Robot Claw

The LEGO Treehouse

July 20th, 2020

I got this for my birthday (Thanks J & J!) and about a month ago started to build it:

It’s a massive kit, with 3000+ pieces and a 428 page manual with 894 assembly steps.

I like to build these things slowly, a few hours at a time, and this kit was well suited to that. The first part I finished was the trunk:

Note the little touches like the swing and birdhouse. The engineering that went into the LEGO pieces wrapping around the trunk with the studs facing out is very clever, and the whole thing is rock-solid strong to support the weight of the rest of the structure.

Next came the three ‘houses’:

These were the most fun to build due to the incredible detail inside. Here’s closeups of one of the bedrooms and the bathroom:

Next came the (detachable) roofs and some detail at ground level:

It’s a little obscured in the photo but the winding staircase from the ground up to the treehouse level is extraordinary. See also the ‘suspended’ walkway that wraps around the trunk connecting two of the houses.

Here’s a detail of the table at ground level:

The final step was to add the canopy:

The leaves are made of recycled plants; a preview of LEGO of the future perhaps (since they want to move away from plastic). The set comes with summer and fall leaf colours, and can be changed with the seasons:

This is an amazing kit. The engineering is first-class, it’s great fun to build and it looks incredible on display. This is the sort of kit that would have kept Bernard and I busy for months as kids, and I dare say there’s a lot of younglings enjoying the hell out of this today!

If you like LEGO and have some cash needing to be spent, you can’t go wrong with this one 🙂

Posted in Models, Otaku, Toys | 1 Comment »

Vintage

July 18th, 2020

This little guy is over 40 years old:

He’s our Jawa Star Wars figure, which was probably purchased in about 1978. I saw ‘our’ since B and I used to mostly share these as I recall, although some figures were bought in pairs so we both had one.

This guy was one of the earliest we bought, and was one of at least a pair. Originally he had a little gun as well, but that’s long-lost by now. He took part in many elaborate Star Wars dioramas we made both indoors and out, and as with the others figures shown here today miraculously survived being melted by fireworks in the mid 1980s.

We also used to throw our figures into ponds, take them to the beach, and even tie them to parachutes and throw them off our roof! It’s a miracle he’s in such great condition.

That’s an original Yoda figure, from about 1980. As with the Jawa we had two of these, and this guy is in extraordinary condition considering his age. I always loved this figure due to its tiny size and large amount of accessories.

I remember we used to occasionally get one Star Wars figure each when we went shopping, but when the Empire figures hit shelves in 1980 dad bought us a whole bunch at once, including this guy. I can remember being overwhelmed as a kid by all the new figures before I’d seen the film, and had fun imagining what roles some characters would have.

That’s the final vintage figure I have, a guy named Squid Head from the Return Of The Jedi line that came out in 1983. I always loved this character (who was on screen for only seconds) and it was one of my favourite figures from that film. This figure I recall as being distinctly mine, although I don’t recall why.

I remember a trip to Sydney with B and dad in the early 1980s. We stayed in a bright apartment and went to a nearby mall every day. We played video games at a tiny arcade and dad let us each select some Star Wars figures from the toy store. I think that’s when we got Squid Head, because I recall playing with him (I would have been 11) in the garden patio of the apartment.

I asked dad about that trip last year, but he couldn’t remember. I wish I knew more about where we stayed and exactly when.

When I came to America I didn’t bring these guys with me: Bernard sent them to me years later. Back in the day we had loads of Star Wars figures, but some were melted and some sold off. Maybe these were saved because they had cloth parts? Maybe just because they’re cool? I wonder if B remembers?

Whatever the reason I’m glad they survived, because they’re now amongst my oldest possessions. Each of them trigger many happy memories of my childhood, and I’ll treasure them forever 🙂

Posted in Blog, Collecting, History, Miscellaneous, Otaku, Toys | 2 Comments »

That Time Of Year

July 5th, 2020

Happy July 4!

No interstate trip this year due to COVID, so these guys came from the local grocery store.

We let them off last night after a day of cookouts and Gundam building.

The Kims were to share the holiday with us. As we lit our fireworks the sound of booming echoed around our neighborhood: obviously many other people did take the interstate trip to get the big fireworks 🙂

Our modest display was fun though. All fireworks are fun, and I’m glad the pandemic didn’t shut this down like so many other joys.

We kept some back since we’re going to visit the oldies in a few weeks and want them to enjoy fireworks as well 🙂

And here’s a bonus shot: Kristins work booked out the drive-in last Thursday night and before the film gave everyone a professional fireworks show:

It was great!

Posted in Home | Comments Closed

Bond Film Review (part 2)

June 30th, 2020

Fewer blog posts this month due to my summer course, but here’s the second half of the long-awaited twenty-word reviews of the first twenty (plus one!) Bond films. Enjoy…

Moonraker (1979)
With amazing set pieces but ropey effects, this is better than you remember. But the pigeon reaction shot is unforgivable…
Rating: 007 out of 10

For Your Eyes Only (1981)
The Bond girl is spicy, the car chase great and it has cool gadgets but it’s a little boring overall.
Rating: 006 out of 10

Octopussy (1983)
Bond oozes cool and the locations are pretty but the villains are weak and the story loses punch too early.
Rating: 006 out of 10

Never Say Never Again (1983)
The video game is insane and the villainess memorable but this is just an inferior remake saved by Connerys charm.
Rating: 007 out of 10

A View To A Kill (1985)
Bond is (too?) old but the action is solid and the villain amongst the best. The title song is incredible!
Rating: 008 out of 10

The Living Daylights (1987)
The villains are weak but Dalton is fascinating and the trip with the girl is scenic and romantic. Very watchable.
Rating: 009 out of 10

Licence To Kill (1989)
Personal revenge evolves into mad action as once again Dalton shows how he commanded the role. A great Bond film!
Rating: 009 out of 10

Goldeneye (1995)
The Brosnan era introduced truly insane action sequences and here they mostly work. Brosnan is charm and Xenia wickedly memorable.
Rating: 008 out of 10

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Ludicrous action can’t defeat a boring villain, terrible plot and ho-hum Bond girl. Brosnan’s charm almost saves it from forgettability.
Rating: 005 out of 10

The World Is Not Enough (1999)
There’s a lot to dislike here, but a generous viewer may find enjoyment in the visuals and – as always – Brosnan.
Rating: 006 out of 10

Die Another Day (2002)
Everything about this – including Madonna – is insane and I almost feel sorry for Brosnan. The worst ever Bond film.
Rating: 004 out of 10

Of course the Bond films don’t end here, with four Daniel Craig films already out and a fifth on the way. But are they really Bond films? Check back in a decade or so when I review the next set of ten!

Posted in Movies, Retro | Comments Closed

Troll Pop

June 16th, 2020

This is a troll:

They’re toys that have been around for decades and are beloved by almost everyone especially my brother. While he’s never actually said anything about them, I know he adores troll toys.

Something else he loves is the K-Pop band Red Velvet, shown here:

You can imagine how excited he must have been when he heard that these two things he loved had combined into one! Yes my friends, Red Velvet were ‘in’ the recent Trolls film:

I don’t doubt Bernard threw caution to the wind and ran to the cinema to see this film but since I loathe trolls and am ambivalent toward Red Velvet I barely gave the movie a thought. However a particular piece of licensing did catch my eye, and that was these Oreos:

Green-cream Oreos with glitter and popping candy?!? This is what it means to live in the 21st century!

So many cookies with delicious sugary cream. Don’t you just want to try one? You can even enjoy them in four different designs:

What are they like? In a word: heavenly. The slightly chemical taste of the cream is completely overridden by the astonishing experience of the poprocks and the thought that even though it’s not visible you’re eating glitter as well:

During lockdown I religiously bought a pack of these every two weeks and we wolfed them down like starving beasts. Alas they are now gone from our stores, another victim of corona. They’ll never be forgotten.

If you happen to find a pack on shelves in your area don’t hesitate to buy them. These are by a very wide margin the best Oreos ever, and highly recommended 🙂

Posted in Family, Food, Movies, Music | 2 Comments »