25 TOY FINDS OF THE MONTH OF
December 2014
At the end of each month I, Brunpuppies, will put together a list of the toys that I acquired over the course of the month. The number of entries will differ depending on just how many toys I got in that month. The order of the list will be based purely on my personal opinion of the items and is in no way definitive. I'm sure you the reader will have you own favorites and I am open to hearing about them in the comments section.
December a great month for toy finds. I was really quite happy with everything I got. With this being the month of Christmas, I found some great sales and I even received some cool gifts. Overall it was a great way to wrap up an awesome year of toy collecting.
I'm going to keep my comments really short this month because I've fallen a little behind. Plus it's always easier to come up with negative things to say about toys than positive and this month I don't really have much negative to say. Again, it was a good month.
Let us begin with…
25. Star Wars Disney Vinylmation Tauntaun Figure (Disney)
This was a cool little Christmas stocking stuffer from a friend. It's quite a strange concept having various Star Wars characters painted onto a Mickey Mouse vinyl body.
24. DC Comics Total Heroes Hawkman Action Figure (Mattel)
This is my personal favorite figure from this line so far, mostly because is has a more detailed design then most other characters. I'm very happy to have yet another member to add to my version of the Justice League. I only wish this figure had come with some weapons. How can you have Hawkman without a mace or battle ax or a shield at very least?
23. Gundam MSM-07S Z'Gok Ver. Char HGUC 1/144 Scale Action Figure Model Kit (Bandai)
I had two reasons for getting this figure; it was cheap and it looks very different than any other figure I have from the Gundam line. It turned out to be a very fun figure to put together and the end result is a figure that turned out to be more fun than I expected. The highlights are the claw hands and the Juggernaut-like dome head.
22. Star Wars The Black Series Clone Trooper and Sergeant Action Figure (Hasbro)
I love me some Star Wars Army builders! Granted, I'm not a big prequel fan, nor have I really gotten into any of the Clone War stuff, but I do love the fact that the Clone Troopers are color coded by rank. It adds a little more variety than the Storm Troopers do. These figures came out pretty nice, I just fine the white paint used on the knees to be pretty distracting because they don't match the white on the rest of the figure at all on my figures.
21. Star Wars The Black Series TIE Pilot Action Figure (Hasbro)
Yet another slick Star Wars army builder figure. This one in black! This is a great looking figure, the only issue I have with it is that it seems a bit short. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that it shares many of its parts with X-Wing pilot Luke. I have to say, that's a pretty smart reuse of parts.
20. Walgreens Exclusive Star Wars The Black Series Prototype Boba Fett (Hasbro)
There's been a lot of hype concerning this figure. Many people thought it was going to be extremely rare. Personally I didn't think so. I could walk into any Walgreens in my area and probably walk out with a couple if I wanted to. I was in no hurry to get this, but I'm glad I did. The regular Fett is one of my favorite Star Wars figures, so I already knew I'd like the sculpt and and articulation. The the colors turned out to be more interesting than I expected. I thought it would just be all cast in white, but there is a little bit of contract that adds to the overall look nicely.
19. Star Wars The Black Series Starkiller (Galen Marek) Action Figure (Hasbro)
Video games are one area of the Star Wars expanded universe that I know nothing about, so Starkiller isn't someone I'm all that familiar with. That being said, this figure is one that jumped right off the store peg when when I saw it, because it was just packed with accessories. I don't usually go for the 3-3/4" Star Wars figures, but this is just one I had to have. I'm not sure which look I'm going to use to display him in, but I like that I have options.
Plus: Dual lightsabers that he can duel with!
18. Pacific Rim Deluxe Series Tacit Ronin Action Figure (NECA)
This isn't my favorite Jaeger from the movie, but it's a cool looking one none the less. It definitely looks cool along side the other big robots and adds some nice variety to the collection. I didn't realize until after I took the above pictures the the arm blades can extend, which is a great additional feature. Other than one of the knee joins being very loose, the quality of the figure is good.
17. DC Comics Super-Villains Ultraman Action Figure (DC Collectibles)
This figure makes me REALLY want a Superman figure that like this. Especially with this kind of articulation. The only downside about this figure is that I received it in the mail on an extremely cold day and I tried to pose it while it was cold and brittle which caused one of the hands to snap off. Remember people, warm up your action figures before you play with them!
16. Toys R Us Color Exclusive Sin City Marv Action Figure (Diamond Select Toys)
I think it's a shame that the newest Sin City came and went from the theaters so quickly with little to no fanfare. I enjoyed it quite a bit and thought it was nearly as good as the first one. I'm sure it would have done better if it had come out a good 6 years ago. At least we got some action figures out of it. I don't think the paint and sculpt on these Diamond Select figures are quite as good as the old NECA ones, but the articulation is a definite improvement. Toys R Us already has these at clearance prices which made this figure seem like a total steal. I keep putting off getting the Harrigan.
15. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutation Chamber Unleashed Building Set (LEGO)
I got this set for Christmas from my sister. It's always great to get a gift from someone that perfect captures my interests. Lego and Ninja Turtles are at the top of my list so getting both in one is just about perfect. This set specifically is a very fun one, it was an interesting build that has a cool action feature. The minifigures are all new to me and the Spider Bytez is entirely unique, yet it fits the style of the other figures. I've dropped my Lego buying significantly from last year, but it's sets like these that remind me how much fun they can be.
14. Batman Arkham Origins Series Anarky Action Figure (DC Collectibles)
One of the first Batman comics I ever read was the introduced Anarky and I've been a fan ever since. I can't believe this is the first figure been made of him
and I would have liked one of his classic costume, but this version is cool enough that I'm very happy to have him. They way the jacket was done to hide the articulation is amazing. I would love to see more figures use this technique. I'm just curious as to how it will hold up over time.
13. Batman Arkham Origins Series Deadshot Action Figure (DC Collectibles)
I haven't had a chance to play Arkham Origins yet, but I really like a lot of the character designs from the game. I'm especially a fan of this more grounded look for Deadshot. I never would out have expected a typical snowboarding outfit with an advance tech monocle and wrist mounted guns would would look badass, but in this case it works.
12. DC Comics Designer Series Batgirl Action Figure (DC Collectibles)
I waited to get this Batgirl figure rather than the one that DC Collectibles just put out a few months ago because I figured this one would look better even though it's more artist specific. Plus, since I've picked up all the other Designer Series figure, this one would fit in better with those. For the most part, I do like this one better, I only wish the knee articulation had been behind the knee pad rather than through the middle of it and that the hip articulation was more than just a swivel.
11. DC Comics Designer Series Riddler Action Figure (DC Collectibles)
For some weird reason, I didn't like this figure when I first saw it. I really think it was because of the sideburns. I'm glad I finally pick it up though, because it is quite a nice figure. The cane is a bit flimsy though.
10. DC Comics Designer Series Catwoman Action Figure (DC Collectibles)
I have the same issue with Catwoman's hip articulation as I do with Batgirl's. I also think they could have used a bicep or elbow swivel. That aside, this is a stunning Catwoman figure. I know some people aren't a fan of the head sculpt, but I think it's great. Definitely more exotic than the typical generic face sculpt that many female figures have.
9. DC Comics Super-Villains Owlman Action Figure (DC Collectibles)
I can't believe it took me this long to pick up this action figure, but when I saw it on Amazon for 60% off, I just had to get it. I remember this being the first figure from DC Collectibles that I saw that really made me notice that they were doing more articulation with there DC characters. The figure as a whole is quite nice and does a good job of representing the very cool, "evil version" of Batman.
8. Planet of the Apes Classics General Ursus Action Figure (NECA)
A gorilla general for my gorilla soldier army; there is no way I wasn't going to get this. As usual, NECA has done an outstanding job with these Planet of the Apes figures. Ursus is no exception. The only problem is that I can not figure out how to get him to hold his riffle. It seems like I'd have to snap one of this thumbs to get him to do so.
7. DC Comics Designer Series Zero Year Batman Action Figure (DC Collectibles)
I really like the little nods to the original Bat-Man in this character design, like the purple gloves, the "ears" that angle out ever so slightly, and the gun holster.I din't love the Zero Year story like, but the figures that resulted from it are fantastic.
6. The Walking Dead TV Series Rick Grimes Action Figure (McFarlane Toys)
This is exactly the Rick Grimes figure I was hoping to get. I think McFarlane Toys has come a long way since the first series. I do have to say that it seems like the quality of the paint applications has dropped since the last two series. I had to look through a bunch of Rick figures before I found one that looked like it was mistake free. Luckily these characters are meant to look dirty, so it's okay if they're not perfect.
5. Metroid: Other M Samus Aran Figma Action Figure (Good Smile)
Another fantastic figure of a classic Nintendo character. I've been so focused on S.H. Figuarts figures lately that I almost forgot how good Figmas could be. Everything functions and looks perfect on this figure. The only minor issues I have are that I wish the figure was slightly larger to to look more in scale with other 1/12 figures and that an alternate head without a helmet had been included.
4. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Luca Action Figure (NECA)
An awesome looking gorilla action figure. Need I say more?
I may just get a second one to use as a stand in for King Kong.
3. DC Comics Designer Series Thrasher Suit Batman Action Figure (DC Collectibles)
I love massive figures like this. It very much reminds me of the larger Marvel Selects figures like Juggernaut or Rhino. (I only wish the price was more along those lines.) The sculpt, paint, and articulation are all really great on this Batman figure. The only improvement I would have liked to have seen is a better connection for the helmet. Mine is always popping off.
2. Star Wars Darth Vader 1/12 Scale Action Figure Model Kit (Bandai)
This model was really a lot of fun to put together. The final result is excellent and looks much better than the 1/12 Star Wars Black Series Vader. I really hope we see many more Star Wars models from Bandai, especially in this scale.Although for me, I think it's best that they stick to the characters that require minimal painting. With Darth Vader I was able to get away with just adding a few stickers and some details with a paint pen and still have it look great. I don't think I could get away with the same for a Boba Fett model.
1. 25th Anniversary Batman Movie Action Figure (NECA)
I've wanted a 6" scale version of this figure for a long time, but a 7" scale from NECA? Yeah, I'll take it. I absolutely love how this figure turned out. Yes it has some QC issues (I had to look through ten different figures in store before I found one with good paint and a belt that wasn't complete crooked), but it's still a great toy. I know some people have stated that it looks short and a little puny, but I honestly think that's what Michael Keaton looked like in that suit. The dark lighting and the cape just did a good job of hiding it. The toy itself moves great (probably better than Keaton did in the suit) and the sculpt looks spot on. I'm very happy that they went with a cloth cape in this case rather than plastic although the pleather material Mattel used for their 4" movie Batman figure would have been ideal. The accessories and extra hands are just icing on the cake.
That's it for now. I'll be back soon with January's Toy Finds.
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