(My feet were throbbing when I got home.)

Volunteering to man the Yehey! booth, I arrived just before opening — and the rumors were true! Exhibitors get first picks on the stuff that’s on display, even before they let the attendees in, I spotted a few checking out each other’s goods, and I considered myself lucky to have witnessed this. (Been hearing this since ’04)

Collectors who were out for the best bargains arrived before the mall’s opening hours to get the best bargains, and to avoid the crowd that would manhandle the goods before they do. (hah! :p) With eyecandy as far as the eye could see, or, up to where the stage starts on one side, and where the walls start on the other end; wallet-juicing temptation was everywhere. Only men (or women) with strong wills or empty wallets could resist!

When day 2 officially began, droves of toy/comicbook/mmorpg/transformers/cosplay enthusiasts (greeks without the ‘r’ — myself included) rushed their appropriate corners, to satiate their curiosities and desires. Conventions like these being the avenue for which they could celebrate the culture with kindred souls.

When the booth finally opened, first-time registrants/interested passers-by got a glimpse of both TOL and Dangka, which got some pretty good response. Some passers-by actually told me they found the concept for Dangka really cute, while others say that TOL’s emoticons were cuter than their ates. (P.S. It also helped that they stood a chance of winning the very tempting ‘V’ mask… if you guys only knew how many people tried the mask on, hahaha!)

Later on in the afternoon, esteemed members of the local toy community had a Q and A session with Dig Deep Entertainment. Of which, Walter Mcdaniel was part of, to announce his “Kodai Jinn” line here first in the Philippines. (That’s Deadpool artist Walter Mcdaniel to you — same guy who drew Deadpool giving Kitty Pryde a ‘shoryuken’! / And yes, in his presence, you’ll hear, “si Akon, si Akon!”)

Dig Deep also featured their Civil War Asia toy line. The first series comprising of four, interchangeable, interconnectible statues in street-art-meets-anime-meets-western-art urban toys. Of which, quite frankly, I found too pricey. Though it came in a beautiful tumbler packaging (which evokes memories of a KFC bucket), it also fails for being too big and doesn’t even show-off what kind of figure you’re getting. So let’s say you get another Wolverine, it might encourage you to either trade with another collector, or drop the line all-together. (But yeah, urban toys are really expensive.)

All in all, this was the best toycon yet. Big open space, a large variety of merchandisers (and bargains!) and activities to fill in the hours = happy collectors who look forward to the next convention. This is a big step up from 3 years ago, where the venue was cramped like a cross between a flea market and a moshpit, the slightest imbalance causing a domino-like effect. I imagined that sequence, but I was mostly out of the convention due to the heat.

Did I mention the short, short shortssss?

Related posts:

1. toycon day1.
2. toycon 2011: the 3 doctors
3. plastic happiness: pre-toycon haul.
4. Toycon 2009 Exclusive: MINDstyle’s MONO by Colorblok x Tim Tsui
5. Toy Con 2009 TVC

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