LEGO Maersk Line Train Set

LEGO released this a while back, but only managed to get it recently as it was a LEGOShop exclusive. I'm not hardcore into LEGO trains, but this was too cool to pass up. :)










The set is not motorised (Like the Emerald Night set by LEGO also), but you can add in the Motors/Batteries/Lights set as shown at the back of the box to get it to move and have lights. Cool. :)

Shot of the actual train above.

Toy shop Fantasy

Ever wanted your own toyshop? I do! Well if i had a hundred grand i would go after THIS auction on Ebay!

A little hard to believe, but seems the guy is really interested in selling the goods; i believe the stuff in the shop is actually worth more than a hundred grand.

And remember, pickup only! ;)

Muckin' about on a mucky day..

Picked up a foldable light tent from ArtFoto, just curious to see how it'd work. It's really very compact but keeping it is a killer; luckily there are instructions to this jigsaw puzzle!

Currently only have one light source, need at least 3 in total to get better overall coverage! But interesting effects when the light is in different areas.

Well, weather's gone crazy so to speak, been raining, then sunny, then rainy again. Hurricane Irene's sweeping through, so that probably's explains the sudden downpour. Met Wifey for lunch today, then popped over to pick up a reservation from tfh.... guess what? Saw most of the toy shop owners in SG picking up stock from him. WTF. :p

MR Stormtrooper Helmet

Got this as a present from wifey ( thanks dear! :)), but didn't have time to get the pics up for it! This is the Master Replicas limited edition "Hero" ANH Stormtrooper Helmet, 1:1 scale. It's cast of the "Hero" i.e more detailed helmet used in the ANH movie which had more details for closeups. MR cast this helmet off a "Stunt" version, as Lucasart wouldn't allow them to tear down the original Hero version helmet of course. But both versions had the same moulding way back then.











The helmet comes with two pairs of lenses (grey and green) and can be swapped out. Interior of the helmet is fully padded too. There were supposed to be 2,500 copies of the helmet made, but only 1,048 finally made it to the market. Interesting to note is that the helmet is asymetrical, much like those used on the screen. (the left side of the helmet seems to be smaller than the right). But this is as the helmets were cast back then. The ABS releases later from MR and eFX were the idealised versions, i.e symmetrical versions. I'm not a purist, so it doesn't bother me! :p








The first 500 pieces also came with a limited lithograph which is pretty cool.... :)









Later eFX also released a same LE version which was identical to the MR version, only major difference was the stand supplied with the helmet.

Books! Catherine/TF Vault

Couldn't resist picking up this book; must be the cover! :p This is the artbook for Catherine, a puzzle/romance hybrid type of game from Atlus, the makers of the "Persona" series of RPG's. I guess Atlus's taste for weird games is one thing fans like about it? ( And from the cover you'd think it was ANOTHER type of game! :p ).

Above is one of the tamer pics i could post... ;) Next up is "Transformers : Vault", which is a pretty nice book telling how it all begans as a toy range in Japan totally unrelated to the Transformers we know, before a company called Hasbro rebranded it, gave it a storyline.... and you know how it goes from there!

There are pretty cool items in the book; repro catalogs and instruction sheets, even the tech specs and the decoder too! :)

Quite a few pics of rare prototypes and unseen designs also.

Hasbro Darth Vader Force FX Saber

Picked up a Hasbro Darth Vader Lightsaber from the recent STGCC at Suntec (well, technically wasn't me who bought it, actually asked my bro-in-law who was there still to pick it up for me!).

Bought it from a shop-that-shall-not-be-named cos i don't really like them, BUT it was cheaper than the retail, so who cares? :p Anyway, the is the 'collectors' edition of the saber by Hasro Signature; after Master Replicas lost the license to Star Wars, Hasbro picked up the sabers where MR left off.

Apparently both versions are identical except for the electronics, the saber itself is pretty hefty; definate almost a KG. It is LED lit, and features the power up/down sound, the idle hum and saber clash sounds like the previous releases. Also, this one has a removable blade, so you can choose to walk around with just the hilt strapped to your belt (they give the belt clip too.)

Kinda cool if you've always wanted to be a pretend jedi haha, i still remember vividly asking my parents to buy one back for me way back when i was staying at jalan pacheli in gardens..... and they bought stickers for me instead... disappointed i was. :p

Well, isn't that what growing old is about? :) You go out and buy back the things you couldn't afford then! And some stuff has definately improved. I even have my own young jedi now. ;)

STGCC 2011

The STGCC (Singapore Toy Game & Comic Convention) was held this weekend on the 20th and 21st Aug. So guess that was the highlight for the week! (Still think they should lower the $10 entry fee!) Was not expecting too much, cos am not too much into comics nowadays, but went there with my bud colin, so at least the company was good! ;) Hot Toys was there, and they were the main draw for the show. (Along with the Exclusives from them of course, which are now being sold off on Evilbay at a tidy profit!)

HT was there of course, to make wallets cry again, with previews of MANY upcoming releases. Their handiwork and detail is amazing, so kudos to them to taking 1/6 scale to a new level. Usual suspects were there, i guess not THAT many toy shops compared to the L2P event, but then again, that was a free event, so cannot complain. :p

Here's hoping next year show will have some anti-scalper measures implemented! :p