G.I. Joe HAVOC

Presenting the Dungeon's GI Joe HAVOC (Heavy Articulated Vehicle Ordinance Carrier 118-HVH-1986-HAVOC-01).

Released in 1986, this HAVOC was actually a gift from my brother (Yay! Thanks bro :) ) to me and till today, it's still one of my favorite toys. Unfortunately Cross Country was thrown away by a relative who shall remain nameless since she's disowned anyway simply because she classified broken Joes waiting for repair as "Junk".

And it's still in excellent shape - save for the scratched up front canopy, broken rear thread mount and the missing firing stud on the turret.

The GI Joe HAVOC first piqued my interest after I saw it trump the Dreadnok Thunder Machine in issue 51 of Marvel's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series (Okay technically it was a draw but since the Thunder Machine got away... okay I suppose the Joes lost, but it's one of the more classic battles between the two armies). I've been in love with it ever since.

Transformers Fans Make Wishes Come True at TFcon Event.

For 10 years, Canada’s TFcon has been helping toy collectors realize their collecting dreams. This year, Canada’s premier Transformers collectors convention will make wishes come true for sick children, as  TFCon holds its first-ever charity auction to benefitMAKE-A-WISH Canada.  The event will begin 12:00 PM EST, July 28th 2012 at the Delta Meadowvale Resort and Conference Centre – 6750 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, Ontario

Founded in 1983, Make-A-Wish Canada has granted thousands of wishes to children across Canada with life-threatening medical conditions . With regional Chapters in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, London, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax, the Canadian  affiliate of Make-A-Wish® International has helped to make it the largest wish-granting organization in the world, making dreams and wishes come true for more than 280,000 children world-wide since 1980.  

Fall of Cybertron Shockwave

HONEEEY!!!! I'M HOOOMMMEEE!!!! 

Presenting the Fall of Cybertron Shockwave.

Shockwave is literally a mad scientist in the city of Kaon on Cybertron. His relationship with Megatron started when Shockwave started providing weaponry to the arena gladiator - so we can assume that that big Fussion-Cannon that Megatron uses is something that Shockwave created for him.

Ironically, FOC Shockwave only befriended Megatron because he wanted to create an army of Megatron-like clones.

Are you feeling lucky punk?

Instead he ended up becoming Megatron's second-in-command. In the War for Cybetron DS version, there's supposed to be a part where Shockwave rebels against Megatron and you have to beat him and his friends up. Unfortunately I only have the X-box version.

In the yet to be released Fall of Cybetron video-game, Shockwave finds and starts to experiment with Space Bridges in an attempt to steal energon from other planets to reboot the dying Cybertron. Along the way he finds prehistoric Earth. Impressed with the savagery and power of dinosaurs - and the intricacy of insects, Fall of Cybertron Shockwave goes home and creates the Dinobots - Transformers with immense power but sadly lacking in intelligence - and the Insecticons. Naturally the experiment goes awry and the Dinobots turn against their creator.

G.I. Joe Rolling Thunder - Restoration Project 1

Presenting my G.I. Joe Rolling Thunder. This is one of the oldest G.I. Joe vehicles in the Dungeon and it's unfortunately in quite a dreadful state - Hey I got it cheap!!!! Cut  me some slack!!!! A brand new one costs PhP 12, 600 (US$ 293) and you'll have to ship it from Portugal (It's not light).

Instead this will be my first restoration project. I intend to return this wonderfully frightening vehicle -  reminiscent of the paranoia from the US/USSR Cold War when it was important for Armies to invest in mobile platforms of mass destruction - to near pristine condition.

Fall of Cybertron Optimus Prime

Finally got that itch!!!

Presenting the Transformers Fall of Cybertron Optimus Prime - wielding the 3rd Party Corbot V Optimus Prime Battle Axe.

Transformers Fall of Cybertron is the highly anticipated sequel to the very successful shooter Transformers War for Cybertron - the game that presented one of the most unique versions of Optimus Prime in the market. This Prime is one of the first characters released as a toy preceding the video-game in order to help drum up support along with Jazz and the Decepticon Shockwave.

I'm not so sure why they bothered with a re-make of a good-design (Maybe they read my comment about the War of Cybertron Optimus Prime having stubby arms). But change him they did, and here he is.

Bastila Shan

Presenting Bastila Shan from the Star Wars Expanded Universe Toy Series. This is Bastila's character debut - there are currently no other Bastila figures out there in the market - after having won the Star Wars 2009 Fan's Choice Poll.

If you are reading this, and have never played Knights of the Old Republic, then you probably shouldn't be here and you probably think that Bastila is a spicy Moroccan Chicken dish (If so, then you really shouldn't be here and have missed out on a really good role-playing game - Though Moroccan Bastila Chicken is not bad).

Weaponizer Optimus Prime

Presenting the Weaponizer Optimus Prime from the Transformers Prime toy-line.

I'm personally not sure if this particular incarnation of Optimus Prime is canon. But given the fluid nature of Transformers as has been manifested in both the cartoons and the movies, I would not put it beyond Prime's abilities to manifest a pair of chain-guns.

And I've always thought that Optimus Prime is a bit under-gunned. Those big-broad shoulders definitely have room for additional weaponry. God-Ginrai showed us how cool it looked. But shoulder mounted weapons for Optimus Prime did not truly manifest. It took third-party groups to produce shoulder mounted weapons for Prime, particularly the Gears of War-2 Pack and the TAW-Sword:

Zoids: Red Horn

Presenting another relic pulled from the basement of the Dungeon, a Zoids Red Horn.

I remember kids watching the Zoids cartoon and hear them blurt out that the bad-guy rides a Triceratops. I just rolled my eyes and wondered what kids were being taught now in school. The Red Horn is clearly not a Triceratops - to begin with, it only has one horn - it's a Styracosaurus - a single horned dinosaur with a flaring armored crest.

And I've always liked the Red Horn - even if he is a "bad-guy" zoid. It's tough: well armed for a close-up fight and heavily armored - particularly up in front.

So I'm kinda disappointed that they constantly portray Red Horns to be such whimps in the cartoons. It's reputation in the Battle Story series is much, much better. There it's almost unmatched.

Transformers Cyberverse Arcee (Legion Class)

Presenting the Legion Class Arcee from the Transformers Prime Cyberverse Toyline.

Recently the local market has been flooded with Optimus Maximus battle-stations. I thought that it was cool that Optimus Maximus was here, but noted that there were no Cyberverse Legion Class figures in the market to man the station.

A few days ago, while walking down a small side-stall in Toys R' Us in Galleria, disgruntled that there was apparently nothing new, I saw them: A few Transformers Prime Cyberverse figures. I'm not sure why the quantities were so small, or why these particular figures were hidden and not on the more prominent display racks, but here they were.

This particular figure of the Autobot's "Stealth Fighter" Arcee, which stands a mere 2.6 inches tall - not counting her flaring shoulder blades - is from that tiny selection.

STAR WARS: Imperial Cruisemissile Trooper

Presenting a Star Wars Imperial Cruisemissile Trooper from the Power of the Force Toyline.

While preparing this blog entry, it occurred to me that one of the reason why I started this blog to begin with is that there is absolutely no way in the world that I would be able to remember all the names of the toys in the Dungeon. The only way that I would be able to keep track is to put it here. True enough it took me half a day researching on-line to find out what the hell this particular vehicle was called.

It was quite difficult to find because the Imperial Cruisemissile Trooper is not classified as a vehicle. It's classified as... well... personnel. So a quick comb-through the Galactic Empire's Database did not reveal the Cruisemissile Trooper. Eventually I got lucky by searching for Power of the Force vehicles where I found it in someone's set for sale on Ebay.

Disney: Keeping things in the Family

Did Disney (Who owns Marvel) realize that the sexual tension between Hawkeye and the Black Widow would result in Merida (Which is a very European name - in this case Scottish - but can sound Russian) the star of their upcoming summer special "Brave"?

Fourth of July Poll: Wonder Woman

Almost forgot that it's the Fourth of July. So while it's still the fourth of July in the United States, let's ask: Who wore Wonder Woman's costume best? We have seven contestants up for the survey which can be found here. So do cast your votes! 

First up of course is Lynda Carter, the original buxom babe to portray Wonder Woman from 1975 to 1979. the former Ms. World USA has only one nude scene in a B movie. Go wiki it if you want to know what it is and are still harboring that fantasy about a naked Wonder Woman.

Marvel Universe: Luke Cage

Presenting Like Cage from the Marvel Universe Toy-line. Real name Carl Lucas AKA Power Man.

I have to say that I was not really a fan of Power-Man  back before he became the leader of the New Avengers. It's hard to take someone seriously as a hero when he dresses like a chocolate disco banana with a golden-tiara to frame his afro and a bromance with a rich-white-boy with a tattoo fetish.

So I'm really glad that Marvel decided to modernize him by putting him into regular street clothes - no fancy latex or costumes - and getting rid of his afro. This Luke Cage looks like someone you'd see sitting on the steps of a busy Bronx apartment building keeping the streets safe from drug dealers, crime lords and common thugs.

But Marvel did give one last nod to his disco past by making sure everyone on that street knows his name thanks to that bling.

Transformers Prime: Soundwave

Presenting Soundwave from the Transformers Prime Toy-line (Robots in Disguise - not the Takara one).

I once stated that I am not a fan of the "Animated" versions of things - especially when they start distorting the heroes. But I have to say that I really like what Hasbro has done with the Transformers Prime: Soundwave.

In the Transformers Prime Animated series - and practically all Transformers canon, Soundwave is, and remains Megatron's first recruit and number one die-hard fan faithful to his unappreciative leader to the very end.

And a faceless master spy who never fights alone because he has his own loyal sidekicks - in this case he has only one, Laserbeak.

In this incarnation, Soundwave transforms into a Predator Drone (General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper AKA Predator B or Guardian)

Soundwave also actually has a... third form - kinda, sorta, could-be.