New Address!

Attention Goufy Shumi readers: I will no longer be updating goufy-shumi.blogspot.com. (Although I do reserve the right to do so if things don't work out.) From here on out, be sure to update you bookmarks/del.icio.us/whatever to www.goufyshumi.com. I am still in the process of designing the new site, but everything is still pretty much functional. I plan on adding quite a bit of content, so be sure to stop by every Tuesday!

-The head Gouf.

More Changes

Well, I decided to go ahead and register goufyshumi.com. This way, as I make my switch to a new home, you won't have to be redirected and so forth. By the way, you can get a sneak peek at the new site, still under construction mind you. It's far from being done, but when it is, I think it will be a little more pleasant. While I'm working on the site, are there any recommendations? Let me know what you'd like to see at Goufy Shumi.

Update: My domain service is having a hard time redirecting... The link below is supposed to point to goufyshumi.mechascientific.com

goufyshumi.com

News: Cha-Cha-Changes...

Things are going to be a bit bumpy here at Goufy Shumi. I am in the process of designing a new format as well as a change of place. There will be some messy code, design, and confusion as where to go. For now I will be updating both blogs until I get everything switched. As I am in the midst of these changes, are there any suggestions as to what you would like to see? If so, drop me a note. I'll see what I can do.

-rsnumber2

The Gunion

Who says giant robots has to be about death and destruction? Well, at least the fellows at MAHQ.net can make death and destruction funny. Most U.S. web surfers are familiar with The Onion, a news satire page. Typical headlines include over the top claims, and make seemingly innocent topics become rather twisted. The Gunion brings the satire and fun in a form that is a bit more Otaku, or A-boy friendly. For example, todays story: Kaiju uses New Strategy, Decimates Super Heroes. At the bottom of the article is an ad for Dancouga - Conflict Resolution with an 800 number. I'm sure there are many people out there that may not find this humor funny, but who cares. It's got some pretty witty stuff. The only complaint I have, is that it's not updated very often. The current issue is from May. They may just need some more writers. I think it is a great concept with much potential. But first, I need to get my MS out of repossesion, what was that number again...

Modeler: Dalong.net

This is the Gunpla enthusiast's best friend. Have you ever anticipated getting a kit, just knowing that with minimal effort, it would look great right out of the box? Only to be completely disappointed in it's cheesy construction? Dalong takes the guess work out. He was even kind enough to offer an English menu system. Each kit reviewed, systematically opened, runners displayed, and a few parts are assembled to give you an idea of construction. The instructions are also scanned in to see what you're up against, too. This absolutely indispensable site gives you a virtual test drive of each kit, before you even order one. Check it out soon, before it's too late. ^^





Dalong.net

Pardon my dust

I am considering a move to Wordpress. How serious? I'm not sure. Blogger seems to offer a few more features that I am looking for right now. In the mean time, I am trying to find a new look. I'll be playing around with templates and colors. So that means that it may not always look pleasant, but I'm working on it.

FXA-05D/RX178 HGUC Pt.4.75

I have not worked on my HGUC for quite some time. I plan on changing that this week. In the mean time, I did finish my lightbox. I took three photos trying to get the lighting correct. I think I made the box waaaaaay too big. I'm going to cut it down. almost by half. Other than that, I would say that the tutorial I posted earlier was quite good. For future reference, keep in mind the scale of your model before starting, though. The lighting had to be rearranged to fill the space better. But, overall, I feel the project was a success. Now I just need to finish the rest of this kit...

Gundam 00 Trailer

I saw this at DannyChoo.com this morning.

News: Gundam 00 Q&A

Gunota Headlines has a question and answer with the series creator of the new Gundam 00 series. Although he is honest in his answers, I can't help be feel a little more distanced from the series. The problem that I have, is that Sunrise seems to be the driving force behind the movement away from the core Gundam style of animation and story telling. Super robots are cool, but the more "realistic" idea of mecha is what has captured my interest for so long. As I say with every Gundam 00 post, we'll just have to wait and see....

Gunota Headlines: Mizushima Animage interview

Building a Lightbox

One great thing about Gunpla is the photography that goes along with it. My current setup is rather amusing. I have two sheets of black poster board, a tv tray, and two halogen construction lights. I seems to work o.k., however, this is what I plan to do next. Presenting a lightbox. These can be bought pre-made, but the can get a bit expensive. I stumbled upon this tutorial at Gamera Baene. The construction is simple, straight forward, and cheap. Perfect! As you can see, the light setting on your camera is important, as well as the use of a tripod. I hope to get some time this week to start work on it. Of course I need to get back to my HGUC RX-178, too.

Gamera Baenre: Lightbox Tutorial

I know, I told you Tuesdays...

I'm actually on vacation this week. I'm away from my computer, as well as my normal schedule. I'll be updating as soon as I get back.

Later.

Modeler: eday

Not much is known about this mysterious modeler, except his does outstanding work. I am actually an HG fan, due to my time constraints when building. Take a look at this Asshimar HGUC. The detailing is exquisite. He also used great color palette. The mods are extensive, yet subtle. I look forward to seeing more of his work.

Gallery: eday

Classic Mecha: Five Star Stories

I'm not very familiar with Five Star Stories. The animation seems to be top notch though. My favorite period of anime seems to be from the mid-eighties to late-nineties. I really like the texture have hand drawn cells. Story and emotion seem to have driven better production values. Recently, artists and studios seem to rely too heavily on computers to do the work for them. However, computer graphics of late have been showing some promising signs lately. So, we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, enjoy this little OP.



From Yumeji

From GEARS Online: Five Star Stories

News: Weekly update

I seem to be getting a bit more traffic lately. Which is a good thing. So, I will be trying my best to put something of interest up once a week. I would like to update more often, but my schedule doesn't seem to allow it. I'm thinking Tuesdays would be good. So look for an update on Tuesdays from here on out. Now keep in mind, this is a minimum goal. I hope to bring you more mecha madness than that. But at least I have a quota now. And as soon as things slow down at home, I'll get back to that HGUC RX-178+FXA-05D. Promise.

News: New Gundam Pics

Ninjascientific has come up with quite a few more pictures of Gundam OO. The overall look seems to draw more from Super Robot Wars, than years past. We'll just have to see...

Check it out here.

Classic Mecha: Speed's Mach 5

Alright, maybe it's not really mecha... However, it is a machine, a human controls it, and I grew up with it. Besides, this is my blog. -_^

Go Speed Racer, Go: Movie Mach 5 debutsPosted May 31st 2007 12:38PM by Alex NunezFiled under: Sports/GTs, Etc.Click image for high-res versionWell, now you know what we'll be covering breathlessly post-Transformers. Shooting for the Wachowski brothers' live-action Speed Racer film begins next week in Germany, and Warner Bros. has released the first official pic of the Mach 5 hero car.Awesome.It's a modern take on the Speed's iconic ride, and is sleeker and way badder-looking than the Mach 5 prototype created in 1999 (and on permanent display at the Petersen museum in L.A.), which is more faithful to the original 'toon car. As you can see, the movie car retains the same general look as the hand-drawn Mach 5, but incorporates details like a racy full-wraparound windscreen, sleek rearview mirrors, and chromed dubs shod in Yokohama Advans. It looks absolutely killer. As the film's star Emile Hirsch (he plays Speed) summarizes, "Yeah. They got the car right."

Go Speed Racer, Go: Movie Mach 5 debuts - Autoblog

New Series: Gundam 00

The Gundam machine is churning out yet another series. It looks like another high-action story arc, seperate from the Universal Century. I haven't seen much of the design so far, so I can't comment on that. But one of the main contributors is known for yaoi art, so we'll have to see...

"The setting is Earth 300 years from the present day, in 2307 AD. The series depicts the protagonist, Setsuna F. Seiei, who pilots a mobile suit (Gundam Excia) for a mysterious private militia (Celestial Being), going against a whole world where conflicts never cease and the struggle to eradicate war."

Gunota Headlines

Ninjascience's Flickr has a few pics up

News: Del.icio.us!

On the lower right side of the website, I added a few del.icio.us link rolls. Anything tagged with Gundam, Gundam Modelers, and Gundam Tutorials, is now featured here. Just thought I'd share some of my resources with you. Go ahead, dig around, and see what you find. Add me to your network if you want to as well.

Link: del.icio.us

Gundam Cosplay

I'm heading to Anime Fest Wichita in August and I wasn't sure what to wear. Until now...

Gundam Box Cosplayer Remembered By Akihabara. See this photo? It's internet famous in Japan — Like on the same level that the Blastoise-kid or the Nintendo 64-kid is in the West. (Of course, people outside Japan have seen this Gundam box-dude before, too!) In a testament to the pic's popularity, here the Gundam cardboard box-kid is immortalized outside an Akihabara retailer. Don't know this kid, but if you're reading, congrats! You've made your mark. Brian Ashcraftgundamkidakiba.jpg

Never Forget: Gundam Box Cosplayer Remembered By Akihabara - Kotaku

Surprise Booty!

It's funny how you can meet someone, and in the five minutes you spent with them, can connect and make a great friend. I met a fellow named Kajiwara while visiting Japan with my good friends, Kuni and Hide. We only spent about five minutes visiting with each other while we were at Volks in the Radio Kaikan building across from the Akihabara station. It was a rather akward sight. He was trying to speak broken English, and I was trying to speak broken Japanese. But we shared one common interest. Gunpla. Over the years we have stayed in touch through Kuni, who now works with him in California at Volks USA Headquarters. A while back, Kazi sent me the HGUC FXA-05D/RX-178 MK II I am so diligently working on. As thanks, I sent him a HGUC Powered GM.

Today, our parts manager came up to me and handed me a rather large package. It didn't weigh much at all. At first I figured Sara bought something else on eBay. So I started to toss it on my credenza. Then I spotted Kazi's name. As I opened the package, I couldn't believe my eyes! A veritable plethora of booty flowed from the non-imposing box! In it, he packed 3 water slide decal sheets, 4 packs of "Modeling Supply Goods," a multi pack of colored reflective tape, and the very three Gundam Markers I was set to order next week! Craziness! All I can say is, wow.

And, thanks Kazi. I owe you another one... (-_^)

FXA-05D/RX178 HGUC Pt.4.5

Sorry for the lack of updates. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I have not been able to work on this, or the website for a while. Anyway, in my pursuit of trying as many different things on this HGUC as I can, I played around with the fists a bit. Something looked very odd about the way the MK II balled his fist. So I scratched a few lines in the fist in order to get away from the big lump of plastic look. This picture is taken right next to the same fist on the Titans color MK II manual. (Thanks Kuni!) As you can see, besides the sanding that I have to finish, it looks a little more like it's fingers are wrapped around, as opposed to just flowing right around back into the hand. What do you think? Was it worth the effort? Any suggestions?

New Tranformers Trailer

A new trailer for the upcoming Transformers movie has been released. There has been scepticism about the plot, design, etc. I, for one, prefer the flat nose diesel versus the everyday Peterbuilt Optimus Prime is based on, but hey, whatever. Plus, Transformers never had a "real" plot line in the US, anyway. So as long as there are explosions, fighting, and giant robots, I'm cool with it.

Check it out here.

Opulamotukurou: Gouf Custom MS-07B-3 Video

These cool videos are where I get alot of my info on how to build plamos. I have no way to translate, but I can tell after seeing most of these videos, that long finger nails are a requirement. I'll try to add some details later. Enjoy!

Full size Gundam ready to Rock in Fuji-Q!

News from Engadget: The teardown of the old Gundam ride seems to be making room for an impressive addition...

"Full-size Gundam created for GUNDAM CRISIS attractionPosted May 16th 2007 1:49PM by Darren MurphFiled under: Misc. Gadgets, TransportationWhile those of you who have the luxury of frequenting the Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan, we're sure a tear was shed when Gundam the Ride: A Baoa Qu was closed down just months ago. Thankfully, the successor is bigger, better, and almost ready to rock, as the GUNDAM CRISIS thrill ride prepares to envelope you in a Gundam hanger and elicit quite a few smiles. The actual Gundam will indeed be a 1:1 full scale rendition, meaning that it'll stretch to about 18-meters in height, and while we certainly wish you could strap it onto a rail and call it a roller coaster, this attraction looks to be one of those tamer "walk through types." Of course, that also means that there is no height or age requirement to see the ominous beast, and considering that it should shuffle its first guests through in July, you won't have to wait much longer to get your Gundam fix at Fuji-Q."

Full-size Gundam created for GUNDAM CRISIS attraction - Engadget

Just Finished: Mobile Suit Gundam: MS 08th Team

Wow. Just, wow. I finally finished watching the entire MS 08th Team DVD set. And all I can say is wow. This is by far the greatest Gundam series I have seen yet. I will try to write up some sort of review for it in the coming posts. The only caveat I still have with the older Gundam series, is still there use of foul language. In particular, the use of the Lord's name. I still don't get what the fascination is with that.

Apart from the language, what makes this series shine, besides the animation, is the great character development and interaction. In fact, there is a lot of detail in the story about the characters, mobile suits, ranks, and even the environment. The whole world of the One Year War seems to be better fleshed out than previous series. In fact, I came away with much respect for the Ace Pilot of the Enemy Zeon Forces: Norris Packard.

I'll try to get the review up soon.

Highlight: Gouf Custom vs: the whole 08th Team.

New: News

I've been messing around with the site, trying to make it a bit more enjoyable for everyone. To that end, I have now added a little widget to the side that keeps everyone updated on news that is related to Gundam, Mecha, HGUC, MG, Gundam Fix Figuration, well, you get the point. It grabs stories from Google. the process is completely automated, so I have no control. Enjoy!

Fixing Loose Joints

This happens to every model fan eventually. Models that won't stand up, keep limbs where you place them, or just become very Jello-like. Danny Choo has a little tutorial on how to keep that from happening and repair it, if it has already started. I read about this quite a while back, but it still good info.

Danny Choo: Fixing Loose Joints

A little warning. Danny's site has become increasingly "adult-oriented." I don't necessarily like the ero models and revealing figures he displays, but I guess that's what drives a good portion of his traffic, unfortunately.

RX-79 (G) Ground Type HGUC

Details are very sketchy, but through Gunota (which directs to GundamBase), I found this nice HGUC RX-79 (G) Ground Type Gundam. From what I gather, the kit is due out in June. Looks to be a very complete kit with back pack, shield, and a rifle that can be broken down and stored in the pack. It is based on the Mass produced RX-79 (G) Ground Type used in Mobile Suit Gundam 08th MS Team. These are the work horses that fight in the less spectacular front line of the war set in 0079 of the Universal Century.

Info on the RX-79 (G) Ground Type via MAHQ.net.

FXA-05D/RX-178 HGUC Pt.4

I've gotten the seems welded and sanded on one leg and the gun. I just don't seem to have the time to work on it as much as I'd like. I thought I'd take a few more pics of my very slow process. Enjoy.



Here is some info on the RX-178 MK II + FXA-05D "Super Gundam" via MAHQ.net.

FXA-05D/RX-178 HGUC Pt.3

Well, this is taking a while for a HGUC. It's progressing nicely, though. Keep in mind, I am learning how to "weld" plastic right now. The upper body is almost done and ready for topcoat. I need to finish the backpack, lower torso, and I haven't even started on the FXA-05D yet. Anyway, progress is progress. Here are some pics. Enjoy.

Here is some info on the RX-178 MK II + FXA-05D "Super Gundam" via MAHQ.net.

Ghost in the Shell: Gashapon

Ah, Gashapons. There is always that one elusive figure you need to complete the set. Well, in my case I need Togusa. If anybody knows where I can get the final piece to this collection, let me know. I found this photo on flickr, and this is the only photo I have seen to feature all three characters.

link to flickr

MSZ-006 Zeta Plus Gundam Fix Figuration #0017b

Well, I've only got 4 or 5 more configurations to go. I learned too late that if you buy a Gundam Fix Figuration, don't buy one that transforms. These things are brittle. Fortunately, I didn't break anything, but it feels like it could happen very easily. This is the Zeta Plus, a variation of the Zeta. Current form is the C1 [BST] Wave Rider. It was a headache to put together, and like I said, there are several other forms to change it to. The basic design was reworked mainly by Katoki Hajime for the series Model Graphix Gundam WARS III: Gundam Sentinel (aka Sentinel Variations). Although impressive in detail, it is certainly only a model for those with patience.

• Zeta Plus A1
• A1 Wave Rider
• Zeta Plus C1
• C1 Wave Rider
• Zeta Plus C1 [BST]
• C1 [BST] Wave Rider

flickr Mecha set

Info on Zeta and Zeta Plus via MAHQ.net

GP03S Gundam Fix Figuration

Bandai is soon releasing the GP03S Dendrobium Gundam Fix Figuration kit. April 2004 is all I know. It looks to be a very impressive kit. At $90 it should be. This is the final incarnation of Kou's Gundam in 0083: Stardust Memory. Too bad none of his Gundams lasted very long...

GP03S Gundam Fix Figuration Official Bandai Page (Japanese only)

Info on GP03S via MAHQ.net

FXA-05D/RX-178 HGUC Pt.2

Well, I've been going at it pretty slow lately. CAA chat is taking up most of my free time. I'm still working on this HGUC. I am a relative new comer to this hobby, so what I am going to talk about today isn't all that impressive.

I'll be writing a short little diddy about sanding seems. Those hideous lines left when you press fit pieces of plastic together. I found a wonderful product called Ambroid ProWeld. This is like atomic powered glue. It's not so much glue, as it is acid. It literally melts the plastic together. The idea is to let it use it's "capillary action" to seep down into the seem, and melt the surface of the plastic to "weld" it together. Simply brush on, squeeze tight for 10 seconds, set the piece aside for a bit, then grind 'er down. After you have ground it down far enough with a file, just wet sand it (I use 1000 grit automotive sandpaper)a little longer and walla! No more seem! The combination that I use gives a nice flat appearence with very little or no sheen.

Hopefully, I'll be finishing the sanding this week. Inking, will come next week. The final step, Mr. TopCoat will, cross your fingers, be about two weeks from now.

Then I'll need to finish the FXA-05D Supporting Fighter that comes with this kit. Because, after all, it would only be a MK II, not the Super Gundam, without the support fighter.

Here is some info on the RX-178 MK II + FXA-05D "Super Gundam" via MAHQ.net.

'Till next time!

Christian Anime Alliance

I found, what seems to be, a great group of people at CAA. I've been lurking around their forums for a little while now. Finally joined last night. Being an anime fan is a bit tough sometimes, when trying to stay on the path of Christianity. Being that anime is from a different culture, Christianity is often at odds with themes explored in these films. I think, however, with an alert mind and a strong faith, one can enjoy this fantastic form of art, while not compromising their beliefs. Part of the reason I joined the CAA, was to gain access to reviews and other opinions, so that I could make informed decisions, while not missing out on anything. I look forward to meeting more members.

Christian Anime Alliance

FXA-05D/RX-178 HGUC

Sorry for the slow updates. Been pretty busy lately, as well as contemplating the future of this blog. I finally got a little bit of free time to start pre-building my HGUC RX-178. A friend of mine, by the name of Kajiwara, sent me this. I've got just the thing in mind to send him...

But anyway, I'll try to get a few more pics up soon. I'm going to try to finish this by the end of the week, if I can. I've been a fan of the Mk II for a while. Especially since I saw Zeta Gundam III.

Oops...

I had forgotten to enable anonymous posting. You can now leave comments without having to sign up for an account...

My bad.

MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom Master Grade

Gouf Custom Master Grade
Originally uploaded by rsnumber2.

So, here it is. I plan on this being the pinnacle of my building experience. The MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom. That is, until I get a MG MkII v2.0. As a beginning modeler, as well as a perfectionist, I have not been able to continue finishing this model, as I have not learned all the little "tricks" yet. I have yet to sand, do some paint touch up, and ink the lines. I will finish most of my models out the "no-paint" method. I do-not own an air brush, yet. I hope that through this blog, old pros, as well as newcomers, like myself, can learn from one another. I will try to grow a community like atmosphere. I have a few more pics on my Flickr account. So feel free to drop comments and/or pointers. I'd also like to see what you are working on as well.

Classic Mecha Figures: Macross Hicomical

I thought I'd kick this thing off with a classic. It may be a bit goofy (or goufy, as I should say) but it is a rare find, that I will get my grubby little hands on one day. This was moved from my old blog.

We all have toys or items we wished we had from our childhood. My age group generally liked GI Joe and Transformers. The small GI Joes, mind you. Yeah, the ones with the kung fu grip. Anyway, I still fondly remember alot of those toys. My parents were very good about teaching me how to appreciate what I had. Toys included. I never played with my toys in the dirt, blew them up with firecrackers, or melted them. No, I actually would keep them very clean, pose them, and then let my imagination run wild. (I spent a lot of time alone as a kid...) When I had to have the newest thing, or simply grew tired of what I had, I would repackage them and sell them on the curb. I had a pretty swinging 'gig going. The only downside, is that I don't have any of those little trinkets to remember my childhood by. One such elusive toy was the "Roy Fokker" Macross Hicomical model from around 1983. To be honest, I'm not sure where it came from. I don't even think they were available stateside, but somehow it found it's way into my little grubby hands. The amazing thing about these models, were the amount of detail that went into them. That and their pose-ability and transform-ability. Truly astounding works of engineering, especially back in 1983. I've been scouring the net trying to find one at a reasonable price, but that is hard to do. Prices generally float between $50 to $150. If anybody has one in a dark corner of your closet, let me know. I might be interested if the price is right...

I found the pics at the website Area 11

Welcome!

This is a blog I started to in order to seperate my family blog from my hobby. Most of my friends and assosciates don't care to read about the Gundam model world. In fact, they think it's a bit goofy that a person my age would still put thing sthing together and collect them. So I started Goufy Shumi. Goufy is actually a play on words that came from the MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom, and Shumi is the Japanese word for hobby. Something an A-boy, or Otaku might pick up on. Anyway, I'll probably start by Posting some pics of my Gundam Fix Figurations, add a dash of HGUC and MGs, and top it all off with a random newsbyte every so often.

If you think you can make a contribution let me know, I wouldn't mind adding some other faces, too.