Writing

Well, here goes nothing. About two years ago, I came up with an idea that I wanted to turn into a story. As I sat down with it and "incubated" it, if you will, the strangest thing happened. It began to grow. It grew slowly at first, picking up bits and pieces here and there, but it was consistent. Then it started to stop growing, so I got rid of the constraints of reality, and BAM! It began to explode and morph into this wonderful and huge epic story. I couldn't believe the things I was coming up with, and what was once one small story had become a four or five novel series, and it just wouldn't stop. Over the past year and a half I really tried to get it to take off, trying to find the motivation that I needed in order to just write this thing down, but it kept eluding me. Then, my life pretty much went down the toilet and trivial things like story-writing and blogging became something of a luxury, one which I could hardly afford given the current state of things, so the project was shelved.

Now, after two years of working, brainstorming, plotting, and just running through all of the different scenarios in my head, I think I've finally found the missing piece that was keeping my story from developing. So, from this point on, it is my goal, my dream, my initiative to keep writing this thing out, and one day I will get it all written down, I will make it presentable, and I will get it published, no matter what it takes. This is my reminder, my kick in the pants to get myself going, so that every time that I get on here I'll see this, and it will remind me to keep going, even when it seems tough, and I would greatly encourage any of you out there that may be considering writing a book, a screenplay, a movie, a video game, anything that you can think of, just keep at it. It may not seem like it's worth it at first, but just imagine what it would feel like to finally get your project finished and into somebody else's hands. Imagine them enjoying it, loving it, cherishing it, and you will find the inspiration you need to just keep going.

Good luck to the rest of you out there, and for now I will bid you adieu, because I have a story to write.

The Toy Collector

Customizing

In all the time that I have collected toys, I have never really considered attempting any form of customization on them, simply because I was too afraid to ruin any of my figures. This all changed when I stumbled on to the TRON Legacy figure collection, and watched the movie for the first time. I'm absolutely in love with this franchise, almost more so than Star Wars, and that takes a lot of work, so I'm pretty impressed. The soundtrack was great, the movie was great, and the toys are pretty cool too, but I'm terribly disappointed that the line was cut so short compared to other ones like it. This being said, I've decided to try my hand at customizing some of the existing products as they sit on the clearance shelves and turn them into a collection worth envying. I'll post pictures and reviews of these items when I get the chance, but let me leave you with this: if you haven't seen TRON Legacy yet, you definitely need to, and then you should go buy the soundtrack, because it is one of those rare pieces that actually vastly improves the movie-going experience by accompanying this film.

- The Toy Collector

And here we go again...

Well, it’s been more than a month since my last post when I told you all that I’d be getting a week off to hopefully do some reviews and then be able to post them, but unfortunately life is unforgiving. Shortly after I posted that promise to write more reviews, I was informed that I will be relocating with my family to another state later this year, as my father accepted a job there, having been unemployed for a little while now. This has turned everything upside down here of course, as we now have loads of things to worry about that have to take priority over things like reviewing little plastic men. But fear not though, as I still want to be able to write these reviews when I get the chance, because I hope to reward any of you that may be out there reading this for doing so. My solution to the problem is this: since I don’t have as much time to do reviews as I would like, what with classes, searching for work, and getting ready to move, I can’t do single figure reviews, but, in order to still get the reviews out there, I figured I can do Wave reviews, since I’ve basically been picking up the “entire Wave” when new ones are being released, simply due to the fact that I love all of the new stuff that is coming out of The Vintage Collection. As I get farther back into the archives of stuff, there will be holes unfortunately, as my focus was pretty narrow at some points, which I regret greatly now, but that leaves more fun things to be desired out of this hobby. 

So, to recap:

             - Reviews WILL continue, in a slightly less in-depth fashion

             - Instead of individual figure reviews, for the time being I will be posting Wave reviews, giving you guys the rundown on which figures really stand out and shine amongst the others

Also, one more thing to mention, the series that I kept going back and forth on is starting to pick up steam again, so when I get some time to do some work on it, I’ll post some pics or info about it on here to let you know what’s coming. Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to make sure I let you guys know where I’m at for the time being. Thanks for sticking through this, and look forward to new stuff soon.

- The Toy Collector

Apologies

I want to sincerely apologize for the complete lack of updates over the past month or so. When I began writing these reviews, it was always my intention to post on a regular basis, and I haven't been doing that recently, which bothers me. I've just had so much going on here that I've been dealing with that I've had to prioritize my time, and unfortunately that's meant not posting on here while I work on other things. The good news is however, I have a good week-long break from school coming up soon, which means I should be able to write up a bunch of reviews so that I can have a stockpile to draw from and post them on a weekly basis. As for the video reviews, I think I'm going to have to wait a little while and figure out what's going on here in my personal life before I can fully commit to those, but I do still hope to be able to put those together so that I can complete my "review experience" if you will. So anyways, just wanted to let you guys know I haven't abandoned this page, I've just been quite busy, and I'm hoping to get back to regular updates real soon.

SW Collector

Toy Story Collection Sheriff Woody

(Photo borrowed from Google Images and Pixar Times)

General Thoughts:

If you’ve read my previous reviews, you know that I am a huge Star Wars fan, and the only thing that rivals that love is my love for Toy Story. The movies and characters have been with me almost since birth, and I find them to be even closer to my heart now that I’ve grown older. One of my favorites, however cliché it may be, is Woody, the Cowboy ragdoll that Andy has played with and loved for many years. Well, until now, there hasn’t been a truly accurate recreation of Woody in the real world, and as such I always felt some sort of emptiness whenever I played with my older version. When this version was announced I was really excited, and, like with Buzz, when I saw him sitting on the shelf next to his best pal Buzz Lightyear, I was four years old again, and I was more excited than any other kid in that store. And you know what? I was 17 when that happened. If a toy can have that dramatic of an impact on a 17-year-old guy, then I think it’s safe to say the folks at Pixar are doing something right.

Detail: 10/10

This toy is the most accurate version of Woody ever created, as they used the exact digital data from Pixar’s computers to create him, and the quality is surreal. His hat has the actual stitching around the brim, his belt buckle, badge, and spurs are all panted gold, and every little thing on this cowboy is absolutely superbly executed. Even the box looks like he's right from the Toy Story universe where Woody's Roundup is in full swing.

Accuracy: 7/10

Unfortunately, while this guy is the most accurate version ever produced, he still has his flaws, as do the rest of the Collection toys. For starters, his mouth has an open smile, while his toy mode in the movie has a closed smile, and his eyes are more open in the movie than on the toy. Clearly the company was going for a more “alive” feel for this guy, and I can understand and appreciate that, but these are being touted as the “Exact same toys that Andy would have bought at the store in the movie”, and as such I think they need to be 95-100% accurate for that to be true. Second, his voice is done by Jim Hanks, Tom’s brother, and while they sound fairly similar, you can clearly tell it’s not the true voice of Woody from the movie. He is also missing some key phrases such as “Somebody’s poisoned the waterhole”, and “I’d like to join your posse boys but first I’m gonna sing a little song”. Thirdly, his pullstring is not a traditional pullstring, in the sense that in the movie it winds itself back in slowly, whereas this one shoots back inside. This is due to the fact that they are using a newer, more up to date voice box rather than the old ones that would’ve been used in the time when Woody was made. I hate to dock this guy any points, or any of the other toys for that matter, because I’m just so happy that finally, after 12 years of waiting, I can have all these accurate versions of my favorite characters, but I just wish that they could be what they are marketed as.

Playability: 10/10

Woody has an interesting design just like Buzz and most of his other friends in the Collection. They have two modes, toy and alive, and they act differently depending on the type. If they are in toy mode they talk like they would if a human were to play with them, and in alive mode, it’s as if you just left the room and they have come to life. This gives kids a lot of playability with their toys, and the inclusion of a talkback sensor, however minimal, is really cool too. Definitely allows for hours of creative play with your favorite deputy and his pals.

Overall Design: 10/10

I’m really impressed at the level of quality in these toys, especially since they are mass-produced. They have all, or at least most, of the bells and whistles of their on-screen counterparts, and they look like they’ve just walked off the screen and into your arms. I couldn’t be happier with the toys that Thinkway has given us in these past two years, and I will be forever grateful that I now have my life-long buddy to keep by my side.

Final Thoughts:

For all of their flaws, and the price, which is somewhat high, these toys are absolute treasures. They have awesome play features, they’re almost exactly accurate to their on-screen counterparts, and they just are cool to look at, all assembled on a shelf, or in a toy chest. $50 may seem like a lot to you, and if so they have produced cheaper, less accurate but close versions, but in reality you’re not buying this toy for the toy itself, but for the memories that it will create and the lifetime bond that you or your child will create with this toy. Woody, Buzz, and the gang have kept me company growing up in my thoughts and on the TV, but now they can physically be with me to infinity and beyond, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Grade: 37/40 A-

Verdict: Get This Toy

SW Collector

Entertainment Earth Exclusive Legacy Collection Comic Pack "Jaster Mareel and Montross"

(Photos borrowed from Rebelscum.com, my number one choice for anything and everything Star Wars)

General Info: As mentioned before, I love Mandalorians, and any chance I can, I update my collection of them, to diversify the ranks. This comic pack, along with its 3 casemates, were salvaged from the failure pile and brought to us through the graces of online retailer Entertainment Earth. While there are still a good 5 or 6 comic packs that have not yet, and more than likely will not see the light of day, these four give us hope that eventually Hasbro will find a way to get those long lost Expanded Universe figures out to us loyal fans. But enough about that, let’s get back to the two Mando’s that are in this pack. From the time period of Jango Fett’s childhood, and early adulthood, these two guys represent different sides of their operation and belief. Montross believes he is the rightful leader of the Mandolorian warriors, and acts on his own orders rather than anyone else’s, while Jaster is the more nurturing type, yet still ruthlessly efficient. Through Montross’ actions, Jaster is killed, which crushes Jango, and leads to his banishing of Montross after the battle.

Details/Accuracy: 10/10

Hasbro really went all out with these guys. The detailing and sculpting is really superb, and it almost makes you forget that these guys were made using existing tooling. Jaster shares the mold of Jango Fett, though he has a new belt with new holsters, and a new headsculpt, while Montross uses the Boba Fett body and Mandalore’s legs, with even more extensive tweaking. He has a new belt and holsters as well, a new headsculpt, and new arms that show exposed skin. The attention to detail and the closeness of the figures to their comic book counterparts is very good, and definitely deserves a 10.

Accessories/Pack-In: 10/10

Again, these guys come with a lot of stuff. Each Mando comes with a cape, a jetpack, one long rifle, two short blasters, and a removable helmet. The guns are all new, matching their comic book appearances, while the other accessories, save for the capes, are repainted versions of Jango and Boba’s accessories. It’s really nice when Hasbro is able to give us new weapon sculpts, because after 20-30 Clone Trooper blasters and rifles you really just want some variety.

Articulation: 10/10

Both figures have the modern day standard super articulation, consisting of ball-jointed heads, ball hinged shoulders and torso, elbows, knees, and ankles, and swivel forearms and hips, the only difference being Montross has swivel wrists instead of forearms.

Need to be Re-done: 10/10

Considering that this is the first release of these figures, I would say that the need for these figures to have been made was large so that we can continue to flesh out our collections, as opposed to buying our 30^th Darth Vader figure. I don’t think that Hasbro will ever need to revisit these figures, which is a good thing because chances are they never will.

Final Thoughts:

While Entertainment Earth does charge a little bit more for the same thing you could get just down the street, they really aren’t all that bad as far as pricing goes. Though, if you do wish to purchase a pre-order from them, be sure to keep an eye on their website, because often they will push the release date around, and you may wind up waiting awhile. In my experience, I’m glad that I decided to get these four exclusive comic packs from them, and I even lucked out and got them on sale, so it was almost as if I had found them at a retail store and purchased them there. I would definitely recommend getting these, as they will probably sell out soon, if they haven’t already, and they are some real gems as far as this line is concerned. It’s a real shame in a sense, because if Hasbro had just sold these packs along with the ones from the last wave of the retail packs, this line would not have died as sadly as it did. Hopefully in the future we can see this line reborn, as I was never much of a comic collector, and now I have a good 20-25 comics of different Star Wars stories.

Grade: 40/40

Verdict: Definitely Get This

SW Collector

Update

Hello all. Due to a mix-up on my part the comic pack reviews were overlooked and the two vehicles were reviewed instead. I will attempt to get the reviews done as soon as possible to rectify this.

On another note, sadly my time over the break has not been spent most productively, so there are no updates to my projects as I had stated earlier. I apologize for this, as I had hoped to have some big news regarding one of my bigger projects, but it looks like that my have to wait awhile, depending on how things go.

Hope you all had a happy holiday, and thanks for checking in. Stay tuned for more reviews and hopefully updates as the year progresses.

SW Collector

The Vintage Collection Target Exclusive "Rebel Armored Snowspeeder"

(Photo Credits: Jedi Temple Archives, Google Images)

General Thoughts: The Empire Strikes Back offers a lot of material as far as vehicles are concerned, but none of these is more iconic than the Rebel Snowspeeder. The ship that saves Han and Luke from Hoth’s freezing cold, takes down several walkers and ultimately buys the Rebels enough time to escape, can only be described as heroic. Even though it’s smaller and less versatile than the rest of the ships in the Alliance’s armada, it still commands attention as a powerful force in its own right. It has had several incarnations over the course of time, but this is the most accurate one to date.

Detail: 10/10

This wonderfully detailed ship has just about everything you could ask for out of a $25 vehicle. It has all the markings from the movie props, even down to the little dots and shapes that are so small you’d have to screenshot the movie to see them. Its size has been reduced slightly from the most recent release, effectively retiring the Vintage mold, and this is a great step in the right direction. No black marks here.

Accuracy: 10/10

There isn’t a thing about the ship that isn’t spot on to the movie appearance. The only way this could be better is if they were to have a set of decals that could turn this into the red striped version that is seen being flown by other members of Rogue Squadron, but that can wait for the inevitable repaint in the next few years. A work of art as far as toys go.

Playability: 10/10

The only thing that this ship does right that I don’t really like is the inclusion of three missile-firing cannons. Don’t get me wrong; the idea is a great one, as it gives kids something to play with as they don’t necessarily care about accuracy, but for someone like me who primarily displays my toys, I don’t view it as entirely necessary. There are two sets of laser cannons, the accurate non-firing ones that look great, and the missile-firing cannons, which are not accurate and are somewhat bulky in my opinion. The same goes for the harpoon gun, except in this case I’m a little more lenient, because the missile-firing one comes with a harpoon cable of reasonable length, which can attach to the back of the speeder and be used to recreate the Battle of Hoth scenes. The gun itself is rather bulky and makes the ship look back-heavy, but the play value helps this to be overlooked somewhat. I prefer the smaller, screen-accurate version.

Overall Design: 10/10

I don’t think that there is anything that they could really do to make this ship any better than they already have. I can’t wait for the eventual repaint in the other color scheme, just so I can buy another one of these, so that speaks more than anything I could ever say about it, in my opinion. With so many included features, it’s a wonder why more vehicles don’t follow in this one’s footsteps, as ships that could be just as cool, like the Swamp Speeder, suffer from lack of any real features and diminish their perceived value. This is a great ship to use in Vintage style packaging, and I hope that more follow in its path.

Final Thoughts: This is a great toy, plain and simple, and you’d be foolish to not pick one up. As is stated pretty much everywhere, there are no differences between this one and the Shadows of the Dark Side one, just the boxes they come in, so get whichever one you can find cheaper, unless you hang onto the boxes like me, then I would suggest this version as the packaging is simply ten times cooler. The extra play features make this an incredible purchase, and the attention to detail makes you wonder how Hasbro can keep the costs down. I was in need of a new version of this ship to fill out my armada, and I’m definitely glad that I chose this version to do so.

Grade: 40/40 A+

Verdict: Definitely Get This

SW Collector

The Vintage Collection "Bespin Twin-Pod Cloud Car"

(Photo Credits: Google Images)

General Thoughts: As a child that grew up during the time of the Special Edition releases, I never knew the abundance that was the Kenner Vintage toys. As a result, I missed out on a lot of great things, namely the Cloud Car. This vehicle was only made once, during the original 1980 run of toys, and since then there has not been a modern update to it. For years Hasbro has claimed that it just doesn’t have enough screen time and aggressive features, and the original molds were lost or broken, despite the large volume of fans clamoring for it’s release. Finally, in 2010, as part of the new Vintage Collection ironically enough, we get to see this curious vehicle released again, this time with all new tooling, new features, and even a new pilot to purchase and drive our ship.

Detail: 11/10

I try to not give too many scores over 10 in reviews, as it seems somewhat tacky to me, but in this instance, like others, I can’t help but do so. My reasoning is that there are just so many things crammed into this toy that it definitely makes up for Habro saying no for so many years. The engines are given a “glowing” paintjob, the many missile launchers are seamlessly integrated into the design, and the paint applications on the entire ship are just wonderful.

Accuracy: 11/10

Again, I’m only giving this an 11 because I don’t feel a 10 gives it justice. This ship has all of the features of a Cloud Car seen in the movie, but it goes the extra mile and shows us not one, but two new features that would not be apparent from viewing the film. The two cockpits can split apart to become two separate vehicles, increasing play value, and the cars themselves can slide together and reveal hidden missile launchers, giving this fighter some more oomph to police the skies of Bespin with.

Playability: 10/10

As I stated above, this toy has quite a lot of features that make it worthwhile. Both cockpits open and can fit the new 2010 Cloud Car Pilot figure, as well as a slew of others if you’re so inclined. There are new landing gear posts on the bottom of the ship, with sculpted laser cannons on them, as well as opening engine compartments on the front of each car. The package lists them as storage compartments, but I’m not entirely sure what people would want to store near the engine of a starfighter. The cars can separate, creating two individual vehicles, and they can be pushed together to reveal their hidden missile launchers, which are in addition to the two on the middle section of the craft, all of which can be fired. Basically, there’s a lot for kids to do with this thing.

Overall Design: 10/10

For something that they said couldn’t be done, due to whatever reasons they were citing at the time, Hasbro sure did a bang-up job of making one of the coolest vehicles of 2010. They crammed a bunch of features into the ship, all while keeping it screen accurate and making hundreds of collectors happy, and that doesn’t happen all the time.

Final Thoughts:

I had my doubts about this thing at first, but after having purchased it and holding it in my hands, I have to say that I am very satisfied with my decision. My only real surprise with this ship was the size, as it is downright puny compared to most of my other craft, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it can be stored in a much smaller space than the rest of them. Looking at the Starfighter assortment, I’d say things are off to a good start, and the choices just seem to keep getting better. With things like the Cloud Car, Swamp Speeder, and Droid Gunship all being released in consecutive waves, vehicles are definitely putting a strain on my wallet. I picked this up for less than retail, which I thought was a bonus, and I would highly encourage anyone who is on the fence to pick it up, as you’ll be sorry if you don’t, and you may just have to wait another 30 years for them to re-release this one.

Grade: 42/40 A++

Verdict: Definitely Get This

SW Collector