(Future) Playarts Kai release: 2B!

With my realization of just how beautiful this world(lore) is, I am all too elated to find out that there will be a 2B related figure! It definitely looks like a Playarts Kai release even though it is being labeled something else... or is it? I don't know. But look at all these promo pics!

The Pod is a must, sort of. The robot is a cool touch, but I would have rather they spent more time on getting more weapons for 2B! But maybe we'll get an A2 as well? Let's see! In the mean time, this is exciting stuff! 

Toyfair 2017

I obviously was not in New York, but thank goodness I still somewhat pay attention to Toyark.com.

Here's their scoop: TOYARK TOYFAIR (Marvel Legends) I said I'll tone down on the ML and BAFs, but some of these are rather enticing. The second wave of Guardians of the Galaxy I might have to get and I know I am getting the X-Men wave for sure.

Something I am also interested in: Spider-Gwen Revoltech; They came out with a Spider-Man, Venom, and Deadpool but I didn't get them because they are geared towards people who pose their figures a lot. Proportions were not great in vanilla pose but dynamically speaking... well... this one sure does look dynamic and I am not planning to pose her vanilla if I get her. But there has to be a fine line though.

Marvel is kicking ass in the action figure department for sure!

As for DC, well, there are a couple that is amazing, but for the most part, their main interest in my department falls under the Playarts Kai. So with that said, here's Toyark's scoop on Playarts Kai: TOYARK TOYFAIR (Playarts Kai). They have a few interesting take on some of the heroes; So we're getting a Lunafreya but no Iris, yet. I'm still holding on to the idea we are getting one. And I'm not a fan of Kingdom Hearts but Aqua looks nice!

Here are a few that interest me:

(preordered her already)

Well, there's a ton more and I'm sure I'll update this, or not. But 2017 and 2018 looks promising. Again, collecting will never die, it seems. 

2016 Highlights

Well, here we are! My 2016 highlights! Compared to 2015, this year had so much to choose from that I had to think once or twice for certain areas. In short, before I start this collection highlight, I want to say that 2016's collecting endeavor truly was a success and cathartic! With that said, here are the winners of 2016!

Marvel Legends: I will continue the battle of wondering if the Marvel Legends line is worth it. The last couple of years, Hasbro has bombarded us with numerous Marvel Legends(BAF) left and right and it's hard to keep up. Even if I did keep up, so many repaints, recycles mediocre characters, QCs, lack of here, etc. But beyond all my gripes with ML, they continue to also impress me, compel me, and keep my drive alive with some figures and sets here and there so with that said, I don't think I  can fully set this side of my collection down. But I will continue to try and be selective so that my choices for next year's ML winners are going to be hard to pick.

Iceman, Venom, Rogue, (Miles) Spidey, Nico

There was a handful I wanted to put on this list but I had to narrow it down to these figures. Which brings me to the thought: what are my criteria in Marvel Legends and figures in general? To be honest with you, I mostly put that judgement on how much I like the figure. No semantics, technicality, or any thing like that. Once in a while I will put price or stuff like that into factor but for this, it's the characters I like and the figure that really brought out an 'awe' factor. The figures in the picture really had something to bring to the table for me. But who wins the first place?

TOP LEGEND:

While I am not too knowledgeable with this character, I will say that this is the Legend that had all the right stuff to make me give her this title. Beauty, character likeability, accessories, nice mold, and aesthetics--these are the reasons why the five are on the list and Nico took all of those qualities into one shell. She might not be a character I know a lot about, but now I want to know more about her after having her figure.

Honorable shout out: Iron Fist and Spider-Gwen. Because I like these figures but did not really find it in me to put them on the top five.

Build-A-Figure(ML BAF): There was a time when this list would go past the number three, but hey, that was some time ago. One can say that I only grab the ones that really interests me, and damn right. With prices on these guys hiking up every year, it's getting harder and harder to get them and the time for just getting the BAF and not the rest of the figures may be at hand. After all, I did it this year.

Dormamu, Absorbing Man, Onslaught

I technically only 'completed' two out of the three BAFs in this line up. As you all know, the ONLY figure I bought for Onslaught is Kitty Pryde; everything else about Xavier and Magneto's darker side is bought as a WHOLE without the figures on Ebay. So how does one really judge these guys? Well, I have to grade them seperately from their sets. I have to just look at them as a figure and say: 'what makes them cool'? Don't get me wrong, the figures building the BAF does have weight in the back of my mind, but I try not to let that persuade my decision. So, with that said:

BAF LEGEND: 

Absorbing Man is not my favorite character out of the tree. He isn't even the coolest looking one. What he is though is a far more thought out and 'loyal-to-the-character' gimmick than Onslaught and Dormamu. Sure, Dormamu looks great, has a decent amount of articulation for his character, comes with some flaming skulls effect, the problem is that he isn't an original BAF; he is a repaint. And then Onslaught looks great as well but lacks mobility and that 'intimidating' factor because he is so bare. No alternate hands and the variant head we got is an Onslaught I don't care much for. Absorbing Man comes with a few interchangeable parts, two variant heads, and a lackluster but signature ball and chain weapon. He was fun and his set was cool. I have to give it to him. HE IS the BAF LEGEND for me in 2016. 

IMPORTS: Of course we will have a part for this wonderful set of toys that the east provides for us. Much like the BAF, I didn't collect as much because they aren't cheap. They're actually quite pricey but having three in my collection is a good enough comparison. Now I know it's not fair since I have two Playarts KAI and one Figuarts but an import is an import. 

Wonder Woman, Rin Tohsaka 2.0, Fran

So yes, two Playarts Kai and one Figuarts. Is it fair? I think so. When it comes down to it, minus the larger scale, I can put Figuarts and Tamashiis next to Square Enix and see what they have on the table. I might have to really consider price on the line since Playarts Kai are much more hefty in price, but with that, they should come with more details, articulation, and a ton more accessories. Or so it's expected. So the winner of 2016's import race is....

MOST ENAMORING

HOW, right? How could a figure that is smaller than 6 inches beat a powerhouse figures like Fran and Wonder Woman? How could TWO Playarts Kai LOSE to a S.H. Figuarts? Not to mention, I LIKE Wonder Woman and Fran just as much as I like Rin Tohsaka. So what happened? Well for one thing: I have HIGH expectations for Playarts Kai. How can I not? A Playarts Kai ONCED stood side by side with a Hot Toy for being my favorite catch of the year(2014), so when I was waiting for Fran to arrive, I was expecting that much! As the review stated, I didn't get that 'wow'... a couple of months later, Wonder Woman didn't deliver either. Lack of accessories (Wonder Woman's Lasso being just 'decoration' and Fran's useless bow and arrow), funny anatomy here and there, and very steep prices, I can't justify saying that I'm fully satisfied with my Kai catches this year. Some of their fumbles were a MUST for the characters, like Fran having some kind of bow and arrow poseable dynamic feature; I won't even get into Wonder Woman's lasso. All in all, while Jin's clothing for this figure isn't even my favorite, she delivered. We have the expected accessories for a Figuarts and it sated some of my need for a new Rin figure. Thank you Figuarts!

Statues: This is probably the most fruitful(second to MLs and POP) genre I have this year. Bishoujo came out with some good ones as well as not so common in my collection brand. I truly can say that I had some really good ones this year so let's take a look at them.

Tali Z'orah, Harley Quinn, Elsa, Rin Tohsaka

I had a few good selection on the table for sure. As I mentioned, Bishoujo definitely killed it with their line ups (the ones that I bought) and then we have some odd ball imports that I don't really know that well, but they also delivered with their attention to details. I also had some not as intricate statues, but one of a kind, ones that I will put in the shout outs. I had to sit down long and hard about who will take this spot, but it had to fall on one person.

After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and shoals of dust, she does return where she began! Bishoujo Tali'Zorah nailed it. She was by far the most detailed, most accurate, most anticipated Bishoujo. Harley came close and so did Elsa, but I just had to really dig deep and ask myself: what would jesus do? No I'm just kidding. I really looked at the choices here and truly had to weigh in which one really symbolized a definitive product for every dollar. Tali had the details, t he character accuracy, the posing that was both sexy and dynamic to the character, the price was just right, and there's enough fan service to pay the bills. Sure Elsa was beautiful and accurate. Sure Harley was sexy. There was a ton of dynamic fan service with Rin, but in the end, this unit would not have a soul if I didn't give it to her.

Honorable Mentions: Casual Asuka -I have a LOT of Asuka figures. I have a couple of good statues too. This particular one is classy, fun, a little out of character, but in the end it offered a unique twist to the tsundere smoking red hot Eva pilot. It also helps that she IS from Japan; like handed to me from the land of the Rising Sun itself by a friend.

SHOUT OUT

This particular piece should have been in the category above(Statues), but something about her just plainly blows competition out of the water so I decided to just put her by herself. She can't make "THE ONE" because I didn't spend a lot of time in her photoshoot, nor did I even consider myself EXTREMELY Elated to get her photos out. She's great, she's awesome, and she is definitely detailed, accurate, AND pricey. Here she is, the character that is probably the main reason why people can even consider Suicide Squad note worthy as a movie:

Harley Quinn

This statue came with the special preorder of the Suicide Squad Bluray online release. I never thought I'd pay that much for a Bluray, but you know, this statue was something else and it really caught my eye. The details are gorgeous, the stance is so in-character, the accuracy, and just the overall feel of it... they did great. This Harley Quinn statue should be out of the statue category because she was just not going to give a chance to the other prospects.

"THE ONE"

This is going to be unfair and may be out of the idea of what I'm doing with my collection, but considering the one I picked to sit on this throne is in my game room and something I consider a toy(on its own category), I can't ignore the fact that it is my ultimate purchase for this year. With that said, I present to you the winner:

Yes my ps4 IS the winner. It's not an action figure. I didn't pose it around. I didn't even do a review on it. I just simply bought it, got into it, played a few games, and... well... what detracted me from writing, reviewing, blogging, and gave me a sense of 'relief' when I didn't want to think too hard on things is this guy. As much as I wanted to not think of my Ps4 that way, my Ps4 IS that way. It's in my game room. It's displayed. I collect with it. It definitely deserves a spot in 2016's well improved status compared to last year's. With FFXV still in my grasp, Skyrim Remastered, Mass Effect Andromeda on the way, and much much more Ps4 has to offer, I have to say that it is the most well received investment I had this year. I got it later in the year, but when I got it, it changed a lot of my hobby endeavors.

Needless to say, Ps4 is the one.


After Word: I can't say anymore than truly express just how much I appreciate this year. It has been one of the best when it comes to collecting and I truly hope I can continue this kind of fruition as the years come. I am seriously considering a lot of things like really cutting back on MLs and BAFs, truly getting selective figures, and really consider my space. My room is finite when it comes to display options, and regardless of how many times I revamp things, I will have to put things away in storage. With that said, here's to 2017's collecting habits! I already have a few on preorders that I anticipate will have a good chance on being on 2017's highlight. Also, I imagine I will be adding POPs to the review section. Heck, I might even do a 'follow up' for 2016's POP-age since I collected so much. This year will not be any different; it might be more too! Until then! 

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Playarts Kai: Wonder Woman (Dawn of Justice)

Well, 2016 is a good year for imports for me! A second Playarts Kai and this time in the form of Wonder Woman in her cinematic appearance in Dawn of Justice! I had some doubt when Gal Gadot took the lasso and bracelet for the role, but I started really warming up when I saw images of her in the costume; then seeing her in action was definitely the seller. Dawn of Justice is not your Civil War caliber (DC is about 52% dislikes and 48% likes; I made that number up but it makes sense, right? 52? New 52. Get it?), but it still had some good things. Wonder Woman was definitely the 'good thing' for me. So how does her PAK version fare?

The box is a standard PAK box, though mine came in damaged, which was a bit of a bummer but nothing to gripe over.

The number "4", which we got Batman, Armored Batman, and Superman before her. I do hope there isn't a number 5 since the only other choices are "Doomsday(ABOMINATION)" and Lex Luthor. God no!

PAK's famous open book/window box case. At first, I thought it was missing it(thus the missing figure), which struck me odd. It wasn't until Wonder Woman was out of the box that this certain feature carried over to their Dawn of Justice figures. There is, of course, a bio, which you can't necessarily read with the shot I took. Buy the figure if you want to read it so bad! (advertisement, much?)

I mentioned how I really like the Cinematic take on Wonder Woman's outfit. If there is one thing I have to say is that they tried to really get the sexy, exposed, and very flaunting side of Wonder Woman's outfit but still managed to make it make sense. It has a very 'warrior-greek-roman' like look to it--something that pays homage to 'where' Wonder Woman came from mythos wise. The colors are darker than her original outfit, but it is still recognizable. The paint job did well to duplicate that. Flesh tones are done well of course. Playarts Kai is usually really good with the finer details of color.

Now as for the mold, Diana's playarts kai version has a few glaring mishaps. First and foremost, you can probably see it now from her profile; the armpit area doesn't do a good job hiding joints... and while Playarts Kai isn't known to hide joints well(knee joints), they're not usually horrendous; though the work on Diana over here kind of shows a different work of art. It's not bad, but you can't do a whole lot of 'overly' dynamic poses with her arms up. It just looks odd. I'm not sure how the Variant Wonder Woman was able to hide her joints, but I get the feeling it's not as bad as this. Also, I'm going to pick on this since it is based on an actress visage of an iconic comic book heroine: she looks nothing like Gal Gadot. It's almost like PAK TRIED their best NOT to make her look like the beautiful Gal. She's not ugly, but still, to make her look like Gal would have been nice since I am fond of that actress. Overall, her body isn't overly sexy but it isn't brute-like. Wonder Woman has always been your typical sexy and appealing type, but I do think she has to have some 'masculine' features; masculine, but still retain some sort of feminine sexiness. The figure does a good job of doing that despite the mold flaws.

Accessory wise, I think she comes with a passable amount. The sword and shield is highly appreciated, the variations on her hands is okay--could have more, but can't complain too much. Then of course we have her insipid lasso. For a weapon that she is well known for (both as a receiver and the giver), this one lacks in fun factor. Also, I do wish they have her some face variations. Definiltey not one of PAK's finest moments with Wonder Woman. Oh, we can't forget about the standard PAK stand, which I'm starting to slightly warm up to. If I get more PAKs, I might get used to this thing.

And as I said, The Golden Lasso of Truth is honestly a boring addition to Wonder Woman's Playarts Kai version. It doesn't do anything but just 'sit' there. With the bendy wire that can be applied to some of the figures these days (like Playarts Kai Supergirl's cape), one could definitely make an adequate Lasso for Wonder Woman and make her fun factor hike up. Unfortuantely, no. Still, glad she has it even if it's not exactly something that can be used. Also, while it's not an accessory of the figure, the bracelets are included with great details! Anoter Wonder Woman signature item (both the lasso and the bracelet used to be a major bondage icon for Diana as well!).

The shield is amazing. It has a metallic look to it, which makes it look like actual metal. It has 'battle wear and tears' on it, which makes it look even more realistic. It is obviously greek-roman like; reminds me of Perseus' shield from Clash of the Titans for some reason. Oh, it's a pretty decent size and she holds it decently enough. It's not exactly a tight fit, but it suffices.

The sword is pretty awesome; nothing too special, but it does its job well. It's not exactly a blade with the most grandeur design and it's not PAK's doing. The blade was pretty ordinary looking based on what I saw in Dawn of Justice. I think they might have a story to it; maybe.

Now going right into her articulation, Diana Prince/Wonder Woman retains most of what Playarts Kai is known for. You can get her into some decent dynamic scenes that are going to be sufficient for someone who spends a lot of time fighting with her blade and martial arts. Though as I mentioned before, some angles make her look too much like a 'toy', and while she is that, imports try their best to hide the joints to give a more realistic look; unfortunately PAK didn't do a good job, or didn't do the job at all when it comes to Wonder Woman's upper body. Her hair does not have the much desired hair articulation that we have seen before, but they did go with a shorter haired Wonder Woman; again, they were trying not to make her look like Gal Gadot for some reason.

Despite those, you'll get some good actions shots. Her stand helps out a lot to give her the flying, jumping, and all those dynamic in the air scenes. Heck, you might even be able to get her in a sitting position to imply that she is driving her invisible jet. I didn't try that, honestly.

Couldn't resist! Here is Playarts Wonder Woman in a classic pose, courtesy of Playarts Kai variant Batman.

And here she is with a personal favorite Playarts Kai Variant of mine, Supergirl. As you can tell, Kara's red is way more pronounced than Diana's.

Despite her flaws, I am pleased with this figure. Again, she could look more like Gal, could have better invisible joints, and some face variants would have done the trick. Her lack of articulated Golden Lasso took some points down too since that is one of her most prominent signature weapon. Sadly, with both Fran and Wonder Woman lacking that 'flare' that we would expect from PAK (especially for that price point), I might be a bit more hesitant with upcoming releases. There are some good characters coming out, but again, I have to be careful. Though I'd give this figure a "B", so it's more than passable. If you are a Wonder Woman fan and want a cinematic figure of her, this might be the only one we have that is in a decent price range(go for the hot toys one if you want). As a Wonder Woman fan, I chose this over her Hot Toy form but I think I might give that one a try.
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Playarts Kai: Fran FFXII

After reviewing some 'classic' Playarts, I finally get to a more recent Playarts Kai in the form of Fran from FFXII! For a long time now I've been longing for a Fran figure. Out of the FFXII crew, her, Ashe, and Balthier enticed me the most and we have a Balthier and an Ashe Playarts already(if they make a Kai version of Ashe, I might pick her up) so when I found out that there's a Kai version of Fran out, well, it was mine for the taking! So, how does she fare?

It's been sometime since I have handled a Kai. Having Fran in my collection reminded me how awesome Kai boxes are!

I like the silhouette picture of Fran on the side of the box. It's very Final Fantasy-like. The back of the box shows some cool poses for Fran as well as special effects that are not provided.

Fran comes in a 'window' box that can be closed with the use of velcro. I'm telling you, getting a good shot of this angle was not as easy as it looks since I had to use something to prop the window 'door' open.

Fran comes with a bio about FFXII's world and a little something about herself. Honestly, Fran and Balthier was the reason I found the game interesting. Ashe was cool too but she was such an echo of Yuna in terms of looks that it was hard to latch on to her. But, at least we got Fran!

I've been talking about how Playarts didn't really supply in terms of accessories and when I get my first Kai in ages, I get a lackluster set of hands, her bow and arrow(SINGULAR, NO EFFECTS). What makes this even more disappointing is that her bow can't bend to allow for the more 'archer' poses. One thing I wish she came with was an alternate weapon and fisted hands; if we got those, I'd probably complain less in this department. Still, this is still decent and not a complete loss. Oh, and she gets the Kai stands which are half annoying, half useful.

Now to talk about the figure herself. One word: amazing. The details are superb and the color tones used to make her more 'accurate' to her game counterpart is just stunning. One thing that Playarts Kai is always good about is making intricate designs (whether it be original character designs or existing canon character designs) translate well into plastic. Just every rivet, every corner, and ever sculpting on Fran's 'armor' are just well laid out.

And as I mentioned, the paint details on both armor and skin tone is just carefully placed to represent some kind of 'realism'. The shadings on the hair are one of the most impressive parts, and that's saying a lot since whole thing is amazing! Mold wise, Fran lives up to her game counterpart: tall, lanky, sexy, and very anthro-looking. Those bunny ears!

One thing I will point out that I am not completely sold on is her face. It's not bad, nor is she even close to being 'ugly'... it's just that it's a bit off. I can't quite put it. Fran has a distinct face for a Vierra, and I don't think it translated as well to figure form as the rest of her did. I can't quite put my finger on it, but perhaps it's the fact that Fran in-game has a rounder face and the Kai version has a longer face. I guess the easiest way to describe this in an unorthodox (and hilarious) way is the difference between Bert and Ernie. Ha! Anyways, still a gorgeous face, just not completely Fran-like.

Let's talk about Fran's articulation. Having reviewed some older Playarts(Rikku, Vincent, Sephiroth, and Dagger), it's nice to get into a current figure that offers some pretty awesome articulation. Playarts Kai compared to Playarts is a pretty wide gap so one will definitley be able to get Fran into some familiar poses. Right off the get go I will mention that her hair does offer a good range of motion. The pony tail piece has a hinged joint so one can really get some dynamics with it. The ears don't offer any movements, sadly, but that isn't something to truly gripe about. And since Fran's choice of armor is very 'liberal', I do say that there is no hinderance to any of the pieces. Even the 'see through cloth' on her stomach isn't at all a nuisance. Though Playarts Kai has some weird ankle pivots since one has to twist the feet to get either the ankle pivot OR the up and down hinge for the foot. Can't have both at the same time. 

The accessories provided offers some more dynamic poses. However with the bow unable to bend like it should, there isn't much archer pose one can get Fran in. But what we are able to get, is pretty adequate.

And I know I'm not a big fan of the Playarts Kai stand, but when they are doing their job, they do their job. One can get Fran into some action poses.

And here's Fran next to the Playarts Baltheir. Yeah, compared to her "Han Solo" partner, she is colossal! I know Fran is taller, but this is just out of scale beyond belief! But then agian, that is the difference between Kai and none-Kai Playarts.

In conclusion, I adore this figure! Fran has always been one of the few FF characters that I like despite her respected Final Fantasy not on my top list of FF. However, while this figure definitley was an awesome addition, she is missing something that makes Playarts Kai like Supergirl worthy to be on the top candidates for the year. With her accessories not meeting the expecation for a Kai and the slightly off face, I can't say that Fran is overwhelming in terms of 'amazing', but with the great details, the sexy stature, and a character I have been wanting in figure form, I do believe that Fran is a great addition to my collection.