Hot Toys MMS543D33 Iron Man Mk85 Battle Damaged Version

I still can't believe that I preordered the Hot Toys MMS543D33 Iron Man Mk85 Battle Damaged diecast figure back in 2019. It's taken almost three years to arrive, but it's definitely worth the wait!

Click below to watch my review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Make sure to give the video a thumbs up, and subscribe to the channel to stay tuned for all my upcoming videos. More pics and written thoughts below.

I did get the exclusive version from Sideshow, which comes with the holo shield. It has a pretty disappointing flimsy plastic quality to it, but apparently that's to reduce its weight so that the figure's arms can hold it up properly. Either way, I won't be displaying it like that in my cabinet, and it didn't cost any extra, so in the end it's not such a big deal to me.

The other accessories are decent, but I probably won't use many of these either apart from the base and the finger clicking nano gauntlet hand. I tried as many of the light up features as I could be bothered to. It's a pain in the arse getting the panels off and inserting the numerous batteries, so I just tried the helmet and the toros, and gave up on the rest. I don't really like the use of the electronic features in my display. To me, this figure was designed for a single pose, and we all know which one that is.

Once set up in that iconic pose, this figure just looks amazing. The head sculpt I think is fantastic, with a good likeness and the usual Hot Toys amazingly realistic paint application. Swapping it out initially was difficult, but the trick is really to pull the head sculpt down towards the chest and it removes quite easily.

The rest of the figure has some pretty great articulation to allow for the kneeling pose. The shoulder armour seems to be a different design to my other Iron Man figures, and is flexible enough to move out of the way to allow the arms to move freely.

The bicep armour has a nice feature where it can be raised out and up, which then gives more range of motion of the elbow. This allows for a pretty deep bend at the elbow for that finger snapping pose.

The figure looks pretty great from any angle. The battle damage on the armour, particularly from the front, looks decent to me. There were some complaints that the paint app was too flat or not detailed enough, but I think the battle damage comes across quite nicely. The red parts of the armour have a decent transition from shiny red to a more matte finish around the battle damaged areas.

It certainly goes well with the scarring and blood streaks on the head sculpt itself. You could use the detail helmeted head sculpt, but I think most collectors buying this will just use the unhelmeted sculpt.

Getting the figure into the kneeling pose is pretty straight forward. However, the figure does end up resting on the inner knee brace that is just a plastic piece to the side of either knee. I worried that this may bend or crack over time due to the weight. I was also concerned that the paint on the figure would react and be damaged by the paint on the base. This sort of chemical reaction occurred with the previous Hot Toys Robocop figure when it was placed seated in the Robocop chair.

Since I was paranoid about resting the figure on the knee braces, and damage to the paint over time, I decided to use a few small pieces of the black foam from the packaging as cushioning under the knees and ankles. I'm hoping that over time the black foam will prevent any damage to the knees.

Together with some other Iron Man diecast figures, it's clear that the scale was smaller with the earlier figures such as the Mk3. In comparison, the more recent Mk6 fits better in scale with the MK85. But I still love the Mk3, and display it on top of it's Hall of Fame styled base, which gives the illusion of increased height.

Together with the other Endgame figures such as Captain America and Thor, the trio definitely makes for a great centrepiece in the collection. I'll definitely be displaying them like the photo below in my glass cabinet. They're three great figures from perhaps the most iconic movie in the past decade.

I'm glad I've pretty much got all the figures I wanted from Infinity War and Endgame. I'll have to see how the rest of the MCU Phase 4 turns out before I decide on any further Marvel figures. But at least this core trio makes for a perfect MCU core cast for me!

Hot Toys MMS557 Thor from Endgame

I received the Hot Toys Endgame Captain America recently, and now another of the core trio from that awesome movie has finally arrived in Fat Thor! I normally don't like electronic features, but found them on this figure to be really enjoyable to mess around with!

Click the link below to check out my review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Make sure to subscribe and stay tuned for upcoming reviews (hopefully Iron Man Mk85 Battle Damaged version comes soon!)

The set comes with a decent array of accessories, with my favourite being the light up Stormbreaker (which is a larger size than that provided with the Infinity War figure) and Mjolnir. The swap out hands hold the accessories well, and the lightning effects are a nice transluscent soft plastic with no major risk of snapping.

The worst part of the accessories is the flight stand for the base. They should've just included the standard crotch grabber. It's nea impossible to get the flight stand waist support around Thor's fat belly anyway, so it ends up being pretty useless. 

I normally don't like electronic effects, or the typically toyish plastic add-on accessories like the lightning effects. But on this Thor, they both actually work really well together to sell that look from the movie.

The paint application on the weapons is particularly excellent. They look chromed/metallic when the lightup effect is off, but when turned on have a bright transluscent cloud effect from within the weapon blade. It really does look fantastic.

The lightup effects on the torso are also pretty good, and are quite bright at their connection points to the body. Adding all the accessories and turning on the lights does make for a pretty impressive display piece. Even without the lights turned on, I think it still looks pretty damn good.

The hard molded torso piece gives him that hilarious fat belly, and it makes for a nice difference to previous figures with his standard nicely cut body. The only Thor figure I have is the old Light Asgardian Armour version from The Dark World. Pretty nice contrasting figures in the collection.

I also think the new headsculpt is a better likeness to Chris Hemsworth, also the older figure is still pretty good. Both figures for me have pretty limited articulation, and mine will be pretty have these museum poses in my display.

The torso, being hard molded, is definitely restrictive. But even the pleather pants are quite tight, so I don't think you'll have Thor doing anything too dynamic for too long in the display. The arms are a soft rubbery type material, so I would avoid leaving them bent at the elbow for any length of time.

Now that I have Fat Thor and Captain America from Endgame, I only have the Iron Man Mk85 Battle Damaged figure left to complete my Endgame trio. I preordered that figure almost 2.5 years ago, so it's been a very long wait! Hopefully that releases late 2021 or early 2022, and I hope it's a worthy addition to complete my trio!

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.

Avengers Endgame Review Spoiler Free

Here's my 5 minute spoiler free review of Avengers Endgame.

What an amazing ride, with all the high stakes action, humour, twists, emotion, and fan service that'll leave you wanting more! It's a fantastic climax to 11 years and 22 movies in this incredible MCU series. It'll make your heart race, swell, and get stuck in your throat in a 3hr rollercoaster.

It's the yang to Infinity War's yin - two different parts to a larger story. If you're an MCU fan that's been following all the previous movies, Endgame is an homage to the whole series that you will absolutely love, leaving enough questions to have you wanting more!

An amazing accomplishment of modern blockbuster movie making!

Kotobukiya Marvel Bishoujo Loki statue

I reviewed the Bishoujo Thor statue a while back (click here to check it out), and loved the overall design. This new Loki statue complements the Thor perfectly!

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

The sculpting again by Kotobukiya is fantastic, will great details in the cape and body suit. The metallic deep green paint of the body suit is also beautifully done.

The facial paint app is the usual high Bishoujo standard, with a slight devilish smirk befitting the character. The skin tone is perfect, as is the paint app everywhere else. The cape perhaps could've had some more difference in the shading to give it more variety in the texture, but overall it's not too bad.

The bases for the Thor and Loki statues clip together to make a nice diorama set together. And they really do complement each other nicely. I think Kotobukiya have done a great job in bringing the concept art to final production.

If you're into the Bishoujo style of females statues, I think you'll be very impressed with the Loki and Thor statues. They are a great addition to the Marvel characters in this series. Highly recommended!

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!

Hot Toys Thor (Light Asgardian Armor version)

Here's the latest video up on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel!!! Finally got my Hot Toys Light Asgardian Armor Thor!! Great looking figure.

Hope you can check out the vid review, and remember to subscribe, like, and comment with your own thoughts!! :)

Stay tuned for the full written review and more photos coming this weekend!

Kotobukiya ArtFX+ Avengers Now Hulk

Late in 2013 Kotobukiya completed the release of their new ArtFX+ New 52 Justice League statues, which all looked sensational. At that time, I had no Marvel related statues, so was wondering if they would also start releasing Avengers or other comic characters.

Almost as if reading my mind, Kotobukiya teased the first photos of their Avengers Now line of statues, starting with Hulk. As more and more prototypes were shown, it was pretty clear that the Avengers lineup would be just as awesome as their Justice League statues, so I preordered all of them! Recently Hulk was the first to be released, and he is an incredible statue to have in any collection!


Packaging:
The New 52 Justice League packaging was a stand out in that the boxes together formed a nice mural with artwork of the characters. I have to say that the Avengers Now packaging for this new line is not as nice, but still has some decent artwork. And being the Hulk, this first box is huge!

Love the group artwork above, which I assume will be formed with the boxes once all the statues are released. Similar to the New 52 boxes, I think these will make for a very nice backdrop to the statues on display.

Assembly:
The statue comes packaged in 3 separate parts - the head, upper body, and legs. I'm not sure why they had to package it like this, but perhaps the separate pieces are for ease of manufacture and painting. Either way, the assembly is pretty straight forward, with the pieces click together very easily.

Statue:
Once put together, the size of Hulk really becomes apparent, and he is most impressive! The ArtFX+ line of statues is done in 1/10th scale, and Hulk stands about 22cm, resulting in a very impressive presence on display.

He's so big in fact that this time Kotobukiya have included two of their magnetic stands, where normally their statues fit onto a single stand. The magnets in the feet hold firmly to the base, although he has a wide enough stance that the stand isn't strictly needed.

The sculpting of the muscles on the statue are just phenomenal! The poses of the New 52 statues were all fairly museum-like and static, but it looks like Kotobukiya have gone for a more dynamic style with their Avengers line. It really pays off for the Hulk, with a pose that shows he is definitely ready for action.

The paint app too is a standout, giving the awesome musculature the shading and nuance to really show it off. The proportions are just right too with everything you'd expect in a Hulk statue. The veins too are very nicely done and result in a sculpt that depicts the strength of the character in a nice subtle way.

The only real complaint about the sculpt that I have is that the mold lines just above the biceps, extending around to the triceps, are more visible than if the arm were one solid molded piece. This is a shame, as the prototype photo (as shown on the box art) does not have these mold separation lines.

Similarly, the mold separation is visible just above the knee, however they are mostly covered by the torn pants. It's strange that they decided to mold these as separate pieces, but then glue them in place to be packaged, considering some assembly was still required anyway.

Either way, it is a pretty minor quibble, and one that is easily overlooked when looking at the statue from a normal viewing distance.

The head sculpt is beautifully done, with a great fierce grimace with Hulk ready to smash. The teeth are nicely done, and the paint app in the face really brings out the detail in the teeth, eyes, and hair. Overall, another fantastic job by Kotobukiya sculpting a comic book likeness.

For the size, sculpting detail, and sensational paint apps, these statues are actually really great value! I was hoping these would be as good as the New 52 statues, and Kotobukiya has exceeded all expectations. Highly recommended!

Here's the link below to the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel video review of the statue. Hope you can check it out, subscribe, like, and comment with your own thoughts! :)