Infinitywar photos on Flickr

As I've mentioned before, I finally got my hands on a Hot Toys Infinity War Black Widow figure - not a figure I was super excited to get as none of the in hand photos really did anything for her. Of course, this was three years ago, and I didn't quite realize at the time that most people really don't bother posting pictures of Black Widow that show her in a good light. But.. being a Widow figure, It's one that I would eventually add to my collection. Just, not at Sideshow prices.. or new, for that matter. It took me a few years to get the stars aligned, but I managed to remember that not only was someone going to Hong Kong for Chinese New Years, but also, that I had left over Hong Kong money from 2013, when the exchange rate was about 8 HKD to 1 CAD - by comparison, it's closer to 6 HKD to 1 CAD these days.

So, put simply, I ended up with this figure for about $125 USD, plus shipping of course, as opposed to the $220 USD that Sideshow wanted.

Take THAT, Sideshow.

I was excited to receive her, and have naturally gone about and taken some quick photos... enough to get me in the mood to take her out into the real world when the time comes. I don't really have the equipment I need to properly light up Black Widow with (mostly missing a diffuser on the second flash) as well as space so for now these photos will have to do.

One of the first things I did out of the box was to apply a crap ton of gel to the hair - I'm talking DROWN THE HAIR amounts because straight out the box, the hair is quite possibly the worst of any Hot Toys Widow figure released and is honestly the primary reason why many collectors avoided this release. The actual hairs themselves have a good density but are a bit on the light side, hence the situation with the out of control growth. I used run of the mill hair styling gel and once worked it, I used a combination of toothbrush and other finer tools to get the shape and texture - the natural curves of the hair took care of the rest.

With that out of the way, lets talk contents.

The original Widow come with effectively nothing (I think it was two pistols and a pair of pistol gripping hands) and then all of a sudden in Avengers she came packed with a whole arsenal. Her weaponry kind of started getting more tame through the movies and I think it might be at all time low in Infinity War. Other than the figure itself, there are three pairs of additional hands, totaling four (closed fist, open palm, open fist, griping hands), a pair of "disc shooters" (that I honestly can't remember her using) and three variations of her baton - handles only (for sheathed mode on her back), individual sticks, and combined staff mode. Kind of a letdown from the previous iterations, but I suppose she was on the run in Infinity War, though you figure that Wakanda would have given her some better gear. There's also the standard Hot Toys stand but overall yeah, that's all there is in the box.

The head sculpt is reused Civil War Black Widow entry, which honestly isn't a bad thing, seeing how up to this point it's still THE face sculpt to beat. There doesn't seem to be any shift with regards to where the eyes are looking, though for some reason they made her complexion lighter as compared to the previous release, and gave her a mole or something on the right cheek - its not a paint blemish, seeing how the same mark is on the prototype photos.

For all it's issues with the head, Infinity War Widow probably has the best outfit out of them all.. maybe not to look at, but from a tailoring perspective. The costume is effectively her Civil War suit with a few changes, most notable being her green vest with backpack, with other items such as fingerless gloves, shoulder armour, and different holsters that work with her disc shooters. The figure naturally uses the Civil War figure suit as a base and updates as necessary. The zipper on the black suit no longer functions, but it appears that the green vest is a fully detachable garment. Everything is tailored quite well with very little baggy areas, which looks great but of course restricts articulation. I've not yet run a full side by side with Civil War, but some preliminary investigation shows Infinity War Widow to be much more rigid. I suspect maybe the suit material is thinner, as I don't ever recall having the range of motion on the shoulders being as good on any of the other Widow figures. Also, while we're on the topic, I suspect that while the size of the underlying body is the same as the Civil War version, the bust size may be different in order to maintain that taunt fit of the suit.

I don't think the suit features the type of vinyl/fake leather that is prone to flaking, so you should be alright from the perspective as well.

As always, the actual quality of the paint apps on the figure are very, very good, though the accuracy of them is what is normally up for debate. I'm not talking the stuff on her gear and outfit, which can occasionally be wrong but in general are pretty much bang on what you see on screen. it's usually the face that causes people to lose their minds. As this was a reuse of the Civil War release, there were basically no surprises other than what appears a lighter complexion. What might help, however, is perhaps an extra coat of two of flesh tone to make the finish on her skin softer.

From a build quality perspective, it's standard for a Hot Toys. For those unfamiliar, yes this is a $220 USD doll or action figure or whatever you want to call it. You're not going to be able to play with it in a fashion that would be possible with a Marvel Legends. Yes, the paint is incredibly thin so even the slightest nick could gouge a hole in the finish. Having said all that, if you're manipulating the figure in a way that is within its design parameters and you are mindful of the types of surfaces you place the figure on, you will be perfectly fine.

Thus overall, once you get over the hurdle of her hair, you end up with a Black Widow figure that like the Winter Soldier version features a very well fitted suit that unfortunately restricts movement, but with a head sculpt that doesn't screen "zombie". Until proven otherwise, she's not going to be that great combination of looks and articulation that the Civil War version is, but from an aesthetics perspective she doesn't dishonour the Black Widow legacy either. Of the post Iron Man 2 Widows, the Hot Toys Winter Soldier entry still is my least favourite iteration - I much prefer the Infinity War for the headsculpt and overall look/function.

Having said all that, I can appreciate that not everyone values engineering the way I do. If you're strictly basing your Widow collection a consistent red hair/black outfit motiff, then clearly the Infinity War version is not for you.. in fact, it probably wouldn't even be on your radar. As far as the "definitive" Widow, I still feel that at this time, that still goes to Civil War Widow - if they ever fix her, I imagine the Iron Man 2 version would easily take top spot over even the Civil War version. But who knows if that will happen... also, who knows what the upcoming Widow movie will bring.

That's about it for now. Look for this figure to return when I get a chance to do some outdoor shooting.. hopefully next week at some point the weather will cooperate with my freedom and availability.

Thanos 3D Canvas by nine-o

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Thanos 3D Canvas

Available from my BigCartel

nineoart.bigcartel.com

Size of Canvas is 40cm deep x 30cm wide.

Edition of only 1 signed on the side, 3D Canvas created with hand cut 1200GSM card.

The canvas itself has been stencilled and lacquered with a MTN Gloss Varnish.

The card has been painted using MTN94 Aerosol paint then layered up to create a 3D Canvas.

Infinity War Black Widow by Patman1313

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One Sixth Scale Infinity War Black Widow figure from Hot Toys.

A3Thor_002a by Christy law

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Wanda Olsen :-) third party custom head sculpt by bumble181

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Comic-Con San Diego 2018 by tjplebe

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Comic-Con en San Diego, Viernes 20 de Julio del 2018.

Comic-Con in San Diego, Friday 20th of July of 2018.

Oishi Cosplay 8 Infinity War by krashkraft

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#Krashkraft

DSC03949 by Steven Wells

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Lego DC Marvel Pogo Bootleg August 2018 PG8117 8120 8121 8122 8127 8146 8154 Review 4K

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4XRAdEj3Fs

PG8117

PG450 - Cosmic Hulk

PG451 - Winter Soldier (Thunderbolts)

PG452 - Electrocutioner

PG453 - Supergiant

PG454 - Exodus

PG455 - Meteorite

PG456 - Rogue (Age of X)

PG457 - Luke Cage

PG8120

PG474 - Black Mamba

PG475 - Red Arrow

PG476 - Firestar

PG477 - Hope Summers

PG478 - Catwoman (Batman Returns)

PG479 - Taskmaster (Udon)

PG480 - Deadshot

PG481 - Mister Terrific

PG8121

PG1501 - Thanos (Infinity War)

PG1502 - Sentinel

PG1503 - Batman Ninja

PG1504 - Deadpool (Hip-Hop)

PG1505 - Nightwing

PG1506 - Hulk (World War Hulk)

PG1507 - Ultimate Punisher

PG1508 - Hawkeye (Classic)

PG8122

PG1509 - Valkyrie (Classic)

PG1510 - Taskmaster (Udon)

PG1511 - Thanos

PG1512 - Thane, Son of Thanos

PG1513 - Skaar

PG1514 - Ares

PG1515 - Gorgon

PG1516 - Catwoman

PG8127

PG458 - Aquaman

PG459 - Elsa Bloodstone

PG460 - Scarlet Witch

PG461 - Commander A

PG462 - Inque

PG463 - Snowflame

PG464 - Surge

PG465 - Mockingbird

PG8146

PG1581 - Batman (Purple)

PG1582 - Nick Fury

PG1583 - Old Man Logan

PG1584 - Anti-Venom

PG1585 - Deadpool x Spider-Man

PG1586 - Batman x Deadpool

PG1587 - Batman (Prehistoric)

PG1588 - Batman (Black Lantern)

PG8154

PG482 - Arnim Zola

PG483 - Killmonger

PG484 - Batman (Witch Hunter)

PG485 - Batman (Gas Suit)

PG486 - Batman (Violet Suit)

PG487 - Batman (Lightning Suit)

PG488 - Punisher (Frankencastle)

PG489 - Darkseid

MiniMates - Avengers Infinity War, Wave 1 by Darth Ray

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MiniMates - Marvel's Avengers Infinity War, Wave 1

Iron Spider-Man & Hulk

TRU: Groot & Rocket

Iron Man, Thanos, Black Widow, & Winter Soldier

Walgreens: Star-Lord & Proxima Midnight

Walgreens: Doctor Strange & Thor

A3_MK50_002b by Christy law

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