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Alpheon

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Posts posted by Alpheon

  1. Okay, call me a n00b, but as some of you may have noticed, I've been WAY out of the Minimate loop for a while. Stopped by my LCS today and my good friend Nathan pulled out a buttload (Marvel series [forget which one] with Hydra agent, Terminator 2 single-packs, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine wave) of stuff for me.

    I've got tons of questions, but most of them have to do with other licenses--my T2 one is this:

    Do any of the single-packs overlap other releases (besides the Endoskeleton, obviously). I'm not one for packaging variants, and I'd hate to give my money for duplicates I'll "need" to buy later.

    Thanks, guys. :)

    EDIT: I swear, I spent about a half-hour on Minimate Database trying to figure this out. I don't know if this makes me look like even more of an idiot, but I just thought I'd assure you that an attempt was indeed made to find the information myself.

  2. Yeah, add me to the list of casualties. Nothing at my LCS--though Phillip, my dealer, optimistically believes they'll show up in the next week or so.

    This probably means TBT!'s going to be begging, too, as he lives real close. ;)

    EDIT: Noooooooooo!! :wallbash: Just called the "other" comic shop real close to me; THEY had them! When I called, his response was "yeah, we had some, but they went real fast." Damn. If only I'd gone sooner... *sob*

  3. If I may chime in in regards to some of your points, it makes the most sense to me to simply use only the names given on the box. I think Ivan might agree that the Database needs to be most accessible to Minimate n00bs, not veterans like us. If little Joey buys his first Minimate (let's say the Punisher: War Zone pack) and, on the same day, finds Minimate Database, hoping to broaden his blooming collection, he might want to look up the figures he's already got. Well, Joey's never actually seen the film, and only knows Loony Bin Jim by what it says on his package: Mob Thug.

    You see what I'm saying? It's just more clear, and straightforward, to organize the Database as a simply a catalog of Minimates--not of characters.

    And, to the uninitiated, Ben Reilly, Spider-Carnage, and Spider-Man 2099 are variations of Spider-Man. US Agent, too, is a variation of Captain America. The term "variation," I think, is more helpful when organizing if it's not based on the character (that just gets way too involved and complicated) but rather, the parts used, and just a touch on the surface of character relations. I'd imagine it's safe to say that any character to use the Captain America cowl piece in the future can be called a "variation" of Captain America.

    But it's obviously a tough call, especially when we have the sheer amount of characters and character relations we do. I think Ivan's done a great job so far, and his Database is a fantastic resource for all of us. What a gift! :)

  4. I don't understand the negativity towards the comic movie franchises like Daredevil, Elektra, Fantastic Four, post-Burton/pre-Nolan Batman and even Spider-Man (according to Alpheon- wtf?). Sure they're campy. They're actors in spandex/leather costumes based on a comic book. There are a lot of comic story arcs that are WAY WORSE than some of the above-mentioned movies' plots.

    Yes, you have a point--a good one, but one of the two things about the FF and Spider-Man films that made them horrible (in my opinion, of course) were the fact that they seemed to take themselves so seriously, despite their incredible silliness. Especially the Spider-Man movies. The first fight between Green Goblin and Spider-Man in the first film is a prime example of this. It was just...so...ridiculous. "We'll meet again, Spider-Man!!" Also, Sandman's origin scene in SM3.

    The other thing is the cinematography used. It may seem like a small thing, but really--it was the prime factor in making me supremely dislike the franchises in question. As I mentioned before, the FF:RotSS scene where Doom steps onto Silver Surfer's board. Ouch. It was really funny, and absurdly comedic, but at the same time the scene itself seemed to think it was really something serious. That's what made it just terrible, instead of "light-hearted" or "campy."

    And because of the reasons mentioned above, the really weak humor was even more diluted by the fact that the films themselves were utterly laughable, so any attempt at making the audience laugh intentionally seemed contrived and just awful.

    ...but that's just me. ;)

  5. I agree with Dinobot on this one. Give us a new cast and a new director, but don't start from scratch. We don't need another origin story.
    Yeah, but look at what they did with The Incredible Hulk. Opening titles told us all we needed to know. Hopefully, they'll go that route.

    I, personally, cannot imagine liking the Fantastic Four films (or the Spider-Man ones for that matter :blink: )! They were just so juvenile and silly, so corny and B-movie-ish...the very fact that they actually kept his ridiculous name, Dr. Doom, was astonishing. The whole thing just seemed like an insult to comic fans everywhere, to me. Like I said, this is true of the Spider-Man films as well (except the second one. that was actually the tiniest bit enjoyable and epic).

    The scene in FF:RotSS where Doom steps onto the board for the first time? I could not stop laughing. The absolute best example of unintentional comedy in recent "blockbuster" film-making, in my opinion. :lol:

  6. I'm continually amazed (and appalled) to see people refer to Rorschach as things like "insane," "psychotic," and a "ranting, murderous maniac."

    ...are you serious? Really?

    Perhaps I'm reacting defensively, but I feel like you're maligning a long-dead (and exceptionally heroic) friend of mine.

    Rorschach was, in my mind, the only truly virtuous character in the whole story. The story Watchmen itself is anything but uplifting, and is really repellent in its subject matter, and Rorschach reflects that intrinsic darkness in the pages, but still--he was the only one who actually knew what was right, was sure of it, and acted upon his understanding. Everyone else was either wishy-washy or incredibly misguided, and as Rorschach pointed out: compromising.

    I don't want at all to turn this into some sort of personal/political/religious debate, I'm just talking about the character. Rorschach's journal entry at the opening defines the environment of the book, and is one of the most honest and on-the-mark expositions I've ever read from a character on his surroundings. Remember where he was? New York. At night. 1985. Everyone around him was wallowing in their filth of undisciplined, out-of-control and carnally-driven life, without any sort of clear guidelines as to what was right and what was wrong--what else would he write about in his journal? How nice the sky was? No. That's not Rorschach.

    Yes, he's extreme. Of course he is. He's a fictional character. In Watchmen. So of course he's extreme. I'm not saying murder is right--far from it--what I'm saying is that Rorschach, at the very least, truly believed what he wrote about in his journal. I'm also saying he was right, but that's beside the point. :P

    The ending, too, with Rorschach's journal *possibly* being published, is wonderfully analogous for the fact that truth is truth--Good can never be extinguished, and no matter how much you compromise yourself to try and destroy it in order to live peaceably in your own self-imposed limitation, Good will always return (because it cannot be killed), turning the false kingdom you've built out of blackened "morals" into rubble. I can't believe nobody's seen it that way before; there must be others like me out there. :confused::P

    And no, Rorschach did not see things in "black and white." How can people say that? If he did, he wouldn't have killed murderers. He wouldn't have broken into Dan's house. He wouldn't have done the things that appear as hypocrisy if he saw things in black and white. Of course he understood there were areas of grey. But he also understood you should always aspire towards White--and when those around him compromised Right for the sake of living comfortable in Black, it disgusted him.

    "No. Not even in the face of Armageddon. Never compromise." Rorschach believed that if Good is truly Good, how can it possibly be compromised, and still continue to be Good?

    The character himself was also mentally damaged from a horrific childhood and an unsupportive upbringing. So, though he was unwavering in his near-immaculate sense of righteousness, his appliance of that discipline was tinged and discolored with his surroundings and the darkness of his experiences. So, he killed the unrighteous.

    In the end, it's obviously not whether you win or lose, live or die. We all die. It's how you played the game.

    Rorschach understood this as fully as he was capable, and for that, I deeply admire him.

    [/rant] :lol: If I opened up any cans of worms with this post, I apologize, and I'll even edit my message if necessary.

    Remember, I'm not debating anything deeper than fans' perception of Rorschach as a character (and maybe as a symbol, too, if discussions are kept civil enough). :)

  7. Although I am STILL vehemently against their literally naming their team "Watchmen": it worked so well in the comic because it was never said outright (and also, never with an effing "the" at the beginning <_<), and thus registers as being a terrifically foreboding thematic symbol. If I had to hate one single change the movie made from the comic, it had to be the usage of "Watchmen."

    I completely 1,000% agree. I'm amazed at just how well you articulated and echoed my thoughts of the past couple weeks. That is the only thing I'd change. Why, Snyder? Why??

    ...and while this post may seem rather trite, I was going to offer my own commentary--until I read the above megaposts. :rolleyes::P What more could be said?

  8. Nite Owl coffee.

    Not only is it Watchmen-flavored caffeine, but it's being sold on Amazon. Somehow, I don't remember Foldgers ever being available there. <_<

    So who'll be the first to give this stuff a taste-test? :blink:

    Also, from the IGN review: :lol:

    Rendered entirely in CG, this is the perfectly proportioned blue wonder brought to life with striking realism. A few small liberties are taken –

    he has a bigger penis

    , for one, and a slightly translucent cast to his skin – but the dignity and other-worldly presence is there.

    EDIT: Now, wait a second--whose head was "cleaved" in the novel? :huh:

    Fights are graphic, often far more impactful and grotesque than originally rendered on page. Bones snap through skin, a man's head is repeatedly cleaved with sickening viscerality – and yet, it is handled delicately, not indiscriminately.
  9. Hmm...that IS a confusing lot of handguns.

    Going by the packaging shots (and MMDB of course :wub:), it looks like there are six different handguns in this set: 3 small black ones, 2 silver ones, and one slightly bigger, elaborate-looking revolver. My guess is that two of the small black guns are for Assault Punisher's holsters, the fancy revolver is for Jigsaw, while the rest are either for civilian Frank or the thug to mess around with.

    EDIT: I'll bet civilian Frank gets both silver ones.

    Well, thanks for the effort, it was a thoughtful reply--but actually, the revolver specifically goes with Assault Armor Punisher. It's actually included in his right-leg holster when you take him out of the package. ;) So, that kind of eliminates that possibility.

    And I know, logistically, it doesn't matter at all--I was just hoping to chime into the group consensus as to "Who gets the silver pistols?" :)

  10. Boy! I've been gone for a while, lurking about, but keeping pretty up to date with Minimate purchases. :D But I was wondering--how do you guys allocate the pistols included in this set? I've been trying to decide who gets the silver ones. Since they're duplicates, it makes sense that Assault Armor would get them, because he's got twin holsters. But every time I give them to him, the relatively bright silver against his otherwise monochrome outfit just doesn't look right. :confused: Any advice?

  11. I bought the TRU editions when they came out. I already pre-ordered the wave, so when I got them I compared them. There are not really any differences that I could see, except paint mess-ups,etc(the usual stuff). The Street Fighter sets had different colored skins and varying shades of paint to make them different enough. So if you got the variants don't worry about picking up the rest(unless you need custom fodder).

    Thanks! That helps a lot--I appreciate the info. :)

  12. I'm obviously a little late on the bandwagon, but I was wondering if anyone could answer me this:

    I got the full Wave 24 set (including Rhodey), and the Tarantula variant set from Wave 23 from my local comic shop. Is it worth it to buy the other three sets from Wave 23, considering that I already obtained the TRU editions? Keep in mind that I was a person who giddily bought and loved the TRU SF2 'Mates, even after I had the regular release--and I bought the Hulk & Abomination 2-pack at TRU, even after I acquired their respective widespread debut.

    So, I'll buy the redundant Wave 23 guys if they're different enough from their Toys R Us counterparts. Perhaps different shading, better paint apps, shifted details, etc.

    In conclusion, are they different enough? :confused:

  13. YES! I saw the Hunters! "Badass" just doesn't even begin to describe them.

    We're also getting Mongooses. :woot: McFarlane Toys is really catching on to what people want. I mean, look at those weapon and helmet packs! :D These little puppies are to me what Muggs are to the rest of you--a siphon out of my wallet, and a diversion from my Minimate habit. They're also too darn cool to ignore...

    EDIT: Holy turds. I didn't see how freakin' huge those guys were. Wow. I'll need four.

  14. Ugh. "Bands." :P I do not like listening to people trying to "sing" unless it was a recording from over fifty years ago, or a choir, so my list of faves is composers. Never bands. I have a few favorite orchestras (London Symphony and Seattle), but in terms of groups...nada.

    I greatly enjoy:

    Jesper Kyd (SOME of his...a lot of it's just noise)

    Clint Bajakian (oldies, but darn goodies)

    Jared Emerson-Johnson (small body of work, but good stuff)

    Pyotr Tchaikovsky (I'll admit, I don't listen to as much classical as I should, but when I am, it's Pete)

    Harry Gregson-Williams

    A "duh" one: Martin O'Donnell (and his sidekick, Michael Salvatori)

    John Williams (to a point)

    Steve Jablonsky

    Hans Zimmer

    Kevin Riepl

    Of course, Koji Kondo

    Yoko Shimamura

    Shawn K. Clement

    Jeremy Soule

    Mark Griskey

    Randy Newman

    The late Jerry Goldsmith (God rest his soul)

    III (They only arrange works, true, but they do a good job)

    Inon Zur

    ...and that's about all I can think of off the top of my head.

  15. Left or Right arm... I can send you one if like and that way you dont need to mutilate a poor cylon for the job!

    T.

    Thanks, TBT!. Really. I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll decline--I bought these Cylons cheap ($3 for 5), so they're pretty much cannon fodder anyway, and this one I'm using is my misfit/spare Cannon Cylon, that I bought before getting the Suncoast exclusives. I look forward to mangling this Minimate a bit. :D

  16. Okay, plan B. You're gona need a pair of plyers, a knife, and a blow torch. Think Punisher. XD

    Okay, really, here's my second suggestion. Take the arm and boil it/burn it/bake it/whatever. Just get it really really hot. You might try using a blow dryer on the hottest setting. Then get 2 pair of plyers, one to hold the arm, and a pair of needlenose to shimmy down between the gauntlet and the arm. Try that. Your last remaining option that I can see would be to cut the gauntlet off. Find the most inconspicous spot and cut down the the arm.

    Although, I don't see what the issue is with having one cylon with one stuck hand. I'm not sure I'd be willing to risk ruining my toys like that just over one little detain. But that's just me.

    As Ms. Frizzle always used to say, "Seatbelts, everyone!"

    Thanks. That's a good suggestion. I'll both of those.

    And actually, it's not just one--it's all eleven of them. Not a single one will relinquish their prehensile parts. And one I was really set on using for an Iron Monger double, so that I can have Iron Monger out and Stane at the same time. A Cylon seemed like the logical choice...until I ran into this problem. :(

  17. Frustration! Is it just mine, or are Modern Cylon hands/gauntlets/cannons extremely difficult to get off? I had one in the freezer for four days. Four. Days. Still cannot get them off. :( I was just wondering if anyone else had this problem, and had any ideas as to how to fix it.

    I've tried twisting, pulling...just about everything that won't actually damage the Minimate (as far as I know). Thank you for any help you might be able to give.

    I'm disappointed. Am I the only one that read this with a dirty mind? ;)

    :lol: That double-meaning quality of my post hadn't even occurred to me. :( It usually doesn't.

    Still no luck with this. Dinobot, with all due respect, I tried your method. Uh-uh. This puppy's not coming off that way.

    And Rad, I too thought for quite a while that the heads were one piece. I popped mine in the freezer, however, and was able to simply hang him upside-down and lightly tap him with my fingernail to bring the now cold helmet right off.

  18. Frustration! Is it just mine, or are Modern Cylon hands/gauntlets/cannons extremely difficult to get off? I had one in the freezer for four days. Four. Days. Still cannot get them off. :( I was just wondering if anyone else had this problem, and had any ideas as to how to fix it.

    I've tried twisting, pulling...just about everything that won't actually damage the Minimate (as far as I know). Thank you for any help you might be able to give.

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