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):

 

K-On!: Yui Hirasawa Figma Review

I've never heard of K-On! until I saw this Figma up for pre-order on various online Japanese toy specialty stores.  Unfortunately for me, all the pre-orders were sold out in record time (the minute they were up, everything was sold out).  I saw clearer pictures and read the description of the figure on the Max Factory "Figma" blog and was blown away by the cuteness of the character.  I scoured all of eBay and finally settled on one of those sellers from Hong Kong (who also had a very high sell rating) at a somewhat reasonable price.  I eventually found and watched all thirteen episodes of K-On! which told me that I was going to be poor once again.




The Good:

• Yui has approximately 14 points of articulation: swivel/hinged neck, ball-jointed shoulders, quasi-swivel/hinged elbows, swivel/hinged wrists, [hidden] ball-jointed waist, swivel/hinged hips, quasi-swivel/hinged knees, and swivel/hinged/"rocking" ankles.

• Yui comes loaded with accessories as expected from Max Factory's Figma line: 3x faces (one "determined" looking face; one "cute/smiling" face; and one "blank" face), 1x Gibson Les Paul standard electric guitar accessory (which Yui nicknames "Giita"), 2x [front] hairpieces, 1x guitar case, 4x right-hands, 4x left-hands, 2x pairs of shoes, 3x "straps" (for the guitar and guitar case), 1x "Figma" stand, 1x sheet of various "facial expressions" water decals (for use with the "blank" face accessory), 1x cardboard cut-out of a stage, and 1x "Figma" plastic pouch (to hold Yui and her accessories).

• The facial expressions of Yui's face are dead-on accurate.  Just glancing at the figure helps me relive Yui's moments in specific parts of the "K-On!" anime.

• Yui's Gibson Les Paul standard electric guitar accessory is surprisingly detailed to a point (unfortunately you won't find this guitar stringed up).

The Bad:

• Apparently, Max Factory decided that having the consumer do some of the work was a good idea (I fart in their general direction).  I refer to the "straps" which I had to [painfully] attach to both the guitar and the guitar case.  Why did I pay these guys in the first place?

• The instructions on how to use and apply the facial expression "decals" onto the "blank" face are in Japanese.  Once again, Max Factory leaves it to the consumer to figure that one out.  Gee, thanks.

• Yui's head has a tendency to fall off at the neck [joint] (especially if you swivel her head around).  It's irritating to say the least, but at least you can always "pop" it back on.
  
  

• Slight paint mis-applications, but nothing too major.

The Ugly:

• If there's anything ugly, it's the price.  And yes, I'm aware that import toys are usually more expensive.  That, and the limited availability of these K-On! figmas for purchase.

Additional Notes:

• There are a lot of bootleg (fake) figmas floating around on eBay.  However, I've noticed that legitimate figmas often have a holographic sticker somewhere on the packaging itself (for instance, the holographic sticker is placed on the front of the packaging).

•  I may be wrong about this, but also look for the "figma" logo and number on the "inside" flap when opening the package (it should be on the right-side).  There should also be a picture accompanied by an explanation showing how to remove the hairpiece and face accessory.

I purchased this Yui figma from a Hong Kong seller on eBay for $53.44 (includes S&H) while "K-On!" was in its "popular" phase.  You should be able to find better prices by now on eBay.  As I've mentioned before, there are a lot of bootleg versions out there.  Examine the price before bidding on anything; if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.  Also, ask the seller whether or not this is a bootleg.  If it turns out it is, you have proof that you've been deceived and most likely will receive a full refund.  If you want to avoid the hassles of determining whether the figma you're purchasing is a bootleg, I'd recommend purchasing them from other fine retailers.

I've had several figmas before so it's no surprise how well-sculpted their figures are.  I just hope we get to see a few figmas from other animes that I've been dying to get (for example: "Ah! My Goddess").  The folks at Max Factory have done an amazing job with this figure.  For a "K-On!" fan, this is clearly a MUST-HAVE.  For others, check out the anime (it's not for everyone) first.  Or if you like cute-looking figures, Yui is the one to get. 


Score (out of five):

Dante's Inferno: Dante Alighieri Figure Review

When I first heard "Dante's Inferno" was going to be made into a video-game based upon something that I barely recall reading sometime in either high-school or college, I was highly skeptical.  Once those teaser trailers and movie clips of the game-play and story came out, I was partially won over (damn you Visceral!).  I've viewed upcoming video game releases with a "wait-and-see" approach to save myself loads of money.  However, when I heard that NECA would be releasing a "pre-order bonus/exclusive" of a Dante action figure (that would never be sold in the U.S.) with the game, I willingly opened my wallet...


Flavor Text*:

"Dante returns home from the wars to find that his beloved Beatrice has been murdered, and her soul pulled down into Hell by a dark force.  He gives chase, and vows to get her back.  he wields Death's soul-reaping scythe, and commands holy powers of the cross, given to him by Beatrice."


The Good:

• Dante is loaded with articulation (17 points of articulation to be exact): ball-jointed neck, ball-jointed shoulders, ball-hinged elbows, ball-hinged wrists, ab-crunch joint, swivel hips, ball-jointed thighs, swivel upper thighs, ball-hinged knees, and ball-hinged ankles.

• Dante also comes with several accessories: 1x additional (tighter-grip) right-hand, 1x holy cross, 1x detachable scythe, and 1x "spine" of scythe.

• You can tell how much love and labor went into this figure.  The details of Dante's armor, bloody stitch-work, and even the inclusion of the "shredded" cloth (sculpt) wrapped all over his arms and wrists (actual cloth material) make this an exceptionally video-game accurate figure.

• The "holster" which houses the holy cross accessory is attached to Dante's right hip, and it actually works pretty well.  It takes a little bit of patience to pull the straps out.  But once you get it out, it's very easy to insert and remove the cross accessory.

• I'm glad that NECA removed their licensing information from the soles of Dante's feet and instead placed them on the "inside" of his torn "skirt".  You can see the continuation of the leather straps wrapped over the chain mail around his feet without any interruption.

• I really like the inclusion of Dante's "holster" on his naked back which can hold his deadly scythe without trouble (you'll need to remove the top portion that has the blade from the "stem" portion in order to fit the entire scythe in the "holster").

• While the material used for the top bladed portion of Dante's scythe feels like cheap plastic, the design mechanic (being able to move the blade itself) is pretty impressive.  I had a slightly hard time moving the blade so it would stick out a little further, but it works.

The Bad:

• The "ab-crunch" joint doesn't really work.  If I try to have him bend forward, the ab-crunch literally springs him back to his upright standing position.  And the "ab-crunch" joint is designed in such a way that Dante can't even bend backwards.  Can someone remind me why Dante even has an "ab-crunch" joint?  EDIT: I finally got the "ab-crunch" joint to partially work, and it stays in place.  However, I'm still disappointed that it only moves a tiny bit.

• Although the paint application is MUCH improved from all of NECA's previous figures, there are paint splatters (and dots) here and there.  But the ever-so-slightly annoying part are the joints.  For example, if you look at Dante's elbow, you'll notice that the front part of the joint is applied with flesh-colored paint.  However, if you look in the back, the joint is colored bright orange.  Whoops!

• If you examine Dante's "armpits" (where the joints are), you'll notice under the left arm that flesh-color paint has been applied with a little red smeared on it (most likely from Dante's bloody stitching job).  However, something horrifying awaits you under Dante's right arm.  Apparently, Dante forgot to shave under his right armpit, because the black or brown smears all over the joint look kind of "hairy".

• Due to the shape of the scythe's handle (the "spine" portion), I had a hard time placing it (aka shoving it) into Dante's pre-posed grip.  I really don't like shoving accessories into a figure's hand(s) because it may warp the grip over time, making the pre-posed grip pretty much useless.

• While Dante's left knee joint is given slightly more leeway, his right knee joint lacks that mobility.  You can do better than that, NECA.

The Ugly:

• There's absolutely nothing ugly here, folks.

Additional Notes:

• This figure is a "pre-order exclusive" which you can receive by ordering through Blockbuster and Gamestop (this is the only way to get this limited item for those of you living in the U.S.).  Rather than coming packaged in your typical clamshell, Dante comes poly-bagged.  But don't worry, the accessories will more than likely arrive unmolested due to an additional piece of plastic molded to fit the "detachable" scythe and additional right-hand accessories.

• Although I don't have a problem with Dante's facial sculpt, it would've been nice if he were given an "angry/battle-cry" face.  When you think about it, the calm but slightly grim face looks a bit ridiculous when he's about to brutalize some demons in the heat of battle.

• I would've loved to seen an alternative Dante figure sculpted in his "Crusades" uniform and armor prior to his descent into Hell.

• The "spine" portion of the scythe is actually made of bendable material.

As I mentioned earlier, this only came as a "pre-order exclusive" from either Blockbuster or Gamestop, so there isn't a price for this figure.  If I had to guess, I would say this type of figure would go around for at least $19.99 or so.  If you live in the United States, the only version of Dante you'll get is the poly-bagged one.  The ones in clamshell packaging* can be found overseas.

NOTE: I DO NOT REPRESENT BLOCKBUSTER OR GAMESTOP.  I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID TO MENTION THEIR NAMES.  I AM ONLY RECOMMENDING THEIR SERVICES BASED UPON MY PAST EXPERIENCES WITH THEM.

I've got to hand it to NECA.  They've really done an amazing job with this figure.  The level of detail, the character-appropriate accessories, and fairly large amount of articulation make this figure a MUST-HAVE.  As expected, there are relatively few minor paint applications, but nothing too serious enough to detract the overall value of the figure.  These babies are being sold on eBay like hotcakes.  Better get yours before they're all sold out! 

Score (out of five):

Masters of the Universe Classics: Skeletor: Evil Lord of Destruction Figure Review

Being a late comer to the "Masters of the Universe Classics" line, I had the misfortune of missing out on Skeletor when he was first released earlier last year.  When I heard that Mattel was going to re-release an "improved-version" of Skeletor as a "bonus" figure, I was given a second chance.  I used to own the old-school Skeletor, but had the bad luck of losing him (twice)!  I lost one while playing with him with the car window down (for some reason), and suddenly (due to a bump or my own clumsiness) dropped Skeletor on the road.  Man, that was really heartbreaking.

Although I missed out on He-Man, at least I would be able to finally get my hands on one of my most beloved villains.  When it was noon, I wasted no time and ordered myself Skeletor.  Surprisingly, my order went through very smoothly.  Even more surprising, Skeletor was still available a couple of days after his re-release.  He was made available for sale via MattyCollector.com on January 27, 2010.




Flavor Text:

"Skeletor, Evil Lord of Destruction

Real Name: Keldor

Mortally wounded in a battle with his half-brother, Captain Randor, Keldor turned to his dark-arts master Hordak to save his life.  Merging Keldor with the extra-dimensional being Demo-Man from Despondos, Keldor was forever changed into Skeletor, Overlord of Evil!  He gathered together many of Eternia's greatest outcasts and evil warriors in his quest to gain entry into Castle Grayskull and to obtain what he believes is the universe's ultimate power source."



The Good:

• Skeletor has 20 points of articulation: ball-jointed neck, jointed shoulders, swivel upper biceps, hinged elbows, swivel wrists, ab-crunch joint, swivel waist, swivel/hinged legs, hinged knees, swivel "boots", hinged ankles, and hinged "side" (left) ankle.

• He comes with four accessories: removable chest armor, sword, half-sword, and Havoc Staff.

• This is yet another definite "nostalgia-inducing" figure from the MOTUC line (yeah, I'm aware it's called "Masters of the Universe Classics" for a reason).  The Four Horsemen have "modernized" Skeletor: his body is proportional (no more "neanderthal-looking" Skeletor!); his "loin-cloth" is wider and less "pointer-looking"; Skeletor no longer wears boots by showing off his beautiful three-toed clawed feet; and his armor is no longer plain purple, instead it has different shades of purple in certain spots.

• Although I'm quite pleased that the Four Horsemen retained most of Skeletor's old-school appearance, I'm especially glad that Skeletor retains his "hyper-masculine" appearance (the impossibly bulging musculature).

• You can see how much thought and detail went into sculpting Skeletor's face: the space between Skeletor's ghoulish face and his hood gives off the illusion that all there really is under that hood is a skull.

• As advertised, Skeletor has a tight grip on both his right and left hand, which can hold the sword and staff in each hand.

• Skeletor's Havoc Staff is extremely well-sculpted (the skull of the ram creature), and the staff itself is made of slightly thick, sturdy plastic.

The Bad:

• The paint application on Skeletor has gone completely awry: purple-colored dots scattered all over Skeletor's body; a white dot on Skeletor's back (right above the ab-crunch joint); a visible streak of red paint on his face; "dirt" marks all over Skeletor's arms and legs; and "scuff" marks on Skeletor's sword.

• Streaks of left-over dried glue can be seen on Skeletor's elbow joints and on one-side of his sword.
  

• Due to the horrible weapon-packing design, Skeletor's "half-power" sword arrived curved inward.

• I'm starting to notice a pattern here of weak ankle joints in the MOTUC line.  Skeletor has a really loose right ankle joint which on occasion decides to give-in, sabotaging Skeletor's pose.
  

The Ugly:

• You can see the letter "R" and "L" on Skeletor's respective hinged knee-joint area.

Additional Notes:

• Skeletor came packaged with a small plastic "rubber-band" wrapped around the ball-jointed neck for some reason.  I had to remove his head in order to get rid of the plastic.

• This re-release (the second) of Skeletor has several running changes: his biography mentions "Demo-Man from Despondos"; there are slight changes in paint application for Skeletor's face; and his hands are sculpted to have a "tighter" grip on his weapons.

I purchased this figure online via MattyCollector for approximately $28.00 (price includes S&H and tax).  Due to the popularity of this "bonus" figure, it is no longer available for purchase on MattyCollector's website. Your only recourse is eBay or other online retailers such as BigBadToyStore who will (once again) price-gouge you, because they can.  Don't go shopping for this on Amazon; the last time I checked, these unscrupulous sellers were pricing him at the $55.00 and up range.

NOTE: I DO NOT REPRESENT MATTEL, eBAY, BIGBADTOYSTORE, OR AMAZON.  I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID TO MENTION THEIR NAMES.

I feel bad for those on the MOTUC subscription (I believe the costs run over $100.00) because it seems Mattel has a habit of re-releasing their "limited run" supply of figures.  At the same time, I'm grateful because it allows collectors like me to get in on the MOTUC action.  Despite the paint application flaws, curved "half-sword" and weak ankle joint, I really love this figure.  Blame it on nostalgia and my love of skeletons.  This figure is one classic that you shouldn't pass on.

Score: (out of five)