The Horror Bishoujo series by Kotobukiya has been one of my favourite statue lines. This new addition in Michael Myers from Halloween is perhaps the first that hasn't really wowed me out of the box.
Check out the link below for my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can give the video a thumbsup and subscribe too!
Here are some pics of the statue showing off the nice sculpting and paint application. I just wish the pose and head sculpt were a bit more lively. She seems rather too bored with things the way it is :D
The mask in particular is disappointing, where it's just a throw away thing on the floor. It would've been much better if she was holding the mask in the other hand.
Together with the others in the series, the collection certainly looks great. I hope they continue the series with more iconic characters from classic horror movies!
I wasn't a huge fan of the recent Bumblebee movie, so steered away from getting figures from the movie. However, quite a few collector friends contacted me about this ThreeA DLX scale Bumblebee figure, which they said was a fantastic figure.
After seeing some pose photos and more messages from friends, I decided to take the plunge and check out what all the fuss was about. And I am so glad that I did! This is my first ThreeA figure, and it definitely won't be my last! It truly is an incredible figure!
Click through below to check out my video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can give the video a thumbsup and subscribe too! Read on below for more of my thoughts.
The set doesn't come with a huge amount of accessories, and more swap out weapons like his sword type hand would've been nice. But what you do get is of high quality. The swap out forearm with his arm cannon is very nicely detailed. I love how you can see the fingers in their transformed position along the front barrel.
The paint app and sculpting detail on the hands are superb. I just wish they gave a few more expressive hands, or even made the fingers movable! The swap out head sculpt is also good, with the battle mask a nice alternative. One thing I did notice was that the Autobot insignia on both head sculpts was very clean, unlike the dirty wash that was on early photos. It would seem like the early batch of figures had a much dirtier wash on them, whereas more recent batches like mine are much cleaner.
Either way, the paint app on this figure is amazing! The dirt wash is realistically applied, and I would've preferred it even more dirty. I ended up using my kids' black art pencil to draw and smear on some additional weathering. It gives the figure such a realistic worn style. The yellow is a nice hue in hand, and the silver and grey areas have a nice rusted appearance too.
I went with the smaller doors on his back, which I think is more accurate to the movie. The larger doors can be used to give him more of a Bayformers look I believe. I love that the overall design of this Bumblebee is much more akin to the G1 character, rather than the overly busy design of the Bayformers version.
Where this figure really shines is the articulation and build quality. The heft on this thing is significant, and you feel it as soon as you lift it out of the box. They have used diecast in all the right places, designing it for stability in almost any pose.
The joints, while quite tight the first time you move them, never feel like they're going to break. The articulation is incredible, with subtle movement in places you only expect from larger or more expensive figures. The knees in particular are a joy to move, with pistons that move seamlessly with the rest of the leg to give incredible motion in the knee.
You do need to be careful adusting the position of certain plates and panels as they move, but it's all quite intuitive and never too delicate that you're afraid to move it.
Since it's a non-transforming figure, they're able to include all the details that you see in the movie representation. No compromises need to be made to allow the transformation, and in this figure I am glad they went with that approach.
There's just so much detail to take in on the figure. Minute details in the sculpt and paint app are apparently on the front as well as the rear. This figure looks senstational from every angle, unlike transforming figures that almost always only look good from certain angles.
I wasn't a huge fan of this recent Bumblebee movie. I loved the character designs and the throwbacks to the 80s, but the overall story was a little too cheesy for me. I wasn't even planning on getting this figure, but am I so glad I did! It's right up there with some of the best Transformers figures I have in the collection. I am definitely looking forward to getting the upcoming Optimus Prime. If they decide to make the Soundwave, Shockwave, and Seekers, I would definitely get them too! Highly recommended!
Here's the figure alongside my other TF Masterpiece Bumblebee figures. A great addition to any Transformers collection!
I post photos of my collection every now and then on the Kool Kollectibles Facebook page, so thought I'd post up a few of those here on the website too. Hope you like them!
Always love the odd Lego set, and this new Lunar Lander is fantastic. It's a great complement to their previous Saturn V set. Love the gold coloured plates, and the stickers weren't so scary this time!
Kmart Australia has a range of $10 licenced t-shirts, and I just had to pick up the Back to the Future and Masters of the Universe prints. Using their free online click and collect service, I was in and out of my local store under 5 minutes! Great stuff!
It's a shame that Kotobukiya have only ever released two Star Wars Bishoujo statues. I don't take too many photos of the Mara Jade and Jaina Solo statues, so thought I'd give them some attention. Great looking statues. I just wish Kotobukiya had released their Stormtrooper that they teased!
I also don't give too much attention to a couple of their early Bishoujo statues from various movie sources. The MIB and Ghostbusters statues aren't that great compared to the new statues these days, but a nice bit of variety in the collection.
Also finally got another addition to the Bishoujo Horror series with Pinhead. One of their best and most detailed I think. The gang together certainly look fantastic with all their iconic and instantly recognisable outfits.
Speaking of statues, I love Street Fighter and this 1/3 scale Chun-Li by Pop Culture Shock is a beautiful addition! A few nits to pick, but overall a definite keeper for me.
Spent some time cleaning the cabinet too, and it was a good time to give a quick dusting to the Empire Strikes Back Tauntaun, Luke, and Han 1/6th scale figures from Sideshow. These three still look pretty bloody awesome displayed together!
Lastly on the Transformers front, it's been a pretty slow year. I'm still waiting on MP-20+ Wheeljack, with MP-18+ Bluestreak hopefully not too far behind. But for now, I thought I'd catch up on some cards and coins pics for those that I missed previously.
These two will be retired to their awesome car modes when their respective "+" versions are released. Those always look better in bot mode with their more cartoon accurate paint application. These look amazing with their more detailed paint apps in car mode. Best of both worlds!
Hopefully we get some more Diaclone repaints soon too. Still hoping for a black Ironhide and a red Sunstreaker!
I have loved the Kotobukiya Horror Bishoujo series so far, and this new Pinhead is another awesome addition! Click through below to watch my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel.
There's some minor assembly out of the box to attach the main body to the stand. From the front viewing angle, the peg in the dress that goes into a slot on the side of the stand is pretty well hidden. You just need to put that required force to make it sit as flush as it can, and it will look great.
The small peg in the toe that goes into the bottom of the base is also well hidden and adds the final touch for stability of the statue. The base is very nicely detailed and painted, with great highlights in the gold patterning.
The pins in the headsculpt are slightly too large I think, but from regular viewing distances still give a nice interpretation of the concept art. The sculpting in the outfit is also great, with all the right fan-service details in all the usual areas.
Closeup pics really do show off the intricacies o the sculpting. I love the silver belt clips, the red and silver clips over her breasts, and the subtle shading of blues/purples against the black dress. Coupled with a very nice suggestive pose, the statue stands out in amongst the rest of the Bishoujo clan.
The horror series is still going pretty strong, with Michael Myers up next. I have that one on the way too, but that one does seem a little plain compared to the awesome set below. I really hope they announce some more iconic horror characters soon and don't just stop now!
I love Street Fighter, and have been playing since high school back in the 1990s. My favourite character is Ryu, and I have the previously released 1/3 scale Ryu statue from Pop Culture Shock (PCS). When I saw the prototype for the new Chun-Li, I knew I had to have this classic rendition of her too!
Click through below to check out my full video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can give the video a thumbsup and subscribe too! 😃
When a statue of this size and presence arrives in the post, it's always a great day. My smile couldn't get much bigger could it? 😄
After setting her up, she absolutely looks amazing. The level of sculpting detail is pretty good, and the material used for the mixed media is great too. The stockings look nice, and I'm glad they moved the seam from the outside of the legs to the inside. It's mostly hidden, but from some angles you can still see some unsightly stitching. Luckily it's not that noticeable from most angles.
The qipao has a nice material, but I wish some of the gold stitching was done with more attention to symmetry. From the front it looks OK, but some of the stitchning along her back is noticeably off centre. The front gold stitching fares a bit better.
Placing the wrist bracelets and hands was a little tricky, especially on the left hand to get it sitting close to her chest. But just make sure the bracelets sit low enough on the arms to allow the hands and their magnets to connect properly and it'll be fine.
The paint application on the visible skin is a little flat. I was expecting to see more skin texture and freckling like they did with the Ryu. That sort of detail always adds to the realism, especially at this scale. The lack of much skin texture and shading is a little disappointing, but from regular viewing distances it holds up OK.
Now on to some of the more annoying QC issues that have resulted in me asking for a replacement head sculpt. The issues I have with my statue are:
1) The red satin material used to wrap parts of the statue actually rubbed off red colour onto white painted parts of the statue. This included the hair buns and it was worst on the right shoe. The red cannot be wiped off with water.
2) The bridge of her nose has a strange small patch that is a lighter shade than the surrounding skin colour. It's like the top layer of paint was removed from that small area.
3) The sculpt along her underwear near the stocking seam has a crack. This is luckily hidden when the back of the skirt is in the normal down position.
It's the red stains on her hair buns and that light patch on her nose that mar an otherwise great sculpt. I've contacted the retailer, so will hopefully find out soon if I can get an exchange on the head sculpt. I really hope PCS learn from this and use a white satin material instead of red!
In the end, it's a fantastic statue that I love in the collection. Once an unblemished head sculpt arrives, she'll be damn near perfect!
Here's the latest Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel trailer showing photos I've taken of my collection over the past 3 months. It covers all things I collect from 1/6th scale, Transformers Masterpiece, 1/12th scale, and Lego too! Hope you can check it out!
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!
It's been a pretty slow start to the year, but I figured this Easter long weekend was a good time to do a quick video on the state of the collection after this first quarter.
Click through below to check out the video over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can give the video a thumbs up, and subscribe to stay tuned for my upcoming reviews :)
