Kool Kollectibles content

30 Jul 2016

Bandai Tamashii Nations Star Wars Movie Realization Akazonae Royal Guard

Finally got the next figure in the Bandai Tamashii Nations Star Wars Movie Realization line. If you've seen my previous videos, you'll know that I love this unique style of figures, and this new Royal Guard is no exception!

Click through below for my full video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Summary of thoughts and some pics further below too :)



Packaging is simple and classy as with the others. Everything is nicely packed in collector friendly clamshell. It doesn't come with too many accessories, but the main attraction in the figure itself is just gorgeous in that red hue!

You get the usual katana and sheath that can be attached to the hook in the belt. It also comes with the expected golden staff, which I actually photographed held in the wrong direction lol!! The larger ball end is meant to be in the hand, but I thought that was the smacking end so had the other end in the hand lol.



The front cape looks OK, but is a bit of a pain to put on. You need to take off the imperial chest symbol to reveal the peg holes. The way in which the holes are oriented means once the front cape is on, it leans to one side to give room for the katana. But this gives a strange look on display since it doesn't look symmetrical. So I display it with it pulled out slightly so I can still rotate it straight.

All the other details are as you'd expect with this line, with the molding and paint detailing right up there with the other figures. I love the two-piece helmet!



Together with the others, these figures make for a superb, unique Star Wars collection. They are always a focal point of discussion when friends see my collection. I think this will continue to be a great Star Wars line for many years to come! Looking forward to getting more now that some concept art was shown at SDCC!



24 Jul 2016

Hot Toys MMS343 Superman exclusive version from Batman vs Superman Dawn of Justice

Trying to keep up with the various incarnations of the Superman and Batman characters . So with the new Batfleck announced, and the revisions on the Superman , I couldn't resist getting the new figure. Overall it's a definitely improvement over the first Man of Steel figure.

For my full video review, click through below to watch over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Summary of thoughts and pics further below :)



Packaging is nothing too fancy, but simple is OK with everything looking classy and packed nicely.



Doesn't really come with too many accessories, with the exclusive coming with the kryptonite light-up rock. The LED is pretty bright and gives it a nice green hue. But with such a lack of accessories, it would've been good if they had just included it in all sets!



Biggest improvements for me over the first figure are:

- Better scale in the height against other figures.
- More realistic head sculpt
- Better details on the suit

The worst thing for me about the Man of Steel figure was that it was over-sized and dwarfed many other figures. This new one corrects that and reduces the height. The bulk on the body seems to be bigger too, especially in the thighs. I think they look a bit too chunky, but it seems fairly accurate to the movie.

The chest symbol looks much better with it being wider across the chest. It also has the nice details along with the new suit that has some of the Kryptonian markings on it. The darker colour and texture of the suit I think is also an improvement over the first.



The head sculpt has certainly divided the collecting community. I for one stand in the crowd that think it's an improvement over the Man of Steel. The MoS head sculpt seems almost too stylised in direct comparison, whereas this new one seems more realistic with the steely stare. I think from most angles it also has a better likeness.

The cape is also a huge improvement over the first. The new one has a beautiful texture and drapes very naturally against the body and shoulders in particular. I guess the only complaint I have against the suit is in the ankle area where it bunches up in the crease at the ankle joint. My MoS figure doesn't do this, but it seems to be a common issue with this new figure. You can try to stretch the suit around it, but the crease just comes back.

In the end, I think it's another solid figure from Hot Toys. The detailing in the suit, head sculpt, and better scale certainly makes it fit in better with other figures in my collection. Really looking forward to adding the new Batman and Wonder Woman to complete the Trinity.

Hot Toys MMS313 Boba Fett Deluxe version

Couldn't help myself and picked up the Hot Toys Boba Fett from Return of the Jedi recently. The Deluxe version was about $30-$40 more expensive than the regular version, so went with that for the extra accessories.

Overall, it's another solid figure from Hot Toys, but there were a couple of nitpicks that bring it down a notch. For my full video review, click through below to watch it on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel!



The packaging art is nice as always from Hot Toys , so nothing too much to write about.



The set does come with a decent array of accessories, all packaged pretty nicely. As you can see below, the Deluxe version has the Sarlacc Pit diorama stand and a couple of fire effect pieces for the backpack. Overall, if you just got the regular version, I don't think you're missing out on too much. The extras are nice, but not necessary.

The paint app and details on the Sarlacc are nice, but a little small for that sort of forced perspective look. It's not pulled off that well to be honest. The tentacles remind me too much of Japanese hentai as well lol!!



My biggest nitpick comes with the suit itself and the alignment of the chest armour pieces. Similar to the Sideshow Jango Fett, the armour pieces are not attached symmetrically, and really draws the eye when viewing the figure. Some people have said the armour in the movie was never symmetrical, but in all screenshots and photos I've seen, it looks pretty symmetrical to me. It's very disappointing at this price point that Hot Toys could not get them aligned properly.

The other frustrating part was attaching the backpack to the clips on the back. That was far more difficult than it needed to be, and was far more difficult than the Sideshow version. But once finally on it all looks OK, with a small magnet at the lower back to keep it close to the body.

Another minor point is the black belt that is under the red belt. It is apparently movie accurate, but is not visible and simply makes him look pot-bellied with the huge buckle. I would either remove it like some collectors have, or try to move the buckle to the side so that it doesn't protrude at the front.



The best thing would have to be the underlying TrueType body that is definitely a huge improvement over the previous Sideshow version. The weathering overall on the suit is also pretty good. So all-in-all, I'm pretty happy with the set, but it didn't wow me as much as their other Star Wars figures. For fans of Boba and the original trilogy, it's still a great set to get.

19 Jul 2016

Hot Toys MMS308 Ant-man

This has to be one of the best Hot Toys releases this year so far! The detail in the suit and the incredible head sculpt rank it right up their with some of their best.

Click through below to see my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. More pics further below too :)



The box art is simple but nice, with a nice window through to the figure inside.



It doesn't come with too many accessories, but the awesomeness in the base figure itself makes up for that. The light-up feature in the helmet was way to difficult for me to even bother trying it out. From what I've seen on forums, the light-up effect isn't all that great, so I didn't bother trying it out.

The suit has lots of different textures and material, making for lots of intricate detail. Unfortunately that has resulted in a restrictive suit that limits articulation. But overall I tend to have my figures in museum poses anyway, so that's not too big an issue for me.



As I mentioned before, the head sculpt is beautifully done, with a great sculpt and detailed paint application. This shows just why Hot Toys is at the top of the 1/6th scale game right now.

The mouth piece folds down, but can also be pushed back up and the magnetised lens placed over to complete the full helmeted look. Overall, the display options look great.



This has turned out to be one of my favourite Marvel figures alongside the diecast Iron Man Mk3. Will be interesting to see how the Deadpool figure turns out. I may well get that too if the quality equals this one!

BigBoysToysHK Street Fighter The New Challenger TNC-04 Guile

If you follow the page and channel, you'll know that I love Street Fighter. And this statue set line from BigBoysToysHK is a fantastic series for Street Fighter fans. If you used to play Street Fighter 2 in the arcades back in the 90s, this line is made just for you!

The nostalgia I feel when I press that sound and light effect button is great, and all the statues in the series bring back so many memories!

For my full video review, click through below to the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. More pics are further down :)



The packaging has the same styled artwork on the box, with the nice velcro opening flap.





Once all setup,the statue looks fantastic. As always, the mold and paint work is top-notch, with great details and little touches. I especially love the dog-tag around his neck.



I love that they include the pieces of the arcade game background that broke in-game, such as Guile's wooden crate here or the previous Ken's barrel. It's little touches like this that make this a great homage to the arcade game.



The sound and light effects are classic Guile too, with the original Street Fighter 2 sonic boom sound byte. The spinning light effect of the sonic boom itself is great. They actually changed the rotation direction based on an eagle-eyed fan that pointed out the prototype was actually spinning in the wrong direction! That's what you call great fan service!



Together with the others, the series just makes for an awesome Street Fighter display for fans of the old arcade game. The teaser for Blanka has been shown, and that looks amazing too. Can't wait to get the whole series when they continue releasing sets through 2017!