The Flash
Toys’R'Us Exclusive

Because Barry here was the only figure in Wave 7 not to come with a piece of Atom Smasher (it instead includes a stand) I decided to grab this exclusive figure which is a metallic repaint of the Wave 7 toy. The reason for this is mostly because what I had seen of the regular Flash made the yellow on his boots and such look far too gaudy. But that doesn’t mean this metallic scheme isn’t flawed itself, with the gold not being a very good contrast with the red. The stripes on the belt and forearms particularly don’t look too hot, but I guess that’s just the trade-off for the metallic scheme. I have no doubt that this figure will look great when stood up against the metallic Hal Jordan from the new Hal/Sinestro TRU two-pack which I plan on getting at some point.

Beyond the paint scheme, there is absolutely no reason to fault this figure. It’s the standard male buck, which I’ve said before is fantastic, and the little extra features like the ear-thingies are not in danger of coming off and breaking without purposefully being rough.

I am unsure if I will get the regular Wave 7 version at some point. I probably will if I can find one loose and for cheap. But until then, this figure gets a central place in my collection for being quite a good Flash.

Kid Flash
Wave 7

This is the actual Wave 7 Kid Flash and is the Wally West version of the character. Firstly, the sculpt on this one is a little off-putting. He’s a little too muscular for Kid Flash in my opinion, and the scale just feels wrong. Standing him up against fellow Teen Titans Cyborg and Raven, and Robin too, he just looks tiny. He feels almost as out of scale with the other figures as Wave 3′s Sinestro does. However, the head sculpt is really good and I do like the rest of the figure.

The paint scheme is where things get tricky, because the reds and yellows are the same used on the Wave 7 Flash I didn’t get because I thought he looked gaudy. The fact is though, the colours do work. The yellow is far less bright than I expected and has a perfect amount of orange tinge to the shading to make it pleasant to look at, which is another reason I’m reconsidering getting that Wave 7 Flash. The red might be just a touch too pinkish, but that’s getting seriously nitpicky. However, the big issue with the paint is the hair. Why is it actually red? Like properly red? It should be orange. I just can’t understand why they’d do that.

Anyway, despite the problems, the figure is alright, and he looks great in the Teen Titans ensemble I’m still in the process of building (still need Beast Boy and Starfire, and perhaps the Dynamic Duo two-pack’s version of Tim Drake). He came with Collect and Connect Atom Smasher’s right arm.

Wave 7 will be rounded out in the next post with Big Barda and Atom Smasher.

-Vyperchild

I recently watched all of Kamen Rider W (aka Double) and decided I needed some toys. Now, being a completist it probably wasn’t the best idea for me to begin a Kamen Rider toy collection whilst also buying those DC Universe toys, but I did anyway. I bought SH Figuarts Double and his motorbike.

First off, I should point out that these were separate purchases. Double and the bike are not sold together. This means that, when the bike arrived in the post first, I had just a random (although cool-looking) bike on display with no rider. It also means you’re likely to be annoyed at having to spend around the same amount on the barely articulated bike as the rider, and this line isn’t one of the cheapest to start with.

But that’s getting ahead. I guess an introduction for non-Kamen Rider fans would be a good idea. Essentially, Kamen Rider Double is the result of a machine called the Double Driver (that red W-shaped belt) and things called GaiaMemories. The two people who become Double each use a GaiaMemory in one of the slots on the Double Driver, in this case the Cyclone Memory and the Joker Memory, and they sort of fuse into one being. Half of that being is the Cyclone Memory (the green half) and the other is the Joker Memory (the black side). Double does also have other Memories which can be switched in. Anyway, Shotaro, who uses the Joker Memory, is a detective (working with Philip, the Cyclone Memory’s owner) who gets tied up in cases involving monsters called Dopants, who are people using GaiaMemories without a Driver.

To summarize that: Kamen Rider Double CycloneJoker is a good guy who beats up monsters.

As you can see on the right, the figure looks absolutely fantastic. If I had to name one issue about it it would be that the GaiaMemories in the Double Driver aren’t painted green and purple, but it still has the lights to show which Memories are in use so really, this is the most minor issue I could have with a toy ever.

As for articulation, I should point out that the SH Figuarts toys are in a completely different league to the DC Classics toys. There is a reason for the higher price on these Bandai toys. Every joint you can see in that image probably has at least two extra points of USEFUL articulation than you realise. As an example, those shoulder pads fold up, and his shoulders are on joints that can fold away from the ball-joint for the shoulder. This gives a field of motion for the arms that is unparalleled by any other toys I’ve seen, and the same can be said for the rest of this figure.

The figure came with six extra hands, three Cyclone and three Joker, and two different scarves for the Cyclone half. I would’ve liked to have had accessories for the GaiaMemories too, or a stand, but what we got was excellent regardless. I do plan on getting the HeatMetal and LunaTrigger toys as well, and they come with additional accessories (Joker is the memory Shotaro uses that does not have any weapons).

Now for the bike, called Machine Hardboilder. On it’s own it looks awesome and is cleverly designed. The handles can be moved to rotate the front wheel (which is detachable, for reasons I’ll discuss later) and the rear wheel moves and is on a spring that allows the bike to rest standing up even without it’s stand (which detracts from the look of the bike, so it’s good not to have it be necessary to stand up). Beyond that, it does feel like a big chunk of plastic though. Because it is I guess. But the issue was that it was sold at a comparable price point to complex, highly articulated figures.

The cool part though is that, like the show’s Hardboilder, the two halves of the toy can be separated and allow for other parts to be attached to the black front half (such as the red HardTurbuler jet, which has a different front-wheel configuration. I said I’d explain why that was detachable) but most of these parts either haven’t been released yet or are exclusives which will of course jack up the price ridiculously.

Anyway, together with Double, some issues with the bike arise. It almost feels like, in designing the bike, Bandai forgot that most buyers would want it so that Double could actually sit on it. Because it’s perhaps a little too big and not really conducive to the idea of playing nice with a rider. It makes it really difficult to pose. I suppose some of the blame could be put on the Double figure, but equally could it be said that if Bandai had the rider made already, they had the template they needed to get the bike right. It’s just a frustrating issue that really shouldn’t be an issue at all.

These toys are meant to be together. And by all means, Double has become one of the centerpieces of my toy collection. But a few minor issues with Hardboilder means that, together, I don’t think they’re quite as good as they should be. Separately, they’re both technically great and nice to look at, but it would be stupid to keep them apart. Does this mean that together I’m disappointed with the purchases? Not at all. Just some frustration with one aspect of the toys.

So until next time,

Count up your sins.

-Vyperchild

** Next time will probably be Kamen Rider Accel, from the same show **

Ocean Warrior Aquaman
Wave 7

Everything about this toy is great. I’m serious. The complex paintjob is superbly executed with clean curved lines, his skintone doesn’t suggest he has been dipping his head in orange juice and his poseability is fantastic and he even stands well with his giant trident.

I still would have preferred not to get him.

The fact is that the only Aquaman I really want is the Arthur Curry from Wave 2 with his orange scaly costume. For the most part this toy purchase for me was just a completist thing. As soon as I do manage to get one of the insanely difficult to find Wave 2 Aquamen, this Ocean Warrior paint scheme will be going in the spare bits and accessories box.

As I said though, the figure is fantastic in it’s own right. But it was unnecessary and I think Wave 7 would have been better if this figure had been something else. I mean, there’s a few Flash figures already, so why couldn’t this have been another of the much need Rogues?

Anyway, he came with the torso for Atom Smasher

Captain Cold
Wave 7

A bit more positive here because hey, this figure doesn’t come across as such a cheap repaint! That’s because I believe this was either a whole new buck or a heavily modified version of the Wave 3 Sinestro buck (they’re both short). The sculpt is really good, with all the folds in his uniform looking realistic as well as his boots, gloves and hood being well textured. A few downsides to the sculpt come through in articulation, but surprisingly less than I expected. His head rotates well enough, and although his arms can’t go up too high because of the cowl, it’s rubbery and does have a little give. Oh and his holster and gun are both pretty cool.

The paintjob is probably the biggest issue I have, and it’s not really much of an issue at all which should prove that this is quite a good figure. To be honest, I wish the colours were different. The greys and whites look too dull, and th blue in particular doesn’t sit quite right with me. I guess I’d have preffered the blue to be closer to Superman’s blue and not quite so similar to Blue Beetle’s. It’s just too light for my taste.

Regardless, this is a great figure and a much needed villain in the line. As I said already, I want more Rogues to join Captain Cold. So come on Four Horsemen, give us a Captain Boomerang and a Mirror Master already.  Lastly:  he was packaged with the pelvis and head for Atom Smasher.

So. A post. There will be more of them.

-Vyperchild

Booster Gold (Classic Version)
Wave 7

A wonderfully cheap purchase, I had a choice between the classic version with the big collar or the current version who lacks the collar and has a slightly altered costume pattern. I chose the classic version mostly because it’s something different. The articulation on this figure is good, and I had no issues with any of his joints. The Skeets attachment is light, and does not impair the figure’s ability to stand in any way. Unfortunately, the Skeets plugs into a notch on Booster’s back, and the grip is just loose enough for Skeets to fall out quite often. It’s no trouble once posed, but a knock might make it drop.

Paint application is near faultless, and the use of clear yellow plastic for the goggles rather than the solid plastic on figures that were made with cost cuts in mind (Black Lightning…) is really great.

Booster’s a solid figure, and though he may not differ from the basic buck too substantially, he’s striking enough to not blend into the background. He comes packaged with the left leg of Collect and Connect Atom Smasher.

Blue Beetle
Wave 7

Another spectacularly priced toy from Armageddon, this is the Ted Kord version of Blue Beetle (A Jaime Reyes version was released in Wave 13). Again, this figure has well-constructed and articulated joints, and I found no problems with gummy joints or anything. The figure is, like a few other figures in this wave, based on the standard male mold. He comes equipped with a fully-working holster (although the clip can be a pain to use) and a stumpy looking gun. It’s a bit of a shame that so few of these figures have hands posed with trigger fingers, but I guess that’s a minor issue.

The paint job on Blue Beetle actually is completely flawless, and I’m very impressed with the tidiness on all the lines and such, which had been inconsistent in earlier waves (or virtually non-existent on my yellow Sinestro). And again we have the clear plastic goggles which look even better on Ted.

This is probably my favourite figure from Wave 7, though I still haven’t seen Big Barda or a completed Atom Smasher. Incidentally, Ted comes with his right leg.

Next up I don’t know what I’ll do. I have some more Wave 7 figures, but I’m still waiting for a few to complete the wave, and I have a couple of new exclusive figures. So I guess we’ll see.

-Vyperchild

I did Deadpool first and then I figured I’d do Cable as well just because I could.

-Vyperchild

-Vyperchild

** And maybe even that is giving me too much credit. **

-Vyperchild

** Hadn’t done one of these in a while **

Motivation is hard enough for me to get without examples of how bad I am presenting themselves. I know practice is important, but looking at bad work makes me doubt practice will ever help. But I really want, and need, to do this, so unless my work looks so awful that I lose all hope forever (again) then I’m going to struggle to keep going and look for even the slightest improvement.

So yeah, I have to prepare for failure, but still at least try.

-Vyperchild

BOOM! Studios
Darkwing Duck

Image
Whatever Happened to Baron Von Shock?

Dynamite Entertainment
Green Hornet
Kato
The Last Phantom

Marvel Comics
SHIELD
Taskmaster
Thor for Asgard
Thor First Thunder
Invaders Now
Casanova Luxuria

DC
Batman
Batman & Robin
Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne
Time Masters: Vanishing Point
Red Robin
Batgirl
Batman Beyond
Red Hood: Lost Days
Birds of Prey
Brightest Day
The Flash
Freedom Fighters
Wonder Woman
Secret Six
Mighty Crusaders
The Spirit

In the coming months there are a number of series I will be jumping on board for, including Thor and possibly JLA, as well as new series’ Knight and Squire and Batman Inc.

-Vyperchild

And the truth is I am not a real person. I’m merely an illness given the ability to speak and the sense not to.

-Vyperchild