C3-PO

Now with standing there passively action!

So I'm at a Walgreens and I'm browsing their anticipatory engorged holiday toy aisle, and I see these 6 inch Star Wars figures for $6.99. These look pretty similar to the Star Wars Black Line, but with less packaging, no accessories, and as far as I can tell almost no articulation. They're basically those 12-inch Titan figures that they sell for $10 but shrunk down to a 6 inch scale.

And that's really what they are. I've opened this guy up and he has 4 points of articulation: ball joint head, cut shoulders and a mid-torso swivel. But considering the $20 Star Was Black C3-PO wasn't a wealth of articulation, I'm down for this. 

I also picked up the Captain Phasma and her gun is permanently affixed to her hand. She has 5 points of articulation: ball joint head, cut shoulders, cut wrist on her gun hand, cut torso. Oh, but bonus, they're buy 2 get 1 free. So I also picked up the First Order Storm Trooper who I have not opened byt based on his welded gun hand, I'm guessing also has 5 points of articulation. For $14, 3 in scale figures of characters I wasn't going to do a lot of posing with anyway is in my mind a great deal. If any stores had more than one set of these guys, it might have been a great way to build a First Order army.

There were also some DC heroes, Marvel heroes and static transformers in this scale. They all sucked. But for some reason the Star Wars figures look very close to the Star Wars Black figures. Go figure.

Star Wars Epic Battles Medals

Anyone else participate in the Toys R Us epic battles online game? I passed during the Christmas season because I really didn't need to play another online game. Then they brought it back to get rid of the extra medals and I decide to try it. Turns out it's just a Where's Waldo type hidden picture and you only need to find 5 things to get the certificate you trade in for the medal at the store. So really this was more a hunt for a location that still had all the medals.

Can't beat free.

Han Solo and Slave Leia

There's some controversy amongst Star Wars fans because the only Princess Leia merchandise Disney was selling in Disney stores or Disneyland shops is the Star Wars Black Princess Leia figure in slave gear. It's easy to see why they're annoyed, Leia is a female character who embodies strength and courge, and who lead a rebellion, providing a strong role model for girl geeks as they grew up. But Disney thinks girls don't like sci-fi or action so they refused to put out any merchandise for Leia fans except for an action figure that depicts her as an objectified damsel in distress (and possibly a sex slave.) 

Theb Disney caved to fan preasure (and the ensuing bad press and realization of lost profits) and announced they would be putting out new Leia merch soon. Which means I can now own this figure without feeling like I'm supporting a toxic policy. I'm still weirded out that Hasbro decided that the first and so far only 6 imch female Star Wars figure they've released is Slave Leia, but I like Leia and if I have to be honest, I am a heyerosexual male so I like the costume on an aesthetic level. I just wish they had another Leia that I could also own and not feel like such a creep. 

Meanwhile in the same wave they released  a figure of Han Solo in his iconic look. So I picked that up as well.

Maybe I'd feel better if they released a Han Solo wearing a speedo, from that scene where he's putting himself through pilot's school by being an exotic dancer. It's where you learn that "Han Solo" isn't his given name.

Abe Lincoln riding a Tauntaun.

Emperor Palpatine

 I picked up this older Kenner 12 inch Emperor figure because I really wanted a 1:6 scale Palpatine, but every other one available looked completely inaccurate. Even the expensive sideshow one. So I went with this figure which hits that just right place of looking close enough and being relatively low priced.

I got it on ebay, so I wasn't certain what kind of articulation it had, but I'm pleased with the result: elbow joints, ball wrists, etc.

Things I want that were shown as a thing at Toy Fair 2014

4" Twilight Zone figures

 (picture via Toyark.com)

1 Big Bang Theory figure with it's apartment diorama

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Skeletor's staff as a plush toy

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Jay and Silent Bob minimates

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Kill Bill  minimates

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Sin City Minimates

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Booker Dewitt figure from Bioshock Infinite

  (picture via Toyark.com)

six inch scale Jabba the Hutt

  (picture via Toyark.com)

talking Strax plush toy

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Also... LEGO SIMPSSONS MINIFIGURES ARE BLINDPACKED GODDAMNIT!

  (picture via Toyark.com)

Luke Skywalker

When they were announced I figured I'd only pick up the 6 inch Star Wars Black figures that spoke to me as a Star Wars fan who knows a lot of the back story due to a nerdiness for the franchise in high school that waned in college and into adulthood. I'd say I'm  mid-level Star Wars geek now, so I know far more than people who just watch the movies but not as much as a deep Star Wars fan. Which is why it's easy for me to just pick up a few Star Wars figures every now and then.

So who do I want in the 6 inch line? The main heroes and Vader, I suppose. But which versions?

When it comes to Luke I think I prefer his X-wing outfit, because that's when he's actually doing something other than being a Jedi. When he's in his X-wing uniform it's a reminder that he's not just the chosen one, he has other interests, jobs and skills other than Jedi. Because when he first started the series he knew he was a good pilot, and then he proved it with only a tiny bit of help from the force. You know, before he hung out with Yoda and then only did force related crap.

I like to think that his time as an X-Wing grunt is what kept the rest of the rebels from viewing him as a weirdo outsider. Remember when he joined us in the battle of Yavin, when he was in the trenches with the rest of the pilots? Luke knows what it's like to be one of us, even if he has magic powers now.

Of course I may just be talking out of my ass, and I'm just rationalizing this as my choice because it's the only Luke available right now and I bought it to have a 6 inch scale Luke Skywalker. 

Toy Sale

Went to a parking lot toy show. It was fun and I ended up buying a lot of Mattel stuff... I'm clearly a masochist. But I also picked up a mr Burns figurine with his brain scoop for a quarter.

May the Fourth

Had Ackbar Sticking out of my pocket all day today at work.

Huh, Luke's hand

One day I'll write about the more premium of the 1/6 scale figures I've been picking up, but until then, just the odd picture or so.

Please make better quality versions

I saw the Star Wars Angry Birds at Toys R Us today. There were some blind packed "figures," including the only available in blind pack version of Han Solo Yellow Bird trapped in carbonite. I considered getting it (very easy to use the feel method) but decided against it because looking at the figures in the boxsets made ke realize how small they are, how poor quality (looking like tiny, poorly painted erasers) they are and how they're made of weak, bendible plastic. They really seem like glorified erasers. I've gotten better quality figures from gumball machines.

Which is a shame since it costs $4 for two blind packed figures.

Sam the Eagle as Obi-Wan and Gonzo as Darth Vader, with Camilla as a Storm Trooper

I didn't go to Disneyland, but I did go to the souvenir store outside Disneyland, which I was happy to see had some of the exclusive Disney Park Star Tours toys. And I was really happy to see that they had the Muppets as Star Wars Characters figures. Of the three sets, I knew I was going to get the Gonzo as Vader set. Because I love Gonzo. And it has a chicken in a Storm Trooper helmet. I am ambivalent about Sam the Eagle.

One of the great parts about this set is that Gonzo comes with interchangable heads. You can either have him  with the default "Gonzo face" head, or you can replace it with a Darth Weirdo head that looks like the character in the episode of the Muppet Show where Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, C3PO and R2D2 showed up. (With special appearance by Mark Hamill as Luke's cousin.)

When I first saw these figures I thought they were PVC statue figures. But I was pleased to find that they have limited articulation. Sam has a ball jointed shoulder and elbow joints! Waist joints! Neck joints! Camilla is a PVC statue though. All in all, they're pretty nice figures. Sure they cost extra because they can only be bought at a theme park, but still nice figures.

Vacation window shopping

I went on vacation last week. Here's some of the stuff I didn't buy.

I was sorely tempted to get Elvis a Pegasus to ride, but I realized I could buy one of these sets any time. No need to waste precious luggage space by buying it on vacation.

Hey, they made a Hobo Superman costume.

They had Transformers at Universal Studios because of the Transformers 3D ride. They cost $10 more than they do in regular retail stores.

Although I was tempted to get the exclusive EVAC figure. Evac is a character created for the ride, he's basically the car you ride in. I love when they do figures for this kind of exclusive character, but $25 was too much to pay for a novelty.

I was tempted to get this POP! vinyl figure of Gonzo, but I just had to pass.

I also went to Downtown Disney (not Disneyland itself) and the Disney store there sold all the theme park exclusive figures. Of the "Disney Characters as Star Wars" figures they had, the one I considered getting was this 3 pack of the Duck Nephews as Jawas. They even come with pars of an R2 unit. But in the end I decided that it wasn't worth the $25 considering their insanely limited articulation. I dunno, maybe if they were in scale with regular Star Wars figures I'd be more interested, but the issue is moot.

Princess Leia

So after how much I liked the Battle Droid figures from Sideshow I figured I'd try some more. I found this Leia figure on e-bay for a pretty reasonable price.

I always like the Leia character. She's a good character (and pretty much only female) in the original trilogy. She's got maybe 2 iconic looks and this is the one where she's not wearing a gold bikini after being turned into an episode of Law and Order: SVU.

The likeness is pretty good, but I keep wondering what she's looking at over in the corner.

I'm also starting to get sick of the solid boots a lot of 1:6 figures have that basically make the foot articulation worthless. It's damned hard to get this figure to stand up without the included stand. That's just ridiculous. There's no stand lobby trying to get more stands out there. This should not be an issue.

Sadly these issues might restrict my future Sideshow purchases to characters wearing masks.

Fett Friday: Boba Fett (Vintage Collection)

 I was unable to attend the toy show two weeks ago with everybody else because I had to work that Saturday, but I made sure to give Mario a thorough list of toys I was seeking. He found exactly one item I had requested, the subject of this very post, which he scored for a cool $5. For comparison's sake, this same figure is going for around $25 on Amazon.com at the moment. Good thing I held out!

Released as part of the inaugural Star Wars Vintage Collection wave in 2010, this Boba Fett is the Empire Strikes Back version; a variant with the Return of the Jedi costume (distinguished by a bulkier belt, a different cape, brown gauntlets, and a more vibrantly-painted jetpack) was also issued at the same time. This particular figure was originally released as one-third of the Fett Legacy Evolutions pack in 2008, and also made an appearance as a repaint in the Legacy Collection the following year. What sets this incarnation apart from its predecessors is the far more detailed paint applications, which make an already impressive sculpt look absolutely stunning. On a visual level, it's faultless, and it leaves me amazed at how fantastically well-crafted a figure in this scale can be.

R2-D2

Did you know that the Medicom 1:6 scale R2-D2 goes for something like $500. So since that is priced outside my ability to pay, I instead got a 1:6 scale Hasbro R2-D2 at the toy show. Much more reasonably priced, looks pretty damn good, and check out what he looks like next to another 1:6 scale figure.

"I. AM A. MACHINE! BEEP. BOOP."

I love that his third leg retracts into his body, it's a Hasbro 1:6 scale figure, so I wasn't certain what kind of quality or articulation he would have. But he's got everything you would hope for. And really, anything more than a larger version of their 3.75" R2 figure is just icing on the cake of whatever this metaphor is.

Fett Friday: Jango Fett (Vintage Collection)

When I was ordering Mario's birthday present off Amazon.com back in June, I got myself this toy at a very reasonable price so my purchase would qualify for Super Saver Shipping. Released in the Attack of the Clones-themed wave of the current Hasbro Star Wars Vintage Collection in early 2011, Jango is based specifically on the fight scene between the bounty hunter and Obi-Wan Kenobi on Kamino, as indicated by the extended gauntlet spikes and the Boba Fett-style jetpack. It also sort of explains the rain poncho--I say "sort of " because he never actually wears it in the film (though Boba sports one in the scene being referred to).

In addition to the poncho, Jango come with plenty of accessories that actually appeared on screen: two laser pistols, a jetpack with removable missile, a removable helmet, and a removable pilot's headset. Though he naturally can only wear one piece of headgear or the other at any given time, he can carry everything else on his person all at once, which is appreciated. If you absolutely must display the figure carrying everything he's packaged with, you can store the guns in the functional holsters and have him hold his helmet in his hands.

I do wish that the forearm spikes were either removable or retractable, because after ditching the poncho and putting on the helmet this figure is pretty close to a standard Jango instead of a conspicuously scene-specific one. The arms can be posed to hide the spike from a head-on angle, if you choose. Additionally, some of the articulation wasn't as functional as I would have hoped. I worry about stressing the plastic on the wires that connect the bicep pieces to the forearm gauntlets, which inhibits elbow movement. And though I don't demand that my Star Wars figures boast the highest amount of articulation possible for the scale, there's something about the design of the hips that makes me wish balljoints were incorporated there.

Don't mistake my quibbles for griping, for they are ultimately minor. Once the poncho is removed, this is a well-sculpted, well-articulated, and highly versatile figure of the character. I certainly have a ball posing it with pistols drawn. As for what I've done with the poncho, currently it's being sported by my Marvel Universe Iron Man. Gotta make sure that metal suit doesn't rust in the rain, after all.

Christmas Yoda

Christmas Yoda comes with some glorious 1:6 accessories, like a ball, a sack of toys and a wooden bilding block that has the sides spelling out "Yoda," because Yoda is an insane narcissist. "Spell my name correctly, all children will," Yoda must have been thinking when he carved the block. Or maybe its even more insidious. Having found Santa Claus's magical bag of toys and seeing that one of the blocks spells his name, Yoda decided that the bag was intended for him, and he is now hauling ass with all the toys meant for good children. Sorry kids, no toys for you, not unless you can defeat a Jedi Master.

It's cheaper than regular Yoda, but Sideshow did right by fans, sorta. His costume is first rate, his hat comes off in case you don't want him to be hatted (although once you take it off, it's sort of hard to get it to stay on for long periods of time.) Articulation is the same as regular Sideshow Yoda, so it's insanely good for the size.

And yes, Virginia,  he really is in 1:6 scale.

The Band!

If you're wondering what I've been doing with all the 1:6 scale figures I've been amassing lately, this is the answer.

AT-RT with ARF Trooper

Nothing says aesthetically pleasing but functionally ridiculous more than an AT walker. It's like the Steampunk of Star Wars. The only thing more ridiculous is a brown on bright white camouflage pattern. Seriously, the trooper looks like he was splattered with poop.

So obviously I got this because I like AT vehicles, even if they are silly. And even then because it was discounted. And even further then because I was looking for a 4" scale vehicle for Ghost Rider to ride.