Revival: MG Wing Gundam Zero Custom

Since it is frozen outside, I won’t be able to complete my HG Destiny Gundam. So instead of sitting around, I’ll just hop on over to my next project. I know I have a HG Kshatriya review pending as well but that model also have to wait for better weather so I can topcoat it. This project, however, can be started on for the time being.

I’ve been meaning to do this for years now. Starting with the MG Wing Zero Customer, this will the first of a few “Revival” projects that I will be taking on between new regular projects. As the title implies, I will go back to some of my older models that I didn’t do all that great (read: terrible) of a job on and breathe some fresh life into them for a re-review (revival review). Just look at miserable this model is! glaring nub marks, no panel lining, feathers in the wrong spot, foil stickers…. oh yea, I should definitely fix it up.

So I have taken the model apart, give it a good wipe down to remove years of dust, and now in the process of cleaning up all the nub marks with my modeler’s knife. It won’t be perfect as if I freshly built it but hopefully, it will still be a huge improvement. After all that is all finished, I’ll finally apply the marking stickers (decals long gone). I didn’t use these markings back then because I was still a newbie and too scared to apply them ^^;.

Those nubs though… Anyway, I’m sure I’ll break some pieces in the process but the end result hopefully won’t be worse than before. I am also removing all the green foil stickers and painting those areas instead. Basically, bringing the model up to date with how I currently do things.

Back in the old days, some Gundam models only have inner frames for the legs and polycaps for most of the joints.

The hardest part but probably the one that makes the biggest difference are the wings. This part is one tricky business since panel lining can ruin the “angelic” aesthetic effect of the wings so I have to be careful how I ink the lines. I sort of have an idea, a panel line style and technique of sorts, that I think would work well highlighting the wings’ details. Still working on it now so will have to see if it turns out well at the end.

Although I am working on this now, I’ll probably do the review after HG Destiny and Kshatriya.

WISP 01: HG Destiny Gundam

Almost done with the 2005 HG Destiny Gundam. Should be able to get a review done before the end of the week. I was thinking of topcoating this model too but with all that foil sticker, I think I’ll just skip that step.

Just got the weapons to go!

HG RX-78-2 Gundam Ver. GFT Review

As I’ve promised, here is my first proper Gunpla review – The HG 1/144 RX-78-2 Gundam Ver.GFT. Check it out!

Man… it sure feels good (and a bit nostalgic) to be doing all this again. At first, I got a bit worried as my mind went blank figuring out how or where to start setting up poses. I’m like, “alright. It can’t be THATTT bad” but after awhile, I’ve finally felt like I was able to get back into it ^^;.

Still, my lighting equipment could use some upgrade. The shadows are cool but could be more well lit. Oh well. I’ll figure that out later.

Until next time!

Gunpla Chat 01: Expo City, Osaka

Although I have said that I want to eventually talk about my “missing years”, the fact is that so much “life” has happened during those times that I really don’t even know where to begin. Blogging? Gunpla? School? Career? Love life? No life? Soul searching? My destination?! RWARRRRRRR *ahem* Let’s start with the most relevant topic: Gunpla. And I will talk about it as we take a stroll through some of my memories of Japan starting with the Gundam statues at Expo City in Suita, Osaka.

Expo City is like an all-in-one center. Like a mega mall but even more going on. Amusement rides, playgrounds, movie theater, shops, and bunch of other things I forgot since I only came here to just shop since it was near where I stayed ^^;. That giant chicken looking statue thingy is called Tower of the Sun. This was also the site for the first World’s Fair in Japan back in 1970.

Oh right… Gunpla… As much as I still enjoy the hobby and occasionally get the desire to just start snipping and snapping away, I quickly lose motivation and confidence. Like an old laptop battery needing to be replace, I just can’t hold my motivational charge long enough to even start a model then it just dies. It’s not that I think little of this hobby but with so much on my plate of “life” at any given time, building Gunpla just doesn’t feel like the most productive thing that I could or should be doing- It was a really misguided view that I’ve developed under constant outside pressure from “life”.

I wouldn’t go so far as call Gunpla a waste of time though. I still understand the concept that something is worth the time if you enjoy it. My mind was just more career- and future-focused; what can I do now to improve my conditions for the future so I can get to where I want? Gunpla probably isn’t going to do that for me. I also have what some might call a one-track mind, focusing on my main subject of interest while everything else be damned.

Time… Time has been a recurring theme. I am always clamoring for more time. Time to do errands. Time to fix things. Time to see people. Time to learn new skills. Time to advance. Time to rest. Time running out. With all that, there is just no time to justify to myself to build a plastic kit. It would be nice to be like Ash Ketchum/Satoshi and seemingly stay the same age even after almost 20 years and continue building Gunpla but reality has other plans.

Then there is age. I am at the point in my life where I am far from old but not exactly young anymore and the perspectives that I am seeing all around me are rather disillusioning. The generation of people after me whom I used to see as little kids are now either in college or entering the workforce. My generation of people now either have settled-down full time careers, ready to buy a house, getting married, preparing to have kids of their own, or already went home to be a family man. Even though I have a career job of my my own, I still feel as if I were a teenager and still wanting to do fun, stupid things instead of getting the rest of my $#!^ together like them. I don’t exactly care to catch up but I sometimes can’t help but to feel like I am stuck in the past. Is it time to move on forward? I wondered. It also doesn’t help when family members are constantly berating you for not being like the more “successful” people.

After seeing a few of what I’ve mentioned above, I somehow came to the realization and understanding that I don’t want any of that. Yet. It’s almost like I was put off by the notion of “settling down”. Do not want. Call it an epiphany or whatever but I still want to be a free spirit while I am still able to. To travel around, mess around, discover more of what else is out there, and ENJOY life my own way. Do my own things and go my own path. Not aim for the accepted norms.

So now that I’ve finally come to terms with myself and relaxed a bit, I can finally convinced myself that I can enjoy Gundam models for a bit again while still aiming for my future goals.

TL;DR version: Relax. Everyone needs a hobby. Do what makes your own life enjoyable.

Thanks!

New Blog Layout

Alright… as I have said in my earlier post, this site could definitely benefit from some refreshing. And this is the new look. I must say I am quite fond of this new theme as it allows me to display my highlight photos larger than the previous long-running one that I have been using (or left on) which you will see when I post my reviews.

Speaking of reviews, I have not looked at ANY gunpla reviews the past few years. None. I am barely even caught up with model releases (“WOAH! MG GUNDAM DOUBLE X!”). Are personal blogs even popular anymore? I ran through my blogroll and was dismay that many stopped around the same time I did or the year after. Very few people soldiered on and I salute them for their dedication and effort. As such, I have removed the links from my blogroll. Heh… it’s not like this blog is currently sending any traffic anywhere anyway. At the very least, it cleans this place up a bit. Of course, if you are still blogging and want to exchange links then please feel free to drop me a line.

Now for my first project since 2012… a HG Panda’gguy. Hey, I am taking it easy ^^;. Heh… so this is what Bandai is up to these days. Interesting…

Expect a review in a day or so.

Back to Gunpla

*looks around the place… brushes off some dust* Well… this place has certainly aged well (not). I can’t believe that I’ve been gone for over four (4!!!!) years but it’s time to get back into the game – Gunpla reviews! Now I haven’t even touched a gunpla, let alone build one, during those missing years so there is definitely some rust I need to polish off. The same goes for photography. And many other things. Damn… there sure is a lot to catch up on. Hopefully I can find my groove again before long.

First off, this site will need some layout refresh. Looking at it now, it’s like “dayummm… this place looks so dated!” so I’ll be changing stuff around here and there to clean this place up a little. Do note that while this place will still be called “Gunpla Inochi”, I have sadly lost my domain and have reverted back to the freebie fudoushin.wordpress.com. Oh well. It’s not the name but the contents here that define this place!

Now for the burning question that nobody is asking… “WHERE ON EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN ALL THIS TIME, Z?!!” *ahem*… To put it shortly for now, I had a serious case of “life happened” and fell off the face of the Earth after hitting rock bottom. I know it’s not exactly a proper answer after being MIA for so long but I also don’t want to immediately drop a wall of text here on Day 1. I will dive deeper into this later through separate posts but for the moment, let’s put this subject aside for more important matters at hand… like Gundams.

I don’t know how long I can do this again but this Gunpla passion of mine is still burning red, and as you can see, at least my arsenal is prepared so… time for some Gunpla!

HAPPY 2017!

-Z

Gunpla Inochi: To Be Continued…

Hello Everyone,

I deeply regret telling you all this but… my time here is up. I really wished I could’ve went out with a bang instead of quietly disappearing like this. I was hoping to finish the Kshatriya then move onto the MG FA Gundam and ending it with the MG Deathscythe. That’s not possible now. What a crappy and lame ending this is -_-;

Well, I can’t do anything about it now since I am far away from home. I won’t be closing this place down or anything though; this will just be a long “official” hiatus. I’ll try to bring this place back to life once again hopefully starting next summer if anyone still cares. I know I’ll still care for sure. Yea… sorry for disappointing all of you. I’ll totally understand if you want to leave some hate comments ^^;. I deserve a few at least.

Like I’ve mentioned in my return post, I am starting a new chapter of my life right now which I want to share with all of you when I get things set up and ready to go. It should be fun and interesting I hope. It will be different that’s for sure. It’s a whole new world after all. A whole new familiar world.

So yea… this is it for now. Thank you for all your support all these years. It was all in good fun while it lasted. It has been a pleasure.
– Z

Cracked Paint

Maybe I should have double checked my paint chemistry or something before working on this and I wouldn’t have run into this problem. But what’s done is done; I was gonna topcoat the Kshatriya a few days ago until I noticed the black paint on the trims are cracking. I wonder if this is due to the type of paint in the Gundam paint marker mixing on acrylic (the white paint)? Now I need to come up with a solution where I can fix this without starting over or ruining the look too much. The parts look like shit now. blah.