Transformers Prime Beast Hunters Ultimate Beast Fire Predaking

The Transformers Prime Beast Hunters cartoon just ended over the weekend. I'm going to miss it. On the toys side I think I've gotten more than I wanted. Most of the in show characters have been released. Here's the last Beast Hunter figure which I got, the ultimate Beast Fire Predaking. 

On the instuctions is chapter 18 of Tales of the Beast Hunters. Click on the image to enlarge.

 

Click to Enlarge

Predaking was one of the last Beast Hunters figures I had been eyeing. The voyager version was too small and was in need of replacing. Here's Predaking in beast mode. He's big and menacing, and has nice big wings. The articulation of the front legs is good too. Those are the few good points I have for him. Now for the bad points. The head looks a little funny to me due to his protruding buck teeth. Due to his gimmick, he's always looking upwards. The wings come off easily whenever I move them. The back of his body is stiff and squarish. And there's hardly any articulation in his hind legs except raising them up to the side to take a leak.

For the gimmick, push down on a lever and he'll lower his head and open his mouth. The top of his head will light up as well. Batteries are not included by the way. Release the lever and his head will spring back up. Like many others, I would have preferred if he didn't have the gimmick and had more articulation in his neck instead.

For some reason, his upper teeth were sculpted on the lower jaw. So his upper jaw is toothess when he opens his mouth.

The wings can be extended. He's got a 21 inch wingspan which is certainly impressive. It's bigger than my little setup for photo taking. I had to get extra material to take the photos.

 

The missile launchers he comes with can be attached to his wings.

Beast mode comparison. He's much bigger than the voyager class version.

But not big enough in my opinion when compared to voyager class bots. If I recall correctly, he had to lower his head significantly in the cartoon to be in the face of normal sized bots.

His transformation is easy. After straightening out the hind legs, have him stand up, put his arms down and that's basically it.

 

He looks very impressive in bot mode. The head sculpt is okay. He's got a good likeness to how he appeared in the cartoon. I think his face should be wider though. The figure looks more cunning than in the cartoon. He looks a little out of proportion. I think the legs are too long. There's great detail on the body. The arms and legs have too much orange and could use some grey or silver in its place. The black knee guards drop off quite easily when moved.

He comes with two missile launchers. You can peg them in the holes in his hands.

Or in the holes on his forearms.

He also comes with his Infernum Blade. It's actually his tail in beast mode. The sword is very big and saw tooth side with the silver detail looks very menacing. His wrist joint is not strong enough to hold it up straight and the sword tends to swing down to one side after awhile.

He's got great articulation. His head can be rotated fully, arms can be rotated fully and extended outwards, elbows are swivel hinge, wrists have ball joints, hips are peg hinge, thighs have swivel, knees have a hinge and the ankles are pivot type.

Bot mode comparisons.

I love the size of this figure. He towers over the normal sized bots which is how he should be.

The beast mode is a little disappointing but the bot mode more than makes up for it. If you're looking to get Predaking, this version is the one to get for his size.

 

You can view all the images here.

 

Thanks for viewing! 

The Wolverine Shadow Strike Ninja

I just caught The Wolverine movie. I thought it was good. The story and characters were built up nicely and there's some great action scenes. Can't say I liked the "Silver Samurai" though. And I'm still wondering how easy it was for the lady who can glimpse the future (can't recall her name) rode right up to the gates of the facility at the end. The ninjas fighting Logan not long before must have been given the rest of the night off. Be sure to stay for the extra scene midway into the end credits. Looking forward to Days of Future Past!

 

Right, here's a look at the Shadow Strike Ninja from the Wolverine line.

At first glance you'll think this was a G.I.Joe figure. Look closer and you'll see the difference. The parts used are similar but the articulation is heavily reduced. His eyes are fully white, like he's being possessed. He's sculpted pre-posed. There's not much he can do other than to stand there. I got him to add to my little ninja collection.

He comes with a bow and a sword.

 

He has only 5 points of articulation. At the neck, shoulders and hips. 

If you're looking for a better ninja figure, there's the Dark Ninja and Red Ninja from G.I.Joe Retaliation to name a few.

I've only seen the line at Toys R Us. There are four figures available. Two versions of Wolverine, Silver Samurai and this figure. I'm thinking of picking up Wolverine as the sculpt looks good. Silver Samurai is a definite pass. (The Silver Samurai in the images is from Marvel Universe)

 

Thanks for viewing!

 

STGCC 2013 Update 3: Toy Designers, Toy Exclusives and more Asian Pop Culture Personalities

 Constellation of Star Toy Designers and Toy Exclusives at STGCC 2013

More Asian pop culture personalities coming aboard the show

Singapore, 25 July 2013 – Members of the illustrious toy-designing faculty have confirmed their presence at the Singapore Toy, Game and Comic Convention (STGCC), and this army of toy designers is sure to set tongues wagging and hearts aflutter. These incredibly gifted toy designers with huge international cult followings include Angry Woebots, Jesse Yu aka J★RYU and Luke Chueh. 

Adding on to the impressive list, premium toy figurine company ENTERBAY marches in with their exclusive NBA collection, and this will be their first launch in Singapore at STGCC. Perennial crowd favourite Hot Toys returns with its 2013 Toy Fairs Exclusive, comprising three macho figures from The First Avenger, G.I. Joe Retaliation and Superman III. Founder of the much-lauded tokidoki, Simone Legno is back in town with his popular merchandise. 

As the spotlight shifts to highlight the eastern pop culture personalities, fans will rejoice at the sight of more famous names joining the line-up. From Korea, we have cosplayer Aza (previously known as Miyuko) with her dashing costumes, and from Japan, we have Yuyoyuppe, vocaloid producer with his ground-shaking pieces. 

Also from Japan, NAMCO BANDAI Games brings in Hideo Baba, who oversaw the birth of the Tales of series, one of the most critically acclaimed Japanese role-playing game (J-RPG) franchises. Baba-san will be here to experience his first trip to Singapore for STGCC.

The Toy Story

Angry Woebots

 

Having seen much from his travels and even endured a near-death experience, Angry Woebots uses toys (often pandas) to express a wide emotional spectrum with which he seeks to chronicle the story of the struggles of life. Most renowned for the perpetually angry demeanours, Angry Woebots’ iconic characters take forms from resin collectible figures to vinyl toys. Till now, the brand has seen collaborations with Converse Red, Disney, Kidrobot and so on. 

J★RYU

‘‘I tell stories using whatever means necessary,’’ J★RYU said of himself on Instagram, and anyone familiar with his work will surely agree that he lives by it. Indeed, it is this willingness to experiment that led to him being crowned as the Toy Customiser of the Year 2012 by the highly recognised Designer Toy Awards. For all his versatility, J★RYU is primarily recognised for his signature “Forest of Sorrows” series with its emotive, eerie and ghostly themes. Each subsequent new piece and accompanying narrative adds to the on-going story. His portfolio includes clients such as Marvel Entertainment, Sony Ericsson, and Hasbro.

Luke Chueh

Minimalist colour schemes and simple animal characters that find themselves in ill-fated situations is what one can expect to find in any encounter with Luke Chueh’s work. Luke prides himself on stylistically balancing cute with brute and has every right to do so, for few can bisect the line between comedy and tragedy so tastefully. He has recently been nominated for five categories at this year’s Designer Toy Awards, a testimony to his talent.

ENTERBAY

 

NBA superstars Michael Jordan and LeBron James stride into STGCC as the new player ENTERBAY creates an all-star scene at the show with its latest offerings. A toy figure company that hails from Hong Kong, ENTERBAY specialises in the production of stunning replicas with authentic likeness, right down to the smallest detail.

 

Bruce Lee, Batman and Terminator 2 Battle Damaged will all make their appearance at STGCC. Thanks to ENTERBAY.

Hot Toys

 

An essential staple at STGCC and most definitely a crowd pleaser, Hot Toys brings in three 2013 Toy Fairs Exclusive limited edition figurines, in collaboration with ActionCity. These include (left to right) – Captain America (Star Spangled Man Version) [The First Avenger], Joe Colton [G.I. Joe Retaliation] and Superman (Evil Version) [Superman III]. 

Chiselled, carved and crafted to take after the respective actors of the movies, all 1/6th scale figures display immensely intricate details. We are saying that they look like the real deal, but don’t just take our word for it. Come down and be awed yourself!

For those who desire more than glimpses here, keep a lookout for purchase details of the exclusives on www.singaporetgcc.com/exclusives-new-products.

Simone Legno

Last but not least, designer Simone Legno calls out to his fans with more tokidoki offerings! The brand’s cult status has fuelled high profile collaborations with Karl Lagerfeld, Marvel, Hello Kitty, Levi’s, Skullcandy and so on. Expect more exciting updates coming your way

East in the Limelight

Aza

Flying in from Korea, Aza, previously known as Miyuko, is certainly no stranger to those attuned to the cosplay scene. An active participant in international events, her Singaporean fans can take heart at her impending debut here as she cosplays as characters from popular online game League of Legends, well-loved anime Love Live! and others.

Yuyoyuppe

Yuyoyuppe has had his works viewed more than 10 million times online, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down. The vocaloid producer has convincingly gained respect and admiration from idols, voice actors and dance artists for the scoop of his involvement across many genres.

Hideo Baba

 
Avid gamers, be pleased to know that Hideo Baba, General Producer of the Tales of series, will be here at STGCC for a special stage appearance. The 15-year-old franchise, littered with action-filled battles, mesmerising characters and fantastical backdrops, has left a trail of both commercial and critical successes in its wake. 

Take Tales of Xillia for instance. It has shipped over 600 000 units on PlayStation®3 during only the first few weeks following its launch.

Ms Yeow Hui Leng, Senior Project Director of STGCC, said: “To cater to the ravenous appetite of Gen Y and Z for richer game content, we’ve been building up our offerings in this area, with game exhibitors such as NAMCO BANDAI Games and acclaimed game producer Hideo Baba with us on the show floor.”

Animated Success

Partnering STGCC for the first time as the official training partner, the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) brings in four animation veterans from the Games and Animation industry for stage programmes and demos at their STGCC booth. These four who have each made a name for himself in the industry are :

- Javier Secaduras, CEO of Zinkvision that specialises in interactive content development 

- Stanley Lau (Artgerm), Creative director and co-founder of Imaginary Friends Studios which produced artworks for big names like DC Comics and Capcom

- Derrick Song, Respected teacher and mentor dedicated to training aspiring Computer Graphics artists at 3dsense Media School

- Adeeb Islam (HairyAsHell), Animator by day working on Hollywood blockbusters and toy sculptor at night with works on Tokyo Otaku and Tomopop

The partnership aims to raise the importance of training and upgrading of skillsets in the Games and Animation industry, such as Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications training by WDA appointed training partners.

Be sure to grab the STGCC tickets to catch these pop culture personalities and bag these exclusive toys! Tickets this year are priced at $19 for a one-day pass and $25 for a two-day pass, available for sale at selected authorised retail outlets and at the event itself. Purchase of VIP package is made available online. 

Visit www.singaporetgcc.com/ticketing-information for more ticketing details. 

And for the latest STGCC news, visit www.singaporetgcc.com!