80's Toy Expo 2011 (Pics heavy!)

Today I went to the 80's Toy Expo + TFCon which were hosted at the same place this year. TFCon actually started yesterday on Saturday and this is the second day of the show which was combined with the 80's Toy Expo this year. The Expo is not a huge event like the San Diego Comic Con where a lot of toy manufacturers come to showcase their new products. I think there were several events and panels going on today as well, but I went there for the dealer room only LOL!

The event was about 30 minutes drive away from my home which was very convenient. The first thing I saw when I got there were the Ghostbusters standing beside the Batmobile!

Their suits look very accurate and professional, but it must have been really hot to wear these costumes in the hot weather!


The Batmobile looked really sweet too! Although Batman was nowhere to be seen...




Turns out Batman was inside enjoying the AC haha



After paying for the entrance fee, I went straight to the dealer room, it was PACKED even though I went one or two hours into the show.


There were soooo many toys everywhere, it was very overwhelming LOL! The main focuses were Transformers, Marvel, DC, GIJoes, and Star Wars.
















There were some very expensive GIJoes!












There was one of these SDCC Exclusive Marvel Universe Sentinel for sale at the show for $130, I was thinking if I should get it when this guy swooped in and bought it right in front of me. Needless to say, I was somewhat disappointed for a while. But I ended up getting some stuff that I've been meaning to get for a long time which cheered me up again haha!


Saw several characters from Star Wars as well.









So I was checking out some Transformers when I heard some laser shooting sounds, I turn around and this is what I saw!


Haul time:

I picked up a bunch of AMAZING Beasts Wars prints from Dan Khanna. These prints are one of the things that I love most from these shows. Although I am a prints noob because I figured I should get them at the end of the show when I would be leaving since I was afraid I'd ruin them if I carry them around the show for several hours. I end up missing out on the first generation gorilla Optimus Prime and Transmetal Blackarachnia when I made these purchases. However, Dan told me there was a Fan Expo coming up in Toronto where he would be attending as well and he will have those prints available. So next time I go, I know where to go right away!

Alex Milne was there too and I wanted to pick up several prints from him as well, but again being the noob that I am, I went close to the end and missed out on all the ones I wanted from him. Hopefully he will be at Fan Expo as well so I will have another chance to get them!

















I've been meaning to get back some of the Transmetal stuff that I lost from my childhood. And now since I am finally done my Animated collection, I think I am going to start collecting bots from the Beasts Wars era now. Warpath was on my must-buy list because we didn't get his wave in Canada. He was very popular as they were literally flying off the shelves. And Boba Fett was for my dad lol.


Also picked up these guys that I can never find in retail.


All in all, it was a very enjoyable event! Although I hope I will be able to make it to next year's SDCC as that show is massive and just another experience altogether!

More display room!

Sooo in last night's post, I was just saying that I was running out of display room. But today I picked up this book shelf from Walmart which opened up a lot of room for more toys now! I've been meaning to pick up a cheap book shelf like this to display my Transformers for a while. Since I've moved most of my collection to the basement, I've noticed that there is a lot less dust buildup down there. When I had my display on the main floor or on the second floor, the dust build up really fast, toys out in the open would get covered in a thin layer of dust in a week or so. But in the basement, I've had several figures just sitting on the table for a month or so and they barely have any dust on them. So I figured I could save some money and try an open book shelf for display instead of getting only glass cabinets. Although the glass cabinets are nice looking and reduce the dust by a lot, they do not really have a lot of room for display, especially for bulky Transformers.

My main goal with the book shelf is to be able to display all the Transformers Animated Autobots together on one row and all the Decepticons together on another row. I end up getting pretty close, Wreckgar and Ironhide had to go to a separate shelf because they just don't have the room to fit in with the Autobots, they are "extra" characters anyways so I guess it's not too bad. I still have to open several Animated bots I have NIB to finish this display though. Overall, I am very happy with this display and I have opened up 7 slots in my glass cabinets where I will be opening and displaying some more Japanese figures!

I still have to play around with the dividers to separate each level equally though, but the ultra classes from the first two row is what's limiting equal spacing. It's a great shelf none the less and I am actually thinking of picking up a second one for my Marvel collection as well. I will have to wait and see how the dust buildup is on this open shelf first though before I buy anymore though.

Sooo look out for more reviews coming soon!!!

Transformers Animated Autobots Display

Finally open my Takara Tomy Animated Ratchet + Lockdown set tonight, grabbed Ratchet and left Lockdown for later. I didn't even bother transforming him into vehicle mode because I just want to see the completed main Autobot team on my display shelf.

Finally...I have completed my Animated collection after 3 years. I lucked out when a local collector basically sold his Animated collection so I was able to pick up a lot of them that were now impossible to find. So here I present to you...the main Autobots team!


As for the reason for the lack of reviews lately, it is frankly because I've ran out of display room once again! I actually went to IKEA several weeks ago looking to pick up several more of their DETOLF glass cabinets, but they were out of stock. I found out after reading on some toy collectors forums that the DETOLF cabinets were recalled due to some defect and they won't be available until the end of August. So hopefully I will be able to pick up some more display cases soon and open all these toys that are just waiting and calling to me now.

The start of another hobby

Picked up this equatorial mount today, its function is to follow the rotation of the Earth for use in astrophotography. I've been wanting to get into astrophotography for a long time, that's actually the main reason why I wanted a DSLR in the first place because I tried (although unsuccessfully) with my bridge camera many moons ago, only to find out in the end that it is only possible with a DSLR. And now that I've met a friend that have been into this hobby for many years, I found out that it gets waaay more technical than needing "just a DSLR". I am really glad that I will have a "master" teaching me all this along the way rather than pulling out my hair trying to figure it out by myself though. I still need a few more items to complete my initial setup, hopefully I will be all setup and ready for my first lesson in the next few weeks! Can't wait!

Arkham Asylum - Bane

I still remember playing this game last October and after I fought Bane, I thought to myself that if they come out with a Bane figure, I'd definitely get it. Bane is one of my favorite villains in Batman because he's so strong and his whole get-up just looks so cool! When I saw this figure at the local comic store, I was debating whether I should get him because I don't collect any DC figures, but I am glad I end up bringing him home because he is just such an amazing figure!



If you have played the Arkham Asyslum game before, you will know how accurate this figure is to his in-game design.



There isn't a whole lot of articulation in this figure. However, this is probably the first time I prefer a figure to lack in articulation because with articulation comes more cuts and joints in the figure which takes away the details.





The details on this figure is just breath-taking, I spent quite some time just sitting there admiring this figure haha!



They didn't skimp out on any details, even his feet are very nicely done. He can stand fine without the stand, but it does add some stability.



Although there isn't many articulation points, I am glad they decided to keep the shoulder joints so he can look even more menacing. Total articulation points include swivel head, ball-jointed shoulders, cut waist, cut knees, and cut angles. His neck joint felt like it could move back and forth a bit, but I did not force it as I don't want to break this figure.



Look at those hands and fingers...even the nails are textured...







This figure is an amazing deal at $20. It's another one of those highly detailed figures which lack in articulation (ex. Marvel Select). Even though it doesn't have good articulation, the details more than make up for it. I actually wish the Marvel Select figures would be made in some attacking pose rather than just plain standing there now that I got this Bane. So for anyone that is a fan of Batman, I highly recommend picking this figure up! I think he will become a hard-to-find one very soon, so get him while you have the chance!

I absolutely LOVE this figure! BEST $20 spent in a LOOONG TIME!!!

End of the week haul

Went shopping after a long week's work today, picked up these guys. I already opened Bane and he is one amazingly awesome figure. I don't even collect DC stuff, but this Arkham Asylum series look really really nice!