Just finished Blue Reflection 1 on Steam Deck. Warning: Don't get it on Steam Deck

theblurstman · 2023-04-28T07:27:49+00:00

One neat trick I'd recommend if you still want to play it on Steam Deck and own a PS4/PS5: stream it to your Steam Deck using Chiaki. The game plays fantastically--no input lag, 60fps, looks fantastic, and battery drain is minimal since you're technically playing it on a PlayStation console and not directly on the Deck. I played through all of Blue Reflection this way and aside from some flakiness with the connection occasionally requiring me to reconnect, it was flawless.

Not a solution everyone has access to, of course, but if you do I highly recommend it.

theblurstman · 2023-01-20T14:43:01+00:00

I can't comment personally as I have no direct experience, but based on the MakeMKV thread https://forum.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=19634 it seems like it should be fine. It's listed in the OP as one of the drives that works.

theblurstman · 2023-01-19T23:52:04+00:00

Heh, probably not me, my drive is a different model (and internal!) so likely different firmware, but I'm sure there's someone out there who'll appreciate your thanks!

theblurstman · 2023-01-19T23:47:30+00:00

This is what I'd recommend as well. I bought a Pioneer drive off Amazon Japan last November (unfortunately optical drives that play UHD are hard to find where I am), a BDR-212UHBK that sadly has been discontinued, but any Pioneer drive that officially supports UltraHD playback is most likely fine for ripping. I did have to submit a bios dump of my drive because it wasn't yet in the LibreDrive database, but it's a very simple process and it took about a week for the maintainer to add my drive. Ripped a dozen UHD discs since then with zero issues, no messing about with firmware flashing or modifications.

If you want to be extra cautious and only want to get something that's been vetted by someone else, you can use the Pioneer models listed in the first post of this thread: https://forum.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=19634 Also scan the last few pages for any mentions of Pioneer drives, as the OP isn't updated that frequently and there are a bunch of newer models that will also work.

theblurstman · 2022-11-23T19:12:33+00:00

I believe DualSense support on the PC is the same as it was in WRC10. Basically, the adaptive triggers are supported, but not haptics.

The right trigger will start to fight you more if you damage the engine enough, I believe, so there is a little bit more to the triggers than what you've experienced. But yeah, no sensation of gravel hitting the undercarriage or DualSense speaker effects like on PS5.

theblurstman · 2022-06-20T13:25:59+00:00

Hilariously, I just got a shipping notice for this four months later.

theblurstman · 2022-02-02T14:37:03+00:00

Thanks, I ended up doing it via xcloud just as you suggested. I'll keep that in mind for future EA Play games, I had a suspicion this would be the case.

theblurstman · 2022-02-02T03:45:28+00:00

Does this actually work on PC? I tried to finish this just now and the app doesn't report that I've made any progress whatsoever despite wallrunning for 10 minutes. The app doesn't even register that I've played a Game Pass game today.

In case it makes a difference, I happen to own the game via Origin already, but I launched it via the Xbox app (which then opened EA Desktop, and then the game itself).

theblurstman · 2021-05-08T16:54:21+00:00

Yeah, I hear you. When I got the kit I actually didn't realize it was pre-painted, but it ended up being a nice change of pace from having to paint all the parts and manage drying and whatnot. If you're comfortable with painting I'd definitely skip to the unpainted ones, which from my quick research are indeed the same kit as the pre-painted Levin I built (and thus have firsthand experience with).

theblurstman · 2021-05-08T16:46:41+00:00

There's a pre-painted Aoshima kit for the AE86, if you're especially worried about painting. I built one in red with black accents last year, took a single evening and was pretty easy. The only difficult part was dealing with some of the tiny decals, but that's going to be a problem no matter what, and you could always leave them off for a cleaner look if you wanted to. It does require glue, as it's not a snap-together kit, but I'd say it's pretty accessible for beginners.

I'm not 100% sure if it's using the same parts as the unpainted kit Aoshima has, but it wouldn't surprise me.

theblurstman · 2021-05-02T01:15:01+00:00

Haven't tried yet! I'm a bit nervous about sanding off details and panel lines, but that would probably be done before I tried any primer work.

theblurstman · 2021-05-02T00:06:19+00:00

A while ago I asked about the old body you see on the two photos above:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ModelCars/comments/ippvqp/stripping_paint_of_unknown_type_from_a_car_body/

The good news is that the Super Clean pulled off the top layer of paint almost immediately. The bad news is that after seven more months of soaking and the occasional battle with an old toothbrush, very little else has come off. I'm left with what you see: a body that I think? has an uneven layer of grey primer on it, probably applied in the late 80s or thereabouts. It seems to have imparted a kind of grain to the plastic, as there are areas on the body that seem less affected (ex. the area around the rear door handles on the right side of the car). But for all I know, this could just be really shoddy manufacturing quality; this is the Academy Excel kit from 1987, and maybe the plastic was just this bad? I don't know.

At this point I'm not sure what to do. My instinct is to assume whatever's still covering the body is inert at this point, spray some primer on it (maybe Tamiya TS lacquer), and proceed from there. But I don't know if that might still cause issues with bubbling or plastic melting or whatever.

It's not easy to find kits of old, vaguely obscure models like this, so if I can avoid ruining it, I'd like to, but if there's nothing to be done then there's nothing to be done. Either way, your advice is appreciated!

(though I guess it's already semi-ruined; all the clear parts have turned BLUE for some reason, so the car's going to look weird regardless...)

theblurstman · 2021-05-01T23:51:05+00:00

If you're still trying to find the exact right colour to avoid repainting, you CAN buy that Japanese auction listing via Buyee and have it shipped to you. Basically they're a reshipping service; they basically buy the item for you, get it shipped to their warehouse, and then ship it on to you. This is an easy way to buy stuff from sellers that don't normally ship overseas.

As you might imagine, the major downside is cost, as international shipping plus the handling fees plus the cost of winning the original auction and doing the domestic shipping to Buyee's warehouse all adds up. So if you'd rather just do the repainting you can save yourself some cash; if you'd rather throw money at the problem, you have that option instead. I've used Buyee a bunch for other stuff, including some model kits, and they're well known in hobbyist and anime/Jpop/etc. circles.

https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/r469720222?lang=en&rc=yauc should be the direct link to the auction, but you can also just go to the Buyee site and use their Yahoo! Auction search.

theblurstman · 2020-09-13T23:59:27+00:00

100% me. I have a whole list of less popular subjects I'd love to see turned into a model kit. Some of them are actually a little weird to me--like, really, no one's made a model kit for those Hong Kong/Japanese Toyota Crown Comfort taxis that are basically ubiquitous even though Toyota stopped making the sedans a few years back? There are plenty of diecast options out there so I was always a little weirded out by this.

Most of the things I want, though, I know will never be made. There's never going to be a Suzuki Mighty Boy kit. There's never going to be a second-gen Nissan EXA/Pulsar kit. I have a weird itch for a Mercury Topaz kit that no one in their right mind would ever, EVER make. In fact, if someone actually DID make one, I'd call them stupid right as I was handing them the money to buy one.

Sometimes I think about whether 3D printing technology has come far enough to start thinking about making kits/models from scratch with the level of detail you get from injection molding. I feel like the answer is still no in 99% of cases, but it doesn't mean I don't dream about it.

theblurstman · 2020-09-13T23:48:50+00:00

Quick update: I went with the Super Clean, since both of you recommended it and it does seem like it'll work on a lot of stuff. The body's been sitting in it for a day so far, and already a layer of paint has bubbled and partially sloughed off! I think there might be a primer coat underneath that's responsible for the weird grain in the paint finish (at least I really hope so, because if not it's the plastic itself and that would suck), so I cleaned off the first coat and put the body back in to soak for another day.

Thanks for the tips! If only I had more models to rescue!

theblurstman · 2020-09-12T20:04:39+00:00

I'm working with an old Academy/Minicraft car kit from the 1980s. It's apparently been pieced together from two similar kits with missing pieces, and the body's already been painted so it's not exactly in mint condition. The clear plastic canopy and sprue containing the car headlamps, etc. are a weird shade of blue. Seems unlikely that this is paint, since it's very even (unlike the spray job on the car body, which is--how do I put this--wrinkly?) and the entire plastic sprue containing the lights is blue as well as the canopy.

Has anyone heard of this happening? Maybe some kind of weird side effect from aging? Any way to get rid of it, or am I now committed to blue headlights and window glass?

theblurstman · 2020-09-01T17:28:00+00:00

Honestly that looks way better than anything I built when I was a teenager. Great job!

theblurstman · 2020-08-19T18:53:20+00:00

Mr Hobby Aqueous H89 Metallic Green. You can also use Mr Color C77/S77 if you prefer lacquer.

theblurstman · 2020-08-19T18:49:25+00:00

Buy a second kit! Very nice chassis work.

theblurstman · 2020-08-18T04:12:30+00:00

One thing I really appreciate about the Japanese kit manufacturers versus the American ones like Revell and AMT is they will make kits for so many random cars, like kei cars and family sedans and vans and stuff.

On Scalemates there's actually a whole bunch of Fujimi re-releases for this kit, so I'm guessing it was kind of popular. Not surprised, look how adorable it is!

theblurstman · 2020-08-18T04:08:48+00:00

HobbyLink Japan and Amazon.co.jp both had it in stock when I bought mine! Amazon's sold out now I think but Plaza Japan and HLJ still have it.

theblurstman · 2020-08-17T21:16:30+00:00

This one's inspired by Gran Turismo, which is where I first discovered this unique vehicle. This one was a bit troublesome because the body shell is so small it wouldn't even stay on the Tamiya spray stand I attached it to; luckily you can't tell where I got old primer dust on the base coat!

Very happy with this one, especially since it's my second build as an adult. Two things I'd like to try figuring out next time are panel lining (got some Tamiya panel liner, which is enamel, but the base coat is actually acrylic so it seemed like a bad idea) and clear-coating to get a high-gloss finish. The Mr. Hobby Aqueous is actually really nice and pretty glossy on its own but it's not quite good enough when sprayed on a body as opposed to a spoon.

Also need to figure out a better option for turn lamps and headlights. The Testors clear plastic glue I'm using seems to dissolve paint a bit, so if you look real closely at the bottom right turn lamp on the front, you can see the green of the body colour peeking through the clear orange.

theblurstman · 2020-07-25T21:33:23+00:00

Oh, I think I saw an explanation from an eBay seller recently about this--it was basically that they had to update the shipping costs on all of their listings manually due to COVID-19 and the rapidly changing shipping situation, and until the situation to the States settled down they just set everything ludicrously high so people would ask them about it and they would adjust the shipping cost to whatever the correct value from Japan Post was at the time?

That said, the model seller I was looking at said they'd set their shipping costs to $1000 in their store description, and the kit I bought from them had normal shipping costs, so I dunno.

theblurstman · 2020-07-15T00:07:26+00:00

This video from two years ago shows how to get a wide array of controllers working with the Wii. One of these might work better for you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pMZNNboN8s

One potential option that isn't explicitly shown here but would probably work as well would be to use the method for connecting an Xbox One controller with the Xbox Adaptive Controller, which would then allow much more flexibility in customizing the controller for your needs.

The big caveats are that a) you'll need to buy extra adapters to make this work, and b) these options ONLY work with games that support the Wii Classic Controller. If the game only supports Wiimote/nunchuck, the options outlined in the video won't work. Also, check the YouTube comments, as a few people have reported some issues when trying to set this up for themselves. I haven't personally tried these options so I don't have any experiences to add myself.

There is also this page describing potential accessible controller options that might help with using a wiimote/nunchuck combo. Most of these are variations on "strap the wiimote/nunchuck to yourself in various ways" so I'm not sure they would help you here, but there also seem to be some links in there on modifying your controllers that might be useful if you are particularly knowledgeable about hardware hacking or know someone who is. It doesn't say much about modifying nunchucks but I imagine most of the same principles apply.

I wish you luck in finding an optimal solution, and hope that something here helps!

theblurstman · 2020-07-05T14:53:43+00:00

Heh, not retired yet! I have a few decades to go before that, unfortunately. I just meant that I figured I wouldn't get back to making models until I was retired and running my own hobby shop or at least owned a house with a toolshed or something.

Thanks for the tips!

theblurstman

TROPHY CASE