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.

So this is a thing then?

KISS and the Beatles K'Nex minifigures. I had no idea this was a thing, or if I did then I forgot about it. One sec, I'm gonna waste $10.

Update 10:21 PM

1. That's $10 per set. I only picked up the Beatles set. Because psychedelic hippies of the world's greatest pop/rock band.

Michelangelo (Nickelodeon TMNT)

As mentioned in my review of the new Dontatello five-inch scale figure, I was so wowed by it that I was gripped by a mighty hankering for more Turtles from Playmates' recently-inaugurated Nickelodeon-based line. With very few exceptions, to this day I tend not to get the same figures as my brother (old childhood habits die hard). I had already picked up a Nickelodeon Leonardo for him, and since Leo and Raphael are average-sized and Don is the tallest of the Turtles in this incarnation, it seemed only fair for me to opt for the smallest of the four terrapin heroes: Michelangelo.

Mikey here is a value- and entertainment-packed toy, despite his diminutive stature (he's nearly a head shorter than Donatello). Like his brothers, he includes his main weapon--a pair of nunchuks--as well as some bonus accessories attached to a plastic sprue. He isn't in quite the same league of outright awesomeness as Donnie: his stockier frame makes posing less dynamic, the length of his limbs (particular the arms) are more outsized compared to the rest of his body, and his solid-plastic nunchuks will develop stress marks in the middle of the sculpted chain portion if placed in the figure's belt holsters as intended. His compact size does possess a certain charm, however; he's like a little articulated ball, and that adolescent grin on his face is a nice dash of personality that's merely the crowning flourish on an already fantastically rendered sculpt.

Like Donatello, the new 5" cartoon Michelangelo is one of the coolest mass-market action figures of the year thus far. I've had both for weeks now and I still can't put them down. At this point I can't want to see what Playmates has in store for future assortments. How many of the 2012 Turtles have you bought so far?

Thor and Amaretsu

It always weirds me out when they do non humanoid minimates. They don't look like minimates, but when you take them apart you realize that they use minimate elements to build the figure. Weird. This exclusive Toys R Us set features Thor and Amaretsu. Amaretsu is from the video game Okami, which I have never played, so I didn't know she was a she. All I knew was that damn dog is beloved by Marvel vs. Capcom players where I work because of her insanely hard to block super move.

Thor looks very annoyed at being packed with a dog. But he comes with the spinning hammer that has a peg that can be put in one of the hand holes to make it look like Thor's about to throw his hammer. It's appeared with recent Thor minimates, and I blame the movie that had him spin his hammer a few times and not make it look totally ridiculous. But seriously, what's with the face? He looks like he's having a temper tantrum.

 Like I said, Amaretsu is not a character I'm familiar with. But as a dog minifigure this is pretty sweet. She even comes with a clear stand to simulate the look of her leaping or running in the air. (This does mean there's a hole in the bottom of her torso, but it's a shallow hole and not noticeable unless you turn the figure upside down.

AMP Episode 49: Where is James?

The newest episode of the Articulated Monster Podcast is up. James is missing, but me, Mario and AJ soldier on as we talk about the toy news, what we picked up, and what toy line should have a movie.

And next week is our 50th episode! Send in listener questions to articulatedmonster@yahoo.com

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.