Category: Trading & Small figures

Die-cast Black Widow & Schleich Cyborg

Found the large Black Widow die-cast figure at TK Maxx for only £3, so decided to pick her up:

Still being impressed with these Jada Toys Metals figures. There isn’t any shading, and her face could almost do with some, but the paint is accurately placed, and she has a nice finish. 

Here is her left side:

Bit of a blob here, and an unfortunate seam. 

Right side:

The seam is better done on this side, but still visible. 

Back:

Revenge of the CE logo! Screw on her back is a bit of a disappointment. 

Overall, I’m happy with this figure. I don’t think I’d pay the full RRP for it, but was a steal at £3. 

Now for Cyborg:

This is a plastic figure by Schliech that I got from Home Bargains for £2. This was the only one they had, and fortunately it doesn’t appear to have the “last figure in the shop” look. Schliech figures can have very variable paintjobs, though this one is probably largely assisted by being mostly grey. 

His left side:

Not super-detailed, but enough details to be distinctly Cyborg. Blaster seems to have the major details, and it also has this one:

Nice to have the red lens there. Though you can also see the messy paintjob on his head. Had to be at least one paint mess 😛

His back:

Again, enough detail to be distinctly Cyborgh, but not overly detailed. The use of shades of grey paint is nice, and helps it stand out. 

I wouldn’t have paid a lot for this figure, but it’s nice to have a little Cyborg to add to my collection :). 

Metals Die Cast figures – 2.5″

Went into a local comic book shop recently, and came across these Metals Die Cast figures. I had seen some of them online recently, but this was my first time in the wild. He was doing a discount if you bought 3, so I chose four, then deliberated over another two. 

So here are my picks! Plus the first time I was using a different lens on the camera, so enjoy the higher res photography for these smaller figures

First up, Harley. Because, yes Harley :P:

There were three, and apparently I went for this one. They all had their paint flaws, but I ended up with Miss Melty Top. The fact she has eyeshadow is nice though, and the writing came out clean. 

Back:

The texture ended up a bit rough on the hair for Harley – should imagine it’s the complex shapes that didn’t quite work for it. The gold text on her back is nice though. 

Variant Harley:

I do like these colours – does give her a bit more of a sinister vibe. Didn’t notice when I was buying it, but in this photo you can see where they tried to hide an error when painting the upper half of her top. Oops. 

Next up, Poison Ivy. Here she is in her traditional colours:

I think these ones ended up with a better paint job than the Suicide Squad ones. Lovely contrast of colours.

Her back:

Ah, erm… but apparently come with the downside where the CE logo has been put prominently on the back of their heads. Her hair is a nice vibrant colour though. 

¾ view:

Short and slightly stocky. Bit of interesting green coming out of her armpit there.

New 52 Poison Ivy:

Can’t say I’m a fan of the New 52 design, but this figure turned out well. The colours complement each other well for me, and is more striking than the other pictures I’ve seen of her. Better than the DC figure I saw… 

¾ view:

Her tattoos on her face came out well. Some slop on the green paint, but these are dinky figures on a budget. 

Back:

Lovely bright, vivid orange… just.. logo. 

And thirdly, Catwoman:

I think the Catwoman figures have been painted the best, and were two of the easiest picks. The paints are lovely and shiny, and she feels very much “Catwoman”.

¾ view:

Shiny!

Back:

Is Catwoman now selling out? Nope, just being safe! The paint on her buckle is crisp and clean. 

Lastly, purple Catwoman:

This was one I was considering importing, because, hey, purple AND Catwoman! She’s mostly well-painted, but they’ve added a mould for her zipper pull, but didn’t paint it. Same on the one above, but I find int more noticeable. 

Back:

Same ol’ CE logo, but less shiny on her head. Silver also missed a bit on the buckle, sadly. Ah well, I’ll just admire her butt instead…

Overall, I’m impressed with these figures. They’re not super-well painted, so if you have the option to go to the shops to buy these, I’d strongly recommend it, so you can pick out the one with the best paint job. Store I went to had one case of each, so mostly I was stuck with the choice of one figure of each type, but I don’t think I did too badly. The Metals ranges seem to be decently priced, which is a surprise for a UK collector. Once they’re in more shops, I’ll probably end up getting more of the range (I think they’re only just coming into UK shops). 

And as a bonus Harley Quin LED Lite:

I got this at Christmas, but forgot to include it in the Christmas blogs. Love the bright, vibrant colours, and the quality of Lego’s printing. I’ll probably end up just displaying her instead of using her as a keyring. 

Triton & Minecraft Minis

I went into Toys R Us, and they were having a sale, so I picked up the following items, plus a bunch of DC Domez, which I probably won’t blog about, as it was sadly mostly dupes. 

First up, Triton:

I’m not familiar with this character, but I liked the colours and the fact he had a fin on his head. The articulation is pretty nice for these figures – you get all the articulation points of a larger figure, though some of the joints can be a bit stiff/bendy due to the figure’s size. 

Left side:

Yep, he has a head fin :). The paint job, what there is of it, is mostly competent. Bit of slop around his boots, but isn’t particularly noticeable unless you’re looking for it. 

Right side:

Yep, is a ditto of the other side. 

Back:

He’s been sculpted back here, but some the joints look very joint-y. Head looks somewhat on the odd side. For a small figure, it’s not much of a biggie tbh. 

As a figure, he works well. Just find the RRP for these figures to be too high for something so small, despite the quality. They also don’t come with any accessories, but at least one hand posed for one, which is mildly annoying. May have to go hunt the accessory pots for stuff.

Now onto the Minecraft Minis:

Had to pick up the pack with the slime in it 😛 The slime doesn’t disappoint, and I do rather like the mooshroom too. The on-fire zombie rounds out the set – he looks fine, but isn’t a figure I’m particularly interested in. 

The sides:

The zombie is nicely asymmetric, mooshroom has the most interesting profile imo. And the slime is nicely done with its solid cube centred in translucent gunk. 

The backs:

Not much junk in these trunks, but no horror stories either. It’s a nice little set, but not one I’d pay RRP for. These fellows will find themselves nestled somewhere in one of my display shelves. Or replacing some of the blind bag rubbish that isn’t very good. 

Bad Taste Bears – Rustle & Henry

Bought this pair from a seller on eBay. 


First up, Rustle:

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I remember seeing this one when I was younger, and wanting it for no real reason. At the time I was living at home, and would have never got away with it. Now I’m older, the bears don’t seem to be as controversial to me as I thought they were at the time. They’re also well made imo, 

Here is a side shot:

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Definitely looks like he’s having a good rustle from this angle!

And the back:

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Not much to say about this angle – has all the detail you’d expect. 

Next up, Henry:

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Not quite a Henry hoover, but I’m thinking the lawyers would have something to say if it was. Certainly seems happy with his vacuum cleaner, even if it doesn’t share his name. Love the face given to the vacuum. 

Shot of the back:

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Again, not much to say here. Fur texture’s nicely done.


Couldn’t resist another couple of these cheeky bears, and they also have a strange nostalgic element to me. I got them pretty cheap, and I’m happy with my purchases.

Harley Quinn – Gold Edition

Was wandering through an Asda, and came across this:

The price wasn’t bad, so I decided to buy it. Cue an age-long wait at the tills as it wasn’t even in the system yet, and they had to sort it out XD. On returning home, I did some research and it’s actually a Walmart exclusive, so I’m glad I decided to buy it, as I probably wouldn’t see it again, outside of eBay XD. For those that don’t know, Asda is owned by Wal-Mart, so it’s likely to be exclusive to Asda in the UK. 

As for the figure… it’s gold and very shiny! Parts of it are metal, other bits I’m pretty sure are plastic. She articulates around her waist, but it’s not in a very pleasing way to me. 

Here is her left side:

The shoulder joint is a bit gappy. She’s painted well though. 

Right side:

This shoulder has less of a gap, but the seam on her head is a bit more obvious on this side. 

The back:

Can’t miss that CE mark :P. Her hand is nicely sclupted, and the paint is nice and crisp here too. No hiding the join between the parts of her hat though. 

Happy with the figure. For me, this figure meets expectations – the price for me was slightly on the high side, but it is nicely finished for the most part. So if you like your Harley in gold, you can get this one. 

Tiger & Bunny: Kotetsu and Blue Rose

After pondering what I could pad my Mandarake order out with… I remembered I wanted to get some Tiger & Bunny figures. After some deliberation, I went for a Kotetsu prize figure and Chibi Arts Blue Rose. Ordinarily I wouldn’t go for a chibi figure, but Blue Rose seems to be woefully catered for in the figure market. 

First up, Kotetsu:

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Lookin’ nice from the front. Some good shading, most of the paintwork is good, a bit missed on the chin, but it’s not really noticeable. Not pictured are the way he fits into the base – he looks like he’s wearing platform shoes, but the extra “shoe” fits into the strangely shaped slots on the base. 

Here’s a close-up of the face to admire the beard paint:

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As you ca see, it doesn’t quite fit in the marked area, and there is some mould fuzz on his hand. For a prize figure though, the derps are minor. 

From the right side:

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He sadly has some marks on his hip, probably from rattlin’ around in his box. He hasn’t been out, but he was secondhand, so he may have been shaken around a bit. The marks don’t show from the front though.

Left side:

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Do love the accuracy of the moulding of the jewellery and hand. It’s also been nicely, which is a strong bonus in prize figures. 

Finally, his back:

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Some nice shading work here, if you want to admire his backside. Not doing it for me personally, but he does have good shoulders. 

All in all, pleased with my pic.

Next up, Blue Rose:

The speech bubble is of her catchphrase, and translates to:

“My ice may be a little cold, but your crime has been put completely on hold!”

She is a bit sticky with plasticiser, from being kept in her box, and she has some minor chipping on her headpiece, but this could be from when she was manufactured. This chibi works surprisingly well for me. 

Here’s two shots of her sides:

Her tendrils are nicely done in clear plastic, but her front hair doesn’t like to clip well into her back hair. May attempt to fix this at some point, with some hot air. Most of this figure slotted together surprisingly well, with the odd bits needing heating to get in place. 

Her back:

Tried to lean her against the board, but nah, she wasn’t gonna stand. Some details back here, which is nice. 

Here are her other parts:

Plenty of bits to choose from! The tiny guns go where here tiny holsters are on her legs (small blue lumps), if you don’t want her to be holding her guns. The arms in the top-right are the default ones, which she holds her hands out from her sides. I love the selection of items they provided. 

The other things she can say:

Yeah, I accidentally put the one in Japanese on its side… It translates to “I decided to believe my friends until the end as a hero”. At some point, I may swap in the Cutie Escape! one. 

Tiger & Bunny was a bit of an up and down show for me – some of it I loved, other bits I’m waiting for them to get on with it/less interested in what was going on. I may get figures of one or two of the characters, but I’m not going to be making a Tiger & Bunny display. Happy with my purchases though. 

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst figure set

I bought this for £5, along with the Star Wars figures featured in my last blog.

In the set you get these three figures:

From left to right these figures are: Icarus, Faith Connors and Kuma. As I’ve only played the original Mirror’s Edge, I’m only familiar with Faith. As this was a limited edition set, the GAME I visited only had one set on the shelves. 

Before we get into the figures themselves, all the bottoms of the bases are the same and look like this:

The bases themselves are magnetic, and the feet of the characters stick anywhere on the top face of the base. I like this feature, as the base holds them well, and they’re not easy to knock over, plus no pegs to break. 

Onto the figures! So let’s start with the main character, Faith:

Here she is, with her expression of grim determination. We also have matt and shiny paint finishes, which really helps the figures stand out. And all the paint seems to be in the right places, which is a massive achievement for figures of this size. 

Here’s Faith’s right side:

… showing the edition number and her tattoo. The tattoo is nicely done, and I have 2426/3500. As expected, it’s in the higher end of the edition numbers, but maybe not as high as I’d expect for buying it during its selloff period. 

Faith’s left side:

No tattoo this side, and I like the way they’ve posed her arm and hand so it looks like she is about to do something. 

The back:

Nothing much to see here, but the details have all been finished off as expected. Crease continue to the back on her trousers, her bag strap is fully detailed. If I wanted to nitpick, I can point out the paint flaw on her armband, at the top. 

Now for Icarus:

I do love the shininess of his clothing, and a credit to the game designers to make him “match” with Faith. 

Side of Icarus:

He has looser clothing with more creases compared to Faith, which is a nice touch. I like the way his arm warmers are creased realistically around the wrist. Icarus’s other side is more of the same, so skipping that. 

Back of Icarus:

Not a huge amount to see here. Might be nice if the back of his hoodie had some detailing, but I found one screenshot showing his back, and there’s nothing there. Does seem somewhat unnaturally flat – maybe some extra creasing could have left it looking less plain, like his trousers. 

Finally, Kuma:

A cute little robot design, but the paintwork ends up looking sloppy, due to the white paint not finishing smoothly in a couple of places. If I had a choice of sets, I may have checked his paintjob in another set, but I’m not hugely bothered, as Faith was the one I was really after, with the other two being nice bonuses. He is a rather cute design though. 

Kuma’s left side:

This one’s name is easy to remember, what with it being written on him ;). 

Kuma’s right side:

Can see some of the less-smooth painting on this side, on his head, which is a bit of a shame, compared to the other figures. 

Kuma’s back:

Some nice detailing here, but some lumpiness on his head, that I’m not sure is part of his character design. 

In conclusion, this is a nicely painted set, especially for its size. Would be better if Kuma had some more attention paid to him, but I didn’t pay full price, so I’m not fussy. Originally the set was £18, which would be more than I would’ve wanted to pay, but probably justifiable for the quality of the figures. For £5, this set is a steal imo, if you’re into the Mirror’s Edge franchise. 

Bad Taste Bears: Scarlet & Skully

I bought these in a figure shop, just prior to Christmas. 

First up, Scarlet:

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I remember seeing this one years ago, and wanting to buy it. But as I lived with my parents… wasn’t gonna happen. But now I have… her?

She comes fully equipped with her own handcuffs:

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And edition number stamped on her backside:

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I also got a keyring at the same time. His name is Skully:

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Aww, isn’t he cute? 😛

A pic of the back:

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So now I own 3 Bad Taste Bears. May own more in future, should I come across any cheap enough that I like. There are a few I could truly call “bad taste” but a lot of them seem rather tame to me these days. 

Ahsoka Tano & Anakin Skywalker

Saw these in GAME for 99p, so I couldn’t resist. Not hugely into Star Wars, but these were nice looking figures for a cheap price. 

First up, Ahsoka:

And in the writing of this article, I have learned that Twi’lek and Togrutas are two different speicies, and Ahsoka is the latter. 

And Togrutas have three head-tails:

From this angle she looks particularly mean with her pair of lightsabers:

Love the use of colour in this character, and the bases for this set are nice and thematic. There is also little in the way of paint flaws on this one. 

Now for Anakin:

Lookin’ grumpy with his lightsaber, but also a bit dinged up, and not intentionally so. 

Side view:

Can see the marks on his leg more on this shot, but you can admire the pose chosen. 

Back:

He has a weird dot on his head – looks like a hole in the outer layer of finish, and some scrapes on his coattails. Seems to be a reoccurring issue with the figures with large black areas – pretty sure the black colouring makes these marks more obvious, but it does seem to be something the darker characters are more prone to having. 

Maybe if I looked more at the sets, I could have had an Anakin with less marks on him, but tbh, I only bought this set for Ahsoka, but it’s something to be mindful of if you’re going to pick up your own set. 

For 99p, this set is cheap enough that even if you just like the character designs and want to display them, it’s worth picking up (at the time of writing, it seems readily available). The set also comes with a clear piece, but it’s not really a good display piece, so I didn’t photograph it. 

SnapP’s Al Azif

This was an addition to one of my recent Mandarake orders. This was super-cheap and Al Azif, so I chucked it into my cart. So what did I get?:

She has the approximate appearance of Al Azif, but her flesh colour is REALLY pale. Would be nicer if there was a bit more colour to her skin – she looks a little sick, lol. 

Back of the figure:

Some meh painting on the top bands, but OK other than that. There’s a hole here – I assume at least one of the

SnapP’s

figures comes with a tail, as this isn’t a stand hole. 

Left side:

There’s a gap in her hairpiece here – I did try to reduce this, but it’s rather obstinate. Not too much of a biggie, as it’s not visible from the front. 

Right side:

Less of a hair gap on this side. 

For a cheap figure, I can’t complain. The figure has a minimal of articulation – the shoulders and neck move. Would be nice if there was some hand articulation to get some actual poses out of it – moving the arms is a bit pointless, with the hand pose she has. The only reason she has this articulation in the first place is because her parts are replaceable with other figures in the range. If you want a “cosplaying” Al Azif figure, this figure is for you. If not, I’d give it a pass. 

Lilith Aensland

This was one of two items added to one of my Urban Mine boxes to fill out space. 

And here she is:

Nice, striking colours, but has a simple paint job, as she’s an older figure. For the most part, it’s a decently done paint job, but there is a bit of sloppiness at the top of her apron. 

Close-up of her face:

That’s one smiley, happy face. Can see the paint issues on the apron, but I don’t find them too distracting. 

Here’s a side-on view:

And here’s a pic of her back:

Some detail back here, enough to make it not fully plain. Can see some paint flaws with the white paint on her shoulder and neck. 

Close-up of the base:

This base is designed to connect to two others, and the set consists of four figures total. As this figure is old, and I’m less interested in half the set, I’m unlikely to get hold of the rest. I am considering 3D printing a new base for her, as this one isn’t particularly nice on its own. 

This is the reason why I’d want to print one:

She has pronged feet, instead of the prongs being on the base, so she needs something to hold them in place to stand up, hence me considering 3D printing rather than using some of the pegged stands I already have. 

Evangelion Chronicle Rei & Asuka

Won these on the Urban Mine auctions. Paid more than I should have done for them, but ah well… Could’ve bought one from a Mandarake store for less, but was too late when I went to check. D’oh. Should have paid around ~£5 each, but ended up paying ~£10 each, so not a massive miscalculation. 

And I do like them:

Rei Ayanami

First up, Rei. 

I do like the pearlescent nature of her outfit, and the expression feels “Rei”. There’s a decent amount of detail to be found in this figure, especially for its age. 

Here’s her back:

Her “backpack” is present, and some shading in her hair. I like the colours chosen – distinctive, and complimentary. 

Asuka Langely

Next up, Asuka:

Not as keen on her expression as Rei, but the pose is interesting. Also her number is a bit oddly placed. 

The back of Asuka:

Nice amount of “animation” in the hair. And her butt. 

Here’s a side shot, showing off more of her pose:

With both of these figures, I needed to heat the feet to get them on their bases – the plastic is kind of rubbery, so gets quite flexible when warmed. With Rei, I had to douse her in cold water, to prevent her from setting in a leaned position. I won’t be surprised if these figures will lean over time, but they’ll be easy enough to “reset”. 

These figures make a nice pair, and am glad to have them. 

Urban Mine: Retro Asuka

Back on the Urban Mines! First lot, this one:

Initially thought this was a different figure, but it turns out it was one not on MFC. Stuffed a bid on it, and won it for ¥100. 

So what did I get?

Haha, that face! This figure really does show its age – it has a copyright date of ‘96, which is the end of the Evangelion anime run. In my photos, she looks about the right colour, but she’s actually slightly pinkish. The text by her feet is her name in Japanese:

Side of the figure:

Not too much to say about the side – hand angle feels a bit unnatural to me. You can see that painted side hair clearer here – looking more like a sideburn than a bit of stray hair. 

Finally, the back:

Not so much detail in the hair, but her butt looks good. 

Whilst this is far from the best Asuka you can own, in some way it’s nice to own a bit of history, and to see how far figures have come over the years. The face is the weakest part of this figure, other than that it isn’t too bad. 

Odds n’ Sods: Part 2

Three more pieces of random.

Picard and Borg Queen Minimates

These figures I got from a comic book shop in Bath. 

Bought them because… Borg Queen. They’re not too bad out of the packaging, Picard looks nicer out of the packaging than I thought, with the accessories. 

Here’s a side shot, showing the phaser “clipped” to his belt:

Personally I would have preferred a back clip or something for the rifle, so he could hold the phaser and carry the rifle, as I feel Picard is more a phaser kinda guy. I should prolly re-angle that phaser though, unless I choose to switch it out with the rifle anyway… but it does leave what looks like sprue on his waist. 

Backs of the figures:

The Borg Queen’s head wires came out quite well, but the copyright info kinda spoils the look, especially a some is over the printed design too… 

I wouldn’t have bought these at full price, owing to them being stylised, but I don’t mind them being in my collection. 

Ghost Rider

This guy I bought from TK Maxx. Found him at the tills – so the annoying scrabble through the till queue merchandise was fruitful that day. It’s annoying because there can be good things hidden there, but you’ve gotta move out of the way for people ready to pay for stuff ><

Cute li’l dude :P. Hands and head are on the big side of the body, as these will work with the full-sized figures. Head looks OK, but the hands do look a bit on the odd side. 

Here he is from the back:

Yeah, not really his best angle. His fire-hair looks neat though. 

He also comes with an optional green dragon accessory:

Not familiar with this being a “thing” and I’m not entirely keen on it. It’s an OK part on its own, but I don’t think it goes with Ghost Rider. Will probably live in the box of spare parts, just in case I get a Mash ‘Em it works with. 

Side shot, if you want to see more of it:

Darth Maul

Kinda surprised I didn’t have this dude already, but he probably didn’t get the chance to bin as hard as some of the other Disney Infinity. Found this in the same TK Maxx visit as Ghost Rider. 

For some reason, both of the ones they had had small scuffings on the black parts. Not sure why, but it’s not too visible irl. His head paint has been done well though, and is very striking. 

Shot showing his saber:

Looking nice n’ lethal. 

A shot showing the back:

Again, some minor scuffing, but he looks good from this angle too. 

And just for completeness, here’s his head spikes:

Love this little Maul, despite the small flaws. A welcome addition to my collection. 

Odds n’ Sods: Part 1

CThis blog will be dedicated to three of six different smaller figures I’ve bought lately, that don’t really justify their own blog entry.

Bilbo Baggins

This dude came from Poundworld, and I don’t think I’d pay more than a pound for him, but had to get the figure because of silliness. So why silly? See for yourself:

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It’s the ring-version of Bilbo. There is some decent moulding in there… if you can see it! And no paintwork to complain about… 

The two straps are for a bag and some water bottles. These are separate parts to the figure, so I’ve put them on best I could. 

Here’s his back:

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He does have articulation, as can be seen, but not sure why they bothered making this figure. Definitely the peg-warmer of the set, though some of the figures didn’t fare much better, but I think most only got as far as the cheapy shops instead of pound store territory. 

Captain Sparklez

Bought this mostly because of the slime. Was also £1. 

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He does come with a shield, but I didn’t add it to these pictures, as it’s overly large and looks terrible. The slime and slime sword are the best parts of this set for me, as I don’t follow any of the Minecraft YouTubers, though I know of them. The legs on this figure have surprisingly decent articulation – the knees and hips both move, so he’s easy to stand up. 

Backs of both figures don’t have anything to write home about:

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And let’s have a close-up of the slime:

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D’awwww.

Invader Zim

This was one of the overly-expensive blind bags, but I bought it anyway. Out of the things available in the bag, this was one of my top picks, so that’s one good thing 😀

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Lookin’ very Zim, but the body paint is rather sloppy. I think it would have been nicer if they included a mouth. Wasn’t like his was too small for one… 

Here’s a shot of the side:

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Yeah, the join isn’t particularly hidden in his overly large, bobblehead. Might be possible to do something about it, but not checked. Here you can see how the stand goes around his body and pokes into his back. Not really a fan of the stand – I’d prefer it if he stood on the plastic plate – he looks a little odd floating there. 

Onto the back:

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Sloppy paint in evidence here too. The backpack is nice, but wondering if they missed a trick making it look like the stand was something deployed from the backpack, instead of being awkwardly halfway in the bottom of it. 

Closeup of the stand:

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Having the logo on there is nice, but damn, this thing’s made from cheap plastic. Horrible unevenness plagues the plastic, and the edges aren’t nicely finished. You can clip it to others in the series, but I don’t see myself doing that unless these turn up in Poundland. Especially as 5 out of the 8 figures are… Gir. I don’t mind SOME Gir, but I think replacing one of the weaker Gir designs with human-disguise Zim would’ve been a good way to go. Wouldn’t recommend these unless you really want something Invader Zim. In the UK, these are currently overpriced imo. 

Kaki, Troll and…. food?!

So here’s some random figures I had to get… The troll figure I got some time ago, but didn’t judge it blog-worthy on its own, but now I have Kaki, I can blog about the pair.

So here’s Trollface:

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Yep, that’s deffo a trollface. And here’s Kaki:

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And yep, that’s definitely a poo. Waited for these figures to bin, which they indeed did. These are the two I wanted from the collection, the others don’t really interest me, even for bargain basement prices. They’re seriously not worth their original retail value, but at the price I paid, they’re fine for a novelty. 

Now onto food… 

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A happy, hungry sprout! Just in time for Christmas!

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I bought him from a charity shop, and we were debating if he was a cabbage or a sprout. The final conclusion at the shop was sprout, but I still think it could be either. See what you think after seeing his back:

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Bestest. Figure. Ever. And I bet you thought that’d go to Kaki :P. 

Rei Chopsticks & Illidan Keyring

These two don’t have a lot to do with each other, but they’re both not figures and arrived on my doormat at the same time. 

First up, the chopsticks:

And a closeup of the tops:

They’re nice, given the amount of space they had to work with. Might’ve been nicer if the chopstick with Rei visible either had the entry pod top be removable or not there at all imo, but it doesn’t get in the way or anything. 

As of the time of writing, I haven’t used them yet, but they felt like they’ll be a decent pair of chopsticks to use, and more conventional than my Alien ones. I may order the Asuka ones in future, but currently on the fence about them. 

Urban Mine – Aliens Edition

So there was one reason, and one reason only, I bid on this auction:

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I’m a sucker for Alien stuff, and I have most of the collection. My thought process was that I would probably win the auction at a price, that even if the one in the box was one I had, I’d be able to get my money back at the very least. 

But then this happened:

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And then this happened…

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There were two ships shoved in the box, both of which I didn’t have, and one is the rare! Looking at them, they were more impressive than I thought they’d be, so I’m definitely keeping them, especially for the bargain price I paid. 

So, back to the drop ship. I was just adding it to my collection on MFC, when I noticed in the promo shots I could do this:

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Man, that’s nifty. The others don’t articulate, so this was unexpected.

Here’s a more top-down shot:

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Here’s a shot of the top of the Sulaco. It’s very thin, so it doesn’t photograph well from anywhere other than the side (I did try):

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So super-happy I decided to bid on that lot! Now for the other stuff in the box. 

First, up, a blind box figure, which was already opened:

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Her name is Sakurakouji Hotaru, and I can’t tell you anything about her. She’s, um, wearing a blue skirt? The tiny stick at the bottom you can attach another rod to, and have a clip stand around her. Not planning on bothering, also she was quite weighty, so she might be made out of sterner stuff, which would help her not lean over time. Very nicely painted though, if simple. I do kinda like her, so thinking of keeping her for now. 

Next item was some random box item:

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Hm, some cool-looking stuff on the front. This box was opened already. And what did I get?

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Mmm, ok. Paint job’s nice, but I don’t think I have much call for a tiny dude and his bike. 

Here’s the other items in the set:

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A few things I could’ve gone for – certainly wouldn’t have minded the Utraman, but alas, this was the Urban Mine, so the blind boxes are often the crap you don’t want :P. 

Now for some Super Sentai sweets:

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These are going to a friend who loves Super Sentai, so not opened them. The chocolate is wayyyy out of date – the expiry is September 2007, so uh, only 10 years out of date. I have recommended the friend NOT eat the chocolate, though I don’t think he’ll be inclined to anyway. If I’m around when he opens these, I’ll photograph the toys.

And finally, a Pez strap made to look like a Pez dispenser:

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Hm, yep. Might see if someone wants to buy this. This is apparently “Boy” of the Pez family. Never even knew there was a Pez family, lol. 

And that’s the end of the Urban Mine loot. Super-happy with getting two items I really wanted, and the expected amount of trash, and I’ll be able to give a friend a Chrismas present… so a good loot it was.

Lawson Rei & Asuka C-Style

This was the other item I used to round out my Urban Mine purchase, coming up in the next blog post. This figure was sold unopened, and indeed it was. So here it is, out of the box: 

D’aww, cute! Did take a little bit of putting together, but it was worth it. If you get this, I’d strongly recommend a hairdryer for the assembly – the parts that slot together are tight, and the blue support in Asuka’s foot may be mildly misshapen – on mine it wasn’t going to go in there when cold, but a bit of thermal persuasion and it slotted in there nice and snugly. 

Here’s the back of the figures:

Looking OK from this angle, but it is mostly support, and Rei’s hair looks super-boring. 

Closeup of the characters:

There feels to be quite a thick layer of paint on them, and the colours are nice and bold. They don’t hold up to a close inspection – there is a little paint bleeding, and my Rei has a little bit of blobby paint on her belly, but from a distance, they’re quite striking. 

The price for these in the aftermarket is about what you’d expect to pay for two small figures, so if you like them, I’d say go for it, unless you’re overpaying by using a 3rd party type reseller. 

More Domez!

So… managed to end up at Toys R Us again, and bought 3 more Domez. This time there was the added bonus of them being cheaper! 

I managed not to get any dupes:

First up, Catwoman:

I initially opened these up in the dark, so didn’t see the scratch on her head :(. This is the favourite of the 3 I opened, but I may have to do something about that mark… darnit. 

Batman:

It’s… Batman. Looks OK from this angle, but the mouth makes him look a bit derpy. 

Lastly, but definitely least, Superman:

Yeah… what the heck is going on with that face?! I’m not a fan of Superman at the best of times, and this one… well. Face is super-derp and the head looks more out of proportion than the others.

Ah, that’s better. This angle actually looks OK! Back of his head doesn’t say “Superman” to me, but hey, I don’t have to look at that face any more. 

Ignoring the scratch on Catwoman’s head, I’ve got 2 that I like, one I’m mediocre about and one that might get hidden in a drawer. Not a bad pull.