Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Mattycollector.com Voltron Update

Although I could talk about all the good and of course all the bad about these figures, I just decided to photograph the pilots I have up to now. Of course most of us are still waiting on Keith and the Black Lion, probably the most anticipated of the set.
Lance: Red Lion

Hunk: Yellow Lion

Pidge: Green Lion

Allura: Blue Lion
Sven: Blue Lion
Sven is the only one that comes as a carded figure. It annoyed me at first because I can't take it out without ruining the card, but I guess since this is the first Sven figure, he deserves to stand out from the others.
Waiting on Keith!

Bandai Ben 10 4" Way Big figure

I meant to show you guys this a LONG time ago but I forgot, so here it is. It's a 4" Version of the Way Big figure I showed you guys before. It's a good bit smaller but I like this version more than the bigger floppy legged one.


This version is well articulated


99% Diecast Colombian made Mazinger Z chogokin robot figure

My friend Leonardo had mentioned at some point that he was able to cast diecast pieces and showed me this little project of his. He took an old plastic Mazinger Z figure, cast diecast parts out of it and created this work of art. The fists were sculpted by local Colombian artisans and the Scrander was scratch built. The Scrander also has diecast parts by the way. The figure is completely diecast except for the scrander wings which are Acrylic.

The original figure did not have joints, so these had to be fabricated. The hole in the back was also made into the mold to hold the Scrander. Instead of using regular paint, the paint on this is a very strong resistant coating used in heavy duty manufacturing. The face is hand painted giving it a great vintage look.

During a visit to Colombia, I got to handle this wonderful figure. When I was about to leave for the night, Leo gave me this as a gift and I freaked! From the moment I got this to the moment it landed with me in the US, it endured being tossed around car door pockets, TSA handling, jean pockets and other stuff. In the end it was OK and now being taken care of like all other one of a kind art.

Amazing.
Custom Scrander

One of a kind. Thanks Leo!

Korean Daitarn 3 SUPER TITAN bootleg robot figure

This is one of those things I bid on just to bid on and well because it's a friggin' Daitarn 3! A pretty bad one at that but I love the artwork. That alone was worth the price. The figure is made out of questionable plastic but it seems pretty sturdy. The colors are way off and pieces do not fit together well. Another quirky Korean bootleg.

The tray is actually a very thick plastic




Marvel Universe Ultron 3.75" Action Figure

I got this on an impulse because I had some TRU coupons that needed using. So I picked up this little guy because he looks darn cool. The figure however was not what I expected. It was rather flimsy and hard to pose symmetrically the way I like. The included stand does wonders for the posing. I absolutely love the finish. Not too shabby




GX-47N Energer Z Normal Tamashii Exclusive

I seem to come across pictures of stuff I meant to cover here on the site and they got lost in the shuffle. This Bandai Soul of Chogokin Energer-Z GX-47N is one of them. Well here it is for you guys to enjoy!

Energer-Z comes in this rather simple box
Like the GX-45 Mazinger Z it is based on, it is beutifully finished with very glossy paint and heaps of diecast
His "cape" is actually a ramp up which the motorcycle rides up to dock to his head
Behind him, is the regular GX-47 Energer Z in it's meltdown colors. Another beautiful figure although not very popular with fans as made evident by it's clearance pricing.
Side by side, you will see they are identical. It's up to you which one you want to get

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

FINALLY found Hasbro Masterpiece Thundercracker

Up until this past Saturday, I was in that group of people that were frustrated about not being able to find Hasbro's new Masterpiece figure at retail. I did the whole visit-every-Toys R Us-every-day thing and call-every-Toys R Us-within-a-50 mile-radius only to hear the same thing: "Yeah everyone's been calling for this figure, we are sold out. I even read on Seibertron.com that the TRU in Times Square had about 5 of them so I did the trek over there which involved 2.5 hours worth of traffic and a $12 toll. I live about 15 miles away from NYC by the way. Only to drop off my wife out front while I drove around in more traffic. To make things worse, her phone died so she couldn't call me to tell me when she was ready to pick her up. This is all thanks to scalpers and TRU employees who buy up every piece!

Well, that's neither here nor there. I began to do the whole refresh-the-page every five seconds all day at work and all night and morning until lo and behold, I refreshed the page at work and voila! Success! I placed two separate orders so my friend in Colombia can have the chance to own one. Well today I received them.

The Masterpiece boxes makes the figures look like jewels or at least portray a sense of importance over all other lowly Transformers figures. Toys R Us Exclusive sticker is on the lower left so don't bother looking for these in Walmart.

One of the best face sculpts I have seen in a long time. Although stated on the box, this does not have two heads like the original MP Seeker mold

Out of the box he was ready for action

I did manage to get him to stay still for this shot

TC pats his Mini-Me on the head
Here is Thundercracker with Takara's MP-11 Starscream with Coronation Set.

Here, the roles are reversed. I think the colors actually look good on TC

Here's the cape fully extended
Capt. J. Dragon's Ass? The opposite side reads LTC Joe "Big Daddy" Kyde, who took part in designing Thundercrackers paint scheme. Check out the cool landing gear.

Under the front section of the wing is a tampo printed picture of Reflector in camera mode. Say Cheese!

The excellent tampo-printing carries over to the tail fins where a picture of Thundercracker holding Soundwave is shown with the word Sonicboom
The set comes with a chromed holographic pilot which is removable.

Although the MP-11 Starscream doesn't come with a stand, Thundercracker does!

Thundercrackers alt-mode is great. It doesn't look awkward and compromises are few and far between. This mold has really cleaned up a few things compared to the original MP Seeker mold.
I love this set. It's cheaper than springing for an MP-11. Although you don't get a coronation set like Starscream (why would you need it?) it does at least have a nice stand and some great coloring. Good luck in your hunt!

iGear PP-05M Medical Specialist Not-Ratchet Transformers

Just an update for an upcoming review on collectiondx.com. I just received this awesome Third Party iGear PP-05M Medical Specialist transforming robot from the great folks at bigbadtoystore.com. This is obviously Ratchet from Transformers. This figure does a great job of looking like his G1 onscreen appearance. It is a great size and looks great. Quality seems better than I expected- it even has diecast parts. Make sure to visit collectiondx within the next few days to check out the full review and transformation video. In the meantime, enjoy these teases. By the way, this is also available in Ironhide colors!

He looks great doesn't he? In that box is a load of accessories that includes two more heads!

To get a sense of scale, here he is with Classics Rodimus.

Morphy's Auction Haul: Takara Combat Armor BLOCKHEAD

I should have saved this for last as it is quite possibly my favorite of my Morphy's haul but I had to show you guys. Besides I just finished the video review of it so make Sure you check it out!

Blockhead shown with his optional clear armor

Damn Sexy

If this seems like something of interest to you well then CHECK OUT THE VIDEO! Stay tuned for more haul updates.

Mark Gyakuten-Oh Pocket Gokin

This is a cool little diecast that serves as a reminder of the olden days of Super Robot toys. Simple but nice.
The artwork alone is worth the price of entry, which isn't much by the way. Very colorful and happy.

The back is not as interesting but colorful nonetheless.

Gyakuten-Oh comes in a teeny Styrofoam tray with accessories at his side.

Here is a size comparison with a common Transformers Constructicon.

He stands very stoic and confident.

The back is nothing much to look at.

His head is not chrome in the anime, but the designers felt it was a good idea for the toy. Color accuracy is of no importance in this toy.

The plain back can be made a bit more interesting by installing the included chrome wingset.

The only Included weapon is this big blade.