Final post for 2014

As my final toy-related endeavor for the year 2014, I recently participated in the Ozinefest in SM Megamall and it was a blast being able to once again join a convention and just be able to hang out with members of the community. I was part of the Figmanila group for the display but also hanged out with members of SHF Philippines. Here are a few pictures of the exhibit:

And of course, I couldn't go to a convention without a haul... so I got myself a Banpresto Yoko Littner statue in her flight steward costume! Loose but in great condition...and at a great price too! Yay!

And in parting, just a quick shout out before we end 2014! Thanks Blogger for letting me have a few rants and raves over the past year! See you again in 2015!

Vigilante street justice

In recent weeks, I have acquired figures of two of my favourite vigilantes: TMNT's Casey Jones and the Dark Knight, Batman! 

I was able to purchase Casey Jones due to an influx of Playmates Nick TMNT Series 3(?) line in the mall, which he happened to be part of. I've been wanting the figure ever since I saw the pics plus it's a good nod to my childhood as Casey Jones was the only TMNT figure I had when I was 7. While the new Casey looked nothing like the old one, I am liking the skull-faced scary look he sports now. 

He mostly has a grey-black outfit but still utilizes sports equipment as his arsenal. Albeit. this is a younger version of the character, he now utilizes roller blades and a hockey goalie guard in addition to the traditional hockey stick and baseball bat. For a Playmates non-Turtle release, he's got really good articulation and is actually more posable than most DC Collectibles figures. 

If I had one gripe about this fig, that would be the non-painted weapons and lack of a backpack. The weapons look really plain with the white wash and the "hooks" on the back where he carries the weapons isn't really aesthetic. Otherwise, he's a really good figure that I am proud to put alongside my other Turtle figures: 

My other more recent acquisition is one from my personal fanboy wishlist: the DC Collectibles Arkham Origins Batman. The Batman costume sports his game look from Rocksteady's Arkham series and it is awesome! Definitely one of the best Batman sculpts ever! (And I am very picky when it comes to Batman figures so I don't say this often.)

Again, absolutely awesome. Articulation, surprisingly, is at par with that of Playmates plus it has an ankle pivot which is awesome! (Yeah, I'm using the word "awesome" one too many times.) With some free time, I think I'll be pitting this guy against another famous billionaire: 

Till then!

Turn-back Thursday (TBT) featuring Figma Emiya Shirou and Saber 1.0

Introducing a new segment here in TRCP that I would like to call the Turn-back Thursday (TBT) feature! (Now, there's something original!). In this new segment, I propose to feature an old photo I've taken each week as a sort of a looking back on my more than 10-year history as a toy collector. This would feature my earlier works that for me, gives me a good perspective of how far I've come from my simple point and shoot to the pictures I am producing today. 

Today, I feature my very first Figma power couple: Emiya Shirou and Saber 1.0 from the anime Fate Stay Night which was first aired in 2006. 

Both characters exhibit a strong sense of duty but both clash continuously as Shirou is a weak mage with a naive sense of justice while Saber is a powerful Servant but driven to correct past wrongs caused by her insecurities as King of Camelot. It's an interesting dynamic as they struggle with each other throughout the series but eventually come to a mutual understanding by the end. 

I took this shot in 2012 as part of my Figma collection catalog and I use it as the cover photo of that album on my Facebook account. It's also, in my mind, a good representative of a staple I have used for most of my best photos which is the half-body, close up shot. I think many of my own favorite shots have this similarity in composition as I feel it provides ample emphasis on the character's face yet still provides enough body expression to make the shot look alive. 

Anyway, that's it for this week's feature. Tune in next week! Thanks! 

New hauls this October!

Christmas came early this year as my preorders from CWTOYS finally arrived last weekend! I am absolutely stoked about my new acquisitions: 

Robot Spirits God Gundam; my favorite Gundam of all time

SH Figuarts Iron Man Mk XLII and Iron Patriot from Iron Man 3

SH Figuarts 1st batch gift prize Tony's Sofa

Figma Iron Man Mk VII Full Spec Version

I did not realize how Iron Man-centric this haul was until I had them on hand. Haha! 

At the same time, since we were already meeting at the Good Shepherd Bazaar, I decided to pick up a few minifigure playsets: 

SY 304: Iron Man's suit up gantry

SY 305: Tony Stark's Laboratory and Hall of Armor

DeCool Iron Man Hulkbuster armor

More Iron Man stuff! Yay! I still lack the walkway gantry, the third IM playset though as well as the minifigure for Iron Man Mk I which came along a 9-figure set that was mostly reissues. I didn't feel like spending again for a bunch of minifigures that I already had so I had to pass on Mk I for now. Hopefully, I'd be able to score a solo one in the future. 

All of them look completely glorious in their respective boxes and my hands were literally itching to open them up and fiddle around with them, especially the RD and Full Spec. More so on the RD since I've been literally dreaming of that figure ever since Bandai first announced its release! Can't wait to get posing on that one!

For now, really really happy with my new purchases. Hopefully, I get to whip out the SLR and take some shots really soon. 

Kamen Rider Kabuto 2.0

The Cast off! Change Beetle! 

Recently just acquired the SH Figuarts Kamen Rider Kabuto Rider Form Ver 2.0 (that was a mouthful!). It sports a whole new body, with a whole new range of articulation and is a lot more show-accurate than its 2009 predecessor. 

To be honest, I was of two minds in getting this since a) I already had a Kabuto in my SHF collection and b) I was cutting back on my SHF purchases down to just essentials i.e. Main rider forms and ultimate forms only. But I said to myself, he's your favorite Rider; get him. So I did.  And boy, was I glad I did. 

The sculpt on him is amazing. It's like I'm holding the actual suit on the show in my hand. Much like Black 2.0, Bandai has talen steps to ensure that the figure looks as much as its real show counterpart as possible. 

Other than show accuracy, the most notable difference from Ver 1 to 2 is the bulkier sculpt. No longer do we have a lanky Kabuto figure with curving knee joints. We actually have a figure that has the bulk to really represent a man wearing armor. 

Articulation is topnotch as well. The Rider Kick pose took me awhile to balance but it was totally worth it to see this figure execute the pose so well. Played with the figure for a couple of hours and it was really fun getting it into various poses. The Impact Effect from Bandai added a great deal to the fun factor too so I recommend picking that up as well as this figure. 

All in all, this is a really great figure, one that I would love to do a proper toy shoot off in the near future. 

Till next time!