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!

The Avengers: Original Avengers 3.75" 4-Pack! (Concept Series)

As a result of a massive backlog of reviews I want to take on, I realize that not only do I have tons of unopened toys, I have tons of them in boxes.  Which ones, you ask?  Well, I have too many to name, so let's just call 'em a surprise for now.  (Yeah, ok.  I don't know myself.  Lol.)  For now, I'm determined to rid my collection of needless cardboard, so I'm hereby declaring October The Month of the Box right here on Chase Variant!  (I'm sure you wouldn't mind if the occasional carded or loose figure review slips in.  Right?  Or am I right?  Right, I'm wasting time...)

So to kick it all off, I'm gonna start with my newest boxed acquisition: The Avengers: Original Avengers 3.75" Toys R Us Exclusive 4-Pack!

I walked into one of my local TRUs last Sunday and I see this very set that I'd never seen, heard or read about it before.  So it was a very pleasant surprise when I find one of them, face down amid some non-movie Marvel Universe figure 4-packs.  Then the wife points out that that's not the only one there, because right above us on the shelf are about six or seven of them.  You can imagine my amazement when I had a good look at Loki--I'd never thought I'd see them re-use the Thor movie sculpt again!

Then I saw Iron Man--a brand new figure!--or at least a new armour.  I couldn't tell right off if it was made from older parts but it looked like a new sculpt and I dig bulky armour, so I was at least 50% in.

As for Captain America and Thor, I already have these very sculpts when they were originally released.  Both are great figures from their respective lines, so I didn't mind taking home some repaints...for now.

Yes, they look great in the box, but I hear you ask if they're just as good outside.  Well, let's find out! ;)

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...

Marvel Universe 3.75" Ultimate Gift Set 5-Pack

The Rangerlord and I stumbled upon this great set of your classic heroes at OG Orchard one day.  There were loads (more than 20) of this pack on sale at S$36.90 (down from $59.90), but no one was biting and they had been left lying there for a couple of months.  So when we both came upon it I had said, "Yeah, there it is.  The most expensive Captain America shield."

I was referring to when I had first seen this 5-pack on sale and told the Rangerlord, prompting him to say he wasn't going to pay that amount for the one thing that most would want from the gift pack.

The shield is translucent, you see, and all the figures in the sets were very basic-looking re-releases.  But more on that later.  I wasn't really batting an eyelid at the pile, until RL turns one of the sets over and says, "Hey, they're $15 each."

Suffice to say that caught my attention.  We both snagged a set each after pouring through the boxes for a nicely painted Cap each.  (And Thor.  And Iron Man.  And Spidey.  Wolverine, not so much...Haha.)

After passing the set by for so long, I was curious to see what it offered.  So here's what I found!

The Avengers: Stark Tech Assault Armour Captain America

This review should be named "Captain America and His Toys Part II"!  Why?

Simply because the good captain is learning that having less super strength and less speed is just not good enough!  Gone are the good ol' days where he was the strongest, the fastest and the most famous (and only) super hero.  Sure, he's still a master of battlefield tactics and the bestest (eva!) leader there can be, but who can see that sorta thing?  Being reanimated in this day and age where the most flashy (Iron Man), the most misunderstood (Hulk), and the most buff-n-blond (Thor) get all the attention hasn't been great for Cap.  So what to do?  Take a leaf from Tony Stark's book and get some toys of his own!

But why "Part II" you ask?  Because this should've been part I.  And the pics in this review will also give you a glimpse or two of Part III. ;)

To get back on topic, the Stark Tech Assault Armor Captain America has been on my radar ever since I saw it on the shelves in stores.  But the retail price of S$49.90 (US$39) is a huge put-off.  So I was willing to wait till clearance.

As luck would have it, the eagle-eyed Rangerlord, whose skill with a bow can only be outmatched by Hawkeye himself (or so he says), spotted this sweet, sweet piece of action in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for 60% of the price!  Needless to say, it was a score for sure!  So was he worth it?  Let's see!

The Avengers Movie: 3.75" Wave 1 Complete Review!!!

And it begins!

The countdown to the May 1st release date of the Avengers here in Singapore has begun!

Why now, you ask?  It's not because the Rangerlord sounded me out a week ago that the toys were out.  It's not because I walked into Toys R Us five days back and saw the 3.75" figures, the Quinjet, the Deluxe figures, the masks, or Captain America's Frisbee shield.

It's not even because later that same evening, I was picking up my wife at the nearby mall and she texted me "You're gonna wanna check out the department store.  There's lots of Avengers stuff!"

No.  It's because I walked into that very department store and saw these!

Oh, and if you've read this far, Happy April Fools! ;P

Yes, as you can tell, these ain't no action figures, nor are they 3.75" tall.  They're just, well, Mini Muggs!  And this is a review of the complete 1st wave!  (Gotcha!  Maybe.)

There was a set, only one complete set, and I had to snag it.  Sure, some other guys will probably pick up my leavings of a couple of Nick Fury and a Hawkeye or two, but I, I have the complete first wave of The Avengers Mini Muggs!  Mwahahahaha!

And here I review it. :P

Marvel Universe 3.75" Classic Avengers 3-Pack: Avengers Assemble!

They lied when they said this was a 3-pack!...Because this is a 6-pack!

Yes, Ant Man, Wasp, and The Flying Ant (it deserves caps too) are included in this set, which boasts some newly sculpted parts, lots of great re-use, and a whole lot of whopping bang for your buck.

Just how did I get this so early, you ask?

Well, I was doing nothing one day as I am wont to, when I get a call from the mysterious Rangerlord.  He was on one of his ranging trips overseas in the Philippines blah, blah, blah, but mentions he stumbled upon this set!  He'd already picked up some of the newest Transformers from the Generations and Reveal The Shield line on the cheap for me, so I hesitated when he said he'd found this awesome 3-pack.  Can you believe it?  I hesitated!

But he snagged it all the same for moi, that good ol' buddy o' mine, and man has it turned out to be much more than I expected.  What are you waiting for?  I couldn't wait to open this despite all the Captain America, Thor and Green Lantern goodness I was neck deep in.  Click on the jump, dudes and duddettes!

Iron Man Armored Adventures 3.75" HAMMER Drone!

Finally!

A little more than a year of banishment from Articulated Discussion, I'm back with a review!

Why was I banished, you ask?  Because I was on the losing side of the war for AD.  In an attempt to seize power from the The Articulated One (TAO), Dr Nightmare and his Nightmare Horde descended upon the unsuspecting monarch and a fierce battle ensued.  TAO called his banners, and I answered.  But in a cruel twist, the Original Wes threw his weight behind Nightmare and betrayed the good king.  We were beaten.

The charges against me were severe:  one charge of treason against the new rightful King Dr Nightmare, one charge of too many Iron Man 2 reviews, and one charge of liking all things 3.75 inches.

My punishment?  Well, I was banished to the darkest corner of cyberspace to endure an indefinite sentence of hard virtual labor.

I swore I wouldn't crack under torture, but after more than a year of repeated online starvation and email whipping, I gave in.  I was to now serve out my sentence in the Night Horde as a grunt reviewer with no food or pay for the rest of my life.  I also get to call myself a lowest-level Nightmare Minion.

So here is my first review back and wouldn't you know it, it's an Iron Man 2 figure in Armored Adventures packaging review.  It's like the rebel in me will never die. Lol.  More at Articulated Discussion after the jump!