Weekly Action Review

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

# 45 : Star Wars, Endor AT-AT Walker w/ Biker Scout & Pilot

This vehicle has got to be one of my fondest memory when it comes to toy hunting. I bought this last year in December. My family and I had just gotten back from Melbourne and I was disappointed as hell for not finding a single action figure. Well, to be fair there were a number of action figures but none that I was compelled to buy.
So the day after we got back I dropped by Target just to browse the toy aisle and I spotted the AT-AT walker box. It took me a while to figure out what I was looking at because it just looked out of place. The reason is because I had often visited this particular Target outlet and I've never seen the AT-AT. Plus, this is part of the Saga Collection which has been sold out for months. And there is also the issue of its pricing. On ebay this vehicle costs on average AUD 80(bidding start price) and not inclusive of shipping. This particular AT-AT was AUD 60! I was so ecstatic I managed to shout a small Homer "Wohoo!".
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Packaging
I've always wondered why Hasbro decided to go with the Endor AT-AT walker instead of a Hoth version. We didn't really get to see the Endor version in action. I mean if you wanted to go for the big bucks you'd issue a badass Hoth version that, even though it was issued in the POTF line(which I never got). But I digress.
The packaging is from the Saga Collection: Return of the Jedi(Episode VI).

I thought it was funny at first when I saw they showed one foot of the walker. The two bonus figures, not so much 'cos I'm used to it. But it doesn't really matter right?

(Pics above obtained from www.rebelscum.com. I was too lazy to go into the store room to look for the box. Well at least now you know I'm THAT lazy.)
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D.S.A.
|Details|
The All Terrain Armored Transport or AT-AT Walker or Imperial Walker was one of the vehicles used by the Galactic Empire to scare the crap out of the rebels during its reign. The overall design is pretty simple if you think about it. It's like a camel without the hump. LoL.

The feet have brown paint to indicate having walked on the forest ground of Endor or your backyard. The legs are a bit wobbly if you lift up the Walker but its pretty stable once it stands. If it does topple over, then it would just be true to the movie now wouldn't it? *snickers*
There is a little gimmick to this toy.

Inside the cargo bay there is a handle which you use to move the head. There are two compartments: the head or cockpit and the cargo bay.

|Sculpt|
The sculpt is more or less accurate with the movie version. With exception to the actual scale of course. We all remember how the Walker crushed the Snowspeeder in Ep. V. The foot alone was massive. Have a look at how big the foot is compared to the Scout Trooper.

In the movie the foot was at least 3 or 4 times the size of the trooper.

|Accessories|
Aside from the 2 bonus troopers, nothing. But I'm not upset by it. I'm just glad to own one.
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Articulation
The legs move at the 'hips', knees and foot. The head could be moved by moving it manually or by using the control stick inside the cargo bay.

The chin guns move and simulate firing sound.
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Fun Factor
A definite must for Star Wars collectors of all ages. I mean its just a must if you can grab one isn't it? Playing with it(not that I do...I swear!!) would just be awesome but if you're the buy-and-display type, then it will definitely be the topic of the day amongst you and your friends. Its like having a party and your woman is the hot babe with long legs. Your friends would oogle at her when you're not looking.
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Overall
I never dreamed I would be lucky enough to find one of these, let alone for a bargain. If you're looking for an AT-AT walker with some minor action poses and sound effects this would be it. If you want something purely for display I suggest you get a Revell AT-AT Walker.

Score: ****1/2

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Monday, October 5, 2009

Retro T-Shirts : Ghostbusters

To top it off, it's glow in the dark!!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Pic of the Day : Tender Moment

Tender Moment by Lobo
Note: Sorry guys. I just couldn't resist putting up this pic. LoL. - Lobo

Friday, October 2, 2009

# 44 : Revoltech Fraulein : Sweet Dreams Pocco

Before I start, I'd like to apologize to all the die-hard Anime fans who regularly visit this blog in case I've made the wrong reference to this figure. I'm not a big Anime fan(though I'd like to be) and as I'm making this review I'm Googling(yes I said it, get over it) info about Pocco.
For my other regular visitors, if you're wondering when I started to collect Anime figures, I didn't. I got this from a fellow collector here in Canberra whom traded this for one of my Marvel Legends figure.
But rest assured Anime fans, I'm impressed by this figure(so you can delete that hate mail/comment you were about to send me LOL).
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Packaging
Pocco arrived last week but I've only opened it yesterday. In all honesty I never bothered to really look at the figure cos my friend gave it to me in a plastic bag and I just put it aside. He told me it was a Revoltech figure and I just took his word for it. I'm not trying to sound like an ass and pretend I wasn't curious. It's just that lil Lobo has started walking so that was more interesting at the time.
The box is nice with a window to show the figure. The moment I saw the figure I just smiled and thought to myself, "Damn! where's the rest of her clothes??".
The package is simple with a window to show off the figure. Since its mostly written in Japanese I have no idea if they provided a description of the character.
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D.S.A.
|Details|
The figure stands at 6" in height with tons of articulation. The paint app is clean and I can't find any major flaws. Even the details on the boots were carefully detailed and painted. This figure was created (here is where my googling goes to work) Shunya Yamashita and is based on his Art Book titled Sweet Dreams: The Art of Shunya Yamashita.
|Sculpt|
It closely resembles the art on the back of the box minus a scarf on the left hand that was in the pic. Its also a shame that this figure is not based on any Anime movie or series 'cos by the looks of her I would've made an effort to watch it. The silver/grey wings on her back makes them look like mechanical so I'm really not sure what to make of it. I wish it was removable in a way it wouldn't ruin the appearance. So for now they stay.

For some strange reason I'm really drawn to her goggles(on the head!).

|Accessories|
Pocco comes with 2 sets of extra hands, a sword and a display base.
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Articulation
As I've said it has tons of articulation. Enough to rival the standard M.L. by Toybiz. What I like about the articulation is that it is neatly hidden. But don't get me wrong, an action figure, no matter how good will have its faults. I find that the elbow joints tend to pop off easily if you move it too much. This is because they don't utilise a pin joint. That and combined with the soft type of plastic they used for the figure I'm guessing if it keeps coming off you'd have to glue it. Unlike my usual review I'm not going to list the articulation points because I'm not familiar with the Revoltech joints.
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Fun Factor
The really, really cool thing for me with this figure is that it fits perfectly well with my M.L. and DC figures(Mattel).

This might seem trivial for some collectors but for me I try to keep my collection along the same scale. That's why I guess I still haven't moved on to 1/6 figures.

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Overall

It's a fun figure to toy with(in a good way). Though my first impression of the lack of clothing material made it look a bit 'naughty' it doesn't really cross that line. If anything, this figure is cute. It also has that biker kind of look as well. In any case I'm looking forward to collecting more Revoltech figures but preferably based on Anime that I'm familiar with.
Score: ****

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