Toy Construct: November 2014

Hey Everyone

It's been awhile since we last updated as things have gotten busy...on the nerdy side :) JQ and I (along with some friends from home) were finally able to make our way to the New York Comic Con 2014, and boy did we have a blast! I think we still have the NYCC vibes going strong in us...

For the NYCC, JQ and I will be writing up 2 separate posts to show the best of our photos together on this blog. Be sure to look around for JQ's post that'll come later!

And your esteemed authors did dress up for NYCC: JQ as Finn from Adventure Time and I pulled out my Anovos BSG Raptor jacket. JQ and I geeked out with fellow nerds, stood amazed by fantastic cosplayers, oogled over miniatures, rubbed shoulders with a Hollywood actor (some $$$ involved - I'll leave that to JQ to spin a tale about it), and even lightened our wallets at the Artists's Gallery. If you're a nerd, you owe it to yourself to make it to the NYCC (or SDCC) at least once in your life!

*Nerdgasm*

We only spent Saturday and Sunday at NYCC and one thing for sure...it was always packed when we were there. When we first entered, we were nearly flattened by how many people crowded into the Jarvits Center, and NYCC must be making a killing with the admission fees! Even though our entrance was the first moment of our NYCC experience, we already spied some really cool cosplaying going on...especially the MarioKart one.

This is awesome cosplay. I love the spirit!

The passion is strong in this group...

Lots of time and effort must have gone into these costumes.

"Make way for the Dark Lord Sauron!" - actual words from an escort.

First, we grabbed a quick bite and proceeded first to the main floor to check out the assorted booths of dealers and merchandise. Lots of comic books (even some renowned classics), miniatures, collectibles, statues, and clothing were all up for sale. Interestingly, the main floor even had a booth that allowed you to draw and clip it up to showcase your artistic talents, and some of them were really good.

Sometimes you wonder if the comic con is an arena for comic book stores...

The world-famous Action Comics #1: rated a 6-ish but still commands a hefty fee I wager.

J Scott Campbell's Gwen Stacy - a lovely piece.

Sideshow's Chewbacca Premium Format Figure - easily out of my range...for a long time.

Over 9000!!!

A showcase of artistic talent among the visitors - some are pretty impressive!

Although we only had our minds set on spending in the Artists's Gallery, we did see some awesome collectibles. We saw a good variety of models/prototypes, such as Machinen Krieger, Megaman, TMNT (by James Jean which looks way cooler than Bay's), and Attack on Titan (I'm told that this is a kick-ass Anime line). We saw more comic book shops than manufacturers displaying their wares, I wonder if SDCC would have more toylines...or it's entirely possible that we missed displays too.

TruForce's Megaman: a project that may end up on Kickstarter.

Sentinel's Ma.K Fliege - the baddies's first response to the Firefly suit of the good guys.

Sentinel's Ma.K Kauz in White - the later version that replaced the Fliege.

Good Smile Company's TMNT: Uber Cool!

Good Smile Company's Titan: Repulsive yet strangely alluring...

Somehow by accident, we managed to catch the end of the Street Fighter: Assasin's Fist panel. If you haven't known yet, it's a new live-action web-series based on Street Fighter that have received great reviews. It's about Ryu and Ken uncovering their master's (Gouken) past and learning more about the dark art of ansatsuken ("assassination fist"). We managed to chit-chat with some of the actors, and managed to get a photo with Akira Koieyama aka Gouken.

Scoring a massive nerd-doken by chilling with Akira Koieyama!

Weta Workshop had a tremendous presence at NYCC. It goes without saying that they set the standard for props and miniatures, and best known for their excellent work with Peter Jackson's LOTR/Hobbit movies. They went to town with their displays,with a huge statue of Azog from the Hobbit, and the humongous dragon head even served as a landmark for us! It was incredible to look through their workmanship and wonder at the great amount of talent involved.

The Infamous Azog - hot damn.

Three Words: Parenting Done Right.

It's easy to hear Cumberbatch's voice in my head now...

Bard - definitely a big role in the coming (and thankfully last) Hobbit movie.

The Gate to Erebor - a forlorn reminder of the past glory of the dwarves.

The NYCC also featured a display of various Batman costumes used in the various movies. It was kinda hard to take photos of them since the crowd was considerable and the glass panels (though necessary) reflected lots of light/images back. It was really cool to stand close to the costumes we only saw on the screen, not to forget the "nipple Batman!"

The Sonar Suit - Batman Forever.

It should be noted that nipples didn't destroy Clooney's career.

I'm still wondering how his back was fixed.

It goes without saying that the cosplayers are "heartbeat" of NYCC. These guys and gals have our utmost admiration, for their passion and time-investment in making costumes that are awesome to behold, and their patience and enthusiasm in welcoming us taking photos of them. We saw some really awesome ones, and some of them even talked in character! We had an awesome moment with a guy dressed as the Black Knight - but I'll leave that to JQ to regale the tale to you all since he was in the middle of it!

Khal Drogo graced us with his biceps.

Black Cat: Mrrrreeeeeooow!

JQ and Cammy looking good!

Samwell Tarly! A true hero.

I think it's awesome when a whole family dresses up!

The tactical Robocop!

Kitty Pryde: I feel sorry she had to leave her lunch on the floor.

I can tell that this group is awesome.

The Arrow and Black Canary from the awesome series.

That's a power DC couple!

Jessica Rabbit and She-trooper - Girl Power!

Flame Con is planned to be the first LGBTQ Con - going on Kickstarter until Dec 4th
(https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/geeksout/flame-con-nycs-first-lgbtq-comic-con)

A comic con also needs to have art, lots of art. JQ and I made our way to Artists's Gallery, and we had a sensory overload. Rows upon rows of artists had displays up, and on our first trip we sampled and marked out artists we would like to buy from. We gave ourselves a day to deliberate over the art that caught our eye, and bought our art on the 2nd day. Needless to say, this was where most of our spending went to! (the day of waiting did not make us spend less unfortunately)

You just gotta love art - I try to avoid not to take in Artist's Gallery but some are just too good.

A fight that has certainly been a topic of many discussions.

The Product of an Inefficient Healthcare System - A Stellar Series.

If days were 48hrs long, I might have time to play this game!

One of the most memorable characters in video game history - The Illusive Man.

TURTLE POWER!

JQ and I certainly had an memorable time at NYCC, and as all good things go...they always have an end. However, getting a taste of the awesomeness of a "real" comic con, we foresee ourselves going to another in the future, even perhaps the fabled SDCC! For the future comic con, we plan to dress up once again (maybe a little more hardcore), maybe plan and catch a panel, and post about our exploits once again on this humble blog :)