SpartanNerd and SpartanTeen Review…Knight Gundam (SD)

June 23, 2015 by SpartanNerd

The second SD Gundam model review ever. The Knight Gundam. Does the SpartanNerd think this is worth picking up? Keep reading!

The Knight Gundam is another of those Gundams that I have zero association with. I never heard of it. SpartanTeen saw it on “Gundam Build Fighters”, at least I gather. The price was $13.99.

The instructions were in Japanese. But the Knight Gunam came with a Manga. No idea what is going on here. It is a cute little comic strip, though.

Here is the model assembled. Highly detailed! I like the color scheme…mostly gray with blue and red details. A splash of yellow for the cross on the shield and the headpiece. It has that oversized head of course. Tis time there is a barrel inside that allows you to give him two different looks for the eyes.

This Gundam has an AMAZING amount of accessories. I removed them all so you can see just how incredible it really is.

Without the accessories, he feels like a knight without armor should feel. I applaud the detail that went into this.

But this isn’t all!

It can TRANSFORM!

That’s right…Knight Gundam transforms into a Centaur!

I can’t say enough good things about this toy! Wow!

The SpartanTeen had a few things to say about it:

“The mask part is shiny. The rest of it is not, and it should be.”

“The sword is hidden in the shield.”

“Knight Gundam and Unicorn Knight Gundam combine, to for a unicorn. Alone, he is a Centaur”

“This Gundam has relatively few problems compared to other models in this series.”

“It was nothing hard…it took me about ten minutes to build.”

Here is a comparison shot with the Build Burning Gundam SD.

So what does the SpartanNerd rate Knight Gundam (SD)?

I can’t say anything negative about it. The SpartanTeen is a little bothered that the mask is vac-metal while the rest of the armor isn’t. I think it makes the mask pop, though. Then he informed me that it isn’t just a transformer, but a Combiner as well.

This thing gets a 5/5. Only $13.99 for basically hours of entertainment. The amount of things to do here reminds me of playing with “Modulok” from Masters of the Universe Classics. It is fairly sturdy, and has no stupid problems.

The SpartanNerd rates Knight Gundam (SD) a solid 5/5. Do you agree or disagree, oh Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!

SpartanNerd…Why I play this game?

June 21, 2015 by SpartanNerd

Why do I play “Magic: The Gathering?”

I began playing this game around four years ago. I had been playing Pokemon cards with my children, as well as Shadow Era. I got into Shadow Era because I wanted a card game that was more in-depth and on an adult level. (I was playing Poker online as well, but not gambling.) Around this time, I began frequenting comics stores, and noticing how popular Magic was. I thought it a little crazy that some cards costed over thirty dollars, and said as much. (Not to mention Jace, Mind Sculptor…who at the time was $100.)

I made the jump one day when I found some cards on sale at Target…a “Deck Builders Toolkit.” And It was during “Innistraad” block at the time. But I didn’t know that.

Since then, I have moved my children into the game, and one has left. The other teeters on losing interest, as children do and should do have shifting interests as they grow and develop. But I don’t see myself quitting any time soon.

Today I went to “The Mighty Moo” festival in Cowpens, South Carolina. Then ate lunch with my family at Taco Dog, in Spartanburg. Then proceeded with the SpartanKid to a Modern MTG tournament at the Tangled Web in Spartanburg. This tournament turned out to be really small…we left at 4:00…but I needed to play some more. So I drove up to Grover, NC, and played at Stormcrow’s Clubhouse Modern event.

Today was the first time I ever played two Magic tournaments, at two different locations. I am not counting a midnight pre-release and then a “next day” event. No. This was a double-header. And an incredibly full Saturday. Am I a man obsessed?

I have recently built a re-animator deck, using cards from “Graveborn,” which was my Father’s Day present. I grew bored with losing using Amulet-Primeval Titan…a fun deck but SUPER HARD to play. Only recently did I realize, sure some of it is me, the pilot of the deck. But that deck has losing built in if conditions aren’t just right.

To be fair, I know it is going to be awhile before I enter another tournament. And I am probably going to miss the Origin’s Pre-Release. 😦

I didn’t come out on top at either tournament. But still, I had great fun. And the reasons I had fun are the reasons I play magic:

Sitting across from someone for thirty minutes to an hour creates a social relationship that I don’t take lightly. I learn some things about my opponent. And they inevitably learn that I am a Christian, a father, a teacher, and a minister as well. I have time to talk to them and show them that they really are important to me.
Magic is a creative outlet. Side boarding in cards is an act of reacting creatively to situations that aren’t always that clear. There are a lot of “what-if?” questions to ask.
The act of playing in a tournament, at least for me, is an expression of deck-building, which is the biggest creative outlet in MTG. I don’t “net-deck” much. In this case, I knew I had encountered a lot of Splinter-Twin at the Tangled Web, so I sided in a card NO-ONE saw coming. There was a moment in the tournament at Stormcrow’s Clubhouse that summarizes one of the reasons I play Magic. My opponent, “Turbo”, was playing Tarmo-Twin . I lost to two Tarmogoyf’s early game in match one. I sided in “Batwing Brume,” knowing this must be his strategy. He proceeded to flash in his Deceiver Exarch, put the twin on him, and then begin manuafactoring tokens. I was surprised that he didn’t just say… “This is a million times. They all have haste. They attack.” I’ve heard that line many times. Instead, he made twenty-one copies, and declared attack. I played Batwing Brume, using white and black mana…he attempted to Dispel that. But I was ready with a Pact of Negation. BAM. It was an intense moment, when we both had tons of land on the field, and were vying for the greatest card advantage. This moment alone was just about worth the whole day of Magic for me. After this match, Turbo would go on to beat me in another intense standoff. In that match I bested three Tarmogoyfs! It could have gone the other way and I could have won if I had had another Pact…(but the way card games work is, there is randomness that beats you sometimes. I am OK with that!)
It is fairly cheap entertainment…I don’t pay for cable or satellite. In their place I play cards. I acquire cards. I collect and organize cards. I read their flavor text and background stories. I read about card development from “the mothership” site. I make casual decks. I play online occasionally. And as cheap entertainment goes…it is me using my brain in an analytical and creative way. I was thinking, as much as I enjoy playing guitar, it is much easier to lug around a red bag with magic decks in it than it is to lug around a guitar, chords, effects, and an amplifier. At least it is easier to carry. And while both activities help me get my groove on in a creative way, Magic is a quiet and reflective activity. A great way to cool down after a long day of work.

I play magic for these reasons. But as a parent, I have reaped other benefits from teaching and playing the game. Playing cards is a good way to talk about odds. Building decks is a way of talking about strategy. Keeping a curated collection is a way to model taking care of cards.

And playing is quality time spent with the children.

Why do you play Magic, the Gathering readers? Please let me know. I know you are out there. My reviews of sealed products are what gets me the greatest internet traffic to this site. Please comment in!

SpartanNerd Review…SD Build Burning Gundam

June 18, 2015 by SpartanNerd

The SpartanNerd’s interest in Gundams is really very narrow. I really only like what I have seen on Gundam Wing. I realize that this is VERY narrow. But Gundam Wing…the cartoon…as well it’s “Endless Waltz” movie, have tremendous sentimental value for me, as I was very interested in that at a transitional time of life.

I became aware of other Gundam properties by seeing models at Toys R Us for “Gundam Seed.” Later, I would get “Gundam Battle Assault 2” for Playstation. This game exposed me to several more gundams. And soon after, I saw “SD” figures on the shelves at different stores. SD stood for “Super Deformed,” and it was a big-headed fad about ten years ago. I suppose that gave away to the “vinyl” toy craze today.

The SpartanKids are once again really interested in Gundams, and I have been encouraged to review them. So without further ado, here is my review of “SD Build Burning Gundam.”

The instructions were entirely in Japanese. It is a good thing that the diagrams are very good, otherwise my nine year old might not have been able to assemble it!

The back of the instructions contains a manga. Again, not quite sure what is happening here.

SpartanKid’s build of SD Build Burning Gundam stands just fine. It is posable in all ways expected for a Gundam. It doesn’t have a flight stand or other stand, however.

The model comes with these accessories. I know from “Gundam Battle Assault 2” that Burning Gundam’s main weapon is fire coming from his hands or fingers. (He frequently yells, “Burning Finger!”)

Here he is with both fingers ablaze. I don’t really care for this accessory. It reminds me of some kind of dishrag attached to his hand.

This “fiery chain” is better, as a weapon. We also figured out that these pieces can attach to the “dishcloth” pieces.

Here is a comparison shot to another Gundam in the series. The “Knight Gundam” has more going for it.

So what are my thoughts on this model?

It was fairly inexpensive. But it has some problems that come with that “cheapness.” One big thing is that the head doesn’t stay on. Another, the accessories are kind of … whimsical. It comes with no guns. It doesn’t transform. It just “is”.

I know nothing of the characters, and have no attachment. I speak as an outsider. To me, this Gundam is kind of a generic Wing Gundam. Accept he doesn’t have wings.

But that price point has to figure in. This model was only $8.00. This kept the SpartanKid occupied for two days building it. He has plans to “decorate” it even more.

SpartanKid has a few things to say about this item.

“I really like the model. It was well worth my $8.00.”

“The model is pretty colorful. The attachments go on easily.”

“Despite how the head tends to fall off, you can just set it on top of the body.”

“I would give this product a 5/5.”

The SpartanNerd’s rating of “SD Build Burning Gundam” is 3/5. On the lower end of three. I am only judging the merits of the product, not the SpartanKid’s build of it. DO you agree or disagree, oh Hub City Geeks? Let me know in the comments!

SpartanNerd Review…”1602: Witch Hunter Angela Part One”

June 14, 2015 by SpartanNerd

Regular readers know that I already reviewed “The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows.” This book is along the same lines. A result of the current spin on “Marvel Secret Wars,” “1602…Angela” takes place in an alternate storyline.

Before I write any more, let me explain why I was drawn to picking this title up at “The Tangled Web” on June 13…

Me and Angela go back aways. I used to read Spawn comics quite a bit. I don’t own many of those anymore. But I remember enjoying the story immensely…I couldn’t put it down. And even recently I read back over “Spawn: The Dark Ages.” Angela and angels of her ilk were a key component to all of these stories.

In Spawn, the angels were depicted as a group of business women you definitely didn’t want to be your boss. They worked in a tall skyscraper, and dressed in pants suits or similar…on the high end of the “professional dress” spectrum. Then, if they suspected a Spawn or other demonic force nearby, the clothes would come off…and wings were revealed, and very very skimpy battle ribbons would be what adorned the woman. Oh yes. Generally a huge weapon as well. These angels were the toughest fight for Spawn. But Angela was different. She and Spawn “hit it off.” A very forbidden relationship came to a head until right at the 100th issue, Angela killed Malebolgia, (basically the devil…but not Satan.) However, she would be killed as well. Then Spawn would go downhill and I would stop reading, as McFarlane “jumped the shark,” wanting to take the book into a more “horror” direction.

Similarly, (but not as relevant), Immaculata was the Dark Ages Spawn’s enemy. As a story told around the same time period as “1602”, there are things that pulled me to purchasing because I read and enjoyed this so much. Immaculata wasn’t a “business woman,” but a nun. She was suppressing her angel-ness. But when Spawn came around, those animal angel instincts awoke…and similar to described above, this terrific warrior appeared in place of the nun.

The angel stories I am recalling here were AWESOME. Later I would learn there were ownership disputes about Angela between Todd McFarlane and Neil Gaiman. And I heard nothing more about it for a long time.

In the middle of my reading of “DC New 52,” Marvel come out with “Age of Ultron.” I didn’t read it. Ultron rang a bell, as I read “Secret Wars” from the 1980’s. The final issue had a black bag so you couldn’t see the cover. It was hiding “Angela”! Marvel had secured the rights to the character.

The only knowledge about this, besides what I just told you, is that I have seen some Angela titles on the shelves. I skipped them not, not immersed in Marvel’s ecosystem. But it is clear that she is “Asgard’s Assassin,” implying to me that she works for Odin, or similar. (Explaining how she is an angel in a universe not really having a consistent God. Spawn’s universe eventually, very slowly explained how God’s angels worked.)

All that to say why I was drawn to this story. I expected the barbary of “Spawn: the Dark Ages” and the awesomeness of Angela, the thing who killed Spawn’s devil.

The cover art was OK. Angela here appears Elizabethan but also science fiction. There were some prettier alternate covers, but since I am not immersed in the Secret Wars, or Marvel’s version of Angela, I skipped those. The cover does show a remnant of McFarlane’s version, in there are those ribbons floating around her. We see these throughout the comic. She doesn’t use them for any purpose…they do serve in the place of a halo, I believe. Though they might have some kind of weaponized use.

The art in this book is inconsistent. Some of it “old school” Marvel. Some of it more modern. Why?I liked it, though. And here is one of my favorite pieces from the book. The color scheme reminds me of “Jem and the Rockers.” Basically, Sarah and Angela are a team of angels hunting “witchbreed.”

I’ll not show you a picture, but just let me say that one of the witchbreed has claws like Wolverine! Maybe it is that she is hunting mutants…

Angela describes Sarah and themselves as “Angels of Doom.” Throughout the book, where God’s name would probably be mentioned, instead we hear “Doom.” This echoes the larger Secret Wars story, where we are told that Victor Von Doom is “god and master.”

Because this book just came out, I am blurring the words here. But this is one of my favorite pieces of art from the book, right near the end.

Basically, Sarah has been cursed. And so the lead-in to a larger story.

SpartanNerd’s rating of “1602: Witch Hunter Angela.” Well, did this story meet my expectations?

This is a dark story, with two brutal killings and Sarah being cursed. It kept me reading…I read it three times to be sure I got it all. There is a lot here. I still have some questions.

I’m confused. Who is Kit Marlow? Was that Shakespeare of Marlow? Why is there someone with glasses…glasses weren’t invented for two hundred years….Is there more implied in this story than the reader can just see? Sarah’s flashback led us to believe that she was training to be a warrior, and not a lady…though her words said otherwise.

The art was good, but varied in style. There is more than one artist on this book…they need to work to smooth it out. I enjoyed the “Jem” color scheme. And the more modern “muted” look as well. But the two styles are jarring when going from one place to another.

I think I will read part two, which will come out on July 29, evidently…according to the last page. The book is going to feature the Guardians of the Galaxy in the next issue, it seems.

I think I will read it.

The SpartanNerd rates “1602: Witch Hunter Angela” at 3/5. While I have plenty of complaints and questions, I have read it over three times. And am curious about what will happen next. Angela (and Sarah) gets a point for coolness anyway.

Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments, oh Hub City Geeks!

SpartanNerd Follow Up…Terraria

June 9, 2015 by SpartanNerd

(This entry is a follow-up on an article you can find here!)

I’ve finally done it! Beaten every boss and maximized my character, as well as earned all of the NPCs. The problem with Terraria…there isn’t a specific goal. You just…play….

I suppose I can consider that I have beaten the game. I have already begun a few new worlds.

Here’s what I have learned…

It took me a long time to beat “The Wall of Flesh.” But after I did, WOW, the game got a lot more fun! My continual defeat to that boss had me put the game down for about two months. My character could kill any other creature he would encounter or summon. But in order to advance, killing the Wall of Flesh is very necessary.

The mechanical bosses are very difficult (Except for the coolest one, “The Destroyer.”) “The Twins” beat me over and over. And I had a hard time coming by “Lenses” late in the game…an item essential for building the “Mechanical Eye” needed to summon the Twins. The way I eventually beat them was by rigging a transporter…I built a boss arena right in the middle of the Hallow, Purity, Jungle, and Crimson biomes in my world. I preserved a single Crimson Altar right in the middle of the arena. I rigged a transporter that would take me to the nurse…I would be healed, and then zip back to the arena!

The “Solar Eclipse” and “The Steampunker” are essential to getting the strongest and best items. “The Clentaminator” is a very nice machine for shaping your world how you want it to be.

I found some very nice weapons and made some as well. However, the strongest weapons and items aren’t necessarily the best. I made “The True Night’s Edge” and “The True Excalibur.” But the “Murderous Death Sickle” is the best weapon I found. It launches copies of itself that spin through walls and hit any enemies around it. And you can fire multiple copies..so you are surrounding yourself with powerful hitting energy! Virtually no enemy on the game except the bosses can withstand this weapon. And the bosses don’t stand long!

As for wings…I crafted both the Angel and Demon wings. Neither seemed as good as the Fairy wings. I also have the sparkly wings, and I haven’t decided yet if I like them as much as the fairy wings.

I still can’t mine the Jungle Temple Bricks. I have spent minimal time finding spoilers. I finally broke down and learned how to mine the “green stuff…” I had a BEAST drill, but it just wouldn’t do it. So I have the best drill now, the Drax,…which can. (The green stuff is “Chlorophyte”.) But even the Drax can’t bust the Jungle Temple block. The internet says a “Picksaw” is required…a rare item drop from beating The Golem. I have beaten him five times, and he hasn’t dropped the Picksaw. 😦 What makes Golem so frustrating is the rarity of the “Lihzard Power Cell,” an uncraftable item rarely dropped. YOU CAN beat “Plantera” and take his jungle key to a new world, where you can unlock the temple and just steal one or two from the chests inside, then bring it back to your world. But this feels like cheating to me. Either way, I’ve done it in order to summon the Golem…and he always drops something really nice. But he hasn’t dropped the Picksaw yet.

Following are a couple of pictures of my game!

My world is quite large and detailed. Note that I have been “purifying” the world. You can see my “Boss Arena,” That square thing right at the underground level. I designed the arena around a Crimson Altar, so that I could summon a boss here easily. It is easy for me to see whether or not it is daytime or nighttime…most bosses have to be summoned at night. Before I cleansed it, a little of the Crimson, Purity, Hallowed, and Jungle all converged at the arena…this caused a variety of enemies to always spawn in the arena. I also have two machines. One generates hearts so that my character can easily heal during a fight, the other is the transporter, discussed above.

Eventually I figured out that it was best to build the houses for the NPCs in the sky. The Harpies and Wyverns are occasionally a headache. But during Blood Moon and other events, the NPCs are always safe. The most interesting part of this plan is that there is a Mushroom Biome incorporated into the Sky City…to accommodate the mushroom man character. This biome eventually became a money generator. I would harvest the mushrooms and sell them to NPCs and then buy stuff.

Here is a close-up of my Sky City. Notice the transporter…If I had a mechanical item selected in the access bar, then you could see a long wire leading off to the arena, which is strategically a good distance from the Sky City. It was challenging to build, though.

And the picture below is of my character, named “Teddie”, is fighting the Golem. You can see I put the heart generator machine nearby so I could constantly heal.

Terraria has been a terrific romp into a kind of game I never played before. The game designers evidently also push out special holiday bosses and biomes. The two month break I took evidently had an Easter theme…but I missed out. But I will keep my eyes pealed. If the game designers do that, I will continue to be engaged in this deep, new, and yet nostalgic game.

SpartanNerd and SpartanKid Unboxing and Review…D-Arts Megaman X (Ultimate Armor X)

June 8, 2015 by SpartanNerd

SpartanKid purchased D-Arts Ultimate Armor X with some money that he saved up. It was $47.29 on Ebay. The other figures in this line have been excellent. Does Ultimate Armor X measure up? Keep reading to find out!

(Link to SpartanNerd Unboxing and Review of Megaman X Black Zero)

(Link to pictures of Megaman X…no review was done for that figure…)

Megaman X came in this window box. There is Japanese writing all over it, except for the branding and the name of the character. I suspect the words in the black under the window explain that this is the Ultimate Armor version.

The back of the box shows some suggested poses for Megaman X. Everything is in Japanese…so…

The sides of the box deliver just as good of an experience as the other toys in this line.

Opening the box you see this double blister tray.

You can see all of Megaman’s parts and accessories in this tray.

You also get this nifty sheet of instructions. Good thing there are good pictures! I need to scan that QR code and see where it takes me. (I did. The site is in Japanese, with no translation button evident. It appears to have a shopping cart, however.)

Megaman X looks like this standing up. His big feet insure that he doesn’t fall over. Noteworthy, those feet have two rocket boosters on the soles, as opposed to one on the other figures. I suppose this means he flies faster…

(SpartanKid tells me that the others can’t fly at all! Zero can double jump depending on your upgrade.)

He has some gems that are very evident…this alongside the blue and gold color scheme as well as the purple armor color makes this character very colorful when compared to Black Zero and regular Megaman X.

These were the accessories that came with Megaman X (that weren’t currently on the figure…with exception to the face for comparison purposes.) One face is shifty eyed. One is screaming from battle. The other is normal.

The green blast is from a halfway charged shot. (According to the SpartanKid.)

Megaman X comes with an arm to change out the buster cannon, and two extra hands. The other round thing is the end of the buster cannon to use the charged shot.

At first I thought the shifty eyed face would be kind of dumb, until I saw this pose. It looks spectacular!

The screaming face lets you do a Mortal Kombat inspired uppercut.

Megaman X firing the halfway charged X-Buster cannon….

The SpartanKid said that Ultimate Armor Megaman X doesn’t always have the wings out on the backpack. The wings are removable for those special times. I really like the circuitry details on the backpack. (This detail is all over the figure…his plastic is semi-transluscent, giving a very cool effect.

Comparison Time…(Oh, Pixel Dan!)

Black Zero is still in good shape. Regular Megaman X has taken some…abuse…his arm had to be super-glued into place after over a year of rambunctious SpartanKid play. Really a testament to the surprising durability of these figures. As an adult, I would expect as much from figures that cost so much.

We didn’t take any pictures, but the accessories are all interchangeable, as are the faces.

Here is a battle pose between Megaman X, Black Zero, and Axl. Note that Axl isn’t a D-Arts figure…

SpartanKid has some things to say….

“Ultimate Armor X has a lot of details not evident in the games.”

“In Megaman X 5, Ultimate Armor X is a cheat code, and an unlockable thing…(the same for Black zero as well.)”

“One of my only complaints is that he DID NOT come with a Z-Saber…Like he had in Megaman X 6.”

SpartanNerd Rating of D-Arts Megaman X Ultimate Armor version is 5/5. While Black Zero had an issue with the pegs for the hands right out of the box, no such issue has been apparent on this figure. This figure is over the top as far as details, accessories, articulation, and posibility.

SpartanNerd Rating of D-Arts Megaman X Ultimate Armor version is 5/5. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments!

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