October Hauls!

[BWprowl]

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax arrived from Amazon at the end of last week. I’m amazed at how substantial this update feels, it’s practically a sequel. Some stuff falls flat, like the ability to play as the Shadow versions of characters which is apparently just an aesthetic flourish, but all the refinements they made to the gameplay, the sheer number of new characters they added (eight new ones, with more on the way) and all the visual updates and additional content like story and music and so forth is very welcome. And the game still plays great (in fact it feels smoother and more responsive than the first Arena, especially where the Persona attacks are concerned). Now I just need to finish Persona 3 so I can get through that story properly. As far as extras, the inflatable Teddie bop bag is cute, but I’m rather disappointed with how cheap and flimsy the included tarot cards are, especially given that that was one of the motivating factors to pre-order this. At least there are other, cooler-looking extras coming with Persona Q, didn’t expect the cards to be such a write-off.

Also got a delivery from AmiAmi that *didn’t* include any toys, amazingly enough: Just a big box of Symphogear crap! All seven cute keychains of the characters from the series, plus two mugs, and the main event: The Symphogear G Key Animation Note + more, a big artbook showing the processes and conceptual storyboards for large portions of the series, including the intro and outro animations, the final battle designs, and some specific scenes in the show. Very big, informative book, and the linework looks really nice isolated like this, cool to see. Was pretty much a required buy for a Symphogear whore like me, can’t wait for the third season next year (this book also includes a short manga that apparently has some preliminary information about that, but as it’s all in Japanese I, uh, can’t read it).

[138 Scourge]

I went out and bought a toy with an incredibly dumb name! Yeah, it's Goldfire! See, he got all jacked up in the comic, and his face was all beat to hell, so Fixit got some Goldfire shielding and now he has a new name! In a related story, I cut the top of my head shaving so now I'm going to be called myself Band-Aid.

Despite the dumb new name and comics in here, I think Goldbug is a pretty keen toy. More thoughts on it over in the review thread.

[JediTricks]

Generations Waspinator - FINALLY. Good, a few flaws in each mode but overall pretty satisfying.

Generations Tankor - Target Cartwheel had 30% off so I suckered myself into getting this for $10.50, and it's barely worth that. There isn't a single aspect about this figure that's not Happy Meal quality except size.

SW 6-inch Luke Jedi - The biggest drawback is the eyes, painted so big and cheap and lazily, they seem like an anime cartoon character. Other than that, standard 6" Hasbro SW figure with all the good and bad that comes with it, pretty simple but conveys the character.

[BWprowl]

Generations Tankor - Target Cartwheel had 30% off so I suckered myself into getting this for $10.50, and it's barely worth that. There isn't a single aspect about this figure that's not Happy Meal quality except size.

Details? I've seen Happy Meal toys, and they don't have the amount of articulation, paint apps, molded details, or transformation complexity that this figure has. It's hardly an earth-shatteringly great figure, but it is a competent representation of cartoon Tankorr at Deluxe size, I was satisfied with it. Just ditch that crummy missile. I probably liked it more than Waspinator up there, which just infuriated me.

[JediTricks]

Generations Tankor - Target Cartwheel had 30% off so I suckered myself into getting this for $10.50, and it's barely worth that. There isn't a single aspect about this figure that's not Happy Meal quality except size.

Details? I've seen Happy Meal toys, and they don't have the amount of articulation, paint apps, molded details, or transformation complexity that this figure has. It's hardly an earth-shatteringly great figure, but it is a competent representation of cartoon Tankorr at Deluxe size, I was satisfied with it. Just ditch that crummy missile. I probably liked it more than Waspinator up there, which just infuriated me.

Size is shorter than the shortest deluxe in the line, it's not that much bigger than the Tank Drone BM figure.
Robot mode has a hollow chest from the side.
Deco has fair paint, but base plastic color is cheap, milky, slightly-translucent teal.
Transformation: embarrassing.
Weapon not only doesn't function as a marble-missile shooter properly, but has the cheapest 2-panel construction possible, it looks like total crap. This makes a cheap sacrifice for a gimmick that doesn't even work. Oh, and the missile sticks out instead of integrating in any pleasing way.
Vehicle mode is nothing, it's just a pile of shit roughly organized into another configuration than robot mode, it's hideous with proportions that not only aren't accurate but don't look good as anything, and is gappy and sloppy even worse from the side.

[Shockwave]

Generations Tankor - Target Cartwheel had 30% off so I suckered myself into getting this for $10.50, and it's barely worth that. There isn't a single aspect about this figure that's not Happy Meal quality except size.

Details? I've seen Happy Meal toys, and they don't have the amount of articulation, paint apps, molded details, or transformation complexity that this figure has. It's hardly an earth-shatteringly great figure, but it is a competent representation of cartoon Tankorr at Deluxe size, I was satisfied with it. Just ditch that crummy missile. I probably liked it more than Waspinator up there, which just infuriated me.

What was wrong with Waspinator? (I'm genuinely curious since, like Jetfire, that was a figure I've been looking for and well... you did just talk me out of leader Jetfire).

[BWprowl]

What was wrong with Waspinator? (I'm genuinely curious since, like Jetfire, that was a figure I've been looking for and well... you did just talk me out of leader Jetfire).

Stupid head visible through gaps in the back in beast mode, wing-chopping gimmick that cripples the articulation of the wings in both mode, fake kibble on the knees in robot mode, weird static chest-panel that's only there because the panel was a detail on the show model, which had it because it was a functional, opening panel on the original toy. The whole thing is a shameless slave to details from the cartoon model, without actually understanding or acknowledging why those details were there in the first place. It's also got those sculpted-open hands that I personally don't like because they look cruddy holding the gun.

[Shockwave]

What was wrong with Waspinator? (I'm genuinely curious since, like Jetfire, that was a figure I've been looking for and well... you did just talk me out of leader Jetfire).

Stupid head visible through gaps in the back in beast mode, wing-chopping gimmick that cripples the articulation of the wings in both mode, fake kibble on the knees in robot mode, weird static chest-panel that's only there because the panel was a detail on the show model, which had it because it was a functional, opening panel on the original toy. The whole thing is a shameless slave to details from the cartoon model, without actually understanding or acknowledging why those details were there in the first place. It's also got those sculpted-open hands that I personally don't like because they look cruddy holding the gun.

Jesus, I'm starting to be glad I can't even afford these things at the moment. Well, since you're on a roll, what other shitty toys should I avoid?

[BWprowl]

Jesus, I'm starting to be glad I can't even afford these things at the moment. Well, since you're on a roll, what other shitty toys should I avoid?

Well, I would urge you to seek out comparative reviews and pictures of toys you're interested in in general, rather than just relying on the rantings of a frustrated fanboy like myself to steer you to or away from plastic totems. Everything's subjective, and what works for one person might not work for others, and if you want to, you can always find a pile of negative things to say about something other people think is great. Cases in point: While Generations Waspinator makes me crazy, JT apparently thinks it's alright, while meanwhile I think Tankorr is a fine little toy, while he apparently would rather have a root canal than handle it. I think the new Roadbuster is pretty awesome, he thinks it's a monument to sin made from feces and children's tears. Look at them, check them out for yourself, and make your choice on whether you want to own them based on if they look like they cater to your preferences and priorities.

Though as a rule, if you need to be 'talked into' a toy rather than wanting it the instant you see it or check it out, you probably don't want it badly enough to worry so much about.

[Onslaught Six]

First off, allow me to apologise for my absence. I recently started a new job stocking at Walmart, 3rd shift, which is playing hell with my sleeping patterns. Plus, we've been gearing up for the new Reapers album. But I'm getting money, which allows me to finally pay my rent and buy Things:

-Injustice: Gods Among Us, on sale on XBox Live for $7 and change. It's a DC fighting game that plays (mostly) like Mortal Kombat. Biggest complaint is that it uses Street Fighter-style "hold back to block" bullshit rather than a dedicated block button, and the B button isn't another attack but some kind of temporary powerup...thing. Still, it's fun enough for what it is, you're not playing this kind of thing for deep involved mechanics, you're playing it because it's a DC fighting game that plays like MK. The story so far is alright. Some of the voice acting sucks and there are some strange choices that I don't think necessarily match the characters, or sometimes seem like voice actors doing impressions of other voice actors--I was fairly convinced that Troy Baker's Sinestro was, in fact, Cam Clarke doing his old hammy Liquid Snake voice, and Clancy Brown had taken up the Joker when it's really Richard Epcar (best known as Batou from GITS). Just a strange, strange cast, really, with some of it making bits of sense and others...not so much. Glad Phil Lamaar could come back and do John Stewart, even if he's just a skin you can use in the versus mode. (And I thought Kevin Conroy said he was done being Batman?) But for $7 it's hard to complain too much.
-DOTM Skyhammer, found at Goodwill for a measley dollar. I wanted Skyhammer a bunch but he's always been very expensive on the aftermarket and I never wanted to pull the trigger when he was in stores. This example is missing his Mechtech gun and three of his helicopter blades, but is otherwise intact and in good condition. Hard to argue with that for a dollar. It turns out, I wasn't missing very much in the first place; his legs are wonky with too many articulation points and too much shit hanging off them in inconvenient or bad-looking places. Oh well!
-AOE Slash. Still trying to complete my onscreen Dinobots, but the stores around here aren't making it easy. It doesn't help that Slash looks like he's the worst of the bunch. I haven't opened him yet, so we'll see. I do like his dino mode already, which is probably what he'll stay in.

I also got Tankorr a few weeks back and, much like JT, was vastly disappointed in him. I wish that I returned toys, but I don't out of principle; this is one of the few that I would actually probably return. Might shuffle him off to eBay soon, or put him up on the boards, I dunno.