Your Latest Non-TF Toy Acquisitions

Zeeks · Post by **Zeeks** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:42 am

Figured I would give this idea a shot- one thread where we can post new and updated pics of whatever Non-TF stuff we collect. Starting off, here's some updated GL and mixed figs I've picked up in the last couple weeks:

I know I showed the Evolution sets before, so I won't go into much detail over those. The Godzilla (or Gojira, depending on your preference) has been in my living room since I was 12. He's seen a lot of toy collections come and go, but still remains. If anyone ever watched the show Roseanne, you will get the meaning. Next to him is Dr. Manhattan, whom I really dug as a character and toy. He comes with two sets of legs: one for the elevated Jesus Christ Pose (shown) and another for standing with knee and hip joints. One thing I didn't understand with this figure was that, when you open the package, there is a bag of three items: 2 pegs to insert into the base, and some kind of triangular piece that I just can't figure out what the use is.
On the SW side of things, I decided to pick up the comic two pack of Storm Trooper and Governor Tarkin- only reason being I had to meet a ten dollar debit card minimum when I went to buy the latest issue of GL Corps. The Evolution Sets are way cooler in any event. Lastly, in the background is a LEGO set of the droid escape scene from Ep. 4.

True Story: When I went to pick up the Guardians and Star Sapphire, I walked up to the counter and said "I'll take the chick with the two midgets." The guy behind the counter says "That's not the first time I've heard that."

Treadshot A1 · Post by **Treadshot A1** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 8:46 am

Just got some gundams. Most recently, i bough a Astrea conversion kit and Tieren off Theifbay.

Zeeks · Post by **Zeeks** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 2:06 pm

Action Figure Spotlight: Green Lantern Series 3 Sinestro

So I came onto the Sinestro Corps War a little late- I waited until both volumes were available in hardcover trade until reading them, and sure enough, it became one of my favorite comic book sagas. I was in my local collector shop and noticed the 3rd wave of the DC Direct Green Lantern Series Figures- and I couldn’t take my eyes of this brand new Yellow Corps version of Hal Jordan’s nemesis.

As having a large chunk of the Toy Biz Marvel Legends figures, the DC Direct stuff in general is pretty comparative. Whereas I always saw the Marvel Legends as sacrificing likeness for articulation, I found the opposite to be true of DC Direct. The GL series in general is a prime example- as they might not be able to do dynamic poses, you can almost feel the artist’s pencilling of the figure while viewing it.

So let’s get right down to it- if any of you read the Sinestro Corps War, you probably noticed Ethan Van Sciver’s singular vision of Sinestro- the tall, thin frame, almost deformed cranium, and the cold calculating knowledge that made Sinestro who he is. Sinestro was never a muscle bound brawler- he is a thinker with one of the most powerful weapons in the universe on his hands- and I think this specific action figure captures that grandeur exquisitely. The uniform looks great- I was never one for Sinestro’s original uniform as I thought it made him look like a clown on crack, but the Corps Uniform gives him a totally different feel- a sense of purpose if you will of his cunning and intelligence combined with his leadership. Johns and Van Sciver took this B Grade villain that looked totally kooky on Superfriends, and gave him the makeover of a lifetime- Johns raised the bar for Sinestro, making him a top notch villain.

The articulation is pretty standard here- Sinestro does have ball-joint arms, bendable elbows, rotating wrists, along with bendable hips and knees. With his power ring permanently placed on his left arm (along with armband of the Corps insignia) he is power redefined. The star emblem on his chest, which was part of the original design prior to the Corps, is meticulously outlined with raised features over a well defined body structure of musculature.

For accessories, Sinestro came with 3: his yellow lantern (a recolor of the standard GL lantern) a standing base, and the sentient virus Corps member Despotellis. My main gripes are due to the base and the virus- the base is just a standard GL base- it would have been really cool to have a Sinestro Corps base in yellow with their insignia. With Despotellis, I was very disappointed- the little thing broke before I even took it out of the package on the joining point where the head stalk meets the leg base. I had to use some Krazy Glue to get it back together.

With DC fans psyching up for the Blackest Night, we already know Sinestro is going to play a major part, and I think the success of this toy is a tribute not only to a newly defined character, but to Georff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver for making it possible.

1 to 10 scale ratings:

Articulation: 7- standard for most DC direct figures.
Detail: 9.5- You can see Van Sciver’s lines, especially in his face. It literally jumps out of the comics.
Coloring: 9- brights are bright, colors are true.
Size: Standard; on the same scale more or less with the readily available DC Universe figures or Marvel Legends for some campy crossovers.
Price: 6- Since DC Direct is an exclusive line, you are going to pay a little more, but overall worth it. I believe I paid about $16.00 for this.
Playability: 8(for Sinestro) 1 (for Despotellis) With Sinestro, he will stand up to most kids. Despotellis; not so much.
Overall Coolness Factor: 9.5 – a prize piece for me.

Comparative Van Sciver Art:

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 6:35 pm

[Click for teh bigger]

It will indeedy. Bandai 1/100 scale New Material Model, with titanium pieces apparently. Leg articulation is a little disappointing, but the great design and large number of accessories make up for it. The best bit is the chest-mounted missile silo, with six launchers that open on the front and back. Neat.

Treadshot A1 · Post by **Treadshot A1** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 10:09 pm

Seravee Gundam! 1/144 scale. No Seraphim, though.

I wish i got that Turn A Gundam when i had the chance. Now it's gone...

Dead Man Wade · Post by **Dead Man Wade** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 10:45 pm

DC Universe Classics Ares and Artemis/Wonder Woman.

Zeeks · Post by **Zeeks** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:35 am

Dead Man Wade wrote:DC Universe Classics Ares and Artemis/Wonder Woman.

I like the Ares Figure too- it reminds me of Warduke from Dungeons and Dragons.

Dead Man Wade · Post by **Dead Man Wade** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 1:15 am

There are things I like about it, and things I don't.

I really like the overall design of it, but the articulation is lacking. In and of itself, that wouldn't be a problem, but it's such that finding a pose that makes him look "Ass-kicking God of War" and not "Mildly-Retarded Teen LARPer" is incredibly difficult.

Also, at what point are toy companies going to start packaging figures in such a way that their swords don't get bent all to hell?

Zeeks · Post by **Zeeks** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 1:24 am

Dead Man Wade wrote: Also, at what point are toy companies going to start packaging figures in such a way that their swords don't get bent all to hell?

A problem I have asked myself about regarding lightsabers and Wolverine's claws in just about every ML version produced of him.

Zeeks · Post by **Zeeks** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:44 am

ACTION FIGURE SPOTLIGHT: DC Direct Dr. Manhattan

Having been swayed by really cool trailers and general word of mouth, I decided to pick up the Watchmen trade that’s being plastered in display windows at just about every book store in America, and I instantly developed a fondness for this Dr. Manhattan character. To coincide with the movie release, DC released a bunch of Watchmen figures and all kinds of swag; the figures themselves are in the same scale as the other main properties they own (the Alex Ross series, pretty much all the other DC Direct figures released) so it made a nice addition to what I already had, even if we are talking about two separate universes under the same company.

To date, there have been two versions of this figure: the one I am reviewing, and the variant. The main difference is the opaqueness of the plastic- on this figure, it is just a solid blue, but on the variant, it is more of a translucent plastic which was aimed at making him more “irradiated” as his on-screen character suggests (might have something to do with being the atomic man and all). I really didn’t want to spend the extra ten bucks on the variant, as I figured this version fills the need adequately.

Included in the package are two sets of legs- one for the floating pose, and one for regular stance. To achieve the floating pose, a clear plastic base adapter is included. When finally fit, though, it tends to be a little shaky, given that its only attached to the base by one peg. Also, the basic fitting of the legs to the adapter is not entirely stable either- there are slots on the adapter that fit into the back of the feet on the floating legs, but they don’t necessarily lock in all the time. One little oddity I have yet to figure out is a certain piece that came bagged with the two pegs for the base- it is triangular in shape, and I have no idea what it is used for. The base itself is a square “city looking” gray metallic piece that raises the figure about an inch or so off the ground.

The posability of the figure is DC Direct Standard- pivoting arm shoulders, bends at the usual places, and Manhattan’s head is on a ball joint of sorts, which allows you to move the head side to side, up and down, and everything in between.

The likeness of the character is great- they nailed every little detail in musculature right down to the individual toe nails on this guy. Granted, there isn’t much to articulate as he’s basically just a “blue guy” but the sculpting was right on the mark, nonetheless. I think that is what makes the character and the toy great- it tends to really drive the movie image.

Grade Scale: 1 to 10
Posability: 6: standard for all DC direct figures
Articulation: 9: based on an actor’s real life portrayal of the character, you can see Billy Cruddup’s performance all over.
Playability: 6.5- depending on whether you do the floating pose or the standard pose, he makes a better display piece than play piece.
Price: I paid about $22 retail for this guy; hence the reason I am not pursuing the other figures at this time. Obviously, cashing in on the cashcow known as the Watchmen.
Overall Coolness Factor: 8-I only bought him for the character I liked so much from the movie and comic, so he was cool to me. I would guess any fan of Dr. Manhattan would be happy as well.

Treadshot A1 · Post by **Treadshot A1** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 8:10 am

OMG! Turn A Gundam was still there! Nabbed it.

Ackula · Post by **Ackula** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 3:48 am

I finally found the Darth Talon/Cade Skywalker set today at Target! I had seen these a million times, but had no interest at all in any of them, and then I read the Legacy comics and fell in love with both of these characters. Then of course I couldn't find the toys to save my life, I have been hunting for a few weeks now, and finally managed to find them tonight.

I'm very impressed with the articulation on these figures, I haven't bought any Star Wars figures since back when they first released them when the original Trilogy was re-released, aside from Asajj Ventress from Clone Wars Animated and CGI film. These have far superior articulation, I believe I'll have to grab a few more, especially the Dark Empire Luke and Palpatine set. Its strange how much the comic characters appeal to me more than any of the movie ones....

Slayer-Fan123 · Post by **Slayer-Fan123** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 4:44 am

I just got one of them Darth Revan figurines. He's pretty cool.
Currently have him posed fighting Rapticon, Albert Einstien, a crazy cat lady, and Jesus. It doesn't make sense, but oh well...
Those Star Wars figurines are pretty neat actually. I gave them less credit than I should have.

Ackula · Post by **Ackula** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 6:49 am

Slayer-Fan123 wrote:I just got one of them Darth Revan figurines.

The Mighty Muggs one?

Zeeks · Post by **Zeeks** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 4:18 pm

Ackula wrote:I finally found the Darth Talon/Cade Skywalker set today at Target! I had seen these a million times, but had no interest at all in any of them, and then I read the Legacy comics and fell in love with both of these characters. Then of course I couldn't find the toys to save my life, I have been hunting for a few weeks now, and finally managed to find them tonight.

Isn't that always the way, bro? You see something a million times that you have no interest in, then when you want it, you can't find it.

Question on Darth Talon- Is that supposed to be a Twilek/whatever-Maul-is hybrid?

Slayer-Fan123 · Post by **Slayer-Fan123** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 11:24 pm

Ackula wrote:The Mighty Muggs one?

Nah, just the regular one, about three inches big or something...
The mighty muggs one looks cool though.

wolfbolt86 · Post by **wolfbolt86** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 1:00 am

Zeeks wrote:Isn't that always the way, bro? You see something a million times that you have no interest in, then when you want it, you can't find it.

Question on Darth Talon- Is that supposed to be a Twilek/whatever-Maul-is hybrid?

According to Wookieepdia, Darth Talon is a Twilek.

Source: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Talon

How good is the Legacy comics anyway?

Ackula · Post by **Ackula** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 5:51 am

Zeeks wrote:Question on Darth Talon- Is that supposed to be a Twilek/whatever-Maul-is hybrid?

No she is a Twi'lek born as a Sith on Korriban. All of Darth Krayt's Sith have similar tattoos adorning their bodies, they are won in ritual combat.

wolfbolt86 wrote:How good is the Legacy comics anyway?

In my honest opinion, the best Expanded Universe Star Wars stuff I have ever read. Better than the last three movies for sure. I've read through the first 25 issues and have just been enthralled by the characters and the story of how the Empire is at this point in the time line. I'd highly recommend giving the series a read.

Zeeks · Post by **Zeeks** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 12:30 am

ACTION FIGURE SPOTLIGHT: DC Direct Kilowog

“I want each and every one of these Spooky Kids accounted for.”- Kilowog, the Sinestro Corps War, in response to the Children of the White Lobe bombing Mogo.

Well, let’s get it on, POOZERS! Up next for the spotlight is Kilowog from Series One of the Green Lantern Series by DC Direct. Standing approximately 8 inches tall, the chief training officer of the GL Corps just screams “action”. For a little backstory on the character, Kilowog was slain during the reign of Parallax, but was resurrected by Ganthet and Kyle Rayner during the Rebirth Series. Having been orphaned by a destroyed home world, he found comfort among his compatriots in the Corps, especially the planet size GL, Mogo. At the end of the Sinestro Corps War, Kilowog can be seen celebrating with the family he once had that Mogo recreated for him.

This particular figure has more articulation than normal- wrists, elbows, swivel ball shoulders, and ankles, the last of which most of the other figures don’t have. Again, the sculpting artists hit the nail right on the head with the Van Sciver/Rollins likeness, right down to the tendrils under his nose and skin color. He is (at this time) the biggest DC Direct figure I have in my collection (sans the build-a-figures from DC Universe). He even trumps Mongul, who is no shorty in his own right.

The paint job on the figure I got was generally good, however, it looks like some of the green paint accidentally made it onto his pink neck during production. Easy enough to hide with a quick turn of the head, though. The green on the uniform and boots has a very gloss finish versus a very matte black. For accessories, Kilowog comes with a GL Base and Lantern- the lantern being bigger than the lanterns shipped with other figures. He stands very well on his own without the assistance of the base, having the proportions of his body correct.

Aside from the green paint blotch, my only other gripe is that his left hand is permanently clenched in a fist, something most of the other GL figures suffer from as well.

For comparative purposes, I took a few pics of him next to some of the bigger Marvel Legends. I specifically chose Ben Grimm, as I think Kilowog is his equal in the DC Universe regarding personality and spirit. I also pitted him next to another Green Goliath, the Hulk. As you can see, he stands taller than Ben, but is still dwarfed by Bruce. There is also another pic of him with his Mattel JLU counterpart.

Scoring:

1. Articulation- 8: Better than the average DC Direct thanks to the ankles.
2. Playability- 9.5: As tough as a trainer he is, he will survive kids as well.
3. Price: 7.0- I paid about 20 bucks for him at a collector’s shop. It was a little steep, but overall worth it.
4. Detail: 6- the only real detailing on the figure is on the head sculpt. Musculature is average, but on target given the figure’s size.
5. Overall: 8- Very cool figure. I would recommend it, however, get your other GL favorites first.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 7:52 pm

A week of random for me.

First, Machine Dolphin from Godaikin... A weird, weird toy from a weird, weird TV show. I've wanted one for a while simply because the thing's so bizarre, and been outbid on a couple of examples that went for silly money. I got this one piecemeal for around a third of the going rate, albeit in dodgy condition and missing parts. I'm kinda glad it worked out that way...

Then there's the Tomy Scramble Combination Ideon... As far as I know, this completes my Tomy Ideon collection (though I've heard there's another mid-size diecast out there), aside from the vinyls. It's pretty awful, to be honest - very cheap plastic and very poor QC on top of that, which is a shame as Tomy's other figures have a kind of amiable ineptitude to them, rather than this careless ineptitude.

Finally, I got a HCM Hi-Zack from Zeta Gundam dirt cheap. It's a Zaku with silly flares and random yellow pipes, and thus not brilliant in itself, but my Gundams needed someone to beat up.