2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

@dr_diecast_models is a Kuwait-based diorama artist I’ve admired for years. He specializes in driveway dioramas, with my favorites being his incredibly realistic recreations of deserted driveways with abandoned cars. Last week, I reached out to him to learn more about his story and see how he brings these dioramas to life.

Dr. Diecast (he wants to stay anonymous) has loved models and cars since he was young. One day, he built a diorama set for one of his models, and when his friend saw it he was impressed. That friend also happened to run a popular auction account and offered to help sell the dioramas if he could make two sets a week. The dioramas became popular, and his hobby quickly turned into something bigger.

The dioramas are 1:18 scale, meaning everything is 18 times smaller than its real-life counterpart. He builds all his sets in a small room tucked away in the corner of his house. I watched him work on a wall for one of his sets, and the level of detail and weathering he painstakingly applies with a paintbrush is mind-blowing. From the size of newspaper boxes to the dimensions of each brick, everything is accurately measured to stay true to scale.

His most popular sets are those depicting cars parked outside old homes, untouched for years, or cars that have been abandoned near electrical substations in neighborhoods.

The cars are a whole other story. He has his own ‘car bank’ you can choose from, but if he doesn’t have the car you want, he can help you source it. From there, it’s up to you whether the car stays as is or gets customized to look a certain way. My favorite is the red car covered in dust, with its protective cover ripped, the driver’s window smashed, and the typical white sticker with a red ‘X’ on the windshield. It’s such a mundane yet familiar real-life scene, and I love it.

Depending on the diorama, he charges around 65 KD, excluding the car. His customers are mostly in Kuwait but he also gets a lot of orders from around the GCC. If you want to check his work out more of his work head over to his account @dr_diecast_models

White Fortress is a chalet located in Al Khiran and was designed by the local architects TAEP/AAP. I previously posted about two other chalets they designed and this one caught my interest because of the lighthouse-like structure that towers over the compound.

The architects designed the White Fortress with privacy and discretion as the main priorities of the project. The space is surrounded by tall, thick walls that offer protection from the harsh climate and arid surroundings, while providing a serene and inviting interior. The enclosure contains a series of patios and gardens, each assigned a distinct role, such as greeting, resting, or celebrating, to provide a variety of experiences.

Within the center of this “oasis,” a tall lighthouse-like structure creates a place for meditation and seclusion while providing endless panoramic views of the house gardens, the dunes, and the sea. The roof is also accessible from the tower, transforming into a contemplative walking space with an endless horizon view of the sea.

At first I wasn’t too sure about having the walls so high on both sides of the compound, but with neighbors popping up next door eventually, I think I can see the appeal of a fortress like structure. To see more work photos of this project, click here.

Talk about an unexpected collab, I just found out that Yelo! Pizza is teaming up with Caesars for a limited-edition pizza that will be available only on Jahez. I wasn’t shared a launch date, but was told it would be happening soon.

My guess is it’s Caesars sized Yelo! Pizzas, or maybe Caesars pizza dough with Yelo! Pizza’s toppings, should be cool either way.

Update: The information below, shared by the athletes, was incorrect. They are not the first skiers to represent Kuwait or the first to compete at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championship. Kuwaiti skier Bashar Huneidi represented Kuwait in various FIS ski competitions between 1996 and 2008. In fact, BBC referred to him as a “desert skier” in a 2002 article about his efforts to get Kuwait into the Winter Olympics. I’m sorry for the error and for not verifying the athletes’ claims before sharing.

A a couple of years ago, I posted about Kuwait’s National Ski Team, and now, for the first time, they’ll be competing at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Austria next month.

Jassim Hassan and Faris Al-Obaid will both be competing in the Giant Slalom category. The Giant Slalom is an alpine skiing race that tests athletes’ technical skills and speed as they navigate a downhill course marked by widely spaced gates.

Kuwaiti athletes have been training and competing extensively during the winter seasons to rack up points, aiming to qualify Kuwait for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Though it’s an ambitious goal (think Cool Runnings), the points earned next month will be valuable.

To stay posted on their progress, follow their instagram accounts @the_kuwaiti_skier and @theunicornshepherd

Popular UFC fighter and most likely future middleweight champion, Khamzat Chimaev is going to be in Kuwait this weekend. He’s coming as a guest of honor for FERA Championship 2. Last year FERA Championship brought former UFC Champion and legend Jose Aldo to Kuwait and I actually ended up running into him at The Avenues wearing a dishdasha which was so bizarre.

FERA Championship is one of the largest MMA event that takes place in Kuwait, and this year it’s happening on January 17th. Tickets start at 10KD and if you want to find out more or book a ticket, their instagram account is @ferachampionship

I was planning to book a short trip to London this month and I was checking out Kuwait Airways prices and a two-way economy ticket costs around 500KD this month. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it that expensive before, does anyone know why? British Airways tickets are less than 200KD but the flight back is a red-eye-flight which I don’t want to deal with. So just curious to why the Kuwait Airways flight specifically is so crazy expensive.

If anyone is interested in a 24″ iMac, I’m selling my iMac M1 with 16GB RAM and 1TB hard drive for a pretty good deal. Here is the link.

Update: It’s now sold.

Ghazi Hamad Sultan Bin Isa (1941-2007) was a Kuwaiti architect and urban planner who is regarded as one of the key figures in the modernization of Kuwait. He is best known for the waterfront project (including Green Island) which was developed jointly with Sasaki while working for the Ministry of Public Works. Ghazi Sultan is also renowned for his significant contributions to the Arab art movement. In 1969, he founded Sultan Gallery (@sultangallery) with his sister Najat Sultan, and it remains active to this day.

Ghazi’s son, Zahed Sultan (@zahedsultan), recently launched a website and Instagram page (@ghazihamadsultan) to honor his father’s legacy. According to Zahed, both platforms will be updated regularly, as his father’s archive holds a wealth of material to share.

One section of Ghazi Sultan’s website contains photos of Kuwait taken by him in the 1960s. I’ve decided to share these for now and will hopefully post more stuff from his archive in the future, espcially the architectural projects.

If you want to find out more about Ghazi Sultan, or view the photos he took, head over to ghazisultan.com

This week I had a quick day trip to Qatar so figured I’d watch The Diplomat on the plane. I had downloaded 3 episodes, and although the season started slow and it took me awhile to remember what had happened in the previous season, by episode 6 I was hooked! It was the last episode I had on my iPad so once I got back to Kuwait figured I’d continue the season. Turns out that was the last episode of the season. wtf? Why is The Diplomat just 6 episodes this season, it’s not an epic mini-series, it’s like a random stupid show. Waste of time.

On the other hand, Landman is killing it, I love the show. I also watched the movie A Real Pain, it was good but was expecting it to be better.

Let me know in the comments what you recently watched or planning to watch.

Movies at the Cinemas
The movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:

New This Week:
Den of Thieves (7.0)
Paddington in Peru (6.8)

Other Movies Showing:
Better Man (7.0)
Gladiator II (7.0)
Home Alone (classic) (7.7)
Kraven the Hunter (5.7)
Moana 2 (7.1)
Mufasa: The Lion King (6.7)
Nosferatu (7.8)
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (7.5)
The Man in the White Van (6.0)
Wicked (8.1)

The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.

Not sure if the website is new or not but @q8nitro has been posting about it recently so I just found out about it. It’s a much better site than Q8Car thats for sure, and the cars on it are more interesting. Only weird thing is that I don’t think they remove cars after they’ve sold. There are cars there listed back in 2019, not sure why they’re just leaving them since it makes the overall website less useful and misleading. Link

Tickets for the Coldplay concerts in Abu Dhabi are sold out but there are a bunch available for sale here in Kuwait by people who bought them and can’t go anymore. If you’re looking for Coldplay tickets, check the ones available for sale in the Classifieds section of the blog.

BYD are launching a new car electric sports car called the Yangwang U9 that can jump over potholes. That sounds like the perfect car for Kuwait.

Just a quick update on the Popeyes opening, their Instagram account is now live @popeyes.kw and they’ve posted a story saying they’re opening on January 30th.

This weekend, Kuwait will be hosting the Nawi Wellness Summit 2025, a three-day event focused on health, fitness, and wellness. The event will run from January 9th to 11th and take place at The Arena in 360 Mall. It will be open daily from 10:00 AM  to 10:00 PM and is free to attend.

The summit won’t be a typical event; instead, it will feature engaging and immersive experiences, including:

Exhibition Hall: Explore top companies and brands showing their newest health and wellness products and services.

Interactive Workshops, Seminars, and Panels: Join activities for adults and families, including hands-on workshops, educational talks, and inspiring discussions.

Nawi Museum: Discover Kuwait’s sports history through a unique and immersive installation that takes you on a journey from Kuwait’s pearl diving days, to modern sports achievements.

Entry is free to the exhibition hall which has all the participating booths, retail area as well as food and drinks.

If you’d like access to the workshops, panel discussions, and NAWI Museum, then you need to purchase a VIP ticket. The VIP ticket costs KD25 and gives you 3-days access to the summit and allows you to register in any workshop or panel discussion. The workshops and panels will be held in English or Arabic, with translation provided in English for Arabic discussions and in Arabic for English discussions.

Nawi aims to inspire healthier living, bring people together, and highlight Kuwait’s role in wellness. If you want to register for the event or find out more, head over to yallanawi.com or check out @yalla.nawi

I called basically every Japanese restaurant in Kuwait to see if they had all you can eat sushi and I just found the following four spots:

Sushi Restaurant at Courtyard
KD 8.990 Every Tuesday

Genki Sushi
KD 9.950 Every Sunday & Monday

Oishii Sushi
KD 18.5 Every Monday

Sintoho
KD 20 Every Tuesday

If you know of another spot that I might have missed, let me know in the comments so I can add it.