Video Blog: A Peek in the Super-DuperToyBox

On a whim last night I decided to make a video to share a look at some of the many action figures I haven't had time to open due to the volume of my mad love for toys :D   Further below are some casual photos of some of the toys I talk about in the video, and some I didn't, plus details on my One Year Anniversary Sale at Mike's Comics & Stuff just for Super-DuperToyBox readers! Enjoy!

  

Inside my comically overstocked toy vault where I filmed the vlog above... to the left are a two or more dozen unopened figures, plus four 3-drawer bins full of action figures. Crazy!!

Some of the many DC Direct figures I've never opened... Unmasked, New Gods, Infinite Crisis, & Armory...

DC Direct Blackest Night...

 Some of my unopened DC Direct First Appearance figures...

DC Direct Justice, All Star Comics, & Super Friends...

DC Direct Trinity...

DC Direct All Star Super Squad & Identity Crisis...

DC Direct Brightest Day...

and DC Direct New Frontier...

Some ToyBiz Marvel Legends...

Some of my ToyBiz 10" Marvel Universe from the 90's... love these! Lookit that ever-lovin', blue-eyed THING! Massive!

Some of the Marvel Universe 3 3/4" I have left to open... NO, that's not all of 'em!

Some of the many DCUC's I still haven't opened....

Some Batman the Animated, Batman: The Brave & The Bold, DC Super Friends, DC Retro-Action, & Justice League Unlimited...

My budding collection of Blue Iron Men... hard to explain why I like this so much....

Mattel 1:6 Chris Reeve Superman & General Zod I bought last year...

Marvel Select Dr. Doom & a Signature Series Punisher by Hasbro...

And finally, a few random shots around the apartment of even MORE toys... what can I say? I LOVE action figures  :D

Well, I hope you enjoyed this small tour of some of the toys around my bachelor pad- it's a cozy, fun place to live with all my favorite toys & comics. On October 7th it will have been one year since I started the Super-DuperToyBox, and what a FUN time I have had. I've made a lot of friends from all over the world, and I am most grateful to all who have come to this happy place  :) 

 In celebration of my one year anniversary, Mike is gonna throw A Super-Duper ToyBox Special over at the Mike's Comics & Stuff website! Enter "superduper" at the check-out and get 20% off your order until October 15th! Mike gives great service and has some killer stuff! Go check it out!

Marvel Universe: Commander Steve Rogers & Darkhawk

I must say: I was pretty hot for these two latest offerings from Hasbro's Marvel Universe 3 3/4" action figure line. After finding only one each of Namor & Ultron, I feared they might have all been swooped up. I knew this most recent wave would be a popular one, and it's  likely that scalpers were involved because a.) they were just released, and b.) you can't tell me they sent my local Wal-Mart only two new Marvel Universe figures! Nevertheless, I prevailed this past Tuesday evening at an out-of-the-way TRU that had two of each... and, yes- I left the other pair there for the other kids! Share the toys, dammit!  :D

It's timely that I just reviewed the Heroic Age Captain America, as Commander Steve Rogers handed the the mantle over to his old sidekick Bucky, relinquishing his duties as the star spangled Avenger and becoming the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.  While I've never read the exhaustive catalog of Captain America history detailed in the Civil War, The Death of Captain America, Captain America: Reborn, Dark Reign, Siege, or Heroic Age story arcs, I simply enjoyed this action figure for it's own artistic merits. This is as good a Marvel Universe figure as Hasbro has ever produced. The paint, sculpt, articulation, and accessories are just as cool as I anticipated. In a word- he's bitchin'! 

I've said before that I'm not a fan of the peg/socket hips & cut swivel thighs combo Hasbro gives some of these figures, but he does have pretty good articulation.  Commander Rogers has a ball-jointed/hinge combination head, swivel-hinge shoulders & biceps. He has an upper abdominal joint AND a cut waist for side to side movement.  Cut/swivel joints in his upper thighs, shins, & wrists in there, as well as  double hinged knees and the new hinged/rocker ankles, though his shin guards hinder their angling somewhat. Yes Friends, this is about as good as it gets for a high production action figure of this scale- he is top of the line for Hasbro. Sure, there's a little paint slop, but he's pretty good!

Darkhawk was created the year I finished high school, 1991, and I never knew of him until now. I was only interested in this figure due to it's unusual design in the Marvel Universe line, and I like action figures with wings. New Yorker Christopher Powell was a teenager who found a mysterious amulet in an abandoned amusement park, which allows him to switch bodies with a powerful android from another dimension called Null Space where it's body was stored & repaired aboard an alien starship. The android can fire a concussive blast or form a circular energy shield. from the amulet on it's chest, possesses telescopic and infra-red vision, and can fire a grappling hook cable claw from it's left arm.

Darkhawk has a body much like my Spider-Man 2099, with the addition of the shoulder overlay and gauntlets in which the wings are inserted- much simple that Steve Rogers', but adequate. At first I had an awful time getting the wings to stay on, though I seem to have them lodged correctly now. I love the slender dark blue/black body on this guy, and was fascinated with him at first sight. And like the Spider-Man 2099, I have been surprised at Hasbro's decision to produce a character that had such a short time, his self-titled monthly series running for 50 issues that was published from March 1991 to March 1995. I'm tempted to hunt down at least one of the three annuals released during that time.

These were a couple of fun action figures from this line that you will want to buy on sight if interested- I have a feeling they will be popular!  Yes, these are priced ludicrously: $7.99 at Wal-Mart, and $8.49 at TRU where I found these two- that's outrageous, but I bought them. Like Mattel, their distribution is hit or miss- all those Thor & Iron Man toys and we can't get a decent selection of these. And Hasbro has really blown an opportunity to make a cool action figure many times in the past due to poor design and/or quality control, but they almost can't help it- they make a lot of toys! They did a couple good ones here. I have such a pile of these Marvel Universe left to open, but had to stop and show these to you  :)

More Later- Make It Fun!

Captain America Series: Crossbones, Heroic Age Capt. America, & Super Combat Capt. America

I picked up these Hasbro Captain America action figures awhile back during a buy-two-get-on-free deal at Toys 'R Us. In spite of the quality control issues associated with this series, I was happy with the Paratrooper Dive Capt. America I got  back in July. After seeing that GREAT movie, I could no longer ignore the Super Combat Capt. America from this series, featuring the outfit he wore battling Red Skull & Hydra!

I also couldn't ignore this very cool Heroic Age Capt. America!  This version of America's First Avenger is Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers' old sidekick who had seemingly been killed in the war. To make a long story short, Bucky's frozen body had been picked up by the Soviets and programmed as an assassin named Winter Soldier. When Steve Rogers former lover Sharon Carter  is rescued from the Winter Soldier, she tells him the assassin looked a lot like Bucky, long thought dead by everyone. Captain America seeks him out and confronts him with the truth, and Bucky's amnesia is wiped away. When Rogers takes a leave of absence later, Bucky is chosen to carry on the mantle of Captain America!

I gave the kids at Hasbro a lot of grief over the stupid action accessories included with their 3 3/4" Thor movie figures for good reason- they were pretty stupid! While I'd have preferred a standard shield, I like the button on the front of this which engages the blades- additionally, the functional arm grip on back folds in to expose a peg that can be mounted to the adjoining hole in back of the figure.

You can also put Cap's gun IN it's holster, and his knife IN his sheath, all of which seems mildly oversized at this scale, but still nice. He holds his pistol well, finger in the trigger guard and all! The metallic paint makes this figure seem really deluxe, too. I'd seen a two-pack from this series with a Heroic Age Captain that had flat paint and it did not compare to this. The joints were relatively tight on this, which I prefer, and the articulation of the figure is perfectly serviceable. Cap has a ball-jointed head, swivel-hinge shoulders & elbows, & an upper abdominal joint for side to side movement.  His hips are ball-jointed, he has cut/swivel joints in his upper thighs & wrists, some nice hinged ankles with a wide range, and double hinged knees that were mildly cranky.

I would recommend this figure- just choose carefully concerning the paint, watch out for the slop associated with this manufacturer/line. Very cool!

I chose Crossbones over the Red Skull due to his large size & gruesome looks- while I knew nothing of him, the mask was irresistible to me! Brock Rumlow appeared at the end of the 80's, a henchman of Red Skull who was eventually involved in the assassination of Captain America. One of the most powerful hand-to-hand combatants in the world, Crossbones can hold is own against Captain America aptly, and can kill lesser superheroes and villains easily. Trained by Taskmaster while on the run for murder, the young criminal was eventually enlisted as mercenary for Red Skull.

Crossbones comes equipped with some really cool accessories/weapons. The twin hand-helds are great, and an assault rifle is also included. The left hand has a better, more useful trigger finger than the right, however. His flak jacket is made of a thick, rubbery material different than the base figure, most abdominal joint posing is mostly hindered by it. Makes him look extra big though. Crossbones has standard articulation for this line, but nothing unusual. I would have liked a ball-joint on the head. I wish he could aim that rifle like a sniper, but there's only so much they can do with a 3 3/4" figure, and that flak jacket is kinda thick...  The sculpt on this guy is amazingly good.

As stated above, I couldn't ignore the Super Combat Capt. America from this series featuring the outfit he wore in the motion picture after seeing the film! I admired what they did with the costume in this movie, simultaneously updating it, while adding a certain retro feel to it- whoever designed that did an outstanding job, and Hasbro nailed it here as far as I'm concerned. The textures & clothing folds are all so intricate on these, like the Thor movie figures Hasbro also produced. The removable combat helmet was a nice touch, and his pistol fits in the leg holster, albeit tightly. The shield was warped by the packaging as all these accessories are made of a softer plastic so they won't snap. He's a beautiful little action figure though, and a lot of fun!

I had a fun time playing around with these & photographing them! I'm seriously considering some Hydra soldiers and a Red Skull from this series  :)

More Later- Make It FUN!