I open a toy & post it here

[Team Jetfire]

058
Star Wars- Disney Elite Series- Captain Phasma

At the time that I write this Star Wars: The Force Awakes is only days away so the details of Captain Phasma and her role in the movie still unknown. Given her stature and design, It's pretty clear that she has a fairly critical role and has quickly become an early fan favourite.

Back when 'Force Friday' was a thing, with a new wave of toys released, I was on a Mediterranean Cruise and pretty well missed the big hoopia of the new figures and would be fine to wait until I got back home to see the new offerings.

As luck would have it on our first day we ported at a small vacation town on the Spanish Island of Mallorca. While walking through the streets we actually happened upon a Disney Store with a massive Star Wars display complete with all the new Disney Star Wars Elite Die Cast figures. Pulling myself away from the group I quickly picked up Phasma (at a Euro premium) and did my part to buy in to the Star Wars craze.

The figure itself is fine and I was surprised at the overall size and weight. I really appreciate what Disney is trying to accomplish, but I feel that it just sort of misses the mark. The articulation is hindered by the die-cast parts and the weight affects its ability to stand up (even with the included stand). Her side cape is also moulded from hard plastic so it makes the left arm all but useless.

That said, even with all its flaws, it makes for a impressive display piece; if she doesn't fall over.

The big question for me was how these would stack up to the Hasbro Black series and given that they have recently gone up in price (thanks a lot Obama!) I just can not see a reason to collect them especially considering Hasbro's version is superior at a cheaper price.

Overall I'm glad that I was able to pick up Phasma when I did. It's a very nice reminder of an awesome trip. That said, I'm in no hurry to collect them all and will simply wait on more black series releases, or a decent sale.

Pros: Die Cast Construction, decent sculpt, reminds me of Spain (results may vary)

Cons: Hindered articulation, not easily pose able, expensive.

[Team Jetfire]

059
Marvel Legends - Infinite Series: Agent Venom.

A few years back I recall seeing a Marvel Venom toy at my local Disney Store that looked more like the GI Joe Snake Eyes character then the classic Venom that I was used too. Later, after reading a few comics, I realized that this was not the classic Eddie Brock Venom, but now Flash Thompson taking over the mantel of Venom after his days in the army, before he was paralyzed from the waist down. Unfortunately for me the toy was long off the shelves from the Disney Store when I was actually interested in buying it so when I saw the Marcel Legends version on the peg in a random Palm Springs Walgreens, I was pleasantly surprised.

It wasn't until later that I realized that he was a store exclusive and somewhat rare, especially to Canadian collectors. With that his purchase led me down a bit of a new path of collecting some Spiderman and friends based Marvel Legends.

The figure itself is decked out with all sorts of cool details and looks great. He comes with 4 handguns and a symbiotic attachment that fits into a peg on his back (not unlike GI Joe). At first I was a bit miffed that he could not hold all his weapons at once (a personal toy pet-peve), but it soon dawned on me that the symbiotic attachment was moulded to hold weapons, such a cool detail!

As this was my first Marcel Legends figure I was curious how the articulation would fair and for the most part I'm pretty happy. I supposed a bulky, armoured figure like Flash suffers a bit, but it has enough POA to get some decent poses. For $25 I wish that the Legends figures included stands, even if it was a simple foot peg.

Overall I'm pleased with the figure, but still kind of wish I picked up the Disney Store version as it came with better accessories. This will be a solid start to a Spiderman Marvel legends run.

Pros: Great look, nice articulation, cool to get a figure of a relatively obscure character.

Cons: Weapon selection could be more robust, figure has trouble standing on its own in poses.

[Team Jetfire]

060
Star Wars- Disney Elite Series- First Order Stormtrooper

This figure is what you would call an impulse purchase. I was still on the fence about the Disney Elite line, but when I saw the First Order Storm Trooper finally back in stock at The Disney Store I just kinda went for it. Much like Captain Phasma, the body is made from dicast with pretty standard articulation that gives a decent range of motion, but still not what I would like to see for a toy this costly.

Unfortunately, like Phasma, the included stand is not robust enough to support any dynamic poses, however it gets the job done in a basic upright stand. It also comes with two pistols and a holster type attachment for one on his leg, which is a plus in my mind.

Overall, like Phasma, I feel that these figures fall short of expectations. The weight and dicast hinders the movement and pose-ability and the price makes the line too costly; a shame considering the potential for these figures. Also the simple fact that Hasbro's Black Series meets the same need with a cheaper price makes it not worth while to collect these any longer unless I can find Grievous.

Pros: Feels very solid, decent articulation, accessory storage.

Cons: Flimsy stand does not allow for poses, expensive product for what you get.

[Team Jetfire]

061
Marvel Legends - Infinite Series: Spider-man 2099

Back in the 90s I was big into comics and collected all sorts of titles. One of the things I gravitated to was any #1 release; Not only was there a chance that it may eventually be worth something (it never was) but it was a chance to get into the story on the ground floor. Back during that time comic companies were trying anything to sell a title that eventually led to some interesting new characters developed over time and varying success rates. One character who has found some love more than 20 years later is the Spiderman of the future: Meguel O'Hara.

I suppose this figures biggest draw is the articulation allowing for dynamic 'spider posing' but it's still a bit lacking as compared to the super articulated toy biz line from around 15 years ago. The other oddity it the shoulder/arm joints, mine are so stiff that it makes them basically useless. It was also a bit disappointing that he comes with hardly any accessories outside of the small web Cape and BAF accessories. Not sure what would appropriate, but it just seams like it should come with some hands or an extra head. Regardless, I fashioned some home made webs and a stand to give something a bit more dynamic.

Overall the figure does the character justice, but at a $25 price tag, without additional accessories, it's somewhat steep for what you get. I understand that some smaller figures in the line work to subsidize the cost of bigger ones, but as I am only collecting the 'spider-friends' I can't help feeling a bit short changed. I am glad to have the somewhat lesser known figure in my collection though.

Pros: Nice likeness of a lesser known character.

Cons: Could use a few more accessories, awkward shoulder joints.

[joshimus]

ThreeA MGS Half Size Rex came in.
Half Size Ray and DOTM Megatron should be next couple of weeks if not sooner (please be sooner)

[Team Jetfire]

062
Justice League- Gods and Monsters Batman

Despite this figures flaws, and there are some, I still can't help but love it. Not your typical Batman, but based of the recent Justice League - Gods and Monsters Batman; a Bruce Timm stylized DC Animation movie that features the DC trinity with decidedly different back stories and motivations. The movie itself is great and it's nice to see Timm's style again, but some people may be dissuaded by the parallel universe story. If you have not seen the movie I highly recommend checking out the "God and Monsters" chronicle videos on youtube as they give an initial look at the characters personality and style.

Anyways on to the figure. Much like the recent Animated series figures, the sculpting is right out of the cartoon and looks great. He comes with alternative hands and a unmasked head. One of the things that bugs me is that the alternate hands are moulded in a way that looks like he should be holding a bat-a-rang or maybe even a gun, but nothing else was included. Rewatching the movie I didn't notice that he used any weapons, but it still seams like a missed opportunity as the hands could have been easily moulded to look like claws.

However, the biggest flaw is something not lost on these DC collectibles- they are very fragile. Just out of the package I was moving the left leg just to have the knee break apart completely. Thankfully my LCS was able to exchange it, but it's still sad that the QC has not been addressed yet. I have not even swapped heads cause I'm too afraid that the neck will break off.

Overall I still love the look of this guy, but with the questionable hands and fragile parts is not something that I can really recommend to others. Hopefully the line-mates will prove to be better quality.

Pros: Spot in likeness to the movie, ankle tilts

Cons: Odd hand choice, super fragile, awkward stand.

[Electro16]

Originally Posted by Team Jetfire

061
Marvel Legends - Infinite Series: Spider-man 2099

Back in the 90s I was big into comics and collected all sorts of titles. One of the things I gravitated to was any #1 release; Not only was there a chance that it may eventually be worth something (it never was) but it was a chance to get into the story on the ground floor. Back during that time comic companies were trying anything to sell a title that eventually led to some interesting new characters developed over time and varying success rates. One character who has found some love more than 20 years later is the Spiderman of the future: Meguel O'Hara.

I suppose this figures biggest draw is the articulation allowing for dynamic 'spider posing' but it's still a bit lacking as compared to the super articulated toy biz line from around 15 years ago. The other oddity it the shoulder/arm joints, mine are so stiff that it makes them basically useless. It was also a bit disappointing that he comes with hardly any accessories outside of the small web Cape and BAF accessories. Not sure what would appropriate, but it just seams like it should come with some hands or an extra head. Regardless, I fashioned some home made webs and a stand to give something a bit more dynamic.

Overall the figure does the character justice, but at a $25 price tag, without additional accessories, it's somewhat steep for what you get. I understand that some smaller figures in the line work to subsidize the cost of bigger ones, but as I am only collecting the 'spider-friends' I can't help feeling a bit short changed. I am glad to have the somewhat lesser known figure in my collection though.

Pros: Nice likeness of a lesser known character.

Cons: Could use a few more accessories, awkward shoulder joints.

I love the stand you made, looks really cool. In regards to the stiff joints, i've heard that if you run really hot water over the stiff joints it loosen's them up. I"ve never tried it myself but apparently it works really well.

[SanMiguel]

[SanMiguel]

Dad & Jr

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by Electro16

I love the stand you made, looks really cool. In regards to the stiff joints, i've heard that if you run really hot water over the stiff joints it loosen's them up. I"ve never tried it myself but apparently it works really well.

Thanks! I have certianlly used your suggestion for not only the Marvel Figures, but most of my new figures in general.

I am working on a "stand tutorial" right now that maybe some people can use and have fun with.