Warhammer: Pistoliers!

Hey Everyone

Thanks again for coming down to toyconstruct, and also to JQ for his posts on Soap MacTavish, a man who sure doesn't have clean hands in the gritty world of Special Ops. And yes...I agree with everyone, JQ please play Modern Warfare 2!!! I really hope you get to play it before MW3 comes out lol.

For this post, we'll turn back to warhammer, and this time looking at the Pistoliers of the Glorious Empire. Humans may only be weak and have low toughness, but the Empire is infamous for their bristling arsenal of guns.

The Pistoliers of the Empire, lead by an Outrider/Champion.

I love to deploy Pistoliers against archers or warmachine crew. It takes some guile and daring to use them as bait and become a nuisance to enemy formations. Just make sure they are not too near friendly units when making "forced flights", where they immediately flee as a charge response and can sap friendly morale.

The pistoliers keeping a disciplined line abreast formation...ready for a skirmish!

Take note, I did not paint these pistoliers...I got them off ebay second-hand, I think they cost about $38 which is a pretty good deal with the detailing and painting done for them. The trade off is that my army collection can seem to be incongruent as it combines units painted by different people...so I limit my second-hand purchases to special/rare units.

Focus on one of the pistoliers, as the unit moves across the battlefield.

Pistoliers in the WFB world are actually sons of nobles, and they serve as pistoliers before they can serve with the famed Knightly Orders of the Empire. The light armor they wear typically comes from family collections, and also do not provide much protection when faced by close combat. What makes them deadly is their pistols, as each of them carry a couple of pistols each and as a unit unleash a deadly barrage of gunfire.

This shot's centered on the champion, who happens not to be just a better shot but also able to wield a larger variety of guns.

On a lighter note, I used to be so demoralized when I played Empire and saw the trailers made for Warhammer Online and the Warhammer RTS. They featured Empire warrior monks, soldiers etc....and after a few moments of glory for the EMPIRE, the same theme always popped out: Empire men get owned/raped by almost invulnerable Chaos warriors. Sheesh. Then and again, when I look upon Emperor Karl Franz, I feel excited and ready to kill some evil in the NAME OF THE EMPEROR, CHOSEN OF SIGMAR!!!

The Emperor leading by example as he contributes to Orc population control.

To borrow some inspiration from the Green Lantern:

"In the brightest day and darkest night,

evil shall face the Empire's Might!"

(famous last words for quite a number of Imperials unfortunately)

Soap MacTavish! Part 2

For those who have watch the Film "True Grit", Soap MacTavish would be the modern day True Grit main man, Rooster Cogburn.


Not really because their storylines are related but Solely because, the guy is as hard and gritty as any of the toughest men on Earth


In this pic, I have interchange his arms to show him holding a sniper rifle. Look at the grit, determination and seriousness in his face.. INTENSE...
Sadly, all but a few who play him behind their computers would have the same physique or skill that he has.. :p


Anyway, this time round I shall be shedding more light on the company that sculpted this figure. Kotobukiya started out as a single toy store for dolls by Jusaburo Shimizu in 1947.


Going along with the times, it became a model kit manufacturer during the model kit era of the 1980s. It was able to obtain license to make the King Gozilla model in 1985 and was the only company other than Bandai to release Gundam Products by acquiring the model kit license for Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, The-O Mecha. Mind you though, Kotobukiya didn't really compete with Tamiya, Pit-Road, Aoshima for the military model kit market.


By 1989, Kotobukiya decided to diversify its market by going into soft vinyl figurines and eventually Active Styling Figure.


"I'm from the UK...SAS.. recognise that"

Today, it has become renowned for its figures and have been gathering talented sculptors to make brilliant figures for Marvel, DC and many other gaming and comic companies. With Kotobukiya making a name for itself in the Toy Collector Industry and being sensitive to the needs and demands of the customers, I am keen to see what they have in store next.

One thing is for sure, I have my eye on another Kotobukiya figure. With some financial planning, I will be able to get my hands on it.

On a side note, for those who are interested in getting this figure, I could only find it available on eBay. They do not really sell it on their main website store. This is probably due to it being a limited edition figure. dedicated exclusively to the Veteran Edition of the Modern Warfare 2 Game in the UK.

For other figures, you can check it out at http://www.kotous.com/

Soap MacTavish!

Soap MacTavish!

While I STILL haven't play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, I cannot emphasize how cool this guy is and the great impression he has impose on the first Modern Warfare Game. However, I shall let the pictures do the talking.


I haven't played the game but I am aware that this sculpted figure is depicting a scene from one of the mission in MW2 in which Soap MacTavish was part of.


Sculpted by Kotobukiya and manufactured for Activision, the sculpture is done on a 1:6 scale and is about 12" tall.


It includes interchangeable arms and weapons, which can be stored in the base of the statue when not in use. As you can see here, I have switch the arms to the ones where he is holding dual pistols.


This comes factory fresh and mint in the box, with all of the original paperwork. It's a great collector's item for fans of this popular game. One thing that I must add further is that he is really well sculpted and the picture shots only prove how well it is made.


Right down to his skin texture and weathering of his clothes, Kotobukiya is specialize in making really great life-like figures.

In the next entry, I shall focus on Kotobukiya's history and show u more of Soap MacTavish Pictures. On a side note, things are getting real busy, I have barely time to do up my models, but I am trying bit by bit everyday, when I have the time.

Progress is slow, but I have already come up with a list of things I am determined to finish by 2011 end.

Black Orcs!!!!!

Warhammer GO!

The Black Orcs are one of my recent works that I have completed at the start of this year. For those who do not know about them, these elite armour-wearing Orcs are the biggest meanest baddest Orcs one can have in their tribe.

Usually, an Orc Tribe would be lead by a Black Orc as he would be the strongest and toughest. If not, it would be an even bigger badder Orc which would probably have Black Orcs among his troop choice.


The Black Orc Regiment.

Weirdly enough, I have yet to face an Orc Player. And being a Bretonnian Player, Orcs would have been my natural adversary.


ORC SMASH U!!

While I do not play Orcs & Goblins from Warhammer, I do always find the Orcs rather cute, in their ugly and crude way.

It evokes pretty much the same "ugly but cute" sentiment as DOMOKUN from Japan. Hopefully, ppl can understand why I find them cute.



And this is the main reason why I bought these Black Orcs and painted them up.


Their mean, fearsome but clumsy demeanour makes them all the more adorable and endearing.



Of course, Packed with their armour and deadly great weapons, you would think twice than to give them a cuddle.


At first, I wanted to paint the Black Orcs in their normal usual standard colour code but I arrived at the conclusion that it wouldn't be too unique. Went to go check around the net for something that could be a little more unique and arrive at an eBay picture of these Black Orcs painted in Mithril Silver and blue overalls which was a perfect fit.

As of now, I will be painting up more Warhammer stuff and I am already in the midst of building a sizeable Dwarf and Daemon of Chaos Army, so stay tune!

However, in addition to that, for those who have not already realize, Games Workshop have come up with more wonderful reasons to raise their prices again. Unfortunately, Hardcore collectors and gamers like me are but pawns to this inflation. While, there have been some great points on the new Finecast models, Its horrid to just keep on raising prices and kill the community.

Other than that, I participated in Sporecon 2011 Warhammer Fantasy Tournament not too long ago and I Got OWNED BIG TIME. Wanted to take pictures, but was too busy getting my Bretonnian army whooped badly. Never really suffered such a harsh defeat with my Knights before. Moral of the Story: I have much to learn in playing the game well. But it is a refreshing and great experience to get to know more people and be in a bigger community of tabletop gaming.


Trinkets from SPORECON 2011


Custom SPORECON 2011 Dice.

Apart from that, Sorry for the week delay and Weekly posts back as usual again!

Cheers!

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Hey Everyone

Sorry for the delay in articles and I just got back home from a holiday and ready to put up more posts for toyconstruct! Now, the E3 games expo is going on right now, which means a lot of new trailers and announcements for new games coming up on the horizon!


"E3" is the short-form for Electronic Entertainment Expo, which is organized by the Entertainment Software Association, a big-ass body that has top game publishers as members and does a lot of "behind-the-scenes" work such as combating copyright infringement and going against imposed censorship of games. Interestingly, Activision and Blizzard are not members of ESA, and Blizzard itself holds a Blizzcon separate from E3.

As a Star Wars geek, one game that's really exciting is the upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR). I've played a number of games by Bioware, such as Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect etc, and really love the way they made their RPGs. Cinematic storytelling with absorptive gameplay. Unfortunately, I haven't seen much of the gameplay for this MMO and can't tell if it is gonna be awesome or even a WoW challenger.

Close to what most think would be an epicenter of nerdiness (bestp2pgames.blogspot.com).

One thing's for sure, SWTOR has really fantastic trailers that give the context for the game's setting thousands of years ago from the movie series. Recently at the E3, a new cinematic trailer was released for the game, and interestingly...all the 3 trailers are chronologically reversed. It is cool to see all 3 trailers with respect to release date and notice recurring characters, and I have posted the trailers according to their release dates.

Trailer 1: "Deceived"



Trailer 2: "Hope"



Trailer 3: "Return"



The MMORPG sector has been a tough one for a lot more publishers than one, with Blizzard consistently keeping masses of subscribers in the face of notable competition, such as Warhammer Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Rift, DC Universe...etc. I've played a few MMOs, and somehow World of Warcraft delivers the most fluid gameplay and highest populations. One thing that WoW lacks is compelling storyline as most quests are just quests...complete a task and gain experience points, without building any connection or making investment in the non-player characters. Perhaps this is where SWTOR would be leveraging on to take on WoW.

Afterall, only time will tell if SWTOR really delivers and penetrates the WoW monopoly.

Saito Hajime

Saito Hajime. One of Japan's famous character based from the Anime, Rurouni Kenshin. In fact, he was a distinctive character from Samurai X before the TV Series of Rurouni Kenshin was even created.

Having fought with Kenshin Himura back when he was Battousai the Slayer, Saito Hajime has proven to be one of his most powerful adversary.

As shown on this video, (English Dubbed)

While I am unable to find the climatic Sword fight scene when He fought with Kenshin back during the Meiji Restoration period, He returns to the TV Series as a Secret Police working for the Meiji Government.


Once they were sworn enemies, now Uneasy Allies, Saito has to prepare Kenshin to face his worst enemy in the TV Series as shown in the next clip.


(My Apologies for the Horrid Latin Sub)
In this scene, Kenshin actually reverts back to his old self of being the Killer Assassin he has tried so hard to shun away from. In fact, this would be the only time, he would be driven so hard by Saito to actually rehash his old ways in the TV Series.


Saito Hajime uses the Gatotsu sword technique. While it is a similar description to his original sword technique that he used as a Shinsengumi, it is purely fictional and not entirely true to real sword fighting.


Gatotsu Technique Ready Stance.



Saito with Dark cloud behind him.



The "Aku Soku Zan" motto he lives by (悪即斬, most literally, "Kill those who are evil immediately,", translated as "Slay Evil Immediately" in the English dub and as "Swift Death to Evil" in the VIZ manga) is most likely fictitious, though it does encompass a common sentiment of the Shinsengumi during the Bakumatsu.


As I have said before about the Samurai X and Rurouni Kenshin Anime, a few characters are based on Historical figures. Saito Hajime was one of them. While there are many dramatization and not all attributes and character traits of the Anime Saito is true to the real person, the show does enlighten on the basic background of Japanese History.


Saito Hajime doesn't really look too hot compared to his anime "Badass" version of himself. However, this picture is only believe to be depicting him and might not be his true identity.

Furthermore, while the anime doesn't really provide a detailed illustration of his life, he did serve in the Shinsengumi. After the Meiji Resotration, he did become a police officer for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) and He fought on the Meiji Government's side during Saigo Takamori's Satsuma rebellion, as a member of the police forces sent to support the Imperial Japanese Army.

It was said that he is a mysterious and introverted man who was not predisposed to make small talk. Perhaps that is definitely one trait that can be associated with Saito Hajime's character in Rurouni Kenshin.

If there was a category for Badassery in this anime. He take the top spot.

Till next time, Cheers

Phoenix Pt 2

Hey Everyone

Hope you all have been doing well and thanks to JQ for posting up his Chaos Knights from paintedfigs. JQ and I will be joining our talents this summer to get a batch of photos together, with new stuff from the both of us. From experience, our best shots and experiences come from working together, and I am thankful to have a geek partner-in-crime like JQ :) Apparently JQ is looking into being more involved in the local warhammer scene and I think that is absolutely awesome.

Today, I will be making another post on Kotobukiya's Bishoujo version of Phoenix/Jean Grey...this time with a different space background and a focus on her face. I have to admit the figure is growing on me the more I look at it.

Close-up shot of Phoenix's face, a mix of Western and Anime styles.

A half-body shot of Phoenix, showing the intricate detail of her waist sash.

This also makes me reminisce about the X-Men Animated Series back in 1990s, which was a huge part of my childhood and remember being super-excited whenever the title screen and theme came up on TV (with "available in stereo" in the bottom). The X-Men theme is one of the best (or probably is) that I have seen in my rather short life, the introduction of each character really captures my imagination:



One thing I notice, people usually comment that they miss the cartoons of the "old times" = 80's or 90's, and not the newer cartoons that are being produced now. I don't watch much cartoons now and I have to say the few I've seen show that production values may have increased...with improved computer graphics that give cleaner images/smoother animation. Plot-wise I can't judge because I haven't seen enough yet. This is probably the same with video games, where people do bemoan the past greatness of the C&C series, or other greats like Diablo and Doom.

It's my guess that we are seeing an increased commercialization of the games/cartoon/movie industry, the younger generation has more spending power than before and especially for gaming...it is no longer an exclusive domain of geeks or hardcore fans. Companies are moving into catering to a popular tastes which equals money and profit. So we lose out on creative impulse and get fed tried and tested formulas. Call of Duty is a fine example...from a WW2 shooter trying to recreate accurately battlefield experiences, it has become an "action movie shooter" of sorts.

For cartoons I can't really say if I know any solid examples of this commercialization/"dumbing down" of cartoons today. At least I can say I can't watch current cartoons on Cartoon Network without cringing, and the current Batman series doesn't look as impressive as the animated series back in the '90s. Toplessrobot.com does give a list of 10 cartoons that are "making kids dumber". You can check it out here.

Right now, I am on vacation with my family and my toys are all packed up...which means I might not be able to put up new posts for awhile, but I will do so whenever I can. Thanks again for your continued support, and JQ and I are happy to share our geekdom with you all :)