1/20 Scopedog-The Berkoff Squad

I am really not in the mood right now. With problems from work. This means crap coming for me, especially during and after CNY. To take my mood off, I decided to explore this model kit from Bandai which I got from ICW (Infinite Creation Workshop) at a very good price weeks ago.

There is another version which has metal parts but since I missed that one, I guess this is as good as it gets. Moreover, if I do get the chance to do this model, it would not be in the form of what the manual intended. This is a 1/20 scale Scopedog (ATM-09-ST) which is the Berkoff Squad version, taken from the series "The Pailsen Files'. For decades, I was not very intersted in these models since they look kind of silly, especially where the 'heads' are concerned. But the more I read, it is quite nice and sort of fits the theme of the anime well. And then after a few episodes of the Pailsen Files, I really wanted this model, which was in my hands, thanks to rayloke of ICW. Of course, being so 'late' into this Scopedog, I was informed of my missed chance when the recent Litt Tak Warehouse sales threw all these at ridiculous prices. Unfortunately, some people picked them all up but it did not 'surface' on the streets...

In a nutshell, you have to think of this armour suit as a walking tank. The pilot sits inside the chest and their heads fits right into the dome. So, when it comes to fighting, the upper torso is the main target. What I really loved about this design is how the suit 'kneels' for the pilot to climb in/out.

this is the 1/20 Scopedog from Bandai

And its a very big box.

There are a lot of parts and what I really liked was the Pilot Chiroco Curvie, which comes in two versions; standing and seating.

Here, you can see how the suit kneels (left) and there is really not enough space inside the cockpit. So, now I understand why they prefer sharp metal spikes for close combat.

I guess you can build a few versions if you want but for me, this is not important.

This is how tall it would be. If the 1/20 figure is almost 4 inches....

Man, I so really want to build this right now.

But alas, its into the to-do bin again, as work is taking a nosedive... sigh.

Why?

Yeah, why?

Why me?

Downstairs, everyone is enjoying their CNY gifts from suppliers, etc.

Next door are enjoying cakes given by friends (OK, so I got some but since I was 'working', it was on my desk for hours)

This is the WHY. Damn it. So much rejects!

Alphard Blush

Maybe its embarrassed to be parked outside Bangsar Village...

New Moon

New Moon Fishmaw. Yep. New Moon. New. Moon

But on the some replica prop forums and the likes, the name is dirt for recasting stuff. Don't even let me start on this topic. There is nothing good once you open the can (heh) of worms...

Last day of school b4 CNY

Today is more or less the last day of school for Kristine. And in just a few more days, it would be Chinese New Year. Coming to think about it, unlike the past CNY, this time, its coming in like a stealthy ninja with a big bang. We have been expecting this months ago but just last week, our enthusiasm sort of waned. Maybe its because of the lack of 'Advertisements' in the media or the number of CNY items for sale on the street. Or maybe, we are starting to get tired of it all.

A slightly larger crowd of anxious parents waiting at the gates. Seriously, if I wanted to, I could just agitate them and tell them to break down the gates, they might. Or might not.

Time to stand back and let the tide of excited school children flow....

At the back of the car, I bought a lot of KFC stuff on the way, mainly KFC chicken rice, which is for most of the family.

And which Krsitine dug into it almost immediately as she was famished.

Since this post was so long ago, I could not remember if I took leave or not and I could not remember the reason why I bought KFC. Except that the only thought was it was 'too late' for the lunch hour.

NERF Raider CS-35

Just popped by Toys r Us for a haircut and after that, I found myself in front of Toys R Us. (Well, let's cut short to the chase, shall we?). The NERF Raider CS-35 is being sold at a reduced price of RM109.90. I was so shocked that I bought one. Unfortunately, there were two conditions:

1. You do not need to be a Star member, just the coupon.

But the staff there said, I can get it straight away for the advertised price.

2. You can only buy the 'Blue' version at that price

And so, I had to put the 'yellow' version back since they cost RM159.90 instead

Alas, I only have enough for one. So, whoever's birthday falls on this month, tough luck.

So, why do I need one? The Raider is long, and it needs two hands to fire. I am not particularly fond of the 'slam fire' technique since in the middle of the excitement, there is a higher chance of firing in the wrong mode and destroy the mechanism inside, which, ultimately leads you to buying a new one.... duh...hey!

But seriously, there is one part in the Raider apart from the 35-dart Drum, which I need for my Barricade mod. So, now, I have the Raider and yes, you're right. Its going to the to-do bin. I think by the time I am 'free' to do this mod, I would be too old to run or play with it anymore...

The long way of enjoyment

As I come home from work, this is a oft too familiar sight a Parent would see. Sometimes, its a surprise view and sometimes, its a horror shock. But usually, at this age, its a view of wonderment.

But why, lah, use the powerpoint so far away? The nearest was 6 feet away onli...

Club Waja Limocab

Seriously? A Limo for Waja owners?

Sleeping position #248

The Bad Dreams b-gone stance

Jack art hour new Goats hunger

Well, Wife wanted a Clothes hanger. So, whatever Wife wants, Wife gets. When it comes to stuff like this, the message is loud and clear: Go with her to the shopping mall, help her choose the best clothes hanger (ie cheapest and most lasting in terms of design), help her bring it home and assemble them, while with a smile on the face. The last bit is very important because if you did a snafu in any of the steps, at least she will remember your smile and scold you slightly less.

So, try not to smile like an idiot because due to the nature of this mission, its on the borderline between sarcasm and being mentally unstable. Either which will get you an instant sleeping trip on the floor. Cold, hard floor.

OK.This is the clothes hanger which the manufacturer has managed to stuff everything into this loooooong box.

And so, once you take them all out, its all over the place. It would be a hassle to pack it all back and sent it all back to the mall if there is a missing part. Yes, I know we should have check, provided we were allowed to do so and also, at least, with the instruction sheet to check against. You see the problem here? No? OK, let me show you the instruction sheet.

That's the instruction sheet right there. Really.

Luckily, all there parts are there and it went without a hitch. The assembly was so simple and I did it as if I had done this in my previous life. (Which is a lie because they do not have this until early 2000).

In this case, we realised that the more expensive the item, does not mean its better. Bear in mind that this will be used under the Sun and therefore, one would need minimal plastic parts since the Sun's UV rays would fade the plastic and also, in most cases, make them brittle. We avoided all the joints using plastic parts but went for the simple single or double spot welded metal parts. Sure it will rust and all but it will definitely last longer than plastic. That is, as long as Kaelynn does not climb on them...

Mounting the Lamp

We needed to get this done as soon as possible as Chinese New Year is just around the corner and if I am not careful with the planning, its going to sneak by and shout 'Boo' at me. And so, with the gate having being completely vandalised with white paint by yours truly, I decided to make sure the neighbours get the message, even at night.

But first thing first, which is a take-away lunch from the noodle restaurant

And now, its time to work. This is the lamp, which I have assembled last week.

The first problem I encountered was quite embarrassing. I had bought the cheapest but longest power cable I could afford and thanks to my brilliant engineering maths, it was 8 feet short.

Facepalm moment: After an hour of searching for more power cables and figuring the solution, it just hit me. Maybe its the Sun stroke or my brain just woke up but the solution was just staring right in front of me. Yep, all I have to do is connect a power point socket to the cables for the lamp, then switch it on. This also means I have wasted my money for the earlier power cable...

Voila! All done!

It looks good in daylight and later on, it works well at night too. But I am itchy to try with putting some tracing paper behind the glass panes to diffuse the light. Or maybe, not.

Sigh. My stash is growing and the room is seriously starting to shrink to the point that I cannot even put a table in there. I just do not want to turn it into a storeroom but a workroom cum display/relaxing room.

Dust

When DUST was first introduced in the early 2000, I was quite interested. What caught my attention was the drawings on their website which, was more of a "What if Germany won WWII" scenario, or something to that vein. Little did I know, it steered my modeling journey towards Ma.K. Unfortunately, after their announcement and much fanfare, DUST became very very quiet.

It was not until last year that I heard of DUST again. And this time, it was brought in locally by another company, to be sold at Hobby HQ. The prices for these items are quite pricey but its normal. But hang on, before you scream "rip-off", hear me out.

These 'mecha' models are cast in resin, and when you open the box, its not just lumps of resin in a polybag. No, they have put a lot of effort into packing each individual piece and present them in the best design possible. When I had the chance to open one, it was like opening a treasure chest and pulling out each piece to be assembled is like mere blasphemy to something so sacred. 

OK, on the other hand, this is a perfectly normal price for a resin kit, moreso, when its related to gaming. Don't believe me? Go to any gaming shop and just peep (yes, peep, not stare) at the price tag. Then you start to appreciate your 1/35 tanks more. Ha ha.

Instead, I settled for this cheaper kit, which is a 1/35 PLASTIC model kit. Now, I have some DUST.

This is almost on par with the selection of 1/35 figures on sale. But if you compare it with the number of parts, details etc. Its still a bit on the pricey side. Good thing is, if you buy this, then you add a box of German troops that comes with a lot of accessories, its bliss. Lastly, it pays to buy at Hobby HQ because, this is not the price I am paying for. Heh. Made me wanted to buy another box but well, it was the last one.

This is something new to model kit box packaging. I have never seen this design except for computer related items such as mouse and keyboards.

And looking at the instructions and the plastic sprues, its going to be an enjoyable time. But alas, into the 'to-do' bin first. Now is not the time, plus, Chinese New Year is less than a week away...

TV to KK Part II

Anyway, I realised that getting the TV into my car was actually the easy part. The hard part was transferring it from my car to Wife's car. As I have said again, its bulky and heavy. So, what's the problem?

The problem was to do the transfer without scratching any of the cars and also not dropping the TV in the process. That's the problem. After much heave-ing and ho-ing, we did it. Oh, and I did not injure my back this time. Phew.

The scary part in having the TV at this location is that this is the most bumpiest location in a car. Don't believe me? The next time you're on a speeding bus or van, try sitting near to the end when it hits the humps. Trust me, not even Panadols would help.

We have packed some lunch on the way so that we would not have to waste any time eating out since there is a lot of things to do today.

The picture quality on this TV is amazing. While we go about our chores, we distracted the girls with some DVDs.

Yeah, they're very happy during dinner time because it meant eating at the Clownhouse. This is one of the rare occasion we got a Family pack. Worth it or not, when you see the bill, its a tough one to swallow.

Kristine does not usually go for Sundaes but tonight, I'll have to go without.

Its more DVD for them since our chores are not finished yet.

Oh boy! Its supper time! This means we get to try out the stove!

Kaelynn counting the drinks from the Clownhouse. Once good things is that they allow for refills but it must be Pepsi.

My favourite instant mee.

Yeah, more DVDs for them, until their eyes pops out.

And so, the TV has been tested for at least half a day without any problems. My only concern is that there is no TV stand and alas, it must sit on the floor until we find a solution.

TV to KK Part I

Thanks to my friend Chi Ming, I got a Sony TV. Not that I am elated but its just under the circumstances of things which came about. For you see, after not seeing him for more than a decade, his life has changed. A lot and its the best he can come to terms with. Still I miss his Dad.

But on the other hand, he is free. Free to kill those who opposed him, free to kill that which threatens his very being. Yep, he is free to do all this. There is no stopping him and even the local enforcement did not even bat an eyelid. This is the freedom he has, just as long as he keeps upgrading his PC and download software patches.

How I got this TV was well, not because I wanted it but because they have now upgraded all TVs and Monitors in the house into flats. Yep, and this one is taking up space. So, I agreed to his offer. One thing I liked about his household is that the whole family really takes care of things. Which is a complete opposite to me where I tend to take things apart. And so, when I looked at the TV, its as if it just came out of the showroom and well, shelved. Untouched. In other words, it was working beautifully and in pristine condition.

And the worse hurt was, I considered him an ex-friend and yet, he is still happy to see me.

Transferring the Sony from his house to my car was quite an effort because these TVs are huge and heavy. Mostly heavy. Thank goodness my car can take it but I have to drive slow, though. Not going to spend time and fortune for some guy to come over and recalibrate the screen.

Annual Dinner

And so, we had our Annual Dinner. Nothing to say much since I do not want to tell you much about this as its very P&C.

Lobsters, man!

Lots of things happened but I can only show you the things I took home: An unoponed bottle of Coke, some biscuits from the caterers and a cup of erm.... Chinese sweet herbal drink

What do we have Ear?

Sometimes, its hard to ignore 'new' things about your body when you finger yourself. The sensitiveness of your finger can really pick up any differences on the skin. Don't believe me? Then try this:

Run your forefinger through your opposite arm. Your will finger, just by touch, will tell you how smooth it is and the softness of your hair. No, it will not count the number of hair, though. Now, use a small blade and do a 5mm cut. Immediately, run your finger though it again. Now, it will tell you that the cut area is different from the other areas of the arm in the sense its wet and sticky. And if you don't believe this, the nerves on the other arm would have sent pain messages to your brain by now, reinforcing the message.

See? The fingers are very sensitive. You might want to try it on your friend but let me remind you that blades and private parts are a no-no with them for the first few times...

Anyway, while looking for more ear wax, my finger discovered sometihng hard and painful near the entrance

After some digging, its a growth of some kind, which as far as I can recall, happens when there is a heat wave. Don't ask me why but I feel its interrelated. But oh, yeah, it was so satisfying (but painful) to pull it out. I once ignored it and not only it turned to some hardened yellowish pus-like glob but my mind was a wreck trying to stop my fingers from going near it.