Kool Kollectibles content

25 May 2018

Pop Culture Shock Collectibles 1/3 scale Ryu

For those that follow the page and channel, you'll know that I love Street Fighter, and have played Ryu for over 25 years! When PCS announced that they were releasing a 1/3 scale Ryu in his classic gi, there was no way I was going to pass on it!

And I'm so glad I got it! It's an absolutely amazing statue in every way. Click through below to watch my full review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can give the video a like, and subscribe to the channel too! :)



Straight out of the box, and the sheer size of the thing really hits you. This is my first 1/3 scale statue, and I totally get why so many collectors love large scaled statues. The presence the statue commands is well deserved - even my wife was impressed! It wasn't too hard getting the feet into the base, but just be careful how you handle it because it is pretty heavy!



The statue simply looks amazing from any angle. It will take a bit of fine adjustment to get the head sculpt sitting nice and flush against the neck. Just move the neck line of the gi out of the way and gently move the head in the slot, and it should sit without showing a gap.

After complaints of the weird yellow colouring of the 1/4 scale Ryu, PCS wisely went with the standard grey weathered look. It's a much better stye that's more in keeping with the game and how people remember the character. The gi is the usual nice cotton type material, but just play around with it to make it look as natural as you can.



The skin texture is a standout, and is a must at this scale. The paint app is awesome, with lots of fine freckling to add realism, subtle blue in the veins, and shadow detailing to really accentuate the musculature. The head sculpt has a smoother surface on the face, but the paint app matches the body well with the same nice freckling and texture.

The gi can be taken off by undoing the velcro on the sides. Do not try to untie the belt, but just undo the velcro and pull out the gi. You can then tuck it back through the belt and have the gi folded over it. This reveals the full extent of the naked torso, and the amazing effort they did on the back sculpt. The muscles and paint app are superb.




But I love my Ryu in his classic look, so I put the gi back to its original style. It was a pain to put everything back and adjust it nicely with the velcro. But once all set it looks great. I love the added detail in the padded hand gloves. I thought they were fully sculpted, but they actually have a leather type material on the outer glove that is padded. It adds a lot to the realism and style of the piece.



The feet are nicely done, with no issues on mine with the toenails. The feet are the classic over-sized style for which Ryu is renowned. The base is nicely sculpted and painted too. I love the bamboo piece at the rear, which is actually longer than what they showed in the original prototype. The added length is a much better look.

The base also inclues a small swap out piece at the front, where you can alternate between a full rock look, or have that small section of grass. I like the grass as it adds a splash of colour to an otherwise pretty plan brown rock surface.



My first PCS statue was the 1/4 scale Ryu Ansatsuken exlusive, and that thing just looks tiny next to the 1/3 scale Ryu. I'm definitely happy to have both in my Street Fighter collection. I have the 1/3 scale Chun-Li and Sagat preordered, and cannot wait to check them out when they're released. I'm sure they'll be worth the wait just like this Ryu was!



This will be a permanent addition to my collection, and will take pride of place as a centerpiece in the display room. I'll definitely need to get a custom acrylic case made for it! Simply amazing work by PCS, and highly recommended for any Street Fighter fan!



24 May 2018

Hot Toys MMS425 Spider-man Homecoming

After The Amazing Spiderman 2 disappointed me immensely, I sold my Amazing Spiderman figure and Spiderman 3 Black Suit Spiderman. But I have enjoyed the new MCU version of Spiderman, and this release does do that version justice.

It comes with a pretty decent array of accessories, and the overall quality is pretty good too despite some issues raised by collectors. Click through below to check out my full video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Make sure to give the video a like and subscribe too! :)



The contents as you can see give plenty of options for poses from various scenes in the movie. The magnetic wings work well, but do have sharp corners so be careful not to scratch the suit when you're moving them around. The backpack is very nicely tailored and has some nice padding within to keep its shape. The straps have wires too so they can be shaped naturally over the shoulders.

The Tom Holland head sculpt has a fantastic likeness, and will be the version I use since they also included a folded mask accessory that he can hold in his hand with the mask off. The core masked sculpt is also nicely done. Some collectors have had issues with the stitching down the centre of the head, and it all varies to the degree that it shows. Mine wasn't too bad overall.

The webbing variations are nice to use for dynamic poses, especially with the many included hands. But I'll have mine in a pretty static pose to minimise any risk to damage to the suit.



I'll have mine displayed on top of the building accessory from the first Spiderman figure. It looks great standing on top, and is quite stable with nice firm ankle joints. The articulation is pretty good overall, with firm ratchety joints. There is a warning not to leave the suit in dynamic poses for any length of time, so I would heed that warning.

There have been photos showing the blue material on the suit being damaged by being bent or caught in the knee and hip joints, so pose dynamically at your risk! Perhaps a quick pose here and there for a photo would be OK, but not for a set-and-leave pose in your display cabinet.



I actually think the material they used on the suit is very nice, with different textures and patterns. I like the compromise between form and function here with the suit, and I'm OK with knowing a static pose is OK in my display. The red parts are a more flexible material while the blue is a more rubbery type material. There are places with glued on material such as the black striping, so be careful how those areas bend too.



The swap out eyes on the masked sculpt are a nice touch, but are an absolute pain in the arse to swap out. They are well set in, and you'll need some decent finger nails or a thin flat headed tool of some sort to pry them out. They're held in by magnets so once you dislodge them they're easy to swap. I've gone with the larger eyes on mine as I prefer that traditional big-eyed Spiderman.



All in all, I think this is another fantastic release by Hot Toys. Apparently there have been some delays with the latest round of stock, especially for the Deluxe version, but I think fans will find this worth the wait. I'm sure with Infinity War being such a hit, fans will be wanting more Spiderman figures to add. This Homecoming version is a nice figure to have in the meantime!