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New build: Canned Squad Unit - Blockade Division - MVN-04A Chariot General Arme Suit

My thoughts below the cut!

Canned Squad Unit is a set of 6 kits (one an accessory pack) based on 3 base suits. This one, the Chariot General, is the first in the range and implied to be a prototype. It's a Guntank, basically. The rest of the set are far more traditional mobile suits with humanoid designs.

The first thing that will stand out is the height - the finished kit is less than 5cm tall! Despite this, it comes in an almost High-Grade sized box, on a total of 18 runners, and the construction of most components had the complexity of a HG or 30MM kit, rather than the single-piece or open-backed parts of some SDs.

Speaking of 30MM, the range uses the same 3mm connections for armaments and accessories, and comes with a few runners of adaptors and connections, so should have good compatibility with parts from that range.

Beyond a couple of pins that needed a little bloom of flash trimmed away, everything fits together easily and tightly. Articulation is great with parts moving well but enough resistance to hold their position.

A sheet of water decals is included, featuring numbers, letters, and hazard markings. Despite their tiny size the print quality appears excellent. The sheet does appear to be the same across all the kits in the range.

Also included is a miniature action base featuring some arm options and a magnet for attaching it vertically to a fridge or similar!

Unfortunately since the Chariot sits on its treads and doesn't have any spare attachment points on its back, I've opted not to build it. The next kit I have from the range is a flight type, though, so I'll be building one for that!

Details on the kit are amazing, with sharply defined, deep panel lines that will look fine out of the box, but are also fantastic for holding ink without any re-scribing needed.

Colour separation was a pleasant surprise, considering the size of the pieces; the only letdown there was the head unit, which did require some painting by hand.

I also blacked out the backplate of the lenses and added some fluoro paint to the ports on the shoulders for some extra detail.

All in all a great little build, which occupied me for a couple of evenings, and will look fantastic on the shelf. I'm excited to see the whole range together!

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New arrivals from the last couple of days!

Very excited for the Canned Squad Unit kits, they're funky lil designs with a ton of 3mm compatible bits, and they're only about 5cm tall. I've started building the Chariot General at the back there and I'm really impressed with the quality of the moulding and detail on such a small scale. Post to follow when it's built!

The XiaoT C.A.T-02 is a little bittersweet, as I'd finally decided between the yellow and green versions of the kit, landing on yellow, when my order bounced back as it was out of stock. I am happy with the green; it just won't stand out in my collection as brightly. Eager to try a build mixing the plain green and camo armour panels, a kind of battlefield repair style.

I've built and greatly enjoyed the Number 57 Manhunter Grave Frog and Wander Soul kits, so the Ground Armour is something I've been looking forward to since seeing the teaser renders last year.

Thanks for reading, I'll be sure to post as they get built!

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This is a plamo build blog now.

First up, 30 Minutes Mission Spinatia Commando.

Finding myself in a bit of a hobby funk lately, I wanted something quick and easy to kickstart my interest again, and this kit was a perfect fit.

I've built a bunch of 30mm kits so far and I really enjoy the simplicity and modularity of them. This is my second of the Maxion faction after the Spinatia Fencer.

Apart from panel lining the only modification I've made is to fill out the pouches, as their hollowness looked a bit odd. They've just been stuffed with slices of cardboard box painted black. I may add some decals down the line.

This was initially going to be a painting project, alongside the 30mm cannon bike, but I've realised that my painting projects are likely doomed to fill up my backlog until I find the energy to attempt them (never), because I'm not sure I actually enjoy painting. I'd be happier, therefore, to just build them stock.

Thanks for visiting, stick around, I'll hopefully be posting more soon!

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I want you to remember:

The fascists hate you too and they just will pretend otherwise until after they've killed the rest of us, before they turn on you.

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Just putting this out there...

So I’m trying to get a show onto the stage.  It’s called Max Pry, Private Eye.  

Set in Chicago during the late 1930s, the story follows Max Pry, a detective who dreams of becoming a famous Private Eye (like his heroes, Sam Spade and Phillip Marlowe). There’s only one problem: Max is a terrible detective. In fact, his greatest bust (discovering Frankie “The Cruncher” Pavlov’s hideout in a downtown Laundromat) was purely by accident… Even detectives need clean clothes every now and then.  So when Max’s boss gives him an ultimatum that could see him demoted, Max teams up with some (equally terrible) gangsters to stage the bust of a lifetime!

Max Pry, Private Eye is a comedy for audiences aged 8+.  It is a parody of the Hollywood film noir genre, but more closely resembles Who Framed Roger Rabbit than The Maltese Falcon. It’s full of cheesy detective monologues, slapstick comedy, and (un)intentional anachronisms.  

But the play’s not important.  What IS important is why I want to put on a play. 

The aim of this production is to provide access to the performing arts community in Bendigo (Australia - my hometown) for people who are initially overwhelmed by the demands of a large-scale, two-act musical theatre schedule. The production focuses on the needs of people who identify as neurodiverse with a schedule designed to reduce anxiety and promote creative development by ensuring that participants feel safe and respected. It is my aim to facilitate a creative process that enables people to develop the necessary skills and confidence to participate in the larger theatre groups in Bendigo with minimal anxiety. I also hope to demonstrate that people who identify as neurodiverse are as capable of participating creatively as those who do not, by removing the barriers that might have prevented their participation in the past. In addition to supporting neurodiverse people both on the stage and behind the scenes, we want to produce a show that is accessible to a neurodiverse audience by providing a matinee performance that is sensory-friendly and Auslan (Australian Sign Language) interpreted.

So far the cast and crew are made up of people on the Autism Spectrum, have ADD/ADHD, or Mental Health Disorders (including Bipolar Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, and Generalised Anxiety Disorder).  We’re also very inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The reason why I want to do this is because Bendigo doesn’t have any opportunities for neurodiverse people wanting to participate in theatre.  We have youth theatre groups and amateur theatre companies, but they are incredibly exclusive and have no time for people who can’t accommodate themselves to their interests.  

So, in the hope that someone, somewhere has a philanthropic interest in supporting a small group of people in a regional Australian town you’ve probably never heard of, I offer you an opportunity to help us out.  Below is a link to our GoFundMe campaign.  Any help, not matter how small, would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you kindly,

SJ

https://www.gofundme.com/maxpry

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“Return to the Moon” by EL VY // Return to the Moon (Out 10.30.15 via 4AD)

It’s Matt Berninger releasing music on 4AD, so by default - I’m going to be there. The fact that Brent Knopf (Menomena, Ramona Falls) is also involved is just icing on the cake. So, with that, EL VY (rhymes with “hell pie”) has my attention. It doesn’t hurt that the infectious lead single (and title track) of Return to the Moon, casts Berninger as a storyteller performing against more of an upbeat backdrop than we’re used to hearing him. My immediate wonder is if this is a Postal Service for a new decade - Berninger using his incredible voice (literal and literary) to create infectious pop variations of his heartbreakers, while Knopf crafts wondrous and lovely electronically leaning pop gems to guide the way. Of course, that comparison does no one any good. My mind was just wondering (wandering. What’s important is that the first taste is a great one. So hit play again.  

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What is heavier? A 200 pounds of bricks or 200 pounds of feathers?

The answer is the feathers.

200 pounds of bricks is just a bunch of bricks, but if you try to carry 200 pounds of feathers, you also have to carry the weight of what you did to those poor birds.

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And yet...

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*starts 8 games at once* *wonders why it takes me 6 months to finish a video game*

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28/04/1948 - 12/03/2015

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Failed panoramic.

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Well done. Here come the test results: “You are a horrible person.” That’s what it says: a horrible person. We weren’t even testing for that.

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Lurch & Chief - Keep It Together