I Found An Old Friend From Outer Space!

It Happened One Evening ….

“It was like any other evening, the sun had just set an hour ago. There was a cool breeze about and people were heading home exhausted from a day’s hard work. The aroma of fried tempura from a nearby restaurant was in the air and all around the city centre was the clamor of foot steps buzzing about like millions of ants in a hive. In an instant, a mysterious radioactive fog settled over Tokyo. An even more mysterious Alien (aka Zarab Seijin) arrives to help clean it up!”

Of course, Zarab Seijin had other sinister plans. Aired originally in 13 November, 1966, this 18th Episode of the Original Ultraman Series titled “Yusei Kara Kita Kyodai” (The Brother From Another Planet) had me riveted to my seat. It was so mysterious how the fog appeared and how people reacted to the sightings of a strange looking Alien climbing on walls.

Zarab Seijin is (in my humble opinion) one of the best designed Ultra-Aliens to date. He appeared to be wearing some kind of mask which left me wondering if he could breathe in our atmosphere. He was so iconic that he even made a re-appearance in the Ultraman Mebius movie last year. Zarab had a simple design but it had lots of personality and is timeless. Here are his vital statistics:

Height: 1.8 to 50 meters
Weight: 90kg to 37,000 tons

Fewture Artwork’s Zarab Seijin
Launched in a convention on 28th October 2007 (last week), Zarab Seijin is the latest in the line-up of Ultra-kaijus offered by Fewture Artwork (Japan). This item is limited to only 150 pcs worldwide and features a more sinister-looking Zarab compared to those released previously by Bandai, Bullmark or Bearmodel.

It measures a little more than 8 inches in height and has metallic green highlights on solid orange vinyl. The item’s most noticeable feature is its menacing claws on both the hands and feet. This sets it apart from all the earlier releases by other toy manufacturers.

In The End…It’s All About The Memories
Many years ago, after watching the episode featuring Zarab Seijin, I begged my Grandmother to buy me a Zarab Seijin toy. At that time, re-runs were shown in the late afternoon and I was living with my grandparents.

After a prolonged session of pestering, she agreed. We headed down to the provision store just opposite her flat. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was shining very brightly. The ground felt hot after a day under the sun and I could hear the laughter of school children playing in a near-by field. We walked pass a school just when the bell rang and could hear students greeting their teacher. A cool breeze was blowing pass the trees and the aroma of housewives cooking dinner for their families filled the air.

We reached the provision store (yes, bullmark toys were sold in provision stores long ago). What I saw amazed me. Although the shop had all the items provision stores of that time typically stocked, there were also so many Bullmark toys hanging on the ceiling. The header cards of the toys were attached to numerous hooks hanging on a few bamboo sticks criss-crossing the ceiling above. I had finally discovered my paradise! After searching the space above me frantically for about 5 minutes, I pointed to a bullmark Zarab Seijin sandwiched between two Kaijus. The store owner took a stick with hooks attached on the top end (often used to hang bamboo sticks to dry laundry) and used it to slowly bring down the toy. I finally had my Zarab Seijin. I was the happiest kid in the world at that point.

When I received the Fewture Artwork Zarab Seijin last week, all these memories came rushing back. Though I no longer live with my grandparents, I could still clearly remember everything that happened on that day so long ago. Though the years may pass, beautiful memories remain. It felt like I was meeting an old friend for the first time after having not seen him for ages. I was a kid again.

Is this not the real reason why we collect toys in the first place? As adults we like to rationalize our decision by talking about the quality of the plastic, the fantastic paint jobs, the rarity of the item and the tons of money we are going to make when we sell it. But all those are just silly excuses, aren't they?

We buy toys because we cling onto memories of childhood. A time of innocence. A time of limitless possibilities. A time when the world was new and monsters were hiding in the mountains or barrowing underground. A time when aliens like Zarab Seijin were plotting to enslave mankind. It was also comforting to know that a hero like Ultraman would show up just in time to save the day.

In the mad rush to grow up, many of us have left our dreams behind. A small part of who we are dies everyday. But our memories remind us of who we really were at the beginning of our lives. Every time we collect a toy, we reconnect to our past. We reconnect with our dreams. We take back a bit of what we lost along the way. After all, what is life but a collection of memories?

CCP Ultra Kaiju Gabora – One Nice Piece Of LIMITED Junk!

I just received this from Japan two weeks ago. For those who are not familiar, Gabora is a Kaiju (or weird beast) from the Original Ultraman series back in 60s. It loves to eat uranium and has the ability to fire radio-active “lazers” from its mouth. It is one of my favorite kaijus of all time because it looks so weird with its head covered with its protective shells!! This piece of over-priced vinyl made by CCP (Japan) is limited to 300pcs worldwide. This Gabora is huge compared to the Yamanaya or bandai toy of the same creature. And it is …MISB!!

If you were a Specialty Toy Dealer, you will call this item Junk. Kaiju toys (with the possible exception of the Ultra Kaiju Series produced by Bandai) just simply do not sell well in Singapore. There are just a hand-full of collectors here and sellers are better off spending their funds to bring in Transformers toys because they fly off the shelves faster. There is also a bigger base of Transformers toys addicts, some of whom are immune to insane prices of inter-galactic proportions.

There are even fewer (and I mean really few) vendors in Singapore dealing with these specialty Kaiju / Ultra toys. As such, Ultra / Kaiju Toy Collectors must evolve. After years of “happily” suffering from brutal price rises by these few vendors, I hear that many ultra collectors are finally banding together to find alternatives. Some are now forging alliances with Japanese Counterparts to by-pass local dealers who are charging insane prices (some items can cost more than double the yen price when sold in Singapore. Think of the shipping costs and the dealers’ need for a satisfying profit margin $$$).

If there’s a moral to this story, it can be summarized into 3 Letters: D.Y.I. If you think the prices are unreasonable. DO IT YOURSELF. Find out if it is indeed possible to get the items close to yen price (including shipping) by yourself. I understand a select few have actually succeeded, although I can’t confirm if this is true as I have never really bothered much about what others were doing. You must also have the time for all this extra work!

I love kaijus and no matter what others feel about their value, I am going to continue collecting them. Yes, I won’t be able to sell them for obscene amounts of money like others could with Transformers Toys. In fact, I won’t be able to sell them at all in Singapore. But who cares?? Check out other Retro Kaiju toy pictures below.

Transformers Heat!! Toy Collectors Never Had It This Bad!!

Sellers Never Had It This Good!!
The heat is on! With The Transformers Movie Hitting Big Screens world-wide, the excitement for collecting all toys Transformers has been re-ignited!! With the onslaught of transformers toys hitting the shelves in Singapore, buyers here seem to have been hit by an onslaught of price hikes by sellers trying to capitalize on this new wave of collector madness. Sellers are now smiling all the way to the bank.

That All Too Familiar Disappearing Act!!
When the Transformers Bumble Bee toys (both versions) were released in Singapore at S$26.90 in the department stores, not too many fans and kids could buy them. They promptly “disappeared” (collectors would like to think this means the item is “rare” – a silly notion) and they “re-appeared” in Specialty Toy Shops and Singapore auction sites at S$60 a piece. There’s obviously something “more than meets the eye” here. At the height of the madness, the Bumble Bees could fetch S$80 each. Collectors would gladly buy them too. They would think it was value for money because the department stores no longer had them.

The same thing happened to the Star Wars Darth Maul Action figure years ago. These figures were sold in department stores at I think S$16.90 but they too seem to have had a knack for mysteriously disappearing and appearing else where at S$80 a piece. Months later, when the madness subsided, the same figure (probably excess “rare” pieces that had disappeared earlier) could be found at S$8 a piece. There were no takers!

There seems to be a pattern here (and I suspect you are aware of many similar cases):

E-Hobby’s BT Mirage
First launched in Singapore at about S$130 (too expensive in my view). The prices soon sky-rocketed to S$180 within 24 hrs and at the time of writing this the item is listed in Yahoo Singapore at more than S$270. More than double the original price. You will be told that they have a special colour scheme and E-Hobby items are limited to 3,000 pcs worldwide. The point is:"so what?". Do you really think it makes sense to pay S$280 for a piece of glamourised plastic that someone bought at a fraction of that price specifically to make a fast buck out of Transformers Toy Addicts?

Unlimited Limited Editions
I received an SMS last Friday from fellow Transformers Toy collector that a certain department store had just released the limited edition metallic finish Movie version Ratchet and Megatron at S$59.90 each. Some of these pieces are now offered at S$90 a piece at Yahoo Singapore. That’s 48 hrs after their appearance.

I am not sure if these pieces are still in the store selling at regular prices as I refuse to be part of the mad chase for plastic variants. You know as well as I do that there will be more LIMITED Editions coming our way and all of them will be RARE. Think about it. The first movie version of Ratchet had a green colour scheme. Then came the same toy with Japanese stickers. Then came the same toy with a white and red repaint. And now there is this limited edition metallic repaint. If you had bought all the versions at say S$50 a piece, you would have spent at least of S$200 on a Movie Version Ratchet. What’s the bottom-line: S$200 is 67 lunches at S$3 each (talk about indulgence). You will not only be S$200 poorer but you will also be stuck with 4 MISB boxes you cannot open because they "loose" their "value" when opened.

Encoring G1s Again – Endless Reissues
Many collectors love Generation 1 (G1) Transformers. There is something almost magical about owning a piece of history. An item made more than 20 years ago. It gives us a sense of achievement. Imagine owning the very first G1 Optimus Prime. Not only do you have something vintage (made in the 1980s with all the dirt, peeling stickers and scratches accumulated through all that time), you would also like to believe that it is made of better plastic, has better joints and more die-cast content. You would take pride in knowing that if you choose to sell it today, it would fetch tons of money. After all, that very same Optimus Prime from the Book Reissue Series easily fetched S$450 a few months back.

Here’s the catch, the same item has also now been reissued under a new series called Encore. Word has it more G1 items will be reissued under the Encore series. Currently there’s the Encore G1 Prime, Megatron, Soundwave and Starscream. These will probably be followed by Ratchet and Ironhide and perhaps even more.

How much do you think your G1 Prime is worth now? How about other Vintage G1 items you own as more and more Encore G1s get reissued. Do you think it makes sense to own or buy vintage Transformers Toys at "over-hyped" prices with an endless supply of reissues coming up? How about donating your spare cash to a worthy cause?

WARNING TO BUYERS: YOU NEVER HAD IT THIS BAD!!
It’s true. You never had it this bad. It is especially true if you leave your brain at home when visiting Specialty Toy Shops or Auction sites to find that elusive “hyper-rare”, “super limited”, C9 “mint-in-sealed box” or vintage Transformer of your dreams.

Why? Because there has never been such a well-organized movement of greed by so many dealers to maximize profit at your expense. They know you are too lazy to hunt for your transformers, too uninformed on when the toys are hitting department store shelves to buy them at normal prices, too impatient to wait for another shipment to arrive and perhaps too addicted to stop or say no when prices get out of hand.

The dealers now have the upper hand and with more transformer toys lined up for the next few months, your common sense and your bank account will face a serious assault. You can choose the path of sanity, rejecting the excessive prices or you could cave in to your emotions and pay the insane price the dealers charge.

SURVIVAL TIP x 4
1. Get Real!
READ THIS: Collecting Transformers or any other toy is not your best investment option. Ask yourself if you are a fan or a collector.

If you are a fan… good for you. Buy because you love the toy/character. Throw away the C9 box and play with the toy. Just watch your wallet and don’t ever over- pay for any toy.

If you are a collector hoping to cash in on your “transformer investment” some time in the future, take note. Except for a few exceptional cases, your pieces are NOT going to fetch a hell of a lot of money a piece. In the mean time, you can only look at the box, not play with the toy (what it was designed for in the first place). You will have no control on what happens to that C9 box (you could accidentally drop and get it dented, the plastic could discolor – selling price affected). You will run out of space real fast if you are a hardcore collector. Let’s face it, there’s always another rare transformer coming out every other month for you to chase.

The Reality Test – The Transformer Stock Market Theorem Is Nonsense!!
I once spoke to a Singapore-based Transformer Seller about the how unrealistic the price rises for Transformers toys are these days. He used the stock market analogy to justify why the toys are so expensive. Firstly, there are people who own some of these rare Transformers toys and as the toys are somewhat “limited”, their owners will not be willing sell them unless the perfect price is met. “Demand and Supply”, he said with a pensive look about his face. There is more demand than supply so the price goes up. “That’s how Transformers Toys have value and are a good investment.. just like the stock-market”, he argued.

Speculation aside… I don’t think so. When I invest in a company, I know that the company will succeed (or fail) based on how well it meets the needs of its customers, either through a product or a service. It adds value to economy, improves peoples’ lives or fills a need in the market place. When I hoard tons of Transformers toys, I don’t create any value at all. They are nothing more than just boxes of plastic toys gathering dust because I would rather not open them out of fear of loss in value. How does keep cartons of boxes add value to the economy?

I have tried selling some of my Transformers toys and believe me, it’s not worth all the effort to take the pictures, write the marketing pieces and answer all the “pie-brained” questions just to make a few bucks. You can only make money if you sell in volume and not a few pieces at a time.

Perhaps with all the hype, we forgot that these are just toys that are meant to be played / enjoyed. Not hoarded like gold.

2. Check Prices
Never buy any transformer without checking prices in different shops and on-line. Visit different shops and work out the average price points for the item. Check out auctions (overseas) and online shops as well. This will give you a good indication of the real price of an item - a good starting point for negotiation. You do not want to buy a toy at an inflated price only to discover later that you could get it much cheaper online or elsewhere.

3. Know Your Price Point
You must know when to let go of an item. Create a monthly budget for buying your toys and stick to it. Have the discipline to say no if necessary. If your toy budget for this month is S$60 and a seller is offering a Bumble Bee Transformer for S$70 (pre-disappearance price:S$26.90). Just walk out. Check the internet. Wait for the hype to subside. Wait for the next wave. Let it go. Never bust your budget over a toy because there are more important things in life to provide for.

4. Put Things In Perspective
Examine the opportunity cost of spending say S$200 on toys. What could this S$200 dollars be used for. Planning for retirement? Taking the kids or your loved ones out for dinner?? Buying many good books to improve your mind? 67 lunches?? The point is simply this: There are numerous activities that have more meaning and make an impact on the lives around you than hoarding transformers toys. Focus on things that matter when the desire to hoard Transformers Toy gets too strong and all you think about is the next rare transformer to add to your growing collection. This will put things in perspective. I don’t believe that humans were put on earth just to buy Transformers toys. Seriously….


I am thinking of selling my Ultimate Bumble Bee (with Japanese stickers) for S$600. Surely there must be a transformer addict willing to buy it a few months down the line when it is “rare”. Heh! Heh! $$$$$