bases but the tanks would look awesome with realistic terrain under them, or the look of a plaque.... *sighs*. I like my models plaqued. I came up with another great solution too- my M41 Walker Bulldog has a switch underneat the tank, and you can't turn the headlights on if she is attached to the base! answer- velcro dots, baby. These are great for everything else too- including my ships (to attach to bases) and many other uses.

Today, instead of hideous tape I replaced the tape with velcro, which once attached my dragsters to their display bases. With velcro things look a lot better AND I was able to put the expended cartridge in with the dragster as well. The Lee is going to take maybe another week or so before I can finish it properly- it will be a quick, but good job since I am cutting straight to assembly then paint, then hand paints, then decals.

Tamiya 1/35 M3 Lee

After my paycheck today I went to Trains and Lanes and found about a dozen subjects in 1/35 that I am interested in building. It seems that I am on hiatus from ships at the moment, though I should get some work done on some ships this summer.

The M3 was one of the first tanks brought into World War II by the United States. It was an "interim" tank, one that fulfilled a role until the M4 Sherman could take the front lines, which it did, beautifully. I picked up the M3 because the tank looks weird. It was a trial by error process in designing the tank, and engineers got tank design down with the M4 Sherman after the M3 Lee. The M3..... well it is the odd duck. It has a turret mount above the turret, and the main gun is in a sponson off to the right side of the tank! Worse off, the tank required 6-7 crew to operate versus today's 4. The wheel design would carry over to the Sherman, as well as the exhaust system.

This model in particular was molded in a dark green, in fact the exact green color as my Ford G.P.A. (General Purpose Amphibian). While the color is fine, I feel I can get more detail and life out of the tank by getting a lighter green Olive Drab in there. Since most of the tank is colored this mold color anywhoo, I am going to go ahead and assemble the tank, then spray paint her the proper colors. From there I can go into brushwork, if necessary. The Lee only has about 3 parascopes from what I see on the box art- it is one tank I would not want to do battle in, but it was a necessary sacrifice to get tank engineering nailed down. I will be working on this one as I finish up the Ford GPA, which is practically done save the decals, the rear seat and clutch/stick/drivers wheel.

I like odd ducks- and certainly Tamiya has many interesting designs, not just American, to chose from in model kit form.

Lucky Star DVD Volume 1

I treated myself to a little something after getting a paycheck (yay!) and I decided to get Lucky Star: Volume 1 on DVD. The DVD was released sometime in June by Bandai, and Volume 2 on July 1st.

Lucky Star is an anime that follows the lives of four Japanese school girls, one of which is a major Otaku. The anime also plays on the Otaku sub-culture of Japan, and for those who understand the references they are very amusing. Lucky Star is the series that corrected me on the difference between Moe and Lolicon- if I said anything before on the subjects then this overides what I said- Lucky Star is pure Moe.

There are many Moe references as well. Moe refers to an animation style in Japanese Anime where the animation presents the characters as cute and/or adorable. Although the girls in the series are 16-17 years of age, they look sort of younger due to the animation style. They are cute and adorable (in my opinion), and that is what makes it moe (pronounced moe-eh). Lolicon is a genuine sexual interest in characters who have young faces on obviously older bodies, which this author in particular does not follow or get into.

I love Kona-chan! She is exactly the kind of whit and humor I would find in a good friend, thus I instantly share a connection. In a way, many of the characters in the show can be connected with to various degrees. I like Miyuki-san's knowledge of a broad range of topic and western charm, yet I like the innocence, but dedication of Kagamin- and I like Tsukasa for being.... well Tsukasa. The anime, if I havn't said it enough is awesome. I totally underestimated the staff at Bandai and their decision making for English voice actors. Every single voice actor is nearly perfect- they have their heart and soul into the production which makes the anime real and believeable. Wendee Lee especially does a great job with Konata.

Unfortunately I paid around $5.00USD more for the DVD, but it was worth it considering I got to watch a lot of it on vacation. It retails for $24.99USD, and after seeing the series on Youtube I had to have it on DVD. The animation quality is top notch, actually went up a notch on the DVD, and the dub is incredible- I never say that about dubs. This DVD and anime series is definitely worth a buy and a check out.

Blog Hiatus- For Vacation

This is a pre-typed message letting you guys know that I will be gone potentially for a week. I will attempt to find Wifi in the area but cannot gurantee posting. At approximatly this time we are making our way down to the Ocean. Will let you guys know how it all turns out!

I get my Hot Chocolate and the Funnies!

July 4th- a time where over 200 years ago this country declared it's independence from England. Although July 4th is a time for BBQs and Fireworks, I took the time during the show to reflect on the struggle waged to bring this country to shape and what it meant for me as an American. I am proud of our history and heritage, and launching fireworks is the way to go.

Unfortunately a neighbor did not have that idea. The police were called and as fireworks were going off around us, a lot in the immediate area then stopped because one person had a fit with us, came over and complained. So the fireworks show, 10 minutes in was shut down because of a politically correct moron. So what did we do? We planned to send mail to him sending him our thanks, then someone suggested we go elsewhere! Someone volunteered some property and off we went. We loaded some of the fireworks into the bed of my truck and elsewhere. We had a good drive, but the length was worth it.

We fired off the fireworks listening to country music, drinking our drinks of choice (adults- beer, kids- soda) and sitting among farming equipment. I sat on the patio area for half the show and the neighbor's dog came to visit and sat in my lap as the fireworks went off. When it went away I went to sit on a tractor nearby and I reflected with myself on the meaning of this day. There is no other way to launch fireworks; launching them on remote property was even better, and was absoloutely 110% American. Happy birthday America; there are those of us out there who will spend another year making sure there is a next July 4th.

PS- Chestnut won the annual hotdog eating contest again =p Poor Kobayashi!!

Wrapping Things Up: Tamiya 1/35 Walker Bulldog Review

Ok, some readers may be getting tired of reading about the Walker Bulldog, so I am going to wrap her up here and write a review on the kit.

Tamiya originally made this kit a decade or two ago and it was sold as a motorized toy. The holes in the bottom of the model lay evidence to that fact- I had plenty of room for installing an electrical system. I also took advantage of a bottom opening to super glue down a switch for the LEDs. I decided that I wanted headlights on the tank, and I am glad I went ahead and did that with fiber optic. I purchased the LED from Radioshack and the fiber optic from Trains and Lanes up in Easton.

How I did all the Fiber Optic Work

I routed all the fiber optics through the headlights and joined them internally by taping the LED and fiber optic together, then wrapping aluminum foil around the mess, then more tape. This reflects the light back inwards and through the fiber optic, making the lights brighter. I used a 9volt battery for the battery supply, and by figuring out the maximum voltage of the LED (4 volts), I found the correct value for a drop resistor by using Ohm's Law. I soldered everything together along with a switch.

Almost short circuited the thing! the first time and had to contact an electrical buddy for assistance on what to do, and what he recommended is what I already did- disconnecting the circuit! I repaired the joints and fastened things down with tape. I then put the ends of the fiber optic over a hot soldering iron to mushroom them out and make them bigger. I made them only big enough to fit into the hole I drilled out for them in the headlights. The resulting effect is fantastic.

From now on I would like to at least include this system in tanks that are mod friendly like Tamiya's Walker Bulldog. For a $10.00-$15.00USD kit this is money well spent on a kit with a small number of parts and a large amount of detail. The kit allows you to build a respectable tank without searching for photo etch or other accessories. Mind you I made a few simple modifications to mine, such as the LED system and adding steel rod for antannae. By adding a 9 volt battery, I gave the tank some weight. This is great because the engine was in the back of the tank, just like the battery is. Somehow weight adds a charm to a model when one picks it up.

The hull detail is superb, but there are more detailed sets out there. Again, for the price this model is a steal. There is another at Trains and Lanes I am going to grab (it's on sale) and I am going to build a JSDF version (many bulldogs were sold to Japan, the JSDF is the Japanese Self Defense Force). The model went together extremely well, so well in fact that I chose not to paint it. I liked the olive drab, and contrary to many statements olive drab varied in degrees of light and dark. My Ford GPA Jeep has a much darker olive drab. Many Walker Bulldogs also had a darker olive drab. It truly is the "American Tank", engineered for reconissance work at about 24-26tons in weight.

The wheels also went together very nicely, and I like the added bonus that I can play with the tank if I want to fiddle with it on my desk. The wheels move. The tracks move with the wheels. The turret also rotates on a turret ring and I can switch headlights on or off. I can also flip hatches up or down. The decals that came with the kit are water slide transfer decals and were of excellent quality, which I have come to expect from Tamiya since I consider them one of the best if not the best in the model kit making industry. One thing about the Japanese- they make good stuff.

I only put so many decals on and they add personality to the tank. I only added the model number under the front portion of the hull and the american stars. I was going to add the numbers that came with the tank, but I didn't for two reasons. One was I wanted to add more personality to my tank, and two the film in between numbers may show as a result of weathering- and I don't have the patience to cut each one out carefully. I wanted a good looking tank with a medium amount of work and effort.

I can't understand why today's tanks are in the $40.00 to $50.00 range when kits like this exist. The value can't be beat for the amount of detail contained within the box. This is a kit someone could pick up with no modeling skills and be happy with afterwards. For what this kit is, I give it two thumbs up and I will be picking up a second one and doing a JSDF version.

M4a1 Walker Bulldog Progress, Part 4

Having the day off today, I worked up the ethic to work on some models. I decided to do a lot of work today on the Walker Bulldog. I started off by cutting the holes to the upper parascope windows. *smack head* I screwed up on the very first window, so I shaped it a bit more so that it looks nice, but is not accurate (which is fine). I slitted the other windows with a sharp x-acto knife and I will install glass tomorrow (clear polystyrene).


I did add glass to the driver's parascopes. I then decided today that once and for all I would finish the LED system. I also decided that the push button switch was too much of a hassle, so I chucked it (put it in a bin!) and bought a simpler switch at radioshack that works great. I routed all of the fiber optic I wanted and cut them all even lengths. I then drilled out the headlights carefully and cemented them to the upper hull. I fit the fiber optic through the searchlights and then had the fiber optic ends put over a soldering iron- this "mushrooms" them out and makes the viewing angle larger (kudos to my roommate who used this technique on his HO trains).


I then carefully painted the exterior fiber optic black. Next I bunched all the F.O. together with tape. To reflect light back into the space and out the headlights, I wrapped the F.O. and LED together, then wrapped both in aluminum foil (or a pop-tart wrapper, which I used in my Missouri). I taped everything down to secure it then super glued the switch to the bottom of the hull, using a battery opening to allow the switch to poke through; so now I can switch the lights on and off with the press of a switch at the bottom of the tank. The 9v battery should last 30 hours on continuous shine before needing replacement. I was worried that you could see into the tank through the driver parascopes, and I got the opposite effect- instead you get this cool green ambiance from the green tape I am using.


The upper parascope windows need sanding (rough plastic from grinding) and I am doing my best there to clean them up. Other than that, tomorrow I will install the headlight guards and hopefully the handrails. I need to find my box of paints gosh darnit! I can't remember where I put them when I came back from college. *sigh*, gotta clean the closet, I think the box was in there? Anywhoo, I need the paint to paint the shovels and picks that are in the front section of the tank, and I am debating muffler-section covers. Pics to follow soon; lost the camera again and will borrow Mom's.