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Actor Ryan Gosling has been in a large number of films and, although he has not portrayed a major blockbuster superhero (unless I'm having a senior moment as I write this), has received at least six sixth-scale treatments. Between two boxed sets and three loose head sculpts, I have picked up five of the six. The one that got away is Redman Toys' driver, which I never sought out after some disappointing reviews and photos, featuring what looked like some very roughly sculpted hair strands.

Roughly in chronological order, the five Ryan Goslings here are:
1. DID LAPD SWAT Assaulter Driver (boxed set)
2. K-Hobby (head sculpt only)
3. BBK Drive (boxed set)
4. Elite Clone K (also marketed as Officer K) (head sculpt only)
5. Blackbox Replicant Killer (boxed set, although I only picked up the head)



So, whether you want to showcase the actor's character from Drive or from Blade Runner 2049 or kitbash the character from The Nice Guys or The Place Beyond the Pines, you ought to have plenty of options to work with.



Ironically, as you can probably tell from the images (and see the zoomed-in photos below), while each head sculpt is fairly decent, none is a truly exact or outstanding likeness of the actor. While the frontal looks are dubiously successful in various ways, the profile looks tend to be quite good in each case.



The Elite head sculpt appears to be almost identical to the BBK one, except that the Elite version has a much thinner face and neck. The Replicant Killer head sculpt by Blackbox suffers in part from the atypical darker hair color and the different, relatively unfamiliar more wearied look of the actor, and has been received some dismissive comments. While I agree that something is off (again, especially in the frontal look), I am impressed by the extremely fine texturing of the skin and hair on this (most?) recent head sculpt.

What do you think?

#head #film #blackbox #bbk #elite #did #khobby #productreview

Received this figure some time ago, no time to do review. Now here it is.


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2 layers of goodies here. No stand, but with a base. Package is in order, no broken pieces.


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The main figure. Not very close to the promo, but good enough to pass.



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Heres the layers of clothing. No undergarment, i think. I didn't strip her beyond her outer coat. I took off the boots, and it is hollow, which means a phicen body would fit.


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The rest of the accessories. The cool one is the pair of gloved hands. I am disappointed there is no sword. In the novel, she wielded a pair of swords and was almost invincible. There is the golden ball weapon. One of its uses is to allow the girl to sleep on it tying to a tree. Well, i don't believe the figure will be able to balance on that strip of cloth, so i didn't try.


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A closeup picture of the main figure. The hair was quite well braided. This is lacking among many products on the market you can find. I wish they made more of this.


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The base. You attach the main branch to the base using a screw provided. No screw driver thou. At first, the swinging plank wasn't balanced. This can be fixed by readjusting the ropes.


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The figure can stand on its own without a stand. For other pose like one legged, pls use your own stand. The body is quite flexible, good for varying poses. Leg cannot, however, lift as high as a phicen body. Can do split, though. (sword in the picture is not provided)


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My collection of Chinese figures. Running out of space. I believed the Empress is not too happy!!

#productreview #female #eit #condorheroes

Pros: Very well defined muscles, everything is highly detailed, still just as highly posable as other TBLeague/Phicen bodies despite being very bulky.

Cons: No underwear or shorts, one less manhood!

Full Review Here  







#tbleague #phicen #m35 #productreview #male #body

Pros: Beautiful and elegant design, nice soft material, high heel shoes fit even the removable feet version of TBLeague/Phicen bodies!

Cons: The zipper at the back requires considerable strength to use.

Full Review Here







#vortoys #v1011b #shoulderdress #review #clothing #female #productreview

Pros: Play Toy MB001 body follows the standard 1/6 body style so it has most of all the modern day articulation to be expected, Ip Man headsculpt set has a wonderful paintjob, useful hands, butterfly swords are made of metal, clothes and pants look nice.

Cons: Play Toy MB001 has a somewhat loose right foot that should be fixable with Pledge Floor Care, Ip Man's clothes are hard to hook into place due to tiny hook size, Ip Man's shoes have trouble fitting on MB001's feet so you have to force them and loosen them up. Ip Man's neck adapter is a little loose on the MB001 neck join so it needs some putty or clay to tighten up.

Full Review Here







#playtoy #mb001 #ipman #head #male #review #productreview

It's taken awhile (understatement of the year) to finally happen, but we now have our sixth scale Michonne to go with our Pet Walkers!  Threezero has just started shipping her, and she's my favorite of the three humans they've produced so far. There's still a few nits, but this is a much better release than Merle. You can find my review here:

http://www.mwctoys.com/REVIEW-041618a.htm

or with the rest of the reviews at the usual:

http://www.mwctoys.com

Thanks for reading!

Michael



#productreview #threezero #walkingdead #tv

Yesterday my Pre-ordered Zuckuss and Dengar figures arrived

I have already reviewed the Dengar figure here:  https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t111-product-review-sideshow-dengar

The figures were both pre-ordered here in the UK from:  https://www.dandyisland.com

So now its time to look at Zuckuss.

I was cautious about buying this figure because I have had a Hasbro 12" Zuckuss for a while and thought he was actually ok, and so I did not know if I wanted to pay for the SideShow figure for whats is a very background character.  In the end I obviously did buy him, and whilst this is definitely more detailed than the Hasbro offering I don't think it is such a big upgrade as Dengar is.

Packaging
This is much the same as Dengar, and all other SideShow Star Wars packaging so I won't dwell on this here.  I will however say that again on this box the cardboard used seems slightly thinner than previous SideShow boxes, and the overlapped seam which forms that box did not appear to have enough glue applied and was separating straight out of the brown packing box.  It just does not feel as good a quality as previous boxes from SideShow have.  Quite disappointing for a collectors model at this price point, as for many, including me, the packaging is part of the whole.





The Figure

Let me start by saying that this is a good figure.  I probably don't think it warrants the asking price but that is unfortunately the 1/6 world we live in  

I think the sculpt of the head is very good and it has those lovely sort of translucent eyes similar to those seen on the earlier 4-LOM figure.  From certain angles they really bring the head to life.  It is difficult to tell from movie stills how accurate the colouring is but it looks right to me. The mix of organic and mechanical elements in the head has been handled very well and the overall impression is very convincing.

The figure itself seems to me to be slightly to tall.  Only by a few millimetres, but I think it is noticeable.  To my eye the extra height is found in the chest area, it just seems to long. This can be mitigated when posing the figure by bending the torso forward a little, but this is not that easy to do and only partly solves the issue.  The extra height also seem to make the figure look too slim, and he does not have the quite squat, dumpy, look of the film character.

The costume is very good, and I like the leather belt and harness which has magnetic closures on the pouches. The leather could have been made to look slightly more "used" but it is ok as it is really.  
The long coat is superb, and looks just like it should.  It has a slight silver sheen to it, and looks worn and used to a perfect finish.  To me it does feel a little freaky to the touch I can only describe it as "crispy", and every time I touch it I fear that I will damage it in some way but it does seem to be able to deal with being handled normally though.  
There are some really cool boots under that coat which are sadly all but covered up.
The pipes and breathing apparatus are all sculpted very well and are flexible enough to pose without feeling fragile.  I particularly like the back panel which given the available pictures of the film costume must be "imagined" by SideShow and they have done a grand job of it.

Extras are limited to the blaster and spare hands.  There is the usual hexagonal base as well but as this is included with every figure it is hardly an extra.  
That said what extras could have been added for a character that has as limited a screen appearance as this one.  I suppose that at the price asked for this figure I expect a little bit more, but then I guess I am really paying SideShow to complete my collection
The blaster is very nicely done.  I believe the movie prop was made with an Enfield rifle as the base, and this can be seen well in the model too.  Parts of it do look quite fragile, especially given the shape and size of Zuckuss' hands, but it is actually quite robust.

The articulation of this figure is not great, although I think this is largely due to the limits of movement in the costume.  That said SideShow's Jawas have a good range of movement and similar costumes so I think SideShow could have done better in the articulation department with this one.  If you are looking for the pose from the movie then you are ok, but anything more might be a bit more of a challenge.

Conclusions
This is clearly an improvement over the Hasbro figure, but I do think the price is a little excessive for what you get.  
You can achieve a reasonable movie accurate look with this figure but the extra length in the chest area is apparent whatever you do.  
Achieving more action poses will be a challenge given the limits imposed on articulation by the costume (and the fear of damaging that crispy feeling coat )

I am very pleased with this figure.  Would I buy it again given that the Hasbro is actually pretty good (with a bit of extra paint on it)?  Yes I think I would, but I do think SideShow are asking for a high premium on this figure because they know that some collectors will pay more to complete their collections.  It does feel like I have been taken advantage of a little bit because of my penchant for collecting Star Wars Bounty Hunters









And a couple to compare this figure with the Hasbro 12" figure.  Some of the height difference is the extra height of the SideShow base.




Thank you for reading this review, and I hope you found it interesting and helpful.

As always any comments are very welcome.

#productreview #sideshow #starwars #empirestrikesback #film #bountyhunter

My Dengar figure from SideShow arrived today along with his pal Zuckuss.  The extra wait is typical of the UK 1/6 market, but they are here now.    

On to what I think of this figure.
I have been waiting, mostly patiently, for someone to release a good interpretation of Dengar the Bounty Hunter from TESB.  Up till now this character has been filled in my collection by the Hasbro 12" offering, which, whilst OK after a bit of extra paintwork being done, still leaves a lot to be desired when displayed alongside my other Bounty Hunters (now all SideShow).

Once this Figure was announced I knew it would be in my collection.  I bought it via dandyisland.com here in the UK as they then handle all the import etc.  It does mean paying a bit more and the extra wait, but I know what I am paying up front with no extra charges on delivery .  As soon as they had it to preorder I preordered.

Packing
The figure itself comes in the now standard SideShow Star Wars packaging.  A brown outer packing box, then the black with grey accents Box which has 3 different 3/4 length photos of the figure, one on each of the front, back, and inside the flap.  The flap is magnetically held closed and opens to reveal the figure itself behind a clear window, and the previously mentioned photo of the figure.
Now, upon opening this box it seemed to me as though SideShow might have used a slightly thinner cardboard than I had previously seen, and indeed comparing the box to older SideShow Star Wars boxes it does seem very marginally but noticeably thinner!!!  Both this box and the one Zuckuss came in also had the seam which closed the box coming apart at the top.  It seems as though there might not have been enough glue used to construct the box.  Minor things sure but with this being a collector figure I would not expect SideShow to be skimping on packaging as I think they may have been here, especially at the price point.

The figure itself is cocooned in a clear plastic shell along with his weapons, and has a second clear plastic shell beneath with the stand, backpack and spare hands.  This is all fine and seems to hold all the parts well for transit as nothing had moved.







The Figure
The figure itself is I think a very, very, good rendition of the movie character, and certainly the best that has been available in this scale to date.  The proportions seem good, and the level of detail is good given the source material SideShow had available must have been quite limited.  We only see Dengar for a few seconds in TESB and again in very shadowy scenes in Jabba's palace in ROTJ.  Other than this we only have a very limited number of promotional stills in which Dengar seems to have switched weapons with 4-LOM!!

The feet seem well done, although the nature of the boots he is wearing make the right boot look more like a left boot from certain angles.  
The armour is crisp and well represented, the base colour looks good, and the over all impression is good.  Dengars armour in the still photos available does look a bit more worn, and whilst there is some weathering on the figures armour, a little bit more might have been welcome.  
The backpack is superb with individual parts and straps all very well done.  It attaches to the back of the figure with a magnet and seems to hold well.  The other pouches etc are all well done, but i did need to pad out the one on the left hip a little to get the exact look I was after.

The weapons supplied are good.  The blaster pistol is excellent, and is a tight fit for the leather holster which is riveted to the leg armour, and has a magnetic retention strap.  The MG42 used to represent the Blaster Rifle which appears in TESB is also a very nice piece.  It is of course different from the blaster seen in the promo pics as this was MG34 based.  
As has been mentioned in other reviews of this figure, the MG42 used in the film seems to have had the butt stock removed, whereas the one supplied here still has the stock attached.  It is a small detail, but it would have been nice if SideShow had spotted this.

I think the head sculpt on this figure is very good, the scaring to the right cheek, eyes and the skin tone seem spot on to me.  
Some have said a cloth turban instead of the moulded rubber one would have been nice, but I actually like the idea of the moulded one.  That said, to me the angle at the front of the turban formed where the wraps overlap is a bit too shallow to be screen accurate.  I found it difficult to get the "right" look with it, but found a position for it which I am happy with in the end.  
I like the cloth cowl/hood which I think looks very good when positioned well.  
Mine arrived with the cowl outside the breast plate, but movie stills seem to show the front tucked under the armour, with the lip on the edge of the neck of the armour visible.  This is easily remedied and the cowl looks spot on to my eyes once tucked under the armour.

I think that the basic articulation of the figure is actually pretty good, however many of the joints are limited in their movement by the padded under suit.  It would be great if SideShow and other manufacturers could find a way to use these padded under suits, which are essential to the look of the figure, without them limiting the otherwise excellent articulation.  
Fortunately I tend to play with a figure until I have a pose with which I am happy, and then I display them and largely leave them alone.  If you like to repose figures regularly or to change the pose for photography etc.. then the limit on the movement of this figure created by the under suit and general costuming may be frustrating.
I would also have liked it if the hands were just a little bit softer.  They aren't exactly hard to position on accessories, but if they were just a tad softer it would make this easier.

There is the included hexagonal black stand with the Star Wars logo on the bottom of it, which is pretty standard for SideShow, but other extras are limited to the weapons and 3 sets of alternative hands.  I suppose an MG34 as seen in the promo pics might have been a nice addition for anyone who wanted to follow that look, but that may be a bit tenuous to include as an extra .  
It is difficult to see what other extras SideShow might have included, but at the price point it might have been nice if they imagined up something else to put in the box.

Conclusions
I love this figure It closes a hole in my Bounty Hunter collection that I have been looking to fill for a number of years.  A reasonably film accurate pose can be achieved even though we only really see him in TESB in one pose for a few seconds at most, and I think he looks great alongside the rest of his Bounty Hunter chums.  
It really is nice to have a decent looking Dengar at last, and whilst there are some things I think could have been done differently it is still a great figure and one that any Star Wars Bounty Hunter fan surely ought to have.







A couple of pics with the Hasbro 12" Dengar he replaces for reference.




and a pic with Zuckuss, and with all his TESB Bounty Hunter mates




Thanks for taking the time to read this, And I hope it was useful.  

All comments are as always welcome.

#productreview #sideshow #starwars #empirestrikesback #film #bountyhunter #male

Product Review of Star Ace Queen Gorgo from 300



Introduction

Queen Gorgo is Star Ace's third product from the 300 movies, following upon King Leonidas and Themistokles. She also happens to be my first complete set from this series: I already had the Hot Toys Leonidas and only bought parts of the Star Ace Themistokles. You can find detailed reviews of the aforementioned products (as well as Star Ace's Leonidas) by Michael Crawford here: http://www.mwctoys.com/reviews-all.htm

The historical Gorgo (one of History's first recorded victims of creative and inconsiderate parents where name-giving is concerned -- who names their daughter after a gorgon!?) was the niece and wife of the brave Spartan king Leonidas (himself the offspring of an uncle-niece marriage). She was noted as an outspoken woman, whose good advice was ignored (by her father, for example, to his loss), and who dared to speak out among her fellow citizens. Then again, this sort of assertiveness was expected of Spartan women (to the dismay of other Greeks), and the sort of things she said inevitably reinforced the values and priorities of Sparta's militaristic society (e.g., "come back with your shield or on it!"). The historical Gorgo did not go on to lead Sparta's (largely fictitious) navy to decisive effect at the Battle of Salamis after her husband's death at the Thermopylai. Considering that 300 is about as historically accurate as its parody, Meet the Spartans, I suppose I should not really go down that path. In the 300 movies, Gorgo is portrayed by the beautiful Lena Headey, now better known as Game of Thrones' Queen Cersei.

Packaging: 3.5/4 stars

The rectangular box opens its front cover to reveal the figure and its accessories in a transparent plastic tray, but you need to open the box from the top (or bottom, I suppose), to get to the goodies inside. Everything is pretty collector friendly. The outside of the box features what appear to be images from the highly stylized film, including Greek hoplites pushing Persian troops off a cliff into the sea, a hillside littered with skulls, and the signature blood spatter effect. All this is with a matte finish, but over it is superimposed a glossy still of Lena Headey as Queen Gorgo. As attractive as this is, in a way it backfires: it provides a glimpse at what the product should look like but it does not -- in terms of the actress' features and even her outfit!



Sculpting: 3/4 stars

The face sculpt is nice enough in itself, but it does not seem to capture the features of Lena Headey very well. Despite an attempt to pay attention to detail (like the mole on the right of the nose), to my eyes it seems closer to Daisy Ridley (Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy). Looking at images of Lena Headey, it appears to me that the forehead is a bit too tall and vertical, and the face a bit too long. The hair is partly sculpted, partly rooted. The sculpted part of the hair is the front part, around the face. Unfortunately, it is made up of two parts, and the seam line between them is bit more obvious than it should be. The rooted hair is partly held down over the top of the head by sculpted braids, which was nice idea, but once the rooted hair clears the braids, it tends to jut out in an unrealistic manner. Perhaps with enough product one could get it a little more under control. The hair itself is wavy, which is a nice touch and an attempt to replicate the onscreen look.



The toes of the sandaled feet appear rather naively sculpted, and there isn't much in the way of detail there or on the hands. The shield is pitted to make it look worn and damaged, but only in places, while the sword appears perfectly pristine. The body is partly seamless -- the upper torso including the breasts and arms is one piece, and the elbows and ankles are covered by the flexible rubbery material. While the overall shape is pretty decent, there is woefully little detail -- for example, the very pronounced and fine shoulder blades on the back are nowhere to be seen on the action figure. The seam between the upper and lower torso is quite noticeable every time the top pleather strap on the front of the dress slips down a bit, and that happens a lot.



Paint: 3/4 stars

The paint is uneven, with some areas very nicely painted, and others very basic or incomplete. The eyes are nicely done, though perhaps not as glossy as they might have been. The lips and eyebrows are very finely painted, though the eyelashes are a bit too simplistic/obvious, while at the same time failing to make the eyes as expressive as those of the actress. The face shows plenty of subtle paint variation and freckling, but that is not extended to the body, except perhaps for a little bit on the neck. Considering how much of the flesh shows, this is not enough. The finger- and toe nails are painted in a rather modern shade of light pink; I don't know if that is movie-accurate or not. The gold or brass color of the earrings and arm band are perhaps a tad dull, as is the rather flat brown of the sculpted part of the hair. Then there are outright mistakes: the face is painted a slightly warmer shade than the body, and the sculpted sandal straps are not completely painted: the narrow sides are left the same color as the feet.



Articulation: 3/4 stars

The body has very decent articulation which, as so often, is limited by the outfit. Considering what the outfit consists of, this is quite the negative achievement. Shoulder, ankle, neck, abdomen, and waist articulation are great; wrist articulation is more limited. The elbows can bend to a 45 degree angle between upper and lower arm, while the knees can bed to a 90 degree angle between the upper and lower leg. The thigh articulation is more limited, at least in part because of the narrow lower part of the dress. Still, it would be possible to make the figure sit. Nevertheless, it is very difficult to give her wider stances. I do not know what were the functional limitations of the movie costume, but either its costumers or Star Ace are completely ignorant of the nature of ancient Greek clothing, which would have left a long (if concealed) slit on one side of the dress. A better-designed outfit and a better seamless body (like those by Phicen/TBLeague or Jiaou Doll) could have earned this category an easy 4/4.



Accessories: 3/4 stars

Onscreen, Gorgo does not have much in the way of accessories, so their scarcity with the figure is partly excusable. It also depends on your definition of accessories. There are spare parts: two extra hands, making a total of four (or two pairs) -- the relaxed hands she comes with, and the grip hands you can replace them with. There are a couple of additional items that form part of her costume but come separately in the tray: an arm band and a wolf fang necklace. There is also a standard base and stem action-figure stand with a waist-grip; the stand's base features the 300 logo. Then there are a sword and a shield of the same type as Leonidas'. These accessories are nicely sculpted and fit well into the grip hands, and the shield is easy enough to put on her arm (although its flat inner surface is historically inaccurate). The hands swap easily enough without the need for heating.



Outfit: 3/4 stars

Gorgo/Lena Headey wore several similar Greek-ish outfits in the movie, not counting the battle-dress at her (fictional) involvement in the Battle of Salamis. One of these outfits is provided with this product. It is visually fairly accurate, and appears to be made of a linen or linen-like cloth. I have already mentioned the unfortunate tight fit of the lower part of the dress, which ruins the leg articulation. There is a long scarf-like extension of the dress that starts from the front left side of the waist, and is intended to wrap around the back of the dress and be held or wrapped around the lower left arm. To keep it wrapped in place there is a button, but additional futzing may be required to get it to "drape" in a more or less realistic fashion. This is all rooted in the film's unrealistic (or unhistorical) rationalization of Greek dress, where the dress (or tunic) itself would have been one piece, and the almost ubiquitous wrap (or fuller-scale cloak), another. Two pleather straps hold the uppermost part of the dress (also an unhistorical design) into place. The straps passing just under the breasts have the tendency to slip down and reveal the seam between the upper and lower and torso of the figure, requiring extra futzing. As mentioned above, you need to place the arm band and wolf fang necklace on the figure, which is easy enough to do. Another minor shortcoming: the wolf fang is so light, that the string it hands from does not hang realistically.



Fun Factor: 3/4 stars

The articulation limitations get in the way of this figure's potential, but at least she has two buddies to play with: her husband (and uncle!) Leonidas (whether you go for the Hot Toys or Star Ace version) and Themistokles. Of course, a more accurate depiction of the actress would not have hurt. As far as mixing this with more historically-accurate figures (such as the ACI hoplites), that would depend on your tolerance for lack of realism or accuracy. Of course, Star Ace was depicting a movie character, not a real and realistic Spartan queen.







Value: 2/4 stars

This depends on how much you pay for the figure. There are still places (check eBay) where you can find it for under $200, but they are few and far between; in most places she sells for $220-290. That is Hot Toys pricing, and even though Hot Toys itself is not always flawless, this product is not really in the same category. So, for the most part, I would say she is quite overpriced.





Things to watch out for

Nothing unusual. Be gentle with the hair, a few little strands became detached here and there. The figure managed to fall on its face a few times during posing and photographing, and unless I am imagining it, got a little blemish on its nose. I think she also developed a small stain on one shoulder -- but how remains a mystery.





Overall: 3/4 stars

This is a very decent, even good figure, but it is not great. The imperfect likeness, the uneven paint job, the partly limited articulation, are all noticeable, and a significant factor especially at this relatively high price point. Unless you are a completist or a kitbasher or just like the appearance of the figure, you might be disappointed in one or more of these areas. Whether that keeps you from getting this figure is, of course, up to you.



What do you think?



#productreview #starace #gorgo #300 #ancient #film #female

Tonight I'm checking out one of the nicest Star Ace releases in awhile - Newt Scamander from Fantastic Beasts!  He's not quite Dumbledore good, but he can certainly hold his own with most other figures in the category. You can find my review here:

http://www.mwctoys.com/REVIEW-040918a.htm

or you can find it with the rest of the reviews at the usual:

http://www.mwctoys.com

Thanks for reading!

Michael



#productreview #starace #harrypotter #male #film #fantasticbeasts

Pros: Beautiful 2B face, nearly accurate hairstyle, vibrant white design, cleaner decors, posable wired skirt, zipper on side of costume for easier time putting on costume, beautifully designed swords!

Cons: Boots incompatible with TBLeague/Phicen bodies that have removable feet and was never mentioned in the marketing material, the stocking's color became flesh and not black, swords are made of fragile material.

Full Review and Comparison Here







#productreview #superduck #clothing #female

I am a little late to this party. I've always liked Hellboy, but missed my chance at getting earlier, licensed figures from that franchise. Now a non-licensed figure called Hellman (a name that I think he would prefer!) has been produced by Artoys, and I picked one up on eBay. It took a good three weeks to get here from China, but arrived safely yesterday, despite the rather disturbing condition of the outer package. The product bears many similarities to what I have seen from Hot Toys' second Hellboy figure, but also some differences that will be highlighted below. I am adopting a Michael Crawford-style format for this review, although I am treating outfit and accessories as a single category.

Packaging: 4/4

Hellman comes in a sturdy shoebox-type package. Artistic depictions of the character populate sides of the surface, filtered and posterized to different degrees. One surface of the lid features Hellman's trademark exclamation, "Oh, crap!" and two other surfaces bear the BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) acronym. Similarly, once the lid is removed, the sides of the box showcase Hellman/Hellboy's other designations: his real name, Anung un Rama, and his loving nickname, "Red." Nothing too spectacular, but very well done. The same can be said for the foam packaging inside the box -- I would take this over nestled plastic trays any day, and appreciate it with this and any boxed figure. Below a thin lid of black foam lies a black foam tray containing the figure, three additional head sculpts, and a few accessories. Below this foam tray lies a second one, containing the remaining items. Again, nothing mind-blowing, but perfectly safe and collector-friendly.



Sculpting: 4/4

While I am no Hellboy expert, the sculpting on the figure looks excellent. All four head sculpts are beautifully sculpted, with great attention to detail. The soft rubber body also exhibits plenty of fine texturing, cuts and bruises (in a way more apparent than in the actual film), and features the carved "tattoos"/scars on the upper torso and right arm. Perhaps the execution is not quite as fine as Hot Toys', but I don't think it leaves much to be desired.  The hair is pretty finely carved, though not as finely as we have seen in some of the highest-end products in recent years. The cut-off horns seem to protrude a little too far out of the forehead compared to what we see on the screen, but this does not really detract from the overall look. Other sculpted elements are very finely done, including the heavy right hand and arm, the belt buckle, the crucifix, the guns and shells.

Three of the head sculpts portray Ron Perlman's depiction of Hellboy from the films. Two of these have the cut-off horns with different facial expressions, while the third has the head sporting two complete and uncut horns. The fourth head sculpt (with cut-off horns) has a more snarling and caricature-type appearance, being based on the comics instead. This was supposed to be a preorder special, although it might actually be present in all boxed sets.



Paint: 3/4

While the paint work is very good, it is not quite perfect. Overall the red color used is a bit duller than what we see on screen, and especially so on the rubbery body. The head sculpts and especially the hands have a slightly more intense color. That's right, the colors do not match perfectly, although the difference is not too bad in hand. Displaying the figure in the coat or coat and t-shirt largely precludes the slight differences from being noticed, but they are there. Generally speaking, the overall duller color goes in the opposite extreme from the old Hot Toys version: where Hot Toys' Hellboy was a bit too orange, this one is perhaps a little too red. In terms of application, the paint is generally very cleanly applied, except perhaps in the teeth (most notably on the full-horned head sculpt). This can be a good thing to a point, as the guns (for example), could have benefited from some weathering.



Articulation: 2/4

This is where the figure falls palpably short of what one might hope. The wrists, ankles, and knees have good articulation, and the figure can stand well even without the included stand. So does the neck, especially at the base of the skull. The tail is articulated by way of an internal wire, and works quite well, except that in some cases its hollow rubbery shell can crease in strange ways -- sometimes futzing with it helps, sometimes it does not. However, there is little or no ab crunch or waist rotation, and the legs cannot reach a seating position at the thigh. Although the rubbery outer shell is quite soft, it precludes the underlying skeleton from keeping most medium to extreme poses with the arms and shoulders; and when you can bend something well enough -- for example the elbows -- the hollow rubbery shell often assumes unsightly and unnatural shapes. There are partly or more fully seamless bodies (especially TBLeague's) that would have performed much better.



Accessories and Outfit: 4/4

This is a very well-equipped figure. It comes with the four head sculpts (Hot Toys provided only three -- lacking the comic book one) and a total of four hands (relaxed and fist heavy right hand, spread out left hand, gloved trigger grip left hand); admittedly that is not much in the way of hands (Hot Toys did not provide any more for Hellboy II), but it is where it comes to outfit and real accessories that the set shines.



Apart from the action figure stand, which comes with an optional surface sticker, the accessories include a rosary with a crucifix, two guns, and a cigar. The smaller of the two, the "Samaritan," can be opened to display the shells in the chamber, although they do not seem to be removable; there is a coiled strap hanging from the handle of the gun. The lager gun, "Big Baby," can also be opened, and six large shells can be inserted (at least theoretically -- it is a very tight fit) into its hollow chamber openings. The handle is sculpted and painted to resemble wood, with a painted on inscription and image of... "big baby." You attach the supplied shoulder strap to the gun. Then there is the cigar, which can fit into a couple of the hand sculpts, but unfortunately not in any of the head sculpts.



The outfit choices are also very good. They include beautifully detailed real leather boots, fine black real leather pants, a ripped black t-shirt, the beige overcoat with shortened right sleeve, and a complex belt with buckle and straps. You attach a holster for the "Samaritan" gun to the belt (its additional straps go around the right leg), and there are six pouches (in three different sizes) that can also go on the belt. The rosary with the crucifix can also be attached to hang from the belt, using its own little strap.



All this looks great, although it can be a bit of a hassle. Putting the t-shirt and even the coat on the rubbery body can be a little frustrating, though not nearly as difficult as I expected. Putting the holster and pouches on the belt was not too bad, but trying to buckle it properly was beyond my abilities or at least patience. I really do not appreciate this aspect of functional sixth-scale buckles. The pants reach a little too high up, and it is somewhat difficult to make them ride down and stay that way, but I am not about to attempt any actual alterations.



The ripped black t-shirt is movie accurate, the tears corresponding exactly to the ones suffered by Hellboy after his encounter with the tooth fairies in Hellboy II. The coat is also very impressive, especially as its collar can lay flat on the shoulders, unlike so many others in this scale. Other impressive features of the coat include the buckles on the collar and the right sleeve; thankfully, these last were already done in the box, and did not require me testing my limited skills at buckling things in this scale. The pants and coat make suitable accommodation for the tail.



How does this compare to Hot Toys' Hellboy II? The latter included separate removable shells for the "Samaritan" gun and a second little rosary for the left wrist, neither of which is included here -- this second rosary is missing altogether, while these shells (unlike those that come for "Big Baby") appear to be sculpted and painted in the chamber. On the other hand, we get things that were not included with Hot Toys' Hellboy II -- the cigar, the black t-shirt, and the fourth (comic-style) head sculpt. This is not a bad trade off, although of course I would have preferred the best of both worlds.

Fun Factor: 3/4

While the problematic articulation limits the fun potential of this product to some extent, overall it looks great and allows for plenty of good poses and a variety of different looks. To be honest, I am rating this category just a little too low, as I may have rated the previous one just a little too high.



Value: 2.5/4

This is difficult to evaluate. When the set first appeared, it was retailing for as low as around $170; then the price reached around $250; now the price often exceeds $300. This in the space of two months or so, and for an unlicensed figure. It really depends on where you buy, but also when you buy. At $170, this product is a steal; at over $300, it approaches daylight robbery, although it does have four head sculpts. It offers a lot, although it suffers from some flaws and limitations, most notably when it comes to articulation. And it is not as if you can put everything on a different body -- it would take serious customization and skill to create an equally detailed and accurate but better articulated body.



Overall: 3/4

I am divided on this figure. The look is excellent overall, despite some minor problems (paint mismatch, pants riding too high) and offers plenty of outfit and accessory choices, while still missing some. My one significant disappointment is the articulation, while the choice of finely-crafted head sculpts is a big plus. The price plays a role too, but is a big variable, depending on what sort of deal you manage to find.

Where to buy? It is already sold out at several retailers. Cotswold Collectibles still has it for $300 here: https://www.gijoeelite.com/Hellman-Figure. Or you can always look on eBay.



What do you think?

#productreview #artoys #hellboy #male #film

I skipped Sunday - hey, the family was over for Easter.  But let's get back to things tonight with a look at a very wintry dude, the Snowtrooper Commander from Sideshow. I love Hoth characters, and it's amazing that I've added two to the collection in the last couple weeks. You can find my review here:

http://www.mwctoys.com/REVIEW-040418a.htm

or with the rest of the reviews:

http://www.mwctoys.com

Coming up next - two reviews in a row from Qmx!  Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading!

Michael

#productreview #sideshow #starwars #empirestrikesback #esb #film

The TF Toys 2B set provides a nearly perfect representation of 2B, the protagonist from the game Nier Automata. The costume looks great and fits TBLeague/Phicen bodies well. Her sword has also been recreated faithfully but the blade part has a tendency to fall out of the hilt so you have to reattach it (or fill the hole with Pledge Floor Care to make it a bit sticky so as to hold the blade in place). The paint application on the face could have used extra work but it's decent enough. The only true negative of this set is the inaccurate hairstyle. In the game, 2B has short hair, while in this set, her hair is medium length. You can use hair styling gel to fix it yourself or you could even trim it if you're experienced with cutting hair. Anyway, it's a pretty good but imperfect set.

For the full review, click here







#productreview #tftoys #female #game

Most of us who enjoyed Rogue One found Krennic to be an interesting enough antagonist, especially considering that he was disposable, unlike Tarkin and Vader, who had to survive the film. If that translates to hoping for a sixth-scale figure of him, I suspect I am not alone in being disappointed that neither of the high-end companies (Sideshow and Hot Toys) that produce Star Wars figures in this scale seems to have any intention of making a Krennic figure. That void is partly filled by Disney's elite series Director Orson Krennic premium action figure.



I am not very familiar with this line, although I have their very diminutive Leia. While there has been concern over the scale of Disney's figures, that does not seem to be an issue in Krennic's case. The Krennic premium action figure stands about 11.75" (almost 30 cm), which is about right for actor Ben Mendelsohn's real-lige 5'11" height translated into sixth scale.



The figure comes in a clear-plastic and cardboard box. It is secured to the inner cardboard shell with a single twisty tie and is overall fairly collector-friendly.



The head sculpt and paint are quite good, considering. Yes, the skin tone is consistent, the eyes feature the dreaded doll dot, and the hair is a tad too brown (though greyish brown). Despite some sculpting and texturing, the skin is a bit too smooth for Krennic's characteristic weathered look. In fact, I am reminded of an Are You Being Served episode, where it was pointed out that the mannequin based on Mrs Slocombe looked younger, because the store owner refused to shell out the extra money to sculpt all the wrinkles. That said, this figure retails for 10 times less than it would have, had it been produced by Sideshow or Hot Toys. For that very reasonable price, you get a very recognizable likeness of Ben Mendelsohn as Krennic, and that in itself is quite impressive. The quality of the sculpt and paint of other sculpted elements (badge, belt, gloves, boots, holster, grenades (?), gun) are also not Hot Toys quality, but still pretty good, especially if you want a slightly worn/weathered look.



The figure comes wearing Krennic's characteristic uniform from the film: white officer's tunic with rank badge and cylinders, black officer's trousers, black gloves, belt, and boots, as well as a billowing white cape. Everything except the tunic, pants, and cape is made of molded plastic.



This is all quite screen-accurate. That said, one might say the pants flare out just a little too much, and the cut of the cape is not quite right at the shoulders, which is probably my least favorite thing about this product.



It is sometimes difficult to keep the voluminous cape under control in a reasonably realistic manner. Part of the problem may be the choice of a relatively thick denim-like material for the cape. I suppose if you wanted to customize you could easily remove it and replace it with something of your choice.



The molded plastic parts of the outfit are quite functional. The belt, for example, can be unbuckled and removed; the holster holds the gun very well; the gloved hands come in two parts (hand and cuff) allowing for improved articulation; the boots are also made of two pieces (shoe and lower leg, with the shoe part given toe articulation to boot -- all puns intended). Although getting the right look requires some futzing, this is all pretty well done and allows good articulation.



Speaking of articulation, there is plenty of it: double jointed knees and elbows, decent ab crunch , ankles, and thighs. The figure can take reasonably natural poses and stand well on its own (there is no base provided anyway). One minor disappointment is the single-piece head and neck, precluding articulation at the base of the skull; moreover, the head and neck are sculpted in such a way, that Krennic seems to be looking slightly up most of the time; trying to position the head so that he would look down can result in popping it off at the base of the neck.



The figure comes with the following accessories (counting what is not permanently part of the outfit). A spare pair of gloved hands (relaxed hands, to supplement the trigger hands that come on the figure), a weathered gun, three grenades (?) that can fit onto the right side of the belt (one of them comes installed in place); the belt itself is easily removable (although I do not see why one would want to do that unless placing the outfit on a different body). Both pairs of gloved hands have their own separate molded plastic cuffs; since I don't expect them to be sculpted differently, I thought that to be a bit curious.



Here are some shots of Disney's Krennic alongside a few Hot Toys characters from Rogue One and A New Hope. Remember that Death Troopers are unusually tall.













This Krennic figure was a Disney Store exclusive, but is available in plenty of other places. It retails for around $20 USD (and often a little below that), which is what makes it an even more attractive and impressive product. That is, as pointed out above, ten times less than what it would cost if it were produced by a high-end company; it is also as much as (or less than) the all-plastic 6 inch Black Series Krennic by Hasbro, which is far inferior in every way. If you do want to pick one up, there are plenty of options on amazon and eBay.



Overall, and especially considering the price, this seems like a very nice product. Customizers may improve on it with a repaint, or kitbashing security-bureau officers who wore a very similar outfit (except that their white was a bit more cream-colored).

What do you think?

#productreview #starwars #rogueone #disney #male #film

Since a new forum needs new contents, here is a quick little review of a figure I obtained recently. It is DML's MIB3 (Men in Black 3 -- both appear as labels on the box) Agent K from 1969. In the film, Josh Brolin played the role of a much younger Tommy Lee Jones. If we can rely on the time stamp found on the sole of one shoe, the figure dates to 2012.



The figure comes in a basic sturdy shoebox-type container. The design of the box is intended to remind you of the film's titling, without any specific depiction of the character. Inside is a transparent plastic tray (with a transparent plastic lid) holding the figure and its handful of accessories.



The figure comes with a one-piece head and neck sculpt of Josh Brolin. It is executed pretty well, but in what seems to be a more impressionistic fashion than what we are used to from other companies. This is a difference in style, but it might also be somewhat tailored for the rugged features of Josh Brolin. The sculpt and paint give the impression of a sweaty pale individual with hair that is beginning to go grey. The work definitely lacks the sharpness of HT and DAM products in either sculpt of paint, but still succeeds in conveying the overall impression. That said, the paint could have been done more carefully, especially on the sides of the forehead. Without being perfect, the head does resemble the actor well. The paint and gloss on the eyes is very well done, though difficult to notice because they are sculpted in a fairly squinted position; the paint is also very good on the three guns. The hands have very nicely sculpted lines and veins, and possibly some subtle paint work too.



The figure comes wearing a two-piece black suit (hence "Men in Black"), black tie, black silver-buckled belt, black socks, and glossy black shoes, as well as a white dress shirt. The socks are a nice touch, as they are often omitted in other products, making formally-dressed figures look silly when their emaciated plastic ankles are exposed. The two-piece black suit is made of a soft, slightly velvety material, which looks great, although it can attract dust. The three front buttons on the suit jacket are functional; there are also three buttons on each jacket cuff.









Agent K comes with a two-part display stand, one extra pair of relaxed hands (the figure comes wearing gun-grip hands out of the box), translucent sunglasses, and three different alien-hunting guns. Each of the three guns has a black handle and various chrome and translucent sections. While they do not look particularly realistic, the guns appear to be movie-accurate.





The action figure body appears to be of an older type, with the hands permanently attached to their wrist pegs. The body has pretty good articulation, but is a little bit floppy and jerky: the ankles are a little weak, and the arms cannot keep raised positions easily or precisely as the jacket tugs on them. Otherwise the figure does not suffer from common articulation problems such as at the wrists or ankles, elbows or knees. The figure stands reasonably well without the included stand.









Overall, despite the somewhat impressionistic head sculpt and the dated body type, this seems to be a very decent product. I purchased it with the intention of customizing/kitbashing, but we'll see what happens to it in the end.

#productreview #meninblack #mib #film #male