The Super HCM Pro RX-78 over the Shenandoah Valley.

     I remember getting my first Gundam Fix Figuration Figure, the Kampfer, and just getting blown away by the details of the figure and not to mention all the weapons it came with! One thing that I was dissapointed with was the pose ability which was limited given it’s size and armor. And with some you could pose them but some of it’s parts may fall off due to loose armor.  

     It would be nice if they could make a figure the same size as the Fix Figures with the same pose ability as an HCM….Can Bandai make a figure with the durability and sturdiness of an HCM and the detail and size of a Gundam Fix Figuration Figure? Is the SHCM such a figure?

  

     Also as I wait patiently (it’s hard!) for the MG Full Burst Freedom to arrive, I went ahead and picked up Hobby magazines, Hobby Japan 9.

From top to bottom: Henrietta(Gunslinger Girl), Rally Vincent(Gunsmith Cats), Asuna Elmarit(Gundam Ecole du Ciel), and Nono(Gunbuster II)

     As I continue to look through my hordes of treasure from the last two ( I & II) Anime conventions (This is the very last time I spend this much money!!), I took some time to look at some manga that I’ve been meaning to read for quite some time and watched the 1st episode of Gunbuster 2(Diebuster).

     With Gunbuster and Gunslinger Girl it was word of mouth that I took a chance getting those two, I have seen a little bit of the Gunslinger Girl Anime and thought it was good. Gunsmith Cats was an old favorite that I used to read single issues of, and with Gundam Ecole du Ciel, it’s my first Gundam manga and got it because one of my favorite character designers, Haruhiko Mikimoto, wrote and illustrated the book.

 

The Aile Striker and Skygrasper. Outside pics have stand removed.

     The first time I took a Gundam with me mountain hiking it was the RX 79(G). Which was pretty easy to take considering how tiny it was. I was lucky enough to get a good shot with it. 

     This time around I brought the Aile Striker and Skygrasper with me and I wanted to try capturing both in flight. With the 79G there was no problem since it’s basically a ground unit. With The Striker and Skygrasper it was tougher to get in place for a shot that featured a good background that showed flight. But I did manage to get some shots of both in flight and snap a few test shots that I want to save later for a Gundam model project.

 

Priscilla, Clare, and Teresa from Claymore. Photoshop CS3 test.

     Berserk and Record of Lodoss War, at least the 1st series, are two of my favorite fantasy anime series.  Before watching those two I was skeptical of seeing fantasy stories depicted in animated form with a strong story. Fortunately both had them, but it was difficult to find something similar along those lines. Luckily for me people told me about Claymore.

Clare doing short work of an Awakened Being.

    

   Raki, a young boy who’s saved by Clare.             Teresa of The Faint Smile.

     Claymore is about a young woman named Clare who is a Claymore. Claymores are half-Yoma who have extraordinary powers and are sent by an organization to take out the Yoma. Through Clare we learn of the world that is inhabited by humans who sometimes find themselves in conflict with the demons known as the Yoma. The Claymore’s themselves must be cautious with their powers when fighting, if not they too become Yoma.

DLSite’s Doujinshi booth at Otakon 2007. Some amazing artwork and their free fun pack made them one of the favorites at the con.

    

Najimi and Tsyuri at Comiket from Dojin Work.        Comiket from Genshiken.

     After getting back from my trip to Otakon 2007, I managed to get most of the merchandise out of my car, among them were a few Doujinshi. I really didn’t have time to scan and look inside, so I just bought them for the fantastic art on the cover and hoped the art was just as good inside. Somtimes it was and sometimes it wasn’t.

     One of the doujinshi art really impressed me and I began to wonder why these guys aren’t doing regular manga. The doujin cirlce being Timtim Machine 18 featuring Mikuru from Haruhi Suzumiya. I briefly run through it in this post featuring Doujinshi anime. I also do a brief review of Genshiken in the spirit of Doujinshi fans and artists. First up is the new anime series, Dojin Work episode 1 & 2.

 

    After Anime Mid-Atlantic, I swore to myself that it would be the last Anime Convention for the summer that I went to, given how much I spent. But I had a job interview in D.C., so given that I was close enough to go…I sidetracked my way home and went to Otakon!

     I only spent a short time at Otakon at the Baltimore Convention Center, but it was worth the detour back to Virginia.  There was a tremendous amount of places to go, people to meet, things to buy, and art to pick up.  Below you’ll find some brief notes and a few pictures from the event.

Above: From Skygirls 1 The Unknown Test Pilot, Macross Plus’s YF-19 w/Fast Packs, Claus & Al from Last Exile. 

Below: YF-19 w/Fast Packs and Fold Booster over Northern Virginia. Stand removed by Photoshop.

   Last week I flew to California for a job interview and it was the first time in a long time that I’ve ever travelled through the States by plane. And I wrote part of this post while I was in the air and saved it for this post. What better way to do a post about anime and figures centering on flight when you’re on a plane. 

     First up is a recent addition to Yamato’s Macross line with the fast packs and fold booster for the YF-19, next the Limited Edition DVD with figure of Last Exile, and finally Sky Girls 1 the series. I had seen Sky Girls the OVA and enjoyed it, how did the 1st episode of the series turn out?

Optimus Prime from the Dreamworks picture Transformers.

     I vaguely remember watching the Transformers cartoons when I was a kid and even having a large amount of those cool Autobot and Decepticon robots(unfortunately in junk/trash heaven now). Recently I went back and watched the Transformers movie released back in 1986 and was  surprised to find out how violent it was with transformers actually dying(!) and in some very destructive ways. All of which prepared me for the new movie.

     I had read a lot of reviews about the movie with reviewers saying just don’t expect the cartoon and go in with an open mind expecting the worse.  I think the latter worked for me in the past with movie adaptations of comics and books, but still I wanted some semblance of that cartoon. Better than the 80’s animated movie? I also caught the 1st episode of the anime Denno Coil and finally received my suped up laptop. 

 

Hi-V Gundam flying towards the horizon. 

     After finishing the Perfect Grade Strike Gundam I went looking for more PG’s to buy. I surfed around the web and saw what was available and there really wasn’t anything that really compared to the awesome designs of the Strike. I knew there were High and Master Grades, but in my mind why bother going down(HG,MG) when you’ve already started with the top(PG).

     That’s when I saw the MG Hi-V.  Looking at other people’s model of the Gundam, especially this guy’s, I went ahead and bought the Hi-V. How did it turn out?

 

Haruhi Suzumiya Limited Edition DVD 2 with extras. Newtype and Max Factory Figure added in background.

     The day I get my Haruhi Suzumiya LE DVD, I happen on this. The pic is from the newest Japanese Newtype and says that an airdate for the season will be released this Saturday.

     I am eagerly waiting for this series to come back since I’ve been a fan since I watched the the 1st (or last) episode.  So with Haruhi news and merchandise on my desk, I decided to do a post full of Suzumiya and some little things about them.