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I have gotten a couple of new bodies to review, but before that, since the subject came up recently, I have dug up my World Box AT020 and AT025 bodies for a specific comparison. So here they are, side by side:

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There is a slight difference in height, with AT020 being just a little taller (by 0.25 cm or so) than AT025. Much of the two bodies is actually exactly the same: the arms below the upper biceps cut, and the whole body below the mid-upper-torso cut. The upper torso is slightly different, and the main difference is in the shoulders and interior shoulder pieces: AT025's are designed to allow for a greater range of movement. This is achieved, but at the price of lesser sturdiness. There is one more difference, in the sculpt and size of the optional neck piece (see farther below).

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Here are all the optional pieces that the two bodies come with: slightly different neck pieces, exactly the same four sets of hands (relaxed, fist, trigger, and "knife"-holding). AT020 comes with 4 (for a total of 5) alternative neck joints; AT025 comes with only 1 (for a total of 2).

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Here is how the bodies work with neck-less heads using the provided neck pieces. A common issue with World Box bodies has been overly long necks, and this is still often an issue, although it could be mitigated by choosing different neck joints and especially different inside neck connections, allowing the heads to sit lower as needed. Using the neck pieces in particular might require heating up with a blow dryer or hot water.

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Here is how the bodies look with non-World Box heads that have integral necks.

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I hope this has been helpful.

#productreview #comparison #worldbox #body #at020 #at025
Search in: GENERAL TALK  Topic: WORLD BOX AT020 and AT025 body comparison  Replies: 8  Views: 1931
This started as a review of the Mr Toys MT2021-08 head and clothing set; it ended up as a project to get to something like a definitive Huttslayer Leia (see Part V).




Part I (Mr Toys MT2021-08 head and clothing set for S12D body review)


(for Part II, with a different body and head, see here)

(for Part III, with the HT head modified, see here)

(for Part IV, with the TT head modified, see here)


(for Part V, Towards a definitive Huttslayer Leia (?), see here)

Mr Toys released its second take of Princess Leia in her Return of the Jedi slave Hutt-slayer outfit this year. The promotional photos looked so good, I ended up preordering the set. It arrived today, and I put it on the recommended TBLeague S12D body.

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The whole set arrives in a long narrow plastic envelope, with the various items packed in plastic baggies atop a long cardboard black-background information card with a photo of the assembled set. The body is not included, but Mr Toys recommended S12D for its set. This is unfortunately quite tall for Carrie Fisher; S25B would have been more appropriate.

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The set consists of the head sculpt (molded plastic with an attached "real hair" weaved braid, "metal" bikini top (made of soft plastic and string), bikini bottom (made of plastic, metal rings, and two pieces of cloth with wires for posing), boots (made of fabric and plastic), two bracelents (one for the upper left arm and another for the right wrist) and a vibro-ax as the sole weapon. This selection matches Mr Toys' earlier version of the set. The vibro-ax is very clean, and larger and more streamlined than Sideshow's version of the weapon that came with their Lando Skiff Guard set.

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The clothing works reasonably well with the S12D body, although getting it properly attached presents some challenges: the neck strap of the bikini top is too long, other straps and laces are too short (to look right when tied, but very difficult to tie), and one needs to open and close a metal ring on the bikini bottom to put it on the figure body. All this could have been handled differently. In terms of function, the bikini bottom might have worked better with more metal parts and more rings, to allow it to hang more naturally; as it is, it often rides up or bends in unfortunate ways. It should have been reasonably easy to provide a sort of "underwear" portion by attaching (or pre-planning) a length of cloth connecting the fabric pieces on the bikini bottom.

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Apart from the inaccurate choice of intended body, the real disappointment is the head sculpt. It was fairly obvious that the promotional images utilized a prototype based on (modified from) the Hot Toys Bespin or Endor Leia heads. In the end, Mr Toys created a somewhat different head sculpt that is still not quite right. It improved on their first attempt by giving the head a larger forehead and a finer hair sculpt. However, the hair is arguably too tight on the head and lacks sufficient volume to recreate Leia's onscreen appearance; the resulting head possibly looks too small. Moreover, perhaps influenced by the aforementioned Hot Toys head sculpts, Mr Toys gave this head "sideburns," but, unlike the Hot Toys versions and the prototype, made them line the sides of the face rather than stick out. They can be peeled off, but leave behind indentations (grooves) of the face surface, that would require filling-in and repainting. Finally, the facial features do not quite capture the actress' likeness, although it is closer from some angles than others.

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Mr Toys has provided a fine head (and hair) sculpt, in itself, but has not captured the likeness entirely successfully, and has fallen far short of the advertised prototype imagery. One advantage of the present head sculpt is that it is a very close match (in most light) for the TBLeague suntan skin tone of the S12D body (at least of the older ones). That was not always the case (especially combining HT Leia heads with TBLeague bodies). An enterprising customizer could probably get a lot more out of this set.

For the sake of comparison, here are several other takes on the character's likeness, alongside this one. Note only two of them have the screen-accurate earrings (an omission perhaps easily solved).

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I hope this was useful.

As always, what do you think?

(for Part II, with a different body and head, see here)

(for Part III, with the HT head modified, see here)

(for Part IV, with the TT head modified, see here)

(for Part V, Towards a definitive Huttslayer Leia (?), see here)

#productreview #starwars #princess #leia #rotj #jabba #slave #scifi #female
Search in: GENERAL TALK  Topic: Towards a definitive Huttslayer Leia (updated with Part V)  Replies: 153  Views: 7722

TBLeague Ramesses the Great Review - Sun Dec 19, 2021 3:18 am

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Introduction
TBLeague continues its line of imaginative Egyptian-themed mythological and historical characters with "Ramesses the Great." The set is offered in three versions, "white," "black," and "blue," distinguished by the different color scheme for parts or all of some of the items in it. The present review covers the "blue" version, as it provides the correct blue color for the included ḫprš crown (also known as the "blue crown"). The subject was already done by Mystical Forge, as Valley of the Kings Ramesses II (here, sold out), which came with additional pieces like a throne and footrest, and arguably better choice of weaponry (including also a bow, arrows, and quiver, and ḫpš sickle sword), but had a hard plastic visible-jointed body and lower production quality. The production quality of the TBLeague set exceeds that of its predecessor, as does the effect of the overall look. The choice in weapons is largely different, and in lieu of the throne and footstand, one gets a rocky base. Both figures are loosely inspired by Yul Brynner as Rameses II in The Ten Commandments, and even less accurate to the historical Egyptian king Rameses II (r. 1279-1213 BC, probably): both sets feature interpretations, simplifications, and fantasy elements. I rarely get TBLeague's boxed sets (though I sometimes partly reconstitute their figures with parted-out pieces), and this is their very first Egyptian-themed set I have purchased as such. And while I recognize its limitations (particularly in terms of historical accuracy), my expectations are not disappointed and I'm happy with my purchase.

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Packaging

The set comes in a single cardboard shipper box with TBLeague's logo and product title, containing two items: the boxed figure and the "boxed" base. The latter is placed within a taped-up two-part styrofoam container. I hate dealing with styrofoam, but it works. The figure's box is of the type usually employed for TBLeague boxed sets. It has a completely removable triptych cover, the sides of which attach to the sides of the box with magnets. As usual, this is decorated only on the outer side (with a stylized image of the figure's head), missing the opportunity for a printed backdrop on the inside. Inside the box, beneath two thinner covers of black foam, are two black foam treys, containing the figure, head, and various accessories. Everything is collector friendly and safe.

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Sculpting

The sculpted detail is, as usual, excellent in quality. This includes the head sculpt, which is quite realistic, even if ever so slightly stylized, as often the case with TBLeague's heads. The sculpted detail on the crown, ornaments, armor, weaponry, shield, etc, is beautifully executed, whether historically accurate or not. Some of the pieces are fairly soft plastic, whereas others benefit from some heating with a hair dryer to soften and put in place. The figure uses TBLeague's M33 body. The feet are sculpted with the sandals on.

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Paint

The paint job in this set is also superb, and appropriate for it. The "metal" parts looks suitably metallic (even if they are all actually plastic), and also suitably worn. The ornate parts of the jewelry, armor, and weapons, as well as the shield, are quite intricate, yet very precisely painted, while also giving them an appropriate metallic and/or worn look. The most subtle detail is perhaps naturally found on the head sculpt. It shows, I think, an improvement in detail and realism to other male TBLeague head sculpts like their Alexander. The eyes are clearly done and glossy, the eyebrows and eyelashes have plenty of realistic detail, and the skin is painted very realistically, with spots and imperfections, but also suggestions of stubble on the beard, upper lip, and to indicate shaved hair (as opposed to a perfectly bald head). The color match between the plastic head, hands, and feet, and the M33 body is very good. Inevitably, a place where paint application precision has detectable, if minor, limitations, are the sandaled feet.

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Articulation

The M33 boy has, of course, excellent articulation. Given the type of clothing (sleeveless tunic) and armor (upper body, lower arms, shins) worn by this figure, they do not impede this articulation much, except to a degree at the thighs, where the tunic would get in the way of very wide stances or splits. Nevertheless, the figure can be made to sit -- which may not be a particularly exciting example of articulation, but is often difficult enough with fully-kitted out figures. Photos of some other stances I meant to show did not work out in terms of picture quality, but the above description and the other photos should be indicative enough. Here he is on the inaccurate throne that TBLeague made for its Tutankhamun sets --

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Accessories

The set includes a total of six interchangeable hands: pairs of relaxed and grip hands, a right pointing hand, and a left fist. The sandaled feet are removable. There is an elaborate stand, made up of a realistically-sculpted rock base on a round stepped pedestal and a dynamic (bendable) gooseneck with a clamp that can be screwed into the base. The other accessories include the crown, the broad collar, the upper body armor, the armlets, the vambraces, the greaves, the shield, the spear, a dagger, a sword, sheaths for both, and a letherlike belt with special loops into which the sheaths can be secured. The molded detail is very good, as its painting, giving it the look of slightly worn metal. The greaves and the vambraces are split in the back, to make placing them on the lower legs and lower arms easier; it helps to heat them up first to soften the plastic temporarily.

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Outfit

The softer goods that I will classify as outfit as opposed to accessories are few: the sleeveless tunic, which is a reddish brown color in this version of the set, the leather armor for the neck, shoulders, and upper arms, and the belt and apron ensemble (made of thin soft plastic). The tunic and apron ensemble come already on the figure in the box, but the leather armor has to be secured with hooks and loops on straps, a somewhat annoying but not impossible process.

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Historical Accuracy

This is, as usual, a weak spot for TBLeague's Egyptian-themed products, even if they are often striking and sufficiently Egyptian-like to seem passably identifiable as Egyptian at first glance. Even with more historical characters, they cannot help themselves from flights of fancy or straying into various inaccuracies. Here is a non-exhaustive list of issues I spotted:

  • The crown is largely accurate (not so much when it comes to the detail on the back), but the serpent head over the brow (which may be placed just a little too high) should not be open-mouthed and snarling. Their treatment of this detail on the Tutankhamun mask was more accurate.
  • The broad collar is more accurate than usual in that it lacks any unlikely and fantastical protrusions, but it does not really replicate any of the numerous examples encountered in Egyptian art or actual artifacts like those from the tomb of Tutankhamun. The detail is rich, but still implausibly sparse, especially at the bottom.
  • The leather armor looks fantastical, and unlike known or suspected leather armor elements from the Ancient Near East (not depicted on Egyptian kings anyway).
  • The cuirass, with its overlapping protective falcons, is probably also fantastical. The overlapping protective falcons are a genuine element of Egyptian royal attire, sometimes seen in a military context; but the actual example from the tomb of Tutankhamun is a hefty piece of jewelry, not armor -- although I suppose here we could pretend to be looking at jewelry over armor. The style of the falcon's body is un-Egyptian.
  • The vambraces are largely fantasy, although at least in this case we have depictions of a single vambrace of remotely similar appearance being worn on the arm holding the bow (TBLeague did not include a bow and arrows).
  • The greaves, although given a beautiful Egyptian-looking decorative detail, are pure fantasy. Greaves were not a feature of Egyptian armor, at least not before the importation of Greek mercenaries in the 7th and 6th centuries BC.
  • The sandals, like those made for the Tutankhamun set (which were very different) incorporate some features of traditional Egyptian design (of which there were several types) and yet fail to replicate any historical piece, to the best of my knowledge, and certainly not the most iconic design.
  • The armlets employ traditional Egyptian design elements. To what extent these particular elements would have been employed in a piece like this I'm not sure, although armlets and bracelets in general were real enough.
  • I'm not certain we know enough about Egyptian military belts. Daggers were certainly tucked into the regular belt and apparently unsheathed. Sickle swords likewise, but TBLeague provided a very different, seemingly Aegean, sword type instead. Maces and axes (neither included in this set) are shown suspended, somehow, from the belt, and would have been far more common than any sword.
  • The soft plastic pair of belts and apron assembly are more or less plausible in general. However, the horizontal cartouche ovals on the belts contain gibberish text (the top one is not even hieroglyphic -- it seemingly spells out ALB, if these were Latin letter forms -- though it looks almost proto-Sinaite, i.e., an intermediary between hieroglyphic Egyptian and alphabetic Phoenician); but that may be giving it too much credit. On the other hand, the cartouches placed vertically on the central section of the apron, however small and stylized, spell out Rameses II's most important royal names correctly: Wosermaʿatrēʿ-setepenrēʿ Raʿmeses-meryamūn. Now why couldn't they replicate other detail with this sort of accuracy?
  • Neither the shape of the shield nor its otherwise gorgeous decorative detail can be called remotely Egyptian (perhaps with the partial exception of a lotus bloom).
  • The spear is probably too long and has an implausible sharpened butt -- more appropriate for later Greek "lizard-killer" spear butts.
  • In some instances (like the blades), perhaps a different metal color (for bronze) might have been advisable.


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Fun Factor

While none of TBLeague's other Egyptian-themed figures has an obvious direct connection to Rameses II (and arguably the gods are even more fantastical than the historical characters), there is enough continuity in design and appearance, not to mention theme, to help integrate this product with others. For all of its historical inaccuracies (which are likely to be irrelevant or go unnoticed for non-specialists), the product has great quality, articulation, and selection of different accessories, allowing for a variety of display choices and interaction with other TBLeague (or other companies') figures. The figure's base is a cool display option, although I do not know how well it would match those that came with TBLeague's other Egyptian-themed sets -- I have not gotten any of those as such, but seem to remember a variety of styles.

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Value

Retailing at around $220 (USD), this is not a cheap set, even by present standards. But it is not entirely excessive for what it is, either. The quality is excellent throughout, and the product matches what was advertised in the promotional images. There could have been arguably better choices, and ideally there could have been additional choices. Why no bow and arrows and/or other appropriate weaponry? Why not a better Egyptian throne than the one they made for Tutankhamun? Maybe even a chariot, but I guess the cost would have added up. My historical accuracy misgivings aside, I'm glad I got this as a boxed set, instead of trying to partly reconstitute it from parted-out parts as I so often do.

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Things to watch out for

There is little here that is particularly fragile or tiny. But I would be careful with the armlets, vambraces, and greaves, lest putting them on or removing them damages the soft seamless body. The armlets are soft enough, but with the other pieces, I would warm them up with a hair dryer before putting them on or taking them off (as mentioned, they are split at the back, so one doesn't have to remove hands and feet to put them on or take them off). Similarly, I would warm up the crown before sliding it over the head -- just in case it scratches. The little leather-like straps for the "leather" armor are pretty fine, one should probably exercise a modicum of caution when working with them. It helps they work with hooks rather than buckles. The military belt requires some looping, but it is not too bad. Given their metal endoskeleton, TBLeague figures have a relatively high center of gravity and are not easy on the ankles -- something exacerbated by headgear, armor, shields, and protruding limbs and weapons. So be careful balancing your figure and accept the potential that it might fall over. An action figure stand would help -- the base and its stand are cool but perhaps unnecessarily elaborate.

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Overall

Is this the perfect (and yes, for me that means historically accurate) Rameses II? No. Can it become that by skipping one or two fantastical elements (like the greaves, for example)? No, it would take more customization than that. But it is still a great looking set produced in great quality. Egyptian-themed design tends to be a tad too specific to allow turning this into a truly random fantasy character, but there is still plenty of potential for fun and appreciation here. Moreover, it is not excessively expensive, and it should still be readily available enough. So while I can probably find more things wrong or annoying with it than most others, I would still recommend it.

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Where to buy?

They just started shipping a couple of weeks ago, and in some places are still on pre-order (but that also means they are not sold out); prices appear to vary between retailers and over time -- in some cases this might have something to do with whether the base is included or not, so check the listings carefully. Among other places, you can find them at the following online retailers:

GianToy has them for $250 (price has gone up, in stock) HERE

Big Bad Toy Store has them for $190 (but pre-order) HERE and HERE and HERE

Monkey Depot has them for $220 (but pre-order) HERE

Timewalker Toys has them for $214 (but pre-order) HERE

Here he is with my partly reconstituted Mystical Forge Valley of the Kings Ramesses II (on a TBLeague M33 body) and my customized TBLeague Tutankhamun (on a TBLeague M32 body) --

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For more partly-TBLeague Egyptian figures and customs, see:

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t2573-tbl-fantasy-anubis-and-friends-updated
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t4985-custom-tbleague-pharaoh-updated-with-additional-images

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I hope you found this review useful. As always, what do you think?

#productreview #tbleague #phicen #ramesses #male #historical #fantasy #egypt
Search in: GENERAL TALK  Topic: TBLeague Ramesses the Great Review  Replies: 23  Views: 2007
This first post is about the Jiaou Doll Strong Male Body (12D); comparisons with all three Jiaou Doll male bodies in Post 27 below; additional comparisons in Post 70 below; new Jiaou Doll Male Body (17A) and comparisons in Post 78 below; all four Jiaou Doll male bodies compared below HERE.

Since there has been much discussion, on and off, about the skintone, body shape, durability, and articulation of Jiaou Doll bodies, and since I had a couple of 12D bodies lying around that I hadn't done much with, I thought I'd do a short comparison review. As it happened, (at first) I only had TBLeague's most massive body, M35, handy without being fully kitted-up at the moment, so the comparison is not going to be necessarily fair -- except insofar as comparing the most muscular male Jiaou Body with the most muscular male TBLeague body. The specific Jiaou Doll bodies shown here are JOK-12D-BS and JOK-12D-PS (the product number is sometimes also broken down as JO-K12D- etc.).

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Obviously, M35 is more muscular by far than the 12D bodies. M35 is also an example of the usual male "suntan" skintone used by TBLeague, which is darker than Jiaou's male "wheaten" skintone (on 12D-BS) and warmer than Jiaou's "black" or "dark" skintone (on 12D-PS). Yes, the description is hard to believe. In most aspects of articulation M35 and 12D are comparable, but this is in part due to M35's muscles keeping it from reaching the slightly fuller range of articulation possible with TBLeague bodies. Keep in mind that while you can press and hold these bodies into more stretched/bent poses, what you see in the photos are the poses they can actually hold on their own.

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A closer comparison to Jiaou's 12D body would be TBLeague's very first seamless male body, M30. I managed to dig up an M30 eventually, and added it with a few more comparison shots. M30 is notoriously short and a greyish sort of pale. The skintone makes it somewhat comparable to Jiaou's 12D-PS (of all things!), although if Jiaou was inspired by M30, it fixed the issue with the height. While some of the musculature is comparable, M30 is still more muscular, if slightly less defined, after all (look at the biceps, from the side). Being less muscular than M35, M30 can reach a slightly fuller range of articulation (the leaner bodies, M31, M32, M33 can do even more).

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Apart from being more muscular than their previous versions, the 12D bodies have slightly improved the shape of the seamless legs -- previously they looked to me like they were wearing leg-shaped pants over the actual legs. This is a little better now, but another problem persists: Jiaou Doll male bodies still look to me like they have wide, child-bearing hips.

This is not a full review, but in terms of accessories (not shown above), you would have the following:
TBLeague male bodies typically come with a total of 3 swappable pairs of hands (usually fists, relaxed hands, and grip hands), 1 pair of swappable feet, and 2-3 swappable pieces of genitalia (but 0 in the case of M31); some models had trunks or underwear and other pieces of clothing to cover wrists and ankles (except M30, M31, M35, M36); the hands tend to be relatively soft plastic that is easy to bend as needed;
Jiaou Doll male bodies typically come with a total of 4 swappable pairs of hands (fists, relaxed hands, knife grip hands, gun grip hands), 2 swappable pairs of feet (flat and slightly bent toes for walking -- not used above), and 5 swappable pieces of genitalia (not counting the tiny molded part on the body); some models had underwear and other pieces of clothing to cover wrists and ankles; there is a plastic display stand -- all of this is the case with 12D; the hands tend to be relatively hard pieces of plastic with less in the way of individual finger sculpting.

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

There are plenty of threads where we have used TBLeague bodies. For more on M35, you can check out the massive review HERE; I used an M30 for my first custom Darth Maul, HERE. And, of course, there are always the reference photos for all of those in the TBLeague seamless body catalog, HERE.

This first post is about the Jiaou Doll Strong Male Body (12D); comparisons with all three Jiaou Doll male bodies in Post 27 below; additional comparisons in Post 70 below; new Jiaou Doll Male Body (17A) and comparisons in Post 78 below; all four male Jiaou Doll bodies compared below HERE.

#productreview #jiaoudoll #tbleague #phicen #male #body #comparison #muscular
Ovy's recent sixth-scale jointed bodies comparison review and the simultaneous appearance of a new twelfth-scale stormtrooper action figure by Hasbro inspired me to put this together. Stormtroopers are difficult -- getting the right kind of articulation with all this armor and getting the right look and proportion in the complex (and originally unintentionally asymmetric) helmet design has been a challenge even for sixth-scale products (indeed even Hot Toys has often failed to quite nail it). Some of these issues are present in the twelfth-scale figures, although most of them are perhaps surprisingly successful in most, if not necessarily all respects. Since this is mostly about comparing the figures themselves, I have not been comprehensive in covering the other items (stands, additional accessories, etc) that come in the sets, except for some basic indication in the notes.

Here are five twelfth-scale stormtroopers (there might be additional versions out there, in which case these are the second, updated versions). From left to right: Hasbro Black Series (henceforth, H), Kaiyodo Revoltech (KR), Bandai model set (B), Bandai S.H. Figuarts (BSHF), and the just-released Hasbro Black Series "The Mandalorian" (HM).

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Some things to note: KR is apparently now also released under the brand name Animewild; moreover, there appeared substantially less expensive Chinese knockoffs of the original Japanese sets, often inferior in the quality of the materials and paint application. The Bandai model set needs to be put together, a somewhat time-consuming and possibly challenging process. The new Hasbro Black Series stormtrooper, HM, while referencing The Mandalorian series, is essentially a Rogue One stormtrooper, since the shape design is supposed to be identical.

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Front. Note the extra low "brow" of H and B, and the higher dome of KR. For some reason, the helmet design of H comes across as the worst to me (strangely, their sandtrooper helmets were very good); B has a fine helmet, but the distance ratio between the "nose" and "lip" areas is reversed; HM's helmet is more specifically appropriate for Rogue One and The Mandalorian; the "nose" and "lip" distances are about the same here, which is not quite right but at least they are not reversed (strangely, Hasbro's 3.75-inch Rogue One stormtroopers were even better in this respect). BSHF's helmet is technically correct, but there is still something that seems a little off with it. Only B's helmet has actual green translucent lenses, but it is not something you can actually notice without taking it apart. KR's armor is not quite bulky enough, while HM's is specific to its source movie/series. KR's helmet is very good in many respects, but something (the high dome?) is a little off.

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Back. Note the holes in the back armor panel of H, in the butt armor panel of KR, and in the boots of BSHF, KR's diminutive thermal detonator, and the strangely small trapezoidal designs on the helmet of BSHF. It doesn't show well in the photo, but HM's armor has the movie/series-specific rectangular indent on the top surface of the "backpack" section of the back plate. Also note that the chest-and-upper-back armor assembly is a separate piece that allows for underlying articulation.

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Elbow articulation (best: HM and B; worst: H) and neck and upper torso stretch backward (best: B; worst: KR).

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Neck and upper torso stretch forward (best: KR, BSHF, and HM; worst: H).

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Upward and sideways arm movement (worst -- sideways: H). Note that B and BSHF have shoulder armor designed so that it moves out of the way, while HM's is made of more flexible plastic -- which allows the movement, but if you keep the pose too long, it might remain twisted and require corrective action. KR can theoretically do better with the upward arm movement, but the joint comes apart.

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Taking a knee (worst: H). Surprisingly, all five can achieve this pose (this should also cover any question of sitting), although H has the most difficulty getting to it and maintaining it, and needs to twist its torso a bit more than the others. The other four are about evenly matched. Note that B and BSHF have the ability to extend the thigh portion of the upper legs, which provides additional help in a pose like that.

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Random action poses. You can achieve these with any of the stormtrooper figures, although some look more natural than others. The overly short neck of B seems to get in the way of a more natural look.

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These are the two most recent twelfth-scale stormtroopers, by Bandai (S.H. Figuarts) and Hasbro ("The Mandalorian"). Their release (especially the latter) is responsible for the review. This Bandai is superior to the Bandai model kit (B) in most respects, other than price. For example, it allows more natural looking poses (a surprise to me), and it certainly has improved the helmet. Hasbro's new stormtrooper (HM) has considerable advantages over the older version, both in function and in looks (in fact I dislike the older version so much that I only picked up that one for reference). While its helmet may look a little overly small from some angles (note the difference an angle makes!), that is to a significant degree the result of the partial streamlining of the helmets for the Rogue One film (carried over to The Mandalorian).

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The packaging for BSHF and HM. While this is not the focus of the review, I should at least list the differences in accessories: H comes with a standard E-11 blaster rifle and a longer blaster rifle (seen in the first photo); KR comes with a clear stand, extra hands, and both the standard and longer blaster rifles; B comes with a stand (representing just a section of flat black Death Star floor), extra hands, and both the standard and long blaster rifles, plus the more compact laser pistol (that I never remember from the films); BSHF comes with an optional holster, with the standard blaster rifle and with two long blaster rifles of different design; HM comes only with the standard blaster rifle.

So what is the best stormtrooper? I suppose that to some degree opinions would vary, but to me the first Hasbro Black Series (H) is clearly the worst, both in appearance and in function, even if its price point (at least originally) was decent by comparison with the others. Genuine KR were fairly expensive (the knock offs fairly cheap), but the extra-lanky look and the overly high dome of the helmet make me ambivalent as to its viability, although I prefer it to H. The Bandai model kit (B) was fairly inexpensive and came with perhaps the most extensive or varied assortment of accessories, but the mistakes in the helmet design and the slightly too short neck keep it from first place. BSHF is an improvement in appearance and perhaps even functionality on B, but it can be fairly expensive. Finally, the newly-released HM has fewer accessories than any of the others, but has an excellent look (subject to the usual vagaries of Hasbro's paint job and quality control) and functionality, coupled with a relatively low price (just north of $20 USD, it is less expensive than any of the others, except the original price of H and perhaps KR knock-offs). This makes it both an excellent figure in itself and the most viable option as an army builder among the ones reviewed here. In terms of quality and functionality, there is probably a tie between HM and BSHF, but BSHF is becoming both rare and even more expensive. (I have not discussed specific prices, because several of these products are now no longer readily accessible except on the secondary market, and we are no longer dealing with their original prices.)

As always, what do you think?

#starwars #stormtrooper #film #scifi #fiction #male #military #productreview
Michael forgot to post the link to the review here, so I'm taking the liberty of doing exactly that. Enjoy and comment -- I'm sure he is looking forward to feedback like any reviewer.

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You can check out the review on Michael's site here:

http://www.mwctoys.com/REVIEW-092820a.htm

#hawkeye #jeremyrenner #avengers #film #superhero #male #hottoys #productreview
Search in: GENERAL TALK  Topic: Hot Toys Endgame Hawkeye review by Michael Crawford  Replies: 2  Views: 513
Extra photos in Post 11 below.

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Introduction

Hot Toys has followed up its release of the Patrol Trooper (see HERE) from the Solo movie with two versions of the young Han Solo character. The second of these is Han Solo as a "mud trooper," serving in the imperial infantry on the muddy, swampy planet of Mimban. I have little attachment to the film and its characters, but I liked the Patrol Trooper for its relatively cool design and I liked the "mud troopers" for giving us what is still a slightly modified representation of the regular imperial army, which we hardly noticed in the Original Trilogy (primarily as "AT-ST drivers" on Endor). So I picked this up, primarily with the intention of making just that... But even if I don't care much about the film, its silly plot, grungy appearance, or its redundant trooper types (on principle), since I have it, it makes sense to review the set, which, for the most part, is very nicely done.

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Packaging: 4/4 stars

This is not a category where one should expect something new or exciting every time. In fact, there should be an expectation of consistency between related products, and to some extent that is dictated by Disney/Lucasfilm. The packing reflects that of the Patrol Trooper and (I suppose) the other Solo Han Solo set. We have the shoe-type box with removable lid, with a fine depiction of the product against the standard two shades of black background. A colorful cigar box band with additional images of the product runs across the bottom of the container. Inside, below the nice but useless card showcasing the figure in something closer to an action pose, there is the translucent lid and black trey assembly (both in plastic), holding the figure and its accessories. Everything is safe and collector-friendly.

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Sculpting: 4/4 stars

This category covers all the sculpted or molded portions of the set, although it is naturally dominated by the most elaborate feature, the head sculpt. The head is an excellent representation of the actor, complete with a bit of his smirk. Despite the youthful look, there is enough in the features to look realistic, and the hair stranding is very fine, as we have come to expect from Hot Yous. In common with some other recent Hot Toys releases, the head sculpt is (1) identical to that used for a previous set (the other Solo Solo) and (2) features removable and swappable hair pieces (with magnets) to accommodate optional headgear and other accessories (like the other Solo Solo and the Endor Leia). While neither of these practices is a problem in itself, it is an example of economy that ought to have been translated into savings for the consumer. But unless the price would have been even more outrageous than it already is, that does not seem to have been the case. It could be just my impression, but the way it is put together, the face seems a little bit too far forward inside the helmet.

The other sculpted/molded pieces are done with an equal attention to detail. They are clear and sharp, even where the detail is exquisitely intricate and fine, as on the gloved hand sculpts, the exposed "machinery" on the back armor plate, or the little communicator (?) unit on the right side of the helmet. The E-10 blaster rifle is very nicely sculpted, but sturdy enough to use even if it has a couple of articulated pieces. The gas mask features flexible ribbed hoses that are to be plugged into holes at the top of the back plate of the armor, which look great and work reasonably well, even if they are difficult to plug in.

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Paint: 3/4 stars

On the whole, Hot Toys' paint job is as excellent as usual. There are no obvious errors in the application. There is subtle texturing of the skin on the face and neck and glossy treatment of the eyes, giving the head sculpt a natural and realistic look. The hair pieces are well-painted, though perhaps a little flat, although the fine detail of the sculpt and the shinier quality of the paint highlights plenty of detail. The armor pieces (helmet, chest and back plate, shoulder guards, upper arm guards, and shin guards) are given a worn, slightly dirty appearance that works very well, and is carried over to the gas mask. Something like that, though perhaps less fine, is applied to the belt and utility boxes. The paint on the gloved hand sculpts distinguished between the matte rubber parts and the shinier leather parts of the gloves. The goggles are also given nice weathering, helping them fit in with the rest of the equipment. However, they are not translucent, which is a bit of a disappointment. Admittedly, they don't need to be, but Hot Toys has spoiled us with providing that feature to helmets (more often than not), and this removable accessory would have been a good place to do so again; arguably it would be easier to observe and appreciate here than in helmets like that of the Patrol Trooper.

While everything is nicely done, there are certain inconsistencies that detract from the paint execution. The blaster rifle has traditional and fine weathering with silverish or gunmetal grey wash and the shinier finish on the lens is a nice touch, but the golden weathering at the bottom looks simply and poorly painted on. The boots have a very fine and realistic weathering making them look used, worn, and dirtied up; but this is not extended to the pants or coat, which look worn but fairly clean, except perhaps for the occasional dusty edge. Then there is the cape, which is gloriously speckled with drops of mud, but again, contrasting with both the much cleaner pants and coat and with the much finer weathering on the boots. I realize I have ventured into the outfit category, but these observations apply to the paint and coloring of the set. In and of itself, everything is well-done, but taken together, the degree of weathering seems to defy logic.

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Articulation: 3/4 stars

Like so often in the past, Hot Toys is capable of providing excellent articulation but more often than not incapable of allowing for it in the fully clothed set. In this instance we have the added benefit of a separate neck piece, allowing for two points of articulation in the area (at the top of the neck and at the base of the neck), which is an improvement on the usual practice (where the neck is either integral to the head sculpt or to the upper torso). The armor pieces get a little in the way of mobility at the shoulders, and at the ankles (where the shin guards could dig into the top of the boots and possibly cause damage), although this is the fault of the film costuming design rather than Hot Toys. However, Hot Toys insists on using hefty padded undergarments that end up severely limiting articulation, especially in the thigh area (a problem possibly exacerbated by overly tight pants, although in this juncture I don't know which part of the clothing is more at fault). The idea is to make the exterior layers of the outfit sit more naturally, but for the most part this makes little difference while having a more palpable impact on the functionality of the figure. If you want to put your Mudtrooper in any ambitious action poses, you might do well to carefully undress him and remove the padded undergarments -- it can only help. As it is, without modifications, I could barely get him to sit down, in an awkward way...

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Accessories: 3.5/4 stars

The set includes the clothed and armored figure and a number of additional items. Spare/alternate parts include an extra pair of wrist pegs, a second hair piece to be worn under the helmet and with either the chin strap or the gas mask (which has its own strap), and two additional pairs of hands, for a total of three pairs (relaxed hands, fist hands, and trigger hands). There is a rectangular base and stand with a permanently attached card on top, printed to simulate a muddy surface; the base features a shiny nameplate with "Star Wars" and "Han Solo" written on it. The real accessories are the E-10 blaster rifle, which is articulated with moving parts at the back (butt stock) and front; the helmet (which attaches to the alternate "helmet-hair" hair piece with both a magnet and a sort of plastic peg); a separate chin strap for the helmet, to be used if not employing the gas mask; the gas mask, with its flexible ribbed hose (which attach in the holes on top of the back plate); the goggles, to be worn on top of the helmet. There is a little leaflet (not shown) that provides instructions as to how to use the accessories safely. Given that, apart from some of the alternate parts, everything can end up on the figure or used by it, and that we saw the "Mudtroopers" equipped with all this, this is not an overly lavish selection of accessories. On the other hand, it is difficult to imagine what else could have been provided with this set.

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Outfit: 3.5/4 stars

The visible parts of the outfit are fairly simple: the cape, the coat, the pants, and the boots; the padded undergarment also features the visible collar of what is supposed to be the shirt beneath the coat. They all look great by themselves, although the degree of weathering applied to them as a whole is both inconsistent and arguably illogical. The pants are perhaps a little tight, limiting articulation, although the problem might really be limited to the padded undergarment. The cape is recreated very elaborately and given a fair amount of wear and tear (not just weathering), but it does not seem to be truly functional, and posing it can be an issue (there are no wires to help you achieve a desired look). The boots are soft, allowing for good ankle articulation, although the shin guards do get in the way for some poses. There is an extra strap with its two ends handing over the chest and shoulders -- this is apparently supposed to be for the gas mask when it is off, but since that comes with its own straps, you are probably meant to conceal the extra strap in the folds of the cape if you use the gas mask.

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Fun Factor: 3/4 stars

Without other figures seen alongside the "Mudtroopers" and with the limited articulation at the thighs, these figures will not live up to their theoretical full potential. The assortment of equipment/accessories allows for some variation, but army building is likely to be cost prohibitive. Still, the sets are very well done overall, and if you are a fan of the look or of the film, you are likely to appreciate them. They certainly seem to have sold out like hot bread even at the preorder stage, and command disturbing prices on the secondary market.

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Value: 2.5/4 stars

Preordered and without including the shipping, this set cost me $228 (USD). The regular price (provided you can find it in stock) is about $235. Compared to many other Hot Toys products these days, this is not a totally outrageous price (and the set is not light on content), but the prices are clearly inflated to begin with, considering the prices of similarly (or more) elaborate sets by other companies. The secondary market prices (especially on eBay) are easily $200 on top of that, or almost double. This is a very disturbing trend. The sets are pretty great, but I would have never considered them at $400+, and I would be surprised if anyone else would. I don't quite understand why, knowing how high in demand these are (even at the preorder stage), Hot Toys did not increase its profits by making more of them (it does not benefit from the extra-inflated secondary market prices). Given the re-release of other relatively recent sets, perhaps it will do just that sometime in the near future, unless it has already arranged for the production and shipping of more product.

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Things to watch out for

Not a whole lot. I was worried that the gas mask might scratch the face, but it did not. While handling, the sling came off from the blaster rifle, but it was easy to reattach. The articulated parts of the rifle, especially the butt stock, seem fragile, so it might be a good idea to be careful with those. Avoid poses where the bottom of the shin guards may scratch or dent the top of the boots. It is always a good idea to be extra careful with wrist pegs (heating the hands if necessary), although the hands work easily enough, and Hot Toys included a pair of extra wrist pegs just in case.

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Overall: 3.4/4 stars

This is actually a very nice set overall, and a very fine representation of a cool looking character and trooper type. What hurts it in the rating is the price (all the more onerous because of the negated army-building potential), the limited articulation precluding more ambitious action pauses, the very limited choice of potential companion figures (if any!). The quality is there, but, as is so often the case, there were some choices that should have been made differently.

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Where to Buy

This has been sold out in most venues even while on preorder. You can try eBay, but be prepared for outrageous prices. Or you can check out Sideshow (HERE) and Timewalker Toys (HERE), which have it on wait list. Presumably, other retailers might obtain additional product down the line.

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What do you think?

Extra photos in Post 11 below.

#starwars #hottoys #solo #hansolo #mudtrooper #productreview #review #scifi #film #movie
Search in: GENERAL TALK  Topic: STAR WARS Han Solo Mudtrooper by Hot Toys (updated)  Replies: 27  Views: 2625
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Introduction

Logan/Wolverine is a favorite comic book superhero, and very much at the heart of the recent X-Men movie franchise. I should state out front that I am by no stretch of the imagination an expert on any of the relevant source material, although I have seen all the movies with Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. At any rate, this character has been a favorite for various sixth-scale iterations in both licensed and unlicensed versions. I like Logan and the franchise well enough, without specifically being a huge fan, so I was not exactly overly eager for yet another sixth-scale iteration. But this one did offer something innovative in more ways than one: a seamless Logan, and more importantly (since we can all stick one of the Logan head sculpts on a TBLeague body) a hairy Logan. The body alone was worth checking out, but the product is actually pretty full of promise. It comes with a reasonably large set of accessories and two interchangeable heads; there is also a clothed version with a more conventional hard-plastic exposed-joints body. There is a lot they did very well, and a lot that is still wanting... as you can see below. For those that were hoping otherwise, the body is not a TBLeague one or, I think, a Jiaou one.

Disclaimer -- for reasons that will become apparent later, I did stick another head on the body at one point, and some of the photos (in the articulation section) are with that head sculpt; it happened to be a Tom Cruise head, so just pretend it is a perfect color match and that Tom Cruise's real body is not actually the smoothest, most hairless naturally-occurring mammalian surface found on the planet (except of course in Tropic Thunder).

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Packaging - 4/4 stars
The set comes in a pretty standard-sized box with white surface color and some fairly abstract graphics, including what looks like a heavily posterized photo of one of the head sculpts. The box is held closed with magnets on the right side, lift that up and then open it like a book. Inside, below a thin layer of black foam, are located two black foam treys, holding the action figure and its accessories. Everything is snug enough, safe, and collector friendly. I don't expect much from packaging (ever), but I do like it.

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Sculpting/Molding - 3.5/4 stars
This category covers a lot, since there are not one but two head sculpts and the body to consider, not to mention the sculpted sword, sheath, hand sculpts (including adamantium claws), base, and shoes. Let's go backwards (you can see some of these pieces in other photos in the review). The Japanese sword (katana) and its sheath are both sculpted and nicely scaled and detailed, especially the intricate wrist guard, loops, and the characters (writing) on the surface of the sword. The adamantium claws, added to fairly standard fists, are sturdy, cleanly sculpted, sharp, and appear to be made of light non-magnetic metal (aluminum/aluminium?). The base part of the action figure stand (a standard crotch-grabber, or whatever rude term we use for it these days) is a raised plastic platform molded to appear like rusted, worn/pitted metal, with a large X in the center. Certainly far more interesting than a bland (blank?) base that might already be more than what most "third party" companies provide. The shoes (short boots) are sculpted in intricate and realistic detail, from their laces and loops to the sole.

The rubbery (silicone?) body surface is molded into the shape of a tightly muscled body with defined muscles and some veins; the only thing missing are the nipples (oddly, as they are painted). Since someone is bound to ask (and be too shy to do so), I did check, and the figure is definitely male, and fully so -- the body is molded this way, no attachable/detachable parts. Not something that we necessarily need for this particular look, but since customization, poseable figures, and seamless bodies are all about being more realistic, I appreciate their commitment to realism. With the head(s) and shoes on, the body stands about 12.25 inches (31 cm) tall.

Then there are the two head sculpts. I'm not certain that the circumference of the body surface at the neck is ideal for the head sculpts. One can probably stuff something inside to increase it and decrease the current gap -- or perhaps the heads are sitting a little too high, and they do appear a little too large for the body (or is it Logan's hair?). But let's focus on the sculpts themselves. The one that comes "on" the body is the less agitated scowling one; the alternate head has an anrgy shouting expression. Normally I would prefer a less animated expression for a sixth-scale head, but I'm not actually sure which one I like better here, and whether that has anything to do with how well one or the other is executed. Either way, they did the right thing, providing both a more animated and a more neutral head sculpt (rather than one more animated one). Whether or not this is a perfect rendition of the actor's features (and I don't remember enough to tell if they are copies of previous sculpts), the head sculpt is very finely done in both cases, and the hair stranding is superb (suitably finer strands for most of the hair, but clumpier pieces for the spiky top). The shouting head sculpt has the added complexity of the open mouth with the teeth and tongue, and this too appears to have been executed very well.

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Paint - 3.5/4 stars
The paint applies to everything but the cloth parts of the outfit. The shoes and sword sheath are painted to look like leather, offset by a few metallic elements painted appropriately; the shoes are also given a bit of weathering. Each hand sculpt is painted to not only math the body, but also to match the painted-on body hair; the adamantium claws are painted to look stained with blood, and the same effect is applied to the fists to which they come attached.

We have seen some of this before. What makes this set unique, is that the painting is carried over to the seamless rubbery surface of the body. Individual body hairs are painted or printed, and appear to be reasonably hard-wearing (although I was fairly careful, I'm sure I would have noticed some damage if things weren't properly done). The hair is a little faint on the body (less so on the hand sculpts) and I wish it had been just a little bit more contrasting and that there was just a little more of it. They probably didn't want to overdo it, but even so the overall effect is quite good. And since someone was going to ask about that, I checked, and apart from the pubic area, the body hair treatment is not carried below the waist. Yep, apparently Logan shaves his legs. I know we weren't going to look at it, but it would have been nice if they had applied the hair painting/printing to that too. There appears to be some subtle spotting on the body surface, adding extra realism (though some of it may be dust or tiny strands attaching to the surface!). The nipples are painted softly (though disappointingly not sculpted). The use of fairly traditional plastic joint pegs was not a bad idea in itself, but they should have been given a less shiny surface to match the body and hands more closely; better yet, they should also have been given the body hair effect. Minor issues aside, there is a lot TBLeague and Jiaou can learn and re-learn from this set.

Both head sculpts are exquisitely painted. For one thing, they match the body surface color very well, something difficult to do with different materials. The work on the eyes (glossy, with tiny eyelashes), eyebrows, mustache and beard is all very fine; the hair is perhaps a little flat, but this is largely offset by the fine sculpting of the strands. While it is probably just short of perfect, I'm impressed by the paint application on the lips, teeth, and tongue (or more generally, mouth interior) on the more animated, shouting head sculpt.

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Articulation - 2.5/4 stars
There is no stainless steel skeleton inside the rubbery body surface here. The active joints are perhaps plastic; the movement is certainly a little jagged. You can achieve very decent articulation in most respects in the upper half of the body (for example, you can bend beyond 90 degrees at the elbows), although holding more extreme poses would prove impossible -- the joints are too weak to keep the material pushing them back to a less extreme position. This is where this body falls short of the standards set by TBLeague. In particular, trying to raise the arm over the shoulder and head results both in a bounce back and in an unsightly fold on top of the shoulder. Things get more problematic below the waist. Here it is hard to tell to what extent the problem is due to the body's joints and rubbery surface causing a bounce back, and to what extent to the restrictions caused by the fairly tight pants and fairly high rim of the footwear. As a result, he can bend at the knee only up to 90 degrees, and he cannot sit quite properly. The ankles are fairly sturdy, but very difficult to work with. They can allow you to tilt backwards and forwards, but rotating them sideways for additional support in some poses seems nearly impossible. This makes standing the figure on its own quite difficult. And that difficulty is exacerbated by the fact that the whole body has the tendency to bounce and wobble a little bit (making me wonder if it has a full skeleton of any material inside at all), and to renegotiate its pose or center of gravity. Getting this body in a specific pose might be easy within limits, but getting it to stand in that position can be very frustrating. Once again, I wish they had gone with a metal skeleton. There is a stand, of course, and if one poses an action figure on a shelf one would probably use the (a) stand anyway, but that isn't the point.

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Accessories - 4/4 stars
First, the set includes four additional pairs of hands, making five pairs total: fists (they come on the body), relaxed hands, pistol grip hands, sword grip hands, and the fists with the adamantium claws sticking out of them (these are located in the lower black foam trey, with the base/stand). Other spare parts include the alternative head sculpt (the shouting one). Then there is the Japanese sword and its sheath, which are the only "real" accessories. Note that the sword is not only finely sculpted, painted, and inscribed, it even has actual cord (I think) wound round its handle: very nice touch. I refuse to see a base/stand as an accessory proper, although the difficulties in getting the figure to stand certainly make it a relevant addition; and it certainly looks cool. There are a lot of hand choices here, but other than that this is not a whole lot of accessories. I have long forgotten the scene or film this is based on, so I can't guarantee there was anything else that could have been included (a pistol for the pistol grip hands?), and we should realize that there is a separate, "suit" version of the set (with a different action figure body but the same accessories). The reason why I'm not going to deduct points for this is the price of the set. When Hot Toys sells you a Leia without a single accessory for over $200, that is pretty insulting. When this pretty new and obscure outfit sells you an innovative and impressive, even if not quite perfect product for $165 and includes a couple of accessories, it is somehow less annoying... to me.

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Outfit - 3.5/4 stars
The outfit (excluding the sculpted footwear) is very simple: pants and belt. The pants are in a drab color, with a modicum of weathering, most obviously a long blood stain on the right side of the right upper leg, where the bloodied adamantium claws must have brushed against the fabric. It's a nice touch. The belt is made of stretchy cloth and works like a real belt, with a real buckle. Neither of these things is phenomenal, but they are more than adequate. Considering the look reproduced in the set, they are just right. The promotional materials mentioned socks, which do not appear to be included; I doubt they would be missed, and this is the only thing they promised that they did not deliver.

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Fun Factor - 3/4 stars
War Wolf has no one to play with (other than possibly his other self), and that hurts; but you can always improvise. The effective limitations on the articulation (bounce back, tight pants) are annoying, but not extreme. The worst problem is the difficulty standing and balancing the figure. But if you end up perching him on a stand on your shelf, that would no longer be an issue. As usual, the fun factor would vary from one collector to another, and depend on their imagination and interest.

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Value 3.5/4 stars
This is a popular protagonist from a popular franchise; the set is attractive and innovative, if fairly basic. That said, in the world of high-end sixth-scale collectibles, $165 (USD) including shipping is close to the lower, rather than the higher end of the price range, and I appreciate that. There was clearly some research and development that went into this, and while the result is not perfect, it is still impressive and in many ways a step forward (a step, one might add, that other, established outfits should have taken already but have not). But note that this price might not be available at all sources; in this instance I used eBay.

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Things to watch out for
Hard to tell yet. The body surface feels just a little sticky, and closer to TBLeague's silicone bodies than Jiaou's TPE ones (though I could be wrong); either way some protective powder probably won't hurt -- but I haven't tried it myself. I would not abuse the joints excessively; if they are indeed plastic, they might snap. Heat up the hand sculpts before placing on the pegs -- there are no spare pegs provided, and these are not exactly the same as the ones used by Soldier Story or DAM or by Hot Toys and others. Careful with exchanging the head sculpts -- they require some effort to remove or to attach, and you don't want to snap the neck peg that comes out of the body; heating up the head a little bit before trying this should help. I didn't try too hard to test it, but although it appeared safe and secure, I would handle the parts of the body where the hair effect has been applied with some basic care. That said, it is not as fragile (or the body as difficult to pose) as the twelfth-scale version of Logan that came out some time ago.

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Overall - 3.4/4 stars
In terms of looks, the set delivers everything it promised. While it is fairly limited, it does include a number of interchangeable parts, including two beautifully-executed head sculpts. And it commands a price nearer the lower end of the range current in our hobby. I do wish the articulation were better, while I realize TBLeague has spoiled us. But it has also set a standard that ADD should have made sure to match. As it is, neither has attained perfection.

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Where to Buy
You can always check eBay or the following (among others) --

Cotswold Collectibles for $180

Timewalker Toys for $180

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Hope this has been useful. As always, what do you think? And one more for the road (or, in Spanish, Una mas y vamos)

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#addtoys #warwolves #logan #wolverine #hughjackman #xmen #marvel #superhero #mutant #male #fiction #productreview
Search in: GENERAL TALK  Topic: ADD TOYS War Wolves Back (muscle version)  Replies: 43  Views: 3993
Updated with Part II: Kitbash Potential in Post 17 below.

For my previous Star Wars sixth-scale review, see HERE.

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Introduction
Hot Toys is apparently determined to milk its Star Wars license for all it's got, reprising different (often slightly different) versions of the same characters over an over, and bringing us renditions of their on-screen appearance from various insignificant or indeed deleted scenes (case in point, sandstorm Luke). This is not quite the same thing with their Bespin Leia, but this is the third (fourth if you count what I consider the non-canonical Sequel Trilogy) iteration of her character produced by Hot Toys (and there is another on its way) while many others still await their first rendition, and it depicts a relatively unimportant, if distinctive appearance of the character in The Empire Strikes Back. I've always had a thing for this look, and I have to confess I was seduced by the serene beauty of the product in the promotional images; so I bought it after having decided that I would not... And it turned out to be more or less as I expected, given previous experience: not bad at all, but not overwhelmingly great either.

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Packaging - 3/4 stars
I don't expect to be wowed by the packaging, so this is not terribly important to me, as long as it is practical and safe. And this is, conforming to the traditional boxing standard of (post Rogue One) Star Wars sixth-scale action figures by Hot Toys. We get a rectangular box in two shades of black with a fine photo of the product, and a cigar band with the character's name and "inset" photo running along the bottom of the lid. Inside is a nice (but in my opinion unnecessary) title card with a color image of the product, and below it a clear plastic trey with its clear plastic lid, within which the figure and its "accessories" are cradled safely. Beneath that, there is a cardboard card with the backdrop piece attached through a couple of clear plastic tabs. Everything is collector-friendly and safe. I would have preferred foam, but that would have been a departure from precedent (they did provide foam for their Deluxe Indiana Jones figure, and possibly others I don't know or forget).

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Sculpting - 4/4 stars
As usual, Hot Toys does top of the line work, and even their failures are usually more successful than the alternatives. Leia's face is sculpted with great attention to fine details (look at the hair strands and braids), and there are no technical imperfections; the seam line of the mold is perhaps just a little too apparent, while technically handled correctly. The figure stands about 10.5 inches (26.7 cm) tall, which is just a little too tall for a sixth-scale version of actress Carrie Fisher.

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Paint - 4/4 stars
Hot Toys' paint application tends to be fairly flawless, and this set is no exception even if, apart from the head, there is little room for complexity. The eyes are clear and glossy, the lips appropriately so, the skin has subtle variation making it appear realistic, the shoes are given an appropriate slightly metallic color, in short everything appears to be good. I don't know whether it is lighting or professional photography (or editing), but I get the feeling that the promotional images were just a bit more attractive than the product we get; then again, I like it better in hand than in my own photos.

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Articulation - 4/4 stars
It used to be that Hot Toys bodies were held up as an example of near perfect action figure articulation. Yet, it seems like in recent years every time we have reviewed a Hot Toys set, we have been writing something along the lines of "the underlying body has all the articulation that you might want, but the outfit restricts it significantly in several places." For once this is not the case, and Leia can pose with virtually unhindered freedom ... in an outfit in which we see her do remarkably little onscreen. She can (be posed to) walk, sit, cross her legs, do splits!, and raise her hands up in the air like she don't care. The joints are just the right combination of tight and loose to allow all this and to make it possible to stand the figure in most of these poses. This is excellent; and this is how it should be every time for this price and from this company.

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Accessories - 2/4 stars
As so often in recent reviews, this is where Hot Toys products often come up short. There is nothing here I would really call an accessory proper. Admittedly, we do not see Leia in this apparel handling, wielding, using anything at all, so Hot Toys has a perfect excuse to not provide any accessories. For this price, however (more on that later), they ought to. Leia comes with two sets of interchangeable hands (these are spare parts, not accessories), a pair of extra wrist pegs (likewise), an action figure base/stand, and a backdrop display. They certainly could have given us a gun for the grip hand (Kenner and Hasbro did), or a glass or anything film-related. The action figure stand and base are standard Death Star (?) floor type that we have seen with so many other figures; there is a printed card with what is apparently Cloud City flooring on it that you can put on top of the base, securing it in place by inserting the stand part. The backdrop is by far the most impressive and specific "accessory." It is a rectangular plastic-covered styrofoam piece with an indented section at the bottom that is lined with magnets that allow it to attach to the back of the base (and I do like this solution). The surface that remains showing is molded to look like a textured Art-Deco wall panel from Cloud City. Even if I don't care for the look (though it is screen accurate), this is a great idea. But like other such backdrops, it is far too narrow to be useful. I know the idea is that it covers only as much ground as the base, and then you can put your fancy Hot Toys figures together side by side, etc., but the effect is underwhelming. For what it is worth, they could have fitted a wider backdrop without changing the dimensions of the set's box. I almost forgot... there is also the now usual but unnecessary (at least with this set) instruction leaflet (not shown).

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Outfit - 3/4 stars
The outfit/appearance recreated in this set is probably the one I liked best, although I do not consider it as iconic as the white-dress-and-hair-buns of A New Hope. It is a strange combination of complex and simple, and was apparently inspired by a variety of traditional Indian dress, with a long-sleeved tunic worn over pants and with an open sleeveless cloak with a quilted yoke at its top. (For once the Hot Toys pants are not too tight and allow for the excellent articulation mentioned above.) I said I like it, though to be honest I do not actually find it very exciting... maybe it was Leia's hair I actually liked? Anyway, Hot Toys did a very good job recreating the outfit, but not a perfect one. The quilted yoke has more pronounced bends here than onscreen, and it should have been worn more open at the neck (the promotional images for the set have it right, but because it is sewn onto the tunic, you cannot correct this by just futzing with it). Looking at set photos from the film, it looks as if the tunic for the action figure was made just a little short -- or it may have something to do with the disparity between Carrie Fisher's height and body type and the sixth-scale version. The bottom of the cloak has a thin metal wire running though it, helping to keep the pleats in place (not very successfully if you look higher up, but then again they were not supposed to be actual pleats). Theoretically, you could adjust this for posing, but without a wire running down the side edges, it is not very easy to make effective use of it (to be honest I didn't really try, as I didn't want to compromise the pleating further). While the wire is generally a good idea, it does get in the way of the cloak draping naturally (of course the cloth might not drape very well in this scale anyway). The intricate embroidery design on the cloak appears to be accurately reproduced but ironed-on (no, I did not really expect them to embroider it). It does appear more vivid and starkly apparent and contrasting with the background of the garment than it does in the film, which does reduce the realism a bit.

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Fun Factor - 2/4
I'm divided on this one; this is not a particularly fun Leia in the film, and the absence of other specifically Empire Strikes Back iterations of the characters from the Hot Toys line (Vader, Luke, and Boba Fett don't really count in relation to this set) doesn't help; neither does the absence of any real, if imaginative accessories. That said, with a bit of patience (will they give us a better, Empire Han down the line?) and/or creativity you could get this Leia figure its playmates, create come scenes (the excellent articulation helps), and even manage some kitbashing (more on that in a follow up). Ultimately, you know what comes with this set and can make a reasonably accurate guess as to its appeal and possibilities.

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Value - 1/4 stars
Retailing at about $204 (USD), this is noticeably less expensive than many other Hot Toys sets these days. Apparently Hot Toys has taken note of the limitations of the set and priced it accordingly -- within the framework of the prices it has worked so hard to inflate over the last several years. But is the price really justifiable? Hard to tell. But there are reasons to think it might have been lower: yet another rendition of a character already produced, and a less iconic or relevant one; a probable partial recycling of a head sculpt; a recycling and more limited choice of hand sculpts; the complete absence of any real accessory; the recycling of the action figure base and stand (with just a printed card offered as a more specific option); the absence of natural relevant counterparts in the line of figures limiting the fun factor... and so on. Yes, there is the elaborately decorated outfit -- but the pattern is printed and ironed on, and the wire is ultimately a questionable choice; yes, there is the nice backdrop -- but it is narrow, limited, and styrofoam (which is actually impressive, in a way). Although the set is perfectly good for what it is, it could have been so much better -- or it could have featured another, unproduced, perhaps more exciting iteration or character.

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Things to watch out for
Nothing I can think of beyond the usual basic precautions (is this because they simply didn't include enough to be careful about?). Smile

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Overall - 2.8/4 stars
Like I suggested before, I knew what I was getting, so this was not really disappointing to me. There is a lot here was done right, in fact better than usual, and there were also some things that could have been done better. It is a nicely done set, but certainly not a perfect or very exciting one. I suppose its appeal would depend on a collector's interest in completeness, the character, the actress, or the specific look and setting. But I also imagine that, faced with Hot Toys pricing in general, the casual collector would reserve his or her money for things that they really want or need, and this is one of the more marginal and more limited options out there, so it might suffer by comparison with others.

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Where to buy?
(some of these might still be on Preorder)

Alter Ego Comics for $204
Big Bad Toy Store for $205
Cotswold Collectibles for $200
Timewalker Toys for $204

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I hope this has been useful. As always, what do you think?

#starwars #empirestrikesback #esb #bespin #leia #cloudcity #hottoys #productreview #female #scifi #fantasy

TBL Fantasy Anubis (and friends) updated - Fri Jan 17, 2020 4:04 am

Updated with M32 body in Post 9 below

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

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

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

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What do you think?

#anubis #egypt #fantasy #god #male #tbleague #tbl #phicen #productreview
Search in: GENERAL TALK  Topic: TBL Fantasy Anubis (and friends) updated  Replies: 22  Views: 3230

World Box AT027 Mini Review - Sat Oct 26, 2019 4:39 am

Since there is some interest in non-seamless ripped male bodies in 1:6 scale, here is a brief review of the World Box AT027 body that I received some time ago.

It comes in the traditional simple cardboard box and synthetic trey packaging, which keeps everything comfortably safe and sound. Nothing flashy here, but certainly adequate.

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The AT027 body represents a fairly ripped type, more so than their earlier versions along these lines, but also not quite as extreme as what we see in modern body building. The body stands about 13 inches (33 cm) in height if you add a head sculpt (not included). The sculpting is excellent, with lots of medium and minor details representing muscles and veins, and even hairs. The only real problem is the continued tendency for these World Box bodies to have an extra long neck.

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Unlike so many base bodies on the market, and unlike some of World Box's more recent installments (which capitalize on articulation but compromise appearance), the body is painted in a somewhat blurry, subtle manner, most notably the areas where one would expect most body hair (chest, abdomen, lower legs, but for some reason not the forearms) and also the nipples.

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AT027's articulation is good without being perfect, at least in theory. The ankles, double-jointed knees, wrists work great; there is very little ab crunch (though you can articulate between the chest and the abdomen) but the upper torso can rotate around the waist; the upper legs can come out from the hips almost at 90 degrees, allowing for sitting and kneeling positions. The shoulders include some attempt at more extensive articulation, but it is not very effective; the elbows are single jointed, though they do allow for a 90 degree bend; neck articulation is non-existent except for rotating and tilting the head atop it.

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I don't know if this problem is limited to my purchase or systemic, but I noticed that while some of the joints were very tight, most were unusually loose. This is even more of an annoyance than usual, because World Box bodies are hefty and heavy, with a higher center of gravity, and require more care and precautions to pose them standing; with the fairly loose ankles (more specifically the fit between the foot and the ankle peg), these challenges become more challenging.

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As a base body, AT027 does not come with a plethora of accessories, apart from some alternate parts, namely three slightly different neck connectors and four interchangeable sets of hands: relaxed hands, fists, knife grip hands, trigger hands. These are nicely sculpted and fit easily enough onto the wrist pegs. The feet are also removable.

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The figure does not come with any clothing, which is not altogether surprising for base bodies. What I chose for the photos was designed to show off as much of the body as possible while keeping things clean (the body is anatomically correct or complete).

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The loose joints and the figure's tendency to lose balance due to its heft can be an ongoing concern when handling, posing, and photographing the product. Otherwise, its good articulation and appearance make it a nice option for kitbashers and customizers. AT027 sells for nearly $60 (US). Its durability and realism go some way to justifying this prices, as does the overall rise in the prices of pretty much everything sixth-scale (especially higher-end sixth-scale) these days. But if the loose joints issue is widespread or universal, the quality of the product would be compromised and the price would be far more difficult to justify.

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Overall, AT027 represents a fine addition to the line-up of World Box bodies. They have fallen into two categories: bodies that strive to convey a realistic look (via sculpting, details, completeness, un-ideal characteristics, etc), and bodies that attempt to improve the articulation at the expense of the appearance (and are therefore best covered up completely). This dichotomy or conflict epitomizes the choices any company producing sixth-scale bodies has to make. AT027 belongs in the former category, where the look is more important than articulation, although some elements would seem to contradict this, for example the very distracting double-jointed knees: they work very well but are quite hideous. Perhaps I have been resorting to seamless bodies too long...

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If you are looking to get yourself a World Box AT027 body, you can check in all the usual places, including eBay, or some of the stores listed below (among others).
Big Bad Toy Store $60
Cotswold Collectibles $58
Monkey Depot $58
Timewalker Toys $58

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Hope this was useful. What do you think?

#productreview #worldbox #at027 #male #muscular #ripped #body
Search in: GENERAL TALK  Topic: World Box AT027 Mini Review  Replies: 28  Views: 6184
Update: for the new Kaustic Plastik Conan Masterclass set, see HERE.

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Introduction
It seems like this is ancient/fantasy action figure review week, what with the Rome Imperial Army Legionary (HERE) and Centurion (HERE) figure reviews posted earlier, and now my Conan the Barbarian set from Mr Toys finally arrived yesterday. As a fan, it was not something I could easily pass up, although I already own the two fantasy barbarian warrior sets from Kaustic Plastik and was also going to pick up Kaustic Plastik's new Conan set, which is essentially an upgrade on their previous work and a variation of the Mr Toys set. In fact, Mr Toys seems to have redone a version of Kaustic Plastik's old sets with a selection of the items and some new additions, basically trying to replicate Conan's iconic look from Conan the Destroyer (by far the worse of the two Conan Arnold Schwarzenegger films, in my book). The Mr Toys set is available in two variants, one without (A) and one with (B) the TBLeague (Phicen) M35 seamless action figure body. Since I had M35 bodies to spare, I ordered the smaller, less expensive set A. Because this is not a complete action figure set, I am going to simplify the review and not assign point values, while providing as many images as usual. For the M35 body itself, you can check out my detailed review and a zillion images HERE.

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Packaging
The set I ordered (without the M35 body) comes in a tidy black rectangular cardboard box with a slip-on cover showing off the product, the Mr Toys logo, and product number. Inside the box there are two black foam treys (always appreciated) with the various items that come in the set stored safely and easy to access. Nothing mind-blowing but certainly neat and collector-friendly.
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Sculpting
This category includes a number of items, but of course the most focal one is the head sculpt. Mr Toys appears to have used a head sculpt of Arnold Schwarzenegger that seems just a little more youthful than what we usually see, and is therefore appropriate for the film-based character; nevertheless, it features a sufficiently stern expression. This is the first "real" hair Conan head sculpt we have gotten, and that is a big plus in my book. The sculpting on the head appears to be of excellent quality. It is also very well done on the remainder of the sculpted elements: from the soft plastic headband with its ornaments, to the two pendants, to the ornamented over belt, the utilitarian dagger, and the ornately decorated sword. This category leaves nothing to be desired, and although many of the pieces appear to have been copied directly from the old Kaustic Plastik sets, there are also improvements -- including quality (especially durability -- nothing fell apart as I was handling it), the "real" hair head sculpt, the removable head band, the teeth added to one of the necklaces (although they actually go with another pendant that Kaustic Plastike had not yet produced and was therefore substituted with one that they had made, but didn't go with the teeth).

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Paint
In terms of quality, the paint work appears to be excellent. The face looks realistic, the eyes are precisely painted and glossy, the metallic elements -- whether actual metal or painted plastic -- are convincing and precisely executed. Accuracy is a slightly different matter: for example, parts of the sword should have been given a gold or bronze coloring, but like the old Kaustic Plastik set we get the same clean steel look; the leather strings wound round the boots and fur leggins should have been black. There is little in the way of weathering here, except perhaps on the dagger, the buckle on the back of the ornate belt, and the metal pendant. More weathering would have lent the figure's appearance added realism.

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Articulation
Technically, since my set was the version that came without a body, there is none; the recommended M35 body (HERE, although M34 would probably work just as well) has pretty much all the articulation you could possibly expect and the rather skimpy outfit does not get in the way much. The boots allow for excellent ankle articulation, making wide stances easy to achieve. It is great that the boots include feet (or perhaps they are integral to them), and these fit well onto the TBLeague body. Nevertheless, the stainless steel plus silicone body is heavy and with a high center of gravity, meaning it is not going to be overly steady on its ankles. Take precautions against the figure toppling over, and perhaps stuff something in to tighten the fit of the ankle peg into the hole inside the boot.

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Accessories
The set includes the following accessories: the metal pendant on a string with four teeth or fangs (inaccurate, both because of their placement and because they were paired with a different, golden sun pendant that is not provided here); the green stone snake cult pendant; the decorated battle (?) headgear with "noseguard", which is tied with string at the back of the head; the dagger which fits into a sheath attached to the belt (it fits well, but perhaps a little too high); the long sword which comes with its own sheath with imprinted design and has a couple of hooks on its back, allowing it to hang from either the decorated belt (again, rather too high) or to attach to a leather-like belt that goes across the chest and back and is buckled on the front. There are several other items, but I am keeping covering them under Outfit below. The accessories are of high quality in terms of durability and execution, but again not always entirely accurate (most notably the pendant paired with the teeth/fangs necklace or the lack of gold treatment on the decoration of the sword).

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Outfit
The outfit is minimal, but that is the look we saw on screen for most of Conan the Destroyer. There is a furry (wolf- or bear-skin?) kilt, held in place by leather thongs (called "leather pants" in the product description), over which goes the wide belt decorated with "metal" strips and a dragon crest in the middle; all this is very well executed. The lower arms are protected by a couple of vambraces. On the right lower arm there is a brown leather vambrace with gold- or bronze-colored round studs (which represents the much more numerous and more closely set spikes in the film -- the simplification is carried over the old Kaustic Plastik set). On the left lower arm there is a black leather vambrace with thongs, held together by velcro (I'm not sure it should have been quite black as opposed to dark brown, except perhaps for the thongs wound over it; and it should have been made a little wider to allow a more comfortable fit). Finally, there are the brown leather boots with grey fur trim on the top, and brown leather straps (should have been black or much darker brown leather) wound around both boot and trim. These constantly move out of place and require some futzing to get halfway right; nevertheless they do not fall apart like those in the original Kaustic Plastik set, which is a relief.

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Fun Factor
The absence of other character from the Conan films does not help, but nevertheless, the fairly complete outfit and accessories makes this a fun set. This is augmented by the excellent articulation potential and by the quality and durability of the items included in the set. Still, not something you would want careless children to mess around with.

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Value
The set I bought, without the M35 body included, retails for anywhere between around $85 and $100 (USD), often with shipping included, if you're buying on eBay from China. This is not exactly cheap, but it is not horrendously more than the price of the old Kaustic Plastik sets from years back, partly reprized by Mr Toys. If you are buying the set with the M35 body included, the price jumps to closer to $180, but that includes the $80+ for the body. Overall, the price is not inconsiderable, but also not horribly exaggerated compared to earlier and similar practice. But of course if you are buying multiples, or also looking forward to picking up Mr Toys' He-Man set and Kaustic Plastik's new and improved Conan set, the costs will add up.

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Things to watch out for
If you are treating the figure with the usual amount of care appropriate for high-end collectibles of this type, there should be little or nothing to worry about. As I mentioned, the figure can be a bit top-heavy and lose its balance, so take precautions about that. I do worry that the little round metallic studs on the leather vambrace on the right hand might fall off, as they did with the Kaustic Plastik version, but on the whole the quality seems to be better, so perhaps it should less of a concern.

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Overall
All told, this is a very good set. It is not perfect (occasional mistakes with the pairing and painting of accessories, etc), but it is fairly complete as far as what we can associate with this look of the character, and it is durable and beautifully executed. Don't get me wrong: I love the old Kaustic Plastik stuff, and between their two sets, you do get more than you get here; however, I am weary and wary of everything I touch coming apart in my hands, and Mr Toys' set is like a breadth of fresh air in that respect. Moreover, with the new head sculpt, the "real" hair, and the removable headband, we get some real and unprecedented improvements in terms of the selection, functionality, and appearance of the items making up the set. I am very pleased overall, and I think most others who go for this set will be too. One should note that it looks like the new Kaustic Plastik set will correct some of their earlier mistakes and omissions (including some carried over into the Mr Toys set) -- but the new Kaustic Plastik set is much more expensive, does not include a body, and features a beautiful but one-piece sculpted head (the hair and headband are part of the head sculpt).

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Where to buy?
This is a tough one. Most outfits carrying these here in the States have long sold out their pre-orders, although it is to be expected that they might get some additional sets. I don't like to pre-order, but when I saw so many venues sold out, bit the bullet and pre-ordered from GianToy (you can do so directly or via eBay). If you want one and haven't pre-ordered it, check where you would usually check (just in case), or look on eBay.

For comparison purposes, here are a couple of photos of this set alongside my custom Conan the Barbarian (also based on the appearance in Conan the Destroyer) and the much more loosely-inspired "Conanesque" figure.

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I hope you found this useful. What do you think?

Update: for the new Kaustic Plastik Conan Masterclass set, see HERE.

#conan #barbarian #arnold #schwarzenegger #mrtoys #film #fiction #fantasy #warrior #male #productreview #review
Search in: GENERAL TALK  Topic: Conan the Barbarian Set A by Mr Toys (MT2018-02) review  Replies: 60  Views: 7222
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Introduction

I don't really play video games (did some computer games, and that was mostly in the fairly distant past), but that does not mean that I don't come across cool action figures based on video game characters. And I don't just mean the Battlefront versions of Star Wars Empire Strikes Back Snowtroopers. CC Toys has just released a product called Unexplored Nate Summer Version, obviously inspired by the Nathan Drake character from the popular Uncharted video game series (and, if I am correct, the character's look from Uncharted 4). Although I knew next to nothing of the character or the game, I liked the set, so I got it when I found it for a decent enough price. I did some research preparing for the review, but I'm sure there are plenty of things I may have overlooked.

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Packaging: 4/4 stars

Although there is nothing particularly mind-blowing here, we get a sturdy and compact box with a fine color rendition of the product and all the necessary information. Inside is a single black foam trey with its black foam lid, providing safe accommodation for the figure and its accessories. Everything is completely safe and collector friendly. I particularly appreciate the combination between small size and sturdiness of the box and the use of a foam rather than plastic trey on the inside.

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Sculpt: 3.5/4 stars

The character's head sculpt is very close or identical to what we see in the promotional images and the photograph on the box. The light and quality of my photography is not quite good enough to give it real justice. The sculpt is executed in minute detail, with tiny intentional imperfections and wrinkles and wounds/scars on the skin, fine (though not quite Hot Toys fine) hair and stubble. (The sculpting of the hair is actually finer than what you see in the photos, in which the camera has focused on the facial features instead.) The sculpting extends to the torso and arms, with veins, muscles, and hairs indicated here as well (the lower body -- judging by the lower legs -- does not have this kind of detailed treatment, but then again, it is not meant to be visible). The hand sculpts are made of plastic a little softer than what I have usually seen, but easy to manipulate and use with the accessories. The sculpted detail on the shoes is excellent, and the sculpted accessories (flashlight, gun, etc) also look very good. Nate stands about 11.75 inches (30 cm) tall and is well-proportioned except perhaps for a slight giraffe-neck effect (presumably intended to counter-balance the clothed upper body but still perceptible).

There is something a bit off from the face of the video game character (which actually changed a little between games) -- perhaps the proportions of the head and/or the size and shape of the jaw or the whole lower part of the face). The resulting face is good, but not an exact rendition of the character's; it should certainly be longer (especially the forehead and mouth/chin areas) -- see HERE. Perhaps one can think of it as a younger, more boyish version of the character from the game; or a cosplayer playing the character; or perhaps the animated rendition of the character was wrong all along. I mean, Tom Holland was supposed to play him in a movie... And it is not as if Sideshow did better (it went the other extreme). Am I too easy on this because it is based on an animated character, or because I am not particularly familiar with/attached to the source material?

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Paint: 4/4 stars

While not appearing to be particularly complex or spectacular at first sight, the paint job on this figure and its accessories is actually very good. There is subtle weathering on things like the bodkin, flashlight, gun, and hook, and they have been painted in a manner that makes them look realistic and used. The eyes are glossy and beautifully done, although the pupils might be a tad too large. The hair may appear a bit flat when it comes to color, but then again so was that of the computer character. The eyebrows and stubble, however, are very impressively handled, and the wounds/scars (mostly on the right side -- camera left -- of the face) are done well -- not too much or too little color added. A sort of freckle effect is applied to the upper body and arms in a manner subtle enough to look pretty realistic. The shoes have been painted to look like used and scuffed leather, while the loopholes look metallic. The watch's face looks glossy and translucent. I don't think there is much more than we could have possibly expected in this category.

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Articulation: 3/4 stars

The overall articulation of the figure is quite decent, but it leaves something to be desired. The head can pose well on top of the neck; the figure also articulates well at the shoulders, hips/thighs, (double-jointed) knees, and wrists and ankles. However, there is very little give at the lower neck, somewhat limited abdominal crunch, and single-jointed elbows that can only bend to 90 degrees. Additionally, the lower half of the body is a little bit on the floppy side, and the ankles in particular seem rather weak, although the figure can stand on its own. The lower body articulation is slightly restricted by the tight pants, which would prevent very wide stances.

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Accessories: 3.5/4 stars

There are quite a few accessories included with the set. Apart from the action figure stand and the stand-alone name-sign "Nate," there are the hook (with articulated claws) with attached coiled rope, the bodkin, the flashlight, the watch, the waist pack, and the ring, which comes on the left relaxed hand, but is a separate little metal piece that you could theoretically put on another hand and finger. I overlooked (and therefore forgot to show) a little belt loop (or bracket) that closes with magnets and is intended to secure the coiled rope to the belt.

In terms of weapons, the set includes only a Beretta 92FS Brigarier Inox handgun, which has apparently appeared in all four games of the series. While I realize that providing the whole arsenal of weapons featured in the game would have been impractical or cost-prohibitive, it seems that one or two extra pieces would have been advisable, perhaps a rifle that the character is often shown slinging about on his back. Judging by Uncharted 4 alone, additional weapons could have included: Colt Rail Gun/M1911A1 hybrid, a flintlock pistol, a Mateba Model 6 Unica, a Sa. Vz. 61 Skorpion/IMI Micro Uzi hybrid, a Robinson Armament XCR-L CQB, an IMI Romat, a Ruger Mini-30 Tactical, a Ruger Mini-14, a Beretta ARX-160, a Remington ACR, an M14, a Winchester Model 1866, a Armscor/Rock Island Armory M30 M5 Matte Nickel, an RPG-7, and especially the SIG-Sauer SIG556 Classic rifle. And this doesn't take into account several oversized weapons. Apparently many of the weapons were misnamed and/or rendered somewhat incorrectly in the game (see HERE).

The nice paint and sculpting work done on the accessories has been mentioned above.

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Outfit: 4/4 stars

The outfit is simple enough and reflects the character's look from Uncharted 4. It consisting of khaki-colored pants (chinos), a blue long-sleeved shirt (henley), and the harness/shoulder rig with a holster and ammo pouches. The pants are slightly distressed to make them look used. The blue shirt has some staining to make it look dusty and worn, and the long sleeves can be easily rolled up to achieve the iconic look from the game; it also features four silverish-colored buttons. The harness/shoulder rig is made of thin leather or leather-like material, complete with metal loops and caps. There is also some white padding over the lower torso/abdomen, secured with velcro behind the back; I removed it so that I could achieve the signature "half-tucked" effect. The outfit is completed with the brown walking shoes, which are finely sculpted and painted, as noted above.

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Fun Factor: 3.5/4 stars

Despite the limited choice of weapons, the set comes with several accessories, and despite the less than perfect articulation, it poses very well. Because of this, it has plenty of fun potential. The only reason I'm giving this less than a perfect score is that the absence of any of the other protagonists (or antagonists) from the game means that one cannot easily pair the character with others from the same source -- at least not without some ambitious kitbashing.

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Value: 3.5/4 stars

Retailing at about $160, this is not exactly cheap, but it is much more affordable than many other high-end action figures. Admittedly, you get a slightly inexact likeness and this is not a fully licensed collectible (hence the product name). But the product is very good overall, and unlike so many others these days (including some from very respected companies), comes with a nice array of accessories.

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Things to watch out for

Giantoy, from which I purchased the figure, included a possibly generic note that it would not be responsible for broken wrist pegs. Whether this was in any way specific to this figure or a general disclaimer, be careful with the pegs (there are no spare ones included) and use a blow dryer or hot water to heat up the plastic when swapping hands. The tiny clip allowing the flashlight to attach to the belt can easily come off (though it was also easy to glue it back in place); and being black and tiny, it would be easy to lose -- so you would want to be careful with it. The little belt loop (bracket) intended to secure the coiled rope in place which I forgot to feature closes with magnets. This is generally great, but in this instance I noticed that the magnets were so strong, and the glue so weak, that one of the magnets became unglued from the (p?)leather strap. Easy to fix with some super glue, but another thing to keep in mind. Given the relative weakness of the ankles, the figure might topple relatively easily.

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Overall: 3.6/4 stars

I am not disappointed with this product, but then again I did not have particularly high or set expectations. Yes, the likeness to the video game character could have been better, and we could have had slightly better articulation and a rifle, but all in all, Unexplored Nate is a pretty nice set.

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Where to Buy

Apart from looking on eBay, I would suggest looking at these:

Cotswold Collectibles for $160 (preorder)
GianToy for $163
Monkey Depot for $160 (preorder)
Timewalker Toys for $160 (preorder)

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I hope this review has been useful. What do you think?

#uncharted #nathandrake #unexplored #nate #videogame #fiction #adventure #male #modern #productreview #cctoys
Search in: GENERAL TALK  Topic: UNEXPLORED NATE Summer Version by CC Toys review  Replies: 5  Views: 2330
Hi all,

Here is another review of a Hasbro Black Series 6" figure.  I have to say that currently I find these smaller figures much more exciting than 1/6 stuff.  I know this is primarily a 1/6 forum but I am more likely to be contributing in this section in future I guess.  My love for 1/6 has just gone i'm afraid mostly killed by the excessive prices which are now asked in the UK for mainly franchised figures, but also the military stuff too really.

Anyway I digress and on to the review.

This time it is General Grievous.  I will admit to having a bit of a soft spot for the character.  Its not the best character ever devised, but hey this is Star Wars and I kind of like the look of this one.

This is the first in the 'Deluxe' range of Black Series figures, and as such is numbered D1 on the packaging.  Apart from the D numbering the package is standard Black Series stuff, so I won't spend more time there.

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This is a tall figure measuring approximately 18cm (7") tall at full height.

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It comes with  nice lined cloth cape which seems to drape well enough, and has 4 pockets on the inside for the included light sabre hilts.  There are four different light sabres which are all different in design and have the standard Black series removable blades 2 each of blue and green.  There is also a droid blaster which is a nice touch.

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This is an impressive figure in person.  Its tall, with those great looking claw like feet, and has arms which can be split providing either four or two arms to suit how you want to pose the figure.  Arms are nicely done and do actually clip into one another to form the two arm mode so they do really look like single arms in this mode.  The Shoulders have a great range of movement, but due to the design the elbows are a little limited and there is no wrist movement at all.  This could have been improved but then the figure would probably be likely to cost over £30 rather than the very reasonable £25-£27 it costs here in the UK.  Its important to remember too that these are toys, and not necessarily high end posable collectables, and therefore need some strength and durability to the joints.  In any case it is still relatively easy to obtain those classic looking 4 arm Grievous poses with the limited mobility.  
Each of the hands has 2 fingers and a thumb enabling each hand to hold an item, however when joined together the hands are too big to hold the included blaster.
The rest of the articulation is very good, with good movement all round and the ability to add some subtle character to a pose by cocking the head slightly etc...  I would say that the articulation is good overall given the nature of the character.

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The figure is fairly easy to pose and can achieve all those classic Grievous looks.  It balances well in most poses, and the feet whilst having multiple small points of contact are actually able to provide a very stable base in most poses.

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The look of the figure is great, with very nicely detailed sculpting and for the most part great paint.  There are some of those slightly over the top silver patches, but for the most part the weathering on this figure is great.  Very subtle and not over done.  The eyes are very well done indeed on this one, looking very reminiscent of what we see on screen.
This side of a figure is more important for me these days, as I am much more a collector now than a modeller or tinkerer.  I have been there and done that in the past but it is much less a part of the pleasure I get from figures today.  My figures for the most part don't get altered and so how they look out of the box is important to me, and this one in my opinion delivers.

I love the look of this figure and can whole heartedly recommend it if it takes your fancy.

Here he is in place on the shelf.

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Paul

#starwars #hasbro #blackseries #generalgrievous #6inch #productreview #scifi
Search in: NON-SIXTH-SCALE ACTION FIGURES  Topic: Hasbro Black Series 6" General Grievous Review  Replies: 13  Views: 2195
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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...

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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...

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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).

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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?

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Where to Buy:

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

Cotswold Collectibles $314

Timewalker Toys $220 (regular version)

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#starwars #returnofthejedi #rotj #hottoys #emperor #palpatine #review #productreview #scifi #male
Search in: GENERAL TALK  Topic: Hot Toys Star Wars Emperor Palpatine (Deluxe) Review  Replies: 116  Views: 14111

VS TOYS BATHROOM - Fri Jan 25, 2019 2:28 am

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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
Search in: GENERAL TALK  Topic: VS TOYS BATHROOM  Replies: 20  Views: 2696

Fancy Armchair by Haoyu Toys - Wed Oct 17, 2018 11:32 pm

We have seen these (or something just like them) used in many advertisements for other sixth-scale products, so when I saw them for sale on Big Bad Toy Store, I picked one up. They come in four colors (red, green, blue, and purple), and are technically called rather strangely "Single Sofa 3.0".

The fancy armchair is sculpted pretty nicely, if a little softly, and features surfaces colored in red (in this instance) to simulate leather and in a golden or brass color to simulate wooden framing. The paint job is fairly clean, without being very precise. It is a large and opulent piece, measuring as follows (all dimensions somewhat approximate) :

Height to back to top of back 9.5 in or 23.5 cm
Height to top of armrests 5 in or 12.5 cm
Height to top of seat 3 in or 7.5 cm
Width from side to side (external dimensions) 7.5 in or 18 cm
Depth from front to back (external dimensions) 5 in or 12.5 cm

Here are three photos with some figures for scale...

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Before you accuse me, unless I have unsuspected prophetic abilities, this is not a GOT spoiler!

Anyway, I hope this is useful.

#furniture #chair #hy #haoyu #sofa #diorama #productreview #hottoys #threezero #tbleague #jacksparrow #jaimelannister #daenerystargaryen #got #gameofthrones #humor
Search in: GENERAL TALK  Topic: Fancy Armchair by Haoyu Toys   Replies: 4  Views: 1666
She (GAC Toys GC017 A) has just arrived and is already helping herself to everything in sight...

After a long day at work, and some time slaving over the BBQ, Gunner relaxed on the couch with Peggy, who claimed she didn't want anything other than her big glass of wine... until...

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The head is one of the set announced on this forum some time ago (HERE). I got version A, with the shorter red hair, perhaps because it reminded me a little bit of Dana Scully from the X Files. While the expression is a little odd and maybe sleepy (though it can be put to perfectly decent uses, as you saw above), the quality is excellent, and the finished product appears to match the prototypes used for promotional purposes. The head is a reasonably close match to TBLeague's "new suntan" (though the head is just a little darker/warmer in color than the S25B I used), and also a reasonably close match to Jiaou Doll's "wheat" (which is just a little bit darker/warmer than the head) -- as you can see below...

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The hair is actually ok... it just seemed a little flat in that last photo. The other versions have ampler and longer hairstyles.

Hope this was useful and at least mildly amusing...

What do you think?

#gactoys #gac #female #head #headsculpt #productreview #humor
Search in: PHOTO STORIES  Topic: OH NO, SHE'S AFTER HIS SAUSAGE! (GAC TOYS GC017 A)  Replies: 21  Views: 3006
Here is my second reposted review from OSW for members here to read Smile

Not so long ago I received 5 items from Pew Pew Gun:
Shen light armour figures (normal red, exclusive white edition and exclusive black edition), the silver light armour accessory pack and the Pinyike clear armour pack. I will be focussing mainly on the Shen sets for this review.

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Now, I love Pew Pew Guns prior offerings and hadn't had much/any QC issues with their Pinyike figures but these newer Shen Yaogui figures are more of a mixed bag:

Pros:


Great designs and paint work:
These figures look fantastic and it not so common to find original figure lines this well designed and stylised outside of movie/comic/game IP's, so I am very glad to have them in my collection.
The design of the Shen figures seems inspired by the monkey king but with the futuristic robot theme and scavenged armour appearance. It is a weird mix but it works very well.
The base body is the Pinyike robot with most of the basic armour, over which the outer light armour, shorts and gear are attached.
The inner pinyike body and armour plates are very cleanly sculpted and cast with no noticeable mould lines or paint slops in sight while the outer amour is sculpted to look old, battered and weathered. Again, the moulding is great and the paintwork is exceptional. The armour looks great full stop.
The padded crotch-less shorts (not sure what they are called) are made of pleather and honestly aren't particularly great nor necessary IMHO but they do look fine once put on (which is a fiddly thing to do just put them on slowly bit by bit).
The belt with holster is good though the tiny plastic buckles/clips can be fiddly if, like me, you have man hands.


LOADED with accessories!:
Here is where these figures really stand out. The boxes are very large for a reason: You get a large heavy resin display base with buried tank turret and barrel poking out (barrel is as long as the figure is tall), the attaching crotch grabber style stand post, Pinyike base body with head, power cell, fixed pose hands (3), articulated finger hands (2) and armour plates, Shen armoured feet, the full light outer armour, 2 part helmet, pleather crotchless shorts, belt with drop leg holster and grenade holders, 18 grenades, grenade launcher, missile launcher, MP7, attachments for the weapons and scarf!

Sturdy packaging:
The packaging consists of 3 foam trays (1 for the base, 1 for the body and 1 for the armour/accessories), sturdy 2 part art box, clear plastic wrapper and outer brown shipping box. The figures should all arrive without crushing though the art box might get some dents here and there as the brown shipper is not particularly strong or thick and no corner protectors are used.



Cons:

Non functioning display stands:
Ok, this is a weird one but the resin display bases on all 3 figures suffer the same issue. The socket where the crotch grabber is to be inserted is not large enough to fit it in and since there is no gap for the clip to pop into it wouldn't stay in place anyway. You will need to drill out the hole a bit then glue the crotch grabber in. Honestly I will just use the bases without the post/grabber.

Ill fitting armour parts:
The back plate has a couple holes to insert two tiny pegs in that hold up the waist gear/belt. The problem is the little pegs don't want to fit in.
Additionally the wrist armour plates require heating and re-shaping to attach to the forearms (hence why I haven't put them on in the pics) but they do include instructions stating to do so.
The other big issue is that the elbow armour plates keep falling off as the pegs on them are slightly too small.
All these issues are fixable but that should not be necessary.

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Ill fitting weapon parts:
The attachments are a pain the a** to fit on. they have tiny pegs that insert into tiny holes but the are either too small or too big, so parts either don't want to attach or fall right off. Mr glue will solve the issue but it will remove the option of multiple configurations. In addition to that the parts feel like they would break if forced so it is another case where less would be more, the the figure suffers from over design in areas as I will go into below.

Overly complicated design:
As I started getting into above, there are parts that are needlessly complex. I already mentioned the small attachments on the guns that honestly could have been part of the main mold or given more simple scifi designs and sturdier attachment methods. The armour is also overly designed in that there are two layers of it. It would have been simpler to design the figure where the armour attaches directly to the body and more securely. Hell, I would honestly have preferred the armour be part of the body itself and have a more sturdy figure because every clip/attachment/armour plate/etc is another point of potential failure/breakage.

Materials:
Ok so not many parts to complain about here but the few parts are kind of a big deal to me. I already mentioned the problem with the resin stand and each crotch grabber post hole is slightly different on each one. it seems that the process of casting the base results in the inconsistent and poorly done sockets. Ok , this is more a moulding issue than a material one but they are related and the weight of the base adds to the shipping cost and of course chipping will be a potential issue.
Meanwhile, the weapons and attachments are made of light fragile feeling styrene or similar plastic that feels like it could snap if forced, and the hinge for opening the grenade launcher when inserting the grenades feels tiny and fragile, so I ended up not loading the launchers on the other two figures.
Then there is the pleather material on the shorts that will probably end up peeling like so many other pleather items from other brands.

Mixed overall QC:
The shoulder pad fell off my black Shen due to the glue coming unstuck while another one had the velcro patch on the chest armour came loose. Then there were some loose joints on the base bodies here and there which added to the reduced excitement upon setting up the figures. I expect that the separate silver light armour pack will have many of the same issues.


Overall these were a mixed bag but I can't deny how cool they look and with some fixes they will be better but still not perfect. I loved the Pinyike bodies and the clear Pinyike armour pack was just as good so hopefully the Shen figure issues will not be repeated and future releases will be better. I still like Pew Pew Gun and I am glad I got the figures

6/10
Topics tagged under productreview on OneSixthFigures 41395110624_75eb481493_bIMG_4414 by kraggy2011, on Flickr

#pewpewgun #shen #productreview
I thought it would be a good idea to repost some of my reviews from OSW to here so that members here can find them, so to start here is my review of the Hanroku Genocide Trooper (red Kickstarter edition and GreenWolfGear Saltblack edition) both by Green Wolf Gear and Snow Corporation.

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They are very cool looking figures and great first offerings but not perfect.

I will list some of the main things I noted while assembling and posing them below:

Pro's

Great sculpting on armour and weapons:
Clean sculpts with detail were it is required and little if any mould lines or surface blemishes.

Good paint on said parts:
There is a decent amount of weathering and decals with no noticeable mistakes and the lines are neat.

Clever use of magnets across the figures (to reduce the fuss of fiddling around with tiny buckles and clips):
There are magnetic attachment points on the back plate, knees. shoulder pads and belt. The magnetic mines (?) magnetically stick to the belt while the knee pads attach to the knees and stay in place (though prone to being knocked upside down as they are held with the one magnet).
The shoulder pads do not have any accessories to be attached to them but it is nice to have the option (you can place the knee pads or sticky mines on them if desired).
The backpack attaches to the back plate magnetically though the glue holding the magnet on the back-plate came loose on my saltblack trooper so something to keep in mind.

Sturdy packaging:
The packaging consists of a foam tray that holds the figure and bagged accessories within a plain but sturdy cardboard window box that has the window cover flap common in the hobby. Outside of that there is the outer card sleeve with the images of the figure and printed info. All this is protected by a clear wrapper within a standard brown shipper with plastic corner protectors taped on.

Sprung bipod attachment:
Kind of a small thing but I love that the rifle bipod has springs that hold them in position so they aren't flopping all over the place.

Inclusion of mini screw driver:
Again this is a small gesture but if like me you are always looking for mini screwdrivers to open battery compartments it is a godsend to have one included. I have yet to actually use the included one as I probably won't bother putting batteries in (no need for light up gimmick that I will use once then never again, but again, it is nice they included the light up feature).

Use of metal springs instead of rubber hoses:
One thing that always bugs me with figures where hoses/tubes are required is the use of rubber for said parts as it is prone to cracking/ degrading. Springs are the logical alternative IMO and I wish more companies would use them (In this case though it is a double edged sword as I will get into later).


Cons:

Loose joints:
The body has difficulty holding poses especially where the arms need to be raised (they just fall back down under the weight of the gun) so posing is sometimes frustrating. Luckily I think everyone is used to body-swapping figures anyway but still, it should not be necessary at the price point. Additionally, the wrist pegs pop out VERY easily so bulking out the pegs will be necessary.
The other issue the loose joints causes is the head often not staying in place as the thick spring on the back snaps it back. I think that this is more due to the helmet simply sitting on an insert neck socket (the kind that goes inside neckless head sculpts to attach to neck posts) and simply gluing the socket into the helmet would hold it in place and the tension of the ball/socket should be enough to hold poses, in theory at least. I have yet to try the mod as I will likely wait until body swapping first.

Lack of stand:
This would not be an issue were it not for the loose joints that make standing in anything but a neutral pose difficult. Luckily most of us have spare stands and generic crotch grabber stands are cheap and easy to get. Of course that means a stand could have been added easily at little extra cost but like 3A/Threezero they decided not to bother with any, which leads in to the next point:

A little light on accessories (standard edition only):
I got the Standard editions of the figures so no rocket launcher is included (my own choice due to limited funds) and while it is not an accessory I particularly want but the lack of it does make the figure feel a little light on accessories.
That said there is still a fair amount there: one extra hand, the rifle (with 3 magazines, scope, bipod and laser/light), handgun, 3 sticky mines, 2 smoke grenades and 2 explosive grenades.

Loose attachment rails:
This mainly applies to the rifle scope on the top rail as the others seem fine, but the scope slide right off the rifle if pointed up or down. This is kind of a big deal as it simply does not function. It can probably be fixed with some smart use of nail varnish on the part of the scope that attaches to the rail to tighten the fit a little, or you could glue it in place.
If I am being completely honest I think rails and attachments on a lot of brands have issues of either being too tight or too loose so it is not out of the ordinary but I think companies should adopt a 'less is more' approach by foregoing a little of the realism in favour of something more reliable and durable because I have lost count of how many little attachments I ave lost or broken trying to attach them via the rail system. I think Threezero have the right idea with their weapons where the attachments are part of the main gun mould or are glued in place. All we really need are extendable stocks and removable mags to be honest (though I am sure that is going to be a controversial statement here. I would prefer weapons that look good but are also sturdy and don't fall apart). I may have gone off on a tangent there but the loose rail is kind of a big issue on these figures.

Lack of weathering on uniform:
This isn't really a big deal as most of us can easily add weathering ourselves and having clean uniform does mean we have more options especially if using for kitbashing so technically this could be a positive, but it does give the figure an inconsistent appearance having the armour, weapons, gloves and gear all weathered and battle-worn but the uniform is all clean and new. Of course, in my imagination the troops were just issued freshly laundered BDU's so it doesn't bother me but other collectors may find it bugs them more. I know some people complained about the boots being plastic rather than pleather/fabric but again I am fine, pleased even, that the boots are plastic bootfeet as the fabric/pleather ones usually break very easily and often look oversized/lumpy. So yeah, my preferences may not be the popular ones but I folly the 'form follows function' mode of thinking where durability and practicality is preferred over ultra realism and detail in figures.

I have probably missed a whole load of things that just slipped my mind while typing but hopefully you get a good idea of the quality of the figures and what to expect.

These are honestly great looking figures with some clever design choices they just fall short of the mark in execution/QC,  but as mentioned each issue is easy enough to fix and honestly we have to cut a little slack as these are the first mass produced figure offerings from the GWG x Snow Corp 13 project. Hopefully the quality of future releases (particularly the bodies) will improve with later offerings.

6.5-7/10 imho

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#productreview #hanroku #greenwolf #snow
Search in: GENERAL TALK  Topic: 1:6 Hanroku troopers by Green Wolf Gear x Snow Corporation  Replies: 8  Views: 1763

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