SDCC'12 Standouts Pt.1: Marvel Legends

The 2012 San Diego Comic-Con has come and gone over the weekend and since Thursday night to this afternoon I have been scrolling through pictures of the new unveiled action figures.

Marvel Legends Series 3: Epic Heroes

First time seeing Mystique and Moonstar in plastic, and a five o'clock looks to have been added to the Punisher. Deadpool and Dr. Doom both revealed to have variants/running changes, proud to see Hasbro giving us Deadpool in his classic colors since the two-pack he was in is rare and expensive. The last series of the year will not have a build-a-figure.

Marvel Legends Series 4: Hit Monkey Series (2013)

 This series looks awesome, not too excited for Protector and also highly disappointed that Iron Fist still has Spider-Man's web-shooting hand, what the hell Hasbro? Didn't expect to see Ultimate Captain America getting a new figure, his original figure was and still is a superb example of Marvel Legends greatness, while a comic accurate Sentry has been long awaited, but Hyperion is the absolute must have for me and a personal check off my want list. Extremely glad to see Archangel in both his 90's and X-Force colors and X-Force Wolverine in this series, meaning if you miss out on the Con exclusive X-Force three-pack your only short Psylocke, perhaps she'll get a single card release later too. Can't say I am in any way happy what so ever for the new micro build-a-figures initiative for the 2013, or the choice of Hit Monkey, never saw his appeal, think he's stupid as hell personally.

Marvel Legends Series 5 (2013) Sneak Peek

Behold the final member of the 90's Jim Lee X-Men Blue & Gold Teams finally made. Jean Grey has long, long, been on my and every other X-Men loving Marvel Legend collectors wishlist, soon the team shall complete. Wrecker looks good, a lot of collectors have been waiting for him and the complete Wrecking Crew for a long time as well.

Gundam 00 Qan[T] Status

As you can see I've got his main body put together, only painting was some gray on his feet and and his head. I didn't realize how asymmetrical 00 Qan[T]'s design was until now with his shoulder armor and forearms, almost makes me want to get another 00 Qan[T] kit just to make him symmetrical. Remaining components to build are his shield, GN Sword , and various GN blade bits.

Amazing Spider-Man Review

 WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD! BEST READ AFTER VIEWING FILM!

Columbia Pictures' reboot of Marvel Comics most famous wallcrawler directed by Marc Webb and staring Andrew Garfield definitely lives up to the added adjective attached to the film title. A well earned round of applause for Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, Andrew's performance is not only the best wise-cracking Web-head with straight of the comic posing and fighting on the big screen ever but he also does a great rendition of being a modern nerd while at the same time a love struck teenager, and the beautiful Ms. Stone perfectly brings to life the smart, kind, and caring Gwen Stacy, and they have the best on screen chemistry between a couple I have ever seen and is the heart and real driving force of the film which actually I'm not surprised evolved in to a real relationship between the two actors after filming. I give The Amazing Spider-Man 9 out of 10 Web lines, if Avengers set the bar for how great a Marvel Super Hero movie can be, then ASM is just under that spectacular wise, about on par with Captain America: The First Avenger, and just like Avengers is a very humorous movie, almost every scene has a line to make you laugh.

Being a reboot that had retell Spidey's origin again albeit slightly different, not just the spider bite but also the death of Uncle Ben, which I highly enjoyed Martian Sheen as Uncle Ben, but am I the only fan still kinda disappointed he was killed outside on the street instead of in his house like in the comics again, and also I know they were trying to stay away from Raimi's trilogy, but not getting the "with great power comes great responsibility" quote right in the movie is a little blasphemous, I mean perhaps Peter could combined what his Uncle said with maybe something Captain Stacy said before he died and get the line in towards the end of the movie would of been great. I love that this film had more guy-in-costume jumping around stunts then CGI Spidey, but I felt somethings went "un-re-expalined" or not used like we never got an example of his proportional strength or any kind of display of his Spider-Sense which bugged me. One thing I feel this movie had over Raimi's first film was this origin story felt more like a Spider-Man: Begins/Year One tale, and in my opinion better showed Peter evolve from a young man with new powers looking for vengeance in to gradually learning to be the hero that uses his powers to help others along the course of the film.

Rhys Ifans as Dr. Connors/The Lizard was phenomenal, and I for one am glad they kept the split personality "Lizard's voice" in his head and his plans to turn everyone in to Lizards like him just like in the comics. A great thing about The Lizard as the villain in this film is that he is a publicly known and dire threat to the city towards the end of the movie, rather then just after our hero like the bad guys in the previous Spidey films, where the general populace only heard about the villains in the Daily Bugle Newspaper. I love the design for The Lizard, a great realistic combination of human and lizard, the one thing I did not like though was his way too quick transformations to and from Lizard, and that any time he was damaged in anyway he instantly healed almost like a T-1000, seemed like forced comic-booky/cartoony to me for a live-action adaptation.

Out of all sixteen of Stan Lee's cameos in Marvel movies, this one takes the cake and will forever be the best one, laugh out loud fricking hilarious. The one thing that did fall short in an otherwise sensational blockbuster was the score by James Horner, there was no heroic theme of any kind or any real entrancing music attached to scenes, pretty much uni-toned through out the whole film. Now the final questions: Who was that in Connor's cell in the mid-credit scene? Was is it Norman Osborn? Will we see Osborn in the next film?, and if so will become the Green Goblin or start to become him? Does he already have a psychotic split personality? Answers we can only hope to see in theaters May 2nd, 2014 when the sequal comes along.

Marvel Universe X-23 Review

X-23, a young female clone of Über-popular X-Man Wolverine, was a very controversial character when she first appeared, originally created for an episode of the X-Men: Evolution cartoon before being made an official cannon character in the main Marvel Universe a year later by the same writers that created her. I gave up watching the X-Men: Evolution after the first season, so I never saw the episode she appeared in, nor did I read any comics she first appeared in so I never got to she her in action or get a real feel for her. I can tell you I was highly against her getting a Marvel Legend action figure in 2006 because I felt a character that had barely been in the comics just under two years was unworthy of being released in a series called "MARVEL LEGENDS", but since then I have read comics with X-23 in them and have come to welcome her in the world of The X-Men and even like her a unique character.

Marvel Universe X-23 is chalk full of articulation, the first female buck to sport this much, but a flawed design of her upper thigh limits her movement at the hips, so standing and sitting/kneeling poses are possible but not side-kicks or the splits. I am glad they decided not to sculpt her with her feet claws out, and I am impressed with the slip-on soft plastic used to create the look of her boots, if you didn't know better you'd think they were completely new sculpted pieces. It's nice to see Hasbro is trying to complete the team of Wolverine's X-Force, I just hope X hasn't inherited Logan's ability to made multiple times in multiple costumes, I personally would only like one more X-23 in another costume with no mask.

Happy 4th of July!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! HOPE EVERYONE IS HAVING A FUN FILLED AND SAFE INDEPENDENCE DAY! 

 

Detailed Iron Man

If you remember my Marvel Universe Ultimate Gift Set 5-Pack review you saw pics of the Iron Man that came in it, and he was very plain, mostly just the base mold colors and very little paint. As soon as I got him out of the package and saw the indented lines on him I immediately thought I could fill those in with the detail marker I use for my Gundam model kits. Finally got around to doing it yesterday, and I think he came out great, and looks like he just walked right out of the old 70's comics.

Gundam Blue Destiny Unit 2 Review

Gundam Side Story: The Blue Destiny stared out as a trilogy of Sega Saturn games which was then compiled in to one single game, and then become a novelization. The Blue Destiny project, where three upgraded RX-79 Gundam units were installed with the EXAM System which gives the pilots Newtype level piloting abilities. Blue Destiny Unit 2 was hijack and used by Zeon Ace pilot Nimbus Schterzen after his EXAM equipped Efreet Custom was destroyed in combat against the Blue Destiny Unit 1.

I being totally intrigued with getting this model kit for a long time for multiple reasons like being a Gundam all in one color other then white, the white arm joints, and his beam rifle being molded in two separate colors. Being an upgraded version on the RX-79 he uses the same armaments in beam rifle and beam sabers, and even has the extra ammo clips for a 100mm machine gun which he doesn't come with. Like the RX-79 series Unit 2 store his beam saber in the calf of his legs which the model recreates by removing the holster door and reattaching at an angle to appear opened.
















This kit really didn't require any painting but I choose to paint the top thrusters of his vernier pack white instead of using the white sticker included because it covered the actual sculpted vents inside I wanted to paint black. In the future I would like to paint his should pads red which Nimbus did after he stole it to match his previous mobile suit's paint scheme. I very happy to finally have this kit, and might even try to get the other two Blue Destiny units, I just wish Bandai will get around to making the Efreet Custom, and maybe even the other Efreet variation Schneid and Nacht.

Marvel Universe Cyclops Review

 

As a huge X-Men fan reading the comics in the early 90's you know I love me all of Jim Lee's Blue and Gold teams costume designs, so the default Cyclops in my mind and the version I want of him in every collection/scale/series is this one right here. Not only is he my default Cyclops but the 90's Blue and Gold Teams is the definitive incarnation of the X-Men I always want to see completed, we got about under half of them made so far, still need the likes of 90's Bishop and 90's Beast, and a couple others in their 90's costumes. Most of Cyke's body I believe is the Hawkeye mold, with his head, forearms, hands, and lower legs being new pieces with soft plastic straps, and his trademark chest baldric to complete his costume.

All of his slip-on pieces have superbly painted on details, the red and black for X's is mandatory, but the touches of gold on his belts and straps are a real amazing stand out I was really surprised by. In addition to his new parts Slim sports the new thigh cut articulation giving him well over 20 points of articulation, making him one of the most poseable Marvel Universe figures on par with his son Cable and series mate Scarlet Spider. This rendition of the X-Men leader is a true must have for all X-Men fans and MU collectors, and one step closer to completing the Blue and Gold Teams.