The Walker Gallia Mecha

A recent subject of my fascination is an old robot that I previously had no interest in, but after learning more, it grew on me. It's the Walker Gallia (sometimes spelled as Galliar) from the 1982 series Blue Gale Xabungle. It's the second mecha that the protagonist Jiron Amos uses in the series.

This robot may look ugly to some, but I like its brutish bulk. The head in reminiscent of the Zaku I from the Gundam series. Its looks are also more cartoonic than in other series, but I accept is as part of the series design. I hope to get the Real Robot Revolution version of this if I have money.

KAAABOOOOOOOOOMMMMM! Anime Ultimate Attacks

One thing which serves as a really great visual feast for me.... titanic destructive power. Since my post on Gundam X was about something with titanic power, I present more immense power, taken from several cartoons where beam-based final attacks were made:

Gundam X

Another Gundam I quite like is Gundam X. At first I found it odd and asymmetrical, but later grew to like it. After all, I got a High Grade 1/144 kit of it.

But what made me really like it (play the vid):

Now that's what I call POWER.

Unboxing the GM Sniper

Next off, the 1/100 scale Master Grade GM Sniper from Bandai. I got this because I particularly like the GM series of mecha in Gundam, and this particular kit has lots of weapons.

New Hauls for Jan 2012

I decided to splurge a bit and get these:

The Master Grade GM Sniper is something I had wanted to get from someone who's been selling it for years. The Centurion, I got because I wanted to try both a new brand and a new topic.

I'll get into in-box reviews shortly.

Too bad I misplaced my cutters, assembly will have to wait.I might've left them in the other house...

Gundam ZZ (Double Zeta)

Going back to gundams, one of my favorite among this metaseries is the Gundam Double Zeta. Its TV series aired in 1986 in Japan. It's also a design I quite like, having the look of a mean heavy-hitter with all those busy features, fins sticking out everywhere, and a mean double-barreled gun. I have its HGUC kit by Bandai.

Design Review: Magna Ryugunou

Perhaps I should focus on what I consider my favorite armor design of all time in heroic costume - Magna Ryugunou from the 2005 Japanese TV series Ryukendo.

Magna Ryugunou is actually the second version of the armor used by the character, Juushirou Fudou, after his first armor was destroyed. Actually, the first armor doesn't look bad either.

              

As you may see, the theme of this design is a dragon head as part of the helmet and other parts of the suit, with all other designs following a sort of fusion between modern technology and ancient jeweled designs. All in all, it's a good combination of a streamlined look with a heavily armored feel, especially on the chest plate.

My only disappointment is that other parts of the body, such as the thighs, loin and forearms, are only covered by spandex, and thus earlier metal hero designs, like Jiban and Janperson, come out as more heavily armored. But the overall effect compensates for this, and Magna Ryugunou remains my most favorite tokusatsu and superhero costume of all time.

The Aesthetics of the Wedge (Carry Over)

The wedge is classified as one of the basic machines in science. However, I see it as one of the basic aesthetic devices. As an artist who loves to draw futuristic armor, vehicles and robots, I like the wedge shape because it looks like it's moving even if it's not. It has a sharp, streamlined feature that just looks dynamic and beautiful. I wonder if "racy" can be applied, hehe.



In the pic above, it looks simple. But an artist or designer can rework the basic shape into something else. Like in the images that follow...