Nemmy got lucky with Grand Theft Auto!

I should have posted this earlier, but I got very engrossed in playing through Grand Theft Auto IV & Episodes From Liberty City and have only just now finished the story missions in those games.

While we're on the subject of GTA, I chanced upon an awesome deal on Steam where they were selling Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto 2, Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes From Liberty City together for £4.99.

I know I lost out on getting GTA IV & EFLC cheap, but being able to own the third era trilogy again for a fiver was enough of an incentive for me!

Read the rest of this entry »

Nemmy is back with a backlog of arrivals!

It has been awhile since I last posted anything on this blog, and the reason for that was mostly a combination of laziness and getting distracted by other things like playing Koihime Musou (which I finally finished), Imouto Ijime (short, but fun) and Yukkuri Panic: Escalation (how the fuck do I get that last scenario unlocked on the 'Qix' based game? I completed the main story mode already!).

Other than that, I've been getting used to TheTF.Net's new forum (the old forum has now been locked and archived) that went live to the masses last week. It's a bit of a bummer having to start over from scratch again, but there is fun to had in doing that I think.

Oh, and I'm now on Google+ too (thanks to Fudgecrumpet sending me an invite).


Monday (three weeks ago), Zavvi.com, I received Claymore The Complete Series.


Thursday (three weeks ago), Argos (Lewes), I received Dark of the Moon Sentinel Prime.


Tuesday (two weeks ago), 276470, I received Dark of the Moon Shockwave.


Friday (two weeks ago), gzoop, I received Death Note Complete Series.


Friday (last week), Toyz And Gamez, I received Dark of the Moon Jetwing Optimus Prime


Friday, TFsource and figure_house, I received...

• Casuality Thundershred
• S.H.Figuarts Kamen Rider Birth

Saturday, Yokatta Shopping Service, I received S.H.Figuarts Masked Rider Faiz Axel Form.

This is all I'm posting here for now, but I'll be further editing this post with better descriptions for the above items later.

Here's two more black repaints for the collection

I guess my visual novel habit has taken a firm hold of me once again cos for the last week or so I've been rather engrossed in playing Koihime Musou (I still have my anime and toku backlog to get through dammit!). I did try starting the game on my old PC originally, but unfortunately that was around the same time the damn thing was beginning to give me various problems.

We then had another long ass power cut on Tuesday that lasted for over six hours (you can probably imagine how pissed off I was at that) which delayed my write-up on posting about the following items.


Monday (last week), AmiAmi and Amazon.co.uk, I received...

• S.H.Figuarts Kamen Rider OOO TaJaDol Combo
• S.H.Figuarts Cure Sunshine
• Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance

The TaJaDor Combo (I'm more used to seeing it spelt that way in the fansub I watch) was the one form of Kamen Rider OOO that made me want the Figuart after it made its début in the show. But having said that I do think it's bloody annoying that Bandai are selling the wings and other accessories as a Tamashii Web Store exclusive.

Cure Sunshine was the next PreCure to appear in HeartCatch PreCure after Cure Blossom and Cure Marine. Like I said when I got those two, I have the urge to get every character they release as a Figuart from this show (I already have Cure Moonlight on pre-order).

I've seen the second Rebuild of Evangelion movie a few times already thanks to it being fansubbed when it was released on Blu-ray in Japan (although I had to wait for a SD encode of the movie before I could watch it properly as that old PC of mine absolutely sucked when it came to watching stuff in HD), but I did plan on buying the DVD release of the film as soon as it was available for purchase in the UK anyway.


Tuesday (last week), HobbyLink Japan and BigBadToyStore.com, I received...

• S.H.Figuarts Masked Rider Black
  
• S.H.Figuarts Masked Rider Black RX
  
• S.H.Figuarts Shadow Moon
• Clear Protector

I do own the original Shouchaku Henshin figures of Kamen Rider Black, Kamen Rider Black RX and Shadow Moon, but these Figuarts don't really feel like much of an vast improvement when compared to them to be honest. Even so, they do look a hell of a lot better than before, but apart from their appearance there isn't that much of a drastic difference in the actual design of the figure.

I pre-ordered the Clear Protector (I don't get why they're calling it clear, its crystal dammit!) soon after it was announced as I feared at the time that might be as limited as Shadow Scythe, but from looks of things now that doesn't appear to the case.

Luckily I already had a Henkei Sons of Cybertron Rodimus ready to attach the armour onto before it arrived so I didn't need to face any unnecessary hassle in trying to obtain one now.


Saturday, ehobbybase, I received United Darkside Optimus Prime & Darkside Megatron.

War for Cybertron Optimus Prime getting a black repaint was something I had been wanting since I first got the toy, but I wasn't that interested in the black repaint of War for Cybertron Megatron until I saw images of the finalised product.

Darkside Optimus Prime has more of a Black Convoy colour scheme than the Nemesis Prime colour scheme Hasbro uses, but unlike a lot of Black Convoy repaints Takara-Tomy have done lately this one is actually a Decepticon instead of an Autobot.

As for Darkside Megatron, holy shit! The colour scheme here is pretty similar to that of Animated Shadow Blade Megatron and it looks bloody awesome.

I have a Transformer with my name on it!

It made a nice change to have a week where I mostly received nothing but Transformers related arrivals.


Tuesday (last week), @darkageis, I received Reveal the Shield Windcharger.

Windcharger is quite the awesome little Scout. He has a nice looking vehicle mode, a fun transformation, and a decent robot mode. Since his arrival he's been a permanent fixture besides my PC.

Hell, I wouldn't mind seeing a few repaints of this guy (I'd especially like to have Rook).


Thursday, FansProject, I (firstly) received Blesser.

Blesser is a very special addition to my collection because FansProject made it as a sign of support to those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan by starting a campaign in which contributors who donated $15.00 or more to the Red Cross and provided them with proof of their donation(s) would receive a Blesser (an inverted colour Sidearm limited to 1500).

What makes this even more special is that the tech spec card was personalised to each contributor by having their name printed as the human partner of Blesser.


I decided to have Shadow Scythe wield my Blesser as I felt I should keep these treasured FansProject items together (although it does kinda go against Blesser's function as a rescuer to be paired with this corrupted Protector).


Thursday, Frankie (a.k.a. toyspark), I (secondly) received...

• United Autobot Set
• United Decepticon Set
  

What originally drew me into wanting these sets was the blue crystal Hot Rod (I have a thing about collecting that Rodimus mould), but after transforming Scrapheap (the new head mould is nice), Cyclonus (always an awesome toy no matter what colour its in) and Scourge I'm really liking the other redecos in these sets (especially Scourge, he's the highlight of the crystal Decepticon trio).


Saturday, Kapow Toys, I received...

• Generations Wheeljack
• Generations Thundercracker
• Kup 01 Head Kit
  

The main item of interest for me here was the replacement heads for Generations Kup. Once you've attached the new head it makes Kup look so much nicer than he did before with the official head.

The waiting for Eas has finally come to an end

Quite a few items arrived for me this week, a couple of which I wasn't expecting to see just yet.


Tuesday, AmiAmi, I (firstly) received S.H.Figuarts Shinken Gold (with Kuroko).

The next Super Sentai character to get a Figuart release after ShinkenRed was none other than ShinkenGold. However, I was not as blown away by him as I was with the aforementioned figure, but he does come with some cool pretty cool accessories like the Sakanamaru, DaiGoyou and the Ika and Ebi Origami.


Tuesday, Fan2Fan, I secondly received...

• Animated Optimus Prime Elite Guard Ver.
• S.H.Figuarts Kamen Rider Joker
  

This is the Elite Guard version of Optimus Prime that required the purchasing of the Animated Encyclopedia (which I bought last year) in order to obtain it. I have yet to open it cos I'm weary after what happened to the tab on my Black Optimus Prime.

There's not much to say about Kamen Rider Joker (that I haven't already mentioned on different occasions). The figure is pretty much the same as the other uses of the mould barring a few minor differences like the Lost Driver and lack of the silver striping in the middle.


Wednesday, TFsource, I received...

• Causality CA-01 Warcry
• Causality CA-02 Flameblast
  

Even though I own Explorer and Munitioner, this'll be my first proper handling of these moulds outside of using them as limbs (cos they've remained that way since the day I got them). Although when I first heard these were getting repaints I was hoping they'd come with the combiner parts so I could have attached them to my Super Link Bruticus.


After opening them and having a bit of tinker with them, I've found they're quite pleasing as standalone toys. But if I had to pick one over the other, I'd probably say Flameblast is my favourite (the dude just looks menacing as hell).


Thursday, hiro_suri, I received S.H.Figuarts Eas.

I very nearly almost gave up on ever getting Eas cos it took so damn long to get here, but to be fair the seller wasn't really at fault (for some reason it got returned to him after he originally posted it out to me).

Nevertheless, this figure was worth waiting for as it gives me the villainous version of Setsuna before she became Cure Passion.


Saturday, I received Universe Classics War of the Waves.

Now these were given to me as an Easter present by a couple of friends who popped over briefly for a visit. And even though I have the original releases of these moulds, I'm still very happy to have them.

I got the armour, but not the main bot itself

After being kept busy by D.C. II ~Da Capo II~ for the last week or so, I finally get around to posting this entry.


Thursday, toystar_galactica and supermart_usa, I received Drill Boy and CLANNAD Complete Collection.

Drill Boy is basically the token partsformer power-up. I haven't bothered with his own vehicle and robot modes at the moment cos I purely wanted this so I could 'upgrade' my Build Tiger.

CLANNAD, easily one of the better visual novel adaptations I've seen, and also the starting point in my exposure of KEY's other works such as Air and Kanon.


Friday, robotkingdom.com, I received Shadow Scythe.

The inevitable black repaint of the Protector, and a totally awesome one at that (even if it did get stung by those fuckers at Customs).

One complaint I have is with the scythe itself, as those connector tabs are an awfully tight fit and probably prone to breakage.


I wasn't to take this shot until the Shattered Glass Rodimus I bought arrived, but I'm still waiting on it. So I took the opportunity to use the armour on my Challenge at Cybertron Rodimus.

The mad rush for that Christmas post!

If this post seems rushed, blame it on the fact I've only had about 3 hours worth of sleep!

I manage to finish D.C.I.F. ~Da Capo Innocent Finale~ last night so I'd be ready for D.C. II ~Da Capo II~ that got released yesterday, only to then find that G-Senjou no Maou has been fully translated (it has been over a year since the last patch for this came out).

I even posted a seasonal message for The Nerdsphere (which features a very special character).


Yesterday (but opened today), TFsource and Amazon.co.uk, I received...

• Protector
• Sidearm
• Transformers Prime Original Graphic Novel
• KM-02 Knight Morpher Annihilator
• Fate/stay night Complete Collection
  

I did get some other stuff (like a webcam), but I didn't feel like including it here.

Scuffed Wreckers, Fooly Cooly and Bruticus appendages

Real life wise I'm still not feeling too great, but apart from that I've just finished Chapter 3 of ef - a fairy tale of the two. (thus far, this VN looks stunningly pretty what with all the effects and animations).

I didn't do too bad on the haul front either.


Tuesday, Amazon.co.uk, I received Last Stand of the Wreckers trade paperback.

First things first, I'd like to say a massive fuck you to the postwoman who was stupid enough to roughly shove this through the letterbox and damage the corners of my Wreckers TPB! I do have a second copy on order, but I'm going to keep that one as mint as possible and use this as my main reading copy.

Nevertheless, everyone and their extended family goes on about how great this comic is, and I'm very much a follower of that sentiment because it truly is that damn good. It got me wanting (no I should say needing) to buy the TPB unlike any of IDW's other work on Transformers in recent memory. There's just something about it (besides of awesomeness of my childhood favourite Rotorstorm) that really appealed to me and made me take a keener interest in this band of Autobots.

The comic alone deserves all the praise in the world (and rightfully so), but seeing as we get Bullets to expand on it as well, what more could you ask for? Now I'll be the first to admit text-only stories grate on my nerves as I get bored (and somewhat intimidated) very easily when there's nothing except walls of text presented before me. However, once I finally got through those 11 pages all I had to say was "holy fucking shit" (and that's all I will say about it for now).


Thursday, mvm_entertainment, I received FLCL Vol 1-3.

Now I've seen a lot of anime in my time, but Furi Kuri is certainly one of more stranger ones. Even when I recently watched it again I'm still left with a sense of confusion and scratching my head, its weird, too weird, so weird that I'm not sure calling it weird is actually fitting.

I wasn't going to pay the price I originally saw it for (which was about £18), but I bit the bullet at £10.


Saturday, Kapow Toys, I received...

• XFire 02A Explorer And Combat Unit Appendage Add-on Kit A
• XFire 02B Munitioner And Combat Unit Appendage Add-on Kit B
  

Let's cut the bollocks, I'll be referring to Explorer and Munitioner as Blast Off and Swindle from this point on cos let's face it, that's who they really are (I did the same with the Warbot Defender after all).

I can't comment on the individual robot modes of Blast Off and Swindle as I didn't want to risk the chance of something breaking (that would really annoy me after the shit that happened with my Universe Classics Bruticus Maximus), so I put these suckers straight into XFire Bruticus Colossus and they'll probably remain connected as him for the foreseeable future.

The combination process wasn't hassle free mind you as the new head was a little tricky to attach, the backpack doesn't properly align with the holes on Onslaught's back, and connecting the hands had some scary moments.


But even with those niggles, the end result is jaw-droppingly awesome. It totally removes the need for Universe Classics Blast Off and Swindle to exist (unless you want to consider them as drones), leaves you a much more poseable gestalt than the XFire Superion Antaeus (and its Snowman repaint), and gives him an lethal assortment of weapons to boot.

Now if we get a repaint of this set that matches the colours of Super Link Bruticus, I would gladly purchase it without hesitation.

Wrecking courage for sticking rarity

This week brought Nemmy some new goodies, and only one of them is a DVD!


Monday, Kapow Toys and dvdmagnetinc, I received the Warbot Defender and King of the Braves GaoGaiGar Season Two Collection.

I think I mentioned it before, but I'll be calling the Warbot Defender Springer (cos c'mon, it fucking screams Springer!), and that's that.

As for the toy itself, I do feel safer in transforming this than the Knight Morpher Commander, but there's still that nagging fear I'm gonna break the damn thing.

And the second half of GaoGaiGar? Do I really need to explain that?


Tuesday, nosvette1 and Reprolabels.com, I received Animated Arcee and Classics Springer stickers.

Arcee's not a bad toy, but it felt somewhat lacking in my eyes after removing it from the packaging and transforming it a few times.

I dunno why, but it just strikes me as underwhelming in the face of other Arcees I have in my collection (such as the BotCon and WonderFest exclusives).


Regarding those stickers for Springer, I think this photo should cover it (and no, there was no room for Hot Rod in it, so don't even ask!).

Superion requires some new appendages too?

Today has given me a Stocking Stuffer delivery from TFSource (and no, I haven't fallen victim to the credit card security issues they're facing at the moment thank fuck).


Like I said when I got my Aerial Team Appendage Add-on Kit last year (man, it feels weird saying that), I went out and purchased the Snowman Version of the kit.

The only real difference between the two (besides the colour) is a Zero Hour comic plugging their upcoming Warbot Defender (he's Springer dammit!).

Was that comic the 'bells and whistles' this exclusive was planned to have? It seems rather cheap if that's the case.


Ah well, at least the real meat of the package didn't fail to impress.

As soon as it arrived, I grabbed my SL Superion and started putting the parts on him so I could take this comparison shot of him with the already decked-out RotF Superion.

Of the two, I think I prefer SL Superion with the Snowman kit just a tad more than RotF Superion with the original kit.