Nintendo's Pre-E3 2014 teaser!! (HINT: It's amazing) :D

If there's one gaming company that never forgets that video games first and foremost is all about bringing smiles on one's face; its Nintendo. And as much as I'm dismayed by Nintendo's WiiU efforts, there's a certain charm to be had with Nintendo's company as a whole. It's just DAMN FUN! :D

If you need proof of that, then you need to look no further than  mean their latest Pre-E3 2014 teaser:

This video was made by Nintendo in partnership with Mega64, which is RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING!! :D Not only was it creative, it was also full of pre-E3 announcements by Nintendo themselves. I'll be honest I was actually waiting for a "My Body is Ready" joke somewhere in that video. XD

Quite frankly, Nintendo's E3 events make E3 events more magical to gaming fans like me. That being said, I hope Nintendo does their magic this year with E3 and help save their ailing console; the WiiU. If they can turn around what was previously a lagging Nintendo 3DS handheld, I'm praying they can also do the same for the WiiU. Just more games Nintendo, particularly ones that are also available on rival consoles. That's what would sell me to your console. :)

Gundam... SHOES?!

If you're a fan of Gundam, would you ever consider wearing these?

The RX-78-2 Gundam sneaker

The MS-06S Zaku II Char Custom sneaker

Well the folks at Reebok are counting on it. Introducing the Reebok X Gundam Instapump Fury shoe collection. Thankfully, both shoes come out pre-assembled out of the box, no assembly required.

I dunno what Reebok is thinking, but as much as I'm a fan of Gundam, I'm NOT going out wearing that RX-78-2 rubber shoes. If you're say a 5-7 year-old kid, I think that style would fly. But as a 30-year-old grown ass man, I don't think that shit would work for me. I mean just look at it.

Demmit Feddies, I'm defecting to the Principality of Zeon. Atleast their Zaku-II shoes looks half-decent outdoors. XD However, if this line ever becomes popular, I'd definitely hope they release a Gundam Unicorn, Gundam Banshee or Sinanju running shoe. Those 3, I'd definitely get it if it was as stylish as their respective gundam counterparts. :D

My First Real Grade kit; the ZGMF-X42S Destiny Gundam

After building my Advance Grade Gundam AGE-1 Normal, I wanted to build something a little bit more complicated than the simplistic and easy build of the AG kit.

As fate would have it, Gundam Philippines in participation with Toy Kingdom, announced that they would be having a Gundam Model Kit Contest.

This gave me the perfect reason to finally build something that's more complex than an AG kit, as the rule states that only HG kits or higher will be allowed. So I went ahead and scouted for the best possible kit that I'll work on next.

Among my initial choices were:

Not exactly a fan of the series, but I've read reviews that this
was a really good HG kit. That and its a very popular
gundam model here in the Philippines.

I'm a fan of Gundam 08th MS Team, and so picking this up
is a no brainer. Love the simplistic, military-feel to this kit.

Along side the Ez-8 Gundam, this is also another memorable
MS from 08th MS Team. Would love to have both
Ez-8 Gundam and this one in a diorama in the future.

One of the leads from the Gundam Build Fighters series,
one of my favorite Gundam series as of late.

The main lead gundam from the
Gundam Build Fighters series. Loving
the whole awesome feel to it.

With a budget of Php2,000 (or roughly $45), I went ahead and dropped by the nearest Toy Kingdom branch and looked for these kits. Unfornately for me, Wing Gundam, Ez-8 Gundam and the Gouf Custom were all sold out by the time I got there. So I'm left with either the Build Gundam Mk-II and the Build Strike Gundam Full Package kit. However, the sales person at the store informed me that they have a running sale for Real Grade (RG) kits. So I asked about the RG kits that were on sale. And he came out with these 2 RG kits:

I asked the sales guy, and he mentioned that the Destiny Gundam was on sale for Php1,500 (roughly $33) down from its original Php1,999 (roughly $45) price tag. While the Zeta Gundam was on sale for Php1,700 (roughly $39) down from its original price of Php2,200 (roughly $50) price tag. Considering the Build Strike Full Package and the Build Gundam MK-II were priced at Php1,100 each (roughly $25), and that I've always wanted to try building an RG kit of my own, I decided to get an RG kit instead. 

However when it came down to choosing which kit between the two, for some reason, my significant other came to mind. She always wanted those Gundams with wings. Add the fact that its cheaper and less complicated to assemble, I've decided to get myself the Destiny Gundam over the Zeta Gundam instead.

And since this is a very special kit, I decided to go ahead and purchase a whole set of gunpla building kit and gear to help me with my very first RG kit.

Anyway, those of you who are interested in joining the Gundam Philippines' Gundam Model Kit Contest, simply visit their Facebook page, for more info. Or you can visit participating Toy Kingdom branches in SM Malls. Anyway, stay tuned as I will be posting my work-in-progress soon! :D

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders 2014 adaptation is PURE FAB~

2014 has been such a big blessing in my life lately. Not only have I started alot of interesting stuff lately (which will be for another story), but it also gave way to one of the most amazing things ever to happen for a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (JBA for short) fan like me. David Production has finally released the 2nd animated adaptation of the 3rd JBA book; Stardust Crusaders.

Back in 2013, after the end of JBA book 2's animated series, I was left worried that David Production (DP for short) would simply call it a wrap and end the adaptation at book 2. It was because after seeing their work in Phantom Blood (book 1) and Battle Tendency (book 2), I'm immediately convinced that DP nailed everything about JBA. And now fast forward to 2014, and JBA fans are rewarded for their patience with, what I believe to be, THE BEST adaptation of JBA Stardust Crusaders. :D

David Production delivers all the goods and more. Their adaptation of the manga is simply AMAZING. Not only did they closely replicate the detailed art of the manga, but they even kept all the insane/awkward/ridiculous/fabulous poses JBA is well-known for. They practically lifted every scene from the manga and animated it to life! Here's some samples from the series comparing it with the original source material:

But DP didn't stop there, even the ending theme was a treat! Just like book 1 & 2 of JBA's animated TV series run, where they used a well-known 70s-80s pop music, they did it again for JBA book 3; this time with the hit song "Walk like an Egyptian" from the Bangles

THIS is why I love the new JoJo's Bizarre Adventure adaptation by David Production. Not only did they get the amazing amount of detail in illustration as well as ridiculous poses that JBA's manga is well-known for, but also for its references to popular 80s music. And the ending theme for JBA's 3rd book is not only fitting for the story, but is ridiculously catchy as it was in the 80s. Meshing 80s music, with highly stylized visuals, JBA sets itself apart from the rest. I'm simply happy to be alive to watch this wonderful adaptation before my eyes after waiting for more than 10 years for this series to be finally in animated form, and I couldn't be any happier with this. One happy fan here! :D

Cyburban's Superheroes VS Villains Urban Challenge!

Ever wondered how cool it would be if there was an urban race challenge where:

• Participants are in full cosplay gear, representing their beloved superheroes or super villains!
• Participants not only running towards a straight track, but towards an ingenious set of obstacle courses ala Takeshi's castle!
• Participants get an app that not only tracks their progress, but gamifies their experience as they earn bonus points and exp points in participating!

Sounds too good to be true? Thankfully, that won't be a dream anymore. Introducing CybUrban!!


Cyburban Adventure App from Shodensan on Vimeo.

Having softlaunched just recently, they plan to expand the idea of gamified urban challenges by introducing a brand new concept; the Superheroes VS Villains Urban Challenge!! Here's a sample peg of what they have in mind:


Superheros vs Villains 5K Race from Awal Media on Vimeo.

And the great thing about this is they are open to ideas and suggestions to make the first ever Superheroes VS Villains Urban Challenge THE event that cosplayers, gamers and enthusiasts are dreaming of. Simply go and fill out their survey form and let them know what you think and add in some ideas that you think would be cool for the upcoming challenge. You can find the link here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1uglayigHvzaleREa_rEq0XSCZa4WEDKG5ZDkVqMpwA4/viewform

Thank you Undertaker

The day has finally arrived. Undertaker's legendary winning streak at Wrestlemania ended just now at Wrestlemania XXX.

And after that moment, a piece of my childhood was lain to rest.

I literally grew up watching the Undertaker way back when I was a kid. I saw him in his first Wrestlemania appearance (against "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka). Being a big Castlevania fan that I am, I immediately was captivated by the Undertaker's persona. His every ring entrance in Wrestlemania has been nothing short but spectacular, and is one of my most anticipated moments in each Wrestlemania event.


The Undertaker's matches in each Wrestlemania outing has proven to be something memorable each and every time that man enters into the ring. With my most favorite match being The Undertaker VS Shawn Michaels; he knows how to bring glory in each Wrestlemania match he's in... until now.

Seeing him lose the streak, and potentially this match being his final match and retiring doesn't feel right. It ended with a wrestler that's just virtually a side-lining wrestler, not one that's as memorable and as legendary as say Triple H or Shawn Michaels. It felt so wrong. This wasn't how I imagined the Undertaker would lose his streak and retire. The match was painfully boring and the opponent is someone that the fans could care less about. Now with the looming possibility of the Undertaker quitting wrestling for good, I just lost the biggest reason why I even watch and anticipate every Wrestlemania event yearly. And to me, its simply heartbreaking...

The sting of Undertaker's loss was simply too painful for alot of the fans (me included).

I know that all great things must come to an end, that much can also be said of the Undertaker's legendary streak. I guess I'm just not prepared to say goodbye. :( Thank you the memories Undertaker, I will miss you dearly...

Coming back to my love for Gundams~

This blogpost has been quite overdue, but better late than never I suppose. :)

It's been quite sometime honestly since I've built a Gundam model kit (which is commonly referred to as Gunpla in the community). My last blog about it was way back in 2010; and I even have a blogpost of the time where I bought myself a First Grade (FG) kit of all the lead Gundams in Mobile Suit Gundam 00.

However, truth be told I never got around building the said model kits I bought at the time. It remained in my room, just collecting dust, due to my busy schedule and eventually it ended up being christmas gifts for my 2 nephews:

And it was at that moment, where I helped my 2 nephews build their gunplas that my passion and love for gunpla was rekindled. Thus started my so-called "Gundam high" that my significant other is telling me about. XD And the funny thing is, she actually helped me get back into it, by buying my first gunpla kit; a Gundam AGE-1 Normal 1/44 Advance Grade (AG) kit:

One of my excuses back then why I never built my model kits, was I didn't have proper tools, and so after getting that gunpla, that's exactly what I set out to find and get after so long. Although quite honestly I didn't get ALL of the proper tools, I just got what I could and started to build my gunpla kit:

And I went ahead and did a straight build of my first gunpla. And my goodness I'm simply happy of how my kit turned out:

UPDATE: Here's some more pictures of my Gundam AGE-1 Normal AG kit:

I suppose I would like to thank Bandai for the improvements they made into the Advance Grade kits. The sheer satisfaction of building a model kit that looks THIS GOOD (albeit with little to no articulation) out of the box with no need to paint it, is sheer testament to Bandai's dedication on improving gunpla kits for fans. I mean just look at it. I didn't even paint the kit, but it already looks so good, which boosts my confidence and pride as a someone who is starting out into gunpla building.

Bandai, if you are reading this blog, I would like to thank you and congratulate you for doing such a great job in introducing the AG line. I believe that this line is absolutely PERFECT for those who are new into Gunpla. Here's why:

• The kit is priced very affordably at Php299 - Php350 (roughly around $6 - $7) which makes the kit much of an impulse buy for those who are curious or interested in Gunpla (specially budget concious mothers who wish to buy one for their kids).
• The kit is perfect for beginners as it only contains few parts to assemble. It's less intimidating for someone with little to no experience with gunplas. I mean just look at this picture (taken from Dalong.net) that shows all the runners that come with the box:

• The kit only takes a couple of minutes to build, thanks in part to the small number of parts (as shown in the picture above from Dalong.net) that's included with the kit. Not only does building the kit seem less intimidating, it makes it more faster for newbies to build and appreciate their kit and for them to want to build another kit of the same line or higher... like say a High Grade (HG) kit.
• The kit doesn't use seals/stickers to flesh out some details in the kit (like First Grade kits), as most are done using colored plastic. It keeps the focus on building the kit and makes it even appealing for newbies when they finish the kit; as the kit would simply look really good. Here's a picture of the kit unpainted and built out of the box (taken from Dalong.net)

This kit was so good, that when I heard that the Gundam Caravan is going to be giving away free AG kits on selected malls so that newbies can try their hand at building gunpla for free, I decided to tag my significant other along. 

Here's her blogpost detailing her experience: http://insideacatsmind.wordpress.com/2014/02/26/trying-something-new-my-first-gundam/

Here's some pictures of our time at the Gundam Caravan, as together we built our very own Genoace I AG Kits:

Bandai, I would love for you guys to continue this line and hopefully include ALL of the past Gundam models that were released in HG form or higher. Just keep the idea of the "Block Build System" of making all the detailed parts colored plastic instead of using seals/stickers. Keep it priced very friendly and you got yourself a winner for newbies to start gunpla building with.

Looking back, I realized nothing was stopping me from building those model kits I bought 4 years ago. It was just me. I kept on finding excuses, being a perfectionist, which hindered me from finally working on those gunpla kits. I realized lately that IT'S OKAY TO SCREW UP in the beginning, as you will learn valuable lessons in gunpla building in each mistake you make. Sure they may not look as "perfect" as you would want em to be, but the satisfaction of knowing YOU BUILT IT, is something that can never be taken away. That is why I stopped making excuses, and started building. Just like in life I guess... stop making excuses, don't be afraid to make mistakes, and learn from it. Now who says you can't learn a thing or two from Gunpla? :)