Random Toy Review: Legends Class Devastator

Hey everyone. I've been getting the hang of doing random toy reviews and this time I'm bringing you Legends Class Devastator. I bought this at a markdown sale for half the price at a local mall's toy store. It's a steal for me, but I'd have some other opinions about it:

I've heard that a redeco/repaint of this was released just recently. Still the same toy but repainted in G1 (Generation 1 colors, green/purple). You can also get it here at 45fresh thru this link.

So there, I hope you like my take on the Legends-class Devastator.

The Garage welcomes its new partner

 The Garage welcomes 45fresh.com as a new partner!

45fresh aims "to create an identity that bridges the gap between the toy enthusiasts and an iconic, cultural movement that pertains to our generational divide". Right now they're stocking on goodies from well-known brands such as Bandai, Good Smile, Hot Toys, Kaiyodo, Medicom, Megahouse, Takara Tomy, Max Factory and Griffon.

Take a look around folks and see what 45fresh has to offer!

High Grade 1/100 scale V2 Gundam finished.

It's been a while since I posted something related to gunpla so here something:

I've finished the HG (High Grade) 1/100 scale V2 I've been working on for about 4 weekends. This is by far the longest I've taken to finish a gunpla kit but it was worth it:

Haven't put up my WIP (Work in progress) pics for this oneas I posted them all in my deviantart page. This was a very challenging build. The fact that the kit is old (1993), it also had a lot of nuisances on its transformation sequence which involves a lot of part swapping.

For the overall look, I gave it a 'bruised and battered' look rather than an all-out weathered look. I did this to reflect the state of the kit at around the middle of the 2nd season of the anime, before it was upgraded.

I hated this kit once. But seeing it all painted like this turned my loathing for it around. Now I'm more inclined to build old kits such as these.

Komiks Review: Quarterly Bathroom Companion Comics Compendium

I can describe the Quarterly Bathroom Companion Comics Compendium (QBCCC from this point on, the full name is quite a mouthful) as the 'big,bad wolf' of local anthology indies. 'Big' because what was supposed to be a 50 page volume turned into a 100+ pager, split volume due to the number of contributions. 'Bad' is mostly self-explanatory. The QBCCC is intended for mature audiences as it contains a lot of adult situations, nudity and sex, profanity (a whole story revolved around it!) and other themes not suitable for minors. And like a 'wolf' because it grabs the reader by the jaw and never lets go up until he/she finished the whole thing.

Volume 1's covers were done by the amazing Mervin Malonzo (of Tabi Po fame) both of which are (Alex) Niñoesque portraits that only he can deliver. As mentioned earlier, the volume is split into 2 because of physical limits and comes with a special pink bookmark with the QBCCC logo printed on it. Although the anthology is photocopied, the quality is top notch with each page coming crisp and mostly error-free.

As for the contributors, the line-up is stellar: Josel Nicolas, D.J. Legaspi, the aforementioned Mervin Malonzo, Adam David, Apols Sta. Maria, Hub Pacheco, Teddy Pavon, Jobert Cruz, Jim Faustino, Noel Pascual, Bugsy Garcia, Tilde Acuña, AJ Bernando, Pleasebury Doughboy, Ammathorn Norby Ela and the enigmatic 'Rex' are all in there.

QBCCC Vol.1 has that flavor akin to Heavy Metal (the adult magazine), MAD and Fangoria placed in a blender. A good mix of satire, toilet humor, gore, sex, weirdness and other unconventional genres go together. An unholy matrimony of the immaculate and foul, like shit in a sparkling clean toilet bowl as the authors would like to commonly represent the anthology. And that might be the what they are aiming for: a great read that's hard to put down and can be taken anywhere especially in the john. 

This one's a solid read no doubt. QBCCC's mature content may put off a lot of readers but then again, it is not for everyone in the first place. And the price might be a bit daunting for most buyers but it is reasonable: no other anthology has this much excellent content and suffice to say the covers and the bookmark are worth the purchase already.   

The QBCCC is coming up with a 2nd volume and promises to bring more than what they had from the first volume. You can follow the activities and hijinks of the gang through their official Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/qbccc.

Gundam:The Origin

Hearing about the original Gundam series remake is the best news I've heard all day. Ok, I'm gonna let loose and say 'in my whole life' then.

I admit I started watched Gundam Wing first before the original series. It was around the late 90's and I wasn't aware yet that Gundam Wing was an 'alternate' series (sort of like how Uncanny X-men was different from just X-men, Astonishing X-men,New X-men etc. etc. well you get the drift). It was followed by viewings of other alternates series like G Gundam, Gundam X etc. and a couple of years into the whole franchise before I got to watch the entirety of the One-Year War in glorious VHS. Ever since then, things changed. My whole view of the anime was broadened with several realizations pounded into my head: that not all supposedly 'evil' organizations are evil (Zeon). That mecha shows are not all about war but of inner conflict as well. That war is never a good thing. Gundam taught me those things and much more.

And now, Sunrise have announced Gundam:The Origin, a remake of the first series, originally serialized as a manga. I guess they (Sunrise)will fit into today's viewing standards. Which means that Sunrise would have all new animations for it, mecha redesigns/design refinements, minor changes to the plot, HD availability and what not. But the main point is that its a chance for the young generation of fans to experience Gundam as it was and have a better understanding of the universe within it. And of course for the old fans like yours truly, we're all just ecstatic.

Off course, there's the slew of merchandise that'll be coming along the way.But that's another story.

News from Gundam guy and Gunjap by the way. Thanks for your dedication guys.

So, I'm making toy review videos now.

And random ones at that.

Here's the first featuring a Dark of the Moon Deluxe Starscream figure I bought recently. I mainly talked about the figure's features, the transformation process and the overall aesthetics of it. So pretty much your common toy review found in every corner of the Internets.

But wait! Watch till the very end for a surprise!

Don't forget to like/subscribe to my channel if you liked the video :D More to come!

Tupang Itim (Black Sheep) Finished!

So, I've finished 'SPACESHEEP', my customized Tupang Itim (Black Sheep) figure by the awesome Rommel 'Omeng' Estanislao. Took a lot of work, but is well worth it. I've christened it 'SPACESHEEP-1'. By the way, the spaceship made from SD Zeta backpack and headpiece.

Enjoy the pics:

Awryt, now I'm going back to plamo!

Practical Plamo (PuraPura)Episode 1

Practical Plamo (PuraPura)Episode 1 is up! Don't miss it!

This episode discusses all the basic tools you'll ever need to build Plastic Model kits (Plamo for short). Enjoy!

Do forget to subscribe to the Garage's channel if you happen to like my stuff!

Oh, I also added my deviantart.com in the sidebar too.

Tupang Itim (Black Sheep) Toy Customization time!

Got this from Rommel Estanislao (http://dinuguan.deviantart.com/) for a discount last Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) because the left foot was damaged. Currently doing some customization work on this little guy. Stay tuned!

Aftermath: Free Comic Book Day 2011

As always, Free Comic Book Day was a blast and this year is the best yet.

I've been attending FCBD for the past 3 years and it just keeps getting better and better. In the early years, FCBD goers were just given the event comics and other stuff, which in itself is already a good thing. Comic Odyssey in particular, the local chain that pioneered the said event in the country went steps ahead by giving away non-FCBD comics much to the delight of (us) comics fans.

So, as any FCBD goes, me and my buddies went into the mall about a couple hours early to get ahead of the line. We ended up somewhere in the middle,with me landing #83 in it. We didn't wait in the line for long though, just about an hour in it saw us receiving the comics along with some other cool stuff. What caught me off guard though was the in-store grab bag; instead of having just about 10 old comics there were 50 or so inside it. It was mostly 90's Image, DC and Marvel stuff much to my satisfaction. One of my buddies cherry picked his share and gave me the rest so I ended up with about a hundred or so comics to take home. Around 3-4 kilograms in my estimate.

The pile (I like to call it 'Godzilla'). 1/144 Astray Red Frame shown to scale.

The event was far from over after everyone has gotten their comics. The local comics and indie creators showed up to meet, greet and sign autographs for their fans. So we not only got free comics, it turned out to be one big meet up all in all.

So, here's a round up of what I got:
1. Green Lantern/Flashpoint preview FCBD edition
2. Star Wars/ Avatar Darkhorse flipbook
3. The Magic: The Gathering comic
4. A handful of local indies
5. Tons of 90's comics!
6. Lots of neat little extras like a DC poster from Ivan Reis, a bookmark and a lolipop!

The mayhem explained, in my FCBD aftermath video:

More pics of the event:

The comics creators tables amidst the line.

Komikon peeps chillin'

THE MOTHERLOAD!

Guess who the skin head guy is?

FCBD 2011 sure was a blast! Thanks to Comic Odyssey for the comics and stuff! Also to all the comics creators and fans who attended the event.  See you all in next year's Free Comic Book Day!