A Free Con

No, I don't mean con as in swindle, but rather convention! Or as in Spore Con in Singapore this past weekend.

And yes, it was free. Yes, it was at a Community Centre. An HELL YES there was gaming!

Check out the action:


I tell ya what, people. This wasn't a Con of any significant size compared to any of the major Cons in the States, but it's the largest one we've got here in Singapore!

I think attendance was at 600 or so last year for a day-long event and this year seemed to be a little less lively (prob due to the credit crunch etc), but I do feel that at least the same amount have people have shown up at Choa Chu Kang Community Centre. It's just that they came over 2 days this time ;)

Yes, the Con has expanded to 2 days in it's second year. And here's hoping it'll grow larger to include not just gaming, but also have an exhibition/sales hall where all us nerds/geeks/dorks can get some trade/commerce going.

But the highlight of this year's event had to be our guest of honour, Mr. Eric Lang!

Who's that, you say? Well he's the creator/game designer of many a favourite, well...board/card game including A Game of Thrones LCG & CCG, Call of Cthulu LCG & CCG, and the World of Warcraft the board game, among many others. He works for Fantasy Flight Games. Just check on that FFG game you own! His name could be right there!

Here he is (in blue) playing/schooling everyone else in his very own Cosmic Encounter.

Right there he's telling the rest: "Yeah, you could do that." But in his mind he's going: "You ain't gonna beat me no matter what you do--I designed the friggin' game for heaven's sake. (smirk) Just take your turn already."

Just kidding Eric. ;) But I'll tell you what--Mr. Lang's a real solid guy. As far as gamers/game designers go, he's the most patient and nicest fella you could have teaching you how to play.

Oh and if you ever, ever, want to beat him at a game, don't pick one he designed. I learned that the hard way at GenCon Indy 2003 when he schooled me in A Game of Thrones CCG and then signed my promo card, "Sorry I had to kick your (arrow pointing to cad art of butt)."

Yep. Real nice fella... :P

Well it wasn't a big venue for a Con like I mentioned before, just one hall, but there was some nice CCG and Miniature Wargaming action going on, as well as some nice models/minis:

That's Warhammer 40k, a miniature war game.

And what Con is complete without the good ol' get along game of Dungeons and Dragons? :) Check out the size of the gargantuan pe...er...red dragon. :P

Here's an X-Wing built from WH 40k model parts. Neat.

And here's one for all you Transformers fans:




































It's Orktimus Prime! (And I hear he's fully transformable too. :])

And of course, no Con is complete without free swag, even it's a couple of dice! (Hey, the Con was FREE! :P)


I have to say, despite limited resources and plenty of spacial and commercial constraints, Damian, Donkye and gang from Paradigm Infinitum did a wonderful job of organizing Spore. I might have missed out last year, and I almost missed out this year, but I'm sure gonna be there next year. :)

New Bat in Town

That's right folks, my DC Superheroes Series 3 Batman has arrived!

Oh boyoboyoboyoboyoboy! 21 points of articulation goodness!

7, yes 7 Batarangs!!!

And for the low, low price of what it would cost a DC Universe figure as well.

Ah, life is merry and full of joy!

Thing about this guy is that he way outdoes Zipline Batman, who has like 2 points of articultion (I kid, he's got 10), and can do what DC Universe Batman can do, but look better doing it.

I mean, look at those moves!

























And look at those Christian Bale-like lips!













Or if Michael Keaton or Val Kilmer is your preference...

(Or if you even remember those two as Bats. Them and George Clooney. Some of us can't forget...)






And I mean, c'mon! Look at that Utility Belt!!! It's gotta be the best damn version of that thing on an action figure out there. How do you beat the wash and detail on something like that?

That's right, you don't...

You can't...

And you don't want to! :P

And though lots of people say his belt restricts his movement as opposed to DCSH Series 8 black and grey Bats, I feel (as does good ol' Cousin Byron) that it's really not that much of a difference.

So unless you're a die-hard black and grey get up Bat-fan, or you prefer 2 batarangs (+1 lame grappling gun) vs 7 batarangs, OR you prefer paying US$60-70 for black/grey instead of US$10 for this guy, then you SHOULD GET THIS FIGURE!!!

Ok so he may not be able to hold all his batarangs well or at all, but that's a problem that's easily remedied with an Exacto knife and a steady hand. ;)

But he still holds a few of them 'rangs pretty good:















And I mean, seriously, check out those moves!

Yeah and the best part of him being less popular than the black/grey version is not just the price, but also the availability. I had no problem locating him and having him shipped all the way from the States.

Here's how I rate ol' Bats:

Poseability: 9.5/10 - This guy can do all the real Batman can do, and then some. Yes, the belt may get in the way, but when it does, it does so only slightly. (And 7 Batarangs?! :])

Aesthetic: 9.5/10 - The blue is bright, but because it's washed it's got all sorts of dark and light shading going for it. The grey of his suit is also a nice, dark shade. It's dark enough so it ain't campy--and the bat on his chest is sculpted, then painted black. Makes for great texture. But it's the Utility Belt that I feel is the centrepiece of this figure. Very real size and scale to Bats, real nice metal buckle and buttons, great wash for the "stitching", overall looks worn-out just the right amount. One thing I don't fancy that much is the flesh tone of his face--it's a shade too light. But just a shade. Makes him look like he's wearing lipstick. But just a little.

Overall: 9.5/10 - Wow. Just wow. How they could release the DC Universe version of him with a new mold and the front of the mask painted black I just don't know. To me, this guy is the ultimate Batman.

And he knows it too! Check it out:

The Problem with Magnus

For those who haven't seen Transformers Animated Season 3 and still want to catch it, spoilers ahead! :)

But who hasn't seen the final season of TFA yet, right? ;P

Ultra Magnus!

aka Prime Jr.,

aka (according to Grimlock in the comics) Little Prime

aka "I'm a soldier, not a leader"

aka the one who couldn't open The Matrix (and got blown to pieces by Galvatron)

aka (when the Autobots in the other ship are getting blown away by Galvatron) "I can't deal with that right now."

aka Rodimus Prime's second-in-command

Well, so this version of Ultra Magnus does have a lot to live up to when compared to Optimus Prime. But who doesn't? I guess he gets more flak because he looks exactly like Prime except he's white. And he resorts to wearing power armour that makes him look like this:

Hey, you would too if you looked liked Prime--the Decepticons would shoot you first and ask questions later. Then he'd be dead. Not because he's not a powerful robot, but because he really just falls short of Prime standard stats.






But while he may be considered a poor man's version of Prime in most incarnations, this Classics Universe toy of him certainly isn't.

Granted, he may just be a repaint of Universe/Henkei Prime, so there's really nothing to compare when it comes to poseability of even show/comic accuracy (if you don't count that he doesn't come with power armour). And aesthetically you may think "he's just white and a little blue." Well, that's what I thought. Until I busted him open and had a good look/play with him.

Magnus has got at least 7 different colours on him:

























There's white and blue, black for the tires, fists and shins. There's red for his Autobot symbols, as well as a touch of yellow for his head lights. His bumper and grill are silver (and a nice shiny silver they are, though not chrome) and his hub caps are gold.

And as if this weren't enough, the gave him a rub symbol as well! And OMG the hub cabs!!!













Yup, his truck mode is especially sweet. Just gotta love the colours on him in this mode.

But what especially stood out for me was the light piping in his eyes. They're a nice bright blue and show up especially well against his white head and silver mouthpiece. And this is with no additional lighting, just my room ceiling light!

His light blue windshields also allow a clear view of the seats on the inside of his chest, adding to the great detail already on him.

The one area that could be improved on is the legs. His knee guards are not painted, something which I will try my hand at remedying (sooner, rather than later, I hope. ;P) The other place to improve would be to add detail/colour to his arms. Not a lot, just enough to "liven" things up.

I also don't mind that his gun is black. But it would look much better as smokestacks if it matched with his blue and white.

Oh and if you missed it, here's how I found him at a store.

Here's how I rate him:

Show/Comic Accuracy: 9/10 - He's White. He's Prime (Jr). I dig. Just wish they'd make an official power armour for him though. Love this one but it's too expensive!

Aesthetic: 9.5 - What a beaut! It though I would love Nemesis better but I sure am loving the subtle detail Magnus has to offer. Maybe it's just that I like white better in my clothes. Or maybe cuz I'm a good guy deep down inside. :P

Poseability: 9.5 - Same as Prime and Nemesis. There's hardly a thing I want this mold to do that it can't!

Overall: 9.33 - This guy pips Nemesis Prime by being the White Knight. I simply can't help but find more things to like about Ultra Magnus the more I play with him.

Now my circle of Primes is complete. Time for some power armour upgrades. ;)