For fans and collectors G1 Transformers Devastator, you might be interested to know that Takara Tomy has released the box set consisting of the 7 little green Legends Constructicons toys in Japan and some Asian countries! 

I have not seen this version in Singapore departmental stores yet, but the independent collector’s toy shops here might have them for sale already or for pre-order.  You can check it out with the toy shops that you usually frequent, or just drop by the Sunday Toy Market at China Square Central.

As I am mainly a Movie Transformers fan and collector, I have little attachment to this green version of Devastator.  Furthermore this isn’t how he looks like (I mean his shape) in the G1 cartoons.  I still prefer the more colorful *ROTF movie version of him.  You can view the full comprehensive list of his preview toy photos at this link. 

*ROTF - Revenge of the Fallen, the 2009 Transformers movie sequel. 

Seibertron.com has posted links to the preview photos of Transformers Movie Battle Ops Bumblebee toy from Hasbro.  This figure is slightly taller than a Leader Class Transformers movie toy.

Battle Ops Bumblebee has quite a few interesting electronic and lights features!  He still has a right hand despite having an arm cannon there.  His feet look rather small, especially from the back view. 

Overall he looks like a beefed up version of the 2009 Transformers Revenge of the Fallen (ROTF) Human Alliance (HA) Bumblebee toy that fans were so looking forward to last year.  You can view the full comprehensive list of his preview toy photos at this link. 

Top: Maisto 1:24 scale Audi R8.

Middle: ROTF Human Alliance Mudflap and Chromia w/Agt Simmons.

Bottom: ROTF Robot Powered Machines Optimus Prime & Bumblebee.

Amidst the sheer madness of the super crowded OG private sale today, I secured these toys!  For this OG private sale, the security guards at the entrance didn’t check if the shoppers had an OG card.  Everyone was let in.  It made the place looked more crowded than the private sales of past years.  In previous years, I went in the evening after work.  This time round, I went after lunch and the store was already super crowded, as if everything there was going for free today!

My shopping experience at OG today: Overall not very pleasant.

All the snaking queues to the cashiers were so slow moving that I spent nearly an hour waiting in line for my turn to pay for my purchases.  I contemplated leaving the the queue and give up buying a few times.  Luckily I brought along something to read while waiting.  My feet ached from standing still for too long and I was thirsty because of all days, I forgot to bring along some drinking water with me.  Apparently if you decided to pay in cash, there is another faster queue, but the stubborn me wanted to score some precious points in my credit card.

Overheard in the queue: Some interesting stuff

While queuing, some aunties behind me were overhead saying that one of them arrived at 8.30am today (the sale started at 9am) and the queue to enter was already all the way to the back of the building!  Another said that her friend came even earlier at 7.30am.  And yet another auntie takes the cake.  Apparently this was her second shopping trip to OG today.  She had came in the morning and went home first to put down her earlier purchases so that she can come again and shop a second round!  Wow!

What’s up at OG? - Sale and storewide discounts

For your information, it’s a 20% + 10% discount sale today.  From tomorrow till 21 Mar 2010, it will be storewide 20% sale for the public.  If you do not have anything crucial to buy at cheaper prices, I suggest that you forget about going for future OG private sales and just go for the 20% storewide sale in the few days that follow.  The crowded aisles and long waiting times to queue for purchases just aren’t worth it! 

Were you there too?

I’m sure several other local toy collectors and bloggers were there as well today.  If you are one of them, what are your toy hauls and how did you feel about the whole shopping experience?  Feel free to share them here! 

I’ve updated my blog with some navigational links by expanding the Categories list found on the extreme right of my blog. 

I added in the major toylines and toy brands that I regularly blogged about for easier search of past blog posts.

If you prefer, you can also use the “search this site” function on the top right corner of this blog.  Happy reading of toys information online!

In conjunction with the 1 week long March school holidays (this week) in Singapore, Toys “R” Us (TRU) has listed many of its popular toy brands for special discount sale!  Among them are the LEGO King’s Battle Chariot box set.  It’s usually going for around SGD 40.90 each.  Since last week and till stocks last, there is a 30% discount on it and I picked up one over the weekend from TRU Suntec City!

Actually I find the chariot design recommended on the box and instruction sheet too tall and bulky for a single horse to pull.  In battle, the speed and agility of chariots are critical.  It seems odd that chains are used as reins to drive the horse.  If the driver flicks the chains on the horse’s back like what is usually seen in movies, it’s gonna hurt the horse real bad.  Which warriors in the right mind would injure their own war horses?  The wheels of the chariot are also too large.  Do you notice that the wheels are even bigger than the horse itself?

Hence I decided to redesign the battle chariot using only the available LEGO pieces given in the box set and here is my custom built chariot!  I have included a driver’s seat for the soldier, though this is not how chariots are usually driven.  The rear part of the chariot can still hold the golden treasure chest.  The extra pieces are used to build a road block set up by the menacing troll soldiers.

If I’m not mistaken, the king character of this box set is known in the LEGO Knight’s Kingdom series as King Leo.  I have been collecting many LEGO Knights box sets (mostly the smaller ones) since the early 90’s.  I mixed and matched the various LEGO pieces and LEGO mini figures to create custom characters for my own LEGO Knights adventures series.  Some of the characters in my stories, especially the villain ones are provided by LEGO itself over the years in their catalogs. 

To date, 9 stories of magical medieval adventures have been summarized by me and each of them is long enough to be expanded into a novel on its own.  The stories are all inter-linked and involve the same set of main characters.  Another couple of stories have already been conceptualized.  Someday, I’ll introduce them all to the world in literature form.  Till then, they stay with me as part of my many fictions that are inspired by my toys!

“Halt! Who goes there?”

The Transformers Revenge of the Fallen (ROTF) toys are on clearance sale now!  First up are the box sets that used to be exclusives to Toys “R” Us.  Their original retail price (ORP) had originally been on the high side.  Now the following can be found at much reduced prices at many departmental stores, most notably at OG Orchard!

ROTF Gathering at the Nemesis box set @ SGD 49.90 (ORP: SGD 119.90).

ROTF Back Road Brawl box set @ SGD 29.90 (ORP: SGD 79.90).

ROTF Voyager The Fallen - Burning version @ SGD 19.90 (ORP: SGD 51.90).

On top of the above ROTF toys discounts, a free ROTF Deluxe toy (Dead End) will be given for free for purchases of more than SGD 80.00 worth of ROTF toys at OG Orchard.  I hear that this ROTF toys offer is also available at other departmental stores, though the free ROTF Deluxe toy varies from store to store.

There is also a private sale at OG Orchard on this Wednesday (17 Mar 2010) for OG card members and their guests, and most items will be on 20% + 10% discount!  From 18 - 21 Mar 2010, there will be 20% storewide discount for everyone!  Happy toys shopping!

Marvel Universe action figures - wave 8

Top row: Spider-Man (House of M), Iron Man & Original Captain America.

Middle row: Havok, Colossus & Juggernaut.

Bottom row: Kitty Pryde w/Lockheed, Archangel & A.I.M. Soldier.

The Marvel Universe toyline is getting more interesting as new Marvel characters are made and released.  But then it’s also a 2-edged sword.  The better looking some figures are, the more popular they are and it becomes harder to get hold of them.  Hence I’ll probably not have much chance of seeing many of the above wave 8 figures in person before they get picked up by fans and collectors here.  I really like Archangel from this wave.  I hope that I’ll have a chance to get him some day!  Meanwhile, happy waiting for these Marvel Universe toys to arrive in Singapore!

Since I blogged about the great G.I.Joe The Rise of Cobra (ROC) toys clearance sale in local departmental stores some months ago, I still get some queries on where to find this and that particular ROC figure or vehicle, or playset at the rock bottom prices. 

Well you have to understand the pattern of stock clearance at retail stores, especially for fad items such as toys that are based on movies.  When the toys are collectibles popular with fans and collectors, a clearance sale would wipe out the most sought after pieces from the departmental stores very quickly. 

The next “big things” for the local toys scene are the Iron Man 2 movie toys, as well as those from Disney’s Toy Story 3 movie.  Hence inevitably, passe toylines like the 2009 G.I.Joe movie and 2009 Wolverine movie toys have been on clearance sale for the past several months to make shelf and peg space for the latest toys from other upcoming 2010 movies.

Nonetheless, some great gems from the ROC toyline are still found at very good prices, but in only very few departmental stores and some selected collector’s toy shops.  The local departmental stores that still carry the ROC toyline as of this week are: OG, Metro, and Toys “R” Us.  I don’t know what exact pieces they still have in their stores.  You’ve got to go there and find out yourself.

G.I.Joe The Rise of Cobra Pit Mobile Headquarters playset

For harder to find ROC figures, vehicles and playsets, most of them have been cleared from the departmental stores.  Your best bet now would be collector’s toy shops like Simply Toys, and the Sunday Toy Market at China Square Central (CSC).  The ROC toys still available there may or may not be at the rock bottom prices you prefer.  Well good luck to you, since we’re now at the tail end of this toyline.  It’s kind of like take it or leave it.

Here is a video review of the ROC Pit Mobile Headquarters.  This massive playset can still be found at Simply Toys at SGD 49.90, or at SGD 45.00 for their members.  You can call them to check for the stock availability before going there.  The box itself is very bulky and rather heavy, so preferably arrange your own private transport to bring it home!  Happy last minute ROC toys shopping, while stocks last!

While surfing YouTube, I bookmarked a couple of interesting video reviews of custom plastic display cases made for the popular 80’s Masters of the Universe (MOTU) figures.  The display cases can also fit in the sister toyline of MOTU - the Princess of Power (POP) dolls, as these are smaller than the MOTU figures.  

If you collect the more recent “re-issued” Masters of the Universe Classics (MOTUC) figures, you’ll be pleased to note that there are also custom display cases made to store and display them!  You can remove your MOTUC toys from their packaging to play and display, and then store them in an aesthetic manner, almost like they are still mint-on-card (MOC)!

Hope you like this toy storage tip.  Happy MOTU and MOTUC toys collecting!

Wow, take a look at the Iron Man 2 movie toys preview filmed during the recent Toy Fair 2010! 

I like the Iron Man race car and mobile headquarters (reminds me of the Pit Mobile HQ playset of the 2009 G.I.Joe movie toyline but smaller).  The Iron Man helmet and remote controlled Iron Man toy look great for kids!

We should expect to see the Iron Man 2 movie vehicles toys and role playing items in local departmental stores in the coming months leading to the movie sequel in May 2010.

Happy viewing the video and happy waiting for the toys to hit local mass retail!