2008 Winter Wonderfest Japan Transformers News

Shockwave and Magnus ARE garage kits. You buy them in pieces usually and make them up yourself using parts and joints from exeisting Revoltech figures. Ive seen the Shockwave version before and hes quite nice.

They are then, similar to the Jizai toys garage kit Tfs except the revoltech ones dont transform.

"The guy who made the kit is named Kaji Masayuki, and his email is magras30@yahoo.co.jp"

I found that on another forum. Apparently, it's that fan's kit but they're licensed by TakaraTomy... it seems the Shockwave kit was $65 and Ultra Magnus was $75.

That Magnus upgrade looks ridiculous... I really would love to see some WIP progression pics on how he made them both.

Was anyone able to contact Kaji Masayuki & buy one of the kits off him? And what about the Quintesson/Sharkticon pit, will it be released or does anyone know if it's just a custom at this point?

Will the Revoltech Ultra Mags & Shocky be a future mass produced pc, as opposed to just being a kit?

RACIST STAFF AT WONDERFESTIVAL:

Below is my account of what turned out to be a terrible wonderfestival experience for me.

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The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.

-Japanese saying

Shockwave and Magnus ARE garage kits. You buy them in pieces usually and make them up yourself using parts and joints from exeisting Revoltech figures. Ive seen the Shockwave version before and hes quite nice.

They are then, similar to the Jizai toys garage kit Tfs except the revoltech ones dont transform.

"The guy who made the kit is named Kaji Masayuki, and his email is magras30@yahoo.co.jp"

I found that on another forum. Apparently, it's that fan's kit but they're licensed by TakaraTomy... it seems the Shockwave kit was $65 and Ultra Magnus was $75.

That Magnus upgrade looks ridiculous... I really would love to see some WIP progression pics on how he made them both.

wow sorry to hear.

RACIST STAFF AT WONDERFESTIVAL:

Below is my account of what turned out to be a terrible wonderfestival experience for me. ...

.......My main point here is:

- sometimes Japanese rules/culture can be brutal if you ask "why".

or act differently.

- Regardless of if you agree with me or not, a team of vulunteers should NOT harass or verbally give racist abuse to someone for merely refusing to stand with the others. they should merely enect their threa of removing me from the list of numbers.

Shockwave and Magnus ARE garage kits. You buy them in pieces usually and make them up yourself using parts and joints from exeisting Revoltech figures. Ive seen the Shockwave version before and hes quite nice.

They are then, similar to the Jizai toys garage kit Tfs except the revoltech ones dont transform.

Right. You can actually recognize parts of Revoltech Megatron used in Shockwave. The upper legs, the pelvis... the shoulders are just Megatron's shoulders turned sideways. Note the hole in the center, where his shoulder joint would normally go.

No one's mentioned the Quintesson pit yet, and that Quintesson pit looks awesome. Has this been announced already? Is it some weird offshoot of the Revoltech line, a statue, what?

Shockwave and Magnus ARE garage kits. You buy them in pieces usually and make them up yourself using parts and joints from exeisting Revoltech figures. Ive seen the Shockwave version before and hes quite nice.

They are then, similar to the Jizai toys garage kit Tfs except the revoltech ones dont transform.

Not sure why people are saying the Shockwave and Magnus figures are customs. Not necessarily saying they're not, I could be wrong, I just want to know the basis for that. They have Revoltech joints, they have a price tag next to them...and they're both pretty obvious choices for new figures. They look like the real Revoltech deal to me, just not formally announced yet.

I would like that Shockwave.

RACIST STAFF AT WONDERFESTIVAL:

Below is my account of what turned out to be a terrible wonderfestival experience for me.

When you get to wonderfestival the night before to "camp out", you need to register your name with your friends as a group and then memorise your name and number.

So far all good. Then the volunteers move everyone back to a certain area their groups. In the end a large line is formed with each person in a group of groups. My friend and I were in the 700 group as were no. 790.

However, at this point there is no need to actually stay in your group. the system is there so that when they call out your numbers (and they check all of them) you are ready to go and wont miss your call.

This line, btw, isnt the actual line. Its the line FOR the line. After your number is called and you confirm (so noone can jump/cut the line), you are ushered around the Big sight complex in waiting areas, so as to help the real line commence smoothly. In essence its like signing your name at a restaurant when its busy. You dont have to sit in line. Merely be near the speaker when they call your name.

Well, it was 1am and roll call wasnt happening anytime soon, or even if it was, our number was a long way away I stayed to the side of things near the front (but not in the line at the front) as many people were smoking and my friend felt a bit ill.

Then one of the lightsabre weilding volunteers came up to me and said "you had better get in line".

I explained that we would nearer the time as things were a bit cramped (this one spoke rudementary English) but thta at the moment we were happy to wait where we were until the 700's came up.

This guy was the one who told us the same thing last year. The numbers were about in the 600s and he said "Its probably time for you to go and wait", so we did.

Then he starts getting really Blotty and abusive "Why you not obey my orders? You very selfish. Everyone is group. you obey!"

I expleined my position to him and asked him why where I was sitting was in any way a violation of his system when they were going to check my bumber anyway.

"Everyone is same here. you do same too!"

At this point, some old man who was part of the volunteer group with some others came over and and started barking orders to the English speaker. perhaps he was interfereing and perhaps the English speaker, to his credit, didnt want him to "help", but they all started talking in japanese, which bty, if they had checked, they woulud have known that I understood, if even in a small way.

To translate, they were all discussig whether we should have our number erased from their list. If thats what they would do then so be it. I was tired myself and the thoughts of getting a G1 Arcee were becomming less and less desireable.

The old man kept saying things like "This ignorant gaijin doesnt understand eh?" in japanese to which I replied to thier shock.

"Actually I DO understand. I read the rules and they specify that Im at the required point for roll call only". I dont have to wai in line for the line. Check the clipboard yourselves. Its there written in three languages.

The old man kept goading the others to have my number removed and after he said "gaijin" I said "actually Im gaikokojin and not gaijin. Watch your mouth". He ten replied, "No..you are GAIJIIIIN" in a very rude way.

I then asked him if he liked to be called "Jap" and then he started saying "Now you remove his number" to the other volunteers. One member said to me "We all Jap here. Just you (are foreigner)" in order to show that I, the foreigner was the only one "being un japanese and thus bad" (a typical way of japanese to exert control on anyone disobeying orders).

I then reminded him that many people in the line were also Hong Kong Chinese as many visit Wonderfestival either as scalpers or just regular fans of the event. At this point one of them started speaking to my friend in Japanese to prove their point but this backfired when my friend said "Actually Im American and Im Vietnamese American".

It was worth noting also that at tis period many people were walking to and from the line to go to local shops so this again proves my point about there being no real need to stay in the line at this point.

I then wanted to resolve this matter. So far, none of them had removed my number, which was their position to do so, regardless of whether I was in the right or not. Instead they had resorted to imtimidation, bullying and racism by crowding around me with some 5-6 men with lighgt sticks.sabres.

I then stood up and asked the English speaker what right he had to intimidate me. At all times I was alamrmingly cool and didnt shout. "I volunteer!" I then asked him if he had any official powers given to him by wonderfestival or had in fact any connection with it. He then wouldnt give me an answer.

After more abuse I asked for his and the old mans names. Both refuesd. I told them that if they had authority to act the way that they did then they had authority to give me their full names and stand by their decision.

At this point my friend who wasnt feeling that great, pulled me away.

I honestly have nothing against Japan. However, this sort of mentality and behaviour by the the volunteers is typical abusive Japanese behaviour. It doesnt happen often but when someone even politely refuses to "be the same" as everyone else, ten some Japanese fit exactly into the behaviour I just mentioned above. The volunteers were obviously out of their depth. They had no legal or wonderfestival-related rights to move me from where I was sitting (a public place) and i certainly wasnt sitting in the way or had any ability to actually impede or jump the system in place.

So to those who go to Wonderfestival in future..a warning.

BTW: we eneded up waiting in warm McDonalds as it was a very cold and windy night. My friend managed to jump the line in the morning when the volunteers went home and the official wonderfestival staff took over. I went to my girlfriends house for a great time and then later, lots of icecream and cuddles.

My main point here is:

- sometimes Japanese rules/culture can be brutal if you ask "why".

or act differently.

- Regardless of if you agree with me or not, a team of vulunteers should NOT harass or verbally give racist abuse to someone for merely refusing to stand with the others. they should merely enect their threa of removing me from the list of numbers.