When I was young, I read manga, not Marvel comics; however, in the nineties, when the arcade era was booming, one fighting game attracted me the most: Marvel Super Heroes! In the storyline, a main antagonist named Thanos plots to use the Infinity Gems to take over the universe.
For my birthday, I typically purchase a gift for myself, as the items I prefer tend to be either costly or impractical. Let me share what I got.
Based on the title, yeah! I became Thanos to collect all the Infinity Stones from the artefacts. In the past, I used to collect actual mineral rocks that were luminous under UV light and got my own Infinity Gauntlet! However, only the Disney theme parks carried these exclusive Marvel Infinity Saga Artefacts that had Infinity Stones. I managed to find a seller who wanted to sell his entire collection, so I decided to buy it all from him... To be honest, is it worth it? I shall share my reason, and you can conclude on your own.
To explain, let me share my journey to getting the 'real' Infinity Stones below.
(2018) I got myself an Infinity Gauntlet! What a cool experience!
Next, I was on my Infinity Stones Collection Journey in 2019.
(image credit shopDisney) Now, as for this post, my dream is to own these Marvel Infinity Saga Artefacts replicas. They are only obtainable from Disney theme parks; the Avengers Vault in Disney California Adventure and select resort shops sell them officially, which means you can't get them locally.
Here is a video about how the Marvel Infinity Artifacts replicas work together.
Loki's Scepter - Mind Stone
First artefact to unbox - Loki's Scepter. Oh my! This one is a big box
Looking at the Scepter, I feel I should cosplay Loki, but I am too short, have an Asian face, and wear glasses... The whole costume and helmet aren't cheap...
Holding this, can feel the power! It has weight!
The Mind Stone is inside this Scepter.
They keep the Mind Stone here. How nice it would be if I could take it out and still have them glowing for a moment.
(Credit: I don't know the Magic card; I just love the stone design on this card.) Personally, I believe that the Mind is the pulse of everything.
With the power of the Mind Stone, I can manage my own mind and be able to understand my thoughts.
It looks fun if I can cosplay as Loki, but getting his full costume and not looking good like him... I guess it's better not to.
Next, what about other artefacts? After nearly a month of waiting and wallet bleeding... it was finally delivered. (I will explain at the bottom of the page.)
The other four artefacts - Ooo, what a beautiful colour! I love to see things as a set.
There are five artefacts that I had purchased!
Tesseract - The Space Stone
I will start with the Tesseract.
Honestly, when I started holding this cube, my mind started calculating its original price, which is sold at Disneyland and by resellers on eBay. It is overpriced... But I must say it is a well-done cube. I love how it glows. After switching it on from the bottom, I have to "touch" it to light up the Tesseract.
Beneath the Tesseract, it hides the Space Stone. If I change to a different stone, the Tesseract will glow in different colours, which is a unique feature!
(Credit: I don't know the Magic card; I just love the stone design on this card.) Personally, I believe the Space in the universe is vast and unlimited, both outwardly and inwardly.
With the power of the Space Stone, I hope to find my place in this vast world, and discover where I can make a difference.
Orb - The Power Stone
Next will be the Orb.
Hmm, just a ball — a heavy and real cast-iron ball.
It comes with a stand to hold the Orb.
Initially, I thought the most overpriced artefact would be this Orb. Like, it is just a plastic orb, but nope - this orb has weight! And it lights up, and it also lights up in different colours for different stones.
(Credit: I don't know the Magic card; I just love the stone design on this card.) Personally, I believe in the Power of finding my strength. Not necessarily physical strength, but the strength to keep going, grow, and do what is right.
With the power of the Power Stone, I hope to discover the strength within me—the courage to keep moving forward even when I feel inadequate.
Aether - The Reality Stone
Next is the Aether.
Looks like nothing more than a silence alert, rather underwhelming.
A Reality Stone is kept on top of the lantern, easy to change to other stones, and I think it can be used for the autumn festival too.
(Credit: I don't know the Magic card; I just love the stone design on this card.) For Reality - I hope to see beyond my perception.
With the power of the Reality Stone, I hope to see things as they truly are, rather than through the fears and assumptions in my own mind.
Eye of Agamotto - The Time Stone
Finally, the Eye of Agamotto. This is one of the artefacts I am most looking forward to due to its intricate design.
Wow, it looks so cool, how it opens its eye for the stone. Too bad it doesn't do it automatically or mechanically. However... I don't know why this won't light up, as it runs on a different type of battery, and I hope it is not malfunctioning... But I do like the idea of swapping to different stones for different light effects.
It comes with a beautiful base to hold the Eye of Agamotto.
(Credit: I don't know the Magic card; I just love the stone design on this card.) For the Time Stone — Accepting my past. Rather than wishing to change the past, this could be about learning from it.
With the power of the Time Stone, I cannot change my past, but I can learn from it and choose what I will become.
(image credit: Avengers Vault) I wish I had a space to display these artefacts like that. Oh well... It's my life.
(image credit Avengers Vault) What a beautiful way to display the artefacts; they can be lit up forever with a switch.
Anyway, back to reality, here is an overview of the five artefacts. It seems like there is one more left. The company is smart; there are a total of six Infinity Stones (Power, Space, Reality, Time, Mind, and Soul). They didn't include the Soul Stone artefact. I understand there is no artefact for the Soul Stone, but they could have made a palm holding the Soul Stone and have it light up, so we can switch between different stones too. I highly doubt it will happen, anyway.
Anyway, I got myself this, which I had had in my cart for years. Hmm, you may ask, what is that? This is where I found my Soul Stone.
Just look at these rock candies!
They emit a beautiful glow. I wish they could be USB-charged. Nevertheless, they reflect my vibrant and illuminated spirit.
(Credit: I don't know the Magic card; I just love the stone design on this card.) For the Soul Stone — Understanding my heart, knowing who I truly am beneath the achievements, appearance, fears, and other people's opinions.
I had sacrificed something somehow just to find my Soul Stone. With the power of the Soul Stone, I hope to understand my own soul—to know who I truly am beyond what others can see.
Anyway, those six stones I got are specially made stones that can't fit into the Marvel Infinity artefacts, as the Soul Stone isn't included in the sale...
...unless I get myself a Nano Infinity Gauntlet with all six stones, including the Soul Stone.
Size comparison, and both are great!
Left and right hands with gauntlets, which I can wear for Halloween night! Hahaha
My Jill and Ivy gauntlets!
I love the idea of having the power over everything to grant your wishes and commands... and what you will turn into will show the real you. I know I just want to make the world a better place without anyone knowing it was me.
Honestly, I thought I got a good deal with this set. The seller was letting all five Infinity artefacts go for US$550, with US$120 for shipping. Compared with buying them individually, that was actually quite reasonable. The cheapest I had seen on eBay was around US$90 plus US$50 shipping for just one small artefact (Tesseract), while most were going for US$200+ each, with another US$80–120 or so for shipping to Singapore.
So getting all five as a set for US$550 seemed like a no-brainer, especially since I had already wanted to complete the collection to go with my Infinity Gauntlet.
Well... then came the shipping.
The seller had to split the collection into two parcels, and that's when DHL and Customs decided to become the real villains. For the first parcel, I had to pay an additional US$120 in tax and GST. The second parcel came with another additional US$145 in tax and handling fees. Suddenly, my "good deal" wasn't looking quite as good anymore!
Still, if I had bought all five individually, I would probably have spent much more in total. So, painful as the additional charges were, I feel so empty after getting the set (just like Thanos feels after removing half of the population in the universe). I hope I can display them proudly since I have them all...
Jeff
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