figurefix

Hellooooooo Austin, TX!

Kotobukiya Mega Man 11 model kit.

Just assembled, straight out of the box, no paint or any finish.

It's a fun little build, and the kit after has a lot of nice articulation. The fitment is a half step below most Gundam models with a little problematic gapping here and there, but not a deal breaker.

I bought two- one to learn on and one to paint up. I don't know if it's really worth the price unless you're a huge MM fan. I am, so it was a must buy.

What I do know is that it makes me want a proper action figure of this version of Mega Man ASAP!

G.I. Joe Roadblock size comparisons and "What You Get", as requested by .

To me, it looks like Mezco scaled him more towards normal large human proportions rather than their usual super thick proportions. He might be a touch small for some, but I really like what they did here.

One: 12 Collective G. I. Joe Roadblock.

THE GOOD-
Sculpt
Plastic
Tolerances
Soft Goods
Accessories
Articulation*

Let’s not beat around the bush, this is a GREAT figure- and if you happen to be a huge G.I. Joe fan, I wouldn’t fault you for considering it for figure of the year. It really is that good. The sculpt is on point, the expressions are fun, and well done. Tons of accessories. The soft goods are well tailored and sit incredibly well. This is Mezco owning the lane they created, and they are doing it with gusto here. A thing to note- his tank top appears to be glued in place around the shoulders, so if you were thinking of using this figure to customize anything, taking the clothing off could lead to damaging it.

One thing I’d like to point out is that no one seems to do hands/wrist pegs as well as Mezco. These are large and strong feeling, and the hands themselves are made of a rubbery plastic that has enough give to pop on and off with no worry of breakage. It’s a little thing that really adds to the fun factor.

The articulation is very good overall, the inclusion of double jointed elbows helps get into some fun and expressive poses. The only knock is the lack of butterfly motion. It’s not completely necessary, and wouldn’t even need a real butterfly joint to get the range, but it’s missing here and the range is slightly limited because of it.

THE BAD-

The accessories, while plentiful, are also exceptionally thin in some places. This is necessary to really get the details we’re all looking for, but the plastic also has a bit of a brittle feeling. Fans with heavier hands will need to show extra caution in working with the machine guns/backpack/tripod pieces, as they all have functional mechanisms with bits around 1-2mm in thickness. The way they all come together is cool, but there are times when disassembling them I can easily see folks breaking them in one shot. There’s a frustration trap there.

Also, I do wish the finger paint matched his skin a little better- but that’s a minor thing. They are close.

THE UGLY-

Not a thing. This is a superlative effort by Mezco.

Very literally just had this dude dropped off and cracked him open.

Wow.

Absolutely hit a home run with Roadblock! This is a stunner of a figure and he has so many accessories!

Friggin' well done.

I could do a Good, Bad, and Ugly but I'll save you the words. He's dope. Period.

Anybody else have any collecting guilty pleasures? For me it's 100% these Super 7 Hip Hop Reaction figures. The cards are just as important as the figures in my mind. Trying to limit it to just the folks I grew up listening to.

This Biggie was a must have, and I can't wait for them to drop DMX (one of the few legends I saw live back in the day).

(Not so) Short list of the figures I still want-
Big L (RIP)
DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince
EPMD
Def Squad (Keith Murray, Erick Sermon, Redman)
The rest of the Wu Tang Clan
Camp Lo
Black Thought
KRS One
Snoop/Dr Dre two pack
OutKast
Pharcyde
Digital Underground (Really just Shock G/Humpty)
Tupac
Lyrics Born
Heavy D

Joy Toy, I just can't quit you... 🤣

Dark Source 1/18 Jianghu Yunping Qin. Great little figure.

Some quick posing with Sentinel's 4-Inch-Nel Mega Man X.

I realize I've taken pics of this guy before, but that was prior to getting a decent camera.

Absolutely love Sentinel's renditions of Mega Man. I really wish they'd re-release these figures. Their articulation is a little weird in places, but they're so much fun it doesn't matter.

Hasbro's Star Wars The Vintage Collection Deluxe Sabine Wren.

Wow.

I can't call it perfect (look at the last picture for the hilariously oversized helmet), but... Wow.

When wants to flex, they certainly can. That this is a 1/18 scale figure is just shocking. I've admired my buddy's Vintage Collection figures from afar, but I never felt the urge to pick any up until I saw this figure at his place.

I know almost nothing about the character, but this is a damned good figure. Overpriced, sure--because of it's "deluxe" status, but hard to deny it's excellence regardless.

Well done, Hasbro. Well done.

Purchased at: Target
Retail Price: $27.99
Price paid: $19
Camera: Sony A7IV
Lens: Sony 90mm OSS G Macro

Another throwback! This time 2005 (I think) Comic Hellboy Release. This is the figure that put Mezco on my radar, and while it won't win any awards for articulation compared to anything more current, it's got enough to give you a little poseability.

But the sculpt--- The sculpt still holds up to this day, and that's quite impressive for a figure that is old enough to vote.

In my dreams, someone merges this sculpt with modern day articulation and it's the best Hellboy figure ever. The 1000Toys version came very close, and it's superb... But this... This sculpt is next level.

So... I never really got into The Vintage Collection, but I was at my buddy's and saw this Sabine Wren figure and was pretty impressed.

I found myself at Target today, and they had one, so I picked it up and it's a great little pocket figure. Been trying to take my camera around more often, just to have a little fun and the burger spot had some excellent lighting.

Voila!

Shot on my Sony A7 IV with Sony 24mm f 1.4 GM lens.

(Ketchup for scale)

Toy PSA- BBTS with a pretty great one day sale on SH Figuarts The Batman. $59 domestically?!

Throwback Turtle Thursday!

This is a set of KOs of the original NECA Mirage TMNT figures. I think I have 4 sets in total; The originals I bought when they came out, a mint on card set, and two KO sets (one comic colored, and this set).

I think if pressed, these might be my all time favorite figures. I'd love to see another company take on the Mirage stylings of the turtles with modern techniques.

Really excited for the upcoming Mezco set!

WHOA!

I know it'll bounce up and down a bit, but thanks so much for hanging out, talking toys, and supporting our (way too) infrequent projects!

Seeing as I have too much stuff, stay tuned for a pretty cool giveaway later this month to celebrate the milestone.

THANKS AGAIN!

GoodSmile's packaging has definitely grown up. Hopefully this figure is as good as it looks!

TEMP POST - Clearing out stuff, and these guys need to go. Both are complete and in like new condition.

Not sure what's up with IGs color compression on these, but here are some scale comparisons for JadaToys' Chun Li. I think she fits in perfectly.

Street Fighter III The Final Challengers Chun Li-

Most know this figure was delayed so that improvements could be made because the initial figure wasn't up to s***f. I'm glad they did, because what a great release!

Let's get to it-

THE GOOD-
Articulation
Materials
Sculpt
Price

At this point, if you aren't up to speed on what JadaToys does with their figures, it's a fantastic blend of pose-ability, fun sculpts/proportions all for an incredibly reasonable $25.

Chun Li is no different, and she certainly raises the bar for female designs when it comes to articulation and fun factor.

Additionally, my copy is a little more smooth and easier to manipulate than my other JadaToys figures, making her a little less stiff than the fellas fresh out of the package. She does not have butterfly joints like the guys, but it really doesn't impact the articulation negatively. The materials are a great blend of durable plastic for the body, and a softer rubbery plastic for her hair tassels, hair, and skirt.

The additional yelling face is a fantastic alt head, and is a better ex*****on than their previous figures alt portraits. She also comes with another set of hands as well as her lightning kick effect and a small stand. It's a great package, and well worth the price.

THE BAD-
Finish
No hair bun articulation

Domestic mass market toys often have some paint blobs here and there, but Jada's brilliance in all other facets is let down a little here. My copy has multiple drips and scuffs all over. These little issues are excusable because of the price point and fun factor, but it would be nice if these figures could get a little closer to more recent Hasbro figures in terms of paint apps.

Sadly, her hair buns don't appear to articulate, though they are flexible.

THE UGLY-
Not much

Uh, my figure has a small hole at the top of her right shoulder. But it's minor and doesn't take away from my enjoyment. Other than that, she's phenomenal.

I'm really looking forward to the next wave, and all future waves. Absolutely picking up multiples of these figures!

EDIT-- Turns out my copy was just extremely frozen at the waist! So the biggest gripe is actually a non-issue.

Phew! 🤣

X-Men '97 Wolverine...

Man, Hasbro almost crushed it with this figure, but then they dropped the ball.

The legs and arms are great. Pinless works well.

I like the unmasked head.

He's a nice size/proportion.

Claws are good.

I really like the plastic they're using and the paint apps are clean.

WHY COME THE TORSO AIN'T HAVE NO TWIST?!?!!

If this figure had the setup they do for most of their G.I. Joes, we'd be talking about it like a definitive yellow suit Logan. Instead, he looks good but is limited in an infuriating way.

Please, double ball peg necks. Please ball jointed torsos.

Don't even get me started on the Gambit from this wave... 😬

I absolutely will be taking proper photos later, but has done it again!

This Chun Li could easily be the highlight of wave 1. Well worth the wait.

I haven't really been keeping up on Classified Series, but this Big Ben figure is 🤌🏽!

Early pic from Shanghai of 's Metal Slug 3 LV armor courtesy of and !

Everyone was asking if the sluggers would fit inside, well... here's your answer!

Can't wait to see it fully finished!

Every now and again I like to post the art that I do here. It's not often.

Don't worry... we're still working on getting that Ryu sculpt and the mod parts done, but I've been trying to get back into drawing more regularly.

If you like this and want to see more, why not check out my art page ?

If not, no worries. More figure stuff is always coming!

Here comes a new challenger!

Honestly, the only knock I have on these figures are the random QC issues. Most are pretty minor. My copy of Evil Ryu has some glue on his right pant leg and some of the plastic around his joints is pretty chewed up. Wish it wasn't that easy, but at the same time it doesn't ruin my enjoyment, y'know?

Love this figure!

FINALLY got lucky! Good figure overall.

The free Peg Bundy head sculpt is an interesting bonus. 🤣

(I'm kidding, I'm kidding).

TunShi Studio's Clark Still from Metal Slug XX.

I've already done a "Good, Bad, and Ugly" on Ralf, and much of it applies here as well. The biggest difference between the two is that Clark comes with a few more accessories.

The most impressive thing about these figures is just how much LIFE they have. Someone mentioned that they looked like models from something Laika might make, and I agree.

Beautiful figures. Some of my favorites of the year.

MAFEX coming through with ZERO consistency.

Thor neck peg, next to Deadpool, next to brown suit Wolverine.

SMDH.

Andy just dropped by with the test pegs for this conversion.

They are PERFECT.

I'll be making molds this weekend for full production. We could sell resin ones, but I don't feel confident in their torsional flexibility, so we'll produce them out of our flexible plastic.

The more important thing, though, is that solving this problem will unlock better fixes for new pegs and hopefully joint replacements in the future!

I will also make a video showing how to use these, as it is more involved than just swapping a peg out.

Toy PSA - Hyakutaro Ichimonji (POW) from Metal Slug 3 is up on for Preorder! $15 deposit.

$59.99 is the full price, plus shipping.

I think that's a pretty great deal. Granted, he's a bare bones fighter, but his accessories light up and it's going to be quality coming from !

Been so busy lately that I haven't been able to snap any pics... But these NewAge toy deco transformers are my jam! This is NA H50EX "Scott" aka Hound in his homage deco. Fantastic little 'bot!

Continuing to work up and refine the sculpt for Ryu. I felt like the previous iteration was a little too soft and kiddy looking, so I decided to push him a little more towards realism. Still not quite where I want him, but he'll get there. Then the expressions will come.

‘s Metal Slug XX Ralf Jones, available at , , , and others. Price $88-130 +tax and shipping.

THE GOOD-

Overall Quality/Aesthetics
TunShi Studio has quickly become the bar for 1/12 scale figure quality, in my opinion. From the packaging to the sculpt, the paint, down to the stitches in the clothing, everything is top tier.

Paint
It’s flawless. ‘Nuff said.

Accessories
For the price, you get an incredible array of accessories. 2 heads, 9 extra hands (11 total) , 4 guns (3 unique designs), a knife, two weapon effects, ammo crate, ammo, a food piece, a walkie talkie with a real metal antenna, a canteen, a jewel, a weapon upgrade icon, a very nice stand. You are getting a ton of value here, and they are all very well executed.

Articulation
The articulation on Ralf is very good to exceptional. Returning from the first wave of figures is the excellent ab crunch along with the knee and elbow bends. This is a nice buck. The one knock on the first wave of figures was the articulation in the neck and ankles. Jay from TunShi assured me they’d be working on these with subsequent releases, and they have. The ankle tilt and pivot is now on par with the best the market has to offer. The neck, however…

THE BAD-

Articulation
The neck is the only miss in the upgraded buck. It DOES give a tiny bit more range at the base of it, but that’s because the first wave didn’t have any movement at all. This one can be coaxed to get a few more degrees, but it is limited. The head does sit on a double ball peg, which does help.

Hand Fitment
Like many figures, the extra hands can be troublesome to add or remove. The plastic is a little too hard (but far from brittle) to do without heat. I’m sure you could, but I’d be worried about eventually breaking the joints.

Squeaks
My original Metal Slug figures were PERFECTLY toleranced. Ralf is very close. My copy’s right arm was really tight, had a lot of resistance, and squeaked audibly whenever moving it. It can be a little troublesome to add shock oil to a figure with such well made clothing, but I applied some without issue and the problem is permanently resolved with no damage to the clothes. Had to note it, though.

Scale
While the 1/12 scale of Marco and Tarma is exactly dead on, Ralf and Clark are supposed to be bigger guys (6’2” and 6’1” respectively). Ralf absolutely IS bigger than Marco, and he looks more powerful due to having thicker arms, but he falls a little short of truly being in scale according to the official listed height. HOWEVER, I would argue that his appearance is different in the Metal Slug games than in other SNK games, and as such, his scale with the other ‘Sluggers is just fine.

THE UGLY-
That I can’t afford to buy three copies of each figure TunShi produces.

Seriously, there isn’t a real wart on this figure. Nothing is perfect, but for what you get (especially if you order from 5k, this is an incredible release. If you are a fan of the line, the games, SNK, or just figures in general, you won’t be disappointed.

Finally was able to snap some real pictures of 's Metal Slug XX Ralf Jones this evening.

Full written and pictorial review will come tomorrow. 🙂

(Sneak peek- It's GOOD)

Look who showed up! Quick pics, will have more later.

Jay from has always been super gracious in answering my questions and listening to some of my (admittedly) mild critiques of the first Metal Slug figures. The biggest issue with the first releases was the lack of ankle pivot in my opinion. Months ago, he assured me they would fix it with Clark and Ralf.

Glad to report they absolutely have! I genuinely think they are making the best 1/12 figures right now, and I can't wait to see them continue to make more.

Excellent work and absolutely worth the price of admission. 💥

In all of the SDCC hullabaloo, I missed that figma EMMI went up for PO.

If you're like me, you won't want to miss this one (and Samus which is getting a reissue that's up as well)!

Up on HLJ or Goodsmile's site!

It’s been a minute, but jumping back in with excellent Street Fighter II Balrog figure. Let’s get into it!

THE GOOD-
Sculpt
Paint
Presence
Accessories

The sculpt is absolutely phenomenal. Balrog is big, burly, and just looks the part. Storm did an exceptionally great job on this one. Tons of shelf presence.

Paint is solid all the way around, typical Storm stuff, and I do not have any real defects to the naked eye (though the camera naturally pics up a few micro imperfections).

There aren’t a lot of accessories they could have included, but you get a nice assortment of heads (4), an additional n**e torso (I didn’t put it on) and a smoke trail for his feet. That’s pretty much all you could want from this version of Balrog. I also like that the gloves are just a bit squishy.

THE BAD-
Articulation*

It’s not bad, honestly. Just a little limited in the way that is common with the bulky proportions of Storm figures. Elbows only go 90 degrees, which, if you wanted to get him into the Mike Tyson “peekaboo” style, it’s a bit of a challenge. Hips are tight, boot cut is limited, etc.

However, I am very happy that there is a boot cut. A lot of Storm figures don’t have that and it’s a nice addition here. Also, they did a very good job on the torso articulation overall. The butterfly joints in the shoulders are well done, the ab crunch is decent for such a big figure.

THE UGLY-
Nothing to speak of. He’s a really solid release and easily the best Balrog we’ve gotten. The ball is in Jada Toys’ court to improve the articulation and scale (Storm is more of a 1/10 scale than 1/12). I’m really happy to add him to the Storm SF line, and I can’t wait for their next release.

MASSIVE PSA- PLEASE SHARE!

Ukiyo-Kumo is bankrupt. If you have something POd from them (like I have) you're not likely getting it.

If you were thinking about ordering something from them, DON'T.

This is the notice that I got directly, I took this photo.

I had previously ordered from them with no issues, but this one stings. Hope you all missed this one!

Quick snap photo for this one-

Just picked up NECA's comic Splinter.

I've honestly been away from NECA stuff for a long time because I could never stand their brittle plastic quality despite being a HUGE TMNT fan.

I do think this guy is overpriced despite him coming with a ton of accessories... But the plastic quality on Splinter himself is much better than what I remember. He's pretty poseable for being so small, as well. And he has a jointed and wired tail!

I was introduced to TMNT through the comics, so this guy was a must have. Despite his high price, I'm happy to add him to the collection.

Now I need to track down the Lawson Turtles...

Woot! Going up for PO Monday 6/26 9AM PST at BBTS and Entertainment Earth! These Mega Man figures look awesome! Can't wait to put my orders in!

Sorry for the crummy pics, but I wanted to check interest -

asked if I could figure out a way to give MAFEX Thor a little more height (he actually proposed how). This is a quick proof of concept. It will likely be a hair shorter to minimize the gapping in the torso.

It would require changing out two different pegs.

Do y'all think this is enough of an improvement? Do we need better pics?

Thanks!