Silver(Blue)streak and C-345 + C-346

After recently obtaining a blue Bluestreak, I decided to add to the 'Streak family.

I know there is this shop in Causeway Bay that has a eHobby exclusive chrome silver Silverstreak MISB. It has been there for the longest time. So I headed to the shop with the intention of getting this new addition to the 'Streak family (which I didn't buy in 2002 because there were just too many reissues during that time and I was sick of all the fancy repaints especially after the 'golden lagoon' Jazz was released).

Got the eHobby chrome Silverstreak and to my surprise, I saw other things there that was interesting.

They has the 2 Zone Micromaster bases that were quite rare and difficult to find, MIB, complete, case fresh insides, and unused paperworks package! Wow.

Bought them too.

1. eHobby Streak (silver plated version) MISB
2. C-345: Landshaker MIB, unused contents and paperworks
3. C-346: Sky-Hyper MIB, unused contents and paperworks

Note to BOTCH: I can now supply the Sky-Hyper box art!

Focus on C-350: Rabbicrater

About 2 weeks ago, I managed to acquire 2 Rabbicraters on the very day I came back to HK from Japan. It was pretty sweet. Truth be told, I have been wanting to get this set for some time but it just really really does not pop up often, if at all.

Both pieces are in also identically good condition, so I'm very happy.

This is Rabbicrater #1

Rabbicrater #2

This is a very special set, where the main focus is not 100% on the toy. It includes:

• the Rabbicrater toy (still sealed in its plastic sleeve)
• a VHS tape containing the first and only episode of Transformers: Zone
• a vinyl mat/playscape featuring the Zone characters and story

The insides...

Rabbicrater himself... still sealed...

Vinyl map.

Transformers United Wave 3 and more

Thought I could not do this today. However, it turns out that E had to go back to the office for emergency conference calls, at 12pm and 4pm. I suddenly had time to wander around and decided to take up OZ Former member Ultra Magnus' offer to hit the stores at Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok.

Before I met him, I tried my hand at searching the Sham Sui Po area for toys and toy shops, but that was an epic fail because I decided, for this time, I shall go without any addresses and just 'try my luck'. Can't make it too easy on myself huh. Didn't find a single toy shop (other than those silly flea market type shops selling all KOs). Like I said, epic fail.

Before I met Ultra Magnus, I managed to pick with 2 MOSC Zone Micromaster sets and an official Takara faction symbol sticker sheet from 2002.

C-334 and C-335 MOSC (cards is about C7.5 to C8)

Takara faction symbol sticker sheet. I don't know where this comes from, but it will come in useful for stickering up my City Commander, Protector, Valkyrie, etc.

Takara stamp. Dated 2002.

Met Ultra Magnus at around 5.45pm and we just went around the shops, talking as we went, browsing madly, etc. We managed to spot a good few things and even a rare Henkei Red Alert MOSC. I recommended that Ultra Magnus get a few pieces of toys - Henkei Red Alert and Music Label Blaster. At the prices they were going for, those were good buys, which he did buy. I do hope he likes it. While we went on a rampage of stores, Ultra Magnus went on a rampage buying spree. He bought a lot (a lot more than me at least).

At around 8pm, we went back to our favourite shop 221 at Yau Ma Tei, where we waited to pluck Wave 3 of United off the hands of the shop owner right out of the packing cartons, fresh off the delivery truck. There were close to 15 people there before us, all packed into the tiny shop like sardines, all vying for a set of United Wave 3. It was mad! We waited for close to 20 minutes before we got a shop (but it felt like we waited an hour). This was a great Wave. I got a set (Perceptor, Blurr, Kup and Wreck Gar) and a spare Wreck Gar. 

We also got 2 exclusive Targetmasters complimentary when we bought a set - Fracas and Haywire. This shop owner is really generous. Other shops only gave one of Fracas or Haywire for a set; some shops gave none. Way I see it, that is approximately US$100 in value that we got free (since BBTS is selling the 3 exclusive Targetmasters for US$149.90).

Here is the haul...

... Fracas (left), Haywire (right).

While we were queuing up, we noticed that most people either did not buy Kup or did not buy Wreck Gar. Very strange, because if I were to make a choice, I would not buy Blurr, since it is so similarly coloured like its Generations counterpart. We were curious, so asked them why - the common answer was 'the Generations version of Kup/Wreck Gar' looks better'. 'Really?' Rare is the case when a US release looked better than the Takara one. 'Kup, is too shiny in United to be a veteran Autobot', another guy added. 

Now, I am faced with a dilemma - do I open Generations Kup or United Kup to welcome into my Classic-verse?

Tokyo/Hokkaido Trip - The Acquisitions Tally

In usual fashion, this is a consolidated view of all my Japan Trip acquisitions.

Below is a photo of all my Transformers acquisitions during my February Tokyo/ Hokkaido/ Niseko trip, from 7 Feb to 14 Feb 2011. I must say that the sheer amount beats what I got from Japan last year, but the quality and rarity of pieces from last year will likely win out over this year's acquisitions.

(note the 2 C-350: Rabbicraters were not bought from Japan)

Acquisitions (in order acquired):

• TV Artbook #69 (featuring Masterforce)
• C-341: Greasepit MISB
• C-342: Airwave MIB, unused toys, stickers and paperworks
• C-343: Hot House MIB, unused toys, stickers and paperworks
• C-344: Iron Works MISB
• Kondansha Pocket Book #53 (featuring series 1 to 3 TFs)
• Kondansha Pocket Book #57 (featuring Masterforce)
• Victory: The movie animated comic
• Victory: Character book
• C-327 promotional poster
• C-360 promotional poster
• Vintage Transformers "03 - Megatron" t-shirt MISB
• C-47: Grapple MIB, very minty and unused
• C-83: Sandstorm MIB, C9.5, untouched, unused, complete paperworks, unapplied sticker sheet
• eHobby recoloured Ravage and Laserbeak MISB
• Headmasters poker cards, unused and still attached as one piece. This is something I have never seen before and the quality is great.
• My second Goodbye Convoy giftset (this set does not have the styro insert but is 100% complete with C9.5 toys and complete paperworks, very impressive. Unfortunately, it does not have the poster, but I am still very stoked about acquiring this set because it completes my Goodbye sets!
• C-319: Landcross giftset, unused, complete paperworks

Close up pictures:

See you next year Japan (or maybe later this year, who knows?)

Not one, but 2... Rabbicraters

I returned from Japan yesterday. 

Today, I called up my friendly Yau Ma Tei toy shop owner for a chat to see if he has found anything I wanted from his sourcing or if he has reserved anything for me. He answered, and said yes - 'there is this rare thing, its a boxed video tape with a vinyl mat'. 'Comes with a blue car?' I enquired. 'Yes', he answered.

Holy!*!*! It's Rabbicrater! While not extremely rare (in my mind) because I have been offered it a number of times, it is still one of the harder to locate items in the twilight years of G1, and extremely hard to find with the video tape and the vinyl mat. It is also difficult to program a search for "Rabbicrater" on eBay. The results keep returning "Rabbi" (as in Jewish holy man) something, making it tough to search online for this guy - eg: "Rabbi Carter" or some sort of derivation is usually returned with a search.

'What's the condition?' I probed. 'It's sealed lah. Up to your standards,' shop-owner replied. 'Okay, see you tonight,' I said, overjoyed.

Went down to the shop and found that he held not 1 but 2 Rabbicraters MISB for me. Okay, I won't refuse.

Grabbed and raaaaannnnnn.....

Note to self: As it turns out, the Rabbicraters are not MISB, but both of them are unused - as in the video tape and Rabbicrater itself are still sealed, but the tape at the side of the boxes have dried and fallen off and so technically, they are not MISB.

Japan Day 1 - Shinjuku, Nakano and 麵屋武藏

E and I made it to Japan finally.

First, we wanted to go during the Christmas holidays last year, but didn't because the flights and hotels were way too expensive, and also E had a deal to close over Christmas meaning she had to work. So, that was shelved. We rescheduled to February, after Lunar New Year and would have preferred to commence the trip on 3 or 4 Feb because those were holidays too... but again the flights and hotels were either not available or unrealistically priced.

E managed to get a package for flights and hotels for the 7th to 14th Feb period that is very attractive - return flight from Japan including a domestic flight to Hokkaido; plus hotel stays at Sapporo and the Niseko Hilton for all our skiing needs - all for HK$7000 (approx). So we were good to go, but once more was almost derailed by work commitments. Fortunately, that ironed itself out from E's end.

... which is why I'm saying that "we finally made it to Japan", after breathing in a whiff of Japanese air.

We stayed at our usual Shinjuku haunt because its very central and very easy to get to placed from there. We were almost famished by the time we checked so, so we took a quick walk to E's previously No.1 rated ramen place for dinner - 麵屋武藏.

Yummy ramen, the pork is just heavenly...

Once we were on full stomaches, E quickly asked "do you want to go see some Transformers? Maybe Akihabara and Shibuya?" She's awesome!!!

I thought about it and concluded that it might be better to go to Nakano first because it was already around 6-ish in the evening and we are unlikely to do Akihabara and Shibuya (which are close together) before the shops close there for the night.

So off to Nakano....

There were a lot of exciting TFs in this store including a quite minty VSZ giftset and a loose by genuine Shuffler for 48,000yen (yikes!). This time round, I didn't manage to snap any photos of the store interior, just couldn't do it with the constant wave of people and staff walking around (sorry). If its any comfort, it looked like this last year.

Got a reasonable haul from the shops there.

- vintage Transformers TV Art Book #69 (featuring Masterforce)

- C-341: Grease Pit MISB

- C-342: Air Wave MIB, unused, sealed paperworks

- C-343: Hot House MIB, unused, sealed paperworks

- C-344: Iron Works MISB

(I was told that the above are not their Japanese names, but I don't know how to read Jap, so am using the US names).

The highlight was 2 fold, (1) being able to get all 4 Micromaster Bases MIB in one go and (2) the TV Art Book. These are such awesome books. I would love to get the whole series, but everytime I go, I can only manage to find but a handful (and in this instance 1).

Here are some interior shots to show how awesome these books are...

Super Ginrai with 3D cross section showing his internal mechanisms

Very large box art for Buster and Hydra

Grand Maximus!

Transformers Zone, C-349: Road Fire MIB (Part 3)

Previous: Road Fire out of the box

More pictures of Road Fire in his other modes. I just can't resist taking pictures of this guy. Enjoy!

Road Fire in base mode

I know it's not a very convincing base, but there is just this appeal about it.

Back of the base mode

Road Fire transforms to Robot Mode

Different views for reference and comparison
 

 

 

Close up details

The little yellow button at the side activates Road Fire's motorised action.

***

See the rest of Big Powered

C-347: Sonic Bomber MIB

C-348: Dai Atlas MIB

C-349: Road Fire MIB