Collectible

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

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

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: , , , .

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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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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REVIEW – JADA TOYS TONY THE TIGER

Posted by Mighty Mike on April 27, 2026
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , , .

Tony the Tiger is the iconic mascot of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes that debuted in 1952. The anthropomorphic tiger features a muscular build with his classic red kerchief around his neck, and is a sports enthusiast with his familiar “They’re Gr-r-reat!” catchphrase. 

Name: Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Tony the Tiger
Line: N/A
Manufacturer: Jada Toys
Released: 2025
Price: $29.99 USD
Scale: 1/12
Accessories: 5 alternate hands, cereal box, cereal bowl, basketball + spinning effect part

I occasionally would have Frosted Flakes as a kid – but definitely too much sugar for me. It would also sometimes be my go-to meal for breakfast when in Japan too. I’ve always liked the Tony Tiger character and wondered if we would ever get a decent Tony tiger figure. For the longest time the Medicom Kubrick Tony tiger was enough – purely because there was really nothing else out there. However, now that Jada Toys is making breakfast cereal mascots, we’ve finally been given potentially the best Tony Tiger we’ll ever likely get.

SCULPTING

The sculpting is terrific! There is no mistaking this for Tony the tiger, Jada Toys have definitely done a great job translating Tonys 2D image into a 3D figure! I don’t think they could have done any better and the proportions are spot on too.

PAINT

Overall, the paint on Tony is excellent. However, his whole body is painted over the plastic. Not something I am a fan of. Mainly because it can chip or flake and look bad, especially if you are just moving the joints to pose him. There are also a couple of minor blemishes on my Tony’s face. But other than that, he’s ok.

ARTICULATION

This is another category where Tony shines. He’s got a great amount of articulation and is a joy to pose. You do have to use his tail to balance him though as that’s the easiest way to keep him upright and he can be a little top heavy naturally. But, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting Tony into most of the poses you would want to put him in and him being able to hold those poses well. The cloth kerchief is a really nice touch too!

ACCESSORIES

Tony comes with a decent number of accessories. You get five alternate hands, a cereal box, a cereal bowl and a basketball and spinning effect for the basketball. My main grip is that you don’t get two of the same hands – for example no left and right fists or relaxed hands. That bothers me, but its not necessarily a deal breaker. Everything else he comes with is great! And you can get a good variety of poses with the parts you are given.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

I would say the main problem would be that you can scuff the paint when posing Tony, but that’s just the risk you’ll take as the body and head have both been painted. Just be careful when posing him. Also, stiff joints – make sure you heat up anything too tight before trying to move it.

“They’re Gr-r-reat!“

PRICE

I paid 29.99 from Big Bad Toy Store for my Tony, I’m happy with that price, I wouldn’t expect to be able to buy Tony here in Australia, so just source him from wherever you feel comfortable to buy him from, it shouldn’t be too hard to track one down.

OVERALL

This is a great figure! (no pun intended) and the best Tony tiger figure made thus far that hasn’t been a statue. If you are a fan of Tony the tiger, don’t hesitate to pick one up and add him to your collection. He’s definitely one of those random figures that looks great on a shelf with a bunch of other random figures.

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REVIEW – JADA TOYS ULTRA STREET FIGHTER II: THE FINAL CHALLENGERS – E. HONDA

Posted by Mighty Mike on April 11, 2026
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , , , .

E. Honda is a Japanese sumo wrestler with lightning-fast strikes and powerful throws. His signature moves are the Hundred Hand Slap and flying headbutt attack. He first appeared in Capcom’s Street Fighter II and numerous other sequels. Honda is focused on becoming the greatest sumo wrestler of all time. He entered the Street Fighter tournament to prove that sumo wrestlers rank among the greatest fighters in the world.

Name: E. Honda
Line: Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers
Manufacturer: Jada Toys
Released: 2026
Price: $50 AUD
Scale: 1:12
Accessories: Multiple interchangeable parts

I was never really a big fighting games fan back in the day. Mainly because I don’t think I’m any good at them and prefer team-based games. But I do remember playing Street Fighter II on Mega Drive at a friend’s house and definitely loved how excellent the gameplay was. I’m definitely a fan of the character designs from the game, so I’m mainly going to buy my favourite characters from the game.

SCULPTING

The sculpting is excellent! You can tell a lot of effort has been put into getting Honda just right by Jada Toys. It’s definitely easily recognisable as E. Honda and has all the details you would expect and bulk that E. Honda needs in good proportion.

PAINT

Paint for Honda is kept to a minimum, and that’s just how I like it! What paint there is, is clean and neat. The paint on the Yukata is great, and the face paint looks amazing!  

ARTICULATION

This figure has a stack of articulation! Butterfly shoulders, double-jointed elbows and knees, good range of motion in the ankles and same goes for the neck and torso. You can get Honda in a number of great poses, but you are restricted by the yukata and it does make some pose and leg positions difficult. But, overall he’s a joy to pose.

ACCESSORIES

E. Honda comes with the following accessories: Hundred Hand Slap effect piece, a pair of open palm hands and an alternate head sculpt. The Hundred Hand Slap effect piece is great! It’s done really well. The extra “angry” head sculpt is excellent. The extra hands are a nice addition and helps vary the poses you can do. I do wish we got maybe one more pair of hands to use, though.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

The only issue I’ve had is that some of the joints are a bit tight (the arms) and the ankle joints are a bit too tight. I was wary of changing the hands out as the pegs are quite small, but the plastic feels pretty strong. If in doubt I’d just heat them up with a hair dryer.

PRICE

I paid $50 AUD for my E. Honda and I was happy about that price and supported a local business at the same time. Obviously, if you can get him for a cheaper price, all the better. But, considering the exchange rate for these figures it can get pricey sometimes.

OVERALL

This is an excellent figure and another home run for Jada Toys and their Street Fighter II series of figures. I really feel they are doing a great job at making quality well-made figures at a good price point. If you aren’t already buying these figures its definitely time to jump on board. E. Honda is amazing and is really fun to play with and looks great with the other figures from the series.

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REVIEW – TAKARA TOMY MASTERPIECE SERIES INFERNO

Posted by Mighty Mike on April 19, 2020
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , , , , .

Inferno first appeared in the original Generation one cartoon in season two, with no explanation what-so-ever as to how he arrived on earth. But proved himself a competent and helpful fellow Autobot whether fighting Decepticons or a blazing fire. Although his eagerness to engage in combat sometimes distracts him from his rescue job. His character had a memorable southern style accent and featured in a number of season two episodes after his initial appearance. He Transforms into a red Mitsubishi Fuso fire truck with ladder and has Ceramic plated armour to resist the extreme heat he has to deal with.

Name: Inferno (MP-33)
Line: Transformers Masterpiece
Manufacturer: TAKARA TOMY
Released: 2016
Price: 11,990 YEN
Scale: Roughly 22cm in height
Accessories: Blaster Rifle, Water Spray Effect, Fire Hose, 3 Chest Plates, 2 Heads, 4 face Plates, 2 Nozzles/Wrist Blasters and 2 Wrist Communicators

Firstly I’ll address the elephant in the room. If you have already checked out my Best Of 2016, then you already know this figure is a home run as far as I’m concerned. So, in a lot of ways, it makes writing this review a bit redundant. However, I really loved taking photos of this figure, even if he was a pain to light correctly without any horrible glare from the light reflecting off the red. I eventually got into the mood after taking more photos of him (You’d think I’d have taken all my photos of him back when I did my list, but no, I’m not THAT organized or committed!)

As a child, I was lucky enough to own the original G1 Inferno along with Sideswipe and Beachcomber among others. Unfortunately, I ended up giving away both Inferno and Sideswipe after losing many of their accessories as you do when you are a small child with these type of toys. I never regretted the decision as I reasoned at the time, ‘Where would I be able to get the parts I needed?’ (pre-internet and all that) However, once aware of the power of the internet I did go out of my way to get a sample of both original G1 figures I was happy with.
With that said Inferno was always one of my favorite Autobots and favorite Transformers in general.

With the announcement of Masterpiece Inferno I was quite excited as the prototype images of Inferno, looked really amazing. Also, he was scheduled to by released in November when I would once again be over in Japan. So the prospect of having him on release day was pretty exciting too! (Even if it was two days before I left Japan, but I got him none the less!)

SCULPTING
I’m really happy with the amount of effort it appears Takara Tomy are putting into their Masterpiece Transformers. Inferno in hand is breathtaking, I love the size of the fire truck and it just oozes detail and quality. It really took me back to when I was young and my memories of receiving a G1Transformer that came in a proper box with numerous accessories. I spent a good 10 mins just pouring over the fire truck mode and all of its details. Upon transforming Inferno a lot of these details are carried over to robot mode. The face plates and helmets are on point and Inferno matches the animation model almost flawlessly, even if this makes him quite boxy in appearance. I love that the ladder disappears into his chest in robot mode. One minor nitpick with Inferno’s sculpting is that there was a bit of excess molding on the eyes on the faces plates which I ended up trimming off. The factory should be doing this, not me.

PAINT
I’d like to assume most of Inferno is cast in the colour its meant to be. But, I’m pretty sure some parts a painted and matched to those plastic parts. I’m not going to take Inferno apart to find out. One thing Takara Tomy can work on is their paint applications, you don’t call your line of high-end Transformer toys “Masterpiece” and then drop the ball on quality sans MP Thundercracker. In my experience, the paint applications have always been hit and miss, but thankfully most of the time hit.
For example, the blue eyes on the yelling/screaming face plate have been rubbed a bit and need a touch-up or on Inferno’s left shoulder there’s a little bit of red paint/scuff mark on the grey shoulder part. These are minor nitpicks, but sour my confidence in Takara Tomy with each new release I receive.

ARTICULATION
Inferno has a lot of thoughtful articulation, some of it because of the transformation technique and some of it is just designed that way. He has lots of satisfying ratchet joints that make you feel confident that he will hold the pose and not have much trouble with his joints loosening up over time. Even though these Transformers look great in the heroic “museum pose” as seen in some of my photos you can still get very dynamic poses with Inferno if you want and he still looks great doing it and doesn’t look awkward.

ACCESSORIES
Inferno comes stacked with oodles of accessories Takara Tomy shows everyone how it’s done (Bandai and Hot Toys, I’m looking at you) with useful and even cartoon episode-specific accessories. I had a lot of fun playing around with the many different chest pieces and hand/arm blaster combinations you can have. The options are almost endless and you can find a mix your happy with (to make it clear as if it’s not already, my go to is: animation model head and toy truck parts for the chest and arm). Plenty of posing options with the water spray effect for example.
I’m really satisfied with the amount of accessories Takara Tomy have done an excellent job here.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS
Besides minor paint app and factory molding clean up issues Inferno is pretty much problem free. I guess try not to loose some of those small accessories by keeping them in the box and all that jazz.

PRICE
Amazon JP had a great price for Inferno of 11,990 Yen and this was me being late to the pre-order party too (not so for MP Megatron 😉 ) Most other retailers will have him for this price or around that depending on exchange rate, so shop around if you feel the need to. Just pay a price you are happy with, but he’s really an awesome figure so he’s easily worth it.

OVERALL
Inferno definitely lives up to the title of “Masterpiece” he is another great example of how far Takara Tomy have come with their MP line since it was rebooted and another great addition to my ever growing Masterpiece display, his larger bulk and height make him tower above the standard Autobot cars and he commands my attention when I glance over at the display. With Grapple on the way, the Decepticons are starting to look a bit outnumbered!

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REVIEW – NJPW FIGURE COLLECTION – YUJI NAGATA

Posted by Mighty Mike on April 18, 2020
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , , .

Yuji Nagata is known mainly for his time spent in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He is the longest reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion with a reign of 392 days. He is also the only wrestler to have won all of Japan’s biggest single tournaments and, notably, spent a few years wrestling for American wrestling promotion WCW during 1997 and 1998. He is known for his stiff, shoot-style wrestling technique.    

Name: Yuji Nagata
Line: Super Star Figure Collection 44
Manufacturer: NJPW/Tohkon Shop
Released: 2001
Price: Then: Unknown, Now: 1500 Yen MOSC
Scale: 5-6 inches in height
Accessories: None

There’s no particularly interesting story behind buying this figure of Yuji Nagagta. I just bought it online for a pretty reasonable price, but I have been a Yuji Nagata fan since his days in WCW, but mainly due to Japanese wrestling video games that I’ve played. Still, if you’re collecting Japanese wrestling figures, you tend to buy your favourites first and normally get sucked in after you find out how badass all the other wrestlers are.


SCULPTING

This is easily the best part of the figure, the great thing about these Japanese wrestling figures is that they appear to have 3-D scanned the whole wrestlers body and added minimal articulation, it’s definitely the biggest draw card these figures have as it makes them very realistic and as close to match thing wrestler in real life as possible, so with all that said, with is a very real looking figure of Yuji Nagata!

PAINT

Paint is kept to a minimum and where it is used, it’s normally very neatly applied, this is one area you will seldom have to worry about for these figures, unless it’s loose as it might have been roughed up a bit. With earlier releases in the series you would get the card backer rubbing off some of the paint on the rear of the figure, but, later releases fixed this issue.

ARTICULATION

A grand total of three points of articulation for Nagagta: swivel joints at the shoulders and waist. That’s not really that much and you can’t do too much with the figure beyond it’s pre-set sculpted pose, but you can get some nice, slight variants to that pose, by simply moving the arms or waist a little bit.

ACCESSORIES

Yuji Nagata unfortunately doesn’t come with any accessories; some different arms would be nice, but this figure is as basic as Japanese wrestling figures get.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

The only problem you are going to encounter with these figures is plastic discolouration, which can happen depending on how the figure has been looked after; even MOSC samples can have problems if left out in the sun in a shop display. So, be very careful when buying any of these types of figures.

PRICE

I paid 1300 YEN using a bidding service to get one for myself and a heap of other figures, so it worked out to be pretty cheap. There are a few Japanese websites that sell this type of wrestling figures and there are also a couple of great stores in Tokyo, too!

OVERALL

This is a great figure if you know what to expect from it: It’s going to look amazing, but it will have very limited articulation, and you are pretty much buying a realistic statue. There are also a few variants of Yuji Nagata, so it can be fun chasing down the other ones if you are a big fan of the wrestler. It’s a bit of a niche market for Westerners, but they are still fun to collect!

Greatest Tag-Team ever! If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?

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REVIEW – HOT TOYS STORMTROOPER (STAR WARS IV A NEW HOPE) 1/6 SCALE COLLECTIBLE FIGURE

Posted by Mighty Mike on April 17, 2020
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , , .

The Imperial Stormtrooper is one of the most iconic and distinctive movie soldier designs ever, which is instantly recognisable to even non-fans of Star Wars. The elite soldier us the main ground force of the Galactic Empire and an ever-present reminder of the power of Emperor Palpatine. 

Name: Stormtrooper
Line: Movie Masterpiece Series
Product Code: MMS267
Manufacturer: Hot Toys
Released: 2015
Price: $190.99 – 199.99 USD
Scale: 1/6
Accessories: Various hands and weapons.

I initially wasn’t going to buy this particular figure, don’t get me wrong, I do love me some Stormtrooper figure goodness, but, 1/6 scale figures do take up more space than their smaller action figure counterparts.

However, as luck (or fate) would have it, I happened to be picking up some orders from a friend, who just received the two pack set among some other goodies. After watching him unbox them, I knew then and there, I must have them!  They just oozed quality, it was plain for me to see even with them sitting in the box, these were lovingly made figures.

So, I went home and did just that, ordered at least one figure for myself. Self-control be damned! ( Thanks, Ev! Damn it all! Haha)

LIST OF PARTS

Inside the box you get the following items:

One Stormtrooper figure
Seven interchangeable hands
One blaster rifle
One blaster pistol
One display stand

SCULPTING

As far as sculpting goes, this figure is excellent. I would never consider myself an expert when it comes to Stormtrooper helmets but, in my eyes, this is the best version made in 1/6 scale to date, it looks like Hot Toys used the “hero version” of the helmet for their reference material too as it matches that version the best. Everything is just the right size and shape. All the armour fits nice and snug on the body, it’s really like it walked off the screen and into your hands.

PAINT

Well, we all know by now that Hot Toys do an excellent job with their paint application; and this particular figure is no exception. The paint on this figure is mainly small details on the helmet and chest armour. As per usual, it’s nice and neat. I really love the gloss finish on the armour, it makes it look and feel amazing in hand.

ARTICULATION

The Stormtrooper presumably has the standard amount of articulation that the normal True Type body would have, being: Ball jointed neck, swivel/hinge shoulders, double jointed elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, ball jointed chest, swivel waist, swivel/hinge hips, double jointed knees and ball jointed ankles,

Now, the outfit can restrict this articulation a little bit, especially around the shoulders and crotch. Otherwise, you can get him into plenty of Stormtrooper type poses with little-to-no difficulty, in most cases the “standing to attention, museum pose” works best and looks so damn cool.

OUTFIT

Technically, the whole figure is the outfit, I’ve already raved about the armour, the black body suit underneath is fine, it’s stretchy, well-tailored and doesn’t restrict the joints.

ACCESSORIES

Just a small amount of accessories with this figure, something that’s really becoming the norm for Hot Toys releases as many fans and reviewers alike have made mention of.

You get a number of hands in different poses and two types of blasters, the standard one we all know and love and one only seen in promo shots, so Hot Toys attention to detail is pretty good in this instance.

I like the variety of hands they are all pretty useful to get a good variety of different poses and expressiveness out of the Stormtrooper.

Lastly, you get what I’ll call the “standard Star Wars base” with the figure, I’m not a fan of it, it’s the classic black display stand for me.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

Not really too many things to watch out for, perhaps the odd factory paint blemish? Perhaps the pleather holster tearing or deteriorating over time? The quality in this particular figure is top-notch.

PRICE

I paid about $190 USD plus shipping from Animarket, and I was happy with that. He’s a little bit more expensive on the secondary market these days, but if you can find a deal, more power to you!

OVERALL

If you want that classic Stormtrooper in 1/6 scale, then this is the figure to get, it’s simply put, the best 1/6 Stormtrooper to date and puts all other attempts to shame. I’m pretty sure if you are a Star Wars, Stormtrooper and Hot Toys fan, you already have this figure and you know what I’m talking about; if you still haven’t scratched that Stormtrooper itch then what are you waiting for? Buy this figure! It’s that simple.

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REVIEW – MEGAHOUSE ONE PIECE P.O.P NAMI (SAILING AGAIN)

Posted by Mighty Mike on April 15, 2020
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , , , , , , .

Nami is the Straw Hat Pirates’ Navigator and one of the first to join Luffy’s crew. Initially forced to serve the fishman Arlong as his cartographer, Luffy frees Nami from their service, after which Nami decides to permanently join the Straw Hats. Nami is obsessed with obtaining large amounts of money, and her dream is to draw a complete map of the Grand Line.    

Name: Nami (Sailing Again Ver.)
Line: Portrait Of Pirates (Excellent Model)
Manufacturer: MegaHouse
Released: 2011
Price: Then: 5,700 YEN, Now: about the same if bought in Japan
Scale: 1/8
Accessories: Base

Originally my wife and I (who is the bigger One Piece fan out of the two of us) were going to watch the Anime together, that was until we reached the end of what Madman had put out here in Australia and are waiting for more DVDs to be released.

In the meantime, my wife bought herself the complete comic series up to the most recent book. (All in Japanese obviously) so I don’t know if we will continue watching the DVD or if she will just read the books herself.

Either way, I’m quite happy to buy the characters I like the most in statue form which the two of us can both appreciate together.

SCULPTING

One thing I always tend to find about Japanese toy companies is they will always understand the characters which originate from Japan stylistically better than western or other Asian countries.

They just seem to have a better grasp of how to go about making the character look like it walked off the screen and into your hands and P.O.P Nami is no different. There was a little bit of hit and miss with the first figures in the series but MegaHouse has really upped their game with every new release.

This particular version of Nami is after the series time-jump, where Nami has grown up a bit and filled out (to paraphrase Sin City) and in a lot of ways has now become fan service and a lot more sexualized then she appeared before the time-jump.

There are things I like about the design (longer hair, more mature, proportioned body) and things I don’t (bust size is a bit over the top and she could wear better fitting clothes).

With that, all said it’s still an excellent representation of how Nami now looks in the Manga and Anime. MegaHouse have done a great job of translating those drawings into 3D and not losing the things that make Nami look unique. (Even if a lot of Anime/Manga female characters look pretty similar, to begin with.)

PAINT

As expected nice and neat, the highlights for me are the hair, which has a translucently near the tips and the jeans which have some subtle blending of colours. Besides that, everything is up to standard and you have little to nothing to worry about.

ARTICULATION

Nami is a statue and there fore has no articulation at all.

ACCESSORIES

Nami comes with a base to help her stand up and that’s about it, it’s cast in a bright orange plastic and feels like it’s quality plastic in hand.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

You aren’t going to have any issues with Nami, unless you bought a fake (hopefully not) or bought a really bad second hand one. (Once again, hopefully not)

PRICE

I bought my Nami, just like Nico Robin from my mate who was down grading his collection so I got her for a really good price (about $40 AUD, if I remember correctly) and if you can make it to Japan you will be able to find her in various conditions for decent prices. Obviously the place to go is Japan, Mandarake among others always has a seemingly endless supply of One Piece P.O.P and the prices are always great, plus you know it’s not a knock off too.

OVERALL

As far as character representations go I’m quite happy with this particular version of Nami and that’s what it comes down to if you are going to collect MegaHouse P.O.P ‘Excellent Model’ series, just buy whichever ones you like the best, they all tend to work together in a display cabinet, even if they are from different parts of the overall One Piece story.

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REVIEW – REAL X HEAD/GOCCODO BEAR OTTOMAN (BEAR OSMAN)

Posted by Mighty Mike on April 14, 2020
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , , , , , .

Bear Ottoman (Bear Osman) is made by Real X Head, which 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. Bear Ottoman is a larger size 8” adult sized figures from Real X Head, which is in collaboration with Goccodo and have proven very popular variant with Sofubi collectors!

Name: Bear Ottoman Taipei Toy Festival 2016 Exclusive
Line: N/A
Manufacturer: Real X Head/Goccodo
Released: 2016
Price: First released – 6000 – 10,000 YEN (guestimate)
Scale: 8 Inches in height
Accessories: None.

I bought this particular Bear Ottoman or Bear Osman online about a week ago, it’s not really an exciting story as it was pretty much a case of add to cart, wait to see if it was in stock and then pay kinda order. However, my journey to obtain a Bear Osman I was really happy with has spanned a  few years since I started collecting Real Head figures.

I originally wanted to obtain a “Crazy Colours” version of the character, as at the time, this was the colourway I liked the look of the most. But, understandably, had no luck trying through various channels (I knew this particular figure would be very hard to track down regardless) and resided myself to being happy owning a grey and black Bear Osman.

That was until I noticed this particular variant online, in my opinion, this one even eclipses the crazy colour one, so much so, I have no desire to own it anymore, I’m quite happily satisfied with this one now it’s in my hands.

SCULPTING

I’ve talked about the base body of this type of figure plenty of times before in previous reviews do I’m not going to repeat myself again and again and again. It’s still a great body and has held up well over time. The new parts here are the head and right arm, which are unique to Bear Ottoman.

The Head sculpt is just outstanding. The amount of fine detail is simply amazing, a lot of work went into this head and it is easily one of my favorite head sculpts from Real Head, the bear claw-like arm is awesome too, there’s also plenty of great detail there as well, with finely sculpted hair all over it.

PAINT

This is one thing about the figure that determines for me whether I like it or not, the colour scheme and design of the paint application. For the longest time, I had a Bear Osman which was molded in grey plastic and had a black rub over the top. It was pretty cool and really showed off the details in the sculpting, but was still quite boring to look at.

This particular Bear Ottoman is quite the opposite it has a pretty electric colour scheme and it really pops. I also love that it has been cast in phosphorescent (glow-in-the-dark) vinyl which adds another layer of cool to the figure. (I do love me some glow in the dark figures!)

The paint is expertly applied and has some really nice blending and airbrush work. I really love the pink/blue and black colour choices too, it really contrasts well with the phosphorescent vinyl.

ARTICULATION

The larger sized Real Head figures all have the same amount of articulation, which tends to be the following: Swivel Head, Swivel shoulders, swivel waist and swivel forearms.

For the type of figure, this is it’s a good amount of articulation. You can pose the figure a bit, but normally the “museum pose” is the default pose I keep my figures in. It’s just nice to have the option to pose it differently if you wanted instead of this being a solid statue type of figure.

ACCESSORIES

No accessories, unless I would want to include the vest he comes with. It’s pretty cool looking and beefs up the torso a lot. It’s a really nice touch and I think really makes the figure stand out from the rest of the Real Head figures I have that have the same body.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

There isn’t anything to worry about with these types if figures.

PRICE

Here’s the part where it can get a little crazy, especially if you are buying Bear Ottoman on the secondary market and to be honest if you are looking to buy one of these figures and not living in Japan, this is the only way whether its from toy reseller stores or Yahoo Auctions JP the price mark up can be quite high.

Even this particular Bear Osman wasn’t cheap and being an exclusive to a toy show not even held in Japan, you know you are going to be paying a lot of money to get one unless you went to the show. So be prepared to spend big when acquiring this particular figure type.

OVERALL

I really wanted a Bear Osman in my Real Head collection I was really happy with and this one is it. I can finally stop my searching and feel satisfied that I have a really amazing variant of the Bear Ottoman character after a few years of searching (or waiting perhaps) for one I really liked.

The price for this particular character is normally quite high, so if you want one, make sure you are happy with the paint application and are comfortable with the price you paid. Even although I paid a bit for this figure I am really happy with it and it’s one of my prized vinyl figures now.

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