How it started for me - The Gunpla Hobby

"GUNPLA"

------------------------------------------------------------------

..to quote the ever reliable Mr. Wiki 

[quote]

Gundam model

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gundam Models refers to plastic and non-plastic model kits depicting the mechas, vehicles and characters of the fictional Mobile Suit Gundam universe by Bandai. These kits have become popular among anime fans and model enthusiasts, especially in Japan and in other nearby Asian countries since the 1980s. The popularity of Gundam models increased in the 1990s with North America and Europe being exposed to Gundam through television, video and manga. These Gundam Models are also called Gunpla (ガンプラ Ganpura^?), a portmanteau of "Gundam plastic model". "Gunpla" more commonly refers to the practice of building Gundam models, rather than the models themselves.

 

My venture into Gunpla started before I even got into the Gundam Anime bandwagon.

Around late 96' to 97' (thats the 1990's eh... in case the Y2K infected the brains)... I got my first Gundam Plastic Model Kit. Its the Gundam Air Master Burst 1/144 non graded kit from the GUNDAM X series.

It was not my direct intention to buy this kit although I have experience already with plastic modeling. When I was still in my junior to senior High School years, I have already built and painted several kits, most particularly Aircraft kits...the fighting kind. I started way before that with "carton" reproductions of air-crafts (non scaled) using only "illustration boards" (the 2~3mm thick paper boards with one side black and other side white which is ussually used for projects as art boards or template sheets where you stick specimens such as leaves cloth or whatever it is needed to be presented). Back then I only rely on mostly B&W pics from school text books and several colored magazine I can have my hands on to "National Geographic" back-issues I usually buy from the then small unnoticed "BOOKSALE" stores within some stationery shops in my area. Paints usually comes in variations of stationery markers of the Blue, Black, Red colors...I'll be lucky if I have colors of green available on the shops. "Colored pen" ink are gone after several use so I use them sparingly. I have some "passable" works finished, the best one I did probably was the Viking Mars Lander and Orbiter model I did for a school project. It was lighted with a first generation LED light powered by a C cell battery hidden on the base. Unfortunately they removed the base when they displayed it on the Science Fair booth so the lighting was not used (I'm still mad at the guy who did that). And since theres still no digital cams back then and "negatives" are quite expensive also, so I dont have much to show here other than my word that tells it happened.

The first Plastic kit I had was an MIG kit, that much I can remember and its TAMIYA, so only that. The scale and the exact model I don't remember now except its the MIG with propellers. I built it using variations of glue (the paper glue :D... honestly I don't know then and there's no internet and books on the hobby are almost non existent then - or even if there are, its so expensive and in places I don't have the way to go to.) When that didn't work, I used All Purpose Contact Cement (RUGBY or DO-ALL) - messy but did a good job and later some Cyanoacrylate stuff (Mighty Bond, Super Glue, Loctite), fast setting and frustrating. Paints, I used those left-over enamels, thinned with paint or lacquer thinner, and some water-based type I used for Silk-Screen T-Shirt prints (that gets washed away easily on plastic - really, I don't have that knowledge then of the thing called "CLEAR TOP-COAT")... and decals, my first venture on decals are straightforward "water-slides" so no problem with me there, the instructions are included in the back of the decal sheets itself.

My next and next kits were as blurred as I can remember, an F-15, another MIG (twin burner?) a Delta wing (influenced by the TOP-GUN movie) two tanks (both Tigers), a Jeep assemble with figures (I had so much fun detailing the figs than the Jeep Itself) and a Jap build Destroyer ship (12” long I think) whose name I did not bother to remember. I did not finish it actually due to undecipherable text (that is in Japanese of course), just boxed it back midway and gave it away to some lucky friends who found it hiding in my closet or boxes. That’s what happened to all the rest of my models – even the papercraft ones…given away.

Forward to1996… a full 5 to 6 years perhaps and I am in my Major year in Engineering. That is when I walked to a department store and saw these colorful boxes with several names in Japanese and English mix on it. From the looks, I already realized Its Gundam. I am already familiar with it (but not that too familiar) since I saw some commercials on it on rented Anime tapes I’ve watched (IN VHS AND BETAMAX!!!! :D). First and foremost I am a Science Fiction Fan, and a MECHA (Read: MECHA not ROBOT) fanatic. I love Mazinger Z, VOLTEZ V, DAIMOS and my first space soap opera – STARBLAZERS (Starship YAMATO). MACROSS I watched under the name of ROBOTECH. Back then I never knew Transformers and Voltron were originally Japanese (DiaClone & Go-Lion) but I loved them nonetheless. All US made animation dealing with sci-fi such as M.A.S.K, Go-Bots (poor TF clone), Centurions, SilverHawks, BraveStar, Thunder Cats, Bionic 6, DinoSaucers, Sky Commanders, even He-Man and G.I. Joe. 

When I saw the gundam kit, I actually did not look inside yet, just browsed through the several boxes for names and designs. Internet access then were few and far in between (and expensive). Knowing the Gundam stuff means you have to ask friends who knows and rent some available anime tapes which are mostly 2 to 3 episodes per tape, and is not in chronological order so it’s quite confusing. My first series was actually the then latest WING series; I got into it during the release of the “Endless Waltz” arc.

When I returned to the store as if by fate that is pulling me, I got around the shelves and looked at the boxed kits again. The then store clerk approached me and asked if I want to see the inside, surprised I said yes (because before I only buy boxed Kits “sealed” – meaning it is either re-sealed with plastic or “taped” on ends to avoid losing parts). When the box was opened, he explained that its snap fit….HUH?,,, what’s that?  Before I got any answer, I saw these pre-molded colored plastics of the kit (I remember it as the Aesculapius which I did not buy first but I did get as my second kit). That alone sold me out, and I only found out about the “snap-fit” thing as I started the assembly… whaddaya know… build out of the box and with stickers! No Paint no Glue!

From then on I became a Gunpla addict. As for the Gundam history, frankly, I felt that I had known Gundam before I had the chance to have the kit and watch the anime, It’s just like it’s a curriculum that I have already in good knowledge off… weird really.

Unfortunately for me again, I have to work and work hard. The hobby I just started (with about 7 kits of HG and No Grades) has to stop since I don’t have the money to funnel down the “want” pipe. I never did got into the spray paint stuff and the panel linings I did was mostly done with hard purchased (read: expensive – for me) Gundam Markers and some (again – I have to be resourceful) stationery issues of 0.1, 02, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 black ink markers and technical pens. I did made some several “weathering” kind of stuff using the same wide tip Gundam Markers, some acetone, swabs, permanent ink Markers and just plain rubbing on the rough walls. The brunt of this effort went to my very first – the AIR MASTER BURST and my own Wing Favorite – the HEAVY ARMS CUSTOM (1/144). I will be posting pics of them once I get them out of storage the time I go back home from this overseas job. (As a note, I still am not in the know of the thing called “CLEAR TOP COAT”… poor me :C)

Well so that’s basically covers it, how I got into Gunpla. Next time I’ll tell you ‘bout how I got back into the hobby and the things I do have now. Oh, thou I stopped collecting Gunpla then, I continued with the search for other Gundam related materials, such as Anime – from the original to the latest incarnations, and with the advent of accessible internet, I amassed great stuff on the series. That’s why when I came back to the hobby; I already know which stuff I want and not just some random box.

To finish, I’ll list those first Gunpla kits I had in chronological Order,

1. AIR MASTER BURST (1/144) – Gundam x
2. Aesculapious (1/144) – Gundam x
3.  Heavy Arms Custom (1/144) – Gundam Wing - Endless Wlatz
4.  Air Master (original colors) (1/100) – Gundam X
5. Endless Waltz: Gundam Deathscythe Hell (1/100) - Gundam Wing - EW (my pal has one also - he has the original release - I have the "Hell Custom" release)
6. RX-93 Nu Gundam - ...this one courtesy of a friend of mine
7. OZ-15AGX Hydra Gundam (1/144) - Gundam Wing:G-Unit (manga)
8. Gundam Ashtaron (HG) - After War Gundam X
9. Gundam L.O. Booster (1/144) - Gundam Wing:G-Unit (manga)

[images]

 

 .       

+   +   +   +   +   +       E   N   D       E   N   T   R   I   E   S       +   +   +   +   +   +

Dual-Sim Phone - and a bit of nostalgia on my own cellphone history

First off, I don't own a Smart-Phone ...yet... suffice to say, the iPhone dominating the market and the Galaxy S2 is the leading competition. Its a stiff battle and the technology ..as opposed to the mildly accepted Morse Law <"technology changes every 6 months">... changes rather faster. Every 4 months, a new model surprisingly appears to shake up the competition, and by the way I look at it, Samsung is going the way of Nokia - releasing a slew of latest models just to upgrade the line to beef up its hard earned race against the Apple flagship.

Anyways, I'm here to talk about functionality, not that I don't have the cash to shell-out now to buy a smart phone (more on that later). There is a wide variety and model of cell phones to provide what each person needs. I started out using cellphone as early as 1997. Then the "sim" card as we know it is not yet in existence. Lines are locked to the service provider and signal is only as good as the nearest business district that has those "towers" located.

a flash-back...

The thing that kicked off this trend in the Philippines is rather for the most part, due to necessity than individual propensity to be in the "in-crowd". Having a mobile phone serves as a means to communicate faster and "on the go", rather than having to run for the nearest phone booth which for the most part is unreliable, usually "broken", eats up more coins than it needs and just time consuming (especially if your dialing NDD or "long distance" that you have to be in the know of the Area codes and other such frivolities). Other than that, you can always have your own land-line, if you can wait 3 years and shell out a lot of cash because the nearest cable link goes 2 kilometers from the nearest tapping point. If you do that, the neighbors will thank you because you have shortened their bills to pay coz' the line is now near to them to request for connection - if they can wait also another year or so. Thats the way it is because the system is monopolized by one frigging network, the one we call PLDT.

Back to topic...

Cellphones are bulky and heavy, with exposed rod antennae you would normaly see on atwo-way radio. Battery life is 4 hours at the most (talktime, standby will shell out 11 hours). My first line is from SMART mobile. Before there were competition on this emerging market by the likes of MOBILINE (acquired by Smart from Piltel... when? can't remember, I think before the 2k years), Globe (the upstart) and several others too obscured to remember.

That first model is a NOKIA 909. see the image below. When I started working that same year, I usually carry this phone with me on my bag together with a "Pager" (we call it "beeper")-  that primarily functions as a "text" message receiver before the TEXT craze capability of the later 3210, 5110 and other mostly NOKIA models rendered the beeper obsolete. The message comes as a "telegraphed" text that you can have sent by calling 110 (?) then saying your telegraph message to the operator and sends it to the beeper number  (in my case I usually receive "call office - urgent"  message). That is when I whip out my ice shaver heavy celphone and call up. Pretty interesting looking back on it. :D

That was then...

Now, you have shops that sell hundreds of model from different companies. NOKIA lost its hold on the market - primarily (I think) because they don't listen well to customer needs - they were the most prolific in introducing new models back then, models that basically covers the same phone features on a different housing and design. When they introduced customizable ring back and text message tones, they have to introduce another model on a heftier price - just that, and so on and so forth. Me, I stopped using Nokia phones way back 2000, opting to go with Motorola, LG and Sony Ericson models that gives more variety than my usual NOKIA.

Now forward to 2012...

As an Overseas Contract Worker (or OCW/OFW), I am more inclined to use a celphone for its functionality. Going back and forth from home to my overseas job requires me to have carrying two separate phones, one to hold my "Roaming" SIM, the other for the local countries network. This is rather cumbersome. Also, in my job nature as a field engineer for a Mechanical Construction firm, the celphone usually ends up on the floor, banged and sometimes squeezed on my pockets during work. Having a high end or expensive gadget this way is a surefire guarantee that you are wasting precious hard-earned cash just to look good. Not for me. I usually look for a sturdy phone that is economical, good to look at, nice to hold, serves my basic needs (for a phone of course) of call-text functions. A standard Bluetooth and IR dependency should be there, so is the reliable camera in the absence of one during inspection. An MP3/video player is a plus considering that there are some stand-by time you need to pass-up, and some so-so games to use also (though most are crap by any standards). In all it should be handy and will not break at the first fall, but I have to admit this things are not built this way.

There's none yet to cover the "durable" category yet for us engineers, but for one thing, there are cellphones that are now "DUAL-SIM" (without the cumbersome features of first-Gen Dual-Sim phones)

The reason I mentioned NOKIA up there is because in trying to look for a dual-sim phone on the different stores here in Hanoi and I ended up with the C2-03 NOKIA. My first NOKIA in the last 11 years so that is why I feel nostalgic. In my first week of use, I was happy with it. I have yet to get over the "little" problem of the small keypads and I still am not sure how long will this sliding mode last. But anyways, for its price of just 86U$D I think its a nice phone. Has the basics I need, I don't need to switch phones just to send messages back-home in the Philippines and still maintain the local service providers signal. I don't need to review this thing, there's too many out-there already, (Google is our friend).

 

Now, if only I can see whether this phone will survive the first fall (*drops*) ...... Whooops!... 0o0

KONG HEI FAT CHOI! - CHUC MONG NAM MOI! - (or in any language you understand) - HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!

Its been weeks since I started "The EMPTY CABINET" blog and I still cant find the time to write anything here. So just to have something "fixed" in my otherwise uninteresting bits in life, i decided to make this preemptive entry.

The first thing is always the hardest and most mind bending thing that I do. It always is for me.

I feel tho that the timing is right, Today is the first day of the new Lunar Calendar. If you are an Asian like me, there's no need to expound - for others - Its the Oriental Calendar (globally we all use the Greco Roman) Today being January 23, the First day of the new year... to quote from the ever reliable Mr.Wiki:
[quote/] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year

"In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, a date between January 21 and February 20. In the Chinese calendar, winter solstice must occur in the 11th month, which means that Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (rarely the third if an intercalary month intervenes). In traditional Chinese Culture, lichun is a solar term marking the start of spring, which occurs about February 4.

[end-quote/]

This Year marks the coming of the Water Dragon. I myself was born under the Dragon sign of the fire element (which i am still confused, some litterateurs Ive read before points to year 1976 as the year of the "Wood Dragon"... oh well).
Contrary to western mthos, the Asian Dragons symbolizes the positive side of things. A Middle-Ages Dragon of the common fairy tale and modern western dragon depictions are stereotypical. To them dragons are fierce, fire/ice/saliva/whatever breathing monsters, whose blood can make someone invincible, they are a race to be feared because they are natural predators, runs and flies on instinct and will "eat" you up without a second notice. To this portrayal, dragons are monsters that are "game" for noble knights or anyone with sword and guns to kill. Even the looks between the Asian and Western dragons are not same.

The Asian Dragon is the exact opposite of the Western version, in looks and in qualities... to quote the feng-sui expert that is not me..."the Asian Yin - the Western Yang" - (just don't ask me if I get this Tao thing right...). Asian dragons are majestic mythical beings, symbols of power and greatness, all that is noble and wisdom. They are more serpentine in looks, scales is mostly regal in pattern and shape. The Western one is easily characterized by its broad bat-like and sinewy wings AND its "pot-belly" :D. The Asian version flies through the air not with wings but by "magic!" O_o (yes.. i dont know how to describe it either ).
If an Asian dragon appears before you, its a sign that fortune favors you, If a Western dragon appears before you... well... you can try to tame it... or your a 70lb or more of meat snack....

The Eastern Dragon

The Western Dragon

_________________________________________________________________________________

P.S.-
As a means to fill up the empty cabinet that's my life, I finally had the time and urge to write down something. Hoping for a better start this period of my life and to coincide with the Lunar New Year.


I currently reside in Hanoi Vietnam for work, suffice to say its been both frustrating and refreshing. Frustrating in a way that the life here is eerily familiar yet different at the same time. As a Pinoy in a strange land, i look around and see faces I thought would be my countrymen but once the first sylable comes out, you definitely feel your on foreign lands. Later if i can further talk about it, I'll give my two cents of thought about what my experiences so far has been here.


For now I'll just have to end it here, Its 10am and I still have half a liter of vodka and lime to go about... just feel like it... the drinking stuff... Its cold here.... 11°C @ 60% humidity, so that means wet-cold.... the kind that you feel like you have a wet hand and then you put your hands inside the fridge... that kind of feeling :D

"chúc mừng năm mới" (Happy New Year) and "cung chúc tân xuân" (gracious wishes of the new spring)