BAKUC Gundam Building Competition

Happy financial new year!!!

Yeah fine ok…calm down. So I haven’t posted anything on the blog for a while. I was busy…honest I was, I also had issues with my internet too. But that’s another story.

So, Smash 2010 is coming to Sydney this August. With all the usual line up of Cosplayers, anime goodies and Karaoke; this year the organizers are also looking for someone to represent Australia at the BAKUC (Bandai Action Kit Universal Cup) finals in Hong Kong.

Hiroki and myself will be part of this competition, along with another very good friend of mine. As it stands, this is what we are entering:

Misemono Hiroki – 1/100 MG Exia Ignition Mode (slight battle damage and maintenance diorama)

Watanabe Kenji – 1/100 Infinite Justice (Custom paint)

Mangagastrawberitartcreme – 1/100 Zaku (Custom paint and extensive battle damage)

At this point in time no actual building has taken place. We have only exchanged ideas and experimented with custom paint schemes. But I’ll post updates regularly so if you guys are following will know where we’re up to. And if possible we would like to meet you guys at Smash.

Gundam Extreme VS

My passion for Gundam related things developed from Gundam games. Ever since that faithful day when my friend Henry loaded up AEUG vs Titans I reached a state where recovery would be futile! :P So Kenny sends me this link in Facebook the other day labelled as cold fried rice which in Asian terms means that the idea has been recycled countless times!

 From what I heard I thought that it was a HD version of EFSF vs Zeon and  AEUG vs Titans it was far from the case It had almost everything I wanted, most importantly Strike Freedom! It doesn't seem to have any 00 or Unicorn machines though. But I guess its too early to tell for the time being.

Gundam Extreme VS is coming to the PS3 in Autumn this year (Northern Hemisphere seasons) and boasts some pretty impressive in game visuals. Its won't even think twice its a sure buy!

I can see two PS3s in our households already because I don't think my bro will be too impressed if I hog the one at our house all the time haha.

Ramen Otaku

Ichiban Boshi Sydney

Ramen is awesome!! You can not deny it. From the city to the North Shore I have tried many ramen stands my favourtie two for the time being are Ichiban Boshi in The Galleries Victoria and Ryotei in Crows Nest. Since we are after all a Japanese popular culture blog I thought it was appropriate to talk about Japanese cuisine here as well.

I was looking around the internet for Japanese culture and otaku blogs and came across some funny names the one that caught my attention was Ramen Otaku! it surprises me on the level of dedication that this author put into documenting every ramen that he had ate. For his efforts I think he deserves a mention on our fair blog hehehehehe.

Heres the link try not to drool too much because his ramen looks so appetising!

http://ramen-otaku.blogspot.com/

As a parting gift for this blog entry here is a complimentary ramen for all of our readers. ITADAKIMASU!!!

Ultra Act Ultraman Belial

Growing up with Power Rangers and it's Japanese equivalent the original super sentai series I have developed quite an eye for tokusatsu designs even though I don't watch any tokusatsu series anymore. Ultraman has been around for a while and has a host of series I know of them as they are referred in Hong Kong as Salty Egg Supermen haha. I don't know enough about the Ultraman series to make an opinion on the aspect of evil Ultramen but this figure I stumbled across at Reggio Comics got me thinking hmmm this looks sick!! I love the versatility of this guy's weapon! The classic villain red black make it look really mean too! The Belial will be released in August for 3780 Yen.

Virtual Idol Hatsune Miku dies due to Hiroki's negligence.

The much loved idol Hatsune Miku died at 4.30 pm local time. The death was instant and came from a cruel decapitation. Hatsune Miku was created as the mascot for the Vocaloid software. Due to moe appeal she shot to stardom and had many budding virtual producers such as Ryo developing songs for her. Many of her timeless classics including World is Mine were featured in the PSP title, Hatsune Miku Project Diva another release Diva 2 is due for release in July. The idol's future was limitless.

The songstress was killed in the negligent hands of Otaku Down Under blog master Hiroki. It is believed that she fell from her podium, a Sony Muteki DJ deck boasting 450 Watts of audio goodness. Her head was severed from her neck on impact she fell to her death from an astonishing distance of 80cm. It is believed that Hiroki was changing the layout of his room at the time of the moe icon's death. Hiroki has disclosed of his crimes to fellow blog masters Kenji and Miku and is due to stand for trial in front of the Full Moe Court for manslaughter.

Hatsune Miku was succeded by her countless clones. Farewell Hatsune Miku you will be sorely missed.

21/6/10 Update: With the help of Selley's Supa Glue (The strongest glue I know of) Miku should be ready for displaying as early as tomorrow morning!

1:1 RG Gundam is almost ready!

The 1:1 RG Gundam stationed at Shizuoka will be ready next month. Seems like all they need now is the final calibrations! The statue is already fully assembled and mounted with it's beam saber. As an otaku I so need to see this before I die... I would have lived life without regrets!

Advertisements for Smash found at Pepper Lunch

Pepper Lunch is a cheap and easy meal alternative in the city. I've been a number of times and quite like the food there, unfortunately last time I went my favourite Kimchi Beef Rice didn't meet my expections hopefully they'll get it right next time. Anyhoo as you guess this isn't a restaurant review it is about a sighting that I came across at the entrance! An advertisement poster for the event we all have been looking forward to SMASH!

What makes me so excited about this event is Miyamura Yuko and Tiffany Grant will be there the voice actress for Asuka Langley Sohryu, one of my favourite anime characters of all time. As you guessed I hopped onto the anime band wagon when Evangelion dubs were broadcasted on SBS. Kenji and I will be entering the Gundam Building Competition I will be making a custom coloured SD Unicorn and contesting for best SD model (Details will be posted later). Maybe this time around if the queue isn't as horrendous we would go to the maid cafe too!! SO CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

A sad day for Sony, Hiroki decides to get a 3DS.

I have the supported the PSP since its launch but its still the most stale console out there to put it in a nut shell there aren't many games out there with replay value. My allegiance has changed I am now totally rooting for the new Nintendo 3DS. As they say in Unreal Tournament it is Better, Faster, Stronger hehehe. As the name implies the 3DS supports a full 3D view without the need for glasses the intensity can also be adjusted. The unit is powered by a Nvidia Tegra chipset which already opens a wide range of potential. Honestly I think Sony will struggle to come up with a product on par with this for a while considering their weakened position in the current Console War. 

As per previous releases the 3DS follows the touchscreen/interactive formula which granted Nintendo its current sales leader status. The main screen is 3.6" with 3D capability and the touchscreen is a 3.02 inch display. The new additions are quite intruitive the design incorporates motion and gyro sensors for an increased interactive experience. The intensity of the 3D graphics can also be adjusted via a slider panel.

 Unlike the PSP Go which was a total flop due to the fact that it didn't have backward compatability the 3DS has full support for the DS family of games. It also seems like the 3DS will also cross into the territory of the PSP the mature game market. Preliminary listings have shown that all the major developers have commited to releasing popular titles for this console already it wont fall short of games in the original launch! These titles include Street Fighter all the way to golden classics like Mario Kart.

Current commitments that have been announced

This surely spells doom for my much beloved PSP...... The obstacle that stands in my way is if the console is region free or not!

Iron Man observations

As much as I like the Iron Man movie franchise this recent cover got me thinking about the armour design especially in regard to the head piece. Doesnt the red dip in the gold mask's forehead make it look like a middle aged man with a receeding hair line? :P

Asian grocery store adventures!

Asian supermarkets are the most amazing places to go to. They always have weird and wonderful things from green tea and red bean ice blocks through to instant noodles of any flavour you can think of! Anyhow the confectionery aisle caught my attention this time. As you all can tell Im a sucker for marketing hehe. Presenting the Cosmic Karate Belts Sour Cola flavour. The packaging is cool however the apple juice thats in it added an overpowering vinegar odour apart from that they were actually pretty good!

Hatsune Miku graces ODU!

We havent added features to the blog in a while as a bumper update I decided to add a Hatsune Miku clock widget! If you click on the music note she sings and if you click on her she tells you the time.

Guan Yu Transformer

I originally saw this at Ngee Khiong in fair honesty its the coolest thing I've seen in a while. Bare in mind the other 1:1 models made in the Empire of the Sun are developed with an astronomical pool of resources. This however is made by a Chinese arts student! Its a 10m tall sculpture weighing close to four tonnes. It's an original piece that bares resemblance to the fearless leader of the 5 Tiger Generals of Shu, Guan Yu!

But of course it would have a transformation sequence as well!

Another Century's Episode R

I assume that ACE is a long running series (personally I never heard of it) but the latest edition for PS3 seems to be quite interesting. The concept of crossovers isn't new but if it involves some of my favourite series clashing against each other its definitely worth looking at! Mobile Suits vs Valkyries vs Knightmare Frames seems like a successful formula already!

Playasia states this game will be in stores from August 19th and would retail around $94.96AUD. If only that was Lancelot Albion instead of Lancelot Conquesta. Speaking of which the Composite Version Ka Lancelot Albion is going to be released soon so can't wait for it!