RPA Updates 12/19/11

Well, the year is almost over and I wanted to choose what I believe is the toy of the year of all the toys I reviewed since it's only fair I choose from what I've had in my hands. That will come later before the end of the year.

Let's see... video review wise on my RPA channel I did:

S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla



Hot Toys Superman

Bandai Chogokin AEGIS

TFC Toys heavy Labor

ES Gokin Baikanfu

Part 6 of Ultraman MAT build

Currently I have the written review on queue for collectiondx.com so make sure to check that out soon. I am also working on the Fujimi Spinner model kit... not my most fun project. Paint does not like cold weather and Tamiya paints officially suck from a spray can. I am sticking to automotive paint from now on. After all the friggin delays in getting the right color blue and I use right color loosely since it's still not accurate, but a little white balance adjusttment will do wonders for the final review.

I have the two Fewture gokins coming of Arale Chan and Toriyama. Was expecting them today since they were sent EMS and somehow they are not in the states yet. I usually get them in 2 days and its been about 4...maybe holiday delays.

I am also going to upload a review of two little vintage Seven toys based on Xabungle and Iron Gear. So keep an eye for that if you like those pieces. If you haven't already done so, subscribe to my Youtube channel to keep up to date with all my videos.

What's up with issues on expensive toys?

Having issues and problems with expensive collectible pieces has always been the nature of the beast for the most part. There's always a batch of good releases in between the bad ones so that takes the sting out of the whole thing. But what about getting three defective figures in a row that cost a whopping $450 when you factor in shipping? Is this in any way justifiable? Aren't we paying good money to receive a good product? I understand the cost has something to do with the amount of units made versus production costs, but it still sucks when I can pay $10 for a bulletproof Transformer figure but when you spend $250 on a Masterpiece Rodimus, panels are snapping off, parts are breaking, springs are getting twisted and who knows what else. Then Takara turns around and releases an updated version and basically says "piss off" to all the people who jumped at ordering the first release.

Takara's $250 first release version with trailer (not shown) and QC issues on left and my own customized $60 Hasbro version without QC issues on the right. FYI, I've never transformed the Takara one out of FEAR of breakage. The Hasbro has the updates and I still won't transform it cause I don't wanna mess up the paint.

My bad luck streak started off with the Hot Toys Superman. Now it's not that bad because mine only suffered a couple of problems instead of suffering 10 like other people. Mine had the shiny forehead and the copper cape wire that poked out of the cape. The cape was relatively easy to fix and I was able to source a replacement head (which ironically also has a shiny forehead but much less noticeable.)

OK, the issue with this guy was more from package design (plastic tray rubs on head) than factory defect so it's not too bad... but still. Should be a non-issue on a $200 figure.

Next came TFC Toys Heavy Labor which is part of their Non-Devastator Hercules combiner. I decided to do a shoot for CDX. Instead of doing my research first to make sure nobody suffered QC issues, I went ahead and opened it up. During the interview I decided to look it up in my phone and I read about the gear shearing action of the hip ratchets. Lucky for me I had already clicked the joint once. That means it can't possibly have broken right? WRONG. One racthet motion is all it took to shear the gear tooth. Awesome. So I decided to take it apart. This required messing up the screw plugs to get to screws. However folks, TFC Toys does not leave their loyal customers to eat elephant shit like multi-million dollar Takara. They actually keep customers up to date with issue fixes, include replacement parts with new figures and issue new parts etc. This is definitely much better than being stuff with a bum figure but at $100 a pop, this should not even be an issue. Not only does this hurt the small company's profits, it creates a bad customer experience and bad mouthing on the net...and we all know how TF fans can be. I mean if it only took one movement of the ratchet to mess it up (on EVERYBODY'S) didn't they realize this during testing? Donit they grab one off the assembly line and check it out? Or were they aware and shipped 'em out anyways to meet their deadline?

This is the ratchet gear piece that gets stripped. The opposing piece does not "give" so it shears the teeth. Luckily for me I did not try and move the other leg so this one is fine.

The last straw was during my ES Gokin Baikanfu review... wow did I love this set. I still do but it wasn't until I really started handling it that things got bad. You'll have to watch the review to get the full effect. Basically small plastic bits snapped, I found that the ankle on one of the figures had been forced on in the factory and I'm still not sure if the ratchets on the toes broke or if the initial ratchets I heard were just freak happenings. Oh and the chrome sword that looks like it was stepped on for a full work day..what the hell?

Oh, these are cool, yes, but don't tug the head too much or else.

The gray piece has a tab that snapped on mine.

I want to know who thought putting this in the tray was a good idea.. this is the side that face up on the tray!  Way to go Artstorm. Glad you don't sell cars cause people tend not to buy cars with scratches all over them.

We live in 2011, going into 2012...how are the toys of today going to withstand the test of time if they fall apart within a couple of days after receiving them or suffer from QC issues? I have toys from my childhood still intact after rigorous play. All you MISB guys beware, not to make you paranoid or anything but what you think is in perfect condition may have tons of QC issues or missing parts...just sayin'.

Hot Toys Superman

Review and Pictures by Chachipower

OH...MY...GOD.

Seriously, this thing is BAD ASS. OK, I don't own many Superman figures. Maybe two. However I am a Superman fan. How is this? Well I realized I was a fan of the the one Christopher Reeve plays in the legendary 1978 film. I got my Hot Toys Superman last night and I was completely blown away. It has been literally years since I had a hard time putting down a figure. I could not stop staring at this or looking at it. On the one hand I wanted to fly it around and pose it but on the other, I knew it was delicate.

I was careful taking it out of the box. I made sure not to snag the cloth on anything. Then I started to examine the face sculpt when my heart sank...the was a mark on the forehead! It was a shiny spot from the clamshell rubbing on it. Then I look at the clamshell. There is a bump that has been purposely molded into it that holds the head back or something. Yes, Hot Toys wraps plastic around the forehead but the rubbing was hard enough to leave a shiny spot. Honestly this is ok if it was a $20 figure. It should be non-existent in a $200 figure. After reading about numerous complaints people have with this figure, I was starting to think that Hot Toys dropped the ball on this one. I also noticed the wire was poking out of the cape. That was an easy fix but still. It's sad because part of the proceeds from the sale of these goes to the Christopher Reeve Foundation. Hopefully this release doesn't end in failure.

Aside from that, like I said, it is BAD-ASS! The box is overkill in a good way. It comes in a diamond shaped box with Fortress of Solitude design stand.

This is the box and the included FOS stand. (This photo was not taken by me)

I was absolutely stunned by the sculpt and painted detail. It looks like real skin. These pictures DO NOT do it justice. Not by a long shot.

It's like looking at the real Christopher Reeve. Check out the freckled skin! The eyes look life-like.

The "S" is nicely done out of a rubbery material. The black outline of the "S" is actually raised. The suit material is quite nice but prone to snags. It is also a bit reflective under certain light.

The boots are really cool. There is very slight airbrushed shading along the bottom. The feet seem to be completely rubber and give it a lifelike feel.

The only piece that keeps it from looking absolutely real is the wrists. but the hand details are great. The set does come with alternate hands.

Some people say the muscular body is bigger than what was seen on screen, but I think it looks darn good.

The cape is line with a copper wire so that you can put is as you like depending on the pose you choose. It allows the cloth to drape realistically over the shoulders. The "S" on the back is also nicely done.

I was being absurdly conservative with my poses during this review. The True Type Hot Toys body used allows an incredible amount of poses. However his arms cannot come straight down against his sides. This is my favorite pose.

If you buy one, keep a look out for shiny foreheads, crooked "S" on front or back, snags on the suit, copper wire broken/poking out of cape, rubs on necks etc. A must buy for Superman fans. The definitive version of this superhero for a long time to come.

There is an exclusive verison available from Sideshow collectibles with a metal Kryptonite necklace for the same price as the regular version, however the regular version has free shipping.