Unknown kawaii gashapon...

Hey there folks! It's been quite a while since my last post update and yet again I would like to apologize for my long absence here on Made in X since yours truly have been preoccupied with other things and I somehow sidetracked with all of my blog post updates. Anyways it is nice to know that there are still a handful of you guys out there checking out my blog and I can't thank each and everyone of you enough for doing so, very much appreciated! On today's post I have here another good find that I purchased a couple of weeks ago from the toy shop that I frequent to and since I got it as a loose item for Php 100 (roughly around $2.00 something) I never got any concrete info on this gashapon though the female anime character looks familiar and that's the gist of it, no more, no less. But in any case she is definitely cute... no issues on the paint job and molding as well.

Though I have several guesses on the anime figure but either way I still can't make anything out of it on whether she came from an anime series or a PC/console game, though her outfit suggests that she may be some game character taken from a particular MMORPG but then again I might be wrong so it's identity is yet on a standstill. I have managed to take some snapshots of it and you can find more of the photos after the jump.


So until next time folks, stay safe always and I'll try my very best to give you more toy updates in the coming days here on Made in X. Thank you!


(*Click on the images for larger view and more photos inside)

Marvel Spider Man Classics Juggernaut Action Figure (2008)

The Unstoppable Juggernaut from Marvel (2008)

Ever since The Uncanny X-Men became a huge hit here in the Philippines, I can say that I was one of those very few individuals who never really "rooted" for the main mutant characters belonging to Professor Xavier's team, I mean Wolverine, Cyclops, Gambit et al are cool and all but the guys who were on the sidelines, so to speak, had the most impact on me. I guess I find them more ubër cool in terms of their attitude, aura, physical attributes and mutant powers all rolled into one character... and I have two particular human mutants that I really like. On Professor Xavier's side, Piotr "Peter" Nikolaievitch Rasputin or more popularly known as the mighty Colossus and his arch enemy from Magneto's team, Cain Marko or a.k.a. The Unstoppable Juggernaut. From comic books to the big screen, seeing these two mighty mutants collide was just plain awesome! It is like seeing David turned into a living, breathing chunk of organic steel fighting off a monstrous Goliath wearing a gigantic metal helmet with virtually an unstoppable momentum for total destruction.

When the X-Men action figures came out, I was bent on having one Colossus and one Juggernaut figure sometime soon, up until recently Marvel Select did an awesome job with their version of Colossus and I was just blown away with what they did to the Juggernaut figure as well!... it's huge, massive, very well detailed and worth the money you'll be spending on this item! The only petty issue I got with these Marvel Select goodies is that they are quite big in size and currently there is no way I can display them inside my cramped room and getting myself a new display cabinet may be the possible solution though sadly I can't afford to buy one right now. Having this dilemma is such a pain but a couple of weeks back I was lucky enough to have for myself a smaller version of Juggernaut that I purchased as a good conditioned loose item. It may not be overflowing with superb awesomeness like its Marvel Select counterpart but it is still worth having.

Removing the helmet will reveal his alter ego, the human-mutant Cain Marko

Released in 2008 by Marvel under the Spider Man Super Villain toy line, Juggernaut looks more proportioned in terms of its physical ratio and his built is more vertically lean. The only sole accessory you get to have with this action figure is his removable helmet that you can place over or remove to reveal his alter ego as the human-mutant Cain Marko with his head draped with a leather headgear. So far posing the figure has given me no problems and articulation is good enough to make him go into several action poses. I got the item for Php 395 (around $3.00++) though there are other toy shops selling him (as a loose item) at a more expensive price so technically it was a good steal for me and not quite bad for my first Juggernaut action figure.

Earlier this afternoon I decided to take out my camera and finally take snapshots of Juggernaut inside my tabletop studio. I've posted some of the other photos inside so please do check them out guys and I hope you all like it... until next time, stay safe always!

(*Click on the images for larger view and more photos inside)

Yes Virginia, there is such a thing called 'Toy Destiny'...

War Machine from Marvel-Hasbro

Never in my wildest dreams did I expect for this opportunity to come, and just when I thought that I had totally given up in finding a mini 3-inch figure of War Machine to somehow complete my Iron Man 2 collection... there they were... staring literally right in front of me... hanging on display at a famous toy discount store. I was in complete bliss! Where have you been all my life?!.. Is this real?!.. For heaven's sake somebody pinch me and tell me this isn't a dream! Instinctively I grabbed the very first War Machine figure I saw in front of me and knowing that there might be another one hidden somewhere, I began to thoroughly search each and every row I came across and bingo! Saw another one lurking somewhere in the middle section and immediately took it as well.


Before I continue folks, let me give you a brief rundown on the entire story behind my constant search for that elusive 3-inch War Machine figure for all of you guys to know what I have been blabbing just earlier... Marvel/Hasbro came up with this Iron Man 2 line-up of toys (which includes the 3-inchers) during the world premiere of the second Iron Man movie back in 2010. Eventually the excess stocks of Iron Man 2 toys went on sale around middle to late last year (2011) and that was the only time I was able to purchase the Mark III, Mark V and Mark VI since their prices were slashed by half. The 3-inchers were as abundant as it can be and all I had to do was carefully choose the better one where there were no issues with the paint job, cosmetic defects and so forth. And in that line-up, War Machine and the Tactical Assault Drone are also included... but not even one of these figures was to be found selling or even hiding somewhere from the Marvel Toy Section! Talk about "intentional scarcity" where some individuals would hoard the items that they know would be the most wanted by fans and collectors alike and jack-up their prices 2 to 3 times more! I couldn't care less about the Tactical Assault Drone if I don't get to buy it, but come hell or high waters I must have just even one War Machine figure... just one figure to complete my collection and that's it! Sadly weeks turned to months and months into years, and eventually I've decided to give up my search for those War Machine 3-inch figures because for one thing, I know for a fact that there are other toy shops who has those and as much as I want that item, I will not even dare to shell out my money for something that they are selling way too high than its intended retail price. But I guess it was indeed my destiny to cross paths with this baby and all I needed was to wait for a looonnnggg time, but it paid off quite well! I bought the two War Machine figures I found on the spot and went home feeling, as always, like a winner!

Despite being small with several paint job issues, this figure is still worth having!

I've posted some of the photos I took earlier and honestly, despite its small frame and limited posing action, this War Machine figure just looks awesome from every angle you look! No wonder every single War Machine item, from the smallest to the biggest figure, were selling out fast! Iron Man rocks big time no doubt about it, but there's something about the War Machine suit that gains (slightly) the upper hand than that of the other Tony Stark masterpieces... the colors? The payload of weaponry? Maybe these two factors have contributed greatly in making James Rhodes' alter-ego look really bad-ass! 'Til next time folks, stay safe always!


(*Click on the images for larger view and more photos inside)

Spawn Deluxe Action Figure -- Angela from Todd Toys (1995)

Angela the Bounty Hunter from Todd McFarlane's Spawn

I'm back ladies and gentlemen for another new toy feature and I do hope all of you would forgive me for the long delay in the post updates here on Made in X since yours truly have been not in the best of health lately and my suspicion is that I've been spending too much of my time in front of the PC and before things could get from bad to worse, I decided to stay away for a while from my beloved desktop computer and nursed myself for some time until I got my groove back. Anyways, today I would like to share to all of you this nifty action toy figure that I consider to be one of the best buys I've ever purchased and it is no other than that very controversial comic book character conceptualized by writer Neil Gaiman and brought to life by artist Todd McFarlane. And I'm talking about none other than that fiery, angelic bounty hunter vixen we all know as Angela...


I've been somewhat an avid collector of figures released by McFarlane Toys though I can't say that I have a huge collection of these items with me but when I get to really fancy a particular character from any of the vast McFarlane Toys line, I made sure that I'd get them no matter what, given the fact that these items doesn't come cheap and making that crucial, final decision on what to buy first was serious torment to myself and on my budget. Sadly McFarlane Toys somehow slowed down (if not, ceased production indefinitely) with the manufacturing of its action figures and you might get to come across some of these toys selling somewhere either in mint condition with a hefty price tag or being sold as loose items from second-hand toy shops. But for the Angela action figure that I bought, I got it for cheap but the carded packaging was somehow nearly in bad shape... it wasn't sold as a loose item, it was in a way untouched with some major issues on the packaging.

The Angela Deluxe Action Figure was released in 1995 during the height of Spawn's popularity and was part of a toy line released by Todd McFarlane which was known then as 'Todd Toys.' Being an action figure released in the 1990's, it was just like any other action figure in the market at that time where you can sway back and forth its arms, bend their knees and insert weapons on their hands.. stuff like that. To compare it to today's toy standards, the first-generation figures from Todd Toys are now categorized as "crude" and in a way outdated unlike today where toy figures are just brimming with numerous sweet points of articulation on every joint in their body where you can just pose them anyway you want. But I do know for one thing is that, what sets Todd Toys apart from the other toy figures then are the awesome detailing and craftsmanship made on every Spawn character released... fanboys and toy collectors were just smitten and drooling over them and they will do anything just to get their hands on every character released in the market! As for me, seeing this classic Angela fig from Todd Toys can be considered a rare find and figures like these are hard to come by nowadays and so I never hesitated to buy it since this and the other characters included were the first ones who came in line until Todd came up with more finely, intricately detailed figures we come to know as part of his successful 'McFarlane Toys' merchandise.


Since the packaging is all worn out, I never felt any regret opening it and so I took it out from the plastic casing and started taking photos of her on my tabletop studio. I've attached some photo samples of Angela below and if you want to check out the rest of the set, please do visit our Facebook page by just clicking here. Hope you guys like it and until the next toy feature, stay safe always!


(*Click on the images for larger view and more photos inside)

Tales from the Toy Fair: Kamen Rider Real Product Stage from Bandai

I'm back once again ladies and gentlemen for another toy feature this month of February and this time I would like to share to all of you this wonderful find I have purchased last December during the Christmas Toy Fair held at the SM Megamall... and what could be better than finding this awesome Kamen Rider Real Product Stage mini dioramas selling for only Php 100 (roughly around $2.30) in one of the participating stalls during the fair. It was a good thing I was able to find it along with its other variations among the heap of toys placed on their long table. Overall the Real Product Stage series from Bandai has around four variables consisting of other famous classic Kamen Rider characters, who pioneered the Henshin genre as early as the 1970's, depicting famous fight scenes through these well-made diorama sets. I would have wanted to complete all four sets if only I found them sooner... but fate has been a bit unkind that day and now I had to pick just one set that I really like the most.

(L) Riderman (Kamen Rider Yongo) and (R) Kamen Rider V3 finishing off their enemy

After a good number of minutes playing 'eeny, meeny, miny, moe' on the four Kamen Rider sets, I decided to pick this one where you get to see Kamen Rider V3 and Riderman (Kamen Rider Yongo) finishing off their enemy as it explodes in the background of the mini diorama. I knew that there's this big chance that I won't be able to find that store after the fair and chances are they will be selling the remaining sets back to its original price, so I settled for this one since you get two Kamen Rider characters in one diorama unlike the others where you have one Kamen Rider hero fighting one or two enemies and that's about it, but it would be nice to have them all if only I could've stretch my wallet and my budget to full capacity that day...


Around late this afternoon I decided to piece together the diorama and had a small photoshoot with it since it has been days since my last session and so here are some of the photos I took from my small tabletop studio earlier and you can also check the complete set on our Facebook page by clicking here. Thanks guys for your time and 'til next time, stay safe always!


(*Click on the images for larger view and more photos inside)

Tales from the Toy Fair: Lynn Minmay (not!)

At first I thought I bagged a real nice find when I found this cute gashapon of a blue-haired female anime character which looked like Lynn Minmay from Macross, tucked away deep inside this huge plastic container of anime gashapons. Even though I could see through the small plastic packaging that some of its parts came off, I was so ecstatic about it (knowing at first that I got myself a Lynn Minmay fig) and immediately bought the item right away along with the other figures I unearthed. A few days later when I took it out and pieced together all of its parts, I soon realized that this is not Hikaru Ichijo's (or Rick Hunter for all of you Robotech fans) love interest... for one thing, I don't clearly remember Lynn Minmay wearing something as skimpy as this outfit you're seeing right now in the photo, or in any of the entire Macross episodes for that matter. Though this unknown female anime figure has a microphone on one hand and she too has blue long hair, the tint may be the same but the hairstyle is definitely different. Modern version of Lynn?... I guess not, this unknown figure may probably be taken from another anime title (or possibly ecchi or hentai, who knows?) But nonetheless, I decided to play around with it and created myself a mini, pseudo-Macross diorama of this Lynn Minmay stand-in along with my Macross Plus YF-21 from Yamato.


It would have been nice if I paired off the YF-21 with the real Lynn Minmay figure but unfortunately she somehow resembled just like her and I guess it won't hurt to do my own "modern" rendition. I have here some of the photos I took sometime around last week and if you guys would want to see the rest of the album, please do visit our Facebook page by clicking here. So until next time folks, stay safe always!


(*Click on the images for larger view and more photos inside)

Tales from the Toy Fair: K-On's Azusa Nakano gashapon

When the anime K-On! first aired on Animax a couple of years ago here in the Philippines, I did somehow expected it to be one of those cutesy anime series with adorable girls in school uniforms forming a band until they realized their dreams and made a name for themselves. But what struck me the most about the entire series are the instruments and their "historical or factual relevance" (which is mentioned from time to time in several episodes) used by the girls of Ho-kago Tea Time (or After School Tea Time in the English-dubbed series), particularly the stringed instruments used by Yui Hirasawa (who's using the legendary Heritage Cherry Sunburst Gibson Les Paul), Mio Akiyama (Fender Precision Bass in the manga version and the Fender Jazz Bass in the anime version) and this cutey member I'm going to showcase today who's seen using a nifty Fender Mustang electric guitar... and yes she's no other than Azusa Nakano or fondly called by the moniker 'Azu-nyan' coined by Yui.

From what I can remember during the entire first series and if my memory serves me right, Azusa came only into the band several episodes later, making her someone like Ringo Starr who joined The Beatles a little bit later until he became, finally, a part of what was to become a timeless, legendary band in music history. Oftentimes I confuse her with Mio since both of them look almost alike and the two characters sport really long black hair, a little bit of getting used to has helped me train my eye in spotting who's Mio and who's Azusa. But in the level of cuteness in anime standards, I say Azusa tops them all maybe for her physical aspects in the anime spectrum... and since she's the youngest among the rest of the band members, no wonder Yui couldn't stop teasing her as 'Azu-meow' since she looks very cute and adorable like a cat or whenever Yui asks her to wear those Cat's Ears headpiece or tricks her to act like one eventually. Two season series and a movie on K-On! have passed and not even once did I get to have their toy figures, whether solo or in set... Maybe I was too preoccupied then in collecting other anime characters or for some strange reason I couldn't remember anymore. Anyways, I finally got my chance during the 6th Toy Fair held last December when I chanced upon this stall selling these gashapons of K-On! and luckily I got the last piece of Azusa Nakano's figure and bought it right away!

It would have been nice if I got the bigger, 12-inch version of Azusa but getting this gashapon of her is a start and hopefully I get to collect the rest of the K-On! characters sometime soon. I took some snapshots of the Azusa gashapon yesterday and I've uploaded some of those photos here and you can check the rest after the jump. Hope you guys like it and 'til next time, stay safe always!

(*Click on the images for larger view and more photos inside)

Tales from the Toy Fair: Kamen Rider 2 gashapon

The legendary Kamen Rider 2

Happy New Year ladies and gentlemen! I hope all of you guys had a wonderful time doing a lot of merrymaking and partying as we kickstart 2012 with new hopes and dreams of a better and peaceful year despite the controversies surrounding the mystery behind the December 21 prediction for which we all strongly wish, hope and pray that it will never happen... But as they all say, "Live life to the fullest, do the things that you like the most and enjoy every single day as if it were your last." Anyways, I would like again to share to you this wonderful find I purchased last year during the 6th Christmas Toy Fair held at the SM Megamall, and this time, it's none other than a gashapon figure of Kamen Rider 2.


Kamen Rider 2 can be categorized as one of the most famous and legendary fictional characters ever to come out in the Japanese Tokusatsu television series Kamen Rider back in the early 1970's. The only difference between the first Kamen Rider and Kamen Rider 2 is the color scheme of their costumes for which it was modeled after a grasshopper (particularly the headgear that they're using.) Riding on those big, cool and classic motorcycles, these superheroes are out to stop the terror organization Shocker from dominating Japan and the entire world using their kick-ass fighting skills and martial arts until they deliver that final blow to the "enemy boss" using cinematic finishing moves at the end of every episode. It was with this and the other Kamen series of the 70's that brought forth a new generation of Super Sentai heroes that evolved over the decades which includes the likes of Bioman, Shaider, Power Rangers, Saban's Masked Rider and many others.


I happen to stumble upon this nice gashapon of Kamen Rider 2 at the stall of Akihabara Toys during the Toy Fair and it sure was nice to have one of these in my collection since Kamen Rider is all too familiar for someone like me who grew up in the 70's and 80's. I eventually did some low-light photography on the gashapon but I'm planning to come up with another set where you guys can get to see Kamen Rider 2 in full, clear detail. But for now I give you folks this small photo set and please do stay tuned for the others very soon. So until next time, stay safe always!


(*Click on the images for larger view and more photos inside)