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)

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)

H[yper]D[etail]M[olding] Souzetsu Rebuild of Evangelion II (Shokugan): EVA Unit 00 (Bandaged Version) Figure Review

Flavor Text:

Actually there's very little or almost none.  Besides, whatever is written on the back is in Japanese.  I've read the translation and it really doesn't make any sense but if you still want to read it, go ahead.  So moving on....




Sculpt:

First off, I can't emphasize how disappointed I was with ending up with the EVA Unit 00.  Why?  I admit, I'm not a huge fan of Rei Ayanami (she's the pilot of this EVA unit).  And her mecha (machine) just looks flat-out boring with the yellow-white-grey color scheme.  However, this figure is a "blind-boxed" item, so I can't really pick and choose which figure I want.  Insert "sad face" here.

Obviously, the sculpt on EVA Unit 00 isn't all that impressive.  Which makes me wonder why this item advertised on the packaging that it was of "Hyper Detail Molding".  I shudder when I think of what this figure would look like without the "HDM".  However, the sculpt of the EVA Unit's outstretched left-hand and the torso are visually impressive.  I'm also very pleased that the soles of its feet actually have some sort of detailing rather than the typical "Made in Japan/China" stamp.




Articulation:

EVA Unit 00 has no articulation whatsoever.  All of its parts have been molded and cast into pre-posed pieces.  However, the overall pose is very dramatic, especially if you have the right diorama or backdrop. I'm guessing its pose is relatively accurate to a particular scene in the Evangelion anime (I've only seen the original anime, not the "Rebuild" version).




Paint Application:

There's a few slops of paint here and there.  A few "misses" as well but then again, this is a gashapon toy, so we really can't sweat the details.




Accessories:

Does a one-sided black and white "instruction manual" illustrating a totally different figure count?  But seriously, there's a translucent stand (not really sure why it's even needed as the figure's pose already gives it maximum protection from tipping over) and yes, a piece of gum or candy.  No, I'm not putting that in my mouth.  This figure was produced 2 years ago!




Packaging:

The EVA Unit 00 comes in a small thin (yet somewhat sturdy) cardboard box.  Each individual piece of the figure comes packaged separately in a little "baggie" that's connected to one another.  This somewhat keeps the already sturdy PVC figure parts from being crushed and bent out of shape (I think).  Almost the entire box is covered in (touched up) photos of the figures that you may find within.



Price:

Economically packaged or waste of space?  You decide.

I got this through a "New Years grab bag" type sale from J-List or J-Box.  All I can say is, don't purchase these "grab bags": because almost all of them are things I would never have purchased.  It seems, the items that were included in these "grab bags" are crap they couldn't sell or get rid of otherwise.  I'm not bitter (okay, so maybe I'm just a tad bit.... annoyed), but those are the facts.



The Good:

* Dramatic pose.
* Clean sculpt.




The Bad:

* 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 (out of 5)

Gears of War 3 (Series 1): Anya Stroud Figure Review

Flavor Text:

"Anya Stroud:

Former "Control" Dispatcher for Delta Squad, Anya is now a frontline fighting Gear herself.  Defending the remnant of humanity has forged her into a tough and capable warrior ready to tackle anything that comes her way."



Sculpt:

Kinda looks like Cameron Diaz... weird, huh?

For those who haven't played any of the Gears of War video games or read any of the novels, the storyline mainly revolves around the COGs (Coalition of Ordered Governments) and their fight for survival against the vicious subterranean Locust Horde.  I haven't played the Gears of War 3 (video game) mainly because I don't own an XBOX 360  (I love my PS3 dearly, thank you very much).  However, with the pictures of Anya plastered on all three sides of the clamshell packaging, I have a pretty good idea what she's supposed to look like in-game.

The textures and detailing of Anya's armor is just amazing.  The colors of the outfit and sculpt of various accessories (that are permanently sculpted onto her body) look accurate.  The sculpt of the weapon accessory (bloodied Lancer) is also a really nice touch.  I just noticed that there is a folded-up "handle bar" on the left-side of the Lancer which you can unfold (a nice surprise addition to the overall design of the Lancer weapon accessory) allowing yo to recreate their [secondary] bloody "chainsaw" attack.

I really like how NECA is no longer placing the "NECA 2011 Made in China" stamp (that stamp is now placed less noticeably on the back of Anya's weapons pouch on her right hip) on the soles of the figure's feet.  Just like they did with their recent Isaac Clarke figure (from the Dead Space 2 video game), the soles of Anya's feet are detailed.

I love how Anya's right-hand is sculpted to actually grip the Lancer weapon accessory tightly enough and that her right finger fits in the trigger "area" perfectly.  Before I forget, I just love how NECA handled the overall sculpt of Anya's body.  Even with the heavy armor surrounding her, you can still see the outlines of her feminine charm.  I hope this much articulation and level of sculpt continues down the line for the rest of their female action figures (Lara Croft anyone?).

While Anya's facial sculpt is somewhat similar to the video game version, there are two things that could've improved the overall look.  The biggest problem is that Anya is cock-eyed (this may be due to the paint application).  The only other problem is that this Anya looks like she forgot to apply some makeup.  The in-game pictures of Anya shows her at least having some "eye-shadow" or the like which improves her overall look (now I know why women apply eye-shadow). 



Articulation:

Stretching after a long battle or posing for a magazine?

According to the packaging, Anya has "30+ points of articulation".  Let's see if I can count them all: ball-jointed neck, 3 separately articulated moving parts (for each side) that make up the ball-jointed shoulders, hinged elbows, swivel-hinged wrists, ab-crunch joint, swivel waist, swivel-hinged hips, double-jointed knees, swivel calves, hinged ankles, and hinged toes.

The only problem with this figure is that some of the joints are a bit too loose for comfort.  After a while, the arms will fall down due to the [weapon] accessory's weight.  The ab-crunch joint is too loose to a point that Anya just ends up slouching due to gravity.  Also the swivel waist joint couldn't move most likely due to the paint application, so that took some time before I could get it to move (at all).

Paint Application:

Props to the individual or groups of people involved in the this department.  This is a great example of NECA's ability to get things done right the first time.  A little eye-shadow or a little jab of makeup or whatnot on Anya's face would make this the perfect female figure ever created by these talented group of guys (and gals).  The "blood splatter" paint application of the chainsaw-part of the Lancer weapon accessory is just great.



Accessories:

While this figure only comes with one Lancer weapon accessory, you won't hear any complaints from me in this department.  With all the detailing and articulation that is present in this figure, and the price, you can't get nor find a quality figure that packs this much of a punch anywhere else in this market.

I also think it's a very nice addition to include a peg on the Lancer [weapon] accessory so that it could be plugged into the back of Anya's armor without much difficulty.

The handle (grip) of the Lancer is thick enough to fit into Anya's pre-posed right-hand.  Her hand is pliable enough so that the stiff handle of the Lancer can slide in without (too much of) a hitch.



Packaging:

Anya comes in the typical clamshell packaging NECA's figures are known for.  It shows off most of the figure with the weapon accessory visibly placed on the top-right side of the packaging.  The background design of the packaging is nice and colorful, undoubtedly taken from the video game cover of Gears of War 3.  The front window packaging (at the bottom) shows a portrait of a serious-looking Anya posing with her Lancer (?) with her name in bright-blue color on the left-hand side.  The surrounding sides of the packaging show more pictures of the sexy Anya as well.





Price:

I pre-ordered Anya through Toysrus.com for a total of $15.99 (not including tax and shipping and handling charges).  I've got to tell you though how I noticed Toysrus.com jack up the prices of the Gears of War figures almost a few weeks before Christmas (what a real nasty business practice).



Additional Information:

There's a "chase variant" of this figure that comes packaged with a "pink-colored" Lancer.  If you're lucky enough to find one in the stores without having to resort to eBay or any other online store, good for you.  Otherwise, expect to pay premium prices for essentially the same figure with a different paint scheme on the Lancer [weapon] accessory.  However, I think it's cool that NECA throws in something extra like these "chase" figures.  It makes collecting a bit more exciting (and challenging).

--------------------------

Product Development
Randy Falk


Sculpt
Neobauhaus Studios


Fabrication
Jeff Richard


Paint
Jon Wardell
Geoffrey Trapp


Prototypes
Adam Smith 

Photography
Stephen Mazurek


Packaging
Chris Longo

--------------------------

Epic Games, Inc.

Character Concept and Game Art
Epic Games development team

Figure Art Direction
Chris Perna

Product Development
Cliff Bleszinski
Mike Capps
Rod Fergusson
Chris Mielke

Additional Feedback
Pete Hayes
Kevin Lanning



The Good:

* The highly anticipated Anya Stroud figure is finally here!
* Extremely articulated and highly detailed figure!
* Video game accurate sculpt.


The Bad:

* Very loose joints.
* Needs some additional paint application on Anya's face.
* Please fix the cock-eyed look!



The Ugly:

* The long wait it took to finally get this figure in my grubby hands!
* Retailers "upping" the price for last-minute shoppers.



Score:

Ghostbusters: Ray Stantz (Marshmallow Mess) Figure Review

Flavor Text:

"Damn bird!"

"PERSONNEL FILE

Name: Ray Stantz

Profession:

• Doctor of Parapsychology

Ghostbuster Status:

• Overly excited, nostalgic member of the group
• Duly designated representative of the state, country, and city of New York

Quotable Quotes:

"I couldn't help it.  It just popped in there!"

(Page 1)

Habits & Hobbies:

• Enjoys the company of female ghosts
• Fondly recalls memories of Camp Wakonda
• Casual smoker

Accomplishments:

• Witnessed an undersea, unexplained mass sponge migration
• Caused a rampaging, homicidal Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man to appear in New York

Notes:

Office Supplies -
guide to nearby parallel dimensions
marshmallows, chocolate bar, stick

(Page 2)"



Sculpt:

I'm 99.9% positive that this "exclusive" figure is the same exact Ray Stantz that was released much earlier on sans "marshmallow mess" paint application and gloved hands.  Unfortunately, as Mattel clearly stated online, they have no intention of resculpting the (uncharacteristically) serious-looking/squished Ray Stantz head.  It's an interesting choice though to have the "bubbliest" personality of the Ghostbusters to have such a dead-serious face, while the rest of the Ghostbusters crew have more "softer" (and smiling) faces.  I just don't get it.

Since Mattel reuses the same bodies for each Ghostbuster (even though each individual is of different height and weight), there's really nothing new to write or discuss about regarding the sculpt of these figures.  I would like to point out, however, that I think the gloved hands should be sculpted to be a bit thicker since the sculpt looks exactly the same size of their bare hands.

Stantz's reaction when told of how much Ghostbusters figures would cost.

At this point, I'm convinced this figure could've made a great "Sedgewick Hotel" exclusive figure.  The gloved hands, Ecto goggles, and walkie talkie; everything about this literally screams out "potential!" which was ignored due to lack of creativity/budget/care.  If they resculpted Ray's face with the right amount of "chubbiness" and included a cigarette in his mouth, Mattel would've had me in their pockets for quite some time.  Too bad Mattel lost their chance.



Articulation:

Stantz has approximately 18 points of articulation: ball-jointed head, ball-jointed shoulders, ball-jointed elbows, ball-jointed wrists, swivel waist, swivel-hinged legs, swivel upper thighs, hinged knees, swivel boots, and swivel-hinged ankles.  Due to the sculpt of the elbow guards, Stantz can't relax his arms down to his sides like normal people (or in this case, figures) and is forever cursed to his "perpetual bent-arm" syndrome.



Paint Application:

There's a tiny bit of Ray's "uniform" paint on the bottom right side of his cheek as well as some stains on his left collar.  Oh wait, there's also a smear of black paint on top of the "marshmallow mess" on the front of his uniform (that pig!).  What else is new?

"Why did Mattel even bother sculpting me?"

What really irks me about this particular figure is the lack of creativity and care on Mattel's part.  What they essentially did was to take the already produced (and released) Ray Stantz figure, attach Peter Venkman's gloved arms, and apply some white paint here and there.  From a paying customer's point of view, this just isn't right.  Does Mattel think they can run a business if they dish out figures of this [low] caliber?  If anyone at Mattel were serious, they would sculpt actual pieces of leftover Stay Puft on top of the already produced mold of Ray Stantz.  But wait, that would make things more expensive for them.  Screw that, just reuse the same figure and drop some white paint here and there to cover up the sloppy paint applications and call it "Marshmallow Mess" Ray.  I hope whoever came up with this idea was demoted or reassigned because this is unacceptable.




Accessories:

Mattel goes all-out with the accessories

"Marshmallow Mess" Stantz comes with a few more accessories than your typical Ghostbusters figure: "glow-in-the-dark" Ghostbusters logo stand, "glow-in-the-dark" proton stream, removable Ecto goggles, and walkie-talkie.  However, we finally get Ray's Ecto goggles that collector's have been demanding for a year or two.  Unfortunately, Mattel's execution leaves something more to be desired.  So, we also finally get a walkie-talkie, but (to me) it looks like a chocolate ice-cream sandwich.  It doesn't even have a working holster for it, so that's another easily-lost accessory.  I sometimes wonder if Mattel's toy designers (sorry, sculptors) think things through before creating something.

As you know, the Ghostbusters logo stand made its debut with the gloved Peter Venkman figure as did the "glow-in-the-dark" proton stream.  I suspect that Mattel ran out of ideas and wanted to save money without appearing to look cheap so they decided to include those two items with the "Club Ecto-1 Exclusive" figure.  Sheesh, and I thought I was cheap.  The inclusion of the Ghostbusters logo stand is a nice but utterly useless gesture.  First off, it's a bit too small for any Ghostbuster figure to stand in any sort of dynamic pose.  Secondly, it's "glow-in-the-dark".  Really?  I was under the impression that these figures were catering to the "adult" collector.  Hmmm... my mistake.  Oh wait, it says so on the packaging.

Now, the proton stream is a great accessory to have but it has one major problem.  Let me explain.  The "tip" (or insertion point) of the proton stream is molded to fit the tip of the neutrino wand (right by where the red wire is bent in a "U" shape).  Due to the length and weight of the proton stream, it ends up tilting (or bending) the tip of the neutrino wand out of shape.

We finally get the Ecto goggles!  How cool is that?  Well, the idea is cool, but the execution leaves something more to be desired.  It took me a long time to figure out what was bothering me about it; it turns out that the goggles are a bit too small.  At least in the movie, the Ecto goggles not only covered Stantz's eyes but also the sides of his head.  The plastic version is a miniature rectangular brightly green-colored box only manages to cover Ray's eyes.  I guess the problem is that the Ecto goggles looks more like a handheld camera with straps attached to it from three side.

While the inclusion of the walkie-talkie accessory is great, it would've been a whole lot better if Ray had a working holster to keep the walkie-talkie from being lost so easily.  PRO-TIP: It looks quite stupid to have a non-functioning holster sculpted on the figure when you include an accessory that clearly has to go in there.



Packaging:

It's the same "Ghostbusters" packaging with the angry Stay-Puft Marshmallow in the background with the figure behind a large "window-like" display.  I have to give props to Mattel for displaying their figures in really cool poses inside their respective packaging.  It definitely looks like Ray is blasting some paranormal ass back to the stone age.  It's a shame that the "coolness" factor is lost once the figure is removed from its packaging.



Price:

Kicking Necromorph butt... errr... wrong series.

It goes without saying the price paid for this figure is just absolutely ridiculous (that goes for the rest of Mattel's "Ghostbusters" line).  I've seen far more articulated and better sculpted figures with better material that go for cheaper than what Mattel is charging for each individual Ghostbusters figure.  If you've subscribed to Mattel's "Club Ecto-1," you'll be locked in until the end up this year.  Care to guess who didn't subscribe for next year's Ghostbusters line?



The Good:

* Proton stream accessory included!
* Ecto goggles are also included!




The Bad:

* Reused the same flawed Ray Stantz figure (*surprise*).
* "Marshmallow Mess," really?
* Still visible sloppy paint applications and stray marks.



The Ugly:

* Uncreative and unsuccessful implementation of the "marshmallow mess".
* Overly expensive price for a previously released figure with white paint all over it.



Score:

Not spending extra time scoring this dud.