10th Philippine Toy Convention 2011: Mission Accomplished!

My mission to attend my very first ToyCon event has been accomplished! It was truly an experience and somehow I have managed to make it through a mad crowd of enthusiastic toy collectors and cosplay lovers who came in droves and filled the entire three Megatrade Halls at the 5th Level of the SM Megamall even on its second and last day (June 19/Sunday), it was wild, crazy and very much tiring!... borrowing a quote from Resident Evil 3's Jill Valentine "... Somehow, I'm still alive..." According to ToyCon's Cholo Mallillin, the second day of the event summed up an attendance of 20,000 strong and no wonder this annual event is considered to be Asia's biggest toy convention to date.


The mere thought of having to escape the hustle and bustle of a huge crowd by going there on the second day wasn't really much of a good idea since it was literally filled to the rafters and it caused a huge frenzy even outside the premises of the event, and the mall's security personnel were having a bit of a hard time reminding the crowd of cosplayers and curious onlookers through their megaphones to clear the designated aisles for the other mall shoppers later that day. Having to arrive there shortly before lunch, the people inside were still manageable and not that crowded so I took the opportunity to take some photos for my blog and for my Facebook page and at the same time did a little toy hunting and shopping as well. Though it was a pity that I never got to purchase more stuff than what I had in my stash since the people started coming in and gradually we became like packed sardines in a can, and jumping from one booth to another was a struggle and you can't fully focus on the goods on display as well since people would bump into you from behind and you have to be mindful about your belongings... most especially your wallets! But nonetheless I still went home with a few souvenirs in tow to celebrate this first-timer's triumphant journey to the annual ToyCon event.


Despite having two sore legs and almost on the verge of collapsing from all the walking I did inside the venue, I can say it was truly worth it! Maybe I've learned a lesson or two from my first encounter with this recent convention and by the next ToyCon in 2012, I'm more prepared and I know now what to do next time so I can carefully map out my strategy in dividing my time for business and leisure. By the way guys, here are some of the photos I took during the event:


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

Bearbricks, Munnys, Dunnys and designer toys galore at the Secret Fresh booth

My next project: Plastic toy soldiers diorama

Ever since I was a kid I was fascinated with anything related to World War 2, and with it are the scale model kits like Hasegawa and Tamiya that became so popular with hobby enthusiasts back in the 1980's. But what attracted me most to these scale model kits are the ones that were already assembled, painted and displayed in all its intricate glory... most especially if they were placed in dioramas that depicted battle scenarios. But as a kid, the closest thing that I came to enjoying my scale model kits were assembling them with plastic cement... period. Never had the chance to buy myself enamel paints, paint brushes plus other stuff needed for this hobby, for one thing even back in the 80's, they were already very expensive, and second, I'm still a kid who's mindset was all scale model kits were toys though they were intended to be displayed and appreciated, nothing more, nothing less.


Looking back at the numerous scale model kits that I had (and lost as well due to reckless handling as a kid), there is this little feeling of regret and how I wished I never opened the kits and instead waited a few years (or more) before I can get to assemble and paint them with precision and care. Now that I'm nearing my late-30's, scale model kits are still very much around yet they are still, as always, pricey! As they all say "some things never change," and getting into this hobby of amateur toy photography only rekindled my lost enthusiasm for scale models and dioramas altogether. But this time, there are no detailed, intricately painted scale model figures involved nor pricey scale model sandbags, walls, barb wires, lamp posts or destroyed buildings that you commonly see in dioramas. All I need is my camera, a good corner somewhere in the house, good lighting and a bag full of these plastic toy soldiers you can buy for less than a hundred Pesos.


I started to take some photos of these plastic toy soldiers in "diorama" action earlier this evening as practice shots, and the set of photos you see below are just some of them. These are just samples and I'll be tweaking this setup a little bit more to make it more interesting and all I need is a couple of days to work on things before I finally get this project in full swing.


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