Transformers Masterpiece MP-57 Skyfire

Hot on the heels of the MP-56 Trailbreaker release comes MP-57 Skyfire. The character didn't feature too extensively in the G1 cartoon series, but is still a fan favourite. There have been third party versions of the figure in roughly Masterpiece scale, so that of course has generated lots of discussion and comparisons.

For me, I love the cartoon aesthetic that Takara have pushed for many years now. This Skyfire has a few nitpicks for sure, but I think it looks fantastic and is a great addition to the series. Click below for my video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel, and scroll on further for more pics and my written thoughts.

The set doesn't come stacked with too many accessories, and I'm sure the most anticipated ones are the mini-figures for Optimus, Wheeljack, and Jazz. I think it's pretty safe to say that every MP collector is hoping the inclusion of this tiny Jazz is a teaser to an announcement of a long-awaited G1 Jazz in the series. The mini-figures are decently painted, with a range of articulation that's not too bad for their scale. They're used mainly for displayed with Skyfire in jet mode, but since my collection is mostly in bot mode, they don't serve much purpose other than being nice to have.

The included flight stand is the same as that provided with the MP-52 series of Seekers. This time it's made from orange plastic, which I found a little strange since I thought it would look better with a red colour similar to the figure itself. I guess they chose orange to perhaps fit in with the Autobot HQ general colour scheme.

Rounding out the accessories are the rifle, swap out face plates and insignias, and the blast effects. Some people have complained that the head sculpt looks strange, but I don't quite understand what the fuss is about. I actually think the head sculpt is pretty cartoon accurate, and looks and scales well with the figure in bot mode.

Jet mode looks great to me, although there are some issues with gaps showing when viewed from the side. It's unfortunate that these gaps break up the design, because otherwise I think the overall shape is fantastic, and again looks very cartoon accurate. The tabs on mine were quite strong and held the shape together quite well. As with many Takara releases, the tolerances can be pretty tight, but once everything is placed or pegged correctly, things tend to hold securely quite well.

The initial part of the transformation to get the figure into the gerwalk mode is pretty straight forward. The leg transformation and folding of panels is not overly complex, and reminded me of aspects of the Sunstreaker and Hound leg transformations.

In gerwalk mode, the legs were meant to be angled such that the main body of the jet was more horizontal. I saw other collectors being able to achieve this, but for mine it kept toppling forward when I had the legs in those positions. I'm not sure what I was doing wrong, but the only way for me to keep the figure upright was to have the feet such that the jet body was angled upwards like the photo below.

Either way, I was never going to leave the figure displayed in my collection in that mode, so it was only a point of interest during the transformation sequence. You can also transform the arms out and peg them in securely so that it's an even more complete gerwalk mode. But for mine, I went straight to the bot mode.

The transformation to bot mode was also quite straight forward, until right near the end when the backpack is being collapsed. Just this final group of steps turned an otherwise enjoyable transformation into an exercise in frustration. It ended up taking me over an hour to figure out the backpack.

Many YouTube videos showed incorrectly collapsed backpacks, where it was not pushed up as far as it should, or as collapsed as it should. The official Takara transformation video does do it correctly (as you would it expect it to!) but it shows it to be a far easier sequence that it really turned out to be.

The difficulties for me were mainly in pushing the centre frame of the backpack upwards on the rails, and then being able to retract them. They were firmly stuck, so I had to resort to using pliers to pull them back down and re-attempt the collapsing. I was finally able to achieve the full collapsing, which raises the bottom of the backpack considerably and makes for a beautiful profile.

Others have also complained about the loose pegging of the shoulders. I found that the shoulders were a little fiddly to get pegged in, because there are very specific angles that allow the pegs to push well into their designed holes or slots. But once you line things up as intended, they do in fact peg in very well and securely. And once that's all done, I think the bot mode is sensational!

I am not sure why some collectors have said they think the proportions look off. The bot mode is where this figure excels, and I think the proportions are perfect. In comparison, I think the Fans Toys Phoenix figure looks too much like a NFL footballer, with shoulders that are too broad and flat. The tapered style of MP-57 Skyfire, and how the lines align with the hips and legs, I think look far more natural and are indeed far more cartoon accurate.

In the end, the style you prefer is subjective. I think FT Phoenix is a decent standalone interpretation of the character. But if you prefer cartoon accuracy, and consistency with the MP series of figures, then MP-57 is a no-brainer. 

The stance of the figure is decent, and balances well. One issue though is the separation between clicks of the ratchet joints. The joints for the arms are OK, but the ones for the hips are spaced too far apart. So with just one click, it goes from standing straight naturally, to almost doing some crazy split type action poses. It would've been far better with smaller spacing to get finer options in posing.

Luckily for my collection, most of the figures are in pretty static, museum-type poses, so it doesn't affect me too much. I can still get a decent natural pose that doesn't look too stiff. Regardless, I think you'll be able to find a pose where this figure looks good from any angle.

Others have also complained about the scale, with the MP being slightly shorter than FT Phoenix. But Takara has always tried to match the scale in their G1 character scale chart. They've followed this fairly accurately since the baseline was made with MP-10 Optimus. Comparing this figure with the likes of MP-44 Optimus, MP-51 Starscream, and the MP carbots, the height and overall size of MP-57 is very accurate.

I feel MP-52 Starscream deserves to be a little taller, but again he is accurate to the G1 scale chart. As you can see, Skyfire towers over Starscream, as he did in the cartoon. I think the natura lines of the MP figures just look so good, like they came to life and jumped out of the TV screen!

Skyfire looks great with the other Autobots of course. I love that Takara have now given us a range of figures that match the four or five different heights of the characters. Below you can see how small MP-45 Bumblebee really is in comparison to Skyfire. He even towers over Optimus.

The figure, despite its size, never feels like it's going to topple over, or feels to flimsy. The knee articulation is decent, but the knee cap can look strange from some angles. It can be adjusted, so make sure you do that to minimise gaps showing. The ankles have some decent rocking and tilt motion too, on pretty hard ratchets. Perhaps that was for stability, but I do prefer the friction based articulation in the other figures to get better adjustments during posing.

There is a bit of diecast in the feet and waist area I think to add some weight and stability. But overall the figure is really a mix of painted and unpainted plastic. The painted and unpainted white areas all seem to match fairly well, and I'm not overly concerned with yellowing of the plastic. All other painted areas are nicely done, with no bleeding of colours at least on my figure.

Skyfire is definitely the largest of the MPs released so far. Below you can see how he scales with the other larger figures in Ultra Magnus and Star Saber. If you know the size of those in hand, then you'll appreciate the size of Skyfire. There's no issue with Skyfire fitting within the typical Ikea Detolf cabinet, so it should be fine for most collectors.

If Takara do end up making a G1 combiner such as the Constructicons one day, it will be truly massive if they keep to the scale chart. But for these main characters, I love the scale they've used and how they consistently keep to it.

Overall, I think MP-57 Skyfire is another great addition to the series. I had no QC issues with the paint or plastic, so that was a welcome relief. Some previous releases like Hound and Starscream were troubled with many reports of bad plastic cracking, but luckily there don't seem to be too many reports of issues with Skyfire.

In the end, if you're a G1 cartoon fan, then I think you'll love this figure as much as I do. It really does look fantastic on display, and just brings the cartoon to life. There's just something hard to explain in the way it looks in hand, but I am sure those that have him will have smiles on their faces each time they handle him or look at him in their collection.

Here's to hoping there are more G1 characters announced this year in the MP series. If we get anything like Jazz, Mirage, Hoist, or Cliffjumper, I'd be really happy!

Hot Toys MMS610 Doc Brown from Back to the Future

Ever since Hot Toys announced the Back to the Future licence, and released the Delorean as well as two versions of Marty McFly from the first movie, collectors have desperately wanted a Doc Brown from that original movie in his radiation suit.

It's taken far too long, but Hot Toys have finally released Doc in his iconic suit, with a couple of disappointing aspects to the set. Click through below to check out my full video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel!

The set comes well stocked with accessories. This being the Deluxe version, it also comes with the plutonium case and removable tube of plutonium. The case itself looks quite nice, but it is actually mostly made out of cardboard instead of molded plastic. So that is the first of the disappointments.

Luckily the other accessories in the core set are actually very nicely done. I love the array of tools and the tool pouch. The Delorean remote control is very detailed, but be careful of the antenna since it's quite fragile.

It takes a bit of fiddling around to get all the accessories onto the figure in a natural looking way. I went back to the source material in the carpark scene to get most of my references. I prefer to have the utility belt slanting to one side to give the illusion of weight in the tool pouch. Once everything is added to his suit, overall I think it looks fantastic.

The biggest disappointment with the set is of course the head sculpt. It is a re-used sculpt from the first Back to the Future Part 2 figure, so Hot Toys took the lazy way out. This is especially obvious when you notice the small holes near his ears that were intended for the sunglasses on the BTTF2 figure that should've been covered up for this figure.

In the end though, the overall figure is still great to have in the collection. The suit, decked out with all the accessories, does look fantastic. The suit has a lot of play to it, and may appear too baggy. But if you futz it right with the accessories, it can look very close to the movie scene. It's a nice touch that they included his tshirt and green Hawaiian shirt underneath the radiation suit to be very movie accurate.

The set also comes with the stop watch for Einstein, so if you have the 2nd release of Marty and Einstein, you can make good use of that accessory. Together with either Marty figure, Doc looks great. Now that I have the pair from the original movie as well as Part 2, I'm really looking forward to closing out the BTTF collection when the Part 3 figures release later in 2023.

Kotobukiya Darkstalkers Bishoujo Felicia

I love the Bishoujo series, and love it when Kotobukiya release something that takes me back to the good old arcade days. This time it's with the Darkstalkers Felicia that complements the first Morrigan statue released from that arcade game.

Click the link below to watch my video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel! Hope you can give the video a like, and also subscribe to stay tuned for upcoming reviews!

The statue captures the spirit of the concept art beautifully, although a bit more colour to the skin tone would've been even better. But I'm glad the skin tone is a matte finish, unlike the very plasticky finish on the Mai Shiranui statue from King of Fighters.

Of note is also the included transluscent stand that props up against the hair at the rear. Her hair is so voluminous that the weight of the plastic could make the statue lean over time. It's great that Kotobukiya have preempted this damage by including the stand to prop up the hair and prevent that leaning from happening.

As always, the paint app is beautiful from Kotobukiya. The facial details are sharp with no colour bleed, and the shades of pink in the tongue, paw pads and claws really pop against the bright white fur. Even the hair has subtle shading, with darker and lighter areas, as well as softer plastic in some of the strands.

The detailing in the fur is decent, but hard to make out with the bright white paint application. Still, when looking up close, the awesome sculpt does shine through.

Coupled with Morrigan, these two make for an iconic representation of two classic characters from the Darkstalkers game. They certainly complement each other well in the display. Kotobukiya also have released a third, with Lilith also an option if you want to collect all characters. But for me, I'll be sticking with just these two from the game. Not sure if Kotobukiya will ever revisit more characters from Street Fighter, but I'll hold out hope for that.

Transformers Masterpiece MP-56 Trailbreaker

Any new G1 release these days in the Masterpiece series is pretty much a cause for celebration. Takara are very slow in releasing new molds now, but are slowly making their way through the orginal G1 Season 1 cast of characters. They've finally made the Trailbreaker mold, which hopefully paves the way for a Hoist retool.

Click through the link below to watch my video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hopefully you can give the video a like, and subscribe to the channel too! 😀

As with most G1 MPs these days, Trailbreaker comes packed with quite a few accessories for plenty of display and photo options. The typical blast effect is included, and is a nice transluscent fluoro colour that almost glows without any lighting. There's also a swap out car grille in matte grey if you really want the full cartoon accurate style. For me, I always stick with the chrome for that extra bit of bling.

The swapout antenna, hand pieces, and face plates round out the accessories to pay homage to various scenes from the cartoon episodes. I think the face plates are great, with a good likeness and metallic blue visor finish.

As with typical Takara style, the car mode is officially licenced by Toyota, and it's a fantastic representation of the Toyota Hilux from the 80s. Based on what I've googled regarding the variants, even the position of the side mirrors matches some models of the car back in the day.

The proportions look great, and the back cab looks very accurate to the 80s models too. I love the consistent use of transluscent blue plastic for all the windows. All the decals are nicely and cleanly applied, and the full gray paint finish really does give a premium look and feel to the car.

For me, the only real negative in car mode is just behind the rear wheels, where parts of the body hang down lower than they should for a more clean look. It doesn't affect how the car rolls, but does look a little unsightly at the back. In the end, it's a pretty minor point for me considering how good the rest of the car mode looks.

The radio antenna accessory attaches pretty easily to the roof of the car, if you want to recreate that scene from the cartoon. The doors and hood also open up for some pose options with the small human figures included with some of the previous MP figures.

The hinge that opens up the hood is very tight, and there is a small centre peg that is meant to sit just inside that hinge when closing. Just be careful to push down so that the peg inserts properly, otherwise you may run the risk of chipping off some paint in that area if you click the peg in afterwards. Other than that, it's nice that Takara go through the effort to include the extra sculpted detail and paint application under the hood.

The transformation sequence isn't too difficult, and I love the way in which the legs are done. The panels fold away very neatly in a similar manner to Sunstreaker and Hound. Takara engineers really do have that panel folding technique down pat to have the legs look so clean with those cartoon accurate lines.

The biggest effort during the transformation is reserved for the backpack, where it did take me some effort to get it all folded and packed away neatly. You need to ensure that the pegs are all attached correctly, especially a couple that feed into two holes just behind the neck area. But once that is done, the backpack design looks very close to its cartoon style, and actually feels very sturdy.

The only part of the bot mode that does not look nice is the side view of the torso, where the car's blue window is visible. It would've looked much better if Takara had worked out a way to fold that differently and have the other grey areas showing instead of the blue window.

The gap in the upper chest that can be seen when viewed side on, is also not great, but for me that's OK. I'm not too fussed out that, and the slope of the chest piece doesn't bother me either. Some collectors have said that the chest piece sticking out gives him a beer-belly profile, but I actually think that's cartoon accurate.

So having that protruding chest piece, as well as the angled profile of the backpack, actually gives him a very cartoon bot mode overall. You can see this in scenes where he stands on the side, and shows that Takara did have that in mind when designing the figure. I also think that the waist and thighs are proportioned nicely. I was worried that they would appear too thin, but I think are well proportioned with the rest of the figure.

Articulation wise, I think Takara has done a fantastic job like they have done with the more recent figures. The only questionable area is the joint at the shoulder that should allow the arm to more freely move out to the side. The way in which the internal workings of that joint have been molded means that moving the arm out is blocked by a very small curve in the plastic.

Pushing the joint out past that point will damage the plastic slightly, but does then increase the range of motion. It's not a joint that I would use too much in my display, so I chose not to push the joint past that point. Some collectors have done a quick modification to cut a small part of the plastic away to free that joint, but it's not worth doing for me. I would only do a modification like that if something were completely wrong or broken with the figure (eg. like MP-9B's cracking plastic knees).

The bot mode scales beautifully with the rest of the MP cast. It does provide further proof that Takara must in some way design against the original G1 cast scale chart. It's great that the MP series has  about 4 different heights of figures, all in relation to the MP-10 (and now MP-44) Optimus figure.

It makes for a beautifully nostalgic G1 Transformers display in your collection. I love this cartoon aesthetic that Takara have embarked on for the last 3 to 4 years, and I hope they continue that for many more. Now that Trailbreaker is out, there's a high liklihood of a Hoist retool to be announced. I think all MP collectors are still holding out hope for others in the Season 1 cast, including Cliffjumper, Jazz, and Mirage. It would be fantastic if any of those were to be announced this year.

Figma Table Museum SP-145DX Tutankhamun

The latest release in this awesome Table Museum line of figures is Tutankhamun, and he is one historical figure that is just perfect for this series. Be it a more serious display, or a more fun approach, this figure has all the options.

Click the link below to watch the full review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can give the video a thumbs up, and subscribe to stay tuned for upcoming reviews!

This Deluxe version comes with the golden sarcophagus and clear plastic stand. The core figure and head piece, base, and swap out pieces are the same as that in the standard release. For the extra cost, I think the golden sarcophagus is worth it, even just for that extra bit of playability.

The paint application on the sarcophagus and Tut's head piece is exceptionally well done. The gold has a beautiful hue to it, and the paint lines in the other coloured areas are clean with no bleed. The sarcophagus splits into two, and the figure with the head piece on can be fully laid inside.

The iconic head piece can be removed and replaced with a standard mummy headsculpt. The bandages are sculpted very nicely on the head and body, accompanied with a nice weathered paint application too.

Articulation is on par with the other humanoid figures in this series. It's a shame that the joints are a darker beige colour, which makes them stand out a bit more against the bandages. It would've been nicer if they were a shade lighter in colour to hide them better.

Regardless, the swap out pieces give some decent options to have some fun. Mummies rising from the dead is pretty much a given in any "Night at the Museum" dynamic display! 😂

There are a few more releases coming this year in this series, with the reissues of the Moai and Winged Victory of Samothrace. New figures for the Shakoki-Dogu and The Birth of Venus are also on the way later in the year. I'm really looking forward to seeing where they take this series!

Figma Table Museum SP-131 Terracotta Warrior

Not too many retailers seemed to have the Table Museum Terracotta Warrior figure in stock, so I was glad when I saw that Popcultcha had it. At 20% off in their recent sale, I just couldn't resist getting this rendition of some classic Chinese art in the collection.

Click the link below to watch my video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel!

There's no backdrop included this time, but a few more weapons and a swap out pair of limbs. The swap out piece allows the figure to crouch down more naturally. It looks decent, and made me think about whether to get another one. In the end, I decided just on the one figure to pose with the rest of the Table Museum blokes creating a ruckuss 😂

The detailing in the sculpt is very nice, with great patterning in the face and armour. The paint application also gives it a good dirty weathered look. The articulation is a bit more limited this time around, compared to the other naked humanoid figures. But that's probably expected considering this one is decked out in armour. 

The accessories are decent, with specific hands that can hold the sword and crossbow. For any collectors that have the money to shell out for a whole army of these, it would look pretty imposing! But I guess that was their intent in the first place, being buried with the Emperor to protect him in the after-life! If you're into Chinese history or art, I think you would enjoy messing around with this on your desk!

Figma Table Museum SP-086 The Scream

Another iconic art piece is transformed into an action figure in this representation of The Scream. The interpretation of the ghostly figure by Edvard Munch is another fun rendition, with a cool choice of swap out hands to poke fun at humanity's angst.

Click the link below to watch my review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can give the video a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel!

This set comes with the iconic background painting, housed within a plastic frame that connects together. It's a little flimsy, but once put on the stand it looks pretty decent overall.

Capturing the iconic painting is pretty easy with the default hands that can be placed around the head sculpt. The paint application across the body and exposed head is pretty nice. Mine did have a fault on the head sculpt, with some weird blue paint seemingly splashed on top. Luckily Popcultcha will send me a replacement, so hopefully that turns out OK.

The body itself is not your typical action figure in humanoid form. There are various breaks in the cylindrically designed body that allow for it to bend in different ways. The base of the body even includes a magnet, so theoretically you could attach the body to a fridge or magnet board. However, I found the magnet to be very weak, and so it would not attach well and would slide down.

I think keeping it posed upright in front of the painting backdrop is the better way to go. Add to that, the swap out pairs of hands are a lot of fun. They come with a pair of peace sign hands as well as a pair that can form a love heart. So there's plenty of options to take the piss out of humanity and all its anxiety and angst 😂

Figma Table Museum SP-075 Vitruvian Man

Next up in the Table Museum series is the Vitruvian Man, the iconic drawing by Leonardo da Vinci. This is another nice release, although mine did come with one fault in the backdrop piece. Click through the link below to watch my review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel.

Packaging and accessories are similar to that provided with the other figures. This time, there is a backdrop that completes the representation of the drawing. There is hole made in the cardboard piece that allows the figure stand peg to poke through and attach to the figure itself.

However, on mine the hole was made in the upside down location, meaning the figure did not align with the square in the backdrop. So I had to poke a separate hole in the correct location as best I could to align the square against the figure in its iconic position. Luckily the body of the figure hides the incorrect hole when displayed.

The figure itself is very nice, with a great paint application and sculpt. The swap out torso and thighs essentially turns it into a regular human action figure, but the fun of this one is trying to use the four arms and four legs! The design of those is pretty ingenious and it looks and works well.

It does take a bit of adjusting to get the legs in a decent pose. They're not perfectly symmetrical due to the original iconic drawing, so they don't articulate in the same way on both sides of the body. But in the end, you can get him into some fun and interesting poses.

Figma Table Museum SP-066 Statue of David

Next up in the Table Museum series is the statue of David by Michelangelo. This one is just as much fun as The Thinker! Click through below to watch my video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel!

The packaging and range of accessories is pretty much on par with The Thinker release. This time it does come with an extra action accessory. I'll talk more about that below, and why I'm such an idiot! 😂

Getting the figure into the classic pose is a bit of a struggle along the right leg. Getting it to fit into the foot peg as well as the groove at the back of the stand takes a bit of futzing around. Getting the torso and angle of the body to mimic as close to the actual statue itself is fairly difficult too.

I managed to get it into something that I was happy enough with, if not a perfect representation. Similar to The Thinker, you could leave it like this for that classic style in your collection. But for me, it's getting it into the action poses that make this series so much fun, just like a Night at the Museum right there on your desk!

Stupidly, I always thought that the original statue was holding a towel or some cloth in his hands. That is why the action accessory was something I thought the toy designer included as a funny idea. I thought it was a whipping towel accessory that he could swing to make fun of naked Roman public baths!! 😂

But of course the accessory is David's sling and rock that he uses to battle Goliath! Seems pretty obvious now that I think about it, but it is funny to think of it as a towel that he uses to whip other naked people in the public hot baths 😂

The swap out head sculpt has a moveable eye feature that I do not think works very well. The tool to move the eyes is fairly thin plastic, so you may end up deforming it slightly like I did. In the end, I just made the eyes look forward as best I could.

Either way, the figure looks great, with a good paint application, and has all the articulation you'd expect. Together with the other figures in this series, it's a nice bit of variety in my otherwise mainstream collection!

Figma Table Museum SP-056 The Thinker

Over the past year or so, I had been eyeing this Table Museum series of figures, because they just seem so interesting in their fun interpretation of the classic art or statues. So when Popcultcha here in Australia had their recent 20% off sale, I just couldn't resist getting one of each that they had in stock!

Click through below to watch my video review on The Thinker. It's a pretty nice start for me in this series of figures.

The packaging is nice and collector friendly, very similar to the standard of Bandai S.H.Figuarts releases. The range of accessories is decent to give you good options for dynamic and fun poses.

You can set it up to be in the original, iconic statue pose. The first head sculpt has the hole in the chin that allows the specific hand to peg into place. The feet also peg into the required spots on the base. Other than that, it's only just a matter of lining up the arms and legs in the right spot to mimic the statue pose.

It actually looks very nice in that pose. With a pretty accurate paint application of different shades of green, you could just leave it for a nice classy piece of art on your desk. But I doubt that's why many collectors buy these figures! The swap out torso and head sculpt are what change this figure into something a little different!

The swap out process is pretty straight forward except for the neck piece. It would've been much better if they had provided a second neck piece as well, because removing it from the neck peg is a real pain. I had to dip mine in very hot water to soften it, which then allowed for easier removal.

But once done, the figure essentially turns in to a regular human action figure, with all the nice articulation you'd expect from an action figure in this price range. You can certainly have a bit of fun and get him into some interesting poses!

For those collectors that like classic art or statues, then I think this Table Museum is just right for you! I'm definitely glad I got into the series because they make for great conversation starters when friends come over and look at the collection!

Hot Toys MMS612 Scout Trooper and Speeder Bike set

Any Hot Toys Star Wars original trilogy release is a good thing! Despite having the original Sideshow release of the Scout Trooper and Speeder Bike, I still had to get the new Hot Toys version!

Hope you can click through below and watch my video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Make sure to give the video a thumbs up and subscribe too! 😀

Scroll further down for some side by side comparison photos between the Hot Toys and Sideshow sets.

Nicely done packaging that is all very collector friendly as expected.

The new Hot Toys Scout Trooper definitely has far better proportions than the old Sideshow figure. Almost makes the older figure look a little comical! Despite that, there are pros and cons both ways, which I go through in my video review.

The differences for the Speeder Bikes are less more difficult to choose between. The paint application on the new Hot Toys is definitely better, but there are actually some sculpt/structural points that I prefer from the Sideshow version.

Either way, I think most fans will be pretty happy regardless which set they have. For me, I'm glad I have both, and the new one just looks great on its own with the Scout Trooper chilling out!