June Hauls!

[138 Scourge]

Oh man. Been awhile since I got to start one of these.

After making a bunch of extra trips to different Wal-Marts, Targets, and TrUs in my area, I finally found a Springer. While I was pretty sure i was gonna buy one of those, i sort of surprised myself by saying "Screw it, getting this, too" and grabbing a Blitzwing.

I've really cut way down on my toy collectinf lately, butbapparently Generations is still kind of my weakness.

Once i actually open Blitzwing up I'll have thoughts on that one. But having fiddled with Springer, dang you guyd, Springer is pretty great. I think the last Transformer i bought that was this good was...DotM Skyhammer, maybe?

[JediTricks]

Springer - Very cool in a lot of ways, although the car mode could have better tolerances too leading to panels that only sort of look like they are going where they should have been locked in. Only thing really holding back the robot mode is a lack of tilting feet. A few pins not tapped in enough and some flash on the spoiler pieces, but otherwise quite decent. Big gun would be cool if the projectiles had sat in the barrels instead of dangling a millimeter in front of them, but the sword is nice and becomes a crazy huge bayonet on the gun.

Blitzwing - Too ambitious of a design leads to a lot of floppy, confusing parts and elements that don't look their best (the arms just sitting on top of jet mode is a lazy design), stuff that doesn't hold together as well as it should, and stuff that wasted budget like the opening canopy or the spring-loaded head. At the same time, there's something charming and fun about the jet mode and the tank isn't as bad as expected (although locking the barrel from elevating is odd when the design clearly would otherwise have allowed it), and both modes get better the more you transform them and get pieces tabbed into place properly so it holds together better. The tank's rear end can essentially be covered over by the robot feet with minimal gaps. Robot mode looks decent, takes a lot of cues from the G1 version without forgetting the Animated version, it towers over FOC Starscream, and articulation is decent; unfortunately, the infamous shoulders damn it, they simply don't lock in as everybody else said, and it's entirely the design's fault. Weapons are nice enough. I like this figure more than I should, because it's got a lot of charm and a few huge frustrations.

Samsung Galaxy S4 on Verizon - moved to Verizon after Sprint simply failed for years to deliver consistent quality service, I need to not have every goddamned call dropped or missed. Phone is very light and big, lightning fast and a ton of features. Also a number of little headaches with weird stuff, but that's how it goes, 2 steps forward, 1 step back. Still an amazing phone with an amazing set of tools and features.

[andersonh1]

Today's haul - Doctor Who season 7, part 2. The only problem with buying these seasons in halves is that the Christmas episode isn't included. Looking forward to getting caught up on the most recent episodes.

[Shockwave]

BH Voyager Shockwave. Finally found one yesterday at Sac-con (a small con here is Sacramento). After transforming it twice, I finally figured out the total transformation to vehicle mode. Not that it made it look any better. I can't help thinking this figure would be better with slightly wider hips. It also could do without the spinny firey weapon gimmick or at least it should have an option to lock the barrel in place. Robot mode looks pretty solid, only complaint there is that the gun arm only has any sort of articulation if it's turned to the side, but that's a minor thing and certainly not a deal breaker for me. Over all I'm pretty happy with it and I think it will look good displayed with my other Decepticons.

[JediTricks]

BH Voyager Shockwave. Finally found one yesterday at Sac-con (a small con here is Sacramento). After transforming it twice, I finally figured out the total transformation to vehicle mode. Not that it made it look any better. I can't help thinking this figure would be better with slightly wider hips. It also could do without the spinny firey weapon gimmick or at least it should have an option to lock the barrel in place. Robot mode looks pretty solid, only complaint there is that the gun arm only has any sort of articulation if it's turned to the side, but that's a minor thing and certainly not a deal breaker for me. Over all I'm pretty happy with it and I think it will look good displayed with my other Decepticons.

Glad to hear you got one at a convention.

Definitely wider hips, yes, and with better ratchets at them too. I think without the spinny weapon, there wouldn't really be enough appeal to this figure, he'd be pretty boring between his "uh, whatever" alt mode and no gimmick arm, one or the other has to be there and Hasbro chose the kid-safe one.

[138 Scourge]

Big day of things I like:

Stephen King's new book came out today, so I had to grab that.
Portugal. The Man's new album came out, so I had to pick that up.
And sonofabitch! There was a new Queens of the Stone Age record out today, too. Scored.

Man, books and music are really cheap these days. All that cost me less than a decent bottle of whiskey

[BWprowl]

Marvel Legends ‘Scarlet Spider’ – Despite the name on the box, this is actually Spider-Man, the Ben Reilly version of the costume, to be specific. Recent comic reading is making me dangerously close to being a Spider-Man fan, so I impulsively sprung for the Marvel Legends version of my favorite Spidey costume variation, made by Hasbro many years back. It seems we’re never getting a 4in/Marvel Universe scale version of this costume that doesn’t suck, and I like the 6inch-scale better anyway, feels more substantial, easier to handle. The toy’s fine, could use some ankle rockers and toe joints, and I wouldn’t complain about more hand options than one in a fist and the other eternally web-slinging (I’m always somewhat annoyed when Spider-Man toys do that), but it’s a fine figure of ‘my’ Spider-Man, generally. I’ve got the upcoming Marvel Legends figure of the modern Kaine Scarlet Spider on preorder at BBTS, and I want to see about tracking down a ‘regular’ Marvel Legends Spider-Man at some point too. Maybe a classic Sweater Spider as well. Plus I’m hoping they’ll roll out a Superior Spider-Man eventually. Stupid collector impulses.

[Dominic]

I would prefer to get good figures in the 4 inch scale over-all. They are not only cheaper, but they take up less space and it is possible to get more characters on to a shelf.

But, given how rarely Marvel/Hasbro manages to impress me nowadays (they made me fucking skip Hyperion dammit), I will take 6 inch figures if that is all that there is.


My recent hauls:

I grabbed another 6 inch Classic Iron Man. The figure makes for a lousy MKII or MKIII suited Tony. But, it appeals to me to have both the MKII/III and the MKIV next to each other. And, I can use the extra MKIV helmet to make either a "nose" variant or a half-assed stealth suit Tony. (And, if I actually follow through on that Titanium Man I have been considering, I am one step closer to having a spare Iron Monger to start from.)


And, while at the library yesterday, I found a 4GB jump drive. I left it on a table near (less than a few feet) from where I found it, prominently displayed. I did not touch it or claim it for over 4 hours. Nobody came looking for it. It is now mine, and it will be a practice fornesics project. (I am studying for the A+, but I want to maintain for mad and bad ass forensics skills)


Dom
-not likely to do much customizing in the near future actually.

[BWprowl]

I would prefer to get good figures in the 4 inch scale over-all. They are not only cheaper, but they take up less space and it is possible to get more characters on to a shelf.

Is this why people prefer 4-inch? I know, for instance, that Six loathes 6-inch toys for reasons I'm not clear on, but I've always preferred them, myself. They're easier to handle, feel more substantial, and I don't have to squint to appreciate any details they may have.

But, given how rarely Marvel/Hasbro manages to impress me nowadays (they made me fucking skip Hyperion dammit), I will take 6 inch figures if that is all that there is.

I still say that a couple millimeters of space between two pieces of soft plastic that you could easily glue down if you wanted to was the most insanely OCD reason to skip an otherwise fine toy. But hey, you're going looking for reasons to get out of toys, you clearly want to, I've got no reason stop you.

And, while at the library yesterday, I found a 4GB jump drive. I left it on a table near (less than a few feet) from where I found it, prominently displayed. I did not touch it or claim it for over 4 hours. Nobody came looking for it. It is now mine, and it will be a practice fornesics project. (I am studying for the A+, but I want to maintain for mad and bad ass forensics skills)

So was there anything cool on it?

[Shockwave]

For me it depends on the toy line. Star Wars and GI Joe have both done well in 4" while most comic book/superhero and He-Man have done well in 6 inch. For me it's more a matter of consistency. I can't very well put together a comic strip with Kratos fighting his way through the Terrordrome without some massive editing since they're different sized figures. But if everything is in the same scale it makes it easier.