Games Workshop Stinks

Just a quick note to say that Games Workshop has performed a mass takedown of files concerning their old board games (Including Adavanced Heroquest) on Board Game Geek. I am really unhappy.

A) Do they actually have the legal right?
My uninformed opinion is that most if not all of the content did not infringe copyright but who is going to take them to court to find out?

B) Does it make even the slightest bit of business sense?
I mean seriously, Most of these games have been out of print for 15 years. What possible harm could these files do? Also I think this kind of behavior pisses people off who are likely to be customers.

Arrrggghhh!

Edit:
Here is the link to boing boing's coverage:
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/11/28/games-workshop-decla.html

Mirror Spock

Here we have the all time classic Mirror Spock. He of the evil beard. What can I say about this figure? He has a great sculpt and the face looks fantastic. He has the proper long boots which have been something that has a tendency to get left out (even once in the AA/DST line). My one complaint is that the paint for his medals doesn't stand out well and they tend to look a bit dirty. This is probably an essential figure for any Trek enthusiast so go out and get him.

Tenrai

Here is another figure from the Revoltech Street Fighter Online series. I love the optional huge metal claw she uses.

Baichoufu

This figure is from the Revoltech Street Fighter Online series. As expected from a Revoltech figure it is well detailed and articulated. She does have strangely big hands though.

Ride Armor Bartley Type

Rounding out our look at CM's offerings is this Ride Armour from Genesis Climber Mospeada or as it was transformed into in the west Robotech series 3 (The New Generation). The armour detaches from the figure and transforms into a bike the figure can ride on.

Mugen Calibur Miyazawa Mokei Limited Color Version

This guy is a Mugen Calibur from the series Dorvack. Eagle eyed readers may recognise him as the Transformer Roadbuster from the Deluxe Autobots assortment. Back in the day Hasbro released several figures from other lines under the Transformers banner and this guy was one of them. This figure is a similar scale to the original but has much improved detail and articulation while maintaining the ability to transform.

Scopedog Bockmesser Custom

Just for a change of pace I'm putting up some posts about recent acquisitions from Hobby Link Japan. This guy is a Scopedog from the Votoms series made by CM's. They seem to pack a lot of detail and movement into quite small toys. They also charge lots of money and in each of these cases I was only able to justify the purchase because they were severely discounted. I got interested in Votoms because they started appearing in the Microman line.

Movie Mike

Last night I watched second TMNT movie "The Secret of the Ooze". It seems appropriate to highlight this figure which depicts him from that movie. While I complained abut the regular turtles these figures are really great. The likeness of the movie costume is deftly captured with great paint details and a more rubbery feeling plastic.

Here he is in the movie.

Here is a comparison with the regular figure.

Jake Rockwell

Possibly one of the greatest and most neglected toylines from the '80s was Centurions. I never got any back in the day probably because they were pretty expensive. They are beautiful toys, well sculpted and articulated and with a very fun gimmick of modular weapon systems. This is Jake Rockwell equipped with the Fireforce weapon system.

Here is he with the armour removed:

Hugo

Continuing on the Playmates kick I've recently been on, here is Hugo from the World of Springfield line. He was packed in the Treehouse of Horror III set along with Dream Invader Willie, Witch Marge and Donut-head Homer. Once again we see a great sculpt with nice paint apps but seriously limited articulation.

Playmates Captain Picard

Here is another Playmates Star Trek figure. Captain Picard in the variant uniform seen in the 5th season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This is a great sculpt and a very good likeness of Patrick Stewart. This guy was also acquired from eBay.

TMP Mego Spock

Here we have Spock from the Mego Star Trek: The Motion Picture line. These were nicely sculpted figures for the time but had limited articulation compared to Mego's Buck Rogers or Black Hole toylines. This example is suffering from heavy paint wear which I plan to touch up.

AA/DST Cage Spock

Here we have another version of Mr Spock as he appeared in "The Cage". This time as part of the Art Asylum/Diamond Select toy line. As is typical for the Art Asylum figures the sculpting is very good. I believe this was a Toys R Us exclusive but I got him from ebay.

Michelangelo

Rounding out my recent Playmates collections is Michelangelo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. At the time these were first released I was really unimpressed because I had seen the animated series first and these figures were a very poor match to it. Only later on did I start to think about them on their own merits.

Here is what the toy looks like:

Here is how he looked on the show:

There is certainly a big difference. In part my reevaluation was triggered by the re-release of the original toys for the 25th anniversary of the line. They actually looked pretty appealing on the display racks and the retro charm certainly factored in. After getting them out of their packaging I have to admit they are well sculpted and articulated. This discovery also spurred me on to get the first volume of the show on DVD, Now all I have to do is get on ebay and find a Krang.

Starbuck

This is something of an oddity nowdays. Its a figure of Starbuck from '70s Battlestar Galactica produced by Mattel. It is in 3-3/4" scale and frankly not a terribly good sculpt. I do have a soft spot for the older goofeyer BSG as opposed to the modern gritty series.

Tasha Yar

Before Playmates came on to the scene Galoob produced a small line of Star Trek The Next Generation in around 3-3/4" scale which is a scale I have much fondness for. One negative is the sculpted on phaser and sculpted fist which precludes holding any accessories. The knee joints are nice however and it is a decent sculpt.

TMP Sulu

Continuing in the Playmates Star Trek Movies line we have Mr Sulu as he appeared in Star Trek The Motion Picture. Once again the uniform crys out '70s which adds to its appeal to me.

Tetrap

Here we have another member of th Dapol Doctor Who line. The Tetrap as seen in Time and the Rani. He is something of an odd choice to immortalize in plastic as he only ever appeared in this one story and it probably isn't one of the high points of the Sylvester McCoy years. The figure however is pretty nice with some good articulation and leathery wings.

Star Trek Generations Worf

Here is an odd beast. This is Worf from the Star Trek Generations line. It seems there were a number of issues with this line. First off he has reduced articulation, having only 6 points. Also he is depicted in a Uniform that isn't actually depicted in the film. Apparently this uniform was going to be used but was changed at the last minute an the toys did not reflect this change.

On Red Dwarf

A couple of posts ago I mentioned the unfavorable comparisons made between Hyperdrive and Red Dwarf. Red Dwarf is another show I have loved a great deal. Nothing unusual there. It is generally very well regarded in nerd circles. My favorite season is the first one which is not so usual. My reason for this is pretty simple. The first series really captured the feeling of desperate loneliness experienced by the characters whereas later series played it just for laughs. I recommend taking another look at these early episodes and see what you think.

Sea Captain

His full name is actually Captain Horatio McCallister. The World of Springfield (WOS) line is another of playmates lines that I have started to get into. It has amazing breadth covering so many characters that I love. The sea captain here is a great sculpt. He comes with removable pipe, a harpoon and a can of tuna.

Ice Warrior

Here we have another figure from the Dapol Doctor Who line; the Ice Warrior. This guy is actually a pretty nice sculpt. He also comes with a gun which is totally unnecessary because he has a sonic blaster sculpted onto his arm.

And here he is with the made up weapon.

Apparently the weapon is a copy of that used by GI Joe character Lady Jaye.

TMP Kirk

Here we have our second featured Playmates Star Trek figure. This is Admiral Kirk as he appeared in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The costumes from that movie are so delightfully 70's which has added greatly to their appeal to me. The costumes would be changed drastically for Star Trek II and this later uniform would be seen in the later original series movies and show up in The Next Generation too.

The Cage Spock

Recently I have had an urge to get into some of the 90's Playmates lines. This has lead me to getting some of their Star Trek figures. At the time they were released I really didn't like them. I found them cartoony in appearance and I hated the diagonal hip joints. They also seemed to be a step backwards from the Galoob 3-3/4" figures that had came before. At the time 3-3/4" was my preferred scale thanks to GIJoe and Star Wars.

Anyhow I now have re-evaluated the line and have found many treasures. I've become a bit more flexible in regards to scale and articulation and now have a fondness for the slightly exaggerated looks. This is Mr Spock from the original Star Trek pilot "The Cage". Notice the collar that wasn't part of the regular original series uniform.

Notice also that he doesn't have his hand in th Vulcan salute pose that is the bane of other Spocks in this line. This problem was addressed in the newer Art Asylum/Diamond Select line by having interchangeable hands.

Here is a screenshot from The Cage for comparison.

Hyperdrive Gets No Love

Its been a while since I have posted and now that I am I find myself wanting to talk about something other than toys.

Hyperdrive was a BBC2 Sci-Fi comedy that lasted two seasons. I've only found out about it recently when one of my mates saw some of it on Australian TV. I've now watched most of the first season and have really enjoyed it. I thought I would look on the Internet to see if anyone had written anything interesting about it but all I find is people bagging it and saying it isn't as funny as Red Dwarf. Some people even say it isn't funny at all and are thankful it has been canceled.

I find this very distressing. It certainly doesn't have the laugh out loud factor that Red Dwarf has but I don't think this is what they were trying for. It has a wistful longing quality that I find very engaging. All of the crew are somewhat incompetent but come across as basically well meaning. I find myself getting sucked in and wanting them to succeed.

I'm very sorry that there wont be any more of this series. The Comedy Sci-Fi genre is a very small one and I think there is room for many more entries. I can't imagine why people rag on it so badly. I would like to encourage people to give it a go. I think it is an under appreciated gem.

Here is a link to the BBC web page for the show:
Hyperdrive BBC Page

5th Doctor

Character Options classic series 5th Doctor. As you can see I'm still having some flash photography issues.

Peter Davison is a great actor but I'm not a huge fan of his portrayl of Doctor Who. The figure however is absolutely great. It is a really nice likeness and the costume looks incredible.

More Dapol

More recent acquisitions. The Dapol 7th Doctor and Mel. People have criticized this line a lot but I actually rather like these two.

Do you like how the photos turned out? I have made the worlds most primitive photography box by spay painting a mailing box white.

The Dapol figures really are very tall compared to G.I.Joes.

More from Onell

Got a package on the weekend waith many new goodies from Onell.



I really like the Phanost, the brain pattern looks very cool.



This guy was actually one of the figures I received as part of a lot of 4 figures from the Onell junk shop. He actually looks really great.



The Crayboths are also a cool new addition to this line. They are about half the height of the regular figures.

Zarana

Another recruit for my army. Seriously nice figure and the sculpt strikes a good balance between feminine and tough. She does need to be equipped with a proper gun however.

BT06 Yellow Tracks

My latest recruit.



I like the unique coloring. I already had the Blue version in Alternators form. Maybe this should be a different character?

Red Guardian Pheyden and Sentry Sarvos

A couple of packages arrived today and in one I found Red Guardian Pheyden and Sentry Sarvos. I was really excited to get a new mold from Onell. I have swapped the arms and legs between figures because I prefer this configuration.

Tomax or possibly Xamot

So this is either Tomx or Xamot, I forget which one has the scar. Its a fairly nice figure but could never hold a gun ... until now! I cut off his hand at the wrist and used a piece of paper clip to make it a swivel joint. Much better.

Ironhide and Ratchet get heads!

Sorry about the bad pic. I'm still having flash photography issues...

Last year I picked up the Encore reissues of Ironhide and Ratchet which included a cardboard piece that could be slotted in to give them heads. It was a nice idea but could have been taken a bit further. Now behold! Best Toys have produced heads for them which I was able to obtain off ebay. The heads add a substantial amount of cartoon accuracy to the toys and really transform them into something special.

Dapol Dalek vs Character Options Dalek

Thats the classic series Dalek from Genesis of the Daleks there. The size difference is smaller than I would have imagined.

Dapol Red Dalek

As with the Cyberman the sculpt is pretty good but something about it bugs me. The Dapol Dalek was available in many color schemes and the ones actually used in the show are more expensive and harder to get. This color scheme is technically meant to be one that appeared in the Dalek movies starring Peter Cushing but I'm not particularly enthused about it. He does have a pull back motor which is a nice touch and he has a front wheel that can turn which in theory should allow one to be able to get it to go in circles. Attempting this on the table it resolutely goes in a straight line. Frustrating. Still, no regrets in getting him. He is a cool piece of Doctor Who history

Fast Blast Viper

Terrible name for a really nice figure. I really like the red color scheme and the combination of the range viper body with Undertow's head. He doesn't come packed with bazooka shells so the fins on his ankles are now useless although that is a gimmick I don't miss. I've given him a regular rifle, I can't recall who it came with. This guy was only availible in an 8 pack with various other repainted classic figures and stupid and frankly inappropriate sound attack weapons.

Dapol Cyberman

The Dapol Cyberman. I think its a decent sculpt but something seems not quite right to my eye. It could also use a coat of paint to make it more silvery (It actually looks more grey in person).

Update: I drilled some holes in his feet so he would accept a G.I.Joe stand. Here is a height comparison with the Inferno B.A.T. figure. I think it is kind of appropriate that he towers over normal figures.

Zygon

Zygon from the classic Doctor Who series. It isn't explicitly a particular charcter but I choose to believe that it is Broton. He comes with a tiny accessory and the head for the build a figure K1 robot from the first Tom Baker story Robot.

A303 Blue Star

Original Acroyear, accept no substitutes. Note the die cast chest which gives him a nice heft when you hold him.

He also has a very strange vehicle mode where you take off his lover legs, stick a wheel between his knees and attach alternate arms that end in wheels.

One of these days I'm going to hunt down some of the other color variants of him. I'd love to get the convention exclusive "Birth of Acroyear" set which features a green translucent Microman and Acroyear.