Danny Lectro

Great job, Doc. I like it very much.

Amazing work on this!

Very cool!

"Phineas and Ferb" on the Disney Channel is a brilliant show. Very funny and smartly done. I think "Spongebob" is a rather intelligent program, on top of being flat out hilarious. I see a lot of commentary in it about pre-conceptions and mob mentality. Spongebob himself seems to be the only person in the show capable of seeing that people are doing dumb things just because "it's the way we always did it." I really like the DC Animated Universe cartoons ("Batman: The Animated Series", "Superman: The Animated Series", "Batman Beyond", "Justice League" and "Justice League: Unlimited"). You can't go wrong with the original Looney Toons and Merrie Melodies. If we're going to also include anime, I love "Cowboy Bebop", "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and most of the films from Studio Ghibli.

Thank you for your kind words, gentlemen.

Excellent work so far, Doctor!

A little background story for this model, written by me, below the photo. Gallery of Images "I’m not one of those fools that joined the war thinking of fame, money or women. My grandmother fought against the Galactic Federation on K-156. My dad fights against the Strahl down on Earth, driving a Jerry that he had to learn to maintain himself. I heard their stories, I know how bad it can get. Yet I still joined, because I believed. Maybe you could say that standing up is in my blood. I still never thought I would end up up here. The tests I took showed an aptitude for fighting on Luna, in the low gravity, cramped quarters and long patrols stuck in a suit. Oh, yeah, the suit. My lifeline and my torture chamber. The suit was supposed to have been modified for use in the vacuum, but it still doesn’t always keep out the cold. The visor doesn’t get dark enough to protect your eyes from the suns rays. And — the officers deny it, but our chief mechanic isn’t so sure — I think they used cheaper actuators, thinking it wouldn’t make a difference in the lower gravity. Whoever made that decision never had to use an underpowered AFS to single-handedly push a broken transport through this damned clingy Lunar dust. What I wouldn’t give to breath some non-recycled air… Sweet Jesu, please tell me I didn’t just see a rocket flare over the horizon!" — This is a Maschinen Krieger Lunapawn, produced by Wave. I built it almost completely out-of-the-box, except for replacing the kit’s vinyl “hoses” with lengths of bass guitar string. I used the cement weld technique to remove most of the seams, Tamiya putty took care of the rest. It’s painted with Testors Gloss Gull Gray. I used the salt-chipping technique to expose some of the base coat of Testors Dark Andonic Gray Metallizer. I applied a wash of brown Tamiya acrylic to bring out the panel lines and add a bit of additional weathering. Scenic glue and gray ballast were used to make the lunar surface. Everything is mounted on a pine plaque that I stained myself. I couldn't get the pilot face painted in time for the contest I entered this in, which is why I blacked out the visor. I realized too late that the images came out so washed out, I tried to balance them a bit in Photoshop.

More photos here... Built almost completely out of the box, with custom weapons (2 Armored Core machine guns in the main hands, 2 Kotobukiya MSG sub-machine guns for the sub-arms). I replaced the claws on the sub-arms with hands from an HGUC Hyaku-Shiki that I trashed for parts. The main color is Testors Model Master Blue Angel Blue, the color I use for my Titans MS builds.

Link to Photobucket album I call this one "The Old One-Two," in reference to the unit number I applied to the legs. HGUC Xeku Eins, mostly box stock with some custom equipment. The hand-held rifle is a Kotobukiya MSG part. The ECM package on the right shoulder came from an Armored Core action figure. The shoulder mounted missile launcher came from a Front Mission action figure. The hanger is a Kotobukiya Mechanical Chain Base, with a couple of items of the Xeku's original equipment as details (Rifle mounted to the back wall, ammo container mounted to the truck). Figures are Wave 1/144 Mobile Staff, with one positioned to appear as if he's floating to the mecha in zero-g. Paints are Model Master enamels, Tamiya acrylics, and Krylon grey primer as the base color of the Base. I used the same colors as on the Sturm Dias model I have previously posted, intending the two mecha to be members of the same squadron. This model won 3rd place in the regional open category in the Bandai model contest at the 2010 NY Comic Con and Anime Festival. I have since applied a clear flat coat to the mecha model, but do not have updated photos.

These photos were taken by Gamera Baenre at the 2010 NY Comic Con and Anime Festival, at the Bandai model contest booth. This model won 1st place in the 1/144 scale category. I opened all the molded holes in the armor. I beefed up the chest side thrusters with Kotobukiya vernier parts. The visor was made with aurora film applied over a shiny Metallizer to make it more reflective. I replaced one of the shoulder cannons with a Kotobukiya MSG Weapon Unit missile launcher, and devised a way to make it posable. The joint is not pretty, but it is not visible under the guard-piece on the backpack. The hand-held gun is another MSG part, and the shield came from an Armored Core weapon set. I modified a piece from my bits-box as a handle for the shield. I hacked at the shield with a rotary tool to make battle damage. There are a couple of small bullet-holes on other areas of the suit, but I concentrated the damage on the shield in an attempt to show the pilot is skilled with parrying attacks before they can do any damage. The model is painted in custom colors. Paints are Model Master, with Metallizer Titanium for all of the frame and joint parts. The wash is thinned out Tamiya German Grey, and I weathered with Tamiya Weathering Master. The flat coat is Micro-Scale flat acrylic. The number decals came from a Maschinen Krieger kit produced by wave. The "nose art" decal on the shoulder is by Starship Modeler.

I finished this model more than a year ago, but never got around to taking my own pictures. I recently remembered that the gentleman who ran the Bandai model kit contest at last year's NY Comic Con and Anime Festival took some photos of it, so I figured I would link to those photos so I could show off the model here. Thanks for the great photos, Gamera Baenre. I see this as a first wave assault mobile suit. She flies in fast at the head of the assault, lets loose with the small missiles in the hand-held launchers to eliminate as much resistance as possible, then switches to the machine guns stored on the backpack to assist the second wave of the assault in close combat. The colors are mostly Testors enamels, the maroon accents are a custom mixed color. Tamiya silver was dry-brushed onto the weapons to give a more metallic look. I used some Tamiya Weathering Master weathering pastels to highlight the edges. The flat finish was achieved with Micro-Scale flat clear acrylic. The weapons are Kotobukiya MSG parts. The number decals are from Hi-Q parts. The cheesecake art on the front skirt is from Starship Modeler. The model didn't win any nods at the Bandai contest, but I am still proud of my work on her.

Very nice work. You have a great eye for detail. I especially liked the boiled-over pot on the stove. Your guy left the sink running!

You can also try creating a table in the Word document, and insert your images into the cells of the table. You can resize the rows and columns of the table to get some space between your images.

I just saw this video this morning. It's a very personal and moving tribute to those who gave up their lives to save others on that terrible day. So many people, innocent and heroic, lost their lives on that day. So many families are still dealing with the loss. This is why I can't forget. http://youtu.be/yfWa9gI-Bks

"Never Forget - unless we want you to buy a new TV, or some other junk you don't need." These days, It seems to me like Americans are expected to completely forget about what happened on that day, until election time rolls around again. We should have a better perspective on what is really important in life, but most people are still just focused on having more stuff than their neighbors.

How could I forget? At that time, I was working a weekend shift at a company in Midtown Manhattan. That day, I was scheduled to go in for some training in the late morning. I was taking a shower, when my wife burst into the bathroom with our baby boy in her arms, and said a plane had hit one of the towers. I thought she meant a small private plane, but she said, no, it was an airliner. The import of what she said didn't really sink in, so I continued my shower. A few minutes later, she came back in and told me another plane had hit the second tower. We knew then it couldn't have been an accident. A short time later, I received a call from the administrator of the training group, saying that the training session had been cancelled for obvious reasons. I felt really numb for a while. I went with my wife and son to a local diner, which was absolutely packed. I think people were grasping for a sense of normality amidst the shock of the attack.

When I see questions like these, I wonder:

I like this very much, Marcos. Great job!

Thanks all, for the kind words and constructive criticisms.

Interesting approach. I look forward to seeing where you go with it. I drive a Scion xB, and I love it.

Thank you for the kind remarks, Rick and Outlaw!

Excellent. I really like the paint scheme, it works really well with the lines of the car.

Dude, I did say it was not my first choice, okay? I do appreciate your comments on the build quality. Thanks!

Thank you, Danno.

I like the pop bottle in the cup-holder, it's a nice touch. Who is the bounty hunter's target?