Kool Kollectibles content

19 Dec 2020

Transformers Masterpiece MP-39+ Spinout

Takara releases G1 Masterpiece figures so slowly these days, I barely even think about whether I should get a figure, and just buy it regardless. I guess when the figure is another fantastic Diaclone repaint, there's nothing to worry about!

This Spinout repaint of the fantastic Sunstreaker mold is beautifully done. Click the link below to check out my video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can subscribe and stay tuned for the upcoming MP Arcee review!

The packaging is the usual MP style. There aren't too many accessories , but what is provided is decent enough. I'll never use the stickers, but they're a nice option for collectors that want that extra bit of detailing or Diaclone homage. The weapons are essentially the same as those that have come before with Sunstreaker or Cordon, so you know what you're getting there.


For the extra collector piece, I do wish they still provided the coins instead of these new pins. But I guess something is better than nothing! The card art is decent, but I still prefer the original static pose artwork of the figure itself. That was always just a simple yet classy way to highlight the figure and tech specs.


But the main thing everyone is interested in is of course the figure itself. It always seems that Takara puts in a little extra effort for their Diaclone repaints, and this Spinout is no exception. Cordon was a beautiful repaint, and Spinout maintains that high quality.

I actually thought the red was all just unpainted plastic, but it is actually a beautiful deep red paint that looks so good in hand. Previous figures with red plastic have a somewhat translucent quality that makes them look a little cheap. But this semi-matte finish is gorgeous.


I love that Takara have given the two Diaclone repaints their original Diaclone number designation, with Spinout being Car Robo CR-01 and Cordon being CR-03. Seeing this does raise the obvious question on where is CR-02, which is the original black Ironhide. I have no idea why Takara has not done an Ironhide repaint after all of these years since the MP-27 Ironhide release. I really do hope they announce one soon.


Seeing Spinout side by side to the original MP-12 Sideswipe, it really becomes obvious how much better the paint app is on Spinout. The roof of Sideswipe shows that translucent plastic effect, and the cleaner lines of Spinout really make it the definite red MP Countach for me.

The transformation to the classic Countach style without external engines is pretty simple, and that mode looks pretty awesome too. But I do prefer the external engine stile for both Cordon and Spinout. That chrome just looks amazing!


Spinout looks pretty amazing in bot mode too. It has the same G1 toy-inspired head sculpt like Cordon, but with yellow ears. An option for collectors who prefer a toy style would be to swap head sculpts with the original Sunstreaker figure, but I think that would look pretty weird, especially with the mis-matching blacks. I guess for me, I've never had an issue with the original Sunstreaker head sculpt, and think it conveys their cartoon aesthetic pretty well.

Luckily the transformation sequence for this Sunstreaker mold is easier the third time around. Spinout has nice firm joints that are not too loose or tight, and I had no issues with paint chipping either which is great.


I love these Diaclone homages in the MP series. There are some collectors that apparently hate these repaints, but I have no idea why. Considering that these were the original precursors to the Transformers that we all grew up watching, I think Takara honours them perfectly through this MP series. Here's hoping for a Hound repaint and of course that elusive black Ironhide!



Kotobukiya Horror Bishoujo Beetlejuice

I've collected most of the Kotobukiya Horror Bishoujo statues, and overall it's been a fantastic series. I was in two minds about this Beetlejuice, but I figured it looked iconic enough to add to the collection. It took a while to arrive from Japan, but it turned up in great condition and looks fantastic along with the rest of the gang.

Click the link below to watch my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Make sure to subscribe and stay tuned for upcoming reviews for Bishoujo Pennywise and Leatherface!


Packaging is the usual nice style for the Bishoujos, with a mix of concept artwork and actual photos of the statue. The cardboard insert actually shows the tombstone that I would've actually preferred for the statue, which states "Here lies Betelgeuse" and has the little gargoyle on top. I'm not quite sure why they didn't use that tombstone.


I'm also not sure where the nail file comes from, unless I am completely forgetting it from the movie? The other statues in the series have had little accessories that are from the movies, so this one seems a little strange to me.

That aside, the rest of the statue is very nice. The face sculpt and skin paint app are the usual high quality in the Bishoujo series. I do like the little sharp teeth she has, and the sculpted hair is nicely layered. Note that the head sculpt sits a little loose in the neck socket, and can be removed. Not sure if that was meant to cater for some sort of swap out feature, but just something to be aware of.


The outfit is nicely sculpted, with the black and white painted nice and sharp with no bleed. The gold buttons and purple inner lining of the suit give it a nice bit of extra colour too. I wish the stony base was painted a little better with more variation - the browns and grays are a little flat which gives it a plasticky look. Still, it's a decent base for her to sit on, so I can't complain too much.


As I mentioned before, the layering and sculpting of the hair is nicely done. But I do wish there was a bit more variation in the paint app, or even some translucency like with the Freddy statue. I guess Freddy is the only one that has that sort of hair material, with all the others being painted. Either way, the overall sculpt looks pretty nice. 


I think the only main character I haven't collected is the Tiffany statue that was released along with Chucky. I just didn't think that version was iconic or recognisable enough. But with Beetlejuice, that's not an issue, and she looks fantastic with the others that I have in the collection.

I'm hoping to get the Pennywise and Leatherface statues soon, and I'm thinking Pennywise may well become my favourite in the series. Hope you can stick around and tune in for those upcoming reviews!


4 Dec 2020

Hot Toys MMS529 Endgame Thanos

I've had the Hot Toys Endgame Iron Man Mk85 (BD version), Captain America, and Thor figures preordered for a while, but had held off on the Thanos figure. But I stumbled across a seller here in Australia that can get some pretty awesome prices from Hong Kong.

The price for this Thanos brand new was about AUD$200 cheaper than from the usual Aussie retailers like Popcultcha. That was a price too good for me to pass up, and I'm definitely glad to have finally picked up this awesome figure!

Click the link below to check out my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel.

The set doesn't come with too much, but what is included is of pretty high quality. The array of hands are very nicely painted and suit the axe well. It would've been nice if the wrist joint and hand sculpt allowed for the iconic axe pointing pose from the final battle.

It's also unfortunate that there is only a swap out Infinity gauntlet, as opposed to a complete swap out arm that is sculpted in the bent position like the Infinity War version. I would've preferred to pose him with the gauntlet in a clenched fist in front of him, but won't be doing that since it would leave the rubber arm bent for too long.

The light up feature on the gauntlet is pretty nice. Sure it's not completely movie accurate to have all the stones with this outfit, but I don't really care. As the only version of Thanos I'm likely to have in my collection, I'm glad Hot Toys included it.

In terms of poseability, luckily the figure is imposting enough, and detailed enough, to look pretty fantastic in even a static, museum-like pose. The joints are all mostly on ratchets, so they hold up well to the weight of the figure. He's not likely to get into anything too dynamic, but I have seen poses of him in the sitting position. Not sure I'd recommend leaving it like that for too long though.

My favourite part of the articulation is actually the ankles, with their large ball joint that does give a lot of range of motion. It's good that you can get the feet flat on the ground for stability. The ratchet in the hips area is a bit fiddly, but overall you can adjust things to get him quite well balanced for such a large figure.


The head sculpt is one of the stand out features of this figure. The helmet is removeable, and luckily is foam-padded and surprisingly easy to remove and adjust. I've always been scared of putting helmets on Hot Toys figures in case it gets scratched, but I had no concerns with this figure.

Despite the purple paint app, the skin texture, detailed sculpting, glassiness of the eyes, and realistic teeth really give an almost scary realism to the figure. I'd have to say this is one of my favourite Hot Toys head sculpts in my collection. Both head sculpts are beautifully done, with the passive sculpt still giving the figure some great shelf presence.

To top it all off, the paint app on the armour pieces is also very nicely done. It's all plastic, but the weathering and sheen give it a nice realistic metallic look. The magnets on the shoulder pieces is nice, and helps to prevent any scratching of the arm paint app.


I actually thought the figure was going to be bigger than the previous Avengers Hulk figure. But it turns out Hulk is still larger and bulkier. Standing side by side, the scale still works out fairly well, and you could recreate their short battle nicely.

I think many people are waiting on the battle damaged version of this figure. That certainly looks like a great set too, but I'm happy enough with this version and the more subtle weathering on the armour pieces and head sculpt. I'm really looking forward to the three main Avengers to release in 2021 and have the 4 combatants standing together in the cabinet. Endgame was the culmination of my favourite series of movies for the past decade, so it will be great to have their 1/6th scale representations in my collection.


31 Oct 2020

Threezero John Rambo from Rambo III

The 1/6th scale genre has been dominated by Hot Toys in recent years, with very little competition that can rise to their level of quality. The likes of Sideshow Collectibles, Enterbay, Asmus, Blitzway etc. have all released some pretty decent figures, but most have lacked that extra level of paint application or sculpted likeness to elevate their figures to Hot Toys standards.

When Threezero announced their John Rambo figure from Rambo III, the promotional photos used a prototype that honestly did not look very good at all. The key aspect of the head sculpt likeness just seemed off, and so many collectors did not preorder.

But in one of those rare instances, the final product that was released by Threezero turned out to be a massive improvement! The early reviews and photos showed an incredible likeness with a fantastic paint app to match. So many collectors immediately jumped onto retail websites to order the figure.

I was luckily enough to snag a first batch order from Big Bad Toy Store, and am so glad to finally add another classic action movie icon to the collection. Threezero have done a seriously incredible job with this figure, and I really hope they announce and release human characters to this level of quality in the future. It really is the first figure from a company other than Hot Toys that hits all the right levels of realism and quality.

Click below to check out my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Make sure to click that like button and subscribe too! 😃 Also scroll further down for my written summary and more pics.


I love the box art and quotes on the packaging. The contents are pretty awesome too, with a high quality array of accessories. The jacket is really nicely tailored and weathered, although the buttons don't seem to function like real buttons. I don't think anyone would button that up anyway, so that's all good. The singlet is nice and soft, and fits over the figure well. But I won't be using either of them to really show off that great torso and arms.

Befitting a character like Rambo, there's a nice assortment of weapons, with the AK rifle and grenade launcher, explosives and bag, RPG, and of course the bow, arrows, and quiver. They all have great little details, paint application, and some moving parts. It also comes with a couple of knives on the figure out of the box, with one inserted into his boot, and one in a sheath on his belt. The final touch is his jade necklace, which would've been even better if there was a touch of green in its colour. All the accessories have fantastic weathering effects that bring out the realism. The swap out hands make full use of all the accessories as well, so there's plenty of posing options.


Once you have everything set up on the figure, it really does look incredible. That head sculpt is just so one point! That firm stare; that subtle freckling and 5 o'clock shadow; the glassy eyes; the fine stranding in the hair with the fabric bandana - it really is up there with the best head sculpts ever made in 1/6th scale in my opinion. I've never seen a non-Hot Toys head sculpt of this high quality until now.

The best part is they've matched the head sculpt with a fantastic torso and seamless arms too! The skin texture and realistic freckling is applied to the body and it looks great. I love the scars that they added to the chest to match those in the movie. It would've been perfect if they added some of those scars to the arms as well, but I guess that can be forgiven with all the other positives to find in this figure!


The pants are nicely weathered and sit on the figure fairly well. They do need some adjustment to get the most out of the articulation, but I managed to get it into a decent enough forward leaning pose that I was happy enough with. There's not too much in the way of movement in the plastic boots, but the arms move well as to the legs once you adjust the pants.

I would still avoid bending the rubber arms too far. I'll definitely be leaving mine in the pose in these pics since I am so paranoid about the rubber cracking over time. I'd be so disappointed if the rubber on this figure starts to crack like some of the Hot Toys figures. The torso and arms does feel like a better material than what I've felt on the Hot Toys figures with seamless bodies, so hopefully this one stands the test of time.


If you're a fan of 80s and 90s action and sci fi movies, then I think this figure is a must-have. Quality wise, I think this is right up there with the best of Hot Toys figures in every aspect. It really does have presence in the display amongst other figures, and it just looks great with all the other iconic characters.

If you're on the fence, I'd highly recommend getting an order in on the second batch - Threezero announced a second batch due to the popularity of the figure once it was released. That's due out in Dec 2020, so get an order in and you might get it in time for Christmas! Either way, I cannot recommend this figure enough - definitely one of my favourites for this year!


17 Oct 2020

Super 7 Thundercats Lion-O, Panthro, and Mumm-Ra

 Recently got my order from Big Bad Toy Store of the Super7 Thundercats figures, and am pretty happy with them. I never got the original releases, so am glad to be able to add these to my classic 80s cartoon collection. If you have any of the previous MOTU Classics figures, then you'll know what you're going to get with these. The style, parts, and overall design are pretty much aligned with that series.

Click through below to check out my reviews of all three over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Scroll further down for some pics of what you get in each set and how I'll display them in my collection. They certainly bring back all the nostalgia of weekend mornings watching cartoons!

Lion-O:

Panthro:

Mumm-Ra:


Each set comes with a decent array of accessories. I especially like the alternate head sculpts for each that are more expressive. Really brings out their character in more dynamic poses too. Definitely looking forward to Tygra, Cheetara, and Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living later this year.






11 Oct 2020

Sony ZV-1 4K 25p camera footage - Star Wars Movie Realization

Here's another collection summary video using the new Sony ZV-1 4k camera. Hope Bandai announce more original trilogy characters in this series soon!


20 Sept 2020

Sony ZV-1 4K 25p camera footage - Transformers Masterpiece

 Here's more footage using the new Sony ZV-1 camera, this time with some retro backing tunes from the G1 Transformers cartoon. Maybe still need to work on minimising that camera shake, but overall the new camera is looking pretty sweet!


Sony ZV-1 4K 25p camera footage - Collection Update

 I read and saw quite a lot of reviews of the new Sony ZV-1 camera reporting it to be pretty much the best vlogger camera on the market right now. So I thought I'd upgrade from my old crappy JVC camcorder of the past 7 years to this new technology!

Certainly makes for a crisper look at the collection! Hope you can check it out at the link below over on the channel 😀


Nostaglia, upcoming figures, and general thoughts

 Hey all, here was a video I did back in late August covering the latest collection update and upcoming figures I have preordered.


27 Aug 2020

Blitzway Zorro (Alejandro Murrieta) from The Mask of Zorro

Back in the 1990s, one of my favourite action movies turned out late in the decade to be The Mask of Zorro! It featured Antonio Banderas that had that charisma about him, and it introduced me (and the world in general) to Catherine Zeta-Jones. They had the on screen chemistry that directors and movie goers love, and the swashbuckling action and music was right in the sweet spot for movies that I really enjoyed.

So when Blitzway announced they were going to do a Zorro figure from the movie, I was so happy to be able to add more characters to my fairly small collection of swashbuckling action adventure heroes! Luckily, the release turned out to be pretty nice overall!

Click through below for my full video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel! Make sure to subscribe and give the video a thumbsup too! 😃👍


At around US$280, the price for this set is pretty high, even when compared to Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectibles figures. At least the quality of the outfit and accessories is of high quality. I like that the dagger and sword have what feels to be metal blades, and the medallion chain and cape chain are metal too. They add an extra premium feel to the outfit. The cape itself has a nice material that lies quite well on the figure too. The printing on it is nicely done, but be careful with the edge roping that seems to only be glued on. If that starts coming off, it might get a little untidy very quickly.

The unmasked head sculpt has a decent likeness, although I think having the pupils looking out slightly wider would help with reducing the cross-eyed look to it in front on views. The stranding in the hair is nicely detailed, but more skin texture in the facial paint app would elevate it to close to Hot Toys standard.

The masked head sculpt has a better likeness, with a more playful smirk that captures the character from the movie more accurately. It's a shame that the wide brimmed hat is not mixed media but molded plastic to the head. The mask itself is also sculpted and painted plastic, with fabric after the knot to give it more realism. Out of the box, the hat strap is behind the head, whereas in the movie it almost always hung in front of this face and neck. So I recommend untying it and moving it to the front, then doing a simple knot at the front. It looks much more movie-accurate and realistic that way.


Out of the box, the shirt sits very high on the shoulders so that he looks like he has no neck. You do have to spend a considerable amount of time tucking the shirt properly into the pants and lower then naturally onto his shoulders. It would be easier to do if the belt could be removed via velcro, but it seems to be molded so it's very hard to move and still tuck the shirt in. Use a flat headed small tool to push the shirt into the pants, and that should help.

Once you get the shirt sitting naturally, and then adding the weight of the cape, the outfit looks far better. I like the straps on the shirt which look realistic, and the pants are loose enough to get him into some nice poses. Unfortunately the boots are fixed semi-rigid plastic, so there is very little ankle articulation if any. In wide stances the figure looks strange because the feet can't be placed flat on the ground. But I usually have my figures in fairly static museum poses, so it's not that big a deal for me.


The choice of hands isn't all that extensive, but what is there can be used to capture his playfulness from the movie. I chose these hands in an attempt to replicate the scene where he is fighting against the guards at the house before he meets Elena. The sword looks great and the medallion gives a nice flair to the outfit as well.

Getting the scabbard to attach properly to the belt was a little difficult. The clips were small and trying to squeeze them into the attachments on the belt left me worried that I was going to break something. Luckily it all attached in the end with no problems, and I won't be removing it any time soon.

It's a shame there is no attachment for the whip, but I simply wedged it between the dagger hilt and his body to at least have the whip displayed with the figure. All setup with the accessories, it does make for a pretty great looking figure in the display cabinet.


I don't have many action adventure characters in my collection, so this was a great character to add some variety to the collection. It looks great displayed next to Indy and Jack here. It's great that there are companies like Blitzway willing to tackle different source material, and doing a nice job of it too.

I'll hopefully soon be getting the Threezero Rambo figure that looks superb. If there's any figure that looks to rival Hot Toys quality, it's that one! I don't think this Zorro reaches those lofty heights, but it's overall quality is still pretty good, and certainly better than the Sideshow human figures I have. All in all, if you're a fan of the movie and want something a bit different to the usual Marvel and Star Wars fare from Hot Toys, then this Blitzway Zorro will fit the bill perfectly!


12 Aug 2020

Hot Toys MMS551 Princess Leia and Wicket

Any original Star Wars original trilogy release by Hot Toys is usually a cause for celebration, and this new Princess Leia and Wicket set is no exception! This set is the perfect complement to the previous Endor Luke Skywalker release, with awesome work on Wicket in particular!

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


The set comes with a nice array of accessories, as you would expect in this price range. The 2-pack includes the battle damaged Death Star Trooper and Stormtrooper helmets as extra incentive to get the set instead of the individual figures. The weathering is very nice, and the internal details of the Stormtrooper helmet is great like it was one the Luke and Han disguise figures.

The printed bases are a little disappointing in that they aren't a sculpted diorama piece like the Luke figure had. But I guess there's only so much they could use that mold for apart from sand and snow! At least there is some foliage pieces to add around the stands to give that forest effect. The tree stump is perfect to hold the helmets.

The array of hands is pretty standard, but I do like Wicket's hands that use the same sort of tech as the previous Chewbacca hands. The weapons with Leia's pistol and Wicket's spear are also nicely sculpted and painted, although some mixed media on the spear would've been a nice extra touch. There is a bit of mixed media in the helmet, just like there was with Luke. They are essentially very similar helmets, with the main differences being internally where they need to fit around their respective head sculpts.


Leia's general outfit is nicely tailored, with a nice fine material too. Nothing hinders the articulation, but the boots need the usual care around the ankles. Make sure not to pull the pants out of the boots, because getting them back in properly would be an absolute pain in the arse I think!

Removing the white protective plastic around the neck was easy enough, but the rest around her upper chest is difficult. I ended up just leaving it there because I was going to display her in the poncho that covers it anway. They really should make it easier to remove.

Getting the pouch off the belt to slide through the poncho takes a bit of patience to delicate remove it without breaking anything. But once the poncho is one and belt tied nicely, she looks absolutely fantastic. The colour of green is quite movie accurate I think, and the material is nice without being too delicate. The thin edge wire allows a bit of control as to how it flows.


Wicket is definitely the highlight of the set. It would seem to me that Hot Toys has taken the lessons they learnt from the two previous Chewbacca figures, applied them to Wicket, and made a fantastic little representation of the Ewok.

The fur around the face and belly appears to have varying levels of dark wash/weathering between the single figure release and the 2-pack. For me, the amount of dark wash around the face and belly is a nice balance, with subtle effects that look very realistic in hand. I think the face sculpt is great, especially when the fur around the face is fluffed up a little to fill and spill out around the cowl.

The rest of the body had some internal fat suit applied, which I think hinders the articulation at the hips for the legs. But the level of articulation for such a small fat figure is quite nice, with all the range of motion you'd want in the head, arms, and legs.

As a character displayed on the shelf, it looks incredibly realistic, and perhaps a better use of the fur technology developed for Chewbacca. I just hope they decide to make use of it and announce other Ewok characters!


The head sculpt for Leia is a reuse of the Hoth Leia figure, with a slightly darker facial paint app. It's a beautiful sculpt and the realism in the skin texture is the usual high Hot Toys standard. The back of the hair comes off to accomodate the helmet, which does leave a noticeable gap near the braid when the hair is put back on. But in a usual display, it won't be immediately obvious to the average person.

The little hair pieces near the sideburns are an area of concern, so be very careful if you plan on putting the helmet on. For me, I'll never be putting on the helmet, especially when the instructions have a warning that prolonged use of the helmet may cause paint transfer onto the head sculpt.


As an accompanying piece to the Luke Skywalker figure, Hot Toys could not have done a better job! The diorama pieces all look fantastic with each other, and the extra helmet pieces really makes for a great display piece in the collection.

Now I just hope Hot Toys hurries up and announces an Endor Han, or at least a Bespin Han! I have no idea what the hold up is, but hopefully fans get the announcement we've all been waiting on for years now! In the meantime, if you're a Star Wars fan, I can't recommend this set more highly - get out there and add it to your collection now before you regret it!


6 Aug 2020

Collection Update - July 2020

Here's my mid-year collection update video. Hope you can check it out, and hear some thoughts about the things I also have coming up later this year. Subscribe to the channel and stay tuned for more reviews and pics over the next few months :)


22 Jul 2020

Lego 75274 TIE Pilot Helmet

After getting the Stormtrooper and Boba Fett helmet sets, I finally managed to get the TIE Pilot Helmet set from Target Australia with a nice $20 discount using flybuys points! It's great that I was able to get the set for a great price, because this is definitely my favourite out of the three so far. I just hope Lego continue the series and announce more helmet sets soon!

Click through below to check out my full review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel!


Lego Star Wars UCS Collection Update

Here's a quick Lego Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series collection update! Thought it was time to do a quick clean and show all the UCS sets together. Hopefully they announce more from the original trilogy soon, such as the AT-AT.


25 Jun 2020

ThreeZero DLX Scale Optimus Prime

I was pretty impressed with the ThreeZero DLX Bumblebee figure, so was definitely looking forward to their release of Optimus Prime. And they certainly didn't disappoint. The build quality, attention to detail, paint application, and articulation on this figure is outstanding!

Click through below to check out my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel! Make sure to click that like button and subscribe to the channel 😀


The set doesn't really come with too many accessories, and I guess that's a reflection of what the character was seen with in the movie. Luckily what is provided is of high quality, with a great looking rifle and enough hands to cover most action poses. The main focus of course is on the figure itself, and it's most impressive!


If you're not thinking "Wow!" when you unbox this thing, then you mustn't be human! The sheer detail in this thing will have you pouring over all its features and being amazed at how they've assembled everything.

I've been told now that the style of the shoulders and forearms are to match the earthbound look that Optimus had in later scenes of the movie. In my review I thought they had made some error since it differed from the way he looked in the opening scene, but that was his Cybertron look. So ThreeZero have actually made it very accurate; unfortunately the DLX doesn't have swap out pieces like the larger Premium scale figure that will have swap out features for each mode.


Regardless, the way this figure moves is one of its most impressive aspects. The joints and various points of articulation all move so seamlessly, that seem completely organic and natural in a way that you'd imagine a real robot to move.

Each move reveals or hides some detail as appropriate, especially around the shoulders, elbows, and knees. It's amazing how small panels will adjust or move out of the way as you rotate or bend joints. Nothing seems too delicate or easy to break, although the instructions do give you some warning as to areas where you need to be more careful so as not to chip any paint if parts collide or scrape against each other.


The fanciest joint for me would have to be the ab crunch that reveals so much more detail in the rear spine. It's amazing how they were able to hide so much detail in the rear and have it appear effortlessly as you bend the figure forward. There's very little risk in paint damage, and it all feels silky smooth in its movement. It's a beautifully designed feature.


The legs, both front and back, have plenty of detail too. I'm not sure if the wheels are actually rubber, but they do feel like a slightly different material to the other surrounding plastic parts. On the point of plastic, the figure feels pretty heavy and there are definitely diecast parts on the internal components of the figure. But most of the external parts are plastic, but the paint application and weathering is so good, much of it looks like metal anyway.

The ankle articulation is probably the only part of the figure that I wish was improved. The tilt upwards to sufficient, but there is not a lot of movement downwards. This mean jumping poses (like that iconic scene from the 1986 movie) don't look as natural because you can't point his feet down like they would be if he was in the air. But in the scheme of things, it's a minor nitpick amongst all the other great aspects of the figure.


There's plent of articulation points to get him into many of the iconic poses. I love the way in which the hips panels all move out of the way on their own balljoints to give plenty of freedom in movement. They way the shoulder joint moves out to reveal the larger butterfly mechnism, coupled with a nice tilting motion in the torso, really make for natural action poses.


This Optimus figure perfectly complements the previous Bumblebee figure. ThreeZero certainly don't look to have lost any of the build quality set by that first figure. I passed on the Blitzwing figure because I didn't really like that character, but I can't wait to get the upcoming Soundwave!


Some collectors have claimed that the figure is not a true Transformers figure because it cannot transform. For me, the amazing level of detail and articulation in the figure more than makes up for the its lack of transformation. ThreeZero has made it clear this series is about delivering as much movie accurate details as possible in bot mode, and they've nailed that goal in incredible fashion.

For me, the TF Masterpiece series is what I go to for transforming figures, and I use that to get my G1 nostalgic fix. I'll be sticking with these ThreeZero DLX figures for all my non-cartoon representations of the characters.


The designs from the Bumblebee movie strike the perfect balance between a new, more modern style coupled with enough homages and hints to the original designs to satisfy G1 fans. I much prefer these over the far too busy and complicated designs from the Michael Bay movies.

In the end, ThreeZero have done complete justice to these new designs with a figure series that excels on all possible fronts. I just hope that after Soundwave, they continue the series and announce more of the characters that featured in the opening scene. That would truly make this a legendary series of TF figures that will be sought after pieces in Transformers collections for many years to come!


21 Jun 2020

Lego Star Wars 75276 Stormtrooper Helmet and 75277 Boba Fett Helmet

I tried getting the new Lego Star Wars helmet sets before May 4th, but they sold out prior to that and were not even available during that promotion. I noticed that they were back in stock on the Lego web store in early June so added them to the cart.

But the damn TIE Pilot sold out before I could complete the transaction, so only managed to get the Stormtrooper and Boba Fett sets. I tried getting the TIE Pilot set during the Big W Toy Mania sale, but despite getting on the site within 10 minutes of the sale starting at midnight, it was still sold out. Bloody ridiculous!

Either way, I'm pretty happy with these sets apart from the stupid use of stickers (again!). Click through below to check out my full review for each over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel!




Enterbay NBA Kobe Bryant 2-figure "Upgraded Re-Edition" set

I have the previous Enterbay Chicago Bulls players in Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. After getting the locker room set too, there was space in the acrylic case for another 2 figures. I thought about getting the Shaquille O'Neal 2-figure set, but ended up preordering this reissue of the Kobe Bryant 2-figure set around the new year period. Enterbay had a website sale on at the time, so it was a pretty good deal.

Click through below to check out my full video of the set over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. It's a pretty awesome set for Kobe and NBA fans!


12 Jun 2020

Lego 75275 Ultimate Collector Series A-Wing

The UCS Millenium Falcon and Star Destroyer are definitely hard acts to follow. Lego has chosen a spacecraft that has not yet been done in the UCS line before in the A-Wing. Overall, it's a pretty nice set, but there are a few things that annoy me about it.

Hope you can click through below and watch my full review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel!



Some pics of the box and build as I progressed through the assembly. Definitely some interesting techniques through the process! The free gift was nice of the little Death Star 2 Battle set with the mini A-Wing and TIE Interceptor.



Bags 1 and 2 done. Pretty nice looking seat design!



Bags 3 and 4 done. Really interesting way that the front top and bottom sections angle and come together!



Bags 5 and 6 done. Frickin hate those damn stickers that you have to put on the rear curved parts. Pain in the arse!



Bags 7 and 8 done. Love the interesting way to attach the front side angled parts. Getting pretty close to finishing now.



Bags 9, 10, and 11 done and it's finished. Not bad overall, and luckily I got the cockpit stickers on OK.



Hate that I didnt manage to get the main sticker on straight. But oh well, good enough. The little mini-fig looks pretty nice too.



A couple of quick views of the completed A-Wing.




Now just need to find a spot to display it!