I may well be bonkers

Or just plain stupid.

On a whim, I searched eBay to see if Wonderfest BT-17 Black Convoy was available at a reasonable price.

The answer, depending entirely on your point of view on such matters, is either 'Yes' or 'No'.

Let's look at the evidence: Only 800 made for the 2006 Wonderfest in Japan (allegedly, so let's say it was closer to 1,000), and they sold out in two hours. Most of the shell of the vehicle mode is die-cast metal painted black, meaning the model weighs over 1lb. It's slightly remodelled from the US San Diego Comic Con Alternator Nemesis Prime (the rear of the cab has a break light, for example, so it's more like a real Dodge Ram SRT-10). It has a far more varied, generally better paint job - more grey visible in robot mode, more subtle use of metallic teal with some chromed pieces, such as the hubcaps and details on the underside of the bumper. Its windows are clear, rather than transparent red (which looks a bit pink in reality, and therefor works against the idea of Nemesis Prime being Completely Evil). On top of all of that, its joints are tighter and more reliable than its lighter, black plastic counterpart.

It is, without a doubt, a beautiful piece of design. In so many ways, it makes the Alternator version - which was also a limited edition, remember - look unfinished. Considering the limited numbers, and it's supposed 'Last of the (Binaltech) Line' status, one would expect to pay a premium.

On the downside, it's not necessarily the best BT/AT mold of all time, particularly when one considers the gaping hole under the bonnet (which is not entirely necessitated by the transformation) and I've already got the Alternator version.

Prices average about $200. Even before shipping, I paid slightly more than that but, as it gets harder to find, the price will inevitably creep up. It's quite likely that this is the most expensive single TransFormer I'll ever buy.

So, yes, I bought it. I considered it, weighed it all up in my mind, and decided that I couldn't really pass it up. If it really is the last of the Binaltech line, then they've gone out with a bang rather than the whimper is the distinctly variable Kiss Players line, which includes 'remixed' BT/AT models (in painted plastic rather than die-cast) with stuff that's more than 20 years old, and strange little PVC figures.

Did a bit more photography earlier. Took a few shots of my MP-01 Convoy, since I didn't do him justice the first time around - I just had him posed randomly on top of his box which was, in turn, on a sofa. The light wasn't ideal and, frankly, the best thing about the original photo I took was that the flash caught the reflective green blob inside his gun barrel.

This time round, I used the usual white background for clarity, and attempted a few more interesting poses. All things considered, despite an abundance of decent joints, MP-01 is tricky to pose because his hips are actually quite weak, and his feet lack the balance-improving extended heels of some of the more recent toys. The use of die-cast metal may well be very impressive, but it does affect his balance quite badly.

I planned on doing a bit more, but it's already getting late in the day, and the good light won't last much longer. Not sure what else I want to do, so I figure I'll work on redoing my website's logo. If I can figure out something I like, I may well get round to redesigning the site this year!

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon wandering round Hampstead Heath with my friend/colleague. Our original plan was to give my kite - which she bought me last year - its maiden flight. Sadly, there just wasn't enough wind, so we just took in the delights of the scenery (and observed birds and dogs larking about in the ponds, not to mention a couple of shifty-looking for'ners hunting duck with their catapult) and the funfair which occupied the top and bottom of the heath. The one at the top was hugely disappointing - looked kind of like an afterthought - but the one at the bottom was pretty good. A mixture of rides and games, with plenty of junk food and candy floss for the masses to munch through.

Upon returning home, we stopped off at a local hill for a last-ditch attempt at getting my kite to fly. The wind was up a little on the earlier part of the afternoon, but not quite enough. There were other kites flying, which had evidently gone up while there was wind enough to launch them, but mine stayed pretty much grounded.

And after what had been a really fun day - even though we accomplished nothing we'd set out to do - I developed a headache within minutes of walking back into the house, and gave myself an early night. All things considered, a headache on Easter Sunday was probably inevitable... but this year, I managed it without excessive consumption of chocolate.

I may try to get an early night tonight, considering the next four days are likely to be absolute hell. Apparently we're soon getting a dead week, during which I shall be giving some training, so I'll have to put some thought into the content. Each time I've trained someone so far, it's been completely different because I haven't figured out the best way of doing it, or what really needs to be dealt with... Random training isn't as effective as it could be.