Rogue December 2008 Issue

Originally posted at slangards.multiply.com on Dec 30, '08


Rogue has long surpassed its competitors in my eyes as the best men's magazine available right now. I don't know what's happened to FHM, but their photography has really gone downhill since they began (frankly it was never really that high up there to begin with). Uno on the other hand seems to fall more toward the lifestyle/fashion side of the equation with entirely too many boring, bland cosmo style articles.

Rogue December 2008 Issue

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

Rogue has long surpassed its competitors in my eyes as the best men's magazine available right now. I don't know what's happened to FHM, but their photography has really gone downhill since they began (frankly it was never really that high up there to begin with). Uno on the other hand seems to fall more toward the lifestyle/fashion side of the equation with entirely too many boring, bland cosmo style articles.

Rogue strikes a nice balance. There isn't as much T&A as FHM, but the quality of the one main shoot more than makes up for that. The articles are well written (mostly free of the grammatical and spelling errors found in FHM) and the layout is more interesting than the minimalist approach of UNO.

I started collecting these when I saw the Amanda Griffin issue, yeah, the one with the honey. I pick them up whenever I can (I missed the July Anne Curtis issue - darn!). Since they usually don't sell out quickly (there are still Joey Mead issues from last year on shelf) and since its more pricey than competitors, I tend to leave them for later. I only got the Rufa Mae issue that came out about 4 months ago yesterday.

I'm glad I didn't do that this month, since it looks as if the Angel Locsin issue is already sold out at alot of stores! Mark Nicdao's been a favorite photographer of mine since I first saw some of his shoots. His shoots tend to actually have some real thought put into it, from design to theme to styling. His sets are actual series, a group of photos, rather than just a hodge podge that's thrown together with whatever the stylist brought with them on the day in some arbitrary location.

The stunning photos of the gorgeous Ms. Locsin in this issue are in an entirely different league than any of her appearances in other magazines. As a fan (re: stalker), I was severely disappointed with her shoots in FHM/UNO/Cosmo/et al. But this one... this one... It's a testament to the fact that you don't really need to show EVERYTHING to really titillate. As Sponge Bob and Patrick say: "IMAGINATION!"

Rogue December 2008 Issue

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

Rogue has long surpassed its competitors in my eyes as the best men's magazine available right now. I don't know what's happened to FHM, but their photography has really gone downhill since they began (frankly it was never really that high up there to begin with). Uno on the other hand seems to fall more toward the lifestyle/fashion side of the equation with entirely too many boring, bland cosmo style articles.

Rogue strikes a nice balance. There isn't as much T&A as FHM, but the quality of the one main shoot more than makes up for that. The articles are well written (mostly free of the grammatical and spelling errors found in FHM) and the layout is more interesting than the minimalist approach of UNO.

I started collecting these when I saw the Amanda Griffin issue, yeah, the one with the honey. I pick them up whenever I can (I missed the July Anne Curtis issue - darn!). Since they usually don't sell out quickly (there are still Joey Mead issues from last year on shelf) and since its more pricey than competitors, I tend to leave them for later. I only got the Rufa Mae issue that came out about 4 months ago yesterday.

I'm glad I didn't do that this month, since it looks as if the Angel Locsin issue is already sold out at alot of stores! Mark Nicdao's been a favorite photographer of mine since I first saw some of his shoots. His shoots tend to actually have some real thought put into it, from design to theme to styling. His sets are actual series, a group of photos, rather than just a hodge podge that's thrown together with whatever the stylist brought with them on the day in some arbitrary location.

The stunning photos of the gorgeous Ms. Locsin in this issue are in an entirely different league than any of her appearances in other magazines. As a fan (re: stalker), I was severely disappointed with her shoots in FHM/UNO/Cosmo/et al. But this one... this one... It's a testament to the fact that you don't really need to show EVERYTHING to really titillate. As Sponge Bob and Patrick say: "IMAGINATION!"

Toys and Collectibles Christmas Toyfair 2008

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Other

I got started toy collecting slowly; after conciously deciding to collect, the first one I got was an overpriced Hulkbuster Ironman at 2Rats. It was P800 at the time, though I probably could have found one on PinoyToyKolektor for half that. Most of my early purchases were much the same, from specialty market stores in Megamall or St. Lucia in Cainta. I had yet to try Greenhills or meetups with fellow collectors, which is where I get most of my big ticket items now. I went to a few conventions. The first one was the Philippine Toycon during summer, and then I remember passing by the Hataw Hanep Hero con as well. Great pictures, but I didn't buy anything. The one that won me over though, was the December Toyfair at SM Megamall.

The reasons for this are simple:

1) it's like 10 minutes walk from my office.
2) it coincides with 13th month pay.
3) it's all about toy vendors unloading stock. Very little "activities".
4) there's a lot of variety.

I'm not really a "hard-core" collector. I don't focus on particular lines, and I don't really care if the line I'm buying is in a popular line, or an exclusive one. I don't usually care if it fits in with toy lines that I currently have (though I am more or less aware of scale). I just love toys.

What the Toyfair reminded me of were the yard sales I went to as a kid. Before ebay, the way to unload your junk in my neighborhood in Honolulu was the good old Yard Sale. We didn't have a whole lot of extra money, so many of my toys came second hand from my neighbors. I didn't mind. If I learned one thing from my parents, it's that second hand doesn't usually mean anything but LESS EXPENSIVE. I loved going around with my mom and digging through the tables of toys or books while she would go through clothes or kitchenware. Finding a GI Joe that I could buy for 50c or a big Transformer for $1 was a sweet deal for a kid.

There is a unique feeling you get from that that you don't get from retail stores. When you wait for a toy in Toys R' Us with the rest of the geekdom and it hits shelf, there's a feeling of gratitude that you bought it at suggested retail price and didn't get screwed over by hoarders; it's roughly equivalent to winning the office raffle. But toy HUNTING at differnt locations, or digging through piles of plastic, never knowing what you'll find, just in it for the fun... well that kind of treasure is yours alone. It's like finding gold. Or winning the Lotto.

When I first found myself at the December Toyfair, I was like a kid back at home. The other cons, although bigger, with more pomp and brighter lights, were about a part of toy collecting that I never really identified with. Great experiences all, nice photo opportunities, but not me. THIS was my kind of collecting. In the sale bins, digging in the dirt, looking for rare gems and precious idols. While I now realize that some of my purchases back then were less than thrifty (mostly Mint-On-Card stuff), I don't mind. It was the elation of being in the middle of a big yard sale, with loose second-hand toys, at (arguably) less than retail prices that enthralled.

That first year, I came out with an army duffel bag full of MOC Marvel Legends (my main line at the time). Ditto the second year out, when I came home with several MIB (Mint-In-Box) Playarts figures. I remember taking my cousin with me to this one and even he found something (Those dark fairy tale statues by McFarlane) and he's not even a collector. This year was a little slower, but I think it mostly has to do with the sheer number of toys I already have. It takes a little more work to find things to add simply because I've already got many of the ones I wanted in the first place. A little joy in and of itself and I'm grateful for it.

Next year, when Christmas rolls around and the vendors in Greenhills start thinking about unloading their excess stock, I'll be at Megamall waiting. This time I'm gonna save more and camp out there for all three days.

Toys and Collectibles Christmas Toyfair 2008

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Other

I got started toy collecting slowly; after conciously deciding to collect, the first one I got was an overpriced Hulkbuster Ironman at 2Rats. It was P800 at the time, though I probably could have found one on PinoyToyKolektor for half that. Most of my early purchases were much the same, from specialty market stores in Megamall or St. Lucia in Cainta. I had yet to try Greenhills or meetups with fellow collectors, which is where I get most of my big ticket items now. I went to a few conventions. The first one was the Philippine Toycon during summer, and then I remember passing by the Hataw Hanep Hero con as well. Great pictures, but I didn't buy anything. The one that won me over though, was the December Toyfair at SM Megamall.

The reasons for this are simple:

1) it's like 10 minutes walk from my office.
2) it coincides with 13th month pay.
3) it's all about toy vendors unloading stock. Very little "activities".
4) there's a lot of variety.

I'm not really a "hard-core" collector. I don't focus on particular lines, and I don't really care if the line I'm buying is in a popular line, or an exclusive one. I don't usually care if it fits in with toy lines that I currently have (though I am more or less aware of scale). I just love toys.

What the Toyfair reminded me of were the yard sales I went to as a kid. Before ebay, the way to unload your junk in my neighborhood in Honolulu was the good old Yard Sale. We didn't have a whole lot of extra money, so many of my toys came second hand from my neighbors. I didn't mind. If I learned one thing from my parents, it's that second hand doesn't usually mean anything but LESS EXPENSIVE. I loved going around with my mom and digging through the tables of toys or books while she would go through clothes or kitchenware. Finding a GI Joe that I could buy for 50c or a big Transformer for $1 was a sweet deal for a kid.

There is a unique feeling you get from that that you don't get from retail stores. When you wait for a toy in Toys R' Us with the rest of the geekdom and it hits shelf, there's a feeling of gratitude that you bought it at suggested retail price and didn't get screwed over by hoarders; it's roughly equivalent to winning the office raffle. But toy HUNTING at differnt locations, or digging through piles of plastic, never knowing what you'll find, just in it for the fun... well that kind of treasure is yours alone. It's like finding gold. Or winning the Lotto.

When I first found myself at the December Toyfair, I was like a kid back at home. The other cons, although bigger, with more pomp and brighter lights, were about a part of toy collecting that I never really identified with. Great experiences all, nice photo opportunities, but not me. THIS was my kind of collecting. In the sale bins, digging in the dirt, looking for rare gems and precious idols. While I now realize that some of my purchases back then were less than thrifty (mostly Mint-On-Card stuff), I don't mind. It was the elation of being in the middle of a big yard sale, with loose second-hand toys, at (arguably) less than retail prices that enthralled.

That first year, I came out with an army duffel bag full of MOC Marvel Legends (my main line at the time). Ditto the second year out, when I came home with several MIB (Mint-In-Box) Playarts figures. I remember taking my cousin with me to this one and even he found something (Those dark fairy tale statues by McFarlane) and he's not even a collector. This year was a little slower, but I think it mostly has to do with the sheer number of toys I already have. It takes a little more work to find things to add simply because I've already got many of the ones I wanted in the first place. A little joy in and of itself and I'm grateful for it.

Next year, when Christmas rolls around and the vendors in Greenhills start thinking about unloading their excess stock, I'll be at Megamall waiting. This time I'm gonna save more and camp out there for all three days.

Researching Slangards' Theory of Escalating Aquisition

Originally posted at slangards.multiply.com on Dec 20, '08

Gah!

So I went back to the toyfair yesterday because I had to return one of the toys I bought from Curejinx. My MP Thundercracker was missing his thumb outta the box. Guy offered to exchange it with another he had brought with him from Singapore. Now that's CUSTOMER SERVICE! Hear that Toy Kingdom?!

Trese: Murder on Balete Drive

Originally posted at slangards.multiply.com on Dec 20, '08


I collected comics. A lot of comics. When most people I know have a stack of them stashed away, I have four 3' long boxes filled with them in my closet, and those are just the ones I decided not to sell. Most of them are Marvel issues from from the late 80's to the 90's era when the likes of Jim Lee and Todd McFarlane were at their peak. The largest chunk is composed of X-men titles, though I had a fondness for the Incredible Hulk as well.

Trese: Murder on Balete Drive

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Comics & Graphic Novels
Author:	Budjette Tan & Ka-Jo Baldisimo

I collected comics. A lot of comics. When most people I know have a stack of them stashed away, I have four 3' long boxes filled with them in my closet, and those are just the ones I decided not to sell. Most of them are Marvel issues from from the late 80's to the 90's era when the likes of Jim Lee and Todd McFarlane were at their peak. The largest chunk is composed of X-men titles, though I had a fondness for the Incredible Hulk as well.

At one point they were all polybagged and boarded, cause you know that is what you do when you have a comics collection, right? You keep them in acid free bags to protect them, keep them out of sunlight so they don't yellow, only turn the pages with tweezers because your fingers have destructive oils, and never allow creases on their spines or else their secondary market value drops exponentially. argh. Eventually I got to a point where I said, "F*ck it" and threw away all those bags and boards. I had about 10 years of X-men continuity. I hated these things. I finally allowed myself to sit down and read entire story arcs the way it was meant to be done. Pick up one issue, finish it, pick up the next. Market value be damned.

The reason I stopped was comics became less and less interesting and more and more expensive. I found that even my favorites like Chris Claremont were turning out duds. Read X-treme X-men? Don't. While things were getting less and less HUMAN on Earth 616, the characters that I loved were now appearing on the big screen and feeling more and more like the people I remembered reading about month after month. Comic titles I had never heard of like Constantine and Hellboy and 300 were poping up in the cinemas and surpassing what I was seeing on the page. I couldn't remeber why I would pay P150-250 for a 10 minute read when I could pay the same for 3 hours of Nolan's Dark Knight.

Then I remembered why.

I picked up Budjette Tan's and Ka-Jo Baldisimo's TRESE: MURDER ON BALETE DRIVE on a whim. I was at Powerbooks after an unsuccessful toy hunt and was trying to convince myself to spend P1,000 on a Hellboy trade paperback rather than saving it for when I found a Leader Class Optimus Prime. I was unsuccessful. Then I saw Trese on the racks. It was local publication, printed in black and white by Alamat, and wasn't much bigger than a high school notebook. The art on the cover was great, and featured Baldisimo's renditions of creatures from Philippine mythology, with Trese (the lead character) and her two associates, the Kambal, prominent above the title. The blurb in the back was interesting. And it was only P140.

Sold.

I had heard of the comic before, since I'm on Alamat's mailing list and remember Budjette from a summer of internship at Harrison Communications. Still remember that excited feeling I got when he told me he had actually bought a comic that me and my friends had written as a course requirement. I didn't care if he liked it (he thought it was too morose if I remember correctly), it was just the fact that someone had actually read it outside of the our group. He had actually paid money for a copy of "Portfolio". Amazing.

From what I knew Trese was just as advertised, a private consultant who the police turned to when something weird happened. This edition collects four of the stories that the pair created; At the Intersection of Balete & 13th St, Rules of the Race, The Tragic Case of Dr. Burgos, and Our Secret Constellation. Each is a wonderfully stand alone tale that anyone can understand, even someone like me who has only a cursory knowledge of Philippine myths and legends.

Tan's writing is simple, unembellished with big words. The four episodes read like straight-forward crime noir short films. Captain Guerrero of the Manila Police finds a case that's a little odd, calls Alexandra Trese, she investigates, she solves it, done. The set up is right there and you don't need any complications to spice that up. No boring exposition for the reader to plod through. The story, like Trese herself seems, is to the point, and that is what ultimately makes it readable.

Normally there'd be a measure of disbelief in Tan's setup. However, because Trese and the people inhabiting her world aren't going out of their way to explain things to you, you accept them. You're not constantly poking holes in the plot, or over analyzing the flaws. You are there, following along like Watson after Holmes. You know you don't have the knowledge to solve these crimes, so you trust in her ability to lead you to the answer. It's just... CSI with engkantos.

Baldisimo's art complements that kind of stark writing well. He's not at all afraid of blacks, and the simple strong line art makes this darker world seem to pop. He illustrates the scenes in Tan's story so well that I find myself wondering how it could be possible t do it any better. he seems to knows the beats where a movie producer would go "trailer shot!". The introduction of the Kambal, Armanaz standing before Trese, Santelmo emerging from the flames, and the big reveal at the end of "Our Secret Constellation". What an ending! Reading Tan's afterword, I can't believe they did this all on their lunch hours (especially know the hours these guys work) and it boggles the mind to think what he's capable of completely focused on illustrating a comic.

His designs are iconic; if Hasbro ever decided to do another Legendary Comic Book Heroes, I would be first in line to buy the Marvel Legends style action figures of her and her Kambal (I am in fact considering finding two professor xaviers and a small female figure and customizing my own) and I'd love to own a BAF of Senor Armanaz.

My favorite of the collection is "Our Secret Constellation". I grew up on Marvel comics, so I don't hold Mars Ravelo in such high esteem as the two creators do, but reading their story gave me goosebumps. Not being familiar with the names of Ravelo's characters, I had no idea what was coming so when the end came, I was engrossed. Those final few panels were just classic. I won't reveal what it's about here; I want you buy it and experience it for yourselves. Finishing it gave me the same feeling I had when I first read the Age Of Apocalypse or Miller's Dark Knight Returns. It's worth the price of the book by itself.

So thanks, Budjette and Ka-jo. Because of Trese, I'm back into comics. I'm glad there are still some great stories to be told and I can't wait to read the rest.

Now I'm gonna sit back here and read it again.



Visit Budjette's blog:
http://babblingpoint.blogspot.com

Visit Ka-Jo's blog:
http://kajobaldisimo.blogspot.com

See Trese on the web:
http://tresekomix.blogspot.com/

Trese: Murder on Balete Drive

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Comics & Graphic Novels
Author:	Budjette Tan & Ka-Jo Baldisimo

I collected comics. A lot of comics. When most people I know have a stack of them stashed away, I have four 3' long boxes filled with them in my closet, and those are just the ones I decided not to sell. Most of them are Marvel issues from from the late 80's to the 90's era when the likes of Jim Lee and Todd McFarlane were at their peak. The largest chunk is composed of X-men titles, though I had a fondness for the Incredible Hulk as well.

At one point they were all polybagged and boarded, cause you know that is what you do when you have a comics collection, right? You keep them in acid free bags to protect them, keep them out of sunlight so they don't yellow, only turn the pages with tweezers because your fingers have destructive oils, and never allow creases on their spines or else their secondary market value drops exponentially. argh. Eventually I got to a point where I said, "F*ck it" and threw away all those bags and boards. I had about 10 years of X-men continuity. I hated these things. I finally allowed myself to sit down and read entire story arcs the way it was meant to be done. Pick up one issue, finish it, pick up the next. Market value be damned.

The reason I stopped was comics became less and less interesting and more and more expensive. I found that even my favorites like Chris Claremont were turning out duds. Read X-treme X-men? Don't. While things were getting less and less HUMAN on Earth 616, the characters that I loved were now appearing on the big screen and feeling more and more like the people I remembered reading about month after month. Comic titles I had never heard of like Constantine and Hellboy and 300 were poping up in the cinemas and surpassing what I was seeing on the page. I couldn't remeber why I would pay P150-250 for a 10 minute read when I could pay the same for 3 hours of Nolan's Dark Knight.

Then I remembered why.

I picked up Budjette Tan's and Ka-Jo Baldisimo's TRESE: MURDER ON BALETE DRIVE on a whim. I was at Powerbooks after an unsuccessful toy hunt and was trying to convince myself to spend P1,000 on a Hellboy trade paperback rather than saving it for when I found a Leader Class Optimus Prime. I was unsuccessful. Then I saw Trese on the racks. It was local publication, printed in black and white by Alamat, and wasn't much bigger than a high school notebook. The art on the cover was great, and featured Baldisimo's renditions of creatures from Philippine mythology, with Trese (the lead character) and her two associates, the Kambal, prominent above the title. The blurb in the back was interesting. And it was only P140.

Sold.

I had heard of the comic before, since I'm on Alamat's mailing list and remember Budjette from a summer of internship at Harrison Communications. Still remember that excited feeling I got when he told me he had actually bought a comic that me and my friends had written as a course requirement. I didn't care if he liked it (he thought it was too morose if I remember correctly), it was just the fact that someone had actually read it outside of the our group. He had actually paid money for a copy of "Portfolio". Amazing.

From what I knew Trese was just as advertised, a private consultant who the police turned to when something weird happened. This edition collects four of the stories that the pair created; At the Intersection of Balete & 13th St, Rules of the Race, The Tragic Case of Dr. Burgos, and Our Secret Constellation. Each is a wonderfully stand alone tale that anyone can understand, even someone like me who has only a cursory knowledge of Philippine myths and legends.

Tan's writing is simple, unembellished with big words. The four episodes read like straight-forward crime noir short films. Captain Guerrero of the Manila Police finds a case that's a little odd, calls Alexandra Trese, she investigates, she solves it, done. The set up is right there and you don't need any complications to spice that up. No boring exposition for the reader to plod through. The story, like Trese herself seems, is to the point, and that is what ultimately makes it readable.

Normally there'd be a measure of disbelief in Tan's setup. However, because Trese and the people inhabiting her world aren't going out of their way to explain things to you, you accept them. You're not constantly poking holes in the plot, or over analyzing the flaws. You are there, following along like Watson after Holmes. You know you don't have the knowledge to solve these crimes, so you trust in her ability to lead you to the answer. It's just... CSI with engkantos.

Baldisimo's art complements that kind of stark writing well. He's not at all afraid of blacks, and the simple strong line art makes this darker world seem to pop. He illustrates the scenes in Tan's story so well that I find myself wondering how it could be possible t do it any better. he seems to knows the beats where a movie producer would go "trailer shot!". The introduction of the Kambal, Armanaz standing before Trese, Santelmo emerging from the flames, and the big reveal at the end of "Our Secret Constellation". What an ending! Reading Tan's afterword, I can't believe they did this all on their lunch hours (especially know the hours these guys work) and it boggles the mind to think what he's capable of completely focused on illustrating a comic.

His designs are iconic; if Hasbro ever decided to do another Legendary Comic Book Heroes, I would be first in line to buy the Marvel Legends style action figures of her and her Kambal (I am in fact considering finding two professor xaviers and a small female figure and customizing my own) and I'd love to own a BAF of Senor Armanaz.

My favorite of the collection is "Our Secret Constellation". I grew up on Marvel comics, so I don't hold Mars Ravelo in such high esteem as the two creators do, but reading their story gave me goosebumps. Not being familiar with the names of Ravelo's characters, I had no idea what was coming so when the end came, I was engrossed. Those final few panels were just classic. I won't reveal what it's about here; I want you buy it and experience it for yourselves. Finishing it gave me the same feeling I had when I first read the Age Of Apocalypse or Miller's Dark Knight Returns. It's worth the price of the book by itself.

So thanks, Budjette and Ka-jo. Because of Trese, I'm back into comics. I'm glad there are still some great stories to be told and I can't wait to read the rest.

Now I'm gonna sit back here and read it again.



Visit Budjette's blog:
http://babblingpoint.blogspot.com

Visit Ka-Jo's blog:
http://kajobaldisimo.blogspot.com

See Trese on the web:
http://tresekomix.blogspot.com/

Researching Slangards' Theory of Escalating Aquisition

Gah!  

So I went back to the toyfair yesterday because I had to return one of the toys I bought from Curejinx. My MP Thundercracker was missing his thumb outta the box. Guy offered to exchange it with another he had brought with him from Singapore. Now that's CUSTOMER SERVICE! Hear that Toy Kingdom?!

If you know me at all, then you understand that I have serious impluse control issues when two factors coincide:

ONE: There is money in my pocket.
TWO: There are toys on sale, placed in a location that is geographically accessible to me.

The December Toyfair is a situation fufilled both pre-requisites. The company I've worked for for the past 3 years is religious about being on time with payroll and we get our 13th month at the start of December. Then we get commissions and leave conversions right before the fair hits. It's total serendipity.

First day out was pretty good; some good deals, some great finds, and best of all, no people. Since everyone else is at work in the moring, people there pretty much have their pick. Bad side of that is that a few stalls don't alwayw bring out the best stuff on the first day for some weired reason. I'd think that's what you'd do, so that you can sell it immediately without someone trying to haggle down the price at closing, but meh.

Some stuff I saw on that first day was:

• PITT BAF (P3,500)
• AOA SUNFIRE (P1,000)
• ARES SETS (P12,000)
• RED HULK SETS (P8,000)
• SINGLE MOC FIGS FROM ARES OR RED HULK WAVES (P1,000 and up)
• TFTM LEADER CLASS PREMIUM SERIES OPTIMUS PRIME (P1,500)
• REVOLTECH, FIGMA, and other MECHA/SENTAI figs from WASABITOYS (discounted for the con)
• JOES (4 for P1000), TRANSFORMERS, MIGHTY MUGGS, and IRONMAN CONCEPT from from RTOYS (discounted for the con)
• CASTLEVANIA SERIES, HELLBOY SERIES 2, Pegwarmers form NECA and DCD at 2RATS
• 6" scale ML, DCD, Wrestling figures in the loose bins
• SIGMA 6 JOES, KFG JOES (P1,600 and up)
• METAL MEYHEM W/ SNAKE EYES (P2,000)
• DISNEY PLUSH TOYS (P150 and up)

I was hoping for a Henkei Thundercracker, but the only one I saw was the one the Robert had, MISB at P3,000 or something. whew. The Metal Meyhem was sort of my fallback in case I didn't find anything. P2,000 is P500 still cheaper than asking at Comic Odessy. Was really thiking about the Premium Prime at P1,500; it's just a P500 markup from the sale price at Toy Kingdom. If any one else has been looking for these sale price Optimus Primes or Brawls, then you know what a bitch it was to try and find the normal versions a week ago, let alone a PREMIUM one. That vibro-sword and all that shiny metallic paint was tempting, but I didn't think it was worth it since I already bought the regular version AND the Nightwatch version. If by some cosmic chance, the universe smiles at me and I find it at SM Taytay or Marikina for P1,000, then I might get it, but that day, I passed.

I was hoping to avoid the 2nd day, maybe go Sunday to try and picturize the toys for tots thing that they had set up, but the defective MP7 tied my hands. I couldn't very well tell Curejinx after he had so kindly offered to replace the unit that I was lazy and couldn't meet him - could we do it some other time? No, I'm not that much of an ass.

So he tells me he'll be there about 12:00 or 1:00 pm and I had some time to kill. What I SHOULD have done is pay P150 bucks and watch Transporter 3, which would have been a good 2-3 hours or so (I normally go in at the middle of a movie and wait till the beginning - if it's good, I'll stay to the end again). Any normal person would have done that. Any person who is conscious of how much money they piss away on their hobby might have done that. I did not do that.

I, being the nut I am, decide to walk the room again while I wait. Bad idea. The sellers brought out more stuff! They have bins and bins of product in storage somewhere and when one bin is empty, they just call up and have new items on the table for the next geeks to pass through the gate. Probably business 101, I'm sure, but it's hard for someone like me to wait on the off chance that "Something better will come by tomorrow" right? Hence, I blew most of my wad yesterday.

Still, I had about P2,000 leftover AND there were toys to be had not 10 minutes from the office. The stars aligned and the prophecy is fufilled. A hunting we will go.

Some finds I saw on the 2nd day:

• NECA MOUSERS (P800) - Holy shit! I wish I had seen this yesterday. Army for my turtles
• COMPLETE SET OF NECA TMNT - Robert had these. Best toys ever made. Ever.
• BATTLE ROLLER (P2,000) - The transforming one in the black box. I prefer the classic version and I'd already asked Curejinx to reserve one. When I get an MP4, it's gonna be sweet!
• TFU INFERNO (P1,600) - Was about to drop what I had left until I saw...
• NEMESIS PRIME (P1,000) - That's about P800 off the asking price at Greenhills shops! Score!
• NEW TFU WAVE (P900-1,600) - Cyclonus, Starscream, and Cheetor, along with the other Voyager class toy in this series. Azrael already bought the HOUND yesterday. Lucky bastard! :)
• REVOLTECH FIGURES (P500) - the one onsale was the idol signer girl. I don't know the name, but they had the black one with pink ribbons, and the black one with a white skirt
• AOA SUNFIRE (P800) - Craptastic. Just bought this yesterday at P1,100. Same stall too I think.
• DCD WONDER WOMAN SERIES (P2,800) - I'd love to have gotten this. Sculpt is great, but I never have the cash when I see it.
• MUGGS SET of FA IRONMAN, VISION, and two more I can't remember (P3,000) - Robert was selling this. Really unbereable kewt this line is.
• CONCEPT SERIES IRONMAN WAVE (P650 and up) - Alot of stalls had these. Variations and repaints of the Ironman movie toys. meh.
• STICH AS POOH BEAR KEYCHAIN (P50) - Out kewts anything I saw. awwww...
• 8" ALIEN STICH PLUSH TOY (P150) - I wanted one I had seen yesterday, a 6-limbed 12" one in the red suit with his blaster, but someone bought it. Another one of those "Buy it now and eat crackers for the next month or regret it later" moments collectors are familiar with.
• IGNIS STATUE (P1,500) - Original version of the bootleg I have on my shelf. Again, would have gotten it if I had the scratch.
• RED HULK WAVE FIGURES W/O BAF (P850) - I aint falling for this one again. I'm gonna wait.
• ARES WAVE FIGURES W/O BAF (P850)
• MS THANOS (P2,500) - One of the only Marvel Select figures I'd consider buying (others I'd consider are all females in tights)
• LOOSE 3.75" BARONESS, SCARLETT, CRIMSON GUARD, Et al (P100) - Bought a Baroness and Scarlett to sit on my Ultra Magnus' shoulder. And when I get that TFU Ravage, I'm gonna make a leash and pose it next to Baroness. YEAH!
• LOOSE YELLOW FLASH 3.75" FIGS (P100) - also saw some Comissioner Gordons and others, but Flash is the most numerous
• LOOSE MARVEL SHOWDOWN COLOSSUS (P150) - sweet little figure. I love it and he will go on my desk at work!
• McDO HAPPY MEAL PO THE PANDA for P50 - 3 days after selling off my Kung Fu Panda set, I find this. The universe hates me.
• OPTIMUS PRIME GASHAPONS SET (P500) - It's that little pointing one; a regular, battle damaged, and clear version. Tempting, I started counting points of articulation again and got to like, two.
• CUSTOM RED HULK (from an MS Ultimate Hulk) - SWEET! Big, big improvement on the RULK from the ML line, even considering it's got crappy articulation. The paint work guy did, and the hair he sculpted in are really great. I'd have gotten him, but y'know, money.
• CUSTOM STEALTH IRON MAN (from an Icons IM) - Paint on this one was a little dodgy, not as smooth as the hulk, but if you like 12" scale, this would be nice to add to the armory.
• CUSTOM WAR MACHINE (from an Icons IM) - Same customizer. Much nicer than the Stealh re-paint. With Canons on his shoulders. Ooooo...
• LOOSE HAVOK (P650) - He just seem so plain to pay this much. I got the archangel and ghostrider for the about the same and they've got other stuff to play with. Havok's a guy in a black suit.
• LOOSE HC ABOMINATION (P500) - might have gotten this for my Hulk collection, but it's just so small...
• LOOSE HC ABSORBING MAN (P500) - again, might have gotten it, but I think he must have been customized at some point, and he's not complete.
• ART DEPARTMENT STATUES - Great, great, great way to start statues. They've got this Hulk one that just rocks! all "Hulk is the strongest one there is!". Their Abomination looks awesome to. I'd consider buying, but I don't have an extra P7,000 lying around.

Still alot of MOC and loose DC and Marvel figures, as well as Wresling figures. Prices for MOC are about what you'd expect for them. The auction looked like it had some nice items. There was a Black Cat Comiquette at P7,000 when I left. First thing I'm buying when I switch to statues, right after the White Queen Comiquette. Adam Hughes is a geek god.

I was hoping for another Stikfas booth like last year so I can get some of the plain bodies to use with my extra accessories, but no such luck.

When I got home and counted up the spoils of this weeks toy runs, this was on my desk:

• MP2 Ultra Magnus
• MP7 Thundercracker
• AOA Sunfire
• Loose Classic Ghostrider
• Loose Archangel
• Loose Thorbuster
• Loose Energon Arcee
• Figma Kanu Ucho (Ikkotousen)
• Loose Baroness
• Loose Scarlett
• Loose 3.75" Colossus
• Happy Meal Po the Panda
• TFU Nemesis Prime
• 8" Alien Stitch Plush toy
• 3" Stitch as Pooh Bear Plush keychain
• Transformers the Movie Leader Class Optimus Prime (from Toy Kingdom)
• Transformers the Movie Leader Class Brawl (from Toy Kingdom)

 

The cosplay folks were out also yesterday. Mallgoers were all snap-happy taking pics with them. Missed the show though since I was straight off nightshift and I had like no sleep the past two days and was already crashing by 2:00 pm. Wendang had my digital camera for the day, and I ran out of film on day one, so unfortunately no pics of hot cosplayers dressed like Tifa this time around. I have no idea who half of them are supposed to be, but i did see PEDO BEAR! PEDO BEAR FTW! I would have loved to have a pic of with Pedo Bear...

Oh, well. Maybe he'll be at the TAGCOM in February. I still have to develop the pics of this convention, and hopefully I can edit this post next week with them.

Some guys have said that the toy conventions here really aren't for hard-core collectors and to an extent, that's true. If you have specialized collections of obscure lines that no one else has heard of, you're about as likely to find something here as you are in Toy Kingdom. The fun is in going there, digging through piles and piles of toys until you hit on one that catches your eye. Like an ukay-ukay, but with toys.

So forget whether or not you'll find that rare vinyl toy you've been looking for and go. Worse comes to worst, buy something you've been eyeing at Greenhills and get a nice discount from Pat or Robert or Veetoys.

If everything goes to pot and you come up totally empty handed, it's always fun meeting people even geekier than you are. P30 seems a bargain for that.

Researching Slangards' Theory of Escalating Aquisition

Gah!  

So I went back to the toyfair yesterday because I had to return one of the toys I bought from Curejinx. My MP Thundercracker was missing his thumb outta the box. Guy offered to exchange it with another he had brought with him from Singapore. Now that's CUSTOMER SERVICE! Hear that Toy Kingdom?!

If you know me at all, then you understand that I have serious impluse control issues when two factors coincide:

ONE: There is money in my pocket.
TWO: There are toys on sale, placed in a location that is geographically accessible to me.

The December Toyfair is a situation fufilled both pre-requisites. The company I've worked for for the past 3 years is religious about being on time with payroll and we get our 13th month at the start of December. Then we get commissions and leave conversions right before the fair hits. It's total serendipity.

First day out was pretty good; some good deals, some great finds, and best of all, no people. Since everyone else is at work in the moring, people there pretty much have their pick. Bad side of that is that a few stalls don't alwayw bring out the best stuff on the first day for some weired reason. I'd think that's what you'd do, so that you can sell it immediately without someone trying to haggle down the price at closing, but meh.

Some stuff I saw on that first day was:

• PITT BAF (P3,500)
• AOA SUNFIRE (P1,000)
• ARES SETS (P12,000)
• RED HULK SETS (P8,000)
• SINGLE MOC FIGS FROM ARES OR RED HULK WAVES (P1,000 and up)
• TFTM LEADER CLASS PREMIUM SERIES OPTIMUS PRIME (P1,500)
• REVOLTECH, FIGMA, and other MECHA/SENTAI figs from WASABITOYS (discounted for the con)
• JOES (4 for P1000), TRANSFORMERS, MIGHTY MUGGS, and IRONMAN CONCEPT from from RTOYS (discounted for the con)
• CASTLEVANIA SERIES, HELLBOY SERIES 2, Pegwarmers form NECA and DCD at 2RATS
• 6" scale ML, DCD, Wrestling figures in the loose bins
• SIGMA 6 JOES, KFG JOES (P1,600 and up)
• METAL MEYHEM W/ SNAKE EYES (P2,000)
• DISNEY PLUSH TOYS (P150 and up)

I was hoping for a Henkei Thundercracker, but the only one I saw was the one the Robert had, MISB at P3,000 or something. whew. The Metal Meyhem was sort of my fallback in case I didn't find anything. P2,000 is P500 still cheaper than asking at Comic Odessy. Was really thiking about the Premium Prime at P1,500; it's just a P500 markup from the sale price at Toy Kingdom. If any one else has been looking for these sale price Optimus Primes or Brawls, then you know what a bitch it was to try and find the normal versions a week ago, let alone a PREMIUM one. That vibro-sword and all that shiny metallic paint was tempting, but I didn't think it was worth it since I already bought the regular version AND the Nightwatch version. If by some cosmic chance, the universe smiles at me and I find it at SM Taytay or Marikina for P1,000, then I might get it, but that day, I passed.

I was hoping to avoid the 2nd day, maybe go Sunday to try and picturize the toys for tots thing that they had set up, but the defective MP7 tied my hands. I couldn't very well tell Curejinx after he had so kindly offered to replace the unit that I was lazy and couldn't meet him - could we do it some other time? No, I'm not that much of an ass.

So he tells me he'll be there about 12:00 or 1:00 pm and I had some time to kill. What I SHOULD have done is pay P150 bucks and watch Transporter 3, which would have been a good 2-3 hours or so (I normally go in at the middle of a movie and wait till the beginning - if it's good, I'll stay to the end again). Any normal person would have done that. Any person who is conscious of how much money they piss away on their hobby might have done that. I did not do that.

I, being the nut I am, decide to walk the room again while I wait. Bad idea. The sellers brought out more stuff! They have bins and bins of product in storage somewhere and when one bin is empty, they just call up and have new items on the table for the next geeks to pass through the gate. Probably business 101, I'm sure, but it's hard for someone like me to wait on the off chance that "Something better will come by tomorrow" right? Hence, I blew most of my wad yesterday.

Still, I had about P2,000 leftover AND there were toys to be had not 10 minutes from the office. The stars aligned and the prophecy is fufilled. A hunting we will go.

Some finds I saw on the 2nd day:

• NECA MOUSERS (P800) - Holy shit! I wish I had seen this yesterday. Army for my turtles
• COMPLETE SET OF NECA TMNT - Robert had these. Best toys ever made. Ever.
• BATTLE ROLLER (P2,000) - The transforming one in the black box. I prefer the classic version and I'd already asked Curejinx to reserve one. When I get an MP4, it's gonna be sweet!
• TFU INFERNO (P1,600) - Was about to drop what I had left until I saw...
• NEMESIS PRIME (P1,000) - That's about P800 off the asking price at Greenhills shops! Score!
• NEW TFU WAVE (P900-1,600) - Cyclonus, Starscream, and Cheetor, along with the other Voyager class toy in this series. Azrael already bought the HOUND yesterday. Lucky bastard! :)
• REVOLTECH FIGURES (P500) - the one onsale was the idol signer girl. I don't know the name, but they had the black one with pink ribbons, and the black one with a white skirt
• AOA SUNFIRE (P800) - Craptastic. Just bought this yesterday at P1,100. Same stall too I think.
• DCD WONDER WOMAN SERIES (P2,800) - I'd love to have gotten this. Sculpt is great, but I never have the cash when I see it.
• MUGGS SET of FA IRONMAN, VISION, and two more I can't remember (P3,000) - Robert was selling this. Really unbereable kewt this line is.
• CONCEPT SERIES IRONMAN WAVE (P650 and up) - Alot of stalls had these. Variations and repaints of the Ironman movie toys. meh.
• STICH AS POOH BEAR KEYCHAIN (P50) - Out kewts anything I saw. awwww...
• 8" ALIEN STICH PLUSH TOY (P150) - I wanted one I had seen yesterday, a 6-limbed 12" one in the red suit with his blaster, but someone bought it. Another one of those "Buy it now and eat crackers for the next month or regret it later" moments collectors are familiar with.
• IGNIS STATUE (P1,500) - Original version of the bootleg I have on my shelf. Again, would have gotten it if I had the scratch.
• RED HULK WAVE FIGURES W/O BAF (P850) - I aint falling for this one again. I'm gonna wait.
• ARES WAVE FIGURES W/O BAF (P850)
• MS THANOS (P2,500) - One of the only Marvel Select figures I'd consider buying (others I'd consider are all females in tights)
• LOOSE 3.75" BARONESS, SCARLETT, CRIMSON GUARD, Et al (P100) - Bought a Baroness and Scarlett to sit on my Ultra Magnus' shoulder. And when I get that TFU Ravage, I'm gonna make a leash and pose it next to Baroness. YEAH!
• LOOSE YELLOW FLASH 3.75" FIGS (P100) - also saw some Comissioner Gordons and others, but Flash is the most numerous
• LOOSE MARVEL SHOWDOWN COLOSSUS (P150) - sweet little figure. I love it and he will go on my desk at work!
• McDO HAPPY MEAL PO THE PANDA for P50 - 3 days after selling off my Kung Fu Panda set, I find this. The universe hates me.
• OPTIMUS PRIME GASHAPONS SET (P500) - It's that little pointing one; a regular, battle damaged, and clear version. Tempting, I started counting points of articulation again and got to like, two.
• CUSTOM RED HULK (from an MS Ultimate Hulk) - SWEET! Big, big improvement on the RULK from the ML line, even considering it's got crappy articulation. The paint work guy did, and the hair he sculpted in are really great. I'd have gotten him, but y'know, money.
• CUSTOM STEALTH IRON MAN (from an Icons IM) - Paint on this one was a little dodgy, not as smooth as the hulk, but if you like 12" scale, this would be nice to add to the armory.
• CUSTOM WAR MACHINE (from an Icons IM) - Same customizer. Much nicer than the Stealh re-paint. With Canons on his shoulders. Ooooo...
• LOOSE HAVOK (P650) - He just seem so plain to pay this much. I got the archangel and ghostrider for the about the same and they've got other stuff to play with. Havok's a guy in a black suit.
• LOOSE HC ABOMINATION (P500) - might have gotten this for my Hulk collection, but it's just so small...
• LOOSE HC ABSORBING MAN (P500) - again, might have gotten it, but I think he must have been customized at some point, and he's not complete.
• ART DEPARTMENT STATUES - Great, great, great way to start statues. They've got this Hulk one that just rocks! all "Hulk is the strongest one there is!". Their Abomination looks awesome to. I'd consider buying, but I don't have an extra P7,000 lying around.

Still alot of MOC and loose DC and Marvel figures, as well as Wresling figures. Prices for MOC are about what you'd expect for them. The auction looked like it had some nice items. There was a Black Cat Comiquette at P7,000 when I left. First thing I'm buying when I switch to statues, right after the White Queen Comiquette. Adam Hughes is a geek god.

I was hoping for another Stikfas booth like last year so I can get some of the plain bodies to use with my extra accessories, but no such luck.

When I got home and counted up the spoils of this weeks toy runs, this was on my desk:

• MP2 Ultra Magnus
• MP7 Thundercracker
• AOA Sunfire
• Loose Classic Ghostrider
• Loose Archangel
• Loose Thorbuster
• Loose Energon Arcee
• Figma Kanu Ucho (Ikkotousen)
• Loose Baroness
• Loose Scarlett
• Loose 3.75" Colossus
• Happy Meal Po the Panda
• TFU Nemesis Prime
• 8" Alien Stitch Plush toy
• 3" Stitch as Pooh Bear Plush keychain
• Transformers the Movie Leader Class Optimus Prime (from Toy Kingdom)
• Transformers the Movie Leader Class Brawl (from Toy Kingdom)

 

The cosplay folks were out also yesterday. Mallgoers were all snap-happy taking pics with them. Missed the show though since I was straight off nightshift and I had like no sleep the past two days and was already crashing by 2:00 pm. Wendang had my digital camera for the day, and I ran out of film on day one, so unfortunately no pics of hot cosplayers dressed like Tifa this time around. I have no idea who half of them are supposed to be, but i did see PEDO BEAR! PEDO BEAR FTW! I would have loved to have a pic of with Pedo Bear...

Oh, well. Maybe he'll be at the TAGCOM in February. I still have to develop the pics of this convention, and hopefully I can edit this post next week with them.

Some guys have said that the toy conventions here really aren't for hard-core collectors and to an extent, that's true. If you have specialized collections of obscure lines that no one else has heard of, you're about as likely to find something here as you are in Toy Kingdom. The fun is in going there, digging through piles and piles of toys until you hit on one that catches your eye. Like an ukay-ukay, but with toys.

So forget whether or not you'll find that rare vinyl toy you've been looking for and go. Worse comes to worst, buy something you've been eyeing at Greenhills and get a nice discount from Pat or Robert or Veetoys.

If everything goes to pot and you come up totally empty handed, it's always fun meeting people even geekier than you are. P30 seems a bargain for that.

Researching Slangards' Theory of Escalating Aquisition

Originally posted at slangards.multiply.com on Dec 20, '08

Gah!  
So I went back to the toyfair yesterday because I had to return one of the toys I bought from Curejinx. My MP Thundercracker was missing his thumb outta the box. Guy offered to exchange it with another he had brought with him from Singapore. Now that's CUSTOMER SERVICE! Hear that Toy Kingdom?!

Ratchet: Transformers The Movie

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Other

As I said on my Transformers The Movie (TFtM) Nightwatch Optimus Prime review, I'm not a big fan of this line. I enjoyed the movie for what it was (a great big Hollywood Blockbuster Event), but I never once thought of Michael Bay's Transformers as the ones that I grew up with. From the complexity of their transformations to the cookie cutter characters this movie just wasn't what it could have been.

The same goes for the toys. Because Bay insisted his movie heroes be overly complex, the toymakers were forced to try and duplicate that. Hence you have Transformer toys that have tiny little useless pieces that need to flip out, fold down, or get lost. In addition, you've got all kinds of garishly unecessary paint applications and sculpted planes on these toys meant to imitate the thousands of moving parts in the screen robots. Suffice to say, it doesn't work.



That was why I was pleasantly surprised by the Voyager version of Ratchet. One, he's big. One and a half, he's HEAVY. Two, he's relatively simple compared to the others in the line I bought. Three, Toy Kingdom recently decided to put their stocks of him on sale at P800, about 40% off their initial asking price. It's a real sweet deal if you can still find him on shelf.



The packaging of the TFtM line isn't one of my favorites. Deluxe class toys (mid-sized Transformers) come on card/bubble packs that need to be destroyed to get the toys out. The Voyager (large-sized Transformers) class ones like Ratchet come in boxes that aren't very sturdy and tend to get deformed rather quickly. There's alot of wasted space and about a yard of twist ties. Neither is welcome to a collector. There is a nice window to see through to view the toy, but since paint apps aren't really that much of an issue and not many Transformer collectors keep their toys in the boxes, that's not really a problem.



Ratchet comes out of the box in vehicle mode, a rugged looking Fire Department rescue vehicle. The truck is pretty solid, except in the door area, which is mostly just a facade to hide the robot parts from view. The vehicle itself is pretty good looking, something that might roll down the street at the scene of a fire in the States, with alot of cage work around it (to protect it from explosions and falling debris maybe?).



I was never sure why they chose the color though, since all the Fire Department vehicles I remember from the States were red and white. Did that change since I left? It may just be as simple as to diffrentiate him from Optimus Prime. There is a later version of him repainted predominantly white like his Generation 1 counterpart (called Rescue Ratchet), but it's ugly if you ask me. The green and black scheme actually looks good on him, if you don't let my preconceptions get in the way.

The transformation is pretty satisfying and it's one of the reasons that this toy won me over. Many in this line are more complicated than they need to be (ie. Ironhide) and tend to just piss you off after awhile, not even resulting in a good looking robot form. Ratchet is relatively straightforward compared to those guys; flip out the legs, turn them, pull out his arms, pull down his chest and lock it, uncover his face and PRESTO! You've got an imposing robot ready to take on the bad guys.

Robot rachet's got more kibble (truck parts that show through on his robot form) than he's got in his vehicle mode, but it's stuff that kind of adds character. Like his wheels, which look like great big shoulder armor. The cage that rests on top of his truck mode is a kind of sheild thingie. It doesn't look all that good actually, but you can either pretend it's got energy coursing through it and deflects weapons fire like a true geek (pew! pew! pa-PING!)... or just take it off.

Initially, I was kind of put off by his puny arms, which look insanely tiny at first glance, but after playing with it and putting him in other poses, they're actually in proportion. The balance between arms and legs makes Ratchet look as if he is carrying a ton of mass, along with a whole lotta inertia when he gets going. A punch from one of those puny arms would go through a skyscraper wall. Basically, it looks weird, but it works.

The one thing that doesn't work is his "axe". If you flip out the armor on his right arm, and unfold it, you get this thing that looks like a butterfly shaped ping pong racket. Not an energon axe. A butterfly shaped ping pong racket. It's ridiculous - just look at the picture.



But it's like his shield. If you don't like it, put it away. All in all, I'd give Ratchet 4 stars out of 5. His mass and relatively simple design make him a great addition to a collection. If you have a choice between him and Ironhide, go for this one. Despite lower demand, Ratchet really is the better of the two Voyager class Movie Autobots.

Ratchet: Transformers The Movie

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Other

As I said on my Transformers The Movie (TFtM) Nightwatch Optimus Prime review, I'm not a big fan of this line. I enjoyed the movie for what it was (a great big Hollywood Blockbuster Event), but I never once thought of Michael Bay's Transformers as the ones that I grew up with. From the complexity of their transformations to the cookie cutter characters this movie just wasn't what it could have been.

The same goes for the toys. Because Bay insisted his movie heroes be overly complex, the toymakers were forced to try and duplicate that. Hence you have Transformer toys that have tiny little useless pieces that need to flip out, fold down, or get lost. In addition, you've got all kinds of garishly unecessary paint applications and sculpted planes on these toys meant to imitate the thousands of moving parts in the screen robots. Suffice to say, it doesn't work.



That was why I was pleasantly surprised by the Voyager version of Ratchet. One, he's big. One and a half, he's HEAVY. Two, he's relatively simple compared to the others in the line I bought. Three, Toy Kingdom recently decided to put their stocks of him on sale at P800, about 40% off their initial asking price. It's a real sweet deal if you can still find him on shelf.



The packaging of the TFtM line isn't one of my favorites. Deluxe class toys (mid-sized Transformers) come on card/bubble packs that need to be destroyed to get the toys out. The Voyager (large-sized Transformers) class ones like Ratchet come in boxes that aren't very sturdy and tend to get deformed rather quickly. There's alot of wasted space and about a yard of twist ties. Neither is welcome to a collector. There is a nice window to see through to view the toy, but since paint apps aren't really that much of an issue and not many Transformer collectors keep their toys in the boxes, that's not really a problem.



Ratchet comes out of the box in vehicle mode, a rugged looking Fire Department rescue vehicle. The truck is pretty solid, except in the door area, which is mostly just a facade to hide the robot parts from view. The vehicle itself is pretty good looking, something that might roll down the street at the scene of a fire in the States, with alot of cage work around it (to protect it from explosions and falling debris maybe?).



I was never sure why they chose the color though, since all the Fire Department vehicles I remember from the States were red and white. Did that change since I left? It may just be as simple as to diffrentiate him from Optimus Prime. There is a later version of him repainted predominantly white like his Generation 1 counterpart (called Rescue Ratchet), but it's ugly if you ask me. The green and black scheme actually looks good on him, if you don't let my preconceptions get in the way.

The transformation is pretty satisfying and it's one of the reasons that this toy won me over. Many in this line are more complicated than they need to be (ie. Ironhide) and tend to just piss you off after awhile, not even resulting in a good looking robot form. Ratchet is relatively straightforward compared to those guys; flip out the legs, turn them, pull out his arms, pull down his chest and lock it, uncover his face and PRESTO! You've got an imposing robot ready to take on the bad guys.

Robot rachet's got more kibble (truck parts that show through on his robot form) than he's got in his vehicle mode, but it's stuff that kind of adds character. Like his wheels, which look like great big shoulder armor. The cage that rests on top of his truck mode is a kind of sheild thingie. It doesn't look all that good actually, but you can either pretend it's got energy coursing through it and deflects weapons fire like a true geek (pew! pew! pa-PING!)... or just take it off.

Initially, I was kind of put off by his puny arms, which look insanely tiny at first glance, but after playing with it and putting him in other poses, they're actually in proportion. The balance between arms and legs makes Ratchet look as if he is carrying a ton of mass, along with a whole lotta inertia when he gets going. A punch from one of those puny arms would go through a skyscraper wall. Basically, it looks weird, but it works.

The one thing that doesn't work is his "axe". If you flip out the armor on his right arm, and unfold it, you get this thing that looks like a butterfly shaped ping pong racket. Not an energon axe. A butterfly shaped ping pong racket. It's ridiculous - just look at the picture.



But it's like his shield. If you don't like it, put it away. All in all, I'd give Ratchet 4 stars out of 5. His mass and relatively simple design make him a great addition to a collection. If you have a choice between him and Ironhide, go for this one. Despite lower demand, Ratchet really is the better of the two Voyager class Movie Autobots.

Polno Dianno of Bastard! Vinyl Statue from Kotobukiya

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

I don't collect many statues or vinyl figures. Mainly because they don't have alot of "play value", but also due to the fact that they are usually pricey pieces of plastic. If you're a Mint In Box (MIB) or Mint on Card (MOC) kind of guy who only displays toys, then Slangard's Law of Escalation of Aqusition will likely lead you to statues. Most of the MOCers I've met eventually let go of their action figure collections and start buying "high-end" collectibles. For the "loose" collector, keeping things in boxes kind of defeats the point of buying toys (Don't get me started on MIB Transformers collectors).

That's not to say I don't like statues. I'm tempted by these works of creative consumerism, as much as the next geek. And like the next geek, there are certain pre-requisites that are necessary to draw me away from counting points of articulation. Chief among them is that 1) the sculpture in question be based on a character of the opposite sex, 2) that that sculpture be ridiculously voluptuous, and 3) that it be either in the advance stages of undress or come with removable clothing so that you can display it in advance stages of undress.

I realize this is pervy and borderline anti-social, but geeks tend to go that way with age.

One of the statues that got a rise out of me (pun!) in the early days was Kotobukiya's Polno Dianno statue from Bastard!. I'm not familiar with the story behind the Bastard! manga or anime and not even sure if it was a comic or a cartoon or both. I'm not sure why she is wearing next to nothing. I'm not sure why she has the silly hat. I just know that this bat-girl is hella sexy!



I saw it first when I was in high school, playing hooky in Robinson's Metro East mall. They had this toystore on the third floor next to the arcades that sold high end toys and they had alot of them on display behind the glass. Naturally, being a teenager and this being the time before the internet and its countless terrabytes of free porn (yes, I'm that old), I drooled at the window along with all the other penniless perverts at this statue, among others. However, P5000 was way over the budget of a kid who got just enough for fare and food with a little extra for the occasional comic (remember when they were like P50? I do).

That store eventually closed, and took with it it's stock of packaged pervy perfection. Eventually, I did start collecting again and every once in a while I'd put up a post on the online bulletin boards that I was looking for this particular statue. I never got a nibble. I learned about Greenhills and the other specialty shops that carried these forbidden treasures, but there was never a sighting.

Then after about three years of toy collecting, sucess! I was at the Toy Kingdom Warehouse 2008 Sale and there she was, in all her MIB glory. Apparently, Toy Kingdom couldn't unload them (big surprise) so they had like pallets of boxes of these jewels stashed away. Since they had to get rid of them to make shelf space for stupid stuff like the new Marvel Universe line (argh! hate! rage!), they were selling Polno Dianno for only P1000! WIN!

Thing was that even though this figure was like now 10 years old now and demand was like virtually nil I'm sure, there were still hoarders/re-sellers going after it in hopes of selling it to some sucker on ebay who'd fall for the "HTF" (hard to find) next to the subject line. I couldn't believe this guy who was loading up carts (that's right plural) with boxes of them. Like any good collector, I had already spent my wad on other toys before coming to this area. Rats! I vowed to get cash that night and come back the next day first thing in the morning and get one. Luckily, aside from that one guy I saw the day before, demand proved to be low. Apparently, parents don't like to buy plastic representations of half-naked women, no matter how artistc; who'd have thunk?! I spent a while looking the remaining boxes over and I scored one with decent paint.



There's nothing to really "review" with statues like this. It's a very Rubenesque bat-girl, in a rather R-rated pose, with very little clothing. It doesn't move, there are no action features, there are no playsets. It's got one accessory (the hat is removable) and a stand to make sure she doesn't fall over. If you see it on shelf, you might want to check to see if the paints are passable. That's it.

Either you like it, or you think guys who collect things like this should be locked away and registered as sex offenders.

One look at it should be all you really need to decide. Happy Hunting!

Polno Dianno of Bastard! Vinyl Statue from Kotobukiya

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

I don't collect many statues or vinyl figures. Mainly because they don't have alot of "play value", but also due to the fact that they are usually pricey pieces of plastic. If you're a Mint In Box (MIB) or Mint on Card (MOC) kind of guy who only displays toys, then Slangard's Law of Escalation of Aqusition will likely lead you to statues. Most of the MOCers I've met eventually let go of their action figure collections and start buying "high-end" collectibles. For the "loose" collector, keeping things in boxes kind of defeats the point of buying toys (Don't get me started on MIB Transformers collectors).

That's not to say I don't like statues. I'm tempted by these works of creative consumerism, as much as the next geek. And like the next geek, there are certain pre-requisites that are necessary to draw me away from counting points of articulation. Chief among them is that 1) the sculpture in question be based on a character of the opposite sex, 2) that that sculpture be ridiculously voluptuous, and 3) that it be either in the advance stages of undress or come with removable clothing so that you can display it in advance stages of undress.

I realize this is pervy and borderline anti-social, but geeks tend to go that way with age.

One of the statues that got a rise out of me (pun!) in the early days was Kotobukiya's Polno Dianno statue from Bastard!. I'm not familiar with the story behind the Bastard! manga or anime and not even sure if it was a comic or a cartoon or both. I'm not sure why she is wearing next to nothing. I'm not sure why she has the silly hat. I just know that this bat-girl is hella sexy!



I saw it first when I was in high school, playing hooky in Robinson's Metro East mall. They had this toystore on the third floor next to the arcades that sold high end toys and they had alot of them on display behind the glass. Naturally, being a teenager and this being the time before the internet and its countless terrabytes of free porn (yes, I'm that old), I drooled at the window along with all the other penniless perverts at this statue, among others. However, P5000 was way over the budget of a kid who got just enough for fare and food with a little extra for the occasional comic (remember when they were like P50? I do).

That store eventually closed, and took with it it's stock of packaged pervy perfection. Eventually, I did start collecting again and every once in a while I'd put up a post on the online bulletin boards that I was looking for this particular statue. I never got a nibble. I learned about Greenhills and the other specialty shops that carried these forbidden treasures, but there was never a sighting.

Then after about three years of toy collecting, sucess! I was at the Toy Kingdom Warehouse 2008 Sale and there she was, in all her MIB glory. Apparently, Toy Kingdom couldn't unload them (big surprise) so they had like pallets of boxes of these jewels stashed away. Since they had to get rid of them to make shelf space for stupid stuff like the new Marvel Universe line (argh! hate! rage!), they were selling Polno Dianno for only P1000! WIN!

Thing was that even though this figure was like now 10 years old now and demand was like virtually nil I'm sure, there were still hoarders/re-sellers going after it in hopes of selling it to some sucker on ebay who'd fall for the "HTF" (hard to find) next to the subject line. I couldn't believe this guy who was loading up carts (that's right plural) with boxes of them. Like any good collector, I had already spent my wad on other toys before coming to this area. Rats! I vowed to get cash that night and come back the next day first thing in the morning and get one. Luckily, aside from that one guy I saw the day before, demand proved to be low. Apparently, parents don't like to buy plastic representations of half-naked women, no matter how artistc; who'd have thunk?! I spent a while looking the remaining boxes over and I scored one with decent paint.



There's nothing to really "review" with statues like this. It's a very Rubenesque bat-girl, in a rather R-rated pose, with very little clothing. It doesn't move, there are no action features, there are no playsets. It's got one accessory (the hat is removable) and a stand to make sure she doesn't fall over. If you see it on shelf, you might want to check to see if the paints are passable. That's it.

Either you like it, or you think guys who collect things like this should be locked away and registered as sex offenders.

One look at it should be all you really need to decide. Happy Hunting!

Brandon Sanderson Blog: WoT Read Through Notes: Introduction

http://www.brandonsanderson.com/blog/598/WoT-Read-Through-Notes-Introduction
I really can't wait for A Memory of Light to come out, so i'm reading Brandon Sanderson's take on the Wheel of Time series to tide me over...

Brandon Sanderson Blog: WoT Read Through Notes: Introduction

http://www.brandonsanderson.com/blog/598/WoT-Read-Through-Notes-Introduction
I really can't wait for A Memory of Light to come out, so i'm reading Brandon Sanderson's take on the Wheel of Time series to tide me over...

Polno Dianno (Bastard!) from Kotobukiya

Originally posted at slangards.multiply.com on Dec 18, '08


I don't collect many statues or vinyl figures. Mainly because they don't have a lot of "play value", but also due to the fact that they are usually pricey pieces of plastic. If you're a Mint In Box (MIB) or Mint on Card (MOC) kind of guy who only displays toys, then Slangard's Law of Escalation of Acquisition will likely lead you to statues. Most of the MOCers I've met eventually let go of their action figure collections and start buying "high-end" collectibles. For the "loose" collector, keeping things in boxes kind of defeats the point of buying toys (Don't get me started on MIB Transformers collectors).

Ratchet: Transformers The Movie

Originally posted at slangards.multiply.com on Dec 18, '08


As I said on my Transformers The Movie (TFtM) Nightwatch Optimus Prime review, I'm not a big fan of this line. I enjoyed the movie for what it was (a great big Hollywood Blockbuster Event), but I never once thought of Michael Bay's Transformers as the ones that I grew up with. From the complexity of their transformations to the cookie cutter characters this movie just wasn't what it could have been.

Drag Strip & Henkei Mirage

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

I'm a sucker for re-paints. Having three of certain toys, all painted in different colors... there's something that screams, "THIS IS A COLLECTION AND NOT A TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY" when people see many of them.

The Transformer Classic (TFC) version of Mirage is one of my favorite toys, mostly because it was given to me by my best friend, but also because it's simply a great toy. Poseble, great color scheme, and generally looks nice next to Optimus Prime. He's had a place on my shelf pretty much constantly since I got him for my birthday about two years ago.

When the Drag Strip repaint came out, I got him right away. In retrospect, seeing how many of these black boxes are on shelf now, I probably could have waited half a year and seen him marked down. Then again, I know how "I wish I had waited" is much better than "I wish I had bought it when...". As a collector, better to have the toy in hand than wait for that better deal that may never come.



Anyway, the box Drag Strip comes in is much better than the normal Transformer Universe (TFU) cards. These are nice black matte boxes with great line graphics on front, product photos on back, and a nice flap for the blurb about the character. Open the flap and there's a great picture window with the toy displayed in robot mode. The great thing about the package is that it's not only great looking, but also re-useable, thus making very collector friendly. The toy is in between two molded plastic shells and pops right out or in, like the Playarts Final Fantasy figures. Which is probably why this line sells as a "Special Edition" at a higher price.

When you get him out of the box, Drag Strip doesnt' dissappoint. If you liked the Mirage and you don't mind re-paints (but then why would you buy this if you do...) then you'd like this toy. Quality wise, Hasbro seems to have had higher standards for these figures. The paint applications on the ones I saw weren't bad (not like that rash of Grimlocks or Cliffjumpers that went on sale) and really, most of the toy is cast in yellow plastic anyway.



The Henkei version is in a basic clam on card package, though it's a nice one you can again, re-use. There are some twisties, but easy to get to since he comes packaged in vehicle form. The card is just like most Henkei stuff; every inch packed with words or pictures, all jumbled up. I'm sure this is nice design in Japan, but it leaves me flat.



The joints are tighter Drag Strip than the TFC Mirage though, which is great since mine is a little loose now from play wear. I'm hoping it's not just the toy I bought, but a sign that Hasbro has implemented better quality control issues for material and paint in their toys. They've been improving and seem to be getting competitive now that the market isn't so great. For Henkei Mirage, it's just about the same as the American version.

Articulation wise, these toys are just about the most poseble Transformers I have. Double elbows and knees, along with an ankle joint of sorts make for a lot of great poses. They've got alot of ball joints in their arms, which is they gets so loose over time, but I hear that can be taken care of with some clear nail polish.

As with his joints, the fit of Drag Strip's parts when he transforms into the F1 racer is much tighter than on my TFC Mirage. When you swing up his "nose" in car mode on mine, it's much harder to match it up with the rest of the front assemble because things are so tight. Still, better than a bad fit. Mirage is perfect, as expected from the higher quality Henkei toys.



Compared to TFC Mirage, paint is a little lacking on both. TFC Mirage has the look of a racer with promotional ads and numbers etc. Even a nod to the G1 with "Witwicky Sparkplugs" written on his spoiler. Neither Drag Strip nor the Henkei version have any of that, save for some red "flames" and a number "26" respectively. Boring.



The Henkei version does have a plus point though. He's got nice silver parts that stand out and make him really pop! I don't know if they're vac-metallized or what, but they really do look good, especially on his "gun".

That "gun" is probably the only real negative in this mold. Granted, it's unique, and it fits into the vehicle mode nicely, but it just looks kind of ridiculous. The Henkei Mirage's version looks nicer because it's highlighted by the nice silver finish and bright blue accents, but still doesn't really look like a gun. More like a weird axe or spear.

This is still among my favorites sets though, and I'd urge any Transformers fan to get one of these toys. I'm still hoping to find a Fracture repaint, the one with the Gobot Crasher colors, pink and black, so I can have a two on two.

That would be awesome.