Toy Construct

Part of the Journey is the End

2019-05-01T23:02:00.003+08:00

Like Marvel's Avengers: End Game. This marks the end of an era for Toyconstruct page and website. With a long inactivity, I feel there is a need to start afresh. That being said, I have been thinking about focusing on my core hobby and what platform to use for it. Further to that, improving my artwork and collectibles but sharing it on a more personal front. i.e. Personal Facebook/Instagram.

Thank you to all those who came to this blog to muse on our share collectables! Josh and I truly appreciated it.

Stay tune for notifications on new things to come!

Like Tony Stark Said, Part of the Journey is the End. Adios.

SX2150 Truck (GHQ)

2016-05-31T09:00:00.000+08:00

Good Day to Everyone!

I am back! This month, I am digging into my Modern Military Stash.

It has definitely been a long while since I last featured my own Modern Military Collectibles. Let alone it being from GHQ.

But today, I shall be showing you my completed SX2150 Army Truck that is the primary transport carrier for the People's Liberation Army. I have also completed my Modern Chinese Infantrymen minus basing. With Joshua's Powerful Macro lenses, I was able to capture some nice shot.

It definitely is a pain to paint micro details on miniatures or model kits of such scale. Therefore, I do hope you will go easy on my paint job on these GHQ stuff and I also do hope you will enjoy!

SX2150 Army Truck

Side view of the FORMER Main Troop Army Truck of the PLA

The SX2150 made by Shaanxi Automobile Works, a.k.a Shaanxi Automobile Corporation Limited has recently been replaced or are int he midst of being replaced by the SX2150 "K" Variant and the SX2190

The Largest Infantry Force in the World, The PLA has been modernising itself in recent times.

I have painted them in their modern colours. Here we see a Mortar Section firing.

Section Movement.

Firing on the move.

Heavy Weaponry Squad

I have been itching to do more GHQ stuff and Modern Military Model Kits but time is not on my side. Hopefully, I can have a regular schedule on making more model kits and featuring them here.

Furthermore, I am intending to come up with an imaginary Modern World which involves aspects of Modern Warfare, Politics and Economies.

It is still in the infancy stage but I do hope to see it materialize soon enough.

Till then,

I thank you all for your continual support!

Cheers!

Iron Man Mark 7 (Hot Toys) and Captain America: Civil War

2016-04-26T11:00:00.000+08:00

Greetings fellow Nerds and Geeks,

It has been too long. Way too Long since our last post! I hope everyone has been fairing well!

Unfortunately, Toyconstruct has been pretty inactive since 2015 and I guess it's because of the many things Me and Josh have been doing in our lives.

Regardless of the little time we have to do our hobby stuff, we never stop liking the things we do and collect and experience.

Today, I shall feature Hot Toy's Iron Man Mark 7 or Mark VII from the First Avenger Movie.

Took me long enough to feature this Bad Boy in all its glory.

The Intro to Tony getting into this armor while falling down from the Avenger Tower was most definitely kickass.

Not to Mention, the Mark 7 is the first of his set of armors to be highly packed with heap loads of weaponry.

Might I add on that I believe the Mark 7 has clocked the most kills. I possibly believe that it could be more than his Armor in Avengers: Age of Ultron Armor.

"The Fog of War" Shot

Looking Badass

Back when Tony Stark could still smirk....

However, all the fun and games are gone when the dust of war settles. When the Avengers fought off the Chitauri, no one focused on the collateral. When S.H.I.E.L.D unraveled from within due to HYDRA infiltration, innocent lives were killed. When Sokovia dropped back to the ground, the inevitable casualties suffered were high. The World was grateful for the Avengers at that time but the ghost of the past had come back to haunt the team in present day.

And that is the setting up for Civil War. Due to the Avengers' actions taken to defeat their various enemies, it has resulted in destruction and loss of lives with no accountability. As the Avengers' answer to no one, sentiments to them grew negative. A drafted "Sokovia" Accord was created in which it states that the Avengers must seek approval from the UN in order to be activated or take action.

The Captain's stand is that the Avengers' hands are the safest and that no one or no organization should prevent them from saving or attending the needs of humanity. He views organizations as politically driven and that such groups would only prevent the Avengers' from being an effective team that they are.

Iron Man's stand on this matter is that there is no one to regulate the actions of the Avengers. Till now, there has been zero accountability on the actions of the group. His concern is that if the Avengers' continue to have free reign, negative sentiments will grow stronger. Ultimately leading to the demise of the team and no one to protect the earth.

Now that the premise has been set, I must say that the show is worth its weight in gold. It delivers more than Avengers: Age of Ultron. With the only bit of the basic plot and structure of the Marvel Comic Book Civil War, this movie turned out to be quite a screamer of a show. It delivered all the usual good things that a Marvel Film should have without going off tangent on the cusp of the story. It was a brilliant direction taken by Joe and Anthony Russo given that they had to make the Marvel Civil War Comic translate into film with constraints of only being able to utilize Heroes from Avengers and Spiderman.(No X-Men or Fantastic Four characters involved due to Separate Film Rights)

So much so that it washes over the bitterness of how Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice turned out to be. I am particularly impress at the way the rivalry and grudge between Iron Man and Captain America escalated. Both had good intentions but different views on the way things should work. All in all, the movie deserved its 88 percent Meta Critic Rating.

And without giving anything away, I must say that the movie definitely gave the Marvel fans what they expect to come out on various characters and what they can do.

This Film definitely highlights out how great Marvel and Disney have been getting it done for over the course of 8 over years. It also highlights how disappointing Batman v Superman was in story line and setting up of their DC universe.

The tragedy of DC is that while I am a Marvel Fan, DC has always had the better stories and more complex nature to Graphic Novel Story Telling. Unfortunately, DC has the misfortune of choosing a Director that really did not translate the story line of Frank Miller's Batman v Superman into film screen well enough.

The only biggest hits DC had in recent history would be Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy and a great visual representation and story direction on Man of Steel by Zack Snyder.

However, I got to repeat myself and say that Zack royally screwed this Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice film.

Nevertheless, Enjoy Marvel's Captain America: Civil War and more to come from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Till our next showcase of our collection,

Cheerios!

STGCC 2015

2015-10-20T09:46:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

It's time for the highlights of STGCC 2015 this year!

It has become a yearly affair for me and this year is no different. As usual, the artworks and toys are what draws me to the Singapore Toy, Games, Comic Convention 2015 and here are the highlights of the things I have seen and browse through in the event:

Jason Freeny's Lego Man Anatomy

Prepping for the Biggest Movie of 2015, Hot Toys present its Star Wars Line Up

I believe that this would be the first time that Hot Toy's main features are from Star Wars. The sheer fan power of Star Wars clearly overshadowing the Marvel's limelight in 2015.

An epic sculpture diorama of Evil Ryu vs Oni

Artworks from Irene Saputra. Artist Alley showcasing South East Asian and Local Artist.
Check her works out at strangedear.tumblr.com

Panda in Space Suit by Cacooca

Awesome Painted sculpts by Daniel Yu. Loving the Thanos Ape much!

XM Studios has grown so big. They are pretty much the most establish local sculpture studio. And they have most definitely come a long way since their haydays when I saw their works in 2010. These Dr. Strange Figure is of the highest quality and a great improvement from their older stuff.

Seeing XM Studios do the Inhumans are a dream come true for me. The sad part is just that I won't be able to buy it due to everything being sold out before the pre-orders are open. I kid you not when I say that their products are so high in demand that if you are not a premium member, you can forget about even making a pre-order because by the time it is open to the public, it is probably sold out.

I can but only ogle at their stuff in STGCC 2015. And I gotta say that they did a real awesome job with Black Bolt and Medusa.

Last but not least, it isn't a Comic Convention without your cosplayers.

Digging the unique touch of this cosplayer blending Captain America and Spider-man together. (Pardon my friend trolling at the back)

For more photoes on STGCC 2015, check out our Facebook album here.

I guess this pretty much sums up the big nerd and geek events for the year!

Hope you guys like it!

Gundam Docks at Singapore 2015

2015-09-22T09:00:00.000+08:00

Hi and its me again!

This time round, I am featuring the highlights on the Gundam Docs at Singapore Exhibition. Held in Ngee Ann City from 04 June 2015 to 28 June 2015, the exhibition showcases all the iconic Gundams and also features the 1/6 scale Zaku II Char's Custom and RX-78 Gundam.

While not as impressive as the 1:1 Scale that was in Odaiba and Shizuoka, there were a lot of Gundams on display that were awesome! On top of that, to celebrate Singapore's 50th year, Bandai got Kunio Okawara to design an SG-50 Version of the Classic RX-78 Gundam.

Here are the highlights for me from the exhibitions:

SG-50 RX-78 Display Statues

Awesome Display Model of the 1:60 SG-50 RX-78.

By the time I went to the exhibition, all scale size of the SG-50 RX-78 model kits were sold out. It is not big wonder that this SG-50 version would have been grabbed up by fellow Singaporeans and serious Gundam Collectors.

SG-50 RX-78 was the biggest highlight for me. The 1:60 MBF-P02 Gundam Astray Red Frame from Gundam SEED is by far the most badass Gundam in the Exhibition.

The most iconic Gundam, the RX-78 in his classic colours.

Gundam Zeta always stands out with his different face structure.

RX-178

Gundam Strike Freedom from Gundam SEED

Lastly, it is the MS-06S Zaku II Char's Custom Version

Check out the rest of the Gundam Docks Picture in our facebook album here.

Avengers: Age of Ultron in Singapore

2015-09-15T01:29:00.001+08:00

Oh how Time has passed by too fast.

This post is about 3 months or more late. In fact Ant-Man has already come and gone.

Nevertheless, here is the rundown of the trinkets and features that were in various parts of Singapore during the period when Avengers: Age of Ultron. For more pictures, Check out my Facebook page album here.

Head Bust by Hot Toys showcasing at Vivocity Singapore

Hot Toys also featured War Machine as part of the Lineup of Age of Ultron Hot Toys Figures.

Artist Mix Avengers Figurines from Hot Toys

Statues of our Various Avengers

1:1 Scale Hulkbuster in ION Orchard

Much of all these features were sponsored by Action City, the sole distributor for Hot Toys. And with Star Wars just around the corner, Hot Toys can only grow bigger. With the rise in demand for their products, I do hope they will continue to produce High Quality figures and better head sculpts. Lastly, I do hope that they won't increase the prices too high and continue to productively listen to the fans' feedback on their stuff.

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

2015-07-13T23:36:00.000+08:00

So for those who have not already know... San Diego Comic Con 2015 has wrapped up and boy was it filled with a heap loads of teasers and trailers and movie panels that would have just blow everyone's minds apart. It just tears me apart that 1. It is so hard to get a ticket for SDCC. 2. I don't have the $$$$ or time to go there this year. 3. SDCC being so epic.

So I shall just sit in my sad corner and list down the highlights on what has gone down in SDCC 2015.

Toys

1. HOT TOYS

HOT TOYS under the sole distribution of Sideshow Collectibles in the US has featured the entire line-up of the Avengers: Age of Ultron in SDCC 2015. Aside from what has already been released to the public, Maria Hill was added to the lineup. However, Quicksilver remains to be seen. Perhaps because of his death, there might not be a release of the figure. It is probable but highly unlikely that they would just not release Quicksilver at all. (Hot Toys has shown a action figure base recently with Quicksilver titled on it.)

Stan Lee taking a look at the Captain America and Iron Man Age of Ultron Hot Toys.

Maria Hill. The new addition to the Hot Toy's Age of Ultron Lineup

Age of Ultron Lineup

Yellow Jacket

Ant-Man

With Ant-Man coming in a few days time, it was appropriate and great timing for Hot Toys to release the Ant-Man and Yellow Jacket. For me, if the film is fantastic, I might eye on getting Ant-Man.

Onto the Star Wars franchise, Hot Toys fetures the Millenium Falcon Cockpit which was absolutely fabulous. It also showed the Tie Fighter 1/6 scale which was pretty damn epic. However, Hot Toys had embark on making "The Bat" from the Dark Knight Rises film which ultimately did not achieve mass production. Therefore, I am quite skeptical if the supply would meet the demand on the Tie Fighter.

Tie Fighter

Chewy and Solo. Coolest Bros in the Galaxy

Coolest Guy you want on your side in a Gun Fight.

2. Dark Horse: Game of Thrones

Dark Horse has released additional characters to the Game of Throne Series. Brienne, Sansa, Oberyn, Daenaerys and Drogon are only but a part of this lineup. While I am not too fond of the detailing, especially their previous action figures, the resemblance for some of these figures are pretty spot on. Oberyn and Grey Worm would be my favourite for this lineup.

Sansa Stark after leaving the Vale

Daenarys and Drogon

Grey Worm, Commander of the Unsullied

Margaery Tyrell

Oberyn Martell, The Red Viper

Lady Brienne of Tarth

3. Todd McFarlane's Game of Throne Builds.

McFarlane Toys has been always diversifying and giving its own take on toys and collectibles. With the success of his recent Walking Dead building sets, Todd has come up with the Game of Thrones Builds. As featured in SDCC, there two builds that are going to be release. The "Mother

of Dragons" set and the "Iron Throne" set. I got to say, they looks pretty awesome. If the diorama is done well and with a bit of fine tuning or painting customization, it can look super crazy epic.

Mother of Dragons Set

Iron Throne Set

Movie Panels

1. Marvel Universe

Weirdly enough, I have not uncover any Marvel Studio Film Panels, but the highlights for Marvel would be from Fox Studios. For starters, the main cast for X-Men Apocalypse was there to promote the X-Men Apocalypse film that will be featuring in 2016.

Epic Poster for the X-Men Apocalypse

The whole crew including Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Gambit (Channing Tatum)

So everyone from the X-Men First Class Cast shall be reprising their roles with new additions like Sophie Turner aka Sansa Stark, who shall be taking up the role of Jean Grey, Olivia Munn as Psylocke, ALexander Shipp as Storm and Lana Condor as Jubilee.

Deadpool and Gambit

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

GAWD, Why am I not at SDCC2015

2. DC Universe

DC is giving Marvel a run for its money with the recent release of the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Trailer. It looks supremely epic and the panel must have went wild seeing it.

Much Love for one another despite their differences.

It has only been two days or so and the trailer is about to hit 20 million views. That is saying something. While DC have been left far behind in blockbuster movies compared to Marvel, perhaps this is the moment where they become the comeback kid to fight against Marvel.

On top of the Batman v Superman Panel, The Suicide Squad packed their own punch in releasing their trailer that can be seen in this link: https://vid.me/NHC9

3. Star Wars Universe

There isn't much to be said other than the word "epic". Unlike most of my fellow close friends, I am the lesser hardcore fan of the Star Wars Story. However, the magic atmosphere, story and legacy behind the movies is just so overwhelmingly powerful. Since it's announcement of a new trilogy that will continue 20 years after Return of the Jedi, the whole vibe on the Star Wars universe has been supremely positive. And the panel just speaks all of that.

Other Highlights

Epic Warcraft Footman Displays

So there was a feature of the Warcraft Trailer in Comic Con but no leaks so far, so we just gotta wait until it comes up.

Epic Statues from Warcraft on what to expect in the upcoming Warcraft Movie.

Lastly, it is the Hunger Games: Mocking Jay 2 Panel. If you haven't already seen it yet, the trailer was amazing. it does tease you and fill you up with anticipation. Whether you are a Hunger Game fan or not, the trailer does give the whole "Shit about to get real" vibe.

Wow, honestly, this barely even covers half of what SDCC 2015 is. But all the features that were shown...Man oh Man oh Man... What a glorious day to be alive and experience all this.

But most definitely sad to not be able to be there to really get into the whole feel of being a part of SDCC 2015.

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

Avengers: Age of Ultron Movie Review

2015-05-27T23:45:00.000+08:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Got a Little Draggy at some points:

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

2. Ultron. WHY YOU NO BADASS?

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

3. Bad Russian Accents from the Twins

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. Death of a Hero!

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

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

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

4. Hulkbuster vs The Hulk

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

5. Vision

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

6. Great Humor

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

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

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

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

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

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

Till then, toodle loo!

Good Day 2015! Avengers (Hot Toys) Assemble!

2015-04-23T09:57:00.000+08:00

Wow, Time has eluded us big time for the year 2015, but with so many big things happening or going to happen for Nerds all over, you can't help that we are entranced by things to come.

From Game of Thrones Season 5, House of Cards Season 3, Daredevil to the Epic Release of The Avengers 2 and the recent Trailer of Star Wars: The Force Reawaken, it is yet another great year to geek and nerd out.

So how appropriate it would be for Toyconstruct to start this year by featuring my Avengers Assembled on the release day of The Avengers: Age of Ultron!

Enough said! Let the Pictures do the talking!

It's time for the Avengers to Assemble!

The Hammer and the Spider

Stark on Point

Face off

Strength, Intelligence and Agility in one frame

The Leader

The Heroes' Sacrifice

And there you have it! As some of you may know, I have not done a featurette on the Hulk, Iron Man Mk VII and Hawkeye. But I will be sure to show them soon enough! And many more from my Hot Toys' Stash to come!

For more photoes on My Hot Toy Avengers, you can check them out on our Facebook page here.

Stay tune for more posts, more reviews and a new shake up on our page and more!

Be sure to watch The Avengers: Age of Ultron!

Toyconstruct goes to NYCC 2014! Part 2

2014-12-11T12:57:00.000+08:00

Hi Guys,

It's been a while!! And in the blink of an eye, the year 2014 begins to set on us!

Oh but what a year it has been. As Josh has given a great detailed account on what New York Comic has been, I shall add my perspective onto his post on how NYCC has blown my mind.

For starters, the genre of cosplayers is way more expansive then what I get in Conventions back in Singapore. The diversity of cosplaying spans beyond just anime (as predictably seen in STGCC).

The picture above says it all, it's a guy dressed up as Sharknado... I mean noone, I literally mean noone would get it or even think of dressing up as this in Singapore. The Coolest thing about NYCC is that not dressing up... makes you stand out. Like these two friends of ours

To add on, Josh had the chance to come across fellow Battlestar Galactica cosplayers. They started chatting with him and even asked him to join a Colonial Day event. HOW COOL IS THAT? The whole atmosphere was friendly and embracing. It is just so great to see people casually chatting up to strangers to take pics and commend on each others costumes.

It's Tyrion Lannister! The IMP

Josh taking a swing at the Black Knight from Monty Python's The Holy Grail

In our adventure exploring the layout of NYCC, I came across two entertaining encounters of my own. One was with the Black Knight. He was showing some concern by asking if I was alright as I was on a crutch (due to a rather nasty knee injury).

To that, I replied, "Just a flesh wound" which immediately made him laugh and add, "Dude, you made my day."

Another encounter was when Josh and I were walking out of the Artist Alley. We cross paths with Batman from the Dark Knight film.

To which I shouted "WHEREEE IS SHEEEE?" in my best Dark Knight Guttural Voice.

To which he replied,"I DUNNOOO" in the same guttural voice. Passers-by could not help but laugh at the commotion.

Taking a hit from Wolverine...

Deadpool Nation is strong.

Among the crowd of Superheros and Anime cosplayers, I happen to stumble upon a group of Deadpools up to their usual "deadpoolish" antics. Can't have a legitimate comic con without the Deadpool Nation..

And here, I bring you a few more collectibles on top of the ones shown by Josh.

Our friend mucking around in the background behind this awesome statue of Thranduil done by Weta Workshop

Play Arts Kai - Rorschach from the Watchmen

Really Cool Figures of Daft Punk by Bandai. (Considering getting this for myself)

"I am the Law" Judge Dredd

While both Josh and I have featured numerous figures and statues, NYCC had more to offer than that. In actuality, a good half of the exhibition hall featured comics old and new. I have a feeling that compared to San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), NYCC has a bigger focus on comics (which is a great thing).

The Nerd Crew NYCC 2014

Photo Op session with none other than Karl Urban, aka Judge Dredd, Eomer and Dr. Leonard Mccoy

Love it or Hate it, these celebrity photo op session thingies are big money for the companies who organize it. Furthermore, what other appropriate place can you do a photo-op then put it in Comic Con. While the photo session was brisk, fast and guarantees that you will have a photo taken of you and the celebrity, the cost can be staggering especially if the star is a A-Lister. Regardless, I think it is a necessary evil business model that satisfy the fans on getting their pic taken with their celebrity without having to wait half a day at some place and missing out all the other attractions in the Comic Convention. The convenience and the guarantee of snapping a picture with your favorite star is quite a compelling pull factor to part with your money. And that's my 2 cents worth.

Awesome Mass Effect Weapon Props, with an awesomely heavy price to pay. :p

Before we knew it, time passed deftly quick and day 1 of NYCC ended for us on a real high note. Having an early night, Josh and I prepare to go back for Round two on Sunday. Without a moment to lose, we proceeded to the Artist Alley of NYCC, and boy was a blown away by the artworks there.

Street Fighter Head Portraits by David Yardin

The Talent Pool of Artists here was huge. I am so overwhelm by all the awesome artwork that I immediately felt quite depress on my artwork capabilities. To draw/colour half as good as these guys would make me so happy and contented.

It is at this moment where Josh and I went on a spending spree. It is safe to say that my expenditure in Comic Con trumps all other activities I have done in New York. On top of buying several printed edition artworks for various artists, Josh and I were determine to get at least one original artwork. Josh got the Street Fighter Cammie Original Portrait Art Piece by David Yardin which quite honestly was a freaking amazing work of art. The Colouring by Yardin was flawless.

As for me, I got a Galactus original warm up sketch by Freddie E.Williams II. I love the vantage point and angle that Freddie drew Galactus. You feel the "Massiveness" of Galactus oozing out of the page as his hand is put forth to the foreground.

Galactus by Freddie E. Williams II

More Amazing Pieces of Work

One of the talented Artists focusing on doing Commission Work.

All in all, it was a great event and an experience I would not forget ever. NYCC has been increasingly gaining more traction and popularity. In fact, this year's NYCC 2014 can't really be classified as the lesser brother of SDCC. There were many interesting panels and a considerable amount of big stars that appeared for NYCC. Back to the Artist Alley experience, one of the regrets I have was that I should have gone earlier so that I could place a Commission Artwork to be done for me.

Nevertheless, with this much spoils from my nerdy adventure, I can't really say I am discontented.

It has been so great to meet up with Josh after being apart for quite awhile. And nothing is more appropriate than the Toyconstruct team exploring NYCC 2014 together. Best Bromance experience!

Be sure to check out Josh Album on NYCC 2014 Part 1 here.

And my album on NYCC 2014 Part 2 here.

Till the next post,

I have only this to say: Winter is coming... and so is Christmas, Brace thyself!

Toyconstruct Goes to NYCC 2014!

2014-11-20T12:58:00.002+08:00

Hey Everyone

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

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

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

*Nerdgasm*

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

This is awesome cosplay. I love the spirit!

The passion is strong in this group...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Over 9000!!!

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

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

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

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

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

Good Smile Company's TMNT: Uber Cool!

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

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

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

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

The Infamous Azog - hot damn.

Three Words: Parenting Done Right.

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

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

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

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

The Sonar Suit - Batman Forever.

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

I'm still wondering how his back was fixed.

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

Khal Drogo graced us with his biceps.

Black Cat: Mrrrreeeeeooow!

JQ and Cammy looking good!

Samwell Tarly! A true hero.

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

The tactical Robocop!

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

I can tell that this group is awesome.

The Arrow and Black Canary from the awesome series.

That's a power DC couple!

Jessica Rabbit and She-trooper - Girl Power!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TURTLE POWER!

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

The Teen Titans - and the end of our NYCC experience :(

Thanks for your support and continued readership. Geek on!

PS: Our Facebook page has more pictures - do check it out!

STGCC 2014

2014-09-19T14:30:00.000+08:00

Hi there people!

It has been quite a whirlwind of a period for me dealing with work. Somehow, I manage to catch STGCC 2014 this year. Sadly, I am rather disappointed with this year's event. It almost seems like as the years go by, STGCC appears to be getting less awesome. Through my own observation over the years that STGCC had been held, Guest appearances have been dwindling, some mainstays that made STGCC iconic are not even around anymore and the event highlights seem less impressive.

It does put to question on whether the "Comic/Nerd/Geek" following has dissipated in our sunny island or has ReedPop fail to alleviate STGCC in being the hub for Comic Conventions in Asia?

This year's STGCC saw the absence of the Marvel Space and Panel and Imaginary Friends. There wasn't even a major feature in this year's event that compelled my soul to go. Despite my disappointment in the event as a whole, I manage to find a few stuff that impressed me.

Thanos by XM Studios

For starters, Imust say that I am thoroughly impressed with XM Studios recent sculpts. Their Magneto and Thanos sculpts were absolutely bad ass. They have come a long way as Singapore's very own producer of limited edition premium statue collectibles. When I first saw them in the first STGCC event, I was not really particularly impress with the sculpts. The details were lacking and the colour rather primary and basic compared to what HOT TOYS and Sideshow had to offer. However, this year, they were one of the main event with the Magneto and Thanos Sculpts.

XM Studio nailed it so well that their Magneto Collectible Sold Out before I had a chance to contemplate the amount for these awesome statue collectible.

"Why are you so beautiful, Groot, Why??"

Another Impressive batch of figures that caught my eye were from DAM Toys. DAM Toys created this series of figures under the name Gangster Kingdom. Gangster Kingdom features Mexicano and British Gangster/Holligan Persona in an animated style that we are familiar with. While it is your standard 1/6 Scale figure, the head sculpts were done to look animated. This particular style was intriguing and cool as usually most 1/6 scale figures are done to look as realistically human as possible.

This UK Thug and its sculpt reminds me very much of Vinnie Jones

A few of the Gangsters from Gangster Kingdom

This particular figure reminds me of Jason Statham. For all intentions and purpose, I am quite sure the sculpt of his head was done to look pretty much like him.

Another Bad Ass

DAM Toys also had a few other gangster, one looking very much like Danny Trejo from his famous action film, Machete as shown below.

Last but not least, Soldier Story attracted me this year with the Zero Dark Thirty DEVGRU Team Leader. This bad ass Seal Team Six Operative had all the equipment to boot as featured in the movie. I for one particularly like the exact details that they have put into sculpting the head likeness to Joel Edgerton who acted as the Seal Team Six Leader. Furthermore, the helmet with those super cool looking 4 lens NVGs are on another level of bad assery not seen even in Call of Duty.

That is one mean looking Seal with the weaponry and equipment one can only dream of

It's Joel Edgerton!

Voltron, Defender of the Universe and his handicap sidekick, Me

I have been looking at what is in store for New York Comic Con and it sounds like it is going to be one mucho supremo magnifico event with the featured guests, exhibitors and panels. While it pales in comparison to San Diego Comic Con, ReedPop has made NYCC look as good as ever. My only hope is that they would do the same for STGCC. Hopefully, STGCC 2015 will be more kick ass. I can only have my fingers crossed for it!

WFB DE: the Humble Warrior Regiment

2014-09-06T06:52:00.003+08:00

Hey Everyone

Congratulations to our giveaway winner Bill Jenkins, and JQ & I would like to thank you all for your readership. Keep a heads up as more giveaways would come along in the future :)

Today we will be taking a look at the bread and butter core unit of the Dark Elves: the warrior regiment. I'll refer to them as "warriors" in spite of 8th edition terms. "Dreadspears" is too corny for me, and I am pissed about how new editions change everything = $$$ for GW. This unit was another ebay find for me, painted at a reasonable price.

DE and a nice grassy landscape - can only be bad news...

The warrior regiments are derived from the DE citizenry, and all members are expected to serve in their local militias. DE warriors are the typical basic infantry unit: mundane stats and dependence on numbers. Magic banners and shields are added to ensure a degree of durability of the unit.

DE gender equality: males and females fight alongside each other.

I've only played my DE army twice. Once against a High Elf army, and another against Chaos. The HE army was brought down by my hydra (they're awesome), while the Chaos fight was more even...unfortunately the battle was invalidated by the incorrect use of rules. My fully beefed up DE warrior regiment surprisingly (or luckily) held the line against a Chaos warrior regiment.

All citizens form the rank and file of this unit.

Assassins are one reason why playing DE is maliciously fun. They can hide in regiments and then be unleashed at the right moment on an unsuspecting character. Your enemy will always be on their toes if they know you have an assassin around. They have ridiculous WS, and with an added hand weapon, they can spell the end of most characters.

Blades so tarnished they could give you tetanus just by looking at it.

I picked DE as my "evil" army and wanted to explore if the writers could construct a feasible society that was evil, and yet had an eye on realm longevity. In short, a "lawful evil" society that still had some statutes in place, and question whether GW could move evil societies beyond caricature.

DE: Slavers 'r Us of WFB.

Boy was I in for disappointment! The DE turned out to be just plain evil, exploiting their slaves to death (using their corpses as fertilizer), holding countless blood orgies, backstabbing each other on a regular basis, and always seething with hatred every single day. Going to maximum evil/exploitative on the majority of actions is a sure way of destroying your own empire.

LET'S FIGHT FOR EVIL!!!!!

So far, I am still skeptical if such a completely evil society could truly exist in a fantasy world. I could also be missing the point, as fantasy could be the creating of caricatures without a nod to realism. On the flip-side, realism in fantasy worlds may have an "equalizing" effect, where all sides appear to be all morally imperfect. Should fantasy be another world by itself, or should it reflect the real world we live in?

I think that depends on what you like in the end...Tolkien or GRRM?

Close-up for the shield.

And the Winner for our Giveaway is......

2014-08-03T08:28:00.000+08:00

And so the Giveaway is done!

Thanks for the participation!!

Using a complex system of picking out of a bag, we have found a winner!!!

Mr. Bill Jenkins!!!!

For those who did not get pick, do not despair for there will be more giveaways to come. Till then, keep reading, follow our blog and holla at us!

Once again, thank you everyone for all the support and viewership!

Cheers!

Finn the Human from Adventure Time

2014-07-28T06:45:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

We are back again!

Today, we shall be featuring the main dude, Finn the Human from Adventure Time!

Finn had been abandon in the woods during his infancy and was rescued by Jake's Parents. Finn was raised alongside with Jake, his adopted brother which made their friendship and bromance grow to what you see in every episode.

Time to get some adventure going!

Prepared to meet your doom with my Sword!

As one of the only Humans left in the land of Ooo, Finn is the resident adventurer and main hero of the story. And at the age of 14 now, he showcases his youth through his funny and entertaining child like behavior. Finn is also righteous, brave and has a strong sense of responsibility to help his friends. As such, he also acts as the moral sheriff for the Candy Kingdom.

What are you doing, Jake?

Nap Time with Beemo.

What draws me into watching the Adventure Time show is Finn's relationship with the people around him. From the bromance he has with Jake, to his interaction with Beemo and his relationship with girls, there is something about him that I can connect very well with.

It's ADVENTURE TIME!

Just chilling at the bottom of the tree house

I know that the cartoon demographic is for kids but there is so much of Finn that I see in myself and I can't help but realize that a lot of his wanderlust, curiosity, sense of adventure, goodness and friendships that he has forge are very much similar to my experiences in life. His perspective on things are also close to how I view things in life.

There are hardly a lot of mainstream cartoon that are really awesome nowadays. Gone are the 90's era of action heroes and off beat but cool boyish animation series. Adventure Time is what makes me feel like a kid again.

Are there any of you guys out there who can really associate to any Cartoon Character in the way I do with Finn?

Do share!

On other matters, there is just 3 more days before we announce the giveaway. Be sure to follow our blog and comment on the Giveaway post.

Till then, stay tune!!!

Cheers!

150,000 Hits and The GHQ Giveaway!

2014-07-20T19:37:00.002+08:00

This month, Toyconstruct has finally break into 150K hits mark!

We have come a long way since our humble beginnings in 2010! And we would like to thank our fateful readers and friends who enjoy our nerd posts! For starters, to commemorate the 150k hits, we thought it would be awesome to have a GHQ Giveaway for the Military War gamer and collectors who visit our humble blog!

This would be our first giveaway but there will be more to come!

So lets get things started!

The Best Damn Wargaming Products since 1967

Toyconstruct would like to give a lucky winner a GHQ Modern Combat Command of his/her choosing. It has to be any Modern Combat Command which we will arrange the order to be sent to the winner's address.

GHQ Modern Combat Command

The conditions to participate are real simple.

Be a follower of the blog. And Google Follow Us!
Leave a comment that you want to enter into this Giveaway.
A winner will be chosen by random to win this giveaway.

This Lucky Draw Giveaway will be start from the 20th of July 2014 till the end of the Month before we announce the winner!

This is a one entry per person draw, and thanks for being a part of nerdy blog!

May the odds forever be in your favour!

Till next time,

Thank you all!

The Liebster Award

2014-06-27T03:12:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

For today, I would like to give a big thanks to my dear fellow blogger friend Sean from Sean's Wargames Corner for having nominated Toyconstruct for the Liebster Award. This would be the first time Toyconstruct has been nominated. It has been almost 5 years and we have come along way. It is good to see us progress in whatever manner.

For starters, I shall answer the same set of questions that were posed to Sean on his blog.

1. Why did you start blogging?

I started this blog on 24 January 2010 with Joshua with the sole objective to share our collectibles, model kits and miniatures with the blogger-sphere. While improving our photography skills, we wanted to interact with the hobby crowd of a wide genre with a slightly larger focus on modern military, fantasy miniatures and comic book hero action figures.

2. If you could change one thing about wargaming hobby, what would it be?

Always take in the fun in the game and the good companionship of playing with friends.

3. What is best in life?

To have a good drink with friends looking at your array of collectibles, model kits and miniatures.

4. Fame or Fortune

Fame can ruin you more than Fortune. So I am taking the latter.

5. What miniatures are you most proud of having painted.

I am so happy to have made them all. Each one of them has provided me with joy and pain but the outcome always gives a warm glow of happiness in my heart. Each of them has made me improve in my painting skills. But alright, If I had to choose one, I would say my Dwarven Thunderers, as they mark the point I have increased dramatically in painting skills followed by my GHQ Arleigh Burkes which showcased my ability to convert miniatures and paint small things in detail. Lastly would be my T-80B and F/A-22 as the first models in which I use Airbrush.

6. How do you deal with a burnout?

I stop for a long while. Play computer games or spend more "outside home" time with friends. It is the best way to recover.

7. Why is a Raven like a writing desk?

Your guess is as good as mind.

8. Star Wars or Star Trek?

Can I say that I enjoy both thoroughly? I love Star Trek for its exploratory plot and Star Wars for its political intrigue and massive space battles.

9. If you could only buy from one miniature company from now on, which would it be?

As my primary hobby interest is Modern Military, this easily goes to GHQ Miniatures for their wide range of modern military warfare miniature.

10. What is your favourite takeaway?

My favorite takeaway food are the local food that I can buy from the hawker centre nearby my place.

11.What do you like most (or least) about blogging?

I like interacting with my readers and doing up a good post for everyone with the motive to foster and create a larger community. What I like the least about blogging is that I am not able to post as much as I can or gather a larger following but I shall persevere and keep on trying.

Next are my 6 nominations of blogs (I don't have as large a network of bloggers compared to Sean) that are under 100 followers that I feel should be nominated for this Liebster award too. So here are the few I manage to pull out that qualify for the condition of the Liebster Award. Please check these nominations out.

1. Jacksarge's Wargaming Ramblings : A WWII and Fantasy Miniature Blog by Jacksarge with Painting Services and Great Painted Miniatures.

2. My Tiny Things : A Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Historical Miniature and Wargaming Blog by Jonathan

3. 1/72 Multiverse : A Modeller's Blog by EY that talks about his progress on his building projects. Great Blog that showcases model kits and miniatures.

4. The Games We Play : A blog by Martin Rapier featuring WWII Wargaming Miniatures and Napleonic Miniatures. Great Wargaming Feature Posts.

5. Imp552's House of Wargaming : A Fantasy Wargaming Blog by Dave H featuring Reaper Miniatures and other fantasy paint projects by him.

6. World War II Central : A WII Miniature Blog featuring GHQ WWII miniatures painted by the Blogger WWIICentral. Fantastic Miniatures and Great Paintjobs.

To those who got nominated:

The Award conditions are as shown below:

Link back to the blog that nominated you.
Nominate other blogs with 200 or less followers
Answer a couple of questions

So feel free to increase the exposure for all budding hobby blogs starting out in sharing war-gaming matter, model kits, miniatures and other collectible!

Till next time,

Cheerios guys!

WFB: Empire Steamtank

2014-06-21T23:22:00.001+08:00

Hey Everyone

Today we will delve into the world of WFB, a realm that is about as consistent as the Sun has been rising all this time - in terms of price hikes. But it is also a place of dreams and memories, as our minds bring the miniatures to life, and battle tales are traded between commanders. I hate the price hikes and new editions.

The Empire of Men is made up of pretty average people. It continually faces enemies who naturally possess the strength of beasts, reflexes only matched by lightning, and even tough hides that readily double as armor. And all the poor humans have are St3, T3, W1. The world of WFB is indeed a harsh place for all humankind (I'm not forgetting about the Brettonians).

However, the Empire had one massive ace (or gameplay mechanic) up its sleeve - invention. The Empire also have the dwarves as erstwhile allies, and their combined efforts have created feats of engineering: cannons that blast holes past most armor, handguns that send volleys of death. Perhaps one of the most fearsome creations by the Empire is the gigantic steam tank.

The steam tank is a rare sight on the battlefield, with only 8 in service (out of 12) and unlike their real-life counterparts, lack a running factory. Leonardo of Miragliano invented and built the steam tank, but passed away in a tragic engineering accident and all knowledge of making another steam tank disappeared with him. Two of the 4 steam tanks lost were salvaged by non-Empire forces, namely the Skaven with their Rat-Tank, and the Halflings of Mootland with "Kathleen."

This example was bought from a second-hand store. It was well-painted and with a price tag a little above the price of a new kit, it was an offer I couldn't resist. The top section is removable and allows you to look into the inside of the steam tank. The person who owned it must have put a lot of time into painting it, an effort that has my admiration.

The steam tank is a behemoth on the battlefield. The typical version is armed with 2 cannons, a hull-level steam-powered cannon, and a turret mounted steam gun. While the steam cannon has less firepower than the wheeled great cannon, the combination of solid armor (I heard it's reduced in 7th edition) and mobility allows the steam tank wreck havoc across the battlefield in ways a static cannon cannot.

6th edition rules limited it to 2000pt armies, and I haven't been able to field one due to the small size of my army :( From what I've read, the steam tank is a double-edged sword. While super-powerful and super-tough, it is highly unreliable and requires strict control. The steam engine can overboil from unspent steam points, and the misfire table has terrible consequences. Misfires have a 1/6 chance of happening, which translates to about 16%, which is a pretty high risk. But hey, nothing beats terrifying the crap out of your opponents and blasting holes through them...if it all works out!

Just imagine the possibilities...

Hope you all enjoyed this post, and JQ and I are thankful for your continued support.

Cherrio!

Kirov Battlecruiser

2014-06-13T02:12:00.000+08:00

Hi and we are back to Modern Military!

Today I shall be featuring my biggest completed Modern Warship to date. It is also the Biggest Cruiser or Battlecruiser in the World. Previously, I have shown the GHQ Micronaut 1/2400 scale version of it. This time round, I give you the Kirov Class Battlecruiser that is 1/700 or more than 3 times bigger than the last one shown.

Kirov cruiser on the Sea

The Ship is huge. It is so big that I do not have any diorama set or background that could be use in conjunction with taking the full picture of the Battlecruiser.

Pyotr Veliky Kirov Class Cruiser

With a little bit of imagination, I used a blue cloth and some haphazard photo-editing to showcase this model in its full glory with some semblance of a diorama.

Back Side of Pyotr Veliky

Acquiring this Model Kit from a local hobby store a long while back, I never really had the time to actually build it. Eventually, I got a local painting service to do the honors and help assemble and paint this Giant. I did contribute to doing some major a touch up and extra paint on certain details of the ship.

Side view of the Behemoth

The Model Kit is from Dragon which still produces the best Modern Warships in the market. The model truly showcase the naval power of Russia.

The Icon of Russian Naval Military Power

Speaking of Russian Naval Power, it is quite known that the Russians have been flexing their military might with recent events in Ukraine. The conflict between Pro-Ukraine and Pro-Russian groups have been an issue that is laden with complexities. Over the months, even with the supplemental knowledge given by news reports, it is hard to tell whether majority of the populace in contested regions are for annexation to Russia or more believe in a United Ukraine.

Anyone has any theories and views on this matter? One thing is quite clear. In the most unlikely event that Ukraine were to go into an all out war with Russia, they would be out manned, out gun and most definitely out matched. However, guerrilla warfare in urban areas would tip the advantage slightly back to Ukraine. Fortunately, the situation does not look to escalate to that point.

In any case, I do hope you readers enjoy the post and like the model kit pictures. There are more in picture of the Kirov class battle cruiser in the album here. Lastly, stay tune for more Modern Military Models to come!

Cheers!

BMO (Beemo) from Adventure Time

2014-06-07T00:45:00.000+08:00

Greetings fellow friends!

The weekend is around the corner and if there is one place I wanna go to on a weekend, it would be the Land of Ooo from Adventure Time which brings me to today's feature, BMO!

Offline Mode in his package

BMO is the trusted, loyal and helpful friend of the two main characters, Jake and Finn in Adventure Time.

"Football, I will teach you all the things there is to be a real boy"

This cute little fellow has its weird quirks. While the main plot focuses on the main characters, you can't help but be curious as to how BMO sees the world and what it does while Jake and Finn are off adventuring. There are a few episodes which focus on the half-Macintosh half-Game Boy Color Robot which are just as entertaining as the other Adventure Time episodes.

BMO Chills

Aside from helping Jake and Finn with the household chores, BMO also serves as Finn and Jake's Video Game console.

BMO isn't too happy with falling down

While BMO is a Robot, it does show many signs of emotion and has great feelings of care and love to Finn and Jake. It also has a great imagination and has its own adventures within and outside of the treefort.

BMO and the Tree Fort

While it has taken me quite some time to feature stuff from Adventure Time, I have been into the Cartoon Series since the start of 2012. The Adventure Time Story created by Pendleton Ward is definitely an animation series that has reignite my days of loving action cartoons from the 90s. While it has a very different feel and touch to the action cartoons of yester years, there's a nice combination of zaniness, childish fun and a subtle maturity in plot that really gets to me. There is a faint semblance of the Never-ending Story in Adventure Time that draws me but it is but one of the many factors that makes this show so awesome. I do not know how to explain this but this show connects to me more than the modern action cartoons that I see on Cartoon Network. And while Marvel still produces pretty neat cartoon series and animation, Adventure Time is one of its kind in our post millennium era of cartoons.

For those who like Adventure Time, Pray tell what draws you to this show.

Till then,

Stay tune as there will be more Adventure Time Stuff and more Toyconstruct Posts!

Batman (Arkham Version by Square Enix)

2014-05-30T07:59:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

It is interesting to know that the infamous caped crusader has turn 75 this month. Batman who was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger has been around more years than any of the Marvel Avenger.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that I will be featuring one of the many version of Batman across these many years. One of the most coolest Batman in video games has to be Batman from the Arkham series of games.

Fight Mode Activated.

With just the right element of puzzle solving as a detective, the cool gadgets used as Batman and the fight sequence, it makes for a really awesome game. I really do like the fight system in the Arkham series as illustrated in the below video on combat tactics. It really does showcase Batman as a Martial Art Specialist Extraordinaire.

"Batman: Arkham City" - Combat Tactics by MahaloVideoGames

The Dark Knight

One Thing that rings through to the Modern Persona of the Batman is that there is much emphasis on the grit and fear of his symbolism to criminals. Batman isn't the super wholesome hero like many other heroes that we know of. He is the night, he is terror. And like Melisandre would say in Game of Thrones, "The Night is Dark and Full of Terror." This terror is enhanced by the criminal's own guilt conscience.

Batman and his iconic Batarang.

It is this mix of terror and vigilant justice that has made Batman such an icon today. In fact, the re-imaging of him to be mold from these two factors that made him grittier and so much more appealing today. From Tim Burton's Batman to the Dark Knight series by Christopher Nolan, the Batman story in the movies had also focus on these characteristics to be a hit success on screen.

The Dark Night watches over the City

In retrospect of the Batman Legacy, The Caped Crusader is somewhat of a Modern Time Zorro. Perhaps much of the inspiration of Batman could be derived from that classic vigilante. On the topic of the Bats, I am sure many of you are aware that Zack Snyder has picked Ben Affleck to be the new face of Batman. Many of the fans are not too please with the pick and are quite concern that Ben would not be able to pull it off due to his less than exceptional portrayal of Daredevil. There are also some concerns that he just isn't the right fit to be the Bats. And with Christian Bale's exceptional performance as Batman, the shoes he has to fill in place of the previous Dark Knight are quite big.

Nevertheless, I feel we must give the new Batman a chance. I too was quite adverse to Zack's pic of Ben. And I was quick to judge. But I think many were also quick to judge Heath Ledger as the Joker before the Dark Knight movie came out. I would be thoroughly impress if Ben can change our opinions and pull off this role well. What say you guys? Do you think Ben can do well? He was impressive in Argo. Perhaps that can count to him being able to pull this role off? Let us in on your thoughts!

The Face of Vigilance

Onto the Action Figure review, Square Enix has done an awesome job in making Batman: Arkham's Asylum Action Figure. The famous video game developer, publisher and distribution company also has a knacked for creating really exceptional quality action figures (e.g Halo and Mass Effect) and they really nailed it on this figure too. After completing the Arkham Asylum game, I was really impress and captivated at the whole gameplay and the game persona in Batman. As such, I decided to source out and get the DC Direct Batman Figure. Quite honestly, the figure look pretty good too.

However, Josh found out about Square Enix version of the Arkham's Batman and recommended it to me. Consequently, I was impressed at the articulation and quality of the work. DC Directs Figure of the same game paled in comparison.

I have more pictures of the Dark Knight here on our Facebook Page. Do let us know if DC Direct can compare with Square Enix the Dark Knight.

Till next time, Happy 75th Anniversary to Batman!!

Yukishiro Tomoe

2014-05-27T22:45:00.000+08:00

Hi all again,

Much Posts this month?

Today, I shall be featuring Yukishiro Tomoe from Samurai X. As a fan of the TV Series, Manga and Live Action Movie, Yukishiro Tomoe must be a familiar character to all. Tomoe plays a major role in the Manga's Final Arc and is also a critical role in the Samurai X OVA.

Soft Spoken and Demure. Such is Tomoe's Persona.

Born to a Samurai who was a low level bureaucrat that served the Tokugawa Shogunate, Tomoe was the eldest daughter of the family. She had one younger sibling, Enishi, who doted on her and treated her like a surrogate parent due to the death of their mum shortly after Enishi was born. Enishi would later play a critical role in the Final Samurai X OVA, Seisohen.

Tomoe side glances

Her story and how it collides to Kenshin is one that adds great gravitas to Kenshin's philosophy of not killing anymore. As the main lady in his life during his Battousai days, the relationship he had with her was one of great complication.

Sometimes, I feel that it is the sense of irony in a story that makes a story so great. In the case of Tomoe and Kenshin, the latter assasinated the former's fiancee in cold blood due to his duty to his superiors who were people that were part of the Meiji Government. Before dealing the death stroke to Tomoe's fiancee, Kenshin was cut across his cheek for the first time in his career as an assassin. It was the fiancee refusal to let go of his life in hope that he could live it with Tomoe and his resolve that enable him to inflict a cut on Kenshin. A cut which would never heal or stop bleeding. Little known to Kenshin, Tomoe who was stricken with grief for her fiancee was sent to him as part of a plot to assassinate him as repercussion to the blood that he has spilled from the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Simple Kimono in front of a Flower Background. A perfect combination of Floral and Beauty

During the time that she lived with him, it is interesting to know that she began to have feelings for Kenshin and the unlikely love blossoms into something so deep and profound between the two. In the manga, it was clear that Kenshin asked for her hand in marriage in which Tomoe accepted. The relationship between the two lovers grew. Eventually, she admits to him of her purpose of being with Kenshin. And yet all is forgiven by him. In spite of the truth, their feelings for each other were mutual.

But such beauty could not last, Tomoe discovers that she was but a pawn in the entire plot to assassinate Kenshin. She was then used as bait to lure Kenshin into a series of ambush. Ultimately facing Tomoe's father who would have dealt the final blow to the Battousai. However, in a horrific twist of fate, Tomoe protects Kenshin from the father's blow and Kenshin accidentally cut her and the father down. The tragedy ends of with Tomoe placing another slash over his existing cut to form an "X" which sets precedence to the entire manga/anime being known as Samurai X.

Ah, Tragic Love are but the greatest romance. The Toy Com Samurai X Action Figure of Tomoe truly showcases her getup and features. I really love the accurate detailing of the figure according to how she was illustrated in the OVA. Demure and Soft Spoken, there is a sense of calm that is accurately shown on the face of this figure. And yet there is a sadness in her eyes that the figure accurately portrays of her as she was in the OVA.

Hope all you guys enjoy these figure. Let me know your comments. More Pics of Tomoe in our Facebook page here.

Till next time! Take care!

The T-34/76

2014-05-23T21:15:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Today, we take a trip back in time to WWII in which I shall be featuring the infamous T-34/76 Soviet Tank. T-34 History.

World in Conflict Soviet Background with the T-34

The T-34 is undoubtedly the iconic mainstay of the Soviet Armored Force in WWII. At that point of time, many of Soviet Military top brass were against the idea of putting investment into a new tank design and recommended pumping more money into producing more of the existing T-26 and BT Tanks. However, due to the poor performance of these tanks, the T-34 Tank, led by Mikhail Koshkin went into full production.

T-34/76 Mod 1941

The particular version I am featuring today is the Model 1941 from Dragon Armor. Weighing in at 29.2 tons, this Red Monster is armed with a mean 76.2mm F-34 gun. (Slightly Bigger than the AMX-13) Packed with a Model V-2-34 38.8 L V12 Diesel Engine, it can go to a speed of 53 km/h and has a road range of 400km. The T-34/76 also has secondary armaments that include 2 7.62 machine guns. And lastly, it has an armor that ranges from 20-52mm depending on which side of the tank. With the armor put together with its sloping design, the T-34 was one of the most heavily armored tanks in 1941.

The Red Star, Ever so imposing of an Insignia

Top Side

While the Soviets were not revolutionary in terms of their planes or ships, the T-34 is definitely a paragon of tank evolution. The sloping armor design was one of the first of its kind and with the massive production rate of the T-34, the Soviet Armored Strength shocked the Germans. While the T-34 did pack as big a punch as the German Panzers, its armor could also take a pounding and with its numbers, it dished out a painful bite against the enemy.

I gotta be frank. When I was a kid and I got familiar with WWII, I was very intrigue by the Panzer and Tiger Tanks of the Third Reich. They look massive, deadly and awesome. Hell, my first WWII Micro Machine was a Tiger Tank. However, over the years, as I got to familiarize myself with more of the other Tanks from the other armies, I began to fall more in love with the T-34. I always wanted to force myself to like the "Good Guy" tank which would be the iconic Allied Sherman Tank. However, its light armor and puny gun did not steer me away from the fact that German Panzers were way cooler. The T-34 changed all that. No only was it a high speed fighting machine, The T-34 represents the best of mobility, armor and firepower in World War Two. None could match it when you wanted the best of these three aspects. It is pity that because of ill support, lack of training and the inferiority of the Soviet Army as a whole, these T-34s were not put to better use. Many were lost in initial battle of Barbarossa.

Dragon Armor has really put in great effort to making this T-34/76 look as awesome as it can for a 1/72 scale die cast model.In fact, this would be my first 1/72 Die cast WWII model and looking at it does bring a smile to my face.

What are your opinions on this sturdy tank?

Do let me know and stay tune for more Toyconstruct Post!

I love the '80s: Masterpiece Soundwave

2014-05-20T02:10:00.000+08:00

Hey Everyone

I apologize that I have been MIA for quite awhile due to medical school, boards are coming and have taken up a lot of my life lately. Classes have ended for me and I have more time to dedicate this blog to you all :) but I still have the boards coming up. Life hands you lemons, you make margaritas. Don't stop at lemonades.

Today, we would be featuring an icon from a decade that holds dear to us - the '80s. That was possibly a decade best remembered by cheesiness, such as hover-skateboards, neon colored clothes, yuppy culture...but it also saw a ton of creative output. Movies were more imaginative than today, such as the Terminator, Mad Max, Robocop, Blade Runner, and Back to the Future. It was also the Bronze Age of comics and darker and grittier storylines made an immense literary impact on still felt today, with classics such as the Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns.

And one thing most of us remember very well of the 80's: Transformers, and G1 stands out as the most awesome series, for me at least. The most cynical of us would remark that Transformers is nothing more than a sly corporate maneuver to get us buying hordes of transforming plastic toys. However, it cannot be disputed how Transformers has grown to become one of the biggest cultural phenomena in the modern world. It has spawned motion pictures, cartoon seasons, comic lines, video games, and an extremely loyal fanbase. You can't deny that transforming toys have a certain coolness to them, and one would be hard-pressed to find someone in today's world who hasn't hard of Transformers.

Soundwave: Decepticon icon in his G1 glory.

I have a soft spot for the Decepticons (even though they desire the subjugation of Humankind), and always wanted to get my hands on a Decepticon Takara Masterpiece. On a recent trip to Hong Kong, I was able to pick up MP-13 Soundwave (2nd wave) for a pretty good price. I was actually visiting the Hot Toys "Secret Base" exhibit (which will be featured in another post), and in the same building there's a ton of small toy shops that sell collectibles at competitive prices. If you're there, I strongly recommend knowing what you want to get, and visit a few shops to see their prices.

Soundwave is the stereotypical 80's Transformer who has appeared frequently as the Communications Officer of the Decepticons. You can't get anymore 80's than a robot that transforms into a microcassette recorder, and talks in a computerized monotone voice. JQ and I agree on one thing about Soundwave: he's one of the coolest Transformers out there.

Soundwave's flexibility allows him to even depress his own open/close switch.

Hasbro and Takara produce their own lines of Soundwave masterpieces, and the main difference lies in the color of the eyes. Hasbro's has yellow while Takara's has red. The other noticeable difference is the inside of Soundwave's foot: it's painted in Takara but unpainted in Hasbro's. Also, Takara's instructions are wholly in Japanese, and they probably have a stronger brandname (and higher markup) that translates to bragging rights. I've not been able to compare the 2 together, but I've heard the quality difference is minimal. The kicker lies in his minions: Takara's only has Laserbeak, but Hasbro's has the whole gang for a cheaper cost.

Laserbeak ready for deployment!

As expected, Takara delivers with Soundwave's paint job. The colors are spot on and the application is very neat. There were minor details that could have used a better paint application (the chrome on the fast forward button is not even), and yes we have to admit that most of our toys come from China. This may explain why the quality difference in Hasbro and Takara is negligible, and toy manufacturing quality (probably with some Japanese supervision) has greatly improved to give us quality Masterpieces.

Soundwave comes with a few accessories:

1) Laserbeak (or Condor in Japanese parlance)
2) Megatron as a Walter P-38 scoped with a extended butt
3) An energon cube
4) A viewscreen (for over the chest)
5) Concussion blaster (that doubles as an AA battery)
6) A sensor to replace one of his fists
7) A slipcase for Laserbeak in cassette mode

The instruction manual comes with a cut out for Soundwave's viewscreen, but fans have scanned high quality versions of it so that you won't have to cut your actual manual for the cut out.

Soundwave with his concussion blaster at the ready.

Sounwave's spy sensor, would be mistaken for a plasma blaster cannon if I was a kid.

Transforming Soundwave did take awhile due to our lack of Japanese, and posing him was surprisingly easy given his blocky G1 form. Soundwave also comes with additional "Easter Egg" functions that add personality to him. The fast forward/rewind buttons do spring when pushed on (but not the other buttons), and the earphone jack fits actual earphones.

In all, JQ and I had fun playing around with Soundwave, his innate coolness and good pose-ability makes him a worthwhile Transformer to collect. The 2nd wave is still widely available, and would fetch around 130-150USD. It's pretty obvious that the Masterpiece line is targeted to those who have lived in the 80's, and they did deliver to our expectations for quality and fun.

Here's some photos in the end JQ and I did for fun, and thanks for your continued readership! It means a lot to the both of us. Cheers!

PS: Here's a personality test on "Which Transformer are you?." Perhaps it's fitting for this post that I got Soundwave!

Soundwave and Ravage (note this Ravage is a separate toy and not to scale).

Decepticons may be evil, but Soundwave enjoys the steadfast loyalty of his minions.

JQ and I having fun with the almost functional earphone jack.

Ravage and Soundwave, making retro cool since G1.

F-2 Mitsubishi (1/700)

2014-05-16T22:41:00.000+08:00

It is yet another fine day for some Modern Military!

This year, I will be featuring lots of "mini" model pieces. In order to challenge the limit of how detailed and skillful I can paint, I shall be doing lots of 1/700 modern aircraft. Today, I shall be featuring the first of many. It is the F-2 Mitsubishi, also known as the Japanese F-16 Fighting Falcon.

F-2 Mitsubishi patrolling Japan's airspace

Taken from the Takara 1/700 Micro Ship of the World Kongo Destroyer Series, this is by far the smallest ready-made model piece I have ever seen. The imprinted number on the plane is insanely detailed and it also showcase how quality is top notch in Japan.

Impeccable detailed one-piece model of the F-2 by Takara

For my pictures, I have Josh to thank for loaning me his Macro Lens. Josh's Lens help showcase the minute detail put in by Takara on the F-2. I only hope that my 1/700 Modern Planes I am doing now would be as good as this.

The F-2 Mitsubishi approaches

Developed from the F-16 Block 40, the F-2 Mitsubishi was a controversial program as its unit cost (inclusive of development cost) was about four times higher than procuring the Block 52 F-16 based on its unit cost minus the development cost.

Another controversy was the licensing cost required by the Japanese Government to pay the Americans for producing the F-2. Despite these issues, the JASDF ordered 94 to be built, inclusive of 4 protoypes. Currently, there are 89 F-2 in active service as 5 were scrapped due to damage sustained in the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami.

A 1 pound coin is rather huge compared to this little size F-2

It is note worthy to know that the F-2 differs from the F-16 in a few things. The F-2 has a larger tailplane and air intake. It also has a three-piece cockpit canopy and a 25% larger wing area. Last of all, it is made out of composite material use to reduce overall weight and radar signatures. With the ability to carry four ASM-1 or ASM-2 anti-ship missles, 4 AAM and additional fuel tanks, it definitely packs more of a punch than the F-16A.

The F-2 is a 4.5 generation fighter and has seen its fair share of action over the Sea of Japan. On two separate occasions in 2013, F-2 Mitsubishi were scrambled to warn Russian Air Force aircraft to leave Japan's Airspace. In spite of the F-2 accolades, the dawn of the F-35 is approaching. As such, it is only logical for the Japanese Government to make a decision not to continue production of the F-2.

Hope you guys have a thing for Miniature stuff because there will be more coming your way. You can view all the F-2 pictures in Toyconstruct's facebook album here.

Till next time,

Happy Modelling!