Takara Transformers, Fight! Super Robot Life, D-72: Octane MIB (#7 of 36)

This is another piece from the 'giant' lot that I bought awhile back - it's #7 of 36.

The aim was really to get all of Japanese numbering "01" to "49", but because Blitzwing (number '43') and Astrotrain (number '48') are within the numbers, I 'had to' also get Octane, the remaining Decepticon triple-changer.

This is a very minty piece. Absolutely 100% complete and unused, with all paperwork and unused sticker sheet. A stunning specimen.

OKC - display rearrangement - The Decepticon Seekers

Seeker shelves - re-arranged.

I loved the jets when I was young. Skywarp was probably my favourite seeker, but he and Thundercracker were never sold in Singapore, so I had to 'settle' for Thrust, which was the only childhood seeker I had.

As part of a large lot of Transformers I bought from a friend, I also get Japanese boxed 22, 23, 24, D-56 and D-57 - ie: Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Ramjet and Thrust respectively.

In a way, this is completion of my Japanese boxed seekers (I've had the USA boxed ones for some years now).

Japanese Mail-Away Transformers

As many of you may know, I have started trimming down on my collection and therefore have sold a number of TFs.

Before some of these go, I'd like to record the Japanese Mail-Away Transformers that I have - these are the more significant ones, I feel, because they are packaged differently from their US-counterparts.

By the time of this writing, some of these will no longer belong to me.

Series 3, 1986 - Ramhorn and Eject MOSC ('extremely' rare Hong Kong variant(?))

One of my recent acquisitions - I got this from a buddy in Sweden, who I got to know off FaceBook (you know who you are!). I know, stranger things has happened and for the life of me, I never imagined that I would trade Transformers from someone I didn't know other than through FaceBook. The transaction turned out very well for the both of us and it was a win-win situation.

This was a trade with cash to me, in exchange for this MOSC Ramhorn and Eject from Sweden. I will not go into the details of the deal here, but it worked out very well and I am glad I had faith in the human race and dared to go ahead with this trade.

I have recently decided to acquire all the USA carded cassettes MOSC, another lofty aim and this adds to the tally, so far.

If you look closer, however, you'd realise that this is not a "USA carded" set, but a "Chinese release". Every man and his dog has theories about the "Chinese releases" or the "1990 Chinese reissues" as some would call it. The is good authority that they are legitimate, but some parts of the fandom think that there are knock-offs produced for sale in China in the 1990s.

To me, it matters little - because my view is that this is simply a USA carded version with some Chinese language stickers on it for non-English speakers.

If you have read the HighEnd TFs link, I would like to point out something - despite what is said there, I think that these are unlikely to have been produced for marketing to China. Why? China has for years used simplified Chinese (which is commonly used in China, Singapore, Malaysia), but the words on the packaging are actually in traditional Chinese (which is commonly used in Hong Kong and Taiwan).

Takara Fight! Super Robot Life 45-Smokescreen MIB and MP-19: Smokescreen

This is odd.

I prepared the draft for this post ages ago,photos and all.  I just clean omitted to click 'publish'! Shoot me for being an idiot.

This was done at a time where my acquisition of the Japanese boxed 45 - Smokescreen coincided with the release of Takara's MP-19: Smokescreen, the last of the Z-cars at the time.

So now, I fix my error. I thought I was going to do another 'Robots and Coffee' thing, Gassy Autobot style this Sunday morning, but hey, why not revisit Smokescreen, my old friend, who I missed out posting about at the time of release of the MP?

Also, this is a character that means a lot to my buddy Maz, so this is dedicated to him too, on this fine Sunday morning. Maz also blogs now, over at Square One - check it out, Smokescreen can wait.

Saturday MPs with coffee and breakfast

Masterpiece 13: Soundwave and Masterpiece 13B: Soundblaster with coffee and bread

Maz's ambassador series - Third Party TFs and my selection of TFX-01: City Commander

So it's now up to Part 5 of Maz's ambassador series and enter a further contribution by me - for the Third Party FansProject Ambassador - the City Commander armour!

Read Maz's article here.

I took some photos for the purposes of the article, and thought I should just share it here for everyone to see (since the article can only accommodate a limited number of photos per contributor).