Justice 8: (Almost) A Perfect Goodbye....

The Alex Ross JUSTICE figures have been a pretty divisive series of toys - fitting being based on an artist who is such a divisive character in the comics world! I don't know if I fall so much into the "love" side of the "love them or hate them" debate, but I definitely appreciate these as a standalone line of figures - definitely not for mixing or matching with your other toys.

After two disappointing waves in 6 and 7, which offered two armoured figures and only two new characters each, a new wave featuring four new sculpts was welcome news, even if one was Toyman, but we'll get to him later.

After a week's unexplained delay - and do you notice that when this happens DCD never communicates about it?? - I was pleased to pick up my Wave 8 figures yesterday, but was laid so low by the blinking flu I didn't have the energy to do much more than look at them and put them aside before I crawled into bed. Thankfully a new day and a major cold and flu drug cocktail found me with enough energy to do the unpacking and photographing thing today. (But hey, kids, drugs are, like, bad for you and all......)

The JUSTICE packaging has remained consistent throughout, but I was pleased to discover inside that whoever did the packing seemed to resist the urge to follow the practice in previous waves of strapping the figures in with twist ties at two-inch intervals - never fun to have to complete a puzzle just to get your toy out of the box! Most of these just had a twist tie around the waist which is more than enough to secure the figure inside the bubble. On the other hand I was sorry to see that the JUSTICE bases had remained the same - handy things if you don't mind displaying your figures two metres away from each other - why these had to be so big I'll never know!

As much as I love the Batgirl in this wave I'm going to have to rate Captain Cold as the top figure because of the detail included. His head is fully sculpted underneath his hood and his face is sculpted underneath his glasses. On inspection it almost looked like the hood could be removed but I didn't want too pry too much for fear of causing any damage. Other details like a functional holster for his gun with a usable snap make this a winner. He does, however, seem a little too tall when compared to the other figures in the wave and the other JUSTICE villains. But hey, this is DCD and this is JUSTICE. Scale schmale.

Batgirl is a thing of beauty. I'm a big Oracle fan but I have alot of nostalgia for the Babs Gordon Batgirl and she is looking at her best here. The lines are sleek and the paint apps are excellent. There's not much articulation to he had: her head is stuck in place by the sculpting for her hair and her hips and legs have limited movement that will still allow her to stand - a difficulty with the heavy plastic capes. She comes with a small batarang which does fit into her right hand. I would love to see this figure re-released with the traditional blue and grey Batgirl colours - it would become the ultimate Batgirl figure in my eyes.

Supergirl is another decent addition to the line. Paint is not quite as solid - her eyebrows are a bit heavy, she has a white mark on her upper right chest and something about the way her neck strap (collar? whatever those things are called) makes it look a bit strange. Her "S" symbol also seems a little bit too far to the left. These are little nitpicks at what is basically a great figure. Again, her sculpted hair means there's no neck articulation and any posing is precarious because of her cape. She is nicely in scale, being shorter than the other female figures.

And then.... to Toyman. This is the type of figure that I wouldn't mind having in the line, IF all other possibilities had been exhausted. But to think that this is likely the last JUSTICE wave, having Toyman in place of Metamorpho, Atom, Aqualad, Mera, Riddler or Robin makes little sense, except that it gives in to Ross' conceit of redesigning everything in his own image by using a version of the character that exists nowhere else. While it looks like some thought has gone into it, it's a pretty uninspirational figure, especially with all the ridiculous strings hanging off it that just get in the way when you're trying to pose him. While he does stand up easier than I thought he night, the whole thing comes off feeling a bit cheap.

If not for this last figure, I'd say this was a great way to farewell what has been a comprehensive and overall well produced series of figures, all criticisms of Rossisms aside. As it is, in my view there's certainly at least another wave in this, and I'd love to see DCD come back and give a greater sense of completion to it all. If only DCD's track record on giving fans a sense of completion gave be more faith that this might happen!

Giganta's not such a big deal.....

I am very lucky in that despite living in Oz I have a friend from one of my message board haunts who for the past few SDCCs has taken my wishlist of exclusives and helped me out with the ones I've wanted. When putting my list together and counting the pennies (welll 5 cent pieces, that's the smallest coinage we have here...) I decided against getting the Mattel Giganta exclusive because my interest in sticking with the JLU line was waning. Once I saw the amazing JLU reveals at SDCC however, I regretted that call as it was clear there was alot of life in the line yet!

My problem seemed solved when Mattycollector.com came online, and it seemed like a good way of trying out the new store as well so I decided to give it a go. I didn't have any problem with my order, and the international shipping was extremely reasonable - thank you Mattel!!

For those still waiting for their Mattel purchase or those wondering, I've included a pic of the packaging Giganta came in just so you have an idea of the quality. I thought this was well shipped, fresh new box with plastic air cushions and a wrap around the item giving a fair bit of protection. It all seemed fairly crush-resistant, so the packaging gets the thumbs-up from me.

As for the contents, if someone hadn't pointed out to me after a previous post that Giganta wasn't a 10" figure, I would have gotten a shock at her size. I guess I had just assumed that the large Giganta would be a 10" figure in line with the 10" JLU line, even though her actual height has probably been mentioned in lots of places. I was a bit disappointed to hear this, but on seeing the actual height of the figure, it makes sense - the 10" line is its own line and would have been TOO big to put against the smaller figures as a giant character.

I'm keeping this in the box at the moment as I don't have JLU display space until my new display units come online (read: I can afford them, but Mrs AFB has said the house has to get painted first) later this year or early next. The display box is good looking and has been designed so that you can slip the figures out of the bottom to inspect them and then put it back together for display.

As I'm keeping this all together at the moment I can't comment on articulation etc but it all looks to be standard JLU. .Her head does have a basic turn despite the length of her hair. I can't say the JLU version of the character is my favourite - I don't get how she stays all nicely made up when turns giant, but it is a passable version of the cartoon character. My two main criticisms would be that in the larger version, her head seems a bit too big for her body, hardly the scary baddy type, and I would have preferred the figure to have a "meaner" look on her face - she looks too nice!

Overall, my first online purchase from Mattel gets a big thumbs-up - even if the first product didn't turn out to be as big as I thought it was!

Not such a Joke after all.......

I was pretty disappointed when the DCD 1:6 Scale Joker was solicited, as the headsculpt didn't work for me at all. The eyes, and those teeth! I know my feeling were mirrored by many according to the opinions I heard "across the boards".

If you are in the same boat, I do recommend that you have a close look at the actual product, as I felt completely differently about this figure when I saw him in person.

After a run of dreary, unimaginative boxes for this line, this is a happy improvement. A pattern of playing card icons and shades of light green make it fun to look at. Interestingly Joker and Harley Quinn are pictured together on the inside.

As for the head - I have heard mixed reviews and I think this is a case of "love it or hate it". Personally I love what's been done with it. Joker's eyes are looking off to the side in a sneaky, cheeky sort of fashion which makes the figure work for me. The teeth don't bother me in person, however in my own photos his face photographs more harshly. Again, he needs to be seen in person for you to make up your own mind.

I'm not sure if this is the younger teen body that's been used or another sculpt, but he is slightly shorter and less bulky in the chest than Batman. The suit didn't seem to be super removable, but from what I could see he seems to have the same flesh tone throughout for anyone that wanted to, for instance, recreate his Hawaiian outfit. Don't quote me on that, I'm not big on undressing my dollies. Not these days anyway.

While the suit on the 1"6 Two-Face was a bit of a disappointment. the outfit on this figure is really quite exquisite. He has what must be a hand sewn vest underneath his lined jacket. The green shirt underneath has faux buttons and he has a small rope bowtie and a flower on his lapel as finishing touches. The coattails of his jacket have a small wire in them to keep them stiff and in place. It is probably the most detailed of the 13" outfits so far. My only complaint about the outfit is that his trousers are perhaps a little long and so bunch up slightly around his legs. The level of detail almost justifies the hefty price point. Almost.

Accessories are slim. He comes with a great scale version of his cane which has lots of potential, but this winner is poorly backed up by what looks like it's meant to be a squirting fish and some flimsy cards.

One disappointment for me is the lack of extra sets of hands as we have come accustomed to with the figures in this scale. It limits posing and accessory holding opportunities. I suppose it is possible that this is where the savings were made for the exquisite sewing of Joker's costume, so I won't complain too much.

As for Joker's mate Harley Quinn, I saw her in the store and left her there. I think I'll own her eventually but I have a feeling she's going to be a 1:6 scale shelfwarmer so I'll look for her on sale eventually. Altho Australian Father's Day is coming up, and I get to buy all my own presents.......

A Blast from the Past, err.... Future! Err... Past...

I was only just waxing lyrical online somewhere today that I used to own all the original Mego Star Trek Figures (I don't know how Uhura's tunic kept coming off, honest!!) and I even owned the Enterprise Bridge playset, and how much it would all be worth today blah blah blah...

Imagine my surprise then when I flick over to AFI to discover that DST and Emcee Toys are releasing a Retro Enterprise Bridge Playset! Apparently this is it pictured, but you'd swear it was a vintage original because it looks like it's stepped straight out of the 70's!

I made a purely financial decision not to collect the new Retro Cloth figures, and my only relief about that now is that if I was buying them there's no way I'd be able to resist this amazing playset. I don't really do playsets, but the pure nostalgic value alone would overrule.

Sadly I can't blame an overzealous mother for not having the original set with me to this day. My parents never throw anything out. I was never rough on my toys as a kid, but if I recall properly that playset just got so much attention that it got loved to death, the flaps came apart, the plastic frayed from the cardboard and it was finally decreed it had reached its end.

Ah well, I know this re-release it going to make alot of fanboys very happy!

The Miniheroes Zone

After my latest post I've found there's a new forum of mini-figure enthusiasts gathering out there, and I thought I'd give them a plug.

The Miniheroes Zone can be found at http://miniheroes.proboards104.com/index.cgi

Pay them a visit!

Like I need another addiction.........

I've been checking the mail with some eagerness every day at the moment waiting for my Mattyonline parcel to arrive (come on Giganta!) so I was pretty stoked to finally get a parcel notice yesterday. Waiting for a parcel at my local Post Shop is a real labour of love because it's always so crowded after work, so I packed my water bottle, muesli bars, extreme weather gear and a porta potty (this game is not for the faint hearted, brothers) and braved the queue.

The only fun thing about going to the Post Shop after work is that they lock the sliding doors at 5pm and then one of the workers has to stand there and be abused by all the people who were running late and stand there pointing at those of us who are inside still being served and shout and spit and stuff, while we stand there smug in our on-timeness and eat and drink our well prepared waiting provisions and pretend we can't hear their vain protests.

In fact there were so many abusive and pointing people yesterday that I was so busy being smug I nearly missed my number when the computerised voice finally called it, so it was a breathless trip to the counter to hand over my parcel slip to the gum-chewing attendant who was just really ready to go home. My first indication that perhaps Mattyonline hadn't come through was the size of the parcel she brought out: right away I knew it wasn't long enough for a JLU 10" figure. The whole time I was signing for it I was trying to think about what it could possibly be - it was from the US but the address meant nothing.

It wasn't until I opened the box that I remembered I'd decided to try Infinite Heroes and made an eBay purchase on the weekend, which means that my parcel got from the US to me in around 5 days. My Mattyonline parcel was apparently shipped on 2 August, but I'm not getting nervous. Yet.

My deflation turned to excitement as I had a look at my eBay score - the Flash / Mirror Master / Weather Wizard Infinite Heroes 3-pack. It has "Crisis" on it which I'm not sure I get, unless it's referring to the state of the DCU, but that's okay.

So, to the figures (that was a longer than usual "How we got the figures" riff, sorry!). I'd taken in from scale pics I'd seen on the web about how small these fellas are, but I was still surprised by just how small they are! These are not JLU size, they're a peg down from that.

I like the packaging of this line. It has similar features to tie it in to DCUC but it's own feel, and I like the "universe of figures in your hand" or whatever the tagline is with the little plastic hand behind the figures - it looks classy and is carried over in the 3 pack as well as the singles.

The early prototype pics of these figures had alot of us worried about the quality of the line, but if these three are anything to go by, that was for nothing. The detail on these little dudes is amazing. Little details that you might have expected to be painted on, like the sticky-out things on Mirror Master's helmet, glove and belt ridges, and the wings on Flash's feet, etc, are all sculpted.

Paint apps are also very solid. Flash's chest symbol is a well applied decal. Mirror Master has a small paint rub on his left hand that seems to have some from the packaging. There is perhaps a tiny bit of bleed between the green and yellow on Weather Wizard's gear but you have to look very close to see it. There is just an impressive amount of detail for figures this small. The articulation is also impressive with arms, legs, elbows, knees and the ever useful 360 degree waist twist.

One little complaint is that the hands all seem sculpted to hold accessories yet none of these figures have them - Mirror Master's guns are sculpted into his belt. I guess it's the most cost effective way of casting the standard body so that accessories can be held when they are included, but I found it made posing limiting. For instance, when I wanted to pose my little guys with their arms flailing in the air in horror of the giant Flash, Weather Wizards's open fist ended up in front of Flash's groinal area in one shot, and it looked just.. well, wrong.

The joy in these, if you are to take to them, of course, is in the universe building, and after this trial I am on the road, in fact have already ordered the singles I can find on the web (if only Mattel would distribute these to Oz!!). After the disappointment of the premature death of DC Minimates, with the stench of the corpse of DCD Pocket Heroes still in the air, one would be forgiven for being gun-shy in investing emotionally and financially in yet another line, but if the dedication to line completion Mattel has shown to JLU is anything to go by, even a cynic like me can feel reasonably confident that this line will be around in some form for an enduring run. There is already a very impressive list of characters in the pipeline.

For me, these are a much unexpected but happily received hit, and I expect they'll find a niche not just with collectors but at retail as well as they look very accessible to a range of ages of kid. The combination of singles and 3-packs is also appealing, and here's hoping this line gets some Web Exclusives so that we add some more obscure characters to the field.

Mattel just seem to be hitting a six on every ball (which is Cricket terminology for "hitting every ball out of the park" for you baseball fans) at the moment. Thanks again guys, and here's to a truly Infinite Universe for Infinite Heroes!

Previews Picks - August

I thought I'd better get this month's Preview Picks post up while it's still August! I'll blame the distractions and excitement of SDCC for slowing me down. Yeah, that'll do.

Now, good grief, where to begin with the toys and crap in this month's Previews?? There's alot of both, that's for sure. I can't possibly cover it all so I've tried to just get the real highlights and the lowest of the lowlights for you this time around.

The "I Want" Award goes to the Marvel Select Captain Marvel. I'm always in two minds about this line because of the low output which makes it hard to develop the "universe building" feel, but some of the figures are just so damn good. Even though the Good Captain has got some weird stuff happening with his hip cut, he's still the top of my August orders. Even if he is just a big 'ol Skrull.

The "August Cheesecake" Award goes to the DC Direct Mary Marvel Women of the DC Universe Mini-Bust. (phew!). You know, I'm really happy that the Marvel family is getting some lurve, but this Marilyn Monroe pin-up style sculpt is a bit of disappointment for a character that's unlikely to get a go in this medium again. Really hate the face with the closed eyes that really remind me of the New Frontier Wonder Woman blow-up doll toy. Pass with a yawn.

The "Best Continuation of a Line" Award goes to the DST Star Trek Worf & Gowron Two-Pack. I love the way that DST is doing different things like the two-packs which this line to give us as many characters as possible. We get a different version of Worf here plus a small but important player in the Star Trek world. I like this so much it almost makes me not want to harp on about the fact that we still don't have a Tasha Yar (but we still don't have a Tasha Yar....)

The "Best Stalling and / or Death of a Line" Award goes to the DC Direct 13" Sandman Deluxe Figure. Gawd. I mean, even if I was one of the 17 people who is going to be really excited about the fact that DCD is making a 1:6 Scale figure of this dude, I'd be pretty bummed by this version. He looks like the kind of thing I could have put together in a really boring semester of Eighth Grade. Yipes. Why DCD is stalling what could be a fantastic line with diversions like this makes so sense, but then DCD / no sense... it's almost the same thing, ain't it?

The "Quickest Way to Put Your Kids In Therapy" Award goes to the DST Darth Maul 1/4 Scale Figure. Whoa baby. This is one of those toys that is specifically designed to make us regular little dolly collectors feel self-satisfied that we're really not as whacked out as those crazy toy guys out there. Big doesn't really begin to describe this fella. He talks, he makes noises, he can practically do your laundry, and at that scale he has extra super ugliness powers. Not for the little ones. Or, like, normal people.

The "I Wish" Award goes to the DC Direct Watchmen Movie Owlship Scale Replica. Boy, I can't wait for this movie, and I can tell that my resolve to not buy all the stuff DCD is going to churn out for this is going to be whittled away by the time this flick finally premieres. This would be a great prize for any Watchmen fan's collection, and as soon as I rob a couple of 7-11s I am for sure going to order mine. Sigh.

Finally, the "What the Freakin' Heck?!? Award" goes to the Barbie "The Birds" Doll. I just need to say it again: What the Freakin' Heck?!? I really have to wonder who in the world is going to want this thing. What a cruelty that we can now buy Tippi Hendren being attacked by blackbirds (or whatever) in plastic, but we're still waiting for a Reverse Flash in the 6" scale. Oy vey.

And that's the run down for this month. Whether you want to freak yourself out, your kids out or finally prove to your friends that you really are a fruitcake, there's something for everyone this month, so get busy boys, the ordering deadline looms!

Heroic Efforts?

I'm only reviewing and photographing Mezco's first series of Heroes toys in the package at this stage, because for reasons I'll discuss I'm just not entirely sold on these, and I'm keeping them MIP in case they eventually go the eBay way.

Series One is comprised of five figures: Claire, Hiro, Peter, Suresh and Sylar. The packaging is tight - I quite like the compact style, the way that all of the accessories and extra parts are visible and the simple but effecive use of the Heroes logo and familiar fonts.

The potential killer of this line for me is the headsculpts. My initial reaction when I saw them solicited was real disappointment, because they just seemed to look nothing like the actors. In person, some of this improves. Suresh's headsculpt is the best likeness, while Peter Petrelli looks like a horse man and nothing like the actor. Claire comes with an extra damaged head which looks far much more like Hayden Panettiere than the normal head which is a bummer. I want my Hayden with no blood!

Paint apps are solid across the line, I didn't detect any flaws in the five figures. From within the packages they look well in scale with each other, altho Peter and Sylar's heads are too big for their bodies. Did I mention Peter looks like a Horse Man? It is really, really awful.

Despite this, Hiro is the biggest disappointment for me. His headsculpt is just generic Asian dude, his glasses look oversized and the whole approach to his outfit just makes him look a bit shrunken inside too-big clothes. The figure is also generic in body type and doesn't reflect the actor's build.

The accessories are a mixed bag...... quite literally. Some are winners: Claire comes with a damaged head and arm, Hiro has his sword, Sylar has a hand shooting powers and a brain (yum!), but then, there's the bags. Peter, Hiro and Suresh all have these oversized bags that look like they belong in a Barbie collection rather than in an action figure set. Bizarro world. Each figure also comes with a card with one of Tim Sale's paintings that were central to the first series.

While Mezco seems to be committed to the line in terms of rounding out the cast with another two waves announced, I'm going to wait to commit to loose display until I see the next wave and see if the headsculpts have improved.

You know, maybe those bags are for putting over Horse Man's head......

Giganta is stomping her way to Oz

AFB is on the road for work at the moment and Internet access has been limited, so I have been jumping for a chance to get onto the Mattycollector.com website once it was "live" and have a look at how it was functioning and see what their international shipping was like.

I'd read in a few places of people having trouble with the site and not being able to pay, etc., so my expectations were low. I must have come in after the rush, however, as I was able to negotiate through it without any problem.

I had organised with a mate to pick up the exclusives I was interested in, but after the strong showing Mattel made for the JLU line at SDCC (and considering that the dismal showing DCD made means there's nothing to look forward to on that end, but that's another story.......) I decided to look at the Giganta exclusive, and was pleased to find it in stock and also find that the international shipping to Australia was extremely reasonable! This really made my day as it means that I'm not going to have to fork out eBay scalper shipping prices to get the exclusives coming up - especially the yummy Adam Strange - Starfire 2-pack I'm hanging out for! (Although I'd be keen to see Mattel fix Starfire's uni-boob before she's released....)

Obviously the proof is in the pudding, so I'll update you when Giganta actually arrives down under, but all signs are very positive. Thanks Mattel!!

I've joined the club!

I was pretty excited to discover that Mattel's online store had gone "live" earlier than expected. If you haven't headed over there yet, click on to Mattycollector.com and get an advanced look at what's on offer.

Much happiness here that these special offers will be available to non-U.S. denizens like myself - here's hoping the shipping costs are reasonable! I was particularly happy about this once I read at AFI that one of the JLU-related special items will be Legion 4 packs!!

I signed up for the email newsletter and finally got my confirmation email today - so bring 'em on!

Starman gives good head!

Sorry, just couldn't resist that one.

There's lots of great SDCC coverage out there at the moment (big props to Action Figure Insider and Toy News International for everything they've put up) so I'm just going to be making some random observations, yays and nays from the couch here in Oz.

After the reveal of the first wave of JSA Figures at Wizard Chicago, I posted asking for unmasked heads for Starman and Sandman. Good to see from the pics here that I got half of what I was asking for. Still nothing for Sand, but we now have a Thom Kallor head which I'm pretty chuffed about. He's going to go really well with all my other great BA Legion figures..... oh, wait.........

Still, you know what they say about beggars, and when it comes to DCD it seems that's all we'll ever be. So, yay for Thom. Good to see a better looking headsculpt for Jay Garrick as well.

Now, if these could just be in scale with anything DCD has made previously.......?

Hellboy scares the Hell out of my kid!

I'm quite the a fan of Mike Mignola's Hellboy, and I'm really looking forward to catching Hellboy 2 when it reaches cinemas here. I didn't pick up any toys from the the last film, but it just seemed like my shelves at work were calling out for something Red-related, so I made the trip to my LCS last week, only to find that they didn't order any cases of the last assortment from Mezco as the toys from the first movie hadn't sold (well, I hadn't bought any after all...).

Across town I found all of the figures, but at a ridiculous price (that shop is so much more expensive than my LCS, I just don't get it....) so I only bought Hellboy. I actually wasn't overwhelmed by the other figures. Abe Sapien looks great, but both Liz Shermanns that were there didn't have great paint apps around the head and for that matter the headsculpt is not a great capture of Selma Blair (these are meant to be movie figs....). While I was disappointed with the headsculpt for Liz, Hellboy's was spot-on, a perfect likeness, so I decided to fork out the major moolah for him and then hope to find Abe cheaper at another time.

I had two options: Hellboy with or without black t-shirt and bare-chested Hellboy. I went for the t-shirt version mainly because I preferred the accessories he came with. The bare-chested had swords and stuff while the t-shirt version comes with his "Big Baby" shotgun which was a must for me. Also, there was a bit of paint flaking on the trenchcoats of both Hellboys and it was much worse on the barechested one.

The paint apps, aside from the minor flaking paint on the trenchcoat, are solid and the accessories are functional. The Big Baby has moving parts which is fun. He has another gun which fits snugly into the holster around his waist.

Hellboy is fairly poseable, however the Right Hand of Doom, while in scale for the figure, is clunky to move and creates a bit of an awkward look, which is exacerbated by the fact that his holstered gun sits on the same side. It isn't overly irritating, however.

A vote of authenticity for this figure is that he scared the crap out of my 5 year-old, so as soon he had been opened and photographed he was dispatched to the office to keep our resident Preschooler happy!

All in all I'm happy with my purchase, and hope to add at least Abe Sapien to the mix when I can find him at a sensible price.

Green Lantern Series 3: Sculpts Pass, Scale Fails

I was a huge Star Wars fan was I was a kid. I had all the original toys and playsets, in fact I sold off the majority of that to fund the start of my superhero toy collection - keeping my main characters and of course Admiral Ackbar, who for some reason has always been one of my favourite toys.

The thing I loved about getting toys from each wave of the Kenner line was the expansion of the Star Wars "world". That bit more of the universe to explore, display and enjoy. Now I've been collecting DCD long enough to know that having an aim like that with these toys will only lead to frustration. I just collect the lines I like and put them together where I can. It usually works for me. Sadly with this line that's not the case. I'll give you a rundown on the four new figures on their own and then show you why.

First to the good: I appreciate the way that DCD gives each wave its own distinctive packaging and styling and usually keeps it consistent between waves. This is the case here, and despite the distance in time between waves these would fit in perfectly with the previous for the MIP collector.

The overall look of these figures is great. The paint apps are very clean - no issues on any of mine. I really dig Sinestro's new uniform, so much so that I am almost tempted by the 13" version, but not if it's going to be as purple as this guy is. Grape Ape attacks! He includes a yellow lantern and a Despotellis figure which is a bit lacklustre - a bit more detail would have made it worth the effort.

Star Stapphire is pretty hot - I've heard her described as "Turnerized" but the main difference is she has a bigger noggin than the pinheaded ladies from the Identity Crisis line. This is an excellent figure and easier to pose than the original. She has basic articulation, but her head is pretty impossible to move because of her hair and her collar.

I don't own the original Cyborg Superman to compare with, but this one is a very adequate representation of his appearances in the Sinestro Corps War. The biggest annoyance with this and the other male figures is the lack of ankle articulation which makes them difficult to pose upright. I haven't been able to get Cyborg Superman to stand without a base. CS does have some nice touches, like a set of yellow Sinestro Corps rings.

I was totally not buying Bat Lantern, despite the fact that actually really liked the story that inspired the figure, but - what can I say? He looks great!! Not sure about the thing poking out of his Bat Symbol tho - I think it's supposed to be a projected it looks a bit wonkyville. It's a great toy for any Batfan, but I still think it will be the peg warmer of the wave.

And so the time has come once again for AFB to sadly blow a giant, juicy scale raspberry in the face of DC Direct. As has been discussed previously, I don't get hung up on scale as much as some collectors, but the very least I do expect that is that figures within the same series are in scale with each other (JSA Atoms, anyone........?). While these four figures work together on their own, things start to go pear shaped when you introduce figures from previous waves, and the biggest clanger of all is the Hal Jordan GL from Series One. Shorty City! Obviously the figures from the newer waves are fed a much more nutritious diet than those poor Series One guys were. However it happened, it doesn't make for a very impressive display.

And that's the rub, as so often happens with DCD. The character selection on this wave is bizarre - why not slip in one long-awaited GL Corps member like Arisia to keep the collectors happy? How hard is it to ensure that figures in the same series are at least in scale with each other? Why can't DCD seem to go those few extra inches to really deliver?

I wonder what vintage Star Wars figures are going for on eBay these days?

DCUC Fan Poll: Save Ragman!!!

If you haven't come across it yet, the promised DCUC Fan Choice poll is now up at Wizard and will also be featured in this week's Toyfare. The picks are Huntress, Question (Vic Sage), Jack Knight Starman, Catman, Vixen and Ragman.

I'd actually love this to be a wave on its own. - they're all great characters! For a Fan Poll, It's not a great list - it's hard to imagine that Huntress, Vixen, Catman, Vic Sage and even Jack Knight really need the help of a fan poll to get made.

Ragman's the one in the bunch that I'd say we're least likely to see without the help from something like this, so to that end AFB is coming out in full support of Ragman, who's currently coming dead last in the poll.

C'mon guys, I want a Question and a Catman too, but we're going to get those anyway. Rags is the one!

Vote early, and if you can, vote often!

Previews Picks: July

It's a bit of a sad statement on my months, but one of the highlights of each 30/31 days is picking up my copy of PREVIEWS and flicking to the Toys section to see what goodies I can't afford for the coming months. With early solicitations etc alot of it's not a surprise but there are always a few goodies in there which make the choosing and budgeting challenging!

In celebration of this pleasant monthly ritual I'm going to post a monthly overview of my picks from the Toys etc. section of Previews each month. It may not match anyone's else's top wants but hey.... it's my blog!

Top Pick: Bowen Northstar & Aurora Mini-Bust Two-Pack
I kid you not, on the day I picked up the new Previews I was thinking how cool it would be if they finally put out a Northstar mini-bust, and wa-lah! Jean-Paul and Jeanne-Marie in one go - even better! If only I'd known my thoughts were going to be so productive, I would've wished for that pony, or at least a better golf game!

These look pretty much perfect. I just hope that they're in scale with the other Bowen busts and not more "mini" because there are two. Cannot wait.

Pick: DCD 13" Supergirl
I'm a big fan of this line (but not addicted, really!) and it's great to see another female character in the line. From the pics I might say this could well be the best female entry in the 13" line yet. The headsculpt is excellent and for me puts a true end to the sculpted vs. rooted hair debate, if there ever was a need for it.

The inclusion of Streaky is great fun, and the lack of a peekaboo hole in the breastal area means Mrs AFB will let this one in the house. Everyone's a winner!

Pick: Previews Exclusive Mighty Muggs Admiral Ackbar
I've already talked about my

developing Mighty Mugg addiction, and this Admiral Ackbar is a must! A double "Grrrr!" then that these aren't available to Australia through Previews. An eBaying I will go.....

Possible Pan: Heroes Action Figures Series 3
I'll hold out final judgement until I see Series 1 in person, but I just can't get into these Heroes figures because the headsculpts just seem sooo off. Some of them are just bad likenesses, but what power is the Peter Petrelli in S3 exhibiting? Super wrinkledness? Super constipationedness? Hrrrmmm. Love the show and I'm hoping they look better in person, but these pics don't fill me with confidence.

You Wish Pick!: 1:1 Thor of Asgard Helmet Replica
As much as I would love this (totally for display - I mean it would just look silly without the hammer...), this little collector just doesn't have a spare $400 lying around. Yeargh.

Those are the main highlights and possible lowlights as I see them. As always, too much good stuff, too little in the bank account.

Ciao!

Which Bulleteer is better? Doosh Custom Con 5

AFB is a lucky judge of the current Custom Con taking place over at the crazy and anarchic message board known as the Doosh. As you know if you've read much here, I'm a great lover and consumer (as in buying and displaying, not eating) of custom figures and I don't know many better customisers than the dudes that hang out at that site.

The way these Cons work is that folks from the amazing crew of customisers over there match up on set characters and then a panel of judges decides a winner for each character without knowing whose custom is whose.

Little did I know how challenging this job was going to be! We've done our first four match-ups today and they were all close calls in my book. Check out these two Bulleteer customs as an example of the amazing talent that is over there.

If you want to find out which Bulleteer I voted for and see the rest of the customs, have a look here:

As I've mentioned before, if you decide to venture outside of the linked thread on the Doosh, send the kiddies out of the room first and keep an emergency eye washing kit handy, just in case! And it goes without saying that AFB takes no responsibility for any psychological damage or therapy you might need after.

Oh, and if you see anything you want to buy or commission another version of for yourself, you'll probably have to get in line - I've started my list already!

AFB is now on Twitter

When it comes to technology, I'm what's called an early adopter. I love new toys, new sites. Can't help it.

I don't quite know what Twitter is good for yet, but I'm not gonna be the last kid on the block without one, so if you look on the left you'll see that AFB now has Twitter updates. You can also "follow" me on Twitter if you wish.

Everyone needs followers, right?

Anyhoo, join in if you wish - love to "see" you over there.