Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Hashin!
The toy launch for the Transformers movie is this saturday! W00t! Things will start as soon as Megamall opens, at the ground floor atrium area.
Now, there's something everyone should know before they watch the TF movie: It's going to be really different from the old TV series. No shrinking robots: No soundwave, no casseticons. Megatron is a jet! Starscream looks like a baboon! Prime takes off his faceplate, shows his lips! No grimlock, no devastator, no insecticons. Who the hell are Bonecrusher, Barricade and Blackout? The transformations are less blocky, more organic. The robots are a lot less human, a lot more insectlike. They are all very strange and alien, not the reassuring protectors from the 80s.
Get over all of this before you watch the movie. Just from the CG I've seen in trailers, this will be one of the best movies evar that contains cars that turn into giant robots. Sure, it forgets its roots. It's not the transformers you remember. Maybe it shouldn't have been called the transformers at all.
Get over it now. Don't let that stop you from enjoying a really well made movie about transforming robot aliens.
I'd hate to think anyone is unable to appreciate what they get, because of what they wanted.
Stromcrow
Now, there's something everyone should know before they watch the TF movie: It's going to be really different from the old TV series. No shrinking robots: No soundwave, no casseticons. Megatron is a jet! Starscream looks like a baboon! Prime takes off his faceplate, shows his lips! No grimlock, no devastator, no insecticons. Who the hell are Bonecrusher, Barricade and Blackout? The transformations are less blocky, more organic. The robots are a lot less human, a lot more insectlike. They are all very strange and alien, not the reassuring protectors from the 80s.Get over all of this before you watch the movie. Just from the CG I've seen in trailers, this will be one of the best movies evar that contains cars that turn into giant robots. Sure, it forgets its roots. It's not the transformers you remember. Maybe it shouldn't have been called the transformers at all.
Get over it now. Don't let that stop you from enjoying a really well made movie about transforming robot aliens.
I'd hate to think anyone is unable to appreciate what they get, because of what they wanted.
Stromcrow
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Long Weekend Post
I got a few of the Marvel Legends line of 6" action figures, while they were on sale. I got three two-packs: Captain America vs. the Red Skull, Iron Man vs. Mandarin, and Hulk vs. Leader. These guys have a well-earned reputation for being very well articulated, although I find that balance can sometimes be an issue. Sculpt and details are great; painting is good overall but ocasionally spotty. These two packs have a ton of extras: a comic book, a display platform with stands and a backdrop, and even a VS card. Not bad for 500 php!
My interest in superhero comic books has also been rekindled recently. The best thing I've read recently would be Marvel's Civil War, a well executed crossover. The main draw is the classic conflict between freedom and security; heroes fight each other, split along ideological lines. The ending is meh, but it's though provoking and worth recommending, something I thought I'd never say again about serialized comics.
Since it's a very long weekend, now is a great time to have a lot of links. Let's start with direct downloads of Civil War, via sendspace: 1-10, 10-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90, 91-96
The dark M&Ms dark chocolate name-that-dark-movie game. Seriously, this is a fun game! Play this one with your friends and family. Dark.
The Balls are Inert: A YouTube fan-splice of Dragonball Z. Um. Don't watch this one with your friends and family.
Urban Ninja on YouTube. For Narutards. Very cool.
Finally, two articles to chew on: The End of Console Games and 10 ways MMORPGs will change the world.
Stormcrow
My interest in superhero comic books has also been rekindled recently. The best thing I've read recently would be Marvel's Civil War, a well executed crossover. The main draw is the classic conflict between freedom and security; heroes fight each other, split along ideological lines. The ending is meh, but it's though provoking and worth recommending, something I thought I'd never say again about serialized comics.
Since it's a very long weekend, now is a great time to have a lot of links. Let's start with direct downloads of Civil War, via sendspace: 1-10, 10-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90, 91-96The dark M&Ms dark chocolate name-that-dark-movie game. Seriously, this is a fun game! Play this one with your friends and family. Dark.
The Balls are Inert: A YouTube fan-splice of Dragonball Z. Um. Don't watch this one with your friends and family.
Urban Ninja on YouTube. For Narutards. Very cool.
Finally, two articles to chew on: The End of Console Games and 10 ways MMORPGs will change the world.
Stormcrow
Labels: books, games, links, toys
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Review: Transformers Classics
Last December, while doing some christmas shopping, I found a couple of neat looking Transformers. I decided against getting them right then, but still, I was set down the road to start a modern TF collection. Henceforth, a toy review!
This is Optimus Prime, Voyager size, from the 2006 Transformers Classics line. As a trailer truck cab, Optimus has a modern, aerodynamic silhouette. Of note is the addition of a wind vane on the roof, and a repositioning of the smokestacks. An autobot symbol is present on the right door, the kind which changes color when rubbed. While the truck really does looks great, the lack of a trailer is somewhat disappointing, and when placed next to other autobot cars, I wish Optimus was slightly bigger.
As a robot, Optimus has a well sculpted form, with great balance and loads of articulation that allow for dynamic poses. He has two guns: the first is a huge red canon that transforms from his wind vane; the second is a short shotgun that transforms from his smokestacks. The only downside here is some kibble on his forearms, from the doors of the truck. Overall this is a great toy, both for playing with and for display.
Next up is Megatron, also a Classic Voyager. Unfortunately, U.S. law is not kind to Megatron, forbidding any realistic looking gun modes. Instead, he's brightly colored and looks like a nerf gun. With those limitations in mind, Megatron is actually a fairly decent (toy) gun; it's enjoyable to point him around and click the trigger.
In robot mode, Megatron is also well-sculpted, with a good amount of articulation. There are some departures from his TV series look: there's a lot of purple in his color scheme, and he has Energon green wings at his back. His eyes are light piped, meaning that they glow when he's backlit. He has no detachable weapons, relying on his huge arm blaster. Megatron is not as posable as Optimus, due mostly to balance problems that arise from having a lot of body attachments. Overall, despite having issues, I'd say that Megatron is almost as good as Optimus and is certainly a lot flashier.
EDIT: Later on, I was so enamored of the light piping that I decided to use it as an avatar.
Stormcrow
This is Optimus Prime, Voyager size, from the 2006 Transformers Classics line. As a trailer truck cab, Optimus has a modern, aerodynamic silhouette. Of note is the addition of a wind vane on the roof, and a repositioning of the smokestacks. An autobot symbol is present on the right door, the kind which changes color when rubbed. While the truck really does looks great, the lack of a trailer is somewhat disappointing, and when placed next to other autobot cars, I wish Optimus was slightly bigger.As a robot, Optimus has a well sculpted form, with great balance and loads of articulation that allow for dynamic poses. He has two guns: the first is a huge red canon that transforms from his wind vane; the second is a short shotgun that transforms from his smokestacks. The only downside here is some kibble on his forearms, from the doors of the truck. Overall this is a great toy, both for playing with and for display. Next up is Megatron, also a Classic Voyager. Unfortunately, U.S. law is not kind to Megatron, forbidding any realistic looking gun modes. Instead, he's brightly colored and looks like a nerf gun. With those limitations in mind, Megatron is actually a fairly decent (toy) gun; it's enjoyable to point him around and click the trigger.In robot mode, Megatron is also well-sculpted, with a good amount of articulation. There are some departures from his TV series look: there's a lot of purple in his color scheme, and he has Energon green wings at his back. His eyes are light piped, meaning that they glow when he's backlit. He has no detachable weapons, relying on his huge arm blaster. Megatron is not as posable as Optimus, due mostly to balance problems that arise from having a lot of body attachments. Overall, despite having issues, I'd say that Megatron is almost as good as Optimus and is certainly a lot flashier.
EDIT: Later on, I was so enamored of the light piping that I decided to use it as an avatar.
Stormcrow
Monday, August 01, 2005
A negative experience
Raven and I arrived at two in the afternoon, ready to explore "the new Greenhills". Ten minutes in, and I end up spending 900 (all the money in my wallet) on a Bandai Eva girls gashapon set. Actually, I haven't looked at gashapons in half a year but this was on my old "must buy" list. So I got it. I'm a sucker!
Spent the next hour looking for a working ATM. Raven got Atelier Iris for the PS2, and I bought 102 pieces of 9th Edition basic lands... for drafting, of course. And sat down (in shoppesville) for a 35php hotdog... and a 35 php bottle of C2. What the hell?!
Eventually we meet the rest of the gang for dinner at the new Promenade building. Very reminiscent of Eastwood (insert foreshadowing) but with more airconditioning.
Ruben, Alekos, and I decide on Mexicali. Po vetoes it on the grounds that he hates mexicans. We walk around deciding where NOT to eat. When threatened with Cibo, Po decides to settle for the burritos.
Pat and I order our usual, Cheese Enchilada with Steak Burrito. Okay, this is usually where we take a picture of the food and tell you how good it is. But let me be Frank. IT SUCKED BIG TIME. The food was late. We got chicken instead of cheese. It tasted as if it were boiled and unseasoned. It felt as if it was cooked two hours before and hurriedly nuked in the microwave.
And to cap it off, our parking bill was 130php. On a Saturday. 130 for parking?!?
For me, the entire point of going to greenhills is that it's the bargain bin mall. Kinda like a Quiapo Lite. Where you can get your fill of cds, dvds, sirX and whatnot. But if this trend of upscale development continues, those days are numbered. And really, with all the more accessible alternatives, what's the point of an expensive greenhills?
Stormcrow
Spent the next hour looking for a working ATM. Raven got Atelier Iris for the PS2, and I bought 102 pieces of 9th Edition basic lands... for drafting, of course. And sat down (in shoppesville) for a 35php hotdog... and a 35 php bottle of C2. What the hell?!
Eventually we meet the rest of the gang for dinner at the new Promenade building. Very reminiscent of Eastwood (insert foreshadowing) but with more airconditioning.
Ruben, Alekos, and I decide on Mexicali. Po vetoes it on the grounds that he hates mexicans. We walk around deciding where NOT to eat. When threatened with Cibo, Po decides to settle for the burritos.
Pat and I order our usual, Cheese Enchilada with Steak Burrito. Okay, this is usually where we take a picture of the food and tell you how good it is. But let me be Frank. IT SUCKED BIG TIME. The food was late. We got chicken instead of cheese. It tasted as if it were boiled and unseasoned. It felt as if it was cooked two hours before and hurriedly nuked in the microwave.
And to cap it off, our parking bill was 130php. On a Saturday. 130 for parking?!?
For me, the entire point of going to greenhills is that it's the bargain bin mall. Kinda like a Quiapo Lite. Where you can get your fill of cds, dvds, sirX and whatnot. But if this trend of upscale development continues, those days are numbered. And really, with all the more accessible alternatives, what's the point of an expensive greenhills?
Stormcrow
Labels: food, gimmik, review, toys
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Time Space Blog NOW!
You ever notice how when you have a lot of things you HAVE to do, you suddenly realize you have a lot of things you WANT to do?
I want to play more DotA. I want to spend more hours on my PS2. I want to watch a stack of anime cds on my desk. I want to read my ebooks. But I don't have time.
This is obviously an effect of having a paperwork intensive job.. but at least it's the job that gives me money to spend in the first place.
--------------
The stuff that I spend my "fun" budget on can be divided into two categories. Either it takes up time or it takes up space.
In the former there are my VCDs and DVDs, dating, and gaming (and food!). Anything consumable, or at least the stuff that isn't meant to be displayed.
In the latter you have the toys and other collectibles.. gizmos, cellphones and PDAs, go in here too. Also jewelry and cars.
The bigger realization is that as we get busier in life, the shift goes from the time-consumers to space-consumers. It's a matter of limiting reagents. Having money to spend is great, but if you don't have the time to enjoy it, what's the money for?
Toys, apparently.
---------------
Getting Jonas and Oli to play DotA until 4 AM merits special mention. Also, a rampaging Nerubian Assassin is an aweful sight to behold.
Stormcrow
I want to play more DotA. I want to spend more hours on my PS2. I want to watch a stack of anime cds on my desk. I want to read my ebooks. But I don't have time.
This is obviously an effect of having a paperwork intensive job.. but at least it's the job that gives me money to spend in the first place.
--------------
The stuff that I spend my "fun" budget on can be divided into two categories. Either it takes up time or it takes up space.
In the former there are my VCDs and DVDs, dating, and gaming (and food!). Anything consumable, or at least the stuff that isn't meant to be displayed.
In the latter you have the toys and other collectibles.. gizmos, cellphones and PDAs, go in here too. Also jewelry and cars.
The bigger realization is that as we get busier in life, the shift goes from the time-consumers to space-consumers. It's a matter of limiting reagents. Having money to spend is great, but if you don't have the time to enjoy it, what's the money for?
Toys, apparently.
---------------
Getting Jonas and Oli to play DotA until 4 AM merits special mention. Also, a rampaging Nerubian Assassin is an aweful sight to behold.
Stormcrow
Monday, January 03, 2005
Gigablog!
When I was seven, someone gave me a zoid for christmas. It was some little dinosaur thing; my dad built it for me. Eventually I stepped on it and it died.
****
The nice thing about having a salary is being able to afford all the big toys you ever wanted when you were a kid. And, while I didn't have a special affinity for Zoids when I was younger, I was intrigued by the way they're motorized. So a few monts ago, I decided to get Gojulas Giga, an impressive T-Rex type Zoid.
The Box
Zoids are model kits; some assembly is required. Gojulas Giga comes in 138 parts on 19 sprues (plastic frame/sheets), plus 16 loose parts, plus caps, plus a motor. Gojulas Giga is a new design based on the old Gojulas model, so the degree of complexity is greater than that of older zoids. It took me two weekends to fully assemble Giga, though a lot of that was because I relish cutting and shaving the pieces off the sprues.
Here are the parts, still attached to sprues.
The interesting thing about Giga is that he can shift between two modes. "Attack Mode" is classic Godzilla, harking back to the day when dinosaurs were depicted as slow, lumbering beasts. In this mode, Giga's eyes glow green and he makes a stomping sound as he walks.
Attack Mode
"Pursue Mode" is the post-Jurassic Park dinosaur posture. A horizontal back and straight tail imply faster movement. In this mode, Giga's eyes glow red, and he roars as his jaw opens and closes. I kinda like this mode better.. it's more realistic as a predator than as Godzilla stomping Tokyo.
Pursue Mode
The engineering on this zoid is ingenious. The two-legged walk and arm-waving is all controlled by a single rotating axle. The head/jaw and tail each have a separate movement source though.
A closer look...
I was lucky enough to find CP10 in SM North. These "customize parts" were designed for the original Gojulas, but look just as great on Gojulas Giga. The set comes on two sprues with nine large parts.
CP10: fresh from the pack
With the large cannons attached, Giga looks heavily armed and dangerous. A thoroughly enjoyable model kit to build and display.
Armed and loaded
The Stormcrow
****
The nice thing about having a salary is being able to afford all the big toys you ever wanted when you were a kid. And, while I didn't have a special affinity for Zoids when I was younger, I was intrigued by the way they're motorized. So a few monts ago, I decided to get Gojulas Giga, an impressive T-Rex type Zoid.
The Box
Zoids are model kits; some assembly is required. Gojulas Giga comes in 138 parts on 19 sprues (plastic frame/sheets), plus 16 loose parts, plus caps, plus a motor. Gojulas Giga is a new design based on the old Gojulas model, so the degree of complexity is greater than that of older zoids. It took me two weekends to fully assemble Giga, though a lot of that was because I relish cutting and shaving the pieces off the sprues.
Here are the parts, still attached to sprues.
The interesting thing about Giga is that he can shift between two modes. "Attack Mode" is classic Godzilla, harking back to the day when dinosaurs were depicted as slow, lumbering beasts. In this mode, Giga's eyes glow green and he makes a stomping sound as he walks.
Attack Mode
"Pursue Mode" is the post-Jurassic Park dinosaur posture. A horizontal back and straight tail imply faster movement. In this mode, Giga's eyes glow red, and he roars as his jaw opens and closes. I kinda like this mode better.. it's more realistic as a predator than as Godzilla stomping Tokyo.
Pursue Mode
The engineering on this zoid is ingenious. The two-legged walk and arm-waving is all controlled by a single rotating axle. The head/jaw and tail each have a separate movement source though.
A closer look...
I was lucky enough to find CP10 in SM North. These "customize parts" were designed for the original Gojulas, but look just as great on Gojulas Giga. The set comes on two sprues with nine large parts.
CP10: fresh from the pack
With the large cannons attached, Giga looks heavily armed and dangerous. A thoroughly enjoyable model kit to build and display.
Armed and loaded
The Stormcrow
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Gashapons of the walking dead
What is a gashapon?
A gashapon is a little toy that is dispensed by little coin operated machines. I have the vague idea that they were much more common when we were kids... right now, the best I can find locally is a coin operated bouncing ball dispenser near the UP coop.
In Japan though, these things are quite popular. They can be anything, from matchbox sized firetrucks, animals, sentai, robots... or even four-inch high figurines of cute anime babes.
Gashapons are usually dispensed in opaque plastic eggs, if you get them directly from the machine. This usually means that you don't know exactly what you're getting (kinda like a booster pack). But you do know that it will be figure from a specific set of around 4-10 characters.
Here in Manila though, you'll probably be buying them by the set. They cost between 100-300 Php per fig, depending on the set and where you buy. They're very similar to the collectible figures you see being sold in blister packs, except that those didn't come from a dispenser (and are therefore potentially bigger).
I recently went to greattoys to get my first set of gasha. I saw a hot set from Vampire Saviour (aka Darkstalkers) on their forums and figured it would be a good place to start. Good thing I didn't wait for the weekend: I got the last set being sold.
Morrigan! In some variant of her costume. It looks a bit more evening dress-ish. This fig has trouble standing up straight, since her stand is unconventional.
Morrigan (again). In a leather outfit, still somewhat reminiscent of her costume. Not sure if this is one of her win poses. The whip is a nice touch.
Zabel, aka Lord Raptor. Except, it's more of lady than lord. And she has nice skin tone for a zombie. It's very cute, actually. I like this the best out of the set.
Aulbath, aka Rykuo. Again, it's a girl. And it's more of a mermaid than a saughain-type monster. Okay, it looks nothing like Aulbath. It's still a cute mermaid wearing only her hair! (Hm... maybe it's actually his girlfiend)
Finally, in case you were wondering: Gashapon is an onomatopoeic term. It represents the sound of the dispenser eating your coins and dropping an egg.
The Stormcrow
A gashapon is a little toy that is dispensed by little coin operated machines. I have the vague idea that they were much more common when we were kids... right now, the best I can find locally is a coin operated bouncing ball dispenser near the UP coop.
In Japan though, these things are quite popular. They can be anything, from matchbox sized firetrucks, animals, sentai, robots... or even four-inch high figurines of cute anime babes.
Gashapons are usually dispensed in opaque plastic eggs, if you get them directly from the machine. This usually means that you don't know exactly what you're getting (kinda like a booster pack). But you do know that it will be figure from a specific set of around 4-10 characters.
Here in Manila though, you'll probably be buying them by the set. They cost between 100-300 Php per fig, depending on the set and where you buy. They're very similar to the collectible figures you see being sold in blister packs, except that those didn't come from a dispenser (and are therefore potentially bigger).
I recently went to greattoys to get my first set of gasha. I saw a hot set from Vampire Saviour (aka Darkstalkers) on their forums and figured it would be a good place to start. Good thing I didn't wait for the weekend: I got the last set being sold.
Morrigan! In some variant of her costume. It looks a bit more evening dress-ish. This fig has trouble standing up straight, since her stand is unconventional.
Morrigan (again). In a leather outfit, still somewhat reminiscent of her costume. Not sure if this is one of her win poses. The whip is a nice touch.
Zabel, aka Lord Raptor. Except, it's more of lady than lord. And she has nice skin tone for a zombie. It's very cute, actually. I like this the best out of the set.
Aulbath, aka Rykuo. Again, it's a girl. And it's more of a mermaid than a saughain-type monster. Okay, it looks nothing like Aulbath. It's still a cute mermaid wearing only her hair! (Hm... maybe it's actually his girlfiend)
Finally, in case you were wondering: Gashapon is an onomatopoeic term. It represents the sound of the dispenser eating your coins and dropping an egg.
The Stormcrow
Friday, September 10, 2004
Gift of the Magi
"Hey mom, take a look at what I got Tiago!"
Grinning, I pulled the package out of the closet. I had gotten my brother a zoid, LigerZero(phoenix) for his thirteenth birthday. I showed my mother the box, which was about as big as a PC monitor.
"What do you think? Pretty cool eh?"
"Are you sure it's for your brother?" My mom laughingly asked. "Seems to me it might be for yourself".
And in a sense she was right. My brother was asking for ragnarok stuff for his birthday. However, I had already helped my mom buy him a bunch of pre-paid cards and a guidebook, so I figured I didn't need to give him anything on that front (although I did arrange for him to receive a few in-game items).
A friend of mine once told me something about gift giving: "Never give anything that they would have bought for themselves". It's pretty good advice. If you give something that they would have gotten themselves, it's as if you had just given cash. Useful, but not impressive. Ultimately, it's forgettable.
The best gift is something that the getter wouldn't have thought of themselves, but upon getting, they enjoy and treasure. Even better if it's something that will remind them of you when ever they look at it. In that sense, it's better to stop trying to second guess "what they really want" and just buy them something that you want to give: something that YOU think is cool.
I mentioned this theory to Raven when we were out shopping.
"So what I'm saying is, if I give what I'm interested in, it's a gift that's straight from my heart!"
Raven nodded. "I guess that's right. It's more interesting to receive a gift that's surprising too."
"Yeah. Hey, check out this command wolf! So, baby, you want a zoid for your birthday too?"
The Command Wolf I gave Raven:
Image taken by Raven
The Stormcrow
Grinning, I pulled the package out of the closet. I had gotten my brother a zoid, LigerZero(phoenix) for his thirteenth birthday. I showed my mother the box, which was about as big as a PC monitor.
"What do you think? Pretty cool eh?"
"Are you sure it's for your brother?" My mom laughingly asked. "Seems to me it might be for yourself".
And in a sense she was right. My brother was asking for ragnarok stuff for his birthday. However, I had already helped my mom buy him a bunch of pre-paid cards and a guidebook, so I figured I didn't need to give him anything on that front (although I did arrange for him to receive a few in-game items).
A friend of mine once told me something about gift giving: "Never give anything that they would have bought for themselves". It's pretty good advice. If you give something that they would have gotten themselves, it's as if you had just given cash. Useful, but not impressive. Ultimately, it's forgettable.
The best gift is something that the getter wouldn't have thought of themselves, but upon getting, they enjoy and treasure. Even better if it's something that will remind them of you when ever they look at it. In that sense, it's better to stop trying to second guess "what they really want" and just buy them something that you want to give: something that YOU think is cool.
I mentioned this theory to Raven when we were out shopping.
"So what I'm saying is, if I give what I'm interested in, it's a gift that's straight from my heart!"
Raven nodded. "I guess that's right. It's more interesting to receive a gift that's surprising too."
"Yeah. Hey, check out this command wolf! So, baby, you want a zoid for your birthday too?"
The Command Wolf I gave Raven:
Image taken by Raven
The Stormcrow
Labels: toys
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