The Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC) is back for its eighth year, this time running on 12th and 13th September 2015 (Saturday and Sunday) at the Sands Expo & Convention Center at Marina Bay Sands Singapore. The convention combines the best of pop culture from East and West to Asia, uniting the worlds of comics, anime, toys, cosplay, collectibles and games and is the pre-eminent Reed pop culture event in the Asian market synonymous to the New York Comic Con, Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo and Star Wars Celebration, PAX and OZ Comic Con, but with an Asian twist. This year also marks the largest number of exhibitors in STGCC’s history, with 240 exhibitors from 16 countries and close to 180 exclusives and new products.
Cosplayers were ablaze at this year’s event too, with plenty of them both inside roaming the convention grounds and outside gathering at the free public areas for posed group photos. Often, catching the likes and attention of photographers, fanboys and even members of the general public. There was a good mix of pure Anime characters and those from western pop culture and games, such as Starwars, Marvel, DC, Pay day (the game) and Deadpool.
Unlike the comic cons of the west, STGCC has a larger focus on toys than actual comics in this region with plenty of new Toys on show this year. The number of toy shops outnumber the comic shops easily by a factor by 10 to 1. Staple toy exhibitors this year includes Hong Kong-based production house Hot Toys known for designing, developing, and manufacturing highly detailed collectible merchandise to worldwide markets.
On display too is an extensive showcase of movie scenes from the Avengers: Age of Ultron, which seemed tad old at this current state. Displays from the more recent Antman was more tasteful, with a number of cosplayers dressed as him too. Bandai Tamashii Nations were around too. Tamashii Nations is an umbrella label encompassing Japan’s cool, fun, awe-inspiring, top collectible toy brands, with a mission to bring TAMASHII (soul or spirit) to the toys they create.
STGCC is also right up Simply Toys alley for the showcase of their premium toys. The Singapore’s largest high-end collectible toy shop chain is known for their range of Hollywood sideshow collectibles, and those including Gentle Giant, Kotobukiya, Funko, EFX, Cinemaquette by Toynami and SOTA Toys. What they have installed for this year are detailed Transformers models as well as a classic Godzilla centerpieces. Tokidoki, the lifestyle brand with their trademark adorable Japanese-inspired characters is back with their booth again, though disappointingly, they do not really have anything outstanding on display for this year.
Funko was out at full force, courtesy of Simply toys with possibly the largest collection of Vinyl bobble heads toys you can see in one area.
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