Masterforce D-304: Hydra MIB

* The text for this article, the D-305: Buster article and D-306: Darkwings giftset article are very similar because I acquired them all in the one sitting. *

It doesn't rain, it pours.

I have been looking for Hydra and Buster for some time. They were the very last figures I needed to complete the 1988 Japanese exclusive Masterforce series. My buddy jgon has individual boxed Hydra and Busters to sell. We met up at Yau Ma Tei for exchange and pick up, afterwhich, he brought me to this toy shop filled with vintage Japanese G1 goodies to browse.

Guess what I saw there. D-306: Darkwings giftset (ie: a giftset containing Hydra and Buster). If I do it, I might as well do it all the way. I picked up the Darkwings giftset as well. So I went from furiously hunting for Hydra and Buster and not wanting to pay stupid prices on eBay, to now having 2 sets of these suddenly at prices that are way more reasonable than eBay.

It doesn't rain, it pours!

D-304: Hydra (recolour of USA Series 4 Darkwing)

Box = C7.5, near C8

Toy = C8, stickers in good condition

Paperworks = missing

Hydra with D-305: Buster

Hydra with D-305: Buster and D-306: Darkwings giftset

***

See also

D-305: Buster MIB

D-306: Darkwings giftset

Takara Brave series, Dug Base, unused

This is a very interesting one. It is a remold of Return of Convoy, C-371: Grandus, but at less than a fraction of the price of Grandus. It actually has all the parts that came with Grandus plus some extras.

Bought it from a shop I frequent at Richmond Centre in Mong Kok.

Some key differences are: 

1. The stickers are almost entirely different.
2. New head sculpt.
3. Has fists instead of claw hands.
4. comes with two long ramps instead of short ramps
5. comes with mini figurines instead of Micromasters.
6. Does not have connector for Star Convoy to connect with and motorise the lift.

 

Unused sticker sheet very different from the Grandus one, here.

Parts sealed in original baggies

Farewell Sydney

Today, I depart Sydney for Hong Kong (via Singapore)...

... farewell Sydney!

The Unknown

Read this today. I like this concept.

"Lovecraft said that the oldest and strongest type of fear is fear of the unknown. And he was an authority on such matters. But that's not exactly it, is it? 

We like the unknown. We are hunky dory with the unknown. We are, in fact, perfectly thrilled with the unknown... as long as it remains unknown and we never have to think about it. What we are really afraid of is that the unknown will stand up and demand to be recognised. That it won't get it won't get out of the way quickly enough and we'll step in it, all squishy and moist. We are terrified at night in the dark that the rough, slouching unknown will crawl into bed and give us a hot wet kiss on the neck.

We're not afraid of the unknown. We're afraid of the unknown becoming known." - Fig Keele in House of Mystery volume 2: Love Stories for Dead People.

Labour Day, D day -4, and some acquisitions

It's Labour Day today, a public holiday here. Always good to have another free day, quite a bit more delightful that its on the week I'm due to depart to Hong Kong, thus making the week shorter.

It has been a busy day. I started off with meeting Sharky and his lovely girlfriend from OZ Formers to collect some Masters of the Universe NECA statues. I got from him the entire Series 1 and Series 5 and the exclusive Evil-Lyn figure (7 in total). If I had my way, I would really love to have the entire MOTU NECA series, but these things are so large, its really hard to find space for them. Oh well...

After that, walked over to Town Hall station to meet my buddy fatbot (also from OZ Formers). We had a good chat about the DCU comics event, Blackest Night, and erm... speculated that Dove (either the lady one or Don Hall) would become the White Lantern). We could be wrong or it could already be revealed. Anyway, we both have not read Brightest Day yet so we don't know. I collected the Ultra Magnus and Jazz Hard Hero busts and Generations Darkmount (bah, its Straxus you weaklings) from him. He kindly helped me purchase Straxus since there were none to be had in the city stores.

Top row: Darkmount, NECA Series 1: Snout Sprout, Clawful, Hordak

Second row: Evil Lyn (exclusive), NECA Series 5: Rio Blast, Evil Lyn, Squeeeeze

Third row: Hard Hero Ultra Magnus, Shockwave and Jazz

In the evening, ie just moments ago, I sold my bed. So now, officially, I'm doing army style bunking on the floor for the next few days. Woot!

OZ Formers farewell heroic decepticon (and some acquisitions)

Today, my buddies from OZ Formers fare welled me in very Transformer like fashion. The farewell was attended by 1AZRAEL1, dirge, fatbot, gamblor916,  Hursticon, kup, liegeprime and Sky Shadow. We watched many Transformer related episodes at the private cinema in my apartment building. Let's see... we watch episodes 1 and 2 of the fan made War Within animated series, Beast Wars: The Agenda Parts 1-3, another BW episode that continues from The Agenda and of course, TFTM (the 1986 one, ahem).

My faulty TFTM dvd, which was scratched, resulted in us having to cut short that session after Galvatron destroyed Starscream. We went to the pool deck to celebrate liegeprime's birthday, complete with birthday cake.

At pool deck

 

All of us except dirge who had to leave a little early

It was a very fun day and I very much appreciate the time my buddies took to farewell me. Some had to travel very far to get to Town Hall.

Again, in true Transformer fashion, I acquired some things today. Thanks to fatbot and gamblor916. Hightlights are te Hard Hero Shockwave bust and the limited edition Silent Bob figure MOSC, signed by Kevin Smith. The latter is a farewell gift from fatbot to me. Thanks!

Hard Hero Shockwave bust MIB (limited edition 498 of 2500)

Limited edition bear-con Silent Bob in-action figure MOSC, signed by Kevin Smith

Transformers Zone, C-371: Grandus

This post is dedicated to my buddy fatbot from OZ Formers, who is very fond of the Grandus toy.

I am releasing this at the same time (more or less) as the owner of Cliffbee.com is releasing his review of Grandus, which is based on this Grandus. Some symmetry there, I would like to think.

I'm delighted that Cliffbee validates my view that this is a good toy despite it being, as the fandom commonly calls it, a brick. It is a brick, but it is fun for what it was designed for - the base mode.

By 'chance', I purchased this from a TFW2005 member who was selling off key pieces of his Japanese Exclusive collection. I wanted to also get the Big Powered Giftset and Galaxy Shuttle MIB from him, but he already sold them to other members. Still, I'm happy that I was able to secure Grandus, MIB, and stickers unapplied.

The Battlestars story (from TF Wiki):

"To counter the threat of Dark Nova, the Autobots formed an elite sub-group known as the Battlestars, headlined by Sky Garry and Grandus. Their mission was to revive Optimus Prime so that he might thwart Dark Nova.

Aware of the mission of the Battlestars, Dark Nova stole Optimus Prime's body and cloned it as the evil False Convoy. Grandus and Spinner proved instrumental in defeating False Convoy before he could kill Sixliner. After False Convoy's defeat, Grandus and the Battlestars rescued the fallen Supreme Commander's corpse from the Great Novaroid forces on planet Lucifer. Using the power of the Zodiac, they brought Optimus Prime back to life and upgraded him into Star Convoy.

Later, Grandus was stuck cleaning up the remaining Novaroid and Galaman soldiers on planet Lucifer while Star Convoy and Sixliner faced Super Megatron alone on Earth.

Grandus eventually joined the other Battlestars in a space battle against Super Megatron and his Great Galaman warriors. Combining into the Triple Combination Battlestar Attack, they shot Super Megatron to pieces.

Dark Nova then revealed himself and upgraded Super Megatron into Ultra Megatron. Then after that, the Decepticon Emperor merged with Ultra Megatron to become the Star Giant. Grandus and the other Battlestars traveled into Star Giant's stomach and took the behemoth apart from the inside-out, narrowly escaping just as their foe exploded and died."

C-371: Grandus MIB

Box: C8 (front plastic window slightly damaged)

Toy: C9.5, bone white

Paperworks: complete, stickers unapplied

C-326: Galaxy Shuttle, C-360: Sky Garry and C-371: Grandus

Grandus MIB. Love the box art of Grandus. I noticed that instead of depicting the robot mode, which box art usually does, Grandus is actually depicted in his base mode.

Close up of box art

Top of box

Bottom of box

Side of box

 

Back of box

Details of Grandus play features

Grandus is worth 5 robot points. That's quite a lot of robot points for a toy that is not exactly very large.

Grandus out of box and in insert with full compliment of paperworks including unused sticker sheet.

Grandus with all his parts and paperworks

Close up detail of Grandus parts

Close up detail of Grandus parts - these yellow parts are tiny. I'm guessing the the 2 small radar dishes would ordinarily be easily lost by children.

Paperworks

Close up of sticker sheet. It won't stay 'unused' or unapplied for too long. I plan to apply all of Grandus' stickers before long... heh.

Head detail

Grandus is aircraft carrier mode with Galaxy Shuttle (instead of Sky Garry)

Galaxy Shuttle preparing to launch

Launch pad detail

Blast off!