Sideswipe's Ark

"I need a new suit"

2008-10-21T14:15:00.006+08:00

In The Dark Knight movie, Bruce Wayne needed to upgrade his Batman suit for better protection & mobility. "$Cha-ching$!" With that, Toy companies with the TDK license could already hear the cash registers ringing. Hot Toys being one of those companies, released their 12" version of the new suit as part of their TDK line. Early reports & comments were that the HT TDK Bats looked slighty chubby, so it went through quite a few modifications prior to release. After getting mine, it looked perfectly ok to me. Due to the design of the TDK suit, it allows for better posing, especially the neck. It does come with a shorter cape (I'm guessing so that it'll look better when riding the Batpod) than the Begins' version. The cape is removable & tends to fall off easily, that's my only complaint with this figure. The Bruce Wayne head included also looks better than the one included with Begins, this is due to a less "orange peel" texturing effect on the face & a lighter skin tone. The figure comes with his grapple gun, 2 bat-a-rangs & a mini bomb/ mine.

"HERE I COME TO SAVE THE DAY!"

2008-09-09T11:32:00.003+08:00

Mighty Mouse was my favourite Hero in my kiddy years. When Sideshow's website posted up photos of this Mighty Mouse statue by Electic Tiki, I immediately fell in love with the sculpt. And now, I have a nice Mighty Mouse statue to go with my nice Mighty Mouse memories. ^___^

The Mighty Mouse & The Mighty Thor! (lol)

I wonder... Does this statue qualify as 1:1 scale? Heh

Let's put a smile on that face!

2008-08-18T12:54:00.006+08:00

For my 12" figure collection, I'm focusing on building a gallery of my favourite Heroes with cool costumes. So when Hot Toys announced their line-up for The Dark Knight 12" figures, the 2 Batmans were definite additions to my want list but I passed on the Joker... Or so I thought. After catching The Dark Knight movie, the first thing I did when I left the cinema was call my trusty Toy Shop to place an order for the Joker! I was totally blown away by how brilliantly written & played The Joker was in the movie! The late Heath Ledger totally stole the show with his performance. Hot Toys had a lot to live up to in order to recreate the scary Joker in 12" form. They did manage to capture the menacing look in the face sculpt and did a satisfactory job on the costume as well. There are however complaints by collectors on the "cheapo" looking tie & the velcro used on the clothes instead of working buttons. I can overlook these flaws as long as the overall movie Joker look is achieved, and as you can see from my following photos, it managed just that in my opinion.

As Joker said to Batman in The Dark Knight, "You complete me!" My TDK 12" Collection is definitely more COMPLETE, now that I have the clown prince of crime in it.

THE Dark Knight

2008-08-07T12:49:00.009+08:00

My 12" figure collection started off with Takara's Batman Begins Batman. I was totally in awe at how cool that figure was when I first saw photos. 2 other companies (Medicom & Hot Toys) released their 12" version of Batman at the time, but none was on par with Takara's. Here's a nice comparison review of those 3 versions: MWCTOYS

For the sequel to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Hot Toys have upped the ante with the announcement of three 12" figures & 2 vehicles (!) from the movie. One of the 12" figures announced is Batman in Original (Batman Begins) Costume. Rather than just a simple reissue of their previous figure, Hot Toys went & corrected almost everything that was imperfect about that figure. Better suit, better inner body & most importantly a more accurate head sculpt. Beside those, HT also threw a couple of new stuff in for good measure. Stuff like a interchangeable Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) head & his Pneumatic Mangler (a new weapon Batman used in TDK).

The Batsuit is quite flexible & allows quite a range of movement for the body underneath. I was expecting solid moulded plastic boots which will restrict movement, but was pleasantly surprised at how flexible the boots turned out to be. Well done, Hot Toys! With this new Hot Toys Batman, I can now safely say "Bye bye, Takara."

Surf's Up!

2008-07-16T13:22:00.003+08:00

When Bowen Designs released its first Museum Pose Silver Surfer FS (Full-size Statue), there were 2 versions available: Painted & Chromed. For this new Action Pose Surfer, BD managed to strike a balance between the 2. This new paint job is not as shiny as the Chromed (chrome makes it hard to see the details in the sculpt) & not as flat looking as the Painted. Furthermore, the Action Pose sculpt is just spot on!

The Surfer fits in quite nicely with my Sideshow Fantastic Four Diorama:

The first two BD Silver Surfer statues are commanding rocket high prices in the secondary market now, I foresee this one going in the same direction.

Stealth Mode

2008-06-20T13:18:00.004+08:00

Iron Man's Stealth Armour made its first appearance on issue #152 of the Iron Man comics. As its name suggests, this armour's role was to avoid being detected by radars & other detection technologies. However, this statue by Sideshow isn't an exact replica of the look in the comics. Instead, it is a Stealth themed variant of their immensely popular Iron Man Comiquette. Not just simply a repaint, this new Comiquette comes with lights as well (which I felt was sorely missed on the red & gold one).

This statue has had its share of problems from launch, as the early batches were packed with a plastic inner packing which badly scratched the statue during shipping. However, this problem was rectified in later batches (which mine is from. Phew!) with a foam wrapping around the statue. So my advice for people buying this statue, don't trust a sealed piece. With the success of the Iron Man movie & the cool look & lighting on this statue, it's no wonder it is still fetching crazy prices on the secondary market!

"Why So Serious?"

2008-06-05T11:27:00.000+08:00

As the anticipation for The Dark Knight movie continues to escalate, we've learned that the focus of this movie will be on the confrontation between Batman & The Joker. How fitting that DC Direct has just released a Batman Vs. The Joker Statue! Sculpted by Johnathan Matthews, based on Jim Lee's art & limited to 1600. I can't begin to describe the level of detail on the sculpt. There's not a point on The Joker that's not loaded with details! From Joker's face, to the buckles on his straitjacket, right down to his skin texture! Only slight disappointment for me is the sloppiness of the paint (one of my usual complaints about DC Direct products). However, kudos be given to the changes done to the base. It now looks better than what was previewed on DC Direct's website. Another thing to note is the lightness in weight of the statue, but I was already prepared for that after my experience with the Wonder Woman Vs. Superman piece.

I'm considering selling my Kotobukiya Batman vinyl statue now that I have this. Don't need 2 Jim Lee Bats in my collection & was never a fan of vinyl statues anyway.

Package from Liberty City

2008-05-08T11:46:00.003+08:00

Received my first ever Playstation 3 game, the highly anticipated "Grand Theft Auto IV" Special Edition (US version).

My copy also came with a exclusive GTA IV car license plate.

(Liberty City: Worst Place in America) lol

What's so special about the Special Edition? First of all, the contents came in a (metal) safe deposit box!

The goodies within the box:

Duffle Bag. It looks like the kind gangsters use in movies to carry guns & cash. I love the Rockstar logo & lightning printings on the inside of the bag, but wished the size of the bag was larger.

The PS3 game itself & a CD containing music/songs from the game.

An artbook containing design & art from the game, together with a Rockstar keychain.

Grand Theft Auto IV has the honour to be the first M18 game rated under the new games rating system by MDA. I wish I can review more about the game but sadly, I've yet to get a Playstaion 3. Any Sponsors? :P At least now I know what my next gaming console purchase will be...

For more info on GTA IV, please visit the Official Website.

Astonishing 3, part dEuX!

2008-04-16T12:56:00.003+08:00

As mentioned in my previous post, I have a Sideshow Exclusive version of the X-Men vs. Sentinel 3 Diorama coming & here it is! The Exclusive version comes with 2 display options for Wolverine. 1 is in his Astonishing X-Men costume, & the other is him just wearing the bottom part of his costume with a white tank top. The sculpting for both is top notch! Although I welcome the Logan display option, it's still wierd seeing him in such a clean white tank top in the midst of battle.

In my previous post, I also mentioned that I was still deciding which version to keep. Well, I've decided to keep the Exclusive for the extra display option & the sweet edition number I've gotten (777). :)

Group shots! (added on 22 Apr 2008)

Astonishing 3!

2008-04-09T21:05:00.002+08:00

The third & final entry of Sideshow's X-Men vs Sentinel Diorama series finally arrived! Rounding up the cast are Wolverine, Shadowcat & her pet dragon, Lockheed.

I also have the Exclusive version (with 2 display options for Wolverine/Logan) coming. Still undecided on which I will keep but currently leaning more towards the Exclusive. heh

I'll also have to find some time to do some group shots with the first 2 Dios.

By the Luck of Hyrule

2008-03-15T21:47:00.005+08:00

I was out & about with my family today at United Square & as I was passing by the Toys "R" Us there, something caught my eye. It was a gashapon machine for figures from the first Nintendo DS Legend of Zelda game, Phantom Hourglass. At $2 a turn/figure, I thought, "What the heck! A PH fig will be nice for this fan of the game & the LoZ series." $10 & 5 turns later, I managed to get the complete set without repeats. WHAT GREAT LUCK! I've never experience that before. The last time I tried my luck to get a complete set of LoZ: Minish Cap gashapon figures, I ended up spending more than $30 & not completing 1 set with the secret figure!

Anyway, here's the Phantom Hourglass set:

Link (with Phantom Hourglass)

Captain Linebeck (with Green Rupee)

Tetra (with Heart Container)

Biggoron with Gongoron

Phantom (with Force Gem)

Weapon X

2008-03-14T13:06:00.010+08:00

Bowen Designs' tidal wave release of Wolverines statues have started! First to arrive are the Classic Tiger-Stripe costume & the Brown costume Museum Pose Wolvies. That will be followed by 4 more, Unmasked Tiger-Stripe Museum Pose, Unmasked Brown Action Pose, Tiger-Stripe Action Pose & Original/First Appearance costume Action Pose. Last but not least, a BD Collectors Club Exclusive Tiger-Stripe Museum Pose X-Belt variant. Bringing the grand total of new Wolverine statue releases to 7! Talk about an over-dose of Adamantium.

I've decided not to be crazy & collect them all but instead, choose one that I like most & just buy that one. I know I don't want any of the Action Pose Wolverines cause I don't like the bases, & they'll look outta place besides my Iceman & the other BD X-Men FS. So that'll leave me with the Museum Pose ones & after comparing between the 2 that just arrived, here's some differences that I could spot:
1. The paint use on the face of the Brown (B) version looks too reddish giving it a sun burnt look, but the Tiger-Stripe (TS) version looks too pale in comparison. However TS looks fine besides the other Bowen FS.
2. The chest muscles of B are "less developed" than TS's, thus TS looks more muscular.
3. The eyes of B are painted smaller than TS's, which gives TS a fiercer look.
4. the "ears/horns" & hunch of the pose are different on both versions, I prefer the overall look of TS.
After considering all the above, the Tiger-Stripe version is clearly the one for me. Those still on the fence on which to buy, I recommend putting both side by side to do a comparison, then make your decision. Wolverine feels small when placed besides the other Bowen FS but he is usually depicted as smaller & shorter than most male Super-Heroes in the comics, so the size of the statue works fine for me.

Wolverine too comes with a "booster" base but unlike Cap's, it is not interchangeable with the "X" base. It is only used to boost the height by stacking under the X base.

The Immortal Captain

2008-02-17T14:41:00.002+08:00

2007 was the year we lost one of Earth's Mightiest Super-Hero, Captain America (aka Steve Rogers) was assassinated in the comics. What better way to honour the memory of Ol' "Winghead" than a new Cap statue sculpted by Randy Bowen. Actually, Bowen Designs released 2 versions of the statue: Classic & World War II. I'm glad that I'm able to get my hands on the Classic as quite a few shops got their orders cut, likely due to the added demand brought on by Cap's death. Personally, I prefer the pose of the earlier Cap statue that Bowen did, as it looks more noble and more befitting of the Cap. The details & paint on the new one is better done though.

This Cap statue comes with 2 bases which can be stacked to increase the overall height (as seen in the first photo) or used separately. I'm not really fond of the "booster" base as I feel Bowen overkilled it with the stars. It looks more at home at a circus than under Captain America. The other base however, is more appropriate for a American Hero, sculpted with what looks like a United States Presidential Seal. But, sloppy paint kinda ruins it, & it's not just on mine as I seen quite a few with similar plight.

Here's Cap with fellow Avenger, Thor:

AVENGERS IN SINGAPORE! (added on 24 Feb 2008)

photoshopped wallpaper:

Credits: Mr. Daniel Cheong for the background photo

"Dude, Get Your Own!"

2008-02-14T12:19:00.005+08:00

My newest "Toy", a glossy new Sony Deep Red PSP (Playstation Portable) Slim & Lite.

If I didn't count wrongly, the PSP will be the 17th console I've ever owned. & of all the colours available, I gotta pick the hardest to photograph one. Heh

Yes, that's a Nintendo DS Lite strap (lol). My PSP is the basic package so it didn't come with any accessories other than the charger. Being the cheapskate that I am, I just used whatever strap I could find. I'm also using my Oakley sunglasses pouch for carrying my PSP around. :P

Actually I never had any intention of getting a PSP after I got my DS Lite. But, 1 game announcement changed my mind!

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Being a big fan of the 2 God of War PS2 games, I just gotta play this one as well. I've read that Chains of Olympus will be a prequel of sorts in the GoW storyline, I can't wait! Release date: 4th March 2008, Kratos fans, mark it down!

The Iceman Cometh

2008-01-26T18:35:00.000+08:00

Out of the thousands (millions?) of Mutant characters that exist in the Marvel Universe (currently down to less than 200 thanks to the Scarlet Witch), 5 will always mean more to me than the rest. They are the 5 original members of the X-Men, namely: Cyclops, Marvel Girl (Jean Grey), Beast, Iceman & Angel. The Iceman Bust was my first ever Bowen Designs purchase & when BD announced the Iceman statue, I know I must have it! The Iceman statue comes in 2 versions, the regular (frosted) version seen here & the more limited Web Exclusive Clear version. Iceman was never clear in the comics so I've preferred the normal version. Besides I find the clear version looks more like Glass-man. lol

Sorry for the poor photos as my crappy camera tends to overexpose the bugger.

トランスフォーマー

2008-01-15T18:47:00.000+08:00

My latest Transformers DVD has arrived! It was supposed to be a Christmas present (Thanks, E!), but almost ended up a Chinese New Year present due to the delay by Vpost. No matter, the Transformers Movie Japan Region 2 transforming edition DVD is well worth the wait!

The transformable DVD case:

The case with the Hasbro Optimus Prime (Leader Class) toy.

The DVD case & interior

I love the embossing on the outer slipcover, but the photo didn't capture the effect very well.

left: US Region 1 DVD, right: Japan Region 2 DVD

Guess what's in the white box supporting the DVD set in the first 2 photos?
Here's the answer:

It's the free gift for preorders of the DVD in Japan. I'm so glad mine came with 1! Basically, it's a RID Scourge spychanger toy repainted in Movie Optimus Prime colours.

Wonder what's the movie like in Japanese dubbing?
Here's a clip taken with my handphone (sorry for the crappy quality of the clip):

Misa Misa

2008-01-03T23:42:00.000+08:00

I can't believe I held off doing a gallery for my first ever female 12" figure for so long, so her gallery will have the honour of being my first post in 2008. Misa Amane is the third Death Note RAH released by Medicom & I got her back in October 2007. Her box design follows the same trend as the previous 2, simple yet effective.

One of the highlights of this figure is the rubbery outer skin of the upper body which effectively hides any unsightly joints when her torso is exposed. Her outfit is also very nicely done, from the "fur" on the hood of the jacket to the cutting of her inner tank top that helps accent her curves. She comes with a few nice accessories like her own Death Note notebook, a cross necklace & even black panties :P. But all these came at a price, she doesn't come with any extra pair of hands :(. The arms of my Misa also pop off quite easily, not sure if it's a isolated case. Nonetheless, she's still a cutie & great to display with Light & L.

The Battle Within

2007-12-27T18:19:00.000+08:00

The fourth & final Medicom Spider-Man 3 RAH figure has finally arrived! Joining the other 3 is Peter Parker but instead of the friendly neighbourhood version, Medicom went with the dark Peter after he got the black Symbiote suit. This figure is a mail order exclusive in Japan but I managed to get one through Sideshow Collectibles. The box is missing the flap which can enable us to check the figure without opening up the box. I guess as this wasn't meant for shop retail, they did away with that feature. This is also the only SM3 RAH that came shrink-wrapped. The head sculpt does a good job of capturing the likeness of Tobey Maguire, the cool expression that Medicom gave him helped. They also did quite a good job with the clothes, giving him a full Spidey upper body suit underneath his shirt & jacket. Medicom even threw in a pair of socks while they were at it. lol. If only they gave him extra hands doing the "gun pose" so we can replicate his corny dance in the movie.

"Check out my socks!"

Here's a (poorly done) photoshop of the signature movie image.

Sexy Feline

2007-12-27T12:35:00.000+08:00

Black Cat (aka Felicia Hardy) is one of the sexiest characters to grace the pages of the Spider-Man comics. She has played quite a role in Spidey's life by being a foe, love interest & ally at different stages. Felicia has also been chosen as the third statue release under Sideshow's Adam Hughes Comiquette series. This statue was love at first sight for me as I've always liked Black Cat in the comics & the sculpt depicts her as how she should be; Black, Sleek & Sexy! This kitty can cross my path any time! :P

Size comparison with Medicom 12" Peter Parker RAH

(more photos of Peter to come...)

I've always hope that Black Cat will be featured in one of the Spider-Man movies, fingers crossed for part 4.

Spidey Showdown

2007-12-14T10:18:00.000+08:00

Usually I don't pay much attention to statues from Diamond Select (DST), but this piece did caught my eye. DST's Marvel Milestones Showdown Spider-Man Statue (official name of the statue). I find that the sculptor, Jean St Jean, totally nailed McFarlane's version of Spidey (although I not really a fan of that version)! I just love the sculpt & pose of Spidey, who looks just like straight out of the panels of the comic (I can almost see the Spider-Sense lines coming out of his head). Complete with a cool base which depicts the defeat of Green Goblin (Damaged Glider), Hobgoblin (Pumpkin bombs) & Doctor Octopus (Tentacles)! This statue is also quite huge in size, roughly 12 inches tall.

Here's the photos:
(sadly, new statue but still no new camera :P )

For size reference, that's a Transformers Revoltech Convoy in front of the box!

Astonishing!

2007-10-31T23:54:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the long hiatus. What better way to make a return than to showcase 1 of the most awesome statue series ever, the Sideshow X-Men vs Sentinel Dioramas! Also with this new post, I realise it's finally time to retire my crappy digicam. Sigh...

The Diorama with Cyclops & Colossus was my first ever statue & you know what they say about your first... ^__^

I took a couple more photos but they came out either blurry or over-exposed. Sheeesh!

Kira vs L

2007-09-17T22:00:00.000+08:00

One is Light Yagami aka Kira, "the God of the new world".
The other is L, "the world's greatest detective".

These 2 are my latest 12" figure purchase, in a while. From the recent bestselling Japanese Manga, Death Note, the 2 main characters have been immortalised in 12" form by Medicom.

Sometimes less is best. Great box designs!

I just love playing with the articulations on L. He's able to strike a few iconic poses from the manga. Awesome!

It's amazing how different lighting & angles changes the expression of Light, excellent head sculpt!

Really looking forward to the next Death Note RAH, the cutesy Misa Amane. She will be my first 12" female figure.

Had some fun with Photoshop & added "backgrounds" for some of the photos:

"YATTA!"

2007-09-06T22:20:00.000+08:00

Being a comic book reader, how can a show about people with special powers not catch my attention? I missed a few episodes when its was aired on local cable so picking up the DVD boxset was a must for me. Cool DVD packaging for a cool show!

A pity I missed meeting 4 of the "Heroes" when they came to Singapore on tour. I so wanted to catch the smokin' Ali Larter live! Oh yah, Masi Oka too (heh).

The Black Seeker

2007-09-03T09:22:00.000+08:00

"Strike when the enemy isn't looking."

One of my all-time favourite Decepticon has finally gotten a Masterpiece makeover!
Having the coolest colour scheme among the original crew members of the Nemesis, Skywarp is back in all his black & purple glory. Basically a repaint of MP-3 Masterpiece Starscream, Skywarp does however sport a slightly different face mould. The toy transforms from a realistic looking F-15 Eagle to robot, & back.

Skywarp's interchangeable expressions

Comparison with Skywarp's G1 boxart

Black Arachnid

2007-08-28T13:46:00.000+08:00

My final Sideshow Spider-Man 3 bust has arrived! Joining my "Dynamic Duo", comes the SDCC Exclusive Black-Suited Spider-Man. Limited to 1500 & nicely sculpted by Martin Canale, this bust truly captures the emotional torment that Peter Parker goes through when wearing the black alien symbiote suit.

New • Soft • Oldies

2007-08-11T15:57:00.000+08:00

My latest Transformers acquisitions:

Takara-Tomy Transformers Encore Reissues

01-Convoy (Optimus Prime) & 02-Megatron

03-Soundwave with Condor (Laserbeak) & 04-Starscream

These are mass-market reissues of the original Transformers toys, first released in 1985. This is the fourth Takara reissue for Convoy, third reissue for Megatron & Starscream, & the second reissue for Soundwave. What I like about this series is the packaging, they look almost exactly like the old box designs except for some of the logos. Nostalgia sweetness! Don't think I'll be removing the toys from their boxes though, since I already opened their previous reissues.

Also just got these:

Hasbro Transformers Plushes: Slumblebee & Softimus Prime
& yes, they actually do Transform! (lol)
I can't thank BH enough for bringing these 2 back from the States for me!

The Undead Colonel

2007-08-04T20:12:00.000+08:00

From pages of the popular Marvel Zombies mini-series, comes this SDCC Exclusive Colonel America Bust by Diamond Select. Dead & Zombie-fied, Colonel America is nicely sculpted in all his gory by William Paquet. The paint is also satisfactory, especially the gloss used on the bloody areas for a "moist" effect. As for why is he called Colonel America & not Captain? & why the Colonel is missing part of his head? Go read the comic! *Spoiler: He did it to himself (in a way). lol

The Colonel with the Marvel Zombies hard cover tpb.

Also bought a new Marvel Zombies T-Shirt to commemorate the new purchase.

Much thanks to Ann for hooking me up with the bust!

Even Robots Evolve

2007-07-18T16:47:00.000+08:00

My first photo request. A friend of mine needed convincing to purchase the Transformers Classics series. As the vehicle modes can be seen in packaging, I've decided to just shoot the robot modes. Here we go:

AUTOBOTS:

Optimus Prime

Jetfire

Rodimus

Bumblebee

DECEPTICONS:

Megatron

Starscream & Skywarp

Group Photos:

Hope these are convincing enough, bro!

Dynamic Duo

2007-07-15T15:06:00.000+08:00

I've always loved the Spidey movies & wanted to get a cool movie Spider-Man statue to add to my collection. When Sideshow announced they will be releasing products from Spider-Man 3, my prayers were answered... or so I thought. Pictures of the Venom statue were released first, I find the sculpt to be quite good, especially with the grid texture faithfully intact. Price & pose were a little turn off for me though. But when the Spider-Man statues (red/blue & black) were revealed, I knew these will not be part of my collection for sure. The scale of the Spideys were smaller than Venom, thus can't be displayed nicely together. They didn't retain the excellent grid texture of Venom as well, probably because they were done by another sculptor. There's a versus diorama as well, but I really wasn't digging that. Just as I thought I could save my money for other stuff, I caught sight of these busts. 4 factors instantly drew me into ordering them: 1. Totally awesome sculpt by Martin Canale (who also did the Venom Statue); 2. Grid texture, check!; 3. Affordable prices for their size. They are bigger than regular Bowen busts, but cheaper; 4. The black-suited Spider-Man bust will be a SDCC exclusive. Even though I don't really collect busts anymore, I just couldn't pass these up. I thought they will look kick-ass displayed with my Spider-Man 3 RAH figures! Enough talk, here's the photos:

Spider-Man

The best part about this bust is how the silver webbings catches the light. The effect is very similar to the movie.

Venom

I simply love the translucent parts at the side of Venom's mouth!

These 2 are definitely worth the wait! I also got some cool edition numbers for my busts, 899 for Spidey & 799 for Venom. Sweeeet!

More Than Meets The Eye

2007-07-15T10:59:00.000+08:00

It finally arrived! Here's my latest Transformers purchase, & it's not a toy. It's the Transformers: Generation 1 Complete Collection Region 4 (Australian) DVD boxset by Madman. What's so special about this boxset?

The outer box design is a replica of early Transformers toy boxes! No better choice for a TF DVD boxset. How truly fitting!

Replicated accurately, right down to the technical specifications section of the box

Other than the vintage box art of Optimus Prime & Megatron on the front, there's 4 more on the interior box flaps.

Interior Tin Case packaging:

A few characters from the cartoon are printed on the back of the tin case, within a sort of size comparison chart

Opening the tin case gave me a feeling of Optimus Prime opening his chest compartment. This is due to the printed cardboard "cover" inside, based on the interior of Optimus Prime's torso with a glowing matrix. Very Nice!

The 2 DVD cases in the tin case:

There's also a exclusive comic included in the package. Written by Simon Furman & art by Nick Roche, the comic fills in the gap between end of Season 2 & the animated Transformers Movie.

DVD case interior & discs

There's a spare slot in the first DVD case, I guess it's for the Movie DVD to "complete" the set. Madman even printed the Movie into the episode list on the back cover. However, the Special Edition Movie DVD set that was released together with this box set contains 2 DVDs, so I guess peeps who got both will have to decide which disc to put in. The one in my picture is Madman's first DVD release of the TF Movie.

Madman vs. Rhino (first 3 boxsets)

Finally, here's a size comparison of the DVD boxset with actual Transformers toy boxes

As for the video quality, I made a comparison with my US R1 Rhino versions. The picture on the Madman version is somewhat cleaner. Not only that, Madman's didn't have the notorious restoration animation errors of Rhino.

Only thing missing from this DVD boxset is a tech spec decoder. lol

Float like a butterfly...

2007-07-11T23:43:00.000+08:00

Sting like a BEE!

The Transformers movie has landed on local screens for 2 weeks now, & we're all caught in the robot craze! Michael Bay has delivered the goods! Transformers is totally awesome & has saved a summer of disappointing sequels. Remember I was still missing a component of my TF Movie Toy collection? I got it today after hunting it down for more than a week! All thanks to a buddy of mine, more on that later.

Arise, Bumblebee!

Those who have watched the movie will know what an important role Bumblebee played, and one of the most memorable battle in the movie was Bumblebee vs. Barricade:

Autobots, Group Shot!

As I was saying, Bumblebee played a important role in the movie, thus the "first-gen" Bumblebee toys vanished off the shelves after the movie opened and that wasn't even as nice or impressive as this "2nd-gen" one. So finding this one was unquestionably going to be even more difficult, where you have to beat a "dreaded group" to it. No, not kids... Scalpers! I want to thank my bro, Dinesh for very graciously letting me have the one he reserved! Now, you're Da Man! I will definitely hunt one down for you, I promise!

My Transformers Movie Toys Collection is now complete!

I'll have another Transformers releated purchase coming soon, & it's not a toy! Watch this space.

The Mighty Thunder God

2007-06-17T23:18:00.000+08:00

The Norse God of Thunder has always been one of my favourite Marvel Heroes & I've been wanting to get a cool Thor statue for a while. When I saw Bowen Designs' third full size statue release of the Mighty Thor, I knew that's THE ONE! What I love about this piece is the whole look, simple yet powerful. The first BD Thor statue was in a "action" type pose & the second statue was exactly the same, with the inclusion of interchangeable heads (commonly referred to as the "change-o-head" version), which made me prefer the simple look of the new one. Sky high prices of the earlier statues also left me with little choice. :P All 3 Thor statues were sculpted by the man himself, Randy Bowen.

Comparison shots with the Mad Titan, (Bowen Designs) Thanos:

Clash of the DC Titans

2007-06-17T20:59:00.000+08:00

My first statue from DC Direct, Wonder Woman vs. Superman!
I had a few worries when I was deciding whether to pre-order this piece. One was the face sculpt of Superman reminded me of the dreadful Superman vinyl statue by Kotobukiya. The second worry was DC Direct's poor paint QC on their statues. But in the end, I thought... Heck! Two of DC's most well known Heroes going against each other? No way can I pass up on this! Beautifully sculpted by Ray Villafane (BD Sabertooth statue, SS Wolverine comiquette), based on art by Terry Dodson. My worries were unwarranted when I finally received the actual statue. Superman turned out much better than I expected, Diana was simply gorgeous & the paint was decent all round. The first thing that hit me when I picked up the statue (literally) was the weight, or lack of it to be precise. It's quite light for a statue that size, I guess it could be to prevent breakages due to its design. One of the highlights is the glossy red paint used very appropriately on WW & Supe's boots, also on Supe's chest insignia.

I was gonna display this with my Sideshow versus dioramas, but too bad the scale is smaller. Size comparison with the awesome Sideshow X-Men vs. Sentinel diorama:

& here's one for fans of Transformers:

Giant F'ing Robots are coming!

2007-06-16T22:17:00.000+08:00

As the arrival of the Transformers movie draws near, movie toys started to "flood" local departmental stores from June 2nd onwards. When I first saw pictures of the movie toys, only Optimus Prime caught my eye. As the others were a total departure from what their cartoon versions looked like. A lot of G1 fans were complaining about how their beloved TFs were now fugly looking Lego Bionicle rejects. I however was metally prepared, when the live movie was announced. Unless the new movie is going to be set in the 1980s & targeted at kids, no way can they keep the original look of the Transformers without them turning out like jokes in live action. If I want to see a cute Volkswagon Bumblebee or size-changing tape deck Soundwave, I can just watch the cartoons. What I want to see on the big screen are high tech looking Robots kicking ass, Michael Bay style! Ok, enough rambling. Back to the toys. My initial plan of getting just Optimus flew out the window when I came across this picture:

Now I gotta buy all those in that picture. Aargh!

...& I did (minus the "2008" Bumblebee, which is still unreleased at point of posting)

Optimus Prime

Ironhide

Ratchet

Jazz

Barricade

The Gang

Lastly, here's a shot of my "Blockbusters of Summer 2007" display.
(Pardon the poor-quality-handphone-taken picture)

Spidey 3

2007-06-16T21:42:00.000+08:00

More spiders! But this time, they are 12" action figures.
Medicom released 3 RAH (Real Action Heroes) figures for the Spider-Man 3 movie, namely; (Red & Blue) Spider-Man, Black-Suited Spider-Man & Venom. After getting my hands on the cool X-Men: The Last Stand Wolverine, I pre-ordered all three figs without hesitation. As focus was on how Medicom will pull off the Spidey movie costumes for the figs, there were mixed opinions as prototype pictures surfaced. When I finally got them in May, I was quite relieved at how the final product turned out. The suits are kinda "thick" as compared to the movie counterparts, but I find that acceptable as they incorporate the cool grid texture from the real suits. However the suits' thickness do restrict movement to a certain extent, which is a waste seeing how articulated the RAH body under the suit can be.

The Marvel Team-up that we might never see on the big screen:

"Schuwatch?!?"

Venom was my least favourite when I first saw pictures of the figures. He's starting to grow on me after I got them though. However, he's kinda small when place besides the Spideys. You can see from my photos, I have to prop him up for the group shots. But it's still a heck of a cool figure by itself!

Medicom will be releasing another RAH figure from the Spider-Man 3 movie, Peter Parker. I can't wait for mine!

2 new photos with Toybiz's 18" Spider-Man of the second Spider-Man movie (26 Jun 2007):

Spiders!

2007-06-16T17:21:00.000+08:00

Forget Tobey vs. Topher, here's how Spider-Man vs Venom should be, classic comic style! My fourth Sideshow Diorama statue (First = X-Men vs. Sentinel, Second = Captain America vs. Red Skull, Third = Fantastic Four), got it in March. I missed out on Sideshow's Hulk vs. Spider-Man, so this will have to do, for now... :P
A pity they didn't give legs to Venom, or this will be a total kick ass piece! Great all round sculpting.

One thing about these action pose statues when displayed, they tend to capture people's attention more due to their dynamic sculpts. I have nothing against "boring museum pose" statues, as I own a few too. Just to share an observation.

3 new photos added (20 Aug 2007)

Simply Fantastic

2007-06-16T15:55:00.000+08:00

For the first few posts, I'll be digging out photos of my latest toys & collectibles, from my photobucket, to share.

First up. To coincide with the opening of the latest Fantastic Four movie, Rise of the Silver Surfer, here's the Fantastic Four Diorama Exclusive version from Sideshow. The exclusive version is limited to 550 & comes with a pair of interchangeable Invisible Women. I got this back in February.

Here's the diorama with the exclusive "phasing"Invisible Woman:

Here's normal Sue:

Size comparison with a Bowen Designs Iceman mini-bust:

I would love to get a Bowen Designs Silver Surfer Statue to go with this beautiful F4 diorama. But sadly, prices have skyrocketed since its launch. I'm hoping Sideshow will release their own surfer soon. Or better yet, a Silver Surfer vs Thanos diorama!

The Ark has landed!

2007-06-16T15:44:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone, welcome to Sideswipe's Ark!
This is my first blog so I'm still trying to figure all the stuff out.
I will be sharing my thoughts & photos of my hobbies as well as various other tidbits here.
Please bare with the emptiness for now, while I spruce up my blog in days to come.
Cheers & watch this space.