Joytoy 1/18 Tyrant Mecha 03 Tactical Type

 
 While the Warhammer 40k lineup has been slowing down recently, Joytoy is back with their 1/18 Tyrant mecha! The tried and true 30cm Diecast Behemoth comes with 2 Entries at the same time, Tyrant 03 & Tyrant 04 with the designation of Tactical and City Combat type. Apparently ready for Q2 2025 release, these two variants of Tyrant mecha will be sold for 130 USD.

 If you want to get into Joytoy series, 1/18 Tyrant Mecha is one of the best gateway to get into this brand. Compared to previous Tyrant 01 & 02, the new variants of Tyrant Mecha is fully focused on ranged combat, eschewing melee weapon options. Out of the two Tyrant Variants, I ended up pick Tyrant 03 to be featured in for the article because the feature slightly wins out in the pilot. While Tyrant 04 City Combat wins out in overall mecha design with sleek Jet black color along with Red Shoulder armor which amplify its Elite unit aura, Tyrant 03 Tactical Pilot loadout is miles better compared to Tyrant 04. 

The Tyrant 03 Pilot whose getup reminds me of Jager from Rainbow Six is literally armed to the teeth with rich selections of Tactical weapon and even comes with Combat Shield which is actually a rarity for the Joytoy Robot Pilot. I am quite sure Joytoy will still be able to continue the Tyrant lineup but I would love to see Heavy ranged variant or Sniper type for the next one.

Arknights Dungeon Meshi Collab Afterthoughts

It has been about three weeks since Arknights collab event wrapped up with a bang! Given Hypergryph did a well-done job for the collab event just like previous ones like Monster Hunter and Rainbow Six, I feel that this Dungeon Meshi deserves a post-event review article.

Despite Arknights gameplay is not exactly as fresh as it used to be, given the same formula has been running more than 5 years, Dungeon Meshi is still an overall fun and compact experience. Thus, as a Dungeon Meshi Fanboy who is quite satisfied with the Collab adaptation, I feel that I should contribute a part in preserving the better part of Dungeon Meshi collab event.

Archer (TV Series)

 
 Archer is one of the few western animated TV series that I have been following for quite a long time. For almost 10 years, I followed Archer TV series up to Season 7 which is quite a rollercoaster ride and only until recently that I got the opportunity to marathon this series right until its finale. Archer is a Super Spy animation series targeted for mature audience featuring a severely Alcoholic douchebag yet somehow highly functional Secret Agent named Sterling Archer as the main protagonist that comes along with equally dysfunctional team members. If you have Super Spy with quality like James Bond that comes with extremely self centered personality, behaving like major assholes to almost everyone yet somehow still being the best one in the profession, you got yourself Sterling Archer!

Platinumhugen Ordian Moderoid Ordian

 
 Talk about coincidence! Just as I recently finished watching Ordian early this year, Goodsmile decide to pull off a Moderoid product out of this particular Obari series! While Platinumhugen Ordian is an utter failure as anime product, the mecha designs are still a good one expected from Obari and GSC do take notice. Scheduled for January 2026, Moderoid Ordian will be sold for 9800 Yen.

Ordian is the titular Super Robot mecha of the series called Platinumhugen Ordian. It is a super robot that has some capability of altering Reality and its fated fight with its Jet black counterpart will decided the fate of the world. However given Obari's proficiency does not lie in Storytelling, Ordian does not really live up to its potential as a worthy contender with Evangelion considering Ordian only made its appearance halfway on the series and most of its appearance have it ended up jobbing badly most of the time.

Regardless of its glaring flaw in the storyline, Moderoid Ordian is a decent physical rendition that obscure series like Ordian could ask for. Standing 18cm tall, Moderoid Armament comes with Gungnir lance as main armament that comes with several weapon configurations. Moderoid Ordian also come with deformed size Rimhugen Dragon Fang and one of the rival unit which is a nice touch. Personally I am still waiting for a Toy manufacturer who are willing to make a diecast rendition for Ordian with docking option gimmick for Dragon Fang because Ordian as mecha design is a well made one even if the storyline of the series is almost as bad as Cybuster anime.

SEMBO Block J20 Mighty Nation Mecha Brick Model Review

A rather odd addition to my collection since I don’t usually build Original Mecha brick models. But out of strange turn of event early this year, I decided to pick up one of the Larger Sembo Blocks products which is called the 强国雄风 lineup. Just like Sluban, this particular Chinese toy brands called Sembo do have selections of Brick Models as their main products and apparently, they are quite active as well on the mecha related products.

Out of their Mecha Brick Model Catalogue, Sembo do make some mecha based on China People Liberation Army Military vehicles and the one I picked is the Large version of the Mecha based on Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon Jet Fighter. This version of J-20 consists of 1281 Blocks and stand over 34 cm tall! Aesthetic wise it is what you expect from a sleek aerial type Mecha converted into Brick Model format.

The size is certainly the main selling point of this version of J-20. Just don’t expect playability out of this behemoth despite this product do come with articulation since playability are not exactly these sorts of products strongest suit. Apart from J20, Sembo do have the large size format for the Battleship mecha but I am quite sure the 99A Mecha Tank do have one as well. If you wish for better playability, could always look at the 500 block count version of the SEMBO PLA Military Mecha lineup.

Nikke Hyper Body Anis

 
 Of all popular gacha series, Nikke gotta have one of the most competent merchandising department out there. As we are getting yet another Nikke Hyper Body action figure and this time it is Anis! Rather surprised that out of the Counters team, Rapi is not the first one to get her action figure but Anis is still a good choice regardless. Scheduled for February 2026 release, Hyper Body Anis will be sold for 15600 Yen.

In Nikke, Anis is one of the starter Nikke who is part of the main heroine team under the direct command of the Commander. In battlefield Anis wield Grenade Launcher to deal medium AOE damage. But what makes Anis stands out the Nikke series is her straightforward personality as well as her slightly chubby yet still voluptuous body type which is brought upon full front with her summer version. Anis is probably one of the Nikke character with high visibility with her fanservice quality as well as serving as the joke character in the game where her Dog impersonation trashtalking is one of the iconic moment from the series.

I suppose Anis would have worked out just fine as Figma but the decision for the product made into Hyperbody had to be more accomodating body sculpt of the latter. Apart from her Grenade Launcher weapon, Hyper Body Anis comes with 3 sets of Faceplates including her iconic expression. In near future I would expect Rapi coming out within a year given her main character status and her Red Hood version has been confirmed. As part of the counters team, Neon might follow up in a year or two though I will be surprised if she come as Hyper Body as well.

B-Daman Bakugaiden Toyrise Yellow Crasher

 After being revealed as teaser around the end of last month, Yellow Crasher is now officially available for Preorder as Toyrise! This makes all of the Saint Blaster set completed by Takara Tomy. Scheduled for November 2025 release, Toyrise Yellow Crasher will be sold for 12000 Yen just like the rest of its team member.

Yellow Crasher is equipped with some sort of Stabilizer part to aids its flight capability and also equipped with some sort of sonar weapon on its chest apart from the standard belly cannon. For the Saint Blaster combiner, Yellow Crasher form the Left Leg though the original model kit do allow position swap with the Blue Braver. With this only Black Bomb's dragon called Black Devaster left which we could expect coming within 2-3 months. But hopefully the price tag won't exceed 15000 Yen.

Arknights Nendoroid Shu

 
 A combo breaker after a week full of Mecha related posts! So after we got Mlynar as the last Arknights Nendoroid. Of all Sui Siblings, Shu become the first one to get her Nendoroid! not Nian or Dusk no Ling.  It really seems her character is quite popular among CN fanbase that Shu got fast track for the merchandise which are no surprise though given her quality as character. Scheduled for September 2025 release, Nendoroid Shu will be sold for 7400 Yen.

In Arknights, Shu is a 6* Limited operator just like her previous siblings and took a role as Defender class with healer as her Specialty. Apart from powerful healing ability, Shu had a special skill where she can teleport any enemies that went past her back to the front which can have many tactical uses apart from bullying Crownslayer. 

Just like her other Sui Siblings, Sui had an art mastery in particular field which happen to be Agriculture. As she had a mastery in a discipline closely tied to nurturing and fostering new life itself, Shu's personality is a very gentle one, acting like a big sister figure who will take proper care of the nutrition intake of her siblings. Along with her many other quality, this really makes Shu's quality as waifu a Top tier one. While Arknights does not have any shortage of Good waifus, Shu had a very strong "Housewife" quality as she is more than capable to take care of Doktah and their offspring should they tied the knot someday. Not to mention Shu got some good artist making some wholesome fanart for her and Doktah ship. So this is why Shu got her Nendoroid first despite Nian/Dusk/Ling is no inferior when it comes to their design. Hopefully other Sui Siblings could follow up soon in the future with their Nendoroids..

86 - Eighty Six

 
 One of the better Mecha Anime produced from the Past 10 years that I recently marathoned which is simply called Eighty Six. This is one of the Mecha series sponsored by Bandai that is actually good and turns out to be quite successful compared to series like Sakugan or Kyokai Senki. No wonder the famous composer Hiroyuki Sawano also lent his talent to produce a music for this series.

Super Mecha Champions Mechatalk: Part 5

 
 At long last after almost 5 months,  I am able to put a wrap for this Mechatalk series that was supposed to conclude within 2 months. At first I only planned to cover the mecha parts only for SMC series, but given how badly this series treated by its own creator, I decide to make a full fledged SMC Mechatalk series that included the pilot as the part of this mini project's scope. After I have covered several SMC Pilots in the 4th SMC Mechatalk, I will be posting the remaining SMC Pilots in this 5th and Final part of SMC Mechatalk.

 While the Pilots with most costumes has been covered in the previous Mechatalk, this one will make up with the quantiy. Overall there are 18 Pilots to be covered in this Super Mecha Champions Mechatalk as well as the WIP Pilots that never made it even if the Mecha was already available. Netease does not have manpower issues to sustain SMC but they are just simply unwilling to allocate the proper resources for their game to have it thrive after a single moment they see their game going Downhill

Despite not being properly cared enough by its parent company, at least there are fans who cared enough for Super Mecha Champions and willing to contribute their effort to preserve the memory that this series had. While this will be the last of SMC Mechatalk, there will be a little bit more SMC contents before Realm of Darkness properly concluded with this series.

Without further ado, I proudly present the 5th and Final SMC Mechatalk!

SRW OG Riobot Vaisaga

 
 At first I thought Sentinel will release this one back to back with Soulgain last year but it seems they are still prudent enough to let the SRW fans wallet to recover. It has been around 6 months since the initial reveal but Sentinel is finally ready to announce the next SRW Riobot, Vaisaga! Scheduled for September 2025, Riobot Vaisaga will be sold for 39600 Yen.

Vaisaga is the second Shadow Mirror mecha to get the Riobot treatment after Soulgain. In SRW OG it is a Secret unit usable by Lamia if you fulfill certain condition but back in SRW A it is the Super Robot option available for both Axel and Lamia. Just like Soulgain, Vaisaga is a close combat monster who had a bastard sword as its primary weapon. Despite it is not as accomplished as Dygenguar in OG verse, Vaisaga is still quite a powerful Swordmaster type mecha. While Sentinel might have decided Raioh as the next Riobot candidate, I am quite sure that other Shadow Mirror mecha have a good shot coming up like Angelg. Though Vindel's Zweizergain would be awesome as well if Sentinel is interested in giving it a physical rendition.

Metal Robot Spirits Full Armor Hyaku Shiki Kai Review

 
 Dropping a big hitter for the First review of this month! Hyaku Shiki has always been one of my particular favorite Mobile Suit from Universal Century era for many sorts of reason. Starting from being a very kickass unit in Gundam vs Zeta Gundam and then later fell in love with its Incarnation of SRW MX, my history with Hyaku Shiki had come a long way. Essentially being the Five Star Stories avatar in Gundam series piloted by a Hero who could have lead Humanity for better future, there are so much things to discover from Hyaku Shiki in order to deeply appreciate this Outlier from Gundam Universe.

Considering I have quite an attachment toward Hyaku Shiki, expect this review will be more elaborate than usual.

Fruity Robo Yilichuangwan Berry Hunter

 
Within the Span of one year, Yilichuangwan is very productive with their Fruity Robo lineup! For the 4th Entry, we are getting something called Berry Hunter. Scheduled for Q2 2025 release, Fruity Robo Berry Hunter will be sold for 99 RMB.

After Mandarin Berserker, we are getting yet another Melee unit mecha, With its mecha design having the color scheme of Strawberry, Berry Hunter is a High Mobility melee unit that boast high speed flight capability and wields a thin One handed sword to support its fighting style. From the appearance of Fruity War God, Berry Hunter appears to be the Backpack part for the combined form. This leaves the Body and the Legs as the remainder parts for the release which we could expect another 3 Units from this lineup of Yilichuangwan.

Densetsu no Yuusha Da Garn The GATTAI Pegasus Saber

 
 The Gattai lineup from Goodsmile really favors alot with Da Garn series for sure! After Seven Changer last year, they dropped another Massive bomb with Pegasus Saber in 2025! Scheduled for April 2026 release, The Gattai Pegasus Saber will be sold for whopping 54000 Yen!

Of all Yuusha series The GATTAI products, Pegasus saber got to be the most expensive single product so far, equalling the price of the combined form for Protagonist Yuusha Mecha, whether it is Great Da Garn or Great Might Gaine. But being the most anticipated Yuusha products for this lineup, the Price might be worth it for the long awaited update for this unique Yuusha design that remains one of a kind until the end of Yuusha series. 

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.