A N00b's Guide to Gundam Duel Company (GDC)

Gundam Duel Company (GDC) is up for about 2 weeks now and the game's popularity is growing fast everyday considering that it's still somewhat in its beta phase. So for everyone out there that just got into the game, here's some handy tips to live by your battles in GDC.

Gundam Duel Company, Move Out!

There's a ton of Gundam games out there and clearly Gundam Duel Company is one of them. But what sets it apart is that it is tagged as a 'hybrid' Collectible/Tradeable Card Game (CCG/TCG) aimed at the online gamer of today.

So what's Gundam Duel Company and how does it measure up with other browser games? Read up, soldier!

HG Customize Campaign Weapons and Parts

This is a rather late review so bar with me here.

First off, Bandai should have done this a long time ago. I dunno know why they only released weapons and accessories packs for their gunpla just recently but this is a good move on their part. And to have i in conjunction with their highly successful series Gundam Build Fighters just gave them the momentum in sales that they're enjoying right now (aside getting it from the American toy trend of limited release and such).   

Real friends fire guns together

Now on with the show. Last Decemebr 2013, Bandai released its HG Customize Campaign where they gave away a weapons and parts set free with any High Grade kit purchase. There is a total of 6 sets, labeled A-F. I managed to get all of the parts sets and I'll go about each with my Build Gundam Mark II and a friend's Jegan as models (puns, gotta love 'em).

Rambo couldn't decide what to bring

Just Wild Beat Communication Part 2

So you might remember me working on a Gundam Wing kit early this year. And well, here it is:

BUUUUUT...this part 2 is not just regular electric bugaloo! There's more to it than this. And well, you just have to read on for more.

Reinforcements have arrived

2013 is fast becoming one of my lucky years in terms of plamo. starting this week, I've been getting some cool stuff from the mail. One of them:

A huge pile of hand-me-down gunpla!

Some of the kits here are GOLDEN, especially the Gundam Wing kits. All of them were already built but  are in good condition. But quite a few like the Chaos and Saviour are missing some parts (like that would stop me!). To my surprise, some of the boxes came with a handful of useful bits that I can use for future projects.

But that wasn't all. More after the jump!

JUST WILD BEAT COMMUNICATION

The Garage has been Warhammer 40,000 territory for most of the time last year. Moreover, it has been more of a scale model blog than anything else. So I thought maybe I should go back a bit to my first love in terms of scale modeling: GunPla

Here is my current project, a TT Hongli Master Grade Gundam Wing EW!

Finished: SD Gundam Unicorn

Again, it's been a while since I posted here in my corner of the Universe. I had a lot to deal with in real life, with build and paint commissions left and right. Every now and then though, I manage to take care of some personal projects like this one:

A SD Gundam Unicorn!

Finished: 1/100 MG GPO1 in Maintenance

Another day, another finished kit!

This time its a Bandai 1/100 scale Master Grade GPO1. It's one of Bandai's early Master Grade kits. An indication is that absence of a full inner frame. What's there is a full frame for the legs and a full detail/transformable Core Fighter.

World's Smallest Haro ???

Been VERY busy these days with all the personal projects and commissions coming in as of late.

but well, during my breaks from building kits, I usually come up with stuff like this:

Life Update: Cebu Aftermath and Commissions

Again pardon the lack of activity here. Been gone for a few weeks because of *ehem* business. I had the opportunity to visit the island of Cebu to meet-up with my partners in crime over there. It's about an hours travel by plane or about 24 hours by boat. It was a great trip; Cebu is much cleaner and more beautiful compared to most cities here in Luzon. The people are friendlier too. And the food (especially the lechon) is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!

I heard there's a Tamiya Factory there too.

(Very Late) Phil. TOYCON 2012 Report

I've been out of the loop in terms of attending the Philippine Toys and Hobbies Convention, more affectionately known as TOYCON. I think it's been 5 years since I last attended.

I was actually overwhelmed by the most recent one. TOYCON 2012 was HUGE. It ran for 3 days beginning June 15 up until June 17 2012 and was held on not one but three (!!!) convention halls inside SM Megamall. In its earlier incarnations, TOYCON was just a one day affair but time has it evolved into a monster geek event it deserves to be.

Finished: SD EX-S Gundoom/Gundam

 Just finished my  Model Comprehend (MC) SD EX-S Gundoom/Gundam. I've talked about this kit before, but here's a little primer: the reason for it's quirky name is that this is a Non-Bandai, 'grey' area gunpla.

Battle Report: Gundam Collection 1/400 Tactical Battles

Lookit the size of that METEOR!

Time for another Gundam Collection 1/400 Tactical Battle report! This time, it was between me and fellow GCTB thread player Antonn (darkjacen) on a couple of games.

Grey Area: SD EX-S 'Gundoom'

I dunno why, but kits just fall down my lap.

Awesome Box Art

About the same number of sprues from a High Grade kit

Battle Report: Gundam Collection Tactical Battles

*I actually challenged myself not to post for a week because of this. 

  

My buddies and I are all currently crazy about Gundam Collection Tactical Battles (GCTB), that miniatures game played with 1/400 scale mobile suit minis and set in the Gundam universe. It's an instant hit for me and all the other guys because it combines two things we love the most: Gundam and miniatures wargaming.

We all had the chance to try out the game during one of Mechapinoy's Mechameets (a gathering of people from the local mecha community and forums).  Our games were a sort of the side event as the meets are usually centered around kit building and trading/selling/swapping.

Titans (Randy) vs. 08th MS team (Roe)

I'll talk about the game first. Gundam Collection Tactical Battles (GCTB) is a rather basic miniatures game with simplistic rules unlike most miniatures wargames out there. Each player build his own task force of mobile suits from a per-determined points value agreed upon by both players. The board is set and the battle is fought afterwards. The first player to wipe out the other player's force or completes the objectives wins the battle.

Each unit is capable of moving and acting per player turn. Actions range from shooting, assaulting and/or using a suit's special abilities like launching funnels. What's unique about Gundam Collection Tactical Battles (GCTB) is the inclusion of  Newtype (NT) abilities, a set of game-breaking abilities shared by all units. This gives low cost units a more or less equal footing against higher cost units in-game.

1:350 RGM-79 Finished

Now for something new:

Sidetracked

My collection so far

...from all the Warhammery stuff.
 

Odds and Ends

 
First there's this awesome anime CCG called Weiss Schwarz, and now its a Gundam minis game.

You heard me right, there is a GUNDAM MINIS GAME and its called Gundam Collection Tactical Battles.

My Take on the 2012 Gunpla Rumors

Yeah there's been a lot of Warhammer 40,000 stuff happening in this blog and my life recently but don;t think for a second that I have forgotten about Gunpla (Gundam Plastic) models. There's a list currently circulating in the interwebz regarding rumors on this year's releases and it's all very exciting. So here's my take on the much talked about list:

*Note that this list is not 100% set yet and may include more or less models as official announcements from Bandai trickle as months go by:

News sourced from gunjap and gtoys  by the way. Thanks guys!

Deviant Feature: Bang-Doll-SSI

Deviant Feature return here atthe Garage and what better to have on our hot seat this time than the incredible Bang-Doll-SSI. His interests in mecha is broad: his works include a number of gunpla, Maschinen Kreiger, Warhammer 40,000 and historical models (warplanes, battleships, armor etc.). Read all about him and take heed on his golden pieces of plamo advice! Carry on!

Masterclassed HG 1/144 Gundam 00 Qan[T]

All out!

Rai's Garage:  First off, what’s your real name? Can you tell us that or would you stick to your DA persona?
Bang-Doll-SSI: Dade W. Bell.  I’m also usually called Karybdis everywhere else, but DA (Karybdis was already taken).

IPMS Nationals/Mechapinoy Formula 144 Part 3

Ok I'll be concluding my coverage of the IPMS Nationals/Mechapinoy Formula 144 2011 with a barrage of sci-fi kits and the best of the best.

I'll start off with a gratuitous one:

Dino-ridin' uh, cowgirl takes the cake.