Search found 158 matches for TBLeague

Additional photos in Post 15 and Post 16 below. Spin-off photo story: STAR WARS A Happy Endings Story.

One of the most recognizable imperial trooper type throughout the Original Trilogy and related Star Wars films was the Imperial Naval Guard or Trooper. Mislabeled "Death Squad Troopers" and "Death Star Troopers" by Kenner and Hasbro, these were clad in all black (tunic or jumpsuit, with gloves and boots) and sported large samurai-type "cheese grater" helmets. Although they were among the first dozen "classic"-scale (3.75-inch) Star Wars figures produced by Kenner, to the best of my knowledge they have never been given the higher-end sixth-scale treatment (Kenner, or was it Hasbro, produced a 12-inch version in 1998, but that does not qualify as high end; while it was not bad for its time, its somewhat odd proportions and oversized head and helmet detract from the realism potential).

Some years ago Hot Toys advertised an impending "Death Star Trooper" figure, for example at the San Diego Comic Con and other such venues (see HERE and HERE). Many people, including yours truly, were very excited... and contacted Hot Toys to correct the glaring mistake of placing the imperial "cog" emblem on the tunic (it only goes on jumpsuits). At that time, the project was still a go. Since then, any mention of it seems to have disappeared...

The ironic thing is that Hot Toys has now essentially created the "Death Star Trooper," but failed to actually put it together and release it. The most signature piece, the helmet, was provided as a makeshift drum for the evil Ewok in the recent Endor Leia and Wicket combo set. The helmet is sharply sculpted, weathered, and better-sized than the Kenner/Hasbro version from 1998, although its flared rim does not appear to flare out or as far as it did in A New Hope; but it seems to be more accurate to its appearance in the later films. Parted out, the helmet sold like crazy -- it was certainly the one thing I really wanted from that set, and apparently I wasn't alone. Luckily, in a moment of weakness, I had gotten some helmets from a seller in China on eBay, for prices that I am ashamed to mention -- but were lower than the ones you would find on eBay today. With that, I was well on my way to reconstituting what would (or could) have been Hot Toys' "Death Star Trooper." And in fact one could build him using all Hot Toys parts. While the helmet was not instantly wearable, a modicum of rigging made it so. The chin strap was borrowed and slightly repurposed from the even more recent Mudtrooper set (detailed review HERE). The two-part gloves, the boots, and the belt with holster and laser pistol were borrowed from the Death Star Gunner set (detailed review HERE). The tunic and pants came from the Count Dooku set. The body is a True Type TTM14 (the one that came with the Taylor Kitsch/Gambit head). The head is from the Hot Toys Justice League Superman set. That makes a fully armed and operational Hot Toys "Death Star Trooper" action figure.





Pleased as I was with "my" achievement, I actually preferred some parts from other companies -- like the DID jackboots, the Sideshow gloves (less articulation but more matte, like worn leather), and the TBLeague body (the unsightly M30 works great in clothing). That is what you see in the photos below.



























Overall, I am pretty pleased with the way he turned out. Yes, the tunic could have had slits on the front near the shoulders for code cylinders (not used by this trooper type in A New Hope or Empire Strikes Back, but one is seen in Return of the Jedi). Yes, the detail on the "ear caps" could have been more accurate (seven indentations rather than the four bumps -- here the Kenner or Hasbro version was actually better -- although it is conceivable there was some variation among the helmets used while shooting the films), but on the whole he makes for a realistic, well-proportioned, and sharp figure.

What do you think?



Additional photos in Post 15 and Post 16 below. Spin-off photo story: STAR WARS A Happy Endings Story.

#starwars #deathstartroopers #navalguards #male #scifi #hottoys #sideshow #did #phicen #tbleague #kitbash #custom

A conversation with Ovy got me to try out a pair of sixth-scale Adidas-like track pants from an eBay seller in China (from the TYM031 sports clothing set). You may have seen them among the "goofing" photos in the Silver Linings photo story thread. I used the same body to answer a question about head and body skin tone matching by ReverendSpooky, and stumbled across a minor discovery. While I had tested the pants on a hard-plastic open-jointed body and determined they will not stain, as I suspected the stretchy fabric caused plenty of fiber transfer. But before automatically going to wash it off (or reaching for the lint brush), it occurred to me that the tiny fibers were a way to achieve a relatively subtle body hair effect. So I massaged the offending garment onto the silicone surface in sensible places for a quick test, and I think the result confirmed my theory. I didn't even think to remove the protective powder before I applied the effect, which might have enhanced it. We have looked at other ways of adding an extra touch of realism through either attaching body hair, or spreading it on with a paint brush, or painting it with the finest pens that would cure on the surface, but in most instances the result is not subtle enough. This seems to overcome that problem, although it might be a tad too subtle. At any rate, here are some photos.









The result is semi-permanent in this sense: you cannot easily remove the effect by handling or even wiping the surface. But you can use a lint brush to lift the fibers or you can wash the surface with soap and water. Either way, remember to re-apply protective powder.

What do you think?

#tbleague #phicen #m33 #silicone #body #hair #modification #custom #kitbash

NSFW (?) Although there is nothing really graphic here, the story deals with adult situations and may or may not be appropriate for all viewers or settings. And it is certainly very much tongue-in-cheek. Although already censored, one more informative image has been hidden as a Spoiler; click if you wish to view it.

For the next installment of Star Wars silliness, check out the Happy Endings story.

Continued research into the far reaches of space has turned up never before seen footage of Leia's adventures on Endor. It is currently unclear whether this footage is a deleted scene, a fan film, a parody, or something else. But it certainly provides additional insight into the Star Wars universe...

Extra photos in Post 16 and Post 28.















Quasi-explicit censored IMAGE hidden as Spoiler

Click if you wish to view IMAGE:

Although I was not planning on it, I got a few of the Endor Leia parts (and that made me get a couple of the Deluxe Luke parts too) and couldn't resist doing something with them. I also wanted to continue exploring the basic possibilities with the graphics software, although they would be quite remedial for some of our more tech-savy graphic artists.

What do you think?

Extra photos in Post 16.

For the next installment of Star Wars silliness, check out the Happy Endings story.

#starwars #endor #leia #luke #scout #parody #humor #fiction #scifi #hottoys #sideshow #tbleague #phicen

BettiePage V2 Queen of Pinups 1/6th Scale Action FigureBAR
CODE: 614614989011

Sensual, Sexy, Erotic, Sadistic, Play-mate, Uninhibited…These are just a few names to describe the Queen of the Pin-Ups…the one and only…Bettie Page.
Born April 22nd, 1923, Bettie didn't start her modeling career until 1951. With her striking looks and expressions, along with her full figured body, Bettie became known as the “Girl with the Perfect Figure'. Posing for more than 20,000 photo graphs, Bettie also was a Playboy centerfold as well as a pioneer in the fetish themed photo shoots.
With her departure from the pin-up world in the 1950's, Ms. Page vanished until 1900's when her images resurfaced and began selling to a new generation of collectors and fans.

Packing List:
① 1 x head sculpt
② 1 x TBLeague 1/6 female seamless body with metal skeleton
③ 3 pairs x interchangeable hands
④ 2 pairs x feet
⑤ 1 x one-piece swimsuit
⑥ 1 x dagger with sheath
⑦ 1 x base & holder

Bettie Page

Gender: Female Horoscope: Taurus Date of Birth and Death: 1923-04-22 to 2008-12-11
Place of birth: Nashville, Tennessee, USAProfession: ActorMore foreign names: Betty Mae Page (real name) / Girl with the Perfect Figure (nickname)


Born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1923. Betty started doing various modeling jobs when she was young, but she has not been appreciated by mainstream media.
In 1952, she started to shoot mail order photos. Many of her beauty photos during this period are SM themed.
Betty Page was the first restraint model, and she quickly became the hottest pinup girl in New York.
Betty also took off from time to time in the poster, and of course Hugh Hefner quickly caught up.
In January 1955, Betty boarded the extra large folding centerfold of "Playboy."

Betty Page is a southern beauty with jet-black hair and iconic bangs.
She showed the female body in a way that many people had never seen before. Those photos were controversial and Betty became popular.
Page has never shown direct sexual content in photos or movie scenes, at best nude photos.
Her provocative posture is very outstanding and attracts the public.
Betty Page has a great influence on the fashion industry and the modeling industry, and she is praised for it.
In the process of promoting the acceptance of popular culture, she played an important role.

Betty Page is dubbed the "Queen of Portraits" because she is widely known for her black lace suit.
She has a perverse temperament and a strange behavior. In the late 1950s, she was imprisoned in a mental hospital due to a mental breakdown attacking the landlord.
Betty was diagnosed with severe schizophrenia in 1992 and was released from the hospital.
She hired an asset manager and started to make money from her image.
Betty Page died of pneumonia in a hospital in Los Angeles in 2008 at the age of 85.





















#newproduct #ExecutiveReplicas #TBLeague #BettiePage #female #model #Pin-Up

I was just goofing around a bit with the graphics software, using a couple of the photos I took for the clothing thread (HERE) that I couldn't use because they were taken against a green screen and I was blanking out on the editing.





What do you think?

#aquaman #superhero #arthurcurry #jasonmomoa #atlas #artfigures #tbleague #phicen #m33

TBLeague 1/6 Barbarian Soul Action Figure

Item No: PL2020-167
Bar Code: 697 127233 071 0
Packing List:
1) 1 x head sculpt
2) 1 x TBLeague 1/6 male seamless body with metal skeleton
3)3 pair x interchangeable hands
4) 1 x battle strap on the upper body
5) 1 x waist-belt
6) 1 x battle fur skirt
7) 1 x skirt armor
1 x helmet
9) 1 pair x shoes
10) 1 pair x shoulder armors
11) 1 x medal on the chest
12) 1 pair x leg armors
13) 1 pair x leg fur sleeves
14) 1x skull accessory hangs at the waist-belt
15) 1 pair x forearm fur sleeves
16) 1 pair x arm armors
17) 4 x puttees
18) 1 x cloak
19) 1 x axe

Packaging:
1 product/individual box
GW: 1.81 kg
Measurements: 24.3cm*10.0cm*38.0cm

6 products/master carton
GW: 11.76 kg
Measurements: 51.5cm*33cm*40.5cm


















#newproduct #TBLeague #BarbarianSoul #male #fantasy

Clothing TBLeague (formerly Phicen) seamless bodies in any scale and of any sex is always a challenge to some extent, but probably nowhere more so than with the twelfth scale male seamless bodies. Whereas there is a greater choice of female clothing and accessories in that scale, high-end twelfth scale male figures and the corresponding clothing and accessories are harder to find. Recently a few companies, most notably Mezco One:12 Collective and DAM Toys have begun to put out such product that can provide some of these parts. But they tend to be few, pricey, and often overly specific; moreover, there are consistency issues in terms of scale between products and brands.

TBLeague has thankfully made a (tiny) first step in the right direction, by reintroducing the most minimal of clothing for their female and male twelfth-scale figures (essentially equivalent to underwear or bathing suits). But unless one is making a twelfth-scale beach or bedroom scene, that is hardly going to be enough. Apart from trying to use pieces from other companies' twelfth-scale sets, there is now another, slightly more ambitious step in the right direction, by Toy Center. Toy Center produced three sets of basic athletic clothing, specifically advertised as fitting the TBLeague twelfth-scale male figures. I picked up two of these sets (which vary only in color choice), CEN-S04B and CEN-S04C. You can find them, for example, HERE.



Each set contains three items: underwear, athletic shorts, and a "wife beater" top.



The underwear is perhaps what can be described as boxers or boxer briefs, slightly more covering than the black underwear that was already provided with TBLeague's twelfth-scale male figures. Unless you are looking for that specific look, herein lies the problem... or rather missed opportunity. Since these figures already came with underwear, and since that area was going to be covered by the shorts anyway, the underwear is redundant and basically unnecessary. I think it would have been far more worthwhile to include a set of twelfth-scale athletic shoes instead, to go with the rest of the outfit. I tried looking for some online, unsuccessfully. Nothing wrong with the Toy Center underwear -- though it is as simple as one might expect it to be in this scale, and it can be somewhat difficult to fit especially on the larger TBLeague twelfth-scale body -- it is just not all that useful.



Each set comes with black athletic shorts with white stripes on the sides. These look pretty good, including the elastic waist area. The white stripes are sown only at the top and bottom, but for the most part that is not noticeable.



Finally, the "wife beater" top, which is colored to match the underwear. While it is fairly simple, it works quite well, being elastic enough to fit onto the body and then reveal the underlying musculature. I suppose that's a definite win in the world of athletics and body building.



Given the relatively light and skimpy character of the clothing sets, it should be no surprise that they do not stand in the way of the articulation. But it's still nice that they don't.



Overall, while I am not necessarily wowed by these sets, I'm pleased that they work as intended, and give us a slightly more dressed look for the TBLeague twelfth-scale males. I am also happy to report that the black shorts did not stain the body, nor did the body or the clothing sustain any damage in the process of putting it on and taking it off. I do wish they had provided shoes (perhaps instead of the redundant underwear). As for more ambitious clothing, that would be great, although I realize that this could be left to more conventional hard-plastic visible-jointed bodies. Nevertheless, there are some good news: Toy Center is coming up with another three sets, this time including jeans and shoes. See for example HERE.

Hope you found this informative, useful, and maybe amusing.

For a review of the TBLeague twelfth-scale bodies, you can check HERE and HERE.

#toycenter #clothing #male #twelfthscale #tbleague #phicen

INTRODUCTION

Since the subjects of different body types, heights, care, precautions, etc. keep coming up when it comes to TBLeague's / Phicen's super-flexible seamless bodies with steel internal skeletons, and since the information provided is scattered across a dozen topics in various states of completeness or relevance, I decided to start a thread that tries to assemble everything we need to know as a central area of reference for these bodies.

This catalog is limited to TBLeague / Phicen super-flexible seamless bodies with steel internal skeletons and TPE skin/flesh (note that while TBLeague's advertising listed the material as silicon, a company spokeswoman has confirmed it is in fact TPE -- HERE; it does appear to have slightly different properties from the TPE used in Jiaou Doll seamless action figure bodies). Information in the notes below has been updated accordingly, but keep in mind this correction when accessing other pages and information.

This page was created at a time when the company in question was officially called TBLeague. It has since resumed the name Phicen. Both names refer to the same company and the naming has not been updated in references below.

The plan is to start with a basic image guide (arranged alphabetically by model name/number), accompanied with basic information and links to reviews or other posts, then follow with some basic information as to care, clothing, etc.

I'm starting with items from my collection, but I certainly do not own every body type, so I'm inviting those of you who have versions I'm missing to submit similar images for inclusion -- of course you will be credited accordingly. Please submit such images, information, or suggestions below.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Part I: Male Bodies (Post 2 below)
Part II: Female Bodies (Post 3 below)
Part III: Skintone (Post 4 below)
Part IV: Body Type (Post 5 below)
Part V: Care and Maintenance (Post 6 below)
Part VI: Clothing (Post 7 below)
Part VII: Customizing (Post 8 below)
Part VIII: Stainless Steel Skeleton and Articulation (Post 9 below)

#phicen #tbleague #seamless #steel #body #male #female #reference

TBLeague 1 / 6th Female Super-Flexible
Seamless Bodies

Item No .:
PLLB2020-S36 / S37
PLLB2020-S36A / S37A

Bar code: 697 127233 0604 (S36) 697 127233 0611 (S36A)
               697 127233 0628 (S37) 697 127233 0635 (S37A )

New push! "Small waist essence" female body comes from the two-dimensional girl. The slim waist makes the overall curve more attractive.
Two options are available: full version (with head carving and bracket) and simple version (without head carving and bracket).
Purchase a set of bikinis.

Height: 280mm
Bust: 115mm
Waist: 72mm
Hip: 130mcm

TBLeague Anime Girls Coming-S36 / S36A / S37 / S37A
These girls earlier being stuck in the 2-D world have now come into our real world!
They have a nice hour -glass figure, the concave and convex lines are so eye-catching ...

They are of the same body type.
height: 280 mm
BWH:
bust 115 mm
waist 72 mm
hips 130 mm

S36 & S37: also including head sculpt and stand
S36A & S37A: NO head sculpt or stand included
But they all have bikinis which are complimentary.

Packing List
S36 & S37 (white skin , With head carving)
1, 1 × head carving
2, 1 × TBLeague steel frame seamless ultra-movable girl body
3, 3 pairs × replaceable hands
4, 2 pairs × replaceable feet
5, 1 set × bikini (gift )
6, 1 × base & stand
7, 1 × color box

S36A & S37A (white skin, without head carving)
1, 1 × TBLeague steel bone seamless ultra-movable girl body
2, 3 pairs × replaceable hands
3, 2 pairs × Interchangeable feet
4, 1 set × Bikini (gift)
5, 1 × Color box

Packing list
S36 / S37 (plae, a head sculpt included)
1, 1 × head sculpt
2, 1 × TBLeague female seamless body with metal skeleton
3, 3 pairs × interchangeable hands
4, 2 pairs × interchangeable feet
5, 1 × bikini (for free)
6, 1 × base & holder
7, 4 color packaging

S36A / S37A ( (Pale, NO head Sculpt included)
1,1 × TBLeague FEMALE Seamless body with Metal Skeleton
2,3 × pairs Interchangeable Hands
3,2- pairs Interchangeable feet '×
4,1 × Bikini (for Free)
5,4- Color packaging

packaging (packaging )
S36 a head sculpt included (S36, head sculpt included)
1 product / color box
GW: 0.57 kg
Measurements: 14 cm * 6.8 cm * 33.3cm

12 products / master carton
GW: 7.55 kg
Measurements: 42.5 cm * 29cm * 35.5 cm

S37 a head sculpt included (S37, head sculpt included)
1 product / color box
GW: 0.55 kg
Measurements: 14 cm * 6.8 cm * 33.3cm

12 products / master carton
GW: 7.38 kg
Measurements: 42.5 cm * 29cm * 35.5 cm

S36A \ S37A no head sculpt included (S36A \ S37A no head sculpt included)
1 product / color box
GW: 0.47 kg
Measurements: 14cm * 6.8cm * 33.3cm

12 products / master carton
GW: 6.40 kg
Measurements: 42.5cm * 29cm * 35.5cm























================================

Model list

PLLB2020-S36




--------

PLLB2020-S36A




----------------

PLLB2020-S37




---------------

PLLB2020- S37A





#newproduct #TBLeague #female #body #smallwaist #stylized #anime #accessory

There's a cute 1/12 scale Vampirella coming out soon!

Estimated Release Date: June 2020

https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/124014







Box Contents

Vampirella figure
3 Pairs of hands
One-piece bikini-style costume
Pair of boots
Armlet (for right upper arm)
Pair of bangles
Thigh band (for right thigh)
Dagger
Reduced scale bat model
Reduced scale skull model
Cloak
Base
Tombstone (a detachable part of the base)

#tbleague #vampirella

For Part II (NSFW?), see Post 12 below.
For Part III, see Post 35 below.

The experimentation continues...

For the custom figure itself, see here:
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t2773-star-wars-darth-maul-custom-updated-with-part-iii-photo-heavy

For the painting part, see here, post 205:
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t260p164-painting-seamless-bodies-updated-april-2020#36579

Part I: Encounters in the Desert I

In recent news from Hollywood, a small set of previously unknown Star Wars scenes and corresponding portions of scripts have been leaked. The first of these appears to take place on an unidentified desert planet where Obi-Wan Kenobi has retired for a life of peaceful contemplation, until his serenity was rudely interrupted by the appearance of Darth Maul...















For Part II (NSFW?), see Post 12 below -- actually a "prequel" to this scene .
For Part III, see Post 35 below.

#starwars #darthmaul #obiwankenobi #benkenobi #satire #humor #scifi #hottoys #tbleague #phicen #seamless #custom #m30

Part I Maul 1.0
Part II in Post 15 below; Part III in Post 27 below.; Part IV (Maul 2.0) in Post 39 below; Part V (Maul 3.0) in Post 54 below

For the Further Adventures of Darth Maul, please see HERE.

Let me preface this by saying that I'm no Maul fanboy. Yes, he has a striking look, but if you think about it, it is as trite and silly as "Wolf Man" or "Devil Man" from the Mos Eisley Cantina. Yes, he was a cooler and more compelling villain than his replacement (and his even sillier name). But he seems to me almost as overrated as Boba Fett, and I haven't gotten into the animated series enough to appreciate the later additions to his story, and his appearance in Solo, while less cringe-worthy than the rest of that entire film (ok, hyperbole), didn't do much for me. Perhaps I lack imagination. Perhaps I only really like the Original Trilogy...

The point is, this one was very much one of those "can it be done?" customs. I had picked up many of the parted-out Darth Maul pieces from the HT set (it was too well done to resist), and I had long experimented with painting TBLeague seamless bodies. I was also inspired by a very cool Kotobukiya statue of Maul. And some fan art, although I've got to say, I ran across some pretty curious things out there (apparently devil boy has become a bit of a sex symbol obsession for some people... to each their own...). The current "canon" is that Maul is basically red-skinned, with black Sith or Dathomirian tattoos; I prefer thinking of them as war paint, which might account why they vary from image to image (apart from parts of this never having been shown in a licensed image -- even the Kotobukiya statue that was my main inspiration is probably less than canonical), and have treated them as such. Anyway, with most of the pieces finally here, although I realized too late some things were still missing or unfinished, here is the first set of images from this custom.



















Hope you liked it or found it amusing...

Part II in Post 15 below; Part III in Post 27 below.; Part IV (Maul 2.0) in Post 39 below; Part V (Maul 3.0) in Post 54 below

For the Further Adventures of Darth Maul, please see HERE.

#starwars #darthmaul #custom #phicen #tbleague

TBLeague S38 1/6 Pale Skin female seamless body with metal skeleton + head sculpt

Part List:

1 × TBLeague female seamless body with metal skeleton
Chubby body shape, large Breast Size
1x female head sculpt
3 pairs × interchangeable hands
2 pairs × interchangeable feet
1 × bikini
1 x display stand








TBLeague S38A 1/6 Pale Skin female seamless body with metal skeleton

Part List:

1 × TBLeague female seamless body with metal skeleton
Chubby body shape, large Breast Size

3 pairs × interchangeable hands

2 pairs × interchangeable feet

1 × bikini

NOTE : No Head Sculpt





TBLeague S39 1/6 Suntan Skin female seamless body with metal skeleton + head sculpt

Part List:

1 × TBLeague female seamless body with metal skeleton
Chubby body shape, large Breast Size
1x female head sculpt
3 pairs × interchangeable hands
2 pairs × interchangeable feet
1 × bikini
1 x display stand










TBLeague S39A 1/6 Suntan Skin female seamless body with metal skeleton

Part List:

1 × TBLeague female seamless body with metal skeleton
Chubby body shape, large Breast Size

3 pairs × interchangeable hands

2 pairs × interchangeable feet

1 × bikini

NOTE : No Head Sculpt



#newproduct #TBLeague #Chubby #female #body #accessory

Tiny Tina hasn't had an adventure since she escaped Captain Marvel who was trying to force her to watch her movie! Now she has come out to have a little fun

















#TBLeague #Tiny #Tina #Flyboy #Plaid #Shirt #Zombie #Dawn #Dead

No written information, yet.


















#newproduct #TBLeague #ARH #Sariah #GoddessofWar #female #fantasy

Viking Woman 1/6 Scale Action Figure

Item Name: Viking Woman 1/6 Scale Action Figure
Item No: PL2020-162
Bar Code: 6 971272 330541

Packing List:
1) 1 x head sculpt
2) 1 x TBLeague 1/6 female seamless body with metal skeleton
3) 3 pairs x interchangeable hands
4) 1 x horned helmet
5) 1 x chest guard
6) 1 x belt
7) 1 x short skirt
1 pair x leg warmers
9) 1 pair x leg armors
10) 1 pair x shoes
11) 1 x necklace
12) 2 x armlets for right arm
13) 1 x armlet for left arm
14) 1 pair x shoulder armors
15) 1 pair x leather sleeves
16) 1 pair x forearm armors
17) 1 pair x knee armors
18) 2 x cloth arm straps
19) 1 x shoulder strap
20) 1 x shield
21) 1 x Poleaxe
22) 1 x base and holder

Packaging:
1 product / individual box
GW: 2.31 kg
Measurements: 24cm * 12cm * 38cm

4 products / master carton
GW: 10.51 kg
Measurements: 52cm * 26.3cm * 40.5cm















#newproduct #TBLeague #VikingWoman #female #fantasy

SINFUL SUZI walks the line between sin and temptation, faith and redemption.  With a heavenly smile and devilish curves, she can fulfill your dreams or haunt your nightmares.  Be prepared to pay her price if you dare summon her.  Designed to test a man's deepest convictions, she will teach you the true meaning of 'a devil's bargain'.

Having first appeared in Joseph Michael Linsner’s SIN BOLDLY (2013, Image Comics), Sinful Suzi will soon return in her own mini-series.  There she will try and bargain with the devil for a path out of Hell.  The Devil tells her that after she collects 1,000 souls, she can return to the life she had before she was wrongly sent to Hell.  But can she trust Satan to live up to his end of the bargain?

SINFUL SUZI was created and designed by artist Joseph Michael Linsner

Packing List:

1 x head sculpt
1 x TBLeague 1/6 female seamless body with metal skeleton
3 pairs x interchangeable hands
1 x one-piece costume
1 pair x leather sleeves
1 pair x knee-high boots
1 x three-pronged spear
1 x dungeon model as a base （a demon prisoner & ornamental skull model）

*When assembled, the base is one solid unit with a removable skull.


















#newproduct #TBLeague #SinfulSuzi #female #JosephMichaelLinsner #comicbook #fantasy/horror

Introduction
TBLeague (formerly Phicen) has recently released its second 1/12 scale female seamless body (that is not part of a boxed set per se), and made it available in pale (T03A) and suntan (T03B) versions. The present review is focused on T03B, with a partial comparison to the previously released T01B. I've already reviewed the male figures HERE.



Packaging - 4/4 stars
Something I really liked about TBLeague's 1/12 figure packaging is how compact it was, in relatively small and sturdy plastic boxes with foam sheets to secure everything inside. This is still the case, except that the box is significantly larger than those that came with their previous 1/12 bodies. This is due mostly to the inclusion of additional items, most notably the base/stand, although I wonder whether a more compact package might not have been attainable. Still, the box and its several layers of foam keep everything snug and collector friendly. The instruction/warning sheet ("introduction") is located all the way at the bottom, beneath the last layer of foam.



Sculpting - 4/4 stars
T03B (and its paler counterpart T03A) stands just over 5.5 in (14 cm) tall, which is a little bit shorter than its predecessor T01B, which was about 5.75 in (15 cm) tall. T03B sports a more curvaceous body type and generally looks even better proportioned than its predecessor. The sculpting is very good and precise, something remarkably given the scale and silicone material. The same is true for the head sculpt, which looks much better than the rather bland and anime sculpt that came with T01B -- or it would, if had been professionally painted, but more on that below.



Paint - 1/4 stars
The silicone body and the harder plastic hands and feet, as well as the head sculpt, are given an even female suntan color. This is very good in itself, and as usual notably lighter than the male suntan (compare T03B to TM01A and TM02A). If there is any special coloring on the nipples and "secret woman parts," it is so subtle that I'm not sure I can really tell it is there. But what really hurts this category is the unpainted head sculpt. If they are going to include a head sculpt (and reflect that in the pricing), they ought to paint it, as they have done beautifully before for their boxed sets (I'm using one of them for the T01B body, but even the bland anime head that came with was given a nicely executed precise paint job). Paint a 1/6-scale head well is challenge enough, but doing that to a 1/12-head is almost a cruel joke. I can't claim to have done very well with it, but it gets the job done and is reversible (I didn't seal the acrylics and can easily scrape them off and start again). There are a couple of silver linings -- the basic color of the harder plastic head (and hair pieces) matches the body and the hands and feet, so you do not have to worry about matching the skin tone; and the hair pieces come off, allowing you to paint them thoroughly, and to expose the face completely so that you could paint it more easily (in relative terms).



Articulation - 3/4 stars
Like its predecessor and its male counterparts, T03B is remarkably well articulated for its size, but less well articulated than its 1/6-scale counterparts. That is not surprising in itself, but it can be disappointing, especially in relation to the apparent inability to achieve normal inwards motion with the lower arms. The instruction sheet claims otherwise, and you can get part way there by adjusting the arms from the shoulders, but it is not quite as effective. This is an issue with all TBLeague 1/12-scale bodies. Part of the answer may be provided by the diagram included in the "introduction" (instructions/warning) sheet, which shows that the body's active joints (in fact it makes me wonder whether there is a full stainless steel skeleton in there). You can see it in the photo under the "Things to watch out for" category.



Accessories - 3/4 stars
T03B comes with pairs of relaxed hands and flat feet attached, plus knife grip and pistol grip hands, as well as heel feet for swapping. Why there isn't a pair of first I don't know. There is also a stand, which constitutes a fine but pretty plain metal (?) circular base to which you can attach an adjustable bendable segmented rod with an adjustable clamp at the end. It is nice, but you can usually get the figure to stand on its own without too much trouble.



Outfit - 3/4 stars
This is a basic body and the inclusion of any outfit should be considered an option, a bonus of sorts. And so it is, but perhaps because of the greater scarcity of 1/12-scale garments that might fit, TBLeague has included at least some minimal clothing for all its 1/12-scale bodies so far. This is no exception, but whereas earlier sets included clothing made of cloth, T03B comes with clothing made of soft, stretchy plastic. This includes a two-piece bathing suit (red in this set, yellow with the pale T03A set), with matching wrist and ankle bands (which would help hide the joints between the seamless body and the removable hands and feet, but generally look a little silly). I'm not sure I'm loving this choice, but the pieces definitely look better cut and tailored than the cloth garments that came with T01B.



Fun Factor - 3/4 stars
With another female and two male seamless bodies in this scale already out there, the new release by TBLeague has natural playmates for your shelf or scene. The unpainted head sculpt and slightly restricted articulation (lower arms) are annoyances, but this is still a good figure that lends itself to customization -- you might have plans to use another head anyway. Finding clothing (especially clothing that will fit well) in this scale would be a bigger challenge than in 1/6 scale, and to some extent the same may be true for accessories and diorama pieces.



Value - 2/4 stars
Retailing at about $40 (USD), this is not a cheap base body, but then again it is seamless, very poseable, and has at least basic clothing (even if made of stretchy plastic), as well as a stand. Yet, we paid the same price for its predecessors, and although they did not come with a stand, they had finely painted head sculpts (whether we liked them or not) and actual cloth for the items of clothing. I don't know about you, but I would have preferred that over the stand.



Things to watch out for
Not a whole lot. Do heat up the hands and feet before swapping, and take care to not overstretch or twist the thinner parts of the stretchy plastic outfit. It might not snap very easily, but it might stretch out of shape and look off if you overdo it. I would also be careful when trying to achieve inward motion for the lower arms -- avoid forcing it, lest something snaps. Do check out the "introduction" (instruction/warning) leaflet at the very bottom of the box under all the foam layers.



Overall - 3/4 stars
TBLeague has produced another well articulated and attractive product in this small scale. It is not perfect and not as good as its 1/6-scale counterparts, but it is likely to take care of your seamless needs in 1/12 scale just fine -- for female figures anyway (these are more complete than the male sets). My only real disappointments here are the unpainted head sculpt (which is otherwise very nice) and the continued limited articulation of the lower arms.



Where to buy?
(NOTE: some of these are currently on Pre-Order)

Big Bad Toy Store for $40 (pale version HERE)

Cotswold Collectibles for $45 (pale version HERE)

Monkey Depot for $45

Timewalker Toys for $44 (pale version HERE)

I hope this has been helpful. What do you think?

#female #seamless #body #twelfth #scale #tbleague #phicen

Updated with M32 body in Post 9 below

The TBLeague Anubis set advertised last fall was released recently. For all the problems I had with it from a historical/cultural and artistic point of view (and these matter to me), it was still very impressive and I couldn't resist picking up several of the parted out parts. And when I say several, I suppose I really should have just bought the set...

The product -- from what I have to judge -- looks very much like the prototype photos used by the company. It has all the advantages (seamless body, glorious details) and disadvantages (overly fantastical, even when there is plenty of reality to emulate) of being made by TBLeague. The head seems slightly undersized, especially on this neck, although it is very nicely sculpted, in a manner that is at once reminiscent of Egyptian art and more realistic. He suffers from a surfeit of piercings (something markedly un-Egyptian) and the style of his accessories and clothing is streamlined enough to look more at home with Stargate than in ancient Egypt. The body is far too muscular (for an alternative, more "realistic" look see the photo in Post 9 below), and in general the look has more to do with macabre Hollywood notions of Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife (where Anubis could be seen as a tyrannical villain -- there was a sci fi C movie about this not long ago... Pyramid?) than with actual Egyptian mythology. But so far, this is all about design choices; the result is arguably more striking and "cool" than something more accurate might have been, but I wonder whether that is/should be the point -- this ends up being loosely inspired by Egypt but not Egyptian. The only real complaint about quality is the extreme looseness of the foot ball joints inside the feet. With the bulky body, poor Anubis can barely keep standing; and I suspect it is not because he's been sampling liberally from the sacrificial wine offerings...

So here are a couple of in hand photos of the part of the set I got (didn't bother with the most fantasy elements), as part of a simple vignette inspired by some of the symbolic depictions of pharaonic investiture. Ramses (reconstituted from another, less fantastical set) and Amun-Ra-King-of-the-Gods (resin? statue) co-star.







What do you think?

#anubis #egypt #fantasy #god #male #tbleague #tbl #phicen #productreview

ABOUT THIS SIXTH SCALE FIGURE
“Those that look upon me see a form most pleasing to their desires, for it is easier to blind oneself with guile than to bear witness to the truth of our nature.” -Gethsemoni, the Dead Queen

Sideshow and TBLeague (Phicen) present the Gethsemoni: The Dead Queen Sixth Scale Figure, a regal new addition to our original Court of the Dead collection. The nature of the Flesh Faction is adaption, perfectly complimenting this poseable sixth scale figure and her array of Underworldly accessories.

Death’s first creation, the spiritborn Gethsemoni, was fashioned from raw flesh, her mind coalesced from the collective subconscious of humanity, and as such, her form echoes the expectations of the living. Beautiful and flawless to behold, this resident of the shadow realm glimmers like a jewel in the darkness. But be warned – the Queen of the Dead’s countenance is naught but a distraction. Her mercurial mood and unfettered ambitions make her a dangerous and volatile player in Death’s Court, and leader of the Faction of Flesh.

The Gethsemoni: The Dead Queen Sixth Scale Figure is highly articulated with a seamless body and a stainless-steel skeleton, rendered in the alluring likeness of the head of the Flesh Faction. Her form is detailed with delicate tattoos and she wears highly ornamental armor across her chest and hips. The figure includes additional accessories with which to adorn the queen, including two armlets, two wrist armors, neck armor, a thigh band, and ankle armor, all elaborately detailed with macabre sculpture and red jewel-like accents. Gethsemoni also comes with her exquisite crown, its shape a twisted interpretation of the mortal pelvic bone, symbolizing her maternal role within the Underworld.

The Gethsemoni: The Dead Queen Sixth Scale Figure also comes with three pairs of interchangeable hands, including one pair of relaxed hands, one pair of grip hands, and one pair of gesturing hands. Use these to craft your ideal vision of the Queen, clutching her pointed dagger or draped in her ornate red, gold, and black wrap skirt. She also has two pairs of feet, allowing for a variety of graceful poses on her Underworld terrain base ringed by Flesh Faction iconography. Included with the Dead Queen are two ghoulish companions who clutch at her legs and follow in her footsteps as she moves about her ghastly domain.

Pay homage to the most stunning creature in the Underworld and crown your Court of the Dead collection with the Gethsemoni: The Dead Queen Sixth Scale Figure.



Brand: Court of the Dead
Manufacturer: TBLeague
Type: Sixth Scale Figure

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
The Gethsemoni The Dead Queen Sixth Scale Figure specially features:

One (1) head sculpt
One (1) TBLeague sixth scale female seamless body with metal skeleton
Three (3) pairs of interchangeable hands
Two (2) pairs of feet
One (1) crown
One (1) neck armor
One (1) bikini-style chest armor
One (1) bikini-style bottom
Two (2) armlets
Two (2) wrist armors
One (1) thigh band
One (1) pair of ankle armors
One (1) wrap skirt
One (1) dagger
Ghoul 1
Ghoul 2
One (1) holder and base
ADDITIONAL DETAILS & DIMENSIONS
Materials
Polyresin , PVC , TPE
Product Size
Head to foot
Height: 12.09" (307.09 mm) | *
Product Size
with Crown and Base
Height: 16.14" (409.96 mm) | *
Box Size
Height: 9.57" (243.08 mm) | Width: 9.57" (243.08 mm) | Depth: 14.96" (379.98 mm) | *
Dimensional Weight
6.00 lbs (2.72 kg) [Intl. 9.00 lbs (4.08 kg)] *
* Size and weight are approximate values. Learn more

SKU
904177
Sideshow 2020




















#newproduct #TBLeague #Sideshow #Gethsemoni #CourtoftheDead #DeathQueen #female #horror

Item Name: Imperial Guardian 1/6 Scale Action Figure
Item No: PL2019-160
Bar Code: 6 971272 330536

Packing List:
1) 1 x head sculpt
2) 1 x TBLeague 1/6 female seamless body with metal skeleton
3) 3 pairs x interchangeable hands
4) 1 x tight-fitting dress
5) 1 x neck armor
6) 1 x chest guard
7) 1 x corset
1 x hip armor
9) 1 pair x shoes
10) 1 x red rope
11) 2 x buckles
12) 1 x helmet
13) 1 pair x shoulder armors
14) 1 pair x forearm armors
15) 1 pair x elbow armors
16) 1 pair x leg armors
17) 1 pair x knee armors
18) 2 x detachable parts of the gloves
19) 1 pair x stockings
20) 1 x spear
* The sword is not included in the set

Packaging:
1 product / individual box
GW: 1.57 kg
Measurements: 24.3cm * 11.0cm * 38.0cm

6 products / master carton
GW: 10.34 kg
Measurements: 50.0cm * 36.7cm * 40.5cm
















#newproduct #TBLeague #ImperialGuardian #female #fantasy #knight

Item No.: PHMB2019-S34 / S35
PHMB2019-S34A / S35A

Packing list
S34/ S35（a head sculpt included）
1、1 × head sculpt
2、1 × TBLeague female seamless body with metal skeleton
3、3 pairs × interchangeable hands
4、1 × bikini（for free）
5、1 × base & holder
6、4 color packaging

S34A/ S35A（(pale, no head sculpt included/ suntan, no head sculpt included)
1、1 × TBLeague female seamless body with metal skeleton
2、3 pairs × interchangeable hands
3、1 × bikini (for free)
4、1 × base & holder
5、4 color packaging

Narrow shoulders, long legs, waist, displaying perfect girl body


























#newproduct #TBLeague #female #body #accessory #S34&S35 #optionalheadsculpt

The dawn goddess, English dawn, also known as the goddess of dawn, the lover of death, is a character created by the artist Joseph Michael Linsner in December 1989. She is the goddess of birth and rebirth. She is generally shown as a red-haired woman, her left eye There were three drops of tears, and sometimes a drop in her right eye. She had a rose on one wrist and a chain on the other. The rose represents hell, because its beauty will sting you and hurt you, and the chain represents heaven, because it means restraint, which binds her to be the guardian of all witches on earth, and the witches pray to her and call her Gaia, Aurora, Or Mother Earth. She is one of the few gods who can freely go to heaven, earth and hell.

Item Name: Dawn 1/6th Scale Action Figure
Item No: PL2019-151
Bar Code: 6 14614 98890 8

Joseph Michael Linsner’s DAWN is an elemental force of nature; a Goddess dancing between worlds and into the arms of her lover DEATH, The Horned God. She is the driving force in an epic fantasy of death and resurrection set in the streets of a post-apocalyptic NEW YORK ~~

When the Archangel Lucifer was cast out of Heaven. Lucifer took his halo with him, but now Heaven wants it back. Too proud to descend to Hell himself, Ahura Mazda, the Lord of Heaven, asks the Goddess Dawn to retrieve it for him. She gets it, but doesn’t return it to Heaven — instead she brings it to the ashes of New York. As war between Heaven and Hell breaks out, angels and demons clash over who gets to lay claim to Lucifer’s Halo.

The dream project of writer/artist Joseph Michael Linsner, Dawn’s story is told through a series of graphic novels published by Image Comics. He is currently working on her fourth book, Always Darkest.

2019 celebrated Dawn’s 30th anniversary in print.
DAWN was created and designed by Joseph Michael Linsner
（C）& 2020 Joseph Michael Linsner

Packing List:

1 x head sculpt
1 x TBLeague 1/6 female seamless body with metal skeleton
3 pairs x interchangeable hands
1 pair x feet with shoes
1 x upper bodysuit with skull prints
1 x one-piece outfit (long coat and a pair of trousers)
1 x choker
1 x waist armor
1 pair x armlets
1 pair x forearm armors
1 pair x ankle armors
1 x LUCIFER'S HALO
1 x spear
1 x sword
3 x guideboards for the base
2 x wings for the base
1 x base and holder

Packaging:
1 product/individual box

GW: 2.21 kg
Measurements: 24.2cm * 14.2cm * 38.0cm

4 products/master carton
GW: 9.72 kg
Measurements: 61cm * 25.7cm * 40.5cm












#newproduct #ExecutiveReplicas #TBLeague #Dawn #JosephMichaelLinsner #female #comicbook

Product Description
What started as a comic magazine in 1969 quickly became a phenomenon, and now Vampirella celebrates her 50th anniversary in 2019 as a pop culture icon. In 1976, 7 years after Vampirella's first appearance, Hammer films opted the rights to produce the Vampirella Film and their first choice to star in the lead role was the beautiful Caroline Munro.

Caroline had to turn down the role and unfortunately the film was never made. Caroline Munro, Executive Replicas and TBLeague are proud to pay homage to this conceptual figure of "what might have been", paying homage to both the beautiful Caroline Munro and Vampirella with this 1/6th scale exclusive action figure.

Product Features
1/6 Scale
Made of plastic
Seamless joint body
50th Anniversary
The Caroline Munro version that never was
Box Contents
Vampirella figure
Alternate head
3 Pairs of hands
One-piece bikini-style costume
Pair of high boots
Arm band (for right upper arm)
Pair of bangles
Thigh band (for right thigh)
Dagger
Reduced scale bat model
Reduced scale skull model
Cape
Base















#newproduct #TBLeague #ExecutiveReplicas #Vampirella #CarolineMunroe #female #horror-comic #50thAnniversary

It is a week of reviews, by the looks of it. If interested, check out my review of Peggy Carter and Michael Crawford's review of Selene from Underworld.



Introduction
Alexander the Great (Alexandros III of Macedon, 356-323 BC) is one of those iconic historical characters that everyone seems to know or name, to the point where one is tempted to take him down a notch. And there were plenty of issues with him and his character, not least his relentless ambition, competitiveness, rashness, and delusions of grandeur. He was certainly a conqueror with an unprecedented scale, speed, and rate of success, and for that he was idolized for generations of Romans and those who took their cultural cues from Rome (elsewhere he was demonized instead). From a modernist or humanitarian perspective there are sides of his character that are less often mentioned but perhaps even more commendable: most notably, although a successful Greek conqueror, he chose not to treat his conquered enemies as the subhuman beings he was taught they were by his society (and by his teacher, the philosopher Aristotle), but instead sought to pacify, unify, and merge the societies he had come to rule, on a remarkably even footing for any time. He probably would have failed even if he hadn't died prematurely at 33, but this suggests that, contrary to popular belief, he had a talent not only for conquering, but also for governing.

At any rate, this is not what this is about. TBLeague (formerly Phicen) has just released its sixth-scale figure of Alexander the Great, occasioning this review. And since Dragon did the only other high-end Alexander in this scale (that I know of), back in 2004, it is a natural point of reference. Both figures are based to a significant degree on the Oliver Stone film Alexander (2004), starring Colin Farrell. Another point of reference for the TBLeague version is a larger scale statue by ARH (HERE and HERE), as confirmed by the ARH logo on the box. Neither the film nor the figures are entirely historically correct.



Packaging
Dragon's Alexander comes in a box that opens up like a book cover to reveal the figure and its accessories through a clear plastic cover; the back side of the cover contains a shallow clear plastic trey containing the cape and the two-part spear; the figure and the rest of the accessories are contained in a clear plastic trey in the box proper.

TBLeague's Alexander comes in a typical container for TBLeague boxed sets, one where the cover and side flaps are held by magnets and can be removed and propped up like a triptych. There is a missed opportunity here, as they could have followed other companies' lead and printed an appropriate background on the back side (which is just plain black) that could have worked as a backdrop to the figure. The figure and its accessories are held in a couple of black foam plastic treys, each with its own thin black foam cover.

Everything comes safe and collector friendly in both sets.



Sculpting
Here time of production makes a difference. Standards and possibilities were very different in 2004 from what they are today. Dragon's Alexander obviously is less finely and realistically sculpted, although it is not bad at all for the time when it was made. The face does not look like Colin Farrell, and might be an attempt at the actual Alexander (if so, not very successfully) or possibly Richard Burton's Alexander (from 1956); to me it really looks like Tom Jane. The head is bald, allowing you to swap between a soft plastic hair wig and a lion-head helmet that is fairly accurate to the 2004 film, except for its sculpted plumes and crest. There is plenty of fairly fine sculpted detail on the armor, including a lion's face over the chest, the sword (especially its hilt), and the soft plastic riding boots. The head and rear spikes of the long spear are very sharply sculpted. The body's legs are covered in seamless rubbery material with appropriate sculpting, although they might be a little too skinny.

TBLeague's Alexander has a very finely sculpted head sculpt that also does not look like Colin Farrell. As far as I can tell, this is a generic pretty boy with a possibly "Eurasian" look. The head vs helmet problem has been resolved by resorting to "real" hair, which works well enough with the lion-head helmet. The helmet is a little less accurate to the film in at least some details, but its crest and plumes are more on target. Once again, there is plenty of fine detail to the armor, including a gorgon's head over the chest, sword (especially its hilt), "wrist armors" (sic!), and even more detailed soft plastic boots, and there is also a gorgeous shield carrying a sun or starburst design found on the lid of a box in what is almost certainly the tomb of Alexander's father; the design has been adopted in stylized form as the state symbol of the modern (Slavic) nation of (recently Northern) Macedonia, much to the annoyance of modern Greeks. The sculpted items are given an even more detailed treatment, making them look more weathered and worn, most notably in the case of the scratched and dented shield. The body used is the seamless M35, which has finely sculpted muscles and veins; it is, however, incomplete, missing both the feet and the genitalia.

Historicity. There are no known contemporary portraits of Alexander, but his successors legitimized themselves through him and produced plenty, which were copied in the Roman period. They are consistent in his basic appearance, with a high forehead, somewhat sunken heavy-lidded eyes, and a very Greek nose (almost no indent below the forehead). Neither set has a head sculpt that looks like this (on the other hand, I had a high school classmate named Kingsley who did). The sculpted hair in the Dragon set is more accurate to the traditional portrayals of Alexander than the longer straight locks of the TBLeague set. In both cases, the armor is based on the 2004 film, and that in turn on two sources: the famous Issus mosaic from Pompeii (agreed to be based on an earlier Greek painting) for the armor (see HERE), and the so-called "Alexander" or "Abdalonymos" sarcophagus from Sidon, now in Istanbul for the lion-headed helmet (see HERE). The mosaic shows a painted head of the gorgon Medusa over the chest; the Dragon set replaces this with a sculpted lion's face, while the TBLeague set has a gorgon head, but sculpted in relief in a rather modern, abstract style; this does seem to be based, at least loosely, on what was seen in the 2004 film. Alexander was considered to be fairly short, but both bodies used here translate as just over six feet in 1:1.



Paint
Here again we are dealing with apples and oranges, if nothing else on account of the year of production. The Dragon set has a fairly basic paint application, flat treatment to the hair (which does not help the already relatively simple sculpted locks), and the dreaded "doll dot" in the glossy eyes. The paint treatment is not extended to the remainder of the figure's body, much of which (excepting the rubbery seamless legs) is shiny and toy-like. The paint application to the rest of the sculpted items is pretty neat, though not overly so. Metallic items are given a dull silverish color, non-metallic ones are in tones of brown and beige. The overall effect is rather drab, but there isn't much, if any, actual weathering (except perhaps a little on the boots). TBLeague has done better, but then again it is doing so almost 16 years later. The eyes are glossy, the eyebrows painted seemingly with individual strokes for each hair. The painted sculpted detail is sharper, and there is more weathering (rather too much on the white plumes); in fact, it is near perfect. The TBLeague helmet's color is more accurate to the 2004 film.

Historicity. Alexander was considered to be relatively fair and ruddy, where the Dragon set makes him a bit yellowish, while the TBLeague one quite tan. Alexander's hair was light for a Greek but still something we would consider light brown, possibly auburn; both sets make him look blonde -- and even more so than the bad dye job on Colin Farrell in the film. The armor from the Issus mosaic appears to be white colored, and that is more accurately conveyed by the TBLeague set.



Articulation
The Dragon set uses a body that has very decent articulation. However, the head and neck are one piece, and if there is an ab crunch, it is rendered impossible by the armor. The seamless rubber-covered knees can bend to about 90 degrees. The TBLeague set uses M35, a very muscular but also very fully articulated body. It is only slightly hindered here, and for the most part performs very well. There is one significant drawback, shared by both sets: the one-piece sculpted boots. Although in both cases there are molded from soft plastic, that is enough to hinder ankle articulation and to make achieving sure-footed poses difficult. Dragon has the excuse of having made this in 2004, but TBLeague should have known better.



Accessories
The sets are both fairly limited in accessories. The Dragon set has the lion-headed helmet with two plumes and a crest (which you have to attach), the sword, the scabbard on its leather (or leather-like) baldric, and the long spear (you fit the two halves together), as well as the removable molded hair wig. The TBLeague set has the lion-headed helmet (crest and plumes come attached), the sword, the scabbard which buttons onto the outfit, and the shield (on which see above), as well as the extra pairs of hands, making three pairs total (relaxed, grip, and fists).

Historicity. The lion-headed helmet is an odd piece known from the Alexander Sarcophagus, which can be shown to take various liberties with reality -- Alexander fights in a long-sleeved tunic but no armor, while his troops are shown heroically nude. The lion-headed helmet is a blatant reference to Alexander's much advertised descent from Herakles (Hercules), although that does not mean he didn't have and wear such a helmet at least on occasion. More typically, we would expect Alexander to have worn a Boeotian helmet (the shape of which is derived from a sunhat, see HERE), and he is in fact portrayed wearing one in at least one statue; it was also standard for his fellow cavalrymen. The two plumes on the helmet, however, are attested in the sources. Neither sword resembles what is shown in the Issus mosaic, but the TBLeague set's sword and scabbard are accurate to what is seen in the 2004 film. However, they should have been suspended on a baldric, as in the Dragon set, instead of being buttoned to the outfit. The ARH Alexander statue also has a baldric. The TBLeague shield is gorgeous, but questionable. For one thing, the rope that goes around inside the circumference of the shield's inner side is sculpted as part of that surface. For another, it is unclear that the sun or starburst design would have been found on a shield, and if so, that it would not have been simply painted on. Alexander's father's tomb does contain a very elaborately decorated shield (probably a parade piece, as it is likely to have been impractical in battle), complete with a sculpture group in the center and geometric decoration round the edges. As a cavalryman, it is possible that Alexander did not carry a shield, strange as it is for us to imagine. On the other hand, the long spear (22 inches in 1:6 = 11 feet in 1:1) might be appropriate for a cavalryman's lance (kontos); it is perhaps too long for a standard hoplite spear (about 8 feet) and too short for a Macedonian sarissa (about 16 feet). But there is room for variation here, and all this assumes (perhaps wrongly) that the companies did their homework.



Outfit
Dragon's Alexander wears what appears to be a beige long-sleeved tunic with pleated fabric pteryges (flaps) at the waist and shoulders; there are also beige boxer shorts. TBLeague's Alexander appears to be wearing a sleeveless short tunic (khiton) which is actually a sort of muscle shirt and white briefs, with a leather skirt of pteryges on top. Dragon's cape is beige and clean; TBLeague's is white but distressed (tattered and weathered) and blood stained, in what seems to me a somewhat unrealistic fashion. The Dragon cape is better designed at the front, while the TBLeague one has too much material showing on the front and not realistically bunched tight under the fastening; it does, however, have a wire, allowing for some options in how it hangs (though it does tend to rise up in an annoying manner). TBLeague's Alexander has also been given "wrist armors" that appear to be as decorative as they are (allegedly) functional; you have to put these on the figure yourself. Both Alexanders wear riding boots, the main difference being added detail in the TBLeague set.

Historicity. In the 2004 film, Alexander wears a white long-sleeved tunic without pteryges at the shoulders, and a beige (but not very dark beige) cape; neither set gets this right, although in some scenes there is a sleeveless variant that would fit TBLeague's look. In the Issus mosaic, both the long-sleeved tunic and the cloak are a darkish color (certainly not white), but there are white leather pteryges at both shoulders and waist. The sarcophagus is not of much help, since it shows Alexander unrealistically fighting in just a long-sleeved tunic and boots; but it does confirm the long sleeves and the traces of color suggest a darkish, reddish hue. Again, neither set gets this right. The undergarments provided in both sets are for modern sensibilities -- the Greeks did have undergarments (like loin-cloths) of sorts, except they wore them instead of, rather than beneath, the other clothing. The "wrist armors" that come with the TBLeague set are pure fantasy (as so often, probably ARH's fault), although probably far more interesting and appropriate to our modern eyes than any more conventional bracelets that might have been worn as a sign of wealth and/or rank. On the plus side, neither set tried to put Alexander in pants, as some modern fantasy might imagine him. Late in his reign he made various concessions to eastern fashions in his dress (now that he was also king of Persians, etc., not just Greeks), but he drew the line at wearing pants... apparently that was considered both barbaric and effeminate!



Fun Factor
I suppose that depends on your expectations and experience. Neither Alexander really has anyone to play with, both have some difficulty standing in any action poses, and the keen-eyed historian might spot a problem or two. Yet, for fairly simple sets, these are pretty fully kitted out figures with plenty of historical or fantastical detail. They can be fun in themselves, or as a basis for more creative kitbashing.



Value
The Dragon set is almost 16 years old, so fairly difficult to find. Ebay listings have it to $90 (USD) or more, plus shipping. This is a very decent price today, although the set is both limited and has not aged particularly well. But an ambitious customizer could probably do a lot with it. The new TBLeague set can be found for as little as $145 (USD), plus shipping. This is relatively light for a high end figure today, then again the set doesn't have a ton of accessories, a stand, or a backdrop, unlike some of TBLeague's more ambitious offerings.



Things to watch out for
Not much in either set. The items are either sturdy enough or flexible enough to be reasonably safe when handling with a modicum of consideration.



Overall
I did not expect very much from either set. I knew the Dragon one was going to come with a dated body type and sculpting technique/technology, and I could see the shortcuts (pleats instead of pteryges, for example); and I could see how TBLeague's was a cross between the 2004 film version and some sort of ARH fantasy in TBLeague interpretation, falling far short of historical reality or plausibility. But partly thinking I might customize them, partly thinking of kitbashing, I got both and don't regret it. I haven't done anything to either yet, perhaps because I like them enough as is. Neither set is egregiously expensive at present, and if you like what you see, or the historical character (however mythologized), or want to customize the sets, you might find them worthwhile.



Where to buy
As always, you can look or a deal on eBay, and that will likely be the only place where you can easily find any of the Dragon set; for the TBLeague set you can also check out the following:

Big Bad Toy Store for $145
Cotswold Collectibles for $146
Monkey Depot for $145
Timewalker Toys for $146

Hope this has been useful. What do you think?

#alexander #great #macedon #historical #dragon #tbleague #phicen #male #ancient #review