Tag Archives: Minimates

#0360: Iceman, Bobby Drake, & Sentinel(s)

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

ICEMAN, BOBBY DRAKE, & SENTINEL(S)

MARVEL MINIMATES

Of all the original X-Men, Bobby Drake, aka Iceman, is probably the most straight forward. It’s all there in the name. He’s a guy who does stuff with ice. That’s pretty simple. Interestingly enough, he was also one of the first X-Men to make it big, thanks to his role as one of the titular friends in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. He’s often looked at as rather goofy, but he’s actually got one of the more impressive power sets on the team. Anyway, Bobby has distinctive looks for his powered up and powered down forms, and it’s rare to see the powered down form in the toy world. Diamond is using their recent All-New X-Men themed wave to break convention and give us both versions of him, as well as one of those wacky, purple, mutant-hunting robots, the Sentinels.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

These figures were released in Series 59 of Marvel Minimates. Each of the Icemen was packed with a Sentinel, with the iced-up version being the more plentiful version and Bobby Drake being the one-per-case variant for this series.

ICEMAN

Iceman pretty much breaks even on the whole “All-New” thing. Bobby really hasn’t had much happen to him since the early days of the X-Men, so his character has remained relatively the same. Still, you can’t bring all but one of the original X-Men forward in time; they’re kind of a package deal. Iceman is about 2 ½ inches tall and he’s got 14 points of articulation. He’s in his iced-up form, but you can make out most of his Immomen-designed costume. Iceman is a “vanilla ‘mate,” which means he’s built out of the standard Minimate body with no other add-ons. It’s not really a surprise, since that’s in line with the design. This means the figure is entirely reliant on the paint. The good thing here is that Iceman easily has the cleanest paintwork in the series. He’s molded in solid white plastic, which is a departure from the usual semi-transparent plastic we’ve seen on previous figures. I think I like it better because the detail lines stand out much better. The detail work is really great, with all the proper line work for his uniform, as well as some additional texturing to really sell the ice look. Iceman includes an ice blast, an ice sled, and a clear display stand. Both of the ice structures are new to this figure, and they look really great, sculpt wise. The ice sled is a piece I’ve been waiting to see for quite some time now.  However, the pieces are a little bit yellowed, which doesn’t seem right.

BOBBY DRAKE

Ah, yes, the illusive Bobby Drake. So, this is what Iceman looks like powered down. How about that? Like his icy incarnation, Bobby is about 2 ½ inches tall and features 14 points of articulation. He’s completely powered down, allowing you to see his All-New X-Men uniform in full detail. Bobby makes use of the standard Minimate body with one sculpted addition: his hair. Now, here’s where things get interesting. Bobby’s hair is a re-use of the T2 Kyle Reese’s hair, but that’s not what’s in the pictures. Somehow, my Bobby ended up with a different piece. This one is from T2’s young John Connor. I’m not sure how it happened, but there it is. Both pieces are respectable hair pieces, though neither one is a direct match for Bobby’s hair in the comics. If I’m honest, I probably prefer the hair I got, so I don’t mind the mix-up. Bobby’s paint is pretty well done. It’s not as clean as Iceman’s, but it’s a bit more complex, so there’s that. The initial prototype for this figure was missing the black details on the shoulders, due to Bobby’s comic design being changed before print, but DST managed to get it fixed before the figures saw release. The coolest thing about Bobby is that the detail’s line up perfectly between him and Iceman, very nicely conveying that they are one and the same. Bobby includes an ice blast, a chunk of ice that a figure can be placed in, and a clear display stand. The ice blast is shared with the main Iceman, and the chunk of ice was originally seen with the Frozen Captain America from the CA: TTA set.  They too seem a bit yellowed, which is a shame.

SENTINEL(S)

The final figures in the set are the Sentinels. This marks the fourth version of the Sentinel in the line (not counting Nimrod, since he’s kind of a different thing). The Sentinel is a little over 2 ½ inches tall and sports 12 points of articulation. As is a common issue with the Sentinels in this line, he’s woefully out of scale, but that’s just a thing everyone has to live with. The Sentinel is a hybrid of multiple designs, with a leaning towards classic. The figure makes use of the basic Minimate body with sculpted add-ons for the helmet, upper torso, waist, gloves, and boots. The parts on this figure are 100% re-use. The helmet is from the Marvel vs Capcom 3 Sentinel, the hands are from the TRU exclusive Omega Red, the torso cover is from the TRU exclusive Extremis Iron Man, and the waist and boots are from the TRU Exclusive Box. These pieces are pretty well chosen, though the upper torso is just a bit too distinctive to Iron Man. The changed colors mean this isn’t too noticeable, but it’s there. The paint on the Sentinel is pretty good overall. The base colors are a bit more drab than what we saw on the DoFP Sentinel, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There’s a bit of slop on one of my Sentinels’ torso pieces, but nothing too distracting. The torso and waist feature full detailing, allowing you to remove the covers and display the Sentinel in a classic set-up if you so choose. The Sentinel includes two tendrils (courtesy of Omega Red), a blast off base (previously used on the Marvel vs Capcom 3 MODOK), and a clear display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Iceman and his corresponding Sentinel were purchased from my local comicbook store, Cosmic Comix, just like the other two sets. However, my store had already sold Bobby, so I had to order him through the always reliable Luke’s Toy Store. Iceman is the real star here, but Bobby and the Sentinel are still respectable ‘mates in their own right. Bobby is just slightly off from the source material (which is true even with the right hairpiece), and the Sentinel’s only real fault is that I don’t personally like it as much as the recent DOFP Sentinel. Still, this is a good set of figures, and the series as a whole is really a lot of fun.

#0359: Angel & Beast

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

ANGEL & BEAST

MARVEL MINIMATES

It there’s one thing the X-Men are good at, it’s costume changes. As a team, they have to have the highest turnover rate in uniforms of any team in comics. Another thing that X-Men are big on is alternate versions of established team members running around. Combine those two, and you have a dynamite pitch for selling lots of toys of the same characters. This seems to be the case with the line-up of All-New X-Men, which has brought early versions of the original X-Men to the present, and given them a new set of threads along the way. Yesterday, I looked at Cyclops and Marvel Girl; today, I’ll be looking at Angel and Beast, both in their “pre-blue” forms.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Angel and Beast are a two-pack from Series 59 of Marvel Minimates, which is based on the designs of the team as seen in recent issues of All-New X-Men.

ANGEL

Angel is a character that has kind of broken even on the whole “previous version” thing. The old Angel has certainly gone through his fair share of stuff, but his thing is mostly ping-ponging between being classic Angel and Archangel. I guess it’s not terrible to have a pre-ping-ponging version running around. The figure is about 2 ½ inches in height and he features 16 points of articulation, thanks to the wings. He’s based on All-New Angel’s second costume, which is a variant of the base costume everyone else got. His is accented with red, which serves as a nice callback to his Champions and X-Factor costumes. The figure features the basic Minimate body, with add-ons for his wings and hair. The wings are the same three-part piece we’ve seen on previous versions of Angel, and the hair was first used on Lost in Space’s Doctor Smith. The hair offers a nice “rich-boy” look, and the wings are a very definite case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Angel’s paint is generally a lot cleaner than what we saw in the Cyclops/Marvel Girl set. There are still a few sloppy areas with the base paint, but overall everything is pretty clean. I think the face looks perhaps a little too old for a younger Angel, but that’s really a personal thing. Angel includes a flight stand and a clear display stand.

BEAST

Beast seems like the one time-shifted X-Man who might work pretty well in conjunction with his modern day counterpart, but not as a replacement. They haven’t really screwed Beast up too bad, and most people like the few changes they’ve made to the character. Still, this reset version does serve as a pretty good counter point. Beast is a little over 2 ½ inches tall and features 12 points of articulation. Like the others in this series, Beast is in his second, Immomen-designed costume. Honestly, Beast’s is probably my least favorite of the five. The brown accents seem odd, almost like he got them because all the other colors were taken by the rest of the team. The brown/yellow, coupled with the goggles, kind of makes him look more like X-Men foe Mimic than Beast. Beast is built from the basic Minimate body, with add-ons to bulk up his torso, waist, shoulders, hands, thighs, and feet, as well as a goggle/hair combo. The hair and goggles piece is new, and it looks pretty spot in to what’s seen in the comic. The bulk up pieces have been seen on the Avengers movie Hulk (hands and feet), GotG’s Drax (torso), and countless other figures (everything else). I’m not sure I’m a fan of Beast being this bulky, but that’s gonna vary from person to person. Overall, Beast’s paintwork is pretty good. Mostly, the lines are clean. However, there is a random bit of brown paint on his goggles that very definitely shouldn’t be there. Beast includes a spare head/hair (with hair from Universal Monsters’ Henry Frankenstein) and a clear display stand. The extra head features a pair of glasses and a more reserved facial expression for Hank.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like Cyclops and Marvel Girl, Angel and Beast were picked up from my local comic book store Cosmic Comix. I hadn’t initially intended to get these two, but I wanted Cyclops and I liked the Icemen, so I figured I might as well complete the team. I still think this is the weakest set in the series, but they aren’t bad. Perhaps if Beast had costume detailing under the bulked up pieces, I’d enjoy him more, but I can’t fault Diamond for going that route. All in all, this set is good, but not great.

#0358: Cyclops & Marvel Girl

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

CYCLOPS & MARVEL GIRL

MARVEL MINIMATES

The X-Men may not be the merchandise powerhouse they once were, but they still maintain a decent hold on the market. One of the things that makes old fans of the series love the team while simultaneously scaring away new fans is the sheer level of backstory involved. In an effort to help make the team a bit more approachable, Marvel has done an interesting move: they brought back the original X-Men. Yeah, the founding five have been brought forward in time, allowing for the series to present them in a more innocent, less complicated form. Diamond has decided to base their most recent series of Marvel Minimates on this incarnation of the team. Today, I’ll be looking at Cyclops and Marvel Girl.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Cyclops and Marvel Girl were released as a two-pack in Series 59 of Marvel Minimates, which is based on the team as they’ve appeared in recent issues of All-New X-Men.

CYCLOPS

Perhaps the character to benefit the most from a “continuity reset” is the team’s leader Cyclops. Cyclops is a character who writers don’t really seem to know what to do with, resulting in a lot of questionable things being done with him in the last 20-30 years. Recently, a lot of those things have piled one, leading to the character coming off as a tremendous jerk and becoming essentially a villain. A Cyclops without all of these things is a breath of fresh air. Cyclops is about 2 ½ inches tall and features 14 points of articulation. He’s based on All-New Cyclops’s second costume, designed by Staurt Immomen. It matches the rest of the team without being too similar, and it’s all-around not a bad design. Cyclops is built on the traditional Minimate body, with an add-on for his hair/visor. This is an all new piece, and it does a pretty great job of capturing the design from the comic. The rest of the figure is reliant on paint. It’s not bad overall, but it could be better. The base paint is rather sloppy, especially on Scott’s visor. Fortunately, the detail lines are all nice and sharp, which helps to offset the questionable base paint. Cyclops includes two alternate hair pieces, one sans-visor(a re-use piece, seen on numerous figures) and one with his optic blast in full force. He also includes a standard clear display stand. The sans-visor hair is nice, as it allows for you to display the sunglasses painted under Scott’s visor, and the optic blast head makes for a lot of fun setups. I am hopeful that the optic blast piece is the new standard for Cyclops Minimates going forward.

MARVEL GIRL

Marvel Girl, aka Jean Grey, aka the Pheonix, aka the Song that doesn’t end, also benefited from the reset. Her present day counterpart is dead and all, plus now she just has the one code name, as opposed the 37 or so she had before. Marvel Girl is about 2 ½ inches in height and she sports 14 points of articulation. Like Scott, she is based on her second, Immomen-designed costume. I really like the green accents on hers; they really make her pop. The figure makes use of the base Minimate body, with the addition of a hairpiece. The piece is a re-use, first seeing use on The Spirit’s Sand Serif. It was also used on the first appearance Jean from a few years ago, so it’s a nice call back to see it here. I think it’s one of the nicer female hairpieces. The paint on Marvel Girl is similar to that of Cyclops: the base work is sloppy, but the detail lines are nice and sharp, which helps save the figure. I do wish the patterns on her legs were actually mirrors of each other, but they aren’t terrible. Marvel Girl includes a spare head/hair for a full “powered-up” effect (I’m gonna assume it has something to do with the Phoenix, but I haven’t read All-New X-Men, so I can’t confirm), a “jumping stand” and a clear display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Cyclops and Marvel Girl were picked up from my local comicbook store Cosmic Comix. Initially, this was the only set I had planned on getting from this series. I don’t read All-New X-Men, but I have been following Cyclops, which stars this version of the character. Ultimately, I ended up getting the rest of the series, but these two still remain my favorites. There are a few paint issues that could stand to be worked on, but other than that, this was a really strong set.

#0357: Young Magneto & Mystique

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

YOUNG MAGNETO & MYSTIQUE

MARVEL MINIMATES

 I realize as I write this review that I have made nary a mention of X-Men: Days of Future Past on this site. I guess that’s what happens when there is minimal merchandising for a movie. Well, there’s no time like the present. Simply put, Days of Future Past was the X-Men movie I’ve been waiting for since the very first X-Men movie was announced. It handled the characters brilliantly and had one of the best emotional through lines I’ve ever seen in a super hero movie. It was a very, very good movie. When it was first announced that the roles of Charles Xavier and Magneto were going to be recast for X-Men: First Class, I was hesitant. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen set the bar pretty high. However, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender did an exceptional job filling those shoes. Fassbender in particular has become one of my favorite parts of the franchise, thanks to his wonderful performance as the younger Magneto. Today, I’ll be looking at the Minimates of Fassbender’s Magneto and Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Young Magneto and Mystique were released as a two-pack in Series 58 of Marvel Minimates. Originally, Young Magneto was supposed to be packed with old Xavier and Mystique was supposed to be packed with old Magneto, but Diamond changed the pairings at the last minute. I find that this pairing makes more sense, as Magneto and Mystique’s conflict in the 70s is a major point in the film.

YOUNG MAGNETO

Magneto, as far as the movie goes, is actually the more minor character in this set. He still has a pretty substantial role, but he kind of takes a back seat to Charles and Raven during the movie’s climax. This is the second time we’ve seen Fassbender’s Magneto in Minimate form; the first was in the TRU exclusive series based on First Class. The figure is about 2 ½ inches tall and he features 14 points of articulation. Obviously, he’s based on Magneto from the 70s timeline, but more specifically he’s based on Magneto’s fully costumed look from the second half of the movie. It’s a slightly toned down version of the costume we saw him wearing at the end of First Class, and I think it’s one of the better costume designs we’ve seen in an X-Men movie. The figure makes use of the traditional Minimate body, with add-ons for his half-cape thing and his helmet. Both of these are new pieces, and they both look pretty good. I wish the helmet was just a tad smaller, but it looks pretty good, and it’s a pretty great replica of the helmet seen in the movie. I’m not sure what movie-verse Magneto’s obsession with half-capes is (he sports one in both timelines) but they’ve done a good job translating this one to the Minimate form. The figure’s paint work is all pretty great. Nothing is too sloppy and there’s no bleed over to speak of. The detail lines on the head, torso, and legs all look nice and sharp, and the head bears a pretty decent Fassbender likeness. Magneto includes an alternate hairpiece, a flight stand, and a clear display stand. Like the helmet, I feel the hair is just a bit too large, but it isn’t monumentally off.

MYSTIQUE

Mystique is arguably the lead character of Days of Future Past. She’s very definitely the most important character. It was nice to see her get some serious screen time, especially after she was essentially a bit player in the first three movies. Like Fassbender’s Magneto, this is the second time we’ve gotten Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique in the Minimate form. And, as an added bonus, she works pretty well as a Rebecca Romijn Mystique too! The figure is about 2 ½ inches in height and she sports 14 points of articulation. Mystique’s pretty much just got the blue-scaly-naked look, so that’s the one they went with. Mystique is built on the usual Minimate body with the addition of a hairpiece. The piece is brand new to the figure, and it looks to be a pretty spot on recreation of Mystique’s hair in the movie. It has some very nice detail work, so that’s good. The rest of Mystique’s look is done with paint, so a good paint job is key. Fortunately, Diamond has delivered on that front. While it’s hard to mess up straight blue, they’ve also done a tremendous amount of detail work, all of which has turned out really well. What impresses me most are the eyes, which have way more detail than you’d expect at this scale. Mystique’s sole accessory is a clear display stand. It’s a bit of a letdown after the comic DOFP set did such a great job conveying Mystique’s powers with the accessories. A Trask head on par with the Senator Kelly head from that set really would have put this two pack over the bar.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This set was purchased from my local comicbook store Cosmic Comix. I must admit I was a little underwhelmed by the Days of Future Past Minimates when I first saw them. Still, I enjoyed the movie, and they were still Minimates. Plus, I certainly wasn’t going to pass up a figure of the 70s Magneto design. I’m glad I decided to pick this set up, because these two are truly impressive. Mystique is a long needed figure, and Magneto may very well be one of my favorite Minimates.

#0356: Plants vs Zombies Minimates

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

CHOMPER, SUNFLOWER, PEASHOOTER, FOOT SOLDIER ZOMBIE & SCIENTIST ZOMBIE

PLANTS VS ZOMBIES: GARDEN WARFARE MINIMATES

Plants vs Zombies is not a topic I ever really saw myself writing about here. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not much of a video gamer, and iOS games aren’t really my thing either. I knew of PvZ (as the cool kids call it…I think. Back me up cool kids!) but I myself have never played the game. So, why, oh, why would I have PvZ toys? Minimates. Yes, it seems DST has picked up the license for the latest PvZ game Garden Warfare. And I have a serious week spot for Minimates. This will be a slightly different review, as I know next to nothing about the figures in the set.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

There are two boxed sets in the first series of Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare Minimates, and this set is the Toys R Us exclusive set, which just started hitting TRU shelves.

CHOMPER

The Chomper seems to continue the long standing tradition of large, man-eating plants. It’s a tried and true formula, so I can’t fault the creators there. The figure is about 2 inches tall, making it the largest of the plants, and it features 1, count it, 1 point of articulation, at the base of the head. The figure has a completely new sculpt. It’s not a shock, as the base Minimate body doesn’t exactly lend itself to the plant designs. The sculpt is pretty good, though some of the details are a little bit gummy. It’s pretty much on par with most Minimate accessories in terms of quality. The paint on the Chomper is okay. It’s a bit sloppy, especially on the changes from green to purple, but it’s not horrible. The Chomper includes no accessories, though I guess you could argue the plants themselves are accessories.

SUNFLOWER

The Sunflower is probably the figure in the set I know the least about. I seem to recall that their sort of a mid-level plant, but I don’t know for sure. The Sunflower is about 1 ¾ inches in height and, like the Chomper, it features 1 point of articulation at the base of its head. Once again, it’s an all-new sculpt, tailor made for this particular plant. The sculpted work is actually a little sharper on the Sunflower than it is on the Chomper, which is actually quite nice. The head in particular features some really sharp work on the petals, which definitely makes this plant stand out. The paint on the Sunflower is cleaner, but admittedly simpler, than the Chomper. The Sunflower does feature some detail lines for its face, which are nice and sharp, and it seems to capture the Sunflower’s look pretty well. The Sunflower includes no accessories.

PEASHOOTER(S)

Okay, the Peashooters I’m actually pretty familiar with. They’re the base infantry for the plants, and they have one of the more clever names the game makers have thought up. There are two Peashooters included in the set, but both are exactly the same, so I’ll just look at them once. The figure is the smallest in the set, at about 1 ½ inches tall, and it features the a point of articulation at the base of the head just like the other plants. The Peashooter is the only of the plants to sport the Minimate aesthetic, as the heads have been built using the basic head as a starting point. It’s still a totally new sculpt, but it’s not far off from what we’ve seen before. It’s a pretty good sculpt, though the head has some obvious mold lines. The overall quality of the sculpt falls somewhere between the Chomper and the Sunflower, which isn’t bad. The paintwork is pretty straight forward. It’s one base coat of green, with some black paint for the eyes and the interior of the … shooter? I guess that’s what you’d call it. Anyway, it’s all pretty clean, so that’s good. The Peashooters include no accessories.

FOOT SOLDIER ZOMBIE

The Foot Soldier Zombie appears to be a fairly straight forward zombie from the game. I don’t know a whole lot about him, but I’d wager he’s a zombie who’s a soldier. Far out concept, right? The Soldier Zombie is 2 ½ inches tall and features 14 points of articulation. Unlike the plants, the Soldier Zombie is built on the standard Minimate body, with add-ons for his helmet and his collar/backpack/belt/skirt. The sculpted work is pretty great, especially the classically-styled infantry helmet. The paintwork has it’s plusses and its minuses. Overall, it’s not bad. The basic work on the body is good, and the detail lines are nice and clean. Unfortunately, the paint on the belt is…well, bad seems like an understatement. The colors aren’t even close to where they’re supposed to be, and the lines are incredibly sloppy to boot. I’ve honestly never seen paint this bad on a DST product before, and it’s limited exclusively to this one part of this one figure. How does that happen? It’s a shame, because it distracts from what is otherwise a well put together figure. The Foot Soldier Zombie includes a gun with a foot on it (something from the game, I’m assuming), a large rocket-launcher-thing that plugs into his back, and a clear display stand.

SCIENTIST ZOMBIE

Last, but far from least, is the Scientist Zombie, who I must admit was the figure that drew me to the set. Something about the mad scientist look is just really cool. Anyway, the Scientist Zombie is about 2 ½ inches tall and features 14 points of articulation. The figure is built on the standard Minimate body, with add-ons for his hair/goggles, lab coat/backpack, and gloves. The gloves are the basic glove pices that have been in use since the “Captain America: Through the Ages” set was released, but the hair and lab coat are all-new to this figure. Both pieces are superbly sculpted. The level of detail is a bit surprising, given the source material, but that’s not a bad thing! The paint on the Scientist Zombie is pretty great over all. There are a few small instances of bleed over, but no major issues like the Foot Soldier. I love that he even has little stains on his lab coat! The Scientist Zombie includes some sort of gun thing and a clear display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like I mentioned in the intro, I’m not much of a PvZ guy. Even when the Minimates were first announced, I just assumed I’d pass on them. But, the other day I was walking through TRU with my Dad, and I saw this set hanging there. It just kind of called to me. It’s a shame to see such shoddy paint on the Soldier Zombie, but assuming that’s mostly a confined issue (which it very likely is), this set is a lot of fun. All of the other figures have great work in both paint and sculpting, and it’s a fun bunch of designs. If you’re a fan of the game, I’m sure you’d really enjoy this set!

#0353: Deadliest Foes of Spider-Man Minimates

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

CARNAGE, DOCTOR OCTOPUS, LIZARD & SANDMAN

MARVEL MINIMATES

One of the greatest rogues galleries in comics is the Spider-Man rogues gallery. When you take into account that his main competition for that spot is Batman, a character that has been around for an extra 20 years, it’s a pretty impressive feat. With Minimates, getting Spider-Man’s rogues proved a bit tricky. Thanks to the multi-pack format, each spider-villain was bound to be packed with yet another variant of Spidey. However, Diamond has been getting more inventive with their sets, and just recently, they finally offered a set of Spider-Man villains with no Spider-Man included. Okay, it’s all figures with previous figures, but it’s the gesture that matters!

THE FIGURES TEMSELVES

This set was released in the title “Deadliest Foes of Spider-Man.” It was originally meant to be one of two exclusive sets carried by Action Figure Xpress, but they had to back out, leaving the sets in limbo. Minimate retailer Luke’s Toy Store stepped up and picked up this set as an exclusive to their store.

TENDRIL ATTACK CARNAGE

Carnage is the most recent character in this set, though he’s still over 20 years old, so I guess he’s still a “classic.” Generally, he’s not as well-known as Venom, the other Symbiote villain, but Venom has gotten his fair share of Minimates recently. The original Carnage Minimate from way back in Series 2 is generally considered to be one of the best of the early Minimates, so he’s definitely a tough act to follow. The figure is about 2 ½ inches tall and he features 14 points of articulation. Carnage has only ever had one basic look, so the figure unsurprisingly makes use of that look. He makes use of the basic Minimate body, with non-standard upper arms, a tendril add-on piece for the neck, a tendril hand, and an axe hand. The upper arms and neck piece were both previously seen on the “Venom: Through the Ages” Ann Weying. Since that figure was released, there’s been a campaign for those pieces to be used for Carnage, so it’s good to see that finally pan out. The hands are both brand-new, and they work pretty great for the character. I do kinda wish the tendril wasn’t quite as straight, but that’s a minor complaint. The big focus for Carnage is his paint. This was the strongest area of the very first Carnage, and I’m happy to say this one has surpassed him. The paint work on this figure is truly outstanding. Virtually every surface of the figure is covered in detail, which is not something you usually see on Minimates. Carnage includes an alternate Cletus Cassiday head (which re-uses the hair from Ghostbusters’ Janoz), an additional tendril hand, two claw hands, and a clear display stand.

ARM ATTACK DOCTOR OCTOPUS

Otto Octavius, aka Doctor Octopus, is probably the best known of the villains in this set. He’s also kinda dead right now, but his stint as the Superior Spider-Man just ended, so he’s still on everyone’s mind. The last proper Doc Ock Minimate was in the “Friends and Foes of Spider-Man” set from a few years ago. However, that set was riddled with horrible quality control, so Ock was in dire need of an update. The figure is about 2 ½ inches tall and features 18 points of articulation, courtesy of the extra arms. The figure is based on Ock’s classic green and yellow spandex look he sported throughout the 70s and 80s, which is the same look seen on both of his previous Minimates. The figure is built on the standard Minimate body, with additional pieces for his hair, torso, and his mechanical arms. These are all new pieces, and they are all really great for the character. The paint on Doc Ock is pretty good, though it could be a little better. The actual detail work is really great. Ock’s face is spot on for the character, and all the colors and such look just right. Unfortunately, the application of the yellow paint is rather sloppy, which is fairly distracting. It’s not enough to ruin the figure, but it is a little annoying. Doc Ock includes a spare set of lower arms which allow him to stand on them, and two display stands to facilitate this.

TRANSFORMING LIZARD

Curt Connors, aka The Lizard, is probably one of Spider-Man’s more tragic foes. He only becomes The Lizard due to his desire to grow back his missing right arm, and The Lizard is a personality entirely separate from his own. Curt Connors was a minor character in two of the Sam Rami Spider-Man movies, and The Lizard served as the primary antagonist in the first Amazing Spider-Man, so the character is certainly well enough known. He’s had one comic Minimate before, back in Series 37. That one was based on his design from his earlier appearances, whereas this one is meant to be based on his appearances in the 80s and 90s. The figure is about 2 ½ inches tall, and in his default set up, he has 12 points of articulation. The Lizard is built on the same Minimate base as the other two, but he features a different set of lower legs, as well as clawed hands, a lab coat, and a slip-over lizard head. The lower legs originally saw release on the Movie Lizard in Series 46, and the coat was originally used on the Series 37 Lizard. Near as I can tell, the head and hands are new. The reused pieces are sensible, though I’m not 100% sold on the lower legs. They seem a little off. The head is better than I thought it would be. Prototype pictures made it look far too large, but in person it looks about right. The paint work on the Lizard is pretty good overall. He doesn’t have any real issues with slop, but it would be nice if there was a little bit more detail on the head, especially on the teeth. The Lizard has the best accessories assortment in the set; he includes a hair piece (re-used from the “Captain America: Through the Ages” Armored Cap), a lab coat and an alternate half arm (both from the Amazing Spider-Man Doctor Connors), an extra hand, and spare legs, allowing him to be converted into a comic-styled Curt Connors. The parts are excellently chosen, and fully assembled he’s a spot-on Connors figure!

SHAPE-SHIFTER SANDMAN

Sandman is an early Spider-Man villain, but he’s had a more varied history than most. After fighting Spider-Man a few times, he joined up with the Fantastic Four villains The Frightful Four for a little while and then he even joined the Avengers, before once again returning to Spider-Man’s rogues gallery. Most notably, he was one of the villains in Spider-Man 3, which contributes a lot to his notoriety amongst the more casual fans. Sandman is no stranger to Minimates; he’s had two previous comic-styled Minimates and two Minimates based on his film appearance. The figure is about 2 ½ inches tall and features either 14 or 4 points of articulation, depending on how you set him up. He’s overall based on the character’s classic design, though I’m not 100% sure when he had the short sleeves. Right out of the box, the figure only makes use of the standard Minimate head and torso, with non-standard arms, and a sand base in place of his legs, as well as a sculpted hairpiece. The arms and sand base both were previously seen on the Series 18 Sandman, and the hair was first used on the Thunderbolts set’s Norman Osborn. The sand pieces work great, but I’m not sold on the hair. I didn’t particularly care for it on Norman, and I think it’s even less fitting on Sandman. It’s just too bulky to look right, especially in the back. The paint on Sandman is really great. All the base work is nice and clean, and the details are all really sharp. The face has just the right look for Sandman, which is great. Sandman includes spare arms and a regular lower half, allowing for him to be displayed as Flint Marko, as well as a clear display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like yesterday’s “Days of Future Past” set, I picked this set up from Luke’s Toy Store. Not that it should be a shock, what with it being a LTS exclusive and all. I’ve been pretty excited for this set pretty much since day one. It’s a really great set, and it fulfills several needed figures. Lizard is definitely my favorite, with Carnage not far behind. Were the QC on Ock a little better, I’d probably like him more, but as is, he’s a good update to an essential character. Sandman is the weakest in the set, mostly due to him being the only one with no new pieces and his look being a little off. Still, he’s not a bad figure, so I can’t complain. All in all, this is one of the best sets of Minimates put out this year, and that’s really saying something. So, if you’re a Spider-Man fan or a Minimate fan, or just a fan of good toys, head on over to Luke’s Toy Store and pick this set up. It’s worth it!

(Holy crap, that was a long review.  I guess I had a lot to say…)

#0352: Days of Future Past Minimates

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

FUTURE WOLVERINE, FUTURE KITTY PRYDE, MYSTIQUE & FUTURE SENTINEL

MARVEL MINIMATES

Minimates! Oh, how I’ve missed you. It’s been almost 30 reviews since I last looked at a set of Minimates, and almost 50 since I last looked at any Marvel Minimates. I’m not sure how I let that happen. I guess I was just buying too much other stuff. So, here’s a set based on one of the best known X-Men stories of all time!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

This set was released as a San Diego Comic Con exclusive, just this summer. It’s based on the “Days of Future Past” story that ran through X-Men #141-142. The set was released to coincide with the movie adaptation of that story, released this past summer.

FUTURE WOLVERINE

It wouldn’t be a proper X-Men set without Wolverine, now would it? Wolverine is, as the figure’s name notes, based on the version of the character from the bad future presented in DOFP. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this version of Wolverine in Minimate form, as it was also a variant all the way back in Marvel Minimates Series 13. However, a few things necessitate a re-do of this particular look: 1) The style of Minimates has changes since then, 2) This figure actually represents what wolverine looks like in the actual issue, while that one was based on the slightly different look from the cover, and 3) the old figure just isn’t very good. The figure is about 2 ½ inches tall and he has 14 points of articulation. He’s built on the basic Minimate body, with a set of clawed hands and additional pieces for his hair, coat, belt and the pouch on his leg. All of these pieces are re-use. The hair and hands have been used on a handful of previous Wolverines. Thecoat is from the Street Fight Wolverine from Series 52. The belt is a generic piece used several times before, and the pouch has been used before, but I don’t know where. Aside from the coat being a touch long for the one Wolverine was sporting in the story, all these pieces are spot on, and they do a great job translating the look to the Minimate form. For the most part, the paint on Wolverine is relatively basic, but it’s pretty good. There are a few areas on the coat and around the boot lines where the lines are a little sloppy, but otherwise it looks pretty great. The face and torso also have some very nice detail line work, which give the figures some pretty good dimension. Future Wolverine includes a clear display stand. 

FUTURE KITTY PRYDE

Okay, so right off the bat, I have a slight bone to pick with DST: In DOFP, Kitty isn’t Kitty Pryde, she’s Kate Pryde. It’s a small but important difference. That being said, I suppose for marketing purposes, it makes sense to call her Kitty. Anyway, she’s the main character of the comic version of the story, so it’s good to see her included here. She is, of course based on the future version of Kitty from the story. In her default setup, she’s meant to replicate Kate’s look from the cover of X-Men #141. Kate stands about 2 ½ inches tall and features 14 points of articulation. She’s built on the standard Minimate body, with additional pieces for her hair, collar, and coat. Like Wolverine, all of the pieces are re-use. The hair is from the Shadowcat Minimate from Series 31, the coat is from the Series 46 Peter Parker, and the collar is just a generic collar piece. These pieces make for a decent approximation of Kate’s cover look, which is good. The coat has a small hole on the right shoulder where Peter’s book bag originally attached, but it’s forgivable since it’s re-use. The paint on Kate is basic, but clean. The jacket, pants and shoes are all solid colors, but at least she doesn’t have any slop. The facial expression is a near perfect recreation of her face from the cover, so that’s great. Kitty includes a clear display stand, a spare hairpiece (re-used from Series 43’s Aunt May), and extra arms and legs. By removing the coat and replacing the arms and legs, you can recreate Kate’s prison camp look, which is the look she actually has in the story itself. It’s a masterfully done extra look and it’s absolutely spot on to what she looked like in the story.

MYSTIQUE

Mystique is the only “current” figure in the set. She’s a great choice, seeing as she operates as the main antagonist in all of the present day sequences, plus she was in dire need of an update. Mystique is in her classic costume, which is the one she was wearing in DOFP, so that’s cool. Mystique is about 2 ½ inches in height and features 14 points of articulation. Like the others, she features the standard Minimate body as her starting point, with add-ons for her hair and skirt. The hair is re-used from the “Curse of the Mutants” Vampire Jubilee and the skirt is from the Series 38 Elektra. These are both very nicely sculpted pieces, and they work great for Mystique. Mystique’s paint is very well done. Everyhing is clean and sharp, and the line work brilliantly translates Mystique from the page to the Minimate. There are even ties on her sides going from the front to the back of her dress! Mystique includes a clear display stand and two extra heads: one Senator Kelly and one half-Kelly/half-Mystique (both of which make use of the hair previously seen on the Lost in Space Minimates Doctor Smith). The heads are a great idea. The half-and-half head makes for a perfect illustration of Mystique’s abilities and with the addition of a spare suit body, the Kelly head allows you to make your own Senator Kelly, another character pivotal to the story. (For reference, I used the body of a Series 43 J Jonah Jameson, which I have several of thanks to SHIELD Agent army building.)

FUTURE SENTINEL

This particular Sentinel could work equally as a current day and future Sentinel, but the box says “Future” so that’s what I’m going with. The Sentinels are the antagonists of the future sequences, so the inclusion of one here is perfect. I just wish it were available outside of this four pack because I’d love to have a few of them. The Sentinel is based on the classic Sentinel design, as was seen in DOFP. The figure is a little over 2 ½ inches tall and features 12 points of articulation. The height puts him way out of scale with the rest of the set, but that’s just a thing we’ll have to live with. The Sentinel is built using the standard Minimate body, with add-ons for the helmet, hands, torso extender, and feet. The helmet first saw use on the Marvel vs Capcom 3 Sentinel, the hands are from the TRU exclusive Annihilus, the torso extender has seen a few uses, and the boots are from the TRU exclusive Box. All of these pieces add up to the best looking Sentinel the line has offered yet. The paint on the Sentinel seems particularly good. All of the details are very shard and clean, and the shades of purple and pink are just right, which was something I always found off about the previous Sentinels. The Sentinel includes an alternate battle-damaged head, an orange flight base, and a clear display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Since I did not attend San Diego Comic Con, this set was picked up from my very favorite Minimate retailer, Luke’s Toy Store. When Diamond first announced they were planning on doing a set based on the story, I was pretty excited, and this set really lives up to my expectations. Mystique and the Sentinel are easily my default versions of those characters now, and Wolverine and Kate are fun variants. Throw in the fact that I can build my very own Senator Kelly, who I never though in a million years we’d get, and I’m as happy as I could be with this set.

#0323: Herman Munster & Muster Koach

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

HOT ROD HERMAN WITH MUNSTER KOACH

THE MUNSTERS MINIMATES

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I must admit, I don’t actually know a whole lot about The Munsters. I understand the basic premise, which is essentially just the reverse of The Adams Family, and I’ve seen an episode or two. I think, if pressed, I could probably name most of the family members. But, other than that, my knowledge is limited. One thing I do know a whole lot about, however, is Minimates. Specifically, how awesome they are! The Musters Minimates weren’t a very expansive line. They were limited to just two separate releases: two variants of Herman Munster and the Munster Koach. Regular Herman and the Koach were released at Toys R Us, while Hot Rod Herman and the Koach were released in various specialty stores. I’ll be looking at the specialty set.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

HermanMunster2Herman is presented here in his “Hot Rod Herman” get-up. Based on what it says on the back of the box, “Hot Rod Herman” is an episode of the show where Herman takes up drag racing. This figure is based on the gear he wore during the episode. Herman is about 2 ½ inches tall and features 14 points of articulation. He makes use of the standard Minimate body, with a new head sculpt in place of the standard one, as well as a pair of extra tall feet, and add-ons for the character’s jacket and neck bolts. The feet and neck bolts were previously used on the Universal Monsters Minimates Frankenstein’s Monster. Given Herman’s similar nature, it’s a sensible re-use. The jacket and head are the new pieces for this figure, and they both look pretty good, and accurately represent the character’s look from the specific episode. Herman’s paintwork is pretty great. Everything is clean and sharp, and they’ve done a nice job translating Herman’s likeness to the ‘mate form. I should also point out that the figure is in Black & White, meaning all the paint is done in shades of gray. This is done very well, and the figure does genuinely look like he’s in Black & White.

THE VEHICLE ITSELF

HermanMunster3The Munster Koach serves as an accessory to Herman in essence, though it does overshadow him a bit in the packaging. The Koach is about 5 inches in length and about 3 ½ inches at its tallest point. It features moving wheels and a hinged roof. The sculpt for the Koach is unique to the Koach itself, though the two versions are identical in sculpt. It’s a good sculpt. There are a fair share of details, but not too many so as to make it stand out from Minimates aesthetically. The detail of the sculpt is truly impressive, right down to the fringing on the interior curtains and the stitching on the seats. The dashboard is even fully detailed, with a clutch, steering wheel, and several buttons. The paintwork marks HermanMunster4the key difference between the two versions of the Koach offered. This one has been done in a Black & White color scheme to match Herman. Obviously, there aren’t as many differing colors on this version, but the paintwork is still nice and clean, and the variance of the grays is really well done.

 

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I picked up this set from my favorite Minimate retailer, Luke’s Toy Store, along with the Kill Bill sets. Mostly, I picked the set up because it was $4, but I have to admit it is a pretty nifty little set. The Koach is a nicer vehicle than a lot of the others offered in the Minimates line. It is a bit odd to see a Black & White version of a figure there is no color equivalent for, but Hot Rod Herman is a pretty solid Minimate. All in all, a fun set that I would highly recommend.

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#0316: Kill Bill Crazy 88s Set

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

CRAZY 88s

KILL BILL MINIMATES

Crazy88s1

Even before I had seen the movie, I always thought the Crazy 88s from Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill as a pretty cool idea. When Diamond Select Toys announced the Kill Bill license would be coming to Minimates, I was immediately intrigued by the idea of getting some Crazy 88s Minimates. After seeing the movie, I was even more sold on the idea. So, without further ado, let’s see how Diamond’s take on these guys turned out!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

The second set of Kill Bill Minimates continues the first set’s House of the Blue Leaves theme, but this time, instead of them main characters, it’s four members of the Crazy 88s. Just like the first set was significant for being made up of all female characters, this set is significant for being made up entirely of army builders, another rarity for Minimates.

JOHNNY MO

Crazy88s2While this is technically a set of all army builders, the first Crazy 88 in the set is actually based on a named character. The character in question in is Johnny Mo, the head of the Crazy 88s. Johnny is 2 ½ inches tall and features 14 points of articulation. The figure is depicted wearing the standard Crazy 88 uniform: black suit and tie and a Kato mask. It’s the only thing we see Johnny wearing, so it’s obviously a sensible choice. He’s built on the standard Minimate body, with the addition of a suit jacket and a tie, seen on numerous previous figures. The suit jacket has one small change; there’s a hole in the back near the bottom, which has been put there to allow Johnny to be placed on the leaping stand.  Johnny’s paint apps aren’t anything amazing, per say, but they are pretty good. The detailing on the face and mask are superb. They’ve chosen to give him a screaming expression. While it might have been nice to get a more reserved expression too, given the choice of only one, this is the one I’d go for. It works really well in an action pose, especially when coupled with the leaping stand. There’s one more painted detail on the figure that’s really easy to miss. On the back of the torso block, there’s a blood splatter. This means you can flip the torso around to depict the 88s from later in the fight. It’s a really cool touch that shows Diamond’s commitment to making these figures as fun as possible.

CRAZY 88 #2

Crazy88s3This is the first of the “generic” 88s in the set. He’s not based on any one in particular, although he does bear a resemblance to one of the 88s present during the “power walk” at the House of the Blue Leaves. Since he doesn’t have a name, and I don’t want to refer to him as #2 for the whole review, let’s just call him Topher. Just like Johnny, Topher stands 2 ½ inches tall and sports 14 points of articulation. He’s built on the standard Minimate body, with the addition of the suit jacket, the tie, and a hair piece. The hairpiece was first seen on the TRU exclusive Harada from The Wolverine and the jacket and tie are the same oft used pieces seen on Johnny. Unlike Johnny, Topher’s jacket hasn’t been altered to allow for the jumping stand. The paint work on Topher is nice and clean. He’s been given a slightly more reserved expression than Johnny, though he does still have a slight grimace, which means he’ll still be right at home in a fight scene. On the back of his torso, he features a blood splatter unique from the one seen on Johnny. This one is a bit more sparse, but still really cool!

CRAZY 88 #3

Crazy88s4Here’s Crazy 88 #3, whom I’ll now be calling Treat. Treat is another generic 88. He’s about 2 ½ inches tall and he has 14 points of articulation. He too is built on the standard Minimate body, as well as the suit and tie seen on the others and a hairpiece stolen from Thunderstrike, who was in Series 42 of Marvel Minimates. Like Topher, his jacket is unaltered, so no crazy jumps for him! The hairpiece is a somewhat unique one, so it brings some character to an otherwise basic figure. Treat’s facial expression is more intense that Topher’s, but not the full yell that’s been given to Johnny. He’s got more of a vicious snarl going, which definitely adds some diversity to the facial expressions on these guys. Like the others, Treat has a blood splatter on the flip side of his torso. His is much more severe looking than the other’s. Looks like Treat’s a goner!

CRAZY 88 #4

Crazy88s5Last up is Crazy 88 #4, henceforth known as Foreman. Foreman is the final generic Crazy 88 in the set. He stands 2 ½ inches tall and has 14 points of articulation. Just like everyone else in the set, he’s built on the standard Minimate body. In addition to the basic body, he’s also got the suit and tie pieces, as well as a poofy hairpiece, courtesy of Egon from the Ghostbusters line. Like Topher and Treat before him, Foreman’s jacket has been left unaltered, so he doesn’t get to do all the fun flips and jumps that Johnny does. He’s very sad about that. I’m not sure about the hair. It works for Egon, but it seems out of place here. Foreman has the most generic expression in the set. It’s just a basic gritted teeth look, which is actually really great to have in the set. He also ends up with the most basic blood splatter of the four. It’s pretty much just a straight streak of blood.

THE EXTRAS!

Crazy88s7This set, by nature of being an army building set, doesn’t come accessories that really correspond to one figure in particular. There are two exceptions: the leaping stand and the bamboo swords are pretty clearly meant to go with Johnny Mo. However if you aren’t displaying as Johnny, that would change. Beyond that, there’s a clear display stand for each of the four figures, two extra heads, two motor cycle helmets, three extra hairpieces, two axes, and four katana. The stands are the same ones we’ve seen before, but I can’t stress how cool it is that we’re getting them with every release now. The heads allow more variety if you’re in the army building mood, offering a female head, which makes use of the same hair as Gogo, and a more calm male head, which has hair from the Peter Parker released in Series 46 of Marvel Minimates. The three hair pieces add even more to the variety of display options, and they are reused from DC Minimates’ Nightwing, Marvel Zombies’ Hulk, and Marvel Minimates Series 27’s Ultimate Captain America. The helmets allow you to recreate the fantastic chase scene, which was set to the always awesome “Flight of the Bumblebee” most commonly remembered as the theme to the 60s Green Hornet. The helmet was originally meant to be part of Marvel Minimates series 15, but as that’s the only series of Marvel Minimates ever to be cancelled, it never saw release. It’s nice to see it finally show up here! The axes and katana are both re-use as well, but it’s very sensible re-use, and it’s great to have several weapon options. If the figures weren’t already great enough, the accessory compliment really adds to the set’s cool factor!

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THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I picked up this set, along with the other Kill Bill set, from my favorite Minimates retailer, Luke’s Toy Store. I was onboard for this set even before I saw the movie, but my excitement definitely increased once I had. Initially, I thought this set might be a little dull, what with it being four figures who are identical from the neck down, and not tremendously different from the neck up. Dull is the last word I would use to describe this set after getting it in hand. This set is a testament to how to build a successful collection of figures using almost no new pieces. The set has so many extra pieces, I’d even say it’s one of those rare sets that almost can’t be appreciated until you have more than one!

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#0315: Kill Bill House of the Blue Leaves Set

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

THE BRIDE, O-REN ISHII, SOFIE FATALE & GOGO YUBARI,

KILL BILL MINIMATES

KillBill1a

My love for Minimates is no secret. They are, without a doubt, one of my favorite toylines. I am such a fan of Minimates that I sometimes buy Minimates from movies I’ve never seen. In some cases, I’ll even go so far as to watch the movie, as a further excuse to buy the Minimates. That’s kind of the case with today’s Minimates, based on Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. Based on the fact that there were going to be Minimates, coupled with a recommendation from a few friends, I finally got around to seeing the movie. And then I HAD to have the Minimates. So, here they are. By nature of some of the pieces and details in the set, this review contains SPOILERS for Kill Bill Vol. 1.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

The first set of Kill Bill Minimates is based on the battle at the House of the Blue Leaves, the climactic battle from Kill Bill Vol. 1. The set includes The Bride, O-Ren Ishii, Sofie Fatale, and Gogo Yubari. The cool thing about this set is that it’s entirely made up of female characters, which is a pretty serious rarity for not just Minimates, but toys in general.

THE BRIDE

KillBill1bThe Bride is the main character of Kill Bill, though not the title one. In the first film she just goes by “The Bride” until her name is revealed at the very end, so the Minimate is just “The Bride” as well. The Bride is about 2 ½ inches tall and features 14 points of articulation. She’s based on the character’s yellow jump-suited look during the final battle in Volume 1, which is in turn based on a similar outfit worn by Bruce Lee in The Game of Death. She makes use of the standard Minimate body, with the addition of a brand-new hairpiece. The hairpiece is well sculpted and does a nice job of translating The Bride’s hair from this point in the movie. Most of The Bride’s details are handled via paint apps, which look great. The black detail lines are all nice and cleanly applied, and the Uma Thurman likeness is superb. The Bride is meant to represent her mid-fight with the Crazy 88s, so in addition to the basic jumpsuit details, she also features quite a few blood spatters. The spatters are all really well detailed, and they seem to line up pretty much perfectly with the stains from the movie. The Bride includes her genuine Hattori Hanzo sword and a scabbard to match, as well as a clear display stand.

O-REN ISHII

KillBill1cO-Ren is the first person on the list of people she has to kill before getting to the eponymous Bill (though she’s actually the second person on the list we see The Bride kill. Yay flashbacks!). She serves as the primary antagonist of Volume 1. O-Ren is about 2 ½ inches tall and has 14 points of articulation, though the skirt renders the leg articulation mostly useless. O-Ren is depicted in her white kimono from the final battle at the House of the Blue Leaves. She makes use of the base body as a starting point, with long sleeved lower arms in place of the standard ones, as well as add-ons for her hair and the lower portion of the kimono. The kimono pieces are re-use from Mariko, released in Series 52 of the Marvel Minimates line. They’re basic, but that works pretty well for the desired look. The hair appears to be a brand-new piece, and it accurately represents O-Ren’s look in the movie. O-Ren’s paint apps are nowhere near as complex as those seen on The Bride, but they’re not bad. The kimono details on her torso wrap all the way around, plus she has full detailing on her feet. Her face is the spitting image of Lucy Lui, who portrays O-Ren in the movie. One issue, which I am certain is exclusive to my figure, is that there’s a slight malformation of the hair, which has been painted with a flesh tone, making it extremely obvious. It mars an otherwise great figure, but it’s nothing a quick dab of paint can’t fix [EDIT: an astute reader has pointed out that this spot is more likely meant to be the flower present in O-Ren’s hair in the movie, meaning it’s not a mistake at all!]. O-Ren includes a sword with a scabbard, as well as a clear display stand and an alternate hairpiece, depicting her…final moments.

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SOFIE FATALE

KillBill1fSofie Fatale serves as O-Ren’s right hand woman. She’s also one of three people to make it out of the fight at the House of the Blue Leaves alive, though she certainly doesn’t come out of it unscathed.  She stands roughly 2 ½ inches tall and sports 14 points of articulation, but once again the leg articulation is constricted by the skirt. Sofie is presented here in her gray-blue dress from the fight at the House of the Blue Leaves. It’s not the most interesting look, but it’s in keeping with the rest of the set, so it’s a good choice. She’s built on the usual body, with a basic long skirt add-on, as well as a new hairpiece. At least, I think it’s new. It looks sort of familiar, but I can’t find any previous uses of it. It’s a well sculpted piece, and does a nice job translating Sofie’s tightly tied back hair. Sofie ends up with the least painted details in the set, with only some basic work on her face, the front of her torso and her shoes. Everything seems to be pretty cleanly applied, which is good, but it’s not the most exciting Minimate. Sofie includes a cellphone and a clear display stand. Yep, in a set full of swords, she gets a phone. I do kind of wish we had gotten some sort of wounded arm accessory, just to spice the figure up a little, but oh well.

GOGO YUBARI

KillBill1gGogo is O-Ren’s personal body guard. She also happens to be a Japanese school girl, and is one of the most ruthless characters in Kill Bill. Which seems about right for a teenage girl, if I’m honest (I kid). She stands about 2 ½ inches tall and has 14 points of articulation. Gogo is depicted here in her schoolgirl outfit, which I believe is the only thing she’s ever shown wearing, so there. She makes use of the standard Minimate body, with short skirt and hair add-ons. Both pieces ore re-use. The hair is from the TRU exclusive Gwen Stacy from the first Amazing Spider-Man, and the skirt I believe originated on BSG’s President Roslin. Both pieces work well for Gogo, so it’s a good re-use. Gogo’s paint apps are quite nice. They aren’t quite as clean as those on The Bride and O-Ren, but they aren’t bad, and she has some tremendous detail work on the skirt, which is plaid, and the jacket, which has faint pocket lines. Gogo includes a flail, which I believe is a new piece, a clear display stand, and an extra head with blood running from the eyes to depict her death scene. It’s kinda cool, but also a bit morbid, which seems right for the set.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When this set was initially announced, I wasn’t really all that interested. It just seemed a bit boring. However, once I actually sat down and watched the movies, I was immediately eager to get this set. Initially, I just wanted this set for The Bride, but actually having them in hand, I think the whole set is really worth the purchase. This is probably the definitive version of The Bride, plus you get O-Ren, who’s pivotal to the first movie, and Gogo, who’s just kinda cool. Sure, Sofie’s not the most interesting Minimate, but she’s not terrible. Add to that the impressive paint apps on all of the figures and the cool extra pieces, and you’ve really got a winning set!