SHEWSBURY LAND

Transformers DOTM CyberVerse - Megatron

2013-05-21T09:00:00.000+08:00

This is Transformers Dark Of The Moon CyberVerse Megatron produced by Hasbro though eventually this is specially for the Japanese market and thus there is a label of Takara Tomy on the packaging as well. Despite not being a hardcore fan of Transformers series, I do like Megatron and I think he is one of my favorite villain of all time. He is simply a bad ass bad guy boss and even though he don't like McDonald's Big Mac burger like I did, he is one cool bad ass boss, way much better than that Loki from "The Avengers" movie.

The packaging;

Out of the packaging, apart from the action figure, you will get all these, basically all of them are in Japanese language. Basically the transformation manual, some relevant products brochures or advertisement and a character card. I'm not sure if you get the same (probably in English language) if you buy the typical Hasbro version (for US and/or international market excluding Japan).

Although out of packaging, the Megatron comes in robot mode but for this review, I like to do the vehicle mode first and focus on the robot mode later. So for now, let's have a look at the vehicle mode - its a "Mack Truck" with a some sort of military color scheme.

I think the design, detailing and painting finishing of the vehicle mode is very good, considering the price bracket. I'm happy with what I see, this is a nice Mack Truck carrying oil or water tank (or probably those toilet waste LOL).

Now the robot mode - Megatron the meat lover carnivore LOL...

A little bit of close up to see the detailing on this robot mode;

I think the robot mode is quite decent. I personally dislike the overly long arms, reminds me of those monkey or chimpanzee with long arms. The legs and foot parts seems to be a bit funny but that's the way they designed it so considering the cheap price of this item, I guess we shouldn't be too harsh in complaining. Want a better one? spend more money and get the bigger and better one... simple as that.

Articulation is quite good though nothing spectacular. We try the usual kneeling pose and this is the best he can do which is not that bad at all;

Doing action pose with Megatron is way much easier if compared to the Sentinel Prime.

The weapon, this tank basically is the weapon after some simple transformation process;

This what you will get - 2 large cannons;

And this is how you put them on both of his hands.... doesn't looks so elegant though but not much you can do, this is it;

You can also combined those cannons and put it in any hand/arm that you preferred;

Overall, despite my few complains here and there, this is still a very good representation of Megatron in the CyberVerse series with a friendly price. Transformation process is a whole lot easier and I love it a lot. The Mack Truck mode is very nice addition to one of the many forms of Megatron that we have seen over the years while the robot mode is as bad-ass as he should be. I'm happy with this one.

end

Transformers DOTM CyberVerse - Sentinel Prime

2013-05-20T12:47:00.000+08:00

This is Transformers Dark Of The Moon CyberVerse Sentinel Prime produced by Hasbro though eventually this is specially for the Japanese market and thus there is a label of Takara Tomy on the packaging as well. Since recently they are available at a discounted/clearance price for a mere SGD 10.00 ( about USD 8.10 / EUR 6.30 / 832 Yen) I guess its a great bargain to grabbed them now. Sometimes being a late adopter can be rewarding. The original retail price is actually SGD 15.60 (about USD 12.50 / EUR 9.70 / 1,280 Yen).

So let's have a look at this Transformers action figures, first the packaging;

I like this kind of packaging as you have the option to pack everything and put them back into the packaging again if you wish to do so. I always wished that Hasbro can do the same for those 3.75 inches action figures from Star Wars, Marvel and/or what ever series or movies that Hasbro produced rather than those typical single card syle (example as below);

With the above packaging style, it's quite difficult to pack the figures back to their original packaging. Some collectors don't give a damn about the packaging photos, they just tear it apart, take out the figure and throw away that packaging, most important is the figure are in tip top condition. Some collectors do try to preserved anything they can and thus they "unpacked" the figure from the packaging carefully however way they knew or could but it's pretty difficult to keep it perfect. I believe those Marvel and G.I. Joe and probably many other action figure series produced by Hasbro are packed using this way.

Now when we look back at this "Transformers CyberVerse" packaging style, surely one can be careful in "unpacking" the action figure, do their review or play around with it and once they done or tire with it, they can pack them all back nicely and maybe put it somewhere in their treasure chest or even put it for sale in the second hand market. Everybody happy.

Anyway, not much we can say on that, we can complain all we like but at the end it's Hasbro who have the power to decide and I think they probably have their own reason to do it that way.

So back to this Sentinel Prime, out of the packaging, apart from the action figure, you will get all these, basically all of them are in Japanese language. Basically the transformation manual, some relevant products brochures or advertisement and a character card. I'm not sure if you get the same (probably in English language) if you buy the typical Hasbro version (for US and/or international market excluding Japan).

Although the Sentinel Prime comes in robot mode but for this review, I like to do the vehicle mode first and focus on the robot mode later. So for now, let's have a look at the vehicle mode - its a fire brigade engine truck or what ever you call it. In the packaging it says "Rosenbauer Phanter 6x6 Fire Truck".

I don't know much about Transfomers toys series, I do have a few of them, not much, I'm a fan though not really a hardcore fan, basically I'm just a toy collectors who love fun toys thus I personally think that this "CyberVerse" series is the most logical "entry level" series for collectors. Although, some collectors have their own definition of what "entry level" means depending on the thickness of their wallet, but judging from our local market here, I guess this should be decent enough for "entry level" on a small budget. I knew there is another series with a more simple transformation process and simple detailing and a little more cheaper than this price range but I think they are more suitable to young kids/teenagers alike. This one seems to be more appealing to adult characters though that is not necessary the case either because I did mentioned earlier, different collectors/fans/person(s) have different opinion based on what they can afford.

The vehicle mode is nicely detailed (considering the price range), painting finishing quality is also good. Features wise not much we will get but at least that thing on the top can move freely 360 degree so I guess that's all we get and I'm fine with that.

Now the robot mode....

A little bit of close up look on the sculpt and detailing quality of this Sentinel Prime;

I think the robot mode looks good. The detailing is nicely done (again bear in mind the price range) and you get a very nice representation of Sentinel Prime at this price range. It doesn't cost a bomb so we can't expect much either.

Articulation is good but not spectacular. I still can try do the usual kneeling pose though it's far from perfect, but he can do it pretty well.

Other pose are also possible as long as you can balanced the Sentinel Prime accordingly.

These are the sword or the blade and the shield, the looks good, I like them;

Now we can put attached the sword/blade and the shield on his hands and start playing with it;

Overall, this is a very nice representation of Sentinel Prime from Transfomers DOTM movie at a decent price range and surely many adult collectors (as well as the young ones) can like this figure very well especially if you can get them at sweet discounted price. At times it can be pretty tricky to pose him correctly so you need to be patient in doing some adjustment and balancing the weight on his legs/foots part. It doesn't cost an armed and leg to get them so we should control our expectation and if you can do that, you will be pretty happy with what you pay on this figure - at least I am happy with it. Finally, long after the movie appeared in cinemas, I now have my Sentinel Prime.

end

Sega Toys Home Star Darth Vader

2013-05-16T09:00:00.000+08:00

This Homestar Darth Vader Planetarium produced by Sega Toys, released recently in April 2013.

The Homestar Darth Vader Planetarium follows on the heels of Sega Toys' other bestselling Star Wars planetarium devices, beaming incredible projections of the stars and constellations onto the ceiling of your room/home.

This one is of course modeled on the iconic helmet of Darth Vader, and you can also spot a TIE fighter flying among the stars too.

It's super simple to operate: Vader's helmet just pops open on the top, allowing you to enjoy the spectacle of thousands of stars and the Milky Way. Like Sega Toys' other Homestar planetarium models, the "starscape" has been designed by planetarium maestro Takayuki Ohira.

The original retail price is 6,000 Yen (about USD 59.00 / EUR 45.00 / SGD 73.00) but I thanks to my connection with some Japanese, I managed to get this with 50% discount.

So let's have a look at this item - first the rounded shaped packaging;

And now out of the packaging, the Darth Vader head;

The battery compartment is at the bottom, this thing needs 4 pieces of AAA-sized battery. The ON/OFF slider is just around the corner from the battery compartment.

This is the adjustment wheel though I don't understand what adjustment that it does...

And on top of the head you can see the light or bulb cover;

Just flip it up like this;

So I put this thing in the middle of my bedroom, switch off the light and then I can see all the stars on the ceiling of my bedroom, you can also pointed it onto your wall.

It's pretty dark so it's kind of challenging to do this absolute dark photography without using any flash assistance, this is the best result I can get - just click to enlarged them - that is basically what I saw on my bedroom ceiling;

Overall, this seems to be quite a cool stuff though it's nothing overly spectacular actually. The 50% discount that I get is probably the main reason why a farmer like me tempted t get such item but all in all, I kind of like it, it's cool. I guess if you are a big fan of Darth Vader, then I guess you may like this item. I like Darth Vader despite the fact that he is one of the main villain in the Star Wars Episode 4, 5 and 6 movies simply because when you look at it from my perspective, Anakin Skywalker a.k.a Darth Vader is probably the only "Jedi" ever to have sex and get married... even the great "Master Jedi" like the green shorty old fart Yoda, Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi never knew the taste of pleasure of making love with women. So this Anakin or Vader certainly have the balls of steel and he is indeed the true representation of "human character" in the movie.

More information about this product from the link below;

http://www.segahomestar.com/homestar-star-wars-darth-vader-home-planetarium

http://www.hlj.com/product/SEG77902/Rsc

end

Glit & Brillia Bento Box and Bag

2013-05-15T15:36:00.002+08:00

Being a farmer, working in a farm in a galaxy far, far away from any food outlets like McDonalds or what ever fancy or simple restaurant or dinners, I have to bring my own foods for lunch or otherwise I'll be starving...

Recently, I picked up this gorgeous Bento Box and Bag from one of those Japanese online shop, the price is a mere USD 7.00 for these 2 gorgeous items. They were made by Glit & Brillia of Japan.

So let's have a look at this Pink 2-Tier Bento Box;

The top compartment holds approximately 320ml of goodies, while the bottom holds 180ml, for a total of 1/2 a liter of storage in a very compact unit. Unlike many two-tier models, this one allows each compartment to be used separately, since the lid seal on the top and bottom are secure. Completely microwave and dishwasher safe, with the lids removed of course.

That's how "big" the compartment is... basically the typical 3.75 inches Hasbro figure can fit in perfectly well, maybe you can out up to 3 or 4 of them in any particular compartment depending on the design of the figure.

One thing you must remember about this thing is that if you hold the top compartment only, you may "missed" or "dropped" the bottom compartment;

So I guess this is the way to hold it accordingly;

Another way to solve this problem is by using some ribbons, tied them up like this;

And now let's have a look at this Red Bento Beg. It's always fashionable to carry about your bento in its own, cute little bag. This one is from Glit & Brillia, a fine maker of bento accessories. Weather proof and strong, so you can put even the heaviest of bento boxes with out worry that it will break or tear.

Dimensions: 19.5x15.5x10 (7.6x5.9x4 inches).

Although both items is produced by Glit & Brillia but the bag is made in their China factory while the bento box is made in their Japan factory.... amazing....

That's how the inside looks like;

And this is how it looks like when you put in the bento box inside the bag;

Overall this is quite a gorgeous bento box and the bag is a nice partner complimenting each other, if you like pink and red then I guess you would love this combination. On the other hand, the size is kind of a little too small for my liking as I tend to eat a lot during lunch, obviously I need a bigger one, this one may only enough for breakfast....

end

Digirama - The Princess And The Frog - Love And Sacrifice (Part 3 of 3)

2013-05-02T19:36:00.001+08:00

Start again from Part 1 of 3

end

Digirama - The Princess And The Frog - Love And Sacrifice (Part 2 of 3)

2013-05-02T19:36:00.000+08:00

Continue to Part 3

end

Digirama - The Princess And The Frog - Love And Sacrifice (Part 1 of 3)

2013-05-02T19:33:00.002+08:00

Continue To Part 2

end

Marvel Universe Comic Series - Captain America (Toys R' Us Exclusive)

2013-04-30T17:13:00.001+08:00

This is an action figure of Captain America from the "Marvel Universe - Comic Series" produced by Hasbro that comes with a light up action/display base exclusively for retailer Toys R' Us. The original retail price of this item when they first appear on the shelves of Toys R' Us is SGD 54.90 (about USD 45.00 / EUR 34.00 / 4,370 Yen) but recently as the stock is getting less, the price dropped to SGD 29.90 (about USD 25 / EUR 19.00 / 2,385 Yen) and I believe this price is quite decent and thus I finally grabbed it now after such a long wait - sometimes being a late adopters is not that bad, you may miss some great goodies but nothing beats cheaper price. As a side note, I redeemed my "Toys R' U" card points and I got SGD 10.00 vouchers so at the end I just paid SGD 19.90 (about USD 16.00 / EUR 12.00 / 1,590 Yen) for this - a very sweet deal.

Anyway, let's move on with the review... first the box/packaging;

I do like Marvel superheroes but I don't think I really wanna collect them all unless if the price drop to half from whatever I am paying now ^__^

Anyway, for those hardcore collectors, good luck with collecting all that you can see from the picture below;

So, out of the box, you will only get all these stuff;

This is the action based with lights effect powered by 3 units of AAA size battery;

You just need to press this button;

And there you are.... now the base have lights - though it only lighten up for around 5 to 6 seconds the most;

Now, let's have a look at the figure - Captain America;

From my personal point of view, I think his ass is a little too meaty - in other words a little fat LOL...

A little bit of close up look on the detailing and sculpt quality;

Articulation is very good, there are several pivot points on the head/neck, shoulder, arm, elbow (though noting on the wrist), chest, pelvis/hip, knee and lastly on the ankle. This usual kneeling pose is not a problem for this Captain;

The traditional trademark of the Captain, the American flag themed shield, at the box/packaging it says "Attack Shield";

And here you are, the Captain with his shield - looking strong and patriotic;

Let's try a little bit of action pose;

Eventually, I wanted to get the Captain America from "The Avengers" movie toy series but I can't find it any longer from many of the local shops here - I guess I just missed it but then again, the cheap price I paid for this item compensate my disappointment - at the end, I'm still happy with this one, at least finally now I have my Captain America;

And now we can try to imitate this scene from the movie "The Avengers";

And this is what I can came up with (obviously the typical with Shewsburian style);

Not perfect... but that is the Shewsburian style.... LOL

Now it's time to put the Captain on that action/display base;

Apparently, we can also put some other Hasbro figures onto that action/display base (obviously) and for now let's put the Black Widow and the Iron Man there;

And maybe this guy as well (isn't he supposed to be in the team as well?);

The 3 of them looks great together;

The top part of our display shelf is now dedicated to display Hasbro action figures and somewhere at the corner I'm pretty sure you can see those "Avengers";

Overall, this is a very good typical 3.75 inches action figure of Captain America from Hasbro and the light up action/display base is a very good accessories to have for such action figures. The paint job, sculpting and finishing quality of this action figure is quite good while the articulation doesn't disappoints unless of course if your expectation for such action figure is extremely high. The original retail price SGD 54.90 is never my cup of tea - I'm glad I waited so long for the discount and in a way I'm lucky coz this happen to be 1 out of the last 2 Captain America figure available from this particular toy series from our local Toys R' Us or rather we usually called them as simply TRU.

end

1/100 MG Crossbone Gundam X-1 Ver. Katoki - Shewsbury Custom Part 2 of 2

2013-04-22T17:12:00.000+08:00

This is a direct continuation from Part 1 from the link below;

http://www.shewsbury.com/2013/04/1100-mg-crossbone-gundam-x-1-ver-katoki.html

And now we will look at the beam saber/beam guns, stored in shoulder recharge racks - though eventually I will just focus more on the beam saber;

And here we are now with the beam saber - on both hands (usually its pretty rare we can see in the anime where the Gundam will really use 2 beam sabers at once, this is because they don't really fancy McDonald's Double Cheeseburger as much as they should, so can't really blame them LOL)

In fact a single beam saber is not that bad either;

Now we will look at the Core Block System which houses the pilot. They have the so called "panoramic monitor/linear seat cockpit" in torso with Core Block System using a Core Fighter.

Talking about the "Core Block System" and the "Core Fighter" - this is where most of my modification work was done - with no proper planning or vision what so ever, I just remove the X thingy and make it it simple like this;

However, the modification still ensure free movement of the thrusters as they would have thru the removed "X" thingy;

Let's take out the Core Fighter for a while to see more of it;

This is the Core Fighter in French Fries mode (LOL);

So now we gonna put them back in again;

Katoki Hajime being a mecha designer and a fan of Japanese Adult Video (pornography) always concern on the safety of the pilot of any particular mobile suit that he designed and thus he always emphasis extra protection measures in designing the overall pilot cockpit system - an important design characteristic of Katoki and this is the reason why I like most of his mecha design. If you like McDonald's Big Mac Burger or if you like Japanese Adult Video, I'm pretty sure you can easily appreciate the works of Katoki Hajime.

Overall, this is a brilliant Crossbone Gundam X-1 designed by Katoki Hajime and produced by Bandai accordingly. The actual/original look is mesmerizing but somehow I prefer this simplified version which I modified a bit. There are some concerns.complains raised by some others about the size of this MG kit. Although it is in the scale of 1/100 but once cannot deny that it is a tad short than the other Gundam at this scale. I don't really mind about that though I agree that it would be better if this can be a little bigger than it is now. My own personal complains about this model is the "lousiness" or the "softness" of the joints and certain other parts here and there which at the end forced me to solved them using super glue/cement and eventually this is one of the reason why I have to do the modification as well. All is good and well now, I'm happy with this model now and I like it a lot.

end

1/100 MG Crossbone Gundam X-1 Ver. Katoki - Shewsbury Custom Part 1 of 2

2013-04-22T17:08:00.001+08:00

This is a 1/100 scale 1/100 MG Crossbone Gundam X-1 Ver. Katoki - Shewsbury Custom. In a way, this is a review for the Crossbone Gundam of Version Katoki in the way you never seen before.

First thing first, this is the actual look (Note: I do not claim any rights on this picture. All rights and credits belong to the owner):

And this the modified look of my Mg Crossbone Gundam X-1, while still retaining the overall look of the actual/original, I basically just removed the "X" thingy at the back and of course I put all those "automotive accessories related" stickers - something that not many GunPlaMo fans would do. Other than that, I also did some weird changes on the front skirt - I use the extra units which I believe supposed to be the extra rear skirt - but hey, I wanted my to look different or maybe some will say "weird" than the others, so yeah, I choose a totally whacko front skirt.... I think no body like what I did but more importantly, I like it!!! I always believe that once a in while its fun to do something differently than what most other people did. Furthermore, this is "Shewsbury Custom" so yeah, I do what I like with it.

So before you proceed further, if you can read that is, just as a simple plain warning, if you expect this to be the typical GunPlaMoKit review like many others out there on the internet, you will be disappointed, this review is done based on the Shewsburian Style so if you don't like it, just shut the fuck up and go find a better review - there are thousands of them out there, just go Google them. In here, it's my way or the highway.

This kit is assembled by my 2 darlings, Jenifer and Jenny - they did a brilliant job on it, way much better than I could - all the credits goes to them, they deserve it. Though at the end I'm the one who did the final detailing and touch up as well the so called "modification" on the back pack.

In the past few years I fell lazy working on 1/100 Master Grade kits as I see them as something that is quite laboring though I still don't mind working on the smaller and simpler 1/144 HG kits - I'm just a lazy farmer, that's why.

Now let's go to the weapon - this is the buster gun, it can launch grenades (standard and nuclear warhead type) and this buster gun is basically a combined form of the beam zanber; zanbuster in which we will explore more later on as we go thru this review;

Here you are, the Gundam with his buster gun;

OK, now let's have a look the beam zanber and zanbuster that I mentioned earlier - you just need to spread them like this;

And this is it;

Now let's pose this uncle with the zanbuster;

And now with the beam zanber;

And now the fix armaments - first this brand marker/beam shield, mounted one on each forearm;

Here it is now with the brand marker/beam shield...

The ankle parts seems to be exciting as well with this gimmick;

Next, we will look at the heat dagger, stored in thighs, hand-carried in use, blades can extend or be launched from soles of feet - no jokes;

Although we mentioned earlier that the blades can extend or be launched from soles of feet - well, in real life or as far as this GunPlaMoKit concern, you have to actually plug it onto the soles of his feet.... like this;

And then you can kick all the scumbag of the universe!!!! LOL LOL LOL....

Next, we will look at the "weird front skirt" that I mentioned way much earlier;

There is some sort of armaments called "screw whip" stored inside this skirt;

And this is the "screw whip" - you can now use it to whack all those crazy bitch LOL;

Continue to Part 2 of this review (Click Here)

end

Transformers Hunt for the Decepticons Sea Attack - Ravage

2013-04-16T16:30:00.001+08:00

This is Ravage, one of the loyal minions of Soundwave from "Transformers Hunt for the Decepticons Sea Attack" toy series produced by Hasbro. As I mentioned in my previous post below, I bought this item together with the Shockwave from the second hand market for a very good price.

http://www.shewsbury.com/2013/04/transformers-dark-of-moon-shockwave.html

So now let's have a look at this Ravage;

The overall design and finishing work for this Ravage is quite decent especially in this cat/tiger/panther (or what ever) mode.There is "light piping" on the head which is good though on that particular head/face part, somewhere on the right side, there is visible screw which you can see from the picture below so "in a way" you can think of it as some sort of "eye" but the only drawback is there is none on the left side... sigh

In fact the "actual eye" is the one on the middle with red color;

This 2 canon at the back is kind of cool though I don't really fancy it too much, it's OK but not my favorite.

Visible Decepticons logo;

Articulation wise, in the form of animal - cat/tiger/panther or what ever - is very good and in fact even the tail part have good articulation as well;

The alternate transformation mode is quite ugly and doesn't really means anything (at least for me) and thus I never bother to transform this Ravage into it's alternate mode or the so called "earth entry mode". I think this animal form is as good as it gets, it looks cool and I like it a lot this way.

This is not really the Soundwave from the movie but then again apart from the Music Label Soundwave, this is the only other Soundwave that I've got so for fun sake, I pose them side by side and I think they both still looks great together;

Overall, this is a brilliantly designed Ravage by Hasbro. I like the "brighter" color scheme while the finishing job is equally decent and even though I don't like the other mode completely but it's there if you somehow like to play around with the transformation process - it's just not my cup of tea. However, this Ravage is surely cool and I'm quite pleased with it.

end

Takara Tomy A.R.T.S - Canon IV Sb + Serenar 28mm F3.5i

2013-04-11T17:50:00.000+08:00

This is "Takara Tomy A.R.T.S - Canon IV Sb + Serenar 28mm F3.5 I" - basically a miniature model of that particular camera, lens and accessory with the same name that exist long time ago during the film photography era, I guess in the 70's or 80's - I'm not really sure but certainly this thing do exist.

I saw this in one of the local toys & hobby shops in here and upon seeing it I decided to pick it up instantly coz this thing is just gorgeous!!!! I love camera and photography and this is really a sweet miniature models and it's pretty rare to see such classic model around.

The price is just SGD 7.00 (about USD 5.70 / EUR 4.30 / 564 Yen) and thus I think many of you wont think twice to grabbed this item with such decent price.

Furthermore, if we really want to buy the real camera - first it will be difficult to find, second it can be pricey and sometime it does not work anymore so you just buying a piece of classic junk for the sake of satisfying yourself - so a mere SGD 7.00 for this miniature model is quite reasonable - at least for me.

No box for this one, the shop just wrapped it up with some plastic bags, I'm fine with that.

Out of the plastic wrapper, we will get all these;

As you can see from the above picture, you can see the classic decal sticker there and you need to do a little bit of fun work with it but it's not difficult at all.... it's fun... those decal sticker enhanced the overall look of this camera;

So this is it now after we put all those decal stickers;

Let's have a closer look on this item - first the camera body;

The lens;

And finally this viewfinder (I guess);

Now it's time to put them all together;

And the final result is a brilliant looking miniature classic Canon range finder camera with add-on view finder and a fix range wide angle lens - I really love that classic look. There is modern digital range finder camera produced by Fujifilm called X100 that looks more or less the same - I dreamed to get it someday if I can afford it - such an ambitious dream for a mere farmer like me... sigh....

Size comparison with the typical 1/64 scale Hot Wheels die cast car model;

Side by side with my second camera, Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2, with this pancake lens set up I could say that this is the real modern range finder LOL....

Overall, this is an impressive miniature model from Takara Tomy with brilliant sculpt and casting, great painting job finishing and the final result is simply exciting. I knew Takara Tomy are good in producing miniature toys and this is yet another wonderful creation from their talented designing team. Frankly speaking I never knew anything about this Takara Tomy A.R.T.S before and this is my first encounter with their products and so far I am impressed and looking forward for more.

If you can understand Japanese, then try visit their website = http://www.takaratomy-arts.co.jp/

end

Transformers Dark of the Moon - Shockwave

2013-04-04T12:41:00.000+08:00

I bought these 2 used items from a local collectors for a mere SGD 35.00 (about USD 28.00 / EUR 22.00 / 2,627 Yen) which I think is quite a good deal even though they don't come with the box/packaging and the manuals but more importantly both items are in great working condition, no damage what so ever.

So for now, let's review the Shockwave first. This Shockwave is from the Voyager Class from the "Transformers - Dark of the Moon" movie toy series produced by Hasbro.

I will start with the vehicle mode of this Shockwave which is a "Cybertronian Tank" actually and despite the alien and futuristic looks, I think this tank is quite cool and I like it a lot;

Overall, the tank mode surely looks cool and not much I can say about it anymore as I don't know much about tank and apparently we don't really see this mode in the movie anyway but Hasbro decided that when they did the toy for this Shockwave, they somehow must create his alternate form so that we can do some transformation and at the end they choose this one and surely a nice choice - at least from my point of view.

Now let's look at the robot mode. Since this one don't comes with the manual, I have to search the transformation guide from Youtube and eventually all goes well. The transformation process is not that difficult though you still need to put it some decent effort to make it happen.

This is now the Shockwave in his robot mode - simply awesome bad ass!!!

Let's look around the whole body of this robot mode;

A close up look on the front part of the body - I love those lighten up mono eyes effect;

Now as for the right hand, it's up to your personal preference how you want it to be;

You can leave it folded like this;

Or you can release the hand and do it this way;

Well, at the end it's up to you to decide which one you prefers. My only minor complains so far on this Shockwave is those visible screw on the front part of the elbow joint, I think it would be nicer if the designer make the screw to appear at the rear side but then again, this what you get so deal with it.

The canon on his right arm is certainly cool and it comes with those "Mech Tech" thingy and more importantly that black colored rubber material hose - it can be good or bad - depends how it is. Certainly it improve the looks of this Shockwave one way or another - looks cool with that hose for sure - but then again, that hose can also affect the articulation on the right arm as it tend to pull the arm lower after you raised it up high;

One of the solution, if you like, you can just remove the hose, then again it's up to you;

Without the hose, you can raised the right arm and canon higher, like this;

So it's up to you how you want it.

Moving on, articulation wise for this robot mode is quite good though its not really totally marvelous either. There are some limitation on the shoulder but beyond that I guess the overall articulation quality is good, I'm happy with it.

These are some action pose I did after removing that black hose;

And now I removed all weapons from his arms;

And I can do more fun action pose now;

Side by side with the Fall Of Cybertron Soundwave;

Overall, this is a brilliant Voyager Class Shockwave produced by Hasbro. The mecha design is simply awesome, I love the fact that they allowed lots of lights to go thru the head and thus resulting to that awesome looking "lighten up" mono eye effect. The overall robot mode looks is simply cool and bad ass while the purple color scheme seems to work very well for this Shockwave. I guess this is one of the coolest Shockwave toys I've seen so far.

end

Takara Tomy CH01 - Optimus Prime G1 & Movie Version Part 3 of 3

2013-04-03T18:19:00.003+08:00

This is a direct continuation from Part 2 of 3, click the link below if you want to read the previous part:

http://www.shewsbury.com/2013/04/takara-tomy-ch01-optimus-prime-g1-movie_3.html

And now finally, the movie version of Optimus Prime in his robot mode. The transformation process is not really difficult though you still need to put in some efforts.

The robot mode looks great in corresponding to the modern era design and I guess many current modern kids only knew this version of Optimus Prime, can't blame them, this is their era.

Articulation wise, it is of coz much better than the G1 version but it's not entirely wonderful either. We try to do the kneeling pose and this is the closest we get but I guess this is pretty much standard for Transformers toys at this class/level.

The modern movie version Optimus Prime comes with this blaster or rifle with the "mech-tech" gimmick thingy;

And this is now the 2007 Movie version Optimus Prime with all his glory;

Overall, in robot mode, when it comes to detailing, articulation and action pose, obviously the Movie version is better than the G1 version since the later is based on the 1980's design and know how. Anyway, both version have their own uniqueness - to each its own - and more importantly personal preferences also can play a big part to decide which one you like the most.

Side by side - both the G1 version and Movie version in their robot mode;

I use this opportunity to snap a "family photo" of all the Optimus Prime in our collections;

At the end, this is my personal preference - I will display this Optimus Prime in my cabinet this way - the G1 version in vehicle mode coupled with the trailer and the Movie version in robot mode - they both looks good together you know;

And they all looks good together - I don't have much but I'm happy to have these few;

You can read the review all over again from the links below;

Part 1 of 3

Part 2 of 3

end

Takara Tomy CH01 - Optimus Prime G1 & Movie Version Part 2 of 3

2013-04-03T18:19:00.002+08:00

This is a direct continuation from Part 1 of 3, you can click the link below if you want to read the previous part;

http://www.shewsbury.com/2013/04/takara-tomy-ch01-optimus-prime-g1-movie.html

Moving on, we will now focus on the trailer. They only give you 1 unit of this but it can be attached to both of the head (G1 or Movie version) so at the end it's up to you to decide who shall have it.

The trailer looks decent, the gimmick is not a lot but at least we can still open the back door and get this slider so some smaller vehicle can go up/down inside/outside;

Other than the above, you can also lift up the side like this;

So you can then display the inner parts which is empty anyway so for fun sake I just put 2 units of these 1/60th scale die cast cars so you basically have the idea about the size of the trailer;

As I said earlier, they only give you 1 unit of this but it can be attached to both of the head (G1 or Movie version) so at the end it's up to you to decide who shall have it;

Now we will look at the robot mode and we will start with the classic G1 version. Transforming the classic G1 Optimus Prime from vehicle mode to robot mode is really easy that even a novice like me doesn't need to see the manual or any Youtube videos.

And this how it looks directly after you transformed him from the vehicle mode into robot mode;

Thus you need this extra parts which is not relevant when the Optimus is his G1 vehicle mode - the blaster pistol or is it rifle? and then the 2 hands;

You need to attached the hands onto the wrist like this;

And this is the sticker decals in which I have applied earlier, I guess that is how the Transformers toys back then in the 1980's so we just do it that way. The stickers really enhance the looks of this G1 Optimus in a way.

OK, let's have a look at the Optimus Prime G1 version now;

Obviously in the modern era nowadays, the design and the looks of the robot toys of the 1980's have lot's of "weaknesses" that we can easily pointed out - but then again, back in the 1980's, this is already great, it's cool, it's amazing to have a toys that can transform from vehicle into robot mode and still looks decent. So I'm not gonna complain anything on the look of this G1, all I want to say is that it's a decent robot and the design really have the classic 1980's feel in it, I like it that way.

As for the articulation, well, not much to talk about, what you can see from the picture below is all that you will get - but then again, those days, this is good enough;

And to make it more "fun" and "realistic" we can put that blaster pistol or rifle on his hand and you can start shooting bad guys - phew phew, boom!!!

Yup, that's how it was in the 1980's - live with it - but it was cool back then - this is what you call classic;

These are all the pose I can share with you on this one - not much really;

Overall, Optimus Prime G1 version with this classic design as a robot toys is not really that bad actually. Again the casting and the painting finishing is very good and I appreciate that a lot.

Continue to Part 3 of 3 (Click Here)

end

Takara Tomy CH01 - Optimus Prime G1 & Movie Version Part 1 of 3

2013-04-03T18:19:00.000+08:00

Fresh from our long Easter 2013 break and today we will review this "Takara Tomy CH01 - Optimus Prime G1 & Movie Version" produced by none other than Takara Tomy.

As they are quite a lot of pictures/photos for this review, we separate them into 3 parts and this is now Part 1 of 3... Let's begin now...

The local price here is just around SGD 80.00 (about USD 65.00 / EUR 51.00 / 6,031 Yen) but one of the local shop is selling this item for just SGD 70.00 (about USD 57.00 / EUR 44.00 / 5,277 Yen) which I believe is a fair price for this item.

The box;

Out of the box - you will only get all these;

Product literature included is some graphical information sheets about Transformers toys since 1980's and all the way thru the recent time and also the manual and a sticker decal for the classic Optimus Prime G1 version.

Eventually, I like to start from the vehicle mode first so even though you see the "out of the box picture" above showing them in robot mode but for this review purpose, my personal preference, I start with the vehicle mode...

So we start with this Optimus Prime G1 version in his vehicle mode - a trailer or truck head, what ever...

Form my observation, this classic G1 vehicle mode is quite brilliant, nicely done by Takara Tomy, the workmanship is very very good no matter how simple it may seems to be but the detailing, the sculpt and casting and also the painting application is very good. I am pretty happy with it....

On top here, there is this Autobots logo, you need to touch them to reveal the almost hidden logo;

Just do something like this;

And there you are, the Autobots logo;

The wheels are nice and more importantly the tires are made of rubber - I love it a lot!!!

You can even see some wordings on the tires "- Formula Deser Dog" or something like that unless if I read it wrongly - old farmer's eyes, so you know, sometimes it doesn't work well LOL...

Not much to see on the interior detailing, it is basically empty;

Overall, I think the vehicle mode of this classic Optimus Prime G1 version is very good, not perfect but it's certainly not average either considering that the design is originally from the 1980's era. I love it very much!!!

Now, let's have a look at the modern Optimus Prime Movie version in his vehicle mode - a trailer or truck head, what ever you call it.

Though it has to be said that the looks is corresponding to the 2007 Movie version but personally for me, in terms of the overall look, sculpt and casting, painting and workmanship finishing - it's not really that great if compared to the G1 version, but then again it's just from my personal view. It still looks like a decent trailer/truck head but I just can't feel any "sweetness" in it.

No interior detailing which is expected at this level but if you ask me, I prefer the interior looks of the G1 (even though it looks plain empty) rather than this one;

The tires and wheels are molded into 1 piece of plastic part:

Detailing on other parts of the vehicle is quite decent;

Though I don't understand why on this side they have that "dot-dot" thingy but....

on this side however, they don't have that "dot-dot" thingy - you get what I mean?

Overall, it still a decent looking truck, it's not great but just decent and obviously if you ask me, I prefer the finishing on the classic G1 version.

Side by side- the G1 and the 2007 Movie version;

Continue to Part 2 of 3 (Click Here)

end

Painting the eyes of Takara Tomy MP-10 Convoy

2013-03-19T12:00:00.000+08:00

In my review of this Takara Tomy Transformers MP-10 Convoy last time, I did mentioned that it would be better if the eyes comes with a much lighter blue color - you can check out the review from the link below;

http://www.shewsbury.com/2013/03/takara-tomy-transformers-mp-10-convoy.html

Thus recently I decided to do a simple quick and fun project - painting the eyes of this Convoy, so this is it now;

First thing first, you need to removed the 2 screws from the back of the head;

Its not really difficult though, just a bit of this and that, something like when you do that Gundam model kits and after a while you should be able to see all these and then you need to pick up the eyes part;

Yup this is the one;

I just go for a cheap solution and thus I use this cheap metal acrylic spray paint;

I did the spray works, doesn't take long for such a small parts and this is the final result - The Optimus Prime or the Convoy now looks pretty much "alive";

A little bit of outdoor photoshot outside the house;

It's a simple but important touch up especially if you really want your Convoy's eyes to be in that color - it's all about personal taste but if you think McDonald's Big Mac Burger is better than any of those from Burger King then I guess you should have no problem to proceed with this little touch up...

end

1983 Toyota Carina Coupe 1600 GT (TA60)

2013-03-18T17:32:00.000+08:00

Up till January 2013, I was driving these 2 wonderful cars - Chery A520 and Porsche Boxster;

This Chery A520 model year 2008 from the biggest Chinese car manufacturer Chery Autombile with 2.0 L (about 140 hp) engine power and wonderful fuel efficiency and equally great interior and all those EFI, airbag, ABS, EBD technology in it (which is standard anyway in this modern era) this is indeed a fun sedan/saloon car and certainly quite juicy when you need the speed - I nicknamed this car as my "Blue Dragon". I use this car for works and for other general purpose. The maximum speed I ever reached with this car is just 190 km/h for long distance highway while 160 km/h is my standard speed for medium distance highway.

And then there is this Porsche Boxster model year 2007 from Porsche of course with 2.7 L (about 240 hp) Boxer engine power and certainly an impressive roadster in which I only use during the weekend or certain alternate days if and when I feel like want to use it. It is indeed a fun roadster - love it a lot - but the maintenance cost is quite high - typical for such cars from the big brand name like Porsche. A farmer like me can't really afford to spend so much on cars. By the way I nicknamed this car as my "Red Dragon".

Anyway, both cars are gone now - long story short - sold them both.

I want a car that have 4 seats but also have the sporty looks and features and if possible something reliable like those from the big Toyota of Japan and if possible I want it to be red - thus at the end, we found this car.

Since February 2013, this is now the official car of Shewsbury Land - a real "downgrade" in a way but somehow, the more I use this car, the more I love it... ladies and gentlemen, introducing the new "Red Dragon of Shewsbury Land" - the rare "Toyota Carina Coupe 1600 GT' :

Bought this car for SGD 6,000 (about USD 4,800 / EUR 3,680 / 450,000 Yen) in great condition (for an old school car) and ready to drive as it is;

This is the interior;

The previous owner put quite a good effort to restore and refurnished the interior though in the future I planned to change the whole side and floor carpets with a newer material in black color - but I still need to wait for the money.... sigh

The dashboard - this car is a "high-rev" type and I like it a lot;

This is the exhaust pipe which the previous owner put - I personally dislike it and will change it surely....

And this is the 2T-EU engine - carburetor powered - come to think of it, this is really the first time I owned and drive a carburetor powered car;

The previous owner did installed "oil catch tank" and also some sort of "engine oil cooling unit" - see the picture below;

So yeah, first thing first, we changed the exhaust pipe;

This is the previous exhaust pipe;

Work in progress;

And this is it now the new exhaust pipe;

We also get some stickers and put them around the body to improved the exterior marking;

The logo "CARINA" on this side here are made using sticker;

And the same on the rear here - "Toyota" and "Carina Coupe" name are made of stickers;

I also put the name "Toyota" at the front - it suppose to be on somewhere on the middle there but since there is no suitable place to put the sticker, at the end we have to settle down with the top position... sigh

The wheels are actually from Toyota Celica Supra Mark II (also known as Toyota Celica XX) model 1985. I dislike the tires because it is some old expired tires, the previous owner choose them simply because of that brand name and emblem in white which make them looks cool specially for an old school car like this. On the other hand for normal driving speed at below 100 km/h this tires still can perform reasonable well - so at the moment I just use them till they worn out but I do want to change them as soon as I can...

That's the new exhaust pipe again - the engine response is much better now with this exhaust pipe;

Apart from the exhaust pipe, I also installed this K&N High-Flow Air Filter to replaced the basic factory air filter to further improved the engine performance - I want better and quicker engine response;

Some information about "airflow" as stated in the box;

So this is how the engine look like now with the K&N air filter installed;

A close up on the K&N air filter;

This Carina (or rather Red Dragon) is an old car - about 30 years old now - is quite heavy - full of solid metal - really feel like a 1980's car. The weight of this car can be quite "a pain in the ass" especially during uphill climbing - pressing the throttle hard and it still feel like eternity. With the new exhaust pipe and high performance air filter, at least the car move a little bit faster than before - and thus in a way it "feels" like it's a little lighter.

Believe it or not, in order to shave some weight this car now don't have any spare wheels/tires, I leave the spare at home. Anyway, not much we can do with this old lady, can't really push him up to the limit all the time, perseverance is important when driving this kind of cars nowadays.

Overall, this is indeed an old car but the more I drive it, the more I learn about it, the more I love it. With this car now, I can drive safely just within the 100 km/h speed limit on the highway as I can't push hard on this car. As a cruiser, this car is not bad at all - some people may not notice it - just treat it like an old junkyard car but some people do appreciate the fact that this car is rare now. Apparently, only 6 units of this car entering our country here and only 2 units now still running on the road - 1 of them is this Red Dragon and the other one is in blue color but the engine have been upgraded to the "4A-GE" version (the default engine on the Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86). So in a way now, this Carina Red Dragon of Shewsbury (Coupe Version) is the one and only in the country that still running with the original 1600cc "2T-EU" engine (1.6 L).

In terms of high speed and acceleration performance, even with all the upgrades that I did now, this car may not be able to compete with the latest modern car like Toyota Vios, KIA Coupe, Hyundai Tiburon (Hyundai Coupe), Hyundai Veloster and maybe even a Suzuki Swift Sports can kick the ass of this car easily simply because of the heavy weight but even so, the cornering performance of this car is quite admirable and I'm sure this can be improved a little with better tires in the futures.

Maybe most younger people or those who are not into cars so much can't really appreciate the coolness of this car but once a while, there are some young people who would said "Is that the Initial D car?" - LOL of course is not - look a like maybe but totally different - and then some older people who saw this car said "Wow this is a rare car!!!" - that is the time when I feel so proud of my Red Dragon :-)

This lady might be a little older but she is rare and she cruise very well....

end

Star Wars Battle Packs - Duel on Naboo

2013-03-14T17:49:00.003+08:00

This is a specially packaged 3 in 1 action figure of the young Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn from the movie of Star Wars Episode 1 and as it says on the packaging, Hasbro call it as "Star Wars Battle Packs - Duel om Naboo" or something like that LOL

Apparently, I already have the action figures of these 3 guys but there is a reason why I somehow still buy this "Battle Packs" thingy, I will tell you later as you read on.... but first the packaging;

OK this is now the main reason why I still bought this "Battle Packs - Duel on Naboo" - the cheap clearance price of SGD 10.00 (about USD 8.00 / EUR 6.00 / 770 Yen) and without doubt it is an offer I can't refuse. At the original retail price of SGD 49.90 or rather just make it $50.00 (about USD 40.00 / EUR 31.00 / 3,856 Yen) I guess I wouldn't touch this at all but at SGD 10.00 - you don't have to think much, that is indeed a very great deal for Star Wars figures, at least in our place here.

Out of the box, you will get these 3 poorly articulated action figure [another reason why I wont buy this at the original retail price of $50.00 (about USD 40.00 / EUR 31.00 / 3,856 Yen)] with their respective weapons (light saber), the characters cards, a dice and last but not least a display base for each of them.

So first thing first, let's have a look at the young Obi-Wan Kenobi;

Next is the Darth Maul;

And last but not least, Qui-Gon Jinn;

Considering the fact that they were "released" in 2011, the articulation is quite poor for these 3 figures. All you get is articulation on that neck/head, on the shoulder and lastly on the hips and that's about it, no more no less all the same for 3 of them;

We can now do the "Duel on Naboo" scene again, or something like it.... with this poorly articulated figure, it can be pretty though but I try my best and these are the result;

You can see the real version of the "Duel on Naboo" from the YouTube video below;

Anyway, they still looks good if you display them like this on your shelf;

Since now I have the extra figures for these 3 characters, in the future I plan to make a simple diorama box depicting this "Duel on Naboo" - that can be a fun project!!!!

Overall, this is a decent "Battle Packs" and surely a very great value for money if you can them with the cheap price like I did. If you want a better 3.75 inch action figure for these 3 guys, I think you should buy the better version of them usually sold separately, there are plenty of them out there anyway. However, if you plan to just leave this figure inside the packaging or maybe use them for some sort of diorama project then I guess this should be OK - especially if you can get it cheap!!!

end

Star Wars Transformers - Anakin Skywalker and Y-Wing Fighter

2013-03-12T14:38:00.001+08:00

This is another Star Wars Transformers cross over toys produced by Hasbro and this time around I grabbed the "Anakin Skywalker as Y-Wing Fighter". The main obvious reason for me to grab this is of course the cheap price of SGD 5.00 (about USD 4.00 / EUR 3.00 / 388 Yen) and other than that is maybe because from what I can see (from the picture on the packaging), the robot mode of this model is slightly better than the "Anakin Skywalker as Jedi Star Fighter"

The packaging;

Out of the packaging you will get the "Y-Wing Fighter" and a light saber;

Let's have a look at the "Y-Wing Fighter";

The detailing and and painting job is very good for such a cheap item;

Features includes the landing stand on the front and also the entrance stairs at the back;

And now the robot mode;

Articulation is not great but it's there and at this price level we can't hope for much. Anyway I'm still happy with what I get.

Some pose with the light saber;

I can redo the "Battle at Mustaffar" LOL;

Anyway, enough for now....

Overall, this is a decent cross over toys of Star Wars in "Transformers" mode. I don't really fancy the "Y-Wing Fighter" though that doesn't change the fact that it is nicely finished but I actually prefer the robot mode more for this one. The robot mode is not at all super fantastic or anything like that but I think somehow it is far better if compared to the "Anakin Sywalker Jedi Star Fighter" robot mode. I tend to believed that Star Wars fans are the main target audience for this toy series from Hasbro though I'm not surprise either if there are some curious Transformers fans who might buy this especially if they are available at such a cheap price. Younger kids who just love toys would certainly be happy with this, that I know for sure.

Takara Tomy Transformers MP-10 Convoy (Part 2 of 2)

2013-03-08T15:26:00.001+08:00

This is a direct continuation from Part 1 which you can read from the link below:

REVIEW PART 1 of 2

So now let's have a look at the robot mode and frankly speaking if by just using the manual I believe I will certainly fail in transforming this figure but thanks to many of those YouTube videos, I can now easily transform any Transformers toys easily ^__^

OK, let's have a look at the robot mode of Optimus Prime;

A little bit of close up look to observe all those nice detailing all over;

Articulation is pretty good for the robot mode, I somehow can still do this kneeling pose, not perfect but I think it's not bad either;

Let's do a little bit of action pose;

The blaster pistol is stored inside the compartment at his back - something like this;

Even the blaster pistol have a little bit of "transformation gimmick" which is cool;

So now Optimus Prime have the gun and he can start shooting around LOL;

Takara Tomy also gave this "Energy Axe" which I don't like at all but for those who love it - it's included in the package;

And now let's transform the trailer into a repair bay - easy actually just pose it vertically and that's it;

And this is it - the repair bay;

Last but not least, the "Matrix" of leadership inside the chest of Optimus Prime;

You can take it out of course;

The "Matrix" of leadership is made of die cast and quite "heavy" for it's size and it feel so solid when you hold it . The detailing is again pretty nice.

So there you are - I have tried to make the review as simple as I can and I hope you enjoy it.

Overall, this is indeed one insanely detailed action figure or toys in every way, from the vehicle mode to the robot mode and all the way to all the features and gimmick, everything is absolutely brilliant. Takara Tomy have improved on everything in updating the Master Piece of Convoy or Optimus Prime. Many fans or collectors complained about the smaller size in this update but I think Takara Tomy have responded that "less can mean quite a bit more". The painting job and sculpt detailing is brilliant. The transformation process is not overly complicated even for a novice like me. The articulation is very good and I'm pretty happy with it.

My only complain is on the eye part, it would be better if they use a more lighter blue color like that sky color to make the Optimus Prime "alive". I've seen the Hasbro version and they used that particular color and that small changes is indeed wonderful. Probably I will just do the painting my self later in the future.

So this MP-10 may not be "perfect" but for me personally this is already great enough and maybe my only wishlist on improvement, apart from the eyes, is that if we can get more than 1 human figure - say 3 or 4 maybe so that we can allocated them to handle those "command center mode"....

end

Takara Tomy Transformers MP-10 Convoy (Part 1of 2)

2013-03-08T14:59:00.004+08:00

This is Transformers MP-10 Cybertron Commander Convoy or also known as Optimus Prime produced by Takara Tomy of Japan.

An all-new mold at a smaller scale than the MP-01 and MP-04 (and their variants). Convoy is approximately the same height as Rodimus Convoy in robot mode, more streamlined and less bulky - with the vehicle mode looking more like a real semi-trailer truck than the first Masterpiece figure. Convoy comes with his trailer, Ion Blaster (which folds and stores into a compartment in his back), a Roller unit and a Spike Witwicky mini figure. As with other toy incarnations of this character, the trailer opens to form a command center or a repair bay and can hold one Deluxe Class or Alternity vehicle. This particular model was released in September 2011.

I'm a fan of Transformers though I'm not really a hardcore fans who know many things about the series but I do like some of their those because they just simply awesome.

I had this one from HLJ since middle of last year but I just leave it in the box unopened and finally last week I decided to take it out from the box, do the review and later display it on my shelf and boy I never regret having this MP-10.

The price I paid for this is SGD 330.00 (about USD 266.00 / EUR 203.00 / 25,345 Yen)

So here we go.....

The box;

Out of the box:

So what I did for this review is, I first transformed the Convoy into vehicle mode first (or rather trailer truck mode) and then later in the second part of the review we will look at the robot mode;

I love the fact that they give 1 tiny human figure (which they call "Spike") and to make it even more better, we can put that figure inside the truck as if he is driving it - very cool!!!

Comes with rubber tires and great looking wheels;

The trailer part have this stand so you that when you detached the truck the trailer can still stand on it's own;

We can also open the door at the back;

And lay down that thingy;

So that this "Roller" can go inside;

Let's have a close up look at the "Roller";

And this is the human figure - "Spike Witwicky" - for it's size I think the detailing is decent and he have the articulation point that is enough to make him sit and "drive" or "handle" all the vehicles within this MP-10;

Here he is now driving the Roller;

The trailer opens to form a command center or a repair bay and can hold one Deluxe Class or Alternity vehicle.

The interior sculpt detailing is pretty good indeed;

So this is now the "command center";

You can use the human figure to be here and there handling all those computers or what ever;

And let's go back to the "Roller" again, this tiny vehicle apparently can be used to pull the long trailer;

This is how it looks like - pretty funny or unreal - but what the heck, this is a toy and I think it's cool;

CONTINUE TO PART 2 (CLICK HERE)

end

Star Wars Transformers - Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi

2013-03-07T17:25:00.004+08:00

This is a Star Wars + Transformers cross over toys series produced by Hasbro maker of toys from both franchise (Star Wars and Transformers series) and today we will look at these 2 guys, Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Not much I can say about this "cross over" thingy - for me personally I only bought this out of curiosity and since the price is just SGD 5.00 (about USD 4.00 / EUR 3.00 / 380 Yen) so what the heck, it's cheap, just grabbed them for fun... simple as that.

The packaging;

First we will look at Anakin as Jedi Starfighter in vehicle mode - out of the box you will get these;

And of coz this manual;

Let's have a look at the Jedi Starfighter;

I guess at this price point the detailing and painting job is simply brilliant, no complain what so ever.

Features of this Jedi Starfighter are this expandable wings or what ever aerodynamic stuff that is - on the side;

And there is some sort of landing stand that you can use underneath the body;

It will be something like this;

And this is now in robot mode, the transformation process is quite easy especially if you just watch those videos from YouTube;

Articulation is not great but it's there, you can move the arms, elbows, hips and the knees decently;

A little bit of action pose with the light saber;

And now we will look at this Jedi Starfighter of Obi-Wan Kenobi;

Same as the Anakin, this one also have that landing stand underneath the body;

And now the robot mode as "Obi-Wan Kenobi";

Again, articulation is not great but this one is slightly better than Anakin;

A little bit of action pose with the light saber;

I can now "replicate" that "Duel on Mustafar" between Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars - Episode 3.

LOL... nothing serious... just for the fun of it....

Overall, this is quite a decent cheap toys from Hasbro, well OK, I bought it at clearance price but surely a price I am willing to pay for such items. The detailing and painting job on the vehicle mode is very good, the robot mode is robotic with a little bit of humanoid touch, nothing bad, articulation is not great but quite decent for this level, the transformation process is quite easy. I think they both are decently fun toys. As long as you don't expect miracle, I'm sure you will be OK with these toys. Just some additional notes, between the 2 of them - as robot figure - I prefer the Obi-Wan Kenobi over Anakin - maybe it's just my personal taste.

end

Welly - Toyota MR2 Spyder (ZW30)

2013-02-28T17:08:00.002+08:00

I never bought any products or specifically die cast car models from Welly before and suddenly I saw this Toyota MR2 Spyder die cast car model at around 1/30's scale produced by Welly - I pick it up and have a look - left hand steering wheel (British/Japanese Style) and without further delay I just grab this lovely Spyder. Frankly speaking, I've been looking for this particular car model for quite sometime now, though I'm actually more interested with the miniature 1/64 scale but I guess this 1/30's scale wont hurt since the detailing is quite decent.

The box::

Now let's have a look at this car - out of the box;

The Toyota MR2 is a two-seat, mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports car produced by Toyota, from 1984 until July 2007 when production stopped in Japan. There are three different generations of the MR2: 1984–1989, with angular, origami-like lines, 1990–1999, which had styling that some compared to Ferrari sports cars, and 2000–2007, which somewhat resembled the Porsche Boxster. It was designed to be small, with an economical powerplant, but sporty in style and handling. Basic design elements, such as MacPherson strut front and rear suspensions and transverse-mounted inline-four engines, are common to all three generations of MR2, though each generation differs greatly from the next in particulars.

The third generation MR2 had three different names, depending on country; Toyota MR-S in Japan, Toyota MR2 Spyder in the US, and the Toyota MR2 Roadster in Europe. With the previous MR2 having been in the market for almost ten years, the newest MR2 took a drastically different approach than the outgoing model. The new MR2 was a part of Toyota Project Genesis, a plan to attract buyers from the younger age bracket in an effort to increase sales in the US. The most obvious change was the switch from a hardtop/open-roof option to a true convertible soft top, giving the car the 'Spyder' designation.

Many claim that this car was inspired by Porsche Boxster which was released in 1996, due to its similar appearance. However, the first prototype of MR-S appeared in 1997 at the Tokyo Motor Show, which had slightly more angled and rigid appearance than the current production model, which included additional curves for a more aerodynamic and appealing look. The MR2 Spyder chief engineer Harunori Shiratori said, "First, we wanted true driver enjoyment, blending good movement, low inertia and light weight. Then, a long wheelbase to achieve high stability and fresh new styling; a mid-engine design to create excellent handling and steering without the weight of the engine up front; a body structure as simple as possible to allow for easy customizing, and low cost to the consumer."

The ZZW30 is considered to be the best-handling MR2 in both overall limit and controlability.

My personal favorites amongst all the MR2 models is the "1994 MK-II Toyota MR2 SW20"

Back to this die cast car model, the exterior detailing is quite pleasing. Plastic parts is used for the front lights and you can see the Toyota logo accordingly on the front of the car;

And the same can be expected on the rear part, the detailing and marking is very nice indeed.

The wheels design is not bad either;

This model features openable doors;

Since this is a "Spyder" or rather a "roadster", it's easy for us to see the interior detailing of the car. I think the interior detailing is very good for this scale. No complain for me.

Side by side with Toyota Celica at around almost the same scale 1/30's:

Side by side with Toyota Sprinter Trueno (AE86) also at around almost the same scale 1/30's:

Overall, I think this is a very good die cast car model of Toyota MR2 Spyder produced by Welly. The painting job is good, exterior and interior detailing and marking are equally pleasing and this can easily become a nice display item on your car shelf. No complain for me, all is good, at SGD 12.00 (about USD 9.70 / EUR 7.40 / 908 Yen) this car model worth the money.

end

Digirama - Limbo Rock

2013-02-25T14:55:00.001+08:00

It would be better if you play this music/video before you scroll down further to get into the "Limbo" mode....

Hey wait... there is an alternate version on this story too, let's just say that this is the ALTERNATE CLIMAX LOL LOL LOL

Moral of the story... Oh well, there is not much "moral" out of it but maybe we can say that, it's OK to be fat, obesity is not evil, don't feel bad if you're fat, just be cool and try to live your life the best you could....

"Obese is Good" - in the same context when Gordon Gekko said in that movie "Wall Street" - "Greed is Good" LOL

So come on, don't feel bad just get up and go get your burger and eat it and enjoy life while you can....

Life happily, be healthy and strong like uncle Shewsbury!!!

FAQs - Do you know that "Limbo dance" is originally from Trinidad and Tobago? The original traditional version is from lower to higher position but the more popular modern version seems to be the other way round.

According to Wikipedia:

The Limbo dance originated as an event that took place at wakes in Trinidad and Tobago, and was popularized by dance pioneer Julia Edwards (known as the First Lady of Limbo) and her company which appeared in several films, in particular, "Fire Down Below" (1957) and toured widely in the Caribbean, Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa in the 1960s and beyond. A film "Julia and Joyce" was released in 2010 by Trinidadian/American dance researcher/choreographer Sonja Dumas which features the evolution of the Limbo and the contribution of Julia Edwards to the explosion of its popularity.

Read more here = Limbo Dance

end....