Toybiz Lord of the Rings Battle Cry Uruk Hai, Crossbow Uruk Hai & Berserker

In the Lord of the Rings movie, the Uruk Hai were a strain of Orcs that were first created by Sauron by crossing Orcs with Goblin-men. They appeared in the Two Towers when they were deployed by Sauron in the Battle of Helm's Deep.
In the Battle of Helm's Deep, there were 5 different types of Uruk Hai. There were the Swordsmen, Pikesmen, Crossbow Uruk Hai, Sappers & Berserkers.

The pikesmen were conceived primarily for defending the Uruk Hai ranks against the Rohirrim; a tightly clustered row of pikes meant that the horsemen would be kept at a distance, allowing the crossbow Uruk Hai to pick them off. Their secondary role was to help push the siege ladders up when they were being raised against the Deeping Wall. The thin eye slit in the helmet forces the Uruk Hai to look up the Deeping Wall.
The crossbow Uruk Hai primary role was to shoot down the enemies with the crossbow. As the crossbow had a set poundage and draw which meant that it required less training with to achieve accuracy. This was perfect for Sauron's army as it was set up quickly with little training for the Uruk Hai.
Berserkers were the larger, even more fearsome versions of the Uruk Hai. Before they went into battle, it is said that the bowl of their small, tight fitting helmet was filled with blood of their enemy than pushed onto their heads. This intoxicating smell awakened a bloodlust that drove them into a battle-frenzy. Their main objective was to establish a bridgehead hence they wore no armour or any sort of protection.

Toybiz did only the Pikesmen, Crossbow Uruk Hai & Berserker. It would have been nice if we could have the Swordsmen and Sappers as well. Just to have the complete Uruk Hai army!
Toybiz did a great job in the sculpting department and added a great amount of details which was not only good but movie accurate (as far as I can see).
I guess its always easier to capture monsters' likeness as compared to humans.
Each Uruk Hai also comes with their specific (movie accurate) & removable helmet. A great plus for me.
Battle cry Uruk Hai (pikesmen) comes with his pike and burning torch. Crossbow Uruk Hai comes with a crossbow, a pouch to contain his 5 arrows. The Berserker comes with his only weapon, a huge sword with a five-foot blade and a foot-long double spike at the end!
The only minor flaw in all 3 figures is that of their action feature which restricts articulation. However this is understandable as they are supposed to be mass market toys targeted as kids.

Overall great figures and great toy line to collect

Battle Cry Uruk Hai - Pikesmen
















Crossbow Uruk Hai












Berserker

Charge!!!

Toybiz Lord of the Rings Sauron

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was one of the best movie ever made (according to me at least). It consisted of 3 films, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers & The Return of the King.
The trilogy is based on the three-volume book The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.
All 3 films were great success not only financially but also critically.
The 3 films were ranked 15th, 8th, and 2nd highest-grossing films of all time, respectively and winning 17 out of 30 Academy Awards nominated.
Toybiz or now Marvel Toys created the toys for the Lord of the Rings movies.
They did a great job especially in the area of sculpting, taking into consideration that these were mass market toys.
Sauron was the creator of the one ring and the resident baddie in the trilogy. He even made it into Joshua's Top 10 movie Villains of All Time.
We were only able to see his true form in the starting sequence of the first move, The Fellowship of the Ring. For the rest of the films, he was just one big eye!
Toybiz did the Sauron figure and boy did they hit a home run for this. Sauron is in scale to the 6" figures at 10" tall, and has light up eyes and a talking feature.
The sculpting is perfect and there is a tremendous amount of detail in the sculpting and design. His cape is made of cloth and goes very well with the overall figure.
Sauron comes with his mace, and 4 rings (which can be fitted onto his hand). His fingers on his right hand can actually come apart, just like in the film! A great inclusion which Toybiz did not need to do.
Overall, this figure is the best out of the Lord of the Rings toy line. In my opinion, it is one of the best mass market figure in its scale.

I see you


























Insane amount of details






For some strange reason, the mace bent over time

Movie Master Batpod

Was browsing through Michael's website (http://www.mwctoys.com/) for my daily dosage of toy reviews when I saw this. Mattel has released the Batpod under their Movie Master line!
The Movie Master line has been one of the highlights for Mattel.
I reviewed the Movie Master's Batman & Joker figures some time back and I felt that Mattel did a great job on this line (only complaint is the price)
Based on Michael's review and pictures, this is one vehicle I must get my hands on!
Only problem is that the Batpod is a Target exclusive and I wonder if we will see this in our shopping centres.
I am sure I can get this in specialty toy shops here or at CSC but I think I will pay a premium for it.
Regardless...I am excited...oh and so is my Batman!

Pictures from http://www.mwctoys.com/

Yo Joe! Cobra Troopers spotted!

Finally got my hands on the Cobra B.A.T and Cobra Snow Trooper.
These two figures were really high on my "must get" list.
One minor grumble is that these 2 figures were not released under the 25th anniversary card which looks better with their silver border and silver GI Joe name.
Once when I am not too lazy and busy, I will do up more holders so I can display them onto my GI Joe wall!

Cobra B.A.T

Info on Cobra B.A.T
B.A.T.s are the perfect Cobra troopers. They never question orders, complain about the chow, shirk duty, or surrender. They require no leave time, sick pay or benefits of any kind, and they are cheap and easy to replace. On the other hand, B.A.T.s do not react very well to changes in field conditions, nor do they discriminate between targets. They will shoot at anything that moves, be it friend or foe. They also have an unfortunate tendency to burst into flames when hit from behind.
If they went through all the trouble to create a fighting android, why can't they go an extra step to make sure that they can discriminate between friend and foe. Seriously how hard can that be as compared to building a android...LOL

Cobra Snow Serpent

Info on Cobra Snow Serpent
Snow Serpents are the Arctic Specialist branch of the Cobra EEL unit (Cobra frogmen). They must undergo the same rigorous training program as Cobra EEL troops with the addition of a six month cold weather course somewhere above the Arctic Circle. They are considered the best of the best! Other aspects of their training include airborne operations (under arctic conditions), anti-tank procedures and the use of snowshoes, skis and kayaks.

Matt Trakker from M.A.S.K as G.I. Joe Specialist Trakker

Yes!! Matt Trakker from M.A.S.K will be included as a single carded G.I. Joe figure.
Matt was the leader of M.A.S.K (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) and the cartoon & toys were a huge hit in the 80s. Matt Trakker's vehicle was Thunderhawk, a sports car that could go into flight.
My favourite character is Dusty Hayes who drove Gator, a jeep that could turn into a speedboat.
Even though the main element of M.A.S.K was the vehicles, I am happy that Hasbro has done this. I suspect that there will be more figures! Dusty! cough Dusty! cough :P
Looks like I need to have another G.I. Joe wall!

Beautiful card art!




Matt & ThunderHawk in full 80s glory!


Dusty & Gator!

Something new on the 7th floor of Plaza Singapura

Was at Plaza Singapura for lunch today when I remembered a recent post by Juliana on new toy shops on the 7th floor. Thanks Juliana for that post!
You can read her report here.
The new shops are Movie Replicas, Toy Outpost & Simply Toys.
Had my camera with me so I snapped away.
I really like the shop's design and decor for Simply Toys (looks super class)

Master Replicas


Toy Outpost


You can rent a locker at Toy Outpost and sell your stuff.


My pictures don't do the shop's decor justice. Go down and see for
yourself