What’s in this episode
Welcome back to another episode recap of the Frantic Nerdcast! This week, we stripped back the usual manic energy for a smooth, casual vibe—or at least, as casual as we can get while knocking stuff over in the studio and diving into full-spoiler comic book breakdowns. With Zach down for the count, AJ and Brock took the wheel for Episode 121 to talk 3D printing horror stories, upcoming game development, rare deck builders, and a deep-dive spoiler review of Spider-Man: Brand New Day!
1. The $120 Resin 3D Printer Rescue & “3D Printer Math”
AJ kicked things off with a massive win from the workshop: his resin 3D printer is officially back from the dead after sitting in the corner for nearly six months.
For those unfamiliar with resin printing, the setup involves a vat filled with liquid resin over a UV screen that cures the resin layer by layer. Unfortunately, a tiny hole developed in the FEP film at the bottom of the vat, leaking resin all over the internal screen and components. Turning it on cured all the spilled resin inside the machine, solidifying it into a block.
The Fix: After scraping off cured resin, replacing a $12 magnifying glass element directly from Elegoo, and buying a $120 replacement screen off Amazon, it works like new!
“3D printer math dictates that once you fix it, every print you make from then on is basically free!” — AJ
2. Game Dev Corner: Rift Chaos & Monsters at War
With the printer operational, miniature production is ramping up for AJ’s upcoming skirmish miniature game, Rift Chaos. Set in the same quirky universe as the card game Monsters at War, Rift Chaos puts a comedic, tactical spin on tabletop wargaming.
- Play Area: Compact 12″ x 24″ pitch.
- Rosters: Each player selects 5 monsters (3 active on the pitch at a time).
- Terrain & Objectives: Players bring 4 pieces of interactive terrain and 1 Rift Crystal to the field. Terrain behaves like non-player characters (NPCs)—buffing stats, teleporting units, or straight-up attacking monsters within a 3-inch radius.
- Winning Condition: Earn victory points by collecting crystals or knocking out opponent monsters (1 point for collecting, 2 for a KO). First to reach 10 (short), 15 (standard), or 20 (long) crystals wins.
- 3D Printable Release: Series 1 will feature 10 sculptable monsters and 2 terrain sets (including the Field of Carrots set and the Totem Set). Expect unique sculpts like a carrot with a carrot spear, a ninja cookie with a metal eye patch, a donut warrior, and a cowboy sheriff fly!
Grab Monsters at War! Want to grab a copy of our physical card game Monsters at War? It’s fun for all ages, features awesome original artwork, and costs just $25 AUD + shipping! Drop us an email at store@franticnerdcast.com to order yours today.
3. Board Game of the Week: Deck Build Gundam (2010)
AJ pulled out a rare gem from his game cupboard: Deck Build Gundam, a Japan-exclusive card game released around 2010.
Mechanically, the game is built heavily on the classic Dominion engine—meaning players purchase cards from set piles on the board rather than a randomized market row. Featuring custom card-divider faction boxes and classic Mobile Suit artwork, it’s a collector’s dream for Gundam fans. AJ took the time to scan the original Japanese manual and create custom English paste-ups for the cards, which are now available on the BoardGameGeek (BGG) file page for download!
4. Quick Screen Reviews: Bug, The Dink, Lucky, & Ted Lasso
Before jumping into Spider-Man, the boys gave a rapid-fire breakdown of recent viewing picks:
- Bugonia (Film): Starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, this intense conspiracy thriller follows a paranoid man who kidnaps a corporate CEO believing she is an alien empress. Remake of the 2003 Korean cult classic Save the Green Planet!, it keeps viewers guessing until an explosive, mind-bending climax.
- The Dink (Apple TV): A hilarious sports comedy starring Jake Johnson, Ed Harris, and Aaron Chen. It follows a washed-up former tennis player who falls in love with pickleball, sparking a rivalry between old-school tennis purists and pickleball fanatics.
- Lucky (TV Series): Starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Timothy Olyphant. A fast-paced, stylish crime drama following the daughter of a high-stakes con man using her father’s criminal tricks to evade mobsters in Las Vegas.
- Ted Lasso Season 4: Ted is back! The premier opens with the crew in America attempting to convince Ted to return to London to coach a newly formed women’s team.
5. Spoiler Review: Spider-Man: Brand New Day
The main event of Episode 121 was our deep-dive review into Spider-Man: Brand New Day (aka MCU Spider-Man 4)! The film is smashing global box-office records, and for good reason—it grounds Peter Parker back into street-level heroism while setting up massive future storylines.
- The Arachnid Instinct & Gene Suppressor: Peter struggles with his internal arachnid instincts/hormones taking over. To combat this, he consults Bruce Banner to design a targeted gene suppressor inhibitor. Banner warns him about the ethical danger of creating technology designed to disable power genes—a direct setup for anti-mutant collars in the MCU X-Men storyline!
- Savage Hulk Returns: We finally got the return of classic, rage-fueled Hulk—not Smart Hulk! Complete with a massive screen-shaking Thunderclap, this is easily the best portrayal of Hulk in the MCU since Ragnarok.
- Frank Castle / The Punisher Dynamic: Punisher and Spider-Man pairing up was perfection. Frank acts as a gritty foil to Peter, leading to a dramatic moment where Spidey takes a sniper shot meant for Jean.
- The Jean Grey Reveal: Jean Grey enters the story in an emotional, volatile way following the tragic death of her sister. Displaying raw Omega-level psychic power, her performance was phenomenal. Rather than “healing” Peter, she mentally possesses his body to keep his heart beating until medical help arrives.
- Jackie Chan Choreography: The alleyway fight scene—where Spidey uses a 360-degree web spin—was choreographed by Jackie Chan’s stunt team, delivering some of the cleanest action in MCU history.
- Post-Credits Tease: Ned’s Spider-Man tracker app pinging off into deep space—a huge hint toward Battleworld and the alien symbiote suit in Secret Wars!
6. Looking Ahead: PAX Aus Media Passes & TCG Tuesday
Huge news for the channel: Frantic Nerdcast has officially been granted Media Passes for PAX Australia in Melbourne! The entire crew (AJ, Brock, and Zach) will be walking the show floor with cameras and mics to interview indie game devs, check out Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu tabletop setups, and visit our friends at Neko Cards.
Be sure to catch our upcoming TCG Tuesday video where we play WIXOSS, a tactical Japanese TCG!
Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share the show! Check us out on Instagram at @franticnerdcast, join our Discord community, and grab a copy of Monsters at War! Until next week, stay frantic!
