2010 Hasbro Marvel Universe Series 2 #012 Thor

I'm digging back in the files again and pulling action figures that I photographed but haven't blogged before. Since starting on this action figure buying kick last year several things became apparent: there were w-a-y more figures produced than I had ever realized; I can't have them all; I don't want them all. What to do, what to do. I think reaching back into the far recesses of my childhood memories will help steer me in the right collecting direction. Here's my plan (if I decide to actually go forward with it):

First: Collect what I like. I've bought figures this past year of super heroes which quite frankly, I just didn't like. My favorites as a kid growing up in the '50s & '60s were Superman, Batman, Flash, Thor, Iron Man and perhaps about 8-10 more. Considering the Pantheon of Super Heroes is far bigger than that, it's really a manageable number of figures to collect.

Second: Find the sculpts I really like. Case in point. Thor was a favorite of mine growing up and today's Thor figure is nicely done, but he looks like some ghetto back alley street thug to me. I'm not crazy about this particular sculpt even though it's well executed. But that's okay because I know that in the big wide toy world there are more versions available. I just need to find the one I really like. The same goes for all the other super heroes or villains - find those sculpts that I would really enjoy having, probably those that come closest to the visions I had of them when I was younger.

Third: As time and talent permit, build dioramas to highlight and display the figures. Perhaps one or two multi-purpose displays similar to my recently built alien planet display base might do the trick. Just an observation here, but have you ever seen photos of toy collections which showed a whole lot of toys crowded into a bunch of shelving? On the one hand, it's eye candy for collectors. On the other hand, should there be any really special or superlative examples on those shelves they end up getting lost in the crowd. By narrowing the collecting focus, the overall theme doesn't get diluted.

Fourth: Don't constrict the collecting to fit narrow parameters. It's important to enjoy any hobby and have some baseline rules but remember to have fun and make allowances for the exceptions.

Okay, on to today's 4" scale action figure by Hasbro - THOR! Enjoy!

2010 Hasbro Spiderman - Mass Attack Doc Ock

Today on Sunday Comics Sunday we have one of Spiderman's nemesis' - Doc Ock, from Hasbro's 2009 Spiderman series. While this figure is a nice compliment to any Spiderman figure, being well sculpted and not aneroxic looking like others in this series, there was a problem with the toy itself. There are two arm assemblies which fit into Doc's harness assembly on his back. When I opened the package one arm was loose. However, when trying to attach it to the figure it simply would not go in. At the end of the arm is a solid, figure-'8' shaped tab which fits into a slot. This tab was molded way too thick to fit into the slot and had to be carved down with an X-Acto knife. I say this because some little kid could get quite frustrated trying to deal with this and those frustrations may end up spilling over onto mom or pop! If it weren't for that flaw, this figure would have had overall top ratings. I noticed when viewing action figure ratings on YouTube that avid collectors note the use of parts swapping between figures. For example, on one series of figures The Hulks body casting is also used for anotther figure's body. Several more examples were pointed out while watching these videos. Then I happened to notice it myself in the store. The arm assembly you see here on Doc Ock is also used on a Spiderman variant! Interesting, although I don't believe I'm gonna buy it. In any case, for today - Enjoy!

A Visit From Iron Man & 2008 Hasbro Marvel Universe #021 Iron Man

Well, it appears this weekend is Iron Man weekend. Yesterday I got to meet him in person! Okay, not the real Iron Man  - there is none - he's fictional :-) And not Robert Downey Jr either, but rather someone dressed as Iron Man for an Army and Air Force Exchange promotional. The character was provided by Marvel Character Appearances (www.marvelappearance.com). He turned up at the Nellis AFB Exchange and I s'pose I should have been embarrassed to pose for pictures with him, but hey, when you're the tallest twelve-year old in the city why not? LOL From the time I got in the store to the time I left was about 40 minutes - not too bad. I liked the costume but up close it had the appearance of being heavy and probably hot and uncomfortable as there seemed to be a lot of padding on it. The costume had a light attached to the palms to look like Iron Man's blasters and the effect was kind of neat.

The line was already long when we got there. Obviously this was an event geared for kids - like me

:-)

Iron Man makes his entrance

Now that's a Halloween costume!!

The tallest twelve-year old in Vegas :-)

I think the costume is designed to be kid-proof as it appears to be heavily padded.

This was a small card given out to the kids (and me!)

This was a good excuse to feature an older Hasbro Iron Man figure, the Marvel Universe issue of 2008, No 21. This Iron Man has a 50/50 color scheme; that is, half red, half gold. The figure featured a couple of weeks ago was about 95/5, being mostly red with some gold accenting. Today's figure also appears to be slightly thinner. I've noticed many of the Marvel Universe series of figures look a little anorexic. While this figure is nicely done overall, the one disconcerting thing about it is its inability to stand squarely on its feet! The legs are designed such that they cannot be posed straight up-&-down. However, he's still able to stand on his own without too much trouble which is a plus play-value wise. The separate, detachable, large plastic 'blast'  ray coming from his arm requires that he be positioned standing slightly backwards to offset the weight and keep his balance. All-in-all it's a pretty good figure and should be a welcome addition to any Super hero figure collection. Enjoy!

We were at Bonnie Springs last weekend and look who I saw flying over the Nevada desert!