Kimaris - Knight of Gjallarhorn

Hey plamo nerds! Welcome back from the long weekend! GMKC 2017 wrapped up last Sunday, and although I didn't get any awards, I was glad to have participated. It was my first time joining a major sanctioned event, and while the outcome did not match my expectations, I gained valuable experience. I was hoping more recognition would be given to color separation, shading, seam fixing and weathering, but just like many events before it, high gloss still reigns supreme in GMKC 2017. In any case, I applaud the emerging winners for their flawless execution. Now that the Kimaris is back home, I'm just happy to add another model to my display cabinet.

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(WARNING: PIC HEAVY)

Border Model Masking Template - Review

What's up plamo nerds! Here's another tool review to round off the week: a nice and shiny masking template! For the uninitiated, a masking template allows for easy cutting of masking tape into  patterns typically used in plamo painting. Digital and Hex camouflage patterns are popular among armor and mecha modelers, and a template such as this one from Border Model simplifies the process a great deal.

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Manwah Scribing Tempate - Review

Hey plamo nerds! Apologies for the lack of updates, I've been busy filling orders, and of course there's the GMKC that kicked off last Saturday and concludes this coming Sunday, June 25th. While we anxiously wait for the results, let's take a look at another tool that is essential to custom builders who enjoy more detail on their kits - the Manwah Scribing Template!

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Iwata Eclipse HP-CS - Review

Ohayou gozaimasu plamo otakus! I've been getting really lucky these past couple of weeks...landing one good deal after another on top notch tools - and today I get to share with you one of my latest finds - a genuine Iwata airbrush! It's a pre-loved item and is missing the box so there won't be an unboxing in this post, but it's in super mint condition. Why get another airbrush? I asked myself the same question before I hit the buy button on this one - but a quick consultation with some esteemed modeler friends yielded a unanimous decision - you don't pass up on an Iwata! Jump in if you want to see what this airbrush has to offer, and there's a video at the bottom showing how it performs.

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Featured Seller - Pub Hub

Hey plamo nerds! Let's kick off June with another featured shop, this time hailing from Bacolod - city of smiles and delicious roast chicken! PUBHUB Hobbies and Collectibles is one of the best stocked hobby shops in the country, carrying highly sought after kits, tools and supplies. Don't let the simple store front fool you, this place is an absolute gold mine! Jump in to see what they have to offer!

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Badger 105 Patriot - Review

Hello once again plamo nerds! It's a fine day for a review, and today I'll be sharing my thoughts on the Badger 105 Patriot airbrush! It's a pretty old product from Badger, and there are tons of reviews on it already on YouTube, but I thought I'd throw in my two centavos on this seasoned veteran anyway. At the very least I can give you guys some insight on how it compares with Chinese generic airbrushes and it's younger but more expensive cousin, the Renegade Krome. Let's go!

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Madworks Sanding Sponges - Review

Good day plamo nerds! I've been furiously working on the 1/100 Kimaris Trooper for the past couple of days,  hoping I could submit it as an entry to the upcoming GMKC event. To be honest, I couldn't have picked a worse kit - seam lines everywhere, mold lines everywhere else, topped off by some parts being "overgated" for no logical explanation other than Bandai likes to troll us builders from time to time.

I picked up a pack of these excellent sanding sponges by Madworks from Zee Hobby Shop to help deal with these issues. Hop in if you want to see how these things are used and what advantage they have over plain old sandpaper. I didn't bother with a video as I highly doubt any of you would enjoy watching me vigorously rubbing a long purpleish shaft with a hobby abrasive...




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Super Nova MG Altron - Unboxing

The postal service in this country is dismal. It only takes about a week for an item to arrive from China, but then it takes 2-3 weeks for your stuff to clear customs and another 2-3 weeks to reach your local post office. Anyhow, after a long wait, I finally received my Super Nova Altron! Jump in if you'd like to see a quick unboxing of this unique kit from a brand new brand!

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Talyer Talk #3 - Char's Airbrush Case

The local plamo community needs reading material. A magazine the likes of Hobby Japan or Dengeki Hobby, but in English would be really nice...something to flip through while waiting for your lady in the salon or when sitting on the porcelain throne. I'm glad some of the top notch modelers have started authoring and printing their own guide books, but there's a void to fill when it comes to plamo related editorial and light reading, which is one of the reasons I maintain this blog. After a barrage of tool reviews, I think a Talyer Talk feature is well overdue. Luckily I stumbled upon a very nice side project by accomplished modeler Polo Bormate on my facebook feed, and he was kind enough to share this custom made airbrush case!

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Badger Renegade Krome Airbrush - Review

How goes it my fellow plamo nerds? I've been spending some quality time with my new airbrush, the Badger Renegade Krome - and after putting it through the gunpla gauntlet, it has emerged unscathed and ready for more! I've always been a skeptic when it comes to name brand stuff that have cheaper alternatives - but this excellent tool has set me straight. I already did the unboxing a few weeks back, so you can take a look at that if you want to see the kit contents and whatnot. Today I'll be sharing my thoughts on how the airbrush performs in plamo painting scenarios, and there's a video at the bottom showing it in action!

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AHS Model Chisels - Review

Welcome back plamo nerds! I apologize if my recent tool revelations have been keeping you up since Monday - but I'm afraid you won't be getting any sleep tonight just yet. A wise man once said, "seek and ye shall find". I think it was Bruce Lee, but it may have been Jesus...it's a toss up. So I seeked (sook? sought? sought! gahtdemenglishlanguage!) and a few weeks ago I found exactly what I was looking for. Today I am proud to present the fruit of my fearless foray into the cryptic Chinese plamo market - the AHS Model Chisel!

Now you already know how cheap I am, and how I enjoy exhausting all imaginable DIY solutions before actually spending cash on tools. A while back I posted a DIY guide on how the lowly thrift store screwdriver set could be re-purposed as chisels. The results they produced were okay, but the poorman's chisels were nowhere near as sharp or as sturdy as I needed them to be, and so the search for a budget alternative to the exorbitantly expensive BMC chisel continued...until now!


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Alexen Model Angle Scraper - Review

Hey plamo nerds! Did you enjoy the hobby file review I shared yesterday? There's more where that came from! Here's the second tool in my China sourced plamo lootbag - the elusive Alexen Model angle scraper! I saw this item for sale a long time ago in one of the plamo market groups I frequented, but it disappeared without a trace before I could even figure out what it was. As it turns out, it's a highly specialized beveling tool! I shared a guide on how to do freehand beveling (aka "chamfering") using a hobby knife a while back, but this tool takes the guesswork out of the task!

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