Sunday, February 28, 2010

Dr Figure 1/6 RX4 Rifle PREVIEW

A most interesting choice of weapon, especially for 1/6 scale as I had not seen this weapon before until now. Apparently, this weapon was seen in use in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW 2) tactical shooter video game series, published by Ubisoft.

The Beretta Rx4 is a rifle developed and manufactured by Beretta Holding of Italy. The action is a Gas-operated, rotating bolt, using the Auto-Regulated Gas-Operated system patented by Benelli. The rifle uses STANAG magazines and can feature either a fixed stock or an adjustable stock. [ source: wiki ]

Beretta RX4 looks like it was assembled from parts of different guns, and actually it is. The receiver and gas system are based on Benelli R1 rifles, but with alternate polymer magazine housing attached below, which will accept M16 / Ar-15 type magazines. Buttstock is apparently borrowed from Benelli's combat shotguns such as M4 Super 90. Nevertheless it appears to be a practical weapon, suitable for home defense, practical shooting, and security / police work.

Beretta RX4 Storm rifle with 10-round magazine, grenade launcher and retractable butt stock

Benelli MR1 rifle (previously known as Beretta RX-4) with 30-round magazine


The Rx4 Storm is thus currently not in any military use, as it has not been intended to be, albeit one of its variants (the 12,5-inch barrel "Tactical" version with pistol grip and 5-positions telescopic stock) has been intended primarily as a "patrol carbine" for Police organizations and private security operators.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Batman BEATS Superman: Batman comic fetches US$1.075 million

2006 MTV Movie Awards: Best Hero Award was given to Christian Bale for his performance as Batman in Batman Begins, and when Bale accepted the award from the hands of Brandon Routh he good-naturedly commented "Sorry Superman, but Batman is BADA$$." He went on to promise the audience there will be more Batman flicks, and called his wife Sibi Blazic "my personal Wonder Woman."

2010: A 1939 comic with the first ever appearance of masked crime fighter Batman sold at an auction in Dallas on Thursday for a record $1.075 million (S$1.51 million), said Heritage Auction Galleries.

Three days earlier, a buyer had paid US$1 million for Superman's world debut in Action Comics #1 (see my earlier post HERE), more than tripling the previous comic book sales record set last year (entry HERE). Heritage Auction Galleries did not disclose the name of the previous owner or the winning bidder for Detective Comics #27, the first book featuring Batman. According to them, the previous owner is a savvy collector who bought the comic for $100 more than 40 years ago, a figure which at the time seemed a large price, said Heritage Auction Galleries.

Back in the 1930s, both Action Comics #1 and Detective Comics #27 sold for 10 cents.

Friday, February 26, 2010

"A child wants what the heart wants"

A fellow blogger LEon of OpenTheToy was witness to a most interesting and touching account and it really struck a chord in me and I thought it's really worth sharing. LEon's blog post entry of "Conversation between a Grandfather and a Father" involved a young father and his parents and Thomas the train or more accurately, Thomas the Tank Engine, a fictional anthropomorphic steam locomotive created by the Rev. W. V. Awdry as one of a number of characters in his Railway Series books, first published in the 1940s. You have to read his account to appreciate it.

After reading the post entry, you have to ask yourself, "Are you the young father or the grandparents?" For many of us, I think we are all still children even when we've supposedly grown up :> "A child wants what the heart wants"

In 1979, the British writer/producer Britt Allcroft came across the books, mortgaged her house and used her savings to bring the stories to life as Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends (later simplified to Thomas and Friends). The programme became an award-winning hit around the world, with a vast range of spin-off commercial products.

This was part of an elaborate train set we bought for our boys when they were growing up and we can gladly say that our two boys never felt deprived. So much so that now that they've grown up, they have no interest in all these but we still keep them for sentimental reasons ;p








Playhouse GSG-9 (low-profile version) REVIEW II

Having seen what Playhouse packed into their 1:6 scale GSG-9 (abbreviation of GrenzSchutzGruppe 9 which means Border Guard Group 9, the elite counter-terrorism and special operations unit of the German Federal Police) low-profile version boxed set (see earlier post HERE), I think you can agree with me that it's less about GSG-9 and more about Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer in season 7 of "24".

So here are some action poses of Playhouse GSG-9 (low profile version) figure OR 1:6 Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer armed first with the Heckler & Koch (H&K) MP7-A1 with an extendable stock and a folding front grip plus EOTech holo sight


Close-ups of the Playhouse 1:6 MP7-A1 PDW (Personal Defense Weapon) submachine gun with extended magazine. The black heat grip CT gloved hands from Playhouse are a tad BIG, like Jack's got HUGE hands or they've become swollen from some bee stings. The trigger finger doesn't fit nicely and is over extended :(


1:6 Jack Bauer drawing his P226 pistol from his PS1 paddle holster




See the over-sized hands holding the pistol? The trigger finger is not even anywhere near the trigger

"I've got the shot. I'm taking it!"

Jack Bauer has proven more than once that he isn't someone you want to mess with, and he takes his job very seriously. In fact, you could say he's deadly serious (pun intended) and some of the bad guys have ended up seriously dead!











You can also view Enterbay 1:6 scale Jack Bauer HERE

Other GSG-9 military action figures:
GSG-9 "Ulrich" by Dragon (pictures HERE)

Thursday, February 25, 2010

US$1 million for comic book!!!

A rare copy of the first comic book featuring Superman on the cover was sold for US$1 million ($1.42 million) on Monday, smashing the previous record price for a comic book (previously posted HERE).

Nuff said ò_Ó

Hot Toys DX 03 Michael Jackson (Bad Version) PREVIEW

Hot Toys DX 03 1/6th scale Michael Jackson ("Bad" Version) Collectible Figure

~ M ICON DX Series ~

Paying tribute to the King of Pop, Hot Toys is proud to present the 1/6th scale Michael Jackson collectible figure, this time depicting his image in his popular hit Bad’s music video of 1987, highlighting the authentic head sculpt, the multi-layered stereoscopic hair sculpture and the highly-detailed costume of his style. A complimentary value-added set of upper outfit portraying his image in the Dirty Diana music video in 1988 is also presented.

The 1/6th scale Michael Jackson (Bad version) collectible specially features: Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of Michael Jackson in the Bad music video, Newly developed head sculpt with new make-up, Parallel Eyeball Rolling System (PERS) and colored Translucent Iris, Multi-layered stereoscopic hair sculpture, Slim version of TrueType body with 38 points of articulation, Approximately 30 cm tall with One (1) pair of fist hands, five (5) additional right and two (2) extra left interchangeable and posing palms, Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted

Costume: Two (2) sets of costumes (one (1) set for Bad version and one (1) set of upper outfit in Dirty Diana image)

Bad costume: Black jacket with buckles, zips and pouches as accessories, Black and white tees, Black pants with buckles and a red stripe on the left, Four (4) belts with buckles (three (3) in black and one (1) in brown), One (1) pair of black shoes with buckles, Nine (9) pieces of black gloves with buckles (six (6) for right hands, three (3) for left hands) (right gloves with rivets added)




Dirty Diana costume: A set of white shirt and tee


Accessory: Square-shaped deluxe figure stand with LED lights with Michael Jackson nameplate and M ICON DX series title

Release date: Q2 2010

Artists: Head Sculpted by Lee So Young, Head Painted by JC. Hong, Head Art Directed by Yulli, Figure Costume Made by Namgung Mijin, Accessory Sculpted by Kouhei Okui

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

"I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations"

"And this is my counterpart R2-D2."

Pictures of Medicom's C-3PO and R2-D2 have been released and the going price for these figures are US$200 for C-3PO & US$190 for R2-D2. Because R2-D2 is smaller in size due to its height, Medicom tried to justify its hefty price by adding the light-up feature. No doubt people will still be willing to fork out that kind of mulah (money) for the pair of them, my concern is whether Medicom has got the size right this time and even then, which size does Medicom base their two droids on? Medicom has been releasing their Star Wars 1:6 figures in so many different sizes even though they are supposed to be 1:6 that I've given up collecting the Star Wars Medicom figures altogether.

To borrow a quote from C-3PO: "We're doomed."

Ever wondered why C-3PO has a silver leg? The official story goes like this: C-3PO was completely covered in Gold plating in Episode III (Revenge of the Sith) as he was an Interpreter to Senators in the Galactic Senate. Somewhere between Episode III and Episode IV (A New Hope) C-3PO's right leg was implanted with a bomb. But the leg was replaced by an unknown droid and as no gold parts was available, it was replaced with a Silver leg instead.


In the original "Star Wars (1977)", there were only two R2-D2 models, one that was remote controlled and walked on three legs, and another which was "worn" by Kenny Baker and walked on two legs.

There were a total of 15 R2-D2s on the set of "Attack of the Clones". Eight were radio-controlled; two were worn by Baker; the remainder were stunt models that could be moved by puppet strings or towed by wires. The robotic R2s were prone to failure, particularly while shooting the Tatooine scenes in Tunisia.



The rather COOL light-up features on the Medicom RAH (Real Action Heroes) R2-D2

And here are four droids that cost less than one of Medicom's. The droid in the net carried by 1:6 Chewbacca is a LIMITED STAR WARS Authorized Masterpiece Edition C-3PO Collector Figure. This 12-inch collectible figure was part of the Star Wars Masterpiece Edition, a series of three hardcover reference books published by Chronicle Books. Each comes in a huge box that contains the book and a 12" collector figure made by Hasbro. The books showcased different characters from the Star Wars movies: Anakin Skywalker, C-3PO and Aurra Sing. They included information about the development of the characters, their in-universe biography and merchandising products.

The best thing was, back in those Clarke Quay Sunday Flea Market days, I managed to snag a 14-inch Anakin Skywalker figure (pictures HERE) and this 12-inch break-apart C-3PO droid for way less than the official retail price. I also have the Aurra Sing bounty hunter which was a gift :)

This 12-inch tall fully articulated C-3PO Collector Figure with detachable limbs featured realistic silver leg and blaster residue finish. As mentioned, this golden droid's limbs could be taken apart and re-assembled. It came complete with the net Chewbacca used to collect C-3PO's detached parts in "The Empire Strikes Back".


[Chewbacca is fixing C-3PO]
C-3PO: Oh, yes, that's very good, I like that... Oh!
[the lights in his eyes go out]
C-3PO: Well, now, something's not right, because now I can't see!
[Chewie fiddles with something and his eyes turn back on]
C-3PO: Oh, oh, that's much better. Wait... wait. Oh, my! What have you done? I'm BACKWARDS. You flea-bitten furball! Only an overgrown mop-head like you would be stupid enough to...
[Chewie switches C-3PO off]
This R2-D2 with serving tray was from the 1998 FAO Schwarz Limited Edition Slave Leia & R2-D2 as Jabba's Prisoner boxed set as seen in "Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)" where R2 operated as both bartender and mobile bar on Jabba's Sail Barge

This R2-D2 was released in 1997 and certainly looks good for his age Ha! Ha!

And his bumbling partner C-3PO (both figures reviewed HERE)

For about the same price as Medicom's rather small RAH R2-D2, you could also get the 15-inch Interactive R2-D2 unit which responds to more than 40 voice commands, plays games with you and your friends, dances, plays music, and more! Ask him if he remembers famous friends like Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia or enemies like Jabba the Hutt, and each name will stir up a different response. He even guards your room with his sentry alarm. R2 also boasts a secret cargo compartment and a unique swing-down utility arm that doubles as a beverage holder.

Or even a R2-D2 Astromech Droid Phone which produces Star Wars sound effects for incoming calls or on demand! Whenever there is an incoming call the R2-D2's head spins, a light flashes and the R2D2 sound is produced.



Check out the United States Parcel Service (USPS) Star Wars R2-D2 Mailbox Coin Bank posted HERE