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Posted by cmos @ Sun 11 May, 08, 04:57PM under DIY
I learnt the hard way that moving your gundam model kit around and playing around with the poses too much is detrimental to the finish of the newly painted surfaces. This in addition to several accidental drops, have caused the week old painted surfaces to chip and peel, leaving the model looking suprisingly weary in terms of wear and tear.
You can see that the original hari raya green paintwork have started to show it's ugly head again; especially at the joints. Which made me feel extremely frustrated as I spent so much time trying to get rid of it in the first place. So I decided to do some touch up work on the model. No way am I going to strip everything down again, and respray the surfaces... as that's way too much work. So I took out a piece of A4 paper, folded it into a conical shape, and started spraying the brown color into the cone. By spraying closely into the cone, I can catch the paint in the paper cone in liquid form, which allows me to apply the paint instead of spraying.
I used a #1 nylon paintbrush to help me in my touchup work, as this type of art brush have a very fine tip when wet, which allows me to carefully apply the paint.
Carefully, apply thin fine coats of the paint to the affected areas to fix the peeled paint. Do not apply a thick coat at once as it will damage the finish of the sprayed areas. Use several thin coats instead.
Once that's done, allow the paint to dry. You can see if the touch up job was done properly, the fixed areas are barely noticable. The key point here is to try and apply the paint thinly and in a single direction only to ensure that the painted areas doesn't pop up like a huge tumor under an MRI scan. Since I'm already at it, I decided to add some silver highlights as well using the same technique. Dip brush into paint, squeegee off the excess paint, apply in thin single direction strokes.
Added some silver to the gaps on the lower leg.
Some silver highlights on the wing armor. And touched up all the rogue hari raya green hotspots. Job done. No more gundams for me for the time being... tired. 
Posted by cmos @ Sun 04 May, 08, 12:38AM under DIY
Fell victim to the flu bug some 3 days ago, which meant I spent quite some time sleeping my days away. Ironically, I took Friday off... wasted my damn leave nia. But today, I finally decided to start working on the 1/144 scale Gundam Dynames which Ikan helped me purchase from KL. Ya... after being racun-ed kaw kaw and fed with non-stop supply of Gundam 00, Gundam Seed + Destiny... I thought... what the heck... I wanna try my hands building one of these models as well. Ya-la... I'm a fanboy... so sue me... I decided not to go for the 1/100, because I don't have any prior experience in modelling kits, so I thought I better start small and try experimenting on the 1/144 first. At least if I screw things up, I don't feel that bad. But before working on the kit, I decided to read through Danny Choo's Gundam Modeling Tutorial for some advice. This fella is like Veda of Gundam knowledge... kowtow... So here goes.
The 1/144 HG model kit came in a rather smallish box, which consists of a bunch of multi colored runners and a manual; which is in Japanese no less. Great help if your don't read Kimochi language... pif. But it was well illustrated so it doesn't take a nuclear scientist to understand the damn thing.
This is how it's supposed to look once you put A+B+C together.
Nice no? At this point of time, I'm feeling a little blur, coz I really hate tiny things and this box came with a whole plethora of tiny stuff. Dammit... tiny stuff scares me... and I felt a little frustrated on how to put everything together. I'm still baffled by how Ikan managing to put 3 gundams together in one weekend... u're crazy man... Before I started this project, I've already made up my mind that I'm gonna change the color scheme of my model Dynames. I don't really like the Hari Raya green splashed all over his armor and the yellow bits look a little gay as well. I know Gundam diehards are going to lynch me for this blasphemy... but I can't help it... and I wanna try if I can make it look a little better. So I ran thru quite a number of color schemes in my head and tried to think what looks best on this small model. At first I wanted to go for the Exia blue scheme... but that is just wrong. Then I saw one of those Gundam Strike Noir, which looked interesting, but I later felt the dark color scheme would just drown away all the details on an already small model. Someone suggested pink... but I think Nadleeh will kill me for ripping him/her(?) off. So my main goal was to try and make this 1/144 kit look a little more expensive than what it really cost. This is one of the cheaper ones (40 bucks only actually), so there is only that much I can do. But I think it can be improved. If you take a look at the runners, they are already colored. But it looks a little flat... imho. Tamiya sells small cans of aerosol paints which are specially formulated for modelling kits. But these costs an arm and a leg. Especially when I'm planing to use like 4 separate colors plus one gloss top coat. So I decided to try re-coloring it using off the shelf aerosol sprays instead.
So I dropped by the neighbourhood hardware store, and purchased about 30 bucks worth of spray paint. This is what I had in mind :
With that settled, I can start working on the model. First thing was to give the runner a good scrub using some detergent and a good rinse. This is to make sure the paint will adhere properly to the surface as grime will ruin the finish.
Yes... those are bits of spring onion in the sink from the last night's dinner... pft... Once that's done, we can start spraying the runners. Make sure you spray in a well ventilated area, or you risk respiratory failure... like what almost happened to me. I enjoy these aerosol fumes... so I don't know how much I inhaled until my head started spinning like a top.
Important thing is to make sure you don't overspray, or you'll end up with a thick layer of paint which will peel horribly later during assembly. This I found out the hard way... sienz... Next, leave everything to dry. Once that's done, it's time to start the actual assembly.
You'll need a sharp blade. I decided to get a pair of flush cut pliers as well, since it helps speed up the cutting process and it minimizes the damage to the runners.
A pair in the hobby shop costs 80 bucks. No way. I got an almost similar pair at the hardware store for around a quarter of that price. Along the way, I found that I missed some areas during the earlier spraying. And that meant going back and respraying the parts. Not exactly too hard... but it's damn tiring to do double work.
Btw... you can get this texture by holding the spraycan a little further than usual from the items you want to spray. It gives that grainy look, as the spray droplets will be further apart when it falls on the parts. If you want a glossier look, place the spray nozzle closer. One thing to remember when assembling the kit... is to READ THE FARKING MANUAL. I tried assembling the thing without consulting the paperwork, and I ended up having to pry the thing open again after I found that things doesn't fit; almost breaking several parts in the process. So don't do a John Woo like me and spare yourself the pain.
I found that the 1/144 kit lacks quite a bit of detail compared to it's 1/100 counterpart. So I decided to get a Gundam marker (12 bucks a pop... this is daylight robbery sial...!!!) and add in some details to compensate. It's a little hard to do, but it does make some difference. Use a pencil eraser to clean up the smudges. It took me about 2 afternoons to get everything done (yes... I'm a slow worker... beh syiok ah?), but eventually, everything came together in the end. And so, here's my 1/144 scale Gundam Dynames with a slightly altered color scheme.
Full frontal.
Btw... those red bit on the antenna? Those are chimou decals... damn Bandai too cheap to provide those... blek... :P
Back shot.
Crom butt nozzles.
Full GN Shield... an army can't stop me!!!
Janie's got a gun.
Happy sial... ;)
Posted by cmos @ Sat 19 Apr, 08, 07:09PM under Kleo
I feel tired... I stink... body stickier than flypaper... I feel bitchy. The next time my mechanic tells me he can get a timing belt job done in less than 2 hours during the weekend... I'm gonna give him the RISING DRAGON POKING HAWAIIAN KOLABONE stance. XX Teens -How To Reduce The Chances Of Being A Terror Victim I've said it once before, and I'll say it again. Them fookin Brits are geniuses. Easily one of the more interesting music videos I've seen in a while. Reminds me a little of that Wear Sunscreen song by Baz Luhrmann. Cool.
Posted by cmos @ Sat 29 Mar, 08, 07:02PM under Cubicle Tales
Times are bad. No... really... times are bad. This is obvious when you start seeing droves of employees leaving week after week. And this is really disturbing when you know that this will seriously affect those who're still around since it affects both morale and productivity. However, with this many leaving, there have also been an influx of newbies foolish enough to sign aboard as well. These new dota creeps give a perverted sense of relief, which I'm pretty sure is some sort of weird placeabo effect. Anyways, I keep seeing new faces which I'm not familiar with filling the cubicles of the former fallen But there is this one particular new creep, who sits just a few cubicles away from me, who's giving me the heebee jeebies. Now... everyone knows I live on coffee when I'm in the office. And that means I have to pass by the new creep's cubicle several times a day. Funny thing is, everytime I pass by this dude, he'll whip his head towards my direction like he has a seizure or something and give me this look... . . . I'm not kidding. This is the exact same stare he gave me. I thought I was just being perasan, so I decided not to give a second thought about it. Next day, I had to pass by the dude's cube again to get my daily morning mug of Java. Niama-eh... sekali lagi I kena the mata laser... lagi ganas this time.
I was like WTF??!?!? Dunno why he insist on looking at me like I caught him redhanded searching for porn using the company broadband or something... So, yet again... I buat selamba and just ignore the budak. Yesterday, as I was going to the loo after a long meeting during the morning, so I had to take the same route again. MADER... DIA MALI LAGI... LAGI VENGENCE...
Mata terbeliak macam nambak hantu kum kum nari joget lambada dengan Datuk M. Daud Kilau... I dunno la... I'm getting freaked out liao... Someone pls tell me I'm paranoid... I damn sked gila beb... Yiiiiiiiiieeeeeerrrr...
Posted by cmos @ Thu 27 Mar, 08, 11:03AM under Waramashite
Posted by cmos @ Sun 16 Mar, 08, 03:55PM under Petrol Fumes
This has gotta be the most counter-productive weekend I had in a long time. Watched 10 episodes of Gundam 00 back to back to play catch up wiv my colleagues. Freakin kickass anime, with fantastic visuals; but I personally think the main protangonists are all a bunch of emo-wussies. Then, spent the rest of the time playing Quake Arena after pcnuts passed me a copy last Friday. Wooohhahaha... yeah... I'm a sad case... hahaha... Oh yea, btw, the part I ordered from Proton's motorsport division; R3, arrived several days ago. And it didn't come in an exactly modest sized box... it's huge... gaaa... :-)
Some of you may remember the last tweak on my car at Speedworks, and my dissapointment when I decided not to install their muffler to complete the Stage 1 modifications. But I couldn't help it as the muffler they offered me sounded like Thor, God of Thunder gargling a mouthfull of shotgun slugs... even when the engine is only idling. Yes, it was that loud... and my eardrums screamed in protest. Sticking with the stock exhaust was like a thorn stuck underneath my skin as I knew even with all the changes I made, the improvements won't be fully realized without a proper rear section. And this is why this part made by R3 caught my eye. This is the same rear section which came with the limited edition Waja MME. I spent quite a bit of time sourcing for this R3 muffler, searching the many online stores, and making dozens of enquiries before I ended up by chance, finding a contact number on the R3GISTER website which led me directly to one of the commercial operation managers for the R3 division at Proton; Daryl.
He's one cool dude. After a number of email ping pongs, the price he gave me was more than satisfactory compared to the other quotes I got, and I was immediately sold. But I had to bear a rather hefty POS LAJU delivery charge since I was ordering this directly from the Proton factory. And a muffler ain't exactly the lightest thing in the world. I got the part overnight after making the payment. Thanks heaps for the quick service Daryl!
This is what it looks like when I opened up the box... yum yum...
From the online information I gathered, I found out that R3 have ties with Speedworks. And some of the parts found in the R3's catalogue, were manufactured by them. This was confirmed by the stamp I found on the bottom of the muffler, which indicated that it was made in Australia. And Speedworks are an Aussie outfit. But after making this discovery, I entered dumbfucked mode for a moment. What if this muffler ended up even louder than the last one? I can't live with a loud-mouth like that...
But I hated the stock muffler which came with my car more. Aisk... maybe I have Napolean Syndrome... but that doesn't really make sense since I ain't exactly kecik... so mabbe I'm just kiasu... So it was off to the workshop. Die oso die la... dun care liao.
The nice thing about this R3 part is that it's plug and play. No additional modifications needed, no additional ah beng weldings needed either. Just take off the old muffler and plug in the new unit. It's that simple. Heck, I could even do it myself, but I don't have enough trust on the crappy jacks which came with my car. I don't wanna be crushed underneath almost one and a half tonnes of metal before I even have a chance to test the new muffler.
The swap didn't take long, and voila, it's in. Time to turn the key and see if the muffler is of the Vengaboys boom boom boom variety. I grit my teeth and prepared myself for the worst. I heard a low rumble as the engine fired up... then it tappered off to an almost stock sounding hum. I was relieved. No doubt the exhaust note is now 2 or 3 notches lower than the original muffler, and it barks like a Rottweiler when you gun the throttle, but I could live with this one. And as a bonus, it looked way nicer, with the Euro type muffler tip. But what about the performance gains? It's only been a day, but my early views on this muffler is rather mixed. The first thing I realized was, the new R3 can I installed shifted the torque curve of my car slightly higher into the rev range. Meaning that it now feels a little slugglish at the lower rev range... which kinda dissapointed me a bit coz city driving will be less gratifying. But things really open up when the rev meter starts climbing up. Tat means you need to play around with the throttle more. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. But I can live with this... ^_^ If you're interested in Proton R3 parts, they're having a promotion at the moment with up to 45% worth of discount. For more info, you can get in touch with : Daryl Lam And no... R3 ain't givin me no commision for pimpin them... :P
Posted by cmos @ Thu 13 Mar, 08, 07:56PM under Waramashite
I used to think the man was a level headed caring, just, gentleman; a voice of reason amongst the corruption and lies that is this country. This was when he very first appeared in the limelight of local politics several years ago. But when I start reading idiotic nonsense such as these splashed all over the front pages of the local dailies, it bloody makes my blood boil. Maybe the public was right about you all along. You're a spineless idiot, who's pepectually stuck in honeymoon mood and constantly rambling without a single iota of logic. Thank goodness the ppl of this state have some common sense to reject retards such as this. No doubt it's gonna be a David vs Goliath kinda situation from here forward, but who fucking cares. I rather be represented by someone who dares speak against the idiocy of the damn system and to have lost... than to be represented by some political monkey who tells me to just shut up and be trampled all over in my own country.
Posted by cmos @ Tue 11 Mar, 08, 04:57PM under Petrol Fumes
Waaahahaha... I'm so excited... macam budak-budak tunggu dapat gula gula... Gila babi... 5 bulan buat research kat internet... finally on the way... happi habis... woot!  |
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Self-appointed torch bearer for the blur community; since 2003.
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