One of our happy customers said:
"I was a weakling with not a lot in my future, always getting sand in my face and that sort of thing, but now, thanks to VENOM, I can fight back... And I'm full of spine-crushing energy. Thanks VENOM!"
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Silly Toys: And now, a word from our sponsors...
One of our happy customers said:
"I was a weakling with not a lot in my future, always getting sand in my face and that sort of thing, but now, thanks to VENOM, I can fight back... And I'm full of spine-crushing energy. Thanks VENOM!"
Friday, October 23, 2009
In justice for all
It's time for me to return to my one true love: Superhero toys. I have five new additions to my (extended) JLI display. First I got DCD Crisis on Infinite Earths Huntress from Earth II (man, that's a long name for a toy).
It's true that the Huntress that was a member of the Giffen league wasn't this one, this is the daughter of an alternate Earth's Batman and Catwoman. So now you know, if you ever cross a bat and a cat you won't get a lame Dr. Seuss rhyme, you will get a hot girl in a swimsuit and a cape. Try to top that Japanese writers! (actually I'm sure they did top it).
The thing is that from all the 6' Huntress figures out there (that would be 2 figures total), this one did look a lot like the one in JLI.
And then I got this four figures, probably my most anticipated wave of the year:
Yes, DCD JLI wave 2. This figures captured so well the spirit of that run of the Justice League that I love them all (although I love Booster a little bit more than the others).
Booster Gold is one of my top 3 favorite comic book heroes. Since JLI #4 back when I was a kid I loved this character so much, and I was oh so pleased with his current evolution in his own series. He's great in cartoons too both JLU (The Greatest Story Never Told is one of the best episodes of that season) and Batman Brave and the Bold. And here, the sculptors took a chance, something DCD hardly does, and tried to give the character a goofy smile and two thumbs up and they nailed not only a great figure, but also everything the character stands for in my head.
This is probably my favorite figure of the year so far.
"If my smile was any bigger I would swallow my ears"
Then you have Booster Best Buddy Blue Beetle (wow, that's a lot of "B", for short this figure will be now called "BBBBB"), he looks great and the goggles didn't have any issues as I read in complaints is several blogs like AFB.
Again the sculptor decided to make him... Well... Bigger... Around the waist area, yes, that's it.
"That's not me, the costume shrunk, really"
What? You don't believe that's what a superhero would say? Think again:
Martian Manhunter has a great addition: An Oreo. That would be enough for me, but his facial expression is amazing too. The only thing that bothers me about this figure is the huge legs. It's like, being a shape shifter, when MM was trying to look more "human" the only models available were a bunch of guys on heavy horse steroids. Still is good to have him show all those muscles, specially when sided with BBBBB (I had to use that sometime).
"In order of appearance: Eyebrow, Oreo, Thighs"
And finally Fire. Is funny how in the League they started calling her an exhibitionist AFTER she started wearing pants. But anyway, is a nice looking figure, although I'm not entirely convinced with her face. She still looks hot enough to display her with a cool looking Ice (get it?).
In DC HQ 27 years ago:
"- I know, we'll make the most geographically cliché super group...
- What do you mean?
- Y'know like... Global Guardians, each being a cliché of their respective countries...
- Like...?
- I don't know, like a Japanese guy that has solar powers and is called Rising Sun!
- Oh I see, like a guy from Ireland, right? And he's name is Jack O' Lantern.
- And he's like Green Lantern, but with an actual lantern!
- Genius! And what about Africa?
- I don't know, a Zulu warrior or something...
- Might work, and get this: an ice girl from Norway!
- Yes, 'cause they have a lot of ice... And Australia?
- Tasmanian Devil...
- Like the animal?
- Yep...
- They are from Tasmania.
- Tasmania is part of Australia.
- Oh, how about South America?
- What's in South America?
- Brazil, Argentina...
- OK, Brazilian people are fiery, so... a sexy model that... vomits fire, or something... And in Argentina you have Gauchos, I saw it in a Disney cartoon...
- What the fuck is a Gaucho?
- They are like... I don't know... Like Batman.
- Really? Cool!"
It was 1982 people, Wikipedia was far far away.
But for the record... Yes, Gauchos are like Batman.
It's true that the Huntress that was a member of the Giffen league wasn't this one, this is the daughter of an alternate Earth's Batman and Catwoman. So now you know, if you ever cross a bat and a cat you won't get a lame Dr. Seuss rhyme, you will get a hot girl in a swimsuit and a cape. Try to top that Japanese writers! (actually I'm sure they did top it).
The thing is that from all the 6' Huntress figures out there (that would be 2 figures total), this one did look a lot like the one in JLI.
And then I got this four figures, probably my most anticipated wave of the year:
Yes, DCD JLI wave 2. This figures captured so well the spirit of that run of the Justice League that I love them all (although I love Booster a little bit more than the others).
Booster Gold is one of my top 3 favorite comic book heroes. Since JLI #4 back when I was a kid I loved this character so much, and I was oh so pleased with his current evolution in his own series. He's great in cartoons too both JLU (The Greatest Story Never Told is one of the best episodes of that season) and Batman Brave and the Bold. And here, the sculptors took a chance, something DCD hardly does, and tried to give the character a goofy smile and two thumbs up and they nailed not only a great figure, but also everything the character stands for in my head.
This is probably my favorite figure of the year so far.
"If my smile was any bigger I would swallow my ears"
Then you have Booster Best Buddy Blue Beetle (wow, that's a lot of "B", for short this figure will be now called "BBBBB"), he looks great and the goggles didn't have any issues as I read in complaints is several blogs like AFB.
Again the sculptor decided to make him... Well... Bigger... Around the waist area, yes, that's it.
"That's not me, the costume shrunk, really"
What? You don't believe that's what a superhero would say? Think again:
Martian Manhunter has a great addition: An Oreo. That would be enough for me, but his facial expression is amazing too. The only thing that bothers me about this figure is the huge legs. It's like, being a shape shifter, when MM was trying to look more "human" the only models available were a bunch of guys on heavy horse steroids. Still is good to have him show all those muscles, specially when sided with BBBBB (I had to use that sometime).
"In order of appearance: Eyebrow, Oreo, Thighs"
And finally Fire. Is funny how in the League they started calling her an exhibitionist AFTER she started wearing pants. But anyway, is a nice looking figure, although I'm not entirely convinced with her face. She still looks hot enough to display her with a cool looking Ice (get it?).
In DC HQ 27 years ago:
"- I know, we'll make the most geographically cliché super group...
- What do you mean?
- Y'know like... Global Guardians, each being a cliché of their respective countries...
- Like...?
- I don't know, like a Japanese guy that has solar powers and is called Rising Sun!
- Oh I see, like a guy from Ireland, right? And he's name is Jack O' Lantern.
- And he's like Green Lantern, but with an actual lantern!
- Genius! And what about Africa?
- I don't know, a Zulu warrior or something...
- Might work, and get this: an ice girl from Norway!
- Yes, 'cause they have a lot of ice... And Australia?
- Tasmanian Devil...
- Like the animal?
- Yep...
- They are from Tasmania.
- Tasmania is part of Australia.
- Oh, how about South America?
- What's in South America?
- Brazil, Argentina...
- OK, Brazilian people are fiery, so... a sexy model that... vomits fire, or something... And in Argentina you have Gauchos, I saw it in a Disney cartoon...
- What the fuck is a Gaucho?
- They are like... I don't know... Like Batman.
- Really? Cool!"
It was 1982 people, Wikipedia was far far away.
But for the record... Yes, Gauchos are like Batman.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The once and future show
I like Futurama better than the Simpsons. There. I said it. Now come and get me with your torches and pitchforks, or sporks or whatever you have. (A good old controversy is going to do wonders for this blog).
But before you do that, first don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that The Simpsons is not a mythical show that changed the way me, you and the world sees animation, or even television. What The Simpsons accomplished, no other show did. But sadly, most shows are able to accomplish what The Simpsons is apparently unable to do: They, eventually, died.
I'm an absolutely hardcore fan of the first 8 (maybe 9) seasons of the Simpsons, but that run of the show ended more than 10 (TEN!) years ago. Futurama started more or less like a spin off show (is Bender a Robot Homer?), but after season 2 never stopped getting better, more profound and more appealing (if never as funny as The Simpsons). Then, after the idea peaked, it died.
But nothing stays dead on TV (specially if your zip code is 90210), so it returned in the form of movies. Good movies, way better than the stupid, old and washed out Simpsons movie.
In Latin America, the voice actors (an incredibly talented group starting with Humberto Velez as Homer, he's funny in any language, you should look him up), got tired of being underpaid and under recognized and left. This was bad for the show, but not as much as the lack of good scripts was. If the Simpsons are gonna have a second coming is going to need some good rest and a complete new set of writers with fresh ideas (it worked for most of the ever living comic characters).
And actually this whole rant is an excuse to tell you this:
My Futurama Wave 6 figures arrived today!
I also got Leela as Clobberella, but since she counts as a variant, I didn't even wrestle with the twisties for that one, just the gorgeous Amy Wong and the Robot Santa BAF (Solomon Grundy aside, one of my favorites BAFs ever!).
"I like little green men, so what?"
"- Excuse me, is this Christmas town?
- Shut the hell up you skinny asshole!"
They actually did something very clever with the Santa BAF, since they only divided him in parts for five figures, and the wave had six, they place two normal arms with Leela and a normal tip in his hat with Fry as Captain Yesterday. But they placed the spiked tip and the arm holding the machine gun with Amy. That way, you could complete Santa if you bought only Leela, but she was the superfluous one, she was the variant, so of course you needed Amy too to complete the Planet Express crew.
Here's the whole gang:
Now, if the series ends with wave 7 (Professor Farnsworth, Hermes and Nibbler) I would be oh so happy... If not, and if someone from Toynami is reading, I have created my own dream waves of awesome Futurama figures. This would be:
Wave 8: Mom and Slurm Mckenzie.
Wave 9: Morbo and Linda from the future news.
Wave 10: Lrr and Elzar, in a pure alien wave.
The BAF for this three waves would be the one and only...
Hedonismbot, one of the best and better exploited robots in Futurama world.
Then, similar to Wave 7 (two figures without BAF and with a cool bonus little figure) I would love this Wave 11: Cubert Farnswoth, Dwight and Hypnotoad.
I would also like the heads of Leonard Nimoy and Matt Groening... But that would be asking too much... Right?
But before you do that, first don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that The Simpsons is not a mythical show that changed the way me, you and the world sees animation, or even television. What The Simpsons accomplished, no other show did. But sadly, most shows are able to accomplish what The Simpsons is apparently unable to do: They, eventually, died.
I'm an absolutely hardcore fan of the first 8 (maybe 9) seasons of the Simpsons, but that run of the show ended more than 10 (TEN!) years ago. Futurama started more or less like a spin off show (is Bender a Robot Homer?), but after season 2 never stopped getting better, more profound and more appealing (if never as funny as The Simpsons). Then, after the idea peaked, it died.
But nothing stays dead on TV (specially if your zip code is 90210), so it returned in the form of movies. Good movies, way better than the stupid, old and washed out Simpsons movie.
In Latin America, the voice actors (an incredibly talented group starting with Humberto Velez as Homer, he's funny in any language, you should look him up), got tired of being underpaid and under recognized and left. This was bad for the show, but not as much as the lack of good scripts was. If the Simpsons are gonna have a second coming is going to need some good rest and a complete new set of writers with fresh ideas (it worked for most of the ever living comic characters).
And actually this whole rant is an excuse to tell you this:
My Futurama Wave 6 figures arrived today!
I also got Leela as Clobberella, but since she counts as a variant, I didn't even wrestle with the twisties for that one, just the gorgeous Amy Wong and the Robot Santa BAF (Solomon Grundy aside, one of my favorites BAFs ever!).
"I like little green men, so what?"
"- Excuse me, is this Christmas town?
- Shut the hell up you skinny asshole!"
They actually did something very clever with the Santa BAF, since they only divided him in parts for five figures, and the wave had six, they place two normal arms with Leela and a normal tip in his hat with Fry as Captain Yesterday. But they placed the spiked tip and the arm holding the machine gun with Amy. That way, you could complete Santa if you bought only Leela, but she was the superfluous one, she was the variant, so of course you needed Amy too to complete the Planet Express crew.
Here's the whole gang:
Now, if the series ends with wave 7 (Professor Farnsworth, Hermes and Nibbler) I would be oh so happy... If not, and if someone from Toynami is reading, I have created my own dream waves of awesome Futurama figures. This would be:
Wave 8: Mom and Slurm Mckenzie.
Wave 9: Morbo and Linda from the future news.
Wave 10: Lrr and Elzar, in a pure alien wave.
The BAF for this three waves would be the one and only...
Hedonismbot, one of the best and better exploited robots in Futurama world.
Then, similar to Wave 7 (two figures without BAF and with a cool bonus little figure) I would love this Wave 11: Cubert Farnswoth, Dwight and Hypnotoad.
I would also like the heads of Leonard Nimoy and Matt Groening... But that would be asking too much... Right?
Friday, October 9, 2009
Don't look back in anger
After deciding I was going to get into the sugar rush simply known as MOTU Classics, I decided that not only I was going in like a rooky police officer in a lame action movie, but also that I was going to do it with full force. Guess what? Apparently I'm the rooky that gets shot at the beginning to prove that the bad guys are serious.
I had to make it up for the lost time and bought Hordak, Zodac, He-Ro, Tri-Klops and Faker. To quote the band Katrina and the waves, "I'm walking on sunshine"... Hmmm, no, not accurate enough... I know!
To quote Captain Hazel "Hank" Murphy from Sealab 2021, "It feels like a koala just crapped a rainbow in my brain". That's how I feel.
Now to individual analysis (not reviews, everyone reviewed these already):
Hordak.
The figure is great, the cross bow (not displayed) was a must, since it was the weapon from the old action figure, but it was a weapon I never liked in the 80s. Every Horde member had one, and I just thought that was to standard. The staff is very retro and looks a lot like the one from Neca mini-statue, but the hands down for best accessory is the red bat-dragon-whatever that is just amazing.
I did, however find one odd thing about the bio, Hordak's real name: Hek-tor. That just seems like an Eternian version of the Spanish name Hector and left me wondering if that name was in the original series bible or if it is new. Actually what I'm asking is if Mattel thinks that Latin America is some kind of evil horde waiting to invade.
"Hola, mi nombre es Hek-tor. I came to rule your planet, and to steal your job. This is my friend Pancho the dragon."
Faker.
He's just another repaint, but since I don't own a He-man I guess he'll be the repaint and Faker the original... Man, I wish Philip K. Dick was still alive so he could write this down.
Again, blue and orange, not really a match. It must be weird to do a line of figures and see something wrong but, since it's an homage line, not being able to do anything about it.
"No! What do you mean Faker? I'm not Faker... I'm... I'm Ice Armor He-Man... Yeah, that's the ticket."
Tri-Klops.
I got nothing. The figure is just amazing, he was one of my favorites when I was a kid and have the feeling that after Mer-Man, and perhaps Webstor, he will remain that way.
"He he, my bio doesn't mention it, but I also got X-Ray Vision. Oh, by the way, Evil-Lyn? Pink panties."
He-Ro.
I actually didn't know anything about this character until I saw the preview pics for the SDCC. When I did I thought he was a waste of an exclusive. But now that I have him, he turned out very good, the innocent look on his face makes great contrast with the bulky body and the bio that stipulates that he could easily kill you if he feels like it.
"Yes, this is the Green Gem of Protection, how would you like to see my Black Gem of Kick You In The Balls?"
And Finally, Zodac.
Again, not much to say about this figure, he looks just like Zodac is suppose to look: Neutral. The original 80s Zodac was a plain figure that could either be sided with the good guys or the bad guys (he was usually a first to attack, first to die bad guy for me. And keep in mind that in my MOTU world, the bad guys won most of the times). On the other hand, Zodak from MOTU 200X was a really cool (and really hard to get) figure. So I'm waiting for the Bonus Zodak way more than for this guy. Still as a way to remember the epic fights I had in my room and in my mind as a kid, he's just spot on.
"It's NEUTRAL, not NEUTERED! Stop staring at me!"
And that is all, as my journey into the world of MOTUC continues, I'll keep you posted.
He-Man: You should end this post with a helpful advice to children.
FS: Like in the cartoon?
He-Man: Yes.
FS: That was really lame.
He-Man: I know!
FS: ... OK... So, kids, eat lots of fruit and vegetables and stay in school!
He-Man: ...
FS: And now what?
He-Man: Now everybody laughs!
FS: Oh, right...
I had to make it up for the lost time and bought Hordak, Zodac, He-Ro, Tri-Klops and Faker. To quote the band Katrina and the waves, "I'm walking on sunshine"... Hmmm, no, not accurate enough... I know!
To quote Captain Hazel "Hank" Murphy from Sealab 2021, "It feels like a koala just crapped a rainbow in my brain". That's how I feel.
Now to individual analysis (not reviews, everyone reviewed these already):
Hordak.
The figure is great, the cross bow (not displayed) was a must, since it was the weapon from the old action figure, but it was a weapon I never liked in the 80s. Every Horde member had one, and I just thought that was to standard. The staff is very retro and looks a lot like the one from Neca mini-statue, but the hands down for best accessory is the red bat-dragon-whatever that is just amazing.
I did, however find one odd thing about the bio, Hordak's real name: Hek-tor. That just seems like an Eternian version of the Spanish name Hector and left me wondering if that name was in the original series bible or if it is new. Actually what I'm asking is if Mattel thinks that Latin America is some kind of evil horde waiting to invade.
"Hola, mi nombre es Hek-tor. I came to rule your planet, and to steal your job. This is my friend Pancho the dragon."
Faker.
He's just another repaint, but since I don't own a He-man I guess he'll be the repaint and Faker the original... Man, I wish Philip K. Dick was still alive so he could write this down.
Again, blue and orange, not really a match. It must be weird to do a line of figures and see something wrong but, since it's an homage line, not being able to do anything about it.
"No! What do you mean Faker? I'm not Faker... I'm... I'm Ice Armor He-Man... Yeah, that's the ticket."
Tri-Klops.
I got nothing. The figure is just amazing, he was one of my favorites when I was a kid and have the feeling that after Mer-Man, and perhaps Webstor, he will remain that way.
"He he, my bio doesn't mention it, but I also got X-Ray Vision. Oh, by the way, Evil-Lyn? Pink panties."
He-Ro.
I actually didn't know anything about this character until I saw the preview pics for the SDCC. When I did I thought he was a waste of an exclusive. But now that I have him, he turned out very good, the innocent look on his face makes great contrast with the bulky body and the bio that stipulates that he could easily kill you if he feels like it.
"Yes, this is the Green Gem of Protection, how would you like to see my Black Gem of Kick You In The Balls?"
And Finally, Zodac.
Again, not much to say about this figure, he looks just like Zodac is suppose to look: Neutral. The original 80s Zodac was a plain figure that could either be sided with the good guys or the bad guys (he was usually a first to attack, first to die bad guy for me. And keep in mind that in my MOTU world, the bad guys won most of the times). On the other hand, Zodak from MOTU 200X was a really cool (and really hard to get) figure. So I'm waiting for the Bonus Zodak way more than for this guy. Still as a way to remember the epic fights I had in my room and in my mind as a kid, he's just spot on.
"It's NEUTRAL, not NEUTERED! Stop staring at me!"
And that is all, as my journey into the world of MOTUC continues, I'll keep you posted.
He-Man: You should end this post with a helpful advice to children.
FS: Like in the cartoon?
He-Man: Yes.
FS: That was really lame.
He-Man: I know!
FS: ... OK... So, kids, eat lots of fruit and vegetables and stay in school!
He-Man: ...
FS: And now what?
He-Man: Now everybody laughs!
FS: Oh, right...
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Heavy Metal... Or is it Heavy Mattel?
Now is time to show the two most unique pieces of my collection. Metal He-Man and Metal Trap-Jaw:
These might seem as metal plated old 80s toys, but they are not. The guy... Wait, let me correct... The artist that made these casted some molds from the old toys and recreated them using different alloys for texture and color. Since they are made from separate pieces joined together, they are completely articulated and yes, they are incredibly heavy.
"Now with real metal biting action"
Even Trap-Jaw's Jaw is articulated. And for Trap-Jaw's arm, the guy just got creative and added a screw joint (something Mattel never did, they just screwed us. Zing!).
"Man, if I don't stop doing Mattel jokes I'll never have my own Q&A with Matty. Plus, I need to have some visits in this blog first. None of those things is going to happen any time soon"
And of course, when you have real metal for Trap-Jaw, you need real leather for He-Man's vest. After all, nothing says "80s homo-erotic innuendo" as good old fashioned leather.
"Just like Poison in the 80s, but with real metal"
Last, but not least, you get a cool metal replica of the power sword since without it He-Man is just a guy wearing pink tights.
"Just some furry underwear, leather straps and a big, long, sword, damn you! No second meanings that will ruin your childhood"
Sure, the figures lost the details in the process, but I don't like them for their quality as action figures, but for the very unique (and very geeky) devotion the guy that made them needed in order to make these. A geeky devotion that myself, and probably most of you, share.
These might seem as metal plated old 80s toys, but they are not. The guy... Wait, let me correct... The artist that made these casted some molds from the old toys and recreated them using different alloys for texture and color. Since they are made from separate pieces joined together, they are completely articulated and yes, they are incredibly heavy.
"Now with real metal biting action"
Even Trap-Jaw's Jaw is articulated. And for Trap-Jaw's arm, the guy just got creative and added a screw joint (something Mattel never did, they just screwed us. Zing!).
"Man, if I don't stop doing Mattel jokes I'll never have my own Q&A with Matty. Plus, I need to have some visits in this blog first. None of those things is going to happen any time soon"
And of course, when you have real metal for Trap-Jaw, you need real leather for He-Man's vest. After all, nothing says "80s homo-erotic innuendo" as good old fashioned leather.
"Just like Poison in the 80s, but with real metal"
Last, but not least, you get a cool metal replica of the power sword since without it He-Man is just a guy wearing pink tights.
"Just some furry underwear, leather straps and a big, long, sword, damn you! No second meanings that will ruin your childhood"
Sure, the figures lost the details in the process, but I don't like them for their quality as action figures, but for the very unique (and very geeky) devotion the guy that made them needed in order to make these. A geeky devotion that myself, and probably most of you, share.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Memories of a Toyaholic
Well, after much struggling, the inevitable had to happen:
"Not pictured: My wallet crying"
Since I finished MOTU 200X (that would be a week and a half ago...) I had a hole in my collector life that needed to be filled. Enter MOTU Classics. A toy line I said several times in the past I was not going to get sucked in... OK, guess what? I'm in (also, I'm a sucker).
Since I acknowledge the fact that I am an addict, I can show you the stages of this non terminal but wallet draining disease.
Stage 1:
Denial. "Nah, I won't buy this line, the sculpts are great, but the concept is... Wow, that Mer-man looks amazing, I could just buy him, but no, no... What's the point? I'm definitely out. Forget it Mattel! I'm too strong for you!"
Stage 2:
The Hunger. "Well, Man-at-arms looks incredible, and Webstor too. Man, Tri-Klops has sculpted eyes under the visor! I would like to see that... And they are releasing Moss Man, MOSS MAN! What? Partial flocking? Well, I guess it's OK... It's a great Moss Man."
Stage 3:
Temptation. "Stop waving that Mer-man in front of me, it doesn't matter if he was my favorite bad guy as a kid, I'm not interested! How much? Oh, I just have that amount on me right now... No, no... Plastic bag is fine."
Stage 4:
Realizing what you did. "What the fuck did I just do?"
Stage 5:
Compromise. "OK, so I'll only buy figures of characters that I really really really liked, Mer-man, Stratos, Tri-Klops, perhaps Webstor, and Moss man until Trap Jaw. Yeah, just those..."
Stage 6:
Expanding your compromise. "OK, OK... I know, I'll just buy the figures I have in the 80s version AND in the 200X version. That way I can, like, totally show the evolution of action figures. That's cool, like my own chronological museum. That's more geeky than cool, actually. Buy anyway, yeah, just those."
Stage 7:
Accepting your illness. "You know what? Screw this, I'll get them all. Who do you have? Stratos and Man-at-arms? Great, let's go."
"Yes, that's the cover of the first album of my progressive rock band: Mer-man and the winged arms. We sold almost two copies"
"Not pictured: My wallet crying"
Since I finished MOTU 200X (that would be a week and a half ago...) I had a hole in my collector life that needed to be filled. Enter MOTU Classics. A toy line I said several times in the past I was not going to get sucked in... OK, guess what? I'm in (also, I'm a sucker).
Since I acknowledge the fact that I am an addict, I can show you the stages of this non terminal but wallet draining disease.
Stage 1:
Denial. "Nah, I won't buy this line, the sculpts are great, but the concept is... Wow, that Mer-man looks amazing, I could just buy him, but no, no... What's the point? I'm definitely out. Forget it Mattel! I'm too strong for you!"
Stage 2:
The Hunger. "Well, Man-at-arms looks incredible, and Webstor too. Man, Tri-Klops has sculpted eyes under the visor! I would like to see that... And they are releasing Moss Man, MOSS MAN! What? Partial flocking? Well, I guess it's OK... It's a great Moss Man."
Stage 3:
Temptation. "Stop waving that Mer-man in front of me, it doesn't matter if he was my favorite bad guy as a kid, I'm not interested! How much? Oh, I just have that amount on me right now... No, no... Plastic bag is fine."
Stage 4:
Realizing what you did. "What the fuck did I just do?"
Stage 5:
Compromise. "OK, so I'll only buy figures of characters that I really really really liked, Mer-man, Stratos, Tri-Klops, perhaps Webstor, and Moss man until Trap Jaw. Yeah, just those..."
Stage 6:
Expanding your compromise. "OK, OK... I know, I'll just buy the figures I have in the 80s version AND in the 200X version. That way I can, like, totally show the evolution of action figures. That's cool, like my own chronological museum. That's more geeky than cool, actually. Buy anyway, yeah, just those."
Stage 7:
Accepting your illness. "You know what? Screw this, I'll get them all. Who do you have? Stratos and Man-at-arms? Great, let's go."
"Yes, that's the cover of the first album of my progressive rock band: Mer-man and the winged arms. We sold almost two copies"
Monday, September 28, 2009
You creep me the flock out! (and other figures)
As you may guess from the title of the post, I just got the History of DC Universe Creeper (from Wave 2). I also got the Blue Devil from wave 1.
The sculpts are great, although Creeper's yellow is too bright and plain, when the preview images showed him a bit darker. Same thing happens to Blue Devil's blue... But that actually doesn't bother me as much.
"Yeah, flocked boas... They never go out of fashion"
I didn't liked the lack of certain articulation (and keep in mind that I don't like the over articulation of DCUC, it's growing on me, but I still hate the chest cut). It makes hard to pose the figures or even to get them to stand up straight. Like Andy from AFB said, the lack of ankle articulation is just ridiculous.
"Man, how did you knew I was smoking weed?"
The other figures I bought (really old ones) are also from DCD, but when it was starting and things like knee joints were a foreign concept to them:
This are the Big Barda and Oberon from Mr. Miracle Box Set (2000).
I had DCUC Big Barda (with the helmet) but she wasn't big enough for Mr. Miracle and the New Gods one looks just so different in a non Kirby display that I couldn't use it, so, when I found out that the fugly helmet on this one was removable, I decided to check how they looked together.
"- When we get home I expect dinner on the table in half an hour. Got it?
- Yes, dear"
It's true that she looks a little bit like Apache Chief. But I never thought Big Barda to be a bombshell, just a bomb, a big scary bomb. Y'know, the kind of woman you would never dare to say she looks like Apache Chief.
"What are you looking at tiny?"
Oberon is just a must have for a JLI display, and since I'm not sure If he'll be part of the elusive and much rumored JLI wave 3 from DCD, I'll have to stick to the pink shirt, red leotard, pink boots ensemble.
Apparently Jack Kirby hated the little people.
The sculpts are great, although Creeper's yellow is too bright and plain, when the preview images showed him a bit darker. Same thing happens to Blue Devil's blue... But that actually doesn't bother me as much.
"Yeah, flocked boas... They never go out of fashion"
I didn't liked the lack of certain articulation (and keep in mind that I don't like the over articulation of DCUC, it's growing on me, but I still hate the chest cut). It makes hard to pose the figures or even to get them to stand up straight. Like Andy from AFB said, the lack of ankle articulation is just ridiculous.
"Man, how did you knew I was smoking weed?"
The other figures I bought (really old ones) are also from DCD, but when it was starting and things like knee joints were a foreign concept to them:
This are the Big Barda and Oberon from Mr. Miracle Box Set (2000).
I had DCUC Big Barda (with the helmet) but she wasn't big enough for Mr. Miracle and the New Gods one looks just so different in a non Kirby display that I couldn't use it, so, when I found out that the fugly helmet on this one was removable, I decided to check how they looked together.
"- When we get home I expect dinner on the table in half an hour. Got it?
- Yes, dear"
It's true that she looks a little bit like Apache Chief. But I never thought Big Barda to be a bombshell, just a bomb, a big scary bomb. Y'know, the kind of woman you would never dare to say she looks like Apache Chief.
"What are you looking at tiny?"
Oberon is just a must have for a JLI display, and since I'm not sure If he'll be part of the elusive and much rumored JLI wave 3 from DCD, I'll have to stick to the pink shirt, red leotard, pink boots ensemble.
Apparently Jack Kirby hated the little people.
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