MOST MONSTROUS MECHA? (Jagd Mirage)

    Just thought I'd share one for the archives, after all that Zoids overload we've been having lately. How about we go for some Five Star Stories eh? These doodads are even RARER than Zoids! For some reason, the company that produced them - Volks - does not import outside of Japan. And even in Japan itself, you'll mostly only find them at specialised Volks outlets, one of which I have visited in Akihabara. Man don'tcha wished Bandai or Koto would take over the production??? I have three to four of these kits, the injection mould (plastic kits) version, which is their latest line. Most Volks FSS kits are resin, and cost a bomb, so I don't bother. Thankfully, the plastic assembly ones are so rare, and each new model produced so seldom that I don't have much to buy LOL. FSS mechas, or Mortar Heads (MH) as they are known, are about the size of a Gundam. But the Jagd Mirage is three times that. Which means, if you scale it down, the bugger's bigger than a 1/48 Gundam, I think. If you throw in those elaborate spikes from its weapons, they should match the height of an older kid! Is it any wonder that you rarely even see any finished kits out there?...

Back from Taiwan (Mission Report)

    You know what's the one thing I learnt if you wanna buy model kits overseas and lug them all the way back home? You need LOTSA luggage space LOL. I merely bought three to four kits, and already I had no space to pack anything else. Not to mention this was a working trip to Taiwan so I didn't bring my mega suitcase since I wasn't expecting to find anything much. But maaaaan did I find some gems....

GBWC 2012 Finals

    Sorry for the past coupla days of inactivity folks, as I have been away in Taiwan for work. First up is a belated post on the GBWC Finals which concluded over the weekend. Congrats to all winners! The line-up as follows -

• Champion: Project Gwen by Eday (HK)
• 2nd: 1/100 Age Titus by Aristeo Lamig Saavedra Jr (Philippines)
• 3rd: The Zaku - Return of the J.Ridden by Ko Kwon Chul (Korea)

    To be honest, other than Eday's entry, I wasn't expecting any of the other two to make it into the Top 3. I thought the Japanese had some really good ones. I'm kinda surprised they left their own out in the cold LOL. But you've gotta give credit where credit's due - I think the bizarre Age Titus that looks nothing at all like a Gundam, and Korea's 1/48 Zaku conversion both have their merits in terms of craftsmanship. It's kinda late now to say anything new, and most like Toymaker have already covered it, so I'll leave the ogling of the entries to his post. Enjoy, and MERRY XMAS!!!

Weirdest Iron Man EVER!

    So I went down to China Square for their regular toy bazaar today, and came across this old figurine of what must be the weirdest looking Iron Man I've seen (I think it's Iron Man right?) It was so bizarre I had to buy it just to take home and examine...and perhaps give it a couple of mods. It's a used figure so I got it for a coupla bucks. It's about slightly taller than a 144 Gundam. There's a mecha feel to it, and I'm guessing it's modelled after some obscure manga version. Check out that head folks! Almost looks like a Gundam doesn't it? I had a hundred ideas running through my head about how I can add some armour to the shoulders, give it some details and weapons, and repaint it in metallic finish. Er, when I have the time, that is LOL....I'll be heading to Kaoshiong Taiwan for work next week - Anybody know where to find hobby shops over there? I'm clueless!

KDASH TRIBUTE (FOUR GODS)

    This is an outdated feature, but I figured that for any of you who haven't seen the work of HK-based modeller Kdash, then this is for you. There is something about this fella's style....It's totally unorthodox, edgy, and some might say, overdone, but I find myself growing to like it more and more. Firstly, it's not easy incorporating a theme onto your build, let alone coming up with these outrageous mods. Call it gaudy if you want, but I think when it comes to medieval Chinese-style kungfu mecha, Kdash captured the look and animalistic feel perfectly, and everything just kinda blends together, down to the custom weapons. Full marks for uniqueness. You can be sure there's nothing else like this out there.  Enjoy!

ZOIDS - GUN SNIPER (Naomi ver.)

  I'm having a Zoids fever now and boy is it high! LOL. Probably cos I might be suffering from a bit of Gunpla burnout, I've been turning to Zoids for some relief, and the kits are starting to appeal more and more to me. If you're a mecha fan, it's highly likely you'll catch the Zoids bug sooner or later, especially after you see how exquisitely intricate Koto's HMM series of kits are. But if you'd rather spare your pocket from further assault, perhaps you should give this post a miss LOL. So I just thought to start on something cheap and light, and one of the smallest Zoids kits out there is this Gun Sniper Naomi Version that caught my eye.

SUPERMAN & BATMAN (New 52)

    This is kinda a random post on a random weekend - I've had my eye on DC's New 52 line of superheroes for a while now since I'm also a comic book fan. It's a revamp with new looks and new origin stories to their flagship characters of the JLA. While everyone gets a makeover, I'm of course only interested in the Big Two - Superman and Batman. (Hollywood, PLEASE make a movie of the duo!) And I must say, for American toys, these are one of the best proportions and styles I've seen so far. Pardon my bias-ness, but it actually looks like they were sculpted by the Japanese lol. I think there is some link between the look of these figures to Koto's own licensed range of DC statues.

ZOIDS PORN

    Yes, as you can see I am still in my Zoids phase. LOL. It's frustrating trawling the Net for good and other worldly Zoids customs, so I've decided to just consolidate everything HERE. This might just be the most tripped out compilation of quality Zoids work out there folks. You've got all manner of beasts from Ligers, Dinos to Dragons and even a seahorse. My ultimate favourite though, is still this kit above to which I have no details to, except that it was an entry at a Zoids exhibition in Osaka. I think as mecha fans, we should expand our horizons to take in other genres of mechs as well, and the animalistic modes of Zoids is a treasure trove of inspiration and ideas for your next build, Gundam or what-not. By the way, I'm going to HK next month for a Zoids hunt. Anybody know where to find 'em, please let me know? Otherwise, sit back and jerk off to these LOL...

GUNZOIDS!!!

    As if we don't already have enough on our hands, Toymaker and I have decided to add an EXTRA kit each to our Buster-Duel speed-builds. Boy, why we keep doing this to ourselves, I have no idea LOL. But anyway, I'm right smack into a Zoids phase at the moment and am stocking up on Zoids kits, which are rarer than diamonds in Singapore, I kid you not. So I bought this Saber Tiger set and assembled it on my day off, and am so impressed with the details I decided, why not make them recon units to our Gundams, rite? LOL. Mine's gonna be a Buster-Saber pair-up, and Toymaker's is a Duel-Fox tag team. How will they look together? Watch this space.