Tag: Halo Page 2 of 3

Doc Thomas Probes > Action Features (Part II)

In Part I of our feature, Doc Thomas examined “Simulated Attack” action features. And now…the exciting conclusion!

Type 2: Pure Deco

The next most prominent type of action feature is that which focuses on the look of the toy, and attempts to add more life-like or just more interesting dynamic look via an internal mechanism. A good example of this is Cortana from McFarlane “Last Hurrah” Toys’ Halo line, which in addition to being awesomely scaled to be about life size included several blue leds inside which made it light up, giving it that same luminescence that lightened our lives across the galaxy’s hardship in the excellent series of games.

A different approach to a similar end is the aforementioned Metalhead from TMNT, whose eyes glowed red when light was shined above his head to nifty effect. These kind of action features are comparable to other creative approaches to action figures to make them closer to a real life representation, like the awesome SOTA Blanka sculpted entirely in glow-in-the-dark plastic, representing Blanka in his signature electrified state, or nearly every feature in the Masterpiece Optimus Prime toy, including light-up Matrix inside his chest, and the button-operated “talking” mouth.

Doc Thomas Probes > Action Figure Scales

Like many contemporary collectors, the action figures that got me into this glorious hobby were the late-90’s McFarlane Toys offerings: Movie Maniacs, Sleepy Hollow, Austin Powers and everything in-between. With the combination of amazing sculpting and detailed paint, Todd McFarlane’s company had upped the game for everyone. But for me, the best thing McFarlane Toys offered was the chance to have my own miniature world of characters I knew and loved, in my own little universe, doing whatever I want.

Along with sculpt, paint and (occasionally) articulation, the other thing that McFarlane upped was the scale of their action figures. In the 1980s and ’90s the vast majority of action figures were either the 3¾”-5″ tall. McFarlane Toys bumped the scale up to 6″, with its appealing proportion of one real-world foot=one toy inch, separating themselves from products aimed at children while allowing for more realistic sculpting.

Most Wanted > Mark V Master Chief

I’ve never enjoyed a first-person shooter more than I did the original Halo (full disclosure: I’ve never played Half-Life or its sequel). The sequels were OK, but they never made me feel the same magic I felt whenever I played the first game–where I could knock out a Marine, swipe his sniper rifle, hijack a Banshee and fly to some hard-to-reach outcropping and snipe every single bad guy from half a mile away. Or maybe just kill everything with the pistol.

So it annoys me that while McFarlane has given us several Spartans in Mark V armor, including this Target-exclusive eyesore, we’ve yet to get a Mark V Spartan in green armor. It doesn’t even have to be the Master Chief per se–since I think McFarlane’s license doesn’t extend to the first Halo–but why not a regular Spartan in green Mark V armor? That’s all I ask. I don’t even collect McFarlane’s Halo stuff, but I want this one figure. Preferably with the original pistol.

Until they make one, I guess I’m stuck with my huge, but still kind of cool, Joyride figure.

Odds ‘n Ends

  • I think it may be a relatively quiet day today here on PGPoA–I’m going to take a break after all those DCUC8 reviews and so forth.
  • Since the eBay Hong Kong resellers/thieves once again forced their hand, Mattel has officially revealed the Warrior’s Ring that will come with Tri-Klops.
  • I’ve got better photos of the DCUC Wildcat variant, but I’ve been asked to hold off on posting them until next week.
  • It’s difficult to describe how excited I am that this summer I’ll get not one, but two Monkey Island games–an Xbox Live Arcade special edition of the original game and a brand-new one, Tales of Monkey Island, from Telltale Games. The Secret of Monkey Island is easily one of my favorite videogames of all time–to this day, I’ll still respond to some insults with, “How appropriate–you fight like a cow.”
  • Other games I’m excited about: Metroid: Other M, Crackdown 2, Halo: Reach, New Super Mario Bros Wii.
  • In one of their Q&As from this past round, Mattel claimed they might have DCUC9 on sale on Mattycollector in July. Maybe for preorder, but there is no way DCUC9 will be out in July. I expect the first collectors to get their hands on them (not counting samples) in late August at the earliest. I mean, DCUC8 hasn’t even shown up at retail yet.

5 Questions With > MisterBigBo

Welcome to the first of what I hope will be many interviews with fellow collectors!

MisterBigBo, who comments here occasionally, is a real-life friend of mine who I’ve actually spent time with in person. He’s taken time out of his busy schedule as a brand-new dad to answer a few questions about his toy collecting.

mbb_avatar

Codename: MisterBigBo
Base of Operations:
The Commiewealth of Taxachusetts
History:
Regular ‘ole suburban lower middle class kid who grew up in the 80s. Star Wars fan first, but like most boys of that generation I had a healthy action figure collection. I have gone on to become a teacher, a dad, and study traditional Japanese martial arts, but the toys are still there.

1.) What were your favorite toys or toy lines as a child?

Though I started with Star Wars, moved with the trends to Transformers and He-Man for a while, GI Joe was my favorite. The designs and the articulation caused me to stay with the line into junior high, after most of my friends had moved on. As a youngster I had a little of everything: a few M.A.S.K. vehicles, and one or two Sky Commanders, Army Antz, Silver Hawks, C.O.P.S., Centurins, Marvel Secret Wars and D.C. Super Powers, Captain Power, Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos, Battle Beasts, Starcom, Eagle Force. . . those are the faves that I can remember right now . I suppose my tendency these days to collect only one or a few of any given line is a continuation of that trend.

It Figures #20

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Poor, poor Duke.

Toy review roundup (via Fanmode)

fanmode-copy Artemis reviews the Playmates Toys Star Trek Warp Collection Cadet McCoy 6-inch figure. Excerpt: “… could pretty much stand for the line as a whole: not bad, but could’ve been plenty better. ”

yo go re reviews the Hasbro Spider-Man Juggernaut figure. Excerpt: “He plays well, give or take a few joints, and he looks very nice.”

NewtonGimmick reviews the Hasbro X-Men Origins Wolverine Cyclops (Comic Series) figure. Excerpt: “I find myself liking Cyclops more because of this figure.”

Combat Evolved

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While it continues to disappoint me that the otherwise-excellent McFarlane Halo line is in a 5″ and not a 6″ scale, one figure I’d love to get in any scale is the Mark V suit from the first Halo. I’m not sure whether Joyride Studios somehow still has the rights to the first two games, or whether McFarlane just hasn’t bothered to pick up the license for anything other than Halo 3.

However, a good compromise might be a 5″ version of the Halo Wars armor, which is supposedly the Mark IV suit. Hence my extreme interest when the mysterious photo above appeared in a Figures.com article a few weeks back. After some searching, I was finally able to get confirmation that a 5″ Halo Wars Spartan is indeed in the works.

Pic of the Day

Halo 3 (Unseen War) 18 by mushroomdarkcloud

Poe’s Point > Hard Times at McFarlane Toys

Rich Johnston, the comic industry commentator who writes an insider column for Comic Book Resources, reports that McFarlane Toys may be undergoing some serious downsizing.

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