Back to Basics......

of my toy collecting roots; Stormtroopers from Star Wars. I have always like those super soldiers with their white armoured plated suits. However, it was also the reason why I gave up the whole trooper collection as it was so exclusive back then that I could not afford to buy them from specialty shops.

A Decade and a half later, watching 'The Clone Wars' with my son rekindled my feelings towards the troopers. It started with him asking me to get him toys from the series and I of course did not let go of the opportunities to grab a couple of them.

Here are the first 4 of my new troopers collection. Personally, I prefer the clone troopers more as compared to Stormtroopers. Perhaps, it's because I understand them better as the series made the clones more human while Stormtrooper from the original Star Wars trilogy is more of a killing machine.
Saleucami Trooper were featured in 'Revenge of the Sith' where Order 66 was given from the Republic to treat all Jedi as a threat.

Commander Gree was also featured in 'Revenge of the Sith' who was actually under the command of Jedi master, Yoda. However, upon receiving Order 66, he attempted to eliminate Yoda.
This is a Space Gear Clone Trooper which is basically a regular Clone with space gear for outer space missions. Finally, a Stormtrooper; the difference between a clone and storm is in the helmet. Evo Troopers are the stormtroopers equipped with enhanced armour to withstand treacherous conditions in the unknown planets of the galaxy.

I have yet again recycled the air refresher containers to create display cases for each of the troopers. I think I'm not going to stop at 4. More if I can afford it.

Macross Frontier

Finally, gave in to Bandai's call and purchase my first mecha from the latest Macross saga - Macross Frontier in celebration of 25 years of Macross.

I initially wanted to wait for Yamato's version which all my Macross collection came under that brand. However, pictures of this toy; Michael colour and its sniper rifle was too much a temptation to resist.


The size of the box is about half the size of a Yamato's and is more storage friendly.

Hopefully, I can find some time to open it up to evaluate and compare its quality against the Yamato's Macross Valks.

To Infinity and Beyond.....

was the phrase that got me to like Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story. Had always wanted to own 1 but I have never found a piece that is priced at a reasonable price; at least to me.

However, I would never have guessed that I found 2 at Disneyland.

Transformable Buzz - who would have thought

Glad to have waited till now as I get the Buzz I want and better still, it transforms......although, I will never transform it.

The second piece which I picked up is the Space Rescue version. The Buzz that I used to see of this size never did come with visor and that was one of the reasons why I did not own a Buzz Lightyear.

Gundam OO

Was on an official trip to Hong Kong last week and had the opportunity to drop by my favourite toy haunt. I was there hoping to pick up Hot Toy's Batmobile but it was not due for release yet. However, my nature of not having to leave there empty handed landed me the complete set of Gundam OO.

However, getting the complete set wasn't an easy task as they were not located at the same store.

OO-Raiser Trans-AM Set was my first purchase after deciding that I would like to complete the whole Gundam OO set. It was found at 'Animate'; a new store which I had not visited before but was glad that I made the trip as I found some very cheap Revoltechs on sale too. Got myself Rodimus and Starscream at a very very cheap bargain.

So, the hunt begun after the first purchase. Headed down to CTMA building opposite and got Arios Gundam with GN-Archer set for a steal.

Then it was to another shop to pick up Saravee and Seraphim Gundam set. Now with 3 of 5 GN Gundams in hand, I was hoping I could pick up OO and Cherudim back in Singapore.

Luck was on my side when I chanced upon OO Gundam and Cherudim at the airport just 1 hour before departure. However, I had to pay the 'airport price' for not purchasing this earlier when they were released.

I was really contemplating on getting the Gundams under this new release by Bandai as I felt that they have overpriced the items. Nonetheless, like most of my purchases, the anime just made it easier to make the decision to purchase.

Someone asked why am I obessed with these toys? My answer is that I want to own a piece of what I saw in the animation.

Just did a calculation and I actually spent $250 on them!! Ok, now that is expensive.

Transformers fever......

is on when I saw the trailer for ROTF (Revenge of the Fallen) today.

So, I decided to take the two of the BIGGEST Transformers in TF history down from the display shelf for a photo shoot.

A little background on the 2. The Orange evil looking one is 'Unicron' who is a planet destroyer as it sucks out the energy of any planet that crosses it path to keep it alive.

The Blue dude is 'Primus', supposedly the creator of all transformers.

Not sure if their proportion is anime accurate. The fact is Primus never did appear in any TF series. It transforms to Cybertron; the planet that all transformers reside on.

Primus packs a heavy load of arsenal and is ready to battle anything that threatens the peace and harmony on Cybertron.......actually not much of peace since the Decepticons existed.

The articulation on both toys are fantastic! Even the fingers have individual articulation giving many hand signs possible. (The Unicron's OK sign was done by my little boy).

Unicron has a very powerful missile that shoots out from its chest. Below is a snapshot of it being launched.

Below is a series of photos of them fighting to their bitter end.

Primus turned out victorious holding the severed head of Unicron. The head was part of Primus's packaging.

The transformation into the planetary mode for both is rather simple but it takes some steady hands to get it done.

Cybertron's defense system on as Unicron approaches.

I actually had Primus for a couple of years already. Had 2 pieces in the beginning. Bought the 1st one at retail price which was 2x the sale price. The 2nd piece was bought at sale price and thus decided to let the 1st piece go.

Unicron was purchased not too long ago in Hong Kong and they were actually having a clearance for this piece at TRU over there. It had a sale tag which is half of what they are selling in Singapore now. If not for space constraint, I'd have lugged back a few pieces.

Clone War......

fever has caught on but sale price has dropped and so I finally got my hands on this Clone Trooper helmet from TRU. It was initially retailing at 2x its sale price.

This piece is like Darth Vadar's helmet which covers the head fully unlike the Optimus Prime helmet which doesn't cover the back of the head.

Like all Hasbro helmet, it has a voice changer function and a couple of preloaded clone trooper phrases. However, the main purpose of the purchase like all my purchases is for display only. Unless, there's a Halloween party anytime soon, it stays where it is now.

There's a time to give in.......

when it comes to toys that are manufactured with the highest quality; Hot Toys Iron Man Mark III.

This 12" figure is sculpt under the license of Marvel in the likeness of Robert Downey Jr from the Movie "Iron Man". It comes with the head of Robert but I'm not too keen in fixing it on.
It is mainly made of plastic with very good metallic paint over them to give the 'iron' look. Some gimmicks included the flaps and LED lights in the eyes, chest and the palms.

I would have really enjoyed this piece if there were more articulation in the waist and hips areas. However, that is the characteristic for Hot Toys. Still, I'm satisfied with Hot Toys product and since this is my second Hot Toys purchase after "The Dark Knight".

The figure looks magnificent even with a simple pose like this. It has captured the spirit of Iron Man very nicely. To think that the team that came up with this is from Hong Kong. Hot Toys, by the way is a Hong Kong based toy manufacturing company. They are a formidable team as they have came up with many cool movie toys.

The poses possible are limited as there is limited or no articulation at the waist and hips areas. Articulation is limited to the arms and legs joints. It is a pity as a 6 inch action figure would have factor in those articulation. However, there are plus points with the additional toe, ankle and heel joints.

Repulsor Cannon - The LED lights sure breathe life into the figure. It really makes the toy worth its price with such addition. The only thing about batteries in toys is the maintenance part; taking them out when not in use that is. Batteries are included.
A stand is provided as in all Hot Toys figures. It is simple yet ingeniously designed. It is extendable; in this case, to allow for flight mode. It also serves a simple purpose of making sure the figure stays standing. You wouldn't want to see toys with price like this to fall.

The next piece is an Iron Man bust. Specifically, it's by Sideshow; Stealth Iron Man Legendary bust. This is my first bust of any kind and I must say that it is indeed very well made. Made of Polystone, this 1:2 scale is hand made and hand painted.

This comes as a unintended purchase and it was actually bought in Hong Kong's Toy Hunter which is the retail shop for Hot Toys. I was there looking for the 1:6 Batmobile but it was not due for release. Saw the packaging for this in a corner with a huge "SALE" tag on and asked for the price. The rest is history then since I have it in my possession.

This makes a great display piece especially with the lights on (I have a thing for things with lights) and now all I need is more shelf space. To Ikea!