The Action Figure and Toy Collecting and Discussion Thread!

Waves 2 and 3 of the 2012 Clone Wars figures have sadly taken a step backwards in the articulation department. The Republic Commando Boss figure that is just starting to trickle into stores as we speak has no wrist, knee or ankle joints whatsoever and a few of the others in these two waves share similar regressions in articulation. Some collectors are already starting to call the brand new Clone Wars figures statuettes because of the limited poses you can get out of them. The new CW Obi-Wan has a stunning head that matches the TV animation flawlessly, but his body is a mixed bag at best. Hasbro's really cutting corners right now with anything that isn't the Vintage Collection and a lot of people are seriously miffed about paying ten dollars for a 2012 figure with the poseability and range of something that came out a decade ago or earlier. I don't know if you still collect Clone Wars, but these are the new figures in Waves 2 and 3:

Obi-Wan Kenobi (new version)
Ahsoka (Scuba Gear)
Captain Rex (new version)
Republic Commando Boss
Clone Commander Wolffe
Super Battle Droid (Training Droid; simple repaint)
Aayla Secura (new version)

 

Yeah, I stopped collecting Clone Wars figures about three years ago. Sad to hear their sliding back towards figures with limited articulation again. They may do "revisioned" versions later to get people to double dip perhaps.

Been collecting Star Wars figures ever since they originally came out (I still have the very first Artoo-Detoo and Imperial Stormtrooper figures, although they aren't in mint condition). These days, however, I tend to stick only with Expanded Universe stuff--I manage to snag all the figures made from the Star Wars: Legacy comic.

 

Keep your eyes peeled for Darth Malgus and Nom Anor, then...provided you're lucky enough to even find them. At one per case they'll probably wind up on eBay for fifty to eighty dollars apiece. In fact, some of both have already been seen for prices approaching that.

 

My favorite of the Trek action figures, the TOS crew in the monster maroons!

 

Shoot...not even going to try for those, short-packed liked that.

I think I'm in the twilight of my Star Wars figure getting days. Used to get two figures a month when I was a kid, but I believe I only bought four in the past year...

 

Some more scattered reports are trickling into the collector sites about Wave 4(Dr. Evazan, Nom Anor) showing up here and there while Wave 3(Malgus) goes almost completely unfound. The cart's definitely coming before the horse in the past year with quite a few Vintage waves and a few of them didn't hit in quantity until months after their official release...and at discount chains like TJMaxx and Ross, no less. The STAR WARS collector market is a mess right now but I'm not throwing in the towel just yet. Between my buddy at the local toy shop and some good timing at stores I should be able to get at least one of every figure I want even if it takes a while. These days it's all come down to patience more than anything else. The days of finding pretty much what you want, when you want it and in plentiful quantities are more or less over.

 

Time for a little more showing off. Here's the rest of my DCUC. This is a work in progress, since I came to this line a bit late, and am filling in the gaps as best I can:

Heroes:


Villains:

 

I really dig the Harley Quinn and Joker figures, man. Those are my two favorites out of that whole bunch.

 

I love those, too. Though my favorite is probably the big ol' Darkseid in the back.

 

Another upcoming STAR WARS Battle Pack. This one, however, is not getting any good reviews and is the subject of a shitstorm of controversy at the online collecting sites and message boards.

Mid-'90s articulation. Limited poseability. 1980-style hair coloring.
Most people right now are not a fan of this one.

 

W...w....why?

Why even freaking bother? I already have a perfect ESB Boba, Luke, and Vader. Why bother making immeasurably worse versions? Those almost look like they would be right at home in POTF2.

 

^^^
Looks like they were trying to do something that harkened back to the Kenner days, but didn't go all the way back there.

I actually have (and probably always will have) a soft spot for the Kenner era. Sure, they were geared more for rough and tumble play than for anything else, but they were meant for kids back then. Lots of articulation and character likeness wasn't a important as them being able to fit inside any vehicle or inside a kid's hand.

 

There are an abundance of theories in the collecting community that this Battle Pack and---to a less obvious and glaring extent--- the Duel on Naboo Pack I posted a pic of earlier are aimed more at kids and less demanding and picky collectors. Hasbro has been cutting back on articulation throughout virtually the entire line outside the premium Vintage Collection and this set is just the most glaring and obnoxious example of Hasbro's shortcuts in tooling and sculpting in a down market. The Luke is just a complete mess. In 1995 or 1996 that would have been a figure that hit stratospheric heights of popularity because nobody would have ever seen a 3-3/4" Luke Skywalker with that close of a resemblance to Mark Hamill, even if the hair was the completely wrong color and hearkened back to the more cartoony styles of the classic Vintage era(1978-85). But in 2012 that sun-yellow hair and only five points of articulation aren't going to fly with most people and I foresee this Battle Pack(and perhaps even the Naboo one, even though it is exponentially superior to this one in most respects) rotting on shelves until it's marked down to $5 or $6. Maybe some kids who aren't familiar with the progression and evolution of the modern line might go for these throwback clunkers just to have figures of famous, classic characters to play with, but most adults won't bite unless they can get it for dirt cheap or they just absolutely have to have one of everything.

Here's a better look at the Luke from this Battle Pack. I'm not impressed. Not in the least. There are too many things wrong with this figure to even bother reciting right now. I think it speaks for itself.

 

I think it looks cool. Kinda retro, kinda not.

 

The face is okay...as I said if this were 1995 or 1996 people would be going ape for the facial likeness. Once you get past the face, the rest of him...meh. Let's just say compared to any of the Vintage Collection Lukes released since the fall of 2010 that this thing is a definite time machine throwback to an earlier epoch in toymaking. Even compared to practically any of the Lukes made and released since at least 2006's The Saga Collection this one is a real clunker. Five points of articulation is even less than the 1995 Luke Skywalker with the broad, muscular shoulders and beefy, steroid-looking body...this one even lacks a waist joint! Just neck, shoulder and hip joints and that's all she wrote. Poseability is close to nil. The message boards on the collector sites are very, very disillusioned about this Luke and most of the other figures in the Bespin and Naboo Battle Packs. For every one positive comment you see, oh, eight or nine negative ones...the noticeable regression in articulation and realism isn't going over well at all.

 

Hasbro's cutting articulation on the Joes for the Retaliation line too, particularly vehicle drivers where (in a pretty true comment) they say poseability's not such a big deal since the figure sits in the vehicle most of the time.

of course, they could simply tool a new head (or two) and slap them on redeco'd bodies of pre-existing figures or pre-existing parts and frankenstein new figures together, like they've done before.

makes me so glad i only collect ARAH stuff from the good old days, all i have to deal with is finding stuff in good condition and cheap on fleabay.

 

If they start cutting articulation in Marvel Legends, there's going to the be people marching with pitchforks. The articulation is one of the biggest selling points of the line.

 

^
Frankly, I would not be surprised in the least if the cost and corner-cutting at the Big H led to that kind of thing happening. We're already seeing one character's accessories being shamelessly recycled with another character even if it has no business or place being with that figure. Gluing one unpainted lightsaber to part of another one hasn't happened before...maybe it's just the prototype or "beauty shot" figure in that photo that has that kind of saber. Not all accessories seen in publicity shots wind up being the final ones that show up in the retail packaging, but seeing how the new Battle Packs and Clone Wars figures are devolving in both articulation and some of their gear I won't be surprised in the least if the final Luke saber does end up being a crappy mishmash of different saber parts.