Third lot of June Transformers

Yesterday I checked the postbox, and in the week since I last checked it, there were four items waiting for me. (I was expecting a couple others, but must still be on their way... maybe next weekend)
(click on any image to see the full size version)

On the left is the big black Jetwing Optimus (a limited edition item in Japan).
In front of it are Gen1 Kabaya model kits (brightly coloured bits in bags).
In the middle is the JP Zombie/Terrorcon Cliffjumper from TFPrime (done in translucent purple plastic), and in front of it is it's Micron (which you have to build).
On the right at the front are the limited edition Dark Microns (also have to build).
And at the back are three BotCon art prints from the Hartmans (the founders of BotCon, and now have the Hall of Fame fan-vote award named after them).
The Tigatron was done by Dan Khanna for BotCon 2002 (each person was randomly given one of three prints, and now I have all three), while the other two prints were for the OTFCC "not BotCon" 2004 by Makoto Ono (I didn't go to that convention, so have had to acquire the exclusive items from other people).

A comparison pic of Dark Jetwing with the regular one, showing off how much shiny bits it has...

The odd thing about this figure was how it arrived.  When I removed the Jetwing box from the shipping carton, I found four small white boxes at the bottom.  Each one was fairly heavy and packed with something granular.
My first thought was drugs... which had me worried that I ended up being an unsuspecting drug mule for someone to later track down (or the police)...  so I opened one up and am just hoping that this is just kitty litter.

But even if it is kitty litter, the question is... why?  As you can see, the four packs total 1.8kgs in weight, which equals the weight of the toy itself (in the next photo).
So, until I get an answer back from the seller (if at all), I'm left wondering why it is there.  It meant paying more for shipping, but then how does that benefit the seller?  Could they have added it, fearing battery acid leakage? If so, there isn't enough in the toy's batteries to even make it outside of the toy itself, nor would it be expected to leak into the direction of those four packs... and be able to penetrate the cardboard before running out onto the shipping carton.

Back to Transformers... Zombie Cliffjumper.
In the TFPrime Cartoon, Cliffjumper becomes a zombie, and both Hasbro and TakaraTomy have done their own toy version to "homage" that.
Hasbro's is coming out in July at the SDCC, and will be more screen-accurate with red and purple highlights. TakaraTomy on the other hand did theirs entirely in translucent purple, as if he turned into Dark Energon.
They both use the Zombie Cliffjumper head (missing a horn and damaged), and I wanted to get this one because of the different colouring/plastic. (I like the occasional translucent Transformers toy)
Below is Zombie Cliffjumper next to the First Edition version (and the Micron in between).

I started putting stickers on the Zombie Cliffjumper, but stopped at just the arms, because I'm not sure if I want to be covering up large portions of the translucent plastic with black stickers.  I'll transform it to car mode, and decide... but for now, I'm leaving him as he is.

These are the four Shadow Microns, which are all in translucent smokey black plastic (and no stickers like the regular Microns).

And the other interesting items from this batch - the Gen1 Kabaya Model Kits.
These are from Japan, and appear to be released during the late 1980s. I couldn't find much info on these either, so am just guessing (hoping) that these are legit Transformers items.
The boxes don't say much, but do have "70yen" printed on the back, so if these were only about AU$1 each, it wouldn't have been too recently (supporting the claim that these are from the 80s).
Inside each box were a bag of toy bits (in one of several random colours apparently), an instruction sheet, and a piece of candy coated chocolate.

No, I didn't eat the chocolates.  The candy shell looks really weird, and the chocolate inside was snow white. These were after all, about 25 years old.

The Models done up in vehicle mode. VERY very bright colours.

And in their robot modes (the pieces are for both modes, with a few left over in the vehicle mode (above).

As you can see, the vehicle mode was the priority design with these, as the robot modes are quite deformed on each - Sideswipe's chest is upside-down, Optimus is a block that can't hold his gun to shoot it (he just holds it midway along the barrel as if he is just carrying it), Prowl's head is barely above the chest and holds his shoulder guns in his hands, while Starscream has the wings out the back and a big groin-piece.

Still very interesting, and a nice addition/sample to my collection of JP Transformers... especially since I've been collecting the recent Kabaya Models (so have had a growing interest in previous ones - which surprised me that they had been doing Transformers model kits since the original 1980s series).

Second lot of June Transformers

Okay, the second batch of Transformers for June.

Not a huge amount, but just a couple items from a quick trip to Carindale Westfield.

On the right is a Remote Controlled Bumblebee car (a loose end, not a high priority item), in the middle is a TF3 alarm clock (I need a new one), and on the left are Capsule figurines.


The Remote Controlled car is one of four released around the second Movie (2009-2010). The first two (small Bumblebee and Optimus) were fairly widely released.  The second pair (big Bumblebee and Barricade) were not as easy to find.  Bumblebee was only ever found at David Jones here (probably elsewhere, but no one reported it), while Barricade was not released here at all.  I was lucky enough to find Barricade last year in America, but neither was fairly well released in America (that I could see).
Since this one was so hard to find online, I was forced to buy it locally, at the hefty DJs price ($60 - compared to the US price of US$30). They had a pair sitting there for over a year (it was released in 2010), so I kept waiting until they'd drop the price on it.  They never did, and I missed a 20-30% off sale they had a couple months ago... so decided to just get the darn thing and be done with it.
These are the four Movie RC vehicles...

And just next to the smaller 2009 Bumblebee (which I thought was just a size-changed mould, but is indeed a different sculpt).  The controllers are obviously a lot different... and the bigger vehicles didn't do any sound effects, making the smaller pair a lot better.

The capsules were at a BigW, which were something people were finding at chemists and Caltex.
There are twelve in the set, blind-packed into plastic capsules, with a random sticker & jelly beans.
When I saw the case of 12 at BigW, I grabbed the entire case hoping that I'd get all 12 figurines, or at the very least, most of them.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
Of the 12 capsules, I only got 6 different ones, and only 3 different characters of the five available.
The case...

And opened, as it appeared at the store...

An example of what was inside one capsule...

And the total 12 figurines I got from the master case...

See, not a single darn Shockwave or Sentinel Prime, which were the two I wanted most because they were the ones that were new to TF3, so were more interesting than the three characters that had been around for the last 5 years.

And while I was there at BigW I saw a cheapish looking clock, which I need (have been relying on my phone for the last couple months).

Oh, and I "found" this Kre-O shelf-strip while at Carindale as well, to add to my collection...

First of the June Transformers

Now to catch up on the items that arrived during the first two weeks of June (as there are more in the mail that will arrive in the next week or two).

The first items to arrive for June was a few outstanding items.  One of which I didn't even realise existed, but would have bought it by now if I did.

In the middle is the latest of the Japanese Masterpiece toys - Starscream, with coronation cape and crown.

On the left is the JP Dark Nitro Convoy - a limited edition recolour of a toy I already had the two regular versions (see below).

And on the right is the white version of the JP Music Label Soundwave (an actual working MP3 Player).

Dark Nitro Convoy - I stumbled across this by accident last month while looking for Masterpiece Starscream, and after doing a bit of reading up on it (no thanks to the tfwiki.net site, which has "Americanised" all the JP characters and info, to the point that many characters including this one, is no longer listed on their site), I decided to buy it. Below is a photo of the Dark (Decepticon) version with the two previous (Autobot) Versions.

Music Label Soundwave - This was also a toy I already had two other colour versions of, but in this instance, I never intended to buy all three.  I originally bought the blue one as a "Classic" version of Soundwave, and didn't want to waste the money on two "oddly coloured" versions. Then I found a fairly cheap black version and referred to it as Soundblaster (which I think was it's unofficial name anyway). But as with all loose ends with me, I had to complete the set... and the white version was on my mental list, but never added to my written list (as it was low priority).
These are the three...

I have more photos of the MP Starscream to post up as well, but I haven't transformed it to jet mode yet, so will wait until I do that first.

May Transformers items

I can't believe I didn't post up my May items. I thought I had, and now looking over my recent postings, I can see why I was mistaken.
The late BotCon 2012 postings included in my Haul photos, the items I got in May (10 BotShots, 2 JP United toys).  And aside from the Collector Club Runamuck Toy, those were the only toys I got in May.
Then with me working on a small reorganising of the collection and overhauling/uploading recent BotCon Reports, I just totally lost track of what toys I was showing off.

So before I post up my June items, here's a quick look at the May toys.
When I returned home from BotCon on the 2nd of May, a box was waiting for me at the Post Office.  In it was:
Wave 2 single-pack BotShots (Mirage, Ratchet, Brawl, chase Bumblebee)
Wave 1 of the 3-packs (Sentinel Prime, Bumblebee, Prowl, Megatron, Nemesis Prime, Acid Storm)
and two JP United toys ((Gen2 Combat Hero) Megatron, Autobot Axalon)

Then around the middle of May I got this year's Membership figure - Runamuck.  Which is now with Runabout/Overrun, on the 2012 Club/BotCon shelf:

On the right, the white car is Runamuck, the black robot behind it is Runabout/Overrun.

I also grabbed some non-toy items that were on clearance at Kmart (still trying to get rid of all their Movie merchandise from last year)...

Some colour markers, a pencil case, a notepad & postit pad, shiny stickers, erasers, and puffy stickers.
Now I don't know if I want to use them, or store them away...

Eating Challenge Training

A couple of weeks ago, a friend at work told me about a restaurant chain in Australia that has a Steak eating challenge (if you've been following the food posts on this blog, I've earned a reputation for excessive and/or unhealthy eating habits).  I was surprised to hear about it, and said I was interested.

So I looked it up, and the chain is called Outback Jacks, with locations in several states around Australia.

Actually, the more I read through the site and its menu, the more I realised that THIS was what the "Australian" themed restaurant chain in America called Outback Steakhouse, SHOULD BE LIKE (not what the average American THINKS Australian food is).  I was actually quite surprised to see that the American Outback chain already has 6 outlets in NSW... with a menu similar to the American version.  It's like having something translated twice - the end result (in Australian restaurants) is more of a mutation of American food and Australian food (because there wasn't much "Australian" to start with in the American version).

But that's sidetracking a bit... but it should be noted that I've been to one of the American Outback restaurants, so know first-hand how un-Australian the food really is.

So, back to the local food challenge.

I'm always intrigued by unusual, creative food items, and when the word "challenge" is thrown around, it gets me competitively interested.

I looked up the menu for Outback Jacks, and found the steak challenge.

It requires you to eat a kilo of steak, with vegies and wedges (said to be half a kilo of each), within 30 minutes.  And if you succeed, you gain a reward that varies at different locations (and even times of the year - during July, you can compete for tickets to a football grandfinal).

As with any competitive event, I needed to see if I had a chance, and then if I thought I could do it, I'd need to do some "training".
Okay, it sounds like I'm having a bit of fun there, but training of the stomach and jaws is indeed necessary. I read some time ago, that certain record-holders of speed-eating challenges in America, would expand the size of their stomachs, by eating big meals leading up to an event. That's something I might need to do, but also, I found that the jaw muscles get tired, so need to get some chewing gum to build up the jaw muscles.

But the first step was seeing if I could eat anywhere near a kilo of meat. If I couldn't do that, I'd have no chance of finishing off a plate of meat, veges and potato. (it should be noted, that the menu states that the weights are pre-cooked weights... so the amount on the plate could be 10-20% less than that, from the cooking process)

So I had to find a big lump of (cheap) meat.  I could have bought a kilo of small cuts of meat, but there is something about seeing one big lump of meat, and seeing your eating progress as you slowly cut into it and devour it... little by little.
I bought a 2.1 kilo roast from Woolies, which was only about $10 per kilo.  To turn it into a steak, I did a deep cut on one side, and two deep cuts on the other (think of the letter M) and flattened it out to look like this...

It should be noted that the foil tray and plastic wrapping must have been included in the Woolies weighing, which is a bit deceptive, in that you end up paying for the extra weight (which for me was an extra $2).

Since it wasn't a round lump of meat, I didn't have to cook it for 2 hours (its recommended - an hour per kilo of meat), so I put it in the oven for an hour, which was a bit too much.  I wanted it medium rare, but it ended up being medium-well done.
Next to a 1.5 litre bottle...

 The cooking process also lost more weight to the meat, resulting in the loss of 300gm (about 15%).  Some stores inject water into their meats, to add to the weight you are paying, but I think this was probably a normal loss of moisture and juices.

I cooked that in the morning, but by the time I let it rest, and had to do some chores, I started eating some, but then realised that I didn't have enough time before work to finish it off, so I had to put it in the fridge and time myself after work.

That night, I reheated it in the oven, and took another photo to show the starting weight...

Now to see if I could eat it in 30 minutes, and if not, what weight can I eat in 30 minutes.

After 10 minutes, 352gms eaten...

After 20 minutes, 637gms eaten...

After 30 minutes, 897gms eaten...

I was surprised that it was taking this long (for me that is). If the meat had been medium rare (easier to chew), and didn't have the odd bit of gristle, I could probably have that amount eaten within 20 minutes (remember, the kilo meat would only be about 900gms after being cooked). The vegies and wedges shouldn't take as long.  My jaw was tired though, so I definitely need to toughen the muscles up with chewing gum.
Anyway, I kept going to see how long it would take to eat the rest.

After 40 minutes, 1,037gms eaten...

After 45 minutes, 1,146gms eaten...

And just on 50 minutes, it was all gone. (all 1.287 kilos)

After the 30 minute mark I started using sauces, as the taste of meat was starting to make me nauseous.
But the good thing was that the stomach wasn't full... I just have to get the speed up. (hence the training)

So sometime in July, I should be trying out this challenge, and post up photos here.

My BotCon 2007 Report is now back online

Completely overhauled, this one took a week to redo... and there are still a lot of sections I didn't re-read because of how time-consuming (distracting) it was getting.

I had to change (retrofit) the format to match the format of the 5 after this one, for familiarity, and to work with later when I do up an index page for the entire Archive.

The 2007 trip was one of the more interesting of my BotCons, as it was the first one that incorporated other tourist things on the way... with a 2 day stay in New York, thanks to a friend of mine (from Melbourne) I was staying with while over there.  Normally I don't have the extra money or time off work, and usually I'd be too worried about organising it and stuffing it up. This was at least the push I needed, and since it worked so well, it inspired me to try to work it into later trips if it were possible.

Here's the link to the 2007 Adventure.

The next one I do up might be a while, because I didn't go to 2006 (so have to create something from online sources), and both 2004 & 2005 were never completed (so require a lot of work to finish), while 2003 and earlier were done in a very small, simple format that will require extensive overhauling before I can upload them and use them.

My BotCon 2008 report is back online

Back when I had a server host with minimal storage space, I had to remove my BotCon reports before uploading another one, as they were just soooo huge with all the photos and info.
Moving to a new server host a couple years ago, I never re-uploaded my old reports, because I wanted to update them first and maybe even create an archive, or reference/index page of the major details & pictures.

While the last BotCon is still fresh in my mind (and having a short break after spending 2-3 weeks doing it), I've been inspired to update (overhaul the layout) the recent ones that are still on my server, plus, to start adding in previous ones that weren't currently online.

So the last three have been sitting on the current server, and last week I updated and transferred across from the old server the 2009 report.  Yesterday I finished overhauling the 2008 report and also updated it to my server.

The links...

2012 - Dallas, Texas

2011 - Pasadena, California

2010 - Orlando Disney, Florida

2009 - Pasadena, California

2008 - Cincinnati, Ohio

I'll overhaul and upload the 2007 report next, because it was completed, but I'm a bit stuck as to what to do after that. That's because I wasn't at the 2006 convention (so would only be able to post up what I got from other fansites), and I didn't complete the 2005 or 2004 reports due to posting everything on our new messageboard (I left it for later, but never got around to it).  The reports before that (1999-2003) would also need the most extensive work to overhaul, as I was more fan than reporter back then.
Maybe I might do the index after the 2007 report, to see if it makes it easier.

If you find any images missing, or links within the reports not working, please let me know.