Joy of joys, my NSX-R GT is now ready for collection!

Honda NSX-R GT at the Top Gear studio

Speaking of which, I finally got my hands on the Honda NSX-R GT as a prize of beating the lap time set by Turn 10 Community Writer, John Schommer (Gamertag: johniwanna) at the Ready Set Gecko monthly rivals event.

Seems that me and the 2011 Wiesmann MF5's hard work really pushed us further and I finally got my hands on this unicorn car. I was wrong. I thought that the 2011 Wiesmann GT MF5 is the same as the 2010 Wiesmann GT MF5 but they're exactly different in terms of performance. Despite the new MF5 is heavier than the old MF5, it really keeps up.

In the meantime, time to put all the celebration by placing the Honda NSX-R GT at the Top Gear Test Track.

Spotlight: 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS (February King of the Track Edition)

1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS (February King of the Track Edition)

Joy of joys, my 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS KOTT edition handcrafted by Turn 10 staff is now ready for collection. I got this unicorn car as a commemoration for beating Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's lap time at Laguna Seca using the Dodge Challenger SRT8 last month. While I'm still waiting when will my Audi R18 TDi prize car arrive on my inbox, I'm glad to say I got another unicorn car in my Forza 4 garage.

Well said, thank you very much Turn 10 for the prize.

I even manage to drive it round the Top Gear Test Track for keeps...

Kaminomi Character CD.God Keima Katsuragi starring HIRO SHIMONO

Listen, we have time for one more thing because we are literally dated with a letter. It was from someone who said that there was one character who never put it in "The World God Only Knows" Character CD lineup. There's one name missing from this range...

Kaminomi Character CD.God Keima Katsuragi starring HIRO SHIMONO

Yes, it's Keima Katsuragi! No one else knows this rather than the main character of The World God Only Knows and now he's giving the character CD lineup a proper send-off by showing us what he can really do.

Here we go, this includes the full version of the final closing theme of The World God Only Knows II, titled HAPPYEND. Also included is the Keima Katsuragi vocal version of the opening theme song from "Motto! Motto! Tokimeki" and the "another vocal version" of Shuuseki Kairo no Yume Tabibito.

This one really is a bombshell to end this White Day with this character CD from yours truly, Keima Katsuragi!


01 HAPPYEND／桂木桂馬 ＆ 杉本四葉 starring 下野 紘 ＆ 丹下 桜
02 もっと！モット！ときめき
03 集積回路の夢旅人 feat. 桂木桂馬（another vocal ver.）
04 HAPPYEND（Instrumental）
05 もっと！モット！ときめき（Instrumental）

Buy it at: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=GNCA-212

Infinite Stratos VOCAL COLLECTION ALBUM

Infinite Stratos Vocal Best Album

So, Infinite Stratos, a light novel that was part of Media Factory's Bunko J. The first volume was first published in 5/25/2009 and it was handmade by Izuru Yumizuru. The seventh volume was launched since 3/25/2011. It inspired an anime series that was aired since January to March 2011. Sentai Filmworks licensed this anime and this DVD and Blu-Ray will come in North America this April 2012.

The 2UR-GSE engine has been revved up again and holy Dunsfold! It's a collection of Infinite Stratos vocal tracks bundled up in this compilation CD. Firstly, what you'll get is the opening theme, closing theme, and character songs from Houki Shinonono (CV. Yoko Hikasa), Cecilia Alcott (CV. Yukana), Huang Ling Yin (CV. Asami Shimoda), Charles Dunois (CV. Kana Hanazawa), and Laura Bodewig (CV. Marina Inoue). If that wasn't enough, this compilation introduces five brand new, never before heard, character songs from Houki Shinonono (CV. Yoko Hikasa), Cecilia Alcott (CV. Yukana), Huang Ling Yin (CV. Asami Shimoda), Charles Dunois (CV. Kana Hanazawa) and Laura Bodewig (CV. Marina Inoue).

Now imagine if The Stig would listen to one of these...

TRACK LISTINGS:

01 STRAIGHT JET
02 紅く、紅く
03 Noble Heart
04 好吃スマイル◎
05 mon cherie,ma cherie
06 An die Freude
07 強がりリグレット
08 恋をはじめましょう
09 たいむいずらぶ!
10 アリガト。だけじゃない
11 Change my mind
12 ベストパートナー
13 SUPER∞STREAM

Buy it at: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=LACA-15195

Bye bye Negima...(sniff)...Bye Bye...

Mahou Sensei Negima Volume 37

All volumes of Mahou-Sensei Negima look like they can be more complicated that most other mangas but they're not. They're easy. They've spawned two anime series; one is from early 2005, and the other one is from late 2006. In late 2007, a live action drama was spawned. Just 36 volumes were made and now, we're into this. Volume 37. It was there since February 17, 2012. For the limited edition of Negima Volume 37; this includes the "Mahou Sensei Negima ANIME FINAL" DVD and specially designed Pactio Cards with an autograph at the back.

That makes it very memorable to love Negima 'till the very end. Of course, what makes this is that by reading revelation, the final encore.

Bye bye Negima...(sniff)...Bye Bye...

"True magic results from courage of the heart

Boys and girls be ambitious

One step can change the world"

(Applause)

Poor me! That Negima was my favorite but now it's all gone!

Let's Do The News (March 14, 2012)

It's White Day in Japan. Boys give their girls some biscuits, which is somewhat the opposite of what you've expect in Saint Valentine's Day last month. Anyway, now for the news! Let's start with something very sad....

Yesterday, rock legend Karl Roy passed away early morning Tuesday, March 13, at 1:01AM, at the age of 44. This was announced by Karl's sister, Kathryn Roy, on Facebook. Some say, he died in his home surrounded by members of his family. He died because of pneumonia according to his old colleague, the former drummer of Advent Call, Jay Alviar.

Scoop: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/26695/rock-icon-karl-roy-passes-away

Very sad. Very sad to see one of Philippines' rock legends passed away in a blink of an eye. Also died was singer-composer, Bodjie Dasig, who's responsible for the song "Ale" and "Sana Dalawa ang Puso Ko". His death was announced by APO's Jim Paredes via Twitter. "Confirmed: Bodie Dasig, songwriter of 'Sana Dalawa ang Puso Ko', husband of Odette Quesada passed away today too. OPM just lost 2 greats,"

Scoop: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/26745/nasa-langit-na-ba-ako-singer-composer-bodjie-dasig-passes-away

So, I was kinda disappointed that the Philippines has just lost not one but two music legends; the rock legend and the singer-composer. That really made me sad...

Okay, aside from making me sad, there's something that really bothered me. As you know, we really enjoyed watching the new fantasy show, Wako Wako. We've enjoyed it when it was premiered last week. I was getting bothered by someone asking who is the child actor in Wako Wako. Really wanna say who's that child actor who played as the main character of Wako Wako? Clue, he was in the Bear Brand Busog Lusog commercial and he was last seen in a GMA drama called Futbolilits.

Yogo Singh

Yes, that's Yogo Singh. No one else knows this child actor than I am.

Anyway, moving on...

2013 Renaultsport Clio 200 Red Bull Racing RB7

Just a few days left before the 2012 Formula One season starts in Australia, Renault launched a special edition Renaultsport Clio (Renaultsport Lutecia) 200 Red Bull Racing RB7 Edition that is colored in special matte black color with yellow accents on the F1-style splitter, side mirrors, and the rear diffuser. There are some Red Bull Racing decals as well. Now this is what happens when we see F1 drivers in their overalls driving for work. Let's not get excited yet because it's available only in France, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, and Austria, with pricing starts at 27,900 Euros.

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/03/renault-launches-pricey-clio-rs-red.html

Gosh that sweet, if I live in France. What about that one?

2012 Renaultsport Megane F1 Show Car

Those are Renaultsport Megane in F1 liveries but these are for show purposes only. You can't have them...

Anyway, I just watched a clip from Youtube that most of the sports cars are gathered in some airstrip in Subic Bay, most of them are members of an elite sports car club called "Trackhos". It's called THE MILE and this video is a 4-minute lust of exotics, luxury cars, sports cars, and more. Hey I can even see the RUF RT 12 from here! This clip is so good, it got an international recognition from Autoblog.

Scoop: http://www.topgear.com.ph/news/much-awaited-video-from-trackhos-event-released

It's all about car lust and charity because proceeds from this event went to the Philippine Red Cross to help Sendong victims. What a generous treat from petrolheads in the Philippines. I really wish I want to be part of an elite car club of the Philippines, if I have the right car that is best suited for the club.

Listen, there are some utter bad news that a popular manga, Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei, is going to end in 9 more chapters. This was announced from the 15th issue of Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine. Pretty soon, we really wanna say "Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei" in late May 2012.

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei

Now for those who haven't know of that, it's about a depressed teacher who finds the deal with a class that really went absolutely and completely bonkers. This was launched in 2005 and last month, the 28th compiled book was published by Kodansha. It spawned three anime seasons and several OAD releases.

Scoop: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-03-12/sayonara-zetsubou-sensei-manga-to-end-in-9-more-chapters

Ugh, now what? Poor us. Some of them think that it's their favorite but in May, it's all gone.

Also gone as Encyclopedia Britannica because for after almost two and a half centuries of publishing because the print edition became too difficult to maintain and wasn't the best physical element to deliver the quality of their database and the quality of their editorial.

Scoop: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/26798/after-244-years-encyclopedia-britannica-ends-print-goes-completely-digital

Heh, seems that when Encyclopedia Britannica no longer makes print books due to today's trends but no matter. An encyclopedia will always evolve into new and exciting ways to meet up with today's standards. For a really good news, Britannica Online is now free for a full week beginning Monday.

Scoop: http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2012/03/change/

Guess the internet is more better than books. Tsk. Tsk. I love books and I don't like e-books. Can the internet really be as better than old fashioned encyclopedia? Heh, can't tell...

...and that's the news! Coming up now, how do we say Sayonara to Mahou Sensei Negima!

The Wiesmann Identity crisis...

It may look British but it's handmade in Germany

Everybody knows this is the Wiesmann GT MF5, a cross-eyed curiosity that has the looks of a classic British sports car with German handcraft. There was a reason why the Wiesmann brothers shared their passion for classic British sports cars but don't be fooled by it's retro looks. This is somewhat the German equivalent to the Morgan Aero Supersport because both of them are retro-futuristic and the engines that powered were sourced by BMW. While the Morgan Aero has the engine of the BMW M3, the Wiesmann GT MF5 comes with a V10 engine sourced from the old BMW M5 E60, producing 507HP of power and 520Nm of torque. It was mated with a 7-speed sequential transmission connected to a variable differential lock. For safety, it comes with energy absorbing body parts, a stiff aluminum monocoque including a side-collision protection structure, and ABS combined with dynamic stability control. It was on sale since the second half of 2008 and the final production version will also be fitted with even more carbon-fiber aero parts at the buyer’s request.

With production of the BMW V10 engine ended in 2010, we thought that it would be hopeless for the production for the Wiesmann MF5 but "as life goes on" despite BMW no longer produced a V10 engine, Wiesmann remains optimistic that it would use the BMW twin turbo V8 engine for the GT MF5, which is exactly the subject I'll be tackling now...

Brand new or minor change? You decide...

Welcome everyone to the new Wiesmann GT MF5. When I say new, I would say that it was just some kind of minor change to Wiesmann's flagship sportscar that is handmade in Germany and packs exclusivity. At first look, it looks the same as the old GT MF5 but take a second look and you'll now have a front bumper spoiler, a new rear wing, and the 4.4L BMW TwinPower Turbo engine that powered the BMW M5 F10. It now has 555HP of power and 680Nm of torque. However, instead of a 7-speed sequential transmission connected to a variable differential lock, the new GT MF5 comes with a 6-speed sports automatic gearbox (steering wheel paddle shifters).

Does it really stick to the road like geckos?

Okay, the new Wiesmann GT MF5 may have been claimed that it's faster than the old GT MF5 because while the old one has a 0 to 100kph time of 3.9 seconds and top speed of 310kph, the new one has the same 0-100kph time but 1kph faster. On the downside, the new model is somewhat heavier than the old V10-equipped model. Despite that, it still comes with a Aluminium-monocoque body, bonded and riveted, high-quality glass fibre bodyshell, green tinted multilayer glass front window, and an arbitrary exterior paint. The front suspension still comes with an aluminum double wishbone suspension with coil springs and anti roll bar while the rear suspension also retains the aluminum double wishbone and trailing arm suspension with coil springs and anti roll bar.

Ready Set Gecko!

To see how did the new Wiesmann GT MF5 perform well with the engine that powered the BMW M5 F10, Forza Motorsport 4 invited me for a challenge at March's Rivals Event titled "Ready Set Gecko" where you have to drive the 2011 Wiesmann GT MF5 in STOCK ONLY, meaning no tuning allowed on this event. I was take part for some weekly Community Bounty Hunter event where I have to beat the lap time set by a new recruit from Turn 10 Studios, Community Writer John Schommer (Gamertag: Johniwanna), at the Ready Set Gecko event. The prize for beating johniwanna's lap time on the said venue was a unicorn car, which is the 2005 Honda NSX-R GT. However, I played using the settings that johniwanna used such as ABS ON, TCS ON, and ESC ON, but while he used the "Manual w/Clutch" setting, I used the "Manual" setting because sometimes I forgot to hit the clutch button sooner when I change gear. Don't worry because I learned how to used the "Manual w/Clutch" setting but that is enough. The 2011 Wiesmann GT MF5 has a 6-speed sports automatic gearbox so I'll stick to that. I only play with the settings recommended for the car. Here's what happened;

On the 1st day, I beat johniwanna's time.

On the 2nd day, johniwanna beat my time.

On the 3rd day, I beat johniwanna's time again.

On the 4th day, johniwanna beat my time again.

On the 5th day, I beat johniwanna's time...and that's it.

Mine was 02:10.589 while johniwanna's lap time is 02:11.598, so I was one of the lucky many to win that unicorn car...probably.

While I'm still waiting when will my NSX-R GT prize car arrive on my inbox, it's happy to say that the new Wiesmann has some potential. It maybe not as good as the old GT MF5 but it is keeping it up. It maybe more of a retro-futuristic sports car with a BMW engine but the Wiesmann is all about exclusivity and passion for the enthusiast. In reality, most Wiesmann models are built by hand and catered for the customer's individuality, no wonder why the Wiesmann's slogan is "Manufaktur Der Individualisten". Sadly, the new model is half-a-second slower than the old Wiesmann MF5.

As learned from the "Top Gear at the Movies" DVD, the Wiesmann makes it a perfect alternative as a James Bond car if Aston Martin doesn't exists.