Fractal Dreams

Ah, the excuses we do to justify getting the things we want…

As usual, I mooched cash again from parents (a shameless act, indeed) for a return trip to the university to pick up some important documents (my diploma), and it happens that I have some spare change afterwards ( all of the money), so I was somehow, loaded…relatively speaking.

Waking up the next day, I wondered if I should go out and check the malls if any new figures are out. Since, hey, the toy companies have been so helpful with their accurate release dates. Of course, I was always in doubt, since I usually leave to check the stores on saturdays.

So while wandering around in the house, I stopped by my dad’s room, and ended up watching a show on HBO- you know what it is….? Missing in Action 2, starring Chuck Norris.

I always joked around with the Gi Joe character Rock N Roll, calling him Chuck Norris. Given though, he doesn’t look anywhere near Chuck Norris. (View the Figure at YoJoe- Click Here!) Sure he has the full beard on his mug and he’s blonde, but of a brighter shade of yellow.

What the heck, I thought to my self. “This must be a sign! This must be Chuck Norris day! I think I’ll buy the Rock and Roll fig before it runs out.” Well, it is true. Some evil bugger must be hoarding the figures or every collector must be on a buying spree since new figures don’t last a week. Rock N Roll wasn’t even that popular locally (and been sitting in the pegs for months), but now even that’s starting to disappear. I ran to a few stores where the figures were well stocked and then bamf! nothing’s left a few days later. I even tossed my lucky coin three times- they all came out heads which in my book meant yes,yes and yes.

So yeah, I think that was reason enough. Out I went…

…scoring a bad case of motion sickness, almost throwing up in the rickety jeepney, and until now, my head feels like it’s splitting in two. But, sure enough, I got the rock n roll figure- one of the last 9 available in the malls. Yes, I’m that obsessed. I keep count of the stocks left each time I check it out. So with a bad headache reminiscent of a hangover and a new figure in my mini army roster, I end my celebration of “Chuck Norris Missing in Action 2″ day.

I’m planning for the “Rocketeer” day next…

*clears throat*

Last time, I said that Destro had a “wicked Barry Manilow thing with his voice going on”.

Damn it. That was the wrong guy! I thought he was the guy with the deep voice. Blame my musical stupidity on that one.

So, to clarify. Destro DOES NOT SOUND, I repeat, DOES NOT SOUND like Barry Manilow.

But I had you thinking for a second, right? RIGHT? Here’s another one.

I think he sounds a lot more like… Isaac Hayes.

Uh-oh. DUCK AND COVER!!!

For many G.I.Joe kids, Destro was THE man.

He’s got everything: he’s rich, he’s nobility, he’s got the wicked (Barry Manilow….oops, I meant) Isaac Hayes thing with his voice going on, and the cute, evil glasses girl loves him. Tsk. Some men have all the luck.

Since I was still a baby when the sunbow series started, and I really can’t remember if I even watched an episode of GIJoe, I mostly remember Destro to be the guy with the shiny helmet.

When this figure was released, I was skeptical on buying it. Not knowing much on GIJoe lore yet, I wondered if this costume change was even canonical (it is), and I really had my eyes on the single carded regular destro. Good thing, I still bought it. It’s worth it.

click pic to enlarge

Like most 25th anniv. figures, IG Destro receives a sculpt update. For the most part, the proportion issue is fixed, the uber-large head of the original is resized in the new one.

The figure is predominantly black, and there’s not much paint application (The spots being, his neck, the insignia on his chest, the spikes on his shoulder,and the buttons on his high cuffed boots). But pay close attention and you’ll see a lot of detail. He looks like he’s decked out in leather. Must be hot in there.

Another feature they carried over from the original is the inclusion of cloth capes. Hasbro likes using cloth for their figures- I have a handful of Star Wars figures (4 actually) and 3 of them have cloth parts fused or draped over the figures. So not a total surprise there. The difference in the 25thA version however, is that the cape now covers one arm- the old one just hangs from the back. Some people may find it to be obstructing, but it gives Destro more of a “laird”-like ambiance.

As for his noggin, Destro is again vac-metallized, resulting in a friggin’-shiny golden helmet. While a lot of fans prefer the vac-metallized heads, I’m for the painted version. I just had a bad experience with vac-metallized toys, especially my old Steel (from the old Superman Line) which is completely covered with it. But it is hard not to like the shining head, despite the fact it might wear off someday.

His weapons received anniversary treatment too. The old one had to content himself holding a sheathed saber, maybe smashing a head or two with it. But this time, the sword and sheath are two different elements, with the former cast in gold plastic and painted gray on the blade, while the latter is now attached to him by his belt (it’s removable). The sheath is fully working too, you could slip the sword in there if you want. (But don’t do it just yet! Read on first).

Another bonus item is a new weapon for the figure, which is a gold revolver. (I know some of you are already thinking of The Man with the Golden Gun. Haha. Funny.) Destro much be pretty damn rich to have his weapons in gold. I’m not 100% positive, but this gun is similar to Snow Job’s side arm.

I complained with the Crimson Guard’s holster earlier on, saying that it didn’t look like much of a holster. While the original looked actually like that, they could’ve least updated the design just a little. (See the crimson guard review!) In Destro’s case,now this is what I’m talking about, a fully detailed, yet working holster! So far, this is one of the best I’ve seen yet in the line, and if Hasbro keeps their releases up to speed with this one, I’m a happy guy.

Complaints? There are a few, actually. Despite its greatness, the figure is marred by a few production problems. First of all, my figure’s head won’t move, and it’s permanently tilted to the left. I’m not saying that this would happen to your figure too, but it’s just a warning. I solved the problem by tilting the midtorso a little in the opposite direction, resulting in a more dynamic pose. Another problem, which I’m sure will probably be present in your sample too, is that the sheath is bent. The figure was forced to fit in the small blister packaging, while wearing the belt. So when you pull it out, the sheath looks a little out of shape. So don’t go sheathing in the sword just yet. When I let it stand for a while, the sheath seems to straighten out a little. But I still won’t put the sword in. He looks better holding it anyway.

Final Word? If you’re one of the guys who spent hundreds of bucks to get the exclusive Pimp Destro, you’d probably see this one as a worthwhile addition. Even if you didn’t, this is still a figure I’d recommend, because this shows hasbro in their best game. Better yet, if you have an armored Cobra Commander, and you’re looking to recreate the Cobra civil war. then this is the destro for you. Great figure. Just great.

Honestly, I don’t know much about G.I. Joe. I wasn’t even born yet when the series launched in 1982. But when you have a brother and a cousin who are die-hard fans of the series, it’s inevitable that I’ll learn about them sooner or later.

I remembered playing with hand-me-downs of the original figures, playing with Snake-eyes, Storm Shadow, Scarlett, Destro, Firefly and a cobra trooper. A lot of them were missing equipment, some were broken, but I didn’t care that much. And I didn’t know who the heck those guys were anyway. So I grew up and eventually forgot about them.

Then sometime along, the SIGMA 6 line appeared, and I thought it was cool, with chock-full of accessories and Centurion (remember that cartoon) –like body armor, and I was in G.I. heaven back again… for a while. Then the uber-large figures felt chunky and cumbersome. They take too much cabinet space, and they changed most of the characters. I mean, what the heck did they do to Tunnel Rat? So I gave up on them again. (But now, I think they’re still cool, though. Too bad the line was canceled.)

Fast forward to 2007. Hasbro revived the old 1980’s line, but this time, with Marvel-Legends like detailing and now standing tall at 4 inches (rather than 3 ¾). Correction: Some figures are 3 3/4 (like ninja Snake Eyes), while some are 4′. I never expected that I’ll be one of the rabid fans looking out for this line. Must be the old childhood memories, and that little old 1984 sticker-book of the animated movies stashed somewhere in my file cabinet. Plus that 1990’s G.I.Joe and the Transformers featuring Snake Eyes comic book. And the Sigma 6 influence. And of course, the old figures themselves.

Ah, nostalgia bites.

Anyway, I’m still starting up my collection, and I only have 6 figures. I’ll review them one-by-one every issue. But in this case, I’ll review 2 almost identical figures:

COBRA ELITE TROOPER: CRIMSON GUARD
(Single Carded and Comic Pack versions)

click pic to enlarge

Crimson Guards or “siegies” for short (a play on CG, get it?) are the elite infantry members of the Cobra Army. One of the requirements of being one is that you have to have a degree in law or accounting. Somehow I knew lawyers were scheming to take over the world, but accountants too?

Siegies are not the usual cannon fodder troops that Cobra Commander just chucks away towards the Joes. They are sent to subvert governments and institutions and make them vulnerable to Cobra control. All undercover, of course. Like their namesake, they don a cool red costume and a full helmet that conceals their entire face, which is faithfully represented in this action figure.

Siegie 1, the single carded version, comes with two weapons: a revolver (which I guess is a .357 magnum, I think), and an M-16 assault rifle with a bayonet attached. Checking out the old figure in the web, the revolver was once a sculpted piece on the old version’s leg, but for this new edition, it is a separate element, and you could holster it in its old location. Sweet. However, the holster in Siegie’s leg hardly looks like one.

When we get to review Iron Grenadier Destro, you’ll see why this sucks. Most of the time, the assault rifle’s bayonet or muzzle is bent out of shape, thanks to the evil packaging demons, but it’s no big deal. Just don’t force it to straighten. He also comes with an updated sculpt of his old backpack, which you still plug into a hole in his back. I prefer not to attach mine, though. Just personal taste, nothing else.

Siegie 2, the comic pack version, is essentially the same as the first one, except that you can take off his helmet and reveal his face. You see, the Siegies are divided into different series, and one lucky siegie will become the series template. The other members of his batch undergo plastic surgery to look like the template version, and they all change their names to their templates. This is to ensure that if one Siegie dies, there will be a replacement to take his place in the community he’s infiltrating. The most famous of the different batches is the “Fred” series, which is based on the character Fred Broca (Kamakura’s Father.). This figure belongs to that group. I saw Kamakura in an online database, and he was a red-head. So why the heck is this Siegie blonde?

In terms of ordnance, Siegie 2 has a M1 Garand instead of an assault rifle, and the usual revolver on his side, and backpack in his back. Also, since this figure is from a comic pack, he comes with another figure, the Scarred Cobra Officer or “Scar Face” (which I’ll review later).

As for joints, the figure has gone into a complete overhaul. The construction is now slightly different, first of all, the figures ditched the waist articulation (and removed the o-ring rubberband that held the top and bottom halves of the figure, which had a tendency to break), and replaced it with a joint in the torso. The figure pretty much moves the same in the arms (the joints in the elbows and shoulders are updated but function the same), and the wrists can now rotate as well. For the thighs, they are still held together to the body by a metal joint inside the pelvis, just like the old one. For the knees, some figures (like Siegie 1 and 2), have double joints, while some have the old traditional single-joint. Also, the feet can now rotate and move up and down, allowing more pose ability options. Truly, the figure has gone through a major update.

And to prove that Hasbro is aware of its own faults, the Siegies (and every figure in the series) comes with a small black stand, with the figure’s code name printed in front. The Siegies can stand on their own depending on the gear they have and the pose they’re in, but sometimes they tip over, so the stand is probably a good idea. For cobra troops, the stand has a raised Cobra logo in its center, a feature I didn’t like. I would’ve preferred a flat surface so the figure can stand with his feet flat on the ground. Instead, one of the Seigie’s feet is slightly raised when posed on it. But then again, his feet were uneven to begin with, anyway.

Final word? Cool update of the classic. If you don’t army build, you can still get two Siegies (the single and comic pack versions) and still get two technically different versions of the figure. You could pose them as guards if you have Cobra Commander, or have them follow Tomax and Xamot (the Crimson Guard commanders, available in a comic pack). Cobra still rules even after 25 years.

click pic to enlarge

NEXT ISSUE: IRON GRENADIER LEADER: DESTRO

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…

Last time, I was in that blissful nirvana of unemployment, since hey, waking up late in the afternoon, shuffling around in the house sporting unkempt hair and a shaggy beard is a nice change of pace compared to those “I’m late for school” bits. So I really soaked it all in and enjoyed not doing anything.

But, then, it is inevitable that I’ll realize that I need the money, and when you’re a collector, oh, unemployment hurts so much.

There are rumors that come May, there will be hordes of action figures and collectibles for the taking. First up, Hasbro’s Iron Man Movie toys (the first wave of which has already arrived), Marvel Legend’s Two-Packs, and thankfully, Marvel Legends Wave 4 which has been delayed for now. And ever since accidentally straddling around the DC fence, I realize DC Super Heroes and DC Universe figures were good stuff too, and I missed out on their waves 1 and 2. And the best set of them all, DC Universe Wave 3, is due sometime next month. And to complicate matters, I’ve given in to the inner-fanboy in me, and found that those little men with guns, G.I. Joes, are cool, and are beyond my threshold for resisting. Frankly, I think it was a bad time to be playing Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell. They made my “military guys are so cool” switch jump-start again. So, I gotta add that to the list too.

Seriously, I need a job. And another display cabinet.

And finally, to list down the pending figure reviews:
G.I. Joe: Crimson Guard
DCU: Firestorm, Superman Blue, Harley Quinn
Iron Man: Iron Man Mark 1, Tony Stark Armor Prototype.

See you in a few.

The DCU wave 2 has come and gone, and I was only able to get a glance of it, so I’m definitely pissed, and my “DC-collecting-bug” hasn’t worn off yet. Funny, if this was a year or two ago, I’d be whining about missing out on the latest Marvel Legends figs. Now that Hasbro is holding off on the MLs, I’m currently on the other side of the collecting fence. Well, at least they’ve got nice figures out there.

Anyway, I was lucky enough to get an Infinite Crisis box set for my pre-graduation gift. Finally, I can convince myself that I have a figure box set that’s in a box. (I used to argue with my cousin that the Marvel Legends Face-Off series doesn’t count as a box set, since, well, it’s not in a box. I know, I’m a nerd. Don’t rub it in.)

This is kinda of a big boost, since I want to have a justice league collection to par with my mish and mash avengers and x-men. The box set offers on the onset the holy trinity of the league: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, plus a cool secondary character. But is the box set something to be drooling about? Here’s my take:

BATMAN

For those fervent DC Direct collectors, this figure may be familiar to you. Since this is a retooled version of the Batman from the single-carded Infinite Crisis series, wave 2. The original bats featured a battle-damaged costume, since it was taken from an important scene in the comic book, where Batman snapped and pointed a gun at one of the main antagonists, inches away from pulling the trigger. Imagine that, Bats, the guy who’d rather see a psycho like Joker locked up in bars rather than dead, killing a man. What happens next, I won’t spoil for you. Go read the book.

For this set, the DC direct guys retooled the figure back to the normal, undamaged bat-suit. Which made the figure lose its original purpose. He still has that crazed snarl on his face, and the stance he had when he was pointing the gun, but, now, it’s kind of hard to explain why he looks so angry.

They did a good job of covering up all the damaged parts from the original, and the suit looks crisp and clean. But there is one glaring error that’s easily noticeable. The fix they did on the tattered cape shows. Look at the pic below and start from the right, and then slowly gaze to the left. See the difference? It gave the impression that the retooling was made in a hurry. Boo-hoo.

Bats, disappointingly, doesn’t come with any accessories. Again. Back on the original figure, fanboys were furious since the angry bats didn’t come with the pistol he wielded in the story. On this new version, I don’t think a gun would be appropriate, but a batarang or any tool bats uses would’ve been a nice touch. But granted, he couldn’t hold it, since both his hands are open. Tsk.

Overall, the fig is okay, Bats looks really ripped, he’s got a mean look on his face, and he looks like he’s gonna dive on somebody to clobber them to a pulp. He comes with a stand, but I didn’t use it, since he can stand on his own, although he tips over from time to time, like when I bump against my figure cabinet by accident. The stand was also a letdown too, since the small peg that is used to hold the figure on the surface, was either too lose on one end and too tight on the other to fit. As a result, it didn’t make much difference whether I just prop the figure up on the stand or just let it stand on its own.

If Batman was retooled to fix his costume, Supes was retooled to the damaged version. Again, another re-issue from IC wave 2, with minor changes. The main changes you can all see from the pic- a damaged sleeve from his left arm, a large hole on his left thigh, and a tattered cape. It’s okay, it looks tattered all right, although sometimes it looks fake to my eyes. But then again, it is hard to reproduce battle damage.

This Superman was made to be posed in mid-flight. You should’ve figured it by the picture now, since, let’s admit it, his stance is awkward. He comes with a metal pole to prop him up on the included stand, alongside with aforementioned plastic peg if standing him up is your thing (like me). What I liked most of the metal stand is that it has a small, square plastic peg attached to its end, and it fits into a square hole on supes’ back. Now a word of warning, before you ram that metal pole to the stand, make sure you’re really decided in keeping him in flight position, since when you force the metal rod into the hole in the stand, the small toothed end actually expands the hole.

And for the love of God, do NOT turn the rod around while it is stuck into the stand. Figure the best angle first before you stick it in, the figure will tip over and take the stand down with him if you put him in the wrong angle.

But if you’d rather see him standing up instead, good luck finding a decent pose. I call mine “The Pugilist”. He can stand up okay, but honestly, he looks like an idiot when his legs are so damn straight. I tried to pair him up with my DCSH bizarro (since that’s why I bought the bizarre guy in the first place) but realized that Supes dwarfs his counterpart. Wait a second- isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Maybe this Superman is too big for the 6-inch scale, or Mattel made bizarro too small. I don’t really know.

I have to admit, this is one of the main reasons why I wanted the box set. Sam Greenwell’s sculpt of Diana is so drop-dead gorgeous! I could’ve bought the figure alone, since there was a wave 2 single carded figure of Wonder Woman in the store where I bought it, but the box set was er, well, cheaper when calculated piece by piece…since…ehem… the box set was on sale. *coughs* In my defense, it’s practically hard to find a battle damaged batman today anyway.

There are also a few differences between this figure and the first one. First of all, this Wonder Woman ditches the cape she was wearing in the single carded version. Damn cost-cutting measures! And if the images from DC Direct’s website were accurate enough, this Wonder Woman gets in exchange, drum roll please… a small hook on her waistband. Uh-huh. Scream in anger. I feel for you. The hook is used to hold her Magic Lasso, which is actually, nothing more than that gilded thread thingy I’m used to seeing in christmas decorations. Tsk. I haven’t tried out whether the lasso is removable, since the hook is so small, and I’m scared of breaking it. But I guess it’s possible.

If I were to list down the best and the worst features of this figure (based on the one I have of course), I would say what I liked the most is the sculpt of her face, since I’m an anime addict and I dig bishoujo girls (not the stories, just the girls). While distinctly American, I find that sculpt exudes an eastern allure that makes it attractive for me. The part I hated is Diana’s knees. Since she isn’t standing straight, her legs aren’t posed stiff like Superman’s. But the joints look horrible, and it gives the impression it was bent by accident.

If this was any consolation, Diana (still) comes with a second pair of hands, which are opened. With enough work, you can make her hold the lasso, if you did dare to take it off the hook. Or you can stick with the default fists and pose her in typical Wonder Woman fashion (see the box art below).

OMAC

OMAC is the interloper of the set, and is the only antagonist in the box. The name actually stands for One Man Army Corps, and the original OMAC was the brainchild of comics legend Jack Kirby during his stint in DC. I didn’t really like the original OMAC, he was a bald man with a wicked mohawk and the customary spandex suit, but this new version, I practically worship. The new OMAC is made of nanomachines and can take over humans Agent Smith style. Kewl.

OMAC is cast in translucent blue plastic. Whether he is translucent in the comics is hard to tell, but I guess the closest description I could come up with is that the OMACs (there are many OMACs, defeats the “One Man” in his name) look like they were made up of energy. I guess the translucent thing works for him, since he doesn’t have any features to brag about, anyway. My first impression is that the figure will be soft, but the translucent plastic is rock solid. Just don’t try tossing it to the floor to test its strength. I can’t make any guarantees.

OMAC sports a mohawk (or a fin?) on his head as a throwback to the Kirby original, but it becomes a detriment to the figure’s poseability. The mohawk extends all the way to his back and is glued there in place. But, he has a neck joint. If you turn his head around, you bend the fin. No thanks, I’d rather have a stiff neck in this case.

OMAC is practically featureless, save for printed circuit patterns all over his body, a “Brother Eye” logo on his chest, and a huge red monoeye where his face should be. Creepy. And since the guy is made of nannites, he can morph his arms into weapons, if the need arises. He comes with the weapon arms (a small sword and a a two-pronged weapon that resembles a tuning fork) attached, and has a spare set of regular hands ready for swapping.

As for the stands, OMAC comes also with a metal flight stand, but unlike superman, both of the edges are metal. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have him standing instead. He can stand well enough on his own, but the one I got has loose left foot which sometimes causes OMAC to tip over. Your mileage may vary.

And, as this is a box set, you also receive a issue #1 of Infinite Crisis, printed in the same high-quality paper you find in regular comics (unlike Marvel Legends, hehehe). It has been slightly modified (all ads are from DC Direct), but it didn’t carry those annoying NOT FOR RESALE marks that toybiz loves to plaster on their freebies.

Well, the despite its blemishes, the box set is a good buy. But if you already have the wave 1 and 2 figures, you won’t be missing anything, since this is basically the same figures from those sets, with minor modifications (In OMAC’s case, none at all). So I’d recommend these to people who missed out on the earlier runs.

Yep. You guessed it right! It’s another “whining” article.

Now that school’s almost out (be it I graduate or not, hehehe), I realize money isn’t going to be easy to come by these next few weeks. As embarrassing to admit, I live on lunch money *cough, cough* and I sometimes go on wild episodes of penny-pinching. But now that vacation’s coming, so no more money. Boo-hoo.

Bad thing is, I’m now one of the victims of this sudden-spreading epidemic called the “Must-Have-DC” (or MHDC) disease. Symptoms of this include uncontrollable urge to find and buy DC Universe action figures. Funny thing is I seemed to be cured of my other disease, the “Must-Have-ML” (or MHML) sickness. Strange. But whatever the reason is, I want DC figures so badly, and Mattel has released DC Universe wave 2 to sate my zombie hunger.

Problem is, Mattel is such a tightwad when it comes to distributing, and their piles of DC-goodness came in such small amounts, that it barely reached store shelves. Those that do reach the stores are gobbled up by those slobbering victims of the “MHDC” virus.

So I’m depressed. One: DCUs are soooo rare. Two: I have no money. So Depressed.

By this point, I figure most of you are probably laughing, and whatever prospect I have of getting a girlfriend has gone down the drain. Whatever. I don’t care. I feel like whining now, so here it is:

WHY, MATTEL? WHY? WHY DO YOU HURT ME SO? ~whew.

Anyway, my hunt for those DCUs hasn’t been totally fruitless. So far I’ve nabbed figures from the line’s older brother DC Superheroes: Darkseid and Bizarro, (2 figs in a span of 2 days, that’s why I have no money) and one from their distant cousin: DC Direct Armory Batman. I also found an old store near my usual haunts that was opened again, so I have new figures on my hit list: Black Widow and Rogue. Oh wait- so my MHML disease is still within me after all. It was just dormant.

So anyway, looks like the next few weeks will be figure review weeks. So many things to do with toys.

One day, I happened to see a War Machine action figure in a toy shop. Being the comic fan that I am, I thought it wasn’t a bad a idea to buy one, after all, I practically worshiped the comic book character back when I was younger. So I shelled around five hundred for one, and told myself, this’ll be the last one.

That was around two years ago.

Today, I have two cabinets chock-full with action figures and other collectibles. In two years that single war machine figure grew into a 78 figure collection, encompassing around 5 comic universes (Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image, some Indie lines), with my latest find being the (Variant Paint) Darkseid. That’s not even counting my small anime figure collection.

I’m not bragging or anything. As I look at it, I feel kinda shocked- no way I’d imagined it’ll grow this big. But somehow, the fun of collecting- the excitement you feel when you see a new release, and the thrill of the moment when you finally get it in your hands- it’s as absorbing as any other hobby in the world. I really haven’t much had exposure with other collectors, and most of my purchases were made in stores- but I also did what other guys did- trek long ways to check on some obscure stores, hoping to find some rare cache, join message boards and discuss stuff with other people, going to conventions… it’s been fun.

That last bit kinda sounded like I’m quitting or something, but I don’t think I can get over the collecting bug yet. It’s just in one point in life, each and every one of us will fondly look back at the memories behind each and every collectible  and notice how times have changed. It’s kinda lame to the ears and difficult to explain, but anyone who is into collecting (or maybe some other hobby) surely could understand.

What I want to do is to complete those comic universes (as much as I can possibly can, although I don’t expect to net them all) and make a really huge diorama for it. I mean a room-sized diorama. Given my current financial status, I doubt it’ll be possible, but then again, I never expected to have an action figure collection, for God’s sake. So you’ll never know.

I just saw the next waves of the DC Universe action figures line.

I almost dropped my jaw. Oh my god. If they keep this up, I WILL quit collecting Marvel Figures and save up to buy these figures by SETS. Because each and every one of them is gorgeous. (The prototypes, anyway.) I will now worship the Four Horsemen, the sculptors of these figures.

And I just really, really hope that the mass-production versions won’t be so screwed up like what they did to wave 1.

The DC Direct, the Marvel Legends, and *God forbid* the Fantastic 4 Boxset I’ve been saving my money for will have to wait. A very,very long time.

Damn it, I can’t sleep.

Toy talk today. Sorry, I feel like it.

People who personally know me, or are just solvent readers here in FD know that I’m an avid action figure collector. To be  exact, I’m a Marvel True Believer. But just recently, I’ve tried buying a few DC Comics-based action figures, so I can have more variety-  I already have around 16 or so members of the superhero team Avengers in my roster, why not balance it out with a few Justice League members?

It seems that I have two choices- to buy my figures from DC Direct [DCD] (a variety of limited figure runs), or from Mattel (yes,  Mattel. The makers of Barbie. I know.) who has the (now-defunct) DC Superheroes [DCSH]and DC Universe [DCU] Toy Lines. From the on-set, DC direct makes it point that it caters to serious collectors, while Mattel designed theirs so that the collectors (maybe the collector dads) can let kids play with the damn thing, as it was originally intended.

So, why bother fussing about which to choose, when both them sound that good?

One important factor is POINTS OF ARTICULATION. For the uninitiated, POA stands for how many joints your action figure has. The more joints, the more superheroic poses you can put your figure in. For DC Direct, articulation seems to be not in their features list- I have 3 DC direct figures as samples (Identity Crisis Zatanna, Batman/Superman: Vengeance Kryptonite Batman, and First Appearance: Blue Beetle (not the Ted Kord one)) and their articulation count seems to be around ten joints or less. While my DCSH or DCU figures (Batman DCSH 1 and Red Tornado) has around 13~19 joints (rough estimate). But in terms of whether to choose one line over the other, it’s still a matter of personal preference. Back then, I used to argue with my collector cousin about this. I said that I don’t really don’t care about articulation much, because too much movable parts tends to diminish the beauty of the figure’s sculpt (because the body parts don’t look natural to my eyes). But now, I see the advantage of being able to pose and repose the figure every now and then. But of course, more moving parts means more breakable parts. Also, when the figure has the misfortune of having loose joints, it’s a pain to keep them standing up, or to have them hold a cool pose.

MY TAKE: For me, articulation is both a boon and a bane. Draw.

SCULPT. How the figure was sculpted. Without a doubt, DC Direct figures takes the cake on this one. They pride themselves on the fact that they can translate an artist’s drawings into solid,plastic 3d, but sometimes it can look like crap (some Supergirls don’t look as sexy as they used to be.). As for DCU, their sculpts don’t follow a central theme, so it’s up to the sculptor’s taste on how they do it. So the results tend to vary: from the thank-you-God-this-is-so-wonderful, to at-least-it-doesn’t-look-like-hasbro’s-crap-of-an-emma-frost-so-it’s-okay (at least they don’t look ugly). And Mattel tends to re-use the same body types over and over again. My Batman figure was a rehash from an older figure called the “Zipline Batman.”  I feel kinda cheated that way since I’m buying the same thing over and over again. The same thing’s been happening at the Marvel side too, with their infamous “Bullseye” body template.

MY TAKE: They’re both great, but on many cases, DCD figures looks nicer (to me).

PAINT. How the figure was painted. I think it’s the DCD’s day again. In my opinion, the paint application of DCDs are usually spot-on. While the DCSHes were sometimes plagued by paint transfers, paint bleeds, ugly washes…

MY TAKE: DCD.

DURABILITY. How tough the figure is to bending, posing and falling down from display cabinets. DCU rules in this category. Mattel made their figures to be played with, rather than to be stared at in a display cabinet. My cousin, once a DCD believer, watched as his Gotham by Gaslight Batman fall from his study table (once). Batman’s head snapped off. Why? Godawful thin peg. In contrast, his DCSH batman fell more than five times in its life, and it’s still in one piece. While not all DCDs are that fragile, figures meant for abuse are still better.

MY TAKE: DCSH/DCUs

PACKAGING. Part of the cost you stump up for a DCD figure is for the packaging. The packaging per series varies, some are boxed (JUSTICE, First Appearance, HUSH) some are in blisters (Batman and Son,Batman/Superman,Elseworlds). The boxes are a thing of beauty, that it’s a shame to open them. DCSHs and DCUs come in standard blister packaging. The DCSH packaging was generic, the DCU’s were personalized.

MY TAKE: If I was a Mint Collector, DCDs. But I’m not. If it would make the figures essentially cheaper, I’d take any packaging.

EXTRAS. For DCDs it’s a given. Part of the DCD mantra is that for every figure you get, it comes with a stand. There also came a time that the logo in the packaging was actually the stand. Ingenious. Depending on the figure, it can sometimes come with figure related accessories. DCSHs carried a variety of extras during its lifetime- double sided posters, a comic book (one type per set, if you buy the whole set you get multiple copies of the same book), and a cardboard diorama background depicting a green explosion of some sort (Kryptonite?). That was aside from the figure related accessories, if there were any (Bat-family related figures have more). Fanboys cried in anger for this of course. Mattel finally opted to copy ToyBiz’s marketing ploy, including in their new DCU line, a “Collect and Connect” figure. (Build-a-Figure seems to be marvel’s trademark)

MY TAKE: Stands are nice, but they tend to be bothersome in small cabinets. Collect and Connect figures are useless unless you actually buy the whole set. Nobody really needs cardboard dioramas, unless you only have 1 figure to display.

I now realize I’m really indecisive. Despite the exhausting analysis above, I’m still at a loss. You know what, to heck with making a choice. I’m going for BOTH of them! Heheh.