March 2025 Loot

 
 Another Sumptuous banquet of hauls accumulated by the end of this month. This one might come close in terms of overall value compared to the previous batch which is one of the peak. While the upper limit of the previous batch is still won by the P-Bandai Metal Build Billbine, this one got some nice Heavyweights as well such as Riobot Villkiss and Moshow Mospeada. But the best probable loot in this batch gotta be the Chinese version of Diaclone Convoy as I can't obtain the original one for reasonable price. This batch really shows that Chinese made products start to overwhelm the Japanese counterpart not only in numbers, but overall value as their Value-for-money are truly no joke. Lastly my Joytoy Blood Angels collection got some good reinforcements with the Primarch Sanguinius and his 30k sons finally joining in.

I awakened to EX Skill "Fixed Damage" and I become invincible

 Edgy Fantasy manga with betrayal trope are relatively common subgenre in Japanese anime and many aspiring Mangaka attempted to make something out of this niche. Recently I encountered one of these series with yet another of those convoluted title which I will just call Awakenend to EX Skill which is a mediocre manga but still got interesting set piece that make me look into the series.

Just like many other revenge fantasy manga, Awakened to EX Skill features an adventurer protagonist who somehow got revived and suddenly wield Immense Power after being betrayed by his Party member as a Sacrifice. Fueled with revenge to settle the score with his former party members, the protagonist sets forth on a quest of vengeance to give the worst kind of miseries toward his betrayers which become the main selling point of the series.

Awakened to EX Skill manga peaked at the chapter where the Protagonist dealt with his former lover who is a power-hungry Priestess who used her promiscuity to climb through the ranks, unbecoming of the person of her station. The manga unfortunately doesn’t make proper use of this chapter which could have extended the longevity of the series. Awakened to EX Skill ended up descending through rinse and repeat cycle without proper build up and concluded in lackluster ending.

Nonetheless if you want some revenge fantasy manga but something shorter than Redo of Healer or Rise of Shield Hero, Awakened to EX Skill might fill the gap. But just don’t expect it is anything at the level of Berserk or Ubel Blatt

Glimmerati

One of the N-gage hidden gem that this Nokia Gaming phone had during its brief run and probably one of the more unique one as well, Glimmerati! Compared to other Popular games that N-Gage had, Glimmerati had rather unique things in store to offer for the players in its package which left quite a lasting memory to me.

Fast forward to early this year, I had the pleasant opportunity to revisit this game couple and surprisingly the game still hold up at some aspects. Thus, as a part of commemorating my reunion with Glimmerati, I proudly present my full take on Glimmerati with this article.

SNAA 1/100 YR-04 Fire Lord

 
 Previously known for their 1/144 Scale Model kit comparable to Gundam HG lineup, SNAA recently release a 1/100 Scale Knight Mecha model kit. This one is called Fire Lord and quite look promising given their previous track record on their 1/144 scale products. Scheduled for Q2 2025 release, SNAA Fire Lord will be sold for 188 RMB.

On first glance, Fire Lord looks like an alternate version of Moshow Lancelot, sporting a Lighter Frame yet similar Full melee loadout. Fire Lord comes out with a pair of Lance and Blade as its choice melee weapon along with Medium sized shield typical for Knight mecha. But the main selling point for SNAA Fire Lord is its green Flame effect part all over Fire Lord befitting its moniker which do remind me of Phantom Gundam from Crossbone series. Considering Chinese model kits still heavily derived from popular Japanese mecha designs, I can still see some traces of Influence from Wargreymon, G-Self, Try Burning with a slight hint of GP04 knee part. With its color scheme, Fire Lord can easily pass as Lancelot's nimble cousin. In any case if the Fire lord is good enough, I will be looking forward to SNAA's next fantasy mecha design.

Sluban Super Mecha Champions Qbrick - Andromeda Review

 
 About halfway through in wrapping up SMC Qbricks here. Out of the five Sluban's Super Mecha Champion Qbrick brick model, Andromeda is easily the weakest entry that I acquired. Being one of the starter Mecha in SMC and the first of the feminine mecha model in the series, Andromeda just simply had the misfortune to be shoved in the Qbricks lineup.

Being Joanna's Signature mecha, Andromeda is a ranged support unit specializing in harassment enemy units through midair with energy Crossbow as its main armament. To fit its Valkyrie vibe, Andromeda is also equipped with Javelin as sub weapon that is capable of stunning the enemies, depending on the module equipped. 

Despite being a decent mecha design, Andromeda is simply ill fitted to be included in Qbricks because it is extremely blocky medium just doesn't suit the sleek design of Andromeda. Interestingly Qbricks Andromeda comes with the Javelin instead. Sluban could probably have made a full fledged Brick model for Andromeda considering the slimmer model mecha like Snow Mirage turned out just fine. But given the tragic fate of Super Mecha Champions on the hands of Netease, I really doubt we will ever see any physical incarnations for Andromeda anymore.

Titanomachia MODEROID SIDE:GR 1/48 Arklaud

 
 Naoki's Titanomachia series make another return with a top tier mecha design for Moderoid! After a High speed ranged fighter Edelstein, this time we got a mecha called Arklaud which sports a combination of Black and White as its color scheme, making it an imposing looking Elite mecha. Scheduled for November 2025, Titanomachia Moderoid Arklaud will be sold for 8500 Yen.

Compared to Edelstein, Arklaud possess Medium-heavy mecha build and equipped with armaments for Multirole. As its main armaments, Arklaud is armed with Railgun Lance and relatively large bastard sword making it a fierce Close combat unit while still capable to fight in ranged combat. Had it been coming in different color scheme, Arklaud is another strong contender for Protagonist mecha. But with its current color scheme it becomes Rival/Mentor elite unit instead. Quite sure Naoki could make several variants of Arklaud with different loadout to make use its solid design while I expect Edelstein will get an expansion pack down the road.

Digimon 02 Digivice D-3 Digimon Detect & Discover 25th Anniversary edition

 
 Usually my strike zone for Digimon related Electronic Toy is only with their Vpets which sport an appearance like a small brick. But hungry for Nostalgic Digimon fans money, apart from the Godzilla edition Vpet, Bandai decided to drop a whole lot of payload for Digimon 02 series by releasing a 25th Anniversary version of Digimon 02 Digivice. Just like many recent renditions of Vpet series, this one comes with Colored edition and apparently some voiceovers and the original popular theme from Digimon 02. Scheduled for July 2025 release, D-3 25th Anniversary will come with Regular and Special edition which will be sold for 11000 and 16500 Yen respectively.

Sydney Trip 2025 Loot

 
 During my recent Sydney trip over past 10 Days,  I ended up getting some stuffs along the way as I make use of my time to explore Sydney's hobby scene,. From this trip, I got myself some Toys and Boardgames which surprisingly doesn't cost much despite Australian living cost are very high. Despite Singapore having a similar living cost with Australia, I really doubt I can get the same kind of deal over there. Because Australia being a Developed western nation do have an advantage for having a very cheap selections for their Non essential commodities with their power of leverage.

B-Daman Bakugaiden V Dimension Power Siege Whiter Model Kit

 Just as Takara Tomy going on reviving their B-Daman Product lineup, one Chinese manufacturer called Dimension Power decides to chip in their take on this classic yet somewhat forgotten series. Instead of following Takara Tomy path with Bakugaiden IV, Dimension Power bring something from the sequel, Bakugaiden V starting with the White Bomb mecha, Siege Whiter as Model Kit! Scheduled for Q2 2025 release, Dimension Power Siege Whiter will be sold for 99 RMB

I don’t know much about Bakugaiden V since my childhood memory revolves around Bakugaiden IV but I did know that this series got their share of Giant Combiner B-Daman mecha called B-Da Calibur and Siege Whiter is the previous form of White Bomb’s mecha that will form up this fella. Dimension Power Model kit looks promising since the Siege Whiter do appear to have good sculpt and playability which its look do resemble a lot with Megaman X Aesthetics. Dimension Power even include Siege Whiter siege mode and White bomb figurine with assorted expression and armor mode. It appears that in near future Dimension Power will commit for Siege Whiter companion like Sonic Blueder and Cargo Yaeger down the road at least though B-Da Calibur will still appear to be rather tall order. Still hoping there will be interest for Bakugaiden III products someday because those series had solid value as collectible toy.

Super Mecha Champions Mechatalk: Part 4

 
 Took me about a month to resume this activity due to being preoccupied with real life matters. But as a part of homage to this once great Mecha series, I present you the continuation of Super Mecha Champions Mechatalk! With the SMC Mechas has been properly covered in the first 3 SMC Mechatalks. SMC Mechatalk Part 4 and 5 will feature the SMC Pilots along with their notable available skins. Part 4 will cover the Pilot characters that I managed to obtain during the game lifetime which there are about 10 of them with Jaka being my personal favorite and Silver Deacon being my last obtained character. But I got to say Iori had the best overall skins from this list as expected from the SMC mascot character.

While the first part of SMC Pilots mechatalk won't have as much pilots compared to the next one, Most of the notable skins will be found in here considering Netease is very generous towards the Starter pilots in the skin department.

Alter 1/7 Saber Alter Star of Twillight version

 
 When it comes to Fate series figure, Alter is still one of the reigning champ especially in the Waifu category. Then recently Alter decided to add a new entry for their illustrious Saber Alter lineup with her 3rd Ascension version in sitting position dubbed Star of Twilight. Scheduled for March 2026, this version of Saber Alter will be sold for 37180 Yen.

While it is understandable that current Japan economic situation inevitably affect the production cost, the price tag for this figure is probably too high for anyone to consider getting one save for devout Saber Alter fan. Just like the popular previous version of 1/7 Saber Alter, Star of Twilight rendition really put Salter waifu quality to the top! The combination of petite figure with Pale white skin contrasted with her Jet Black dress is a winning combination for Salter to make her irresistible for her collector. On top of that, Star of Twilight Saber Alter has the Short dress version available just like her FGO Final Ascension illustration. While I have more than enough Salter in my FGO collection, I actually don't mind a Figma of Salter in this 3rd Ascension, whether it is the Long dress or the short dress version.

Macross Plus Tiny Session YF-19 Review

 
 Haven't done Macross review in such a long time and Macross Plus YF19 is getting the honor. I think it is around 2-3 years already since Bandai introduced this NXEDGE equivalent for Macross and I let YF-19 getting the first dib because Macross Plus still remains to be my personal favorite followed by Macross 7.

For under 5000 Yen, Tiny Session offered SD Scale Macross action figure with decent playability complete with the triple transformation gimmick. YF-19 overall look quite good in this incarnation save for the middle torso part which look like noodle figure due to the limitation of the product design. Personally I think YF-19 is a really good first pick for this lineup since you get a solid Mecha design that have perfect balance in Aesthetics. Still waiting for YF21 getting its turn in this format.

Transformers One

 One of the recent Transformers Movie that I didn't manage to watch when It premiered in Box Office but still came across upon it in the end. Apparently Transformers One was a commercial failure but upon watching the movie it turns out to be a well made product for mainstream audience that just have unfortunate circumstances. Kinda feel sad when TF One merchandise were flooding the market only to abruptly disappear.

Transformers One is the latest Transformers Movie that served as the prequel of the main series narrating the story of Optimus Prime and Megatron during their early days in Cybertron before they took the mantle of their famous roles as the leaders of oppossing Autobots and Decepticons. TF One movie cover the story how these 2 good friends face their destiny and become mortal enemies. I am quite surprised Optimus had his immature phase at some point despite being a reliable stoic leader of Autobots.

Overall Transformer One production value is superb which is expected from its budget but somewhere down the road, the Marketing team for TF One screwed up big time which made the series lost its potential. I actually quite like TF One Mecha Aesthetics despite the series are somewhat catered to younger audience and in fact have quite palatable mecha designs compared to other Kids Friendly Transformers spin offs. Hopefully TF One could get some continuation because we got to see the Adventures of Autobots and Decepticons before they landed and have their fight on earth.
 

B-Daman Bakugaiden Toyrise Blue Braver

 

 Just merely a month after White Bros Toyrise announcement, The second Mecha from Saint Blaster Team; Blue Braver joins in the entry. Nothing much new revealed yet so far apart from the confirmed Saint Blaster Gattai gimmick. Scheduled for October 2025 release, Toyrise Blue Braver will be sold for 12000 Yen just like White Bros.

Being the Mecha of the Blue Bomber who served as supporting character, Blue Braver have nothing much going for it. The distinct feature of Blue Braver is the Wing Part on the Shoulder and the Sniping scope unit on the chest for extra precision. At this rate, I think we could expect Yellow Crusher will soon join the Toyrise lineup by next month so the collectors could have their Saint Blaster by the end of 2025.

Nobunaga no Chef Manga Finale

 One of the Manga series that I followed for more than a decade, Nobunaga no Chef has concluded its run last year and the scanlation team really did a splendid job to catch up 20 Volumes worth of gap just within few months. Of all long running series that I read, Nobunaga no Chef managed to wrap up its story in a well done manner, a noteworthy feat that even Popular Japanese manga failed to do. Overall Nobunaga no Chef managed managed to make itself to be one of the best fictional depiction for Japan's most popular period with the most famous individual, Oda Nobunaga as the centrepiece.

From the beginning to the end, Nobunaga no Chef explores the Warring States period of Japan through the lens of a skilled chef stranded from the future named Ken whose cooking literally changed the  course of Japan's history. While there are some segments that can get rather absurd especially when Ken acts too wussy, overall Nobunaga no Chef could make their fictional take on the history quite believable. This is because the series do respect the historical work it is based on even if it had to take on some liberty at times. 

 Personally I am quite surprised that the resolution for some Historical characters in Nobunaga no Chef is rather different than what I expected, like the Ikko Ikki leader whom had a rather peaceful resolution despite being a big pain on Oda clan. Also some of the important Oda Clan confrontations are actually handled in very diplomatic manner as Nobunaga have Ken on his side to help his endeavor. While Nobunaga no Chef has wrapped up Nobunaga Oda's storyline perfectly, the series probably could have another short gaiden series as afterthoughts to cover Nobunaga's endeavor on the world and even let Shimazu and Date clan Daimyo to have some screen time should the Author consider such option. All in all If you wish to have some Oda Nobunaga fiction that came with Good ending and well crafted storyline, you can't go wrong with Nobunaga no Chef

Sydney Trip 2025

 
 For those who followed this Blog in its early days, you will likely noticed that Realm of Darkness was created during my College days in Sydney 16 years ago. The last time I visited Sydney was around 2015/2016 before I worked full White collar job and after 10 Years passed one way and another, I got the opportunity to revisit Sydney once again which I am grateful for and the reason why this Blog wass slightly inactive during this period.

 During this trip opportunity I got to see many changes that happened on Sydney. Over the span of 17 years, I never expected many things got drastic change. The one that I noticed the most got to be the cost of living which effectively saw 200% price hike over the span of 15 years, especially for eating out which feels rather absurd. I am very well aware that Sydney is one of the most desirable place to live in the world but I don't think I would even have the opportunity to study in Australia if I came to this place with the current situations.

Nevertheless I still make a good use out of my recent Sydney trip and updated myself with the changes in the places of interest and even have a good look on Hobby related stuff scene in the city which is totally worth the journey. Perhaps I will divulge more on that particular matter in the future but for now I will just wrap up this short article until this point.

Sluban Super Mecha Champions Qbrick - Hot Steel Review

 
 The 2nd set out of 5 Sluban SMC Qbricks review is here. While I planned to have a chronological release for this Lineup review, I decided to alter the sequence a bit for this series review to conclude in higher note. 

 Back then, I was quite obssessed with finding the Brick Model for Hotsteel which is the only I missed out of Sluban SMC Brick Model lineup. But in in a way this is actually a blessing in disguise considering Sluban's brick models are not exactly ideal for playability thus I resort to getting the Qbricks instead. For under 5 USD, you can get yourself a 300 Pcs+ brick model representation of Mechas from Mecha Pubg game that is left to its demise by Netease. 

Just like the Full Size Brick Model, Playability is not the best suit of SMC Qbricks and Hotsteel is one of the many variants of the SMC Qbricks that come with Oversized head which is a glaring flaw in my opinion. But for it's value for money, Sluban still do respectable job to justify the worth of this product.

While I am not really into Hotsteel back in SMC, I do quite like its design as Imposing Juggernaut mecha to the extent of purchasing the UR Skin. To me Hotsteel had too much odds stacked against it in PVP due to its type of weapon that designate its role. This Orange Juggernaut is not meant to fight enemies similar to its size especially the ones with better mobility. Instead it is meant to to punch through anything above its weight class just like Armored Core with Rocket weapons.

Getter Robo Iron Romance Workshop SRL-02 Getter Jinki

 If Getter 1 Samurai Rendition was not cool enough, Iron Romance Studio is back with yet another Getter Robo Samurai! This time Black Getter is the one getting the rendition and the end results is even look cooler. Scheduled for Q2 2025 release, Iron Romance Getter Jinki will be sold for 9000 Yen.

Just like Getter Akaoni, Getter Jinki comes with the exact combiner gimmick to offset the smaller size that this version of Getter Robo had due to the the elaborate engineering from the manufacturer. The greatest dealbreaker that Jinki had is obviously the Tachi weapon rested on Jinki's armguard to complete the Samurai vibe because Handaxe are not japanese enough. Compared to Akaoni, Jinki definitely have stronger Loansword Samurai vibe just like the original Black Getter in the Armageddon OVA. Come to think of it, Iron Romance Getter Samurai series will look great if the manufacturer can make a complete set and definitely will keep a tab on that.

Vintage Toys - JAM Battle Sky Hawk

 
Apart from Super Big Rescue, there was this particular Combiner mecha toys consisted of 3 Fighter Planes that I used to have when I was a Kid. Ultimately my long search of this particular 30 year old Memory lead me to a Toy Product made by JAM called Battle Sky Hawk. Apparently for a set of 3, this particular combiner mecha Toy only costed 1000 Yen back in Late 80s, which is a literal steal for Today's standard. Though I would expect the toy cost 5-6 times if it was released in the present JPY rate .

Wizardry Variants Daphne: Grand Legion 2nd Abyss True Ending GET!

 
 About more than one month since I finished my 2nd Abyss Clear and now I managed to get the True Ending of 2nd Abyss! If it was not for the buggy Cursed Wheel of 2nd Abyss, Perhaps this endeavour would have been done in a week or two. Because the True Ending requirement for 2nd Abyss is actually quite simple and less convoluted compared to the First Abyss. In any case, the efforts to reach 2nd Abyss True Ending is still worth it and you get to save another Waifu in this Dark Fantasy.

This Article will feature general guideline to reach Grand Legion Abyss True Ending as well as the overall storyline for the second abyss.

Metal Build Dragon Scale Sirbine Review

  Ever since I came across Sirbine in Dunbine OVA, I instantly fell in love with this design being one of the peak Fantasy Mecha on the courtesy by Izubuchi Sensei. Thus when the Metal Build Dragon Scale for Sirbine was announced, I spare no effort for getting a copy for myself despite I was satisfied with the Robot Damashi version being P-Bandai item kinda hurt the wallet. Long Story short, it took some effort to find a seller who can help order this P-Bandai stuff and In the end I managed to obtain it last year. 

I suppose the time now is ripe for me to take out this Diecast fella for the Review and I proudly present the review for Metal Build Dragon Scale Sirbine! There won't be much writing for this article since the Photoshots in this review will do the job to reveal the value of this Diecast beauty.

Gagharv Mobile: Song of the Ocean Story Complete!

 Early this year on January, Gagharv Mobile has completed their adaptation for Gagharv Trilogy Song of the Ocean Chapter. As the Dev managed to put enormous effort complete Weltluna's storyline within 3 months, I picked up the slack and marathon Gagharv Mobile's take on Song of the Ocean over past few days. Translation issues from rushjob aside, as expected, revisiting this last part of Gagharv Trilogy once again proves to be a very fruitful journey and Fowgames certainly put their effort to give best respect they could afford for this Falcom's classic JRPG title.

Warhammer 40k Joytoy 1/18 Daemon Primarch Angron

 
 Blood for Blood God! Skull for Skull Thrones! MILK FOR KHORNE FLAKES! Wow after two weeks of inactivity by Joytoy for their Warhammer 40k Lineup, they throw a goddamn Haymaker straight after Primarch Alpharius and announce the release for Daemon Primarch Angron! Seriously Joytoy is trying to outcompete themselves by bringing the Big guns. While not as big as the Imperial Knight, Angron in his Daemon Primarch form is very big! easily surpassing other Joytoy 1/18 characters. Scheduled for July 2025 release, Joytoy Angron will be sold for 400 USD.

 Daemon Primarch Angron release is a big deal since Joytoy is bringing the Chaos Heavyweights for Warhammer 40k with Angron being the Champion Daemon Prince representing Khorne, Chaos God of War, Blood and Skulls that finally manifest as Action Figure! Angron's Joytoy release secure a large bridgehead for Chaos Faction one year after Horus made it in Joytoy lineup so we could expect more Chaos units released in greater number down the road. 

 Overall Joytoy Daemon Primarch Angron Sculpt looks great but the Face Sculpt could use better rework for a 400 USD action figure because It has not captured the Endless Rage and Fury that Angron possess. But honestly, Joytoy Angron already looks great especially when paired with Joytoy's Dark Angel Primarch, Lion El Johnson to reenact their Mortal Combat. If it is not for my policy of "No Chaos" units for my Joytoy collection, I would have considered of getting one to duel with my Primarch collections.

Hot General MJZ-02 1/100 Shadow War Zone Kratos

 Chinese Metal Build might not be the best when it comes to creativity, but the Productivity output is nothing to scoff at. Coming out from a manufacturer called Hot General, their second Metal Build entry is simply called Kratos. Taking a direction of OYW Gundam aesthetics, this one has its Aesthetics direction took drastically different direction compared to the first one which is Japanese Samurai themed called Nobunaga. Scheduled for Q2 2025 release, MJZ Kratos will be sold for 299 RMB.

Konosuba Nendoroid Doll Megumin

 
 With Konosuba 3rd season finished its airing couple months ago, manufacturers like Goodsmile Company is certain to make use the lingering momentum to release some more product and the series got a Nendoroid Doll for Megumin! With Konosuba series having quite well rounded roster for Nendoroid lineup already, Nendoroid Doll is a given and Megumin is definitely the prime candidate. Scheduled for October 2025 release, Nendoroid Doll Megumin will be sold for 12000 Yen.

From the Sample picture, the Nendoroid Doll Megumin nailed the Hat part quite well, but the Tunic is still quite a miss because it will be way too baggy for the Nendoroid Doll. Given the knitting quality I think the Tunic can easily slip down and have Nendoroid Doll Megumin ended up in Wardrobe disaster situation if it is posed with the Shoulder in default position. Despite the glaring flaw for Nendoroid Doll megumin, I think this particular lineup could work well with Eris or Wiz, though Darkness casual outfit could work too. As much as I want one for Aqua, I don't the end result for Nendoroid Doll will fare better compared to Megumin.

Mechatalk - Warhammer 40k Glory in Death: Space Marine Faction Unit Review

 Warhammer 40k Glory in Death is quite an underrated gem of 40k series which had its fate doomed to obscurity being the last game of Nokia N-gage. Therefore in order to raise some awareness for this game, I will be doing Unit review for Factions available in this game starting with Space Marine factions based on my Campaign experience, keep in mind the review will be subjective based on my experience with these units during the Space Marine Campaign. 

In Warhammer 40k Glory in Death you got 4 Sub-Factions for each Chaos, Eldar, Ork and Space Marine. For Space Marine you get Space Wolves starring the Campaign Story and Blood Angels, Dark Angels and Ultramarines for Skirmish and Multiplayer. While not exactly 100% accurate compared to the Tabletop version, these units are pretty good indicator of what their physical counterpart represent.

Overall in Glory in Death, Space Marine faction is well rounded faction that boast decent survivability and had advantage in ranged combat. While they can hold their ground in melee, they will be outclassed by the dedicated Melee units from other factions, therefore it is preferable to pepper your enemies in ranged Combat with their powerful bolters and deny Melee engagements by creating attritions damage from Ranged Support.

I used Mechatalk to feature this article since Warhammer 40k Glory in Death do qualify for one due to having significant amount of Mechanical units and it is easier for navigating purposes by future visitor of this blog.