Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Ready, set, go!



We're going live with the contest tonight. If you want to join in, or even just watch, direct your attention to the Ustream gadget to your right. If you want to tag along, get yourself a Ustream.tv account and send me a message to co-host. No webcam? Tag along anyway, just join us in the Ustream chat.

EDIT:

For those of you who can't get the sidebar gadget to work, here's the show's URL:

Oh and feel free to join in if you've got a webcam. Doesn't really matter what you're working on.

EDIT AGAIN:



And the finish line. Sorry about the last few days. Got tired of messing with Ustream, and generally Chenille and I were operating on pretty wonky schedules, so it just wasn't worth the effort. Anyway I'm done, so it's back to work for me (gotta love how my definitions of work and play involve exactly the same activity).

By the way, Coupling is a fantastic show.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Christmas Stuff



Bit late at this point, but as the Sandbox will attest, I have some Christmas themed stuff in my build folder. I'll append this post tomorrow with the stocking after I get it built.



Fascinating.



Dream Stocking
http://www.mediafire.com/?zmol0jyoi1x


Sorry about the delay on this one. Between LittleBigPlanet and God of War, I'm having a hard time concentrating on builds that have been rendered more or less useless due to the nature of their belated holiday theme.

Some more gimmicky models to come in the next few days. Also seems like the contest is going to start on either New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. I kind of like the former, but at this point it just depends on my counterpart being ready to get started.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Jack Sparrow


Jack Sparrow
http://www.mediafire.com/?eyzzzutgxah
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PSBE9GSJ

So this one was obviously a Christmas present. Ended up pulling an all-nighter to finish the build, which felt odd, because I got over half of the model done in 12 hours on the first day of construction. Anyway, I'm fairly satisfied with the result considering this is probably going to get more attention than my usual releases. I think I could've finessed the pose (his legs are kinda wonky...) a bit more given more time, but I was working under a strict deadline (something I've actually never done before).



Anyway, he's the size of Lady Luck, and was really quite easy to build. Lots of details, but nothing too complicated. Be sure to get a piece of cardboard or something for use as a base, as his balance is way off.


(Closeup on the tag. Ahaaaah, inside jokes that only I get...and maybe the people on the interwebz)

If you check the Sandbox, you'll see that I've got loads of stuff ready to go, actually printed, sitting in a folder behind me. I wanted to get them all released today, but Jack took longer than expected, so I'll space them out over the next few days. Expect lots of little gimmick models and one decent sized release.

Finally, Chenille and I are still planning to have our FFIX party build contest over the break, but as I'm currently about 300 miles south of my apartment, I'd like to wait until I get home to start it, so we'll probably aim to start New Year's eve, or something like that. Keep an eye on the Ustream feed to see how the competition's going.



So yeah, Happy (appropriate seasonal holiday here), bah humbug, etc.

Stay tuned.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Convention Report: Arkansas Anime Festival

(Skip to the end for the actual release downloads)




Alright, so first things first: we did have internet, but I only had sporadic access to my laptop, and by the time things got going on Saturday, I was generally too busy to get any real material written out anyway. Which is also why there aren't many actual photos of the event, or any videos. So here we go:

We got out of town around 6:45 AM, and spent the next 5-5:30 in the car. Google Maps estimated about 6:30 duration, but that can be sped up by going 80MPH...the whole time. And yes, it was pointed out, there are quite a few small towns along the way. No slowing down!

As a side note, what the Hell is wrong with Oklahoma? It's just bonfires, weird smells, and terrible terrible civic planning. You get across the Arkansas state line, and it's just flat horrible plains on Oklahoma. You get over the state line again to Texas, and suddenly all the road noise is gone, because the roads are actually maintained. I never want to go back to Krebs, and I don't want to talk about why...God, what a terrible place...

Anyway, we got to the convention, set up shop (the whole frame system I worked out didn't quite function the way I wanted, but it was sufficient. And if you aren't at the table, people are surprisingly good about not pawing at your wares.

The convention was really quite small. Most of the attendees were locals either from Fayetteville or who just did the local Arkansas circuit. However, there were quite a number of booth folk who got recruited at Anime Fest in Dallas when we did, particularly our awesome neighbors, also Dallas locals, Badger Tea Company. I gotta say, if we'd been set up next to anyone else in the vendor's room, the convention would not have been as good.

By the way, never refer to yourself as "the bald guy," when you only have a crew-cut and there is an actually shaved-clean bald guy sitting at the next table over.

Here's the banner which will wait on my wall until it's needed again (also check out some of the cool crap I got in the mail from the SE Member's site...a fan).





This one got scrawled after the first day, wherein the most common question was "are they really made of paper?" Which of course prompted the handful of friends I made to just wander by the booth and say things like, "So, I just have on last question...are they really made out of just paper?"
Aha...haha...haaah.
-____-
All of you.

One of the funnier events at the booth, apart from the constant, hilarious exchange of smarm with Lacy (Badger), was when a girl came by and asked for my autograph. Autograph? I responded with confusion as to why she wanted my signature, to which she responded with more confusion as to why I was hesitant. Eventually I just scribbled the blog's URL and she wandered off, confused by my whole deal. A few of the people nearby (folks who would later actually sit through my panels) had a laugh about how ludicrous the entire event was.

I can guarantee my signature will never be worth anything...

Anyhow, we ran three panels, two "make and takes," wherein we supplied (some of) the necessary materials to build the Cactuar and Moogle respectively, then one Sunday afternoon on design. Here's how the panels went, since we didn't get video: they were horrible. Unbelievably horrible. To the six of you who actually stuck it out for all three: I thank you, you brave souls. The final panel was physically painful. My laptop wouldn't work with the projector, we were stuck in a tiny little room, and as anyone who reads regularly will know, this is not the sort of hobby that makes for interesting live action. I was hoping to answer any specific questions there, but really, having a look at this site is so much better than me actually being there to explain. Sorry for how terrible it was folks, if you're reading, and yes, I'm fully aware of how bad it was.



It's worth mentioning, though, that we had a lot of scheduling problems, which contributed (a bit) to the lack of attendees at the panels. Yes, loads of people opted to leave as they went on, mainly because we got severely short-handed on cutting implements and general time restrictions, but we also had some other things to contend with. See the time of that Bishi auction? Yeah...



There was this girl cosplaying as Ed there. I'll be completely honest: I fell madly in love with her in a little less than 15 seconds. However, that Bishi auction was far more intriguing, considering it was the papercraft panel or that. But yeah, every other guy there seemed to be as keen on her as I was, so it's not like there was any sort of loss. But you see what I mean about scheduling issues. Bishi auction to compete with for the first, early morning for the second (early for gamers anyway), and afternoon (when everyone is getting ready to get out of town) for the last. I'm not saying they were worth attending in the least, but yeah, in future I'll probably avoid the panels in favor of just some booth space.

By the way, that schedule's taken out of context, have a look at the full page for Sunday:



A schedule full of one-liners, then a big ol' paragraph about nothing. One guess as to who actually wrote the summaries for the papercraft panels...



I had this whole plan worked out to dress as "professor Kaizo" for the panels, but by the time you actually get around to it, realize how small the group is, and how boring it's going to be on its own, the prospect of doing it all in character as a lecturing old geezer seems a bit unattractive. Just the same though, finding a jacket with actual elbow patches for $10 at Goodwill was kind of awesome. Now I just need some survival patches. The wool is quite nice when it's chilly, as I just discovered, walking back from class.



Even got an awesome beard from the Party Store.
(My mom made the Moogle cap a while back, that just happened to be on the desk fan I felt would be a good place to hang the beard.)



Had a lot of materials left over after the booth and the panels. Not sure what I'm going to do with them. I could potentially remake a few models. Maybe have a look around on Craigslist to see if I can unload them on locals. Maybe save them for a potential convention in the future.

So here's a funny question: you've got a bunch of models to transport. How do you move them about 400 miles? Do you get a bunch of boxes, fill them with packing peanuts, and give every model plenty of padding? OR do you throw them loose into your trunk and hope for the best?



That's right! In the trunk they go! This method worked hilariously well. Loaded them like this in my apartment parking lot, opened the trunk again in the hotel parking garage, and not a one had shifted even slightly. It was fantastic. Honestly, the models suffered more causalities out of the trunk (like when Ian rolled over my Blitzball on his bed). But that's to be expected. Really, minimal repair work necessary. I was kind of upset by everything getting rained on in the initial load, but for the most part everything worked out fine.

So here's the thing, the convention was overall a great success. It gave me the chance to see how running a booth and panels works out, but on a small scale, and as such, set me up with an immediate safety net of people I saw regularly throughout the day.

Remember that Bishi auction for the "Masquerade Ball?" Well, while wandering around killing time beforehand (knowing inevitably that I'd only have a look then go back to my room rather than dance), we ran into some of the folks who actually stuck it out through all of the panels and showed real interest in the hobby. One of the guys (Krüz) was actually working on the Cactuar at the time, so I ended up sitting around with them while Ian wandered off to check out the ball. Eventually a few decks of Munchkin made their way on to the table, and a few hours later, with a few more people joining the fray, we had reached complete decoherence, and were basically just sitting around laughing our asses off.



(We were playing by Epic rules with all but a few of the expansion packs, and I dropped the effect pretty early that required you play to 22, not 20. I actually won, despite it being my second attempt at the game, in the most anti-climactic way possible: against a level 1 armchair. In my defense, I tried to take it back to keep the game going longer, but everyone was ready to call it after like 3 hours. I think my hands are the ones in the top right, doing something unnatural.)

So, the funny thing is, on the way home, Ian and I were both recalling how the whole event had been sort of a confidence boost. He hung out with some lovely ladies (even though the combination of Captain Morgan, a rave the first night, and some big ol' pirate boots basically sapped all his strength), and had a good time. I, however, found confidence in a different place. You'd expect having real people tell me my stuff is "amazing," and that I was "unbelievably epic" for doing it all, would be the good stuff. You'd be wrong. I'm numb to all that now. Heard it too many times. What boosted my confidence was when someone asked if I was an improv comedian by trade, because I'd been getting so many laughs in the panels and hanging out with people after events of the day died down.

While sitting around Saturday morning before heading down to the table, Ian and I came across the following infomercial, surfing through the hotel's TV selection:



We brought this thing up whilst playing Munchkin to great amusement of our companions. The kilted fellow (whose name I believe is Chris, apologies if you're reading, but real names weren't tossed around much, apart from when we discovered that I'm plagued with the banter gene, and babbled a bit about my second-hand name {which is what prompted the question about being a comic}) actually got a video of me doing the "Ninja whisper," so that may surface eventually. I found the Youtube clip Sunday morning, so he brought it up on his Blackberry during the 11AM panel. All good fun.

Ancient Asian metalworking secrets...



(You can stop scrolling now)


Gabranth's Helmet
http://www.mediafire.com/?23idy2dhyag
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CKN6W54G

It should be noted about the scale: It fits me like a glove. So much so that it stays stable on my face. Now, I've got a fairly large head, but I shave it, so as usual, I think I'm a decent representative of a generic size. Good luck with it.






Lulu's Cactuar and Moogle
Cactuar: http://www.mediafire.com/?zrcndkgn4g0
Moogle: http://www.mediafire.com/?hkm4nmotzoe

The moogle is a revisit of Lulu's Moogle, and the Cactuar is just the equivalent. I did these layouts looking for models simple enough for beginners, but interesting enough to be worth building. I don't have full instructions for them because I was speed building in an attempt to time myself. Wanted something buildable within the panel time limit. They weren't, but I'm still happy with the finished products. I'll have the PDOs for now, as minimal instructions for the brave panelists trying to finish on their own. Remember to download my standard fonts from Dafont to use the PDO effectively.



Hoo...
With all that said, I'll go ahead and note that I won't be working on any new releases for about two weeks. This weekend's Thanksgiving, but I've got two research papers due next week, so I'm opting to stay in Denton rather than head down to my Mom's in League City, and basically live at the library for the long weekend. Rousseau and Democritus, bring it on!

Chenille and I are still looking for some more competition for our Final Fantasy IX party build contest, so shoot me a message if you're interested. We're going to be dueling it out on Ustream with the multi-webcam option. At the moment, it looks like it will be taking place over Christmas break, when everyone's got free time. The more the merrier, et cetera.

You know the usual drill. Stay tuned...

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Arkansas Anime Festival: Convention Primer




Alright kids, so Ian and I will be heading off to the Arkansas Anime Festival early tomorrow morning (like sunrise early, ugh). Rather than save it all for one big post on Monday, I'm hoping to report on the events as they transpire. I'm not 100%, but I'm hoping we'll have some degree of internet access while there. I suppose we'll all be finding out in about 24 hours. If you don't hear from me by then, odds are we don't have any free internet options, and everything's gonna get posted in a monster post Monday afternoon/evening.

In the meantime, thought I'd let you know how this is gonna play out:

I'll be running three panels. Two "make and takes," that is, panels wherein we provide the materials and attendees get to try to make their own model on the spot (probably not going to happen in the short hour we have the room for). Then one "lecture" style on design.

When we aren't in panels (and I mean no offense to the other panelists and the people who wrangled them up), we'll probably be avoiding the other events of the con like the plague. Which means we'll be sitting around our booth either in the vendor's floor or in "artists' alley." Either way, we'll be sitting around talking to people, showing off all my little trophies for wasted time, and depending on whether or not we get access to a power outlet, watching a whole lot of British comedy, or playing our PSPs with feverish intent. For the booth, I had a banner made at a local shop called "Signarama." Not only is the banner epic, I even managed to spread the gospel of papercraft to the people working there. Pointed them at the Unofficial WoW Papercraft blog after a brief conversation explaining what exactly this banner is for. Seriously, check this thing out:



How freaking cool is that?

Anyway, if you scroll down slightly, you'll see I mentioned something about a secret project. Well I didn't actually get that done in time. I intended to finish five new models before the convention and, in retrospect, that number is clearly asking too much of myself. I did manage to get three of them done, though one was basically a revisit of an old model and the other was incredibly simple. I'll get them posted later on, hopefully after the make-and-take sessions for which they were designed. The third, however, is pictured in the photo at the top. Can you spot it? I'm quite pleased with the result. I'll have time to do the instruction/release logistics whilst sitting around, so if I've got internet access, I might be able to get the release out while we're at the convention.

So, to sum up, the next three days will be awesome for me, and you may either see a massive surge in posts, or none at all, followed by a huge one.

Wish me luck~

Friday, November 6, 2009

Cecil - Paladin


Cecil - Paladin
http://www.mediafire.com/?tyjgmnh5zjm
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QZS114T5

So, it's been over two weeks since the Dark Knight release, which means it's excuse time. I don't really have any this time. I just kind of wasted time for about a week, then school work got in the way. Anyhow, here it is. I'm happy with the result, but I'll tell you this right now: might be the hardest model I've released. That's not to say it's difficult, just that the hair is detailed to a ridiculous level. I'm sure you'll do better than I did.



So, it's been a while since we last talked, so here are some updates:

The blog's passed a year with Clustrmaps and we're almost to 100,000 hits. Nifty, eh?

I was planning to have a build competition with Chenille to see who could do the entire FFIX party (as per Chamoo's designs) fastest. The idea is still on, and I'd love to get some more people in on the race. However, this probably won't happen for a few weeks. I'll be doing a panel and a booth at Arkansas Anime Festival in a few weeks, and there are a few models I'd really like to have done before then. The contest is gonna have to wait.

So, it may be a bit before another update. I need to get the models done, and of course I'll go about them the same way as usual, but I may not take the time to get the releases out until I've actually had a chance to exhibit them (one of them is a super secret release).

Anyway, stay tuned, et cetera.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Cecil - Dark Knight

Decided to go ahead and release this on its own now for a few reasons. I've already released Cecil's Helmet on its own, so the big pack will be lacking its total completion no matter what. If I were to save both models for a big pack, it'll be well over 30mb. This way, I get the models to you faster. And finally, it takes the pressure off me to rush the last build.

Anyway, he's done, and I'm quite pleased with the result. The build wasn't difficult, but given the level of detail, I wouldn't really call it easy either. Included three textures for this, the normal costume, which I built, his alternate (which is sort of a red version of the normal), and the Manikin skin, which you encounter as a generic enemy in story modes.



So here's the issue: put him next to Terra, and it looks like I've totally butchered the scale. However, this is 100% correct. I present the following as evidence:



So, in FFIV, Cecil was listed as being 5'8" and Terra was listed as being 5'7" (right in range of my height, quite comforting being this short when some of your imaginary heroes are too). However, they're clearly not an inch off in Dissidia. I would say Cecil was scaled up and Terra was scaled down. She's gotta be under 5 feet now, and I'd say he's around 6.

So, the scale looks wrong, but It's right on (though whether that's good or bad remains to be seen). Now, the big issue (no pun intended), is that Cecil is a medium size model in Dissidia, whereas Golbez (pictured above) is downright massive. If you check out the Sandbox, I made a post about this issue, particularly as it regards Chaos, which I'd like to do eventually.



Anyway, we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, I'll get back to work. I might take a few days off before starting on the Paladin version of Cecil, just to give myself some variety.

Follow the progress on Ustream, if you're interested.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Adieu, bottle of glue




Put this together as soon as the bottle finally ran dry this afternoon. It really is impressive how far a single $3 bottle can take you.

And remember, I am an officially licensed and certified madman, so don't try this at home.

EDIT: A friend reminded me of something I wanted to mention. I actually waste a lot of glue by pouring it out onto a palette and using a toothpick. That should really suggest to you the cost effectiveness of this glue.

Oh and for the record, the fire didn't smoke, barely smelled like anything, and I did not get high in the slightest way.



If you were wondering, the hats aren't pictured because I've been using a small bottle of the regular Tacky so as to not use up my Quickdry. Got another 8oz bottle waiting for another year of crafting, so...


Righto, back to work.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Fargo


Fargo
http://www.mediafire.com/?m02ygmytgoy
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QQ23JQNL

Meant to get this built last week, but between all the school crap and going to Houston for the weekend, I couldn't get around to it. Anyway, with Fargo done, I'm going to get started on the Dark Knight version of Cecil this afternoon. I'll try to get as much on Ustream as I can, so tune in if you care. I'll probably be watching That Mitchell and Webb Look for a while. It's about as good in audio form. I'll figure out something else for the rest of the huge build.

Had some more fun with character summary:

A mermaid-loving, father-of-androgynous-pop-idols cruise ship captain.

Travel the world, father some children with a mermaid, fight a horrid, pan-dimensional evil with your estranged family? Arg! It's the pirate's life for me!





Picked up some more shelves while I was down for the weekend.
Problem is, eventually I'm going to run out of walls...then ceiling...
I'm gonna need a bigger place sooner or later.


Anyway, back to work.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Chaos Burgeonet and Cecil's Helmet



Chaos Burgeonet
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=I1D2JR3H
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?gmxmmnylutn

I've got a lot of images here, so I'm going to break the text up in weird ways. Just thought I'd warn you.

Anyway, so here's the deal: It's my birthday (yes yes, woo, etc.).

Now, I've had these two models built and ready to go for some time (not too long on the Chaos Burgeonet, but I've had Cecil's Helmet ready for like two weeks), but I wanted to save their releases for when I finished working on the actual Cecil character models. That way you get a big ol' pack of Cecil related stuff (the Chaos Burgeonet is obviously based on Cecil's original helmet, so I figured it should go in the big release as well).



Problem is, I also wanted to release something on my birthday so I'd have an excuse to post. I tried just posting for the sake of it last year, and the whole affair felt really contrived. I wanted to get Fargo built and released, but I ended up sitting around a bar with some friends (don't ask why, I don't even drink) for several hours this evening, so I knew Fargo just wasn't going to get built on time.


Cecil's Helmet
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S8R5LHB4
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?l0zlziqz5ze

So, since I had both of these models packaged up, ready to go, I figured I'd go ahead and release them for the excuse to post on my birthday, and to give you a present by not being a tease and keeping them to myself until I get the big stuff done (any of you who saw my posts on the paper hat rack I built will already have known about the Cecil mask). Also this frees me up to just kick back on my birthday and play some Katamari Forever.

Ugh...while posting this, I just noticed Ynger's comment in the shoutbox (and yes, that typo was intentional). You remember Yngar, right? The crazy-eyed man who conducted horrible experiments with caffeine and alcohol at Anime Fest?
You may not want to, but you remember...

Anyway, if you really want to show your appreciation on my twenty-third, you should consider pressing that shiny yellow button to your right. The one that says "Donate." Donations keep my paper plentiful and my printer full of ink.



Haaah. With all that said, I can finally address some of the important bits about the models. Namely, they're both full-head helmets. This means scaling is real tricky business. Now, I have a pretty big head, but, I shave it, so I am sans-hair. This means that my head is a pretty good rough estimate of the size of the average wearer. What I found with these is that, you need to remember the shape of your head: its widest circumference is around the temple/forehead, just above the eyes. The helmets will both fit, but you need to be careful about putting them on. Go slowly, and try to tuck your ears in as you pull down over the brow. That way you won't hurt your face or your fancy paper hat.


I'll try to get Fargo done in the next few days, then start on the Cecil models when I can. Going out of town for the weekend (Renaissance Festival in Houston with crazy-eyes; my mom's in League City, so it's also a chance to cash in on the birthday weekend).


With all that said, I think I'll relax a bit and roll me up some soul clods.







You know, eating a bag's worth of muffins with a big glass of milk is a mighty fine substitute for a birthday cake. I was never all that big on frosting anyway.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Scholar's Mortarboard


Scholar's Mortarboard
http://www.mediafire.com/?gltze0wzogj
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CXZRZ53B

This is the last of the big batch I made ready for building a while back (ignoring the Dark Knight helm, which I'm saving for the big Cecil release). Getting to the point where I can count the remaining AF hats on one hand. Of course, I left the most tedious for last, so we'll see how long it takes to get them all done.

Anyway, this is likely the last release for the next two weeks or so. It's crunch time for the first round of exams this semester, so I need to worry about the usual two pages of written material a week, plus a whole stack of "journal entries" for 19th Century philo, and a chapter test in Japanese. Next week I'll get the prompts for my first paper in Ancient. Did this whole build while listening to Thus Spoke Zarathustra on audiobook so I could multitask and prepare for those journal entries I should've been doing for the last month.



I've also been thinking I need to adopt a more regular schedule, so I can afford myself time and discipline to get in shape and maintain other interests. Thinking about aiming for one release a week. That seems like a lot for most people, but I like to sprinkle miniature gimmick release in with my big stuff, so it's not too bad. This also allows me to work on the big stuff in a more focused manner.

I'll let you know what I settle on. If I can find some time to build (potentially listening to another audiobook in preparation for another paper), Fargo will be the next release. Then I can finally get down to work on Cecil.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Kingdom Hearts Moogle


Kingdom Hearts Moogle
http://www.mediafire.com/?wwmtnh5ztvj
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CET5XNQ5

So, this is my first adventure into Kingdom Hearts territory (not that I chose something iconic from that particular series), and I don't think I'm very fond of these models. They're needlessly high in the polycount, and as we all know, I'm completely useless when it comes to fixing up models in that respect.

All the same, the build went faster than I expected, mainly because I utilized the "stacked rings" method for the small parts in the limbs. The original model was built a lot like the old FFVII models in that it was composed of floating parts only held together by an invisible skeleton. Rather than forcibly attach the arms and legs, locking him into a single pose, I thought I'd play it lazy and leave them loose. This way you can punch holes yourself and pose him however you like.

Anyway, I've got some vague plans for what to do with Kingdom Hearts in the future, but I assure you, they won't be what the public wants most out of those games.


Work continues on...lots of things. Scholar's Mortarboard or Fargo up next, not entirely sure yet. I've got the Dark Knight version of Cecil printed, but my printer ran dry again during the Paladin print. I'm distressingly destitute at the moment, so it'll be a bit before I can get more ink.

My brithday's coming up, you could always donate to speed up the process~


Expect another release some time this week...maybe.



Oh right, almost forgot to mention. Apparently this is my 101st post. That seems like...iuno, something? Important? Worth noting, kind of.
Whatever, I'll get back to work.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Puppetry Taj


Puppetry Taj
http://www.mediafire.com/?3m42fjvjzoa
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PI0L1SZ6

Got this knocked out early so I can actually worry about my school work tomorrow. Just whittling away at the full list of AF helms. I've got two more printed and ready, hopefully get them built soon.



In other news: I had a look through the Chrono Cross stuff again after making the Lynx post. I think after Fargo, I'll get to work on Serge. I think I'm going to try to make it a double release and package the Lynx-possessed Dark Serge alongside. Beyond that, I'm not really sure what I want to do. I've got a few of my own favorite characters (actually the list of my favorites is about half the recruitable characters), but I'm open to suggestion. Eventually I'd like to do them all (Pip is gonna be a big ol' release...)

Anyway, I've got some homework to do. Enjoy your hat.

Lynx


Lynx
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CX2BCNCT
http://www.mediafire.com/?lzqy4jjeejm

First of the next two Chrono Cross models, the second (possibly later this afternoon) being Fargo. Did the entire build on Usteam. Apologies though, as I only realized after finishing everything that my Line In has been muted for the last several days, which means all the music and audio for the last several videos (Lynx build, Shinra Copter build, and Cecil layout) have all been silent. I was under the impression you were hearing all kinds of stuff. Oh well~



As a result, if you go back and watch the Lynx build, it may be important to note that I was watching standup comedy for almost the entire thing. Just thought I'd let you know what the inexplicable, hysterical laughter was about. I thought I was sharing Louis CK's hilariously dark humor with you, but apparently not. I'll make sure that's fixed for any future videos. And yes, I was eating orange juice concentrate. I do that...

Anyway, it occurred to me while building this, that I think the Chrono Cross models are my favorites. The meshes are low poly enough to keep the part count low, but high enough to be able to build them without folding; the textures are gorgeous; and the models are detailed enough that I get plenty of chances to play with fun little innovations. I'll try to keep more of them on my project list at a time.



If you read through the instructions on release all the way to the end, you'll know that I always try to have some plot-related joke at the end, along with a finished photo to end the guide. I was pretty amused with what I came up with for Lynx's last page, thought I'd post it here, in case you usually glance over.


That's all for now. I'll probably get started on something a bit easier after I clean up the apartment. Expect something released tomorrow.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Shinra Helictoper


Shinra Helicopter
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=E2APMWZT
http://www.mediafire.com/?mzlxgnmkwyz

Another Crisis Core mini-release, akin to Genesis' Sword. If you've checked the project list recently, you'll know that this is only the first part of a larger plan to build a more detailed version of the same chopper. This is just one that someone with only a few hours to kill would want to build, not a full blown weekend project like the more detailed iteration will be.



Also posted this in the MediaFire folder and on DeviantArt a little while back. I mentioned the link in the shoutbox, but in case you missed it:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?d5wm4u2jt2o




Anyway, I've been getting plenty of layouts ready for build over the last few days (it's all been Ustream'd, so you can go back and skim through it if you like, or watch me as it happens next time), and this is the first of the stack to get tackled. I've also got the Kingdom Hearts Moogle in there, as well as Fargo and Lynx from Chrono Cross, and three more FFXI artifact helmets (Puppet Master, Scholar, and Dark Knight). I also finished the layout for Cecil's Dark Knight incarnation this morning (actually yesterday morning/early afternoon, as it's now about twoish in the "am"). I plan to build the stack over the next week, but even if I get them all done, I'm going to save the Dark Knight helmet for when I finish both Cecils and package them as one big release.

So in the meantime, stay tuned. It looks to be a good week of releases.