N Gauge (4): Tomytec 1/150 House under construction- the build

Good evening everyone! Its been a long time since I built a model but I don't have the time to do a full project so I decided to so something simple, the tomytec house under construction... apt, don't you think?



The contents of the kit



The necessary modelling tools: hobby knife, side clippers, a good pair of tweezers, and tamiya liquid cement.

I really appreciate tomytec for taking the trouble to ensure that the more delicate pieces such as the roof rafters are well protected.

The wonderful thing about using liquid cement is that I don't have to brush the entire length of the parts. I just apply a drop into the joints and capillary action takes over.

The instruction left the floorboards as optional items. Unfortunately I did'nt realise that until after I glued the roof. I had to take apart the model (twice) to install the floorboards on both floors :(.

 Next component, the scaffoldings. A good pair of side clippers will help you remove most of the flash but to complete the job, use a hobby knife. Please remember to cut away from yourself to avoid any painful experiences.

Tweezers are used to position the more fiddly pieces.

The completed product. The scaffoldings are actually in the former picture but due to lighting and the dark background, its a little challenging to spot.

More close-ups taken from various angles.

Finally a shot of the scaffoldings themselves.

Overall, this was a fun build. The fit of the house was fantastic, I had to sometimes do major surgery on earlier kits. I could envisage a street with several houses under construction; makes me want to get a few more sets :).

Well, do let me know your opinion on this set. Cheers and stay blessed!!

Pla model (2): M1 Abrams 1st Armoured Division

Good evening and happy belated Deepavali. I hope all of you enjoyed your day off yesterday. Tonight, we'll be looking at the American M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank (MBT). It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of U.S. military forces in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1972. Highly mobile, designed for modern armored ground warfare, the M1 is well armed and heavily armored. Notable features include the use of a powerful gas turbine engine, the adoption of sophisticated composite armor, and separate ammunition storage in a blow-out compartment for crew safety. Weighing nearly 68 short tons (almost 62 metric tons), it is one of the heaviest main battle tanks in service; which is also why Singapore chose the leopard over the Abrams. The weight would wreck our roads and cause the tank to sink in.

This was a Tamiya kit which was quite dated. However, like most Tamiya kits, the fit was excellent, which is why Tamiya was one of the premier model kit brands of its time. This tank depicts one that served in operation Desert Storm with the 1st Armoured Division.

As it was serving in the desert, I felt that i did not need to cake the track assembly with mud. Rather, I used light sand and pastels. Unfortunately, I mistook the laser sight as a machine gun and weathered it as so.

I kept the paint chipping to a minimum as the M1's paint is rather weather resistant. I used bandage to make the camouflage netting and several layers of tissue paper to make the tarp.

A close of the tank, the commander and loader. upon looking at the pictures, I realised I should have been more dilligent in removing the flash off the loader's arms and hands.

Well, what do you think? Please leave me comments on the pictures or the model and hopefully, I'll be able to do a better model in the future. Stay blessed!!

Bishoujo Anime Figure (2): Kantai Collection Akagi Figure

Hi everyone! how was your day? Today we are looking at a very popular subject in Japan: Kantai Collection. Kantai Collection (艦隊これくしょん, Kantai Korekushon "Combined Fleet Collection"), abbreviated as KanColle (艦これ, KanKore^?), is a Japanese free-to-play online card game developed by Kadokawa Games. The game was launched on April 23, 2013. As of September 2014, the game is available in Japan only and has 2.2 million registered players with many more waiting for the monthly lottery to become a registered user. This may sound rather arrogant of them but in doing so, they do not over-load their servers unlike many other online games we know.

So far it is only on the PC but will be ported to the PS Vita next year. Hopefully, it would be a stand alone game and not a web-based game so I can play it!!!

Akagi was an Imperial Japanese Carrier during World War II. She was part of Carrier Division 1 along with Kaga and was the flagship of the 1st combined fleet. She was capable of carrying 91 aircraft (including reserves). She took part in the attack on pearl harbour, darwin, and was sunk in the battle of midway. Though there were better Japanese carriers, Akagi remains my favourite... perhaps it was because she was the 1st carrier I built as a young boy. The model above was from the web, mine is still awaiting construction :).





Here is Akagi in Kancolle, personified as a girl in Kyudo attire. I like how Kadokawa Games personify the different classes of ships as girls. Aircraft carriers would be girls in archery attire (range), battleships as shrine maidens or miko sans (power), and destroyers as girls in middle school (equivalent to secondary 1-3 girls in Singapore) to represent youth and hence agility.

A side view of Akagi and a close-up of her shoulder armour, represented by the flight deck. In case you're wondering, that Japanese character is pronounced as "Ah".

A side shot to give a better perspective of the Japanese bow. Stringing it requires substantial strength so never mess with girls from the Kyudo bu, they may look feminine but they are much stronger than they look :).

I love how they incorporated elements of the actual ship as part of Akagi's armour. Her geta or slippers are miniaturised versions of the actual ship, and the smoke exhaust stack doubles as her satchel bag.

Even though this was a prize item from the UFO catchers, Sega has done a great job with the details.

Finally a close-up of Akagi's face. 

A piece of good news for anime fans. Kancolle will be made into an anime series in January 2015. You can catch the trailer at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABZN292gvRo .

I hope you enjoyed the pictures. Do let me know if you would like to see more of these in the comments. Have a blessed evening! 

Tatebanko: The lost art of paper Dioramas

Hi everyone! how are you today? Today, we look at a recent interest of mine: Tatebanko.

Tatebanko is the Japanese art of making dioramas out of paper. Typically the diorama is housed inside a paper box and portrays some kind of scene. It was very popular in the 17th century but fell to the wayside and was almost lost to time. But, in recent years it has gained a revival and we can enjoy this wonderful pursuit with very little materials. We generally need a ruler, scissors, and paper glue (white glue) or glue stick. The ones I have are copies of traditional woodblock art, called Ukiyo-e, which happen to be my favourite art pieces now.   

Hokusai: The great wave off Kanegawa

This is possibly the most iconic of all Ukiyo-e artworks. Essentially, the set comes in an A4 sized pack as seen above. With a paper cutter, white glue and a certain amount of profanity, I managed to complete it.

The artwork goes around the box as well, and yes, I made mistakes... well spotted.

A zoom in to see the layout which creates the 3D effect. Mount Fuji can be seen in the back. Can you spot it?

 A copy of the orginal artwork at the back of the box.

Hakone: View of the lake

Hakone is one of the most scenic spots in Japan and it is rather near Tokyo. The artist managed to capture the atmosphere of the mountains wonderfully. Hakone is on the Tokaido road, a road which cuts across Japan from Kyushu to Hokkaido. It is a dream of mine to travel that road one day. But for now, we can always visit Hakone via the Odakyu Romance Car train from Shinjuku, Tokyo.

 Can you spot Mount Fuji in this set?


Kambara: Evening Snow

This is my favourite of the three sets. It depicts a winter scene in a small village and gives off a cosy and rustic atmosphere.

 Unfortunately Tatebanko seems to be dying off in Japan again. A few years ago, i could easily buy them in Yodobashi Camera. In my recent trip however, I could not even find one :(. It is still available online but at higher prices and you need to factor in shipping costs as well. Tatebanko goes beyond traditional Japanese artwork.  It includes contempary art from different cultures.... and yes, they do have a Hello Kitty version as well.....

                            

 ..... and no, I don't have one, that was taken from the web :). So which one is your preferred set? Let me know in the comments please. Have a great and blessed day!!