Showing posts with label Contest / Events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Contest / Events. Show all posts

Sunday, July 24, 2011

South Korea's Hobby Fair 2011

It was truly a privilege to see another list of spectacular builds at another corner of the world, this time over at South Korea. I managed got these images from Chanwoo Kim's FB Album and its amazing what the modelers over there were able to churn out. Not only are ALL the builds there done up IPMS style, but the talents, skills and creativity shown are downright awesome.  Hence it is truly an honour for me to highlight these with the hope that they inspire others to take up the challenge and create their own, make real your fantasies and share them.




For the benefit of those without FB accounts, and credits given to Mr. Kim for his pictures, I would like to now share the builds after the page break. I have segregated them according to their genre for easier reference.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Edward James Olmos opens the door to an Animation Career in Malaysia and Asia

OK, so I took some time off my scale modelling to attend a function at HELP University College whereby Olmos Production will be working hand in hand with the University to produce Animator Talents. These talents can opt for a career with the Production House to create and develop future animations for Hollywood, and they will also work closely with Lucasfilm Singapore, for any other projects at hand. I'm glad I took the time off as it was truly worth it.




Olmos Production is headed by Micheal D. Olmos, the Vice President and working closely with Nickson Fong, a Singaporean who made it big in Hollywood, and was part of the team that did visual effects for Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan, and Shrek, among many other achievements. And speaking for this collaboration is non other than Edward James Olmos, the man that gave life and character to Commander Adama in the New Battlestar Galactica TV series






Nickson Fong began the presentation by showcasing some of the projects being undertaken by Olmos Production. Among them is an Animated TV series called ChopChops. The series that will make its debut in the US sometime in 2011, and it takes after a Kung Fu fighting grasshopper (I think its a grasshopper .. anyways ...) and the villain is a frog. They're short cute series with lots of puns and jokes, and they do look interesting. According to Nickson, Olmos Production also contribute to other animation needs, such as one done up for Nickson's friend entitled "Kung Fu Gecko".  Michael spoke about the risk within the industry itself, and noted that even Lucasfilm were understaffed. The work required are not easy, and they need talents from a lot of fields, particularly animators, to fulfill the industry's demands.

Olmos Production and Lucasfilm Singapore, are the first of two famous Hollywood companies that are setting a foothold in Asia due to the fact that Asia represents the new frontier where future collaborations and projects can take place.





Edward J Olmos, 63 years of age with over 40 years experience in the film industry, then took the podium, and I have to say that I was very impressed with his presentation. This man projected so much confidence and flair that the audience were simply captivated. And I'm not talking about his celebrity status. Mr. Olmos is very passionate about life and his views, and his advise and commentary on the industry  made quite an impact. He's casual approach and charisma made everyone so comfortable around him and you could tell this guy's acting talent is so natural. He did confess his nemesis now is ageing and he is very focused on keeping healthy.




Mr. Olmos' commanded a very authoritative presence and yet he was humble when talking to fans and parents. Before the multimedia presentation could get started, the staff at HELP University forgot to turn off the lights. Mr. Olmos casually walk over to the light switch located across the room, but was stumped at all the weird switches. His reaction there was so sudden and spontaneously funny when he placed both his hands around the wall and and went ... "Okaaaaaay" .... and got it right on the first try.

The presentation touched on certain issues pertaining to Asian parent's unwillingness to allow their children to take up courses that's not safe in terms of a stable income. Parents in Asia are more biased towards stable employment status for their children with jobs related to being a Doctor, Lawyer, Architect, etc. etc. The problem with these jobs are that if they are not the children's choice, they may embark on something else later on and all that cost spent on their education are wasted. Worse case scenario would even be that they wouldn't do well, and all those opportunities would be wasted.




Also interesting to note was that my Auntie was also there for the talk. I didn't know she was a Battlestar fan, and she didn't know that Edward James Olmos played Commander Adama. LOL ...

Actually she took her son, Daniel, to check out all the available courses that entails animation as Daniel was interested to pick this line up for his career. It so happen she saw the ad yesterday and decided to come today. The picture below may seem like Daniel was forced to attend, but trust me, he was glad to be there - see, no lease. This guy just never smiles.





My Aunt asked the first question pertaining to how sure a parent can be that their children would excel in this industry, and how one could encourage their children to use imagination as a motivation. Mr. Olmos' reply was quite accurate to say that these are very dependant on their children. There may be a lot of factors that may help encourage them, guide them, but eventually the strength all comes from within. Another parent asked if such a course would ensure a good career for their children, to which Michael replied that the job opportunities are there.

Most children nowadays are growing up fast and they know all about the Internet and technology, faster than their parents. The future is changing, and what was deemed good in the yesteryear may now not apply today. Animation as a career would not only fulfill the children's dream of being online, but it would also help them to grow in tandem to something that will benefit them later. It is with this focus Olmos Production wants to enter the Asian Market, seeing how a lot of Asians are slowly breaking into this industry.

The curriculum is slated to start first quarter of 2011 and I have requested for the course itinerary which will only be ready next month. I will update everyone here once I have these on hand. Meantime, more information on this tie up at HELP University College's Website and HERE.


Meet the Fans Session

Oh yeah, I was waiting for this. Its not everyday we get to meet Hollywood celebrities here in Malaysia, esp when its Commander Adama. I actually came early and chose front seats to see him. He was all smiles when I showed him my tons of collectibles I wanted him to autograph.








Meet Denise Chan from HELP University College. She was the emcee for the event, and another huge BSG fan.



And here's Daniel with Mr. Olmos and ............................ OMG!!!! He's smilling ...




One for the album, Mr; Olmos and Mr. Olmos





And my new found treasures. Edward James Olmos commented that he must have signed over 100 of these Moebius Kits and they usually end up selling for 300% more on eBay. I assured him that I will not sell these. They may be considered "autographed editions" now and they have a special place in my Showcase. The dog tags and Viper Patches belongs to a friend who wasn't able to attend the event.











Just thought of sharing .... well, its not everyday Hollywood celebrities come to Malaysia. Mr. Olmos left Malaysia a few hours later, and despite his departure, everyone is still pretty much in awe over his presence. Its nice to be able to meet your favourite star, and even better when he turns out to be better than what was expected. We hope you enjoyed your short visit to Malaysia, Mr. Olmos, and look forward to your future endeavours. Thank you for visiting us in this far corner of the globe.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Being Creative with your Vipers

Two more months left before the Starfighter2 contest ends at Starship Modeller and I still haven't really started anything yet. My fault. I used the excuse that my workroom was too hot to work in but now that I have an AC in there .. HAHAHA. .... Its has now being replaced by the anticipation of the Moebius Galactica that's coming soon and I can't wait to get started on that one. Already thinking of giving up on this contest as my heart is not into it but ... OK, you just witnessed the civil war going on in my head. I still have some time to make a decision. Yeah I know what you're gonna say .. procrastination is bad for the soul.




I'm also having a brain drain trying to come up with ideas for a fighter. I have more BSG stuff than I do Star Wars or Star Trek, and almost all my other genre collections are from my college days, so a lot of stuff are a little behind the times there. Its amazing how some people can get a moment's inspiration and come up with really amazing stuff. Let's stick with the BSG Vipers for this topic in terms of creativity.

Here's John P's variant of the Mark II Viper, done up in his personal tradition of occasionally building a Sci Fi Vehicle in honour of his father who served in the P-47 fighter squadron during WWII - the 333rd. They had a yellow nose and black/yellow stripes on the tail toward the end of the war. And since his dad's plane had the number "02", the number is further emulated onto the Mark II. His Viper was also given the insignia belonging to the Battlestar Pacifica as his dad served at the Pacific. I couldn't find colour images of the P-47 333rd squadron and the closest I found was this - 318th Fighter Group Le Shima, 1945.




The end result for his MKII yielded a colour combination that fits really well with the Viper, and she looks really good. Kudos for a job well done. Not only is this a remarkable build, but it carries a very sacred meaning to the builder.






Of course there are many more variants you can come up with in terms of colours, but I'm still waiting for someone to build a distinguishly different Viper that are not in existence in plastic or resin format. Yeah, a partly or wholly modified version. Here are some samples:


Dual Seater Mark II


Saturday, September 25, 2010

Starship Modeller's Starfighter Contest 20


Hey gals and guys, did you know that Starship Modeller has brought back the "Star Fighter" online contest? I used to see the result page and saved a lot of images from their past events, but never really joined. Reason wasn't so much the distance (since its online) but ... well, when you see the other participants' work, I was kind of embarrassed to show mine .. hehehe. But I guess I need to someday, since I was told mine wasn't that bad.

Let me elaborate a little more about this contest. It says "Star Fighter", meaning its those one or two pilot fighter vehicles we grew to love so much. It cannot be a starship or space cruiser even though those things do fight in space.


Here's an excerpt from the Contest Rules


Awards will be given in three categories:
  • Box Stock/Limited Conversion: A model built from a commercially available kit (it may be out of production). Your kit can be lighted and/or super-detailed, but it must be recognizable as a commercially available kit. Aftermarket and scratchbuilt additions (accurizing kits, cockpit details, photoetc, etc.) may be used as long as the bulk of the model came from a commercially available kit.
  • Scratchbuilt/Kitbashed: A model built primarily from scratch or kitbashed from other components.
  • Diorama: Any model incorporated into a display with other models, figures, etc. that tells a story or presents a snapshot of an activity.
Eligibility. For the purposes of this contest, entries must be a starfighter in some fashion. The generally accepted definition of "starfighter" is a small, fast, usually one-manned craft designed for armed combat primarily in space (though they may also operate within an atmosphere). Any entry depicting a vehicle, figure or piece of hardware associated with a starfighter, or activity (or multiples of these) is acceptable -- as long as it meets the rest of the guidelines below, of course. Your descriptive text MUST provide clear reason why the entry meets the criteria.

Examples of eligible entries include, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, the following:
  • Any small, armed craft that operates in space much like a fighter aircraft operates on Earth. Examples include Starfuries, Colonial Vipers, X-Wings and Draconian Marauders. Large ships, such as the USS Enterprise, Battlestar Galactica or Stardestroyer, do not qualify - even though they fight in space.
  • Any crewmember (pilot) of a starfighter
  • Any hardware or sub-system that is part of a starfighter (weapons, sensors, control stick, etc.)
  • Mecha/powered suits IF they operate in space - not on Earth or another planet, asteroid, comet or Moon.




I'm seriously thinking about joining this one and the deadline is 3rd January 2011. That means I have roughly 3 months to complete whatever I want to enter. Haven't quite decided what yet. But I do have all hese images to help me decide:



 

Follow us in the Discussion Forum to know more





Here's an idea for a diorama


Or your chance to Scratch Build something never seen before