Search found 39 matches for review

I've been one of those sorely disappointed with the initial in-hand photos of this guy since they first started appearing a few weeks ago. Like many figures out there, however, in-hand he doesn't appear nearly as bad as some photos have made him seem. Is he great. No. Is he even good --- Mhmm, maybe. But, this is Sideshow -- and if there is one thing Sideshow struggles with, it's getting an actual person's likeness right. That being said, I think this one, for all it's flaws, (and if it had a much better paint job), would actually be a better sculpt than the all-too cute and glorified one that we were given by Hot Toys for Mark Hamill as he appeared in the film. Mark had had a few (what look to me like botched) plastic surgeries after some car accidents (one or more, don't remember) that turned him from the cute, pretty-boy he was in the first Star Wars film, to a much more rough-looking individual by the third.
The problem with the Sideshow version is they took those flaws, and instead of smoothing them over and making Mark's face TOO clean and symmetrical like HT, they magnified them to the point of a bit of distraction. Those of us who were alive and old enough to remember Corvette Summer, and the resulting incidents could see the damage that had been done, but it wasn't so blatantly obvious to us while watching the film. Here, they seem to draw your eye to the very spots that had been effected. I think if we had gotten a sculpt halfway between the Hot Toys version and this version, we would have had a near perfect Return of the Jedi Luke Skywalker as played by Mark Hamill. As it is I'm not fully convinced on either.

The figure itself comes with plenty of good features, though. Not least of which is the three different looks you can give the character. Two head sculpts -- one inside the Endor helmet, and one without. I've seen people have managed to get the head out of the Endor helmet, but not without serious effort (something I have no intention of doing, as I don't honestly think I'll ever use the Endor look myself -- so I'd rather get rid of those parts if possible).
The heads have an okay paint job, but it could be better. There is only the slightest hint of color variation in the hair, even though the overall sculpting of it is there, a better paint app would have made the hair more believable. There's a hint of cast flashing in part of the hair on helmetless head, but at normal viewing distance it really isn't all that noticeable.

One of the cool things about his black Jedi shirt with the flap is that it has  magnets inside the flap and the shirt, so if you want the flap down it stays perfectly in place, if you want it closed -- same thing. Overall the outfits looks really good, I especially like the Jabba scene over-tunic (he comes wearing that), and the straight-up Jedi look with all black for the final light-saber duel with dear-old Dad. He also comes with an assortment of hands, including one ungloved right hand with robotic battle damage. The boots are a nice two-piece design giving a fairly decent amount of ankle articulation.

The one gripe I have about the costume pieces is the Jedi belt -- for some unknown reason the tongue of the belt goes UNDER the backside of the belt into the loop place holder -- I guess to hide the excess belt -- but it's an absolute pain in the butt to slide in there and pull the belt enough to attach the prong into the hole to make it tight (I had to use two self-holding tweezers in order to get it to work). They could have just made the belt the appropriate length and had it clasp closed on the back of the buckle, but I guess that would take someone pulling their head out of their you-know-what...

Other than that, my pictures (as usual) don't really do the figure any justice. But I took a few anyway. Overall, my impressions: it's a good, but not great figure, that comes with some nice accessories -- but for the price, it should have been a home-run. Let me know what you think.












#review #Sideshow #LukeSkywalker #ReturnoftheJedi

Summary:
Pros: Great looking Jason Voorhees, clothes fit nicely and don't look baggy, headsculpts are gruesomely beautiful, masks look real nice, comes with a lot of weapons, great range of movement and posability!
Cons: NONE!

Full Review Here

Jason VS Frankenstein:



































































































#mezco #jason #voorhees #review #frankenstein #fridaythe13th

Summary:
Pros: Definitely looks like Muhammad Ali, very smooth joints, highly posable, alternate heads are consistently great.
Cons: Robe looks a bit thick on Ali, no other accessories, not even a postcard/picture like what Mike Tyson had.

Full Review Here

The Greatest and The Baddest:





























































#stormcollectibles #ali #muhammad #review #muhammadali

Pros: Very great looking toy that has the likeness of Mike Tyson in his prime, surprisingly great articulation with help from the rubber upper body, nice cloth shorts, nice looking alternate headsculpts, the use of real life brands and championship belts add to the authenticity of this toy.

Cons: The championship belts aren't that well detailed, the WBC belt is missing a circular gold part, joints can be very stiff so you'll have to use silicone shock oil to loosen them up safely, the scale is not exactly 1/12, it's much bigger and it definitely won't fit with Figuarts or Figma toys.

Full Review Here









#stormcollectibles #miketyson #review

Summary:

Pros: Very beautiful design that stays true to the Giger original, highly posable, nice facehugger accessory, good inner mouth functionality, decent tail mechanics.

Cons: No chestburster or egg accessories to complete it, upper body articulation could use a bit more range.

Full Review Here









The Corridors of Nostromo:































#review #figma #alien #sp-108 #toycomic

NOTE: A few extra goofing around photos added to posts 11 and 15 below.

Introduction

Following upon its recent releases of Luke Skywalker and the Imperial Royal Guard (see HERE) from Return of the Jedi, Hot Toys has now provided Emperor Palpatine to go with them. The galactic emperor comes in two versions, regular (MMS467) and deluxe (MMS468); it is the latter version that I am reviewing here. The difference consists of the larger box and two accessories: the emperor's throne and Luke's un-ignited lightsaber, which come exclusively with the deluxe version.

If you are a hardcore Star Wars fan, it is likely enough that the supreme antagonist of the Original Trilogy would be on your shopping list. Sideshow produced what was a very respectable version at the time, but improved standards and the superior detail and quality of Hot Toys made me break my usual rule of not upgrading and go for this; besides, I did not have Sideshow's throne, which had become rare and expensive, as well as cumbersome and brittle (polystone). So I gave my Sideshow emperor to a friend and lightened my wallet.

I am divided on the character, although he was played masterfully by Ian McDiarmid (all the more so in the otherwise fairly abysmal Prequel Trilogy, which I cannot bring myself to consider canonical). The emperor's character, importance, and even name changed over time as drafts of what became Star Wars progressed. At one time he was the puppet of corrupt politicians instead of a force user; early versions of his name included "Ford Xerxes XII" (1973), "Alexander Xerxes XII, Emperor of Decarte," "Cos Das-hit (sic!), Lord of Alderaan, Consul to the Supreme Tribunal, ruler of the Galactic Empire" (Rough Draft, May 1974), "Son Hhat, a Hhut (Hutt!), Lord of Granicus, Consul to the Supreme Tribunal, ruler of the Galactic Kingdom" (First Draft, July 1974), and was given the name Palpatine, sounding palpably Palatine or palatial or portentiously pulsating only in the first novelization of Star Wars from 1976. You can find more on his evolution into the emperor we know from the Original Trilogy (and beyond -- I will not address the Sidious or, worse, Sheev silliness) HERE.

Lucas did plenty right (at first), dropping overly obvious parallels to ancient or modern leaders, making him a mysterious mastermind, keeping the emperor out of the original film, confining him to a short conversation via hologram in the second installment (until he revisited this and pointlessly extended said conversation later), and presenting him as a relatively diminutive and understated ascetic old man in the third. But then he was also portrayed as a cartoonishly simplistic villain who demanded needless sacrifices for an artsy and ultimately unsuccessful strategy, cackled fiendishly, and thought it a good idea to win their hearts and minds by pitting father and son against each other and demanding that they fight to the death (not to mention that arguably these were, at least in a sense, his own son and grandson). How do you reconcile that with the apparent ability to take over the known universe and bring peace and prosperity with the minor exception of a determined small band of hypocritical and dogmatic terrorists? Perhaps one needs to make recourse to senility... One of the tragedies of the Star Wars saga is that its sophisticated visual appearance does not match its childish simplicity and that if fans grow up and choose to analyze it at any depth, they find it wanting; if they don't, perhaps the stylized and misleading dichotomy of the Star Wars universe has sunk in too deep. But we love it anyway and at any rate let's not diverge too far; let's focus on the product at hand.



Packaging: 4/4 stars

The emperor arrives in a large box measuring approximately 8 by 14 by 16 inches. There is a slip on cover with a frontal image of the enthroned emperor, the Star Wars logo, and the product name and number on the front, and credits on the back. Within lies the box proper, with a large see-through cover on the front and the emperor risen from his throne and about to unleash his force lighting, seemingly in the process of saying "So be it, Jedi..." on the back. Inside the box there are two plastic treys, each with its own see-through plastic lid. The top one holds the action figure, the extra hands, and the hand-held accessories, while the bottom one contains the two-part throne, action figure stand, and a couple more accessories. Nothing terribly exciting in the design and decoration of the box, but it is done perfectly well, and everything within it is perfectly safe and perfectly collector-friendly.



Sculpting: 3.5/4 stars

I think Hot Toys did an excellent job reproducing one of the facial expressions of the emperor from the film. When I saw the toothy grin on the prototype advertised what seems like many years ago, I was dubious; but the product looks great. The look they chose is one of a sinister grin, looking amused, yet creepy and threatening at the same time. Do keep in mind that it is difficult to capture the quality of the sculpt with justice in photographs, and even more difficult to recreate the exact look from the screen, which has benefited from professional lighting and manipulation in post-production (most infamously the "emperor's slug(s)," though I just spotted a rectangular band of light on the face, produced either by an actual spot light or mirror or in editing); even with two poseable spot lights I was often unable to replicate the right shadows.

If there is any decline in quality from the prototype used for the promotional images, I do not know whether it is owing to a slightly softer sculpt or to a lighter wash used in the paint (I am going to assume the former, but could be wrong -- I am taking off the relevant half point here). The sculpt of the hairs on the head (which we do not see in the film) is perhaps just a little softer than it could have been, given Hot Toys' achievements in that respect. At any rate, the detail is there, and while it is difficult to give it justice in the photos (and angle and lighting play a role), this is certainly the best sixth-scale iteration of the emperor so far. If it leaves anything to be desired, that goes beyond the scope of any figure sporting a single head sculpt: the emperor made a great many different facial expressions in the film, and we get only one: the toothy grin. It would have been nice to see at least a dissatisfied expres​sion(if not a furious one) and a sarcastic mock-commiseration expression. If anything, a neutral head would have been advisable. Generally, that might be too much to ask for, but this is a deluxe product after all. Despite being a short guy who spent a lot of his time seated, the emperor did manage to look down on people (especially Luke) in a number of scenes; looking down in particular is rather difficult to convey with the present head sculpt, no matter how good it looks otherwise.

The tiny details are carried over to the hand sculpts, and the elaborate clasp on the front of the emperor's cloak, while the non-organic pieces (the lightsaber and throne) look machine-like and ever-so-slightly used. The emperor stands almost 11 inches (28 cm) tall.



Paint: 4/4 stars

Hot Toys is known for its excellent quality paint application, and the present figure is no exception. There are no oversight problems here. It is possible that the promotional prototype had a more delicate wash that intensified the numerous wrinkles on the skin (but I have assumed it is a question of the sculpt above); this seems more subtle and less effective here, although the detail is still minute and impressive. I also wonder if perhaps the color chosen for the eyes is not a tad dark (but I realize it would have been very difficult to reproduce the almost glowing eyes we see in the film). As in the film, one of the eyes appears to be ever so slightly "lazy." The area around the eyes is painted a little darker, which works great for some scenes; in others, they appear to have been artificially lightened in the film's post production, and you cannot replicate that with the figure, except perhaps by editing the photos. The paint application is consistent with whatever is appropriate: glossy eyes and clasp, slightly less glossy teeth, matte metal for the throne, dull pale skin, etc. The crooked wooden cane is perhaps too shiny, although I do not know it for a fact that this is wrong.



Articulation: 3.5/4 stars

Generally speaking, the articulation of the figure is excellent. It is possible that the typical Hot Toys undersuit (padding) gets a little bit in the way, but not much. The one really disappointing thing about the articulation is the one-piece neck and head. I understand why they went this way (and there seems to be a pattern in this to their recent figures, including Luke), especially given the emperor's wrinkled neck, but it keeps the figure from replicating the character's head gestures to a more significant degree than I expected. I believe a less restrictive design might have allowed even a one-piece neck and head to work better. Apart from this the figure can perform the other movements of the character from the film.



Accessories: 3/4 stars

By far and away the most impressive accessory is the throne exclusive to the deluxe version of the figure. The throne is constructed of two pieces, the base and the seat proper. The latter fits onto the former, and can rotate around its axis. For its light feature, see below. The overall look and size of the throne appears great, but unless I am missing something, either the throne is not exactly right in terms of size or proportion (is the seat too high and the ceiling too low?) or the figure is just a little too tall or inflexible to comfortably fit on it with sufficient overhead room to match the appearance in the film. If you try to have the emperor sit up to lecture Luke, he will have to either hit or clear the throne's ceiling; also, if you have him lean back into the seat (as he does in the film), it is pretty difficult to have his feet reach the floor. Nevertheless, I should stress that if there is anything off here, it is very minor; additional futzing and patience may yield even better results.

Apart from the throne, the accessories include additional hand sculpts (for a total of six), the twisted cane, Luke's un-ignited lightsaber, and two sculpted bolts of force lighting. There are also a couple of spare wrist pegs (not shown) and an instruction leaflet (likewise). Finally, there is an action figure stand with interchangeable Death Star flooring: the sculpted top of the stand and a removable sand-paper-like sheet with imprinted floor pattern at an angle; the figure stands quite well without the stand. The selection of accessories is comprehensive for the character. If there is any room for improvement, it would have been to add an extra hand sculpt or two. The ones we get on the figure in the box are the semi-relaxed/semi-closed hands that the character has while seated on the throne or walking around the throne room; the right one is also recommended to be used with the cane, but does not work very well for that purpose. There are left and right hands with fairly outstretched fingers to attach the sculpted force lighting, and there are two variably semi-closed right hands with partly extended index finger. It would have been nice to get a left pointing hand (the emperor uses that at least twice on screen) and a proper right hand to hold the cane (though one of the extended index-finger hands works better for that than the hand recommended in the instructions). The sculpted force lighting looks and works remarkably well. It attaches better to the left hand than the right, but if the light hits it (and especially in front of a darker background) it captures it and looks just right, shining and translucent at once.



Light Feature: 4/4 stars

The actual light feature that comes with this product is confined to the emperor's throne. It is simple but relatively user-friendly and perfectly effective. The underside of the seat features a compartment for the insertion of two AAA batteries (not included), and a tiny switch to turn the electrical feature on and off. For once this is very easily accessible. When it is switched on, the throne's control buttons on both sides of both arm rests become illuminated in the appropriate colors. The buttons are made of colored translucent plastic and look that way even when the light is not turned on. There is also a rectangular white light on the underside of the throne's ceiling. All lights are controlled simultaneously by the single switch on the bottom.



Outfit: 4/4 stars

The emperor's outfit from the film, however basic, is reproduced in exact and loving detail. It is, on the outside, simple enough: a flowing waffle cotton hooded robe with long draping sleeves. The texture is designed to replicate the look from the film, although I suspect it does not drape quite as readily in this scale. The bottom edge of the robe, the bottom edges of the sleeves, and the edges of the hood have thin wires allowing you to position them for a desired look. The inside of the hood is sown up in such a way that the head would not go too far in (with my figure, I actually wish they had left a little more room inside the hood so I can cast deeper shadows over the face). The shiny molded clasp has been discussed above and can be opened. Looking at the official Star Wars costume book (B. Alinger, Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy, San Francisco 2014: 162) I thought the clasp had been placed wrongly (rotated by 180 degrees), but a look at on-set photos revealed that Hot Toys did it right.



Below the black waffle cotton cloak is a suede robe tied at the waist with a sash from the same material. Some of this was visible on screen in the film. Under that there are black pants and soft dull reddish-brown boots. Insofar as this can be verified, everything appears to be correct or appropriate.



Fun Factor: 4/4 stars

With so many sixth-scale (or similar) action figures from (or applicable to) Return of the Jedi already out there from Hot Toys and other brands, one should have no problems having fun reenacting the film or creating new scenes and situations with the present product, all the more so because of the throne and other appropriate accessories. Here is a little reenactment sequence from the film...











Value: 3/4 stars

Between them, Hot Toys and Lucasfilm are among the main culprits for the skyrocketing costs of sixth-scale action figures and accessories, and others have been quick to follow their lead. That said, this extensive and deluxe set is not horribly overpriced, especially by the standards they have already set. The regular version (without throne or Luke's lightsaber) retails at around $220, which is around and near the low end of other protagonist figures from this and other franchises produced by Hot Toys today. This means that if you buy the deluxe version at $315, you pay an extra $95 for the extra accessories, most notably the fully-functional light-up throne. This is certainly not exactly a bargain, but also not as horrendously expensive as it might have been, or as it might become soon enough on the secondary market. For a deluxe set by Hot Toys and licensed by Lucasfilm, the price appears fairly decent, and seemingly more so than many other recent offerings. Still, it hurts...











Things to watch out for

Darth Vader falling on his face during photography and breaking off one of the tusks on his helmet; failing to find said tusk; detaching a tusk from another ruined helmet and losing that one; having to cannibalize a third... but wait, none of that has anything to do with the product reviewed here. There really isn't much to worry about, and there aren't many small, dangerous, or easily misplaceable parts, so basic precautions should be enough. While the throne is not as brittle and delicate as polystone, I would not drop it. The hands were a bit difficult to swap, but a hair dryer should have helped and despite some impatient pulling, I still did not manage to break the wrist pegs (just in case, they included a couple of spares).









Overall: 3.67/4 stars

I am very pleased with this figure, and believe it is a better representation of the character than any that has been available in the past -- certainly in this scale. Admittedly, we are stuck with one expression for a very expressive character, but that is the worst that can be said about it. The appearance and articulation are excellent and the choice of accessories extensive and appropriate. We could have used an extra hand sculpt, and a slightly more comfortable fit on the throne, but all in all these are fairly minor disadvantages. But you can draw your own conclusions from the photos and details above (and below). What do you think?



Where to Buy:

Big Bad Toy Store $315
Or $220 (regular version)

Cotswold Collectibles $314

Timewalker Toys $220 (regular version)



#starwars #returnofthejedi #rotj #hottoys #emperor #palpatine #review #productreview #scifi #male

I don't buy a lot of diorama elements these days, but ended up going for this when I considered several of the parted-out pieces. This review is dedicated in loving memory to one of our Founding Fathers who has since left us, but who would have loved this (and is surely loving it).

VS (Vicky Secret) Toys have produced a bathroom set that just became available Stateside. The set features a bathtub with a shower with hand-held adjustable hose, a toilet, a toilet paper holder, a bathrobe, a large towel, a smaller towel, and reversible printed tile floor and wall surfaces. There is even a little color graphic labeled "bathtub," but its purpose is somewhat indeterminate. The whole set comes packed into a white box (with various bathroom-related graphics on top) with a two-part foam trey, and an additional foam sheet to protect the wall surfaces.



If you have been looking for additional "modern civilian" diorama pieces, these might be right up your alley; or if you want to put your favorite superheroes in humorous bathroom situations. Overall, the set is quite nice, while not quite perfect. Read on for the specifics, interspersed with another nine photos.



The floor and wall surfaces are both reversible, giving you a choice between dark granite or light sandstone tiles (or something like that). The floor surface measures about 12 x 13.75 inches (30.5 x 35 cm). The wall surface folds into three consecutive segments, each 13.75 inches (35 cm) tall; two of the pieces are 12 inches (30.5 cm) wide, while one of the end pieces is 5.5 inches (14 cm) wide. You can place the floor and wall pieces in various configurations. A minor flaw is that the dark granite tile surfaces exhibit perfectly continuous lines and strands in the stone, which would not be the case with actual tile work. There are no other problems with these pieces, although I worry that with enough folding back and forth the printed surfaces would crack or at lest crease at the fold lines.



The bathtub is made of resin and is the heaviest piece in the set. It measures about 10.5 x 5 x 4.25 inches (25.5 x 12.5 x 11 cm) at the extremes. It is done nicely enough, although it has some slight imperfections (which might give it a slightly more realistic, lived-in look). The level of detail is not quite superb, with the most annoying (even if rarely visible) problem being the lack of a sculpted (never mind functional) drain at the bottom. Moreover, only on the faucet side is the tub designed to fit flush against a wall; generally the same should have been true for one of the long sides, but I suppose this way you can place the bathtub in whatever direction you choose. Your sixth-scale figures should have no problem fitting inside the tub, which was a pleasant surprise for me, as I half expected it to be undersized.



The toilet paper holder is made of plastic and is intended to be attached to the wall with double-sided tape (provided and already attached to its back). I would have much preferred it to be done with magnets, so that you can choose which side of the wall surface background to place it on, and where exactly to do so, from scene to scene. Perhaps I am commitment-phobic, but I believe most people would see the advantage in that over getting stuck with a single permanent look or risk possibly damaging the wall surface when changing your set up. At any rate, I improvised and placed one magnet on the inside of the unexposed double-sided tape (it is concealed by the outer structure of the toilet paper holder) and another on the other side of the wall surface. The holder itself is a slightly more elaborate version of the simpler classic look, but this allows you to supply what does not come with it -- an actual toilet paper roll. I improvised one of these too, cutting a narrow strip of actual toilet paper and rolling it around a foamie that I jammed inside the holder, leaving a portion of the strip to hang out as it would in real life.



The diorama area is big enough for at least two figures.



And so is the tub, even if it is a somewhat tight fit. And unlike real full-sized humans, these don't seem to take issue with the faucet pushing against their backs.



Like the toilet paper holder, the shower component is designed to be attached to the wall with double-sided tape (provided and already attached to its back). Again, I would have much preferred this to be done with magnets, and in fact used magnets for my photos (placing one on top of the shower component and the other on the other side of the wall background). The hand-held shower head can be attached to or detached from the component, and the adjustable hose attached to them is made of a fine metal chain that works and looks great.



The toilet bowl itself is made of resin, but it is not nearly as heavy as the larger and more solid bathtub. The toilet seat and lid are made of plastic, and are both articulated. Unlike the bathtub, the toilet has a sculpted (non-functioning) drain. Believe it or not, the size of sixth-scale toilets has been a concern, and this one seems about right, measuring about 4.5 x 3.5 x 3 inches (11.5 x 9 x 7.5 cm) at the extremes. The design does leave something to be desired: it is not clear (to me, anyway) where the water tank is, and the part that seems intended to fit flush against the wall is prevented from doing so by the portion below it jutting out in the same direction. Perhaps these are the tankless toilets of the future. I suppose leaving the lid up helps hide these potential visual flaws.



In terms of soft goods, the set includes the bath robe, the larger towel, and the smaller towel. All three are in white. (Contrary to some of the promotional materials, no underpants are provided.) The towels are a fairly basic affair, and feel somewhat like the real thing only on the "face" side. The larger towel can be wrapped around a male figure's waist, or around a female figure's entire torso. The smaller towel can probably be bunched up into a turban, but I haven't tried.



The bath robe is made of a soft cotton-like material (perhaps actual cotton) that feels much like the real thing, and comes complete with pockets and a belt. It fits comfortably on female figures, and well enough on male ones (if you don't mind shortish sleeves and a tight fit on the upper arms).

Overall, this is a pretty decent and versatile set. Each of the pieces in it (except perhaps for the soft goods) could have been even better, but on the whole it gets the job done and covers most of the basic things you will find in one of the rooms of a modern home. It also works and looks very well with figures in its scale. Moreover, there really isn't much in the way of alternatives except for Barbie (and possibly other doll) accessories. With some customizing, these, too, can be made realistic -- for an example, see the first post in the Barbie deBarbiefied thread HERE. But here I only improvised the magnetic attachment of the shower component and toilet paper holder (because I did not want to tape them in place), and made the little toilet paper roll. Of course, you'd need a few more things to make up a complete bathroom (like a sink and mirror), but it's a decent place to start.

Where to buy? Try eBay or, in the US:
Big Bad Toy Store $110
Cotswold Collectibles $106
Monkey Depot (sold out, some parted-out pieces available)
Timewalker Toys $106
Toy Anxiety (some parted-out pieces available)

Hope this was helpful and let me know what you think.

#productreview #review #vstoys #vickysecret #diorama #bathroom #superhero #modern #bathroom

My wonderful wife helped put this one together for me (luckily it wasn't very hard). Most of his back-pack accessories were already attached (thankfully), or she probably wouldn't have.

His lightsabers, the binoculars, and the long rifle were the only things that had to be attached (other than the goggles). Pretty simple to set up. The base top did not come with the figure (it was a custom I got from a customizer over at the Freaks: Cocoboloboy).

Overall I'm pretty happy with this guy. The paint apps are better than the usual Sideshow human effort, but still kind of flat -- particularly in photos; the sculpt, however is excellent, and they did a really good job on the weathering of his clothes -- with the exception of his white tunic sleeves having little-to-no weathering, and the color of the neck not matching the head sculpt. It's a decent conglomeration of Sir Alec and Ewan, though I tend to see more of the former than the latter. For the price it would have been pretty cool if they had included some sort of feature to light up his saber blade, but it's not really that big of deal for me, as I never use those features anyway (I have one Iron Man armor and I've never tried any of the light up features -- as I've heard it's a nightmare to open all the little compartments to put those batteries in).

The first two pictures are mine from my cell phone.




And the rest, which really show off how great this figure is are from Freaks members Cocoboloboy, jedibear, Kamandi, Mandible, Pizza, robrod, & Stealth V3teran. Please enjoy some of the great photography and details of what is, in my opinion, one of the best figures Sideshow Collectibles has ever done.

Cocoboloboy:



jedibear:







Kamandi:


Mandible:







Pizza:








robrod (went to a rock quarry and grabbed sand and dirt and glued it to the top of his base):



Stealth V3teran:




#review #Sideshow #Obi-WanKenobi #Mythos

Summary:
Pros: Very well detailed especially the wounds, good articulation, nice fitting clothes.
Cons: Chest or ab-crunch articulation is missing, extreme lack of accessories, Flyboy's shoes are a bit rounded or curved, making it hard to make him stand without assistance.
Rating: 7/10

Full Review Here









#Mezco #DawnoftheDead #Flyboy #PlaidShirt #Zombie #Review

Summary:
Pros: Nice looking clothes that fit TBLeague/Phicen and Jiaou Dolls, nice sewing quality, beautiful yet simple design, doesn't seem to stain doll's flesh even without washing.
Cons: A little hard to put on, especially on big breasted TBLeague/Phicen dolls like the S10D model.

Full Review Here







#FlirtyGirl #OktoberGirl #BlueDress #Review

Sideshow Collectibles: Big Trouble in Little China: Jack Burton



Introduction

It seems like an eternity ago Sideshow announced that it will be producing a sixth-scale figure of Kurt Russell as Jack Burton from Big Trouble in Little China. The goofy but entertaining film seems to encapsulate some of the more likeable features of 80s cinema, as does its protagonist, who was played by an actor once almost cast as another lovable scoundrel, Han Solo. This is Sideshow's second Kurt Russell figure, following in the wake of their Snake Plissken (you can find Michael Crawford's fair review of it HERE). As the first in-hand photos of the new product became available, there was much disappointment among collectors over the way it turned out. I did what I could to hang in there, and am rather pleasantly surprised. I have come to the conclusion that the final product is not substantially worse than what was shown in promotional images and, despite various problems, is a good representation of the character. That said, much could have been done differently.



Packaging: 4/4 stars

The figure comes in a basic true shoebox-type container with a fully removable lid. Unlike many other products, the box is elaborately decorated on all sides with colorful graphics, including images of both the Jack Burton and revolting guardian creature figures that are contained within. Inside the box are two plastic trays, each with its own transparent lid. The top one contains Jack Burton and some of the accessories, the bottom one contains the guardian, the stand, and other accessories. The two trays are wrapped by a wide cardboard cigar-wrapper band held together with tape, which needs to be undone. Otherwise, everything is completely collector-friendly. Without being particularly mind-blowing, the packaging is unique, attractive, and does its job. Added bonus: the box is somewhat smaller than those for most action figures in this scale (about 3.5 x 7 x 14 inches or 9 x 18 x 36 cm).



Sculpting: 3/4 stars

The sculpting of the figure and its accessories is very good (if at times just a little on the soft side), and represents an improvement on the production quality of Sideshow's Snake Plissken. For example, the hair strands are considerably finer, and so is the texturing of the skin. There are also plenty of wrinkles and moles and other natural details on the face (including the busted lip), finely sculpted veins on the arms and hands, and plenty of such detail on the non-human guardian figure. There are aspects of the design that are questionable: the hair around the face was sculpted separately from the hair on the rest/back of the head, and if you look carefully, you can detect the joint easily enough in the hairline; similarly with the seam between the two halves of the guardian. More obviously, the choice of hair style (it changes slightly throughout the film, due to circumstances) and especially the expression are not necessarily the best, depending on one's expectations. I would have preferred a more smug or smirking look myself, but it cannot be denied that Jack Burton had plenty of occasions for a concerned and confused look like the one chosen for the facial expression here. This is a legitimate choice, though perhaps not the most popular or recognizable. Look at it with the right shadows, and you will realize the sculpt is almost perfect; I think perhaps they made the back corners of his jaws a little too massive, but that is the only inaccuracy I can put my finger on -- if I am right. The hands are made of relatively soft plastic, which is a good thing in my book, but I wish all the fingers had been made separate. The soft plastic boots are also very nicely sculpted and textured.



Paint: 3/4 stars

Like the sculpting, the paint work is good, but not perfect. However, it might be that whereas the sculpt suffers from production decisions, the paint suffers from the execution. That said, there is plenty here that is done right: the eyes look glossy and moist, the strands of hair are given some nuances of brown, there is a little bit of light coloring on the face, the neck, and veins on the arms. There is some weathering on the gun's magazine, and the whole thing looks like dull metal; the watch face looks near perfect given the scale; the boots and the guardian were given a wash that makes them look more realistic. On the other hand, Jack Burton's eyes look a bit too bloodshot to me, some of the guardian's multiple eyes are not painted very precisely, and I can't help but feel that the eyebrows are painted in so light a color that they detract from the realism and recognizability of the face. Then there are some shinier bits in the hair -- some of them appear to be on purpose, but others might be surplus glue from putting together the head along the seam in the hairline; I also found some unexpected shiny spots on the otherwise matte arms.



Articulation: 3/4

As so often these days, companies seem to settle for decent rather than excellent articulation -- whether by the design of the jointed body or the clothing and equipment placed on it. This seems to be the case here. Like Sideshow's Snake Plisken, Jack Burton sports a jointed muscle body designed to show off the elbows. Perhaps for this reason, they went with single joints, which are less of an eyesore, but allow a bend of only about 90% at the elbow; the knees are slightly better. I can't tell whether it is the boots or the ankle design that restrict the ankle articulation in this case -- the boots are made of very soft plastic, although it might not be soft enough to allow the ankles to hold a bent position; but it could be the ankle design after all, as the ankle peg pops out when I try to bend it too far. As a result, Jack Burton can sit but not squat, and action poses are rather difficult. Otherwise the articulation is quite good.



Accessories: 3/4

The accessories that come with this figure include a knife, a gun with a removable magazine (featuring nicely sculpted and painted shells), the watch, extra pairs of hands, extra buttons, the guardian, and the stand. The watch is a tiny work of art, with a shiny transparent cover over its face. There are three pairs of hands in total: the relatively relaxed pair that come on the figure, the gun- and knife-grip pair (the right hand for the gun, the left for the knife), and a pair of fists. Each hand comes with its own wrist peg, which is a nice Sideshow tradition. The hands swap relatively easily and are nicely sculpted despite being made of fairly soft plastic. In case some of the buttons on the outfit disappear, Sideshow has provided three extra buttons (2 brass and 1 silver) in a little reclosable plastic bag. The guardian is technically a separate figure, or rather statue, nicely sculpted and painted (see above), but understandably unarticulated. The hexagonal black stand features the film title on its top, but being executed in black on a black background, it is difficult to read or even notice. A special bendable metal rod is provided to attach to the stand's stem (there are three little openings you can choose from, but you might need to open up the holes in the rubbery cover before you could insert the rod); attach the guardian on the outer end, and he can hover around and spook your figure. Is this a lot? Spare parts and stands are not exactly accessories, which leaves us with the knife, gun, watch, and guardian. And while the guardian is a cool extra, it is not exactly an interactive accessory. So that is not all that much for a $240 figure. Besides, there were other items (sunglasses, guns, bottles, etc) that could have been provided.



Outfit: 4/4

In this category, the product is pretty much impeccable, although once again one could question some of the choices. The denim jacket is beautifully executed and looks realistic and worn; the only drawback is that it was not featured much in the film. The jeans are not only nicely tailored, but give the appearance of a fashionable acid wash; they are perhaps a little too clean, and the white velcro closure for the fly is a little bit too obvious. Note that only the back pockets are functional. The little caps used as buttons on the jacket and pants are the right colors and size. The signature white tank top from the movie is reproduced in beautiful detail, the printed design matching what we saw onscreen perfectly, as far as I can tell. I have discussed the leather-like plastic boots above, but the only problem with them applies to the articulation category.  



Fun Factor: 3/4

This is somewhat more difficult to determine than usual. The limitations in articulation and the absence of other figures from the film are likely to get in the way of a perfect score in this category. Admittedly, Jack Burton comes with the guardian which can be placed to hover by him if you are using the stand, but there wasn't that much interaction between the two in the film. Nevertheless, you should be able to find a few good poses for the figure and display it on its own or alongside other similar collectibles.



Value: 2/4

At $240, this is an expensive collectible even these days. Given the good but not outstanding paint quality, the articulation limitations, and the small number of accessories proper, this is not much of a deal. On the other hand, there is the guardian, technically an extra figure. I like its inclusion, though I could have easily lived without it and with a lower price. If it wasn't for it's inclusion, I would have dropped the rating in this category a little lower.



Things to Watch Out for

No much. Take the usual precautions swapping hands, although it is not much of a challenge, and be careful attaching the magazine to the gun. As mentioned above, it may be difficult to insert the additional support rod for the guardian to the stem of the base, so take your time and open up the holes in the rubbery cover in that area. From previous experience (which could have been an exception), be careful with the paint, especially on the face. I noticed a little bit of flaking on the elbow joints, although there was no change in actual color.



Overall: 3/4 stars

Given the negative reception of this figure by so many, I was surprised to arrive at so positive a rating (and it is not an exact science). But while I might not have made the same choices in every instance (e.g., the facial expression), on the whole the product is faithful to the prototype (which was photographed at some distance and in a very specific light environment), very well sculpted, quite decently painted, excellently outfitted, and decently articulated. It is not perfect as a whole, or as a likeness of Kurt Russell in particular, but it is also not really bad. This might not be quite cool enough to do justice to a very cool character, whether it meets your expectations or needs would be up to you; I do not regret getting the figure (except maybe its price). I hope this review and its photos have helped inform you about it.



Where to buy:

This product is a Sideshow exclusive, and retails at $240.

So far, there are a couple of ridiculously overpriced listings on eBay, which I did not see fitting to include.



I hope you enjoyed this review, and am happy to answer any questions. Meanwhile, three more for the road...







#review #sideshow #jackburton #bigtroubleinlittlechina #male #film #productreview #kurtrussell

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(I haven't been able to post in a long time... 12 hour work days, 6 days a week, too tired, so many toys still boxed lol!)


#review #superduck #sdh005-a #european #headsculpt

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