Thursday, January 31, 2008

DC Direct Need List part 1

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Yet another visual checklist of figures I want. Yes, I already have a need list of Justice League figures, but this is separate stuff from my Justice League display. It makes sense to me, okay? I'm weird, accept it and move on. I don't want each of these to the same degree. For the fun of it I also include the year(s) of release.

Aquaman

Batgirl / Batwoman

52 Batwoman 2007
Alex Ross Justice Series 8 Batgirl 2008


All Star Batgirl 2008


Elseworlds ThrillKiller Batgirl 2005


Elseworld's Finest Batgirl 2007
Superman/Batman Series 4 Batwoman 2007

Batman

The Flash

  • Identity Crisis Series 2 Flash 2006
  • JLA Series 1 Flash 2003
  • Justice League of America Series 3 Flash Jan 2009

Green Lantern

Harley Quinn / Joker

Alex Ross Justice Series 3 Joker 2006

Batman and Son Joker 2007
The Dark Knight Returns Joker 2004
Hush Harley Quinn 2004


Hush Joker 2004


Long Halloween Joker 2006

Superman/Batman Series 5 Joker 2008

Martian Manhunter

Other

  • Alex Ross Justice Series 4 Black Adam 2006
  • Alex Ross Justice Series 4 Captain Marval 2006
  • Alex Ross Justice Series 5 Green Arrow 2007
  • Alex Ross Justice Series 5 Red Tornado 2007
  • Green Lantern Corps Fatality 2002
  • Green Lantern Series 3 Sinestro Corps Sinestro 2008
  • Hush Huntress 2004
  • Hush Hush 2004
  • Hush Jason Todd as Hush 2004
  • Hush Nightwing 2004
  • Identity Crisis Series 1 Zatanna 2006
  • Justice League of America Series 1 Black Canary 2007
  • Justice League of America Series 1 Black Lightning 2007
  • Justice League of America Series 1 Vixen 2007
  • Justice League of America Series 1 Red Arrow 2007
  • Justice League of America Series 2 Hawkgirl 2008
  • Long Halloween Catwoman 2006
  • Knightfall Catwoman 2006

Power Girl / Supergirl / Superwoman

Superman

Wonder Woman

Updates
  • Jan 31: Found that a local store does sell DC Direct figures and purchased 52 Batwoman.
  • Feb 3: For completeness sake I added the figures I already own, and scratched them off the list.
  • Feb 7: My set of Series 1 Wonder Woman figures arrived, so scratch Donna Troy off my list.
  • Feb 14: Marked off a few figures that are on their way to me via trades, my cousin, and an eBay purchase.
  • Feb 18: Crossed off the Superman/Batman Series 4 figures as they arrived.
  • Feb 19: Picked up a couple of figures from Derek so scratched them off the list.
  • Apr 23: Removed two JLA figures I picked up, and updated list with new wants.
  • May 19: Justice League of America Series 3 was announced today, added to the list. Removed Alex Ross Black Adam, which I acquired earlier in the month.

Continue reading...

Posted by ryanlb at 1:19 AM 2 comments

Sunday, January 13, 2008

What, like a bunch of....super friends?

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"More like a Justice League"

My collecting tends to focus around certain characters - Batman, Superman, Spawn, Clonetroopers, etc. I try not to collect everything tangentially related to Star Wars, nor every figure in a Spawn or DC wave, for one reason I can't afford it, and for another, not everything interests me. But somethings do tempt me enough that I sometimes get things outside of my primary focus.

Hence, I've decided that I need (yes, I meant need, not want) to have the entire Justice League, not just Batman and Superman. I don't need all variations of each member, but I want to have a couple representative versions of each, corresponding to what I think of as the Justice League. This means, I need an animated version of the 7 or 8 characters from the Animated Series Justice League (the two Justice League Unlimited seasons don't count yet, because I haven't seen them), and the 7 or 8 members from the few JLA comics I have.

I'm not allowing myself to collect the animated figures yet (because there are hundreds (it seems), and because there are plenty of comic style figures I want first, and they tend to get more expensive on eBay). But for the sake of this list I'm going to list the characters I want, though I haven't yet decided which version of each character I want to get. The members, per Justice League, Season 1: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Flash, Green Lantern (John Stewart), Hawkgirl, and (kinda) Aquaman.

In the comics the membership of the Justice League has fluctuated several times, for various reasons, both in-universe, and out. The comics I'm familiar with have the same members as the animated series, minus Hawkgirl, and with a different Green Lantern - Kyle Rayner, though I know that both Guy Gardener and Hal Jordan have also been members, but I like Kyle. In the interest of consistency I'll keep Hawkgirl in the comic versions, and I'm leaning towards Kyle as the Green Lantern, but I'm not entirely decided. I'm sure what will happen in the end is I'll have several comic-style Justice Leagues, so at least the three GLs I like will be included. Two good examples of this is acquiring the Justice League in a couple specific artist styles - Alex Ross - I plan to get the Kingdom Come figures eventually, and possibly the Justice versions as well, and Ed McGuinness' style, from the Superman/Batman series.

The point of this post is to publish the list of figures I plan to get for each member, along with pics - mostly for my benefit, so I as I hunt them down I am sure to get the right figure, and mark them off as I do so. I'll be listing the first choice figure, and a second choice figure for each member.

Batman

Batman, of course, is the best super hero, in my opinion. So I have lots of choices for him, and actually haven't decided on which one I want for the Justice League display.

Identity Crisis Batman is a great figure, I absolutely love how Michael Turner depicted Batman on the cover of this series, and while this figure isn't an exact match - particularly in the face - it's an excellent figure, and I'm very pleased with it.

Michael Turner also illustrated the Superman/Batman: Supergirl storyline, and DC Direct also released a figure for that line. I happen to have on, I haven't opened it yet, but from what I can tell, it's the mostly same as the Identity Crisis Batman, with a new head and hands.

But, since I already own the above figures, I needed another choice for Batman (so I have something to buy ) and as it turns out, there's an upcoming Batman figure that I think looks really great. Coincidentally, it's from DC Direct's Justice League of America line, and is due out at the end of March.

Superman

What can be said about Superman, that hasn't already been said? He can be a very interesting character, or a rather boring on, depending the writing. I rather like him, though perhaps my favorite Superman moment comes from an episode Superman: The Animated Series, where he had to pretend (under Robin's guidance) to be Batman.

DC Direct has done countless Superman figures, but most are in styles that I'm not incredibly fond of, or won't blend well with the other figures I want for this display.

This figure, from Superman/Batman series 2, again based on Michael Turner's art, I think best fits the look I'm going for. As with Batman, there seems to be something a little off in the face (compared to Turner's art) but overall it looks like a good figure.

The runner-up figure is from the 2003 JLA series, and while it looks really good, it's a little more realistic than I would prefer for this display. Still, several other figures from this series appear on this list, so it seems kinda natural to get this one too.

Wonder Woman

The best Wonder Woman figure that I know of, is the newly released figure from the new DC Direct Wonder Woman line. I really like it, and look forward to getting it soon.

My second choice for Wonder Woman is again from the 2003 JLA series.

Martian Manhunter

There don't seem to be many good Martian Manhunter figures. The best I can find is from the Alex Ross Justice Series.

Flash

Flash is another character whom I don't have much to say about. Figure-wise I'm leaning towards the Identity Crisis figure, and yet again, the 2003 JLA series.

I was considering the Alex Ross Justice series figure, until just now when I looked it up on eBay and found 2 - one loose for $80, the other an AFA graded boxed figure for the ridiculous price of $150 shipped! So forget that figure.

Green Lantern

Now we come to one of my favorite characters, Green Lantern. I mean, what's cooler than a magic ring that can do or create anything you can imagine? As I said earlier, the JLA comics I've read feature Kyle Rayner in this capacity, and I rather like the character.

I already have the only two comic style figures of Kyle, in two different outfits. He goes through a few costumes in the comics, but I've always kinda favored his first, and the JLA comics I own have him in that costume.

The other outfit isn't bad either though, and since its from the JLA series, I assume he sported this costume sometime during his time as a Justice League member.

What troubles me is since I've already got both of these figures, whichever I choose to use in the Justice League display, I'll have to acquire a additional figure of, so I can still have one in the Green Lantern display. Shh, don't tell me wife.

Should I decide to go with a Hal Jordan figure my favorite is from the Green Lantern Series, but since I already own it, and it goes in the GL display, I'd have to get a second for the JL display.

My second choice for Hal would be the Alex Ross Justice figure, which like most figures from that line tend to be slightly pricey on eBay. It has been re-released in a box set with Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, but since I don't favor the Alex Ross style for those figures (not that it's bad at all, I just think other styles are better) I don't really want to get it.

Hawkgirl

Everything I know about Hawkgirl I learned from the Animated Series. Unfortunately, I've also forgotten most, if not all of it. Still, I recall her being a cool character, so I figured I might as well have a comic style figure of her.

My first choice for her is from the JSA series of early last year, and it just so happens I purchased said figure on eBay a couple of days ago. I expect it to arrive sometime this week.

Though it's kinda pointless at this point to consider a second choice for this character, my backup figure for her will be released in March in the Justice League of America series (along with an aforementioned Batman figure). I rather like it, if not as much as the one I just ordered, so I may get it anyway.

Aquaman

And finally we come to Aquaman. Aquaman has two fairly distinct looks, the classic orange, scaled shirt with green, finned tights, and the long haired, bearded, bare-chested, hooked hand version .

I prefer the the hook version, but can only find one comic style figure of that, and it's from a box set that is in short supply (plus, the other figures aren't very good compared to others listed here).

For the non-hooked version, once again the 2003 JLA series figure looks pretty good.

And the Alex Ross Justice series figure also looks okay. Both figures come with a cool trident.

So, in conclusion, the checklist.

Batman
Identity Crisis Series 2
Superman/Batman Series 2
Justice League of America Series 2

Superman
Superman/Batman Series 2
JLA Series 1

Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman Series 1
JLA Series 1

Martian Manhunter
Alex Ross Justice Series 5

Flash
Identity Crisis Series 2
JLA Series 1

Green Lantern
Kyle, Green Lantern Corps
Kyle, JLA Series 1
Hal, Green Lantern Series 1
Hal, Alex Ross Justice Series 3

Hawkgirl
JSA Series 1
Justice League of America Series 2

Aquaman
JLA Series 1 Hooked Variant
JLA Series 1
Alex Ross Justice Series 2
Updates

Jan 19: I found a Justice League Original Members Collection of Animated figures at TRU, only $25 for the 7 main members, so I grabbed it. I still need Aquaman and most of the Justice Lords versions, but that's for another post.
Jan 20: I won an auction today for the JLA Hook Hand Aquaman for a very reasonable $11, so it's on it's way. That's probably all for this month, unless I sell some more stuff.
Feb 1: The Martian Manhunter I won on eBay for cheap arrived today.
Feb 7: My set of Series 1 Wonder Woman figures arrived, so take Wonder Woman off my list.
Mar 31: Sometime in the last week or two I received the Return of Supergirl Superman, so I guess I'd better take him off the list.

Continue reading...

Posted by ryanlb at 11:30 PM 2 comments

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Dec 2007 Aquisitions

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I'm really trying to keep better track of what I buy - when I order it and when it arrives. I'll be posting my lists here monthly, to see if I can bore anyone.

Received

DC Direct Return of the Dark Knight Joker DC Direct Kryptonian Life Suit Superman Dec 12: Gentle Giant Senate Guard mini bust Dec 25: Batman: The Animated Series Volume 4 DVD's Dec 25: DC Comics Superman Batman: Supergirl Hardcover Dec 25: Gentle Giant Royal Guard mini bust Dec 25: Mattel DC Super Heroes Cyborg Superman Dec 31: Master Replicas Scaled Stormtrooper Helmet

Ordered

Nov 27: MR Scaled Stormtrooper Helmet - $45 Dec 7: 501st Alpine Garrison T-Shirt - $7.51 Dec 10: Star Wars Empire At War PC game - $5.59 Dec 10: Image 10th Anniversary Savage Dragon and Spawn figures - $20.44 Dec 10: 501st Challenge coin: Pacific Outpost - $7 Dec 14: 501st Challenge coin: Connecticut Garrison (x2)- $11 Dec 21: Star Wars Vault - $23.96 Dec 21: Halo 3 Red Spartan second variant - $17.94 Dec 24: Superman/Batman Series 2: Batman - $8

Continue reading...

Posted by ryanlb at 12:44 AM 1 comments

Copious Backstory

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I wrote a lengthy and mostly uninteresting background of Master Replicas and the scaled helmets for my review of the Scaled Stormtrooper helmet. After several paragraphs I realized it really didn't have anything to do with the helmet I was reviewing, so I decided to remove it from the review. But it was kind of a lot of writing, so for those that really want to read it, here it is.

Background

For those who don't know Master Replicas is a company that has been making prop replicas for several years. They have had the Star Wars license for five years (from 2002 to 2007). Unfortunately, they elected not to renew the license in 2008, and the world has lost an excellent (and the only) source of Star Wars props.

Master Replicas has made many, many Star Wars props, the bulk of which are full scale, movie accurate, high quality Limited Edition Lightsaber hilt replicas. I owned one for a few months a while back, it was quite nice, and I got it for under a third of the retail price, but it was too early in my high end collecting career for me to accept spending $100 for a shiny paperwieght. Someday when I'm rolling in money, and heating my house by burning the excess cash I'll go back and pick up all the LE hilts, but for now I'll stick with my favorite line they did, the Scaled Replicas.

Most of the full scale hilts released by Master Replicas was also released in a scaled version. These props are of similar accuracy and high quality, but much smaller (.45 scale) and of less expensive materials. They are much more affordable, and are easier to display.

But this review isn't about the lightsabers, but the helmets, as that is the other main category of item Master Replicas released during their time as a SW licensee. They released several helmets in a wearable full scale size, and from what I've heard they're absolutely gorgeous. But I can't afford that, so I was quite happy when they finally announced late in 2006 that they would be introducing a line of helmets in a smaller scale and a more affordable price point.

In 2006 I learned that 5 mini Star Wars helmets were released in 1997 by Riddell. They had done C-3PO, Luke's X-Wing Helmet, Vader's, Boba's and a Stormtrooper helmet. The story I heard was that they were two days away from producing a TIE Fighter Pilot helmet when the line was canceled. I was saddened to learn this, as the TIE Pilot helmet is one of my favorite designs. I was intrigued by the items, and ended up purchasing the Vader helmet on eBay for around $35. I was quite pleased with it, and wrote a review of it on the SW Action News forums (come join us) which I should someday reproduce here. Anyway, when the news came out some months later that MR would be re-releasing the 5 Riddell helmets, and then moving on to new ones I was quite happy. I was even happier when the price was announced at $50 per helmet, as the Riddell ones retailed at $70–$90, and while Vader was inexpensive on eBay and Boba wasn't bad, the Stormtrooper helmet tended to run $130 at that time.

Well, 2007 came and has now gone, and it saw the release of only 2 mini helmets, both exclusively sold at San Diego Comic Con and SW Celebration 4 - Biggs' X-Wing helmet, a re-deco of the Luke X-Wing helmet, and a Shadow Stormtrooper helmet, a redeco of the standard Stormtrooper base on some comics. Master Replicas was nice enough to make both helmets available through their online store and I ordered the Shadow Stormy helmet back in Jun, but due to some confusion with the manufacturer, the helmets ordered online were not made, and still have not yet been delivered, though they're coming someday. Also, as Master Replicas did not renew the Star Wars license they canceled the TIE Fighter Pilot yet again, which I was greatly anticipating, as well as dashing my hopes for a repaint of that as an AT-AT Driver helmet.

The last two weeks of Dec 07 they finally started shipping the Luke X-wing, Boba, and Stormtrooper helmets. In the works are several Revenge of the Sith clone helmets - plain white, Shocktrooper (red), 501st trooper (blue), Commander Gree (green), and Utapau Shadow Trooper (black, which will be released exclusively through Razor's Edge Collectibles). I hope to acquire all the clone helmets, as Episode III clones are my primary collecting focus.

Continue reading...

Posted by ryanlb at 12:42 AM 0 comments

Friday, January 04, 2008

Coming Soon

Yes, I'm actually going to get around to making a real post soon. For now though, just a teaser.

Continue reading...

Posted by ryanlb at 3:22 PM 0 comments
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