Anime Central (ACEN) was a blast! Did anyone else go to ACEN this year?

Yay. a shipment of Colonel James Fizziwig arms arrived. We recieved "The Big Daddy,
http://pacifictradingonline.com/popup_image.php?pID=9402&image=0
and the Vaporizer",
http://pacifictradingonline.com/popup_image.php?pID=9407&image=0
but they are a little too big for my wife's hands. So she is going to have to pick between the "Consolidator",
http://pacifictradingonline.com/popup_image.php?pID=9403&image=0
or the "Combobulator".
http://pacifictradingonline.com/popup_image.php?pID=9406&image=0

Every box comes stamped- "Handle with care, Photons in transit".

We didn't have a holster for either one. Plus they are made of cast resin with some fragile parts. We had to carry them the whole time. The box says they are not toys, but then again... What can you expect with something so cool looking. We were very careful when carrying them. We would have the other hold them while we got water from the fountain, went to the restroom, etc. just so there was no chance of dropping them.
The good thing about them being solid resin is that they had a more realistic heft to them.

I wonder how much metal versions of those would cost. By the way, your Big Daddy reminds me of my Nerf Maverick.

I noticed that too. The front and main body look exactly the same. The grip and back on the Big Daddy is based on the broom handled mauser though.

This was my first time back in three years to Animazement. It is in a larger venue now at the Raleigh Convention Center in NC. Lots more room, lots more panels, plus the dealer room is much larger. The video rooms were very screwed up. Most everything I wanted to see was either cancelled or rescheduled. They might as well as not printed a schedule because you couldn't go by it at all. Very disappointing.
I noticed two very different things this time. No bootleg anime in the video rooms. Used to be almost nothing but. Now it's all domestic release stuff and largely in the English dub. Especially Funimation. I wonder if someone came down on them.
Also the dealers room was nearly half costuming or costuming accessories. Steampunk is the new big thing. Even though there was a huge portion of Bleach cosplayers. The dealers were selling stuff for Goth or Steampunk. Used to be if you cosplayed, you had to be a specific character. Now there are so many people in original creations. The Star Wars people had a large showing with even a Stormtrooper panel.

I am heading to anime next 2011 this thursday as a matter of fact.