Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Review: D-Arts Mega Man X Metallic Version (SDCC Exclusive)


Introduction: The Blue Bomber has been a staple in the history of video games for more than 25 years now, and without a doubt, Tamashii Nations has honored this iconic figure with fantastic entries into the D-Arts line. This figure was the first Mega Man exclusive from Tamashii Nations, distributed by Bluefin, for San Diego Comic Con. Two years later, on the eve of SDCC13, does this figure still hold up as well as it did when released? Read on and find out!

Box(4/5): The box this particular figure comes in is a limited edition box featuring a foil treatment to it. It looks spectacular in person, though at times it can be dark, and any damage done to the box is amplified in terms of visibility due to the shiny nature of the box. Regardless, it looks great.


Sculpt (5/5): X (as he shall be referred to throughout the rest of the review) features a fantastic sculpt. For a robot, everything looks great on him. Every nook and cranny is designed well, and his armor looks fantastic. There is next to no problems with the sculpt at all!





Paint (2/5): Now, X is a fantastic figure so far, but this is quite possibly his BIGGEST, weakest downfall; the paint. Does it look flashy? Yes. Does it look like a real robot? Sure, but a bit overdone. Does the paint show a lot of wear and tear over time? Ohhhh, you bet. Though the actual paint application on X is relatively great, deserving a 4/5 in its own right, white comes out in the final product is lacking. For example, the chrome paint on X can chip off, and most likely will. Also, on this reviewer's particular figure, the leg sculpt shows some... clumping(?) of paint near the joints. To go alongside this, paint transfer of the faces of X can happen thanks to the red jewel on his forehead. Also, paint transfer has been documented on other figures from the hands to the cuffs of the forearm armor on X.



Articulation (5/5): Back to the awesome. X has articulation out the wazoo, and is able to balance almost perfectly, too. Ball jointed feet, swivels on the biceps,ball jointed neck, shoulders (with a hinge, too, under the armor), hands, torso, waist, and hips make this one awesome robot! Overall, perfect.







 Accessories (5/5): X comes with just about everything one would need for this awesome figure.  Splayed hands, fist hands, an exchangeable forearm so both arms can be used, a buster piece with a red jewel in it, a calm, angry, and yelling face, one with a hole to support buster shots, and a three piece shot, along with a fully charged shot. The only thing missing is some sort of stand piece, with reasoning for it in the Watch Out! section.












Watch out!: As stated before,the paint on X can be an issue for some. Also, the larger buster shot has been known to snap the bicep swivel of the arm that is supporting it. A stand or support of some kind is highly recommended. On a final note, parts tend to come off of X, due to the part swapping gimmick of full armor X and this figure.


Overall (4/5): Despite the paint issues, the metallic version of X is a fantastic figure, and works great in nearly every collection. It was an impulse buy for this reviewer, and next to no regrets since!

Well, hope everyone enjoyed the first review of D-Arts week! More to come!




Import Monster News: Pre SDCC Edition

15 new reveals will be shown off this week! WHOPEE!


Monday, July 15, 2013

Revoltech Jessie: Import Monster News

Looks like Woody is getting a deputy! More information as it comes!


D-Arts Wishlist

We all have those wishlists floating around somewhere, so for D-Arts week, here is my top 5 wants for the D-Arts line!

#5: Omegamon renewal


Omegamon was one of the first entries into the D-Arts line and, given how Wargreymon is getting a "2.0" version, so to speak, and MetalGarurumon was just released, it would make sense to update the older figure now. In addition to that, not too many people have had the chance to get this figure for less than $150, so it would be a great savings idea for collectors.


#4: Lugia

A well done Lugia would be fantastic to add to the D-Arts line. It could come with a an Aeroblast effect part, alongside a Hydro Pump one, too. In addition to this, a legitimate repaint in the form of Shadow Lugia could be made and it could come with a Psycho Boost effect part, too.

#3: Lagicarus (Monster Hunter in general)

This big beastie, hunted by the famous Ironbeard, would be the first Monster Hunter entry for the D-Arts line, and would hopefully be the first of many. Lagiacrus also has two subspecies, allowing for mixing and matching different accessories, including a lightning forcefield, lightning blast, and water tornadoes.

#2: Captain Olimar & Pikmin



With the new game Pikmin 3 coming out, it would be a fantastic chance for a company to get a proper figure of this captain made. He could come with different hands, three different types of Pikmin, and changeable limbs for the Pikmin. To go along with this, Louie from Pikmin 2 could be made, coming with White and Purple Pikmin, and a captain from 3 could be made, coming with Rock and Flying Pikmin. Also, each one could come with a piece to build a rocket,

#1: Samus (Metroid Prime)


As state before in the "what I would like to see next year" post towards the end of last year, this bounty hunter tops my most wanted D-Arts list. She could come with so much, ranging from different beam weapons and arm cannons, along with a morphball extra, with legitimate excuses for repaints, I think this figure would be a great seller and an instant preorder for me! 





Sunday, July 14, 2013

D-Arts Week!

Hey there, followers! All this week, we will be dedicating articles and reviews dedicated to the D-Arts line! Here's the line up for this week!

Sunday night: Top 5 D-Arts wants
Monday night: Mega Man X Metallic version/SDCC exclusive review
Tuesday night: Blastoise review
Wednesday night: Mewtwo review
Thursday night: Charizard review
Friday night: A look back on the D-Arts line
Sunday night: Special review to celebrate a big release in the D-Arts line!

Stay tuned for more!


Monday, July 8, 2013

Review: S.H. MonsterArts Kong the 8th Wonder of the World


Introduction: In October 2012, the world had the chance to see the Eighth Wonder of the World, King Kong (as he will be referred to throughout this review for simplicity's sake). The first entry into the S.H. MonsterArts line was met with open arms by some, though others wanted nothing to do with it. Did Tamashii Nations make the right choice to add this beastie into the line to combat Godzilla and his friends? Read on and find out!

Box (3/5): King Kong's box is not overly spectacular, though it gets the job done. Unlike other S.H. MonsterArts entries that feature a shot of the suit or a newly rendered version of the monster, this box features a stock photo of the figure on the front, with more on the back. As per the usual, King Kong is shown through the front window on the box.

One interesting note, however, is that the box is almost entirely in English; the only Japanese this reviewer  found was nothing more than warnings and so on that would be required for a product on the self in a Japanese store.




Sculpt & Paint (5/5): King Kong features remarkably well done details and paint throughout the figure. The fur on King Kong looks fantastic, and the cuts on King Kong look very fresh. No paint slop can be found at all on this reviewer's figure. One small gripe with the cut marks on Kong is how bright they are, though as just mentioned, this adds to a very fresh look of them.






Articulation (4/5): King Kong's interesting in the articulation department; he's all ball joints! Bicep swivel, shoulders, legs, torso, elbows, everything! The toes are hinges, though. For the most part, this works for King Kong, though his bulky sculpt can limit this articulation. His head features almost no movement, and his biceps are prone to falling off if pulled too much, unlike a similar natural swivel joint. King Kong cannot take too many crazy poses like a S.H. Figuarts figure, given his human-like features, but he is able to do quite a bit a gorilla can do naturally.

Do the monkey with me, COME ON!

With a ball joint here..

And a ball joint there....

Here a joint.

There a joint

Everywhere's a....

Ball joint...



Das a funneh jowke, mang.

Accessories (5/5): King Kong comes with plenty of accessories that add to the display value of the figure.  He comes with hands for him to walk on his knuckles, fists, slightly open fists to hold the log, splayed hands, a log, three total faces featuring normal, angry, and the infamous hoot face that has been making the rounds on the internet, along with a hand sculpt with Ann Darrow in it, and a base, arm, and claw to help support the massive figure take some agile poses. The only issue, if one would call it that, with the accessories would just be more faces and possibly more hands, but what King Kong comes with is totally fine.







Watch out!!!!!!: Not much to watch out for on this big lug except that the joints might like to come loose and pop out, though it is an easy fix.

Overall (4/5): At the end of the day, King Kong is quite the great addition to the S.H. MonsterArts line and is a fantastic first entry for a non Godzilla monster. Hopefully, Tamashii Nations releases more Western monsters in the line to spice the line up a bit. If one is a fan of King Kong, or simply wants to add a big gorilla to their collection, there is no reason to pass this guy up!

Now, come here and give this big gorilla some smoochies!