VIP Toys Tour in Medellin, Colombia

Do you guys remember the post I did about VIP Toys a while back? Of course not. I don't even know if people read this blog. But if you do, then you may wanna check out this vid I did during my visit in April. Took me forever to get this up, but it's up now. Thanks to Leonardo and VIP Toys. Like them on Facebook!

VIP Toys in Santafe' Shopping Center, Medellin Colombia

One of my stops in Colombia was a new mall that was recently constructed. It is a big mall even by USA standards, loaded to the brim with really cool stores and a big food court. One of the stores which happened to grab my attention was VIP Toys. I knew I'd like it the second I saw a jumbo Mazinger Z vinyl in the entrance. They were kind enough to let me take photos. Let's take a look at what they offer.

This is what you see as you walk by. Who wouldn't want to go in and check it out? It's very inviting.

Hot Toys 1/6 figures were present and just as pricey as anywhere else. My friend fell in love with the Hellboy.

The mix of stuff offered in this shop is mind boggling. There is something for everyone.

I didn't pack my polarizing lens which would have helped tons in reducing the glare on the cases. Never leave home without it now.

From horror baddies to the king of pop. It;s all here.

This is the Mazinger that greets all that come in. It's machinder size, maybe bigger. Not sure who makes this huge sucker.

If monsters and robots aren't your thing, maybe a bit of Smurf or Super Mario figures will do you some good. Some pretty neat vinyl and PVC here.

There is a whole case dedicated to animals and some miscellaneous vehicles here. How do they pull off getting these things in the same case without looking out of place?

Crave diecast vehicles? There's a wall of that too. From motorcycles to construction equipment.

To the right of the diecast are the cases full of figures. From Saint Cloth Myth to Transformers and Revoltech.

The checkout area looks like the entrance to a Batman ride. Cool.

This wall had a wide range of stuff too. Wall E figs, Tech Deck, South Park, Simpsons and more.

I wonder if Robocop was for sale.

Rockstars and movie figs took up this case.

This case had what I like most, Star Wars and robots with a little bit of superhero stuff thrown in.

Doraemon and Bobbleheads.

Not sure if this was a finished display piece or a model kit, but it was huge.

My wife and I have been on a Mario kick lately having just acquired a Wii. I would have loved to get my hands on Wario.

Smurfs and M&Ms

I sware I almost bought this. Its a 1/6 Honda CBR diecast. I had the money out ready to go.

They also had smaller 1/12 scale which happens to make up most of my motorcycle collection.

I need my car seats wrapped in Vader

More diecast.

The red #24 Ferrari had some really nice weathering.

This was my view on the way out.

I have to say this was one of the nicest high end toy stores I've had the pleasure of visiting. The passion they have for these toys shows. I mean, even little toys we normally take for granted here were important enough to display. And speaking of displays, I want display cases just like these! They were all well-lit and organized. Did you notice the comic sound effect words on the bottom of some of them? Awesome. If for some reason you find yourself in Medellin, make sure you check em out. VIP Toys.

Charlie Brown and Baby Super Mario vinyls

During my vacation to Colombia, I hit up a store called "Importados" that sells mostly Japanese themed stuff mixed in with other pop culture stuff. Sometimes they have some nice vinyls. I noticed they has a 2 for 1 sale so I grabbed a questionably licensed Ben 10 PVC figure for a little cousin of mine and that in turn set me up to pick something out for myself. My favorite of the lot was this Charle brown. I loved the sculpt and it was a nice size so it was to be mine. I also managed to pick up a small baby Super Mario vinyl from a little shop called Kimango which also sold imported toys.

It stands about 7-8" tall although I'm eyeballing it. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that this was a Medicom vinyl figure. There were no retail tags but the bottom of the feet revealed it's origin. I also discovered that it is articulated! The head rocks on a ball joint as do the shoulders. Not bad. You can see some sloppy gluing around the waist.

The nice sculpt continues to the back.

This is a small baby Mario. My wife has been on a Mario kick and with us having a baby girl and all, we figured it would be cool to pick it up. I wasn't down to buy the baby Luigi and baby princess during this visit. I planned to save it for a another day which unfortunately never came. Baby Mario was to be alone. The cool part of this figure is that the head and arms are articulated. The legs however, remain in a seated position. I always thought Mario was born with a moustache.

I will have to get someone in my family to pick up baby Luigi for me since I am back in the states now. I don't know the manufacturer of this little vinyl, but it is licensed by Nintendo. This little $5 figure paved the way towards a purchase of a brand new black Super Mario Nintendo Wii for my wife for Christmas... only to later find out a new Wii lurks near with HD capability. Hopefully she won't notice the non HD gaming.

Fastlane R/C Hawk4 and Shen Hua HM0961G mini Gyro RC helicopters

Oh my, where is this website headed? First robots, then Star Wars, Christmas poop figures and now radio controlled helicopters? Well, that's the cool part about this website, it's robots, robots and other stuff. This falls under the other stuff. I wanted to show you guys these helicopters because they are tons of fun. I bought the gunmetal one on the left below during my vacation to Colombia for about $25 which was at a 50% discount at the Falabella store. It is a Falabella exclusive supposedly but if you look hard enough, you will see that it is a Shen Hua HM0961G. The one on the right is much easier to find under the Toys R Us label Fastlane RC. It's called the Hawk4. They both feature a gyro stability feature which keeps it solidly pointed in one direction without swaying or spinning. The second you let go of the steering, they freeze in place. I bought it to compare the two since they are similarly built and I found the results to be interesting enough to warrant the ownership of both.

Left: Shen Hua HM0961G
Right: Fastlane R/C Hawk4

Hawk4 specs according to toysrus.com:
Product Description
"Take flight with the Fast Lane Gyro Hawk 4 IR Control Helicopter, a Toys'R'Us exclusive. This helicopter measures 7 inches from nose to tail, and it features counter-rotating rotors and a gyro for stability; it's so easy, anyone can fly it! Three channels mean you can fly forward and backward, and you can rotate with rudder control.

The Fast Lane Gyro IR Control Helicopter - Hawk 4 - Orange features:

• Includes helicopter and transmitter
• Double-joystick transmitter controls forward, backward, and rotary motion
• Designed for indoor use
• Counter-rotating rotors and gyro for superb stability
• Transmitter range of up to 33 feet
• Flight Time: 8 minutes; recharges from transmitter
• Infrared (IR) transmitter requires line of sight
• Rotor Span: 7 inches; Body Length: 7 inches
• Helicopter Weight: 1.9 oz
• Requires 6 AA batteries for the transmitter"

HM0961G specs according to xiongyetoys.com:

"Introducing the 3CH Electric RC Helicopter. Great for people of all skill levels, this bad boy features a coaxial rotor and a single rear rotor for precise control. The 4channel control will allow you to go forward, backward, up, down, left, right and hover. This RC helicopter has a metal body making it strong yet light weight so you don't have worry about breaking anything when you land it a bit too rough. This product is ready to fly out of the box, there is no assembly required. Just put in 6 AA batteries into the transmitter/charger and charge the helicopter and you're good to go. Be the coolest kid on the block by getting the 3CH Electric RC Helicopter!

Features:
Electric Powered
3Channel Control
Metal Body
Coaxial Rotor
Single Rear Rotor
Detailed Paint Job
IR Transmitter
Charges Off Transmitter
LED Lights
Easy To Fly
Ready To Fly

Includes:
Mini Screwdriver
IR Transmitter/Charger
2 Spare Main Rotors
1 Spare Rear Rotor
Mini Screwdriver

Specifications:
PRODUCT SIZE: 19*4.5*10 CM
PACKING SIZE: 40.5*9*16.5 CM
MEAS.:	77*41*52	CM
G.W./N.W.:	14.5/11.5	KG
CHARGE TIME: 30-45 MINS
FLYING TIME: 5-7 MINS
CONTROL DISTANCE: 8-10 METERS

Battery Requirements:
Vehicle: 3.7V 150mAh Li-Poly Rechargeable Battery (Included)
Transmitter: 6 AA Alkaline Batteries (Not Included)"

"Introducing the 3CH Electric RC Helicopter. Great for people of all skill levels, this bad boy features a coaxial rotor and a single rear rotor for precise control. The 4channel control will allow you to go forward, backward, up, down, left, right and hover. This RC helicopter has a metal body making it strong yet light weight so you don't have worry about breaking anything when you land it a bit too rough. This product is ready to fly out of the box, there is no assembly required. Just put in 6 AA batteries into the transmitter/charger and charge the helicopter and you're good to go. Be the coolest kid on the block by getting the 3CH Electric RC Helicopter!

Features:

Electric Powered

3Channel Control

Metal Body

Coaxial Rotor

Single Rear Rotor

Detailed Paint Job

IR Transmitter

Charges Off Transmitter

LED Lights

Easy To Fly

Ready To Fly

Includes:

Mini Screwdriver

IR Transmitter/Charger

2 Spare Main Rotors

1 Spare Rear Rotor

Mini Screwdriver

Specifications:

PRODUCT SIZE: 19*4.5*10 CM

PACKING SIZE: 40.5*9*16.5 CM

MEAS.: 

77*41*52

CM

G.W./N.W.: 

14.5/11.5

KG

CHARGE TIME: 30-45 MINS

FLYING TIME: 5-7 MINS

CONTROL DISTANCE: 8-10 METERS

Battery Requirements:

Vehicle: 3.7V 150mAh Li-Poly Rechargeable Battery (Included)

Transmitter: 6 AA Alkaline Batteries (Not Included)"

As you can see, the build is quite good. There is lots of metal, apparently of the aluminum kind which is durable and lightweight. You'll see the IR receiver chilling below the chassis. The fascia is stamped steel which will survive dive bombs. The downside to that is that is adds weight.

The Hawk4 features a similar chassis design. You will notice the support beams are squared instead of cylindrical. The fascia of this set is a very lightweight plastic which should survive a few nose dives. Not as strong as stamped steel but much lighter.

Here is the HM0961G with its IR controller. It's best to use it indoors where the sun cannot interfere with its infrared operation. The controller has a classic controller look. The throttle lacks a spring feature which is either good or bad depending on you liking. It is completely plastic, features gyro trim and uses 6AA batteries. The bottom of the controller slides open to reveal the charging cord which plugs into the heli. The balance bars above the top rotors feature a plastic construction with metal end weights. 3 Channels are available so that up to 3 helis can fly together. There is also a manual mode and programming mode. It seems programming mode steers on its own while the user provides throttle.

Here is the Hawk4 with its video game style controller. It features spring loded throttle return and gyro trim. 3 Channels are available so that up to 3 helis can fly together.

Here is my thoughts. The HM0961G seems to be the smoothest and quietest of the two. It also features LED "headlights" which alternate between red and blue and allows nighttime flying. Power delivery is smooth and exact. Hovering ability is excellent. I am able to keep it frozen in place. Forward and rear motion is smooth and precise.

The Hawk4 is also a good mini gyro heli. It is easily available at your local Toys R Us. My first experience with Fastlane R/C helis was a bigger white model that was absolute crap. Gears were not attached right and the copter spun around uncontrollably in my living room. Fortunately that crappiness does not carry over into the Hawk4. While it was a bit noisier and didn't quite have the precision feel of the HM0961G, it definitely surprised me with it's instant climbing ability, while both shoot upwards with urgency, the Hawk4 sounds a bit more pissed and is willing to shoot back up quickly should you back off the throttle and peg it again. Seems "torquier". It's forward and backwards motion is not as precise and the hovering, while OK, is not rock solid.

Charge time is about 20-25 minutes for about 8 minutes run time for both. Which is not too bad for the amount of fun they provide.The retail price on the HM0961G was $50 while the retail on the Hawk4 is $34.99 ($29.99 at the moment). My favorite of the two is the HM0961G although I always keep the Hawk4 charged up for when my HM runs out of steam. My next purchase is going to be the Syma S107 which is what these mini copters are based off of. The Syma seems to be the most popular with spare parts available all day long on eBay.

Colombia Vacation Part 2

OK, so here is some more stuff from my vacation to Colombia. As you can see it's more food. I most definitely went there with intentions to get amazingly fat. However, the fat all went to my abs and maybe my head.

This is the McNifica. This meal cost $8888, which equates to roughly a little over $4US. Why on earth would I buy a McDonalds burger? Well, look at it...it looks Incredible! You can actually see the meat, cheese, lettuce and tomato! The bun even looks normal. I have never gotten a McD's burger this handsome in my life. By the way, it tasted awesome. The fries were delicious and the Coca-Cola was absolutely refreshing. Turns out, they use sugar in their Coca-Cola as opposed to High Fructose Corn Syrup. If anyone (companies who use HFCS) tries and tell you that non-cane sugar foods taste the same as HFCS foods, put your boot in their butt. I think when they say Colombia has the best Coke, they are talking about the soft drink.

Taking pictures of a McDonalds burger with a big DSLR in front of the locals does nothing to make me look like a tourist who has never seen a burger, not at all.

Here is one of the most delicious snacks on earth. They are called Buñuelos. Although they taste great anytime, the best is right out of the fryer when they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Here we are waiting for a fresh Arepa con queso (Arepa with cheese). An Arepa is quite possible the most delicious corn food on the planet if done right. If you buy one here in the US and it's "meh" DO NOT assume this is typical. They are friggin' delicious. They are normally very thin, but these here off to the left are stuffed with cheese. The food with skewers are called Chuzos. Most "z" in spanish are pronounced with a "ss" sound. So Chuzos would be pronounced Chew-ssos. Above the arepas are monkey testicles. Just kidding... or am I?