Collection Update

Before I list the 'coming' additions, I might as well show who ARE in my collection that came late March. Yes that is another POP in the form of Peebee from ME: Andromeda. And I FINALLY own Kiritsugu, which I am excited to open and review. And to fluff up my Spiderverse collection, here comes Spider-UK. I'm a bit hesitant to open these for reasons... I am not yet ready to convey. When I do open them, obviously I'll review them like normal. Now, on to the upcoming additions that I most likely will follow through. All are preordered! 

First, let me start out by saying that I'm not a big fan of Tom Holland Spider-man for reasons of my own. I think the costume looks nice though so that's why he's on the list!

I've always wanted a good Supergirl figure and DC Icons seems to be able to deliver on that. And yes, a whole lot of Harleys in this list AND a couple of Spider-Gwens.

And I still have yet to get the Mafex Suicide Squad Harley! It's been damn near a whole year! I wonder if the delay is because they are trying to improve on their product? I hope so. And yes, finally! A Chun Li figure coming up with some awesome accessories and articulation.

This set I want because it has a lot of characters I like. The BAF is pretty unique too so I can't complain all in all. Admitedly, Legends' prices are going up higher than I would like but hey... what can I do, right? So those are the 'for sure' ones. I do have a long list I plan on getting, whether by this year or the next. I swear, somewhere along the line I might have to stop... seriously. 

After some Consideration

I know July is rolling by and it's the month where it is 'meant' for me. I had a few things in my sights like these Marvel Legends:

Actually, they weren't JUST in my sights, they were preordered as the list right there states. Both waves come out on July. But as I looked at the preorders, my "big" purchase on September, the fact that I have commissions lined up, the fact that I don't have time to review AS MANY figures and Marvel Legends haven't had the same 'wow' factor as they used to, I do believe it's time for me to REALLY be exclusive with these. That's not to say I won't jump to grabbing these in the future... IN THE FUTURE, but not in a time when I have to really focus my funds in different direction of my hobbies all at once. Gaming is about to start again and I am still doing cover arts for my writing. That and, I do have other priorities.

EDIT: I will wait for some reviews to see if they are REALLY worth it. The "Spider-Verse" shelf does need Silk and "Spider-Bitch" in there.

And I need time for other things since reviewing DOES take some of my time. With all that said, I did add two more on the list that I am ambivalent about:

Deadpool is a bit IFFY since it is Revoltech. The last time I received a Revoltech in my collection I was slightly disappointed so.... yeah. But this one looks really good so we will see. Samus is not coming out until January so I have some leeway with her. Suffice to say, I think I'll be safe and I think I will TRULY appreciate the Legends after I figure some things out. Also, I'm RUNNING out of space! I need to consolidate and reorganize my Game Room here. That takes time! But I know just the imports together costs ONE of the BAF wave, but honestly, the quality and the detail and the fun factor on imports are way more gratifying. That and they don't take as much space.

SO after some SERIOUS thinking, I think cancelling my preorder on the BAFs is a good idea. It's more funds and that's just liberal spending that I can't really do wisely right now with other things I need to take care of. Unless I win a ton of money somewhere then I don't have to worry.....

Revoltech: Eva Unit 8: "You Can(not) Redo"

For the longest time I was on the fence about this Eva, and no it's not the pink color which I do find peculiar for a post apocalyptic world that is ravaged by Angels. My doubt for this action figure has been Revoltech's slight distortions with a couple of figures I own that has their name on it. But despite all of that, I managed to view a review from SEELE ONE and I must say, with his review and his words of advice, I decided to give Revoltech another try. So without further adieu, let's see where this one stands in regards to my standards.

Nothing new about the box. We've seen this theme before with the transparent front to display the figure and of course the side panel picture and the back of the box to show some of the poses one can conjure up with this said toy. Moving on.

Yes she is vibrantly pink indeed. Now I haven't watched the anime(soon hopefully) but I do want to really see how a pink Eva would look around a very dire and bloodied world. I mean, I know Rei has a yellow Eva but Pink? We'll see. But detail wise, I'd say this one is pretty nice. I'm a big fan of the way that Revoltech makes their Evas have that sleek metallic shine to them. For Eva unit 8, the distinct 'eyes' is well intact in this figure as well as the crown-shaped head. Everything else looks pretty standard from the pics I have seen of this Eva in the anime so that's a plus. Also one thing that they improved on from the first Eva Unit 2 I acquired last year is that the built is MUCH more firm and sturdy.

Accessories and interchangeable hands comes in a mediocre amount. I was really excited for the AT field and I was a bit intimidated what would come out of the sniper rifle pose and all for good reasons. And Revoltech comes with their own version of the Figma Ziploc with the 'box' container. Doesn't hold everything but for the pesky hands that could get lost easily, the box comes in handy for that.

The stand that came with Eva Unit 8 seems like a norm Revoltech perk. Eva Unit 2 had it as well and I have to say, I think Mari's Eva came with a MUCH more sturdy stand than Asuka's did. The additional pegs makes it for normal or 'small' jump dynamic pose. Or…

It can be for high flying dynamic pose. Again, being sturdier than the last one I experienced, is a good flag in my books. Makes posing her and displaying her for purposes such as these much easier.

So I'm a bit disappointed in regards to the weapons department of Eva Unit 8. I was expecting more but maybe it's just adhering to what Mari used during the anime sequences. With that said, Eva Unit 8 came packing with two fire arms.

The handgun! I don't know why but this pose is so freaking addicting. I will go on and talk about articulation, but for the sake of just touching on the point on this pose, it's just the most easiest pose to get this Eva in. That and she does look rather bad ass.

Then the sniper rifle of course! This bad boy is long and could probably take a few heads off if line up correctly. I have to say, I wasn't too intrigued with posing her with this gun since it has more defiance than fun factor. But the pose I did manage to pull off has enough presence to it.

Now Eva Unit 8 suffers with fun factor with a couple of its accessories that proved rather inadequate. As I said earlier I was really excited for the AT Field function but the peg it was suppose to connect to did not have concurring peg holes. Partner that in with fragility, well as you can tell the said accessory cracked. The special affect stand suffers from the same problem that Revoltech Mark V did with its basic stand: THE PEG DID NOT FIT THE HOLES ON THE BOTTOM OF THE FEET! In fact its far worse than Mark V so that was a major qualm I had with this figure.

Articulation… wow I have to say I was a bit bummed out with this department. Now don't' get me wrong it's still rather gracious and perhaps it's not entirely Revoltech's fault that certain joints can't be as fluid with articulation because of the design of the Eva, but needless to say, certain movements are just a bit awkward especially with the standard joints that Revoltech provides us. Also, according to SEELE ONE's review, in order to get the leg to move certain ways, one has to take out the leg and fix the joint. Now that isn't entirely a major distortion but it is an inconvenience. Especially when I just had Bandai's Eva Unit 2 in my possession which is pretty much a testament of what a company can do with Eva unit figures. I felt myself rather limited and at times frustrated. That and I know how fragile these guys can get so certain movements I didn't want to push my luck so… yeah.

But not to worry TOO much since this gun pose looks rather enamoring so one can't be TOO redundant with it. Of course that was partial sarcasm on my part. But yes, the gun pose does serve its purpose well, I would fathom.

"Just FUCKING DIE already!"

Or a freaking kick to the face with a pink Eva would be a damper in one's pride!

In conclusion I'm going to have to say that I did not come out of this review as jubilant as I want to be wit this figure. Again, aesthetic wise it's great! The build is much more sturdier and it feels far more durable than the Eva Unit 2 from last year. Will I sit here and adamantly say that one should have this one in its possession as an Eva fan? Not really, but I do want to say that SEELE ONE pointed out that only Revoltech completes the Evas so this is the ONLY option we have for Mari's Q Eva. I'm still happy to have her and she adds more shade to my "Evangelion/Anime" shelf(literally and not) but I wish she didn't have those 'issues'. But I think regardless if she did or did not I still don't believe that Revoltech's Eva unit 8 would even compare if Bandai EVER makes their own version!

Robot Spirits(Bandai): Eva Unit 2 "The Beast"

I was serious when I talked about rekindling my love for the Asuka and her lovely Unit 2. Okay, so maybe The Beast version isn't as enticing as the normal version, but hey, to love is to be indulge in the better and the worse. For the sake of it being Asuka's Eva and I happen to like Eva Unit 2's aesthetics, the Beast variation is a good little addition. That and Robot Spirits struck the right chord the first time around. So how does it fare the second time?

Being my second Bandai Eva toy, the said box is pretty standard and expected. Though the collage in the back that shows off the 'accessories' and the poses of this Eva isn't very 'promising'. And let's just delve as to why I say that.

Eva Unit 2 came with a plethora of accessories! And some VERY useful ones mind you. And again, it's not ABOUT the accessories, I know, but there could've been more to this(I will touch on this again). And will anyone REALLY count the 'inhibitors'(?) that you have to plug in her back as accessories? If anything it's PART of her so therefore, she only really comes with a pair of alternate hands, a tongue and "legos". Legos?!

Yep. Legos. Well technically it really isn't but they combine and are similar to legos. They're supposed to be buildings that 'submerged' after an Angel attack. Not very impressive at all. I'll echo Eva Unit 2 on this one and be feral because of the lack of exuberance in accessories.  And of course with my new knowledge of Robot Spirits, I was aware that stands would be lacking. I bought the 3 pack yet again just to make sure I was prepared!

Detail wise, it's pretty impressive really. While Eva Unit 2 did lose some pivotal aesthetics that makes the Eva attracting in the anime, I'd say the action figure above does do a fine job capturing every bit of nooks and cranny. One can still recognize the Original(Rebuild aberration is what I speak of) Unit 2 within that lanky and rather bestial form.

Just look at the close up of this gal. While I've seen far more detailed jaws of fury than this one, Bandai did its job well enough. The tongue lashing and the alternate reminds me of Venom like. Jaw articulation makes possible for plenty of good shots as well! Speaking of articulation!

For those who haven't seen Eva Unit 2 go berserk under Mari's control(SPOILER!), go see it! Limited as I was with pose because of the nature of The Beast(pun!), this one still offered enough. All the pose I was able to put her in fit the Unit's deranged mode.

The one thing I will bring up yet again are the lack of accessories! While I was able to put her in the most enticing and yet intimidating pose with the beast like nature, lacking a few more hands does deter for any other action scene. Sadly, the alternate tongue doesn't do THAT much at all. If only the said tongue is a bit longer. I had high hopes for this figure thus why I jumped the gun on getting her(that and the price was VERY affordable after purchasing the standard Eva Unit 2 form) on the Robot Spirits version expecting something beyond mediocre. Well, I got something around there but slightly disappointed. Running across THIS:

Well, it's Revoltech. A few more special affects accessories and with that dark and yet shiny red paint and a figure stand! But I can probably say that despite the less than firm stature of my Robot Spirits Beast Eva Unit 2, Revoltech version probably won't do any better in that department. As always, accessories is what Revoltech is known for.

In conclusion there really isn't much to say other than what I have already said. Good price, lack of accessories, not as good firmness as the standard Eva Unit 2, very articulated, and just a perfect part of the Asuka/Eva Unit 2 shelf, I'd say it wasn't at all a loss. Is it a must? No. But it's a good addition for me. I don't think I'll go as far as scrutinizing Revoltech's version just because I feel a 'slight' short handed purchase if that is what you ask.

Robot Spirits(Bandai): Eva Unit 2: "You Can(not) Advance"

Well here she is! Eva Unit 2 in Bandai's fine adaptation of the crimson Eva. Again much thanks to Actar's review for 'convincing' me to get this fine piece of collection! And since it's that season to be rekindling my love for Evangelion(apparently), only fitting that I was able to get one of the better Eva Unit 2 toys in my collection(my opinion so far, might change). So like any other toy review, let's check out the box!

There is really not that much to say about this box really. It's a standard theme for an import toy. Transparent front box, pose ability side show on the back, side portrait, so on and so on. The "Robot" logo on the front stands rather prominently; gives it a really eastern feel for some reason. So now to opening.

Neatly laid out and arranged are the weapons, accessories, alternate hands, and the figure itself. For those of you who are ambivalent about opening your figures, this is pretty much the point of no return. You got this far, might as well keep going at it. Just right off the get go, I wish Bandai would offer some sort of organizational tool like Figma and Revoltech does.

Details with this figure. Well let's just say it's pretty smooth and consistent. A lot of the pieces are separately molded so each piece to begin with are different colors so not a lot of worry one would with local figures with paint discrepancies. The figure is pretty accurate to the rebuild adaptation of Unit 2. The red isn't super shiny but it's a solid and attracting red and all the other colors do enough justice to tie in with the color scheme of Asuka. I always wondered the first time I saw Eva unit 2 in the rebuilt if I liked what they did to revamp her. Didn't take long for me to fully like the new version better.

Articulation time! What is there to say about this toy that Actar didn't already in his review? And if one is not trying to get words to describe how great this toy is, please go to Actar's review! At any rate, just to talk about the poseablity of Eva unit 2, there is so much possibilities that almost EVERY striking pose she performed in the anime/ movie can be duplicated with this figure! Almost, mind you.

And just to briefly tangent off accessories, Eva unit 2 is missing a stand. Apparently Bandai likes to merely advertise their stands within their toys. What a fine gimmick!

The famous "Kick" that killed an Angel

Now to talk about the Accessories. Or the weapons should I say. Surprisingly, all the weapons available for the Bandai version of Eva Unit 2 are all seen in the movie. Some of the figures out there of Eva unit 2 shows her holding a weapon that the said Unit never even picked up so I'm glad there is some consistency from movie to action figure.

Progressive Knives

Detail, paint job, and the fact that Unit 2 can hold these weapons without too much chances of slipping is a good thing. The minor addition of the coloring of the red and yellow compliments the silver really well and the handle color just adds a good contrast. If I remember correctly, this is pretty accurate to the movie/anime as well. Though I don't remember Asuka using this in the anime as much as I do in the movie.

Crossbow

Just to briefly talk about the crossbow which again, my memory of the anime is a bit obscure. I believe that this weapon is only a movie only exclusive. I personally thought it was a far better entrance on Asuka's part dealing with that Angel the way she did. I don't recall the anime(wow, I sound redundant with that statement) as well and from what I remember they were in sea rather than the air when Eva Unit 2 first do battled with an Angel. That and she kind of had that 'cape/cloak' thing going on to make her ominous like I suppose. But anyways, this weapon did it's job both as a long range weapon and as a melee tool. Wonder if we'll see more of it or perhaps that's its only use for the whole rebuild saga?

Bayonet

Just a bit of spoiler in regards to the second movie, Mari was the one piloting Eva Unit 2 when this weapon was used. And while she is no Asuka in my book, she was pretty badass when she decided to use Eva Unit 2. This weapon didn't work out as well, but it makes for a good accessory and imaginary usefulness in the realm of action figures and such. Shame the blade doesn't retract. Believe me I tried and I think I snapped the blade out of the gun and it wasn't supposed to. Still stays but it's not as firm as before! Oh well!

Now to talk about a comparison that I was planning on doing once I got this version of the Eva Unit 2. The beginning of this year I got the chance to review the Revoltech version of the Rebuild Eva 2. I would've been completely satisfied with the Revoltech version and all of the minor(back then) qualms I had with it wasn't agitated until I came across Actar's review. Despite the price point of Bandai's Eva Unit 2, I had to get it because what was pointed out in that video review was indeed making 'fun factor' for Revoltech decrease. So with that said… 

Detail wise, I think the two are toe to toe. While everything that Actar said I concur with, in regards to the paint details, I rather like the Revoltech's shinier red. While I am more than sated with Bandai's choice of red, to me there was nothing 'sloppy' or inadequate with the Revoltech version! Articulation, well both offer almost the same amount but Bandai just has a bit more of a 'firm' feel to it and less than annoying joints. And firm not only in joints, I mean the whole build of the toy itself. Revoltech feels a bit floppy and sometimes it's a struggle to get it to stand just normally while Bandai's just stands with very little effort. The joints are much more elusive with Bandai's version while Revoltech's isn't as clean. 

In terns of alternate hands and the 'flight' mode variation shoulders and forearms, both are pretty equal. Both are spot on to the movie however, changing Revoltech with the said accessories is painful! Especially the jet packs! That was probably the main reason why I never bothered to change Eva Unit 2's pose in the Asuka/anime shelf too often with how painful it was. Glad Bandai remedied that! Now as for accessories, this is where Revoltech wins. With the exception of the bayonet, Revoltech has all of Bandai's accessories AND two stands! Now while the 'function-spin' stand did nothing for me, Revoltech did give a standard(mediocre, but included nonetheless) stand rather than just advertise it! But are stands and accessories REALLY enough to say that Revoltech is better?

With much more collector friendly joints and a firmer stature, I lean on Bandai far more than I do with Revoltech. I mean don't get me wrong, I'm still REALLY happy I have the Revoltech version, it's just that Bandai's just had much more to offer for me! For others, it might be accessories that does it or the price, or company loyalty, or what not. To each's own, but I do MORE than recommend Bandai's version more than I do Revoltech's.

That is the second Revoltech that got 'benched' for another toy company. They have bad steaks so far(Mark III, Mark V) But trust me folks, if you're a fan of Evangelion and Asuka and just so happens to be a collector like myself, consider the higher priced Bandai over the Revoltech. Again I have no qualms with Revoltech and will probably still buy their product, but if another company sells the same character with more things to offer, I'll go for the other company since Revoltech has had a few bad marks with me. With that said, Bandai's Robot Spirits Eva Unit 2 is a fantastic addition to your collection. Don't pass it up if you are trying to fill your room with Asuka and her trusty Evangelion!