Land Raider Terminus Project 2.5

I haven't posted an update to this project in a while because... quite frankly my Land Raider kit is still making its way across the Atlantic ocean in the international snail-mail tube.

But let's see what we can do with those spare bits from the Predator kit. If you're me, you had previously built a typical kit featuring options and learned that you can't actually use all the parts in the box - you will have bits leftover... to either throw out or collect dust in projects you plan but will never follow through on.
But also, if you're me, then you also built a previous Predator Destructor. Space Marines players will know that the only thing that distinguishes one Predator from another is its turret. Well, with the leftover parts from the Predator kit I downgraded into a Rhino, I've built a second turret for my previous Predator project and magically converted it from a Predator Destructor into a Predator Annihilator.

Minor Life Update

After several months of having dropped the Fusion Ace at the eBloggy
account and never really latching onto Live Journal... I've come to the
conclussion that very few people missed me anyway. Which unfortunately
leaves me with nowhere to anonymously vent about real life... And
nowhere to be therapeutic with myself (because there are too many people
reading this blog who know me in real life).

In the mean time, a few notes about what's been happening.

1) the house is doing fine. In fact, there was a complaint I filed last
summer that FINALLY got fixed. The company sent over a team to patch up
the unfinished ledge under my basement window in the back. I understand
that I'm a victim of timing, but this was ridiculous. I closed in the
fall, and thus so did my Tarion report. And outdoors work like this can
only be done in the summer... And we've had nothing but rain this
summer. Well, it's done, and I'm happy.

2) I took on a co-op student tennant for the semester. He's actually my
direct cousin (on my mother's side) who I don't know very well. But so
far it's okay... Reminds me of my brother bumbling his way through life.
At least he's still in school so his life is pretty much laid out for
him for the next year or two. I wish he'd be more proactive about doing
his share of the chores (but that's probably my own fault for not
enforcing them). I mean he'll wash a used glass, but he won't actually
look at the sink and go "hmm... Maybe it's my turn to clear that."

3) Did I mention I finally got a PS3? Heh, yet another thing to do when
I'm home after work. Is it any wonder I never got cable? Although,
seriously, I'm starting to take it under consideration. Messing with
that antennae is getting on my nerves.

Land Raider Terminus Project 2

Now let's take a look at what comes in a Predator box. True to form as discussed in my previous post, the Predator is also based off the Rhino chassis. Like the Razorback, the Predator tank is also a Rhino kit with a bunch of stuff added on (for about $10).

[In fact, unless you're really strapped for cash, I don't see why anyone would ever want to pass on the spare parts and just buy the Rhino kit. But if this were so, then WH40K is probably not the hobby for you.]

Here's where the savings depend a lot on one's perspective. So far we've established something very important: no matter which kit you get, most of the time you are getting a Rhino with a bunch of extras. The those extras cost money, sure, but so would a Rhino on its own anyway. What costs even more money is if you order the Terminus upgrade kit from Games Workshop for a ridiculous $25. Between last post and this post, the very same set of extras you will need to build the Terminus my way is only about $15.

As a bonus, my way also gets me a couple of extra vehicles in the end.

So here is the Rhino built from the Predator box and the parts that I was really after in the first place...

Land Raider Terminus Project 1

The Terminus Ultra pattern (from the Apocalypse supplemental materials) is a rolling engine of destruction sporting a front-mounted Twin-Linked Lascannon, a pair of Twin-Linked Lascannons from side-sponsons. And a set of single Lascannons also on sponsons.

What you need:
- a Land Raider kit (of course)
- a Terminus upgrade bitz pack from Games Workshop... or if you're willing to spend a bit to save a bit, a Razorback kit and a Predator kit.

What you end up with:
A Terminus Ultra model, a Rhino APC model, and a Razorback model (with the Heavy-Bolter).

Let's look at the Razorback kit. Note the modular nature of Games Workshop kits: this kit's booklet also doubles as a the Rhino booklet. That's because the Razorback is just a Rhino with a turret on top. Meaning the turret costs $5 or so.

The nice thing about this project is that your can build your Razorback anyway. Through the magic of blogging, I will present you with my semi-finished Razorback. Just remember not to glue the turret in place. It'll be handy later.

when fast is too fast

I'm amused and PO'ed at the ads airing on television lately about how "reliable" and "fast" Rogers Internet is.

Last week, on a Thursday, I got a mail message warning me that I had reached 75% of my monthly bandwidth (that is, 45Gb total upload and download). Okay... that's fine I think. But then last night, the very same night my billing period rolled over I get an email telling me I've reached 100% (60Gb!)

One would make the case that I managed to use up 15Gb in the span of only 4 days! Fast indeed. Then again, this month has been highly unusual. My co-op student cousin moved in, my brother was also here with his own machine for Labour Day weekend. I've been downloading demos and videos like crazy for my new laptop and goodies for the new PS3. In fact, a glance at my bandwidth history shows that most months prior, I barely scratched 20Gb at all.

SG-1 novelty mirror

Besides being dirt-cheap to get on DVD, Stargate has something else going for it on the fandom level: it has some of the most iconic imagery this side of the Vulcan salute or a Jedi lightsabre. I saw this at the Silver Snail and had to get it.It's only 10 inches or so across (not even a whole foot). Made of a polystone material, glass, and clear PVC, this a replica of the Stargate as it appears in the SG-1 series. And other than being a novelty, it thankfully also doubles as a mirror when the sheet of PVC creating the watery ripple effect is removed...I say thankful because I'm sure someone will kick me in the nuts if I told them how much it cost... On the up side, thanks to the reasonable CAD/USD exchange rate lately, I don't feel like I was ripped off.