Turn A Gundam 1/400 scale gachapon

 Time for another gachapon gundam to be added to the pile for MechaTop and the likes, and this time it is the mighty Turn A Gundam.

While a rather weird anime at the time of airing compared to the Gundam series before it, especially before the "dots are connected" with all the suits having same looks but different names, this was a pretty good series.

And that Moonlight Butterfly effect...

So, that of course meant I had to have a "moustache gundam" in the collection, and this is one of the Pepsi bottlecap figures of which I own a stack.  Painting of those sorts of models is pretty straightforward, as they don't have that much of a dynamic pose going on, so with my two tones sort of painting this takes about a week of on and off short sessions in the evening to complete.

Now, let's put the White Doll on the field of battle!

Uncle from Another World

 After lying 17 years in a coma, Takafumi's uncle wakes up, seemingly insane.

But it turns out he spend those years in a fantasy world, and now can do magic in ours.

Okay, so that is a strange concept for this Netflix original series, but it sounds like fun, so Noshi and me gave it a go.  And I must say, the first episode, while the art style is not the greatest, was a joy for an oldtimer like me.  Osijan has to get used to modern technology, while coping with the heartbreaking realisation SEGA lost the console wars.

He gets to meet a friend of Takafumi, Fujimiya, who might be more then just "a friend".  She has to get used to his magical powers and outdated ways of thinking though, like taking a picture with a camera from a cellphone screen.  Or accidentally freezing her to prevent her from getting burned by his coffee.  Or how he needs to wipe Takafumi's memory after accidentally seeing Fujimiya change clothes, but she refuses to have that done.

In the meantime, they both are flabbergasted as he shows the tale of him and his resuced Elf maiden in the other world.  As they look back on video's of when he arrived in the fantasy world, they notice some of them actually talk about Japan.  As they keep digging in his beginnings in the fantasy world, some shocking discoveries are mada about how the uncle got his powers, but also the abusive, rough beginnings when he arrived there.

As they keep exploring the world he was caught in and the source of his powers (that discussion with a hedgehog cracked me up), before Takafumi steps up to the punk boyfriend of Fujimiya.  Which turns out to be a misunderstanding as it isn`t her boyfriend at all.  As Takafumi learns magic, he starts changing in a draco human like creature.  As a heatwave hits Japan, they need to use ice magic to cool themselves and look further into his memories. He was once stuck as a dragon, only to be brought out thanks to Tsundere-Elf and the awkward conversations between them.

They find out there have been other japanese to the fantasy world, as they come across a japanese onsen.  Which is duly burned down when it is supposed to become a protective hide-out when a Hypno Beast gets in.  But together with Elf and mabel he finally figures out a way to get out of the gameworld, and goes to tackle the ultimate endboss.

 

Together with the friends he made in the world, they face off to the dragon,  and while the odds are slim they end up defeating it and allowing him to return to his own world.

Now this isn`t a bad series at all, but it was plagued by release schedule issues.  The final episode arrived almost a year after the first one aired, due to a combination of factors.

Jurassic World Dominion

 A blockbuster from last summer, Noshi and me sat down for this on our saturday night movie moment.

The third installment in the new series of dino-driven movies, it brings back "the old crew" as well, as it is meant to wrap up the story that began in Jurassic World, but harks back all the way to the original Jurassic Park movie of 1993.  And with "the old crew" that also includes the very T-rex from the first movie.

 

Set a few years after the Lockwood estate incident, Claire and Owen are leaving in hiding in the woods, secretly raising the teen girl Maisie Lockwood, trying to protect her from those that want her unique genetic make-up.  Blue is also there, and became a mother a-sexually of a baby raptor named Beta.

 

In the meantime, swarms of gigantic locusts are decimating crops all across the United States, except those genetically modified by a company called Biosyn.  Doctor Salter looks up doctor Grant, to determine what sort of modifications where done to the insects.

 

When Maisie is kidnapped together with Beta, Owen and Claire set out to retrieve her, and together with sympathetic pilot Kayla travel to the Biosyn headquarters in a Dolomite valley in Italy.  Here Dr Ian Malcolm, who currently works for Biosynm has searched out dr Slater in an effort to expose the CEO, dr Lewis Dodgson, after communications director Ramsey Cole warned him of his illegal activities.  Through the locusts he wants to control the food supply of the world, but his associate doctor Henry Wu denounces the plan as it might cause global famine.  When Wu meets Maisie, he explains about her origins and how he and her mother Charlotte where collegues, meaning that Maisie's DNA holds the key together with Beta's to stop the locusts.

As Kayla's plane is taken out of the air by a Quetzalcoatlus, the three of them are split up.  After escaping some big beasties, they find refuge in a dinosaur look out post, where they are joined by doctors Slater, Grant and Malcolm.  These have escaped the labs with a locust DNA sample and Maisie, resulting in Dodgson trying to burn the evidence.  The inferno of locusts on fire escape and set the domain in flames.  Dodgson himself tries to escape with dinosaur embryo's (in THAT shaving foam bottle!), but is attacked and killed by Dilophosaurus'ses in the hyperloop tunnel just like Nedry all the way back in the original movie was when he tried to escape with that specific canister.

As the others work together to restore the power and get Beta out, they escape together with Wu in a Biosyn helicopter, as a Gigantosaurus is taken out by the veteran T-rex and a Therizinosaurus in a showdown of huge carnivores.  Slater and Grant rekindle their relationship as they, together with Malcolm, testify against Biosyn.  Wu develops a patogen for the locusts, and gradually goes about eradicating the swarms, as humans, animals and dinosaurs adapt a new co-existence, the Biosyn valley designated now a dinosaur sanctuary where man is not allowed to enter.

And so the story that took us along six movies has come full circle, and it was, let's face it, a great journey, and for many people a guilty pleasure of watching these films.  This wasn`t perhaps the best of the series, but it was never the less highly enjoyable to watch and see some things come full circle.  But I must admit, the chemistry between the original cast works still better then that of the newer cast though...

On the Painting Desk 234

 A week with a lot of broken nights (thanks Thorin lol), but never the less we proceed for the Hammers and Swords V tournament.

And as such, work has been going on on the unit of Citadel Guard.

Wielding their fearsome rifle / halberd hybrid Fireglaives, these are mighty troops to hold the line, and dish out some serious hits when engaged.

This week I have been progressing on their first layer, and hopefully will be able to finish the whole unit around the half of june to stay on schedule...

For Hashut!!!

KonoSuba: A Blessing to this Wonderfull Choker

 A special OVA that came after the first season of the excellent Konosuba, our band of not so great heroes are back at it.

So let's sit back and enjoy some good humour hopefully...

During a visit to Wiz's magical shop, Kazuma tries on a magical choker. Apparently, this choker will grant all the wishes for the wearer, except that the choker will strangle the wearer if his desires aren`t fullfilled by then.

The problem is, Kazuma can`t remember what his wish was, so fearing for his life Aqua, Megumin and Darkness all agree to satisfy his desires in the hopes he will remember what he wished for.

Of course, Kazuma takes advantage of this to have the girls do all sorts of defiled acts, though not all goes well when he for example gets shot in the naked behind by a high pressure water beam.  But the choker doesn't come off, and on the final day he says his thanks and apologies to the girls.

But unbeknowst, this causes him to lose the choker as his subconscious wish was to have some peace.  Which won`t be happening with the girls now knowing what he thought of them...

So yup, another heap of great fun, this truly is an enjoyable series!

Now onwards to the second season... soon... someday... when the schedule allows it.

Tau SEED Destiny 1000 points force completed

 Consider it a fun side project that had no time pressure on it, I finally finished the first 1000 points of the force.

All painted like Gundam mobile suits from SEED and SEED Destiny (bar the drones, I went to the classic Ball for that), that means a very colourfull force to put on the table.

Okay, so rumours have it that 10th is around the corner and everything might change again, but here is the force now, using the Bor'kan Sept as it's root for the rules.

Commander

Bodyguard unit

Crisis squad

Stealth suits

Broadside squad

So yeah, it is a small force of course with all the battlesuits, but the drones do bulk the force out a bit.

Though of course, at my speed... I started building and painting this force for 9th edition, and in the meantime 10th has been announced and the points tally will probably be all the way off by the time I get it actually to a table.  And with the total system overhaul, I`m skipping 40k I think in favour of The Old World...

Oh well, at least it looks cool in my shelves and I`ll see with the new edition what has to be done with it to bulk it out and add I guess...

Lord Ipsqueek's Adventures: Deurne Airport 100 years celebration

 Oh cool, I went to see classic airplanes this sunday!

The local airport of Deurne Antwerp exists 100 years this year, and as such had a whole lot of activities on display to celebrate.

So together with mommy, daddy, Ribbi and Katia I went there to watch some old airplanes flying around and on the ground.

As we neared the airport, there where some double decker planes, Stampe SV-4's, doing aerial tricks, which was pretty cool.

We came to a long line to enter, but as we enjoyed a show by T6 planes, the line progressed smoothly and within half an hour we where inside.

Inside there where a lot of planes on display, and we strolled around while a Pitts S2 did some screws in the air.

This huge airplane my daddy told me is the pride of the Belgian airforce, the C130 Hercules.  Luckily she didn`t start her engines or we would have probably flew away hihi.

There was also this little bit odd looking, cute airplane of the German airforce present, a Rockwell OV-10 Bronco.

After the Bronco, a real beauty taxied off, the Lockheed Electra.

We could watch this plane take off in all calmness, as lining for the drinking coins line was perhaps the only downside at the event, this was a true anthill-ly mess daddy told me.  

The final plane we watched was the one daddy really wanted to see, the sleek and elegant Supermarine Spitfire!

So that was my first experience plane watching, as after that we went home and I had my potatoes, brocolli and steak, while the grow ups had their salads.  I must say, I didn`t like daddy's tuna though hihi...

Until the next adventure I can share with you!

Boku No Hero Academia season 6

 War is upon the superhero students of class 1-A, as the Paranormal Liberation Front, now lead by Shigaraki.

Though in a supporting role as the big heroes go in to keep them safe.

As the warplan unfolds, the superheroes will take the fight to two fronts.  A team led by Endeavour and Mirko (where has this raging rabbit been hiding the first 5 seasons!) take on a hospital where the Nomus are being engineered, while a second team goes to the village infiltrated by Hawks that serves as the Front's HQ.  In the ensuing battle at the villa, the series drops one of it's biggests death's and one that gave a very, very stomach turning ending as Twice is killed by Hawks.  

As Hawks is in serious trouble against Dabi, enraged by the dead of Twice, the other group assaults the Nomu hospital.  Mirko, at the cost of grave injuries, destroys Shigaraki's tank before he is "completed" but he jolts to life after all, while Mic discovers the identity of the Doctor who was experimenting there.  His empowered Decay unleashed, many pro-heroes like Crust are killed in the ensuing chaos.

The heroes struggle on both fronts, with Bakugo and Deku jumping in to aid Endeavour.  Meanwhile back at the villa, Gigantomachia awakens and goes on a rampage, bringing it down to classes 1 A and B to stop him.  They try to hold him back, but as he is nearly defeated he evolves into an even bigger, berserk mode.  At the other front in the meantime Shigaraki takes out Gran Torino and shoots Eraserhead with the quirk stealing bullet Overhaul developped in season 4.

He gets hit in the leg, but to prevent it from spreading amputates his own leg at the spot.  With cities being evacuated as Gigantomachia rampages towards the battle, the others having been unable to stop him even though they delivered the anesthesiac succesfully.  Shigaraki is being smashed up by Deku and the powers inside him from One for All, his body gets possessed by One for All who turns the tables.  He strikes down Endeavour, and Bakugo jumps in front of Deku to prevent him from being impaled, taking the hits himself and be run through.

 

Both Shigaraki and Deku are transported to a realm within their respective, related quirks.  In here, All for One tries to completely take control and steal One for All, but wielders of the quirk from the past step in to hold him back.  As Deku reawakens, he sees Shigaraki fall to the ground, All for One telling him to run and recover.  Toga ambushes Ochoca, wanting to find out why heroes killed Jin and if they would do the same to her.

Gigantomachia arrives at the field of battle, and Dabi reveals his true identity, the eldest son of Endeavour presumed dead for years.  As he broadcasts his (manipulated as well) view to the world to shake the belief in the heroes, he attacks Endeavour.  But at the final moment, the missing number 3 pro-hero Best Jeanist returns from being missing for months.

 

And he is not the only one to join the battle, as none other then Lemillion joins the fray, his powers returned thanks to Eri.  With the balance slowly tipping back in the heroes favour, especially as Gigantomachia finally succumbs to a punch of Endeavour. With the League in peril, Mr Compress sacrifices himself to be captured at great injury to himself, in order to let the others escape.  But as Spinner manages to awaken Shigaraki, he realises he has been taken over by All for One... and so comes an end to a very violent first arc of the season, where we had to say goodbye to heroes and villains alike (Midnight, nooooooooo ).

The second arc of the season, the so-called Dark Deku arc, faces the doubt that has crept both into the hero society, as well as that of the public into them.  Shigaraki, now being used as an avatar body for All for One, leads the Nomu into the jailbreak of the high end security prison Tartarus, freeing not only his original body but also some high ranking villains like Stain and Overhaul from the previous seasons.

With the common people trying to take matters into own hands as they lost fate in hero society, the collateral damage grows even bigger while the students are still recovering.  deku still hasn`t woken up from his injuries, while Shoto and his family meet with Endeavour in the hospital, joined by their mother.  The backstory of the Todoroki family is laid bare, before they decide, together with Hawks and Best Jeanist, to team up and stop Shigaraki.

While hospitalized, Deku is faced in his dreams with the previous wielders of One for All.  Able now to communicate with them, he learns more about the power, including that All Might was quirkless as well, and that he might well be the final wielder.  He also gets told he needs to master the quirks of those before him as tools, and stop Shigaraki at all costs.  Leaving UA, he secretly teams up with All Might, Best Jeanist, Hawks and Endeavour to stop the jailbreakers and hone his skills in order to prepare for the final confrontation.

As the final two predecessors of Deku decide to lend their powers as well inside One for All, Deku himself is ambushed by a former heroine turned hired gun, the ravishing Lady Nagant.  Their fight is intense and he unlocks multiple powers inside One for All to finally overcome her, but in the battle he also learns that his beloved hero community has been build upon the blood of innocents.

Deku and the pro-heroes remain looking for All for One, but traps are riddled on their path.  He is exhausted though, and when he is about to be overpowered his classmates arrive, who will be bringing him back to school where he will be protected as he recovers, yet he is unwilling to go.  But the class engages him, culminating in bakugo even appologising for his behaviour in their youths, and bring Deku home to a fortified UA campus, though the civilians seeking shelter there are not happy to see the source of trouble amongst them.

Ochaka convinces them to have faith again in the heroes and grant Deku shelter to rest up before taking the fight back to All for One and Shigaraki.  And All Might, he gets out of his being depressed feeling by non other then Hero-killer Stain himself, and calls in friends from all over the world, with the USA number 1 hero Star and Stripe already on the way to help out!

After a rather weak season 5, this arc greatly fired up the series again, being jam-packed of action from the get-go.  This is without a doubt the best season of the series so far!

The Haul Report 361

 Aaaah, at last another Archonia My Box.

I have been extending it for the past two months, as that would mean only a manga volume in the box, making it not worth it with the shipping.

But with a nice big plamo kit being released in the past period, now was the time to have it send.

Of course, that means unboxing time, and the box contains some lovely gems I`ll be unboxing in the coming week, so you will be able to see that on my YouTube channel probably tuesday or wednesday.

I also went shopping for some highly needed essentials to continue building my Chaos Dwarf forces, as I ran out of superglue, and they where in at 0.99 cents a pack in Action.  So that means in the not so far future, I can be assembling all the models that have been gathering for the glory of Hashut!

So that's a decent week of stuffsies to get!

The 9th Age: Infernal Dwarves Vassal Levies Archers

 The first unit of vassal levies I build and painted for my rekindled wargames intrest, these are made up of classic metal Clan War goblins.

But the models look so cool, I just needed to do something with them, and as a result went for a nice unit of 20 archers, which due to bulk of some figures looks even bigger in size visually.

Many of the models are namely dual casts, being two figures on what went on a single 25mm slottabase in Clan War.  For the army as such, I put them on 2 put together 20mm bases, though that will mean they won`t be cross usuable for The Old World as it arrives.  Though if the confirmed Chaos Dwarf list that will come with the game is based on 8th's Legion of Azorgh, that means no greenskin servants anyways.

They are also the first unit I switched to a more economical basing paint with Talens Amsterdam Paynegrey after using Vallejo on the first models, as the sanded bases drain the little bottles like mad.  So there is a small tone difference, but as the new dark grey will now be used on the rest of collection, not only the army, this will soon no longer become a visual issue.  Mass effect you know...

That means the first "block" of the 3.500 points Infernal Dwarf force for Hammer and Swords V, organised by the Tin Soldiers of Antwerp is now completed, and 82 more models left to paint in the coming months... we can do this!

 

 

On the Painting Desk 233

 More Chaos Dwarfs of course this week, and the painting has begun on the first real regiment instead of the levies rabble!

Who you will see again soon, as they are only basing away from being finished...

But I have also been assembling the Citadel Guard regiment, one of the two Dawi'Zharr troop units that will form the "anchor" of my force.  Now, these are cool miniatures, but a nightmare to line up.  I guess I`m going to take two movement trays of 10x1 and put those behind each other, the slight gap making sure they DO line up with the long fireglaive barrels... and probably order another unit to put on round bases for AoS because it are nice models.  

 

 

The batch I assembled now though have been nearly undercoated while working on the archers, so I can dig right in when those are nearing completion.

 

For Hashut!

 

 

Encanto

 It's time for some latin american music in this recent Disney movie from 2021, as it takes us to a family of magic users.

Set in Colombia, it tells the story of a family that lives near the village in a magical house, all of them able to use a magical power themselves... bar one.

When an armed conflict drives Alma and Pedro from their home village, Pedro is killed in the pursuit.  But the candle of Alma becomes magically empowered to protect her and their triplet infants, and creates a magical house, Casita, surrounded by mountains, in the magical village of Encanto.

Each of the Madrigal have a special power to help the people in Encanto, and 50 years after it's creation the village thrives, except for 15 year old Mirabel who didn`t receive a power.  Her uncle, Bruno, has disappeared a decenium ago for his cursed gift of foresight, but it is time for her nephew Antonio to receive his gift and magical room.

While he receives the gift of communicating with animals, Mirabel sees cracks in the house appear, but as no-one else sees them her warnings go unheeded.  She sneaks into Bruno's room to look for answers, finding a prophecy where she stands before a cracked house.  While the others gifts are starting to weaken, her sister Isabela is about to become engaged.  But her niece Dolores had overheard her discovery, and reveals it at the party ruining it all.  But after she meets Bruno, Mirabel and Isabel make up, creating a chaos of colours.

Mirabel is blamed for it by Alma, but the house then starts to crack up and collapse.  Mirabel had found Bruno before to get a vision on how to resolve the issue.  It turns out Alma and Mirabel need to forgive each other, that she and not Mirabel is the reason for the cracks.  The villagers appear to help rebuild the house, and when Mirabel puts on the new doorknob, Casita revives.

A fun movie with a good soundtrack, though we saw it at first in dutch I went back to listen to the english songs, as I guessed we might have missed out on something.

I was right, it's great hipshaking music!

Raya and the Last Dragon

 Sadly, this Disney movie bombed at the box office, due to the fact of "that epidemic" coming out of the east and ravaging social life for 2 years going.

Inspired by traditional South-East asian cultures, the one thing about this movie it has been mostly made by working at home with digital tools, which is a fine example of technology if you ask me though!

Five hundred years ago, the subcontinent of Kumandra is ravaged by the Druun, a demonic race that turns people into stone statues.  Opposing them are the Dragons, creatures born of water (which the Druun fear) but their numbers are to small.  One by one they fall, unitl the last dragon Sisu receives a gem made from the magic of her siblings, blasting the Druun away and reviving the people but not the dragons.

As the continent struggles for the power of the gem, it becomes split up into five nations: Fang, Heart, Spine, Talon and Tail.  In the present, chief Benja tries to re-unify Kumandra, but at the ceremony he is betrayed and as a result the Druun are freed and ravage the lands.

Six years later, his daughter Raya, who survived the initial onslaught, is travelling the world in order to restore the dragon gem.  She finds Sisu, reincarnating her.  As she gains slowly more power, by the collecting of more shards, she starts to gain the powers of her siblings.  Along the way Raya befriends people from other nations, like young captain Boun, Noi who is a swindling baby with her three monkey companions, and Tong (the always excellent Benedict Wong).

As they manage to collect all shards except the one of Fang, the nation who betrayed them at first true her friend Naamari. But once again the plan goes wrong, and Naamari accidentally kills Sisu.  As the last dragon falls, the water recedes and Fang is overrun by the Druun.  The group finds themselves surrounded with the power of the gems starting to fade, as Raya figures it out: it was all about forgiveness and faith in each other.  One by one, they step forward and give their gem to Naamari, accepting their fate of becoming stone statues.

Naamari falls as well, but then suddenly the gem starts glowing, and a blast blows the Druun away, reviving mankind once more... but this time, also the dragons (note, VERY epic scene in the movie) as the water first returns, followed by a true force of dragons returning to the world.

As Raya returns home to her revived father, she brings "some friends"as representatives of the other nations appear longside her, and Kumandra is reformed.

 

Okay, let's be honest, this is a FINE movie, the only thing perhaps misplaced in it is maybe the comical notes.  It doesn't work alongside, rather it does work distracting.  Skip out those few attempts, and you have one mighty asian inspired tale on your hands to watch.

 

Severly underrated Disney movie for sure.

Tau SEED Destiny project: GAT-X131 Calamity Broadside battlesuit

 The latest addition to the project, and the one that brings the points total of my force now to a 1.000 points making it playable, is this Broadside painted up as the Calamity.

An ideal match as this older Broadside sports the dual rail cannons on it's shoulders, like the Calamity does with his two huge guns, that meant it was time for a turquoise and orangy-yellow battlesuit.

And considering the Calamity is developped from the Buster, in whose colours my other Broadside is painted, that makes for a nicely paired unit.

Adding a serious amount of firepower as such to the force, as in no matter what edition those railguns could ruin an opponents heavy units, this also gives some good mobility due to being mounted on a battlesuit compared to a tank.  Add to that the missile pods, whom in the current edition ignore cover, and you have a unit that poses a serious threat anywhere on the board.

 

 

And with a shield and a gun drone, it has some additional suicidal protection as well...

The Inspiration

The GAT-X131 Calamity gundam, piloted by Orga Sabnak, was one of the antagonist suits in the second half of Gundam SEED, it was finally destroyed in the finale against the Justice gundam at the second battle of Jachin Due.

And that rounds out the units for my initial 9th edition Tau battlesuits force!