Lunchtime delight

This Taiwanese food stall at Far East is pretty good, their chicken cutlet is crispy and moist, and their braised pork rice is tasty too :)

Mmmm... Food!

Sinful! I can feel the oil swishing around my insides.... But so good still! ;) The pork knuckle and sausages r pretty good! 

Build the Falcon!

Wow, this is pretty awesome

http://www.buildmillenniumfalcon.com/

But... man, it's a long term commitment, 100 planned issues... and UK only for now! It'll be heading to US apparently. It'd make a cool centrepiece though! :p

LEGO S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier!

Hot damn! This looks awesome! There's even a Maria Hill minifig! But where's phil coulson? :(

DAMToys Spetsnaz in Beslan

This will be like, the third Russian figure from DAMToys? Love that AS VAL though. :)

Weird Dreams!

Ok, so i had a rather vivid dream i can still sorta remember.... must have been too cold or something last nite! Well, basically i had a dream i had a call up and went back for reservist... it was some old camp, but never say it before. Part of the dream had me on a C-130 even... well, or what passes for a C-130 in a dream anyway! I could actually 'feel' the acceleration when the plane pulled up.. cool. ;) Somehow i took along a box, with a brick attached.. and a telescope. Why? No idea! Darn dreams! And then... the dream sorta drifted off into really weird territory...  :P and i will stop here haha.

Fantasic 4 reboot

Hmmm... not feeling it really. Maybe cos it's too close to the new Avengers movie? It's supposedly out in July. The casting and design choices are... interesting at best. Still who knows? FF has always been a kinda supporting series in my opinion. And the past 2 movies were entertaining, but hard to get rid of that "cheese" feel.

Check out the official first trailer!

Chiongformers!

Only $17! And it's pretty big actually. Seen at NTUC. :p

Creepy TF!

WTF prime? Taken from an old kid's TF storybook.... Maybe that is what prime has behind his mouthplate.... Creepy!

Warmachine still ROX!

Or should i say Iron Patriot? It's basically a recolor of the Mk-II, but at least they give the HS for Don Cheadle! :p Packaging is identical too. :)

The paint scheme is pretty snappy though!

LEGO Grand Opening Gift

Woo! Got my mitts on one of these, i guess it's a pretty basic kit, no minifigs even! But the presentation is cool, and pretty hard to find at a decent price. :p

Mmmm food..

PShared a wagyu steak at Lavastone steakhouse yesterday, awesome... :g their microbrewery wasn't too bad too, the apple cider was a bit sweet but very palatable.

Toys i collect! - Gundam - Pt 2

Gundam has come a long way since then; in terms of the technology of the moulding for the models, and the sheer number of products released. There simply soooo many lines for models and toys that have come and gone under so many different names. Currently there are still Master Grade, High Grade Universal Century amongt other lines and the newer RE/100 series which has gone back to the kit having simpler moulding and a lower price.







There is also the Metal Build series, which is a die-cast line, and also the Robot Tamashii line of toys. Partly because a lot of the items are mass produced, a majority of Gundam items are generally easy to collect, except for some exclusive items, but still not impossible like so other toys! Cost wise, it's also relatively affordable if you source around outside from independent importers.

It'll be interesting to see where the Gundam line will go now, since the major series Gundam Unicorn has ended. But knowing how they love to milk their stuff, i'm sure we'll be seeing more stuff for years to come. :)

LEGO Scooby Doo Mystery Mansion!

Another release under the Scooby Doo line! Looks cool albeit colors are kinda on the bright side. :P

Warmachine ROXXXX

Got some time today, so went ahead to open up my WM-mkII figure. I dun think it actually appeared in the IM3 movie rite? It was shown repainted as the Iron Patriot... Can't remember!

Anyway, the fig is pretty hefty! Mostly diecast i think. I love the box for the mms diecast series, too bad they can't have it for all the figs! :p

Mmmm... Breakfast!

Home made roti john! Sedap! ;)

LEGO Mystery Machine!

I tot the MM was a VW combi? Still, looks cute! :) out in August!

VF-171 EX SPECIAL

With sexy lady pic on back! ;)

TakaraTomy Superion!

So cool! Takatomy's gonna be releasing all the Aerialbots as a giftset... and all are jets woohoo! Slingshot is back yay! haha, i guess it'll look the same mostly but with the usual additional paint apps from TakaTomy. The US version will apparently also get Slingshot as a seperate figure. :)

More Lucasarts Goodies!

Coolz! Looks like 3 more Lucasarts games join the current release... Disney sure knows how to milk em'! Rebellion, Rouge Squadron and Empire at War join the previous releases by GOG. By if it's like the other releases, then prob not many new enchancements unfortunately. :p 

Amazing Papercraft

Wow, hard to believe it's paper, why am i buying all those model kits for? :p

Check more out here!

ALIENS Powerloader

Interesting this! Didn't know it was a Caterpillar model haha. But for $1200? I'd think maybe Hot Toys could come up with something slightly cheaper yet more detailed? I thought i did see one during the last toy show with a Ripley figure too. This is by Hollywood Collectibles.

"The Caterpillar P-5000 Powered Work Loader, commonly referred to as a Power Loader, is a commercial mechanized anthropomorphic Exoskeleton used for lifting heavy materials and objects.  More importantly it was also used by Ripley to defeat the Alien Queen!

Painstakingly recreated from the original blueprints, no detail has been spared to make this the most accurate Power Loader replica ever made.

Presented for the first time ever as a Studio Scale model - exactly the same size as the model used in filming the movie! Standing an imposing 33” tall, and 25” wide this truly is an EpicTM scale model!"

MP-23 Exhaust no go still?

Man, why spoil the market Marlboro?

Well, the figure looked like this initially :

But Philip Morris took issue to the hood as it infringed on the logo, so takatomy went ahead and did this :

But what the hey, PM still doesn't want it on the market... what gives? That's just bullying man. I still think the first look was cooler though, cleaner lines.

Project Hololens

Oh man, someone at Microsoft has been watching too much iron man haha! But this will be awesome in tandem with rapid prototyping and 3D printing... awesome. :) They'll just need to shrink down the headset, and there'll come a day when it won't even be needed.

Check it out here! :)

Interesting TF Leaks!

Wow, TF collecting in 2015 looks to get interesting! Time to clear up more space. :p

• There's gonna be an encore TRYPTICON! and i was lamenting the lack of the bigger bots haha
• Combiner Wars is going to have a Devastator set! Won't be cheap though. And Defensor in late 2015 but that's a given.
• There's 5 new Masterpieces this year, based on images from TaoBao, it's rumored to be Tracks and Ironhide. The 5th will probably be the MP-21G that's been announced?
• US is going to get reissues of Astrotrain and Blitzwing, the conehead jets (Dirge, Thrust, Ramjet) and Perceptor and Blaster... awesome.

Hope they can keep the MP designs... decent? :)

More Lucasarts goodies!

Well, at least when the name meant something in gaming. Still, holds a special place in my heart *sniff*

GOG has released a coupla new games again! Amongst them X-wing Alliance, XvT and Dark Forces! Woot! Should br getting them, for nostalgia's sake at least.

The Freshmaker!

It's a mystery.... Cos u ain't know what you'll find inside wahahaha!

Bike up!

Woo! Got the miku figma and bike, pretty cool! Alas... Space to display is limited :(

BwB!

Mmmm, really good wings! Nxt round we'll come here buddy! ;)

Heavenly...

...Wang! ;)

Lunch!

Mmmmm... Sinful... ;)

EPVII - The Force is.. SPOILER ALERT!

Fair warning! It's only artwork but it may give a peek into what will happen in Ep VII... still, looks darned awesome!

Click here!

Toys i collect! - Gundam - Pt 1

Wow, how do i begin? I think it started when i collected those thin little books sold at those mamak stalls in gardens and some other bookshops in days gone by, they were in color, but very thin, and each had artwork and pictures from various Real/Super Robo genres of the time.

I remember some of the artwork being really impressive (well, to me at that time anyway), and truthfully, i didn't even KNOW what Gundam was! (Heck, no internet in the 70-80s man). Another thing that didn't help was that it was near IMPOSSIBLE to find Gundam merch in SG.. although i remember getting a weapon set at the mamak stall in front of the theatre in gardens (it's the mall myVillage now!) Here's a pic of that set; i honestly though it would have the robots, but alas it only contained the kits for the weapons (which were quite cool actually).

Another toy i got was this diecast one my dad got for me (in the pic below on the right), i still have a blurry pic of it somewhere, but it was bought at an Emporium at Peninsula Plaza longgg time ago, it's die cast, super retro and not very poseable... but cool to me then haha.

Although there were drips of imports for kits to SG (i remember getting a GM kit at Daimaru Liang Court for.. 10 bucks? It needed glue darnnit, no snap fit back then) It was not until the early to mid 90's that PROPER Gundam kits were imported into SG by ShengTai toys... oh man, i remember rushing down to inKids at Dhoby Ghaut (remember that?) to snap up the kits!

Training in the ol' days!

Cool link! Came across it when i was trying to find more about the 'Ninja Vans' back in those days; the green van where the uncle would have food, drink and snacks.... plus.. ahem, some other things too ;)

Read more here!

Sideshow 1/6 Imperial TIE fighter pilot

Awesomes. Sideshow is gonna be releasing the Imp pilot! The exclusive is going to come with that little gun the Kenner toy had... which he could never hold properly i remember! :p

New Avengers 2 trailer!

So the second trailer is out! Adds a few more moments and unseen characters.. i wonder how they all fit in? :p

Pacific Rim - Striker Eureka

Well awesome mate! NECA is releasing a 18" Striker Eureka that'll cost about 200-250? It has lights and all, but don't think the chest will open to reveal the missiles like the movie. :p

Monday!

Oh gawd... It's monday again? didn't even get to enjoy the weekend much haha! Mostly playing GTA V (still, the story is getting interesting) and iNfamous First Light (A freebie game for PSPlus users). Haven't played GZeroes for a bit; it's tough man those extra missions! :p

MP-22 Ultra Magnus

Soooo... Finally opened it up during the week! First thing that hits you is how massive this guy is, almost 2 heads taller than MP-10 prime, and wayyyy bulkier, details are good... But one thing you'll notice is that it's big yes, but the detail is somewhat lacking.

Perhaps there had to be a compromise for a toy this size, and they didn't want it to go beyond $300 for some reason. For the preorder price it's a no brainer. Otherwise, max i'd pay for this would be about SGD$200?

Still, it's an awesome addition to the Masterpiece line, just lacks a bit of the finesse that some others in the line have! :)

No more Hans?

Oh man, walked past the Hans at GEL building, everythings 'boarded' up there, not sure if its just renovations or if they're closing for good. They've been there for a good 10 over years! It'd be sad if they had to close, no more place to chill out after CSC haha.

1/6 in Hong Kong!

Awesome man, must visit there before it's TOTALLY swamped. :p A lot of them seem to have that Lucky/Far East Plaza feel. :p

GITS 2015

Whoa, new Ghost in the shell Anime movie for 2015? The original was a classic, the TV Anime ones were.... ok i guess? I think i like the Manga best. Oh there's also gonna be a live-action one with Scarlett Johansson as the Major. Wow.

Masterpiece G2 bumblebee

Whoa, this was unexpected? Will prob still order it though. Thought they'd retool a cliffjumper!

Toys i Collect - Transformers! - Pt 2

There was deluge of TF figures in the past few years, some good some bad, The Alternators line introduced realistic licensed cars with a high die-cast content. That line shrank down to the Alternity line with a few licensed cars, but in a smaller scale.

But i think the standout line was to be the Masterpiece series of figures from Takatomy.. some hits and misses of course. The early figures weren't fantastic (the first prime was still awesome though), but i think it was after the release of the v2 prime, and Sideswipe that it started getting popular. There were of course tons of repaints, but even those were at least unique in their own way.

In between all this was the Transformers Movie toys, these "Bayformers" had it's own intepretation of how the bots should be like, and i'm sure it has it's fans, but most of the movie toys... um, i'd rather stay away from. :p

Also, in recent years, Third party companies have been releasing unlicensed TF toys to collectors, and i have to say, some of these are really impressive compared to what Hasbro releases. The only downside being the cost and QC as these aren't made on a very large scale compared to the larger firms.

So what's coming up for collectors nowadays? I'm looking forward to the upcoming Star Saber release, and hope Takatomy continues the Encore line; there are still quite a few unreleased figures out there! :)

AT-AT Bookends

Oh this is cool, if only i had the space haha! And good thing they're grey, no need to clean off the dust! :p

Blast from the past!

Nice pic! Interesting how the coastline has changed, most of it's reclaimed now. A lot of recognizable landmarks though!

Toys i Collect - Transformers! - Pt 1

This is a classic. :) I honestly never picked up any of the Original crew when i first started, i remember my first transformer being.... Fireflight! That was from Toys R Us in Marine Parade back in the days when Toys R Us had one whole building to itself... and there were just rows of them waiting for someone to take them home... and it only cost like, S$5.95 back then?

It was soon after that i started collecting the others for Superion... ah good times. Shortly after the Transformers craze sorta died out worldwide... guess it's partially due to the release of the first gen gaming consoles (Atari, ColecoVision, NES).

Transformers did come back in a myriad of forms, G2 repaints, Action Masters... all mostly badly painted looking reissues haha! Then came along Beast Wars, which was by all means unique, in that all the main characters were animals, and had a good toy line to support it. However, animals don't really cut it for me, i mean, they will always be vehicles of some form to me!

I guess at this time, Hasbro/Takara (Now Takatomy) saw the chance to pull in the older generation which had watched TF growing up, and capitalised on this by reissuing the older G1 toys in book like format, here was the chance for most of us to get back those items we missed out on in our youth!

Movie Realisation - Storm Trooper and Vader

Pretty interesting, seeing how the design of Vader was influenced by the design of the Samurai aesthetic. But those nips..... cannot.... unsee! :p

Preorder maddddnesssss....!

Man, one thing i hate about collecting Macross stuff.... the online queues to get the things! Everyone is like, F5'ing at the same time hoping to catch a glimpse of the item.. the popular stuff gets sold out literally in seconds... seriously, why Bandai doesn't ramp up the production, i can't imagine.

It's getting rarer to see Macross stuff on the shelf nowadays, i even gave up ordering from my regular shops... simply cos even they can't guarantee stock of the item!

Well, fingers crossed! :p

It's awesome sweet... man, gotta cut down for 2015. :(

Good ol' JD!

Interesting! Something different for today, it's a lost art i tell ya!

MGS V - Ground Zeroes

So i got about to getting MGS GZ from Steam, gotta say, the game looks gorgeous, good framerate too. Still a bit buggy i guess? The settings can be changed but doesn't take effect in the game, random crashes here and there too.

And i completed in in under 2 hours haha.

This is more like a tech demo for MGS V more than anything, but what you get to see is pretty amazing. I haven't gotten to exploring the whole area, but this demo gives a good classic MGS feel to it. The AI isn't fantastic, but they seem more alert now, and are easily tipped off to visual/sound cues from the player. However, frantic running and keeping low WILL eventually throw them off your scent.

Story wise, ground zeroes really gets you set up for MGS V, the ending is pretty intense, and it'll be interesting to see how a lot of the characters will fit into the MGS lore. :p

Shhhhhh!...

Quiet.... :p