Power of the Force 12" Han Solo & Carbonite Block

One of the best things about toy collecting or any kind of collecting, is that you never know when you may stumble onto something that would add onto your collection.

I stumbled onto this figure when a bunch of my friends and I were "toy window shopping."
I usually won't pick up such figures but that Carbonite Block really caught my eye and the price was very reasonable.

The packaging is pretty simple with a big window to showcase the figures.
The design is similar to the green Power of the Force design commonly seen on the 3.75" cards.
There are twistees but not that much. Enough to secure the figures and not drive you crazy.
You could easily take out the figures without damaging the packaging.
I found it funny that 50% of the back shows Lando Calrissian while Han in Carbonite takes up a little corner...and I thought we were buying a Han Solo figure.

Lando Calrissian?

The sculpting on the Han Solo figures by today's 12" standard is poor.

However for a mass market toy produced in the 1990s, I guess you can't compare.

I do like the vintage feel of the figure. I guess you can spot Harrison Ford in the sculpt if you squint hard enough and tilt you head to the left...  

The "arm cuffs" were a nice touch to the figure.

I did not notice that part of the white shirt has started to brown due to age until I got him home...oh well I can live with that cause Han was not the reason why I bought this.

Han comes along with a blaster that has a red projectile. I am sure it can shoot but at the point of this review, I still can't figure out the firing mechanisim.

The real reason why I got this figure is the Carbonite block.

Some little trivia here...in the freezing process, the gas was pumped into a freezing chamber where it was mixed with molten carbonite into a solid block. The gas was released later at its destination or at the processing center.

Darth Vader ordered the modification of a freezing chamber on Bespin's Cloud City so that he could freeze Luke Skywalker—eliminating any chance of escape—to transport him to the Emperor.
As a test, the process was tried on Han Solo.
I really like the sculpting on this.

There is a good amount of details and at first glance it does look movie accurate.

Unfortuantely, it is not one solid piece but hollow inside.

Hence it is very light and I can't stop feeling that the amount I paid for this actually is for the Han figure.

If only I could have gotten this loose for a cheaper price. 

Nice details on the control panels

I though it was cool to hang the Carbonite Block onto my Toy room's wall.

Maybe a Leia in Boushh disguise would look great with it...

Hot Toys Mark I (2.0)

I was pretty surprised that Hot Toys decided to do a 2.0 version on the Mark I.
Seriously how much more can Hot Toys do to differentiate the 2 versions?
The most they could do was to improve the head sculpt or add some more accessories...which was basically what they did. They could even squeeze in a special edition...talk about milking it dry.

For those who already got the 1st Mark I, I don't think it will be worthwhile to get this. The extra improvement just does not justify paying for another Mark I.

However it is great news for people like me who missed out on the first version and now we can get a Mark I for a reasonable price.

The 1st version's packaging is much more detailed and better looking compared to this.

This version is much more simpler.

It still has an outer sleeve which shows the armour design of the Mark I.

Taking out the sleeve, you get the main box. It is super simple and I am not sure what the design is supposed to be.

It does look like a wooden box but on the other hand it does also look like the brown suit Tony wears underneath the Mark I armour. I tend to go with the latter since the outer sleeve represents the Mark I armour.

Outer Sleeve

 

The Main Box

Opening the flap reveals the figure

People involved in the making of this figure

Just like the 1st version you do not get a extra head. You get one, with a removable/liftable face plate. Underneath that face plate is the new sculpt.

If you are doing a new version, the head sculpt will be an area to improve on and this is exactly what Hot Toys did.

To me the sculpting has improved significantly over the first version. The expression is more intense and shows a man who has been kept against his will in a cave, with a car battery rigged up to a magnet stopping his heart from being pierced by shrapnel lodged in his body...

There is more texturing to the skin and the painting of the eyes with the 'wet' look effect makes the overall sculpt more realistic as compared to the first version.   I am also happy that they did away with sculpting the loose strands of hair on the forehead to make it look like hair being plastered on the forehead with sweat. Not a fan of it and by removing it, it greatly improves the sculpt.
 

Sculpting Iron Man suits gives a great company like Hot Toys the opportunity to showcase just how good they are in the job.

The details on this machine are insane and Hot Toys is able to translate all these details to 1/6 scale.

I think every time they do an Iron Man suit, they will be rubbing their hands in delight and saying..."Ahhh another opportunity to show off...hahaha"

Articulation of this figure is slightly limited due to the suit. Inside the suit you still get the standard TrueType figure.

Insane details

 

Moving parts which reveals a rocket (removable) in his left arm

Like all Hot Toys Iron Man suits, there is the light up feature. For this figure, I like where they placed the batteries. Pretty cool and practical idea.

Mark I all light up.

Like the 1st version the Mark I is pretty short of accessories.

However since this is supposed to be an enhanced version (2.0), hence Hot Toys did try to add on more accessories to ths figure.

First let's start with the accessories found in both versions:

You get an extra set of hands, both in fist poses.

There's also the liftable face plate.

Now the improvement:

Replacing the basic black display stand, you get a display base featuring the scraps of weapons and stones from the Cave. It is not too big so it can be used to enhance the display without taking up too much space.

There is also the flamethrower implanted in wrist which gives the extra flame-effected part. This is actually a very nice piece, makes the figure oh so cool! 

Display Base

Extra hands

Overall, a great figure for those who missed out on the initial version. If you already have the 1st version, I think it is better to stick with it.

There is a special edition for the Mark I figure and so what do you get extra?

One Holographic Mark I collectible (approximately 3 inches tall). It is one solid piece with no articulation. I guess it will make a nice prop for an Iron Man diorama.