Movie Line
TMNT 2 Turtles 4pk
I've been trying to cut back on spending on unnecessary things as of late, especially considering my room is nearly running out of space for collectibles of this sort, but there's a 50/50 chance I might get them. The price tag I admit I'm not too content with, but it's a fair, I believe. The Last Ronin also piques my interest, but I'm not entirely sure whether getting it or not, so we'll see. There's also an accessory set for the TMNT 2 4-pack. Now that one should've been priced a bit lower, I think.
Meh, I'm skipping these; I'm more invested in the Gargoyles line NECA is currently producing, so I'd like to focus on them.
Anyway, here's my latest haul since pretty much July of last year up until last month:
Not a bad-looking variant; it certainly isn't Shadow Master, but it still looks nice. The only thing that I regret is getting it around the time of its release since Walmart recently had about a dozen of them on clearance...although the boxes weren't exactly in the best shape.
I got these at Walgreens while looking for the NECA Ultimate Michael Myers. Finding the first two was a surprise; they were the only ones left stacked among Jack Sparrow figures, which admittedly I kind of regret not getting. The other two I've wanted for a while and found while visiting a Walgreens at a different location; they both go well with the Kingdom Hearts figures.
OG Broly is the best Broly.
Impulse buy while at Walmart, but it was the last one in a near-pristine box, and apparently tagged with the wrong price because it rang $5.98 during checkout when the rest were priced at $20something.
Random purchase I made while doing some shopping on GameStop.com last year. Originally I intended getting the MK11 Spawn figure, but since I missed that boat and Noob Saibot is the next best thing looking like a Hellspawn, particularly Raven Spawn, plus it being on sale I figured I might as well get it. It's literally the first MK-related figure in my collection, and quite frankly, looks cool.
I said I wanted Zakus, and I got the best. Love it! Sazabi is coming in September, which I'm thinking I might get.
Now if only I could find the Megatron (Beast) figure from the Transformers: Kingdom line, that'd be great.
I pre-ordered this one in a heartbeat when I learned about it. Gargoyles was my jam back in the day, so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the rest of the line, and really hope to not miss any. Next up is Hudson!
Kick-ass statue! 'Nuff said.
And here we have this monster of a figure, The Violator, or Violator IV if we go by the naming convention McFarlane used to follow. This beast is massive and it's awesome! Truth be told, I almost didn't get it because I originally pre-ordered the wave, but ended up canceling it given Gunslinger Spawn was a Target exclusive, and in my head I was like, "it's either all or nothing". Ultimately, I'm glad I went against my "better judgement" and got this one because I can't get enough of it, and especially at the price I got it at.
Here's a video review of the figure for those interested, because in all honesty the pictures above don't do it justice.
One thing I will say that bothers me a lot that extends to other big figures outside of Spawn within the McFarlane brand is the base; it's too small, comically tiny. Sure, most figures of the size of this one can stand nearly unassisted, but for top heavy figures a base this small won't cut it—figures of this stature need a base that's adequate and proportionate to their size. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that thinks like this...I hope.
I have a love/hate relationship with model kits, but I spotted this one while at Walmart during a random visit. Funny thing about it, I was coming out of the toy aisle and tripped over my feet, which led me to spot the box, noticing the Impala. I thought it was a collectible toy car from afar, but ended being a model kit, which I almost didn't get had it not been for the fact it was the only one, plus being a fan of the series made it an easy pick up, too.
Picked this one up during the same visit I got the Impala model kit, and what made getting it a treat was the fact it was on clearance. The best part about it is that a week before getting it I was at Walmart running an errand and spotted the figure while perusing the electronics aisle where the collectibles area is at, and thought about picking it up, but didn't when I saw it was $39.95; I though, "I like Spyro, but not enough to spend $40 plus tax". But hey, things worked out in the end.
This bad boy is by far one of my best pick ups of the lot, not only because of the price I paid, but because of the waiting game I played to get it. Last year during October, Walgreens stocked up on these at $29.99, but unfortunately they weren't in the best shape; I went to three different store locations, and they were all in the same condition. Naturally, for me at least, I wasn't going to pay $30 plus tax for a figure in a beat up box, so I decided to let things simmer and come back and see after a week or two, which of course meant they all sold out. One day during December I went to the Walgreens near where I live where they had one left, but still at $29.99, and with part of the back of the box torn off; I held it for like a minute or so and after drawing a blank, I put it back and left the store. A week or so later during another visit, I checked the toy aisle to find the figure was still there and marked down to $2.99, and that was it—game set, and match. To further sweeten the pot, I had rewards points accumulated, so in the end I pretty much got the figure for "free".
Here's more McFarlane goodness...not really. The guy is a pioneer, especially when it comes to action figures and its market, but as a fan I can't help feeling underwhelmed with his new line of Spawn figures, because while they undeniably have the look, they feel cheap. And by cheap I don't necessarily mean shoddy, but they lack character, soul, the spark that made his classic line stand out from the rest; they look exactly like what they are: a mass-marketed product. The only reason I got this figure was the price—it was cheap, as in one digit cheap. Take a look at the pictures I included above, the difference in character and quality is night and day—3D model vs. clay sculpting. I could pick figures from the original line from series 1–8 that have more personality than this one, flaws and all. What made McFarlane a juggernaut back in the day was the fact he didn't compromise, every figure had intricate detail, superb paint apps, and a sculpt quality that was above the rest, and that's what I miss; I don't do photo ops with my figures, and I'm no longer the little kid that used to pose his figures around his room, so I don't really care about articulation, much less if it means sacrificing the feel and quality of the figure. The majority of the new figures that have been released so far, including the upcoming wave, are a hit and miss for me, with maybe a few exceptions, like the aforementioned Violator. Fortunately I'm not alone feeling this way, as I've read the same critique from others, and not only regarding Spawn, but for the other franchises within the brand as well. It's crazy to think that once upon a time this guy left Mattel because of quality issues, which led to start his own company, yet here we are years later.
I was at Walmart checking the collectibles aisle, which was nearly empty by the way, and stumbled with this one; it was the last one, so I pretty much got it on impulse. I would've preferred the blue version, but then again, the suit used in the movie was originally brown, so +1 for accuracy, I guess.
...And saving the best for last, this wholesome foursome that I got from GameStop of all places. After looking aimlessly for the 7in 2-packs, I got tired and gave up; Walmart.com seemingly never stocked them, and the two Walmarts near me have a poor selection of NECA-related figures, and what little stock they have they have priced through the roof—the Raphael/Michelangelo, Splinter/Shredder, and Oroku Saki/Hamato Yoshi 2-packs were $71 the last time I was there, about a week ago from today. I decided to put this in the back of my mind and just let them "come to me", so to speak. So, one day out of the blue I noticed GameStop.com had the 1/4 scale figures for pre-order, and ended up finding out through BBTS that NECA was doing a re-release of the whole line, which also included Shredder and the Foot Soldier, excluding Raphael (In Disguise). These figures have been my white whale since their original release years ago, so after contemplating it for a couple of days and concluding that if there was a time then that was it, I jumped at the opportunity and pre-ordered them. Almost 8 months since then and I couldn't be happier. Granted, this was the most expensive figure-related purchase I've made so far, but it was worth every penny.
