Just a very short post: -

I have updated my Articles page with the blog posts about the recent Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2009.  You can now read about my observations made during this annual toy event.  Till then, we await the next STGCC in 2010!

It’s that time of the year for me to clear out the cluttered mess in my room and other parts of my home.  They have been invaded by my hordes of ‘homeless’ toys and other stuff (especially paper items) that accumulated since the beginning of the year. 

Since my craze over Transformers Revenge of the Fallen (ROTF ) toys about 3 months ago, a lot of my ROTF toy purchases had been ‘living’ in undignified manner on my bedroom floor, for both loose and unopened ones!  I hardly had the proper space to walk about in my room without the risk of kicking into some ROTF toys or packages.

Hence this week, I finally mustered the energy and determination to find ‘proper homes’ in my room for all my new toys of 2009.  Along the way, I actually ended up clearing out 2 huge Toy ‘R’ Us (TRU) plastic bags full of unwanted paper ads, brochures, outdated documents, flattened toy package boxes, toy backcards and old newspapers cuttings that never came in handy. 

It’s shocking how fast paper clutter accumlates within 6 months.  Even more shocking is that I found I have so many huge TRU plastic bags in my possession.  It shows how often I patronised them in this year alone!  At this stage, I finally ‘re-homed’ my loose new toys to some newly emptied carton boxes (that previously held useless paper junk).

But despite my efforts, my room still looks cluttered.  It looks like I have to ban myself from buying more new toys till I clear out or sell off some older toys that I no longer want.  However, some miscellaneous toys are the ‘unsellable’ ones, judging from what I observed at the China Square Central toy market on Sundays.  They are more likely to be inherited by my future offspring instead, if I ever propagate in my lifetime.

Hence despite the good news that ROTF Voyager Grindor and ROTF Human Alliance (HA) SKids and gang are out in our regular retail stores now, I still can’t get them yet.  In this case, it’s not so much about the cost but more about the lack of precious toy space for them at home…

 ROTF Voyager Long Haul & Grindor action figures (SGD 51.90)

These 2 Transformers Revenge of the Fallen (ROTF) Voyager toys have finally landed at our local departmental stores this week!  Many ROTF fans and collectors have been impatiently awaiting their arrival, with some of them showing obvious ‘withdrawal symptoms’ of being ‘denied’ of their latest toys. 

I sometimes wonder why the impatience for new toys as many of us tend to encounter lack of toy storage space at home.  How is it that other toy collectors managed to find space to store or display their toys without making their rooms or homes look cluttered?  Please share with me your toy storage ideas! 

There are way many more video reviews of ROTF Voyager Long Haul on YouTube, compared to ROTF Voyager Grindor, even though both of them are supposed to be released in the stores together.  Long Haul could be more popular because he’s in a new mold.  In vehicle mode, his dump truck feature of unloading action works too!

There aren’t many online video reviews of ROTF Voyager Grindor yet.  But since he’s in the same mold and have the same transformation process as Voyager Blackout from Transformers The Movie (TFTM), you can also view video reviews of Voyager Blackout.  Both of them share the same action features.  Grindor comes with a little black Scorponok to carry in his cargo slot!

There’s no need to rush out and buy these new ROTF Voyager toys now as they will eventually be re-released in subsequent revision waves of ROTF Voyager toy shipments.  ROTF Voyager The Fallen was previously in temporary short supply but he’s also back in the stores now.  If you can wait, get your ROTF toys at a sale or at least at some store discount.  Happy ROTF toy shopping!

Human Alliance (HA) Skids & Arcee with Mikaela action figures (SGD 69.90)

Yes, the above Transformers Revenge of the Fallen (ROTF) toys have arrived at our local departmental stores this week!  For once I was thinking “why so fast?”.  It wasn’t that long ago that HA Sideswipe came out in the stores here.  Anyway, I presume that this latest HA set will be popular with ROTF fans and collectors here mainly because of Mikaela.  Now she and Sam can both ride in Bumblebee, or make out on his hood, LOL!

I’ve seen a couple of video reviews of this set and so far, HA Skids seems quite impressive, while Arcee looks better in bike mode.  Let’s take a look at one of the few video reviews of HA Skids and co. available on YouTube now.  As HA Skids has just started to appear in stores here and worldwide, it will take a while more before we see more such video reviews.

Note: This reviewer usually does very good reviews but in this video, he sounds very tired.  So don’t let that distract you.  On the whole, HA Skids and co. are definitely on my ROTF want list!  Happy ROTF toy hunting!

The 3-day Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2009 held at Suntec Convention Centre ended yesterday.  Besides the usual and familiar collectible toys, there were also other rarely seen toys on display and for sale there.

Upon seeing these cute animal plush toys, you would have thought that you were at a zoo souvenir shop!  Very seldom do we get to see so many animal plushes for sale at one location.  The animal variety is not just confined to the usual puppies, kittens and other cute cartoon animal toys, but also a wide range of extant wild and prehistoric creatures!

This shelf of mostly wild animal plush toys drew so much attention from people that I gave up waiting for them to clear, so I just snapped the photo with them in it!

From left, we have what looks like a furry German Shepherd dog, a chimpanzee and an orangutan plushes.  Though these animal plushes are not made to close likeness to the actual animals, they are quite a decent representation of them.

From left, we have a kangaroo, a koala and an emperor penguin chick in its juvenile plummage.

Here we have even more examples of wild animal plushes on display.  They have the signs there saying “Do not touch”, but they have not managed to get their message across to everyone, LOL!

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Today is the last day for the 3-day Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2009 held at Suntec City Convention Centre Halls 401 & 402.  Opening hours are from 11am to 8pm.  If you haven’t been there yet, make a trip there to check out the toys and other pop culture collectibles on display and for sale!  Or else you’ll have to wait till 1 year later for the 3rd round of STGCC.

You’ll know that you have reached the Bandai booth when you see this huge trademark Gundam on display there.  It wasn’t easy to take this shot cos there are constant flows of people walking past most of the time.  But the patient wait for this photo moment was worth it!

As I mentioned in yesterday’s posting, the Bandai booth this year is a haven and dream come true for fans and collectors who are into Capsule Station toys.  I believe almost their entire range of Capsule Station toys that you can find islandwide are all congregated here for your convenience. 

There is a counter at the booth not just to sell their merchandise,…

…but also to change your dollar notes into coins.  How very convenient and super enticing to make you spend more money on those capsule toys!

Here’s chibi version of Gundam standing proudly over a group of Capsule Stations containing ‘mixed’ series of toys.

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The impressive entrance arch showing off not only the Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2009 logo, but also those of its partners, sponsors and major exhibitors.

The artists at work on the opening & preview evening of 13 August 2009.

More artists at work on the opening & preview evening of 13 August 2009.

There are free games to play at the sides of the huge Nintendo booth.

A close up the free games to play at the sides of the huge Nintendo booth.

Familiar local collector toy shops are seen there.  It’s a haven for Transformers Revenge of the Fallen (ROTF) fans and collectors!

More ROTF and Transformers The Movie (TFTM) for sale!

I think some fans and collectors can’t ‘breathe’ regularly upon seeing heaps and stacks of these collectible toys before their very eyes!

And we have even more toys to satisfy the fans and collectors of ‘western’ (mostly US-based) comic and toy culture!

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Today at 11am, the doors to the 2nd Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2009 are opened to the public!  It’s a 3-day event (14 to 16 August 2009) and admission is FREE!  The venue is Suntec City Convention Centre Halls 401 & 402.  Opening hours are from 11am to 9pm (Fri & Sat) and from 11am to 8pm (Sun).

My earlier blog posts on the preview opening night of STGCC 2009 can be found here and here.

You’ll know that you have reached the Hasbro booth when you see this.  I couldn’t resist and I took a photo of my favourite Movie Autobots from Transformers Revenge of the Fallen (ROTF).  These 4 Autobots happen to be the surviving ones from the first Transformers Movie!  I feel that the ROTF trend and craze is gradually diminishing, with mainly the hardcore fans and collectors still impatiently awaiting the release of the rest of the ROTF movie cast toys.

This year, the Hasbro booth showcases the private collection of a local Transformer fan and collector, StephenusPrime.  I met him while he was ‘watching over’ his treasured collection.  He also confirms that his collection there is for display only and not for sale.  So you don’t need to enquire on any possibility, LOL! 

The top 2 rows are mostly the different versions of Optimus Primes in his collection while the bottom row are the various kinds of Megatrons.

I was most interested in the Movie Transformers, hence my close up shot of them here.  It is noted that the Optimus and Jetfire combination seen here is a fan version and not the official one indicated in the Hasbro instruction sheets that come with these toys.  Both the Hasbro and Takara ROTF Optimus Primes are on display there.  I like his Movie Robo Vision Voyager Optimus Prime, and there are quite a few other booths selling it.

If you are a Transformers fan and collector, you’ll be pleased that there are lots of other toy booths selling various Transformers toys etc. at the STGCC 2009.  So make yourself free this weekend and visit this annual toy event.  You’ve gotta wait another 1 year if you miss this one!

Read more about the STGCC 2009 reported by other local toy bloggers whom I met with yesterday evening at the STGCC 2009 opening night:

Leon at Open The Toy
Joshua at The Stormtrooper Effect
Dennis at Collect’em All
Adrian at Little Plastic Man
Bayu at Daily Silence
Zhi Hao at Kodomut

Happy toy hunting at STGCC 2009 this weekend!

As you view the various toys on display in the showcases at the Hasbro cum Toys ‘R’ Us (TRU) booth, you will notice little slips of papers and short red pencils placed at the sides of the show cabinets.  These pieces of paper contain the entire list of Hasbro products for sale at the Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2009 . 

You indicate the quantity of the listed toys you wish to purchase on the paper, and then head for the cashier counters to make your payment (via cash, credit card).  After making payment, you proceed to the collection counters to collect your purchased items by showing both your receipt and toy list (which the cashier will staple together).  Voila, it’s that simple!

Hasbro cum TRU cashier counters via a single queue 

Hasbro cum TRU collection counters via a single queue

Both the cashier and collection counters are situated back to back at the Hasbro cum TRU booth.  In between them, there is giant Monopoly display.  You can get into the ‘car’ for a photo session too if you wish! 

Transformers Comic Con Soundwave (SGD 79.90) & Mighty Muggs Comic Con Wolverine (SGD 26.90)

Littlest Pet Shop Convention Kitty (SGD 9.90)

Marvel Universe Invaders Legacy 4-Pack (SGD 69.90)

 Mighty Muggs Comic Con Wolverine (SGD 26.90), Marvel Universe Captain America (SGD 24.90) & Marvel Universe Invaders Legacy 4-Pack (SGD 69.90)

G.I.Joe 12-inch Baroness (SGD 79.90) &  Mighty Muggs Comic Con Blank (SGD 26.90)

G.I.Joe Comic Con McCullen 2-Pack (SGD 59.90) & Star Wars Luke Skywalker (SGD 24.90)

Star Wars Genesis Arena 2-Packs (SGD 29.90 per 2-Pack).  These are NOT SDCC 2009 exclusives but they are displayed together with some of the Comic Con toys)

Read more about the STGCC 2009 reported by other local toy bloggers whom I met with this evening:

Leon at Open The Toy
Joshua at The Stormtrooper Effect
Dennis at Collect’em All
Adrian at Little Plastic Man
Bayu at Daily Silence
Zhi Hao at Kodomut

Happy toy hunting at STGCC 2009 over the next 3 days!

I was fortunate to attend the special preview and opening night of the Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2009 held this evening.  Thanks to fellow toy blogger Joshua who informed me, I managed to receive a media pass from LEon to the opening night of STGCC 2009.  I also met a few other toy bloggers (Dennis, Adrian, Bayu & Zhi Hao) who were invited to cover and blog about this highly anticipated event of the year!

Video provided by Bayu at his blog - Daily Silence

To me, the greatest excitement and joy of attending the STGCC 2009 preview is to find the Hasbro booth greatly improved from last year.  For this year, Hasbro teamed up with Toys ‘R’ Us (TRU) not just to display its toys, but also to sell them!  To top it all, some hot favourite exclusive Hasbro toys from the recent San Diego Comic Convention (SDCC) 2009 were also available for sale there!

Since the G.I.Joe movie is still screening in the cinemas, Hasbro devoted quite a few of their display areas to showcase those toys.  Of course some latest waves of the ever popular Transformers Revenge of the Fallen (ROTF) toys were also on display and for sale there.  Due to the limited memory space on my nearly 7 years old digital camera, I focused on the in-trend G.I.Joe toy displays.

Movie G.I. Joe toys display - PIT Mobile Headquarters with action figures - view 1

Movie G.I. Joe toys display - PIT Mobile Headquarters with action figures - view 2

Movie G.I. Joe toys display - PIT Mobile Headquarters with action figures - view 3

(Purchase above SGD 30.00 of G.I.Joe toys and you get to receive a Ninja Sword (worth SGD 16.90) belonging to either Snake Eyes or Storm Shadow for Free, while stocks last!)

Movie G.I. Joe toys display - PIT Mobile Headquarters with action figures - view 4

Movie G.I. Joe vehicles display

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