Awesome Toy Blog

From the 2nd series of Lego’s wildly popular collectible mini-figures, today we’ll take a look at the surfer.  This series of mini-figure had identifying barcodes on the package backsides, making it easy for collectors and iphone-owners of the world to identify which figure was in the blind bag.

These mini-figs are like crack; or maybe like pokemon – you have to have them all.  However in each set of 16 figures there are some ups and downs; fortunately the surfer is one of the ups.  The surfer dude is clearly a character; down to the details.  He has a scruffy yet effortlessly cool look about him, with his sun bleached blonde hair.  A smirk across his face, board in hand; he’s ready to hit the waves.  All these small details are what make the mini-figures so good; they’re not generic at all.

Part of the newest ‘branding’ of the Star Wars line, the Vintage Collection, this C-3P0 was released on a replica of his original card back.  C-3P0 was released in the first wave; a thematic wave consisting of characters from ‘The Empire Strikes Back’

Overall, the Vintage figures have been quite good from a sculpt and deco perspective.  C-3P0 is not different in this regard.  However, C-3P0 stands out for a different reason in that most of the features of the figure aren’t referenced at all in the packaging.  This C-3P0 features several removable panels; his face, his chest plate, his thigh, and a back panel can be removed to show an array of wires.  This is definitely cool and makes this 3P0 different from most others.  But at the same time, this is a bit peculiar as there’s no point in Empire where these parts of 3P0 are removed.  The Vintage collection figures were a steal over the holidays at $6 a pop, even at the normal $8ish this one won’t disappoint.

Davros, the creator of the Daleks, is rescued from a cryogenic  prison by his creations when he is needed to cure a deadly a Movellan virus.  Fortunately, the 5th Doctor is on hand to stop the Daleks’ evil plan in the classic Doctor Who story ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’.  This Davros figure is part of the newest Doctor Who box set from Underground Toys featuring the 5th Doctor, Davros, a Dalek and a Supreme Dalek.

This is the first Doctor Who Classics Davros figure released, and it is top notch.  The Dalek base is quite nice and even features an opening panel; as seen in the episode when some repairs are completed on Davros’ chair.  The sculpt on Davros himself is quite good, however the wires on his head are a bit thick.  I’m not sure how robust thinner ‘wires’ would have been so that is likely the reason for their size.  They are separate pieces and can be removed if you find them distracting, but really they’re not bad.

This is the final figure of the boxset to have a ‘Figure Spotlight’ which gives me the opportunity to look at the set as a whole.  If you’re a fan of the Daleks, this set is a no brainer; the Davros and 2 Daleks are worth the price of admission and you get a bonus 5th Doctor figure.  If Daleks don’t float your boat, its a tougher proposition as there really is only one truly unique figure in the set, Davros.  The ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’ boxset is now in stock and available from Entertainment Earth, check it out.

The Supreme Dalek is part of the new ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’ boxset from Underground Toys.  This set, which has been the focus of the past few figure spotlights, includes a 5th Doctor figure, a Dalek, the Supreme Dalek and Davros.  This Dalek sports a gloss black and white color scheme.

Ok, it’s another Dalek figure.  As I mentioned in yesterday’s spotlight the Dalek figures are good and well worth the cost if you’re a fan.  I’m curious as to what makes this Dalek the ‘Supreme Dalek’.  I know that at Taco Bell adding the adjective ‘supreme’ to something essentially means it has sour cream; but since this box set was dairy free, I have to assume the Daleks don’t use the same convention.  Part of me thinks that it really arrived from Dalek Bob just starting to refer to himself as Supreme and his Dalek friends just went along with it instead of confronting him.  Essentially everyone else bought into the Supreme thing and then you have it.  Maybe he’s Supreme because he’s shiny?  We’ll never know why this Dalek is the Supreme Dalek, but he is.  And he’s a good toy, so buy him.

The ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’ boxset is now in-stock and ready to ship from e-tailer Entertainment Earth.  Be sure to check it out.

The 5th Doctor story ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’ finds the Daleks plotting to rescue their creator Davros from a frozen prison to find a cure for a Movellan virus.  This Dalek figure is part of a new Underground Toys boxset featuring this Dalek, a Supreme Dalek, Davros and the 5th Doctor.

Daleks have proven to be a solid seller for Underground Toys and with the vast history of Doctor Who there are many paint schemes to pull repaints from.  There’s not a whole lot to say about the Dalek figures at this point, the sculpt is solid and its a great toy.

The ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’ set is now available from Entertainment Earth.

In ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’ the Doctor says good-bye to his long term companion Tegan and foils another Dalek plan. This 5th Doctor figure was released as part of a ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’ box set which featured the Doctor, Davros, a Dalek and the Supreme Dalek.

There have been multiple 5th Doctors released, this version is similar to the one in the 11 Doctor boxset as it features the celery stalk and no hat, however he has different stripes on his pants.  In fairness the on-screen costumes never changed much, so this is about as significant of a change as we’ll see.  As with all the other 5th Doctor figures this one is quite good with a solid likeness, good articulation and well detailed deco.  While the Doctor is a nice and logical addition to the boxset, I can’t help but think that this box set would have been an ideal place to put a Tegan figure, given that it is her farewell episode.

The ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’ boxset is in instock and available at Entertainment Earth.

Sil was a representative of the Galatron Mining Corporation on Varos, where he kept the people of the planet just above the poverty line by negotiating contracts for the mineral Zeiton-7 at a price well below value.  Sil appeared in 2 on-screen adventures during the 6th Doctor era of classic Doctor Who.  His action figure was released in a box set with the Doctor’s companion, Peri.

Labeling Sil as an action figure is a bit of a misnomer, as he’s more of an unarticulated accessory.  The sculpting is amazing; an A+ job here.  The deco is also top notch.  The down side is that he doesn’t move.  Granted, Sil isn’t the most mobile of characters, but an articulated tail or arms would have been nice.  For what it is, its super nice; but I guess I had hoped it would be a little more.  Fortunately between him and Peri, I do feel you get your money’s worth.

The Peri and Sil 2-pack is now in stock at online e-tailer Entertainment Earth.

Perpugilliam Brown, or Peri was the final companion to travel with the 5th Doctor and was present during his regeneration to the 6th Doctor.  In a post-regenerative state, the Doctor attempts to strangle Peri.  He does not succeed.  Peri continues to travel with the 6th Doctor for some time following that incident, however at times in the series it seems that they aren’t terribly fond of each other.

Part of a new two-pack, Peri is the 2nd companion released in the Doctor Who classics line.  Some may argue that she is the first, but there was a K9 released with the season 17 4th Doctor.  And really, do you want to live in a world where Peri is number 1?  I don’t.  While I’m not a fan of the character; the toy is quite good (and the fact that it is silent helps considerably).  The sculpt is dead on, with the outfit matching her apparel from ‘Vengeance on Varos’.  The articulation is also quite good with 16 points of articulation.  For being the first humanoid companion released in Doctor Who Classics, the figure is quite good.  Here’s hoping there are many more.

The Peri and Sil 2-pack is now available from Entertainment Earth.  Head over there to check it out!

Part of the ‘Reveal the Shield’ subline, Tracks was released last in 2010.  Fitting into the ‘Classics’ / ‘Generations’ collector niche, the figure has a rubsign on the car’s roof allowing you to discover that Tracks is indeed an Autobot.  While I appreciate rubsigns, there’s got to be a better way to use them than to just slap one on a G1 character update.  Maybe have figures where the allegiance really is unknown; have the rubsign actually reveal something about the character?

Serving as an update of the G1 character, Tracks satisfies but not completely.  His alternate mode remains a blue Corvette-esque sports car with flames on the hood.  His robot mode is the weaker of the two modes.  It’s just sorta boring and his wings don’t look great.  While “Reveal the Shield” Jazz is a definitive Jazz, I feel that Tracks could use another go.  But in the mean time, it’s not a bad figure; and it sure beats the movie aesthetic, so I don’t regret the purchase.

Part of the Lego Mini-fig collection series 3, the Gorilla is one of my favorite figures yet.  More accurately the figure is of a man in a Gorilla suit, not just a gorilla.  Of course, this only makes the mini-fig better in my opinion.  The Gorilla head is just a mask with the mini-fig’s eyes visible through the mask.  Upon removal, the mini-fig head has beads of sweat painted on.  The back of the figure shows a zipper for the body suit.  Lego could have just made the mini-fig be a gorilla and be done with it.  Instead they took it one step further into awesomeness, which is why I felt plastic bags at the Lego store for over a half-hour over lunch one day.

After Jean Grey experiences the limitless power available via the Phoenix force, she manifests herself into the ‘Dark Phoenix’ and devours a sun.  With the aid of this Marvel Universe figure you can recreate this right in your own living room!  Dark Phoenix was packaged with a Cyclops figure as part of the Marvel Universe comic-packs.

This is the 2nd Jean Grey figure in the Marvel Universe line, and is easily the best.  The ‘Jim Lee costume’ version of Jean, part of the first 2010 wave, is a horrible figure.  Dark Phoenix, on the other hand is quite good.  The costume and deco are perfect.  My only nitpick with the figure is in the face sculpt; she doesn’t look very evil…or angry.  I haven’t read ‘the Dark Phoenix’ saga in some time, but as I recall, Dark Phoenix was kinda angry.  It would have been nice for her to be more expressive.  However, the neutral expression does facilitate repaints down the road.  While a green Phoenix repaint would seem the most obvious, Hasbro has teased a ‘White Phoenix’ repaint in their own Q&A.

Part of the ‘Reveal the Shield’ assortments, this latest update of Generation 1 Jazz was released in the latter part of 2010.  He features a rubsign on his roof which, when rubbed or heated, reveals that he’s an Autobot.  Which isn’t a surprise, as he’s been an Autobot for over 25 years.  But I guess its nice to see rubsigns being used on contemporary toys.

On the upside, this Transformer is the jazziest of all Jazzes.  Both vehicle and robot modes are excellent representations of the character.  Both modes are classically Jazz, but have been updated to fit with modern Transformers.  One cool addition are a pair of speakers, which can fold out while in vehicle mode.  Just like in the G1 cartoon.  While G1 rehashes and homages may get a bit tired, figures like this Jazz really hit the spot for G1 nostalgia.

King Greyskull is ancestor to both Prince Adam and Princess Adora, his last act before passing was to preserve his power inside his sword.  It is this power that allows Prince Adam to transform into the protector of Eternia, He-Man.

The King Greyskull figure was SDCC exclusive which recently was re-issued through MattyCollector.com.  Of all the figures in the MattyCollector Masters of the Universe line, King Greyskull is possibly my favorite.  As a character he is imposing; larger in size than most other MotU figures.  His red cape features a flocked collar.  As with all Classic MotU figures, he is well articulated; allowing for any number of dynamic poses.  All in all a top notch figure.  My only gripe is his accessory; a power orb.  A useless sparkly ball of plastic which has been relegated to a bin in the closet where I will forget what it is when I next look in that bin , several years from now.

The Lego mini-figure Indian Chief is part of the 3rd series of Lego’s crazy popular mini-figure assortment.  The third series started hitting stores in December of 2010; with arrival at the Lego store in the first week of the New Year.  These figures are blind-bagged; the ‘braile’ code is very difficult to discern and I found it easier to feel the package to identify the accessory packaged with the figure.  For example, the Indian Chief’s spear is a unique accessory and can easily be discerned through feel.

These mini-figures are very simple toys; you already know what you need to know.  No alternate pieces were included with the Indian Chief.  This is the 2nd native American figure seen in the mini-figure collectors line; as series 1 included one.

Ok, I’ll admit that I’m cheating today by calling this a figure spotlight.  Even the most creative use of the “figure” definition would be stretched to include this Buffy statue.  Buffy is a lead miniature which was the first in a collectible series of figures and magazine originating from the UK.  These types of magazine / statue series are fairly common with other series includes Star Wars ships, Star Trek ships and Marvel characters to scratch the surface.  I picked up a Buffy and an Angel at last year’s Phoenix Comic-con.

Standing at just 3 1/2 inches, this is my second smallest Buffy in my collection.  For a statue of this size, I’m quite pleased at the likeness.  It is almost a definitive Buffy, being lifted right from the series 3 premiere episode ‘Anne’.  The statue’s pose is well done, implying action without being in a contorted action pose.  The paint ops, while fairly simple and limited, are sufficient.  Being a solid piece of metal, there are no point of articulation at all.  For what it is, a low cost small statue, I’m really satisfied with this Buffy and if you’re a fan, this series of figure / magazines are worth hunting down.  And yes, the picture isn’t really doing it justice…the eyebrows aren’t quite as pronounced in person.