Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention, was held this weekend with the last day being today. As the name suggests, it’s a convention featuring an assortment of Toys, Comics and Games, Cosplayers with creepy photographers included. If I am not wrong this con is roughly into just over it’s 5th year or so, with my last con with them here being their debut year and man had they improved alot since their first.
A $10 entrance fee will get you in with unlimited re-entries via a stamp. The good thing about charging an entrance fee is that it prevents the general casual crowds from just walking in or simply just using the place as a hangout, which is a welcome in keeping the crowds down. Surprisingly it’s not as packed as I intended it to be.
Andrew Bell was the main reason I was there, considering him also being a crazy Android fanatic as I am, which is craziness in a good way I guess. Surprised was I when the STGCC first made the announcement of him being a guest of honor of the con.
A droid fan will simply can’t resist his Android toys, possibility explaining why I got one from abroad when the first series was first announced or even heard off here. On how the series started, apparently he was approached by a close friend of his who works at Mountain View (Google) who needed an artist in help with the designing a figurine series, stuff went off from there and yea you get it, just fill in the blanks from here.
Andrew is very down to earth and cool guy to hangout with, in contrast to his his rather bizarre works such as his on-going Creatures in my head series.
The place is cos-players aplenty, notable ones will include a team fortress 2 pyro and spy (you can see where this is headed too), Carmen Sandiegos, as well as a few awesome dragons by the name of Dark Lurker. There were many Anime characters as well as a balanced mix of western ones, such as star wars and marvel characters.
The entrance to the con was done at the exhibition hall 401- right at the end which is weird as everything is all squeezed there with a huge adjacent stage in hall 402, seemingly completely devoid and separate from the action. A question of inadequate utilisation? maybe. And though the spare hall might be needed by the cosplayers and events alike, it will help if the wasted space in the second hall could actually be ultilised to expand the floor areas of the exhibition area, particularly those for the artist alley- their booths there are really pathetically small, and yes though I know they are paid for in peanuts, but that’s where the crowds are.
There were cosplay competitions as well as a Tamiya one, including an impressive uber Tamiya race track to boot, built in a way that it tests almost all aspects of the car’s ability such as weight distribution, balance and power. A sight to behold itself.
In all, this is no International comic con, so don’t be expecting San Diego standards here, after all, such cons in Singapore are really a niche item here- largely affected by exposure to external influences, it is just something uniquely not Singaporean at all. Nonetheless, it’s still good to see the con going strong over the years, Though I am not exactly sure on the future direction of the con, who knows it can expand further into more variations or even specialise in one, besides branding itself now as a jack of all trades.
Ok, that’s all I have for the small con today, now to back back to those creatures stuck in my head…
i wish i was able to go this affair. i’ve been waiting for this event all this year, but i failed to attend for personal reasons! yay!
Very nice, i suggest the STGCC webmaster can set up a forum, so that we can talk and communicate.