Jump to content

mpchi

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    820

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by mpchi

  1. mpchi
    Can't say much for Xabungle (don't really like the bots myself), but if you haven't watch much of Ideon, you are missing out. Try find the 2 movies of Ideon and watch it. Then you'll want the SOC badass even more.
  2. mpchi
    Looking just OK is good enough . Don't think I have the skill nor knowledge to go all out, especially on something this small. My goal is to add just some weathering wash to pop out some details and give it a decent weathering look. Nothing too fancy. Not even sure yet if I'll tackle the tiny pilot, or just leave them unpainted. Want to enjoy the toys, and not turn it into a chore painting every little thing. But after seeing the OVAs, I couldn't help from wanting some of those cool Scopedog customs, which is very unlikely to show up in the 1/18 line. HLJ still has the last set of 1/48 Reeman Squad on sale when I was browsing, so I guess thats my calling to the 1/48 line.
  3. mpchi
    http://pony-hp.web.infoseek.co.jp/DIXNEUF.htm Just opened my Wave Dix Neuf PVC action figure. While pretty happy with the sculpt, and the paint job is pretty nice (though have a few hiccups and ugly touch-up), I am quite disapointed with the joints. Its not because of the limited articulation, which I already know about. Its the looseness and material quality of the joints that surpriced me. The ball joints are very loose floppy out of the box. While I take off the parts and use the superglue treatment to thicken the ball joints, the red hard plastic that they used for the ball joints are not that hard at all, and got stress marks already after I pull the thing out. The hip joint connection(connects the ball joint to hip) is awful and wobbles, with the ball joint only like 10 degree of movement, while leaving the figure very unstable with the heavy legs very floppy. The sad part is, even if you super glue the ball joint for good, the legs are still going to be wobbly because of the sucky connection above. And fiddle with it too much might have the joint snap and break on you. Not sure why they don't just make the whole thing as a solid piece and make the figure stands better. Somehow, the Gunbuster 2 figures seemed to be plagued with issues. Following Bandai's Buster Machine No.7 Nono really bad paint job, Dix Neuf while looks good, is a surprisingly wobbly figure, when you thought it would stand like a brick with its really limited articulation. Sigh...
  4. mpchi
    Those weathering looks great. Just ordered myself a bunch of 1/48. Looking forward to give it some weatheromg too. I am not expert modeler, but just want to spice up the look of the 1/48s when they arrived.
  5. mpchi
    The mecha designer list is very intriging. But when I browse through the official site and look at the very few mechas that was revealed, I am not so impressed anymore. While they are not bad per se, they aren't that great either, especially the main mecha. Its detailed, but sort of generic, like a SRWOG & Gundam mech wannabe, with all the wrong colors (reminds me of Sailormoon's outfit). And when I find out the main character is another 13 year-old kid to fight for his country...eh. Ok. I'll take Domon Kashu over this kid anyday.
  6. mpchi
    Just finished the last Votoms OVA: Shining Heresy/The Defrost. This 5 episode series feels quite different from all the OVAs, since its directored by someone else. Unlike the stand alone OVAs, which are usually very straightforward and to the point, with one event stringed to the other pretty tightly, Shining Heresy has the luxury to take its time to build up the story and character development on some of the new characters. However, while the 1st & 5th episodes are great and filled with some very cool action, I feel like they put too much screen time on characters and events that are not important nor very interesting in the middle 3 episodes. Don't feel like a lot of the long political dialogues really add much to the show, especially the 'conspiracy' is much more simple and predictable, unlike what we see in Roots of Ambition. They could have condensed those 3 middle episodes (lots of talking) into just 1 or 2 episodes to get better pacing and make the whole series more action packed in general. Art-wise, its great. Never seen Votoms characters drawn as nice as we see here, and the animation is very good. Makes you feel like watching Gundam 0083 stuff, but in a Votoms universe. So a bit more clean and detailed (things look more advanced, but they can get away with it since its 32 years after the TV series), and feel a bit less gritty. We get a new OP & ED theme song too. While not as nice as the original songs, they kind of fit the feel of this new show, especially the ED song. While it may not be the best Votoms OVA out of the bunch, it does have a definite closure on the entire Chirico story. So still a good watch, with a bit of a drag in the middle, and very good art. Really hope Perzen Files won't disappointed, as these OVA really made me looking for more, and got me started on the 1/48 collection, which I tried very hard to stay away from...
  7. mpchi
    Mine got sloppy paint as well, but not bad enough that I want to take the thing apart, in case something else will break on me LOL.
  8. mpchi
    Oh, I really don't know Roots of Ambition is subbed or not. I just assumed it was as I remember you guys mentioned finding some of the OVA subbed from some bit torrent sites. So thought some of you may have watched it and understand the story better. Without spoiling too much for you guys, there are a couple scenes in this OVA that sure shows that Chirico is not normal...at all. So like I said, quite trippy. Here is all I can find on youtube right now, a nice long trailer of Roots of Ambition. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LUFkPVPUNw And now that I watched Roots of Ambition, I kind of have a better guess what the new upcoming series Perzen Files would be about. More likely it would be the downfall of the Red Shoulders & Perzen's political powers, due to what happened in Roots of Ambition. From the look of it, with the released updated mecha sketch of just Scopedog, Standing Turtle, and Diving Beetle, but no advance AT, quite likely the new series will follow the timeline soon after the Roots of Ambition as well. Of course, these are just some wild guess. Hmmmm~! Can't wait.
  9. mpchi
    Just watched "Red Shoulder Document: Roots of Ambition" OVA. A very good and trippy show indeed. Lots of cool Red Shoulder battles, and we see more of the mysterious side of Chirico we've never seen in the TV show. Action is much more intense, and its much better drawn on the mecha action even compared to "The Last Red Shoulder". Very good stuff. How great shows like these was never popular here in US is quite beyond me.... SPOILER ALERT! - - - - - - - - - - - - - For those that watched the show with subtitle, can you tell me the details of what Perzen knows about Chirico's past, when he try to tell Chirico alone in that room, right before Chirico try to choke him to death? Did they ever explain the origin of Chirico's birth? Also, After the choking incident, Perzen thought he killed Chirico. But did he soon found out Chirico is alive and continue staying in the Red Shoulder group? Or did he thought Chirico was dead the whole time until the very very end during the parade? Cause otherwise, I don't quite get how Reeman found Chirico in the Sunsa battle and even challenged him, regardless they are on the same side. My Japanese is limited, so didn't get all the details.
  10. mpchi
    Wow! Good news. So they finally did some work on episode 4. For the longest time, I thought the whole project got canned or put on hold forever. Think we need to ignore the US release date Manga put up for a while, until the Japan side really pick up the series and finish it off. Then we'll see a legit domestic release date, rather than the ones that Manga kept pushed back a bunch of times since they too are waiting on whats going on on the Japan side.
  11. mpchi
    Really depends on the joint you are trying to fix, especially for parts that you can't or don't want to take apart. Dental floss is great since it can slip into really thin gaps in hinged joints, while you can adjust the tightness as you do the loops. Works for me.
  12. mpchi
    Just watched The Last Red Shoulder OVA last night, as my R2 discs finally came. A very good OVA. Animation not a big jump from the TV series quality, but you can see the difference, with smoother action and characters on model all the time. No secondary crew or keyframe artists making the characters look like someone else. Cool to see the Turbo Customs duke it out with the Bloodsucker squad too. Didn't know Bloodsucker is a mass production model until now. A very nice inbetween OVA that tell some back stories, and fill in the gap between the Uoodo City & Kummen arc. Though a bit surprised that Chirico is already considered as an ultimate soldier specimen(though not quite a PS yet) this early in the timeline by a few characters already, when the same characters seem clueless about him at this point in the TV series. His fighting ability didn't really mature until much later in the TV with the numerous battle with Ypsilon. Might get to my other disc sometime this weekend. The DVDs sure got some very cool cover art. In terms of people that has a DMZ-01 with a loose visor, it can be easily fixed by a piece od dental floss. Just pick a unscented piece (unless you want your scopedog minty ) and loop it tight around the gap on one of the 'ears' a few times (I picked the ear without the antenna). It gives the swivel a bit more friction. As you get a decent tightness (though don't over do it since it might widen the gap if you loop it too many times), then tie a simple knot to secure the floss. The knot will make it even tighter too, so no need to loop it too much. Think I did it like 3-4 loops. Then just trim off the excess floss and tuck it into the gap. Baam! You got a nice moving visor that holds well at any angle. Easy fix.
  13. mpchi
    Though having the opportunity to take apart the DMZ-01 for the most part, I do have to say that TakaraTomy did a great job designing those joints. Keeping them snug, and clamped with diecast brackets to ensure tightness and minimum wear. You never see Yamato put in that much thought on the joints. A.K.A. the breakage or tumbling that many Yamato toys are associated with. So yeah, Yamato has a better sculpt and nicer detail. On the contrary, TakaraTomy enlarged the forearm for the punch arm gimmick, as well as the wider feet for stability. Both changes shooting for better playability. But as a toy, DMZ wins. And the pretty good paint job even brings it up a few notch compare to Yamato's bare plastic.
  14. mpchi
    Yeah. Not to diss the crowd that watch dub, but I would never buy a Gunbuster DVD with dub only. Nor any other dub only anime titles. Just want to get the better voices and acting out of the show I like.
  15. mpchi
    I like Shura, other than his face & eye disease. The surplice cloth details doesn't look as nice as the gold version, but having a 3rd generation body and a much nicer head sure is tempting. Since Shion is on his way, it won't be too far off that the othe surplice gold saints will be on their way.
  16. mpchi
    I wuld prefer the Nemesis Prime over BT-17, mainly because fo the price, and partly the paint scheme. No doubt having more diecast is good, but I felt like they took out some colors I like on Nemesis and introduced a bit too much grey. For a much cheaper price, a Nemesis is still very fun. Though be prepared to fix a couple loose joints on the Nemesis. Some of the joints could be sturdier, like the hips and the knees.
  17. mpchi
    "Pretty expensive" is quite an understatement. I don't think I've ever paid that much on any domestic anime DVD release with only 2 episodes. Heck, not even when it comes with 3 or 4 episodes. Think this is really a wrong move and will hurts Bandai's sales. Sure they are not getting my money unless they will have a much cheaper box set. With $39.99, you can get a very good 26 episode thinpack boxsets nowadays. As much as I like Gunbuster 2, this kind of pricing is pretty outrageous.
  18. mpchi
    I love the variety on the 1/48 line, but seems a bit too small and fiddly for me to play around, as I do like my toys to feel more solid if possible. Though the Burglary Dog and some of the Turbo Custom diorama sets are very tempting.
  19. mpchi
    The paint job on mine is all stock in those pics. Haven't got time to get to that yet, but I am not too picky about the weathering and thought it already looks very good. And yeah, sucks those 1/48 Vorct guys are resin kits.
  20. mpchi
    Just finished modding the feet to put more weights in it to strengthen the balancing while doing leaning sliding poses, and stiffened the ankle swivel a bit while at it. Its a sucess! And its pretty straight forward and easy to do. I just use various coins I could get to fit inside the feet, together with some kneaded eraser to hold them in place. Just make sure you use the same coins on both feet to prevent one feet heavier than the other. There are plenty of room in both the feet and toe area to fill stuff. When you disassembling it, be aware that 2 screws were hiding behind the Turn Pick on each feet, which is held onto the feet by 2 thick peg. Just pull them out with caution. The pegs are thick, but its so tight that I still snapped one of them when pulling the Turn Pick piece out. Good that I can super glue the thing back when I am done putting everything back together. As you can see, the result is pretty cool. Don't think even the Official Takara pics had this guy lean back this far. With the added weight and sturdier joints, now the thing feels more like a gokin when lifted, without the light model-kit feel anymore. This Scopedog is turning into one darn fine toy, with just a bit of help on the shoulders and feet. Very cool indeed.
  21. mpchi
    http://www.hobbyjapan.co.jp/hobbyjapan/votoms/news.html Just saw these in the news page. At first I thought its Takara's 1/48 line on the Vorct Team, but turn out its a resin kit. Too bad modeling is not really my forte. Funny, the group pics of the Chirico figures gave me a JinRoh vibe. Graham, Out of the 5 OVAs, I skipped No.2 The Big Battle. Since that one seem to be just a battle area type side story without a big significant role on the main story line. Try to save a bit. Was that a wrong decision? Was it super good? I still haven't got my DVDs yet, but should be here in a few days.
  22. mpchi
    http://www.hobbyjapan.co.jp/hobbyjapan/votoms/index.html Any of you guys know what the recent novel Commando Vorct series is all about? Only very brief info is on the official site. Is it a HobbyJapan article of some sort? Like the SIC? The Vorct team mechs are very cool, with each mech of the team have a specific emphasis and specialized parts. Think Max might be doing action figures for them in their 1/35 line. Unfortunately, its not a line I dare to dive in.
  23. mpchi
    Yeah. Unfortunately the following is pretty small outside Japan. I remember quite a few years ago, right at the beginning of the modern toy boom, I was so stoke after watching the Votoms DVDs that I was looking everywhere for cool toys and discussions online. Didn't really find any, and end up settling with the Duel Model figures to quench my thirst. They weren't reissues nor cheap either... Votoms fans sure has a lot more choices nowadays, with all the new toylines and OVA DVDs released, even an upcoming new show to boot!
  24. mpchi
    The ending is good. The thing about Wiseman is that they don't seem to path it enough almost until late Part 3, which seem a bit sudden. Also, the art don't seem to match up with the concept exceptionally well. The simple designs look find with a realistic, griddy military backdrop. But when it gets to Wiseman's stuff, its almost like the art is not detailed enough to make that concept and environment believable. But regardless, the series ended good. Now, I am just waiting for my R2 OVA DVDs to arrive, after hearing from you guys how awesome the OVAs are. And just got the Takara 1/18 DMZ-01 from HLJ. Finally get to see what this hype is all about, and to keep it short, I am very impressed! Similar to everybody's feedback, this is pretty big (as tall as a 1/55 Chunky Monkey VF-1, but even chunkier), well built figure that is very playable & light, while has a bit of painted model-kit feel. Very good finish on the scope lens, overall paint, and details. The weathering a bit rough, but still look good as long as you are not too anal. It can be easily touched up to make it even better. Love the poseability to boot, with the yawing leaning action going on, while still able to balance. And that is the best arm punch gimmick I've ever seen. Very strong spring action there and so fun to play. Now thats a real Scopedog! Maybe mine is a re-issue, as the loose visor and head dome seem fine on mine. Visor not tight by any means, but will stay up and open, while the head doesn't come off at all. The fingers are not ideal, but seems to hold up ok. Would be great if they added grooves on the peg on the fingers, rather than just a straight peg. Lazy design. Contrary to that, the shoulder joints are very well designed. Since I got a slightly looser right shoulder ball joint, I opened it up and realized it has a double diecast discs clamping on a ball & socket joint (socket made by some harder polycap material) and held by 2 screws. Very secure and not prone to wear. Impressive. With the super glue trick, now my gun arm shoulder is very secure. The only thing left is to open up the feet and find some good weights to fit in, so that it can balance even better when doing more extreme sliding action. Getting Chirico sit in there nicely while allowing the hatch to shut flush does take some effort. Takara definitely has a winner toyline here, and pays a lot of homage to the classic Duel Model series, while making it so much better. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be super popular among casual or non-Votoms fans. With little diecast and being very light, its still worth every penny I paid for. Didn't expect this to be this good.
  25. mpchi
    Haha. Then sounds more like I got gipped, as I paid like $15-20 for it back then. LOL
×
×
  • Create New...