The Notorious Parnis (GMT Batman version)

Well, if you’re a watch aficionado, you probably heard a brand called Parnis. Basically it’s a brand that “owned” by Chinese (don’t know government or some corporations) and produced in many factory with different quality control and materials (use different engine or machine or materials). Also they usually made homage watch (which by some considered as plagiarism or imitation he he, “Imitation is the sincerest [form] of flattery”).

So yeah it’s considered as junk or waste of time by some. But in another spectrum you also heard that for what it’s worth, Parnis is a good watch, best value for money, etc. Some say if you’re lucky you can get a high grade quality watch for a cheap price or get a completely junk. So yeah either you love it or hate it.

For me, I’m curious because I love Rolex GMT, especially the Batman bezel, but I feel stupid to waste that amount of money for a watch, I could buy a car for God sake ha ha. So I do what other broke people do, choose the alternative, even if it meant selling my soul to the devil or something ha ha.

So I ordered a Parnis GMT watch straight from China (free shipping) for approximately Rp. 1.000.000,- or $80-$90 USD. Expensive I know but what the hell, I already probably goes to hell anyway so why not add some extra baggage of list why I go to hell I guess ha ha.

Seriously, it’s better to buy a sterile dial, crown, etc rather than a knockoff fake Rolex ( I try my friend fake one, the cheapest one though, even the GMT is only a cosmetic). At least I’m not fooling myself & fully sober of what I dealing with ha ha. So I ordered the cheapest one I can find at the moment. Who can resist a beautiful watch with this specification:

• Movement: Automatic (self-winding) 3804 movement (????)
• Case: Brushed solid 316L stainless steel case with blue-black Rotating bezel
• Case diameter 42-43mm without crown
• Thickness: 13 mm
• Dial: Black Dial
• Strap : 20mm stainless steel strap
• Glass: Sapphire glass (????)
• Clasp type: Deployment Buckle
• Luminous:YES (weak though)
• Date at 3 o’clock

And the watch finally came, with a love letter from the seller he he. Check this seller in mywatchcode@yahoo.com because he is a nice guy whatsoever 😁. I cried reading his love letter 🤣. But yeah, he have a goodwill and cooperative guy.

The first thing I realized is how heavy this watch is. It’s somehow screamed quality ha ha. The strap also good somehow. Just said for the first impression this watch nailed IMHO. The only thing I found “defect” is the bezel insert, especially the pointer where the arrow shaped paint kinda “broken” if that the right word for it. Also the cyclops kinda not well aligned. So yeah the quality control kind suck. Oh the GMT hands also works, kinda nicely he he (though some guys say it’s bad. It gets the job done).

Well, the steel strap is really good. The only complaint is it kinda stiff and the clasp is kinda flimsy or something…maybe not firmly closed when it snapped. If you’re into such stiff then this is it for you. I prefer something comfortable so that’s why I switch the strap with perlon or nato he he.

My next concern is the bezel rotation, it’s unidirectional with 120 click…for GMT watch 😓. If this is diver watch it makes sense but for a GMT watch it’s kinda useless ha ha (it should be bidirectional and 24 clicks so we can measure specific time). At least the clicks is really damn satisfying for a person who loves playing with bezel (like me😅).

Next thing I realized is somehow the watch have good water resistant. Some people say Parnis only have 3 ATM water resistant, so no swimming only splashy he he. But as a Moslem I forgot to take my watch off when I do ablution and pray. Somehow the watch is safe. So I use it when I take a bath, do number 1 & 2😅 and it still survives. So I take it to the next level, I wear it when I playing with my son in ocean park (local water park and swimming pool). Sure I’m not swimming (submerged in a long interval) but I play water slide (the extreme one), I also play in the waves pool and splash town, etc. And somehow this thing still survives. No moist, fog whatsoever. Awesome!!!!

Next is about lume…what can I say beside….suck ha ha. It’s weak and almost not useable, but at least it’s there. Also it’s only useable if you went outside under the sun. So no lume if you’re indoor somehow.

Oh, the engine also sounds…how do I describe it…loud. You can hear the rotor somehow when winding it (or try flip your body, or hand if you’re not athletic) but it’s only occasionally but yeah it’s not as loud or annoying as Timex (believe me that watch is my standard of loud ticking) but you can hear it somehow.

But to my horror, the bezel insert somehow is “ruined” by the water activity that I mentioned earlier somehow. Just look at how terrible the bezel insert after I take it to the water park, the numbers paint are “chopped-off”

But to sum it all, I really like this watch somehow. Sure it’s a blatant rip-off (almost a replica rather than a homage) but then again almost every GMT watch is inspired by Rolex GMT, even the lovely Steinhart GMT (google it). I never have a Rolex but people say Parnis is the exact replica of it, from the dimension, size, style, etc.

At the very least Parnis either put the word Parnis or put sterile version on their watch he he. I guess I’m gonna keep this and wear it with pride and making some obnoxious snob watch aficionados angry ha ha.

Honestly, I’m not a fan of this watch but this watch is good somehow. But if you ask me should someone spend their money for Parnis…I gotta say for the money I spent, I could get Vostok or Seiko 5 which is more a guarantee of quality. Parnis is kinda hit or miss category. Buy it but expect the worse or set your expectation low, maybe you can get as happy as I am with this watch 😅.

Justice League, Highly Enjoyable with It Flaws

I just saw Justice League review from Rotten Tomatoes…and though it’s to be expected, they have some sort of “hatred” for DC movies, but somehow it’s insane and unacceptable.

Well, rotten tomatoes somehow praise Wonder Woman as one of the best superheroes movie ever, which in my own review only average. My wife and her friend (a casual movie-goer, not comic fan-boy like me) also think Wonder Woman is average at best. Sure the build up and origin story is good, but the final battle is meh😓.

So, me, my wife and her friend watched Justice League and our review is…it’s a good movie and we would like to see it one more time. IMHO, it’s a good movie but not great. Had it flaws but still good and highly enjoyable. At least it’s way better than Avenger Age of Ultron and Thor the Dark World for me (which rated higher than most DC movie).

There will be spoilers here, so I just say it forward, watch this movie. It’s good, enjoyable and if I have to rate it, I give 8 out 10 max.

1. Story

Well, the story is like Wonder Woman, linear, straight and crowd pleasing. No wonder in my country it’s rated 13+, unlike Batman v Superman 17+ dark, grim and violence. It’s highly enjoyable, light-hearted and will make you smile. Push heroism to the max and positivity spread for viewers.

2. Character

Well, Batman and Wonder Woman had the most spotlight (as if they are the father and mother figure of the team😁). But almost all the characters have their own time to shine. Aquaman is bad @$$ rebel, Flash is the comic relief and the most fun character, Cyborg is the dark brooding logic and brain to the team. Sadly Superman still have the least time and character progression of all.

I really dig the possibility of Batman-Wonder Woman relationship. But seeing how they always tried to distance themselves, it’s really hurts to know that they won’t be a couple 😓.

And yeah Batman character is the most developed in the movie. He is more positive but still have suicidal tendencies he he. If people said he have man-crush on Superman, I said that is because he thinks that the world needed him the most, not Batman. You’ll see throughout the movie that Batman always willing to sacrifice and give his life in order for the mission to succeed. Thank God the team always be there to keep him alive (even if he is mad because it’s not according to the plan 😅). Even Wonder Woman admitting that she needed Batman to lead the team.

3. CGI

Most people complained that the CGI sucks. Honestly it’s barely noticeable unless you really try to found it’s flaws and love to make fun of it. The pace is fast, the fight is fierce so yeah, CGI is barely give it flaws unless you really paid attention to it.

Even Cyborg CGI is barely noticeable unless you stop the sequence and paid the attention for it. Just stop to do that and enjoy the movie.

4. Enemy

Yeah, Steppenwolf is there just to be strong enemy and punching the team. But that’s what happens to most superheroes movie. Ultron is there for the sake of enemy that can withstand the Avengers and so on. So I guess you can’t blame it.

5. Joss Whedon factor

You’ve probably heard that Zack Snyder retired due to the family affairs and Josh Whedon step up and scrap and wrap things up. You can see that his touch is kinda out of tune for this movie. Sometimes the grim dark tone of Zack is “corrupted” by Josh light and positivity. The one-liner sometimes out of place (especially seeing Batman crack a joke😓). So yeah, it’s one of the downsides. No wonder people said Justice League tried so hard to be The Avengers.

So… I guess it’s a wrap that I won’t check rotten tomatoes for reference if it’s DC movie. I prefer YouTube reviewers or word of mouth rather than those critiques he he.

PS: I’ve heard that Ben Affleck might be retired from being Batman and it’s sad because he is a great Bruce Wayne and Batman. Some people just good at being one (Keaton good as Batman sucks at Bruce, even Bale is good at Bruce sucks as Batman). You’ll see from this movie that he is old, tired and thinks that he don’t belong in the team. I hope that one of the Robins can take the mantle rather than replace Affleck (rumor has it that Jake Gylenhal will replace him).

Schleich Batman vs The Joker

I always love the 3.75 inch figures. Don’t know why but there’s something good in that scale that makes the figure small enough to enter the pocket and brought anywhere probably. But at the recent state, 3.75 figures is a dying breed. Most manufacturers left this scale and moving to 6 inch figures. Even if they still manufactured 3.75 figures, most of them are sucks (in term of articulation, paint job, design, molds and even the highest offender is the soaring high prize).
Thank God that Japan manufacturers sometimes provide us with awesome alternative for 3.75 figures in the form of Gashapon or trading figure. They usually have great mold and paint job but with zero articulation (with the exception of Micro Man line from Takara). So, basically Japanese figures is a static figure or mini statue, but a great addition for 3.75 figures collector like me.
Recently, a German manufacture Schleich gain a rights to produce DC (and Marvel) statue and this makes me very happy because Schleich is known for a quality figure, even though most of what they do is animal or medieval figures. I already purchased some of them and review one (The armored Batman) and shows my Flash Figure in one my review (Batman Beyond 3.75 figure review). Basically Shcleich is a hit or miss sometimes because the paint job in the facial area is either…ugly he he.
But since a decent 3.75 Joker figure is nowhere to be sighted, I decided to buy Schleich Batman vs Joker figure, even if my concern regarding facial paint job is worrying me. Batman is probably OK since his mask hides the facial expression, but what about Joker? Well, since his image on the product catalogue is good (compared to the God awful Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot and comic figure on the catalogue), I just go with it.
Then the figure came and I’m…quite happy with it. Let’s proceed with the review.

Kinda dull package

Out of the box. Front shot

Back shot

Look at those smile

The facial is…suck on Batman

Constipated face. He needs to go the bat(h)room

To sum it all, I’m quite happy with this figure(s), especially The Joker. The grin menacing smile is intact and looks devilish in the prince clown of Gotham. The Batman is what makes me kinda…not disappointed, just “whelmed” (not under or overwhelmed) if I could quoted Robin from Young Justice. But all in all, this is a good figure(s) that completed your 3.75 inch figure collection.

With my Wonder Woman KFC figure

Schleich 3.75 Armored Batman

“Tell Me, do you bleed? You WILL!”

Batman – Batman v Superman The Dawn of Justice

 As the movie Batman v Superman is coming to theater next month (March if there’s no delay), I come to realization that the movie figure for Batman v Superman didn’t have 3.75 inch scale, my personal preference for collecting figure. Mattel seems to capitalize the movie by releasing 6 inch figure but with only 5 points of articulation (which is acceptable if it’s on 3.75 since the figure is small and most people don’t mind as long as the details are there), more profit for pricier figure? This is really terrifying for me, so I look & look & keep on looking for any chances for 3.75 figures but there won’t be any so far.

This one

But thanks to my OCD tendency, which probably just a little more obsessed and curious than other people, in Google 3^rd page I found a Germany company called Schleich, which also hold DC’s license for DC character and one of their figure that were once reviewed on my blog (the 3.75 Flash figure on my Batman Beyond review), release Batman v Superman figure. I guess my answer was answered ^_^.

So after a brief research, I know they release 3 figures from Batman v Superman line, Armored Batman, Wonder Woman and 2 pack Batman & Superman. The downside is, the paint job on the face is rather…how I put it without being mean…ugly. Yes they are hand painted but the expression, especially the eyes are a bit off. Gladly the armored Batman didn’t have human eye but a shining eye with awesome scarred helmet. I instantly ordered that figure ha ha.

Damn the German do have punctual schedule, the package arrived right on time.

Right on schedule

Here’s the box

 

 

 

From the side

The 3 figures I mentioned before

So without further due, let’s unbox this baby.

Ta-Da!!! This bad boy is awesome

From the back

Damn, I need to put it & compares to my Schleich Flash (that I left on my house, I received this item on my office) but somehow I feel this figure is smaller than that but more inline with my other 3.75 figures.

 

Compares to my Li’l Batman, which is 4 inch to be exact

With my Cyclops Gashapon

Oh, there’s no articulation in this figure, Schleich is basically a mini statue. But since there’s no plan for 3.75 figure from Mattel, I already satisfied with this awesome figure!!!!

Batman Beyond 3.75 Figure

Finally I got my hands on DC Comics Multiverse Batman Beyond 3.75 inch figure!!! Courtesy of a friend of mine from Facebook (search “Saung Mainan Kerjain”, higly recommended seller). I got this for Rp. 250.000,- (approximately $20-$23). Not cheap but it way cheaper than bought it on ebay, this line didn’t purchased by retailer in Indonesia so we have to import it.

Courtesy of hobi375.blogspot.co.id

So, without further due, here’s a lame review of it, probably just a babbling and pictures, if you want a better review try this link (Indonesian language though), or this, etc. Those who click that link probably said, hey that’s a different figure, it’s not Batman Beyond! Guess what? All the Batman figures in this line are basically the same mold, same articulation. It’s just a different paint job and little differentiation here and there (I guess we all keeps buying it just because we’re Batman fans ha ha). I’m here just to share the excitement I have toward playing with this figure ha ha.

So, there’s a possibility this is a knock off figures, but since the paint job in this line is rarely good so I don’t care, I got the box anyway (though I’m gonna tear it and throw away anyway). First thing first, this figure is based on Batman Arkham video game, not Batman Beyond the animated that most people loves, that’s why Batman is bulkier here. This is Bruce not Terry. Though the glue is kinda suck, the paint job is adequate.

The paint job is good though

If you collect 3.75 inch figure, you’ll know that different manufacturer have different size so some line can’t really compares to other line. This is still the case with this figure. Even though this is Bruce, his height making he looks like the younger Terry in height department.

Same size with Kylo Ren

Same size with Cyclops gashapon

What is the worst part of this line? No accessories for most of them. This figure comes with nothing! Even if his right hand have open fist to hold something. So I just put a batarang there he he

Surprisingly I have so much fun playing with this figure

So, despite all the flaws, this figure is a good figure. The simplistic paint job makes it better than the other Batman figures in Multiverse. If you’re Batman Beyond fans (like me ^_^), this is the best we can get for this scale. This ain’t perfect but nothing is he he. I highly recommended this figure if you can find it.