Realm of Darkness 2024 Wrap Up

 

 It has been about a week since this Blog posted anything which may appear unusual considering Realm of Darkness recent pace, and it has to do with me returning to my Hometown for end year family gathering. 

Anyway in this post I would like to do some wrap up for Realm of Darkness in 2024 just like what I did several times before. For those who kept visiting this blog, I would like to thank you as this blog will not flourish without the visitors support. 2024 is quite a big deal for me as I found some semblance of stability in my job thus It also reflects with this Blog's productivity as well. 

Took me around 13 years to surpass my highest Blog Posts yearly record back in 2011 when I was still doing my College degree at Sydney and overall I am quite satisfied with the quality of my Blog posts this year which tend to have more short posts but 2024 probably saw some of the most extensive articles that Realm of Darkness ever brought up.

My proudest achievement for Realm of Darkness in 2024 would be settling some of my old debts as well as completing some of my personal projects from finishing my Final Gear, Sakura Taisen 2 and Kannazuki no Mechatalk then completing my Lufia series journey and making Lufia 2 Full Article. Lastly I am also happy that Realm of Darkness Review section getting some revival even though I don't really have enough time for a Full Fledged reviews that I used to do.

Realm of Darkness has existed for more than a decade as a repository for my pop culture passion which are always been Mecha and High Fantasy with many things in between. I never care about this Blog's monetization since it is never the purpose but If anyone could found something worthwhile to read at this blog, It will be my pleasure. As for 2025, I will try keep this Blog's productivity around the same level with this year as well as completing some more Mechatalk projects starting with Super Mecha Champion and hopefully some of ther Sakura Taisen 4 main heroines articles could be finished in near future.

Considering Blogger's chat system are rather antiquated , I never expect the blog will have many interactions. But if anyone have particular request for Blog Posts or any feedbacks, feel free to leave a reply in this post.

Genshin Impact Nendoroid Doll Venti Song of the Wind

 Just as Genshin slowly pick up the slack from their hubris over past 3 years, Of all things we got ourselves a Nendoroid Doll for Anemo Archon, Venti! Dubbed under Song of the Wind title, Nendoroid Venti is scheduled for October 2025 release with 11500 Yen Price Tag.

 A rather peculiar choice by Mihoyo to decide for new Genshin Impact Product which feature Venti in his casual outfit. Considering Genshin Impact is still in intense drought merchandise phase due to mismanagement by the Genshin team for quite some time. And of all characters, Mihoyo decide to pick Mondstadt character that is not particularly the most popular anymore given the current size of the roster of Genshin Impact. Nevertheless the outfit design that Mihoyo decide to give upon Venti is intricate which will certainly attract female demographics of Genshin Fanbase which serve as the majority of Nendoroid Doll lineup anyway. Hopefully this random GSC Genshin merchandise do show Mihoyo's intention to pick up the slack and release more Genshin merchandise in faster pace especially the figma lineup.

SRW OG Super Minipla Astranagant

 Never thought Bandai is so invested toward SRW OG series as the Super Minipla are kept coming! Of all SRW Mecha, Bandai decided to throw a whopping surprise P-Bandai stuff for the keeper of Void, Astranagant! Considering this guy is one of this blog's mascot, I am not going to overlook this guy and make a featured article for him. Scheduled for May 2025 Release, Super Minipla Astranagant will be sold for 22000 Yen Price Tag

Not exactly SRWOG this time considering Astranagant only ever make proper appearance in SRW Alpha, but Who cares with this very cool sinister looking mecha getting a proper physical product! As expected with P-Bandai SRW Minipla, just like Banpreios, Bandai did a very impressive job in replicating Astranagant's gimmick that Kotobukiya even unable to reach a decade ago, Ranging from tons of effect parts for Astranagant's signature attack from the Gun Slave to its iconic Ain Soph Aur finisher. Truly Astranagant is one of the underused cool looking mecha which perhaps future SRW OG remake could address this issue. I will still patiently wait a finished product action figure and hopefully the candidate like Sentinel didn't charge a Kidney for it. Lastly Bandai actually go completionist route for Ingram as R-Gun Rivale and Wildschwein was available as P-Bandai Minipla which could be featured some other day.

Early December 2024 Loot

  A rather modest Acquisitions compared to the usual time since this one arrived around early this month while the bulk of the Hauls will be coming in few days. Overall Pretty solid hauls which remained aligned with this Blog's interest in Mechas. Got myself couple of SMC Qbricks since I am considering additional review material when the Game inevitably closes down which is within 4 weeks of time.

The best of the haul are no doubt the Pumpkin Princess Mecha Musume which I will look forward to Unbox and couple of 52 Toys and 30 MF which my local distributor had trouble securing the products lately. I also finally got my copy of Hexagear Bui Tohru which definitely will take some time to be assembled given my current backlog. For the rest of the hauls, I will probably assign it in January loot post.

Warhammer 40k Space Marine Secret Level

 
 Short Animation videos are not something that I usually discuss but given this one's special circumstances, this will be an exception. It has been 5 years since Astartes Fan Video came out which is a literal touch of magic that brings forth 40k Universe into full life and we haven't got anything ever since as the Animator was brought into the fray by Games Workshop themselves.

Fast Forward to end of 2024, we got ourselves a Short animation video of Warhammer 40k featuring Ultramarines as part of Amazon Prime Secret Level series. For those 40k Fans who loved Astartes video will be on a whole lot of a treat because the Astartes animator contribute to this series where you get to see a full glimpse what a 40k Space Marine is capable of.

Separated into two parts, Space Marine Secret Level features an animation narrating a particular mission that Captain Titus takes which requires him escort a psyker and accompanied by 3 Battle Brothers. The viewers will get to see Captain Titus and his squads pitted against Chaos Cultists in the first part and Chaos Sorcerer in the second one. These Two parts video served a good contrast to showcase what a Space Marine is capable of possessing a power akin to Demigods yet show their limitations at the same time against the horrors that lurk in 40k Universe. This Space Marine Secret level is a good signal that Games Workshop are planning something very big in store in near future and Top Tier animation featuring Astartes animation is just part of it. As much as western pop culture are in decline, Warhammer 40k is still shining brightly as the ultimate male power fantasy and the fanbase will do play a part to prevent this series to be corrupted by Slaanesh worshippers.

Saint Seiya Figuarts Zero Touche Metallique Sagittarius Seiya

 
 I don't post much Saint Seiya too much in this blog since Realm of Darkness focus more on Mecha and High Fantasy stuff instead of mainstream Shonen. But from time to time if there are noteworthy stuff I will still share one. Bandai's Saint Cloth Myth might not be produced so much lately which cause the aftermarket price remains consistently high. But In a rare occassion, Saint Seiya got a Figuarts Zero featuring Seiya in Sagittarius Gold Cloth! Scheduled for December 2024 release, FZ0 Seiya will be sold for 20000 Yen Price tag.

Bandai rarely make Scale Figure for Saint Seiya series but perhaps for some reason they want to offer a substitute for Saint Seiya Fanbase to consider apart from existing products such as Tsume Studio. Since I am not exactly very well versed in Saint Seiya series, all I can say is that FZ0 Sagittarius Seiya offers a Dynamic Pose version of the main character in his Shiny Gold Saint Cloth which even the original SCM unable to achieve, certainly a good item for collectors who just want a very good showpiece in their collections. Recently Blokees do release several Saint Seiya products but so far it would not be a serious competition with Bandai until they are making a product with Diecast parts.

Genshin Impact Apex Toys 1/7 Ganyu Plenilune Gaze

 
 Most likely the last Review for Realm of Darkness for this year before 2025 and I have considered several candidates before but end up choosing Ganyu 1/7 PVC Figure from Apex Toys. I got this Ganyu figure around this time last year and did some photoshots for her early this year on Instagram.

 In my opinion, this Cryo Half Qilin waifu, Ganyu is still the best waifu from Genshin Impact to this day which is quite a feat considering Cryo team has plenty of Top Tier waifus to choose from including Citlali from Natlan which will be joining Genshin as playable character in 2 weeks, With her gentle and caring personality, It is not hard to see Ganyu being a fan favorite including myself and this Cocogoat had remained my steadfast Main since early 2022 and she still nukes many enemies easily that are not immune to Cryo Element.

I picked Ganyu as the review candidate in this timing as my way to celebrate her birthday which is on December 2nd early in this month.As for myself, I am still waiting for her Figma or any 1/12 equivalent action figure which are not anytime soon given Mihoyo's Department for Genshin are rather out of touch to this day. Perhaps this time's review will be as basic as it gets since I am highly considering some retake sessions with proper setups once I moved to a larger place.

SRW OG HG Ashsavior

 Bandai took their time with this Personal Trooper's product prototype for some reason, but finally we got the picture reveal for HG Model Kit Ashsaver / Ashsavior! This is quite a big deal because It took about 20-25 years for one of the cooler SRW Real Robot to ever get a proper physical product and it certainly worth celebrating! Scheduled for June 2025, HG Ashsavior will be sold for 4500 Yen.

My first exposure with Ashsavior is in GBA SRW OG2 where this Mecha is a secret unit that Lamia could obtain if Players managed to meet the criteria. But I only got the opportunity to use Ashsavior in SRW A Portable because it was my first pick with Axel as my main character and that game is such a bad experience to spend with this cool mech. In SRW OG, Ash Savior is an Elite Mecha used by Shadow Mirror faction which had its armaments named after melee weapons with Automated weapon called Sword Breaker being its strongest armament. 

Unfortunately Ashsavior is completely overshadowed by other Shadow Mirror Mechas like Soulgain and Vysaga just because it is a mere Real Robot. However with Ashsavior's release, I felt optimistic that Laz Angriff which is SRW expy for Dougram could make it as well while Sentinel will handle the Super Robot department. On last note, the recently discussed Kainar Asytac did bear many resemblance with Ashsavior which is not likely a coincidence and I will see the comparison myself when I have both on my collection.

52 Toys Beastbox Mechabeast BMM-01 Psychotrain

 Another Great Beastbox creation by 52 Toys and this one even transcends the usual format! Beastbox has been always very interesting Toy Product that features Mechanized Animals that has neat transformation gimmick to compact cubes. This time 52Toys braving themselves to venture into new area by introducing new Spinoff lineup called Mechabeast with the first one having a codename Psychotrain. Released for retail already, Mechabeast BMM-01 Psychotrain is sold for 50 USD Price tag.

Jinroh: The Wolf Brigade

 One of the IG Studio Classic anime movie that I only managed to watch recently. Back then I came upon this series called Jinroh from a short animation clip on youtube where a group of Elite Soldier heavily clad in Iconic Gas Mask and armed with MG42 mowed down a group of terrorists in Tokyo's sewer with ruthless efficiency. Overall Jinroh is a good movie but not the exact thing I am expected to get for its genre.

Taken place in alternate future of Post WW2 Japan, There is a Counter Terrorist Elite Special Task Force called Wolf Brigade that watched over Tokyo. What I expected to be an Action packed movie turns out to be a Slice of Life with Suspense thriller. The plot of this Jinroh movie is basically the aftermath story of a member of a particular young and talented Wolf Brigade member after witnessing a young girl blowing up herself in a successful Counter Terrorist operation and his immediate encounter with another young girl who bears resemblance with the one that he witnessed her death.

Overall Jinroh Movie is a good movie-length anime that properly wrapped up its story properly within the time duration it is given, though I felt that there are more things could be done with Jinroh. What I expected to be a full action movie ends up to be Counter-espionage Suspense Thriller which somehow did worked out. Seriously the Wolf Brigade Kerberos Panzer Armor design is a Top Notch for a modern period Elite Soldier especially for the Terror Factor. Practicality issues aside, The Jinroh Squad is certainly not the sort of enemies you would like to face with its imposing Jet black armor and Iconic Gas mask which seemingly hid a savage beast inside signifying  its status as Ruthless efficient killing machine. I am still waiting for a proper Action figure collectible for Jinroh's Kerberos Panzer Armor and in the future I might even consider the Korean movie adaptation if felt eager enough to spend some time on it.

Girls Frontline 2: Exilium

 Not long after one week since the release in early December, I gave a try with Thus new hottest Triple A Gacha Game released on Global server, Girls Frontline 2: Exilium. This game definitely live up to the hype from its fanbase and I do find myself have an easier time to enjoy this game compared to Nikke. Finally I find something that can serve as a good gateway to GFL series with this fancy production value. Seriously Exilium have some really good 3D models which are very crisp and will give even Genshin a run for their money. 

Mospeada Riobot 1/48 AB-01H Tread

 Took quite sometime for Sentinel to release this after Legioss but Mospeada's Valkyrie Fighter buddy, AB-01H Tread is now available for Preorder. The COVID Pandemic definitely play a part for this guy's release delay for up to 5 years. The hype definitely have cooled down significantly after such a long time and the odds aint good, but Sentinel still fulfilled their end of bargain to release Legioss best partner. Scheduled for July 2025, 1/35 Tread will be sold for 42000 Yen Price Tag.

Gladiator 2

 
 The year 2000 Gladiator Movie no doubt is one of the most memorable movie over past 25 years and this year, Hollywood attempted to revive the Legacy of  Rome with the help of Ridley Scott once again. As a result Gladiator 2 Movie come out on Winter 2024 as sequel of this legendary blockbuster movie which come with obvious mixed results. Overall Gladiator 2 is a decent movie, but compared to its predecessor, it is completely didn't lived up to for many reasons.

Joytoy Warhammer 40k Dark Angels 1/18 Lion El Johnson Review

 
 Today is a rather special occassion, thus I think it is the right time for me to churn out some of my Joytoy Warhammer 40k collections in this blog. For this one of the fastest growing Warhammer 40k collectible Review series, I will start with the Primarch of Dark Angels, Lion El Johnson! 

Firstly, I feel that kickstarting this Joytoy 40k review series with a Primarch will be a good one and I feel the Primarch of the first Loyalist First Founding Space Marine Chapter, Lion El Johnson is the most fitting candidate despite he is not the first Primarch that I obtained ! In terms of personality and MBTI I happen to be the most similar with Lion even though I developed a personal admiration toward Perturabo and Konrad Curze. Even So, Lion has plenty of admirable qualities that many can look up to such as a very strong conviction to to the right thing and his Unwavering Loyalty towardEmperor of Mankind because he saw his Father really devote himself for betterment of mankind.

As for Joytoy rendition of the Dark Angels Primarch, the sculpt quality is unquestionable and probably some of the best that Joytoy devote for their Warhammer 40k Lineup. While there are still Minor hiccups such as unremovable sidearms and mediocre articulations, Joytoy Lion El Johnson is still a truly well made Collectors product and a worthy addition for Dark Angels fans. In near future I will probably follow up with some group shots for Lion with his Dark Angels Retinue.

Fate/Grand Order Nendoroid Rider Iskandar

 It has been more than a decade since Fate/Zero airing and It took another 9 years after FGO JP released that we got to see one of the old friend from Fate series make it as Nendoroid. Easily one of the popular character from Fate/Zero, Rider Iskandar aka Alexander the Great finally make it as Nendoroid along with Waver Zhuge Liang! Scheduled for June 2025 release, Figma Iskandar comes in Regular and DX version which will be sold for 7300 and 11800 Yen respectively.

For a 4500 Yen price difference, Iskandar got himself a Bucephalus as the extra accessory. But for a Price tag that almost cost as much as a Figma, Nendoroid Iskandar feel rather not worth it. Probably it has to do with Japan's weakening economy but back then we probably could have got the Chariot of Heaven as extra accessory for this kind of price 6-7 years ago. Consdering even Lartoria and her Alter DX version was still under 10000 Yen with their steed as accessory. With Iskandar got his Nendoroid, I think Berserker Lancelot still have a good shot too given he had even more collectibles before. Even if I feel this one rather overpriced, Might considering getting this one if Iskandar happened to be the GSSR that I got in the upcoming new year lucky bag.

Hexagear 1/24 Veloce

 
 From time to time, Kotobukiya have some really good release for their Hexagear lineup and now it is one of those moment after V-thors. After the Prototype revealed couple months ago, Kotobukiya finally announced the preorder for one of their sleekest Hexagear mechs yet! Dubbed under simple name Veloce, this Hexagear will be scheduled for May 2025 release with 12000 Yen Price tag.

Warhammer 40k Joytoy 1/18 Imperial Knights House Terryn Quaestoris Paladin

  Joytoy really gets the ball for Warhammer 40k rolling in 2023 and deliver even more this year! If they felt their Knockout punches are not enough with this year's Primarchs Action figure release, before 2024 Ended Joytoy packed another wallop that truly exceed expectations! If you think Dreadknights are very big, here comes even bigger player which is Imperial Knights from the House of Terryn! Standing over 50 cm tall this one will be sold for 700 USD Price tag with June release schedule.

I am not particular well-versed in 40k Titans fluff, but apparently Imperial Knights or Quaestor Imperialis are not exactly considered as Titans despite their size already count as Monstrous Creatures. These massive warchines are probably the exact counterpart of real life Medieval Knights and their mighty steeds as the Pilots of these Imperial Knights had their particular Chivalric code and seek glory in the battlefield. The particular model of the Imperial Knights that we got is from House Terryn which roughly similar to Ultramarines in terms of code of conduct.

Seriously for a 40k Collector product, this is one of the best you can get so far if you have disposable income. For its massive size, it looks really great unlike the Nemesis Dreadknight which can be offputting for some people. The prototype of this product had been revealed quite some time ago but I think Joytoy had addressed the Joint issues that this massive behemoth of 40k Collectible. If I had been an Imperial Knight fans, I would have gotten this one in heartbeat since it comes with Cockpit gimmick. But given my current circumstances which kinda lack storage space, I will reserve my budget for something more tame like Militarum assorted Support vehicle. Wouldn't be surprised if something like Baneblade got released someday. To wrap up this article, I will leave the size reference of this unit which comes with the Princeps pilot

Frame Arms Girl Wilber Nine

 
 Another Mecha Musume model kit by Kotobukiya from the adaptation of their Frame Arms series. This time it is the Motorcycle mecha Wilber Nine which gets the turn to get the Frame Arms Girl model kit! Scheduled for May 2025, Frame Arms Girl Wilber Nine will be sold for 8998 Yen.

I am a always big sucker for Motorcycle power armor ever since I watched Mospeada and Wilber Nine certainly got the gimmick that catches my attention. Just like its original counterpart, Frame Arms Girl Wilber Nine armor parts capable of transforming into Motorcycle which 1/12 Scale Mecha Musume can ride. However this Frame Arms Girl Wilber Nine comes with one glaring issues and it is the main armaments weapon of choice. In the original Frame Arms version, Wilber Nine wield three sets of Long Dagger like weapon like Fate series Black Keys as its main armament. However the Frame Arms Girl counterpart make this particular version into an awkward Three sectioned wristblades that looked somewhat similar to Nargacuga wings which obviously look weird on modern style mecha. Nevertheless this glaring particular issues can be still fixed somewhat easily and I am looking at MSG Photon Rifle as a prime candidate.

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid

 Haven't watched many anime over past few months due to real life commitments, but finally give this series called Kobayashi San Chi no Maid Dragon a watch. Slice of Life is not exactly my cup of tea,  given the similarity of this series with a particular anime that I used to watch, Kobayashi's Maid Dragon is surprisingly an easy watch.

Kobayashi San Chi no Maid Dragon or Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid is what Nyaruko will be if the main casts are swapped from Cosmic Horrors into Dragons. This sort of series had a main premise is the mundane's protagonists daily life turned into an exciting one with a devoted waifu from another universe living with them. 

In Kobayashi's Maid Dragon, the main protagonist, Miss Kobayashi got a Dragon waifu named Tohru who turned herself into devoted maid, coming from parallel side of the world and helped herself to live in with Kobayashi after a fateful meeting. Kobayashi Maid Dragon selling point had to be the Dragons casts just like Nyaruko who are extraplanar beings turning themselves into Humans to enjoy the entertainments that Japanese Pop Culture industry had to offer because the latter is superior after all. Overall I can still stomach Kobayashi Maid Dragon despite my aversion to Slice of Life and It doesn't have Pop Culture jokes that Nyaruko had, because the Dragon casts are quite amusing especially Lucoa with her Onee-san antics. As such I will continue watching Kobayashi Maid Dragon's Second Season as well as keeping a tab for the new animation project which apparently will be around on 2025.

Aniplex Berserker Morgan 1st Ascension

 Of all Japanese hobby manufacturers, Aniplex gotta be the one with highest PVC Figure count for FGO series so far given it is Sony's subdivision in charge of Anime related products and close proximity with FGO Franchise. While FGO is already in its slow burn phase, soon enough Aniplex released yet another PVC Figure for Berserker Morgan in her 1st Ascension with the pose of sitting on her throne. Scheduled for February 2026, Aniplex PVC Figure for Morgan Berserker will be sold for 18700 Yen.

While this product is not particularly expensive for today's PVC Figure standard, Aniplex is putting rather lazy treatment for one of the most popular Servant in FGO. Arguably the highest selling point for this product got to be Morgan's throne. Morgan's throne might serve as good prop if you have sizable FGO collection, as it plays crucial role in Avalon Le Fae and always seen in Morgan's Noble Phantasm, Roadless Camelot where Morgan used it to control the Rhongomyniad in her possessions. As much as I am interested with Morgan's throne, I don't think I am too eager to get this one since I am still waiting other manufacturer's take on Morgan like Alter since I am quite confident Summer Morgan will get a good PVC Figure in near future,

Earnestcore Craft Rosado 1/10 - Star Flower Black Iris

 
 Apart from mecha model kits, Chinese Manufacturer is very quick at closing the gap with Japan when it comes to Mecha Musume product. Famed for their Robot build product, now it is the turn for Earnestcore Craft to flex their skill in Mecha Musume and they come up with Rosado 1/10 Black Iris. Scheduled for Q2 2025, Earnestcore Rosado 1/10 Black Iris will be sold for 335 RMB.

Sluban Super Mecha Champions Brick Model - Hurricane Sonic Rocket Review

 All good things must come to an end eventually and Sluban Super Mecha Champions Full Brick model shall end with the Hurricane in SS-Rank Sonic Rocket skin as the final review! At least I am glad to complete this Review series before SMC Server officially closedown thus part of my sendoff contribution for SMC is finished. 

I picked Hurricane as the final review candidate for Sluban SMC Brick Model series because it is one of the two SMC Brick Model that came in alternate Skin apart from Ranger with its Safeguard Skin. Hurricane is also probably one of the most ambitious attempt by Sluban for SMC series as its Top Heavy Bipedal design do have its share of challenges for a Physical product. Ultimately Sluban failed to deliver with this one despite it is not their fault as it has difficulty to stand properly without proper base support considering this is probably the most expensive Sluban product from SMC that probably rivalled only by Hotsteel. 

Regardless of its glaring flaw, Sluban SMC Hurricane is still a good display piece that comes with Transform gimmick and you will still have fun time constructing this 1000+ block count brick model.

Gagharv Mobile: Tears of Vermilion Chapter Clear

 It has been about a month since I picked up Gagharv Mobile. Some rough landing in the early parts aside, Gagharv Mobile is actually quite a pleasant ride for Old-Time Falcom fans who wish to revisit the classic trilogy storyline. Few days ago I have managed to complete the Tears of Vermilion storyline and overall I am quite pleased with the end of my journey. At first I have my misgivings for relatively obscure Japanese JRPG IP to be picked up by a Korean Dev but for the Tears of Vermilion storyline, It turns out to be quite a faithful adaptation of the series as the key moments are executed exactly the same way with the PSP version.

This article will serve as afterthoughts covering the finale part of Gagharv Mobile adaptation of Tear of Vermilion chapter as well as highlighting some of the moments in the storyline which I consider noteworthy from this classic JRPG. So I would recommend fellow readers to stay away if you are still interested to witness the journey of this particular Chapter of Gagharv Trilogy for yourself.

Eddas Technology 1/100 Asgard

 China Model Kits might not have caught up with Bandai's Gunpla when it comes to playability, But they certainly could make some cool looking designs even if they are still not the most original ones. Coming from a manufacturer called Eddas Technology, China hobby industry now have a counterpart with Full Armor Thunderbolt Gundam simply under Asgard callname. Scheduled for December 2024 release , this is yet another 1/100 Scale Model kit that comes with Diecast Frame and will be sold for 199 RMB.

Canned Squad Unit 004 005 006

Chinese take on Gundam Ensemble, Canned Squad unit has made its return! This time they release another three sets which are another variants from the first batch which consisted of Barking Hound, Super Gauntlet and Chariot. Just like the previous batch, these units will be sold for 49 RMB each with Q1 2025 release schedule.

Baichuan got some really cool looking prototypes in their weibo which are mostly Gundams. But due to legal reasons we will just get these CSU units for now. In the second batch we got ourselves a Flight Type and  Dive type Barking Hound which looks more like GM/Jesta this time and heavily armed Super Gauntlet accompanied by construction type Chariot units which come as a set apparently. In terms of accessories I think the Manufacturer tried to be more generous this time considering the first CSU are relatively barebone when it comes to accessories. In any case I am willing to support this one so that we get to see the Baichuan make conversion of their Gundam prototypes which got some Gundam Seed stuff.

Super Mecha Champions Mechatalk: Part 1

 
 As we still got about less than 2 months before Super Mecha Champions shut down due to Netease's neglect, As promised I will be making SMC Mechatalk articles within the limited timeframe to preserve anything noteworthy that ever created in this series. I would expect the Super Mecha Champion Mechatalk will span over 4-5 articles as I will make some for the Mechas and the Pilot as well.

In this first part of SMC Mechatalk, I will be covering the Six Mechs of the Starter characters which are Arthur, Firefox, Caramel, Andromeda, Hot Steel and Skylark which I will include the noteworthy skins and any concept Art that I got. Considering these mechas have been around since the inception of SMC series, they tend to be the receiving end of generous amount of skins by the dev and there are plenty of Good SS Skins belong to this group. In my personal opinion, the Top 3 Mech with best skin in this batch are Arthur, Skylark and Hot Steel in this particular order and slightly regretted that I didn't spend more for the Fancy skins when I had the chance.

Nuke Matrix Cyber Forest Fantasy Girl: Bat Sonic Blast Attacker Maria Strauss

 Another great looking Mecha Musume coming from Nuke Matrix, the same manufacturer with the Mad Wolf product. This one is a futuristic Bat themed Mecha Musume called Bat Sonic Blast Attacker which got plenty of cool gimmicks as expected from Chinese manufacturers. Scheduled for Q1 2025, Nuke Matrix Bat Sonic will be sold for 188 RMB but surprisingly over 14000 Yen for Japan market.

Sluban Super Mecha Champions Brick Model - Ranger Safeguard Review

 Super Mecha Champions demise may have been set in place with Netease total neglect, but it doesn't mean that you can't stop enjoying this series and appreciate whatever things that this already had. This time I will present you the 6th of the 7 Sluban SMC Brick Model Review. This time I am proudly Ranger in its Safeguard Skin version, 1 out of the 2 Sluban SMC variants that were made in their alternate skin. If you have followed my blog, you will likely know that Ranger is my first Sluban Brick Model that I got for SMC and the rabbit hole goes down further from that point on. 

Out of the 7 Sluban SMC Brick model that I obtained, Ranger was the cheapest one. But it comes with somewhat decent transformation gimmick that turns the unit into car just like the unit's gimmick in the game. Considering this one of the last few Reviews for this particular series, this one obviously got something more special included in the review.

November 2024 Loot

 A very sumptuous haul that come around early this month with some Heavy duties from P-Bandai stuff!. Also this month's loot is yet another reminder how far Chinese hobby industry have progressed because they easily provide values for their products that are multiple times higher compared to the Japanese counterpart. 

Hemoxian Tastier and Fruity Robo model kit are easily the eyecatcher in this one. Certainly they are very difficult to ignore with its value for money when they are Big box product under 400 RMB Price tag that could give 1/100 Scale gunpla a run for their money. FYI Joytoy Leman Russ are still more expensive even when those two combined. I also got several heavy duty for Joytoy as well in this batch with the Rome Legion box set which are surprisingly small in size but will still look forward for the unboxing opportunity.

The main star of the batch are no doubt the P-Bandai RoDa FA Hyakushiki and Amuro Dijeh which combined values easily surpassed the rest of the loots in this batch, yet they end up with modest box size. I also got myself a MG Hyaku Shiki clear as the bonus on the side because I am a Lieutenant Quattro fanboy after all since SRW MX and got to complete a set with another recent collection as shown below. Lastly if anyone wonders what is inside the Top red box, it is 3rd party Yoroiden action figure for Ryo made by Dasin which I will look forward to compare with my armor plus.

Fate/Grand Order Lostbelt 6 Avalon Le Fae Clear

Took me more than a year to complete this particular supposed peak of FGO Lostbelt chapters. But as I did promise to myself when I got Arcueid in FGO 7^th anniv and LB7 is looming over, I decided to clear Lostbelt 6 Avalon Le Fae over past 2 weeks. Actually, I would have made this sort of FGO article for LB5.2 if Olympus was not an utter disappointment compared to LB 5.1 Atlantis which remains to be my personal favorite for the abundant Heroism from the casts in that one.

Overall, I felt Lostbelt 6 is a drag to finish with pacing issues all over again despite it has some good moments which are not utilized to the fullest. But given this particular Lostbelt chapter has great significance with Morgan, easily one of the most popular waifu in FGO and personal favorite as well. I decided to make a full fledged article in regards to my experience with this supposed High points in FGO.

Precursor Kainar Cangdao Models 1/100 ASY-TAC Fronteer

 10-15 years ago, Before their Hobby industry flourished, China had a rather interesting model kit called Precursor Kainar which resemble Gundam Model kit. After Dussack getting the gorgeous Diecast makeover by Cangdao last year, It is the turn for the Posterboy from the original lineup, Asytac Fronteer getting the next Diecast Product by Cangdao. Obviously just like Dussack, Cangdao take on Asytac is fully armed to the teeth in Diecast glory. This one is scheduled for Q2 2025 with 650 RMB price tag.

Zeta Gundam G-Frame Psyco Gundam

 Looks like Bandai G-Frame Candytoys lineup is doing well enough that they are making some big stuffs. If Robot Damashi got Big Zam as P-Bandai Limited, G-Frame is getting another Mobile Armor and it is no other than Psyco Gundam from Zeta Gundam! Scheduled for April 2025 release, G-Frame Psyco Gundam will be sold for 14960 Yen! 

Easily triple the price of the regular HG Kit before next spring's revision, G-Frame Psyco truly make itself a collector item. This one comes with an exclusive inner frame to suit its massive size and still have the transformation gimmick available which is quite something. While G-Frame Psyco appears overpriced for regular gunpla collector, this product definitely prove its worth for the collector. Over the time I do grow some appreciation toward this sort of gigantic Mobile Armor and still looking for a suitable collectible. G-Frame is certainly beyond my strike zone since I am not exactly a G-Frame collector and might settle for repainted HG or GFF if the latter is still around. Speaking of candy toys, I do have Psyco MkII Converge which I reviewed before which is probably the reason I start to take interest on these massive Warmachines in Gundam universe.

Fate/Grand Order Furyu Scathach 3rd Ascension Prize figure

 A Review from my past backlog that I reserved for celebrating 7th year in FGO Gacha hell! Another of those old Photoshots from 3-4 years ago that got delayed review due to slow slightly being burnt out at that time, but I am still glad that I could reserve a timing to release it someday. 

Scathach is one of my favorite servants and still remain my Top 5 even if she got overshadowed by Morgan and thus I do have couple of her collectibles including a premium PVC figure. When Furyu still make FGO Prize figures, Scathach in her 3rd Ascension is one of them considering being one of the most popular servants in FGO early years. Obviously as prize figure, the product quality never surpass the premium one but Shishou's prize figure overall has a solid quality for its class. Perhaps in near future I will do more reviews for my FGO collection which still have many unopened.

Nikke Figma Scarlet

 Goddess of Victory: Nikke has been on a roll lately with their 2nd year Anniversary and that also includes their Merchandise department! After Figma Alice and Hyper Body Modernia, It is the turn for the popular Goddess Squad Nikke Swordsman, Scarlet comes in Figma format. Scheduled for October 2025 release, Figma Scarlet will be sold for 14800 Yen.

A rather expensive price tag for Figma, but Scarlet Accessories is quite elaborate for this lineup. Scarlet is one of the member of Legendary Nikke Squad called the Goddess Squad who left monumental legacy among Nikkes in the fight against Rapture. The version of the Scarlet that the Figma being made is her regular one who had more laid back personality who prefer to spend her time drinking after living more than 100 years in the war between Humanity and Rapture. Scarlet is Nikke that is very skilled in close combat sporting a pair of oriental blades and more than capable of taking down Raptures just as effective as other Nikke with ranged weapons and easily surpassed the mass produced variants.

While I have given up Nikke recently since I can't bother to put up with Cinderella's banner nonsense in 2nd Anniv, I will still keep a tab on Nikke Figmas hoping that Scarlet Black Shadow will get one someday because she is definitely one of the better designs from this particular series. I don't even mind If D: Killer Wife got an affordable PVC figure either.

Seven years with Fate/Grand Order

 Surviving yet another year in Gacha Hell with this once great dying Gacha game. Almost give up with FGO with the nonsense I encountered early this year but still saved by my commitment and persist on. Ultimately my patience do get rewarded by the time Anniversary arrived only to have it crash and burn again on my last destination of this year's Gauntlet. 

Super Mecha Champions Official End-of-service announcement

  Well I am supposed to reserve today's post for my FGO 7th Anniversary but something else deserves the priority this time. Given the Super Mecha Champion has been constantly teetering since Mid of this year with the game end up in maintenance mode for almost 6 months, Netease has finally decided to pull out the plug and announced the online service for SMC will be officially terminated in 20th January 2025. This is quite expected as SMC Chinese counterpart, Mobile City Alpha had announced their service termination last week. The recent money laundering scandal by some of Netease execs most likely accelerate this game's demise along with many other Netease games. Regardless the poor treatment of SMC by Netease really make me greatly disappointed yet again.

Link Travelers: Infiltration of Blueville - SIDE:G

 When I missed out the Gashapon Quest Candytoys lineup last year, It appears that Bandai is opening yet another opportunity for me to give this particular interesting lineup a try. Packaged in a new series, Gashapon Quest took a modern post apocalyptic fantasy turn and comes under new lineup called Link Travellers. There are about 6 series to be planned up in 2025 release and one of the available for Preorder is the SIDE:G Lineup featuring a female heroine and a Maid robot as the character roster. Scheduled for June 2025 release, Link Travelers SIDE:G will be sold as 500 Yen Gashapon with 13 Variants and Boxed version available.

Fate/Grand Order 1/6 Ruler Summer Melusine 1st Ascension

  Still one year to go for FGO 8th Summer, but Goodsmile already have something in hand to prepare for this anticipated yearly occassion and it is the beloved Dragon Waifu Melusine who is getting the turn! Quite sure there were several Summer 8 Servants merchandise already but this might be the first one for the PVC figure to come out. Being the most popular Morgan's Tam Lin Knights, It is given that Melusine will be getting the Prime Spot if not Caster Morgan or Berserker Castoria. Scheduled for September 2025 release, Summer Melusine in her 1st Ascension Ruler Class will be sold for 18500 Yen in 1/6 Scale.

For its value, actually this version of Melusine PVC figure price range is quite reasonable for a 2024 product given how bad Japanese economy is performing right now. The Figure certainly capture the slender physique of this beloved Dragon Waifu and the character's bratty behavior who wants to monopolize Chaldea Master's attention for herself even if it means NTR'ing her own lord, Morgan. Personally I liked Summer Melusine 2nd Ascension the most and next year's gauntlet will be a brutal one yet again. I will probably wait for Summer Morgan figure if she ever get one, since she is my main target for FGO Global 8th Anniv Gauntlet banner and she deserves all the love from FGO fans with what she had went through in LB6.

Kannazuki no Miko Mechatalk: Part Three – Ame no Murakumo & Orochi

Took almost a month after Take no Yamikazuchi’s mechatalk due to real life commitments which is rather hectic lately. But I proudly present the Third and Final Kannazuki no Miko mechatalk! This one will be dedicated to the true main respresentation of the force of Good against Evil in the series, Ame no Murakumo and Orochi. After laying some groundworks with other characters that played a role in Kannazuki, I would believe that these 2 eternal adversaries serve as the fitting final destination of this Mechatalk series. While it won’t be as extensive as Take no Yamikazuchi, I will still do some proper job for this one.

Arknights Alter 1/7 Dusk Figure

 Sui Siblings are some of the better waifu Designs that Arknights ever come up with and Dusk one of the younger siblings got another Premium figure treatment by Alter! So after Schwarz, Alter decided to make another Arknights figure and designated it for Dusk. While not as expensive compared to 1/7 Schwarz, as expected from the leading PVC Figure maker, Alter's 1/7 Dusk is a premium collectible for Arknights Fans. Scheduled for December 2025 release, Alter 1/7 Dusk will be sold for 34980 Yen.

While this is not exactly the first Dusk Figure made since I recall Apex and other manufacturer did make some for her which match up the number with her older sister, Nian. In Arknights Nian is the second Sui siblings featured in limited banner as a AOE Caster class. Dusk is a skilled yet reclusive painter who lived in her painting world until Nian decide to drag her out joining the Rhodes Island in her story. Overall she is a good waifu designs from Sui Siblings but her kit and class as AOE Caster just make her underused compared to her other siblings. I am quite sure Dusks sisters, Ling and Shu will get PVC figure as well in near future given their relative popularity. I am also still waiting for these Sui Siblings getting their Nendoroids which more likely starting from Shu  and more than willing to complete the collection in this format. Playing Arknights for almost 5 years, this game still offers the best overall gacha experience which makes fans like myself looking forward to their future merchandise.

Sluban Super Mecha Champions Brick Model - Snow Mirage Review

 5th Sluban Super Mecha Champions Brick Model review is here and we are now getting into some of the better stuff from this lineup! With only 2 remaining of this particularly underrated lineup left, I present the Review for Snow Mirage! Pound by pound, Snow Mirage is probably the best Brick Model made by Sluban for SMC series because the Top tier value with its Size and Weapon Accessory and comes with the least amount of build issues.

In SMC closely based on Gundam Dynames, Snow Mirage is one of the true dedicated Sniper Mecha who can snipe enemy from the distance with its large Sniper Rifle. In the lore, Snow Mirage is a patrol mecha roaming around polar region and piloted by character called Villar who was the last pilot addition before SMC goes to maintenance mode. Gameplay-Wise despite coming with got a pair of Pistol and Camouflage Cloak, Snow Mirage is not really suited for Solo combat due to its pure Sniper role which only got couple of potshots before the enemy close in and punish it in close combat. In Team combat, Snow Mirage is a great asset for team support in capable player's hand, landing painful Sniper shots while enemy got distracted by other team members. Considering I mostly play solo mode, I rarely had the chance to use Snow Mirage but this unit is very popular for newer players which obviously unable to use this Mecha. 

While Sluban version of Snow Mirage does not come with the Sniper Mode due to the limitation of Brick model format. If you have to pick only one from Sluban SMC Brick Model, either Arthur or Snow Mirage are the best candidate when it comes to overall value.

Mobile Suit Gundam Robot Spirits Big Zam Anime ver

  Tamashi Nation really dropped a literal big ticket item for Gundam series in Robot Spirits format this time! What would have been impossible due to being prohibitively expensive for its size, Tamashi Nation announced Preorder for Robot Spirits Big Zam, obviously as Premium Bandai Item. Scheduled for May 2025 Robot Spirits Big Zam will  be sold for a whopping 50000 Yen.

 Created in 1/144 Scale just like the High Grade scale, Robot Spirits Big Zam towers over 50 Cm tall which is a sight to behold for one of the largest Mobile Armor from One Year War Era! Obviously for the price tag, Robot Spirit appear to come with LED for the Mega Particle Cannon and Dozle mini figure to replicate the Last stand part. With the expensive price tag, Robot Spirits Big Zam are certainly catered for Diehard Classic Gundam series who will be likely in their middle ages by this time. Truly a premium item that will cost 80-100k Yen for the prospective collectors from overseas.

30 Minutes Fantasy - Liber Lancer

This month’s Bandai reveal for Gunpla lineup might be lacking but the 30 Minutes Fantasy lineup are still going strong with 2 new Class being revealed. This time I will be covering for Liber Lancer which yet another addition for the 30 MF Frontline Fighter. Scheduled for April 2025 release, 30 MF Liber Fighter will be sold for 2200 Yen

Armed with Lance and Shield, 30 MF Lancer class is the designated tanky unit. Though compared to Liber/Rosan Fighter, Lancer is still rather scrawny in body build similar to Knight class. Just like the Archer Class, Liber Lancer got no upgrade kit in this one, so perhaps we could expect some more support for this guy like a steed for instance. Surprisingly the Liber and Rosan variant of Lancer Class does not have much differences due to similar palette swap and overall imposing look. Nevertheless either of them are still a worthy addition for 30 Minutes Fantasy collection.