Dude, Where’s My Face?? - Aquaman Blammoid

A “Blammoid” sounds like something that is going to hurt. As of today, I can tell you, it does.

I thought the upcoming Black Lantern Aquaman was going to push my love of all things Aquaman to the limit, but that was before I saw the new DC Direct Blammoids! in person. I visited the “other” comic shop in town today (they had a sale, okay??) and along with a trade I’ve been looking for, I picked up the Aquaman Blammoid! (The exclamation mark is part of the title and does not indicate any excitement on my part.)

These little buggers are about 4” tall and quite wide and deep. it’s lighter than I expected, and not as steady on it’s funny little feet as I might have thought – not that it topples over or anything, but it isn’t quite as sturdy as I might have thought. There are just three points of articulation here – the two arms and the neck, so that Aquaman can get a good look at his surrounds with his non-existent eyes.

The long and the short of it – these ain’t my thang. I would have much preferred to see DCD work on a wider range of Minimates than start down this road. There’s something quirky about these little blobs of plastic that I am sure some people are going to find appealing. I can see people buying their favourite character either out of loyalty for for the novelty factor, but the hefty price tag would keep all but the most dedicated of fans from collecting the lot.

You can see more pics (including packaging and scale comparison) at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the AFB January Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

Let the Sideshow Begin!

Seeing as my 6” and below collecting is looking slim this year (I’m finished with JLU and Infinite Heroes, DC Direct has little of interest this year) I’m planning ahead in terms of some statue purchases. One thing I’ve been keeping my eye on is the Sideshow X-Force Diorama. After nearly doing the deed, I finally went ahead and pre-ordered it.

Featuring the original New X-Force line-up of Wolverine, X-23, Wolfsbane and Warpath, this is a beautiful piece I can’t stop looking at. Coming in at a whopping 14” x 8” x 10’, this is going to be by far and away the biggest piece in my collection to this point. It’s also probably going to be the most expensive thing I’ve ever had shipped to Oz, but as it’s expected in 3rd Quarter 2010 it’s going to part of my birthday present, and this one is a big one (it has an “0” in it…) so I decided I could spring for it.

Anyway, I’ll save the review for a time when I’m looking at the real thing, but I wanted to mark to occasion of my first Sideshow Pre-Order with a post. Now I just need to stop looking at all the other beautiful things on the Sideshow website……….

Until next time!

Enter the Green Lanterns – DCUC Wave 11

Mattel has been churning out wave for DC Universe Classics faster than Tiger goes through his ladies at the moment! I’ve only very recently managed to get all of Wave 10 together and reviewed, and The first part of Wave 12 is shipping to me tomorrow, so I realised I’d better get my Wave 11 review together before they arrive.

Of all of the recent and upcoming waves, this one probably excited me the least in terms of the line-up, and I wasn’t very excited about the Kilowog Collect & Connect, as I was happy with my DC Direct Kilowog and thought he was sufficient. I don’t usually start with the C&C in reviewing these waves, but Kilowog has to be the starting point here – he’s not just huge, he’s excellent in every way. Scale-wise, he’s probably a bit big compared to his Green Lantern compatriots, but who cares? He’s freaking amazing!

As for the regular figures, John Stewart is the surprise standout for me. I’ve been waiting for a decent Modern Age version of John, and have been disappointed with DCD’s efforts. This blows them all out of the water with a perfect headsculpt that captures the character in every way. The fantastic ring construct, which fits snugly on his fist, seals the deal. Excellent.

The comic accurate Steppenwolf is a shining light for the line. Great detail in the sculpt and fun, different accessories make him a real winner. The Super Powers version is a pass for me. The Bronze Age version of Shark is my other favourite in this wave. Great headsculpt – the only niggle here is that – due to the use of the standard buck, he looks a bit like he’s wearing a mask. A thicker neck would have worked better here. Still this is an exciting character addition to the line and perfect in a GL-themed wave. Cyborg Superman is a yawn for me personally as a character, but again is a nice inclusion thematically here. Not a big fan of the headsculpt on this one – a bit too much Cyborg and not enough Man, and it makes the head look too small on the body.

While a figure of John’s lost love Katma Tui was long overdue and it’s exciting to see her included here, she is still addled with my usual complaints about the DCUC female buck – the stick thin arms that make her look oddly proportioned. The other niggle here is that the way her hair on her face has been painted makes it look more like sideburns than strands of hair. Like Stewart, Katma also comes with a nice pair of constructs. Oh, that sounds wrong…

Fan Poll Winner Question is another good inclusion in the line, and the figure is very well done, although a DCD-style removable mask would have been fun. Hopefully this sculpt will lead to some other trenchcoat-ed characters in the waves to come. Rounding out the wave, is Deadman, The thinner, scrawny buck used here opens up possibilities for some other characters as well – thing is, it really isn’t a great match for Mr Brand himself – he’s generally been presented with a normal build. The screaming face has attracted criticism elsewhere, but I don’t mind that touch – it’s something different at least!

Overall, this wave has been a very pleasant surprise. Kilowog, John Stewart and Steppenwolf are standouts in the line overall. This line truly keeps getting better and better!

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the January AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

Quite a Legacy: DC Direct Power Girl & Huntress Statue

More than a year ago I posted a list of my personal collecting holy grails, and I’m report that I’ve managed to strike one off the list.

When I first saw the DC Direct Power Girl and Huntress Legacy Statue, I was pretty set on getting it. Unfortunately, the price was pretty steep, and the AUD was nowhere near as strong against the USD as it is now, so I had to let it go. However, the dream lingered, and I’ve always kept on eye out on the Bay of “E” for a somewhat reasonable price on this, and recently, helped by a better exchange rate, I found one. I had planned this to be a Christmas gift to myself but a postal strike in Oz delayed it, and I only recently got to pick up my parcels post-Christmas due to a very relaxing holiday.

Needless to say, this was well worth the way. The thing that drew me to this statue from the beginning, besides the classic pairing of these two Earth Two icons, was the dynamic poses, and this sculpt  does not disappoint in person. The statue comes in three pieces, the base and each heroine, and assembles easily. Either character would make a great piece on its own, but together its’ pure magic. The sculpt is beautiful – the flow of the capes, the construction of the characters, everything works. The paint work is nearly spotless - one of PG’s eyes is a little off-center. It doesn’t take much away from an amazing piece that I am so proud and happy to have in my collection.

So that’s one holy grail down and nine to go – I’ll try to make one next year’s Christmas present!

And now, I am officially on the slippery slope of these larger type statues. I’ve already put the DC Direct Wonder Woman vs. Ares Statue, and the X-Force Diorama coming up from Sideshow is sooooo tempting……

You can see more pics at Facebook, and comment on this post to enter the AFB January Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

And we’re off – AFB’s MOTUC Subscription Journey Begins

After some of the challenges of acquiring Masters of the Universe Classics figures from Mattycollector.com in 2009, not to mention the middle of the night get-ups for this timezone-challenged Antipodean, I decided that signing up for a MOTUC 2010 Subscription was a prudent move. Today’s Adora sale was the test case for how this process was going to go, so I was watching with anticipation to see how things worked out.

I didn’t get Beast-Man the first time around, but decide to skip getting up in the middle of the night and hope he’d last until the morning. I was pleased to see he did, but really surprised to see that Adora was already sold out – apparently in under 30 minutes. I was grateful for my subscription – assuming it would work. Happily – I received shipping confirmation for her tonight. Mattel gets an “A” for the first part of the process.

As for when she’ll arrive, that’s another question. Mattel really needs to get the international shipping happening in a timely fashion. I’m not about to pay the mega-bucks for UPS shipping, but Digital River’s version of “First Class International” is what you might call the Mega Extended Version. My order on 15 November (Colour of Fear, He-Man, Scareglow) arrived at the start of the New Year. This was a bit longer than normal, but not by much. My 15 December order (Justice in the Jungle, King Randor) is yet to arrive. By comparison, another e-tailer I use regularly uses FCI and it generally takes 5 business days. Dunno what the deal is with this, but from winding my way around the web, I am finding that other international customers, even my friends in Canada, are experiencing similar delays. I’d really love to see something done about speeding this process up.

As for Adora selling out so quickly – that was a surprise. One might have expected that Mattel would have produced a good amount of product beyond the subscription items – was there really that much demand for her? Makes me dread the upcoming Battle Cat sale!

Still, Step One of the subscription process worked, so Mattel has full marks for the moment. I’ll keep you posted!

Have a subscription story of your own to tell? Discuss it at the AFB Forum!

Until next time!

New Poll – Your most anticipated upcoming release

We haven’t had a poll for awhile, so I thought I’d ask what upcoming release you’re most looking forward to. DC Direct is putting all of its eggs in the Blackest Night basket, DC Universe Classics is churning out Waves left and right, and Mattel’s Masters of the Universe Classics has a number of great released coming up. What’s got you most excited?

For me, DCUC Wave 13, just edges out Battle Cat thanks to the amazing looking Trigon C&C. He’s been near the top of my list for a long time and I can’t wait for him.

What about you? The poll is on the right, and you have until the end of the month!

Bishoujo to you too! Kotobukiya’s Rogue PVC Statue

I have never been fully into Anime, but it seems that Anime-styled Superheroines are a different matter. I’ve already added a few of DC Direct’s Ame-Comi figures to my collection, and now Kotobukiya’s Marvel Bishoujo Statue line has caught my eye, and I fear my wallet.

I missed out on pre-ordering the Rogue statue and also missed out on a couple of eBay listings as well due to sellers not getting back to me in time about international shipping (grr!), so I was very happy when I saw this in my LCS right before Christmas! I was so excited in fact that I didn’t notice as I was buying it that this was the variant edition with the long trenchcoat – even better!

The first thing I noticed here was the size – being used to the Ame-Comi figures which are around 9” – 10” plus base, this is smaller at around 7” including the base (which she is attached to). That’s not an issue, just an adjustment. The detail doesn’t suffer at all – the sculpt and paint work is perfect. The PVC really lends itself to this style – the shinier sheen adds to the Anime feel, and the soft plastic used for her flowing hair and coat allow for adding texture without overbalancing the statue – it stands very firmly but is very lightweight.

This is a more literal adaptation of the heroines to the Anime style than the DCD version, which takes more artistic licence and as a result has some fun but also some failures (and yes, electric blue-haired Zatanna, I mean you). There’s room for both, but seeing as we’re a bit short on avenues for getting our fix of Marvel ladies at the moment, I’m glad they’re presented in their more classic form here.

This is a line I can really see myself collecting. One of my gripes about the Ame-Comi series is that the giant bases make them take up a great deal of room – these on the other hand are easy to slot in amongst a display, and the smaller scale allows for dynamic poses without the awkward plastic stand system some of the DCD figures require. Another huge plus of this line for me is that the packaging is reusable – the interior is a plastic clamshell so the statue can be stored or packed away safely for moving.

So – make mine Kotobukiya! I’m after the Black Widow statue now and looking forward to Scarlet Witch and whatever else may come!

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the January AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

DCUC Wave 10 – Together at Last

As I mentioned in my Toys of the Year post, the gang at Critical Mess made “Wal-Mart Exclusive” a less scary term by helping everyone in the community to fulfil their DC Universe Classics Wave 10 dreams without resorting to Scalperville, or eBay as it is often called. Considering that I still don’t have a complete DCUC Wave 5 (still need Atom and Eradicator), the fact that I have a complete Wave 10 (minus Batman, which I didn’t want) on my shelves for retail prices plus postage is pretty amazing. Thanks again, guys!

To the figures: Man-Bat has been seen before, in white form, but his appearance in this line in his normal brown state is very welcome. It’s a very impressive figure. I love the translucency in his wings. Bit of a bugger to stand up, but with a bit of patience and elbow grease, it’s do-able. A winner for sure.

Forager is all kinds of Fourth World fun. His JLU figure was a nice treat, but to see him in this scale is a real trip. Great colours, spotless paint apps, very well executed. While I am happy to see the New Gods thread take a break to make way for other groups and teams, I do heap that we at least get Highfather and Granny Goodness at some stage – maybe even some Forever People?? At least with Kamandi rumoured to be in Wave 14 we know there’s more Kirby love on the way!

My only quibble here is with one of my favourite characters – Beast Boy. This tiny teen buck is so unsatisfying. It’s hard to picture how the Titans are ever going to really come together, what with the way Starfire and Cyborg tower over this figure. The headsculpt is great, he’s suitably buff (maybe too much), it’s just a real shame that this buck isn’t better proportioned to fit in with the rest of the crowd.

The most exciting aspect of this wave for me is the beginning of the Doom Patrol, and what better way to start it than with Cliff Steele. Robotman is a great figure – wonderful metallic paint apps, great sculpt – it is really just like he’s leapt off the page. The only quibble I have with this awesome figure is the over-bendy legs that plague some of the DCUC stuff – especially that ones that are posed squatting over big C&C parts. It makes him a  little too elastic at the hips which is a challenge to pose. But hey – it’s freaking Robotman!!! The Doom Patrol has begun, and the Metal Men aren’t far behind! DCUC is really making this little fanboy very happy!

I posted some thoughts about Joker and Power Girl earlier, but I have to mention Joker again. He’s real winner of the wave and the one figure I wouldn’t have expected to like so much, simply because he has been made so many times before. This figure, however, is the most iconic representation of the classic Joker yet, with a nice swag of accessories as well. Again, he has the extra bendy legs, but that doesn’t matter so much for a character with his physicalisation. Brilliant figure to cap off a brilliant wave!

As for Imperiex, I must say he’s a bit of a “Who??” character for me, but he is one freaky-good-looking C&C. Brilliant job with the detailing on this one, and he’s huge! Well done Mattel.

All up, apart from some extra-leg-bendiness and teensy Beast Boy, this is a well-executed, very fun wave. I’ll have my Wave 11 wrap-up soon, and then it’s on to Wave 12, 13 and whatever else 2010 has to offer us.

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this in the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the January AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

The AFB 2009 Toys of the Year Awards

Another year of collecting (or at least trying to collect) has come and gone, but we can’t say a complete goodbye to 2009 until we’ve had the 2009 AFB Toys of the Year Awards. The toys listed below come from what I personally have bought / reviewed over the course of 2009, so it’s limited to my personal tastes and collection, but there’s a lot to work with there! Let’s get started!

The 6” (or thereabouts) Male Figure of the Year: DC Universe Classics Wave 9 Green Arrow: The “Hard Travelling Heroes” Ollie from DC Direct captured his iconic look just as well as this version, but the shortchange on articulation in that older figure means the DCUC version surpasses not only all other Green Arrow figures, but all other figures this year in my book. Lots of steep competition from many DCUC figures, and other contenders like MOTUC’s Man-at-Arms, Marvel Select’s Sabretooth and DCD’s Metron (what, no chair???), but in the end Ollie takes the cake, even with that puny little arrow permanently stuck to his bow.

The 6” (or thereabouts) Female Figure of the Year: Masters of the Universe Teela and DC Direct New Gods Wave 2 Big Barda: What, no DCUC?? Sorry, but the frailties of the DCUC female buck (mainly the puny upper arms), as much as I love the line, put great figures like Black Canary and Hawkgirl just that smidge below some other favourites from the year. I’d rather my women didn’t look they’d snap like a twig in a strong gust of wind, and Teela and the wonderfully Kirby-esque Barda really fit that bill, as well as being outstanding pieces in their own right. They both just edge the glorious Hawkgirl out for me.

The Build-A-Figure of the Year: DC Universe Wave 9 Chemo: Atom Smasher was exciting just for his first appearance in this scale, and Giganta is so great that she nearly takes the cake, but Chemo wins mainly because of his unexpected awesomeness. This was one you really had to see in person to appreciate in size and quality. I had no idea how much I was going to like this. Lucky me got the “extra bubbles” version!

6” Wave of the Year: DC Universe Wave 8…. no, Wave 9…… no, 8…… no…..: It’s a tricky one. In terms of unexpected character selection, the JSA-heavy Wave 8 was a real joy to collect: Gentleman Ghost! Commander Steel! Giganta!!! Then, there’s the iconic representation of so many great characters in Wave 9: Green Arrow! Black Canary! Black Adam! Wildcat!!. I won’t choose, I tell you, I won’t!

But I think it might be 9….. no, 8! No……...

The 12” (or thereabouts) Figure of the Year: Not awarded. The field was slim pickings this year in terms of what I collected. The flaws of the DCD 13” female buck rule out the otherwise good Zatanna and Supergirl, (I’ll get to Wonder Woman later..) and I passed on all the movie tie-in figures that clogged the DCD 13” line. I do have to give DCD some credit for finally giving the JSA, and the Golden Age, some love in this line. They did a fine job with Jay Garrick, but it’s a shame the line is tanking with repetitive character choices and dodgy, inconsistent quality. No winners here – I need to expand my collection circle in this area in 2010!

The Statue (Series) of the Year: DC Direct’s Cover Girls of the DC Universe Series was the breakthrough statue series of the year for me. Wonder Woman was a great start, Black Canary was brilliant and Zatanna and Catwoman were downright incredible. The only downside is that these opened up the world of full-sized statues to me, and I’m now sliding down that slippery slope……

The Bust / Mini-Bust of the Year: DC Direct Heroes of the DC Universe Green Arrow: The pickings were slimmer than they should have been this year due to some delays in Bowen’s Marvel product, I loved having Mera and Vixen in the Women of the DCU Series, but neither of those quite hit the mark (ha ha) as much as the mini-bust version of Green Arrow, who just edges out Aquaman for me because of Arthur’s squinty eyes.

The Under 6” Line of the Year: Mattel’s Batman: Brave & The Bold: This line is firmly targeted at kids, but I am having great fun enjoying it – especially with fun additions like Green Arrow, Plastic Man and Sportsmaster! Marvel Universe comes a close second, but the plethora of Iron Man, Spiderman and Wolverine versions in every wave are a bit of a buzzkill.

The Custom of the Year: Dr Terrific’s Bronze Age Legionnaires: I love keeping great customisers in work, and I had fun doing so again this year! Lars’ GA Stripesey and MA Mr America and Jackknight’s 12” SA Colossal Boy were both highlights for me, but Dr Terrific helped start a dream come true with some wonderful custom Bronze Age Legionnaires that are the start of a much bigger project. More to come!

The Georg Brewer Memorial WTF! Award for 2009: It’s a tie, and lo and behold they both come from the hallowed halls of DC Direct! The DCD 13” Wonder Woman was simply a disaster, while DCD missed the boat once again by saddling it’s History of the DC Universe line with an utterly horrid buck. Fail, fail and fail.

And just so we don’t end on a sour note…..

The Collecting Community Class Act of 2009: The gang at Critical Mess really deserve a rap, and for once not on the knuckles.  They put in an excellent effort to confound the scalpers by helping every member of the board who wanted them to get the Wal-Mart Exclusive DCUC Products – both the 5-pack and Wave 10. A wonderful example of community spirit in such self-centred times deserves a mention – well done guys!

So that’s my 2009 wrap-up, but this is just one guy’s opinion. Hop on to the AFB Forum’s 2009 Toy of the Year Thread and have your say. Also, don’t forget you can comment on this post to enter the January AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Thanks for being on board for 2009, and here’s to a great 2010!

Until next time!

AFB Comment of the Month Contest – January 2010!

First off, thanks to everyone who commented on last month’s blog posts. Congratulations to AFB Forum member bigraj for winning the Christmas bonus prize – he gets both the DCUC Wave 11 Shark and the Marvel Minimates Infinity Gauntlet Set. Also, because it’s Christmas and I was feeling super generous, so I ran the random number selector again – congratulations to “Jasper” for being our second winner! Jasper – your Blogger profile is set to private – please get in touch with me – probably easiest to do so through the AFB Forum – just log in and message me (“Andy”). Once we hear from Jasper his choice of prize will also be on the way from Mike’s Comics N’ Stuff.

Now to January’s Contest: on offer are two great prizes, either the DC Direct JSA Series 2 Stargirl or your choice of two sets of two from the Marvel Minimates Series 31.  

• every genuine comment on a post from the calendar month will be eligible for receiving the prize. I’m going to stick to my own time zone and call it at 23:59:59 Australian Eastern Standard Time – best to comment often and comment early!
• if my super scientific randomizer comment selector system chooses an Anonymous comment, I’ll skip it and go again – you need to leave a name, a link, your AFB Forum username or email addy so that I can contact you if you are the winner. Blogger comments allows you to do this, as long as your profile is not set to private – check your settings.
•  
• you will be given a choice of one of the two figures on offer from the month’s contest – figures will be in their original packaging.

• figures will be sent by first class mail within the US (Mike is sending them, remember) and first class international to any overseas winner. An overseas winner can elect to chip in for Priority Mail or Insurance, but otherwise we can’t take any responsibility for a parcel that doesn’t arrive – after all this is coming out of AFB’s  not dreadfully deep pockets!

Once again, thanks to Mike for making this all possible for us, and here’s to another happy month of commenting!

Until next time!

Happy New Year! AFB named in About.com’s “Top 10 Action Figure Blogs”!

Happy 2010 to everyone out there in AFB-land! I hope that your ringing in of the new decade was as happy and joyous as mine! I have to say that after growing up in the freezing cold winters of Chicago, spending my adult holiday seasons here in Oz around the pool and ramping up the air conditioning is a very nice change. I could never go back to that horrible weather, even if it might make getting Wal-Mart exclusives that little bit easier!

My New Year was made a little bit brighter by a lovely reader who sent me a link to About.com’s Top 10 Action Figure Blogs, as Action Figure Blues has made it into the list! I’m not entirely sure how recent the page is, but it is still a very nice kudo. Thanks About.com! While this blog is and always has been about recording my own journey as a collector, it has been very gratifying to see it find an audience and getting feedback (in whatever form) is always very welcome!

This makes it a good time to give my thanks to anyone out there who takes the time to read the posts here. This was never meant to be high class toy reporting – there are so many sites that do that so well – rather my own thoughts and adventures, and the fact that folks seem to enjoy reading them and commenting on them is really rewarding. In the end we are all a part of the same community, and having the chance to interact with other collectors in this way has been such a great experience. Thanks for sticking around, and I look forward to another great year of blogging in 2010!

(,,,,,,and, yes, while I haven’t announced the Jan ‘10 Comment Contest yet, (that’s next) comments on this post will count!)

Until next time!

A Cat worth waiting for!

DC Direct has been very delay prone this year, although mostly in the 6” figure department. Statues have been a bit more on time, but the Cover Girls of the DC Universe: Catwoman statue ended up arriving very late for some reason that will most likely never be known, giving DCD’s chronic lack of communication with us wee fans.

The numerous delays had me wondering if there was going to be some kind of killer flaw in the final product, but happily this is not the case. I love the Black Canary and Zatanna statues in this line and like the Wonder Woman, but the Catwoman statue has gone straight to the top of the class for me, which says alot because I am not a huge fan of the character.

Of all of the statues so far, this one most brings the original Adam Hughes art to life – the face and eyes are especially is very well done – she looks stunning. The effect used to make the leather “look” is excellent. The pose is excellent, and I like the use of flexible plastic for bits that might otherwise break, like Catwoman’s “tail”.

Interestingly, while the Black Canary statue was packed with its base detached to minimise the size of the box, this is not the case here. This may because Catwoman was actually supposed to come out before Black Canary and it’s a running change to the line. I hope that’s the case, as I like the smaller boxes both from environmental and storage perspectives.

This is a great line, and I’m looking forward to the upcoming Power Girl, the announced Poison Ivy and hopefully a long life for this line. Vixen, Huntress and Big Barda would be the top of my list for future releases.

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and enter the December AFB Comment of the Month Contest by commenting on this post.

Until next time!

Happy Holidays! The AFB Christmas Stash

Happy Holidays from AFB! Here’s hoping that you’ve been able to celebrate the season with good company, good food and a good stash of goodies (although I doubt you received anything quite as bizarre as a Nick Fury Christmas Cover!).

Here in the AFB Household, I have long been responsible for doing my own Christmas shopping for anything toy or comic related, while Mrs AFB and the AFB-ettes handle the categories of Non-Comic-Related Things Dad Will Read, Dad’s Intimate Apparel and Things That (Try To) Make Dad Smell Good.

This Christmas I decided to treat myself to some nice statues, but sadly two did not arrive on time, so we’ll see them another day. Luckily my LCS got their pre-Christmas shipment in to I was able to give the family a couple of smaller items to wrap up in their place.

The AFB Christmas Stash ended up being: The DC Direct Cover Girls of the DCU Catwoman Statue, DC’s Absolute Justice,  the DC Direct History of the DC Universe Series 3, Marvel Select Daredevil figure and the Marvel / Kotobukiya Rogue Bishoujo PVC Statue, which was a surprise find at my LCS and something that I have been coveting since it come out awhile ago – a nice Christmas surprise! Not a bad haul, even if some of it wasn’t originally intended to be  Christmas booty.

Over time I’ll get to individual looks at most of these but I wanted to get a group shot up now as part of my holiday wishes.

What did you get for Christmas? Share your stash here (and enter the December AFB Comment of the Month Contest) or log on to the 2009 Christmas Stash Thread at the AFB Forum to share it with the gang!

Marvel Universe – Developments and Detractions

It’s been awhile since I’ve given the little people any love, and by that I mean 3 3/4” figures of course – what were you thinking???

Hasbro’s Marvel Universe and Wolverine Origins lines have both had some new releases in recent time and I’ve cherry picked the new characters out of them.  I’m steering clear of IronSpiderine #437 etc (with extra Underwater Glow-in-the-dark Battle Armor!!) and sticking to the first timers, of which there are quite a few: Electro, Namor, Guardian, Warpath, Jean Grey (Jim Lee outfit), Vision and Classic Sunfire from Marvel Universe and Cyclops and Iceman from Wolverine Origins.

The stinkers in the waves smell from a mile away. Namor’s bushy looking eyebrows and prominent nose makes him look more like your Italian cousin Guido than the King of the Seas. Much worse, the long-awaited Jim Lee-style Jean Grey has been sculpted as a hunchback, which takes away a fair bit of the charm, unless that sort of thing does it for you. It’s a terrible to shame to see this figure, wanted by so many, botched so badly.

Iceman isn’t great either – he looks a little too cartoony or something. The translucent style is fun, but his facial features are too hard to make out. The included ice-slide is fun though.

I’d put Cyclops, Guardian and Vision in the middle – they’re all great but each has some quibbles. I like the inclusions that come with many of these figures – and so they should with this scale at this pricepoint – and I like the idea of the optic beam that attaches to Cyclops’ visor, but the way that it droops towards the ground makes it look more like a giant tongue. He also loses points for the ball-jointed hips. Yikes. Guardian is a good looking figure, but the grey paint used to add highlights has been poorly applied on many of the figures I’ve seen – I was lucky to get a good one. Vision’s cape is a tad too long, which means that he can’t stand up perfectly straight. He looks amazing despite this.

The winners for me here are Warpath, Electro and Sunfire. Warpath is my favourite of the bunch – he has a new sculpt with a larger build and a very detailed headsculpt. The silver in his costume is metallic, which adds depth and texture to the figure. Electro is a favourite of mine, and he is in fine form here. Hasbro’s also done some work on the wrist-attaching power blasts and they work better on Electro than they have previously on other figures. Sunfire is a bit flatter looking due to a lack of any metallic paintwork, but the figure is well done and looks great overall.

One overall grumble about this line – the chest articulation isn’t something I’m really wild about on any figure, but it just doesn’t work in this scale. At best it’s funny looking, at worse it’s utterly horrible. Review this please Hasbro.

We can all bemoan the fact that the firsts here aren’t happening in 6” form, but this is obviously where Marvel figures are at for now so I’m trying to make the most of it. If Warpath, Electro and Sunfire end up being the benchmark for this line, I’ll be in for the long haul.

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the December AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

A tale of woe, Skeletor-lessness and MOTUC Matty RaaAaGe!!11! (Or, an ode to LineItem 4827281615)

It’s a hard gig trying to collect Mattel’s Masters of the Universe Classics line for any collector out there, but spare a thought for us folk in other timezones that have to get up at odd hours if we even want to have a chance on these figures.

The original He-Man and Skeletor releases passed my notice, and then some of the next figures were sold out by the time I got up on the day of their release, and this put me off collecting the line for awhile, but after Man-at-Arms dragged me in, I started up and patiently awaited the re-releases of the first two key figures. Things seemed to be going well in Matty MOTUC land when more stock was made available and figures were taking a couple of days to sell out. The He-Man re-release even hung around a little while.

All this lulled me into a false sense of security regarding today’s re-issue of Skeletor, and I decided not to set the alarm for a 4am Australian Eastern Standard Time wake-up to battle the evil red page of waitingness. As fate would have it, however, the AFB Bladder (trademark pending) woke me up at 4:20am and so I decided to order while I was awake.

I got onto the site with no problem and got Skeletor, King Randor, the DCUC Justice in the Jungle 2-Pack and a set of 6” Flight Stands in my cart with no problem. When I got to the checkout page however, I got “Could not increment allocated quantity for LineItem 4827281615” each time I tried to order. Very informative.

After nearly 30 minutes I played around with editing my items (as I did not know which item was LineItem 4827281615, a rookie mistake I know), took out the flight stands, and was then informed that Skeletor was sold out and I needed to remove him from my cart. Did so (with a sob) and the order went through.

So here I sit, it now being 5:20am, with no Skeletor and too wired to go back to bed. Now, I’m not going to swear and rage and say I’m quitting the line. You can check out Matty’s Facebook page if you want to read that. I do think it’s fair to say, however, that Mattel’s continued inability to handle these kind of sales is astonishing given the historic demand for this product. It isn’t about the figure selling out in under an hour - good on them for being so successful – it’s about the fact that folk like me had the product in my cart for half an hour only to miss out. That’s just weak.

Thus ends the rage. I’m not going to buy an eBay scalper a nice meal on this one, though. I’ll just wait it out, and if that means no Skeletor in my collection, so be it. Raspberries on you Mattel and all that jazz.

Oh, LineItem 4827281615, I nearly knew you well.

Sigh……..

(If you'd like to join the RaaAge!!!11!, the thread for today's Matty sale is here on the AFB Forum.)

The Night gets Blacker…. and Better….

We all know how much Georg Brewer likes his Green Lanterns, so combining that with the mega-event that is BLACKEST NIGHT, it’s really no surprise that we’re getting a massive swag of figures over the coming months. Wave One was a solid start, giving us our first plastic members of the Blue, Red and Black Corps and our first Alpha Lantern. Wave Two brings us our first Indigo Lantern, a second Yellow and Black Lantern, and another version of Green Lantern John Stewart.

The first thing that surprised me about Kryb is that she is a massive figure. She also has a very wide stance so takes up a fair bit of display space. For the uniqueness of this figure and the quality of the sculpt, it’s worth it. She comes with two of her “babies” which she can hold in her multiple hands and also can be contained in the cage on her back. It’s great to have another member of the Sinestro Corps, and I wouldn’t mind some more. I’ll find ways to combine the DCUC “Colour of Fear” figures with Kryb, but of course the massive scale will create some display problems.

Indigo-1 is another very different type of sculpt which is well executed and painted. At first I thought she was going to be difficult to pose, but with a bit of experimenting I found a good balance. This is quite a nice figure, but as with a few in this series, its’ long term worth really depends on whether or not the character is around for the duration or not.

I was looking forward to the John Stewart figure as a chance to have a Stewart figure more in the modern DCD scale. The headsculpt is serviceable, but it uses the buck that was used for JLA Series 3, with those horrid, horrid legs, so it’s not a winner for me. Why DCD keeps recycling this ugly buck is beyond me. A shame for everyone that has been wanting a Modern Age John Stewart.

I was in a rush when I picked these figures up from the LCS and so I grabbed the whole box, forgetting that the Black Lantern Martian Manhunter would be there, so I have included him in the in-package pics. The sculpt and look is great, and it’s almost enough to break my resolve about not buying the Black Lanterns (even Aquaman, and that’s saying something!), but I’m going to try to stick to it, mainly because I am going to run out of display space soon and need to avoid giving it to flash-in-the-pan characters – even good looking ones.

There are some great figures coming up in this line, and recent promo pics show that there has to be at least one more wave, of what looks to be all Black Lanterns. That will be an easy pass for me. I remain hopeful that Mera’s star turn in the event will lead to her finally appearing in 6” form. We shall see.

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this for a chance to win the December AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

A Bust that Hits the Target

Following on from Black Canary’s turn in the Cover Girls of the DCU Statue Series, her hubby Green Arrow gets cut down to size in the Heroes of the DC Universe Mini-Bust Series, and it’s a corker. That’s Aussie for awesome!

The bust has a dynamic pose that looks great from multiple angles, with Green Arrow holding his bow in the air with his left hand, and his right hand sculpted as though he’s just released an arrow. The statue is well painted, with a range of lustres adding depth the the mix: metallic for the base, different sheens for the different greens on his outfit, etc. Much like Aquaman’s trident is flexible to avoid breakages, Arrow’s bowstring is string, which is a helpful touch.

In a clever piece of packaging, Green Arrow’s bow arm is packaged separately and attaches via a steel rod and a bit of pushing and prodding. This keeps the box from being gigantic and also provides opportunity for some amusing “Oh no! My arm fell off!” photos. I mean…… I think it would….

This is my favourite bust in the series so far. Aquaman has an equally dynamic pose, thrusting his trident in the air, but his squinty expression takes a few marks off and lets Green Arrow squeak ahead. Not to mention, this makes a great matched set with the earlier Green Lantern bust!

I’m really enjoying this series, although I haven’t bought into the Villains side yet (mostly because I really don’t like the look of upcoming Joker). I really hope that this line expands to cover some of the B-list characters in the same way the Women’s Mini-Bust line has. Watch this space!

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and enter the December AFB Comment of the Month Contest by commenting on this post.

Until next time!

The Cover Girl to beat all DC Cover Girls

We’ve waited longer than we planned to for another instalment of the DC Direct Cover Girls of DC Universe Statue Series, thanks to a lengthy and unexplained delay in the Catwoman statue. (Great communication as usual DCD!). Thankfully Black Canary has come along in all her Adam Hughes glory to end the wait!

I’m a big fan of this series – a size that’s big enough to appreciate the detail in but also small enough to display easily, and a price point that doesn’t completely break the bank. This is my favourite in the series to this point – I love the pose, the facial expression, and it’s all been captured very well in this sculpt, apart from the seductiveness in the eyes in the cover art which doesn’t make the transition. A great paint job is the finishing touch – different finishes and sheens for surfaces like Dinah’s jacket and the yellow bands on her boots add to the detail.

My one criticism of the Zatanna statue was the lack of fishnets (which, granted, were not in Hughes’ cover drawing), and their presence here really makes Zee look bare when you stand them  side by side. I’m very glad they were included in this statue. Of course, alongside the fishnets comes the horrid seam at the back that is a feature of all DCD fishnets. I can kind of understand them on a 6” figure, but I would have expected them to be “ironed out” in a statue of this price.  That’s my only quibble.

A nice touch here is that the stand comes separately packaged. This means the box is much smaller than the previous two, and the statue plugs in to the base with two metal spikes. I liked being able to really hold and check out the statue without the heavy base. Better for the environment, easier to store the box and fun for the collector – it’s all good!

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the December AFB Comment of the Month Contest – with a special Christmas bonus for AFB Forum members!

Until next time!

AFB December Comment of the Month Contest – with a Twist!

First off, thanks to everyone who commented on last month’s blog posts. Congratulations to “Kyle” for winning the November Comment Contest! Kyle – please get in touch with me – probably easiest to do so through the AFB Forum. Once we hear from Kyle his choice of either the Blackest Night Series Two Kryb or Marvel Select Kree Captain Marvel will be on the way from Mike’s Comics N’ Stuff.

Now to December’s Contest: on offer are two great prizes, with a twist: the winner will be able to choose either from the DC Universe Classics Wave 11 Shark or the Marvel Minimates Infinity Gauntlet Boxed Set. The twist? Well, it’s the Christmas month after all, so it’s time to be giving! In the Christmas Spirit, if you are a member of the AFB Forum and your comment is chosen, you will win both prizes!

Here’s a reminder of the basic contest rules:

• every genuine comment on a post from the calendar month will be eligible for receiving the prize. I’m going to stick to my own time zone and call it at 23:59:59 Australian Eastern Standard Time – best to comment often and comment early!
• if my super scientific randomizer comment selector system chooses an Anonymous comment, I’ll skip it and go again – you need to leave a name, a link, your AFB Forum username or email addy so that I can contact you if you are the winner. Blogger comments allows you to do this.
•  
• you will be given a choice of one of the two figures on offer from the month’s contest – figures will be in their original packaging – for this month only, if the selected comment belongs to a member of the AFB Forum, the winner will win both prizes!

• figures will be sent by first class mail within the US (Mike is sending them, remember) and first class international to any overseas winner. An overseas winner can elect to chip in for Priority Mail or Insurance, but otherwise we can’t take any responsibility for a parcel that doesn’t arrive – after this is coming out of AFB’s  not dreadfully deep pockets!

Once again, thanks to Mike for making this all possible for us, and here’s to another happy month of commenting!

Until next time!

Gigantic indeed!

The Marvel Universe line has added another feather to its cap with the Gigantic Battles line, pairing a 12” figure with a 3 3/4” figure. I’ve managed to pick up Goliath (with a 3 3/4” early Avengers-style Iron Man) and Giant Man Super Skrull (with 3 3/4” Bucky Captain America) cheapishly on eBay to add them to my Marvel Universe display.

This is a clever and well executed re-use of the Marvel Icons buck. At first, I thought that Goliath and friend might almost be a little too big to interact with the 3 3/4” figures, but when I paired up my Skrull with Iron Man in his grasp, I realised all the fun that could be had with these big dudes! I also had no idea how much I was going to like the Skrull figure – he’s really quite cool – great menacing headsculpt!

This development in the line, which I believe will be followed up by Galactus, opens up a great deal of potential for larger figures and interesting display options. I am very hopeful that this will continue in some form and perhaps move beyond the Icons buck to other larger characters, perhaps bringing some more characters that were missed in the Marvel Legends BAF era. The only downside of this is that at this point the Gigantic Battles line is a Wal Mart exclusive, a double blow for us international folk.

Marvel Universe certainly needs something like this to compensate for the persistent recycling of top-tier characters, which carries on here in the 3 3/4” inclusions – just how many Iron Men, Spideys, Wolvies, Caps and Hulks the line can sustain are yet to be seen, but it’s nice to have something like this to maintain interest amongst them.

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this for a chance to win the November AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

Vixen joins the Women of the DCU Mini-Bust Series

Of all of the leading ladies in the DC Universe, Vixen was the name that took the longest to come in the Women of the DC Universe Mini-Bust Series, so I was pretty happy when she was finally solicited in the series.

Unfortunately, while this is one of my favourite characters to appear in this line, the final product is not one of my favourite sculpts. The issue here is the face – something’s gone a little wrong in the face department – it looks a bit concave at some angles. Some careful positioning overcomes this, but it’s still a shame, especially since the rest of the piece is really quite excellent – the sculpt of the body and base is excellent, and the paintwork is also very well done.

Bottom line here is that I’m glad to have Vixen in the collection, but it would have been great if the knowing, cat-like expression on Vixen’s face in the Dodson sketch had been captured  in the final product. The ‘elephant-sat-on-my-face’ look just doesn’t cut it.

And with that, we say goodbye to the Terry Dodson art-inspired Series Two of the Women of the DCU Mini-Bust Series, a great series with excellent character selection and sculpts that were mostly on the mark. Next up is the Amanda Conner-based Series Three. I’m not the wildest fan of Conner’s art, but some of the upcoming busts, especially Babs Gordon Batgirl and Raven, look quite good, so I’ll be giving this a go.

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this to enter the November AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

Perhaps some things are better kept Secret….

I’ve got nothing against the 3 3/4” Marvel Universe line. I’m a realist – the 6” Legends line is on it’s wobbly last legs, so if I want Marvel figures, this is the go-to point. In terms of the main Marvel Universe line, I’d like to see a bit less IronHulkSpidey and a few more new characters, but I’m happy with the overall quality of the figures in terms of articulation, sculpt and paintwork.

It’s a shame, then, that the same can’t be said for the Secret Wars 25th Anniversary 3 3/4” Two-Packs. This is a great idea, especially with the inclusion of some first-time-in-plastic characters like the Wrecking Crew, Klaw and the Enchantress. The execution, however, is all over the place, due to some paint and production issues. In the first set of two-packs Klaw and Thunderball seemed to suffer the most in terms of paint application and QC in the headsculpt area. I was lucky to find one of each that was fairly effective, but most I have seen around the traps have been shockers.

Most of the issues with these new two-packs: Hulk and Cyclops, Iron Man and Spiderwoman II, Magneto and Spiderman (Black Costume), are with paint, not sculpt. The main exception to this is Magneto, who for some reason looks a bit hunched over. I think this is due to the sculpt not taking the cape mechanism into account, causing him to look a bit neckless.

Cyclops and Spiderwoman have both had a wash used on them. Washes can add depth and complexity, or book a figure a ticket on the Ugly Train. I’ve seen a few Cyclops figures that have looked fairly average, however the wash pretty much works on the one I received, defining muscles, etc. The paintwork on Spiderwoman is an absolute shocker, mostly due to the fact that the Spider Bosoms are a lighter shade of blue than most of the rest of the figure. Unfortunate to say the least. On the flipside, Black Costume Spiderman hasn’t had a blue wash used on him, and looks all the better for it, making it a huge improvement over the Marvel Universe single.

Hulk and Iron Man are both Secret Wars twists on the well-used sculpts in this series, but nothing spectacular. The number of repeat figures in this line that are tied to a new figure is somewhat of an annoyance, but kudos to Hasbro for using a brighter colour scheme which is more representative of the comics of the time.

All up, this is a fun series, but the joy is definitely more in the nostalgia than the quality. We’re still waiting to find out what the last few figures are, but I am definitely hoping for Mohawk Storm and Wrecker, and then a wildcard for the third – Rogue or Nightcrawler would be great, but Thing is a likely candidate I think.

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the November AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

Like I needed another line to collect….

When I saw the solicits for the original DC Direct Ame-Comi Superheroine PVC Statues, I was pretty impressed, especially with the first Batgirl. I loved the Anime take on a classic character and costume. Then I saw some of the next releases that didn’t stick very closely to the original character, like a Zatanna with blue hair, and I was out.

A few weekends ago I was in Sydney and I saw the Black Canary version of this line, and I was quite taken by it. The asking price in the Sydney shop was far to steep, so I decided to order it through my reliable LCS, and somehow came home with Hawkgirl and the Cassandra Cain Batgirl. Oops.

Black Canary is my favourite of the bunch. She is a great mix of Anime styling but still a totally recognisable version of Dinah. The PVC material allows for some interesting sculpting, such as the long strands of Black Canary’s hair that would be a major breakage risk in resin or cold cast porcelain, but are quite durable here. My favourite figure was also the most challenging to put together. The plastic stand that is meant to attach into her back was very challenging to fit in as her jacket partially blocks access  to the hole. The pressure required to insert the post caused it to snap, and my attempts to superglue it back together only succeeded in gluing my fingers to the post and each other. It’s now repaired with sticky tape, complete with tiny bits of my flesh as a keepsake. Good times.

Hawkgirl is a good looking figure. Her wings are definitely the best thing going for her. The figure is well sculpted and painted, but the pose could be better. Her arms are dynamically arranged, but her legs are awkward. The way her legs are splayed looks a little like she’s taken a blow on the back. A small quibble, but a great piece overall.

Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) is quite an exquisite figure. It’s hard to appreciate the complexity of the sculpt through my paltry photos. The texture of her cape, the twisted base, the detail in her bodice, all make this a compelling piece to look at. The bats in flight above her shoulder are a very nice touch.

One thing that makes these a little challenging to display is the large circumference of the bases. They’re quite good looking, but huge. The amount of room they take up doesn’t seem totally necessary when you consider that these are PVC figures and are pretty light.

I won’t be trying to pick up all of the pieces I’ve missed in this line (although I’ve already eBayed the first Batgirl) and I will be cherry picking future figures, but I am definitely “on board” with this line – and now trying to resist looking into Marvel’s similar effort. That Rogue does look good……

You can see more pics on Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the November AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

Almost Magic – DCD 1:6 Scale Zatanna

Nearly called this “13 Inches of Magic”, but that just…. didn’t sound right.

After the debacle that was the 13” Wonder Wompus – er, Woman, I was very concerned when I went to pick up my pre-ordered DC Direct 13” Zatanna from my LCS today.

The good news is that, while they seem to have used the same material that was used for Wondy’s headsculpt, which seems to differ from the rest of the line, it works much better here. The differences between the photos in the packaging and the final product are still very clear – the eyes in particular are painted very differently, but the overall composition of the face  in the sculpt is better, giving it a very reasonable likeness to “Zee”, as we know her.

DCD was always going to struggle with Wonder Woman, due to the fact that her costume (or lack thereof) exposes all of the inherent weaknesses of the female 13” buck. Zatanna is a step ahead in that her costume covers most of these up – however the awful, awful pelvis / hip joins are still on full display. Any character with a brief-style costume falls short here, with the end result being an adult-diaper look that is less than attractive. It also causes the legs to looks scrawny and bowed. Ugly, fugly.

Thankfully, Zatanna still has a good deal going for her. Her costume is well constructed, and her top hat provides a few display options. It fits nicely in her head but can also be held in one of her three sets of swappable hands. Interestingly, these three sets (fists, open / snapping fingers and hands that can hold objects) are all white gloved, unlike the flesh coloured hands shown in the packaging photos. One set of those would have been a nice option to include, but Zee still scores well in the accessories department. As well as the hat and extra hands, she comes with a magic wand (which looks dreadfully  lose-able, so I’m not even bothering with it), a white rabbit (which comfortably fits in her hat, although it’s too heavy for her to hold as she does in the packaging pics) and a copy of her book. Good stuff.

This is a welcome addition to the DCD 1:6 Scale Line, although without an apology Wonder Woman it will never be complete. I do hope at the very least DCD addresses the headsculpt material issue and rectifies this – with the frailties of the female buck design, what’s on top has alot to make up for!

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the November AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

The Seven Seas goes Bust!

I know, the “goes bust!” thing is getting a bit old – it’s just so hard to resist!

Mera has been pretty close to the top of my “Most Wanted” list in terms of DC characters since I started collecting. The announcement of a Mera bust in the DC Direct Women of the DCU Mini-Bust line was very exciting, but I was a bit concerned that the product didn’t really capture the character, mainly due to what appeared to be a short hairstyle from all the pictures I could see. Nevertheless, I ordered the bust because I love the character so much.

I was really pleased to see that the photos were in fact misleading – as you can see in the turnaround photos on the AFB Facebook page, she does in fact have the correct length hair, it’s just swept behind the statue. I really love this bust, and not just because  it’s Mera for the first time. It’s very good looking, with nice, vibrant colours, and a variety of textures and paint qualities. The octopus tentacle base is great!

One thing I have noticed about a few of the busts in this line is that the angles of the sculpting are a bit odd, leaving the figure facing the ground a bit. This is an issue here, but moreso that the statue is angled so that her bust is facing the ceiling. Awkward indeed!

Aquaman isn’t getting much respect in the comic world at the moment, but thankfully he’s still getting lots of collectable love. His appearance in the Heroes of the DC Universe Mini-Bust line is the latest instalment, timed just a couple of weeks after Mera, which is either a nice touch or happy coincidence.

This is an excellent figure. It has a very dynamic pose, which looks great at all angles. The skin tone is quite different from Mera, but apart from that these go quite well together as a set, linked by the similar bases. Aquaman’s trident is integral to the pose of this bust, and I was worried about possible breakage, but the piece is in fact a plastic piece just like those that come with the 6” figures, so no worries there.

I’d like Carlos Pacheo to be brave and sketch eyes in his designs for these, however – he really seems to be afraid of them and draws the characters with closed eyes in “power poses” instead. Works much better here than it does in the recent Superman bust, where he looks like he’s passing wind or something. Regardless, I’m enjoying this line as much as the Women Mini-Bust series and hopeful it gets a similar long life!

Many thanks to DCD for my Aquaman and Mera Mini-Bust bookends. Now, can we PLEASE see Mera in the 6” line? After her starring role in BLACKEST NIGHT I am hopeful this may finally become a reality.

You can see more pics at Facebook (Mera / Aquaman), discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the AFB November Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!