Figure Leaning

I posted this report over on Danny Choo- a common problem with anime figures is that they tend to lean after a while- although the solutions may be obvious if one thinks about them, I wanted to elaborate. Enjoy! technical jargon approaching.

Introduction

Figures are an icon of the Otaku culture and are beloved by fans everywhere for their amazing sculpts and attention to detail. Unfortunately some of our figures lean and bend after a couple of months to a few years. With my experience in manufacturing engineering I will attempt to explain what is going on with our figures. I cannot offer solutions to the problems, but I can present the problems to where think tanks can address them.MaterialsFigures are generally made out of Polyvinylchloride, more commonly known as PVC. This material is known for its rigidity in the construction industry across the world as a building material for pipes, ducts, etc. It is also used in toys and figures alike (minus the dangerous chemical DEHP). From the community I also heard ABS is used in figures. ABS is a very strong and rigid material, but is much more expensive than using PVC.

ABS, to my knowledge also has difficulties in applying plasticizers and additives, thus making figures more expensive to make (which you don’t want!).All about Polyvinylchloride (PVC)PVC is used in the construction industry for piping and has a great surface area in a tubular form (cylindrical, pipe, whatever you want to call it). PVC is very easy to work with and mold into shapes that are needed. Plasticizers and additives make the production process even easier: however there are serious drawbacks to using the two (IE- leaning).

PVC has a linear molecular structure which is common in thermoplastic polymers. Since this molecular chain is linear and basic, this form of thermoplastic polymer (PVC) tends to retain characteristics of an elastomer, or stretchy/rubber material. In short, PVC is flexible and stretchable. If you have ever tried to bend an arm on a figure to an extreme degree and let go, the wonder why the arm returns to its original position (I AM NOT INVITING YOU TO DO SO!) then this is why. Making FiguresIntuitively, the best way to make figures is to create a mold from the sculpted prototype, then go from there into production. Extrudate probably still comes out of an injection mold machine, then the material is poured into a mold (more than likely re-useable, and I am sure the plants have many of the same mold around). The mold is left to dry and harden, and then the figures are removed from the mold, inspected for quality and then painted by craftsmen/craftswomen with an airbrush.

Figures have more details than action figures- so the mold making process will be more complex and will cost the factory more money to produce a limited amount of figures. Don’t get me wrong- factories probably produce many figures, however compared to plastic bottles, screws, etc they are not making as near enough product as say a bottling factory. To mass produce is to save money, however with complex products that have a limited production run, sometimes it is more advantageous (and cost effective) for the factory to have limited runs and re-use those molds to attain the best level of detail possible.You are going to get what you pay for- figure making is a complex process where artists must sculpt a prototype, make changes, then a mold must be produced, more molds produced then the factory must make adjustments to machinery to begin a run of a certain figure. If you wondered why figures cost so much, it is much more than just import prices- it is the way figures are made and there is nothing that can be done to really lower the price in terms of selecting a better method.

Figure Design

Leaning is half a design problem rather than a chemical one. When PVC is molded into a shape using molds, the body is a solid structure rather than a hollow one. Doing this will increase the weight on the figure substantially if not properly distributed. If more weight is offset from the center of gravity and the legs are not strong enough to support the upper weight- bending, or deformation of the material occurs. Due to its elastic properties, PVC will retain its original shape, but will not stay in its previous place.

In short, the material is too flexible due to the plasticizer and additives added to the PVC during the injection molding process that produces extradite. Thus, it can be said that bending may be due to a improper placement of the center of gravity rather than the material being too heavy- though that may have something to do with it.Supports will be necessary to aid in the distribution of the offset weight. If the center of gravity is placed perfectly, and the legs are not designed to hold up this weight, then a perfect deformation should occur where the figure will “bend over” in the “bend over” pose (think Queens Gate Alice). If the center of gravity is off, like

I have seen in many figure photos, then the figure will lean in the direction of the displacement between the center of gravity and where it should have been. You would think pegs inserted into the legs would fix the problem- however this may exacerbate the situation by making the legs fixed and rigid. If the figure is not fixed, and the center of gravity is off, then the figure will simply fall over.

Conclusions

I said PVC was rigid in a tubular structure, but as a solid body (rigid PVC tubing is NOT a solid body) PVC is a thermoplastic that contains some elements of an elastomer. The job of an elastomer is to deform- rubber bands deform to absurd numbers and rubber tires are designed to change with air pressure to a certain PSI rating.

Plasticizing and adding additives to the manufacturing process is necessary in making the material more workable and to keep costs down. These and heat only add to the problem by giving the PVC an even more elastic structure. Figures are also flexible for another reason- it minimizes the chance of a defect as the PVC sets in the mold, thus why the additives and other stuff is added into the process.With that said and covered in the basics, does anyone have any ideas to secure their figures?

Each will require a unique solution; but perhaps an ugly solution (support bars made of brass or steel, that stuff is uber) can turn a sticky situation (NO pun intended) into a somewhat manageable one. After writing this article, I came back to read ornehx’s post on what Danny said was the main problem with leaning- well I guess I said the same stuff but used a bit more detail =).

Tengan Toppen Gurren Lagann

The Drill that will Break through the Heavens Gurren Lagann- phew what an anime! I just finished this series and I must say that it was well done for packing it into 27 episodes. I won't give away the storyline so I will refrain from making spoilers.

Simon is a kid who lives in Jeeha Village and he digs holes all day. Humanity was driven to the underground by a race of beings known as Beastmen who use Gunmen to defeat any humans who make it to the surface. Kamina, Simon and Yoko all make it to the top and team up with forces from Littner village to set off and fight for the freedom of the human race to live on the surface of the Earth. They must defeat the Beast King who rules over the Beastmen.

The series starts off GREAT and everything is great until about episode 8. Don't get me wrong- TTGL was an excellent series, but the energy and charisma of the show died at episode 8 completely, then did another 180 turn in the other direction towards the end of the series. There many messages Gurren Lagann presents:

• The human race changes and evolves every minute and second of existence.


• Believing in yourself can make the impossible possible.


• Believing in yourself and your friends is the path to the future.

I normally don't like people like Kamina who are boastful, but under the circumstances they were all put it I would be one to rally behind him and adopt the philosophy of Team Gurren Lagann. You get to really like him a lot in this series and all of the characters grow on you- if the creator did that then they did a good job of making the series. Gurren Lagann is truly one of the better anime series I have seen within the past decade- and there have been few anime series (under 30 or so maybe) that have caught my love. To top it all off- all the massive explosions and ridiculous stuff that the team does (and the comedy) is just awesome.

I would go as far as to say that Gurren Lagann challenges my beliefs not about my religion, but about my morality and how "I operate". It's not a bad thing- all the underlying messages (and believe me, there are many more) are great messages. Gurren Lagann doesn't grasp onto hope, but the idea that even in despair a person can make a difference and change the outcome, even if probabilities are zero.


I heard about an OVA? would like to see that.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Force Unleashed on the Xbox360- looks nice doesn't it?

So I have finished the Force Unleashed and I have to say that the game was a lot of fun. Without spoiling the storyline, I would like to give a constructive review on the Nintendo Wii Version. I will not spoil the end plot or any "major" details.

The Force Unleashed, a year before its release had a lot of hype- but not at the level Halo was. The developers boasted a brand new physics engine that realistically mimmicked Newtonian Physics. I will admit, picking up stormies (storm troopers) and choking them or throwing them is amusing and a lot of fun, initially. The storyline was put together very well and LucasArts did a great job along with the entire Lucas camp. Starkiller is a pretty likeable guy ("The Apprentice") and he does not disappoint.





The game is somewhat RPG in its structure: You gain experience points as you defeat enemies, whoever they might be. As you gain experience you can spend xp to upgrade your skills. Early on I would recommend upgrading lightning, sith scorcher and force repulse- they will come in handy later on. As you move through the levels you will discover objects like holocrons, saber crystals and powerups. Holocrons unlock bonus art in the Extras menu. Saber crystals can be split into two types: Combat and Color. Color crystals change the color of your saber while combat crystals enhance an ability like choke or "amplified lightsaber damage". Powerups increase your overall force bar or health bar.


I highly recommend playing the tutorials to learn the many moves you can perform in the game. I did not learn the moves well enough and I first ran into trouble against Darth Phobus. I will not go any further on story details, but the end boss can be very difficult on the Wii version because the end boss likes to SPAM, SPAM and SPAM. The moves are fun and very gratifying. Mini-boss battles can be against the likes of AT-STs. The game uses too many at-sts as mini-bosses and it gets very repetitive killing them. There is a lot of interaction with the environment; and I also don't need to go into the quality of the cutscenes- this is Lucasfilm, afterall (great stuff).





The game suffered from a few problems. First off, there would be random times near the middle of the game where the game would freeze and I would get a "Loading..." icon in the corner of the screen. This was very annoying to say the least. Like I said above, many mini-bosses got tiring and repetitive. Some missions were too long: but the game was too short. The duel mode contained a nice list of characters, but not enough options to make the duel mode enjoyable. Powerups cannot be turned off (in the duel mode's case, infinite life or force power) and you cannot control stock (lives) above 5.





The game also suffers in the graphics department on the Wii: this game looks so much better on the Xbox360, and I recommend buying that version of the game. If you are stuck with the Wii this game will still provide a lot of enjoyment, but not enough if you want to beat the game and fiddle with it. I completed the game in about 7.5 to 8 hours- for completists (getting everything) it may take longer. I give the Wii version a humble 3 out of 5, a mediocre game that offers some solid fun- for a little while.

Nintendo Releasing a new DS?

I caught wind of this, and maybe it is old news but Nintendo is releasing a new model of the Nintendo DS at the end of the 2008 in Japan. According to a Nikkei article, Nintendo wants to see how sales will perform in Japan before considering sales in the US, Canada and Europe. Personally, I think this thing is a bad idea- but then again Nintendo has sold most of their handhelds like chocolate fudge.

Apparantly the new DS will feature a built in camera, web browsing capability and it can act as an MP3 player. While all these things are nice, I don't think I will be forking over a little under $200 USD for one of these puppies. From a budget standpoint AND from a gamer's standpoint I am happy with my DS Lite, which I purchased around a year ago. I'm not too impressed with the new features, and I believe that Nintendo's old philosophy of "consoles for gaming" rings a true bell here- the new DS isn't necessary.

More over here:

Tom's Shot the Dog- Sayonara Toonami

Toonami, a broadcast run on cartoon network of popular shows such as Naruto and Ben Ten is shutting down. I remember the memories of Toonami back in 1998 when Gundam Wing was aired. I find it fitting to mention Toonami because back then when they aired DragonballZ and Gundam Wing, I was hooked. Their programming has slid ever since they finished DragonballZ, and in fact Cartoon Network has gone cheaper and younger. Shows like "Blu's House of Imaginary Friends" is so cheapy done that it makes me sick. Shows in the past like Pinky and the Brain, Tom and Jerry, Dexter's Laboratory, etc kick the living SNOT out of today's Cartoon Network.


It is a true shame and displeasure (or pleasure? Toonami and Cartoon Network as a whole now suck) that Toonami is being taken off the air. It seems that Cartoon Network wants to cater to a younger crowd, and even adult swim has been sucking lately. Ever since they started promoting Aqua Teen Hunger Force things went down the drain. I remember they brought classics like Gundam 08th MS Team and FLCL. Fond memories, and they leave me as I progress into the future. Tis not the end of the world, though.


Hijacked from DannyChoo-

Data Studio

Data Studio is a program used by many Physics Departments across the country- and our Physics labs here at Penn State Use Data Studio. The program is very versatile in measuring resonance, temperature, forces, and so forth. Today we completed an experiment to calculate heat transfer from water to a certain metal. Data Studio allowed me to measure the time, temperature, graphs and even a table telling me the initial temperature, initial data and a nice graph and chart that can be printed. Data studio, in general has allowed me to complete more accurate experiments by using software that is accurate.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed- Two Thumbs Up

crappy cell phone picture- Vader visits Gamestop!

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was released early Tuesday morning here around the local Gamestop and I already preordered my game. A gentleman walked through the locked front door (?) and out came Darth Vader! The Force Unleashed was released across multiple platforms and I bought the Wii version. The graphics leave a bit to be desired, but all in all this game is boss. The fights are a little too easy but the cinematics are enjoyable. I also like picking up stormies and throwing them into walls, or throwing things like parts to a wall at stormies. More on this a bit later- I must head to class.

The Force Unleashed has you playing as one of Darth Vader's apprentices. Your missions are to go around the galaxy hunting the last of the Jedi Order. Because Vader wants to keep your presence secret from the Emperor, you are free to kill Imperials or Rebels (like the Sith give a flying hoot about the Empire). The game has a lot of story to it and it is a lot of fun- LucasArts did a good job with the cinematics in style with the movies and other video games. You see stormie helmets on top of clone armor, and since this game takes place inbetween Episodes III and IV the empire is transitioning to regular soldiers over the clone troopers. The AT-ST and AT-ATs have also been developed by the game's timeline.

Some of the moves you can pull off are just sadistic. I love holding enemies with a choke then force throwing my lightsaber into their gut! I also like the force repulse which sends a group flying if they gang up on you. I love force lightning and force pommel- during force pommel you hold someone and then smack them with nearby objects. The game has been easy for the most part, but Darth Phobus was somewhat of a challenge for me until I went back and learned the mechanics of the game. I completed the tutorial and had little problems beating her.

This is a must for Star Wars fans and I think the casual gamer is gonna like it too. The sick moves and strategy will attract hard core gamers- so all in all this game should be a hit, but not quite the hit of Halo, SSBBrawl or Metal Gear Solid 4. I have yet to investigate the duel mode, and a few people on campus are complaining about a lack of co-op and 4 player abilities. The co-op omission makes sense- Vader won't have two apprentices. I would have liked to see 4 player in the duel mode though (multiplayer). The graphics are good for Wii standards, but not gorgeous. Xbox 360 owners are going to love the look of this game.


Pick it up- you (and I) are gonna have a lot of fun with it.

Measuring Potential, Necessary Handicaps and Skill at Brawl

A couple of days ago I went public with my system that I developed for Brawl. I have expanded upon the system and it will calculate:

1) Brawl Playing Ability combined with fighting skills (items and no items)

2) Forecasted Potential

3) Necessary Handicaps

1) The system was originally designed to be an analysis tool for me to measure how I stacked up against others on campus. I also knew that there were good players on campus, but I wanted to assign a number to their abilities based on a scale we all know- the CPUs difficulty. The system works by taking a player's kills over his falls, times the level of the reference times divided by Dean's number, which for a level 9 is 1.037. I take my level in samples and weekly to plot a graph of how I am doing.

2) From this I can clearly see if I am playing for better or worse that week. I can calculate an "average" level and I can also have excel predict my maximum potential. Arbitrarily you can get as good as anyone with loads of practice- so if we were to say that me having no match against someone 7 levels hire than me is false, then we can say that this potential is the measure of difficulty it will take you to train to become a better player. In short, over a long period of time there are players with a natural "knack" for the game. They can play, and they can play well.

3) Knowing that I would face my roommate often, he is going to kick my rear end to kingdom come (and I fight on a level 9!). Instead of him inflating his score by facing weak opponents- we are going to make it harder for him. Set up a manual handicap according to level difference and now the game becomes a challenge for him. We can also set auto-handicaps and let the system do it based on our past couple of games, if we play more than one.

Data and numbers are great- they tell you a lot of things if you are honest with yourself. I have reached a lot of conclusions based on this system:

.

• Using items is an inflator: It will naturally give you a higher level as the circumstance arises.


• People have a natural tendency to pick up this game and become really good, or struggle to get better. This is the combat potential.


• Over time a person's level will even out on the graph, determining a true level.


• Honesty! The system can be easily cheated, but you're only fooling yourself.


• Handicaps allow the weaker players to face the stronger ones on even playing terms. I'm powerful, but I still need a handicap! (I am a level 9 fighting a level 16!)


• Brawl uses a lot of the same math as my system does to calculate auto-handicaps.

I am all for having fun with the game and this system is in place to tell me everything I want to know- however I don't want it used any other way. This experiment was enjoyable for me because I was able to assign a number to an ability that otherwise would not have any significane. If people want to use this to see who really is the best around then that is great, but egos are VERY quick to inflate heads. .

Is Brawl Too Competitive?

Super Smash Bros Brawl is a great game: but what happens when you throw in a bunch of good gamers with big heads? A mess for the rest. Lately I have been finding that Brawl is getting way too competitive around the campus, and this ego of a "kings tourney" has me feeling "ehhhh" and probably the rest of the campus and gaming guild.

This is purely why I don't like introducing systems that I develop if they are going to be used for this purpose. I developed this system to analyze how I stacked up against other folks and how I grow as I track my progess; I will not allow my system to be used to inflate already large heads. In fact I don't want to get involved with confrontations either- so it is best I take a break from Brawl for a while (yeah right!) and play on my own or with close friends. My idea of sharing this system was that others could track their progress and get better- not inflate their heads and then complain about how someone 7 levels lower than them is spamming a technique to get their level up. I encrypted the system and am pulling it back.

Gurren Lagann Volume 1

Gurren Lagann is an instant classic- it combines mecha and humor very well. Simon is a digger for his village- they live underground and they need to keep digging to expand the village. Kamina, Simon's "blood brother" helps him drill out of the village and back up onto the surface. They meet Yoko along the way as they battle Gunmen and the Beastmen who drive them. We learn from Commander Viral that beastmen can be part of the human mop-up squad, so beastmen are out to kill humans. Gurren Lagann is a great anime and I have the equivalent of not being able to put a book down with watching this series. There is emotion in the voices (they sound like they mean it) and I love the humor. I recommend the series if you are able to pick it up.

Lucky Star DVD Volume 3

Heheh. MMO time.

Gah, Moe Point!

Ca-shing! I would dream to enter a shop like this- all I have is borders (good selection though!)

Moe point #2!

I love Kagami's new hairdo! She should stick with that. Maybe it's the eye style the manga-ka used that makes her attractive?

Yet again some funny stuff. and this DVD is going more into the personal lives of the girls! Not THAT personal life, but we are learning more about them then we have in the first 8 episodes. This episode we will follow Konata, Kagami and Tsukasa to Comiket and Tsukasa will learn exactly how exhausting Comiket can be.. (Kagami has been there and done that, with reluctance). In this DVD they also display the strip regarding static electricity.





Kagami tries to open the door- gets shocked, then Tsukasa, same thing, then Miyuki- same thing. Konata tries to open the door and Kagami says "No!" and Konata quickly replies "Yes" and doesn't get shocked, LOL. Yes, I laughed out loud. The DVD is accurate of the actual Comiket- the rare stuff sells out first and that's why people line up early to get the stuff. Comiket stands for "Comic Market". I also liked how Miyuki read her book waiting to see the doctor about a cold and she didn't even hear her name called- she is a confirmed Perceiving type now! (P)(, I did a post regarding MBTI and Otaku on DannyChoo.com)





Again a now brainer- if you like the Lucky Star series then this is a must to pick up. Best Buy and BestBuy.com are selling it for $19.99 USD- I also picked up Gurren Lagann as per my previous post- that was also enjoyable. Keep your eyes peeled for a picture review of that soon as well.

Monday Feature- The I Love Pennsylvania Series

Lake Ontelaunee is a protected watershed in Berks County- where fishermen, RC Hobbyists (me) and tourists are discouraged (sight-seers welcome!). Protected by law, 3.8 billion gallons.

Lehigh Valley- if you wonder where your milk comes from, some of it comes from this farm and another in Evansville! The cows are saying "eh what the heck?" as I stand there and take pictures of them. Plenty of room inside for 'em to lay down, a unhappy cow will NOT produce good milk.

I have lived in Pennsylvania since about 2003 and there is a lot to love about the Keystone State. Until I run out of scenery photos then I will stop the series, and until then I will release 2-5 wallpapers a week (good for 17inch screens and smaller). Enjoy!

9210 Yen Worth of Loot

Yeah Best Buy got me again -__-.

I went in to buy Lucky Star this afternoon and found it waiting for me- but then they just HAD to put Gurren Lagann next to it- I grabbed every DVD I could of it and it turns out I bought the entire series! I can't wait to watch it all- I have a schedule to follow, homework to do, and a possible upcoming research assistant position to fill. School's back, eh?

The Man on the Budget gives the Green Light for Xbox 360

Well Microsoft finally did it- they are offering their arcade model Xbox 360's at a retail price of $199 USD. Even though I am on a tight budget, the Xbox 360 is now on my target list of things to get, along with all the good games I missed. I would have bought it at $300USD, but now the price decrease has motivated me to pick up a 360. I assume Sony will want to release a "PS3 Lite" as well at around $200USD, it is probably a matter of time. Bare essentials- thats all I need to make me happy, folks.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10031978-52.html

Inside Solidworks by David Murray

Inside Solidworks by David Murray allows one to sharpen and hone their skills in Solidworks and learn more advanced techniques. The book assumes that you know the basics of Solidworks and the book works with you on each project and offers advice as to where you may make mistakes. Although the book is written for Solidworks 2006, it should work with either SW07 or SW08. Our class is using Solidworks 2008. This is a great textbook and I highly recommend it- though the readings can be tedious they are informational and helpful.

Penn State Berks 50th Anniversary

IDF Merkava Progress

I am making slow, but steady process on the Merk. Last post I may have said that the kit has been fitting together perfectly- and although it has been doing so there have been a few pieces that had to be glued old fashioned style- they were not secure longtitude wise so they could set a degree off or so- I fixed that problem by binding the piece in question with tape then gluing from the inside- it held well.


Another thing I can do is apply seam filler to the inside as well because the Merk will be painted another shade of desert tan. I worked on the rear fender and assembled the turret barrel. Unfortunately this kit is a bit older so there is no barrel elevation (? why?). The suspension and wheels are assembled, but the wheels need painting and the suspension needs weathering.


This project is going to be about details, details and more details. It's always the small stuff that takes the most time- and I know a lot more parts will need to be glued the old fashioned way "smirks". Here are some more photos of reference material.

Katana Disassembly

Chara Hobby 2008

Linking yourself over to Danny Choo for this one- quite a few tickled my fancy! Chara Hobbby '08 looked awesome- both the figures and the mecha. Photos courtesy of Mr. Choo- thanks for the coverage Danny! Danny is getting a lot of traffic as of late, so be patient and keep refreshing if the page loads slowly.

More mecha coverage 1