Monday, December 13, 2010

STGCC Day 3: The Motherload

Even the Predator and Iron Man couldn't stop me from getting good deals
You could say I was looking forward to the last day of Singapore Toy, Games, and Comic Convention the most.  Why?  Because of one thing and one thing only: DEALS! On toys!

And what a bunch of stuff I got.  I know I've written plenty over the last 3 days, so I'll keep this review of Day 3 short on words and long on pictures; pictures of the swag I snagged for cheap!

For those of you who frequent CV and are on my Christmas list (you know who you are), there might be one or two things here you might find in your X'mas stocking come the 25th! ;D

Deal #1: DC Universe Classics for 2 for S$15 (US$11.50) or 5 for S$30 (US$23).

It was a pity I'd paid S$20 total for Mr. Terrific and Firestorm from the same store on Day 2, otherwise I'd sprung for the latter deal.  As a result, I picked up the dynamic duo (no, not that one) of Booster Gold and Blue Beetle for $15!  Other figures they had were Ocean Warrior Aquaman (I was really tempted but have gold Aquaman on the way), blue variant Wildcat, and Commander Steel.  Not great variety but a really great deal if you need to plug the holes in your collection.

Deal #2: Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Armor He-Man and He-Ro for S$40 (US$30.10) each.

After factoring in shipping to Singapore, MOTUC figures come to S$32.50 each if you order directly from Matty without the subscription. 

Considering that they usually sell for S$50 apiece, it's a great deal. You also get to examine the figures for flaws and pick the ones with good paint. :) So I snagged these two studs to accompany the Evil-Lyn I bought on Day 2!


Deal #3: DCUC Spectre for S$15 (US$11.50), DCUC Modern Blue Beetle for S$25 ($19.20).

I'm now just one arm away from completing Darkseid.  He's not a CnC figure I really wanted to get, but I just found myself slowly gathering his parts for reasonable prices. One more piece of the puzzle to go! (I'm looking at you Dr. Midnite...)

Blue Beetle I snagged for the Rangerlord--his Sith influence over me even when he's not in the country is still strong (Yes, my Master...)  BB was priced at $30, but I got $5 off from Vincent at Toyrealm, so thanks, man! :)


Deal # 4: NECA Street Fighter IV Chun Li for S$10!!! (US$7.70)

She'll go nicely with either my Charlie outfit or gray camo Guiles.  I just need to decide which I prefer and open it!

Deal #5: GI Joe Pursuit of Cobra Desert Battle Duke for S$16 ($US12.30).

You can find Joes cheaper in the States, but in Singapore, this is a deal, especially for a newer figure.  I didn't too much fancy the double plasma cannons that come with Duke, but the head sculpt on this one was too good to pass up.  They got him looking like the Jungle Assault Duke sans headband.  They've also made him less skinny than the JA Duke.  I think this is possibly the best non-movie Duke head sculpt to date!  Then again, I always say that, don't I?

Deal # 6: Indiana Jones Dr Elsa Schneider for S$10! ($US7.70)

A rare figure and for cheap! The head sculpt on this one also surprised me--it looks too darn good!  She completes the rare quartet I'm looking from the Last Crusade: Colonel Vogel, The Grail Knight and her!  Oh wait, I still need Henry Jones Sr. Duh!  Where's Sean Connery when you need him?

Deal #7: Revoltech White Convoy (Ultra Magnus) for S$20 (US$15.40).

These usually cost at least S$10 more at the cheapest, so this was a good find.  I've resisted buying into this line because the Transformers they make may be highly poseable, but they're not transformable.  So much for sticking to my principles. Heh.


Deal #8: Takara Tomy Transformers Animated Soundblaster (Activator) for S$10 ($US7.70)

There were lots of these and Skywarp, which I have already from the Hasbro release.  I like the way they mostly transform at the push of a tab, so it was cool to find one that I didn't already have because they didn;t produc it before.

Deal #9: Marvel Universe Secret Wars 2-pack: Ultron and Reed Richards for S$10! (US$7.70)

I don't have a picture of this because Cavalock grabbed it for me when he was there earlier.  Another great deal--it cost exactly a third of what it would at retail.  I'd ben stalling on this one because of the poor Reed Richards buck.  Ultron was cool but I didn't want to shell out at retail for a couple of guys with no accessories.  Mr. Fantastic was also decidely as boring as he could ever be a s toy.  But hey, I wasn;t gonna turn it down for 10 bucks!  Thanks, Cavalock! :)

Day 3 Convention Rating: 9/10!

Nifty Star Wars Hoth Hanger display.  Cool!  (Literally)
Going into the final day, I wasn't sure if any of the vendors would slash prices by much.  But credit to them, they did and it turned out to be all the last day of a Con should be--a day of wheeling and dealing!

While I didn't turn up early at all (I got there at 6pm and had 2 hours before the end of the Con), I got the feeling that it didn't matter because there were too many deals to take advantage of anyway. In fact if I'd been there earlier, I'd probably be broke seven ways to Sunday!




Overall Convention Rating: 8.4/10

They had to forcibly remove me from the premises.
A very successful and satisfying Con overall.  Well organized with panels, signings, screenings, and of course, the star writers and artists to back it up.  I was certainly entertained!  Perhaps it was a little bit smaller that last year vendor-wise, but I think it made for a better experience because it was a lot less messy. Also, you could plan ahead because of the excellent printed guides and timetables at the signings.  I loved the staff and volunteers there as well, they were all helpful and glad to be there.



Here's hoping next year's STGCC turns out bigger and better!

12 comments:

  1. Looks like you had a great time. Great coverage of the event!

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  2. Ha, thanks dude. I did and I wished I didn't need to work on Monday. Lol...More time to spend with my...precious...haul. ;P

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  3. 8.4/10. Wah, so accurate the rating until 0.4? hah, great writeup!

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  4. Yes. Lol. It's based on the average over the 3 days...8, 8, and 9 is 8.4 rounded up! I think... ;)

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  5. Dude, That Ultra Magnus was one of the very first reviews ever on Hobotastic Toys, and he's still cool as hell. I love that color-scheme.

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  6. Yeah, I actually prefer this color scheme on this Revoltech version of him compared to Prime. He's also easier to find and cheaper too. It helps that Ultra Magnum, I mean Magnus, always seems like the unwanted bastard child next to Optimus. Lol.

    And ya know, "he can't deal with that right now."

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  7. Ewan,

    New reader here. I found your blog while doing some random Google search, and reading back through posts, I have to say that your toy photography is FANTASTIC. There are countless toy review blogs out there, but so few of them show photography that actually makes you want to get the figure to play with and do some of those poses yourself. And I'm saying this as someone on the downswing of collecting, so to speak. Keep up the good work!

    - Forrest

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  8. Thanks, Forrest! Always great to see new readers with new comments. :)

    I always enjoy playing around with my toys and getting the best poses out of them. The only thing was that I'd be the only one who'd be enjoying it, so the only thing I could think of was to take some photos to share it with everyone! I'm glad it's worked out and am super happy you like it.

    Sad to hear you're on a downswing, but all I can say is...Don't stop collecting! Even if it means you slow down to a crawl! ;P

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  9. wow! great finds, my friend. thanks for sharing with us. i cant wait for the reviews. you post awesome photos.

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  10. Thanks, Rupert. The reviews will come...sooner or later! :P

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  11. Am I on your Christmas list? Somehow I don't think I am. Boohoo! :p

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  12. Lol, Novelty. You woould be but you;re so elusive and no one ever knows where you are! You're like James Bond or something, untraceable! :P

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