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REVIEW – HOT TOYS SCARLET WITCH (CIVIL WAR) 1/6 SCALE COLLECTIBLE FIGURE

Posted by Mighty Mike on April 7, 2020

Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: Civil War, Hot Toys, Marvel, Scarlet Witch.

Marvel Studios Captain America: Civil War continues the story after the events of The Winter Soldier and Age Of Ultron. After a series of unintentional accidents where the Avengers actions have lead to collateral Damage, Iron Man and Captain America take different sides on deciding what direction should be taken to oversee the Avengers actions. Leading to a climatic battle between the two sides, Scarlet Witch joins the side of Steve Rogers battling against her former teammates.

Name: Scarlet Witch (Civil War Version)
Line: Movie Masterpiece Series
Product Code: MMS370
Manufacturer: Hot Toys
Released: 2016
Price: $199 – $250 USD
Scale: 1/6
Accessories: Various hands and items as well as a display stand

I’ve already reviewed the first version of Scarlet Witch from Hot Toys here. I’ll be repeating myself a little bit as this figure has a few things in common with that release. However, it does improve on some of the lacking aspects of the previous release (quality of hair, boot articulation etc.)

This is the first Scarlet Witch figure that I bought for myself, I waited for one to come up for the right price and promptly made my purchase and soon enough she was on her way from Japan via EMS and the price wasn’t half bad either.

Even if I’m a little behind on the release schedule (Scarlet Witch was released in December 2016 after all!), the wait was worth it, now that I have her in hand.

LIST OF PARTS

Inside the box you get the following items:

One Scarlet Witch figure
Seven interchangeable hands
One necklace
Four Scarlet Witch power flame effects
One Tiny Ant-Man figure (in running pose)
One display stand

SCULPTING

This is the same head sculpt that came with the first two versions of Scarlet Witch and some collectors aren’t happy about that. It’s almost like they expect Hot Toys to make a new head sculpt with every new release. I’d rather they do what they are doing now, where they nail the head sculpt the first time and keep using it, just keep improving the paint application with each new release.

They have done a great job capturing the likeness of Elizabeth Olsen, so why ruin it by trying to improve on perfection? The body is pretty much the same too, but the hands and boots are not.

PAINT

I don’t think there’s anything new I can really say here as far as paint applications go. Hot Toys continually put out the best mass produced painted figures in the market, no one can come close to surpassing them yet, they are all still struggling to keep up and it’s not just the heads, it’s the whole package! A lot of companies don’t bother to paint things like hands or bodies properly, not Hot Toys, it’s things like this that make them the best.

The care and attention to detail is second to none. Civil War Scarlet Witch is another shining example of this. The paint application on the face is extremely realistic and brings an unparalleled level of realism to the figure and excellent job by JC Hong and his team.

The head sculpt maybe the same, but the paint apps aren’t, I feel out of the three heads released thus far, this is the best version to date, just something about it looks a little stripped back, but it somehow makes the sculpt look even better, perhaps Scarlet Witch was just hiding under too much makeup the first time around.

They’ve even fixed up the flat flesh tone issues that the first Scarlet Witch had (the hands now having gloves on them helped in this instance.) Hot Toys have brought their usual paint application A game with this figure.

ARTICULATION

Scarlet Witch uses what I guess we can call by now the standard Hot Toys female TrueType body, which appeared around the release of Jill Valentine, Baby Doll, and Resident Evil Alice figures. Which we haven’t seen a release of it by itself yet, either, but we can only hope and pray for that!

It’s a great base body and has a few different leg, arm and bust variants to make it quite versatile. This particular version has the following articulation:

Ball jointed neck, ball jointed chest, ball jointed shoulders, double jointed elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, ball jointed waist, ball jointed hips, double jointed knees and ball jointed ankles.

You can get Scarlet Witch into a good number of poses and she’s not hampered too much by her clothes, like the first figure, the only part where she struggles are her boots, this time, though, it’s not a bad thing that she has extra added articulation where the ankles are, instead of solid boots, its that said articulation makes her a bit more unsteady on her feet ( I think the shin/calf part of the boot makes the ankles become a little looser than they should be), but at least this version of Scarlet Witch can now do much deeper stances, I’d recommend using the stand for her, however. Otherwise, it’s all good, nice and tight joints, she is a pleasure to pose.

OUTFIT

Yet another category Hot Toys by default excels in. They have mass produced 1/6 clothes down to a fine art. Now there are other companies that are catching up. (in my opinion, Blitzway are the closest) But Hot Toys still consistently nail it with each new release and keep pushing that envelope more and more.

I’m very impressed with Scarlet Witch’s outfit as a whole. The long red coat is the stand out for me, it just looks amazing, it’s incredibly detailed and it also has some wire in the ends so it can be posed flared out and even some tiny buttons to keep it pinned to her body at the waist!

I also like the look of the corset and ‘leather’ tights visually, for whatever reason, I find this outfit very appealing compared to the previous releases, even if it’s a bit more subdued than say, her Avengers outfit. So kudos the film’s costume designer and Hot Toys for replicating it in 1/6 scale.

ACCESSORIES

You aren’t getting a lot of accessories with Scarlet Witch. A few extra hands and four “power effects” it’s a little bit more I guess then the first Scarlet Witch and the extra “power effects” are great and add a little bit more variety to your display options.

I feel the choice of hands is great, there is enough variety to get a lot of cool looking poses from Scarlet Witch and I did have a lot of fun trying different combinations out and playing around trying to get the best poses out of her.

The included mini Ant-Man is a nice touch as well.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

There aren’t really too many things to watch out for with this figure, handle her carefully and read the instructions are two good pointers. Also, take care changing the hands out, I haven’t had a problem with the female figures wrist joints yet, unlike some of the males ones, but it never hurts to heat up the hands a little to make them a touch softer, if you want to be extra careful!

PRICE

I paid about 24,000 YEN for Scarlet Witch and I’m pretty happy with that, beats the local price here ($340 -$ 360 AUD, you are kidding me!) Obviously, shop around and try to get the best price you can, but don’t delay too long as she appears to be quite popular. (When the price is right of course!)

OVERALL

This is my favorite Scarlet Witch figure from Hot Toys to date. If you haven’t picked up a Scarlet Witch figure yet, I’d say go out of your way to get this one. Otherwise just choose the one with the costume you like the most, either way, you won’t be disappointed. I feel this version has the best paint applications on the head sculpt and best rooted hair (out of the three releases) too. She’ll look great with the rest of your Avengers figures and better still look great with Quicksilver too.

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REVIEW – HASBRO STAR WARS BLACK SERIES AT-AT DRIVER

Posted by Mighty Mike on April 6, 2020

Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: At-AT Driver, Black Series, Hasbro, Star Wars.

The AT-AT Drivers are the pilots of the Imperial Forces AT-AT Walkers, first seen in The Empire Strikes Back during the battle of Hoth. Working in teams of two they control the AT-AT Walkers driving and firing controls. Their uniforms are designed to protect them in harsh frozen climates if they are forced to abandon the AT-AT Walkers during combat.

Name: AT-AT Driver/Pilot
Line: Star Wars Black Series
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Released: 2016
Price: $19.99 USD
Scale: 6 inches in height
Accessories: E-11 Blaster Pistol

This is pretty much my first and only Star Wars Black Series purchase so far, I did dip my toe in ever so slightly a few years back and picked up Greedo which I had for a little while, before selling off, but I never took him out of the box and had a good look at him properly. So when Hasbro finally announced the AT-AT Driver I was looking forward to owning the figure and promptly placed my pre-order with BBTS.

The figure was released late December last year and I had my pile-of-loot shipped in January so he didn’t make the cut in my “best of” list. This was still one of the figures I was hoping that Hasbro would include in their Black Series of 6″ toys and I’m glad to have finally got my hands on him.

SCULPTING

I’m no Star Wars expert when it comes to Imperial armour and the tiny nuances when comparing what’s on the screen to toys and figures. But to me, this looks like a pretty good effort from Hasbro and looks quite good when compared to say the 3.65 AT-At Driver with the removable helmet. (That figure’s helmet looks horrible FYI) I think the proportions look about right and there’s plenty of nice details all over the figure. Plenty of creases on the clothes and nice smooth surfaces for the armour.

The Helmet itself is definitely the standout and that life support chest piece is a close second. (Seeing these are the main components of the AT-AT Driver armour in my opinion, I’m glad they’ve nailed them.) The only thing I don’t like is where the chest armour meets the hips as it cinches in and makes the AT-AT Driver look like he’s got some voluptuous proportions and once you notice it, it can’t be unseen, that’s for sure.

PAINT

There’s not too much paint on the AT-AT Driver. It’s mainly used for little details like the life support system on the chest or on the helmet. Overall I’d say it’s generally nice and neat, however, there are some stray spots on other parts of the figure. I really think the paint does a nice job of bringing out the details on that chest piece. I’d say the paint application is up to Hasbro’s usual standard (say when compared with the Marvel Legends I have for example.)

ARTICULATION

The AT-AT Driver has the following articulation: Ball-joint/swivel head, hinge/swivel shoulders, hinge/swivel elbows, hinge/swivel wrists, ball-joint waist, hinge/swivel hips, swivel thighs, double-jointed knees and hinge/swivel ankles which can pivot as well.

All in all, it’s a good amount of articulation and one of the highlights of the Black Series from the beginning. You can get the AT-AT Driver into plenty of poses without too much trouble, even if the hoses that are attached to the helmet and chest armour make the head a bit hard to move around too much and the strap/loop things on his legs affect the articulation there too.

I enjoyed playing with him while taking the photos this is a pretty fun figure to play with and to pose.

ACCESSORIES

The AT-AT Driver comes with the ever present E-11 Blaster Pistol that almost every Imperial trooper and pilot tends to come with. Just like the smaller 3.65 Inch figures, the blaster is a bit warped right out of the package. Besides this common issue, it looks good and fits into the AT-AT Driver gun holding hand with little-to-no difficulty and is a snug fit.

Child Birthing Hips You Say?!?!?

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

None I can think of, besides the minor nitpicks mentioned above.

PRICE

I paid $19.99 USD for the figure from BBTS and I’m quite happy with that. I’m assuming that’s around the normal retail price and for the quality of the figure not too cheap, but not too expensive either. I don’t tend to buy many figures in person these days after all when the Internet is so convenient.

OVERALL

I’m not going to be buying every figure released in the Black Series, I’m going to be very selective with what characters I buy, so my collection at the moment is very small (just the AT-AT Driver right now). Much like my Marvel Legends purchases, it will just be my favorite characters. With that said, I’m very impressed with this figure, it’s a very strong effort from Hasbro and the price point is great too. I’m assuming you’d have to be an Imperial Forces completist to pick this guy up, but he does look quite nice next to the Snowtrooper. I’m very happy with him and if you end up buying one for yourself, I’d like to think you’d be too.

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RETRO REVIEW – KENNER SGT. DRAKE

Posted by Mighty Mike on April 5, 2020

Posted in: Retro. Tagged: Aliens, Drake, Kenner.

Kenner’s line of ‘Aliens’ Space Marine toys was fairly short-lived. After only 1 & 1/2 series of figures, the Marines were dumped in favor of Predators instead to do battle with the Aliens. What marines we did get, however, were quite cool and in most cases had action features to add more play value. Drake, a character that appeared in the Aliens film franchise, also received a figure in this toy line.

Name: Drake
Line: Aliens
Manufacturer: Kenner
Released: 1992
Price: Then: $10-$16. Now: $10 – $26 MOSC or less if loose
Scale: 4 -5 Inches in height
Accessories: Smart Gun, Bayonet

I really can’t remember why my brother and I decided to collect the Kenner Aliens toys when we were kids – being a toyline based off an MA 15+ series of movies – but they did look cool. The Alien designs were nice and there were a variety of figures.

But you can’t just have Aliens… You need Marines as well! Regardless of what collectors at the time and collectors now think of this toyline, I still like what Kenner did with about 90% of the figures they made.

When my brother and I first saw these figures, normally each one of us would choose which ones we liked best, my brother owned Drake so from a nostalgia point of view, I don’t really have that same connection as say Ripley or Hudson figures which I personally owned.

SCULPTING

For the most part, I’d like to think Kenner did a good job of taking the source material and putting their own spin on it. Apparently, there was going to be a cartoon to tie in with the toys so that would make sense changing the characters a bit. Drake has all the key elements: blonde hair, tank top and camo pants. All things the character had in the movie, even if it looks nothing like actor Mark Rolston. Still, overall I think it’s a great looking figure.

PAINT

The paint on most of Kenner’s toys and figures tend to be quite neat. Drake is a pretty good example of this, but there is a little slop around his hairline. Otherwise, it’s all very neat and expertly applied, as always, if you are able to get a good look at what you are buying you can pick one with a good paint job.

ARTICULATION

Drake technically has about six points of articulation, swivel head, arms, legs and waist, however besides the arms and legs the rest will all move when using Drake’s action feature, where you rotate his waist, it moves his upper torso with the head staying in place, so it looks like he’s maneuvering his Smart Gun around at different targets. (You can still move his head independently if desired.)

This is a pretty cool action feature and really captures the action from the movie quite faithfully, however, it does limit Drake as he’s essentially stuck in the one, unchanging pose.

ACCESSORIES

Drake only comes with a bayonet which can be attached to the end of his Smart Gun, it makes sense that you would want to keep aliens as far away from your person as possible and this would help to do that, but just the Smart Gun by itself would be enough, I’d like to think. I guess it’s just thrown in there for extra play value.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

None that I can think of; Drake is rock solid. What would you expect from an early 1990’s toy? Just make sure your one has a good paint job before you buy it.

PRICE

I was happy with the $10 + shipping costs; however, I wouldn’t pay too much for this figure, as he is not worth any large amount of money.

OVERALL

Drake is a pretty solid figure, even if he is sculpted in the one pose. His action feature is fun and really adds a great amount of play value to the figure. He may not be the most important character in the Aliens franchise, but memorable nonetheless. If you are looking to complete your Kenner Aliens collection, Drake definitely needs to in there.

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REVIEW – HOT TOYS TERMINATOR ENDOSKELETON 1/4 SCALE COLLECTIBLE FIGURE

Posted by Mighty Mike on April 4, 2020

Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: Endoskeleton, Hot Toys, T2.

In The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger is an unstoppable cyborg killing machine sent back in time from the year 2029 by the artificial intelligence network, Skynet to terminate Sarah Connor, the woman who will give birth to the future’s Resistance movement leader, John Connor.
The original Terminator movie was released in 1984 and is considered one of the best sci-fi films ever made. It featured terrific action sequences, a well-written story, and incredible special effects for its time.

Name: T-800 Endoskeleton
Line: Quarter Scale Series
Product Code: QS002
Manufacturer: Hot Toys
Released: 2013
Price: Then: $399.99 USD, Now: $570 – $730 USD
Scale: 1/4
Accessories: Plasma Rifle as well as a display stand

You’d think being a Terminator fan I would have bought this figure the day it was released, well I didn’t, main reason being, where was I going to put this beast? I had seen my friend’s Enterbay Battle Damaged T2 T-800, and was obviously impressed with the sheer size and amount of detail on the figure. (Not really impressed by Enterbay’s choice of materials or their ‘hit and miss’ factory paint application.)

So at this point the thought of potentially owning the Hot Toys 1/4 scale Terminator Endoskeleton was in the back of my mind, I did come very close to picking it up the year before when I was in Japan as the price was still very good and brand new in box, I couldn’t complain. But alas, I had no space in my suitcase by this point and nowhere to put it.

However, the year after I was better prepared for such a potential purchase. Two suitcases devoted to mainly toy purchases, you can’t go wrong! ( I ended up sandwiching The Endoskeleton box with Hot Toys Godfather’s box in the one suitcase, another great deal on that one too!)

So finally I had this figure in my collection, but I still have no way to display it properly, so it just sits in its box for now. This review was the first time I was able to take the figure out and have a good and proper look at it and a good play around. Which probably worked out better that way as it makes it almost like I bought it brand new and hadn’t opened it before. Still, that sense of wonderment and excitement you get from your first couple of Hot Toys’ figures was definitely there as I removed this figure from the box, it’s easily one of Hot Toys best figures they’ve released so far!

LIST OF PARTS

Inside the box you get the following items:

One 1/4 T-800 Endoskeleton figure
One Plasma Rifle
One display stand

SCULPTING

One of the best aspects of 1/4 Scale figures is the amount of extra detail that is applied to each figure, being much larger in size you can really take in the subtle skin texture on a figure, for example. But, this review is about the Terminator Endoskeleton. The extra detail you get to appreciate here is all the tubing, pistons and other mechanical like details of the Endoskeleton design in general, and boy is it detailed!

This is easily one of the best versions of the Endoskeleton in any scale and unlike Sideshow’s statues, for example, they haven’t given it funny looking teeth.

This figure just oozes awesomeness! The only very minor nitpick is that on the neck, there’s a very obvious mold line in the middle at the front. But, besides that, the sculpting is great!

PAINT

I’m going to assume the Endoskeleton parts have all be chromed or vacuum metalized, however, this isn’t some shiny ‘fresh off the production line’ T-800, this one has been out in the battlefield for a bit and has a fair amount of wear on the surface of that chrome. The overall effect is quite nice. But, it’s that shininess that sets the figure apart from other Hot Toys releases of Endoskeletons and makes it really stand out.

ARTICULATION

I don’t know if I even want to try and work out just how much articulation this figure has! But there sure is a decent amount and a lot of it well thought out and also well hidden, that it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb either. Being a mechanical looking skeleton, it’s quite easy to hide some joints and other joints, obviously being just part of the design.

Things like the neck and hips are restricted a bit by the pistons and hoses, but overall he’s very poseable. You can at least get him in all the Terminator type poses you would want, and without the aid of the display stand as seen in the photos, but, I wouldn’t recommend leaving him displayed without the stand, however! The last thing you want is this expensive big figure taking a tumble!

OUTFIT

Well, it’s an Endoskeleton, so there’s no outfit to speak of.

ACCESSORIES

You get one Plasma Rifle and that’s about it. If you bought the Special Edition version of this figure, then you got two Plasma Rifles, which would be pretty sweet. But, one is enough for me.

As expected, the usual focus on detail and craftsmanship is ever present here. I was impressed back in the day with the 1/6 scale version of the Plasma Rifle that came with the original 1/6 scale Endoskeleton, But the larger scale means more detail and the ability to appreciate that detail more so as the scale is increased.

I can’t fault the rifle, with the exception of perhaps the colour as movie stills and some props lead me to believe the rifle is silver and black, but I actually prefer the all black/grey/gun metal grey colour, I think it makes the rifle look that much nicer in hand.

The other accessory is the display stand, I really don’t like the look of it, I think it looks quite boring and lame actually, I would have preferred some kind of simple black cover as an option and be able to swap out between the two. But, the paint and sculpting on the base aren’t up to the high standards of the Endoskeleton itself and that’s a little disappointing.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

The only real problem I can think of is, that I reckon the arm and/or ankle joints might loosen up over time, especially the arm or arms holding the Plasma Rifle, even if it isn’t that heavy, those arms look like they would have trouble over time. Other than that, finding space for the damn thing!

I’m not devoting a whole shelf in my cabinet just for the terminator, but if I were to get one of those large acrylic boxes, I’d have found my solution to the problem, so alas, the Endoskeleton stays in its box for now.

PRICE

I was lucky enough to pay around $350 AUD for this guy back in 2014 thanks to the many second-hand toy stores in Tokyo. The plus side to it being second hand is you are encouraged to inspect the item before you pay, so if there are any problems, hopefully, you can spot them!

I was happy with the price and it was my big splurge on that trip as I hadn’t really bought anything notable up to that point of my holiday.

OVERALL

If you are in the market for some 1/4 scale goodness, then you can’t go by this amazing figure from Hot Toys, even though I don’t buy many 1/4 scale figures (This being my only purchase in the scale so far) I needed this guy in my collection at some point, as I am a big Terminator fan and besides 1/1 scale stuff, it doesn’t get and bigger or better then this!

If you can find one for a decent price these days, all the better as the prices only seems to go up for all 1/4 figures, be it Hot Toys or Enterbay. If you are a Terminator fan and have the space and the budget I’m sure you already have this, if you don’t I wouldn’t sit on your hands too much longer as it lives up to the hype. It may have one or two minor nitpicks, however it is still truly an extraordinary figure to have and own!

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REVIEW – HASBRO TITANS RETURN TRIGGERHAPPY

Posted by Mighty Mike on April 3, 2020

Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: Decepticon, G1, Head Master, Titans Return, Transformers, Triggerhappy.

Triggerhappy is wild and unpredictable, apparently too busy laughing uncontrollably to look where he’s shooting and loves the sound of his guns blasting away. He transforms into a Cybertronian Starfighter and is partnered with Titan Master Blowpipe.

Name: Triggerhappy
Line: Transformers Titans Return
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Released: 2016
Price: 24.99 AUD
Scale: Roughly 14.5 cm in height
Accessories: Two Blaster Weapons, Blowpipe mini figure, Tech Spec card

I didn’t really want to get sucked into buying anything from Hasbro’s Titans Return line initially. Even after the reveal of Skullcruncher, I thought the design looked amazing but, I didn’t want to commit if they were just going to drop the ball like Combiner Wars did.

Unfortunately for me, I came across Triggerhappy in Big W out at Rouse Hill last month and after staring at the toy in package for about 30 seconds I knew I was picking it up then and there.

Now I’ve managed to pick up some of Takara’s offerings (Skullcruncher, High Brow etc.) you can pretty much say I’m all in. If Triggerhappy didn’t do it, Trypticon, certainly would have.

SCULPTING

Hasbro have done a great job here, Triggerhappy is absolutely covered in detail! Plenty of raised sections, paneling etc to make him look quite good, in both robot and plane mode. I really like the head design too, finally, a Triggerhappy toy has a cartoon-accurate face!

PAINT

There’s not too much paint on Triggerhappy, it’s mainly just used for small details. I’m fine with that, they just help to break up the solid blocks of dark blue and grey. What paint we do have, is nice and neat overall.

ARTICULATION

Triggerhappy has a lot of ball joints, swivel joints and hinge joints, which makes him really fun to play around with. Most importantly the shoulders and hips are ball joints, this really helps you achieve some great poses. If I had one complaint, it’s that his feet don’t pivot so it makes it hard to stand him up properly, the further apart his legs get.

ACCESSORIES

Triggerhappy comes with two guns and the Titan Master mini figure, that turns into his head. The guns are pretty cool with plenty of detail, they can even be combined together to make a larger gun the mini figure can sit in.

The Titan Master mini figure is all kinds of cool! He’s got articulated head, arms, and legs, the only thing I don’t like about the Hasbro version is that Hasbro doesn’t tend to paint the faces of them, whereas Takara does!

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

I can’t really see anything to watch out for, except you could misplace the mini figure if you aren’t careful!

PRICE

I paid about 24.99 AUD for Triggerhappy. I normally don’t purchase toys from stores locally, but I’ll make the exception if I want to try and get one with a good paint job. For the price, I’m quite happy with what you get in the blister card.

OVERALL

Triggerhappy is a great addition to the Titan Returns Toy line. He’s what you would expect when you take an older toy or character design and update it, it’s good to see this happening not only in just the masterpiece line anymore, as I really think Hasbro are doing an excellent job with Titans Return so far! It will be interesting to see if Takara plans to release their own version and how much it will differ from Hasbro’s.

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REVIEW – HOT TOYS SCARLET WITCH (AGE OF ULTRON) 1/6 SCALE COLLECTIBLE FIGURE

Posted by Mighty Mike on April 2, 2020

Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: Age Of Ultron, AOU, Hot Toys, Marvel.

Marvel Studios smash hit Avengers: Age Of Ultron was the next big adventure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, by not only introducing us to Ultron but also bringing us a number of new Avengers too. Scarlet Witch being one of them. Even if she initially wanted to destroy the Avengers, she and her brother Quicksilver soon realised the error of their ways after Ultron revealed his master plan to them and they joined with the Avengers to help in defeating him.

Name: Scarlett Witch
Line: Movie Masterpiece Series
Product Code: MMS 301
Manufacturer: Hot Toys
Released: 2016
Price: $199 – $266 USD MISB
Scale: 1/6
Accessories: Various hands and items as well as a display stand

I’ve been pretty sparse with my Hot Toys reviews, but with good reason, firstly, I don’t buy every figure anymore or as many figures as I used to and secondly, I was waiting for my pre-orders to come in and ship them all together to save on shipping costs and that day finally came recently, with a bundle of Hot Toys making their way to me in good time from the always excellent folks at Animarket.

Tonight I’m reviewing Scarlet Witch (with Quicksilver to follow very, very soon) but truth be told this isn’t my figure it’s actually my brothers, he’s more of a Scarlet Witch fan than me and when you live in the same house it makes it a lot easier to fill out collections when you aren’t buying every single figure yourself.

With that said, the more I worked with her during the photo shoot the more I liked the figure, so I might pick up the Civil War version for myself, seeing I know my brother isn’t getting that one. But we’ll see what happens as I keep my pre-orders a lot looser and a lot more commitment free then in the past, as the options online are quite plentiful if I happen to change my mind.

Now onto the review of Hot Toys Age of Ultron Scarlet Witch!

LIST OF PARTS

Inside the box you get the following items:

One Scarlet Witch figure

Eight interchangeable hands

Two necklaces

Two Scarlet Witch power flame effects

One Ultron Heart

One display stand

SCULPTING

One of the main focus points on any Hot Toys figure is going to be the head sculpt, with every new figure announcement there is always heated discussion among fans in forums and Facebook groups about how good or how bad the likeness is to the actor or actress.

Scarlet Witch was no different. However, most sane collectors agreed that the prototype was close and just needed some slight tweaks to make it a home run.

Thankfully, Hot Toys have done just that, in my opinion. It was already a strong likeness to Elizabeth Olsen, (as Scarlet Witch) but now I feel it’s been refined just enough to make it close to perfect, the only thing they can do to make it better, is to refine the paint applications with each continued release.

(Like for the next two upcoming Scarlet Witch releases which use the same head, much like they are now doing for Hawkeye and Captain America’s Steve Roger’s Head.)

Which I’ve got to say, doesn’t bother me one bit, make an excellent head sculpt to begin with, there is no reason (or point) to constantly remake it when you don’t have to, that’s just smart business and a welcome change as far as I am concerned.

PAINT

The care and attention to detail are second to none. Scarlet Witch is another shining example of this. The paint application on the face is extremely realistic and brings an unparalleled level of realism to the figure and excellent job by JC Hong and his team. If I had one nit pick, it would be that on the translucent hands, the flesh tones look a little flat when compared to the standard hands, otherwise, it’s what you would normally expect from Hot Toys.

ARTICULATION

Scarlet Witch uses what I guess we can call by now the standard Hot Toys female TrueType body, which appeared around the release of Jill Valentine, Baby Doll and Resident Evil Alice figures. Which we haven’t seen a release of it by itself yet, either, but we can only hope and pray for that!

It’s a great base body and has a few different leg, arm and bust variants to make it quite versatile. This particular version has the following articulation:

Ball jointed neck, ball jointed chest, ball jointed shoulders, double jointed elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, ball jointed waist, ball jointed hips, double jointed knees and ball jointed ankles.

You can get Scarlet Witch into a good number of poses and she’s not hampered too much by her clothes, the only part where she struggles are her boots, the ankles are restricted a bit by the plastic, if the boots were a little softer, I think there would be no issues. So wider stances are a bit of a no-go for her. Otherwise, it’s all good, nice and tight joints, she is a pleasure to pose.

OUTFIT

I’m very impressed with Scarlet Witch’s Jacket and multilayered dress the tailoring is great and they don’t look oversized at all, plus the darkened effects on the end of the jacket look fantastic.

The stockings or leg warmers are a bit annoying as they don’t really have a way to stay up, so from time to time as I changed poses I did have to pull them up and adjust them, but it was never a big deal, once you pose her up, they aren’t going anywhere.

ACCESSORIES

You aren’t getting a lot of accessories with Scarlet Witch. A few extra hands, some “power effects” attachments and “Ultron’s heart”. Compared to other releases it’s not much, but then there’s only so many things they could have given us, maybe a few more magic effects in different sizes?

(BTW the magic effects were a little tricky at first to figure out which way they went on, seeing the instructions are pretty useless, but once figured out, you’ll never get confused by them again!)

Ultron’s heart is a nice inclusion, but not really needed and will be left in the box by me.

I feel the choice of hands is great, there is enough variety to get a lot of great poses from Scarlet Witch and I did have a lot of fun trying different combinations out and playing around trying to get the best poses out of her.

You also get what I’m calling the “standard Marvel display stand” which at first I didn’t think I’d like, but now I have a group of Avengers assembled I have actually come to like the stand a lot more now.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

There aren’t really too many things to look out for with this figure, handle her carefully and read the instructions are two good pointers. Also, take care changing the hands out, I haven’t had a problem with the female figures wrist joints yet, unlike some of the males ones, but it never hurts to heat up the hands a little to make them a touch softer, if you want to be extra careful!

PRICE

I paid $199 USD from Animarket, which worked out to be not too bad seeing after the deposit upon placement of the order when you finally have to pay the remaining amount it sure makes it a lot less painful on the bank account. Especially when you can have your orders shipped in one big box together (with plenty of bubble wrap and padding too btw) works out to be a pretty good deal, I have to say.

Also, because I refuse to support the local sellers as they do not know how to pack an order properly, let alone a simple thing called “business ethics”. Unfortunately, most Australian sellers of Hot Toys figures don’t know or have these two simple things, a shame really, but that’s how it goes sometimes.

OVERALL

I was indifferent about Scarlet Witch at first, after having a play around and posing her up for this review she really started to grow on me a lot. Even though this isn’t my figure, it has really brought me around to potentially buying a Scarlet Witch for myself. But if you only want one in your collection I would strongly suggest this one as she looks great with Quicksilver, but it really comes down to what costume you prefer the most as to which Scarlet Witch figure you should buy. She definitely looks great on a shelf with her fellow Age of Ultron Avengers!

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REVIEW – HOT TOYS QUICKSILVER (AGE OF ULTRON) 1/6 SCALE COLLECTIBLE FIGURE

Posted by Mighty Mike on April 1, 2020

Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: Age Of Ultron, AOU, Hot Toys, Marvel, Quicksilver.

Marvel Studios smash hit Avengers: Age Of Ultron was the next big adventure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, by not only introducing us to Ultron but bringing us a number of new Avengers too. Quicksilver being one of them. Even if he initially wanted to destroy the Avengers, he and his sister Scarlet Witch soon realised the error of their ways after Ultron revealed his master plan to them, and they joined with the Avengers to help in defeating him.

Name: Quicksilver
Line: Movie Masterpiece Series
Product Code: MMS 302
Manufacturer: Hot Toys
Released: 2016
Price: $185 – $260 USD MISB
Scale: 1/6
Accessories: Various hands as well as a display stand

Having just reviewed Scarlet Witch, how could I not review Quicksilver too? He was my favorite character in Age Of Ultron, even if he didn’t make it to the end credits. His banter with Hawkeye was quite amusing, I do have to say.

A lot of Hot Toys fans didn’t have high hopes of Quicksilver being made, I myself hoped they would make him, but the only thing that’s for sure about Hot Toys, is nothing’s for sure (to paraphrase Sting) and after Hot Toys posted a picture on their Facebook page of the “complete Age Of Ultron set of figures” and Quicksilver wasn’t there a lot of people weren’t happy, thankfully after a short time, they updated that picture to include Quicksilver and all was right in the world.

Finally, I have Quicksilver in my hands and even although I’m heading over to Japan soon, I wanted to at least get a few more reviews out before I left and I just felt inspired to do so.

Now onto the review of Hot Toys Age of Ultron Quicksilver!

LIST OF PARTS

Inside the box you get the following items:

One Quicksilver figure

Eight interchangeable hands

One display stand

SCULPTING

After the initial pre-order announcement for quicksilver came up, much like Scarlet Witch’s head sculpt being a close match to Elizabeth Olsen, the head sculpt was a very close likeness to Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Even the test shot photos shared by Hot Toys master painter JC Hong showed an excellent portrait and paint application.

Of course, there were still a few nay-sayers, who for whatever reason just couldn’t see the likeness in the sculpt. Thankfully these people were ignored and what we have is pretty close, if not even more so improved from the prototype.

I’m very happy with what I have in hand and hopefully, my photos have done the head sculpt justice too, it’s an excellent representation of Quicksilver from AOU, in fact; all of the previously released characters from the Avengers so far have been immensely improved from their previous versions.

Needless to say, I’m happy with the head sculpt and you should be too.

PAINT

Once again another great effort here, the paint really helps bring the figure to life and makes that sweet head sculpt even better. Even the paint on the hands is up to the expected standard we’ve come to know and love, he may be lacking accessories, be he’s not lacking craftsmanship and quality.

ARTICULATION

Quicksilver has a little bit of a Frankenstein’s Monsters body in a lot of ways. Hot Toys have built up a vast catalog of arms, legs and torsos with each new figure they needed to make new parts for. Which means now they have a lot of parts to pick and choose from when putting together a body for a figure.

His arms are similar to the Advanced Truetype put out years ago, his torso similar to Indiana Jones or Hawkeye (with the shorter neck that torso has) and his shins are from the Tony Stark body they developed. So it truly is a bit of mix and match, but it works quite well I have to say.

Quicksilver has the following articulation: Ball jointed neck, Ball jointed torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, double jointed elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, ball jointed waist, swivel/hinge hips, double jointed knees and ball jointed ankles.

And it’s the ankles where he tends to fall down – literally. I had heard from other reviewers that Quicksilver had really loose ankles so I was curious to find out if I had the same issue.

Unfortunately, I did, but the fault lies in design. For whatever reason Quicksilver has the same long foot pegs that came with the T-800 (MMS/DX) which is fine if you have long boots to help hold the legs, not if you have nothing but the balance of the figure to hold you up and it didn’t help the ball joint was loose in the shoe too.

I changed out shin and ankle joints, matching the height but reducing the ball joint length, the ball joint was still a little loose in the shoe, but not as bad as he was at first. Still, I shouldn’t have to do that straight out of the box and I can’t help but wonder what Hot Toys green horns would do in that situation.

OUTFIT

Here’s another category that should be an obvious win, but once again its a bit of a let down. Quicksilver’s outfit maybe basic, but it still is executed quite well, I love the look and feel of the running pants, they have even used a similar material that you would find normal running pants made of. (Hopefully, it does attract too much lint!)

However, the shirt, although looks great, I find it a touch too thick and it’s difficult to move Quicksilver’s arms and torso. Not to mention it can cause the hands to pop off too. But, that is remedied once you change hands a few times and the hole for the wrist peg stretches a bit on each hand.

ACCESSORIES

You get some different hands and that’s it. But, they are all pretty appropriate, I guess. You get relaxed hands, fist hands, grabbing hands and running hands, two pairs of each, left and right. Considering all Quicksilver did was run and punch, you couldn’t expect much more than that. They are all sculpted and painted to the usual high standard we come to expect from Hot Toys.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

There is really not too much to look out for, besides loose ankles and the always-present fear of snapping a wrist peg, I find these larger male wrist pegs more susceptible to snapping than any of their older stuff, so of course, they then use it for everything!

Always be careful with Hot Toys wrist pegs, it takes 5 seconds to heat them up for an easy swap out, especially when it looks like if you broke one of Quicksilver’s ones you’d have to take off his shirt to change it out. Yeah, no thanks.

PRICE

I paid $185 USD from Animarket, great price and as per usual great customer service. Best to shop around and get as good of a price as you can seeing Quicksilver isn’t one of the main Avengers or characters from AOU.

OVERALL

I was quite excited when Hot Toys finally announced Quicksilver from Age Of Ultron and now I have him in hand, I’m still quite pleased with the finished product. He has a few flaws, but I’m still happy to have him in the fold. Really up to you if you need him in your collection or not. Personally, I did, hence why I bought him, plus he adds a little more depth and flare to my Avengers line up, even if he just looks like a guy out for a jog.

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Mike’s Toy Blog – Tokyo and Osaka – Toy Shop Guide – PART TWO

Posted by Mighty Mike on July 25, 2014

Posted in: Toy Guide. Tagged: Hot Toys, Japan, Osaka, Tokyo, Toy Guide, Toy Sapiens.

GENERAL INFO – OSAKA

What’s the best way to get to Osaka? Shinkansen of course! Travel time is about 2 and a half to 3 hours, but it’s a great way to see the country side and if it isn’t cloudy, Mt. Fuji!

Once you arrive in Osaka you will be at the Shin-Osaka Station and you will want to grab a Metro train line map (sorry, but you won’t be able to use your JR Pass here) and head for the following Metro Line stations:

Ogimachi (K12) – on the Sakaisuji (K) (Brown) line

(ALT Station: Umeda (M16) on the Midosuji (M) (Red) line)

Shinsaibashi (M19) – on the Midosuji (M) (Red) line

Nippombashi (K17, S17) – on the Sakaisuji (K) (Brown) line or Sennichimae (S) (Pink) Line

(ALT station: Namba (M20)on the Midosuji (M) (Red) line

It’s worth noting most of these stores are open 12pm to 8pm, 7 days a week. However, each shop’s opening hours and days can vary. (See Hero Gangu for details)

OGIMACHI (UMEDA)

*One of the two entrances to Mandarake Umeda*

Even though Umeda station is easier to get to from Shin-Osaka, if you haven’t been to Osaka before or like somewhat confusing combination station/shopping malls, then by all means use Umdea! To make the trip as easy as possible, the best way to get to Mandarake Umeda is to get off at Ogimachi! Take Exit 2A and walk through the park, and then follow the map below to get to Mandarake – There are two entrances located between Club Sega.

*How to get to Mandarake Umeda – Click on the map to view a larger version of it.*

SHINSAIBASHI

~~Next one-stop shop is the second and last Mandarake store in Osaka, Shinsaibashi. Once again use the map below to get there. You want to use Exit 8 from Shinsaibashi station.~~

*EDIT* Mandarake Shinsaibashi has been closed and there is now a store located in Nanba very close to the other toy stores in that area.

Both Mandarake’s in Osaka are worth checking out, However I still feel Tokyo’s Mandarake’s are better overall when comparing the two cities. You can still find the odd toy you might not expect to find there (which has been the case for me, when I’ve visited these stores).

NIPPONBASHI (NANBA)

This is the easiest way to get to Osaka’s version of Akihabara, “Den Den Town” in Namba. If you get off at Nipponbashi you just have to walk in a straight line down Sakai Suji Street until you reach the stores. When you get off at the station, use the station map to find exit 5, once outside, look for Super Hotel (they are tall, blue and yellow buildings, with Super Hotel on them – great place to stay in Osaka too!) to know which direction to head in. Use the map below to help with the location of the stores.

*Map of the Namba area from Nipponbashi station down to “Den Den Town”. Click on the map to view a larger version of it.*

ENTERTAINMENT HOBBY SHOP JUNGLE

One of the more well-known stores to visit in Osaka, this store is packed with tons and tons of toys and figures, both new and old: Transformers, Gundam, Hot Toys to name a few. However, the prices on some items are bordering on absurd, IMO. Best to check it out on the way to Hero Gangu and come back to buy, if you couldn’t find the same figure cheaper elsewhere and you have your heart set on it.

HERO GANGU

Another giant hobby store and anchor of Osaka’s Den Den Town as far as toys go; Hero Gangu features a massive amount of new and old toys! The ground floor features mainly newly released toys and figures, while floor 2 will have a massive amount of vintage Transformers and Hot Toys as well as Sofubi! If you visit any stores in Osaka this one must be top of your list! Even if it’s just to browse the amazing selection on offer!

Please note: Hero Gangu is not open on Wednesdays!

G-ONE SUPER POSITION CAPSULE

G-One mainly stocks capsule toys with small pockets of other toys here and there. If you are looking pick up a set of Gacha Gacha toys and don’t want to waste your coins, this is the place to go! The ground floor features isle upon isle of small little toys, with most prices being a steal. On the second floor you will find Kaiju and Chogokin and some Sofubi. There are also small sections which will feature Hot Toys and other figures too, so it’s a good idea to spend some time checking out each corner of the store.

*EDIT* G-One Super Position Capsule is no longer open.

ASTRO ZOMBIES

Down one of the side streets on the main strip of Den Den Town is Astro Zombies! Superhero toys are featured on the ground floor and upstairs will have many Sci-Fi figures and toys as well as model kits and movie props. They also have their own Sofubi Character as well!

PSYCHDELIA TOYS

Psychdelia Toys can be a little tricky to find and is also further away from the main cluster of stores, being right next to Namba City, in its “City Hobby” section, However it can be worth the short trek as it has a great selection of Kubricks, Hot Toys, Sofubi and wrestling figures as well as Capsule toy sets! Best to stop here last if you are toy hunting in Osaka.

*EDIT* Apparently, Psychdelia Toys has changed its name to: ADAMSKI and had a location move, but is still located in Namba City – I can’t confirm this, but will look for it on my next trip to Osaka!

*BONUS: ONE STOP STORE IN TOKYO – HOT TOYS – TOY SAPIENS

How could I write a Japan toy shop guide and be a fan of Hot Toys and not cover their Japanese flagship store in Tokyo!?!?

This is more of a one stop area as there really isn’t any other toy stores close by. If you are a Hot Toys fan you must visit this store at least once! Hot Toys current in stock products and pre-orders are beautifully set up on display surrounded by many retro and current figures and toys from various companies.

I will always check out this store on a trip to Japan as it’s very exciting to see soon-to-be-released prototype figures on display and, depending on the demand, pick up a newly released Hot Toys figure or two!

*EDIT* Toy Sapiens has moved locations! I will try and update this part when im next in Tokyo.

This concludes my Japan toy guide. I hope you have enjoyed reading it and hopefully it helps you in your travels. As stated before, this is not a “have all, end all” guide, but the stores listed here are great to check out if you have the time and if you like some of the toys reviewed on my blog, you can find many of these types of toys at these stores!

Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions. I will be adding to it and improving it where I can from time to time!

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Mike’s Toy Blog – Tokyo and Osaka – Toy Shop Guide – PART ONE

Posted by Mighty Mike on July 20, 2014

Posted in: Toy Guide. Tagged: CollectionDX, Japan, Osaka, Super7, Tokyo, Toy Guide.

Please note: Originally posted back in 2014, my Tokyo and Osaka toy shop guide is a little bit out of date. I will clean it up slightly if required, but ultimately it still serves its purpose and remains a time capsule for some stores that are no longer in business or have changed locations too.

I’ve often mentioned in my reviews of Japanese toys little stories or observations from my trips to Japan. What I want to share in this post are some of the places I go to, to toy hunt and also some hints and tips to getting the most out of a trip to Tokyo and Osaka at least.

Firstly, this guide will not cover every single store you can visit, if you want to do that there are some great websites, like Kaiju Korner which has an excellent guide that covers I would have to say almost all the stores in Tokyo. Also, a great book you can buy for Tokyo, it’s this one:

*Yes, this is my book and it’s had a good life.*

Super 7/Collection DX’s Tokyo Underground 2 – Toy and design culture in Tokyo (the edition I have was published in 2010) for my first trip, this book was one of my greatest assets. I was told about it by a friend of mine who had just returned from a trip to Japan. I was going to go myself and I wanted to know the best toy places to visit. This book handled about 95% of my questions.

It has straight forward and easy to read maps of each area as well as points of interest and things like locations of ATMs and best part about the maps was that you could add a new store and cross out ones that didn’t exist anymore, which can tend to happen. I will be referencing back to this book a few times in my guide, so if you can get a copy, it will make the hunting a lot easier.

I’m going to break this guide down into a few sections, these are the main areas that are great to go shopping for toys, but as stated before, this is not everything.

GENERAL INFO

TOKYO- NAKANO, AKIHABARA, SHIBUYA, UENO

OSAKA- UMEDA, SHINSABASHI, NAMBA

GENERAL INFO

This is a collection of helpful tips I’ve put together over many years of travelling to Japan.

HOTELS – AKA Where you will be staying!

The Super Hotel

One thing you need to make sure before you even buy your plane ticket is that you MUST have a place to stay booked beforehand; no place to stay, no entry into the country. If you are after a fairly cheap and convenient hotel to stay at, I recommend the Super Hotel chain of hotels, the staff’s English isn’t too bad overall, and they have plenty of hotels in Tokyo and Osaka, in some cases very close to the stores you want to go to.

Just make sure you have your Passport (duh) and print off your booking confirmation that is sent to your email address (it always helps, as you can just show it to them, if they don’t understand what you are saying). They take cash and credit cards, so nothing to worry about.

TAX – Important to keep in mind

As of April 2014 everyone including tourists have to pay 8% Consumption Tax on purchases, of goods and services – not a really big problem, but something to be aware of.

ATMs – Your source of money.

I’m not 100% sure about cards not issued in Australia, but here, all our cards have this “plus” symbol on the back of them. Good news with that is that every 7-11 as of 2014 will accept these cards, unlike in the past where it was a bit random. This means there is no need to worry about pulling out cash at all! Choose “English”, enter your pin, choose your desired amount and done. It couldn’t be any easier than that. (When pulling out money make sure to always cover your pin number with your hand and it’s better to choose a large amount each time to avoid unnecessary fees)

You may still be able to use your credit cards in some of the toy stores, but in most cases cash is king.

Also, it’s good to have at least some Japanese Yen in your wallet before you leave, in most cases your bank will have a pretty good exchange rate, so use them. Otherwise the airport exchange business will rob you blind.

JR PASS – Save money on train travel (you will need this, trust me)

Japan Rail Pass

A great way to travel around Japan is on a train. It’s fairly cheap, very efficient and almost everywhere covered in this guide is very close to a train station. So, it makes sense you would want to save some money because you will be using trains a lot (especially if you are going to travel to other cities). A JR Pass must be purchased before you go to Japan and you can choose the length of time: 7 days, 14 days or 21 days and unless you want to feel all important and such, you will only want the “Ordinary” version of the pass not the “Green 1^st Class” version.

Other things to keep in mind are, once in Japan you still need to activate your pass at a JR ticket office, a good one is located in Tokyo Central Station. You will also still need to purchase tickets after activating the pass; they will be free once you have a valid pass. Also you can only ride on certain trains too, but the staff will let you know which you can ride.

You will not be able to use any Metro lines for free, but that’s not a big deal as most of these places you can use JR lines to get there. Also another great thing to do is pick up an English version of the JR train line map too, but, if you buy Tokyo Underground, it will have one in there for you already!

TRAVEL INSURANCE – You need this.

The last thing you are going to have to organise before going is travel insurance. I know people who don’t buy any, but at the end of the day, if something happens, you are covered and that is very important. It’s also pretty cheap so I don’t see any reason why you would not buy any.

Ok. Now that the formalities are out of the way, onto the purpose of this guide – toy stores!!!

Even though a lot of these store locations are very well known, I stress it is not that everyone knows about them, it depends on when you go there, because these places always get new stock and they don’t always list it on their websites! Sometimes you can get pretty lucky with what you can find. I am proof that this is the case as for the last four years I have always found a good number of rare items in these ‘high traffic’ areas. Another thing I have noticed is a steady rise in some toys matching prices on eBay. This is just going to be a fact of life, but deals are still to be had!

TOKYO TOY STORES

It’s worth noting most of these stores are open 12pm to 8pm, 7 days a week. However, places like Nakano Broadway or Akihabara, each shop’s opening hours and days can vary.

Firstly I’ll start with the biggest, oldest and probably most well-known store – Nakano Broadway.

NAKANO

Nakano station is on the JR Sobu Local (yellow) line or the Tozai Metro (light blue) line. Once you get off the train you need to head down either the stairs or escalator to the ground floor, then head toward the north exit. After walking through the ticket gates you should be facing the Sun Mall entrance, you have to walk all the way up to the Nakano Broadway entrance. (On the walk up, if you are short on cash or think you will need more, they’ll be a 7-11 down one of the last left side little alley ways/streets.) Inside there will be an escalator and stairs, take the stairs up to the 2^nd Floor and you have reached Tokyo toy heaven. Floors 2-4 will have store after store selling almost anything you could want. If this is your first time, you could be here for a few hours/days/months making sure you don’t miss anything. I always check out Nakano at least 2-3 times per trip, firstly in case they get new stock and secondly, in case I missed anything on the first visit.

The building is covered in great detail in Tokyo Underground 2 (also referenced to as ‘TU2’) and if you can only go to a few places on your trip, this has to be one of them. The sheer amount of toys is breath-taking and any first timer will be blown away by the many, many stores located here. Bring money and lots of it.

This is what the north gate exit looks like.

AKIHABARA

*One of the many entrances to “Electric Town”*

Akihabara station can be reached by either the JR Yamanote (green) line, the Sobu Local (yellow) or the Hibiya Metro (grey) line. The most central station will be the JR line. Once again, the Tokyo Underground 2 book is very helpful at mapping out where everything is. Highlights in this area include Mandarake Akihabara branch, Akiba zone, Supoji, Liberty 7, Liberty 9 and Yodbashi-Akiba.

This is the second “Must Go” destination for any toy hunter in Tokyo! There are literally too many stores to list! My TU2 map of Akihabara has SO many additional stores added that it’s not even funny! There are at least two stores not included in the edition of TU2 I have and they are the Akiba zone and Supoji, both are really close to Mandrake Akihabara, Supoji being right next to Mandarake’s entrance, beside a Lawson and Akiba zone can be seen if you are standing at the bottom of the stairs that climb the side of Mandarake and look down the side-street, you will see it quite easily.

Near Yodobashi-Akiba is a large bus stop area, and next to that is a McDonald’s and a 7-11 in case you need money – just like in Nakano, bring money and lots of it!)

You will find a great collection here of many different toys: vintage, retro, robot, monster, high-end, and designer. Every type of toy is represented here in Akihabara, along with anything else you would file under ‘Otaku’.

Mandarake Akihabara – a giant black building at least 8 levels high, it is very hard to miss this flagship Mandarake store in Akihabara. Head up to Floor 7 and 8 for toys, it’s up to you whether you use the stairs (great exercise) or wait for a lift (there are only two and they get packed really quickly). Level 7 has a lot of vintage Sofubi and Chogokin and toy cars, whereas level 8 is where the big guns are: Hot Toys, Transformers, Real X Head and all other manner of toy goodness can be found on this level. I only managed to take a couple of photos, as the staff don’t like pictures being taken.

*This is what you will first see when entering floor 8*

Akiba Zone – A short distance away from Mandarake is the Akiba zone, head up to levels 3 and 4 for a number of case shops and toy stores: RobotRobot (3F), One up (3F), Trio (3F) and GanKing (4F), are all great stores worth having a look in.

Supoji – literally opposite Mandarake, Supoji is a fairly new store and has been open for at least two years; like Mandarake it deals in mainly second-hand toys and is only one level. You will find a small number of Hot Toys, Transformers and other collectibles – I say small number, only because the shop is so small. It can get very crowded very quickly! Always worth checking out as it is not very hard to get to.

*EDIT* Apparently Supoji has moved locations in Akihabara, I’ll update when I’m next in Tokyo!

*UPDATE* Supoji’s new location in Akihabara is not open to the public, so that means they aren’t doing any business in Tokyo atm. That’s a shame as the store was in a great location and the prices and items for sale weren’t that bad. So long, Supoji for now, it’s been fun. I’ll fondly remember them for being able to acquire a Hot Toy’s 1/4 scale Endoskeleton for about $350 AUD, used, but in great shape. It was a small store, but like those small stores, jam packed and the occasional deal to be had.

Liberty 7, Liberty 9 – both stores are located quite close to each other near the Suehirocho Metro station on the main road through Akihabara. (Chuo Dori Street) There are numerous levels in each building loaded with different types of toys. Like Mandarake they can be a bit of a hit and miss depending on when you are there. These two stores are definitely well-walked with high foot traffic, best left to later in your visit as you may be disappointed by the lack of toys now in these stores.

Yodobashi-Akiba – If you are looking for newly released toys head to Yodobashi-Akiba, located right near the JR station, opposite the “electric town” exits. Floor 6 will have a lot of toys, but only newly released ones. There is also a special hobby section on this floor for anything not considered a “kids toy” – best to check this store out last as it’s huge and crowded all the time.

*There’s always a first time for everything!*

*EDIT* No more Gundam Cafe, sorry 🙁

SHIBUYA

Shibuya Station is on the Yamanote (green) line, Ginza (orange), Fukutoshin (brown) and Hanzomon (purple) Metro lines. If using the JR Line you want to exit via the Hachiko Gate exit and look for the giant crosswalk as seen in Lost in translation once again TU2 is your friend here. There are only two toy stores worth visiting here: Mandarake Shibuya and Medicom’s Project 1/6. You’ll see a lot of tourists around here, but not many of them are going toy hunting. Shibuya Mandarake gets a bit of a bad rap from some collectors as not having a lot of good stock, but I beg to differ. Shibuya has a lot of hidden gems, and it is worth the visit and to carefully check each isle. You never know what you might find if you keep your eyes peeled.

*Lifts around to the right of the main entrance.*

Medicom’s Project 1/6 is a bit out of the way but once you get there it is worth checking out; there is also a 7-11 very close by to it too. I went there for the first time with my brother, on my most recent trip. We must have been the first people to come through the door, the first time that day, let alone the week! There were two guys working there and we could feel them staring at us as we browsed, sending us psychic messages to buy something. We did end up picking up a couple of small things and then the atmosphere felt a little more friendly. The store is worth checking out, but only after you have been to Mandarake or while you are waiting for it to open.

UENO

Just two stops from Akiharbara on the Yamanote (green) line or the Hibiya (grey) and Ginza (orange) Metro line. For some strange reason Yamashiroya isn’t listed in Tokyo Underground 2 I find this a little weird as it’s at least 5 levels of toys in one place, mostly new toys, sure, but it also features indy toys on the top level and special events from time to time as well. It’s a one stop shop for all currently released toys. I always check them out for more widely released RealXhead figures like Fortune Cats or Tanuki as gifts. But you can find plenty of Bandai, NECA, Hot Toys, Transformers, Pokemon etc, just to name a few.

To get to Yamashiroya, it isn’t too hard. Once you get to Ueno station. Just use the Hirokouji exit and walk towards the road in front of you and it is just across the road to your right.

This concludes the Tokyo part of my guide. The next post will cover Osaka and a few choice toy stores that are worth visiting.

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REVIEW – MEDICOM GIZMO VCD (Prop Size)

Posted by Mighty Mike on March 28, 2011

Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: Gizmo, Gremlins, Medicom, Movie Prop.

Gizmo is the cute and adorable Mogwai creature from both Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch films. Unlike the other Mogwai’s spawned from Gizmo when he touches water, Gizmo is very kind in nature; whereas all other Mogwai’s tend to be mischievous or vicious.

Name: Gizmo
Line: Vinyl Collectible Dolls
Manufacturer: Medicom Toy
Released: 2011
Price: Then: $220. Now: $450 MISB Minimum.
Scale: 1:1
Accessories: None

I found out about this particular Gizmo figure a while ago and after learning about how cool it looked I wanted to get one. Checking out eBay they were quite expensive and I could not justify the heavy price tag of at least $450 for this particular figure. So I decided to wait until I went back to Japan and hopefully buy one from the source. As luck would have it I managed to find one at Mandarake Shibuya for a great price and unopened too. Needless to say it was an instant buy for me. I’ve finally got around to reviewing Gizmo after having him in my collection for a few years now.

SCULPTING
Even though Gizmo is covered in a fur body suit, parts like the face, ears, hands and feet are sculpted. The sculpting is quite detailed and looks very faithful to the source material. He definitely looks cute and cuddly. The fur body suit is great too; the fur looks and feels really nice and not cheap at all, which you would think it would, considering this is meant to a high-end recreation of how Gizmo looks in the movie. I feel the look of Gizmo is based more on the second movie then the first.

PAINT
What paint we have, mainly on the sculpted parts, is excellent. It looks really good and mimics the fleshly parts of Gizmo not covered in fur, really well. I can’t fault it at all, it’s top-notch.

ARTICULATION
Gizmo does feature a bit of articulation, but by no means is he super poseable. Gizmo has a ball jointed head, swivel arms, swivel wrists, swivel crotch and swivel feet. The head and arm articulation is great and you can achieve a good number of poses suitable for Gizmo. The leg articulation is pretty pointless and really just helps make Gizmo not feel like a statue, from the waist down. It’s nice it’s there, but it’s not necessary. Gizmo also features moveable eyes as well, a small lever hidden at the back of the head when moved either left or right, move the eyes either left or right, it’s a pretty cool feature, even if a little limited, but adds a lot to Gizmo, in my opinion.

ACCESSORIES
This particular version of Gizmo doesn’t come with anything, unlike newer releases like the Santa version (2012) or the 3D Glasses version (2013). But that’s ok, because I like Gizmo just the way he is – without gimmicks, he doesn’t need.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS
Nothing I can really think of. However, just me careful with the fur, perhaps it might deteriorate if it’s not looked after properly.

PRICE
I paid around the original retail price of 25,000 Yen, I was lucky enough to find one on my second trip to Japan and my wife went halves with me, because she loves Gizmo too. It’s going to be very hard to find one at that price anymore as they have skyrocketed quite a bit and rightfully so. If you can get one below $400 you are doing all right.

OVERALL
I really feel this is the most perfect version of Gizmo any company is going to make as it looks incredibly close to the source material and looks very impressive due to its 1:1 scale size. Nothing else out there comes close to being this good! If you can find one at a decent price, I highly recommend picking it up, even more so if you are a big Gremlins fan! Medicom definitely have the market cornered when it comes to the best Gremlins figure, no one else comes close to making anything this good.

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Mike’s Toy Blog – Tokyo and Osaka – Toy Shop Guide – PART TWO

Mike’s Toy Blog – Tokyo and Osaka – Toy Shop Guide – PART ONE

REVIEW – MEDICOM GIZMO VCD (Prop Size)

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