Gunpla #47 - HGGO GM Cannon (Space Assault Tyoe) Review

Another GM! This time,  it's a p-bandai GM Cannon from Origin MSD, and the last of the four GMs in the series released by far. As previous released GMs, this kit offers a high detail design and great articulation, something special to HG of Origin series. Due to its similarity to previous GMs in the series, I would emphasize this review for the new aspects special for this kit.

Firstly, as always, let's talk about the aesthetics. There's no doubt that all GM of the Origin series are pleasant to watch, and this one is no exception. Mainly consists of red, white and black color scheme, GM Cannon looks so badass! Again, the details and proportion look so much better (in my opinion) compared to its MG counterpart, something you rarely found in a HG kit. The marking stickers set are gread and blend well with the colors. Some stickers though, need to be trimmed because they just lay over panel lines. Only one foil sticker used for part separation on the cockpit armor, but I just painted it grey. 

As its GM brothers, this kit has great articulation. The front skirts certainly articulates better than GM Guard Custom or GM Sniper Custom, mainly because of one-piece design which is not hindered by the waist section of the mobile suit, thus it could do kneeling pose without any problems at all. Unfortunately, neck articulation is blocked by the shoulder cannon, making this kit couldn't turn its head to the right. The cannon itself has very limited articulation, it cannot level the barrel to high, or moving left or right freely because of the narrow space beside the head.

   

This kit comes with two weapons only: a beam spray gun and a shoulder cannon. No melee weapons at all which is unfortunate. As previous GMs, it only has three hands: 2 standard and 1 right trigger, and as before, the hands are so weak which is not really a big problem considering the minimal weaponry this kit has. Another good thing is, there are several vacant connector plugs on the back skirt and each arms in case you want to customize it for using other weapons. The left side of the backpack also has a connector plug which could be use as the rack for beam saber, another shoulder cannon or any other accessories.

The verdict, this kit is a nice addition to the Origin's GM series. It is highly detailed, well articulated and customizable. The weaknesses are weak hands, limited neck-cannon articulation and lack of accessories. If you are a GM fan, you will not regret adding this kit into your collection.

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RGC-80S GM Cannon (Space Assault Type)

Pros:

• Beautiful, highly detailed aesthetics
• Great articulation (in general)
• Customizable, with several plug connectors

Cons:

• Very minimal weaponry
• Weak hands
• Limited articulation for neck and shoulder cannon

     

    

Gunpla #46 - Exceed Gundam Head Vol.1 Review

I am not a fan of gashapon toys, but this one is an exception. Exceed have been successful with its previously released Zaku head (I even have two of them on my desk), and this year, they made it again. This time though, it's not Zaku, but Gundam, the protagonist of the franchise. The first volume of Gundam head have been released in January 2019 in Japan, and consists of three kinds of head: 'granddaddy' RX-78-2, FA-78-1 Full Armor Gundam, and RX-78-3 G3, with price of 500 Yen for each head. It became a big hit when it was released, and the toys were quickly sold out. Now, it is so rare, you won't likely find it, even in Akihabara except at very few hobby stores or auction sites.

Unopened head in their 'helmet'

Construction wise, it is pretty simple and not so different with the Zaku head. Each had was encased in a kind 'helmet' along with the manual. The manual itself is in Japanese, but quite self-explanatory and easy to understand.

The manual

The head will be revealed after opening the helmet case, where v-fin, forehead, and chin parts are stuffed inside it.

The main parts of the head

By opening the side vents hatch (which is the main gimmick of this kit), we can pull the forehead and back sensor out. The v-fin could be constructed and attached on the forehead, as well as the chin parts. Take caution when opening the plastic bag of v-fin parts since they are quite fragile.

Last step, connect the head to the neck which is made by using the base of helmet. The color of the neck might be inaccurate but the head looks totally cool!

As mentioned above, the only gimmick of this kit is the side vent hatch which could be opened. Other than that, nothing special could be done with it. Of course, there are possibilities for customization eg, installing LED inside the head etc. Nevertheless, for a 500 Yen gashapon toy, this kit is highly detailed, with lots of panel lines over it. As previously released Zaku head, each Gundam head has a marking on it. Panel-lining the head should be easy using Tamiya Panel Lines Accent (TPLA) or even Gundam Marker. Anyway, the ones who use TPLA should be aware because its excessive use could melt the plastics as well as the paint (on forehead or chin).

The verdict, this kit is a nice addition for those who love gashapon toys, and of course, Gundam. I'm truly looking forward to see the Vol.2. I wonder how Exceed will make Gundam head from different universe such as Wing or Seed series :-)

Research Note #21 - Compiling Fortran Script for NetCDF Data Processing

NetCDF data is become more and more important for my research, thus it's necessary to work with it with my own program, in Fortran (F90). The compilation anyway, a little bit tricky and slightly different with ordinary Fortran compilation. Here are the simple steps to compile it, using Intel Fortran compiler:

1. Make sure NetCDF module has been installed and declared in the system path.

The path for NetCDF module is : $NETCDF/include

If the path has not yet existed, make a soft link of the module file to current directory:

ln -sf $NETCDF/include/netcdf.mod

2. Compile the Fortran code to make an object file

Let's say the code file name is 'test.f90', then execute:

$ ifort -c test.f90 -I$NETCDF/include

Or, if the path of NetCDF module has existed, just simply:

$ ifort -c test.f90

Make sure no problems occur.

3. Finally, link the object file to an executable file:

$ ifort -o test.exe test.o -I$NETCDF/include -L$NETCDF/lib -lnetcdff -lnetcdf

Same as step 2, if the module path has existed:

$ ifort -o test.exe test.o -L$NETCDF/lib -lnetcdff -lnetcdf

If everything's OK, then an exe file will be created in the current directory. The most important thing, don forget to include '-lnetcdff', because since release 4.1.3, the Fortran library is no longer combined with C library. One hint is by checking if there are file named 'libnetcdff' in the $NETCDF/lib directory. If they are there, the argument '-lnetcdff' should be added in the compile command. 

Gunpla #45 - HGAC Leo (Space Type) Review

Sometimes, in gupla world, simple is better. We have seen design such as the granddaddy RX-78-2, Zaku or Gundam Mk-II, which is basically 'simple' compared to more recent, flamboyant mobile suits like Unicorn or Strike Freedom. Nevertheless, these simple designs become people's favorite because they are symbols of the series, and in term of gunpla, usually they offer something more. When Bandai announced Leo to HG line in 2018, people were filled with joy and excitement. Not only because it's one of the most memorable mobile suits in Gundam Wing series, but because it took more than 20 years until it was released as a HG gunpla. This, with its solid build and inexpensive price have prompted HG Leo to be a very successful release of that year. Anyway, Bandai recently has tendency to release an iconic, ordinary kit before releasing another (better) variant of it as a p-bandai. As for Leo, one of its p-bandai variants is Leo Space Type. Therefore, when Bandai announced Leo as retail release, I decided to wait for a while. I was right.

Leo Space Type with all accessories it brought

Leo Space Type is basically a recolored Leo. Instead of green, we get a purple Leo, with a backpack and propellant tank, and sooo many extra accessories! In addition with 2 beam sabers, a shield and a 105mm rifle of retail release, this kit comes with a long beam rifle, a short beam rifle, a colony beam rifle (adjustable into long and short type) and a mega beam cannon. Furthermore, there are option parts for the shoulder and backpart if we want to switch between ordinary Leo and Space Type Leo. This p-bandai kit costs around 1500 yen, which means, compared to the retail release, you just have to pay for 500 yen more to get all stuff. If only it comes with a dober gun, this kit will be perfect.

With long beam rifle and colony (long) beam rifle

Dual hand actions: with colony long beam rifle/short beam rifle (left) and colony short beam rifle/beam saber (right)

With mega beam cannon and 105mm rifle

Despite of its simple joints design, the articulation of this kit, as the original Leo, is really good and solid, making it so easy for posing. The weak joints of this kit are found around the ankles, which is very prone to fall easily when you try to pose the kit. It also only has 2 standard, multi-purpose hands, for holding the guns and beam sabers. No marking stickers, only foil for the head/face, therefore I gave some paints and custom decals to add more details. The shield could be handled by hands (which are pretty weak). It could also be attached on the shoulder as normal Leo, but the large propellant tank restricts the movement, so I suggest to use normal Leo if you want to use it that way.

The verdict. Leo Space Type is an upgrade of the ordinary Leo which is, despite its simple design, offers many great things: articulation and durability, extra options parts with very reasonable price. This kit IMHO, is one of the best p-bandai kits of 2018. If you have chance to buy it, I really recommend this kit over the retail released Leo, especially if you are a fan of Gundam Wing series. 

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OZ-06MS Leo (Space Type)

Pros:

• Simple, yet very durable design, with great articulation
• Tons of accessories and extra parts
• Inexpensive as a p-bandai

Cons:

• Weak ankles and hands
• No markings, foils only
• No dober gun (It goes to Leo Flight Type)

Gunpla #44 - HGGO GM Sniper Custom Review

I love sniper mobile suits. They look so badass and could kill enemies silently from distance with outstanding accuracy. In the past, I have built GM Sniper II of HGUC line, and it was a really good kit, with cool gimmicks and accessories. This time I will review another HG GM Sniper, from Origin series. This p-bandai kit was released in August 2018, following the first GM of Origin series, the GM Guard Custom, which is a retail released. Being a modified version of one of the best HGs, does this GM have the same quality as its brother unit? Well ... let's see.

The aesthetics of HG GM Sniper Custom is on par with GM Guard Custom, probably even better because there are several details added to the design. This kit has olive-green and grey base color, compared to blue-white of GM Guard Custom, and a red visor which looks more serious and militaristic. The antenna was located on the top of head, and with additional thrusters on the legs and backpack. The backpack design is also different from GM Guard Custom. Sadly, as usual, parts of color separation were done by foil stickers, with the biggest (and most annoying) ones are for the lower parts of the backpack. Nevertheless, this kit looks so great with decal stickers put on through out its body. In my opinion, it looks even cooler than its Master Grade version which was released earlier.

With GM Guard Custom

Due to the overall similar design with GM Guard Custom, this GM Sniper exactly has the same great articulation of the former kit. Unfortunately, it also inherits the weakness, including the weak hands and limited front-skirt articulation. Anyway, it could still do some cool poses, for example, the standing or even kneeling sniper poses. This kit comes with more aggressive accessories: a sniper rifle, beam spray gun, and a beam saber (with a pair of beam effects). The beam spray gun could be stored on the left leg while the beam saber hilts is attached on the back of right arm, which looks so damn cool! The sniper rifle could be folded and stored at the back skirt which has a special connector for it. Unfortunately, the backpack doesn't have any plugs/connectors for kitbashing as GM Guard Custiom. Lastly, it also has one spare part for the leg without gun connector.

Left image: what you'll see on the promotional images. Right image: the reality with the left hand. 

Anyway, in spite of all its greatness, this kit has one major flaw: it lacks left open-hand for holding the sniper rifle. I couldn't believe Bandai decided to exclude such important accessory. This kit only has 2 standard hands and 1 right trigger hand, completely same with GM Guard Custom. Imagine, a sniper kit without a hand to hold the sniper. It's so ridiculous! Now I understand why the promotional images on the websites and box-art don't show any poses with left hand holding the rifle!

Open left hand from HG Build hands

Fortunately, I have bunch of custom hands from builder parts and build custom series. Therefore, I  just took one M-size open left hand from HG Build hands edge, and voila, problem solved! It even has pretty same color with the original GM hands. Still, I felt annoyed with how Bandai abandoned a left open hand for this kit. Was it intentional to keep the price low? Regardless the reasons are, excluding an open hand for sniper kit is unacceptable. I prefer paying more for an extra hand than having an inexpensive kit without proper accessories. By the way, in the end, this kit finally could show the poses it deserves:

Finally, the verdict, this kit has (almost) all qualities of GM Guard Custom has: beautiful aesthetics, great articulation and nice weapons. Unfortunately, the exclusion of open left hand makes it looks so dumb as a sniper kit, not even mentioning that it's released as a p-bandai. I don't recommend anybody to buy this kit, unless you have spare of extra custom open left hand for it. 

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RGM-79SC GM Sniper Custom

Pros:

• Cool, high-detailed design, looks better than its MG version (MSV)
• Great articulation, able to do kneeling poses
• Extra gimmicks for storing beam saber and sniper rifle

Cons:

• No open left hand for holding the sniper rifle
• Limited articulation for the front skirt and weak hands
• Color separation with lots of foil stickers for back pack and some parts of the body