Singapore F1 Grand Prix 28th September 2008

Yes, the singapore Grand Prix (pronounced: grahn preez), the first ever Formula 1 Night Race ever to be held, and also the first ever Formula 1 race in held in our sunny island singapore. Indeed it is an honour to have giants and legends like F.Massa, Kimi Raikonnen and Lewis Hamilton, and last but not least, Fernando Alonso.

Watching and marveling at these giants as they walked over to their shiny rides and saddled up for the race, i was all pumped up with exhilaration for this historic moment for Singapore.
F.Massa was a strong contender for this race, most likely or rather the expected winner for the race.

And amidst all the intense spotlights and the lights which reflected on the shimmering waters, this is one event never to miss.

Scouting out a place to watch it RIP! Somewhere in the marina mandrin's stairwell

Policeman sir, you gotta do better than just fences and cloth to stop us!

Fences ain't gonna stop us singaporeans baybeh! we're bring it down!

A view from the bridge.

To note, I was greatly saddened, not because i supported Ferrari, but it was absolutely saddening to watch one man's dreams and hopes and possibility of victory shatter because of a simple error such as handing the green light. The pitstop error was no fault of Felipe's. It was his team's failure to maintain the red light signal which was supposed to keep him on no throttle and on brakes. However ferrari's system of using all their men and not spending manpower on maintain a solid signal , cost Felipe his race. And as he pulled out from the pitstop tearing apart the fuel hose and a pitstop mechanic along. You could feel a silent ripple amongst the crowd, a silent acknowledgement that this race had been lost for him.

Truly to remark, an apt term to use would be '' it ain't over, till it's over''. A simple phrase to say that the till the end determines the winner, the outcome is yet, undecided.

Several car crashes occured that night, notably the first which was by renault. which held up much of the line. subsequently Team India crashed, a lead up due to Ferrari's F.Massa who got stuck against the wall pulling up causing team india to swerve and smash against the wall.

And as the wailing sirens of the safety car guiding all the other racers in line, i thought that that would be the last of the crashes when Kimi Raikonnen crashed his Ferrari after losing control at two bumps and collided with the safety concrete, losing his right wheel in the process. With just 4 laps to go, it indeed was a disspointing end for team Ferrari. With Massa, being the one who was utterly dissapointed.

Alonso made an amazing comeback with aggressive driving and tactics. His strategy of going light on fuel to make better cuts and overtakes and choice of going for an earlier pitstop seemed to be a mistake to everyone till Renault's other driver crashed which forced the rest to pitstop while Alonso, who already did so, could carry on. It was indeed amazing and truly inspiring to note that it never is impossible to conquer the odds however far one is away, behind...

truly this event is a once in a lifetime thing.

Hot Toys Iron Man Mark I

And here he is, Iron Man Mark I in all his glory. Pictures were just released on hot toys webbie.

Features a well modelled flame-thrower

And it features a working forearm which opens up to reveal the missile launcher!

The whirling fans and motors in the back that i was talking about.

To sum it up, this figure's a serious masterpiece, though the hot toys true-type body cannot be seperated from the Mark I armor. Though this may me a tad' dissapointing for some, including me, it won't entirely ruin my dream of owning it!

Indeed Hot Toys are getting better as the days go by!

Disappointment comes in pairs. Hopefully not in threes.

missing the saga legends wave IS the definitive dissapointment of the week.
why so?
i had been waiting for this line to arrive for up to 6 months.
this is because it contains both the 501st trooper, and shock trooper, which i had missed a few years back, and ever since had been waiting. Furthermore with the poor service from Toys R us, especially with their customer hotline...it's apparent how i was never informed about it. (despite many emails sent to ask on the date of arrivals).

All in all i missed the shipment by 2 days, and when i arrived it was all gone. say, left darth maul and vader, which hit me that i missed the troopers i wanted so badly.

and with the AT-TE and Republic gunship still dangling on the wishlist, i have a serious huge amount of money needed to save. But at last, the republic gunship has arrived at TFH! However i'm still wondering if i should keep on with the 3 3/4 line, now that i'm starting on my kitbash.

ah we'll see how it goes.

Batman 3 speculation.

Despite this poster looking extremely real. Its actually fan made. Sorry to dissapoint. I was very dissapointed too.

Well as yet in forums, word that either philip seymour hoffman would play as penguin in the next batman, or johnny depp would portray as the riddler.

well i must say both actors are fantastic options though i still believe none could beat the joker, by far. we'd see. Hopefully it gets done in the years to come.

Kitbash Planning

This picture is Golgo 013's, and you can check out his post here.

It's a fantastic kitbash of Hot toys USMC II MEF in tan flight suit, with a different body and suit

it was after viewing this picture that i'm somewhat itchin' to get down to building up my own KITBASH!

I'm using these photos below as reference for my kitbash. The character is PMC soldier from praying mantis off metal gear solid 4: guns of patriots. It's some sort of mix between the above pics and below pics. Would appreciate any form of help if anyone does see the items i'm looking for to create the character below.....the helmet, the headset, the kevlar, the suit and pants etc. (in the right colours)

And before i end, i'd like to make a shoutout to SHAUN, many thanks bro for helping me find that Black balaclava i needed at Playpen

Max Payne the Movie

Do not cross a man with nothing to lose...

Theatrical Poster 1

Theatrical Poster 2

Had been an avid gamer of max payne video games since primary school, well , two titles only( there're only two titles for max payne.) So it's a blast when they announced that Max Payne will be hitting silver screens.

I feel that Mark Walberg has enough character depth and darkness within him to portray himself as the title character himself, Max Payne. A cop who's family was slaughtered and now he roams the streets of new york, like a wraith seeking vengeance. While in-game Valkyrie is the name of the drugs the murderers/junkies used, this time round i see demons in the trailer...perhaps hallucinations?

well as yet this movie has a Constantinesque graphic look to it, which is good.

if i want to begrudge this movie, the most i can say is that in looks wise, Mark Walberg didn't quite hit it spot on. He's a tad too buff, to nail the look i'd say Johnny Knoxville would hit it spot on ( LOOKS ONLY. he can't be max payne in character)

all in all i'm really looking forward to this movie, aside from those previously watched great titles, ironman, batman etc.

and Marilyn Manson's '' if i was your vampire'' is the theme song for Max Payne. Truly apt and fantastic guitar riffs.

Hits cinemas 16th october

Marvel Legends Black Costumed Spiderman

This isn't a recurring post, it's Marvel Legends, not unleashed. And yes, Mirrornoob, i got you the figure you wanted on your behalf.

Somehow no matter what i do i can't get the flash away from spidey's crotch.

I was actually roaming around kinokuniya for some books when i just decided to drop by takashimaya to check out if there were anything new, and hoping to catch the Unleashed iron man that i missed out. And, i found this, the toy Mirrornoob was looking for, which he saw a few weeks back ( there was only one piece left that time) , and he wanted to purchase it, but carelessly left at a corner and in a second was snapped up by someone else.

Hence i took the opportunity this time around to do Mirrornoob a favour. Knowing full well how disappointed he was the last time.

To sum it up, the figure is pretty decent with very good articulation but i'm not so fond of it as the articulation and paintwork thrown into the figure somewhat makes the joints and cuts stand out.

Considering that this particular spidey is painted in almost a near shade of black, the joints and swivel wrists etc would stand out much more as compared to say, a regular spidey where there would be much more paintwork and ''netting'' over his body which would hide the joints well.

The plus side however would be its paintwork, instead of a standard matt black coat of paint all over like the Unleashed line, this spidey has a tinge of the comic bookesque colouring, black with dashes of dark blue hues to accent this spidey's come to life from comic look. Which is a mega PLUS factor.

it also comes with a left arm of the red hulk, a part of six which you have to collect from the series' line.

Lastly, this figure goes at $26.90, but with the on going 20% sale for some items at taka', it's now $21.52, a real good deal for a good figure like this. Go check it out.

Hot Toys Iron Man Mark I

was informed of this new update at shaun's blog, fortress of testicular fortitude.



I must add that it looks perfectly screen accurate. With the whirling motors at the back and all, as far as i can see. This piece sure as hell gonna be heavy, judging by its size. However, i someone find that the downey's head seems a tad off. He looks pretty familiar, a tad alike this particular hong kong actor who's name i can't put my finger on. ah well. Looks great overall. I'd be considering this piece though. though i must say i'd prefer warmonger much more.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Just completed the force unleashed on both light side and dark side respectively. I must say that the dark side ending's costume was seriously awesome. The whole aura of darkness and fear is visible from the suit.

Custom Hulkbuster Ironman by Tonyz

Yet another hulk-ball busting iron man armor. Done by Tonyz. Was browsing the net when i stumbled upon this. An interesting variant not unalike Jin-satome's.

Terminator 3 Rise of the machines (Blooper reel)

Funny stuff on Terminator 3 dvd.

Middle finger flipoff. courtesy of T-X

This is where the conversation between john conner ( fearful and resentful of his future) and the Terminator(arnie), when swat are busting down their position at the masoleum. (blooper reel)

in the actual one, arnie strangles nick stahl , a ''psychological method'' to stop him from whining in fear and denial of his future.

Nick Stahl: Just leave me here, i'm not the one you want. You're wasting your time.

Terminator: Incorrect, John Conner leads the resistance to victory.

Nick Stahl: How??? why, WHY me??

(movie reply) Terminator: You are right, you're not the one i am looking for ( chokes nick stahl in attempt to shake him out of his fear, and snap him back to reality)

Blooper REEL.
Terminator: cauz' you're JOHN CONNER, DUH!

SERIOUS LMBO.

Iron Man ( hulkbuster armor ) Jin Saotome's custom

Jin Saotome’s Custom figure, ladies and gentlemen. His personal interpretion of what the Iron Man in hulkbuster armor would look like. It is customized and painted by him. And by the looks of it, the head's from the mark 3 ironman, the body's most likely warmonger. Attached together and given a faaaaaantastic repaint.

auctioned off at ebay for over $500. whew* ..

Check out his deviant art site. Endless tons of artwork ( customs )

Hot Toys annoucements.

you can check them here.

to save you from reading it all, basically, the dark knight costumed 12' inch batman has been slightly altered to feature smaller shoulder armors and slightly narrower shoulders, and erm... tighter pants, which previously the whole 'fat and baggy' legs look was a major eyesore. To top it off, head sculpt has been improved, though the pictures on site have yet to be updated.

that aside, they've also announced that there would be a third iron man figure coming around. i guess it's pretty obvious to a certain extent though they can't say it out loud. seeing the mark 3, then mark 2 release, mark 1 obviously is gonna be next. well, we'd see.

12" Michael Jackson billie jean ( history tour edition )

The next M icon figure announced by Hot Toys.
i kinda figured that it would be a Michael Jackson figure, with rumors going around in the forums and all. I still remember when i was a kid how i'd listen to MJ's songs. The definitive icon for Pop music, finally immortalized as an action figure.

A classic pose

(where's the one where he screams and grabs his crotch?)
I miss the pre-sugury face. ah well.

Right before the moonwalk bay-beh.

Random

Holy shit. 9 CANNIBALS!



39%

YUM YUM!



61% Not very good. 39% mortality rate



73%
i'd best stand in front of someone with a 74% or higher human shield....


31

lucky 31's my birthday date!

Stormtrooper Stencil Hunt!

Around the start of this year, i stumbled upon this site which had a picture of the very same stencil that i eventually found, months later.

SUPPORT YOUR TROOPS!

The sweet satisfaction of finding a needle in a haystack.

I'm the chap in FLIPFLOPS.

I do not know who the original artist was nor when it was first sprayed/stencilled/made. However browsing further online, i found an older picture of the same stencil, when it was still new.

Older Picture, newer stencil. Time fades all things.
Credits of this picture goes to Tim Parkson. You can visit his profile here.

Judging by when the older picture was posted, 4th july 06, this makes this stencil approximately 2 years old or more.
It was by pure coincidence that i chanced upon this very same stencil after viewing it months back. I was actually walking on foot to The Falcon's Hanger when i found this. And at that time i did not have a camera with me, so the following week i went back to that spot, armed with a camera, to take a picture of it. *

So dear reader, should you ever encounter this stormtrooper stencil, DO take a picture of it and post it up as a LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED!!!

Should you however be interested in finding it, i'd say that it is something greatly rewarding to find. Like a footprint in the sands of time... where others have journeyed and left their invisible footprints and taken pictures as trophies!

a hint on where to find it, is to journey from cityhall MRT to waterloo street by foot.


GOOD LUCK finding it, and may the force be with you.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Clone Commander Fox

This toy is going for $24.90 at toys R us. A pretty decent figure if you ask me... It was originally a Target Exclusive, ( a store in U.S) but somehow it seems toys R us also got its hands on it, which saves me alot of trouble.

I actually got 2 of these, one for opening and the other for display, however i never really got around to opening the first one.

Commander Fox only appears for a 10 second ''cameo'' and they actually released a toy for him. Talk about money milking.... The movie though not entirely fantastic, is worth watching if you're a star wars fan.

Catch of the Day

Went on my weekly 'checkpoints' patrol routine to scout for any interesting items and came up with this today, which was a far cry from what i originally intended. ( stormtroopers and more stormtroopers to build up the 3 3/4 inch empire; attribute that to the whole the Force Unleashed enthusiasm). Cost me $39.90.

Considering that it looked fantastic and was reasonably priced for an approximately 9 1/2 inch figure. well, here goes my catch of the day: Marvel Legends: Unleashed black costume spider-man.

Back of box

Box Art

A pretty decent figure with a nice sculpt in general. The packaging's pretty good and i don't intend on opening it as yet. This figure boosts 34 points of articulation though there're no swivel biceps and thighs or calves like the movie's spiderman which in my opinion, makes the figure look better. Despite its relatively steep price of $39.90, it appears to be a pretty solid figure and i like the matt black paint used on this Black Costumed spider-man as opposed to the marvel legends version which was rather shiny and looked much more like a kid's play thing. A definitive addition to my collection this figure will be, i must say.

Last week's Haul: Halo 3

It's a tad' late for the Halo 3 hype, but with dirt cheap prices, you can't say no. Was checking out Takashimaya when i found these going off at clearance prices. I got 4 of these little red men at $8.00 apiece, 2 EVA and 2 Mark VI, all red. Originally, i had 2 halo 3 figures, one master chief and the other a red mark VI, cost me around 19.90 each at day of release, but since then as you can see, the prices have fallen to dirt cheap.

Dirt cheap prices.

EVA spartan soldier RED.

EVA spartan in packaging background

Freshly removed from box. - not a fan of the twisty wires.

Background.

The two i opened.

HALT!

To be honest, i'm not a fan of the halo 3 figures despite being a halo 3 fan. I previously encountered problems with my halo 3 figure on purchasing my first two. With the master chief figure having a terribly weak jointed wrists. This is so because the entire production line for Halo 3, made by mcfarlane, suffers from what i would call the cheap plastic syndrome.

Yes, plastic is cheap, but this plastic is CHEAPER than CHEAP.

Why so, unlike the previous lines of halo combat evolved and halo 2, microsoft gave the production rights from Joyride studios to Mcfarlane in hopes that they would produce a better grade of toys with better articulation.

I was pretty satisfied with my Halo 2 figure ( master chief with flood creature), as it was made out of very durable plastic, or something i would dub as the 'solid plastic'. It feels real solid and heavy, and the joints won't suffer as you pose it in any way you wish ( within the joint limits of course ).

However, this standard and quality is gone when Mcfarlane took over, though the articulation of the toys greatly improved, the paintwork and scuplting improved tremendously, the plastic used was cheaper and was somewhat flimsy. Each joint had to be handled carefully as you could literally FEEL THE JOINTS BEND WITH EACH TURN. i understand stiff joints. but stiff joints and ball bearings combined with weak plastic is a every toy collector's greatest nightmare. Trying to strike a realistic pose in itself was a challenge, nay, a FEAT!

in simple, you have fantastic articulation with great ball bearings, but with the weak plastic which makes up the entire toy, moving this ball bearings strains and breaks these parts of plastic. Enough said.

All in all, i'm terribly dissapointed with mcfarlane's release of halo 3 figures. Not that they weren't good aesthetically. Its functionally where it flops. An action figure which looks great, with zero playbility.

still prefer joyride studios' halo 1 & 2 figures.