Machine Man (Marvel Legends)

Machine Man is one of my favorite Marvel characters - And he's wicked under-rated.

I'd hazard the majority of folks who stumble across this post won't know who this Marvel character is.

Even fewer will know Machine Man is a Jack Kirby-created character -- from the comic book version of  2001: A Space Odyssey (ish #8).

As a kid, I was fascinated by the character of Machine Man, and (though I wouldn't know or understand why until later), the writing, design, and art of Jack Kirby.

Jack Kirby's art is kinetic, frenetic (but controlled), stylistic, and rich with a unique identity. In my fan fantasy real-world mash-ups, Mr. Kirby and George Miller would do a creative project together.

And now I have a toy of Machine Man. So. There.

(Thank you Marvel, Hasbro, Jesse Falcon and the team, Mr. Kirby and family, Mr. Ditko and family, and so many more.)

ARM Suit

I never got around to a closing post after being victorious in rounding up all of my Tachikomas from a recent blind-box endeavor.

Sorry.

So, here we go.

First, here's a fun pict of four of the seven Tachis. These are the three standard blues (and the one variant) I found here, here, here, and here.

Four unique Tachikomas

This particular grouping was actually inspired by this whimsical little clip:


But enough about the Tachikomas (nifty as they are).

Here's the assembled build-a-figure (BAF) of the Arm suit (sometimes "ARM suit", thought I don't know of an acronym for it)  -- basically, it's a heavily armored exoskeleton for military personnel.

The Arm Suit Build-a-Figure (BAF)

This thing is built from the pieces found with each of the 7 individual Tachis (interesting that the variant is required in order to build the BAF; I'm not a fan of that).

Oddly, this looks to be modeled after the Russian Dazhdbog Arm Suit, which was a successor to the GSDF Type 1 suits (which were the successor to the non-manned "slave" remote-controlled units). But I thought the Russian units were blue, and this guy is matte black (though I do seem to remember a drunken scuffle between a Tachi and a black Russian suit).

As far as the sculpt goes, it's a bit hit-and-miss. It's in scale, and the pieces are reasonably solid. However, the lower back wheels and gattling cannon don't rest on the ground like they should, which besides destroying the perception of functional design, makes the whole thing a bit unstable.

That's fine though -- collecting this set was all about the core toys -- the BAF was gravy.

A Tachikoma a Day: Day 10 (victory!)

Sweet, sweet serendipity!

Yesterday, I didn't hold out much that my last box would get me my last Tachikoma. Really, at best, it was a 1-in-6+ chance.

In fact, a buddy who's following this middlingly interesting day-for-day journey, posted:

You don't think they'd really put the whole set in one box do you? I bet their distribution machine sorter has a subroutine just to avoid that kind of situation.

Well, in fact, I did get the last Tachikoma -- a first-version blue -- and the final BAF piece for the ARM SUIT build-a-figure.

Makes me wonder if the opposite is true -- maybe Organic Hobby is all about making sure there's one complete set per case.

Or maybe it's all random, and I just got lucky.

Same difference, though.

This little gal is really close to the S.A.C.: 2nd GIG standard version I acquired a couple of days ago. The main differences are the interior markings on the abdomen, the arms (both of which match their equivalents on the Tachi-Blue, even though the abdomens themselves are different), the cannon (which is shorter and thicker than those on both the 2nd GIG standard and the Uchikoma), and it has wheels instead of toed feet (which I prefer, from a poseability perspective, since the toes aren't articulated in these small sculpts).

Blue Tachikoma, 1st version edition.

I'll probably do a follow-up post or two with the whole Tachikomans Gang, and/or the assembled ARM SUIT (now that I have all of the BAF pieces).

A Tachikoma a Day: Day 9

Repeatsville.

Got another Uchikoma -- the slick little green one that pleasantly surprised me on Day 7. I'm happy about that, though -- it's a nice sculpt.

One more box, one more day, one more desired Tachikoma. Not looking good ...

A Tachikoma a Day: Day 8

Today's Tachikoma confused me a bit.

It's not a repeat, which is good. Turns out it's the standard S.A.C. 2nd GIG version of the variant I already scored.

So it looks to be exactly the same as that little sweetie, with the exception of having a standard-issue cannon, rather than the gatling gun the variant has.

What confused me was she came with a different BAF piece for the ARM SUIT --what looks like the torso piece. I'm surprised the standard and variant versions have different build-a-figure components.

Blue Tachikoma, blue 2nd GIG standard version.

So now I have two boxes left to get me the 1st version Tachikoma. Fifty-fifty.

A Tachikoma a Day: Day 7

Suh-weet.

Today, my losing streak was broken when I unboxed a green Uchikoma, from the Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society OVA series. This beasty is interesting, a cross between the Tachikomas that are, erm, gone after the Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG TV series.

To be honest, it looks to be a cross between the, erm, missing Tachikomas of the previous series, and the rights-disputed Fuchikomas from the Ghost in the Shell manga that couldn't be used in the animated treatment (WTF? It's all Masamune Shirow, isn't it?).

To be honest, this was the toy I was least interested in getting, and boy, was I wrong.

This is a really nice sculpt, with a differentiated head and abdomen (the latter arguably looks a bit like the Fuchikomas). Really, only the legs and arms (and maybe cannon), look like the 2nd GIG Tachikomans.

Green Uchikoma.

It comes with the stabilizing wheels for the ARM SUIT build-a-figure, so I'm getting closer to finishing that, too.

Three more boxes to go. One more blue, and the non-variant 2nd GIG version to find.

A Tachikoma a Day: Day 6

Yeah, my streak is definitely over. Today saw another Tachi-Silver, so I now have 4 boxes to the get the two Tachikomans I still need -- an Uchikoman and an original blue Tachikoma (Not the 2nd GIG variant or a Tachi-Blue).

In theory, a 50-50 chance to get the two I still want, or a 4:3 chance to get those two, and the standard 2nd GIG version.

Either way, you only have to deal with this for four more days. Ish.

A Tachikoma a Day: Day 5

My unique run ended today, with blind box number 5 being a repeat of Day 3's Tachi-Blue.

Ah, well, was bound to happen sometime ...

A Tachikoma a Day: Day 4

Today, getting ready to open blind box #4, my daughters said, "We want the yellow one today."

I took pains to explain -- especially to the two-year-old -- that wanting a yellow one doesn't give us a yellow one.

So I opened the box, and it's the yellow one. Now, she owes me lottery numbers.

The Tachi-Yellow is a more than just a repaint of the 2nd GIG version or the Version 1 Tachikoma (which I haven't scored yet). From a story perspective, the yellow signifies a construction vehicle, and this Tachikoma is one of the three military walkers that was not decommissioned for deconstruction and experimentation (the others being the 2nd GIG version and the silver version). These three eventually leave their civilian posts to do something pretty heroic in the TV series. No spoilers.

So, four days, four boxes, four different Tachikomas (Tachikomans?), trying for six, out of a pool of ten. Not sure what the odds, are, but I suspect they decrease logarithmically from 1:1 (when I hadn't  picked up any yet), to less than 1:6. (And the pool of 10 is actually a non-issue.)

Yellow Tachikoma, "Tachi-Yellow (tachikomans)" variation.

A Tachikoma a Day: Day 3

Today, I scored a Tachi-Blue. This cutey is different than the 2nd GIG version, sporting a cannon, signifying colors and characters, a slightly more svelte derriere (lacking the spinner nodules), and other, more subtle, differences.

She gets along with the other two, though.

This also came with the first "big" BAF piece for the ARM SUIT -- what looks like the back half of the torso. I say "big", 'cause it's not (though it's in-scale). I'm thinking this may end up being a sweet, rather than intimidating, suit o' armor.

Blue Tachikoma, "Tachi-Blue (tachikomans)" variation.

A Tachikoma a Day: Day 2

Today's blind box offering is a Tachi-Silver. She's cute, a bit sleeker, and comes with the two BAF legs of the ARM suit.

She also came with a thin red plastic piece (the thing in the baggie), whose purpose I can't figure out.

I wonder if people fit in that reduced abdomen. It's way smaller than the blue versions.

Two days, two different Tachis. So far, so good.

Silver Tachikoma, "Tachi-Silver (tachikomans)" variation.

A Tachikoma a Day: Day 1

Today, my first blind box revealed a blue Tachikoma -- the 2nd GIG version.

So, feet instead of wheels. More detailed cockpit. Gatling gun.

She's also super detailed, has decent heft for a tiny toy, movable legs (which, oddly, I had to assemble), a hand-canon, and the itty bitty, chicken-like BAF head of the ARM SUIT.

Not bad for Day No. 1...

Updated: Turns out since this particular model has a gatling gun, it's supposedly a "secret chase variant". Who knew?

Blue Tachikoma, blue 2nd GIG variant version.

(I may need to break out my lightbox to start getting better pictures of these.)

A Tachikoma a Day: Preview

I picked up a case of ten blind boxes of Tachikomas from BigBadToyStore, Inc. over the holidays, and was going to open all of them at once.

Not anymore.

For no good reason whatsoever, I've decided to open a Tachikoma a day, and post it here, to draw the whole process out. And because I can.

In case you're not familiar, Tachikomas are the the cutesy walker / tank vehicles in the Ghost in the Shell anime franchise (manga, films, TV, and video games).

Just under a year ago, I watched the second film , both television series, and the movie based on the TV series (all from Production I.G.). Far and away my favorite sub-plot involved the Tachikomas, their personality, and how they're used as a foil to explore loyalty, evolution, the soul, and sacrifice. So when I was able to get a deal on a case of these, I jumped.

If you hate spoilers, don't look up these little girls. There's a twist about them in the series that's pretty nifty. At least I think it's nifty.

Ten boxes. Ten days. Ten chances to get all six available mecha -- and all of the build-a-figure pieces to build The Ground Self-Defense Force ARM SUIT. Mheh.

Starting tomorrow. Ish.

Star Wars: Can't beat the rap ...

I suspect this is the first of a few Mighty Muggs posts.

If you're not familiar with the little (mostly) vinyl U.S. cash-in for this collectable craze, Mighty Muggs are a line of toys from Hasbro, and have several lines including Star Wars, Marvel comic books, and Indiana Jones, with G.I.Joe and Transformers on their way.


These things are wicked detailed, solid, and the quality control tends to be a little higher than some of the other Hasbro offerings.

This particular gag came about when an errant NERF® bullet at work ended up behind Han and Chewbacca. That, and though Chewie allegedly hangs with Han because of a blood debt duty (ahem, or some such thing), I always suspected the elder Wookie actually wants to look after his young, eager, gross-in-a-cute-way, hairless monkey pet.

These two Muggs are from the Star Wars Wave 1 line, so I'm sure there are some upset collectors seeing these things unboxed. But hey, toys were meant to be played with.


My favorite details? On Chewbacca, it's the nose and nails. On Solo, it's the single curly chest hair; and the red strip on the pants (some of the main line action figures have even forgotten the stripe; I'm a sucker for attention to detail).


And while he'll be the first to say it takes a ton of people to bring Mighty Muggs successfully to market, the designer and artist behind them is Chris Hicks -- a really talented, nice guy. I am amazed by his diversity of design, using the same form factor.

The fonts I used for this post are from Blambot Comic Fonts and Lettering.

Captain America, McCain, and Obama

This may not be the smartest way to make a return to this blog, but dammit, it's topical.

I'm just tired of this round's political ugliness and transparent side-stepping of issues, and felt it might be time for a purist arbiter to weigh in.

I've had this idea for a gag in mind since the Republican and Democratic candidates for the presidency were announced, but didn't think I'd be able to get toys of the candidates. When I saw Jailbreak Toys was going to produce figures for Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, I jumped at the chance for what may be the world's first toy-propped presidential race editorial.

The gag's been long-delayed, thanks (I think) to Jailbreak's massive swing to the Obama camp, so much so that their company site is now all about him. That made it easy to order the Obama figure, but the McCain figure -- while their own product -- was nowhere to be found. I Finally got it from the excellent EntertainmentEarth.com folks, and while I'm glad to finally get the gag out the door, it's only got a few days worth of legs.

More irritating is the quality of the McCain and Obama figures. Besides being gunked with sticky crap out of the box, they've each got one wicked loose arm, which made posing them a beast. Worse, they don't bend at the waste -- so no sitting option, they gotta stand or lie down, which complicated the gag quite a bit (I use poseability in hips and knees quite a bit to cheat scale between actors).

So, they're good for the gag, but probably won't have much life in my collection.

The Captain America is the standard version for which I previously used a variant. The sculpt was made by the excellent (and affable) Dave Cortez. The Red Skull is also from this same "Marvel Face-Off" double set, and was sculpted very nicely by Phil Ramirez.

The flag is from the Marvel Select World War II Ultimate Captain America (a cool-looking, but minimally poseable sculpt).

The fonts (Badaboom and Letter-O-Matic) are from Blambot Comic Fonts and Lettering.

Product picts for the political figs are below. The Red Skull is going to be in an upcoming gag, so I'll save personal product picts until then. If you can't wait, check out picts at MarvelLegends.net.

(As an ironic aside, a boatload of the Obama figures were sold by Jailbreak Toys in a fundraiser for him; but all of the figures are manufactured in China.)

G.I.Joe and Cobra

I've been wanting to do this post for a long time, and finally just carved out an hour to do the shoot, and few hours more to create the gag and do this post.

Gags like this are tough, because to me, they're funny. But this gag also uses the single-pack Wave 1 toys from the Hasbro G.I.Joe 25th Anniversary line, and they're hard to find (at least in my neck of the woods). So, I should have done this months ago to get all the haters more upset.

Tho these are from the Hasbro G.I.Joe 25th Anniversary line, they include no variants. (The only known variant is a Snake Eyes with a black Timber. I haven't seen it, but while interesting, Timber's not black, so WTF?)

Anyway, bad guys are fun. And while the G.I.Joe theme song is better than the Eastern Block lite Cobra theme, the whole "Yo Joe!" battle cry honestly only worked for me in the cartoon with Gung Ho. But there was an obvious circular joke for me to exploit with Roadblock. So I did.

I do have the Wave 1 25th Anniversary Cobra and Joe boxed sets (and the Wave 2 Cobra Legions, for that matter, but the quality is unfortunately not as good as the Wave 1 sets). Since the Wave 1 boxed sets are easier to find, there isn't as much urgency for me to do the follow-up gags.

The quality of the Wave 1 figures is top notch. They're super-detailed, have separate rubberized accessories (bandoliers, etc.) not found in the 1980s versions, more weapons, and what appear to be less-breakable thumbs (my big pet peeve with the originals).

Below is Flint, the least interesting of the bunch to me, but he was my brother's favorite growing up, so I copped to picking this one up (plus I have a Lady Jaye and Scarlett threesome joke in the works). All of the figures I've seen have a problem with the right wrist, which looks loose and detached, but functions OK. He's got a pistol (holstered in the pict below), and a shotgun.

The Cobra office is pretty slick, and the hardest to find. I believe he's a bit short-packed in the current run. Besides his machine gun, he's got what looks like a single sai /nightstick jobby in a two-ring holster on his left leg in the pict below.

Ah, hooded Cobra Commander. Anybody remember that this was a mail-away back in the day? Only my brother had the patience to get things like this and Holographic Anakin Skywalker. Good times. He comes with the trademark pistol the helmeted Cobra Commander (re-issued in the boxed set) came / comes with.

Below is "good" Storm Shadow, who has a great bandolier / "sword quiver" (the lower sword in the product pict is removable), a knife that is supposed to fit in the belt's plastic loop (doesn't well in the product below), and a bow (but now arrows; what up with that?).

Timber comes with Snake Eyes. He looks grumpy. Great sculpt, zero articulation.

Snake Eyes is easily the coolest of the bunch. He comes with his trademark Uzi, a katana sword, and a big ol' knife (holstered below on his right thigh). This Snake Eyes is a better sculpt than the one included in the boxed set (though the latter is truer to the 1982 sculpt).

Below is the original storyboard from which I worked for this particular gag. Roadblock didn't make it in (this strip is too crowded as it is).

Professor X

Let's face it, Professor X (aka Charles Xavier) is a pretty powerful dude (if you have any doubts, play the excellent X-Men Legends video game).

But his bedside manner leaves a bit to be desired. Poster child leader of the X-Men, Cyclops (aka Scott Summers), found out he had a brother (Havok, aka Alex Summers). Turns out the good ol' professor might have known about Alex, but neglected to tell Scott.

But that's not enough Summers in the world, so we need to factor in Scott's/Alex's daddy Corsair (aka Major Christopher Summers), thought dead, but not so much. (Yes, I know things have changed.)

But that's not enough Summers in the world, so Marvel saw fit to add Vulcan (aka Gabriel Summers). Who Professor X and one-time lover Moira MacTaggert (for a dude in a wheelchair, the professor gets around) knew about, but neglected to mention to Scott and Alex.

Feel like a soap opera yet?

This particular post was inspired by the recent start of the X-Men: Emperor Vulcan miniseries. Gabriel is a bit peeved at Scott, Alex, Christoper, and Charles. And the rest of creation. He has issues.

I dig this toy. This is a fully articulated figure (a la sculptors Sam Greenwell and Phil Ramirez) from the Toy Biz Marvel Legends "Galactus Series". Great sculpt and deco, and there's something about a fully-articulated guy in a wheelchair (and believably constrainable, non - gold - techy - hoverchair - wheelchair) that I like.

I like the Cerebro helmet accessory, but like the helmet for Ant-Man (from the Marvel Legends "Giant Man Series"), it's a bit snug, and I keep worry about scarring the paint or head sculpt. Still cool, though.

Optimus Prime and Mojo

Above is what happens when I get impatient to post in my toy blog.

Fact is, I like a lot of specific stuff. Chief among them are Transformers and comic books. And I like messing with continuity. It riles the fanboys.

Transformers are the new hotness (at least for those with no sense of history) so I wanted to play with a couple of the recent toy incarnations while I wait for the DVD release of the Michael Bay movie next month.

The big guy on the left ("starting Prime") is The War Within comic book Optimus Prime from Hasbro's Titanium Series die-cast line (and yes, you've seen him before). He's a great sculpt, but as I've mentioned before, in robot form, a bit loose on the joint front, so he's pose ability challenged -- most of the set-ups with him involve amazing feats of balance on my part.

The whiney, perceptive Optimus at the end ("Ending Prime") is from Hasbro's Robot Heroes line. All of the G1 stuff from that line rocks.

Mojo is a Build-a-Figure (BAF) from the Toy Biz Marvel Legends series 15 (aka "The Mojo Series"). Mojo is from the X-Men comic book mythos, and is a great character that parodies licensing and commercialism. This is a cool (and creepy) sculpt from Phil Ramirez that's well designed and decoed for Mojo himself, his chair / throne thingy, and the spider legs that are attached. I only wish his "tail" was pose able, rather than fixed plastic (makes a good handle, though).

The "sequel" statement is multi-layered. There's more coming from me with Mojo -- I've been planning something with him for several months, and am now just waiting on some specific things to show up on my doorstep. And, there's going to be a Transformers II movie. And the HD DVD barb comes out of a bit of a PR whoopsie related to HD DVD, Blu-ray, and Transformers.

So there's all of that. Plus I got to play with some photo morphing software, which worked well enough for being free (after rebates), but has some poor design shortcomings that will keep me from using it for most of my work.

Li'l Cap'n America 'n Li'l Wolvie

So, these are definitely different.

I have a friend who is always "looking out for Captain America, in all of his forms" for me.

He found me this two-pack of Captain America and Wolverine wooden toys from Learning Curve's line of Play Town toys.

These things are freaking cute. And they're made of wood (well, except the arms and feet). The craftsmanship is top-notch (for example, the feet are screwed, not just glued, into the wooden torso). The deco (paint) is spot-on, too.

Seriously, they're like benign versions of South Park-ish Americana comic book toys. I didn't even know these things existed.

The comic above is a take-off from Marvel's recent "Civil War" story arc. Seriously, the other two-pack in this series is Spide-Man and The Hulk; if they'd just replaced Green Genes with Luke Cage, my head probably would have exploded.

And I mixed the "Mighty 'Vengers" with "X-Babies".

And I'm making fun of Wolverine's short stature.

Below is the storyboard that spawned this week's comic episode:

Here's a detail of the "Li'l Cap'n 'Merica":

Here's a detail of the "Li'l Wolvie":

Front of the toys, in-package:

Back of the packaging:
I thought this was nifty -- no twist-ties. Just these little locking plastic caps that you twist to unlock the figures from their cardboard and plastic bases. Somebody invented these.

Madman and The Savage Dragon

I've been looking forward to the Marvel Toys (what was Toy Biz) relaunch of their super-articulated, well-sculpted figures for a while, and they've finally started showing up in Texas area Wal-Marts.

Moving on from their Marvel Legends line (which they sold to Hasbro, and themselves look like they will be improving, starting with Wave 3), Marvel Toys, ironically, is now not doing Marvel comic book figures, instead focusing on independent heroes from the likes of Image, Top Cow, Dark Horse, and 2000 AD.

Dubbed "Legendary Comic Book Heroes", Wave 1 includes two of my favorite indie heroes, Michael Allred's Madman and Erik Larsen's The Savage Dragon.

I was able to pick both up at the same time, both sculpts are fantastic, and true to their titular 2D comic book heroes.

I'm pretty impressed with how much Madman looks like his comic book likeness. I'm not sure I've had a toy that looks so much like it was pulled right from the pages that spawned it. Part of it is the sculpt, part of it is the paint job, and part of it is the dull matte white mold that works really well with dramatic lighting and camera angle variations. And he comes with a retro Snap City ray gun, which is funky.

The Savage Dragon figure has a great thick upper body and trademark disproportionately small legs and feet. The jean and tennis shoes part of the sculpt and paint are spot on, as are the meat-slab giant hands -- which have amazingly articulated fingers and thumbs (so you can have him "wave" at baddies; or hang ten; or thwip his spider webbing; er ...). I've heard complaints of flaccid fins from other collectors, but I think that's a personal problem; my fin is stiff and upright.

There are no guns or other accessories for the Dragon, which kind of bites (couple of .45s would be nice). And this sculpt has a couple of imperfections, the irritating one being a white imperfection inside his mouth line.

And, yes, the sculpt above is wearing his trademark sleeveless T-shirt -- that's right, speculative collector bee-otches -- I've taken yet another variant toy out of its package! (Somewhere, an overweight collector with walls and walls of unopened toys is crying and shaking his fist at me.)

The picture above is inspired by Madman Atomic Comics #3, Michael Allred's latest in the current franchise relaunch. This issue is absolutely brilliant, as Allred continues the character's existential meanderings, and pays tribute to dozens of comic artistic styles through the decades. It's like having a pantheon of historical and contemporary artists do a Madman tribute book, and it's stunning. Frankly, I'm disappointed that everyone who values comic books hasn't rushed out and bought the issue.

And the comic panel above is my paltry play at the series' existentialism. You can read it clockwise ... or counterclockwise! (Lookit me!)

Enjoy!

(Oh, and a quick rant about Marvel Toys. Their Website on the Marvel Legends side has been in decline for a long time (probably as early as when the internal decision to sell the line to Hasbro was made), with inconsistent product updates and broken database links the norm. Until recently, there has been no new section for the Legendary Comic Book Heroes line. Even now, there's just a placeholder. A robust online presence is pretty key, and not treating the Website like a service translates into lost pre-sales and mindshare opportunities. Especially since the first two waves of their product are already in the marketplace. Marvel Toys, productize your Web site!)

Updated: Based on request, added full-figure and detail pictures.

(The following is a description of the picture included in this post for the blind and visually impaired.)
The Savage Dragon holds Madman and says, "Stop thinking out loud!!!" Madman thinks, "I don’t think that’ll be productive." There is a picture of Madman's face being sucked into his gun, and he says, "Can’t suck my brain out of my head." Madman is holding a smaller Madman which is holding an even smaller The Savage Dragon. Madman says, "I think you’re being --" The smaller Madman he is holding says, "-- a bit small..." The smaller The Savage Dragon he is sholding says, "Gnarliness seriously spent." The Savage Dragon is holding Madman's ray gun. Madman is laying down with his hands behind his head. The Savage Dragon says, "Mind if I borrow this?" Madman says, "Knock yourself out." The Savage Dragon holds the ray gun to his head. The Savage Dragon says, "This’ll shut you up." This returns back to Madman thinking, "I don’t think that’ll be productive."