Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 Preview Night Part 10

This is the last post of my coverage of the Preview Night of the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 held last evening. I'm sorry that I couldn't cover everything. There's lots more stuff at the convention that you have to see. Bandai, Lego, Nintendo are all there.

My final thoughts of Singapore's inaugural toy convention: Well, it's definitely not Comic-Con but I have to say that the people at PI Events did a great job organising this. The Singapore Toy & Comic Convention is a mecca for local toy and comic lovers. My initial reaction when I stepped into the convention hall was similar to the one I had as a small boy going into my first toy store. It was that exciting. If you love toys - I'm sure everyone does aye - then I promise you will have a great time at the convention. I think there's a huge potential in this and I'm positive that the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention will get bigger next year and hopefully it will be as big as Comic-Con one day.

The Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 is now on until tomorrow at Suntec Convention Hall 603 (Level 6). Admission is free! I'll be there again tomorrow for the Batman: Gotham Knight screening and hopefully to take more pics. See you guys there. And if you do see me, do say hi but try not to shout my name out loud ok.

You can read all the 10 parts of my Singapore Toy & Comic Convention Preview Night coverage here and view all the photos I took over at my Ovi channel.

Covering the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008

I'll be at the Suntec Convention Centre in an hour to cover the Official Opening and Preview Night of the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008. Many thanks to Daphne from PI Events for the invite. The Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 is the first ever pop culture event in Singapore. The visual feast is supported by STB and MDA and features a host of industries cutting across toys, comics, gaming, animation, licensing and design. Watch out for my reports and pics later tonight and tomorrow. I'm also looking forward to watching the exclusive preview of Batman: Gotham Knight at tonight's event. Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 will open to the public tomorrow and ends on Sunday. Go check it out aye.

Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 Preview Night Part 2

I met lots of stars at the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention (STCC) 2008. First up is 91.3 DJ and my friend Jeremy Ratnam who is the emcee of STCC.



Boy, we had a great time catching up with each other during his breaks.



Here's Gary Erskine getting ready to be interviewed by the Animax crew. Animax is a broadcast partner of the STCC and is broadcasting the event on its channel. Gary has worked on comics such as “Transformers”, “Judge Dredd”, “Hellblazer” and “Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron”. He has also worked on licensed properties such as the Dreamworks characters (including Shrek and Madagascar) and for Sony and occasionally freelances with the award winning Glasgow studio Axis Animation.

You can catch Gary at his autograph signing tomorrow from 2-3pm and Sunday at 12.30-1.30pm and 4-5pm. He will also be doing a live art demo tomorrow from 4.30-5.30pm.



Simone Legno of the tokidoki fame is another one who was very busy during the Preview Night. Here he is signing some autographs for his fans. tokidoki is a lifestyle brand that features a wide range of popular products, including shirts, jewellery, designer toys and skate decks. The art of tokidoki is also recognized throughout the world from his collaborations with brands such as LeSportsac, Onitsuka Tiger, Hello Kitty and Forinara, just to name a few.

Simeone's autograph signing session will be on tomorrow from 12.30-1.30pm and 4-pm and on Sunday from 1.15-2.15pm. You can catch him doing a live art demo on Sunday from 4.30-5.30pm.



The dudes from Monsterism! Pete Fowler is the one on the right. Pete is best known for his artwork for the Welsh band Super Furry Animals. He is a freelance illustrator and "monster creator" inspired by Japanese art.

You can get his autograph tomorrow from 1-2pm and 5-6pm and on Sunday from 2-3pm. His live art demo will take place on Sunday from 4.30-5.30pm.



And here's the lovely Kika from madcap who sportingly posed for me. Kika is a international artist, illustrator, designer, scenarist and street art painter. She designs and illustrates for different brands and magazines. Kika is the art director of Madcap.

Watch out for Part 3 of my Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 Preview Night coverage.

Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 Preview Night Part 9

For me the highlight of the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 Preview Night held last evening has to be the exclusive preview of an animation short from Batman: Gotham Knight.

Batman: Gotham Knight is a 2008 animated direct-to-DVD anthology film of six animated short films set in-between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight movies. The short films were done in Japanese anime style. The DVD will be on sale on July 8.

They only showed around 15 mins or so of Gotham Knight at the preview last night but it sure was enough to whet my appetite for the full Asian Premiere Screening to be held tomorrow (Sunday) at 6pm. I understand that it is free and those attending the convention will be able to watch it. I got my pass which gives me a comfy seat so that I don't have to stand while watching the entire movie. I have to thank Daphne from PI Events for that. I really hate standing.

Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 Preview Night Part 1

I had a blast of a time at the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention (STCC) 2008 Preview Night earlier this evening. The session was specially reserved for networking opportunities for key manufacturers, distributors, retailers, designers, special guests and members of the media. The STCC is open to the public tomorrow and it is held at Suntec Convention Hall 603 (Level 6).



A huge welcome board greets the guests.



This is the Artists' Graffiti Wall which is a panel measuring 16ft by 8ft where the invited artists and designers draw, doodle, sketch and paint on. Some of the participating artists who drew on the Graffiti Wall include DEVILROBOTS, Gary Erskine, Pete Fowler and Tokidoki. Click here to view a close up of the drawings on the Graffiti Wall.

The opening ceremony was graced by the Guest of Honour, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports. Watch the video here.

Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 Preview Night Part 8

A cool toy that is being demoed at the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 is the GP-100. You can find it at the Movies with Motions booth.



The GP-100 is a motion gaming platform with "Free Fall Sensation Technology" which simulates all the movements and vibrations inside a moving race car. The whole setup is impressive. There's the premium racing components (steering wheel, seat, paddles, stick, etc) which is wired up to what looks like a high end PC and of course to the HD TV. Oh, and not forgetting the high performance surround sound system to complete one hell of gaming experience.



Check out a video of the GP-100 in action:

Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 Preview Night Part 7

One of my favourite booths at the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 is the one by Simply Toys, a shop that sells high end collectibles, movie and TV related prop replicas and statuettes. They are displaying some of their latest super realistic busts at the convention including Optimus Prime and Bumbleebee busts! Check out more photos below.

Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 Preview Night Part 3

One of the highlights of the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 is the Star Wars booth set up by Hasbro. I'm a big Star Wars fan and oh boy, was I excited like hell inside the booth.



There are so many Star Wars goodies like this awesome display of hundreds of Clone trooper action figures.



And then there's this glorious setting of the Galactic Empire Army with the Emperor and Darth Vader.



Ok, the above pics don't really show much but hopefully this video will.

Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 Preview Night Part 5

Perhaps the weirdest thing that I saw at the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 is this set of bread like toys.



They called 'em breadou. Apparently they act as a wrist rest and a stress ball too.



They smell like real bread. They look like real bread. I managed to give a few of them a squeeze. Just had to. My verdict: They are truly weird.

Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 Preview Night Part 6

If you are a trekkie, then you should check out the booth by the Singapore Star Trek Fansite. These guys rock! StarTrek.sg is the largest and most active Star Trek fans group in Singapore (non-profit). They have over 500 trekkies in their mailing list, and over 200 users in their online forums. They also take part in cosplay events dressed up in their Star Trek uniforms and face masks.



I took a pic of some of the Star Trek gadgets that were on display in their booth. You can spot the Communicator, some weapons and medical equipments. Cool!

Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008 Preview Night Part 4

Above: At the Star Wars Booth. Darth Vader toys through the years.

Also watch videos of the Star Wars Action Figures from 1977 to 1985 and from 1995 to 2008.

And here are more pics at the Star Wars booth.