Star Wars: The Vintage Collection 2010: Dengar Figure Review

Late January 2010, Hasbro released news of their upcoming Star Wars: Vintage Collection.  Frankly, I wasn't interested in any of the vintage-style figures mainly because Hasbro is known to re-release the same figures over and over (just look at their upcoming "new" re-release of their 2010 "Saga Legends" line).  However, once I heard about a thoroughly newly-sculpted Dengar figure, I couldn't resist (damn you, Hasbro!).

The Good:

• Dengar has 14 points of articulation: ball-jointed neck, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel wrists, ball-jointed waist, swivel hips, swivel/hinge knees, and swivel/hinge ankles.

• Dengar comes with only 4 accessories: 1x blaster pistol, 1x BlasTech DLT-19, 1x backpack, and 1x (removable) crotch armor w/ belt attached.

• Although I really don't recognize Dengar's face, the level of detail is just amazing.  His face is noticeably scarred while his stern, eye-piercing gaze shows what an angry bad-ass he is.

• I definitely don't recall ever seeing Dengar's "backpack" or gear but the level of detail is just amazing.  Nothing about the sculpt is out of place here.

• There are a few paint [mis]applications but nothing too major that it detracts any value from the overall figure.

• I was glad to see Hasbro finally sculpt a fully functional holster that can hold the entire blaster pistol snugly without it ever falling out.

• Although both of Dengar's pre-posed [gripped] hands look tight, they surprisingly can hold all of his weapons quite nicely. 

The Bad:

• It's not too much of a big deal, but I don't know why Dengar's "crotch armor" is a separate piece from the rest of his body.  Maybe the Hasbro factories in China forgot to glue it on?  We won't know until this figure is released later on in the U.S.

• This isn't necessarily a bad thing either, but if you examine Dengar's left foot, you can see that his left sole isn't flat.  Hasbro's sculptors probably did this in order to keep Dengar's balance and prevent him from tipping over.

The Ugly:

• Nothing ugly about the figure here.

• I'm not too thrilled with Hasbro's attempt to cash in on SW fans' nostalgia by offering a "mail-in" vintage-style "rocket/missile firing" Boba Fett figure.  I'd rather have another updated figure instead.

Additional Notes:

• Interestingly, the BlasTech DLT-19 accessory is not the same weapon Dengar is seen holding aboard the Executor (in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back).  This particular gun is used by a fellow bounty hunter 4-LOM.

• This figure won't be available until later this summer or early fall.

I purchased this figure from eBay at a reasonable price of $11.99 (this included the Vintage Collection 2010: 4-LOM figure).  If you don't want to pay full-price for a packaged figure, just purchase them online via any one of those eBay sellers located in China.  Most likely, these figures are legit, because that's where all the Star Wars figures are produced.  Just becareful when you go shopping for these goods, because sometimes these sellers charge a bit more than buying them locally.  However, if you don't have the patience, then by all means, go ahead.  If you do want to purchase these locally, then your best bet would be to go to your local Toysrus or Walmart.  While online retailers (like BigBadToyStore) aren't so bad, they tend to place premium prices on figures they think will sell fast.



NOTE: I DO NOT REPRESENT eBAY, TOYSRUS, WALMART, OR BIGBADTOYSTORE.  I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID TO MENTION THEIR NAMES.  I AM ONLY RECOMMENDING THEIR SERVICES [OR NOT] BASED UPON MY PAST EXPERIENCES WITH THEM.

Generally speaking, the price of figures have gone way up.  Last I heard, the 2010 "vintage-styled" Star Wars figures will have a price tag of $7.99 which is quite expensive for something scaled so small.  However, judging from the level of detail work done on this particular figure, the $7.99 doesn't seem too unreasonable.  However, unlike the previously released "vintage-styled" figures, the upcoming ones will no longer come sealed in clamshell packaging.  It's not too much of a big deal, but for collectors who want everything in mint condition, they will have to be extra careful when purchasing these figures.  I had promised myself not to purchase anymore Star Wars figures, but with these babies out, this may be one promise I will have to compromise on.

Score (out of five):

Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom Figure Review

Images of The Temple of Doom action figure line were released during the San Diego Comic Con 2008, which created quite a stir in the action figure community.  Without a doubt, everyone wanted two or more of each.  Unfortunately, I missed out on these when they were finally released months after Comic Con (I blame work and my forgetfulness; both an equally lethal combination, especially when it comes to collecting).  It took about several months before I (gave in) and paid an inflated price for the entire Wave 4 (Temple of Doom) line.  All I can say is that it's a real shame that it took three waves of the Indiana Jones action figure line for the level of sculpt to reach new and amazing heights. 


Flavor Text:

"Fleeing the Temple of Doom with an army of Thuggee hot on his heels, Indy is suddenly cornered on the treacherous edge of a ravine.  As the trained, red-turbaned fighters advance on him, he reaches for his pistol, only to find it has disappeared during his frantic flight.  All he has left to use against Mola Ram's fanatic army is the sword in his hand.  He backs out onto the ancient rope bridge over the ravine, preparing for the fight of his life."




The Good:

• Indy has 13 points of articulation: ball-jointed neck, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel [left ]wrist, swivel waist, swivel hips, swivel/hinge knees, and swivel/hinge ankles.
  

• Indy comes with only 4 accessories: 1x coiled bullwhip, 1x sword, 1x satchel; and 1x "hidden" [Easter Island statue] relic (and sticker of said relic).
  

• I thought the facial sculpt of the Indiana Jones (King of the Crystal Skull) figure was amazing, but this Indiana (Temple of Doom) figure is just spectacular.  I'm not sure if it was intentional but Indy's face expresses some concern about something, instead of the typical "neutral" face.
  

• It's really nice to see that Indy's joints are surprisingly tight, despite all the bending and twisting I've put him through for action poses.
  

• I just can't stop adoring the sculpt on this figure.  Everything about is just amazing!  The tattered "open" shirt reveals Harrison Ford's slight muscular build.  His right arm is also sculpted to show his muscular arm (it even has a vein sculpt!).
  

• The sculpted-on lashes (found on his back) that Indy has endured during his time in the Temple of Doom is a really nice touch (definite plus for paying attention to this type of detail).
  

• What was an especially nice surprise is that Indy's satchel can be opened to reveal [two] Sankara Stones.  The sculpted details (on the outside) of the slightly "bulging" satchel is also a nice touch.

• Although there are a few spots where dried paint "chips" fall out (mainly because they're on the joints), overall, the paint application is well done.

• What really impressed me was how and where the paint was applied: take for instance, the tattered edges of Indy's shirt.  Upon closer examination, one can see the paint application is expertly applied to give off the impression that that part of Indy's shirt is drenched in sweat.

The Bad:

• The major drawback is that Indy can't hold onto his sword accessory.  The sword handle should've been a bit thicker to accommodate Indy's slightly large pre-posed "open-grip" right-hand.

• On the inside of Indy's right-hand, you'll notice that the bandage has mysteriously "disappeared."  It's possible that Indy could've had a better grip on the sword were the sculpted-on bandage continue to wrap around his hand.

• Indy's sword accessory a bit on the thin side (both the blade and handle).  However, it's plagued with another problem: the blade's tendency to curve to one side.

• In terms of movie-accuracy, I'm pretty sure Indy had more than two Sankara Stones in his satchel before his final fight with Mola Ram.  During his fight with Mola over the ravine, most of the Sankara Stones fell out.  This leaves me wondering why Hasbro sculptors decided on having two Sankara Stones in Indy's satchel.

The Ugly:

• At a brief glance, one can already tell the level and quality of the sculpting on this figure is far superior than its predecessors.  I wonder why it took so long for Hasbro to come out with these sculpted figures of this particular caliber?  There are just too many questions regarding how Hasbro handled the quality and distribution of the Indiana Jones action figure line.

• If there's anything ugly, it's the packaging: (1) The design looks as if to appeal to a much younger age group (and probably is, otherwise there would be no guarantee this line would make that much money to justify continuing production of Indiana Jones figures) and (2) The amount of effort to remove the figure is a bit excessive.  Do you know how many pieces of tape and plastic I had to get through just to get the figure out?  That's far too many.

• Although I can understand how some may view the inclusion of "hidden relics" as a neat idea, but it seems rather.... childish.  I wish Hasbro would stop including such things and instead use those materials to further improve their figures rather than worry about including something "extra" (aka unnecessary).

Additional Notes:

• Just a few gripes: (1) I really wish Indy came with an alternative "hat-less" head; and (2) It would've been really nice to include at least one removable Sankara Stone that could be placed within Indy's satchel.

• Unfortunately, this line has been long DEAD.  To make things harder, this particular (TOD) line was VERY popular and HIGH in demand due to both the small supply and amazingly sculpted details of these figures.  You will have a far harder time tracking these figures down and getting them at any reasonable price.

This figure was purchased as a "Temple of Doom" set online via eBay at an inflated price of $86.89 (includes S&H charges).  From what I've just seen, your best bet is to shop for it on eBay.  However, if you'd rather get is from somewhere within the U.S., I reluctantly recommend Brians Toys because they always sell their action figures at highly inflated prices even when the figures are available at other retail stores.  Because this figure was released sometime in 2008, they're no longer available at BigBadToyStore or at Entertainment Earth.



NOTE: I DO NOT REPRESENT eBAY, BRIANS TOYS, BIGBADTOYSTORE, or ENTERTAINMENT EARTH.  I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID TO MENTION THEIR NAMES.  I AM ONLY RECOMMENDING THEIR SERVICES [OR NOT] BASED UPON MY PAST EXPERIENCES WITH THEM.

After careful browsing of the Internet and other toy sites, I settled on purchasing this particular Indiana Jones figure as well as others.  Despite the negatives I've listed above, overall, I think this figure is well-balanced and [fairly] indicative of what to expect from the rest of the Indiana Jones action figure line.

Score (out of five):

Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Figure Review

Back sometime during the winter of 2007 and early 2008, there was news of Indiana Jones action figures being released later that year (2008).  Like most (okay, ALL) collectors, I was extremely thrilled with such welcoming news.  However, I was worried that these figures would be made in such a way to appeal more to the younger crowd.  As early pictures surfaced of these figures, the more excited I became.  I had to have these figures, yesterday!  However, I was a bit cautious with purchasing some of the Indiana Jones figures, because it seemed the prototypes were much better than the actual [released] product. 


Flavor Text:

"In his quest to uncover the secrets of the crystal skull, Indiana Jones races against the evil Irina Spalko.  With the help of the young and rebellious Mutt Williams, Indy destroys much of the Russian forces and takes the rest on a deadly chase through the Peruvian jungle, leading to a final confrontation at the lost temple of Akator."




The Good:

• Indy has 14 points of articulation: ball-jointed neck, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel wrists, swivel waist, swivel hips, swivel/hinge knees, and swivel/hinge ankles.

• Indy comes with a total of 7 accessories: 2x left hands (1x pre-posed to hold his pistol and 1x grasping the titular crystal skull); 1x Indy's well-known fedora; 1x equally famous [uncoiled] bullwhip; 1x revolver; 1x satchel; and 1x "hidden" [Eye of the Peacock] relic (and sticker of said relic).

• The facial sculpt of Indiana Jones (a la Harrison Ford) are amazingly dead-on accurate.

• It's really nice to see that Indy's joints are surprisingly tight, despite all the bending and twisting I've put him through for action poses.

• The (2x) interchangeable [left] hands are easily swappable and fit in their respective hold tightly.  On a side note, Indy's revolver fits perfectly into his partially "open-grip" pre-posed hand as well.

The Bad:

• This Indy figure suffers the same symptoms as some of Hasbro's Star Wars action figure line of not being able to hold onto his weapon (I refer to his uncoiled bullwhip).  It looks as if Indy can hold onto his whip while he's inside the packaging.  However, once he's removed, Indiana can no longer grab ahold of it.  For shame, really.

• Indy's fedora looks a bit too big for his small head.  It would've been nice to see an alternate head with the hat sculpted on included with this figure.  However, after placing the hat onto his head, it looks almost as if the fedora is sized appropriately.  Since the Indy's fedora is sculpted to fit his head tightly, be aware that his hair [paint application] will come off eventually and smear on the insides of his beloved "adventuring" hat.

• Overall, the paint application is pretty consistent with Indy.  Unfortunately, this consistency is moderately interrupted by the sloppy paint application on poor aging Indy's "head and facial" area.  The gray-colored paint has over-reached and invades the right-side if Indy's head.  A mis-application on the left-side of his face is also visible.  His left ear is covered in gray paint.  Also, the brown paint (supposed to be Indy's beard) is missing on the bottom left-side of his face.  From a distance, Indy's eyes seem to be painted alright.  Upon closer inspection, you can clearly see his right eye is painted in such a way that it looks poor old Harrison Ford has a lazy eye.

• This is more of a gripe than something I consider "bad" about this figure: if you look at Indy's holster, you'll notice that it's sculpted (amazingly well-done, by the way) to show his revolver is holstered.  It would've been far better to have a functional holster to hold his (really small thus very easy to lose) revolver.

The Ugly:

• If there's anything ugly, it's the packaging: (1) The design looks as if to appeal to a much younger age group (and probably is, otherwise there would be no guarantee this line would make that much money to justify continuing production of Indiana Jones figures) and (2) The amount of effort to remove the figure is a bit excessive.  Do you know how many pieces of tape and plastic I had to get through just to get the figure out?  That's far too many.

• Although I can understand how some may view the inclusion of "hidden relics" as a neat idea, but it seems rather.... childish.  I wish Hasbro would stop including such things and instead use those materials to further improve their figures rather than worry about including something "extra" (aka unnecessary).

Additional Notes:

• If you haven't noticed/heard already, this line is (unfortunately) DEAD.  Hey, at least you can find some real bargins purchasing these figures!

I most likely purchased this figure from online retailer HasbroToyShop, however, I'm not so sure which one because it's been so long.  You could probably find some really good bargins at BigBadToyStore or even Toysrus.  I'm not even going to recommend Entertainment Earth because I just noticed that they have this figure on sale for $11.99 (just read the title "Indiana Jones with Crystal Skull Action Figure, Not Mint" and right next to the price "Great Deal").   I see they still rip off their loyal customers.  Nice.  If you still have trouble finding this figure or others from online retailers, I suggest checking out eBay, but good luck.



NOTE: I DO NOT REPRESENT BIGBADTOYSTORE, ENTERTAINMENT EARTH, OR eBAY.  I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID TO MENTION THEIR NAMES.  I AM ONLY RECOMMENDING THEIR SERVICES [OR NOT] BASED UPON MY PAST EXPERIENCES WITH THEM.

After careful browsing of the Internet and other toy sites, I settled on purchasing this particular Indiana Jones figure as well as others.  Despite the negatives I've listed above, overall, I think this figure is well-balanced and [fairly] indicative of what to expect from the rest of the Indiana Jones action figure line.


Score (out of five):

 

Star Wars Legacy Collection: Imperial Scanning Crew Review

Once in a while, there's a figure that I haven't really expected would come out but does. This is one of those "I've got to have this!" figures for two reasons: 1. I don't have this figure and the sculpt looks decent enough; and 2. I can use this figure as a kit-bash custom for my AT-ST vehicle! The Imperial Scanning Crew has been released twice: Once as a Kenner "exclusive" found and sold only with the "Star Wars Power of the Force: Millennium Falcon Carry Case" and once as a stand-alone figure from Hasbro's "The Original Trilogy Collection". The main differences in Hasbro's ISC consist of (the good) the superior sculpt and articulation, (the bad) few accessories (and especially poor choice of one particular accessory).



Flavor Text:

"Imperial Scanning Crew BD32

An Imperial scanning crew checks the Millennium Falcon to make sure no one is on board. The two-man crew brings the scanner onto the ship and quickly discovers the vessel is not as empty as it first appeared to be."



The Good:

• The Imperial Scanning Crew (ISC) has 22 points of articulation: ball-jointed head, ball-jointed/swivel shoulders, ball-jointed/swivel elbows, swivel wrists, swivel waist, swivel hips, ball-jointed/swivel knees, and ball-jointed/swivel ankles.

• The facial sculpt of the ISC is top-notch. His face is distinct enough and yet at the same time forgettable enough, just like those cannon-fodder Stormtroopers. However, the only thing that [slightly] bothers me about his face is... well, he looks very upset and arrogant for an ISC. His facial expression fits better with an Imperial Officer of some sort. Despite the shortcoming, I do like the nice change of eye color (the ISC's eyes are blue) and his funky sideburns.

• Accessory-wise: remember the news that the ISC might not come with the scanner? Well, he DOES come with one! It doesn't stop there, because he's also got an BlasTech E-11 Imperial blaster pistol, and 1x BAD (Build-A-Droid) right "leg" of R3-A2.

The Bad:

• One of the major downsides is that his little cap isn't removable like Captain Needa's. It is rather sculpted as part of the ISC's head. I'm extremely disappointed with this because I so badly wanted to use the ISC as an alternative AT-ST driver for the "Walmart-Exclusive" AT-ST vehicle (the AT-ST driver's helmet fits on the ISC's head surprisingly well).

• This is really nitpicking, but the ISC's hands seem a bit too big. You know what they say about people with hands bigger than their face...?

• The BlasTech E-11 Imperial blaster pistol doesn't fit snugly in its holster. If it doesn't fit, then what is the point of having one in the first place?

• Dammit Hasbro! I wish they would stop "rubber-banding" the blaster to the figure's hand (especially the hand that can't even hold the weapon in the first place). I'm on to you, Hasbro. As I've mentioned in my previous review, this "rubber-banding" warps the shape of the plastic permanently. The blaster that came with the ISC kind of looked like it could use a little Viagra.

The Ugly:

• Remember the scanner accessory? Although Hasbro relented and included the scanner, it's just terrible. The photo of the accessory depicted on the back of the card looks nothing like what I got. Also, I don't recall ever seeing the contents of the scanner, but I'm pretty sure it didn't look like the accessory that comes with the ISC. What further cheapens this accessory is the fact that Hasbro has even gone even further by adding two "wheelies" to help the ISC with his duties. Why couldn't Hasbro given us a repainted version of the scanner within the container found in Star Wars Power of the Force: Millennium Falcon Carry Case with Imperial Scanning Crew Figure?

Additional Notes:

• At first glance, it looked like and certainly felt like the ISC couldn't move his arms all the way up due to the "deceptive" sculpt. However, my frustrations got the best of me which led me to force his arms all the way up, which he complied with some resistance. I promise, you won't break your figure. Or I'm extremely lucky.

I purchased the Imperial Scanning Crew online via BriansToys* for approximately $11.00 (price doesn't include S&H, which they charge separately for some reason). At this time, I recommend shopping around through eBay and other fine online retailers like BigBadToyStore for these. I've seen some sellers on eBay price them at $6.99 to $14.95 (not including S&H). Or else, the old-fashioned way of visiting your nearest Walmart or Toysrus is another way to go (if you have the patience and long for the adventure), which may sell them for $7.00 a piece.

*From my past experiences with BriansToys, they usually charge ridiculously high prices for regular Star Wars figures. However, almost always they deliver the figures in C-8 or better condition.

NOTE: I DO NOT REPRESENT eBAY, BRIANSTOYS, BIGBADTOYSTORE, AND OTHER PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED STORES. I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID TO MENTION THEIR NAMES. I AM ONLY RECOMMENDING THEIR SERVICES BASED UPON MY PAST EXPERIENCES WITH THEM.


What really hurt this figure is the lousy scanner accessory.
Note to Hasbro, it's better not to include something that isn't "movie accurate" (or even recognizable) rather than include it and cheapen the overall [collector] value as a whole. However, the Legacy Collection's Imperial Scanning Crew is another solid entrance in "figures that need updating for quite some time" category. I really hope Hasbro releases a newly sculpted AT-ST driver using the same body as the ISC. Although $11.00 is asking for a bit much, this is one figure you can't ignore.