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All posts for the month May, 2026

REVIEW – ICONIQ STUDIOS CONNOR MCCLOUD (HIGHLANDER) 1/6 SCALE COLLECTIBLE FIGURE

Posted by Mighty Mike on May 22, 2026
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , , . Leave a Comment

In Highlander, Christopher Lambert plays Connor McCloud, a Scottish warrior who discovers he is immortal after surviving a deadly battle in the 1500s. Over centuries, he fights other immortals in a secret war where the last survivor wins a powerful reward called “The Prize.” The movie has since become a cult classic and also features music from Queen for the soundtrack.

Name: Connor McCloud
Line: Highlander
Manufacturer: Iconiq Studios
Released: 2026
Price: $325 USD
Scale: 1/6 Scale
Accessories: Sword, extra hands and lightning effects 

I have fond memories of watching Highlander on VHS when I was younger. It’s a great movie and the soundtrack by Queen definitely adds to its appeal. I was also fortunate enough to be able to see it recently on the big screen in a movie theatre as part of a double feature with Flash Gordon.

What we haven’t had a lot of are Highlander toys and figures. Thankfully, Iconiq Studios has stepped up and recently released a 1/6 scale version of Connor McCloud.

LIST OF PARTS

Inside the box, you get the following items:

One Connor McCloud figure
Twelve interchangeable hands
One sword and scabbard
Four Lightning effects
One display stand

SCULPTING

The head sculpt is excellent. Iconiq Studios has done a great job at capturing the likenesses of Christopher Lambert as Connor McCloud. When likenesses are a major focal point for figures in the 1/6 scale field. I’m happy to say that they’ve succeeded very well. 

I also like that some of the hair at the front of his head is a separate piece. It’s always good when I company goes that extra mile with a head sculpt.

PAINT

The main paint will be on the head sculpt, and it’s another home run. Just as the likeness expectations are high, so are the paint applications on the figure’s head as this can make or break a good head sculpt. 

Subtle skin tones on the face and excellent shading on the stubble – it’s not too heavy around the upper lip area. And it’s very neat as well, up there with what’s expected from say a Hottoys or Blitzway figure.

ARTICULATION

The base body underneath is a clone of the Hottoys Advanced TrueType body. Which means that it will pose very well and be able to be put into pretty much any pose you can out him in, in most situations. What I didn’t like is that the wrist pegs are too tight to change easily.

So, what I ended up doing was swapping out the forearms and wrist pegs with real Hottoys ones and that solved the problem fairly easily. I would hope for future releases, Iconiq Studios can make adjustments so it’s easier to change the hands and wrist pegs over without fear of breaking something.

OUTFIT

The second make-or-break category for 1/6 scale figures: the outfit. Thankfully, all the clothes are nicely tailored and fit Connor very well. The trench coat is definitely the best part of the whole outfit and looks amazing. The jeans, jacket and shirt are done well too, and the shoes look great.

ACCESSORIES

Accessories included inside the box are Connor’s sword (but of course) a number of different hands (relaxed, holing, fists and a spare relaxed gloved hand), depending on how much of a slave you are to screen accuracy, you’ll just be keeping the gloved hands on Connor. It would have been nice to get a bit more variety with the gloved hands too.

Besides that all the accessories are made very well and the lightning effects are a nice touch that you can add to the arms of Connor. The sword looks like it might be real metal too. The display base looks ok and is functional.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

I can imagine you wouldn’t have too many problems with this figure, except that eventually the leather jacket might flake depending on how it’s been cared for. Time will tell on that one. Otherwise, this feels like a solid figure from a fairly new and up-and-coming company.

PRICE

I got mine through 1/6 Kit and was happy with the price I paid. It had been a while since I’d bought a 1/6 figure and they will always be the higher price point. Not sure how easy it will be to get hold of this limited edition besides off eBay.

OVERALL

I really like this figure. Iconiq Studios has done a very good job. Even if there are a few minor nitpicks. Overall, it’s an excellent effort, and if you are a Highlander fan, you need to have this figure in your collection! Let’s hope they make a Kurgan next!  

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REVIEW – REAL X HEAD PHEYAOS MAN

Posted by Mighty Mike on May 16, 2026
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , , , . Leave a Comment

Real X Head is a small Japanese company run by Mori Katsura, who makes vinyl toys. Over the years there have been a number of figures and variations released as well as collaborations with other people or stores. One such collaboration has been with Onell Design, firstly with smaller 4” sized figures like Pheyaos mini and secondly, with the larger 8” sized Pheyaos man. Onell’s character Pheyden and RealXHead’s Mutant Chaos have been merged together in a very interesting and awesome way that has created a very cool looking toy.

Name: Pheyaos Man
Line: N/A
Manufacturer: RealXHead
Released: 2015
Price: First released – 5,800 YEN. Now – at least 90,000 yen
Scale: 8 Inches in height.
Accessories: None.

It might be a bit sacrilegious thing to say for die-hard Real Head fans, but this particular Pheyaos Man is a kit-bash of sorts, mainly because I don’t know if anyone does kit-bash Real Head figures or not. This particular figure started its life as the so called “UBIOS” Real Head figure which you can see here. I’m pretty sure I bought him from Mandarake Shibuya back in 2015.

 I just wasn’t a fan of the head. I absolutely loved the paint application on the body and wanted to turn him into a Pheyaos Man instead. It took a little bit of time to find a Pheyaos head that would be suitable and a change of neck scarf as well, fortunately Mandarake would happily buy the spare parts too! So, nothing goes to waste so-to-speak haha.

I’m pretty happy with the final result and now have an absolutely unique Pheyaos Man in my collection. The only thing I’m contemplating, is perhaps painting the eye so it is brighter and stands out more.  

SCULPTING

This is one of the standout categories for Pheyaos Man, even though he uses the Chaos Man body, with newly added weapon arm and new head, it is still a very impressive amount of detail. There is detail all over the figure and it is balanced out very well. For me, the head is the coolest part, the combination of Pheyden and Mutant Chaos looks awesome! The doll eye is once again reused and really helps the head sculpt stand out. You can definitely tell there are two characters merged together. The new weapon arm is very cool too and looks very organic. It’s as if Mutant Chaos is done sampling and now ready to fight! Overall, it’s a great figure and an instant classic for me!

PAINT

This particular figure features some absolutely amazing paint applications! I love the red colour it has been cast in, in my opinion it is an excellent red tone, with metallic red highlights and black and sliver to compliment it. The black lines across the figures body really bring the overall design to the next level for me. It just makes the figure look so damn cool. When paint application and design are a big part of these types of figures, it’s great when you can get one that speaks to you personally and inspires you creatively when you look at it.

ARTICULATION

Pheyaos Man has six points of articulation: head, arms, elbows and waist. All these joints are swivels and can be rotated 360 degrees. For this type of figure and the material it’s made out of, this is a great amount of articulation for the larger size toy. You can get a good number of subtle, yet expressive poses. Don’t get me wrong, this toy isn’t super articulated, but it’s not meant to be; even with just the arms down by its sides, in the so called “museum pose” it looks cool. It just has that cool factor about it.

ACCESSORIES

No accessories for this figure, besides the scarf/neck wrap if you can even call it an accessory. Like most Real Head figures this one is pretty damn awesome just by itself, so it’s not a big deal we don’t get anything else!

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

There are none at all – this is an adult designer toy after all. It is made very well, so there are no issues with it.

PRICE

I thought back in the day, (Circa 2012-2014) that Real Head figures could be a bit pricey, but as of at least 2024 the price has skyrocketed for the larger types of figures. I’m assuming it’s because of international demand? Because Mandarake has increased their prices dramatically. Now, I haven’t checked Yahoo Auctions Japan recently, to see if the trend is the same there. But they sell out at those high prices on Mandarake, so, you are going to have to be a high-roller to afford some of these figures now if you really want them. The average is 90,000 – 150,000 Yen, you’ll be paying quite a lot for them now.

OVERALL

Real Head’s figures always have that cool factor about them. If you don’t get it right now, like me when I first went to Japan and would look at the figures for sale, don’t worry, eventually you’ll understand what makes them so cool once you come across a design you like, in a colour way you like. However, in this current price climate will it be affordable for you or not? I can’t say. If anyone knows why the prices are so high now, it would be great if you could shed some light on the reason. If you can find yourself a Pheyaos Man you like and are happy with the price, don’t hesitate to buy one. You won’t regret it, once you have the figure on your display shelf. He’s an excellent modern sofubi figure and one you should have in your collection.   

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RETRO REVIEW – HASBRO/TAKARA BEASTFORMER (LASER BEASTS) TIGERBURN

Posted by Mighty Mike on May 14, 2026
Posted in: Retro. Tagged: , , , . Leave a Comment

Tigerburn is the undisputed leader of the Laser Beasts society and The Great Emperor of the Subterranean Kingdom, heir to the Royal Tiger Clan. He leads with intelligence and a cool, calm, rational demeanour and has an endless burning drive inside him to  make sure the Laser Beasts are the most dominant force on Beast Planet.

Name: Tigerburn
Line: Beastformers (Laser Beasts)
Manufacturer: Hasbro/Takara
Released: 1988
Price: Then – $3 USD Now – $65 – $90 USD
Scale: About 5cm in height.
Accessories: Medical Aid Laser MVP Weapon

I knew of Battle Beasts from my childhood, in particular a magazine ad that was in a book at my school library of all places! But only learnt about Laser Beasts and Beastformers later in life when starting to collect more Japanese exclusive G1 Transformers.

One such toy that caught my eye was Tigerburn. One of shops inside Mandarake Nakano broadway used to have quite the selection of Battle Beasts and Laser Beasts quite a few years ago and I happened to buy my Tigerburn from there. 

He was in the display case with a number of other figures and I couldn’t resist buying him to add to my collection.

However, he was missing his weapon, which I managed to acquire later online, but that did make him a lot cheaper as he wasn’t complete.

SCULPTING

Tigerburn’s sculpting is excellent for such a small toy. He is quite detailed and his armour looks great! However, because of the rubber material and size the details can look a little bit soft. But overall he’s a very cool looking toy.

PAINT

Paint is used very effectively on Tigerburn to colour his armour and bring out small details like his eyes. Even though he’s cast in yellow the colour really pops against the cool stone blue armour with pink highlights and those red eyes really help to convey the endless burning drive inside him! I just wish he had tiger strips painted on him, as that’s the only thing missing!

ARTICULATION

Like all Beastformers he only has two points of articulation being: his arms. They can be rotated 360 degrees and that’s it. Even if it’s not much articulation, I still like it when toys give you something instead of nothing. It does help you can pose him a little bit and aim his gun too.

ACCESSORIES

Tigerburn comes with his medical aid laser MVP weapon which he can use to heal his allies on the battlefield. It’s a pretty neat looking gun that has a tiger on the side of it. And it’s pretty cool that he will heal his allies with his weapon. It’s cast in grey plastic and fits in his hand without issue.

Also like other Laser Beasts Tigerburn has a play feature where you can determine which alliance he is, by shining a light through the clear plastic chest piece! This is a pretty cool feature and just adds that little something extra.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

I would say you really don’t have a lot to worry about with Tigerburn. He’s rock solid. However, his paint might have wear on it, depending on condition. I’d always recommend getting one in C8-9 condition if you can and if he’s missing his gun it could be a little bit tricky tracking one down.

PRICE

I really don’t remember how much I paid for Tigerburn, but I don’t feel he would have been overpriced if I bought him at least 10 years ago from Mandarake. As always just pay a price you’re happy with.

OVERALL

I really like Tigerburn he’s a very cool looking Laser Beast and stands out from most of the other beasts with his yellow skin and stone blue armour. His characterisation makes him quite cool – being a strong and feared leader. So there’s a lot to like about him. I would definitely recommend picking one up if you are a Beastformers fan as once you have him on your shelf you’ll be glad you bought him.

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RETRO REVIEW – HASBRO/TAKARA THE TRANSFORMERS ASTROTRAIN

Posted by Mighty Mike on May 12, 2026
Posted in: Retro. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a Comment

Astrotrain is a Decepticon triple changer and changes into a space shuttle and steam locomotive. As a space shuttle he travels at 20,000 mph in orbit and as a train, his top speed is 400 mph. He also acts as a decepticon troop and cargo transport. Creating confusion is his specialty and he thrives on foes’ panic and fear.

Name: Astrotrain
Line: The Transformers (G1)
Manufacturer: Hasbro/Takara
Released: 1985
Price: Then – $11.99 USD Now – $50 – $250 USD
Scale: About 12cm in height in robot mode
Accessories: Ionic displacer rifle
Motto: “In confusion there is opportunity.”

My brother and I were both lucky enough to own Astrotrain as a kid, being the European classics version of the toy. Which we both received as Christmas presents (which we some how found them early, and obviously became quite excited knowing what we would receive) Even though by this stage my brother and I knew to be careful when playing with our G1 Transformers so as not to break them. I still remember at some point one Astrotrain had his leg broken and the other his arm, unfortunately. So many years later I was wanting to reclaim my childhood and was able to purchase one in good condition for myself. I’ve always liked the look of the toy and enjoyed that it could turn into a space shuttle and steam locomotive as well. Being one of the two first “Triple Changers” was pretty cool at the time.

Doing my research I read that originally it was intended to have Astrotrain’s arms extend out to be longer and that he might have been originally intended to be released for Diaclone. I really think the extending arms would have been a great added feature. I’m curious to see if any missing link Astrotrain will fix this problem if it’s ever announced.

SCULPTING

Astrotrain is very nicely sculpted, in robot mode and in space shuttle and train mode. I honesty can’t decide which mode I like the most they are all great! The only let down is his short arms and tiny oddly shaped thighs.   (Which are shaped that way as part of his transformation, but still, they’ve always looked weird) Otherwise, everything else is in proportion and which a nice amount of sculpted detail. The stickers also provide a lot of nice detail too.

For some reason there’s just something about the choice of off white and purple plastic that I just love. The plastic feels of high quality and the tones of each colour have always felt premium to me, I really do think it’s important what colour is picked and what tone of that colour too.

Also, it’s worth noting that Astrotrain’s chest shield can be folded away to better match the cartoon design. But it looks very cool when you have the chest shield out. Even if it does limit his arm movement.

PAINT

Not too much of Astrotrain has been painted. It’s mainly the metal parts of his legs which make up the front part of his train mode. As expected it’s painted well and looks good. Just be aware of any paint chips or wear to this part of the toy.

ARTICULATION

Like most G1 transformers, Astrotrain is a brick. You can move his arms a little bit and they are on ball joints so you get a good range of motion, but that’s it. No leg or head articulation. 

His transformation from space shuttle to robot to train is fun and fairly intuitive and feels satisfying. Even if you are just moving and folding different parts of his body. 

ACCESSORIES

Astrotrain comes with his Ionic displacer rifle and that’s it. His gun is notoriously oversized for the toy and for his tiny arms. Still it looks great and fits in and stays in his hand with no problem.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

I would have to say Astrotrain is a pretty solid toy. However, I do remember that as a kid one of his legs broke. So like most vintage transformers you still need to be careful with him. Only real issues if buying one would be plastic discolouration or paint chips/play wear.

PRICE

I was able to get my copy of Astrotrain from Transformerland and was happy with the price for the condition of the toy. As always just pay a price you are happy with.

OVERALL

I really like the Astrotrain toy. Astrotrain is definitely a good background toy to have to help build out your G1 collection and a pretty great toy in its own right, even with its limitations. As an adult collector there’s not too much to worry about with this one. He’s a great toy to own. Perhaps the main question is do you have the chest shield out or folded up?

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COLLECTIONS – STAR WARS BOUNTY HUNTERS

Posted by Mighty Mike on May 4, 2026
Posted in: Collections. Tagged: , .

Today, being May The 4th, I wanted to start a somewhat new format for the site – Collections. Mainly being a single group photo of either a certain group of characters or even a bunch of the same character, just different toys of said character.

I won’t be posting these every week, just every now and then. But I thought this would be a very good photo to start with. However, I can’t take credit for the idea as I was inspired by this photo here by Jeffery Alvord.

Which, in turn, is inspired by this classic bit of Star Wars art by Ralph McQuarrie.

May The Fourth Be With You, Star Wars fans!

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REVIEW – HASBRO THE BACK SERIES – HAN SOLO (BESPIN OUTFIT)

Posted by Mighty Mike on May 4, 2026
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , , , , , , .

Han Solo is a smuggler and captain of the Millennium Falcon who ends up joining the Rebel Alliance after aiding them in their battle against the Death Star. In The Empire Strikes Back after escaping the forces of the Empire, Solo is finally captured after his friend Lando Calrissian betrays him and is subsequently frozen in carbonite and given to the bounty hunter Boba Fett to be delivered to Jabba the Hutt after Han fails to pay off his debts to Jabba.

Name: Han Solo (Bespin Outfit)
Line: The Black Series – ESB 40th Anniversary collection
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Released: 2020
Price: $19.99 USD
Scale: 6 inch
Accessories: Blaster pistol

The 2018 Black Series release of Bespin Outfit Han Solo is rereleased for the 40th Anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back on a Kenner style vintage card back. This particular version of Han Solo had caught my eye as it was for sale at my (at the time) local comic book shop along with Luke and Leia. Eventually I went back to buy him and later picked up Leia as well. I could not resist the Kenner vintage style packaging and larger size of the black series. (Even if, at this point I was strictly sticking to the vintage collection 3.75-inch figures and not looking to buy more Black Series after selling what I had bought earlier in the series run.) However, my intention was to just have Han and Leia from The Empire Strikes Back and maybe a choice few other figures, which so far, I’ve managed to stick to that rule.

Being May the fourth, I’m trying my best to remember to post a Star Wars review on that particular day and at least this year I have succeeded!

SCULPTING

The sculpting in hand for this figure is great. Its definitely one of the best mass market Han Solo figures in my opinion for the price that you pay. The likeness is definitely Harrison Ford as Han Solo from The Empire Strikes Back. The rest of the figure is done well the jacket, shirt, pant, holster and boots all have a good amount of detail and look realistic.

Han shot first, damn it!

PAINT

Not much paint here and that’s just how I like it. Theres a little bit for details on Han’s clothes and you also have the Photo Real printing/painting on the face which really makes it look great in person. So not too much to worry about here.  

ARTICULATION

The Black Series has a kind of a hybrid of The Vintage Collection and standard modern action figure articulation. For example, the arms are definitely the type of articulation and design we would see with a normal Vintage Collection 3.75-inch figure. But we have standard double-jointed knees. (even if newer releases for the vintage Collection now mimic this type of articulation too) with that said you can get Han into a number of great poses I really had a lot of fun posing him for the photo set and it didn’t feel like chore to pose and take phots of him. He’s definitely one of those figures you want to just pick up and play with every now and then. So, I don’t think you’d have any problems posing this figure for the most part.

ACCESSORIES

Han comes with his trusty blaster pistol and that’s it. No extra hands or heads etc. which is pretty basic. But, its fine. I’m happy with that though. I would have liked some extra hands this isn’t an S.H.Figuarts figure after all.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

I really don’t think you’re going to have any problems with this figure, unless you happen to get a bad paint application on the face?

PRICE

I paid the retail price for the Australian market and supported a local business at the same time. So, I was happy with that, even if that means the price might have been a little bit higher than what I would have payed online.

OVERALL

This is a really good Han Solo figure. Is he the best? No. Is he the worst? No again. But what you do have is an affordable, well-made figure that looks good and is really fun to play with and looks good on a display shelf with other figures from the same line of toys. And I think that’s enough to make him a must buy for me. Especially for the vintage inspired packaging for you MOC Collectors out there, he will look great, as its like having an oversized version of the original Han Solo in Bespin Outfit, abet more modern looking. If you have the chance and are a Star Wars fan, he’s worth adding to your collection.

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