POP: Days of the Future Past Logan

Another POP joined the ranks and he came from the future! As a fan of POP and Wolverine, getting his is a must! Let's check him out!

I already have a couple from this set. Will probably get MoHawk Storm if I find her, the others I can pass. Well, I guess Sabertooth could be cool. I don't have a Sabertooth figure at all and could use one.

POP has always been good with the details they provide. They give it where it's needed despite the theme of their figures. Paint isn't going to be Hot Toy quality or anything, but it is good. And lately, they have been stepping it up with the poses! This new Wolverine is no exception to those rules.

He's so cute at what he does!

All in all, this is an awesome addition! Probably one of my favorite Logan fitters that doesn't involve a mask or the standard X-Men costume! 

Marvel Legends BAF: Jubilee

Wolverine, Magneto, Storm, Cyclops, Stryfe

The X-Men wave that has Jubilee as the BAF. My this thing had a lot of controversy for being such an above mediocre set. SDCC 2013 announced that Jubilee would be a BAF but with very different people to make up her set way back when; though it does make a lot of sense that she would be with the X-Men related characters. So with that said, how does this wave turn out?

Well as a female figure, it's a pretty good figure I must say. Hasbro has been on a role with their good looking female figures as of late that Jubilee didn't fall short of that compliment! Right off the get go one can tell that it's Jubilee. Whether you know her through comic books, the animated series, or the current line, the face is no doubt Jubilation Lee. Speaking of animated series, the missing blue daisy dukes is what makes this figure particularly hard to please the norm. The Vampire Jubilee doesn't stick to a lot of people and Hasbro choosing her fang bearer form is quite a daring and bold move. Not entirely sure if it paid off though.

One can truly tell that this is the Spider-Girl mold. A good choice if Hasbro is to use one for teenage female characters. Aside from the bright yellow trench coat, everything else with Jubilee is plain black! If I was to have a gripe about them using the Vampire version of Jubilee and not her 90's it's because they took the lazy route. Literally it's still Spider-Girl body without the spider arachne designs; an easy way out! I mean she doesn't have that much more details in the comic book, but at least do some shading. Oh well. I do like this outfit and this figure, just feel like it was an easy route for them to make.

And of course she's not going to be towering any BAF aside from Rocket Raccoon. Though there was some rumor that this is going to be Hasbro's last small BAF. Hopefully.

The one thing I have been complaining about this set is the lack of special affects on fire power themed characters like Storm and Magneto... well this Jubilee gets them. Not even sure if that makes sense since she is a vampire but whatever, right? Sadly, the fire power isn't that impressive since it's a recycled plastic from an older Hasbro legend. Again, lazy.

Articulation isn't something to gawk at since it is Spider-Girl's mold with a trench coat. Sadly the coat still hinders some movements despite it being a pliable material. Still a pretty standard articulation so not a big loss. Still a great figure to pose if one just gets creative with it.

Now all in all this figure has a lot to offer but even more to make up. I just felt like Jubilee should not have been the BAF or if she was, there really had to be something to make her feel 'grand' like the bigger BAFs in the Legends world(new and old). It's a shame that she falls short and I don't feel her being that important of a BAF. Though as a figure I like her and it's a well sculpted face. It really does look like Jubilee from the past but again, missing a few things. Maybe the older costume would've done better and a bit more nostalgic for sure... but it's what we get right?

Jubilee is now part of the X-Men shelf along with three different Wolverines. The X-Men are growing in numbers and all that is needed are a couple of my favorites like Archangel, Psylcoke, Colossus and of course a few others. Well, let's see where else Hasbro takes us to future BAFs then!

ML Jubilee BAF: Unmasked Astonishing Wolverine

Just how many Wolverines are we going to get nowadays? As much as we can get Iron Man and Spider-Man! So this is another one from the X-Men Legends wave with the Jubilee BAF. The unfortunate thing, it doesn't come with a BAF! So he is truly unnecessary! So moving on!

Yaaayyy Wolverine! Unmasked! Toys R Us exclusive! Moving on!

This guy stands awkward. He can't stand straight because the joints on his knees are warped so bad that if I try to take a picture of him 'standing tall', it looks like he needs to go to bathroom. So this mold is an exact duplicate of two other Wolverines. One I have, one I don't and the latter I'm glad I don't have since this is probably a better one than that. Paint wise, it's a Wolverine blue and yellow. He has the 'mask' folded behind him since it's showing that he decided to take off his mask because he has a handsome face. one thing about these Wolverines is that the claws are great! Far better than past Hasbro AND past Toybiz ones!

Again he comes with no piece for Jubilee so lets move on to the articulation which I won't spend too much time on since he is just like the X-Force Wolverine and the ML Puck BAF. One thing to point out is that I don't remember the X-Force Logan being this hard to stand straight but I guess so. He has these weird joints on his legs that forces one to truly use the upper thigh swivel. Head is hindered by the mask so 'looking up' isn't as possible. Everything else about him is pretty decent. Still not a big fan of the current ankle pivots.

Pretty fast ball special guardian special attack. Seriously, isn't his face just peculiar for a freaking rugged Canadian badass?! Is he attending a wedding so he fixed his face up?!

All in all he is a pretty good figure. He is an exact copy of the X-Force Wolverine that I love so much. I'm still a bigger fan of his X-Force costume so the yellow and blue wouldn't be my first choice if I have to pick between the two. So for those who already have the ML Puck BAF version, this one isn't as necessary aside from the fact that he is an unmasked version. If one has to pick between the two yellows, I'd say this one because it has more addition to the mold and it's better colored. I believe both of them don't include the BAF so for anyone trying to finish the Jubilee set, Logan is not necessary. But canon wise, the two are like Batman and Robin.

So with that said, until I get Magneto and Storm, I'm going to be on pause on this set! Not a bad set so far though!

Future BAFs that I WISH to have...

BAFs are coming in with exuberance this year! With Hasbro jumping in with the movie line gimmick, Comic based BAF are rare and quite possibly, a dying breed. Hasbro promised a lot of figures in the past that may not see the light of day unfortunately. BUT... there are a few seeing the light of day... ones that may be impossible for me to grab.... ((saddest face)).

Some of these images are from Marvelousnew.com

This was just announced today and it's a San Diego Comi-con exclusive. At first they were mere 3.75, but they are not. It's a BAF of Blastar with characters that are 'underground' but I REALLY REALLY like:

Black Bolt

Medusa

The Comic book Starlord and Gladiator is just 'meh' for me, but still! And considering that this is a Comic-Con exclusive BAF, chances of me having this piece without sacrificing a leg would be almost close to impossible.... But still!

This wave is on the realistic side for me to grab. The problem is that it's a Toys R Us exclusive; which means I'll be toy hunting all over at your lovely Toys R Us just to get every single one(I don't have luck with Toys R Us AT ALL). But I swear I'll try harder with this one and I might be tempted to just bite the bullet on online prices. My main qualm is that WHY?! Why is it just exclusive?!

Some Frozen Laughter in here!

Somehow I agree with this ending. LOL

That and it ties in with the Wolverine musical coming up! HAHAHAHAH!

ML Sentinel BAF: Omega Red

Saving the best for last is what one can usually say, and let me just say that Omega Red is a favorite of mine in the bad guy genre! Red, Wolverine rival, cool name, and yes the bondage innuendo that goes along with him, all in all Omega Red is just a win for me! Have always wanted him in 6' version and alas, here he is in full form as a part of the Sentinel BAF. How does he hold up to expectations? Too excited to wait! He is freaking awesome!

I was slightly worried that Omega Red's right shoulder pad is bent due to the case. I was almost positive that it had remained that way for so long that when he comes out of his case he will have a permanent distorted design. Luckily, that isn't so.

I'm not sure if Wolverine being Canadian has anything to do with one of his rival's color scheme to concur with the Canadian colors but, we here we have the dangerous, tentacle whipping, and awesome villain Omega Red in his action figure version. I am very pleased with how this guy came out and he is pretty accurate to his comic book/animated series version.  He's got the red, he's got the Omega sign, he's got the tentacles, and he's got the mean face! Unlike Hasbro, there are a lot of paint details that goes along with this figure and it's really hard not to be impressed with how much effort they used to put way back when! The mold is pretty decent, a little on the skinny with the lower body but it's not a big deal really, it still does justice.

I'm really surprised that he didn't come with a Sentinel Arm instead of the hip because Sentinel comes with his own tentacles that are the exact some ones as Omega Red. Maybe that's on the lazy side, but it's not a major gripe to tally against the toy and the BAF itself. And yes, Omega Red comes with a stand also and an awesome comic book with Jim Lee's art!

Let me just say that he is flawed in some areas of articulation. First off, he has a very small ankle pivot which make some poses inadequate. He is missing the wrist or forearm swivel, his head is a bit impeded with the shoulder pads and his gorgeous locks, and lastly, his ab crunch doesn't work that great. But his tentacles has enough articulation to make up with that because…. how can you have a villain whose weapons are solely based on(aesthetically) to wrap people with their tentacles and have an action figure version of them NOT have articulation with their said tentacles?! Like Constrictor!

I believe inside these tentacles are bendable wires so it gives it the ability to be stable for certain poses or what not. It really gives him an Omega Red ambiance being able to pose with his trademark tentacles pose able like his body! Again, that's another thing that Hasbro misses the boat on these days.

Oh yes! We can't have an Omega Red without a Psylocke and Wolverine bondage, can we?! Well to my defense, during the Jim Lee days, this DID happen… well not exactly like this but something to this affect, more or less. Actually, I wish things happened like this(of course, Less Wolverine and more Psylocke in distress).

At the end of the day, Omega Red is not a perfect Legend, but given to the age of this toy and what it is still capable of, I'd say it's still one of the best out there. I don't think Hasbro has yet to make a toy that would be on par with some of the details that Toybiz paid attention to. Going through this whole set, I say it's just reaffirms just how much Toybiz was ahead in some departments compared to Hasbro. But here I am talking about the two companies when I should be delving into Omega Red… yes this figure is awesome! Honestly, it's all I truly have to say. BAF is great, the figure is great, and he is a pretty interesting villain in the comics to say the least.

2013 Collection Highlights

Last couple of years it has been about "Video Games of the year". Well, with how things changed this year, I don't think I have enough gaming time(or games played) to even make the yearly post possible. There were a couple of games, however in the end, my hobby turned more towards my collecting(fervently). I collected quite a bit this year, and honestly, it was a really tough choice trimming down the choices to what they are in this list but I think it pretty much has a good enough impact to make this first year post worth it. If this continues on to next year or maybe a couple, perhaps we can make more categories but for now…

Marvel Legends -This is where my collecting began. To me, this will be the area where there will always be growth. Now I have slowed down quite a bit in terms of the 'what' I collect since room is becoming scarce(that's a collector's bane right there. Space or money). Again, narrowing these guys down was quite a thought process since I did snag a plethora of these guys this year! So to my top five on the list…

Betta Ray Bill, Iron Man(T.B.), Scarlet Spider-Man, Pyro, Wolverine

Marvel Legends falls in two 'time lines' with Hasbro being the newer supplier and Toybiz being the 'legendary/retired' one. Suffice to say, Toybiz is still in my sights and I will probably collect more of the past waves. This year, both companies received my money and my unbridled attention with the top five pictured above. Figures like Thorbuster Iron Man, Betta Ray Bill, and Pyro have so much vibrancy in their painting that they represent the past of what we used to know Marvel Figures to be! Not only that, a lot of Toybiz's production truly signifies that they were targeting the core of Comic Book collector/fans. Of course Hasbro followed after Toybiz's footsteps and while their start wasn't exactly as elating as one would hope, they eventually caught on with great characters and figures like Scarlet Spider and X-Force Wolverine.

Top Legend:

Articulation? Detail? Character? Biased? What made X-Force Logan take the spot for my favorite ML for 2013? It's an amalgam of all of those factors and then some. This is my favorite Wolverine costume and I was more than elated to see that he was to arrive to retail price(affordable). He is as a Hasbro Legend would be in regards to details, articulation, or what not; he has a bit more to offer and his pose ability is something to deem worthy. His claws are one of the most notable things to point out since it isn't flimsy like a LOT of the Wolverine figures out there. 

Build-A-Figure (ML) -This year is something I would call the year of the BAFs. For a huge portion of mid year I was very vehement about collecting some of these guys. From classic Toybiz to some of Hasbro's attempt to be part of the legend of the past, I am more than proud to say I was able to snag some of the most popular(and expensive) collection and all the while being able to fill my shelves like there is no tomorrow! So without further adieu, the top five is here!

Iron Monger, Onslaught, Galactus, Terrax, Modok

Toybiz wil always hold the trophy for creating some of the most colossal and well detailed Villains of Marvel. Articulation had always been Toybiz's forte as well with just about every single joint needed having the pose able perk that made the gargantuan BAFs so much fun. Galactus and Onslaught is indeed a testament of articulation and detail. If they didn't have articulation, figures like Modok stand out for their uniqueness and of course the details. The details were just astounding that one can always recognize the work put into it. When Hasbro took over Toybiz's office chair, there was a bit of a rough start. Fast forward into the future, well, we get some noteworthy ones and in my opinion, characters like Iron Monger and Terrax is really something that evokes gratitude from me that they are the new future(and have been for a few years now) of Marvel action figures.

BAF Legend: 

I contemplated a lot on which BAF should get this year's trophy. I gathered a lot of them this year and it was truly ambivalence in play as I shuffled through all of my gatherings. If I was to talk about size and articulation, Galactus would've taken the throne without so much of a hinge. As for the character favorite and detail, it would have to go on Onslaught since I have a lot of nostalgia when this abomination came into the scene of the Marvel Universe. If I was to judge a BAF for the figures it came with its pieces, Modok would have to take the seat since a lot of his figures had characters that I really liked! So why does Onslaught in the cake? He has a lot of controversy since he came after the gargantuan Apocalypse, however to me, it wasn't about his size. Honestly, if I was to straighten out his legs, he would be taller than what people give him credit for! His articulation is surprisingly in abundance and in every nook and cranny that wouldn't (or would) expect! Details are indeed in full nerdgasm with him! So when I think of 'awesome' BAF that I managed to snag this year there are a few that came to mind, Onslaught however manipulated my thoughts I suppose to deem him number one.

Bishoujo -The majority of the characters produced in this line are Western Female Characters from comic books, video games, etc. Splashed with a bit of gorgeous anime detail(I wish the ML lines could learn how to depict female faces like this line can), The likes of Wonder Woman and X-23 are sculptured and painted with so much enamoring detail that one can't help but capture these lovely ladies! Last year was indeed the year of Bishoujos for me. This year however I came out with a meager two. So there really isn't much to do in regards to a competition, but since they are both so enamoring, might as well list them out for what they are worth.  

Huntress and Commander (Fem)Shepard

Some Bishoujo comes with their own uniqueness while some are just plain beautiful. These two that I managed to acquire this year definitely lives up to those two perks I just mentioned. I can't sit here and spend a redundant time pointing out every great detail with these two characters since I already did their reviews but let me just say that only getting two this year(Was hoping to get Psylocke this year), I'm more than happy to say that the Bishoujo department didn't necessarily get short handed!

Playarts Kai -These figures are probably my gateway figures to the eastern realm(well at least the "none Kai" version of them from my exuberant Final Fantasy collecting days). Back in the day they were a bit more affordable and didn't punch a huge hole(relatively) in my pocket. Now with the newly formed 'kai' versions, Playarts seems to be trying to stand up in the department of "high end" figures. They are justified with JUST HOW MUCH details and fun factors most of their figures offer nowadays! With that said, let's just delve into the three I managed to acquire for my collection.

Tali, Batman AA, and FemShep

Normandy crew and Batman! That is a dynamic team right there to say the least! Though I would say if Batman was ever put into the world of Mass Effect, he would have to do some brushing up on the tech to be a bit more useful than being a target practice dummy. Still, a Batman/Mass Effect crossover? That would be something to be enthused about. Anyways, with these three, I have to say that all of them offered what I would expect from a Playarts Kai. With the details depicting their video game counterpart amazingly, the accessories that play homage to the character/s(Batman not so much though), and of course the pose ability that comes with them, these three gave me some great stripes on my Game Room!

Winning Playart: 

There was really something about the Batman Playarts Kai that I found intriguing that it beat Tali and Shepard. Details, articulation, paint, and homage were all present in all three action figures so how did Batman get the drop out of the two Normandy Crew(that and I think Tali's hot and Bruce isn't really my cup of tea)? Well to simply state the fact that while I enjoyed posing Tali and Shepard, I abhorred how they were so hard to keep standing. Batman just stood strong pretty much HOWEVER one poses him. Must be the ominous cape he has flowing behind him. Though he may not be as nimble as Tali or Shepard because of the said cowl, when 'play time' was over, it's nice to just be able to put a figure away without worrying about him/her falling down when one walks away. Is it truly fair to base a figure's rank on that? No, not at all. I really do think this figure is badass so… there. 

Anime -My "Asuka Shelf" grew this year thanks to my new found love for Figma figures. While this category just doesn't have Figmas since it has Bandai, Revoltech, and soon to have S.H. Figuarts, there is really not enough of each figure to start a category for them(perhaps next year). But the one thing about eastern action figures that Western toys are perhaps starting to catch up to are the amount of hand variations, face/head alternates, and the plethora of accessories that comes with them. Damn shame that ML figures and the such have yet to catch up to the pretty faces of their females. Well, with that said, here we go with the top three.

Mari Illustrious Makinami, Eva Unit 2, Rin Tohsaka

I was late to catch up to the Figma trend since I only started this year. I'm even later to catch on that there are better Eva figures out there than the Revoltech ones that I have. So with that said, the three that made it to the list are indeed the better aberrations of their Revoltech counter parts. While being smaller statured versions, Mari and Rin holds true to their anime counterpart far more than their Revoltech reflections. Then we come across the Bandai Tamashii of Eva Unit 2 that is far more enamoring than the Revoltech version! So while I am sitting here admonishing Revoltech, I do have to say that all of these anime toy companies are very exuberant with accessories, details, articulation, and vibrant(accurate) paint detail. And as a bonus perk, some of these figures come with an exclusive stand that makes things far more dynamic when posing and such. While only three really made it to the list, I do appreciate all of my anime based figures I acquired this year.

Most Enamoring: 

I think Asuka would ask me her infamous question if she didn't win this one. She did have a Figma version I did buy this year and she didn't make the list; not because she wasn't worth it, it's just that with the list being three, suffice to say, Mari takes the cake and Rin of course was a good duo no doubt so how come Asuka didn't win anything? Well, her Eva did and I'm sure that's more than enough for her until the day they make more Figma figures of Asuka's original(Or maybe her "Q" plug suit), I think her Eva Unit 2 by Bandai will be more than adequate. With a far more stable posing capability, great paint job, articulation to boot(and possibly a really miniscule version of Asuka piloting in there), I'd say that her Eva should suffice to please the more than berserking Eva pilot! 

"THE ONE"

Mark V Hot Toy

Who gets a 'lone' Hot Toy and NOT make it Toy of the Year. I mean, after all, until the day I can afford Three to FOUR TO FIVE Hot Toys a year, I'd have to say it's almost a safe bet that almost every time I get a Hot Toy(Iron Man probably. Silver Centurion anyone?!) it will most likely win "The One" award. So what about this toy? Well, the gamut of the things I have already said can be in the review of this said toy. I won't delve too much into it since my zealous tendency took over when I wrote the review. Just know that there is a lot that Hot Toys have to offer and as they should for the price that they ask for! 

After Word

2013 was a good collecting year. I couldn't name every single catch that I adore in this single post since well, I had to break it down to the ones that REALLY stood out! Now technically my 2013 spoils aren't all here since I was 'good this year' since Santa was more than happy to supply me with plenty of spoils I have yet to truly delve into. So those reviews are coming up here within the next month(more or less). So 2014 is in the horizon! Let's see who will make it to the list, shall we?

And on a side note …. Maybe a 'Christmas Presents' topic for next year? Oh well.

Spoils of 2013

Christmas came and went and just like every year, we get to celebrate on the spoils of the year! I have to say that what I did get are some amazing things that will probably take me the whole entire month of January to blog about! I can just imagine with the time I have(don't have) and the effort I will be putting in it, suffice it to say that yes, I will be rather busy with these things! Oh well, trials of a Collector I say!

An "X" Moment.

Kinney Pride wrote a really good article about certain things that pertains to one of my favorite X-Men characters; misconceptions, distorted truths, or what not. One day I'll do a femme fatale moment with her(if I ever do one again), but right now that said blog would suffice in regards to all X-23 related news and such! Great writing and fantastic scrutinizing! The art of writing lives on!!!