The Haul!

3 for $20?  Thank you very much!

Hello, true believers!

It's been a while since I last had a decent haul.  I think the last time I had anything good enough to be considered a good bargain was way back in December at the Singapore Toys Games and Comics Convention 2011.  Yeah, that's long enough back.

So when I read over at Open The Toy that there was a sale at local department store Takashimaya, I jumped at the chance to go!

This particular store usually is stocked with the latest from all the lines like Marvel Universe, DC Universe, Star Wars, Lego, Thundercats, etc.  But it almost never puts stuff on clearance--except in these particular 3 weeks in the year.  And when stuff goes on clearance, it really goes on clearance!

So I'd been working without a break since the last week of July so I really needed to cut loose.  And that I certainly did...

DC Universe Classic Wave 14 Zatanna!

*Apologies for the long delay between reviews--I've barely had time to take photos though I've written up some reviews I'm excited about sharing--family and a gig I had were beckoning!  But I'm back now with a bigger backlog of toys than ever!  And I say it like it's a bad thing.  Heh.  Well, enjoy this one--I'm gonna attempt to pump out at least two more reviews out by this week!*

Finally!  Finally after more than a year of prowling, stalking, hunting, waiting...

Finally, I find her!  Zatanna is one tough cookie to find and if you do chance upon her, she's a tough one to find for a reasonable price.  So there was no way that I was turning her down for the low, low price of S$30 (US$25 now, lol)!

I'd snagged her at the local Singapore Toys, Games, and Comics Convention about 3 weeks back and on the 3rd day, no less. That's when I expected to find $2 Power of the Force Star Wars Figures going for half-off, not Zatanna in packaging, and sold as a single instead as part of her whole wave, which is what most speciality shops who have her for sale are doing.

My one regret is not being able to get one for my hunting buddy and wingman the Rangerlord, who just returned recently from ranging and scored me a whole buncha Marvel Universe figures and Lego Series 5 minifigs.

At last count I have 57 unopened toys that I really want to get to reviewing.  That number doesn't include the likes of my Superhero Squad stuff (Marvel, TFs, Star Wars, Indy Jones...arrrgh!!!), (old) movie GI Joes, and MOTU 200X figures.  With that, the total easily comes to over 100, 150 toys maybe.  When I told the Rangerlord, he replied, "Tough life."

I just had to laugh.  He has no idea! ;P

But I digress.  On to DCUC Zatanna, who's not one of the many figures that I haven't opened. She just top of the pile I have on my desk right next to the photo studio...

DCUC Batman Legacy Collection: Prototype Suit Batman & Lt. Gordon

When I first saw this 2-pack, I knew I had to get it.  Comissioner Gordon?  Finally!  Looks like Gary Oldman?  Even better!  Christian Bale likeness?  Right on the money.  Accessories?  Check.  Articulation?  Looks pretty good from the preview shots.

So what was a guy to do?  I put down a deposit for it (along with the Arkham City Bats and Two-Face 2-pack) and waited patiently for about 4 months.

 It's taken me a while to actually crack them open and take some decent shots and that's mainly due to their size?

Well, let's just say while I love the figures, they fall short.  Literally.

DC Universe Classics Batman Legacy Collection: Batman and Two-Face

Hey all, sorry for the long delay between posts funky work schedules and crashing laptops tend to get in the way of toys--what's wrong with this world?  ;P

I suppose in that sense the wait for this review fits the toy--it's been a long time coming.

Way back in December, I had seen this two-pack on the pre-order list at the specialty store I frequent.  Immediately I put down a deposit for it and the Prototype Batman/Commish Gordon 2-pk as well (but that a review for another time...;p)  Both figures in this set looked awesome--A very classy looking Batman in gray and black, and a black and white Two-Face that would boot the orange and purple DC Universe one I had off my display and take its place a default Harvey. But when it finally got the goods in my hands, I was slightly disappointed.

Perhaps it was the long wait to finally get the figures, perhaps it was the slightly glossy finish both Bats and TF had.  But it didn't matter because I'd already put down for the 2-pack and it was mine so I was going to open it anyway.

I felt slightly better about the figures when I busted them free but I discovered something else that I didn't like: the figures were too tall and largish to fit in with DCUC.  Hm.  Nevertheless, I was still game on giving the figures a chance, especially since they turned out to be excellently sculpted and painted.  After all, it couldn't get much worse, could it?  Well...

DC Universe Classics Batman Legacy Collection Mr. Freeze

I was glad to finally get Mr. Freeze out of the latest Batman Legacy line--he was the one Bat-villain I had missed out on when I started collecting DC Universe and could still find some DC Superheroes stuff.  I'd seen the regular colored silver/blue/gunmetal-grey version many times but at prices which then seemed a tad too high.  So I waited...

And he finally got re-released in this line...with funky colors.  But that wasn't gonna stop me from snaggin' ol' Victor "Burger &" Fries here, oh no.  While the unusual Super Powers color scheme puts most off, I think it's just about wacky enough to be part of a Bat-villain display, which already has a ton of color--purpli with Joker, Red and Black with Harley Quinn, Brown with Man-BAt, Neon Green with the Riddler--some pink couldn't hurt, right? ;)

Colors aside, there weren't any changes for the re-release of Mr. Freeze, who debuted in the 2003 DCSH line.  I have to say the paint apps then were quite something. There was another release at New York ComicCon 2007 that looked like this.  Less icy, more metallic.  So that would make this repaint of that classic sculpt more, um, strawberries and cream?  (Ice cream of course--no less.)

So if you've got your fruit smoothie in hand and you're ready to go, let's take a look at the latest release of one the (n)iciest, fruitiest villains ever, shall we?

It's Good to be a Dad...

This Thing is Heavy!

Naw, it's great!

Then again, it's got to be the best job in the world.

Not only do I get to see my son grow up, his smiles and the new things he learns each day, but I also get to learn a little bit more about how my own Dad had to take care of my brother and I when we were the same age.

Absolutely the best job in the world!--I can't wait until he asks me for his first action figure. ;)

And as if I weren't lucky enough just to be a Dad, the wife and the little boy got me this for Fathers Day!

Come to think of it, he kinda looks like my buy when he's hungry. Heheh.

Well, I wasn't to be outdone, no sirree.

So I picked myself up the latest loose offerings from Davetoylet at the local Sunday Flea Market:

DC Universe Wave 17's White Lantern Hal Jordan and Yellow Lantern Scarecrow!

I hope all of y'all out there, fathers, step-fathers, foster fathers, Godfathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, All-Fathers, and pimp daddies have a mighty fine Father's Day too! ;)

DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 2: Medphyll and Naut Kei Loi

It's only 8 days to go till the Green Lantern Movie hits the screens over in this part of the world!  And that means I'm about to fail my objective of reviewing all my DCUC Green Lantern Wave figures. Hah!  But look!--I got one more of 'em done over at Articulated Discussion.

So head on over there to check out what the Green Lantern Corps is offering on ts lunch menu--that's right, raw Broccoli and boiled fish!  Bleargh!  But I'm sure it's safe to say that this is one instance where the toy might taste better than the actual...uh...characters. What the hell am I talking about?  I don't know either!  So scoot!!! ;P

Sneak Review: DC Universe Classics Wave 17 Star Sapphire Wonder Woman!

Most of fandom is kinda outraged at Wonder Woman's recent costume change from the classic look to the blue long johns. Well ok, mainly people dislike it, with a few fans lukewarm and even less saying it's a good look.  But I know one thing's for sure--if Wonder Woman had ditched her old costume for the one she's wearing on this figure, all of you would've approved.  Well, most of you anyway. 

Yes, Star Sapphire Wonder Woman has even less on than when she isn't championing the pink light of passion.  And while it may make some of us bleed from the nose and smoke from our ears, you can only get a good look at photos and read a review right now, because Wave 17 has another 2-3 months before it hits the stores.

But is scantily-clad-pink-Diana-Space-faring Wonder Woman worth the investment?

Let's find out!

DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 2: Star Sapphire Carol Ferris

Boy that's gotta be the longest name for a toy I've reviewed yet!

So Brightest Day has just ended with the ***Spoiler Alert*** return of Swamp Thing and John Constantine to the mainstream DC Universe. ***End of Spoiler***  But the DCUC figures of Blackest Night Characters have only just hit the shelves last month.

Well, I just managed to get my hands on the complete Wave 2 of the GL 2 Series and what a wave it is!  Pity it'll be the last totally Green Lantern themed wave.  The great thing?  We get some brand new characters for the DCUC line!  And Carol Ferris is one of them.

So how well did Star Sapphire turn out?  Head on over to Articulated Discussion for the review!

Sneak Review: DC Universe Classics Wave 17 Blue Lantern Flash!

Well, it's a regular Flee Market Sunday down at local toy hub here in Singapore and I'm thinking about not going because I'd woken up late.  The baby was a little restless and kept us both up the night before.  Also, I'd just have maybe over an hour of browsing time before I had to head back towards home for Church.  I also was reluctant to leave the wife and son home alone for to long--I guess I'm terribly fond of them both.;)

But having freed all my unopened my Justice League stuff from their plastic prisons and set 'em up nicely in one of my smaller cubby hole shelves, I was inspired to look for the missing figures I'd forgotten I didn't have.  Guys like the Question, Ice and Fire, Galatea, and most of the bad guys.  But what I found instead was that DCUC Wave 17 (The deputy Blackest Night Lantern wave) had hit the stores.

Well, actually, the loose figures had.  And they were more like tables than stores, really.  Yes, those figs that don't make QC had reached the hands of those regular flee-marketers. And not being particularly keen on the Anti-Monitor Collect n Connect figure, I jumped at the chance to get Blue Lantern Flash and Star Sapphire Wonder Woman for S$12 (US$9) apiece!  I'd also have gotten the rest of the wave loose but those weren't anywhere in sight.  But I also did manage to snag myself a shiny Hal Hordan from the Hal vs Thaal Sinetro 2-pack, as well as a spare Skallox for when my DCUC GL Wave 2 comes in this week (So I'd have a spare body for Night-Lik.)

So how did (QC fail) Blue Lantern Flash turn out?

Chase Pics: Justice League Unlimited Display! (and other updates. ;] )

5 long years after the last episode aired, I've finally gotten off my lazy ass and opened up all the JLU figures that I have.  The reason I took so long was partly laziness, partly because I'd discovered DC Universe and Marvel Universe figures were more poseable (and up my alley), and mostly because I've never had the space to display 'em all.

Well, after getting married and moving into our own place, I finally have a whole room I can devote to displaying stuff!  Even then, I realized that packaging was taking up a lot of space.  And I mean a LOT.  That also meant that I was buying more stuff than I had time to open.  (Weird, right?  Ok, maybe not...)

I guess I had the lofty ambition of reviewing every toy I bought, thinking that I could do it because I'm a self-professed cherry-picker and proud of it.  But boy was I wrong.  There ain't no way I can review toys faster than I buy them.  The verdict?  I get a brand new JLU display!

I needs me Justice Lords Wonder Woman!!!

Read on for more updates! ;)

DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 1: Kyle Rayner

Seriously, how many DCUC figure come with big swords?  None.  None, except Kyle Rayner here.  But what's truly impressive is the amount of work that's gone into making sure a top notch accessory came out right.  And I guess that's all we as fans ask for: quality.  We don't need a bunch of crude constructs packed in with figures (though that would beat no constructs at all), we just need one; one with quality and that will excite our imaginations.  And that's just what (wrong as it sounds) Kyle's big sword does--Excite us!

Kyle is Figure 1 in Wave 1 of the DCUC Green Lantern Series.  I hear that the series will last all of 2 waves, but I have a feeling Mattel has more planned for our Emeral heroes and their enemies in upcoming DCUC spin-off waves. DCUC GL 1 is the first wave I pre-ordered in its entirety--I liked the characters, I liked the new articualtion, and I liked the Collect and Connect figure.  How could I pass it up?

Unfortunately, it's also the first wave I'm paying the new higher retail price for, having cherry picked in past waves and/or holding back till I found the figures I wanted for reasonable prices. This wave cost me S$35 (US$25) a figure, bringing the total to S$210 ($150).  But thanks to Vincent at Toyrealm, I managed to get 'em at S$30 (US$21.40) a piece!

So how did Kyle do as the first figure of the series? Well let's see!

DC Universe Classics Wave 16: The Riddler

Riddle me this: What's one of six in 16 and all about the tricks?

Who's the only on-screen super-villain that will ever be played by Jim Carrey?

What's neon green and and has 51 question marks all over?


THE RIDDLER!!!

This was the only figure that interested me in Wave 16--this and Robin, ah, the super articulated, muscle-bound and curly-haired Robin.  Gotta love how his lack of pants indicated he was a superhero sidekick, just like all the other sidekicks back then: Aqualad, Wondergirl, Bucky, and Chewbacca.

But I digress...

I picked the Riddler up for S$30 (US$23) after a discount from Vincent at Toyrealm.  Real nice guy and a great store at China Square Central to get stuff from hereabouts in Singapore. And I'm glad to say the Riddler didn't disappoint!

On to the review!

DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 1: Black Hand

Creepy.

The Black Hand just gives the word new meaning.

If you've read Blackest Night, you'd know what I mean.  The whole story is really about him.  Not Hal Jordan, not Nekron, and not the Flash, though they all do play major roles.  Wanting to bring peace to the universe by killing everyone?  Keeping everyone "alive" after death so that they'll enjoy this "peace" with him?  Ideas of a madman.  A madman named the Black Hand.

And while he was just a bit-part villain before having his origin rewritten, he's now a major baddie with even more major issues like necrophilia and believeing death to be the ultimate peace.

So it is fitting that he ends up as a part of the 1st wave of DCUC Green Lantern Series.

The Chase Variant Christmas Stocking!

What a Christmas it has been!  Chase Variant (aka me) didn't get lots of toys this year, but what I did get was awesome.  Quality over quantity, I always say (when I get less toys for X'mas).  So what did I receive from Santa in 2010?

Nothing.

Told you he's awesome! :P

But I did get a Masterpiece Black Optimus Prime from my wife! Thanks Dear, you're the best! :D

Thanks, Bro!

And I got me a Henkei Transformers Animated Voyager Class Black Out from the Rangerlord, all the way from Japan!

And just for good measure, he threw in a DC Superheroes Scarecrow!  Awesomeness!

Now how will I be able to open and review all these on top of the swag I got from the Singapore Toys, Games, and Comics Convention?  How?  How?

I'll also be away for the next two weeks for my much delayed Honeymoon in New Zealand.  Once I get there, I'll have no chance whatsoever to take pictures of toys.  (Photo studio's at home, see?)  I'll also be checking out whatever toy joints they might have and adding to the review backlog!!!  What terrible problems I have, eh?

Anyways, hope all of you had a great Christmas with all the toys you can have and then some.  here's also wishing you only the best for the New Year ahead!

Cheers
-Ewan

(P.s-Don't forget to check out the last review of 2010 on Chase Variant: Transformers Challenge at Cybertron 3-Pack!)

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!