March | 2012 | ImageSingapore

Just last week, I went to the Transformers Cybertron Con 2012 held in Resort World Sentosa. I am not a big fan of Transformers even though I do watched the movies. One of the main attraction of this event was giant size – 22 feet Optimus Prime on display. Besides this, there was also a comprehensive range of Transformers toys on display; from the past to the present. I bought the entry ticket at the booth which start at $12 onwards. There were lots of parents bringing their noisy kids along as it was also school holidays at that time. But there were many young adults and teenagers too; many should be avid fans of Transformers.

When I looked at the 22 feet Optimus Prime; it was very tall but not so spectacular as I expected. It would be great if the giant Optimus Prime could make some basic movements like extending out its arms. Also I felt that the head of the Optimus Prime was really too small that you can hardly see it. The body was too overwhelming with different parts sticking around its upper torso. The arms and legs are huge but the hands are too small. I don’t recalled Optimus Prime looking like this – maybe this is the latest version.

I think the best part of this event was the huge collection of Transformers toys on display. I think there should be more that 1000 Transformers toys – ranging from the earliest series to the latest; and there is the Japanese version as well. It took me more than one hour just to view all the toys; and I really enjoyed it even though I am not a Transformers fan. I saw parents buying toys for their kids; and young children sitting down watching Transformers movies. This place is almost liked a carnival for kids to enjoy themselves. One thing that can be improved upon was to put up benches around the exhibition corners for parents and visitors to sit and rest. My feet does get tired after standing for 2 hours and I don’t want to watch the Transformers cartoon movie just to sit and relax.

Perhaps the next Transformers Cyberton event could be held in more central location as in Suntec City Exhibition hall or Expo Exhibition hall next to Tanah Merah MRT. These 2 locations are definitely more accessible and convenient for the public. Getting to Sentosa means that I need to take a monorail or bus into Sentosa island – a waste of time and incurring extra transport charges too.

I will try to put up the range of Transformers toys photos into my photo gallery section of my website at ImageSingapore.com as soon as I have the time to do so.

I took a trip to Haw Par Villa with my friend on a weekday afternoon. Nowadays it is easy to go there -simply take a MRT train and alight at Haw Par Villa MRT. Get out of the train station and turn right. The Haw Par Villa is just a few minutes walk away from the train station. The good thing about going to this Chinese theme park is that it is totally free – no entrance free to pay. This theme park is the only one in Singapore or in fact in Asia with more than 1000 statues and 150 huge dioramas depicting Chinese mythology, the famous Journey to the West scenes and the scary 10 Courts of Hell. Other statutes and dioramas may not make sense like the Statue of Liberty, a huge gorilla, koala bears, lady in clam shell, old man sucking on a lady breast??, a vintage car with the tiger’s head, etc.

My first impression was that this place really need a good maintenance and upgrading work as it looked worn out. Dried leaves scattered all over the ground, the pond was filled with dark greenish water and many statues have the worn out appearance; but I saw a few workers doing some painting and maintenance work on the statues. Even though there is no entrance fee, it was very quiet when I was there; there were hardly any visitors. It was hot and humid on that day and luckily I brought along sun shade and 2 bottles of mineral water.

I find Haw Par Villa a very unique and interesting Chinese theme park. Lots of bizarre and unusual statues; a riot of colors everywhere and there were lots of stories about filial piety, doing good and punishment for evil deeds. In short, this theme park really has its own unique character and charm. The 10 Courts of Hell is a must see – though it is advisable not to bring little kids along if they are afraid of statues depicting gruesome violence and blood. My friend told me that the scenes depicted in the Courts of Hell are too extreme and violent. Perhaps the message is simply to tell people to be good and do good deeds.

I took about 2 hours to complete the tour of the Haw Par Villa theme park. By that time, I was feeling very hot and slightly tired. There are plenty of benches around the park to rest but there was no cafe or canteen where visitors can buy drinks and food. If you are visiting Singapore, the Haw Par Villa is worth taking the time to visit. In fact, it is the most bizarre and colorful theme park that I ever have visited.

ImageSingapore

Monthly Archives: March 2012

Transformers Cybertron Event in Singapore

Haw Par Villa in Singapore