cJinL: New Personal Blog

Well, I went and did it. I made a new blog to move all of my personal posts. You can expect my articles and simple observations on life to be located completely in this new blog. I added a linked banner on the sidebar. It's pretty rough right now, but as long as the move is done, I'm considering it complete. Visit both sites!

Here is my blog: cjinl.blogspot.com

Shinkan Crossing is now dedicated towards Gundam posts. There might still be an occasional gaming related post, but I'll try to update more frequently on anything related to gunpla and Gundam. But yeeah.

Blog Identity Crisis

I've been thinking about this for some time now, but I'm just starting to consider starting a new blog for things that are unrelated to my hobbies. I started this blog as a Gundam related blog, and so far, most of my visitors have come for the Gundam posts. Whenever I post an article about anything else, it tends to get lost and ignored.

I've been trying to blend everything together because I didn't want to make a new website and start finding a completely new audience. However, I think this is by far the best move. I can finally dedicate Shinkan Crossing to Gundam so my Gundam visitors don't feel alienated by random posts. Look forward to only the most relevant posts now! And if anyone cares, I'll be creating my new blog and post only about the types of things you can find in my articles page. Stay tuned...

MG Tallgeese and MG Ver.Ka Nu Gundam?!

I'm seriously behind. It's not just that I haven't bothered blogging in months. I haven't kept track of gunpla news for the same amount of time, and it turns out I've completely missed some of the most exciting news in awhile.

My dream, that I posted in my 4 Mobile Suits That Need Master Grades, has finally come true. After all these years! The Tallgeese has finally gotten the Master Grade treatment! Here is the news link from Gundam Guy: http://gundamguy.blogspot.com/2012/10/mg-1100-tallgeese-all-japan-model-hobby.html.

Yes, School

Sigh~ it's that time of year again. My last year of under-grad has started, so here I am, not updating the blog ever. As usual, I'm going to keep trying to keep up with the activity here and there. I'm pretty glad that people are still frequently visiting my posts and stirring up discussions; it feels like my blog is still alive when I'm gone. Please do not forget to visit every now and then! I still have tons of ideas for Gundam Top 5 posts that people have requested, and now that I can take decent pictures, I will be showing off my new gunpla kits~

The Controversial "Top 5 Gundam Series" List

I've been waiting years and years, compiling as much information and experience as possible to write the most reasonable list of the best Gundam anime series' in history. This is the one list I haven't been able to do for various reasons. One: I still have a hazy memory of many shows. It will take an enormous amount of time to re-watch all of them again. Two: a list like this will probably invite the most commenting and arguing yet. Possibly even more than the Top 5 Most Powerful Gundam list. That is why I have to pay special attention and really make the most objective article possible.

I'm still in the process of re-watching each Gundam series, and that will likely take forever. I really want to get this post over with though. I know this is one of the most hotly debated topics in the Gundam fan community.

So I ask you: What do you think are the best Gundam anime's of all time?

AGE-FX: Peak of Lackluster Designs

So I still haven't bothered watching Gundam AGE, mainly because I'm busy with Zeta Gundam (but also because I'm still not interested). BUT, what I have been noticing is pretty much every mobile suit design due to every recent gunpla release being related to AGE. Now, most of these designs didn't bother me. Some of the enemy designs were strange but unique, and the AGE 1 and 2 were alright.

Then, I came across the Gundam AGE-FX:

I'm sorry if anyone likes this, but I've got to be honest: this is one of the most disappointing and unimpressive designs I've ever seen. To the best of my knowledge, the AGE-FX is what you would call the final Gundam. It is the strongest Gundam to come out in the series, and it represents the hero until the end of the series. Usually, the final Gundam ends up being everyone's favorite because of how powerful it is and how appealing its design is compared to everything else. But in this case? It just doesn't work.

Just look how blocky and tacky it looks. And its main colors are baby blue and lime green? Not very intimidating either. If I'm not mistaken, this is the mech designer from Gundam 00. I can tell, because most of the later designs for Gundam 00 were pretty terrible, unimaginative and blocky too. I don't know, I just couldn't get over how disappointing this design was. Am I alone in this?

Dalong.net

Dalong's epic Gundam collection

I'm sure almost everybody in the gunpla community knows about Dalong.net. Dalong's webite is one of the best sources for plamo reviews and pictures, mostly because he has reviews on EVERY single MG, HGUC, Seed, and 00 model kit that has ever come out. If you want to know about a gundam model, you can be sure that Dalong has it. Mainly, I like this site because of the plethora of pictures he provides for each model.

Though, one thing I have noticed is that he isn't really what you would call a hardcore model maker. I think he merely aims to provide reviews and pictures of each model kit released. I say this because his models definitely don't look that great. Usually, he doesn't paint or top coat any of his models. He does panel line, but this is something I would consider a weakness. His panel lining is excessive, thick, and relatively messy. Honestly, it's too much, and it really doesn't look that great.

 Lines too thick? Messy? Excessive?

What do you think about his technique? Are we meant to simply appreciate that he provides endless reviews? I'm usually guessing that he doesn't really care about how his techniques look. Regardless, I just wanted to say that I love his site. It's completely in Korean (which I can read, thankfully), so many people will not be able to read his reviews. It's really more about the in-depth pictures though.