Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention 2009 (2) - Dolls

Dolls did not come in full strength this year with the Pullips and BJDs conspicuously missing. I had a good time shooting them last year and was expecting this year to be the same if not better. However I did not see a single Pullip in the convention. BJDs fared slightly better - I think there were two or three in this miserable booth. The star this year must be Blythe managed by Dollzinc. Doll after doll, visitors just couldn't stop snapping. I caught a couple of shots myself. Interestingly their focus was on selling Blythe memorabilia, not the actual dolls. The dolls on display were customized by I think this guy called Freddy. I saw him in the booth.

The BJDs on display in the miserable booth.

Nice Blythe backdrop behind Dollzinc booth.

Blythe galore in the booth

Customized Blythe masterpieces on display.

Barbies on display.

These and other photos in my flickr.

Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention 2009 (1) - Cosplayers

Last year's toy convention was a fun-filled event for me (here and here). This year, I waited in anticipation and when the day arrived, I happily zipped down to Suntec for the event. I'd say it is OK but somehow it did not surpass or live up to my expectation. I was expecting to see more booths than last year. Maybe there were more booths this time, but they were not what I'm looking for. In fact, I couldn't even find Magma Heritage or Domuya. Have they boycotted the event?? On the good side, Blythe by Dollzinc has a nice booth this year (photos in part 2), Nintendo (Wii Fit) and cosplayers (including 501st Legion) graced the occasion.

Cosplayers posing for visitors.

Little girls posing with cosplayers.

501st Stormtrooper posing for me. He was kind enough to pose for my Point and Shoot camera. To the person inside the helmet, thank you very much!

Garang girl posing for me candidly. She was caught by surprise.

FF Cloud posing with (chio) visitor.

Young cosplayer posing for female videographer.

and finally .. chio cosplayer posing for nobody.

These and other 2009 convention photos in my flickr set here.

Singapore Toy and Comic Convention Day 2

I miss her.

I didn't realize it on the site, she only caught my attention while I was writing the entry for Day 1. The bespectacled girl with silvery long hair has every mark of a "must-own" doll. She is not freaky, her tender lips, smooth complexion and silky hair exude a girlish charm. Plus she is not dressed provocatively. 她看起来好帅气！

I regretted not taking more photos of her at that time. Also my coverage of the event is pathetic. I did not take as many photos as I should. I'm not going to leave our first local toy convention with the measly selection of photos. Moreover, as an amateur Star Wars fan, I did not get to enter the Hasbro booth and I also missed out on the Cosplay parade which is on Day 2. Not wanting to have any more regrets, I decided to visit the convention again.

The D-BOX Motion Code activated theater and game seating. It is right at the entrance, so you won't miss it. The technology creates real-life motion in your seat that's synced to the action on screen. Hmm, I wonder what happens if your car flips? Will your seat fly up as well?

Movie memorabilia at Popcornpop. Just bought a Audrey Hepburn Pullip yesterday, so seeing the real Audrey on poster and the "Breakfast At Tiffany" poster in the convention is especially memorable. Nay, won't buy the posters. Too big and no place to hang the frame. May consider if I have a house as big as the Louvre.

Blythe booth manned by Dollz Inc. Have bought a few dolls from their shop. The boss and lady shop assistant know me by face, but I do not know their names. Shame on me! A pity they specialize in Blythe. As a whole, I do not find them attractive, though a few are cute. This convention, I have nothing to buy from them. To ease my guilt a little, I put up the photo of their booth at full size.

Bouquet for Dollz Inc. So colorful! It is addressed to Lai Keng & all. Is the lady boss called Lai Keng?

Domuya booth. My photo coverage for Domuya on Day 1 was pathetic. Today, I shall carry the 宁可杀错，不可放过 attitude.

BJDs in their full glory:

Wait, why is her glasses crooked? Somebody might have knocked onto her. Poor thing. Imagine you are one of those dolls, posing for 8 hours a day for two days, enduring not only stares but also camera flashes ....

I find the above doll very cool. It is her hairstyle and the way she stands. I think it is her clothes also, the metal armour that hugged her sleek body frame and notice her doll joints are hidden. Her posture is definitely more alluring than the maid and the doll in dress higher up.

Another doll with similar clothing. This posture is not as good, however.

A rare sight. The nakedness and dolls going for operation. On the right, all the dolls on display. The maid actually got her glasses straightened. Yay!

Wait a minute, where is my bespectacled girl with long silvery hair?? She's not there. What? You mean I came for her and she's not there?! Gosh, looks like I have to surf the net for her pictures. Haiz.

The poster on their glass cabinet. I couldn't resist taking the shot 'cos she looks very much like Ayumi Hamasaki!

Magma Heritage booth. Surprisingly there was no crowd. The reason, I suspect, is 'cos they removed all their display dolls from the shelves. Not sure why they did this.

Other dolls on display at Magma booth. Hey, that's Rei Ayanami from Neo Genesis Evangelion! Anime girls and dolls like Pullip are a match 'cos of their big eyes and head.

LEGO booth. The LEGO man below the logo looks like he is beckoning you. Cute! The finalists for the LEGO Build-A-Brick Competition.

Artists at work. The man signing autograph is Gary Erskine.

Hasbro Star Wars booth. The photo of the queue was taken when I reached the convention hall. I visited the doll booths before joining the queue. There wasn't any. Explains why I could take the second picture, as I was the first in line.

Jedi Master Kit Fisto welcoming me! We are told these toys are courtesy of local collectors. Not sure how many collectors contributed, but if I were to mix them up, can they find their toys back?

All stormtroopers at attention. The way the lady looks at them is eerie, it's like the troopers are taking orders from her.

The troopers are at attention for the arrival of Emperor Palpatine. A classic scene. From ROTJ (Ep VI).

General Obi Wan and his loyal clone troopers behind him. If Darth Sidious were to initiate Order 66 at this time, our Jedi will be dead meat.

Lao Fu Tzi also at the convention! On the right, speedcubers solving Rubik's Cube at CJ 917 booth. Interestingly, the logo for the convention is also a Rubik's Cube.

Bandai's booth. No giant RX-78 on display, but Ryubi Gundam. The display label has a typo, not sure how many of you spotted it. I didn't know they have such creative gundams these days. Ryubi .. Liu Bei .. ok.

Nintendo's booth. They always have these girls in Japanese fashion playing in their center booth. Is this deliberate? From the way they dress, they don't look local. Perhaps they are Japanese studying in Japanese schools locally.

501st Legion. Kids simply love these villians from Star Wars.

Military fanboys at the convention. Typical HK SDU style. The guy with goggle was actually posing for my camera. I feel so honored, haha.

Finally, the Cosplay part. They are one of the reasons why I revisited the convention.

The above photo was taken outside the Domuya booth.

I know nuts about the local Cosplay scene, so don't ask me what characters they are imitating. I watch anime too, just not those.

I felt paiseh about taking their shots. This explains why they were not looking at my camera. Imagine, you want them to pose for you and you only have ............ a PNS camera?! It is like covering Oscar with a PNS when everybody else using professional level SLR. If you are a star and there are ten photographers clamoring for your attention, you probably turn to the one with the biggest looking SLR (big lens + flash unit + vertical grip). An expensive SLR is also a testament to the skill of the photographer.

So the reason why they were not looking at my camera is because I did not explicitly catch their attention. I have to be contented taking pictures from the sideline.

The convention has ended and so will my coverage. For those who went to the convention, I hope you have enjoyed yourself like me.