Duocon Flywheels MISB

Earlier in the year, I bought a MISB Battletrap from Tokyo, thinking that, yah, I've finally completed my Duocons MIB. As with 2-3 previous occasions, I soon realised that I already have Battletrap MIB, it is Flywheels that I don't have! How bizarre.

Spoke about it with Sky Shadow of OZ Formers and he said that he's in exactly the opposite position - he keeps acquiring Flywheels' MIB thinking that he does not have it when in truth it is Battletrap that he needs. I would have loved to have sold him my MISB Battletrap, but it was a toy that E wanted because she liked it. So it really didn't belong to me although I paid for it.

Than along came Parramatta Fair on 22 August 2010. Before the fair, Sky Shadow kindly offered to sell me (one of?) his MISB Flywheels. I was over the moon, I'm finally getting the right piece to complete my G1 Duocons!

ActionMaster Jazz MOSC

ActionMaster Jazz belongs to E. This is another one that we bought from Sky Shadow during the Parramatta Collectibles Fair on 22 August 2010. E bought it intending to 'liberate' it, but we have yet to do so.

I quite like this figure because it is a good representation of Jazz, better than the Classic Pretender Jazz at the very least. Also, the 'card' art is nice.

'Luke, help! I'm trapped. Wait, I'm not Han Solo, but hey, I'm still trapped.'

Parramatta Fair - 22 August 2010

This was going to be my 'last' Parramatta Fair and as such very momentous for me. It was also one of the few fairs in sometime that I made it there early - being 9-ish in the morning (late by most other standards). Once more, it was a chance to catch up with fellow board members from OZ Formers. A few other things were different for this fair. Firstly, the OZ Formers boss-bot, Griffin, flew from Brisbane to attend this fair; secondly, I bought lots of things to sell and exchange with board members; thirdly, I got there early; and fourthly, it's going to be my 'last' fair before I head back to Hong Kong.

E was there with me bright and early. Met up with fatbot, dirge, liegeprime, kup, kelvinchang99, optimus1, Goktimus Prime, Gamblor and many more board members near the entrance of the fair. Distributed their loot to them and collected my loot from them.

Proceeded to walk around the fair and bought one of the highlights from the fair from Sky Shadow - MIB Flywheels sealed in insert! This piece perfectly compliments the Battletrap MIB sealed in insert I got from Japan. E bought ActionMaster Jazz MOSC from Sky Shadow and in her words, "I'm gonna open it up".

Of importance, I met 5FDP and 1AZRAEL1 in person for the first time today.

We soon proceeded to the Westfield foodcourt for playtime and fun & games. Griffin was giving away Micromasters as prizes in his Transformers quiz. I answered one question correctly and got a micromaster combiner, nice! (question was 'which Micromaster patrol blew up the Ark?'). After his quiz, I had a nice chat with griffin about BotCon. He later managed to convince E to go in 2011, which is one year ahead of my contemplated schedule of 2012!

Here are some pictures of the day.

Playtime at foodcourt

Member name tags courtesy of Decepti Optics

Pictures created by dirge and E

OZ Formers Sydney (mostly) members who turned up at the fair (photo from Deceptic Optics)

Haul

E's haul:

Hard Hero Soundwave MIB (from fatbot)

Hard Hero Starscream MIB (from fatbot)

ActionMaster Jazz MOSC (from Sky Shadow)

Hunt for Decepticons: Tracker Hound MOSC (from Griffin)

My haul:

Hard Hero Megatron MIB (from fatbot)

Hard Hero Wheeljack MIB (from fatbot)

Flywheels MI(S)B/MIB (from Sky Shadow)

Not-Arcee MISB (from kup)

Marvel BAF Modok

Marvel Visionaries: Todd McFarlane vol 1

Marvel Visionaries: Todd McFarlane vol 2

Marvel Visionaries: Todd McFarlane vol 3

Haulage pictures...

E's tracker Hound and Modok

Masterforce, C-312: Sixknight the Wanderer, MIB

I like Sixknight better than Quickswitch. Other than that, there is very little else that stands out about this character. Unlike Sixshot, I find it hard to identify with either Quickswitch or Sixknight. Still Sixknight is a figure I had to get if only because E is fond of Quickswitch and by that logic, also likes Sixknight.

It was a little challenging to find a Sixknight at the right price, something of an anachronism now that Japanese exclusive Transformers are getting increasingly expensive. Some guys on the TFW forums would not sell me loose Sixknight for US$150 (c'mon, it's loose). Sellers on eBay were demanding somewhere between US$350-400 for MIB Sixknights. Ok, it's off to Japan to search for this guy, I'm just not going to pay those silly prices.

After a couple of weeks of searching, I managed to find a MIB Sixknight from Japan that is cheaper than  those prices above. In fact, its closer to the figure I quoted the potential TFW seller for a loose Sixknight.

So here it is, C-312: Sixknight. It belongs to E now by the way.

C-312: Sixknight
Box = C7
Toy = C8.5
Paperworks = complete

Yeah, I know, box not in such good shape.... sign.

Nice colour scheme

Made in Korea?!? It's very strange where Masterforce pieces were made.

Inside the box

It's very cool that the back of the styro insert has a recess for the bulky paperworks.

See also, USA Series 5, Quickswitch MIB.

D-328: Dinoking Giftset - Photos Part 3 - Out of the inserts they come!

Previous chapter: D-328: Dinoking Giftset - Photos Part 2

The previous chapter featured photos that are predominantly focused on the inside of the giftset box of Dinoking. While inserts and all are pretty cool, the real object of buying a Transformer is for the toy itself. Or in this case, 12 toys! I present to you shots of each Dinoforce member in turn.

Dinoforce pretender shells and Dinoking






Dinoforce parts and unused sticker sheet.


Some mug shots before we begin in ernest...


 

 

D-322: Gouryu (aka: Icepick; aka: 剛竜, "Hard Dragon")

This guy is one of the most famous and well used characters in Victory. In the series, he does not use his gun but carries a club like weapon which can generate destructive red energy rings.




I'm not sure whether there is an issue with the paint job of my Gouryu or if this piece actually comes like that with a slightly tattered look. The pics of this guy on Seibertron.com also seem to have similar issues.

D-323: Gairyu (aka: Bristleback; aka: 貝竜, "Shell Dragon")

The Gairyu shell is the only dinosaur species that do not have a direct correlation with the dinosaur species of each of the 5 G1 Dinobots. Since Dinoforce has 6 dinosaurs instead of 5, at least one of them has to be a different species I guess.








Inner robot in beast mode.

D-324: Kakuryu (aka: Slog; aka: 角竜, "Horned Dragon")

This robot as Slog in the US is fearsome. As Kakaryu, a part of Dinoforce, this guy is something of a joke. Portrayed in the series as comic relief, which is pretty sad. The shell is a triceratops, the same dinosaur model as Slag, an equally fearsome and powerful Transformer.

I like how all the parts the Kakaryu came with, including the Dinoking head, can be mounted onto the shell.

D-325: Doryu (aka: Scowl; aka: 土竜, "Earth Dragon")

I love how the gun and the Dinoking footpad can both be attached to the shell

D-326: Yokuryu (aka: Wildfly; aka: 翼竜, "Winged Dragon")

Right now, I'm thinking that I like Yokuryu's shell the most. Very nice sculpt and head sculpt. Very reminiscent of Swoop too.

I also like the way he seems to have a jet-pack behind, almost as if to aid in inter-stella flight.




Inner robot in beast mode

D-327: Rairyu (aka: Birdbrain; aka: 雷竜, "Thunder Dragon")

This is a strange one and the guy is probably having an identity crisis. As part of the Monster Pretenders, "Birdbrain" had a bird-like feathered flying shell. As part of Dinoforce, he is Rairyu and has a shell modelled after one of the heaviest and most lumbering dinosaurs, a brontosaurus. I like this shell too, I like its colour scheme. Very reminiscent of Sludge and is easily one of the largest Dinoforce shells by length.




What a very nice grey colour!

Again, here are the Dinoforce shells and Dinoking





Dinoking unapplied sticker sheet. The unique thing about Transformer giftset stickers is that they come as one entire piece instead of being 6 separate pieces for each Transformer. The Dinoking sticker sheet also clearly spells out which set of stickers is for which member by their Japanese designation numbers like "D-325" for example. In addition to the above, what makes this piece even more special is the fact that there is no US equivalent sticker that will look like this because the Monster Pretenders were never released in a giftset box. This unapplied sticker sheet is just smokin' hot!

Next: How about Dinoking himself!?!

Read the other Dinoking Chapters:

Japanese Victory D-328: Dinoking Giftset Preliminary Photos (19 May 2010)

The Dinoking Dilemma (23 May 2010)

D-328: Dinoking Giftset - Photos Part 1 (30 May 2010)

D-328: Dinoking Giftset - Photos Part 2 (28 July 2010)