Friday, March 27, 2009

ROCKING TO SPITZTUNES

I think the closest rock music I can get to like is Aerosmith. I am not too keen on the extremely loud head banging rock music. Don't see the point unless someone has got too much energy cooped up inside waiting to be released. But I am a strong supporter of the fact that music is a universal language.

Nowadays you can hear all sorts of profanity in lyrics of popular songs. Is that too much freedom that the artists get to show their musical talents? Young listeners might get the wrong idea. I think this ties in very closely with freedom of speech. But in music it can be widely distributed easily as with the current pop culture.

This topic is an interesting debate and dNeero has started an interesting conversation around this. Feel free to participate.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

LWDRAGON GUNDAM SANDROCK UNBOXING

Greetings gundam fans! Today I'll be covering the unboxing of Lwdragon Gundam Sandrock. This is a 1/144 scale gundam Sandrock model kit by Lwdragon. Notice how they replace the word "Gundam" with "Warrior" to avoid copyright infringements.
This is the frontal shot of the box. The design is similar to that of Bandai's showing "Warrior" Sandrock with its signature "Heat Claw" shield.
Cover box opened side by side with lower box containing runners in clear plastic bags.
Box and runners all spread out with stickers and instruction manual. Notice in one of the runner bags there is one piece of shiny golden runner. That in fact is an extra runner not needed for the assembly of Sandrock. It is for a bazooka weapon which ironically won't fit into the hands of the Sandrock.

Friday, March 20, 2009

RAPPING TO SPITZTUNES

Music has a powerful effect on our soul. It is sometimes called the universal language that all can relate to no matter which part of the world you are from. But for me I prefer music that brings calmness and peace. As for rap music, it is ok to listen to when the mood is right. But I can never fully understand metal or metal rock or metal rap music styles as there are really loud. What do you think about it?

LWDRAGON GUNDAM WING 0 REVIEW

As promised here is a review on the completed model of Lwdragon's Gundam Wing 0. The model has been snap fitted and all the stickers applied. In terms of its appearance I must say some painting will definitely boost its appeal since the color the parts came in are not a 100% match to the anime.
Generally the model is presentable right out of the box but you can never compare this with the quality of Bandai kits.
The articulation is acceptable for this kit as the price is cheap, about 3-4USD and it can transform to flight mode as well(I did not have any pictures of that, will post them up in the future). The model can easily perform the kneeling pose...
This is the view from the side. The shield a.k.a. the front nozzle tip of the flight form called the Neo-bird form can bee seen clearly. Notice how the colors on it are from stickers. I will look better when using detailed painting instead.
Now the rear view of the model. I really like the design of the two thrusters on the backpack. Those will transform to become the wings of the Neo-bird form.
Overall I am pleased with the quality of this model with the cheap price tag. A few negative points though:
- Joint connectors on the hips to the legs are quite loose so will need some modifications to make them sturdier for more dramatic poses
- Parts will need sanding to remove the excessive plastic from the rough plastic injection molding process
- Certain color of the parts (e.g. head) are sprayed on instead of using the proper color plastic

Monday, March 16, 2009

TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR HEALTH

Nowadays people in general are much more aware and conscious about their health than before. I know of a guy who cycles to work everyday, rain or shine, one way taking him about 1 hr to reach the office from his house which is around 20KM apart. And Borneo Falcon of Borneotips made a pledge that during his hunt for blockbuster exclusive scoops to post on his blog, he will reduce his carbon footprints by solely relying on his trusty bicycle (which recently had a change of metal pedals).

For me personally, I do some exercise daily early morning for about 5-10mins. There are mostly low impact body movements like standups, arm swings, shoulder flexes and hip twists. I think your daily diet is crucial to maintain your health in life. Most people who are office workers like me tend to have a problem: after lunch we just sit and work for roughly 4 hrs. That will be a huge contributing factor for beer bellies!

Do you have any thoughts or opinions on the matter? Feel free to join this dNeero conversation about Health and let the community know what you think.

LWDRAGON GUNDAM WING 0 REVIEW

Recently I have picked up a new hobby: Gunpla! Here are some quote from wikipedia's gundam model entry:

"Gundam Models refers to plastic and non-plastic model kits depicting the mechas, vehicles and characters of the fictional Mobile Suit Gundam universe. These kits have become popular among anime fans and model-lovers, especially in Japan and in other nearby Asian countries since 1980s. The popularity of Gundam models increased in 1990s with North America and Europe being exposed to Gundam through television, video and manga. These Gundam Models may also be called Gunpla (ガンプラ Ganpura?), a portmanteau of "Gundam plastic model". "Gunpla" more commonly refers to the practice of building Gundam models, rather than the models themselves."

I bought an imitation 1/144 scale gundam wing 0 model kit by Lwdragon. I think the full name for Lwdragon is Little White Dragon. Here are the much awaited pictures of the kit:

The box cover design of the kit. While the picture closely resembles that of the original Bandai kit, Lwdragon has replaced the "Gundam" wording with "Warrior". It goes without saying that the cover design will heavily influence the buying decision of potential customers and I guess I am no exception either ^^.


Here is a picture of the front cover and the runners still in sealed plastic bag side to side. So far the Lwdragon kit has managed to imitate the unboxing feel that you get with a Bandai kit.

Here are all the runners laid out in one complete photo shoot. I am surprised that Lwdragon can follow most of the color schemes of the original Bandai kit. But truth to be told, the plastic quality of this kit cannot come close to that of a Bandai kit. But with less than half the price of the Bandai kit, I think the Lwdragon quality is acceptable. But you will need to put in extra effort like sanding the sides of the parts to produce a better looking model. I will do another post on the completed model soon.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

A LITTLE SIDE INCOME

I have a friend who I have encourage into blogging. He was reluctant at first because of the complexity of the task. I assured him that it is like typing on a word processor and inserting a few pictures. I even helped him kick start his blog by registering its name and configuring its first template layout. Over a year has passed and he has grown into his own style of blogging.

I am proud of the guy to have come so far from the inexperienced rookie to the now current dare devil reporter of Borneotips! Throughout his journey into the world of blogging, he has learned first hand of the dos and don'ts of blog posts. At one time he was scared out of his pants because he posted an article about the local mobster in his town and that post might bring him unwanted attention. Fearing for the safety of his newly wed young wife and his parents, he took down the article on a whim and changed his dare devil reporting methods to a more milder visitor friendly approach. He is now a self proclaimed ambassador to his town of Sibu which is located on the Island of Borneo.

His regular posts on Borneotips include insider's perspective to his work as a ship superintendent, his witty reviews on computer components like power supplies and his love for badminton. During special occasions his visitors will be treated to detailed reports of his romantic outings with his wife and their honeymoon in Singapore is also covered comprehensively. Juggling his work and personal life in unison, he has managed to find time to continue producing interesting posts on Borneotips mostly on a daily basis. Kudos to you my friend!

He is a fanatic of vintage toys like Mask and Transformers. There were a few earlier postings about his toys but he scrapped them due to the lack of popularity. I have been trying to get him to invest in a few Gundam models but he still seemed reluctant. I guess in this case perseverance is the key.

I have been trying to get him to join dNeero as well so he can contribute like what I have been doing thus far for the dNeero community. It is a great place for helpful discussions for everything under the sun and more. Just like this latest conversation I have joined: