Travel - Get Me The Location Of Nakano Broadway!

With the location of Blister zeroed in my sights, next to be uncovered is Nakano Broadway in … Nakano! If Akihabara is the capital of Otaku performance, Nakano Broadway is the place for Otaku shopping! My kind of place! It is here, I believe on the 2nd floor, where one of the biggest toy retailers Mandarake is located. Let’s do some homework here to ease my finding it should I be able to go there during my Japan trip in December!

Travel - Get Me The Location Of Blister Japan!

So I’ve confirmed one of the locations I will visit for my covert toy hunt in Tokyo Japan! And it is none other than Blister in Shibuya! From their website, I was able to pull some pics of the location of the store as well as some reference pics of their store front! So the map they had provided over their website is not the most detailed. It’s basic but sufficient for locating with my internal compass with all that street names provided. Now let’s find out where this location is with respect to the Shibuya Subway!

Musings - Japan Shopping Decisions Part 1

Upon confirmation of my air tickets for my upcoming trip to Tokyo, I began the search on the Internet for favorable places to hunt down toys. It was reminiscent of my trip to Hong Kong last year. Homework done prior to the trip saved a lot of time scouting around. For Tokyo, I wanted to do the same.

I will be going on this trip with a group of four including Mrs SWFToys. Unfortunately as usual, none of them are toy collectors. So I will have to subtly slip in my agenda into the group’s plans. It is within the awe-inspiring enclaves of my study(where my toys reside) that I began conceiving my Tokyo Toy Plan(TTP)!

Incoming - Hot Toys 12″ First Blood Rambo

I had missed out on Hot Toy’s earlier Rambo First Blood Part III figure. I regreted not getting that when it was still available in the local store. Sometimes you make a decision not to overspend only to be unable to buy a particular figure when you are ready. The availability of figures sure does not wait for the collector’s wallet.

Then came the Halo Rambo. Although it had the same sculpt, it did not appealed to be because it had nothing to do with the movie. It seemed more of a factory kitbash and sculpt-milking figure. No regrets not getting this!

Comics - Reading Stormwatch Again!

My recent purchase of 12 Stormwatch comics saw my reunion with one of my favourite superhero team comics. It was surreal to hold them in my arms again after so long… more than a decade to be exact. I used to own them until… the Incident.

Review - Hot Toys 1/6 Scale ED-209

 

There is a connection between ED-209 and Star Wars. Similarities of an AT-ST and ED-209? Not quite. It’s an animator by the name of Phil Tippett. Phil Tippett is the award-winning animator who brought ED-209 to life in the Robocop movies. Prior to Robocop, he was also the brainchild behind the animation for the AT-ATs and Tauntauns in Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. Tippett would go on to lead the animation team for Episode VI - Return of the Jedi which he won his first Oscar for Special Achievement in Visual Effects in 1984. Herein, is the Star Wars connection.

Incoming - Hot Toys 12″ F/A-18 Hornet Aviator

The month of November has been really hot! I have gone over my ED-209 so expect a review soon. Next to be opened should be the F-14 Tomcat Aviator! Before I get to do that, his partner, the F/A-18 Hornet Aviator is in as well! Gotta find time this weekend for these guys!

Comics - Secret War HC

Secret War HC

Originally uploaded by swftoys.

‘Never judge a book by its cover’. I was reminded of this saying when I put down Secret War after finishing its last page. My search for story-lines connected to the events leading to Civil War has put this comic on my radar. When I finally located the hardcover version in a local bookstore, I was hesitant to pick it up because I thought the cover art looked rather lame.

Although it was beautifully painted by Gabrielle Dell’Otto, Wolverine, who is right snacked in the center of the cover, looked awful in that pose. He is depicted too flatly and looked like going through the moves of a line dance. I guess I reasoned that a rendition of Wolverine that ugly cannot amount to a good story within the comic’s pages. It did not help that the plot summary at the back wasn’t outstanding. Well, that reasoning was wrong.