The Articulated Monster, Episode 1

Me and Mario started a toy podcast called the Articulated Monster. First episode is up, check it out.

Dalek Eternal

I still don't like the design of these new Daleks, but I love their ridiculously bright primary colors. So I wanted to get a figure of one of them that fully showcased how artifical and toyriffic these things are. The only one I could find (other than the Drone) for a reasonable price at the convention was this Eternal. The Eternal's role in the Dalek empire was left intentionally vague so future writers could come up with an idea.

I think I did something to mine during packing. I had to shove a bunch of figures that I got from the Doctor Who convention into my suitcase, which meant opening the packages and putting them between clothes in my suitcase. The clothes served as a cushion, but I think the joint in the eye stalk ot jammed, and now it won't move. So that sucks.

Other than that this figure does its job on my shelf, which is look hilarious over designed and "modern."

Announcing Cybermen Week, March 28-April 1

Man remember a couple years back when we did Cybermen Week? No. Go look at the archives because I think it's time to bring it back. It's like Shark Week, except with Cybermen instead of sharks. And on a blog instead of television. And this has only been done once before instead of like twenty-something years.

I declare that during the final week of March (March 28-April 1) that this blog is going to do another Cybermen Week, which means daily posts on the weekdays all related to Cybermen. And my promise that there will not be an April Fools joke on April 1st, just Cybermen related content.

And since I enjoyed participating in the Vader Invasion, I'm going to open Cybermen Week to everyone. Please post a Cyberman based entry on your own blog that week & give me a heads up and I'll happily link to it. If you don't feel like doing an entry on your blog, then send me pictures of your own Cybermen toy collection (either individually or in a group shot) before March 28th and I'll post them up on my blog during Cybermen Week.

Let's all revel in the Cybermen Love and make Cybermen week the most awesome week of all! Get prepared folks!

Iron Man Mask

I'll tell you the truth, I'm surprised by how much I like this mask. I originally bought it because it's a cool looking mask that is molded in a way that I can wear it while wearing my glasses, but I love it because it's a cool looking mask that is molded in a way that I can wear it while wearing my glasses. I'm pretty easy to impress when it comes to masks. Also, it was sold in the toy aisle at Target, so it counts for this blog.

Sure it's meant for kids, but it pretty much fits me and it was reasonably inexpensive. Win!

The Sontaran Experiment

The Sontaran Experiment was a 2 episode story from the 4th Doctor's first season which brought back the popular Sontaran alien first seen in the Time Warrior the season before. (During the 3rd Doctor's last season.) It would sort of cement them as one of the most popular Doctor Who aliens... which means its weird that they wouldn't show up again for another 9 years. But hell, they made an action figure set of the episode, which is really weird.

I had no intention of buying this set, but then I went to a Doctor Who convention where they were selling it, and I saw it in person, and collector's lust seeped into my pores.

So this set comes with the 4th Doctor, the Sontaran Styre, and Styre's ship, which looks like all one-man Sontaran ships is a giant sphere. (It was also seen in the Time Warrior.)


I don't know how I feel about them always packing Doctors into the sets. On the one hand I hate paying for figures I already have. The minor paint variations aren't usually enough to make me feel like I'm getting a new figure. But this time I'm okay with it because this time we get sad 4th Doctor while wearing hat. The other 4th Doctor figure I have is happy 4th Doctor while wearing hat and surprisingly I think this is an acceptable variation.


Next up is Styre. In a nice touch, he has 5 fingers. You see the Sontaran Experiment was the only story where the Sontarans had 5 fingers. In all the other Sontaran stories they have three. You can see the difference in the old school and new school Sontarans by this comparison in the figures. The old Sontarans could be rather tall, the new ones are very pointedly not. I do prefer the old uniforms though. They're more gritty, as befitting a warrior race of clones.

Finally there's the Sontaran ship, and damn what a disappointment that is. Sure it looks impressive on the outside, but open the door and BAM. You're greeted with a solid wall of plastic.

I mean why let the door open at all if you don't have a compartment that can fit the figure inside it? And the fake chair, that's just teasing us with what could have been. Hell, I don't even care if it was a good compartment, but give me something that the damned Sontaran can fit in when I close the door. I probably wouldn't be THAT disappointed, but this set is retailing for $65 in the US, considering previous set costs, that means that this big silver ball is meant to be going for somewhere between $25-$35 dollars.

SO LET THE DAMN SONTARAN FIT IN THE SHIP!

Zygon

Despite only appearing in only one televised story, the Zygons have gotten themselves some cult status. Maybe it's because of their distinctive look. Or that they can shapeshift. Or maybe it's because they control the Loch Ness Monster and have it attack a city.

Probably that last one.

This figure of the Zygons from the story is pretty accurate, right down to the lack of movement the originals had on the show. The neck isn't articulated at all, so we're essentially looking at one long torso piece. On top of that the "remote unit" they use to control the Loch Ness Mosnter looks like a barnacle that's snapped off the dude's... uh, side I guess is the way to describe it?

The Zygon also comes with the head of the Giant Robot build-a-figure. I think it's sad that I'll never finish the Robot because I'll be damned if I'm buying two VOC Robots in order to get the legs... or buy another 5th Doctor for an arm... or another Magnus Greel, just to give the Robot hands and feet. As far as I'm concerned it's a mini-bust that rocks prevariously on it's legless hips.

Sergeant Kup

As an avid collector of Generation 1 Transformers, I tend not to get any of the modern remakes of the original toys unless a character demands a more cartoon-accurate figure (Ratchet), reissues are unlikely (Sunstreaker), or the figure is a really damned good version of one I don't already own (Hound). My brother has the Japanese reissue of Kup—the crotchety old soldier introduced as one of the main new Autobots in Transformers: The Movie back in 1986—but the old school Kup’s robot mode wasn’t quite up there with that of contemporaries Hot Rod and Blurr. So when Hasbro announce it was finally releasing a new Kup as part of its Generations line this year, I knew it was one of my only new must-haves.



Packaged under the more copyright-friendly moniker of Sergeant Kup, what immediately disappointed me about the figure was that he’s been given a new alternate mode. Kup was originally a futuristic pickup truck with a distinctive design, but Sergeant Kup is now just a plain ordinary pickup you’d see out on the road. One of the main disadvantages of this change is that the figure now can’t replicate the old transformation scheme, meaning it has to “fake” the original design elements like the original truck front end becoming the robot chest, a design technique I abhor. Furthermore, the panels that make up the sides of the truck mode can be frustrating to deal with during the conversion process. I plan to keep the figure in robot mode, so ultimately these aren’t as big of issues to me, but I imagine they can be irksome to others.

Once in robot mode, Kup looks pretty cool, especially armed with his giant new rifle. The rifle features this c-hook/balljoint attachment (common in recent Transformers releases) allowing it to affix to the roof and arm panels; it's cute, but no better than peghole technology, in my opinion. Sure, Kup’s got more heroic torso proportions (look at the V-shaped torso) and bigger feet than I’d like, but overall it’s a great rendition of the character. That is, except for the arms. Saddled with cumbersome front tires and truck side panels as part of the transformation, the figure is further hampered by some wonky joints. The shoulders keep wanting to push down and inward whenever you move them, and the ridiculous double-elbow joints (hinged for up-and-down movement in the middle of the bicep, but only for inward movement in the forearm) are the worst I have ever seen on a figure I own. They look like they should be balljoints instead (I find myself instinctively trying to move them as I they were), and I really wish they were.

I’ve found Hasbro’s most recent updated Generation 1 designs under the Generations banner not as enticing as efforts in the preceding Classics and Universe lines. I hoped Kup would be an exception to that, as he’s one of the characters I felt most needed a new figure. I’m largely pleased the figure (the head in particular looks great), but looking at that torso which is only a facsimile of the original truck mode and dealing with those terrible arms, I know a better job could have been done.