It’s a Great Month for
Philippine Toy Collectors
There are 2 times during the year when toy geeks in the Philippines go nuts. One is in December. It’s fairly obvious why, since toy manufacturers are going nuts fielding product in time for the Christmas rush. There are a ton of conventions and sales that pop up in 4th quarter to add to the mayhem.
But June is the month that most toy fans really get their geek on. June has traditionally been the month when Collectibles Unlimited Association runs the annual Philippine Toy Convention.
This great event is now in it’s 9th year and has grown from a display of toy collections and some vendor tables. It now encompasses all sorts of geekery, including Cosplay, Comics, Movies, Anime, Cartoons, etc. It’s basically our version of the San Diego Comic Con.
Here’s a list of the contests and events happening:
The ToyCon will also be host to the DC Comics 75th Anniversary. There will be DC themed competitions and activities, and Filipino comic artists who have worked for DC Comics will be there to sign autographs. Not to mention limited auctions open to those purchasing items at the DC booth.
It’s really too bad I’m not going to be able to go.
You see, although the guys of the Collectibles Unlimited Association puts on a great show, there are reasons I’ve avoided the Toycon. First, it’s insanely crowded. I know there are reasons that it’s traditionally held in Megamall (it being in the relative center of the Metro Manila area), but the event outgrew the venue about 2 years ago. Last year, the line to go in went from one end of Megamall to the other and back around again. Once the door opened, all those people were inside the enclosed space of the Mega Trade Hall, which really isn’t all that big or airy.
Two, it’s not really a great place to go if you really just want to shop. If you don’t get there early, you’ll miss out on the best deals, but if you do get there early, you need to fight your way through the crowd to the tables. It’s a losing proposal for me especially since I’ve found that there aren’t a lot of great “deals” once you’ve gotten to a certain level of collecting. When you’re new to the hobby, you go to the Convention and there are hundreds of toys you want at prices that seem like a bargain, but after a few years, you’re looking around and thinking, “Not much new this year…” or “But I already have that…” or “I saw it cheaper at Greenhills…”
At this point in my collecting “career”, I’d rather visit the Transformers Autobot Alliance.
The event, organized by Cybertron PH, Toy Kingdom, and Playkit is happening on the same weekend as the ToyCon, but at the SM Makati Event Center. They’ll be releasing new Transformer products throughout the weekend (with a 1 per customer distribution center) and will have games and activities for children. So far it looks like we’ll see the War for Cybertron Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, Leader Class Starscream, and the Powercore Combiners.
Keep in mind that we don’t know WHEN the new toys will be delivered and released. It could be on the first day, it might be on the 3rd. The event is more for to increase the visibility of the Transformer brand than it is for the collectors. But still, a good chance at scoring the new Transformer toys at suggested retail price without the crowds seems to me to be a much better way to spend my day.
Sure I won’t have a chance to catch Alodia and the other cosplayers strut their stuff, or check out the customs competitions, but there are plenty of opportunities to do that.
The 9th Philippine Toys, Hobbies and Collectibles Convention 2010
June 19-20, 2010
10am-10pm
Megatrade Hall 2-3, SM Megamall and Megamall Event Center, bldg A, basement.
Transformers Autobot Alliance
SM Makati Event Center
July 19-22, 2010
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If you're looking for biased, one-sided views of toys and other assorted geekery, then you're in the right place. If you want objective, you'll need a blog written by someone who isn't an obsessive geek.
These are my views on various toys, movies, places, and things, along with assorted pictures and the the occasional link to stuff I find sufficiently geeky.
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Slangards
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