toyhaven

Raid In Somalia: US Navy SEALs Free Hostages Held Since October

2012-01-28T09:20:00.000+08:00

DEVGRU (i.e. Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DevGru aka SEAL Team Six) is at it again :) This was reported in the Huffington Post on January 25, 2012 (FULL article HERE):

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- U.S. Navy SEALs parachuted into Somalia under cover of darkness early Wednesday and crept up to an outdoor camp where an American woman and Danish man were being held hostage. Soon, nine kidnappers were dead and both hostages were freed.

President Barack Obama authorized the mission by SEAL Team 6 two days earlier, deploying the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden last year. Minutes after the president gave his State of the Union address to Congress he was on the phone with the American's father to tell him his daughter was safe.

The raiders came in quickly, catching the guards as they were sleeping after having chewed the narcotic leaf qat for much of the evening, a self-described pirate who gave his name as Bile Hussein told The Associated Press by phone. Hussein said he was not present at the site but had spoken with other kidnappers who were, and that they told him nine kidnappers had been killed in the raid and three were "taken away."

The hostage rescue was carried out by the same SEAL unit, SEAL Team 6, behind the operation in Pakistan last May that killed bin Laden, two U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity to discuss the operation.

One official said that the team parachuted into the area before moving on foot to the target. The raid happened near the Somali town of Adado.

Related posts:
MAY 2, 2011: Osama Bin Laden is DEAD! Good Riddance

MAY 3, 2011: SEAL Team 6: The Ones Resonsible For Osama Bin Laden's Demise (As of this posting, this entry has garnered 5016 hits since then)

An even earlier post Very Hot 1/6 scale CIA (Afghanistan) Uniform Set (December 13, 2009) has amassed 9852 hits / page loads / views. I find these stats fascinating :)

Also be sure to check out my review of the ACE US Navy DEVGRU Close Quarters Combat (CQC) Operator HERE (16712 hits)

Crazy Dummy US Navy SEAL Team 3 MK46 MOD1 Gunner Preview (23952 hits)

Inflames 1/6 scale Metal Boss Battle Armor Version 12-inch Collectible Figure Preview

2012-01-27T00:00:00.000+08:00

New Soul has now become Inflames (strange name for a company, to be calling yourself "In Flames"). Having shown us their first batch of preview pictures almost a year ago (see my post HERE), these are new preview pictures of the upcoming Inflames release of their 1/6 scale Metal Boss Limited Edition 12-inch Collectible Figure (Battle Armor version). For those who are in the know, Metal Boss looks very much like Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid video games.

For those of us who are not familiar, Solid Snake (ソリッド・スネーク, Soriddo Sunēku) is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Konami's Metal Gear series of stealth video games. Solid Snake is a combination spy, special operations agent and mercenary of FOXHOUND, a fictional black operations and espionage unit. He is repeatedly tasked with disarming and destroying the latest incarnation of Metal Gear, a bipedal nuclear weapon-armed mecha.

The Inflames Metal Boss Battle Armor version 1/6 scale Limited Edition 12-inch Collectible Figure will come with 1/6 scale Zombie Snake head sculpt, alternate normal Snake head sculpt, full face visor, NB01 12-inch body type, three extra hands (total five hands for posing and holding weapons)...

Black jumpsuit, Full Body Battle Armor, M1961 suspenders, M1961 M16 20-round pouch x 2, M1961 M16 30-rd pouch x 2, M1961 combat field pack (butt pack), Equipment belt, Rappelling belt, M16A1 Assault Rifle, MK23 SOCOM pistol (with removable clip, silencer and laser aiming module) and holster, KABAR knife with sheath, Tactical knife with scabbard, Canteen and canteen cover x 2 plus shield!

Funny thing isn't it? Everything looks so modern and futuristic with the full body battle armor, the full face visor, the shield and yet Metal Boss carries the 1960s M16 rifle and wears the webbing and pouches of the Vietnam era. I guess not knowing the game doesn't really help with my understanding :(

Regardless, I think this is a pretty cool set and I would certainly like to see it in my collection along with the other Metal Gear Solid action figures that I've got (click on the "MetalGearSolid" label at the bottom of this blog entry / post to view more MGS 12-inch figures ;p)

Scroll down to see more pictures of this Inflames 1/6 scale Battle Armor Version Metal Boss 12-inch Collectible Figure

Having already picked up the Inflames Metal Boss BDU version (previewed HERE) which I will be reviewing real soon - so stay tuned ;) I think this Battle Armor version looks even better!

On a side note: Hot Toys has already acquired the license for producing the Metal Gear Solid figures so it's a matter of time before we see Hot Toys Snake hit the market but Hot Toys version will be definitely pricier and these InFlames versions seem to be a very good filler until Hot Toys Snake arrives on the scene.

Review II: Sideshow Collectibles 1/6 Star Wars CC-5052 Clone Commander Bly 12-inch figure

2012-01-26T09:57:00.000+08:00

This is Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Military Series 1/6 scale Clone Commander Bly 12-inch Figure wearing Phase II helmet with flip-up polarized macro-binoculars which is the additional Clone Commander helmet included with the box set. I much prefer this Phase II helmet over the Phase I helmet (see my earlier post of Clone Commander BLY wearing Phase I helmet HERE) and all the clone troopers and commanders I collect wear only the Phase II helmets. The Phase I helmet looked to me like a upturned bucket with a "shark's fin" affixed on the top of the head. The helmet is too long for my liking and makes the clone troopers look like camels and unless you want your troopers looking like that, you'll switch out the helmets like me ;p

According to wookipedia, Phase II clone trooper armor was an enhanced version of the Phase I clone trooper armor. It incorporated all of its predecessor's systems in addition to polarized lenses, padding, and stronger, lighter armor plates.

It could also support more modular attachments, making it superior to its predecessor. It was far more comfortable for Humans to wear than its predecessor, since the Kaminoans had become more familiar with Human anatomy.

Unlike early iterations of the Phase I armor, color was used to denote unit affiliation, not rank. Phase II armor was introduced around 21 BBY, and slowly replaced Phase I armor in the months following. Phase II armor was the basis of the stormtrooper armor later worn by the soldiers of Emperor Palpatine's Empire.

The new armor incorporated a more advanced air filtration and oxygen supply system, polarized lenses, and an annunciator to make speech more comprehensible. In addition, the boots were magnetized and incorporated a grav-field alternator to ensure stability. Another useful feature was that the armor and the bodysuit could be pressurized, allowing the clones to fight longer in a vacuum environment than its predecessor.

The Phase II armor, unlike the Phase I armor, had many different variations. Many Clone Commanders and ARC troopers had special attachments on their armor, and allowed some lower ranked officers to wear special attachments as well. Some special attachments included kamas and pauldrons, they could also attach electrobinoculars and sun visors to their helmets. Clone captains would occasionally have a pair of DC-17 hand blasters attached to each side of their kama.

In terms of the Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Military Series 1/6 scale Clone Commander Bly 12-inch Figure (and also as seen in the movie), the only visible difference between Phase II clone trooper armor and Phase I armor is the helmet because as the Clone War went on, special attachments on armor, kamas and pauldrons as well as electrobinoculars / polarized macro-binoculars were already being worn, even with the PhaSE I helmet on (see my earlier posting). So as far as visuals are concerned, the only way to tell whether the trooper is wearing Phase I or Phase II armor is by looking at the helmet as that is the only distinct difference. The other armor enhancements are not as obvious.

So here you see Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Military Series 1/6 scale Clone Commander Bly 12-inch Figure wearing Phase II helmet with flip-up polarized macro-binoculars, Fully articulated male body (armored body) with 30+ points of articulation, Fabric bodysuit with additional fabric collar, ARC pauldron, Detailed clone trooper armor, two DC-17 holsters, Kama command skirt, DC-15S blaster carbine and two DC-17 blaster pistols

Not shown: Phase I helmet, DC-15A blaster rifle, Generous assortment of switch-out hands (11 gloved hands excluding the two already on the figure) and one pairs of switch-out action feet. Scroll down to the end of this post if you want to see the Commander Bly portrait (head sculpt).

It was quite tricky to get the alternate Phase II helmet on because the ARC (Advanced Recon Commando) pauldron stood in the way when trying to attach the head to the neck post.

Scroll down for more close-up views of the Sideshow Collectibles 1/6 scale Clone Commander Bly Phase II helmet with flip-up polarized macro-binoculars

Here's another look at the 1/6 scale flip-up polarized macro-binoculars as seen from the top.

And here are some close-up pictures / shots of the Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Military Series 1/6 scale Clone Marshal Commander Bly 12-inch Figure with Phase II helmet and DC-15S blaster carbine. IMHO the Phase II helmet looks way better than the Phase I bucket (I meant helmet). Just the switch of the helmet and the trooper looks more bada$$!

My only gripe with this Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Military Series 1/6 scale Clone Commander Bly 12-inch Figure is the supposedly improved fully articulated male body (armored body) which is still weak at the ankles and so cannot support the figure in most poses. After releasing so many clone trooper figures, the basic figure body is still suffering from the same ankle problem. If the ankles of the 12-inch body are not stiff and strong enough to support the entire weight of the figure, it's going to come crumbling down every time you put the figure in a particular pose. Sure there's the figure display stand but the figure always look much better and more realistic without the figure stand.

And here's the Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Clone Commander Bly 12-inch Figure with 1/6 scale Commander Bly portrait (head sculpt) which is supposedly that of Jango Fett (New Zealand actor Temuera Morrison was cast as Jango Fett) and hence, father of all clone troopers.

To see pictures of 1/6 scale Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison) head sculpts, check out my Jango Fett posts way back in July 2008 HERE and HERE. Both Medicom and Hasbro versions of 12-inch Jango Fett Bounty Hunter figure are posted ;p

And there you have it - my review of Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Military Series 1/6 scale Clone Marshal Commander Bly 12-inch Figure both with Phase I helmet (see earlier post) and Phase II helmet as well as Commander Bly portrait (head sculpt). To see even more Star Wars stuff, click on the STAR WARS label at the bottom of this blog post :)

Happy Chinese New Year (AGAIN) from TOY HAVEN and Revoltech Finding Nemo & Dory

2012-01-25T07:09:00.000+08:00

Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China, it is known as "Spring Festival," the literal translation of the Chinese name 春節 (Pinyin: Chūnjié), since the spring season in Chinese calendar starts with lichun, the first solar term in a Chinese calendar year. Chinese New Year is also the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese calendar.

One of the traditional Chinese phrase during Chinese New Year is "may there be surpluses every year" or "Have abundance every year" (simplified Chinese: 年年有余; traditional Chinese: 年年有餘; pinyin: niánnián yǒu yú) which also sounds the same as "may there be fish every year." Hence the phrase "Year Year have Fish / Year Year got Fish" is used so who better to wish everyone Happy Chinese New Year than Nemo and Dory from Disney Pixar's animated movie "Finding Nemo" ;p

We had celebrated the first day of Chinese New Year with the Bandai Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Deluxe Red Dragon Thunderzord (posted HERE) since this is the Year of the Dragon. Now we celebrate Chinese New Year with Nemo and Dory from Kaiyodo Revoltech Pixar Figure Collection 001 Nemo & Dory figures to reinforce the saying "Year Year got Fish" and to wish everyone abundance in everything GOOD ;)

This is the Kaiyodo Revoltech Pixar Figure Collection 001 Nemo & Dory figures carded set that was recently released i.e. end December 2011. It came out at the same time as the Kaiyodo Revoltech Pixar Figure Collection 002 - WALL•E robot figure (reviewed HERE)

Finding Nemo is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy family drama film written by Andrew Stanton, directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich and produced by Pixar. It tells the story of the overly protective clownfish Marlin (Albert Brooks) who, along with a regal tang called Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), searches for his abducted son Nemo (Alexander Gould). Along the way, Marlin learns to take risks and to let Nemo take care of himself.

Nemo (Alexander Gould) is a juvenile Clownfish and Marlin's (Albert Brooks) son and in the movie, is captured and put into a fish tank in a dentist's office on Sydney Harbour. Nemo's dad Marlin goes searching for Nemo with the help of Dory, a Pacific Regal Blue Tang played by Ellen DeGeneres.

So what's wrong with this picture? The pairing of the duo. Dory should be paired with Marlin and Nemo should be paired with Gill, a crafty and ambitious moorish idol who wants to break the "Tank Gang" out of the fish tank and back into the open sea. Gill is played by Willem Dafoe.

Since both Marlin and Nemo are Clownfish, how do we know that this particular Clownfish is Nemo and not Marlin?

We know that this is indeed Nemo and not Marlin because Nemo has a small right fin (due to a minor injury to his egg from the barracuda attack) which causes Marlin to not only worry over his swimming ability but also doubt his son’s general capabilities. This causes a rift in the father-son relationship which is resolved by the end of the film. Which Disney movie doesn't have a happy ending?

The other issue here is the scale / size. In the Disney Pixar animated film, Dory is actually larger than Marlin which means that she (since she is played by Ellen DeGeneres) would be even bigger than Nemo who is supposed to be a child but in this Kaiyodo Revoltech Pixar Figure Collection 001 Nemo & Dory figures carded set, Dory is much smaller in size. That's because Dory is only supposed to be an accessory, along with the coral reef base. Nemo's body is divided into three articulated sections with movable fins so that you can pose him. Nemo also has movable eyes that you can control and adjust if you remove the head. Dory only has movable fins.

Nemo also comes with an alternate angry head and movable eyes as well.

Other than the minor issues I pointed out, this Kaiyodo Revoltech Pixar Figure Collection 001 Nemo & Dory figures carded set is rather nice and I quite like the bright colors :)

Bandai Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Red Dragon Thunderzord in Warrior mode

2012-01-24T10:56:00.000+08:00

continued from previous post...

The Red Dragon Thunderzord was the second Zord of the Red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger (Jason Lee Scott and Rocky DeSantos) and the successor to the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord. It first appeared in The Mutiny, after Lord Zedd's monster Pirantishead managed to take control of the Tyrannosaurus and the Dragonzord. After freeing the Tyrannosaurus from Pirantishead's control, the Power Rangers used the "power of thunder" to upgrade the Dinozords into the Thunderzords. [source: power rangers wiki]

The Thunderzords are the second set of Zords for the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. They succeed the Dinozords and were larger than their previous counterparts, with much greater strength.

The Red Dragon was the first Zord in the series to possess two battle modes: Dragon and Warrior. In Dragon mode (as seen in the previous post), it could breathe flame and attack with its claws mid-flight.

This is the Bandai Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Deluxe Red Dragon Thunderzord toy (released in 1994) in Warrior mode.

In Warrior mode, Red Dragon Thunderzord would fight opponents by hand-to-hand combat or by wielding its staff that he could spin at high speeds to attack, and to allow the Assault Team to fly.

Similar to the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord, the Red Dragon is capable of fighting and defeating a monster on its own. Its wrists are capable of spinning at high speeds, allowing it to use its staff like helicopter blades. It is also able to ride the Tigerzord while it is in Tiger Mode.

Not much articulation with these toys but the kids seem to love them :)

It could also merge with the other Thunderzords to form the Thunder Megazord, serving as the main portion of the Megazord.

Happy Chinese New Year from TOY HAVEN and Bandai Power Rangers Red Dragon Thunderzord

2012-01-23T08:04:00.000+08:00

According to the Chinese calendar, this Chinese New Year is the Year of the Dragon and so the dragon does feature prominently in all Chinese New Year decorations everywhere, in the malls, in Chinatown etc. Hence I thought it would be timely to wish all readers / viewers / visitors to my TOY HAVEN toy blog a very Happy Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year (also can) with this post on the Red Dragon Thunderzord, a blast from the past!

According to folklore, to create the most powerful creature, the Chinese combined the horns of a deer, the head of a camel, eyes of a rabbit (have you seen the blood RED eyes of white rabbit?), ears of an ox, neck of a lizard, belly of a turtle, scales of a fish, paws of a tiger and claws of an eagle. The dragon is the only creature in the Chinese zodiac that is not a natural animal i.e. it is a legendary figure compared to the rest of the other animals, making it superior to the other 11 zodiac signs.

This is the Bandai Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Deluxe Red Dragon Thunderzord toy released in 1994. This was Jared's first toy which we bought him and he really treasured it and played with it a lot when he first got this Red Dragon Thunderzord 17 years ago. He has obviously outgrown these toys but they are still kept around because it was a part of his childhood. How appropriate that this Red Dragon Thunderzord would be welcoming us to the new Dragon year on the Chinese calendar!

The Red Dragon Thunderzord comes from Series 2 of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV show, which was aired in Singapore from 1995-1996 (I think?). The Bandai Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Red Dragon Thunderzord came with the Red Dragon body, Staff, Tail, Head, Power Crystal, Small figurine, Instruction sheet and Sticker sheet.

The Red Dragon is pretty neat and still looks GOOD after all these years :) No doubt it has been played with quite a bit but it's still all there, including the stickers. Scroll down to see more of this Bandai Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Red Dragon Thunderzord. Click on the pictures to get BIGGER and BETTER views.

Click for a BIGGER & BETTER view :)

The Red Dragon Thunderzord was the second Zord of the Red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger (Jason Lee Scott and Rocky DeSantos) and the successor to the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord. It first appeared in The Mutiny, after Lord Zedd's monster Pirantishead managed to take control of the Tyrannosaurus and the Dragonzord. After freeing the Tyrannosaurus from Pirantishead's control, the Power Rangers used the "power of thunder" to upgrade the Dinozords into the Thunderzords. [source: power rangers wiki]

Click to ENLARGE picture

The Thunderzords are the second set of Zords for the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. They succeed the Dinozords and were larger than their previous counterparts, with much greater strength. The Red Dragon was the first Zord in the series to possess two battle modes: Dragon and Warrior.

Click to view MORE

In Dragon mode, it could breathe flame and attack with its claws mid-flight. In Chinese history, the five-clawed dragon was a symbol of the emperor's power, and everyone else could only display the dragon with four claws (for nobles) or less (commoners were given the three-clawed dragon). The five claws represent the five elements of metal, earth, fire, water and wood.

The Bandai Red Dragon Thunderzord can transform from Dragon mode to Warrior mode. In Dragon mode, the Red Dragon Thunderzord has articulated claws, jaw, neck and tail.

Check out the NEXT POST to see the Bandai Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Red Dragon Thunderzord in Warrior mode!

A little trivia: In Malaysia, as part of its campaign against drugs, the word "Morphin" is censored, by substituting or muting footage where the word is spoken (the phrase "It's morphin' time") or displayed onscreen, for fear that it could encourage children to become addicted with the uses of morphine. When it was broadcast on RTM (along with its toy commercials), it was called Mighty Power Rangers, or simply Power Rangers or Power Ranger.

Sideshow Collectibles 1/6 scale Indiana Jones and Professor Henry Jones Sr 12-inch figures

2012-01-22T15:52:00.000+08:00

Today is Chinese New Year's Eve. Chinese New Year's Eve is a day where Chinese families gather for their annual reunion dinner, known as Chú Xī (除夕) or "Eve of the Passing Year." So I guess it's appropriate to have a family reunion of the 1/6 scale kind ;p

One of the best father and son team from the movies was Indiana Jones and Professor Henry Jones Sr from the 1989 movie "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade". It was certainly a family reunion when Indy (Harrison Ford) goes looking for his missing father (Sean Connery) and ends up being tied up together instead (ties that bind and what not). This is the Sideshow Collectibles 1/6 scale Indiana Jones and Professor Henry Jones Sr 12-inch figures released some time ago.

I'm always taking the 12-inch action figures out from the display cabinets and marveling at the craftsmanship and attention to details these 1/6 scale manufacturers and sculptors put into their craft. Most of these 1/6 scale figures are art in 3-D and these two are just a sampling of what I like about 1/6 scale 12-inch figures and why I collect them :)

These pair of adventurers (you could even call them the original tomb raiders) were released by Sideshow Collectibles and two of these figures will only get you one Hot Toys DX Indiana Jones figure and while the Hot Toys version is brimming with gear and stuff (you get two sets of outfit but you can only dress Indy in one outfit style at any time because only one figure with one head sculpt is provided), what's the point? Unlike Hot Toys DX Joker where adding a Hot Toys True Type body results in getting TWO Joker figures, the DX Indy doesn't offer you that option because only one head is provided. And the worst part of it all is: the Hot Toys DX 1/6 scale Indiana Jones head sculpt doesn't even look like Indy (Harrison Ford) - not even a little bit. Many people have tried taking pictures from various angles and under different lighting conditions to try to find the hidden Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in DX Indy but it's just NOT Indy to me so I'll stick to what I already have, thank you very much. Me thinks the PERS system spoiled the sculpt; Hot Toys has gotten so many head sculpts right but INDY just wasn't one of them. I so wanted it to be but alas, it just isn't so).

Sideshow Collectibles 1/6 scale Indiana Jones 12-inch figure also came with two head sculpts, one with the fedora sculpted on and another Indy head without the hat. I had kept the one with the hat on as Indy and kitbashed the spare Indy head as Indy in German soldier disguise, as seen in the first Indiana Jones film "Raiders of the Lost Ark", released in 1981. Both figures stand beside papa Jones i.e. Professor Henry Jones Sr by Sideshow Collectibles.

Here I switched out the original Indy head with hat to the optional Indy head sculpt without hat. I added the Hasbro Talking Indy hat to complete the look.

And here's how Sideshow Collectibles 1/6 scale Indiana Jones look with the alternate head sculpt and extra hat (from Hasbro). I think I much prefer this version than the original head with hat sculpted on.

Here's another look at Sideshow Collectibles 1/6 scale 12-inch Henry Jones Sr (reviewed HERE and HERE). Sideshow Collectibles 1/6 scale 12-inch Henry Jones Sr comes with 12-inch Sideshow Prometheus male body with 30+ points of articulation, Authentic likeness of Sean Connery as Professor Henry Jones Sr wearing his trademark suit consisting of Jacket, Shirt, Bow tie, Vest, Pants, Shoes and Removeable hat. There's also the Display base with Indiana Jones logo. Accessories include his Briefcase, a pair of extra fist hands, Umbrella, Glasses, Grail diary and Holy Grail.

IMHO that is one FINE 1/6 scale head sculpt of Sean Connery as Indy's dad. The likeness and resemblance is all there and I would have been so happy if NOT for one major flaw :( For some strange reason that I just cannot fathom, Sideshow decided to make their Professor Henry Jones Sr 12-inch figure SHORTER than their 1/6 scale Indy! That just doesn't make any sense at all!!! Why did Sideshow go through all the trouble to produce a new 12-inch body for Professor Henry Jones that is shorter than their 1/6 scale Indiana Jones figure? Why couldn't they have just stuck with the old model and gave us a papa Jones that is of the correct height, at least as tall as the Sideshow Indy is?!

To see MORE of Indiana Jones and Indiana Jones-related posts and entries, just click on the "Indiana Jones" label to see all my blog posts on one of my favorite subjects :) As for me, I'm off to my family's reunion dinner ;p

For more Father and Son reunions, check out my earlier post titled "Lim lau peh" or "Who's your daddy?". There's Medicom Toys Indy & Henry, Luke & Darth, Taro & Ultra ;p

Incoming: DID World War I 1/6 scale British Infantry "Albert Brown" 12-inch Figure

2012-01-21T00:11:00.000+08:00

World War I (WWI), which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. It involved all the world's great powers, which were assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies (centred around the Triple Entente of the United Kingdom, France and Russia) and the Central Powers (originally centred around the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy).

DID has really gone off the beaten path (of sure-to-sell special forces figures like SEALs etc and WWII German figures - don't know why but there seems to be a LOT of Germans around) with Albert Brown, who is supposed to be a typical WWI British Infantryman from 1914 to 1918. World War I is an era not too many 1/6 scale manufacturers explore because not many collectors are into WWI, not even among military figure collectors.

So what's nice about DID 1/6 scale WW1 British Infantry set is that it comes with a LOT of gear including mustard brown tunic and pants, undershirt, leggings, leather lowboots, "tommy" helmet, officer's cap, Enfield rifle, gasmask and carrier, bayonet and scabbard, leather ammo bandolier, cutting tool and carrier, e-tool and carrier, canteen and carrier, backpack, belt, ammo pouches, harness, and even barbed wire. This is a pretty complete figure for building your WWI UK Army.

DID World War I 1/6 scale British Infantry (1914-1918) 12-inch Figure "Albert Brown" will feature: Albert Brown Figure, M1905 Service Dress Cap, M1902 Service Dress Tunic, M1902 Service Dress Trousers, Undershirt, M1908 Waist Belt, M1908 Shoulder Braces, M1908 Haversack, M1908 Bayonet & Scabbard, M1908 E-Tool & Carrier, M1908 Water Bottle & Carrier, M1908 Five Cartridge Pouch Set, M1908 Pack / Valise, M1902 Khaki Puttees, Mark I Wire Cutters & Carrier, M1917 Small Box Respirator, Mark I Steel Helmet, P1903 Leather Bandolier, Ammunition Boots, Short Magazine Lee Enfield Rifle No.1 Mark III, Insignia and Barbed Wire

What's nice about these WWI figures with their M1917 Small Box Respirator is that they can also be used to kitbash the post-apocalyptic look of a planet ravaged by man's disregard for mother nature and the environment, leaving those who survive the eventual holocaust to have to fend for themselves, including gas masks to filter the polluted air.

For some authentic pictures / images of World War I, check out my post HERE (there's a picture of the British Army using London omnibuses as transport for the British Expeditionary Force).

Check out my other posts of Hasbro G.I. Joe WWI figures and a review of the G.I. Joe Doughboy plus the World War I Battle Gear Set

Thinkway Toys 2008 Transforming WALL∙E robot figure

2012-01-20T15:14:00.000+08:00

With mankind having abandoned the planet, WALL•E (short for Waste Allocation Lifter Earth-Class) has spent hundreds of lonely years doing what he was built for - tidying up the Earth! Then he discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE and follows her on an amazing journey across the universe.

The last robot on Earth, WALL•E transforms himself into a cube when he goes to sleep each night, then turns himself back into a robot every morning. This is Thinkway Toys Disney Pixar Transforming WALL•E robot toy figure (released in 2008) and my second Wall•E in as many months. See the first WALL•E robot toy I posted at the beginning of the year HERE, made by Kaiyodo Revoltech. This Thinkway WALL•E can transform from cube to fully functioning WALL•E robot in three simple steps, as easy as 1-2-3.

I only bought this transforming WALL•E because it was going for a very low price. The price on Amazon: US$74.99 (SGD97.04). Price I paid: SGD20.00 (USD15.45). The other reason is the size. After reviewing the Kaiyodo Revoltech Pixar Figure Collection 002 - WALL•E robot figure (see my post HERE), I felt that the Revoltech WALL•E was just too small although it has amazing details for something that small. This Thinkway Toys Transforming WALL•E robot toy figure measures about 10cm x 13cm x 20cm (Box Package Dimensions: Approximately 22cm x 15cm x 25cm) and I quite like this size. Value for money haha

Here's the Thinkway Toys Disney Pixar Transforming WALL•E robot toy figure in its cube mode. It can transform from a cube to fully pose-able robot, just like in the movie!

Out pops the head (eyes) at the press of a button

Another button releases WALL•E's arms which can strike some action poses

A third button releases his wheels / tracks. It's just as easy to transform WALL•E back into a box / cube.

Now WALL•E is ready to get to work

Transform Thinkway Toys Disney Pixar's Transforming WALL•E from a cube to fully poseable robot in seconds with press 'n' pop action. Press separate buttons to release wheels, arms and head during transformation. It also has free wheeling action. Reverse the process to transform robot back to cube form.

Hot Toys The Dark Knight 1/6 scale Batmobile Collectible aka The Tumbler Preview

2012-01-19T17:11:00.001+08:00

This is it! Hot Toys MMS69 (Movie Masterpiece Series) The Dark Knight: 1/6th scale Batmobile Collectible. The Batmobile depicted in the Christopher Nolan directed films "Batman Begins (2005)" and "The Dark Knight (2008)" owes more to the tank-like vehicle from Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and has a much more 'workhorse' appearance than the sleek automobiles seen in previous incarnations. The vehicle does not have a front axle, a design that was influenced by the spinners featured in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner.

In the 2005 movie, Bruce Wayne modifies a prototype military vehicle called "the Tumbler" that was designed by Lucius Fox as a bridging vehicle for the military. It includes features like weaponry, and the ability to boost into a rampless jump. In the Nolan films the vehicle is never referred to as the "Batmobile".

In view of the popularity of the Batmobile collectible, Hot Toys is pleased to relaunch the Batmobile Collectible featuring the likeness and details of the Batmobile from The Dark Knight movie.

The 1/6th scale Batmobile Collectible specially features: Authentically detailed 1/6th scale model car, Perfect scale to Hot Toys 1/6th scale Batman (the original costume) 12-inch Collectible Figure, Headlights light-up function, Cockpit / roof opening panel, Slides up and down which allow the access of 1/6th scale Batman, Movable braking flaps

*Battery not included for collectible, 3A batteries (a total of 3 pieces) are required.

Release date: Q2, 2012

Just a note: In the upcoming Batman film by Christopher Nolan "The Dark Knight Rises", there's also the desert camouflage version. These vehicles are reported to be used by Bane and his gang. So will Hot Toys release a variant? We'll just have to wait and see.

You can pre-order this NOW at BBTS (BigBadToyStore). Just tell them TOY HAVEN sent you :)

Review 1: Sideshow Collectibles Star Wars 1/6 scale Commander Bly 12-inch figure

2012-01-19T09:37:00.000+08:00

Bred on Kamino, CC-5052 was among the first generation of clone marshal commanders to be trained by the Advanced Recon Commando Alpha-17, who gave him the designation "Bly." A clone of Jango Fett, Bly was trained as an Advanced Recon Commando himself, giving him a more independent mindset and allowing him to think "outside the manual" when it came to the shifting of tactical situations. [source: wookiepedia]

As a clone commander, it was Bly's job to act as an intermediary between the Jedi Generals and the regular clone troopers, although he was bred to be loyal to the Republic above all others. Bly was assigned to the 327th Star Corps, which fell under the 2nd Sector Army.

This is Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Military Series 1/6 scale Clone Commander Bly 12-inch Figure. It comes in the standard mostly black box that is very recognizable by now for all their Star Wars figures releases, utilizing magnetic tabs (hidden) to keep the side flaps closed until you want to open it. No fuss, no mess :)

The Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Military Series 1/6 scale Clone Commander Bly 12-inch Figure features: Commander Bly portrait (head sculpt), Phase I and Phase II helmets with flip-up polarized macro-binoculars, Fully articulated male body (armored body) with 30+ points of articulation, Fabric bodysuit with additional fabric collar, ARC pauldron, Detailed clone trooper armor, two DC-17 holsters, Kama command skirt...

DC-15S blaster carbine, DC-15A blaster rifle, two DC-17 blaster pistols, Generous assortment of switch-out hands (11 gloved hands excluding the two already on the figure) and Two pairs of switch-out feet (action and standing)

Bly was bred to be fiercely loyal to the Republic and his superior officers. As a clone commander, he was allowed much more initiative and independence than his fellow clone troopers. Despite this, he always valued the mission as the most important thing in any situation, even over the wellbeing of his comrades. Bly felt it was better that he didn't have to concern himself with the politics or minutiae of his missions and was happy just to execute his orders.

At first, Bly utilized the standard Phase I clone trooper armor, sporting several customizations, including a kama command skirt which significed his rank, an ARC pauldron and polarized macro-binoculars. He wielded a pair of krayt dragon pearl-handled DC-17 hand blasters, with which he was an expert shot, in addition to the standard DC-15A blaster rifle and the DC-15S blaster.

This is the Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Military Series 1/6 scale Clone Commander Bly 12-inch Figure wearing Phase I helmet with flip-up polarized macro-binoculars. We never get to see this particular version in the Star Wars films.

In "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" released in 2002, Obi-Wan Kenobi's investigation into a separatist assassination attempt on Padmé leads to the discovery of a secret Republican clone army being produced on Kamino.

By the end of "Star Wars: Episode II", Yoda has taken over control of the clone troopers and leads them into conflict on Geonosis where a large battle erupts and we see the clone troopers in action for the first time with their Phase 1 helmets. The only distinction between clone troopers and clone commanders were color markings on their armor and helmets.

By the time "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" opened in 2005, it has been three years since the onset of the Clone Wars and clone troopers were now wearing Phase II helmets and clone commanders were individually decked out in their own personal gear of their choosing, a far cry from the uniform and regimented look seen in Episode II.

We are told through the animated "Clone Wars" series which occurs between Episode II and III that clone commanders received flash-training to fulfill their advanced roles and were also bred with extra capacity for autonomy, tactical thinking and coordination.

After success with Advanced Recon Commandos, some ARCs, like Alpha-17, returned to Kamino to retrain clone commanders with ARC skills, making the commanders more independent than they once were. After the commanders were trained, they earned the title "ARC commander".

The retrained ARC commanders often added more items to their armor, like ARC trooper kamas and pauldrons. Commanders would also don other peripherals like macrobinoculars or Commander Bacara's cheek plating.

Scroll down for close-up shots of Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Military Series 1/6 scale CC-5052 "Bly" (Clone Marshal Commander, 327th Star Corps) 12-inch Figure wearing Phase I helmet with flip-up polarized macro-binoculars.

Personally, I never fancied the Phase I helmet which looked to me like a upturned bucket with a shark fin affixed on the top of the head. The helmet is too long for my liking and makes the clone troopers look like camels. That's why I'm glad Sideshow also included the Phase II helmet for switching.

In addition to macro-binoculars, Clone Commander Bly also has ARC trooper kamas (also known as command skirts) and pauldron. Spare blaster magazines are carried on his upper right arm armor and on the bandolier attached to his pauldron.

In the series, Commander Bly also has two quick release holsters for his pair of DC-17 repeater hand blasters. There's no quick release catches for this Sideshow 12-inch version though. So don't try to detach or remove the 1/6 scale holsters!

NEXT: Review II of Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Military Series 1/6 scale Clone Commander Bly 12-inch Figure with Phase II helmet and Commander Bly portrait (head sculpt)

Soon he'll be able to join his buddies (see more of Sideshow Collectibles 1/6 scale 12-inch clone troopers HERE)

Hot Toys Batman Returns 1/6 Figures & Dark Knight Batmobile / Tumbler coming soon!

2012-01-18T21:52:00.000+08:00

BATS what I'm talking about :) Hot Toys announces "Batman Returns" 1/6 scale & 1/4 scale Figures! "Batman Returns", another great superhero movie directed by Tim Burton! We are proud to present this movie license to our fans! The 1/6th and 1/4th scale Collectible Figures will be launched in late 2012. Please stay tuned!

Also appearing in Hong Kong Milk magazine, the relaunch of the DARK KNIGHT Batmobile / Tumbler! So for those who missed it the first time, here's your chance to get it again.

Knowing Hot Toys, even though they already have the existing mold and production capability, don't expect the price of this relaunch to be lower and more affordable. On the contrary, this will probably cost as much as before, if not slightly more. The same thing happened with the Hot Toys Iron Man Mark 1 re-issue or version 2.0 as they call it. Same mold with new paint job and new head sculpt (see the pictures HERE) yet it is going to cost more than before. It's all for profit and Hot Toys own big fat pocket!

Incoming: ZCWO 1/6 "Jack" LAPD Police Officer 12-inch Figure

2012-01-18T07:26:00.000+08:00

Tiger has a partner and his name is "Jack". Besides the 12-inch African American LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) officer figure named "Tiger" (who names their child after an animal anyway?) - see the previous post, ZCWO will also be releasing a Caucasian 1/6 scale LAPD Police Officer 12-inch Figure named "Jack". LAPD officer Jack will be equipped with almost everything Tiger has except for one or two variations in the accessories. Jack will be right-handed as opposed to Tiger which will come with a left-hand side holster.

Like all police officers, Jack will come with LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) hat, shades / sunglasses, LAPD Police uniform consisting of long sleeve shirt with tie, police badge and name tag, wrist watch, duty belt with pistol magazine pouch, radio and pouch, flashlight, handcuffs, baton, pistol with holster and Pepper spray, also known as OC spray (from "Oleoresin Capsicum"), OC gas and capsicum spray.

Here's jack in his basic LAPD police uniform, without his duty belt which can carry an average of 8 to 10 and sometimes up to 15 pounds of equipment.

The ZCWO "Jack" LAPD Police Officer 12-inch Figure 1/6 scale head sculpt looked to me like Jason Segel who plays Marshall Eriksen in the TV comedy series "How I Met Your Mother".

1/6 scale police officer 12-inch figures used to be released on a rather regular basis back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with Dragon Models Limited (DML) leading the way first with their line of Hong Kong Police SDU (Special Duties Unit) figures followed by more police officers, both from the Hong Kong Police Force and international police agencies.

Hot Toys also got in on the act then with their release of their own versions of SDU and LAPD SWAT. That was still early days for Hot Toys and they had not ventured into the official licensed movie collectible market for which they are now enjoying a tremendous reaping of profits at our expense :( The prices are just going up, up and away with constant complaints of quality issues - not the Hot Toys I'm used to when they were just starting out.

Even Medicom Toys went the way of the police and law enforcement with the release of their own 12-inch Special Forces figures back then, with their Cro-Magnon MSFS (Medicom Special Forces Series). If you were to click on the POLICE label below, you'll be able to see the various 1/6 scale police 12-inch figures released by the different 1/6 manufacturers.

The picture below shows all the gear and accessories that will come with the ZCWO 1/6 "Jack" LAPD Police Officer 12-inch Figure. Certainly a great way to upgrade and complete what's missing from Hot Toys T-1000 cop figure, especially for the highway patrolman outfit ;p

ZCWO 1/6 scale LAPD Police Officer (Jack) 12-inch figure parts list: 1/6 scale Real-Like Head sculpt (Tiger Woods), New ZCWO Slim Body (African American), 3 pairs of hands, sunglasses, Smartphone, Pen, Watch, Black Shoes, Police officer's Cap, Long Sleeve Uniform Shirt with Badge & Name Tag, Black Tie (Metal Clip), Uniform Pants with leather belt, White Tee, Black Socks, Patches, Police Equipment Duty Belt, Pepper Spray, M92F Pistol with Holster (Left Hand Side), Baton, Handcuffs, Flashlight, Radio with Pouch, Pistol Magazines with Pouch.

And here are pictures of ZCWO 1/6 scale "Jack" and "Tiger" LAPD Police Officer 12-inch Figures standing side-by-side, getting ready to serve and protect, to uphold the law AND to do their part for Homeland security!

Related posts:
SEPTEMBER 7, 2008 - Los Angeles County Sheriff LASD Officer "Burns"
SEPTEMBER 9, 2008 - Los Angeles County Sheriff's SWAT Team Sheriff "Chuck Morris" by BBI
OCTOBER 27, 2008 - LAPD SWAT Officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) in "Speed (1994)"
OCTOBER 24, 2010 - A certain T-1000 impersonates a LAPD Police Officer in the film "Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)".
NOVEMBER 2, 2010 - T-1000 as LAPD Motorcycle Cop

To view even more Police posts / entries, click on the POLICE label at the bottom :) ENJOY!

Incoming: ZCWO 1/6 Tiger Woods as LAPD Police Officer 12-inch Figure

2012-01-17T07:24:00.000+08:00

ZCWO will be releasing a 1/6 scale LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) Police Officer 12-inch Collectible Action Figure called "Tiger" and we all know that there's only one person in the world famous enough with that name: Tiger Woods! Tiger Woods as a 12-inch cop? More of a cop-out after the 2009 fiasco ;p He hasn't been the same ever since and remains winless on the PGA Tour since September 2009. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. The Los Angeles Police Department has a long history dating all the way back to 1853 when it was first founded, according to wikipedia.

Some people have commented that the uniform and accessories look dated (as in 1990s) but the truth is: LAPD uniforms and gear haven't changed much in the last 20 to 30 years and LAPD officers tend to wear short sleeves and no tie, but it isn't uncommon to see them wear ties and long sleeves as well. They usually don't wear hats except at ceremonies. With the higher security threats after 9/11, LAPD patrolman have taken to wearing soft body armor which they wear under their shirts for added protection.

Does this ZCWO Los Angeles Police "Tiger" 1/6 scale Collectible Action Figure look anything like Tiger Woods the golfer? You decide.

Looks like he traded in his golf clubs for firearms instead. Can't seem to see very well too so he needs glasses LOLZ

LAPD officers are authorized to carry Smith and Wesson, GLOCK, and Beretta semi auto pistols, in 9mm, .40 caliber and .45 caliber as duty weapons. They may additionally carry compact versions of the above brands for back up weapons or as off duty weapons. Some officers may still carry the compact S&W snub nose revolver in .38 caliber as a back up or off duty weapon.

The Police Officer's duty belt must carry an average of 8 to 10 and sometimes up to 15 pounds of equipment, ranging from flashlights, keys and handcuffs to OC spray, batons and duty weapons. It looks like "Tiger" is left-handed because he has a left-hand holster instead of the usual right-hand version.

Police baton, handcuffs, flashlight, radio and double-magazine pouch for his spare pistol magazines. One should always carry extra ammunition

ZCWO 1/6 scale LAPD Police Officer (Tiger) 12-inch figure parts list: 1/6 scale Real-Like Head sculpt (Tiger Woods), New ZCWO Slim Body (African American), 3 pairs of hands, glasses, Watch, Black Shoes, Police officer's Cap, Long Sleeve Uniform Shirt with Badge & Name Tag, Black Tie (Metal Clip), Uniform Pants with leather belt, White Tee, Black Socks, Patches, Police Equipment Duty Belt, Pepper Spray, M92F Pistol with Holster (Left Hand Side), Baton, Handcuffs, Flashlight, Radio with Pouch, Pistol Magazines with Pouch, keys.

DID says "iQuit!" Steve Jobs 12-inch Figure a No-Go! Product Withdrawn, Apple Wins

2012-01-16T19:16:00.001+08:00

Straight from the horse's mouth:

Dear Sir or Madam:

We regret to inform you that we have to stop the sale of Steve Jobs figurine because In Icons decided to withdraw the product from the market and the decision was made after careful consideration. We were told that all outstanding orders should not be fulfilled and new orders should not be taken for the product. Thus, sorry to say that we can’t accept your order for this Steve Jobs figurine. We understand this will bring extra work and inconvenience to your business. Here, we sincerely apologize for the trouble caused and regret that the situation is beyond our control.

Included below is an extract of the communication issued by inicons.com:
“Due to the recent pressures that we are under, especially from Apple and Steve Job’s family lawyers… we acknowledge the truth of the situation that Apple is the world’s largest company, with unlimited coffers and now they have given us warnings through their lawyer, they also threatened to issue legal letters from different countries in order to stop all the sales of this figurines. Even though we still believe that we haven’t overstepped any legal boundaries, our preference is to settle the matter and avoid wasting unnecessary time and money in legal issue. We have decided to meet their request and to completely stop sale and production of the Steve Jobs figurine. Albeit the figurine was produced out of admiration for Steve Jobs, as his family is against the figurine we have decided to respect their wishes.

Please accept our sincere apologies as we understand that this matter has also affected your company. However we hope that you understand that we have no other alternatives. Therefore we respectfully request that all purchase orders be terminated and that you can explain the situation to the buyers. Thank you for your understanding. We hope that there will be other opportunities in the future in which we can work together on other products.

Sincerely Yours,

inicons.com”

As mentioned above the only choice available to In Icons is to terminate the production. DID began trading in 2003, over the last 9 years this is the first incident of its kind we encountered and this incident is caused by external factors to DID. Please forgive us and help to explain the situation to your buyers who have placed orders for this product.

At DID we thank you for your continual support and we remain at your disposal. In 2012, we endeavor to bring you more new and exciting products! Please support us as you always do!

Best Regards,
DID Corporation

How the Marines video made the Afghan war even tougher by USMC Captain Timothy Kudo

2012-01-16T11:51:00.000+08:00

The post below by Timothy Kudo, a Marine captain who served in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2009 to 2011 and a senior membership associate with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America appeared in THE WASHINGTON POST, 13/01/12:

In March I returned from Afghanistan’s Helmand province after handing about 12 square miles of villages and farmlands to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, the unit that is allegedly responsible for recording a video of Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban insurgents. The actions of these few Marines have rightfully garnered widespread disdain, but for me the affront is personal. In a 42-second video, these Marines undid everything that my unit spent seven months working to accomplish.

Many civilians I’ve talked to about the incident act like it’s no surprise. Hollywood and media depictions have convinced them that war is filled with atrocities such as this one and that, but for lack of coverage, they’d hear more about them. But those of us who have worn the uniform don’t excuse these acts by saying, “War is hell.” There’s right and wrong in war, and we probably know that better than anyone else, because we’ve seen the life-or-death consequences of our decisions.

Before my first deployment, though, I wondered if it was true. People don’t usually talk about the wars they fight in. Maybe it’s because the things they would say are dark and unjustifiable. But then I went to Iraq and Afghanistan, where I faced combat and death, and I discovered that it’s nothing of the sort. There’s a shock the first time you deal with the aftermath of combat, but that soon subsides because there is a lot of work to be done. We would collect enemy bodies so we could engage in the macabre task of identifying them and gathering intelligence. When that was done, we’d hand the bodies over to the Afghan soldiers and police we worked with so that they could receive proper burial.

In my unit, I’m not ashamed to admit, we celebrated the death of the enemy. After one hard day in 2010 when we lost a Marine, we discovered two insurgents planting a bomb along a road. As the insurgents drove away, we shot a missile at them, killing one. Alongside the jubilation, we felt that justice had been served. At the same time, the insurgent who survived the blast was brought by locals to one of our bases for medical attention. So amid the euphoria, we also provided aid to the enemy. Doing so was required to accomplish our mission of building local support. But celebrating victory in battle is different than desecrating the dead. And it’s discipline and training that not only keep your moral compass pointing north, but also give you the courage to stop what you know is wrong. That’s what I saw time and again with 20-year-old corporals and lance corporals leading their units, ensuring that they didn’t stray from right into wrong. And that sense of morality is what I see missing in the video.

I can’t imagine what went through the heads of the men in the video, because desecrating the dead goes against every custom and value that the Marines hold dear. When the enemy is dead, they’re no longer treated like combatants. Despite the mortal conflict you’ve just engaged in, their humanity is revealed by their death. And in Afghanistan, you often have to look their family members in the eye as you hand over the body of their dead father, brother or son.

My mission with the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines Regiment was to make our sector of northern Helmand province safe for Afghan civilians through a combination of state-building, political development and security operations. The fight was tough and the enemy frustrating, but we were successful because of our commitment to winning over the local populace.

During our deployment, we worked to make the roads safe, strengthen the local economy, and befriend villagers and our Afghan army and police counterparts. We knew that building trust required thousands of cups of chai, countless meals sitting cross-legged on mud hut floors and a deep respect for the local culture and traditions. Five Marines in my company died in Afghanistan doing just this. After returning to the United States, we stood at a memorial for them and told their families that their sacrifices weren’t in vain.

It was true then. But is it now? Marines and all other service members understand intuitively the effect that this video will have on the war. Whatever comes of an investigation, this is a significant blow. Already, some are saying that this will affect peace talks. But the consequences for the Marines on the ground will be felt in the increase in bombs under their feet and bullets flying by their heads. Before I left Afghanistan, we worked with the local government to install cellular towers in the area where this video was shot. Now, with a basic cellphone from the local bazaar, members of the Taliban can show villagers at every shura in the district what Marines do to Muslims when they’re dead.

That’s why my fellow Marines and I are infuriated by this video. We know there’s no moral gray area when it comes to dealing with the dead. When you’ve killed your enemy, the fight is over — and in Afghanistan, you hand the bodies over for a Muslim burial. If we can handle Osama bin Laden’s body with respect, we can do the same for an insurgent fighting for what he believes is his family pride.

My old unit is going back to Afghanistan now. Talking to the Marines before they left, I knew they were going into a tough fight. They’re headed to an area not too far from where we and the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines were stationed last year, and they’re going to do the right thing. Because that’s what the military does. Except the fight just got a lot tougher.

Kitbash 1/6 scale Will Smith as Robert Neville from "I am Legend"

2012-01-15T16:43:00.000+08:00

"I Am Legend" is a 2007 post-apocalyptic science fiction action film that stars Will Smith as an Army doctor who struggles to find a cure to the virus that has affected nearly the entire population of the world. Will Smith plays virologist Robert Neville, who is immune to a man-made virus originally created to cure cancer. He works to create a remedy while defending himself against the mutated creatures created by the virus. [source: wiki]

It is 2009. A genetically-engineered variant of the measles virus meant as a cure for cancer has mutated into a lethal strain. It spreads throughout the world, killing 90% of humanity.

By September 2012, Neville is the last healthy human in New York City; the rest of the plague's survivors have degenerated into predatory, cannibalistic beings referred to as "Darkseekers" who hunt the immune humans as prey. The Darkseekers are so named for hiding during daylight due to a painful intolerance of UV radiation.

Neville's isolation is broken only by the companionship of his German Shepherd (named "Sam") and interaction with mannequins he has set up as patrons of a video store.

Robert Neville (Will Smith) uses a semi-automatic Colt AR-15 model that closely resembles an M4A1 carbine; this variant is referred to in the company's catalog as the "Law Enforcement Carbine", or the Model 6920. The LE Carbine is a semi-automatic-only variant of the M4 with a 16" barrel, but according to the Propstore of London, the weapon was modified to fire automatic for the film. His AR is also equipped with an ACOG (TA31 Series) sight attachment throughout the movie. The tactical light on the gun is a Pentagon MD3R.

This is the 1/6 scale German Shepherd (named "Sam"), Neville's only companion in his isolation

Previous posts of 1/6 scale "I am Legend" Robert Neville (Will Smith) 12-inch figure:
FEBRUARY 17, 2008: Kitbash "I am Legend" Will Smith with Sam using a different head sculpt of Will
DECEMBER 7, 2008: I am Legend (2007) revisited - change of top

See also the 1/6 scale Will Smith as Police Detective Mike Lowrey 12-inch figure as seen in the movie "Bad Boys II" released by Dragon Models Limited (DML) in 2003.

"No Women, No Kids" 1/6 scale Léon: The Professional 12-inch Figure

2012-01-14T10:32:00.000+08:00

This is my updated 1/6 scale Léon: The Professional 12-inch figure using HeadPlay's Jean Reno head sculpt and Heroic's outfit. I had posted pictures of Léon without his long wool coat and vest just relaxing at his table taking care of his plant in an earlier post HERE if you haven't seen that. This is just Léon doing what he does best - cleaning!

In the 1994 French thriller film "Léon: The Professional" written and directed by Luc Besson, Leone "Léon" Montana (Jean Reno) is a professional hitman (or "cleaner," as he refers to himself) living a solitary life in New York City's Little Italy. His work comes from a mafioso named Tony (Danny Aiello), who operates from the "Supreme Macaroni Company" restaurant.

Léon is one of the best at what he does and his choice of weapon is the Beretta 92FS fitted with AL-GI-MEC compensator and suppressor. Certainly a unique choice of weapon.

Léon has a certain code of honor (like the Japanese Samurais) and one of his maxims is "No women, no kids, that's the rules."

As Léon tells Mathilda (Natalie Portman in her debut): "The rifle is the first weapon you learn how to use, because it lets you keep your distance from the client. The closer you get to being a pro, the closer you can get to the client. The knife, for example, is the last thing you learn."

The signature pistols of Léon (Jean Reno) are Beretta 92FS's fitted with compensators and, in some scenes, sound suppressors. A compensator reduces the rising of the barrel during rapid fire by redirecting propellant gases.

Some close-up pictures of the Head Play 1/6 scale Jean version head with his trademark sunglasses and watch cap. The watch cap has many other alternative names as well, including beanie, boggan, knit cap, knit hat, ski cap, ski capor, skull cap, skully, sock cap, stocking cap, and toboggan. In India, the watch cap is known as a monkey cap.

What a difference a head makes! If you saw the original head sculpt that came with this figure (see my posting HERE), you will cringe. It was a case of buying the boxed set for the outfit and accessories, including the all important weapons case (pictures HERE) and hoping that a replacement head would be made available sometime in the near future and that was what happened =^_^=

Now someone point me to a 1/6 scale Natalie Portman as Mathilda child figure please?

Other hitman figures:
JANUARY 21, 2008: "Léon: The Professional" kitbash figure
APRIL 18, 2008: Jada Kins, Hitman - Tokyo Tribe 2
MAY 6, 2008: Kitbash 1/6 scale Chow Yun Fat as John Lee from The Replacement Killers (1998)
NOVEMBER 22, 2008: 1/6 scale Golgo 13 Duke Togo 12-inch Figure by Skynet
NOVEMBER 23, 2008: "Léon: The Professional" Revisited
OCTOBER 3, 2010: BBI "Elite Force: Terminate" Sniper Assassin "Lucifer" REVIEW
OCTOBER 17, 2011: Enterbay 1/6 Jean Reno as Léon PREVIEW
NOVEMBER 15, 2011: Kitbash 1/6 scale John Travolta as Vincent Vega 12-inch Figure in Pulp Fiction

Hot Toys 1/6 Iron Man Mark I (2.0) Limited Edition Collectible Figure PREVIEW

2012-01-13T12:26:00.000+08:00

These are the just released images / pictures of Hot Toys 1/6th scale Iron Man Mark I Armor Suit (version 2.0) Limited Edition Collectible Figurine. Hot Toys had made the announcement late last year that they would re-release the Mark I amor which will come with more movie-accurate and newly developed head sculpt with their latest and improved sculpting and painting technique, as well as more value-added accessories. Well, now here it is. ENJOY!

Hot Toys 1/6th scale Iron Man Mark I (version 2.0) Limited Edition Collectible Figure will come with flames that appear to shoot out from the arms flame thrower style which looks pretty cool ;p Iron Man Mark I (version 2.0) will also come with a improved 1/6 scale head sculpt of Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark as seen from the first "Iron Man" movie. Scroll down to see the outstanding head sculpt, much improved from the 2009 version.

For many late comers to the 1:6 collectible toy scene, the Iron Man Mark I 12-inch armor suited figure has been much sought after since its release. Now at least many new Hot Toys Iron Man collectors can have the chance to possess this figure.

Take a good look at the awesome Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark 1/6 scale head sculpt, much improved from the earlier released version

I believe the paint work is also much improved and the final outcome looks much more metallic than before, less plastic-ky

Hot Toys MMS168 Iron Man: 1/6th scale Mark I (2.0) Limited Edition Collectible Figurine specially features: Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of Mark I, featuring the likeness of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in the Iron Man movie, Approximately 12 inches / 30 cm tall, Over 36 points of articulations, Steel-like painting armor, Movie-accurate Tony Stark costume, TrueType figure body inside Mark I armor (Mark I armor and figure body are inseparable), Helmeted head with raising face-plate revealing the face of Tony Stark

Special features on armor: Light-up (white light) micro ARC reactor and light-up (red light) button on left forearm (battery operated), Two (2) pairs of interchangeable palms including: One (1) pair of relaxed palms, One (1) pair of fists

Weapons: Flamethrower implanted in wrist with extra flame-effected part, Working forearm missile launcher

Accessories: Figure base featuring the scraps of weapons and stones from the Cave, Figure stand with Mark I nameplate and movie logo

The special edition will include a holographic Mark I collectible which will be approximately three (3) inches tall. Not sure how you can get the special edition or what you must do to earn it. Certainly looks nice

Special Edition: One (1) Holographic Mark I collectible (approximately 3 inches tall)(This special edition is for selected markets only.)

Artists: Head Sculpted by KOJUN, Armor Painted by Lalla, Head Painted by JC.HONG, Paint Art Directed by JC.HONG

**Prototype shown, final product may be slightly different
**Battery included for collectible figure, button cells (a total of 3 pieces) are required

Release date: Q3, 2012

Pre-order your Hot Toys Iron Man Mark 1 armor suit figure now at BigBadToyStore.com

For those who want to know what the first released Iron Man Mark I looks like, from box packaging to full figure, check out my reviews and pictures HERE (showcasing the impressive packaging), HERE (the beauty is in the details) and HERE (light-up features)!

Subway 24 Hours Hero 12-inch figure PREVIEW or another 1/6 scale Jack Bauer figure

2012-01-13T07:56:00.000+08:00

Jack Bauer is the main protagonist of the American television series "24". His character has worked in various capacities on the show, often as a member of the fictional Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) based in Los Angeles, and working with the FBI in Washington, D.C. during season 7. Within the 24 storyline, Bauer is a key member of CTU and is often portrayed as their most capable agent. Bauer's job usually involves helping prevent major terrorist attacks on the United States, saving both civilian lives and government administrations. On many occasions Jack does so at great personal expense, as those he thwarts subsequently target him and his loved ones.

Actor Kiefer Sutherland (full name Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland ;p no kidding, it's listed as such on wiki) portrays Jack Bauer in the television show and video game. The television series ended on May 24, 2010 after 8 successful seasons. As the protagonist and central figure of 24, Jack Bauer is the only character to have appeared in all episodes of the series. Kiefer Sutherland has won an Emmy Award (receiving 5 other nominations), a Golden Globe award (receiving 4 other nominations), two Screen Actors Guild Awards (receiving 3 other nominations) and two Satellite Awards.

This is the soon-to-be-released Subway 24 Hours Hero 12-inch figure. The figure will come with 1/6 “Hero” head sculpt, 12-inch figure body, 1 pair Bauer hands, 5222 large aviator sunglasses, leather jacket, long sleeve sweater, 527 denim jeans, grey underpants, APEX body armor, RRL leather mail bag, 1 pair 1st type vietnam boots, 268A flatsider paddle holster, USP compact pistol, USP compact 9mm pistol magazine, M4A1 SOPMOD rifle includes: XENON laser light, AR15 pistol grips, EOTech 552 sight, collapsible stock, M4/M16 rifle magazine.

Besides Medicom Toys that has released at least two "24" Jack Bauer 12-inch figures in the past, Enterbay also released their version of Jack Bauer in 2009 (reviewed and posted HERE), followed closely in 2010 by PlayHouse. PlayHouse never said that their 1:6 scale GSG-9 (low-profile version) 12-inch figure was Jack Bauer but everybody could see it. Don't believe me? Check out the pictures posted HERE :)

Interestingly enough, someone brought up a most valid point in one of the forums. If you were to replace the head sculpt and the jeans (put on a pair of pants instead), you are on your way to a "I Am Legend" Will Smith as Robert Neville kitbash. The coat is in the wrong color and type but it is made of leather and also of the right length. The bag is also wrong but it is modern and also the closest looking type to what Will Smith as Robert Neville carried in the film. Very keen observation I must add ;p

Scroll down to see more preview pictures of this Subway 24 Hours Hero 12-inch figure OR just another 1/6 scale Jack Bauer figure. The head sculpt is nice but it isn't really Jack (Kiefer Sutherland), is it? The clothes and accessories look very promising though. Hope they keep the price down.

That's a rather nice 1:6 scale RRL leather mail bag. Jack is armed with a USP compact pistol. Comes with USP compact 9mm pistol magazine and 268A flatsider paddle holster.

Jack fancies these large aviator sunglasses

Subway 24 Hours Hero (Jack) also wears APEX body armor and is armed with the M4A1 SOPMOD rifle which comes with XENON laser light, AR15 pistol grips, EOTech 552 sight, collapsible stock, M4/M16 rifle magazine.

Related posts:
APRIL 19, 2009 - Enterbay "24" Jack Bauer
FEBRUARY 21, 2010 - Playhouse 1:6 scale GSG-9 (low profile version) REVIEW I
FEBRUARY 26, 2010 - Playhouse GSG-9 (low-profile version) 12-inch Figure REVIEW II

XD04 1:6 Custom Hand Made Figure "Mr Han" Enter the Han's Island

2012-01-12T17:23:00.001+08:00

After seeing Enterbay's 1/6 scale RM-5 12-inch Figure Body with Shek Kin head sculpt (see previous post), I remembered seeing another Mr Han 12-inch figure somewhere before this. After some internet surfing, I found what I was looking for :) so now I present to you XD04 1:6 scale Custom Hand Made "Mr Han" Enter the Han's Island 12-inch Figure. Enter the Han's Island doesn't sound as mysterious or as exciting as Enter the Dragon.

Shek Wing-cheung, better known as Shih Kien OR Shek Kin is most noted for playing the roles of antagonists in several early Hong Kong Wuxia and martial arts films that dated back to the black-and-white period, and best known to Western audiences for his portrayal of the primary villain, Han, in Bruce Lee's 1973 martial arts epic "Enter the Dragon".

XD04 1:6 scale Custom Hand Made Shih Kien as "Mr Han" Enter the Han's Island 12-inch Figure comes with 2 highly detailed 1:6 head sculpts: normal version and injuried version. Also comes with 12-inch Male base body, Brown coat, White tee, Dark brown pants, Black belt, Black socks, Slashing blades (Knives hand) x 1 made from ABS, Bear claw with fur, Gloved fists x 1 pair made from PVC, Gloved hands x 1 pair made from PVC, Normal hands x 1 pair AND Glossy black shoes x 1 pair (Only 100 pcs made)

Incoming Enterbay 1/6 scale RM-5 12-inch Figure Body is Han from Enter the Dragon

2012-01-11T22:56:00.000+08:00

This Enterbay 1/6 scale RM-5 12-inch Figure Body will be released January 14, 2012. The 1/6 scale head sculpt on this RM-5 Body is based on the likeness of Shek Wing-cheung (1 January 1913 – 3 June 2009), better known as Shih Kien OR Shek Kin (Cantonese pronunciation). Shek Kin is most noted for playing the roles of antagonists in several early Hong Kong Wuxia and martial arts films that dated back to the black-and-white period, and best known to Western audiences for his portrayal of the primary villain, Han, in Bruce Lee's 1973 martial arts epic "Enter the Dragon".

After releasing so many Bruce Lee figures for years, Enterbay has finally decided to release Bruce Lee's enemy from "Enter the Dragon". The film's most memorable sequence is the fight scene between Lee and Han in the hall of mirrors. Ultimately "Enter the Dragon" is one of the best marital arts films ever made and Han was the first "wolverine" ever with his claw hands in the epic battle.

This is definitely a MUST HAVE for Bruce Lee die-hard fans and collectors who have all the various Bruce Lee 12-inch figures, including the numerous Bruce Lees from Enter the Dragon from Enterbay and Hot Toys.

Here's the Enterbay 1/6 scale RM-5 12-inch Figure wearing Enterbay's Wardrobe 16 "Style-313" clothes set.

Related post:
JANUARY 27, 2009 - Bruce Lee, Fist of Fury
JANUARY 28, 2009 - Enterbay "Game of Death" 1/6 scale Bruce Lee 12-inch figure
JANUARY 29, 2009 - 1/6 scale Jackie Chan (成龍) 12-inch figure by Dragon Models Limited (DML)

Incoming: Soldier Story 1/6 SEAL Team VI - Operation Neptune's Spear 12-inch figure

2012-01-11T07:29:00.000+08:00

Osama bin Laden was killed on May 1, 2011. The operation that was carried out is now revealed to be Operation Neptune Spear, and the elite Navy SEAL team responsible for the absolute success was the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DevGru aka SEAL Team Six). DevGru was ferried into Pakistan by the US Army’s 160th Special Operation Aviation Regiment (SOAR) in a group of helicopters that appear to have included advanced BlackHawk variants and Chinooks.

This post is about the upcoming Soldier Story 1/6 SEAL Team VI - Operation Neptune's Spear 12-inch figure and it's about as near to the real thing as you are going to get. The loadout and gear is awesome (to say the least) and the accuracy and attention to details are mind boggling. This has to be the most modern and up-to-date Special Forces trooper currently operating in the real world, and I'm liking all of it :)

This Soldier Story 1/6 SEAL Team VI - Operation Neptune's Spear 12-inch figure will come with AOR1 FAST Ballistic High Cut HELMET, L4G24 NVG Mount, Modular Personal Lighting System, NSW Helmet Ballast, Helmet HD Camcorder, Monster Dog Sunglasses, C4OPS Radio System: In Ear Headset with Quick DISCONNECT Male Connector + Micro C4OPS Control Box + Dual Wireless PTT with Picatinny Rail Attachment Remote Control Channel and Volume of the Radio + Radio Cable Adapters, PRC-148 Radio, Functional Radio Antenna Extension Cable Set, Concealed Backup Knife, Carabiner, Light sticks x 6, Handcuffs x 2, Hydration tube, Watch, GPS, MS2000 Strobe light, S2 Body, Leg kit, Bare feet short connected x 1 pair

AOR stands for “Area Of Responsibility” – in this case meaning either desert / arid terrain regions (AOR 1), or temperate / tropical forested terrain regions (AOR 2). And the AOR Camouflage pattern is the same digital pixelated pattern used for the NWU, MARPAT, UCP (ACU) and CADPAT camouflage patterns. It is only be used by the US Navy – and Naval Special Warfare personnel in particular. AOR patterns supposedly have the inclusion of the Navy’s Anchor-Constitution - Eagle logo, and they are now part of the Navy Working Uniform system.

Weapons include: MK12 MOD1 Special Purpose Rifle with Scope, Front & rear sight, Silencer, Push-button swivel & MWS Forend rail mount, AN/PEQ-15, AN/PVS-22 Night Vision Scope, M3 15-23CM Tripod, Grip, RAS Raid covers X 5, P-Mag X 3+1, 20-Round Magazine x 2, rifle sling, AOR1 Painted HK 416 Rifle, AOR1 Painted M4 Magazine x 1, 553 Red dot sight, M4 Mag x 3, P226 Pistol, Pistol magazine x 1+1, M67 Grenade x 2, MK141 MOD0 Flashbang x 2

AOR1 Navy custom combat shirt, AOR1 Navy custom comat pants, B9 Fancy stitched belt, AOR1 GEN III 6094 Plate carrier, AOR1 Admin pouch, AOR1 Single mag pouch, AOR1 Double mag pouch, AOR1 Single fragmentation grenade pouch x 2, AOR1 6015 Radio pouch, AOR1 Canteen pouch, AOR1 100-round 7.62mm pouch, AOR1 Modular assault pack, Fabric tube, Coyote Tan 2645C Mag pouch, Coyote Tan 0250F Belt pouch, BK Knife pouch, BK 0758B Belt loop pistol lanyard, OD 2367F Safety lanyard, BK Playmaker wrist coach, Coyote Tan 2626B GPS Pouch, Velcro tourniquet, "M" gloves, Breeze GTX Boots, Patches

The paint job on the HK416 is in line with pictures taken from a NRA magazine of current SEAL gear and weapons where the helmet, rifle and all other gear were painted in AOR1.

ToysCity only recently released preview prototype pictures of their version of the JSOC T1 Special Mission Unit - Ops Geronimo Hunting Down 12-inch military figure and 1/6 scale dog set (see the pictures HERE).

Related posts:
MAY 2, 2011: Osama Bin Laden is DEAD! Good Riddance

MAY 3, 2011: SEAL Team 6: The Ones Resonsible For Osama Bin Laden's Demise (As of this posting, this entry has garnered 4624 hits since then)

An even earlier post Very Hot 1/6 scale CIA (Afghanistan) Uniform Set (December 13, 2009) has amassed 9579 hits / page loads / views. I find these stats fascinating :)

Incoming: LoadingToys 1/6 scale Asia head sculpt - Faris aka Chow Yun-Fat

2012-01-10T08:54:00.000+08:00

This will be the next head sculpt to be released by Loading Toys and the 1/6 scale Asia head sculpt "Faris" is none other than that of Chow Yun-fat, a Hong Kong actor best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

The head sculpt looks stunningly realistic and has an amazing resemblance to Chow Yun-fat with a almost perfect likeness of the actor. Scroll down to see other 1:6 scale versions of Chow Yun-fat that have been released.

Dragon Models Limited (DML) released this 1/6 scale Chow Yun-fat 12-inch figure in 1999 and although it was not directly tied to the 1999 movie "The Corruptor", everything on the box said otherwise - the title itself was a giveaway! See all the pictures from my May 7, 2008 post :) or just click on the picture. If you were to compare this Dragon Models "Detective Chow" head sculpt with the soon-to-be-released version by Loading Toys shown above, you can see that it's pretty similar in terms of hairstyle, frown and lips placement except that the Loading Toys version is heaps better!

The Replacement Killers starred Chow Yun Fat and Mira Sorvino, and was Chow's American debut. Chow Yun Fat played John Lee, a hitman hired to kill the 7-year old son of an L.A. cop (Michael Rooker) but when he couldn't bring himself to kill an innocent child, Triad boss Wei responds by threatening Lee's family back in China as well as hiring other hitmen to finish the job. This is a kitbashed 1/6 scale Chow Yun-fat as John Lee figure based on the head sculpt produced by Dragon Models Limited (DML).

Last but not least, this was the 2007 released Hot Toys 1/6 scale Sao Feng 12-inch figure from the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" where Chow Yun-Fat played Sao Feng (meaning "Howling Wind"), the Pirate Lord of Singapore and the South China Sea, who possesses a map to World's End, the gateway to Davy Jones' Locker. See more pictures HERE or simply click on the picture below ;p

I cannot wait to get my hands on this LoadingToys 1/6 scale Asia head sculpt so that I can update / upgrade the DML "Detective Chow" and John Lee figures :)

Toysheadquarters Vol:003 1/6 Fighter with causal wear PREVIEW

2012-01-09T11:56:00.002+08:00

This will be Vol:003 1/6 scale Fighter with causal wear 12-inch figure by Toysheadquarters, scheduled for January 2012 release (that's any day now). Product will include: 1/6 scale head, Red Jacket, black vest / tank-top, blue Jeans and black shoes / sneakers (non boot-feet type). NOTE: The 12-inch figure Body will NOT be included!

The 12-inch figure is based on Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden, a soap salesman who befriended Edward Norton in the 1999 American film "Fight Club" based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. The Narrator finds that bare-knuckle brawling makes him feel more alive than he has in years, and soon the two become friends and roommates, meeting informally to fight once a week. As more men join in, the "fight club" becomes an underground sensation, even though it's a closely guarded secret among the participants.

This isn't the first figure to be inspired by the film "Fight Club". There was the Brother Production Fighting Club "Tayler" 12-inch figure released in last year (see my REVIEW & PICTURES). The outfit by Brother Production is more authentic and movie-accurate then this release by Toys Headquarters. Brother Production also offered more accessories, including hands with Tyler's rings.

Do note that this set does not include the 12-inch body which is shown here just to model the clothes that come with this FIGHTER set

THe 1/6 scale Brad Pitt head sculpt by Toysheadquarters looks more like a young Colin Ferrel or even a cross between Brad Pitt with Giovanni Ribisi OR as a goofy kid brother version of Pitt. In terms of likeness it could also pass as an in-between of Edward Norton and Brad Pitt.

Loading Toys also released a Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden head sculpt late last year as part of a two-pack head sculpt set that included a 1/6 scale Edward Norton head as well. You can check out the pictures HERE

Steve Jobs 12-inch action figure makes the news!

2012-01-08T00:11:00.000+08:00

When a 12-inch figure makes the news, it is good for 1:6 scale collectors :) Making it into the news all around the world this week has been the buzz about the 1/6 scale Steve Jobs 12-inch figure that is slated to be released in February 2012. It will retail for $99.99 and go on sale in February - Apple's lawyers permitting.

Besides being on our local news channel and newspapers, the buzz has been heard all across the globe with newscasters marveling at the amazing likeness and realistic skin tones. I feel like telling them that 12-inch Steve Jobs is NOT the first ultra-realistic figure that has popped up. All the ultra-realistic 1:6 figures released by the likes of Hot Toys, Art-Figures, DiD, Soldier Story and many other 1/6 manufacturers have been just as good. The news just didn't catch on. For all the marketing done by Hot Toys, none of their figures got any news treatment. DiD seems to have done one better because now their product is in the spotlight ;p

Click on the picture to read the article :)

Apple is said to be taking legal action to sue the company that is making the ultra-realistic foot-tall (12-inch) scale model of the late Apple founder Steve Jobs. Apple laywers have reportedly sent a letter to Chinese company InIcons demanding the company cease trading. Tandy Cheung, Inicon boss, said before the alleged letter, "Apple can do anything they like. I will not stop." Cheung says that Steve Jobs was not subject to the rules around likenesses of screen stars, "Steve Jobs is not an actor, he’s just a celebrity… There is no copyright protection for a normal person. Steve Jobs is not a product… so I don’t think Apple has the copyright of him." [source: dailymail]

The DID X InIcons 1/6 scale Apple STEVE JOBS 12-inch Action Figure will come with: One Authentic and detailed realistic hand sculpt, One highly articulated body, Three pairs of Interchangeable palms, One black turtleneck, One pair of blue jeans, One black leather belt, One pair of black socks, A pair of sporting shoes, A pair of glasses. Two apples (One with a bite), One barstool (wood and metal), One piece of ring, One piece of "One More Thing" hard backdrop.

You can view more pictures in my earlier post HERE :)

ThreeA x Bandai Exclusive ZAKU Inspiration model figure Preview

2012-01-07T10:07:00.000+08:00

This will be the Ashley Wood / ThreeA and Bandai exclusive Zaku prototype figure, which is slated to stand in somewhere around 16 inches tall. This is Ashley Wood's interpretation of the famous anime / manga giant robot (mobile suit) from the "Mobile Suit Gundam" metaverse. Due to its role as the most common antagonist mobile suit in Mobile Suit Gundam, the Zaku II is one of the most recognizable "mecha" designs in anime.

The Zaku II has seen various redesigns and variants for hundreds of pieces of merchandise, and the Japanese post office has two stamps with Zaku IIs on them. So this take by Ashley Wood on this mobile suit is a rather nice touch.

The ThreeA x Bandai Exclusive ZAKU Inspiration robot model figure will come with its Ashley Wood-style weapons of the gun and axe, and will stand 16 inches tall with full articulation. This will look pretty impressive on anyone's table / desk / display but at USD330 a pop, it's beyond me :(

The original concept of the Zaku was simply a disposable underling, with its name derived from the sound of a huge man (or many soldiers) walking and the Japanese term 雑魚 (zako), meaning "inferior fish" (the term also signifying expendable grunts).

The Zaku later became better known as a common military machine, symbolizing the realism of the Mobile Suit Gundam series. It was portrayed as nothing more than another weapon such as a tank or fighter plane that was assigned to pilots.

Scroll down for more pictures of this post-apocalyptic looking Zaku designed by Ashley Wood for ThreeA in collaboration with Bandai. It's a pretty awesome design and I certainly like Ashley Wood's take on it

All of Ashley Wood's robot figures suffer from the used universe / decaying world look to the extent that they look ill maintained and rusty, like they are going to fall apart at any moment, sorely in need of some lubricating oil and proper maintenance. In the real world, if things reach this stage, machines and weapons might not work at all and all you end up with is just a piece of junk, good only for the scrapyard.

Some close-up pictures of the ThreeA x Bandai Gundam Exclusive ZAKU Inspiration robot model figure designed by Ashley Wood.

If you aren't sure how the original Zaku is supposed to look like, check out the picture below and my post HERE of the MS-06 Zaku II robot figure

And then there's the Gundam RX-78-2, the titular mobile suit of Mobile Suit Gundam from the Gundam Series (ガンダムシリーズ, Gandamu Shirīzu). Check out the post and pictures HERE :)

It would be most interesting to see how Ashley Wood interprets and designs this Mobile Suit Gundam robot figure with his own take and spin on it.

Hot Toys 1/6 Red Skull 12-inch figure from "Captain America: The First Avenger" Preview

2012-01-05T23:19:00.000+08:00

Hot Toys is proud to present the collectible figurine of another character from the well-received "Captain America: The First Avenger" movie – the Red Skull Limited Edition Collectible Figurine. The movie-accurate collectible is specially crafted based on the image of Hugo Weaving as Red Skull/ Johann Schmidt in the movie, highlighting the newly developed head sculpts, highly detailed costume, weapon and accessories.

The Hot Toys MMS167 Movie Masterpiece 1/6th scale Red Skull 12-inch Collectible Figure specially features: Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of Hugo Weaving as Red Skull/ Johann Schmidt in the Captain America: The First Avenger movie; is Approximately 30 cm tall with TrueType body that has over 30 points of articulations; Movie-accurate facial expression with detailed wrinkles and skin texture, Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted; Six (6) pieces of interchangeable gloved palms including: One (1) pair of relaxed palms, One (1) pair of fists, One (1) right palm for holding pistol AND One (1) right palm for holding the Tesseract (Cosmic Cube).

Costume: One (1) set of hydra uniform including one (1) black leather-like long coat, one (1) field- grey shirt and one (1) pair of field-grey pants, One (1) pair of black boots

Weapon: One (1) pistol

Accessories: One (1) Tesseract (Cosmic Cube), Figure stand with Red Skull nameplate and the movie logo

Artists:
Johann Schmidt: Head Sculpted by K.A. Kim, Head Painted by JC. Hong, Head Art Directed by Yulli
Red Skull: Head Sculpted by Jung Ju Won, Head Painted by JC. Hong, Head Art Directed by Kojun

Release date: Q2, 2012

This will definitely go well with the Hot Toys Captain America First Avenger 12-inch Figure :)

Pre-order BBICN and ThreeA Exclusive: World War Robot (WWR) Bot Sniper Punter

2012-01-05T22:49:00.000+08:00

You can now pre-order the ThreeA and BBICN Exclusive World War Robot (WWR) Bot Sniper Punter figure at TFH (link HERE) The figure does look interesting especially with the bigA$$ sniper rifle he is carrying.How does one even walk around with that? I don't think he could even get out of his bunk with the weapon strapped across his back like that (scroll down to see the next picture). Imagine if he is trying to find a place in the jungle to snipe from; he's going to be banging into a lot of trees XD so much for stealth.

Me thinks this is a case where design did not meet functionality. How does one even move around with that HUGE "martha fighting" gun? So anyway, you can pre-order if you dig this :) Just thought I'll share.

To see more threeA post apocalyptic posts, check out my entries below:
APRIL 29, 2010: Ashley Wood + ThreeZero = threeA
JANUARY 10, 2011: Ashley Wood 1:6 scale ThreeA Badbot REVIEW I
JANUARY 11, 2011: Ashley Wood 14.5" ThreeA Badbot REVIEW II
JANUARY 12, 2011: ThreeA 1:6 Badbot & company
NOVEMBER 24, 2011: Review 1 - BBICN ThreeA Popbot: 1/6 Pathfinder Oya TK Ono 12-inch figure
NOVEMBER 25, 2011: Review 2 - BBICN ThreeA Popbot exclusive: Pathfinder Ono Tomorrow Kings Oyabun
NOVEMBER 29, 2011: Review 3 - BBICN ThreeA Popbot exclusive Pathfinder Oya TK Ono
DECEMBER 4, 2011: ThreeA Popbot Pathfinder Oya TK Ono and Badbot Figures

Hot Toys Robocop Project 2012 will include 1/6 scale Robo Cain

2012-01-05T00:09:00.000+08:00

Straight from the horse's mouth, I mean latest Hot Toys announcement: "In 2006, we have launched our first RoboCop which is very much liked by our fans. Over these years, we have accumulated some experience in developing mechanically-related figures such as the Iron Man series. As we have heard from fans that they are still longing for the Robocop series, here we are happy to announce that we have put our efforts again in the Robocop series, this time bringing to fans with the RoboCop with our most updated technology, as well as the 1/6th scale Cain collectible from the second episode. This year is going to be a fruitful year for all of us! Please stay tuned for more updates ahead!"

Looks like 2012 will be an exciting year for 1/6 scale collectors and RoboCop fans :) Scroll down to see the earlier released Hot Toys RoboCop figures

Click on the picture for a Bigger and Better view :)

Earlier posts on RoboCop figures:
MARCH 20, 2009: Hot Toys RoboCop (The First)

MARCH 18, 2009: Hot Toys RoboCop with flight pack from the 1993 "RoboCop 3" movie

MARCH 31, 2009: Hot Toys ED-209 Full Review

Click to see the post :)

And finally we'll be seeing the 1/6 scale Robo Cain collectible figure :) Here's hoping that Hot Toys get the scale right and don't screw it up like they did with Iron Monger!

VeryHot: 1/6 scale USMC Rifleman Outfit set for 12-inch Figure - Preview

2012-01-04T07:59:00.000+08:00

Besides the Black Action Sniper (see earlier post), VeryHot will also be releasing a 1/6 scale USMC Rifleman outfit set for 12-inch figures. As with all of VeryHot releases since day one when they came on the scene, this United States Marine Corps uniform set will NOT include a 12-inch figure body nor a 1/6 scale head sculpt. And since the U.S. has exited Iraq, it's safe to say that this modern USMC figure looks to be based on the marines operating in Afghanistan right now.

EXCEPT I think the US Marines in Afghanistan would be wearing the Desert variant of MARPAT (MARine PATtern - a digital camouflage pattern in use with the United States Marine Corps, introduced with the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform or MCCUU, which replaced the Camouflage Utility Uniform) instead of this Digital Woodland Camo. And why is he wearing desert MARPAT helmet cover when everything else is in green? I also think that the rifle magazine should have been black instead of silver. That just looks wrong :(

The problem with this set is that it can be easily bashed by combining parts from the PlayHouse and Soldier Story Marine figures and even then, PlayHouse and Soldier Story have better quality parts. That's why I never really go for VeryHot military outfit sets because they are lacking the good stuff which Soldier Story and Playhouse are already producing. This is not bad for a budget set, but unfortunately it is generally inferior to existing offerings already available.

It is also interesting to note that VeryHot which has been releasing a lot of the old Hot Toys military figures have made the dust cover on the M16A2 rifle too big (it's because they based it on Hot Toys design when they used to make military figures). If the dust cover is open, it completely blocks the magazine release button. This is not so with the actual weapon.

Like I mentioned earlier, quite a few mismatches here :( Why is the camouflage cover for the Marine's helmet different from the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform (MCCUU) he is wearing? The rest of his gear is also more in line with the Marine's digital desert camo, so why did VeryHot dress this 1/6 Marine in Woodlands MARPAT when everything else screams DESERT!

For a more accurate look at how a 1/6 scale USMC 2nd MEB 12-inch Marine should look like, check out my post of the STGCC 2011 Soldier Story Exclusive USMC 2nd MEB Marine aka USMC SSgt. Nantz figure which is awesome ;) this VeryHot USMC Rifleman set is anything but that, not even a poor second; try a few more levels down.

The only time the US Marines wore mismatched outfits was in the 2003 War in Iraq when they wore Woodlands Camouflaged Battledress Overgarment (BDO) due to the perceived imminent threat of a biological / chemical attack which Saddam Hussein threatened to unleash upon the "infidels". The USMC just didn't have enough Desert Camo BDOs so for the most part of the war, the Marines wore the Woodlands camouflaged BDOs with their Desert Camo helmet in a hostile desert environment. You can see pictures of these 2003 Iraq War 12-inch Marine figures HERE and HERE :)

I also posted an entry on Generation Kill, a 2008 HBO television miniseries based on the book of the same name by Evan Wright about his experience as an embedded reporter with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion‎ of the United States Marine Corps during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

A close-up of the USMC Issue MTV Vest with three grenade and magazine pouches, utility pouch, USMC Combat Knife and sheath, two smoke grenades, radio in pouch.

Magazine Dump pouch with cyalume / light sticks

Hydrapak With Tube and M127A Signal Flare (x2) in Pouches

The M72 LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon, also referred to as the Light Anti-Armor Weapon or LAW as well as LAWS Light Anti-Armor Weapons System) is a portable one-shot 66 mm unguided anti-tank weapon. In early 1963 the LAW was adopted by the United States Army and the United States Marines as their primary individual infantry anti-tank weapon, replacing the M31 HEAT rifle grenade and the M20A1 "Super Bazooka" in the US Army.

Although generally thought of as a Vietnam War era weapon which has been superseded by more powerful AT4, the M72 LAW has found a new lease of life in the ongoing (2006) operations in Iraq by the US Army and Afghanistan by the US Marine Corps and Canadian Army. The lower cost and lighter weight of the LAW, combined with a lack of modern heavy armored targets and the need for an individual assault vs an individual antiarmor weapon, make it ideal for the type of urban combat seen in Iraq and mountain warfare seen in Afghanistan today. In addition a soldier can only carry one AT4 a mission, but with the LAW he can carry two. [source: wiki]

And here's the full loadout of the VeryHot: 1/6 scale USMC Rifleman Outfit set for 12-inch Figure. This VeryHot Marine is missing the groin armor for his vest. The MARPAT and M16A4 are always welcome but the mismatch with the helmet and gear just makes this set good for parts and kitbashing but not complete as a USMC rifleman should be. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

REVIEW Dr Figures 1/6 scale CIA Field Operator 12-inch Figure with Will Smith head sculpt

2012-01-03T07:53:00.000+08:00

This is Dr Figures 1/6 scale CIA Field Operator 12-inch figure released some time ago but I didn't have time to take it out until now. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers through means of covert psychological, cyber, and social warfare to carry out these intelligence-gathering operations using non-military commissioned civilian intelligence agents, many of whom are trained to avoid tactical situations. [source: wiki]

The CIA also oversees and sometimes engages in tactical and covert activities at the request of the President of the United States. Often, when such field operations are organized, the US military or other warfare tacticians carry these tactical operations out on behalf of the agency while the CIA oversees them.

In the 1/6 scale figure world, so long as it looks covert and clandestine, it can qualify as CIA. Any reason to manufacture a 12-inch figure and generate sales is a good enough incentive for the many 1/6 scale toy manufacturers and they are sprouting up so fast that 12-inch figure collectors (especially military figure collectors) have been swarmed by the many offerings.

This Dr Figures 1/6 scale CIA Field Operator 12-inch figure comes in a narrow box with everything packed inside. The picture below shows the figure included and the box contents which consist of: 1/6 Scale Fully Posable Action Figure with Real Like Head Sculpt, Black Polo long sleeve Shirt, Black Tactical Pants, Assault Boots, Oakley Gloved Hands, Cap, Knit Watch Cap, Shemagh, Recon Vest, Grenade Belt, Rifle Magazine Pouches, Grenade Pouches, Utility Pouches, Radio Pouch, Black Backpack, Patches, Shooting glasses, Pistol Holster, H1L Helmet Light, Combat Light with holder, Mobile Phone, Walkie-Talkie Radio, Headset, Grenades, M1911 Pistol, Beretta Rx4 Storm Rifle (with 2 extra buttstocks), Carabiners

Part of the reason for getting this set was the 1/6 scale head sculpt which resembles Will Smith and has quite a good likeness of the actor who has starred in movies such as Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Independence Day, Men in Black, Men in Black II, I, Robot, I Am Legend, Hancock, Wild Wild West and Enemy of the State, just to name a few.

Certainly has quite a bit of accessories. Click on the picture to get an ENLARGED view ;p

Click on the picture for a bigger and better view :)

The belts for his holster and grenade rounds were kept inside the backpack

The Dr Figures CIA Field Operator 1/6 scale black backpack has working zippers for all compartments and there's an even smaller working zipper inside the front pouch.

The Beretta Rx4 Storm rifle (aka Benelli MR1) is the latest member of the Total Solutions for Law Enforcement family. This semiautomatic .223 special purpose rifle emphasizes individual performance with multiple stock ergonomic adjustment, and ambidextrous controls.

The Dr Figures 1/6 scale Beretta Rx4 Storm rifle / Benelli MR1 comes with one 100-round drum magazine and two 30-round box magazine plus two extra butt stocks for switching out options as well as flash suppressor.

Click for a LARGER size picture view :)

With homeland security and personal officer protection in mind, the Rx4 Storm comes standard with a reversible cross bolt safety and ambidextrous bolt release. It accepts standard M4, M16, and AR15 magazines, but unlike some other weapon system, the magazine release button is reversible and my be operated from either side.

Click to see more of the Rx4 / MR1 detailing

This is the fully equipped Dr Figures 1/6 scale CIA Field Operator 12-inch figure with Will Smith head sculpt. I did not put on all the items that came with this figure as there were more than enough parts and accessories. There were more than enough pouches to equip two vests although only one vest was provided. The rest of the pouches will go into the "SPARES" bin. I also didn't want to use the shemagh scarf as shown on the box cover and preview pictures as I felt that it didn't go with the whole Black Stealth look. I much prefer this final look.

Scroll down for more turnaround views of this Dr Figures 1/6 scale CIA Field Operator 12-inch Figure with Will Smith head sculpt. The 1/6 scale Beretta Rx4 Storm rifle / Benelli MR1 is a nice touch as it is something different from what we are so used to getting.

All the gear and parts (including pouches) go on the vest rather easily and I do like how it turned out.

The funny thing is the radio pouch is way too big for his walkie-talkie and I think somebody made a boo-boo. Another issue I had was the M1911 Pistol. Besides being one molded piece (it comes with a spare pistol magazine but the pistol's magazine cannot be removed), it is too BIG to fit inside the holster :( So for the complete look, I had to switch to another M1911 pistol instead.

Another thing is: If this CIA Field Operator is armed with the 1/6 scale Beretta Rx4 Storm rifle, shouldn't he also be armed with a Beretta pistol as well?

This Dr Figures 1/6 scale Beretta Rx4 Storm rifle / Benelli MR1 comes with a grenade launcher which is also detachable. Interestingly enough, the Rx4 Storm rifle is not in use with any military unit and was intended primarily as a "patrol carbine" for Police organizations and private security operators.

You can see the 40mm grenade rounds carried on his grenade belt worn under his vest. There are six (6) smaller 40mm grenades and two (2) larger grenade rounds included but only one type of grenade launcher. I don't know why this is so. This Dr Figures 1/6 scale CIA Field Operator 12-inch Figure set also comes with two (2) fragmentation grenades.

Here's Dr Figures 1/6 scale CIA Field Operator 12-inch Figure (Will Smith) firing with his sidearm, the M1911 single-action, semi-automatic .45 pistol with suppressor / silencer

Close-up shots of the Dr Figures 1/6 scale Will Smith head sculpt wearing watch cap and shooting glasses. The look of the watch cap used to be most associated with sailors, but the headgear is now popular among clubgoers and anyone who lives in cold areas. It is the unofficial national headgear of Canada, where it is called a tuque or toque. The watch cap has many other alternative names as well, including beanie, boggan, knit cap, knit hat, ski cap, ski capor, skull cap, skully, sock cap, stocking cap, and toboggan. In India, the watch cap is known as a monkey cap.

Shooters of all kinds require eye protection, whether at the range or in the field. The majority of shooting activities take place in close proximity to the face. Facing the possibility of ricochets, flying objects (ejecting shells, etc), wind, sun and dust, it only makes sense to use good eye protection.

I think Dr Figures managed to capture Will Smith's likeness rather well on their CIA Field Operator figure.

Scroll down for some close-up pictures and views of this Dr Figures 1/6 scale CIA Field Operator 12-inch Figure armed with the Beretta Rx4 Storm rifle / Benelli MR1 plus grenade launcher and flash suppressor. Wouldn't want to wake up the neighbors when they come a-calling ;p

NEXT: Kitbash 1/6 scale Will Smith as Robert Neville from "I am Legend"

Incoming: VeryHot 1/6 scale Black Action Sniper 12-inch Figure

2012-01-02T08:55:00.000+08:00

I don't know what a Black Action sniper is. I can only think that perhaps VeryHot wanted to name their newest soon-to-be-released 1/6 scale sniper figure a Black Ops Sniper but it got translated as Black Action Sniper instead. If you were to tell someone in the 'hood that you wanted some Black Action, I think you'll end up in a lot of pain so I wouldn't want to use the term "Black Action" loosely if I were you LOLZ

Anyway it seems that 2011 was the year of snipers for VeryHot as this will be their SEVENth Sniper figure previewed in 2011. Although it is now 2012, these pictures were released at the end of December 2011. If you were to click on the "Snipers" label at the bottom of this post, you can see all the various Very Hot 12-inch sniper figures that have been previewed thus far, this one being the latest.

As always, VeryHot only releases uniform / outfit sets with weapons but the 12-inch Figure Body and 1/6 scale head are NOT included. Anyway, like I always say, you cannot go wrong with black :) Camouflage will go out of fashion i.e. they may get phased out, changed or improved upon but black is always IN. A figure in black will always fit in, just switch out the weapons to keep with the times haha.

Overall, I like this set and certainly will be getting it to put together as it is or even use it for kitbashing because it has a lot of interesting parts. The 1/6 scale CheyTac Intervention M-200 bolt action sniper rifle is certainly a plus :)

Strangely enough, the black chest rig that holds the magazines included with this set does not match the weapon that this sniper is using. If he's carrying M4 magazines, then shouldn't he also come with an M4 rifle as his secondary? I don't see a problem equipping him with an M4 as his backup but just thinking that if VeryHot included the mags, they should throw in the rifle as well.

The CheyTac Intervention is an American bolt action sniper rifle manufactured by CheyTac LLC for long range soft target interdiction. It is fed by a detachable single stack magazine, which holds 7 rounds. It fires .408 CheyTac or .375 CheyTac ammunition. [source: wiki] I'm no weapons expert but it sounds impressive!

The primary sight is the Nightforce NXS 5.5-22x56 variable magnification telescopic sight with a 56 mm objective. The alternate sight is the US Optics SN-9.

I can certainly see this figure next to my CIA SAD figures and would certainly make a good addition to the team.

Incoming: 1/6 scale Steve Jobs 12-inch Figure by DID

2012-01-01T07:35:00.000+08:00

This has to be the BEST 1/6 scale Steve Jobs head sculpt ever produced. The man may have passed on (see my post RIP Steve Jobs where I attempted to kitbash a 12-inch Steve Jobs figure) but it seems 1/6 manufacturers see his passing as an opportunity to cash in and make some money out of this iCon. Whether people will bite is hard to say but I'm sure there'll be fans and collectors who won't mind forking up some moolah for this figure, just as they did for the iPhone 4S "forSteve" ;p

Everything looks great except for the awful looking wrist joints. What's up with that? Couldn't they hide that weird looking ball joint inside the arms or make it much smaller and less ugly and obvious? They really ruin an otherwise perfect figure but for the joints :(

Scroll down to see more prototype preview pictures and different angles of this awesome 1/6 scale Steve Jobs head sculpt by DID. A unlicensed product no less judging by how a new company is supposedly created to market this product. If anything happens in the legal department, they just close the company like it never happened.

I was wondering how they were going to make the rather delicate glasses Steve Jobs wears but it looks like they were able to get it right in terms of scale and durability. We'll just have to wait and see how the final product looks although these prototype preview pictures look very good indeed.

Do NOTE that the 1/6 scale iPhone and iPad are NOT included.

The 1/6 scale Mac is also NOT included. You are getting only the man (12-inch figure), his clothes and a bar stool that is in 1/6 scale.

Happy New Year from TOY HAVEN and Kaiyodo Revoltech Pixar WALL•E robot figure

2012-01-01T01:00:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year 2012 to all visitors, readers and followers of my toy blog, TOY HAVEN :) and THANKS for all the support you have all given. Based on the StatCounter's data collected, in 2011 TOY HAVEN had a total of 2,600,251 page loads with 1,333,029 unique visits, 1,000,977 first time visits and 332,052 returning visits. That's not too bad ;p It's been increasing every year since 2008 (It was just 354,011 page loads with 222,645 unique visits in the first year) and it's all THANKS to all of YOU so I am very grateful and deeply appreciative of all the support I've been getting.

So I think it's most appropriate to start the new year with a post on WALL•E. Why a robot from Pixar Animation Studios? It's because WALL•E is a very touching story of a trash compactor robot called "WALL-E" (Waste Allocation Load Lifter - Earth Class) that discovers a seedling plant amid all the trash covering the Earth and this leads to a chain of events which result in humans and robots uniting together to restore Earth's environment.

And since this is the first day of the new year, let's all start afresh and work together to make the world a better place to live in, for us, for our children and for our children's children :)

This is the Kaiyodo Revoltech Pixar Figure Collection 002 - WALL•E robot figure that was recently released i.e. end December 2011. I was bowled over by the preview pictures (posted HERE) and was actually happy when it arrived. I haven't really collected a lot of other toys since I decided to focus on 1/6 scale figures which has been my mainstay for a long time but once in a while, something comes along that gets my attention :)

I was a little disappointed with the packaging of this Kaiyodo Revoltech Pixar Figure Collection 002 - WALL•E figure as I was expecting a box packaging and NOT carded. With box packaging, you have the option of taking it out and then putting it back in if you so choose to but with carded, once it's out, it stays out. There's no way you can put it back in / reseal it.

But that's okay as long as the product is good. Sad to say, I broke both WALL•E's arms soon after opening the package while I was trying to get him (it) to strike up some poses. One of the tracks also came off but some glue was able to fix that BUT the arms cannot be glued back as easily because of the small surface area and also due to the bad design of the joints :( Every time you want to move the arms, the same lousily constructed joint will be stressed and come off again. My solution? Blu-Tack. It allows the arms to stay in the poses I want and I can re-position them for other poses again when I need to.

As you will see when you scroll down, almost all the pictures taken (except for the last two) of this Kaiyodo Revoltech Pixar WALL•E robot figure poses and posted here are done with some Blu-Tack which is used to hold the arms in place. It's not the best solution but it's a quick fix situation ;p ENJOY the pictures and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This Kaiyodo Revoltech Pixar WALL•E robot figure does come with some nice details but not as well painted as the prototype one shown in the preview pictures where there was more weathering done and highlights here and there. This final product has a cleaner look with the basic straight on paint job without the weathering and airbrush details.

Revoltech WALL•E does have some pretty good articulation in the neck and tracks as well as the arms BUT not the shoulder where it joins to the square robot body. The shoulder joint was too stiff and when I tried to move the shoulders, the arm simply just gave way and broke off. That's quite frustrating for a new toy just out of its plastic prison.

Accessories include plant seedling in shoe, scrap metal cube, WALL•E's pet cockroach and a fire extinguisher

This is Revoltech WALL•E with neck raised at its highest and the tallest he (in the Disney Pixar film, it is most obvious that WALL•E is male) can be. This pose shows off the neck joints which can go down low (as in the previous pictures) or be raised straight up. The claw hands have three digits which can be moved on their own individually and the silver arm can rotate as well.

WALL•E as seen from the back

Here's WALL•E once again posing with all its accessories

The GREAT thing about this Kaiyodo Revoltech Pixar Figure Collection 002 - WALL•E robot figure are the eyes which are most expressive and can be tilted to great effect for the curious, surprised or just plain happy look.

Here's WALL•E with arms raised and expressing happiness and joy at having been released from its plastic prison. This was the first post I got it in before the arms broke :( I think the figure's arms got stuck while in its package and the pin holding the arm is just too thin and too weak to handle the stress

Anyway here's wishing everyone HAPPY NEW YEAR once again and looking forward to your continued visits CHEERS

Last Haul of 2011 or Last Good Bye (Buy) as 2012 Approaches

2011-12-31T13:42:00.000+08:00

These were the last things I got before the year came to a close :) so this makes it the last post of 2011. There are many things to look forward to in 2012 but it's always nice to end the year on a positive note. I got myself the VeryHot 1/6 scale PMC Sniper uniform / outfit set and the latest Hobby Japan MIL-FIG Customized 12-inch Military Action Figures book.

VeryHot has previewed at least SIX sniper figures thus far but this was the only set I got because this set allows me the flexibility to mix and match if I choose to kitbash a figure. The other military specific snipers cannot be used for any other purpose other than building up a 1/6 army / marine squad.

You can see the PREVIEW pictures in my earlier post HERE. This set comes with all that you see in the picture below - no 12-inch figure body or 1/6 scale head sculpt is included although from the pictures of the model used by VeryHot for posing purposes, you can tell that the head sculpt is based on a certain famous footballer who has been playing soccer in the United States for a while and has recently won the MLS (Major League Soccer) Cup with the Los Angeles Galaxy. David Beckham is a shooter but of a different kind haha

One of the items of this set that caught my attention is this 1/6 scale Maxpedition JUMBO EDC (for Every Day Carry) Tactical Nylon Sling Shoulder Bag

It's because I have a 1:1 scale version of the same bag in UCP (Universal Camouflage Pattern) which is used by the U.S. Army for their ACU (Army Combat Uniform) and the 1:6 scale black Maxpedition JUMBO EDC (for Every Day Carry) Tactical Nylon Sling Shoulder Bag is almost an exact replica of the actual bag in every detail.

Besides the VeryHot 1/6 scale PMC Sniper uniform / outfit set, I also got this latest Hobby Japan Mil-FIG Customized 12-inch Military Action Figures book. Every year Hobby Japan will release a book filled with beautiful pictures of customized 12-inch military figures done by the likes of amazingly gifted and skilled customizers such as Kaz, asa, Jun MATSUI, k-inoue, amie, jack, shiva, suiken and TETSU. The content and text are all in Japanese but there are a lot of pictures and the pictures pretty much gives you an idea what the words are trying to say. The final outcome of the 1/6 scale realized figures look so stunningly real it boggles the mind ;p

Here are some pictures of the double spreads from the book. There are lots more where these came from and it's such an eye-popping, mouth-drooling experience seeing what these amazing customizers can do to make a good figure look GREAT! Click on the pictures to see the ENLARGEd views

Click to see a BIGGER & BETTER picture :)

Click for an ENLARGEd view ;p

Here's an example of the kind of dedication and skill these customizers put into their craft. They actually make more cuts to the 12-inch figure bodies to increase the articulation and make the figures look even more realistic and able to achieve some pretty amazing poses.

Click to see in greater detail :)

There's also a section comparing the different 12-inch body types available in the market at the time of print, showing the different neck and wrist joints. What more can I say? Go grab the book. It's an amazing resource and shows you how skillful craftsman can turn this hobby into an art form :)

Click to see clearer ;p

This latest Hobby Japan Mook Mil-FIG Customized 12-inch Military Action Figures book is the fifth in the series and I have the other four earlier released books / manuals as well, starting with SpecFigures which had features on the BlackHawk Down D-boy (US Army Delta Force), US Navy SEAL Team 8 VBSS and US Air Force Pararescue.

The Hobby Japan Mook SpecFigures 2 12" Action Figure Guide Book had a special feature on British Soldiers from World War II to the Present plus a feature on the USMC Scout Sniper "Jake", Green Beret in action and even Girl in Street Fashion ;p

The Hobby Japan Mook SpecFigures 3 12" Action Figure Guide Book had a special feature on U.S. Marines from World War II to the Present plus a feature on the 82nd Airborne in Afghanistan, US Navy SEAL CQC and more.

The Hobby Japan Mook SpecFigures 4 12" Action Figure Guide Book had a special feature on U.S. ARMY from World War II to the Present plus a feature on Imperial Japanese Army Infantry, British Army Blues and Riyals, U.S. Air Force PJ etc.

And before all these Hobby Japan 12-inch figure books were released, there's this 2000 published Special Forces & S.W.A.T. Figure + Hobby book which gave a very good insight into the 1/6 scale Special Forces figures available at that time from the various companies such as 21st Century Toys, Dragon Models, Hasbro, Blue Box Elite Force and Medicom Toys. All these companies (except Hasbro) no longer release 12-inch military type figures. A lot has changed in ten years.

With that, I bid you Adiós (Spanish for "farewell") to 2011 and see you back here in 2012 ;p

Updated 1/6 scale Léon: The Professional 12-inch Figure with HeadPlay Jean Reno Head

2011-12-30T12:38:00.000+08:00

"Léon: The Professional" is a 1994 French thriller film written and directed by Luc Besson. It stars Jean Reno as the titular mob hitman, Gary Oldman as corrupt DEA agent Stansfield, a young Natalie Portman, in her feature film debut, as Mathilda, a 12-year-old girl who is taken in by the hitman after her family is murdered, and Danny Aiello as Tony, the mobster who gives the hitman his assignments.

Leone "Léon" Montana (Jean Reno) is a hitman (or "cleaner," as he refers to himself) living a solitary life in New York City's Little Italy. His work comes from a mafioso named Tony (Danny Aiello), who operates from the "Supreme Macaroni Company" restaurant. Léon spends his idle time engaging in calisthenics, nurturing a houseplant that early on he describes as his "best friend," and (in one scene) watching old Gene Kelly musicals. [source: wiki]

Here's Léon enjoying some quality time with his plant as he nurtures it and watches it grow :) Most of the 1/6 parts in the picture are from the Heroic 1/6 scale "Perfection Killer" 12-inch Figure boxed set that was released in 2009. You can see MORE Pictures HERE ;)

The furniture i.e. 1/6 scale table and chairs were loose items bought for kitbashing and to be used as props, as in this case. The water spray bottle is from Rement (you can see more Rement items in my earlier 2010 post "A case of two Léons and one Wasabi" featuring three other 1/6 scale Jean Reno head sculpts [excluding this recent acquisition] plus a table set up with 1/6 scale food items)

In the 1994 movie "Léon: The Professional", the potted plant Léon nurtures, which Mathilda replants at the end of the movie, is an aglaonema.

1/6 Jean Reno as Léon the "cleaner" taking time to clean his plant, leaf by leaf.

And here's Léon the "cleaner" getting ready to go out into the city to do some real "cleaning". They call it "cleaning" but it tends to get even more messy after the "cleaning" is done LOL

I've said it before and I'll say it again,"What a difference a head makes!" The last time I said it was when I used the Hot Toys "Resident Evil: Afterlife" 1/6 scale Alice head sculpt on the Brother Production Zombie Killer "Alice" 12-inch female action figure. See my post HERE

This is the Head Play 1/6 scale Jean version head, with obvious reference to Jean Reno, the French actor who has appeared not only in numerous successful Hollywood productions such as The Pink Panther, Godzilla, The Da Vinci Code, Mission: Impossible, Ronin and Couples Retreat, but also in European productions such as the French films Les Visiteurs (1993), its sequel Les Visiteurs 2 (1998) and Léon (1994) along with the 2005 Italian film The Tiger and the Snow.

IMHO this has to be one of the best head sculpts of Jean Reno because the likeness is there and the resemblance is most telling :)

Here's Léon packing his bag and getting ready for work.

To see more of the Heroic "Perfection Killer" 1/6 scale weapons case that Léon carries, go to my post HERE :)

And finally, Léon puts on his long wool coat which is used to conceal his tactical vest that carries most of his weapons. The picture above as well as the one below allows you to examine the 1/6 scale weapons vest, customized and used by Léon in the movie.

Finally, Léon is almost ready to head out the door.

He has in his hand a 1:6 scale Beretta 92FS fitted with AL-GI-MEC compensator and suppressor

NEXT: 1/6 scale Léon: The Professional complete with shades / sunglasses, wool cap and striking a most familiar pose :)

Real Life Caped Crusaders or RLSH

2011-12-30T00:31:00.000+08:00

I only read about these RLSH (real-life-superHero) in the papers recently but it seems like they have been sprouting up all over the world lately, more so in America than anywhere else. In a niche of urban life that has evolved in recent years somewhere between comic book fantasy and the Boy Scout oath, a cadre of self-cast crusaders are on the march, prowling the nights in Boston, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and even Australia.

As reported in The New York Times: In Salt Lake City, Red Voltage and two of his masked crime-fighting colleagues patrol the streets at night. Red Voltage, who in daytime is a 23-year-old residential leasing manager named Roman Daniels, casually waved a gloved hand to his female drive-by fan as she shouted,"I'm in love with you guys!"

Clad head to toe in a red-and-black leather suit, his face covered by spandex, he is, he said, a different man when the mask goes on — a better man. “But there are times when I’m putting the suit on, and I’m just like, ‘How crazy am I to do this?’ I do feel odd and out of the box,” said Mr Daniels, who took over leadership of the group here, called the Black Monday Society, about six months ago, after two years of patrols.

Mike Gailey, a burly former bouncer at a strip club whose crime-fighting persona is called Asylum, said that for him, joining the Black Monday Society was partly about making amends for things in his past, like the time he spent collecting debts for drug dealers. “I was a thug,” said Mr. Gailey, 31. “There are a lot of guys like me that have pasts they’re trying to make up for.”

The Rain City Superheroes patrol the streets of Seattle giving food to the homeless and watching for crimes to stop, but things turned sour recently when their flagship character, Phoenix Jones, tried to break up a fight and ended up with a broken nose.

A group of real-life superheroes in New York, calling themselves the New York Initiative, are out to teach potential women victims how to protect themselves. The New York Initiative is made up of martial arts and weapons experts, none of whom are affiliated with law enforcement.

Even Wikipedia has an entry on "Real-life superhero" and describes them (RLSH) as people who engage in different forms of activism using the thematic device of the costumed superhero, many of them adopting pseudonyms and wearing custom-made outfits. Some real-life superheroes, hand out supplies to the homeless, while others seek to combat crime through community patrols in which suspicious activity is identified and reported to the proper authorities. Many choose to directly deal with crime by vigilantism.

This is certainly a case of life imitating art, in this case, the movie "Kick-Ass" which is a 2010 black comedy superhero film based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. The film tells the story of an ordinary teenager, Dave Lizewski, who sets out to become a real-life superhero, calling himself "Kick-Ass". Dave gets caught up in a bigger fight when he meets Big Daddy, a former cop who, in his quest to bring down the drug lord Frank D'Amico, has trained his eleven-year-old daughter to be the ruthless vigilante Hit-Girl.

So anyone out there ready to put on a costume to fight crime?

ToysCity: JSOC T1 Special Mission Unit - Ops Geronimo Hunting Down PREVIEW

2011-12-29T08:42:00.000+08:00

Osama bin Laden, then head of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on Monday, May 2, 2011 by a United States special forces military unit. The operation, code-named Operation Neptune Spear, was ordered by United States President Barack Obama and carried out in a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operation by a team of United States Navy SEALs from the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (also known as DEVGRU or colloquially, by its former name, SEAL Team Six) of the Joint Special Operations Command, with support from CIA operatives on the ground.

The raid was carried out by approximately two dozen heliborne United States Navy SEALs from the Red Squadron of the Joint Special Operations Command's United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU). The DEVGRU SEALs operated in two teams and were reportedly equipped with Heckler & Koch 416 carbine military assault rifles (with attached suppressors), night-vision goggles, body armor and handguns. [source: wiki]

According to The New York Times, a total of "79 commandos and a dog" were involved in the raid. The military working dog was a Belgian Malinois named Cairo. According to one report, the dog was tasked with tracking "anyone who tried to escape and to alert SEALs to any approaching Pakistani security forces". The dog was to be used to help deter any Pakistani ground response to the raid and to help look for any hidden rooms or hidden doors in the compound.

This is ToysCity: JSOC T1 Special Mission Unit - Ops Geronimo Hunting Down 12-inch military figure and 1/6 scale dog set and will come with Real-like Head Sculpt, T 2.0 Body, DIGI2 AOR1 Desert Pattern FAST Ballistic Helmet, NVG Shroud, NVG Mount,Helmet Rail Connector, PVS-15 Night Vision Goggle, SF Helmet Light, SF Helmet Light Mount, NVG Counterweight Pouch, SODIN Neck-back Headset & PTT, PRC-148 Radio, DIGI2 AOR1 Desert Gen2 AC Combat Shirt Navy Cut, DIGI2 AOR1 Desert Gen2 AC Combat Pants Navy Cut, Detachable Gen 3 Kneepad, DIGI2 AOR2 Woodland 0612F Riggers Belt, Moab Ventilator Hiking Boots, 4.0 Heavy Duty Gloves.

Also included: DIGI2 AOR1 Desert Assault Plate Carrier, DIGI2 AOR1 Desert 6064D Admin Pouch, DIGI2 AOR1 Desert CP Single M4 Mag Pouch x2, DIGI2 AOR1 Desert CP Medic Pouch, DIGI2 AOR1 Desert MLCS Smoke Grenade Pouch, DIGI2 AOR1 Single Pistol Mag Pouch x2, Black P226 6004 Holster, DIGI2 AOR1 Desert 9039D Modular Assault Pack.

Other accessories include VIP Strobe Light, MS2000 Strobe, Plastic Handcuff, D-ring x2, Light Stick x6, Tactical Wristband Map Pouch & Map, Safety Sling, Smoke Grenade, Patches, DIGI2 AOR1 Desert Military Tape

His main weapon is the DEVGRU Custom 12.5 inch-barrel Assault Rifle, M4 MP30 Magazine x4, PEQ-15 Laser Indicator, M3X Tactical Light, Tactical Light Remote, SPECTET DR Optic Sight, Tactical Fore Grip, 2000 5.56 Silencer, DIGI2 AOR1 Desert Custom Tactical Sling

Sidearm is the P226 Pistol, Pistol Magazine x3, Tactical Combat Knife

Also included: K-9 Military Shepherd, Intruder Special Ops Vest & Stretchable Leash, Intruder Special Ops Foldable Camera, Intruder Special Ops Foldable Antenna, Intruder Special Ops Battery Pak

And here's a reference picture of the Special Forces dog

Click to see the details and description

It was a matter of time before some 1/6 manufacturer came up with this figure and it looks like ToysCity has done it FIRST. Cairo is definitely a BIG bonus ;p

Related posts:
MAY 2, 2011: Osama Bin Laden is DEAD! Good Riddance

MAY 3, 2011: SEAL Team 6: The Ones Resonsible For Osama Bin Laden's Demise (As of this posting, this entry has garnered 4436 hits since then)

An even earlier post Very Hot 1/6 scale CIA (Afghanistan) Uniform Set (December 13, 2009) has amassed 9,321 hits / page loads / views. I find these stats fascinating :)

Review III: Captain America: The First Avenger 12-inch Figure by Hot Toys

2011-12-28T09:52:00.000+08:00

First we checked out the Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series MMS156 1/6th scale Captain America Limited Edition 12-inch Collectible Figurine box packaging and contents (posted earlier HERE)

Then there was Hot Toys Captain America in full gear, with his shield and weapons (as seen in the previous post) as seen in the 2011 "Captain America: The First Avenger" movie

NOW here are some action poses of 12-inch Captain America by Hot Toys :) The first picture is of Captain America throwing his shield! Besides the pair of fists that comes with the Hot Toys 1/6 scale Captain America 12-inch superhero figure, seven (7) more interchangeable gloved palms are included: One (1) pair of palms for holding shield, One (1) pair of palms for wielding shield, One (1) right palm for holding gun, One (1) pair of relaxed palms.

I remembered watching Captain America cartoon on television when I was much younger and the theme song still rings in my head :) It goes like this - When Captain America throws his mighty shield, All those who chose to oppose his shield must yield. If he’s led to a fight and a duel is due, Then the red and white and the blue’ll come through, When Captain America throws his mighty shield.

Do note that the transparent figure stand DOES NOT come with the Hot Toys Captain America 12-inch collectible figure. The figure stand included is a black version with name plate and movie logo. The particular stand I'm using for posing Cap is from Medicom Toys. IMHO The transparent stand looks better and is less obvious when putting the figures in their poses.

According to wikipedia, Chris Evans said he declined the part of Steve Rogers / Captain America three times before signing a six-picture deal with Marvel, explaining that, "At the time, I remember telling a buddy of mine, 'If the movie bombs, I'm f**ked. If the movie hits, I'm f**ked! I was just scared. I realized my whole decision-making process was fear-based, and you never want to make a decision out of fear. I can't believe I was almost too chicken to play Captain America".

He ultimately agreed to the role, saying, "I think Marvel is doing a lot of good things right now, and it's a fun character.... I think the story of Steve Rogers is great. He's a great guy. Even if it [were] just a script about anybody, I would probably want to do it. So it wasn't necessarily about the comic itself."

Regarding the extent of the character's abilities Evans remarked, "He would crush the Olympics. Any Olympic sport he's gonna dominate. He can jump higher, run faster, lift stronger weight, but he can be injured. He could roll an ankle and be out for the season. He's not perfect, he's not untouchable."

Chris Evans had previously worked with Marvel as the Human Torch (Johnny Storm) in the Fantastic Four film series so now that he is Captain America and will soon be seen as a part of The Avengers, it would seem unlikely that The Avengers will ever meet the Fantastic Four since Steve Rogers cannot be Johnny Storm anymore.

Hot Toys has endeavored to stay true to the film and be as movie-accurate as possible in producing this 1/6 scale Captain America12-inch limited edition collectible figure as seen in the "Captain America: The First Avenger" movie.

Captain America's costume consist of: One (1) blue and grayish-white jacket with embossed pattern as well as stars in chest and arms, One (1) pair of gray and red suspenders, One (1) pair of blue pants, One (1) brown leather-like belt with pouches and pistol holster and One (1) pair of brown boots.

Relating Captain America's costume to a soldier's gear was a big step in making Cap look like he was there with the troops as well, fighting alongside them as a symbol for all things American in the 1940s.

In keeping closely to the iconic Marvel Comics superhero figure's costume, the stripes on his torso were changed into straps that would hold down his shoulder armor and also hold the weight of his shield when he wore it on his back. They didn't want the outfit / suit to look costume-y but functional.

Captain America might be wearing blue, white and red in the film but he still looked the part of a soldier with fabric clothes and gear as seen in WWII, albeit a little more high tech, thanks to Howard Stark (played by Dominic Cooper), the father of Tony Stark / Iron Man. You need some high tech gear if you are going to go up against Red Skull and HYDRA.

The Hot Toys 1/6 scale shield that 12-inch Captain America wields is made of plastic but electroplated to make it look like shiny metal as if made from Vibranium which is supposedly indestructible. It really looks nice and is the first thing you notice when you see this figure. Only minor issue I have is the shield's size. I wish it could have been slightly bigger.

In the film, Captain America's shield, which serves as both a defensive tool and a weapon, consisted of four types: metal, fiberglass, rubber, and CG. Prop master Barry Gibbs specified that, "We had the 'hero shield,' which was made of aluminum, for our beauty shots [and] close-up work. We then created a lighter shield that was aluminum-faced with a fiberglass back, for use on a daily basis... And then we had a stunt shield made of polyurethane, which is sort of a synthetic rubber... and we made an ultrasoft one we put on [Evans'] back, so that if there were an accident, it wouldn't hurt him."

So there you have it - Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series MMS156 1/6th scale Captain America Limited Edition 12-inch Collectible Figurine out of the box and striking up some poses :) We probably can expect the modern version Captain America superhero figure when the Avengers movie comes out next year! Can't wait for that.

Review II: Hot Toys Captain America First Avenger 12-inch Figure

2011-12-27T08:34:00.000+08:00

Continued from previous post...

Captain America's uniform / costume / outfit may be an important part of his persona but every comic book fan will tell you that it is his shield that defines him. Cap's weapon of choice, used both defensively and offensively, is arguably the most important aspect of him being Captain America for who is the man without his shield?

When the US Army finally decides to put Captain America's unique talents to good use, Howard Stark designs a variety of prototype shields for Steve Rogers but Steve stumbles upon and prefers the round shield made from Vibranium metal. A seeming contradiction combining both simplicity and advanced technology, the chosen shield just needed a patriotic paint job to be ready for action!

This second part review (the earlier review covered the box and contents) of Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series MMS156 1/6th scale Captain America Limited Edition 12-inch Collectible Figurine from the blockbuster movie "Captain America: The First Avenger" sees Chris Evans as Captain America (Steve Rogers) putting on all his gear and accessories and ready to take on the bad guys of HYDRA.

In the Marvel comics, Captain America is created during World War II as part of the US Army's "Project Rebirth" to create Super Soldiers to fight the Nazis. Captain America was a consciously political creation; Joe Simon and Jack Kirby were morally repulsed by the actions of Nazi Germany in the years leading up to the United States' involvement in World War II and felt war was inevitable: "The opponents to the war were all quite well organized. We wanted to have our say too."

Captain America Comics #1 — cover-dated March 1941 and on sale in December 1940, a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor, but a full year into World War II — showed Cap punching Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in the jaw; it sold nearly one million copies with most readers responding favorably to the comic.

In 1940, writer Joe Simon conceived the idea for Captain America and made a sketch of the character in costume. "I wrote the name 'Super American' at the bottom of the page," Simon said in his autobiography. "No, it didn't work. There were too many 'Supers' around. 'Captain America' had a good sound to it. There weren't a lot of captains in comics. It was as easy as that."

So it was only right that the FIRST Avenger would begin his story during the Second World War. Many Captain America fans would tell you that the shield that Cap has in the movie is too small to be effective. It should have been slightly bigger as it would have made a much greater impact but that was how Marvel Studios wanted it and that's how it looks in the film.

Since the Captain America movie is set during WWII, it is only appropriate that he carries the weapons used by the US Army during that time: the M1928A1 Thompson submachine gun with removable 30-round box magazine, flip-up long range rear sight and sliding bolt AND Colt M1911A1 single-action, semi-automatic pistol. Close-up pictures of Cap's weapons can be seen in the previous post :)

In the Marvel comics, Captain America is clad in all bright Red, White and Blue - a costume that bears an American flag motif, and is armed with an indestructible shield that can be thrown as a weapon.

For the movie, Concept Artist Ryan Meinerding changed the stripes on Captain America's torso into straps that would hold down his shoulder armor and hold the weight of his shield when Cap wore it on his back as they didn't want the outfit / suit to look costume-y.

Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series MMS156 1/6th scale Captain America's costume stays movie-accurate and consists of: One (1) blue and grayish-white jacket with embossed pattern as well as stars in chest and arms, One (1) pair of gray and red suspenders, One (1) pair of blue pants, One (1) brown leather-like belt with pouches and pistol holster and One (1) pair of brown boots.

In WWII, soldiers often had identifiable symbols painted on their helmets and that was how Cap's signature wings ended up on the sides of his helmet / mask. I'm really glad that they didn't put protruding wings on his head as how Cap wears it in the comics. See the comic version Captain America costume HERE :)

I liked the design of the Captain America costume / outfit / uniform for the "Captain America First Avenger (2011)" movie. They based the design of the costume on the US soldier's webbing but made it look high tech and functional.

Here's Hot Toys 12-inch Captain America collectible figure with 1/6th scale shield (in the movie it is made from Vibranium metal. Hot Toys chose to electroplate this plastic shield to make it look like shiny metal) and Colt M1911A1 single-action, semi-automatic pistol.

So where does Cap put his shield when he needs to use both his hands?

Captain America's shield can be attached to his back on his webbing. This is how Cap carries his shield when he needs both hands. The shield does look rather small. Definitely would have preferred it to be slightly bigger but Hot Toys is just being movie-accurate and that was how the shield is designed for the film.

Close-up of the electroplated shield painted in the patriotic colors of the American flag of Red, White and Blue!

From the front, you can hardly see the shield on his back because it is too small and it loses its impact.

Scroll down for more close-up pictures of this Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series MMS156 1/6th scale Captain America 12-inch Limited Edition Collectible Figure.

Overall I'm pretty pleased with this figure, the ultimate Captain America The First Avenger 12-inch figure. I doubt you'll find anything of this quality and detail in the 1/6 scale collectible market, something so movie-accurate and fully realized in scale and size. Hot Toys has done a pretty good job in replicating the costume and accessories IMHO

REVIEW 1: Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series MMS156 1/6th scale Captain America Limited Edition 12-inch Collectible Figurine box packaging and contents

NEXT: Captain America action poses ;p

Review 1: Hot Toys 1/6 scale Captain America: The First Avenger 12-inch Figure

2011-12-26T10:42:00.000+08:00

This is Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series MMS156 1/6th scale Captain America Limited Edition 12-inch Collectible Figurine from the blockbuster movie "Captain America: The First Avenger" starring Chris Evans as Captain America.

"Captain America: The First Avenger" is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Set during World War II, the film tells the story of Steve Rogers, a sickly man from Brooklyn who is transformed into super soldier Captain America to aid in the war effort. Captain America must stop the Red Skull -- Adolf Hitler's ruthless head of weaponry, and the leader of an organization that intends to use a device called a tesseract as an energy-source for world domination.

The figure comes in a rather nice packaging which has Captain America's shield on the cover and it seems to have a shine to it, like light is reflecting off the shield's shiny surface. This is possible due to the skills of the photographer who took the picture which has been used for the box cover with great effect.

Like all the box packaging for Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series figures based on Marvel Studios comic superhero characters, this is also based on the shoe-box design with the cover on top / in front and the base is also the back.

Remove the cover and there is a short write-up about Captain America: The First Avenger - Ineligible for the armed service due to his small stature and sickly disposition, the patriotic Steve Rogers instead volunteered for a top secret military experiment called "Project Rebirth". Recognized for his valor and strategic aptitude, Rogers was injected with the Super-soldier Serum, which transfigured his cellular structure and transformed him into the perfect physical specimen. Heightened endurance, increased strength, and an indestructible Vibranium shield give Rogers an edge in combat, but it is his courage and unwavering dedication to the greater good that will shape him into an enduring symbol of freedom – Captain America!

Just below the write-up is the Hot Toys Captain America figure in the main tray, with the extra gloved hands for putting him in many striking poses

Placed on the underside of the box cover / lid is another tray containing Captain America's Vibranium shield and other weapons he may need for his fight for truth, justice and liberty!

The 1/6 scale Vibranium shield that belongs to Hot Toys Captain America 12-in collectible figure is beautiful, to say the least! It has a very shiny and reflective surface which makes it look like it is made from Vibranium metal but in reality, it is actually a plastic shield electroplated to look like shiny metal. That's quite clever of Hot Toys considering that a fully metal 1/6 scale shield would be too heavy for the 12-inch Captain America to hold and pose properly because the arm joints aren't really that strong. Cap might have increased strength in the film but this is still a plastic figure!

Captain America: The First Avenger 12-inch figure also has a bandolier with two leather-like pouches which he wears slung across his shoulders

The Colt M1911A1 single-action, semi-automatic pistol appears as the sidearm of the US forces in the film. Steve Rogers, aka Captain America (Chris Evans) uses one as his chief firearm during the film. Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) also uses one during a scene in which she tests Captain America's shield. Sgt. James "Bucky" Barnes (Sebastian Stan) also wields his sidearm during the attack on the HYDRA train.

Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), Sgt. James "Bucky" Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Gabe Jones (Derek Luke) as well as other American soldiers use the M1928A1 Thompson throughout the film. Captain America (Chris Evans) also has one slung over his shoulder in some scenes.

Hot Toys 1/6 scale M1911A1 pistol is one molded piece with non-removable magazine and non-sliding charger whereas the 1/6 scale M1928A1 Thompson submachine gun comes with removable 30-round box magazine, flip-up long range rear sight and sliding bolt which can be held rearward by the sear when cocked. Click on the picture below for a bigger and better view.

Click to see an ENLARGE view of Cap's weapons

The back of the shield has the necessary straps for Cap to hold and grasp.

And then there is the all important Instruction Sheet that tells you what you ought to do and what you should not do if you do not wish to damage your Hot Toys Captain America 12-inch highly detailed collectible figure. Read before doing anything else. Damage done cannot be undone and no refunds will be entertained.

Click to read the instructions!

Here's a look at the Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series MMS156 1/6th scale Captain America Limited Edition 12-inch Collectible Figure just out of the tray (no twisty ties so it's just a hassle-free easy as pie removal from the box).

Captain America's costume: One (1) blue and grayish-white jacket with embossed pattern as well as stars in chest and arms, One (1) pair of gray and red suspenders, One (1) pair of blue pants, One (1) brown leather-like belt with pouches and pistol holster and One (1) pair of brown boots.

Concept Artist Ryan Meinerding mentions in the book "The Art of Captain America: The First Avenger' that he wanted to bring a sense of realism to the Captain America superhero costume. He changed the stripes on his torso into straps that would hold down his shoulder armor and hold the weight of his shield when he wore it on his back. They didn't want the outfit / suit to look costume-y.

Scroll down for more turnaround views of this Hot Toys Captain America First Avenger figure

Said Meinerding, "Captain America's costume has an abashedly extreme quality to it. It's red, white and blue, and proudly boasts stars and stripes." This iconic strong visual is what makes Cap so identifiable so there had to be a balance to keep the character cool without looking like he jumped right out of the comic books.

Does Hot Toys 1/6 scale Captain America: The First Avenger 12-inch Figure have the detailed fully realized likeness of Chris Evans as Captain America in his hero costume as seen in the "Captain America: The First Avenger" movie? I don't see it but I'm not a complainer - Captain America IS Captain America and as far as I'm concerned, Steve Rogers is behind the mask, NOT Chris Evans the actor who plays Steve Rogers / Captain America in the film.

I think this sculpted head has too much chin. If you were to look at some screen grabs of Chris Evans in Captain America costume, the chin strap is much closer to his mouth / lips. It has been rumored that Hot Toys sculptors based their model / figure on the stunt double's pictures instead but that's hearsay and cannot be confirmed.

Scroll down for more close-up views of Hot Toys 1/6 Captain America head sculpt. I can't bring myself to say that this is a Chris Evans head sculpt because I don't see the resemblance here. Steve Rogers Captain America this can be but NOT Chris Evans Captain America IMHO

In WWII, soldiers often had identifiable symbols painted on their helmets and that was how Cap's signature wings ended up on the sides of his helmet / mask

Overall I'm quite pleased with the look and feel of this Hot Toys Captain America 12-inch collectible figure, especially with the 1/6 interpretation and realization. This is truly the first 1/6 Captain America figure I can accept and approve of. I am totally against the wholly plastic 12-inch Marvel Legends Captain America with molded costume and cut joints. Where's the fabric costume / outfit and 1/6 scale accessories on the Marvel Legends 12-inch Cap figure? Nada because it is just a chunk of plastic! This is the real deal. This is what 12-inch figures are about.

Here's a shot of Captain America head on! And that says it all :)

Some close-up pictures of the Hot Toys 1/6 scale Captain America: The First Avenger 12-inch Figure. Check out the detailing and authenticity. It's almost like looking at a screen shot or picture from the movie. You can't see any of the joints and the paint application of the skin tones and colors plus materials used come together really well to make this quite an outstanding figure :)

The beauty is in the details and you have to check out all the fine details Hot Toys put into this 1/6 scale Captain America 12-inch figure to make it look and feel as close to the movie version as possible

Other than the pair of fists that comes with the Hot Toys 1/6 scale Captain America 12-inch superhero figure, seven (7) more interchangeable gloved palms are included: One (1) pair of palms for holding shield, One (1) pair of palms for wielding shield, One (1) right palm for holding gun, One (1) pair of relaxed palms.

NEXT: What's Captain America without his shield? See Hot Toys Captain America in full gear, complete with his shield and accessories.

Merry Christmas Everyone :)

2011-12-25T00:23:00.000+08:00

Another year has come and it's almost gone. It's already Christmas and very soon it'll be a whole new year 2012. According to some people, the world is going to end in 2012 but let's not live a life believing in gloom and doom. I believe in living life to the fullest and enjoying each and everyday that God had blessed us with so on this Christmas Day, I want to wish everyone a blessed Merry Christmas and may you find love, joy and peace during this season and keep it and bring it with you into the next year!

This Chupa Chups Christmas Tree Set was a gift from the nice people at The Falcon's Hangar, the best toy shop in Singapore :) It's a nice gesture since I didn't get them anything in return haha The Chupa Chups Christmas Tree Set comes with 52 lollipops which consist of 5 different flavours: Blackberry, Cola, Orange, Strawberry and Watermelon AND it has lights and music as well. I would invite you guys to have a lick but there just isn't enough to go around ;p

This season's Santa Claus is a "cleaner" the other times of the year and if you ask him who's on his list, he'll probably tell you "No women, no kids, that's the rules." And if you ask him for a gift, he'll pass you a gun and some bullets and tell you "Here, take it. It's a goodbye gift. Go clean. But not with me. I work alone, understand? Alone."

His advise this Christmas? "You need some time to grow up a little. You might think you have finished growing up; that you just get older but for me it's the opposite. I'm old enough. I need time to grow up."

Anyway, we should all remember the true meaning of Christmas. It's not about Santa Claus and all the commercialism. It's a much more powerful and meaningful message than that! Merry Christmas everyone!

Kotobukiya & Enterbay 1/6 Elvis Presley '68 Comeback Special Figure Preview

2011-12-24T10:38:00.000+08:00

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".

Kotobukiya & Enterbay will be releasing a 1/6 scale Elvis Presley '68 Comeback Special 12-inch Figure to mark the 35th Anniversary of the King's death in 2012.

In 1968, Elvis maneuvered a deal with NBC that committed the network to both finance a theatrical feature and broadcast a Christmas special.

Recorded in late June, the special, called simply "Elvis", aired on December 3, 1968. Later known as the '68 Comeback Special, the show featured lavishly staged studio productions as well as songs performed with a band in front of a small audience—Presley's first live performances since 1961.

The live segments saw Presley clad in tight black leather, singing and playing guitar in an uninhibited style reminiscent of his early rock and roll days. The show, NBC's highest rated that season, captured 42 percent of the total viewing audience.

Jon Landau of Eye magazine had remarked, "There is something magical about watching a man who has lost himself find his way back home. He sang with the kind of power people no longer expect of rock 'n' roll singers. He moved his body with a lack of pretension and effort that must have made Jim Morrison green with envy." [source: wiki]

World Box 1/6 scale Lakor Baby figure is just CREEPY!

2011-12-23T10:57:00.001+08:00

With so many subjects being tackled and produced in 1/6 scale recently, now there's even going to be a 1:6 scale baby / toddler JOKER figure being released and for me, this is just creepy. Freaky and weird also comes to mind.

The World Box 1/6 scale Lakor Baby figure will feature 2 heads, body (150mm), baby suit, baby shirt, gloves, shoes, long gun, short gun, lipstick, foundation brush, one bag, cloth diaper

For a comparison with the actual 1/6 scale Bank Robber Joker 12-inch figure by Hot Toys, you can view the pictures HERE :)

What's next in this line? Maybe a baby bruce, baby two face, baby scarecrow, and baby bane too? And if that isn't enough, they might release a Christopher Reeve super baby followed by all the baby Avengers figures!

Hot Toys 1/6 Spider-man (Black Suit Version) Limited Edition Collectible Figure PREVIEW

2011-12-22T15:50:00.000+08:00

Hot Toys is proud to present the 1/6th scale Spider-Man (Black Suit Version) Limited Edition Collectible Figurine with Sandman Diorama Base from the Spider-Man 3 movie. The movie-accurate Spider-Man collectible is specially crafted based on the superhero image of the iconic character Spider-Man in black suit in the movie, highlighting the newly developed head sculpt, detailed costume, movie-accurate webs and specially sculpted Sandman diorama base.

This comes after the original Red and Blue version Spider-Man and the new Goblin as seen in Spider-Man 3. This release makes this figure the THIRD character to be released under Hot Toys MMS Movie Masterpiece Series.

The 1/6th scale Spider-Man (Black Suit Version) Limited Edition Collectible Figurine with Sandman Diorama Base specially features: Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of Spider-Man in black suit, featuring the likeness of Tobey Maguire as Spiderman / Peter Parker in the Spider-Man 3 movie, TrueType body with 30 points of articulation, Approximately 30 cm tall, Five (5) pairs of interchangeable palms with silvery web pattern including: One (1) pair of relaxed palms, One (1) pair of fists, One (1) pair of palms for web shooting, One (1) pair of palms for web swinging, One (1) pair of palms for climbing

Costume: One (1) black Spider-Man suit with improved silvery web and honeycomb pattern on head and body, with spider icon in the front and at the back of the body, with one (1) pair of black silvery web patterned boots

Accessories: A total of five (5) strips of web including: Two (2) for imitating the flying scene, Two (2) of cobweb shooting, One (1) of cobweb opening

Diorama Base & Figurine Stand: Diorama base featuring the Sandman in the movie, Figurine stand with Spider-Man nameplate and the movie logo

Special Edition: One (1) meteor hammer as bonus accessory for exchanging with the fist of Sandman in the diorama base

It is not mentioned how the special edition is obtainable

Artists: Head Sculpted by K.A. Kim, Head Painted by JC.Hong, Head Art Directed by Yulli, Diorama Base Sculpted & Painted by Joseph Tsang

Release date: Q2, 2012

*Prototype shown is not final, pending licensor approval
**Head portrait is pending licensor approval

Spider-Man, and all related characters, TM & © 2011 Marvel Entertainment, LLC and its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Spider-Man 3, the Movie © 2007 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2011 Hot Toys Limited. All Rights Reserved.

You can PRE-ORDER this Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece 1/6 Scale Black Suit Spider-Man Collectible Figure with Sandman Diorama Base at BigBadToyStore NOW!

Review: Hot Toys TTM19 TrueType Muscular Body Figure is 1/6 scale Jake Gyllenhaal

2011-12-22T08:14:00.000+08:00

This is the recently released Hot Toys TTM19 TrueType Muscular Body Figure. The 12-inch figure comes with a 1/6 scale head sculpt that has the likeness of Jake Gyllenhaal who recently appeared in the 2010 film "Love and Other Drugs" as Jamie Randall and 2011 film "Source Code" as Colter Stevens. Hot Toys seem to have a way with the timing of their figures' release. Why do I say that? The TTM18 Caucasian TrueType figure with Narrow Shoulder which resembled Wentworth Miller (PREVIEWed HERE) was released at about the same time as Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series MMS139 movie-accurate 1/6 scale Milla Jovovich as "Resident Evil: Afterlife" Alice 12-inch collectible figure (REVIEWed HERE). Wentworth Miller was also in the "Resident Evil: Afterlife" film as Chris Redfield (Check out my September Haul for pictures).

Hot Toys had already released a "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" 1/6th scale Prince Dastan 12-inch Collectible Figure (PREVIEWed HERE) with Jake Gyllenhaal head sculpt earlier in 2010. I had also kitbashed a 1/6 scale Jake Gyllenhaal as USMC Scout Sniper Anthony Swofford 12-inch figure sometime back (lots of pictures HERE). "Jarhead" is a 2005 film based on US Marine Corps Sniper Anthony Swofford's 2003 Gulf War memoir of the same name, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Swofford.

Standard Hot Toys TrueType figure packaging with an extra pair of hands and figure display stand but this TTM19 Muscular Body version also comes with an instruction sheet cautioning you what you cannot do in case you damage the figure. Remember the saying:"Prevention is better than cure."

Click to read the instructions :)

Here's the Hot Toys TTM19 TrueType Muscular Body Figure with Jake Gyllenhaal head sculpt straight out of the package. Pardon his nudity haha but since these 12-inch figures are NOT anatomically correct i.e. something vital is missing between the legs, it's safe to look at it without wincing ;)

And here's a closer look at the awesome 1/6 scale head sculpt which resembles Jake Gyllenhaal without a doubt. The level of sculpting has improved tremendously, along with the painting skills such that if you were to look at the pictures below without knowing that this is a 12-inch figure, you might be mistaken into thinking that these are actually head shots of the actor himself because the artist is able to capture the skin tones and likeness of the person really well.

The design of the Hot Toys TTM19 TrueType 12-inch Muscular Body ensures that there isn't any visible neck joint as it is concealed under the upper torso. This allows the same level of articulation that figures with visible neck joints are able to afford but does away with the ugly joint lines that makes the figure look less realistic.

Unfortunately, there are certain trade offs. The Hot Toys TTM19 TrueType Muscular Body Figure has only 30 points of articulation compared to the Hot Toys TTM18 TrueType Figure with Narrow Shoulder which has 38 points of articulation. The main difference is in the shoulder and elbow joints. TTM18 has double jointed elbow joints which allows the figure's hand to bend and touch the shoulder (180-degree movement) whereas the TTM19 is restricted to a right angle bend (almost 90-degree movement)

The thing is, most times we don't make our figures do yoga nor do we put them in extreme poses but it's still nice to know that we could if we wanted to. For the TTM19 Muscular Body, there are limitations. It's a case of realism versus articulation. If you want more articulation, get the TTM18 but if you want realism, then TTM19 is your guy. Always good to have options.

The other problem is with head sculpts. Some 1/6 manufacturers produce head sculpts that come with a neck and a neck connector. These work well with the TTM18 as it allows for that option of switching out the heads but for the TTM19 Muscular Body figure, only heads will do since the neck is part of the upper torso. Any head that comes with a neck will not fit onto this body. That means all Head Play 1/6 scale heads and those of quite a few other manufacturers as well.

And here's the Hot Toys TTM19 TrueType Muscular Body Figure having a nice relaxing soak in his 1/6 scale bath tub ;p What's missing is the water and soap bubbles haha

And this is from a scene made famous on all the movie posters of "Love and Other Drugs", a 2010 romantic comedy film where Jake Gyllenhaal plays Jamie Randall, a pharmaceutical sales representative who hits the big time when he starts selling Viagra, an instant success. What's missing in the picture is Anne Hathaway. The two of them spent quite a bit of time being naked in the film. According to Hathaway, she believes both have "done nudity with a tremendous amount of sensitivity and dignity."

And there you have it - a short review of Hot Toys TTM19 TrueType Muscular Body Figure. Hope you enjoyed it :)

Crazy Owners 1/6 scale Last Samurai Victorian Suit Set

2011-12-21T15:01:00.000+08:00

... continued from the previous post

After the futuristic outing in "Minority Report" in 2002, Tom Cruise starred in the Edward Zwick's historical drama "The Last Samurai" in 2003, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination as best actor. In "The Last Samurai", Tom Cruise as Captain Nathan Algren is a man adrift. It is the 1870s and the battles he once fought now seem distant and futile. Once he risked his life for honor and country, but, in the years since the Civil War, the world has changed. Pragmatism has replaced courage, self-interest has taken the place of sacrifice and honor is nowhere to be found - especially out West where his role in the Indian Campaigns ended in disillusionment and sorrow. Somewhere on the unforgiving plains near the banks of the Washita River, Algren lost his soul.

The Crazy Owners 1/6 scale Last Samurai Victorian Suit Set (circa 1868) will come with 1/6 scale head sculpt, white shirt, vest, frock coat, shoulder holster, revolver, trousers with real pockets, boots.

When Algren goes to Japan to help the new Meiji Restoration government train the new Western-style Imperial Japanese Army, Japan is in the middle of drastic civil change, and the new Western-style additions to society have not gone unopposed.

And this is as Western as they come. Tom Cruise as Captain Nathan Algren is dressed from head to toe in a Victorian Suit to be released by Crazy Owners.

For other more modern looking Men in suits, check out my label "Men in Suits" :) Lots of men in suits

The 1/6 scale guns / pistols included looks like Smith & Wesson Schofields which Algren uses during his first battle with the samurai.

You can pre-order this set at TFH (The Falcon's Hangar). Pre-order closes 26-12-2011