Sunday, March 11, 2012

One Piece Logbox (Marineford): Boa Hancock Figure Review

Flavor Text:


Regarding the characters, there's actually none.  Whatever is written all over the packaging is in Japanese.




Sculpt:


I admit I was deceived by the amazing photos of the actual figure.  Unfortunately, in hand, Boa Hancock looks nothing like Boa Hancock.  Although that's expected (to some degree), the facial sculpt could've been better.  For better reference, feel free to click here or just Google it.  Since Hancock is almost entirely in one piece (that was not an intended pun), only her outstretched right-arm needs be placed into the socket of her right shoulder.


While it's understandable to have part of Hancock's feet extended so that it can be placed into the base, it still looks very ugly and distracting.  Unfortunately, when I placed her into the base, she had a hard time staying in.  The best advice I can give you is to push the tips of her toes into the base.


On the other hand, Hancock's pet snake, Salome is the complete opposite in that its sculpt is pretty accurate.  Salome retains his/her goofy smile, and both the detailing and texture of its skull [helmet?] is right on the money.  I can definitely say that without Salome, the overall figure would fall apart.


Salome too has the protruding parts allowing it be placed onto the figure base.  Fortunately, they fit perfectly and don't cause any trouble pushing them in.  Just remember to place the Hancock figure in first, then insert Salome, otherwise you'll have one hell of a difficult time.




Articulation:


Hancock has no articulation whatsoever (the same thing applies to her pet Salome).  All of her parts have been molded and cast into pre-posed pieces.  Hancock's pose is pulled from the "Marineford" arc/chapter where Luffy is trying to rescue his brother Ace from his execution.  For those who don't follow the manga/anime, Hancock's pose is what the manga characters refer to as her "looking down pose" (Hancock looks down upon someone to the extreme that she leans backwards, facing the sky).




Paint Application:


There are a few (but very visible) marks on Hancock's forehead.  Salome has a bunch of misapplied paint applications all over its body (streaks and paint applications going over the intended snake's scales, etc.).  Although I can be quite.... fussy about paint applications, I realize that this is a gashapon toy, so we really can't be sweating the details.




Accessories:


Hancock comes with a tiny booklet (one-side is in black and white with instructions for a totally different figure and the other side is in color showing off other figures in this particular series).  She also comes with a "mystery figure" which is of Ace (Luffy's older brother) who is being brutally murdered with a fiery fist piercing his chest (this figure is from Chapter 573 of One Piece titled "The Current Age is Named Whitebeard").




Packaging:


People have complained that this packaging is too flimsy, but I didn't have this problem (this is due to the fact that I purchased this figure already pulled from the box).  I believe these figures come in sets of 6 or more per box.  Since these figures are appropriately called "blind-boxed", you'll never know what you're going to get until you open the package.  What I do find appealing about this package is that it's appropriately shaped as a barrel (to a certain extent).



Price:


I purchased this from an overseas eBay seller but can't seem to recall how much I paid for it.  Judging from the current eBay postings, I'm assuming I paid at least $19.99 with free shipping and handling.  If you want to purchase a quality Boa Hancock figure doing her "look down" pose, I suggest purchasing the upper-scale version: Bandai's Figuarts Zero "One Piece" Boa Hancock (Toei) Limited Version.



The Good:

* Boa Hancock in plastic form!
* Overall color scheme is very pleasing to the eyes.




The Bad:

* Face doesn't look anything like Boa Hancock.
* No articulation (but that's expected for this type of figure).
* Minimal sloppy paint applications and stray marks.




The Ugly:

* It's a gashapon "blind-box" figure, what did you expect?




Score:

Score: 2.5 (out of 5)



Sunday, March 4, 2012

Jonah Hex (film): Lilah Figure Review

Flavor Text:


"LILAH:

Lilah's piercing eyes, cascade of dark hair, and hourglass shape that's almost impossible to believe belie her underlying keen wit and unflinching bravado.  She lives her life balanced on the thin line between good and evil, and only cares for a single one of the many men who drift in and out of her life.  The only one who can possibly see to the heart of who she really is.  Jonah Hex.  They are star-crossed, and when that star falls into the brutal hands of Quentin Turnbull, Jonah will have to rely on her more than he ever has before to help save the country."




Sculpt:


I admit that I haven't watched Jonah Hex.  But hearing that Megan Fox would be in the film somewhat piqued my interest mainly because she just looks so damn good (if you disagree, please watch Transformers and look me in the eyes and tell me she's anything but).  As I browsed through photos from Toy Fair 2010, I immediately "fell in love" with the prototype of Megan Fox (I mean, Lilah).  One glance, and I already knew who this figure was (the actress).

I did some image browsing (thank you Google Images!) to see whether NECA's sculptors captured the accuracy of the on-screen Megan, and (not surprisingly), almost everything from the film has been entirely painstakingly sculpted into 7-inch figure form.


The facial sculpt is "dead-on" accurate.  A tiny portion of Lilah's teeth can be seen between her lips, but after a while, I learned to ignore it because it's Megan Fox in action figure form!

 
I really love the detailing (folds and flow) of Lilah's skanky dress.  Lilah's sculpted wavy hair is just sexy and well-done.  I could go on and on about how much I love this and that, so I'll just stop here.  Let's just say this figure is totally better than the movie itself (I formed this opinion after reading a few scathing reviews of Jonah Hex).

Even Fabio is jealous

I really like NECA for not placing the "NECA 2010 Made in China" stamp anywhere that's visible (that stamp is placed less noticeably on the inner left-side of Lilah's skirt.  Because Lilah's feet are tiny (and peg holes), the soles of Lilah's boots have no detailing.




Articulation:

Lilah in all her glory

Lilah has 10 points of articulation: ball-jointed neck, swivel-hinged shoulders, swivel-hinged elbows, swivel wrists, ball-jointed waist, and swivel boots.

See: Ball-jointed waist... and obligatory panty shot

Normally, I'd complain that this or that figure didn't have the necessary amount of articulation, but Lilah has just enough articulation to get by.  I would've loved to see some leg articulation (whoops!) but this type of articulation has been "standardized" in NECA's offerings for some time.


NOTE: I had some trouble with Lilah standing up.  She'd have the tendency to lean precariously forward.  By adjusting her upper body (via ball-jointed waist), Lilah now stands straight ready for whatever comes her way.




Paint Application:


Although NECA's products have been plagued with paint application problems in the past, Lilah has almost none of those problems.  In order to accentuate the "sheerness" of Lilah's outfit, NECA's team went about it in two ways: (1) They managed to apply "flesh-colored" paint on certain parts of Lilah's "prostitute uniform" (e.g. look underneath her armpits/chest area/forearms/stockings); and (2) utilized partially "see-through" plastic for her skirt, which adds an undeniable "sexiness" to the whole outfit (right?).

The ONLY thing that bothered me was extremely pale "flesh-colored" paint application right above Lilah's right knee (where there's a large hole in her stocking). 




Accessories:

Say hello to my little friend

I haven't seen the movie, but I've seen image stills of Lilah: firing two guns, carrying a tomahawk, and holding a tiny pistol (okay, that last one was from the movie poster).  Care to guess what comes with Lilah?  Yes, that's right, the tiny pistol.


The first time I placed the pistol into her preposed grip (right-hand), the pistol immediately fell out after adjusting Lilah's right arm.  Now, for some reason, the pistol is staying perfectly still in her hand, even while I continually adjust her right arm.

And when I refer to the pistol accessory as "tiny," I really mean it's tiny.  When it fell out of Lilah's hand the first time, I had one hell of a time looking for the darned thing.  Let this be your one and only warning.




Packaging:


Lilah comes in the typical NECA clamshell packaging.  The backdrop of the packaging features some dilapidated "Old Western" style buildings.  In the foreground, Josh Brolin posing as Jonah Hex covers the left corner of the packaging.


Interestingly, Lilah's pistol accessory is hidden behind Jonah Hex's cowboy hat (upper left-hand corner).

NOTE: Lilah's "flavor text" is actually printed on the left-hand side of the packaging.  The back has some pointless (my opinion) jibba-jabba about getting a "special sneak peek" of Jonah Hex motion comics.




Price:

Girls night out

I pre-ordered Lilah through CornerStoreComics.com for $14.99 (not including tax and shipping and handling charges) during March 2010.  I'm pretty sure you can find her for cheaper online.




The Good:

* Looks exactly Megan Fox!  (Transformers custom figure anyone?)
* Highly gorgeous and highly detailed figure!
* Movie accurate sculpt.


The Bad:

* Minor paint application problem.
* Megan Fox (I mean, Lilah) needs to keep her mouth closed.
* Super tiny pistol accessory (very easy to lose... or swallow).



The Ugly:

* None whatsoever!



Score: 

Score: 4 (out of 5)