Bandai Star Wars Movie Realization C-3PO

I've loved the Bandai Star Wars Movie Realization series right from the start, and I'm glad they're still releasing figures. They are definitely taking their sweet time between releases so, but this C-3PO was definitely worth the wait!

Click through to watch my full review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Make sure to give the video a thumbs-up and to subscribe too! :)

The box art is the usual style, and the contents aren't that plentiful this time. I think the key focus for this release was more the unique mold and features of the figure, but more on that later. Accessories wise you get a couple of swap out pairs of hands, and his fanciful oriental styled fan.

The Japanese name is quite appropriate, meaning something along the lines of a "puppet interpreter". Coupled with the known mannerisms of Threepio, the fan goes beautifully with the more effeminate characteristics of Threepio. Everything swaps out easily enough with no delicate parts to worry about when doing the swap.

The figure itself has many new unique parts which makes it stand out from the rest of the collection. The overall gold metallic paint app is fantastic. The face sculpt is very nice too, with moveable eyes and mouth. You can get him into all sorts of derpy faces!

The articulation in the neck joint and lower neck piece allow quite a lot of motion for more expressive poses. The shoulders work well, but it's the elbows that need a bit of care. As always with Threepio figures, the pistons are an area of concern. The ones on the inside of the elbow aren't too delicate, but if you try to bend the elbows close to 90 degrees, the piston will flex. So I wouldn't push them too far in case they snap.

The rest of the articulation is on par with the previous figures. There is torso and hip movement, and the legs, knees, and ankles all work well. I love that they painted his right lower leg silver in keeping with the movie. The unique sculpting details in the feet, shins, and through the arms are a highlight.

I love the red drinking gourd, but have no idea what the key is meant to represent. If anyone knows, please let me know via Facebook message! Would love to know if that means something from feudal Japanese days!

Overall, this is another fantastic release by Bandai in this series. I have seen the IG-88 prototype figure shown at some toy fairs. I really hope they show a prototype of the Gamorrean Guard one day! Hopefully they keep this series going for a few years yet with some more original trilogy characters.

Mezco One:12 Collective Popeye

I don't have too many Mezco figures, with the previous Space Ghost being my only one. But from what I see from other collectors, they continue to put out great figures in this 1/12th scale. When they announced their Popeye figure, it was another case of 80s cartoon nostalgia for me. I used to watch the Popeye cartoon reruns in the 80s along with the other classic 80s shows on weekend mornings and after school! I had to have it, and Mezco did not disappoint!

Click through below to check out my full review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can click that like button, and subscribe to the channel to stay tuned for more upcoming reviews! :)

I love the simple yet classy style of packaging from Mezco. Everything is collector-friendly, and houses the great accessories nicely. The set comes decently decked out, and the overall quality is excellent.

I love the white bag with just the right amout of weathering. It fits the other accessories nicely, and I just put a bit of rolled up tissue inside to pad it out. The separate outer jacket is pretty nice too, with velcro up the front and around the wrists to help in getting it on the figure. It is a pretty tight fit though, so I didn't even bother. I do prefer him without it, so for my display that was fine.

The options for different head gear are nice, with a traditional captain's cap, sailor's cap, and a black beanie. They fit nice and snug on the head, with the captain's cap using a magnet so that you can place it at different angles on his head securely.

The range of hands is also great, with options to hold the various accessories and make gestures. The paint app on the hands is pretty good, and matches that of the exposed arms and head sculpts. The swap out head sculpts aren't too dramatically different, with one having more of an opening in the mouth. I prefer that one with the pipe inserted.

I love that they give plenty of spare pipes, with three having the smoke coming out. They fit in the tiny hole of the head sculpt well enough, but just be careful inserting them and moving the figure around.

The spinach cans are also great, and it's awesome that the crushed can fits perfectly in one of the sculpted hands. The telescope and compass are nicely sculpted and painted. The telescope does retract and extend, and the compass can open and close, which are nice little touches on such small accessories.

The figure itself is very nicely done. The arms do not have a double jointed elbow which hinders articulation a bit, but all other details and articulation are good. The costume is fantastic, with nice denim-look pants. The shirt is also nice, but be careful of loose strands that might get caught in the elbows as you bend them.  There are stick on buttons on the pants and shirt, but they feel fairly well stuck and did not tend to fall off when I touched them.

The total package is just a fantastic homage to Popeye. Perhaps the only nitpick I can point out is that the colour of the wrist joints stand out a bit from the nice paint application of the hands and forearms. But with a bit of creative posing, then can be hidden well enough. Overall posed on display, he's a great release by Mezco, and to me solidifies why they are so well regarded in this scale!