[PSVita] Final Fantasy X HD (announcement video)

From what I can tell, nothing is really "HD" about the game footage shown in the announcement video (and others on YouTube seem to agree with me)... Sony is starting to disappoint me a little. First they announce this HD remake then one day later they reveal the PS4... I still am upset about that because I know I'm not the only one who just got a PS3 last year. *sigh* Anyways, for anyone who hasn't played FFX, this may be a good chance to play it with possibly some nicer looking graphics on the PSVita (the trailer has PS3 in the title but according to SankakuComplex it's only for Vita).

[PSVita] What the Vita!?- Japanese Price Drop and New Color

There's been a flurry of PlayStation 4 news lately that the Vita seems to be going under a lot of people's radar. I owned a black Vita before but due to financial troubles had to sell it, regardless of that I loved the system and it was almost like having to sell a piece of myself. I hope to one day get a new one but I'm kind of holding out for either the color red (well one that I can purchase state side. There is a bundle in Japan that has a red Vita) or a price drop I can get behind- or when I have some expendable income to buy one. 

The Price Drop in Japan:

February 18th brought some interesting news for those who have been thinking about buying a Vita but don't want to pay $200+ to buy one new- well those in Japan. Both the 4G and Wi-Fi models have received a pretty nice price drop to ¥19,980 (about $212)... yet there is no sign of a drop in price outside of Japan. According to Japanator this is due to the Japanese yen dropping in value. Maybe one day (probably not till late 2014 or maybe if were lucky during the Christmas prep season this year) American's will see a price drop in the near future as well.

New "Ice White" Color:

While North American's are able to get a white Vita bundled with Assasin's Creed III, we have yet to get the bundle that comes with Soul Sacrifice (I really want that Red Vita) so getting the new Ice White Vita probably will not happen any time soon either. Ah oh well, at least Japan will be able to keep their handheld system cleaner!

[GIS] Where to buy?

[What is a "Gundam"?][The Different Grades of Gundam][Basic Tools]

I just realized while I did link to some places to buy Gundam in previous entry, I didn't specifically tell you what online sites are great for buying Gundam when you do not have a local place to buy kits. I myself have not bought a kit since my local shop temporarily closed (they're opening back up in March so I'm sure I'll be getting my Gundam buying fix soon after). You can also get kits on sites like Ebay, Amazon and any other bidding site but I'm going to show you official sites.

[go to site][Gundam]

Price Range:

¥100-7800+

$1-85+

HobbyLinkJapan is really good if you want to be able to preorder kits and buy directly from Japan without having to go through a 3rd party service. The prices are very good and the kits are packaged very well when being shipped- basically they come in tact and if you have a problem you can contact customer service. HLJ is very good about fixing problems such as a kit getting squished. I put this site first because they are good for more than just Gundam kits- you can get shirts, supplies and other things that aren't Gundam related.

 

 [go to site]

Price Range:

$30-$80+

You can get more than just Gundam kits here. There are even ones of the ship from One Piece. I myself have never used this site so I don't know if they ship their products well but I have had people recommend I order from here... so maybe one day I will!

 [go to site]

 Price Range:

$1-80+

The website promises a "110%" savings on price. That doesn't mean you get things for free though (as cool as that would be), but it just means they are set on giving you a good price which it seems they do. I have a friend who has build over 100 Gundam kits and he's bought a pretty good amount from here.

 [go to site]

HobbyWave is one of the more well known sites (after HLJ) to buy Gundam, but the advantage is this site is mainly Gundam with a few other series and divideds the products by grade and scale which is pretty convenient when you aren't ready for the high grades. I've gone to websites and seen really nice looking kits only to find out they were perfect grades or master grades when I had just started building Gundam and would get sad knowing my skill level was no where near where it needed to be for PG/MG. It's nice not getting my hopes up.

 [go to site][Gundam]

Price Range:

$2-85+

J-list is not the best for actual kits (I did a search today and did not find any but sometimes they do have kits listed) but for the magazine's that either focus exclusively on Gundam or feature Gundam. You can also get things like this figure:

 

Spring 2013 Anime

Usually I'd try and make a much nicer post but there is a really good chart so instead of making a full post I'm just going to post links to the websites of the anime series' premiering Spring 2013 (if there are any... seems a lot of these don't have official sites for the anime versions).

Watch:
My Sister Can't be This Cute 2 (Otaku) [ANN]
Maji Tantei Nougami Nuero 2 (Detective) [ANN]
Blue Friend (Tragic/ Dark Past/ Angst) [Baka-Updates Manga]
Baby Princess 3D (Slice of Life) [Wiki]
Usotsuki Mi-kun to Kowareta Ma-chan: Totteoki no Uso (Tragic/Mental Illness) [Baka-Updates Manga]

Maybe: 
Riko to Haru to Onsen to Iruka (Slice of Life) [Baka-Updates Manga]
Kettama! - Shuukyuu Raiotto Girls  (Sports) [Baka-Updates Manga]
Bokura wa Piacere (Slice of Life?) [VNDB]
Aorio (Slice of Life/ Romance) [VNDB]
Cure Girl (Slice of Life/ Romance) [VNDB]
Ryuusei no Rockman STORM (Tech)

Need to watch Previous Season(s) first:
Kuroko no Basuke- Winter Cup (Sports)[Wikia]
Area no Kishi- Forward Championship (Sports) [MAL]
Seikirei- Final Engagement (Battle Royale) [Wiki]
Kaichou wa Maid-sama 2 (Slice of Life?) [Wiki]

Skip:
Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke O (Yuri) [VNDB]
Nobara no Mori no Otometachi  (Yuri/ Shoujo-Ai) [Baka-Updates Manga]
Girl Friends (Yuri) [Wiki]
Imouto no Katachi (Sister Love) [VNDB]

[GIS] Basic Tools

 [What is a "Gundam"?][The Different Grades of Gundam]

Now that you know what a Gundam is and have chosen a grade/scale to work on, time to get some basic tools (and optional ones that can make the building process much easier). A lot of these tools can be bought locally at either a craft store such as Micheal's or Hobby Lobby; or at super market places such as Walmart and Target. You may also be able to get some of these at Walgreens or some other drug store, but not always. Just check the office supply isle at any store you go to.

These tools are for snap together kits!

These are also known as "wire cutters".

Price Range:  $3-$10

I've seen people build kits without these. Side cutters are used mainly to get the kit pieces off of the runners (also known as trays) without splitting a piece in half or breaking it into pieces. I really recommend getting a pair of these if you're building a kit with thin or really long pieces. I made the mistake of building the following kit without using clippers... let's just say I got a few cuts and one of the four pieces used to make the main part of the kits board split.

I would say this tool and the X-acto knife are the two most important tools you'll need even though you could in all technicality build many Gundam kits without them; but not very well. I've built kits with and without these tools. The one's I built without tend to have pieces fall off and stubs left over after pulling a piece off the runners.

 Price Range: $5-$10 

(for a good starter handle/blade)

Blades: $3+ 

(for a pack of 5)

Most people know this type of knife as an X-acto knife because that brand is really popular. Walmart has a brand of their own (even though some carry X-acto), and various other hobby stores don't always carry X-acto brand. Any hobby knife will due as long as it isn't old and rusted. You will need to replace the blades every so often, but blades are only about $3 for a pack of 5. There are different shapes of blades. I've only ever really used the classic #11 shape which most of the standard handles come with. Seems to work for any grade of kit.

 This type of cutting mat is also known as "self healing cutting mat" because the material is hard to cut through and can heal itself... really hard to explain the science behind it.

Price Range: $10-$40

(magazine's vary in price)

I haven't had the money to get a new cutting mat (the one I had warped from leaving in my car too long); instead I've been using a magazine and sometimes a plastic place mat (the kind that kids usually use when eating). All work, but I do recommend getting a self healing mat if you plan to build a lot of kits. This allows you to build kits almost any where without ruining tables, counters and other furniture. It also helps keep little pieces you'll shave off with the hobby knife from escaping.

[AOW] Basquash! (2/17-23/2013)

Image copyright Satelight/ Bee Train

I should kick myself so hard. Why have I never featured this anime!? Good thing I decided to go through my MAL to pick an anime this week because otherwise it might have been a while (or maybe never) before this one ever saw the light of day on my AOW series. Who would not love a series about mecha playing basketball? I really wish this series would end up on [adult swim], toonami or even Netflix because it is a fun anime without having to be too serious.

Type: Original

Genre(s): Mecha, Adventure, Sci-fi

# of Episodes: 26

Synopsis: 

On the planet Earthdash, its inhabitants gaze on its moon and the technologically advanced lunar city of Mooneyes with awe. Dan JD, a boy living in Rollingtown on Earthdash’s surface, gets caught up in Bigfoot Basketball—a fast-paced sport played with giant Bigfoot robots.