Kool Kollectibles content

29 Dec 2016

Kotobukiya Marvel Bishoujo Thor

I haven't gotten much into the comic variants in the Kotobukiya Bishoujo line, but after seeing prototype photos of the Lady Thor and Loki combination, I couldn't resist. And now that I have it in hand, I'm definitely glad I preordered!

It is simply a gorgeous statue, with a fantastic sculpt and flawless paint application. Click through below to check out my full video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. More pics and some discussion further below too :)



The box art is the usual Bishoujo style, with the window front, concept art on the side, and photos of the statue and accessories on the back. This time the box is quite a bit larger than previous Bishoujos, thanks mostly to the raised arm pose with Mjolnir. The statue also has a bit more weight to it too, due to the base I think.





The package comes with both an unmasked sculpt and a masked sculpt. Both are beautifully done, but I always prefer to show off the face with my Bishoujos, so I'll definitely be going with the unmasked version. But either option will look great on display.




The pose is powerful, and suits the character perfectly. The paint application throughout is flawless, and I love the details with the metallic silver highlights and chest armour. The flowing cape and flowing skirt also make for a very dynamic combination, and the sculpted detail accented by the paint app show them off to their best effect.

The base is very nicely painted, with a dark wash giving the stones a nice realism. The rocky outcrop where she rests her left foot makes for a great pose. The metallic silver on the boots, and the sculpted wraps around her lower legs look great.



The  unmasked head sculpt has a stern, determined look and coupled with the right fist makes for a very powerful pose. The skin tone, as with all Bishoujos is great, on both the face and arms. I also love the sculpting on the chest armour, and the silver highlights on the corset. The detail underneath those with the tie around her torso looks great.



From all angles, I think this Bishoujo looks amazing. Mjolnir is attached through the hand by detaching the handle and sliding it through the grasping hand. It's a bit of a tight fit, but working it gently through will prevent any potential damage.





I think all in all, this is one of my favourite Bishoujos, right up there with the three Horror Bishoujos. I cannot wait to get the Lady Loki statue in early 2017 and have these two displayed together. If the detail and paint application on Loki is as good as on this Thor, it'll be a fantastic display combination!


16 Dec 2016

Transformers Masterpiece End of 2016 Collection Update - Year by Year

Well that's another year of Transformers Masterpiece collecting done! I was hoping for another MP figure in December in Dirge, but sadly that has not even been announced yet. So I won't get another MP figure until Feb 2017 with the release of MP-35 Grapple.

So I figured it was time to do an End of 2016 Collection update video for my MP collection as it stands right now. I'm still absolutely loving this series of figures, with some of the best TFs ever made!

In thinking about the video, it got me thinking about what figures were released each year, and how the series has evolved over the past few years. So click through to the video below on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel to check it out. And also scroll down for more of my thoughts and pics on the figures classed by year of release :)




2012 and before:

I started collecting the Transformers Masterpiece figures in 2012 after hearing about the release of the new MP-10 Optimus and MP-11 Starscream. The MP line was just rebooted with the release of these two characters, and it was certainly a great way to start getting into the MP series! I was hooked as soon as I opened the box!

After researching a bit more, I decided against getting the earlier figures such as MP-1 Optimus and MP-5 Megatron because they were out of scale with the new reboot and just didn't have this new aesthetic. But I did go back and get the original MP-8 Grimlock and MP-9 Rodimus figures that were released a year or more before 2012.

MP-10 Optimus was designed to fit with the scale of MP-9 Rodimus, and I made sure to get the v2 that fixed a lot of QC issues with the initial Rodimus release. I think both Grimlock and Rodimus still fit in fairly well with the new MPs, although Grimlock is a little undersized.

By the end of 2012, I don't think many collectors thought the series would take off like it did into essentially a new golden era of Transformers toys in 2013!




2013:

I think in late 2012 or early 2013, teaser pics had already been shown of a new mold for MP-13 Soundwave and Laserbeak that looked amazing. And then with videos and interviews with the lead Takara designer on about MP-12 Sideswipe, the buzz around the MP series was building at a huge rate.

What a fantastic year it turned out to be, with even more new molds that shot the Masterpiece series straight into the stratosphere! Not long after the release of MP-13 Soundwave, the cassettes (MP-15 and MP-16) were released, with little engineering marvels in characters like Ravage and Frenzy.

The release of MP-12 Sideswipe and MP-14 Red Alert signalled the start of the amazing official car licenses that Takara would use for their Autobot cars. Starting with Lamborghini was perfect, raising hopes of a Sunstreaker announcement that unfortunately has never materialised.

But brand new designs were then announced for the Nissan Fairlady 280Z with MP-17 Prowl, MP-18 Streak, and MP-19 Smokescreen being announced and released in quick succession later in 2013. The new Lambor and Nissan molds really did take the G1 design aesthetic to another level.

Takara never goes a year without a repaint of an existing mold, so MP-12T Tigertrack and MP-10B Nemesis Prime were also released, both having very high quality paint applications.

All in all, 2013 was a defining year for the Masterpiece series, and meant Takara was seriously back in full force with G1 styled Transformers. With the new state of the art toy engineering, I think these are amongst some of the best Transformers ever made.



2014:

In comparison, 2014 was almost a failed year for the most part. For much of the year, only repaints were released with MP-18S Silverstreak, MP-12G G2 Sideswipe and MP-13B Soundblaster/Ratbat being released. These are no doubt nice repaints, but new molds is where the real MP action lies!

So it was fantastic news when rumours started with three characters to be released late in the year, which turned out to be the long awaited MP-20 Wheeljack using the official Lancia license, MP-21 Bumblebee using the official VW license, and MP-22 Ultra Magnus. These three closed out 2014 with a massive bang, again being the best ever representations of these characters in toy form.




2015:

Only two new molds were released this year, with MP-24 Star Saber and MP-25 Tracks using the official Corvette license. I was never all that interested in Star Saber since it was a character from the Japanese G1 continuation cartoon that was never aired in Australia or the USA. But I couldn't resist, and overall it's a solid figure. My favourite has to be MP-25 Tracks though, despite the many complaints it received from collectors.

I personally don't think the complaints are all that warranted in comparison to the earlier Autobot cars such as Sideswipe and Prowl. They all have their faults for the nitpicky, and I think the overall design aesthetic and great articulation make Tracks a stand out.

With only a couple of new molds, the year actually turned out to be a defining moment for Diaclone repaints! Takara loves their history, and love to give little homages to original toys where they can. Diaclone and Micro Change toys were the precursor to the Transformers brand as we know it today, with the original toys being used as the basis for the first series of Hasbro Transformers toys based on the cartoon.

Each mold has some unique colour variants from the Diaclone and Micro Change series, and this was the year Takara really took the homages to the next level with 5 variants in MP-23 Exhaust, MP-18B Bluestreak, MP-21R Red Bumblebee, MP-26 Road Range, and MP-14C Clampdown. They threw in the MP-21G G2 Bumblebee as well, with a great gold metallic paint application.

Of course, a couple of repaints ended up being perhaps the biggest releases for me in 2015 with the long awaited releases of MP-11SW Skywarp and MP-11TC Thundercracker! The quality control for these two was a little questionable in some areas considering the high exclusive asking price. But getting these two to complement Starscream was something that had been a long time coming! In the end, the classic colourways in the MP-11 mold just made these must-haves in any MP collection!




2016:

And now we reach 2016, which in comparison with previous years shows it to be one of the best yet! I did pass on MP-32 Optimus Primal, but overall the 2016 lineup makes it almost one MP figure per month released by Takara, which is pretty damn awesome.

The new mold for MP-27 Ironhide and MP-30 Ratchet had a lukewarm reception when the prototypes were shown. I disliked the side hip panels, but in hand they didn't turn out too bad at all. The all-in-one transformation from the officially licensed Nissan Cherry Vanette is another engineering marvel, and the large assortment of accessories was a nice change from the more barebones previous releases.

New molds in MP-28 Hot Rod and MP-29 Shockwave also divided opinion in the collecting community. But for me, I think both figures are pretty awesome, especially Shockwave. I previously had the Fans Toys Quakewave figure, and it was a great stand-in at the time. But again compared with official Takara products, the 3rd party figures just lack that unique MP cartoon accurate aesthetic that I prefer with my MP figures. The all-in-one transformation with Shockwave is another highlight for me.

We also finally got some MP Seeker Coneheads, with the release of MP-11NR Ramjet and MP-11NT Thrust. The releases were marred by quality control issues (eg. incorrect shoulder assembly on Ramjet and floppy waist on Thrust), but luckily both of mine did not have these issues. Again I love the cartoon accurate design, and really hope Dirge is announced soon to close out the core Seekers from the cartoon.

Diaclone repaints showed up again with the awesome MP-25L Loud Pedal and MP-31 Delta Magnus. Both are great homages to their rare Diaclone versions. Takara tested the waters with their MP-14+ Red Alert being a more cartoon accurate colourway for the original MP-14 Red Alert. I definitely prefer the anime version in bot mode, but the original version wins out in car mode for me.




What next!!!

So here's my entire MP collection at the end of 2016! It's been a pretty awesome few years of MP collecting, and I think the series is just going from strength to strength. We already know 2017 will bring characters like Grapple, Dirge, and of course the big one in Megatron finally!! I think Takara still has some surprises up their sleeve for 2017, so I'm still hoping for more officially licensed characters from the core Season 1 cartoon cast.

There's definitely no better time to be a Transformers collector. I can't wait to see what 2017 brings, and hopefully you can subscribe to the channel and stay tuned for all the reviews to come :)


Transformers Masterpiece MP-33 Inferno

It's always a great day when a new Transformers Masterpiece mold is released. And this new Inferno does not disappoint! Some collectors have complained about the bland cartoon-accurate paint app, but for me I think it's near perfect, with some ingenious engineering for the transformation sequence.

Click through below to check out my video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel! :)



As with Ironhide, MP-33 Inferno is nicely loaded with accessories and display options. Takara really have tried to cover all needs to cater for those loving a bit of cartoon accuracy or a bit of toy accuracy. Overall, it's a winning set for me!



The transformation is not overly complex, but has some awesome engineering worthy of "Masterpiece Moment" status for sure. The way in which the ladder folds away into the chest cavity and the way the shoulders rotate and clip into place are fantastic!

For me, this is the best looking Inferno representation out there. The other 3rd party options I think are nice alternatives, but do not really fit in with the overall MP aesthetic. MP Inferno on the other hand fits in perfectly! Cannot wait to get Grapple early next year now!


1 Dec 2016

Hot Toys MMS170 Batmobile (finally got it!!)

It's been around three years since it was released, but I've finally managed to get my hands on the Hot Toys MMS170 Batmobile from the classic 1989 Batman movie. Absolutely love this thing! :)


27 Nov 2016

Collection pics since July 2016

It's almost time for me to do another YouTube channel trailer with pics of my collection over the past few months. Here are some of the pics of the hauls I've had since July this year that will be included in the trailer :)





















11 Nov 2016

Transformers Masterpiece MP-11NT Thrust

It's been a while since MP-11NR Ramjet was released, and there was the major assembly issues with the shoulders that tainted many figures received by collectors. Luckily mine was OK, but I definitely hoped the new MP-11NT Thrust would have no issues.

Overall, it's another solid release by Takara, with no major QC issues on mine either. There are a couple of nitpicks after playing around with it a bit more though. But click through the link below to watch my full video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel.



The packaging is the standard TF Masterpiece style, which I still love. There aren't too many accessories though, but it's been like that with these MP-11 variants now. The price is certainly high, but we can only put that against the supposed "exclusive" nature of the release. I'm not totally convinced of its exclusivity, and it wouldn't really affect my purchase anyway. I had to have these official coneheads in my MP collection, and I believe they look the best compared to the other 3rd party options out there.



If you watch the video, you'll see the alt mode too, which is great (I forgot to take some alt mode photos!). People have complained about the looseness of the torso section that slides down to the waist. Mine was loose out of the box, but I simply pushed harder on the shoulders and the slide mechanism clicked into place and it's as stable as the other MP-11 variants (not the original MP-11 that has a very loose torso that does not click into place).

The main issue for me really is that I think the maroon coloured plastic seems to be a softer type of plastic that scratches and marks very easily. After I transformed into alt mode, sliding the torso section back down was rather difficult, and I ended up scratching the sides of the cockpit. It's not visible in bot mode luckily, but still annoying.

I actually prefer Ramjet, and since mine had no assembly issues, I actually think it's overall a better quality product than Thrust! It would be nice if both figures had more paint app for that extra premium feel, but I think most of the MP-11 figures lack paint apps in general.



Despite the plastic quality, I think the overall aesthetic of Thrust is just perfect from the G1 cartoon. And it fits in beautifully with the other Decepticon MP figures, just as you'd expect any of the MPs to all look like they're from a consistent series.

The 3rd party offerings are decent stand-alone figures, but just don't have that cartoon MP aesthetic. I think they're mostly too thin, with small heads and lanky proportions. With Thrust, I think the proportions actually look more natural in scale with the body. He does have the large kneepads, white face, and yellow eyes, but they're the reason he simply looks like he's stepped out of the TV screen! I love it!

And I love the little smirk he has on the face sculpt. I like those little differences rather than all the MP-11 figures have the same expression!


In the end, all I need now is MP Dirge to be released to complete my G1 cartoon Seekers, and of course the upcoming MP-36 Megatron release! The update to the photo above with those two will pretty much make me happy enough that I could stop collecting MP Decepticons! But hopefully they continue to make more characters from the cartoon through 2017 - should be an interesting year for sure!

10 Nov 2016

BigBoysToys Street Fighter T.N.C-05 Blanka

I've loved the previous four Street Fighter sets in this awesome series by BigBoysToys. The super-deformed style of the sculpting and homages back to the original Street Fighter 2 arcade game make this a must-have for fans who stood for hours back in the day in the arcades!

Click the link below to watch my full review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel.



The artwork is the same awesome style and quality of the previous 4 releases in Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Guile. Love the design!




The extra pieces to attach to the electric storm are a little fiddly to get in place, but once all set up it's bloody awesome! Love the original sound effects from the game, and the lightup effect is very effective. The base, extra plastic pieces, Blanka's hair and eyes all light up nicely (see my video above that show's it).

The sculpting and paint app of the statue itself is every bit as nice as the previous releases. There's no bleeding in the paint app, and it really accentuates the molded detail in the pants and musculature.

Overall, this is one of their best releases in the line so far.  Really looking forward to Dhalsim and Akuma coming up next!


5 Nov 2016

Sideshow Masters of the Universe He-Man exclusive

When I first saw the teaser pics of Sideshow's new Masters of the Universe statue line, I loved the style. But I was trying to stay away from larger collectibles at the time due to space and funds. But after seeing more pics, and then the details of the Skeletor and Evil-Lyn statues, I just couldn't resist! I ended up using the free reward points that Sideshow was giving out during their recent Spooktacular to essentially give me free international shipping to Australia on this one, so can't complain at all!

Click the link below to check out my full video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. This thing is just beautiful!



The day it arrived I also received the new BigBoysToys TNC-05 Blanka set. It's always a good day when great things arrive in the mail lol :)



Everything is packaged fairly well within the usual foam protection, and all wrapped in plastic with desiccant. I have heard some reports that people may have received some with moisture inside that resulted in some paint defects, so definitely check over it carefully! Luckily mine didn't have any major issues that I was concerned about.



The exclusive version that comes with the Battle Axe has an edition size of 1250, of which I received 0776. I'm not too fussed with the numbering or edition size, but like PCS it would've been nice to have a certificate of authenticity or something to accompany the statue.



As I said, the exclusive comes with the Battle Axe, and it is an essential purchase with this statue! If it hasn't sold out already, head over to Sideshow and get the exclusive one!! The Battle Axe (and standard Power Sword) are both full made of metal, with some extremely nice sculpted detail. The heft is quite pleasing to the touch I have to say!



The base itself looks great, and is also quite heavy. Not sure exactly what it's made of, but it weighs quite a bit so make sure your shelves can handle it! The statue fits into the base with a metal rod in the left foot, and goes in fairly smoothly. Normally I actually prefer standard black bases, but on this statue the design works very well.



The sculpted details on the body, armour and costume are all well done for this. Luckily the head sculpt is not meant to resemble anyone, and the stylised look works well here. I don't think accurate likenesses are Sideshow's forte, so going with this style was a good decision!

The statue comes with a red cape, but I still haven't figured out how to put it on properly lol! And when I did try, the leather like straps actually left brown streaks on the statue which initially scared the crap out of me. But with that, there's no way I'd leave that on for any length of time in case it permanently stains the statue!



Despite the Battle Axe and Power Sword being metal, it's a shame the shield is only plastic. It is still painted very nicely, with a leather like strap over the forearm piece. Unfortunately on mine, one end of the strap that attaches to the shield was not glued properly. I'm waiting on Sideshow's response for a replacement, but they should be able to help me out like they have in the past.



The separate sheathed Power Sword is plastic, and attaches to He-Man's back with a magnet. Together with the Battle Axe, it makes for an amazing looking statue on display! Note that it does also come with an unsheathed accessory for when he is holding the Power Sword.



Together with the other statues, I think this new series from Sideshow look amazing. I really hope that they continue on and make all the core characters, unlike Pop Culture Shock that stopped their line without completing them. If they do that, this series could truly become legendary for Sideshow!