STGCC 2015

Hi all,

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!

Hope you guys like it!

Gundam Docks at Singapore 2015

Hi and its me again!

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.

Avengers: Age of Ultron in Singapore

Oh how Time has passed by too fast.

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.

Reason to make me feel crappy that I wasn't in San Diego Comic Con 2015

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.

Deadpool and Gambit

In my opinion, the main highlight for Marvel was the release trailer of Deadpool as shown in this link by dorkly: (http://www.dorkly.com/post/75251/youre-seriously-missing-out-if-you-dont-watch-the-leaked-deadpool-trailer?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=amplification) This wil lbe the first R-rated Marvel Movie. Just as how a Deadpool movie should be. It looks promising and I would safely say the coolest shit coming out of Fox that is from the Marvel Comics.

GAWD, Why am I not at SDCC2015

2. DC Universe

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.

Oh well.. one day.. I will.. SOON ENOUGH.

Avengers: Age of Ultron Movie Review

It has been 25 days in release and the Avengers: Age of Ultron film has gross $1.277 billion dollars. Amazingly, many would consider this a weaker performance in comparison tp the first Avenger's Movie. Some may reason that the Manny Pacquaio v Mayweather fight took away a chunk of the Avenger's earnings. More Surprisingly, many slated that this would be the top dog for 2015 in terms of highest grossing film. And yet it is still close to 300 million dollars shy from what Furious 7 made this year.

Large consensus felt that the movie did not make a significant impact compared to its first movie but was it truly bad? Does it really deserve a mere "mehhh" in its entirety?

Being the crazy Marvel Fan I am, I will try as much to put as little bias in this review and shed some light as to what I think about the film. To begin (SPOILER ALERT), I shall give a summary of the film's plot.

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So after a whole bunch of movies showing our Main Heroes (Iron Man, Thor and Captain America) doing their own thing. Each of the movies lead to the the Avengers uniting once more. The movie begins with the team shutting the last remnant stronghold of HYDRA to obtain Scepter that was given to LOKI by Thanos.

In the battle where the Avengers are assaulting Hydra, we are made aware that the world has changed quite a bit, there are growing presence of enhanced humans that the Avengers know and have dealt before. Upon acquiring the scepter, Tony Stark discovers with Dr. Banner that the scepter contains a Mind Construct that could be the final key to initiate the Ultron Program which was intended to protect the Earth from an Alien Invasion. Consequentially, The Ultron AI is created but does not turn out the way Stark and Banner foresees it to be. Ultron enters the physical world and is bent on causing the extinction of the Human Race as he sees that the only way to protect the human race is for them to evolve or die. He recruits Hydra's greatest enhanced humans (Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver aka The Twins) to aid in his plans of stopping the Avengers.

The Avengers assemble to fight with Ultron and the Twins but are beaten promptly as Scarlet Witch manipulate their minds with visions of fear. It rattles the team and makes them disunited. Subsequently, Ultron uses the "cradle" to create what he deems as a perfect physical form in which he aims to upload his conscience into. The Twins realize Ultron's plan for human extinction and turn on him. The Rag Tack Avengers come back to stop Ultron from fully uploading his conscience into the body inside the cradle. Upon taking the cradle from Ultron, Stark decided to upload JARVIS conscience which he discovers was fighting Ultron online. Captain America and the Twins opposes this but after the Avengers tussle, Vision is born from the cradle. The Avengers are uncertain of his loyalties until Vision is able to lift Thor's hammer.

Ultimately, we see uncover Ultron's plan to lift the city of Sokovia and send it crashing down like an asteroid, plunging the human race into extinction. The Avengers with the addition of Vision and the Twins make their final showdown in stopping Ultron and wins. The whole film serves as a prelude to many things that each hero must answer for on their own. Scarlet Witch's vision that she had given to each of the hero serves as foreshadowing for what they must discover in their own movies.

And that, boys and girls is the summary of what is the basic plot of the show.

Having seen the show a number of times and hearing as to the various critics of the shows, I have come up with a few good and bad points.

For starters, I shall start on the bad points of the show:

1. Got a Little Draggy at some points:

Fans and non-fans alike highlighted that there were some parts that got a little draggy and I ahve to admit that that was true. There were moments in the show where you realize that the pace of the film slowed to a stuttering speed which could have made weary audiences dozing off. One of which was Hawkeye's safehouse scene. I can understand that Joss Whedon wanted to add more depth to Hawkeye's character but it was something that really got quite draggy for a bit. Pacing was a little lacking compared to the first Avengers.

2. Ultron. WHY YOU NO BADASS?

There were many fans who felt that Ultron's cavalier and candid demeanor made him less sinister than he was suppose to be. His occasional humor added to him being less scary than many of the Marvel fans know him to be.  Furthermore, with all the powers of being Ultron, a supremely powerful A.I, he was not very smart in wrecking more CHAOS. Aside from attempting to hack nuclear codes, he could have disrupt many network functions that could have brought the World tp its knees. (Loki's wet dreams if he were ruler of Earth) Or should we just presume that JARVIS got the whole cyber highway protected and if a battered JARVIS could do that, that makes Ultron look even crappier as a Villain.

3. Bad Russian Accents from the Twins
 
This doesn't even need elaboration. It was just cringe-worthy and cheesy to hear the generic Russian Accent coming out of Aaron Taylor Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen.

4. Scarlet Witch Costume Reveal for her as one of the new Avengers was weird.

During the end scene where the new Avengers' Team was revealed, Scarlet Witch looked more like a teen popper singer than a hero ready to fight some bad guys. The well permed hairdo and swanky costume just made me feel a lil weird.


5. Old Tricks don't always get the same response

There were several scenes that you could identify that were very similar to the first Avenger film. And while it still give a wow factor, it didn't cause as great an impact as the first show, but that's an issue all sequels struggle with.

However, despite these pertinent factors that made the show less than legendary, the sequel was still a good sequel. Joss Whedon did not pull a Matrix Revolution on this movie and there are great factor that makes this film score a distinction. Here are the Good points about the film

1. Took everything good in the original Avenger and use it again.

This was kind of a double edge sword but you got to give it to Joss Whedon for taking everything that's right and putting it in. Many of the Humorous scenes were based on critics and fans that pointed out that were funny about each of the characters/heroes. Furthermore, the battle sequences were still pretty epic. I guess there is quite some worth in the "If it ain't broken, don't fix it" phrase in this show.

2. Death of a Hero!

At least for now. I guess we have all been taking pokes at Marvel for resurrecting every damn hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but with the death of Quicksilver in protecting Hawkeye. This would be Marvel's first time in killing off a hero. I am quite sure it is also an indirect flip of a bird to FOX as Quicksilver is also related to the X-Men. By giving Quicksilver a death. it could perhaps leave less room for FOX to develop on the character.

3. More depth in Characters that the audiences are less familiar with

While some may disagree, I feel it was great to focus more on the characters that did not have a solo film. The focus on Hawkeye and his relevancy in the team was a realistic one and it was something that needed to be dug into. The Black Widow and Hulk romance got a lil awkward at times but it still did give audiences more insight on Bruce Banner's and Natasha Romanov's character.

4. Hulkbuster vs The Hulk

Enough said. Fans wanted it. Non-fans loved it. The Veronica Protocol beats the House Party Protocol anytime.

5. Vision

We have seen him as Jarvis. it is great to see Paul Bettany rise up as Vision. I like the way how Vision is fascinated with humanity. I like that even though he agrees with Ultron that the humans are flawed and are most certainly doomed that there is beauty in their failings and that he is proud to be with them despite not being Human himself.

6. Great Humor

While being over-marketed, the "Lifting Thor's Hammer" scene was a real wise-cracker. Hawkeye lines gave me a great laugh too. Especially the part where he wanted to aim an arrow at Quicksilver while saying "Noone would know..." And these are but one of the many lines that brought life to the film.

All in all, it is a great show. it ain't the first, but I honestly feel that it isn't one of those sequels that should not have been made. Could they have done it better? Perhaps. But I feel that the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe has matured quite a bit with this Phase Two Avengers and while it may not have killed 2015 box office. It's in a strong number two and I am confident that Marvel as a whole is going in the right direction.

And the movie also serves as an influence to consumers to get Marvel Franchised Products.

Speaking of which, below are the HOT TOYS Avengers: Age of Ultron lineup so far. Of which, I am getting Ultron, Hulkbuster and probably Vision. (Updated: Hot Toys have also released the Iron Legion and War Machine figures)

These stuff are real blood suckers.. but I guess I can't help it. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has unleashed the old Marvel Fan Boy I was. For all you Hot Toys collectors out there, Do you think they would be releasing Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch characters for the Avengers: Age of Ultron Movie?

And other than that, do leave a comment on what is your take on the movie?

Till then, toodle loo!