Monday, April 27, 2009

Some Tamiya new releases at Shizuoka Hobby Show 2009

Follow link to tamiyablog's post

Quote from tamiyablog.com

"84057 1/12 Black Porsche 934 will be based on the TamTech-Gear GT-01 chassis (with some hop ups and black parts) and will have both a lexan and a hard body as well as a carrying back like the original black 58001."

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Tamiya's first ever RC was a hard body Porsche 934 Turbo RSR (Valiant). It was released in 1976 just before Christmas. Later, I believe there was a limited release of the same body molded in black plastic. This became one of the most rare items for Tamiya collectors. One of them went for around $8000usd a while back.

So this release is very cool! Especially with the hard body. Tamiya released the GT-01 chassis with a lexan 934 body not too long ago. I was actually going to pick one up next month. But I might just wait for this release.

The M05 PRO and the F104 is pretty interesting too because I just blogged about the HPI Cup Racer and F1 last week. So these Tamiya releases are in the same classes. The change in the M05 seems to be the lowered CG, most of the chassis is below the top of the wheels now, I hope the HPI 240Z body will be able to fit on this chassis. I already have a M03 chassis with a Mini Cooper body and a M03R chassis kit still NIB because I haven't found a suitable body for it yet. The M03 cannot use the 240Z body because it sits too high and the 240Z sits too low. The F104 doesn't look like a big change from the F103, so I am more interested in the HPI F1 since I already have a F103.

I will blog more about my RC collection in the following month. Stay tuned!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Mr. Incredible PEZ

Mmmmm...PEZ...pure sugary goodness...


The Dash taking a picture with his dad

Today's haul

Dropped by Walmart to see if there were any new Marvel Universe figures. I saw the Thing, the new Punisher, and Classic Iron Man. Didn't pick up any of them as I was only looking for Capt. America and another Wave 1 Iron Man. The Wave 3 Punisher does look a lot better than the Wave 1 one, but I am not a fan of him so I didn't get it. These figures are running out of stock really quickly here! I remember only seeing the whole Wave 1 once when they just got released, now everytime I only see a few figures. However, the Wolverine Origin line is not doing too good. Saw plenty of the whole wave on the shelves.

I didn't pick up any figures though, but I loaded up on sugar goodies LOL
Saw a Mr. Incredible PEZ and I had to get it. I had tons of PEZ when I was young.

Marvel Legends 2-Packs

Check out these ML 2-packs that are coming out soon! I am interested in the first two sets myself. The Iron Man is a MUST HAVE of course!

Iron Man/Maria Hill
Nick Fury/Hand Ninja
Kree Soldier/Skull Soldier






Star Trek Playsets

I've always like playsets since I was a kid. It is just so cool to have an environment for your toys to play in. I especially like those with a lot of accessories and gimmicks such as trap doors, lights, and sounds. I remember I had these TMNT playsets that fold together into the turtles complete with the turtles themselves and Shredder (size of the characters were about 1" in height). I had a lot of other clamshell design playsets as well, can't remember exactly what they were from, I wish I still had them though!

Anyways, these are some upcoming Star Trek playsets. I am not a fan of Star Trek, but any sci-fi toy is just cool. Especially the first two sets, I think the first one might look good modified to something from the Avengers or Fantasic 4. I've never had any larger size playsets because I don't have the room to put them, but I might just need to make some room for these.

Oh ya, did I mention the first two sets are for 3.75" figures? This would be PERFECT for the Marvel Universe line!

[UPDATE] Just found a review on the first two playsets! Too bad the bonus pieces are only available with the individual figures. I hope some of those accessories will be available separately (chairs and electronic panels).





Even in retro style

Saturday, April 25, 2009

The Vicious Cycle

Just wanted to share this picture I found, it's funny because it's so true! LOL

Header banner

I am just wondering if you guys and girls can see the Optimus Prime on my header banner? I never thought about the fact that everyone probably uses a different screen resolution when I made the banner. When I made this banner, my screen resolution was 1440x900. I just changed to 1680x1050 and I noticed the banner came out short. Also when I check out this blog on a smaller computer, I only see T-28. However, I am not sure how to make the banner so it's "One size fits all".

Photoshoot: Iron Man vs. Iron Monger

(Click for larger size)














I noticed the part where the beam ray piece secures to IM's wrist is quite loose. That part is just a U-shaped made of soft plastic, after several uses, it has become loose already.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

RC Wants

After my Tamiya Jeep and Hummer purchases, I started to regain my interest in the larger scales RC's (1:12+). The reason why I lose interest in the first place was the constant "new" releases of buggies and truggies, these are awesome race machines, but they all look the same to me. I am more interested in unique RC's. I don't really look for performance in an RC, but more of the engineering and aesthetics aspects of it. My RC's are mostly for display, I don't like to run them much because I like to keep them clean and looking new.

I have been asked many times before that if I only like the looks and only use them for display, why not just collect the die-cast counterparts? Yes, the "looks" is a factor in my collection, but the engineering aspect is number one. Most of my collection are kits, I don't like the whole idea of Ready-to-run(RTR) because the most fun part (the building of the model) is lost. The building part is where one gets to learn, understand, and appreciate the engineering and design of the model. And the feeling of accomplishment after building a kit is just awesome!

Anyways, here are some upcoming and new releases that really caught my eyes! It has been a long time since we've seen some entirely new chassis designs.

1. HPI Racing True Tenth Scale Cup Racer - 240Z (my favourite) ---> KIT



2. HPI Racing Formula Ten (coming soon) ---> KIT



3. Kyosho 1:5 Birel Racing Go Kart ---> RTR



I wish Kyosho would release the Go Kart in a kit, but to be honest, the RTR is not too bad for this model. The engineering and design is not too complicated, you could basically see everything just by looking at it. But I still think the build would be fun, not to mention painting it as I am not too fond of its color scheme right now. It is actually surprising to see Kyosho release a Go Kart again. RC Go Karts are rare, in fact, I think the last one is the one that is also by Kyosho. I am not sure about the similarity in the designs of the previous one compared to this new one as it was released long before I got into RC.

It's interesting to note that all three RC's on my want list are onroads. My collection consists of mostly offroad vehicles. Only onroad RC's that have unique chassis designs catch my attention.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Brutality

Today's exam was brutal, I would say the same thing if I was given another week to study for it. Dropped into depression after the exam, then found this guy at the store so it cheered me up just a little bit. Anyways what's done is done, time to suck it up and prepare for the next one on Friday and my 3-in-a-row killer next week Tues-Wed-Thurs.

This IM's face looks funny. A lot of people complained about the skinny torso on this figure. Ya I think they should have made him just a bit fatter, but I am a sucker for Iron Man, so I still got it.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Action Figure Box Covers

Wasted some time on this site, bought back some nice memories. Check it out!

Action Figure Box Covers

I want to watch this movie again!

One down, five more to go!

Just had my first exam today, it was alright. Just five more to go! Next one is on the coming Monday, so I have to spend the beautiful weekend inside a library LOL

I have been messing around with my Marvel Universe Ironman lately. I am liking him more and more. Wave 2 and 3 of the Marvel Universe series are supposed to be out here, but I have yet to see any of them in stores.

Anyways, here's MU Ironman with the Grey Hulk.





Thursday, April 16, 2009

Keeping track

Does anyone keep track of their spendings? Like a spreadsheet in MS Excel or list in Word?

When I started collected action figures (which was only last Xmas), I kept track of all my purchases in an Excel spreadsheet. Why did I do that? I was curious how much I would spend on toys. The total actually surprised me quite a bit because I don't buy any expensive figures. My most expensive figures are probably my Revoltechs which cost around $30CDN here. Little bits add up quite fast! I can't even imagine for those of you that collect 1/6 figures!

Another list that I had kept for a while is my RC collection. However, the list was just in a MS Word file with no price listed. So just out of curiosity, I imported the file into Excel and totaled up the prices from what I remember. Almost fell out of my chair when I discovered the total! And that didn't even include any RC I had and got rid of. However, I have been into the hobby for around 8-9 years, also my father is into it as well, so I guess it evens out. The file has been terminated due to risks of exposure.

In the end, you cannot put a price on the enjoyment and fun you get from them. So keep collecting!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Dark Lord of the Sith

While studying for exams now, I suddenly wanted to open a toy. So spiderman and ironman went to search for one...

Look what they found...


Never mess with Darth Vader!


Super duper quick review time:
- Good paint apps
- Crappy articulation
- Waist twist rotates light saber arm gimmick
- Can't stand by itself (sticky tack aid in pics)

That's all folks! Ok back to studying!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Spiderman gone shopping

I think 6" figures would be a good fit for this Jeep. Should have picked up a ML Hercules figure when they were on clearance, with some modding, I think he would be a nice driver. What figure do you want the driver to be?

Tamiya Goodness...

Mmmmm...Tamiya goodness...


Sexy styrene XJ body


ESC and LED kit included!


Hmmm...who should I put in the driver's seat? Maybe Mr. Hulk will look good in it.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Today's haul

I have been waiting for a long time for this rerelease by Tamiya, the Jeep Wrangler on the CC01 chassis. I still remember seeing the body sets for these guys go for $200usd on Ebay probably a year or so back, the kits were probably around $500-600usd. For those that don't know, the special thing about this kit is the detail styrene body. I can see myself buying a few more of these in the future. THANK YOU TAMIYA FOR THIS RERE!!!

Another cool thing about this purchase is I think I am one of the firsts on the internet (world?) to get this kit since I've been searching for the whole week on the boxart of this kit because I was wondering if they kept the original art or went for a newer look. I am glad they kept it original. This one I have right now will probably stay unbuilt until I have secured a second one. I will just open it to check out the contents (pics coming soon!)

Along with the Jeep Wrangler, I also got a Hummer on the TA02 chassis. This one I've been wanting to get for a long time. This one also has a nice styrene body. Will I build this one? I am not sure yet. If I manage to get a second one, maybe I will.

Hmmmmm...have been a while since I got some Tamiya goodness...


Thursday, April 2, 2009

Tag: 6 random facts about ME

Well, I got tagged by LEon at Open The Toy for this little game. I think it is an interesting game for everyone to share a bit about themselves apart from that we play with toys (for Toy bloggers).

The Rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog.
3) Write six random things about yourself.
4) Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5) Let each of the six persons know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Spaghetti
(Can't seem to find a good picture of it on the net, maybe I will go have one this weekend and snap a pic of it haha)
And not just any spaghetti, I prefer baked spaghetti prepared at chinese restaurants. My favourite sauces are: cheese and meat sauce, black pepper sauce beef tongue, and white sauce chicken ball. I've tried "Western" prepared spaghetti in places such as the Pickle Barrel, but it's just not the same.

Sony Infantry

My favourite computer game is still Infantry by Sony Online Entertainment. I first played this game when I was around 13. And after almost 8 years, I am still playing the same game. Just look at the recommended PC specs and you will know how old this game is.

My Dog, Bobo

Same as LEon at Open The Toy, I too am a dog lover. Above is a picture of my Bobo (3), she's a mix between Shitzu/Pekingese. Her favourite things are food, her knot rope, and walks in the park.

Photography

I love photography. I pretty much like taking pictures of everything. But due to the lack of time, I have only been snapping my toys lately (still a lot of fun). Right now the camera I am using is the FZ18 by Panasonic. It is basically a Point & Shoot with manual controls. I have learned a lot using this camera and am actually still learning. My next step is to get a DSLR. In the future, I hope to be able to travel around the world and take pictures of everything!

I will post any pics that is not toy related on my other blog. The blog is still new so there are not a lot of content yet. Summer is coming though, so it will get updated more often soon!

The Moon and Stars

^Pic taken with my FZ18

I love going out to my backyard and looking up into the sky on a clear night when I can see the moon and all the beautiful stars. For that moment, I feel all my worries and stress are gone!

View from backyard


Kamen Rider Decade

This is currently my favourite show! I watch this series on Youtube. Thankfully Youtube user darkranmaru subs the episodes since I don't know Japanese!

Now for my turn to tag!

desmond @ deSMOnd Collection
Shaun @ Fortress of Testicular Fortitude
Shin @ Shinfellfromthesky
RiP666 @ Art of 'hobby'
Yamisword @ Studio Reveus
Mario @ A Year of Toys

Can't wait to see this continue!