Cause and Effect ... ...

is a concept best applied to the purchase of the 1/60 Super and Strike Parts for VF-1s.

It all started with this inconspicuous white box below. It is also due to that fact that I failed to do my homework before a purchase.

It was couple of months ago when I heard news of clear 1/60 super pack retailing at $40. I placed an order for it without hesitation.


I was in shocked the moment I opened it up. It wasn't the complete super parts but the covers to the boosters, engines and missiles pods. I was in a state of dismay as I did not purchase the earlier release of VF-1 with super parts.

However, lady luck was on my side when I checked with TFH and they have stocks of Super and Strike Parts arriving.

The box art on this is as regular as all other Macross stuff from Yamato.

The flap is something that I really like on a toy and I'm not too sure why Yamato did not make this a standard. This item is more of an accessories to a VF-1 and this cost $60 which is cheaper than the 1/48 scale released years ago.

Finally, VF-1S fitted with Strike Parts.

The colour scheme somehow does go quite well

Now, the main focus of this post is the clear parts which in my opinion makes the fighter mode look fantastic.

This will be how it will be displayed to justify the time and effort it took to get this to look right.

Back in Action ... ...

is this surprise find at John Little's Sale at Singapore Expo. I was there for Sitex and then hopped over to Hall 3 where John Little is having a sale and chanced upon this treasure.

This is a Mobile Suit in Action (MSIA) MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam from the Gundam series of the same name. However, this colour scheme is not from the anime.

There were like 6 of these nicely wrapped in polystyrene with a $15 price tag. I figured that it is cheap as a regular MSIA back then was tagged at $25+.

The exclusive black box was the attraction factor but this thing is really old with a coat of black powder on the packaging; most probably from the paint of the box.

The box art is a clean white schematic drawing of the mecha on black and I almost bought 2 of this just because of the packaging. I have to emphasize; Almost.

The internal is what you find in a regular MSIA figure, trays to fit the figure and all its accessories. We have here the beam rifle, beam saber, hyper mega launcher and hands for rifle and beam saber.

Out of the packaging, I noticed that the figure is not all black but has this gun metal kind of finish. This made it looked even better as it looks more like a machine.

The hyper mega launcher as its name implies is really huge! It can be held in either the left handed or right handed orientation.

Surprising, with a little adjustment to the centre of gravity of this figure, it is able to hold up this huge weapon on its own.

The regular beam rifle. The only contrasting colour on this figure is the green focused eyes.

Great poseability on this figure and with a display stand, it can be quite a show piece. Too bad it's only 12 cm tall.

The classic beam saber. The Zeta Gundam is actually a Mobile Armour (plane) and a Mobile Suit (robot) which means it can transform into a plane. However, this is not a perfect transformation kind where parts have to be removed in order to complete the transformation.

Before rEvolution ... ...

when revoltech is simply Revoltech and when price of this is kept at $20. No, wait, I bought this at only $10! Ok ok, it was a clearance item.

Anyway, I collected almost all of revoltech's figure as long as they are robots. I had this for a very very long time and since I opened Dancouga, I figured, I'll take some picture for YF-21 from Macross Plus.

The YF-21 comes with fast pack and it looks better with them on and if you have noticed, revoltech's figure is not transformable. However, news has it that future releases will feature full transformation!

The display stand provided makes it looks deliciously fantastic.

Revoltech joints, if positioned correctly adds realism to your figure.

I am missing the good old cheaper Revoltech compared to the more expensive Revoltech Yamaguchi but that will not stop me from collecting. Simply just a couple more lamentation.

Revolutionary Changes ... ...

made when Kaiyodo's Revoltech changed this line with a new name - Revoltech Yamaguchi? Well, I don't quite see any significant change except that I need to pay more for a larger box and stuff that is useless to me.

The packaging now is larger and included in each figure comes with a revoltech coin with a value of 10. Collect enough and you can exchange for special items! That is good news for people like me who collects revoltech Yamguchi figures, right? Wrong!! As this is applicable only in the land of the rising sun. 5 stars arising does not apply.

The back of the packaging details the product and entice collectors with the special items to exchange with the revoltech coins as well as the next release.

You either love or hate the revoltech joints. They can be really good when it comes to articulation but they are also a pain (and I mean literally) to get the right pose you want.

The joints are tight initially but may be loosen over time. The slots to fit the pegs into are smaller and so, some brute force is required and tolerance of pain as well when holding on with your index finger and thumb.

If you managed all that, you get a nicely posed figure and a display stand is a standard item for all Revoltech figure. This is really thoughtful of Kaiyodo as a stand makes the figure stands out (no pun intended).

Now, this figure is about 10 cm tall but the molding is perfect. Every detail is there and the paint job is superb!

Kaiyodo provides a lot of hands for various poses and it is a good buy for collectors who are into Japanese anime robots. They have a line for anime human characters as well but I'm not into humans.

Gundam 00 Seven Swords ... ...

is an upgrade to the Gundam 00 featured in the Gundam Mobile Suit 00V sidestory. I particularly like robots with huge oversized swords.

I've pre-ordered this item under Bandai's The Robot Spirits since July. Collected it yesterday and here is a little short review.

I've purchased almost all the gundams in the 00 series under this line of toys and this is the only one I've opened.

The packaging is what you would expect from Robot Spirits. Nice window to show most of the item and most importantly, the figure.

The back shows all the possible poses and whole lot of Japanese which I don't understand.

This figure stands at around 12cm but the details on this little fellow is fantastic! The feel is also very sturdy as compared to Bandai's Mobile Suit in Action figures (MSIA). The joints are tight and a lot of articulation points on it as well.

The name 7 swords is self explanatory and the picture shows all 7 of them.

So, let's get him to show us all his 7 swords and I shall borrow some of the information from Gundam Wiki.

GN Long and Short Blade II

This 2 blades are mounted on the waist of the 7 Swords. The long blade serves as a rifle and is the only weapon that is used for long range battle. The short blade has the capability of being shot out and retracted.

GN Katars
Medium size blades attach to the knees and these are heat type of blade that cuts using the GN particles.

GN Buster Sword II
This is a massive sword that is attached on either side of the GN Drive and serves as a shield when not in use. This weapon is obviously the one that delivers the final blow.

The Buster Sword is as tall as the figure and the figure holds it with ease with any pose.

GN Beam Saber
Standard issues of any gundam. It is mounted at the rear and I don't think it will be used often when this guys is equipped with 5 other more powerful choices.

Another shot of the Buster Sword

This is a fantastic figure and I must say that The Robot Spirits line is indeed worth the price. It is twice the price of MSIA but you know you are getting your money worth. However, don't buy this line from departmental stores as it is priced 3 times the price of MSIA.

This item is HOT and it is already out of stock in Japan. Most shops are releasing based on pre-orders and if you have not, prepare to fork out a little more.

Overall review

Packaging - 3/5 (not something you've not seen of)

Figure - 4/5 (some limit to the poses allowed)

SDCC Captain America ... ...

is an unplanned purchase due to the fact that I'm not a fan of Captain America. I bought this Marvel Universe Figure for a few reasons:

1. It is a San Diego Comic Convention (SDCC) Exclusive item
2. It is really cheap at only $14.90 from Toys'R'Us
3. It is uncoloured (perhaps that's why it's cheap)

Unlike the regular Marvel Universe figure, this came with a little cardboard sleeve to hold the actual packaging. It comes with a close up artwork of Captain America and a SDCC sticker.

Slide the actual item out and you have a grey Captain America. The back of the sleeve has a picture of the shield. I like it uncoloured as this guys is around since WWII and during that time, techicolor wasn't around yet.

I'll leave him in the packaging because it makes it more conplete. Unless, there are other uncoloured Marvel characters.

I like this "70 Years of Marvel Comics" print at the side of the sleeve. For those who are interested to get this (unless you already knew where), it is from TRU Tampines.

The demise of ... ...

my Star Wars collection as I have to sadly realised once again that the situation has not improved in anyway. I am still face with the fate of purchasing overpriced Troopers from toy shops as there are only peg warmers left in the departmental stores.



This is actually one of my last purchases and I have this for a few months already. What we have here is a 3.75 inch Space Trooper which I'm not too sure when was this featured in the Star Wars saga.

Anyway, I just like troopers and so there is no reason to stop me from buying this guy and I did picked him up from Isetan at $18.90.

The facial expression of the trooper is one that reflects how I am feeling towards another failure in the quest to "Collect'em all".

He is different from the regular storm trooper with his rocket booster cum oxygen tank pack and the larger blaster. This figure is rather retro looking with the colour combination and his pointy boots.

All pictures here taken using a Canon Ixus 65 with Digital Macro mode.

This is it, no more buying of Star Wars figures but may still photograph them as I still have plenty of unopened ones ... ...