Tag: toys

Terminator: Salvation 3 3/4 Action Figures

You’d have to be living under a rock, and it would have to be a pretty big rock at that, to not realize that May is the movie month for 2009. There’s some potentially great films coming out later this summer, including G.I. Joe, Harry Potter and Transformers 2, but May has four big ones hitting us that are all required viewing.

One of the four is Terminator: Salvation, the fourth film in the story of Skynet and the destruction of the human race. Opening on the 21st (a Thursday), this film takes us back…uh, forward…in time to the early days of the war, before the T-800 was developed, when the first T-600 and T-700 Terminators were terrorizing the Resistance.

The current brouhaha over the movie has to do with the MPAA rating. Most assumed it would be R, just like the first three films in the franchise. The trailer certainly appears to have R-like tendencies. But recent rumors have it at a PG-13, and this has caused quite the stir. Some have said that the Terminator:Salvation toy line is part of the reasoning for Warner Brothers to push for the lighter rating, in an attempt to get at least some kids indoctrinated in the film franchise. But plenty of R rated movies have had toy lines in the past, and if you swing by your local Toys R Us right now you can find Watchmen action figures, clearly a movie not intended for kids. The mere existence of a toy line does not indicate the rating, but it does tend to indicate the amount of whining some parents may do.

Playmates Toys, probably best known for there long running Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Trek and World of Springfield action figure lines, picked up the license for the Terminator: Salvation toys. They are producing action figures in three scales – 3 3/4″, 6″ and 10″. I’ve already covered several of the 6″ figures over at my site, and I’ll be hitting up at least one of the 10″ versions as well. This week here at QSE I’m looking at four of the 3 3/4″ figures, including the T-600, T-700, T-R.I.P. and Marcus.

If you have any questions of comments, drop me a line at mwc@mwctoys.com or visit my site, Michael’s Review of the Week – Captain Toy.

Terminator: Salvation – 1/18th action figures

Just to keep things straight in the review, the T-600 is the huge endo with the skin and clothes, Marcus is the much smaller endo with skin and clothes, the T-700 is the dark endo, and the T-R.I.P. is the brighter silver endo pictured below. Although I can’t be sure, I’m assuming the T-R.I.P. is a T-800 prototype of some sort.

These figures are about 1/18th scale, also often called 3 3/4″ although most figures in this scale (like Star Wars or Indiana Jones) are generally closer to 4″ tall.

Packaging – ***
The packaging matches the larger scale 6″ line, with good golor and bright graphics, but it comes across a tad cartoonish. I like the inclusion of a little personalization on the front bubble (there’s a very small bio of each character), and showing the whole series on the cardback is good. The big downside is the ridiculous number of twist ties for this scale figure, with arms, legs and even torsos often strapped in place.

Sculpting – T-700, T-R.I.P. ***; T-600, Marcus **1/2
I was pretty hard on the non Endoskeleton 6″ figures in this series, and with good reason. Even the Endos were pretty mediocre, but in this smaller scale, I’m liking the whole bunch a lot better.

One of my major grips with the 6″ T-600 was the extremely cartoon-like styling of the skin covered head. Some folks ragged me, saying of course it was cartoonish, because it was supposed to look fake. The 3 3/4″ figure makes my point for me though – it DOES look fake here, just like it should, but doesn’t look like it could double as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bad guy. Both this version and the 10″ version have the proper look to the skin, while the 6″ fails completely. Considering how much smaller this figure is, that’s no small feat.

However, he still has one issue in common with his larger brother – he’s huge. He stands just over 5″ tall, making him about 8 feet tall in true 1/18th scale. Both Marcus and the Endos are almost 4″ tall though, so it isn’t *quite* that bad, but he’s still gargantuan compared to them. I don’t think the fake skin, no matter how realistic, would fool anyone into thinking a T-600 was a person.

The work on the clothing is better than on the larger scale figure too, another plus in his favor. He has less clothing (the pants are ripped up a bit more) which helps quite a bit. There’s a few weird, unrealistic rips (did someone take a bit out of the hood?), but it’s still an improvement.

The T-700 and T-R.I.P. look to have the same sculpt as the larger versions, but as you might expect, when you shrink down a sculpt the detailing improves. There’s still soft areas, particularly with the T-700. Because the paint is so dark, and because there’s no wash to bring out the detail, much of it is lost visually.

Both of the Endos are about 4″ tall, making them fit in much better with other modern lines in this scale (like Star Wars) than the other Playmates 1/18th line on the shelf right now, Star Trek. That’s good news, since one of the biggest attractions to this smaller scale is putting figures from different licenses together. They’re still a smidge shrimpy, but it’s not a major issue.

My biggest issue with both Endos in this category is the forearms. They are long to begin with, and because of the lack of a wrist joint, the hand and forearm become one piece visually, making them appear even longer. It throws off the proportions somewhat on an otherwise solid job.

It’s worth pointing out that both are sculpted with open mouths, a complaint I know lots of folks have had with the Endos in all the scales. I don’t mind, but you might not be as forgiving.

Of the various scale Marcus figures I’ve seen so far, this one is my favorite. That doesn’t mean he’s great, but he’s an improvement over the other versions out there.

The likeness isn’t great, but half the face is damaged, showing off the underlying endo parts. The detailing on these robotic sections is quite good, although they look nothing like a T-700, which is what I assume (perhaps incorrectly) he is.

I did have a couple sculpt issues, however. The biggest one is a weird warp to the lower half of the left leg. I don’t think it’s just from the insert tray (although it could be due to a bad package design), because there’s no gapping at the joint on either side. The leg looks like it is actually designed to bend slightly off to the side, and it makes it tough to get him to stand properly.

They cheaped out a bit on his hands too. The left and right hand are both sculpted as though they are exposed endoskeleton, but the right hand is painted flesh colored with a painted glove. It stands out, even at this scale.

Finally, the boots are a bit wonky. The idea is that one has the pant leg tucked in, while the other has the pant leg hanging down over half the boot. Unfortunately, the sculpt doesn’t really translate. Because of the way the edge between the pant leg and boot is sculpted on both sides, they both look like the leg is tucked in, making it look like he’s wearing two different boots.

Paint – Marcus **1/2; the others ***
Again, keep in mind the scale here. The detailing is quite good, especially for a mass market line.

The T-R.I.P. is the basic silver, but has a nice wash to bring out the sculpting. He also has very cool eyes, painted with some sort of reflective paint. Notice how on both he and the T-700, the eyes look lit up in the photos, but they aren’t. Unlike the larger versions, there’s no plastic tubes to bring light down to the eyes, but the bright paint appears to glow even in normal room light.

As I mentioned in the Sculpt section, much of the detail work on the T-700 is lost since the paint is so dark. However, that dark contrast makes his glowing eyes stand out even more.

The paint work on the T-600 is a little less cartoonish than the larger scale figure, and there’s a wash used on the pants to make them a little less goofy looking. Thankfully, the pelvis is actually painted the right color too! The same wash on the endo parts brings out the finer details there, making this version a huge improvement over the 6″ figure.

Marcus also has a solid paint job, although he has fewer details. The overall figure (both clothing and endo sections) lacks any wash, making him look a bit cheaper than the other three. The cut lines and general quality of the paint work is decent, but he lacks some of the visual pop of the others. He’s reasonable considering the price point, but nothing special.

Articulation – T-700, T-R.I.P., T-600 ***; Marcus **1/2
These are fairly well articulated for this scale, with just a few issues holding them back.

Marcus had the most potential, but the wonky legs end up hurting him. He is the only one to have a ball jointed neck, and it works quite well. He also has ball jointed shoulders (pin/post style), pin/post elbows, and cut wrists, making his arms quite poseable. He adds in a cut waist, single pin knees, and T hips.

With just the T hips and single pin knees, there’s not much you can do with the legs, and because of the warping of the right one, he has trouble standing. This ends up pulling him down slightly over the other three.

The T-600 has a cut neck, which is fine since he’d be a pretty stiff guy in person. He has the same style shoulders as Marcus, with single pin elbows and cut wrists. That means his forearms can’t move inward and outward from the body, making his arms a little less poseable. He finishes off with the same cut waist, single pin knees, and T hips. He really needs some sort of cut joint on the legs to improve his overall posability, but he stands great on his own in basic stances.

The T-700 and T-R.I.P. have identical articulation. Neither has any neck joint, but like their skin covered cousins, they have pin/post swivel shoulders. They also have pin/post elbows, which allow for the arms to move inward, very useful with these figures. Unfortunately, they lack cut wrists, making it tough for them to hold the large gun properly.

They have simple pin hips, much like the T hips on the other figures, and single pin knees. Perhaps it’s surprising because of the tiny feet, but they stand great on their own in a number of poses.

Accessories – ***
Most figures in this scale come with one accessory, maybe two if you’re really lucky. Three of the four here have two plastic accessories, plus one paper accessory.

The T-700 comes with a large scale rifle, which can be held in either hand, although straddling it across is hands is the best way to keep him standing. Unfortunately, due to the lack of wrist articulation mentioned earlier, he can’t really hold it properly in both hands, but he can approximate the look.

He also has a beat up and bent steel girder that he can use to pound on various resistance fighters, or Stormtroopers, your choice. Like the gun, this can fit in either or both hands. It’s a pretty small girder, but it’s a nice change of pace from the steel pipe that was in the 6″ series.

The T-R.I.P. comes with two guns, but both are pistols, one much smaller than the other. While I’m betting we see these actual guns at some point in the film, I really would have rather gotten a larger cannon style weapon. He can hold both guns at once for some rip roarin’, shootin’ tootin’ poses.

The T-600 has the same large Gatling style cannon that his 6″ cousin carries. The ammo back pack is removable, as is the ammo clip. The gun fits tightly to his arm, and looks great in most poses.

Also like the 6″ scale, each comes with a Topps movie trading card. They are high quality, high gloss cards, but they are identical to the ones you get with the same characters in the larger scale. On top of that, you know my general disdain for paper extras. This kind of stuff almost always ends up in a junk box.

Fun Factor – Marcus ***; the rest ***1/2
Figures in this scale are always one thing if nothing else – fun. Because these are more in line in both style and size with other current 1/18th lines, these can easily be added to any display or play scenario with the likes of Star Wars, Indiana Jones or Narnia. Kid’s would probably end up frustrated with Marcus’ weird legs, but the other three would make for terrific bad guys, and are sturdy enough to stand up to normal sandbox play.

Value – ***
These guys will run you around $7 at most stores, about a buck cheaper than many other well known licenses in this scale. On top of that, you’re getting a reasonably good set of accessories, adding to the value. Slightly better articulation, and these would have gotten another half star here.

Things to Watch Out For –
Not much. You’ll want to check those paint ops carefully when picking them off the peg of course, but once you have them in hand, you should be issue free.

Overall – T-700, T-R.I.P. ***; T-600, Marcus **1/2
These are quite a bit better than the 3 3/4″ Star Trek line from Playmates, also on pegs right now, and they’re a bit better than I’ve seen most folks giving them credit for. They aren’t amazing by any means, and the work from someone like Mezco in this scale (who did the Hellboy in the photo) blows them away, but the two clean Endoskeletons will fit in pretty well with most other modern 1/18th lines. Marcus doesn’t do much for me, especially with the wonky legs, and the huge, towering T-600 looks like he belongs in another line. But if you’re looking for a basic Endo to go with your Star Wars figures, you should grab the T-R.I.P. or the T-700.

Scoring Recap –
Packaging – ***
Sculpting – T-700, T-R.I.P. ***; T-600, Marcus **1/2
Paint – Marcus **1/2; the others ***
Articulation – T-600, T-700, T-R.I.P. ***; Marcus **1/2
Accessories – ***
Fun Factor – Marcus ***; the rest ***1/2
Value – ***
Overall – T-700, T-R.I.P. ***; T-600, Marcus **1/2

Where to Buy –
Plenty of local retailers should have these, including Toys R Us and Target. Expect to pay around $7 each. online options include:

– Entertainment Earth has them by the case of 12 for $91, or about $7.60 each.

– For the UK folks, Forbidden Planet has them individually for about 6 GBP each.

April 21, 2009
Toy Box: Stargate SG-1 F-302 Strategic Fighter/Interceptor

I think that sometimes franchises like Stargate don’t get all the credit they deserve. The big boys like Star Wars, Star Trek, or Terminator end up grabbing all the glory, while work horses like Stargate just keep plugging along, making money and giving fans what they’re looking for.

Hey, they must be doing something right. The 1994 film has spawned the very successful television shows Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis, the animated show Stargate Infinity, several direct to DVD films, a comic book series, several novels, and a whole gaggle of video games. The franchise isn’t at an end yet, with another announced new series (called Stargate Universe) in the planning stages, and another potential direct to DVD movie in the works.

Of course, with all those movies, shows and games out there, collectibles are a no brainer. There have been a fair number produced, including a great line of action figures by Diamond Select Toys. The latest collectible based on the franchise has just been released by Quantum Mechanix. They’ve produced a scale model of the F-302 Fighter, first seen in the season 6 episode Redemption. This ship is key in the later seasons of the show, and Qmx has re-produced it in small scale to exacting detail.

If you have any questions or comments, drop me a line at mwc@mwctoys.com, or hit my regular collectibles review site at Michael’s Review of the Week – Captain Toy. Let’s check out the fighter!

Stargate SG-1: The F-302 Strategic Fighter/Interceptor

You can get more info on this ship at the QMX website, where you can also pick up some of their other cool products and prop replicas. This F-302 is a limited edition, and only 2500 were produced. It runs $120 direct from Qmx.

Packaging – ***
The packaging is fairly straight forward. It’s a box, and you know I like boxes. They store easily, and there’s really no wasted space or material here. The interior foam tray holds the ship and base safely, so the package does job one quite well.

The box lacks a window to see the ship you’re buying, but your purchase is likely to be online. What sets this apart for me is not the box itself, but the included Certificate of Authenticity, which is very attractive, and contains background info on the ship and the release.

Sculpting – ***1/2
It’s important to note that this is a tiny ship. The photos aren’t going to tell you that, with the exception of the final shot that shows the ship with two 3 3/4″ action figures, but it’s important to remember, because close up photos will always show some issues. You need to remember that the entire ship is only 8″ across, so the small paint and sculpt details you are seeing are quite tiny.

Considering the scale, the level of detail is quite impressive. Areas where mechanical sections exist have the appropriate tubing, ribs, sharp lines, and technical details that you’d expect on the actual ship. Some of these details are sculpted as part of the larger piece, but many are individual pieces attached to the main body, adding to the realism.

The ship comes with a base designed to look like a section of the flight deck. The ship can attach to this base with a clear plastic rod, or it can be removed from the base so you can fly it around the room. Just make sure to make appropriate whooshing sounds, even if that wouldn’t be scientifically correct.

My one complaint with the sculpt is that the plastic landing gear can be a bit warped. My front gear is tilted slightly off to the left, and not lined up perfectly straight. I’m going to try using some hot water to soften it and reposition it (wish me luck!), but that’s not something I expect to have to do (or risk) at this price point.
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Paint – ***1/2
They’ve complimented the sculpt with a great hand painted finish, including many other minor details on the ship. Some of these are tampos of course, but the work is very clean and neat, and includes warning placards and various regulation markings, just like the real dea.

They’ve also used the paint to simulate a metallic appearance, as well as wear and age in some places. This works particularly well on the underside, where the torpedos and guns are present.

Design – ***1/2
This ship has the ability to hover, and they’ve used that to their advantage with the design. The ship is lifting off from the flight deck, with the landing gear just starting to raise into the ship. It’s an interesting concept, and certainly one that hasn’t been done too many times in the past.

Value – *1/2
At $120, this is not a model for the weak of heart (or light of wallet). They’re targeting the serious (or crazy…is there really any difference with any fan of any property?) Stargate SG-1 fan here, and folks in that mindset probably won’t bat an eye at the sticker. However, comparing it to other items on the market of similar quality, size and materials, it’s still a pretty hefty price tag.

Things to Watch Out For –
Not much. The little landing gear can be a bit brittle, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to display it resting solely on them for any extended period. I’m betting they end up wilting if you do, so stick with the included display stand.

Overall – ***
I really like the attention to detail, and the fine sculpt and paint work here. Fans of the show will appreciate the finer points, and take pleasure in pointing them out to their friends and captives.

For me, the high price tag pulls the overall down a bit, but if money isn’t an issue for you when it comes to Stargate SG-1, then the overall quality will boost your score higher.

Quantum Mechanix is producing some nice product right now, and I look forward to their next release. They had solicited a prop replica of the petrified hand from the Creature from the Black Lagoon at one point, but had to cancel it. As a huge Creature fan, I certainly mourn the loss.

Scoring Recap –
Packaging – ***1/2
Sculpting – ***1/2
Paint – ***1/2
Design/Quality – ***1/2
Value – *1/2
Overall – ***

Where to Buy –
Your best bet is direct from QMX at their website.

Related Links –
When it comes to Qmx, I covered their Firefly replica stunt pistol awhile back. If you’re more of a Stargate fan, check out my reviews of the Atlantis figures from DST, as well as series 1, series 2 and series 3 of DST’s SG-1 figures.

April 1, 2009
Toy Box: Batman Black and White: Joker

DC Direct has been extremely successful with their line of 6 – 7″ scaled statues based on Batman, done up in moody black and white paint schemes. The Batman Black and White series has given us Bats based on the artwork of artists old and new, classic and contemporary, and DCD knows they’ve got a good thing here. But how do you try to make it better? Why not move into Bat villains!

His Rogue’s Gallery is large and famous, but I doubt they had much trouble deciding who would get the monochromatic treatment first. It’s his arch nemesis of course, The Joker. More will come, including the Penguin, but the clown prince makes perfect sense as the first non-Batman statue in the series.

For the artist, they selected Jim Lee’s rendition from the Hush story line. Sculpted by James Shoop, the statue will run you around $60 or so at most online dealers. Your LCS experience could differ greatly, since the SRP is $75.

If you have any questions or comments, drop me a line at mwc@mwctoys.com, or head over to my site at Michael’s Review of the Week for lots more collectibles reviews.

Batman: Black and White – The Joker

Packaging – **1/2
Hey, it’s a box. Unfortunately, the box has no window, so you won’t be able to see your specific statue till you get it home. That means any issues with paint are a crap shoot. That’s not new for this series, as all the statues have been boxed this way, but it’s still disappointing for me.

There’s no Certificate of Authenticity, but they did print the edition number and size on the bottom. The Joker is limited to 5500, which is not much of a limit.

Sculpting – ***1/2
This statue is based on the classic look from the Hush series, with the wild eyed and clearly insane Joker posed with his ‘bang’ gun. This is one of the more detailed sculpts we’ve gotten in the series, because the face and hair of the Joker allow for much sharper and extreme work than the rather staid Batman.

Comparing this to the previous DCD action figure based on the same art, I’d say they’ve done a better job here capturing the comic representation. It’s a little extreme, but I think that’s something the overall Batman Black and White series needs.

He stands just shy of 6 inches tall with the base, and fits in nicely with the rest of the series. There has already been a Jim Lee Batman, and this statue goes fairly well with him.

Paint – ***
While the sculpting is strong, the paint is a bit on the sloppy side. Fortunately, the eyes are done quite well, and I like the choices of blacks, whites and grays that they used to translate this character into this color (or lack thereof) format. They’ve also mixed the finishes again, with some high gloss black on the lapels, but a matte finish most everywhere else.

But they did get a bit wild with the paints here, and you can see pretty obvious slop on the teeth (the big discolored round spot dead center on his lower teeth is really annoying), and the white of the face is dirtier and grayer than I’d like. I’d prefer a brighter, more consistent white on the face and hands, more like the package photo.

Design/Quality – ***
The first thing worth noting about the design is that the figure is permanently attached to the base, something that is usually not the case with this series. I suspect that this was done to avoid damaging the feet or the thin ‘bang’ flag.

My only complaint about the design is one that could have also been put in the sculpting section, but since I’ve lumped ‘quality’ in here, I’m including it in this category.

The positioning of the gun and flag makes it appear as though the barrel is bent, warped toward the front. In fact, it is slightly bent, but it’s really the design that exaggerates this bend.

Value – **
The price on these went up a year or so ago to an SRP of $75, which translates to $60 – $65 at most retailers. I’m not sure they’ve done any that really rate that kind of price, especially considering that Gentle Giant is still able to produce their mini-busts at around $45.

Shop around, and you might be able to get this closer to $50 (or perhaps on ebay), and at that price you can add another half star.

Things to Watch Out For –
Nothing you wouldn’t expect. Obviously, he’s breakable – he’s a resin statue, duh – but there’s nothing particularly weak or fragile here.

Overall – ***
This is a decent first villain entry in the series, but it could have been even better with a bit more care on the paint. Had the paint ops been as solid as the sculpt, I would have been more inclined to ignore the high price and awarded this crazed clown another half star overall.

If you have the Jim Lee Batman in this series, I highly recommend picking this one up, paint issues aside. They make a great set together, and pay a nice tribute to Lee’s ability.

Where to Buy –
Online retailers include:

– Alter Ego Comics has him for $63.75.

– Urban Collector has a great price at just $56.

– Things From Another World has him priced at $60.

– Entertainment Earth has him at $63.

– for the UK collectors, Forbidden Planet has it in stock for 50 GBP.

– CornerStoreComics has him at $60 as well.

– or you can always search ebay.

Related Links –
I’ve reviewed quite a few of the Batman Black and White statue:

– most recent was the Ethan Van Sciver version.

– before that was the Aparo, which I wasn’t all that keen on.

– prior to that, there was the Neal Adams and George Perez versions, the Gotham Knight, Bob Kane, Frank Miller, Jim Lee, Matt Wagner, Mike Mignola, and Kelley Jones.

– and it’s worth nothing that DCD also did an action figure several years ago based on this appearance.

March 24, 2009
Toy Box: Who Watches the Watchmen?

Who’s watching the Watchmen? If you’re Warner Brothers, you’re hoping just about everyone. The film has gone through it’s share of complex issues, but it’s finally hitting the big screen on March 6th. I don’t know about you, but I’ll have my butt in the IMAX theater Friday night.

Since this is a DC property, it should be no surprise that the product coming out in conjunction is from DC Direct. They’re producing action figures in a psuedo 7 inch scale and a psuedo sixth scale, as well as busts and prop replicas. I’m checking out two of the first four action figures tonight – Rorschach and Nite Owl. The other two in this wave are the modern Silk Spectre and Ozymandias, reviewed over at Michael’s Review of the Week.

You can pick these guys (and girls) up for around $17 or so, depending on the retailer of course. That’s a pretty hefty chunk of change, but I have some suggestions in the Where to Buy section that have the full set of four at just fifty bucks, or just $12.50 each. If you have any questions or comments, drop me an email at mwc@mwctoys.com, or hit my website at Captain Toy – Michael’s Review of the Week.

Watchmen series 1 – Nite Owl and Rorschach

Series 1 has been out for a week or two, and series 2 (with the Comedian, original Silk Spectre, original Nite Owl, and Dr Manhattan) has been hitting as well. There are also three variants that will be showing up at your LCS: a translucent Dr. Manhattan, old school Comedian, and unmasked Rorschach.

Packaging – Rorschach ***1/2, Nite Owl ***
Hey, they’re boxes. And the best part is they not only look great, and store easily for the MiBers, but they are also collector friendly. You can pull the figures out and just have to deal with a couple twisties – no need to actually damage the box or inserts in any way. That’s not true for the Ozy or Nite Owl figures, where the stand is blister sealed to the interior cardboard tray, but it is true for Rorschach and Silk Spectre. I don’t quite understand why they designed two this way and two the other way, but it may have something to do with the capes getting in the way.

Sculpting – Nite Owl ***1/2; Rorschach ***
This entire line exhibits great sculpts, with lots of good detail, and what appears to be a good match to the on screen counterparts. Of course, that’s tough to tell based on just poster photos and a few movie stills, but they’ve certainly captured the look of the costumes. The detail work on the Nite Owl outfit is excellent, but he does suffer from a slightly soft sculpt on his facial features. He’s the largest figure in this wave, standing about 6 3/4″ tall.

Rorschach is the smallest of the set, as he was in the comic. He stands about 6 1/4″ tall, a full half inch shorter than Nite Owl (and Ozymandias). He’s also the least articulated, so his sculpted pose is the most critical. That’s where he loses a half star for me.

The other figures in the line have a ball jointed neck to allow them to tilt, turn, and swivel. These joints work great on all the others, but for some reason DCD decided NOT to give Rorschach the same neck. Now, there might be a ball buried down there, but the neck works pretty much as a straight cut joint, allowing it to turn from side to side. Clearly, DCD knew that this was a shortcoming, since Rorschach tends to tilt his head…to compensate for it, they sculpted his head tilted. Yep, it’s sculpted in that tilted pose. Which means it looks good in only that one pose. Why did they do this? I have no idea.

Add to this the odd walking pose they went with on the legs, and I’m not feeling it. The sculpted details are still good, and I like the look of the masked face, but the figure is basically a statue, and the selected pose really ain’t doing it for me.

Paint – ***
The paint work is fairly clean, although at this price point it certainly should be. There’s some minor issues here and there, particularly with some gloppiness on Nite Owl’s face and a few fuzzy cut lines here and there, but it’s certainly B work.

The one aspect of the paint job that really does stand out though is the rorschach ‘stain’ on Rorschach’s mask. It’s extremely well done, nicely centered, and looks terrific.

Articulation – Nite Owl **1/2; Rorschach *1/2
None of these figures is super articulated, but Nite Owl is much like Ozymandias and Silk Spectre, with better articulation than you might expect from DCD. He has a great ball jointed neck, as well as ball jointed shoulders that have a reasonably good range of movement. There’s single pin elbows and knees, T hips, and cut wrists. No, no cut waist…but then this is DC Direct we’re talking about.

Rorschach doesn’t fair as well as the rest of the series. As I mentioned in the sculpting section, he only has a cut neck joint. With the head sculpted in a tilt, it looks a bit weird in all but one pose. He lacks the ball jointed shoulders too, instead having simple cut joints. There’s single pin elbows and cut wrists, but there is no knee joint, and the legs are simply cut at the thigh were they meet the coat.

Accessories – Rorschach **1/2; Nite Owl **
None of the figures have a ton of stuff, but at least these two add one extra to the mix.

Each figure in the series comes with a small base. These bases have three holes in them, placed evenly across the surface. Two small pegs can be inserted from the bottom to allow the figures to stand on them, but the figures only have a hole in one foot each. Unfortunately, since the holes are evenly spaced, a character like Rorschach ends up standing in an off center way on the base no matter which hole is used.

Each figure also comes with a little bracket that appears to be designed to attach the bases to each other. At least that what it looks like to me – the packaging doesn’t bother to explain.

That’s all that Ozy and Silk Spectre have, but Rorschach includes his cool gun and an extra right hand to hold it, while Nite Owl has his version of the batarang that can attach to his belt. Is it an owlarang? Unfortunately, he can’t hold it particularly well in his hand, and it tends to fall off his belt, but as long as you can keep it in place, it looks fine.

I had some issues swapping hands on Rorschach, and ended up needing some hot water to do the job. The posts are very weak plastic, so twisting them or pulling them if they are stuck could result in tearing the hand off.

His gun looks great, but I did have some trouble getting it to stay in his hand. It’s not impossible, but it will take a little effort, and it tends to fall out once in place.

Fun Factor – **
These aren’t really designed for kids, even if Toys R Us is carrying them. It’s an R rated movie, starring characters that kids will have no background on. If one or two were gruesome and hideous, kids might enjoy them just for the monster effect, but these will just look like generic superheroes to them.

Value – *1/2
These figures will run you at least $17 if you buy the singles. At that price, you arent’ getting much – a 7″ plastic statue (albeit a good looking one) without much in the way of accessories. If you want the whole wave though, I have some suggetsions in the Where to Buy section that get the price down to about $12.50 each, which would get these up another star or so in the rating.

Things to Watch Out For –
I had issues with Rorschach’s right hand – the one that’s supposed to swap. Even twisting it was questionable, and the pegs on these are made from a fairly soft plastic. Rather than risk tearing one, just use hot water (which is what I did this time), or the old ‘freezer trick’ to free them up.

Overall – Nite Owl ***; Rorschach **1/2
Nite Owl turned out good, if a tad too statuesque for my tastes. Considering the high price point on these figures, they need something extra, either in accessories or articulation. Without it, I really can’t give Nite Owl better than three stars overall.

Rorschach doesn’t fair quite as well for me. He’s not awful, and I think the painted mask and head sculpt look great. But once again, at this price point I’m expecting that they step up their game, and I really dislike the sculpted tilt to the neck. If you’re cool with the concept that he’s pretty much a statue, and if you like the sculpted pose, then you’ll be much happier than I.

Score Recap:
Packaging – ***
Sculpting – Nite Owl ***1/2; Rorschach ***
Paint – ***
Articulation – Rorschach **1/2; Nite Owl **
Accessories – Rorschach **1/2; Nite Owl **
Fun Factor – **
Value – *1/2
Overall – Nite Owl ***; Rorschach **1/2

Where to buy –
These are hitting some retailers, like Toys R Us (shocking!), but they aren’t cheap there. Even with shipping, your best bet might be some of the online retailers:

– Urban Collector has the singles for $17 each, but you can get teh case of 4 for just $50.

– Alter Ego Comics has series 1 or series 2 available for $55 for the set of four.

– Corner Store Comics has the singles for $15 – $18, depending on the figure, or the set of four for $55.

– Things From Another World has all the singles, including variants, for about $20 each.

– Clark Toys has the sets of four for $62.

– or you can search ebay using sponsor MyAuctionLinks.

Related Links –
I have a review of the other two figures in this first series, the modern Silk Spectre and Ozymandias, over at my site.

March 3, 2009
Toy Box: Fantasy Figure Gallery Akira

Americans like their polystone statues. Or resin. Something with some heft and weight, something you could kill an intruder with if your .357 isn’t handy. Something that makes you feel like you got more than just a geek-on for that insane amount of money you just spent.

But Asian companies, like Kotobukiya and Yamato, have made a name for themselves worled wide producing their high end collectibles in lighter weight (and usually cheaper) materials like PVC. I have quite a few in my collection, and feel the quality is excellent for the price.

Yamato has a new series starting called their Fantasy Figure Gallery. I’ll let them explain it to you:
“The Fantasy Figure Gallery is a groundbreaking union of East and West as the leading sculptors of Asia deliver the worlds of legendary fantasy artists from Europe and the Americas as only they are capable.”

The first statue in this series is of Akira, based on the work of renowned artist Dorian Cleavenger and sculpted by Plant-jzero Moekichi. Akira is constructed of over 100 individual pieces and features over 400 paint applications, twice the conventional statue. Thankfully however, you don’t have to put the 100 pieces together, only seven. You attach the ornaments to the side of her head, as well as one on the side of her left leg, put the two pieces of the staff together, and attach her to the base. Voila!

If you have any questions or comments, please drop me a line at mwc@mwctoys.com, or head over to my collectibles review site at Michael’s Review of the Week – Captain Toy for more reviews like this.

Fantasy Figure Gallery Akira

As I mentioned Akira is the first in this series. The second is Medusa’s Gaze, based on the work of Luis Royo, and others will follow. Akira has an SRP of $98, but you can find her online much lower than that, and I have a number of suggestions at the end of the review in the ‘where to buy’ section.

There’s also a limited edition “ivory” version of this statue that looks very interesting. It’s limited to just 300 produced, and has the same SRP as this version. You can pick it up directly from Yamato in their store.

Packaging – ***
It’s a large window box, that shows off the statue pretty well, and doesn’t waste too much space considering the size of the various pieces. It’s tough to show off a statue well when it comes disassembled like this, but they do a reasonably good job.

I also like the blue color and soft, feminine graphics. They give the impression of beauty and art, just what Yamato is trying to get across with this series.

The package is also collector friendly, if you decide to disassemble your statue later. It’s not hard to do – none of the pieces snap permanently together – and storage is safer in the original box.

Sculpting – ****
Yamato likes to say that she’s a ‘mona lisa’, and while she’s quite nice, I’m not sure I’d go quite THAT far.

She has a beautiful sculpt, with soft curves and gorgeous detailing on the armor and staff. Like all Yamato statues, she’s voluptous and yet innocent in a strange way. The facial expression and sculpt almost have that southern charm to them, sort of like she’s saying “oh maay, maay…did I drop maay little ol’ robe?” The seductive/sweet expression is offset by the sharper, more defined sculpting of the armor and ornaments, giving the statue a nice contrast and realism.

The statue is fairly large, with her standing about 10.5″ tall, and the overall statue with the base and staff at about 15″. That puts her between 1/7th and 1/8th scale, depending on how tall you think Akira should be. Yep, she’s too small to go with your sixth scale figures or even most of the Kotobukiya statues, but she’s still quite impressive on the shelf.

By the way, yes, she’s fairly nekkid. There’s nothing really covering her breasts, although the robe and staff hide any possible nipple action. In fact, the left breast lacks any sort of nipple because of the staff, and there is a groove sculpted on her breast, stomach and right arm to accomodate it.

The pelvic armor only covers the front half of her crotch. The only thing holding it in place is some strong glue and your lack of imagination.

Paint – ****
A great sculpt can be ruined by bad paint, and a mediocre sculpt can be brought to new heights with great paint. Since we were starting with a great sculpt, it needed great paint to show it off, and Yamato pulled it off.

The skin has that slightly translucent quality to it, created by casting the plastic in a flesh tone, but doing it in a way that makes it appear as though there is a thin later of ‘skin’ over top. It’s hard to describe, but it certainly gives their ladies a soft, appealing, natural skin tone.

The small detail work on areas like the eyes, lips or armor is extremely clean, and there are a ton of paint operations here. In recent months, we’ve seen the paint on both low cost mass market and high end specialty market items drop considerably, as manufacturers try to find last minute ways to cut costs and improve profits. It’s nice to have a statue where it’s clear that there was no cost cutting on the paint operations, where the number and quality are both extremely high.

Design – ***1/2
I love the overall look of this statue, particularly the way the head of the staff and her headdress both flow, giving her a dynamic and deadly appearance, even in a static pose.

I did have some minor issues with getting the feet attached to the base. The fit was a bit rough, and it never did quite line up flush. You may find that you need to prune the plugs to get the kind of seamless look that you’lle expect with a high end statue.

On a purely artistic note, I would have also preferred if the staff wasn’t pressed so deeply up against her right breast. It looks fairly…uncomfortable to me. This is more of an aesthetic issue though, so your mileage may vary quite a bit.

Value – ***
You can find this guy for no more than $90, and even closer to $80 with a little looking around. Hey, I have some excellent suggestions just below! Considering the quality of the work, as well as the size of the statue, that’s a slightly better than average value right now.

Things to Watch Out for –
Make sure you pay attention to how the pegs attach on each of her extra pieces. Take your time with the staff as well, since it’s very thin and could break with too much pressure.

Overall – ***1/2
I’m not one to usually go in for the nekkid chick statues, but I have to admit that this one is mighty fine looking. Fans of Akira should be pleased, and the sculpting, paint and quality are all top line. If your sensibilities run more Amish than freakish, then it’s probably not for you, but the human form as art has been a long standing tradition. Slap on some cool, strategically placed armor and it just gets better!

Score Recap –
Packaging – ***
Sculpting – ***1/2
Paint – ****
Design – ***1/2
Value – ***
Overall – ***1/2

Where to Buy –
While her SRP is close to $100, you can actually find her at a number of retailers below that:

– Urban Collector has her at just $82.

– Circle Red has it for $90.

– Entertainment Earth has her at $90.

– Sidehow is carrying the regular and ivory editons. This special ivory version is limited to just 300!

– or you can get her directly from Yamato USA for $98. They also have the limited edition of the “ivory” version. Just search for “akira”.

February 4, 2009
Toy Box: Batman – The Brave and the Bold Deluxe Aquaman/Blue Beetle

Cartoon Network recently started a brand spankin’ new Batman cartoon on Friday nights, with a lot of your favorite old time characters. Batman – The Brave and the Bold has a Super Friends look, with some witty banter and interesting relationships between characters like Aquaman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Plastic Man and even Blue Beetle. The stories and writing style are very much directed at that 5 – 8 age range, but adults can enjoy the show as well.

Mattel has also released action figures based on the show, and they seem to be hitting the New Year hard with plenty of different characters. I reviewed the regular single pack Batman, Aquaman, Kanjar Ro, and Black Manta over at mwctoys.com just last week, and over the weekend picked up the single pack Red Tornado as well. Today I’m checking out the deluxe Aquaman and deluxe Blue Beetle, which come with a larger, action feature based accessory.

If you have any questions or comments, drop me a line at mwc@mwctoys.com, or swing by my site at Michael’s Review of the Week – Captain Toy.

Batman The Brave and The Bold: Deluxe Aquaman and Blue Beetle

You can expect to find these at mass market retailers, like Target, Meijers, or my least favorite, Wal-mart, where they’ll run you right around $8 for the singles, and around $11 for the deluxe sets. There are also a couple vehicles hitting right now, including the Batsub, and you should see quite a bit of the product as part of the new Target reset.

Packaging – ***1/2
I’m digging the packaging, largely due to two aspects. Yes, the design is attractive, and I like the retro feel to the graphics and colors, but those aren’t my main pluses. I really like the personalization on each cardback and bubble, with specific graphics and text for the character housed inside. Also, there’s no twisties or rubber bands anywhere to be found. They’ve used intelligently designed interior trays to hold the figures in place, making their removal a much easier process.

Sculpting – Beetle ***; Aquaman **1/2
The show has a very Super Friends feel to it, and Mattel has added to that some of the characteristics of their recent Super Friends line of figures, designed for that under 5 set. The larger, blocky feet and legs are obvious on most of the characters, but some (like Beetle) lack the huge honking feet.

Most folks will either hate or tolerate the accessory holes on the figures. Nobody over 8 (and probably not many under) are going to love them, at least from an aesthetic point of view. These holes are on the back, shoulders, forearms and calves of most of the figures, but interestingly, Blue Beetle does not have them on his forearms, and he’s the better looking figure for it. I don’t mind the one on the back of course, and the one on the shoulders actually looks fine on Beetle. It also helps that he has some cool looking armor pieces as part of this deluxe set that can snap on his shoulders. Had they dropped the calf holes, I may have even gone another half star on this figure.

Aquaman has that smart ass grin, and as voiced by John Di Maggio, he has that attitude on the show too. I love the chiseled head sculpt, but I’m less enamored with the standard body sculpt than in my first review. The longer I look at certain characters (like Aquaman and Batman) the less tolerant I am of some of the holes. The ones on Aquaman at the shoulders and elbows are way too obvious, while his calf holes are fine – completely different than Blue Beetle. I think it’s the rounded shoulders and skinny elbow joints that are doing it, whereas the more square shoulders (like on Beetle or Red Tornado) don’t look quite as bad with the holes.

These figures stand about 5″ tall, making them slightly shorter than The Batman figures. They are also stockier, so they don’t really work together, but I included a group shot that has the Batman figure from the eariler line in back for comparison. It will be the last photo in the review.

Paint – Beetle **1/2; Aquaman **
These are mass market figures, and they have very mass market paint jobs. Poor Aquaman also suffers from a rather dopey looking color scheme.

Blue Beetle looks good, although it’s a bit of a variation on his suit in the show. The suit tends to morph a whole lot though, so you can give them some leeway there. He has some overspray, weak cut lines, and the occasional rub mark, much like your average run of the mill big toy store figure. And by ‘big’, I mean the store, not the figure.

Aquaman has a sub par paint job, even for a kid’s toy. There’s plenty of slop between the green and gold, and there’s even inconsistent coverage with both colors. Cut lines are weaker than Don Knotts after a weekend bender, and there’s a fair share of stray marks. Most of these issues are on the body though, with the paint job on the face and hair a bit more similar in quality to Beetle’s.

I was very happy with the paint on the first four figures I picked up, so this is a huge step backward. What this really means is that the line is very inconsistent with the quality of the paint ops, so be careful picking them off the peg.

Articulation – **
The articulation is the most disappointing for me, but as a kid’s line, I can understand the decision behind some of the missing joints.

These figures only have cut neck, cut shoulders, pin elbows, and cut waists. Oh, and don’t forget those old school T hips. I’m not surprised they dropped the knee joints, as these tend to break a lot when kids get their hands on them. But ball jointed shoulders would have been nice, particularly with figures like Aquaman and Batman who already have rounded shoulders. Yea, those dopey holes probably made it impossible, but it’s still disappointing. I’m also disappointed that there are no cut wrists or ball jointed necks, as these would add a lot to both the playability and poseability of the figures.

Accessories/Action Features – ***
Ah, those goofy peg holes on the bodies might look odd, but they do serve a purpose. Now it’s time to break out the accessories and add them to the mix.

Beetle is the ‘bug zapper’ version. Generally he’s the only bug in the fight (unless we get to see a Blue Beetle/Killer Moth battle royale!) so having a ‘bug zapper’ doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but I’m sure somebody was very proud of themselves when they came up with that name.

His zapper is actually made up of several interchangable parts. There are small articulated bug wings, two blade like side attachments, and the main zapper body that fires a small projectile. The entire attachment can be put together as a single unit (and worn on his back), or you can pop off the blades and attach them to his shoulders, put the wings on his back, and even have him hold the zapper body in his hand. Because of the multiple holes, you can attach these things in a whole lot of different ways.

Aquaman also has a fairly large contraption, called the “aqua pack”. It has a center backpack piece, as well as two fan blade like attachements, and two long sorta Trident looking front blades. When these blades are attached to the main backpack and the button on top is pushed, they spin menacingly.

Like the Beetle’s weapon, these can all pop apart and be reattached to Aquaman on any of his peg holes. I’m not sure why he’d want the fan blades on his shoulders, but I gave that a try anyway. These can also be used on any other version of Aquaman or on any other figure in the series for that matter, making the build/accessorize feature pretty cool.

Fun Factor – ***1/2
Sure, these aren’t exactly a collector’s line, but kid’s should have a lot of fun with the build/accessorize feature of the accessories and holes. They are also very solid figures, so breakage should not be much of an issue. They’ve aimed these squarely at the 5 – 8 range, giving smaller kids DC figures before they are old enough to enjoy and appreciate something like the DC Universe line.

Value – **
Eleven bucks for a 5 inch action figure with an accessory – even one that can be used as armor – is not a great deal. The regular figures are eight bucks or less, and the action feature of this slightly more complex accessory is not worth another three bucks.

Things to Watch Out For –
Of course, always watch that mass market paint, but otherwise, you shouldn’t have any issues.

Overall – Beetle ***; Aquaman **1/2
This is quite clearly a line – and show – designed primarily for kids. But just like Playmobil or Lego, that doesn’t mean they can’t be pretty damn cool. So far, I’m liking this line more than I’m disliking it, and I suspect it’s going to grow on me over time. If Mattel can get a nice healthy line up of figures on the pegs, that’s going to go a long way as well. It’s only been out a couple weeks, and I already have six different characters, and I’m on the hunt for that Batsub. However, if the distribution ends up being as crappy as their DC Infinite Heroes line, it’s going to die an early death with me.

Where to buy –
These are hitting mass market retailers like Target and Meijers right now.

Related Links –
As I mentioned earlier, I covered several of the single packs last week.

January 6, 2009
Toy Box: Rayman Raving Rabbids

Sometimes, you just can’t convince a licensor that their characters are NOT for kids. Case in point – the Simpsons. FOX never understood that their line of action figures were never going to be a big hit with kids, but had tremendous collector appeal. That’s a more common situation than you might believe.

Less common is the reverse, where a license is actually perfect for kids, and yet it ends up only in specialty market stores or in limited distribution, destined for collectors and adults. But here’s one of those times – Rayman Raving Rabbids. A spinoff of the Rayman video games, the Raving Rabbids games were developed for the Wii, and kids love it. While the ports to other machines like the PS3 or PSP have not been that successful, the Wii versions (which take advantage of the unique controllers, including the Wii board) are extremely popular. And as you’d expect, that means it’s the under 10 set playing these games.

Ubisoft gave the license for figures to NECA, and while these were released to Toys R Us, only three figures were done in the U.S. – a regular screaming white Rabbid, a black suit Splinter Cell style Rabbid, and an Assassin’s Creed style Altair version. Can you see the focus? Not too any 8 year old kids really care about either the Splinter Cell or Altair figures, but clearly UbiSoft thought that was the route to go.

They also released a five pack of figures, but only in the U.K. This pack contains those three figures, as well as another plain white Rabbid with a ‘relaxed’ expression, and an all white unpainted Rabbid that you can decorate yourself. The five pack is 30 GBPS, while the single figures in the U.S. are about $6 each.

To round things out, UbiSoft also has a small PVC style statue of Rayman riding on the back of a screaming Rabbid. This is a little out of scale with the other figures, but I picked it up (again, a U.K. only release as far as I know) to go with the rest. This slightly smaller PVC is 7 GBP. NECA originally showed several other versions but their fate is up in the air.

If you have questions or comments, drop me a line at mwc@mwctoys.com, or check out my site at Captain Toy – Michael’s Review of the Week.

Rayman’s Raving Rabbids!

The initial shipments of these guys sold quite well at Toys R Us – and they sold to kids too. My son loves his set, and this is a line that adults are far less likely to find interesting than kids. It’s too bad most of the true fans of the games are unlikely to ever get their hands on them.

Packaging – figures **1/2; boxed set **
The boxed set comes in as plain of a box as you can get, short of being straight white. It is collector friendly, since you can easily pull the Rabbids out and pop them back in, no problem, but it’s still mighty dull.

The figures come in a small blister card, which shows off the figure nicely, but is tough to find on the pegs.

Sculpting – ***
The figures are pretty basic, but that’s the beauty of the characters as well. They stand about 3 1/2 inches tall, making them seem in scale with 6″ figures, at least to me. I’d expect them to be about waist high.

The Altair version has the rubber head covering, which I couldn’t get off, at least not without trying to pop off the ears. Considering my recent luck with breakage, I figured I was better off leaving well enough alone.

The figures have sculpted hands that could hold little toilet plungers, and when they were shown at SDCC last summer, the regular screaming white version had said plunger. Unfortunately, they were not released with any accessories.

I also wish that the screaming mouth had been sculpted, similar to the additional PVC with Rayman. That would have gone a long way to giving him quite a bit of personality. Simply using paint for the mouths on the others works, since they are all closed mouth.

Paint – ***
The paint is pretty important here, since only the eyes and appendages are sculpted. It’s fairly clean, and the tempo style work is decent, but there are a few scratches and smudges here and there.

Of course, the completely unpainted white version has the most perfect paint of all. You get to do it yourself! It’s a pity that these blanks aren’t more readily available.

Articulation – *1/2
No, these aren’t articulated. There’s cut shoulders, and that’s it. I was surprised there wasn’t a cut neck joint, but that would be the only additional joint you could add to these stubby little bodies.

The PVC with Rayman riding the Rabbid doesn’t even have that – it’s merely a solid figure.

Accessories – Bupkis
Nope, no plungers here.

Fun Factor – ***1/2
Yep, they aren’t exactly great collectibles, but they are really fun little goofy figures. You can put them on your desk at work and amuse your friends, and your kids can have all kinds of awful fates befall them. Good times.

Things to Watch Out For –
The cut joints at the shoulders can be a bit sticky, and can tear if you go overboard trying to loosen them up. Use the old ‘freezer trick’ to avoid damaging the only joint they have.

Overall – ***
This is a line that I think could do well with kids, if kids could find them. They’ve been selling out at Toys R Us pretty consistently, and if they added a few more visually interesting figures to the mix, they could have a hit on their hands.

Where to Buy –
Toys R Us is your best bet in the States, and you can hit the UbiSoft site to pick up the U.K. exclusives.

December 30, 2008
Toy Box: Holiday Gifts For The Collector!

Are you trying to find just the right goodie for your favorite pop culture fanatic, but can’t quite seem to find the perfect item? Then let’s see if I can help with a brief rundown of some of the best items currently available, in lots of price ranges.

Let’s start with Indiana Jones. Here’s a license that languished for years, with nary a figure or bust to buy. That all changed this last year, and now you have more choices than most fans know what to do with. Let’s start with the best – and most expensive. Sideshow Collectibles recently started shipping their Indiana Jones Premium Format Figure, and fans are going nuts over it. Mine won’t be here til Thursday, but from the photos I’ve seen, it’s THE Indy to own. Unfortunately, at $280, it’s not cheap.

Sideshow also produced perhaps the nicest sixth scale figure. Much more reasonable at about $90, and a bit cheaper at some online retailers, this is the gift for collectors that like to pose their figures.

If posing isn’t their thing, then check out the Kotobukiya Indy and his dad, both in hard plastic. The Professor Jones Sr. is terrific, but the Indy isn’t quite as good of a head sculpt as the Sideshow products. These run about $85 each, at retailers like Alter Ego Comics.

For those a bit more budget conscious, there’s a great option at many Blockbusters right now. The Indiana Jones DVD case, exclusive to their store, is still available at many of them but now on clearance as cheap as $20! This is a great item, and was overlooked by many collectors.

Finally, if the person you’re buying for likes the unusual, check out the Mighty Muggs from Hasbro. This line has been discontinued, and the last two just started shipping from Entertainment Earth, where they are an exclusive. These exclusives are $34 for the pair, but the singles of the regular releases can be had for $10 each or less. And since this is the end of the line and the’ve produced less than 10, it should be easy for your collecting friend to finish off the series.

Now let’s talk Star Wars, a license every geek loves. On the top end, Sideshow also produces some great sixth scale and premium format figures. Their Clone Wars General Obi-Wan Kenobiis one of the nicest they’ve ever produced, but you’ll need to look to retailers like Dark Shadow Collectibles, where they have the regular versionk for $81 and the SS exclusive for $125.

Both Medicom and Kotobukiya also make some excellent sixth scale figures and statues, respectfully. Medicom’s troopers have been terrific, and Kotobukiya makes excellent statues of masked characters like Commander Bly. You can get the Kotobukiya statues at Things From Another World, where they are having a 50% off sale, making them fairly reasonable at around $40 – $50. The Medicom’s will cost you more, often $125 – $150, depending on the retailer. You can also try searching ebay for them.

If your collector is more into the 3 3/4″ figures, check out the newly released and updated Millennium Falcon. This guy can be had for $15 – $150 at mass market retailers.

At the low end, I’ll mention them again – Mighty Muggs. Hasbro is making them for the Star Wars license as well, and they have been very popular. You can pick up singles at stores like Target or Toys R Us for $10, and you can check Entertainment Earth to see what characters have been released.

Ah, but what about the Dark Knight? The movie will be on lots of Christmas lists, but what if you want to do something different? Starting out at the high end are the Hot Toys sixth scale action figures. With Batman, Joker, Bank Robber Joker, Two-face, the Tumbler and Batpod all out or planned, it’s an impressive line up. But these figures will set you back $150 each at least, and the vehicles are higher than that. Check out retailers like Urban Collector or Showpiece Collectibles.

On the lower end, if your collector has been getting the Movie Maniacs figures from Mattel, they might like the Batpod. At just $20, you can pick this guy up at most Targets, where the vehicle is an exclusive.

Speaking of Batpods, one of the dvd releases today is the Batpod ‘dvd case’. This is a small display set with the Batpod in front (about the right scale for a 4″ figure) and the dvd behind it in a Bat symbol case. I picked mine up at Target for $47, and you should be able to find one at most major retailers.

For the Marvel fan, Iron Man was this year’s big release. I have to go back to Hot Toys on this one, as they are producing three amazing sixth scale figures based on the movie versions of the MARK I, MARK II, and MARK III outfits. Again, these guys will run you $150 a pop, but they are sweet. The other downside is that it doesn’t look like they’ll ship before Christmas. Hit retailers like Alter Ego Comics, Urban Collector or Corner Store Comics.

If the price doesn’t scare you, but you really need something for the Iron Man junkie for the holidays, check out the Kotobukiya fine art statue. You can pick it up at Showpiece Collectibles for about $150.

In the lower end, the current Iron Man action figure line from Hasbro is one of the better movie related lines of the year. You can find the figures at any mass market store, and they run around $10 – $12 each.

If none of that trips your trigger, I suggest hitting one of these excellent online stores, and do a little window shopping:

Alter Ego Comics – all kinds of general goodies
Andrew’s Toyz – lots of Star Wars collectibles
CornerStoreComics – tons of geek items, for every price range
Dark Shadow Collectibles – specialize in high end items
Past Generation Toys – an online resource for lots of action figures from films like Indiana Jones and Batman
Things From Another World – tons of comic shop items, from trade paper backs to collectibles
Time and Space Toys – plenty of cartoon and Christmas collectibles, with a bend towards sci-fi and horror as well
Urban-Collector – a great resource for busts, statues and high end figures
Showpiece Collectibles – another great shop for high end items, particularly comic book related licenses
Clark Toys – lots of sports and McFarlane figures and collectibles
Circle Red – much like FYE, with collectibles alongside manga, anime and music

There will certainly be plenty of great gifts available at all these shops, and the geek on your list will be thrilled on Christmas morning! Happy Holidays!

December 9, 2008
Toy Box: Primeval!

Our fine friends across the pond get quite a few interesting shows on the BBC that we get to see only much later, or sometimes not at all. I was recently in the U.K., and noticed a number of interesting toys based on British shows, including Dr. Who of course (and if you were a Dr. Who fan, you would have wet your pants on seeing the number of toys on the shelf at Toys R Us), Sarah Jane Adventures and Robin Hood.

One that really caught my eye was Primeval, a show I’d only heard about in passing. The toys caught my eye though, and I picked up the Connor Temple/Future Predator two pack. Other figures in the series that I noticed were Helen Cutter and Claudia Brown with three Agnurognathus, Professor Nick Carter and an Anomaly, and Abby Maitland with Rex and a Dodo bird. These are produced by Character Online, and retail for around 10 GBP.

The show revolves around a team of scientists that investigate time anamolies, which allow people and creatures to travel both backward and forward in time. The show has been greenlit for a third season, but remember that British ‘seasons’ are much shorter than U.S. seasons. The first season of Primeval was just six episodes, the second was seven, and the third is planned for ten more.

Packaging – ***
The two packs are in interestingly shaped clear plastic boxes, with cardboard inserts. The packaging is certainly eye catching, and very sturdy, able to withstand a lot of shelf wear. It’s a bit oversized though for the purpose, and annoying for the MIBers to store. There were also plenty of annoying twisty ties, and this is packaging that will be tossed as soon as the toy is open.

Sculpting – Temple **1/2; Predator ***
The actor that plays Connor Temple, Andrew Lee-Potts, has some funky eyes, that’s to be sure. The sculptors on this line tried to capture that, but unfortunately ended up making him look a bit too…deformed. The eyes drop off at odd angles, partly due to the sculpt and partly due to the paint.

The facial structure is a bit better, with a jawline that looks more like the actor and a general head shape that works for him. The hair lacks some of it’s personality though, and if this head weren’t on this body and in this package, I doubt most folks would recognize him.

His body sculpt is decent, with a little detail work in the wrinkles and folds and reasonable hand sculpts. He stands great on his own, and is just under 5 1/2″ tall.

The Future Predator figure is an interesting creature design, but could use a little more detail work in the sculpt. There is more texturing here though than on Connor, with the skin given a bit more realistic appearance. The work on the small teeth and tongue is good for a mass market toy, and of the two, his sculpt appears to have been more considered.

He stands fine on his four feet, and it was even possible to get him to stand on his itty bitty back feet, although it wasn’t a pose he was going to hold for long. The claw-like front hands look terrific, and they managed to capture some of the danger and violence in his appearance.

Paint – **1/2
Neither of these figures has a paint job that stands out from the average mass market action figure, and poor Connor gets a bit of the ugly stick again when it comes to the work on his face. The paint does nothing to improve his weird, widely spaced eyes, and there’s a bit of slop around the hairline as well.

The work on his body is much better though, although it is still fairly standard in style. The cut lines are good, and his silly diamond print sweater is very well done.

The Predator has a bit more of an attempt at paint detailing, but the attempt is not up to the current standards. The various skin colors are put on with a heavy hand, and don’t have the realistic appearance of something from a company like NECA or Mcfarlane. The large ‘dots’ of paint, wide bands, and haphazard style are all well below the current expectations even for a mass market line.

Articulation – ***
This is where things get a bit odd. You see, both figures have a ton of articulation, but I’m not sure that much of it does you any good.

Connor has a cut neck, cut shoulders, cut biceps, pin elbows, cut wrists, cut waist, T hips, cut thighs, and pin knees. The style of articulation reminds me of the recent DST work with the Stargate properties, but the joints here don’t have quite as wide a range of movement.

The Predator has pin neck to allow forward and backward movement, but unfortunately it is extremely restricted. He (I’m assuming it’s a he) has ball jointed shoulders and hips, which are really pin/disc joints. These are the type with the pin goes into the torso to allow the joint to turn, and the disc allows for back and forth movement.

He also has a ball jointed torso, pin elbows and knees, wrists with both cut joints and a pin joint, and cut calf joints. With all those joints you’d expect better posability than you actually get though, due in large part to the general design of the character itself.

Accessories – *1/2
The two figures are almost all you get, with the exception of Connor’s man purse. This is sculpted from a softer rubber, and the sculpt is designed to form fit to the side of his body. It does look great on him, but I’m betting the show provides for plenty of other accessory opportunities.

Fun Factor – ***
While these might not be the best pop culture collectibles, they do pass as solid action figures for play. The articulation is a nice addition, and kids always love creepy looking monsters.

Value – **
These cost 10 GBP, which in today’s market translates to about $20 U.S. Toys are much more expensive in the U.K., but you aren’t getting anything extra for this expense, making them a fairly weak value. I feel for both the collectors and the kids.

Things to Watch Out For –
Not much. When you’re picking them off the shelf you can check for the best paint ops, but that’s about it.

Overall – **1/2
The big plus here is the articulation, which was a nice surprise, but which isn’t as useful as I’d hoped. Still, they get some brownie points for trying.

The rest of the quality is very average, and some of it (like the head sculpt for Connor) is below average. For fans of the show, it’s nice to see that there’s something available, but if you’re looking for the ultimate in Primeval collectible, you’re going to have to wait a bit longer.

Where to Buy –
Obviously, I found these on the shelf at Toys R Us, but this TRU was in Cambridge, England. If you’re not in the U.K., you can still order them from Forbidden Planet, although I’m betting the shipping will be a bit much.

April 29, 2008