Singapore Toy Game and Comic Convention STGCC 2018

Singapore Toy Game and Comic Convention STGCC 2018

Thursday, September 13, 2018 / No Comments

At that instant, a single cosplayer roams in front of my range of vision attired as Mitsuha Miyazumi from the well-known movie; Kimi No Na Wa or Your Name; my frame of mind alternated into avidity. Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention anticipated for my appearance, albeit, my feet dawdle like greased lightning; furthermore, a larger amount of cosplayers, as well as visitors, straggle amidst the venue.

My inner cartogram, irremediable whilst I investigated for the procession section and manoeuvre whereas a bunch of cosplayers got ready with their gears and costumes. In the meantime, I was in the middle of an actual crisis when someone almost ran me down by a wheelchair with an inquisitively old lady. Last but not the least, I happened to be a part of the Singapore Toy Game and Comic Convention (STGCC 2018), a pretty blue wristband strapped around my wrist. 

A memorabilia for myself, prior to my destined tour built on the congested ground with a handy-dandy camera draped over my neck as well as to chance on another Milkcananime writer, it was high time to placate my rumbling empty belly. In the search for a reasonable menu when a waitress in jovial nature sprung up onto me, her eagerness to deliver a good service was able to shove my jumbled self into a corner (I have a hard time saying "no"). A full set Pastamania meal: cheese sausage tomato based spaghetti, Heaven Green Tea and a Star Wars plush toy that of which I made a hasty yet adorable decision because of the row of people behind me. On the road to Broke Ville thanks to the overly priced set, just as my piping hot lunch glide into my crusty hands. 

The Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre. The Force is strong in this 8-9 September 2018.

R2-D2 chilling inside my room

The expectancy amplifies; onlookers stroll along and with great triumph, I sought an empty space on the floor accompanied by others with similar trays. In the meantime, both Devi and I rapidly shot back and forth messages about our current location, not for long my "break time" came to a halt as activities bustle in front of me, owing to Deadpool who turned up with his bunch of zealous entourage. 

For the period that I was securely plopped on the cold ground, I affiliated with the rest to fangirl right until that span of circular crowds became unbearable whereas a handful of fans practically bound over my lunch; my vocal drowned by numerous others whilst pathetically hunch over the set box. The comical scenario was straight out from a video by a famous Youtuber D.Piddy.

Thankfully, nobody suffered any serious injury amidst the bedlam, I figured out it was preferable to just stalk for my co-blogger Devi.

After our fateful encounter, both Devi and I had a merrymaking detour towards outstanding exhibition booths; gamers and anime fans alike in a hotchpotch assemblage admired the colourful yet thrilling setting. STGCC organizes a substantial base of a diversity of brilliant artists.

Hai An's Art Illustrator & Concept Artist

As we passed by in between a throng of swarming bodies we were mash together in hopes to survey each booth, we came across painstakingly elaborate sketches hung on varying sections of the wall. The allure of our fascination certainly piqued each canvas manifest their accomplishment; forbearance and complex patterns. A sweet smiling creator gamely posed for our camera and hands out a name card.

The background music transition to Star Wars OST just as fandoms from the evergreen movie donned in their favourite characters waltz around and reenacted scenes for the joyous of visitors who clapped enthusiastically. If it weren't for my short legs the capability to pursue after them for jim-dandy pictures. Just the effort to carry two bags, a bulky camera; handphone. I'm a walking hazard! 

"Rugi-chan! you must walk in front of me, you are bound to get lost in a blink of an eye because of your wee height," Devi exclaimed before tugging me closer.    

I heed her remark yet, a few minutes later, I was off-course. Again.

This pose from a sporting fan as well as the Nightwalkers got me chuckling at their camaraderie

Both Devi and I gaited forward with a beaming expression to pledge our unwavering allegiance to The King.

At one point during our excursion, we delayed the excursion at a solitary stall to marvel at T-shirts inspired by Singapore local neighbourhood; printed with their own cool signage and "gangster" names. One such caught our observation: "Srangoonies" in the company of a pirate logo and an addition of variegated motif. The artist perched opposite a display table that exhibited two VCR, name cards and figurines alongside printed books in vintage style. She kindly hands over a device as the other was put to charge and Devi was the first to put on and instantly hyped up.

Next in the line was me, in no time the VR set against my eyes (glasses in the way), a whole new dimension spread out before me. Enchanting yet, eerie, the fantasy world had a loneliness vibe as I march across salmon-tinge dunes whilst enormous creatures visible in the far distance. A world where my active imagination was born alive; qualms of a "living creature" that might gobble me out of nowhere.

We took a short break at a makeshift canteen to keep ourselves hydrated and pretty (ahem-ahem, powder check) just in case somebody stops us in track for photoshoots (I can only dream of being a celebrity). A lavish of characters from comic and movies in two rows situated at the heart of the convention at the same time as bright flashes from a multitude of camera clicked away spontaneously. Mindblown by the handcrafted Superheroes figurines; my childhood at peace when glimpses of familiar characters that once upon a time, grace behind my television screen (no HD or flat screen tv) early morning or late afternoon. 

Soon or later, telltale hint of throbbing soles alarmed our senses of fatigueness but we had a good deal of grounds to rediscover. The two of us mosey off toward the game departments; exorbitant high-tech gadgets, upcoming games and the console section occupied by groups of curious bystanders as they indulge with new pieces of information.

The lowkey lightning made a perfect ambience for youngsters, as well as adults, to put your feet up; ecstatic laughter heard intermingle with disbelief voices when defeated. Devi and I draw up to witness a series of fun activities; a game of badminton involved adorable figures that of which bounce with every hit by a player. Two individuals stood side by side as they swung their arms mimicking a badminton racket.

 Oh God, did I just see a 20-footer container placed in the middle of the hall; make it two!

 The Good Game Experience (GGXP) 

I promptly rejected the offer whereas our upbeat writer, Devi, firmly chose to play one or two round. She made Milkcananime proud as peacocks as she virtually beat up the clueless yet befuddled male with a smug feature. I swiftly capture the epic battle!

Girl power!

Both of us retreated to the doujin area, in search of a particular booth only for it to appear in front of my vision. But at that period we planned to venture off alone and so, I was on my own to sightsee the aesthetic merchandise; a local illustrator: Sarah Thursday Illustration. The talented artist had a tremendous amount of fanbase from all parts of the world. I chance upon her visual apparels inspired in Japanese theme by a famous Instagram public figure Oni_bug. Lingering at the stall, I saw many loyal followers and regular customers dropped by to bestow a warm hug as well as purchase her materials. 

Sarah Thursday, a Singapore illustrator

Dragonball Figures Display under the neonlight reminds me of the coming Halloween season.

The day to check out of the convention was just around the corner when both Devi and I reunited, we resumed toward a row of queues where TokiDoki set up their purchasable items. The store brimming with besotted fans as they snatched up colourful apparels, matching toys, figurines, stationaries and bags. More on the creator Simone Legno here as Devi and Max struck up a conversation with him during the media preview.

With a dedication to back up my waning spirit from lethargic, I trace down cosplayers for a  short photo shoot. 

Kudos to all the cosplayer!

My expression when Pastamania chose me for their customer

The two of us once and for all, trudge for the exit entryway to head back home with our personal purchases; AOT free posters, apparels and cool stickers. A rainy weekend well spent at a major convention meant for every generation as well as a newcomer for an opportunity to digest facts of the pop culture about anime, games, comic and perhaps, the idea to be a cosplayer for the next event. 

Written by, Rugi chan

 

Figure Unboxing and Review: Kagamine Len Hanairogoromo Version (Stronger)

Figure Unboxing and Review: Kagamine Len Hanairogoromo Version (Stronger)

Wednesday, September 12, 2018 / No Comments

The Kagamine twins are the last of Stronger's Hanairogoromo line and today, I will be reviewing Kagamine Len!

Packaging

Both Rin and Len come in matching boxes, yellow for Len and a slightly darker tint of orange for Rin. The motifs and print on Len's box also gives off a more masculine feel than Rin's. The other sides of the box continues with the same motif with different shots of the figure. Though I'm pleased with the compact size and the general design of the box, tt might have been better to at least include one shot of the illustration itself as usual.

Figure

A quick look at Len after he is assembled with a base and his umbrella (accessory) in place easily shows that the sculpting for this figure is incredibly delicate. The sculpting on his hair ornaments and hakama are adequate examples of this. Here's a simple 360 to show more of how Len looks from different angles.

There's definitely a suitable angle to view Len from for this figure and his side profile definitely looks a lot more natural than his front profile  

The delicate and intricate sculpting shows a ton of creases at the hakama and on his sleeves. The painting is precise and on-point, with no painting errors on my copy. The shading is very subtle for both the parasol and his blue-striped kimono, but much more elaborate for the hakama to create a sense of movement.

His straw sandals also comes with good texture that resembles the material and some shading. I felt that the color was slightly too light to properly resemble straw, however as it only concerns a very small portion of the figure, it isn't a major issue.

From the side profile, it is obvious that the hakama and kimono are sculpted to look like two different pieces. This is especially obvious around his hip area where the hakama does not fully cover the entire area.

His parasol also comes in two colors, violet and navy. While there is no fixed blending or gradient to blend the two colors, the simple small violet section helps to add some pattern to the parasol. Though, considering how plain Len's figure is to Rin, I hoped that they added more colors and patterns to his parasol to help balance things out.

From the front, Len has a lot of intricately sculpted parts to admire too. The layered kimono and the puffed up ties on the tasuki and obi are definitely points you wouldn't want to miss! That being said, the colors are a tad too plain when viewed from this angle as it comes with a lot of navy, white and grey. The only colors that isn't in this palette are the red on the parasol and on the pattern at the hem of his hakama, as well as the yellow on his straw sandals and on the parasol.

The colors from the back are a little more enjoyable, with the colors of the hair ornament to add to the color palette. The shading on his hakama is a lot more pronounced too, especially at the waist area. You can also see both the violet and navy hues from the parasol at this angle, making it just that much more varied!

Despite not coming with a sakura branch like most of the girls in the Hanairogoromo line, Len comes with a sakura tree branch (right) which comes with two pegs, one to connect to the Rin's tree and the is for Len's foot to connect to.

The branch on the left comes with Rin's figure, and you've guessed it! The two are interchangeable, meaning you could either post Rin and Len separately, or have Len stand on the branch behind where Rin is sitting, just like in the illustration!

This is how the entire branch looks with Rin's part in place. The groove and circle further down on the branch is where Rin is supposed to sit.

With Len's part of the branch in, you can now clearly see the peg where Len is supposed to connect to. This gives a clearer picture of how far apart both of them would be if you were to put them on the same branch.

Here is Len fully attached in place. The peg fits his foot snugly and he appears as if he is leaping over the branch, or landing gently on it, which fit his elegant sculpt and the flow of his outfit here. 

And last but not the least, here is both Rin and Len assembled on the same branch and base! This figure is over 30 centimeters with both of them in this position so do make sure to check if you can fit them in your display if you do decide to get them!

Base (Not based on Rin's branch) ★★☆☆☆

Posing ★★☆☆☆

Sculpting ★★★★☆

Painting ★★★★☆

Worth-it ★★☆☆☆

Overall ★★★☆☆