A trip I will never forget.

This came as a big surprise to me really. I wanted to visit the local Gunpla community in Magelang, Indonesia and ended up with more than I bargained for. I was invited as one of their special guests and Judge for the Gundam competition. This I got to thank the two organizers, Mr Ifan, owner of Blublek Studio and Parkz Toys Hobbies for making this happen. And special thanks to Adrian Hardy as well. 

And the second surprise is that the passion of the Gunpla community there is tremendous. The support was overwhelming and you see folks from places as far as Bandung, here to join the competition. That is a domestic flight and many hours of traveling. Talk about commitment! 

If it's in Singapore, people will moan at a half an hour trip to the venue. Sigh... 

Ifan addressing his followers! LOL, a charismatic instructor who are more than willing to share his techniques and passion with anyone who is willing to learn.  

Oh look out for this book by Ifan. A tell-all biography!!! LOL 

Ah, now about the entries. 

There are two categories namely the Straight Build and Custom Build. If I remember correctly, there were more than sixty entries from both categories. Generally, most of the entries are good. Some were let down by poor finishing and some, incomplete. And dust is a common problem as I seen quite a few dusty entries. 

There were some outstanding ones of course. Clean and neat. Well, here are some pictures. But I have to apologize for the poor quality as most were taken in haste and without a proper tripod. My hands were trembling more than usual. 

Prize presentation and I was tasked to comment on the winning entries. Gulp.'

And I never had a chance to thank this thoughtful modeler who gave me this Choco Chip Brownie. Thanks a lot bro! Hope you see this! 

Well, all nice things have to come to an end. I thoroughly enjoy this trip. It was a valuable learning experience for me. At the same time, I am humbled by the generosity and warmth of the hosts and the modelers, especially folks from Gunpla Magelang. YOU GUYS ROCKS!!! 

A magical trip. A culinary adventure. A milestone of my Gunpla journey.