Congratulations to Bro Midnight for winning the November 2017 Contest !!!

Congrats Bro Midnight and GOOD LUCK to everyone for the December 2017 Contest !!!  The correct answers are Rue and Gale from the Hunger Games .

November 2013 Contest !!! Win 10 Dollars via Paypal !!!

This month's contest is very different from previous ones. I'm a toy fan just like you and I browse a lot of Facebook pages that are action figure related . One of my favorites is Michael Antsberg's Squared Circle Photography . This month's contest pic is from his site at https://www.facebook.com/squaredcirclephotography/ .  Log in to Facebook and give him a follow . Usually the contests are to help you the fans win something, however this time I am looking for some help myself trying to identify the two figures with question marks around them .

TRIVIA  - Can someone tell me the names of the two figures that have the white question marks near them ? I want to add these figures to my collection . The girl with the dreadlocked hair and the camera man . Who are they and from what toyline are they from ?

The first correct answer wins 10  dollars via PayPal . I know many of you may be wondering how will I know the correct answers if I do not know myself ? The answer . All I have to do is GOOGLE your answers to me to see if they are correct . It does not have to be both of them , if you can tell me the identity of one of the figures you'll still win the 10 bucks if you're the first .

GOOD LUCK  TO EVERYONE !!! Contest expires December 31, 2017 .

Feel free to check out my Toy Art Galleries on Deviantart.com !!!

The account has just recently been created . Will be adding toy photography pics along with some super hero drawings . The link is here - https://herotoyimagery.deviantart.com/gallery/

STAR WARS BLACK SERIES - Grand Admiral Thrawn Review !!!

I  knew nothing of this Grand Admiral Thrawn character when I first saw him in the store , however I purchased him because he looks like a very cool action figure . And when I removed him from the packaging , that's exactly what he is . I purchased this figure of Grand Admiral Thrawn at a local Walmart for around the $ 19.99 price range . Hasbro is on a roll with these Star Wars Black figures .

 The back of the packaging explains that Grand Admiral Thrawn is of a blue skinned race of people known as Chiss . After doing some research on this guy I did find out that he is indeed a villain . Just visit his Wikipedia profile and you will see that he has faced off against classic Star Wars characters such as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia . Now for a look at the figure out of the packaging .

 Not only is this guy a villain, but he looks like one . The red eyes along with what looks like some frowning , makes him visually sinister looking . Reading Thrawn's bio reminds me of another character and his race from another franchise . Thrawn's bio had me thinking of Keldor AKA Skeletor from Masters of the Universe , along with his blue skinned race of people known as Gar . So that's two different franchises with a similarity of having a race of blue skinned humans . Back to Thrawn himself, is it just me or does it looks as if he belongs more to Star Trek than Star Wars ? His uniform almost looks like something Captain Kirk and the USS Enterprise would wear .  As for the figure itself , Thrawn not only looks cool but all of his joints are tight and not loose, just the way I like all of my action figures, and I'm sure plenty of you fellow collectors feel the same way . I think he looks cooler holding his pistol compared to it being in his holster . The pistol is capable of fitting in either hand, although it fits better in his right, plus his right hand has a trigger finger for a secure grip . There is no trigger finger on his left hand, as all of the fingers on the left are molded together.
Speaking of guns below is a better look at Thrawn's pistol .

It's amazing on how so much detail can be put on something so small. Excellent job . The pistol is the only accessory he comes with by the way .  Also if you've noticed, Admiral Thrawn's uniform is very similar to that of another Star Wars character , Director Krennic . Have a look at the differences and similarities in the comparison below .

Seems as if everything is the same except for pants color and that Thrawn has more buttons and decals on his shirt . Even the belt and holster look the same . Krennic comes with a cloak also ,  however I decided to use the pic of him without it since Grand does not have one . I  reviewed the Director Krennic figure not to long ago, and if you've missed that review here's a link to it - http://actionfigureimagerytoyreviews.blogspot.com/2017/02/star-wars-black-series-director-
krennic.html .
                                                  FINAL     THOUGHTS   
(1)  ARTICULATION   LIMITS -  Only the head is somewhat limited with up and down head movement . For those of you wondering if he has an ab crunch, the answer is yes . No limits there despite being hidden by his jacket / shirt .

(2) STANDING  ABILITY - The figure stands well without balance issues .

(3) WHAT  I  LIKE  BEST  ABOUT  THIS  FIGURE ? - He looks really cool and very sinister to go along with his personality traits. The luxury of having a highly ranked villainous character in the collection . The pistol fits perfectly in his right hand so that you can display him in some great shooting poses .

(4) WHAT  I  LIKE  LEAST  ABOUT  THIS  FIGURE ? - No dislikes .

(5) WHAT  COULD  HAVE  BEEN  DONE  TO  IMPROVE  THE  FIGURE ? - No improvements needed .

(6) GRADING  SCALE - A  Perfect 10 !!! No flaws could be found .

(7)  FINAL  ANALYSIS - Grand Admiral Thrawn is now one of my favorite action figures in my collection . Not just for Star Wars but one of my favorite figures regardless of toy line .

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2017 !!!!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Here is a link from last year to past tributes action figure style - http://actionfigureimagerytoyreviews.blogspot.com/2016/11/happy-thanks-giving-2016-look-back-at.html .  Enjoy the day and God Bless !!!

ReadySetz Urban Playset Review !!!

I just purchased my copy a few weeks ago of this ReadySetz Urban Playset . You can go directly to the website and purchase one yourself at www.readysetz.com . If they sell out on you than good luck to you on Ebay, but hopefully they do not sell out . Let's hope ReadySetz can make some more in the future just in case . If it was not for Jay C from Toynewsi.com , I would not have known that this playset existed . You can visit his video review of the playset if you want before browsing and reading my review . The link to Jay C's ReadySetz Urban Playset review is here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K57f_-npyeU . I plan to keep on reviewing not only just action figures , but anything that is ACTION FIGURE RELATED also . Even though this review does not match the title of this blog / website , it still relates to action figures .

The instructions on page one show you how to open the playset . The instructions on page two show how to close it and put it back in storage .

This thing looks great and it is so big . It's a little over three feet tall and I did not have enough space on my desk to display it , so I had to put it on top of this bed in the guess room .

If you have any old Spider-Man comics from the 1970s and 80s, you may remember Peter Parker going in and out of his apartment as Spider-Man through the sky roof enclosure. Now thanks to this playset you can now use any Spider-Man action figure to re-enact those moments .

I also love the billboard . I like how it's faded and looks weathered . This is very cool because of the realism , just like a real billboard may look like this over time due to inclement weather such as rain , snow , etc .

Blade standing near garage and on top of manhole cover . As Jay C from ToyNewsi.com mentioned the manhole cover is great for Ninja Turtles pictures .

Great job on the sewer water . Excellent . Just like real sewer water it looks choppy and polluted with human waste . 

Above is the floor and window located above the garage .

Side view of the inside of the garage .

Garage view when the door is raised and opened . Notice the tool kits and work table .

As you can see the doors of this section easily open and close .

Speed Demon is up to no good as he tries to sneak in this restricted area . The door easily opens and closes .

Spidey versus Speed Demon .

Blade versus Kraven the Hunter .

Bird's eye view .

Side angle .

Kraven alongside the window located above the garage .

Extra pieces . These are the pieces used to create the ramps .

The playset is decorated all around . The back of it is NOT a blank piece of cardboard as you can see . Ver nicely detailed along with bright vivid beautiful colors .

The Helipad is located on the back of the same piece of cardboard that displays the billboard .  The great thing and probably the best thing about this Urban Playset is you can decide rather you want to have it fully displayed and assembled , or just take it out like I did to take pictures and then put it back in the box . The second option comes in handy if you do not have enough space in your room to display it . I don't have the space or room to display it on a desk or table , that's why I took a picture of it on a bed . This playset is great for figures ranging in height from five inches to six inches tall . Plus it makes toy photography even more fun !!!!

Congratulations to Cryptid Toys for reaching their KickStarter goal project .

Here is the link to the campaign that just ended - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1489380015/1-12-6-scale-super-articulated-action-figure-blank Hopefully we'll see these toys soon

DC MULTI-VERSE - Bat-Girl Review form the King Shark Series !!!

When I purchased this figure of Bat-Girl, I thought it was maybe a new teenager fighting alongside Bat-Man . But after doing some research , I have learned that it is supposed to be Barbara Gordon . I purchased this figure of Bat-Girl at a local Walmart for around the $ 19.99 price range .

 As you can see you don't have to do internet research to see that this is indeed Barbara Gordon , as it clearly shows on the packaging that this is indeed her . However I wanted to make sure Mattel was correct and did not make a mistake, and after researching they are indeed correct . Now for a look at the figure out of the packaging .

 The above pic is a perfect example of how huge King Shark is . It looks like his whole entire arm is bigger than her entire body .  Just his hand alone is bigger than both of her feet put together . I'm looking very much forward to completing this guy .

 As for the Batgirl figure herself , I'm not a fan of the cartoonish style look of her face . The extremely big eyes makes the figure look cartoonish looking instead of looking realistic like a real life person . Despite the cartoon like look , the face still looks good . This is not a complaint by any means, I just prefer a more realistic looking face on my action figures than a cartoon style .  Speaking of complaints, the only real complaint I have about this figure is that although she stands well with the proper stance , it is somewhat easy to knock her over and make her fall with the slightest touch . So be cautious when displaying her . Then again, it could just be my copy of the figure . I love her cape, it is made out of a nice thin rubbery plastic . I think all future caped characters / figures capes should be done in with this type of craftsmanship . The hair is a hard plastic . Now for a look at the accessories .

 As for Batgirl's accessories , she comes with a yellow bat-a-rang and  what looks to be a camera or cell phone . Below is the left arm of the King Shark build-a-figure .

Above is my best effort at posing Batgirl with her accessories . The first couple of pics I was trying to make her look as if she is about to throw or toss the bat-a-rang .  In the pic above she is supposed to be taking a selfie of herself with her camera or phone, in which she actually does pose for a selfie on one of the comic book covers . Below are comparison pics of Batgirl next to two  people that have played the role of Robin alongside BatMan, including the original Robin known as Dick Grayson .

+

As you can see she is the same height as Grayson but towers over the female Robin known as Carrie Kelley . So I assume that this version of Barbara Gordon must either be a young adult or older teen .
                                                   FINAL   THOUGHTS   

(1) ARTICULATION  -  The head seems to be the only part with limited articulation . even though her neck is not ball-jointed, the hard hair would restrict some movement anyway even if it was ball jointed.

(2) STANDING  ABILITY - She stands really well once in the proper stance, however as mentioned earlier it is easy to knock her down .

(3) WHAT  I  LIKE  BEST  ABOUT  THIS  FIGURE ? - The cape . It's lightweight and thin . Nice facial sculpt despite cartoonish look .  I like her cell phone / camera accessory .

(4)  WHAT  I  LIKE  LESS  ABOUT  THIS  FIGURE ? - Nothing disliked .

(5) WHAT  COULD  HAVE  BEEN  DONE  TO  IMPROVE  THE  FIGURE ? - At the moment no improvements needed .

(6) GRADING  SCALE - A Perfect 10 only because I could find NO flaws . Not because I think that she is a super excellent figure . She's pretty cool in my opinion but not spectacular . She's not one of my favorite figures, so she gets a Perfect 10 because I could find no flaws .

(7)  FINAL   ANALYSIS -  This is a nice figure of Batgirl, however I prefer the original Barbara Gordon Batgirl over this one . I guess I'm just old school .