GI Joe 3.75" Pursuit of Cobra: Duke

Wow.

Yup, that's how I'll start out with this review of Dutch.  I mean Duke.

To be frank, I didn't think I could be surprised with what the Pursuit of Cobra follow-up line to Rise of Cobra could offer.  I was bored with ROC after pilfering from what it has to offer.  That's why I'm pleasantly surprised that POC has come up with some brand-spankin' new ways to wow me.  It's such a refreshing feeling.

And Jungle Assault Dutch here takes the cake.

He hasn't hit the retail stores here yet, but the Pursuit of Cobra Joes have started to arrive at the specialty shops.  Now these guys usually charge a slightly higher than retail price but that's not an issue is it's a matter of a dollar or so.  Besides, getting it early is always a plus, so I can take my time to play with it before giving the review a go.

There was no way I wasn't getting this guy when I saw him--I'd seen pics of the prototypes or Ebay auctions of loose Dukes from China and Hong Kong and wasn't impressed initially.  But once I saw him in package with his butt-load of gear...Goes to show how packaging really helps sell a toy. Heh.

Now, then the question is: Was Dutc...Duke as awesome as his packaging promised?  Find out after the jump!

Marvel Universe 3.75" SDCC Exclusive WWII Captain America!

This is one of the figures coming out of Comic Con International this year that I was looking forward to getting.  And despite it being an exclusive to the Con, it came to Singapore real quick--specialty stores brought it in the very week SDCC was done (mine came in the Wednesday right after).
 
It was also not overpriced, being there or thereabouts the local retail of S$18.90 (US$13.50).  Well, I got mine from Toyrealm (awesome store, great people) in China Square Central for just under at US$12.90 and got it pretty early, so I was pleased.

The larger departmental stores got them a few days later, ensuring that WWII Cap isn't going to scarce here for a while yet. (Last year's SDCC Frozen Grayscale Cap can still be found in abundance!)

Looking at the pictures online and seeing it in package will already set alarm bells ringing--good alarms, off course, the ones that go "this is a must-have!"  Why?  It just looks that good.  And right after saying that the new Star Wars Vintage Collection Bespin Luke Skywalker might be the very best 3.75" figure ever, I'm forced to admit that this guy might just snatch the mantle from him!  Well, can WWII Cap take down Bespin Luke once out of the package?  Let me help you find out, just like I did after cracking him open!

Star Wars 3.75" Vintage Collection: Bespin Luke Skywalker

Before I start on this latest review (and it is very, very late) I want to apologize to those of you who've been following this blog diligently.  I've not posted for about two weeks and with good reason: I recently got married!  Last week, I tied the knot to the most wonderful human being I know, kind and compassionate, gentle and loving.  The best part is she loves that I do all sorts of nerdy stuff like collect toys and play games.  She even checks this page daily for updates even when I don't expect her to!

She is also a real person. :P

In fact, all these Star Wars reviews I have coming up of the new Vintage 3.75" line are her doing--she woke up at the crack of dawn and stood in line for me because I was at work and couldn't make the local release.

So I dedicate this next review--the first I'm doing on this line--to my dear Melissa.

Here's to a wonderful life together!

- Your husband, Ewan

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Hasbro should've named ol' Luke-in-training here "Best-pin" Luke for being what must be one of the best figures not just in the Star Wars line, but also in 3.75-inch history!  Yeah, Bespin Luke may be my favorite Luke Skywalker of the lot not only because he's at the most important stage of character development in the Original Trilogy, but also because he's the one character they could screw up the most easily--anything less than the best for the figure would mean disappointment among fans such as myself.

Still, among all the figures in the 3.75" lines--the Marvel Universe guys and the GI Joes--it's hard to believe a Star Wars figure can really be the best.  After all, he's got to beat guys like the new Pursuit of Cobra Beachhead and the awesome-as-nuts San Diego Comic Con (not so) Exclusive WWII Ultimate Captain America.  However, I certainly think that he doesn't just give them a run for their money, but they give him a run for his money (all in Standard Imperial Credits, of course! ;D)

Can a measly Star Wars figure, especially one of a character from way back (1980), truly be that great?  Maybe he measures up aesthetically but must certainly falls short in articulation and thereby play value?  Well there's only one way to find out!

Star Wars 3.75" Legacy Collection: Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ep IV)

This is the story of how Obi-Wan Kenobi became my favorite Star Wars character...

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

Ok, so maybe not that long ago, and not very far away at all, I was young, and I liked Luke Skywalker.  Who didn't?  After all, he was the saga's protagonist and the "boy done good," who comes into his own, confronts his fears, and in the process saves his father and the known galaxy.

But then came the Prequel Trilogy, which was to shed some light on the past and in particular, one young Obi-Wan Kenobi as he came into his own.  We all cheered when he cut down Darth Maul but by the time the second movie was done, the only thing I could think of was why the hell would any Jedi think wearing a mullet and a trimmed beard would look cool? It didn't help that young Anakin was annoying and Obi-Wan couldn't stop sounding like he was annoyed with him.  And how the heck was he defeated by an old human Sith Lord when he'd previously sliced up perhaps the fiercest villain in the Prequels (Maul)?

Ok I admit, I had a soft spot for him going into the movies because Obi-Wan was played by a dude named Ewan McGregor.   And by having the same name, I felt compelled, probably by the Force, to like him as a character. I sure didn't.  I liked none of them because they were all one (or less) dimensional.  But I did like the Original Trilogy Obi-Wan.  He was everything the old and supposedly wise Jedi in the prequels weren't.  Patient, using his power only when absolutely necessary, accepting of his fate and of course, heroic. Everything a favorite character should be. :)

So that's how I came to think of old Obi-Wan as the guy I wouldn't mind being in the Original Trilogy.  Except I'd try harder to kick Vader's ass.  Except I'd run when I realized I was defeated, only to come back for a rematch.  Except I'd take out the Death Star instead of just bringing down its shields.  Except I'd show that cocky Han Solo guy I can pilot his piece of junk spaceship. Yeah, I'd be more "excepting" of my power than "accepting" of my fate. Har.

Thus, I've had this figure in packaging since I got him when he was first released and the Rangelord, who is my advisor in all things from the galaxy far, far away, said that this was the ultimate Obi-Wan.  Those word were never spoken more true. So click on for the details!

Iron Man 2 Ivan "Whiplash" Vanko: From Russia With Love

"Hey meine, I vant MY borrd," he said as he slammed the table.  Gotta love Mickey Rourke.  Gotta love Ivan Vanko.  Gotta love Whiplash despite him being a rather one dimensional character.

But nonetheless, he is one of the reasons the movie was so popular and will likely be a hot seller when it's released on DVD soon. (Next month?)

Anyways, being able to get hands on this figure made me really happy because he's the only helmet-less character they've made into an action figure so far in the 3.75" Iron Man 2 line.  There'll be more to follow, but I suspect this will be the only verison of ol' Randy "The Ram" Vanko we'll see.  I personally want a fully armored Whiplash from the climax of IM 2, but nothing's been announced about that yet...

So in the meantime, sit back, relax, and click on over to Articulated Discussion for the latest in my Iron Man 2 reviews!

Lego Kingdoms 7950: Medieval Melee!

What a breath of fresh air this new "medieval knights" Lego Kingdoms line is!  It's Lego but not branded with another license like Star Wars, Toy Story, or Prince of Persia.  That means it's cheap, cheap, cheap--just the way I like it. Ok maybe not that cheap, but cheap enough to be reasonable at retail (which is about a good US$3-4 cheaper for a mini set like this, US$7-8 if it's a Star Wars set.) ;)

But what made this set awesome was the tag team discount haul the Rangerlord and I did at local toy store Simply Toys.  Since they had a buy one-get-one-at-40%-off deal, we both snagged this set and the next larger one, #7949 and split the discount.  So we both got 20% off overall.  This one ended up being only just over S$11 or US$8.  Lego hath never been cheaper!

So how did they size up once busted free of their cardboard prison?  Let's take a gander...

Star Wars 3.75" Legacy Collection: Boba Fett

When I was a kid, there were only good guys and bad guys.  And Boba Fett was a bad guy, dangerous and mysterious.  That's all I knew about him because I was too young to know what Bounty Hunter was.  I already had too much evil to handle in the Star Wars universe with Vader and the Emperor running around Force choking/"lightening" guys to kingdom come.

Looking back, Boba Fett's helmet was what intrigued me the most.  It wasn't as scary as Vader's but it was equally, if not more, mysterious, hiding the character's face and the whole history of how he came to be along with it.  The fact that he was always silent deepened the sense of mystery.

I'll always remember the nod he afforded Boushh in Return of the Jedi after the latter activated "his" thermal detonator while in negotiations with Jabba the Hutt.  One nod, just to say, "I like your style."

One nod that revealed so much about Fett to the audience.  One deadly nod to say, "Let's see if you're as deadly as you claim to be, if you are who you say you are."

Well, this figure is able to recreate that mysterious deadliness with its design.  But that's never been a problem with the vast majority of Star Wars figures--they've got the character's appearance down pat.  What this figure can do is move and pose like the classic Boba Fett.  And as an added bonus, we get to see what he looks like under the helmet!!!