31.12.2007
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Year End Round-Up
This site on this year as of to date have about 19000 unique visitors, 173255 pages viewed, 1.6 million hits and 25 GB bandwidth used so far. This has a lower hit rate comparing to last year and this is expected owing to my slow updates.

I still have most visitors from U.S. follows by Australia, Singapore, Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan and only then Malaysia. I am little but surprise that there are Japanese visitors more than Malaysians are.

My procurement of toys has somewhat dropped this year from 56 last year to 33 items this year. This is the lowest toy procurement for the past 5 years.

Frankly, I am starting to lose my interest with toys. Metal and oil prices are shooting up like crazy, making most manufacturers are cutting down the metal and jacking up their prices. The expensive price combine with lack of metals are really making a toy not so attractive anymore. Moreover, the frequent re-issues really did many damages to collectible values.

Other reason includes space. I have to squeeze every since inch of space in my house to fit in 200 plus toys omitting the number of models and resin figures that I owned.

This year I have picked up quite a few things.

Firstly, I learned to write my own PHP code and MySQL database and pick up CSS styling. I guess this has often misled visitors that this is a blog. I do wish there is a free blog that are suitable for this for there is not. I have to hand code my own PHP, MySQL and CSS.

Moreover, being a DSLR user who delves a little too deep into the technicalities of photography really upped my expectations on the photos that I took. I no longer have the interest to make snapshots of the toy but to take this opportunity to improve my photographic skill. I now take more efforts in studying the toys and taking the photos at the best possible pose and experimenting with background color and lighting conditions. I am getting fussy and this imposes a greater pressure in pushing out an article.

Now let us go onto the overall statistics.

Top 5 Overall

The hardest hit pages on this site are on the DSLR article that I wrote and Max Technique. This comes as a surprise to me. Most of the time no one really bother to read the crap that I wrote and this is a good sign that more and more people are interested in taking photos for their toys.

I will still say that the more popular section of this site is still are the Saint Cloth Myth and SIC.

Top Models

The statistic on the modeling section comes as a surprise to me. There is actually someone looking into my models. I believe from the stats itself tell me that there still are more people preferring the "no-paint" method that I did for my models.

New Items Added:
Time flies and another year has passed. This is in overall a very busy year for me owing to work and personal matters. Thank you for bearing with my slow updates.
Captain Jack Sparrow
Review not ready. Only partial photos taken and added.

New Photos Added:
Best of Cool Girl - Kisaragi Honey
3 new photos added.

Best of Cool Girl Vol.4 - Alternative Cutie Honey
4 new photos added.

Anyway, this is the last update for this year. See you next year!

17.12.2007
New Photos Added:
GFF#0001 FA-78-1 Full Armor Gundam
New photos added.

RX-78GP01 Gundam Zephyranthes
New photos added.

13.12.2007
New Photos Added:
 1/6 TANDEM TWIN Animal Girl Yamaneko Neechan (Green Version)
Added new CG photo. Background taken from Liu Hua Lake, Guangzhou and PVC figures imperfections are cleaned up.

06.12.2007
New Item Added:
 Metal Composite Psycho Gundam
The super huge 1/144 scale GFF Metal Composite Psycho Gundam.


29.11.2007
New Photos Added:
 1/8 Kasukabe Saki Costume Play Version
Added new photos. I took 2 set of photos, one on a classic white background and the other on a black background. I prefer the black set as the photos allow me to show how I play around with the shadows.

28.11.2007
New Photos Added:
 1/6 Haruhi Suzumiya [Bunny Girl] (Black Version)
I replaced the older photos taken with Canon IXUS 3.0 MP with photos taken with EF-S 60mm. I guess I will be lying if there are no difference between a 10.1MP DSLR and a 3.0MP old PnS camera. The image quality is bleeding sharp with a prime lens. Prime rules!

1/7 Kazami Mizuho PVC Green Swimsuit
Being a 2003 release, this figure is actually an ugly piece of rubber by today standard. This new batch of photos is somewhat of a mixed blessing. The good point is I am glad that it can reveal all those hideous seam lines where my previous camera could not. The bad is that, in artistic point of view, there is nowhere to hide those ugly sides of the figure.

A white background is getting boring. I experimented with a red backdrop in a low-key style. I guess a little bit of soft shadow will not hurt but helps to bring out the curvature of the figure.

26.11.2007
New Photos Added:
 1/6 TANDEM TWIN Animal Girl Yamaneko Neechan (Green Version)
Added new photos.

Note:
Most of my photos are on a white background. In photography, I think this is a high-key technique that eliminating most if not all of shadows on the subject. As far as a review is concern, this works well at the expense of the subject looking flat.

I am experimenting here by throwing in a black background, using a single light source and sometimes a fill light to sculpt the shadows on the subject. I am just practicing some low-key technique here hoping it can bring out the artistic and 3D feel of the subject. 

1/6 Belldandy One-Piece Swimsuit PVC Completed
Replace older photos with these newer batch.

Note:
Again experimenting with high-key technique and low-key technique (but in blue background).  Low-key with a single light source on a blue background is trickier as it will cast a shadow on the backdrop. I tried to compensate by taking at lower f/ value to blur out the background.

01.10.2007
Site Update:
Modeling In Progress page is updated to DB driven. It should better reflect my work in progress.

25.09.2007
New Item Added:
 Saint Cloth Myth - Siren Sorrento
The third Marine Generals to date that comes beautiful cloth and a deadly flute.

Note:
As in Lionet Ban, Sorrento's photos are completely taken in RAW format. The difference in technique here comparing to earlier batch, 1/6 Rin Tousaka Cerberus Project 2005, is that I use a CPL filter here.  CPL require me to take photos at 1/3 to 2/3 stop higher than normal and have a tendency to leave a bluish gray tint to the white background. This can be adjusted to pure white as my other photos. However, I will like not to adjusting it so. I feel that a pure white background does sometimes overexpose or masked off the smaller details making it less noticeable. The pro side of using a CPL does bring out better contrast.

The next minor improvement I made on this site is to incorporate a "Related Item" section for each collectibles pages. This make use of MySQL full text search capability.

20.09.2007
New Item Added:
 Transformers Encore 01 Convoy / Optimus Prime
Including this, I think I have a total of 10 Optimus Prime. How many Prime Takara have to keep releasing anyway? Aside from that, this original Prime still has its irreplaceable charm on its own.

19.09.2007
New Item Added:
 Saint Cloth Myth - Lionet Ban
This item comes with very attractive action figure with nicely sculpted face and excellent articulations for its final bronze body. The armor is nicely painted in pearl orange.

I do not think anyone will buy this unless they are hard core fans to Saint Seiya series. I did not buy this. I got this free from points redemption from my local store.

Note:
Photos are completely taken in RAW format. The downside of RAW is that I need to do some processing before I can publish it. However, I have calculated the time taken to do less exposure bracketing to comparing my time to process the photos in Photoshop, it is still slightly faster to do it than straight JPG shooting.

18.09.2007
New Photos Added:
 Macross - 1/55 Variable Fighter VF-1A Valkyrie (Pilot H.Ichijo Use)
Another antique purchase in year 2002. Feel like to dig it up and give it a better photo treatment.

MSiA MS-05B/3S Zaku I Black Tri-Star Use
Added new photos for MSiA Zaku I. I bought this item at about 4 years ago and I have not taken the photos properly. I was testing to take photos in RAW format and this Zaku I is chosen as another guinea pig for fine tuning my photography digital workflow.

12.09.2007
New Model Completed:

1/6 Rin Tousaka Cerberus Project 2005
Here is my 8th GK kit of Rin Tousaka from Fate/Stay Night anime series. Painted in original color scheme. The additional work is replacing the jewels with clear color sewing beads. I have not been doing GK for about a year owing to busy work schedule. I hope I am not getting rusty here.

Note:
Rin is my first batch of photos taken in RAW format. RAW image processing is slow and painful but the result is quite satisfactory. At least I could cut down my photo wastage owing to exposure bracketing. For those who are not photo savvy, this means that I took 200 photos at different exposure setting and throw away 85% of it. With the help of RAW, I got to cut it down to about 65% wastage.

26.08.2007
New Item Added:
 Saint Cloth Myth - Aries Sion
SIC Classics 2007 Masked Rider Kuuga

25.08.2007
New Item Added:
 1/6 Soryu Asuka Langley Plug Suit

16.08.2007
New Item Added:
 1/6 Rider Suit Angelina Smith

New Guest Item Added:
 Lost - The Hatch

14.08.2007
New Item Added:
 Super Imaginative Chogokin - Battle Hopper
SIC motorcycle for Masked Rider Black that is not a SIC.

24.07.2007
Items Updated:
The following items are updated with larger photos. Nothing new here. Just bigger photos.
 GX-14 Evangelion 01 Test Type
Masked Rider II & Shocker Rider (Vol 15)
Masked Rider Black RX & Masked Rider Black (Vol 16)
Masked Rider ZO & Dorasu (Vol 26)

16.07.2007
New Item Added:
XS-01 Soul of Chogokin Spec Evangelion Unit 01
Another Evangelion action figure that comes with tons of parts.

26.06.2007
New Item Added:
 1/6 Haruhi Suzumiya [Bunny Girl] (Black Version)
1/6 scale Suzumiya Haruhi PVC figures with her electric guitar.

19.06.2007
Site Update:
Every since blogging becoming more and more popular, I feel that this website design is getting outdated. I think this is time for me to pick up a few things from CSS styling and re-design this website.

The CSS styling is really a pain in the ass. Unlike the traditional use of tables, CSS styling is heavily dependent on layers and layers are rendered differently in both IE and Firefox. Argh! I have been pulling my hair out trying to get it to work in both browsers.

Anyway, I hope you like this new look and feel.

15.06.2007
Site Update:
The following article are reverted back to original format for your reading pleasure. This mean no lightbox UI. Thanks for the feedback.

Saint Cloth Myth - Phoenix Ikki Final Bronze
Saint Cloth Myth - Sea Dragon Kanon
Hagiwara Clinic Nurse Tanaka Reina Ver 2
Bounty Hunter - Female Version

13.06.2007
Site Update:
I have not update the CG Gallery for a long time. It is not worth putting in too much effort in a low viewer-ship section. Anyway, I decided to revamp that section with a new one. Now it is  driven by phpThumb + Lightbox + MySQL. I created a nice little upload program for myself, making it easier to publish a CG.

Outdated CG are either updated or thrown away while added some new stuff. Check it out here at CG Gallery.

Took your own toy photos? What s next? Create a cool CG with it!

New Item Added:
 Saint Cloth Myth - Phoenix Ikki Final Bronze
The last Final Bronze action figure from the Cloth Myth series.

11.06.2007
New Item Added:
 Saint Cloth Myth - Sea Dragon Kanon
The second Poseidon's Sea General in the Cloth Myth series.

Items Updated:
The following items has been updated using LightboxV2 for displaying the photos.

 Hagiwara Clinic Nurse Tanaka Reina Ver 2
Bounty Hunter - Female Version

When this site is first created, I am using thumbnail to display the images. I notice that visitors simply hate to click on thumbnails. It is annoying to read and then navigated away from the page for the images. Pop up is equally hated as well. That is why I put all the photos on a single page.

As time progress, my photos are getting more and more and larger and larger. On last count, a single review page require you to download an average of 1.5 MB. Duh! This is too slow!

I looked for a solution and found this excellent javascript use in the popular WordPress Blog Engine. It is basically a thumbnail but there is no pop-up and you do not need to leave the page. Moreover, it comes with its own navigation.

Thanks Lokesh Dhakar (http://www.huddletogether.com) for this excellent script. God bless Open-Source!

Please leave a comment on the test pages mentioned above on what you think before I change everything to LightboxV2.

Q: Do you prefer the new thumbnail interface?
a) Yes! It's cool and it load much faster.
b) No, I can bear to wait so I can enjoy all the photos in one go.


07.06.2007
Site News:
Added a Creative Common License to this site.

I really am annoyed with those who fail to get the message that this site is strictly not for commercial use. I believe there is no clear terms and conditions on using this site. I am no lawyer to derive one so I am using this handy creative common license.

Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

I might sound harsh to choose the most restrictive license but that is really my intention ever since year 2002. This site is originally intended to keep track of my personal collections, my "research" on modeling and later on tabletop photography. Personally, this site is my own work for my own reference. I never intended this for commercial use, endorsed any vendor out there nor give the impression that I endorsed any vendor out there.

Sound harsh? Not really. Whatever I share here is the idea, not the work. I hope every visitor who shares the same passion is benefited with some ideas on this site. If you intend to do building Gundams or resins, you can pick up some ideas here. If you are a collector of toys, you might pick up some ideas here. If you intend to take photos of your prized possession, there are some articles for you here. If you simply come here to read the review, I really hope you enjoy what I wrote and the photos here.

If you intended to put a link from this site in a forum or on your site, I will be honored that you do so as long as you are not using this to persuade others to buy the product from you. Also, do not put any link on this site in ebay or on a merchant thread in the forum.

Please, never re-publish any images here to the net without my permission. Try taking your own photos and you will understand why it is so annoying to have someone stealing your photos.

Note that the following IP has been ban from this site:
- www.ebay.com (64.58.88.111)
- articulo.mercadolibre.com.mx (66.135.214.176)

I will continue to ban more if I found any sites who misuse the material from here.

Thanks.
 

05.06.2007
New Item Added:
Bounty Hunter - Female Version
Another babes with guns. She comes with very realistic clothing.

30.05.2007
New Item Added:
 Hagiwara Clinic Nurse Tanaka Reina Ver 2
Female action doll with a nurse outfit from the Lady's Mission series.

29.05.2007
New Item Added:
 Transformers - Revoltech Destron Leader Megatron
Another stylish and super-articulated Destron Leader Megatron from the Revoltech series.

25.05.2007
New Item Added:
 Transformers - Revoltech Cybertron Commander Convoy
A stylish and super-articulated Cybertron Commander Convoy from the Revoltech series.

24.05.2007
New Item Added:
 Fate / Stay Night - Revoltech 2G Saber
The second generation Revoltech action figures featuring Saber from Fate / Stay Night series.

23.05.2007
New Item Added:
 1/8 Miharu Sena Kanaka PVC
1/8 scale Miharu-chan from Girls Bravo Second Season.

21.05.2007
Site Update:
I have converted Collections and Guest Gallery section to PHP. It took me quite a while to convert hundreds of pages into my own PHP coding. I hope this effort is worthwhile as I am hoping to have a faster publishing time to the web. However, you will notice no much difference as a visitor.

14.05.2007
Site Update:
I am slowly changing this site from html to php driven website. The following are sections being change.

- Homepage change to php
  (bookmark index.php instead of the old index.html)
- Still In Box
- Resin Kit

03.05.2007
Site Update:
- Re-sort my collection's categories.
- Added RSS 2.0 news feed compatible with Mozilla Firefox.

The updates on this site are not periodically consistent since I only update this site as and when I am free. I know this site might be frustrating for one who has to come back often to check for the updates. I hope nobody complain (too much) since this is the best I can do alone.

In order to counter the problem, I make some small improvement here. Now you can get the RSS news feed from this site. All you need is to subscribe the RSS xml into your Firefox / News Reader and you will know whenever this site is updated.

Click on the RSS icon and you will get the latest from news on this site. I hope this is a useful feature.

Click here for the RSS subscriptions.

Currently, this feature only works on Firefox Live Bookmark. I don't think it will work on Internet Explorer. I guess IE user can try using free news reader like RSSBandit.

27.04.2007
New Item Added:

SIC - Masked Rider Blade (Vol.35)
SIC Volume 35 featuring Masked Rider from Masked Rider Blade series.

25.04.2007
New Item Added:

Transformers Masterpiece - MP-5 Destron Leader Megatron
Another Masterpiece from Takara featuring Megatron, Optimus Prime archenemy.

09.04.2007
New Item Added:

Transformers Classic - Optimus Prime
A fun and addictive Transformers from the Classic series.

SIC - Masked Rider I and Cyclone (Vol.14)
An old SIC and still has its charm.

Saint Cloth Myth - Kraken Isaac
I have been very busy nowadays. I have took the Kraken Isaac and only now I could find time to update and upload this article.

26.02.2007
New Guest Item Added:

 1/7 Ignis (Orchid Seed Version)
Another one of the many variation of Ignis PVC statue. This is an Orchid Seed version similar to the previously release resin figure.

24.01.2007
New Article Added:
- Adjusting White Balance on a White Background
A simple and quick PS technique that might help in adjusting your photos with a white background.

Article Amended:
- The Making of 1/8 Rain Mikamura
The page mentioned acetone and that is wrong. I am actually using a jar of automotive lacquer thinner to melt away the lacquer paint on the resin part.

Acetone is a chemical commonly found in nail polish remover. It melts enamel paint, Tamiya gray putty and plastic parts but not lacquer.

16.01.2007
New Article Added:
- Create a "Bokeh" using Photoshop

03.01.2007
New Article Added:
- Using a DSLR for Models and Toys Photography
New article added sharing some of my experience in using a DSLR.