STGCC 2012

Good day to all of our fellow readers,

I do very much apologize for our absence away from the blog. It has been hectic but I guess you probably know that from Joshua. For me, its has been a busy intense period which involved me geeking off on computer games and doing various other mundane activities that do not require mentioning.

However, I am back with much to share. For starters, on 1-2 September, Singapore held its annual Singapore Toys, Games and Comics Convention (STGCC) at Marina Bay Sands. This is the first time it is held there and it has been the third year for this particular convention.

I must say that this year was a blast and it was a huge hit in the new location. I felt that this year's convention had a more better turnout compared to last year. Unfortunately, I was only able to go for one day and I could not stay for too long on the particular day I went,. Nevertheless, I was really impressed. The turnout was great and the crowd was huge. You had the artists alley filled with many awesome illustrations and artworks which were a joy to take a stroll and appreciate their works. (Imaginary friends being my favourite) And the TOYS, What more can I say? I am a sucker for Toys and the range featured in the convention were just as good as the first time STGCC started.

Hot Toy's Black Widow.... SO HOT!

Hot Toy's Thor

As always, the biggest and most coolest booth for STGCC would have to be the Hot Toys' Displays. In my opinion, the figures they had shown this year were so awesome. Partly due to my captivation of the Marvel Avengers movie, I was fascinated by the great sculpt work and aesthetics put into these 1/6 action figures. It is also because of my plans to acquire these Avengers figures that have made me have high praise and admiration for the people who did this. Hot Toys have been in the business for quite awhile (since 2000). Initially, they did 1/6 Military Figures to compete with Dragon, DiD (Dragons in Dreams), BBI (Blue Box Toys) and other 1:6 scale companies that specialized in Action Figures from various War eras.

However, they transition to making high-end figures based on media properties. (Mainly Movies) And it was indeed a great move for Hot Toys as they are the number one guys for 1:6 scale Movie merchandise. I would even dare say that Marvel and DC have provided Hot toys with much to make and sell.

Hot Toys Sculptor Panel and Autograph Session

It is because of my interest in Hot Toys that also compelled me to go to this year's STGCC. This was due to the fact that this year's convention was featuring the Hot Toys' sculptors from Korea. It would have been a splendid idea to meet and greet them personally and express my admiration for their works. And of course, get their autographs. Unfortunately, there was some sort of disorganization in the Hot Toys' panel. Apparently, not much details were disseminated to the public on what "sort" of panel/autograph session it would be. It turns out that in order to meet and greet the sculptors, one had to buy the exclusives in the convention to see them. That means that even if you had your own Hot Toys collectibles you wanted them to sign, you were not allowed unless you got the exclusives. Furthermore, it turned out to be more of an autograph session than a panel where they would tell fans on how they do their work and their thoughts on their action figures.

So, to my disappointment, I couldn't see them up close and get any autographs. And since most of the stuff I wanted from Hot Toys are still on pre-order, there was nothing I could get signed. It was a real major bummer but anywhosss.... There were still many interesting stuff to see there.

Black Ranger playing an Online game.

Illustrations from Tristan Eaton

 

The STGCC Hall

Another Work from Graffiti Artist Tristan Eaton

1:6 Modern Military Soldier (My Favorite Action Figures)

It is a local version of Force 141 from Modern Warfare 2 and... a special guest.

 Well there are more photoes on our facebook page which you can find under the STGCC 2012 album. Aside from that, you will get to see a lot more posts and stuff Josh and I have prepared for you guys.

Aside from this, I have FINALLY completed MW2 which I found a lil over the top. And since the craze of Modern Warfare is pretty much over, I don't really see a point in doing a game review on it as I am sure many have already played it. As of now, I am onward to MW3 and for me, I am really just going to see how the story pans out. I am pretty sure it is going to be over the top ridonkulous too.

Please do feel free to give me your thoughts on the game. Other than that, I have been delving into Dota II and conquering my way through Japan with Joshua.

Till next post, take care!

Cowboys of the Empire

Hey Everyone

Thank you for your patience and I have settled in...and ready to write once again on toyconstruct! Today, I will be featuring my remaining and yet unreleased shots of my WFB pistolier regiment. And yes, this is another painted unit I got at a rather good price on ebay (aka Joshua's Rag-Tag Imperial Army).

I am only familiar with the Empire of the old 5th edition, and out of disgust with GW's $$$ making tactics, I haven't been buying later editions (shame on me?). It seems to me that the current Empire lineup has more new units that look quite powerful, like the Demigryph knights, Hurricanium, and a redesigned Deathclaw (the old griffon on steroids).

One thing I do love about playing as Empire is the variety of units you can deploy, from the gallant Knightly Orders to the psycho Flagellant regiments (and ability to recruit mercs to boot). So far I have found that the strength of the Empire lies not in uber heroes or uber stats, but in proper tactics and choice of units. And one of the special units of the Empire is none other than the pistoliers, bold young men who fearlessly ride into the enemy for the Emperor (or mercilessly at the whim of your decisions on the tabletop).

Pistoliers charging into battle. FOR THE EMPEROR!!!

Side-view of the dashing pistoliers.

Ranged combat for the Empire is a little bit of a mixed bag...they do not have the legendary Ballistic Skill of Elves, but they get bonuses from armour piercing bullets and added punching power of gunpowder. Hence, using gun-units like the pistoliers may result in a large number of misses, but any hits will have a good chance dealing wounds.

Sometimes I call them "Cowboy Bebop" just on the merit of their resemblance to cowboys.

Top-down view of one of the men.

Experience-wise, I find that using pistoliers (and light cavalry in general) is a high risk/high reward tactic. You need to get your fast cavalry into favourable positions, where they can unload their pistols at a good range (pistols have short ranges), not get engaged/charged by enemy units, and have the space to flee from attempted charges (far away enough as to not affect friendly morale). Close combat and entrapment is death for pistoliers.

Outrider champ with repeater pistols.

So far I have only deployed them against warmachine crews to deadly effect, and haven't tried using them as bait for larger regiments. One thing I like about regiment champions is their enhanced stats and ability to equip better weapons. A pistolier unit can have an Outrider champion, and giving him repeater pistols will make a difference (I think you can choose an outrider unit that has all repeater pistols). Owing to human's mediocre BS and that pistoliers are mostly firing on the move, getting more shots will certainly make your unit much more effective.

Riding into war like a Sir.

Taking pictures of this pistolier unit was quite fun for me, somewhat due to the steampunk-ish fashion of the champion. I can see why some people (like JQ) are not big fans of the puffed up uniforms of the Empire, but I do feel that GW has managed to produce a unique look and feel to Empire units. You can certainly tell an Empire army from a Brettonian army without much difficulty.

An officer and a gentleman.

The pistoliers also exude a feel of "organized chaos", which is natural for the role they are used in WFB. This inspired me to arrange the figures as a unit, and yet not in a neat rank and file, which would probably be closer to how they would really ride in real life (and not as a neat row of 5 horses). Arranging the pistoliers in a mess helped to add a sense of movement/speed in the shots I took.

Have you had experiences with light cavalry or ranged cavalry? Please share any wisdom you have, and once again, thank you for visiting and being an integral part of toyconstruct!

Moving and Camera Upgrade

Hey Everyone

I must apologize that toyconstruct has not been updated for awhile.

Right now I have just completed a move from VA to PA, and started on the very first few days of medical school (and exams) :/

News-wise, I have just upgraded my camera and will be ready to get shots in of my yet unfeatured minis and collectables. Expect 1/6 figures, Machinen-Krieger, WFB, and yet another Killzone figure to come up soon.

Thank you for your readership, as having a community of fellow geeks/nerds has been a big part of our lives.

I will post really soon.

Cheers

War Movies from Another View

Hey Everyone

Hope you all are doing well and that the summer has been going great. One thing I love about summer is that I have the time to watch some movies in my free time, both new summer releases and DVDs. What do you think of Dark Knight Rises? (I'm not giving away my thoughts here though)

I can bet that there's a good number of us who love watching war movies right?

As an effect of both history (who wins wars) and my living in the US, most of the popular war movies come from the US/Western perspective...which is not very interesting for me. Don't get me wrong, Saving Private Ryan and Patton are technical masterpieces, and I appreciate the daily sacrifices men and women give to the nation.

We cannot avoid the fact that victors write history, but would it be much more interesting be to see war from other perspectives? To deviate from the "Yeah Good Guys!" genre that celebrates heroism and valor under fire, explore what other nations have suffered and experienced in other wars, and perhaps gain a more complete perspective of the world today.

In today's post, I'll be sharing 2 non-US/Western movies that have impacted me and make for very insightful viewing. These movies are less well-known than The Great Escape, Platoon, and The Longest Day, but they are also well produced and directed, and show us the consequences of war from a very different perspective.

1) Blessed by Fire (2005)

Blessed by Fire (Spanish: Iluminados por el fuego) is a movie on the Argentine side of the Falklands War (or Guerra de las Malvinas). The film explores the aftermath of the Falklands War on Argentinian veterans, who experienced horrors on the battlefield and returned as broken soldiers after losing the war.

The film is centered on the experiences of two close friends who served as conscripts in the Argentine army, namely Alberto Vargas and Esteban Leguizamón. Vargas attempts suicide after suffering severe depression from the war and his financial insecurity, and Leguizamón cares for Vargas's distressed wife as Vargas is placed onto life support.

Leguizamon and his fellow soldiers taking cover from a British strafing attack.

Leguizamón relives his experiences on the Malvinas Islands (or Falklands), and the film presents a very bleak view of the war. The Argentine conscripts live in foxholes placed around the barren and cold island, and face hunger, boredom, freezing, abuse from superiors, and the psychological threat of invasion from British ships anchored just off the shore. Once the fighting starts, it quickly becomes evident that the Falklands is an unwinnable for the Argentines, as they face a force with superior training and materiel.

The guy second from right is the platoon commander and can be a real prick.

Although the Argentine soldiers face such gruelling hardship for their country, they end the war as losers and have little for consolation. A few empty words from a general and the symbols of the futility of their struggle come to the fore: discarded weapons surrendered to the British and burned out husks of military vehicles and camps. The ending scene for the war is a masterpiece. Blessed by Fire is highly recommended for its honest portrayal of war, and its depiction of the experience of the losing side questions the purpose of war (this time over the nationalistic rhetoric of the ruling elite).

2) Tae Guk Gi: Brotherhood of War (2004)

Tae Guk Gi is a Korean War movie titled after the pre-war flag of the People's Republic of Korea and current flag of South Korea. It covers the journey of two brothers (Lee Jin-tae and Lee Jin-seok) who are drafted into the Republic of Korea (ROK) army, and see themselves in the middle of a brutal war of ideology that has split the country apart.

The main plot of the film sees the two brothers come into conflict with each other due to different views. The older brother (Jin-tae) volunteers for deadly missions to earn a medal to get his younger brother (Jin-seok) discharged from conscription. However, Jin-seok vehemently protests to Jin-tae stay away from such missions in order to stay alive. This conflict ultimately sees them being fighting against each other in the opposing armies.

The brothers are conscripted into the ROK army and thrust into bloody battles.

Prior to watching the movie, I did not know much about the "Forgotten War" and Tae Guk Gi provided a rather realistic view of the war. The movie has a lot of bloody infantry battles, and presents morally ambiguous situations on the battlefield...from the treatment of PWs (who happen to be related to you) to the brutality of paramilitary militias.

ROK infantry advancing with a M4 Jumbo Sherman in the background.

While Tae Guk Gi may border on the sentimental and feature some skipping of the chain of command, it does an admirable job in presenting the historical context and emotional toil of the Korean War. A gruesome conflict that has pitted Koreans against each other, the Korean War unfortunately continues to go on without a conclusion in sight.

Have you seen other war movies that do not take the US/Western perspective? What do you think about them? There's a lot that I haven't covered (due to space), such as Letters from Iwo Jima, Schindler's List, Das Boot, and Days of Glory (Indigènes).

I do have to say that war movies can be rather depressing and can take away the sheen of the glory of war. An eye for an eye does indeed make the whole world blind (that's from Gandhi), and while we try to leave a better world for the people of tomorrow, shouldn't we also leave better people for the world tomorrow?

Faith in Humanity Restored

Hey Everyone

Thanks to those who have signed the petition for the Aurora CO shooting, and I am very pleased to let everyone know that Christian Bale the man himself visited the victims on his own volition. He didn't notify the media and personally made the trip without representing Warner Brothers.

Mr Bale truly has a heart of gold.

Check out the news article from the Denver Post!

The Aurora CO Shooting

Hey Everyone

You must have heard about the terrible shooting at the Batman premiere, and someone came up with the idea that the cast of Batman come down to visit the wounded kids in costume.

Wouldn't that be awesome?

If you think so, please sign the petition below:

http://www.change.org/petitions/christian-bale-visit-the-injured-children-from-the-massacre-as-batman

Our hearts and minds are with the families affected by the tragedy.

Dwarf Warriors

GhulGlus allaz, which would be dwarven for Good day all as specified in this Dwarven Language blog I stumbled across.

It's Warhammer time for this week's post. For all you Warhammer enthusiast out there, it has been quite some time since the release of the New Empire Book.  Looking at the new units, I can safely say that the Empire got a pretty good facelift.

I would make an Honourable mentuion to the huge ass griffon and the new Emperor Karl Franz sculpt that makes  my Bretonnian King and his hippogriff look like a mini version of their gargantuan size.

Karl Franz and his Griffon

Speaking of the Empire, the Imperial weaponary and machinery originated from the Dwarfs which will be what I will be featuring today. Aside from what I had explained about the Dwarfs in my previous post, Originated from Germanic mythology, the dwarf was a being thatdwells in mountains and in the earth. Associated with wisdom, smithing, mining and crafting, rhet were also sometimes described as short and ugly.

They don't look too ugly to me though. Kinda cute I guess.

Based on the poem "Voluspa" from the Poetic Edd, it has an account of the first human being having been created by the dwarves. It also stated that the dwarves are products of the primordial blood of the being Brimir and the bones of Bláinn.

Dwarven Warriors ready for WAR!

In the Warhammer world, Dwarves were aided in their development by the Old ones. While not much is known on how they came about, their insatiable addiction to Gold and Gromril has always been prevalent in Dwarven society and well-known among all.

Beardy Beardy beard BEard...

As mentioned in my previous dwarven post, I have been building up my Dwarven Army and these are my warriors. Usually, Dwarven Warriors are drawn up from the citizenry of Dwarven Society. Most of them comprised of craftsmen and artisans.

Rank and File, Dwarves!

However, for my Dwarven Army theme, the warriors from the Silver Axe, Triple Steel and Ogren Clan are professional soldiers. Similar to the Spartans, the Dwarven Warriors under the command of Thane Utheroth of Karak Grothak, are constantly honing their skills by adventuring or seeking to land a hand to help their fellow dwarves in battle. I shall not stall any further so enjoy these Dwarf Warriors pics below:

It's HAMMER TIME

Adventuring, A routine of the Warrior clans of Karak Grothak

The Standard Bearer of the Silver Axe

Warriorrssss...Come out to Plaayyy..

The Battleline.

Commander of the Karak Grothak Triple Steel Warrior Clan

While I still have quite some way to completing my dwarven army, bit by bit I am making good progress. Not toos ure if you noticed, but it all started out with my 10 Ironbreakers, followed by the Thundereers, and with my three regiments of Dwarven Warriors and a Thane, I think I could field a 2k army soon.


Till then, Got to be deep in progress in terms of painting and acquiring new stuff. At the moment, I still find it hard to adjust to the new paint series and trying to link the old names with the new ones.

Aside from that, I would also like to raise a topic that has been widely discussed among many fellow Warhammer gamers. Prices have continually increased at a frequent rate for GW products. For myself, I have been buying second hand stuff or acquiring miniatures on ebay, while I still do quite a bit of the painting and rely on painting services for some stuff, buying mainly from GW is way too expensive for me.

The only thing that I really buy direct is the citadel paints which in my opinion are high quality and have the greatest texture for an acrylic paint.

What are all of your opinions on the price increase and GW's modus operandi?

Do share.