Hot Toys Martian Soldier Mars Attack!

Martians invade Earth!
Mars Attacks! is a 1996 comic science fiction film directed by Tim Burton.
It makes fun of the B-grade science fiction movies of old and has elements of black comedy and political satire mixed in.
Trademark Tim Burton's movie!
I personally love the movie even though it had mixed reviews.

When Hot Toys announced that they got the licence for Mars Attack!, I was excited. I got even more excited when I saw the pictures of the Martian Soldier & Martian Ambassador.
However I got a funny feeling that these figures will be slow moving off the shelves hence I only picked up the Martian Soldier and hope to pick up the Martian Ambassador at a discounted price. My long term goal is to display the Martian Ambassador flanked by 2 Martian Soldiers!

Hot Toys not only do excellent sculpting and painting but they also do excellent packaging (of course there are misses like the Terminator Salvation Packaging). The packaging gives you a very retro feel which is in line with the feel of the movie.
Great and vibrant colours used together with eye catching design!
Very well done!

The overall sculpt is very good, expecting nothing less from Hot Toys and the price you will be paying. The painting is clean and the overall feel and material quality is high.

Unlike your normal 12" figures, this figure only have 13 points of articulation! I guess to make up for the lack of articulation, they made the eyes, jaw and tongue movable...LOL. Even though articulation is weak, you can still get a few decent poses out of him but don't overdo it!

Even at a lower price point as compared to other Hot Toys offering, this guy seriously lacks accessories! Ok...in the movie the Martian Soldiers does not carry much but we get only 3 pairs of hands, his ray gun and helmet with removable shield.
However I have to admit the ray gun and helmet are pretty cool accessories.

As for scale, the Martian Soldier is smaller as compared to other 12" figures. It stands roughly at the shoulder of a 12" figure. (around 10" tall)
This makes displaying the figure with your other 12" figures better as I think a Martian who is the same height as your John Connor or Marcus Wright is just wrong.

My only concern is the rubber at the elbows, thighs and knees which might disintegrate over time.

Overall a great figure for display but a bit over-priced!

Great packaging!








Ack! Ack!






























Rubber at the elbows


Rubber at the thighs and knees


The lever to move the eyes


The accessories




Ray Gun

My Motorised Action Man

Check out my motorised Action Man!
No batteries required!

Paper Toys Gundam

My first paper toy for 2010 is Gundam.
A rather surprising choice as I don't follow or know anything about Gundam!
However with Shaun blogging about it, it kinda sparked my interest in it.
Hence I present my paper version of Gundam.
Enjoy!

You can view related paper toys news and my paper toys here.

Gundam

We are almost there!

Yes we are almost there...to capping off a terrible season! We just need to finish this season out of the top 4! Can't be that hard based on what I am seeing.

We have crashed out of the league cup, Champions League and now the FA cup (and by Reading...OMG). PLUS we are way off the league! Really makes for confidence reading.

They say a true fan will stand by their team in their darkest hour and I will continue to support Liverpool no matter what. As our motto goes...You Will Never Walk Alone.

But please beat Stoke today...please.

Dreams do come true

I have been passing up on numerous AT-AT in Toy stores and Ebay as I felt that the scale was really out of whack!
After witnessing Hasbro releasing the new Falcon (even though still not to scale), Turbo Tank, AT-TE and the AT-ST, I just knew that Hasbro could offer us a better AT-AT compared to what we have now.
Heard it from The Rebel, according to Hasbro, the planned AT-AT is supposedly going to feature lights, sounds, full leg articulation, chin guns, key phrases, a trap door and much more. It is also supposed to come with a Speederbike and figure.

Wow! It is going to be big and expensive but I want it!
I want it now!

Dreams do come true!

How much will you pay, if the AT-AT looks like that!

NECA Cult Classics Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs movie is based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Harris.
In the movie, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), an FBI trainee, seeks the advice of the imprisoned Dr. Hannibal Lecter (played by the outstanding Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer, on catching another serial killer called Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb.
This movie has become a classic and Dr. Hannibal Lecter a pop culture icon.

When NECA announced that they were doing this version of Hannibal Lecter, I knew that this figure will be part of my toy collection!
NECA does produce excellent figures in terms of sculpting for the 6" market. It has also gotten pretty solid licences (they seem to have overtaken Mcfarlane in this area).
The sculpting is good here, you can immediately recognise Anthony Hopkins. I like the way they scultped the expression of the face. A very classic Hannibal Lecter's look. That cold dagger stare! It just brings chill to my spine!
The details on the face and clothes are also impressive. I especially like the way they sculpted the creases on his jacket and prision overall.
If I have to nit pick, it would be the hair. I have looked at pictures of Hannibal Lecter as in this version of the figure and I don't remember his hair being combed nicely. It was more messy as compared to how NECA sculpted his hair.

The painting here is excellent especially on the stray jacket. The wash effect is done just right. The only complaint I have is that the painting of the eyebrows are way too thick. I don't recall Anthony Hopkins having such thick eyebrows!
What I really like about this figure are the accessories. He comes with his leather mask and handcart. On yeah! The iconic leather mask! It is very well done and fits nicely onto the face of the figure. The handcart is also well made with good detailing.

Overall, a very well-made figure with a decent price. In my case, a pop culture icon which deserves to be part of my toy collection.

Dr. Hannibal Lecter, pretty tied up!








Good evening, Clarice






















Dr. Hannibal Lecter's fave food...brains!