A Prelude: To The New

I'm well aware that I'm VERY slow with the review updates! Rest assured that the same reason is the very same hurdle I am facing that prevents most of me from getting some of these out. Also, as we are all aware, THE RED is no longer so rebuilding my new Game Room is a process. One that is taking more time than I intended (just like everything else).

But today is a special day so...I just want to share the things that I have done to spoil myself. And yes, that also includes the ones I have yet gotten the chance to review. 

Marvel Select: Spider-Woman

A Spider-Woman figure? What? Yes. This beauty I've had in my collection for a long while now. In fact, she stayed "Mint inside the box" for several years until finally, I decided that it's time to get her out and decorate a certain new area in my game room. I have a few Selects actually and I am still debating if I should open them. The only other one I opened aside from her is Hulkbuster from last year. Alas, let's talk about this figure.

The thing about Marvel Select that kept me from opening their figures for years is that they are actually aesthetically pleasing to display while they are inside the box. They have the transparent plastic that is able to display most of the figure's wonderful sculpt and accessories, and their box has a design that is custom to each character.

The back of the box is your standard 'show the figure' in its prototype form along with some promotional pics of other figures in this series. Though I will point out that the figure in the prototype version is not the same display option as the one we get. But not to tangent off here; the side panel is a cover of Spider-Woman's face. Not the best art rendition of her(and that's Veranke too), but nonetheless, Marvel Select boxes does a fine job highlighting the character to be 'special' in her own right (as they do with all the figures).

The sculpt of the figure is beautiful. Definitely meant to be a sexy figure. It might not be intentional, but her she comes bow-legged from being inside the plastic case for so long that her right knee warped; looks somewhat odd in certain poses from the front, but taken in the back and she it looks sassy. The mold itself is perfect for Jessica Drew; definitely a perfect superheroine in red and yellow tights. The wings are amazing; very supple and for what it does, it doesn't hinder the performance of this 'figure' (we'll get into the articulation later, of course).

The paint is awesome. Marvel Select outdoes Hasbro most of the time when it comes to details on their figures' coloring scheme. Even the hair is well done with black and a little shade of brown. The red tights have a dark tint in some areas for shadowing affect, same with the gloves. All the lines for her gloves, the yellow triangles, the lips, and skin are just done right.

As for accssories, Spider-Woman comes with a base and three Hydra agents. Remember when I told you that the promotional picture in the back for Spider-Woman is misleading? Well, in the picture, Jessica is the center piece and the Hydra agents are surrounding her, reading to incapacitate her(and maybe tie her up). This doesn't really set that up like that. I'll show what they look like together. But just by itself, the stand is a good idea. It really digs into Spider-Woman's role in the Hydra lore; which kind of makes her pretty important since Hydra is a big group in the MCU and the comic books. Details are great and the Hydra busts are all dynamic and expresses the same emotions but differently. 

You can set them up pretty much any way you want, but I find this is the best set up. Not bad looking. 

Her last accessory is her "venom blast". Now I know Jessica's signature firepower are depicted in various different colors but my headcanon is that they are neon green. Again I've seen it gold and yellow like this, but it's not my favorite take. As an accessory, it's not bad. It only does peg nicely one hand and it would be more useful if the figure is articulated better; let me get to that in a moment. 

Here is the whole set up together. Again, doesn't look like Spider-Woman is the center piece. The three Hydra Agents really take away from the whole idea. She really looks out of place. 

Marvel Select back then didn't really get its name from making articulated figures; they were more or less articulated beautiful statues. So with that mentioned, Spider-Woman doesn't have a whole lot to offer articulation wise. You can't get a lot of Spider-Y poses; some of her 'flying' poses just looks stoic and that venom blast doesn't really do much if her arms can't move. And because she is sculpted to look pretty, her figure is taking away from her range of movements. One thing she does have that I wish Hasbro would take into consideration is softer hair; I could have really moved her head around BUT because the peg or her head was so stiff, Jessica Drew's head came off. No big deal though since  there was super glue. 

ML(Hasbro), MU(Hasbro), ML(Toybiz)

Here she is next to my other articulated Spider-Woman figures. I'd have to say that the recent Marvel Legends Spider-Woman wins the 'overall' best figure. Still, a good addition to my "Spider-Woman Shrine".

In conclusion, I didn't expect much out of this. I wanted another Spider-Woman figure displayed and here she is. She's greatly sculpted, she looks like Spider-Woman, she some awesome features that wowed me, and she's Spider-Woman! I don't really suggest this Marvel Select to anyone who is looking for a great looking figure that is articulated. But for a Spider-Woman fan, she is a must! I won't be displaying her with the Hydra Agents though. You'll see! Until next time! 

2015 Collection Highlights

This is my 3rd annual "Collection Highlights". Following suit of my 2014, this year is a bit different than the last. Now while I collected as much as I can, I feel like I don't have the big bang quality nor do I have a lot variety. Things were a bit tight on the funds this year so I think I'm more or less on the Hasbro side(Marvel Legends are my cheapest and growing collection). The times I was collecting did bring joy in my life so I can't really complain. So here we are!

Marvel Legends: As I stated, this year I gained a lot and let me just digress... I didn't capture the one BAF I should probably have: The AoU Hulkbuster BAF. Room and funds were into big play this year and... I'll get that someday. Also one thing about the selection this year, there are no more Toybiz ones since I didn't buy any. And this year, I started gaining this 'meh' attitude towards Hasbro's supply since there were so many 'repeats', rehashes, and lacking of accessories. Now I may sound like I hate Legends... I really don't. So without further adieu, these are the top notches in my list. And yes, the majority of them came from the Odin BAF series.

Iron Fist, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, Spidey 2099, Spider-Woman

Top Legend: 

We should not be surprised that it is Jessica Drew that wins this. I have been waiting for an updated Marvel Legend of Spider-Woman so long that when I heard that she was coming out, I was elated beyond belief. She isn't a perfect Legend, and she still suffers from Hasbro's disease of 'lack ofs', but, it is still an adequate figure! So great that I have three! Thank you Hasbro!

Build-A-Figure(ML): I will be honest that since Hasbro is the main supplier of BAFs, this year suffers; now there were variety this year, that is for sure! I did not even get half of the BAFs that came out for a few reasons and the ones I got, well... I only have three total so the battle for who is number one BAF remains on this three:

Odin, Hobgoblin, Thanos

BAF Legend:

I wanted it to be Thanos, believe me. Thanos is my favorite character out of the three and I was looking forward for a brand new Thanos figure for such a long time. It also helped that Thanos as a BAF came with Spider-Woman for one of his parts! Unfortunately, Thanos did NOT deliver. Low articulation, not exactly diverse in the form of poses... no accessories. Odin would be my second favorite with how unique he is and he comes with an accessory; So with that said, Hobgoblin took the trophy for 2015. He has more accessories, he is unique, and he is pretty fun to pose. That's the tricky thing with rating BAFs... is it the set or the figure itself that makes these guys? For Hobgoblin's case, it's him as the figure since his set wasn't that great to me.

Imports: This particular genre did not come with a lot of choices for 2015. I did not buy a lot since imports are not cheap by any means(the ideal number for candidates are five, but again, money was not easy to come by this year). So with my choices being limited to the three... well...

Iron man, Elsa, Harley Quinn

Most Enamoring: 

Elsa is not even in the same league--and while I love that cute little figure, it doesn't fit the mold of how to put it against the S.H. Figuarts that I bought this year; still she is an import so I had to include her in here. Now between Harley and Stark, it was really hard. I wanted to really say Harley Quinn but there was just something so much more entertaining in this Iron Man import that I could not justify Harley taking the trophy. It was a coin toss, but I have to say that Iron Man is superior between the two (in my humble opinion).

Statues: While I did not get a lot this year, it still is a decent number and the competition was there. Bishoujo remains to be my dominant supplier for this area. Nonetheless, these are the catch of 2015 in regards to statues:

Rei Ayanami, Batwoman, Juri Han, Jubilee

Winning Statue: 

Juri came on top with Batwoman a close second. Jubilee was cute and Rei was a good pick but I would be lying if I denied the idea that I would have let both teens win the slots for the sake of sexuality. Juri and Batwoman are head to head but I think Juri just has more intricacy--and maybe that doesn't fall on the product but the character design. Still, Ayanami was the none Bishoujo out of the four and she was just plain fan service.

Shout out: This category is new and I have to say that this particular 'winner' does not come in abundance. Marvel Select are hardly something I collect but I do have them as display. This particular guy is the first I have ever opened and I have to say, it was well worth it! Amazing thing! While lacking some articulation and accessories, stable, well painted, and all that.... it's a fine addition to my Iron Man shelf.

Marvel Select Hulkbuster

After Word: This year did not produce a "THE ONE" kind of deal. While I will say that I adore the majority of my catch this year, I believe there was just so much clutter in my 'life' that I can't say any figure really stood out. STOOD OUT. I did not get into a Hot Toy this year and they are almost a guaranteed winner. Regardless, I think 2015 was a decent hunting year. I had a lot of fun with those I caught and 2016 seems even more promising. Maybe if I get lucky this year I will have a Hot Toy on the review slot? Well, here's to the new year then! 

Happy New Years 2016!

Happy New Year! 2015, GOOD BYE! 2016, let's see what you have to offer! As the days go by, I'll keep reviewing spoils I gained from 2015's Holiday. We'll see which one of these represented will go to the Highlights of 2015!

Other than that, here's to a better year then! 

Marvel Select: Hulkbuster Iron Man

Well, here's a sight for sore eyes! Iron Man's Hulkbuster Armor had always been a fan favorite as well as my own! Based off one of the most iconic armor he wore in the 90s, the Modular Armor, this bad boy is named to do exactly what it sounds to do: go toe to toe with the Hulk. There are plenty of things to say about this figure, but suffice to say, it's my first Marvel Select review; not my first Marvel Select since I have a few (check out my last The Red review to check them out; they're wall mount displays), but this is the first one I decided to open and let me tell you, it was a good decision!

Marvel Select packaging reminds me of the way back when Toybiz in their 'pre-Marvel Legends' days. Unfortunately, this kind of packaging almost always guarantees that once it's out, it's no longer going back in(there are ways to open it so it can be put back in the case as if it was never taken out. Too much meticulous moments for me though). Though I have kept Marvel Select as wall mount displays because they look good in the case; this one just screamed to be opened though for a few simple reasons; one being more prominent than the others:

I have the Hulkbuster from the rider series still 'mint' in the box. I doubt I will ever open that guy because the price for a MIB Hulkbuster from the rider series is a bit too much nowadays. Had to get one open because of that reason. So moving on to Hulkbuster Marvel Select...

First and foremost before I go in depth I just want to point out that this is a beautiful figure. Again, I'll do some comparison in height, but just by built, it's a pretty steady thing. Solid. Sculpt is amazing and some of the details put on the armor is just breathe taking. So many things sculpted for fine details and not a lot of shortcuts(if any are noticeable). One thing I will say as a gripe is that Marvel Select is known for its details, and details include paint job--I have some minor paint distortions here and there especially on the chest area. Not noticeable, but up close it is. Though for the price of this figure, it's still well made and I can't really complain.

Now it's time to talk about his articulation to which, I'm really really impressed. There was a time when Marvel Select is just a detailed statue with some minor articulation. Well, from what I have seen with some of their recent figures, that isn't the case anymore. Just looking at this figure inside his box, it seems it's going to be limited but again, I'm impressed. He actually has some of the basic articulation that a Marvel Legends has; of course with the way this one is sculpted, certain things are hindered, though not by much.

One of the main things that will probably annoy most people is the fact that his head is so hard to move; it can swivel, but since the joint is so taut, it's hard to move his head. Some of these shots I took, it was hard to get his head to really move so it's not a perfect picture, but it's enough at most times.

And since we are talking about the negative, I do have to say that lack of alternate hands hinders a few of his pose. The open palm on the left makes a lot of sense for the repulsers, but two fists would make a lot of sense too since he is a melee armor to fight a being that is all punching and smashing. At least they gave us a right fist. Well, since this is a Hulkbuster figure, I can't not show him without fending off against the Hulk, right?

Was a really fun time doing all that. As you can see, he is a good size for Marvel Legends Hulk! AoU Hulk fit the spot just right! But what's a Hulkbuster without fighting more Hulks?!

vs AoU Hulk, Rulk, and Grey Hulk

It's probably a bit unrealistic that Iron Man beats ALL these Hulks, but it's all for fan depiction. Again, fun posing him and all. So here's a comparison of this Select with other loose Hulkbusters I own.

He is almost a bigger doppleganger of the 3.75 movie figure Hulkbuster. Almost identical, just obviously bigger. Th other "Hulkbusters" are a far cry; of course I don't have the Toybiz Marvel Legends loose for comparison. But how does he look next to 'regular' Iron Man armor?

I've always loved the Extremis Armor; it being part of the Terrax wave was a bit underwhelming since it was the first wave of Hasbro's 'new' Marvel Legends. So what I'm trying to say is that it's out dated now... but still a wonderful pose next to the Hulkbuster to try and replicate this cover:

One of my favorite comic book covers to date. The Marvel Select Hulkbsuter actually looks a lot like the one in this cover, actually.

Minor paint scuffs, tight joint on the head, and lack of accessories... sounds like Marvel Legends complaint right? Well, it doesn't hurt this figure that much since for the price, it's a damn good figure. It's a damn good figure period. For my first Marvel Select out of the box, it did its magic. Of course adding it to the red and gold hall of armors is a great thing! Love this figure! In conclusion, anyone who is an Iron Man fan(and is a fan of the Hulkbuster armor), this is a freaking must! I think it's a good substitute for the Rider Series Toybiz one. Least you don't have to pay an arm and a leg to get a Hulkbuster now!

The Spider-Woman Shrine

The Spider-Woman shrine is growing. I know her figures are hard to come by, but when they do come, it's like a freaking christmas in the middle of spring! So yes, the Hasbro Legends of Jessica Drew finally came! Of course I'll be doing a review of that once I get there, but as of right now, I'm going to stop and take a moment to enjoy what I have accumulated in regards to Ms. Drew.

=)

And this is no joke either!