Our journey so far... On Instagram and blogging

Unknowingly, this blog has went beyond the 21st entry! While it is not a big number, it is a good time to take a hard look at where we are and how things are moving forward.

So about Instagram and blogging...

I am kind of hitting 1900+ followers on Instagram over at @sgtoydude, but what does that mean? Truth be told, it means a lot to me in terms of the connection that I have made with people since the account was created. My close circle of friends don't exactly support the toy collection as it is still viewed as something mature adults would not do. Much less having followers on  an Instagram account on toys. However, I really enjoy posting pictures of the figures that I have and going into discussions with collectors from all over the world. I did not enter the toy-collecting scene early like most of the other collectors that I have spoken to. I am also not in as many social media platforms and communities as some are. In short, I am a small-timer in the hobby of giants. You get the reference to giants? You know, like Transformers and giant robots? Anyway, many have been gracious and kind in sharing their advice with regards to maximising the enjoyment of toy-collecting when this hobby is extremely heavy on the pocket and time.

Blogging is a platform for sharing my thoughts and I know most people on Instagram don't read. Actually, I am also not too sure who visits this blog but the viewing traffic shows people poping by. Hopefully they didn't come over here by mistake. But the fun and kick of this blog is really just releasing the stuff that goes on in the head and verbalising them to people who are following that writer's voice. Erm, believe me, I am not crazy! 

Are you chasing after numbers?

Believe me, while I am incredibly flattered even with this number of followers and readership, I am not here for the numbers. It's about self-awareness. Repeat after me, self-awareness. We have seen young people going into social media and calling themselves 'social influencers'. Let's face it, I am not a somebody. I am just a regular dad who happens NOT to grow up in terms of his choice of hobby and I just managed to connect with like-minded people. 

Are people persuaded to buy something just because I took photos or wrote a review? 

Of course there were people who did that! In collecting terms, we call it poisoning. Does that mean anything? Nope! I am not given free products to review and I may probably not be good enough because I am not a somebody in the media industry or someone with having over thousands and thousands of followers. Does that bother me? Nope! I mean it's nice to receive free stuff. Who doesn't like free stuff? I have received gifts but mainly from other collectors that became friends. Do I receive perks? Kind of. Some discounts here and there from sellers and having sellers to help me to hold on to preorders. Some share my Instagram and blog with others.

Does that mean I rave about a product or toy shop?

Obviously not. I always try to appreciate the positive qualities of products or services. If it's bad, you will hear it too. We don't need to criticise a product in order to sound honest in our opinions. I just hate to be another one of those who rant excessively on your feed on a product or service.

So what's next?

In this day and age, it's not difficult to get followers and readers. I don't say that in a way which devalues my followers or readers. I meant it in a sincere way that acknowledges my insignificance in a industry where people actually make a living out of the pictures and blog entries. 

But moving forward, it's about posting pictures of toys I like and sharing opinions on toys and the hobby because I truly enjoy what I do. If free stuff comes along, why not? If it doesn't, I will still enjoy this hobby for what it's worth. It has survived a relatively long time compared to the many hobbies I had when I was growing up and it has taken up a significant part of my house's design (my wife and daughter has to live with that). 

I will continue to look at toys from a casual collector's perspective. Why? I think one of the main thing that puts people off toy-collecting is the immense amount of information online and the geeky community that may seem intimidating. Sometimes, it's the simple and concise information or opinion will help someone pick up a toy.

If you have something to share or question for me, feel free to connect with me over Instagram @sgtoydude, email or comment below! 

 

Review- Titans Return Sentinel Prime

The wait is finally over! Thanks to the community at the Planet Iacon - Singapore Transformers Fans Unite Facebook group, we have information that Titans Return Wave 1 has hit our shore last Thursday. Having reviewed the prototype/test shot of Blaster earlier, my interest for the series was piqued. From the pictures released online, the figure that had me all curious was voyager class Autobot Sentinel Prime with Infinitus. Before I go on, I know the same mold will most likely be used for Astrotrain, just as much as we were sure that Blaster's mold will be used for Soundwave. 

I would also like to address that because Hasbro Singapore does NOT send me stuff, these are independent opinions about the product. I don't rave about a toy for free products. I genuinely try to appreciate the works of others and I also understand that no product is and will ever be perfect. You are entitled to your opinions as much as I am entitled to share my opinions. :)

Front of the box

We are getting similar box packaging with those from Combiner Wars. Off the bat, you will notice the awesome box art of the headmaster Infinitus hovering above the torso of Sentinel Prime. This headmaster-hovering-about-the-torso artwork is consistent with other packaging design of the wave.

Back of the box

The back of the box provides a short description of Sentinel Prime and how Infinitus aids him in battle. I appreciate the simple summary of the transformations for the headmaster and different modes. It is also made known that you can purchase other bots from the same line to swop the headmasters around. Kind of like the swopping of limbs from Combiner Wars. 

 

Out of the box

I want to make it known that I do not enjoy removing the figure and weapons from the tray. It is a pain for an excited fan to cut the tough bands that were holding the content onto the tray. I am always panicky when I have to cut those bands with precision to prevent scratches on the paint. 

Bot mode

Sentinel Prime comes in the fiery-angel-of-justice shades of orange and red that seems to blind the enemies before he strikes! Jokes aside, the wings form a backpack makes him a little back heavy. The tips of the wings also hinder how far you can tilt the knees back when you pose the figure. It does help that the design of the feet allows you to tilt forward and backward which support the figure well enough for most poses.

Headmaster- Infinitus

 

Piloting!

 

Pew! Pew! Pew!

 

Headmaster Infinitus shares a striking resemblance to the overall design of Sentinel Prime. It is reminiscent of G1 Headmasters when you fold and unfold the headmasters to get them into the desired modes. Like I mentioned in the earlier review on Blaster, the fun part for children having this toys is the interaction you get between the headmasters with the modes and accessories! It is fun when your imagination can multiply the value of play with just a figure from the wave.

 

Shuttle mode              

The shuttle mode is a gem as it resembles the design of the Ark or other space shuttles in the Transformers universe. In the process of transforming this figure, I noticed that there is a similar design idea going on for Sentinel Prime and Blaster- Hasbro is heavily utilising plastic flaps to enhance the visuals of the figure without adding a lot of plastic in terms of volume. The plastic flaps help to cover gaps in different parts of the figure to ensure that they do not LOOK cheap and skeletal. This is a pretty smart move to hook children and most collectors as they can essentially nail the aesthetic of the figures without complex design in terms of molding and engineering. 

 

Space Train Mode?

 

This has to be the weakest mode of the figure. It's basically splitting the legs and turning the torso to straighten the arms out. And of course, unfolding of more flaps! I don't get the space train concept since essentially it kind of functions similarly to that of the space shuttle? One can argue on the physics on space travel or loading capacity for both modes but the space train mode is really redundant here. Or it's just disguising as a highly weaponised train on the railway? Erm. Ok...

  

Overall... 

This is not a sponsored post. I may like it more while some of you may absolutely hate this figure. We don't have to agree. I must still say that I stand by this figure despite of the weak train mode. I may even like this more than Blaster as Blaster's base mode hollowed the figure into a series of flaps. If you also look at the deluxe figures and leader class Powermaster Optimus Prime, there are lots of gaps in the under part of the arms in a cost-saving move.   It is highly inconsistent when Hasbro opted to use flaps to cover gaps and left the arms 'holey'. 

 

Updates!- 28/06/2016

This month has been a pretty busy month as my little girl is on school holiday. Like most parents in Singapore, you make the best of the school holiday to spend more time with your child during this period before going back to the hustle and bustle of routines. I was also tied up with hosting guests from overseas which meant less time for the hobby of collecting, reviewing or taking pictures of toys.  

If you are reading this or following me on Instagram, you will notice a shift in the subjects of the pictures. Yes, that's right! Lego! Before I go any further, I just want to make it clear that I am NOT abandoning Transformers! In fact, like other Transformers fans, we are eager for Titans Return! Having reviewed the prototype/test shot and actual product of Blaster earlier, my anticipation level is sky high. Like my rants earlier, I am running out of space at my home and the 3rd party releases are really not my thing.  Anyway, before I go way off topic again, here are some reasons why I am going into Lego even though I am late in the game:   

1. Minifigures are cute!

   

Disney Lego Minifigure Set

Yes, I know I started on my minifigures collection before this series but this has to be the strongest case for my point!    

 

2. Minifigures are easy to store and display!

   

Lego Minifigure Door Display

  

This is as space-saving as it gets for my toy display. My Transformers collection took up more space than this. And for the sake of my argument in case my wife reads this, we have received surprisingly awesome feedback from guests on this display. Hehe!   

3. Building Lego sets is therapeutic!

  

Ford Mustang

Here is a background to my history with building toys. I generally mess up when I have to build toys. I remember numerous projects when I was missing parts or the screwups with the stickers. I am also very bad with pictorial guides. Don't ask me why. I have no idea at all. But, I was pleasantly surprised that I had no such problem with Lego. In fact, I enjoy playing an episode of whatever show that I am following and work on a Lego build. Granted, the X-wing, Big Bang Theory set or even the Ford Mustang are simple, but I know it was a kind of a breakthrough from my fear of building toys.   

4. It is fun to use the minifigures and sets to tell stories!  

 

Captain America: Civil War

I am still learning the ropes on storytelling but I LOVE the works that I had come across so far on Instagram. I mean so long as you have the characters and bricks needed, the possibilities are endless.     

5. Connecting with a different fan base!  

 

Connecting with people!

I think one of the most enjoyable part of collecting toys is to connect with other toy collectors. It just make the collecting so much more fun and there is really so much to learn from one another.  If you are reading this, I would also enjoy chatting with you on toys! Comment below or follow me on Instagram! :)

Review- Battle Strike Team: Space Deleter Mechas

Unless you are collecting 3rd party Transformers toys or original toys from the older series, it is kind of a lull period for Transformers collectors. Most people I know are also selling old toys to fund the upcoming Titans Return line. If you are also a Super Sentai fan, it is no secret that the current Zyuohger mechas have been a bit of a letdown. Don't get me wrong. I do enjoy the theme of animals and the plot so far. The gimmick of the mechas, on the other hand, has been less than ideal. Toqger and Ninninger were bashed pretty badly for their mechas and I think Zyuohger is worst of the lot with Wild Zyuoh King having wimpy arms that do not even resemble those from the shows. The size of the mechas are also much smaller and the cubic design doesn't help the fact that the mechas have minimal articulation. In short, we are getting glorified bricks with springs. With that said, I do hope they pick up as it is still the 40th anniversary of Super Sentai and a significant milestone for the series. 

In this down time, I happen to chance upon the Battle Strike Team: Space Deleter series and had a go at it. To do justice to the series, I will NOT call it a KO Super Sentai series as I found it unfair for some reviewers to call it a KO. I rather look at it as China's attempt at tokusatsu. The perks of being bilingual is that I get to understand what I watched on YouTube and I did not enjoy the snippets of what I watched. Personally, I found the plot and dialogues too cheesy. The fight scenes and the designs of the mechas, however, are surprisingly impressive! It is also the design of the mecha toys that had drawn the attention of collectors and some brave souls had a go at the mechas, giving much positive feedback that emboldened me to give it a shot. But more importantly, the price was the biggest draw. The set of 3 mechas that forms the ultimate form, with shipping cost, came up to the price of a single official Super Sentai mecha!

 

Set of 3

You need the set of 3 mechas to form the 'Ultrazord' of the series. They came up to 5.4kg in shipping weight and any one of the box you see here made Zyuohking's packaging feel like a lunch box. 

 

Inside the box                                              

Auldey, the company that produced the toys, has adopted a similar paper cardboard packaging that is environmentally friendly and easy for kids to free the toys. The parts are wrapped in plastic and it came with a simple instruction manual.

 

Solar Saver- Vehicle Mode

The pink jet forms the shoulder and helmet of Solar Saver. The blue transporter, fully unfolded, is the longest vehicle of the lot and forms the legs. The badass looking red rocket forms the head, torso, arms and weapon. 

Rocket launching mode

Believe it or not, this was the mode that launched me into the decision of acquiring them. Ok. Lame.

Carrier mode

When Blue has to do all the driving around...

 

Gattai!

This is the true strength of the mecha design! The plastic quality is similar to that of Bandai and the joints are tight.  There is no gimmick here, just plain old space vehicles forming a huge robot that screams intimidation. The good mix of translucent plastic and helmet made me go crazy about it. I can't even bring myself to put Zyuohking's beside it. :(

The next 2 boxes...

 

Planet Saver- Vehicle Mode

The yellow drill tank forms the upper half and the green spaceship forms the lower half of the combined form. Simple and sweet.

 

Planet Saver- Combined form

I love the elbow joints. Come on, we don't get that often in Super Sentai mechas. Before you bombard me, I also forgot to flip up the silver blade/horn pieces on the helmet. Planet Saver comes up to the height of Solar Saver with a good mass too.  

Let our power combine...

Ta-da! We have Galaxy Saver! I will tell you upfront that this is the best form of what you can get from the three mecha sets. That's right, more does not make it better. With the exception of the red arms sticking awkwardly at both sides of the legs, the mechas come well together here. I like how the hulking arsenal is cohesive and does not come across as something messy and too much of a brick.

Uranus Saver- Vehicle Mode            

 

Uranus Saver- Robot Mode

Other than the need to come up with a better name, I find Uranus Saver the weakest of the trio. The main problem in its design lies with the dragon head that does not feel cohesive to the overall design. It is always something that sticks out like a sore thumb in ALL the modes possible. 

Size comparison

When everything comes together, it becomes too messy! I don't like the dragon head sticking out at the top and half of Uranus Saver is attached to the back of this form. This form is only good for people who like their mechas big and having parts stacked together. Personally, I also won't want kids handling this as it's over 5kg of plastic. Crazy heavy for a toy, especially if it lands on your feet.

Overall, I will strongly recommend Galaxy Saver. It's been a while since I have seen a tokusatsu mecha that impresses me so much with excellent quality of material used and design that blew me away. The large size is definitely something adult toy collectors love as the departure from large robot toys is disappointing. The final form is a tad disappointing but don't let it fool you in skipping this line entirely. Certainly, don't write it off because it is from China. In fact, I can't wait to see what they come up with next!