Round 2 AMT USS Reliant Aztec Decal Set

I just received this. Ordered a couple of Round 2's AMT 1/537 scale USS Reliant Aztec Decal Set from Starship Modeler after seeing and getting swept off my feet with their 1/2500 scale decals. I must admit the decals here are quite impressive, and comprehensive. They literally encompass the entire ship, looking at the instruction sheet.

The packaging is relatively simple. 4 sheets of decals, each protected with their own wax paper, and each set comes with a hard cardboard piece to prevent them from bending. The decal sheets are slightly larger than an A4 size paper.

The nice thing about this set besides being comprehensive is that it also gives you an alternate registry for another Miranda Class Vessel, the USS Saratoga, seen briefly on Star Trek IV The Voyage Home. So for those who were curious about this set, and was contemplating about getting one, here are some images to help you make up your mind.

A comprehensive instruction sheet is also included.

Not sure if you can make out the Aztec patterns but you can clearly make out the Saratoga's registry markings

Instructions are simple and helpful with each numbers and pieces clearly illustrated. The patterns are also reproduced next to their placement positions.

So for those who had purchased the 1/537 scale USS Reliant, be it the recent issue or if you still kept the old one, this Aztec Decal Set is a must have if you wish to detail your Miranda Class Starship. And yeah, had to include that Titanium Series Raptor in there .. well, I really love that ship. Really.

8.9 Richter Scale Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan - 11 march 2011

I am intensely following the Live Feed from all over regarding this tragedy in Japan. And I am crying, really. I have a lot of friends there but I'm not sure where some of them actually stays. To see the tsunami ravage Sendai live on the news, to see people and cars, boat, house, all swept away like toys and the amount of damage done, I can't help feeling a foreboding sense of doom coming upon us. And then I found out a Volcano had erupted a few hours after the tsunami in Indonesia. The fact that there's been an increase of earthquake cases within the ring of fire and all these dreary news is more than my mind can comprehend.

I had to revert to Facebook to try to communicate with some of them but only one I know is alright, Lincoln Wright. His family is safe and he had helped his neighbours as well. God bless him.

I can only pray the rest are OK, but with the news that around 200-300 bodies were already found, and 88,000 still missing .... Oh Lord be merciful.

I'm done listening to the live feeds. Its depressing. So with the thought of those that have died, and families with missing ones, I urge one and all to pray for them. The earthquake that recently happened there was their biggest ever encountered for 100 years, and the third big one world wide.

A note to those who had recently made some purchases from Hobby Link Japan as well as Hobby Search, they were affected too and I'm not sure how bad as they are currently assesing their damages. You will need to give them some time to sort things there, and pray all of them including their families are OK.

News: Anime/Manga/Game Events Cancelled After March 11 Quake (Updated)posted on 2011-03-11 06:33 EST

Makoto Shinkai, Touhou, Precure, Nintama, Evangelion events among those affected
A powerful earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan at 2:46 p.m. on Friday, and a series of aftershocks have since followed. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that the initial earthquake measured 8.8 on the Richter scale, while the U.S. Geographical Survey listed the earthquake's magnitude at 8.9. Tsunami waves have already hit Miyagi and other northeastern prefectures, and tsunami warnings have been issued for much of the Pacific Rim.

The following events have been cancelled in the aftermath of the earthquake:

Friday, March 11Tokyo - Ikebukuro: Makoto Shinkai Special Night (announcement)
Tokyo - Shibuya: Hiroyuki Imaishi Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt Signing (announcement)

Saturday, March 12Tokyo Big Sight: Hakurei Jinja Reitaisai 8 (announcement)
Tokyo - Mikata: Ghibli Museum is currently considering whether it will open on March 12 and is offering a ticket change for all March 11-12 tickets (announcement)
Yokohama: Suite Precure Theme Song CD Mini-Concert (announcement)
Tokyo - Roppongi: 7th Media Arts Open Talk (announcement)
Tokyo - Shinjuku: Gekijō-ban Anime Nintama Rantaro Ninjutsu Gakuen Zenin Shutsudō! no Dan Opening Day Greeting (announcement)

Saturday-Sunday, March 12-13Hakone: Evangelion x Hakone-machi x Toyota Electric Power Instrumentality Project (announcement)

Sunday, March 13
Tokyo Big Sight: Gesai#15 (delayed to a later date)
Tochigi: Tochi-Tele Anime Festa! (announcement)

The broadcasts of several anime programs such as are being or will be pre-empted by news coverage of the earthquake.

Who else grew up with Magnum P.I.?

This was among one of my all time favourite shows during my teenage years. I can still remember, every Friday night at 7:30pm, I would have my dinner ready, and I'd dine while watching every single episode. It wasn't so much Tom Selleck that attracted me but the show's witty contents that made it enjoyable.

And who could forget the way Thomas Magnum always greet his friends ... "Hi guys!!" The one element that separated Magnum P.I. from the other detective series during those days was the incorporation of the 4th Dimension. No, I'm not talking Twilight Zone, but the 4th Dimension on TV refers to the way the actors/actress would look at the camera as though they're looking at the audience. Tom Selleck really captured those qualities well. And that soundtrack ... who would not know its Magnum.

I know Magnum P.I. isn't exactly an appropriate Sci Fi Topic, but it was something that really helped shaped my youth. And no, I'm not talking about Tom Selleck again, but his Ferrari 308 GTS QuatroValvole. Yup, I became a huge Ferrari fanatic because of Magnum, loved the car and ... spent a lot of my time trying to take pictures of a real Ferrari 308 that I find at parking lots. Ahh .. those were the days when there was no Internet, and if you want reference materials, you had to go buy the book, beg for the brochures and spend bucko bucks on car magazines.

You could say I was really crazy over the Ferrari 308 than I was over a girl. I still remember finding the Revell Magnum model kit of the Ferrari 308 GTS by accident, bought her and spent like days just staring at the box. I was a little disappointed though that the kit wasn't exactly accurate. For one, the Targa Top wasn't a separate piece. The roof was molded as an entire piece attached to the frame, and I was only given a decal to simulate the Targa roof. It wasn't until Hasegawa came out with the 328 GTS and GTB kit that I was playing with the idea of cutting the roof.

Of course then I didn't have much tools to work with, so the kit still stayed in its box until this very day.

And here's an eye opener. While I was surfing for some pictures of the Revell Magnum Ferrari, I also found these. I didn't know they had kits for TC's van and helicopter?

So why the sudden interest in a TV show that lasted eight successful seasons a long time ago. You see, by accident-again, I found a distributor who was able to obtain the original box set for the entire eight seasons, something I had been trying to get for a while now, but wasn't able to as very few distributors were willing to bring Magnum P.I. into Malaysia. And I actually gave up looking.

Now thanks to Tower Records, I've got all eight full seasons to re-live my youth, and I plan to watch a couple of episodes per day.

And here's something interesting. They also carry the full set for the entire Battlestar Galactica genre, covering the original classics from 1978, the two classic movies, Galactica 1980 and the new series which includes Razor and The Plan. Guess its another 2-3 months wait but I'm hoping I can get that right after I'm done watching Magnum. And then there's Babylon 5, and Stargate Atlantis, and ...... yikes. Better stop there for the moment before I get carried away again.

Ok, time for me go salivate at my favourite Ferrari. Later dudes.

Aftermarket Detail Parts for the Revell Cylon Raider

I just realised that there have been quite a few detailed parts done up for the Revell Mark I Colonial Viper (most of which I have already highlighted here), such as for the guns, cockpit, canopy, thrusters, and there's even a kit for her landing gears/bay that's out of production.

But as far as I know, almost none was ever done up for its nemesis, the Cylon Raider .. that is until now. Perhaps it was because the Cylon Raider wasn't as popular as the Mark I Viper, after all it is a given that the good guys sell better than the bad. And furthermore, aren't being Cyborgs of sort, they were suppose to be superior and more efficient than the humans? So why the need for three pilots? Well, story has it that the Raider required a Pilot, a Gunner and a Commander. And judging by the size of the raider if you compare her side by side with the Mark I Viper (on a 1:1 scale), the Raider is probably around the size of a minibus, not very effective as a front line fighter.

Whatever the reason is, we can now represent a detailed cockpit for the Revell Cylon Raider kit, thanks to Just An Illusion. Its Cylon Raider Interior kit was truly something I was looking for, seeing that I was already planning to re-cast the intricate canopy section using clear resins and scratch build the interior with sheet styrene. Even before actually doing it, I was already scratching my head on how to create the canopy's mold alone. Thanks to this detailing kit, I don't need to now.

The Cylon Raider Interior kit comes in a nifty zip lock bag. Check out the images below for more details:


Parts are clearly neatly laid out inside the zip lock bag

Probert's Design for the Ambassador Class Starship (Enterprise C)

I saw this over at Modelermagic's site and decided to highlight this alternate ship's design here. Note that the images have been shrunk so if you want these in their original huge High Rez format, you need to go over to Modelermagic's site.

The USS Enterprise NCC 1701 C. An Ambassador Class Starships we first saw in "Yesterday's Enterprise". We have seen a couple of variants of her (The USS Yamaguchi and the USS Ambassador) and her basic shape and oversized forward deflector was among some of the ship's highlight. It took a while for that design to grow on me and I pretty much accepted her as she is now.

Then came another radical design of the Ambassador Class. The alternate design do remind me of one of the original designs planned out for the Enterprise D but never quite made it to the screen. Trust Andrew Probert of Probert Designs to come up with something that actually looks like an in-between the Enterprise B and D, and the people at The Light Works to bring the design out into beautiful visual concepts.

Imagine owning your very own QMX 2009 USS Enterprise .....

Its a dream to a lot of us but for Atoyer, it was a dream come true. He won one from a Facebook Star Trek Page Contest (I take everything I said about Facebook back, and Bennie, here's a good reason to go create an account) and all I want to say is ..... WHOA!!! How come I didn't know about this contest???

Congratulations Atoyer. She's a fine ship there, and beautifully represented by QMX.

The Scarlet Viper from Battlestar Galactica : The Second Coming

Ever wondered where the concept of the Scarlet Viper came about? When I first saw this design, initially I thought it was something a fan created, a variant of the MKI Viper we already know of. It was cool, radical and intimidating.


This Scarlet Viper was build by Sherlock Holmes aka Gil Brumana



Before long, I found the resin conversion kit for her. It was from Millenia Models International (MMI) and though I was tempted to get her, I figured well, it is after all a fan's design, not canon, so I opted to wait for a while. How wrong I was. By the time I found out where this nifty fighter came from, the conversion kit was already out of production. Missed her by a mile.

This was Captain Apollo's new radical Viper in an attempted project to resurrect the Battlestar's franchise, before the Re imagined Galactica came to be. Richard Hatch who played the original Capt. Apollo, executive produced and co-directed a half hour segment, and a four minute trailer to be used in lobbying for a continuation of the popular original series (that's not counting Galactica 80) under the new concept. The intention was no doubt to impress Universal Studios.

The following is my shameless plagiarism from wikipedia about the effort

Richard Hatch was able to get many stars from the original series including Richard Lynch (in place of Patrick Macnee as Count Iblis), John Colicos (Count Baltar), and Terry Carter (Colonel Tigh, now President of the Quorum of Twelve) to appear in the film. Hatch himself also reprised his own role of Apollo (now Commander of the Fleet).

The finished edit of Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming had a running time of thirty minutes in length. A four minute trailer was later assembled from this thirty minute version and state of the art computer generated special effects were added. The rare thirty minute version of the pilot film has never been shown publicly.

Mr. Hatch wasted no time promoting the series, by first showing her at DragonCon at Atlanta, and then via various Science Fiction Conventions, garnering positive feedback and support. Unfortunately Universal Studios decided to opt for Ron Moore's version called Re-Imagined Battlestar Galactica.

I was quite impressed when I saw the trailer. I hear Mr. Hatch is still trying to push for the original series's revival and to be honest, after seeing the re-imagined version, if he succeeds, he needs to radically change a lot of the designs and story plot to remake the original series all over again.

Here's the trailer in case you haven't seen it.

Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming (1999 Su-Shann Productions)

The Battlestar Excalibur's Colonial Vipers Hangar Bay Diorama at the Crewe Model Show

This blog was re-edited on 16 Mar 2011



Talk about taking your group builds through great heights. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Modellers UK recently undertook a project that definitely ensures its foundation in the journal of Sci Fi Scale Modeling - a comprehensive diorama of a Battlestar Excalibur Hangar Bay, comprising of 12 bays and over 10 Mark II Colonial Vipers. Its not uncommon to see a Moebius Mark II Viper in a stand alone diorama, or a Battlestar posing in her full glory, but to see so many beautifully build up Vipers in one huge diorama display, that definitely makes an impact anywhere. Scale Modeling magazines ought to do a write up on this project cause I'm not kidding when I say it made an impact.

A name had to be developed for the project, and I gather since the markings on the Vipers were different from those seen on TV, this Battlestar Hangar scene couldn't be those from the Galactica, hence it was very democratic of SFM:UK committee to put up a vote to determine the name for their Battlestar, which I found out later to be the Excalibur. Very apt for out British Modeler Team since the Excalibur was King Arthur's Legendary sword, symbolising honour, duty, bravery and strenght in unity.

The idea is simple enough. Everyone had to build their Vipers according to a standard design (markings) in a landed position inside their hangar bay. They could create whatever scene they chose but each of these bays with their Viper had to be able to join together, creating one massive diorama worthy of ... hell, words alone cannot describe what these modellers have achieved. It truly is amazing.

From the SFM:UK site, I found out that this was made possible when the club itself managed to get a great deal for the Moebius Mark II Viper kits (that alone I found very encouraging). To commemorate the event, they decided to create a spectacular diorama designed to awe when it is shown at the South Cheshire Militaire Show at the end of February 2011.

The condition was simple. Club members who received these Vipers just had to deliver. Another word, they had to finish their Vipers along with a hangar bay diorama scenario. I guess to make sure these modelers deliver, a penalty was imposed, whereby failing to complete the model and their diorama would result in these members paying full price for their kit. If you seriously think about this, that's a good idea to get your member's undivided attention on their project.

The selection process was pretty strict. The Moebius kits did not go on a first come first serve basis, but rather it was given to members with proven track records. Further materials were also made available to them such as Paragrafix's Photoetch and Decal Detailing sets. And again I was impressed with the Club over this. The committee actually made it possible for its members to create something fantastic by giving them access to after market parts.
To achieve conformity, the Club further planned the Viper Squadron Group and their markings, calling themselves the Spitfire Combat Group.  Markings were then designed for all members to follow.

The Build Roster showed 11 builders who contributed to this spectacular diorama.

The Build Roster

The following pilots will be using kits and decals supplied by the site:

CPT Alun "Big Boss" Owen (2204UK) - CAG
LT Pam "Morticia" McGee (2303UK)
LT Paul "Archer" Mather (1415UK)
LT Ellen "Sparky" Goosey (1311UK)
LT Eric "Mangamax" Moore (2107UK)
LT Richard "Blitzspear" Jary (1940UK)
LT Chris "Cleric" Lloyd (1701UK)
LT Duncan "Merolink" Clark (1412UK)

The following additional pilots are part of the squadron with their own kits and decals supplied by the site:

LT Chris "Kramer" Suki (5150UK)
LT Iain "One Shot" Costall (2205UK)
LT Jay "Yank" Chladek (2328US)


When the builders and what they need are identified and provided for, the work begins and each builder holds their own Work In Progress Reports (highlighted through their own forum as well as other sources). I'm sure there is a committee guiding the team cause the massive diorama of the Excalibur's Hangar Bay shows a very focus and coordinated team effort.

Slithery guest are just not welcomed in my house - PERIOD!!!

Came home pretty late today since it was a busy day at the office, so by the time we reached home, it was almost 10:00pm. I was tired but pretty much in a good mood. So what greeted us when we reach home totally spoiled everything.

I saw my wife running toward me (I was still in the car) and she was freaking out. She kept pointing toward our front door and shouting "There's a snake at the door". I put the car on park, went to have a look, and saw it was a Frakking Spitting Cobra. It was coiled by the main door but behind the iron grille (which I had put up a plastic fence to prevent cats from coming in) separating it and my dog who were sleeping there earlier. By then my dog had moved, and it was hissing at me despite me keeping my distance.

By that time, my neighbours came, attracted by the commotion. One came with this huge big stick, tried to poke it out but that damn thing slithered into my house instead. He went in after it and before I could follow, I heard WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

He came out with this .....

I thought it was a juvenile snake but when I saw it on the tip of the stick at over 3 feet long ....Holeeeeeee. Personally I detest killing of wild animals but I'm not messing around with a Spitting Cobra.

Apparently there had been numerous sightings at my housing area the past few years, and only last year my neighbour just across my house had killed one at his house. The poison is very neurotoxic, capable of destroying human tissues within seconds. It's poisonous spray is also capable of causing blindness. In this instance, I'm just grateful to my neighbour for his quick response for coming to my aid. If no one had come to help, I would have resorted to calling the Fire Department and wait.

Suffice to say it left my wife and me pretty much shaken. Just thinking about the possibility of one of these residing in my house just gives me the shivers. So I pretty much looked through the entire house with my Big Stick and Thank God I didn't see anymore.

So much for sleeping easy tonight.

UPDATE: I just found out another set of neighbours (Nepalese and Sabahan Security Guards renting out the house next to mine) went to look for the snake's carcass, took it back so they can cook it. YEEUCHHH!!! They say it has great ingredients for good health.

First Look at the New 1/32 Scale Moebius Colonial Viper MK VII

Coming really soon - Moebius Colonial Viper MKVII.

But just which one is the real box cover?

A special thanks to Miniature Sun from Hobbytalk.com, we are now able to see what the coming Moebius Colonial Viper MKVII kit looks like.

Scheduled for an April 2011 release, this kit will be the third official kit released under the Moebius banner, the first being the MKII Colonial Viper, then followed by the best selling Battlestar Galactica. The MKVII kit will be in 1/32 scale, similar to the MKII variant as well as Revelogram's Original Series MKI Colonial Viper.

The images of the new kit was only made possible after Frank Winspur contacted Miniature Sun to see if he was interested in building up the new MKVII kit to be included into a massive hangar bay diorama done up specially for the Crewe Show. An offer that definitely won't be refused, Miniature Sun took up the challenge, kept the whole project a secret and revealed it yesterday. The surprise was well received as suffice to say the kit generated so much attention it looks to have a promising future.

As seen from the parts from the spruce, the molds' details on this kit is superb and you can even make out the engraved panel lines.

A plus point with this kit is the option to build either a male (Apollo) or female (Starbuck) pilot. Parts are plastic which makes it so much easier to work with.