The Singapore Toy Game and Comic Convention (STGCC) was held on the 1st and 2nd September 2012 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. With close to 160 local and international exhibitors participating, this year's edition was the largest to date. I went on both days and had a great time, taking photos, meeting people and most importantly, checking out the toys.
The venue was a nice change from the usual Suntec Convention and Exhibtion Center. And getting there was fairly easy as the MRT was just outside the entrance.
I went to Marina Bay Sands for the first time this year. The place is huge! What I like best is the many great spots for phototaking. Regrettably, I rarely left the event hall. I doubt I'll be going back till at least next year's STGCC, if its still held there.
I won't be doing any shopping there though. Looks pricey.
Tickets for the event were available for purchase online since June. And you could also get them from various shops a month before the event. It seemed disadvantages to purchase tickets online as you could only collect them at the event. And from what I observed, the queue for ticket collection moved slower than that for purchasing tickets. I hope the organisers would look into getting the tickets to those who purchased online earlier. It wasn't much of an issue this year, but imagine if a booth had an offer limited to the first 50 people. A person with ticket in hand would have a better chance of getting it.
The queues for admission were in Hall C. The Hot Toys queue was also there. The hall would be used by cosplayers later in the day for phototaking. Its great that there was a place for them so they would not block the corridor in front of the main exhibition hall. The huge space makes me wonder what else could have been at the convention this year.
35 Pop Culture Personalities from East and West graced the event this year. There was a good blend of comic, toy and Japanese personalities. A number of guests were returning from previous editions. If you missed them the first time round it was a great opportunity to catch them again. For me, I was very happy to be able to meet the Hot Toys sculptors. I hope for next year, we'll have double the number of new faces than this year.
There were over 100 exclusives and new products released at the event. Great selection and variety this time round. Keep bringing in Hot Toys please! And if possible, SDCC exclusives. Those seem less and less likely each year but we can always hope.
No prizes for guessing which was my favourite booth. Once again its the Hot Toys booth. I could spend hours there just looking and admiring the figures. The highlights for me were the giant Avengers display and The Bat.
I also liked the booths of Play Imaginative and the Falcon's Hangar for their toy displays.
There weren't many good deals on toys to be found. I guess that's to be expected at a convention. If you got a good deal, do share it by posting in the comments below. It doesn't have to be on toys, it could be other merchandise as well.
The game booths were great and they certainly added more fun and excitement.
I was a little disappointed that there was no Marvel or DC booth.
The Artist Alley was bigger and better this year. There were lots of unique art, toys and merchandise.
Right, that about covers it. Here's just a few remaining things. If you wanted to show how talented an artist you are or just wanted to leave your mark, you could do so on the graffiti wall. This has been a fixture of STGCC. I wonder what happens to these "walls" after the event.
You could also design a dweey.
Some of the guests' doodles and autographs were displayed. I think some of it may have been added by the public.
Several educational institutions had booths at the event. If you were interested in game design, animation, comics & illustration, interactive media etc, you could check them out.
FRANK by OCBC was the official card of STGCC. They had a booth there where you could meet "Optimus Prime" and "Bumblebee". They were last seen at Cybertron Con 2012.
There was a cafe set up within the exhibition hall. It was very much appreciated considering the food courts are quite far away. For future reference, I think the Indian set meal is the most worth it, that is if you can take spicy food. You got 3 dishes with rice. The next best choice would be the hot dog. It was tasty and crunchy, and the fries were hot and crispy. The drinks were expensive. But thankfully...
... you could get free cups of soft drinks from Fanta. The cups were small so I usually took 2 to 3 cups whenever I passed by. I think I must have drank at least a bottle over the 2 days. There was also a Nescafe booth where you could sample various types of coffee.
Anyone know who brought the pet? Just kidding, no offense to the cosplayer.
Thanks to Reed Exhibitions and partners for organising the event. I had a great time. I look forward to next year's con.
You come back too okay!
Thanks for viewing!
Here are all the segments I've put up. Just click the links.
Part 1 - Hot Toys
Part 2 - Play Imaginative & The Falcon's Hangar
Part 3 - Toys & Merchandise
Part 4 - Games
Part 5 - Artist Alley and Personalities
Part 6 - Cosplay & Performances
Here are images from previous years' editions.
2011
2010
2009
2008
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