A place for collectors. Bandai, Hasbro, Takara, Kotobukiya, Max Factory, etc. can be found here, with new additions every month. Reviews, wishlists, anime and such will be discussed here. This one is for the geeks, so take a seat and enjoy.
Sing Love: An alien landing on Earth on December 24th,
2031. As a human, she became a very popular musical artist who worked with a
scientist to create a series of clones…one of which being Stella. Stella, being
the perfect clone of Sing, was inevitably challenged by her “clonee”, and the battle
ensued. For a full profile, check out: http://blackrockshooter.wikia.com/wiki/White_Rock_Shooter
figma White Rock Shooter. This figure is an exclusive in
every sense of the term. When it premiered, the only way to get one was to buy
Black Rock Shooter: The Game – White Box Premium edition, and White Rock
Shooter was packaged with it. It even comes with an illustration booklet I have
yet to open. Thankfully, Jungle Special Collector’s Shop being the great
webstore that they are, was selling the figure by itself. They have a good
selection of rare/exclusive figures there, so I keep frequent tabs on them.
Front
Back
Illustration Booklet
Full assortment
I like the teeth on the angry face
WRS is a beautiful figure to look at…period. Because of the
particular detail of her, it isn’t just some Black Rock Shooter clone/redeco.
Unlike BRS, WRS sports a white color scheme (naturally) with black trims.
Clearly, she was made with the intent to be the polar opposite to BRS. She even
has white hair (opposite to BRS’ black), and red eyes (again, opposite to BRS’
blue). She sports some high heels, and an interesting arrangement of leg gear
that is otherwise hard to explain without showing a picture. Pantyhose stop ¾
of the way up her thigh, and leave just a small amount of skin before the short
shorts come in. Exposing all of her midsection, her string bikini top is draped
by a cutoff hoodie what zips at the top. Hoodie has black star on left breast,
with big short sleeves revealing a second pair of full length sleeves with
black tabs. Both sleeves have black trim, and she uses her bare hands.
The open hood reveals her head, which is pretty identical to
BRS, save the color scheme and most importantly, the hair tails. Both of her
pigtails are the long, and are the same length. Personally, I’m very happy
about that. Her eyes have the same “Rinnegan” looking style as the rest of the
BRS characters, with magenta pupils.
White Rock Shooter
Oh yeah!
"Restriction 666 released. Dimensional Interface Field deployed."
"Code S.O.L. Blazblue..."
"ACTIVATE!"
"Let's..."
The articulation is standard for a figma, although it is
hindered in some places. For instance, the top of her hood is removable, and
must be undone for full range of motion of the shoulders can be used. Due the
tabs on the sleeves, the hands must be carefully articulates to compensate for
their interference. Her knees don’t bend as far as BRS 2035, and good luck
getting her to stand properly without the stand. Her heels aren’t a good enough
base for her weight, especially if you put her gear on. Aside from the little
tidbits, any calm pose you put her in is bound to look stunning.
figma joints are on
the ankles, knees, elbows, neck, and pigtails. Due to the mold of the hair,
they offer a bit less movement than BRS, but still enough for me. The neck is
not straight up, but rather angled forward from the top of the torso, so when
the head is on, the chin is away from the neck, and the entire face is free
from obstruction from the hood. The midsection has its own separates
articulation from the chest and waist, but nothing too significant.
"Rock and Roll."
Such a lovely weapon.
White Onslaught
Paint. Do I really need to talk about that? It’s a figma, so
paint will be great, no matter what. One thing I want to note is that
everything on her is clean…even her weaponry. She doesn’t have a Rock Cannon
which is painted to seem rusty, but what she does have is squeaky clean and
shiny. Since she is mostly white with black trim, her paint is less likely to
smudge or chip than the likes of other figures with darker tones.
Full Gear
Flexible appendages
Laser cannons
"Let be the one to unite all souls..."
Special parts are where this figure really shines. Starting
with that beautiful scythe of hers, the “White Scythe”, it’s mostly white with
a black handle, and magenta transparent plastics on the curved blade. You also
get several hand pieces, a separate hood with robotic armor, and her wings
appendages. The second hood has these
armor pieces that articulate around the top of her arms. The wings are the real
crown here.
Inserted into a backpack, they are five separate links
connected via ball joints, making every blade moveable. The tips of the
appendages are cone shaped, and I can only assume they are used for firing
lasers of some sort. The ball joints are a bit restricting, so be careful when articulating.
Finally, you get her magenta flame manifestation hair piece. Make note of the
fact that it’s the right eye, instead of left.
Now...Fight your rival!
Overall: 7/10. All in all, it’s a good figure. However, the
fact that it is a figma, as well as having so much gear means that the main
purpose for this is to stand and look fearsome…in which it completely pulls
off. Subtle grace isn’t something this excels at as a figma, but that isn’t what
I bought it for. If I had to compare it completely to BRS 2035, I would say
that BRS is the better figure in terms of mechanics and paint, but WRS takes it
in terms of accessories, and dynamics.
The Rock Shooters
Black Rock Shooter figma family.
The reasons to get this would be: 1 – Hardcore fan, 2 – You can
find it and 3 – You can afford it. It’s got a pretty hefty price tag on it
since it’s an exclusive, and it will only get heavier with time. Only a few
places have it left, so get it while you can if you’re really into what Huke
has to offer.
Depicting the new Perseus Algol Surplice amongst others and open the preorder. Now, they make a point to fix the bad parts of the original Algol (i.e. the head sculpt). I detailed some of them in my Perseus Algol review. But the question remains...do I purchase?
I never really liked the idea of redecos. I have made a few exceptions, but very scarce. Off the top of my head, I can think of the Decepticon Seekers, the three FansProject Commander sets, and maybe the two Kenshin Revoltech figures...which is more of a retool, then redeco I guess. This is the main reason why I never bought Extreme Blast Mode of Destiny. At the time, MG Destiny was all that was available, and Extreme Blast Mode didnt come out until after I bought Full Blast Mode Strike Freedom.
Speaking of repaints, not too long ago, Seibertron.com releases this: http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/xtransbots-galvatron-upgrade-for-generations-wfc-megatron/24610/
Now, In order for me to enjoy this and display it properly amongst my collection is to purchase another WFC Megatron. I'm not particularly fond of that idea. That Megatron is pretty scarce now, and I would have to be damn certain that this project stays on board before I preorder. Lots of third party projects go down in production. One just went down last month, I believe, and they had to refund all the preorders. The production leader is selling his Transformers collection in order to pay people back.
So, what am I going to do about these?
As for the Galvatron project, there is still time to see if the project will be completed. I assume it can't be too terribly pricey for now. I mean, its not a Prime mold add-on like say the likes of the Commader sets, or even the Battle Tanker, so I don't assume there will be a huge trailer with a deathly armament array. But if you intend to have "armor" on top of the already thick Megatron, It will end up being a pretty hefty toy. I'm curious to see what they do with the Particle Cannon, and hope they keep his hexagonal knees.
As for Algol? Hmmmm. I think what I will do is wait for it's release. Someone on the inside is bound to make a review or something before I get it, and could let me know what I'm in for. What bothers me the most about this mold is that for a undead surplice of a Saint, it does not feature any striking differences in armor. In fact, there are no differences at all that I can see in the armor, save the color. Sure, the head is sculpted better, but an Appendix could fix that! There is no sign of the wing pieces for the Hermes effect that I can see, either. Like the old Saint resurrections, all six of them had notable differences in the armor. It actually LOOKED like a mirrored dark tainted image of the former Cloth, as opposed to the same Cloth with a new paint job. I'm interested about the "Object use flame" part, but before I assume the obvious, I will hold off. Though the Myth Cloth line is huge, and people are always clamoring over it, this release doesn't seem too appealing to me, and am afraid of it being a shelf warmer. I thought the same would happen with Shaina, and she is still in stock everywhere I look, and even in places I wasnt looking. Since I think Perseus Algol will do the same, I will wait and see what others have to say about it.
In other news, the inspection is complete, and now, I have a bit more time on my hands. That being said, White Rock Shooter's review production should begin within the next 24 hours. I'm really excited to do this, being that the BRS figma is the precise protagonist to the antagonist WRS, so expect some battle poses.
Cruising along the web at work, and I stumble upon some collection vids that people have uploaded on Youtube. Some of them are nothing short of spectacular, and certainly makes me feel a bit inferior. However, givin credit where credit is due, I think everyone should take a look at some of these. For instance, this particular Saint Myth Cloth collection is absolutely amazing.
If you know the Myth Cloth series well enough, and look closely at the display, you can see just how much is into it. You can surmise that MUCH money was out into this. EVERY figure has a stand (stands are sold seperately for over 95% of them), there are several Appendix sets, and some Tamashi Web exclusives as well.
One thing I would like to note on this particular collection is Poseidon. Slick enough to use the Royal Ornament Edition figure (That comes with blonde hair) with the normal Anime edition (blue) hair. The blue hair was an idea from Kurumada when making the anime to represent the seas. I thought this was a nice gesture from this particular collector to have Poseidon on his throne with a dark toned Kamui (my prefered look, actually) and blue hair. Now, what I didn't see are some other exclusives. No Original Color Editions, no black saints, and no Land, Sea, and Marine Saints. They are slo part of the Saint Myth Coth line, but hey...I'm impressed with the collection as is. I don't have room to start criticizing.
Here's another:
Now, I know my girlfriend now doesn't like my collection, so believe me when I tell you that I'm certainly jealous of this man for having a woman that at least seems supportive on camera. Could I get my girl to do that, I wonder? Not without a pair of shoes and a new handbag first, I'm sure! This guy went all out on his as well, and I'm glad I found this vid.
For Tansformers, we have a nice one. A bit long, so you might have to skip through a bit to get the meat and potatoes.
Now, Transformers is THE THING that made me start collecting. I'm an 80's baby, and Transformers has been part of my childhood since first I could remember, so seeing things like this should make anyone drop little insecurities about collecting. Hell, he even has his obviously attractive wife a part of the vid. So...kudos to them!
Me personally, I would never want that many Transformers. I don't collect G1, Bayformers, and ones obviously made for kids. That eliminates over a thousand right there, as well as the Transformers I have now that I want to sell/get rid of. But looking at this is purely awesome. No matter how childish someone might find this sort of thing, there is no doubt of the dedication, and real heart it takes to keep this. Besides...the resale value on a collection like this is sufficient enough for a new car...so I don't wanna hear it! Maybe I CAN get my girl to do something like this after all.
Gundam is another series that has a certain place in my heart. Now, let me get this out the way. I am American, and by the time Gundam was actually popular in America, it was all due to Gundam Wing. Before that, Transformers and Power Rangers were the leader in robotics for American boys for what I remember. That being said, I am NOT on the Gundam Wing bandwagon. Did I watch it? Yes. Did I talk about it a lot? Yes. but only because there was no other Gundam media readily available at that time in America.
In fact, The first Gundam I ever saw was a 1/144 HG Zeta Gundam in an Electronics Boutique in the early 90's. It was next to a 1/144 HG Nataku. They reminded me of the cool, Japanese style knock-off toys I bought in cheap stores...only legit this time. In fact, they seem like the things that the knock-off's were modeled after (which they were).
Now, as an adult, I only collect Master Grades. Gundam is entirely too large a universe to get everything I could want, so I stick to getting what I enjoy the most, which is building them. I have had enough Master Grades to know that I cant go back a step, although, I didn't like my Perfect Grade experience too much. I do like Gundam, but I'm not nearly a big of a fan as say...Southeast Asia in general.
I have seen more than these few vids, but I was just listing the ones that I remember off the top of my head. I also came across a vid that asked "What Master Grades would you like to see?" I can't tell you how much this jumped at me.
Bandai's MG line is certainly my favorite. The thing is, in recent years, it has not been exclusive to just Gundam. Kamen Rider, Luffy, and even Goku have had incarnations of themselves in super poseable, snap together model kits. I thought the idea was pretty clever. Not that I have ever considered purchasing one, but it's nice nonetheless. However, now that this example has been given, it makes me yearn for things I know deserve some MG justice. The Gundams Reborns, Devil, Knight, V2 Assault Buster, and most importantly Double X should be Master Grades. Double X is my favorite Gundam period, and I believe should have been a Master Grade mold long ago. Idea of constricting thos huse satellite cannons and the hidden satellite panels is enough for a preorder there. It doesnt even have a Robot Damashi figure, so I hope Bandai pays special attention to him. Devil Gundam would be a big kit, but a deserving kit. I can only imagine trying to play out the final scene of G Gundam with the Gundam "coalition" against it. Shin Musha, and Musha Mk II are already MG's, so witht he release of Gundam Musou 3 (Dynasty Warriors Gundam), there should already be at least a protoype on the web somewhere. V Gundam was a series highly overlooked, and a somewhat underdog in the Gundam world, though popular enough at least for a Damashi figure. With all the attachments that can go with the V2, I think they can just make a huge kit like the F.A. Unicorn, and get it over with.
Finally, if Bandai grants me but one favor in this life, it would be to make an MG of anime version Escaflowne. In the 90's, Sunrise was a leader in anime (along with Manga, Funimation/Toei, and Pioneer), especially in America. They dealt alo with giant robots. A few Gundam series' and Escaflowne. For those of you that may not know much about Escaflowne, it was a bit more adult for the time of its release. In America, it didnt take very well, being vastly outshined in anime by the likes of Gundam Wing and DBZ. Nonethelss, Escaflowne had giant robots called Guymelefs, and they were based on a more steampunk design, rather than modern/futuristic. At the time of its release, it was just another world of robots for me, but as I got older, and re-watched it, they became more like royal machines to me. Something akin to what a queen or king would own. If you actually watch the anime, you would see that its not too far from the truth, as a king is the protagonist, and the suit is his "armor". Anyway, Bandai has made model kits if Escaflowne in the past, but model kit technonolgy has grown since 15 years or so since they came out. Therefore, I would like a revisitation of that series. Reasons being: 1 - It's a beautiful looking machine, and not like your standard Gundam with fusion reactors, electric currents, and hydraulic fluid. MG's specialize in making the skeletal frame first, and Escaflowne's would all be steampunk, and feature components that generate smoke, and the skeletal frame would resemble more of a standing locomotive. 2 - Bandai is making a habit of making toys out of old things. The newest MG's coming out are from Gundam Seed, which is almost 10 years old. The Armor Plus line is Ronin Warriors (Yoroiden Samurai Troopers) and Tekkaman Blade. Tekkaman Blade is considered a classic now, and Ronin Warriors is even older than that. Chogokin Gao Gai Gar is still a fairly new release, and that is based off a robot from the same time frame...ANOTHER Sunrise production! Zeorymer, Reideen, and Macross are all classic anime Chogokin has released in recent years. I even saw a pic on the Tamashi Nations Facebook page of Servo, from Super Human Samurai Syber Squad. 3 - It's Variable. It transforms into a freakin' DRAGON. I know the transforming process can damage the integrity of the mold. MG Unicorn is a straight nightmare in some areas, and so is MG Zeta and Double Zeta. However, I do believe the engineers at Bandai can handle it. Borrow some elements/techniques from Takara, if need be, and make sure to have sturdy joints when changing. If push comes to shove, they can follow suit of the VF-25F Messiah Alto Custom, and add interchangeable parts like the cockpits of MG's Double Zeta and the Impulses. Also, it would be interesting to see what kind of material is used for the cape/wings. i would hope that they not use the same material they used for MG Exia's repair mode, as I think the cape/wings would be more or less a special piece. Transparent parts for the eyes, shoulders and energist, and BAM, you got yourself a sexy, Dragon-armor guymelef.
Would make me a VERY happy man to see any of this come true.
As I was closing this up, I came across this, but nothing has been in the works that I found anywhere since 2010. If it's true about it being die-cast, I shudder at the thought of weight, and paint issues. No matter what, I want this MG...and I want it bad. http://www.sgcollect.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t63312.html
After this inspection is finished, will start with that White Rock Shooter I promised.
Perseus Algol. The first Saint Seiya review. Let’s make one
thing clear…I’m not a Saint Seiya fan. I am solely a fan of Saint Seiya
figures. They might just be my favorite style when it comes to toys. I don’t know
much about the story, and do not have the patience to go thru the whole thing
to figure out what’s going on. I did about all the research I can stand, and
come to figure that it’s something that would have caught my eye if I were
younger…about 15 years younger or so.
But enough of that…Perseus Algol is why we’re here. Based on
the real Perseus of Greek mythology
that killed Medusa, and who used her head to turn to stone anyone that looked
at it. In Saint Seiya, Perseus is the Cloth, and Algol is the Saint that wears
it. Here however, that ability is amplified. The petrifying ability goes through
both blindfolds and eyelids and attacks the retinas. That is a pretty potent
ability if you ask me. Anyway, he is
eventually defeated, and then resurrected by Hades with a Surplice, mirroring
his original Cloth. To get the full scoop on him, take a gander at: http://saintseiya.wikia.com/wiki/Perseus_Algol
Front
Back
Open book
Plastic casings removed
Perseus Algol is a part of Athena’s Silver Saints, and
personified as a figure in the ever-so-popular Saint Myth Cloth series by
Bandai. If you don’t know, Saint Myth Cloth is the toyline that coincides with
Saint Seiya, and is a monumental line, at that. It incorporates the “armor”
system of a central humanoid figure that has additions to itself by adding a
predestined assortment of particular pieces that fix themselves onto it. In some
cases (i.e. the Myth Cloth case), these particular pieces can be part of some
other assortment that does not require a humanoid to complete. This is often
called and “Object”. Saint Myth Cloth and Armor Plus usually follow this
formula, but there has been many toys that have (or something very similar)
used this in the past, most frequently…the Iron Man toy series of the 90’s.
Base form
Perseus Object
Medusa shield
Saint and Cloth
Perseus and Algol
Acceptance of responsibility
Preparing to don the Cloth
Cloth on
With tiara
Arriving in the iconic Myth Cloth book style box, Perseus
Algol’s base figure comes in a rather basic (to most Silver Saints, at least) navy
blue sleeveless jumpsuit with metal boots. Head is sculpted in a stern visage and
is connected to the head via ball joint in the neck. Blonde hair is in a three
part arrangement with one piece connected by the front of the head, another in
the back of the head, and the last hooking onto the neck and hanging halfway
down the back. But elbows and knees are double jointed with knees in swivels. Ankle
articulation allows for both front to back and side to side movement. Shoulder and
wrist articulation allows for full range of motion as well. There is even waist
and hip articulation to help out.
Don’t be fooled, however. Though very poseable, the base
form is…unimpressive, at best. Skinny and unfinished, but there are reasons for
it. The armor.
Hermes effect
Closed eye shield
Anime and Manga versions
The set of armor with Perseus Algol conform to create the “Perseus
Object”. Every Saint, Specter, Mariner, God, etc has an object that is the
theme for their armor. In Algol’s particular case, the object is more similar
to the way he looks donning the armor itself more so than most of the Saint Myth
Cloth line. The armor itself is mostly die cast metal (which is a Myth Cloth
staple), with some small parts being made of plastic.
The internal frames of the object are plastic, as well as
the front chest piece, skirt armors, wrist connector, hand armor, tiara and
shoulder armor connections. Very minor parts, in my opinion. The rest of the
armor is die cast metal, and make the figure very heavy. This is where good ankle
joints are essential.
Special parts
Silver Saint warrior
The completed donning of the armor is very nice, and sports
a nice tainted purpleish/silver hue with sky blue trim. Unlike Gold Saints, or
Mariners, Saints of this level tend to have a bit less armor, usually exposing
the whole of either thighs, biceps, and/or stomach areas. Both Silver Saints
Lizard Misty, and the Crystal Saint have noticeably less armor than any Gold
Saint, and Algol is no exception. I am not sure if the amount of armor one has
is proof or not of one’s level of power, but if that is the case, Algol would
be the strongest Silver Saint in toy form, next to of Lyre Orpheus, of course.
For special parts, you get some standard, and one that is
specific to him. For hands, you have fists, open curved finger hands, and open
straight finger hands. No two finger hands, however. You also get an extra
head, depicting a face with closed eyes and a grin. He also has a second tiara
and front skirt armor, in which I can only assume, is to be more reminiscent of
his manga adaptaion, rather than his anime one (though I prefer the anime
pieces). Now, we all should know a bit a Greek Mythology enough to know about
Perseus killing Medusa, whose very face turned mortals to stone. Perseus Algol
has a shield with Medusa’s visage that I assume he uses for his petrifying
ability. He comes with two shields: one with closed eyes, and one open. They
can either affix to his back, or to his arm via the wrist connector. Since he
has two shields, he can technically wield one on his arm while the other is on
his back.
Aerial pose
Add caption
Petrify
On a side note, Perseus Algol comes with two wing-like ankle
pieces that attach to the bottom of his shin armors in a similar fashion to the
Sagittarius Cloth. I like to dub this, the “Hermes” effect. Off the top of my
head, I can think of Sagittarius, Pegasus God and Perseus Cloths, Bennu and
Gryphon Surplices are the ones that share the Hermes effect of having wing-type
appendages from the feet/ankle area. The thing about Perseus, is that this
certain effect is not advertised in the anime or manga. Now, I can be wrong,
and if you know more about this than me, feel free to correct me, but this
seems to be a toy only addition, and is a part of the original instructions as
a special gimmick. Personally, I like the addition, and have decided to keep it
on myself however, it isn’t a very sturdy connection and can more or less look
out of place…depending on how you feel about it.
Because of the weight, there is little I can do with a
Tamashi Stage, so dynamic poses are out. This particular series isn’t for
Dynamics anyway, as much as they are for looking good with “clothes” on. Saint
Myth Cloth does have its own specific stand for the line, but I haven’t dove
into them.
Silver Saints in attendance
Overall, 7/10. He still holds a lot of articulation while
Cloth is on, but what does that really matter in the Myth Cloth series? Also,
since he has a decent amount of hair, he can barely look side to side, and can
move his head even less with the hair clip on his neck. My particular figure’s
eyes aren’t done well, with them looking in opposite directions. Though he looks
the best of all the Silver Saint figures, I dislike the lack of symmetry on his
shoulder armor, and the fact that he came with no cape. Collect him of only
being a fan is enough for you, or like me, you want him to complete the Silver
Saint collection.
Final place among the Saints
A small example of Perseus Algol's power:
Stay tuned for the next review as I will attend to a very
excited arrival, figma White Rock Shooter. After that, comparison of
Masterpiece Seeker molds from old MP-06 Skywarp to new MP-11 Starscream.
Thanks to the hardest and earnest good men and women of Big Bad Toy Store, I had a nice gift when checking the mail. This guy is personal favorite of mine, and I have been awaiting this new mold for some time.
Oh, yes. Coronation Starscream. Now, this is a two-fold purchase for me. Thing is, I have a masterpiece of this mold, but it's the American Skywarp. I also managed to buy the 3rd party coronation set for him. This particular Starscream mold is supposed to be a step up from the former Masterpiece molds of the original Seekers. On top of that, Takara made its own coronation set with it, so i can compare and contrast as much as I please...which is what I intend to do. I know I said I wouldn't review and Transformers, but since I can make comparisons, I think I can break this rule...if just for once anyway.
Now, the review for this won't come anytime soon, I'm afraid. It must take a back burner seat to both Perseus Algol, and White Rock Shooter of course. However, the review of Starscream will mostly be of the comparison to the previous Masterpiece mold, so if you're really trying to see what has changed, I'll be diving all into that.
Be sure to check my latest review of figmas BRS 2035 and Guts. They are great figures from great series'. As always...
