Mostly Harmless

September 19, 2010

I blame Don Franklin Andrade

This is my work in progress photo of the MG MS-06J Zaku II “White Ogre” version. It’s hard to see them but did you notice the panel lines?

One of my friends on Flickr is a gentleman by the name of Franklin Andrade who also builds Gundam models as well. You can see some of his setup here, here, and especially HERE. You can view his entire Flickr set at this location.

One of his comments about my MG Gouf 2.0 was that he wanted to see some decals applied. See, that’s the sort of thing that makes me say “Why not?” and the White Ogre comes with water slide decals. But I don’t want to apply the decals unless I also mark the panel lines too.

Thus, I blame Franklin Andrade. 🙂 Thanks to his comment I am not only going to apply decals, but I am also putting on the panel lines. I’m having a great time and so far I am reminding myself that if I make any gross mistakes, I know where to purchase a replacement.

Once I get to the fully detailed stage, I’ll post photo right before I apply the decals. It will take longer but I think the results and fun will be worth it.

September 12, 2010

Out with the Old

Here’s something I don’t do everyday.

The boxes are from Gunpla that I already assembled. I keep a closet of the models I plan on building as well as the instructions and spare parts from the models I have already put together.

Below is my current list of unassembled models.

I used HobbyLink Japan for reference, but I have purchased these from HobbyLink Japan, Hobby Search, Gundam Store and More, and ImageAnime. I don’t buy things from eBay much, these stores have good prices and always take care of their customers.

Master Grade

High grade

Perfect Grade

Non-Gundam Models

Models that my son expressed an interest in

Extra Models that I won’t build for one reason or another

1/60 Perfect Grade Zaku II MS-06S
- Extra, I sold one of the 3 I bought already.
1/144 HGUC GP03 Dendrobium
- It’s BIG! 41 inches long! What was I thinking?
3 x 1/100 MS-06S Zaku II (MG)
- I forgot why I bought these. They’re the old version.
2 x 1/100 RGM-79N GM Custom (MG)
- Also forgot why.
1/100 Gundam GP01Fb (MG)
- Too much work, this model is horrible.
1/100 Nu Gundam
- I may build this one yet, it’s a vintage 1/100 model.
1/100 MG Nu Gundam
- I already built one of these.

To manage my Gunpla stash I plan to at least assemble the MG and HG models. The one’s I won’t build I’ll eventually sell off.

This is all about maintaining a hobby and not just hoarding model kits. These are a little more expensive than trading cards. 🙂

September 11, 2010

Completed the MG Gouf v2.0

This was a very straight forward m0del to assemble. No trouble at all and the articulation is very good. With earlier Master Grade models, there was frequently a gotcha. But with these more current versions, it’s all straight forward.

I usually do one or two back to back and the next model I have lined up is the MG Zaku II “White Ogre”. It’s also a version 2.0 Master Grade.

September 11, 2010

How do I explain 9/11 to a 7 and 8 year old?

I’m no longer prone to blogging sentimentally anymore, but my mood demands it.

Today is the 9th anniversary of that horrible day. I’m at a loss to explain to my children accurately what happened that morning and convey to them how the whole world changed due to a group of madmen.

The closest I can get to explaining to my children is this.

September 6, 2010

MG Gouf 2.0 WIP

It’s official. The MG Gouf version 2.0 is awesome.

There have been hardly any surprises and I can’t find anything that demands gluing. Tomorrow I’ll complete the back pack cables and start the arms.

September 4, 2010

Starting the MG Gouf 2.0

I’ve started building the 1/100 MG Gouf 2.0. So far so good, once again I am trying to slim down on my Gunpla stash. I’ve only completed the first 2 parts (torso and head) but it’s a very different model than the original MG Gouf.

As I usually do, I’ll post photos once it’s done.

August 31, 2010

Titanic video and not by James Cameron

Science is cool and there is no getting around that. It’s also hard work but that’s how it should be. Here is a video taken from the crumbling Titanic that shows how cool it really is.

See it while you can. The Titanic is going the way of all things, which after so many years is not at all surprising.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WkvDswV40c

While I don’t care for wholesale exploitation of the wreck (you know, selling trinkets for cash), this is a part of history. Hopefully something can be preserved in some form.

The other day I heard someone say “Scientists challenge and contradict God” (not an exact quote, I’m paraphrasing) and I thought to myself “What unmitigated bullsh**” (that one is a direct quote). It was in church, I heard it during the homily and I was with the kids. Not a good time to let celebrant know he’s talking nonsense. He was trying to talk about having humility and doing it badly. Forgivable, it’s not easy to speak in front of a lot of people.

I’ve never seen or read about anyone challenging God. What I have seen people challenge other people understandings. I have even seen and read about people behaving badly. It’s not the same thing. How can you challenge God anyway? I mean, didn’t these people read about Job?

People should be encouraged to challenge ideas and frameworks. It’s not disrespectful, it’s called learning.

August 28, 2010

Epson printers rock

Back in January I became the recipient of my brother Stefan’s Epson Stylus Photo R300 color printer. He no longer used it because he had a better one and the R300 inks would run. The printer was discontinued and replaced with a newer version.

So I bought inks and premium glossy photo paper. The problems he had? I just don’t see it. I’m on vacation and I’m printing up a storm. In Photoshop Elements 8 I can even print edge to edge and the results look fantastic.

I used to be an avowed HP Inkjet fantastic but Epson’s R300 has converted me.

August 28, 2010

Explosions for SCIENCE!

I should consider buying stock in the Discovery Channel. Not all their shows are hits, but they sure know the formula. They continue to create entertainment that me and the kids like to watch together.

Phil Plait of Bad Astronomy fame is getting his own show. The patented Adam Savage “Oh My Gosh! ™” look when he pushes the button is great.

I hope this continues a trend; the kids get to learn and have enjoy watching. Science is fun. It’s hard work too, but that’s alright.

August 26, 2010

Going on a trip? Plan ahead for photos

Wednesday August 25th the family and I went to the Statue of Liberty. The trip was planned weeks in advance and we took the Huntington Station line at 6:15 Am to get there nice and early before the crowds.

It was raining cats and dogs the whole time we were there.

I had expected to take lots of outdoor photos so I only packed my 18-200mm lens. Since it was raining, we went into the museum. For museum photos, I consistently use my Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens with a circular polarizer attached. When I do, I get photos like these.

You can see more from that set on my Flickr page.

With the 18-200mm the results are OK but not inspiring. Here’s a sample.

This was an OK picture but the ISO got bumped up to 3200 and the photos lacked a lot of sharpness. Also without the circular polarizing filter, reflections off the glass was a pain.

With the 30mm I get a nice prime lens that opens wide. With the circular polarizer I can dial out most of the reflections off of the display cases.

Next time I’ll plan better. We still had a good time, but I want to take better photos.

Mostly Harmless

Archives (page 25 of 97)

I blame Don Franklin Andrade

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Out with the Old

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Completed the MG Gouf v2.0

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How do I explain 9/11 to a 7 and 8 year old?

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MG Gouf 2.0 WIP

Like this:

Starting the MG Gouf 2.0

Like this:

Titanic video and not by James Cameron

Like this:

Epson printers rock

Like this:

Explosions for SCIENCE!

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Going on a trip? Plan ahead for photos

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Jan Dembowski