1/200 Speed Grade Collection: MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam

From Gunpla

1/200 + fully colored + very minute details + reasonably good articulation, all for only less than 40 bucks; for a quick modeling fix is something hard for me to pass... i chanced upon it at a local hobby/toy store; a 1/200 release from Bandai which has a lineup of 4: Wing Gundam, RX-78-2, God Gundam & Zeta Gundam (the only one available then).

From Gunpla

From Gunpla

From Gunpla

Speed Grade ~ only roughly 60 pieces to snap-up & assemble in a dime, for display...

From Gunpla

From Gunpla

Though, it actually took me quite a while to complete it, coz i took the tedious effort to touch up & panel line each of the tiny parts... *phew!*

From Gunpla

From Gunpla

Aside from its trademark weapon & accesories, the kit also comes with a sturdy figure display base & stand.

From Gunpla

From Gunpla

From Gunpla

From Gunpla

From Gunpla

From Gunpla

Close-up shots with the aid of my newly christened PZ42X speedlite ;p

From Gunpla

Size comparison with SD Rx-78-2. That's how tiny it is... =)

Project MG RX-75 Guntank ~ Part I: Core Fighter

From Gunpla

I've picked this project to start first over MG Exia coz i'm just too eager to checkout its unique gimmicks & how the parts are put together. The RX-75 Guntank is hardly the best looking Gundam out there, but box art & the manual prints are impressive enough to make it look more appealing.

From Gunpla

I began by assembling the Core Fighter Unit first, which is made up of a considerable amount of parts; almost twice as much compared to that of the RX-78-2 Version 1.0

From Gunpla

From Gunpla

From Gunpla

The assembled unit in Fighter plan mode here looks quite simplistic, though features a fair bit of moveable parts to enable it to transform Core Fighter & a cool 90deg swivel movement of the fighter cockpit to get into correction orientation for both modes. The clear part of the landing gears & wheels is to be removed when in Core Figther mode.

From Gunpla

From Gunpla

Head-to-head comparison with the Core Fighter Plane unit of RX-78-2 Version 1.0; the latter has a more appealing animation color scheme to my liking, but articulation-wise is quite limited & the RX-78-2 actually has a separate non-transformable Core Fighter unit. No decals for the RX-75's unit though. That about wraps up Part I.

In the past week...

I haven’t had much time to update since the past week, with my workload piling up most notably my gunpla WIP =p, & having to put up with the hassles of getting my ride up & operational again after a major brake failure.

From Miscellaneous

Early this week, my eneloop rechargeable batteries shipment from Sashinki finally arrived, but i’ve yet to start playing with my virgin speedlite =p

From Miscellaneous

Focus test chart ~ i guess this is how it’s supposed to work; checked OK!

From Gunpla

Yet another impulse purchase on an impromtu visit to one of the local toy shops, thanks to my gunpla-crazed housemate... 1/200 Speed Grade collection ~ worth every cent of its 39.90 tag. Reviews coming soon.

From Rides

Finally sent my car for its long awaited brake system upgrade in the form of brake pads change & OEM rubber brake hoses replacement with IMP stainless steel braided brake hose kit, for better braking efficiency & eliminate spongy pedal ‘feel’ under heavy braking.

From Rides

From Rides

From Rides

From Rides

OEM rubber brake hose kit Vs high performance stainless steel braided brake hose kit

OEM rubber hose kit generally have an average lifespan of about 3 years; in the case of my old ride, it could very well be a ticking time bomb on the countdown to burst. They tend to swell with age and this may restrict fluid flow thus, causing sponginess pedal ‘feel’ when braking.

In comparison, the stainless steel braided hose kit is of sturdier construction with Teflon inner lining & stainless steel overbraid which gives it added strength & flexibility, durability to handle extreme pressures & temperatures without fatigue or failure.

From Rides

From Rides

Faded brake pads Vs new pads from AFI

*claimed to bite stronger but at the expense of its slightly shorter than OEM lifespan; we’ll find out soon

From Rides

From Rides

From Rides

A friend’s car getting its wheels blinged with supercool & expensive TRD lugnut set

From Rides

From Rides

Other nice rides spotted at the establishment...

With weak Point A of the braking system eliminated, unfortunately it wasn’t happily ever after just yet, as the other remaining weak points, namely the brake master pump seal & brake separator valve seal, started to leak not long after (maybe due to the aging rubber components in those part’s inability to handle the pressure exerted by the newly topped up brakefluid couple with a now more efficient back-end of the brake system), rendering me car-less for a couple of days as the problem gets rectified at my friend’s workshop -_-

From Rides

From Rides

Once out, it’s back to Big Wheels again, to have 2 of the balding Advan Neovas at the rear replaced with another set of pricey semi-slicks; the Bridgestone Potenza RE001 Adrenalin; sized at 195/55R15, now for the 1^st time in about half-a-year since i replaced 2 of my front rubbers with Toyos, my car will have equal sized tires all around... (previously running AD07 195/55R15 on all fours before i replaced them with the thicker Toyos 2 piece at a time; unfortunately i’ve sourced the whole Miri for the same rubber, but without any success)

From Rides

Bumped into another fairly new Japanese exotic ~ the 370Z Fairlady with nice bolt-on mods...

From Rides

Checkout the its nice rear – more Porshe-like looking now...

From Rides

It’s in the process of getting brand new Volk GT-C 20” wheels fitted on. How much if you may ask? If i sell off my car for cash now, i could probably afford only 2 of those wheels. MYR25,000 for a set of bling-bling; shouldn’t be too much to ask for one who can afford a brand new 370Z. =)

Project MG RX-178 Gundam Mk-II Ver. 2.0: Titans Prototype Mobile Suit ~ Final

This would be the wrap up for this Project after pulling a late night to apply the decals to complete the kit. Overall, i like the sophisticated design & unconventional color scheme of the MK-II Titan, however body proportion-wise, the size of its head is a little too small, i find; perhaps to allow for movement with the Vulcan Pod unit attached. For the poses, i tried to get it to mimick some of the awesome stances of the Humable Model Gundam RX-78-2 as reviewed by Ngee Khiong. This time, i utilized my standard kit lens thru the shoot which, gave me better maneuverability to compose my shots, given the constraint of my tiny room =p

From Gunpla

He'll look great with clear parts armor on the exposed half of his body. Any willing donors? =p

From Gunpla

Standard issue arsenals with great details, including the Hyper Bazooka, Beam Rifle, Retractable Shield, Light Sabers & some additional ammos.

From Gunpla

From Gunpla

From Gunpla

Great looking backpack with quad-thrusters & a pair of reach-back light saber housing

From Gunpla

Very Matador like...

From Gunpla

Glowing eyes, no battery operated LEDs needed! =p

From Gunpla

From Gunpla

He may have a little trouble reaching back for the beam saber with the shoulder armor in place...

From Gunpla

Not constipation, but in ready-for-take-off mode, heheh...

From Gunpla

Which is the better looking of the two?