To the surprise of probably nobody that knows my habits, I preordered what is probably the last Scarlett Johansson Black Widow Figuarts release - of course, I'm speaking of the one for her movie, which we would have seen by now under normal circumstances.

Interestingly enough though, despite being seen in at least two costumes, there was only one Widow figure solicited, and the entire movie only generated two figures - Widow and Taskmaster, which I didn't bother to get.

A bit about the box art first.. bottom right hand corner of the front shows Natasha with her hair down, but wearing the black costume. So for those keeping score, that's now potentially four different hair styles I've seen within the scope of one movie, which will make things interesting if Hot Toys decides to actually make anything for this movie.

If you bought the Endgame release of Natasha, you're basically already familiar with the payload - there's the figure in her all new suit and one of several hair new hair styles, no additional faces this time, two baton handles for her backpack, two batons, one sickle, two empty holsters, two pistols, two filled holsters, Widow's Bite effects mounted on two fists, and pretty much the same extra hands (except her left hand no longer has the Quantum Watch).

If the face looks familiar, it's because she's had that face since Infinity War, and somehow I think maybe Tamashii Nations intended it to be a two faced package, but the same MSRP as before, might have nixed that idea.

If you look at the profile view of her head, you'll see the surgical scars there.

Otherwise, you'll notice that the batons and the handles have paint on them this time, which was not present on the Endgame version (not in the movie anyway) but was lacking from the Infinity War version, and naturally the paint is on the sickles.

A bit more before we move on from comparisons to the previous versions.

You'll notice that this version of Nat is shorter than previously. After a bit of staring.. and more staring, I FINALLY arrived at the conclusion she's not shorter, she's just not wearing platform boots anymore.

Finally, I don't know what happened, but the Endgame version ended up looking much more jaundiced compared to both her predecessor and her successor. Thank goodness they fixed that because it certainly wasn't a one time thing, seeing how my backup Endgame Nat has the same complexion.

The new Widow suit appears to be a very stylized version of her comic suit, including finally gold accents, and she gains some neat elbow pads. It'll be interesting to see if they explain how her movie suits evolve into the IW ensemble that displeased many a viewer, as it appears to borrow many elements from her Endgame outfit, despite taking place between Civil War and Infinity War.

I don't know what to make of her hair. I mean, it's hair.. it's red.. so I guess that's a good start. Her massive ponytail is well detailed and painted for something of this scale. It just feels to me that they might have made her head too square at the forehead and the overall shape of her hair, making her head seem a tad undersized. The ponytail is relatively pliable, so you don't have to worry about it snapping off easily.

Articulation is effectively identical to what Endgame got you - toes, ankles, double jointed knees, hips on ball joints with a floating crotch section for improved range of motion, waist, mid torso, shoulders with some collapse and bicep swivel, single jointed elbows with forearm pivot, wrists, neck, and head. Her upper torso (bust to neck) has more restrictions on range of motion compared to Endgame as she no longer has that gap at the bottom of the piece and her abs.

The good news is that she looks slightly better from the side with fuller bust.

Paint work is once again an area with no real concerns (especially since I'm going forward in time for a review for once). The base black that Nat has all over the body is smooth, and there are no concerns I have to raise with regards to the gold, silver, and red accents on her body, though some of the silver paint on her weapons have seen better days (arguably the fault of the less than stellar finish).

Hands are consistent, which is to say they've been.. alright. You can tell they're fingers and that's about it - the Figma guys definitely have a better product from this perspective.

Hair and face I touched up on earlier. Solid stuff, especially with a decent Scar Jo sculpt and that digital painting stuff that has been working well for the past three iterations (AoU, IW, Endgame) and the new healthy complexion.

Finally there's build quality.. which strangely enough feels a slight step back. There's the anal retentive stuff (to my fingers, the box feels flimsier), and then there's the fact this is first Marvel Figuarts I've picked up that actually had a joint pop apart (fortunately it was something you could snap back together) and the left arm actually popped out of the socket (again, easily reassembled)

There are no other issues with QC (the rough finish on the baton handles were probably always there, just no paint to highlight them). The plastic itself definitely feels softer than Endgame (bringing it back more in line with Infinity War) and this is probably due to the lack of extensive fine textures, which were prevalent on the Endgame suit.

Well that about wraps it up for this Widow. It's still pretty good, despite trading aesthetics for articulation, having only one face, and some minor quality quips. She won't be the one travelling with me (my Endgame Nat is already play worn, so not point damaging another figure) but she'll be at home in the horde, keeping order when I'm not around.

Surprisingly, Australia got some of the Harry Potter dolls! I’m kinda annoyed Ginny and Minerva weren’t here but I’m mainly here for the trio cuz HOLY SHIT the Harry Potter dolls were GRAIL dolls of mine as a child who binged on the series. Sadly the first run of the dolls in 2001-2003 never made it to my area as a kid and I was so embittered and sad.

Ofc these aren’t the same amount of detail, but highly articulated figures with decent likenesses???? I was so incredibly happy.

I’m a bit annoyed I preordered the dolls on Walmart but the refund process is taking up to a month to get while I grabbed these at Big W but whatever, I finally got the dolls 9 year old me had always wanted, especially Ron! Ahhh.

To the surprise of probably nobody that knows my habits, I preordered what is probably the last Scarlett Johansson Black Widow Figuarts release - of course, I'm speaking of the one for her movie, which we would have seen by now under normal circumstances.

Interestingly enough though, despite being seen in at least two costumes, there was only one Widow figure solicited, and the entire movie only generated two figures - Widow and Taskmaster, which I didn't bother to get.

A bit about the box art first.. bottom right hand corner of the front shows Natasha with her hair down, but wearing the black costume. So for those keeping score, that's now potentially four different hair styles I've seen within the scope of one movie, which will make things interesting if Hot Toys decides to actually make anything for this movie.

If you bought the Endgame release of Natasha, you're basically already familiar with the payload - there's the figure in her all new suit and one of several hair new hair styles, no additional faces this time, two baton handles for her backpack, two batons, one sickle, two empty holsters, two pistols, two filled holsters, Widow's Bite effects mounted on two fists, and pretty much the same extra hands (except her left hand no longer has the Quantum Watch).

If the face looks familiar, it's because she's had that face since Infinity War, and somehow I think maybe Tamashii Nations intended it to be a two faced package, but the same MSRP as before, might have nixed that idea.

If you look at the profile view of her head, you'll see the surgical scars there.

Otherwise, you'll notice that the batons and the handles have paint on them this time, which was not present on the Endgame version (not in the movie anyway) but was lacking from the Infinity War version, and naturally the paint is on the sickles.

A bit more before we move on from comparisons to the previous versions.

You'll notice that this version of Nat is shorter than previously. After a bit of staring.. and more staring, I FINALLY arrived at the conclusion she's not shorter, she's just not wearing platform boots anymore.

Finally, I don't know what happened, but the Endgame version ended up looking much more jaundiced compared to both her predecessor and her successor. Thank goodness they fixed that because it certainly wasn't a one time thing, seeing how my backup Endgame Nat has the same complexion.

The new Widow suit appears to be a very stylized version of her comic suit, including finally gold accents, and she gains some neat elbow pads. It'll be interesting to see if they explain how her movie suits evolve into the IW ensemble that displeased many a viewer, as it appears to borrow many elements from her Endgame outfit, despite taking place between Civil War and Infinity War.

I don't know what to make of her hair. I mean, it's hair.. it's red.. so I guess that's a good start. Her massive ponytail is well detailed and painted for something of this scale. It just feels to me that they might have made her head too square at the forehead and the overall shape of her hair, making her head seem a tad undersized. The ponytail is relatively pliable, so you don't have to worry about it snapping off easily.

Articulation is effectively identical to what Endgame got you - toes, ankles, double jointed knees, hips on ball joints with a floating crotch section for improved range of motion, waist, mid torso, shoulders with some collapse and bicep swivel, single jointed elbows with forearm pivot, wrists, neck, and head. Her upper torso (bust to neck) has more restrictions on range of motion compared to Endgame as she no longer has that gap at the bottom of the piece and her abs.

The good news is that she looks slightly better from the side with fuller bust.

Paint work is once again an area with no real concerns (especially since I'm going forward in time for a review for once). The base black that Nat has all over the body is smooth, and there are no concerns I have to raise with regards to the gold, silver, and red accents on her body, though some of the silver paint on her weapons have seen better days (arguably the fault of the less than stellar finish).

Hands are consistent, which is to say they've been.. alright. You can tell they're fingers and that's about it - the Figma guys definitely have a better product from this perspective.

Hair and face I touched up on earlier. Solid stuff, especially with a decent Scar Jo sculpt and that digital painting stuff that has been working well for the past three iterations (AoU, IW, Endgame) and the new healthy complexion.

Finally there's build quality.. which strangely enough feels a slight step back. There's the anal retentive stuff (to my fingers, the box feels flimsier), and then there's the fact this is first Marvel Figuarts I've picked up that actually had a joint pop apart (fortunately it was something you could snap back together) and the left arm actually popped out of the socket (again, easily reassembled)

There are no other issues with QC (the rough finish on the baton handles were probably always there, just no paint to highlight them). The plastic itself definitely feels softer than Endgame (bringing it back more in line with Infinity War) and this is probably due to the lack of extensive fine textures, which were prevalent on the Endgame suit.

Well that about wraps it up for this Widow. It's still pretty good, despite trading aesthetics for articulation, having only one face, and some minor quality quips. She won't be the one travelling with me (my Endgame Nat is already play worn, so not point damaging another figure) but she'll be at home in the horde, keeping order when I'm not around.

To the surprise of probably nobody that knows my habits, I preordered what is probably the last Scarlett Johansson Black Widow Figuarts release - of course, I'm speaking of the one for her movie, which we would have seen by now under normal circumstances.

Interestingly enough though, despite being seen in at least two costumes, there was only one Widow figure solicited, and the entire movie only generated two figures - Widow and Taskmaster, which I didn't bother to get.

A bit about the box art first.. bottom right hand corner of the front shows Natasha with her hair down, but wearing the black costume. So for those keeping score, that's now potentially four different hair styles I've seen within the scope of one movie, which will make things interesting if Hot Toys decides to actually make anything for this movie.

If you bought the Endgame release of Natasha, you're basically already familiar with the payload - there's the figure in her all new suit and one of several hair new hair styles, no additional faces this time, two baton handles for her backpack, two batons, one sickle, two empty holsters, two pistols, two filled holsters, Widow's Bite effects mounted on two fists, and pretty much the same extra hands (except her left hand no longer has the Quantum Watch).

If the face looks familiar, it's because she's had that face since Infinity War, and somehow I think maybe Tamashii Nations intended it to be a two faced package, but the same MSRP as before, might have nixed that idea.

If you look at the profile view of her head, you'll see the surgical scars there.

Otherwise, you'll notice that the batons and the handles have paint on them this time, which was not present on the Endgame version (not in the movie anyway) but was lacking from the Infinity War version, and naturally the paint is on the sickles.

A bit more before we move on from comparisons to the previous versions.

You'll notice that this version of Nat is shorter than previously. After a bit of staring.. and more staring, I FINALLY arrived at the conclusion she's not shorter, she's just not wearing platform boots anymore.

Finally, I don't know what happened, but the Endgame version ended up looking much more jaundiced compared to both her predecessor and her successor. Thank goodness they fixed that because it certainly wasn't a one time thing, seeing how my backup Endgame Nat has the same complexion.

The new Widow suit appears to be a very stylized version of her comic suit, including finally gold accents, and she gains some neat elbow pads. It'll be interesting to see if they explain how her movie suits evolve into the IW ensemble that displeased many a viewer, as it appears to borrow many elements from her Endgame outfit, despite taking place between Civil War and Infinity War.

I don't know what to make of her hair. I mean, it's hair.. it's red.. so I guess that's a good start. Her massive ponytail is well detailed and painted for something of this scale. It just feels to me that they might have made her head too square at the forehead and the overall shape of her hair, making her head seem a tad undersized. The ponytail is relatively pliable, so you don't have to worry about it snapping off easily.

Articulation is effectively identical to what Endgame got you - toes, ankles, double jointed knees, hips on ball joints with a floating crotch section for improved range of motion, waist, mid torso, shoulders with some collapse and bicep swivel, single jointed elbows with forearm pivot, wrists, neck, and head. Her upper torso (bust to neck) has more restrictions on range of motion compared to Endgame as she no longer has that gap at the bottom of the piece and her abs.

The good news is that she looks slightly better from the side with fuller bust.

Paint work is once again an area with no real concerns (especially since I'm going forward in time for a review for once). The base black that Nat has all over the body is smooth, and there are no concerns I have to raise with regards to the gold, silver, and red accents on her body, though some of the silver paint on her weapons have seen better days (arguably the fault of the less than stellar finish).

Hands are consistent, which is to say they've been.. alright. You can tell they're fingers and that's about it - the Figma guys definitely have a better product from this perspective.

Hair and face I touched up on earlier. Solid stuff, especially with a decent Scar Jo sculpt and that digital painting stuff that has been working well for the past three iterations (AoU, IW, Endgame) and the new healthy complexion.

Finally there's build quality.. which strangely enough feels a slight step back. There's the anal retentive stuff (to my fingers, the box feels flimsier), and then there's the fact this is first Marvel Figuarts I've picked up that actually had a joint pop apart (fortunately it was something you could snap back together) and the left arm actually popped out of the socket (again, easily reassembled)

There are no other issues with QC (the rough finish on the baton handles were probably always there, just no paint to highlight them). The plastic itself definitely feels softer than Endgame (bringing it back more in line with Infinity War) and this is probably due to the lack of extensive fine textures, which were prevalent on the Endgame suit.

Well that about wraps it up for this Widow. It's still pretty good, despite trading aesthetics for articulation, having only one face, and some minor quality quips. She won't be the one travelling with me (my Endgame Nat is already play worn, so not point damaging another figure) but she'll be at home in the horde, keeping order when I'm not around.

Finally! A Marvel Legends Storm without a Mohawk! While Storm is truly one of my favorite comic characters, I’m really a fan of her first appearance look and this 90s costume. Also, I like the fact that her hair has a slightly wind blown look, as if she’s in the air, yet the blowing hair sculpt isn’t over the top. Preordering this beauty was a no brainer! Now, I just have to until she and the rest of the wave is released in August or so.

My Neo Noir Pullip came earlier this week. Just before she arrived, I wasn't sure if I'd done the right thing preordering her, but I totally love her! She's so pretty! I haven't taken her out of her stock outfit yet and she doesn't have a name yet.

cologne - 24.10.2013

When the night falls strange things appears, but only in my phantasy of course... Just for the notes. Today I ordered my first camera over the internet. I preordered the new Sony A7r with a 50mm Zeiss and a three year guaranty. It's the first time for me that I don't bear the local shop in mind. I hope I will not regret my decision, but I was so exited about the new camera that I really like to be a early adaptor. We'll se. I guess I will receive the package in November... So that was a really big thing today. I don't explain what you see here. Can you imagine?

Receiving my preordered merchandise. Pins and lanyard medals. The CM was checking off items from my merchandise invoice as she received them from the stockroom.

I went to the Disneyland 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration Merchandise Event at the Disneyland Hotel Convention Center today, on Wednesday May 20, 2015. I met up with a fellow collector at the event. We also went on a related trek to Downtown Disney to get DL60 merchandise that was not available at the event.

We lined up outside the entrance to the exhibit hall of the convention center at around 6:30 am. We were let in at 7 am. Displayed along the hallway where we lined up to get registered were all the merchandise that were available at the event, most of which was in the catalog and able to be pre-ordered.

After we registered for the event, we got a couple of nice gifts. One was a throw pillow decorated with an image of the first ticket to the opening of Disneyland to the general public on July 18, 1955, and on the reverse a greeting from Walt Disney. It is about 15'' L x 8'' W x 6'' D. The other was a glass paperweight/ornament in the shape of a cut diamond, in a blue velvet bag. On the bottom is the logo and dates for the event. It is 3'' in diameter and 2'' high, and very beautiful.

We went into a room where we got out pre-ordered merchandise. I had to make a couple of trips to my car to unload all my good. One was not ready yet, and is to shipped to my home. It is the Tinker Bell cel, with signed postcard and pin. It was the pin that wasn't ready yet. I did see the cel up close, and it is very beautiful. I got a nice surprise when my Snow White Scary Adventures framed canvas print was #2 of 95. It and the frame was very impressive up close. I helped my friend carry his goods to his hotel room.

After we returned, we went to the event "store" to order additional items. I took some photos of the silent auction items, which were mostly very rare or one of kind items related to Disneyland.

We then went to the World of Disney in Downtown Disney to look at and buy some DL60 goods, including the DL60 Doll, who is unnamed in the box. She has the face mold of Snow White, but has blue eyes and long blonde hair. I think she looks like Taylor Swift. The store was very busy with shoppers, most of which were buying DL60 goods. There was an amazing number and variety of DL60 merchandise, especially considering that May 22 is supposed to be real kickoff to the DL60 celebrations.

It was a fun and expensive day in Disneyland Resort. I was also there on Friday for the 24-hour event and kickoff to the formal DL60 celebrations.

To the surprise of probably nobody that knows my habits, I preordered what is probably the last Scarlett Johansson Black Widow Figuarts release - of course, I'm speaking of the one for her movie, which we would have seen by now under normal circumstances.

Interestingly enough though, despite being seen in at least two costumes, there was only one Widow figure solicited, and the entire movie only generated two figures - Widow and Taskmaster, which I didn't bother to get.

A bit about the box art first.. bottom right hand corner of the front shows Natasha with her hair down, but wearing the black costume. So for those keeping score, that's now potentially four different hair styles I've seen within the scope of one movie, which will make things interesting if Hot Toys decides to actually make anything for this movie.

If you bought the Endgame release of Natasha, you're basically already familiar with the payload - there's the figure in her all new suit and one of several hair new hair styles, no additional faces this time, two baton handles for her backpack, two batons, one sickle, two empty holsters, two pistols, two filled holsters, Widow's Bite effects mounted on two fists, and pretty much the same extra hands (except her left hand no longer has the Quantum Watch).

If the face looks familiar, it's because she's had that face since Infinity War, and somehow I think maybe Tamashii Nations intended it to be a two faced package, but the same MSRP as before, might have nixed that idea.

If you look at the profile view of her head, you'll see the surgical scars there.

Otherwise, you'll notice that the batons and the handles have paint on them this time, which was not present on the Endgame version (not in the movie anyway) but was lacking from the Infinity War version, and naturally the paint is on the sickles.

A bit more before we move on from comparisons to the previous versions.

You'll notice that this version of Nat is shorter than previously. After a bit of staring.. and more staring, I FINALLY arrived at the conclusion she's not shorter, she's just not wearing platform boots anymore.

Finally, I don't know what happened, but the Endgame version ended up looking much more jaundiced compared to both her predecessor and her successor. Thank goodness they fixed that because it certainly wasn't a one time thing, seeing how my backup Endgame Nat has the same complexion.

The new Widow suit appears to be a very stylized version of her comic suit, including finally gold accents, and she gains some neat elbow pads. It'll be interesting to see if they explain how her movie suits evolve into the IW ensemble that displeased many a viewer, as it appears to borrow many elements from her Endgame outfit, despite taking place between Civil War and Infinity War.

I don't know what to make of her hair. I mean, it's hair.. it's red.. so I guess that's a good start. Her massive ponytail is well detailed and painted for something of this scale. It just feels to me that they might have made her head too square at the forehead and the overall shape of her hair, making her head seem a tad undersized. The ponytail is relatively pliable, so you don't have to worry about it snapping off easily.

Articulation is effectively identical to what Endgame got you - toes, ankles, double jointed knees, hips on ball joints with a floating crotch section for improved range of motion, waist, mid torso, shoulders with some collapse and bicep swivel, single jointed elbows with forearm pivot, wrists, neck, and head. Her upper torso (bust to neck) has more restrictions on range of motion compared to Endgame as she no longer has that gap at the bottom of the piece and her abs.

The good news is that she looks slightly better from the side with fuller bust.

Paint work is once again an area with no real concerns (especially since I'm going forward in time for a review for once). The base black that Nat has all over the body is smooth, and there are no concerns I have to raise with regards to the gold, silver, and red accents on her body, though some of the silver paint on her weapons have seen better days (arguably the fault of the less than stellar finish).

Hands are consistent, which is to say they've been.. alright. You can tell they're fingers and that's about it - the Figma guys definitely have a better product from this perspective.

Hair and face I touched up on earlier. Solid stuff, especially with a decent Scar Jo sculpt and that digital painting stuff that has been working well for the past three iterations (AoU, IW, Endgame) and the new healthy complexion.

Finally there's build quality.. which strangely enough feels a slight step back. There's the anal retentive stuff (to my fingers, the box feels flimsier), and then there's the fact this is first Marvel Figuarts I've picked up that actually had a joint pop apart (fortunately it was something you could snap back together) and the left arm actually popped out of the socket (again, easily reassembled)

There are no other issues with QC (the rough finish on the baton handles were probably always there, just no paint to highlight them). The plastic itself definitely feels softer than Endgame (bringing it back more in line with Infinity War) and this is probably due to the lack of extensive fine textures, which were prevalent on the Endgame suit.

Well that about wraps it up for this Widow. It's still pretty good, despite trading aesthetics for articulation, having only one face, and some minor quality quips. She won't be the one travelling with me (my Endgame Nat is already play worn, so not point damaging another figure) but she'll be at home in the horde, keeping order when I'm not around.

Here are a ton of quick shots of Bijou Elyse for Dolldiva67 !

She is gorgeous! But… Mine needs some attention! There is a lot of fuzz stuck to her hair that will not just blow away, and she has some paint on her nose! I am so very tempted to leave the paint??

(So far of the two upgrades that I preordered, I like Nadja more? When I ordered it was the opposite and I was dying for this Elyse and just happy to have a new Nadja released. I do really love Elyse’s dress, it’s getting some hate but I think it’s a lot of fun!)

If there’s one thing that Texas A&M Aggie Ring ’84 lives for, it's Jazz! In fact, if Aggie Ring had his way, he’d want to be called “Jazzie Ring.” So, when we went to the mailbox this afternoon we were both surprised at the arrival of a “new” John Coltrane box set named “A Love Supreme, The Complete Masters” that we had preordered some months ago and had promptly forgotten about.

Aggie Ring couldn’t wait for me to get the 3 CDs in the box loaded up on the home music server so he could grab a bourbon and “chill…” The box set is quite interesting in that it contains: The original 1965 Coltrane album “A Love Supreme” as well as Coltrane’s surviving mono reference masters; a second disc with practice studio takes, false starts, and alternate versions of the 4 tracks on the original album; and a live performance of the entire album at Festival Mondial du Jazz Antibes, on July 26, 1965.

Sadly, John Coltrane died less that two years later from cancer.

The original album lineup was: John Coltrane - tenor sax, McCoy Tyner - piano, Jimmy Garrison - bass, and Elvin Jones - drums.

The four cuts that make up the original album are quite complex and listening to it is, as Aggie Ring says, “A wild ride!”

by bookishsteph1 ift.tt/1TCDryS

I can't believe I lucked out with a numbered Jett Dawson! Mine is #499/1000. I preordered two from Amazon US on release day, and because presales were restricted to the US, I had to resort to using a freight forwarder to ship her to me.

Her box came a little beat up, and most of those gold corner pieces came loose so I had to glue them back on. Because she's numbered, I do want to keep her on display in her box, so it's a little frustrating she came this way. Sadly it's one of the perks of ordering from the US. I'm just grateful nothing is broken, cracked or damp. The deboxed Jett showing here is the other unnumbered one I got.

I also shipped a bunch of other dolls along with Jett, including the De'Vious twins, Barbie Extra deluxe dolls, made to move barbies, Barbie BMR1959 and the 2021 Lunar New Year Barbie. The entire package weighed a whopping 9kg!

Now onto the Jett doll herself. She's gorgeous. I love how edgy and bold she is with her monochromatic black and white graphic sketch style. I appreciate her extra articulation in the chest and ankles, and her buttery smooth and soft rainbow pastel hair is to die for. She also sports a different skin tone from the other girls? She seems to have more pink undertones than the fairest dolls like Ruby and Poppy, and it's so radiant and beautiful. They've also really toned down on the face shimmer and she her face is mostly matte, which is a treat for photos.

So I'm fully aware of all the controversy surrounding this "collector's edition" doll. And on one hand, I do agree that she's somewhat overpriced compared to other Rainbow High dolls such as Avery Styles. However, you're really getting bang for your buck if you compare her with let's say, a limited edition Disney doll. And it's mostly in her second outfit.

It's a runway style burgundy red mermaid dress, fully lined and embroidered. It definitely plays a big part in driving her cost up. And that's unfortunate. Because while I do appreciate the craftsmanship and time that went into this fashion piece, I can't say I'm a fan. I wish they'd put their time and budget on something more cohesive and less restrictive for Jett. I just don't see myself putting this impractical and extravagant dress on any of the current Rainbow High dolls. It will likely just act as a background decor or prop, which is a real pity. There are already several YT videos showing how problematic the dress is to get on and pose in.

Before I sign off, I do have to note that I'm so glad MGA finally released an east asian doll (even though her surname doesn't sound asian at all?) because we asians get so little representation in most doll lines. I hope to see more asian dolls enter the Rainbowverse.

So all in all, while I do adore this doll and she's definitely amongst my top favourites, she is not without issues. I have already ordered two more of her from Amazon (I'm trying to get one with deep red ombre lips like my numbered one which I will not be deboxing). As of now, my absolute favourite Rainbow High doll is Laurel De'vious. She's absolutely breathtaking, and I am so in love with her fiery colours and new face mould. More on that soon!!

Receiving my preordered merchandise. Matted Tinker Bell / Disneyland Entrance Marquee jumbo pin and lithograph. D60 lanyard pouch.

I went to the Disneyland 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration Merchandise Event at the Disneyland Hotel Convention Center today, on Wednesday May 20, 2015. I met up with a fellow collector at the event. We also went on a related trek to Downtown Disney to get DL60 merchandise that was not available at the event.

We lined up outside the entrance to the exhibit hall of the convention center at around 6:30 am. We were let in at 7 am. Displayed along the hallway where we lined up to get registered were all the merchandise that were available at the event, most of which was in the catalog and able to be pre-ordered.

After we registered for the event, we got a couple of nice gifts. One was a throw pillow decorated with an image of the first ticket to the opening of Disneyland to the general public on July 18, 1955, and on the reverse a greeting from Walt Disney. It is about 15'' L x 8'' W x 6'' D. The other was a glass paperweight/ornament in the shape of a cut diamond, in a blue velvet bag. On the bottom is the logo and dates for the event. It is 3'' in diameter and 2'' high, and very beautiful.

We went into a room where we got out pre-ordered merchandise. I had to make a couple of trips to my car to unload all my good. One was not ready yet, and is to shipped to my home. It is the Tinker Bell cel, with signed postcard and pin. It was the pin that wasn't ready yet. I did see the cel up close, and it is very beautiful. I got a nice surprise when my Snow White Scary Adventures framed canvas print was #2 of 95. It and the frame was very impressive up close. I helped my friend carry his goods to his hotel room.

After we returned, we went to the event "store" to order additional items. I took some photos of the silent auction items, which were mostly very rare or one of kind items related to Disneyland.

We then went to the World of Disney in Downtown Disney to look at and buy some DL60 goods, including the DL60 Doll, who is unnamed in the box. She has the face mold of Snow White, but has blue eyes and long blonde hair. I think she looks like Taylor Swift. The store was very busy with shoppers, most of which were buying DL60 goods. There was an amazing number and variety of DL60 merchandise, especially considering that May 22 is supposed to be real kickoff to the DL60 celebrations.

It was a fun and expensive day in Disneyland Resort. I was also there on Friday for the 24-hour event and kickoff to the formal DL60 celebrations.

Receiving my preordered merchandise. Framed Tinker Bell cel. This wasn't actually mine, but they let me see this up close. Mine will include a signed postcard and pin included in the frame. Since the pin wasn't yet ready, my items will be framed later and shipped to me.

I went to the Disneyland 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration Merchandise Event at the Disneyland Hotel Convention Center today, on Wednesday May 20, 2015. I met up with a fellow collector at the event. We also went on a related trek to Downtown Disney to get DL60 merchandise that was not available at the event.

We lined up outside the entrance to the exhibit hall of the convention center at around 6:30 am. We were let in at 7 am. Displayed along the hallway where we lined up to get registered were all the merchandise that were available at the event, most of which was in the catalog and able to be pre-ordered.

After we registered for the event, we got a couple of nice gifts. One was a throw pillow decorated with an image of the first ticket to the opening of Disneyland to the general public on July 18, 1955, and on the reverse a greeting from Walt Disney. It is about 15'' L x 8'' W x 6'' D. The other was a glass paperweight/ornament in the shape of a cut diamond, in a blue velvet bag. On the bottom is the logo and dates for the event. It is 3'' in diameter and 2'' high, and very beautiful.

We went into a room where we got out pre-ordered merchandise. I had to make a couple of trips to my car to unload all my good. One was not ready yet, and is to shipped to my home. It is the Tinker Bell cel, with signed postcard and pin. It was the pin that wasn't ready yet. I did see the cel up close, and it is very beautiful. I got a nice surprise when my Snow White Scary Adventures framed canvas print was #2 of 95. It and the frame was very impressive up close. I helped my friend carry his goods to his hotel room.

After we returned, we went to the event "store" to order additional items. I took some photos of the silent auction items, which were mostly very rare or one of kind items related to Disneyland.

We then went to the World of Disney in Downtown Disney to look at and buy some DL60 goods, including the DL60 Doll, who is unnamed in the box. She has the face mold of Snow White, but has blue eyes and long blonde hair. I think she looks like Taylor Swift. The store was very busy with shoppers, most of which were buying DL60 goods. There was an amazing number and variety of DL60 merchandise, especially considering that May 22 is supposed to be real kickoff to the DL60 celebrations.

It was a fun and expensive day in Disneyland Resort. I was also there on Friday for the 24-hour event and kickoff to the formal DL60 celebrations.

I was fortunate enough to preorder from the second batch of this amazing Giyu figure before he sold out again. The level of details and quality of these Figuarts Zero figures from Bandai are phenomenal, especially considering how affordable they are. I reckon this Giyu is my favourite figure of him released thus far - even beating out the more expensive ArtFX J Kotobukiya version.

I didn't get Figuarts Zero's first version of Rengoku because I didn't like his face. The second version of him looks immensely better and I preordered one after seeing how amazing my Giyu is.

By far the Rengoku figure I'm most excited about is the Flame Breathing Esoteric Art Ninth Form Rengoku figure from Aniplex. I've already preordered mine and I can't wait to see him!

His official release date is in March 2023, so there will be quite a bit of wait! I hope the actual figure will look just as (or even more!) epic as his promo pics!!

Doesn't that smirk on his face make you feel like bustin' his afterburner?

The toy shop I preordered Revoltech Starscream and Hot Rod from FINALLY received their stock. Yay! (and I had them paid for months and months ago)

Yay! It's really happening! Next month my book will be shipping to bookstores and anyone who has preordered it through Amazon.

For more information, check out my blog at www.soapylove.blogspot.com. Thanks!

So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

Item # 91370

Fame Fable

Kyori Sato™ Dressed Doll

The Fashion Royalty® Collection

Limited Edition Size of 700 Dolls

Estimated Ship Date: Approximately Mid-July 2015

Suggested Retail Price: $135.00

Doll Tech Specs:

Head Sculpt: Kyori 2.0

Body Type: FR 2013

Quick Switch Feature: No

Skin Tone: FR White

Hair Color: Bombshell Blond

Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied

Of course, I preordered this one! Woot! Woot!

Photos of my Anna and Elsa juice glasses and glass mugs by Arribas. I purchased them at the Crystal Arts shop on Main Street in Disneyland. They are identical in design and price to the ones available online at DisneyStore.com, except that these have the Disneyland logo rather than the Walt Disney World logo. The 6 oz juice glasses are $8.50 each, and the 10 oz mugs are $12.50 each. The etchings are well done, these drink-ware have thick bases, and are surprising heavy. A negative is that the mugs have a pronounced mold line down the middle of the handles, and all around to the other side. Also, next to some of the other Arribas glass drink-ware on display at the Crystal Arts shop, these items are a little plain. Some of the other glasses have full color artwork, and embedded jewels. But I think they are very pretty, and well worth the price.

Depending on the lighting, the etchings show up as either negative or positive images of Anna and Elsa. When back-lit, the etchings turn dark, and look like normal images of the Frozen sisters. When front-lit, the etchings turn bright, and look like negative images of the characters. In some of these photos, I've placed the glassware in front of images from the lithograph set that come with preordering the Frozen Blu-ray/DVD combo from the Disney Store.

so, i can honestly say that i always thought that these cats were cute but i never ever felt the need to have one... till i saw the yellow girl!

the coloring just jumped out at me and screamed "must have!"

i love the bright yellow and orange and the pink of her nose!

i'm glad i was able to find one since i hadn't preordered or anything like that.

since she's my first (and likely only) nikki cat, i'd love some advice.

any recommendations for clothes and/or shoes?

i have nothing for her to wear!

I had preordered each of the new wave of Fashionista dolls sight unseen on Amazon. My orders now have photos of them all! A couple of them are also on Barbie.com and I have noticed that those names don't match the Amazon names. Here are the photos for your enjoyment!

This one is called "Living Lace" on Amazon!

She has arrived!

60 frames per second, in 4k, was a feature I was quite excited about when preordering the Z6ii. Many months of moons later, the firmware is finally here, and it does not disappoint. The sharpness is more than I could have hoped, and the slowed down footage looks great. The crop to DX is worth noting, as it means wide shots become a bit harder to pull off, but telephoto shots of animals is looking great so far. Nikon warns that we need a UHS II card, and I can confirm that the older UHS I does work, but will occasionally stop recording because it cannot keep up.

All footage shot at 40k 60fps and slowed to 23.976 fps

Gear used:

Nikon Z6 II

Nikon 70-300mm E

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 ART

Induro CT314 Carbon Tripod

Hello~ This is Little Monica. ^^

Today, as I told you, Roselyn's custom ver. Innocent Roselyn and Roselyn:Symphony type have been newly released.

This product is a limited time product and you can purchase head parts separately.

Also, the winter discount event will be applied to all of these limited products, so please pay a lot of attention to them.

Limited Product Sales Period: December 4, 2020 16:00 ~ December 31, 2020 18:00 (KST)

This time, both outfit, wig, and shoes can be purchased in full set, and separate purchases are also possible.

The costume was made as a collaboration product with VIVIYA, and they made it pretty according to the concept.

Please note that this product is preordering and will take a production date. (Please refer to the product page for details.)

The cash payment system is also available for this product, so if you want to use it, please contact us through Q&A.

Please show a lot of interest in this product and participate in the event that is held at the same time.

Thank you.

www.littlemonica.co.kr

NOT MY PICS-THANKS TO THEIR OWNERS :)

Sólo había preordenado la de pelo corto, pero vi fotos de la única con pelo largo cuando salió y me encantó su cara. Además tiene los ojos marrones, como Audrey. Pregunté si alguien se había arrepentido y ¡ Tuve suerte!! :)

Espero que me lleguen el lunes...¡ Qué nervios!!!

I have preordered only the Most Sophisticated one but I saw The Chauffeur's Daughter when they were released and I liked her face so much... Besides she's got brown eyes like Audrey's!! I asked if someone had regreted after the preorder and I was lucky!!!

I'm expecting them on Monday... So excited!!!

The Limited Edition Ariel and Eric Doll Set, #12 of 6000, in their display case, with the clear acrylic cover removed. None of the factory restraints have been removed, but I have cleaned up Ariel's face a bit, and cut off a loose thread from her blouse. Photographed using built-in camera flash.

My pre-ordered Ariel and Eric Doll Set, from the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection. It arrived on October 15, 2013, and I was thrilled to see that they are numbered #012 of 6000! It matches the number of the other doll sets in the pre-order, except that Snow White and the Prince is #4508 of 6000. There are some slight scratches on the gold nameplate and on the acrylic cover of the display case, but they are very minor, and don't diminish the look of the set. Ariel's head is posed a bit awkwardly, but I'll see if I can adjust it a bit without undoing any of the shipping restraints. There is also a loose thread hanging from the left sleeve of Ariel's blouse. Otherwise, Ariel and Eric look very beautiful, and in perfect shape. I'm so happy that I have them after failing to get them in the in-store raffle earlier in the day.

I'm not going to debox the dolls in this set, but I am going to take photos of it boxed, with the cover sleeve off, and with the clear acrylic cover off, to show off the dolls as much as possible without actually removing them from their factory restraints.

Ariel and Eric Doll Set

Disney Fairytale Designer Collection

US Disney Store

Release In-Store: October 15, 2013

Release Online: October 16, 2013 (at 12 AM PDT)

Sold Out Online: October 16, 2013 (by 12:15 AM)

Pre-ordered at the D23 Expo, August 9, 2013

Received October 15, 2013.

#12 of 6000

Product information from the US Disney Store website:

Ariel and Prince Eric Doll Set - Disney Fairytale Designer Collection

$129.95

Item No. 6070040900891P

Above the sea

The red-headed Ariel gets her wish to be out of the sea and with her handsome prince, Eric, in this pair of limited-edition dolls. Part of the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection, they feature elegantly detailed costumes.

Magic in the details...

Please Note: Each Guest will be limited to ordering a maximum of one of this item per order.

As part of the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection this pair of Ariel and Prince Eric dolls were carefully crafted by artists inspired by Disney's 1989 movie The Little Mermaid. The Disney Princess and handsome Prince have been reimagined in exquisite detail with these limited edition dolls. Brought to life with thoughtful attention, they uniquely capture the essence of the fairytale couple, creating a one of a kind set that will be a treasured keepsake of collectors, Disney fans, and every princess at heart!

•Global Limited Editon of 6000

•Includes Certificate of Authenticity

•Ariel features her signature red curls tied back with a blue satin bow

•Rooted eyelashes

•Lacey off-shoulder neckline

•Satin and velvet bodice with embroidery and rhinestone accents

•Embroidered taffeta overlay with printed inset hemmed with lace trim at the bottom

•Prince Eric features billowy satin shirt with embroidered detailing

•Crimson sash, belt and matching boots

•Dolls sold in a special keepsake display case with intricate details on the base, including a golden plate with the name of Ariel and Eric

•Includes special Disney Fairytale Designer Collection Gift Bag

•Part of the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection

* Intended for adult collectors -- Not a child's toy.

The bare necessities

•Plastic / polyester

•Ariel: 11 1/2'' H

•Prince Eric: 12'' H

•Imported

Just a combination of techniques. See FALLEN below, he made up the arm technique.

Well, continuing with what you guys thought was my good music taste, Mika's got a new album out! When the music videos are on YouTube, I'll link to them (I preordered the album :3). If you have access to the songs, I suggest 'Touches You', 'Dr John' or 'One Foot Boy'. Some aren't so good, but 'Touches You' is great :D

Finally! Got the body from HLJ yesterday. I preordered it ages ago. When I was in Japan I saw them and I thought, oh well I preordered already so I might as well wait. And then I waited for 3 months! @_@ HLJ, why are so slowwwwww~

The body feels solid and heavy. Articulation is yes and no. Yes, because it is still jointed. No, because the joints are pretty much confined to turning clockwise or anticlockwise, and for this sitting pose, you don't want to turn the joints in an awkward way, so you are confined to certain pose only.

I almost feel like this Pure Neemo body is Azone's way to compete with Volks' Custom Figure Kit. VCFK is of course more sophisticated in a way, that it requires drilling and sanding. But they are both made of sturdy material (vs. lighter plasticky body), and they are more like "figures" rather than "dolls".

She is wearing Licca clothes. Her bottom seems to be bigger than Licca body, so pulling up the pants is a challenge. Of course, this sitting pose is not helping neither.

Nevertheless, I still think it is a cute body!

Here are a ton of quick shots of Bijou Elyse for Dolldiva67 !

She is gorgeous! But… Mine needs some attention! There is a lot of fuzz stuck to her hair that will not just blow away, and she has some paint on her nose! I am so very tempted to leave the paint??

(So far of the two upgrades that I preordered, I like Nadja more? When I ordered it was the opposite and I was dying for this Elyse and just happy to have a new Nadja released. I do really love Elyse’s dress, it’s getting some hate but I think it’s a lot of fun!)

*Possible Mugen Train movie spoilers ahead!*

Expect to see a bunch of Rengoku merch for the rest of the year, because I’m stanning this amazing flame hashira so intensely right now.

And here’s why.

I watched Kimetsu no Yaiba – Demon Slayer movie: Mugen Train a little over a week ago with my sister. And the film overwhelmed me on so many levels, it’s taken me this long to sort through my thoughts, emotions and to calm my pulsing heart; enough to finally attempt at putting down something somewhat sensical. It’s honestly extremely challenging to articulate all my feelings through words, but I’ll try my best.

Mugen Train was a masterpiece of a film. It’s hands down my favourite anime film of all time. I’m normally a bit of a hipster when it comes to pop culture, but I rode the hype train with Demon Slayer, and I rode it shotgun with Mugen Train.

Before I go full on cringe on why I’m erecting a Rengoku “shrine” at home, I’d like to share some thoughts on why this film is so special and timeless to me.

It’s not uncommon for me to finish an anime film, only to feel utterly confused about what the whole point of it was. Or rather, the theme just falls flat, because it fails to speak to me on a personal level, on an emotional level. These films are forgettable, because they made me feel nothing. I have examples, but I won’t list them in case I tilt any stans.

In contrast, Mugen Train spoke to me, and I got it. Its overall themes were cohesive, poetic and strong, without ever feeling forceful. The themes of appreciating the genuine beauty of the ever fleeting now, rather than clutching onto the perceived immortal happiness of the past; forever yearning for what is gone, rather than embracing what is here.

Enmu preys on the fragility of the human heart, caging everyone in their dreams of “forever bliss” – of the past long gone. Of a past that will remain forever “happy” albeit forever unchanging, and forever stagnant; much akin to Akaza’s offer to Rengoku of immortality and “infinite power”. The ailing children were willing to hurt and kill in order to attain this perceived immortal bliss. But we also see how a single moment of pure warmth and unconditional kindness from Tanjiro’s subconscious was enough to move a broken boy to his knees. Tanjiro’s soul core was like a literal sun, shining a path amidst his darkness and despair. The human heart is fragile, but it is also this very same fragility that makes it tremendously powerful. Or as Rengoku so beautifully puts it: “Growing old and dying is the beauty of the fleeting creature called a human being. Because they grow old, because they die. They are tremendous. Lovable. And precious. what they call ‘strength’ isn’t a word that is used in regards to the body.” Tanjiro’s (and our) very brief, but intense, time with Rengoku further embodies that. Tanjiro was that broken boy’s sun, as Rengoku was Tanjiro’s sun – and mine.

And that leads nicely to why I’ve become a little insane preordering/winning Rengoku merch left, right and center! I’ve already won 6 Rengoku plushies from Toreba in the past week 😆!

As much as I enjoyed all the film’s spectacular sequences, thrilling battle choreography and hauntingly beautiful soundtrack; what ultimately left the deepest impression for me was Rengoku’s parting message, his parting gift to Tanjiro; his parting gift to us all. Finishing the film, I felt raw with grief, anguish, loss but beyond all that courage, passion and hope. Rengoku quite literally set my heart ablaze.

Honestly, what an amazing masterpiece this film was, and what an amazing character Rengoku was. How proud am I to have experienced all this.

It’s a brand new dawn as the Phoenix rises from its ashes. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. Sayonara, arigatou Rengoku-san.

Visit my Instagram for more www.instagram.com/p/BKur5rEBKwT/ and don't forget to visit my blog at inthepaintroom.blogspot.co.uk

The Preorder for TINY Implings, Willow, Ivy, and Maple in fair resin is now live!

Find the options at: www.themushroompeddler.com/currently-in-stock

They are available blank/nude, with faceup/nude, or as fullsets (includes faceup, wig sculpture, outfit, and wings if desired).

I haven't made any Tiny Fullsets yet, so that option has some examples from normal sized Implings as the images, but I will update the listing as soon as I have some finished

I have a special limited offer of $50 off if you preorder all three Implings together No code needed, just select the all three option in each listing.

Hello again folks, and welcome to another entry into the journal, as it were. It's now the beginning of March 2020 and we are about two months away from what I predict will be the "Endgame" for MCU Widow Fans, the solo Black Widow movie. If you've been keeping up, you'll probably know I'm kind of a fan myself, and as such would naturally keep abreast of any merch pickups.

Strangely, as of this point, my usual import brands haven't announced anything from the upcoming Widow or Wonder Woman movies. The Marvel Legends line of course was doing figures for the Widow movie, and they looked decent in previews, so I preordered almost all of them, with the Deluxe version coming in from EB Games as scheduled on March 1, 2020. As luck would have it, the figure just as I was finished up another bunch of photos, so I got right to it.

The Deluxe edition of the Black Widow figure costs $10 more than the standard one, coming in at $39.99 CAD. Natasha is garbed in her striking white outfit, and comes with far more accessories than the standard edition, and I need a copy of the standard version to compare headsculpts. Contents are as follows:

- Figure

- Three pairs of hands (closed fist, pistol gripping, melee weapon gripping)

- Pair of pistols

- Pair of sickles

- Widow Bite attack effect

- Various ground explosion effects

- Base with arm

I don't know how accurate it is, but it appears that this particular white suit is effectively a redeco of the black and grey suit of the standard edition.

As expected, Natasha is built on the standard female Marvel Legends body, which is not my thing but it does make writing this article much shorter. For reasons unknown, it appears the chest collapse joint used on the Lighting Pink Ranger still seems to be limited to that figure, and I'm going to guess the rest of the female Ranger cast. So yeah.. limited ankles, limited wrists, no waist, and ugly knee joints make their return here. Nothing spectacular posing wise, but it gets the job mostly done.

The overall presentation of Widow, to me, much better than most of the other female figures I've seen. A big part of it is, ironically, there's less paint on the body. In fact, I think it's limited to the little specs of red and silver, along with the black on her back. Everything else is a separate piece and even then the painting in is minimal, with the most paint probably on her face. While it's not perfect, the masking work and quality of the paint apps themselves appear to be better than my last few check ins.

Furthermore, it appears that the neck on this Widow isn't as long as other figures and that the gaps in her thighs, the ones that normally turn me off, are masked by the holsters. Yes, that doesn't help when the figure is posed, but at least when she's standing Nat looks like a million bucks.

Of course, there's the head itself, or more accurately, the face because the hair perfectly functional, has decent detailing, and is coloured right..end of story. The most recent iteration of the Scarlett Johansson head was on the Infinity War Widow which... didn't look great. Then there was the apparently much improved Endgame one which I wouldn't know about, seeing how we never got it in Canada, and I never got around to going to Target. Well, I'm happy to say that for a mass release Hasbro toy, they did a great job on this figure. It's a pretty good resemblance to the actor, with face printing technology taking care of the painting of the eyes and lips. From the usual arms length distance, these paint apps are sharp and crisp, and far better than what could be accomplished by hand on something this small.. or at least accomplished by the fine, fine people at Hasbro.

The base was an interesting addition.. needed for sure if you want to do all sort of aerial posing. It's a decent quality, and has the Hasbro logo on the base of the arm. The arm is kind of big, if I'm being honest, but it does get the job done. The random explosion effects are.. kind of random if you ask me. Maybe they'll make an appearance in the upcoming GI Joe line or someting.

Build quality is about the same as the rest of the Legends, with softer than I'd like joints, though fortunately it appears packaging didn't warp them. The body itself is alright.. it appears they've moved towards the same plastics used on the Transformers figures now, which is a strange combination of matte finish, and kind of a rubbery feeling. Suit detailing came out decently, so I guess at least from a functionality perspective it's fine. There are some mould lines on the fists that should have been taken off by QC, but I am happy to say that the effects themselves came out quite nicely.

That about wraps it up here - Natasha is just like all the other Legends figures, so you know what to expect, and you either love or hate the tech behind it. But, as stated, and it bears repeating, it appears the combination of improved QC and simplicity of finish has resulted in a very crisp, clean looking figure that I would still keep even if a better quality figure were available down the road (though to be fair, I'd keep it anyway because I'm a hoarder). The face is a very pleasant surprise, and I feel that the face alone is worth the price of entry.

Time to head out for the day - keep an eye open for more Black Widow merch in the months ahead.

Item # PP080

Go See!

Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll

The Model Scene Collection

Limited Edition Size of 750 Dolls

Estimated Ship Date: Approximately First Week of June

Suggested Retail Price: $120.00

Doll Tech Specs:

Head Sculpt: Poppy Parker™

Body Type: Poppy Parker™

Quick Switch Feature: No

Skin Tone: Japan

Hair Color: Light Brown

Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied

***Preordered this one***

NE corner of 115th and Ashland

"If I could take the star away I would they do not deserve anything. Bad front of the house service the women have bad attitudes and roll their eyes . I Got a large tip with 15 pieces of meat for 17.00 with that, the meat was under cooked meat had no smoke ring at all and no taste,must have crackheads working back there because they are not PIT MASTERS. Back in the day they took pride in their food but not today. People do not waste your money or time and in closing one more thing , my dog wouldn't finish the tips he look at me like I was trying to kill him, he walked away growling , because he remembered how the food tasted." -- Arthur Y. via yelp

"I hate I wasted hour of my time waiting on my food that I paid 49 bucks for some turkey tips that was horrible. I asked for my wings to be fried hard they were soft ass baby shit. The tips were ok. My dog wouldn't even eat this bull shit. I'm so pissed off 50.00 gone, let's not talk about the hour wait I-57 do better.. never ever ever again." -- Lorraine T. via yelp

"I called and ordered my food . We waited 20 minutes in line even though we had preordered. Next them turkey tips was some of the worst food I've ever eaten in life. The sauce looks as if the add pink food coloring in it. It looks fake. Even the fries were horrible THEY WIll NEVER SEE ANOTHER DIME IN LIFE. What a waste of my 17 dollars. -- Tiesha R. via yelp

"I tried to call the establishment to voice a complaint - they don't answer their phone and their voicemail is always full. You have a big sign on your business saying "call ahead for faster service" but you don't answer your phone. If you are a business that caters to its good paying customers, then you should have a phone that customers can call and get assistance with." -- Darlene N. via yelp

"I stopped by on a Sunday afternoon for turkey tips. I waited in line for 15 minutes and placed my order. I was told my food would be ready is 15 minutes. I did not get my food until an hour and a half later. The cashier was taking orders and food was on the rack waiting to be handed out but she advised me she had to keep taking orders until she got the line down. The problem is the line went down and then more people came in. It was the worst customer service I have had an a very long time. They need at least 2 cashiers working and someone to hand out the orders. When she finally handed me my food I thanked her and advised her that I would never return." -- Ginger W. via yelp

"Horrible customer service but they have the BEST TURKEY TIPS!!! You have to call them only 50 times before getting someone to pick up the phone, and stand in a super long line (yes, even for call in orders) but it's totally worth it!" -- Gina C via yelp

I went to Odakyu Halc for new opening of FjallRaven and got my first Kanken No.2 Laptop 15" Black!! :D

Then I stopped by Azone to get a scissors called "GodHand" for cutting my dolls' hair. :")

After that, I went to Sen to buy the photo screen that I preordered. :)

All people I met yesterday was super nice and I really appreciate every one of them!! ;-)

Welcome to September, folks. Gateway to Fall and the end of this painful, painful year.

With that imagery of trials and tribulations in your head, I present to you the S.H. Figuarts Avengers Endgame: Rescue figure, which I received.. gonna say about the middle of August 2020.

For those of you in the know, Rescue is the armoured version of Pepper Potts, showing up in the final battle of Endgame.

This figure was one of those Bandai Exclusive figures in that you could only buy it from Bandai directly or dealers that were able to access the exclusive figures. Now, if you know, you're probably thinking to yoruself.. "Holy crap.. this came out May 30. Who did you piss of to only have recently received it?".

First off, no, I didn't use SAL - I actually upgraded to EMS. The short version of the story is this is the result of annoying Nippon Yassan for two full months after the release date, finally having them ship the figure out in the middle of August.

Not bad for a guy who preordered in December of 2019, huh?

Well, she arrived in one piece and, yes, I'm clearly going to have to be very careful in the future if I opt to order from these guys again.

The actual contents of the box are decent. You get the figure, and there are two headscupts - unhelmeted Pepper, and of course, helmet on. The rest of the kit consists of backpacks for deployed/closed wing pack, her deployed drones in one of two formations, a single large energy blast, two smaller energy blast, and eight additional posing hands.

First off, unlike Captain Marvel, the effects pieces were not soft, flimsy pieces of plastic. They're sufficiently rigid and will stay upright. While the twin blast arrangement of the drones comes with a bracket that allows for the pieces to clip on Rescue's back when she's wearing the open wing backpack, the single blast arrangement requires a separate stand.

Earlier... like 2019 earlier.... I had actually purchased the Marvel Legends version of the character. To the surprise of nobody, the Figuarts version comes with more stuff and looks much cleaner with sharper applications and parts finishing. What is interesting to me is that with the focus on reducing gaps on the upper torso (as seen in Endgame Captain Marvel and Black Widow movie edition), the upper body articulation isn't as good as the Legends figure.

The Gwyneth Paltrow sculpt is... alright. It's recognizable as her, and while it's no where as good as the ones on Widow or Thor, it's still much more recognizable compared to Captain Marvel herself.

As I expressed above, the range of motion is limited with regards to the torso. Overall, you get the point of articulation you're expecting in a Figuarts - toes, full ankles, double jointed knees, hips with pull down function, waist, mid torso, shoulders with chest collapes, bice swivel, double jointed elbows, wrists, and head) the slim, gapless torso does impede the ability to turn the upper body, and tighter joints in general just interfere with movement all over.

Another limiting factor is, and maybe because I'm spoiled from Hot Toys figures, but I feel Rescue really should have come with a bent wrist armour piece so you can pose Rescue with her wrist Repulsors forward.

Paint wise, overall very sharp even when taking account all the silver and gold accents all over the body. Masking is not overtly messy, and decals used are sharply made and applied. The weakest link from a paint perspective is the Pepper Potts head sculpt - the face itself is alright, but the yellow paint on the hair looks very heavy handed to my eyes.

Finally from a build quality perspective, this is a pretty typical Figuarts build. Joints are strong, finishes and tolerances on parts is good, with seams being hidden from view. Mechanical detailing on the body is etched deep enough such that it still shows through even after being painted on. Again, much like paint, the only area where the result isn't exactly stellar is the Pepper head, where to me it seems like there could have been a better job done, particularly on her hair.

Overall, the Figuarts Rescue figure is better than the Legends version, but it feels to me that the gap isn't really as large as with typical figures. The greatest area of improvement is in looks, as the articulation of the final product isn't that much more amazing than the Legends. I guess I was expecting something closer to what Revoltech offers.

The three month wait to finally get it in hand also didn't help with my enthusiasm level either.

At this point, I think I'm done with the Figuarts Endgame line because the prices on the Final Battle figures in general are nuts and, well, Final Battle Black Widow is gonna be one hell of a boring figure.

I suppose there are always sales on figures, but in general its...

"Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Good Night"

umm.. the pier.. isn't for sale. This is the private pier in Orange Beach that is located about halfway between the Romar Beach Public Access and the pass at the Flora-Bama line. I parked at Romar Beach and made the trek to the pass and back, the other day -- after work.

Doing so, I learned that 1) I really like jogging on the beach and listening to headphones. 2) I really like taking pictures along our public beaches and 3) I was completely wrong in how I thought I would use my current cameras.

When I bought the A77, I always intended it as a "hip camera" for photo walks. When I preordered the D800, I always intended it as a tripod/scenery camera. The lenses on the Sony are pretty great, less expensive than their Nikon counterparts. The 16-50mm kit lens might just be the clearest piece of glass on the planet.

and so, as I made my trek, here I was adorned in what I thought would be my perfect "photo walk" gearing.

A 10 lb 36 megapixel perched on my mid-size manfrotto tripod, awkwardly acting as a walking-stick. A 5 lb camera on a sling at my side. Ipod Nano jamming. Ready to do business. Watchout seagulls...

Yeah, I'm stupid.

A human being can only really use one camera at a time and I'm not a serious, professional-need-my-camera-to-provide-for-family type of guiy, so I don't need two really super ridiculous expensive cameras on me at the same time. Besides... if I'm equipped with a super wide angle lens and then some portrait-worthy person walks up and I don't have that portrait-ready hip cam to use, is it really the end of the world? Nope.

Moreso, I really don't need to own two of them at one time.

So, with the Sony A77 back in my possession after having the LCD replaced and in as-new condition, I'm sad to see it go.

www.ebay.com/itm/180857126967?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&a...

But, it will.

I preordered her 5 month ago. Now she is finally here. 😊

(Mattel Pic) I just preordered her, I couldn’t resist! Aren’t her glasses perfect?

I preordered Mui Chan :)

I missed the one i sold and i am really happy this one has exchangeable face plates, but i am SO dissapointed i missed the special version , wich included the ver.1 face expression too! i hope i can get that face plate later. I HOPE ixtee will sell spare face plates and parts, cause there are already a number of different hands and feet and it would be AWSOME to be able to get them for her.

I really don't want a Mui Chan army, just one with everything :DDD

So the Integrity Toys preorder I made well over a month ago finally came today, and it was an interesting insight to the IT pre ordering process via their direct shop. I paid my deposit while ordering an Integrity Toys Dynamite girls body which processed the order fine and things were done as expected.

When I had to pay off the rest, the W Club sent me a direct link to the body listing for the Homme body, and while they asked me nicely not to pay for more bodies than I preordered I do wonder what would have happened if I added like 5 Homme bodies to my cart and only paid $15 for each of them lol.

But this method was good cuz while paying off the rest of this preorder I had the option to add other things to my order so it could be shipped together. And the shipping for *one* body was pretty whack, so I decided to add another Dynamite girl body to my order since it’s still half off on the direct store and the shipping still remained the same.

IT Direct advertises this body as being A-Tone but the packaging it came in was labelled skin tone “Black” which kind of sucks cuz black is a shade lighter than A-Tone but now I can better body match and utilise Integrity Terms.

Surprisingly the Homme has really different packaging to previous Homme replacement bodies, this time it saying it’s the version 1.0 body which I guess means the next round of Hommes will have the disassembly feature.

ANYWAY I intended to get the Hungarian skintone body for one of my Collector Ken dolls cuz it’s a decent match to the Mattel LA Tan, but in the waiting time I received my Francisco Leon head and I rather him on an IT body than not. It’s not a match but between the Hungarian Skin Tone and the Light Honey skin tone (which matches the Mattel Afra skin tone) I rather his body be too light than too dark.

Also Malibu Christie got a better body again lol.

Plus my Phicen doll dongers came today in a small package but I’m wondering how to conduct a review….

Surprisingly, Australia got some of the Harry Potter dolls! I’m kinda annoyed Ginny and Minerva weren’t here but I’m mainly here for the trio cuz HOLY SHIT the Harry Potter dolls were GRAIL dolls of mine as a child who binged on the series. Sadly the first run of the dolls in 2001-2003 never made it to my area as a kid and I was so embittered and sad.

Ofc these aren’t the same amount of detail, but highly articulated figures with decent likenesses???? I was so incredibly happy.

I’m a bit annoyed I preordered the dolls on Walmart but the refund process is taking up to a month to get while I grabbed these at Big W but whatever, I finally got the dolls 9 year old me had always wanted, especially Ron! Ahhh.

moggymawee.com/2021/07/26/play-arts-kai-final-fantasy-7-r...

So I guess it’s high time I posted about my adventures (or rather misadventures) with the latest Version 2 Cloud figure from Play Arts Kai (aka v2 Cloud PAK).

So as you may already know, I’m a massive Cloud Strife fan! Tekken 3 and Final Fantasy 7 made up most of my childhood after moving to New Zealand, so Hwoarang and Cloud were both my centres during that time.

And naturally, to soothe my collector itch, I was desperate to own any Cloud merch at all – be it a keyring, a badge or even just a poster. But there were none. Afterall, I grew up in little old New Zealand, the secluded island nation far away from all things cool (and luckily also something else less cool in these past 2 years ^^”). All I had was fanart I’d spent hours sketching plastered all over my bedroom walls. Little Mary would’ve never dared to dream for a Cloud plushie or figure.

So imagine my utter shock and excitement when I stumbled across Cloud action figures from Play Arts Kai in the year 2017. By that time, they had already released the Advent Children and the Final Fantasy Remake Cloud. So of course, I insta-bought both. Then they released a limited colour version of Cloud in his iconic FF7 purple attire in 2018 so of course, being the loyal Cloud stan I was, I had to get him too! At that time, I was still blissfully ignorant and fearless of defects so I boldly ordered directly from the US Square Enix store and had it shipped to me from a forwarding company (this essentially voids any claims for refunds/returns in case of defects).

Fortunately, this Cloud arrived mostly perfect (the stand bags at the back came loose, but that’s nothing major). Perhaps the quality control back then was better, because out of the eight Final Fantasy PAKs I bought that year, only Prompto came with glaring defects.

This brings us nicely to my very memorable experience with the latest v2 Cloud PAK. The v2 Cloud looks amazing, he’s impeccable in likeness and aesthetics, and is hands down the best Cloud figure to date. All fantastic news, until you realize the defect rate has gone straight through the roof and you’re now getting completely drenched by rain. Seriously.

My first Cloud I preordered from Amiami came with hideous black dots embedded in the plastic at the front of his hair, so I returned him for a replacement.

Honestly, for a figure that costs $200-300NZD, you shouldn’t have to deal with these sorts of defects. And all this fiasco happened while covid was rife with no vaccines in sight, and international flights were incredibly limited so return postage to Japan was ludicrous. From memory, it cost $120NZD which was essentially over half the cost of the figure itself. Fortunately, Amiami reimbursed this in full, and the replacement figure they later sent me was thankfully perfect.

Now this would’ve been a pretty smooth and happy ending to my v2 Cloud PAK adventures if I’d been satisfied with having just one v2 Cloud. However, the Cloud stan in me itched for more – after all, this was “hands down the best Cloud figure to date” right?! I must have one to keep perfect and dust free in box, and another one out of box for display. Right?! So I proceeded to order ANOTHER v2 Cloud, this time locally from Mighty Ape. I assumed any returns would be much easier and cheaper to arrange.

And this is where the nightmare really begins. The first one from Mighty Ape came with a chipped nose and messy paint defects. Organizing a replacement took needlessly long. There was a lot of back and forth, and responses were often delayed by up to 4-7 days at a time. Finally, my replacement came after over a month? And this one was even worse! He had floating hair, messy lips, loose hips and a loose wrist! No way was I keeping a $290NZD figure like this (Mighty Ape charges more for him ($290NZD) than Amiami ($200NZD) even including international shipping and GST)! So I reached out to Mighty Ape again. I’m certain they were all sick of me by now ^^” that crazy Cloud lady lmao.

Anyway, because it was already a replacement figure they only offered me the option to keep him or return for a refund. I chose to return him and order one from Amiami instead, hoping I would have better luck there. My Prompto with the sexy shoulders also came from Mighty Ape, so I wondered whether they just stock the “bad batch” – either “re-released” ones or from an inferior factory? That’s what I chose to believe anyway, to settle my anxieties about getting yet another defective Cloud from Amiami. To my relief, my fifth and final Cloud was perfect. So that fortunately ended my v2 Cloud saga.

And before you all roll your judgy eyes at me, I must mention that it isn’t just me having all these issues with v2 Cloud. My colleague, another fellow Cloud stan, also had to go through three Cloud figures (all from Amiami) before getting a decent one without significant defects. So between the two of us, we had to go through 8x Clouds to get 3x good ones. That’s like a 60% defect rate! Neither of us had any problems with the previous Cloud PAKs. I owned three Clouds before v2 Cloud and she owned seven, so it’s quite a decent sample size too!

So yes, I can finally rest easy now that I have two good v2 Clouds. This brings my total Cloud PAK count to five! Though after such a sour and stressful experience, I don’t think my heart’s up to purchasing any more PAKs. So unless the next Clouds are super freaking unbelievably amazing, I think I’m fully done collecting these.

moggymawee.com/2021/07/26/play-arts-kai-final-fantasy-7-r...

So I guess it’s high time I posted about my adventures (or rather misadventures) with the latest Version 2 Cloud figure from Play Arts Kai (aka v2 Cloud PAK).

So as you may already know, I’m a massive Cloud Strife fan! Tekken 3 and Final Fantasy 7 made up most of my childhood after moving to New Zealand, so Hwoarang and Cloud were both my centres during that time.

And naturally, to soothe my collector itch, I was desperate to own any Cloud merch at all – be it a keyring, a badge or even just a poster. But there were none. Afterall, I grew up in little old New Zealand, the secluded island nation far away from all things cool (and luckily also something else less cool in these past 2 years ^^”). All I had was fanart I’d spent hours sketching plastered all over my bedroom walls. Little Mary would’ve never dared to dream for a Cloud plushie or figure.

So imagine my utter shock and excitement when I stumbled across Cloud action figures from Play Arts Kai in the year 2017. By that time, they had already released the Advent Children and the Final Fantasy Remake Cloud. So of course, I insta-bought both. Then they released a limited colour version of Cloud in his iconic FF7 purple attire in 2018 so of course, being the loyal Cloud stan I was, I had to get him too! At that time, I was still blissfully ignorant and fearless of defects so I boldly ordered directly from the US Square Enix store and had it shipped to me from a forwarding company (this essentially voids any claims for refunds/returns in case of defects).

Fortunately, this Cloud arrived mostly perfect (the stand bags at the back came loose, but that’s nothing major). Perhaps the quality control back then was better, because out of the eight Final Fantasy PAKs I bought that year, only Prompto came with glaring defects.

This brings us nicely to my very memorable experience with the latest v2 Cloud PAK. The v2 Cloud looks amazing, he’s impeccable in likeness and aesthetics, and is hands down the best Cloud figure to date. All fantastic news, until you realize the defect rate has gone straight through the roof and you’re now getting completely drenched by rain. Seriously.

My first Cloud I preordered from Amiami came with hideous black dots embedded in the plastic at the front of his hair, so I returned him for a replacement.

Honestly, for a figure that costs $200-300NZD, you shouldn’t have to deal with these sorts of defects. And all this fiasco happened while covid was rife with no vaccines in sight, and international flights were incredibly limited so return postage to Japan was ludicrous. From memory, it cost $120NZD which was essentially over half the cost of the figure itself. Fortunately, Amiami reimbursed this in full, and the replacement figure they later sent me was thankfully perfect.

Now this would’ve been a pretty smooth and happy ending to my v2 Cloud PAK adventures if I’d been satisfied with having just one v2 Cloud. However, the Cloud stan in me itched for more – after all, this was “hands down the best Cloud figure to date” right?! I must have one to keep perfect and dust free in box, and another one out of box for display. Right?! So I proceeded to order ANOTHER v2 Cloud, this time locally from Mighty Ape. I assumed any returns would be much easier and cheaper to arrange.

And this is where the nightmare really begins. The first one from Mighty Ape came with a chipped nose and messy paint defects. Organizing a replacement took needlessly long. There was a lot of back and forth, and responses were often delayed by up to 4-7 days at a time. Finally, my replacement came after over a month? And this one was even worse! He had floating hair, messy lips, loose hips and a loose wrist! No way was I keeping a $290NZD figure like this (Mighty Ape charges more for him ($290NZD) than Amiami ($200NZD) even including international shipping and GST)! So I reached out to Mighty Ape again. I’m certain they were all sick of me by now ^^” that crazy Cloud lady lmao.

Anyway, because it was already a replacement figure they only offered me the option to keep him or return for a refund. I chose to return him and order one from Amiami instead, hoping I would have better luck there. My Prompto with the sexy shoulders also came from Mighty Ape, so I wondered whether they just stock the “bad batch” – either “re-released” ones or from an inferior factory? That’s what I chose to believe anyway, to settle my anxieties about getting yet another defective Cloud from Amiami. To my relief, my fifth and final Cloud was perfect. So that fortunately ended my v2 Cloud saga.

And before you all roll your judgy eyes at me, I must mention that it isn’t just me having all these issues with v2 Cloud. My colleague, another fellow Cloud stan, also had to go through three Cloud figures (all from Amiami) before getting a decent one without significant defects. So between the two of us, we had to go through 8x Clouds to get 3x good ones. That’s like a 60% defect rate! Neither of us had any problems with the previous Cloud PAKs. I owned three Clouds before v2 Cloud and she owned seven, so it’s quite a decent sample size too!

So yes, I can finally rest easy now that I have two good v2 Clouds. This brings my total Cloud PAK count to five! Though after such a sour and stressful experience, I don’t think my heart’s up to purchasing any more PAKs. So unless the next Clouds are super freaking unbelievably amazing, I think I’m fully done collecting these.

So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

I had preordered each of the new wave of Fashionista dolls sight unseen on Amazon. My orders now have photos of them all! A couple of them are also on Barbie.com and I have noticed that those names don't match the Amazon names. Here are the photos for your enjoyment!

Update 5/27/2018: On her way! She is also in stock and can be ordered.

This is a shot of a team that preordered for the big MLK tournament. Her mom is the team parent (the one who decides how to spend the cash pool), so i wanted to especially get some good shots of her. Any SOOC changes i could have made? (P.S. They wouldn't let me crouch down-they said i wouldn't be able to dive out of the way quick enough if a ball came *Some refs are more strict than others*)