Bandai Tamashii Nations Star Wars Movie Realization Akazonae Royal Guard

Finally got the next figure in the Bandai Tamashii Nations Star Wars Movie Realization line. If you've seen my previous videos, you'll know that I love this unique style of figures, and this new Royal Guard is no exception!

Click through below for my full video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Summary of thoughts and some pics further below too :)

Packaging is simple and classy as with the others. Everything is nicely packed in collector friendly clamshell. It doesn't come with too many accessories, but the main attraction in the figure itself is just gorgeous in that red hue!

You get the usual katana and sheath that can be attached to the hook in the belt. It also comes with the expected golden staff, which I actually photographed held in the wrong direction lol!! The larger ball end is meant to be in the hand, but I thought that was the smacking end so had the other end in the hand lol.

The front cape looks OK, but is a bit of a pain to put on. You need to take off the imperial chest symbol to reveal the peg holes. The way in which the holes are oriented means once the front cape is on, it leans to one side to give room for the katana. But this gives a strange look on display since it doesn't look symmetrical. So I display it with it pulled out slightly so I can still rotate it straight.

All the other details are as you'd expect with this line, with the molding and paint detailing right up there with the other figures. I love the two-piece helmet!

Together with the others, these figures make for a superb, unique Star Wars collection. They are always a focal point of discussion when friends see my collection. I think this will continue to be a great Star Wars line for many years to come! Looking forward to getting more now that some concept art was shown at SDCC!

Hot Toys MMS343 Superman exclusive version from Batman vs Superman Dawn of Justice

Trying to keep up with the various incarnations of the Superman and Batman characters . So with the new Batfleck announced, and the revisions on the Superman , I couldn't resist getting the new figure. Overall it's a definitely improvement over the first Man of Steel figure.

For my full video review, click through below to watch over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Summary of thoughts and pics further below :)

Packaging is nothing too fancy, but simple is OK with everything looking classy and packed nicely.

Doesn't really come with too many accessories, with the exclusive coming with the kryptonite light-up rock. The LED is pretty bright and gives it a nice green hue. But with such a lack of accessories, it would've been good if they had just included it in all sets!

Biggest improvements for me over the first figure are:

- Better scale in the height against other figures.
- More realistic head sculpt
- Better details on the suit

The worst thing for me about the Man of Steel figure was that it was over-sized and dwarfed many other figures. This new one corrects that and reduces the height. The bulk on the body seems to be bigger too, especially in the thighs. I think they look a bit too chunky, but it seems fairly accurate to the movie.

The chest symbol looks much better with it being wider across the chest. It also has the nice details along with the new suit that has some of the Kryptonian markings on it. The darker colour and texture of the suit I think is also an improvement over the first.

The head sculpt has certainly divided the collecting community. I for one stand in the crowd that think it's an improvement over the Man of Steel. The MoS head sculpt seems almost too stylised in direct comparison, whereas this new one seems more realistic with the steely stare. I think from most angles it also has a better likeness.

The cape is also a huge improvement over the first. The new one has a beautiful texture and drapes very naturally against the body and shoulders in particular. I guess the only complaint I have against the suit is in the ankle area where it bunches up in the crease at the ankle joint. My MoS figure doesn't do this, but it seems to be a common issue with this new figure. You can try to stretch the suit around it, but the crease just comes back.

In the end, I think it's another solid figure from Hot Toys. The detailing in the suit, head sculpt, and better scale certainly makes it fit in better with other figures in my collection. Really looking forward to adding the new Batman and Wonder Woman to complete the Trinity.

Hot Toys MMS313 Boba Fett Deluxe version

Couldn't help myself and picked up the Hot Toys Boba Fett from Return of the Jedi recently. The Deluxe version was about $30-$40 more expensive than the regular version, so went with that for the extra accessories.

Overall, it's another solid figure from Hot Toys, but there were a couple of nitpicks that bring it down a notch. For my full video review, click through below to watch it on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel!

The packaging art is nice as always from Hot Toys , so nothing too much to write about.

The set does come with a decent array of accessories, all packaged pretty nicely. As you can see below, the Deluxe version has the Sarlacc Pit diorama stand and a couple of fire effect pieces for the backpack. Overall, if you just got the regular version, I don't think you're missing out on too much. The extras are nice, but not necessary.

The paint app and details on the Sarlacc are nice, but a little small for that sort of forced perspective look. It's not pulled off that well to be honest. The tentacles remind me too much of Japanese hentai as well lol!!

My biggest nitpick comes with the suit itself and the alignment of the chest armour pieces. Similar to the Sideshow Jango Fett, the armour pieces are not attached symmetrically, and really draws the eye when viewing the figure. Some people have said the armour in the movie was never symmetrical, but in all screenshots and photos I've seen, it looks pretty symmetrical to me. It's very disappointing at this price point that Hot Toys could not get them aligned properly.

The other frustrating part was attaching the backpack to the clips on the back. That was far more difficult than it needed to be, and was far more difficult than the Sideshow version. But once finally on it all looks OK, with a small magnet at the lower back to keep it close to the body.

Another minor point is the black belt that is under the red belt. It is apparently movie accurate, but is not visible and simply makes him look pot-bellied with the huge buckle. I would either remove it like some collectors have, or try to move the buckle to the side so that it doesn't protrude at the front.

The best thing would have to be the underlying TrueType body that is definitely a huge improvement over the previous Sideshow version. The weathering overall on the suit is also pretty good. So all-in-all, I'm pretty happy with the set, but it didn't wow me as much as their other Star Wars figures. For fans of Boba and the original trilogy, it's still a great set to get.

Hot Toys MMS308 Ant-man

This has to be one of the best Hot Toys releases this year so far! The detail in the suit and the incredible head sculpt rank it right up their with some of their best.

Click through below to see my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. More pics further below too :)

The box art is simple but nice, with a nice window through to the figure inside.

It doesn't come with too many accessories, but the awesomeness in the base figure itself makes up for that. The light-up feature in the helmet was way to difficult for me to even bother trying it out. From what I've seen on forums, the light-up effect isn't all that great, so I didn't bother trying it out.

The suit has lots of different textures and material, making for lots of intricate detail. Unfortunately that has resulted in a restrictive suit that limits articulation. But overall I tend to have my figures in museum poses anyway, so that's not too big an issue for me.

As I mentioned before, the head sculpt is beautifully done, with a great sculpt and detailed paint application. This shows just why Hot Toys is at the top of the 1/6th scale game right now.

The mouth piece folds down, but can also be pushed back up and the magnetised lens placed over to complete the full helmeted look. Overall, the display options look great.

This has turned out to be one of my favourite Marvel figures alongside the diecast Iron Man Mk3. Will be interesting to see how the Deadpool figure turns out. I may well get that too if the quality equals this one!

BigBoysToysHK Street Fighter The New Challenger TNC-04 Guile

If you follow the page and channel, you'll know that I love Street Fighter. And this statue set line from BigBoysToysHK is a fantastic series for Street Fighter fans. If you used to play Street Fighter 2 in the arcades back in the 90s, this line is made just for you!

The nostalgia I feel when I press that sound and light effect button is great, and all the statues in the series bring back so many memories!

For my full video review, click through below to the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. More pics are further down :)

The packaging has the same styled artwork on the box, with the nice velcro opening flap.

Once all setup,the statue looks fantastic. As always, the mold and paint work is top-notch, with great details and little touches. I especially love the dog-tag around his neck.

I love that they include the pieces of the arcade game background that broke in-game, such as Guile's wooden crate here or the previous Ken's barrel. It's little touches like this that make this a great homage to the arcade game.

The sound and light effects are classic Guile too, with the original Street Fighter 2 sonic boom sound byte. The spinning light effect of the sonic boom itself is great. They actually changed the rotation direction based on an eagle-eyed fan that pointed out the prototype was actually spinning in the wrong direction! That's what you call great fan service!

Together with the others, the series just makes for an awesome Street Fighter display for fans of the old arcade game. The teaser for Blanka has been shown, and that looks amazing too. Can't wait to get the whole series when they continue releasing sets through 2017!

Sideshow Collectibles Jawas

A few weeks ago I got the new Sideshow Jawas 2-figure set, and overall was pretty happy with them. The outfits and accessories are pretty nice, but it's the underlying bodies that let it down with some very loose joints.

Here's my full video review up on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. I go through everything, so hopefully you can check it out! More pics and thoughts below too.

The packaging is the same simple style for these more expensive figures.

Comes with an array of hands and weapons for accessories. Overall the paint app and detailing is pretty nice. One major thing to look out for is taking the ion blaster out of the holster. In the factory they have shoved the large tip in so far into the holster it is extremely difficult to get out. The tip does separate from the the rest of the blaster to be careful to not snap it!

The lightup eyes are a nice touch. The switch on the back of the head is easily accessible and they are bright. Luckily there is enough reflectiveness that they still look OK when switched off. The Jawas do look pretty hilarious without their hoods on! Interesting to see that for the first time lol!

The fake leather pouches are all nicely done and weathered. Everything on mine seems sturdy and not overly delicate, but as always with these small parts, just be careful how you handle it.

The material of the outer cloaks is a cotton type material that is not overly delicate, which helps when handling the figure. There is weathering, especially on the hems which adds some nice detail. The hoods themselves are separate pieces and fairly nicely tailored. You can wrap them in two different styles for slightly different looks.

Wrapping the hoods does create these tentacle like pieces at the rear. But I have seen some other collectors really nicely hide these behind the leather straps and pouches. With a bit of futzing, they do end up looking great though. I'm just too lazy to do it properly lol!

With a bit of decent posing, they end up looking pretty good, especially with droids. But as I mentioned before, the bodies are very loose. They come with small stands, which are a must to keep these guys standing. Even then it gets difficult trying to pose the figures on the stands.

Along with the other Sideshow figures, they do make great little display pieces in the Star Wars collection!

If you're a fan of the original movie, then these are probably the best Jawas out there at the moment. A few nits to pick, but overall I'm pretty happy with them.

Transformers Masterpiece Moments - Collection update May 2016

I did a video over a year ago where I went through my Transformers Masterpiece collection at the time, and described what I thought were the "Masterpiece Moments"for each figure.

Here is the first video! Hope you can check it out :)

I've added 14 figures to the MP collection since, so Takara has been releasing on average one MP figure each month, which is pretty amazing. I figured it was about time to do another video, so here's the second Transformers Masterpiece Moments update video with my thoughts on the latest figures :)

Here are some pics of the latest figures too.

Love the repaints :)

MP-24 Star Saber:
Not one that I particularly like, but that's mostly since it's part of the Japanese G1 continuation that I have no nostalgia for. Overall still a nice figure, but reminds me more of gundam than Transformers lol :)

MP-12G G2 Sideswipe:
Love the black paint and face sculpt. Bad ass guns and sword are cool too!

MP-21G G2 Bumblebee:
Gold paint is very nice.

MP-11S Sunstorm:
A much better repaint than the Hasbro version that looks like Ronald McDonald!

MP-12T Tigertrack:
Nice yellow paint app, but nothing all that special. I so wish they made a proper Sunstreaker!

MP-14C Clampdown:
Another nice repaint job on this one. No QC issues on mine.

MP-18B Bluestreak:
The Diaclone blue they should've done first!

MP-18S Silverstreak:
Decent homage to the G1 toy, but most collectors were waiting on MP-18B.

MP-23 Exhaust:
If only I could get the coin with this one too!!

MP-21R Red Bumblebee:
Love the glossy red on this!

MP-26 Road Rage:
I wish this had a metallic red paint app, but overall still a nice variant to have.

MP-25 Ironhide:
Hated the hip panels in the promotional pics, but in hand I dont actually mind them! Overall a great MP addition to the collection!

Group shot! :)

Fans Toys FT-14 Forager (aka Insecticon Kickback)

Finally got the final Insecticon from Fans Toys with FT-14 Forager (aka Kickback). It's another fantastically well-built figure from Fans Toys. These are every bit as worthy of being called "Masterpieces" as the official MPs!

Here's the link to my full review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. It shows you where you need to be careful with the wing rotation and shoulder transformation, so check it out if you want to be sure to not break your figure!

Great set of contents.

Love the alt mode! Scary transformation the first time, but once you get the hang of it, it's not too bad.

Fans Toys have done an outstanding job with this set of Insecticons! I'm usually an official MP collector, but Takara are just taking way too long to release Decepticons. And with companies like Fans Toys putting out unique designs like these, with generally exceptional build quality, there's really no need to wait! Highly recommended!

Transformers Masterpiece MP-30 Ratchet

Once they made Ironhide, it was a given that Ratchet would be made. And Takara have made Ratchet an even better looking figure! Love this MP line :)

Here's the full video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can check it out :)

Here are some pics of the packaging and contents.

Asmus Toys 1/6th scale Lord of the Rings Merry and Pippin

After I got the Asmus Toys Aragorn figure recently, I knew I'd have to get the rest of the Fellowship if they were to release them all. With their latest release with Merry and Pippin, I'm not as impressed as I was with Aragorn. But overall, still happy to have these in the collection.

Here's the full video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can check it out! :)

Some pics of the packaging and figures.

The head sculpt likenesses could've been a bit better, but the tailoring and material of the outfits is awesome. Looking forward to seeing more releases in this line!