HG OZ-06MS Leo

Can't believe it's been six years since I sat down and made a Gundam model kit, that doesn't mean I stopped buying them when I saw one I liked, cause I still have nine more to build. To get back in to the groove of building once again I choose the mass-production cannon fodder from Gundam Wing. Took about six hours, and needed very little detailing, now on to Gundam Bael from Iron-Blooded Orphans.

Star Trek: Las Vegas 2023 -57 Year Mission-

 
You think being a life long Trekkie I would of gone to a Star Trek convention by now, but nope, yesterday was my very first. Star Trek: Las Vegas has been held at The Rio Casino, put on by Creation Entertainment for the last 22 years straight. Each convention is subtitled celebrating the years since Star Trek's creation, this year celebrates 57 years of the never ending fandom.

 

A wild, but very friendly Mugato was running around the convention halls.

Finally add Star Trek to my Monopoly collection.

Picked up two more Playmates figures I was missing.

Got these two great shirts, sadly they were sold out of TOS and Next Gen.

Had to pick up these awesome Destination: Star Trek prints. Was bummed there's not a Next Gen series one with the Enterprise-D, hopefully next year there's a Strange New Worlds one.

Beautiful models of Enterprise-G and D by Factory Entertainment.

Sat in on a live recording of one my favorite Star Trek podcast Mission Log.

 

Had the great honor to meet, and get autographs from six fantastic actors. Thank you so much to Gary Graham, Conner Trinneer, Garret Wang, Jeffrey Combs, Marina Sirtis, and especially a huge amount of gratitude to Anson Mount who came and sat in the vendor room for an extra round of signatures after doing a panel when he wasn't scheduled to that day. 

 

 

The absolute highlight of the day, and so glad he was there the one day I could go this week, was getting a photo with William Shatner, watching and hearing him talk on stage, and ending the day getting his autograph.

Had a fun Trekkie nerdy fanboy day, can't wait to go again next year, definitely gonna start going every year from now on.

Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con 2023

The main artist attraction this year was Kevin Eastman, so you know I bought the Ninja Turtles VIP package to get guaranteed direct access to his signings and his exclusive goodie bag.   

 

Got seven signatures, obviously had to get'em on his latest creations of Last Ronin and The Lost Years. Pretty awesomely that 25th Anniversary Hardcover was in the VIP exclusive gift bag, so fricking cool. Miraculously found that TMNT #4 2nd Printing cover the day before for a great price.

Was such an honor to meet the legendary Larry Hama, creator of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, and all the heroes and villains as we know them today. Along with signatures on various comics he did, and my Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow Pops, also got a commission sketch of Cobra Commander. The table next to him was 80's Marvel comic writer Steven Grant, so got both their signatures on a collection of Punisher: Suicide Run he was selling on the table, and later went back to him when I found a Punisher #1.

 

Actually didn't buy too many comics or even any toys at this convention, other then that New 52 Deathstroke Funko Pop, all my money went to signatures, sketches, and art prints. Some very cool #1s, and some variants covers, did manage to check off twenty-four Ultimate X-Men issues off my need list. Specifically got that Cable textless variant cover by Tyler Kirkham at the convention to get signed by him. 

Extraordinary comic artist Adam Kubert was added to the guest list just a couple weeks before the convention, and I knew I wouldn't be leaving that weekend without a commissioned sketch from him. When I went to go pick up the sketch the next day Logan was only in pencil, that is when he added the black ink and red paint, was phenomenal to see it finished by his hand right in front of me. 

Another amazing highlight was meeting Charles Martinet, the voice of Super Mario in video games since 1994. Instead of getting his signature for myself, I took this opportunity to make a unique one-of-a kind birthday present for a very special little boy who's birthday it was that very day, and got him personalized birthday wishes on a art print.

One of the artist I brought a stack of comics to get signed by was long-time Marvel artist Mark Bagley, another legend I had to have a commissioned sketch from. Cable was pre-sketched on the canvas cover, not a paid commission, that got my eye as the artist Dietrich Smith was putting it out as I walked by. Cable being my favorite Marvel X-Men character, I had to get it and have it signed by him, and talked to him for a bit about how he was an apprentice of Rob Liefield at the early days of Image Comics.

More art prints to find wall space in my house for. Deadpool from Myrat Michaels, Snake Eyes from Larry Hama, Ninja Turtles from Kevin Eastman. Spider-Man from Mark Bagley, Green Lantern from Jim Starlin, and Weapon X from Adam Kubert.

McFarlane Gets My Money

 

I don't know exactly what happened at McFarlane Toys, but for some reason they stopped packing in any kind firearms with figures that should have them. Which was kinda of a bummer for collectors of  DC Multiverse and Mortal Kombat figures, and raised the need to have to track down weapons in the correct scale to arm the characters. Three characters that hit me the hardest for being "incomplete" was Commando Spawn, Grifter, and Peacemaker, so when I got an e-mail saying an exclusive weapons pack was coming from the offical McFarlane store website I immediately pre-ordered it. As soon as I got the confirmation the perfectly named Munitions Pack was shipping out I ordered the three figures offline, and amazingly they all showed up at the same time.

Truly blown away by Commando Spawn, it's not just the previous released Spawn with a different head and added straps, he is almost completely new molding. The only reused parts of the cape, gauntlet, and cone boot are on a completely new body which is molded to look like skin tight hi-tech body armor with new spiked strapped left arm and lower leg, scarfed head, and wrapped hands. He comes packed with the same Necroplasm flames that came with Malefik Spawn, which if you read the early Spawn comics goes against the idea of this incarnation cause when Spawn goes "Commando" it's because he conserving he limited Necroplasm power, and falls back on his military training, and weapon expertise.

I'm sure I've mentioned on this blog that I am a huge Jim Lee fan, and by that extension fan of his Image Comics super-hero team WildC.A.T.S, so I was stoked when they revealed a 7-inch highly detailed and highly articulated figure of Grifter as he currently appearing in DC Comics. Please, please, please let this be the beginning getting the rest of the modern versions of the WildC.A.T.S team, please Todd. He comes with a sword and a knife, which isn't outside his skill set cause he is trained in the Coda martial arts and melee combat, but definitely looks much better with the modified 9MM Beretta handguns from the weapons pack.  

I love James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, and really enjoy John Cena as Peacemaker, and his solo show on HBO Max was the most insane, hilarious, and messed up comic-based extravaganza since The Boys to hit streaming. So color me surprised, and extremely disappointed along with the majority of all collectors that his action figure did not come with his signature gun, but instead a sword he maybe used in one quick scene in the film, but thanks to the weapons pack he now has his extended Desert Eagle with silencer which is movie accurate, I just wish the silencer was removable. Now I need to get Bloodsport to stand next to him, and fingers crossed for a Vigilante figure soon.

So with McFarlane's excellent offerings in DC Multiverse, and the resurgence of Spawn thanks to the milestone 300th issue which reignited the character's popularity in pop culture, and demand for new collectibles, Todd has been getting my money far more then any of the other toy companies as of late. In the latest comics not only are old variations of Hellspawns for across the centuries and multiverse coming together in the pages with the current Al Simmons Spawn, but also new Spawn variations are coming out of the woodwork, so now we have an actual team made of the various Hellspawn called The Scorched. As a huge Spawn fan who grew up playing with the original 90's Todd Toys Spawn figures, to once again be going to the store and searching for new modern renditions of characters like Ninja Spawn and She-Spawn is pure weaponized nostalgia hook, line, and sinker for me.

The Redeemer a.k.a. Anti-Spawn is my favorite Spawn villain, as much as I love the new winged version, I really hope one day we get the old purple cape first appearance as a modern figure, maybe in the future as a repaint/running change of Redeemer III a.k.a Reaper from The Scorched team. you can't have Spawn's rouges gallery without The Clown, and this hefty and craftily detailed figure scarringly portrays the menacing demon from McFarlane's artwork. My fingers are crossed and wish list in my head for villains like Chapel, Tremor, and The Curse to be expertly brought to fruition as the line continues.

 

Azrael was my very first DC Multiverse figure, and to date he is still my absolute favorite of them all, and in that picture is two of only three Jean-Paul Valley Azrael figures made, which boggles my mind for a Batman ally. Pretty sure Deathstroke was my second ever from the line, now he is betterly armed with the MP5 from the weapons pack, and sword from Grifter. The properly faced and colored Batman Beyond was on my hunt list for awhile, and was so glad to finally find him at the last convention I went to, just wish he came with a show accurate Batarang.