It's been over a month since my last update, and that is just unacceptable.
To make up for it, coming soon I will be reviewing all 4 of the Young Justice 6in figures.
I will also have a review of the 8in Thundercats Classic Tygra figure coming soon, and the 6in modern Panthro.
Stay tuned!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
New Scarlet Spider!
One of the things shown off this past weekend at the New York Comic Con was promo shots of the upcoming Scarlet Spider series.
I've been a big Scarlet Spider fan for years. Something about the drifting spider-clone that found he had no choice but to continue as a hero despite everything, really spoke to me. I even felt satisfied that he died a proper heroic death.
And he has fashion sense. The plain red body suit with the blue hoodie was a great contrast to the classic costume. Even when Ben Reilly became Spider-Man, I felt like he had a nice update.
Years later, Tony Stark built Spider-Man a tech costume, which was eventually given to a 3 man stealth team, affectionately referred to as the Scarlet Spiders. This team was also a set of clones, but of a perfect physical specimen name Michael Van Patrick, who was killed in a training incident. A costume I already liked was made even more awesome by tying it back to Scarlet Spider.
So far we haven't seen the full costume on this new Scarlet Spider. It looks kinda cool, but I don't know if it really pulls off a "Scarlet Spider" vibe as well as the Iron Spider costume did.
I think the characterization will go a long way to making up my mind as well. In the few shots we have seen so far, he looks a bit sinister, which would go against the spirit of what I feel Scarlet Spider represented.
I dropped Spider-Man comics shortly after Mephisto rewrote history, but this may bring me back into the fold, especially in the coming weeks as we get more information on this new Scarlet Spider.
I've been a big Scarlet Spider fan for years. Something about the drifting spider-clone that found he had no choice but to continue as a hero despite everything, really spoke to me. I even felt satisfied that he died a proper heroic death.
And he has fashion sense. The plain red body suit with the blue hoodie was a great contrast to the classic costume. Even when Ben Reilly became Spider-Man, I felt like he had a nice update.
Years later, Tony Stark built Spider-Man a tech costume, which was eventually given to a 3 man stealth team, affectionately referred to as the Scarlet Spiders. This team was also a set of clones, but of a perfect physical specimen name Michael Van Patrick, who was killed in a training incident. A costume I already liked was made even more awesome by tying it back to Scarlet Spider.
So far we haven't seen the full costume on this new Scarlet Spider. It looks kinda cool, but I don't know if it really pulls off a "Scarlet Spider" vibe as well as the Iron Spider costume did.
I think the characterization will go a long way to making up my mind as well. In the few shots we have seen so far, he looks a bit sinister, which would go against the spirit of what I feel Scarlet Spider represented.
I dropped Spider-Man comics shortly after Mephisto rewrote history, but this may bring me back into the fold, especially in the coming weeks as we get more information on this new Scarlet Spider.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Late Review: Sucker Punch Extended Cut
SPOILER ALERT
This review will have more spoilers than my average movie review, just for the fact that i need to point out stuff that has changed from the theatrical cut to the extended cut.
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The extended cut is only available on Bluray. An odd note, you get 3 disks with this. 1 dvd that has the theatrical cut and digital copy, 1 Bluray that has the theatrical cut and special features (like the cartoon background stories for the fantasy world segments), and 1 Bluray that has only the extended cut. I'm fairly certain that some of that could have been combined into the same discs (they could have at least included the mini-cartoons on the extended cut Bluray to avoid having to switch disks)
Sucker Punch actually weighs in as one of my least favorite movies of all time. Hot girls running around with guns is a great premise, but the backdrop of the movie was so scattered and depressing that it made the movie hard to enjoy.
The movie starts off in a bleak setting somewhere roughly between the 1940's and 1960's (i dont think it is every specifically stated). Our young "hero" is dealing with the death of her mother and now having to deal with her creepy stepfather, who seems to look a little too longingly at his stepdaughters. It is implied that he is either physically or sexually abusive to the girls, or at least intends to be now that the mother is out of the way.
At this point we run into our first extended scene. In the theatrical cut, Babydoll (as we come to know her) wildly shoots a pistol, missing her stepfather, but apparently hitting her younger sister with a ricochet. It actually isnt very clear at this point if she actually hit the sister with the ricochet as we are told later, or if the stepfather has killed the girl prior to Babydoll arriving. In the extended cut, Babydoll shoots twice, the first is the wild round shown in the theatrical cut, the second shot is lower, hitting the stepfather in the arm, and has a trajectory that is more likely to have actually hit the sister.
Fast forward a bit past Babydoll getting dropped off at the asylum and spending a quick minute montage showing her stay before the lobotomy that her stepfather and the shady asylum worker have arranged to keep her quiet. At this point we have the first, most drastic reality shift. I say it is the most drastic, because, while the action scenes are fantastical, they are clearly the product of Babydoll's imagination, whereas this initial reality shift is almost like turning on a different movie that just happens to have the same characters.
We get another extended/altered scene here. In the theatrical cut, it is sort of implied that the "High roller" will be coming to take Babydoll's virginity, in the extended cut, it is spelled right out for you, leaving no question. This is followed up by an extended "tour" scene, where Rocket is showing Babydoll around. In this extended cut, we see that the cook is heavily attracted to Rocket, making his attempted rape of her later a little less random, as we now know he is acting on pre-existing urges. Also we get a brief note that Blue (the manager) will often lock the girls in the cleaning closet when they misbehave, explaining the completely random event of putting SweatPea in the closet near the end of the movie.
We are also treated to a lengthy musical number that is only seen previously as part of the end credits. The musical number consists of Blue and Madame Gorski (the head mistress) singing a duet while they montage various other musical numbers, each highlighting one of the main girls. We also see a detailed look at the business aspects of the "theatre" that were only hinted at in the theatrical cut, mainly that men from the audience can go to a booking window and pay to have sex with girls from their favorite musical number, as well as plenty of gambling and drinking.
The girls (Babydoll, Sweatpea, Rocket, Amber, Blondie) band together to steal items to help them escape. Each of these adventures corresponds to one of Babydoll's dances (which we still never actually see) and subsequent dreamscape shifts. I'll give a breakdown of the dreamscapes later.
As each item is gathered, Blue becomes increasingly suspicious of what is going on and begins threatening the girls. These threats are more blatant in the extended cut, while they were more implied in the theatrical cut. All of this comes to a head during the last dreamscape, when water shorts out the radio while Babydoll is dancing for the cook, prompting him to realize the girls were trying to steal his knife. Rocket dives in front of her sister, Sweatpea, saving her from the cook, but taking the full length of the blade in the process.
At this point Sweatpea is sent to the closet (which we now understand the reasoning behind...), and the other girls are sent to get ready for the show. After a slightly longer, more heated exchange between Blue and Madame Gorski than in the theatrical cut, Blue kills both Amber and Blondie, shooting Blondie twice in the extended cut. In the theatrical cut, we are lead to believe these 2 were killed due to their escape plan, which is harsh to be sure, but in the extended cut, it is made clear that the girls are killed as a way to punish Madame Gorski after she wouldnt back down in the proceeding battle of wills.
Following this is a slightly longer, more detailed exchange between Blue and Babydoll, again laying out openly some of the things that were merely implied in the theatrical cut, and Babydoll stabs him as he attempts to force himself on her.
Babydoll frees Sweatpea from the closet, letting her know the other girls didnt make it, and they use the items they collected to escape the building, only to find a group of men in the courtyard that they have to pass through to fully escape. It is then that Babydoll realizes that she must sacrifice herself in order for Sweatpea to escape, and that this was always the way the adventure was supposed to end. Babydoll distracts the men as Sweatpea sneaks past them.
We now have 2 additional scenes. the first, we see Sweatpea taking a dress from a clothesline as she traverses the countryside, explaining how she arrives at the bus stop at the end of the movie wearing different clothes.
The second scene, is a rather uncomfortable scene in which Babydoll awakes in the bed of the High Roller. He then proceeds to explain to her that he has everything he could ever want, except people telling him the truth. With all his money and power, people will tell him whatever they think he wants to hear, and he has no way of knowing if he can trust people. His remedy for this, is that he seeks that one pure moment of truth when a virgin gives herself to him willingly, as he can see the truth of her actions in her eyes.
The scene as a whole left me feeling very uncomfortable, very sleazy for having sat and watched him say all those things.
As Babydoll gives herself to the High Roller, we snap back to the original reality, as the Doctor is finishing the lobotomy. He is startled by the look in her eyes, as if she wanted him to perform the procedure. It is here that Dr Gorski comes in and realizes that the orderly, Blue, has been forging her signature. We see Blue and other orderlies taking Babydoll to an abandoned area of the asylum where they place her in a chair. The other orderlies find this act to be one step to far and tell Blue that they dont want to hurt the girls anymore. Blue is dismayed at Babydoll's lack of response as he attempts to molest her, screaming that she is gone as the police burst in and arrest him. As the carry him out, he is crying out that it is the stepfather's fault and that he will tell the police everything.
The movie ends with Sweatpea (the only girl that did NOT want to escape) stepping into line to board a bus. Police stop her to question her, but she is rescued by the bus driver, who is the same man seen giving the girls orders during the different dreamscape sequences.
Now, as for the dreamscapes.
The first one is a temple, in which Babydoll first meets the Wise Man and receives her trademark weapons, the gun and sword. Immediately after gaining her weapons, she faces off against 3 giant stone samurai warriors. While this is a fun scene, the fighting is probably the least well done of the sequences.
The second is a WWI/WWII type setting, only instead of Nazis, the 5 girls face off against Steampunk zombies. Most of the girls are wearing some sort of modified military attire, with Amber wearing the most visual cues from military uniforms, and of course Babydoll wearing the schoolgirl outfit. I will mention that i liked Sweatpea's outfit the best, as it had more of a comic book character kinda vibe to it, with the hooded trenchcoat over the skimpy outfit.
This action sequence is slightly extended, giving Amber a few seconds of extra screen time, and giving Blondie a pretty wild solo shot where she mows down a field of zombies.
The third is a medieval setting in which 3 of the girls fight through a castle of orcs to retrieve the fire making stones from the throat of a baby dragon, while Amber flies a bomber plane with Blondie manning the guns. This sequence is again a bit longer, adding a second or 2 to the dragon's nest scene, and a longer fight with the orcs, in which the girls put away their guns and all get busy with swords. There is also a slightly longer scene toward the end of this sequence that shows more of the girls fighting the knights that have breached the castle, although no reasoning is ever given for why they may have attacked the girls.
The final sequence is a futuristic setting in which the girls (minus Blondie) are attempting to take some sort of weapon of mass destruction off of a high speed train bound for a city in the distance. The 3 girls attack the train while Amber flies the helicopter above. Inside the train is a slightly extended fight sequence between the 3 girls and a mob of robots. The girls reach and deactivate the bomb, but as they are prepping it for extraction, one last half dead robot slams Rocket against the wall, breaking her jet pack, and reactivates the bomb. This of course corresponds to the scene where the cook stabs Rocket. Snapping back into the dreamscape, Rocket forces the other girls to escape while she stays on the train when it explodes as it reaches the city.
There are some good things about the movie, like the afore mentioned hot girls running around with guns. For fans of the classic pinup girls, this movie is perfect, as even when the girls are just walking around, they all have the classic pinup girl lingerie on. And of course Jamie Chung gets a fair amount of screen time, and that is always a plus in my book, as she is probably the most attractive Asian girl i've ever seen (and i spent time over there).
The action as whole was really good as well, with the girls not just randomly shooting guns, but actually wielding them like they knew what they were doing, though the swordplay was significantly less believable.
On the negative, the whole shifting of realities at the beginning was jarring. I didnt, and still dont, see a real purpose behind it. It felt more like the writers had more than one movie in mind, and instead of making separate movies, combined them into one.
Regardless of which of the 2 realities you were watching, however, the movie was depressing. It is hard to balance hot girls and killer action, with such bleak and hopeless surroundings. And this movie fell well short of finding that balance.
All in all, I would rate this movie somewhere between a decent rental and a "maybe if it comes on cable". I felt the theatrical cut wasnt worth the price of a movie ticket, and i feel that the Extended Cut really isnt worth the $25 or so i paid for the Bluray set (even considering the 3 disks and digital copy)
This review will have more spoilers than my average movie review, just for the fact that i need to point out stuff that has changed from the theatrical cut to the extended cut.
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Sucker Punch actually weighs in as one of my least favorite movies of all time. Hot girls running around with guns is a great premise, but the backdrop of the movie was so scattered and depressing that it made the movie hard to enjoy.
The movie starts off in a bleak setting somewhere roughly between the 1940's and 1960's (i dont think it is every specifically stated). Our young "hero" is dealing with the death of her mother and now having to deal with her creepy stepfather, who seems to look a little too longingly at his stepdaughters. It is implied that he is either physically or sexually abusive to the girls, or at least intends to be now that the mother is out of the way.
At this point we run into our first extended scene. In the theatrical cut, Babydoll (as we come to know her) wildly shoots a pistol, missing her stepfather, but apparently hitting her younger sister with a ricochet. It actually isnt very clear at this point if she actually hit the sister with the ricochet as we are told later, or if the stepfather has killed the girl prior to Babydoll arriving. In the extended cut, Babydoll shoots twice, the first is the wild round shown in the theatrical cut, the second shot is lower, hitting the stepfather in the arm, and has a trajectory that is more likely to have actually hit the sister.
Fast forward a bit past Babydoll getting dropped off at the asylum and spending a quick minute montage showing her stay before the lobotomy that her stepfather and the shady asylum worker have arranged to keep her quiet. At this point we have the first, most drastic reality shift. I say it is the most drastic, because, while the action scenes are fantastical, they are clearly the product of Babydoll's imagination, whereas this initial reality shift is almost like turning on a different movie that just happens to have the same characters.
We get another extended/altered scene here. In the theatrical cut, it is sort of implied that the "High roller" will be coming to take Babydoll's virginity, in the extended cut, it is spelled right out for you, leaving no question. This is followed up by an extended "tour" scene, where Rocket is showing Babydoll around. In this extended cut, we see that the cook is heavily attracted to Rocket, making his attempted rape of her later a little less random, as we now know he is acting on pre-existing urges. Also we get a brief note that Blue (the manager) will often lock the girls in the cleaning closet when they misbehave, explaining the completely random event of putting SweatPea in the closet near the end of the movie.
We are also treated to a lengthy musical number that is only seen previously as part of the end credits. The musical number consists of Blue and Madame Gorski (the head mistress) singing a duet while they montage various other musical numbers, each highlighting one of the main girls. We also see a detailed look at the business aspects of the "theatre" that were only hinted at in the theatrical cut, mainly that men from the audience can go to a booking window and pay to have sex with girls from their favorite musical number, as well as plenty of gambling and drinking.
The girls (Babydoll, Sweatpea, Rocket, Amber, Blondie) band together to steal items to help them escape. Each of these adventures corresponds to one of Babydoll's dances (which we still never actually see) and subsequent dreamscape shifts. I'll give a breakdown of the dreamscapes later.
As each item is gathered, Blue becomes increasingly suspicious of what is going on and begins threatening the girls. These threats are more blatant in the extended cut, while they were more implied in the theatrical cut. All of this comes to a head during the last dreamscape, when water shorts out the radio while Babydoll is dancing for the cook, prompting him to realize the girls were trying to steal his knife. Rocket dives in front of her sister, Sweatpea, saving her from the cook, but taking the full length of the blade in the process.
At this point Sweatpea is sent to the closet (which we now understand the reasoning behind...), and the other girls are sent to get ready for the show. After a slightly longer, more heated exchange between Blue and Madame Gorski than in the theatrical cut, Blue kills both Amber and Blondie, shooting Blondie twice in the extended cut. In the theatrical cut, we are lead to believe these 2 were killed due to their escape plan, which is harsh to be sure, but in the extended cut, it is made clear that the girls are killed as a way to punish Madame Gorski after she wouldnt back down in the proceeding battle of wills.
Following this is a slightly longer, more detailed exchange between Blue and Babydoll, again laying out openly some of the things that were merely implied in the theatrical cut, and Babydoll stabs him as he attempts to force himself on her.
Babydoll frees Sweatpea from the closet, letting her know the other girls didnt make it, and they use the items they collected to escape the building, only to find a group of men in the courtyard that they have to pass through to fully escape. It is then that Babydoll realizes that she must sacrifice herself in order for Sweatpea to escape, and that this was always the way the adventure was supposed to end. Babydoll distracts the men as Sweatpea sneaks past them.
We now have 2 additional scenes. the first, we see Sweatpea taking a dress from a clothesline as she traverses the countryside, explaining how she arrives at the bus stop at the end of the movie wearing different clothes.
The second scene, is a rather uncomfortable scene in which Babydoll awakes in the bed of the High Roller. He then proceeds to explain to her that he has everything he could ever want, except people telling him the truth. With all his money and power, people will tell him whatever they think he wants to hear, and he has no way of knowing if he can trust people. His remedy for this, is that he seeks that one pure moment of truth when a virgin gives herself to him willingly, as he can see the truth of her actions in her eyes.
The scene as a whole left me feeling very uncomfortable, very sleazy for having sat and watched him say all those things.
As Babydoll gives herself to the High Roller, we snap back to the original reality, as the Doctor is finishing the lobotomy. He is startled by the look in her eyes, as if she wanted him to perform the procedure. It is here that Dr Gorski comes in and realizes that the orderly, Blue, has been forging her signature. We see Blue and other orderlies taking Babydoll to an abandoned area of the asylum where they place her in a chair. The other orderlies find this act to be one step to far and tell Blue that they dont want to hurt the girls anymore. Blue is dismayed at Babydoll's lack of response as he attempts to molest her, screaming that she is gone as the police burst in and arrest him. As the carry him out, he is crying out that it is the stepfather's fault and that he will tell the police everything.
The movie ends with Sweatpea (the only girl that did NOT want to escape) stepping into line to board a bus. Police stop her to question her, but she is rescued by the bus driver, who is the same man seen giving the girls orders during the different dreamscape sequences.
Now, as for the dreamscapes.
The first one is a temple, in which Babydoll first meets the Wise Man and receives her trademark weapons, the gun and sword. Immediately after gaining her weapons, she faces off against 3 giant stone samurai warriors. While this is a fun scene, the fighting is probably the least well done of the sequences.
The second is a WWI/WWII type setting, only instead of Nazis, the 5 girls face off against Steampunk zombies. Most of the girls are wearing some sort of modified military attire, with Amber wearing the most visual cues from military uniforms, and of course Babydoll wearing the schoolgirl outfit. I will mention that i liked Sweatpea's outfit the best, as it had more of a comic book character kinda vibe to it, with the hooded trenchcoat over the skimpy outfit.
This action sequence is slightly extended, giving Amber a few seconds of extra screen time, and giving Blondie a pretty wild solo shot where she mows down a field of zombies.
The third is a medieval setting in which 3 of the girls fight through a castle of orcs to retrieve the fire making stones from the throat of a baby dragon, while Amber flies a bomber plane with Blondie manning the guns. This sequence is again a bit longer, adding a second or 2 to the dragon's nest scene, and a longer fight with the orcs, in which the girls put away their guns and all get busy with swords. There is also a slightly longer scene toward the end of this sequence that shows more of the girls fighting the knights that have breached the castle, although no reasoning is ever given for why they may have attacked the girls.
The final sequence is a futuristic setting in which the girls (minus Blondie) are attempting to take some sort of weapon of mass destruction off of a high speed train bound for a city in the distance. The 3 girls attack the train while Amber flies the helicopter above. Inside the train is a slightly extended fight sequence between the 3 girls and a mob of robots. The girls reach and deactivate the bomb, but as they are prepping it for extraction, one last half dead robot slams Rocket against the wall, breaking her jet pack, and reactivates the bomb. This of course corresponds to the scene where the cook stabs Rocket. Snapping back into the dreamscape, Rocket forces the other girls to escape while she stays on the train when it explodes as it reaches the city.
There are some good things about the movie, like the afore mentioned hot girls running around with guns. For fans of the classic pinup girls, this movie is perfect, as even when the girls are just walking around, they all have the classic pinup girl lingerie on. And of course Jamie Chung gets a fair amount of screen time, and that is always a plus in my book, as she is probably the most attractive Asian girl i've ever seen (and i spent time over there).
The action as whole was really good as well, with the girls not just randomly shooting guns, but actually wielding them like they knew what they were doing, though the swordplay was significantly less believable.
On the negative, the whole shifting of realities at the beginning was jarring. I didnt, and still dont, see a real purpose behind it. It felt more like the writers had more than one movie in mind, and instead of making separate movies, combined them into one.
Regardless of which of the 2 realities you were watching, however, the movie was depressing. It is hard to balance hot girls and killer action, with such bleak and hopeless surroundings. And this movie fell well short of finding that balance.
All in all, I would rate this movie somewhere between a decent rental and a "maybe if it comes on cable". I felt the theatrical cut wasnt worth the price of a movie ticket, and i feel that the Extended Cut really isnt worth the $25 or so i paid for the Bluray set (even considering the 3 disks and digital copy)
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Review: Marvel Universe X-23
today lets take a look at the new X-23 figure.
a little background for those not familiar with the character, X-23 is essentially a clone of Wolverine. the Y chromosome from Wolverine's dna sample was damaged and the geneticist working on the project started working on a female clone. a successful clone was established on the 23rd attempt. X-23 is basically the same as Wolverine except the obvious fact that she is female, and instead of 3 claws on each hand, she has 2 per hand and one in each foot. her claws were actually extracted and laced with adamantium when she was young.
now, the figure.
X-23 comes sporting her X-Force uniform. The paint is very clean and crisp, with nice straight lines on the legs stripes and shoulder slashes, and the silver on the nose of her mask, which is something they left out of the Warpath figure. the various buckles are also painted silver, which are some small details that could have been overlooked
She comes on a mostly new body (it might be 100% new, as i dont immediately recognize any of the parts), highlighted by the fact that she is of smaller stature that the other female figures. her hair is sculpted in a way that doesnt block articulation, which is a definite plus. she also has newly sculpted wrist and boot straps, completing her comic accurate appearance. the wrist straps can also turn so that they match whatever position you have the hand in.
i would like to point out that she does not come with her foot claws. while it would have been cool to have them, she doesnt use them often enough while fighting to say that they should have been sculpted on her boots, and i dont think that this figure is big enough to make any kind of retractable claw like the Marvel Legends figure has
Articulation:
*head swivel
*neck hinge
*disk/post shoulders
*disk/post elbows (or "sigma elbows")
*mid-torso (back/front and swivel)
*ball joint hips (very restricted)
*thigh swivel
*double hinge knees
*boot top cut
*hinged ankle
*extreme foot tilt
X-23 is only the 2nd female figure to have the disk/post elbow articulation (the other figure being Jean Grey) first popularized by the GI Joe Sigma Six line (hence the term "sigma elbow"), and the range of motion allowed with that elbow articulation makes her far more poseable that the other female figures, who had hinged elbows and no bicep articulation.
The extreme foot tilt was a welcome surprise on this figure, as the posing possibilities increase dramatically when you add that very versatile joint. all that extra posing ability is immediately reduced, however, by her extremely restricted hip joints. i dont think i have run across any MU figure that has this much trouble with any of their joints. the joint is very stiff, to the point it feels like i might snap her leg off. and when you are actually able to move the leg, you cant move it very far. for a character like X-23, having relatively no hip articulation is very detrimental.
overall, X-23 is a very good figure. if you are already picking up the X-Force characters (like the Warpath/Wolverine/Deadpool set), then getting X-23 is a must, as she gets us one step closer to getting a complete team. the figure is a nice package, with the hip articulation be the sole drawback
a little background for those not familiar with the character, X-23 is essentially a clone of Wolverine. the Y chromosome from Wolverine's dna sample was damaged and the geneticist working on the project started working on a female clone. a successful clone was established on the 23rd attempt. X-23 is basically the same as Wolverine except the obvious fact that she is female, and instead of 3 claws on each hand, she has 2 per hand and one in each foot. her claws were actually extracted and laced with adamantium when she was young.
now, the figure.
X-23 comes sporting her X-Force uniform. The paint is very clean and crisp, with nice straight lines on the legs stripes and shoulder slashes, and the silver on the nose of her mask, which is something they left out of the Warpath figure. the various buckles are also painted silver, which are some small details that could have been overlooked
She comes on a mostly new body (it might be 100% new, as i dont immediately recognize any of the parts), highlighted by the fact that she is of smaller stature that the other female figures. her hair is sculpted in a way that doesnt block articulation, which is a definite plus. she also has newly sculpted wrist and boot straps, completing her comic accurate appearance. the wrist straps can also turn so that they match whatever position you have the hand in.
i would like to point out that she does not come with her foot claws. while it would have been cool to have them, she doesnt use them often enough while fighting to say that they should have been sculpted on her boots, and i dont think that this figure is big enough to make any kind of retractable claw like the Marvel Legends figure has
Articulation:
*head swivel
*neck hinge
*disk/post shoulders
*disk/post elbows (or "sigma elbows")
*mid-torso (back/front and swivel)
*ball joint hips (very restricted)
*thigh swivel
*double hinge knees
*boot top cut
*hinged ankle
*extreme foot tilt
X-23 is only the 2nd female figure to have the disk/post elbow articulation (the other figure being Jean Grey) first popularized by the GI Joe Sigma Six line (hence the term "sigma elbow"), and the range of motion allowed with that elbow articulation makes her far more poseable that the other female figures, who had hinged elbows and no bicep articulation.
The extreme foot tilt was a welcome surprise on this figure, as the posing possibilities increase dramatically when you add that very versatile joint. all that extra posing ability is immediately reduced, however, by her extremely restricted hip joints. i dont think i have run across any MU figure that has this much trouble with any of their joints. the joint is very stiff, to the point it feels like i might snap her leg off. and when you are actually able to move the leg, you cant move it very far. for a character like X-23, having relatively no hip articulation is very detrimental.
overall, X-23 is a very good figure. if you are already picking up the X-Force characters (like the Warpath/Wolverine/Deadpool set), then getting X-23 is a must, as she gets us one step closer to getting a complete team. the figure is a nice package, with the hip articulation be the sole drawback
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Review: Marvel Universe Steve Rogers
first things first, i have a complaint. the name on the package is "Steve Rogers Captain America". is that really necessary? must the figure be labeled as Captain America for it to sell? Any kid that would buy the figure because it was labeled as Captain America, would immediately pass on the figure, exclaiming how it doesnt look like Captain America, regardless of how interested they would have been in the figure itself.
fortunately the figure stand he comes with is properly labeled "Commander Rogers"
first, a little background. i've always been a big fan of Captain America. i was devastated when they killed him off a few years back and even drew a memorial picture on the gear locker in my office (you can see it in my deviantArt). When Bucky became the new Cap, i was pleased with how they had handled the whole situation.
a while later, they undid the whole death and Steve Rogers was back. i was angry about how it was handled, but i wont turn this into a rant. shortly there after, Steve passed the shield off to Bucky officially, letting him be the 1 and only Cap, with Steve taking on a position similar to Nick Fury. again i was very happy with how things turned out.
this figure represents Steve in this new role. The figure is very nicely done, hitting all of the visual cues of the costume perfectly, including newly sculpted fingerless glove hands, shoulder straps, cargo belt, and shin straps. the paint is very clean, perfectly pulling off the white/red/white leg stripes and the stars/stripes on his chest, shoulders and back. it is very easy for white paint to look really bad over dark colors, but the white paint on this figure is very bright.
Articulation:
*swivel head
*hinge neck
*disk/post shoulders
*bicep cut
*hinge elbows
*wrist cut
*mid-torso (full 360)
*waist cut
*ball joint hips
*thigh cut
*double hinged knee
*boot top cut
*hinge ankle (restricted)
*extreme foot tilt (restricted)
Steve here has all the required articulation, including the new foot articulation that i mentioned in the Scarlet Spider review. Unfortunately the shin guard/boot top/strap things hinder it and the ankle joint significantly.
Rogers is a good sized figure too. he has a build that looks fitting for a super soldier. by comparison, he is much stockier than the previous Marvel Universe Captain America figures, and a good deal taller than the Cap figures from the movie line. He does scale perfectly with the Bucky Cap figure from the movie line though, which is a definite plus.
a quick note on accessories, he comes with an assault rifle and a pistol. i was hoping he would have a holster for the pistol, but i think that would mess up his comic accurate appearance. i havnt decided yet if i will be displaying him with the guns or with the triangle shield that came with the First Appearance Cap figure a while back. When i play Marvel vs Capcom 3, i use the Commander Rogers costume for Cap, and he uses the triangle shield in the game. really, its the main reason i even bought the First Appearance Cap figure.
all in all, i was super excited to get this figure, and it didnt let me down. i highly suggest picking him up if you see him, especially considering there is a Secret Avengers Beast figure, Nova figure, and Moon Knight/Ant-Man 2pack coming soon to round out the majority of the Secret Avengers team.
and oh yeah, be on the look out for the 6in version coming around the first of the year in the first wave of the renewed Marvel Legends line!
fortunately the figure stand he comes with is properly labeled "Commander Rogers"
first, a little background. i've always been a big fan of Captain America. i was devastated when they killed him off a few years back and even drew a memorial picture on the gear locker in my office (you can see it in my deviantArt). When Bucky became the new Cap, i was pleased with how they had handled the whole situation.
a while later, they undid the whole death and Steve Rogers was back. i was angry about how it was handled, but i wont turn this into a rant. shortly there after, Steve passed the shield off to Bucky officially, letting him be the 1 and only Cap, with Steve taking on a position similar to Nick Fury. again i was very happy with how things turned out.
this figure represents Steve in this new role. The figure is very nicely done, hitting all of the visual cues of the costume perfectly, including newly sculpted fingerless glove hands, shoulder straps, cargo belt, and shin straps. the paint is very clean, perfectly pulling off the white/red/white leg stripes and the stars/stripes on his chest, shoulders and back. it is very easy for white paint to look really bad over dark colors, but the white paint on this figure is very bright.
Articulation:
*hinge neck
*disk/post shoulders
*bicep cut
*hinge elbows
*wrist cut
*mid-torso (full 360)
*waist cut
*ball joint hips
*thigh cut
*double hinged knee
*boot top cut
*hinge ankle (restricted)
*extreme foot tilt (restricted)
Steve here has all the required articulation, including the new foot articulation that i mentioned in the Scarlet Spider review. Unfortunately the shin guard/boot top/strap things hinder it and the ankle joint significantly.
Rogers is a good sized figure too. he has a build that looks fitting for a super soldier. by comparison, he is much stockier than the previous Marvel Universe Captain America figures, and a good deal taller than the Cap figures from the movie line. He does scale perfectly with the Bucky Cap figure from the movie line though, which is a definite plus.
a quick note on accessories, he comes with an assault rifle and a pistol. i was hoping he would have a holster for the pistol, but i think that would mess up his comic accurate appearance. i havnt decided yet if i will be displaying him with the guns or with the triangle shield that came with the First Appearance Cap figure a while back. When i play Marvel vs Capcom 3, i use the Commander Rogers costume for Cap, and he uses the triangle shield in the game. really, its the main reason i even bought the First Appearance Cap figure.
all in all, i was super excited to get this figure, and it didnt let me down. i highly suggest picking him up if you see him, especially considering there is a Secret Avengers Beast figure, Nova figure, and Moon Knight/Ant-Man 2pack coming soon to round out the majority of the Secret Avengers team.
and oh yeah, be on the look out for the 6in version coming around the first of the year in the first wave of the renewed Marvel Legends line!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
X-Force!
I started working on custom figures as a fun activity many years ago, but recently i've take a more serious approach to customs (some of which you can see at my Deviantart, check the link in the side bar --->)
Last night a finished up 2 Marvel Universe scale figures I had been working on: X-Force's Wolfsbane and Elixer
Wolfsbane was made using a Black Widow body with parts from the Timber accessory from one of the Snake Eyes figures.
I removed BW's feet and attached the lower legs from Timber, then shaped Timber's head until it was roughly human shaped. then i hit the whole thing in black and used a combination of a silver sharpie (as a base coat) and silver paint to do the details
in what i felt was a moment of clarity, i carefully trimmed off some of the body fur from Timber and attached those pieces to the calves and forearms to go ahead and lock in that comic accurate look
i would like to add that she is ridiculously hard to stand now...
for Elixer, i started with a Marvel Universe Silver Surfer figure and the head from a GI Joe Crimson Guard.
i picked up a gold sharpie so i could use the same sharpie/paint combo that i have had such success with when dealing with silver, painting the arms below the "sleeve" and the face.
i carefully painted the black for the costume, the line to distinguish the sleeves, and went back and hit the hair with a little silver
last thing i did was give he entire figure a coat of flat clear except the gold parts, so they would pop a bit more compared to the duller colors
Last night a finished up 2 Marvel Universe scale figures I had been working on: X-Force's Wolfsbane and Elixer
Wolfsbane was made using a Black Widow body with parts from the Timber accessory from one of the Snake Eyes figures.
I removed BW's feet and attached the lower legs from Timber, then shaped Timber's head until it was roughly human shaped. then i hit the whole thing in black and used a combination of a silver sharpie (as a base coat) and silver paint to do the details
in what i felt was a moment of clarity, i carefully trimmed off some of the body fur from Timber and attached those pieces to the calves and forearms to go ahead and lock in that comic accurate look
i would like to add that she is ridiculously hard to stand now...
for Elixer, i started with a Marvel Universe Silver Surfer figure and the head from a GI Joe Crimson Guard.
i picked up a gold sharpie so i could use the same sharpie/paint combo that i have had such success with when dealing with silver, painting the arms below the "sleeve" and the face.
i carefully painted the black for the costume, the line to distinguish the sleeves, and went back and hit the hair with a little silver
last thing i did was give he entire figure a coat of flat clear except the gold parts, so they would pop a bit more compared to the duller colors
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Edible Review: Smoky BBQ Wheat Thins
For my first ever Edible Review, I'm taking a look at the new Smoky BBQ Wheat Thins.
My wife saw these in the store last night and we couldnt justify not trying a box. I would say these are a brilliant move. They have the classic taste of a nice BBQ potato chip, but the unmistakable texture and crunch of a Wheat Thin.
If you are a fan of Wheat Thins and are looking for a new flavor, or are a fan of BBQ chips and maybe want to try something other than your standard Lays, then this is something you will want to pick up. These things are really good and i've had a hard time putting the box down.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Review: Thundercats 6 inch Lion-O
I was originally very skeptical of this 6in line of Thundercats figures. They really didnt seem to appeal to me, especially with the Classic line giving me figures from the original cartoon. Since I had sampled both the Classic and the 3 3/4 scale line, it was only fair that I pick up at least one of the 6in figures and try those out as well.
Lion-O has a pretty nice sculpt. Much nicer than the initial pictures had led me to believe. Holding him in my hands, i also now notice how similar this new costume is to the original version. It really does look like an update of that design, where i had originally thought it was a totally new design. The paint is nice and clean, with his armor parts being metallic paint. It gives a nice contrast to what looks like a plain dark blue body suit that he is wearing under the armor, and the silver edges to the armor really make the figure pop.
Now, right away i need to address some bad marks about this figure. This figure has the same problem that the Classic Lion-O figure had, the fact that the details of the sculpt blend together, especially on his hair and face. A little detailing work would really bring out how great the figure looks. As it stands, however, the entire head looks under detailed by comparison to the rest of the figure.
Also, the fur on the back of his calves is highly detailed and has a shaggy appearance to it. None of the other fur on his body has this amount of detail, and it looks strange by comparison. The straps on his leg armor have also been left unpainted, which isnt a hard fix with a steady hand, but people shouldnt have to take care of simple details that should have been painted in the first place.
Articulation:
*ball joint head (rotation only)
*hinged neck (forward/back)
*disk/post shoulders
*bicep cut
*double hinged elbow
*forearm cut
*hinged wrist
*limited mid-torso (side to side only)
*ball joint waist (limited 360)
*disk/post hips
*thigh cut
*double hinged knee
*hinged ankle
*foot tilt
Lion-O again comes with the Sword of Omens in both extended and dagger versions, both including well painted Thundercat and Eye of Thundera emblems, respectively. The material used for the sword feels the same as the swords that came with Classic Lion-O, but i havent had as much warping so far.
He comes with 2 versions of the Claw Shield, with fingers extended and fingers retracted. The extended version is meant to replace the left hand, while the retracted version is to be hung from a strap similar to the one on Classic Lion-O. The strap is secured much better this time, and easily swings out of the way when posing. The retracted version is also slightly thinner, so it doesnt take up as much space hanging from the strap, which also means you can't put it on his arm with much success (although you can just squeeze it on if you want). There is a small bit of sculpted detail going from the strap to Lion-O's belt, giving the impression that he is actually wearing the strap, as opposed to having it just randomly floating there.
The extended claw shield doesnt work quite as well in practice this time around. First, while the Claw Shield accepts a small ball joint, the wrist joint on Lion-O actually uses a standard looking peg, which doesnt lend itself very well to popping off limbs, especially if you plan to swap them out on a regular basis. The Claw Shield is also pretty big, sitting almost to the elbow, which makes any articulation pointless. And to be perfectly honest, it doesnt look good on his arm. This is one normally vital accessory that is quickly going to find its way into my accessories bin, unfortunately.
I guess you can count this next bit as an accessory. From the moment i first starting seeing pictures of the new cartoon, i noticed the rather bulky pauldron he wears (the shoulder armor), and when the figures started getting announced, I noted that the pauldron looked even worse on the figures. Luckily, the pauldron on this version of the figure (dont know about the 3 3/4 figure) is simply pegged into the shoulder strap of his armor. It leaves a decent sized hole, but it is totally removable, and i fully plan to display him without it.
Now, this line of figures is billed as a 6in line. Of course that could mean the figures are anywhere from 5in-7in or more, depending on the line. Lion-O here appears to fit pretty well with pretty much everything i stood him next to. Considering this is supposed to be a teenage Lion-O, he looks very appropriate at about a head shorter than most of the average size figures. This will make displaying him very easy, as he will match up well with any fantasy based or anime figures that you have.
For one last down note, and probably the biggest complaint i've heard about these figures. All of his joints use big black pegs. I've seen clear pegs, i've seen pegs that are the color of whatever body part they are attached to, but this is the first time ive seen black pegs used throughout the whole body regardless of what color is needed. Also, there are 4 big exposed screws in his back, apparently holding his torso together. There is another in the back of his lower torso, and one in the hip joint of each leg. Honestly, i cant think of a single time i have seen some Frankenstein looking garbage like this. He seriously looks like they never finished him.
Truth be told, this still really isnt a deal breaker for me. He is a good figure overall.
If you can overlook black pegs in the joints and visible screws in his back, then this is definitely a figure you should look into getting. This figure only secures my desire for a new Tygra figure in this scale, and i look forward to getting the Panthro as well.
Lion-O has a pretty nice sculpt. Much nicer than the initial pictures had led me to believe. Holding him in my hands, i also now notice how similar this new costume is to the original version. It really does look like an update of that design, where i had originally thought it was a totally new design. The paint is nice and clean, with his armor parts being metallic paint. It gives a nice contrast to what looks like a plain dark blue body suit that he is wearing under the armor, and the silver edges to the armor really make the figure pop.
Now, right away i need to address some bad marks about this figure. This figure has the same problem that the Classic Lion-O figure had, the fact that the details of the sculpt blend together, especially on his hair and face. A little detailing work would really bring out how great the figure looks. As it stands, however, the entire head looks under detailed by comparison to the rest of the figure.
Also, the fur on the back of his calves is highly detailed and has a shaggy appearance to it. None of the other fur on his body has this amount of detail, and it looks strange by comparison. The straps on his leg armor have also been left unpainted, which isnt a hard fix with a steady hand, but people shouldnt have to take care of simple details that should have been painted in the first place.
Articulation:
*hinged neck (forward/back)
*disk/post shoulders
*bicep cut
*double hinged elbow
*forearm cut
*hinged wrist
*limited mid-torso (side to side only)
*ball joint waist (limited 360)
*disk/post hips
*thigh cut
*double hinged knee
*hinged ankle
*foot tilt
Lion-O again comes with the Sword of Omens in both extended and dagger versions, both including well painted Thundercat and Eye of Thundera emblems, respectively. The material used for the sword feels the same as the swords that came with Classic Lion-O, but i havent had as much warping so far.
He comes with 2 versions of the Claw Shield, with fingers extended and fingers retracted. The extended version is meant to replace the left hand, while the retracted version is to be hung from a strap similar to the one on Classic Lion-O. The strap is secured much better this time, and easily swings out of the way when posing. The retracted version is also slightly thinner, so it doesnt take up as much space hanging from the strap, which also means you can't put it on his arm with much success (although you can just squeeze it on if you want). There is a small bit of sculpted detail going from the strap to Lion-O's belt, giving the impression that he is actually wearing the strap, as opposed to having it just randomly floating there.
The extended claw shield doesnt work quite as well in practice this time around. First, while the Claw Shield accepts a small ball joint, the wrist joint on Lion-O actually uses a standard looking peg, which doesnt lend itself very well to popping off limbs, especially if you plan to swap them out on a regular basis. The Claw Shield is also pretty big, sitting almost to the elbow, which makes any articulation pointless. And to be perfectly honest, it doesnt look good on his arm. This is one normally vital accessory that is quickly going to find its way into my accessories bin, unfortunately.
I guess you can count this next bit as an accessory. From the moment i first starting seeing pictures of the new cartoon, i noticed the rather bulky pauldron he wears (the shoulder armor), and when the figures started getting announced, I noted that the pauldron looked even worse on the figures. Luckily, the pauldron on this version of the figure (dont know about the 3 3/4 figure) is simply pegged into the shoulder strap of his armor. It leaves a decent sized hole, but it is totally removable, and i fully plan to display him without it.
Now, this line of figures is billed as a 6in line. Of course that could mean the figures are anywhere from 5in-7in or more, depending on the line. Lion-O here appears to fit pretty well with pretty much everything i stood him next to. Considering this is supposed to be a teenage Lion-O, he looks very appropriate at about a head shorter than most of the average size figures. This will make displaying him very easy, as he will match up well with any fantasy based or anime figures that you have.
For one last down note, and probably the biggest complaint i've heard about these figures. All of his joints use big black pegs. I've seen clear pegs, i've seen pegs that are the color of whatever body part they are attached to, but this is the first time ive seen black pegs used throughout the whole body regardless of what color is needed. Also, there are 4 big exposed screws in his back, apparently holding his torso together. There is another in the back of his lower torso, and one in the hip joint of each leg. Honestly, i cant think of a single time i have seen some Frankenstein looking garbage like this. He seriously looks like they never finished him.
Truth be told, this still really isnt a deal breaker for me. He is a good figure overall.
If you can overlook black pegs in the joints and visible screws in his back, then this is definitely a figure you should look into getting. This figure only secures my desire for a new Tygra figure in this scale, and i look forward to getting the Panthro as well.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Review: Thundercats 3 3/4 Basic Tygra
I have a general rule when it comes to new things: I'll try anything once.
this policy also applies to new action figure lines. I will pick up one figure, preferably the one figure I am most likely to enjoy or the figure that is most likely to be done best, and then gauge based on that figure if the line is worth picking up or not.
Today we have one such occasion with the 3 3/4 scale Tygra figure from the new cartoon. I know there are a bunch of people that dont like Tygra's costume in the new show, but I dig it, and the costume is well represented in this small figure. He has really nice sculpted detail, even in areas that I thought they would cheap out and either simply paint, or leave out the detail all together.
Tygra's head has a surprising lack of detail by comparison, however. Only the black stripes and his facial features are actually sculpted, leaving the head lacking a bit due to how smooth the features are (considering its supposed to be fur). The actual face sculpt itself leaves something to be desired as well. He just doesnt look like the Tygra in the new show. That could also be chalked up to the small scale.
The paint is surprisingly clean, including the Thundercats symbol on his chest (which still isnt there in the cartoon, so we can only assume that means it will be added later).
Articulation:
*limited ball joint head (head sculpt restricts the joint to just swivel)
*disk/post shoulders
*hinged elbows
*cut wrists
*disk/post hips
*thigh cut (very high on the leg)
*hinged knees
*boot top cut
*hinged ankles
The lack of a bicep cut is the only thing really missing here, and it is sorely missed.
I had a basic idea of how the articulation would play out, based on a 3 3/4 scale Green Ranger figure Bandai put out a year or so ago, and Tygra here has much better articulation. If he had that bicep cut, I would say he had the perfect articulation. This might also just be me being spoiled by how articulated other 3 3/4 figures are these days.
Tygra comes with 3 accessories: his trademark whip cast in a blue rubber like material, a gun and a holster/belt, both cast in a decent greyish silver plastic.
Of note, the gun doesnt really look like the one he uses in the show. I think it is the size of the gun that makes it looks so bad to me. Also, the holster/belt is large and obtuse. There is a hole in Tygra's side that the belt pegs into, but there is really no way to make it look good on the figure.
I would also like to take a moment to talk about the "Thunderlynx" feature incorporated into each figure. This is basically a magnet in the figure's back that allows the figures to interact with vehicles and stuff. In the process, this adds a large boxy section to the back of each figure. Since Tygra is wearing armor, it really doesnt take away from his look at all, but i imagine it seriously messes up the aesthetics of the other figures.
All in all, while I'm not particularly sorry I picked this figure up, it didnt come anywhere close to convincing me to buy any of the others. Here's hoping they release Tygra in the 6in scale line soon.
this policy also applies to new action figure lines. I will pick up one figure, preferably the one figure I am most likely to enjoy or the figure that is most likely to be done best, and then gauge based on that figure if the line is worth picking up or not.
Today we have one such occasion with the 3 3/4 scale Tygra figure from the new cartoon. I know there are a bunch of people that dont like Tygra's costume in the new show, but I dig it, and the costume is well represented in this small figure. He has really nice sculpted detail, even in areas that I thought they would cheap out and either simply paint, or leave out the detail all together.
Tygra's head has a surprising lack of detail by comparison, however. Only the black stripes and his facial features are actually sculpted, leaving the head lacking a bit due to how smooth the features are (considering its supposed to be fur). The actual face sculpt itself leaves something to be desired as well. He just doesnt look like the Tygra in the new show. That could also be chalked up to the small scale.
The paint is surprisingly clean, including the Thundercats symbol on his chest (which still isnt there in the cartoon, so we can only assume that means it will be added later).
Articulation:
*limited ball joint head (head sculpt restricts the joint to just swivel)
*disk/post shoulders
*hinged elbows
*cut wrists
*disk/post hips
*thigh cut (very high on the leg)
*hinged knees
*boot top cut
*hinged ankles
The lack of a bicep cut is the only thing really missing here, and it is sorely missed.
I had a basic idea of how the articulation would play out, based on a 3 3/4 scale Green Ranger figure Bandai put out a year or so ago, and Tygra here has much better articulation. If he had that bicep cut, I would say he had the perfect articulation. This might also just be me being spoiled by how articulated other 3 3/4 figures are these days.
Tygra comes with 3 accessories: his trademark whip cast in a blue rubber like material, a gun and a holster/belt, both cast in a decent greyish silver plastic.
Of note, the gun doesnt really look like the one he uses in the show. I think it is the size of the gun that makes it looks so bad to me. Also, the holster/belt is large and obtuse. There is a hole in Tygra's side that the belt pegs into, but there is really no way to make it look good on the figure.
I would also like to take a moment to talk about the "Thunderlynx" feature incorporated into each figure. This is basically a magnet in the figure's back that allows the figures to interact with vehicles and stuff. In the process, this adds a large boxy section to the back of each figure. Since Tygra is wearing armor, it really doesnt take away from his look at all, but i imagine it seriously messes up the aesthetics of the other figures.
All in all, while I'm not particularly sorry I picked this figure up, it didnt come anywhere close to convincing me to buy any of the others. Here's hoping they release Tygra in the 6in scale line soon.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Late Review: Captain America: The First Avenger
SPOILER ALERT
I will try to avoid plot details as much as possible, but some things will be necessary to properly review the various aspects of the movie.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I finally watched Captain America last night (i know, i know. yes i'm ashamed it took so long).
There are some parts of the movie that people will no really care for, but I feel the movie delivered on pretty much everything I could have wanted in this movie.
First up, the cast. Chris Evans undoubtedly took a lot of flack when he was cast as Cap, being previously best known for his stint as Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four movies. Evans put on some serious muscle for the role, and really looked the part. People were mostly afraid that Evans would approach the role with the same humor that he approached the Human Torch role with, but any fans of Evans' other movies knows that he actually does have a decent bit of acting ability, and he was able to pull off the humble yet confident personality that you would expect from Steve Rogers.
It was a stroke of genius to cast Hugo Weaving as Red Skull, and I have been saying so since it was first announced. The only thing i was hesitant about was how he would turn out visually. I must say that Red Skull looked exactly like I wanted him to. A lot of actors in these types of movies sorta look like you would want them too or are "good enough" to please people, but Red Skull was as close to perfect as I think could possibly be done.
The rest of the cast was well rounded, with a blend of highly recognizable faces and some considerably less commercially known actors (WHY have I never heard of Hayley Atwell before?? that woman is gorgeous!), and pretty much everyone hit their mark.
Another thing people complained about right away was the costume. At this point, I have learned to sit and patiently wait to see how things turn out before getting riled up, and that patience usually pays off. There is a portion of the movie where Evans is in the classic Captain America costume, complete with the original triangle badge shaped shield. Seeing him walking around in it does present a view point that it isnt exactly something you would run around fighting in, and thus explaining why he would need a more tactical costume.
I cant really say that the final costume was the best choice, as it doesnt really look like something that would be period accurate, but it is considerably more functional than the classic costume shown earlier in the movie.
I also like that some reasoning was given behind why exactly he carries a shield, and that he hand picked the standard round shield that he is most known for carrying.
moving to some plot points, the characterization of Steve Rogers before the serum was a great lead-up, and a great contrast to all the other superhero movies. showing him as the weak but good hearted 90lb army reject was perfect to set him apart from all the big egos and larger than life personalities seen from the main characters in the other movies. seeing pompous bullies learn important life lessons and become heroes is fine, but seeing the determination of someone with all the greatest qualities rise above his own limitations really makes for an inspirational tale.
the inclusion of the Howling Commandos was great, even though they werent referred to as such, and the individual members didnt get much solo exposition. of note, the british superhero Union Jack was included in this bunch, even though he was never an actual member. i would have liked for them to have included a young Nick Fury to give a little more continuity, but i dont think they could have realistically explained how he is still alive after all those years in the time they had left in the movie. it was kinda fun seeing the montage of Cap and the Commandos taking out various Hydra bases, as it had sort of a old school war movie feel to it.
Bucky was portrayed very well, considering how he has been represented in more recent years. not as the little kid sidekick of Captain America, but as a skilled soldier. they managed to give him a realistic version of his classic costume, minus the mask of course, even though it was a bit understated
i have always hated the "death" scene from the comics in which Captain America leaps from a missile after Bucky tries to disarm it. an attempted retcon changed to show that Bucky stayed on the missile because his arm was trapped, which is even worse, cause it seems like Cap abandoned him flat out.
these points were given a much needed facelift and i think it turned out very much for the better in the movie. Bucky was lost during an op to capture Arnim Zola, trying to help Cap and falling to his apparent death when Cap couldnt reach him in time. this sets up a potential Winter Soldier appearance later in the series, as we are shown that he falls, but not where/how he lands. any comic fan can tell you, unless you see the body, there is always the chance they will come back. heck, even if you do see the body...
As for Cap's final fate, instead of a single missile that Cap is trying to disarm, he takes out the Red Skull's entire plane, crashing it into the ice to keep it from delivering the various payloads to multiple US cities. a much more heroic demise than simply leaping off of a missile that you were unable to disarm and landing in some icy water
the final scene in the movie, Steve waking up in modern times, could have been drawn out a little longer, and the exchange between him and Fury could have been a little better, but Evans again pulled off some good acting by giving us a Steve Rogers that was genuinely finding himself in the future and how disorienting that must be.
now... i hesitate to approach this subject, cause it is a matter of serious debate. Nazis. probably the #1 complaint i hear about this movie is the lack of Nazis. a lot of people see this as either trying to be too sympathetic to the Jews and other victims of the Nazis, or they see it as trying to be sympathetic to the Nazis themselves, and not wanting to portray them in a "bad light"
In the comics, Red Skull was not directly part of Hydra (until much much later), Hydra was not part of the Nazi regime, and Hydra was not a scientific research division. Red Skull was a Nazi working directly for Hitler, Hydra was criminal organization, and Hydra had it's own internal science division, AIM, which eventually became its own entity.
All that aside, I prefer the way it is all portrayed in the movie. Red Skull always struck me as a "take over the world" kind of guy, and that isnt something that could have been accomplished as Hitler's do-boy. i much prefer him as the leader of his own army that seeks to rise above even the Nazis, and set out on a quest for total domination
all in all, i was very afraid they were gonna drop the ball on this movie, but they ended up doing a spectacular job. If you havnt seen the movie yet, you should still be able to find it in a theatre somewhere (even if it is the discount theatre). i highly recommend going to see it.
I will try to avoid plot details as much as possible, but some things will be necessary to properly review the various aspects of the movie.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are some parts of the movie that people will no really care for, but I feel the movie delivered on pretty much everything I could have wanted in this movie.
First up, the cast. Chris Evans undoubtedly took a lot of flack when he was cast as Cap, being previously best known for his stint as Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four movies. Evans put on some serious muscle for the role, and really looked the part. People were mostly afraid that Evans would approach the role with the same humor that he approached the Human Torch role with, but any fans of Evans' other movies knows that he actually does have a decent bit of acting ability, and he was able to pull off the humble yet confident personality that you would expect from Steve Rogers.
It was a stroke of genius to cast Hugo Weaving as Red Skull, and I have been saying so since it was first announced. The only thing i was hesitant about was how he would turn out visually. I must say that Red Skull looked exactly like I wanted him to. A lot of actors in these types of movies sorta look like you would want them too or are "good enough" to please people, but Red Skull was as close to perfect as I think could possibly be done.
The rest of the cast was well rounded, with a blend of highly recognizable faces and some considerably less commercially known actors (WHY have I never heard of Hayley Atwell before?? that woman is gorgeous!), and pretty much everyone hit their mark.
Another thing people complained about right away was the costume. At this point, I have learned to sit and patiently wait to see how things turn out before getting riled up, and that patience usually pays off. There is a portion of the movie where Evans is in the classic Captain America costume, complete with the original triangle badge shaped shield. Seeing him walking around in it does present a view point that it isnt exactly something you would run around fighting in, and thus explaining why he would need a more tactical costume.
I cant really say that the final costume was the best choice, as it doesnt really look like something that would be period accurate, but it is considerably more functional than the classic costume shown earlier in the movie.
I also like that some reasoning was given behind why exactly he carries a shield, and that he hand picked the standard round shield that he is most known for carrying.
moving to some plot points, the characterization of Steve Rogers before the serum was a great lead-up, and a great contrast to all the other superhero movies. showing him as the weak but good hearted 90lb army reject was perfect to set him apart from all the big egos and larger than life personalities seen from the main characters in the other movies. seeing pompous bullies learn important life lessons and become heroes is fine, but seeing the determination of someone with all the greatest qualities rise above his own limitations really makes for an inspirational tale.
the inclusion of the Howling Commandos was great, even though they werent referred to as such, and the individual members didnt get much solo exposition. of note, the british superhero Union Jack was included in this bunch, even though he was never an actual member. i would have liked for them to have included a young Nick Fury to give a little more continuity, but i dont think they could have realistically explained how he is still alive after all those years in the time they had left in the movie. it was kinda fun seeing the montage of Cap and the Commandos taking out various Hydra bases, as it had sort of a old school war movie feel to it.
Bucky was portrayed very well, considering how he has been represented in more recent years. not as the little kid sidekick of Captain America, but as a skilled soldier. they managed to give him a realistic version of his classic costume, minus the mask of course, even though it was a bit understated
i have always hated the "death" scene from the comics in which Captain America leaps from a missile after Bucky tries to disarm it. an attempted retcon changed to show that Bucky stayed on the missile because his arm was trapped, which is even worse, cause it seems like Cap abandoned him flat out.
these points were given a much needed facelift and i think it turned out very much for the better in the movie. Bucky was lost during an op to capture Arnim Zola, trying to help Cap and falling to his apparent death when Cap couldnt reach him in time. this sets up a potential Winter Soldier appearance later in the series, as we are shown that he falls, but not where/how he lands. any comic fan can tell you, unless you see the body, there is always the chance they will come back. heck, even if you do see the body...
As for Cap's final fate, instead of a single missile that Cap is trying to disarm, he takes out the Red Skull's entire plane, crashing it into the ice to keep it from delivering the various payloads to multiple US cities. a much more heroic demise than simply leaping off of a missile that you were unable to disarm and landing in some icy water
the final scene in the movie, Steve waking up in modern times, could have been drawn out a little longer, and the exchange between him and Fury could have been a little better, but Evans again pulled off some good acting by giving us a Steve Rogers that was genuinely finding himself in the future and how disorienting that must be.
now... i hesitate to approach this subject, cause it is a matter of serious debate. Nazis. probably the #1 complaint i hear about this movie is the lack of Nazis. a lot of people see this as either trying to be too sympathetic to the Jews and other victims of the Nazis, or they see it as trying to be sympathetic to the Nazis themselves, and not wanting to portray them in a "bad light"
In the comics, Red Skull was not directly part of Hydra (until much much later), Hydra was not part of the Nazi regime, and Hydra was not a scientific research division. Red Skull was a Nazi working directly for Hitler, Hydra was criminal organization, and Hydra had it's own internal science division, AIM, which eventually became its own entity.
All that aside, I prefer the way it is all portrayed in the movie. Red Skull always struck me as a "take over the world" kind of guy, and that isnt something that could have been accomplished as Hitler's do-boy. i much prefer him as the leader of his own army that seeks to rise above even the Nazis, and set out on a quest for total domination
all in all, i was very afraid they were gonna drop the ball on this movie, but they ended up doing a spectacular job. If you havnt seen the movie yet, you should still be able to find it in a theatre somewhere (even if it is the discount theatre). i highly recommend going to see it.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Review: Thundercats Classic Lion-O
As the new Thundercats cartoon got closer, and all the merchandise starting to get unveiled, one of the announcements that had everyone excited was the Thundercats Classic line. Lets go ahead and take a look at the first figure from the line, Lion-O, and see if all the fuss was worth it.
There are some things this figure does very right, and some things that are slight speed bumps.
Starting off, the sculpt came out really good. Lion-O's hair is the type that is really hard to translate well into 3 dimensions (like most anime hair, im looking at you DBZ), but it works to give him a realistic appearance while maintaining that trademark hairstyle.
most of the sculpting cues will feel very familiar and are similar to other figures of this type (like MOTUC and DCUC), and i was glad to see that extra attention was taken to fully sculpt his shirt instead of simply painting the various details. He also has a very nicely sculpted and wonderfully painted belt, with a very clean Thundercats emblem. I should note that the belt is not glued in place, and has the tendency to move around a bit when posing him.
One major difference in Lion-O's sculpt from other lines, is he has some leg muscle that is sculpted as part of the thigh cut, which actually gives his legs a more natural look when posing him
Articulation:
Lion-O here has one of the highest articulation counts that i have seen in a while, lets jump into a breakdown
*ball jointed head (its tight though)
*hinged neck (allows back and forth)
*disk/post shoulders
*bicep cut
*hinged elbows
*disk/post wrists
*ball joint hands (only allows for rotation)
-the wrist and hand articulation combine for a full range of motion at the wrist
*mid-torso (very tight, only minor front/back movement)
*ball joint waist (full range of motion)
*disk/post hips
*thigh cut
*double hinged knees
*boot top cut (rotation)
*hinged ankles
*foot tilt
Lion-O comes with 2 right hands, 1 relaxed hand, 1 sword gripping hand. he has a relaxed left hand that is interchangeable with the Claw Shield that clips directly on the ball joint. When not in use, the Claw Shield can hang from a small plastic strap that clips into a hole in Lion-O's side. One drawback here is that the Claw Shield is rather large, and doesnt hang on his side very well. You have to position the strap just right in order for it to stay on his side, and even then, Lion-O's left arm must stick out from his body because of the space the Claw Shield takes up.
The Sword of Omens is included in both dagger and extended forms. Both are a basic, yet nice looking silver with the Thundercats emblem on the sword and the Eye of Thundera on the dagger. The dagger can be holstered securely in the Claw Shield as well.
The extended Sword of Omens suffers from very soft plastic. Leaving the sword in ANY position will cause it to warp due solely to gravity. I thought i could combat this problem by having the blade's edge perfectly up and down, but the sword still warped, giving my Sword of Omens the overall shape of a katana.
This figure does have a few more glaring drawbacks, however. First, Lion-O has a very shiny appearance, especially his face and hair, giving him a decidedly cheap look. the beautiful sculpt is overshadowed by how boring and muddled he looks due to not having any paint apps other than the trim on his costume.
There was a SDCC exclusive version of this figure that had metallic paint and a serious wash over his body. The wash on that figure ended up being excessive and made the figure look dirty. For future figures, I hope that Bandai can find a balance between the overly dirty wash on the SDCC figure, and the overly basic look of this figure.
My main detractor of this figure is the scale. At over 8in tall, Lion-O towers over the majority of the figures in my collection. There had been hopes throughout the fandom that this line would be compatible with MOTUC, but that is far from how things turned out. Any figures i had that were not ridiculously small by comparison, ended up being ridiculously big by comparison. They have managed to scale this line perfectly to fit in with absolutely nothing. The only figure i could find in my collection that came anywhere close to looking appropriate next to Lion-O is Cloud from the Final Fantasy Advent Children line, which is itself a strangely scaled figure, and that isnt really a perfect fit either.
i read that this line was supposed to be scaled to fit with the original line of figures, but seeing the new figure next to the original, that makes even less sense, as the original line is about the same size as the current MOTUC line.
The articulation and sculpt give this figure all kinds of play value (or posing value), and this really shouldnt be that hard of a decision for fans of the original show, especially at $16.99 (unless you shop at Toys R Us, then it is $19.99), which is a steal compared to similar figures (MOTUC @ $20 and DCUC @ $ 15.99).
If you see him in stores, even if you are disappointed with aspects of the figure like I was, you will still feel like he is well worth the money
There are some things this figure does very right, and some things that are slight speed bumps.
Starting off, the sculpt came out really good. Lion-O's hair is the type that is really hard to translate well into 3 dimensions (like most anime hair, im looking at you DBZ), but it works to give him a realistic appearance while maintaining that trademark hairstyle.
most of the sculpting cues will feel very familiar and are similar to other figures of this type (like MOTUC and DCUC), and i was glad to see that extra attention was taken to fully sculpt his shirt instead of simply painting the various details. He also has a very nicely sculpted and wonderfully painted belt, with a very clean Thundercats emblem. I should note that the belt is not glued in place, and has the tendency to move around a bit when posing him.
One major difference in Lion-O's sculpt from other lines, is he has some leg muscle that is sculpted as part of the thigh cut, which actually gives his legs a more natural look when posing him
Articulation:
Lion-O here has one of the highest articulation counts that i have seen in a while, lets jump into a breakdown
*hinged neck (allows back and forth)
*disk/post shoulders
*bicep cut
*hinged elbows
*disk/post wrists
*ball joint hands (only allows for rotation)
-the wrist and hand articulation combine for a full range of motion at the wrist
*mid-torso (very tight, only minor front/back movement)
*ball joint waist (full range of motion)
*disk/post hips
*thigh cut
*double hinged knees
*boot top cut (rotation)
*hinged ankles
*foot tilt
Lion-O comes with 2 right hands, 1 relaxed hand, 1 sword gripping hand. he has a relaxed left hand that is interchangeable with the Claw Shield that clips directly on the ball joint. When not in use, the Claw Shield can hang from a small plastic strap that clips into a hole in Lion-O's side. One drawback here is that the Claw Shield is rather large, and doesnt hang on his side very well. You have to position the strap just right in order for it to stay on his side, and even then, Lion-O's left arm must stick out from his body because of the space the Claw Shield takes up.
The Sword of Omens is included in both dagger and extended forms. Both are a basic, yet nice looking silver with the Thundercats emblem on the sword and the Eye of Thundera on the dagger. The dagger can be holstered securely in the Claw Shield as well.
The extended Sword of Omens suffers from very soft plastic. Leaving the sword in ANY position will cause it to warp due solely to gravity. I thought i could combat this problem by having the blade's edge perfectly up and down, but the sword still warped, giving my Sword of Omens the overall shape of a katana.
This figure does have a few more glaring drawbacks, however. First, Lion-O has a very shiny appearance, especially his face and hair, giving him a decidedly cheap look. the beautiful sculpt is overshadowed by how boring and muddled he looks due to not having any paint apps other than the trim on his costume.
There was a SDCC exclusive version of this figure that had metallic paint and a serious wash over his body. The wash on that figure ended up being excessive and made the figure look dirty. For future figures, I hope that Bandai can find a balance between the overly dirty wash on the SDCC figure, and the overly basic look of this figure.
My main detractor of this figure is the scale. At over 8in tall, Lion-O towers over the majority of the figures in my collection. There had been hopes throughout the fandom that this line would be compatible with MOTUC, but that is far from how things turned out. Any figures i had that were not ridiculously small by comparison, ended up being ridiculously big by comparison. They have managed to scale this line perfectly to fit in with absolutely nothing. The only figure i could find in my collection that came anywhere close to looking appropriate next to Lion-O is Cloud from the Final Fantasy Advent Children line, which is itself a strangely scaled figure, and that isnt really a perfect fit either.
i read that this line was supposed to be scaled to fit with the original line of figures, but seeing the new figure next to the original, that makes even less sense, as the original line is about the same size as the current MOTUC line.
The articulation and sculpt give this figure all kinds of play value (or posing value), and this really shouldnt be that hard of a decision for fans of the original show, especially at $16.99 (unless you shop at Toys R Us, then it is $19.99), which is a steal compared to similar figures (MOTUC @ $20 and DCUC @ $ 15.99).
If you see him in stores, even if you are disappointed with aspects of the figure like I was, you will still feel like he is well worth the money
Monday, September 12, 2011
Review: Marvel Universe Scarlet Spider
i figured nothing would be more fitting for my first review than the recently released Marvel Universe Scarlet Spider figure.
Scarlet Spider is one of my all time favorite characters, and I am definitely excited to see a figure that really does him justice.
This figure uses the more recent Spider-man buck (basic body), which eliminated the small size and slightly odd proportions of the earlier MU Spidey figures. This buck also eliminated the sculpted lines in favor of painted lines. It is hit or miss as far as Spider-Man figures go, but it is a real benefit when it comes to using the buck for other characters like Scarlet Spider. On a side note, I'd like to see this buck used on some other characters like Daredevil, who's earlier figure could use a redo.
Articulation:
*ball jointed head
*ball jointed shoulders (peg and hinge is the correct term i believe, but not one i like, i think i will start using "disk and post ball joint")
*bicep cut
*hinged elbow
*cut wrist (for wrist rotation)
*mid-torso (allows for front/back, side to side and rotation
*ball and socket hip joint
*thigh cut
*double hinged knee
*disk and post ankle (front/back and rotation)
the figure is a rather plain red (which is accurate to the character) with accessories of sculpted silver wrist bands, brown ankle pouches, a well painted brown and silver belt, and of course his trademark blue hoodie
the hoodie is a very well sculpted rubber piece, with just the right amount of sculpted folds, the hood in the back, and even sculpted draw strings on the front of the hoodie. the spider symbol on the front and back are painted very well, which is sometimes hard to accomplish with that much sculpted detail. i would also point out that the hoodie doesnt hinder his mid-torso articulation at all
of debate among some fans is the fact that Scarlet Spider's white eyes are outlined in black. in most source material, and most previous figures of Scarlet Spider (even the Super Hero Squad figure), the eyes have been plain white with no outline. for my tastes, i think the black outline looks good
a couple things that i would have like to have seen different, only those initial Spider-Man figures came with a web-shooting hand, every figure since (including the black costume, Iron Spider costume, and now Scarlet Spider) has had a fist and an open palm. i would like to see one day if we can get to the point where we have interchangeable hands so we are not as limited with possible poses.
another thing, some of the more recent MU figures have had a newly designed foot joint that adds a major side to side tilt, allowing the foot to tilt all the way sideways. Scarlet Spider really would have benefited from this joint more than some of the figures that actually got it (Apocalypse for instance), but i imagine his foot is a bit small to try adding the extra articulation.
all in all, even if you aren't a huge Scarlet Spider fan, this is still a solid figure that demonstrates everything that Hasbro is doing right with the Marvel Universe line.
Scarlet Spider is one of my all time favorite characters, and I am definitely excited to see a figure that really does him justice.
This figure uses the more recent Spider-man buck (basic body), which eliminated the small size and slightly odd proportions of the earlier MU Spidey figures. This buck also eliminated the sculpted lines in favor of painted lines. It is hit or miss as far as Spider-Man figures go, but it is a real benefit when it comes to using the buck for other characters like Scarlet Spider. On a side note, I'd like to see this buck used on some other characters like Daredevil, who's earlier figure could use a redo.
Articulation:
*ball jointed head
*ball jointed shoulders (peg and hinge is the correct term i believe, but not one i like, i think i will start using "disk and post ball joint")
*bicep cut
*hinged elbow
*cut wrist (for wrist rotation)
*mid-torso (allows for front/back, side to side and rotation
*ball and socket hip joint
*thigh cut
*double hinged knee
*disk and post ankle (front/back and rotation)
the figure is a rather plain red (which is accurate to the character) with accessories of sculpted silver wrist bands, brown ankle pouches, a well painted brown and silver belt, and of course his trademark blue hoodie
the hoodie is a very well sculpted rubber piece, with just the right amount of sculpted folds, the hood in the back, and even sculpted draw strings on the front of the hoodie. the spider symbol on the front and back are painted very well, which is sometimes hard to accomplish with that much sculpted detail. i would also point out that the hoodie doesnt hinder his mid-torso articulation at all
of debate among some fans is the fact that Scarlet Spider's white eyes are outlined in black. in most source material, and most previous figures of Scarlet Spider (even the Super Hero Squad figure), the eyes have been plain white with no outline. for my tastes, i think the black outline looks good
a couple things that i would have like to have seen different, only those initial Spider-Man figures came with a web-shooting hand, every figure since (including the black costume, Iron Spider costume, and now Scarlet Spider) has had a fist and an open palm. i would like to see one day if we can get to the point where we have interchangeable hands so we are not as limited with possible poses.
another thing, some of the more recent MU figures have had a newly designed foot joint that adds a major side to side tilt, allowing the foot to tilt all the way sideways. Scarlet Spider really would have benefited from this joint more than some of the figures that actually got it (Apocalypse for instance), but i imagine his foot is a bit small to try adding the extra articulation.
all in all, even if you aren't a huge Scarlet Spider fan, this is still a solid figure that demonstrates everything that Hasbro is doing right with the Marvel Universe line.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Under construction...
Please forgive the rather unfinished appearance, I'm still in the process of getting the design down to what I want.
There will be major upgrades to the look over the coming weeks.
There will be major upgrades to the look over the coming weeks.
Welcome!
Hello, my name is Ideal and I would like to invite you to take a journey inside my mind.
I will be discussing my thoughts and offering reviews on comic books, action figures, movies, music and anything else that the collector may encounter during the course of the day.
I'm blunt and to the point, giving as unbiased an opinion as I can and as in depth of a review as I can, looking at the topic of discussion not from just the collector's view, but also from the view of the non-collector.
I have a lot of back logged reviews I need to get to, but I will do my best to get current reviews out as quick as I can. If you have specific reviews you would like to see, feel free to ask.
Enjoy
I will be discussing my thoughts and offering reviews on comic books, action figures, movies, music and anything else that the collector may encounter during the course of the day.
I'm blunt and to the point, giving as unbiased an opinion as I can and as in depth of a review as I can, looking at the topic of discussion not from just the collector's view, but also from the view of the non-collector.
I have a lot of back logged reviews I need to get to, but I will do my best to get current reviews out as quick as I can. If you have specific reviews you would like to see, feel free to ask.
Enjoy
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