New Zaku additions to the family

Being a special month for me, I took a week off work. It's my first real extended break from work since the end-of-year batch of statutory holidays.

Over this time, I did all sorts of things, like get my provisional drivers license. In addition to that, I promised myself that I would build at least 5 of the robot model kits I've been collecting. Frankly I've got a lot of them now that are just waiting to be built. 21 or so off the top of my head. I've been holding off on them for various reasons. Probably weariness caused by work. However, I managed my quote. I said five, and I built six. Five of them were Zaku's, one was a GM. The GM is complete as far as construction is concerned, but there's custom paintwork I've got planned for it.

Of Zakus, there were two different Zaku II v2.0's, a 1/100 Zaku II F2, a 1/144 Zaku II F2 (EFF) and a 1/144 Zaku I Sniper. For some photos of them, they can currently be seen on my  Photobucket account. That link will take you directly to them, along with a few other items I've purchased in June 2010.

The one I want to show off is the third addition to the White Ogre platoon I've slowly built up. This time, White Ogre #3 will be called - using completely original and not deliberately descriptive nomenclature: Air Ogre (w/ crystal eye)

Made up from parts of a Zaku II MS06-R1 "Shin Matsunaga Custom" and a MS-06 J "White Ogre" custom to make it look like a White Ogre with all the necessary flying parts, as well as the customized skirting, elbow armour, shield with extra joists, detailed spiked shoulder armour and a right shoulder with vents. Also the prototype Zaku Bazooka that looks partway between a Zaku Bazooka and a Big Bazooka.

Note, I've not used any of the markings for the White Ogre on any of the kits so far as I don't want to relate these White Ogres to the proper "White Ogre" custom used by Elmer Snell from the MS Igloo 2 series.

The reference to a crystal eye just means that I've not painted the mono-eye camera in its head. I've always painted them with clear colours like red, blue, green, orange, etc. However, this is the first time I've built a Zaku 2.0 kit without painting the eye, and it looks quite nice for a change. You could say I was just being lazy, but I wanted to use an eye colour that I hadn't used before as I've gone through the entire range of Tamiya clear colours so far - with the exception of clear and smoke.Clear would be redundant, and smoke would just make it darker. (I did use a clever combination of pink food colouring and Klear floor wax (that's Future to those in the US) for the Zaku II F2 to get pink).


I also spent a bit of time detailing the randsel jet pack as well as the vernier bell thrusters on the legs with  chrome silver and metallic red marker pens.

I usually only use chrome silver to paint the inside of the bell as well as dab the edges of the thrusters to make it look like the darker paint peeling away from the inner-metal surfaces. I like small shiny and metallic details like this in small quantities. This time though, I decided to do something different. Gundam models often have the inside of the thrusters in red (or in some cases yellow such as on the Kampher). I don't find myself particularly fond of that, so I went with a compromise. I've used a red ring around the edges. Not entirely sure of the significance of it, but it has resulted in a nice effect. I particularly like the effect it has had on the legs:

It's a pity though that you're not generally inclined to look at the feet or anywhere that far down when viewing  a completed model kit that is on display, so you lose out on these details unless it's on a display arm in a flying pose.


And here are the left over parts from the White Ogre and Shin Mastunaga Custom - enough to make another Zaku II MS06J. Has black pipes, gray chest sides, white  knees and cockpit and gray soles. I may use this for a complete repaint job one of these days. The white knees, surprisingly enough, were surplus parts in the Shin Matsunaga custom set.

Note: This photo is not flipped horizontally. I deliberately swapped the positions of the spiked and shield shoulder guards - though I suppose it wouldn't matter either way.


That certainly looks like a lot of weapons (spare from the other 3 White Ogres that aren't being used) - but certainly as many as I could have it displayed with if had borrowed the weapons from my other Zakus. I did learn a cleverly new way to clip the bazooka and machine guns over the shoulders. Similar to how they are stored in the Target in Sight PS3 game. Done by simply popping the arm off and slipping the handle on the shoulder joint, and putting the arm back on. That's given me two more places to clip weapons in addition to the weapon mount ratch on the back armour skirting. 


In my next article, I'll have a short natter about Transformers - since that consumes  as much time, if not more, than general robot model kits! Not sure what I'll talk about at the moment, but I'll think of something. Might make a few mention or do quick review of the Powercore combiners that have recently been released, and my mixed reception of them.

Let there be pie!

And as a haute cuisine type chef would say: Ukulele!

My very first pie! The first real bit of cooking I've ever done that doesn't involve omelettes, boiling (ala instant noodles) or just plain heating up. It looks malformed, but otherwise didn't turn out too bad for my first ever pie, and proved to be a very filling lunch. Learned plenty of lessons on what I should do next time and what to improve on.


Filling consists of chicken mince, reduced cream, mixed veg. and cheese on the inside and a few sprinkled on the top for decoration.

Now, this entire article seems a little pointless, but so is the direction I've taken with this particular blog. 

I can drive!

Well, as of today, I have crossed another of life's stepping stones towards independence. I have passed my practical driving test and am no longer a learner driver. I'm not a full driver as of yet, but I can now drive around town unsupervised by a qualified driver.

I've dithered long enough but have at least achieved this before 30. It will have its fair share of problems - but I'll worry about them when I get to it.

"Asymmetric"

What does it mean? Well, without referring to a dictionary, I'll try and explain it off the top of my head. Something is said to be symmetric when both sides are equal. Therefore, Asymmetric means the opposite, where both sides are not. A persons face for example is (often) symmetric. If the hair is brushed to the side for example, then the face is no longer symmetrical. It is said to be asymmetric. Enough with the explanation.

Now that's a word I am fond of. Quite a useful word to use when describing toy robots, as the terms are useful for describing the symmetry of the toy's appearance. However it is a word that I am constantly forgetting whenever I get to an appropriate point that it can be used.

The brain is a funny thing. You will often know something, and be very confident in your knowledge of this subject. But, at the critical moment, perhaps due to some brain activity that's related to stress, the pathways that lead to all this information seize up or get blocked. Thus you are at a loss to remember what it is at the critical moment. Later on, when the information is not particularly relevant at the time, it may come flooding back in great detail.

This is why I often did very badly during school exams. It's this pressure introduced by the time limitations (and lack of access to reference materials) that often made me forget something that I otherwise knew very well. If it was an easy question that I could do in my sleep, that was fine. But if it was something I wasn't too certain on, but knew the answer, then the numbness of the mind occurs.

Stage fright is also caused by this. Only that has the added stress of having you feeling nervous while being observed by many. The worry that you will fail, the prejudging, etc. All the little stresses don't just stack up, they come in an tidalwave, as you're being observed by many. If you don't go on stage often, your confidence can quickly get shattered and start doing mistakes.

But again, the mind is a funny thing. It might recall snippets of a song at sudden moments and you get a part of the song playing in your head all day long. a terrible thing to happen if it's a song you don't like. Me? I don't particularly mind it when I recall the Badger chants. (Badger, badger, badger..etc)

Oh hang on, what was this about? Oh yes, the word Asymmetric. And Symmetric. They're fun. Look them up some time and find an excuse to insert them into your everyday conversation!