RG Gundam Mk-II Build – Detailing and some Features

Showing you how the whole building process is plainly boring so instead, I will show you some bits that are interesting in this grade of the ever-famous (to old-school peeps) Gundam Mk-II from AEUG. 

First, they still included the hydraulics hose effect seen in MG and PG versions of the Gundam Mk-II and this makes the RG more interesting in terms of details because most of the RG units are like MG models shrunk to 1/144 scale. In fact, building this part was kind of difficult for me since I am not good at handling smaller parts but I managed to build it well.

The whole model is really interesting except that it cannot do kneeling properly, despite having the new mechanism to do better leg articulations but that does not matter much, really, especially if you learn that this Gundam in the story is meant to be operated in space most of the time.

Other details include the amazing hydraulics on the feet, the hoses at the back of the legs as well as on the thrusters and the joints.  Although the hydraulics on the feet does not have the MG and PG model’s silver plated parts to show a metallic effect, but it’s okay as this is quite small model and you hardly notice the feet’s internals.

Next would be some detailing I wanted to do to avoid using the shiny and glossy stickers. I will do this the first time: coating the unpainted model then put on the panel lines and stickers. I will update you soon on that part. Other than that, the detail on the shield, particularly the yellow bits at front are also put into life using stickers but I evaded the use of stickers by using paint. I tried this on my MG Mk-II and it went well as it was fairly easy but not on this one.

So I tried doing the same for this one and it did not turn out that well. There were excess paint outside the desired areas and even affected the inside of the shield. This is due to the tape I used. I used magic tape instead of using masking tape as I cannot find any masking tape around. 😦

But it is not that of a big matter, really. What I did was pop out a small, super-duper fine sand paper and removed the excess paint. Tada~! It looked better. :)) It was sent for coating as well. 🙂

Now, just to be sure that the Matte coating will not affect the clear parts, I removed the camera/lighting clear parts on the chest and for the head camera and eyes, I dismantled it and covered them with tape. Simple! I reassembled them back, no need to bring them into position properly as you will not be able to do that due to the tape. Coat!

So just to be sure that the clear parts were not affected, I brought out a light to check. Since it is shiny and crystal-clear, then the covering technique worked. I dismantled the head again, removed the tape, and reassembled the head properly and tightly.

That is what I have done so far. I forgot my pen for panel-lining at the office so all that the Gundam got for now in terms of the detail was the coating. xD I will post a second time with the Gundam done with stickers and panel lines. 😀

 

 

The toughest gadget I encountered so far

…and it is my laptop, a Lenovo Y410. Well, technically it’s not really mine. The story goes like this: when our desktop is facing deterioration and everything required new hardware, my mom finally agreed to purchase a new set of  hardware and we gunned down for a Lenovo. It is more expensive than the laptops equipped with 3D accelerators and high-end Intel processors nowadays but the high price is worth the pay because of something else and something very important: Build Quality.

This laptop of mine is turning three years next year and it’s still working fine. Although it fails sometimes but it doesn’t let you down once you try to revive it after its fainting. It is equipped with Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1 GHz dual core processor, an Intel X3100 Graphics Media Accelerator Card for not-so-intense graphics applications, and some upgrades for RAM (from 1GB to 3GB) and hard drive (120GB to 250GB). Pre-installed with rubbish OS Windows Vista Home Premium but I changed it to Windows 7 Professional by the time I got the guts as well as the laptop to change the OS. My ownership took shape when everybody else were tired of having a shared computer and started getting their own. :))

So what about build quality? The brand “Lenovo” is actually a chinese-owned computer manufacturing company which took over IBM’s personal computer business by 2005.  That’s why the usual IBM’s “ThinkPad” is now under Lenovo’s lineup. Although there’s the fear that the quality has dropped since it’s a chinese company taking over IBM’s PC manufacturing but I don’t think it did because I think what Lenovo has done was to just take the IBM manufacturing division and still let them continue what they usually do but all output will be labelled Lenovo. 😀 Which means that the blast-proof IBM build quality is still there.

How to prove it? My laptop, as I’ve said, is turning three years old. Aside from the DVD Rambo drive which failed after a year, everything’s running fine and smooth. The DVD Drive is actually a faulty one and I don’t know where Lenovo sourced this particular drive. To add up to that, a Rambo drive (one that doesn’t have a disk tray and only has an opening where you will insert the CD/DVD) is one type of CD/DVD drive which is more prone to damage, mainly because of it’s constant exposure due to a permanent opening for the disc. The rest of the laptop is working well.

This build quality was tested when I accidentally dropped the laptop to a rough, concrete floor. I was going down from our vehicle and I forgot to zip-lock my bag’s laptop pocket and the laptop fell from about 3-4 feet above the ground, with once of the laptop’s corners hitting the concrete floor. I immediately checked everything: screen, ports, keyboard, touchpad, laptop-specific buttons and all devices such as graphics, bluetooth radio and WiFi and to my surprise, everything is working fine. The screen, though, is dislocated but it’s dislocated by less than a millimeter so there’s no big fuss about it, nothing’s bothering me with my view on the screen.

All I had to do every now and then is clean the fan and the heat sink fins so that my laptop could get its optimal cooling everytime.

Other tortures?

I usually put my can of drink above the palm rests when I’m using the laptop on my bed since I don’t I have any firm surface to place my drink. I eat a lot while using the computer and some bits of the food goes into the keyboard but they keyboard still responds fine. Oh, speaking of the keyboard, none of the keys have faded but I guess it depends really on the person who uses it.

I was offered to have a replacement unit with an ASUS one, equipped with first generation Intel i5 and NVIDIA CUDA 1GB. I told them I don’t like a swap because one, it’s one more year before I graduate. Second my laptop contained authentic software I did not have to pay for, such as the Full-Fat Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus and the Windows 7 Professional as well. Third, and the most cheesy of all, this computer stores most of the memories of my college life and I can’t afford someone owning this and starting to erase everything for his/her own use.

So, there you have it. Not an iPod touch, not the old Nokia 5110 but this laptop. 😀

Fiddling with the camera again. [and photoshop. :D]

Yeah. I was bored yesterday night and as I walked to the kitchen, I saw my brothers mini-tripod and suddenly decided to shoot a couple of pictures of my gadgets. I only chose the ones that can fit my mini studio. 😀 Since I decided to set the White Balance to Auto, some pictures needed post-processing. I will be uploading the pictures as soon as the bandwidth of our internet becomes more free. 😀

From the Dust: MG 1/100 RX-178 Gundam Mk-II

Yup, it’s been a while since I took some shots of this only Gundam model kit of mine. Well, not really “only” but the only model kit I took seriously in building it. It’s the remarkable Gundam Mk-II from the Zeta Series of Universal Century. 😀 Confusing? Yes.

My older brother, who’s really into these model kits, bought me this one as a birthday present just for me to experience building gundam model kits with precision tools, paints and markers to make it realistic. I even got some enamel paints, the transparent ones, and paint thinners for the eyes and cameras.

Eventually, we ran out of space here in the house which led to the storage of this modelkit and the other ones. This also led to some damages on the model kits. For example, in this Gundam Mk-II, the right side armor on the waist is already broken. I still have to get an adhesive for that.

When I brought that Gundam out, I did not have the time to clean the dust. Moreover, I think it will look nice as it will give a weathered look, together with the other stains from trying to articulate the body frame many times. The camera used was my brother’s trusty 400D with a 50mm f1.8 lens. Still practicing on this lens rather than the kit lens (18-55mm). And I am also trying to sharpen my skills on photography without relying on Canon’s Image Stabilizer, which makes this 50mm f1.8 prime lens perfect for the training. 😀

Hobbies

I was building a diorama during my summer class but then I was halted because of my alarming major, Engineering Mathematics 103. So what was left was the wall structure and flooring. I’m suppose to buy another illustration board for the ceiling and the roof as well as wires to make the lighting system. Poor LED’s in my coin box, that’s the only place where I can keep them. I have to buy red felt paper (is it really called felt?) as well as print the wall design of the dealership. Oh yeah, the diorama I’m building is a dealership of Nissan. I already bought one unit of Tomica – Nissan GT-R for that, just to see if the car would fit perfectly. I’m also planning on fitting one 370Z, a Nissan van and SUV. If budget permits me, I will buy more GT-R and SUV units. :D:D:D:D The image above are my Q-steer units last year. I haven’t serviced them, meaning replacement of batteries. I guess I’m losing interest in these things but hopefully not. I still love these things. 😀 That’s why I bought them! I wish I can still find time to work on them.

Replacing a 3.5mm Audio Jack – Geeky-ness

MY set of speakers from Edifier gathered so much dust that I wanted to replace the broken audio jack immediately. And so I asked my Dad to get me a replacement jack from an electronics shop, borrowed his soldering iron, Digital Multimeter and some tools like wire cutter and long nose pliers. Yes, definitely sounds like Electronics Engineering. I don’t know how this thing works, especially when I removed all insulations and found out that there’s three wires, instead of the supposedly-obvious two. Nevertheless, I pushed through, assuming that the big wire goes to ground (nah, skip that term).

The anatomy of a 3.5mm audio jack.

So I tried to know first the places to solder by checking the continuity of the terminals. After knowing where to solder the specific wires, I encountered the problem of knowing which one goes for the left and right speaker. Happily, the wires the same color indicators as the speaker plugs. 😀 However, I don’t know also where on the jack to solder the left and right wires. So I resorted to the last thing to do: internet. After knowing everything I need to know, I pushed through with soldering the wires. BOOM, it’s now working and working BAD-ASS again! 😀

Time to remove the dust! 😀

Now my BOOM BOX is working again. I still have one spare jack left and I think I’ll use it to replace the jack of the SENNHEISER headphones here. Now, there’s no need for me to pay the damages, I can mend the damages myself! Or maybe not… unless I get my own set of equipment. Oh well, cheers to heavy BASS! xD

My desire is going back

I stumbled on this while browsing through TAMIYA’s Japanese website:

I actually cannot afford this hobby but I’d be happy just to get one. YES! Just one unit and that would be fine. After getting one, I’ll focus on tuning. XD But to get it, I have to shave off Php 15,000 at least.

I already stopped dreaming about this expensive 1/10 scale Radio Controlled car but when this drift version of the Nissan GT-R came out, I suddenly want to get one. Especially it comes in Gun Metal Gray Color.. 😀 If only I can just get one. Just the car itself first since this comes in bits and pieces, doesn’t come as an RTR (Ready-To-Run). I really like to get one. Hohoho! This car then must cost at around Php 6K so I think I should start saving now if I still want to get this before I graduate. It’s gonna be a long term project, though. 😀

Nissan Dealership Diorama Project – Test Vehicle shots. :D

It’s been a while since I’ve focused on a hobby. Yes, I picked a new one and it’s building small-scale replicas of buildings called dioramas. I decided to build a Nissan Dealership and therefore required Nissan vehicles. The first vehicle I bought, just to see whether the scale can accomodate the market-sold car replicas, was the Nissan GT-R. 😀

As you can see, it’s far larger than the Q-steer/Choro-Q. Plus the Q-steer looks as if it’s not as serious wherein taking a Tomica would make the dealership look more realistic.The detail is also quite good despite being a Tomica on par with the matchbox and hotwheels. It’s not one of those Tomica Limited Versions that had better detailing but this cheapest line is still awesome as the important details are retained. Such as that GT-R logo on the grille.

I’m planning to get the Nissan Elgrand as well as the Nissan 370Z for the showroom area. Then I might get another set of those cars, preferably more GT-Rs and have them repainted. 😀

I’m a Tomica Collector when I was a kid and I know how nice it is to get it in this kind of packaging compared to the other competitors. It just looks rewarding. 😀

Choro-Q Hybrid Spotted!

I stumbled on this piece of familiar hobby at our local toy stores. 😀 Seeing the ~850 Php, it’s a bargain compared to the predicted price of around 1200 Php. 😀 Gotta save money!

Nokia N97 Theme for Nokia 5800 XM

I got a new phone, as seen from my last post and this phone is probably a new one, literally as I have no idea on what software or trickery it has. This touch phone is completely a new Symbian Platform dubbed as S60v5. 😀 This version is currently handled by the phones 5800XM, 5530XM, 5230, N97 and N97 mini. 😀 Hearing that this is an Xpressmusic phone, the theme would most likely be blaaaaaaaaack and sometimes I hate black. But then I ran across N97’s theme and I liked it. So, I went to the internet and found this:

I also got this screenshot app from Ovi Store. 😀 Looks nice. 😀 So now, my theme is pretty much the same as the N97’s. 😀 I love it. If you want to get the theme, you can get it from http://www.zedge.net. 😀