More Modeling Musings

A Cold Day in Hell

If you're wondering what the hell is happening to the Hellraiser, well, it's still on-going, but Arvin and I have agreed to keep the rest of the WIP private, at least until I am halfway through the wing/cloak.  Right now, I have finished the feet and ankles, and would be finishing up the skirts, the other arm shield and shoulders.  I've also made a rough design of the wing (which Arvin agreed to show).  These are screen shots of the wing (done in Adobe Illustrator) showing how I intend to segregate the parts, and the folding mechanism within.





I might have to sacrifice articulation over design or vice-versa, but nothing is final at the moment as I may get new ideas on how to execute this so I don't have to sacrifice anything.  So, no WHIPS will be cut unnecessarily for experimentation, like I did in the past, unless I become desperate enough to do so. I don't want to use boards to make templates as well, since I won't be able to bend them the way WHIPS bend.  I was actually writing part 4 a couple of weeks back, but I keep getting sidetracked.  The story-version WIP posts will have to wait.

LEDs, Batteries, Resistors, and why I Don't Use the Latter

One of the very fist modification I did was to light up my MG FC Crossbone with a 3mm green round LED, which I modified so it can fit into the Xbone's tiny skull, pun intended.  I'm no stranger to basic electronics, especially when it comes to shorting batteries just to make the contacts spark.  Ever since I was a kid, I often got scolded for mangling battery powered toys and motors just to find out how they work, which of course, I didn't back then, because I didn't know better.  You would think I would have stayed away from electricity after having a generic DC motor explode on my face, when due to lack of batteries, I foolishly plugged one into an AC socket.

Those were the days of discovery.  That little mishap never "learned me my lesson" because I continued to work with motors and electronics through high school, and why I took up Electrical Engineering in college.  Just a couple of years ago when I started doing more than just snap-building kits, part of my learning process involved doing research in forums, and like most newbies then and now, I got snarled on by "pros" who were into the hobby far longer than the years they've spent college on.

So far, I've never used resistors on my LED mods, mainly because the circuits are so simple they never need one to begin with.  In electronics, you need to take note of three things;

1) Power - specifically, electrical power, measured in watts.  Without it, there's nothing to talk about. 

2) Current - measured in amps.  This is the "tingle" you feel when you hold anything electrical and your improperly grounded.  For the batteries I used, which are button cells, this is hardly an issue to worry about (in the manner of which, no one has so far been electrocuted with button cells).

3) Voltage - is the resulting "force" when a device is connected to a power source, thereby creating a circuit.  The voltage rating or "load" is the amount of "force" a device can handle.

Let me put this in a simple analogy of a water tank with a faucet, a hose, a gate valve (with two outlets at the end of the hose, and a bucket.  The water tank is the battery.  The first faucet is a switch, the hose is the circuit, the valve at the end of the hose is a resistor, and the bucket is your load (in this case, an LED). 

When you turn the faucet on, water flows (current) towards the end of the the hose where it encounters the valve. The valve regulates the flow of water into the bucket so it does not flow too fast, to do this, it diverts some of the water out into another direction.  Ideally, if we follow the logical outcome of this, we could divert the water back into the tank, thus conserving water, but, bear with me, a resistor does not work that way.  A resistor "resists" current at its rated value, and it consumes energy at that rate.  This energy is radiated as heat, and is not recycled back or "saved." 

I had a conversation a while back with someone that he read somewhere that people put resistors to "save" battery energy.  In my mods, I avoid resistors, and the best way to do that is to use button cells.  These cells carry enough power and have enough voltage to light up a 1.5V LED for a long time without it burning up.  Putting a resistor on such a simple setup will shorten the battery's life, and does not help preserve the LED in any way whatsoever.  To further the analogy, a button cell is a very small tank with a very small hose, a 9 volt battery, in this case, is a significantly bigger tank with a significantly bigger hose. Whereas one can be confident that the small tank won't overload the bucket with water with that small amount of water flowing over a longer period of time. one can also be confident that the reverse is true for the bigger tank with a bigger hose.

The only reason why resistors are used is when you use batteries with voltages and current capacities significantly higher than the rated capacity of the load (like powering a small LED or set of LEDs with a 9 volt battery, which is something I would not do unless I really have to).  Resistors limit the current going through a circuit by consuming some of the current (the larger the resistance, measured in ohms, the more current it resists, in our tank analogy, the ohm value is how much water the gate valve throws out).  That's why electrical devices heat up.  So, if you're planning to light up your Gundam's eyes with an LED, you don't need anything else but button cells. 

Unless of course, button cells are rare and expensive where you're at, or you're planning to use more than just one LED, like say, lighting up an MG Unicorn in Destroy Mode, then you'll need to do further research on battery packs and series and parallel connections.  This LINK is a good place as any to start.

Of course, LEDs and other devices also have inherent resistance, but it is very low because they are made to allow current to flow through rather than resist it.  The current they consume is transformed into light or sound, or data for that matter.

Commissions

I've had a few additional commission inquiries especially after I've started working on the Hellraiser.  It's interesting to note that I might be able to work on ALL Gundam Wing Mobile Suits in PG scale, especially after my conversation with Arvin where he and I talked about finalizing the Hellraiser.  Here's a list of those inquiries so far.

• "Hercules" — HG Stark Jegan vMatX commissioned by Bryan Mallorca (next in line)
• "Zed One" — MG Zgok vMatX commissioned by Alex Gervacio (finalized, next in line)
• "Gattler" — PG Heavy Arms Conversion (PG Strike Base, tentative)
• "Azrael" — PG Gundam Wing EW conversion (tentative)
• "Tiger Ronin" — PG Red Frame Astray Series 2 vMatX (tentative)
• "Cassandra" — PG K'Shatriya vMatX (Full SB/kit conversion, tentative)
• "X1 and X2" — Megaman X conversion (tentative)
• "Goliath" — 1/144 Destroy Gundam (tentative)
• "Firebird" — MG AGE 1 Phoenix conversion (tentative) 

I'll be starting the Hercules mid March while I finish the Hellraiser, and might start Azrael and Zed One simultaneously.  Regardless if the commission for a kit pushes through or not, I might still do the project if and when time permits.

One thing I have been meaning to address regarding commissions is, I won't do a commission and allow that to be entered it into a competition without me at the helm.  During the last GBWC, someone accused someone else that he commissioned me to do his entry, and that entry won second place in one of the categories.  If it wasn't too obvious that I myself wasn't able to finish mine own entry, The Haribon, because I ran out of time, mainly because I was SWAMPED with projects and classes last year, and it's not as if that the guy being accused didn't post a WIP of his entry, let me categorically state that whomever said that is a fool and an idiot, if not an insecure buffoon.  If I had any involvement in the project, it's more in a consultant capacity, as the builder asked me tips on how to go about his modifications.

I rarely vent nowadays, and most modeling-related issues that come my way aren't even mine to begin with, but I somehow end up being in the middle of it.  Never will I allow anyone to use any of my work as their own, but, honestly, Arvin and I have agreed to enter the Hellraiser at the GBWC this year UNDER MY NAME.  If that doesn't tell you anything, maybe you need a new brain, or a life outside Gunpla, because I believe whatever skill it is you believe you have, have rotted you inside out.

In closing, here's a teaser of the Hellraiser.

Losing, Winning and all that Jazz...

"it's not that I lost, I just didn't win yet..."

I cannot impose this philosophy to anyone here or anywhere, but people NEED TO LEARN HOW TO BE A GOOD SPORT in all manners of competitions. 

We can wow a million people in our Gunpla communities with our fantabulous, mod-peppered and ultra-unique scheme builds, but when it comes to the actual competition, our fates lie upon those who are judging the entries, not the millions of people we wowed.  What's more, among the four judges, I believe the Japanese judge's score weigh more than the other three, and mostly has the final say in the decision.  It's a frakkin' contest.  It's as simple as that for me at least.

So, in the 2012 GBWC (to which I was not able to join, the Hellraiser was still stuck on the nth lvl, and the Haribon just couldn't take off), it saddened me to hear people immediately exclaim at the top of their voices that there was cheating involved.  I was there.  I saw the lot of the entries (there weren't much to begin with, it was the first ever GBWC that required the receipt aside from the boxes).  I even pointed the winning entry to Krescenhaze moments before the final three in the Open Category was announced and said "that's it man."  Knowing that, was I in on the cheating?

Sure, we can always feel our entries are better than those that won top prizes, most everyone feels that.  But you know what?

"it's not that I lost, I just didn't win yet..."

The previous year, I had a lot of good feedback with the Ronin.  A lot of people liked how intricate the scale armor layering was, and I believe no one really thought to do it until they saw me do it.  They liked how I bend plastic into submission, as I like to say, "like putty in my hands," and never really thought it was possible to sculpt plastic they way I do.  I do the things I do because no one else is doing it, and the challenge for everyone else IS to do it.

After that competition, a few approached me and said "The Ronin should have been first."  My one and only reply to that has always been and always will be "It's the judges' call."  Maybe the judges saw something, a flaw no one else knew about but myself, and gave me a lower score for it.  Third is a good progress for me, since I didn't even win consolation prize the year before with the Angelus and Chimera.

This year's GBWC's entry turnout, as expected, was low because of the new rule.  Whereas some have complained about it mostly because they didn't have money to spare to get the same kit they've used for their entry, most of us complained mainly because of the timing.  I've talked to Rey of Bankee and Ingrid of Toys R' Us about it at the end of the awarding ceremonies and they've acknowledged the happenstance.  I've expressed that some of us start planning our entries as early as December after the competition, and two months worth of build time is simply not enough.

Do you know who the Turtle won against?

I, in particular, had a little over a month overall to finish the Haribon.  It was enough time, or I tried to make it enough, if not for bumps on the road called work.  I basically lost 3 days on my last week of build, 3 days 3 weeks before that, to my classes, not to mention my regular design projects.  I was certain that was a lot of time lost.  I didn't post any WIP updates in the last couple of weeks, those took me about the same amount of time to write as do my mods.  Despite that, I ferried on until the last few hours detailing the wings and devising a smart way of mounting it onto the backmount, till my body shut itself down, and my mind couldn't do a thing about it but relent.   If only I had one more day, or two.  As I wrote this, I had FB friends asking me if I was able to join. 

The good thing about that rule is that it got out some people out of the woodwork (as I acknowledge Richie Ramos from beating me to to it and telling me beforehand after the announcement of the OC winners).  There were new and unexpected faces in the winners' pool.  It made me realize that the Gunpla community is far larger than I previously thought, yet, we're so splintered because of all the different personalities with different philosophies.  Despite that, there were plenty of good entries, all of which do deserve to win (including the one who whined), but again, why whine about it if you didn't?

I believe I've written about this previously.  We are not the best judges of our own work.  We can never be objective about our own work.  Sure, we can gauge our own personal improvements, I for example, have improved my build speed quite significantly (in my own terms), mainly because I've stopped over-thinking and started simplifying my mods.  Having heard feedback, I still do know my weaknesses, and my strengths.  The latter do not guarantee a win. In fact, nothing can guarantee a win.

Other people might not agree with what we think is the best for our taste.  Those who like what we do simply acknowledge and mirror our own preferences, but nothing more.

In closing, as a final note, be a good sport.  A competition is not only where you try to best others, but also YOURSELF.  You can't beat others if you keep losing to yourself, and if you complain about being cheated, then you have only truly lost against your own pride.

"BATHALA" - PMX-003 MG The O vMatX Part IX

Taking Flight!  Though I will still be working on the Bathala, this will be the final update of sorts for this project overall, mainly because I have work projects coming in, and I have to decide if I'll even enter this year's GBWC. I might use this improved wing for another kit instead of entering with the Bathala, mainly because it'll be too costly for me to get another MG The O at Toys R Us at mall price just to be able to enter. I'm thinking of getting an Infinite Justice or Sword Impulse (or some other similar kit), but as of the moment everything is frozen, even my budget for any new kit.

Anyways, I've finished majority of the wing, enough to be able to mount it and do a test fit to see if the mechanism can hold up to the weight. As predicted, the weight is rather significant, probably as heavy as the PG Strike Freedom's backpack/wing. The central gear mechanism is able to hold both wings when folded, or even when the main wing is spread, and so does the wing arm. I've made adjustments to the gears of the wing arms, pinning the gears on the receptacles aside from superglue, so that it holds it's place even during high tension. I've also added lock washers to prevent the nuts from slipping out when the wings are being handled.



The wings spread out. The main wings look short because of foreshortening especially since they curve inward. Looking at it at an angle reveals how long the longest "feather" really is (left wing), and how it curves inward (right wing).



Test fit. The Bathala can actually hold the wings up on its own when the Main wings are folded inward towards its center of gravity. I've also added another pair of V-fins, these coming from my PG RFA.



The wings, "fully" spread. I can still spread it further but it would look unnatural. Because of the overall weight, plus, the added leverage when spread, I won't be able to do this kind of pose for the wing (unless I make pose receptacles for them), not that it will be allowed if I enter it in the GBWC this year. In this configuration, the wingspan comes to a kewl ~100cm (~39in). I had to lay this down on the floor and set my tripod up down angle to get the entire thing inside the viewfinder.



That's it for now. Will post another update if ever.

The GBWC Philippines Regional Final "Twist"

It's on.  And the deadline's a month earlier than in previous years.  Last year was huge, with a lot of heavily modified entries making it into the mix.

click on the picture to reveal the twist

But, there's a new twist in the rules.  Aside from bringing the box to provide authentication, the manual must also be provided, PLUS, and here's where it can get hairy, kits used as entries MUST be bought from Toys R Us, with receipts.

Okay.  Nothing wrong with that on the marketing perspective since Toys R Us are basically forcing people to purchase kits so people can enter, but, like myself, there are a lot of people who start their entries early, hence have already bought kits.  I doubt this is a drive to prevent bootlegs from making it into the pool, since no one in his right mind would enter a bootleg and present an actual Bandai box, unless of course, he is really that scrupulous a cheap skate and got a box from someone who doesn't even bother painting his kit (someone <anonymous> admitted doing this in a attempt to post a comment on my blog.  The guys was so dumb, he didn't even know I screen and block anonymous comments).

Simply put, unless I get a huge project that will allow me to purchase another The O at TRU (I was planning to, but, for modification purposes), I won't be entering anything this year.  If this was announced way earlier, it wouldn't have been an issue for me.

Oh well.  A lot of people would probably get FGs and HGUCs just to be able to enter (as I might do), but, that <might> significantly reduce the number of viable competitive entries in the mix.

I'll continue working on the O (I actually have an update soon), and would probably consider getting a cheap kit from TRU much later.

Note:  I stress I'm not complaining (I hardly am) because I have to buy an overpriced kit from TRU, but rather, this was announced rather late in the game.  I predict either a significant reduction of entries, or quality of workmanship, or both.