Sunday, May 29, 2011

New Pick Ups: Sideshow Duke Exclusive

I received the Sideshow Exclusive version of G.I. Joe Sergeant Duke this past Friday.  Although it took awhile to get to me, it was a good deal off eBay, so I can't complain too much  ;).  I have to admit, I didn't really care for it when it initially debuted--something about Sideshow's paint apps and sculpts just don't make a good first impression on me.  It might be my expectations now that Hot Toys, and other companies have raised the bar on realistic looking 1/6 scale figures.  However, since then, the whole set has grown on me and I decided to pick it up at my first opportunity. 

Unlike a lot of my figs, I unboxed him right away and immediately swapped out the body for a Hot Toys Sgt. Barnes nude.  I also added cloth boots (forgot which brand).  Geared up, I think he looks really good and would make a fine addition to anyone's collection.


Saturday, May 28, 2011

Sideshow Commander Cody Unboxed

An iconic pose.
I was torn between using the Phase I helmet or Ep. III.

Friday, May 27, 2011

New Pick Ups

Rec'd Sideshow Commander Cody today!  Really nice job by Sideshow IMO.  Paint apps are solid, comes with a ton of accessories, and it just plain looks great.  Will add more pics later.

Comes with three (3!) swap out heads, tons of posed hands including the iconic Darth Sidious holgram, and more!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Firefly Unboxed

Finally got around to taking Sideshow's Cobra Firefly out of his packaging and getting his gear together.

I left off the gaiters and (like I've done with all the Sideshow Joes) swapped the body for a HT TT male with cloth boots (good old Soldier Story CIA SAD v2s).

I think it's a great figure overall with a lot of interesting gear, and a slick look--perhaps one of the best of the Sideshow G.I. Joe figures so far next to Snake Eyes.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

New Pick Ups

BBI Elite Force SASR Austrialian Halo "Chris Naglor" and Soldier Story SOAR Night Stalker Pilot Todd McDunn
A shot of the package contents--a lot of gear, including that incredible HGU-56P helmet!
I like these airman figures.

Monday, May 23, 2011

What's on Tap

Since part of the purpose of this blog is to catalog my own 1:6 action figure collection, I thought I'd just jot down my current pre-order list.

Hot Toys

MMS133 Ghost Rider w/Bike
MMS143 Spider Man
MMS145 Iron Man Mark V
MMS146 Thor
MMS147 Tracker Predator
MMS150 Iron Man Mark II Armor Unleashed EX
DX05 Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark
DX06 Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides Captain Jack Sparrow EX
VGM13 Jill Valentine Battlesuit version
MIS11 Bruce Lee in Suit
MIS12 Bruce Lee in Casual Wear
TTM18 Caucasian Narrow Shoulder Base Figure

Soldier Story

USAF CCT - Boxed Figure (One-Sixth Xpo Exclusive)
1st Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment

DiD

French Resistance - Pierre
Henri - Parachutiste 3ème RPIMa Algérie 1961
WWII HJ Kampfer - Volkssturm Berloin, April, 1945 - Captain Dan
3R Toshiro Mifune - Winter & Summer Clothes Versions w/ Bonus

ACI

Gangster Johnny
Gladiator Flamma

Crazy Dummy

US Army Ranger Gunner In Afghanistan

Art Figures

Navy Seal Special

Toys City

USAF Pararescue Jumper

Sideshow

G.I. Joe Stalker Ex
G.I. Joe Cobra Viper Ex
Star Wars Commander Bly Ex

ZC

Nikita Spy

Whew!  That's a lot.  :p

Also, just announced, but not yet available for preorder: 

Hot Toys MMS139 Resident Evil Afterlife Alice
Hot Toys MMS? Christopher Reeve Superman

Saturday, May 21, 2011

BBI Lucifer Paint Fix

I mentioned a few posts back that my newly acquired Lucifer figure had some pretty bad paint rubs.

I finally got around to fixing him last night.

Here's some shots of the finished product.





I used the paints from the Citadel (Games' Workshop's brand) Warhammer starter set.  Combined Bleached Bone, Iyanden Darksun, and Mechrite Red.  It turned out darker than the factory paint, so it kind of looks like he got a bit of sun.  >_<  At least he's got color instead of patches of white and smears of black.  :p

Maybe later I'll go over it again with a wash, then I can seal it with some matte spray.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Sideshow GI Joe Beachhead Update

Made a few little tweaks to my Beachhead bash: swapped out the DiD boots for Soldier Story CIA SAD v.2 boots (these are my favorite black boots right now),  swapped the tan pack for the actual Sideshow black one, and also picked up the Sideshow crossbow and arrow accessories.




Hot Toys MMS Superman Christopher Reeve Version

Finally!  Courtesy of Hot Toys' Official Facebook:

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Hot Toys MMS146 Thor -- Released!

I must admit, when I first heard that a Thor movie was being made, I wasn't too enthusiastic.  Even after the trailers were revealed, I still had a lot of reservations.  Luckily, I went to see the movie anyway--it turned out really well done!  Overall, it was an entertaining film.  Well acted, good characterizations, great presentation, and a thoughtful story which tells of how a God of Thunder can learn humility and humanity when forced to walk among men.  Great job by all involved in the film on bringing the script to life.

So on to the figure!  This is one of the few new licenses from Hot Toys to get a quick prototype and timely release.  I suppose the fact that it is a Disney/Marvel property that has a built-in audience helps a lot, but here we are just a few weeks out from the box office debut and the Hot Toys MMS146 Thor 12 inch figure is ready for retail in it's place of origin, Hong Kong!

Here's some pictures from the Toy World blog (great resource for Hot Toys and other HK toy makers) and Sideshow Freaks Forum:

Nice likeness to actor Chris Hemmsworth
This is probably how I'll display him: with the helmet on, Mjolnir in hand!

We should see the figure in about 3-4 weeks here in the US!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Jason Bourne

Here are a few more photos of Enterbay's RM-4 and matching Style outfit set.


With some minor adjustments and enhancements, this is a pretty cool set, IMO.


Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Snake Eyes Unboxed

Today, I decided to take out my recently obtained Sideshow Exclusive Snake Eyes for display.  I didn't care for the molded boots and boot peg system that Sideshow used, so I swapped the body out for a Hot Toys True Type Advanced and stuck the feet into some cloth boots from the Soldier Story CIA SAD version 2 figure.  I like the results!




With my other Sideshow Joe bashes:




Monday, May 16, 2011

Femme Fig Photoshoot of the Day

Let's start the week off with a femme figure photoshoot!

































Saturday, May 14, 2011

Enterbay RM-4



The ongoing "war" between two Hong Kong high-end toy companies continues with this base figure set from Enterbay. I believe this is the first time Enterbay has included a head with their nude figure body, and they chose an interesting subject as their sculpting inspiration--Hollywood actor Matt Damon!

For 1/6 action figure kitbashers, this new product represents a welcome alternative to Hot Toys' TrueType series, especially considering the latter's rising MSRP. Coming in at a reasonable $30 (not including shipping) direct from Enterbay's website, the RM-4 is an enticing buy. But how does it compare to others on the market, and is it worth your time?



The figure comes packed fully assembled in a two-tone clear and black stiff plastic rectangular box. The head is wrapped in thin soft plastic to prevent paint rubs, but the rest of the figure sits mostly loose inside. Also included is a set of fist hands and neck adapter for head-only parts. There are no "pistol grip" hands in the set, so you'll need to grab some Hot Toys or other spare hands with similar-sized peg holes if you want your figure militarized.

On first handling, the figure seems solid with moderately tight, but smooth moving joints. The paint apps on the head are very well done. You are basically getting all the quality of a $180-200 Enterbay boxed set here, for a fraction of the cost. The body itself seems to use a similar quality plastic to Hot Toys and poses well. The feet, in particular, have an amazing range of motion and can be posed to extreme angles.





Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the included head/neck. It turns out the neck is a bit too long and the area around the neck too small to allow much movement. The way the neck was sculpted also hinders movement in that it favors the head pointing upwards. One way around this is to take a dremel or file to area on the body where the neck connects to it and widen the space where the neck joint will sit. Taking caution not to grind away too much plastic I was able to increase the downward motion of the head to allow more poses.









Also of note, the figure is very tall compared to other 1/6 toys. The RM-4 is easily the tallest nude of any I've seen so far. This could be an issue if you want to keep the look of your collection consistent. One solution would be to cut a small plastic extension above where the feet connect to the legs. It's possible to do, but risky as you could damage the entire leg rendering your figure useless. I chose to leave my main figure as is since I also purchased the new clothing set Enterbay made to go along with this body.

Consisting of a black stretch top with long sleeves, dress pants, molded shoes, and wool-like jacket, this $30 outfit ensemble makes the figure look a lot like Matt Damon's character Jason Bourne in the Bourne Identity movie series. The clothing quality is pretty good overall. While not quite at the level of what you would see in a boxed Hot Toys set, the quality will probably be good enough for all but the most discerning of collectors. And although not completely movie-accurate, with just a few accessories, you basically have what could be a movie licensed boxed figure for just about $60.

Ultimately, the final verdict on the RM-4 largely depends on what you're looking for. If you want a Jason Bourne figure, I think you could do a lot worse than picking this up with one set of the clothes. If you are looking for a replacement for your supply of True Types, I'd probably hesitate to recommend investing in multiples of these unless you're willing to take the time and tools needed to make them more consistent with other existing 1/6 figure bodies in your collection.

**Recommended for Matt Damon or fans of the Bourne movie series

Femme Fig Photo Shoot of the Day





While I do enjoy movie and military figures a lot, I also have a soft spot for the ladies. I don't consider myself a "doll" collector per se, although I can see how some may look at it that way. Still, today's female action figures have finally started to make a clear break from the "Barbie" look to more realistic and natural looking than ever before. So, to start off this section of the blog, I'd like to introduce this nameless lady, sort of a GI Joe "Baroness" type. I used a Triad Otaku 2.0 brunette head and Triad Alpha base body, then gave it round glasses (from DID's Hermann Hanke WWII figure), and Triad's Ryder 2.0 outfit and boots. Enjoy!

New Pick Ups



A couple of new arrivals to start off the weekend! First up is Hot Toys' Navy Seal VBSS PCU Version. I like this one a lot. Nice PCU uni with a lot of gear and a cool headsculpt! Got it for a good price off of eBay.



I also received BBI's Elite Force "Sniper Assassin: Lucifer". It's a pretty cool figure which seems to have been based on Robert DeNiro's character in the movie "Heat". Unfortunately, I noticed that there's some pretty bad paint rub on his face. He might have been removed from the box along with the accessories as well. Thankfully, I also got this one for a good price off of eBay. I suppose I'll have to brush up on my painting skills to fix him up later on.