May 23 2014

Masters of the Universe Classics: Netossa by Mattel

This month Matty Collector gave fans another crack at picking up Netossa and I was all ready to be there for Early Access to scoop her up. Then I did a little research and found that I could get her from another seller off Amazon with free shipping and save about seven bucks so I got her there instead. I originally passed on this gal the first time because I was missing a couple of the Princess of Power characters and wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to get them, but now I’m up to date on almost all of Etheria’s rebellious ladies, so I decided to add her to the collection.

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There’s the packaging looking as smashing as ever with Netossa trapped beyond the bubble. Now the tables are turned, Netossa! How do you like being trapped, eh? The only thing worth pointing out here is the Princess of Power sticker on the bubble. Her tag line on the insert is “Captivating Beauty!” Oh, I see what you did there, Matty! The back of the card shows a bunch of other PoP characters available, including that controversial Star Sisters three-pack, which I may have just picked up today for ridiculously cheap. Bow is also missing from my collection, and one of these days I’m going to have to lay out more money to get him than I would like to. Anyway, let’s free Netossa and see what she’s all about.

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Hailing from the far reaches of Etheria, Netossa is a Nubian beauty and her action figure certainly looks the part. I thought that the blue hair with her dark complexion took me a little getting used to, but I find myself digging it a lot. It adds to her exotic charm. Her outfit design is one of the more interesting of rebellion ladies. The flared out tops and the detail work on her tummy give it something of an art deco vibe and I like the long sash part of her skirt that drops down between her legs. The ensemble is rounded out by a pair of white bracers and white boots. A little added silver and blue paint adds just the right touch.

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The portrait here is very good, although I’m starting to feel a sense of sameness with Matty’s MOTUC female sculpts. Netossa’s features are probably the most unique we’ve seen yet and still the cheekbones and somewhat flatness of the face feels very similar to a lot of the other ladies going all the way back to Teela. Maybe that’s not so much a complaint as just an observation. I still like what we got here and I’m pleased to see that Tossa’s expression came out a lot less stern than it looked in the original pictures. Her modern redesign does a nice job incorporating the soft goods hood from the vintage figure into some stylish wings, which I presume are supposed to be part of the cape, but more on that in a sec. The paintwork on the eyes and lips is excellent and the hair sculpt is pretty basic stuff.

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As her name suggests, Netossa’s big thing is tossing her net, which doubles as her cape. Of course, the cape is removable simply by popping off the head, but if you remove it, the wings on her head stay in place as they are sculpted as part of her noggin. I’m sure I’m going to display her with the cape on, so that’s not a huge deal for me, but considering the character is all about removing and tossing her cape, it’s something of an oversight in the design. I’ll also say that it would have been nice if they had incorporated some kind of handle or way for her to hold the cape like she’s tossing it. I tend to just hook her hand around the neck hole and it seems to work OK.

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The articulation here is exactly what you should expect by now from the female MOTUC bucks, but hey, let’s run through it anyway. The arms are ball jointed at the shoulders, hinged at the elbows and have swivels in the biceps and wrists. The legs are ball jointed at the hips, hinged at the knees and ankles, and she has rockers in the ankles. Netossa has a ball jointed neck and she can swivel at the waist. It’s worth mentioning that the knee joints on my figure are pretty loose so this one is probably going to be quite prone to taking shelf dives. I’ll have to make sure that she’s in the front row.

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Seeing how Netossa’s main accessory doubles as her cape, Mattel managed to get away without adding much in the way of extras. You do get a shield, which is a silver repaint of She-Ra’s shield with a blue crystal in it. I don’t mind the re-use here as it is indeed still a nice piece and it matches the figure well.

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All in all, Netossa is a cool enough figure and a nice addition to my Great Rebellion shelf. I find that she stands out nicely among what is already quite a motley crew of ladies. The design of her outfit is really well done and in the end I wound up liking her a lot more than I thought I would. I’m finding myself more and more pleased that Matty are giving us modern action figure updates to the more doll-like PoP toys as it makes me feel a little less self-conscious about collecting them and they do compliment the He-Man side of my collection remarkably well. Next week, I’ll check out the latest villain of the line… Scorpia!

May 22 2014

Transformers (2007 Movie): Arcee by Hasbro

It’s Week #5 of Transformers Thursday held hostage and I’m looking at Transformers based on the live action films up until the release of Age of Extinction. And hey, lots of in hand pictures and reviews of the AoE figures have hit the Interwebbings last week and I’m now more comfy than ever about saying that I won’t be buying any of them. Anyway, today I reached my mitts into the dreaded Tote of Bayformers and I picked out Arcee from the first live action movie. Of course, she didn’t appear until Revenge of the Fallen, so this figure is one of those Expanded Universe kind of efforts. This figure is also another one in which I remain so very torn. Let’s take a look at her alt mode.

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So someone, somewhere and at some point decided that Arcee was going to be motorcycle and that’s been the case ever since. I seem to recall that it was the Energon line that first gave her that alt mode, but please someone correct me if I’m wrong. In this case, Arcee is a sporty purple crotch rocket and I have to say this is one kick ass alt mode. I’ll concede that the use of what is a very Decepticon-ish deco of purple and black gave me pause at first, but the shade of plastic is so gorgeous that I just don’t care. Toss in some very sharp metallic gold and silver paintwork and you have a very sexy looking motorcycle.

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But this bike shines even beyond the striking deco. The attention to detail here is just killer. The sculpting in the wheels, the engine, and even the chain on the motor is all dutifully recreated. The handlebars and brakes are sculpted, the rear view mirrors are there, and the contours of the front shield, seat and gas tank all look amazing. The piece is finished off nicely with some silver lettering, an Autobot insignia and a fully detailed license plate for Massachusetts. I’m not sure the significance of that, but I do appreciate the detail. There are a few minor bits of robot kibble visible, like her hands hanging off the back, but I’m still prepared to say that this is a Five Star vehicle mode.

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And then there’s this. Ok, so I’m probably going to surprise some people when I say that I do not hate Arcee’s robot mode. It would be more accurate to say that it’s so close to being great, I hate the few lazy things about it that hold it back. Let’s go with the good stuff first. Hasbro did a really fine job transforming a motorcycle into what is a fairly feminine looking figure. She’s got the long legs, the shapely thighs, and the robot equivalent to high heeled boots. She’s even got a bit of a chest and the slender arms help hammer the gender of the robot home. Even the front of the motorcycle and the front wheel fold fairly neatly onto her back. And as with the motorcycle mode, Arcee’s deco in robot mode really shines. You get a lot of the same gorgeous purple plastic with black accents and some really attractive gold, silver, and blue apps all along her torso. I love the detailing on this figure and I love the way the color scheme and quality of paint compliment it.

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So, for me the most aggravating thing about Arcee are the half wheels on her shoulders. They’re ungainly, awkward, and I don’t like the way that they just flop around using gravity to keep them pointed down. There are actually a couple things you can do with them, including folding them into her chest like this…

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To me that looks better, but it severely stifles both the articulation and the proportions of her arms, so it’s not really a viable fix for me. What kills me about the wheel shoulders is if Hasbro had just made the hinge that they’re on able to bend back as well as forward, you could have neatly folded these back and out of the way and I think the figure would have been vastly improved by it. Granted, I don’t know what’s involved in costing out additional movement like this, but the hinge is already there for chrisakes. Just give it a little extra movemenet. Sheesh!

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And then there’s that head sculpt. Arcee’s face looks kind of like a robot cartoon chicken. Or is that just me? Her lips look like a beak. Either that or possibly a sex doll… only because I read about those once. Needless to say, I’m not all that keen on Arcee’s portrait. I will say that the paintwork is nice and the blue light piping in the eyes is pretty good if you can get it just right.

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The back of Arcee’s bike comes off during transformation and converts to a missile launcher. Alas, I couldn’t locate her missile, which usually isn’t a big deal, although in this case if you insert the missile the sides pop out to make it look like a crossbow. It’s a very cool weapon, but without the missile in place, it just looks like an arm blaster.

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Arcee’s got some problems. You get an amazing motorcycle mode, some great coloring and quality paintwork, counterbalanced by a really bizarre head and some unfortunate shoulder kibble. The problems I have with this figure could have been easily fixed, but I’m not sure if they were lazy design elements or just poor design choices. Still, when you consider the monstrosity that was Revenge of the Fallen Arcee, this release doesn’t seem so bad at all.

May 21 2014

Marvel Universe: Elektra by Harbro

I’m still trying to get through the last of the Marvel Universe figures that are stacked in the corner so that I can put the line to bed and move on to the Infinite line. To that end, I’m digging deep and checking out a figure that has been waiting to be opened for almost a year. Yes, it’s Elektra. Now, I find Elektra to be a pretty cool character in the comics, although I rarely encounter her in the books that I read, but the truth is I’ve been ruined on her. It all goes back to a flight to New Jersey where they showed the Jennifer Garner movie. At first I thought I was lucky. I like looking at Jennifer Garner, (who the hell doesn’t?) and I was curious about the movie. Soon I realized that I would have rather stared at the front seat in front of me than watch the movie in its entirety. I found myself wishing I had a parachute. But let’s not hold that against comic book Elektra…

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Hey, there’s the Marvel Universe packaging! We won’t be seeing this many more times, which is kind of sad because I always loved these little cards and I’m not really sold on the bland design of the Infinite packages. Elektra’s card shows off some wonderful character art and the figure looks great it the bubble. I actually have some doubles of MU figures hanging on my wall. In another life, I could see myself collecting this line mint on card. Anyway, let’s get her out and see how she is…

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As is often the case with the MU figures, Elektra uses a generic body and lets the paint do most of the work, although the addition of the sculpted sash around her waist goes a long way to make the figure look quite distinctive. Sure, the sash is a bit big and clunky, but I think it works fairly well for the scale. In addition to using red paint for her top and boots, Elektra also has red straps painted on her arms and thighs, all of which is extremely evocative of the Psylocke figure. There’s a wee bit of slop here and there, but all in all I’ve got no complaints about the paintwork here, especially when I think back to how bad it was on a figure like Warbird.

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Hasbro went all out for the head sculpt on this figure. I really dig the face sculpt itself, but it’s the elaborate hair and bandanna that really makes this figure shine. The hair on her right side is split to fall partially over the front of her shoulder and the rest falls down her back reaching to her waist. I particularly like the long strands coming off from where her bandanna is tied. It’s all wonderfully punctuated with some beautifully crisp paintwork.

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Elektra is one of the more articulated female figures in the line. The arms have ball joints at the shoulders, hinges at the elbows and swivels in the wrists. The legs have ball joints at the hips, double-hinged knees, swivels at the thighs and tops of the boots, and hinges and rockers in the ankles. She has a swivel just under her chest and her neck features both a ball joint and a hinge. There are, however, a few problems here. First off, the hinge in the neck is almost useless because of the sculpted hair. No surprise there. The more frustrating issue is the very limited range of motion in her hips. I think this is because of the pelvis sculpt, but you have to really work to get much movement in there. For an acrobatic character like Elektra, the range of motion at the hips is disappointing.

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Elektra comes with her pair of trusty Si. These are wonderful and tiny little pieces, with silver blades and guards and painted handles. They can be tucked into the sash, either front or back, which is very cool. Another great little touch is that Elektra’s hands are sculpted so that her index fingers wrap around the guards to make her hold them better.

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There’s no doubt that Elektra is a fantastic looking figure. Hasbro worked their usual magic with a lot of paint and a little fresh sculpting to portray the character perfectly. Yes, that articulation in the hips is damn frustrating. I wanted to spend a lot more time posing and shooting her, but the limitations got the better of me. Still, considering that most of the time my figures are just posed on the shelf, it’s not enough to ruin the figure for me. It’s also worth mentioning that despite being off the market, Elektra can be had for a pretty good price. I think I wound up paying $10 for her and she was definitely worth that. At least now I have someone to keep Daredevil company on the shelf.

May 20 2014

Game of Thrones Legacy Collection: Eddard “Ned” Stark by Funko

It’s time to venture back to Westeros and visit with Funko’s line of Game of Thrones action figures. This time we’re checking out Ned Stark, who might not be at the top of everyone’s list because he’s been absent from the show for two whole seasons now. What? That’s not a spoiler! I didn’t say he was dead! Oops. Anyway, a big part of why I’m collecting these goes beyond my enjoyment of the books and the show. The truth is the history buff and me just really likes the idea of having some nice medieval style figures and Ned Stark certainly fits the bill.

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There’s the packaging, we’ve seen it three times now, so I don’t have a lot new to add. It is quite attractive with a simple, but effective deco. Ned comes with his scabbard attached to his belt and his two swords beside him. The package is totally collector friendly, and when you open it up you will likely be treated to an assault on your olfactory senses of a like you have never dreamed possible. In other words, these figures stink!

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So far I’ve looked at a couple of figures in full armor, Jon Snow in his Black Watch garb, and now we’re seeing a figure in a plain medieval style ensemble. Ned wears a quilted tunic, which is extremely well crafted in soft plastic so as not to interfere with the leg articulation. Beyond that we’re just looking at a long sleeve shirt, trousers, and high boots. Ned has his Hand of the King pin affixed to the breast of his tunic. There’s nothing flashy or even terribly exciting about this figure. I can’t point to any particularly wonderful paintwork or outstanding attention to detail, but there’s nothing wrong with him either. I dig it because of its simplicity. He just looks like a Feudal Baron, which seems appropriate for the rather spartan stylings of The North.

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While the outfit is beautifully done, the portrait on this figure is easily the weakest of these figures that I own. I suppose I can sort of see Sean Bean in there… somewhere, but it is by no means a slam dunk portrait. The hair is rather bland and looks like clay and the paintwork on the face is pretty poor, particularly the beard. It just looks like a mess. I will say that the sculpt looks better from certain angles and it most definitely looks better in person than under the close scrutiny of a zoom lens.

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Once again, I scored a figure without any articulation issues. Ned had no stuck joints or anything like that. The points here are all good and serviceable. The arms have ball jointed shoulders and elbows with both hinges and swivels in the wrists. The legs are ball jointed at the hips, double-hinged at the knees, have swivels in the thighs, and both swivels and hinges in the ankles. There’s a bit of a swivel in the waist and the head is on a ball joint… so you can easily pop it off. See what I did there? I do wish there was a little more play in the elbow joints, as he can’t really hold his larger sword with both hands.

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And speaking of swords, Ned comes with two. He has a regular sword that fits into the scabbard on his belt. The sword slides in easily and so far the scabbard hasn’t torn off like the one did with my Hound figure. This sword has a pretty simple cruciform style hilt with a brown wrapped grip and copper colored pommel and crossguard. The larger sword is Ice and it’s fairly similar to the smaller one, but big enough for two handed use. I have to say I really love the swords that come with these figures. They look great and the blades are stout enough so they don’t warp like crazy. Plus, I dig functional scabbards on my action figures as much as I love functional holsters… and we all know how much that is! Lots!

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All in all, I’m happy with Eddard here. The portrait could have been better, but overall the figure is quite nice and I’m very pleased that I haven’t been encountering any of QC horrors on the last two figures I bought. There are still two more figures in this first wave, and I haven’t decided whether or not I’m going to be a completist or just wait for some more of the characters I really want like Bronn, Baelish, The Onion Knight, Stannis, Jamie, and Breanne. Either way, you can bet I’ll be coming back with more features from this line eventually. I’m also getting really excited to see Funko’s Legacy Collection expand to some of those other licenses they promised. *cough* Firefly! *cough*

May 19 2014

Doctor Who: Captain Jack Harkness (Re-issue) by Character Options

The 5-inch line of Doctor Who figures isn’t exactly alive and kicking, but it is limping along and still sputtering out some offerings, most of which are repacks and minor tweaks of existing figures. In particular, Character Options re-released a number of figures from the Tennant Era in new packaging. A little while ago I featured this reissue of The Tenth Doctor in his blue suit and now we’re going to check out Mr. Fixed-Point-In-Time himself, Captain Jack Harkness.

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I don’t have anything new to say about the packaging. We’ve seen this plenty of times before. I will, however, take this opportunity to point out how much I miss Jack’s appearances on the show. I could never get into Torchwood, but seeing Jack pop up on proper-Who was always a treat. I’ll be the first to admit that NuWho becomes way too parochial, and by that I mean that with all of space and time to explore, The Doctor keeps running into a lot of the same people, but I feel sad knowing that Jack never got to come back for at least one episode to meet Eleven. I think that would have been fun. Jack’s character can be a bit much sometimes, but I still think he was a great addition to the Whoniverse and John Barrowman seems like a really cool guy. But, getting back to the figure, the only Captain Jack I have in my collection was the original one from way back in 2006(?) and that one hasn’t aged all that well. That’s ironic if you think about it. Anyway, let’s check out this update.

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This is definitely the more modern Captain Jack and I’m guessing he would pass for a Torchwood Jack as well. He has his long coat naval with those stylish epaulets, which is cast in soft rubber. CO even took the time to do a nice sculpt underneath, showing off his suspenders and his sculpted, non-functional (boo!) holster. All In all, Jack’s ensemble is well executed and followed up with some really tidy paintwork, right down to the individual buttons on his coat.

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The portrait is decent enough, but I wouldn’t classify it as a homerun. It’s certainly better than the chunky noggin we got on the first Captain Jack figure. I definitely recognize the likeness, but the expression is rather blank. I guess that would actually be a lack of expression. His complexion also looks extra shiny. Still, I’m pretty happy with what we got.

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The articulation on this guy holds no surprises. It’s a repack so don’t expect any ball joints in the shoulders. The arms only rotate at the shoulders, but they do feature hinged elbows and swivels in the wrists. The legs have universal movement at the hips, hinges in the knees, swivels in the thighs, and due to the sculpt of the pants cuffs, there isn’t any articulation in the ankles. He can swivel at the waist and his head rotates. Like I said… no surprises.

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This Jack figure originally came with his trusty revolver and The Doctor’s hand in a jar. This time around you only get the trusty revolver. Cheap! J’accuse, Character Options! First no sonic screwdriver included with the Tenth Doctor repack and now no hand jar. That pisses me off! The pistol is a decent enough accessory and he can hold it pretty well in his right hand. You can even almost get his trigger finger through the trigger guard.

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That’s pretty much all I have to say about Captain Jack here. He’s a decent enough figure and I’m glad to get the opportunity to pick him up since I missed out on him last time. Now I can put my original Jack figure on my Ninth Doctor shelf and put this version with my Tenth Doctor figures. I paid about $15 for this figure, which is admittedly steep, especially when CO starts cutting accessories out, but my budget isn’t exactly getting blown on Doctor Who figures these days, so I was willing to splurge.

May 16 2014

Batman (Classic TV Series) Quarter-Scale Figure by NECA

This big guy has been setting unopened on my shelf for way too long, but that shouldn’t reflect poorly on my interest in him. No, I’ve been saving him for just the right time. That turned out to be this past weekend,  because the Hot Toys version of the 1966 Caped Crusader started shipping and since the reports of the super delicate body suit has officially scared me off of dropping $200 on him, I thought I’d settle for this giant Adam West as my consolation prize.

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This figure is the fourth of NECA’s Quarter-Scale line in my collection, and my second Batman, so the packaging here doesn’t hold many surprises. It’s a simple and huge window box that displays the figure well and offers up all that kitschy charm of the old TV series. Even the cardboard tray inside is illustrated with all that cartoony artwork in the style of the TV Show’s opening credits. The back panel has more of the same and does a nice job showing you what kind of accessories are inside.

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The figure comes secured by a plethora of plastic ties, so you better come prepared with your Bat-Snippers. All the extra bits come secured in trays under bubbles on each side of the figure. The box is totally collector friendly, and if you’re buying this guy in an actual store, you should be able to scrutinize the figure you’re buying quite well to avoid any blemishes or unsavory paint surprises. If you aren’t familiar with the sheer size of these figures, Batman stands about 18-inches tall. That puts one of Mattel’s Batman figures at a height roughly equivalent to this guy’s knee. They’re big!

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Freed of his diabolical trap, I gotta say NECA did a really nice job on this sculpt. Sure, Adam West’s Batsuit isn’t the most detailed ensemble to reproduce, but I still have to give props for how good it looks. I was a little concerned that it might look bland or spartan in this huge scale, but instead it just looks downright impressive. The body suit is an even grey, which is possibly a little too dark, but not enough of a divergence for me to get upset about. The plastic simulated material used for the boots, gauntlets, undies, and cowl, on the other hand, is downright perfect. These parts have just the right amount of sheen and some brilliantly sculpted wrinkles. The batsymbol on his chest is neatly printed and the yellow is bright and vibrant.

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As with NECA’s giant Keaton Batman, the cape comes pretty rumpled out of the box. It does improve a bit after being allowed to fall naturally. I keep meaning to pick up either an iron or a cheap steamer and have a go at these capes. I think the results would be pretty phenomenal. Batman’s cape is secured around his neck with a metal chain clasp and it’s designed so that it can fall over his shoulders or it can be neatly folded back so as to be worn off the shoulders and out of the way.

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The portrait here is excellent. Not only is it a decent likeness to West, but I’m super impressed by the way the head is constructed to give depth and credibility to the mask. The head is obviously a full head with the mask layered on top of it and the result is that if I didn’t know better I’d swear it was removable. Of course, it isn’t. The skin tone is excellent as is the faint pink paint on the lips. Still, I think it’s the eyes that really drive this portrait home. The glossy paintwork is absolutely phenomenal and better than anything they’ve done on any of these Quarter Scale figures that I’ve seen before. There really is an uncanny spark of life in Batman’s peepers.

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The utility belt hangs on the figure so that it can be repositioned if needed. The pouches are all sculpted on and you actually get one loose pouch that clips onto the belt. It doesn’t open or hold anything, so I’m not sure why NECA did it, but it’s there nonetheless. The belt buckle opens to reveal the Communicator button. It’s worth noting that the hinge on the buckle feels extremely fragile, although I don’t see any signs of it breaking.

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The articulation here is well beyond what I expected. Previous Quarter Scale figures in my collection have had serviceable points, but most of the articulation was in the arms and everything else felt like it was just there for tweaking. Batman’s articulation makes him feel like an actual action figure and not just a giant display piece. The arms feature ball joints in the shoulders, swivels in the biceps, double-hinged elbows with a great range of motion, and hinges and swivels in the wrists. The legs are ball jointed at the hips and knees, the ankles have hinges and the feet are hinged in the middle. There’s a ball joint in the torso and the head is ball jointed as well. There’s a lot of great poseability here and the leg joints are strong enough to hold the bulk of the figure. My only real gripe is that I would have preferred rockers in the ankles over the hinged feet. It’s also worth mentioning that I had to do a lot of gentle coaxing to unstick a a few of these joints.

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Before we get to accessories… let’s inventory the hands. Batman comes with a total of three pairs of hands, all of which can be swapped just by unplugging the pegs. You get a pair of fists, a pair of Batusi hands, and a pair designed to interact with the accessories. The Batusi hands are also really good for hooking the cape on if you want to display Batman with his cape spread outward.

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Batman comes with a pair of Batarangs, one of which folds up and can be stored in a pouch, which can be clipped onto the back of the utility belt. It’s rather bulky, but a nice option nonetheless. I really dig the fact that you get two Batarangs, and both have holes so you can attach a string if you so desire.

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You also get the Bat Communicator, which is a really nice piece that has a pair of telescoping antenna. That’s all there is for the accessories. Not bad, but a can of shark repellant would have been pretty cool.

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I have to say that this Batman is possibly my favorite entry into this NECA line since Captain America. I expect these giant figures to be great display pieces, but this guy is the first one of these Quarter Scales that I had trouble putting down because I couldn’t stop playing with him. Size be damned, he’s just an incredibly fun action figure and well worth a look if you want a giant conversation piece to express your love for the Adam West Batman. At about $90, these giant NECA figures still feel like a good deal, but considering the fact that I got Batman here on sale for $75 shipped, he turned out to be an extremely good deal. As always, the only downside with these figures is having to find the space to display them. Right now I have all of mine still in their boxes and lined up on the bottom shelf of one of my book cases, but as soon as I can find some extra room, they’re going out!

Oh yeah, NECA… I’m waiting for my Quarter Scale Robin!

 

May 15 2014

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen: Swerve by Hasbro

It’s Week #4 of Transformers Thursday held hostage and that means I’m serving up yet another Bayformer. This time my random grab into the bin of robots from the live action movies pulled up a Revenge of the Fallen figure. It’s Swerve! Swerve was not actually in the film. He’s one of those Expanded Universe characters and he is in fact a repaint of RotF Sideswipe with a new head. For those of you Bayformer fans that fear all of these features are just going to be a lot of hate mixed with lukewarm acceptance, today should be a treat because I actually love this figure. Let’s start with the alt mode…

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Swerve is a red Corvette Stingray and he is absolutely gorgeous. Sure, it helps a lot when your basing your toy off of a dead sexy car like this one, but Hasbro also did a fine job creating this alt mode. Swerve is a bit of a shellformer, but I don’t find the seaming on this car all that unsightly. There are not a lot of paint apps to speak of but this car doesn’t look like it’s missing anything. The exhaust and front grill are painted black and there’s a little touch of gold on the hood ornament. It works fine and looks great. The windows are tinted black so as not to let you all the ugly robot parts crunched up inside. The tires and wheels are fantastic sculpts and the headlights are clear plastic. The final touch is a neat little Autobot emblem printed on the rear license plate. Fabulous!

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Swerve can be a bit of a bitch to get cracked open, but once I got him going, I was pretty good at transforming him, even after not having seen him for a couple of years. I will note that I like to mis-transform Swerve by making a back plate out of his hood, instead of him wearing it up on the back of his shoulders. It helps differentiate him from his brother, Sideswipe and I think it looks pretty good. As far as Bayformer aesthetics go, I’ll just come out and say that I think Swerve is a gorgeous design. He’s rather unique in that he wears the back of the car as his chest, rather than the front. There’s also just enough mix of car plates and complex inner robot parts that makes him feel like he’s straddling the design elements of regular Transformers and the movies.  And the coloring here is superb. In addition to the red and black plastic, you get some sharp metallic silver paint operations and a little bit of gold too.

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I’m on record as not being a big fan of the Bayformer heads, but I dig Swerve’s. He’s still as ugly as all hell, but I can’t help but appreciate the staggering amount of detail and beautiful paintwork that went into his tiny noggin. Look at those teeny tiny intakes on the sides of his mouth. That’s brilliant!

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There are also some particularly cool things worth pointing out here. First off, I love the pistons in his hips. These are made of soft plastic and articulate with his legs. Second, the configuration of his feet allow for them to convert to wheels so he can roller skate into battle. Yes, it does make standing him up more than a bit troublesome, but I think the tradeoff is worth it. His exhaust pipes wind up angled upward behind his head and naturally I like to think of these as mortar launchers, because who wouldn’t want to be able to launch mortars from their back? And lastly, the pointed armor on his forearms swing down to form battle spikes. I absolutely adore the way this works. It’s a wonderful added weapon gimmick that adds a lot of personality to the figure.

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So there you have it. I may have been a little guarded in my appreciation for figures like Bonecrusher and Longarm, but I’m coming out in full support of Swerve. He’s a beautiful figure that proves to me that the movie aesthetics can work quite well. He also represents some very clever engineering for a Deluxe and he manages to pull off looking great in both car and robot modes. I was going to toss in some pictures of Sideswipe too, but that would be cheating on the whole random nature of this little Bayformer exercise. Who will it be next week? We’ll just have to wait and see!

May 14 2014

Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor and Dalek Alpha by Character Options

As much as I bitch and moan about the demise of the 5-inch line of Doctor Who figures, the truth is that CO is still managing to deliver some product to the hands of us collectors. One little sputter of activity has been the release of a whole slew of Doctor and Dalek two-packs. While seeming to be mere repacks, each one of these sets actually does feature some form of new figure, either repaint or re-sculpt. While I will no doubt eventually collect all of these sets, some have garnered more attention and excitement from me than others and the one I’m looking at today was the one that had me quite excited indeed. Why? Because of it, I finally added the Eighth Doctor to my shelf!

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The window box here should be familiar to anyone collecting the line. It’s compact, collector friendly and it displays the figures quite well. You get a very vintage style Doctor Who logo on the front as well as the Doctor Timeline on the bottom. This set is somewhat unique in that the inspiration isn’t pulled from a TV story, but rather the comic strip “Children of the Revolution” which was published in Doctor Who Magazine. It makes sense, since Eight only made a single TV appearance (ok two if you count “Night of the Doctor”) so virtually any new set featuring Paul McGann as the Doctor would have to come from a comic or a Big Finish audio production. Oddly enough, the box doesn’t tell you anything about who Dalek Alpha is nor does it give you a synopsis of the comic, so I’ll step in here: To put it succinctly, Alpha was one of three Daleks genetically altered with a human element, a concept that dates all the way back to the Second Doctor story, “Evil of the Daleks,” and he was encountered by the Eighth Doctor in the comic.  Let’s bust open this set and start with a look at The Doctor.

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As far as I can tell, Eight has only been available in figure form by buying the huge Eleven Doctors set. As much as I wanted him, I wasn’t prepared to pay $100+ and get minor variations on all the other Doctors to do it. Yes, I am indeed the same person who twenty years ago would have sold one of my kidneys for Doctor Who figures and now I’m bitching about buying variants. There’s just no pleasing some people! Nonetheless, I decided to play the waiting game to see if CO would release him again later on down the road. They haven’t and that’s why this figure is such a welcome addition to my collection. Of course, he’s not the same figure that came in the box set, but at least I finally have Eight on my shelf.

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I haven’t read the comic, so I don’t know exactly what his costume looked like in it. This figure, however, gets by with a convenient repaint of the figure from the previous release. It’s the same Elizabethan style suit with a cravat, double buttoned vest, and a long overcoat. The coat this time is painted blue, the cravat is a sort of ochre, the vest is brown, and the trousers are tan. All in all the costume is sculpted quite nicely and the paintwork is all clean right down to the chain on his fob watch. I like the costume here well enough, but it’s worth mentioning that the paint on the original Eighth Doctor figure is much more interesting and dynamic.

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The portrait is certainly a passable likeness of Paul McGann, although I think it’s one of the weaker efforts among all the Doctor figures. I’m not saying it’s bad, I can certainly tell who it’s supposed to be, but it just isn’t a total slam dunk to me. Nonetheless, the hair is quite good and as with the rest of the figure, the paintwork on the face is top notch.

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Eight features the standard articulation for this line. The arms rotate at the shoulders, swivel at the biceps and wrists, and are hinged at the elbows. The legs are hinged at the hips for universal movement, swivel at the thighs and are hinged at the knees. Both the head and the waist can swivel. The Doctor’s right hand is sculpted to hold a sonic screwdriver and since he didn’t come with one, I leant him one from one of my many Fourth Doctor figures.

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Moving on to the Dalek, I have to once again confess to not having read the comic, so I can’t really vouch for how accurate this guy is, but he is certainly a cool looking piece. Alpha looks like he’s a repaint of one of CO’s “Destiny of the Daleks” figures with a new eyestalk and one of the original Dalek guns swapped on. For someone who has been a fan of the show for nearly 30 years, you’d think I’d be better at telling my Daleks apart. The deco on this Dalek is very striking. He’s red and silver with black sensor domes and skirt and I really dig finally getting a Classic-style Dalek with some color to it. He also as a silver Alpha symbol painted on his dome right beside his eyestalk. I’ve had a few issues in the past with the paint quality on my Daleks, but this one is done very well. There’s virtually no slop or bleeding and the silver and red paint on the mesh between his slats is downright impressive.

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In the end, the only downside to this set is the price tag. I got mine for $40 and I was lucky to get it for that, because of all these Doctor-Dalek sets, this one seems to be the hardest to find. My regular retailer sold out of it almost immediately, but I was able to get in on a second shipment that they received. At twenty bucks per figure, these two certainly aren’t cheap, but they’re quite unique and I don’t feel at all squeamish about dropping $20 each on figures from my all-time favorite property. Just the fact that figures like this exist still blows my mind, so I’m not going to quibble about the price.

May 13 2014

Game of Thrones Legacy Collection: Tyrion Lannister by Funko

The last time I looked at Funko’s Game of Thrones figures, I was left with what could best be called satisfied apprehension. The Hound and Jon Snow are both great looking figures that required a lot more care and tinkering than mass market releases should warrant. Nonetheless, I promised I would press on and try a couple more and to that end a box from Amazon arrived last week with the next two figures for my collection. Today we’re checking out Tyrion Lannister, a fantastic character in the books and one that I think has been elevated to even further greatness by the wonderful performance of Peter Dinklage.

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The figure comes in a splendid window box, which is also designed to hang on a peg. The deco is simple, clean and attractive. There’s a faint linen-like deco to the box and the front has the name of the figure as well as his House’s sigil. The back of the package has a shot of Tyrion from the show and a list of other figures available in this wave. Obviously, Tyrion is a little person and that certainly comes across from all the vacant space in the package. Everything here is collector friendly and as with the previous two figures, when I opened Tyrion I was confronted with a smell that has doubtfully ever been equaled in the annals of action figure marketing. Holy hell, I don’t know what kind of noxious plastic Funko is using, but it really reeks something fierce.

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This figure is based on Tyrion in his battle armor from when he was attached to the Vanguard of the Lannister army. While it’s a very specific, not to mention atypical, version of the character, these are action figures, and so I think it makes sense to go with the more action orientated Tyrion as opposed to drunk, whoring, court Tyrion. Gentle Giant is behind the sculpting on this line and it certainly shows. Tyrion sports not only a great likeness and great proportions, but he’s brimming with little details.

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The portrait is every bit a great likeness of Peter Dinklage. I especially like the sculpting of the hair and the pensive expression on his face. The paintwork here is quite good, from the work on his eyes to the unshaven stubble, and even the painted skin tone.  I should point out that the paint used on his lips stands out far less in person than it does in pictures.

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The armor is an equally impressive combination of sculpted detail and excellent paintwork. The cuirass has a very realistic coppery finish to it with sculpted straps and rivets and an embossed lion just under the collar. The gold chain is neatly painted as are the fixtures on the retaining straps. You get carefully painted laces on the insides of his arm bracers and shoulder armor has more embossed and painted lion heads. The skirt and shoulder armor are all made from very soft and pliable plastic so as not to impede the hip or shoulder articulation.

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Uh-oh, what about that articulation? The biggest issue with The Hound and Jon Snow were the stuck joints. Well, I’m happy to report that all the joints on my Tyrion are absolutely perfect. Nothing had to be boiled, baked, frozen, or worked and he was fully poseable right out of the box. Tyrion features a ball joint in the neck that allows for a generous amount of movement. The arms have ball joints in the shoulders and elbows and swivels and hinges in the wrists. The legs are ball jointed at the hips and knees and have swivels and hinges in the ankles. He can also swivel at the waist. All the joints feel nice and solid.

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Tyrion comes with one accessory… his trusty axe. It too is a carefully crafted piece with beautiful detailed paintwork on the handle and a little battle damage sculpted into one of the axeheads. Tyrion’s hands are designed so he can hold the axe in either hand or both.

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I really am pleased to say that everything about this figure is excellent. In fact, the only room for nitpicking here might be the price. Tyrion sure uses a lot less plastic than The Hound and yet both figures cost the same. Clegane even came with two swords, while little Tyrion only comes with the axe. Funko could have probably found something else to throw in there to sweeten the deal a bit. Maybe a Tyrion and Joffrey two-pack? Ah, but that doesn’t mean I regret buying this figure at all. He’s a superb piece of action figure craftsmanship and well worth the money to me. The paint, the sculpting, everything just comes together splendidly, making me quite excited to see what else this line has in store for us. And hopefully we will still be getting that drinking, whoring, version of King’s Landing Tyrion, because I’d certainly buy that one too! And Bronn… Bronn is a must!

May 12 2014

Marvel Legends Infinite: Black Cat by Hasbro

So, a couple of weeks back that new Spider-Man movie came out. I am wholly unmoved by the Garfield reboot so l figured I’d catch it on Blu-Ray at some point. Then some friends were going to see it and I allowed myself to be dragged along. I thought it was pretty terrible, but that’s a discussion for another time and place. I was similarly unmoved by the wave of Marvel Legends figures that preceeded the movie, however, I did pick up the Superior Spider-Man and Amazing Spider-Man and liked them a lot. But wait, wasn’t there one more figure that I wanted out of that wave? Oh yeah, it was the impossible to find Black Cat. I broke down and paid a bit of a premium for her last month and she’s been sitting on my stack of unopened figures ever since. Time to remedy that, eh?

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We’ve seen the new Legends Infinite packaging around these parts plenty of times so I won’t bother going on about it. I like it a lot, and because Black Cat comes with the Ultimate Goblin’s torso, there’s certainly a lot of plastic crammed onto that tray. Black Cat comes a little pre-posed with her whip flourishing over her head, but not to worry, it didn’t seem to warp any joints or anything. You may also notice that Black Cat’s name doesn’t appear anywhere on the package. Instead, it reads Skyline Sirens as she shares this slot with Julia Carpenter Spider-Woman. I’ve waited a while to get this figure, so let’s free her from her package prison and check her out…

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Yowsa! Dat ass! Black Cat reuses parts from the modern female buck that we saw in the SDCC Thunderbolts boxed set, and she does it well. Besides being a nice and shapely body, there’s enough resculpting here to make it work for me. The boots and gloves have the additional sculpted fur fringe and the upper torso is completely new with the fur fringe on her plunging neckline and enough cleavage to embarrass parents walking through the toy aisle with their kids. Her hands are sculpted so as the right can hold her accessory and the left is showing her claws. My only complaint here is that the high heeled boots are so tiny, she is one difficult figure to stand. I’d make the comment that it’s because she’s top heavy, but in fairness her derriere helps to balance things out.

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The portrait here is quite good. Obviously, Hasbro has been upping their game on the female head sculpts as of late. Felicia is certainly a pretty lady and the paintwork on her lips, eyes, and mask are all quite immaculate. That’s not something I’m used to seeing in a lot of mass release figures these days. The sculpted hair looks great, but as suspected it does impede the neck articulation quite a bit.

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Speaking of articulation, Black Cat has some serviceable points. The arms are ball jointed at the shoulders and elbows and swivel at the wrists. The legs are ball jointed at the hips, have double-hinged knees, swivels in the thighs, and swivels and hinges in the ankles. There’s a ball joint in the torso and again at the neck. The bicep swivels that have been seen in this body before have been removed, and that’s rather disappointing. I also would have liked the elbows to have a wider range of motion. Still, what’s here is pretty good.

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Felicia comes with her whip-slash-climbing claw. It’s a simple, but welcome accessory that she can hold pretty well in her right hand. It’s rather pre-posed but it’s soft pliable plastic so you can do a few different things with it.

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The last Black Cat figure I owned was the less than stellar 90’s Toy Biz effort from their Spider-Man line. Suffice it to say that it’s nice to get a nicer version of the character in scale with my Legends collection. Of course, the problem is that Black Cat, like Black Widow in the Captain America wave, is short packed and damn hard to find at the retail price. I finally broke down and got her for $35 shipped, which is quite a premium, but considering I spend that each month on Masters of the Universe Classics figures, I decided it was worthwhile to get her and be done with it. Ultimately, I’m glad I did. She’s a great looking figure and she also adds the torso to my Ultimate Goblin BAF parts. I doubt I’ll ever get the other figures to finish it, but maybe if they turn up cheap enough I’ll bite.