MG Heavy Arms Custom, I thought you were blue?

I has been a while since I updated this blog on anything Gunpla related, but I have been busy, and building Gundam models takes up a lot of time. But anyways, I have recently finished building a Master Grade model, something I've always been excited about. The model I am talking about is Gundam Heavy Arms Custom, which you also know by the title.

Now, I had my fair share of surprises while building this model, which I will share with you further in this post. One of the very first surprise was that no stickers were prescribed for this model (just felt like using that word, not sure whether it works here). That's right, the 4 small lines on the chest of this model are separately molded in blue for the chest area. For me, this was something I appreciated a lot, since I don't really like (okay, I HATE) using stickers. And the fact that these parts were separately molded makes the model look absolutely more cleanly built than it would ever be if the parts were coloured using stickers, or painted on. While some maybe argue that a paint job using an airbrush and well placed masking tapes, even those guys would be thankful for these separately molded parts.

Another slightly unpleasant surprise was that I thought no painting or stickers were required to completely straight build this model (aside from the eyes and head sensors that is), but there were parts which required painting, and for this model, it so happened to be the missile packs and the missile pods themselves. Yup, count them, count them all, and those, need painting.

As you can see in the pictures above, the missile pods, all of them, which are the lighter tone of grey, and the middle section of the missile packs on the legs, which is grey are all painted. This surprised me a lot actually, as they could mold the blue lines on the chest separately, why they didn't do the same for all these missiles. However, I enjoyed painting them, and if I do say so myself, the contrast of the light toned missile pods make the model look quite nice, and stand out more. In the sample model on the box and the manual, the missiles are painted a lighter tone of grey, much lighter than my model, but I think it looks fine.

Another surprise I was faced with, this one a good one, was how solid most parts feel after they are assembled. As you can see in some of the picture above, the model has many parts that open up to reveal the missile pods inside, and these parts are just as solid. Props to Bandai for this.

One of the problems I have faced though is the knife that is supposed to be a last resort weapon, I mean, this is not the weapon to use as a main, and on the left pic, you can clearly see the knife not being able to fold completely if the arm is straight, though not really to noticeable (*eye twitches*), I wish they made it easier for the model to hold. 

In the picture above are the only removable weapons and items that come with the model, to remove the other weapons or armaments, you'd have to basically remove the gundam models armour. The main highlight, THAT, HUGE, GATLING GUN!!

The gatling gun and the ammunition pack both have 2 teeth that are used to house them on the back of the gundam.

Those lines are where the teeth hook on to.

(Above) Like so~

(Above) This is the model fully equipped with all armaments and weapons.

 

When trying to pose the model while holding the gatling gun, the fixed hands really help with how stable and firm of a grip the model can provide. However, it is quite hard to equip it to the model.

Thankfully, the gatling gun in the hand is very stable. But after a few times having the model hold the gun, I did realize the hand become a bit loose.

Armaments all ready to fire!!! I try to imagine how scary this would look as some enemy mobile suits try to rush and attack Heavyarms and he goes out guns blazing and missile pods firing. 

I was extremely happy with this model, everything felt solid, a slight weight to them. The articulations for the arms and legs are just good enough, however, much much better than that of the MG Unicorn Gundam if any of you readers have purchased and put together the model. An almost full 180 degrees for both the arms and legs.

And last of all, you can see Trowa Barton in the cockpit. What puzzles me is how noisy it must be in the cockpit, unless some kind of noise dampening system is used to silence the chest machine guns. And that is all, finish!




Farid

Contrast, Something New!

I was busy this week having assignments and other stuff which I had to submit and because of it, this post is delay severely, but anyways, back to business. Well, Contrast's idea might not be completely new, as a similar mechanic has been implemented in the new 3DS game The Zelda : A Link Between Worlds. I'm not sure if many of you reading this have actually heard of this game, and if you have not, let me break it down for you. It's basically a puzzle game in which you play as a little girl's imaginary friend and using lights and shadows you work your way through the different levels. So, basically, with the amount of platforming needed in the 3-Dimensional world itself, you have the added shadow puzzles/platforming making this game quite unique.

While I don't know how many gamers know about this game, I think that it deserves its time in the spotlight, and also since I don't really want to spoil the entire experience, I have only uploaded gameplay footage of the first few minutes of the game.

While I have to admit that the video is a bit long for a game preview, but I just wanted to show how cool some of the shadow play (see what I did there) is. And if you guys who watched the video have noticed, girl is talking to a shadow of her mother, hmmmmmm? Intriguing, huh?!?!

As I have already finished the game, and that I'm still unsure of whether or not I should explain more about the game other than what you can already watch in this video, from the graphical point of things, this game is beautiful. Of course when you compare such a game to big titles like Crysis 3, Assasin's Creed IV Black Flag, or even Call of Duty Ghosts, it can't compare. But the overall look in a sense is definitely not an eyesore, and mostly pleasing, just like how Bioshock Infinite wasn't an eyesore as well. The soundtrack is impressive, and of course to suit the theme of the game, some old songs are played, and these songs are very catchy. The game does have a few bugs, but so far through my playthrough of the entire game, I have only found one really bad one, from which I had to restart from the last checkpoint.

The game is available on Steam if you have an account, and so far it's selling at 14.99 USD, not a bad price for a game. However, just as I was thinking of whether I should mention it, I've decided I will, this game is short. So, most probably you will get through it in less than the new standard 6 hours plus, but for 14.99 USD, that pretty decent, seeing as other games mostly come at 59.99 USD, and a few can be completed in less than 4 hours.

The Official Site (Check it out!)

Farid

The Aquila-X, is it good?

The Aquila-X is one of the entry level gaming mice from Armaggeddon. Originally I had purchased this mouse because my older supposedly "gaming" mouse was supposed to last me a while, though one year is hardly lasting for me. Priced at RM 69.90 from the store I bought it from, it was quite a hard choice for me as there were many other cheaper mouse which I could have easily picked but I decided to try out gaming products from Armaggeddon. 

Going over the cosmetics first, the mouse comes with a matte finish covered with a soft touch feel. As you can see from the images above, the mice also has LED lines along both sides of the mouse which light up red on my model, but most other models light up blue. Though the mouse comes with many other patterns on the mouse itself, and different colours as well, like red (as shown above), green, yellow and blue, though they're LED lights are either blue or red and you cannot change the colour of the LED. And as you can see it is very apparent that this mouse does not come with macro keys like other similar looking gaming mice such as the Steel Series Kana, Sensei and Kinzu, while not having the two side thumb buttons of the Kana or the Sensei. It also shows that this mouse is suitable for real-time strategy games like Starcraft II but work well on other genres like first-person shooters too, more on that later. The scroll wheel has a textured surface, adding a more expensive look in my opinion. It also has an ambidextrous design making it a just as comfortable for left-handed users, but this also leads to a less comfortable design compared to mice like Func's MS-3 or the Razer Naga which has a place for your pinky finger to rest comfortably.

The button below the mouse changes the CPI of the mouse. The basic four different CPIs are 400, 800, 1600 and 3200, and the colour of the CPI button changes accordingly, starting from off to red and ends at the blueish green. It's not really a selling point, and maybe some of your OCDs will be tested seeing green and red, but its nice to know what CPI setting you're on, and you can play around with the software which you will have to install to change certain settings on the mouse.

There are a few additional features that come with the mouse, the software would be one of them, which does let you change how bright the LED lights shine, and also allows you to add breathing effects. The software also lets you set macro-keys which will be brought with the mouse itself since it does come with 64 KB of Onboard memory, and it lets you set up to 5 different profiles. It's cool that they let you set up custom keys for the mouse but since they are just 4 different buttons on the mouse. A braided cable is a welcome feature which they have added to this mouse, which does make your cable last longer and not suffer too much damage from animals like cats (I have 4 at home, and previously I had lost 2 devices because of them, love them though). 

On to the overall feel, it is very comfortable to hold and use, and we have to thank the soft touch feel for that. It also makes it easy to grip the mouse and also prevents it from slipping off your hand while you're in those stressful gaming situations. I would recommend this mouse for those who like to claw-grip their mouse, users who like to palm-grip might consider opting for a different model. The mouse also has three large teflon feet, and they glide across most suitable surfaces quite smoothly. The left and right buttons are just as they should be, and are just as comfortable.

I tested it out on a few games, and very clearly it shows you which group of gamers it is aimed at. It mostly for those that prefer to use the mouse without additional macro-keys. It works superbly on Starcraft II, I played a few games and also was still comfortable to use over those long periods. It worked fine for Dota 2 as well but for games like Blacklight : Retribution, which I had already set my previous mouse's thumb buttons to weapon slots 3 and 4. And though it does take some time getting used to, not having the thumb buttons make it a little harder to access my grenades which are on weapon slots 3 and 4 (yes, I carry 2 grenades). I had also played Hawken with it, and works fine as well. 

This mouse is well-made, and the soft touch feel and matte finish keep the mouse from looking like a cheap product and adds a certain premium feel to it. And although it is an optical mouse, using a suitable surface won't present any problems with using it. I did face only one problem with it, which is the mouse suddenly starts trailing randomly (not across the screen just a small area) when left for a while. This does not happen while you are moving the mouse, only after you leave it for a while which happens a lot while when I watch movies. And what surprised me was it only happens when I leave it on the mouse pad which was also a product from Armaggeddon, and not on the black table the mouse is resting on in the pictures. But since it doesn't affect me when gaming, it might just be me. As a final verdict, it is a good mouse and for the price if you want a gaming mouse, at a cheap price, bare minimum, no bells and whistles this is an excellent choice, but that is pretty much as far as this mouse goes.

The Burger Adventure!

First of all, I did accidentally post this before it was finished and checked, for that I apologize, this is the completed post.

This is something completely off most of the topics I actually discuss in my blog, however, it was a nice idea that my older bro came up with. He suggested that we go around and try some of the most basic but homemade burgers in Miri. And that was an awesome idea he came up with, so at least if you guys come to Miri for a holiday, or you're just looking for nice places to try out some burgers, we can name a few nice places to check out. While this was a burger adventure, we had to taste and try out each burger following a procedure (they're just burgers, why go through the trouble you may ask, well let me tell you!) so that we can, in our best efforts, give the most honest opinions for each one. First of all, a gulp of water before and after trying each burger, so that our tongues are at their neutral state. And also, we bought one beef burger of their specialty (because some stalls come with two choices of beef burgers, the ones that are homemade and the ones bought from stalls), as stated by each shop's menu, and rated their burgers based on that. The number of burger stalls we had found surprised us, because some we pass by everyday, never having a thought of trying them out, while others are well known among Mirians. We had managed to find 9 different burger stalls or shops, and from each, a humble beef burger of their specialty, to decide the rating at which whether it deserves to be known, or be amongst those, who tried, but failed. DUM DUM DUMMMMMMM!! (suddenly sounding like one of those game shows)

OLD MAN'S GRILLED BURGER :

The burger stall that sold this burger is located along Bintang Walk, one of the first stalls which you see to your right as you enter the junction. Previously, this stall was known as Sam Burger, but the name has recently been changed to Old Man Grilled Burger. The first thing you might notice is that this burger was one of the few very nicely packed. The way they pack the burger doesn't squash it or causes the sauce to spill out and for that you can enjoy a still nice burger. One of the things that stand out the most for this burger when you take that first bite would be how nice and thick the patty is, however, the patty might have been cooked for too long, leaving the patty dry. One of the best thing about this burger would also be the generous amount of vegetables they put in the burger, the cabbage is also given in pieces and not the mangled, slices that was opted by few other stalls. The sauce used was fairly regular, but as a conclusion, and also with comparison to the other burgers we tried out, this burger is one of the few that stand out from the others.

Price : RM 5.00

Verdict : Recommended

Pros :

- Nice and thick patty

- Generous serving of vegetables

- Packing keeps the burger looking good

- Nice choice of burger bun, doesn't get too soggy even after a while

Cons :

- Fairly regular choice of sauce

- Patty is not juicy

JOHN MADU :

The stall selling is burger is located near Old Man Grilled Burger, known as John Madu. What makes this burger stand out as soon as you take the first bite is that they added baked beans. The packing of this burger is also one of the best things about this stall, they keep the burger looking nice, and this does help. The patty that they cooked is also very delicious, and in no way spoils the overall taste of this burger. The buns they selected for the burger are also of admirable quality, and this also improves the overall taste as well in my opinion. The amount of vegetables put in this burger are not as generous, however, they're not too stingy either. You could say, it's a nice amount of given vegetables. Other than that, they sauce they used for this burger is also fairly regular, however, it has a slight edge due to the added taste of the baked beans.

Price : RM 4.00

Verdict : Try it if you want

The Pros :

- A delicious patty as well

- Good quality buns

- Baked beans adds to the overall taste

The Cons :

- Dry patty

- Nothing exceptional

ALAIZ :

The stall selling this burger is also conveniently located nearby the previous two stalls, known as Alaiz Burger. However, this burger doesn't share much of the same positive points as Old Man Grilled Burger or John Madu. At first glance, you can see how squashed the burger is due to their method of packing. While this is not a major turn off to your appetite, it does affect it a little bit. And secondly, while a main problem with most of the burger would be the generous amount of tomato or chili sauce given, there are times when they can be too generous. And this plagues the overall taste of the patty, which I was barely able to taste due to the amount of sauce. The patty was probably the best things about this burger, as it does taste quite nice, but that is pretty much they only nice thing I can say about this burger.

Price : RM 3.50

Verdict : Requires improvement

The Pros :

- If you can taste it, the patty is nice

The Cons :

- Too much sauce and mayonnaise

- Squashed during packing

- The bun is of poor quality as is was soggy

PAK KASSIM :

Just by looking at the photo above, you can guess that this burger also suffers from too much sauce. The stall selling this burger is also located near the others and along the stretch of Bintang Walk, known as Pak Kassim. Due to the sheer generousness of the sauce, the taste of the patty is greatly overshadowed. And to tell the truth, I could bare taste it at all. The packing of this burger was also very poor, as they would squash the patty and leave a mess made of sauce and soggy bread. The buns used for this burger are of fairly poor quality, and this also makes this burger less of a joy to eat. However, to give this burger a positive point, they gave a generous amount of vegetables.

Price : RM 4.00

Verdict : Requires improvement

The Pros :

- Generous amount of vegetables

The Cons :

- Too much sauce

- Burger is squashed during packing

- Bun is of poor quality

PERGH GRILLED BURGER :

The stall selling this burger is also located along Bintang Walk. The stall is known as Pergh Grilled Burger (a slight mistake in the picture above). This burger is definitely one of the burgers that really taste good and are worth remembering. First and for most, this is one of the only burger stalls that actually use a real grill to cook their homemade burgers. Added to that is a black pepper and chili sauce combo which for this burger works surprisingly well. This stall does not suffer from too much sauce, so you can taste every bit of the patty and the bun as well. The vegetables are the standard cabbage and diced up onions which in my opinion don't really add much but complement the burger well. The real highlight of this stall would be how different the taste of the patty for the burger is, and after going there again, they actually add a little sour sauce (kicap) while the patty is cooking as well. Although the buns used are nothing special, because of how the burger is stacked with the sauce, the buns don't get soggy, and the burger isn't squashed. And this stall has its own Facebook page, check it out (Pergh Grilled Burger).

Price : RM 5.00

Verdict : Recommended

Pros :

- Distinctive tasting patty

- Packed very well

- Burger buns don't get soggy because most of the sauce is between the 2 cut patties.

- Delicious patty

Cons : 

- Dry patty

BURGER INC. :

The stall known as Burger Inc. is also located along Bintang Walk, however, much closer towards the masjid as well as the primary school SK Syed Othman. The burger sold by the stall not only suffered from the same problem as Pak Kassim and Alaiz which is too much sauce, but in this case mayonnaise. Other than that, this burger has nothing else to offer, the patty tastes fairly regular, if you could taste it at all.

Price : RM 3.50

Verdict : Requires improvement

Pros :

- Unfortunately, none over the competition

Cons :

- Too much mayonnaise

- Fairly regular 

HASMAS KENYALANG :

This burger stall is located at Pasar Malam Saberkas, meaning it is only available on Thursday to Saturday. The verdict, the amount of stalls providing too much sauce is high in Miri, and this stall is no exception. However, it does come with a generous serving of vegetables. Other than that, similar to Burger Inc., it's a fairly regular tasting burger, with a fairly regular tasting patty.

Price : RM 4.00
Verdict : Requires improvement

Pros : 

- None as well

Cons :

- Fairly regular

DLAH BURGER :

Unfortunately, this burger stall, just like Hasmas Kenyalang Burger, is also located at the Pasar Malam Saberkas. And unfortunately as well, it shares the same flaws. And overly simple burger which although does not overload on the sauce, is fairly average and forgettable when compared to some of the other highlights on this review which I will state later. It is however, the cheapest burger on this list, so if you are tight on money and want to eat a burger, this might be the burger for you.

Price : RM 2.50

Verdict : Requires improvement

Pros :

- Cheapest burger

Cons :

- Easily forgettable

KINKY FAT CHEF KITCHEN :

The restaurant selling this burger is known as Kinky Fat Chef Kitchen, or KFCK for short. Well known among the Mirians who enjoy a burger from time to time, its hard not to know where the restaurant for this burger is located, you might be able to ask just any random Mirian, and they will pin point you to the location. The reason why I called it a restaurant is because this is well established as a restaurant, complete with tables on which to enjoy their burgers. And looking at how well it is doing, you can expect the same from its burgers. You could say that this restaurant would have the best packing available to them, keeping the burgers ready to eat and squash-free. The sauce used for this burger is homemade, and of course has a unique taste of its own, and it doesn't stop there, you have a choice of three different sauces, their original sauce, cheese or black pepper, which are all homemade but of course for this review, we ordered the original sauce. The patty is also dry, but thick, and the vegetable provided in this burger are pickles, diced onions and cabbage. And also for the price, it comes with cheese, the only restaurant among the others that provide cheese for their basic burgers. This restaurant also has its own Facebook page, check it out (Kinky Fat Chef Kitchen).

Price : RM 5.00

Verdict : Recommended

Pros :

- Nice and thick patty

- Homemade sauce is delicious and unique

- Includes cheese for the price

- Good packing

- Good amount of vegetables

Cons :

- Dry patty

THE FINAL VERDICT

Among all 9 stalls that we (me and my brother as well as my uncle) have tried, very few standout, and although all suffer from having dry patties, we rated their overall taste and price to value. In my personal opinion, those burger hotspots would be Kinky Fat Chef Kitchen, Sam (now known as Old Man Grilled Burger) and Pergh Grilled Burger. Each stall offers its own unique selection of burgers. Though they do lose quite a bit when compared to the well established KFCK, they put up a good fight, and for that they are worth trying out as well. I rarely have favourites, because that would mean only one of the 9, and the hard part is, I enjoy eating at all three stalls, at any given time, and it would be nice to see them establish themselves as well. To the other stalls that we have tried, we hope you come up with your own unique style of burger, so that we can add you to the list as well.




Farid