Dinner

Sometimes its hard to get the girls to eat since
they tend to be very 'choosy' when it comes to
food. For example, they like fries and sausages
but once you get it ready, their mood is gone...

And of course, the main problem is that they still
cannot eat anything that is 'hot' (with chiilies), so
dishes like this, is a no-no for them, which is more
of a problem for Mommy on what else to cook.

Third time Lucky?

OK, this is the third time the tree fell
and Vee-chai is still OK. I am getting
the jitters over this sometimes.

All your Base are belong to us!

Remember the KopyKat bases I got some time ago? Well, here it is again. Sorry it took so long as work is kinda busy for me. Anyway, now I have the time, I can now go over the model kit with you.

These bases are originally from Kotobukiya who, not only makes excellent ArtFX statues, model kits, Armoured Core, other mechas but also 'universal parts' for robot models. One example would be their Mechanical Base series which allows you to build your own base or diorama in as big as you need it to be. In other words, they are expandable/stackable. And not only that, these bases are good enough for a 1/144 or a 1/100 scale robot.

Depending on the type of base you buy, the number
of accessories that comes with it changes too. For
example, this base has a higher wall and so, needs
some parts to make it stick to the floor base. And
not only that, it comes with some very nice freight
containers.

When I say the wall is higher, it is higher. Here, it
is being compared to a 'normal' wall which is on the
left. Oh, the bottom part is to clip on to the left wall
to make it higher and also, stackable.

Imagine if I were to be able to get my hands on
an original Kotobukiya version. I mean, just look
at the details on these freight containers and also,
the hover truck.

Again, depending on the model base you choose,
the actual floor part is also very different. I have
a personal liking for the base on the right.

See what I mean about having the need to use
extra parts to stick the wall to the base? Then
again, this is not a problem for most people.

The walls are stackable...

all thanks to this little part. But there is nothing
a drop of glue can't do as well.

You can expand your base horizontally...

Or in different shapes. But please do note that there
are some problems about not able to cover the
whole wall. This is where drops of glue and saw
comes into play...

Approved Vandalism

Please be advised that the Home Ministry has approved the application to make beautifuls of toilet for make benefit glorious girls of Kristine and Kaelynn.

It all started with the cutesy eyes which melted
our hearts. OK, that was not true but I wanted
to post this picture.

And so, the vandalism began
or rather, controlled vandalism
since we do not want them to
plaster the stickers all over the
place.

Each girl gets to put their own stickers but Kristine
being Kristine, snuck in an additional one....

3E Electronics 25 years on

Sometimes, it is sad to come back to a place which brings a lot of memories. Not because I am sentimental but when one just happens to be there, memories would start flowing back to you. Take for example, this shop which is located on the top floor of Ampang Park. In the eighties to the nineties, it was the best place for electronic stuff at this part of town.

At that time, there were three locations which I usually frequent; Kwong Tung building, Sungei Wang and Ampang Park. Initially, it 3E started out with electronics, which sells electronic components and project kits. Being a member of the school's Electronics Club I tend to go to these places as often as my Parents could take me. A decade later, they ventured into computers, which was where I got my Apple II clone.

But come late 90's and after the Millenium, they have all but disappeared. I have many times wondered where they have gone but there are no leads at all.

Alas, this is not 3E but another shop selling
electronics stuff. A year ago, this shop was
still operating and I got fleeced for some
components which we needed. The again,
it was an emergency.

ZeroGunz Weatherting vs Metallic GB Gathering

Today is a very special day. This is because there is a gathering at ICW (Infinite Creation Workshop) to celebrate the Weathering vs Metallic Group Build. And this is a very nice opportunity to see the works of all the Sifus up close, ask them for advise and also, check out on the latest stuff there.

The Judging
This is the most important event for the day where all models were being judged. As the title of the gathering says, there two 'teams' involved. One is the Weathering and the other is the Metallic. But do not be confused about them being warring factions. They are categories and each member can enter their model for either category.

rayloke taking pictures of the models

This picture can't do the models justice because
each one of them was beautifully done.

Participants in a look left & right contest. First, they
are asked to look left and smile at the same time.
The only rule of this mini contest is not to blink.

Now, they are asked to look right, where there
is a camera flash...

And the winner is Julius who did not blink.
OK that was a joke. He was the winner for the
MK II with his Ma.K Gans

Once the competition is over, there was an informal
chat to discuss on the techniques involved.

After that, there was a surprise 'Auction' where
some items were specially brought in from Hong
Kong and the likes by rayloke. The money goes
to charity.

bombervince judging the models

This is the Zaku II by alphaleo14 which has a
very striking metallic scheme.

Looking more closely at the back, there
is a set of metal thrusters too.

The infamous Gundam Unicorn head
by rayloke. This is special because he
took apart a USB hub and installed it
into the model, with the hub's LED
relocated into the head's eyes.

Now you see why Julius won the prize?
Just look at the weathering of the road barrier.

This is an amazing ship done by phoon

Just look at the amount of metal thrusters being
used and don't forget to look at the details once
you pick you jaw up from the floor.
Did I mention it was scratch built?

New Stuff at ICW
Below are some of the new stuff which I was able to take photos of, since most of them were sold-out very fast.

The Solar turn-table.

The *ahem* Gundam lookalike stand
which has LEDs in it.

I was given the chance to open one up and
wow. Now I have a lot of ideas....

Resin Casting
A member tried casting clear resin to be used a base. By the time I arrived, the casting, I think, was already cured. Let's have a looksee...

scraping off the plasticine from the clear resin

Some of you might be thinking, why use plasticine
to make this surface? Aha but I will show you later.

Once the clear resin is free from the plasticine,
it is being washed since plasticine is oily.

Voila! Oh, its also very heavy by the way.

All cleaned and perfect

Now, look closely at the texture of the clear resin.
You will notice some very unnatural cracks. This is
from the plasticine which melted when the poured
clear resin was starting to get hot during hardening.

"What do you mean you will pay only on Tuesday?"

The second part of the Auction, where more items
came out and this, my friends, are stuff you can
never get in Malaysia.

Phoon with his purchase...
"What type of model is this?"

What did I get?
I also joined in the Auction. I mean, if its for charity, why not?

A vintage 1/20 Tamiya kit

Its quite old and we looked over the tyres, and they
are near to useless although you can still see the
shape. However, being made of rubber, you will
get a lot of rubber on your hands instead.

Just looking at the level of detail is breathtaking
since this is a kit that came out during the 80's

And so, sad to say, this will be another source for
kit-bashing...

I also got some *ahem* Mechanical Base which
originally came from Kotobukiya. Since this is a
KopyKat, I bought two. I am not really supporting
the piracy in this area but when the shops that
sells them are either out of stock, plain expensive
or they do not have the one you wanted.

The Weathering Team
1. helblack
2. donc0023
3. byezhappy
4. mechaion
5. juliuslim
6. kws
7. EddyL
8. bombervince
9. rennyd
10. zero1st
11. Kamm
12. bombervince
13. oldman

Metallic team
1. Kriz
2. alphaleo14
3. mountrew
4. kws
5. Beckylaw
6. Rayloke
7. chriswoo
8. chainer
9. zeroHertz
10. neo_sigma
11. zero1st
12. bombervince
13. lfcreds91

Goodbye, 'Pak Yeah'

This is not an eulogy of sorts. But just my way of saying goodbye to my Uncle.
Ah, heck. Its too private. So, not going to do this one. You can add your own captions. Sorry.