A Minor Addition

Finally added the Supergirl and Mikasa Poster I bought from the Anime Con a year ago! Looks great!  Minor change from previous aesthetics. 

2014 Collection Highlights

My second year of "Toys of the Year". In comparison to 2013, I say that I got about the same amount despite certain months last year being 'dry'. Regardless, 2014 was a good year for collecting and I'll just briefly go through as to why within the next few selection that stood out last year! Without further adieu... here we are to the list of 2014~!

Marvel Legends: This year Hasbro is staring a trend with really coinciding with cinematic releases and boy, are they going to let it all out this year. 2014 wasn't exactly FILLED with the best Legends, but still, it was a start of the trend. So these are the Legends that stood out in my opinion:

Black Cat, Nova, Omega Red, Black Widow, Storm

Top Legend:

Toybiz is still winning awards in my book after all these years. Honestly, the details, the accessories, and not to mention he came from an amazing BAF set... he was meant to win this year; yes and he trampled over some of Hasbro's Legends in my book.

Build-A-Figure(ML): I got a decent amount of BAFs over the course of 2014 but honestly, not a whole lot of them are memorable except for two. So I suppose these two are the BAFs of the year for me:

Sentinel and Groot

Just speaking in terms of now, 2015 will be better in terms of BAF I think. With how Odin starts and the next few in line I am planning on getting, it will be hard to say that it will turn out as sour as 2014's line up. But who knows. Sometimes it's hard for me to judge BAFs; it's either the set of figures that makes it or breaks it and sometimes the BAF itself has little influence.

Statues: Last year I named this section "Bishoujo", this year it has to be named differently since it isn't just Bishoujos parading last year's catch! And like last year, I didn't get a whole lot so I am pretty much displaying all of them; ALMOST all of them with the exception of one or two.

SDCC Spider-Woman, Elsa, Asuka, X-Force Psycloke

2014 brought forth variety in my statue collections; With Elsa joining the fray, of course it won't just be imports. So these fourth are the ones that stood out in my eyes from 2014. But who took the top?

The Winning Statues:

It was hard to just pick one out of these two since they are both great pieces. I'd say that Asuka has the most sculpt, the most height, and most definitely outshines in details but the Bishoujo Spider-Woman is just damn beautiful and it is Spider-Woman(the normal version of her was also pretty high on the list but--you know!). I say it's quite reasonable that these two are top of the list.

Anime Figures: This set! These four are the only ones I captured in 2014 and I have to say, it's not a bad haul. All my reviews pretty much conveys the fun factor of the photoshoot I had with each one, and dare I say they offer a whole lot! Figmas and Figuarts usually offer a myriad of things so it's no surprise that these four are memorable and worth putting together in this list.

KOS-MOS, Mikasa, Sailor Saturn, T'elos

All four gals offered a lot and when it came down to the two, it was a real hard fought battle. Mikasa and KOS-MOS definitely offered the most even though the other two ladies were a hard hitting figure! But who between the Xenosaga heroine and the Titan killer gets the award?

Most Enamoring:

Mikasa had more accessories, more fun factor, plenty of detail to boot! Not that KOS-MOS didn't offer any of that, but Mikasa gained the victory for me. I think a big factor to that is the fact that there were times that KOS-MOS wasn't the easiest to get into positions with her weaponry(the dual gatling gun to be exact) and Mikasa was just a fluent photoshoot.

"THE ONE"

Super girl Playarts Kai and Iron Man Silver Centurion

It's a given that the Hot Toy would get the award but something happened this year: Supergirl Playarts Kai. She had the charisma, the detail, the accessories, and the fun factor to almost put a scratch on my all time favorite Hot Toy version of Tony's armor. Alas, I couldn't bring it upon myself that Iron Man would be dethroned(a Hot Toy that is) so 'the one' had to be split. Honestly, both of these figures stand out in my head as 2014's hard hitters in my game room. Glad to have them both and glad they are paid off since they did take a chunk out of my wallet. Stark more so than Kara, of course. Still.... what great pair to add to my collection! 

After Word: I am elated with 2014 and the growth I had. Honestly, I think there was more quality this time around than quantity. As room starts to disappear and funds starts to tangent off to someone else, I think I will be doing more quality as the days go by. Though 2015, as I have mentioned, had already lined up a LOT of prospects. Maybe next year's edition will be up to par in both quality and quantity as 2014. 

Other than that, there is really nothing else to say. Happy collecting for 2015 it is!

Happy New Year 2015!

Well, it's the New Year! So this is just a minor representation of what I accumulated during 2014! While some may make the roster as figures of 2014, I just decided to pull some figures that came up from the top of my head and displayed them. As you can see, Playarts Kai Supergirl and S.H. Figuards Saturn haven't been reviewed yet so I'll get on those soon enough and then get the 2014 figures top whatever listed down! But all in all, what a good year!

-Masterless

Spoils of 2014

Christmas this year has a bit of a different theme and all for the good. Suffice to say, while mine is still fruitful in my catch, it's not as much in the collection department and honestly, I don't mind at all! Well these are my catch(and yes, that is a gigantic Vemon Lethal Protector blanket in the background)! I'll be reviewing things as I go(although I might be a bit late this year). As one can see, I have plenty of apparel to go with the collection~!

Well, these are are the projects for the closing few days of December:

-T'elos Review
-Damsel of the Month(hopefully)
-Sailor Saturn Review
-Supergirl Playarts Kai review
-Figures of 2014!

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!

Attack on Titan: Chibi Mikasa figure

I fell in love with Attack On Titan over night and spent a couple of nights watching it until 4am... I haven't done that for a series for a LONG time! SO suffice to say, a Mikasa figure will be showing up here and there in my page and collection in the coming figure. Yes, I am also on the Mikasa band wagon because she is just a badass.

I don't really know this company that made this figure, but this chibi little figure of Mikasa was irresistible so I just had to jump the gun and buy her.

There are a couple more in this wave and personally, I'm more interested in Levi than Eren or Armin. Not a big fan of the latter two honestly. Oh and the Attack On Titan cover art on the right side is always awesome!

There's no real scrutinizing this figure. It's a chibi version of Mikasa so I say it's as accurate as it can be. Got her red scarf and grey eyes going along with her 3D gear and blades.

Side profile. She stands on a black mundane black stand. Yes the left blade is distorted thanks to packaging.

The detail of her scout legion insignia on her jacket is accurate enough. Look at the minor details on the 3D gear as well!

Here's a bit of comparison on her measurements with my Infinity Elsa figure and my Mini playarts Rikku. She's smaller than the two but definitely lined up with the idea of chibi. A good addition to say the least! My first and definitely not the last Mikasa in my collection line up! 

Top 10's

Video Game gals - Playable or non playable, gameplay or personality, and there myriad of other reasons I can't all list makes these ladies part of my top 10 for the video game world. 

Anime gals - Admittedly, I don't watch a whole hell of a lot of anime anymore and the ones I do are pretty recent and the ones I do still has some pretty memorable femme fatales.

Comic Book Gals - Both Marvel and DC have a pretty good roster of femme fatales. These are the gals that made it to my favorite list!

So that's it! My … Harem favorites I suppose! This might get updated in the future or maybe not, but so far, these are my favorite female characters! Now there are a lot others who fit in this list and it was a hard battle on who would actually be on the list(especially in the video game section), but I based it a lot on who I think of the most and of course just how how hott they are. Yes, I was being vain, more or less. But… one more recognition since I didn't know where to put her…

So that's it for now! 

Figma Prospects

I've been looking for a good Mark VII figure for a long while now. I was probably going towards imports but Revoltech didn't do the trick. I was hoping for a while that Figma would produce an Iron Man, got my wish!

The model looks promising and we all know how Figma is with their attention to details. Articulation will be on point and of course the accessories will be in abundance! The only concern is that the Amazing Spider-Man figure didn't bode so well with a huge knee joint so hopefully this one doesn't suffer from that debacle(so far so good anyways). The next one on sight is fa character from an anime that I just recently got enamored with: Attack on Titan. Seems only logical that Figma jumped on board with making Mikasa Ackerman's figure that is also a must for me:

This one also pays attention to details it would seem! That 3D apparatus looks very accurate to the anime and also very intricate! It's fantastic! Everything with her seems pretty accurate as well with the scarf, the cloak, and just about everything else! She is a must in my collection! These two are a must actually!