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This book was one of the first color editions and the last Brer Rabbit collection published during the lifetime of the author, Georgia native Joel Chandler Harris (1845-1908). Raised in poverty, Harris was an apprentice to a Southern newspaper as a teenager and he made friends with plantation slaves who passed along their stories. Harris hoped that the charming illustrations and his use of dialect in retelling these old black legends would “suggest a certain picturesque sensitiveness – a curious exaltation of mind and temperament (of the black man).”
The characters of Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit are best known from the classic 1946 Disney movie, “Song of the South.” Here is a memorable scene in that movie:
Jack London (1876-1916) was a maverick, macho young man who lived hard and dangerously and died at age 40, having written more than 50 books in 20 years. His most famous book, “Call of the Wild,” is a story set in the Yukon during the 1890’s Klondike Gold Rush, a place London was familiar with having himself spent time in the goldfields. Strong sled dogs were in high demand and the novel’s central character is a dog named Buck, a domesticated dog living at a ranch in California. Buck is stolen by his master’s gardener to settle some gambling debts and sold into the brutal existence of an Alaskan sled dog. He is forced to survive cruel treatments and fight to dominate other dogs in a harsh climate. Eventually, he becomes the property of outdoorsman John Thornton with whom he enjoys a deep rapport. When his new master is killed by Yeehat Indians, Buck gives in to his true nature, answers the call of the wild and emerges as a leader of a wolf pack.
Quoting from the book (page 320):
Mr. Guppy takes the light. They go down, more dead than alive, and holding one another, push open the door of the back shop. The cat has retreated close to it, and stands snarling – not at them; at something on the ground, before the fire. There is very little fire left in the grate, but there is a smouldering suffocating vapor in the room, and a dark greasy coating on the walls and ceiling. The chairs and table, and the bottle so rarely absent from the table, all stand as usual. On one chair-back, hang the old man’s hairy cap and coat.
Illustrations of various Pneumatic apparatus.
Copperplate engraving from the First Edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, or Dictionary of the Arts and Sciences, founded in 1768 and first printed in 1771. 3 Volumes, this is Volume 3.
The largest encyclopedia of general knowledge published to date, with contributions by leaders in their fields.
Printed for Bell and Macfarquhar, Edinburgh. Original half leather binding, 970 pages this volume. 26cm x 21cm.
Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Treatise on Painting,” the most important treatise on art to be written during the Renaissance, was actually compiled by Francesco Melzi, one of Leonardo’s pupils, around 1540. It circulated widely, first in separate manuscripts and later in printed books, and for centuries it was thought to have been written by Leonardo himself. Artists, scientists, and scholars including Galileo, read it avidly as an authoritative record of Leonardo’s thoughts. In the 19th century, when the artist’s original notes became available, scholars realized that the text poorly reflected Leonardo’s sophisticated ideas. The text was very influential nonetheless. For better or worse, it was the primary source for disseminating Leonardo’s art theory in Renaissance and Baroque Europe, from the mid-sixteenth century to the early nineteenth century.
[Source: www.treatiseonpainting.org/]
The Illustrated News of the World – First Edition 1858.
‘The Illustrated News of the World and National Portrait Gallery of Eminent Personages’ was a new publication with the strong visual emphasis of numerous large woodcuts to illustrate local and world events, and featuring a number of fine steel engravings of eminent persons. The publishers stated their hopes that the publication would match or supplement the existing illustrated magazines:- The Illustrated London News and Punch Magazine .
Published by Illustrated News of the World, The Strand, London. Annual bound collection, red cloth boards 338 pages 42cm x 29cm .
Ex-libris bookplate of Toxteth Park Library. ‘Toxteth Park’ is a historic home built in 1829 in The Glebe, Sydney, Australia designed by the Colonial Architect, John Verge for the Australian lawyer and businessman, George Allen ( 1800-1877).
A history of ‘Toxteth Park’ is here:
Welcome to the next episode of "Stuff I Bought in Vancouver". Tonight, I bring you something that is, as always exotic, but more importantly, something that again, I probably wouldn't have run into while in Toronto. The subject of tonights review is the S.H. Figuarts Sailor Moon figure, First Edition.
So, Sailor Moon. The Figuarts releases I've picked up two of them up to this point - Sailor Chibi Moon and Sailor Venus, so clearly they exist here in Toronto. I had gotten lucky so far with regards to pricing thus far, finding the right person at the right time who was willing to make a deal just to get rid of it. It was a similar situation for this particular figure, which I ended up paying $60 CAD for, making it the most expensive figure I purchased during my time out West. For those paying attention, that's pretty much MSRP - why did I do that??? Well, the answer lies in the second part of the title - First Edition. First Edition releases of Sailor Moon came with two additional face plates that were not available later on, and to be honest they're ones that should have been standard, but I digress. The point is, if one were to take into account the First Edition perks, and the fact the figure had never been opened, $60 CAD ends up being a pretty good buy.
Sailor Moon is, of course, the titular character from the Sailor Moon series. The superhero guise of Usagi Tsukino (Serena in the US dub), Sailor Moon starts off, like all many other anime heroes, kind of clumsy, childlike, but eventually matures into a competent leader of her fellow Sailor Senshi in their battle against the forces of evil and enemies of the Moon Kingdom, from whence she originated from. In superhero form, Usagi maintains her trademark twin pigtails, gets a few more pieces of jewelery, and is generally decked out in the now legendary ensemble of high school girl outfit combined with some bows and a kickass pair of boots. Being Sailor Moon, however, her outfit has a few extra bells and whistles not present on the other Sailor Senshi, like the moon on her choker, a jewel encrusted pendant on her chest ribbon, moons on her boots, and jewels in the buns of her hair.
Sailor Moon comes with the most accessories I've seen in a Sailor Moon Figuarts thus far (I admittedly haven't seen that many). There's the figure, of course, with five additional faces (winking and crying faces being the exclusives... FINALLY, a winking face), Moon Crescent Wand, Moon Crescent Wand with the Imperium Silver Crystal installed, seven additional hands with one dedicated for holding her wand, two for her trademark pose, and additional hand/effect piece for her Moon Tiara Action, a mini Luna, and a stand. To the surprise of nobody, it appears that Luna and Artemis are effectively repaints of one another, though I found that Luna stood very easily, whereas Artemis was required some futzing to get him to pose for photos. Points of articulation on Luna are her head and tail, both on ball joints.
The figure of course, looks very faithful to the the animation model. General silhouette is there, and compared to Sailor Venus, slightly more accurate body proportions, mostly with the legs, which seem to have a shorter lower leg as compared to the statuesque Sailor Venus. Otherwise, you have the same general slender high school girl physique. Sailor Moon, to me, has a more accurate facial structure as well.. in fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say they adapted Sailor Moons base face plates for use on Venus. Both are, IMO, a bit too narrow and could stand to be a bit wider at the temples. Sailor Moon fares much better at actually being able to use the included stand properly, as she does not have a giant mound of hair getting in the way of the dynamic arm of the stand. Speaking of hair, good recreation of the hair on the character, with the added "bonus" of being made from translucent plastic that is painted yellow so she has the shimmering effect on her head. The down side is tolerances, as evidences by the fact her right pigtail keeps popping out of the socket. Otherwise, you get some good sculpting in terms of detailing of the outfit and hair, both of which has been pretty consistent in terms of quality across the three characters that I have.
As mentioned above, this First Edition release comes with two additional face plates that are very much essential to Sailor Moon as a character. I can sort of get the crying face as an exclusive, as its usage is relatively limited (unless you're willing to be a bit creative, like me) but for magical girl figures to not come with winking faces ought to be made a crime punishable by public ridicule. The other faces are your typical smiling, neutral, attacking, and one face with no tiara painted on it with the intent of use with the Moon Tiara Action hand effect.
Articulation.. boy, is it nice coming back to something that is not maddening to make use. Points of articulation, again, are consistent with the other Sailor Senshi - ankles, single jointed knees, hips with pull down action to improve range of motion, waist, upper torso swivel, shoulders with some chest collapse, single jointed eblows, wirsts, and head. As stated above, there is one point of articulation on each of the pigtails to allow for some dynamic posing of the pigtails, though it mainly allows for side to side displays of hair rather than dashing forward displays. I found that perhaps due to a more pliable rubber (or maybe I just tried harder), Sailor Moon, while unable to kick high, was able to at least maintain a proper seated position. Hands come off the wrist pegs easily.. perhaps a bit TOO easily. I've read that subsequent releases of the figure (most notable being the anime coloured edition), the wrist pegs have been changed such that they have balls on the end of them to improve the grip.
Paintwork is again that lovely combination of good and meh that is present on Venus and Chibi moon. One again, the outfit itself is painted with pearl based paints on the whites, which makes for a lovely shimmering effect, if a bit thick in terms of application. Coloured sections of the outfit, along with various metal pieces are painted with metallic paints. These metallic paint apps can get a bit messy, especially on detailed areas like the small lines on her hair bun jewels, her pendant on the chest, the tiaras on her foreheads, and her earrings. The hair appears be partially solid plastic with some translucent plastics (bangs, pigtails), all of which is painted, which does make for an effective glowing effect at the cost of some less than stellar tolerances. Paint work on the hair itself is surprisingly smooth, with no splotches of colour that not only would look bad, but would also interfere with the translucent quality of the hair. Fleshy bits appear to be the base plastic colours, which are slightly different from Sailor Venus (more tan). In terms of paint masking, some weakness was observed at most transition points, with the most notable being between her outfit and her blue skirt.
Decals are applied well, with no bubbles observed, and no misalignment issues to report. In general, fit and tolerances are pretty good, with the only real issue I can mention is the one with that one pigtail that likes to fall out. Otherwise, there aren't any issues with tolerances or poorly mating parts to report. Some improvements on the parts finish side would have been nice, as mould lines and various seams were more prevalent on Sailor Moon than Venus or Chibi Moon. It's not like the latter two were perfect, and neither is Sailor Moon the worst figure ever made, it's just that by comparison to the other two, Sailor Moon does exhibit significantly weaker traits from this perspective, so I know a better product is technically possible. Build quality is the typical Figuarts level of excellence, with tight joints and a generally solid toy that can withstand some typical handling by a collector.
This is undeniably a great Sailor Moon figure, though one that is for... reasons, worse off from a parts finish perspective than her peers that I own. The base figure doesn't really offer anything that the other Sailor Senshi don't have (other than perhaps a slightly more appropriate face), but that's no surprise (or an issue) when they're all based off a pretty decent platform, though keep in mind I was able to get her seated when I couldn't get Sailor Venus or Chibi Moon to do so. While the base accessory set is pretty good (considering all the main Senshi cost the same), the First Edition faces truly make this figure shine. So while the figure is clearly a recommend for fans of the series, I'm going to do something I normally don't do, and recommend that you hunt down a First Edition version. While you may not benefit from the improved wrist pegs, the crying and winking expressions are a HUGE part of the character, and are worth going the extra mile for. If you're gonna hunt this figure down, I'd strongly recommend finding a First Edition and hassling the seller until a price that is agreeable to you can be reached.
“Captains Courageous” is a coming-of-age tale of fishing off the New England coast. It is the story of Harvey Cheyne, a spoiled rich kid, who stumbles overboard an ocean liner and is rescued by fisherman Manuel Fidello off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and brought aboard a small fishing boat. There he meets Disko Troop, captain of the fishing boat, who refuses to take the young man back to port but agrees to take him on as part of the crew against Harvey’s wishes. Over the course of the novel, Harvey befriends the captain’s son Dan and has some sense knocked into him. Dan helps the arrogant, overly pampered Harvey become a hard-working, self-reliant man at sea.
“Captains Courageous” is also an excellent portrayal of life in the Gloucester fishing fleet of Massachusetts, written while the newlywed Kipling lived in Vermont. Although Kipling lived in Vermont several years and was married to an American this is his only novel with entirely American settings, themes and major characters. The American edition of the book is dedicated to James Conland, M.D., of Brattleboro, Vermont. Dr. Conland had brought the Kiplings elder daughter into the world and had been a member of the Massachusetts fishing fleet. It is he who took Kipling to explore the wharves and quays of Boston and Gloucester.
Considered one of the great sea novels of the 19th century, “Captains Courageous” was made into an excellent Victor Fleming film in 1937 starring Freddie Bartholomew (Harvey Cheyne), Spencer Tracy (his rescuer Manuel Fidello),
Lionel Barrymore (Captain Disko Troop) and Mickey Rooney (Dan Troop).
Welcome to the next episode of "Stuff I Bought in Vancouver". Tonight, I bring you something that is, as always exotic, but more importantly, something that again, I probably wouldn't have run into while in Toronto. The subject of tonights review is the S.H. Figuarts Sailor Moon figure, First Edition.
So, Sailor Moon. The Figuarts releases I've picked up two of them up to this point - Sailor Chibi Moon and Sailor Venus, so clearly they exist here in Toronto. I had gotten lucky so far with regards to pricing thus far, finding the right person at the right time who was willing to make a deal just to get rid of it. It was a similar situation for this particular figure, which I ended up paying $60 CAD for, making it the most expensive figure I purchased during my time out West. For those paying attention, that's pretty much MSRP - why did I do that??? Well, the answer lies in the second part of the title - First Edition. First Edition releases of Sailor Moon came with two additional face plates that were not available later on, and to be honest they're ones that should have been standard, but I digress. The point is, if one were to take into account the First Edition perks, and the fact the figure had never been opened, $60 CAD ends up being a pretty good buy.
Sailor Moon is, of course, the titular character from the Sailor Moon series. The superhero guise of Usagi Tsukino (Serena in the US dub), Sailor Moon starts off, like all many other anime heroes, kind of clumsy, childlike, but eventually matures into a competent leader of her fellow Sailor Senshi in their battle against the forces of evil and enemies of the Moon Kingdom, from whence she originated from. In superhero form, Usagi maintains her trademark twin pigtails, gets a few more pieces of jewelery, and is generally decked out in the now legendary ensemble of high school girl outfit combined with some bows and a kickass pair of boots. Being Sailor Moon, however, her outfit has a few extra bells and whistles not present on the other Sailor Senshi, like the moon on her choker, a jewel encrusted pendant on her chest ribbon, moons on her boots, and jewels in the buns of her hair.
Sailor Moon comes with the most accessories I've seen in a Sailor Moon Figuarts thus far (I admittedly haven't seen that many). There's the figure, of course, with five additional faces (winking and crying faces being the exclusives... FINALLY, a winking face), Moon Crescent Wand, Moon Crescent Wand with the Imperium Silver Crystal installed, seven additional hands with one dedicated for holding her wand, two for her trademark pose, and additional hand/effect piece for her Moon Tiara Action, a mini Luna, and a stand. To the surprise of nobody, it appears that Luna and Artemis are effectively repaints of one another, though I found that Luna stood very easily, whereas Artemis was required some futzing to get him to pose for photos. Points of articulation on Luna are her head and tail, both on ball joints.
The figure of course, looks very faithful to the the animation model. General silhouette is there, and compared to Sailor Venus, slightly more accurate body proportions, mostly with the legs, which seem to have a shorter lower leg as compared to the statuesque Sailor Venus. Otherwise, you have the same general slender high school girl physique. Sailor Moon, to me, has a more accurate facial structure as well.. in fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say they adapted Sailor Moons base face plates for use on Venus. Both are, IMO, a bit too narrow and could stand to be a bit wider at the temples. Sailor Moon fares much better at actually being able to use the included stand properly, as she does not have a giant mound of hair getting in the way of the dynamic arm of the stand. Speaking of hair, good recreation of the hair on the character, with the added "bonus" of being made from translucent plastic that is painted yellow so she has the shimmering effect on her head. The down side is tolerances, as evidences by the fact her right pigtail keeps popping out of the socket. Otherwise, you get some good sculpting in terms of detailing of the outfit and hair, both of which has been pretty consistent in terms of quality across the three characters that I have.
As mentioned above, this First Edition release comes with two additional face plates that are very much essential to Sailor Moon as a character. I can sort of get the crying face as an exclusive, as its usage is relatively limited (unless you're willing to be a bit creative, like me) but for magical girl figures to not come with winking faces ought to be made a crime punishable by public ridicule. The other faces are your typical smiling, neutral, attacking, and one face with no tiara painted on it with the intent of use with the Moon Tiara Action hand effect.
Articulation.. boy, is it nice coming back to something that is not maddening to make use. Points of articulation, again, are consistent with the other Sailor Senshi - ankles, single jointed knees, hips with pull down action to improve range of motion, waist, upper torso swivel, shoulders with some chest collapse, single jointed eblows, wirsts, and head. As stated above, there is one point of articulation on each of the pigtails to allow for some dynamic posing of the pigtails, though it mainly allows for side to side displays of hair rather than dashing forward displays. I found that perhaps due to a more pliable rubber (or maybe I just tried harder), Sailor Moon, while unable to kick high, was able to at least maintain a proper seated position. Hands come off the wrist pegs easily.. perhaps a bit TOO easily. I've read that subsequent releases of the figure (most notable being the anime coloured edition), the wrist pegs have been changed such that they have balls on the end of them to improve the grip.
Paintwork is again that lovely combination of good and meh that is present on Venus and Chibi moon. One again, the outfit itself is painted with pearl based paints on the whites, which makes for a lovely shimmering effect, if a bit thick in terms of application. Coloured sections of the outfit, along with various metal pieces are painted with metallic paints. These metallic paint apps can get a bit messy, especially on detailed areas like the small lines on her hair bun jewels, her pendant on the chest, the tiaras on her foreheads, and her earrings. The hair appears be partially solid plastic with some translucent plastics (bangs, pigtails), all of which is painted, which does make for an effective glowing effect at the cost of some less than stellar tolerances. Paint work on the hair itself is surprisingly smooth, with no splotches of colour that not only would look bad, but would also interfere with the translucent quality of the hair. Fleshy bits appear to be the base plastic colours, which are slightly different from Sailor Venus (more tan). In terms of paint masking, some weakness was observed at most transition points, with the most notable being between her outfit and her blue skirt.
Decals are applied well, with no bubbles observed, and no misalignment issues to report. In general, fit and tolerances are pretty good, with the only real issue I can mention is the one with that one pigtail that likes to fall out. Otherwise, there aren't any issues with tolerances or poorly mating parts to report. Some improvements on the parts finish side would have been nice, as mould lines and various seams were more prevalent on Sailor Moon than Venus or Chibi Moon. It's not like the latter two were perfect, and neither is Sailor Moon the worst figure ever made, it's just that by comparison to the other two, Sailor Moon does exhibit significantly weaker traits from this perspective, so I know a better product is technically possible. Build quality is the typical Figuarts level of excellence, with tight joints and a generally solid toy that can withstand some typical handling by a collector.
This is undeniably a great Sailor Moon figure, though one that is for... reasons, worse off from a parts finish perspective than her peers that I own. The base figure doesn't really offer anything that the other Sailor Senshi don't have (other than perhaps a slightly more appropriate face), but that's no surprise (or an issue) when they're all based off a pretty decent platform, though keep in mind I was able to get her seated when I couldn't get Sailor Venus or Chibi Moon to do so. While the base accessory set is pretty good (considering all the main Senshi cost the same), the First Edition faces truly make this figure shine. So while the figure is clearly a recommend for fans of the series, I'm going to do something I normally don't do, and recommend that you hunt down a First Edition version. While you may not benefit from the improved wrist pegs, the crying and winking expressions are a HUGE part of the character, and are worth going the extra mile for. If you're gonna hunt this figure down, I'd strongly recommend finding a First Edition and hassling the seller until a price that is agreeable to you can be reached.
Fred Freeman (1907-1988) was a graphic artist who designed and illustrated books on naval history, space exploration and other subjects. He was a successful commercial artist in New York City from the late 1920's through the 30's, doing many illustrations and magazine covers for publications including The Saturday Evening Post and Collier's.
After serving in the United States Navy during World War II, he turned mainly to book design and illustration. He illustrated books on submarines and destroyers from World War II, for the United States Naval Institute. In 1956, with Theodore Roscoe, he designed the ''Picture History of the U.S. Navy,'' published by Charles Scribner's Sons. In 1960, he illustrated a children's book, ''First Men to the Moon,'' written by the scientist, Werner von Braun.
Babar! As they say: Anything without elephants is irrelephant. Christmas is saved.
Babar and Father Christmas.
by Jean De Brunhoff
Translated by Merle Haas
Published by Random House (1940)
The “Nuremberg Chronicle” is an illustrated world history that follows the story of humankind related in the Bible, from Creation to Last Judgment. It was written in Latin by Hartmann Schedel in the city of Nuremberg and is one of the best-documented early printed books – an incunabulum – and one of the first to successfully integrate illustrations and text. The publisher and printer was Anton Koberger, the godfather of Albrecht Durer. The large workshop of Michael Wolgemut, then Nuremberg’s leading artist, provided the unprecedented 1,809 woodcut illustrations. Albrecht Durer was an apprentice with Wolgemut from 1486 to 1489, so may well have participated in designing some of the illustrations for the specialist craftsmen who cut the blocks.
Approximately 400 Latin and 300 German copies of the Chronicle survived into the twenty-first century. Some copies were broken up for sale as decorative prints. The larger illustrations in the book were sold separately, often hand-colored in watercolor. Many copies of the book are also colored, with varying degrees of skill; there were specialist shops for this. The coloring on some examples has been added much later.
Originally written as newspaper journalism, “Sketches by Boz” is the public record of Dickens’ apprenticeship. The 56 sketches concern London scenes and were originally published in various newspapers and other periodicals between 1833 and 1836, including the “Morning Chronicle,” the “Evening Chronicle,” the “Monthly Magazine,” the “Carlton Chronicle” and “Bell’s Life in London.” Fist published in book form in 1836, the whole work is divided into four sections: “Our Parish,” “Scenes,” “Characters,” and “Tales.” Dickens’ writings are enhanced by the regular inclusion of illustrations by George Cruikshank to highlight key scenes and characters.
"Who the dickens 'Boz' could be
Puzzled many a learned elf,
Till time unveiled the mystery,
And 'Boz' appeared as Dickens's self."
Dickens took the pseudonym from a nickname he had given his younger brother Augustus, whom he called "Moses" after a character in Oliver Goldsmith's The Vicar of Wakefield. This, "being facetiously pronounced through the nose," became "Boses", which in turn was shortened to "Boz".
[Source: Wikipedia]
This book was one of the first color editions and the last Brer Rabbit collection published during the lifetime of the author, Georgia native Joel Chandler Harris (1845-1908). Raised in poverty, Harris was an apprentice to a Southern newspaper as a teenager and he made friends with plantation slaves who passed along their stories. Harris hoped that the charming illustrations and his use of dialect in retelling these old black legends would “suggest a certain picturesque sensitiveness – a curious exaltation of mind and temperament (of the black man).”
The characters of Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit are best known from the classic 1946 Disney movie, “Song of the South.” Here is a memorable scene in that movie:
Welcome to the next episode of "Stuff I Bought in Vancouver". Tonight, I bring you something that is, as always exotic, but more importantly, something that again, I probably wouldn't have run into while in Toronto. The subject of tonights review is the S.H. Figuarts Sailor Moon figure, First Edition.
So, Sailor Moon. The Figuarts releases I've picked up two of them up to this point - Sailor Chibi Moon and Sailor Venus, so clearly they exist here in Toronto. I had gotten lucky so far with regards to pricing thus far, finding the right person at the right time who was willing to make a deal just to get rid of it. It was a similar situation for this particular figure, which I ended up paying $60 CAD for, making it the most expensive figure I purchased during my time out West. For those paying attention, that's pretty much MSRP - why did I do that??? Well, the answer lies in the second part of the title - First Edition. First Edition releases of Sailor Moon came with two additional face plates that were not available later on, and to be honest they're ones that should have been standard, but I digress. The point is, if one were to take into account the First Edition perks, and the fact the figure had never been opened, $60 CAD ends up being a pretty good buy.
Sailor Moon is, of course, the titular character from the Sailor Moon series. The superhero guise of Usagi Tsukino (Serena in the US dub), Sailor Moon starts off, like all many other anime heroes, kind of clumsy, childlike, but eventually matures into a competent leader of her fellow Sailor Senshi in their battle against the forces of evil and enemies of the Moon Kingdom, from whence she originated from. In superhero form, Usagi maintains her trademark twin pigtails, gets a few more pieces of jewelery, and is generally decked out in the now legendary ensemble of high school girl outfit combined with some bows and a kickass pair of boots. Being Sailor Moon, however, her outfit has a few extra bells and whistles not present on the other Sailor Senshi, like the moon on her choker, a jewel encrusted pendant on her chest ribbon, moons on her boots, and jewels in the buns of her hair.
Sailor Moon comes with the most accessories I've seen in a Sailor Moon Figuarts thus far (I admittedly haven't seen that many). There's the figure, of course, with five additional faces (winking and crying faces being the exclusives... FINALLY, a winking face), Moon Crescent Wand, Moon Crescent Wand with the Imperium Silver Crystal installed, seven additional hands with one dedicated for holding her wand, two for her trademark pose, and additional hand/effect piece for her Moon Tiara Action, a mini Luna, and a stand. To the surprise of nobody, it appears that Luna and Artemis are effectively repaints of one another, though I found that Luna stood very easily, whereas Artemis was required some futzing to get him to pose for photos. Points of articulation on Luna are her head and tail, both on ball joints.
The figure of course, looks very faithful to the the animation model. General silhouette is there, and compared to Sailor Venus, slightly more accurate body proportions, mostly with the legs, which seem to have a shorter lower leg as compared to the statuesque Sailor Venus. Otherwise, you have the same general slender high school girl physique. Sailor Moon, to me, has a more accurate facial structure as well.. in fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say they adapted Sailor Moons base face plates for use on Venus. Both are, IMO, a bit too narrow and could stand to be a bit wider at the temples. Sailor Moon fares much better at actually being able to use the included stand properly, as she does not have a giant mound of hair getting in the way of the dynamic arm of the stand. Speaking of hair, good recreation of the hair on the character, with the added "bonus" of being made from translucent plastic that is painted yellow so she has the shimmering effect on her head. The down side is tolerances, as evidences by the fact her right pigtail keeps popping out of the socket. Otherwise, you get some good sculpting in terms of detailing of the outfit and hair, both of which has been pretty consistent in terms of quality across the three characters that I have.
As mentioned above, this First Edition release comes with two additional face plates that are very much essential to Sailor Moon as a character. I can sort of get the crying face as an exclusive, as its usage is relatively limited (unless you're willing to be a bit creative, like me) but for magical girl figures to not come with winking faces ought to be made a crime punishable by public ridicule. The other faces are your typical smiling, neutral, attacking, and one face with no tiara painted on it with the intent of use with the Moon Tiara Action hand effect.
Articulation.. boy, is it nice coming back to something that is not maddening to make use. Points of articulation, again, are consistent with the other Sailor Senshi - ankles, single jointed knees, hips with pull down action to improve range of motion, waist, upper torso swivel, shoulders with some chest collapse, single jointed eblows, wirsts, and head. As stated above, there is one point of articulation on each of the pigtails to allow for some dynamic posing of the pigtails, though it mainly allows for side to side displays of hair rather than dashing forward displays. I found that perhaps due to a more pliable rubber (or maybe I just tried harder), Sailor Moon, while unable to kick high, was able to at least maintain a proper seated position. Hands come off the wrist pegs easily.. perhaps a bit TOO easily. I've read that subsequent releases of the figure (most notable being the anime coloured edition), the wrist pegs have been changed such that they have balls on the end of them to improve the grip.
Paintwork is again that lovely combination of good and meh that is present on Venus and Chibi moon. One again, the outfit itself is painted with pearl based paints on the whites, which makes for a lovely shimmering effect, if a bit thick in terms of application. Coloured sections of the outfit, along with various metal pieces are painted with metallic paints. These metallic paint apps can get a bit messy, especially on detailed areas like the small lines on her hair bun jewels, her pendant on the chest, the tiaras on her foreheads, and her earrings. The hair appears be partially solid plastic with some translucent plastics (bangs, pigtails), all of which is painted, which does make for an effective glowing effect at the cost of some less than stellar tolerances. Paint work on the hair itself is surprisingly smooth, with no splotches of colour that not only would look bad, but would also interfere with the translucent quality of the hair. Fleshy bits appear to be the base plastic colours, which are slightly different from Sailor Venus (more tan). In terms of paint masking, some weakness was observed at most transition points, with the most notable being between her outfit and her blue skirt.
Decals are applied well, with no bubbles observed, and no misalignment issues to report. In general, fit and tolerances are pretty good, with the only real issue I can mention is the one with that one pigtail that likes to fall out. Otherwise, there aren't any issues with tolerances or poorly mating parts to report. Some improvements on the parts finish side would have been nice, as mould lines and various seams were more prevalent on Sailor Moon than Venus or Chibi Moon. It's not like the latter two were perfect, and neither is Sailor Moon the worst figure ever made, it's just that by comparison to the other two, Sailor Moon does exhibit significantly weaker traits from this perspective, so I know a better product is technically possible. Build quality is the typical Figuarts level of excellence, with tight joints and a generally solid toy that can withstand some typical handling by a collector.
This is undeniably a great Sailor Moon figure, though one that is for... reasons, worse off from a parts finish perspective than her peers that I own. The base figure doesn't really offer anything that the other Sailor Senshi don't have (other than perhaps a slightly more appropriate face), but that's no surprise (or an issue) when they're all based off a pretty decent platform, though keep in mind I was able to get her seated when I couldn't get Sailor Venus or Chibi Moon to do so. While the base accessory set is pretty good (considering all the main Senshi cost the same), the First Edition faces truly make this figure shine. So while the figure is clearly a recommend for fans of the series, I'm going to do something I normally don't do, and recommend that you hunt down a First Edition version. While you may not benefit from the improved wrist pegs, the crying and winking expressions are a HUGE part of the character, and are worth going the extra mile for. If you're gonna hunt this figure down, I'd strongly recommend finding a First Edition and hassling the seller until a price that is agreeable to you can be reached.
Welcome to the next episode of "Stuff I Bought in Vancouver". Tonight, I bring you something that is, as always exotic, but more importantly, something that again, I probably wouldn't have run into while in Toronto. The subject of tonights review is the S.H. Figuarts Sailor Moon figure, First Edition.
So, Sailor Moon. The Figuarts releases I've picked up two of them up to this point - Sailor Chibi Moon and Sailor Venus, so clearly they exist here in Toronto. I had gotten lucky so far with regards to pricing thus far, finding the right person at the right time who was willing to make a deal just to get rid of it. It was a similar situation for this particular figure, which I ended up paying $60 CAD for, making it the most expensive figure I purchased during my time out West. For those paying attention, that's pretty much MSRP - why did I do that??? Well, the answer lies in the second part of the title - First Edition. First Edition releases of Sailor Moon came with two additional face plates that were not available later on, and to be honest they're ones that should have been standard, but I digress. The point is, if one were to take into account the First Edition perks, and the fact the figure had never been opened, $60 CAD ends up being a pretty good buy.
Sailor Moon is, of course, the titular character from the Sailor Moon series. The superhero guise of Usagi Tsukino (Serena in the US dub), Sailor Moon starts off, like all many other anime heroes, kind of clumsy, childlike, but eventually matures into a competent leader of her fellow Sailor Senshi in their battle against the forces of evil and enemies of the Moon Kingdom, from whence she originated from. In superhero form, Usagi maintains her trademark twin pigtails, gets a few more pieces of jewelery, and is generally decked out in the now legendary ensemble of high school girl outfit combined with some bows and a kickass pair of boots. Being Sailor Moon, however, her outfit has a few extra bells and whistles not present on the other Sailor Senshi, like the moon on her choker, a jewel encrusted pendant on her chest ribbon, moons on her boots, and jewels in the buns of her hair.
Sailor Moon comes with the most accessories I've seen in a Sailor Moon Figuarts thus far (I admittedly haven't seen that many). There's the figure, of course, with five additional faces (winking and crying faces being the exclusives... FINALLY, a winking face), Moon Crescent Wand, Moon Crescent Wand with the Imperium Silver Crystal installed, seven additional hands with one dedicated for holding her wand, two for her trademark pose, and additional hand/effect piece for her Moon Tiara Action, a mini Luna, and a stand. To the surprise of nobody, it appears that Luna and Artemis are effectively repaints of one another, though I found that Luna stood very easily, whereas Artemis was required some futzing to get him to pose for photos. Points of articulation on Luna are her head and tail, both on ball joints.
The figure of course, looks very faithful to the the animation model. General silhouette is there, and compared to Sailor Venus, slightly more accurate body proportions, mostly with the legs, which seem to have a shorter lower leg as compared to the statuesque Sailor Venus. Otherwise, you have the same general slender high school girl physique. Sailor Moon, to me, has a more accurate facial structure as well.. in fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say they adapted Sailor Moons base face plates for use on Venus. Both are, IMO, a bit too narrow and could stand to be a bit wider at the temples. Sailor Moon fares much better at actually being able to use the included stand properly, as she does not have a giant mound of hair getting in the way of the dynamic arm of the stand. Speaking of hair, good recreation of the hair on the character, with the added "bonus" of being made from translucent plastic that is painted yellow so she has the shimmering effect on her head. The down side is tolerances, as evidences by the fact her right pigtail keeps popping out of the socket. Otherwise, you get some good sculpting in terms of detailing of the outfit and hair, both of which has been pretty consistent in terms of quality across the three characters that I have.
As mentioned above, this First Edition release comes with two additional face plates that are very much essential to Sailor Moon as a character. I can sort of get the crying face as an exclusive, as its usage is relatively limited (unless you're willing to be a bit creative, like me) but for magical girl figures to not come with winking faces ought to be made a crime punishable by public ridicule. The other faces are your typical smiling, neutral, attacking, and one face with no tiara painted on it with the intent of use with the Moon Tiara Action hand effect.
Articulation.. boy, is it nice coming back to something that is not maddening to make use. Points of articulation, again, are consistent with the other Sailor Senshi - ankles, single jointed knees, hips with pull down action to improve range of motion, waist, upper torso swivel, shoulders with some chest collapse, single jointed eblows, wirsts, and head. As stated above, there is one point of articulation on each of the pigtails to allow for some dynamic posing of the pigtails, though it mainly allows for side to side displays of hair rather than dashing forward displays. I found that perhaps due to a more pliable rubber (or maybe I just tried harder), Sailor Moon, while unable to kick high, was able to at least maintain a proper seated position. Hands come off the wrist pegs easily.. perhaps a bit TOO easily. I've read that subsequent releases of the figure (most notable being the anime coloured edition), the wrist pegs have been changed such that they have balls on the end of them to improve the grip.
Paintwork is again that lovely combination of good and meh that is present on Venus and Chibi moon. One again, the outfit itself is painted with pearl based paints on the whites, which makes for a lovely shimmering effect, if a bit thick in terms of application. Coloured sections of the outfit, along with various metal pieces are painted with metallic paints. These metallic paint apps can get a bit messy, especially on detailed areas like the small lines on her hair bun jewels, her pendant on the chest, the tiaras on her foreheads, and her earrings. The hair appears be partially solid plastic with some translucent plastics (bangs, pigtails), all of which is painted, which does make for an effective glowing effect at the cost of some less than stellar tolerances. Paint work on the hair itself is surprisingly smooth, with no splotches of colour that not only would look bad, but would also interfere with the translucent quality of the hair. Fleshy bits appear to be the base plastic colours, which are slightly different from Sailor Venus (more tan). In terms of paint masking, some weakness was observed at most transition points, with the most notable being between her outfit and her blue skirt.
Decals are applied well, with no bubbles observed, and no misalignment issues to report. In general, fit and tolerances are pretty good, with the only real issue I can mention is the one with that one pigtail that likes to fall out. Otherwise, there aren't any issues with tolerances or poorly mating parts to report. Some improvements on the parts finish side would have been nice, as mould lines and various seams were more prevalent on Sailor Moon than Venus or Chibi Moon. It's not like the latter two were perfect, and neither is Sailor Moon the worst figure ever made, it's just that by comparison to the other two, Sailor Moon does exhibit significantly weaker traits from this perspective, so I know a better product is technically possible. Build quality is the typical Figuarts level of excellence, with tight joints and a generally solid toy that can withstand some typical handling by a collector.
This is undeniably a great Sailor Moon figure, though one that is for... reasons, worse off from a parts finish perspective than her peers that I own. The base figure doesn't really offer anything that the other Sailor Senshi don't have (other than perhaps a slightly more appropriate face), but that's no surprise (or an issue) when they're all based off a pretty decent platform, though keep in mind I was able to get her seated when I couldn't get Sailor Venus or Chibi Moon to do so. While the base accessory set is pretty good (considering all the main Senshi cost the same), the First Edition faces truly make this figure shine. So while the figure is clearly a recommend for fans of the series, I'm going to do something I normally don't do, and recommend that you hunt down a First Edition version. While you may not benefit from the improved wrist pegs, the crying and winking expressions are a HUGE part of the character, and are worth going the extra mile for. If you're gonna hunt this figure down, I'd strongly recommend finding a First Edition and hassling the seller until a price that is agreeable to you can be reached.
Residence of the Prince of Wales.
The Illustrated News of the World – First Edition 1858.
‘The Illustrated News of the World and National Portrait Gallery of Eminent Personages’ was a new publication with the strong visual emphasis of numerous large woodcuts to illustrate local and world events, and also featuring a number of fine steel engravings of eminent persons. The publishers stated their hopes that the publication would match or supplement the existing illustrated magazines:- The Illustrated London News and Punch Magazine .
Published by Illustrated News of the World, The Strand, London. Annual bound collection, red cloth boards 338 pages 42cm x 29cm.
Welcome to the next episode of "Stuff I Bought in Vancouver". Tonight, I bring you something that is, as always exotic, but more importantly, something that again, I probably wouldn't have run into while in Toronto. The subject of tonights review is the S.H. Figuarts Sailor Moon figure, First Edition.
So, Sailor Moon. The Figuarts releases I've picked up two of them up to this point - Sailor Chibi Moon and Sailor Venus, so clearly they exist here in Toronto. I had gotten lucky so far with regards to pricing thus far, finding the right person at the right time who was willing to make a deal just to get rid of it. It was a similar situation for this particular figure, which I ended up paying $60 CAD for, making it the most expensive figure I purchased during my time out West. For those paying attention, that's pretty much MSRP - why did I do that??? Well, the answer lies in the second part of the title - First Edition. First Edition releases of Sailor Moon came with two additional face plates that were not available later on, and to be honest they're ones that should have been standard, but I digress. The point is, if one were to take into account the First Edition perks, and the fact the figure had never been opened, $60 CAD ends up being a pretty good buy.
Sailor Moon is, of course, the titular character from the Sailor Moon series. The superhero guise of Usagi Tsukino (Serena in the US dub), Sailor Moon starts off, like all many other anime heroes, kind of clumsy, childlike, but eventually matures into a competent leader of her fellow Sailor Senshi in their battle against the forces of evil and enemies of the Moon Kingdom, from whence she originated from. In superhero form, Usagi maintains her trademark twin pigtails, gets a few more pieces of jewelery, and is generally decked out in the now legendary ensemble of high school girl outfit combined with some bows and a kickass pair of boots. Being Sailor Moon, however, her outfit has a few extra bells and whistles not present on the other Sailor Senshi, like the moon on her choker, a jewel encrusted pendant on her chest ribbon, moons on her boots, and jewels in the buns of her hair.
Sailor Moon comes with the most accessories I've seen in a Sailor Moon Figuarts thus far (I admittedly haven't seen that many). There's the figure, of course, with five additional faces (winking and crying faces being the exclusives... FINALLY, a winking face), Moon Crescent Wand, Moon Crescent Wand with the Imperium Silver Crystal installed, seven additional hands with one dedicated for holding her wand, two for her trademark pose, and additional hand/effect piece for her Moon Tiara Action, a mini Luna, and a stand. To the surprise of nobody, it appears that Luna and Artemis are effectively repaints of one another, though I found that Luna stood very easily, whereas Artemis was required some futzing to get him to pose for photos. Points of articulation on Luna are her head and tail, both on ball joints.
The figure of course, looks very faithful to the the animation model. General silhouette is there, and compared to Sailor Venus, slightly more accurate body proportions, mostly with the legs, which seem to have a shorter lower leg as compared to the statuesque Sailor Venus. Otherwise, you have the same general slender high school girl physique. Sailor Moon, to me, has a more accurate facial structure as well.. in fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say they adapted Sailor Moons base face plates for use on Venus. Both are, IMO, a bit too narrow and could stand to be a bit wider at the temples. Sailor Moon fares much better at actually being able to use the included stand properly, as she does not have a giant mound of hair getting in the way of the dynamic arm of the stand. Speaking of hair, good recreation of the hair on the character, with the added "bonus" of being made from translucent plastic that is painted yellow so she has the shimmering effect on her head. The down side is tolerances, as evidences by the fact her right pigtail keeps popping out of the socket. Otherwise, you get some good sculpting in terms of detailing of the outfit and hair, both of which has been pretty consistent in terms of quality across the three characters that I have.
As mentioned above, this First Edition release comes with two additional face plates that are very much essential to Sailor Moon as a character. I can sort of get the crying face as an exclusive, as its usage is relatively limited (unless you're willing to be a bit creative, like me) but for magical girl figures to not come with winking faces ought to be made a crime punishable by public ridicule. The other faces are your typical smiling, neutral, attacking, and one face with no tiara painted on it with the intent of use with the Moon Tiara Action hand effect.
Articulation.. boy, is it nice coming back to something that is not maddening to make use. Points of articulation, again, are consistent with the other Sailor Senshi - ankles, single jointed knees, hips with pull down action to improve range of motion, waist, upper torso swivel, shoulders with some chest collapse, single jointed eblows, wirsts, and head. As stated above, there is one point of articulation on each of the pigtails to allow for some dynamic posing of the pigtails, though it mainly allows for side to side displays of hair rather than dashing forward displays. I found that perhaps due to a more pliable rubber (or maybe I just tried harder), Sailor Moon, while unable to kick high, was able to at least maintain a proper seated position. Hands come off the wrist pegs easily.. perhaps a bit TOO easily. I've read that subsequent releases of the figure (most notable being the anime coloured edition), the wrist pegs have been changed such that they have balls on the end of them to improve the grip.
Paintwork is again that lovely combination of good and meh that is present on Venus and Chibi moon. One again, the outfit itself is painted with pearl based paints on the whites, which makes for a lovely shimmering effect, if a bit thick in terms of application. Coloured sections of the outfit, along with various metal pieces are painted with metallic paints. These metallic paint apps can get a bit messy, especially on detailed areas like the small lines on her hair bun jewels, her pendant on the chest, the tiaras on her foreheads, and her earrings. The hair appears be partially solid plastic with some translucent plastics (bangs, pigtails), all of which is painted, which does make for an effective glowing effect at the cost of some less than stellar tolerances. Paint work on the hair itself is surprisingly smooth, with no splotches of colour that not only would look bad, but would also interfere with the translucent quality of the hair. Fleshy bits appear to be the base plastic colours, which are slightly different from Sailor Venus (more tan). In terms of paint masking, some weakness was observed at most transition points, with the most notable being between her outfit and her blue skirt.
Decals are applied well, with no bubbles observed, and no misalignment issues to report. In general, fit and tolerances are pretty good, with the only real issue I can mention is the one with that one pigtail that likes to fall out. Otherwise, there aren't any issues with tolerances or poorly mating parts to report. Some improvements on the parts finish side would have been nice, as mould lines and various seams were more prevalent on Sailor Moon than Venus or Chibi Moon. It's not like the latter two were perfect, and neither is Sailor Moon the worst figure ever made, it's just that by comparison to the other two, Sailor Moon does exhibit significantly weaker traits from this perspective, so I know a better product is technically possible. Build quality is the typical Figuarts level of excellence, with tight joints and a generally solid toy that can withstand some typical handling by a collector.
This is undeniably a great Sailor Moon figure, though one that is for... reasons, worse off from a parts finish perspective than her peers that I own. The base figure doesn't really offer anything that the other Sailor Senshi don't have (other than perhaps a slightly more appropriate face), but that's no surprise (or an issue) when they're all based off a pretty decent platform, though keep in mind I was able to get her seated when I couldn't get Sailor Venus or Chibi Moon to do so. While the base accessory set is pretty good (considering all the main Senshi cost the same), the First Edition faces truly make this figure shine. So while the figure is clearly a recommend for fans of the series, I'm going to do something I normally don't do, and recommend that you hunt down a First Edition version. While you may not benefit from the improved wrist pegs, the crying and winking expressions are a HUGE part of the character, and are worth going the extra mile for. If you're gonna hunt this figure down, I'd strongly recommend finding a First Edition and hassling the seller until a price that is agreeable to you can be reached.
Welcome to the next episode of "Stuff I Bought in Vancouver". Tonight, I bring you something that is, as always exotic, but more importantly, something that again, I probably wouldn't have run into while in Toronto. The subject of tonights review is the S.H. Figuarts Sailor Moon figure, First Edition.
So, Sailor Moon. The Figuarts releases I've picked up two of them up to this point - Sailor Chibi Moon and Sailor Venus, so clearly they exist here in Toronto. I had gotten lucky so far with regards to pricing thus far, finding the right person at the right time who was willing to make a deal just to get rid of it. It was a similar situation for this particular figure, which I ended up paying $60 CAD for, making it the most expensive figure I purchased during my time out West. For those paying attention, that's pretty much MSRP - why did I do that??? Well, the answer lies in the second part of the title - First Edition. First Edition releases of Sailor Moon came with two additional face plates that were not available later on, and to be honest they're ones that should have been standard, but I digress. The point is, if one were to take into account the First Edition perks, and the fact the figure had never been opened, $60 CAD ends up being a pretty good buy.
Sailor Moon is, of course, the titular character from the Sailor Moon series. The superhero guise of Usagi Tsukino (Serena in the US dub), Sailor Moon starts off, like all many other anime heroes, kind of clumsy, childlike, but eventually matures into a competent leader of her fellow Sailor Senshi in their battle against the forces of evil and enemies of the Moon Kingdom, from whence she originated from. In superhero form, Usagi maintains her trademark twin pigtails, gets a few more pieces of jewelery, and is generally decked out in the now legendary ensemble of high school girl outfit combined with some bows and a kickass pair of boots. Being Sailor Moon, however, her outfit has a few extra bells and whistles not present on the other Sailor Senshi, like the moon on her choker, a jewel encrusted pendant on her chest ribbon, moons on her boots, and jewels in the buns of her hair.
Sailor Moon comes with the most accessories I've seen in a Sailor Moon Figuarts thus far (I admittedly haven't seen that many). There's the figure, of course, with five additional faces (winking and crying faces being the exclusives... FINALLY, a winking face), Moon Crescent Wand, Moon Crescent Wand with the Imperium Silver Crystal installed, seven additional hands with one dedicated for holding her wand, two for her trademark pose, and additional hand/effect piece for her Moon Tiara Action, a mini Luna, and a stand. To the surprise of nobody, it appears that Luna and Artemis are effectively repaints of one another, though I found that Luna stood very easily, whereas Artemis was required some futzing to get him to pose for photos. Points of articulation on Luna are her head and tail, both on ball joints.
The figure of course, looks very faithful to the the animation model. General silhouette is there, and compared to Sailor Venus, slightly more accurate body proportions, mostly with the legs, which seem to have a shorter lower leg as compared to the statuesque Sailor Venus. Otherwise, you have the same general slender high school girl physique. Sailor Moon, to me, has a more accurate facial structure as well.. in fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say they adapted Sailor Moons base face plates for use on Venus. Both are, IMO, a bit too narrow and could stand to be a bit wider at the temples. Sailor Moon fares much better at actually being able to use the included stand properly, as she does not have a giant mound of hair getting in the way of the dynamic arm of the stand. Speaking of hair, good recreation of the hair on the character, with the added "bonus" of being made from translucent plastic that is painted yellow so she has the shimmering effect on her head. The down side is tolerances, as evidences by the fact her right pigtail keeps popping out of the socket. Otherwise, you get some good sculpting in terms of detailing of the outfit and hair, both of which has been pretty consistent in terms of quality across the three characters that I have.
As mentioned above, this First Edition release comes with two additional face plates that are very much essential to Sailor Moon as a character. I can sort of get the crying face as an exclusive, as its usage is relatively limited (unless you're willing to be a bit creative, like me) but for magical girl figures to not come with winking faces ought to be made a crime punishable by public ridicule. The other faces are your typical smiling, neutral, attacking, and one face with no tiara painted on it with the intent of use with the Moon Tiara Action hand effect.
Articulation.. boy, is it nice coming back to something that is not maddening to make use. Points of articulation, again, are consistent with the other Sailor Senshi - ankles, single jointed knees, hips with pull down action to improve range of motion, waist, upper torso swivel, shoulders with some chest collapse, single jointed eblows, wirsts, and head. As stated above, there is one point of articulation on each of the pigtails to allow for some dynamic posing of the pigtails, though it mainly allows for side to side displays of hair rather than dashing forward displays. I found that perhaps due to a more pliable rubber (or maybe I just tried harder), Sailor Moon, while unable to kick high, was able to at least maintain a proper seated position. Hands come off the wrist pegs easily.. perhaps a bit TOO easily. I've read that subsequent releases of the figure (most notable being the anime coloured edition), the wrist pegs have been changed such that they have balls on the end of them to improve the grip.
Paintwork is again that lovely combination of good and meh that is present on Venus and Chibi moon. One again, the outfit itself is painted with pearl based paints on the whites, which makes for a lovely shimmering effect, if a bit thick in terms of application. Coloured sections of the outfit, along with various metal pieces are painted with metallic paints. These metallic paint apps can get a bit messy, especially on detailed areas like the small lines on her hair bun jewels, her pendant on the chest, the tiaras on her foreheads, and her earrings. The hair appears be partially solid plastic with some translucent plastics (bangs, pigtails), all of which is painted, which does make for an effective glowing effect at the cost of some less than stellar tolerances. Paint work on the hair itself is surprisingly smooth, with no splotches of colour that not only would look bad, but would also interfere with the translucent quality of the hair. Fleshy bits appear to be the base plastic colours, which are slightly different from Sailor Venus (more tan). In terms of paint masking, some weakness was observed at most transition points, with the most notable being between her outfit and her blue skirt.
Decals are applied well, with no bubbles observed, and no misalignment issues to report. In general, fit and tolerances are pretty good, with the only real issue I can mention is the one with that one pigtail that likes to fall out. Otherwise, there aren't any issues with tolerances or poorly mating parts to report. Some improvements on the parts finish side would have been nice, as mould lines and various seams were more prevalent on Sailor Moon than Venus or Chibi Moon. It's not like the latter two were perfect, and neither is Sailor Moon the worst figure ever made, it's just that by comparison to the other two, Sailor Moon does exhibit significantly weaker traits from this perspective, so I know a better product is technically possible. Build quality is the typical Figuarts level of excellence, with tight joints and a generally solid toy that can withstand some typical handling by a collector.
This is undeniably a great Sailor Moon figure, though one that is for... reasons, worse off from a parts finish perspective than her peers that I own. The base figure doesn't really offer anything that the other Sailor Senshi don't have (other than perhaps a slightly more appropriate face), but that's no surprise (or an issue) when they're all based off a pretty decent platform, though keep in mind I was able to get her seated when I couldn't get Sailor Venus or Chibi Moon to do so. While the base accessory set is pretty good (considering all the main Senshi cost the same), the First Edition faces truly make this figure shine. So while the figure is clearly a recommend for fans of the series, I'm going to do something I normally don't do, and recommend that you hunt down a First Edition version. While you may not benefit from the improved wrist pegs, the crying and winking expressions are a HUGE part of the character, and are worth going the extra mile for. If you're gonna hunt this figure down, I'd strongly recommend finding a First Edition and hassling the seller until a price that is agreeable to you can be reached.
William Andrew Pogány (1882-1955) was born in Hungary, studied art in Budapest, and worked in Paris briefly before moving to London in 1905 where he worked as a book illustrator for ten years. He moved to New York in 1915 and had success as a book illustrator and designer of stage sets and hotel interiors. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is one of Pogany’s best-known books. It is a bold artistic experiment in unifying text and images. Every page is elaborately decorated in Pogany’s distinctive style, which attempts to create a printed version of a medieval illuminated manuscript. He was responsible for the beautiful calligraphic text, green and mauve page decorations and borders, and the many black and white drawings and tipped-in plates in full color.
“A Hopi child is torn from his parents and sent off to boarding school; white settlers encroach on the Cheyenne reservation, and the Cheyenne vow to fight to the death rather than give up their land; Howling Wolf witnesses the brutal murder of his brother and, when he protests, is in turn brutalized; after Sitting Bull’s triumph over Custer’s forces, he vows to fight to the death rather than submit to the white invaders.
“In these and other stories written from 1890–1905, Hamlin Garland sought to capture his vision of the spirit of the Native American Indian in transition. Based on ten years of visits to reservations in the American West, these stories are of interest for readers today in part because they illustrate a sincere and well-intentioned white reformer coming to understand a culture radically at odds with his own—and discovering in the process that his own culture is less “advanced” than he had supposed.” [Quote from the University of Nebraska Press for the 2005 paperback edition]
The text is accompanied by 35 full-page illustrations by Frederic Remington, most of which had first appeared in Harper's Magazine or Harper's Weekly during the late 1800's.
“The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson” is one of Twain’s lesser known novels, but it may be one of his best. Set in the early years of the 19th century, this pre-Civil War satire tackles social issues still being debated today. Here is what the Goodreads website has to say about the novel (at www.goodreads.com/book/show/682793.Pudd_nhead_Wilson):
“At the beginning of Pudd'nhead Wilson a young slave woman, fearing for her infant's son's life, exchanges her light-skinned child with her master's. From this rather simple premise Mark Twain fashioned one of his most entertaining, funny, yet biting novels. On its surface, Pudd'nhead Wilson possesses all the elements of an engrossing nineteenth-century mystery: reversed identities, a horrible crime, an eccentric detective, a suspenseful courtroom drama, and a surprising, unusual solution. Yet it is not a mystery novel. Seething with the undercurrents of antebellum southern culture, the book is a savage indictment in which the real criminal is society, and racial prejudice and slavery are the crimes. Written in 1894, Pudd'nhead Wilson glistens with characteristic Twain humor, with suspense, and with pointed irony: a gem among the author's later works.”
The book contains over a thousand illustrations, which are distributed in the margins throughout the text, a technique that had never before been used for a Mark Twain text. Two artists, F. M. Senior and C. H. Warren, supplied the copious, cartoon-sized pictures required for this mode of illustration.
The first edition of the book also has a bonus story called “Those Extraordinary Twins.” "‘Those Extraordinary Twins’ was published as a short story, separate and distinct from its origins inside Twain's ‘The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson.’ As Twain explains, he extricated ‘Twins’ from ‘Pudd'nhead’ when he found, as he was writing, that he'd created a farce inside a tragedy. This is the excised farce, a story about Italian Siamese twins who completely take over a small Missouri town, splitting it down the middle with half supporting one head and the other, the other.” [From the Introduction by John Greenman for the LibriVox audio edition of the “Twins” story at librivox.org/those-extraordinary-twins-by-mark-twain/]
Written by William Shakespeare, published in 1623. View all four folios at digital.lib.MiamiOH.edu/folios.
From "Siegfried & The Twilight of the Gods" by Richard Wagner. New York: Doubleday Page & Co., 1911. First American Edition
In the Spotlight : Volkswagen Milestones
29/01/2021 - 28/03/2021
Autoworld
Brussels - Belgium
February 2021
Written by William Shakespeare, published in 1623. View all four folios at digital.lib.MiamiOH.edu/folios.
“David Copperfield” is one of Dickens’ most popular and critically acclaimed novels. The story follows David’s life from childhood to maturity and many of its elements follow events in Dickens’ own life, especially in the early chapters describing David’s provincial upbringing. The story is filled with vivid characters such as Uriah Heep, Mr. Micawber, the Pegottys, and eccentric Aunt Betsey and it ranks as the finest of Dickens’ works. “Of all my books,” Dickens wrote in the preface to the 1867 edition, “I like this the best… like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is David Copperfield.”
Publisher Bradbury & Evans first released the story in monthly parts from May, 1849 through November, 1850, and in book form in 1850. The text was embellished with full-page, black & white engravings by H. K. Browne (“Phiz”). Subscribers who wished a hardcover edition for their libraries would either purchase a copy from the publisher when available or have the serial parts bound into book form, often in leather.
From the book "Peter and Wendy" by J. M. Barrie. London: Hodder & Stoughton, (1911). First edition. This is the first book that tells the story of Peter Pan, Wendy and their exploits in Neverland along with the now familiar cast of characters that includes Captain Hook, Tinker Bell, the Lost Boys and Tiger Lily.
Artist H. K. Browne illustrates David's marriage to the childlike Dora Spenlow.
“David Copperfield” is one of Dickens’ most popular and critically acclaimed novels. The story follows David’s life from childhood to maturity and many of its elements follow events in Dickens’ own life, especially in the early chapters describing David’s provincial upbringing. The story is filled with vivid characters such as Uriah Heep, Mr. Micawber, the Pegottys, and eccentric Aunt Betsey and it ranks as the finest of Dickens’ works. “Of all my books,” Dickens wrote in the preface to the 1867 edition, “I like this the best… like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is David Copperfield.”
Publisher Bradbury & Evans first released the story in monthly parts from May, 1849 through November, 1850, and in book form in 1850. The text was embellished with full-page, black & white engravings by H. K. Browne (“Phiz”). Subscribers who wished a hardcover edition for their libraries would either purchase a copy from the publisher when available or have the serial parts bound into book form, often in leather.
The novelist Ernest Hemingway once remarked that “all modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn,” and other writers such as poet T. S. Eliot and African American novelist Ralph Ellison have added their acclaim. Mark Twain, the pen name of Samuel Clemens, worked for eight years on the story of an outcast white boy, Huck, and his adult friend Jim, a runaway slave, who together flee Missouri on a raft down the Mississippi River in the 1840s. The book has been controversial since the day it was published, opinions ranging from “the book is a masterpiece” to the book is “trash and suitable only for the slums.” The free-spirited and not always truthful Huck narrates the colorful stories in the book in his own coarse and ungrammatical voice. He shows a lack of respect for religion and adult authority and repeatedly uses the “n” word. Some readers view the book as satire and consider it a powerful attack on racism. Others believe it contributes to a “racially hostile environment” and are offended by the language and the portrayal of the slave Jim. In spite of it all, Huck Finn remains the Great American Novel to the many people who have read it and loved it.
162 years ago today, just five years after it was opened, the Wheeling Suspension Bridge suffered considerable damage following what the Daily Intelligencer reported as a "terrific storm."
A first-hand account of the bridge destruction reported, "About 3 o'clock we walked up towards the Suspension Bridge, and went upon it, intending to take a walk across it for pleasure, as we have frequently done, enjoying the cool breeze and the undulating motion of the bridge. . .we had never before seen the bridge effected [sic] by even to this extent by gales, and as it began to sway violently we thought it prudent to retrace our steps. . .For a few moments we watched it with breathless anxiety, lunging like a ship in the storm; at one time it rose to nearly the heighth of the towers then fell, and twisted and writhed, and was dashed almost bottom upward."
We know the word 'terrific' today by the more common informal definition meaning "good" or "fantastic." More traditional formal definitions list terrific, from the Latin root terrere, as meaning a) of great size, amount, or intensity, or b) causing terror. We can only imagine those bystanders to the Suspension Bridge destruction, out for a 'leisurely' walk on May 17, 1854, had no idea they would become witnesses of an incredibly formal "terrific storm."
- image from “Rambles in the Path of the Steam-Horse,” Eli Bowen, 1855. Ohio County Public Library Rare Books Collection.
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This book collects five of H. G. Wells' short stories: The Crystal Egg, The Star, A Story of the Stone Age, A Story of the Days to Come, and The Man Who Could Work Miracles.
A motion picture based on The Man Who Could Work Miracles was produced in 1936. The saying that "absolute power corrupts absolutely" is fairly demonstrated in the last 4 minutes of the film:
The jacket design is by Ray Boultinghouse.
Wernher von Braun and Frederick I. Ordway III, two of the world’s leading experts on rocketry and astronautics, collaborated on this comprehensive history of man’s conquest of space. The book was published in 1966, two years before Apollo 8, which was the first manned spacecraft to leave Earth orbit. The book is lavishly illustrated and begins with ancient Babylonian and Greek concepts of the universe, covers the development of rockets by Chinese, Arabic, and medieval European experimenters, and explains the twentieth century plans for manned missions to the Moon, Mars, and Venus.
The book describes the work of such great rocket pioneers as America’s Goddard, Germany’s Oberth, Russia’s Tsiolkovsky, Great Britain’s Isaac Lubbock, and France’s Esnault-Pelterie. It also details the experiments of Von Braun and Walter R. Dornberger in Germany before World War II, and gives a full account of their development team on the V-2 rocket at the Peeneműnde Center. The dramatic story of the German scientists’ surrender to American forces in 1945, as well as their eventual accomplishments at the Army’s Redstone Arsenal and subsequently NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is also told at first hand.
Wernher von Braun became the director of the Marshall Space Flight Center on July 1, 1960 and held that post until January 27, 1970. Under his supervision the center worked on the Saturn space launch vehicles. The Saturn family of American rocket boosters was developed by mostly German rocket scientists to launch heavy payloads to Earth orbit and beyond. Originally proposed as a military satellite launcher, they were adopted as the launch vehicles for the Apollo moon program.
Frederick I. Ordway III was in charge of space systems information at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center from 1960 to 1963, and before that performed a similar function for the Army Ballistic Missile Agency in Huntsville.
Jasper Maskelyne, a successful magician on the London stage, was recruited by the British Government in World War II to use his magical talents to deceive and confuse the Germans. He and his hand-picked Magic Gang used the technique of stage magic to confound Rommel and his Afrika Korps with the most incredible array of illusions and special effects ever produced on the battlefield. They hid the Suez Canal. They moved the Alexandria Harbor. They created dummy tanks, disguised real tanks as trucks and created an entire army out of shadow. They launched a phantom fleet of submarines and a 700-foot battleship. Maskelyne also devised kits for POW’s with tools for escape and sabotage hidden in their boots and polishing brushes. He created a mini-submarine that sank a cargo ship bringing heavy water to Nazi A-bomb laboratories and perfected a fire repellant paste that saved the lives of hundreds of aviators. Maskelyne was so successful in deceiving the Germans that Hitler ordered the Gestapo to assassinate him. Needless to say, they failed. Maskelyne died in Kenya in 1973.
Here is one of Maskelyne's inflatable Sherman tanks:
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Written by William Shakespeare, published in 1623. View all four folios at digital.lib.MiamiOH.edu/folios.
Here, Artist H. K. Browne shows the always optimistic but impoverished Mr. Micawber with his long-suffering but totally devoted and loving wife Emma.
“David Copperfield” is one of Dickens’ most popular and critically acclaimed novels. The story follows David’s life from childhood to maturity and many of its elements follow events in Dickens’ own life, especially in the early chapters describing David’s provincial upbringing. The story is filled with vivid characters such as Uriah Heep, Mr. Micawber, the Pegottys, and eccentric Aunt Betsey and it ranks as the finest of Dickens’ works. “Of all my books,” Dickens wrote in the preface to the 1867 edition, “I like this the best… like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is David Copperfield.”
Publisher Bradbury & Evans first released the story in monthly parts from May, 1849 through November, 1850, and in book form in 1850. The text was embellished with full-page, black & white engravings by H. K. Browne (“Phiz”). Subscribers who wished a hardcover edition for their libraries would either purchase a copy from the publisher when available or have the serial parts bound into book form, often in leather.
"In Darkest Africa (1890) is Henry M. Stanley’s own account of his last adventure on the African continent. At the turn of that century, the interior of the African continent was largely unknown to the American and European public. With the accounts of great explorers like Stanley, readers became thrilled by stories of African expeditions and longed to follow in the footsteps of these explorers. In 1888, Stanley led an expedition to come to the aid of Mehmed Emin Pasha. The two volumes that compose 'In Darkest Africa; or, The Quest, Rescue, and Retreat of Emin, Governor of Equatoria' are his account of what happened." [www.biblio.com/in-darkest-africa-by-stanley-henry-m/work/...]
Written by William Shakespeare, published in 1623. View all four folios at digital.lib.MiamiOH.edu/folios.
In addition to 44 published novels, Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) wrote approximately 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his lifetime. Although Dick spent most of his career as a writer in near-poverty, eleven popular films based on his works have been produced, including Blade Runner, Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly, Minority Report, Paycheck, Next, Screamers, The Adjustment Bureau and Impostor. In 2005, Time magazine named Ubik one of the hundred greatest English-language novels published since 1923. In 2007, Dick became the first science fiction writer to be included in The Library of America series.