Mecha and Bricks

Hello all!

Most of my friends know I'm a person who's into a lot of different things.

My day job has me developing mobile applications for Android and iOS.  I also play bass for the alternative band Blue with Envy

As a self proclaimed geek I've gone through collectible card games (top ranked in asia for the late lamented VS), video games, books and various other geek pursuits.

As for Gundam I first got introduced to it via an unsubbed pirated betamax copy of Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories way back in 1992.  Before that I was huge fan of giant robo like Voltes V, Daimos, Mazinger Z and Mekanda Robot.

Before I got into gunpla I was heavy into scale modelling particularly jets from the 70s and 80s.  I was also a big fan of Lego. In fact my favorite toy was my large collection of Lego toys that started when my parents first gave me a set when I was 3 way back in 1978.

My first gunpla was an old 1/144 Wing Zero Gundam pictured below:

Picture from: http://joesgunpla.blogspot.com/2010/09/1144-wing-gundam.html

So I managed to get a couple of kits with a lot from the Seed series as well as the Double 00 mechas.  Along the way there were also a few from Macross Frontier.

But sometime in 2010 I was able to come across a few small sets of Lego on sale and it rekindled my obsession with the little plastic bricks.  Come 2011 I had to pick one hobby to maintain and Lego had won out.  Lego and other bricktoys have been more of an obsession of mine than gunpla ever was. It was put to a stop when I was in highschool and robbers broke into our old house in Muntinlupa.  We woke up before they were able to make off with our stuff but they did snatch my big box of Legos.  

With the burgeoning industry in China of lego-like toys and the amount of tie ups Lego had with other intellectual property like Star Wars, Marvel and DC Comics, it was a great time to get back into the toy that I most love.


Here are some examples of Lego and various brick toys:

Lego Minifigs retro robots

Hasbro Kre-O Transformers

Sluban Red Flamingo Transformable Fighter

But leaving Gunpla for Brick toys did not mean I would also leave my liking for Gundam because of stuff like this all over the intarwebz:


Lego V Gundam:

Image from: http://ravenrepublic.net/2010/02/11/most-awesome-lego-mech-ever/

And here's the original Japanese site: Lego V2 Gundam

Even Macross's legendary co-creator Shoji Kawamori uses Lego bricks to explore some of his mecha designs as chronicled here.

Image from: crunchyroll.com

So eventually I want to be able to build this:

Lego Macross Valkyrie that actually transforms

Image from: http://kotaku.com/macross-robotech-lego-that-transforms-i-can-die-now-473075192

Or this:

But for now I have to content myself with mecha kits from Lego and Chinese manufacturer Star Diamond like:

Star Diamond Super Blocks Deformation Soldiers

Lego Chima

I will be posting my reviews of Lego and brick toy mecha sets in these pages for the foreseeable future.  If you are interested in more Lego and brick toy reviews you can also check my brick toys blog: Brick Stories.


Until the next time!

*click here for more Lego articles