New Planet Cybertron: C2AGE R.A.V.E

C2AGE, or Cosplay, Comic, Anime and Games Exhibition, is an annual exhibition of its kind, organized and hosted by HELP University to promote the Japanese anime/ manga, American comics and games to the youth community.

This year’s event, which was the 8^th edition of C2AGE, was held on the 10^th and 11^th May 2014, hosted by the HELP College of Arts and Technology (HELP CAT) at Fraser Business Park .

Themed as R.A.V.E (Radicalizing Anime Via Entertainment), C2AGE have invited some of Asia’s biggest name in the cosplaying community to be a part of this event, i.e. the legendary Ms. Reika Arikawa from Japan; Ms. Hiiro (Japan); the winner of World Karaoke Grand Prix and the Comic Party Anison Contest 12, Ms. Plallen Mikk (Thailand); Mr. ZEASonal (Thailand), who has been cosplaying since June 2007; and the world renowned Mr. Clive Lee (Singapore), internationally recognized for his detailed and accurate mecha cosplay, which he has been doing for 12 years.

The event had brought together various collectors clubs, franchises, customizers and various collector shops under one roof to celebrate this annual festival of animation, comics and games.

TransMY, or Transformer Fans Malaysia, which was recently registered under ROS, displayed well over 300 units of Transformers from various series and lines, such as those from the live action movies, Classics, Universe, Generations, Prime, Alternators and many more. It even featured a generous collection of 3^rd Party Transformers figures.

They also featured 2 diorama sets, i.e. a 2009 Revenge of the Fallen movie jungle scene, as well as the iconic Battle of the Autobot City from the 1986 animated movie. New Planet Cybertron was also involved in giving a brief walkthrough of the Transformers Franchise for interested visitors; as well as Edmund Bay, providing a brief clinic/ workshop of how to customize a Transformers figure.

The Battle of Autobot City Diorama

The Revenge of the Fallen Diorama

The Macross Fans of Malaysia or MFoM, was also invited to showcase their very own collection of action figures from various Macross series and generations.

The Iconic SDF-1 Macross

One of their highlights is of course the iconic interstellar transforming spacecraft – the SDF-1 Macross, from which the name of the franchise is based on.

There was also an exclusive showcase of various Iron Man Hot Toys figures from Dragon Sim Collections, which featured a variety of Iron Man suits and armors, as well as the myriad of villains from the movie franchise.

Iron Man Hot Toys Collections from Dragon Sim Collections

For the thousands of Star Wars fans that attended the event, they were not left out, thanks to Outpost Production for their wonderful showcase of Star Wars toys and figurines.

Outpost Productions

They also provided some wonderful, and arguably some of the best cosplayers of the night, which featured Princess Leia (portrayed by Ms. Carina), Hans Solo (Mr. Kevin) and many more.

Princess Leia and Hans Solo

In association with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, Outpost Productions also conducted a charity auction of some of their collectibles, as well as charity lucky draws.

Star Wars Exhibits

For LEGO fans, Asia Bricks brought to you some of the most exquisite and rare LEGO brick buildings ever.

Among those showcased includes the Cowboy City from The Lone Ranger movie; the Hobbit diorama; the Star Wars Hangar with the Millennium Falcon; scene from Hello Kitty and many more.

Lone Ranger's Cowboy City

Star Wars Hangar with the Millennium Falcon

Scene from The Hobbit

Hello Kitty

The Petaling Jaya-based Lil’ Monsters – Island of Misfit Toys, also showcased some of the most exciting action figures from both the DC and Marvel comics. They are also the main distributor of the XM-Studios statues.

For fans of customizations and modeling kits, you would probably enjoy the showcases by Becky Customizers, Pla-Zone and the Selangor and Federal Territory Plastic Modeling Society or SFTPMS.

Becky Customizers, Pla-Zone and SFTPMS

They showcased some wonderfully done Gundam figures, as well as some of the work-in-progress materials.

Gundams and Gunpla

Work-in-Progress

For western comic fans, the BatCave or The Batman Fan Club in Malaysia, and their founder, Mr. Andrew Tan was also there to celebrate their 1^st year anniversary.

Mr. Andrew Tan from BatCave, Batman Fan Club of Malaysia

On showcase were comics of some of the most celebrated comic characters, all of which were for sale. There was also a special appearance of DC Comic Artist Mr. Alan Quah, demonstrating how to produce comic drawings, live to the public.

For all the Japanese and Western franchise that was showcased in this event, our very own local productions were not forgotten as well. Les’ Copaque Production was also involved with their wide range of Upin and Ipin products.

Upin and Ipin from Les' Copaque Production

For girls that prefer more feminine-related figures, there was the Amazing Dolls House. Apart from showcasing their very own collections, they also had a range of product on sale for the 2-day events.

Exhibits from the Amazing Dolls House

The Adventures of Fujiwara Yukino collections

Another interesting showcase was the guys from The Adventures of Fujiwara Yukino, all the way from Singapore. On showcase were some of the most exquisite, expensive and realistic-looking dolls I’ve ever seen.

Fujiwara Yukino using Perfect Effect Scouting Force X a.k.a Reflector to take photo shots of some Transformers

As a part of their online activities, Fujiwara Yukino, which is the main character from the The Adventures of Fujiwara Yukino, went to each booth to “interview” and “interact” with other showcases.

Fujiwara Yukino chilling out on the countryside with some good music with 2007 Movie Fast Action Battlers Frenzy figure

Yukino Fujiwara chilling out with some members of TransMY and the New Planet Cybertron Writer

Gamers were not forgotten as well. ETHLETES, which is a group of E-Sports games enthusiasts was also there to promote STRIVE, the free-to-play Second Generation 5V5 Heroes Arena.

The Writer, flanked by 2 beautiful ladies from Ethletes

STRIVE, the free-to-play Second Generation 5V5 Heroes Arena

For those engineering enthusiasts, you were not left out as well. There were a showcase by ARC (Artistic Robot Creations) Portfolio that teaches and the art of creating and building your very own robot using recyclable everyday objects.

ARC Portfolio

There were also numerous other booths and showcases, selling a variety of manga/ anime-related products, comics, figurines and many more.

Other activities included games and competitions such as the Cosplay Group performances, art competitions, eating competitions, photography competitions and many more.

Performances

The highlight of the event was of course, the numerous cosplayers that roamed the entire arena. The level of cosplaying creativities shown was unparalleled – most of the outfits were absolutely true to their manga/anime depictions.

However, the cosplays were not only restricted to anime/ manga alone, there were also various characters from popular games, DC and Marvel characters, Star Wars and many more. There were also appearances of clone troopers from the 501^st Legion.

I’ve also had a brief interview with Mr. Johann Michael Shaarani, who was cosplaying as Loki, from the Avengers movie.

The Writer, with Loki, portayed by Mr. Johann Michael Shaarani

According to him, the raw material cost alone was approximately RM 600 to RM 700, while the overall cost inclusive of workmanship well exceeds the RM 1000 mark. Still, he did most part of the outfits himself, only resorting to professional assistance whenever and wherever was required.

In short, the entire event was a grand success, which had gathered so many like-minded fans and enthusiasts under one roof. For many fans, and to take a quote from one Madam Amy Wan Ratos and her two daughters, it was heaven – a paradise on Earth.

Before we end this entry, we shall leave you with photos of some of the most exciting and eye-catching cosplayers and their outfits and costumes, for your viewing pleasures.

For all C2AGE fans, see you next year… TRANSFORM and ROLL OUT…