2007 SDCC Exclusive Albino Man-Bat

I have a weakness for several things when it comes to action figures: translucency (note the clear variant Dr. Manhattan that I'm have a difficult time not getting. If I get any Watchmen figures I'll have to get all of them. Maybe the movie will be the final straw and I'll cave, but I digress), glow in the dark, and unusual variants of classic characters.

This Man-Bat, which is clearly not the normal Man-Bat from the Batman mythos, caused a lot of anger at its release. Plenty of people out here in action figure-land want Man-Bat, but they tend to want classic reflections of the characters. There were intentions of doing Man-Bat in the DC Superheroes line (which is technically what the albino version is, and why you see him here with other AWESOME DCSH figures) but something prevented a brown Man-Bat from being released. Now there's talk that he'll be released in wave 10 or 11 of DC Universe Classics.

Altogether, this figure is great. He's an unusual interpretation of a classic, which I appreciate for the sheer novelty of it. He's got awesome sculpting too, which is no surprise since he's a product of the 4 Horsemen. There was also a clear variant that sells for way too much money online, and I never really liked the way the clear effect was used on this figure (again, despite my ultimate love for translucent figures) so I opted for the albino version. Because of coolness, obviously.

He's huge, with a wingspan that takes up almost the whole shelf. Definitely a great figure that I'm glad I got.

He also came in one of the coolest packages ever. The sleeve around the actual box is made out to look like a Wayne Enterprises crate, complete with warning labels. The actual box is shaped like a coffin and is covered in... fur? When opened up, the inside of the box lights up, a blood-curdlingly annoying scream is unleashed, and there-- hanging upside down like a real Bat-Man, is Man-Bat.

*insert annoying wail here*

Incredible

He has finally arrived.Unsuspectingly (okay, excitedly) I open this box to discover the back of what appears to be a Hot Toys Dark Knight Figure. Could it be?

Yes it is! This box is gorgeous. The sleeve around the actual box is heavy, made of some kind of composite cardboard that feels sturdier than I was expecting. The artwork on the box is second to none. What about the inside, though?

Wow. The window is amazing. The picture opposite plus the description underplay how incredible this figure is turning out to be. I've never been into 12" figures (except for Ultimate Soldier figures from the late 90's), so I'm hoping I'm not let down. Let's open it up!

Incredible. This is, without a doubt, the greatest Batman figure I've ever seen. The detail is so intense and minute that it's almost like actual movie prop work. The head sculpt looks like it's alive (the gloss they used for the eyes really gets me), and it looks like its name is Christian Bale. The articulation is unlike anything I've ever seen.

The accessories are so cool too. I'm a little disappointed that the batarangs don't clip into the belt like they did for version 1.0 of the Hot Toys Batman (with the Begins suit), but not exceptionally disappointed. The grapnel gun (yes, it's spelled "grapnel", I looked it up) clips onto the back of the belt, hidden by the cape.

Speaking of the cape, I was a little concerned that a large fabric cape would look a bit goofy on a 12" figure. Not so. It doesn't overwhelm the figure at all, and only adds to the overall look. It's a bit difficult to interchange the hands (I'm also nervous I'll break him), but it works. Without a doubt, I don't regret spending a single penny to get this guy. He's outstanding, in every sense of the word.

An epic battle for the ages.

What I Want in Life 2

1. MY HOT TOYS DARK KNIGHT FIGURE. So, EntertainmentEarth told me that they shipped him on the 8th (I ordered him on the 5th). They said 7-10 days was an acceptable wait. Well, since the 8th was a Sunday (I should have been tipped off) I figured I'd wait until today before contacting them. Well, no arrival today, so I emailed them. They got right back to me, showing me the tracking info. He didn't leave California until the 13th. What the hell? 8 days elapsed between my order and shipment. What is the deal with that? I think that's unacceptable.

However, the good news is, he's scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

2. I only have 1 DCUC figure, the illustrious Killer Moth I obtained earlier today. He is awesome. So is the DCUC Series 4 unmasked Batman Beyond/Terry McGinnis variant that was a KB exclusive (before KB went under, obviously).

The last issue of ToyFare has him listed as the top most-wanted figure currently, which is sad, because it's true. This figure makes a killing on eBay for the scalpers that somehow got their grubby hands on him. Which, unfortunately again, puts me in my ever-present MOC/loose figure quandary: do I dare open ToyFare's most-sought when I obtain him?

Luckily, after spending so much on my Hot Toys Dark Knight, plus having just obtained Killer Moth, my desire to spend $30+ online is pretty low. Some online retailers got ahold of the leftover figures, which hopefully will make him more available (i.e., will hopefully drive the price down a bit). We'll see.

3. The Fear Toxin/Ghoul Movie Masters Batman.

Oh wait, already have him. Tee hee.

One of ToyFare's Reigning Most-Sought Figures

An addition to last night's post

Apparently, as I found out in my local toy sightings thread over at The Fwoosh, the Walmart that happens to be farthest away in this area also carries DCUC. Someone posted on the 13th saying they were stocked with all of Series 6.

So, of course, after getting out of the lab today, I swung on by to investigate. I walked right past them without noticing, since there were only maybe 2-3 pegs with DCUC, all down to 1 figure per peg. Upon returning to the Batman aisle, however, I saw them sitting there.

My eyes fell upon an unsightly mess of yellow and orange and purple. My heart jumped in my chest.

Oh and how. Killer Moth, sitting there, beckoning me with his utter hideousness. How could I resist?

Why do I want this?

Okay, okay. I know.

What the hell is Killer Moth?

To be honest, I hadn't heard of Killer Moth until I heard he was part of DC Universe Classics Series 6. I heard some buzz on the messageboards because it really seemed so random, and yet, so cool for them to include such a remotely classic villain (who also made an appearance in Batman: The Animated Series). In fact, in the upcoming issue of Toy Fare, there's an article titled something like "How do they pick these guys?" with a photo of Killer Moth.

So he's a completely random, odd Batman villain. What does he look like?

...Holy crap. What the hell is that?

It's...red, yellow, purple, and green. With little red wings and a big ass gun. And red eyes.

I know what that is. It is awesome.

In fact, so many of the online reviews of this figure cite his absolute weirdness as his most enticing factor. Typically, I get the figures of characters that I appreciate for the character (no Penguins here), but I'm too intrigued by Killer Moth.

The buzz around the figure, combined with his positive reviews and over-the-top paint application, have gotten me seriously interested. I saw him in package at my local comic shop, and I think that did it for me. What did not, however, was the insane $18 price tag.

So my plan is to monitor The Fwoosh sightings boards and check around here. The nearest Walmart doesn't have DCUC, the TRU didn't either, and the Target only has Series 2. However, supposedly another Walmart not too far away carries them. I may have to go check tomorrow.

Of course, my Hot Toys Dark Knight should be here tomorrow, so I might not want to leave the apartment.

A Fun Crisis to Have

My Hot Toys Dark Knight supposedly shipped on the 8th, and has not yet arrived. Assuming the 7-10 day predictions for USPS shipping are accurate, I should have him tomorrow through Wednesday. So while I anxiously await his arrival, and as I maintain my stance that I collect action figures-- NOT 12" DOLLS-- I'm starting to think about getting a Joker too.

Yeah, I know. This is how it starts.

However: I have been very loyal to my 2 collecting obsessions, Batman and Ghostbusters. So I think it acceptable to desire 12" ultra-detailed versions of any figure related to those lines (especially if a proton pack happens to light up!).

So supposing I save up enough money to get a Joker, here's the problem: I want him wearing "a purple suit and makeup, he's not the problem, he's a nobody." However, the original version of the Joker (conveniently the only Hot Toys figure in stock at my comic shop) is also version 1.0 of the facial sculpt, and while it is quite awesome, it doesn't capture the Joker perfectly.

The above photo is a production photo from Hot Toys website, and I think you can see what I mean. It's so close, but there's not enough scarring. Something is slightly off. But the clothing is spot on, and doesn't look overstuffed like one would imagine so many layers would. In short, this figure is a 9/10, and I'm only really comfortable with spending that much money on a 10/10. Or an 11/10 (Michael Crawford's review gives him ***1/2 out of ****). In essence, I'd be paying all of that money for an accurate representation of Joker's clothes. Hmm. Not entirely sure about that. So, keeping all of that in mind, I've got another option: Hot Toys Bank Robber Joker.

This head sculpt is incredible. The likeness to Heath Ledger-as-Joker is uncanny, and is almost too real to believe. Any issues regarding minimization of the scar damage has been remedied with sculpt v2.0, and this figure even comes with two heads; one for putting the mask on, and the one to the left. He also comes with a ton of accessories, which is a big plus.

However, and this is a big however, I don't want Bank Robber Joker, I want the Joker. I want the character from the comics, from the Animated Series, the one that gleefully murders innocent civilians throughout The Dark Knight. So it seems that if I were to get this version, I'd be spending the money for the face and duffel bag. Hmm. Not too sure about that either.

So what do I do? I could save up and get them both, but spending that insane amount of money on dolls (ahem, sorry, I collect action figures, NOT DOLLS) seems to border on the insane. I could get the first version and then try to get the head sculpt off of eBay, where scalpers are charging up to $80 for the head alone (that's REAL insanity). Plus, I want the accessories. I could get Bank Robber Joker and then try to get Version 1's clothing online, but I can't seem to find them anywhere. Sigh. What's a fanboy to do?

Oh well. The good news is that my Batman will be here this week, at which point I will post 12,000 photos and gush about how awesome he is. Then, once the excitement dies down, I'll start seriously thinking about which Joker to get.

It never ends.

Fortitude and Movie Masters

Today was the day Toys R Us did their "buy 1, get 2 free" dump of Movie Masters figures. And thanks to my in-borne fortitude, I resisted going.

I checked out what they had on display a couple weeks ago, and there were no chase figures. They did have all of the thugs, which would be the only reason I'd go during the sale. But honestly, the thug variants are stupid. I have the Joker mask variant, and I have one that I found at Wal-Mart for opening. Do I really need all of the the different mask variants? The answer is no. I'm not that devoted to the line.

I am, however, annoyed that the supposed January figures (Sonar Batman and Arkham Scarecrow, according to ToyFare) are nowhere to be found. I wish I had some insight into why such a delay would occur; maybe it has to do with the current inability of retailers to get rid of all the leftovers. (In fact, if you read the text to the left of Sonar Batman in that photo, you can see it clearly says "January 2009" for wave 3. Sigh.)

Not that I'm particularly excited about "Sonar Batman", who looks like Mattel execs got lazy and painted white over TDK Batman and re-issued him. I'll never say never, but I think it likely that unless there's been some serious re-tooling, I probably won't spend the $11 to get him. Arkham Scarecrow, however, is exciting to me, as are the new releases scheduled for this summer. The proto-suit Batman is probably the most exciting for me; it's a very unique take on Batman that hasn't really been done before, especially in action figure form, and that gets me excited. That Jail Cell Joker looks incredible, at least in 2-up form, so hopefully the 6" version will be just as accurate in sculpt.

This year is shaping up to be the greatest action figure collecting year ever, at least for me.

Elseworlds Crimson Mist Batman

Evil.

I suppose I did it backwards: I saw this figure and immediately bought him, and then read the comics that led to the figure's creation. The comics are intriguing, as they allow the Batman mythos to extend even further down the rabbit hole, so to speak, as Batman himself literally transforms from human into Giant Evil Bloodsucking Vampire Bat Creature.

But this figure is one of my favorites. He's huge, which I honestly was not expecting, and his cape is the largest and most imposing of any of the figures I own. His red eyes are piercing, and his emaciated trunk shows off every muscle and rib. He truly is disgusting, and that's cool. In fact, when my roommate saw him, he was slightly upset. (My roommate is pretty special.)

He also came with a small, cross-shaped stake (for killing other vampires, since Vampire Batman isn't entirely evil. Obviously) as an accessory, which he holds pretty well. He's also got decent articulation. Though it isn't as extensive as a DC Superheroes or DC Universe Classics figure, he's maneuverable enough to get some great poses out of him. His wings, which (in the graphic novel) sprout before he becomes a full vampire, are connected with a ball joint that allows them pretty free mobility. However, they have a tendency to come off, which can be annoying. Despite that, Crimson Mist Batman remains one of my favorite action figures of all time.

Ghostbusters 2009!!!!

The photos of the Mattel Ghostbusters from the NY Comic Con are finally up. I'm going to reproduce them here, but so I don't get in trouble, all of them are taken from Toy News International here.

1. Now, I have the NECA version of Slimer, and I love it. This new sculpt from Mattel is similar, but strikingly different; it's much more Real Ghostbusters, but is still distinctly movie-based. However, the NECA version has a great feel to it, the gloss paint over Slimer's body gives him a great "slimy" look, AND he glows in the dark (not much, but it's there). So I feel like doing better than NECA on Slimer will be incredibly difficult, and based on this photo, I'm not exceptionally impressed. In fact (blasphemy alert), I might not buy this one when he's released. That's a big maybe though. (Also, this is a larger version of the 6" Slimer.)


2. Holy crap. According to what I've heard, this Egon is a "2-up" version of the 6" figures-- i.e., this is a 12" version of the 6" one (there's also a Ray Stantz 2-up, pictured below). I feel like it will be incredibly difficult to shrink down the level of detail this figure has into a 6" scale (I mean, LOOK at the proton pack). However, I have faith in the Four Horsemen (who sculpted all of the 6" figures), as all of the DC Superheroes figures I have are amazing (admittedly, on a slightly larger scale), and the detail is pretty well retained. With all that said, just... just look at this Egon. The likeness is incredible, the jumpsuit is sculpted perfectly, there is literally nothing wrong with this figure. From what I can see, anyway. Now if Mattel REALLY wants my money, there will be variants of the 6" figures in the Ghostbusters 2 charcoal gray/black uniforms with slime blowers.

A boy can dream.



3. These are examples of the 6" figures, which is exactly how I pictured them. I figured the articulation would be simpler (do Ghostbusters really need ab crunches and ankle flexion? Nah), and it looks like there's a significant amount of detail scaled down from the 2-up. I can't say a whole lot more about until the paint is applied and the figures are finished, other than I can hardly wait to buy all of them. I really hope mattycollector.com has pre-orders for these, because-- while the following statement depends significantly on one's definition of need-- I need these figures. What I really want to know is what accessories the 6" figures will come with; will they come with a ghost like the old RGB figures (I doubt it)? Or will the supposedly in-the-works RGB figures come with accessory ghosts? I hope so.

4. This is a posterior view of the 12" prototype Ray Stantz. Now, like I have said, I don't collect 12" figures. However, now that there is a Hot Toys Dark Knight on its was to my grubby hands, and despite my plans to continue not collecting 12" figures, I will own every single one of these Ghostbusters. I mean, just take a quick look to the left at the level of detail on that proton pack. And the ghost trap. And the ecto-goggles. They are absolutely stunning.

Of course, I can't really tell much about the body underneath the clothing, but it seems to be well-articulated (not like a Ghostbuster Ken or something horrifying) in all aspects. Though the facial sculpt doesn't look an incredible amount like Dan Aykroyd, it's close enough. I also haven't seen the other figures yet, but I'm very excited to see them all.

So there it is. The greatest toy news of all time, with some of the most incredible looking figures I've ever seen. Here's hoping there's more from New York tomorrow.

I WANT.

Annoyed

So, while I haven't gotten to posting photos or anything yet, I'm quite proud of my Dark Knight Movie Masters collection, which includes... all of them. The Joker mask Gotham city thug variant, both chase figures (unmasked Bruce Wayne and Fear Toxin Batman Begins), everything.

Then I hear buzz on some message boards that Toys R Us is having a major sale and liquidation of their inventory, including, apparently, loads of the "rare" chase figures. One guy said he found nine of the unmasked Batman figures on the shelf at his local TRU.

Now, this annoys me. I obtained these 2 figures for (what I thought was cheap) $20 apiece, but apparently, I was mistaken. I guess they're not that rare after all.

So, what the hell? Does Toys R Us just hang on to these, not really intending to sell them until the very end of the line? What does that accomplish, other than make money for scalpers on eBay (who sell them to people like me, who then become angry at spending twice as much as necessary)?

I'm going to head into my local TRU tomorrow and see. Maybe it's just in a few locales, but I doubt it. Will I have the strength and fortitude to resist buying them if I see them?

We'll find out tomorrow.

An Addendum

Apparently, Entertainment Earth managed to get a shipment of the Dark Knight 12" figures from Hot Toys yesterday.

AND NOW I OWN ONE.

What I Want in Life

Okay, currently there are 2 things atop my wish list that are the most pressing for my little toy collector's heart.
1. The Hot Toys 12" Dark Knight (New Suit): I don't usually collect 12" figures (more on that later), as I'm more into 6" lines of action figures. However, the Hot Toys sculpting and articulation is unlike anything I've ever seen, and the detail and accessories are incredible. These figures are so damn expensive, but that's not the point. I want it, and I want it bad.

The photo is a production photo from Hot Toys' website. Look at the beauty. Unfortunately, the comic book shop I'd get it from won't get any until sometime in March (if at all, according to the guy who runs the place), and all the places online don't get theirs until May or June. Sigh.

2. EVERY SINGLE NEW GHOSTBUSTERS FIGURE. Mattel just announced today that they are releasing a 12" line of movie-based Ghostbusters figures, a line of Movie Masters (that's my assumption anyway) 6" Ghostbusters figures, and a 6" line based on the Real Ghostbusters. Needless to say, today has been the happiest toy-collecting day of my life, at least until I actually get my hands on every single one of these toys. Supposedly some of the 12" figures will be previewed at New York Comic Con in 2 days, so I'll be scouring the web for photos. Just... imagine the accessories!!

I'm so excited.