Singapore Toys Games and Comics Convention 2013 (STGCC 2013)

5 month-old Man of Steel (comes with Mom)

This year's STGCC a month ago was a big surprise for me, really--I just wasn't expecting that many people to show up! Lots of people dressed up too--I could hardly turn here nor there without a glimpse of a superhero, a cosplayer, or a Stormtrooper.

Hot Toys Man of Steel (Mom not included)

Also, I have been rather out of the loop about new toy releases. Sure, I've kept up with the usual Hasbro Marvel Universe and Star Wars offerings, and even the occasional DC and Masters of the Universe piece of news, but Hot Toys, Play Imaginative (Super Alloy series) and some of the local stores threw me for a curve--and it was a good thing.

So just how impressive were they?  Let's see!

Transformer Cybertron Con 2012 Day 1

The entrance!

So I really didn't know what to expect despite having a schedule of all 4 days (11th to 14th) of the Con.

Would it really be more like an exhibition and less like a convention?  If so, would there be deals to be had on Transformers toys?  Would there be a greater focus on the movie versions of Transformers rather than other forms to attract the kids?

We thought this was the 22-foot tall Optimus Prime.

Well as it happened, it's never really what you think it is.  And I was glad tat I was presently surprised.

He's happy with the Con as long as the pass tastes good.

Resorts World Sentosa turned out to be a great place to hold Cybertron Con with people of all sorts attending--collectors, families, couples, even tourists.  So we made a family day out of it and with the wife and kid went forth expecting nothing other than a good time out.  Here's a pictorial journey of what went down! (with commentary from yours truly, of course. :P):

Cybertron Con 2012 Exclusive Swag!

Sorry folks, no review here, just an update on the toy-ly ongoings of our tiny island nation.

On the bright side, it's less than 4 days to go to Cybertron Con right here in Singapore and they've revealed a couple of nifty exclusives for the event!

First up, there's the movie Optimus Prime:

I can't quite be sure but it looks like it'll be a Voyager Class figure with a decent sized trailer.  That's a great thing because I think the smaller-sized Primes usually don't have trailers made for them--this one does and has some awesome Con exclusive designs all over it.

Also, Prime comes with this commemorative coin if you're into that sort of thing.

Secondly, some t-shirts for the event have been revealed:

I can't quite articulate how nice it is to see some G1 Transformers, even if they only exist as designs on T-shirts.  :,(

There's a whole bunch of other stuff that'll be on sale, form luggage to masks and all of the toys you've seen on the shelves in stores.

But I hope they give us some G1 TF toy love at the Con.  'Else I'll be nursing a Coke Zero in a dark corner somewhere shedding a tear or five.  Lol.

Singapore Toy, Game, and Comic Convention 2011: Day 2

So I went into Day 2 almost desperate for some good toy deals.  As with any convention, the vendors start to slash prices in order to clear as much stock as they have probably so that they don't have to lug it back to theeir stores and re-pack all the stuff again.

After I got done with Sunday stuff like church and a meeting/rehearsal for this non-toy related gig I was gonna do, I drove down to STGCC at around 4-ish, 5--I thought that would give me a good chunk of time to wander about before the Con closed its doors at 8pm.

Bobble-heads from Simply Toys, anyone?

This time the wife and baby were at home so I figured I'd have a better chance of moving through the throng of people at the venue more easily than yesterday.  Well, I was right.  Not because I was able to unleash my superhero/ninja training I'd prepared for by reading comics most of my life, but because the crowd had thinned  somewhat for day 2.  Good news, because I'd be able hunt for deals better and also take in some of the sights.

And I gotta say, I kinda like being a Last-Day-Con kinda guy.

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

Singapore Toy, Games and Comic Convention 2010: Day 2

Security was pretty tight, especially for the DCUC Figures

The highlight of Day 2 was at STGCC was the people!

While Day 1 saw quite a long line to enter the exhibition halls as the gates opened, there was still elbow room to mingle, shop, and get stuff signed.  Well, Day 2 probably saw traffic increase y three times--great for the people running the Con (because it's the first year the event is ticketed) but bad for me! I couldn't turn without narrowly avoiding smacking someone in the face, with my own face!  But nah, that can only be a god thing.  More people means it's more likely the Con will come back bigger and better in 2011!

The other great thing was that I got the chance to really meet quite a few people today, which was nice because you hardly get the chance to talk to others when in large crowds, but in a Con like that, you get to speak to artists and writers promoting their work, as well as fellow fanboys when lining up for autographs. And that's where Day 2 began for and ended me, in the queue to get a signature!

"Honestly, I was really gonna pay for the DCUC.  I just...got a little lost..."

Singapore Toy, Games and Comic Convention 2010: Day 1

What a day!

But I'd like to start off first by saying that this year's convention in Singapore is being held for the first time after being taken over by Reed Exhibitions, the same people who run New York Comic Con.

Random door gift: cutesy key chain

Last year's event was a little bit of a marketplace, with no panels or screenings or sneak previews but tons of vendors selling toys, exclusives and the like.

So with the new management this year, how did things go on Day 1?  Well here's a hint: I spent close to 10 hours there and I'm raring to go back tomorrow!

Singapore Toy and Comic Convention 2009

The name says it all!

It's our one and only convention of this sort on our sunny island, and what a blast it was in only its second year.

So the whole shebang lasted for a weekend from Friday and lucky me got o go down to Suntec City on the opening day for a bit since some plans got cancelled that night--so that turned out to be scouting day for me. It was rather quiet for a convention on Friday, but the place got packed over the weekend! But it was fun on Sunday mixing and jostling with the crowds. Nice to see people turning out for something like this even in these tough times.

Ok enough ok my chatter. Let's get to the action!

First up, the Hasbro booth with a Optimus Prime and Megatron through the times display:
























































The best part about that was they borrowed all the toys from Stephenus Prime (of tf.sg fame) and paid him with more toys. Good one, Stephen! :)

More toys/statues!
Princess Leia, Hellboy, King Leonidas, some stuffed toy come-to-life thingy (motion-sendor stuff, which was really popular with kids), they had almost every toy in Singapore on sale there. ;)






And check out the G.I. Joe movie action figure display! :D












The stuff toy thingy display--the tiger at the bottom of the pic would move when anyone came near it.

Also, the T-Rex looks like he's having his way with the lion. :P















The cosplayers were in full cry:














Ya, the purple dude was kinda scary, with his white contact lenses and all.

But what cool costumes!

Ultraman was also on hand

He was being hounded by paparazzi.

Ok this girl (extreme right pic) didn't even know she was about to be set upon by that Imperial Guardsman.

And guess who was sneaking around, trying to undermine the STCC authorities and filch some comics on the way? Yep, Rorschach. Just look at him try to get away!








And check out the wonderful G.I. Joe display!



















Look who Mel and I mananged to sneak up on! ;)

Then we stumbled into the World of Warcraft:

Spot the difference! :P













And then we almost got arrested by a Stormtrooper of the 501st Legion:

We thought the 'trooper was intersted in the bags of swag we had. But then the he only wanted a contribution towards some sort of "Make a Wish" Foundation, which is surely some front to further the cause of the Empire. But wanting to stay out of trouble keep our loot, we made a "donation." Narrow escape, that. ;)

One guy who was not so lucky was artist Brian Bolland (of The Killing Joke fame). He was mobbed by fans, who all queued up quite nicely for him. He was by far the most popular celebrity we had this year.







Can you spot him?

Too easy! ;)

What a fun time Mel and I had. And to top it all off, we escaped with our lives intact as well as some fabulous loot:

President Superman and Wonder wWman from Red Son, as well as DCUC Hal Jordan, and a convention special Captain America!

Oh, and I also nabbed a DCUC Killer Moth on Friday for the final piece of my first ever Collect n Connect figure: Kalibak!

Stay tuned for reviews of him and all the other wonderful stuff I got over the weekend! :)