Double Score!

It's been quite a while since I posted a toy haul here on Chase Variant an that's because it's been a while since I've come home from a hunt with good success.

Today was one of those few and fare between days.

Off from work for a day just to enjoy time with the wife and kid, we walk into one of the department stores that I like to look for game (OG Orchard).  Now the great Singapore Sale is currently ongoing, so there's a storewide 20% off discount.  I step into the  Marvel aisle and am greeted by a rare sight in this neck of the woods: Gamma Smash Hulk.  Not one, but three of them...

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! ;)

Geekcreek's Top 10 Guest List!

No, this isn't a list of who I've invited to swim in creek...of geeks.  It's a Top 10 List from Chase Variant's first ever guest writer, Geekcreek.  He's a toy geek (like most of us) whose also a globe-trotter (unlike most of us), who takes some of the most beautiful one-shots of GI Joes against real life landscapes.  If you don't know of him, check out his site, simply entitled Greek Creek!

But the guy s not just a one-trick pony, oh no.  He also does lists! If you haven't read those, check this one over at Poe Ghostal's Points of Articulation.

Yeah, he sure loves his Joes! (As do lots of us!)

So without further ado, I give you Chase Variant's first ever Top 10 List by Geekcreek!

Masters of the Universe Classics Eternian Palace Guards

No namers.  Minions.  Collateral damage!  D-listers.  Calefare (meaning bit part actor--and hence expendable--in the Chinese dialect of Cantonese...)

But we love them all, whether they are Stormtroopers, Rebel Commandos, Iron Man 2 Assault Drones, or COBRA Troopers!  Without them, the Empire would be an empty place, Justin Hammer wouldn't know what to do with his time, and GI Joes would have no one to warm up on before laying the smack down COBRA Commander.

Without the Eternian Palace Guards, who would Prince Adam get to do his bidding?  Who would go to the Burger King drive thru for King Randor?  Who would Man-at-Arms get to boss around?

But that's not why we love them so.  We love them to bits because they lack star power.  The toymakers, feeling bad for these poor fops, make up for their lack of charisma with...tons of accessories!  (And lots of new tooling.  Ok, maybe not the Stormtroopers but ya get what I mean. ;])  Just check out GI Joe's Pit Commando.  Or the tooling on Iron Man 2's Ground Assault Drones.  Heck, the Eternian Palace Guards are no different!

In fact, they might even be better, lots better...more after the jump!

Chase Pics: Battle Cat - The Alternative Mode of Transportation

I just love Battle Cat!  I'm sure those of you who picked him up while you could also do.  I reviewed him yesterday and if you haven't seen it yet, I took a whole bunch of pics because he looks simply astounding, especially with He-Man.

In fact, he looks so awesome with He-Man that I wanted to put other guys on him and shoot the photos.  But that would've made the review a lot longer and I didn't want to have to try and squeeze all the pics in.

So naturally, I took more pictures of him, this time with different riders.  Here they are! (After the jump. ;])

The New Family Pet: Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Cat!

When Battle Cat was first released, I hadn't gotten on the MOTUC rain quite yet.  I'd been eyeing a He-Man, any He-Man, because I wanted to have the icon himself and no other figure.  He had always been my favourite character after all--not just for the Masters of the Universe brand, but also across all toys and characters.

So naturally, I missed out on ol' B'Cat.

Almost an entire year and a few MOTC figures later (including Adam, King Grayskull, He-Ro, and He-Man himself), I knew I had to have the world's most famous green cat. So naturally, I jumped at the chance when Matty Collector put him on their Cyber Monday Sale for the 29th of November last year!

But in all honesty, I thought ol' B'Cat would've flown off the virtual shelf once the sale opened, so I wasn't holding out much hope that I'd be able to get him at all.  Add to that the numerous problems Matty reportedly have on sales days and I pretty much was prepared to not have Battle Cat at all.

To my surprise, I managed to get to the order page,put in my order, and get the confirmation email relatively easily. There wasn't the dreaded "Red Wall of Reload."

Also, I'd thought Battle Cat would make an excellent Christmas present for the Rangerlord, and since I'd always wanted to get the DC Universe Classics Color of Fear 2-pack set, I was thrilled at having completed my order.  Huzzah!

Five weeks later and out of the country for my honeymoon, the package still hadn't arrived.  But on the Monday of week six, I get a text from my in-laws that it had arrived.  According to the mailing labels on the box, it had been to Germany and France before arriving in Singapore?  What did that mean?  I didn't care!  I still don't!  Battle Cat was here!  Double Huzzah!  Of course I had to wait till the following week when I returned home before cracking him open, but it was well worth the wait.  Let's have a look-see, shall we? :)

Masters of the Universe Classics Battle Armor He-Man!

I've been wanting to get my hands on this guy ever since the announced they were going to make him.  But a combination of so-so reviews--the lack of accessories, the switchable plates instead of a revolving chest cylinder, and his limited articulation kinda threw a spanner in the works for me.  For the same price I'd be able to get figures like Mer-Man, COunt Marzo, Keldor, and Prince Adam, all of whom came with a ton more stuff.  So I held out until...

Two weekends ago at the Singapore Toys, Games and Comics Convention (STGCC fer short), I finally gave in at a good price.  I have to confess, he was my favorite He-Man growing up because he'd never lose his armor--the original He-Man's harness would always snap at the catch on the back and as a result, I'd have a regular half-naked guy as my hero.  Not a good deal.

As it turns out, BA He-Man was a fave among lots of MOTU fans too, except the Rangerlord.  But we can forgive him because he gave in to his MOTUC urges and added original He-Man to his Man-At Arms at STGCC.  (Don't worry bro, it's a decision you will not regret.)  ;)  :P  :D.

So how did Battle Armor He-Man fare when he was put up to the Chase Variant review panel? (That's me.)  Find out after the jump!

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!

Masters of the Universe Classics King Grayskull

I knew I had to get this guy the moment I saw that he had the 200X He-signia and had a great lil' background written for him.

In truth, I had forgotten he'd appeared in the 200X MOTU Animated series.

That's bad when you consider that I have two DVD copies of the entire series. Yes, two.  One original, one not so original.  Yes, bad.  So what did I do?  I popped in the DVD and watched "The Power of Grayskull" once more!  Well, actually I had to watch it on YouTube because the DVD the Rangerlord got me was perfect, except for that one episode!  Gaaaargh!!!

But it's all good because having found it of YouTube, I can share it with ya! (You actually have to "Read More" to see more.  Irony, no?)

The New Displays in the New Den in the New Lair!

So I moved into the new place in late October with my wife and we've been taking our time to get settled in and buying furniture and all that stuff.  So now with pretty much the basics in place, I've managed to get the "Den" set up!  Ok, so it's not a den, just a room in our new home.  But it's all ours!!!!!! Mwahahahahaha!

So what does it contain?  So far and most importantly, my new toy displays!

So while I like the spaciousness and the white backgrounds for real-life viewing of the display, I realize the shelves look quite bare in the photos.

But worry not!  I have lots more stuff to move from my old place and lots of unopened stuff as well!

If all goes according to plan, I'll be doing lots of reviews and continually filling up the shelf space quick-fast!

So I guess empty-ish shelves are always a good thing? ;)

Masters of the Universe Classics Faker

Now this rare variant of He-Man is pretty tough to find, so tough that the only place you're likely to find him is in the Royal Palace trash.  (Or at Mattycollector.com.)  But for those of you lucky enough to find him on the shelves of specialty stores or buy him off said website, you'll have to beware that you don't end up buying the original He-Man instead.

For you see, there are very minute differences that make this He-Man variant very unique in his own right.  If not for these, they'd look so alike that even the real Masters of the Universe wouldn't even be able to tell them apart.  But we are way smarter!  For example, did you notice the bluish tone to his shin?  Yup, that's the first clue that this guy is not simply the original re-release.

Other differences include the slightly red-brown hair, red eyes (betcha almost missed that), and get this--if you look closely enough, you'll see that his leather harness is not He-man's, but a repainted version of Skeletor's!

I got this funky variant at a good local price of S$45 (US$32),which is a good $5-8 under the usual prices at the local specialty stores.  Upon cracking the package open, I discovered that he's got a VHS tape player on his chest!  That's a sweet Easter egg of a difference to set him apart for your average original He-Man release.

Also, don't be thrown off by the name they give you one the package--Faker.  This guy's the real deal!  He's really He-Man!  He's the truest, most original He-Man variant you'll ever find.  He's so close to the real thing that you might even think of him as a genuine fake.  Don't believe it?  Well, click on and see, non-true-believers!

Masters of the Universe Classics Keldor

Before there was He-Man, there was Prince Adam.  And before there was Skeletor, there was...Keldor!

But of course, you all knew this already, if you watched the 200X Masters of the Universe Animated Series.  Like the Count Marzo character, Keldor remains memorable simply because he's background to the Biggest Baddie on Eternia.  You can't forget him because he's been written as the half-brother of King Randor, which also makes him Prince Adam's Half-Uncle.  And the best part is: he's good-looking.  He's got the flowing locks and that roguish goatee--he looks nothing like Skeletor!

What I also like about Keldor is that he explains lots about ol' Bonehead: his blue skin, his source of power (practically made a deal with the Devil when he promised to help out Hordak), and most of all, his motivation for hating King Randor.

On top of all of that, he provides a way for the coming of Hordak to Eternia that doesn't involve She-Ra.  As much as some MOTU fans didn't like the 200X series, you still have to give credit to the writers for coming up with a brilliant character idea like Keldor!

And so here is immortalized in Classics form despite being a 200X character--one of the better characters and toys of the line, I might add.

Masters of the Universe Classics Orko and his Man-Toy Accessory!

Call him cowardly, call him a layabout, but what Prince Adam really is, is a tool!  An accessory.  A smiling, skiving, I'll-take-a-break-now-and-do-it-later sonofagun.

What?  You thought this review was going to be about Orko?  Hah!  You're wrong!  And maybe a bit right...because of it half is.  Well, less than half because he's so small compared to the muscle-bound man-child Adam!

I originally really wanted to pick "Orko" up really bad, but realized that I didn't really have to have Adam that much, especially if he was and exclusive and would cost a ton after shipping from Mattycollector.com.  But lo and behold, Orko appears magically in the midst of the "flea" markets of the Eternian-influenced areas at China Square Central in Singapore.  And for what it would ordinarily cost a new figure here (after shipping and what-have-you)--S$58 (US$41.40).

Here I was thinking that he'd cost twice the price since he was a "2-pack."  Well, I didn't hesitate.  So thanks to Dave from the toilet...er, I mean "Davestoylet," I'm now the proud owner of Eternia's most legendary layabout.

On a side note, I sorta went on a mini-spree and picked up Keldor and Count Marzo as well from Toyrealm in the very same building.  They were having a buy-one-get-a-second 50% off sale, you see.  So the good Count and the even gooder Keldor cost only S$41.50 (US$30) each.  (Actually their both evil) Those guys are also really good people...The Toyrealm owners, I mean!!!  :)

So how did the the most purple-pink color combo characters from the Masters of the Universe...uh...universe turn out?  Well let's take a look...

DC Universe vs Masters of the Universe: Skeletor

Ah, yes.  The ultimate nemesis for the most Powerful Man in the Universe--Skeletor!

The best part about getting this 2-pack is being able to split his card-mate, Power Armor Lex Luthor, and him with the Rangerlord!

As it happened, I managed to snag the DCSH Lex for a reasonable price out of a really tiny specialty store.  So when I heard that this particular two-pack hit the streets, I was lukewarm about it.

But that's the good thing about hunting in packs, even if the Rangerlord and I only make it a "2-Pack" (get it? Haha. ;D).  So he wanted a Power Armor Lex and I could've use an ol' Bonehead to go with The two-pack He-Man!  Yay!

So is he a worthy adversary for Eternia's Champion?  Click on to find out!

DC vs Masters of the Universe He-Man

That right folks, just He-Man and none of that blue-suited, red-caped shenanigans called DCUC Superman.

Why?  Because I find the DCSH Supes far superior (barring the Public Enemies version, which is pretty nice too) and also because DCUC Superman has been released, re-released, re-packaged in 5-packs, 2-packs, given long hair, put in a black suit even, and now he appears yet again,  unchanged and unimproved despite his many character inaccuracies.  Ah well, at least I can say this is actually my first DCUC Superman--I have the black and yellow 'S' ones from the DCSH line and have seen no real need to go out and get one more with a thinner and less accurate 'S', a shorter cape, a darker-than-normal blue, and a duller looking, more expressionless face.

I made an exception this time though, because of The Most Powerful Man in the Universe! Dadada daa da duh Dadada daa da duh Dadada daa da duh daaaaaaa...HE-MAN!!! Who can forget that catchy original theme song from 1984? So if you wanna sing along to the rest of the lyrics, click on the link!

Ok, ok.  No songs, just a toy review. Of my childhood idol, He-Man!