(Semi-Painted) MG God Gundam

Well after a long... LONG time, my MG God Gundam is finally finished. I kept putting off painting this guy because I was always afraid of messing up; but I finally remembered and realized that I was just starting out and that I will make mistakes. But I won't lie, I feel I did a pretty amazing job on this MG!

To start this off, the stuff I used to paint this guy was a very small amount of stuff... I used (with the recommendation from Vegeta8259) a Real Touch Dark Gray Gundam Marker for the panel lines, and it worked wonders! A standard black panel lining Gundam Marker for some of the vents and stuff, some black paint and fine tipped brush, the small sheet of decals the kit came with, and some toothpicks and cotton swabs.

Painting this guy was a joy, and a slight pain all at the same time. There were details that were harder to do than others, like the chest vents and head unit, and practically the rest was a breeze. I only used one sticker on this kit, and that was the eyes. The black trim on the shoulders, front skirt, upper legs and ankle guards were hand-painted with thinned down black paint. Unfortunately, the black paint on the ankle guards didn't look as smooth as I would've liked (see below).

I will admit, this was an easy build, but the screws were a pain to put in sometimes and in some instances, I didn't use them. My God Gundam has maybe 4 or 6 of the 12 screws in him (shoulders, elbows, and torso). His God Mode transformation is cool, but I realized the armguards had to be slightly rotated to go forward and not be encumbered by the hands.

His articulation is pretty straightforward for a MG. To me the most notable feature is the peg the shoulder armor plugs into and the movement it allows for the shoulder. It adds a bit more flush to the arms movement and overall look to the kit (a good example is the first photo). Standard double-jointed knees and elbows, with ball-joint feet, hips, head, and wrists. The shoulders have a joint inside the torso that allows it to move in and out as well as rotate 360 (keep in mind the Core Lander) and move in and out of the body. The feet are pretty well articulated, with the front half of the foot able to be posed up to make him look like he's stepping forward, or back for an arial pose. Because God Gundam isn't very bulky or have wings, he is very maneuverable, but I have to warn you, the side skirts like to pop off if the legs are moved out too far (maybe it's just mine... :/).

Overall I'd recommend this for a Gunpla builder's first MG, although my first was MG Wing Gundam Zero Custom, the only problem I see with this MG is the overuse of screws in the 'Fighting Action Frame'. But if you aren't too concerned about putting the extra time into the screws, go for this MG. It retails for only about $27 - $30 max, so I feel he's worth it.



















(lower body close-up)
















(upper body rear view close-up)















(lower body rear view close up)




















(God Mode action pose)















(God Mode close-up

Moments of Bliss #01

My Bonsai Tree, he's only 5 years old so it's fairly young, but I need to repot him in a bigger pot.

My dog, Maddie... she's such a lazy dog! But look at her jowls.... she's so cute!

New Stuff + Gundam Updates!!!

Hey everybody, I haven't been doing my blogspot for awhile now because I keep thinking people don't want to read or look at the stuff I'm posting, but then I realized one of the reasons I do this is for myself. So I have a little update for you guys!

I've been going to my local Game-X-Change and buying a bunch of their novelty stock because all of it is half-off and the once expensive merchandise is now cheap! So I've been going there a lot and buying their stock instead of buying more Gundam kits.

Three of the items here are from Game-X-Change, and the other is from BigBadToyStore.com, a great website and highly recommend it. The item of BBTS.com is the Motion Revive Series figures, which I got the last three they had.

These are the three figures I got; Momotaros Imagin, Kamen Rider Den-O Wing Form, and Kamen Rider 'I-have-no-clue-but-has-a-cape'. The reason I bought these three MRS figs is because I wanted Kamen Rider TheBee and Gatack (I started watching Kamen Rider Kabuto last week and already on episode 20!), but unfortunately, I got neither. Momotaros was the secret figure, so I thought that was pretty cool, and Den-O Wing Form is pretty sweet lookin' too!

But back to the Game-X-Change Merch, I got four of these Mario figures; three for me and one for my girlfriend. I bought one for my girlfriend and when I opened it I liked the little suckers, so the next day I went back and just bought the last three. The figures themselves are made of a soft plastic and the blocks they stand on are hard plastic that hold sound boxes inside. They also come with 3 stickers to put on three sides of the blocks to make them look as they do in the above picture.

On the bottom of each of the blocks is a little button that you press and it makes a randomized sound effect from the game, pretty corny but fun nonetheless! XD

Another thing I bought A LOT of were the Capcom Fighting Jam figures. I bought not one, not two, not even five, but all NINE of them! And guess what else, not one double! Some of the figures require minor assembly and have limited articulation to pull off their more well-known poses.

The full sets I have -- Player 1 and Player 2 colors -- are Ryu, my favorite Capcom figure from Street Fighter, Demitri; a kick-a** vampire from Darkstalkers, and Pyron; the ultimate evil from Darkstalkers. I was really shocked because the first four I got were the P1 and P2 colors of both Pyron and Demitri, and the very LAST two I got were both Ryu figures.

The other three are Alex, a character from Street Fighter III; Leo, a freakin' awesome character from Red Earth; and Ingrid, an original character from Capcom Fighting Jam, or the US release, Capcom Fighting Evolution. All three of them are in P2 colors and my favorite of these three is Leo, he's awesome!

I also got this; Final Fantasy Creatures Fan Book Vol. 2! This comes with a little book with color pages of all Final Fantasy Creatures releases, and has previews of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and of Final Fantasy Master Creatures -- the preview should tell you how old this is!

This is a close-up of the figure included, Floral Fallal Yuna from Final Fantasy X-2. This is her ultimate dressphere and a pretty good one too! It's my favorite over all three characters' final dresspheres.

Something I got for free because I bought so much of the stuff they don't want -- they need that stuff gone to restock new stuff, I was helping -- was this; Street Fighter 15th Anniversary Playstation 2 controller. I know it seems kind of dumb, but 1 it was free, and 2 it's freakin' Ryu!

The box itself is so freakin' awesome!

This is a Street Fighter SOTA figure that was released in 2005. This was one of the only original characters they had, and the other two were Adon and Gen. I may pick up Adon but I know definately I won't pick up Gen, I didn't like him at all.

I know, some people may want a Gundam update, so here it is...

I'm currently in the stages of painting my SD Songokuden Ryuubi Gundam and So far it's turning out good. (sorry that the picture is so blury, but you get the idea, right?)

If you keep reading, you'll see my next Gundam review... SD Strike Noir!!!!

Unboxing #1 (FINALLY!!!)

Hey everyone! I was on a short 3-day vacation with my two close friends and had a blast! But now that I'm finally back home, I big box was waiting for me. Oh yes, it is THAT time... My first unboxing! As everyone can see its a decent-sized box, and everything inside of it cost me $75...

First up are my two Action Bases. I got both a Version 1 and Version 2 because the white Version 1 was on sale, so I decided to pick it up for one of my kits you'll see at the end of this. I got the Version 2 Clear Sparkle Green because I just like it and I like putting my models in Aerial combat poses.

Second is my SECOND SD Gundam Exia. My first SD Exia was the unfortunate victim to a bouncy ball gone wild and broke the V-fin. After I glued it back on and looking terrible, it's hip-to-leg connection joint managed to snap off and into the leg so... yeah I decided to pitch it and buy a new one. So here it is and I'm uber-excited to have it again!

Third is a SD kit from one of my favorite lines; Sangokuden. This is the Ryuubi Gundam which is a cross between Liu Bei of that Shu forces in Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the RX-78 Gundam. I like this guy cause he looks so ninja and in all honesty I'm thinking of getting another to convert and custom paint it to be a ninja! :P

Fourth is a kit that is a purchase that is LONG overdue; 1/144 HG Gundam Exia! I personally love this MS from Gundam 00, even though I loved Dynames the most before I watched the series (I went through my Call of Duty: Modern Warfare phase then, I hope you guys get that). I think Exia's massive arm blade is the iconic symbol of Exia, and if it weren't for that blade, I don't think he would be as awesome as he is.

My fifth and last (but certainly not least) is my newest and second Master Grade... GOD GUNDAM!!! Oh hell yes, he is freakin' epic and I cannot wait to build him! I love MGs because of the length of time and amount of detail that goes into building them. This kit will be the last kit I build in this lot, and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it's awesome-ness!

So that's pretty much all I got, other than the single Black Gundam Lining Marker, a free GundamStoreandMore.com pen and magnet (all of which you can see in the photo above). So I'm gonna end my first Unboxing and start on my SD Exia!!!

Gundam Review: Songokuden SD Shibai Sazabi

Hey everyone! Well, if anyone watched zversus' youtube video promoting me, you would know I am a gunpla fan and have yet to do a review of one. The reason being is not one kit I have built is finished with painting/detailing. However, one kit is almost does painting. My Songokuden SD Shibai Sazabi!!!

This kit was one of my first SD kits along with my SD Exia (which had an unfortunate accident...) My Shibai Sazabi isn't panel lined, but it is painted (ok.. but I'd like to redo it). The kit was a very fun and simple build, and it only cost me $5! I think that's one thing I like about SD kits: They are cheap and you can put a lot of work into them!

So that's my painted Shibai Sazabi with his 'peace sign' hand in his Gunshi (army advisor) Mode. Songokuden kits are based on the storyline of the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' which I know an extensive history of because the Dynasty Warrior games and researching the real lives of those characters. (Yes, RotTK is all real) Shibai Sazabi is based of off Sima Yi, the tactician of Cao Cao and the Wei kingdom. Sima Yi was an amazing tactician and rival of Zhuge Liang, the Tactician for Liu Bei and the Shu kingdom. Sima Yi was obsessed with becoming stronger, and searching through 'darker ways' to gain power (hence the Tenshihou Shibai Sazabi). Because of this, it confuses me why he has a peace sign hand when he was NEVER interested in peace, but destruction and power.

But to the kit itself, I love it! As I said earlier, it was a fun simple build with approximately 40 pieces and a polycap sprue. Very small, simple, and fun!

First I'll talk about color. The colors are simple when you get it fresh outta the box: WHITE, red and a slightly metallic dark gray. That's it. Almost all the red you see on my kit was hand-painted and as you can tell, sorta looks like crap, but you get the idea (I plan on repainting him using different techniques and afterwards I'll post new pictures). Another color that on the kit in one piece is a brighter metallic silver, for the headpiece when in General Mode. However, one color that is quite a necessity for this kit that is only included on stickers is gold. Oh, how necessary the gold is... This kit doesn't look quite the same without the gold. I used a gold Gundam Marker for the gold on my kit and it looks amazing. I only used two stickers on my kit, the two on the face (mono-eye and chrome facemask).

The articulation is pretty basic for an older SD kit, ball joint for the neck, shoulder, below the shoulder, wrist, leg-to-hip, and ankles. The waist is a peg-in-hole join and allows for 360 rotation. The articulation is pretty good, with no hindered parts except for around the legs. The skirt armor is quite large and bulky, but it doesn't hinder much movement. The accessories are nice enough; the only true accessories being the fan (Kouyokosen) and sword (Shirogane no Kiba), with the shoulders and extra headpiece being used for General Mode.

This is the Shibai Sazabi in his Bushou (general) Mode, with the added shoulders and headpiece. In either form, he can wield either the Shirogane no Kiba or the Kouyokosen, OR, combine them to form his ultimate weapon: the Gayoku no Taiken!

Shibai Sazabi doesn't have any gimmicks, but is an amazing kit nonetheless. If your a fan of Songokuden or SD kits, pick him up without hesitation! You certainly not regret it!

(Shibai Sazabi in Gunshi mode with his Kouyokosen)

(Shibai Sazabi in Gunshi Mode with the Shirogane no Kiba)

(Shibai Sazabi in his Bushou Mode with his ultimate Gayoko no Taiken)

Overall, I'd give this kit a 5/5. It's amazing and fun to build (plus cute to look at! XD). This kit got me into Songokuden kits and SD kits alike, they are personally, my favorite kits to build. So if your a fan, get it, and if not, get it anyways!

An Unboxing Soon...

Hey guys, I figured I'd share with you I am expecting a box of Gundam kits from GundamStoreandMore, a website I absolutely LOVE! A few kits, and a couple action bases (I really need them...) But other than that, I plan on doing my next review over the Songokuden SD kit, Shibai Sazabi. Probably one of my favorite kits look-wise because of the clean white with red trim. The other kit I am currently painting is the Songokuden SD Tenshihou Shibai Sazabi, pretty much the more beefy version of Shibai Sazabi that takes on a Nightingale look. A concept pic is posted below for viewing.

Other than that, I will continue doing Iron Man 2 figure reviews, covering the Concept and Comics series figures next, but I'm hoping to cover more Gundam reviews soon. So expect an Unboxing post in the next few days, so be looking for that to see new kits I'm going to be building.

Thanks for reading and I'll keep you guys posted! See ya soon!

Fifth Review: Iron Man Movie Series Mark I

Hey guys! I just picked up this figure and I figured I'd do a review of the Iron Man 2 3 3/4" Movie Series Mark I figure. This is a very nice figure and I am quite a fan of it for starters. A brief history of this figure is that it was built in the Iron Man 2008 film. It was built with spare parts from various missiles and military equipment to allow him to escape from a group of terrorist that call themselves the 'Ten Rings'. This suit served as the basis of the Mark II and Mark IV suits.

For colors, the suit features a worn iron color for the armor, and a khaki overall-suit worn underneath the armor itself. The details are spectacular on this armor, there are lines on the armor itself that show where plates were welded together to make the armor. There are gears on the back and mechanisms on the sides of the thigh to allow movement of the legs. The ARC Reactor in the center of the torso is freakin' awesome! I love the intense detail on this figure, up there with the Mark II.

Articulation is actually a bit different from the other figures, so I'll re-list the articulation...

- neck (ball joint)

- shoulders (360 rotation/in-and-out)

- elbows (360 rotation/in-and-out)

- waist (360 rotation)

- hips (forward-and-back/in-and-out)

- upper thigh (rotation)

- knee (single-jointed)

- ankle (up-and-down/ 360 rotation)

As you can see, there is no upper torso or wrist rotation, nor do the upper thighs rotate as much as the other figures can. But, for such a bulky suit, the articulation is really impressive.

As you can see, the 3 Armor Cards are once again included with the figure as well as a base and a missile launcher designed like a flame thrower with a flame-designed missile. I really liked that they gave the Mark I a flame thrower designed missile launcher since he used a flame thrower quite a bit in the movie during his escape.

(rear view)

(Mark I on Base, Missile Launcher, & Armor Cards)

(Mark I w/ Accessories in Action Pose)

Overall, I'd say this figure is a 5/5. The figure's details are spectacular, the articulation is very good for being so bulky, and he's just a great figure overall. I'd recommend this figure but only if you REALLY like it, I was skeptical because I like the sleek look of the other armors, but I was happy after buying the Mark I, so if you're skeptical, I'd say go for it! He's completely worth it!