Chazwinski

I can only mimic what everyone else has said. Mirage stands out and is the best of a great looking group. I also think that the red lines are needed on Magma...it fits that era of the New Mutants.

I came across these recently and couldn't decide which ones to get, but I decided to go with the black and white exclusives because both of the main monsters came in one pack... of course I had to make my whole pictures black and white to make the background look right:

By the way, do we know if upcoming waves will have Black and white versions?

SSSPPPAAAARRRRTTTTAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

sorry. Nice Custom.

Wow! Spidey, Thor, Cap and Iron Man? So glad they're really delving deep into Marvel's rich and extensive cast of characters!

Yay! I'm saving more money!

I know that a lot of minimate fans are fond of Jean Grey, so I thought I'd show the new Dark Phoenix 3.75" figure and tell you what I think about it. Obviously, most of the MU fans bought this 2 pack for her and not Cyclops, as he had already been released. That said, I did like the darker, shinier paint on him, although I didn't care for the blue highlights they painted on him.

As far as Phoenix goes, I felt she has more going for her than not. I like the color scheme and I'm glad they went with a bright yellow/gold for her gloves and boots...it has a metallic sheen to it, but still looks comics-accurate. I think a darker gold would have been a mistake. I also love her loose-hanging sash.

My only gripe is that her hair is a little blah and is actually kind of lanky in the back. Dark Phoenix always had crazy big hair, and this hairstyle probably would look better if the costume was the green version. The color looks a little too light as well, and I can't help but feel her face is too calm, but these are minor things. All in all, I like this figure and think it's an improvement over the "Jim Lee" version. If you like X-Men and this line, she's a must-have!

The second wave of the "Vintage" collection is starting to hit. Most of them were sold out at my Walmart, but I did get the new and improved Anakin Skywalker. I had recently picked up the Anakin that came with the battle card, and I didn't think there was anything wrong with him, but the new version is much more articulated. He also has the cool "Sith eyes"...I still can't see Hayden Christensen in him, but who needs to be reminded of his "acting" anyway LOL. The only thing I liked better on the older version was the belt.

Here are some comparisons for you guys.

OK, well I got a Slave Leia in the mail today to go on Jabba's throne and I had a few gripes. First of all the chain on her collar was basically just a little stub poking out. It didn't really look like a chain, so I went and bought a chain that came with some necklace findings in the crafts section at Walmart. I took her collar off and wound this new chain around her neck. Another thing that bothers me about the Star Wars Leias are their size. I know that a lot of people prefer how small they are because it's more accurate. Leia is a lot shorter than the other characters in the movies, but I'd rather have the action figure be the same size as my Luke Skywalker. She almost looks like a child next to them! The Oola figure doesn't have this problem and I like her size better.

The thing I do like is the general sculpt (she's pretty), and I like that they added a pair of legs folded underneath her that you can snap her upper torso on. When you do that her legs are immovable. It looks OK, but it makes her seem even smaller, so I've opted not to use them in my display.

I would be surprised to see an official minimate of him as he is a little on the obscure side of Marvel characters but anything's possible seeing as he could be produced with no extra tooling and is just tampo's over a blank white base. (Are you reading AA/DST!)

They would probably do one of his niece, Angela, instead. The new White Tiger has been getting a lot of development in Daredevil's comic, recently.

Oh, I'm still going to get him in that outfit when it comes out.

I only got 82 on the Part 2 & 112 on Part 3.

Ok, before I talk about this new figure, I'd like to say a few words about my man, Jabba. Chespo kutata kreesta krenko, nyakoska! I really think that we owe him a lot because he had the right idea. Before Return of the Jedi there was a serious lack of babe-age in the Star Wars saga. While other characters were whining about their daddy issues or worried about getting their broke-down hoopty spaceship back, The Huttster was getting Leia out of that ugly Boushh get-up and making her wear a metal bikini. He also surrounded himself with exotic slave girls for us to look at. Not only that, but Jabba also showed us how to keep our pimp hand strong! If one of his hoes got all uppity and spurned his advances, the Rancor got himself a little before dinner treat. Jabba's the big pimp-daddy!

OK, anyhow the new Walmart exclusive figure just came today and he's quite nice. He comes with a throne that moves, his hookah, Salacious Crumb, & Oola (Now I have to wait for the Slave Leia I ordered). He's squishy, but in a good way. I usually don't get Star Wars, but I'm beginning to pick some up. I think these new vintage figures are scores nicer than the POTF figures that came out years ago. They are a lot more articulated and detailed. Here are some pics:

new Wonder Woman costume

We can't talk about that. I'm still in denial.

please make it go away

I remember when Jim Lee revamped the X-Men's look and at first I thought they looked awesome... of course Lee's artwork sure helped in that respect. I think the FOX cartoon introduced a whole new generation to the X-Men and made these costumes iconic for a lot of people. That said, I don't think the 90's were kind to the X-Men in terms of writing (I was NOT a Lobdell fan, sorry AOA lovers!) and I don't think the costumes withstood the test of time. I'm glad they don't wear those costumes anymore but I can see how they make some fans nostalgic... I feel the same way about the Byrne era because that's when I first discovered the X-Men (yes I'm old).

Some of those "Hall of Armor" pieces are pretty cool looking. They go nicely with the 'mates. I think the bottom floor is my favorite.

Pat from AFX tells me that we will be seeing larger versions of these pictures soon. Also we will definitely be carrying these in our store after NYCC.

So glad to hear that, Luke! I always feel bad for not getting stuff from you, but this year has been a slow one for me and most of my must-haves were TRU exclusives... but I'd much rather pick up these sets from you than AFX.

Meh. I'll still get them but hopefully Sam will come with a "rocket blast" & they'll fix Karma's face (It's uuuggggiiieee).

I don't really like that Rhane, either...it's kinda boring. There have been lotsa interpretations of her wolf form. They could have made her look more macabre, or at least added a little cross necklace.

I'm being picky, though. I'm happy to get these. Bring on Magik next!

My Phoenix/Cyclops pack has been pushed back again. I should get them this month and I'll post pics. It's odd that they changed the comic at the last minute. Either one would have been cool as they are both awesome stories. In #175, Dark Phoenix is actually just an illusion created by Mastermind to mess with the team's emotions, but Cyclops has to take down the entire X-Men by himself as they think he's Jean! I'm not a huge Scott fan, but this was my favorite issue of him.

#136 is iconic Byrne era, in which the X-Men actually fight Dark Phoenix. Maybe that's why they changed it?

Anyways, fans of Jean will be happy with either comic.

Great use of the MU Iron Spidey's arms. It looks great on the minimate version.

I just read these posts tonight, and wanted to thank all of you guys for making me laugh out loud.

This is the funniest conversation ever.

Maybe they're the last of their kind? I don't see anyone buying them, so we'll probably still be seeing them on shelves for a while.

I think the bolder lines are supposed to be the highlights across the breasts. The lower lines are where her actual breasts begin. Sometimes it works and makes it look like the fabric is shiny or metal. Sometimes, when too much is going on, it looks confusing.

I got 153 and was surprised to find I had forgotten some of my favorite characters.

I was just looking at some of the differences in the Movie Superman costumes today, Here's the Christopher Reeve version next to the Brandon Routh version:

Also Pam Ravenscroft from True Blood. I confess I don't know a lot about her other than sometimes she looks all Goth and sometimes all Avon-lady. I know she's Eric's progeny...that's about it.

Here's someone for Aldo to carve into, Hans Landa: