Weekend Reviews and Sh*t

I’ve been meaning to answer this question for a while now: What the Hell is Three A? I’ve been wanting to tell people what it is for awhile now, but have been waiting till I get enough figures to say- now I have four and I’m planning on getting more. Here are my first impressions. 


ThreeA is Ashley Wood’s personal company. As an artist he worked on many things including the Metal Gear Solid comics. He has a very distinctive style very influenced by WW1 aesthetics- flat shapes, lots of wear, and pin up girls. Somewhere along the line he decided to make toys of his own designs- and its turned out stunning results. 



My impressions of ThreeA were first established when I threw down fifty dollars towards Gerry- one of the cheaper robots that Ashley wood has produced. The first thing that hit me was the smell- this thing smelled like paint when I opened the box. I think the source is pretty evident. This thing is absolutely caked in paint detail.



If Ashley wood wanted to make his toys look like realistic WW1 styled robots, he certainly hit it right off the spot. Gerry gives off a bit of an impression of an old sci-fi robot or rocket with his jetpack and pod like body (of which each of the thrusters are individually articulated)



Accessory wise Gerry comes with a rather impressive looking gun that makes one wonder if there’s some compensation occurring. While its nice that each of his fingers are individually articulated, it’s honestly a bit of a chore to get him to hold the gun and nearly impossible for him to hold it tightly- its one of the recurring drawbacks of ThreeA products. 



Again, this thing is choke-full of of painted detail. The painted rust, fluid staining and worn decals make it very convincing.



Over a year later I got another 3a robot. This one is Micah, an Emgy Caesar. But can Micah match the quality of Gerry? 



Yes, yes he can. Micah seems to be in every way a step up from Gerry. The paint worn and rust is done stunningly. There’s plenty of patches where it even seems like the paint on the robot has been completely worn away revealing clean patches of silver metal. Besides, he looks like a walking hazmat robot. 



Unlike Gerry, Micah includes more than one accessory. Both a knife and pistol store in holsters on his back. He also comes with a rather large rifle- which I have surprisingly misplaced. This seems like a good time to bring up that all of his pouches, even the pistol holster, rather have a velcro strap to keep them closed or have a working faster. 



So is Micah worth the twenty dollars you’d pay over Gerry? I’d say so. He’s a beautiful figure that’s much more proportionate that the awkward stature of Gerry. He has a larger array of weapons and overall is a lot more fun to play with. 



Up next is one of my Christmas presents: Kuan De Plume. The De Plumes are one of  Ashley Wood’s more popular human figures. First of all, the toy that Ashley wood makes for his human characters is one of the best jobs of that task I have ever held in my hands- the shoulders roll forward on a soft ratchet just like we roll ours and all the joints are double hinged.



And check out how lovely those boots are. 



The texture on the oxygen hose is to die for not to mention the wear on the clothing. His shirt looks like it hasn’t been in the was for years. 



The De Plume’s only come with one weapon, their revolver. It’s a nice little accessory that’s well painted and just enough to give Kuan a bit more playability. The one drawback is that the hose on his neck is so tight that sometimes it pops off his head. It’s not enough to keep this figure from being absolutely incredible though- however the De Plume’s are very popular figures and as ThreeA toys are limited run, made to order they demand a rather hefty price. I’ll just say he was somewhere between Gerry and Micah. 



Lastly is the Zombkin- who actually was fairly affordable. This was my first “human” figure from ThreeA and is the winner out of the four. He’s so pumped with character that it proves that a good figure is one that doesn’t need tons of accessories as he comes with absolutely none. Also, free of the De Plume’s oxygen cord he can really use the two universal joints in his chest- which really allows him to move around. Since he came in a two pack with a 1/6th version of himself, he runs for about 50. 



So what do you need to know about Three A? Well if you can’t tell, I love these figures. They’re detailed, articulated, full of personality, and a lot of fun. Personally I like the human based figures as they’re a bit more manageable than the larger robots that have tighter joints. However, whether you want a robot or a human you might have to prepare yourself to pay the premium price- but it’s not as bad as I first thought it would be. If you go to places like Kidrobot’s ThreeA thread 
http://forums.kidrobot.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=159158&sid=7f5cdf2eb5794884f3e5037bb0c80ee3

You’ll find tons of reliable dealers who are willing to part with pieces of their collection for around the price they originally got sold for which is near unbelievable since these things are made to order. However some products are just too popular and go for very large sums of cash regardless of where you buy them. Basically look for WWRp or AP those are the 1/12th lines as opposed to the 1/6th scaled WWR and AK lines. 

Dealing with ThreeA directly too can be a hassle.

http://www.threeaonline.com/blog/ 

Their blog, here, can tell you what products are upcoming and when they go on sale- problem is that they don’t give you much notice on when something goes on sale, you have to pay upfront, the release date is unconfirmed, you have to ask for your tracking number when your product ships many months later, the problems go on and on. The website is run very unprofessionally despite the fact that it has picked up the Real Steel, Halo, and Valve license over the last year. There’s nearly no advantages over buying second hand of Kidrobot. 

I’d say take a look at the Armstrongs, and Large Martins if you’re interested in the robots and the Hatchery Guard if you’re interested in getting a human figure. All of those are a pretty cheep and affordable introduction into what ThreeA can offer. 

Quick review from college-















Final Thoughts?
——————————————
without many reviews on this figure, I had not much of an idea of what I was getting, but I am happy to say that WHAM made a really good figure here. The paint is premium and looks great though some of the silver feels sticky (seems to be a fading problem). The articulation is surprisingly exceptional- the legs have more joints than I expected and many of the balljoints extend out for greater range (especially in the thorax). The eyes are each articulated and are very emotive, which is really essential to the overall design of the figure. 

In the end, if you’re a fan of S.A.C. this is the perfect desktop Tachikoma and is well worth the money.

No Regrets- though I wouldn’t pay more than 40 shipped. 

It’s 7:14, and I have not slept in nearly 24 hours. I’m beginning to become rather beat.

Regardless, let’s get down to a review I have waited for.

It’s dark now, do you know what that means?
That means the train is arriving in the station…



And arrive it has. Dark, cold, and unsympathetic- this is frightful train indeed. 



This shadow train is lined with detail, harkening back to a buried love for trains I had since a child. It’s remarkable how much space it consumes too- taking up around the space of a leader class transformer.

 But let us not dwell too much on this delightful locomotive, for this train carries dark secret…





















This is the Knight Morpher Annihilator, Mastermind Creation’s repaint of their first release: the Knight Morpher Commander. Striping itself of the Optimus Prime color scheme, the Annihilator carries the steam-punk Optimus Prime design from a incorruptible leader to a bitter warrior of dark.


The transformation is very reminiscent of the G1 Prime layout. It’s really astonishing how many similarities it carries over- even including the smoke stacks. It’s clever, but simple and I love how his smokestack does a bit of folding and unfolding to create his steam-punk rifle. 



However, Annihilator transforms only from the front of the train- the rest of it becomes a motor cannon that moves on a track. I like the callback to the G1 trailer, and actually prefer a giant gun moving on railroad tracks to the box that was the classic trailer.



The motor cannon’s barrel breaks up into many other goodies for Annihilator to slaughter his victims with. What’s left is the base of a cannon and a stub barrel. It still looks like it could fire some rounds.

However what we got from that barrel is far more interesting… I wonder what it all does?



Lance



Shield



Jetpack



Even if I was a robot of comparable size, I would not stick around if I saw this coming at me. Using his trailer as an arsenal, Annihilator becomes a moving path of destruction.



It’s also good to mention at this point that Annihilator comes with a visor that can fold down. It helps define him and separate him from the Optimus Prime design a bit, though I like it best for when Annihilator is going heavy with his weapons.



Also, before we continue, the reason he can hold his weapons at a slant is due to extra hands stored under the back of the train. They make the holding of his weapons a bit more natural.



Annihilator also brings to the fight The Darkness, the sword of destruction that he wields in battle. It’s an accessory exclusive to this release and is certainly an incentive.



The sword itself looks fantastic. It has somewhat of a bat motif, and the lining of the sword with silver helps add to its appearance greatly.



The two clips I showed before allow Annihilator to store either his lance or sword on his back. The sword clip is rather frightful to use, so I use the lance holster instead. It also gives me an excuse to show off the cap for the lance that helps with storage.



Annihilator is a fantastic figure limited only by how tight some of his joints and tabs can be. It’s really something you get used to, and something I don’t feel lessens the greatness of this toy.

Continuing my theme of covering a bunch of lines first before I go back and review a line a second time, The Knight Morpher Annihilator is not actually made by Hasbro. It shows only in little things, like the plastic feeling a bit lighter than on official transformer releases, though I must say that it’s not as good of quality as some of the other 3rd party figures I’ve bought. It’s not detrimental, just different. It’s also a large product that’s about the size of a leader in vehicle and a voyager in robot.

What I’m getting about is the only thing that would turn someone away from this figure: cost. I bought mine open-transformed-and then sold in the box for $75. That’s a REALLY good price for this figure. You can probably get a new one if you look in the right places for about 85-90 shipped, though some prices get even higher than that. I wouldn’t pay more than 100 for this figure new, but I think he’s worth it.

Ladies and gentlemen…

It’s SPPPPPPAAAAACCCCCEEEE-TIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMEEEEEE!!!!!! 



Now I know I’ve done a review of a Kamen Rider before, but not yet have I dived into the wonderful world of SH figuarts. Figuarts are the most popular, by far, action figure line that makes Kamen Riders… and there’s a reason. They’re really good.

Now unlike the SIC figures, figuarts stick to the show model instead of taking the design into their own hands. In Fourze’s case this is done wonderfully. Out of the Figuarts I own, he looks the most like a guy wearing a suit.



Now, Figuarts pride themselves in articulation. So let’s list that out of the way
-double ball jointed neck,
-shoulder extensions (allow shoulders to roll) 
-double jointed elbows
-double jointed knees
-hinged feet
-ankle rotation
-toe joint
-wrist hinge
-ball jointed wrist
-thigh rotation
-upper wrist rotation
-upper arm rotation
-foot rotation
-ball jointed waist
-ball jointed upper chest
-leg extensions (allows his legs to aim higher than 90 degrees)

So yea, if it’s not obvious this figure is friggin filled with articulation.



Fourze’s belt is extremely detailed. It’s totally accurate to the actual belt (trust me, I own it). It’s even made out of a nice clear plastic, just like the real thing.

And if his body articulation wasn’t enough, the lever on his belt also moves.
Each of the switches comes off since there are 40 switches in total and Figuarts is offering several sets providing those switches and their activated forms.

Fourze even came with an activated version of his drill switch… it really doesn’t look much different.

Now I have a thing for figures with accessories, so what does Fourze come with? 



Well to start with, he comes with several hands outside of his fits. These include a pair of semi open hands an a pair of somewhat gesturing hands. These are really nice since I feel like they allow the figure to capture a lot of subtle poses.



ROCKET ON! 
 
In the show, Fourze uses the switches on the belt to activate special powers. The first of these is rocket. The piece just replaces his upper wrist (which is actually why he has wrist rotation), but this is a NICE BIG accessory. It’s all painted up in a very pretty orange and the line detailing is great.



Once Fourze has the rocket switch under control, he can start showing off some of his great articulation.



The other giant accessory Fourze comes with is DRILL! It’s an equally impressive accessory that gives your Fourze a little extra punch to his Rider Kick.



Overall:

Fourze is the nicest looking figuart that I’ve owned so far. It’s very detailed and fun to play with. And unlike some of the other figuarts I’ve owned, he does not cut short on paint. The white on his helmet and latex portions? That’s painted, not plastic. It’s just a ton of little touches that end up presenting a very good figure.

Highly recommended. 

While I still have multiple Kamen Rider Figures to be reviewed, I wanted to cover something that I’ve been holding out on for a bit. This would be the McFarlane Halo toys. Now, I really don’t have any stake in the Halo games so I’ll get so much wrong with this review, but after I picked up one of the line’s products… well you’ll see.

-SPARTAN GUNGNIR… A.K.A PETE. :



We start off with the one I got first, Pete. Wait… that’s just what I call him. Pete is a Spartan gungnir, and a really cool one at that. He has one robotic arm and a really nice helmet design. I saw this guy in the toy isles a few times and passes since I don’t really play Halo, but gosh I’m glad I did. 

Paint wise, these things are gorgeous, especially in the sun. All the figures I will review have a really cool thing where their paint has tiny silver specks mixed in that make it look a lot more armor like in the sun. There’s also a great amount of damage painted on, which really drew me to these figures.



My main concern when picking this guy up was that he was going to have limited articulation… I couldn’t be more wrong. My biggest concern was his hips, which seem to be the classic “t-crotch” which would mean his legs would have no outwards motion. Fortunately, this guy is really well engineered and not only has a t-crotch, but a hidden joint in his legs that doesn’t disrupt the sculpt but allows a lot of outward motion. 

The main thing about his articulation is that at his elbows, ankles, and wrists, his joints are able to rotate at both points they connect with the figure. That means that at his “normal” elbow, his arms can twist back and forth and his wrists can rotate. It also means that the joint in his hand can rotate to allow his hand to turn in any direction you would want it to. For his robot arm, he can not only rotate the upper arm, but he also has a wrist swivel, though his robot hand has no articulation to it.

My main surprise was the feet, mostly because the ratchet joints for them are tight and allow him to stand pretty sturdy. His ability to hold poses is greatly enhanced by the fact his toes are actually on ball joints, which really helps him stand. Also on a balljoint is his neck, but it’s a bit limited due to the shape of the helmet. 



He comes with a giant rocket launcher, which you gotta love. It’s really well sculpted, though the peg for it was loose enough I just glued it in so it could hang on his back. He can hold it very convincingly and realistically, which is a nice touch and something I don’t expect out of this price point. He also comes with a grenade… I know you’re excited.

Price: 11.99 

Target Reduced Price: 7.99

Sculpt/ Paint: 10/10

Articulation: 10/10

Playability/ Accessories: 10/10

Nearly perfect figure, I just wish he came with another gun or something. 

WORTH THE MONEY

-REACH WEAPONS PACK:


After picking up Pete, I had to get something else. I was so blown away, but there really wasn’t another figure that appealed to me. So I ended up getting the weapon pack.

You end up getting a wack of weapons, a few grenades, and a jetpack. Some of these weapons are kinda hard for Pete to hold, but you can still weaponize your Halo figures and give them a bit more life.



I’ll admit, it makes the figures a lot more fun having an arsenal at their disposal. I also realize that the plasma pew pew is being held upside down… sorry. 

Each weapon also comes with their own peg, which means there’s a lot of options on what you can do with them depending on how many figures you have. I will say though, be careful… I broke the tip off of a rifle, but it was easily fixed so minor complaint. 

My two drawbacks are that you really aren’t getting much for the price and that Pete can’t wear the jetpack. That’s really odd to me since the two figures I own have the exact same body build, but for some reason Pete’s peg-hole in his back is slightly low and makes it impossible for him to wear it.

Price: 11.99 

Target Reduced Price: 7.99

Sculpt/ Paint: 9/10

Playability: 7/10 

Overall, really fun, but the price being the same as a figure is really discouraging. If you really want it and have more than one figure, go for it. Otherwise, wait for a discount.

NOBLE SIX A.K.A. STEVE AND MONGOOSE:




Steve is the biggest fan of Noble six. He looks nearly exactly the same as the character he claims to be, save for some minor differences. His helmet, kneepads, and color of his legs are different than the spartan he apparently adores. 

He comes with a spartan rife, which is honestly the best weapon, and his magic thermos which the box claims is Cortana’s memory core… whatever that is.

Being the same exact body build as Pete, he’s can do all the same things. Because of his main accessory, however, he’s missing any extra pieces of armor, which is kinda  a let down. His visor, however, is painted in such a nice gold that it almost appears to glow, even in less light.

His neck also has a lot more mobility than Pete, which is a plus. Also a plus is that he seems to be able to hold more weapons than Pete.



However, one thing I really do like is that he can wear the jetpack that came in the accessory pack… and he really works it. Also in his arsenal is a clip that allows his thermos to hang off the back of his belt area… so he doesn’t lose it.



His main accessory is the Mongoose, which is the beefed out Reach variation. It’s actually the same size as the normal Mongoose, but this version has a lot more armor on it making it far wider than its predecessor. 

It’s fairly nice, the armor bits feel kinda thin but I can’t complain. The wheels are rubber which is really nice and the whole thing has an awesome paint job with military decals all over it.



The back has a fold out stand for another figure and the foot… bar… things fold up to get out of the way when a figure’s not riding it.

Unlike most car toys, the wheels are not on a single bar that goes across. Because of other structural choices of the design, I’d be careful pushing on this thing… you might loose a wheel. But as long as your careful it works.



Because of the fold out foot stand in the back, both figures can ride this thing which really adds to the playability of the set. It’s probably my favorite thing about it and it looks really cool. The handle bars also move a bit if you want. 



However, it’s a pain in the ass getting these guys to sit properly in the seat. I don’t even think Pete can ride this thing due to his… disability (shorter arm). It takes some time, but it’s amazing when you have it right. Just be careful doing it.

Price: 19:99

Target Reduced Price: 14:99

Sculpt/ Paint: 8/10 (due to how plain Steve is)

Articulation: 10/10

Playability/ Accessories: 10/10

I don’t really think the set itself is worth 20 bucks, but at 14:99 I’d say absolutely grab it. There’s nothing really wrong with the set, it’s just not really filling out the price point.

-Overall/ Closing Thoughts:

This is a line I really wasn’t expecting to like, but I ended up discovering one of the best american toy lines there is. The individual figures, almost any one what you pick up, is easily worth the 11.99 price point. Although there isn’t really anything wrong with the other two sets, they really just don’t seem worth their normal price. Fortunately, I got both on reduced price so I’m pretty happy.

What should you take out of this? IF YOU SEE PETE, A.K.A. SPARTAN GUNGNIR BUY HIM!

IF YOU’VE EVER HAVE PLAYED HALO, BUY PETE!

PETE!

(I like him)

 

Ok, so yesterday I got a little surprise in the mail. Despite the fact that I hadn’t yet received a shipping notification for it yet, my heavy rig from Glyos had arrived at my doorstep. I was pretty excited. 

What is Glyos?
Glyos Site
Well, it’s a very small toy company that runs basically at cost. It’s very based on 80’s aesthetics of retro science fiction and ends up looking very cool. I had heard good things about one of their larger products- the rig-  from a variety of sources. So when the next color wave of Rigs had been put up for order, my toy fascinated and curious self jumped on the opportunity. And I’m glad I did.



This is the Rig. It’s big, painted, and made out of vinyl. The paint on it is really well done, even though some of it feels like it had been applied by hand. It has a nice rubbery feel it it and gives a little bit under your fingers like a basket ball, but feels at the same time very durable.  Besides the nice line work accenting the detail, there are two other paint apps I would like to bring up.
 



There are two insignias on the Rig. One is in the middle of the “chest” the other is on the wing. Both are done very cleanly. 

Now, the question is “what is the Rig”

Well, the Rig is four parts: the “chest”, the “legs”, and the two “wings”. Both the wings and legs rotate separately of the chest allowing subtle differences in aesthetic to emerge. One of the reasons it’s so hard to tell what the Rig is supposed to be is due to the fact that it is rather ambiguous in form. That’s the point of the Rig. Even though there are only 3 points of rotation, the configurations of the Rig is immense adds an amazing about of playability to the toy.

The best way I can describe it to you is for you to think back to when you were a kid. Remember when you were someplace boring and found something to pretend was a spaceship or whatever comes to mind? Slight movements of that “toy” you made up as a kid let your imagination make it different things, right?

The Rig was designed around that idea. So instead of telling you about it any more, I think it’s best if I just show you.



 



















From various mechs to ships, the Rig is the most imaginative toy that I own. It’s very creative and fun to fiddle with and carries over many of the things I love about transformers without the tedious transformation process. I am in love with this thing and if you’re interested in getting one, let me know and I’ll try to hook you up next time these become available. I bought this one for about 30 dollars shipped, and for a piece of vinyl  that measures 4.5 inches tall and 7.5 inches wide that’s full of fun, I feel like I got more than my money’s worth. 

Rating 10/10

Oh, I keep on forgetting, the guy who made these also sent me a bag of parts to assemble one of his “Glyan” men. It’s a lot like legos or kinex and was totally not necessary for him to do. The parts were very mismatched, but I managed to make a little guy who I’ll try to take pictures of soon.

I am here to discuss a very controversial subject that has sprouted a lot of heated debate. No, I’m not here to talk about the upcoming election or Kony 2012. I am just going to talk about Transformer: Prime’s first line’s release (the limited first edition) and the current mainline for the show (Robots in disguise or PRID).

Now, a lot of people are pretty peeved off about how first edition only saw a limited U.S. release not only selling the figures exclusively at Toys R Us, but also entirely skipping waves of figures many other countries saw.

As of yesterday, I came into possession of the mainline Arcee figure which I’ve been really looking forward to. Time to compare it to the so called superior “first edition” (Much thanks to my good friend Connor for providing me the first edition as a Christmas present).

First, let’s take a look at the screen model

Now let’s take a look at the toys

 


OH GOD WHAT IS THAT!

 

Oh good. So much better without those silly weapons attached.

The First Edition is on the left, the PRID one on the right. To get it out of the way YES the First  Edition’s color is darker and more screen accurate. The First Edition also has the nice light pink that is show accurate. 

Some other differences being
-The PRID version has more accurate placements of the blue
-The FE version has painted side mirrors and rims of wheels
- The PRID version’s seat area is plain and more screen accurate since it does not turn into the chest



Again, the rear carries the pattern as the front. The FE version has better paint apps, yet the PRID version’s placement of blue is more correct.



My concern picking up the PRID version was that I would find its transformation boring. While it is true that the two have a lot in common, there is enough differences to keep me interested. The PRID one is surprisingly simple and actually wins my vote for most enjoyable transformation.



EWW



Ok, that’s better.

 

Despite being essentially the same size in vehicle mode, the PRID Arcee is substantially smaller than the FE one. THIS IS A GOOD THING. It means that she is more in scale with the other Autobots as her FE version towers over many of them she shouldn’t.

The PRID version also has a more accurate chest sculpt due to transformation Her wings also don’t sit on her arms and portray that area of her body much more accurately then the FE version. However, all good things come at a cost…



GAH! KILL IT WITH FIRE! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!

Yes, it’s true. As much as she tries to hide it PRID Arcee has a horrible case of back kibble.

Actually, it’s not that bad in hand. It doesn’t even interfere with her ability to stand properly. No problem really, but I can see how it turns some people off.

 

Another advantage of the PRID version is that the head sculpt is much more accurate. while missing the pink accents on the outside of the face, the PRID version paid attention to the tiny gem like marking on the spike.

 

Also to note- although similar in transformation, the PRID version splits the wheels down the middle and folds them into the legs while the FE version splits them in half and folds them in. For this, I will give the FE version a lot of props. It does look better, but again, it’s not a huge deal.



We thought it was silly when the FE version came with the giant arm blades that it did.

Not to be outdone, the PRID version came with a silly BFG of a weapon and an arm blade that mounts on the barrel or on the arm (same way the FE version does) the blade is still to big to look proper, though the arm cannon does cover up the fist to make it look like it’s folding out from it… which would be nice if it was ludicrously silly. 



Overall, these weapons are silly. I don’t really use them at all and I had to go digging for the FE’s weapons so I could use them in this review. In the PRID version, I which they had been cut down to her tiny arm blasters and the rest of the budget had been used for more paint apps.



I know somebody is gonna wonder if either of these versions are compatible with 3 and 3/4 inch figures like GI Joes or the Den-O I just reviewed.



Sadly the answer is no. In both cases the wings of Arcee make her too thick for a figure to ride… real shame too. 

But it won’t stop Momotaros from trying!

So which one should you get. At this point, the FE version is no longer available and is highly in demand. She’s gonna cost you quite a bit at this point. However, the PRID version on most accounts IS a better figure. If you can get past the color, a few missed paint apps, and the gross backpack I’d say she is definitely worth the $13 dollar retail price.

Yes, you! It’s been something I’ve considered, but have finally broken down and started doing. 

For now, I’m limited on my ability to take video and upload it, unfortunately, but regardless I will begin doing reviews over my many interests.

So look forward to it!