I’m sure you all know one fact about me by now: I love stupid, obscure crap, especially when something is designed specifically to BE stupid obscure crap to drive people like me nuts. Fortunately and unfortunately, I take the bait almost every time. It really helps me add to my ranks, even if I tend to make these in lieu of cooler, more recognizable suits. But hey, I guess me buying all this stupid stuff helps pay for new stuff coming out. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

For those who have yet to see it, episode 4 of Gundam Unicorn was a smorgasbord of obscure mobile suit designs and variations. I believe the official term for this is “mecha porn”. It seems as though Bandai’s using this opportunity to crap out as many kits as possible since they’re fresh in the public’s mind again, but there are some I won’t hold my breath on, like the one we have here: The GM II Semi-Striker.

I was never that big on the GM Striker as a design. It was interesting, but I always found the weapon kinda silly. For some reason, I don’t mind it as much here. Either way, my post-0083 Earth Federation needed more ranks, and I figured this would be as good of a suit as any to add to my forces. It had also been a few months since I’d done any kitbashing, and I figured this would be an easy way to get me back into the swing of things.

There’s an old saying, “when things look easy, they usually aren’t”. That sure holds true for kitbashing.

Originally I thought I’d just need to take the shoulders from the GM Striker, slap them onto the GM II’s arms, and be mostly done with it. But of course, Bandai hates us, so they decided to give the GM II and GM III a new joint system. I had to cut out the part surrounding the ball joint out and glue it onto the shoulder. It was a little annoying, but it worked.

Since I still had the forearms left over from the GM Wagtail project, I took the easy way out with the lower arms. I just built those over the GM Striker’s arm parts instead of transferring the joints from the GM II. It worked just as well.

But there was one part that made my life miserable, and that was the left arm shield. Thankfully, after my Full Armor Gundam project failed, I had plenty of parts lying around, so I didn’t have to buy a new one for this project. It didn’t fit over the forearm at all, so I had to get creative with cutting down the plastic, propping parts up, and using TONS of putty. It works, but I wish it came out a little better. Overall, it looks messy, and I’m probably going to revisit this project soon.

I’ve seen the color scheme interpreted a number of ways, usually going for the “ground division” colors of the GMs from Gundam 0083. I went a similar route, but I used a darker tan to make it more like a desert suit, since that’s where most of the battles in that episode took place.

Overall, it’s one of those kitbashes I can’t wholeheartily recommend to anyone because of the difficulty involved and the price (you’re buying three kits and less than 10% of two are being used). It’s a good “I have/need spare parts” kitbash, but not one I would consider a good investment. If you do want one, pick up a GM II and a GM Striker from FPNYC, and do yourself a favor and scratch-build the left forearm. You’ll save yourself a LOT of frustration.

By Loran

When I was a kid, I was really into LEGO, even more than I was into action figures. As the years went on, though, I noticed the sets were declining in quality, mostly due to the amount of effort they were funneling into the Star Wars sets. As a result, I got more and more interested in Gunpla and began focusing my efforts there. I can’t say I regret it, since I’ve gotten much better at that than I ever was at LEGO. Still, once in awhile, I go back to it or maybe even those neat HALO Mega Bloks sets. But I’m not here to talk about those—I’m here to talk about Kre-O.

Now as much as we want to forget it, Built to Rule happened. It was a great concept, but horribly executed. For those who don’t know, Built to Rule was Hasbro’s last attempt at a building block series, and it wasn’t very good. The bricks rarely stayed together and the end products were pretty disappointing once finished, especially the Transformers. This time, though, it seems Hasbro got a few things right, but there’s still room for improvement.

I made my first foray into Kre-O Sentinel Prime, since I like buying the characters we DON’T see every year. And because he was cheap for me, but that’s neither here nor there. Unsurprisingly, his design here is based on his appearance in Dark of the Moon, but there are a few other influences which I’ll get to later.

His vehicle mode is the similar to the airport firetruck he transforms into in the movie, and is surprisingly big, certainly bigger than any time LEGO did a vehicle like this. He has opening doors and a positionable, spring-loaded water cannon and ladders that don’t really do anything. Unfortunately he only has one seat for the driver, but I can’t say I’m that surprised.

There’s a bit of a blessing and a curse with the Kre-O sets. The Built to Rule sets had a basic frame they were all built around that could transform, with some parts being rearranged for the robot mode. Here, the ENTIRE SET needs to be disassembled to switch between the modes, which can take quite awhile. On one hand, both modes look better, but on the other, it’s very, very tedious, so I suggest just building it in the mode you want and keeping it there.

Much like his vehicle mode, Sentinel’s robot mode draws heavily from his movie incarnation. He’s a bit spindly, but the overall design is pretty cool. My only real complaints come from the weight that hurts his articulation, and the fact that his weapons are built into his hands. Of course, you can just take them out, but it’s an odd design choice. The joints are coated with a soft plastic, which seems to hold some poses, but not others. They’re like polycaps, but not as resilient.

What amazed me the most about this toy is the head—yes, it’s based on Transformers: Animated Sentinel Prime! It’s AWESOME, and I can see plenty of people buying this guy just to make customs.

But of course, nobody cares as much about the sets themselves as they do the Kreons, Kre-O’s answer to the minifigure. They’re awesome and adorable, and Sentinel comes with a Kreon of himself (based on his design from the comics), Skywarp, Soundwave, and… a fire chief with a ton of gear, but nobody cares about him. Of the four, my favorite is Soundwave. Just look at the mouth under the helmet! Awesome.

Kre-O is still in its infancy, but I can see it becoming much better as the years go on. Sentinel Prime is definitely recommended for his great design and Kreons. And before you ask—yes, FPNYC does carry these, so if you want to literally build your Autobot army, come on in!

…

It’s the 1984. Reagan’s War on Drugs is struggling to produce the desired results. So a secret government project is underway to create a new weapon to combat the drug cartels. That weapon: a fast growing, genetically enginered strain of mold designed to wipe out columbian coca fields. The problem? It eats humans too! When the mold is suspeciously released int the lab, a group of scientists and government officials striggle to contain the rapidly spreading contagion before it can escape the lab and threaten the outside world

Neil Meschino’s Mold is a wild ride filled with all the goo, guts, slime and splats you’ve come to expect from a classic 80′s sci-fi horror flick… yet it’s brand spanking new. This baby has modern exploitation classic written all over it. Grab your copy now!

Click here to view the embedded video.

So remember last week when I complained about the severe lack of new arrivals post-holiday and there was barely anything for me to talk about that WASN’T comic book related? Well don’t fret folks, that’s not an issue for this week. Our import section got a HUGE shipment in this past week, and we now have a plethora of new stuff in to discuss. As well as some new merch that falls under both the comics and anime sections.

Leading off the new arrivals is the Bishoujo Mystique statues, and a pair of repainted Ami-Comis statutes., White Canary, and Star Sapphire Wonder Woman. The Ami-Comis are kind of whack, basically just being repainted versions of the previously released White Canary & Star Sapphire, but hey, they may be someone else’s thing. Mystique, on the other hand, is a damn find low end statue, and the painting and sculpt is very well done, especially when it comes down to the skulls on her belt. In addition to Mystique, we also have the black costume variant Batgirl Bishoujo statue in stock, which  looks a ton better than the original release thanks to the new paint scheme/job.  I would easily recommend the 2 Bishoujo statues over the Amie Comis if you interested in picking any of them up.

After what seemed like forever, Square Enix finally released the first set of the Super Street Fighter IV Play Art Kai figures.  And it’s worth the wait, because these figures are MASSIVE! Chun Li and Ryu make up the first wave, and each of them come with a variant head, another set of hands, a  trademark fireball, and a stand for said fireballs. Again, I think it’s bull that Squenix doesn’t package figures for their figures anymore, but they’re fairly sturdy figures as is. Much more so than the previous Final Fantasy releases, as their exaggerated designs lend itself to this look well. They go for about $55 each, which is the average Play Art Kai price these days. If you’re looking for some colorful additions to your collection, and really dig Street Fighter, these figures are meant for you.

The biggest arrivals of last week have to be in the insane amount of new Bandai arts figure. We finally got in some new releases, and man, it’s nice to have something that’s not Shone Jump related to talk about. The first new D-Arts is from the cult PS2 classic/new hit anime Persona 4, and is the main protagonist’s Izanagi.  The first D-Arts based on Persona 4 (there’s at least 2 more on they way), Izanagi comes with a stand (obviously), a plethora of variant parts and effects, and a massive bladed weapon. The other new Figuarts of note in is Rock Bison of Tiger and Bunny fame! He’s a massive figure, easily overshadowing Tiger and Bunny in terms of scale. What’s a little beat about the figure is the fact that he really doesn’t come with much outside of some variant hands. Still it’s well sculpted and has a ton of articulation. So it’s not like it’s a bad figure. We also got a few older mecha-releases in stock, specifically  Gundam F-91, and Eva Units 0-1, and the Berserker Unit 0-2. And a ton of Kamen Rider figures. Possibly a literal ton. A lot regardless. Prices for the figures start at $45 and go up from there. With the rate most of these have been selling out, I advise you come by ASAP if you want em.

What are you waiting for!

We’ll also being giving away Dark Ascension product all weekend!  As of this writing there’s about one hour left to retweet this message to enter to win a FREE MTG: DA Fat Pack, so get a move on.  There will also be contests throughout the weekend, so keep an eye on our Twitter feed.

The urban legend known as ‘The Father’s Day Killer’ began some years after the demise of serial rapist/murderer Chris Fuchman.  Since the 1970s, the use of contraceptives has tripled in North America alone and a generation of fathers fell asleep with the covers pulled tight, buttocks clenched.  The story has become a fire-side cautionary ritual on camping trips, often used by fathers to warn their sons of the dangers of unplanned pregnancy.  That deep seeded fear of penetration, violation and eventually death waned as the murder and rape of fathers continued to decline all over the world. Unfortunately those numbers didn’t remain low, and it would seem that the legend is not yet complete…

Ahab, a man obsessed with exacting a brutal, violent revenge on the man who murdered his dad, joins John, an eager priest and Twink, a hot-headed street hustler on an epic quest to find and defeat this mythical monster known as Chris Fuchman AKA The Father’s Day Killer.

NYC FATHER’S DAY PREMIERE

FEBRUARY 10th and FEBRUARY 11th, 2012

SUNSHINE CINEMA 143 East Houston Street  New York

First in this collection, and comprising the bulk of Happy Town Tales, is “No Girls Allowed.” As I said, this book made a strong impression on me early on. Part of the reason for this is Madson’s gorgeous art. He has a simplified style that doesn’t abandon complex perspective or intricate backgrounds. He seems keenly aware of what in a given scene needs to be to focused upon in detail versus what needs to be simplified down to a gestural line. His figures are subtly elastic, allowing them to better emote through gentle exaggerations. The author’s use of black-spotting is particularly strong as well, though if I have one criticism, it’s that his overall framing is sometimes confusing. It’s not such a problem as to hinder readability, but it is at times distracting.

The other reason that I was so responsive to this book is the quality of writing. “No Girls Allowed;” about revisiting childhood memories in the wake of a suicide; is exceedingly well paced. Madson wisely leaves plenty of space between moments without making the story feel slow. The protagonist is interesting in that he’s not particularly sympathetic. He comes across as a descent-but-self-involved person who can only view a person’s tragedy through his own mirror. I find this sort of complex character so much more interesting than the usual bland everyman or author-surrogate.

“Beach Walk” is a short, thoughtful piece about a relationship. It creates a snapshot of a  couple at their most playful and is a perfect respite from the melancholy of “No Girls Allowed” and the grief to come in “World’s Greatest Dad.” The art for this story was similarly strong, with noticeably improved framing and an even more languid, attenuated line-work. It’s a simple back-and-forth, conversation-style story. The author does a good job of defining each character by the actions of the other, and in a larger sense defining the rhythm and flow of their relationship as well.

“World’s Greatest Dad” is the darkest and most surreal story in this collection. It begins like the prologue to an epic; as though the protagonist is the last man standing after an apocalypse. But as the story jumps backwards in time to unfold, we find that the apocalypse in question is one located within a single person’s mind. Instead we have the character study of a broken man; a father who still searches for his kidnapped daughter long after he has given up hope of finding her. It’s a heartbreaking portrait, and the way Madson pretends to build to a massive crescendo only to retreat to the smallest, most personal space imaginable magnifies the isolation of the father.

“World’s Greatest Dad” is not without flaw, however, and it relates to the title itself. The story gets its title from an incident in the father’s past, and it’s one that, without giving anything away, skirts the line between poignant and corny. It provides much of the character’s motivation, and as such comes off as a little too on the nose. But this is easy enough to overlook, as Madson is skilled enough to keep the story from running off the emotional rails that he’s laid down for it.

So there it is. Only a month into the new year and already I have something I’ll be recommending to anyone who’ll listen, until I’m blue in the face. Check out more from Justin Madson at www.justmadbooks.com

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Look for more from Morgan Pielli online at IndestructibleUniverse.com and follow him on Twitter at @UltraMorgnus