Manga Bags

I’ve had a bit of a roof leak a while back, which got me thinking about ways to protect my growing collection of manga.

These Manga Bags are a great way to protect your graphic novels. One set provides protection for a 100 of your precious manga.

The covers are resealable, so you can use them again and again.

As you can see they are a perfect fit for standard size graphic novels.

I’ve found mine at my usual manga supplier Archonia.com. Go directly to the manga bags by clicking here.

Pokémon HeartGold Unpacking

Always fun, unpacking new goodies. This time I got my greedy paws on a US import of Pokémon HeartGold.

The box, a bit bigger than your standard DS package due to the included Pokéwalker.
Depicted on the box is Ho-Oh, the legendary Pokémon exclusive to HeartGold. The SoulSilver version has the legendary Pokémon called Lugia.

The back of the box, with a summary of the contents and possibilities.

The contents of the box, the Pokéwalker is packed separately from the game cartridge. And apparently it does not take kindly to being washed, just so you know.

Nothing special here, just the game cartridge and the booklet as you’d expect.

The Pokéwalker comes with an extra backplate. The extra backplate has a clip which enables you to carry the Pokéwalker on your belt.

And lastly, in case you were wondering, this is the size of the Pokéwalker next to the DS cartridge.

Char Aznable’s MS-06S Zaku II

I’ve bought this Master Grade kit a while ago with some other models, but only recently got around to finishing the model. These kits are in 1/100 scale and made by Bandai.

The model is a “ver 2.0″ model of Char Aznable’s MS-06S Zaku II from the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise. These newer “ver 2.0″ models have a lot more points of articulation and detail when compared to older versions.

When building these models I only use a few Gundam Markers to detail the panel lines. The decals are a mix of dry-transfer decals and stickers.
The dry-transfer decals give a great result but are sometimes difficult to get in place.

The kit comes with a 280 mm bazooka, among other weapons.
For those not familiar with Mobile Suit Gundam; Char is the star pilot of the Zeon, with the Zeon being the enemies from the protagonist’s point of view.

On the business end of the bazooka.
A mobile suit like this one has a pilot, with the cockpit usually placed in the torso.

I also bought an Action Base specific to Char Aznable’s Zaku II.
With the Action Base you can display the model as being “in flight”.

Apart from the 280mm bazooka, the kit also comes with a 120mm machine-gun and a heat hawk (a thermal axe).

I have detailed the thrusters with a silver Gundam Marker, and I used black Gundam Marker to imitate the soot below the thrusters.

A close-up of the Action Base, lot’s of decals. To accent the panel lines, I used a fine tip black Gundam Marker.

This Action Base is an ideal way to display the model. I’m definitely going to get them for my other models too.

Want one too? My usual source for these kits is Hobby Link Japan.

Workspace expansion

Yesterday I got some welcome new additions to my workspace. The Wacom Bamboo Pen, a tablet and a Contour Design ShuttleXpress, a jog dial.

The Bamboo Pen by Wacom. This model only accepts pen input, there are also tablets available with touch input.
I hope to use it where a mouse proves inaccurate, and maybe it will renew my interest in freehand drawing.

The ShuttleXpress by Contour Design. I’ve wanted a jog dial for a while but I mostly bought this now to save on shipping and such.
This is a compact and not very expensive jog dial but will most likely fit my needs.

The controls as they are now. Hmmm, still some gadget room left…

Eindhoven Train Yard

I work at an office on a former train yard 2 days a week and there are always a nice collection of trains parked for servicing on the way to the office.
Yesterday I grabbed my camera for a few shots. Sadly there were not many trains at the time and I had to shoot from behind a fence, but I still got some decent results…

A 700 series in service of NedTrain. NedTrain services, repairs and cleans railway vehicles. Eindhoven is one of the many locations where they do repairs and cleaning work.

An IRM in service of the NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen), a commonly used double-decker intercity train.

One of the cargo locs in service of Railion. It still has the old colors (yellow/grey) from the time it was in service of the NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen).

And for something a bit different, a view of the many power lines snaking their way towards Eindhoven central station.