Saw Red ... ....

Like the Exia from the earlier entry, this was bought on the same day. Again, this figure was out I think about 1 or 2 years ago. I am not familiar with this but google tells me that this is featured in a Manga series.

Price tag for this is not cheap; $60 which I most probably would have paid $10 less at CSC.

However, I did not really mind the price because of the accessories which are what I feel a G.F.F  should be packed with. Most G.F.F figures gives you this alter-ego mode of the figure which in this case is the RX-78 and the Red Warrior.

Packaging of G.F.F is always done nicely and you wouldn't have the heart to open it up as you can see everything with its clear display. 

Red Warrior parts are on the right of the figure (precautionary note in Japanese states that one should be careful when handling the head as parts can be fragile)

I really hate those twist ties and you really wonder if the toy has committed a crime so serious that it needs to be bound so tightly.

Free at last. The basic figure is a RX-78, the mother of all Gundams. However, this is in Red and I love the shade used here.

The standard equipment is the beam rifle, shield and 2 beam saber at the shoulder.

Let's get to the main feature of this and it is the Red Warrior frame. Firstly, we need to strip all the unnecessary parts and get really for the transformation.

parts of the RX-78 not needed anymore

The Red Warrior looks pure evil with it's armor, weaponry and face sculpt. Very Samurai look which is what Gundams are modeled after.

Beam Bazooka

Huge beam saber 

Strike!

EXIAllent ... ...

find is how I would describe this figure that I am going to blog about. It is another one of those unintentional purchases as this figure was already in the market a few years ago. I gave it a miss then simply because I found it too expensive with the kind of accessories packed into it

What we have here is the 00 (read as Double O) Region under the G.F.F (Gundam Fix Figuration) series and of course by Bandai. Found this stacked in the toys department at Takashimaya going for $45 but I guess if I bought it back then at one of the shops in CSC; it would have been tagged at that price as well.

You have no idea how good this figure feels until your skin gets into contact with it. However, articulation is a tad too limited but most G.F.F figures are like that.

The size of this is approximately at the ratio of 1:144 or slightly bigger. However, it's the detailing that has attracted me to purchase it.

Exia is one of 4 Gundams from the series and it is made for close combat and thus its only equipped with one beam rifle that is in the main GN sword.

The beam rifle with the GN sword retracted. This equipment does very little damage and so it is not used most of the time. Effectively, Exia is equipped with 7 swords:
GN Sword
GN Long Blade
GN Short Blade
GN Saber x 2
GN Dagger x 2

All these armaments are nicely concealed at the back away from enemy's sight.

GN sword activated

GN long and short blade

GN beam saber

Alteregoshop ... ...

goes online today.



Click on the ALTEREGOSHOP link on the right of this page.

On Your Mark VI Go ... ...

Finally managed to catch Iron Man 2 over the weekend. Walked into Toy'R'Us before show-time and decided to buy my son a 6" Iron Man Mark VI to complement his War Machine.

The figure is well, not as well painted as War Machine but the feel is relatively similar; sturdy. Took his 6" Mark III from Iron Man to serve as a point of comparison.

Mark VI obviously looks as if it's on steroid compared to Mark III. Like War Machine, Mark VI packs in 3 pairs of interchangeable hands. 

Posed both the figure with the signature "punched the ground" pose and Mark III looked better than Mark VI. 

Articulation for this figure seems worse off compared to War Machine but again, this is meant to be a toy and not exactly collectible.
 

Verdict on the figure: I will wait patiently for the 12" version from Hot Toys. Well, what do you expect from a $29.90 price tag? Anyway, I have a feeling this piece will be sold at half price in times to come.

Accidents do Happen ... ...

when you get something unexpectedly. In my quest for 6" War Machine, I stumbled upon clone troopers which I have given up hope in collecting as they are so hard to come by.

Hasbro Singapore is releasing all Star War figures at a special rate of 2 for $25. That is about 34% off the regular price of  $18.90 for a single figure!

The prize item for the day has to be Captain Rex (the blue dude) in the Orto Plutonia uniform from season 1 of The Clone Wars. Too bad I managed to find just one. 

"Son, I'll put it down in my will."

It's WAR ... ...

the moment I read about the 6" War Machine (WM) figure releasing in Singapore. It was sighted first on the Internet as a Wal Mart exclusive and that usually mean it will surface in Singapore as well; but the crucial question is "When and Where?" To cut the long story short, I managed to get one!!

Packaging is the usual and this time Hasbro is indeed doing something unexpected for toys meant for little kids. They packed it 6 potential choking items!! 2 open hands, 2 semi-open hands, shoulder missiles pod and the cover. Disclaimer states "Warning: Choking Hazard-small parts. Not for children under 3 years"

The figure in general has a great tactile feel to it. It gives the illusion that it's metallic and the gun metal paint job has a part to play to that. My figure came with the right eye unpainted (previous pix of WM in tray). Well, that is easily solved with some white paint and a very steady hand (above WM).

The initial feeling of elation and excitement soon faded away when the articulation of the figure starts to disappoint. The 3.75" figure in fact was produced better in terms of articulation. The feet of the 6" here have only single swivel movement thus, making some poses seem unnatural. 

The plus points of this figure are the accuracy in terms of the sliding movement of the gatling gun that allows it to be aimed from both shoulders and the additional missile pods.

The extra hands provided sure made this toy not a toy but more of a collectible item for display. This explains why grown up men like myself so desperately "hunts" for it.

The need for a suitable display stand is important for figures like this and I should really invest in one of those waist or thigh clipper types.

Flight mode

Some outdoor shots from the indoor studio.  

Up up and away!

Size comparison between the 2 WM produced under Hasbro for the Iron Man 2 Movie. 

Both are great toys to have and yes, there will most probably be more stocks coming in and yes, the GSS is upon us. But hey, "I've got it first!"

Super Imaginative Chogokin ... ...

is a line from Bandai which is quite foreign to me as this line is meant mainly for Kamen Riders. My first S.I.C is The Dark Knight and the Batpod but I have yet to open that up.

To date, the S.I.C line is at volume 53 with Dark Kabuto and Gatack from the Kamen Rider Kabuto Series. The packaging is very well thought of and I like the details of the compound eyes put in.

The content is held together by the much dreaded twist ties and sticky tape which can be a let down when opening up.

Nevertheless, one has to be patient when it comes to toy collecting. So, here they are free from bondage.

The details of a S.I.C figure is fantastic and there are no screws in sight. Mostly plastic, the chogokin part of the figure is at the armor plates and some other parts here and there. The joints are pretty loose but not an issue as the C.G of the figure is easily located.

First up is Dark Kabuto in the Masked form. A very accurate replication of the character and appreciate the details in its design.

Rider form with the signature pose of "My grandma always says". However, it's Kabuto who says that. Dark Kabuto is a worm replication of Kabuto; more can be googled.

Articulation of the figure is great and many poses can be achieved.

The next figure is Gatack, sort of like a supporting role in Kabuto.

This figure comes only in the rider form and it's my preferred form for both figures anyway.

Pose-ability again here is up to one's imagination but the loose joints may make some poses unachievable.

This pose for instance took me quite a while to immortalize as a picture as the ball joint at the foot is fairly loose.

The Gatack figure doubles up as Zectrooper and all parts except the shoulder pads need to be stripped.

Snap on the Zectrooper parts and you have a very well-designed and made foot soldier of Zect.

The face of the trooper can be seen through the 'glass' of the helmet and yes, he is Japanese.

The figure is packed with so many weapons, I wonder if he is the main attraction here.

Really had fun snapping and stripping parts on and off this set. A great buy indeed and I think I'm looking forward to the next S.I.C figure.

Swat Gatack