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.

S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla figure

Holy cow, it's finally here! I've been waiting forever for this figure. Instead of going to the usual places like HLJ.com, amiami.com and BBTS, I got this from Amazon.com. I'm talking Amazon themselves, not some shady seller. Amazon gets these from the US Tamashii distributor Blue Fin so you can expect to pay fair prices instead of getting gouged by a reseller or waiting and paying for the trip from overseas. It also qulaified for free shipping. There was a bit of a delay in its release but it's here and I'm happy.

Box Front- The Godzilla head is glossy while the rest of the box has a soft matte finish.

Box Back

Box side

Box side with foil Godzilla lettering.

Amazing right out of the box. Pretty heavy too. A big chunk of PVC.

The detail is great. Each stroke of the sculptor's tool is captured to create an excellent piece.

The detailing of the mouth is very well done. Notice the texture of the tongue. Each individual tooth is detailed. While the eyes looked a tad off, they were very detailed.

This figure is highly articulated, look at how many seam lines are used for the neck alone. The base of the neck has another neck piece which can't be seen in this picture.

The scales are done well although depending on the pose, the scales may collide, so be careful when posing so no paint scuffing occurs.

Here he is in flight mode. I'm sure I could have done a better job at posing it in this fashion. Here you can see most of his articulaiton joints. Look at all those seam lines...especially the tail!

He comes with this effects piece which mimics him shooting from the mouth. The base has an icy look to it.

The effect is OK, but the stand deters from the look of it. When will invisibility technology catch up with toys? Overall an incredibly well done Godzilla. I was afraid the articulation points were going to ruin the look of Godzilla but Bandai managed to pull this off well.

Bandai GE-54 VF-25F Chogokin vs. GE-42

I have to admit that the GE-42 VF-25F (ver. 1.0) was an impulse buy because it was on sale. I bought it a few months back and only opened it to check if it was complete. Never transformed it. Then recently it was released again except it was heavily updated and with a GE-54 designation. It is known as the Renewal version or V 2.0. I decided that I would tackle the video for the new one and I went ahead and did a comparison video. I am SO glad I bought the renewal. Having the original really makes me appreciate just how well done the renewal is. I mean I thought the original was OK, but the new one is just right and makes the original look old-school with weird proportions.

GE-54 box (Ver.2.0)

GE-42 box (Ver.1.0)

 The following shows the 2 sets side by side with the GE-42 on the left and the GE-54 on the right.

Both come in a styro tray that is actually the same dimensions but different mold. The renewal is laid out on an angle.

Side by side they can be mistaken for the same set, but looking closer reveals many differences.

Gerwalk mode is OK on the GE-42, but not great, however the GE-54 is much better.

GE-42. Meh.

GE-54. Nice.
The GE-54's legs can be spread and angled out more than the GE-42. You kind of have to cheat with the GE-42 to make it look passable.

Never has the odd proportions of the GE-42 been more evident than when standing next to the new GE-54.

Stunning... now check out the video for more.

Super Robot Chogokin Dai Guard

I finally got the video review done for the SRC Dai Guard. There was some extensive editing since I wasn't really in review mode that night so I had to cut a bunch of stuff I feel wasn't up to par. I was planning to snap up some shots of it but now it's in storage. This thing is pretty bad-ass. Small and heavy without being a brick. Any robot who can rip off his arm and toss it rocket-punch style is cool in my book and still earns it's place in my Rocket Punch Army.

If you wanna check out the Rocket-Punch sequence, watch this video.

CASSETTE MAN ! Taiwan Cassett Man bootleg (Soundwave)

Ahh, there is nothing like a good ol' 80's Taiwan bootleg. Not all 80's Taiwan bootlegs were good, but many that were copies of existing Japanese toys. I'm sure we've all had some type of Taiwan version toy. One of my favorites is Daitarn 3 which borders on not really being a bootleg since it's licensed by Sunrise. We've also got the Godtron, Godbot, Lionbot and loads more. One that I would see as a kid was Cassette Man. I remember seeing these alongside Shockwave and Megatron bootlegs. I wasn't into them much because these were available before the Transformers craze started. The reason Transformers bootlegs were available before Transformers existed is because they weren;t bootlegged off of Transformers. They were bootlegs of Diaclone/Micro Change toys from Takara Japan and other toys. Sort of like how Lionbot was around before the Matchbox Voltron came out. This all cause me confusion since there was no internet to teach me the origins of these toys.

Years later I now have in my possession a Taiwan Cassette Man. I got it on eBay where it was being sold for about $130 with a "Make offer" I went the lowball route since I was broke and this is a bootleg...the offer was accepted. Worst that could happen is my offer being declined. It is bootlegged off of the Takara Micro Change Cassette Man. The box has seen better days and the Jaguar cassette robot is missing but the rest of the contents have been unmolested by small grubby hands. I made a video of this figure in which I transformed it for the first time in it's life. Although I didn't capture the transformation on video, you sort of witness the devirginizing of a toy.

It came with everything you see here except Jaguar. This Jaguar is actually a G1 Ravage filling in. Everything else was intact and unused.

This is how Cassette Man comes out of his box. He's an old-school cassette recorder. Back form the days when micro cassettes were considered high-tech. Notice the MC-10 markings just like his Takara version. They copied everything except "Takara". The included cassette is not even a cassette at all. It is a cardboard filler. I almost got excited thinking it was a Micros figure (Rumble/Frenzy).

It is actually well done, the feet and joints remain diecast just like the original.

Here he is next to a G1 Soundwave.

VIP Toys in Santafe' Shopping Center, Medellin Colombia

One of my stops in Colombia was a new mall that was recently constructed. It is a big mall even by USA standards, loaded to the brim with really cool stores and a big food court. One of the stores which happened to grab my attention was VIP Toys. I knew I'd like it the second I saw a jumbo Mazinger Z vinyl in the entrance. They were kind enough to let me take photos. Let's take a look at what they offer.

This is what you see as you walk by. Who wouldn't want to go in and check it out? It's very inviting.

Hot Toys 1/6 figures were present and just as pricey as anywhere else. My friend fell in love with the Hellboy.

The mix of stuff offered in this shop is mind boggling. There is something for everyone.

I didn't pack my polarizing lens which would have helped tons in reducing the glare on the cases. Never leave home without it now.

From horror baddies to the king of pop. It;s all here.

This is the Mazinger that greets all that come in. It's machinder size, maybe bigger. Not sure who makes this huge sucker.

If monsters and robots aren't your thing, maybe a bit of Smurf or Super Mario figures will do you some good. Some pretty neat vinyl and PVC here.

There is a whole case dedicated to animals and some miscellaneous vehicles here. How do they pull off getting these things in the same case without looking out of place?

Crave diecast vehicles? There's a wall of that too. From motorcycles to construction equipment.

To the right of the diecast are the cases full of figures. From Saint Cloth Myth to Transformers and Revoltech.

The checkout area looks like the entrance to a Batman ride. Cool.

This wall had a wide range of stuff too. Wall E figs, Tech Deck, South Park, Simpsons and more.

I wonder if Robocop was for sale.

Rockstars and movie figs took up this case.

This case had what I like most, Star Wars and robots with a little bit of superhero stuff thrown in.

Doraemon and Bobbleheads.

Not sure if this was a finished display piece or a model kit, but it was huge.

My wife and I have been on a Mario kick lately having just acquired a Wii. I would have loved to get my hands on Wario.

Smurfs and M&Ms

I sware I almost bought this. Its a 1/6 Honda CBR diecast. I had the money out ready to go.

They also had smaller 1/12 scale which happens to make up most of my motorcycle collection.

I need my car seats wrapped in Vader

More diecast.

The red #24 Ferrari had some really nice weathering.

This was my view on the way out.

I have to say this was one of the nicest high end toy stores I've had the pleasure of visiting. The passion they have for these toys shows. I mean, even little toys we normally take for granted here were important enough to display. And speaking of displays, I want display cases just like these! They were all well-lit and organized. Did you notice the comic sound effect words on the bottom of some of them? Awesome. If for some reason you find yourself in Medellin, make sure you check em out. VIP Toys.