2014
SEPTEMBER ISSUE
SPECIAL FEATURES
How Hasbro Created Jabba the Hutt’s
Throne Roaom…
Do You Need More Display Space?...
Newsdesk
Reviews
KickStarter
Blast from the Past:
Custome Corner
BATTLE STAR GALATICA
Designed, produced & published by:
Colin Dorman
Articles by:
Colin Dorman, Alex Shaw
Reviews supplied by:
Michael Crawford
http://www.mwctoys.com
Email:
barleymow64@gmail.com
Graphic Designer:
Rollen Camello
rollencamello@gmail.com
Advertising enquires, please
send to the above email address.
Action Figure Resource Website:
http://action-figure-resource.com
If you have any
question, queries or remarks
about any of the articles
please contact me.
If you are interested
in advertising in
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or website please
contact me for a rate card.
Hi, Do you remember when collecting action figures was
considered geeky and exclusively a male pastime? In fact if
you even mentioned comics or action figures to your girlfriend
you would probably have ended up being a virgin for life! But
now it seems things are changing, not only has the hobby
become acceptable it’s even gone main stream just look at the
numbers the San Diego Comic Con attracted recently.
Not only that, but there seems to have been a backlash against the traditional boy/girl split in toy aisles
recently. There are two examples in this month’s News section but also Disney/Hasbro had to back
track on their decision not to produce any female characters from the new Star Wars movies and not
to release any more Princess Leia figures after a girls complaint and petition went viral.
There are two things that strike
me most about these complaints:
I) They seem to be originating from the children themselves, whereas previously its generally been
the parents, and in particular the mothers, who have complained about the portrayal of women in such
mediums.
II) They aren’t asking for more women characters portraying traditional womens roles but more
female super-heroes, adventurers, inventors and scientist etc. Also they are looking for more ‘realistic’
role models, rather than the tradition slim, curvy Barbie or curvaceous Tomb Raider type figure they
are looking for more realistically proportioned figures and dolls.
If you a regular reader you will have read last
month’s I Am Elemental feature, on a new line of
female super-heroes figures specifically targeting girls
along these lines.
But what do you
think?
Personally, I think it’s great because the more girls
who get interested the more lines we will see being
released, and hopefully, and the more variety.
Should girls and
boys be encouraged
to play
together more?
Als, to have more interaction between boys and
girls in the toy aisles as well as at play can only be
a good thing, and will help promote a better
understanding between the sexes.
Should there be no
gender separation
between toys?
Newsdesk….
Kickstarter…
•
Amazing Heroes
•
Legend of Cthulhu
Custom Corner…
•
Jin’s Basic Figure Painting Guide
•
How One Man is Turning Action Figures into Art
Special Features:
How Hasbro Created Jabba the Hutt,s Throne Room…
Do You Need More Display Space?...
REVIEWS:
•
Deluxe Dark Knight Batman Darn & Joker
•
Mandroid, Green Goblin and Groot
•
Gremlins S4: Penny, Doo Dah & Brownie
•
TNMT- Leonardo
•
Gaurdians of the Galaxy: Gamora, Nova & Iron Man
BLAST FROM THE PAST:
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mattel
Trendmasters
Joyride Studios
Konami
Majestic
DST
Checklists
NEWSDESK
ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND GOSSIP STRAIGHT TO YOUR DESKTOP!
Walmart Exclusive
Black and White
Daryl Dixon Pop!
Vinyl Figure
In just 4 short years, Funko has
Are you Read For Some
Pop! Football by Funko?
Are you ready for some football? The NFL Preseason kicked off yesterday and Funko has secured the rights to make NFL Pop! vinyl figures. For hardcore football fans, a couple of nights of game day isn’t
enough; that’s where Funko’s Pop! football vinyl figures come in.
You can now enjoy your favorite NFL players every single night of
the week (no not like that). Funko has you covered with everything
from the Superbowl Champions the Seattle Seahawks, to the Green
Bay Packers and 17 other teams in between. All in all they have 26
different all-star players for you to select from. The only one missing
is a 12th man figure. Come on Funko!
Each of the figures stands about 3.75″ tall and comes with his own
removable helmet. They are packaged in a collector friendly window
box package.
These figures start shipping at the end of October!
been able to take the world by storm
with their cute line of Pop! Vinyl
Figures selling over 17 million pieces.
Many retailers already offer exclusive versions of everyone’s
favorite characters, but who
would have ever thought that
Walmart wants to join the fun?
Well, they do and their first Funko Pop! exclusive is going to be a
black and white Daryl Dixon Pop!
vinyl figure, which should be available in stores around the now!
Depending on your Walmart, you
may or may not be able to find this
figure in the toys section. Though,
Funko says that you should be able
to find him and other Pop!’s on a
special The Walking Dead pallet in the electronics department
of Walmart stores nationwide.
He stands about 3.75’’ tall and
comes packaged in a character
specific window box package.
He’s not currently available on the
Walmart website, and it’s unclear if
he’s just going to be sold in stores
or will later be available on their
website. Keep your eyes open!
FUNKOS’ MAGIC:
THE GATHERING
LEGACY
The first series of Pop! Vinyl figures, set to release in April,
will feature iconic Magic: The Gathering Planeswalkers
Jace Beleren,
Chandra Nalaar,
Ajani Goldmane,
Garruk Wildspeaker,
Liliana Vess,
Nissa Revane
Funko Pop! Vinyl figures are 3.75 inch tall super stylized vinyl figures.
Funko is also excited to announce that they have teamed up with talented sculptors at
Gentle Giant to create Funko’s new Legacy Collection line of 6 inch, deluxe action figures featuring 20+ points of articulation and removable accessories for ages 14+. Set to
release in August, the Magic: TheGathering Planeswalkers will be among the first Legacy
Collection figures released, and you can expect the same iconic Planeswalkers as those
released in Pop! Vinyl.
The Book of Life
Legacy Collection
Action Figures and POP!
Vinyls coming from
FUNKO
Funko has just announced that they are going to be producing
The Book of Life Legacy Collection action figures and Pop! Vinyls, which are set for release this September.
For those of you who haven’t heard of The Book of Life, 20th
Century Fox, via IMDB, has
written up a brief paragraph about the movie:
“From producer Guillermo del Toro and director Jorge Gutierrez comes an animated comedy with
a unique visual style. THE BOOK OF LIFE is the journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn
between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing which path
to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds where he must
face his greatest fears. Rich with a fresh take on pop music favorites, THE BOOK OF LIFE
encourages us to celebrate the past while looking forward to the future.”
Based on this very movie Funko is
going to be producing two lines
of merchandise. Some might only
consider the Legacy Collection
figures to be part of a series, as
there is only going to be three figures, consisting of Xibalba, Manolo, and Maria.
Each of the action figures measures about 6-inches tall and come
with character specific accessories. They also feature over 20 points
of articulation, very similar to the already released Game of Thrones
Legacy Collection figures.
The new Book of Life figures definitely have odd designs, which might
be interesting when they are translated into action figure form.
Funko is also going to be producing a small line of The Book of Life
Pop! vinyl figures, including the characters La Meurte, Xibalba, Maria, Manolo, and “Manolo Remembered”.
The image of the Manolo variant isn’t quite available, likely because
the figure could possibly spoil the film. These figures are currently
available for pre-order here.
No X-Men:
DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
ACTION FIGURES WILL BE MADE
W
ell, it’s now official.
Marvel fans hoping to add some X-Men: Days of Future Past action figures to their collection are
going to be sorely disappointed. Zach Oat, the marketing supervisor for Diamond Select Toys,
has confirmed that the Marvel Select Mystique action figure has been cancelled.
The news comes from ,
where Zach answered a fan’s
question about when he
would see Mystique. Zach
responded with, “Mystique
has been canceled. Unfortunately, Jennifer Lawrence
declined to participate.”
It’s pretty sad that Jennifer Lawrence didn’t want to
be made into an action figure. She could have been
propelled to X-Men: Days
of Future Past stardom being the only action figure
ever made from that movie.
Fans of the movie don’t need
to be totally disappointed
though, as Diamond Select Toys has is going to be
releasing DOFP Minimate line this fall. These
will be the only toys released based on the movie.
ThreeA
Announces
Steel Age
Batman Sixth
Scale Figure
If you have been paying attention to what ThreeA has
been doing recently, you
probably already know that
they have secured some big
license deals with companies
like Marvel, Transformers, and
now DC Comics. They have just
announced their collaboration
with Warner Bros.
”3A is thrilled to announce its
collaboration with Warner Bros.
Consumer Products and DC Entertainment. The Greatest DC
Comics Super Heroes as you’ve
never seen them before! Ashley
Wood has envisioned a new universe where the villains have won.
The rebirth contingency plan is
initiated – Steel Age. Robotic
versions of the fallen heroes are
forged. Constructed to wage war
on crime. A new League to carry
on their legacy of Justice.”
Consumer Products and DC Entertainment, allowing them to make robotic
versions of all of your favorite DC
Comics characters. They have only
released one image so far, which appears to be a teaser for a Steel Age
Batman sixth scale figure.
Disney’s Perfect Answer to Barbie
Is Doc McStuffins
ELIANA DOCKTERMAN @EDOCKTERMAN
Who would have thought that Disney, the company that made its
name with a parade of Caucasian princesses whose waists were
smaller than their eyes, would set the record for the best-selling
toy line based on an African-American character — and that this
particular doll also happens to be a girl who’s interested in science?
But it’s true. Merchandise based on the Disney Junior TV character Dottie “Doc” McStuffins, a young girl who plays doctor with her
stuffed animals, grossed around $500 million last year. Doc McStuffins is a miracle not only because she’s one of the few popular
black dolls on the market but because she also has inspired all sorts
of young girls to don stethoscopes during playtime.
In an era when toy stores are divided ever more strictly into blue aisles for boys and pink aisles for girls, most of the STEM
(science, technology, engineering and math) toys have ended up in the blue aisle. Girls, on the other hand, are stuck with
chemistry kits to create their own makeup.
This may have had an impact on girls’ desire to enter the STEM fields and on the number of female engineers in the U.S.
A 2009 poll of children ages 8 to 17 by the American Society for Quality found that 24% of boys say they are interested in a
career in engineering while only 5% of girls are. “Wanting to be a doctor or architect or cook, that really begins when you’re
young and walking around with a stethoscope or playing with an Easy Bake oven,” says Richard Gottlieb, CEO of toy-industry consulting firm Global Toy Experts, told TIME in November. No STEM toys for girls means fewer grown-up female
scientists. As parents have begun to complain about the dearth of science toys for girls, old companies and startups alike
have responded with varying degrees of success. Buoyed by a viral ad campaign, GoldieBlox, an engineering toy designed
for young girls, flew off the toy shelves last Christmas.
The building blocks and accompanying storybook starring a blonde girl named Goldie aimed to make engineering more
appealing and accessible to girls raised on boy TV characters like Jimmy Neutron and Dexter from Dexter’s Laboratory with
off-the-charts IQs. Meanwhile, Lego came out with a girls-only line of toys called Lego Friends after finding in 2011 that 90%
of its consumers were boys and men. Seeing an untapped market, they created an entire universe called Heartlake, featuring
teen girls who wear a lot of pink and work in pet salons. But thankfully one of the characters also has an invention workshop.
The Danish manufacturer has also recently issued a line of female-scientist Legos in response to feminist complaints about
Lego Friends see next story).
And then there’s Barbie. Despite Mattel’s renewed efforts to tell girls they can “be anything” — dress her in an astronaut suit,
business attire or a bikini — Barbie still has an impossible figure, feet designed for high heels only and platinum blonde hair.
Girls think about looks, not occupation, when playing with Barbie. So it’s not all that surprising that studies have found that
Doctor Barbie doesn’t make girls want to be doctors: girls ages 4 to 7 were more likely to identify ambitious occupations as
“boys only” after playing with a Doctor Barbie doll for 10 minutes than they were after playing with Mrs. Potato Head for the
same amount of time. Which is why girls so desperately need toys like those from Doc McStuffins.
The show features not only 7-year-old Dottie but also her doctor mom and her stay-at-home-dad and has been endorsed by
organizations like the Artemis Medical Society, which supports physicians of color.
Anecdotally, the No. 1 rated show among kids ages 2 to 5 is already having an effect: a recent New York Times article on the
doll included interviews with little girls who are wearing lab coats to school. It helps that Dottie isn’t just dressing up as a
doctor — like Barbie — but is actually mimicking her mom and treating her toys.
You can’t be what you can’t see, which is why Doc McStuffins’ (and Goldie Blox’s and the Lego Friends characters’) actions
matter more than their outfits.
Lego Creates Female Scientist Set
Months After 7-Year-Old Girl Called
Their Female Toys “
”
Kids will be able to role-play as a
paleontologist, astronomer, or
chemist with Lego’s female-centric
new Research Institute play set.
The kit was created by actual geophysicist Ellen Kooijman,
according to Lego.
Boring
The new Lego kit comes a
few months after 7-yearold Charlotte Benjamin
chastised the company in
a handwritten letter for
their lack of smart female
toys.
“I love Legos,” Charlotte wrote, but said there are
“barely any Lego girls.” When she saw the sets at
the store, she noticed all the female Legos did was
“sit at home, go to the beach, and shop,” while the
male toys “saved people, had jobs, even swam with
sharks!”
The little girl’s letter went viral, with the company
itself responding a few days later, telling Charlotte,
“We have been very focused on including more female characters and themes that invite even more
girls to build.”
Lego wrote that it was considering a female set just
two days after Charlotte’s letter went viral, though
it’s possible that was just a coincidence.
The kit, which includes a telescope, a lab set, and dinosaur
fossils, came about thanks to Lego Ideas, a program that
encourages customers to submit suggestions for future
products.
Though Lego has long trumpeted themselves as gender
neutral (see the ad below), they began to tailor more of
their products to girls in 2011.
But not everyone was happy about it. The onslaught of gendered Legos inspired a Change.org petition that garnered
tens of thousands of signatures, demanding the toy manufacturer “stop distinguishing between toys for girls and
those for boys,”
Revoltech’s Upcoming
Star Wars and Iron Man Figures
Revoltech has released more
images of their upcoming Star
Wars action figures. They are
only at prototype stage at the
moment and no release date
has been given but they have
revealed Darth Vader, Stormtrooper, C3PO & R2D2.
They have also released more
images of their upcoming Iron
Man figures.
It’s good to see that some other companies aside from Hasbro are picking up the mantle to produce different
scales of Star Wars Figures and I must say they look really good and slightly stylized, of which I have no problem
with i.e. The Stormtrooper looking thinner and Vader’s cape and skirt looking a bit on the bulky side.
I have to say I really like the look of them and despite the fact
that they are prototypes (aside a fully painted Stormtrooper)
you can still see a lot of detail in all of them; it’s rather staggering. I especially like the look of the Stormtrooper as his outfit, which is sculpted beneath his armor, looks like an actual
piece of the outfit as they have sculpted creases into it. You
can see the same on the Darth Vader figure. I’ve seen Revoltech figures before and they entice me though I have never
picked one up but I have to say their upcoming figures and
these Star Wars ones really interest me and I am really keen to
see what their interpretations of the other iconic characters
would look like.
I am guessing that these will cost around $50-$60 and will be
released sometime later this year or in the spring of next year.
I must say the Force looks strong with this line. I expect The Iron
Man figures to be released sometime later this year.
Toy “R” Us Exclusive Colored Sin City Movie Action Figures on
the way, New Streamlined Packaging
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is going to be in theaters on August 22nd, 2014 and the first assortment of Sin City Select Movie action figures, based on the original 2005 feature film, is in stores
now!
In trying to keep the film’s trademark black-and-white coloring, the action figures of main
characters Marv, Hartigan and Nancy were painted black-and-white and feature multiple points
of articulation, detailed accessories, and a display base. Diamond Select Toys has also just announced a pair of Toys “R” Us Exclusive Colored Sin City Movie action figures.
If you are one of those people who prefers the world in full-color, Marv (Mickey Rourke) and
Hartigan (Bruce WIllis) are now a pair of full-color action figures in Toys “R” Us stores across
the nation. All packed up in more streamlined packaging, Marv and Hartigan each include their
unique accessories and the same high level of articulation that you can expect if you picked up
the Sin City Select Series 1 figures. Both the new black-and-white and full-color figures were
sculpted by Jean St. Jean.
You can check out some new images of the black-and-white Series 1 figures, as well as the new
Toys “R” Us Exclusive Colored figures below. Stay tuned for info on the full-color figure of Jessica
Alba’s Nancy, as well as Sin City Select Series 2!
Robocop Deluxe
Roocop Action Figure
with
with Jetpack and
Cobra Assault Cannon
By popular demand,
the future of law enforcement gets the
deluxe treatment!
Robocop has a new
look, and some of the
most requested accessories from the fan
and collector community. The Jetpack, as
seen in Robocop 3, attaches to the figure’s
back and comes complete with a cannon
arm, just like in the
film.
As a bonus, we have
also included the Cobra Assault Cannon
from the original 1987
film! The cannon is
compatible with this
figure as well as all of
NECA’s previous Robocop figure releases.
The 7″ scale figure itself sports an all-new
deco to reflect the
character’s bluer color scheme in the sequel films.
Threezero Announces ‘Last Man Standing’
Action Figure License
Threezero, the Hong Kong based action figure manufacturer,
has announced they have acquired the Last Man Standing action figure license. Not many details have been given about
the figure(s) they are going to be producing, but Threezero
promises to reveal more images and details soon.
Confused as to what LMS actually is? Here is some more info
about the graphic novel from Nerdist.
L
“
ast Man Standing, or LMS, takes place 600
years in the future, in an alternate universe and
is about Gabriel, this invincible soldier, who’s been
created to help win a war Earth got itself too
deep into with Mars. After Gabe wins the war,
he comes back down to Earth and is celebrated
as this incredible hero. From there, he becomes
somewhat of a celebrity, a Superman of this story, but then it all takes a quick turn.
Gabriel is framed for an atrocious crime, by a
terrorist organization known as Pandemonium
and their leader, Dante. He is then sent to Level-9
Facility, where he’ll spend the next nine years in
the worst prison of all time. Once Gabriel breaks
out, only then does his true story begin, and the
lies and twists unravel.
“As for the entire series, it’s a story of mine I’ve
been crafting over the past two and a half
years. I want it to be a graphic novel series, but
start it in a non-traditional type way. Where
most comics start off with a first issue, this
starts off with a 230-page bible of a book, Killbook of a Bounty Hunter, that sets up the entire
universe of the LMS world. But not only that, the
audience gets an incredibly deep perspective on
the protagonist, Gabriel, and what his plans are
now that he’s escaped from Level-9.”
– Dan LuVisi
Now you know!
New collectables Bomtanka fuses marbles with Top Trumps By Robert Hutchins
Editorial: These have nothing to do
with action figures, but if you’re a
collector watch out for these. If the
creator can find a big enough backerthese are going to be huge.In fact
I will gon out on a limb and say that
this wil be THE playground hit, the
new pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh and Bakugan all “rolled”into one!
With ten original characters to collect, Bomtanka is a range of mix and
matchable spheres that can be pulled But despite appearing to have everyapart and put together to make up to thing in place to be a new playground
100 new personalities.
craze, these collectable characters
won’t be rolling across schoolyards
The age-old game of marbles just just yet. Bomtanka creator John
found itself a 21st Century sparring Cattermole told ToyNews that havpartner, thanks to the efforts of one ing designed, tested and had 20,000
toy inventor and his new collect- blind bags of the characters created,
ables, Bomtanka.
marketing the pocket money range
is a “step in to the unknown.”
With ten original characters to collect, Bomtanka is a range of mix and “I have done all the stuff I know
matchable spheres that can be pulled about in product design,” he exapart and put together to make up to plained. “From my experience, it’s
100 new personalities.
quite hard to break through the top
Evil Orange Eye, Dazzling Darcy level of retailers, unless you have a
and Shark Tooth feature in the line- TV show.”
up of Bomtanka Revoltans, a collection of baddies hell-bent on taking Cattermole first embarked on his
over Earth.
journey in to the toy industry three
years ago, when his son challenged
him to design a new toy. Together,
father and son designed Bomtankas,
and two weeks ago his first shipment
of 20,000 arrived from China. And
despite having been told by various
companies that in order to sell, toys
need a tie-in TV show, Cattermole
remains determined to prove this
suggestion wrong.
“Some of the biggest collectables
Bomtanka even comes with its own to have made it big, such as Crazy
app game, now available on the App Bones, followed a similar path of not
store and follows the classic Good having a TV show,” he said.
vs. Evil Slingshot play.
Fighting for Bomtanka Dynasty
(those charged with protecting the
planet) is Eyeball Greeny, French Pirate and Max Relax, among others.
Each character comes with a stats
card, can be mixed to create any new
character and then played with in
a ‘marbles meets Top Trumps’ style
game.
“When I was at prototype stage, I
went to see some big manufacturers. They said there were many toys
that fell by the wayside because they
didn’t have a TV show to tick all the
touch points.
“But there are plenty of examples of
successful toys that didn’t have a TV
show.”
Having passed all the EN-71 test,
Cattermole is now searching for retailers to take up the stock himself,
and believes that the blend of education and collectability, opens up a
vast range of retailers.
“In my mind, I would like to see
Bomtankas in places like the Natural
History Museum or National Trust
shops. The game gives them that
educational element.” What started
out as a hobby, has now grown into
something much larger for Cattermole, who is now determined to see
Bomtankas hit the toy shelves.
“The next step is a big one for me,”
he continued. “I am taking a three
month break from the day job and I
am going to step in to the unknown
of marketing and see where that
goes.
Amazing Heroes: Retro Style Super Hero Action Figures
by Bill Murphy
Fresh Monkey Fiction is proud to announce Amazing Heroes, our first series of 4.5" retro style
super hero action figures.
Imagine you’re a kid in the 1980s, surrounded by action figures
of every movie, TV, and comic book character you can imagine,
all brought to life in molded plastic.
Now imagine you’re the weird kid, like me, who was in to that
lost corner of comics, the dusty back issues from the 1940s the
other kids never heard of--The original Daredevil. Stardust, the
Super-Wizard. The Black Terror. Silver Streak. Then throw in
a long-lost toy line like Captain Action.
Let’s just say my homemade figures of these guys got me
laughed at on the playground. Lots.
Flash forward thirty years and I’m now a grown man who
knows how to make real action figures, one who has found
more weird kids like me who love that lost old stuff.
You know, the stories where men were men who
fought for what was right, heroes who put down dictators and villains bent on subjugation. They weren’t
just super heroes, they were AMAZING HEROES.
Inspired by our childhood toys, we now hope to create
action figures based on these heroes of yesteryear in an
all-new, 4.5” retro line. You can help us achieve our
dream of seeing these four-color heroes become plastic
icons with this Kickstarter for Amazing Heroes. Our
goal is to make a Vintage Superhero Action Figure
line that is reminiscent of the action figures from the
‘80s, but that features these colorful and popular Gold- For most of them, it will be the first
time they’ve ever gotten the action figen Age heroes.
ure treatment!
With his striking black cos- Wielding two powerful boo- Stardust,
tume with skull and crossbones,
The Black Terror first busted
out in 1942. When pharmacist
Bob Benton is exposed to experimental vapors, he becomes
an unstoppable crimefighting
machine, along with his sidekick Tim. The best of the early Black Terror stories were
produced by the team of artists
Mort Meskin and Jerry Robinson, after Robinson helped
create Batman’s trademark atmosphere.
merangs thrown with expert
skill, the duo-toned Dare-Devil was created by Jack Binder
as a yellow and blue mute superhero in 1940’s Silver Streak
#6. Promptly retooled by future
Plastic Man creator Jack Cole
into the red and blue dynamo
with the spiked belt, he fought
both Hitler and the monstrous
Claw. Dare-Devil took on a kid
gang of his own, and became
one of the greatest successes of
the Golden Age.
We even got the team behind Captain Action on board, and they’re
letting us cook up an official figure of the good Captain, who is
himself a master of disguise so great that he regularly takes on the
appearance of other superheroes! Captain Action was the first superhero action figure. He was part of a groundbreaking multi-licensing deal when he debuted in the 1960s. He was on everything
from Halloween costumes to card sets and now he’s back with an
exciting array of new comics, books, figures, and more.
Created during wartime by Chinese American artist Chu Hing
in 1944 the Green Turtle was the first Asian superhero, briefly
appearing in Blazing Comics. The character was revisited by
Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese) and Sonny Liew
(My Faith in Frankie) in their acclaimed graphic novel The
Shadow Hero (First Second Books).
the Super Wizard
debuted in the pages of Fox
Publications’ Fantastic Comics
#1 in December, 1939, created
by cartoonist Fletcher Hanks.
Populated by grotesquely
drawn characters, Stardust is
the epitome of wonky Golden
Age comics, as he uses his magic-like powers to transform and
decimate his enemies.
Who is the Blank Slate? This mystery man without an origin has faced the Golden Age Dare-
devil. Along with his equally powered mindless minions, this blank spectral figure can take on the
appearance and powers of anyone he’s fighting.
While The Amazing Heroes will be a perfect addition to any collector’s shelf, they’ll also be just
as welcome in your child’s toy box. My five year-old son has been the best test market. I’m always
catching him eyeing the prototypes and asking me when he can play with them. So to make sure
the younger fans get the most out of their play experience, the back of each package will feature a
comic strip detailing the adventures of our Amazing Heroes. Throw in our digital Amazing Heroes Handbook and kids and adults alike will get to see these heroes in their original, four-color
action! Everything’s in place: we have the prototypes, the packaging, and the plan. Now all we need is the
funding, which is where you come in. While everything is sculpted and ready to go into production, we still have to tackle the manufacturing costs. We have an established toy factory lined up,
but we need the funds to be able to hit the start button and get this retro line of heroes rolling.
We’ve also come up with some cool rewards for every level! Here are some highlights (see full
rewards list below): Every contribution over $5 gets a PDF of the Amazing Heroes Handbook. Written by comics historian Christopher Irving (Graphic NYC/Leaping Tall Buildings with photographer Seth Kushner,
and The Blue Beetle Companion) with covers by Tom Fowler (MAD MAGAZINE, MYSTERIUS,
HULK: SEASON ONE and VENOM ) and Mitch Ballard, the handbook features historical info
and original Golden Age stories.
While each figure costs $18, if you buy a set of all five Amazing Heroes you’ll only pay $80.
Or you can get a Deluxe set of 6 figures, including the limited Green Turtle figure (limited run of
300) for $100.00.
Since we’re sure you’ve had your own heroes in mind, we can even professionally customize a
hero for only $300--using our standard body and head options.
We also have a set of 4 figures in Kickstarter Exclusive limited edition vintage-style cardbacks.
There will only be 25 sets produced and they will never be offered again.
The Wonder level gives you a chance to buy 300 units of a Golden Age hero. We’ll never release
this hero again, giving you an exclusive figure! You can pick 1 hero from a list of classic characters such as Lash Lighting, Blue and Yellow Dare-Devil, Vulcan, or The Liberator. At $3,500, that
comes out to less than $12 a figure.
Finally, the Invincible limit gets you 300 units of your own character at $13 a figure!
We’ve also got some great Kickstarter Exclusive stretch goals planned.
The first, at the $35,000 mark, is an exclusive Champion of Mars figure, based on the classic science fiction hero. You’ll be able to add him to your order for $18 (including domestic shipping).
The second stretch goal of $45,000 unlocks a very special offer. Everyone who orders all 5 Amazing heroes will receive the Silver Streak action figure for FREE!. For those of you who don’t know,
Silver Streak was a speedster created in 1940 by Captain America co-creator Joe Simon, who was
then (like Daredevil) taken over by the brilliant Jack Cole, who gave the hero his snazzy red costume.
Interested in learning more about these Amazing Heroes. Go back and discover the adventures of
these Golden Age heroes at the Amazing Heroes Webcomic or check out the comicbook archive
at our official sponsor the Digital Comics Museum.
Thanks so much for helping us out, and be sure to keep checking in with us for updates over the
next 40 days.
Visit us online at www.freshmonkeyfiction.com. Follow us on facebook at www.facebook.com/
FreshMonkeyFiction, and on twitter @freshmonkeyfic.
Thanks again for supporting Amazing Heroes. We welcome any feedback you want to send our
way.
Please note: All the product images shown throughout the Kickstarter are mock ups. We will
strive to produce a finished product that meets or exceeds the quality of these approximations, but
please understand that the final product is subject to change.
Thanks
- Fresh Monkey Fiction
Our Collaborators
This project would not be possible without the hard work of these amazing folks.
For their artistic contribution:
Tom Bradley www.tomsplat.blogspot.com
Christopher Irving www.christopherirving.com
Marcie Klinger www.marcieklinger.com
Tom Fowler www.bigbugillustration.blogspot.com
Bill Burns www.billscustoms.com
Pierre Kalenzaga www.airmaxanimated.com
Matt Cauley www.ironcowprod.com
Ed and Joe at www.captainaction.com
Steve Carter www.man-vs-tank.com
Sean Rourke www.seanrourkeeditor.com
Ann Sidenblad www.rawrztoys.com
Meg Morris
Jason Geyer www.toyotter.com/blog/
Danny Neumann www.cantinadan.com
Kristen Meinhold
Joe Amaro www.joeamaro.blogspot.com
Mitch Ballard www.comicartfans.com/gallerydetail.
asp?gcat=28519
For their artistic inspiration:
Dan Pickett www.actionfigureinsider.com
Craig Owen www.zicatoys.com
Dave Lee www.castawaytoys.blogspot.com
Spy Monkey Creations www.spymonkeycreations.com
George Gaspar www.octobertoys.com
Growing up in the 70’s and
80’s we were immersed in role
playing games like Dungeons &
Dragons and Call of Cthulhu.
We always felt that Lovecraft’s
worlds were deserving of their
own action figure line and what
better time period than the late
70’s / early 80’s when his work
first began its modern-day resurgence and the golden age for
action figure collectibles was in
its prime. The result is our interpretation of what a major toy company in that era would have done with these characters
and how a creative team of the period would have translated H.P. Lovecraft’s stories into a mass-market children’s
toy property.
Legends of Cthulhu is a 3.75” action figure line based on similar figures of the late 70’s and early 80’s. This is
the first retro action figure line based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft. We’ve taken great care to design these
figures in a way that’s true to the time period, with appropriate articulation, awesome accessories and deco
consistent of the era.
O
ur initial line-up will include 4 figures
based on archetypes from the HP Lovecraft
universe:
• Spawn of Cthulhu: Extraterrestrial worshippers of the Great Old One known as Cthulhu.
Figure Specs: 3.75" tall, swivel head, jointed arms and legs
Accessories: Necronomicon (book), snap-on wings
• The Cultist: A member of the Cult of Cthulhu, an organization of
humans working to hasten Cthulhu’s return to power on earth.
Figure Specs: 3.75” tall, swivel head, jointed arms and legs
Accessories: Staff, dagger, ceremonial mask
• The Deep One: An immortal undersea creature that serves only the all powerful Cthulhu.
Figure Specs: 3.75” tall, swivel head, jointed arms and legs
Accessories: Spear
• The Professor: Adventurer, investigator, and the unfortunate
hero whose journey brings him to the edge of madness.
Figure Specs: 3.75” tall, swivel head, jointed arms and legs
Accessories: Revolver, Cthulhu idol
F
igures will come packaged in a Kickstarter exclusive blister card that Warpo
has spent much time and
consideration to ensure a
nostalgic experience. We
knew the package artwork
would be crucial to making
this a success so we enlisted
Ken Kelly to hand paint the
front and back of the card.
Back of Packaging
W
arpo has created some incredible rewards that include so much more than
just the figures. We’ve taken great care to include many items that toy manufacturers of the period would have produced to promote the property, such as t-shirts,
coloring books, plastic cups and much more.
Warpo is has a combined experience of close to 20 years in the toy industry doing product development and design and have been hardcore toy collectors for even longer.
Warpo is not interested in remaking or reissuing old toys or licenses but their goal is to create brand
new product and tell brand new stories that haven’t been told before… but can still sit side by side with
all the old toys you collect and love.
http://www.jinsaotomesdangeroustoys.com/guides.html
Jin's Basic Custom Figure Painting Guide
Welcome to my newly revised painting guide! Let me take a moment to apologize to everyone who has used square-jar enamel paints on soft plastic and ended up with a sticky,
never-drying, toxic mess. And to those of you who used Apple Barrel/Folk Art acrylics that are
made for porous surfaces like wood or plaster and flake right off of plastic. I wish I could have
gotten this guide out to you sooner. But don't give up! Read on and I'll set you on the right
path to choosing the correct paints.
Perspective
Take a moment and think ‘comic book’ in your mind. Upon each page you’ll see different
shades of color, shadows, sparkling highlights, and all the details that the artists convey while
drawing their characters. You’re going to do the same thing but on a 3D object. Let’s say you
want to paint Deadpool’s colors. Don’t just think “I’m going to paint him red and black.” Think
about the different shades of red his suit would be in the comic. Remember you’re painting
something that’s only about 6 inches tall so you won’t get the shading and details unless you
paint it on, just like you’re painting a picture on canvas.
Preparation
You can’t just take a figure out of the package and start painting it. You need to wash your
figure with warm soapy water first. When a figure is made in the factory they use an oily lubrication on the plastic so the joints don’t lock up. This stuff will keep your paint from sticking to
the figure and you need to remove it first. I suggest using Ivory or Dial liquid soap and a soft nail
brush to get in between the joints. Remember your action figure was designed to withstand
being flushed down the toilet by a 3-year old, washing it won’t hurt it a bit. Your next choice is
to primer the figure or just paint over the factory paint. Depending on your preference, either
can be done. I don’t bother with primer but if you want to use it, the high quality sandable
automotive primer won’t make your plastic tacky and works great. Krylon and Plasticote are
good brands of sandable automotive primer.
Brushes
Your best bet are soft, natural bristles. There’s an amazing set of Detail Brushes on Amazon
that I’ve purchased and love. Stay away from the shiny black plastic bristle with white handle
brushes sold in the model aisle. Testors makes some nice paint brush sets but look at them and
make sure they’re quality. The brands I use are Artist’s Touch, Artist’s Loft, and Expresso that
can be found at Hobby Lobby, Michael’s Crafts, and sometimes JoAnn’s.
Paints
Do NOT use enamel paints. They will leave your figure tacky as the chemical reaction dissolves
the soft plastic over time releasing toxic fumes. You can use enamels in hard plastic (transformers in most cases) but they take a very long time to dry.
Krylon Fusion takes seven days to cure to full hardness and Testors Enamels at least five. Never use them on Marvel Legends or anything with soft plastic parts. I use Testors Model Master
Acryl, Tamiya spray Lacquers, and Formula P3 by Privateer press. These are probably the best
paints for customizing figures out there.
Other paints you can use are Citadel/Games Workshop, Vallejo Model Color, and War Games
paints. These need a primer coat or basecoat of Testors/P3 for them to stick properly to bare
plastic however. You will also need to topcoat Games Workshop to keep it from wearing off.
The Vallejo Acrylic Varnishes are excellent brush-on, clear topcoat sealers and come in gloss,
semigloss, and matte. Thin these down with just a little bit of water and they can topcoat seal
any acrylic paints.
PVC Chinese factory paints:
These are super toxic while in liquid form and banned in the USA paints. Oddly enough all of
your action figures are painted with this type of paint because it’s apparently harmless once
dry (unless loaded with lead, hah).
It’s also the strongest, most durable figure paint but as mentioned next to impossible to get
here. It can be painted on virtually all plastics including soft rubber.
Lacquer Paints:
Second strongest type of paint. The brand of choice is Tamiya Spray Lacquer with [For Plastics]
on the label. (designated TS- then a number next to it) There’s other lacquer brands out there
but can have varying effects on plastics such as making soft parts sticky.
Try them at your own risk. Lacquers cannot be used on soft rubber. Great for base color coats
on a figure. Acetone/thinner washup only. Takes only 3 hours to fully cure and are the best for
base coats for your Transformers.
Acrylic Paints:
Third strongest paint and the overall choice for customizers. Comes in the most shades/gloss
sheens, can be mixed, airbrushed, hand-painted on, and all painting techniques can be used.
Beware of cheaper brands like Folk Art and Apple Barrel as they are not meant for plastics and
require both a primer and a sealer. Use only hobby acrylics such as Testors Acrylics and Formula P3 because stick great to bare plastic. (Games Workshop paints don’t stick to bare plastic
well unless you primer but they do have a great color selection) Water washup and CAN be
used on soft rubber but you need a few drops of raw liquid latex for them to stretch properly.
Takes about 2 hours to fully cure but dry to the touch in minutes.
Enamels:
This is the weakest of the paints, makes soft plastic and rubber sticky. Generally used only for
styrene plastic model kits and polycarbonate RC car bodies and is only safe to use on the hard
plastic torsos of action figures and hard plastic Transformers.
Testors, Krylon, and Rustoleum spray paints take 7 days to fully cure and will pick up a lot of
dust/lint during that time because they remain tacky to the touch.
Use only if you have no other available options, or want to cover a large hard plastic area at
once cheaply.
Now with that out of the way I’ll turn you over to Spidey who will take you through the basic
painting steps.
Important Painting Tips!
When using a lighter color than the base
figure (say yellow on top of a black Bullseye
body) put a couple coats of white down as a
base coat or primer the figure white. Dark
base color show up through the paint and
Thinning your paint is easy, just add a few unless you’re going for a really dark shade
drops of filtered/distilled water and mix of your main color, white or a light grey is
them up really well. I give all my figures 2-4 the best base coat.
coats depending on how much the base color shows through. This will give you super Normally I don’t need to seal my customs
clean paint applications too on details sec- but for those of you who want that extra
tions like eyes, lips, etc. Almost all my paints protection against hand oils/dust I recommend ‘Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic’ spray
are thinned down in the jar before use.
sealer.
Stir your paints well each time you use them
if they become separated. I use the other end Either the matte or satin works but I find
of my paintbrush with colors like skin tones, Gloss can be too thick sometimes. I use this
on Transformers and Marvel Legends when
yellows, all metallics, and earth colors.
needed. However do NOT use it on soft
Many testors base colors like black/white/ rubber! This means you need to cover up
red/blues don’t separate easily, but I still give or remove all soft rubber capes, hoods, colthose a shake. Avoid shaking paints that you lars, etc. Every other plastic type I’ve tried is
can see where they’ve separated and become fine but it will make those soft rubber parts
watery. Stir those first and then shake them, sticky. Tamiya also makes a spray Lacquer
otherwise you could end up with bubbles on sealer that works great.
your figure.
Use multiple thin coats instead of one thick
coat. This not only gives a super smooth
look to the finished product, it also helps
with durability.
A small drop of rubbing alcohol in a wash
can help the wash stick to the figure better
if you find the wash is beading up on the
surface. The alcohol helps break the surface
tension of the wash so it adheres better in
some cases. People often use a drop of windex as well.
When you are painting flesh tones use very
thin coats. You can pre-mix skin tones or
use the wash-method. For the wash start
with a base coat of Testors Light Flesh (my
favorite)and once dry do a wash of Testors
Skin Tone Tint Warm over that.
Another option is to mix some Burnt Sienna in with the original flesh tone and make
a wash of that to put over the base flesh color. Either way you’re looking to deepen the
color of the flesh by use of a wash. Mixing
some green in with the flesh helps with Italian skin tone, and some orange helps with
a tan tone. I keep about 8 different flesh
tones from Testors and Games Workshop
on hand.
How one man is turning
action figures into art
By Ben Kuchera, www.polygon.com
M
atthew Rex is a designer working at
Disney Interactive, which is a job that
would keep most of us busy but he has an
interesting hobby, turning run-of-the-mill
retail action figures into works of art.
Rex caught my attention when he posted
some pictures of his custom Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles work on Twitter, and I
had to know how he did it. He was kind
enough to sit down with me and share
more images, as well as his process. The
nicest thing I can say is that this is a man
who can take inexpensive versions of Michael Bay’s awful character designs and
make them look completely badass.
The process
For reference, this is how the retail Donatello toy looks out of the box. It’s not a terrible sculpt; it’s just based on an
already controversial design, and there’s only so much you can do with a toy you can buy for under $10.
It’s time to get to work!
Workspace
“The supplies definitely cost more than all the figures combined,” Rex told me. This was the list he sent over:
• Games Workshop / Citadel Paints (bases, details, washes, dry, matte/satin/gloss varnishes)
• a multitude of different-sized brushes (standard brushes, wash brushes, dry brushes, detail brushes)
• X-Acto knife
• super glue
• 600 grain sandpaper (for sanding down the weapons)
• plastic primer (the plastic that the weapons are made from resists paint/glue)
• craft ribbon (for replacing all ‘fabric’ wrappings on the figures/weapons)
• craft chain (for Mike’s chains, weapon chains)
• craft aluminum wire (for Don’s cables)
• tweezers (for handling smaller pieces)
• metallic Sharpies (for weapon detailing)
• Dremel tool (drilling holes for chains in weapons, trimming plastics)
• washcloth (for wiping down washes, brushes, etc.)
The first step is to strip the characters of all accessories; everything is painted individually. Rex applies a base coat
of paint, and ribbon is glued where it would exist on the real character. Reference materials were hard to come by,
but a few publicity stills and the movie trailers helped. After that, he applies several washes.
I had to admit I was unfamiliar with a few of these terms.
“Doing a ‘wash’ is a technique to bring out details in the sculpt. Typically a wash can be done using watered-down paint or special paints made just for doing washes,” he explained.
Y
ou brush a “liberal” amount of paint over the figure, and it fills all the sculpt’s fine details. “From there, depending on your intended result, you wipe the paint from the surface area of the figure, leaving it to stay only
in the crevices. Depending on how much you want to ‘stain’ the surface, to give it some of the color from the
wash, you can make the wash thicker so some of it stays on the surface when you wipe it off. Doing this essentially gives the piece depth by adding the illusion of depth and shadows where there was none before.”
Another technique is dry-brushing, which is sort of the opposite technique, but often done in tandem. A small
amount of paint is placed on a brush, and then you dab it onto different areas, or use very quick strokes to apply
paint to the surface. One of the best places to see the results of all these techniques are the Turtles’ finished shells.
“Their shells started as a solid piece of brown plastic with no paint involved,” Rex explained.
“First you add a wash, letting all the dark paint seep into the cracks and detail of the sculpt. Applying thicker washes helps stain the surface and give the shell a range of color. Lastly, dry-brushing in lighter shades of
brown helps bring color back to what became a pretty dark shell after the washes,” he continued. “You can
actually see the different layers of process here. A new base coat, a wash to fill in the cracks and then the lighter
color to help add highlights back to the shell.”
Shell paint
“Knowing when I’m done is largely a personal decision,” he said. “The figures aren’t 100 percent accurate to
the movie, and chances are, they never will be. I am in the process of trying to figure out a solution for Don
and Raph’s glasses. I may end up needing to sculpt them from scratch, or just not worry about it.”
So how much time does this take?
“I would say I did one figure per session, and a session usually lasted around four hours. Donatello took the
longest at a little over five hours, because of all the gear he has,” Rex said. “The weapons were all done separately in their own four-hour-ish session. I’ve added little things to each figure here and there since they were
‘done,’ so it’s probably fair to say 5-6 total hours each.”
Notice the detail on the weapon, from the metallic paint to the actual cloth wrapped around the weapon. This is
what the weapon looked like out of the box. The finished products look like works of art, and indeed Rex used to
sell his finished characters in college to support his toy habit. The finished figures went for $120 to $300 each.
“I would say it took a good month or so of practice before finally starting to get it. What’s nice about doing
this style of customizing is mistakes are kind of hard to make,” he told me.
“A lot of times, if you’re doing a project that involves ‘weathering’ something — making it look worn, battle-damaged or beat up — you are using a lot of techniques that support the existing paint. In a lot of cases
you won’t be re-painting completely, you’re just adding in a lot of detail. The best thing you can practice on
are things you want to look beat up, because you can take a lot of liberties and make a lot of mistakes without
it ever looking like it.”
There is no plan to sell these figures, and Rex said he regrets selling many of the figures he painted in the past.
“When the TMNT movie figures were first announced, my head immediately went to ‘making those look cool
would be a really fun project!’ so I did it. The only goal I had was to make something I was happy with and
proud to display,” he said.
Mission accomplished.
H
ow Hasbro Created its
6-inch Jabba the Hutt Action
FigureBy Erin McCarthy
JBlack
abba the Hutt is the first figure in Hasbro’s Star Wars Deluxe
Series. The 6-inch action figure comes in a replica of the
character’s throne room—complete with space for last year’s
SDCC exclusive, Han Solo in carbonite!—and includes Jabba’s
hookah and his cackling sidekick, Salacious Crumb.
It was easy to choose which character would be the first to get
the 6-inch treatment in the new Deluxe Black Series line. “Jabba’s sort of a no brainer for ‘deluxe,’” Sam Smith, Senior Product Designer of the Star Wars brand at Hasbro, says. “He’s such
a quintessential Star Wars character and we knew he would be
awesome at this scale.”
MAKING THE BLACK SERIES
Jabba’s Hookah
Photo reference for
Jabba’s Hookah.
Photo Reference for the Frog in Jabba’s Hookah
N
o matter which character
they’re making a figure of, the team
always starts by gathering reference
material. Usually, that means amassing as many photos of the character
and its accessories as possible to ensure film-level accuracy.
Here we work closely with Lucasfilm to ensure we are replicating the approved, on-canon elements.”
After determining how much articulation the figure will have and deciding
on its features and accessories, all the information the team gathered goes
to the sculptors, who develop a model.
“This is a close partnership that consists of a lot of back and forth and atten“Many of the classic archival items tion to the small details,” Smith says.
are based on image turns rather
than 3D scans or renderings [of “We’ve also moved to a completely digital sculpt environment. In the past,
puppets] since the costumes are we would go through a lot of wax stages, but everything created for Hasbro’s
delicate and, in most cases, require Star Wars Black Series has been done digitally, which makes the process
a person to be in them to capture more fluid.” During this period, the team is in constant contact with Lucasthe images,” Smith says. “Instead we film for input and approvals at each stage of the figure’s development.
refer back to the many on-set photos, film screen shots, and Lucasfilm-approved reproduction art. In
some cases, there are so many images and pieces of reference out there
that you start to notice subtle differences in features, accessories, etc.
An image of Jabba's sidekick, Salacious Crumb, from the movie.
Hasbro's 3D sculpt of the Crumb figure.
A
fter the final digital sculpt is When deco is approved and we A
approved, the team develops a have our final paint master mod“
“tooling copy”—an initial prototype of what will hopefully be the
final functioning action figure, and
which serves as a blueprint for the
final figure—with its Hong Kongbased factory. “During this stage,
we are developing deco [i.e., paint,
graphics, etc.] based on painstaking review of reference,” Smith
says.
el,” Smith says, “we then hand the
model over to our factory to reproduce it in a consumer format.”
The process consists of multiple
rounds of reviews to ensure that
the figure is an accurate replica of
the approved model; Smith says
that during this time, the team is
evaluating the mold layout and colors, draft angles, deco application,
Finer details, like a figure’s eyes, are soft goods application, and even
painted, while larger areas of the the packaging layout.
figure, like legs in pants, are molded in a certain color plastic, and
details are applied in paint.
Once Hasbro and Lucasfilm have
approved a pre-production sample
Graphics are applied in a process from the actual line, they proceed
called tampo printing; they’re with the final production.
tapped or pressed onto an item
with a soft-tipped, automated arm/
finger.
fter the final digital sculpt is approved, the team develops a “tooling
copy”—an initial prototype of what
will hopefully be the final functioning action figure, and which serves
as a blueprint for the final figure—
with its Hong Kong-based factory.
“During this stage, we are developing deco [i.e., paint, graphics, etc.]
based on painstaking review of reference,” Smith says.
Finer details, like a figure’s eyes, are
painted, while larger areas of the figure, like legs in pants, are molded in
a certain color plastic, and details are
applied in paint.
Graphics are applied in a process called tampo printing; they’re
tapped or pressed onto an item with
a soft-tipped, automated arm/finger.
JABBA’S CLOSEUP
PHOTO REFERENCE FOR JABBA THE HUTT.
B
esides his sheer awesomeness, there were a few other reasons why Hasbro chose Jabba to be its first 6-inch
figure. “He’s big enough to work within the scale and create a commanding presence when placed alongside our
other 6-inch figures, but he’s not too huge like a Rancor, which wouldn’t fit on shelf at your local retailer,” Smith
says. “We also like that he allows the 6-inch line to break the typical humanoid form. Apart from R2-D2 all of our
previous offerings have been bipeds.”
And because Tatooine's slug-like kingpin loves to chat about his palace and carbonite-encased conquests, the figure also provided the designers a fun opportunity for an action feature: When you push down on Jabba’s arm, his
mouth moves. To pull it off, “his whole upper body needed to be sculpted from a softer rubber material,” Smith
says. “We also installed geared linkage between his arm sockets and the mouth to get the effect. But this is Hasbro’s
Star Wars Black Series, so it wasn’t enough to include this feature. We had to include it in a way that still allowed
the arms to articulate for the kind of display flexibility our customers have come to expect from the line.”
The
exploded sculpt of the Jabba figure.
The figures in the Deluxe line include oversized aliens and figures with vehicles and, Smith says, “Scale is the
biggest challenge. We have to generate packaging off of the tallest and deepest characters. Bigger characters also
mean heavier plastic weight and require a more defined center of gravity to ensure they will display and articulate
properly.”
And then there’s the details; 6-inch figures just have more of them. “At this scale we can really run wild in a way
that 3.75-inches doesn’t afford,” Smith says. “Hair especially gets much more attention and detail to ensure we’re
getting the right highlights and patterns that normally wouldn’t be included in smaller scales. Surface textures are
more intricate because they can really be seen and appreciated. We also try to get more weathering and wear on
the figures to get closer to film accuracy.”
There are more deco ops, or paint applications, than on the 3.75-inch figures, and more tampo hits, too. And there’s
much more detail on all of the accessories, from buckles to buttons to blasters: “A blaster in 3.75-inch may have
been in a single molded color,” Smith says, “but in 6-inch, we add the finer details that really bring it all together.”
I
n all, making a new figure is a process that involves a number of designers, engineers and
product managers, a sculpting team, the model shop, a factory 14 time zones away from the
Hasbro crew, and branding and marketing teams. “It takes a village,” Smith says. “ A village of
super-obsessed Star Wars fans.”
If you missed this at Comic Con, but still want one of these sets for yourself? You’re in luck!
A limited number of Hasbro’s Comic-Con International 2014 special edition “Jabba” sets are
available on HasbroToyShop.com following the convention.
N
eed More
Display Space
for Your
Action Figures?
Mattel Introduce
A New and Unique Hanging Action Figure Display
Collectors are forever looking for new and interesting ways to display their treasures. Dioramas, glass or
poly cases, backdrops, shelving systems, and play sets
are implemented in an attempt to add some personality and excitement to the basic action figure layout.
Most companies know this, and a few have provided
various diorama pieces to help create that ambiance.
For their Masters of the Universe Classics line, Matty
has gone big at times - like with Castle Grayskull and very small at others, as with the individual figure
stands.
This last month, they hit the ball somewhere in between, releasing the new Wall Display System. The idea is
pretty simple: create some small, plastic shelves for the wall that include a MOTUC themed back drop.
They come packed two to a box, will run about $25 at Matty Collector, and are currently available.
I
t can't get much more basic than this, but it works. These
come in a simple brown box, with the Matty logo and name. Inside you'll find two backs, two cardboard inserts with different MOTUC graphics, and six shelves.
You might notice the box says that Matty Collector is 'Where
Collectors are King". I suspect that if this were true, there'd
be a lot more beheadings in the Matty realm.
These are designed to be used on a wall, not sitting on a desk
or shelf themselves. I shot the photos with them sitting, since
I wanted to quickly swap the backers and number of shelves
as I worked, and that's not easy to do once it's mounted to the
wall.
That's because they don't hang on a screw as you might expect.
Instead, you screw them in at the top and bottom through
a hole in each location. That makes it very sturdy, but a bit
more difficult to easily remove from the wall. You can use
Velcro wall hangers too, if you don't mind the back of the unit
sticking out a bit from the wall, but it won't be quite as sturdy.
Since I didn't have mine on the wall, I had to use something
to help support the base, and you'll see my cell phone if you
look carefully. Assembly is easy - pop the hole covers cut in
the backer cards up, slip the card into the back of the assembly, and snap in the number of shelves you want. Voile!
As I said, there are two backs and six shelves included in each box. The backers actually have room for five shelves
each, but it’s unlikely you’ll use that many with one unit.
The reason is space, of course. With all five in place, you’ll only get 2 - 3 inches of height between them. That means
all but the top shelf will be reserved for Lego mini-figures or Hot Wheels, or something else quite small.
With three shelves in place, you can easily accommodate 4 - 5” figures, two to a shelf. That would include Simpsons,
Trek, TMNT, and many other recent lines. For the intended MOTUC, you can go with a two shelf arrangement. This is also useful because the top shelf doesn’t need to be at the very top - you can drop it down to the second slot.
This gives the figures a bit more stability, as well as looking better. Each shelf has four posts included, two larger
and two smaller. The larger work well for MOTUC, but you can get most figures to work with one or the other size.
The last option is a sixth scale figure. You can use one shelf, and if you go with the very bottom, the back of the unit
and the figure should be just about the same size. It’s not wide enough to create any extreme action poses, but you
can stand a figure in a simple pose. With the unit screwed to a wall, the shelves are sturdy enough to hold six 4 - 5”
figures, or four MOTUC figures.
It will be crowded, but the weight won’t be an issue. For $12.50, you’re getting a pretty basic shelf that can display
2 - 4 MOTUC figures, or various other numbers of smaller and larger toys. The design and material is pretty basic,
making that a tough sell for most people.
ACTION FIGURE REVIEWS
All reviews kindly supplied by Michael Crawford
DC Direct 13" Deluxe Dark Knight Batman
and Joker
When the expectations for a movie are extremely high, it
can sometimes mean certain disappointment. They are just
movies after all, and not the answer to the meaning of life.
Too much anticipation makes it tough for a film to live up to
the audience's expectation, and can hurt a film as much as
help it. One film with a ton of anticipation and expectation
is The Dark Knight. Christopher Nolan's first shot at the
caped crusader, Batman Begins, had the luxury of moderate
expectations. Folks were certainly interested in seeing it, but
they were holding their breath, hoping it would be good but
not too sure. This time around, they expect perfection, and
the previews and trailers have them salivating for what could
be the greatest comic book hero movie ever done. See, that's
what I call expectations!
Everybody and their cousin's best friend jumped on the
license this time around. Mattel is doing the regular toys of
course, but companies like Hot Toys, Kotobukiya and DC
Direct are shooting for the higher end collectibles market.
Tonight I'm looking at the DC Direct 13" Deluxe Batman
and Joker based on the film. These follow in the basic DCD
Deluxe line, but are different than almost all the rest in that
they are based on real people versions of the comic book
characters, rather than comic book versions. The only previous DCD Deluxe figure like that was the Batman Begins Batman, which was a very weak entry into the high end market.
Hot Toys will also be doing a pair (with other goodies to
come), but their figures will cost $130 and up. These two
from DCD run about $80 at most retailers, and are available
now. I have some terrific sponsor suggestions for picking
these up at the end of the review. DC Direct Deluxe 13
inch Dark Knight Batman action figure
http://www.mwctoys.com
Packaging
T
hese two are some of the nicer boxes in the line so far. The graphics are good, with a very
nice incorporation of the movie logo and general feel. While there's not a ton of text, there's
a reasonable amount of background information, both on the back and on the inside of the
fifth panel.
The box is a little weak, bowing in even when it hasn't seen any time on the shelf. They also
have a bit to go if they want to be truly 'collector friendly', with still too much tape and too
many twisties. But it's not too bad, and I found putting them back in the box for storage
relatively easy. Both figures also come with a Certificate of Authenticity, a somewhat unique
situation. They aren't numbered however.
Sculpting:
Joker
BATMAN
W
hen you're sculpting a new figure based on a new character in an unseen - and usually, unfinished - movie,
getting the sculpt to be screen accurate can be tricky. Because of the long lead times necessary to product any sort
of pop culture collectible, "screen accurate" doesn't even exist when the sculptors get started. So while I have a few
nits with my Joker, I'm going to cut them some slack here. Most of my sculpting issues are probably due to the fact
that they were working off early versions of the character. Like the hair. It's too matted down here, and not was
wavy as what we've seen in the trailers and previews. The color is off too, but I'll get to that in the next section.
However, the Ledger likeness under the Joker makeup is definitely top notch. There's also a really nice realsim
to the skin texturing and wrinkling, particularly in this scale. And another huge plus - no bendy hands! He has
sculpted hands made of hard plastic, with extra sets to boot, designed to work with the various accessories.
My only other nit with the Joker head sculpt is the scarring, or generaly lack thereof. He does have the damaged
and misshapen lips, and these look spot on, but the scarring on his cheeks where the red 'lipstick' smile is painted
on is missing. Nolan's version of the Joker has a truly gruesome visage, and I'm a little disappointed that some of
that is missing here. The Batman's head sculpt is a real mixed bag. The likeness to Bale and to the character in
general is quite good, but I think they meant to put this on a completely different body. He looks like Beetlejuice
after getting his wish for 'a little head'. Superheroes tend to have pin heads in relation to their steroid inflated torsos, but this is ridiculous. His head is even smaller than his neck, a condition normally reserved only for the truly
deformed, like Elijah Wood.
I'll take about his body armor as part of the Outfit section, but I do want to include his hands here. The pair of fists
that he wears in the box suffer the same problem as the head. They look like two tiny little nubs on the ends of these
huge arms. Unfortunately, your only other choice is to go with the God awful bendy hands. These are scaled a little
better than usual (the fingers still look like sausages, but it's more like breakfast sausages, not Johnsonville Brats),
but they work as poorly as they did with every past release. Bats stands about 13 1/2" tall, not even including the
pointy ears. The Joker is about 12 1/2" tall, making him about a half inch taller than Robin.
Painting
DCD
has certainly
upped the quality on the paint
work with this line, and the Joker is a fantastic example. He's
not perfect, but the work has a
gritty, realistic feel to it.
The white skin tone is offset
with a wash that brings out
the details in the skin, and the
raccoon eyes and red smile are
done with an intentional asymmetry, to mimic a person painting their own face. The eyes are
very straight and clean, and they
bring out the sculpted intensity
of his gaze.
The hair color seems a shade dark to me, but it’s not a major issue. There’s also some issues
along the hair line where the white is riding up on the sculpted hair, but this is obvious only
from certain angles.
Bats doesn’t have the same level of detail work, but they did a nice job with what was necessary. The lower face, including the lips, is very well done, with a wonderful shading of the
skin tone and glossy, clean lips. His eyes are straight and clean as well, making the head look
very realistic.
The suit has a nice combination of matte black and gloss black to give it some visual pop,
and he thankfully lacks the sort of gray ‘bra’ that we saw on the Mattel 12” version. The metallic color of the belt offsets the dark suit nicely, although it does seem that having his bat
belt be the brightest thing on his body would draw a lot of gunfire to that area.
I’m not sure I’d want folks aiming at my crotch.
Joker
Acticulation -
W
BATMAN
hat do we have here
with the Joker? Is this a
new body? While there
was some supposition
that it might just be the
Robin body with some
leg extensions, I'm not so
sure that's the case. The
proportions are too good
- it doesn't seem like the
legs, arms and torso are
out of scale with each
other.
In fact, the body looks surprisingly good when
dressed! Someone who is more interested in stripping the Joker nekkid - Harley perhaps? - can investigate fully and let us know, but I think this could
very well be a new body.
Even if it is just a creative re-use of the shorter Robin body, I have to say that they did a great job. The
body isn’t on par with something like the Hot Toys
TrueType, but there’s an improvement here over
the standard Deluxe muscle body. Of course, one
big plus is the lack of bendy hands. While it still has
the cut wrist joints only, the hard plastic hands pop
on and off better, and more importantly, they stay
on better when you’re posing the figure.
Since this figure is wearing low cut shoes, you can
actually take advantage of the swivel pin ankle
joint, as well as the cut joint a little further up on
the ankle. Had the shoes worked a bit better (more
on that in the Outfit section), he would have been
able to take some even more radical poses.
Batman's body is the usual Deluxe superhero body, with all
the expected joints, and all the expected problems. The tight
fitting and bulky suit doesn't allow for much posing, and it
forces the arms and hands to stay below chest height. The
legs can take deeper stances than I expected, but upper body
is quite constricted.
The most notably improved joint here (which we
also saw with Robin) is the ball jointed neck. You
can get the Joker’s head into much more realistic
and lifelike poses because of this ball joint.
The teeny fist hands stay in place well enough because they
are hard plastic, but the awful bendy hands fall off when you
breath on them. The bendy fingers actually worked a little
better than usual this time, but they are too sausage-like to
appear realistic.
The Batman has a good ball jointed neck too, with
an excellent range of movement. However, because
he has such a pin head, and such a huge neck, the
head can look awkward posed at some angles.
Accessories -
T
Joker
BATMAN
oo often with the Deluxe line, the figures lack in the accessories department. Occasionally you get a Green
Arrow, but more often you get a Bizarro. Thankfully, the Joker is one of the best equipped figures in the series.
He comes with two extra sets of hands; a pair of open, gesturing hands, and a pair of fisted hands. He's wearing
the gripping hands in the box, and this set of three nicely sculpted, nicely proportioned, HARD PLASTIC hands
work great. They swap easily, they stay in place when you're posing him, and the hold the accessories quite well.
The one exception to that is the gun, since the gripping hands don't have an extended index finger to put in the
trigger guard. That's a minor nit though, since they do work extremely well with the knives, and after all, those are
the weapons of choice.
Speaking of the knives, there
included. There's a large Buck
ble edged dagger style, and a
scale on these is a little small,
top notch. I already mentioned
It's a very nice sculpt complete
slide. The scale and proportion
with the knives, and it has a
are three very different blades
or Kabar style, a medium dousmall straight razor style. The
but the sculpts and paints are
his other weapon, a handgun.
with separate clip and movable
to his body is better here than
great paint job as well.
We now from the trailers that
robbery, and wears a clown
mask, made from a fairly hard
and taking it off, since it could
in place with a piece of elastic,
sized to me in photos, I can live
He is the Joker, and that means
included, all scaled extremely
graphics. They're a little tough
two or three together it works
the Joker is involved in a bank
mask. They've included that
plastic. Be careful putting it on
damage the face paint. It's held
and while it looked way overwith the large size in person.
playing cards. There's a set of 15
well and decorated with terrific
for him to hold, but if you pack
better.
Batman isn't as well outfitted, and several of his items appear to be straight re-uses from the Batman Begins figure
they did a few years ago. He has the grappling gun once again, as well as four batarangs (instead of 2) molded from
the original release. There's also the Batphone/remote, which fits on his belt in back.
The grappling gun fits on his belt too, just like it did before. He can hold it in his bendy hand if you work at it, but
since the arms can't really pose higher than his mid-section, there's not too much you can do with it. It's the best
accessory of the set, however, and it does look good on the back of his belt. Well, it would if you could see it - the
cape covers it entirely of course.
His only new accessory is what appears to be some sort of restraint or capture device, or perhaps something he
uses on his arm. It's called the "pneumatic wrangler" on the box, hinting at the restraint angle. I couldn't figure out
exactly what to do with it without having seen the movie. I understand the reuse of accessories, since I'm sure he'll
reuse both the batarangs and grappling gun in the new movie. But that kind of re-use, in concert with a price tag
like this, should mean MORE accessories. Joker puts him to shame, and that's not right - he's Batman!
Both figures also come with the standard Deluxe display stands, but you won't need them.
Outfit -
Joker
W
BATMAN
hile some of the DCD Deluxe outfits have been extremely nice - see the Green Arrow for an example - they have always been generaly simplistic. Superheroes by nature
tend to stick with fairly basic attire.
But the Joker let's DCD show what they can do with this line, and they do him up right.
There's the outer long coat, sport jacket, vest, and shirt, all done with the highest quality
materials and stitching. The long coat even has a nylon lining in the goldish/bronze color!
They fit well, although with that many layers you're bound to get some bunching around
the neck. That happens here, particularly around the back of the neck and shoulders, but
because Ledger gives the character a bit of a rounded back and stooped shoulders in the
film, this bunching up of the clothing actually looks more accurate to the character.
The tailoring is also A game - just look at the pants and how they hang and fit around
his pelvis! Because all the buttons and pockets are properly scaled, and because of the
excellent tailoring, he truly does look like an actual person. That's hard to pull off in sixth
scale with this many layers of clothes.
His outfit is fairly intricate in terms of colors and patterns too, and from the stills we've seen so far, they managed
to get it pretty close. The shirt pattern looks a *little* different, but that might just be my eyes playing tricks on me.
I do think the tie is a smidge big, but it's much closer to reality than say, Shaun's tie from the Shaun of the Dead
review last week. A big reason for this is the material they used is much, much thinner. My one area of issue was on
his shoes. Not the sculpt or quality, because those areas are excellent. In fact, while the laces themselves are sculpted on the top of the shoes, the tied bow at the top is actually laces. It blends perfectly with the rest of the show, and
adds another dimension of realism. No, it's not the quality of the shoes, but the fit, at least on mine. The left shoe
doesn't really seem to fit on the foot properly, causing it to lean to one side. This makes it a lot tougher to get him
into a good standing pose than it should be, and I found that to be frustrating.
The Batman has many more costume issues than the Joker, and ends
up being similar to some of the early releases. Yes, the suit is more
complex, and this time they went with a tight cloth nylon undersuit,
with the rubbery spiderweb like armor over it. That was probably the
best idea, but it didn't execute all that well. It's the weird proportions
again - the thighs are HUGE (it's hard to tell that in photos with the
black legs against the black cape, but trust me, they're HUGE), the
boots are HUGE, and from the waist down he seems wider and larger
than from the waist up. His cape has a wire running along each edge
to improve it's posability, but the material they chose for it is rather
cheap. They used a velvet type material for the outside, with a nylon
lining.
The velvet is similar to what we see in the film (at least it was in Batman Begins), but the material they went with is the type that rubs
down very easily, creating flat shiny spots on the velvet. It's also a bit
crinkly and stiff, certainly more so than more expensive velvet.
The quality of his suit overall isn't terrible, but the wonky proportions
really ruin the look. This is a weird looking Batman.
Fun Factor -
T
Joker
BATMAN
he Joker, for all his deranged appearance, would actually make a good toy. The costume is sturdy enough for
basic play (he might lose a button or two), and the accessories will only break under direct and hostile pressure.
Sure, you could put an eye out with those knives, but that's the kind of action figure accessories we had when I was
a kid, and I still have one reasonably good eye.
The Batman would be much more frustrating for most kids
due to the limited articulation and goofy appearance.
No kid is going to think those huge hams he has for thighs
look good, and those God awful bendy hands are worthless
and annoying.
Value -
Joker
BATMAN
Y
ou’ll spend around $80 on the Joker, similar to a high end Sideshow
figure or a low end Hot Toys figure. And for the first time in the history of this
line, I’m going to say he’s worth it.
He’s not a special value, and nobody is going to think he was cheap. But you are
getting close to what you’re paying for, at least in the current market, and I won’t
be hitting him up at all in my own Overall based on his price.
I can’t say the same for Batman. With the re-used accessories, and the less than
stellar appearance, you aren’t getting an $80 figure.
$50? Sure, and he’d score much better at such a price point.
But there is no way this guy is worth the extreme price that they’ve started charging for the Deluxe line. The other upcoming figures, like Supergirl, are going to be in a similar boat.
The Three BAF's
Mandroid, Green Goblin, Groot Hasbro
I
love the Build A Figure concept. Since I'm generally a completist, it's almost like I'm getting
something for free - almost. And when the right character is chosen, particularly the larger, more impressive ones, all the better. It's not just Marvel Legends that employs the BAF, and they certainly didn't
invent it. Other companies do figures, playsets, dioramas - if you can do it, it's been done. But Toybiz
and then Hasbro made it a mainstay in the action hero market with Marvel Legends, and they continue
the tradition with the great success.
Their three pseudo movie ML series released so far this year - Captain America, Spider-Man and
Guardians of the Galaxy - all have a BAF. Rather than do them individually I figured I'd hit them up as a
trio tonight. For the Guardians, Hasbro selected the largest member of the team to be the BAF - Groot.
Since coming up with accessories for this guy would have been tough, and since he is the biggest, it
makes complete sense.
Under the Captain America license, they went with the robotic Mandroid. We've never seen this particular comic styled version on screen, but we did get a bunch of robots that were sort of, kind of, Mandroids in Iron Man 2.
Finally, there's the Green Goblin with the Spider-Man series. This is the Ultimate version of the Green
Goblin, so if you were looking for something a bit more classic, this ain't it.
As usual, you create these figures by buying all six figures in each wave, and while it's getting tougher
to find Black Cat and Black Widow, it's still possible to complete all three of these right off the pegs.
Packaging I have to give Hasbro some major props here - these are the only mass market toys out there
right now with completely collector friendly packages. You can open these up - carefully - without even
cutting a piece of tape, slide the tray out, remove the figures and accessories, and put it all back together later, no muss, no fuss, no damage. While there aren't any twisty ties or rubber bands (yea!), there
are a couple pieces of tape holding the smaller accessories safely in the plastic tray. You can ditch the
tape however, and the accessories will remain in place under normal handling. I didn't include a package shot this time, but you can always reference back to the earlier review of the Guardians.
Sculpting I’m not a regular reader of the Ultimate titles, but I gotta say that I’m digging this Hulked out Goblin. And the comparison to the Hulk isn’t merely because of his size - you should recognize that torso
and those pants wearing legs, since they have been re-used from an earlier Hulk figure.
The expression is snarling and mean, with some excellent detail work on the mouth and spikes. Overall
it’s a cool design, and it’s a very different look for a classic character. Mandroid is sweet as well, particularly if you like robots. The detailing is appropriate for a metal exterior, and his size fits in nicely with
the normal ML Iron Man.
Remember, these are all done in a 6” scale, but that makes them all larger than 6”. For example, Groot
comes in at almost 9” tall! Goblin and Mandroid are between 7” and 7 1/2”, making them much larger in
height (and volume) than the normal ML figure. They might pale in size when compared to some early
BAF”s (see the last photo for an example), but they are still hefty figures. Groot has the most overall
detail, with a very cool texturing on his bark exterior. Trees and plants are always very difficult to do with
realistic texturing - it often comes off heavy handed or cartoony. Not so this time, and Groot matches
up with his on screen look pretty well.
Paint The paint work is well above average for a mass market release, although there isn’t a ton of
small detail work on any of the three. Green Goblin has the most, particularly around the teeth and bony
protuberances. Groot has the least, with an all over brown broken up with just his eyes. Mandroid falls
in between, and I love the chest logo. All three have a nice consistency to the major colors.
Articulation - Goblin
- Mandroid
- GrooT
These are Marvel Legends figures, and that means (usually) great articulation. Green Goblin is my favorite of the three. The pin/disc style ball joint at the neck works better than usual, with some good tilt
and lean action. The ball shoulders and hips, as well as the double pin knees, pin elbows and ankles,
cut biceps and thighs, and cut/rocker chest and pin/rocker ankles all work terrific. Mandroid is very similar, but lacks the wrist and thigh joints. His neck isn’t as easy to work with either, since the true ball is
very deep in the armor. Groot is also nicely articulated, especially when you consider the tree bark design. He lacks the cut thighs, his knees are only single pin, and the ankles don’t quite have the mobility
of the Goblin’s, but you’ll still be able to get some very nice poses out of him, including deep stances.
Accessories - Goblin
W
- Mandroid
- GrooT
hen it comes to BAF's, it's normal and completely acceptable for there to be a big old Bupkis in
this category. They are themselves accessories, after all, and getting anything extra with them is not the
expectation. Therefore, any score here - even a half star - is a big plus. Groot doesn't come with any
extras, as expected. No problem there, but it's worth noting. Mandroid has his removable black cannon
that attaches to his right shoulder. You can ditch it if you prefer the slicker look. Green Goblin actually
comes with three extras - his flames. There's one for each arm, as well as one that drapes over his
shoulders and back. These are made in a translucent orangish/reddish plastic, and add a nice devilish
look to the overall design. The back flames fit nicely, but
I did have some trouble getting the arm flames to attach
and rest properly over the forearms. Not a big deal - I
finally found a look I liked - but more work than you'd
expect.
Fun Factor -
A
ll three of these are terrific action figures, with excellent sculpts and articulation. The
large size makes them ideal when battling the smaller ML's in the sandbox, and adds some variety to
the collector's display as well.
This is an interesting category for a BAF. The only way to buy
them independently is on the secondary market, where prices
fluctuate daily. To buy them at the store, you have to purchase
an entire wave of Spider-man, Captain America, or Guardians
of the Galaxy for a whopping $120. If you don't care about the other six figures, that's a lot of money.
However, there's another way to look at it - these figures are 'free'. If you're already buying the six figures, you're getting these as a bonus.
Value -
That's the two extremes - either you wanted all six and the BAF was a freebie, or you only wanted the
BAF and it cost you $120. I'd guess 80% of collectors will fall someplace in between, and it will vary with
each figure. For example, if you wanted Groot, you probably wanted Rocket, Star-Lord, Gamora and
Drax. Nova and Iron Man? Well, it's unlikely Nova will be wearing that costume in the movie, and even
less likely we'll even see Iron Man on screen (although we haven't heard much about the end credits
yet...), let alone in the comic based armor. Picking up those two depends more on your desire for the
comic versions, making Groot a $40 purchase for a lot of people.
In the end I went with a slightly below average score, based on my desire for the various figures in each
of the waves. Your mileage is going to vary, and vary quite a bit.
Penny, Doo Dah & Brownie
- Gremlins NECA
W
hen a film becomes a hit
- and then a classic - it's usually due
to theexcellent direction, writing, and
acting. With the now classic Gremlins, it's not. That's not to say all three
of those aspects aren't great. Joe Dante is a fine director who did some of
his best work here. And as far as I'm
concerned, Fast Times at Ridgemont
High made Phoebe Cates a permanent favorite. But while all the usual
suspects did their jobs at the top of
their craft, Gremlins is really a movie
all about, and stolen by, the title characters. Take that, Godzilla.
Word is a remake is in the works. No
need to get too excited yet, since
they've been discussing this for years,
either as a remake or as a sequel, and
nothing has come of it yet, but it is
true that the chatter has intensified
this year. While I have nothing against
sequels, prequels, remakes, re-adaptations or reboots per se (too often
people want to hate them right up
front, when in fact they can be done
well), I think this is the wrong property for it. To do a property justice, there
needs to be something you can do to
improve on the original. With a movie like Gremlins, there simply isn't. It's
not that deep of a story, so better actors won't add a whole lot. And CGI
Gremlins? No thanks.
I will be happy to keep buying action
figures based on the original Gremlins designs, however. NECA seems
happy to oblige, at least for one more
series. Mogwai versions of Penny,
Doo Dah and Brownie are currently
shipping, and will cost you about $13
each or so, depending on the retailer.
PACKING -***1/2
I like clamshells, although collector
friendly they ain't. You'll need a
sharp blade to extract the little bugger, but this type of packaging is
very resistant to peg wear, storage
damage, or store theft.
The insert has the spooky shadow of an evil Gremlin, and I like
the simplicity of the design. The
large bubble also shows off the
figure nicely, for the MOCer's in the
crowd.
Sculpting -***1/2
The sculpt improved this time around, with a little better detailing in the fur on the torso. If
you remember, I complained about the almost smooth texture on Haskins and Stripe, but
here we get a little more definition in the hair. It’s not quite at the same level as the face and
limbs, but it’s decent, and actually makes sense - there’d be more flattening and matting of
the hair on the chest.
I love the detail work on the faces, especially Penny. The fur texture looks great, and they’ve
done three slightly different pairs of ears as well, adding some more personality.
I did knock off slightly here for the deep set eyes. This is necessitated by the moving eyeball
function, but it’s a tad extreme.
These are about 3 1/2 inches tall, and all three stand great on their own.
PAINT -***1/2
The paint work is
clean, with a nice
fading transition
between the fur
colors on all three
Gremlins.
Brownie is my favorite in this category, because
he's so unique in
terms of color.
The tiger stripes
on Penny are interesting as well, and
even Doo Dah has
enough variation in
his pattern to make
him stand out on
the shelf.
The eyes are very
sharp and clean as well. There’s the occasional stray
mark here or there on the fur, but it’s the exception
rather than the rule.
ARTICULATION -***
T
hese have quite a bit of articulation considering the chubby design of the source
character. There's a very good ball jointed neck, and you should have no trouble tilting and
leaning the head in very realistic ways. Both ears are also articulated, allowing you to include a bit more personality to every pose.
The moving eyes feature is still here of course, but it's not as bad as in previous
releases. It's been my sore spot with this line so far, but they've done a much better job
this time getting the eyes to a) move together and b) stay in one place. They still track off
slightly from time to time, but if you play around with it a bit you'll get much better results.
The arms have ball shoulders, cut elbows and cut wrists. The legs also have ball hips, but
these (like the elbows and wrists) really amount to cut joints due to the restrictive nature of
the sculpted fur.
You won't get any fighting stances out of them, but that's not in their nature. You will get
some very cute looks, and the improved eyes are a big plus.
Accessories - Bupkis
Sadly, none of these three comes with anything extra. I wasn't a bit surprised, since none
of the mogwai have had any accessories so far, but it's still a smidge disappointing. Of
course, some of that disappointment is offset by the pleasure of getting a decent action
figure for less than $15.
Fun Factor -***1/2
W
hile they don’t have any accessories,
the decent articulation makes them a ton of fun
to play around with.
Vaue - ***
While the lack of accessories is a bummer, the $13 price point
(or so, depending on where you pick them up and if you buy the set),
is pretty good right now. With the Marvel Legends and Star Wars
Black running $20, finding something this good for quite a bit less is
actually refreshing, even if they are a little lacking in the extras department.
LEAONARDO
NINJA TURTLE PLAYMATES
There are only a handful of action figure
lines that have lasted through decades.
When it does happen, like with Barbie,
Masters of the Universe, or G.I. Joe, it tends
to happen because the company and the line
are one and the same - it's not licensed from
someone else. I can think of only two exceptions: Star Wars, and TMNT.
Playmates has managed the TMNT line for
more than two decades, and have produced
hundreds of figures based on various cartoon and movie incarnations of the heroes
on a half shell.
It's no surprise that the new film coming out
in a couple weeks has it's own set of toys as
well, based on the very unique new appearance.
I’m checking out Leonardo tonight, sent to
me by TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles.com, a
terrific site for fans of all things turtles.
The figures are flooding into stores right now, featured on end caps at retailers like
Toys R Us, Target and Meijers. Expect to pay around $8 - $10 for the singles, depending
on the retailer.
PACKAGING
The packaging is sharp, with clean
lines and an interesting die cut backer. There's text on the back along with
photos of the first series, and while it's
not the easiest to store (corners tend
to get damaged on odd shaped card
backs), it's not too wasteful.
There's not a ton of personalization,
which is a bit of a let down for me.
They do have the one photo and name
on the interior front paper slip, but
that's about it.
sculpting
I'm not sure if I dig the new turtle designs. I suspect I'll have to see them in action in the movie
before I can pass final judgment. These are...creepy. No doubt about it, but once the on screen
personality kicks in, we might find them so ugly they're cute.
The designs do allow for plenty of small detail work in the sculpt, however. There's even some
texturing on the skin, and the details on the inner and outer shell are particularly nice.
They used a softer rubber for the hands, which is a smart move. It allows you to put the weapons in his hands easily, but it's not so soft that he drops them, perfect for kids.
These guys are a 5" scale, with Leo standing right about there. Scale-wise, they'll fit in with other
5" lines, but style-wise they are definitely different.
paint
The paint work is solid, particularly for a
mass market toy. There’s a little bleed and
slop - check out the whites of the eyes or
the bone pattern on his chest armor - but
for the most part the various colors are
clean, consistent and sharp. With the more
realistic sculpts (I supposed you could
call them that) comes a more turtle-like
paint scheme. The body and armor is a lot
of greens and browns, with a dash of color thrown in here and there for visual
interest. Nothing super cartoony for these
ninjas. Leo has the blue mask, setting him
apart from the others.
Articulation
The sculpt and design reduces the amount of potential articulation to some degree. For example, the
thick torso means there's no ab-crunch or waist
joint. You have to depend on the ball hips and ball
knees for creating the stances. There's a ball neck,
but the post is quite short, making tilting and leaning a tricky proposition. There's ball shoulders and
elbows too, but without cut wrists, the arm poses
are limited, particularly with the swords.
Accessories
Each of the Turtles has his
trademark weapon. For Leo, it's his
swords.There's two
included of course,
as well as a removable soft double
scabbard that
attaches to a hole
in his back. The
swords are pretty
basic, but they look
good, and the scabbards attach easily.
It's nothing fancy,
but it's decent for
play. If you pop off
the head you can
also remove the
scarf, so I suppose
you could count
that as an accessory as well. Not an
exciting one, but
one nonetheless.
fun factor
I wish the articulation was a smidge better - if so, I'd go up on this score. They
have captured the screen look, and the style and accessories add to the play
value. But with some restricted and missing joints, it's not quite as much fun as it
could be.
Value
How many action figures are less than $10 these days? You can find
these under $9 at certain retailers, and that’s a damn good deal.
y
x
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Gam
ABOUT
T
W
O
WEEKS AGO, I
COVERED THE FIRST
THREE FIGURES IN THE
MARVEL LEGENDS GUARDIANS
OF THE GALAXY WAVE - ROCKET RACCOON, DRAX, AND STAR-LORD. I WANTED TO
ALSO COVER GAMORA, IRON MAN AND NOVA, BUT
WHEN IT CAME TO FINDING THEM ON THE SHELF, THERE
WAS A HOLD OUT. NO, NOT THE CHICK...IT WAS NOVA! NOT
SURE WHY HE'S POPULAR, OR IF HE'S JUST VERY SHORTPACKED
RIGHT NOW, BUT I FINALLY MANAGED TO DIG ONE UP YESTERDAY.
I'LL ALSO COVER THE BUILD A FIGURE WITH THIS SERIES, GROOT, BUT I WANT
TO DO HIM WITH THE
OTHER TWO BAF'S THAT
HASBRO HAS RELEASED
THIS YEAR. I'LL HIT UP
ALL THREE SHORTLY.
BACK TO THESE THREE.
GAMORA IS OBVIOUSLY
THE ONE MOST FOLKS
WILL WANT ASAP, SINCE
SHE'S A) A FEMALE ACTION FIGURE, A RARE
BEAST IN THE COLLECTING WORLD AND B) ONE
OF THE FIVE MEMBERS
OF THE GUARDIANS.
I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT
ROLE IRON MAN WILL
PLAY IN THIS FLICK, IF ANY, ALTHOUGH WE HAVEN'T HEARD MUCH ABOUT END CREIDTS.
AND NOVA? WE ALL KNOW THE RUMORS - HE'LL BE PLAYED BY NONE OTHER THAN NATHAN FILLION, MAKING ALL THE FANBOY DREAMS COME TRUE. WHILE IT'S UNLIKELY
HE'LL BE WEARING THIS COMIC BOOK BASED COSTUME, YOU NEVER KNOW - OR AT
LEAST IF YOU'RE LIKE ME AND YOU AVOID SPOILERS, YOU DON'T.
THESE GUYS (AND GAL) ARE HITTING STORES LIKE TARGET, TOYS R US AND MEIJERS
RIGHT NOW, AND RUN ABOUT $20 EACH. OUCH.
Packaging - ****
I didn’t give these packages enough credit last time. It’s
far too rare to see mass market packaging that is actually, truly, no lie, and collector friendly. There isn’t even
a piece of tape to cut. You can easily slip the figure out,
encounter nary a single twistie tie or rubber band, pop
him out of the plastic tray, and pop him back in again,
any time you’d like, easy peasy lemon squeezy.
It helps that they also show off the figure and BAF part
very nicely, and have a shot of the entire line up on the
back.
Sculpting - ***
The sculpting is reasonably good, but each figure comes
up just a bit short in one way or another. For those unfamiliar with Marvel Legends, these are done in a 6” scale,
and should fit in pretty well with any other line in that
same scale.
Oddly enough, I think I like Nova the best. It doesn’t
look anything like Fillion under the mask, but then,
none of the figures look like exact matches with their
actors, and this is a technically a comic book version. I
do love the suit design and detail though, and his overall design creates the least interference with his articulation. Sadly, the very soft plastic (they are VERY soft this
time) effects the star on his forehead, making it too easy
to end up bent and misshapen in the package. You’ll be
able to fix it over time, but right out of the pack he’ll
look a little weird.
Which brings me to the only part of his design I don’t like - the big super nova star on his forehead. How does this
thing not make him cross eyed? Paint a symbol on the helmet? Great idea. Make one that looks like a dead starfish
glued to his forehead? Not so good.
Iron Man has a unique look here, with some very funky shoulder armor. Have no fear, they can be popped off and
on pretty easily.
The chest detail is particularly cool, and I don’t remember the arc generator ever looking quite so much like a daisy.
Gamora suffers from the same problem all Marvel Legends ladies do - skinny, gangly limbs. The sculpt and articulation don’t work together particularly well either, making it tough to find a pose that she can maintain.
She is pretty, but not as unique looking as on screen. She should be drop dead gorgeous, but as you can see in stills
from the film, the funky cheek bones and ridges over the eyes give her an almost alien appearance -they didn’t
even try to sculpt this. Wimps. Overall the figures are reasonable, but not exceptional. Too many short cuts on the
sculpts, and not enough attention to detail.
Paint - ***1/2
The paint work is very nice, but it should be considering the price point.
Gamora is particularly well done, with very clean eyes and makeup. She is surprisingly realistic too - she’s obviously a toy in a macro photo, but from a distance looks much better than most figures in this scale. Even the reddish tinge
to her hair works.
They do slop it up a little on her
costume, but it’s not terrible work.
Likewise, Nova and Iron Man
have the occasional spot of bleed
or sloppy cut line, but overall the
work is clean and neat. I really like
the eye popping color of Nova’s
suit too, which could have ended
up corny, but instead looks pretty bad ass. Drop the silly starfish,
and this would be a great looking
ensemble.
Articulation - Nova, Iron Man ***; Gamora **1/2
T
he biggest problem here is not the number of joints - all three are reasonable. But the plastic is almost
rubber, especially on Iron Man and Nova, making them feel cheap and susceptible to damage. They have all the
usual Marvel Legends joints, including a ball neck, ball shoulders, cut biceps and thighs, double pin elbows and
knees, cut waist, ab-crunch, pin and rocker ankles, and ball hips. I was a bit surprised that none of them - not
even Gamora - had any wrist articulation. EDIT: I'm told Nova does, but mine seem paint stuck. The soft plastic
throughout makes it risky to break them free.
She also lacks the cut waist, and her ab is not a crunch, as it can only turn and tilt very slightly. She has the ball
neck (less restricted by the hair than I expected), ball shoulders, ball/pin elbows, cut thighs, double pin knees, and
pin/rocker ankles. The hips look like balls, but are much more restricted than other figures, and make it difficult
for her to take deep stances.
In fact, it's hard to get her to even stand for more than a few seconds. The small feet don't help, but the overall
design of the articulation just isn't very compatible with the figure's center of gravity.
Both Iron Man and Nova have one other area of articulation - their shoulder armor. As I mentioned, not only can
you move Iron Man's, but you can easily pop it off and on again. Nova's isn't supposed to come off, but it does move
up and cleanly out of the way of even high arm poses.
Accessories
Gamora ***;
Nova, Iron Man **1/2
E
very figure comes with a part for Groot, the
Build-A-Figure. My standard score for a figure
with just the BAF part and nothing else is **1/2,
hence this score for both Iron Man and Nova.
Gammie gets a bit better score because she comes
with her funky interstellar looking sword.
Unfortunately, she can't hold it particularly well
in either hand, but futz with it enough and you'll
eventually get it to stay.
That's what they make poster tack for, isn't it?
Fun Factor - ***1/2
I gave the first three the full four stars here, but
the softer plastic on Nova and Iron Man, along with Gamora's inability to stand on her own very well, knocks the
overall play value down a half star. They're still fun, but a smidge more frustrating than the earlier three.
Value - **
Twenty dollars each? Double ouch. While I’m happy to still be getting Marvel Legends, particularly movie based
ones, and the BAFs are always a nice addition to the collection, the price point is really becoming a killer.
INTAGE
Battlestar Galactica
A
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Why are Battlestar Galactica Action Figures So Hard to Find?
I
was about ten when Battlestar Galactica first premiered on British television
and I was completely mesmerized and transfixed by it. In fact, the very next day
I dragged my old man (father) down to the local Toys R Us store to get me some
of the new Mattel Battlestar Galactica action figures.
However in the 1970’s, unlike today, toys like these were made to be played with,
not collected, so most ended up being trashed after months play. This is the main
reason why they are becoming increasingly difficult to find, coupled with the fact
that there are more and more collectors, like myself, who are trying to replace
their vintage Battlestar Galactica action figures from their childhood.
They have also become more popular recently due to the new re-booted TV sries,
which I also loved. Even the newer DST (Diamond Select Toys) seem to be becoming increasingly difficult to find, which is probably due to the fact that even though
these were mass produced there was generally only one production run for each
series. Also the series has been finished for for a while now,
so DST have stopped releasing figures, yet at the same time demand has been
steadily increasing. Despite all this values seem to be fairly reasonable and stable at the moment which I think is due to this being a small niche and the fact
that although demand is gradually increasing there is still and adequate,
although decreasing, supply of the figures. It is my firm believe
therefore, that over the coming years we are likely to see
these continue to rise in value, especially for the vintage Mattel figures, as more collectors try to back
track on their collections and replace the
figures they lost in their childhood So...
How many were made? What
were the exclusives?
What are the rarest
figures?
The figures…
Battlestar Galactica Action figures first appeared in 1978, a year after the release
of Hasbro's popular Star Wars line of figures.
But could Mattel duplicate Hasbro’s success with their line of Battlestar Galatica
figures?
After the huge, and unexpected success of Star Wars in 1977 many film and TV
companies jumped onto the "sci fi" bandwagon trying to duplicate it.
One of the best of these, and more memorable, was Battlestar Galactica, a Universal studios TV series that premiered in 1978.
Battlestar Galatica boasted similar effects to those seen in Star Wars, probably
because John Dykstra, head of special effects on the Star Wars movie, worked as
a producer on the show (an argument that eventually ended up in court).
Another element that was "copied" from Star Wars’ success was Universal Studio’s line of merchandise produced to coincide with the launch of the show. One
of the most popular of these was the line of 3 ¾ inch Battlestar Galactica figures
from Mattel. These early figures were very crude by today's standards, with little resemblance to the actual characters portrayed and lacked in both detail and
coloring.
However, despite its success the show was cancelled in 1980. Richard Hatch tried
to re-launch the series in 1998 which ultimately failed but Universal Television became set on the idea of a new re-imagined miniseries which eventually made its
tv debut in 2004.
This new and "re-imagined", as it become known, Battlestar Galactica introduced
many new elements and twists (Starbuck is portrayed as a girl rather than the
swashbuckling, romantic playboy of the original series) without straying too far
from the original concept, and as a result has attracted a large and loyal following
of fans.
Mattel’s Battlestar Galactical Figures
Mattel’s original line Daggit (the robot dog),
of Battlestar Galactica action figures was released
in 1978 and consisted of
Starbuck,
two Cylons (silver and
Adama,
gold),
Lucifer,
Boltar,
and the Imperious Leader The second series of Battlestar Galactica action figures was released in 1979
and included the original
figures from series one as
well as four new figures:
Sidenote: It is often the
case with older figures,
such as these, it is the
weapons that often prove
to be the most difficult to
find, although the figures
themselves are relatively
easy to acquire.
Boray (a pig headed creature),
(a rather dull pink alien).
Ovion (a fly-like alien)
In 1979 Mattel released of
two 12-inch figure Battlestar Galactica figures, a
Colonial Warrior figure and
Cylon Centurion Figure.
These figures weren’t up
to the standard and quality of the Kenner Star Wars
figures, however over the
course of time, and particularly since the start
of the new “re-imagined”
series has resulted in a
resurgence of interest in
new Battlestar Galactica
figures and merchandising
as well as stimulating the
market in the old vintage
Mattel figures, which can
still be found at very reasonable prices.
The first series of Battlestar Galactica figures was
sold in 6 and 4 figure gift
sets as well as the regular
individual blister packs.
The Colonial Warrior was
based on the original mold
from Mattel’s Major Matt
Mason’s Captain Laser figure and came with a laser
beam, scanner device and
Arial and the Cylon had the
added bonus of a manually operated moving red
eye and glowing chest.
Both these figures have become extremely hard to find in mint condition with
their boxes intact, so are worth keeping a look out for. Later, in 1980, Mattel also
introduced a limited edition mail away Gold Cylon offer, in which you had to send
in four proofs of purchase from any of the four figures in the series to get.
Mattel also produced five Battlestar Galactica ships, three which were based on
ships featured in the show, and two made up ones. These were a
Colonial Viper,
Cylon Raider,
Colonial Landram,
Stellar Probe,
and Scarab.
Initially each of these came
with missiles that could be
fired but after a child died
from swallowing one they
were replaced, so the earlier figures have become
somewhat of a rarity.
The Colonial Viper was one
of the best models that
Mattel released and looked
exactly like it did in the
show and came with a
small 2” viper pilot figure.
The Scarab was one of
Mattel’s “made up” vehicles and was never actually featured in the series.
It came in 3 main parts,
the
command
module,
drive section and rocket
launcher.
The instruction sheet also
wrongly labeled the figure
that came with these vehicles as a Cylon. Another
vehicle released by Mattel
that had nothing to do with
the show was the Colonial
Stellar Probe 30 which was
based very loosely on the
Colonial viper.
solar
sensors,
catapult
grip, and two raider targets. This is one of the
more difficult items to find,
particularly in mint condition with all the pieces inArtwork on the box also tact and often sell more
contained a picture of an than $60
early prototype Colonial
figure with white arms and Then we have the Holy
a red body rather than the Grail of Battlestar Galactifinal all red version which ca collectibles, the one that
everyone wants, The Batwas released.
tlestar Galactica Command
The Colonial Landram is Ship. This “ship” was to
probably the hardest Bat- feature electronic sounds,
tlestar Galactica toy to launching vipers and was
find, with the exception of a massive 22 inches in
the Battlestar Galactica it- length! It was, however,
self, of course.
never released as it was
deemed to be too expenThe Colonial Landram was sive to produce and sell
released in 1979 and was and hence why you will
the last of the Mattel ships probably never see one
to be released and then for sale.
only in Canada.
As with the Scarab there
are two variations of this
vehicle available, a grey
version with firing missiles
and a non firing version.
It was built to the same
scale as the other ships
and, as with the others,
was available in both a non
missile firing and a missile
firing version.
There were two types of
wheels available for the
Landram, caterpillar tracks
and plain wheels, in the
same style as the Scarab, it also came with two
small warrior figures that
wing unit, tail, thrusters, sat inside the cockpit. One
adapter, nose cone, and of these sold on Ebay for
$2,025.00 in 2006.
lift-off assembly.
The Stellar Probe, like the
Scarab, had nothing to do
with the show and consisted of the command
module, main body,
The nice part with this figure is that by interchanging the parts you could
make up to eight different
vehicles.
The Viper Launch Station
came with the runway,
two launch-able vipers,
two laser turrets,
However, at least
one prototype
DOES exist and
sold on Ebay
for $5,100.00 in
2006.
Trendmasters Battlestar Galactica
action figure
A
fter the Mattel figures nothing new was released until 1996 when a
company called Trendmaster released a new series of 12-inch Battlestar
Galactica action figures.
The initial series included four figures, a Cylon Centurion, Cylon Commander, Imperious Leader, Starbuck and later a limited edition Stealth Cylon figure
(which was just a normal cylon in black). Each of
these figures was also available as a talking version and was based on the comic book, rather than
the TV series, that was produced by Richard Hatch
and his friend in the late 90's.
The Imperious Leader looked as he does because the
comic featured Glen Larson’s original concept of the
Cylons being a lizard race that had become cybernetic warriors. (In the TV series they were all turned
into robots because they were not allowed to have
the heroes killing live beings on a show that kids
would watch.)
These figures remain reasonably collectable but had
some major flaws, for example Starbuck and Imperious Leader were
unable to hold their
weapons, and the
Imperious Leader’s
mask kept falling
off.
Joyride Studios Battlestar Galactica
action figure
I
n 2005 Joyride Studios released a set of six 6-inch Battlestar Galactica
figures in two series: Cylon Centurion,
Cylon Raider, and Colonial Viper, in the first
series and Apollo, Starbuck and a Cylon
Commander in series two.
Although the Cylon figures in series one had really
nice sculpts they were more like a statue than
true action figures, as it only looked good in its
base pose, although some of its' limbs are articulated. Also the "red eye" is only represented by
a blob of red paint rather than a plastic red eye.
The series two figures suffered from the same
fate as the Centurion in series one. All three of these
figures are great sculpts
with good paint jobs but
are again more a kin to
statues than action figures.
Each of these figures came
with a removable helmet
and gun which could be fitted in the leg holster.
Konami Battlestar Galactica action figure
Konami of Japan released a set of miniature Battlestar Galactica figures in 2005.
These "trading figures", as they are often referred to, are very popular in Japan.
Each figure is packaged in a "blind" box so it is impossible to tell which one you are
getting until you open it, much like a pack of trading cards or collectible card game.
These Battlestar Galactica trading figures were
based on the original show and featured a
Cylon Warrior, Cylon Commander, Cylon Basestar, Cylon Raider, Viper, Galactica, Atlantia, and
Pegasus.
The Atlantia, Pegasus and Cylon Commander
figures were much harder to come by than
the other figures as they were produced in
much smaller numbers and have
become more collectible and
valuable.
Each of these miniature plastic
figures were from 2" to 5" long.
Majestic Studios
Battlestar Galactica action figure
2005 also saw the release of Majestic Studio’s highly detailed Limited
Edition Battlestar Galactica figure which featured a Cylon Centurion, a
Cylon Commander, Apollo, Starbuck, and Adama.
These figures have become
highly collectible and are considered to be among the best
Battlestar Galactic figures to
have been produced over
the years with their excellent
sculpting and careful attention to detail as well as 7 to
12 points of articulation, each
figure stood approximately 7"
high and included accessories.
The Cylon Centurion figure
had detachable armor as well
as a nice fabric body suit and
came complete with a rifle,
gun, sword, and stand, the
only minor fault with this figure was that it was missing
the "skirt".
A an identical gold version of the Cylon Commander was also produce as a Tower
Records exclusive in the USA. One of the few faults with these figures is that Majestic possibly tried to cut corners to save money on the packaging and therefore
the figures featured on the box often didn't match the figure inside.
Later, in 2006, Majestic released a Space Toys exclusive Apollo and Starbuck figure
set. This special edition boxed set of 12" collectible figures, based on the "Experiment
in Terra" episode from the original series, was limited to only 500 sets. In this episode, the characters' uniforms and accessories, from their Viper helmets down to
their boots, miraculously turn white when in the presence of this protecting white
aura. The figures in the boxed set display an amazing attention to detail with each
uniform, including guns and accessories, reproduced in pure white.
The deluxe packaging featured a
unique white flapped window box in
a clear acetate sleeve, each set was
also individually numbered and came
with a 'Certificate of Authenticity' that
was personally autographed by actor
Richard Hatch, who portrayed the lead
central character, Captain Apollo.
Diamond Select Toys
Diamond Select Toys announced a licensing agreement with Universal Studios
in January 2007 based on the new re-imagined series.
There were three series of figures released between 2007-2009 with a
fourth series (see checklist below) scheduled to be released in 2009 but it
was put back several times before finally being cancelled in 2011, much to the
disappointment of its many fans. There were also numerous Comic-Con exclusives, store exclusives, special editions and two-packs released.
Most of the main characters were produced during the brief tome these figures were produced as well as many of the minor characters, with the exception of Guis Balter and President Roslin.
TheBattlestar Galactica Checklists
Mattel Figures
1978Series 2
Gift Sets 1978
Boray
Six Figure Gift Set
Series 1 1978
Baltar
Cylon Commander
Lucifer
Vehicles
Commander Adama
Cylon Centurian
Daggit (Brown)
Colonial Stellar Probe
Daggit (Tan)
Colonial Viper
Imperious Leader
Cylon Raider
Lt. Starbuck
Ovion
Colonial Scarab
1978Playsets
Colonial Viper
Colonial Stellar Probe
Joyride Studios
2005 Basic Figures
Apollo
Colonial Landram
Cylon Commander
Cylon
Starbuck
Cylon Raider
Viper Launch Station
197912-Inches Figures
2005 Vehicles
Colonial Viper
Colonial Warrior
Colonial Viper
(Blue Squadron)
Cylon Centurian
Cylon Raider
Trend Masters
2005 Majestic
1996 Basic Figures
Cylon Centurion
Cylon Comander
Apollo
Cylon Centurion (Black)
Cylon Centurion (Silver)
Cylon
Commander
Imperious
Leader
Starbuck
Vehicles
Raider
Viper
Starbuck
Adaman
Diamond Select Toys
Series One (2007)
T
he first wave of action figures on display in prototype form at the February 2007 Toy Fair trade show
included: Number Six in her red dress, Lee "Apollo" Adama in flight suit with helmet, gloved and ungloved sets
of hands, and Chief Tyrol in green fatigues.[2] Also announced (but not shown) were a second version of the Chief
(possibly in his orange jumpsuit) and Hotdog (expected to reuse the flight suit body created for the Lee Adama
figure, but with Hotdog's head). Advance sketches shown in January 2007 at the UK ToyFair indicated that an
alternate flight suit body was considered that would have featured an unzipped collar.[3] Pending licensor approval, the first wave of figures will be in stores summer 2007 (and the Chief Tyrol variant will be available online
exclusively from DST).
• Lee "Apollo" Adama (Flight Suit)
• Six (Red Dress)
• Brendan "Hotdog" Costanza (Flight Suit)
• Caprica Six (Black top/pants) (Previews Exclusive)
• Karl "Helo" Agathon (Galactica Duty Blues) (Action Figure Xpress Exclusive)
• Chief Tyrol (Fatigues) (Diamond Select Toys Exclusive)
• Samuel Anders (Resistance Fighter) (FYE/Suncoast/BigBadToyStore.com Exclusive)
Series Two (2008)
The second wave was initially teased as being "a Cylon, a drug runner, a Cylon-lover, a prophet, a wife, a witch,
and a wingman", the latter three being retailer exclusives. Diamond subsequently identified the initial four characters in wave two as follows:[5]
• Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Flight Suit)
• Louanne "Kat" Katraine (Flight Suit)
• Cylon Centurion (in silver) (Image)
• Karl "Helo" Agathon (Raptor Gear) (Previews Exclusive)
Series Three (2008)
The third wave features characters from the special episode Razor. Their packaging is colored blue in contrast to
the standard red that has been used for all other releases up to this point. The word "Razor" is printed in red below
the 'Battlestar Galactica' title located at the top of the package.
• William "Husker" Adama ('First Cylon War' Flight Suit)
• Kendra Shaw (Pegasus Duty Blues)
• Guardian Cylon ("Pilot" model in silver)
• Gina Inviere (light blue lab coat with black top/pants) (Previews Exclusive)
Series Four (CANCELLED)
The fourth wave was to feature various military and political leaders. Originally, the characters listed for preordering included Admiral Adama (Galactica Duty Blues), President Roslin (Presidential suit), and President
Adama (Presidential suit). Admiral Cain (Pegasus Duty Blues) was listed separately as a “Previews Exclusive”
addition to this series. A mustached Admiral Adama was going to be released as a ‘case topper’ to promote retailers to buy in bulk (case = 6 figures/2 of each character + case topper) but was later added to the wave. In late
November 2009, it was announced that Gaius Baltar would be replacing Presidents Roslin and Adama. In 2010,
the mustacheless Admiral Adama was released as a “Toys R Us” exclusive. The wave was officially cancelled
early in 2011.
Convention Exclusives
These are limited edition figures and have event logos printed on the cardboard label photos (lower right corner)
inside of their packaging.
• "Valley of Darkness" Cylon Centurion (variant in silver with bloodstains as seen in the episode Valley of Darkness) (2007 San Diego Comic Con exclusive) (Image)
• "Stealth" Cylon (variant in black) (2009 New York Comic Con exclusive) (Limited to under 1,000 pieces)
Toys R Us Exclusives
These figures were only available through "Toys R Us" stores and website. Unless noted, they have a silver circular sticker on the bubblepack depicting the TRU backwards 'R' with the word "exclusive" circling it in three
places.
Wave 1 (rare)
• Lee "Apollo" Adama (Galactica Duty Blues)
Wave 2
William "Husker" Adama ('First Cylon War' Flight Suit) (Identical figure to "Razor" version but with red packaging and backside shows other Toys'R'Us/ToyRocket.com Exclusive) (No Toys'R'Us Exclusive sticker)
• Battle Damaged Cylon Pilot (variant in matte silver with black damage)
• Cylon Warrior Commander (variant in gold)
Wave 3
• Samuel "Longshot" Anders (Flight Suit) (Image)
• Battle Damaged "Mortar Pack" Cylon Centurion (variant in matte silver with attached mortar pack and cracked "head") (Image)
• "Civil War" Cylon Centurion" (variant in matte silver) (Image)
Wave 4
• New Caprica Boomer (Faint blue jacket with gray shirt and light green pants)
• Red Stripe Cylon (variant in silver with a red stripe painted diagonally from the left "shoulder" to the right "hip" on front and back) (Also available at BigBadToyStore.com at a higher price)
• Off Duty Apollo (Fatigues)
Wave 5 (1 Adama for every 3 Cylons in a case)
• Commander William Adama (Galactica Duty Blues) (No Toys'R'Us Exclusive sticker) (Image)
• Stealth Warrior Cylon (variant with the same paint coloring as the 2009 New York
Comic Con exclusive) (Image)
Two Packs
Characters with special relationships were paired in these sets.
• Apollo (Pegasus Duty Blues) & Dualla (Fatigues)
• Leoben (Green patterned shirt with red pants) & Starbuck (Fatigues)
• Boomer & Athena (Boomer is in Galactica Duty Blues and Athena is in Raptor Gear.) Battle Damaged Cylons (variant in silver with black damage and cracked "head") (Action Figure Xpress Exclusive)
• Tigh (Galactica Duty Blues with Eye Patch) & Gaeta (Galactica Duty Blues)
• Red Stripe Cylon (variant in matte silver with red stripe) & Cylon Warrior ("Soldier" model in silver with black damage) ('Daybreak' 2 pack)
Other Figures
These are additional figures from the line that were released individually.
• "Downloaded" Cylon Centurion (variant with super-shiny exterior depicting the non-combat Cylons seen planting trees on Cylon-Occupied Caprica from the episode Downloaded) (2007 San Diego Comic Con Battlestar-themed party exclusive)(Limited to 500 pieces packaged in polybags) (Image)
• "New Caprica" Cylon Centurion (variant in shiny silver) (Formerly available at ThinkGeek.com)
• Cylon Warrior ("Soldier" model in silver) (ToyRocket.com exclusive with blue "Razor"
packaging and title.)
• Guardian Cylon ("Pilot" model in silver) (Identical figure to "Razor" version but with red packaging and different photo in front lower right corner and pictures of 2-packs on the back)
• Cylon Commander ("Pilot" model in gold) (Previews Exclusive)
Signed Editions
Some figures were available with the depicted actors' hand-signed autographs on the packaging.
• Six (Red Dress) (Signed on back of card) (Image)
• Brendan "Hotdog" Costanza (Flight Suit) (Image)
• Chief Tyrol (Fatigues) (Diamond Select Toys Exclusive) (Giveaway for participants of the 2008 San Di
ego Comic Con annual Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive in partnership with Aaron Douglas and
Diamond Select Toys) (Limited to 750 pieces) (Image) [6]
Coming
Next Month
• Special Feature: Will 3D Printing
Mark the End for Action Figures?
• Blast from the Past: Indiana Jones
• Custom Corner: Jin’s Basic Guide to
Custom Action Figures
• Kickstarter Projects
• Reviews
• And all the latest news + gossip!