Ben-Ohki MuYo!! ...Easily Amused

Among other things: Stormtrooper busted

2012-01-29T19:47:00.001-05:00

So my blog has been dominated by Transformers lately. I know this gripping saga has everyone on the edge of their seat so I'll just say it: yes, all 6 of the TFC Toys "Hercules" project has been released and I got mine at the end of this past week. And "toy-surgery" was a success. Before I get to that, I also wanted to breifly update that despite having pre-ordered what was said to be a "limited

Hercules: Structor

2012-01-18T20:47:00.000-05:00

Sorry, I'm extremely late with this review - I'm behind since these figures arrived just shortly before I left on my holidays and I've been sick since I got back. This time I'm kicking off my video review of the 3rd TFC Hercules figure with a serious warning: it appears there is a miniscule difference between the connector pegs for the legs under Heavy Labor and those for the shoulders off Dr

122nd Cadian: Bad Journalism

2011-12-01T16:47:00.000-05:00

Something I often shy away from is politicking in the real world. It's not really my domain. But I would be socially irresponsible if I did not speak up when I have this opportunity to spread the word.Here is a very unfortunate incident that happened to a fellow wargaming player... Please take a look if you can.122nd Cadian: Bad Journalism

Hercules: Heavy Labor

2011-11-05T14:10:00.003-04:00

My first attempt at a vlog review. Runs about 10 minutes.As usual it needs not be said that is not for everyone. It's a collector's item with limited production run. MSRP is about normal for this kind of thing, but value is definitely in the eye of the beholder.!!!UPDATE!!!Seems I'm not alone with the leg that won't straighten out. TFC has helpfully posted the following instructions for a DIY

While I've been waiting

2011-09-28T20:22:00.003-04:00

So... just as we settled into Labour Day weekend, I received an email from THQ. It was the shipping confirmation for my long-awaited collector's edition of Space Marine on PS3. Little did I realize at the time, long-awaited was about to become even-longer-awaited.So besides transferring to a new work-area, here's a list of all the things I've accomplished in my spare time NOT playing Space

8053 Mobile Crane

2011-09-17T23:05:00.010-04:00

I never quite warmed up to Lego Technic. It's Lego, but it's not really Lego to me. It doesn't have that elegant simplicity of bricks but instead has complicated bars with connectors, which to me, is the opposite of elegant. But I do still appreciate its inherent genius.I felt like diving back into this sort of thing after stumbling on a Youtube video about Lego. I chose the Mobile Crane kit

Hercules: Exgraver

2011-08-05T19:29:00.014-04:00

After waiting for months, here he is! The first sixth of Transformers Club's attempt to remake their own version of Devastator. Of course, being that TFC is an unauthorized fan group, they aren't allowed to use trademarked names like Devastator (or Decepticon or Constructicon, for that matter). So this is the first part of "Hercules", he is "Exgraver" and "not Scavenger." Not-Scavenger come out

Mess with Nintendo

2011-08-01T09:35:00.002-04:00

In case you haven't heard by now, the Big N has been bleeding money this year and in a desperate attempt to increase sales has decided on an early price-drop on the 3DS. The price drops from $250 to $170 on August 12, 2011. However, to appease the faithful, if you had your 3DS before that date (ie: your e-shop login has been active on or before the 11th), then Nintendo is offering you 20 free

Sideshow Collectibles Clone Trooper

2011-03-07T21:00:00.003-05:00

I'll be honest: I did not plan this. I was serious when I thought the prices would be a deterrent to buying too many of these Premium Format series sculptures. And even then I thought, "I'll limit myself to collecting only the generic troops." I seriously didn't know a Clone Trooper would be released within 2 months of deciding I would buy the Scout Trooper.The decision came down to this simple

Fortres of Redemption Build 3

2011-03-05T20:01:00.008-05:00

I didn't forgot about this build, but a bunch of events conspired to keep me away from this project.One more look at the walk-way: as you can see now on the completed piece, all the panels cleverly lean into each other. The angles are almost snap-fit.The turret is the last major assembly to do. This is where Games Workshop's design experience shines. To minimize the number of molds, almost all

Warhammer and candy

2011-03-01T21:16:00.003-05:00

I arrived home tonight and in a stroke of perfect timing (unless he was waiting for me, in which case it's kind of creepy) the mailman drove right up as I got out of my car and delivered my package.I was already expecting this thanks to the tracker information I had. But what I wasn't expecting when I opened the box later was this:Yes, for some reason the dudes at MiniWarGaming decided to throw

Sideshow Collectibles Scout Trooper

2011-01-27T19:23:00.004-05:00

I came to a collector's impasse this past month. Expecting a big overtime pay-out, I wanted to treat myself to something cool and unusual. I looked into high-end collectible "dolls." These 1/6 scale figures are highly detailed and stupidly expensive (often 2 or 3 times the price of Barbie special editions). The problem is that even the 1/6 scales are a dime a dozen: there are literally hundreds

Yamato SDF-1 Macross in 1/3000

2011-01-08T11:02:00.004-05:00

I admit I've been pretty lazy with the blog lately choosing instead to post comments on new stuff to forums or an odd pic on Facebook. But since Macross is a series near and dear to my heart, I felt I may as well do a repost of some comments and photos I made over on Robot Japan.Almost a year ago Yamato teased everyone with an oversized 2 foot long SDF-1 prototype model. For those unaware,

Vinyl Vehicle Voltron

2010-10-20T18:59:00.007-04:00

Originally solicited for April, Toynami delayed the third volume of of their vinyl figure line-up for months... during which they released several repaints of other figures including the limited version of the actual third figure as an exclusive metallic paint job for SDCC2010. But now it is October and I finally have a vinyl Vehicle Voltron in my hands.Vehicle Voltron is frequently referred to

Shadow Demolitions/Shadow Pack review

2010-09-07T21:39:00.007-04:00

It's a good thing I had seen a video review of a previous iteration before this arrived or else I might have been severely disappointed. However I've accepted the nature of collecting these extremely exclusive limited-run unlicensed fan-made add-ons: it is quite an expensive hobby.Perfect Effect's Shadow Demolitions with Shadow Pack finally arrived. As you can see from the photo, entire set comes

God-Sword and Nemesis Cmd Ctr.

2010-08-22T22:03:00.008-04:00

Sandwiched after my knock-off Fansproject Shadow Commander set and before the release of Perfect Effect's Demolitions Shadow Warrior pack, more new unlicensed add-ons arrived for my Nemesis Prime figure in the mail.First up is a rather simple accessory kit. Perfect Effect created the “God Sword” kit inspired by the powerful Cybertronian relic from the comics. Naturally, they reused the mold

Shadow Commander knock-off review

2010-07-31T13:13:00.004-04:00

First a little primer: Ultra Magnus was actually a repaint of "Powered Convoy" before Hasbro introduced him to Transformers as an all-new character. Conveniently, the white repainted Optimus Prime toy hidden inside the armour was ignored until Dreamwave comics introduced the concept that Magnus was in fact physically identical to Prime underneath the armour. From that point on, Hasbro and Takara

Kor Triumphant... finally.

2010-07-20T19:24:00.005-04:00

After a steady stream of losses, the Kor came back with possibly the best performance ever in a 4-way free-for-all. My opponents were a white Soldier deck, a customized Sliver deck, and a white-red Ally deck.First, the Soldier deck played Crusade (whether this was part of a failed strategy or a foolish mistake, we shall never know). All the figures below should be increased by 1 at game-time.

Fortress of Redemption Build 2

2010-07-13T18:45:00.004-04:00

Picking up from my previous post, here is the tower coming together.The main tower assembly comes together very quickly. It is made up of a grand total of 5 pieces. Two walls glue together as I mentioned before. They are large enough to allow for a bit of give but the pieces fit very well so don't be afraid to mash those edges into the corresponding grooves. Then wait for the two tower-halves to

Fortress of Redemption Build 1

2010-07-12T20:34:00.005-04:00

Here's a look at my latest build. Ever wonder what exactly is in this box? Well... it's this:Stacked neatly and evenly are 8 sprues. Enjoy this for a moment because after clipping the parts off the sprues... this kit will never fit into this box again.Yes, as it turns out, the entire kit is large but in reality very simple. Lots of large panels and the central tower is made up of pretty much 4

One Month with a Milestone

2010-07-11T19:08:00.004-04:00

Motorola Milestone (aka: Droid) is not only my first Android OS experience, but it's also my first smart-phone.Android is remarkable in its ability to be entirely unremarkable. At first I was concerned that my new phone did not come with any substantial documentation. But this worry quickly evaporated as I got used to Android's "if you don't see it, it's probably nothing to bother with"

Magic "Archenemy" released

2010-06-20T20:16:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to post my observations on Magic the Gathering's new offering, “Archenemy.”The game format introduces a new card set called the “Scheme” deck. Each of the four themed sets comes with 20 oversized cards. These are not unique but actually a semi-random collection built to best suit the theme of the pre-constructed 60-card play deck that comes with the set. Each card, similar to the

Macross Messenger Bag

2010-05-31T18:35:00.005-04:00

This is a story of serendipity, coincidence, and a touch of irony.I just spent 3 days in Toronto to attend Anime North 2010. It's biggest anime convention in Canada. I've sort of outgrown being an anime otaku (I have my favourite titles and have very little room for new ones). As for the merchandise, I try my best to support the local shop (which manages to sell at every convention I've been to

PSP shell swap

2010-04-29T21:05:00.005-04:00

As of this month, the Playstation Portable has been out for 5 years (in North America). I didn't get mine at launch, exactly but pretty early on. Yes, I got it with that really bad hockey game.Anyway, 5 years later and my PSP has seen better days. The battery door isn't so tight anymore. There are cracks and scratches in the faceplate... So I did the most obvious thing to do to a device that has

GFFMC bonus item

2010-04-01T23:14:00.005-04:00

Those following me will have noted how excited I've been to be part of the latest revival to the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise because Sunrise has seen fit to finally revisit the original Universal Century time-line. While the first installment of Gundam Unicorn only released world-wide this past month, the Bandai marketing machine has been churning away for almost a whole year now.Last week saw

Chaos Rising: List of DLC stuff

2010-03-21T10:27:00.004-04:00

I just restarted the campaign mode on Chaos Rising once more just to double-check exactly what it was that I got in the supposedly "Exclusive Wargear Pack" from the myTHQ promotion. Now depending where you live, it might be limited (I read somewhere that for THQ UK, only the first 50'000 people who register will get the code to redeem the DLC). On the little insert that came in my retail box (I'm

Chaos Rising is out... and I still can't enjoy it

2010-03-18T20:06:00.003-04:00

I still have this bitter taste in my mouth 2 days later.All of it thanks to this annoying screw-up with Games For Windows Live to get my free exclusive DLC. This Dawn of War release did not force you to pre-order like the original DoW2. Instead all you need to do is register your game at the publisher's site at http://www.thq.com - you'll need to sign up for a "MyTHQ" account, but that's free

freak accident

2010-02-05T23:49:00.004-05:00

When you play paintball, you kind of half-expect some pain and bruises. Maybe the occasional welt. It's part of the game to get the other guy before they get you.One of those fingers is the wrong colour and... well the wrong size.What's particularly uncool is that this didn't even happen to me during the game. I had my hand up and was walking down the edge o the field after being eliminated when

Hoihoi-san in 1:1 scale (part 2)

2010-02-01T19:24:00.005-05:00

I decided to base coat the weapons in black even though the pieces are molded in gray plastic. Acrylic paint sticks better that way. I wish I had remembered this earlier because the orange USB port didn't turn out as smooth as I had hoped.First I painted the black into the recessed areas. Then dry-brush the raised “USB” letters. Finally add the orange. The orange needed two coats because it's

Hoihoi-san in 1:1 scale

2010-01-31T12:47:00.003-05:00

In an anime mecha plastic-model kit (“plamo”) industry dominated by Bandai, there are few contenders. Kotobukiya is a relative newcomer working to carve out their own piece of the market by catering to the franchises that are NOT Mobile Suit Gundam. The Hoihoi-san kit is based on a PS2 game property about an automated robotic cockroach extermination system... which, interestingly enough, means

VF-19 Hi-Metal Series

2010-01-30T21:33:00.003-05:00

Bandai's Hi-Metal Fire Valkyrie an attempt to break into the Macross figure franchise beyond the “Frontier” series Bandai has been stuck with while Yamato continues to hog the majority of Macross licenses. To differentiate themselves, they've gone with some perculiar build choices.Firstly the scale is 1/100 making the VF-19 Kai Excalibur model only about 8 inches long (and similarly tall in

Vinyl Lion Voltron

2010-01-29T23:47:00.002-05:00

Toynami is the outfit behind the Robotech Masterpieces series. That infamous line-up ranged from the mildly disappointing VF-1 quality control issues, down to the outright factory recalled Shadow Chronicles Alpha Fighter due to fan-outrage and, strangely, also up to the dizzying heights of rave reviews for the Beta Fighter.So that is why when I found myself staring at the clear-plastic packaged 9

Reaction: Fast Attack Bag

2010-01-27T18:11:00.002-05:00

Unlike its bigger brother, the "Tactical Pack," Fast Attack Bag does away with the theme name. I would have called it a “utility bag” if I were in charge of such things. It's exactly that: designed to be utilitarian for the hobbyist on the go.On the surface, Fast Attack Bag is a messenger bag with a “Fast Attack” unit choice symbol on the front flap along with rubber Imperial eagle logo on the

Reaction: Lightsaber Flashlight

2010-01-15T22:34:00.005-05:00

When I was little, a technician at the Ontario Science Center shined a laser into a dust cloud to show how it kept its thin directed path. The crowd all gasped because, well, it was kind of like seeing a real lightsaber. I held up an aerosol can to a flashlight in an attempt to replicate the demo at home. This didn't work so well, but in my 8-year-old mind, it was pretty close.Twenty-five years

Reaction: Tactical Back-Pack

2010-01-09T11:53:00.008-05:00

I don't remember much of 1989. I do however, remember the disdain I had for the official Nintendo Game Boy Carry Case. The literature for that case promised room to protect my portable device along with storing some games, my earphones, and even the network cable. But in truth, only the games had dedicated pockets; the rest could only be haphazardly stuffed into the main compartment. That feeling

Reaction: Macross Quarter by Bandai Chogokin DX

2010-01-08T22:39:00.006-05:00

While I haven't paid much attention to their “DX Chogokin” line (back in the early days of the gokin-renaissance, Bandai reserved this label for reissues of classic molds and kept the new designs under the “Soul of Cogokin” label). Now they've seemingly given the DX line an anachronistic slant by slapping it all over their newest models as well.The Macross Quarter is the “mini” super-dimensional

Every fighting game

2009-12-05T10:52:00.003-05:00

This video spoofs Mortal Kombat, but seriously, it's applicable to all fighting games in general...See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Unboxing: Yamato life-sized replica VF-1 helmet

2009-11-08T22:07:00.003-05:00

Months ago, the opportunity to order one came up and believe me, it made me delay a few other things. This was effectively made-to-order since I don't blame any retailer for not wanting to stock this insanely expensive (but so freaking exclusive) item without a pre-order. In fact, it was so hard to come by, I wasn't even sure my order would ever arrive and if I would end up with just a refund 6

Planechase deck box

2009-11-07T12:42:00.002-05:00

Two whole months after the Planechase sets came out, I finally found the Planechase deck boxes at my local comics and gaming shop. There seem to be only 2 models available - one themed for Grixis (and or Zombies in general) and I got this one which is combination theme for the artifacts deck and the "Strike Force" red-white deck which I happen to play.The box is a typical Duel Deck-Box with an

T-shirts delivery

2009-11-03T19:22:00.002-05:00

A bunch of new T-shirts arrived in the mail this week so I wanted to share them.Machine56 is an independent designer from Indonesia. You can check out his art on DeviantArt here. His last major line-up features some kind of cyborg skeleton guy with headphones. It's neat!I also pre-ordered these Mobile Suit Gundam shirts a couple of months ago. I was a little worried because at the time I had

Wearing a Valkyrie

2009-10-28T17:35:00.002-04:00

I couldn't help myself... It's a little tacky but it's rare and limited outside of Japan. And on top of which, I'm a long time Macross/Robotech fan. This Valkyrie-themed jacket caught my attention right away. It was just a matter of finding a means to acquire an item intended only for the Japanese market exclusively (because well, I'm pretty certain Harmony Gold would have something to say about

Imperial Guard Valkyrie 4

2009-10-06T18:49:00.003-04:00

The Valkyrie build was delayed for a variety of reasons, but here's the final follow up.First I wanted to turn the kit over and present possibly the ONLY image of the underside of the model anywhere. It's not clear from the instruction sheet nor from the photos. But the hatches don't have anything holding them in place until you finally put the wings and tail fins in place. Once everything's

Brutal abuse of comedy...

2009-09-22T17:56:00.003-04:00

Planetstrike kits

2009-09-13T13:31:00.004-04:00

Today I'm bringing you a look at the Planetstrike scenery kits (which if you got a chance to check out the new expansion book, serve as more than just scenery). We'll start with the Aegis Defense Line kit.As you can see, there's very little to the set. There are 4 long walls and 4 short ones coming on a pair of sprues. Slap some paint on and you're done. The only thing to assemble is the

Gotta catch'em all

2009-09-02T20:21:00.004-04:00

It's been a long time but I finally finished up my collection of Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi figures by FREEing and Good Smile Company. The tale goes all the way back to wanting to support my local store but if they couldn't get it in stock within the first 3 months of release it was looking more and more like eBay was the way to go. Sadly, also costing me an arm and a leg more than it should

Ballad of GIJoe

2009-08-11T17:07:00.000-04:00

The Ballad of G.I. Joe from Olivia Wilde

Monty Oum's Dead Fantasy V

2009-07-30T21:59:00.002-04:00

Out of nowhere Monty Oum rushes out part 5 of his CG-animated pet project only a few weeks after part 4 was posted.In this installment Monty eases off on the action a bit and builds on the narrative started in part 3. The Kasumi clones (taken from DOA2) arc appears to be capped off. And the Tifa's saga continues in Kill Bill fashion. In fact, I jokingly thought to myself, "taking a page out of

Monty Oum's Dead Fantasy III and IV

2009-07-21T22:47:00.003-04:00

Last year Monty Oum, a maniacal genius of action choreography and animation unleashed Dead Fantasy. It was a bold experiment merging fan-favourite franchises DOA and Final Fantasy in an crazy Matrix-inspired show-down. The first chapter was successfully cut together a dynamic tag-team fight scene while the second took things even further by turning up the difficulty on the action-photography by

Lament for Lunar

2009-07-20T19:25:00.005-04:00

To mark the 40th anniversary of the Apollo lunar landing, I will take this time to lament the Lunar game franchise. Lunar is possibly the saddest franchise in gaming. It came and went and then came again huge... and then went again. It tried and failed for a three-peat. You probably missed Lunar. But for those of us lucky enough to have experienced The Silver Star Story, it was amazing and here

Apollo Creed USB key

2009-07-12T18:14:00.002-04:00

He was the Master of Disaster, The King of Sting, the Dancing Destroyer, and the Counter of Monte Fisto... and now Appollo Creed will store your data....but sticking his crotch into your USB port...http://www.jlist.com/PRODUCT/YOYA743Let it now be said that the Japanese haven't already thought of every DAMN thing.But somehow I find this very easy to swallow after Carl Weathers rousing appearance

Imperial Guard Valkyrie 3

2009-07-05T22:37:00.003-04:00

Easily the most irritating assembly of every vehicle kit I've ever built in my life, is the cockpit. You reach a point where everything is down to an art-form and a science. But every kit throws a little something different at you. The Valkyrie is no different.As with many cockpit assemblies, the Valkyrie uses the usual "fake legs" pilot figures. These pilots have no feet. They're just torsos

Imperial Guard Valkyrie 2

2009-06-27T21:58:00.003-04:00

The main fuselage is nearly completed. The next page of the manual features the typical layouts found in a Citadel Miniatures booklet: a small blow-up box showing what needs to be assembled multiple times and then set aside.Irritatingly, it describes a pair of turbine assemblies that do not have any supporting tabs holding their halves together. Only on the following page you will see that as you

Imperial Guard Valkyrie 1

2009-06-22T23:34:00.005-04:00

I know, I didn't get around to posting my final finished Stormlord. I will, I promise! But I'm just so excited to finally get my hands on the new Imperial Guard Valkyrie kit. Not because I play IG, but simply because I think the IG faction of Warhammer 40k have the coolest looking mechanical designs. They look grounded in real Earth technology but at the same time, taken to extreme

Nanoha ...ready for summer!

2009-06-19T18:25:00.005-04:00

Just in time for the official announcement (and release of the prototype photos) for the her best friend Fate T Harlaown, I spent my OT pay on the quarter scale (but full-scale *kawaii*) Nanoha Takamachi. At first I was taken aback by the size of the box delivered to my local post-office pick-up.Turns out the seller was just being extra generous with the packing. Quarter scale figures are pretty

IGN Video: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Xbox 360 Trailer - Battle Trailer

2009-06-09T17:38:00.001-04:00

IGN Video: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Xbox 360 Trailer - Battle TrailerShared via AddThis

Luigi Snaps

2009-06-06T10:20:00.003-04:00

Watch Luigi Finally Snaps on CollegeHumor

Reaction: PK Cards

2009-06-05T23:12:00.002-04:00

Finally finished playing our first game of PK Cards The Broken Seal. It took us about 3 hours of play time. Part of me blames the fact it's our first game. First-time games are always like that: you are unfamiliar with the game mechanics. You second guess every rule because you wonder if you read it and understood the rules right. You debate with your equally bewildered opponent whether you both

A look at the Storm Arachns

2009-05-24T19:13:00.005-04:00

I have no idea what these are, but they look suitably nasty. I'm guessing that much like the time I picked up a Nina Zero/Babylon Zero, the rules governing these playing pieces will be in the Operation: Frostbite expansion that's currently in the mail (at least, yes, it has the O:F logo on the back this box).All I've gathered is that this from the latest product "wave" in the line. One thing I

Stormlord 4

2009-05-20T19:10:00.006-04:00

Here's a follow-up to the drilling work I mentioned... Thankfully, I've learned that less glue is better for 2 reasons: First it'll dry faster and cleaner, second it's easier to snap off mistakes. Here's the post-operation heavy bolter before I glued it back on.And to be honest, there's nothing else particularly interesting about this build because the rest is the final "turret" assembly. And as

Stormlord 3

2009-05-19T21:53:00.003-04:00

Something I forgot to mention in my last post...Here my super-heavy tank is coming together. But when you reach this point, you have emptied at least a couple of Baneblade sprues already. Except for one piece.On the port side rear panel, there is a tiny little exhaust bit that is a separate piece! See the two towing hooks? The one on the left - take a close look right to the left of that. That

Stormlord 2

2009-05-16T11:04:00.003-04:00

I haven't blogged most of the chassis assembly because it's essentially a Baneblade body. But now I'm starting to encounter the new stuff in this edition of the Imperial Guard super-heavy tank.In this photo, I want to introduce the heavy flamer sponson. I can't recall if the Baneblade kit had this option (it probably did). It's a tighter fit than the heavy bolter because there are more bitz

Incomplete Support Sites

2009-05-15T15:50:00.001-04:00

You wanna know what grinds my gears? An incomplete web-site that covers "most" situations but won't necessarily cover YOUR situation. When I got back from Montreal last weekend I was both pleased and disappointed with my latest Monster booster box for Monsterpocalypse. I was happy to find the Terra Khan figures. Not that they're hard to find, but it would end up being a good gift for my

photo dump

2009-05-13T22:20:00.004-04:00

Here are some goodies that arrived straight from Japan in the mail today.This FREEing 1/4 scale figure is new old stock. Emiri Kimidori was a little known supporting character who showed up briefly in an episode of The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi. Not much to say other than, I'm glad to finally own one of these after waiting for (and giving up on) my local store to get it in stock for 6 months.

Stormlord 1

2009-05-11T22:40:00.003-04:00

Here comes another build series. This time I'm tackling the recent Stormlord kit. Here is what it looks like "out of the box."Take a good look with me because this is the last time we'll see all those sprues fitting so neatly in there. (How do they get them arranged like that?).But let me jump to something that's been bugging me ever since I attempted to build the Baneblade kit (it's the same

Big towel

2009-05-07T20:59:00.002-04:00

At first I just thought, well, if I was going to dry myself, I may as well do it in style and as a member of Team Gurren Lagann... and $25 was a pittance for the honour (or the goofiness of having yet another ridiculous piece of merchandising in my house... did I ever blog about my dakimakura?Anyway, nothing prepared me for when I finally pulled this towel out of its sleeve and unfolded it. It's

How not to foster foreign relations

2009-05-05T17:55:00.003-04:00

Does anybody remember that scene in Top Gun when Tom Cruise gives the Russian pilot the middle finger but later refers to the action as "keeping up foreign relations?"I got served a cease-and-desist in my inbox today for a property that hasn't been licensed in my country (or anywhere outside Japan as far as I can tell). My ISP received a C&D through BayTSP - a copyright enforcement agency working

New minis in the mail

2009-05-04T16:58:00.003-04:00

As is typical of the USPS, here is the tracking screen for the eBay auction I mentioned earlier today:And here is the eBay auction on my dining room table:The S-type Shinobi (the guy in a jumping pose) on the back right and the Shadow Gate on the front right are not part of the auction, I just put them there because I happen to have them in my collection. I can't wait to try playing with some

Things in the mail

2009-05-04T09:12:00.002-04:00

If a penny saved is a penny lost… here is an updated list of pending items. 1) After filing my taxes, I happened on an old link to HLJ where a Transformers sale is still on. I ordered the Music Label Soundwave. Sure, it's a crappy MP3 player, but… it's Soundwave - one of the select few Decepticons to appear in both Family Guy and Robot Chicken! He is

How Bant Broke Magic

2009-05-03T22:17:00.002-04:00

I didn't want to write and post this opinion earlier because I thought it would sound a little too whiny. But after last night's experience, I have had second thoughts.When Weirdguy came into my office a mere 4 months ago to show off a stack of used Magic: The Gathering he scored for a few dollars, I had no idea that my suggestion to play together would culminate in a tounament of almost 10

Reaction: Monsterpocalypse

2009-04-26T20:36:00.003-04:00

After a few weeks of browsing the manual from the starter set and picking up boosters are random, I was moderately ready to demo the game with Weirdguy. Here are my initial reactions as a complete n00b to this game.First, it's a pretty hard sell as far as CMGs go. The requires that each player picks up a “starter set.” This means between 2 people to play, they invest $50USD (at MSRP) up front for

Tournament of n00bs (Day 7)

2009-04-17T19:48:00.003-04:00

On the final day of my active participation in the round-robin, I dropped my 8th and final match to the tournament’s dark horse. He played a Black/White deck – both life-draining and life-restoring (from the Time Spirals era of M:TG, IIRC). Nothing spectacular occurred this game outside the usual events. I found myself skipping the first several turns before I could play Onyx Goblet (meaning at

Tournament of n00bs (Day 6)

2009-04-14T13:27:00.000-04:00

I am back on my losing streak of 2 games. Making matters worse is the upset I suffered today against Robin (of the Dynamic Duo). As I kept warning people, Robin's luck had to turn around sooner or later and he finally ended his 4-game losing streak with a win against me today (in fact he won the following game as well). As for myself, the unthinkable scenario made an encore appearance when

Life: Easter weekend 2009

2009-04-14T08:56:00.001-04:00

In case anybody out there cares... I'm back from my hometown. Like every other visit I arrived with a "crunch." Seems the ditch through-pipe has raised another inch or so (or the surrounding earth sunken a bit more). I'm afraid bottoming out the car has knocked something loose ...again. I didn't notice on the highway but it was when made my way through the city back to my house that I

Tournament of n00bs (Day 5)

2009-04-09T17:48:00.002-04:00

Another loss drops my total win percentage down to 33.3%. I’m not quite sitting dead last but I am indeed in trouble and the odds are against advancing beyond round-robin play. The fourth and final play-off position is 2 wins away and I need to count on at least 2 other players to lose their remaining match-ups in order to leap-frog them. And this does not address the current dark horse – one

Tournament of n00bs (Day 4)

2009-04-07T18:58:00.001-04:00

I stopped my 2-game losing streak by winning in style today. Some days luck just swings in my favour. I played an old-school player using a 4th edition deck of black. And while he was able to play several small Creatures, the first was an Artifact so I was able to at least get delay his game while I built up a mana pool of Lands. I quickly built a large collection of Lands (including my core Jund

Tournament of n00bs (Day 3)

2009-04-06T17:38:00.001-04:00

I played 2 more Round-Robin match-ups today in the tournament.First up was Weirdguy who finally came back from vacation. A decent amount of Land came up off the draw (neither side asked to mulligan). I counted on my wide variety of colours to keep me afloat. Weirdguy got out a series of small Creatures with Lifelink which easily got him a constant supply of health. I blocked with a Sprouting

Tournament of n00bs (Day 2)

2009-04-03T19:32:00.002-04:00

I faced off against Batman (I call him that because he one of the dynamic duo around the office). He opened with a mulligan while I, mana-shy after yesterday's "unthinkable scenario" disaster, decided to roll with the hand full of Lands and Obelisks (and only 1 Creature and 1 Artifact).Thankfully this game I managed my B-R-G colour combo off the draw and was able to field a Sprouting Thrinax

Tournament of n00bs

2009-04-02T17:28:00.002-04:00

Here we are, a bunch of IT yuppies and I open my big mouth one day. Not coincidentally the same day that Weirdguy happens on a big stack of somebody's unwanted Magic: The Gathering cards at Value Village for a couple of bucks. See what I have wrought.It is about 3 months later since I opened my big mouth. "We should play. I've never played before. Now's my chance," I said.Players popped out of

my stupid flipping adventure

2009-03-30T20:55:00.002-04:00

Let me tell you a story about what happened with my copy of Rock Band for PS3.I got it used a few weeks ago for a very reasonable $23. I should have actually been able to buy it for $21 because I later realized I had a coupon for a discount on used games. But just as well, at least I wasn't paying EBGames' extortion of a price for a used copy (somewhere on the order of $50 or so).What I really

Iron Man vs Bruce Lee

2009-03-29T10:40:00.001-04:00

this video will pwn your toy collection...

Canon Rock by JerryC with Japanese guitarists

2009-03-19T19:09:00.001-04:00

This video will pwn you ...600% more than the usual Cannon Rock video.

Fat Pack: Shards of Alara

2009-03-08T17:18:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to show off an unusual find from a local shop (I don't know where they get this sort of out-of-print stuff, but I'm glad I stumbled on it). In case you weren't paying attention during one of my previous posts, a fat pack is basically a box full of booster packs. What's unusual is that this box is from the previous set in the block. While you can still encounter fat packs from the

Things I've been up to...

2009-03-02T10:36:00.001-05:00

Just because I haven't posted anything useless in a while:The video backlog is fluctuating. Finally finished Gurren Lagann. Loaned the DVDs to Weirdguy. Finished my collection of certain fansubs. In the mood for romantic comedy so it's Kanon and Tonaguri. Right now I'm enjoying Tonaguri much more than Kanon (I had high-expectations forKanon since I loved Air and Clannad).I put a hold on Kenichi

Go to the right Marketplace!

2009-02-26T22:32:00.003-05:00

OK, so it's been like a week. I've posted this info on a couple of different forums already but every day I still see new posts everywhere from people asking why their codes are "expired!"The deal is this: certain retailers gave you promotional codes when you buy Dawn of War 2 (no, you didn't miss anything, I didn't blog the retail release). Anyhow, for the uninitiated, the game is networked via

Gurren Lagann Parallel Works Video 1

2009-02-26T22:05:00.001-05:00

This has nothing to do with anything... but is cool. Everything's better in alternate universe format. :)

Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra

2009-02-18T20:57:00.002-05:00

I'm one of those personalities with the insatiable desire to know "what's inside?" Sometimes it backfires on me - like tonight: I spent the entire evening after work driving around most of Ottawa looking for the Collector's Edition of Street Fighter IV... and failing to acquire it. The last time I asked about pre-ordering it, there still hadn't been any info available about it so I decided not to

Kenichi's Masters (mistresses?)

2009-02-17T19:47:00.005-05:00

Not long ago before I had decided I would join my friends going to G-Anime, I had explained to them that a big part of the convention experience was "finding stuff." You know, an exhibitor was bringing something to sell, or people showing off bragging rights. Sadly, that aspect of con-going has been lost amidst the advent of e-commerce where anything you could possibly want, not matter how rare,

Real Life Rhino

2009-02-11T19:40:00.003-05:00

Used to be that I would say, "if I had the time and money I would..." Well, that is no longer feasible. In this video, I find proof that a new qualifier should be added.That is, if I had time, money, and a lot of room for parking (which is nowhere to be found in this city; although won't be a problem anymore if I were driving around Gatineau in this thing), then I would do this...

Spot the damage?

2009-02-10T20:14:00.003-05:00

Can you see? You must be blind if you can't. :)But seriously, this Baal Golgoth arrived to me in no less than 8 separate pieces. Sheesh. I paid a bargain to add this to my AT-43 collection but sheesh. Thankfully I have a fully equipped toolkit because of my Warhammer hobby. And even more thankfully, all I needed was a few drops of super-glue as all the broken pieces had clean breaks.Now if only

lazy con report: G-Anime 2009

2009-02-08T18:22:00.002-05:00

As far as upstart conventions go, G-Anime had some really good ideas. I was there for both days spanning February 7 and 8 2009.Some great ideas included a "command center" where programming was monitored by the crew. So whenever something went wrong, help was sent on the way. The location was great too (the Palais de Congress in Gatineau). There was a lot more parking than I anticipated (the city

Fat Pack: Conflux

2009-02-06T19:44:00.005-05:00

It's quickly become obvious to me why Wizard's of the Coast is able to constantly push product out the door and have people gobble it up and come back for more. A few days back, Weirdguy and I decided to put a hold on buying up the new old stock at our local comics shop and save up a bit of cash for the next expansion set coming out today. When we saw the new Fat Packs for only $35CAD, it was a

another unboxing (pod pack)

2009-02-05T16:45:00.004-05:00

Let it not be said that in order to participate in the activities I choose that one MUST invest a lot of money. I have several friends who play paintball with me who still after all these years have not purchased a single piece of equipment. Not even a mask. I have others who decided the Canadian Tire special was good enough for them (Kingman Spiders and JT masks).But despite my own track record

The Sad State of the USPS

2009-02-04T17:54:00.004-05:00

It's no secret - everybody loves to trash-talk their local postal service... But lately I've learned that the USPS tracking system is just primitive compared to Canada's! I mean, what kind of use is a tracking system that updates less than once every few days?My order of T-shirts from Jeph Jacques' QuestionableContent.net arrived in the mail today... and the tracking system message still hasn't

Confessions of a Magic n00b 2.0

2009-01-27T22:09:00.000-05:00

After my second time playing M:TG with my deck I've come a second conclusion - I still suck. I played 2 games with a co-worker today (same Shards of Alara red deck). He played with a scratch-built deck he threw together from leftover cards.After one game where I was quite easily trampled... my opponent was convinced I had way too many Lands in my deck. However, I counted everything out and the 2:

Reaction: Vitasoy Red Bean

2009-01-27T21:23:00.002-05:00

The human senses have psychological expectations due to our previous experiences. And when those expectations are fooled, we tend to react in two ways: shock... and maybe disgust.I don't know what I was thinking when I purchased a 6-pack of Red Bean soy bean drink. I've been a huge fan of Vitasoy ever since I was little. It's a fine-filtered soy-milk - more filtered that western soy milk so it

Confessions of a Magic n00b 1.5

2009-01-26T20:04:00.002-05:00

So after reflecting a bit on my first Magic: The Gathering experience, here are my observations about both the game, and my gut reactions.I can see how it's so popular: it's base mechanics are simple. In fact, the reason why it seemed daunting to begin with is just that Wizards of the Coast just kept growing the darn thing with new keywords, card types, new rules and banning unbalanced cards. In

Confessions of a Magic n00b 1

2009-01-26T17:06:00.001-05:00

I don't know what triggered this. Recently Weirdguy and I decided we wanted to play Magic: The Gathering. He's old hand while I'm novice (but have experience with other CCG).I hit the official web site to check what the most current set was available. Reasoning that I wasn't going to invest in the Core set that is probably on its way out, I picked up an Intro Pack for the current expansion "

Reaction: Dawn of War 2 beta

2009-01-22T07:08:00.004-05:00

Relic rewarded their faithful (well, those of us who decided to buy their rather shitty final expansion to the 2004 hit Dawn of War) with early access to Dawn of War 2 as a closed beta (it becomes an open beta next week for the general public. You need to activate your Soulstorm CD-key on Steam to download the new beta.Funny thing: Steam apparently does not differentiate between disc-based

List of stuff to watch

2009-01-16T09:53:00.000-05:00

I watched the Quebec drama C.R.A.Z.Y. over the weekend; it was a discloaned to me over 5 months ago.Not counting the backlog of video files on my harddrives, this is a listof stuff that is in my backlog and/or currently being watched everyevening when I'm at home.Slapshot (loaned to me at least 2 months ago)Robot Chicken Season 3 (loaned to me this week)Constantine (rented, copied ...then set

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li (Trailer)

2008-12-30T17:32:00.001-05:00

It looks like generic action-flick to me. No Jean-Claude Van Damme in sight, thankfully. If only for that, I will have to watch this. :)