(Zhongqu Toys) Black Lily aka Widowmaker (Overwatch) Review

In a nutshell,
Paint: 10/10
Articulation 7.5/10
Detailing 9/10
Scale 9/10
Accessories 8/10
Fun Factor 9/10

Hi guys, as I am cutting down on toy collecting and toy photography, I will be updating this blog less! However, this figure is just too awesome to not share with other Overwatch fans, in case they desire a Widowmaker figure to call their own! I hope my review can help you with your decision!

For this review, I will address the figure as Widowmaker, because I cannot take the name Black Lily seriously. Widowmaker comes in a black box, showing the figure's name and the toy company logo, along with pictures of the figure. There is a window showing the figure. No text. Nice and simple, kind of reminding me of the design of figma packaging.

Paint: 10/10
The paint on this figure is just amazing! I honestly found no QC issues in terms of paint for my figure. From the gorgeous face down to the Widowmaker symbol on her rifle, Widowmaker is really well-painted.Even the spider tattoo on her back is sharp. I especially like the shades of metallic purple used for her costume. Really makes it look like she came out of the game.

Articulation 7.5/10

• Head swivel
• Ball-pegged ponytail
• Double ball-pegged Shoulder joints
• Single-jointed elbows
• Upper Chest Swivel
• Waist Swivel
• Ball-pegged wrists
• T-joints between the hips and legs
• Upper thigh swivel
• Double-jointed knees
• Ankle joints
• Ankle pivot

When it comes to number of points of articulation, Widowmaker here boasts quite a handful, almost on par with that of well-known toy brands like figma. And they work beautifully, allowing Widowmaker to do many cool poses. However, not all joints work as well as I hope. For some reason, Widowmaker cannot really move her head around much, apart from the basic left and right. Upward and downward rotation is not much, and so is tilting the head. Also, the two articulation points on her chest and waist do not offer much movement, making poses such as crouching down seem almost impossible to achieve. My last complaint would be the elbow joints. As the elbow is single-jointed, her elbows can bend a lot but not enough for you to rest the rifle on her shoulder. Despite having long legs, and having heels, Widowmaker's legs and feet are pretty solid enough to keep her from toppling over easily. Being a 3P, the joints may be loose. The joints on mine are fine, except for the shoulder joints, which I wish was a bit tighter for her to be able to support the weight of her rifle.

Detailing: 9/10

The detailing on this figure, along with the painting, just blew me away. This figure is so detailed and game-accurate, especially when it comes to the face. The face on Widowmaker is really well done, and I love her eyes and glossy pink lips especially. For an unofficial product, this figure officially nails the accuracy brilliantly. The costume design is well done, and I love the armor on her legs. Even her rifles are nicely sculpted.

Scale: 9/10

Unfortunately, this is the first 3P Overwatch figure I have ever owned, so I cannot really compare the scale. But I placed her beside my custom Soldier 76 figure (which used a Hasbro Marvel Legends figure as a base) and she seems to scale really well! She stands at almost 7" tall. If NECA does do the Overwatch line, and maintain the scale as their Heroes of the Storm line, I think this figure will fit in just fine. Widowmaker will definitely not be in scale with figma's future Tracer figure though, as figma figures are generally smaller. My only issue in terms of scale is the rifles. I checked official photos of Widowmaker, and her rifles are not as big as the ones in this set.It is not a glaring issue, but one that may bother some of you.

Accessories 8/10

In terms of accessories, this figure is pretty impressive! She comes with 3 interchangeable hands (a pew-pew gesture, a middle finger, and another trigger hand), an alternate head with her recon visor down over her eyes, and 2 of her Widow's Kiss rifle (one in normal mode and another in sniper mode). The accessories really completes the figure, as these are things you see in the game. Maybe having her venom mine and/or grappling hook would be nice. My only issue is that her interchangeable hands are only for her left hand, plus the left trigger hand is exactly the same (albeit a mirror of it) as the right hand (which is also a trigger hand). In the game, her right hand is gloved, except for her index finger. Her left hand should be fully gloved, but the left trigger hand has the index finger (wrongly) exposed too. The "pew-pew" gesture hand is a nice addition, maybe inspired by the Heroes of the Storm Nova figure by NECA (which was inspired by the HotS cinematic). The middle finger hand is totally random, but a fun addition.

Fun Factor 9/10

Despite her several minor flaws, Widowmaker is a fun figure to play with. She comes with all the things you need to pose her like in the game. Her articulation is decent, even if it had the potential to be better. I really enjoy posing the figure, despite her long legs and her heels making it a bit more challenging.

So do I recommend this figure? Hell yeah, especially if you are an Overwatch fan! The only drawback would be her price point. She is going for around SGD$130-$140 on eBay, and she can be found cheaper on taobao (a china online shopping site). If you can get past the steep price, and you are okay with her scale, then go for it! You won't be disappointed! If you are looking for more Overwatch action figures, here are ones to look out for (as at 10/3/17:

Official

figma: Tracer, Genji

Unofficial

DX9: K-1 Freeman (aka Bastion)

Zhongqu Toys: D.Va (the character for now, but the meka has been teased too)

Unknown brand: D.Va meka 

(Hasbro) Marvel Legends Captain America: Civil War Winter Soldier & Falcon Review

In a nutshell,
Paint: 9/10
Articulation 8/10
Detailing 9/10
Scale 8/10
Accessories 7/10
Fun Factor 9/10

Hi everyone! Been a long time since I did a review, so here is one on the currently dodgy wave 2.5, consisting of the MCU Bucky and Falcon! I as lucky to snag a set for myself, so I decided to share my thoughts on them!

I love the packaging somehow. The artwork at the sides look really good, and the back pictures of the figures look promising too! Apart from that, the boxes are similar to the Captain America wave 2 packaging.

Paint: 9/10
Now I actually (unknowingly) got 4 sets of Falcon and Winter Soldier when I ordered, so I could actually choose the best sets for myself in terms of paint. And to my surprise, the paint on these figures are pretty spot on! There is almost no trouble with the paint job at all, and even those that I found are rather trivial. Usually Hasbro tend to not bother about the QC of their paint job, resulting in paint bleeds and poorly done eyes. But these two figures are excellent. I was very impressed with Bucky's face, especially with his eyes. Never have I seen Hasbro put in so much effort in making the eyes look good! 

Articulation 8/10

• Head swivel
• Shoulder joints
• Bicep Swivels
• Double-jointed elbows
• Ab crunch
• Waist joint
• T-joints between the hips and legs
• Upper thigh swivel
• Double-jointed knees
• Ankle joints
• Ankle pivot

The articulation on both figures is nothing new, and is found on most Marvel Legends figures these days. I'd like to point out that Winter Soldier uses the same arms and legs as the previous MCU Winter Soldier figure, which is a bummer as I do not like the legs on that figure, especially the ankles. This makes posing Bucky a bit limited. Also, Bucky can bend forward quite a bit, but that leaves a weird protrusion at his back. Falcon's articulation is slightly better, the only drawback I can find is that the arms cannot raise outwards to 90 degrees. 

Detailing 9/10
Wow. The detailing is impressive. While Bucky uses many similar parts, the head and torso are new. And the sculpting is nice. I especially like how the harness is sculpted on, instead of being a separate piece like on the previous figure. There is a gun in a holster sculpted in, which cannot be removed. Some people might be annoyed by that "just for show" pistol. The Bucky head is what pulls up the score for his figure, as the resemblance is pretty good to Sebastian Stan! Seldom is Marvel Legends able to make MCU figures that have close resemblance to their actors/actresses.

The detailing on Falcon is one "wow" factor of this figure! I love how detailed his costume is. Even the arms have their own designs, and not a simple mirror image of each other. The head is really nice too, and you can almost see Anthony Mackie in the figure's face! Falcon's Redwing, wings and jetpack are also nicely detailed, which is impressive.

Scale 8/10
The scale of Falcon with the MCU Captain America is pretty good, with Falcon being slightly shorter. The reason why the score is pulled down is how Bucky is taller than Cap, by quite a bit. I do not recall Bucky being that much taller than Steve. But if you plan to pose the figures in dynamic poses, the weird scale may not be noticeable.

Accessories 7/10

Falcon's accessories are awesome. There are his wings, his jetpack, and Redwing both in deployed and stored state! His wings attach to his jetpack via 2 pegs on each side of the jetpack. It would have been perfect if they included machine pistols for him to wield, considering how Falcon comes with two open grip hands, perfect for holding those weapons! I actually purchased uzi submachine guns by Little Armory to let Falcon use.

Unfortunately, Bucky's accessories are lackluster, hence pulling down the rating. He comes with a pistol and knife, both painted black and brown. These look rather plain and unimpressive. Maybe giving Bucky a rifle similar to the one he used in the movie or something would help.

Fun Factor 9/10

That being said, these figures are fun, especially when you collect the MCU Marvel Legends figures! Bucky, not as much, but Falcon would be fun to play with! My only complaint is that Falcon's wings are pretty much fixed in the spread out position, with zero articulation. 

So are these figures worth buying? Some may choose the older MCU Bucky figure, but I personally recommend this newer one. His one head is way better than the two heads given in the previous figure. Falcon is the star of this pair, though. His accessories and the fact that it is the first time we are seeing the MCU Falcon figure coming to Marvel Legends makes him all the more worthy to purchase. So yes, I recommend it for MCU and Marvel Legends fans!!

(Custom Figure) Overwatch Soldier 76 Review

In a nutshell,
Paint 9/10
Articulation 9/10
Detailing 8/10
Fun Factor 9/10

Hi guys, it's been a while since I did any review! With the recent Overwatch hype, I requested a friend of mine, TSR Custom, to do a custom figure of Soldier 76 for me! Soldier 76 is my favorite character in the game, and as a toy collector I really wanted a figure of him! So here's a look at the final product!

TSR Custom actually does not know much about Overwatch, and I had to provide several reference material and also show him some of the cinematic shorts to get him hooked onto this project! The first thing that came to mind was how the Marvel Legends Modern Hawkeye looked suitable for Soldier 76, mainly because of the hair. And from there, TSR Custom and I worked out what parts we would use from Marvel Legends figures to combine together into Soldier 76!

Paint 9/10
For a custom figure, the paint job on this is really good! It cannot compare with those factory-produced Marvel Legends or S.H.Figuarts figures in terms of how sharp and crisp the design on the figure is, but for a custom figure I was really impressed! I think the part that impressed me the most was the "76" logo on the back of the figure, which looks rather well done! Unless you are scrutinizing up close, you cannot really tell that the logo was hand-painted!

Articulation 9/10
Because the figure is made of parts from various Marvel Legends figures, the articulation is pretty decent! I can get the figure to do many poses that the Soldier 76 does in game and from artwork! The articulation is pretty much same as those of the more recent Hasbro ML figures, such as Hobgoblin wave Daredevil and Hulkbuster wave Blizzard!

Detailing 8/10
Prior to making the figure, TSR Custom did tell me that it would be rather difficult to achieve 100% accuracy, especially if I wanted an articulated figure. So yes, the figure has some parts that is not accurate to the source material. However, these few deviations are quite trivial, especially when you're looking at the figure as a whole. Because the amount of accurate detailing overwhelms the few inaccurate parts, and it makes the minor inaccuracy parts forgivable. I really like the jacket part the most, and the mask is a close second. The gun, despite being made from various things (the base being Marvel Legends Hope Summers' rifle), turned out much better than anticipated!

Fun Factor 9/10
Good articulation and a great-looking figure is definitely nice to play with! TSR Custom was even able to do up interchangeable fist hands for the figure, which allows for even more ideas to come to life! I definitely had a great time posing Soldier 76 and have him beating up bad guys (using other Marvel Legends figures)!

To sum it up, I'm really pleased with this figure. It is not perfect, but TSR Custom was able to make me a soldier 76 figure that I'm thoroughly pleased with! Like all customs out there, I will not disclose the price of this figure for respect to the customiser! You can, however, check out his other works and contact him from the media links below!

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(Play Arts Kai) Rise of the Tomb Raider Lara Croft Review

In a nutshell,
Paint: 9/10
Articulation 8/10
Detailing 9/10
Fun Factor 10/10

In this review, we'll take a look at Rise of the Tomb Raider's Lara Croft, by Play Arts Kai (PAK). I never owned a PAK figure prior to this one, so I cannot compare Lara with another PAK figure for height comparison. I usually prefer my action figures to be around 6" tall, with the exception of Transformers Masterpiece figures. However, PAK was the only toy brand that was making an articulated Lara Croft figure, so I decided to get her.


The packaging is really nice! We get pictures of Lara in cool poses, and the front flap can be opened up to display a window for us to see the contents, along with some description of Lara Croft for us. The inside of the box is rather plain, but one interesting thing is that the instructions are printed on the sides of the inner backing of the box. To my surprise, the figure also comes with a display stand, which I was unaware of.

Paint: 9/10
The paint is pretty good! I could not find any faults in the paint job. It's nice that the exposed parts of Lara (ie. the hands, face) have "dirt" on them, not enough to make her look horrible, but just enough to show that she was in the wild for some time. Definitely better than leaving her spotless and clean. My only minor complaint is the black marks under her eyes, that seems slightly off to me. It could be just me though.

Articulation 8/10
The articulation for this figure, despite it being so huge, is good! 

• Head swivel
• Ponytail joint
• Neck pivot
• Shoulder joints
• Bicep Swivels
• double-jointed elbows
• Wrist joints
• upper torso joint
• Hinge joints between the hips and legs
• Upper thigh swivel
• double-jointed knees
• Ankle joints/pivot

The plastic material used for the clothes provides slightly more range of motion for Lara, which is always welcomed. I wish the head can look up and down a bit more though. When moving the neck, you can actually see a gap between the neck and the body when you look from above, which can be unsightly. Also, my figure's left knee joint is slightly loose when straightened, and the upper thigh swivel joint seems to come out a bit rather easily. It is not bad enough to make me hate the figure.

Detailing 9/10

I have to admit, the detailing is really impressive! The earrings, the boots, the attire... everything about Lara is very well-detailed! Even her accessories, like the pickaxe, are detailed nicely. You can see the necklace around Lara's neck, although you may need to look from a higher angle in order to notice it. Her face is quite nice too! Not 100% accurate to the game, but nice enough without deviating too much to being an anime look.

Fun Factor 10/10

This is where Lara shines. I do not own the Lara Croft from the first Tomb Raider (2013) game, but I noticed that the previous figure came with 1 climbing axe among the accessories. Playing the game, I notice Lara Croft having 2 climbing axes this time, and I'm pleased that PAK do give us 2 axes. They also give a revolver and survival knife, along with some arrows and a recurve(?) bow. I'm glad that PAK went with an elastic string for teh bowstring, instead of a hard plastic they used in the earlier figure. Definitely allows for more poses of Lara pulling back the bow! The alternate hands are more than the previous version of Lara, too. We get 2 open grip hands for the knife/axes, a hand for the pistol, a hand to hold the bow, and lastly a hand that has an arrow attached to it. I think the last hand is really cool to have, and I'm glad PAK included that inside. I saw reviews of the previous Lara Croft figure where the arrow is separate; I prefer this version as putting the arrow nicely on the hand may be a huge hassle. The accessories are plenty, allowing many fun poses. They attach onto Lara Croft just fine, although the bow might hinder posing a bit due to its size. My only issue about the bow is the peg near the handle, which is used to attach the bow to Lara's back. The peg is quite huge, and can be rather unsightly when you pose Lara holding the bow. Hiding it from a shot would require you to play with angles. 

So do I recommend this figure? I don't collect many PAK figures, so I'm unsure if this figure is considered pricey. But if you're a Tomb Raider fan like me, and love to collect action figures, I'd strongly recommend this figure to you! I have read about how PAK figures tend to have numerous quality control issues, but I have not faced any with my Lara Croft so far. The only two things I can think of are the slightly loose left knee joint when the leg is straightened, along with the left thigh swivel that seems to come out a bit. Apart from that, this figure has proven to be an awesome set! 

(GTP Toys) Space Walls 9pc Deluxe Set Review

In a nutshell,
Paint: 9/10
Articulation 0/10
Detailing 8/10
Scale 10/10
Fun Factor 8/10

In this review, we will take a look at the 9pc Deluxe set of Space Walls by GTP (Galactic Trading Post) Toys! It is quite obvious that these walls are meant to be for Star Wars figures; Hasbro Black Series figures to be precise. These walls serve as a diorama base off the the interior design of the Death Star from the original Star Wars trilogy, as most hardcore Star Wars fan would point out to you. I was hesitant to purchase these at first, due to the price, but after reading numerous reviews and seeing many beautiful toy photos taken using this diorama, I just had to give them a shot.

The Space Walls come in a box, which is also the box they deliver your diorama in. So for me, the box came in by mail a bit dirty and damaged, so keeping the box for storage/keepsake was out of the question. Slight bummer there. When you open the box you, you can see the 9 pieces arranged nicely inside, protected by foam pieces. The 9 pieces are (from left to right):

• LED (Light Emitting Display) panels x2
• MCS (Maintenance Control System) panels x3
• ORS (Oxygen Return System) panels x2
• OIS (Oxygen Intake System) panels x2

My ORS panel is upside-down; I apologize for that. Apart from the pieces, we get a set of instructions and a sheet of transparent panel fasteners. The instructions tells us how to "light up" the LED panels, while teasing us with upcoming products: the Death Star blast doors and control panel 2-packs (which includes door control decals).

Paint: 8/10
These diorama pieces are rather plain, so little paint is needed. The pieces are basically grey throughout, but at least there isn't any issues with the paint job I can pick out, so I give it a high rating. A bit too simple to really go wrong anywhere. Would be nice if we had small panels painted on the walls, like small buttons and switches of varying colors. That would have made the walls more interesting.


Articulation 0/10
N.A.

Detailing 8/10
When you look at each panel, they are nicely detailed. Nothing too fanciful, but close to the original Death Star Wars. Some may argue that the ORS and OIS panels are very similar, and feel that the designers were just being lazy. I like the designs, especially the LED one, but personally would not mind if a bit more details were added to differentiate the ORS and OIS panels more.

Scale 10/10
The scale is perfect. Really. For 6" Black Series figures at least, since it was what GTP Toys was aiming for. Other brands like S.H.Figuarts might scale well with the walls, depending on how much taller/shorter they are compared to the 6" Black Series.

Fun Factor 8/10
The fun factor is mainly for Star Wars toy collectors. If you want to use your Marvel Legends or DC Collectibles with these walls, I cannot promise you a world of fun. But if you love Star Wars, and want to recreate scenes on the Death Star (or create your own scenes), these walls will be fun to have. I especially like the LED panels, which you can put a light source behind to "illuminate" them! Really makes it feel like the interior of the Death Star. All you need is a black, reflective flooring and the set up is complete! With a total of 9 pieces, you can easily make various wall arrangements for different kind of scenarios.

One thing I would like to point out is the crosshatch design on the back of the panels (except for LED panels). It makes the panels feel more sturdy and less susceptible to indentation, while also preventing them from warping. At least I know that these walls will last for a long time.

Showering these space walls with praises, I do have 1 major gripe involving the balance of the pieces. You would need a really flat surface to stand them, and even then some pieces might topple. That frustrates me a little, but it is something that can easily be worked around. Also, I decided not to use the fasteners provided, as such stickers do not seem to be able to last long-term. Instead, I use binder clips, which I learnt from other reviews of these space walls, to secure the panels together and that works out just fine!

"Who turned out the lights?"

Would I recommend this set? Yes, but only if you are willing to spend on it. It cost me USD$95 for the walls and USD$25 for the shipping, totaling to an estimate of SGD$180 for me. Hefty sum for 9 pieces of wall. If I request for a commission for a diorama, the price would definitely reach close to this price, considering I would want accuracy and quality. So by topping up a bit, I can get plastic panels that are durable and accurate. Also, I barely have time to take photos, let alone make dioramas. And my diorama-making skills are at the beginners level, so I could not do such a beautiful diorama.

As a toy photographer and Star Wars (TFA) fan, I definitely think these walls are a worthy purchase. Interested in space walls but hoping for a cheaper option? GTP Toys have announced a 2-panel pack to be released in the near future, so you may want to get that. Definitely will be cheaper than a 9-panel pack, although I think shipping is the one that makes the price look so damn high!


Interested to buy the 9pc Deluxe Set? Click here! Limited stock, so don't wait too long!

(TakaraTOMY) Transformers Masterpiece MP-27 Ironhide Review

In a nutshell,
Paint: 10/10
Articulation 9/10
Detailing 10/10
Transformation 10/10
Scale 10/10
Fun Factor 10/10

In this review, we will take a look at TakaraTOMY's Transformers Masterpiece MP-27 Ironhide! I held back on buying any 3P Ironhide, waiting for TakaraTOMY to provide us with one. Same for Ratchet (who I already pre-ordered) and Jazz (keeping my fingers crossed). When I first saw the preview photos, there were a lot of complaints about Ironhide's side panels at his hips while in Robot Mode. I also felt a bit sad about that, as the cartoon version never had such things on him, making him slightly less accurate. This, however, was long forgotten once I took this figure out and fiddled with him!

Ironhide comes in the standard Masterpiece packaging, the box being slightly larger than that of Prowl/Wheeljack/Tracks. The format is also similar, with robot mode and car mode photos in front, and description and photos at the back. Being a weapon specialist, Ironhide comes with tons of accessories, mainly weapons. What is interesting is that they give Ironhide an alternate face, something we have not seen much since Bumblebee! This is definitely a good add-on! Like all Masterpiece figures, Ironhide comes with a collector card.

Paint: 10/10
The paint job on this figure is excellent. I really love the red they used for this figure, and there is no bleeding at all. Ironhide's face came out clean, and the Autobots insignia is nicely done on his chest. I really cannot find any fault with the paint work at all.

Articulation 9/10

• Head swivel
• Neck pivot
• Shoulder joints (ratchet joints)
• Bicep Swivels
• Single-jointed elbows
• Wrist joints
• fingers joints (the 4 fingers are molded together)
• Waist joint
• Hinge joints between the hips and legs
• *"skirt" flaps
• Upper thigh swivel
• knee swivel
• single-jointed knees
• Ankle joints/pivot

*these are more to facilitate better articulation

This figure is pretty articulated, which is good. I feared that the transformation process or accuracy of the figure would require sacrificing some articulation; I had nothing to worry about. This figure boasts a huge amount of articulation for a Transformers figure. It is interesting to have the "skirt" flaps (for lack of a better phrasing), as they allow you to raise Ironhide's legs even higher! The shoulder joints are using ratchet joints, which are good such that the joints will get worn out slower, but it hinders articulation a bit. Because of those joints, having Ironhide's arms rest horizontally downwards at his sides is a bit hard to achieve. That, however, is a minor gripe, and not a major issue.The vehicle mode has no articulation, unless you count the wheels that can roll around.

Detailing 10/10
The detailing on this figure is almost perfect. I really love the accuracy of Ironhide's face. In both modes, Ironhide looks almost identical to his G1 counterpart, albeit the side panels at his hips.


Transformation 10/10
Because this is a Transformers figure, I thought it would be nice to talk about the transformation too! And wow, the transformation is amazing! When I rate transformation, I look at how complex the transformation is, and how well the process is with the figure still looking accurate in both modes. What impresses me about this figure is how that red van, which is shorter than Prowl/Wheeljack/Tracks in vehicle mode, transform into the towering Ironhide that is taller than most of those mentioned Autobots. That really impressed me. The transformation process is ingenious, and not too difficult. There were no parts where I felt risky doing (for fear of breaking a part), nor steps that I found too difficult to comprehend. I really enjoy transforming this guy!

Scale 10/10
In terms of scale, this guy fits in with the Masterpiece series perfectly in both modes! I did not take photo of a scale comparison for vehicle mode as I was lazy to transform all the other Autobots into cars, so I only did a comparison shot in robot mode!

Fun Factor 10/10
This is where Ironhide shines the most! He has tons of accessories and interchangeable faces! How cool is that? Ironhide comes with a platform to hold his whole array of accessories, even the jet flames effect pieces and his alternate face! Ironhide comes with these accessories:

• a shouting face
  
• Utility sensor+monitor card for his chest
  
  
  
  
• missile launcher
  
• jet thruster + detachable jet flames
  
  
  
  
• liquid shooter (both barrels and nozzles)
  
• 'liquid shooter fingers' hands
  
• static laser gun
  
• laser pistols
  
  
  

  

  Storage in vehicle mode

  
  
  

So do I recommend this figure? Definitely! Especially if you are a Masterpiece series/G1 team collector! Ironhide is definitely a great addition to your team, and looks (to me) to be the MP-scale Ironhide to get! With that, thank you for reading and hope this review gives you a better insight of the figure!