Translate

Monday, July 28, 2014

Review of the 2014 SAN DIEGO COMIC CON . A look back at some of the convention high lights !!!

I wish I had the free time to go to this event in person , but like most people I read about it over various websites . Sites such as toynewsi.com , the fwoosh.com , etc . What got me excited the most was the reveals of some of the Masters of the Universe Classics and the new up coming Marvel Legends . I will talk about what I am most excited about from these two lines first . ( NOTE ) The following pics are NOT mine . They are courtesy of the respective above mentioned web sites .I'm just using the pics as reference material as I discuss what I like best from the Comic Con show. First I'll go over the MOTU Classics reveals and which reveals got me excited and why . Here are the pics ..............
Pic courtesy of Toynewsi.com . Of the four characters / figures seen above , the two that excites me the most are Lizard Man and Oo-larr . Here's why .
( 1 ) Lizard Man - The first time I saw this guy was as a 9 or 10 year old kid watching the old Filmation He-Man episodes . I remember wanting him as an action figure as a kid back in the 1980s . Now to finally have him as an adult makes that childhood wish come true . Plus Lizard Man comes with two cool accessories, Skeletor's sword he used in the old toon and the Diamond Ray of Disappearance , the magical artifact used in the first episode . Also I am glad Liz is shorter than the other figures just like he is in the cartoon . He looks exactly the way he looked in the toon .
( 2 ) Oo-Larr - Many MOTU fans that were not aware of this guy were confused . I visited some MOTU Classic Facebook pages where people were asking who is Oo-larr . A MOTU history lesson is in need of explanation of this character, so here it is. Back when Mattel first created He-Man in the mini comics, there was no Prince Adam, just He-Man . He-Man was originally meant to be a strong warrior from a jungle tribe and NOT a Prince of a palace . So to settle continuity conflicts , Mattel made Oo-Larr into the jungle He-Man, keeping him from being the same He-Man as Prince Adam . So when the MOTU Classics bios were done, both Oo-Larr and Prince Adam served as He-Man . The bios allowed Eternia to have more than just one He-Man, and Oo-Larr is one of them . I am excited about Oo-Larr's two heads. One is a vintage He-Man head , and I'm pleased that the other head was altered to not look to much like Adam , allowing Oo-Larr to have his own individual look .
And to top things off, Oo-Larr is supposed to come with a BLUEPRINT OF CASTLE GRAYSKULL . I can't wait to have this item in my hands .
( 3 ) NINJOR - I'm glad he's finally in classic form but I'm disappointed that Mattel did not use the removable hood / mask feature for him like they did for the vintage toy . Instead he comes with two alternate heads, masked and unmasked . He still looks cool though and it's great to have Skeletor's gang almost complete.
(4) Huntara - She looks cool but I was not too crazy about her as a character . I think I like her better as an action figure than I do as a cartoon character . You can watch the only She-Ra episode she's in on Youtube.
PIC ALSO COURTESY OF TOYNEWSI.COM .
Mermista looks super cool. In both human form and mermaid form . I love her light blue colors and she looks just like she did in the Filmation cartoon . I can not wait to add Mermista to my collection.I did not care for an action figure of Bow's horse named Arrow but it looks cool and I will end up buying it anyway.
As for Tung-Lashor , the only letdown for me is no more dial on his back to move his tongue in and out . Instead this feature has been replaced with two alternate heads, tongue in and tongue out . He still looks cool though .

Above pics also courtesy of Toynewsi .
I can't wait to get Skeletor's robot knights . They look so cool, and they too look like they jumped right out of the cartoon and into plastic form . Great job Four Horsemen !!! The MOTUC version of Gwildor is a nice improvement over the vintage figure. As a matter of fact it is based on Billy Barton's likeness, the actor that portrayed Gwildor in the 1987 MOTU live action movie .

And the latest MOTUC reveals that excited me, I love how Sweet Bee looks and is glad to see the helmet that she wore in a She-ra episode she appeared in is coming with the figure . Also I can't wait for this MOTU Art book scheduled to come out in April of next year . There were also other MOTU goodies announced but these above mentioned ones by me are my favorites .

PICS COURTESY OF MARVELOUSNEWS.COM . A sub site of ToyNewsi .
Marvel Legends are coming out with a lot of goodies also . I'm excited about these Agents of Shield figures, can't wait to add these two to my collection . There are quite a few new characters that have never been made before to get excited over . They are in no particular order Radioactive Man , the newest Hob Goblin ,Hellcat , Machine Man , and finally Odin is here as a build a figure . After all of these years, we will finally have a Marvel Legend figure of Odin . It's about time .


This newest Hobgoblin is not the same Hobby that Spidey first encountered for those of you whom may not know. In the comics he has this cool super power , a super sonic loud laugh that is so deafening it can cause physical damage . I can not wait to complete this guy, he is a build a figure after all .

My final takes on the world of Marvel , there are some nice remakes of characters that have already been made by Toybiz on the way from Hasbro . The remakes of Spider-Woman, The Scarlet Witch and Ms. Marvel ( not Pictured ) look really good to me and I plan on buying them anyway even though I have the Toybiz versions . You will also have to buy that cool looking new original Spider-Girl figure to complete that Hobgoblin .
I could go on and on about San Diego 2014 Comic Con , however I just decided to write about what I like the most , and MOTU Classics and Marvel Legends got me excited the most . More than any other franchise . Although there are some more HONORABLE MENTIONS that were announced that are on my wish list which are ..........
( 1 ) Some of the newest 6 inch scaled Star Wars Black Figures coming out . Anakin Skywalker/ Darth Vader  is on his way .
( 2 ) WWE MATTEL - We are finally getting figures of Hulk Hogan , Ric Flair , Razor Ramon and believe it or not Sting . I don't purchase all of the wrestling figures but do plan on adding these legends to my collection.
( 3 ) The video store diorama piece that comes with some new Jay and Silent Bob figures .
From the looks of things the 2014 SDCC is one of the best con's in a while . Even though I did not go there in person , I like what has been reported a lot !!!

Sunday, July 27, 2014

JULY 2014 CONTEST . Win TWO carded Iron Man III 3.75 inches movie figures !!!

Win not one but two Iron Man III three inch scaled figures ( MIB ) mint in box in this month's contest . As always the FIRST CORRECT ANSWER is the winner of the prize . Here are some looks at what you can win .



Now here is the TRIVIA QUESTION .
You have until August 27, 2014 to come up with the correct answers. All contests are 30 days long before expiring . Good luck to all that participate !!!

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Action Figure Imagery Toy Reviews ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY IS TODAY !!!

On July 23, 2013 I created this blog . Today marks the one year anniversary of Action Figure Imagery Toy Reviews . The very first figure I reviewed is Masters of the Universe Classics Man-E-Faces .
In case you missed the review , you can see it by visiting the archives . Since I was at the time a beginner at reviewing , Man-E was an easy choice because of his extra faces . If I ran out of information to discuss about an action figure, I could easily discuss all of Man-E's faces individually .
 Since this is an Anniversary post, I'm going to use this post to make a special announcement . I have a copyright of a franchise that I created called " Hero-Force,INC . " The "INC" is short for incorporated. In the coming weeks, days, and months I will be posting information about every character and asking people the huge question of rather they want to see some of these characters as articulated 6" scaled ACTION FIGURES . There are over 100 characters. Here's a short preview of some of the characters .











The last character posted goes by the code name" Harpoon " . I made up all of these characters and hope to see them along with others as action figures someday . Information about every character along with bios will be posted in the upcoming days, months , and weeks .
In other news , I see that the SAN DIEGO 2014 COMIC CON is finally here. When the SDCC is over , I will write an article about what excites me the most from the convention . And later this weekend, be prepared to have a correct answer to the trivia question for this month's free toy .

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Marvel Legends Infinite Series Spider-Man - SPIDER-GIRL REVIEW !!!

Remember that old saying "good things come to those who wait" ? Well I've patiently waited for Spider-Girl to arrive at retail rather than paying those outrageous prices people were charging on Ebay when she first came out . I purchased her at a local Walmart for $ 19.99. If I had purchased this figure about four months earlier from Ebay I probably would've paid twice as much . However now the prices on Ebay are starting to drop on her. So if you still don't have this figure, if you still can't find her at retail then it is now okay to go to Ebay or Amazon as the prices on her are now dropping . As for Spider-Girl the character, she is of an alternate future universe, the daughter of Peter Parker and Mary Jane . You can read more about Spider-Girl the character on Wikipedia . As for the action figure, it is already one of my most favorite Marvel Legend female figures .


Spider-Girl is the variant or chase figure of this series Black Cat figure, which I reviewed earlier this year. Hasbro gave variant / chase figures a new name however, labeled "running change". There is a lot to like about Spider-Girl once you remove her from the packaging . Instead of being given the basic female body sculpt, she is given the body sculpt of a teenage female. This is very neat because of her age. I love how her hair is sculpted , the pony tail is soft plastic. Nice facial details for a change with pink lipstick instead of the basic red . She has nice articulation , her head can move in all directions . Plus her hands are made as if she's ready for battle. Her left is a closed fist and her right is an open palm displaying a web shooting type pose . I love the silvery white streaks of the spider on her costume.
Also I prefer this look of hers over the original . The original looks as if someone took Spider-Man's head and displayed it onto a woman's body . This version of Spider-Girl is way better than the original in my opinion .



As for accessories, Spider-Girl does not come with none of her own, although she does come with the torso of this series build a figure piece Ultimate Green Goblin . You can also get this exact same piece from the Black Cat figure for those whom may not know. Even though this series is in the six inch height scale, as you can see in the pic below Spider-Girl stands exactly right at five inches tall. I love this concept, since she is a teenager of course she is not going to be six inches tall like the Black Cat figure, whom is a grown woman whereas Spider-Girl is still somewhat of a kid .
Speaking of height , in the pic below you can see there is not much height difference between Spider-Girl and the Ultimate Spider-Man Miles Morales figure , whom is also a teenager but is a male . Hasbro is really coming along nicely with Peter Parker's successors .
                                                         FINAL   THOUGHTS
( 1 ) ARTICULATION - Excellent articulation . Even without an ab crunch she is still a cool figure. Does not really need an ab crunch because of her diminutive stature .
( 2 ) STANDING  ABILITY - Not sure if it's just only my Spider-Girl figure or all of them, her right foot is bent just a little, sort of interfering with proper balance. However with some posing adjustments you can make her stand very well without falling .
( 3 ) WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT THIS SPIDER-GIRL FIGURE ? It's hard to pick just one feature that stands out above everything else in particular . But if I must say, probably the look and feel of the figure is what mostly stands out. The feel of her being 100% accurate to a teenage female body frame to which she is.
( 4 ) WHAT  I  LIKE  LEAST  ABOUT  THIS  FIGURE ? The only thing that bothered me was the issue I mentioned with her right foot in the Standing Ability category . Everything else is just fine .
( 5 ) WHAT  COULD  HAVE  BEEN  DONE  TO  IMPROVE  THIS  FIGURE ? The issue I have with the right foot . This is nearly a perfect action figure in my opinion .
( 6 ) GRADING  SCALE - On a scale of 1 to 10 I give this figure a 9.8 . The minus is for the right foot issue.
( 7 ) FINAL  ANALYSIS - I'm glad I waited for Spider-Girl to come to retail . She is definitely worth the wait . Plus for those of us that love both the Spider-Man comics and these Marvel Legend figures, it feels good to add another one of Peter Parker's successors to my collection . For those of you that still do not have this figure, you may want to purchase her ASAP while she's at retail price before she is gone from retail, then you'll have to revert back to the internet probably paying higher prices .

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Guardians of the Galaxy - GAMORA REVIEW !!!

With the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie coming up, I purchased this figure of Gamora at a local Walmart . I bought her for $19.99 . Sigh . I miss the old days when action figures were cheaper . However I wanted her and I always want to add a new character / figure to my collection . In the movie Gamora is portrayed by the beautiful actress Zoe Saldana . As for Gamora the character, she has undergone several different looks since her existence . She has always had the green skin , but her facial features and outfits / costumes have been altered by Marvel's comic book artists over the years . Hasbro has decided to go with this new look of hers based on the upcoming movie with this Marvel Legends Gamora .



The back of the packaging displays Gamora with her sword in her right hand . This holds true , because if you try to make her hold the sword with her left hand, it feels loose and feels like it could fall out of her hand. Her right hand has a better grip on the sword . Speaking of the sword here's a closer look at it .
It kind of reminds me of Skeletor 's swords from the Masters of the Universe early 2000s line . With the split at the top looking like its holding two blades together . Even though Gamora is in a 6" scaled line , as you can see in the pic below she is slightly under six inches however she is well over 5 inches tall . I love how the Marvel Legends franchise is almost always accurate with every character / figure's height .

Gamora has some distinguishing facial features that are very noticeable . She has what appears are four eyebrows, two over each eye . Plus two scars which is probably warrior makeup on her facial cheeks . And probably the most noticeable feature of all , her hair is a mixture of black and a shiny reddish hue . Her hair is not just one color. I like how the colors blend together this looks really cool .
Besides her sword as an accessory, Gamora also comes with the left leg of this series build a figure character known as Groot . And also instructions on who you need to purchase to put Groot together . As you can see Groot's left leg alone is almost as tall as Gamora herself , but not quite .

Back to Gamora as a character and not a figure for a moment . For those of us that have been reading Marvel Comics for a long time , many of us know that the Guardians of the Galaxy is not Gamora's first team . She was originally a member of the Infinity Watch , led by Adam Warlock . Hence the comic book series known as Warlock and the Infinity Watch . Marvel Legends already had two members of the Infinity Watch, Warlock himself and Drax the Destroyer . Gamora makes the third member to become a figure, however she is not the last Infinity Watch character .
                                                            FINAL   THOUGHTS  
( 1 ) ARTICULATION - My only complaint about Gamora's articulation is with her head . The rest of her articulation I am pleased with . Her head movement however is somewhat restricted from looking up and down just a little. Even though her hair is hard plastic I don't think her hair is the cause. I think it's more to do with lack of an extra ball joint in the neck .
( 2 ) STANDING  ABILITY - Despite the fact she has no heels, you have to pose Gamora a certain way to get her to stand properly without falling . Once you get her in a proper stance, balance is no longer an issue .
( 3 ) WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT THIS GAMORA FIGURE ? A little bit of everything . A nice new black leather outfit with blue trim  , the mixed hair colors , and the option of adding a Marvel character of two Marvel teams to my collection . She flat out looks great .
( 4 ) WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT THIS GAMORA FIGURE ? The somewhat restricted head movement . It's a little tricky to get her to stand properly without falling .
( 5 ) WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO IMPROVE THIS FIGURE ? More sturdy knee joints to balance her better when standing . A ball riveted joint for the neck so that her head could move in all directions .
( 6 ) GRADING  SCALE - On a scale of 1 to 10 I give Gamora a 9.5 . The minus is for the tough times I have getting her to stand . Other than that she is perfect, despite the fact that I complained about her limited head movement . However I am not bothered by this , I only give minuses only if a lack of a certain feature bothers me . And the only  thing that bothers me about Gamora is getting her to stand properly .
( 7 ) FINAL  ANALYSIS  - Overall I love this figure . Although we are still a long way from completing The Infinity Watch, Gamora's addition helps fill a gap in that team . Rather you want to pose her with her old team like I did or her new current team is up to you . We have the options and this Gamora figure gives us fans those options . Not just comic book fans but action figure fans as well . Or if you're a fan of both Marvel Comics and action figures like I am , you will be pleased to add Gamora to your collection .