Jam Gunsou

It’s me again. The collector freak at your service Some time last year (oh, I just can’t seem to remember @.@) there was some kind of a display of scale models at SM Megamall A. There were so many participants and their scale models were… SUPERB. These were the types that i was wishing for when i was a kid.

1. The mini toy soldiers in the field (i wished one when i was young, those personalized with paints and stickers)

2. Warcraft ships made of wood, strings and cloth (more like of those displayed in the museum)

3. Aircraft models (not really my interest @.@)

4. Vintage car models (another one not in my interest list)

5. Gundam!!! ^_^ So, when i was in the Gundam section, I was so, so excited.

Checking on each Gundam models, i happen to notice a familiar eye. A pair of perfectly rounded eyeballs and a pair of perfectly rounded black irises. Yep! It is indeed Keroro Gunsou!!! I never knew Sergeant Keroro have its own line of mecha-scale figures, where the Keroro squad rides. ^_^ I started to check on the available Sergeant Keroro sets. Bandai Asia currently has 3 sets available:

1. Real Type Robo set- very highly detailed robo sets. quite heavy. the keroro platoon characters riding the mechas are quite dark colored in this set. Price-base, this is the most expensive of the three (as i have checked on local stores). About Php650+ a set.

2. Robo Set- the keroro platoon characters riding each mecha looks more like their anime counterparts. I am not sure though if they have a robot in anime, but i think this set would be their robots in the anime (please correct me if i am wrong). Price, the cheapest of the three sets. Php350+ per set.

3. Robo MK-II set- like Robo set, the platoon characters resemble their anime appearnces. Now here’s the catch: each robot is convertible to a riding machine (keroro’s plane, tamama’s submarine, geroror’s tank, kururu’s satellite, and dororo’s drill). Now, here is another catch: collect all and you can combine all 5 pieces into God-Keron, a big robot with all robots connected and all pilots riding the same robot. Price: Php600+

as seen in http://www.bandai-asia.com/keroro/index.html

Last Christmas, my BF Marc, gave me not just one, but 4 set of MK-II. I was so, so excited that i was able to finish working 4 sets in a day @.@ The last set… is keroro itself. >.< Because we want to check the MK-II God-Keron robot, we had a Keroro hunt on all malls we can get into.

Before 2008 ended, he gave me an SM plastic. He was claiming me to check the cellphone he pick up from SM North EDSA. Unpacking the plastic, the same pair of eyes displayed on the carton! weeee! Collection completed!!!

In an instant, MKII set was finished. My set are shown below:

Jam's Keroro Gunsou MK II Unit

Jam's Tamama Nihoutei MK II Unit

Jam's Giroro Gochou MK II Unit

Jam's Kururu Souchou MK II Unit

Jam's Dororo Heichou MK II Unit

Here are some more Keroro Gunsou items added on my froggy collection:

Keroro Platoon from the MK II series

The Keroro Happy Meal

Giroro Doll, Keroro Coin Bank, and Keroro mini Stuffed toy

Tamama and Dororo Stuffed Toys

We Love TOTORO!!! :)

It all started when my uncle went back from Taiwan. There is this undescribable creature in green, cushy cushy stuffed toy form, holding a white, boxing-glove-type bag on his little left hand, and a zigzag mark on ITs white chest. He creates a sound when we push ITs tummy. We never knew what IT was called back then, and our uncle sad its name is TOTORO.

Years passed and my brother (who owns the toy until now) and Totoro was still with him. Lying beside him in bed. You can see it is quite old by checking its fur. The zigzag mark on his chest nearly clears away. His Totoro tag was cut out by my bro (he said he was irritated by it when we were kids). But still, IT stays with him up until now.

Same season last year, we went to Philippine Toys and Game Convention (or TOY CON). It is an event where toy collectors displays their collections, some do auctions, some sells rare (and we really mean RARE) collectibles, some do Cosplays, and most, like me, goes there as toy and anime enthusiasts.

OK, so enough with the Toy Con thing. My brother (Jerrick is his name) and I, whom share the same interests with collectibles and toys, went to Toy Con and walk around to check on every item displayed. Knowing both of us has a pair of keen eyes (with visions 2.50-2.50 and 3.00-2.75, Jerrick has astigmatism teehee!!!) to check on even the smallest details of each booth, we found a hanging soft, furry, round-bodied, white-tummy in a booth’s corner. Both shocked, we looked at each other and thought “dude, naiisip mo ba ang naiisip ko?!?”

Holding on the Totoro bag, we heard some girls’ voices at the back with the following dialogues:

G1: Uy o… TOTORO!

G2: Meron ako sa bahay nyan! Tatlo na!!! Isang dilaw, isang green, tsaka isang blue!!!

Jam and Jerrick: (again, looked at each other)

Jerrick: (whispering) Bilhin na naten!!! Baka kunin nila.

Jam: Ate, magkano tong TOTORO?

Ate: 200 po.

Jam: Ate, tawad naman. Binili ko naman si Dale e. (Big Smile).

Ate: O sige na nga. 180 nalang.

Jam: (Dukot pera) ate eto bayad o.

Jerrick: (Snatches Totoro from Jam, wore it right away @.@)

G1 & G2: Ay! Nabili na!!!

Jerrick: (looked oppositedirection, then displayed a devilish laugh)

After a month, I was walking with my BF Marc on a mall in Caloocan, and we checked on a stuffed toy booth to check on a sergeant keroro stuffed toy. what we saw was no frog, but a cat. Definitely, it IS Totoro’s bus cat, travelling at almost speed of light.

After finding a TOTORO Haven in a nearby mall, Jerrick and I started having a Totoro Hunt once in a while. We sometimes even ask each other “Dude, naaamoy mo ba kung may Totoro ngaun?”

Because of this Totoro hunt thing, we were able to collect the Bus, and a series of different kinds of stuffed toys from the 3 Totoro characters on Disney’s Totoro movie.

As of today, we were able to have a collection of 12 Totoros and a Cat Bus.

Newest, and currently the largest on the Totoro collection: