Has it been a year already? Good heavens, it has. On August 25, 2009, I officially launched Plastic Axe; I had populated it with some content before then, but it was one year ago today that I officially flipped the switch and spread the word. It’s been an interesting time, I’ll tell you.

But I don’t want to get all maudlin and reflective; I want to celebrate! So let’s have us a little giveaway.

Well, perhaps not quite so little: I’ve decided to give away the Omega GM-1 that I reviewed back in March. If you’re not familiar with the product, it’s a set of sensors that allow you to connect a real, actual drum set to a Guitar Hero kit — or a MadCatz portable Rock Band kit with an optional adapter, not included — so that you can play real drums in your music game of choice.

Now, this unit retails for $250, so I’m not going to make it terribly easy to win this. You’ll have to invest a bit of time and have a bit of luck. You’ll also, I’m afraid, have to live in the U.S., or have an address in the U.S. that I can send this to; I’m not going to be able to deal with international shipping for this one. Aside from that one caveat, though, anyone can win. You’ll find all the details after the break.

So, here’s the deal: I’ve gone back through the archives and edited a comment that I left on a post from the past. There’s a picture of a birthday cake and two sentences. [EDIT: Thanks to Pierre for pointing out that there's a potential confusion here. To be clear, the message is in the comments section below an old post. So that means this post doesn't apply. Also, I edited a comment that I had already left; you can easily pick out comments from me because they have a darker background and a red line on the left side. Sorry for any confusion.]

Here’s what you’ll need to do to enter:

1. Find the comment with the birthday-cake image.

2. Copy the text accompanying the image.

3. Head to the Contact page; choose the “You’re Not the Boss of Me” topic from the drop-down menu and write “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PLASTIC AXE” as the subject.

4. In your message, include the full text that accompanies the birthday cake.

5. Also include your name (first and last) and mailing address. Remember, the mailing address must be in the U.S.  Also, the box is too big for P.O. boxes, so it has to be a street address. And make sure you include a valid e-mail address.

6. Click Send.

One week from today, on September 1, I’ll pick a winner at random from all the messages I’ve received that followed the instructions fully and correctly. I’ll use random.org to pick a number, which will correspond to the order in which the messages were received. I’ll contact the winner by e-mail, and once I receive confirmation I’ll announce his or her identity to the world!

Now, a quick note about the prize itself: This will be the very same unit I used for my review. That means it’s not in brand-new condition; the packaging is open, and the adhesive on the cymbal triggers may not be as sticky as it ought to be, so you may need to use double-sided tape to get them to stick. But everything is included, and was functioning just fine when I used it last. (Just to be clear, though, this will be just the GM-1; the mesh heads and mutes you see in the video will not be included.)

Also, it probably doesn’t need to be said, but you will need a real drum kit and a World Tour or portable Mad Catz Rock Band kit to get any use out of this. And if you have the Mad Catz kit, you’ll need to purchase a $20 adapter separately.

So there you have it: Your chance to win a sweet bit of high-end drum gear, in return for a bit of treasure-hunting and a bit of luck. Got any questions? Feel free to leave them in comments.

Good luck!