http://www.aintitcool.com/node/40453
Gotta see this!
McDonald's Monsters vs. Aliens!
| Rating: | ★★★★★ |
| Category: | Other |
The newest Happy Meal set is from the new Dreamworks animated film, Monsters vs. Aliens. Personally I can't wait to see this movie. I love the trailer, and if they seem to have come a long way from Shark's Tale. Kung Fu Panda re-screen anyone?
Hating the fact that I never got a Po the Panda when the last Dreamworks set came out (despite eating Burger Mcdos for a week and collecting all the rest of the figures), I decided to do it in one fell swoop. 8 happy meals in a day. Ugh did I feel sick. But success is mine as I was able to get the entire set. Like all of the previous sets, it's a hit and miss affair. I have my favorites, so I'll save them for last.
the one I badly want to give away is Dr. Cockaroach.
Not only because I hate roaches (really really hate hate hate), but because he's way way out of scale. I figured him for a little figure with some nice gadgets, but he's huge. I'm sure kids will like the little pull toy, but he's kind of boring.
Next up, Gallaxhar's ship
This is just blah. It's gimmick is that if you hit the alien in the middle the other pods shoot off. blah. The mechanism is touchy and they pods pop off constantly. Somehow, it reminds me of those Zentraedi ships in Robotech, you know the ones that looked like green turds? Only it's purple and has three appendages. Unless you want to complte the set, forget it. I'd prefer it if they just gave us a figure of the General to go along with the others.
Next is Gallaxhar:
Pull his rubber legs, and he lights up red. whoopdeedoo. You got to pull HARD too. I thought I'd break him doing it. You really need to yank him to light his fire. He's also shape like something you'd find in an adult toy store. Not one for the win column.
The rest are wins in my book though. First up Gigantica:
The toy captures the cartoon reasonably well. It's a relatively simply toy, just a poseble action figure with bendy legs and cut jonts on the shoulders and waist. I like it cause it's simple.
Bob the Blob:
This is one time where an action feature is really fun. Spin him round and he goes off at random vectors, bumping into things and turning. Really great. Plus he's translucent so looks really cool under light.
Insectosaurus:
Granted he doesn't do much (squeaks), but he does have articulated (cut joints) arms and antennae. And he's bloody kewt!
Robot:
This would have been my favorite if it hadn't been for Missing Link. The robot is kinda like a transformer. Okay, not really. But his arms pop out and feet extend to stomp on innocent civilians. How cool is that? and he's got a lenticular eye that gets all squinty.
The Missing Link is easily my favorite, and my pick for the one who's gonna dissapear first:
When you push down his fin, his arms pop out, like he's doing a silly dance:
And if you wind him up, he vibrates and really does do that silly dance:
Great sculpting, some articulation, and an interesting and unobtrusive action feature. Made of Win!
All in all, it's a thumbs up for kids on this set, but I'd suggest sticking with the good guys.
Stikfas Master Assassin
| Rating: | ★★★★★ |
| Category: | Other |
Like most Stikfas, the Master Assassin comes with a sack full of goodies. Forget GI Joe, man, this guy's got more gear than he can carry. I mean, if he's a ninja, he's gotta carry this stuff with him right? where does he keep it all? Where do you hide a pair of sais when you've already got your ninjato, kunai, kama, shuriken, crossbows, fire wheels, katars, and trusty ashiko spikes?
And if you want to make a kusarigama or a pair of nunchaku, just tie a string to your kama or the little clubs and presto! Master Assassin can whack himself in the balls just like an 80's teenager! Sold!
At about P500.00 he's not great for everyone, but if you like your ninjas loaded for bear, go and get one.
Stikfas Beta Female Dragon Warrior!
| Rating: | ★★★★★ |
| Category: | Other |
But like old Sponge Bob says, "Imagination!"
Stikfas is like a successor to classic toy lines like legos or Linkin Logs. You get a box with a mess of parts and you can build something all your own. You can follow the rules and build what's on the box... or you can have fun and build anything from the parts. You start tossing pieces from different sets in a big tub, jumbling all the parts together, then digging through them for the one that will complete your masterpiece.
That's the appeal.
The company that makes Stikfas even goes so far as to give you a sticker sheet so that you can customize your figure even further! An this isn't a tiny little sticker sheet like those that came with the old transformers. This is a big one with multiple designs of each sticker so you can fit the one that suits you.
Unfortunately, after Stikfas became the "in" toy, prices started going up and I dumped the line. The best kits were harder and harder to find and once they raised the prices, it was too hard to keep up with this and other toy lines.
But when I saw that they had re-issued the Beta Female Warrior with Dragon set, I had to get it. Granted, the colors aren't as nice as the original (The dragon was red in that one), It still looks great. At P800.00 at Hobbes & Landes, this thing is still a pretty good buy.
The kit comes in plastic frames, just like you basic gundam kits. You use those gundam kit cutters to free the pieces from the plastic bars, but a cuticle nipper from your sister's or mom's manicure set will do just as well (and at like 10% of the cost of the official tool).
Building the thing is half the fun. There's not much choice assembling the dragon (probaly due to space and price issues), but they include some extra limbs of another color to give you some choice with the female. I lost one of the shoulder pads right after I cut it out (danger of having fat hands), so mine came out lopsided. You don't need any glue, everything is either a ball joint, or has a nice little peg to fit into a hole.
Once done, it looks something like this:
The wings of the dragon can open, which is cool, but this isn't a toy for kids. The pieces are tiny and tend to pop off. They're all easily swallowed or lost or broken. Posing them takes alot of work, but with all the ball joints, you can get them in a ton of positions.
The scale of Stikfas is roughly the same as GI Joe 3.75"ers. They're about the same height though they tend to be more "built". They're small size makes it easy to display a collection of them or store, but again so much easier to lose.
If you're going to start, I suggest getting a few of of the smaller, simpler packs, or one of the ready built blisters. If you can find the Black Ops set, that's a winner. Weapons and soldiering gear galore.
Later, if you decide you like them, get some of the other figures and start kit-bashing. Great way to custom figures without worrying about destroying them!'
Stikfas Beta Female Dragon Warrior
Originally posted at http://slangards.multiply.com on Mar 27, '09
Many people who've seen my Stikfas collection don't get the appeal of the toy line. They see a plain looking figure, with no paint, no details, and a completely un-refined form. The toys look a lot like stick figures; simple, featureless, boring.
But like old Sponge Bob says, "Imagination!"
Stikfas is like a successor to classic toy lines like legos or Linkin Logs. You get a box with a mess of parts and you can build something all your own. You can follow the rules and build what's on the box... or you can have fun and build anything from the parts. You start tossing pieces from different sets in a big tub, jumbling all the parts together, then digging through them for the one that will complete your masterpiece.
That's the appeal.
Stikfas Master Assassin
Originally posted at http://slangards.multiply.com on Mar 27, '09
This was the figure that brought me back to the Stikfas fold. How can you not love a killer in black and purple? It worked for Skywarp. It worked on Shadowblade Megatron. Worked on Nemesis Prime. Just as good for a featureless, stick figure!
McDonald's Monsters vs. Aliens!
Originally posted at http://slangards.multiply.com on Mar 27, '09
Until the official movie toys hit our shores, Happy Meals are our soulution to that animated movie toy fix! McDonald's may have lost the Disney license for making American kids fat, but Dreamworks seems to have no qualms with promoting burger guzzling.
The newest Happy Meal set is from the new Dreamworks animated film, Monsters vs. Aliens. Personally I can't wait to see this movie. I love the trailer, and if they seem to have come a long way from Shark's Tale. Kung Fu Panda re-screen anyone?
Movie Jetstorm and Wingblade
| Rating: | ★★★★ |
| Category: | Other |
"I know! let's make 'em shiny and sell em as a 'premium' line! oh, crap... did that... I know! Re-color the bots and sell them as different characters? did it... G1 inspired paint! did it... can't we make up some new bots weren't in the movie! did that, too and not enough money to make any more molds...
"Shucks! but we've got another two years till the sequel? What are we gonna do?"
Then some up and coming dude in a smart suit and tie goes, "Why don't we re-paint the toys from the old Transformers lines and sell 'em like they were brand new?"
And they all stare at him and whisper, "my, god. that's genius..."
That's basically what the Ultra Class Movie figures Jetstorm and Wingblade are; re-painted Cybertron figures Jetfire and Wingsaber respectively.
They were released here locally without much fanfare. I remember seeing them in stores before at the suggested retail price of Ultra Class figures (P2500.00). I had no real desire to get them then because they aren't the best Transformers around and their price was prohibitive to put it mildly.
But with the new movie on the way, Toy stores and distributors really need to move old product out of their warehouses to make way for new toys. For the past few months, consumers have been treated to almost constant 50% off deals on various Transformers the Movie figures. These two are even better; a Transformer this size, with working lights and sound, for only P500.00?
Can you say Black Friday, folks?
At this price, Toy Kingdom and all the other toy stores were predictably flooded with collectors and kids all trying to find these and other items at sale prices, only to be foiled by scalpers buying them in bulk before they hit the shelf. Thanks to some nice thinking by the Playkit gang (the local Hasbro distributor), their diabolical plan to rid the world of cheap toys was thwarted. By shelving product gradually, people were able to find what they needed eventually.
What I really like about the figures are the vehicle modes. They're both a good size (not really in scale to a Deluxe Class Autobot car, but still big) and look relatively kibble-less. both have launching rockets, lights and sounds (limited mainly to gun sounds) and a "cybertron key" gimmick.
The Cybertron key thing is pretty pointless. You pop it into a certain part of their anatomy and out pops some guns or panels pop out to reveal guns, or etc, etc, etc. I threw mine in the bits box as soon as I tried it once.
The Sounds are also pretty forgettable. Electronics are a nice play feature for kids, but for adults, it gets old really fast, expecially if it's a one liner like these two. I left both of them without the batteries.
The robot modes are alot more fun than the jets though. Both bots are big, about half again as tall as Deluxe figures, and a little taller than Voyagers. Jetstorm has two rifles, but Wingsaber is armed to the teeth. Even his arms are gatling guns, and he comes with swords!
Articulation wise, Wingblade tops his Decepticon counterpart. despite his odd shoulder placement, he's got more useful arm movement than Jetstorm, who needs to move the whole wing assembly to bring up his arm. Both are pretty stable, though Jetstorm is built so oddly that he can't really do much of anything.
While they're both innovative designs, you can really see how far toy engineering has come when you compare these two to the Universe or Animated lines. Though there's racheted joints galore, there is a TON of kibble in their robot modes. Jetstorms scheme looks downright lazy when you look at it from the side. Nothing fits anywhere and there's a HUGE hole at his core.
Still, At P500 apiece, you really can't complain about these two toys that much. Would I have bought them at SRP? No, no I wouldn't have. But at 80% off, these two are worth it.
Now all I have to do is find a Cybertron Optimus Prime...
Movie Jetstorm and Wingblade
| Rating: | ★★★★ |
| Category: | Other |
"I know! let's make 'em shiny and sell em as a 'premium' line! oh, crap... did that... I know! Re-color the bots and sell them as different characters? did it... G1 inspired paint! did it... can't we make up some new bots weren't in the movie! did that, too and not enough money to make any more molds...
"Shucks! but we've got another two years till the sequel? What are we gonna do?"
Then some up and coming dude in a smart suit and tie goes, "Why don't we re-paint the toys from the old Transformers lines and sell 'em like they were brand new?"
And they all stare at him and whisper, "my, god. that's genius..."
That's basically what the Ultra Class Movie figures Jetstorm and Wingblade are; re-painted Cybertron figures Jetfire and Wingsaber respectively.
They were released here locally without much fanfare. I remember seeing them in stores before at the suggested retail price of Ultra Class figures (P2500.00). I had no real desire to get them then because they aren't the best Transformers around and their price was prohibitive to put it mildly.
But with the new movie on the way, Toy stores and distributors really need to move old product out of their warehouses to make way for new toys. For the past few months, consumers have been treated to almost constant 50% off deals on various Transformers the Movie figures. These two are even better; a Transformer this size, with working lights and sound, for only P500.00?
Can you say Black Friday, folks?
At this price, Toy Kingdom and all the other toy stores were predictably flooded with collectors and kids all trying to find these and other items at sale prices, only to be foiled by scalpers buying them in bulk before they hit the shelf. Thanks to some nice thinking by the Playkit gang (the local Hasbro distributor), their diabolical plan to rid the world of cheap toys was thwarted. By shelving product gradually, people were able to find what they needed eventually.
What I really like about the figures are the vehicle modes. They're both a good size (not really in scale to a Deluxe Class Autobot car, but still big) and look relatively kibble-less. both have launching rockets, lights and sounds (limited mainly to gun sounds) and a "cybertron key" gimmick.
The Cybertron key thing is pretty pointless. You pop it into a certain part of their anatomy and out pops some guns or panels pop out to reveal guns, or etc, etc, etc. I threw mine in the bits box as soon as I tried it once.
The Sounds are also pretty forgettable. Electronics are a nice play feature for kids, but for adults, it gets old really fast, expecially if it's a one liner like these two. I left both of them without the batteries.
The robot modes are alot more fun than the jets though. Both bots are big, about half again as tall as Deluxe figures, and a little taller than Voyagers. Jetstorm has two rifles, but Wingsaber is armed to the teeth. Even his arms are gatling guns, and he comes with swords!
Articulation wise, Wingblade tops his Decepticon counterpart. despite his odd shoulder placement, he's got more useful arm movement than Jetstorm, who needs to move the whole wing assembly to bring up his arm. Both are pretty stable, though Jetstorm is built so oddly that he can't really do much of anything.
While they're both innovative designs, you can really see how far toy engineering has come when you compare these two to the Universe or Animated lines. Though there's racheted joints galore, there is a TON of kibble in their robot modes. Jetstorms scheme looks downright lazy when you look at it from the side. Nothing fits anywhere and there's a HUGE hole at his core.
Still, At P500 apiece, you really can't complain about these two toys that much. Would I have bought them at SRP? No, no I wouldn't have. But at 80% off, these two are worth it.
Now all I have to do is find a Cybertron Optimus Prime...
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