#(like one tab about removing mold from my car. i just keep it because i know it's right before some specific fics

[sky-kenobye]

The number of open tabs on internet on my phone is really getting out of hand...

Last time I counted i was over 200 and it was a while ago, I'm pretty sure I've passed 300 (if not 400 😅)

The fun thing is that it's a bit like strata layers, I can scroll back up and be like "oh, I remember I opened that tab when I went to this board game thing, it was last winter!" or "oh that one is from whenever the Ahsoka series came out" and i can go back in time like that lol (there's 2 years worth of tabs 💀)

[makecableboyfriendoffical]

Blame it on the alcohol ( working title)

Beom-Pal really hated his life sometimes. Maybe hate is too strong of a word, but that’s how he felt tonight. He had a rough day at work (more like month) thinking his luck had changed when his cousin Cho Beom-il actually agreed to go out with him. Beom-pal should have known that it was too easy. They were only two drinks in and his cousin bailed on him because his fuck buddy called. So of course, when this particular fuck buddy called Beom-il drops everything (including to his knees Beom-pal thinks bitterly of his cousin).

  Now here he is alone drinking by himself looking extremely pathetic even for him. Well, if Beom-pal was going to drink by himself, he might as well drink at home. Just as he was about to signal the bartender that he wanted to pay his tab, feeling a hand on his shoulder. “Can I buy you a drink?” a voice asked.  Beom-pal turned around very quickly because he never got ask to be bought a drink. He tried to be the pursuer but gave up after being shot down one too many times. To his surprise it was Min Chi Rook, Lee Chang’s second-best friend (Seo-bi held first no questions asked).  Min Chi-Rok and Lee Chang were usually joined at the hip when out on the town.

  “Hello Min Chi Rok. What a surprise to see you. I can’t believe that you are here alone.” Beom-pal commented.

  Min Chi-Rok laughed and shook his head answers “I was supposed to meet Lee Chang but something happened so he owes me a raincheck.” Beom-pal just nods he as three guesses on what came up for him to bail on his friend.

  “You didn’t answer my question. Can I buy you a round of drinks?” Min Chi-Rok asks again

  “Sure, why the hell not. I’ve got nothing to lose. Beom-pal answers. He signals the bartender Two more of these and put it on his tab.” Pointing to Min Chi-Rok. The bartender just nods and gets to work on the drinks.

  “Why do I feel like it’s going to be some bougie drink?” Min Chi- Rok says as he takes stool next Beom-pal.

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Beom-pal ask knowing full well what he means.             

  “Somehow no one in your family strikes me as just a beer crowd.” Min Chi-Rok remarks

Beom-pal is about to make a witty comeback when the bartender comes back with two drinks. Min Chi-Rok at this point as raised one eyebrow because the drinks are a slight rose color with very pink sugar encrusting the rim.

“What? Who says one cannot enjoy the finer things in life.” Beom-pal says as he grabs a glass putting it to his lips.

  “What exactly is this finer thing anyway?” Min Chi-Rok ask as he picks up the other glass to inspect, now he can see raspberries floating.

  “This my dear friend is a raspberry royale.” Beom-pal says as if that explains everything.

“Again, what is this?” Min Chi-Rok repeated

  “This is champagne, raspberry liquor with of course fresh raspberry. Topped off with sanding sugar to finish the effect.” Beom-pal answered. Taking sip at his drink. Poor Min Chi-Rok was still eyeing the drink suspiciously.

“After this round, I’m going to show my drink of choice.” Min Chi-Rok said Beom-pal just nodded in agreement. They were only going to have maybe two drinks and be on their merry way.  

    Beom-pal is leading a very buzzed Min Chi-Rok to his apartment a few hours later. As he fumbles with his keys to open door, wonders how they got here. Well after having the “bougie” drink, Min Chi-Rok order some foreign beer he’s never heard of. Beom-pal can’t be outdone so he orders them lemon drop martini. Then Min Chi-Rok orders them two rounds of whiskey. Here is where things start to get a bit fuzzy around the edges. Downing the shots like a pro, he states that Min Chi-Rok cheated by ordering two rounds at the same time. Min Chi-Rok argues that two shots are about the equivalent of one drink, Beom-pal tries to argue why he disagrees with this. They must have been getting loud because the bartender announces that he’s cutting them off and offer to call them a riding service.

    Beom-pal scoffs at this and pulls out his phone to start dialing his car service. Well technically it’s Lee Chang, who is always saying the Beom-pal should use it more often. they spill into the SUV that was called. Min Chi-Rok said he wasn’t done drinking when the drive asks where they were going. Seeing that it’s almost 2am and for some reason he doesn’t want to share Min Chi-Rok with anyone else tonight. So, he gives the driver the address to his apartment and tells Min Chi-Rok that he has scotch that he has to try.

  Once in the apartment Beom-pal directs Min Chi-Rok to the couch in his while he pours the scotch. He drops a single cube of ice into their glasses and walk towards the couch. Min Chi-Rok grabs the glass and immediately starts to sip. Beom-pal thinks he hears a comment about of course the scotch is also sweet.  The place is too quiet and Beom-Pal reaches forward and starts fishing around in the basket that’s on the table. After about the third remote, he pulls out the one he wanted. Pretty soon there is poppy club music filling the room. He can see Min Chi Rok eyebrows slightly raise up. Beom-Pal doesn’t care, its his place and he can put on any music he damn well pleases. Beom-Pal sips his drink and slowly swings his shoulders to the rhythm, awaiting the snide remark from Min Chi Rok.

  “Well, I never thought I would spend my evening with a scotch and club music.” Min Chi Rok says as he sips his drink.

  “You got a problem with it?” Beom-Pal ask maybe sounding a bit defense. He knows he doesn’t fit into anyone mold of what a Cho is supposed to be.

  Min Chi Rok actually smiles at him before answering “Not one bit. It’s nice to see the many layers of Cho Beom-Pal. I feel like the only one is see work version.”

  “Well, you’ve never really interacted with besides work. Min Chi Rok opens his mouth to respond but Beom-Pal cuts him off coming to hang out with Lee Chang while we are working does not count. The rest of you may be able to play but I’m not.”

  “Your right. I’m sorry. I think what I know about you is from Lee Chang and your cousins. And that is not a full picture.” Min Chi Rok responded.

  Beom-Pal snorted “Well for one you can only believe like every other word from my cousins. And fairly certain Lee Chang thinks at any moment I’m going to stab him in the back.”

  “Don’t take that too personally. Lee Chang’s father instilled that he has to be paranoid about everyone.” Min Chi Rok tried to reassure him.

  “So, what does the great Min Chi Rok do beside burning corporate business to the ground?” Beom-Pal ask. Though he knows the answers because he’s in control of his boss schedule.  He asks because he doubts that Min Chi Rok remembers.  The man in front of raises his eyebrows and takes another sip before answering.

  “Well, I know you know this but I’ll play. You know about the basketball and baseball league. But after that archery we did a couple weeks ago, I picked that up again.”

  “Jealous that Yeong-shin was better?” Beom-Pal asks. He does not want to be caught in that weird triangle. Whenever his boss gets his head out his ass and admits he’s got the hots for his head hunter.

  “Contrary to what everyone thinks me and Lee Chang haven’t slept with each other in like 3 years.” Min Chi Rok tried to defend himself.  Beom-Pal snorted at that, they flirted way too much for it to be that long.

  “Fine don’t believe me. So, tell what does Cho Beom-Pal do when he’s not preventing the whole world from falling apart.” Min Chi Rok ask.

( Scenario 1)

“ Well most days I don’t have any time but when I can get the time I play pickle ball.” Beom-pal answers

  Min Chi Rok starts to laugh  “ You mean you play that old man game?”          

  “ It’s not any old man game. You have to be in good shape to play.” Beom-Pal tried not to whine. This only made Min Chi Rok laugh harder, once he settled a bit the other man said “ Oh I’m sure it keeps you in perfectly good shape.”

  “ It does!! Beom—Pal raised his voice If it didn’t would I feel like this? Beom-Pal reached forward grabbing Min Chi Rok by the wrists placing his hands right on Beom-Pal’s pecs.  Does this feel like someone who doesn’t get a full work out Beom-Pal asked. Min Chi Rok looked at with wide eyes looking a bit shocked. Beom-Pal looked down and could feel the blood rushing to his face. This was a bit forward and intimate then they actually were. Before Beom-Pal could say he was sorry and removed Min Chi Rok’s hands from his chest, he felt a firm but gentle squeeze on the forementioned pecs. A low hmm came from Min Chi Rok lips.

  “ Not bad from just pickle ball. Is there any other parts that benefit from the sport?” Min Chi Rok says with a what Beom-Pal called a naughty glint in his eyes.

  Scenario 2

  “ Most days I’m too damn tired to go out and do anything. But I do turn my stero on and just dance.” Beom-Pal answered.

  “ Ah I heard from Beom-il that you got two left feet.” Min Chi Rok remarked.

  “ What did I tell you about listening to my cousins? I dance perfectly well thank you.” Beom-Pal answered back.

  “ I’d rather believe you cousin in this I think.” Min Chi Rok responded

  Beom-Pal huffed and slammed his glass onto the table, grabbing the remote he programed one his favorite songs. As the bass start to fill the room he grabs Min Chi Rok by the forearm pulling him up from the couch. Beom-Pal starts swing his hips to beat and bring Min Chi Rok close to him. Beom-Pal puts his hands on Min Chi Rok shoulder and drops his body to floor. And as rises back his whole body sways to the rhythm of song. Once he is face to face again with Min Chi Rok, he feels the other man put his hand his waist and leads him around living. They seem to get closer with each Beom-Pal close to his chest. Beom-Pal can hear his heart beating out his chest. Whether its from the dancing or being close to the other man, he’s not sure. Min Chi Rok changes the positon of his hand that’s been on his waist.  Now  his arm curls around the waist to the back as to support Beom-Pal as he dips him. Before he can react he’s back up doing several more spins.

  Back to being chest to chest to his dance partner the song ends and goes into another one. Beom-Pal really not paying attention anymore to the song, he’s trying to get his heart not to leap out of his chest. He stares at the Min Chi Rok who looks like he’s trying to control his breath.  Two things at all at once , Beom-Pal feels the hand that was on his waist move lower to the inside of back pocket and Min Chi Rok moves his face closer to Beom-Pal’s face that they might as well be sharing the same breath.

[jimclassicstoycollection]

Mastermind Creations

Ocular Max PS-01P

Sphinx (TFcon 2019 exclusive)

Sphinx was one of the exclusives for TFcon 2019, October 25th-27th in Reston Virginia (yes, I’m that far behind).

I’m not going to lie, it was a difficult choice to make, but I decided on this guy.

There were three other exclusives up for sale that weekend; a blue G2 Fall of Cybertron style Grimlock made by Planet X, and a Cybertronian version of Senator Ratbat.

Pharaoh is a gold and black Masterprice styled version of the Autobot Mirage, and as of current July 2020 there is no MP Mirage in existence.

The Box:

I don’t normally talk about the box, but this is a convention exclusive, so what the hell.

The box is meant to looks an Egyptian sarcophagus with a clear half domed plastic window showing the face.

As boxes go it’s made out of a high quality cardboard, has a nice gold sheen and matte black finish, and alludes to the high quality figure laying dormant underneath.

Collector’s Card:

Keeping in theme with the Masterprice figures Sphinx comes with a collector’s card.

For the front of the card we see a very Sunbow style version of the 3rd party toy, and gold grid for the background. It’s overall nice, but very basic too. But at least it’s clear, and not foggy...so there’s that.

On the back of the card Sphinx has a bio and stats.

 Accessories:

Aside from the main figure, collector’s card and instructions, Sphinx comes with some pretty basic accessories.

Rifle, shoulder rocket launcher, two additional extra faces, and a clear plastic driver.

We’ll get into all that stuff later on.

Vehicle Mode:

Starting off in vehicle mode as I like to do, Sphinx is a black formula race car with a lot of gold colored trim.

It’s pretty much a blocky, black racer with minimal curves, and some detail.

The bumper and spoiler are made out of the dull gold plastic, the rear engine block is dicast metal, and the vents, steering wheel, and wheels are also dull gold plastic.

The gold paint is minimal, pretty much just keeping to the line work, and the car rolls on some pretty thick rubber tires.

Though it is no without its flaws. I did have a bit of a challenge keeping all of the panels in place, and I don’t think I aligned everything perfectly, so it always felt just a bit off to me; I mean it held up alright, and it felt durable, yet it also seemed off a tad as well.

The race car has an optional clear plastic driver meant to be a hologram, I suppose.

The driver fits in pretty well, and it looks alright.

The spoiler had two grooves in the side to allow the rifle and rocket launcher, so you got your obligatory weapon storage.

Looking at the car from the bottom, maybe you can see what I meant by not doing something right.

Transformation:

Transformation to both vehicle and robot mode will probably get easier over time. One of my issues was that the toy was packaged in robot mode, however the instructions started off in vehicle mode, so I had to do everything in reverse, and I believes that’s partly due to me not converting the toy correctly, hence the panel issues I had with the race car.

Robot Mode:

Sphinxes robot mode is basically a Masterpiece styled Autobot Mirage, and I’m not complaining. 

The toy does have di cast metal all throughout, however it is mostly in the joints; that is definitely not a complaint since joints sometimes tend to be the weakest parts of any transformer, and hopefully a di cast joint will ultimately last longer.

As far as his weapons go in robot mode, the shoulder rocket attaches onto his shoulder by a plastic clip directly to the right of Sphinx’es head. That does limit his head turn marginally, but it’s not too bad.

The rocket and launcher are two pieces, HOWEVER they are not meant to separated. That rocket is firmly in the launcher, and I think it’s molded in a way to stay put.

Sphinx’s other weapon is his laser rifle. He holds it by tabbing the handle into the palm of his hand, and then close the fingers around, and that can be a little problematic at times. The fingers close in just fine, however the thumb on the other hand (no pun intended) is on a swivel so it can’t flew outward away from the gun, and the way the gun is molded doesn’t allow clearance so the thumb can swivel around the handle.

Which means you have to awkwardly angle the gun into the palm without snapping off thumb, and I’ll be honest that made pretty nervous each time I did.

Once that gun is in his hand Sphinx holds it pretty tight. 

The toy has several points of articulation:

Ball joint at the head, back and forth neck, universal shoulders, bicep swivel, bend at the elbow, wrist swivel, swivel at the thumb, hinge at the index finger, single hinge at the other three finger, waist swivel, universal hips, thigh swivel, bend at the knee, ankle pivot, and tow bend.

The toy does have a good range of motion, and he stands well.

Imperfections:

Well it looks as of Sphinx was mis-assembled a bit, for his left hand has an articulated pinky finger instead of the index finger having the separate articulation.

I was really curious to see how the extra faces would look on Sphinx, however I ran into a complication...

According to the instruction I need to remove the back of his head, then unscrew the face from the mounting point. However I couldn’t remove the back of the head, and i wasn’t about the break it by applying too much force, so I guess I’ll never know what it looks like.

It’s a shame because I really like the hard angled, stoic face.

Final Thoughts:

Sphinx is a fun figure, but it’s obviously not perfect. Vehicle mode doesn’t scale too well with my other Masterpiece figures, and it’s mis-assembled, 

The robot mode looks great, but the truth is, I’m just not that into it. I was hoping that I might be; I thought having an MP style toy of a character which Takara hasn’t made yet, and in a completely different color I thought it would be cool.

I’m not knocking the toy, or the craftsman ship put into it (I mean mine does have some production errors), but i can’t explain it right now; I just feel neutral towards it. But it’s a thing, and I like it, and I’m going to keep it.

It is a reminder of my fun time at my first TFcon.

[olivereliott]

Done To A Tee: Nigel Petrie’s immaculate R nineT chopper

Nigel Petrie is a bike builder who deserves way more attention than he gets. Despite his next-level fabrication skills and Born Free show invites, he tends to fly under the radar outside his native Australia. Which is a shame, because he doesn’t only build kickass bikes—he also builds incredible cars too, such as the Toyota Hilux ‘Drift Ute.’

Motorcycles have fascinated Nigel since his childhood days, growing up on the outskirts of a tiny rural town, some 200 kilometers away from Melbourne. Being outside mainstream life maybe explains why there’s nothing conventional about his builds.

Nigel has already turned a KTM 350 SX-F into a salt flat racer, and he’s now turned a BMW R nineT into a slim, elegant chopper with a 21st century vibe.

A boxer-powered BMW is not the first platform one usually thinks of when building a chopper. And Nigel already has a vintage Harley in his garage. So how did this strange business start?

BMW Motorrad kicked things off in 2019 with a delivery to Nigel’s Engineered To Slide workshop, on the Deakin University campus in Geelong.

“I picked up a brand new R nineT Racer,” Nigel tells us. “I unboxed it and tore it down—but only kept the engine, rear drive unit and rear brake. I was riding an R nineT Scrambler at the time and loved the way it rode. I also loved skinny choppers, and was always wondering if the two could ever be combined in a tasteful manner.”

“It was all a bit of a guessing game,” Nigel admits. “Anything can work if you set your mind to it, so I trusted in my fabrication craft and eye for detail. It was just a question of whether I had the patience or not.”

The skeletal girder-style fork attracts the eye first. “This was always on the plan, as I love the triangulation and simplicity,” says Nigel. “I used 19mm diameter Chromoly tube to construct the fork, but the ‘spring’ is made from carbon fiber—using five layers of ‘prepreg’ shaped over a 3D-printed mold, baked in an oven under vacuum. It’s super strong and works incredibly well.”

The wheels are distinctly old-fashioned, though. “The front rim is a 22-inch hoop wearing the same tire that a Model T Ford would have used a hundred years ago,” says Nigel. “It’s a Firestone 28×3, and I bought this tire before making the rim. Tires have a big impact on the stance of a bike, and that’s very important to me.”

The wheel rim was rolled by Stephen from Vintage Rims Australia, while Nigel set about designing the spokes. “I love the magnesium wheels of the 70s and especially the Motomags that were used for BMX. This is my take on that style, and also harks back to BMWs early ‘snowflake’ wheel design.”

Collaborator Matt Hill drew the wheel and used AutoCAD DXF files to laser cut each individual spoke. Nigel then used the stock wheel bearings from the R nineT, made up a stainless hub, and TIG welded all the spokes together to create the rim. “It took many hours, but the results are worth it.”

The frame is all custom, all chromoly, and has removable lower legs to make it easier to remove the engine. “This mounts the engine in position, and ‘hangs’ it in the frame,” Nigel explains nonchalantly, as if it was just another day at work.

He’s used the stock transmission and drive shaft from the R nineT, but re-angled it to suit the frame. “It gives the bike a very sturdy driveline, and it absolutely rips!” Nigel could have chosen a single-sided arrangement, but traditional frame lines were important to him—so he’s used classic hardtail layout, which he planned out with string lines at the start.

The tank is equally classic, a peanut style taken from the Lowbrow Customs catalog, with the tabs removed to give it a seamless ‘floating’ look on the frame. The rear ‘Manta Ray’ fender comes from Lowbrow too, with the angle of the little upkick neatly matched to the angles of the exhaust pipework and frame.

Underneath, and sitting very snug, is an M&H Racemaster 18-inch vintage drag slick. “I love this tire and the diameter really matches the 22-inch front tire,” says Nigel. “The rear wheel came together like the front, but the hub was CNC-cut from stainless steel to suit the stock drive unit.”

The exhaust and intakes are high-tech though, despite their looks. They’re crafted from titanium, and anchor all the angles. “It’s a very analog bike,” Nigel reveals. “The factory ECU and injection is gone, and in its place is a Morris Magneto that’s driven off a pair of dry sump pulleys, which bring a motorsport aspect to this build. I wanted this to emulate a 1960s drag car supercharger, and it fills in the area perfectly.”

Carbs replace the throttle bodies, but they’re not off-the-shelf. “They were custom-made from billet alloy by Smart Carb and feature a really neat tuning solution that replaces jets.”

That sounds difficult enough, but a less obvious difficulty was the starter. “I ended up mounting an 18V DeWalt battery underneath the motor, and it can be slipped in and out for charging. This allows the factory starter and lights to operate.”

For controls, Nigel has installed a Prism Supply throttle, a rear brake operated by the right heel, and a heel-operated clutch too—driven by a rear brake master. It keeps the hand-fabricated bars as clean as a whistle.

In the end, everything worked out just fine on this build—until the point it was finished. Because if you went to the Born Free show last weekend, you’ll have noticed that the BMW wasn’t there.

“My application for travel was denied by our government,” says Nigel. “It was a huge letdown, because I really wanted to showcase something a lot different.” And different this BMW certainly is—an intriguing mix of high- and low-tech. Still, Nigel seems sanguine about the situation. “It’s been a wild ride, and I’ve had a lot of fun seeing this bike come to life.”

If you’re interested in fabrication, head over to Nigel’s Engineered To Slide website—it’s a fascinating look at the world of high-end bike-building and metalworking techniques, with a master practitioner as your guide.

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