The Pop Culture Junkie

Firing Squad

2011-12-29T12:17:00.002+08:00

How it feels like every time I tell creatives the clients rejected their ideas.

Suit of Armor

2011-11-30T21:07:00.002+08:00

After much wait, finally the set is now complete. Last off from Hot Toys' Iron Man 2 series is the Mark V. I'm not including the Mark II Armor Unleashed in the list because technically the suit was already featured in the first movie.

Hot Toys announced the Mark V sometime in December 2010 and after much, much much delay the figure is finally hitting the store shelves. Most collectors were wondering if this figure would ever make it out of the factory floor seeing as it's been almost a year but the wait, my fellow collector is worth it.

The packaging is similar to the other Ironman figures from the line. I was hoping Hot Toys would somehow make the box art interconnected with one another just like the Mark IV War Machine and Black Widow but alas that was not the case. No biggie tho, just thought it would be cool to arrange the boxes and make one big poster-like collage.

Out of the box the figure looks stunning. The details on the Mark V is astounding. Much love and dedication definitely went into the making of this one. The suit is beautifully replicated down to scale. First thing you'd notice is how scrawny the figure is. Technically this suit is suppose to be light in the plating department and was meant to be portable and having that in mind Tony Stark had to sacrifice a lot of armor to make the suit work the way it does (Whiplash's power whips cut through the armor like a hot knife through butter).

I like how John Favreau paid homage to the classic comic book series by having an updated version of the Ironman briefcase; where in the comics Tony would store his Ironman gear in a briefcase and when needed would quickly change into his superhero duds. They even included the suitcase as part of the accessories, along with the handcuffs. Also worth mentioning is the choice of color for this particular suit. The Silver Centurion armor color scheme was used for the Mark V notably a nod for the fanboys; even though the Mark VI was more like the Silver Centurion armor sans the color. Hey maybe I should photoshop the Mark VI. Hmmmmmm....

The articulation on this one is as good as you're gonna get it. It's far superior in terms of joint movements if you're comparing with the IV and the VI but don't expect the V to perform any contortions. It still has limitations, where the upper arm hits the chest plates. There's actually an instruction manual on how to position the arms during poses. Be careful when posing though, when done wrong you might chip the paint off.

Another thing I'd like to point out is the articulation on the lower body and the ribs. I can't seem to figure out how to outstretch the joints, much like how the IV and the VI could pull the joints apart for more articulation. I tried numerous times to do so but couldn't. Funny thing is the instruction manual actually shows you how to do it but I think I was too scared to risk pulling it and snapping my figure in two.

If only Hot Toys had thrown in a bruised and battered Tony Stark headsculpt in there that would have definitely made my day. I must say I am quite happy with this purchase. Noteworthy to the Ironman 2 line. Hats off to Hot Toys yet again for yet another masterpiece.

Enter the Bay (Updated)

2011-11-16T16:51:00.019+08:00

(Update)Sorry for the error ladies and gentlemen, this Enterbay T-800 is actually in 1:4 scale. My bad, thanks Desmond for the info

Jeng jeng jeng! Well looks like Enterbay has acquired the license to produce the T-800 from Terminator 2. I have no idea as to why Enterbay would want to produce a figure that Hot Toys has just put out on the market barely a year ago. I understand if the figure is a few years old and they would like to make a better version of it but IMHO Hot Toys pretty much nailed the figure.

From the pictures I can tell straight off the bat that the head sculpt on Enterbay is pretty impressive. Dare I say even better perhaps? But there's something about the muscle body they're using that doesn't seem to fit. I can't put my finger on it but it just looks a bit out of proportion especially the shoulder area.

But hey, I think it's good that there's still companies out there who are willing to challenge the almighty Hot Toys for top spot. The other companies try harder, because they're second spot. It keeps the big HT in check seeing as they are starting to monopolize the market and when that happens, capitalism is sure to follow.

Hope Enterbay releases more pictures soon. So if any of you missed out on the Hot Toys version, maybe you'd want to consider picking this one up. Will you be getting one? Thoughts?

Iron Clad Behemoth

2011-11-12T17:36:00.010+08:00

Tony Stark, mortally wounded was kidnapped and forced to build his captors weapons of mass destruction. To save his life, Tony instead build himself a suit of armor which also allowed him to escape. Since his return from captivity, Tony vowed to protect those in need and so Ironman was born.

The movie back story was slightly different that his comic origins. Something to do with using China as the backdrop was somewhat sensitive, so they opted to use the middle east as the enemy (USA propaganda strikes again people). But no matter, the movie stayed true to the history despite that minor change. No biggie.

One of the more detailed Ironman figures from Hot Toys, the Mark I is indeed beautiful. Though not as articulate as the rest of the line, the detailing on this one is astounding. Every scrap of iron, wiring, nut and bolt were nicely replicated from the actual movie suit to this 1:6 version.

When Hot Toys first previewed the figure on its newsletter, everyone was speculating whether the suit could be removed and reveal a Tony Stark figure underneath but alas we were wrong. Nevertheless collectors were still happy with the end result. The Mark I were selling like ice cream on a hot sunny day when it first came out.

Most of you might have either passed this one on or could not secure an order but fear not. Hot Toys has announce that they will be re releasing the Mark I. It's still uncertain whether the new Mark I will be a reissue of the old one or new goodies would be thrown in so that us poor collectors who already own the first Mark I would have to fork out more cash to actually buy the new version.

I'm starting to get worried with Hot Toys lately. They seem to be milking us dry with reissues, upgraded versions or repaints. And I don't know about you guys but their prices have increased, not by much though.

I'll wait and see what the new Mark I has to offer before I spend my hard earned cash on it. How about you guys? Are you getting one? Thoughts?

The Pop Culture Room

2011-11-04T23:00:00.005+08:00

The Pop Culture Room's finally up and running. I've still got a few more things I need to put up like the 3 Avengers posters but overall this is pretty much how the room looks like. I must say I'm quite happy with how it turned out :)

Click on picture for a bigger view

A World Without Jobs

2011-10-06T11:19:00.002+08:00

The good ones die young. Rest in peace Steve.

Comic strip

2011-10-03T04:34:00.006+08:00

Was bored today so I decided to have a bit of fun with my figures. Initially I wanted to take some silly shots of Ironman and War Machine but ended up doing a 2 page comic instead.

No plans to make this a weekly thing or what not as I don't want to commit to something I might not be able to keep up. But this will definitely not be the last. So yeah, it's my first time doing this so I hope you guys like it! :)

Good Cop. Bad Cop.

2011-10-02T16:26:00.008+08:00

The late Heath Ledger gave us a stunning performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight. Who would ever thought pretty boy Heath could have given us one of his most stunning roles as an actor in a purple suit and make up.

The Joker spent most of his screen time donning his trademark purple suit with the exception of his cute nurse outfit, all the while having his make up on. But in one particular scene gave us a rare glimpse of Joker without make up. Man, even without makeup he still looks frigging scary!

So Hot Toys thought it would be an excellent idea to include this figure along with its DX Joker release. I must say a 2 for 1 is not a bad deal. All you need to do is get a Hot Toys TrueType body and dress the thing up and voala! 2 Joker figures for the price of one! I wish they would do more of these 2 for 1 figures. Especially the new DX Keaton Batman. They should include Keaton's head together, that way we can have 2 Bruce Waynes!

But on a more serious note, The Dark Knight would not be the movie that it is without the amazing Heath Ledger. So I here's to Heath, arguably the best Joker there ever was. Rest In Peace. Heath Ledger. 4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008

Hitting the Mark

2011-09-20T23:03:00.012+08:00

Ironman 2 to me was not as disappointing as most people might think. I loved every bit of the 2nd Ironman movie as I did the first one. There are few who might not share my sentiments as some say the 2nd one did not match up to the first one. The first one was indeed a fantastic thrill ride, what with it being Marvel Studios' first movie. It was indeed a huge success and matching up to that would be quite a feat. But I say they did a fine job in doing so. Maybe not matching the first one, but the 2nd did the 1st one justice

Ironman 2 gave us more than enough Ironman armour to last at least 2 movies; with the introduction of the Mark IV, the Mark V, War Machine and of course the Mark VI. That's 4 suits in one movie! But hey, who's complaining.

The Mark VI carries an uncanny resemblance to the Mark IV, with the obvious exception of the triangular window on the chest plate that houses the arc reactor. The changes are subtle but if you're sharp enough you'll notice the minute differences. You'd notice that the Mark VI armour is slightly chunkier than the Mark IV most notably the thighs and the calves. The arms and biceps are also beefed up with armour.

Once again Hot Toys delivers and the translation of the Mark VI from big screen to 1:6 scale is simply stunning. With the artistry, dedication and love that was put into this figure, the only direction Hot Toys will be heading right now is up. Let's hope the success they're enjoying won't go to their heads and start charging us premium prices.

War. What is it good for?

2011-09-17T19:37:00.012+08:00

"So you wanna be a War Machine?" said Stark to Rhodes right before they blew the house up. I loved how John Favreau squeezed that into the movie without making it corny or forced upon. I was all giddy when I heard that in the cinema like any fanboy would.

When Hot Toys launched the first line from their Ironman line fans and collectors alike were astounded by the quality and effort that was put into making the figures. There were a few hiccups here and there like how the coloring on the Mark III was more maroon than Hot Rod Red and the problem with the torso being unable to bend or flex more freely.

But with the new Ironman 2 line, Hot Toys managed to solve both these problems brilliantly I might add. The Mark IV and VI showcased the craftsmanship of Hot Toys and reminded the public why they are indeed the best in the business.

War Machine was the first figure released from the series and as always Hot Toys delivers on the goods. He might not be as flexible as the rest of the lot but he was built that way. A tank. A big fat frigging cybernetic-no bullshit-kick you in the ass-exoskeleton tank :)

I can't wait for the rest of the figures to arrive; The Mark V, Mark II Armor Unleashed, and the highly anticipated Iron Monger!

It's good to be back

2011-09-15T00:05:00.006+08:00

I just realized the last set of pictures I posted was way back in February. I haven't been taking a lot of pictures of my figures as how I used to last year. You know how it is, the same lame excuses; busy with work, no time, no space, no light, no this, no that.

Well hopefully now all that will change as I just finished settling down in my new pad. I've got more space now and I'm setting up the second room and turn it into "The Pop Culture Room".

I'll share pics of the new pad but right now here's some pictures I took of the Mark IV. More to come!

Heroes Overload

2011-09-12T20:54:00.006+08:00

3 major comic book movies are just around the corner and us fanboys are anxious as always to see the final outcome of their favourite characters on the big screen. I'm following closely on the three big ones; Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, Josh Whedon's Avengers and of course Chris Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises.

All 3 movies are currently in the midst of principle photography and with that set pictures are popping up all over the internet. And as a fanboy, i feel it is my duty nay obligation to share these photos with you.

First off, Man of Steel. As most of you already know Warner Bros are rebooting the Superman franchise with director Zack Snyder at the helm. Zack has a very distinctive style when shooting his films so it's interesting to see how he would fare with Big Blue. He's no stranger to comic books, having previously directed Frank Miller's 300 and Alan Moore's Watchmen. He might not be the best when it comes to telling his own original story (Sucker Punch was beautiful no doubt, but the plot wasn't all that strong IMHO), but with enough Superman source material spanning for more than 70 years Zack should do just fine.

Now on to the pictures. First thing you would notice is "Where the heck is the bright red underpants?". This has to be by far one of the biggest debates of the movie. We all know and love Superman for what he stands for; Truth, Justice and the American way. And just as iconic as the man himself is his bright red and blue costume. Sure we've made fun of his fashion sense of wearing his underwear on the outside but that's also what makes Superman well, Superman.

You'll also notice that there are streamlines on the side, back and his waist, which makes the costume someone "alien". I'm actually totally fine with this addition to the costume. He is after all an alien from the planet Krypton so its only fitting that the suit has remnants of his now perished world.

My guess to the costume overhaul is people at Warner Bros (who also owns DC Comics) wants to tie up the new movie with their New 52 comic line which in turn has something to do with copyright issues with Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Where is the underwear? One must question the obvious.

Alien influenced.

Well at least they got the boots right

I'll save my judgments about the movie till I see something more concrete like a teaser trailer.

Man of Steel is slated for June 2013. Don't hold your breath :)

Next would be earth's mightiest heroes; The Avengers. Rumour on the internet has it that the movie will be loosely based on the The Ultimate Avengers animated movie by Lionsgate.

Josh Weadon of Buffy and Serenity fame is steering this behemoth of a movie project and I am very very excited. After what he did with the X team in Astonishing X-Men books, I have faith that Josh Weadon will hit this one right out of the park. His take on the X-men lore was dare I say ASTONISHING (pun intended). He was a key figure in kicking back the franchise back into full gear with his 24 issue run. So it's no surprise Marvel entrusted him to take on this mighty challenge of bringing together earth's mightiest heroes onto the big screen.

Now on to the main show. Most of you have probably seen the illustrated concept art for the ensemble of heroes, so here they are in the flesh. I really like how they did Clint's outfit, the slight hint of purple and not overdoing the costume too much. A for Cap, I'm not really sold with his costume. It just looks weird. I would prefer them maintaining the costume he had on in his movie, with army centric design. And is it just me or does Chris Evans look smaller than he was in the first movie?

Cool outfit dude. Work out much?

Ol' Winghead taking a brisk stroll along Park Avenue.

Dude, can you hear with those ear muffs on?

On your mark. Get set. Go!

Thor's hair grew from his last outing.

He does look smaller innit?

This to me is by far the most exciting thing that has ever happened in comic book movie history. Comic book crossover comes to life on the big screen. EPIC!

Last but not least, we have Chris Nolan's highly anticipated conclusion to his Batman trilogy; the Dark Knight Rises. I'm still kinda sour with the title Nolan gave the movie but small matter. They just finished shooting in Pittsburg, and moving on to the next location.

One of the main talking point for the movie is Bane played by Tom Hardy. Fanboys across the globe is criticizing Nolan's choice of actor to play bane, stating that Hardy's too tiny to carry the role of the man who broke the bat's back. Nolan's Batman, if you don't already know by now is grounded. Which means than even though Bane is big and bulging in the comics doesn't mean he needs to be one in real life.

I believe Tom Hardy can pull off Bane. Note in the comic that Bane is more than just a big dumb brute with humongous muscles, he is just as intelligent and cunning as Bruce and we do need an actor of certain charisma to pull that off. I believe in Nolan.

I dunno about you guys but I am seriously psyched about these 3 movies. I wish I had the DeLorean and head to the future but that ain't happening so I'll just have to wait. Hope you enjoyed the pics!

Photo credits:

Slashfilm.com

Firstshowing.net

Superherohype.com

Assembly

2011-09-05T19:02:00.005+08:00

Can't wait. Seriously.

Parting is such sweet sorrow

2011-08-04T23:13:00.003+08:00

Hey guys, I'm parting ways with 2 of my precious possessions. Hot Toys The Dark Knight Batman New Suit and Joker. I'm selling these 2 off because I need to make room for other items in my collection. You can see my listing here:

Hot Toys The Dark Knight Batman New Suit and Joker

It would be great if you guys could tell your friends about my sale as well :)

It's hard for me to part ways with these 2 seeing as how long I had to wait for them but seeing as I already have the DX versions i felt it was only logical to let these 2 go. Hopefully these will be the only 2 I'll let go :)

Hot Toys Captain America

2011-06-22T13:33:00.005+08:00

The figure looks good. But too bad they didn't include an unmasked Chris Evans head. And is it just me or is the shield a wee bit small? Anyway I'm definitely getting my hands on this one. How about you guys?

First Look: X-men First Class International Trailer

2011-04-28T20:48:00.005+08:00

I'm slowly beginning to believe that Vaughn could actually pull this off...

Ironman + Hancock = Ironcock

2011-04-06T20:17:00.001+08:00

Anybody interested in catching this?

Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters

2011-04-06T19:49:00.003+08:00

Stumbled across this at Firstshowing.net. This 60's inspired fan made opening credits was done by the very talented Mr. Joe D. What got me was the fact that he actually used the theme song from the 90's X-men animated series (remember the series?). Pretty cool stuff. More proof that fans really know better :)

Monsters Are Cool

2011-04-05T17:02:00.004+08:00

Came across this via JimSmash's blog. This is a no brainer. I'm getting the Mothra and Gojira. Thank Jim for the share!

*pictures courtesy of NiceKicks.com

First Look: Captain America Official Trailer

2011-03-24T18:55:00.006+08:00

All I can say is; I FUCKING CAN'T WAIT FOR THE MOVIE!!!

AYBABTU

2011-03-14T19:47:00.004+08:00

I was feeling nostalgic so I thought I'd post this. Enjoy!

BTW to those of you who are clueless as to what this is, this is based on the Japanese Sega Megadrive game Zero Wing. Bad back translations from Japanese to English resulted in this worldwide phenomenon. ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US! ZIG!

First Look: The Red Skull

2011-03-04T12:14:00.003+08:00

Pictures galore! Last night I posted pics of Optimus Prime sharing the cover of Empire magazine with Sentinel Prime(?!). Not many people were pleased with how Sentinel Prime looked like (that includes you REBEL!). I was pretty upset too at how Bay does not respect the source material at all but alas we geeks can rejoice as our beloved characters from our favorite childhood comic books are in good hands. So far Marvel's track record has been good so far. Hopefully they can keep the momentum going.

The movie is just around the corner and we have had a glimpse of him but so far we haven't had a clear cut picture of Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull so here it is. I present to you, THE RED SKULL! Damn he looks good. Wise choice to cast Hugo as Ol' Skullsky. Im really excited to see how this will pan out. They've finished principle photography last month and the movie's now in post production. Can't wait for July when The First Avenger: Captain America hits theaters.

How do you think the movie would turn out? Share your thoughts, I'd love to hear your comments :)

First Look: Transformers 3

2011-03-02T19:28:00.004+08:00

Lo Behold! Sentinel Prime!

First Look: The Amazing Spiderman

2011-02-15T18:21:00.005+08:00

Well there you go fanboys. Official title's out. The Amazing Spiderman. So is the official picture of Garfield in the costume. Amazing? Or not Amazing? Lemme know what you think :)

First Look: X-Men First Class Trailer

2011-02-11T12:47:00.004+08:00

Trailer galore! Summer is just around the corner and so are the summer blockbuster movies. It's a busy year for Marvel having 3 films slated for summer releases; Thor, X-men First Class and Captain America. I've debuted the Thor trailer and recently the highly anticipated Captain America Super Bowl teaser trailer. Now 20th Century Fox has just released the first trailer for X-men First Class. I'm a bit iffy about the movie, having lost faith in the franchise when 20th Century Fox decided to screw up the 3rd one by hiring Bratt Ratner as director.

I'm pretty upset that they did not maintain Xavier's original class; Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel and Iceman. The only original student is Hank McCoy AKA the Beast. How is it X-men without the original class? Blasphemy! Curse you 20th Century Fox!

Anyway, have a watch see and tell me what you think in the comments. Are you excited?

First Look: Captain America Teaser Trailer

2011-02-07T10:16:00.001+08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, Captain America's official teaser trailer! Lemme know what you guys think in the comments. I'm excited, are you?

First Look: Captain America Official Teaser Poster

2011-02-05T17:53:00.003+08:00

Official Poster. Nuff said.

My momma once said...

2011-02-03T19:13:00.002+08:00

...never count your chickens before they hatch.

Finally...

2011-02-03T16:49:00.005+08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is finally over. The worldwide premier of the Captain America's first trailer will be aired during Super Bowl XLV's half time interval. Be sure to stay tuned to the Pop Culture Junkie to view the trailer. 3 more days to go sports fans. Excelsior!

Until then here's a sneak peak at James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes (right), with the man himself, Captain America.

Hot Toys DX Joker

2011-02-02T07:03:00.016+08:00

I was messing around with the camera one day so I decided to whip out a few figures to snap photos off. First victim was the DX Joker from Hot Toys. The lure of this figure has to be the headsculpt. I thought the one that came with the Bank robber Joker was good well this one kicked that one's ass, hence the close ups of the headsculpt and not so much on anything else :). Slow Sunday + bored dude + camera + figure = pictures.

First Look: Captain America

2011-02-01T20:53:00.004+08:00

Check it out. Empire Magazine's front page spread of Chris Evans as the Cap. Shites. Can't wait...

I want one!

2011-01-30T17:02:00.004+08:00

Spiderman, Spiderman does whatever Japan can....

2011-01-23T05:51:00.006+08:00

I was utterly speechless when I first saw this picture of Spiderman in his latest gear from the new Spiderman movie. The first official picture of the costume from Sony looked kick ass but after seeing this I am indeed not looking forward to seeing this on the big screen.

I mean really?! This costume reminds me of that cheesy Spiderman series from Japan back in the 80's. The eye patch are similar and heck they even have the same arm bracelet thingamajig which is a sad excuse for a web shooter.

Seriously, somebody from Marvel's getting paid a heap of money to even let Sony get away with this monstrosity. Gahhh!!

The itsy bitsy Spiderman climbed up the water spout. Down came Sony and washed the Spiderman out...

Ugly ass fuck sad excuse for a costume. Is he wearing Air Jordons? No wait, Nike Airs?

Cheesy Spiderman series from Japan. Spiderman knows karate. He also has a cool bike and a gigantic spaceship that transforms into a robot. Take that Spiderman USA!

Even cheeser opening theme from Spiderman series from Japan. Can you spot the similarities?

Daywalker

2011-01-18T00:07:00.003+08:00

The quality of craftsmanship from our friends at Hot Toys is undoubtedly one of the best in the industry. I remember back in the old days we would worry whether the head sculpt from a certain character might not match, or if the overall look of the character might not be as accurate as it's original counterpart. But nowadays Hot Toys has set the standards of toymaking to new heights, that us collectors are somewhat "spoiled" complaining more on the accessories or a lack thereof. But Hot Toys are not as thrifty as they might seem, finding balance of licensing fees versus extra items versus price.

Hot Toys hit a homer when they obtained the rights to produce the Blade figure from Marvel. No disrespect to Wesley Snipes (he kicks ass btw) but it's a good thing that Wesley Snipes isn't your Hollywood A lister actor. Hot Toys didn't have to spend a bomb on hefty royalty fees, hence they could beef up on the accessories and still keep the price reasonable.

Hot Toys Blade comes with a ton of stuff. The only thing that's missing in the box is the bike. This has to be one of the best overall figures of 2010 (overall = excellent head sculpt, fantastic costume / material, and full of accessories) so to all of you collectors out there who owns one, kudos to you for money well spent.

Hot Toys made a very smart decision when they bought the rights to produce Marvel characters and so far they've lived up to their name and have done the Marvel franchise justice. We've seen a sneak peak at their remaining Ironman 2 line, Ghost Rider, Spiderman 3 as well as Thor. I'm pretty psyched to see what they would pull out of their magic hat for Captain America. This year I'm giving priority to Marvel exclusive figures and try to refrain myself from buying anything else. Its gonna be tough, what with Christopher Reeves' Superman and Tim Burton's Batman also in the works. Maybe I can take a part time job somewhere. Anybody looking for an AM?

iBirthday

2010-12-28T23:18:00.005+08:00

10th December 2010 was my 29th birthday (please no one remind me how old I am thank you very much). I know it's very cliche to say that one has the best parents in the world cos I think every child would say the same thing about their parents but heck I have the best parents in the world! Usually I could guess what they would get for me but this year they really blindsided me with this gift. I had no idea they'd get me an iPad :)!

Prior to the official launch of the iPad here in Malaysia, a lot of people were already carrying these around including my uncle. He's one of those "I'll buy the latest gadget in the market just cos" type. So he would lug around his iPad here and there and as all shiny new toy everyone wanted to play with it. Me being the "sensible" person that I am, I did not see the need to own one. "It's just a big iPhone" I keep telling my uncle. Even so there were a lot of limitations with the iPad. No built in camera, you can't technically make phone calls on it, multitasking on the thing is non existent, and the biggest boo boo it does not support Flash.

But when I got this for my birthday, I was both ecstatic and dumbfounded at the same time. First thing that came to my head was "What am I suppose to do with this?"Being a skeptic all these while, I had a bias opinion on the iPad.

But after fiddling with it and downloading numerous apps for the iPad, I can now safely say that I'm an iPad lover. There's a whole lot of interesting apps that takes advantage of the multitouch capabilities of the iPad. One "genre" in particular would be the music apps. I've been downloading a lot of music apps and turning my apartment into a club and me headlining as the resident deejay. ReBirth, Akai SynthStation and Groove Maker just to name a few. I'm having a blast playing with the iPad.

The iPad is one of those "nice to have" toys of 2010. if you have 2K to splurge and want something cool I would highly recommend getting the iPad 64g.

First Look : Thor Teaser Movie Poster

2010-12-10T18:37:00.003+08:00

6 months to go. God of Thunder. I pray to Odin the movie will turn out good...

First Look: Transformers 3 Dark of The Moon Teaser Trailer

2010-12-09T19:20:00.005+08:00

And so it begins. Doesn't look like much. I dunno how Bay's gonna spin the Transformers storyline. It looks like the Arc and the last robot kinda looks like Unicron. Your thoughts?

First Look: Green Lantern Teaser Trailer

2010-11-19T14:23:00.005+08:00

The first Green Lantern trailer is finally here! Now let's see if DC's got what it takes to beat down their closest rivals Marvel when it comes to movies :)

Ok so here's the breakdown. So after watching the trailer I'm beginning to doubt Ryan Reynolds' capabilities as a serious actor. I mean he was good in "Buried" and "Amityville Horror" but that's just the extend of it. Even when playing an iconic character like Hal Jordon, he still portrays that cocky cool lovable annoying guy. I mean its Hal Jordan, I don't remember him being that cocky. At this point (basing my judgment on the trailer) I think Ryan Reynold was a wrong choice for the role of Green Lantern. I foresee the movie to tank and/or get bad reviews. Don't get me wrong, it'll still be a box office hits in terms of sales but somehow it's just gonna be another Transformers 2.

The scriptwriters are also to be blamed if the movie tanks. With lines like "I'm gonna take this pants off and fly some planes" and " What now? We go look for trouble" sure sounds cheesy. I'm seriously foreseeing the movie to be just another action comic movie with humor laid down here and there. But yeah That's just me basing the movie from what I saw from the trailer. Either way I am kinda excited to see Green Lantern since he's the first from the Justice League since Superman, Batman and that ever so crappy Flash movie. Anybody else share my sentiments about the movie?

First Look: Captain America

2010-10-29T20:59:00.008+08:00

Damn! Photos galore! Entertainment Weekly has just release official photos of the upcoming Captain America movie! And man lemme tell ya the photos don't disappoint!

I'm glad to see that they kept the Ultimate Avengers WWII Captain America outfit in the movie as well as his shield. The look kinda goes well with Chris Evans actually. So my guess is that they'll start off with Rogers getting enrolled into the Super Soldier program to combat the threat of the Nazis lead by Johann Schmidt. He goes to war, manages to do battle with Johann and somehow Johann got the worst in the battle and he presumably dies and the war ends. Or so they thought.

Everything's all fine and dandy until a new threat arises. Johann now becomes the Red Skull due to Johann sustaining serious injuries to his face during the epic battle between Ol Winghead and himself. Captain America is once again called upon to do battle with his old enemy. During one of their encounter Red Skull reveals that he is in fact Johann and somehow blames Cap for what happened to him.

Armed with a new shield and costume, they do battle once again, Cap kicks his ass, he loses, the end. But not before giving one last final 1 finger salute to Uncle Sam by releasing a missile aimed straight for the White House (maybe). Cap hops on the missile, tries to disarm it mid air, somehow manages to blow the shit up and plummet straight down to earth. Where does he swan dive down to earth you ask? Over the Arctic Ocean that's where. He falls, sinks down and gets frozen in an ice capsule. Credits start rolling and the movie ends.

Or does it? Typical Marvel movie style there will be an Easter Egg at the end. We see Nick Fury in a sub, when suddenly the radar starts bleeping like mad and the end line goes "Sir, we found him". Then you get a close up of Rogers frozen in ice.

But hey that's just my speculations on how the movie will go. I could be wrong, hehehe! But until the movie hits theaters summer 2011, we fanboys will have to wait and find out. Enjoy the pics. Excelsior!

First Look: Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon

2010-10-08T20:00:00.010+08:00

Yes that is the title of the 3rd installment of Michelangelo Bayonet's Transfuckers. I sincerely hope that what I read is a typo and I really hope that it's just a working title but I'll be a monkey's neighbor's babysitter if they actually stuck to that title. So far from what I've heard they've mellowed down on the story and are emphasizing more on big robots duking it out battle royale style. Which is exactly what I want! I can live with a so-so storyline with corny one liners but really who gives a crap? I'm paying to see big mother trucking robots beating the shit out of other big mother flanking robots.

So far I've only seen set pictures and footage but I've yet to come across concept arts for the new designs for the robots. Maybe Bay's keeping this one under tight wraps this time around. As you can see from the pictures below there's a red Ferrari 458 Italia which my guess is that should be Sunstreaker (logically that should have been Sideswipe since the color scheme matches but whatever). So Sideswipe's got a speed buddy now.

There's also a few nasty twisted metal looking NASCARs and I'm guessing they're Decepticons. So much for hiding in plain sight. They must be so bad ass that they don't really give a hoot if everybody knows they're evil robots from outer space.

On a lighter note, I'm quite happy that Bay actually included Prime's trailer this time around. And not just any trailer, G1 accurate to be exact! Sigh, just wish we could see Prime as a red flatnose cab together with the trailer. Oh well at least we fanboys are getting our share innit?

So watch out for the release in June 2011. I'm a bit excited about the movie. What about you?

G1 Optimus Prime. Well close anyway.

No more sliding into corners there Prime what with all that extra weight you're carrying.

Looks like the Decepticons fornicated with H.R Giger's Alien. Ewwwww!

Being topless. It ain't just sexy with women...

Ninja driver!

Sideswipe and Sunstreak.

Man this is one ugly looking car.

Patrick Dempsey. Does anybody really care if he's in the movie or not?

Another one of them uggo NASCAR

Bubblebee's sporting a spoiler now.

Plow the road Prime!

Ferrari 458 Italia. One sexy italian...

Ratchet's new color scheme

What else can I say to insult these cars?

Mmmmm. Daddy wants one...

Movie Trailer: The Warrior's Way

2010-10-04T17:18:00.007+08:00

What's cooler than swords? Ninjas wielding swords that's what! I am such a sucker for movies with swords and ninjas and this one looks kick ass. I watched the teaser trailer a few months back and was sold just watching the teaser and this is the first full length trailer for the movie.

The movie was originally titled Laundry Warrior, is written and directed by first-time Korean filmmaker Sngmoo Lee, who is making his directing debut, with Weta Digital working on some of the visual effects.

The Warrior's Way stars Korean actor Dong-Kun Jang, American actors Kate Bosworth, Danny Huston, and Geoffrey Rush. Dong-Kun Jang plays Yang, a skilled and legendary swordsman who's been trained by his master to be the greatest and strongest warrior in the lands. He went rogue when his master sent him to kill a new born baby, the last of a rival clan. He couldn't kill the baby but instead Yang flees Japan(I think) together with the baby and starts a new life in the wild wild west. As all movies with the same mold, no surprise what happens next. The master and his entire clan hunts him down and all hell breaks loose. The Warrior's Way share a very similar storyline as Ninja Assassin so if you've watched that you can kinda get the gist of the movie.

It mixes westerns, martial arts, and fantasy in a hyper-stylistic way, and looks pretty badass. Think 300, The Matrix, and Ninja Assassin all rolled into one movie. Can't wait to catch this. It hits theaters on 3rd December 2010.

First Look: More Captain America set pictures

2010-09-29T22:45:00.010+08:00

Look what just surfaced on the world wide web. More set photos of the upcoming Captain America movie. We've been getting bits and pieces of photos here and there but as of now we fanboys have to make do with whatever comes our way since the movie's a year away. So far we've seen the suit (stuntman or no stuntman), what seems to be Hydra goons, and an odd looking oldsmobile that frankly kinda looks like what Batman would drive if he were to be around during the 40's.

I'm really hoping we'd get to see Chris Evans in the suit, cos ever since I saw the previous set pics of the stuntman in the suit, I've been losing faith in the movie. I dunno maybe it's just the fanboy in me screaming bloody murder at how the suit looks all flimsy and flabby. I mean I'm just saying, to marry the modern hi tech cat suit look with 40's garment materials and standard issue Army wear just looks a bit off. They should have just gone with one of the looks, either the Ultimate WWII Captain America or the modern Ultimate Captain America suit. The marriage of the two just isn't working out for me. But hey it's too early to tell so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I've been wrong before so hopefully I'll be proven wrong again.

Here's hoping the movie doesn't suck balls. Excelsior!

Chris Evans as the iconic Steve Rogers

Ol' Stevie saving a dame from being hit by an automobile

They Hydraboat? Maybe they should call it Hydra Hydro

Pictures courtasy of SlashFilm

When Icons Meets Style

2010-09-28T18:25:00.006+08:00

The good people at Nike will be launching their Nike Zoom Huarache TR Mid – Superheroes Pack sometime in October -November 2010. The set is inspired by the art of a forthcoming pack of DC-themed TRs. So far they've only announced 3 designs with the first being The Flash with Superman following suit (pun intended :P). The last one is apparently Green Hornet which doesn't really make sense, so I'm just gonna say its Green Lantern instead.

According to the world wide web the shoes are gonna run for about USD115 (around RM350) a pop. A pretty hefty price but they are Air Jordons. I wonder how long it'll take for these cool kicks to hit our shores? I'd definitely wanna get my hand on at least one of em. I don't really fancy the Superman color scheme but I might just go with the Flash one. We'll have to wait and see if they'd be covering other DC characters, I might find something I like more than the Flash one, hehe!

The Green Lantern

The Flash

Superman

Mortally Yours

2010-09-28T00:22:00.015+08:00

Check out this awesome short clip of what most people are speculating is a new Mortal Kombat movie. Some even said it was an in-game movie for a new Mortal Kombat game but rather its short film directed by Kevin Tancharoen with fight choreography by Larnell Stovall who also choreographed the recent Undisputed III: Redemption. Based on the Mortal Kombat, game by Midway, the short-film actually was made by the director to "sell to Warner Bros on his vision for a re-imagined" MK film.

It's a sweet ass short but seriously somebody needs to turn this into a movie. The set up for a movie is already there. And I love the fact that they made everybody "human" rather than spin a nonsense tale of Outworld and demons and goblins. So the powers that be, listen up. We the nerds and geeks all across the world employ you turn this gem of a story into a full blown movie. Finish it!

New look

2010-09-28T00:03:00.004+08:00

Hi guys, sorry I've been out of action for a very very very long time. As usual my excuse is I've got no time so here I am making time sitting in the office trying to make sure my new blog design does not go awry.

A special thanks to Introblogger for the cool blog template. I'm still doing some touchups here and there so some functions might not be available yet so bear with me. Hopefully now with a new look my postings can resume once again! (I hope, hehehe)

First Look: Captain America set pictures

2010-09-09T14:48:00.005+08:00

These exclusive pictures of Captain America in action on set started popping out from the internet just today. So I'm here to share all the glory with you guys today. Enjoy!

Captain America on an American classic

Chris Evans' stunt double preparing for a shoot

Clearly his stunt double. Check out the double chin.

The Red Skull's goons in hot pursuit of Cap. Check out the insignia on the side. Kinda looks like Hydra's. But it could be the Red Skull's

The Red Skullmobile?!

*pictures courtesy of INFphoto.com

First Look : Thor

2010-07-30T20:30:00.003+08:00

You saw it here first folks! Watch it before it gets taken off my site!

If only...

2010-07-21T15:11:00.004+08:00

If only the movies will turn out as good as these images. Crossing my fingers!

Captain America

Thor

Fatality

2010-06-11T11:37:00.003+08:00

Check out this awesome short clip of what most people are speculating is a new Mortal Kombat movie. But in actual fact it's a in-game movie for a new Mortal Kombat game which Midway will be announcing at this year's E3. It's a sweet ass short but seriously somebody needs to turn this into a movie. The set up for a movie is already there. And I love the fact that they made everybody "human" rather than spin a nonsense tale of Outworld and demons and goblins. So the powers that be, listen up. We the nerds and geeks all across the world employ you turn this gem of a story into a full blown movie. Finish it!

Oh My Stars and Garters!

2010-06-05T05:04:00.018+08:00

My last post I featured Captain America's early concept art for his costume and today I'm posting up Thor's early concept art. This is suppose to be an early concept art but by the looks of things this kinda looks like the costume worn by Chris Hemsworth in the earlier picture I posted a few weeks back. I was so excited to see Cap's earlier concept art, but looking at Thor's outfit I can't help but feel a little scared as to how the movie will turn out. The costume looks too hi tech for my taste. It doesn't really shout God of Thunder to me. It looks more like something Superman would wear, just slap the big S and you got the Man of Steel. It's just so far off from the new costume Thor's been sporting these days. Your thoughts?

The Man

2010-06-03T16:50:00.006+08:00

Ok now people don't get too excited just yet. This are just prelim designs for the Cap. As you can see they used Chris Evans' mug. I must say this is looking pretty sweet. Only thing I'm not feeling is the round condom head. Never really liked the Ultimate Captain America look. They seriously need to bring back the wings. It just ain't ol Winghead if he ain't got no wings on his head innit? But overall this is one cool looking first round! Stay tuned Marvel fans. Excelsior!

Uggo

2010-05-10T21:03:00.007+08:00

Well well well. One of my predictions came true. Hot Toys is producing Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow.

I would just like to say that this figure is just blergh. I know what most of you might say that this is just the prototype that yeah it might come out different once the design has been finalized but man this is one uggo figure. At first glance you can't even tell if its Scarlett or Angelina Jolie. If you go closer you might find some sort of resemblance to Scarlett but as Randy Jackson would say "sorry but I just ain't feeling it dawg". And I'm not loving the open mouth thing she's got going on.

This will be an easy pass for me. Thanks Hot Toys but no thanks. Now let's see what other of my predictions will come true, hehe!

God of Thunder

2010-05-02T21:29:00.004+08:00

Oh My Odin! Thor!!! Nuff' said

The Losers

2010-05-02T18:49:00.022+08:00

A lot of smaller scale comic book titles are mushrooming out into the silver screen some good and some bad. Kick Ass, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World just to name a few. The Losers is based on the DC Vertigo comic book series of the same title.

I'm always wary of films like these but I would always go in the cinema with an open mind. So I went to catch the movie last weekend and boy I wasn't disappointed! It's actually a decent movie. I'm not talking about Oscar nomination or things like that but The Losers was entertaining and that's exactly what movies should be; entertaining.

I know a lot of hates out there are complaining about us dissing Transformers 2 being a big pile of manure but that was exactly it. I'm not expecting a good script, nor Academy award performances. I just wanted to see big giant robots kick the living crap out of each other but all I got most of the movie was a whiny kid with his dumb girlfriend and 2 questionably stereotypically racist robots.

Anyway back to The Losers. It's a good all round movie. Its got comedy, good action sequence, and one steamy sex scene. All the ingredients you need to make a decent movie. Think Ocean's 11 meets Snatch meets the A-Team and you got yourselves The Losers. I know some might say its been done before and there's nothing new or innovative about the movie. It just follows the exact same formula as any action movie. The protagonist will always be an ex of some kind (CIA, FBI, Spec Ops, Marines etc), go and save the world literally single handed and they get the girl in the end. Same old same old. But if its not broken why fix it innit?

The Losers is one solid movie and I believe is going to be one of those sleeper hits of 2010. Seriously go and watch!

Pop Culture Junkie's Must-Watch-O-Meter : 7.5 over 10

Capitalism

2010-04-24T01:27:00.012+08:00

"Good thing comes to those who wait..." BUT "The early bird catches the early worm..."

Ok ok. Enough of the expressions. Down to business. Now we all know that Ironman 2 is around the corner and Hot Toys is busy churning out figures for the movie. So far we've seen War Machine, Whiplash and the Mark IV. So that's 3 figures so far. SO FAR. But as always we collectors can expect more products from a certain franchise if the merchandise license holder feels that the property will be a huge hit, why not milk it for what it's worth right?

So to my count, Hot Toys will be producing at least 4 more figures (plus 4 more maybes) for the Ironman 2 series. Question is, which ones? I'm just speculating here but here's my short list of what we can expect from Hot Toys:

Mark V (The suit that resembles an unfinished Silver Centurion suit)
Mark VI(The updated Silver Centurion suit but without the silver)
Those War Machine knockoffs (Justin Hammer's mass producing those in a Proton factory somewhere)
Probably a variant of one of the abovementioned suits including the ones that have been announced
A variant of the Mark II (It did make an appearance in the movie)
Maybe even Tony Stark in his racing outfit (wouldn't be suprised if they did)
Samuel L Jackson as S.H.I.E.L.D numero uno Nick Fury
Scarlett Johansson as Natalia Romanova a.k.a The Black Widow

Having said that, collectors everywhere will start to ask the question "Should I buy now or should I wait for another version of the same model?" (See how my opening line makes sense now?). As for me, its pretty simple. I'm just going to get the first one of each. War Machines's a no brainer seeing that this is his first outing we won't be seeing a variant version anytime soon. I might even consider picking up Nick Fury. But other than that whatever variants Hot Toys might cook up after I think I'll pass.

How about you guys? Buy now or wait?

Hot Damn Marvelous Toys

2010-03-19T03:00:00.044+08:00

With the recent announcement made by Hot Toys that they had acquired the license to produce Marvel Comics characters, I was ecstatic. I was happier than a fat man on free donuts day at the bakery. I had high hopes for this merry marriage of the 2 pop culture giants. What's not to get excited about? 2 of my major loves; 1:6 figures and comics. Comics and toys were my world growing up as a kid.

I grew up with Marvel comics, reading and buying them as a lil lad and still collecting them till this day. From Spider-man to the X-men, Avengers and Invaders, I even had Spider-Ham comics! (I'm not making this up, google it up if ya don't believe me hehe!). I was just drawn to the Marvel universe. At one point in time I did try to venture out to other publications (my "I-wanna-be-different" phase) during the big fall out at Marvel where Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefield, Jae Lee, Jim Lee and a few others decided to pack up and leave Marvel to start their own publication. I was a huge follower of McFarlane back then, so I started picking up Spawn. It had a decent storyline and McFarlane was a good artist/writer but when Greg Capullo took over penciling duties from McFarlane I was hooked. I think I was up to issue 78-79 when things started to get lame. I dropped the book completely and went cold turkey with comics. (Marvel wasn't doing too well at that point, facing bankruptcy and possible close down) The stories they were coming up with were utter nonsense. The Clone Saga? Really? That was crap. They manage to bastardize your friendly neighbourhood webhead and turn the entire thing into a circus. The people at Marvel still joke about the saga till this day. They even drop jokes in the comics sometimes.

Even so, I was always drawn back to Marvel. It was hard not to cos I grew up with the characters and to know and love them as a kid. I started picking up Marvel titles again a few years back and have been continuing collecting ever since. So now that Hot Toys has the license to produce Marvel characters, I'm psyched to see what figures they will produce. I have faith in Hot Toys to pull off a good job. Their first outing under the Marvel license would be Blade from Blade 2 the movie. Wise choice with the character. Tho a small time player in the Marvel Universe, the movie was off the chain. It proved Marvel that they can make good superhero movies which lead them to greenlight the Spider-man and X-Men movies. And let's face it, Blade is one cool cat. As for the figure, what else can I say other than it is one stunning mother father! (I'll review mine when I have time to actually snap the damn thing, hehe!).

Character choices are just as important as actually making them. Hopefully Hot Toys will do justice to the franchise. So to help point Hot Toys in the right direction, here are is wishlist of Marvel characters that I pray Hot Toys will produce. So without further ado I present to you;

The Pop Culture Junkie's Marvel Hot Toys Wishlist

Captain America (Steve Rogers)

Captain America, the ultimate American hero. Steve Rogers took part in the Super Soldier program by the US in an effort to create the ultimate soldier. Steve Rogers emerged from the program with a body as perfect as a body can be and still be human.

Captain America is one figure Hot Toys should invest in. I mean come on, its Captain America. Greatest hero who isn't a superhero. He'd hold his ground against the Skrulls and give Ironman a beat down of his life.

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter: 10/10

WW II Captain America (Steve Rogers)

Whats more cooler that Captain America in his costume? Captain America in his WWII duds that's what! Sporting his classic crest shield and US Army standard issue combat helmet, this figure could kick ass! I know there have been kit bashes before this but I want Hot Toys' magic hands to craft this one.

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter: 9/10

Captain America (Bucky Barns )

Once Captain America's sidekick, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes now holds the mantle of the fallen Captain America. Presumed dead by Cap, Bucky became the Winter Soldier under the USSR due to his memory loss. He eventually was freed of the mind control.

Need I say more why Hot Toys should make this figure? Just check out the costume design by Alex Ross himself.

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter: 8/10

Iron Spider (Peter Parker)

During the Secret Invasion crisis, the then S.H.I.E.L.D director Tony Stark ordered all super beings to register themselves to the government. Some followed and some retaliated. Peter Parker was one of the first super human to register and openly reveal his identity to the world. As a show of gesture, Tony hired Peter to be his personal bodyguard. Tony created a new suit for Peter to use, and a new name to go with it; Iron Spider!

I wanna see Hot Toys pull this one off. I reaahhly want them to make this one!

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter: 10/10

Cyclops (Scott Summers)

One of the original X-Men, Cyclops learned a lot with Professor Xavier's guidance. Due to the trauma of losing his parents and separation from his brother, Cyclops can't really control his optic blast. Hence the visors.

I really love the new Cyclops. Ever since the events of The House of M, Cyclops has been one bad ass mofo. He's not the sissy Cyk of yesteryear, he's so bad ass now Wolverine actually listens to him without questioning! And Im digging the new costume

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter: 8/10

Prelate Summers (Scott Summers AoA)

During the Age of Apocalypse (AoA) storyline, ol Cyks here is one of the bad guys. Him and his brother Havoc run the show under their "father" Mister Sinister. Oh yeah and Beast does weird experiments on people. Neat.

This version of Cyclops is just to good to pass. He's one of the baddies, he lost one eye to Wolverine and the costume is cool.

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter: 8/10

Cyclops (Scott Summers)

Jim Lee designed this Cyclops costume. Nuff said!

PS: Medicom's version sucked balls!

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter: 8.5/10

Angel (Warren Worthington III)

Also one of the original X-Men, Warren grew up in the school that Xavier build. Gifted with wings, Warren mutant powers also include healing factor. I don't think Hot Toys has ever done a winged figure yet so this could be their experiment. Heh!

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter: 8.5/10

Archangel (Warren Worthington III)

Angel was kidnapped by Apocalypse. Wanting him to lead his 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse as Death, Apocalypse manipulated Angel's DNA. With blue skin and razor sharped wings, Angel now became Archangel.

Winged figure. METALIC winged figure. Too cool for Hot Toys to pass on.

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter: 10/10

Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur)

Believed to be the first ever mutant, Apocalypse was a true believer of Social Darwinist philosophy of the survival of the fittest. By far one of the baddest, illest villains Marvel Universe has ever conjured up!

Come on, its Apocalypse here! A must!

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter: 9/10

Apocalypse (AoA)

In a world where Charles Xavier never lived to form the X-Men, Apocalypse ruled the world with an iron fist where only the strong survived!

Cool alternative to the original.

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter:7/10

Planet Hulk

Banished from earth by the Illuminati, Hulk crash landed on the planet Sakaar only to be captured and made a gladiator for the Red King's entertainment. Hulk eventually freed himself after the Silver Surfer destroyed the obedience slug controlling the gladiators.

Hulk + Gladiator outfit + big ass shield and mace = Cool Ass!

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter:10/10

Colossus (Peter Rasputin)

Born and raised in Russia, Peter Rasputin's awesome mutant abilities to change his skin to organic metal makes him one bad ass mother trucker!

If Hot Toys can pull this one off with real metal I'm buying their stocks!

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter:9/10

Magneto (Eric Magnus Lehnsher)

One of the X-Men's first and greatest foes, Magneto believed that mutants should rule the planet. Xavier's long time buddy, Magneto have fought with and alongside the X-Men. Frienemies?

What's an X-Men to do without its greatest foe? BTW Medicom's version also sucked balls!

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter:9/10

Cable (Nathan Christopher Summers)

Having to give up his son to save him, Scott Summers handed over his son to the Askani in hopes to save Nathan from a techno organic virus sent to kill Nathan by Apocalypse. Now back from the future, Cable fights alongside the X-Men!

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter:7/10

Gambit (Remy LeBeau)

Born Remy LeBeau, Remy was kidnapped at the hospital by the New Orleans Thieves Guild thinking that he is the chosen one. After a stint with Mr Sinister and the Marauders, Remy soon encountered Storm, where she sponsored his admission to the Xavier School for the Gifted.

Remy was always one of my favorite characters from Marvel. The movie didn't really do him justice. I hope Hot Toys will if they ever decide to produce him.

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter:7/10

Thor

The son of Odin the All Father and Jord the spirit of Earth, the Asgardian god of thunder has fought alongside Captain America in numerous occasions.

His new costume kicks the old costume's ass! But either way if Hot Toys produce this i wouldn't mind splurging my hard earned money on this one

Hot Toys Must-produce-O-Meter:9/10

So if you guys have a wishlist too, feel free to make one. It'll be interesting to see who has what on their wishlist. Happy listings!

Old School Flava : Kenner Batjet

2010-03-18T23:13:00.012+08:00

Back in 1989, Toy Biz was initially producing the Batman figures but lost out the contract to Kenner. Kenner kicked started the franchise with The Dark Knight Collection. They were mainly producing Batman figures with many variations of the character, with different gadgets and new costumes. The series started off with 4 figures; Crime Attack Batman, Iron Winch Batman, Shadow Wing Batman and Tech Sheild Batman (2 of which I owned, Shadow Wing Batman and Tech Shield Batman).

The series also produced several vehicles. One of them being the famous Tim Burton Batmobile. I didn't buy the Batmobile seeing as how I already had the Toy Biz version (reviewed here), so I got my hands on the Batjet. The Batjet wasn't based on the movie, but in actual fact was a repaint from their SilverHawk series

Talk about being lazy. Reduce, reuse, recycle, repaint.

The Batjet came with retractable wings that can spring out and missile blasting action. According to the leaflet you retract the wings for "dive bombing" and with a press of a button BAM! the wings pop out and Batman flies off. As you can see I'm missing the front end of the Batjet, that's where the missile is suppose to be but yeah I kinda lost it.

I used to play the shiznit out of this toy. But now I keep it safe in its box and hopefully it'll survive another 20 years or so. Hopefully by then it'll hold some sort of value then I have to move it into a vault or something, heh!

Finally!!!

2010-03-18T02:11:00.004+08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, finally our very own Toy Fair! Wohoooooo! Check out more details here. This would be a good opportunity for local collectors to finally meet up. So I'm calling all fellow Malaysian toy bloggers, lets set up a gathering. My fellow Singaporean bloggers are more than welcome to join us too. I'll be updating any news about the event so stay tuned!

Legends

2010-03-12T02:27:00.006+08:00

Marvel Legends broke the mold when It came to articulate 6' figures. Toy Biz first started off with their DC action figure line back in the late 80s. The most notable toy line from Toy Biz back then was Tim Burton's Batman movie line.

Then in 1990, Toy Biz went on to produce its first ever Marvel line called Marvel Super Heroes. Superheroes and supervillains such as Captain America, Daredevil, Dr. Doom, Dr. Octopus, Silver Surfer, The Hulk, Spiderman and Punisher were produced.

Soon after they released their most memorable toy line consisting of only characters from X-Men . The line was a success and they went on to produce more and more action figure under the Marvel banner. Toy Biz was well known for its articulation. Toy Biz was always pushing the envelope when it came down to articulate figures.

Now after all these years they have finally mastered the trade, with what would be Marvel's best toy line. Marvel Legends. The line started off with series 1 with the basic figure. As the series progressed, they started to introduce the Build-A-Figure (BAF) series starting with the Galactus series 9.

I bought my first Marvel Legends set way back in 2005, Mojo series 14 and I was immediately hooked. I started hunting down whatever series that I could get my hands on. To date I only have the Mojo series, Modok series, Onslaught series, and the Apocalypes series. I'll post more Legends soon.

Oh My God of War!

2010-03-11T17:03:00.007+08:00

After all that waiting, delayed release and teasers, God Of war 3 finally hits stores. I wonder how long it would take for it to get here? Hope they bring in the ultimate edition set over to our side of the world.

Is that an Ironman in your pants or are you just happy to see the trailer?

2010-03-11T15:03:00.002+08:00

Ladies and Ironmen, I present to you the 2nd official trailer for Ironman 2. Enjoy!

Meow

2010-03-11T01:17:00.008+08:00

Puma has been one of those silent but deadly shoe companies in comparison to the big boys Nike and Adidas where they would splurge out tons of cash to sign big names and ridiculously expensive advertising. I never actually owned a pair (they were a few that caught my attention), but never actually got around to buying one. But this beast caught my eye the moment I stepped foot into the store.

The Puma Basket Bright series was one that actually caught my attention. I swooped the pair as soon as I saw it. And the best part is that it was on sale 30% off baby yeah! Oh and did I mention that this was the last pair they had and it was my size. Talk about luck. I was meant to get it heh!

Ever since I bought this pair, I now frequent Puma stores just in case I might find another gem like this one right here :)!

A bit too long if you asked me...

2010-03-07T05:44:00.002+08:00

Holy crap! My last post was in December! How time flies when you're not having fun (cos you're too bloody busy with work). I do have to apologize for my absence, its just been one very busy year.

So anyway, remember how I said I needed to slow down on my toy spending and DX Joker would probably be my last purchase of the year? Oh my weak weak soul in which I have succumb to the Toy Devil. Oh woo is me for I have purchased Blade. Damn those pictures! The figure is just to damn beautiful to pass. I was going through my fellow bloggers' sites and read nothing but good things about Blade. Aaa but it was worth it, heh! It was one of those "I'll-kick-myself-in-the-nuts-if-I-pass-this-off" figures which I just had to buy.

I haven't had time to snap that yet, or even the figures before this. I still haven't taken any photos of Toynami's Voltron, Ironman Mark 1 and the DX Joker. Matter of fact, I think I've got a few more figures I haven't snapped photos off. I reaaaahhhly need to make time la if not I'll never start. Need to put all this on my To-Do list. Now where did I put my pen and paper...

More Iron in your diet

2009-12-17T16:50:00.002+08:00

Ladies and Gents, the first official trailer for Ironman 2! Looks like its gonna be a bitchin' movie! May 2010 get ready to get an overdose of Iron in your diet!

The Iron Is Coming

2009-12-01T17:09:00.003+08:00

Check this out! Official teaser poster for Ironman 2! War Machine baby!!!

Hiatus

2009-11-24T00:21:00.003+08:00

Hiya friends, sorry I haven't been updating my blog. I don't really have anything new to share and I'm pretty much so occupied with my work that I don't really have time to snap photos of anything. My DX Joker just arrived so I'm probably gonna go and collect the thing next week. After that I'm pretty much done for the time being. I won't be purchasing anything new even tho some of the new offerings from Hot Toys are pretty tempting; The Comedian and Blade just to name a few.

Reasons being is that I'm planning to get my own place and a new car so I need to channel all my income on those. But not to worry, I'll still be blogging about pop culture. Just not as active as I used to be. Thanks for the support you guys have been giving me. It's been my pleasure. So keep collecting fellow toy bloggers and godspeed!

DX My X

2009-08-30T06:47:00.010+08:00

Ever heard the term "Milking the cow dry"? It's when you try to squeeze out every dollar and cents from a certain item or brand for all its worth. Seems to be a popular thing nowadays. George Lucas is one of those people who knows how to milk it. His Star Wars franchise spans throughout the entire pop culture. From toys to comics, video games to cartoon series and not to mention the endless merchandises. This has always been a common trait with businesses especially if the property is profitable. Hit the iron when its hot. So with all the milking that's going on around us we the consumers suffer.

I totally understand why companies do this. If there's a profit to be made then why not innit? Its up to us as consumers whether we would want to succumb to their offerings or just stray away. Most of us, me included find it hard to turn a cheek especially when they promise to offer newer and better things to an already existing product. But only if its worth it. Take the new Iphone for instance. I know a lot of Iphone users want to change to the new Iphone S solely because of the functionality and the superiority in comparison to the older Iphone. Its suppose to be a step up and not the other way around.

Like how Sony revealed its new PS3 slim. In my opinion the fatter PS3 is far greater than its slimmer cousin due to the fact that Sony took out some stuff like the USB ports, no media card reader and removed the "install other OS" capability just so it could make it slimmer (I actually have a point to all this so trust me on this one, hehe!)

Now comes to my beloved toy collection. Hot Toys has started this whole DX crap where the figures they produce for this line are suppose to be better than its previously released Movie Masterpiece counterpart. I mean im all for improvement and I wouldn't mind getting it as long as it promises more that its predecessor. Take the Joker for instance. Yes i've preordered him guilty as charge but i PO'ed Joker because its like getting 2 figures in 1. All I need is a nude body and i get 2. Joker in his police disguise + accessories and his classic purple get-up + accessories and a new head. So yeah I think its worth my money.

But what about Batsy over here? An extra head sculpt with interchangible mouth pieces and a sticky bomb gun? Is that it? You expect me to cough out my hard earned cash for that? Ill just wait for some dude to sell it on Ebay thankyouverymuch. The most it'll cost me would probably be around 100 plus maybe 200.

This is ridiculous, too much even. And surprise surprise Hot Toys will be releasing yet another version of Ironman. Battle damaged? Shit I could just give mine to my neighbour's cat and i'll instantly get a battle damaged Ironman. I know as long as there is demand, they will forever be supplying and continue to milk the cow for as long as it can make them money.

But that's my take on the matter. So guys and gals, please leave your comments or thoughts. I'd love to hear what the rest of you think on the matter.

*pictures courtesy of Hot Toys

Shell Head

2009-08-23T22:58:00.015+08:00

2008-2009 has been a very good year for Hot Toys. They've been raking up all the top movie licenses and have been producing excellent figures from each franchise they acquire. Ironman is no exception. When Hot Toys first announced they were picking up the rights to the Ironman movie, every collector was excited me included. Then when we caught a glimps of the first prototype figure we went gaga! Cantik gile!

So when the figure finally hit our shores everyone was just racing to their respected toy stores to go and pick it up. It was indeed as well crafted as how the pictures were. Detailed and intricate, this figure was a work of art. Hot Toys really hit the ball out of the park with this one!

The only downside of the figure was the paint. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about shabby paint job or blotchy paint. The coloration is just off. The hot rod red seemed more maroon than red and the yellow was dull and not the golden finish we saw in the movie. Pictures can be deceiving. So to compensate for that i decided to photoshop my Ironman and get the coloring just right. I love technology, hehe!

Tidy Whiteys

2009-08-17T01:10:00.004+08:00

Ive always liked a nice clean crisp pair of white shoes. Something about the whole gleaming white that always gets to me. Nike's Air Force One are the epitome of "fresh whites". I've always wanted to own a pair, but something about the soles just kinda puts me off a bit. Not forgetting the hefty price tag it carries. Nike had a few decent ones here and there but never really got my attention until this one came along. The Nike Franchise 2.

As soon as I walked into the store, this pair was just beaming. The white combined with the LaCoste green was just a nice combination. Looking at the pair made me feel "Fresh and Clean". Hard thing about owning a pair of whites is maintaining it. I would have to wipe down the shoes after every wear just so it wont get dirty. But damn it's all worth it. Looking fresh son!

STGCC

2009-08-10T03:11:00.003+08:00

I wanna go but I can't. Damn my friggin' work! AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!

Red Man

2009-08-08T18:58:00.022+08:00

Big red monkey man over here is one of my favorite purchases of the year so far. Hot Toys has always bettered themselves with each new figure that they produce, and this is no exception. When it was first announced that Hot Toys was picking up this license I was a big iffy whether I should get it or not but soon after when they released pictures of the figure i immediately placed my preorder.

What else can I say about Hot Toys? I think everybody knows by now just how good they really are. I'm really digging the custom sleeves that they've been doing lately. I remember how they would just use shiny gloss cover with the picture of the character on pretty much all of their lines. I really don't have to tell you how well crafted this figure is. I think the pictures speak for itself.

Sole Phreak!

2009-07-26T20:58:00.015+08:00

Early this year I've been going on a shoe buying frenzy. I used to buy 2-3 pairs a year but this year alone (the past 5 months) I've already bought 12 pairs! And Its all thanks to my ex-colleague. This guy is a shoe freak. Don't get me wrong, I love shoes as much as the next guy but my friend here he takes the cake. He has to date, own 30 pairs of sneakers.

Every other day he would be on some shoe website looking thru all the latest sneakers. I was sitting beside him in the office so eventually i took up the same habit as well. Next thing you know we're swapping sneaker stories and sharing the latest kick pics.

The first pair I bought this year is the Nike Prestige II SL. I wasn't much of a Nike fan before this, having only owned a pair of their tennis shoes line. And I've always wanted to get a pair of Air Force One's but never had the moolah to splurge on them. So when I saw this on the shelves it was love at first sole. I didn't even hesitate to get them. It was like look, try and buy. I haven't stopped buying shoes since then.

So yeah now I am officially a sneaker freak. Like my comic and toy collection ain't enough now I'm collecting sneakers. I need to make more money...

Gone to soon...

2009-07-26T17:58:00.002+08:00

You left us so suddenly. You left us too soon. Allah lebih menyayangi kamu. We'll miss you Kak Min...

Suits Me

2009-07-26T14:14:00.016+08:00

Its super duper hard to get 1:6 clothing here in Malaysia. Its even harder to get a decent looking suit so when XL was bringing in ToyMaster's 3 piece suit it was a no-brainer to get it. I went to pick up the suits and incidentally the Hot Toys' Men's Suit just arrived as well so I picked that up too.

It comes in 2 colors and 2 styles. The first one is a brown suit with a bow tie and the second one is black and a neck tie (see more photos from my previous entry here). In comparison to Hot Toys' Men's Suit, IMHO the tailoring on this one is better. The way it fits on to the figures looks natural. And bear in mind its a 3 piece so for ToyMaster to get it to fit right is pretty hard. So now I just need them to start making other items of clothing and Im all set :)!

Favourite Figure Contest

2009-05-11T05:45:00.004+08:00

Bank Robber Joker. Need I say more?

To vote for your favourite entry, click here

Do vote for my entry friends :)! Thanks!

Milking The Cow Dry

2009-05-06T13:02:00.009+08:00

The San Diego Comic Convention is here once again, where comic freaks and toy geeks from all over the world converge at one of the planet's biggest multigenre fan convention. Expanding to more than just comics, including everything pop culture such as horror, anime, manga, animation, toys, collectible card games, video games, webcomics, and fantasy novels. Going to Comic Con should be on your "Things I need to do before I grow old" list.

I'd definitely love to go to Comic Con one of these days. 4 days of comics, toys, and games is something one should not pass. What more could a geek like me ask for innit? Seeing as how major SDCC is to the fanboys, the manufacturers would usually take this opportunity to sell exclusive merchandise to the few hundred thousand people visitors who are lucky enough to make their way to SDCC.

Though exclusive as it may be, sometimes big evil capitalist like Hasbro and Sideshow do sell their items way beyond the convention. I managed to snag a SDCC Exclusive Mighty Muggs Ironman from Isetan, so yeah go figure. Now apparently Hot Toys is also getting in on the act. Hot Toys will be producing an Ironman Mark 3 exclusively for SDCC. Yeap, you heard right folks, another variant to the Ironman suit. This time in Gunmetal Grey with a hint of tarnish and rust. Honestly it doesn't look half bad. Pick it up If you have spare cash lying around the house or underneath your bed. I wouldn't mind getting me one.

Other Sideshow SDCC exclusives worth mentioning is the Crimson Cobra Commander and Luke Skywalker and Han Solo in Stormtrooper Disguise Twin pack. So for those of you living in Singapore and wanna score these Exclusive figures, head on down to Simply Toys and make your pre-orders. Pre-orders for non attendees will open on the 15th of May.

Suit Shopping

2009-05-04T00:56:00.006+08:00

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I went down to collect my 1:6 suits from XL on Saturday. The "Tony Stark" Hot Toys suit and Toymaster 3 piece suits came in on Wednesday. I don't really have any nude figures at the moment, waiting for the new TT's to arrive so I can't really show you the suits in action.

The Hot Toys suit looks pretty good, seeing as how they've done a few figures with suits on they've manage to pull this one off really well. The only thing about the set that I didn't like was the shoes.

Toymaster's 3 piece suit looks good too. I picked up both the black suit (tie) and the brown suit (bow tie). Tho the material isn't as good as Hot Toys', it's still a pretty decent looking suit. I can't wait go get my hands on the new TTs so I can test the suits out. Until then, this will have to do.

p.s sorry for the poor quality pictures.

In The Pipelines

2009-04-26T19:21:00.008+08:00

So far this year has been a pretty slow year for my collection. Since January I've only picked up 6 1:6 figures, with 3 more on its way. Gone were the days of toy hauls and random purchases. I choose my items wisely now. I've got plans for next year and those plans require money so I'll be slowing down on my toy collection for a while. But that doesn't mean I'll be stopping my collection nosireybob! I'll just have to be a bit more picky and less prone to seductions by Sam, heh!

So here's the last 3 remaining preorders I have for the year. Hopefully nothing good comes my way or else there goes my plans! Waaaah!!!

Poison

2009-04-18T14:40:00.018+08:00

Venom. One of Spiderman's greatest foe. What makes Venom so dangerous is that the symbiote which "inhabits" Eddie Brock used to be with Peter Parker so his spider sense doesn't do jack squat when warning him of Venom's presence. So Venom could easily sneak up behind Spiderman and he wouldn't even know it.

Bought this piece together with Webhead early this year. I really liked this figure but not so much to make me splurge my hard earned cash on. So when XL was offloading the 2 for cheaps, I didn't hesitate to snag them. Bu to my disappointment, once I got the two side by side the flaws were pretty obvious. Venom is shorter and smaller than Spiderman. What The Fark? Medicom has scale issues. Really? Venom smaller? Really Medicom? *Sigh*

Arachnid Man

2009-04-12T22:59:00.017+08:00

Howdy boys and girls? Sorry I've been missing in action for so so long. Work has been keeping me away from blogging for far too long so here I am once again, back in the game. I still haven't gotten around to buying myself a new camera so I'll be borrowing my sister's one for the time being (her digital camera got stolen too so my parents and I bought her a new one for her birthday). So bear with me if the photos aren't as good as my previous ones.

I bought this figure a while back but had never gotten around to post the pictures (I took these before the break-in). The only complain I have about the 2 figures (the low price made up for the lack in accessories so I won't complain on that) is that the scaling is waaaaaay off! Spidey is taller than Venom by at least a quarter of an inch. Come on Medicom. You expect us to pay designer prices for these? Clean up your act or don't bother doing any movie licenses. Stick to what you guys are good at; Monsters, Kamen Riders, Anime and Manga.

No Photo

2009-01-23T18:48:00.004+08:00

My house got broken into last Monday. The maderfaders messed up my place pretty bad and took a lot of stuff, including my beloved 20D. I'm pretty bummed out about my camera being stolen. I friggin' love that camera. *Sigh* Nothing much I can do about it, so until I can afford to get myself a new camera I won't be able to post any photos of my latest purchases. This sucks...

Cruise Control

2009-01-11T23:23:00.008+08:00

Hot Toys' new TrueType 01 Male body came in this week so I went to pick mine up just now. As usual the TT's sell out pretty fast. The figures came in on Monday/Tuesday and were only left with 2 when I went to pick mine up.

The thing that got every collector/kitbasher excited about this particular TT was the head sculpt, Hot Toys going with a Tom Cruise headsculpt. Just imagine all the kitbashing capabilities with this body. All I need now is a cool fighter pilot outfit to fit him and its all go for Maverick!

Job Scope

2009-01-11T03:21:00.009+08:00

Most of my 1:6 collection prior to this (and my SAD CIA Night Ops) consisted on Star Wars and Movielines. I was always fascinated by Hot Toys Military Line but never had the balls to buy one (due to commitments to other purchases). But since my mum wanted to get me a figure as my birthday gift, I couldn't resist the temptation of getting Hot Toys' Military Line.

The thing that I simply love about the Military Line was the number of accessories these figures would carry. They be packin' some serious gear! The detailing on the accessories are simply exquisite. The hardworking people at Hot Toys really go the distance to produce high quality collectibles.

The U.S Army Special Forces is no exception. This figure is everything you'd expect out of Hot Toys Military Line. Good head sculpt, detailed weapons and equipments, and more accessories than you can shake a stick at.

I really dig this figure, so much that I might want to get more of Hot Toys Military Line. There goes more of my hard earned money. Heh!

The Iron Is Coming

2009-01-05T20:42:00.006+08:00

Behold! Ironman! The figure that I know every collector has been waiting for ever since it was annouced is finally shipping out! Hot Toys announced today that the first batch of the Ironman Mark III figures will be arriving to our shores just in time for Chinese New Year. As a teaser to all us fanboys, Hot Toys has released pictures of the packaging. The packaging alone is impressive! I'm getting all excited just staring at the box!

Warehouse sale!!

2009-01-03T01:47:00.002+08:00

I'm sorry I know this is kinda last minute but if any of you guys/gals are going for Toywiz's Warehouse Sale tomorrow and wanna meet up I'll be the guy with a black baju melayu on (I've got a wedding to attend later in the day, hehe!)

So load up your wallets and bring your credit cards cos it's gonna be one helluva sale!

First buy of 2009

2009-01-01T23:52:00.004+08:00

What a way to kick off the new year! I snagged these two arachnids from XL-Shop this afternoon. I called Sam yesterday and asked him to save the pair for me. These were a steal at RM600 for the pair since XL was clearing stock. I've been wanting to get Venom before but the lack of accessories and the hefty price tag held me back. But at RM300 a pop for an S3 Medicom figure, who could resist!

2009's looking pretty good boys and girls. Looking pretty good indeed! :)

3T 2008

2008-12-28T18:20:00.028+08:00

Shaun came up with this idea to list down the best 10 toys purchased/obtained this year and invited fellow collectors to do the same. It sounded like fun so I made my very own list.

2008 has been a very fruitful year for me and my toy collection, picking up quite a number of items. Most of my figures this year were 12 inch figures so you have to forgive me if you see a number of them making it into my Top Ten.

The placings on the list does in no way reflect my favorism towards a particular figure so without further ado I proudly present The Pop Culture Junkie's Top Ten Toys of 2008.

Coming in at No.10 is Sgt. John Doe the Sniper Dude. I picked him up during my many visits to Singapore's CSC. I pretty much fiddle with this figure everyday cos it sits right beside my monitor. I would put him in different poses, pushing the posing capabilities as far as I could and so far it held up to the abuse. Even though he's not a high roller figure like the rest of my collection, his durability and my constant playing puts Sgt John Doe firmly at number 10.

My Mighty Muggs Movie Ironman and Commander Gree SDCC Exclusive comes in at number 9. During a 1:6 dry spell, I started a side project by collecting the Mighty Muggs line from Hasbro. I would hunt each one down, stopping by every TRU and departmental store just so I could score these puppies at retail prices (the toy stores were only selling them in sets and I wasn't keen on some of the figures). I was kinda frustrated that these two were only exclusive to patrons of the San Diego Comic Convention.

As luck would have it, I was wondering around Isetan looking for more Muggs to score, and hidden behind some Ironman figures were in fact the SDCC Ironman Exclusive! They had like 6 Muggs so I nabbed 2. As for the Commander Gree I scored him during a TRU raid.

The fact that I scored both SDCC Exclusives at retail price is worthy enough for me to put this two mini masked men on my Top Ten list.

Pior to this figure, all my other collections were either Star Wars, or movie related. I was always intrigued by soldier figures, deep down wanting to actually own one. The soldier figures were very detailed and when it comes to accessories, they would be armed to the teeth. But when it comes to armed units, the SWATs, the CIAs and the Black Ops rocked my boat.

Hot Toys had came out with a decent SWAT figure a couple of years back but were sold out. Other 1:6 manufacturers had their go on SWAT as well but this one definitely has to be IMHO one of the coolest looking SWAT/CIA/Black Ops figure (I think its the skull balaclava that sold me)

This is my very first figure venturing into other 1:6 genres, and I have to say that I am pretty happy with this one being my first. Thats why CIA SAD Night Ops sits nicely at number 8.

Lucky number 7 belongs to Brierios Hecatonchires of Appleseed fame. Standing at a whopping 14 inches from his feet to the tip his radar sensors, Brierios is one huge ass mother father. When I first saw this towering behemoth on Appleseed when the movie came out in 2004 ( I think) I was immediately hooked. Brierios was one of those strong silent type, but when it came down to kicking some tail, you know he's gonna bring out the big guns.

So when Hot Toys announced they were doing a 1:6 figure of this cybernetic super dude (based on the new 3d anime Appleseed Exmachina) I didn't think twice to purchase him. Big guns, big cannon, an even bigger body, Brierios Hecatonchires takes the number 7 spot with full authority!

From what has to be one of the best movies of 2008, an action figure based on the movie emerges from an unlikely source. The Bandai S.I.C line was very popular among Kamen Rider fans, coughing up cool Kamen figures and their even cooler bikes. Great articulation and highly detailed, Bandai's S.I.C line was way on top of the cool toys category.

When Bandai first announced that they were producing a Batman and Batpod, many of us collectors went gaga over the news. Me being a Bat-Fan, I picked up the figure. Most collectors weren't too thrilled about the suit Batman was wearing, especially the neck brace. The suit wasn't really movie accurate, Bandai opting for their own take on Batman. I think it's a combination of the new Batman suit from the movie and a bit from the Batman Gotham Knight anime (see Field Test). The detailing on the Bat Pod is pretty good as well. Overall it's one solid figure to have for any collector. The Movie Realization Batman and Bat-Pod sits comfortably at number 6.

The number 5 spot goes to Sideshow's Bespin Luke Skywalker. As you might know, I am a big time Star Wars fan, anything related to the Original Trilogy (the only Star Wars trilogy in my book, the latest one didn't do the franchise justice). The first few Star Wars line from Sideshow were mostly based on the new Star Wars characters. So when they started churning out legendary characters like this one here, I was totally ecstatic.

I reaaaaahhhhhllyyy wanted the Exclusive version because this one came with the Auto-tourniquet Leia fitted onto his right arm after the big fight with daddy dearest went sour. Some items included in Sideshow's exclusive editions were so-so but this is a must have for me. Thats why Luke Skywalker Rebel Commander is sitting strong at number 5

Told ya I was a Star Wars fan! Of all the Star Wars figures I own, this has got to be one of my best, coming in a close second to Big Daddy Badass Vader. Sideshow finally got it right with this one. General Kenobi of Clone Wars fame is IMHO by far the best Sideshow Star Wars figure to date. The head sculpt, the armored suit, everything about this figure is well tailored (aside from the sometimes loose joints, something I hope Sideshow will fix).

If Sideshow could keep this momentum going I'd say they could monopolize the Star Wars market, blowing away the Prada of 1:6; Medicom Japan.

Second runner up goes to Takara Tomy's Jin Roh Kerberos Saga Kouichi Todome. I'm putting this figure waaaay up high the list for one reason and one reason only; sheer coolness! Need I say more? I mean just look at it, black suit, black armour, black gas mask, black ammunition barrel, black SMG, black this black that. All the cool characters in history were all black. Knight Rider, Airwolf, Street Hawk, Batman, Highwayman, Darth Vader, ~~Shaft~~ just to name a few.

I had to wait for quite some time before I finally had this figure in my possession. Steven had it specially ordered for me seeing as how I specifically wanted Kouichi Todome instead of Soichiro Toribe. Talk about being fussy. But yeah, this figure deserved its 3rd place spot. Black is the new Black.

First runner up in my Top Ten List is none other than Hot Toys' Bank Robber Joker. This figure is the epitome of quality, what Hot Toys can achieve with its 1:6 figures. Their first outing of Joker was less than impressive, having no real likeness to Heath Ledger's Joker (they had a good reason for this). So they redeemed themselves by including an extra head sculpt for their Bank Robber Joker, this time having an eerie resemblance to the late Heath Ledger.

The figure came packed with extra goodies, not holding back on the accessories department. The suit was tailored as though little 12 inch men had sewn them. Almost everything about this figure is top notch. Ever so deservingly Bank Robber Joker comes in at number 2.

And the numero uno, head honcho, big man on campus, top gun, head of the game, grand daddy of 2008 goes to Hot Toys The Dark Knight Batman New Suit! How can this figure not be number one on my list? The perils I had to go through in order to get this is reason enough why it sits on the throne. First there was the whole waiting game. I swear to God I had to wait for at least 2 months maybe even more, long after all my mates had played and posed with their figure only had I received mine. The agony of the wait was torture, not to mention the fear of me not actually getting the figure in the first place. The place I had pre-ordered the figure were sloooooooow! Late shippings and what not. Again, big thanks to Sam of XL Shop for keeping an extra figure for me, even though I couldn't pre-order the figure (I was too late).

All that, topped with just how amazing the figure looks and feel makes The Dark Knight my number one figure of 2008!

As a closing statement, I would just like to thank all my online buddies, for sharing your toy experiences, comments as well as welcoming me as your friend. Thank you all for visiting my toy blog.

A very special thanks goes to my beloved Cuteness. She is all for my passion for toys and figures , and has been one of my biggest supporters. She visits my blog daily so she can be a part of my world. Thank you sayang!

2008 has been one heck of a ride, and an exciting year for us toy collectors. It was a good year indeed. So here's to another year. May toy collecting prosper into the new year and more cooler figures be produced! Happy new year!!!

ToyWiz Warehouse Sale!

2008-12-25T18:02:00.006+08:00

Steven down at ToyWiz Amcorp Mall is having a warehouse clearance next week. Yours truly will be there bright and early to score some goodies for cheaps before the mob buys out everything. What a way to start the new year innit? Toys Toys Toys! So bring lots and lots of cash cos you wouldn't want to miss out on this!

PS : If you guys wanna meet up just gimme a buzz aight? See ya Saturday!

The White Knight of Gotham

2008-12-22T03:07:00.016+08:00

Picked up Harvey "Two-Face" Dent from XL-Shop just now. I was out with my sister when I decided to drop by XL. As I walked in, I could see Sam lifting up something from a box. "Aaa Armand, Two-Face sudah sampai, first batch!" I wasn't really planning to pick up anything today, let alone Two-Face as I was still contemplating whether I should get him or not. Impulse buy! Kinda hard to resist not picking this one up. The last Hot Toys figure (I think) from their Dark Knight series. Since I already had TDK Batman, Bank Robber Joker and Joker ver.1 (on the way), I might as well complete the whole set.

I just love the new packaging from Hot Toys. Gone were the shiny golden generic outer sleeve which in my opinion was o.k but it just looked to plain. The Bank Robber Joker was nice but I think this one takes the cake. On Harvey's side of the sleeve is a nice smooth surface with gloss finish, whereas Two-Face's side has the same texture surface from the previous TDK sleeves. Hot Toys really took the whole Two-Face thing all the way.

Two-Face is a bit light on the accessories department, sporting only an extra head sculpt of Harvey Dent, 2 interchangeable hands, 1 set of coins, his "I believe in Harvey Dent" badge, a Smith & Wesson 625 and an extra suit (pre-burned).

The pre-burned suit fits rather nicely and looks natural compared to the burned jacket. Maybe its due to the fact that the burned jacket uses 2 different materials. A PVC'ish material for the burned side and normal fabric on the other. I played around with it until I got the jacket to sit right.

I think Two-Face is a pretty decent figure. Maybe not as good as Bank Robber Joker (I might be a bit bias on this one cos I love the figure, hehe!) but is certainly up there with the greats. If you have extra cash lying around I suggest you get one. And if you're not a fan of the figure just get it anyway for the sake of completing your TDK Masterpiece line, hehehe!

Rise of the Pictures

2008-12-20T01:09:00.008+08:00

G.I Joe! G.I Joe is there! Newly released posters from the upcoming G.I Joe movie. Special thanks to www.firstshowing.net for the pictures.