ML Sandman BAF: Spider-Man 2099

A new ML review post! WOW! Yes, I'm still collecting these as I had mentioned before! I'm mostly doing a lot of collecting on my favorite character/s and/or groups. Obviously, I love the Spiderverse run so here's another one to add to the various Spider-Men/Women/Gals out there! Let's check out the box!

So nothing's change in the area of Marvel Legends boxes. As you can see, he is a running change for a figure I already have as well: Spider-UK.

Now as far as the figure itself, this is a "brand" new costume for Miguel O'Hara. He's had that classic blue and red for a long time now and giving him a new look was a must. Ass a figure, it looks aesthetically pleasing, honestly. This is not the same sculpt as Spider-UK, but it is a new one, or at least a more recent one than the "Bucky-Cap" mold that they all-too-often use!

The coloring on this guy, as a choice for the creator of this new dud, it's pretty sweet. It ventures away from the typical Spider-Man(or Spider-Men, since there are a dozen out just in the main line: Scarlet Spiders, Miles, Peter, etc...). They pulled off the combination of white and metallic red in this figure quite well and for the most part, it's pretty clean throughout the figure.

Of course in the accessory department, Miguel over here sucks and lacks!  A common thing with MLs even to this day so I won't gripe over it for too long.

And while I didn't spend enough time posing him around, I'd say he is pretty good in the articulation department. He can do a lot of the acrobatic poses that one would want out of a Spider-Man figure, but still lacking in his leg movements. But this Spider-Man, or Spider-Man 2099 altogether spends a lot of time flying too so, one can accomplish that.

I'm not going to say that this is an exciting catch. The new costume is a great addition to the Spider-Man galore changes. For anyone looking to build a Spider-Men army, this is a must! I'd say it's a cool addition to the Spiderverse shelf I have. Not great, but good enough! 

A New idea

I think one of the main thing with my blog is that I try to have too much of a rigid structure with each post. As if there has to be a theme or some kind of path to follow. But I think I will just make posts here and there to focus on sporadic thoughts on gaming, damsels, etc. While I know I don't have that time to make those intricate reviews on gaming, at least I can talk about some minor thoughts here and there. Damsels I can make highlight posts. And as for collection, those I will do the usual review.

=)

Here's to making 2017's Masterless a bit more fluent and less on formality. 

Figma: T'elos(Xenosaga III)

Figma figures became an abundance in my collection after stumbling on Mari. I realized just how wide their reach is in terms of female characters so when I found out that they had KOS-MOS, I had to get her. Well, with how impressed I was with KOS-MOS, I just had to get her 'evil' counter part: T'elos. Well, let's not delay, let's jump right in!

Figma boxes. Something of the norm! Standard and nothing we need to spend too much time on.

Much like her 'Holy' counter part, T'elos comes with an intricate amount of details. The dark color combination is quite intriguing; the tanned skin really is complimented by her burgundy, and violet colors. To add a bit of contrast(a prominent one too), T'elos has bright white hair that truly fits her. Reminds me of Pirotess! Then again, KOS-MOS and T'elos do have that Deedlit and Pirotess rapport going on. Well, going back to the figure, T'elos can't stand on her own. Or at least, it is very difficult. Speaking of accessories, right off the get go, it's pretty obvious that she doesn't have the same amount as KOS-MOS. She lacks the weaponry, and to be exact, she only has two weapons while KOS-MOS comes equipped with a handgun, blade arm, a blade/laser gun(I assume), and two colossal battling guns. Though with the expected hand variations, the face swaps, the chest piece, and the stand included in T'elos' box, I would say the accessory department isn't lacking just smaller compared to her 'lighter' counterpart.

She comes with three facial expression: angry, serious, and smirking. All beautifully done and consistent in all painting aspect. One little thing, I forgot to take a close up of her other 'headpiece' swap with the red dot covering the majority of her face. I'll try to point that out later when I get to the pictures but yeah. Basically it just looks like she has ONE gigantic red eye.

The chest piece should be no secret by now. It mirrors KOS-MOS' and since I have watched the video of these two going at it, I am more than aware of what it really does!

Basically it's her 'uni-beam' akin to Iron Man's signature chest blast, though T'elos has something more promiscuous to show off with this chest beams. Just like KOS-MOS', the little detail added to this is appreciated, albeit it could've gone with a special affect to truly capture the intent. Oh, the picture above has the 'targeting' headpiece on. Again, it dominates the majority of T'elos' face and leaves only her lips to be seen. 

T'elos' left arm comes with a 'gauntlet' of some sort that allows the transparent blade(matches her color scheme too) to be attached to it. It's basically just like KOS-MOS' interchangeable blade arm. For some reason, this one wasn't as cooperative as I want it to be, but when able to pose right, it does look rather amazing. 

I don't quite remember if T'elos' blade had a bit more 'energy' feel to it, but this one is a bit linear and at some aspect, it's rather insipid. Though it does do the trick, but I feel like it lacks. Also, putting on some of her hands with the gauntlet piece provides some tedious work that shouldn't exist when swapping hands. Small gripe, but a gripe nonetheless. 

The handgun is also part of T'elos' weaponry(and I think she also has a gattling gun, but it's not included in this figure) and detailed as it is, it's not a wow factor. I have the same feelings for KOS-MOS handgun and it transfers over to her rival. I do believe T'elos uses this in Xenosaga III and I believe all in all, it's pretty accurate. Maybe I'm getting spoiled with special affects that Figma usually provides when characters deems it necessary... I think T'elos could use a few fire power affects but, meh.

Her articulation is something to admire! I think Figma(and most import toys) are so good with this that one can almost always replicate some of the characters' movements and/or signature gestures. T'elos was nimble, agile, and downright powerful in the game so her Figma version can capture the majority of her game glory! One of these days I'll try and snap some of those trade offs that she and KOS-MOS had with these two figures! For sure a fun task if I ever get the time!

As always, the stand provides much more dynamic! Being able to support T'elos' weight can offer much elation to someone who is willing to spend time really getting some poses out of her! I barely scratched the surface, and I'll be redundant in saying that she and KOS-MOS will be aesthetically pleasing when posed together in battle!

T'elos joins the SF/Anime/Video game shelf

In conclusion, I think I had much more 'negative' things to say about T'elos becuase she came AFTER KOS-MOS. Lacking some weaponry does put her down a bit and with some of the gripes I had with KOS-MOS carrying over, it's not exactly the best picture for T'elos. Though I will say this, I love this figure. She is almost half the price of KOS-MOS, and as a figure on its own, T'elos delivers accuracy, superb visuals, and minus hte two enormous guns her counterpart carries, T'elos does provide her signature weapons. With that said, great figure. Great job Figma!

Figma: KOS-MOS

I love Figma figures! Out of the eastern figures I have gotten in this genre(Revoltech, S.H. Figuarts), Figma seems to have a lot of what I look for. And it's not that the others don't have variety in characters or even great looking figures, it's just that Figma seems to have the extra magic that the others don't seem to rekindle with me. My latest figure here by the name of KOS-MOS proves my point and I won't delay! Jumping into the review right away!

The familiar Figma box! All eastern toys that are in this genre seem to share this common aesthetic with their box. Frankly there is nothing too special for me to elaborate on here but I will say that because of what KOS-MOS brings with her, it's a much bigger box than your norm Figma boxes.  So let's crack KOS-MOS open then!

This is KOS-MOS Xenosaga III form; from my knowledge, she went through two prior changes before the third so I would imagine this is her third one. Not entirely sure but let's just say, this one paid homage to her original look rather than stray away from it(the Xenosaga II form did a lot of straying away from the original concepts of the characters. KOS-MOS especially). I'm not going to sit here and defend the fact that KOS-MOS is an android that has some... sensuality to her. She literally looks like a hi-tech model for Victoria's Secret or something, but for perversion's sake, it's a good looking amalgam of tech and lingerie. The details are quite amazing and for a Figma, they seemed to have given this a bit more of a flare; and they kind of had to. Anything less with such a complex character design would not suffice. One of her highlights in terms of details and painting is her hair! That translucent color and that form! I'll let pictures speak for itself! 

Face wise, KOS-MOS is beautiful. Though for a Figma, she does fall short in variety of faces; KOS-MOS only comes with two and for the most part it's the same face minus the change with the color of her eyes. Now from what I remember, KOS-MOS doesn't show emotions like the rest of the crew do since she is an android, but I think she at least had a faint angry look that they should've added. Though I did forget why/when her eyes changed colors....

And of course she has her targeting lens which can be swapped out with her regular 'headband'. It can also be used with both sets of head. Loving the details and the small writing that says 'KOS-MOS' on these pieces! 

Now to just showcase the rest of her accessories: she has a ton! Honestly, I think she truly beats Mikasa Ackerman's accessory galore and I thought the Attack on Titan character had a whole hell of a lot more than I could've taken! It's amazing! KOS-MOS also has the one unique thing that I haven't gone across with in a Figma figure really: chest swap variant. Unique to the character of course and the one thing similar to that is Mari's light swaps, but not necessarily enough to compare to what KOS-MOS could do; again it's all in what the character could do that they do the special things I suppose.

Of course complimenting Figma and their stands is always a must. This one delivers as it should and KOS-MOS has no problem standing up and keeping herself upright. Lots of poses were done thanks to this feature! Now for the other accessories that came with her.

Right off the get go, I'm going to say that one of KOS-MOS' little let down is the fact that none of her  weapons really fit in her hands as they should. They were always on the loose side and that made certain poses quite uncooperative. Of course hardly something that could be pointed out in this picture since it looked like this handgun is sitting still just fine. We can do a whole lot with the loose handling of her small firearm despite the minor gripe I have with it. Though for such a small accessory, the details are intact and works rather well.

Now I'm not sure what this weapon is called or what it really even is aside from it being a rather complex 'energy' blade. It has two forms and I'll show the other one later but the most visually pleasing one is when the blade is erected out of its 'dormant' form. This thing is pretty long and the weapon itself I can honestly say is just as tall as KOS-MOS, if not taller. 

Again the loose gripping takes away from possible dynamic shots and that's a bit disappointing. I was able to capture some good ones though that makes the blade convincing enough. The details on this weapon is rather amazing and the painting on the blade makes it really convincing that it's energy based; works aesthetically well when the light is shining perfectly on it.

Now for one of the biggest weapons(well if you count Asuka's and Mari's cockpit, I guess they're bigger) I have come across in a Figma figure are KOS-MOS dual battling gun. I'll just say it right now that because of the loose gripping, this perk disappointed me since it was a bit of a work just to get her to hold it right. With one was difficult, but with two? But when I got it to stand(extra stander are giving, though they weren't nearly as adequate as they should be) and pose, they look pretty darn good. 

I'll let the pictures do the talking. 

That's the retracted version of her 'sword' by the way. On another side note, the firepower affect looks better with the light. 

And dare anyone get in the way of that!

And probably the easiest weapon of hers to pose is her other variant arm. I do remember this particular weapon in Xenosaga I. The cannon arm is missing but that's me being picky isn't it? What to say about this weapon? It's great! Easy to pose and it has great details that continues her color scheme and designs quite well.

Now for the other asset that KOS-MOS has. The variant breasts... well to be honest I wasn't quite sure what it was supposed to be because I didn't play the third installation as fervently as I played the first(got bored of the second one). So I kind of went crazy and thought it was her 'berserk' mode and "Shion, is it time to release the spikes on my bosoms?"

Turns out, it's not that at all. It's more or less more very similar to Iron Man's unibeam! Learned that from watching the battle between Telos and KOS-MOS(must get Telos). 

Though instead of a straight linear beam, it's actually a sphere of utter destruction. Though I will say that having some kind of firepower affect for this would've made it more convincing rather than thinking that KOS-MOS gained the ability to feel lust for Shion and Ziggurat. Though all in all, it's still a nice addition.

So the overall verdict? Well this is a fantastic addition to my collection! KOS-MOS is one of my favorite video game girls and to have a figure that meets my standards, well, I can't really complain all that much can I? Now if only Telos is in my possession! The grand fighting poses I'll concoct with the two...  Though I wish they finished the female line up with Shion, guess I can't really say much since KOS-MOS is enough. Well molded, great articulation(didn't delve into it since I let the pictures do the talking; oh that great hair is articulated by the way as well as the standard issue expectation), the painting is great, the intricate details, the accessories, well, what else to say but this is a beautiful figure! For anyone in the mood for collecting Figmas or want to have KOS-MOS as part of the femme fatales line ups, this figure will do no wrong in my opinion! 

Figma: Mikasa Ackerman

Well, well, it's been a while since I have had a Figma figure join the fray of my collection! And who better to join than Mikasa Ackerman from Attack on Titan?! Yes sir! Finally I just gained another Mikasa in my ranks and she's no chibi this time around and let me tell you, this is probably one of the finest work that Figma has ever dished out! That's a bold statement but I believe I can prove as to why!

From my experience with Figma, they seem to change their box every so often. Whether 'every so often' depends on the character/s and the series, or whether it is time, I am not sure. I do know that this Figma is very different from the ones I previously gotten; and I like it.

Now just like a lot of imports, they like to show case what the figure can do with their articulation so that's what the back is for. I won't lie, I used the back for a couple of references in my 'picture' spree just to make sure I did the figure justice! And the amazing thing is with imports, it's hard to even get every single idea of a 'photo shoot' with so much to do! And of course we have the side panel enlarged picture of some of the references. Now to talk about the figure:

Figma has a flare that makes their figures almost 100% accurate to the anime character they are trying to 'replicate'. From its older figures like Yukiko to its newer ones like Mari(naming ones that I own), they've enamor me thus why I kept buying more. When I heard Mikasa was Figma, I had to get her. Well here she is in my grasp and let me just say with that she is a mirror image of her anime version. Figma didn't miss a detail with this one with everything that makes Mikasa recognizable! From the uniform and all its little intricate details, the scarf, the wings of freedom symbol, and then the recognizable face of Mikasa(hair, eyes, and all!). Speaking of recognizable face:

Figma also has its signature alternate faces still intact and I don't think they will ever get rid of it! Here's the three options that we are given for Mikasa: Smiling/calm, concerned/angry, and CRAZY/BERSERK. If I remember correctly, I saw all these faces in the name and it's awesome that they replicated them for the Figma figure(notice how these shots have Mikasa without her scarf? Yes that's also the fine detail put into this figure! Though honestly, I ONLY used the collar option for the face shots). Though three may be on the low end of what Figma offers in terms of facial expression, I still think I got what's worth in this figure with just having three to work with!

Just to talk about her accessories, for a Figma figure, this is already a lot! Now Mikasa being a one of the soldiers that slay/deter Titans HAS to have this much accessories because it wouldn't be a great figure of her if she didn't have the 3D gear and everything else that goes along with it! Of course it's a Figma figure so she comes with the standard Figma bag, the alternate hands holder, some dynamic firing affects for the 3D gear, her blades, 3D gear grapplers, alternate faces, the Wings of Freedom cloak, and some extras for pegs and strings just in case you break parts. And of course the one thing that Figma always provides with their figure is the stand:

For a stand that seems really flimsy and fragile, it sure does its job. Sure had no problems holding Mikasa for some of her Titan slaying pose!

Speaking of 'Titan Slaying', I wanted to take some shots of Mikasa's 3D gear and compliment on the details Figma spent on this piece. While Mikasa alone is a magnificent piece, the love that her gear is given is absolutely amazing. It stays relatively connected to her so it's not that much of a hassle and it has its own articulation! Despite how it looks, it does not hinder Mikasa in any way shape or form!

Here's another shot of her 3D gear. The wirings as well adds no hinderance for the most part and it actually contributes to some of the action scenes!

The 'wires and the hooks' look pretty convincing! There are 'special affects' that can be plugged in where the said wires come from to give a certain look that Mikasa is firing off to swing to the net building and cut a Titan's neck!

It's not easily seen through these pics, but they are visible enough. One thing I did want are for the wires to have different length since they seem too symmetrical, though having the 'thread' version of the projected wires does help as this shot shows off:

At the end of the thread is a transparent hook so if one really wants to be exuberant about Mikasa's 'web slinging' endeavor, one can do so!

The other accessory really worth talking about is her 'smoke launch' affect that can be plugged in her 3D gear to give it a really authentic look! Then the said smoke can be attached to the stand itself! Truly a remarkable idea since it really looks like she is dashing to a certain location for better grounds OR:

Berserk attack mode Mikasa! Between her and Levi, Titans don't stand a damn chance.... okay so they are a bit over powered....

Talking about Mikasa's articulation is pretty simple enough. It's a Figma figure! It does what it expects too and it still has its 'discreet' joints that make this figure look 'human'-ish. Hides the joints well enough and still gives her plenty of articulation. The jacket and the scarf and just about anything that might get in the way are pliable material so it's really easy to get around it. The one thing I thought is missing from this, and maybe this is part of the 'alternate/accessories' department is the fact that Mikasa did a lot of twisting, turning, and upside down movements during the anime. While her face would've been adequate, her hair lacking the 'distortion by wind' form makes those upside down pose seem rather bland and unconvincing. Still, managed enough shots of her to make me more than happy with her articulation! I expected nothing less from Figma!

Speaking of Figma, these are the gals that are in my possession: Mari, Asuka, Yukiko, and Rin. They were a pain to repose since they are so .... 'demanding' in time(that I don't have).

Overall an amazing figure! I love everything about this Figma! That minor call out about the hair, but again, didn't do anything to truly dampen this as a bad figure. If this is the only Figma related figure I would end up having this year I won't be disappointed at all! So with that said....

Let's see what the next few months will bring!