Friday, December 30, 2011

The Catapult: GAF Member Feature - Falldog's RaDGoK



Secretly developed by Zeon forces well below the long since decommissioned Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, the RaDGoK emerges.
(too insensitive?)

It is with pleasure that I present to you the latest top secret project from one of my favourite U.S. members at GAF. Falldog has been working on this in secret for the past month, and just this morning unleashes the radioactive bombshell on us all!


Man I love this guy's work. I was wandering through a hardware store some time last year or the year before and I saw a can of GITD paint in the spraypaint aisle and wondered if I or someone else would ever put it to good use on a gunpla. Falldog has done so with Finesse!



I love this work. I really like Gunpla that is highly original without being too radical a departure from the original MS' design.

To see more pics, and read about how Falldog achieved this MONSTER effect, check out his thread at GAF, and also his write up at his own page at Otaku Revolution.

~Sonar

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

The Catapult: GAF Member Feature - thegunny's "Confirmed Kill; The Reaper's Last Harvest" Diorama

"Confirmed Kill; The Reaper's Last Harvest" - Modeled by thegunny



"...As exhaustion started to overcome him he began to recall the events of the past 2 months. Being one of the only surviving members of Midnight Fenrir’s final battle deep in the outback of this god forsaken country called Australia he had continued to harass the Federation forces with any means at his disposal. He recalled how he came across a Federation research facility and had plundered it for all it was worth. That’s were he discovered the Gatling gun shield. The scale of destruction it wreaked was something he had never witnessed outside a barrage from a flotilla of capital ships. He took pleasure in the fact he was now turning it on its makers. He also discovered some unique paint that rendered whatever was painted with it virtually invisible to all forms of sensors. He was none too pleased at covering up his Zeon colours but if he was going to stay alive he needed every edge he could get. His painting skills weren’t the best but it got the job done...."



Read the rest of the excellent back story and see loads more pictures at GAF.

Simply outstanding work. I've wanted to see an Australian Military themed Gunpla work ever since I discovered Gunpla, and this absolutely nails it. Everything so masterfully completed, so painstakingly detailed, so subtley weathered. No detail left unchecked. Scratch built weapon mounts. Custom decals from a variety of sources. This is clearly a man with a military background executing this masterpiece, and what better way to achieve a realistic diorama than through first hand experience.

2011 has been a fine year for Gunpla in Australia, and this caps it off perfectly.

Congratulations Gunny. I'm proud that you would choose to share your work with us. It is truly outstanding work and a step above.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

KAMM's Ordeal - A plea to help a fellow Gunplar

Recently a fellow Gunplar most of know well has fallen on some hard times and needs our help, here's the original post from over on the MAC Forums.


"With all that is going on in MAC and the community, Competitions, Christmass, group builds, I know we are all busy. 
          However we need to help Kamm somehow!!!
The guy who is always there for MAC without a doubt, Lost his car when he was hit by an uninsured driver, then the recent event of his attack... 
(For those who do not know)
Kamm was assaulted by an unknown attacker, He took a hit to the face which knocked out a few teeth and drove other teeth back into his jaw. He must undergo many trips to an Orthodontal surgeon to stabilize his mouth, repair and salvage what can be saved, and clear and remove what can't. Kamm will also have dental implants at some time once the initial damage has healed. 
Kamm's dental bills are in excess of 5,000 pounds (or about $7,000 USD), and he is self employed. Not only does he have these issues but time away from work, is money he's not making. Due to the nature of his work, his customers (clients) may decide to go with another service.  
We need to help find a way to lessen the burden on him and make sure he gets the medical expertise and help he deserves to get put back together the right way.
What can we do? We have amazing people here and I know together we can think of something. 
Thoes who can donate, can do so by Clicking on this:"

I myself donated 5 USD to the cause, maybe here we here at GAF and whoever else is reading this can pull together a little more to help out our MAC brother and someone who has given so much back to the community as a whole. 

Kamniks is known for his wonderful hand painted builds and wonderful YouTube videos seen here

Monday, November 28, 2011

The Catapult: GAF Member Feature - Krescenhaze's FWS Unicorn



Sure it has been a while between GAF Blog posts. Quality over quantity would be the logical excuse but the actuality of it is I've just been too busy. So much so in fact that I've barely been able to keep up with the forum. Zeta seems to be busy with other things as well. So indeed my apologies for the gap between posts.

That said it is with great pleasure that I offer what small assistance I can to giving this masterpiece by Adrian Krescenhaze all the exposure it deserves. I have been watching his WIP at GAF over the course of this year and I will tell you truthfully that I totally underestimated this guy. I can say without reservation that what he has produced with this work is a masterpiece in scratch building, detail, and proportion. All of the booster packs and the BFG are scratch built. No room for sloppiness or carelessness at all. Everything is just a marvel to behold.

White Banshee mode. Weathered to boot.


We are honoured to have Krescenhaze share his work with us at GAF. You can check out his thread at GAF by clicking on any of the above images. Can't find a completed thread at MAC but here's the link to the amazing Build Off @ MAC Forums , Being a pinoy Gunplar of course you can check him out at Zero G Forums as well,  and lastly you will find many more photos at http://versionkrescenhaze.blogspot.com/

Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did! :)

Monday, October 17, 2011

The Catapult: GAF Member Feature - Curtuism's EX-S


The MG EX-S is by no means an easy build. Often touted as the most complex Master Grade kit yet to be developed and with a box that rivals most PG's in size and runner content, she is a brutal mistress. The kit has a weaponry loadout so extensive and bulky that it includes a stand so that it can, well.. stand.

Both of the aforementioned reasons demonstrate why tackling this kit is a pretty big undertaking. Painting it alone would take up a great deal of your time. So when I see someone not only take on an EX-S, but recolour, modify, and extensively detail one of these behemoths it is exciting. The awesome chrome decals,  extensive pin work, thrusters, and the mesh work are but a few of the details you will be delighted by when you hit the jump to GAF for loads more pics, and also a link to Curt's blog.

You may remember Curt's PG 00 from an earlier post. I'm starting to think he likes 'em big! Curtuism is one of the names I am particularly excited to see as the author of a new thread in the Catapult. His work is of a very high standard and definitely a name to look out for.



Plenty more pics at GAF. Enjoy.

Monday, October 3, 2011

The Catapult: GAF Member Feature: alphabeta's Gundam Mk. II Titans Ver. 2.0

I absolutely love mobile suits from Zeta Gundam, so you'll have to forgive me for the following fanboyism. This Gundam MK. II Titans Ver. 2.0 by GAF member alphabeta....is fantastic.  :D


I can't believe how well this was pulled off. It looks very clean, very precise, the colors are vibrant where they need to be and not where they don't, and the decals are picture perfect. Like I said starting out, I love Zeta Gundam and the MK. II is one of my favorite machines from Zeta, so to highlight such a great model is a great honor and I just found the inspiration for my PG MK. II. Thank you, alphabeta for sharing one hell of a build with us.

Look at that orange and red against that blue, it doesn't get much better than that. Alpha really brought out those Titan colors. The flat coat lends itself very well to the Titan's MK. II.

I envy his decal skill! Look at that. I wish my decals would come out that straight and perfect! 

These photos were taken with the help of Hemish, so i'm not sure who to say Kudos to for the posing work, but Kudos anyway!

Rarely do you see someone put that much detail into the thrusters that come with the kit, usually it's replaced by metal ones and that's it, but that's dedication and i'm sure the end result is much more satisfying. 

Well that's it for this GAF Member Feature! I really should get around to doing more of these, we got so much talent in the GA Forum, can I get an intern to do my college homework so I can blog and do gunpla more? Thanks! Keep up the Gunpla, Newtypes! 

- Zeta Newtype

Saturday, September 10, 2011

THE HEROES HAVE BEEN FOUND



We've waited, in the oceans of despair...but he saved us, the Pride Gundam

We've waited, in the flood of our own doubt.....but he saved us, the Courage Gundam

We've waited, on the tip of the earth's blade....but he saved us, the Theta+ Gundam

We've waited, in the azure abyss... but he saved us, the Redemption Gundam

We've waited, stranded in the violent clouds .....but he saved us, the Revolution Gundam

WHERE ARE OUR HEROES? They are here, and today, we will not lie down and watch this world of ours end, we will fight and together, the Gauntlet we threw down in the face of all but certain Apocalypse will see it's labor come to win the day!

This is not the end, this not the beginning....

Friday, September 2, 2011

The Grunt MS: Ex GB Launches! Vanguard of Zeon!



SIEG ZEON!

It's here! The first group build contest from the Grunt MS:Ex! Get ready to fight for your independence spacenoids, but first listen up to your orders!

1. You can only construct a kit that's served in Zeonic combat! You may choose any incarnation of Zeonic history. The Principality of Zeon, Axis, Neo Zeon (Haman/Char's Rebellion), Sleeves, etc! Ace pilot variations are disqualified! No Char's Zaku / Gegloog / etc! We want true Zeon grunts!

2. For this GB to be eligible for prizes, AT LEAST FIVE participants must enter!

3. To even the playing field and because it's the first challenge, we are testing your OOB skills, this means you cannot paint, I wanna see small details, what can you do with a model straight out of the box!? Gundam Markers, Weathering pigments, pins, and small modding parts are allowed. This needs some clarification, Gundam Markers are only to be used to add small details to your kit, for example I use gold and silver to highlight parts of the frame. Please do not use Gundam Markers and paint your entire kit, remember this is a OOB contest. Please make weathering minimalist, there was some concern about seamlines and how some could have an unfair advantage by weathering over the lines.

3a. The following mods can be used, and can only be used: Metal screws, Metal thrusters, Pins, Waterslide/Dry Transfer/Stickers of any kind.

3b. Gundam Markers may only be used on the model's frame. See the RG RX-78-2 Gundam for reference. You are encouraged to make your kit your own.

4. Grand prizes included HG Nataku and HG Deathscythe courtesy of Hemish, but since i'm hosting this shindig it'd only be right if I offered up a prize related to the theme of the build, The winner will also receive a RG Char's Zaku II. Prove your worthy to become a Ace Pilot! So that's right, you win, you get THREE Kits, however, let us know where you are from ahead of time, I'm in the US so I got a pretty good idea what shipping is going to cost me to ship it to you in Australia, but if you are from anywhere else be sure to let me and Hemish know!

5. You must finish your kit by November, 1, 2011, there are prizes involved in this one folks, so there's no extended the deadline for whatever reason, it must be fair.

6. Rules and Prizes are subject to change by GAF staff at any moment's notice.
Got your orders? Now ship out to the forum thread here!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Official Brisbane Qualifier for GBWC 2012 Announced!

GBWC QLD Final

Zombster is pleased to announce that they will be running the first Bandai GunPla Builders World Cup - Brisbane Qualifier this year through the Brisbane Supanova event happening on the 4th - 6th of November at the RNA Showgrounds.  Zombster is very excited to bring the qualifier to Brisbane and hopes to increase the Brisbane presence at the 2012 Australian finals in Sydney.

They're still ironing out the details for the event, but wanted to make sure that you have plenty of time to prepare your entries.  You can submit your entry form here.  You will also find the current rules and regulations regarding the event as well as the category definitions.  A brief explanation of the categories:

Standard
For entries built out of box with no modification or scratch building and no dioramas.  Painting and official Gundam decals are encouraged.  One entry per person.

Advanced
Open for any type of kit remodeling, scratch building is allowed for additional parts to incorporate with the kit. Multiple entries allowed per person.

As with the Sydney finals, there are also matching junior categories for those 14 and under.

As Brisbane Supanova is a 3-day event, Zombster kindly ask everyone to bring their entries on Friday, 4th of November while Supanova’s doors are open, 1-7 PM.  It is highly recommended that if you are going to attend the Supanova event to purchase a weekend pass for easy (read: easier) entry on Saturday and Sunday.  People’s Choice votes will only be accepted on Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM.  The winners will be announced Sunday afternoon.

Please use the official announcement at GAF for questions and comments.  Zombster are open to suggestions and will be announcing further information regarding the awards soon.
Addendum by Gundam Australia:

Gundam Australia are proud to announce that in conjunction with and infinite thanks to Zombster, Hobbyco, and Bandai, we will be presenting Zombster's Gundam workshop throughout the convention!

This will really be a great opportunity for Brisbane's anime fans, Otaku, and otherwise casually interested Domo-kun T-shirt sporting folks to try their hand at some gunpla all for the cost of admission only!

After the success of the recent Gundam Australia Gunpla workshop at this year's QMHE, we are thrilled to be presented with the opportunity to hone our skills in workshop presentation and share our passion on such a big scale!

The Catapult: GAF Member Feature - GundamPRO's 1/72 Kshatriya

GundamPRO are a professional completed Gundam model online retailer and home to the Dragon Workshop, headed by Dengeki King Of Gunpla and renowned world champion Master Lung and his team of extroardinarily talented artists based in Hong Kong. These folks are true masters of their craft and spare no detail in perfecting their work. Work which you can own, for a price.

I have been a big fan of GundamPRO's work for some years now, and it has always been an honour to have them share their amazing work with our comparatively insignificant forum.

When GP announced they would be tackling the G-System 1/72 Kshatriya kit I was instantly excited by the familiar feeling of anticipation I experience when something BIG is about to go down in the Gunpla universe. Some months have gone by with little more than a facebook update or two about it, and suddenly I am confronted with the completed work as I stop to check in at the forums!

The G-System kit captures the ferocity of the Kshatriya in a way that Bandai has yet been unable to replicate. I think it is in the sharp angles that this occurs, given the obtusely bulbous design.

The beauty of GundamPRO's work is in the infinite, perfect details and the flawless finish. Sure you can glance at it and think hell, that's nice, but it is in taking the time to peer into the windows of their photographs and understand just what they are trying to illustrate in each shot that the wonders begin to unfold.

Prepare to be amazed.



The page is very image heavy so you might wanna go make a snack or something while you wait for it to load, but it is indeed worth the wait.

GundamPRO's 1/72 Kshatriya at GAF

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Grunt MS: Ex Details Announced!

The Grunt MS GB will end here this coming Thursday, but the Grunt MS: Ex will launch immediately after, as mentioned before this a contest build off with the best build taking home some prizes. This first theme has been chosen by the GAF staff.


Coming the beginning of September is The Grunt MS: EX first challenge! Vanguard of Zeon! To win you must put your best skills to work on any Zeon kit out there, official details and rules will be announced on launch day, September 1st, and this contest will run a good 2-3 months so you will all have plenty of time to compete.


Click the banner to check out the action! ZIEG ZEON! 

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

G.G. Infinite News Launched - Evolution of the Gundam Guy Team!

Hey guys, just wanted to do a small update to tell you about Gundam Guy's new website. If you are like me, Gundam Guy's Blog is your browser's home page (okay, maybe I'm just too Gundam obsessed >> ), but today, you better switch up those URLs, because G.G. Infinite News just launched. The G.G. Team has already got a whole backlog of news from the blog up and two reviews up and it just launched! Go check it out!


Thursday, August 18, 2011

Welcome to Gundam Australia Forum Ver. 2.0!



With infinite thanks to Fury-S12 for the awesome custom theme, I am proud to present to you the Gundam Australia Forum 2.0! (ver. Beta)

First of all let me say that nobody likes change, and if you dislike the new look at first please give it a chance to grow on you for a few days. Secondly, Fury and I have done extensive testing of the new theme but there is no better test than a live run across a hundred different machines and browsers. This theme will remain the default theme for Gundam Australia from now on, and will be considered the Beta testing version for the next couple of weeks while we hunt for issues. All of you guys will be our official testers for the initial period ;)

Please let us know if you find any bugs in this topic and we will jump right(ish) on it. :)

This is very exciting for us here at GAF. A custom forum theme has been on our want list since re-launching as GAF 1.5 just over a year ago, and even before that as GAF 1.0 at evilcow for those of you who remember it. To see it come to fruition after 4 years in the pipeline is a very special occasion for us.

We have more and more exciting things in store for the second half of 2011, and moving into 2012, so stay tuned!

Among them will be the revival of the data from GAF 1.0, in the form of an archived forum (Yay!), the first big comp sponsored by HLJ (soon!), the launch of the Gundam Australia website proper (later), plenty of awesome group builds, (some including prizes for the winners!), plus all of the usual friendly and helpful atmosphere that we are renowned for.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank YOU! All of you guys and gals, our members, are what make this place what it is. Without you we would not exist so a big Big BIG Thank You sincerely for your contribution to the forum and your willingness to help and be friendly with all newcomers. I honestly believe that this is what sets us apart as a forum and makes this a truly special place to be. You guys humble me. Keep being awesome.

Extra special thanks to the GAF team. Cam you have gone so far beyond the call of duty with creating this theme and I am more grateful for that than words can express. ZETA NEWTYPE thank you for all your hard work with the blog, social networking, and the Grunt GB. I'm very excited about where we can take this in the next 12 months. Hoardz and Hemish a big thanks to you guys for your unquestioning committment to QMHE and the hours and resources you guys have volunteered for the cause, and also for being a couple of good mates. Alphabeta, Xenomorph, and roggstudelpest for your help also with QMHE. Random a very special thank you to you for offering us your elite level design work and for being a very good friend. Zahmad, GhostofZeon, and thegunny for your silent vigil watching over the forums. I am pretty particluar about my requests and a bit of a perfectionist so a very special thank you to all of you guys for putting up with me!

This topic is now open to the forum. Please let us know your praises and criticisms on the new look, your feedback helps make this place better!

We hope you like our new look, and we look forward to sharing bigger and better GAF things with you over the coming months and years!




(Thanks to Tonghoo for the awesome SD Sinanju!)

Friday, August 12, 2011

QLD's First Ever Gundam Competition at QMHE 2011!



QLD’s First Gundam model Competition!Gundam Australia, Hobbylink Japan, Hobbyco, Zombster, and QMHE are proud to present the inclusion of a Mecha category for the first time ever at this year’s 16th Annual QLD Scale Model Chamionships, at the Queensland Model and Hobby Expo on the 20th and 21st of August 2011.

Gundam plastic models, or “Gunpla” are currently experiencing a boom in Australia. Recently in Sydney we were honoured for Bandai Hobby Division to include us in the international Gunpla Builder’s World Cup for the second time. The event was a great success with over 60 entries, thousands of spectators, the grand prize allowing the winners to travel free to Hong Kong later in the year to compete in the world finals!

Our community is small but it is growing quickly. Currently the Gundam Australia Forum has over 350 members. Our aim is to promote enjoyment of the Gunpla hobby both online and within our local communities.

Gundam Australia will be holding a free Gunpla workshop on Saturday and Sunday with limited places available to try your hand at building one of the free kits supplied by our sponsor Hobbylink Japan.

The Mecha competition will be also include prizes for the winners courtesy of sponsors Hobbyco and Zombster!

Entry to QMHE is $7 for Adults, $5 for children 12 and under, and $18 for a family of 2 adults and 2 children.

Where:
Brisbane Table Tennis Center
86 Green Terrace, Downey Park
Brisbane

When:
Saturday the 20th of August, 2011 (9am to 5pm)
Sunday the 21st of August, 2011 (9am to 4pm)

We’d love to see you at the Queensland Model and Hobby Expo 2011!

Links:

http://www.gundamaustralia.com
http://www.qmhe.com
http://www.hlj.com
http://www.zombster.com.au/
http://www.hobbyco.com.au/

Thursday, August 11, 2011

MG Delta Plus Review

Another informative and well written piece by Falldog @ Otaku Revolution. Well worth the read if your MG Delta Plus is shipping to you as we speak, or if you are yet to make the purchase, this might just sway you.

http://otakurevolution.com/content/mg-delta-plus-review


To see some freshly painted interpretations and another great review, you can check out this post at GAF.

Monday, August 8, 2011

The Argama Hangar #1 - August - Zeta Newtype's Report on Otakon and the GAF Horizon

Okay, apologies upfront for being absent for a bit, but I bring you one massive update!  WARNING: This is incredibly photo heavy!

Back in the days of my Zeta Newtype Gunpla blog I used to do a little something called the Argama Hangar, it was a little monthly thing I did to keep my ducks in a line. It was structure! Now I'm bringing it to the GAF blog to do a monthly report of not just my experiences, but GAF as a whole. Don't worry, I won't bog this blog down with my personal backlog each month :P

First up, my Otakon Report, which was going to be massive, but I went through my photos today and half of them we're blurry and just all around crap, which kind of sucked because most of them were from Bandai/Bluefin's booth showcasing some awesome Gunpla and future releases, but alas, a good portion I can still share with you!

































Nothing here was shown we haven't already seen yet of course, but it was great to see it in person, like I'm sure some of you felt like when you saw some of this stuff at SMASH.  Isn't that HUGE Unicorn Gundam awesome? It's like 7ft and it greeted you as you walked into Gunpla heavy. I walked away from this place with the following swag:

My first Perfect Grade, and it's the Gundam MK-II, I love Zeta machines obviously! The others are of the S.H. Figuarts of the San Diego Comic Con exclusive Son Goku and TaToBa Kamen Rider OOO! Plenty of fun times we're had at Otakon this year, and met some friends face to face for the first time, Arthur and Tom, you guys rocked, and of course it was most excellent to see Dylan again. I didn't get good shots from the Gundam photoshoot since I was technically in it, but here's a shot of Arthur (Packard) and Tom (Char) with Kamen Rider Stronger!





That's it for my report from Otakon, now let's look at GAF stuff shall we?


First of all I would like to publicly thank each and everyone of you who are participating in the Grunt MS Build. We are winding down to the close at Aug. 30th and the results so far have been nothing but outstanding. It was a great honor to host such an successful GB and to see the work of a great community I've found myself in. You have helped me grow as a Gunplar watching each and one of your builds come to life. Be sure to check us out, we're in the long stretch before the Grunt MS:Ex Challenge series approaches, and we are hard at work bringing some interesting challenges for you great Gunplars!

 

The 00 Raiser 'Flour Bake' has taken off lately with the release of the MG 00 Raiser, however, it's losing steam because we all seem to be working on other things. Oh, distractions, how annoying you are sometimes. I have no doubt we will see this GB fire up again, I myself have updates in it and I need to get back to cracking! Be sure to click the banner above to see the first round of work being done. 

Similar to the 00 Raiser GB, this GB hasn't picked up full steam yet, but there's great ideas flowing,  and remember! This one ends with a winner and prizes! Click on the banner for details.

The new GB on the block is the MG Delta Plus Recolour Challenge by the bossman himself, Sonar! This one is a doozy and it's celebrating the release of a HIGHLY anticipated kit. There's a storm rumbling of people jumping on this one. Recolour a Delta Plus and perhaps you can win prizes from HobbyLink Japan.

The MG ReZEL and Bearguy GBs are chugging along as well, while the updates are far and in between they still exist! 

 

And it all comes down to this..
Where are the heroes? Who are our heroes?

Well, we're about to find out people, this Gauntlet ends in September and will these Strike Freedoms be our heroes or....bringers of the Apocalypse itself!

All dramatics aside, we've seen some FANTASTIC work from this GB, and with such heavyweights attached to the GB, it's no wonder. From a personal standpoint, the work Gaijin Gunpla has done with his Strike Freedom is awe inspiring. Keep an eye on that awesome thread and the GAF blog for the final updates! ONWARD!!!


Well that's it for my report, as always, Keep up the Gunpla, Newtypes!