Collectible

REVIEW – JADA TOYS ULTRA STREET FIGHTER II: THE FINAL CHALLENGERS – VEGA

Posted by Mighty Mike on July 14, 2026
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , , , .

Vega is a Spanish masked claw fighter and uses fast acrobatic attacks. His fighting style combines Japanese ninjutsu and Spanish bullfighting. His signature moves are the Rolling Crystal Flash and Flying Barcelona Attack. He first appeared in Capcom’s Street Fighter II and numerous other sequels. Vega is obsessed with beauty and sees fighting as an art form, often looking down on anyone he considers weak or ugly. 


Name: Vega
Line: Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers
Manufacturer: Jada Toys
Released: 2025
Price: $40 AUD
Scale: 1:12
Accessories: Multiple interchangeable parts

When I go to Japan, I always want to pick up a figure that’s been recently released if possible. When I went to Japan last September I was able to purchase Jada Toys Vega Street Fighter figure. Firstly, I could check the paint applications before I buy and secondly I liked the idea of buying a toy from an iconic game in said games country of origin.

Also, I haven’t really seen Vega in any Australian retail stores. So that helps too. Jada Toys have almost completed their line of Street Fighter II figures and it’s been fun collecting my favourite characters and anticipating which character will be announced next and what they will look like and so far Jada Toys have not disappointed on making each character look great and mesh well together.

SCULPTING

Just like with E Honda, Jada Toys have once again done an amazing job with the sculpting on the figure. This is a really good representation of Vega that looks just like the video game it’s based off.

PAINT

Minimal paint and that’s what I enjoy about Jada Toys figures released so far – Everything is cast in the colour it’s meant to be. With paint mainly adding detail where required. If I were to nitpick anything it’s that either the length of his eyebrows or placement has been changed and it’s a bit noticeable. Otherwise, everything else like the snake tattoo and yellow line down the side of his pants is great.

ARTICULATION

Vega comes with what we should call at this point “Standard Jada Toys Articulation” which is: a ball jointed head and neck, butterfly joint shoulders, swivel and hinge joint shoulders, double jointed arms, swivel and hinge joint wrists, ball-jointed upper torso, ball-jointed waist, ball-jointed hips, thigh swivels, double jointed knees, calf swivels, ball-hinged ankles, ankle rockers and toe hinges. All in all an excellent amount of articulation and gives you the ability to pose Vega almost anyway you want in a realistic way that doesn’t make the sculpting of the figure look weird either. Also the fabric shash is a nice touch.

ACCESSORIES

Vega comes with a lot of great accessories. Firstly, he comes with an alternate head sculpt with the mask attached to his head, the mask by itself that he can hold in f need be, his claw by itself, a slashing effect and some open and fist hands. There’s plenty of options here for how you can display him and I think Jada Toys did a good job giving him everything you need to play and pose with this figure.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

I don’t think you will have too many problems with this figure. I didn’t have any issues with mine.

PRICE

I got mine for about $40 AUD after conversion. That’s the standard retail price and I’m happy with that. 

OVERALL

This is another excellent figure from Jada Toys. I really can’t fault it at all. They are definitely doing a great job and if you are a Street Fighter II fan you need these toys. They are just that good.

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REVIEW – BANDAI S.H.FIGUARTS OCHACO URARAKA

Posted by Mighty Mike on June 29, 2026
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , , , , .

My Hero Academia’s Ochaco Uraraka is a naturally cheerful, compassionate and caring student hero. With her Zero Gravity Quirk, she can make objects and people float by touching them with her fingertips.  She’s highly perceptive, quick to read emotions, and unafraid to act decisively. Despite her kind personality, she’s brave and works hard to improve herself and protect others. Overuse of her quirk causes nausea, which she eventually learns to manage. 

Name: Ochaco Uraraka
Line: S.H.Figuarts
Manufacturer: Bandai/Tamashii Nations
Released: 2025
Price: 9,900 JPY
Scale: 1:12
Accessories: Various accessories included

I’m not the world’s biggest My Hero Academia fan, I know of the anime and its basic concept and know about some of the characters too. What I’m a fan of is some of the character designs from the manga/anime. 

The character of Ochaco Uraraka being one such design I liked the look of and wondered: what figures and statues were out there to purchase? Even though I am a bit late to the party, I think my timing is still good as recently Bandai and Banpresto have released some quite good figures and statues for My Hero Academia.

In my research when deciding what Ochaco Uraraka figure to buy I noticed that Revoltech and Figma had also released their versions previously. So you have at least three choices depending on what style of figure you like the most. I was initially going to try and hunt down a Revoltech version when in Japan during May.

However, after not finding any and coming across the Bandai version, I realised the Bandai version would be more to my liking overall proportions-wise. 

So I bought that version and I also bought a Banpresto Ochaco Uraraka statue from their Glitter & Glamours line. Now that I am back in Australia I have been able to play around with the figure a little bit more in hand it’s quickly enduring itself to me.


SCULPTING

The sculpting on this figure is definitely just a cut above the previous efforts in my opinion, because Bandai have done a better job with the more voluptuous proportions of the character. I think this is important because, as a collector, sometimes it’s really essential that a toy or figure capture the essence of the character physically somehow, and I think Bandai is really putting effort into little things like proportions, which goes a long way in making the figure stand out above what’s been done previously.

Also, the size of this figure is really quite small, too, the arms and hands feel very delicate due to their size. Unfortunately, I don’t have other S.H.Figuarts figures to compare this one to. But, you should be satisfied with the appearance of the character, and it closely matches the anime very well.

PAINT
Overall, I would say the paint is very crisp and cleanly applied where it has been used. But it is used sparingly at best, which is what I prefer too. It’s up to the usual standards you would expect from Bandai, and I don’t think you’ll have any real issues here.

ARTICULATION
This figure has a lot of articulation and not only that but it is incorporated well into the sculpt of the figure to not be too distracting either, for example you get a good range of motion in the foot/toe articulation, that is not obvious straight away until you start posing the figure. I had no trouble posing her for my photos and no trouble having her hold the poses too. 

Also, the joints were nice and tight and stayed that way so far, so that’s a good thing too. The design of the outfit does not hamper the articulation too much, with possibly the forearms getting in the way a little bit, but overall, she is engineered very well.

ACCESSORIES
You get quite a number of accessories for Ochaco! Besides different face plates and hands, you also get a few character-specific accessories too. I’m surprised you don’t get a display stand included with the figure. But it’s not a deal breaker for me. 

It’s also worth noting that the wires for her arms are bendable too. I also think we get a good amount of different expressions, too, that are varied enough.

You should have no problem changing out the hands or face plates, and there is enough variation to find a combination you are happy with. 

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS
I really don’t think I’ve bought an SH Figuarts figure before, besides a couple of Godzilla figures and due to their size, they stay in the box. So I personally can’t really say what potential problems these types of figures tend to have.

When posing the figure for photos, I didn’t really find too much to worry about. Joints stayed tight, and everything seemed pretty solid. My concern was the wrist joints, as they required a bit of pressure to remove and change them over. Normally, you wouldn’t be doing this all the time. But, still something to watch out for. 

That, and potentially losing any of the accessories if you aren’t too careful.

PRICE
I paid around 9,900 JPY when I was in Japan just recently, in May, for my copy of this figure, from Hero Gangu in Osaka. Even though there are stores in Australia selling this figure, they are overpriced compared to the price I paid in Japan. Also, when it comes to Japanese figures, I do want to support the Japanese stores.

This is due to Australian sellers sometimes selling knockoffs. Unfortunately, you have to be careful sometimes, especially when you pay a lot of money for these types of figures. But, if you were going to buy in Australia, I think HobbyCo would be a good choice to avoid a knockoff.

OVERALL
For my first proper S.H Figuarts figure, I’m very happy with it and genuinely blown away by the level of attention to detail, skill and craftsmanship that has gone into making this figure. In my opinion, this is an excellent Ochaco Uraraka figure and the best one made so far, and I would recommend picking one up for your collection if you haven’t already.

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REVIEW – BANDAI MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM ROBOT SPIRITS RX-78-2 GUNDAM (Ver A.N.I.M.E)

Posted by Mighty Mike on June 9, 2026
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , , , .

In Mobile Suit Gundam, the RX-78-2 Gundam is a powerful experimental mobile suit developed by the Earth Federation during its war with Zeon. When his colony is attacked, teenager Amuro Ray accidentally becomes the Gundam’s pilot and uses its advanced weapons and armour to protect the battleship White Base. The series became famous for portraying giant robots as realistic military weapons and focusing on the human cost of war.

Name: RX-78-2 Gundam (Ver A.N.I.M.E)
Line: Mobile Suit Gundam Robot Spirits
Manufacturer: Bandai
Released: 2016
Price: 5,500 JPY
Scale: 12.5 CM in height
Accessories: Numerous accessories included 

Obviously, everyone in this day and age should know of Gundam or at least be able to recognise the original design, as by this point, I think it’s become quite iconic. It’s definitely a toy/figure/collectible that is associated with Japan quite strongly. I’m not a fan of building model kits very often. So I was holding out for a figure version I could happily buy and own.

The classic anime design was released back in 2016, but thankfully rereleased in 2025. This happened to coincide with my trip to Japan last year, when I was actively searching for one. If I can walk into a store and buy one, I feel that’s a lot more rewarding than just buying one online and thankfully, I found one at Nakano Broadway when I was there last September, which I found on one of my last few days there.

SCULPTING

Excellent sculpting for this figure. Seeing as this first Gundam has such an iconic look, Bandai have done a really good job matching the Anime appearance almost perfectly in my opinion. Plenty of fine detail, line work, smooth surfaces and sharp edges. You will be happy to have this figure on your shelf.

PAINT

Paint is overall clean and crisp. Neatly applied and little to no slop. The colours really pop too. Most of the figure is cast in the colours it’s meant to be, and that’s great in my opinion. What paint there is, you shouldn’t have an issue with.

ARTICULATION

As expected, this figure has a lot of articulation! You can easily put the figure in most poses that you would put him in. Moving the arms and legs is smooth and easy. There’s even some added articulation in the chest to hold the sabre close to the body without the chest getting in the way. So this Gundam figure really excels with the articulation.

ACCESSORIES

This figure comes stacked with a number of accessories! Numerous hands, gun and sword effects, a bazooka, a beam rifle and a shield. You really have a lot of choice here and can really have a lot of options for how you want to display your Gundam figure.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

I don’t think you will have too many problems with this figure. The hands can be a little bit fiddly to change – that and the missiles on the head to change over. But otherwise, I think it’s very well made with quality plastic parts as expected from Bandai. 

PRICE

I got mine in Nakano last year for about 6,000 JPY, not a bad price, considering I was having a little bit of trouble tracking one down in person. As this figure has been rereleased in 2025, you should not have too much trouble getting one, even outside of Japan.

OVERALL

This is a really excellent representation of the Mobile Gundam Suit from the original anime. It is expertly sculpted, has great articulation and paint and numerous fun accessories. If, like me, you just want a reasonably sized Gundam for your display shelf that looks like the anime, then this is the one to get.

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REVIEW – REAL X HEAD RYUSEI NINJA

Posted by Mighty Mike on June 3, 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 is with the store Ichiban –Boshi, which sells new and vintage vinyl toys.

Name: Ryusei Ninja
Line: Ichibanboshi Ninja Gaiden
Manufacturer: Real Head X Ichibanboshi
Released: 2006
Price: First released – unknown, now – $50-$60 MOC
Scale: 5.5 Inches in height.
Accessories: One eye patch

I became aware of the Ryusei Ninja when thumbing through the excellent ‘Tokyo Underground 2 Toy and Design Culture in Tokyo’ it really is a great book and I cannot praise it enough as it has made my trips to Japan so much easier than if I was relying on some unhelpful internet guide with Google maps links. (You know who you are.)

Even though there was a very cool photo of some Ryusei Ninjas in the book, I never actively searched for them until my third trip to Japan.

I ended up buying a black version which sparkles in the light and a flesh-coloured version on that trip. Since then, I’ve added a glow in the dark one and the subject of this review, the clear grey Ryusei Ninja to my collection.

SCULPTING

This is a category where the Ryusei Ninja stands out! It is cast in a semi-clear grey vinyl material and looks awesome! The details can be a little hard to make out at first due to the dark material, but the sculpting, as expected, is top notch! There are some great details on the face, including a star in the middle of its forehead and some solid work on the chest armor/torso with some good details added to this part of the figure. The arms and legs look great too. With an uncoloured version, you can really appreciate the details a lot more.

PAINT

Seeing the figure is cast in clear grey vinyl, there is no paint to talk about.

ARTICULATION

The figure has a grand total of three points of articulation: swivel neck and swivel arms. That’s it. You can still get a couple of nice poses out of him.

ACCESSORIES

The Ryusei Ninja comes with an eye patch which in most cases, all Ninjas will come with this accessory.

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 picked this particular Ryusei Ninja up from a neat little website called Vicious Fun, they carry a large range of vinyl figures and the prices are quite good too. If you aren’t living in the USA, it’s best to send them an email to make your order, as the shopping cart can be a little troublesome.

The Price I paid was around $50 USD and that’s what I would expect to pay for this kind of figure, considering nowhere else had this particular version – worth every penny in my opinion!

OVERALL

I think the Ryusei Ninja is a very cool looking vinyl figure! It looks really cool in my display cabinet with a number of other vinyl figures next to it. The best part is that there are a number of variations and colours so you can always find something you like. I would recommend picking up one if you can, as they are too good to pass up!

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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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