The Avengers: Original Avengers 3.75" 4-Pack! (Concept Series)

As a result of a massive backlog of reviews I want to take on, I realize that not only do I have tons of unopened toys, I have tons of them in boxes.  Which ones, you ask?  Well, I have too many to name, so let's just call 'em a surprise for now.  (Yeah, ok.  I don't know myself.  Lol.)  For now, I'm determined to rid my collection of needless cardboard, so I'm hereby declaring October The Month of the Box right here on Chase Variant!  (I'm sure you wouldn't mind if the occasional carded or loose figure review slips in.  Right?  Or am I right?  Right, I'm wasting time...)

So to kick it all off, I'm gonna start with my newest boxed acquisition: The Avengers: Original Avengers 3.75" Toys R Us Exclusive 4-Pack!

I walked into one of my local TRUs last Sunday and I see this very set that I'd never seen, heard or read about it before.  So it was a very pleasant surprise when I find one of them, face down amid some non-movie Marvel Universe figure 4-packs.  Then the wife points out that that's not the only one there, because right above us on the shelf are about six or seven of them.  You can imagine my amazement when I had a good look at Loki--I'd never thought I'd see them re-use the Thor movie sculpt again!

Then I saw Iron Man--a brand new figure!--or at least a new armour.  I couldn't tell right off if it was made from older parts but it looked like a new sculpt and I dig bulky armour, so I was at least 50% in.

As for Captain America and Thor, I already have these very sculpts when they were originally released.  Both are great figures from their respective lines, so I didn't mind taking home some repaints...for now.

Yes, they look great in the box, but I hear you ask if they're just as good outside.  Well, let's find out! ;)

What's in the Wes Box?: The Avengers 6" Captain America! (Walmart Exclusive)

Walmart Exclusive 6"

The 3.75" Retail Version

"What's in the where???..." you ask?

Well, some weeks back, my ol' buddy-in-arms from the Articulated Discussion days Wes Dennis scored me some Walmart Exclusives--and the box arrived this week, much to my delight! (Big shout out and thanks to Wes of Scary Crayon!)

The Avengers movie 6" Captain America was the first figure I pulled outta Wes' Wonder Box of Plastic Goodness, and with 3.75" avengers Shield Launcher Captain America the only figure in that line in that scale I have on the review burner, I've decided to make this a double-header!

Ok, ok, so I haven't gotten around to Avengers 3.75" Hawkeye yet though I got him some time back now.  But I certainly couldn't help not reviewing my first 6" Avengers figure right here, what with it being a Walmart Exclusive and all.  And since I'd taken individual pictures of the 3.75" Cap, I thought a comparison review would be a great idea.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy a double dose of movie Captain America goodness! ;)

From here on out, it's gonna be a game of "Spot the Difference."  Are you ready?  Here's a clue: ears. ;P

Marvel Universe 3.75" Ultimate Gift Set 5-Pack

The Rangerlord and I stumbled upon this great set of your classic heroes at OG Orchard one day.  There were loads (more than 20) of this pack on sale at S$36.90 (down from $59.90), but no one was biting and they had been left lying there for a couple of months.  So when we both came upon it I had said, "Yeah, there it is.  The most expensive Captain America shield."

I was referring to when I had first seen this 5-pack on sale and told the Rangerlord, prompting him to say he wasn't going to pay that amount for the one thing that most would want from the gift pack.

The shield is translucent, you see, and all the figures in the sets were very basic-looking re-releases.  But more on that later.  I wasn't really batting an eyelid at the pile, until RL turns one of the sets over and says, "Hey, they're $15 each."

Suffice to say that caught my attention.  We both snagged a set each after pouring through the boxes for a nicely painted Cap each.  (And Thor.  And Iron Man.  And Spidey.  Wolverine, not so much...Haha.)

After passing the set by for so long, I was curious to see what it offered.  So here's what I found!

Chase Customs: 3.75" Ultimate Captain America

Before you go "What the heck another Captain America reviewed on Chase Variant?!?!?!" I'd like to say this is my first custom ever!  It's also more of a "How I did it" rather than an outright review, so all of you who have never done a custom before and are interested in trying it out can see how my first experience went.  For those grizzled veteran customizers, you can have a few good laughs at my struggles.

I chose Ultimates Captain America for a few reasons:

1) It wasn't until I read the Ultimates that I liked Captain America.  So he's easily my all-time fave Cap.  Sorry Chris Evans.  Though you come in a close 2nd...

2) They haven't made a 3.75" Ultimate Cap that I've truly been satisfied with.

3) Avengers Movie Figures look great but don't move great.  Many of them end up having well-sculpted parts I really like (like Super Shield Captain America) so that for me was really the straw that broke the camel's back.  And with so many variations of cap after last year's movie, It made me really wanna cannibalize.

4) I'm starting to find loose Captain America 3.75" movie figures and Marvel Universe figures loose and for cheap because it's been a year now, and things are starting to go on clearance!

So this is about how I went about kit-bashing, with the emphasis on the bashing part!

The Avengers 3.75" Super Shield (Ultimates) Captain America

Since the Avengers toys have been released, I've been going to toy stores and passing on the 3.75" movie figures.  But it's funny how each time I see the toys, I'll take closer look and suddenly find something I like about a figure that I didn't spot earlier.

Maybe I was put off by some of the worst articulation that Hasbro has put on its figures in a years.  So glaring were the lack of ankles here, the missing chest pivot there, that I couldn't see past the flaws to the good qualities that were staring me in the face.

Take Super Shield captain America here, for example.  It took me a long while to realize that this was Ultimates Captain America (my fave comics Cap) with a kickass vest and belt.  What I also missed was that this version of Ultimates Cap had wrist swivels where the movie line release didn't!  I had also failed to realize that this version of the figure was painted a nicer, deeper blue than the Cap movie Ultimates version.

So with my interest piqued, I couldn't resist picking this guy up.  To my surprise, there were quite a few more changes to the figure that make it a completely different Cap from its predecessor.

Lego - The Avengers: Captain America's Avenging Cycle!

While The Avengers action figures are so far proving a little disappointing, there's no doubt that Lego getting the license for the franchise is good news.  It's great news indeed that they've finally been released in our favourite brick form--and here's their smallest offering in retail so far!

Though I grabbed the Loki's Cosmic Cube Escape and Hulk Helicarrier Breakout set first, this was soon to follow following its release about a week later.  I guess it was also the quickest to put together and that it had one of the figures we've all been waiting for--Captain America!  Sure, I was also dying for Hulk, Thor and Iron Man, but hey, Cap really grows on you!

From his slightly more edgy Ultimates self, to his stance (and death) in Civil War, to his awesome on-screen incarnation, it's no wonder the kids are all seeing stars and stripes.  Well, at least mine is.  He never fails to point out the Cap shield when he spots it--and he's just over 13 months old!

So enough talk and more review action--here we go! ;)

The Avengers: Stark Tech Assault Armour Captain America

This review should be named "Captain America and His Toys Part II"!  Why?

Simply because the good captain is learning that having less super strength and less speed is just not good enough!  Gone are the good ol' days where he was the strongest, the fastest and the most famous (and only) super hero.  Sure, he's still a master of battlefield tactics and the bestest (eva!) leader there can be, but who can see that sorta thing?  Being reanimated in this day and age where the most flashy (Iron Man), the most misunderstood (Hulk), and the most buff-n-blond (Thor) get all the attention hasn't been great for Cap.  So what to do?  Take a leaf from Tony Stark's book and get some toys of his own!

But why "Part II" you ask?  Because this should've been part I.  And the pics in this review will also give you a glimpse or two of Part III. ;)

To get back on topic, the Stark Tech Assault Armor Captain America has been on my radar ever since I saw it on the shelves in stores.  But the retail price of S$49.90 (US$39) is a huge put-off.  So I was willing to wait till clearance.

As luck would have it, the eagle-eyed Rangerlord, whose skill with a bow can only be outmatched by Hawkeye himself (or so he says), spotted this sweet, sweet piece of action in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for 60% of the price!  Needless to say, it was a score for sure!  So was he worth it?  Let's see!

The Avengers: Captain America Goliath Assault Tank

The Avengers 3.75" line has so far proven a little disappointing in the action figure department.  A lack of articulation at a high retail price is a off-putting.  Sure, the sculpts the are beautiful and the paint is pretty good.  Heck, even the packaging really pops on the pegs.  But when you get past all that, you get a figure less playable than pretty much everything out there, except some of those "new" (read: re-released) Star Wars figures with all of 5 points of articulation.


But lo!  Beneath the pegs and on the shelves, in boxes instead of cards, full of compartments and moving parts and every inch as great-looking as the 3.75" figures themselves, were the Avengers vehicles!  There's the Quinjet, Iron Man's jet, the Assault Armours, and this, the Cap's Goliath Assault Tank.  The problem is that their price points are also quite high.  And if it weren't for the Rangerlord finding this in Manila for 2/3 the retail price in Singapore, I would've gotten this much later.  So let's see whether it's as good outside the box as it looks in packaging!

Captain America The First Avenger 6" Captain America

I've had this guy for months now but hadn't gotten round to opening him for some reason or other.  Along with 6" Movie Thor and 6" Nick Fury from The First Avenger movie line, the trio would form the base of what would form my 6-inch movie Avengers collection.

But it wasn't until I started seeing the Avengers 3.75" stuff in stores that I felt motivated to open this bad boy.

The Rangerlord deserves yet another special mention for snagging me Movie Cap from Malaysia for about half of what it would cost at retail here in Singapore.  And with this figure and the recent release of Waves 1 and 2 of Marvel Legends all I can say is this: when it comes to making 6" figures, Hasbro has got down to a T.

No, the "T" doesn't stand for Turkey any more than the A on Cap's forehead stands for France! ;P

The Avengers Movie: 3.75" Wave 1 Complete Review!!!

And it begins!

The countdown to the May 1st release date of the Avengers here in Singapore has begun!

Why now, you ask?  It's not because the Rangerlord sounded me out a week ago that the toys were out.  It's not because I walked into Toys R Us five days back and saw the 3.75" figures, the Quinjet, the Deluxe figures, the masks, or Captain America's Frisbee shield.

It's not even because later that same evening, I was picking up my wife at the nearby mall and she texted me "You're gonna wanna check out the department store.  There's lots of Avengers stuff!"

No.  It's because I walked into that very department store and saw these!

Oh, and if you've read this far, Happy April Fools! ;P

Yes, as you can tell, these ain't no action figures, nor are they 3.75" tall.  They're just, well, Mini Muggs!  And this is a review of the complete 1st wave!  (Gotcha!  Maybe.)

There was a set, only one complete set, and I had to snag it.  Sure, some other guys will probably pick up my leavings of a couple of Nick Fury and a Hawkeye or two, but I, I have the complete first wave of The Avengers Mini Muggs!  Mwahahahaha!

And here I review it. :P

Marvel Universe 3.75" Commander Steve Rogers

I knew I wanted to get this figure the moment I saw the photos from the SDCC 20011 Sneak Preview.  And it was simply because it would be the first version of Steve Rogers that had him unmasked.

Boy, was that a mistake.

Because this guy is awesome for so many more reasons than that!  And to think when the Rangerlord spotted him on one of his now famous rangings, I was kinda ok on getting him.


I mean, I wanted the guy, but not "ok-you-gotta-get-him-for-me-no-matter-what" kind of wanted the guy.  It was just: "Ok, I'll take him.  That is, if you don't want him, though."


And so it was that Steve Rogers became mine--no prizes for guessing how this figure turned out! ;)

Captain America The First Avenger 3.75" Red Skull

What a movie it was, huh?

Though I liked it a lot, I think I still like Thor better for now out of the two Marvel movies this summer. I say for now because I had the chance to watch Thor thrice, with each time better than the next.  So until I get to watch Captain America: The First Avenger three times, I'm only going to make a temporary judgment. ;P

As far as toy lines go, Cap certainly does have the better variety.  I mean, you can put ol' Stevie R in winter gear, jungle fatigues or even toss him in with a spiffy vehicle but you can't really do the same with our favorite Norse god.  Mjolnir can only be repainted in so many ways before people will start to think Hasbro is up to something.  Well, actually we'll know even before that.  But you get my point.

The range of characters we get from the First Avenger line is also larger in terms of characters they can put on a card and sell to us.  Captain Britain, U.S. Agent, Winter Soldier, Red Guardian, and Crossbones all don't appear in the movie but are in the line.  Thor has no characters from outside of the movie so far.

What does this mean in terms of the Red Skull figure?  Well, nothing! ...Except that the Rangerlord and I managed to find a whole bunch of him and Crossbones, both of whom are shortpacked, when we went to our usual Toys 'R' Us.  And we paid retail price too, so one more notch in the belt for the knight/ranger toy-hunting dynamic duo.  Lol.

To be honest I was less than excited about opening Red Skull up until I saw the movie opening night (28th July) here in Singapore.  But after a great movie and a masterful performance by the evergreen Hugo Weaving, I had to bust the figure open and do this review.  Let's see how it went! :)

Oh, and this review will contain spoilers, so be warned! (Even if it is two months since the movie opened.  Heh.)  ;P

Captain America The First Avenger 3.75" Captain Britain

 **Hey all! Just wanted to slip in a quick reminder to enter the contest from earlier this week if you wanna win free stuff!  See previous post for the details! ;)**

I've wanted a Captain Britain since his initial Marvel Universe release.  I wanted him bad just so I could complete my United Nations of Super Heroes.  You know, Captain America and U.S. Agent for the USA, Sunfire representing Japan, Guardian for Canada, Union Jack and Captain Britain for...You guessed it, Great Britain!

Jack of many and master of all? Wot?

Though I saw the first MU single carded release on the pegs in September last year and the Captain Brit pics from the 2-pack with Spiderman that turned out to be the old school costume, I wanted neither.  Funky as the latter and classic as the former was, I wanted a modern Captain Britain, dammit!  All it took was a movie to be made.  And it isn't even about the good ol' British Super Soldier himself--it's about duh, Captain America, of course!

But just to get you guys who are not from "across the pond" or are not from a country that's been a British colony before in the mood for some right ol' jolly good toy reviewing, we'll sing the world's most recognized national anthem, God Save the Queen!

Feel free to belt it out along with the video:

God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and Glorious,
Long to reign over us;
God save the Queen!

Yes, right chaps!  Now that we're all in the mood, did you know that the most recognized flag in the world is the Union Jack?  Cor Blimey!  It's a wonder that Captain Britain isn't the most recognizable character in the world!  Maybe after this review he'll become the most recognizable action figure in the world.  Load of codswallop?  We'll just have to take a look, shall we?

 

Captain America The First Avenger 3.75" Super Combat Captain America

Why is this Movie Series Cap called "Super Combat"?

Because regular combat just ain't good enough!

Oh, yeah.  In order to fulfill the title, ol' Stevie Rogers here needs his toys!  And boy does he have them: spankin' space-age soft plastic Vibranium shield, groovilicious gun, and Holycow Hard Helmet!

The funny thing about this figure is that I knew I wanted it.  But when I was making the call to the specialty store to put him on reserve, I didn't actually know he correct name for him and couldn't get online to find out.  I tried telling the guy it was the movie Cap, but he wasn't sure which that was.  So I tried Heavy Duty Cap, Big Bad Combat Cap, and even Final Battle Cap. Yes, I couldn't have been further from the correct name.

But it all turned out well because when i went down to the store to pick up the Movie Cap stuff that I actually got the names right for, he was still in stock.  So a shimmy, swoop, and a tuck-and-roll later, he became part of my haul.  True, I didn't have to resort to acrobatics, but I couldn't chance someone else springing from the shadows and nicking SC Cap from me.  Sure, they did have more than one of this guy in stock, but what can I say?  Where else was I gonna show off my years of imaginary super hero combat training?  I can't do it here in cyberspace, that's for sure.  But what I can do is review the figure! ;P

Captain America The First Avenger 3.75" U.S. Agent (Comic Series )

I always wondered why there was a U.S. Agent.  I'd understand if he was a Captain America villain but he's really one of the good guys.  He did beat Cap in their first ever fight though.  Heck, he's even taken down Iron Monger.

Perhaps he stands for something in American politics, like for the Democrats to Cap's Republicans?  But if that were the case, why name him John Walker, as in after the Scotch Whiskey?  He's even got "Jack Daniels" listed as one of his aliases.  Seriously.  Someone was obviously drinking when they came up with his secret identity.

But I've always been a sucker for characters that seem like a poor man's version of the real thing.

I mean, Optimus Prime is my favorite Transformer but Ultra Magnus is so annoyingly lovable for the Wannabe he is.  I love Captain Marvel (Shazam!) out of DC, who started out as Fawcett comic's answer to Superman.  I like Captain America as much as the next guy but U.S. Agent?  There's something bootleg about him that I dig. Yeah, it's all about piracy.  GAARRRRR!!!

So uh, yeah...Yeaheaheaheah, party in the U.S.A...gent?