SDCC Shakedown - the Top 10 things that will take my money in the year to come, Part 1

Now that the euphoria of this year's San Diego Comic Con is fading, and the hunt for those elusive exclusives has most likely concluded, either through expensive success or a painful admission of defeat, I thought I'd take a look back at my personal highlights from the products shown, and those that are most likely to end up in my collection (and on my credit card statement). Most of the reference pics for these are taken straight from Michael Crawford's great coverage of the event, so all credit where credit is due - it's guys like MWC that allow the rest of us to live vicariously through their SDCC experiences, and I for one am extremely grateful!

Now to the stuff that grabbed my attention:

Sideshow’s She-Hulk Premium Format Figure:

I’m already locked in to the MS Marvel Premium Format Figure, which is going to be my gift to myself for an upcoming significant birthday (one of those that end in an “0”). I was thinking that Ms Marvel was going to be a bit lonesome, and when I heard that Sideshow was producing the ever’ lovin’ She-Hulk in this line, I thought she’d make the perfect companion. I have to say I am a tad put off by the purple pants, but I am really in love with the headsculpt of this piece. I passed on Sideshow’s Adam Hughes She-Hulk Comiquette because I didn’t like the bimbo-esque portrayal of the lovely Jen Walters, and this is just the antidote – a beautiful, strong and elegant version that is going to look great on my shelves.

Justice League Unlimited

Mattel’s JLU line is the toy line I just can’t quit. Frustrated with the lack of distribution here in Australia and starved for shelf space, I packed up my JLU collection awhile ago and decided not to add more figures to it, but then Mattel made Amanda Waller, General Eiling, Captain Boomerang and a few other much-wanted firsts, which roped me back in. At this SDCC, amongst some gems like Angle Man and Killer Frost, we also saw Kalibak and Parademons. Parademons!! Sigh! The JLU may not be making its way back into my display just yet (them little buggers are hard to keep standin’ up!), but somehow I’m still going to be spending money on them in the year to come!

Masters of the Universe Classics (Club Eternia 2011 Subscription)

There’s definitely split opinions out in MOTUC fandom land about the revised Club Eternia “All In” Subscription for 2011. It happens to suit me, because I really can’t do the middle of the night get-ups here in Oz to get all of the extras, which are some of the best parts of the line, but I hear the detractors who are put off by not being able to opt out of some of the bigger expenses, and not knowing everything that's going to be included. I liked the look of the characters shown at SDCC, but would have been happier if one of the big “wants” for the line had been revealed, but I still think that there’s enough steam in the MOTUC and PoP lines to make 2011 a stellar year.

DC Direct’s Brightest Day Figures

Turn the clock back a few years, and pretty much all I bought action figure-wise was made by DC Direct. Now, I’m looking forward to exactly two upcoming 6” figures – Mera and Deadman from Brightest Day. After DCD doing a very DCD-type thing by announcing Red Lantern Mera before a regular version, I was pretty stoked to see this one announced and to see her looking fabulous. For sure, I want Mattel to hurry up with their version and make it a classic one, but this is a beauty. Deadman wasn’t a huge drawcard for me to start with, as I’m satisfied with the perhaps slightly too skinny DCUC version, but when I saw that he comes with an unmasked head with a mask prop – sold! Now I just can’t wait for Brightest Day Wave 3, with Hawk, Dove, Capt Boomerang I and.. oh wait, this is DC Direct. I shan’t get my hopes up.

Hot Toys War Machine

I’ve resisted the lure of Hot Toys for a very long time. Those prices don’t translate very nicely into AUD, and that’s not even counting international shipping. Recently, however, a friend offered me a great deal on a Hot Toys Iron Man Mark IV, and I just know he’s going to get lonely, so it’s a good thing HT is making War Machine as well. Once he arrives, of course, I’m totally quitting the Hot Toys thing. I mean, unless Black Widow ends up needing a home….

Okay, that’s the first half of the Top Ten – I need a breather before I put the rest together – and so will my wallet!

You can comment on this post to enter the August AFB Comment of the Month Contest, and don’t forget that there’s still a chance to win the SDCC Orko or Plastic Man toys in our current Contest!

Until next time!

Contest! Win Orko or Plastic Man in the AFB SDCC 2010 Contest!

Oh, the generosity!

There has to be some benefit to getting up at 2:00 in the morning to face the White Screen of Death, doesn’t there? AFB managed to resist the temptations of a warm and cozy bed to stay up long enough to get some post-SDCC spoils from Mattel, and while I was there, I decided to try to help out my fellow collectors by grabbing a couple extra to share.

As such, we at the AFB Forum have one each of the Mattycollector.com versions of the sold out Masters of the Universe Orko (regular version with Prince Adam pack-in) and the DC Universe Classics Plastic Man (sans suitcase) to give away to two lucky action figure fans!

But hey, winning prizes as great as these requires a little bit of work, right? If you’d like to enter to win, you’re going to need to put together either an “Ode to Orko” or a “Plea for Plastic Man”. This could be in the form of a verse, song, graphic, video, whatever you choose, as long as it’s safe for work and entertaining, because the best Ode and Plea, which will be the ones our panel of judges (the three other AFB Forum admins: FB, fishmilkshake and dozymuppet) find the most amusing, will be selected to win the respective prize for that category.

To enter, go the Ode for Orko and Plea for Plastic Man threads at the AFB Forum, and post your entry. You can enter both contests, but to keep it fair there will be different winners for the two separate prizes. There is also a general thread for the contest to answer any questions, etc.

We hope you enjoy this chance to win one of these two great items, and we’re sure we’ll all have some great fun along the way! Start getting your Odes and Pleas together – the competition closes on 20 August, 2010!

Have fun, and remember you can also comment on this post for a chance to win the AFB August Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

The AFB Comment of the Month Contest - August 2010!

First off, thanks to everyone who commented on last month’s blog posts. Congratulations to "Total Toyz" for being our randomly selected winner! Once we hear from Total Toyz (you can contact me through the AFB Forum - "Andy"), his choice of either the DC Direct Batgirl figure or the Marvel Select Cyclops will be on the way when available from Mike’s Comics N’ Stuff.

Now to August’s Contest: on offer are two great prizes, either the SDCC Exclusive 90's X-Men Minimates (Magneto, Bishop, Wolverine and Jubilee), or the Blackest Night Series 5 Nekron figure from DC Direct!

A few bits and pieces:

• 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!

The Party's Over, but the buying has just begun!

I hope you that all of my collecting brethren and.... sistren (?) enjoyed the latest of our peoples' religious festivals, the 2010 San Diego Comic Con. AFB took a hiatus during the Con as there are a number of sites that do a fabulous job of covering the reveals and news of SDCC, and I was too busy keeping track of everything they were reporting to post here as well!

As always, I especially enjoyed Michael Crawford's brilliant photo coverage of all of the toys and statues displayed and revealed during the course of the Con. Michael's up close photos really allow you to check out what's going to be on offer in the year to come. Thanks MWC for another great year of coverage!

AFB will be back on track in August, starting with our Comment Contest, and then some post-SDCC posts on the things that I'm most excited about adding to my collection. From the looks of things, there will be no shortage of things to spend our hard-earned money on!

That's it from AFB for July! In the meantime, what was your favourite reveal at SDCC? You can comment on this post for a last minute chance to win the AFB July Comment Contest!

Until next time!

DCUC Wave 20 Collect and Connect: The Choice is Ours!

One of the announcements in the news-heavy TOYFARE #157 was that Wave 20 of DC Universe Classics will feature another Fan's Choice poll, but in a bit of a twist, the choice this time is not a single figure, but the Collect and Connect character that holds the wave together!

The choices we can vote on are: Blockbuster, Girder, King Shark, Nekron, Shaggy Man and Wildebeest. An interesting selection, which the cynic might say is heavily weighted towards Nekron in the wake of BLACKEST NIGHT. Odd, too, since it seems Nekron would make a great choice for a Green Lantern Classics Wave. Still, I'm holding out hope that one of the more classic characters like Blockbuster or Shaggy Man will come good, as it would be great to see them get the nod!

Most importantly, go to www.wizardworld.com to have your say before 31 August, but while you're at it, jump over to our own fan poll on the top left of the site to give us an idea of how you'd vote!

You can discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the July AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

The New "Gatchaman" Film Lives!

Last I knew, the planned update of the "Gatchaman" franchise (which you may better know as Battle of the Planets or G-Force) was dead in the water due to studio finance issues, but Imagi has released a new trailer for their film, which is back on track for 2011! I have to admit my inner geek did a happy dance on viewing this little gem!

This is great news, especially if it leads to some new Gatchaman toys!

Are you a Gatchaman fan? Drop in to the AFB Forum to discuss! And as always, comment on this post to enter theJuly AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

I Spy an Eye, a Fish Guy... and a Very, Very Big Guy

I must admit I'm totally unfamiliar with the New Adventures of He-Man and any characters that were introduced therein, as I'd "grown out" of Masters of the Universe well and truly by the time it came on the scene. I know Optikk wasn't high on some people's lists, but I have to say that for a character I knew nothing about, he looked pretty groovy from the start, and since I'm a subscription holder and in the line for the long haul, I never thought of selling my sub Optikk off. One bizarre thing I encountered as soon as I opened the package was that I found that his "extra" eye, the orange one, was covered in some sort of oily substance. Maybe someone at the factory really, really liked the orange eye? I don't want to know, but I don't want that to happen again either.

Bizarre oily substance aside, I was pleased with the amount of detail that was involved in putting Optikk together. Considering that this line is built around reusage of the same bucks, I do like the figures that make the most of the sculpting and detailing to make something really quite different. This eyeball chappy definitely falls into that category! Great stuff happening here with his armor and circuitry and this is supported by excellent paint application. He also has some very groovy weapons, and the brilliantly done swappable eyes top it off perfectly.. He might be more futuristic than most of his MOTUC counterparts, but unfortunately he still suffers from the loose ankles that plague the line. Seeing as he's a bit top heavy, this makes posing a tad difficult, and sadly that's a problem that can't be wiped away as easily as bizarre oils.

Also out at the same time was the reissue of Mer-Man. Mer-Man is one of the characters I remember most from the original line, which isn't surprising since I'm always a fan of underwatery type characters. I really can't remember if I had the figure or just coveted it. Either way, next to Moss Man, this is the figure I'm happiest to have added to my collection. Like most of the characters that come with an two heads, Mer-Man came packaged with the head that I like the least, so we quickly swapped from moderately menacing to slightly goofy. I'm sure that doesn't say anything about me.

The thing I like about Mer-Man (the goofy version) is that he's just plain hokey fun. Something like this fishy guy could only have been created in the 80's, but he's been given a suitable update here. His - and sorry for getting technical here - bodice-y thing - is very detailed and his trident is all kind of goodness. Once again - loose ankle syndrome plagues this otherwise excellent figure. Still, I'm very glad this fishy fellow got a re-release!

Last but not least from the May MOTUC gang is the big guy, Tytus. I knew this fella was going to be huge, but I still wasn't prepared for just how big the box was, let alone the figure. He is truly huge! I'm extremely impressed with the sculpting on this figure - especially the muscle definition. The articulation is somewhat limited, which, according to Mattel was a cost concern. I'm all for keeping the price point as low as possible, and certainly don't see how the figure suffers in this instance, although I'm a displayer, not a player.

Tytus comes with a groovy accessory, which I must say I don't fully understand. It's either a giant ice cream scoop, or something to trap and catch smaller foes. Either way, it's good fun, and despite it's weight the figure can hold it quite easily without impacting on its balance if placed at the right angle.

Tytus is the kind of product that makes the MOTUC line so much fun to collect. Taking a character that never saw a U.S. release like Tytus or a mail-away character like Wun-dar, so rare that some think he was just an urban legend, and making them a reality is the kind of stuff that toy collecting dreams are made of! All I can say is long may it continue!

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

Until next time!

AFB Enters the Original Comic Art World with SECRET SIX

I've long been a fan of DC Comics Artist Nicola Scott, especially when she's illustrating the wonderful stories of Gail Simone (who is #1 on my Fanboy I-Will-Meet-You-Before-I-Die List - .but not in a creepy way. Really. Okay, maybe a little). However, I only recently learned that the lovely Nicola is in fact an Australian! Gail and Nicola's work on SECRET SIX is right up there as one of my favourite runs of books out there at the moment, and SECRET SIX is still always at the top of my reading pile in the week it comes out. The book stands alongside LEGION OF SUPERHEROES and X-FACTOR as the only books I collect in single issues AND trades. If they print SECRET SIX toilet paper I'll buy that too. But never use it of course. That would be REALLY creepy.

Nicola was recently a guest at the Supanova Pop Culture Expo in Sydney. I had hoped to stop in and get a sketch from her, but alas, I couldn't stay long enough to do so. To console myself, I did a bit of searching to see if she sold her artwork anywhere, and I discovered the comicartshop website, and more specifically, Royd Burgoyne's Comic Art Shop, which sells original pages from a number of artists, including Nicola! Score!

I've bought a couple of commissioned pieces, but never having purchased original comic art before, I decided to stay at the lower end of the price range and buy an interior page. My final choice was page #5 from issue #9 of the Secret Six ongoing series. My main criteria was a page that featured Bane, who has become one of my favourite characters in comics thanks to what Gail has done with him in this series. Some Catman and Scandal certainly didn't hurt - and for my other fave character in the series, Deadshot, there's always next time - sorry Floyd!

I've taken some of my own photos of the piece, which are on Facebook, but I'm posting the scan of it from Royd's shop here as my photos simply don't do it justice. Click on the pic for a bigger version. Nicola's artwork compliments Gail's writing perfectly. Gail writes such strongly developed characters, and Nicola has an ability to convey characterisation and emotion through her artwork that reminds me of the master himself, George Perez. Gail's words may be missing from the page, but her intentions are clear. Doug Hazelwood's inks are brilliant as well. Mrs AFB and the AFB-ettes, despite being totally clueless as to what the whole thing was about, were really impressed with this, and Mrs A gave me much more than the usual "that's nice, dear" I normally get for new toy acquisitons, and in fact urged me to get it framed right away to ensure nothing happens to it. High praise indeed!

I have to give huge props to Royd Burgoyne's service. His communication was excellent, and the way the piece was packed was so amazing I had to take a photo of it for you - see Facebook. I'd happily recommend his store to anyone. Just don't buy the pieces I want please!

So, many thanks to Nicola, Doug, Royd and Gail for making the popping of my art-buying cher... er, my first tim... uh... oh, goshdarnit - for making me so happy! I hope it was good for you too! I definitely want to do it again!

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

Until next time!

A Different Dynamic Duo - DC Direct's Latest DC Dynamics Statues

Good grief, I am really getting behind in some of my reviews. One of the pieces I'm looking at today was purchased on Free Comic Book Day! I've been talking about the backlog for awhile now and I really need to get moving on addressing it, so get ready for some two or three-in-one reviews to try to get up to date!

The DC Direct Wonder Woman DC Dynamics Statue was sitting on the shelves at my LCS pre FCBD, and while I was interested in it I was prepared to take the risk of missing out to try to get it in the Free Comic Book Day Sale (which, by the way, all self respecting comic shops have, but that's another story.) Happily, the Woman of Wonder was there in all her on-sale glory and I was able to take her home, as part of a very decent swag.

Right off the bat, this statue reveals one of my great statue pet peeves once I unbox it. There are times where the solicit and packaging photos have been taken from a slightly different angle which misrepresents the angle the statue sits at. That's annoying enough, but then there are times where it seems there has to be some photoshopping involved to get the picture, as just a different angle wouldn't achieve the effect. I can't be 100% certain, but that seems to be the case here. In statue form, Diana's face is angled much higher, in fact oddly high. Paired with a very un-Diana like face, which seems more porcelain doll than Amazon, it takes some getting used to.

From the neck down, this is a great piece. The way her lower torso and hips blend in to the base ins beautifully done, and the burst of light and smoke that forms the bottom of the base is my favourite of the three statues I've seen in person so far. This piece is great in concept - it's just a shame that the execution of the head doesn't do the rest justice. Being a Bruckner sculpt I'd say this a design choice, but it just doesn't work for me.

The Batman DC Dynamics Statue is another one of those things that I hadn't ordered but was quite taken with when I saw it in person. I was very lucky to get a good sale price on it. This is a really impressive looking piece, and I've been quite surprised to read a number of negative comments about it on various forums. For me, Bruckner has knocked this one right out of the park. I love the impressive arch of his cape at the top and the wispy tendrills at the ends. The inside of Batman's cape is painted a deep metallic blue for effective contrast. All this is topped up with a fantastic headsculpt.

The billowing smoke base may be on the bottom, but it tops off a wonderful piece. I need to find some sort of light that I can place under the bases of these to get the full illuminated effect.

As I mentioned when reviewing the Aquaman statue in this series, the price point on this series is hefty - it's in line with a Bowen Full Size Statue, and that seems rather pricey. Being the mad Aqua-fan that I am, I paid full price for Arthur, but like Wonder Woman and Batman, I can only see myself buying the rest of the series if I happen to find them on sale.

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

Until next time!

The AFB Comment of the Month Contest - July!

First off, thanks to everyone who commented on last month’s blog posts. Congratulations to AFB Forum member "slangards" for being our randomly selected winner! Once we hear from slangards, his choice of either the Jonah Hex movie figure or the Marvel Select Abomination will be on the way when available from Mike’s Comics N’ Stuff.

Now to July’s Contest: on offer are two great prizes, either the Batman Reborn Series 1 Batgirl from DC Direct, or the Marvel Select Cyclops figure from DST!.

A few bits and pieces:

• 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!

DCUC Wave 13: Saved by a BAF

With rumours of the imminent arrival of DC Universe Classics Wave 14 to Wal-Marts nowhere (well, not here anyway...), I thought I'd best get my review for Wave 13 up and running before it's overtaken. As the title of the post suggests, this is a wave that is very much carried by an amazing Collect & Connect figure which mostly overcomes some of the weaker points of the DCUC line. Let's look at the individual figures first:

Blue Beetle III is the standout figure of the wave. I've always been fond of DC Direct's version of Jaime Reyes, and was wondering if Mattel could top that with their version. This one well and truly bests the previous figure through the use of extra articulation new to the DCUC line which makes the Beetle extremely poseable. This is backed up by very solid sculpting and paintwork, and topped off with a fantastic set of wings. I couldn't get the DCD version off the shelf fast enough to put this beauty in pride of place! I hate to rank Negative Man second, as he's definitely the "Oh wow!" character of the wave for me, but BB's detailing and articulation win out. I think this is one character that could make use of a slightly thinner, less buff buck without going to the Shrimpestro extreme, but this is still very fun and well executed, and I'm delighted to have the figure to fill out the Doom Patrol ranks. I passed on the exposed skeletal face variant of Larry, disappointed that we didn't get a Negative Form variant which would have been a highlight of the whole line for me. Someday, perhaps!

I'd rank Blue Devil as my next favourite figure of the wave. While I'm disappointed overall with DCD's History of the DCU line, the over-bulkiness suits Blue Devil, but the headsculpt really let the figure down. While this one needs a slightly bigger bulk, the headsculpt makes it a winner in my book. Cyclotron, despite my lack of interest in the character, is well done in terms of execution and presentation of the character. He also has the groovy removable face a la the original Super Powers figure.

This version of Superboy is another figure I'm not overly fussed about owning, but I am pleased to see that he's not been done with the way too small "teen buck" that has been one of the lowlights of the line so far. We really need a boxed set of characters like Kid Flash and Beast Boy redone in this buck to make up for their teeny-weeny first appearances in the line. Nice points for Superboy: his jacket is well sculpted and his glasses are removable. Let's hope for a similarly scaled Impulse and Robin for the Young Justice fans!

The ladies of the wave automatically fall to the bottom of the rankings because of the limitations of the female DCUC buck, which I won't repeat my frustrations over again. The Golden Age Cheetah comes off the best of the bunch, although I think she needed a lighter yellow to really recapture her look in both the comics and the Superfriends cartoon to which we doubtless owe her presence in the line. It's the same tone as the "skin" of the modern Cheetah, that is what can be seen under her modern costume which was been painted on. I have managed to pick up the "animal skin" version (not pictured) and I really don't get the reason behind the last minute change to add the black outfit, as all that the plain black does is accentuate the faults of the bulk in the legs.

The bottom dweller of the wave, very sadly, is poor old Donna Troy. The only thing more mixed up than Donna's origin is this figure. The wonky paint application on the eyes is just a killer. Add to that the lack of any sculpting for the halter top, the especially chunky thighs and the slightly different shades of red on the legs, and you have a figure that Mattel should have killed that got murdered instead. Big shame.

And finally, to the piece (or pieces) that greatly lift the overall standard of the wave: the Trigon Collect and Connect figure. This big red guy is all kinds of wow. It's great to see a totally different buck in use, and the use of some really intricate pieces like his collar and loincloth. The inclusion of a cloth cape and his staff are also big wins, and this has to be up there as one of the best CnCs in the line to date. The only thing I'd improve is to make his horns a bit bigger, but that's by the by. He's awesome.

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

Until next time!

It's Magic: Kotobukiya Scarlet Witch Bishoujo Statue

At long last, I've managed to get ahold of the most recently released statue from the Kotobukiya Marvel Bishoujo Statue Series - the lovely Scarlet Witch. This one has definitely been worth the wait!

As I said when I reviewed the Rogue statue from this series, I like the anime styled superheroines in the Bishoujo line better than DC Direct's Ame-Comi series for two reasons - one because the character's original look is kept more intact in the Bishoujo line than Ame-Comi's "reimagined" characters, and secondly because of the scale - the Ame-Comi's larger figures and very wide bases take up too much room on the shelf for what the figure merits. .

One thing I like about this statue in comparison to the previous edition, Rogue, is the way that the base is incorporated into the design via Wanda's flowing cape as opposed to the more contrived and plain steps that Rogue stands on. One thing I don't like is the cutesy pose of the finger to the mouth, but I realise that's the genre. I just like my Marvel ladies powerful-like.

Pose issue aside, this is an excellent statue. Wanda's traditional costume is well executed, and the paintwork is excellent in colour choice in execution. Despite appearing like it could topple easily, the base is stable. Plus - it's just plain fun. Definitely something I'm glad to have in my collection.

My fabulous LCS owner has been ordering these in specially for me as apparently she can't order them through Previews due to some issue with the Kotobukiya license in Australia. I'm going to need to find a cheaper way to get these if I want to collect them all. I'm getting best deal my LCS can get me but it's dear for what the product is. With Koto starting a DC Bishoujo line in addition to the Marvel pieces this could become a pricey habit!

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

Until next time!

The Power of Shazam!

Gary Frank's run on the Heroes of the DC Universe Bust series continues with Shazam - or as I like to call him, the artist formerly known as Captain Marvel. (Don't get me started on that whole silliness). While Shazam / CM isn't particularly one of my favourite DC Heroes, I have to say that this is one of my favourite busts in this line so far.

For starters on a basic level, it's nice to see that Gary Frank isn't afraid to draw eyes, unlike all the squinty Carlos Pacheo versions. Shazam definitely needs to be looking at the world with his innocent and hopeful eyes wide open, and Frank's sketch certainly captures that. That's essentially what I like about this bust - it captures the character so well.

Paint is solidly done, and I love this design - the flow of his cape, his sash, and the fold in his collar all make for a dynamic sculpt. Overall - a great piece.

It's great to have the original Captain Marvel in my collection, but the future of the Heroes of the DCU Bust line is a bit uncertain. We have some villains to look forward to, and an amazing looking Etrigan bust, but then it looks like the label is going to be taken by Blackest Night busts in 2011, which are a fine idea on their own, but I'd hate to see that supplant the main line and the opportunity to get a wider range of characters in bust form much like the opportunities that the Women of the DCU Bust line is providing us.

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

Until next time!

The AFB Comment of the Month Contest for June 2010!

First off, thanks to everyone who commented on last month’s blog posts. Congratulations to "chrismandesign" for being our randomly selected winner! 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 chrisman, his choice of either the Blackest Night Wonder Woman or DCUC Wave 13 Donna Troy will be on the way when available from Mike’s Comics N’ Stuff.

Now to June’s Contest: on offer are two great prizes, either the Marvel Select Abomination from DST or the Jonah Hex Movie Figure from NECA. Two great prizes, both of which I'm looking forward to adding to my own collection!

A few bits and pieces:

• 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!

Monster Masters of the Universe Classics Make-Up!

I said earlier in the month that I was a bit behind in my reviews, and there's no better testament to that than the fact that I'm covering two months of MOTUC releases at once.

Mattel is pulling out one of the bad guy big guns by issuing Evil-Lyn as the April subscription figure. The "Classics" line being primarly a homage to the original toy line and Filmation series, Evil-Lyn is presented in her Crayola Yellow skin colour - at least on the outside. For some reason her head is cast in blue and the yellow is painted on, an extremely odd decision considering that her headdress appears to be a separate piece. Like the original figures, this is primarily a repainted Teela figure, and it all works, although the colour does seem to have been made unnecessarily garish in order to stay faithful to the original series. Definitely a fun figure for the display, but I do hope we get a repainted / restyled version down the road.

Wun-dar is a bit of a He-Man in-joke that I don't quite understand, but he's the bonus figure for subscribers, so I've got him regardless and since I tend to be a completist he'll be displayed alongside the rest. Not "getting" the character aside, this is a nice repaint with what has to be the greatest loaf of bread accessory ever made in the 6" scale. Which is so significant. And yeah, that's Wun-dar.

A bit earlier in the piece was the return of one of my favourite MOTU characters from the days of old - Moss Man. My memories of my meagre childhood collection are somewhat vague (I'm quite sure I remember having more figures than I actually did) but I know for certain I had the vintage Mossy - I remember his flocked skin slowly falling off and I remember his smell, which was a different kind of pine fresh than the new scent, and I sure don't remember it being as strong as Moss Man v2. The new and improved pine scent sure lasted awhile!

This new Moss Man is one of my favourite figures in the line - I prefer the packed-in second head, as the one he's packed with makes him look a little bit too much like a balding middle aged fuzzy green guy. Like most of the males, he has weak ankles which make posing a little more difficult than it should be. I'm impressed by how unrestricted the rest of his articulation is by the flocking. His club / staff is a nice accessory - something different from all the swords and staffs that seem to abound.

I also picked up the Stratos re-issue, further cutting down the number of figures I missed in the early days of the line. He's okay from a nostalgia aspect, but nothing special, and definitely isn't going to end up in my Top Ten favourites of the line. Still, he looks pretty good on a flight stand!

Phew! With Tytus on his way (oh, and some guy with an eye for his head), I knew I needed to catch up on my MOTUC posts, so thanks for bearing with that one. I'm hoping to have Tytus in a week or so, and I'll make sure there's not such a long gap before I review the Big Guy himself.

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

Until next time!

DC Direct busts out a great Batgirl!

Oh, will the "bust" puns never end??

The latest installment of the Amanda Conner wave of the Women of the DC Universe Mini-Bust Series is out, and it's the lovely Barbara Gordon in her Batgirl days.

While the Hughes and Dodson series of this line are probably going to come up trumps for me against this current wave, this is a character choice that works to Conner's strengths, and the fun that Conner has imbued in her design of Babs (I do love how they include the artists' sketch on the boxes of these pieces) is more or less carried over into the sculpt. It's ultimately let down by the smallest of things, which is the way Babs' lips have been painted. It's just enough to take away from the playful smirk she's designed to have. Bummer.

Great fun is still to be had, though, as she's doing the Batusi, which for some reason is called the "Watusi" on the box. Hello? DCD isn't ashamed of Adam West and crew, is it? I daresay it's just as likely the copy on the packaging was written by some whippersnapper who isn't old enough to have been raised on the correct doses of BIFF! BAM! and POW! Damn whippersnappers! Get off my lawn!

Apart from the lack of smirk and the whole "w" instead of "b" issue, this is a nice bust to have. Putting the lips aside, which is poor paint design, not application, the paint on this bust is excellent. The gargoyle base is well done, but a contrasting coloured base, as opposed to the grey which is quite similar to the base of Batgirl's outfit, might have been a better choice.

I like the larger size of the Dodson and Conner series as opposed to the smaller Hughes series, some of which look pretty diminutive in comparison to the newer models. It's a bit of a shame, though, that the different series aren't all complementary scale-wise. All up - this is very fun to have, but what could have become one of my absolute favourites in the whole line is taken down quite a few pegs by the loss of the subtle humour in the transfer from sketch to final product.

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

Until next time!

Is Mattel about to reveal a Green Lantern Classic Line?

Action Figure Pics is reporting that members of the Fwoosh have found preorder pages for a Green Lantern Classics Series 1 from Mattel.

AFP'S link to the Fwoosh topic isn't working, but at Big Bad Toy Store it's listed with an October 2010 release date and options for a case of 6 or 8. Enchanted Toy Chest has "Mystery Figures" in the same configuration.

This move would make a great deal of sense, since the Green Lantern world is where the DC Universe has really been thriving in the last few years, and will soon become more well-known through the upcoming movie starring Ryan Reynolds. The "Classics" in the title would seem to imply that this is a comic-based line, so it will be interesting to see, with most of the GL big guns already released or about to be released in the Wal-Mart Exclusive 5-pack, how many repaints or re-issues fill this line, and just how far Mattel mines the vast Green Lantern Universe.

This is obviously all unconfirmed news until the line is actually announced, but it certainly gives us something to speculate about in the meantime. The best news at present is that it looks like whatever is being offered here isn't a retailer exclusive. Hooray for that!

You can discuss this at the AFB Forum and comment on this post to enter the May AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

R.I.P. Frank Frazetta - Conan the Barbarian Artist

Very sad to hear of the passing of legendary Conan the Barbarian Artist Frank Frazetta (1928 - 2010) today. Comics Beat has the news.

While his name not be familar to some, I dare say many would recognise his art. Well known for his own art, which included many famous movie posters, Frazetta is beloved to comic fans for his iconic work on everyone's favourite Barbarian (with apologies to Hagar, Thundarr and their kin).

In recent years it's been sad to see his legacy threatened by in-fighting amongst his children over his estate. In the light of Frank's passing, I hope they can finally put that behind them so that his work can be treasured for the gift that it was.

Farewell Frank, and thank you.

You can discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the May AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

JSA Wave Two: Cyclone Stands Out (and Up!), but it's Hourman by a Nose

My blog post output has been slowed down recently as a result of nothing more sinister than the very busy start of a new school term and the rescue and adoption of a beautiful new kitten to add to the AFB animal menagerie, so, there's a bit of a backlog of toys and statues waiting for a look-in. I generally to look at things in the order of purchase, but I picked up the DC Direct Alex Ross Justice Society of America Wave Two figures last week, and I felt they needed some urgent attention.

I could take or leave many of the newer members of the JSA, and as it looks like DC Direct hasn't committed to this series beyond Wave Two, I'm glad we've not had to suffer too many of them. Stargirl and Cyclone are the youngest members of the team, but also some of the more interesting, so they both definitely warrant a figure. Stargirl is already a seasoned veteran in many ways, and Cyclone, as well as being a legacy character that goes straight back to the early JSA, has such groovy powers, especially the way she can grow SO tall.... what?

Yeah, no. While I wouldn't put it past Alex Ross to retcon or reshape any character, this has to be a boo-boo of the kind that only DC Direct seems to manage. Yes, Cyclone is Giant Girl in Raggedy Ann stockings, and it's not due to her wispy hairstyle. She's just plain huge. In fact, she's taller than Superman and Hourman, without factoring in the hair. It's a shame, because this is an utterly beautiful figure. I'm going to get around this in my display by putting Cyclone on a flight stand (and putting another figure in front of her to hide the lack of articulated ankles).

Stargirl is a really lovely piece. I'm not totally wild about her face - it looks a little bit old, but then this is a Ross-styled line. Her outfit is very well done,a and in fact paint on all of the figures is excellent. The biggest niggle with Stargirl is articulation. The DCD standard issue fixed ankles means lots of fiddling with other joints to make sure she's stable.

You'd think that Giant Cyclone Girl would be the most disconcerting thing in this wave, but wait until you see Hourman's nose, which shouldn't be hard. Just try Google Earth for Canberra, Australia. My lawn needs mowing, but I doubt you'll even see it. Good Lord, that's a big schnozz! It looks like the sculptor forgot to include a nose, so they had to be applied later. Shame, because the body is a great improvement over the Total-Justice style Hourman body from the previous JSA series. Awful, awful, awful.

Kingdom Come Superman is here too. He and Hourman are the clear pegwarmers of the wave, most likely because they've both either been done or re-released recently. Oh, and because Hourman is horrible.

While I'd rather have a non-artist specific JSA from DC Direct, I accepted the Alex Ross series because it seemed the only way to get figures of these great characters. Wave One was passable, but the Cyclone and Hourman hiccups here are potential line-killers. There's several great characters in the JSA world that really deserve their time in plastic, so here's hoping DCD gets it's act together or, more likely, Mattel shows the Modern Age JSA some more love in DC Universe Classics.

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

Until next time!

It's a Month of Wonder! - The AFB May Comment Contest!

First off, apologies for the delay in getting this month's contest up - lots of "real life" things have been in the way! Thanks to everyone who commented on last month’s blog posts. Congratulations to "pedro" for being our randomly selected winner! Pedro - your Blogger profile is not public - 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 Pedro, his choice of either the Negative Man or Blue Devil figure from DCUC Wave 13 will be on the way when available from Mike’s Comics N’ Stuff.

Now to May’s Contest: on offer are two great prizes, either the Black Lantern Wonder Woman from DC Direct's Blackest Night Wave 4, or the Donna Troy figure from DC Universe Classics Wave 13!.It's a Wonder-ful Month indeed!

A few bits and pieces:

• 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!

Select Indeed!

Perhaps it's just withdrawal from what was once a steady flow of Marvel Legends, but I am really getting into enjoying Marvel Select and its' offerings. I've gone from picking up the occasional release to pretty much buying everything Marvel Select is producing in recent times. I've collected a few lately without reviewing them, so here is a catch-up which includes the Marvel Select Hulk (recently re-issued), Daredevil and Spider-Man.

Hulk was part of a "Best of" release in recent times, and I was pleased to have a second chance to pick him up. This is an absolutely massive figure, and a great centrepiece for a Marvel Select collection. With the massive shoulders in the way, there's not a lot of room for movement of the head, but the head is surprisingly loose. My one quibble would be the way that the black wash that's been used to define his muscles has worked on the roughish green paint. It doesn't bear for a very close inspection. Still, this giant sized Hulk is great fun, and it's inspired me to give up my futile quest for the Marvel Legends Red Hulk BAF and go for the Marvel Select Rulk instead as a companion to this big fella.

I really can't say I've ever seen a brilliant Daredevil figure, and while I don't think this is it, it's a very workable Matt Murdoch for the Select line. It seems that giving Daredevil's mono-colour mask definition in action figure form is difficult, and that's the case here as well. Daredevil also suffers from a the same kind of unsubtle wash that Hulk has. Oddly, he comes with numchucks instead of his signature billy club. Daredevil has the odd sort of shape that plagued the Bucky Captain America figure - the ball jointed hips (which really don't belong on any action figure) make him look a bit, well, hippy. That seems like a lot of negatives! This is a good figure, but one more worth having for the Marvel Select collection than for the figure itself.

Finally, there's Spider-Man. The first thing you notice about everybody's favourite webslinger is that his head is a slightly odd, oversized shape. His white eyes are slightly oversized and run quite a distance up the sides of his head. It's a shame, because otherwise this is a great figure. The body sculpt is excellent, without the strange proportions that bring some of the male Select figures down, and the detailing on his costume is excellent. He is a bit more poseable than some of the Select figures. A winner overall, but I have to wonder if the strangeish head was design or a production issue.

One of the features of the Marvel Select figures is a detailed base, and this is the case with all three of these figures. Hulk, being a much bigger figure, has a more perfunctory metallic looking base, while the other two figures have a more substantial inclusion. Daredevil has a church spire to hang from, and Spidey has a smashed car to stand astride. For collectors who have the display space to use these bases, they are great touches, but for me, they end up in storage, and in some cases I'd much prefer a pack of two figures than a detailed base for the price.

Ball-jointed hips and potentially over-priced bases aside, one of the concerns I've had with committing to the Select line is the hodgepodge nature of previous releases, and concerns with scale, etc, but in recent times, Marvel's "big guns" have been being released in very short order and they look great together. With more on the way like the upcoming Thing, Deadpool, Cyclops and Magneto releases, a sense of a developing Select-scale Marvel Universe doesn't seem far away.

You can see more pics (including in-package shots) at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the April AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

DC Dynamics Aquaman - King of the Seas, King of the Statues

The original DC Direct Tim Bruckner Aquaman statue is one of my collecting holy grails, and I dare say will remain so, unless something dramatic happens to the secondary market prices for that great piece. While the new Bruckner-sculpted Aquaman Statue from DC Direct's DC Dynamics Statue line isn't going to fill that void, it's the first full-sized Aquaman statue in quite some time, and it's very good looking to boot.

The idea of the DC Dynamics line is the visual provided by the detailed, colourful base which envelops the legs of the character. Unsurprisingly, Aquaman's base is a water spout, complete with foamy edges. It's a tall and thin statue but is remarkably stable. Quite often with DCD Statues and Busts the end product is a little bit less than the sketch or solicit photo, but this is one statue that actually looks better than the pictures - the paintwork on the detail of the face in the profile shot on the box doesn't hold a candle to the real thing - it's a much better job. The styling choice for Aquaman is very classic - interestingly no scales on the orange of his shirt. The sculpting here is quite beautiful, with wrinkles that match the twist in his torso.

The recent Heroes of the DC Universe Aquaman Mini- Bust had a trident that was the same as what often comes with a 6" figure, but the DC Dynamics Statue gets an upgraded version. It's still flexible, but has wider and more detailed edges and prongs. While the statue looks great from a number of angles, the length of the trident does limit the options in my display.

The only downside to this excellent statue is the cost. While the price point is on par with a full sized Bowen Statue, in DC Direct terms I think these are a bit pricey. A full sized 10 - 11" Cover Girls of the DCU Statue runs at nearly half the price of this, and a massive two-character statue like the recent Batman vs. Killer Croc is the same price as the DC Dynamics, so it's a bit hard to reconcile what could basically be a well-done mini-bust on a really fancy and tall base being priced where it is, As such, the value for money will probably keep me from picking up any of the others in the series, although the Green Lantern and Batman pieces definitely appeal visually, and I love the Silver Aged Goodness of the Supergirl Statue.

While this is likely to be my one and only full-priced DC Dynamics purchase (one never says never when it come to sales!) , it's certainly a vital part of my Aquaman collection, and I keep returning to my display to appreciate just how good looking it is. With Arthur's return at the end of BLACKEST NIGHT, it's a good time to be an Aquaman fan. Let's hope DC Direct keeps the Aquaman love coming!

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

Until next time!

Mattel's MOTUC and DC SDCC Exclusives Revealed

After a false start last week, Mattel's SDCC Exclusives for the Masters of the Universe, DC Universe Classics and DC Infinite Heroes lines have been revealed on Attack of the Show. Here's the official video!

Game Reviews - E3 2010 - AOTS Exclusive

Most of the reveals have been teased or expected in some way, but we now have visuals and more detail.

The exclusives revealed and shown are:

MOTUC Mo-Larr and Skeletor Two-Pack - complete with Skeletor's Missing Tooth!

MOTUC Orko with Prince Adam "accessory". The SDCC Exclusive version of Orko turns transparent when dipped in water and has a spell book that reveals a SDCC logo when wet.

DC Universe Classics Plastic Man: deluxe figure with swappable limbs and a SDCC exclusive Plas-as-suitcase body.

DC Infinite Heroes Starro & The Justice League Set - HUGE Starro with five Silver Age JLA figures (including Aquaman!!) and a small Starro for each of their faces.

Also shown - Mego Style Ghostbusters!

This is very impressive set of exclusives, and best of all there's nothing Gleek-ish in the SDCC - only versions that is going to worry many collectors who have to buy to the web versions after the con!

Attack of the Show will have more reveals next week!

You can discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the April AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

Amazon Leaks DCUC Wave 15?

It might be another Amazon Glitch, but the world's biggest bookstore currently has listings up for seven DC Universe Classics Figures that haven't been released or announced yet, most of which have been rumoured for DCUC Wave 15. They're listed as "Out of Stock", with no photos as yet.

These are: (follow the links to the Amazon listings:)

Martian Manhunter (according to the listing, will have an alien head variant)

Jemm

OMAC

Raven

Batman Sinestrro Corps

Starman (according to the listing, a 50 / 50 classic / modern split)

Golden Pharaoh

Is this the real Wave 15? Will Amazon get in trouble for jumping the gun? Time will tell!

You can discuss all this and more in the AFB Forum DCUC Wave 15 Speculation Thread.

Lastest and Greatest Bronze Age Legion Customs!

Quite some time ago now, the rather amazing customiser and my good friend Dr Terrific and I started on a journey to create a complete line of Bronze Age Legion of Superheroes Customs. It began as a gift of a Wildfire custom, then a Dawnstar to go with Wildfire, and then somehow turned into a quest to complete the whole gang. Alongside Wildfire and Dawnstar, I received the first "wave" of the three Legion founders at the end of last year, and from now on Dr T will be completing the heroes in waves of four in the order of joining.

That means that the next "wave" is Duo Damsel (formerly Triplicate Girl), Phantom Girl, Superboy and Chameleon Boy. The gang arrived a week ago and to say I'm rapt is a major understatement. I'm WAY rapt!

If there was one figure in the whole Bronze Age Legion project that had to work to make the whole thing work, it's Phantom Girl. For some reason I really can't explain, Phantom Girl has always been my favourite member of my favourite super team, and her iconic white bell bottoms and pigtails look very much sums up the Bronze Age Legion style. I was very confident in Dr T to deliver, especially since he knew how important she was to me, but I am totally blown away by the result. The base is a JLA Vixen with swapped hands, and there's major sculpting work in those bell bottoms! All white could look horrible in the hands of the wrong painter, but not so here - the shiny spraypaint-work of Dr T comes through here in a big way. I am in absolute love with this figure.

Superboy might look like a simple JLA Superman repaint, but looks can be deceptive! Dr T went to great lengths through sculpting, sanding and paint to cut down the size and muscle definition of the base figure to make sure this looks like the teenage Clark and not the beefed up adult version. The "S" symbol is also redone, and the hairstyle modified to reflect Superboy's 70's "do". A great piece!

Duo Damsel had an interesting look in the Bronze Age, and Dr T worked very hard with us to find source pics and nail the colours and the hair to transform a Watchmen Silk Spectre I into this futuristic beauty. Chameleon Boy started his life as a JLA Black Lightning, but turned out 100% Durlan. The colours are spot-on, and the sculpted vest, ears and antennae make this custom work fantastically.

So once again, I am in great debt to Dr Terrific and his amazing skills. While I'm obviously helping out with costs and Dr T's time, I know this is also a labour of love for him and I am incredibly grateful. The next "wave" Colossal Boy, Star Boy, Brainiac 5 and Invisible Kid is already taking shape and progress shots can be seen on the AFB Forum. Can't wait!

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum (the discussion thread is here, the whole BA Legion Customs in progress thread is here) and comment on this post to enter the April AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

The AFB Comment of the Month Contest - April 2010!

First off, thanks to everyone who commented on last month’s blog posts. Congratulations to AFB Forum Member Westy and AFB Facebook Fan Renny Roccon for being our winners in this two prize month! Winners - 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 these gents their choices of either the DC Direct Blackest Night Larfleeze or the Marvel Select Thing will be on the way when available from Mike’s Comics N’ Stuff.

Now to April’s Contest: on offer are two great prizes, either the Negative Man (regular) or Blue Devil figure from DC Universe Classics Wave 13!.

A few bits and pieces:

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!

These Tiny Little Metal Dudes Make-A Me So Happy!

One great thing Hasbro has been doing with its Marvel Movie tie-ins in the throwing the collectors a bone or two in the form of a comic-based line that goes alongside the movie time. This worked very well with the Wolverine: Origins product, and thankfully has been carried on with the toys for the upcoming Iron Man 2 film. There are Movie, Comic and Concept Series in the 3 3/4" figure line, and they have now hit retail in Australia. I was killing some time while waiting for the youngest AFB-ette to get fully hyped up on sugar and slippery dips at a birthday party at one of those shopping centre play-gyms / parent torture centres last weekend and came across them at a Toys R Us adjacent to the centre, so I had to pick up a few.

The big surprise of the whole gang is the greatly improved Classic Iron Man himself. I hadn't planned on buying this one, seeing as I already own the Marvel Universe and Secret Wars versions, but this one is a stand-out. The colours are more vibrant, the articulation more sturdy, and he "works" in a way that previous versions haven't. He comes with a power blast attachment which works very well, and a stand which is meant to be the blast from his feet, which has problems. He's pictured standing on this on the package with his feet right together, which is actually impossible, since there is only one peg and it's in the middle. He can only stand on this with one foot on the peg and one hanging off. Still works, but it's a but wonky. This doesn't take away from the fantastic figure. He may be a re-issue, but he's also a must have.

Despite the greatly improved Classic Shellhead, Crimson Dynamo steals the series for me, and not just because it's the Soviet Super-Soldier's plastic premiere. He's not just a first-timer - he's extremely well done. In addition to being the perfect shade of... well, crimson, his armor is so well sculpted. He comes with an optic blast attachment that rests on his head a bit like a wreath, or a crown of purple plastic thorns. The only niggle here is that his feet are a bit oddly articulated which made him a bit hard to pose, but we got there in the end. Very happy to own this one!

Comic Series War Machine is a fine piece with some interesting inclusions. A great feature here is his shoulder-mounted gun / blasty things, which have 360 degree rotation. The included plastic attachments show is that one is for zapping things, and the other is for.... popping popcorn? The only other drawback to War Machine's design is that his shoulder pads limit his arm movement somewhat. And did I mention his right hand blasty thing looks like popcorn? Pop!

There's meant to be an Iron Monger in the Comic Series, but I picked up the Movie Series version while I was at it, because he looked cool. If the Comic Series version does appear, this one will get the boot, but he's a fun stand-in for the moment.

Interestingly, Hasbro also appears to be doing a 6" line for this movie which will be exclusive to Wal-Mart. In light of the great job done with Crimson Dynamo in the smaller scale, I'd love to see a 6" version to go alongside that some of my other figures from that lil' ol Marvel toy line Hasbro seems to be slowly driving into the ground.... oh, what was it called?? Well, a guy can dream...

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the March AFB Comment of the Month Contest! ** Remember - this month only there's also a prize for one AFB Facebook Fan, so become one while there's still time!