Like
Marvel's Avengers: End Game. This marks the end of an era for
Toyconstruct page and website. With a long inactivity, I feel there is a
need to start afresh. That being said, I have been thinking about
focusing on my core hobby and what platform to use for it. Further to
that, improving my artwork and collectibles but sharing it on a more
personal front. i.e. Personal Facebook/Instagram.
Thank you to all those who came to this blog to muse on our share collectables! Josh and I truly appreciated it.
Stay tune for notifications on new things to come!
Like Tony Stark Said, Part of the Journey is the End. Adios.
I am back! This month, I am digging into my Modern Military Stash.
It has definitely been a long while since I last featured my own Modern Military Collectibles. Let alone it being from GHQ.
But today, I shall be showing you my completed SX2150 Army Truck that is the primary transport carrier for the People's Liberation Army. I have also completed my Modern Chinese Infantrymen minus basing. With Joshua's Powerful Macro lenses, I was able to capture some nice shot.
It definitely is a pain to paint micro details on miniatures or model kits of such scale. Therefore, I do hope you will go easy on my paint job on these GHQ stuff and I also do hope you will enjoy!
SX2150 Army Truck
Side view of the FORMER Main Troop Army Truck of the PLA
The SX2150 made by Shaanxi Automobile Works, a.k.a Shaanxi Automobile Corporation Limited has recently been replaced or are int he midst of being replaced by the SX2150 "K" Variant and the SX2190
The Largest Infantry Force in the World, The PLA has been modernising itself in recent times.
I have painted them in their modern colours. Here we see a Mortar Section firing.
Section Movement.
Firing on the move.
Heavy Weaponry Squad
I have been itching to do more GHQ stuff and Modern Military Model Kits but time is not on my side. Hopefully, I can have a regular schedule on making more model kits and featuring them here.
Furthermore, I am intending to come up with an imaginary Modern World which involves aspects of Modern Warfare, Politics and Economies.
It is still in the infancy stage but I do hope to see it materialize soon enough.
It has been too long. Way too Long since our last post! I hope everyone has been fairing well!
Unfortunately, Toyconstruct has been pretty inactive since 2015 and I guess it's because of the many things Me and Josh have been doing in our lives.
Regardless of the little time we have to do our hobby stuff, we never stop liking the things we do and collect and experience.
Today, I shall feature Hot Toy's Iron Man Mark 7 or Mark VII from the First Avenger Movie.
Took me long enough to feature this Bad Boy in all its glory.
The Intro to Tony getting into this armor while falling down from the Avenger Tower was most definitely kickass.
Not to Mention, the Mark 7 is the first of his set of armors to be highly packed with heap loads of weaponry.
Might I add on that I believe the Mark 7 has clocked the most kills. I possibly believe that it could be more than his Armor in Avengers: Age of Ultron Armor.
"The Fog of War" Shot
Looking Badass
Back when Tony Stark could still smirk....
However, all the fun and games are gone when the dust of war settles. When the Avengers fought off the Chitauri, no one focused on the collateral. When S.H.I.E.L.D unraveled from within due to HYDRA infiltration, innocent lives were killed. When Sokovia dropped back to the ground, the inevitable casualties suffered were high. The World was grateful for the Avengers at that time but the ghost of the past had come back to haunt the team in present day.
And that is the setting up for Civil War. Due to the Avengers' actions taken to defeat their various enemies, it has resulted in destruction and loss of lives with no accountability. As the Avengers' answer to no one, sentiments to them grew negative. A drafted "Sokovia" Accord was created in which it states that the Avengers must seek approval from the UN in order to be activated or take action.
The Captain's stand is that the Avengers' hands are the safest and that no one or no organization should prevent them from saving or attending the needs of humanity. He views organizations as politically driven and that such groups would only prevent the Avengers' from being an effective team that they are.
Iron Man's stand on this matter is that there is no one to regulate the actions of the Avengers. Till now, there has been zero accountability on the actions of the group. His concern is that if the Avengers' continue to have free reign, negative sentiments will grow stronger. Ultimately leading to the demise of the team and no one to protect the earth.
Now that the premise has been set, I must say that the show is worth its weight in gold. It delivers more than Avengers: Age of Ultron. With the only bit of the basic plot and structure of the Marvel Comic Book Civil War, this movie turned out to be quite a screamer of a show. It delivered all the usual good things that a Marvel Film should have without going off tangent on the cusp of the story. It was a brilliant direction taken by Joe and Anthony Russo given that they had to make the Marvel Civil War Comic translate into film with constraints of only being able to utilize Heroes from Avengers and Spiderman.(No X-Men or Fantastic Four characters involved due to Separate Film Rights)
So much so that it washes over the bitterness of how Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice turned out to be. I am particularly impress at the way the rivalry and grudge between Iron Man and Captain America escalated. Both had good intentions but different views on the way things should work. All in all, the movie deserved its 88 percent Meta Critic Rating.
And without giving anything away, I must say that the movie definitely gave the Marvel fans what they expect to come out on various characters and what they can do.
This Film definitely highlights out how great Marvel and Disney have been getting it done for over the course of 8 over years. It also highlights how disappointing Batman v Superman was in story line and setting up of their DC universe.
The tragedy of DC is that while I am a Marvel Fan, DC has always had the better stories and more complex nature to Graphic Novel Story Telling. Unfortunately, DC has the misfortune of choosing a Director that really did not translate the story line of Frank Miller's Batman v Superman into film screen well enough.
The only biggest hits DC had in recent history would be Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy and a great visual representation and story direction on Man of Steel by Zack Snyder.
However, I got to repeat myself and say that Zack royally screwed this Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice film.
Nevertheless, Enjoy Marvel's Captain America: Civil War and more to come from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It's time for the highlights of STGCC 2015 this year!
It has become a yearly affair for me and this year is no different. As usual, the artworks and toys are what draws me to the Singapore Toy, Games, Comic Convention 2015 and here are the highlights of the things I have seen and browse through in the event:
Jason Freeny's Lego Man Anatomy
Prepping for the Biggest Movie of 2015, Hot Toys present its Star Wars Line Up
I believe that this would be the first time that Hot Toy's main features are from Star Wars. The sheer fan power of Star Wars clearly overshadowing the Marvel's limelight in 2015.
An epic sculpture diorama of Evil Ryu vs Oni
Artworks from Irene Saputra. Artist Alley showcasing South East Asian and Local Artist.
Check her works out at strangedear.tumblr.com
Panda in Space Suit by Cacooca
Awesome Painted sculpts by Daniel Yu. Loving the Thanos Ape much!
XM Studios has grown so big. They are pretty much the most establish local sculpture studio. And they have most definitely come a long way since their haydays when I saw their works in 2010. These Dr. Strange Figure is of the highest quality and a great improvement from their older stuff.
Seeing XM Studios do the Inhumans are a dream come true for me. The sad part is just that I won't be able to buy it due to everything being sold out before the pre-orders are open. I kid you not when I say that their products are so high in demand that if you are not a premium member, you can forget about even making a pre-order because by the time it is open to the public, it is probably sold out.
I can but only ogle at their stuff in STGCC 2015. And I gotta say that they did a real awesome job with Black Bolt and Medusa.
Last but not least, it isn't a Comic Convention without your cosplayers.
Digging the unique touch of this cosplayer blending Captain America and Spider-man together. (Pardon my friend trolling at the back)
For more photoes on STGCC 2015, check out our Facebook album here.
I guess this pretty much sums up the big nerd and geek events for the year!
This time round, I am featuring the highlights on the Gundam Docs at Singapore Exhibition. Held in Ngee Ann City from 04 June 2015 to 28 June 2015, the exhibition showcases all the iconic Gundams and also features the 1/6 scale Zaku II Char's Custom and RX-78 Gundam.
While not as impressive as the 1:1 Scale that was in Odaiba and Shizuoka, there were a lot of Gundams on display that were awesome! On top of that, to celebrate Singapore's 50th year, Bandai got Kunio Okawara to design an SG-50 Version of the Classic RX-78 Gundam.
Here are the highlights for me from the exhibitions:
SG-50 RX-78 Display Statues
Awesome Display Model of the 1:60 SG-50 RX-78.
By the time I went to the exhibition, all scale size of the SG-50 RX-78 model kits were sold out. It is not big wonder that this SG-50 version would have been grabbed up by fellow Singaporeans and serious Gundam Collectors.
SG-50 RX-78 was the biggest highlight for me. The 1:60 MBF-P02 Gundam Astray Red Frame from Gundam SEED is by far the most badass Gundam in the Exhibition.
The most iconic Gundam, the RX-78 in his classic colours.
Gundam Zeta always stands out with his different face structure.
RX-178
Gundam Strike Freedom from Gundam SEED
Lastly, it is the MS-06S Zaku II Char's Custom Version
Check out the rest of the Gundam Docks Picture in our facebook album here.
This post is about 3 months or more late. In fact Ant-Man has already come and gone.
Nevertheless, here is the rundown of the trinkets and features that were in various parts of Singapore during the period when Avengers: Age of Ultron. For more pictures, Check out my Facebook page album here.
Head Bust by Hot Toys showcasing at Vivocity Singapore
Hot Toys also featured War Machine as part of the Lineup of Age of Ultron Hot Toys Figures.
Artist Mix Avengers Figurines from Hot Toys
Artist Mix Avengers Figurines from Hot Toys
Statues of our Various Avengers
1:1 Scale Hulkbuster in ION Orchard
Much of all these features were sponsored by Action City, the sole distributor for Hot Toys. And with Star Wars just around the corner, Hot Toys can only grow bigger. With the rise in demand for their products, I do hope they will continue to produce High Quality figures and better head sculpts. Lastly, I do hope that they won't increase the prices too high and continue to productively listen to the fans' feedback on their stuff.
So for those who have not already know... San Diego Comic Con 2015 has wrapped up and boy was it filled with a heap loads of teasers and trailers and movie panels that would have just blow everyone's minds apart. It just tears me apart that 1. It is so hard to get a ticket for SDCC. 2. I don't have the $$$$ or time to go there this year. 3. SDCC being so epic.
So I shall just sit in my sad corner and list down the highlights on what has gone down in SDCC 2015.
Toys
1. HOT TOYS
HOT TOYS under the sole distribution of Sideshow Collectibles in the US has featured the entire line-up of the Avengers: Age of Ultron in SDCC 2015. Aside from what has already been released to the public, Maria Hill was added to the lineup. However, Quicksilver remains to be seen. Perhaps because of his death, there might not be a release of the figure. It is probable but highly unlikely that they would just not release Quicksilver at all. (Hot Toys has shown a action figure base recently with Quicksilver titled on it.)
Stan Lee taking a look at the Captain America and Iron Man Age of Ultron Hot Toys.
Maria Hill. The new addition to the Hot Toy's Age of Ultron Lineup
Age of Ultron Lineup
Yellow Jacket
Ant-Man
With Ant-Man coming in a few days time, it was appropriate and great timing for Hot Toys to release the Ant-Man and Yellow Jacket. For me, if the film is fantastic, I might eye on getting Ant-Man.
Onto the Star Wars franchise, Hot Toys fetures the Millenium Falcon Cockpit which was absolutely fabulous. It also showed the Tie Fighter 1/6 scale which was pretty damn epic. However, Hot Toys had embark on making "The Bat" from the Dark Knight Rises film which ultimately did not achieve mass production. Therefore, I am quite skeptical if the supply would meet the demand on the Tie Fighter.
Tie Fighter
Chewy and Solo. Coolest Bros in the Galaxy
Coolest Guy you want on your side in a Gun Fight.
2. Dark Horse: Game of Thrones
Dark Horse has released additional characters to the Game of Throne Series. Brienne, Sansa, Oberyn, Daenaerys and Drogon are only but a part of this lineup. While I am not too fond of the detailing, especially their previous action figures, the resemblance for some of these figures are pretty spot on. Oberyn and Grey Worm would be my favourite for this lineup.
Sansa Stark after leaving the Vale
Daenarys and Drogon
Grey Worm, Commander of the Unsullied
Margaery Tyrell
Oberyn Martell, The Red Viper
Lady Brienne of Tarth
3. Todd McFarlane's Game of Throne Builds.
McFarlane Toys has been always diversifying and giving its own take on toys and collectibles. With the success of his recent Walking Dead building sets, Todd has come up with the Game of Thrones Builds. As featured in SDCC, there two builds that are going to be release. The "Mother
of Dragons" set and the "Iron Throne" set. I got to say, they looks pretty awesome. If the diorama is done well and with a bit of fine tuning or painting customization, it can look super crazy epic.
Mother of Dragons Set
Iron Throne Set
Movie Panels
1. Marvel Universe
Weirdly enough, I have not uncover any Marvel Studio Film Panels, but the highlights for Marvel would be from Fox Studios. For starters, the main cast for X-Men Apocalypse was there to promote the X-Men Apocalypse film that will be featuring in 2016.
Epic Poster for the X-Men Apocalypse
The whole crew including Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Gambit (Channing Tatum)
So everyone from the X-Men First Class Cast shall be reprising their roles with new additions like Sophie Turner aka Sansa Stark, who shall be taking up the role of Jean Grey, Olivia Munn as Psylocke, ALexander Shipp as Storm and Lana Condor as Jubilee.
DC is giving Marvel a run for its money with the recent release of the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Trailer. It looks supremely epic and the panel must have went wild seeing it.
Much Love for one another despite their differences.
It has only been two days or so and the trailer is about to hit 20 million views. That is saying something. While DC have been left far behind in blockbuster movies compared to Marvel, perhaps this is the moment where they become the comeback kid to fight against Marvel.
On top of the Batman v Superman Panel, The Suicide Squad packed their own punch in releasing their trailer that can be seen in this link: https://vid.me/NHC9
3. Star Wars Universe
There isn't much to be said other than the word "epic". Unlike most of my fellow close friends, I am the lesser hardcore fan of the Star Wars Story. However, the magic atmosphere, story and legacy behind the movies is just so overwhelmingly powerful. Since it's announcement of a new trilogy that will continue 20 years after Return of the Jedi, the whole vibe on the Star Wars universe has been supremely positive. And the panel just speaks all of that.
Other Highlights
Epic Warcraft Footman Displays
So there was a feature of the Warcraft Trailer in Comic Con but no leaks so far, so we just gotta wait until it comes up.
Epic Statues from Warcraft on what to expect in the upcoming Warcraft Movie.
Lastly, it is the Hunger Games: Mocking Jay 2 Panel. If you haven't already seen it yet, the trailer was amazing. it does tease you and fill you up with anticipation. Whether you are a Hunger Game fan or not, the trailer does give the whole "Shit about to get real" vibe.
Wow, honestly, this barely even covers half of what SDCC 2015 is. But all the features that were shown...Man oh Man oh Man... What a glorious day to be alive and experience all this.
But most definitely sad to not be able to be there to really get into the whole feel of being a part of SDCC 2015.
