No money=no toys=no good.
I've been effectively broke for two weeks until yesterday. It sucked, but I more than made up for it in nerd-related purchases.
First, the Transformers stuff. Since Target was running a sale on the movie toys, I decided I'd go ahead and pick up their exclusive Robo-Vision Optimus Prime. It's the Voyager ($20) sized version, only the regular Voyager release isn't out yet, and this exclusive one is painted much better. I don't think I own a TF with as much kibble on the back as this Prime has. It's a chore to balance him properly, but when you get it right, he looks great. Apparently, the only way to ensure freedom for all sentient beings is to carry a big gun, and this Prime has two. They transform from smokestacks (which I might add, are NOT cut off as recent G1 versions are) to long rifles, and posed with both of them, Prime looks great.
I almost broke my sample, due to Hasbro STILL not including text on the instructions, and this cursed Automorph Technology. But once I got him into truck mode, he looked awesome. There's a little holographic cowboy trucker in the driver's seat. Some people say it's Peter Cullen (the voice of Prime) in a cameo, but we of course don't know yet. I'll go with them, though, for the time being. All in all, if you can pick this guy up, do it. He's not as large as the Leader Prime, but I think he'd be better for kids or collectors who don't have a lot of space. Of course, if you're a collector, you're going to buy them both anyway.
The second TF item I bought was the Deluxe Bonecrusher. This was my most sought-after Deluxe figure, and when I tracked him down late last night at a local Wal-Mart, I was happy to get my hands on him. The dude just looks so kick-ass in the trailers and that 20-second clip recently released (you can find a link from earlier this week below if you missed it.) Plus, I had just bought the Voyager Prime earlier that night. Now I could display them together! Awesome, right?
Not so much. As a Deluxe, Prime is almost twice as tall as Bonecrusher, mostly due to 'Crusher's posture. It was let down, even though Bonecrusher is still a great toy. His transformation is a little strange, but I found it easier than Prime's. I found it hard to believe that Bonecrusher just has those mandibles for feet, but there it is. I'd still buy this one, since we don't know if a proper Voyager-sized version is going to be offered or not.
And, last but not least, we have our Star Wars toys. I didn't buy very many. I only bought two Stormtroopers and one Attack of the Clones Clone Trooper. But I was glad to have them. These are guys that should be available nonstop throughout the line, just like Darth Vader action figures. But that's just my opinion. I myself have gotten a little Cloned-out on Revenge of the Sith Clones in all their myriad colors, and judging by the shelves at Target last night, a lot of other people felt the same way. This time last year, you wouldn't have been able to find a Shocktrooper. And I saw three of them last night, just sitting there. It's the most I've ever seen in one place. I suppose that the retailers are loving that Saga Legends line, judging by how much they've stocked up on them.
But wave 3 is where it's at. That features the new removable helmet Stormtrooper. I bought two of them, and so far I've opened one. I think I might stop with that, actually. The Clone head is very, very tiny, and the helmet slides down too far to the shoulders. So I dug out my Han Solo in Stormtrooper disguise from the recent comic pack, popped both heads off of the figures, and put the Han head on my new Stormtrooper. It's what God intended. So, now I'm going to use my other new Stormtrooper for my Marvel Comics Luke, if I ever find that pack again. I don't think I'll buy more of these for army building purposes. For one thing, I have about thirty Stormtroopers divided along the different versions since 1995, and at $7 each, well, it's just hard. Plus the loose torso joint. Judging by the reactions at JediDefender, it's a widespread problem. Since this guy gets mixed in future assormtents (I think I'm due for about three to five more between my waves 3, 4, and 5 cases) I hope it gets fixed. But I'm done with them at retail. I guess everyone's moved on to scalping the McQuarrie figures and are leaving the formerly-hot Clones to sit these days.
Speaking of McQuarrie figures, the Concept Luke ships from Hasbro this week. I find it strange that the easiest Concept figures for me to get were C4 exclusives. I barely found Fett and the Stormtrooper, and Chewbacca continues to elude me. These things are the reason I've decided to just buy cases of figures until the Concept line is done. I suppose the big H really underestimated how popular these would be, and really, I don't blame them one bit. Who would have thought that toys based on 30-year-old concept art would be the hottest thing in years for Star Wars?
First, the Transformers stuff. Since Target was running a sale on the movie toys, I decided I'd go ahead and pick up their exclusive Robo-Vision Optimus Prime. It's the Voyager ($20) sized version, only the regular Voyager release isn't out yet, and this exclusive one is painted much better. I don't think I own a TF with as much kibble on the back as this Prime has. It's a chore to balance him properly, but when you get it right, he looks great. Apparently, the only way to ensure freedom for all sentient beings is to carry a big gun, and this Prime has two. They transform from smokestacks (which I might add, are NOT cut off as recent G1 versions are) to long rifles, and posed with both of them, Prime looks great.
I almost broke my sample, due to Hasbro STILL not including text on the instructions, and this cursed Automorph Technology. But once I got him into truck mode, he looked awesome. There's a little holographic cowboy trucker in the driver's seat. Some people say it's Peter Cullen (the voice of Prime) in a cameo, but we of course don't know yet. I'll go with them, though, for the time being. All in all, if you can pick this guy up, do it. He's not as large as the Leader Prime, but I think he'd be better for kids or collectors who don't have a lot of space. Of course, if you're a collector, you're going to buy them both anyway.
The second TF item I bought was the Deluxe Bonecrusher. This was my most sought-after Deluxe figure, and when I tracked him down late last night at a local Wal-Mart, I was happy to get my hands on him. The dude just looks so kick-ass in the trailers and that 20-second clip recently released (you can find a link from earlier this week below if you missed it.) Plus, I had just bought the Voyager Prime earlier that night. Now I could display them together! Awesome, right?
Not so much. As a Deluxe, Prime is almost twice as tall as Bonecrusher, mostly due to 'Crusher's posture. It was let down, even though Bonecrusher is still a great toy. His transformation is a little strange, but I found it easier than Prime's. I found it hard to believe that Bonecrusher just has those mandibles for feet, but there it is. I'd still buy this one, since we don't know if a proper Voyager-sized version is going to be offered or not.
And, last but not least, we have our Star Wars toys. I didn't buy very many. I only bought two Stormtroopers and one Attack of the Clones Clone Trooper. But I was glad to have them. These are guys that should be available nonstop throughout the line, just like Darth Vader action figures. But that's just my opinion. I myself have gotten a little Cloned-out on Revenge of the Sith Clones in all their myriad colors, and judging by the shelves at Target last night, a lot of other people felt the same way. This time last year, you wouldn't have been able to find a Shocktrooper. And I saw three of them last night, just sitting there. It's the most I've ever seen in one place. I suppose that the retailers are loving that Saga Legends line, judging by how much they've stocked up on them.
But wave 3 is where it's at. That features the new removable helmet Stormtrooper. I bought two of them, and so far I've opened one. I think I might stop with that, actually. The Clone head is very, very tiny, and the helmet slides down too far to the shoulders. So I dug out my Han Solo in Stormtrooper disguise from the recent comic pack, popped both heads off of the figures, and put the Han head on my new Stormtrooper. It's what God intended. So, now I'm going to use my other new Stormtrooper for my Marvel Comics Luke, if I ever find that pack again. I don't think I'll buy more of these for army building purposes. For one thing, I have about thirty Stormtroopers divided along the different versions since 1995, and at $7 each, well, it's just hard. Plus the loose torso joint. Judging by the reactions at JediDefender, it's a widespread problem. Since this guy gets mixed in future assormtents (I think I'm due for about three to five more between my waves 3, 4, and 5 cases) I hope it gets fixed. But I'm done with them at retail. I guess everyone's moved on to scalping the McQuarrie figures and are leaving the formerly-hot Clones to sit these days.
Speaking of McQuarrie figures, the Concept Luke ships from Hasbro this week. I find it strange that the easiest Concept figures for me to get were C4 exclusives. I barely found Fett and the Stormtrooper, and Chewbacca continues to elude me. These things are the reason I've decided to just buy cases of figures until the Concept line is done. I suppose the big H really underestimated how popular these would be, and really, I don't blame them one bit. Who would have thought that toys based on 30-year-old concept art would be the hottest thing in years for Star Wars?
Comments