Any guesses on the culprit?
The original grip was the most awful, chunky wrap I've ever handled, and it also didn't come with a knob taper. A single afternoon was all it took to address both of those, though I did need to heavily modify the taper in order to properly fit the squishy knob.
Recently I picked up a pretty decent 90s bat (TPX C555 drop 5) that was mostly in good shape, but the end cap crumbled with a sharp look. Fortunately enough I bought it knowing that, and I also had a brand new spare Lousiville Slugger cupped end cap too.
Now that I've got everything cleaned off I'm looking to make sure it's glued properly in place, so if anyone had any recommendations on brands of glue/epoxy, cure times, or anything else then I'd definitely appreciate that.
Much thanks!
Just a hypothetical, now that they've dipped into the manga God Cards and recently the Japanese GX Sacred Beasts. I could easily see the Orichalcos cards with their Enochian runes being another thing that they eventually print.
Just thought I should share a glimpse into the Chocolate Factory without any Golden Ticket needed, so to speak. Most are 34"s, and straight from the golden days.
Anyone have any good memories from then?
My folks are having their place renovated, and this is the new countertop they have. But I noticed that where the convention stove was put in, they placed an "insert", and seem to have needed to feather in the edges slightly, if that makes any sense.
I'm also not sure why this cutout needed a piece put in yet the sink didn't, as seen in the last photos. Should I make a deal out of this on their behalf?
The usual story. Ship out package in a very timely manner, only for USPS to blow past the expected delivery date and cause it to be late.
Now the buyer is reporting that it hasn't arrived yet (clearly), and even though the shipping is still updating sporadically and is even in their home state (Kansas) according to the last scan, they're requesting a refund and putting my ebay account on hold.
It's not like I can do much at this point besides request email updates on the shipping (which I did) and just wait for it to arrive whenever USPS decides to stop jerking the both of us around. Before this I'd exchanged a few messages with the buyer and everything seemed on the up and up, so this is a big shift. I'm still waiting to get a response from them, as I messaged them after getting this notification.
I totally get being annoyed the shipping is taking so long, but at least from what I can tell it seems more like the package is just late than it is lost or stolen (I hope).
At this point I've decided to give it a few more days to see if anything changes or updates on its own before supplying proof of shipping and filing a lost package claim myself. I even recorded myself dropping it off at the local USPS and getting the receipt just to show that it was turned over to them, which is a habit I've fallen into.
Is there anything else I can do? What would any of you recommend?
That last line is the ringer; apparently Zaraki and Azashiro's final clash produced a storm of Spiritual Pressure with enough power to actually wipe out the restrictive currents and the Kōtotsu, or Cleaner. If we're taking this SAFWY scan at face value, then this would be proof that Kenpachi Zaraki at this point in his progression, as well as Shinigami who scale far above him, can start to violate at least some of the laws of nature or "reason" with their Spiritual Powers; something which Aizen also did even before he fully Transcended.
Granted it was Zaraki and Azashiro's clash that resulted in this, but Zaraki was the stronger of the two regardless. If this is accurate then this means that there's an implied "higher tier" of Spiritual Pressures even among so-called "ordinary" Shinigami, which would still exist in a lower dimension compared to actual Transcended beings, even if exceptional for a Shinigami.
This honestly feels like it might explain why Zaraki, Unohana, Shinigami Aizen and Yamamoto all feel like they get treated with a kind of weight that doesn't just feel like "very strong Captain". The story makes it seem like they're operating on a totally different axis than everybody else instead of just higher on the same one.
Obviously I know that people treat SAFWY with appropriate caution, but even putting the rest of the light novels aside; what does everyone think of the basic idea of a "higher tier" of Shinigami Reiatsu that gives them a pseudo dimensional-advantage over weaker Shinigami? If true then maybe there's some real meat to Aizen's whole "Reiatsu crushing" abilities after all.
Narratively I think it could help explain some things, but that's just my own gut feeling.
Thought some of you might appreciate seeing a classic from the golden era; the DeMarini Voodoo Black BESR; the red & black VDB9 version. This particular example is a 34", and in what I would consider better than average shape.
Easily one of the best sweet spots ever designed on a bat; the feel is honestly like nothing else.
Just don't hit with it in the cold, or else (IYKYK).
Been working on the polish of this old Hanwei, and after a few recent rounds of Nugui I think I'm starting to pull what at first glance resembles a 'hada' out of the steel.
For obvious reasons this isn't that, but given T10's composition with tungsten carbide I'm wondering if some interesting affects occurred during the quench. You can see how the flow follows the boundary and shape of the hamon itself.
I'm reasonably sure that Hanwei always etched their hamon using a template mask of some sort before just acid etching the whole blade, though the actual nioiguchi doesn't always correspond 1:1 to that etch.
This is an older model from '06 (long out of production) that I thought I'd have a go at; mostly using a hybridized/poverty Jizuya and Nugui methods.
I was able to knock back a bit of that frosted "Hanwei etch" and even bring out a bit of grain (nothing that the camera can see), but I think I'm also starting to cut through the white frosting and get to the actual hamon line. Just in the first two peaks you can start to see the ghosts of some more interesting activity.
In person I think I can glimpse a little bit of nioi, though it's too early to tell for sure. Even on a T10 blade like this there's still a bit of character to be pulled out, if you're willing to put in the time.
Unfortunately I don't have too many good before pictures, but if you know Hanwei then you know what I mean. Hopefully those details come across through the photos.
The ideal goal is to eventually (and slowly) knock back the thick etch until the actual hamon is all that's brightened, with the resulting pattern being a lot more natural looking and detailed.
Just got this email a little while back, and I'm a bit surprised by this over the top marketing.
While I get all the puffery and marketing hype, I can't help but feel that claiming this (that they're claiming is an "actual" unbiased review) indirectly insinuates that all prior reviews aren't unbiased; which doesn't exactly come off as flattering and isn't a good look in y books.
I don't usually care much for drama, but something about Soldier has been rubbing me for the wrong way for a while now; and this is just another thing that's making me give them the side-eye.
Most are 34"s.
Still waiting on a few replacement grips in the mail. I swear Vulcans are getting harder to find.
Also these little wall hooks are expensive buggers; $12 a piece. Highway robbery.
Eventually it'll probably double in size, but that's tomorrow's problem! 😁
Recently managed to pick up a 32"/27oz drop 5 Encore for cheap, and the general consensus that I found online was that the BBCOR Encore was middling while the utrip Encore was pretty decent.
The barrel size is pretty healthy and it's also surprisingly balanced, so I'll see how it performs for myself soon. Definitely needs a taper in the handle though, so I'll probably be messing with the grip wrap in the near future.
I'm hoping it can be a good bat for bp without being too delicate like most of the utrip composites.
BESR Easton Stealth comp in AWESOME shape.
It's a 34" too, which are dead nuts hard to come by.
Knew I had to have it as soon as it came up for sale.
Made this back when I was a kid as a "fun" challenge deck using anime/manga cards.
I think you can see a theme 😂
IYKYK
Good memories with the old Voodoo.
Best BESR ever made IMO; at least for about a month until they explode 😂
What do you think about this one?
I'm going to see if I can find somebody to make a new air bladder for this old girl; I'm about 99% certain that even perfect condition Air Attacks have all lost their nitrogen over the decades.
If I can pull it off, then this might be the only "restored" Air Attack out there...