Marvel Universe 3.75" Masters of Evil 3-Pack (SDCC 2012 Exclusive)

I thought I'd see this set a lot more here in Singapore despite the fact that it was an San Diego Comic Con 2012 Exclusive.  We're lucky down here because we usually see SDCC Exclusives as store exclusives somewhere down the road.  And even if they don't show up in your regular department store or Toys R Us, they usually make it to the local weekend toy "flea market," though it's at "collector" prices.

But there was no sign of the Masters of Evil here, no sign until STGCC 2012 and Toyrealm had brought a few sets in as their "Exclusive".  Okay, so they didn't call it as such, but Vincent was the only one who'd bought it in.  Despite the rather hefty price, I didn't want to miss out on this box set because it was one of the few Exclusives at SDCC 2012 that caught my eye.

Now I don't particularly like any of the Masters of Evil guys as individuals, but as a group, I think they're more than worthy adversaries for the Avengers.  After all, they did form up for that purpose--to take on the good guys. 

The list of characters on the Masters of Evil roster is almost as long as that of the Avengers'.

In Marvel Universe 3.75" figure terms, this is the list of made characters so far :

Absorbing Man

Constrictor

Enchantress

Klaw

Ultron-5

Wonder Man

Whiplash (Iron Man 2 Comic Series)

The Wrecking Crew:

    -Bulldozer

    -Thunderball

    -Piledriver

    -Wrecker

Toastin' it the way only bad guys know how to...

That's about 10% of the villains on this list and not nearly enough to make a formidable force on the toy shelf!

Thankfully, we can add a couple more members to the roster, as well as their dreaded leader!

Enter Baron Zemo, Radioactive Man, and Tiger Shark!

Marvel Universe 3.75" Series 4 Beta Ray Bill (010)

Weeks after I get this guy, can you believe he's become a peg-warmer?  In these parts, there's so much of ol' BRB on the racks that the 5 Kraven, 3 Astonishing Beast, 2 Hulk and numerous Jubilee look like they are hot items.  Well, I guess they are, depending on where you live, but I jumped at the chance to get him at full retail thinking that he'd be hard to find.

Given that he's a cult favourite and that he has a working jaw makes him hard to resist.  But never did I think the cases that came over to Singapore would have so many Beta Rays that he'd be left on the shelves like an unwanted knockoff.

Clearly, he isn't.  I was always curious about the character.

Well, after I got over my "meh, this guy is  horse dude in Thor's armour" phase, anyway. (I was just 6 year-old or something.)  I'd did find out from the time I got BRB that his story is fleshed out in "The Ballad of Beta Ray Bill" but I have yet to locate a physical copy so I'll still have to wait to find out more about him.  The action figure though?  I can tell you about him right now! ;)

The Haul!

3 for $20?  Thank you very much!

Hello, true believers!

It's been a while since I last had a decent haul.  I think the last time I had anything good enough to be considered a good bargain was way back in December at the Singapore Toys Games and Comics Convention 2011.  Yeah, that's long enough back.

So when I read over at Open The Toy that there was a sale at local department store Takashimaya, I jumped at the chance to go!

This particular store usually is stocked with the latest from all the lines like Marvel Universe, DC Universe, Star Wars, Lego, Thundercats, etc.  But it almost never puts stuff on clearance--except in these particular 3 weeks in the year.  And when stuff goes on clearance, it really goes on clearance!

So I'd been working without a break since the last week of July so I really needed to cut loose.  And that I certainly did...

Marvel Universe 3.75" Series 4 Blastaar (024 Variant)

I was just thinking about it while playing around with Blastaar and realized that the really badass villains in both the Marvel and DC Universe come from somewhere other than Earth.

Sure, the craziest ones still come from our neck of the universe--Magneto, Dr. Doom, Apocalypse, the Joker and Lex Luthor--but the really powerful ones usually come from somewhere else.

In the Marvel universe, Blastaar is one of those villains that has the raw power to take over the world single-handedly.  Like Annihilus, Thanos, and Galactus, he's seemingly powerful enough that he could very well take over the universe.

So despite not having read much about him in the comics or seen him much in any other medium, I knew of him.  I can't say for sure where I'd heard of him but he's always been there, hovering like some nightmare Carebear.  And now he's gotten his own Marvel Universe figure!  Yay!  Enough talk, more review!--Okay!

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" Series 4 Hulk! (007)

This is the figure that all Hulk fans have been waiting for!  Or at least the Hulk fans who like figures in the 3.75" scale and don't like the sculpt for the line's releases so far in Classic Hulk, Secret Wars Hulk, Red Hulk (old rating system) and Grey Hulk.  There's also Avengers 3-Pack Hulk, which is a first-ish appearance look on a reliable big buck, but he's almost a different character altogether.

Then there's World War Hulk, who hit the right spot but is far from your classic-looking, Gamma irradiated, cuddly giant with torn stretchy pants.

I didn't like the head sculpt of the classic Green Goliath like most people (ditto with the repainted Grey Hulk variant), but I kinda dug the Secret Wars head sculpt with that body.  The neon-like green they moulded that figure with was an eyesore to some though.  And Red Hulk isn't really our dear, sweet Dr Bruce Banner at all. (He had a great head sculpt though.)

So this figure was an eventual must-produce for Hasbro.  And I'm glad to say they made it a must-have for us fans too despite they long wait.

In fact, I'm sure they were deliberately taking the time in doing this, milking the success of the extremely popular World War Hulk figure and of course, the recent Avengers movie Hulk.  Because of these two things, any 3.75" Marvel Universe fan will probably want this Hulk, and that's on top of those of us who wanted him anyway the first time he was revealed at last year's San Diego Comic Con 2011!

Funny thing about this Hulk is that he's got no name other than "Hulk".  No Gamma Smash or Classic or Avengers or even a colour.  Since it's Hasbro's second go at the classic mainstream character, he's technically Hulk 2.0.  But I think I'll call him..."Worth the Wait" Hulk! (Or WtW Hulk for short.  Hah!)

Marvel Universe 3.75" Series 4 Professor X (022)

The first time ever I saw a pic of this figure was a couple months back on eBay--and his price was something like US$100 and climbing.  Chuck eventually sold for for a whopping one hundred and twenty-seven (or so) big ones.  Immediately I thought either someone on the inside got their hands on a few figures and snuck them out months ahead of their release, and/or Charlie X here was going to be so shortpacked people didn't care and were willing to pay US127  for him.

No more Prof X appeared for sale on the auction site and I never saw him again, until...

I walked into one of the specialty stores at China Square Central a couple weeks back and saw him right there on the shelf, flanked by Beta Ray Bill and The Hulk.  Needless to say I grabbed them up.  They each were tagged at S$30 a pop, that's about S$10 more than Marvel Universe retail, so I didn't want to get them all.  By process of elimination, I put Beta Ray Bill back--great sculpt, but he was the character that I knew the least about, and was most likely to be seen again, I thought.  I was then also about to chuck Chuck until the wife said, "I think you should get the professor.  He's rarer, isn't he?"  I couldn't keep my mind off the eBay auction price, so I agreed and put The Hulk back on his perch.  I was now the proud owner of the most powerful plastic mind in Marvel Universe history!

I returned later to get The Hulk for the Rangerlord, but that's another story. Of course, I did find Hulk again the following week for cheaper and got one for myself.  But that's also for another review.

Charles, Charlie, Chuck, the Chazz.  Whatever you call him, Professor X is a darn good figure.  And he's a great example of how Hasbro has been able to re-use resources to a refreshingly new effect!

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!

The Avengers 3.75" Grapple Firing Black Widow

The story of how I managed to find this extremely rare figure some 2 weeks back can be read here.


Amazingly, I've been accused of being a scalper for finding and buying a couple of this figure (one for the Rangerlord) and the others I picked up that day.  Well guess what?  I've opened and reviewed the figure like I do for all my stuff, so there!

I do have to concede I was very lucky to find Black Widow.  And I hope all of you hoping to find one manage to hunt one down at retail.  On to the review! ;)

Double Score!

It's been quite a while since I posted a toy haul here on Chase Variant an that's because it's been a while since I've come home from a hunt with good success.

Today was one of those few and fare between days.

Off from work for a day just to enjoy time with the wife and kid, we walk into one of the department stores that I like to look for game (OG Orchard).  Now the great Singapore Sale is currently ongoing, so there's a storewide 20% off discount.  I step into the  Marvel aisle and am greeted by a rare sight in this neck of the woods: Gamma Smash Hulk.  Not one, but three of them...

Thor The Mighty Avenger 3.75" Hammer Smash Thor

It's been more than a year since the Thor movie hit theatres and a good 15 months since the toys hit the shelves.  So that can only mean one thing--it's clearance time for the line! ;)

So I'm minding my own business in the toy section (sheah, right) at the local Takashimaya department store, when I chance upon a whole load of Thor The Mighty Avenger movie 3.75" figures going for clearance at 1/2 price.  Sure, it wasn't the excellent S$5 deal from another department store, OG.  But lo and behold, they had this Thor figure with the helmeted head going for S$9.90.  They also had a bunch of deluxe Blaster Armor Thor (unwanted) and Ice Attack Frost Giants at S$12 a pop.

Army builders!

A couple of Frost Giants and a Thor later, and I'm a happier man. (Does the dance of joy.)  I've been waiting to get the helmeted Thor for a long time now.  Ditto for the Frost Giant army.  And just when I wasn't really looking at all, I find them!  Both and the same time too, to boot.

Am I happy with them?  Hells yeah.  Especially since this helmeted Thor has the proportion of helmet-to-head ratio the way I like it.  You only have to look as far as the Thor 6" Thor figure to find a ridiculously small helmet, while the helmetless version has just been released in the Avengers movie line as a Walmart Exclusive!

So I'm thankful I found Hammer Smash Thor in the wild on the cheap, while not having to agonize over if/when I'd be able to have helmeted/helmetless Thor heads in 3.75" scale!

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.

The Avengers: Marvel Select Hulk

As I write this review, I'm running around the house screaming like a little kid on Christmas morning who just got exactly what he wanted from Santa.  Except that it's not Christmas but Fathers' day soon.  And I'm not really running around the house, but more like lying around, imagining what it would be like running around.  And there's no Santa this time of year, but an awesome wifey and son--because this is what they surprised me with just a few days ago!

I'd already put down my order with my fave specialty store (Toyrealm at China Square central ;P) but I'd been going on and on about how I'd still snag Hulk if I saw him for sure if I saw him anywhere else, how I regretted not picking it up about 2 weeks back when a guy at the local "flea" market had a couple of the Jolly Green Giants selling at a pretty high price (about 120% of retail), and how this Hulk would make me the coolest father on the planet along with the rest of the people who also had him.

The specialty store's shipment wasn't due in until later this month and I was resigned to not truly being cool for another few weeks.  So imagine my surprise when the wife shows up with a huge bag with not one but two Marvel Select figures in it and hands it to me!  Happy Father's day indeed!

What was the other figure?  Movie Loki, of course  "So that I could re-enact the 'Puny god' scene from The Avengers for a chuckle or six until The Avengers 2 rolls around in 2015."  That's how she explained it.  But I suspect it might have been to shut me up from talking about Marvel Select Hulk every waking minute.  And probably sometimes in my sleep too.  ;P

No guesses how the figure turned out.  But why let me stop you from checking out the review and the awesome photos? ;D

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!