Transformers Cybertron Convention 2012 Mystery Exclusives!

Transformers Cybertron Convention 2012 Mystery Exclusives.

Transformers Cybertron Convention 2012 Mystery Exclusive Toys.  © Hasbro

Following my earlier blog post on the same event, this is a photo print out that I received with my Media Kit from the organisers of the upcoming Transformers Cybertron Convention (TFCC) 2012.

I have no idea if the silhouettes of the above mystery TFCC 2012 exclusive toys have been updated for 2012, or are reused from the promotional materials for the TFCC 2010 held in Shanghai.  But one thing’s for sure is that there will indeed be exclusive TFCC 2012 toys available for purchase.  Here are their official FAQ replies:

Will there be TRANSFORMERS merchandise for sale at the event? What are the merchandise available and prices? Are there any exclusive items?”

“Yes, there will TRANSFORMERS merchandise available for sales in a wide range of prices. There will also be exclusive Cybertron Con items. These items will only be revealed at the event itself.”

“Can I pre-order any of the exclusive Cybertron Con items?”

“Unfortunately, pre-ordering requests for Con Exclusive(s) before the event will not be available. However, fans can purchase them at the event.”

These are all I have from the info source I’ve got.  Were the organizers of the past Botcons in the US so secretive about their exclusive toys as well?  I remember that most exclusive toys of many other toy conventions were revealed (or leaked perhaps?) way before the events themselves.  Maybe the above mystery exclusive toys of TFCC 2012 will be unveiled soon before the event starts.  I really hope so!  Happy waiting everyone!

Transformers Cybertron Con 2012 is coming to Singapore!

I received this package at my home today and at first I wondered what it was for I did not recall buying anything online recently.  Then when I looked at the package, I realised what’s it about!

Transformers Cybertron Con 2012 Media Kit.

Transformers Cybertron Convention (TFCC) 2012 Media Kit!

Transformers Cybertron Con 2012 Collectible KRE-ON Optimus Prime figure.

Transformers Cybertron Con 2012 Collectible Gift - KRE-ON Optimus Prime’s so cute!

Transformers Cybertron Con 2012 Poster.

Transformers Cybertron Con 2012 Poster.  © Hasbro

Transformers Cybertron Con 2010 Displays at Shanghai.

Transformers Cybertron Con 2010 Displays at Shanghai - We can expect to see such similar displays of the latest Transformers toys at TFCC 2012.  © Hasbro

Transformers movie Bumblebee!.

Transformers movie Bumblebee - I hope to see this car on display at TFCC 2012!!  © Hasbro

Main Information:

Event: Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) Singapore Transformers Cybertron Convention (TFCC) 2012

Dates: 11-14 March 2012 (Sun - Wed)

Opening Times:

11 March (11am – 9pm)
12 – 13 March (10am – 9pm)
14 March (10am – 6pm)

Venue: Compass Ballroom at RWS Convention Centre

Where to buy tickets (available from 3 Feb 2012):

1) Online at www.rwsentosa.com;

2) At Universal Studios Singapore ticketing booths;

3) At RWS Ticket and Membership Hub;

4) Via hotline 6577 8888

Tickets Prices:

1) SGD 12.00 for a 1-Day Pass

2) SGD 68.00 for a VIP 4-Day Pass - c/w Unlimited event access (11-14 Mar 2012); Photo opportunity w/22-ft Optimus Prime; 1 x VIP Lanyard; 1 x Transformers KRE-ON figure (should be similar to the one I received with my Media Kit)

There are some promotional packages tied with Universal Studios Singapore as well.  You can check out the official RWS website to find out more.

Official Write Up: The TRANSFORMERS Cybertron Con is a visually stunning exhibit celebrating the TRANSFORMERS brand. Fans can enjoy the full TRANSFORMERS experience via engaging activities and design workshops; extensive displays from the TRANSFORMERS toys; comics; entertainment franchise; as well as thrills from TRANSFORMERS: The Ride. This is the first ever TRANSFORMERS Cybertron Con to be held in Southeast Asia.

Organised by branded play company, Hasbro, the TRANSFORMERS Cybertron Con is a visually stunning exhibit celebrating the TRANSFORMERS brand which has taken the world by storm over the course of four decades, garnering a wide international fan following.

The bi-annual event aims to provide a platform for TRANSFORMERS fans from all over the world to unite and come together to collectively celebrate the love for the TRANSFORMERS brand with other lifelong fans and new fans alike. In addition to a colourful and interactive exhibition of stories, characters, art, action figures, and entertainment surrounding the TRANSFORMERS franchise, fans will also enjoy the ultimate TRANSFORMERS experience as they interact with, and meet the makers of the TRANSFORMERS franchise, as well as receive the latest news regarding the brand.

This is the second edition of the TRANSFORMERS Cybertron Convention with the inaugural convention held previously in Shanghai in 2010.

More on the TFCC 2012 info can be found at their official website, or you can also find them on their official Facebook page.

———–

LEon of Open The Toy also blogged about this event and our blog post formats are so similar (purely coincidental!).  He referred the organisers to me.  Thanks LEon!

Other local toy bloggers who have posted about this event are KatsudenLittlePlasticManShaun & desmond.  See you all there too!

I look forward to attending this exciting toy event next month.  Hope to see lots of local and overseas Transformers fans and collectors there too!  Happy waiting for TFCC 2012!

“Toy collecting tips and tricks”

LEGO Kingdoms - Green Dragon Knight minifig.

Here’s an interesting article about the do’s and don’ts of toy collecting to share.  Actually I have covered most of the topics mentioned in the blog post, except for toy photography.  I’ve been keeping this in my browser bookmark for some time and here are the links:

“Toy collecting tips and tricks - part 1″

“Toy collecting tips and tricks - part 2″

Happy reading, and don’t go overboard with your toy collecting hobby!

Star Wars toys display at STGCC 2011

Just like last year, there was a Star Wars toys display at the Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2011 held at the Suntec Convention Centre last month:

Queuing for Autographs at STGCC 2011.

Most of my photos, especially the zoomed in ones were ruined by poor lighting, but I still wished to highlight the presence of this awesome display there.

Queuing for Autographs STGCC 2011.

This is known as troop building (aka army building), a branch of action figures collecting that has been gaining popularity in recent years!

Queuing for Autographs at STGCC 2011.

Troop building your soldier action figures plus having some massive vehicles displayed side by side tends to look very impressive from all angles.  But do note that this branch of toy collecting is not for the collectors who are thrifty or with thin wallets.  You must be very willing to splurge on getting multiples of the same figures, and have the required storage space for them.

Queuing for Photographs at STGCC 2011.

This is one of the large support vehicles that carry the troops into battle.  One of these vehicles already costs quite a sum, plus the space it needs for storage.  So this hobby is definitely NOT for the faint hearted, but more for the hardcore fans and collectors, though seeing your army toys build up and lined up can be very satisfying!

Queuing for Photographs at STGCC 2011.

And here we have the “Easter eggs” of the Star Wars toys display - a mini conference of Marvel superheroes (whom the Marvel fans know as The Avengers team) have been spotted.  I can’t recall who the figure in black is.

Anyway, this display attracted scores of visitors.  It’s too bad that I lost many photos of them as they didn’t turn out well enough for posting there.

I still have some other mixed photos taken at the STGCC 2011.  Come and view them in my next blog post!

Queuing for Autographs & Photographs at STGCC 2011

There were many sessions of autograph signing by the various artists for their fans at the Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2011 held at the Suntec Convention Centre last month:

Queuing for Autographs at STGCC 2011.

Here is one of the queues on the first day.

Queuing for Autographs STGCC 2011.

This is the illustrator the fans were queuing to get autographs from.

Queuing for Autographs at STGCC 2011.

And there he was signing away for his fans, plus stopping at times to pose for photographs with the fans’ upon their request.

Queuing for Photographs at STGCC 2011.

This is another queue forming in the same section of the hall.

Queuing for Photographs at STGCC 2011.n

And here is who the fans were queuing for.  Kipi is a famous cosplayer from Japan.

Queuing for Photographs at STGCC 2011.

And her fans are delighted to have her at the STGCC 2011 that the queuing was worth it!  She also signed autographs for some of her fans who requested for it.

I still have some blog posts about the STGCC 2011 before I wrap up this series of blog posts about this event.  Read more about it my next post!

Hot Toys display at STGCC 2011

Let’s look at the attention grabbing Hot Toys booth at the recent Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2011 held at Suntec Convention Centre last month:

Hot Toys display at STGCC 2011.

Just look at those eye catching images of the various famous comic book superheroes at the top of the Hot Toys booth!

Hot Toys display at STGCC 2011.

Here’s the opposite side of the same booth, and the place was very crowded with visitors and fellow photographers too!

Hot Toys display at STGCC 2011.

The Hot Toys on display were inevitably all protected within glass display cases, so it makes clear photography harder, especially with poor overall lighting in the convention hall.

Hot Toys display at STGCC 2011.

I hope you can make out what figures and diorama are on display.  If I recall correctly, this one’s based on the movie “Alien”.

Hot Toys display at STGCC 2011.

This diorama has a drunk looking unmasked Ironman sitting dazed in a giant “doughnut”, while his nemesis Whiplash surveys the damages he has done.

Hot Toys display at STGCC 2011.

The sleek and cool looking Batmobile belonging to Batman.

Hot Toys display at STGCC 2011.

Batman (on top of some wreckage) vs The Joker (sorry can’t see his face).

Hot Toys display at STGCC 2011.

I think this one’s based on Lora Craft, correct me if I’m wrong.  She seems to be fighting off some zombie thugs.  Some of them appear to be groping her too.  I don’t think this is an appropriate scene to display at a convention where children can attend for free on the last day.

Hot Toys display at STGCC 2011.

This guy’s missing half his face.  I wonder what’s with the obsession of people with gore (& violence) these days?  Some of these fans tell me it’s the attention to details that they appreciate in these things.  Then is it implied that beautiful things have no details at all!?  I wonder…

There were some more Hot Toys photos that I took but they didn’t turn out well due to the glass reflection and dim lighting.  Overall the convention hall is much darker this year.  My photo of the main stage was merely a patch of darkness, LOL!

I’ll cover more of the STGCC 2011 in my next blog post!

Play Imaginative at STGCC 2011

Here are some more photos I took at the recent Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2011, that took place at Suntec Convention Centre last weekend:

Play Imaginative at STGCC 2011.

The booth belonging to Play Imaginative, selling and showcasing their various designer toys,

Play Imaginative at STGCC 2011.

…such as Designer Mickey Mouse (or rather Mickey Mice);

Play Imaginative at STGCC 2011.

… Carebears Keychains;

Play Imaginative at STGCC 2011.

… with a lovely rainbow and clouds back drop for the cute little bears;

Play Imaginative at STGCC 2011.

… Zodiac set of 12 animals (sorry for the blurry pic, poor lighting);

Play Imaginative at STGCC 2011.

… a pair of cute piggy banks;

Play Imaginative at STGCC 2011.

… more Disney character figurines on display;

Play Imaginative at STGCC 2011.

… Gloomy the Naughty Grizzly (w/a rather “bloody” back drop);

Play Imaginative at STGCC 2011.

… & last but not least, some iPhone cases printed with popular designer toy characters on them!

I believe all the above items on display at the STGCC could still be available for sale after the convention at Play Imaginative (@ SCAPE).

Happy toys admiring and collecting!

SingPost & Tokidoki at STGCC 2011

SingPost booth at STGCC 2011.

SingPost was there again at the Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2011 . . .

SingPost booth at STGCC 2011.

. . . with the launch of another of their STGCC exclusive Tokidoki toy sets!

SingPost booth at STGCC 2011.

Meet Superhero Mailman Zip plus his trusty & ever reliable canine sidekick Cody!

Tokidoki My Stamp 2011.

Their combine names are derived from the words “zip code”!

Price per set: SGD 49.90.

You can still buy them after the STGCC directly from SingPost, while stocks last!

Happy toys collecting!

STGCC 2011 - Ticketing counters & Hot Toys queue

Today is the first day of the 2-day Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2011, being held once more at Suntec Convention Centre!  Like the past 3 years, I made my way there today to observe the atmosphere and here’s the blog post for today:

STGCC 2011 - Signage.

Upon reaching the ground floor foyer of the main convention hall, we are greeted by this very beautiful STGCC lighted signage filled with DC Comics characters!

STGCC 2011 - Ticketing Counters.

When I reached the 3rd floor where the ticketing counters are (at just before 10.30am), my first reaction was that the queues looked like a breeze to go through!

STGCC 2011 - Hot Toys Queue.

And then when I turned my head to follow where that longest was leading to, I saw this! OMG, what are they all queuing for!? Let’s take a closer look at those 2 signages.

STGCC 2011 - Hot Toys Signage.

Here’s the 1st sign and it explains most of the question!

STGCC 2011 - Hot Toys Signage.

And these 3 macho guys are what all those visitors are queuing for (priced at SGD 299.90 & only 500 of each available for sale)!  Later inside the STGCC convention hall, I heard from my contacts that the queue to purchase the above 3 exclusive Hot Toys actually started on Friday afternoon!  As people weren’t allowed to be inside the building overnight, they only managed to re-enter the building to continue queuing at the 3rd level when the building opened its doors at 6.30am!

STGCC 2011 - Ticketing Counters.

The ticket counters had separate queues for normal ticket purchases (w/o getting the piping Hot Toys), for promotions or contests (e.g. cosplay), VIP tickets, internet ticket bookings, and of course for the highly coveted exclusive Hot Toys purchasers!

STGCC 2011 - Ticketing Prices.

Here are the actual day ticket prices, no increase from the online pre-booked ticket prices, unlike last year.

STGCC 2011 - Hot Toys Queue.

Behind the cashiers is another long queue, though at least this one’s moving very smoothly!

STGCC 2011 - Hot Toys Queue.

So this is the queue for VIP Ticket holders (ticket prices worth SGD 40.00)!

STGCC 2011 - Hot Toys Collection Point.

Later inside the convention hall at the rear corner, I came across the collection point for the Hot Toys.  I stood near the counter and all of the purchasers bought 1 set of the 3 collectible figures.  The counter staff kept giving the same instructions to their packing colleagues behind, “1 set!”.

Upon collecting their prized purchases, nearly everyone opened the boxes carefully on the floor next to the collection counters to check their figures, watched eagerly by the other purchasers who were still in the queue!  Those toys aren’t cheap, so it pays to check them first before leaving!

STGCC 2011 - Trio of Exclusive Hot Toys.

And the “heroic trio” that caused all that queuing madness were on display at the collection point.  Too bad I couldn’t get clear close up shots of them as it was a struggle to jostle with numerous other photographers who just keep appearing from everywhere!

The above are what I have to blog about for this post.  I shall continue to blog about the other toy observations I made at the STGCC 2011 over the next few days.  The convention is from 20-21 August 2011.  Happy toys admiring and collecting!

STGCC 2011 - Tickets Information

STGCC 2011 Logo.

The ticketing infomation for the Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2011, that is coming up this weekend, are available at their official website:

STGCC 2011 - Tickets Information.

The ticketing categories are as follows:

  • Day Ticket (Yellow) allows admission for 20 August 2011 - SGD 10.00
  • 1 Day Ticket (Green) allows admission for 21 August 2011 - SGD 10.00
  • 2 Day Ticket (Orange) allows admission for both 20 and 21 August 2011 - SGD 18.00
  • Evening Ticket (Blue) allows admission from 5.00pm to 8.00pm on 20 or 21 August 2011, tickets available for sale on-site only - SGD 5.00
  • *VIP Ticket (limited to first 150 only), tickets available for sale at www.singaporetgcc.com only. Includes exclusive badge, first access to the show floor, reserved seating at STGCC’s main stage, set of pre-order posters, skip the line at the Walk of Fame and 20% off at Harris Planerds - SGD 40.00

Hopefully the ticket prices at the venue are the same as the online prices.  Have a fantastic time at the STGCC 2011 this weekend!

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