cmwolfe.net

2020

Gunpla Chronicles - Tallgeese Shield (and Beam Sabers) 2020-02-17

The shield is the next component on the build list.

The construction is quite simple. This is all you need:

Tragically, the decals got a little dark, so not only are they now extremely obviously decals, but they clash against the pure white of the shield. I originally thought and hoped that the color may fade away over time, but the next day it looked even worse.

Gunpla Chronicles - Tallgeese Vernier 2020-02-15

The next item on our list of parts to build is “Backpack Vernier 2”, which I suppose could be either of the two Verniers. Whatever, let’s build one and talk about it.

The verniers on this model look like a f-ing work of art. Take a look at this:

They open up from all sorts of directions to reveal three thrusters each, then fold back into a nice, neat, compact form when closed.

The only question is - how exactly do they work? At least, that is the question I have had on my mind since I first laid eyes upon this kit. It seems impossible that this feature works without springs, or diecast metal, or something other than plastic. Now I get to see how it really works.

Gunpla Chronicles - Tallgeese Legs (and feet) 2020-02-12

I decided to go with the Tallgeese over the Maganac as the next build, so let us get cracking.

Here are the runners:

We have 12 in total, which feels a bit low for a Real Grade, but keep in mind that some of these are big and crammed full of pieces.

Also, I very quickly learned that the white pieces do have a glossy appearance out of the box. That is extremely cool, and I will stick with my original plan not to topcoat them.

Here is the instruction booklet:

I am only showing it because I forgot how much I love these Real Grade booklets. Multi paged, stapled, nice quality paper, and they don’t try to cram as many steps as possible onto a single page:

One page for a SINGLE leg. That’s luxury friends

Christmas 2019 Star Wars Kits - Corellian Corvette 2020-02-05

We move on to the next in my long line of Star Wars model kits from the Christmas season - the Corellian Corvette (AKA the “Blockade Runner” AKA Tantive IV). This was part of a double pack with the Millenium Falcon, which makes sense because … uhhhh … it’s Han and Leia’s ships? Sure, I can go with that.

Here is the kit’s single runner.

And here are the decals:

That seems like just the right amount of pieces to me. As you can see, the plastic is a cream color, and as I wrote about recently, this either is or is not color accurate. Regardless, I stuck with this cream color, as it is fairly unique among SW craft. That means no hand painting, which should mean this build is a cinch, right?

Right?

Gunpla Chronicles - Gundam Wing Mania! 2020-02-03

I got a handful of small gift cards for my birthday last month, and with so many family members encouraging my model kit hobby, I figured I might as well do the same. I ended up buying four different kits, all of them at extremely good prices l(which is the only reason I got four in the first place). They have not yet all arrived - one of them appears to be shipping directly from Japan, and may not arrive until the end of Feburary! - but as of today I do have two of them. And lo and behold, there’s a bit of a theme behind them. Can you guess from this photo?

On the Coloring of Star Wars 2020-01-31

If you have read the last few posts on this blog then you know I have been building a bunch of Star Wars kits lately. In doing so I started to notice a trend; These kits both are and are not color accurate out of the box.

Let me give you an example. Take the classic Star Destroyer. Here is how it looks at the start of A New Hope:

Here is one in Empire Strikes Back:

Here is another from Rogue One:

Here is the bare plastic of my Star Destroyer model kit:

Birthday 2020 Star Wars Model Kit - AT-M6 2020-01-21

I never expect to get model kits (or model kit supplies) as gifts, but I’m on a roll lately. Now it seems as if everyone in my family wants to encourage my habit hobby. At Christmas I got a new workbench, some Star Wars kits, and some new modeling compound. For my birthday this month I got a workbench chair:

Another, different set of of modeling compounds:

The first set was all metallics for chipped/scratched paint, but this set is for dust/grime/snow

And lastly, another Star Wars kit, one that I must admit came entirely out of left field:

Christmas 2019 Star Wars Kits - Second Death Star 2020-01-05

Back in the day, these model kit posts were almost always accompanied by a showcase of some new tool or gimzo that I added to my collection. That has not happened in a long time. Truth be told, I probably did pick up some new doodads here and there over the last few years, but none of them have been earth shatteringly useful or exotic, so I felt no need to mention them.

This time, however, I am quite excited to show off two new additions to my arsenal. The first one is rather big, and very exciting:

2019

Sega Genesis Mini: Carrying Case 2019-12-26

As I mentioned previously, the Genesis Mini has no official carrying case, but there are plenty of unofficial solutions online. I picked one up from Amazon on account of it looking fairly close in style to the official cases of Nintendo’s Mini cases. Indeed, it does look the part, and it (mostly) gets its job done, but once you see it in person it becomes obvious that it lacks that certain level of quality that you get with licensed products of this nature.

First off, here is what it looks like: