The Adventures of Toy Hunting in Christmas Season

With holiday season coming to an end of 2014 and here is my last post for this year.

For this Christmas season, it has been a wonderful time with my nephew and niece visiting.

Nothing beats having to go around picking up toys with them while they promise to keep secrets of your haul into the house. The fun and adventures kicks in when they find thrill through the figures you acquire along th way in the shops and direct dealing with collectors.

They too have their fair share of hunting for their Lego Minifigures in the flea market, hunting and searching for the best deal they can get within their Christmas budget. I almost lose out to their stamina while searching high and low for their minifigures to fill their lego houses.

While mission accomplishes for them, it is my turn to recover and secure my dig.

This time picks mainly circulate around older figures for me which I found toys from Kenner Predators and Small Soldier Punchit together with the MOTU 2000X figures and the newer Neca Predators while adding a Green Goblin baf from Marvel Spiderman series is a great addition for a good price does not hurt. Let's see what other damages have been done !


Wishing all buddies a Happy New Year Ahead !

#toys #actionfigures #toycommunity #motu #neca #kenner #heman #cosplay #gaming

2014 Haul of Fame : Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TMNT - Movie

With the Ninja Turtles coming back on board with the Nickelodeon cartoon series and the spin of the action figures until the this year's movie since 1990's, fans have gotten a serious roll of action figures to fill their toy desires.

The issuing of classic turtles that has transformed into 6 inches sizes are a real treat and this is one complete set of collection which no turtle fan can turn down. Added with the two sidekicks of Shredder, I just got to relive the fond days of TMNT in bigger sizes. Aren't they going to make a Shredder and Splinter to go along? Seems like it make better money sense to reissue the 1990's movie turtles rather than a Shredder or a Splinter.

Then came the11 inches size turtles from this year's movie, which has very individual characteristics, unlike the classic figures that is basically made from the same body design.

The movie edition went ahead with different body sizes of each turtles and unique outfit cum color for each of them. Putting that together you have a new cool TMNT design which the only setback will be their lack of articulation. No Waist and elbow articulation is enough to put do some decent kung fu stances.

But how often you get each turtle design differently? 

They are basically design and made for kids to withstand the harsh kids battling them around and big enough for them to cuddle around.

The big kids might view them as a disappointment but after getting them, they looks really awesome standing together as a team.

There are much hidden details added though lacking in some areas of paint but overall, they are good additions in my opinion and I buy them because they are a team of unique turtles to date.

While I work on a detail post on them, you can awe the heroes in the hard shell for now..Turtle Power !!!

#tmnt #nickelodeon #playmates #actionfigures #toys #gaming #cosplay

Who is Johann Krauss !

 Who cares about Johann Krauss? A gas spitter !!! If you ever know HellBoy, you will know who he is.

Seen in the movie, he is in an ectoplasmic form and hides himself in a containment suit that allows to function like a human body.

The interesting suit design which he was given in the movie looks very much like a vintage diving suit. This means he can cosplay other characters in your collection as well. Pretty versatile.

He came with two pairs of hands, one of them has a gas purging out from his fingers, and a crack dome .

He can double up a fireman without the hands and looks like open hoses ready for water firing.

What I like about him is the intricate details on his suit and the whole fell of him looks more like a diving adventure. The bronze paint wash over the suit completes the overall appeal to the an adventure.

Whichever you want him to be, he is one unique action figure to add to your collection.

Beware of his outrageous gas, even Iron Man is put away by it.

#hellboy #comics #actionfigures #toys #dailytoyz #cosplay

Aliens of Yester Years....!

Going through the era of 80's and 90's are booming trends of exciting movies and couple with interesting toys that even today, people still remember and continue to have new born fans. This is the fatal attractions of them.

As Alien movie sprout out in 1979 follow by sequels of Aliens in 1986, Alien 3 (1992) and Alien Ressurection in 1997, we have been endowed with action figures for the Xenomorph with very interesting features though not movie accurate.

The design of the figures still worth taking a magnifying look even for today's improved standards of toys. When you are in the 90's playing with the Kenner Alien figures, you will awed by it's features and the Alien outlook, forgiving it's non-movie accurate standards. But these design faults which deem unforgiving in this current market by collectors are still very much welcome for the yester years toy.

But movie theme toys design back in the 80's and 90's have a higher play value and they are packed with a play feature in mind for the children. That makes these toys relatively interesting which may seem lame now. And apart from that, design constraints are not as bounded compared to now and you can still spot some clever design which are not accepted in the era due to market design guidelines.

As we progressed forward, we might be degrading in some ways which we never noticed and thinking we have improved in life while we have unwittingly degraded.

Recently, I have chanced upon the Flying Queen Alien and Boar Alien figures from Kenner and decided to purchase them for nostalgic sake but ended up admiring their under-rated sculpting which is screaming for attention but mostly hidden or forgotten.

In terms of size, movie accuracy, they are definitely not in line with current expectations. What they have is the fun and crazy ideas that spawn many of the Alien varieties that we never saw on screen.

For me, these Alien toys are much interesting than the current well-sculpted Alien figures which we have now. Their charm lies on the imagination of the designers and bringing that imagination to the play world.

Sometimes, the world do not need realism, it needs imagination.

Well.. let us look at these gems while reminiscence in the past.

#aliens #movies #kenner #toys #actionfigures #monsters

Mutant Earth : Crippler

 

The last of the figure in this series of Mutant Earth and here comes Crippler. I do not read the comics so I cannot relate any background on this guy.

However, in an action figure perspective, I can show you how wicked this guy is. I do not know what to call him...a beast? He is definitely not a man but rather an alien being.

If you have saw the other figures in the series which I reviewed and posted, the detail characteristics of these guys are on the league. There is a 360 degrees of details going on around him with a bird like scales running through his body, featuring bird like feet. He is also mechanically designed at the back that shapes like a claw that I use it to hold his weapon. It may not be that purpose but it holds well.

Since he is an early 2000 figure, joints are pretty much basic with no ball joints but simple cut joints for shoulders, hips, wrists and waist. In total of 7 articulations only.

Standing at 7.5 inches, heavy top and bird feet, he cannot stand well but thoughtfully, a base is provided in each figure. A simple yet detailed desert sand ground base to hold them.

Crippler came with 2 accessories such as his power machine gun and a big hammer. I do not see why he has an advance machine gun and yet needs a clumsy hammer to lug around for battle. It simply makes no battle sense. Well that's comics and fantasy.

For all the details put in for the body and armor with a new character, you cannot doubt the creations of Stan Winston who has brought us Terminator and Predator.

With 2014 closing, this makes a good completion for my Mutant Earth figures.

#mutantearth, #monsters #comics #terminator #predator #cosplay #gaming #toys #actionfigures #toyphotography

Mutant Earth : Gallowz

I cannot say much about the background of this figure but sadly the only I knew about him is his name....Gallowz and he is designed by the late Stan Winston in 2001.

The idea of his fascination of bringing his great creations into toy line through his new designs seems to work incredibly good but not so much on the popularity for the line even until today.

They have somehow went into a black hole of toys that have almost been forgotten or even known. Sad but not today, for today, they shall rise again and shine for the moment here.

Gallowz will be the fifth installment figures which I have chanced upon to complete this set of six.

He is detailed to the ends and in my opinion, his design inspires mainly from the Mummy based on the body texture. He has spinal bones jutting out of his back, bird like mechanical claws, brains held by armor and rib cage that opens up to reveal his electronic system.

What is he? An walking robotic mechanism Mummy? Frankly, I do not know

The only accessory besides the base is his pet bird perching on his shoulder which looks like a size down vulture.

Standing at a height of 8 inches, this menacing figure comes with articulations on his neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips and ankles accounting to 11 in total. I would say it is quite good enough to impress me.

If you ever saw this guy, grab him and open him out! He is not meant to stay in the package.

#mutantearth #cosplay #gaming #actionfigures #toys # toyphotography #monsters

2014 Haul of Fame : The Brady Bunch

Today, I have to introduce some of the hauls which I find over the past months which did not manage to get a limelight. I will try to them a post to address their uniqueness.

For a quick overall, I think it will be interesting to show you a round up group shot.

I have finally complete my Mutant Earth collection with the inclusion of Gallowz and Grippler who are on the right back. Both are super detail figures even for this age.

The Scarecrow and Penguin from the Legends of the Dark Knight series are also joining the same batch of baddies whom I have recruited previously, like Man-Bat and Clayface. These are still great figures to add for Batman fans.

I even managed to get 2 Aliens figures from the Kenner lines which I will showcase them in a post later.

All these figures should give you something to look forward in my posts while Christmas is coming.

Happy Hunting and Happy Holidays my Friends....Stay Happy !

#kenner #mutant #aliens #batman #haul #cosplay #gaming #actionfigures #toys

Treebeard the Ent

From the Fangorn forests, lies the tree herder....Treebeard, an Ent.

Though Lord of the Rings movie craze has long gone by, even with the revival of "The Hobbits", the hype is no longer strong as before.

Nevertheless, the characters from Lord of the Rings still goes strong in the hearts of the fans. Treebeard is one of the easily identified characters and has given us the fantasy of a talking tree. How magnificent!

Today I have gotten a Treebeard designed by Applause and he is my second varied from the Toybiz made. He is indeed a very detailed and "flexible" tree which has no articulation for you to pose. For this sculpt, he is more softer and greener which has a very comforting tree effect.

His body are covered by greens and beard with leaves growing on it. The only weird part shall be his eyes which is not very well painted. It looks somewhat dumb if you look longer.

His branches of fingers looks like they are stretching to grab you.

Made of a rubbery plastic material that is slightly bendable, it makes him less fragile. With zero articulation, that means he is basically a statue.

The contentment I got from him is his details and 360 degrees of tree likeness.

With Merry and Pippin sitting on his top branches, it gives you a little peep into their adventure into the Fangorn forests and beyond. Something that this toy is able to transcend you into that period, I hoped.

Though he is not sculpted close to the movie version but I feel he has more likeness to the fantasy in the books. He might makes a good coffee top display while you read the Lord of the Rings?

Happy hunting and Don't be Hasty !

#lordoftherings #lotr #toybiz #applause #toys #actionfigures #gaming #fantasy #cosplay #hobbits #treebeard

Masters of the Universe (MOTU) 2000X Skeletor & He-Man

In the year 2003, He-Man and Skeletor have transformed into a bigger size enemy of fate in the new era of 2000X where size does matters.

Both figures are based on the modern creation of Masters of the Universe series in the hope to spice up new life for the fans and have indeed spruce up some excitement for the then and new fans of MOTU.

The new mold and creations actually spun great details and have become a unique breed for the series. The new classics line are highly anticipated by fans alike but for this older modern series, it may not share the same fate for the origins and that makes them even more unique until a day we see a remake of them. Until then, they became the new modern classics that may never be reborn and rarity shall be their prime.

For the only 12 inch figures produced through rotocast molding technique, which means both He-Man and Skeletor are practically light and hollow inside. Such rotocast molding technique is relatively cheaper and saves material costs. If you do not know what's rotocast molding, I have attached a link for your knowledge.

However, they still displays interesting details such as wrinkles on their hands and feet while on their armor adds on to finer details. He-Man even wore the snake mountain style armor.

Both came with impressive big swords but the only gripe is Skeletor's sword which cannot be split into two.

Through the adventure of hunting down toys, another best part will be taking time and delight cleaning the prize that you claim from your hunt and this is a pleasure all collectors will not reject.

#motu #mattel #rotocast #heman #gaming #cosplay #hobby

Have you seen Skeletor's latest hairstyle?

Mighty years have passed and no one has ever seen the hairstyle or even hairs on Skeletor's skull. All thanks to He-Man, he can be proud without his cloak.

#heman #motu #mattel #cosplay #jokes #toyphotography #toys #actionfigures #gaming #comics

Iron Maiden....The Final Frontier

What is into heavy metal hard rock?

How about mixing Heavy Metal, action figures and Halloween into One ?

You get Iron Maiden... The Final Frontier Cover Art featured Alien creature materialized into action figure by NECA !

Apart from some of my music figures collection, this is one action figure which I can fit him into Space Aliens or Monsters more than a music character.

This is a one cool sculpted figure exemplify from the cover art with a skeletal based framework with a touch of an Alien monster head sculpt that splits part of it's internal martian type brain juice. The back skeletal spine of the figure are very much accurately shown in the video as well. Sweet !

Apart from being scary and colorful figure, which may not be a cup of tea for some collectors, he is a unique figure to get even if you are not an Iron Maiden fan. As I said, he is versatile by costarring as an Alien Monster to add to your monster squad or part-timing during Halloween period for a scare trick. A hardworking value added action figure, you must say. Gets your money's worth !

Well, let's rock on with a little intro from the courtesy of Iron Maiden Final Frontier official video for a kick-ass space adventure before you make your judgement call.

 

 

#ironmaiden #neca #heavymetal #actionfigures #cosplay #gaming #music #actionfigures #toys #

True Ogre in Tekken fighting game

Anyone who have played the Tekken 3 game will immediately recognize the figure which I will be introducing but not for folks like me who did not even play the game.

Purely chanced upon this figure named True Ogre in the series designed by Epoch. He is known to be the final king figure that you will fight if you manage to get your way there in the game. I wonder what is so true or no true in an Ogre?

The immediate impression that captures me are his demonic wings and horns coupled with a height of 7 inches tall and wingspan of 8 inches. He is quite a hefty figure that can still balances himself without the support of his tail but tends to topple with some tremors. The next you will find his right arm is a serpent head which I personally feels it is better than his head sculpt.

He dons a pair of scaly legs with fur sculpted on both legs and left hand claw.

His overall paint uses dark tone brown with shades of grey which shows off his details and there are bronze painted for the symbol on his back and sculpted leg band.

With quite an impressive details for a figure in 1999, he must have been a well-sought after prize for some but seems to be a forgotten figure as time passes by. In terms articulation, he has only 3 which includes both shoulders and waist. This is even worse than the standard 5 points articulations given by Kenner Star Wars figures. However, if you compare him to the Warcraft figures designed by DC Unlimited series, he can be well under the same category as statues rather than action figures.

As for an action figure, he is one that fulfills the fantasy of a game character and easily pose-able as a mystic monster creature for your collection.

And since I cannot find much reviews or exposure on this True Ogre at the time of writing this post, it may be a good reference point for some in hunting.

Name : True Ogre
Date of Birth : 1999
Origin : Tekken 3
Source : Epoch

#tekken #gaming #cosplay #monsters #actionfigures #toys #toyreviews #singapore

Dark Alliance of Lucifer

 

 Halloween is here and nothing beats the gathering of evil fun in the season and many toy geeks have been churning out Halloween goodies to savage the thirst of all collectors alike.

In this season, I finally got one of my long awaited figures and hitting the time is Lucifer from the Dark Alliance.

He was a collaboration of CHAOS, Eternal Toys, Diamond Select and Art Asylum and what I have is the limited edition of 1000 from the First Shots !!!

What do they mean??? I gather is the first production of 1000 Lucifer which they produced and limited edition is a far cry from reality as there are similar carded versions which carry amazing accessories such as his staff and chain of heads, but for this "special" limited box edition,, he is short changed !

I cannot judge any major difference of him being the first 1000 that makes him any better since I do not have the mass carded version to compare. However, sculpt wise there are no difference and I already start recommending this figure before I complete this post.

The only thing I discovered is that mine does not have any product company imprint on his foot base and I am not sure if this is what the first 1000 figures do not possess.

Well, let us move on to see how amazing this dark angel is.

First off, I like big figures and he definitely have the height of 10 inches tall and bulk that adds to it.

Second, his head sculpt and entire body are detailed with expression and sculpted veins.

Thirdly, paint wash of red and tones of black brings out the details and simplicity of the figure.

Fourth, he got "real" hairs for his beard and long pony tail topping up with 2 brown sculpted horns.

Fifth, amazing sculpting neck chain with individual locket which is very Egyptian design and a leather feel loin cloth covering his assets.

Last but maybe not least, if you got his staff and accessories, it will be a heck of a figure which not many action figures can match even until this day.

Produced in the early 2000, he is still an excellently sculpted action figure for his age and shall see many days to come.

 

 

 

#toyphotography #actionfigures #toys #gaming #lucifer #halloween #cosplay