Top 10 Toys of 2012

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Knives

It’s that time again people! The end of 2012 brings with it the dawn of 2013, which gives us good cause to levy the hammer and proclaim our picks for the top 10 toys of the year! It was a little tricky compiling this list. For one, I’m slightly touched by a fever.. one in which cowbell has no power and only various heavy doses of sudafed seems to keep somewhat tamped down. For another, I realized going over my shelf that each toy in the list has it’s own set of qualities that seem to outshine some yet are overshadowed by others. While one toy may be incredibly fun to play with, another may look impossibly realistic thanks to an astounding sculpt and/or paint job. What merits equate “Toy of the Year”?

As with any review, 99% of it is opinion. In this case, the opinion happens to be mine. I hope you’ll find some common air here and there but even if you don’t, I’d love to hear from you and get your thoughts. Let us know what your top 5, 10, or heck, 100 toy list is this year!

To qualify, the toys need to have been shipped/delivered within 2012, though not necessarily released (sold).

Without further ado, the top 10!

10. 3A x Bandai Zaku Gundam Inspirational Model

I’ll say it now to get it out of the way, I’m a big fan of what Ashley Wood has done so far with 3A’s Gundam license.

The purest may disagree with me. Ashley Wood’s Gundam Zaku creation polarized fans of both 3A and Gundam when it was released earlier this year. Many fans called foul after seeing that Wood unceremoniously got rid of the mono eye that’s been so inherent to the Zaku character. Others saw it as simply a hybrid of sorts, between 3A/Ash’s own gas mask-sporting Noms and Bandai’s iconic evil robot. While I could understand the disappointment some fans may have felt seeing the design stray so far off track from what was expected, I was more than blown away by just how dynamic the figure came out. As a friend of mine said, “Zaku looks like more of a giant space marine than a Gundam robot.” So it’s called Zaku, but it doesn’t really look like Zaku? Strangely, I have zero problem with that. I truly hope it’s not the last we see from the partnership.

You can read our full review of Zaku here.

9. Play Arts Kai Metal Gear Solid: Solid Snake

As the only non-3A toy on the list this year, Ol’ Snake is the odd man out. Still, the joy of seeing Square Enix Play Arts Kai releasing such a great quality version of one of my favorite characters in video game history soundly earns him the spot. I can’t WAIT for more classic Metal Gear Solid figures to roll out from this line.

Read our review of Solid Snake here.

8. 3A Action Portable (AP) Zombs

We never did get around to writing a review for these little buggers, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t get around to playing with them to our heart’s content. The action portable Zomb infestation was easily one of the most exciting events for 3A fans this year. With several blind boxed (carded) options to be hunted down, the BST action reached a fever pitch. Ultimately, the excitement died dramatically once they actually started to land on doorsteps. Fairly heavy saturation of certain variants caused their perceived trade/sell value to plummet and many can still be had for a song. Which is awesome, because these brain chompers are awesome!

So ready your vocal chords! The enjoyment of these little guys definitely continues and if you’ve yet to grab any yourself, they shouldn’t be too difficult to track down.

7. 3A HK ReVenture Old Guard Tomorrow King

I hesitated putting this guy on the list since they were relatively difficult to get a hold of. You either had to be one of the lucky souls to actually attend 3A’s ReVenture event in Hong Kong or be lucky at the draw to snag the few “left overs” dripped to Bambaland a few weeks afterwards.

The reason he’s here is because he is a classic Tomorrow King, through and through, the design of which is so near perfect, it’s difficult to explain what makes it so. Somehow, Ashley Wood and 3A have hit the nail squarely on the head with TKs, and fans claw at their screens and jazzercise in unison each time a new one comes along.

While the red shirt variant wasn’t on the top of my list among the four available, I still count my lucky stars to have scored him. He’s earned a spot both front and center on my shelf, as well as right here in the top ten.

Read our Old Guard TK review here.

6. 3A WWRp/WWR Caesars

Yeah, I combined Caesars in both scales for my number six spot. The massive and mighty 1/6 WWR Caesar is astonishing to see on display. Since I went with an EMGY colorway, mine is set up with my other EMGY figures and he looks amazing. From the paint details to the articulation, everything is spot on. That being said, I don’t ever remove him from display or even try to repose him. He’s a little too cumbersome and tucked back behind other things to easily manipulate. Instead, he sits there to be admired in all his glory from a safe distance.

On the other hand, the 1/12th WWRp Caesars are the perfect size to pose and play with. While we still haven’t gotten an official review together for them, I’ll go ahead and spill the beans that these guys may be 3A’s perfect 1/12th robot toy. I can’t compare apples to apples as I chose the JEA and RIP colorways for my WWRp opposed to EMGY in WWR, but I can say that I’ve interacted with them a lot more. They look and feel more like toys and so I end up treating them as such.

So at one scale, 3A’s Caesars are astonishingly BA to look at, on another, incredibly fun to play with. In my eyes, it’s a tie. A win – win, whichever way you go.

Read our full WWR EMGY Caesar review here.

5. 3A Jungle Vet

We’re only at the halfway point of this top ten list, yet we also happen to be at the toy that I had the most fun with this year, Jungle Vet. Of the many “sold blind” new Adventure Kartel figures, he was among the most anticipated. I admit, I assumed he wouldn’t warrant such bated breath. Boy was I wrong.

Despite his kit-bashed appearance, the combination of articulated fingers and mono-eye contributed to making Jungle Vet one of the most fun and often posed toys in my collection. The photoshoot for our review lasted all day, and it was one of the few times that it didn’t feel that way.

You may be tempted to shoe-horn in here a member of the Finger Gang or even King Thumb himself as they share many of the same traits as Jungle Vet, but I think JV’s Ankou head with it’s rotating eyeball give him the edge. That and he was first!

JV is a goofy, and most importantly, FUN addition to anyone’s collection.

Read our full review of JV here.

4. 3A Real Steel Ambush

If you had asked me 6 months ago if I’d have a toy based on the Dreamwork’s Real Steel movie in my collection, much less in my top ten of 2012 list, I’d have given you a sideways glance that’d cleave you in twain. The movie was.. well, it was what it was. Big CG robots, punching each other time and time again to the tune of a thin script and a fairly silly plot. The idea of making kids toys based off the line is a no-brainer. On the other hand, the thought of making a high-quality, expensive, designer toy based on the franchise sounded nuts.

3A didn’t see it that way. They played to their strengths and showed the industry how it’s done. They took a mediocre, second rate, movie character and turned into one of the coolest, most surprising and detailed toys in my collection. If you have him in yours, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you don’t, good luck finding one for a reasonable price as they’re pretty scarce. The good news is, it looks like Atom is right around the corner. I wouldn’t miss out if I were you.

Read our full review of Ambush here.

3. 3A Queenie of 7 Bones

The 7 Bones collection from Ashley Wood’s Popbot line is one of the most readily collected amongst 3A fans. To the majority of Popbot aficionados, it’s hard to go wrong with Tomorrow Kings. They’re basically samurai crossed with jedi in hip, urban gear. So, generally epic. They are assassins and warriors for your showcase that are as fun to play with and pose as they are awesome to have on display. Tomorrow Queens on the other hand, have always been relegated to simply standing there due to their vastly more limited articulation/clothing combination. To many, they come off as glorified if not overly sexualized barbies with bigger boobs and slightly more fire power. Many love them, but the love isn’t nearly as widespread. I’ve had a few in my collection over the years, but they’re always the first to go when some collection thinning is in order.

That all changed with Queenie. Unlike much of what we see out of 3A, from clothing to sculpt, Queenie is/was completely new. As the leader of 7 Bones, Ash thankfully saw it fit to give her a new, more articulated body as well as a bit more dancing room in her pajamas. She’s also the only 3A figure to carry a bo staff and sport an eyepatch (other than Bleak’s dog, Custard). She’s still curvy and almost awkwardly big boobed, but she comes across as a no-nonsense tough girl who can handle herself on the battlefield.

Queenie feels like an individual and all her own. Among the multiple variants of Zombs, Tomorrow Kings, Grunts, Dropcloths, Caesars and Popbots, that’s an incredibly refreshing thing.

I’m crossing my fingers that 3A has more unique characters like her in store for us in 2013.

Read our full review of Queenie here.

2. New Noms 4th and 27th

When I saw the new Noms at SDCC this year, I was ecstatic in the confident knowledge that I had broken down just weeks prior and pre-purchased both. Behind the shiny clear glass, they looked amazing. The new Noms consist of Nom 4th, a fit redesign of the orignal Nom De Plume and Nom 27th, a dark all new take on the classic design, under the guise of “disciple”.

In that glass case on the showroom floor, Nom 4th was the show stopper. Once the boys finally landed on my porch and I got them free of their packs, Nom 27th took the lead by a nose with his cool hooded shirt and substantially more menacing appearance. I bounce back and forth between which I prefer, thus the shared ranking on the list.

Ashley Wood claims these are the Noms he wished he could have made from the beginning, had money been no object. A generous host of gas mask hoses, actual laced boots, sheathed dual guns and baton as well as some truly lovely stitching support that claim. I still love the classic Nom designs with Jung De Plume being a prize in my own collection, but the new Noms certainly have the character and style befitting the Nom name.

If you missed out on 4th and 27th, don’t loose hope completely. If you’re interested in grabbing a 3AA 2013 membership, come January, you’ll have a chance to grab Blanc Hunter as part of the deal!

1. Blind Cowboy and Ghost Horse Super Set

I knew what my number one was going to be long before I sat down to make this list. There isn’t anything else like it out there. This duo stands out in a room, regardless if they’re stuffed in a crowded display case or set up all Lonestar on top of a bookshelf.

Alone, BC himself is actually one of the more.. muted figures to come from 3A this year. He’s not perfect. His hat is a little on the puffy side and his white shirt lacks the fit that you probably wish it had thanks to a weird velcro strip. He’s also light on a few accessories that could have taken him to the next level. It’s not that he comes bare-arsed or anything. He’s got a gaggle of hand canons strapped around his waist, a cool red poncho draped over him and a dirty bandage covering his scarred visage. He’s got character, it just doesn’t come screaming out at you when he’s by his lonesome.

Paired with his trusty and very dead steed, Ghost Horse, they become a different thing altogether.

Few pieces can match the presence of this set. Toy enthusiast and annoyed wives alike have marveled at it on various occasions.

BC & GH summarize what makes collecting high end designer art toys so satisfying. It’s a near perfect balance of something to play with and something to admire. You have the action figure element, with guns and boots and bandages, and then you have the artistically and impeccably executed Ghost Horse sculpt that could make you question what exactly defines something as a “toy.”

If you want to read more about our opinion of this set, you can check out one of the thickest and most picture stuffed reviews out of the RtR chamber to date right here.

As an initially planned one-off, those who missed the set looked left to drink their own tears for the foreseeable future. Luckily for you, 3A decided to release a second run in 2013 dubbed the Dead Equine Super Set , essentially a monotone version of the same set.

That means that those of you chomping at the bit to add the Blind Cowboy Super Set, our official pick for 2012 Toy of the Year, to your collection have a very good shot at making that happen.

That also means that 2013 already has a Toy of the Year nominee!

Some Honorable Mentions:

3A Light and Shadow Oya Set – I’d have tossed this set in the top ten in a second but I feel that since they were gifted/awarded, never available for sale and are incredibly rare, they’re not really a release at all. They’re still awesome though!

3A’s Metal Gear Solid REX – He’s still set to ship out soon. A tiny handful of people somehow ended up getting their orders around the same time we got our review sample, but the official shipment hasn’t gone out and isn’t scheduled to do so until February of 2013. Keep your chin up REX, there’s always next year!

Thanks so much for a great year guys! We really appreciate you guys swinging by and checking out the stuff we’re doing. We have a few new things planned for 2013 that are sure to up the ante around here and we’re excited to show you!
See you in 2013 with more in depth, photo-filled toy reviews!

Happy New Year!

– Knives

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The Workshop: Paul Benson’s Nabler to Bothead conversion!

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Knives

Think of it as a belated Christmas gift.. or whatever flavor of gift you prefer. Unless you don’t like gifts, in which case you’re a sour puss and have no joy in your soul.

Regardless, my main man Paul Benson is back with another great workshop for kids and grownups alike.

– Knives

Custom Nabler head to Bothead

ThreeA have released a number of severed Botheads, including a Mortis Intruder Bothead in 2010 which I really like, although don’t have one in my collection. I saw the opportunity to convert a similarly shaped Nabler head into a severed Bothead.Can I say again, my workshops are not about following the script, but they stand as set of techniques and tips that may be useful to someone out there customizing.

So, here is the Nabler head I started with.

CONVERSION:

I set about the conversion by removing all the pipework in recessed bottom of the head using a little circular saw tool on a Dremel. Tidying up was done with a scalpel. The plastic from which the head is made is surprisingly soft and fairly easily cut with a scalpel blade. The eyeball was carefully cut up into pieces using the Dremel, the pieces being taken out through the front of the orbit using fine nosed pliers.An oval shaped piece of plastic was removed for the head to give the impression of damage and a possible internal explosion. Several burning matches were run along the edges of the hole to soften the plastic so that it could be bent slightly upwards and outwards. By accident the plastic caught fire and took on a charred appearance which hinted at the damage sustained after a fire.The next step would be to find bits that would look like internal workings of the head and severed electrical wires and hydraulic pipe work. I have a plastic box into which I throw all manner of bits and pieces that might be useful for converting things. I wanted something that looked like it would connect mechanically downwards to the rest of the robot. I settled on a plastic linkage part for plumbing. I cut this in half with a saw and dry fitted it into the bottom of the head. There is narrowing inside of the head with a continuous wall which narrows the diameter. The plumbing fitting would glue onto to this perfectly. I felt it would be good to see some sort of internal computer/electrics. I needed something that might contribute both little circuit boards and possible mechanical workings. Time to sacrifice one of those mini RC helicopters, the ones that fly indoors, that no longer worked. I careful pulled it apart and ended up with some framework, with a small circuit board from the fuselage of the helicopter and the drive shaft to the rear rotor. After several tries and tweaks the circuit board was wedged up against the hole at the top of the Nabler head, in a position so that it looked like it had just be thrust into the opening by an internal explosion. The drive shaft was threaded through the plumbing part as it was glued into position and then wedged within internal bore of the same with a piece of styrene tubing and electric cable.

I used 3 core electric cable to further wedge the plumbing part in place within the head. All parts, at this stage, were then secured in place with Superglue. The cable was used as is, or with the three wires protruding and with the three wires removed. One of the drive shafts from the heli was glue into position as though it had been wedged into position when the damage occurred. A couple of bits of plastic that had been cut away with the pipework was removed were just stuck randomly in position.

The little charging cable with fitting was detached from the heli controller and wedged into position amongst the parts in the recessed head and then glued into place.

I guess the watch word for the internal fittings, was ‘just be creative’.

The next stage was painting. I tend to use Humbrol acrylic aerosol paints as base colors Starting with matte black the recessed bottom of the head, eye orbit and damaged area were spray painted first. These areas when them masked off using kitchen paper and masking tape. Although the Nabler head was originally red, I fancied that color for the finished Bothead too. I went with a shiny red as I remember from my aircraft modelling days, it is best to put waterslide decals on a prepared shiny surface as it reduces ‘silvering’ where silver like marks show up underneath the decal. I would matte spray after applying the decals.

The circular top part of the head was then masked off and sprayed matt white.

To make the decals, that would be placed on the back of Bothead, I bought some clear waterslide inkjet decal paper. The decals were designed on Photoshop and printed on to the shiny side of the paper. After letting the printed images dry properly they were then sprayed with 3 coats of clear acrylic spray, allowing 30 minutes for each coat to dry before spraying the next coat.

The decals were then cut out with scissors. The decals were then placed into a shallow container of clean water. The decals were then positioned on the head and carefully slid off the backing paper. Excess moisture was then removed with kitchen paper. To matte down the red paint and seal the decals, the head was sprayed with matte acrylic varnish. Unfortunately a little silvering was present, but I would cover this over with paint when applying the weathering.

PAINTING:

As the first part of the brush painting stage I started by using thin strips of masking tape to section off two quarter segments of the white circle on top of the head. I have found that masking off is just as useful when using a bush as when applying paint by spraying it. It works in exactly the same way and can give perfectly straight lines. The unmasked segments where painted a pale blue. I painted round the eye and the two semi circle on each side of the head with white.

All of the recessed bottom part of the head, cabling/pipe work and the hole higher up on the head were then drybrushed with a dark grey and then a light grey to bring out the detail.

I have begun to use Citadel ink washes, bought online or from a Game Workshop store, more and more and selected a sepia colour mixed with black to give the head a complete wash. The head was placed in the open top of a jam jar to keep it upright as the wash dried. More of a darkened wash was applied in certain areas and encourage to flow down to look a like oil leakage. Some of the scratches and depressions on the head were picked out in black.

To give the impression of wear and tear lots of little specks, in dark brown and black, were applied all over the head using bits of sponge. Through trial and error I discovered the best type of sponge to use is an artificial copy of a natural sponge, if you know I mean. Cut up in random shaped chunks probably no bigger than 5 cm by 5 cm. I tend to mixed paints on an old piece of glass, so having put some paint on the glass I dip a piece of sponge into the paint and dab of the excess onto kitchen paper. I just worked round the head dabbed the sponge against it and there in a random manner.

I then used MIG weathering powder, old and new rust, on and old paint brush. The powder was run over some of the white areas to give a rusting effect. It was run around some of the detail half way up the head, round the eye etc. and round the bottom of the head. The spray over with matt varnish later would fix the rust pigments.

Final detailing just included emphasizing the dints and scratches by painting them black. More oil trails were half applied with a brush and half allowed to run down the side of the head from the structures on the side of the head and the hole at the back. Watered black paint was used.

Next to paint with silver to give the impression of paint being worn off back to bare metal due to wear, this was done after the head had been sprayed with matt varnish to matt down all the paint and fix the weathering pigments. Matt varnish over silver does not work and ends up looking grey! The silver was drybrushed onto the head around the lower edges at the bottom of the head and inside the recess on one or two parts, that well be metal.

Finishing touches.

The eye had been left open and would be covered. As a clear cover, I went for one of those ‘googly eyes’ I took from a mixed set of sizes bought at a local craft shop.

The 20 mm was the perfect size although no so straight forward to fit as I thought! The back part was careful cut away with a sharp scalpel and the little black pupil discarded. Fine forceps were used to hold the clear cover whilst a little Superglue was applied to a small section of one side opposite to the forceps. It was then gingerly placed into the eye hole and held in place until the glue took. More Superglue was then applied around the edge of the eye hole. A piece of Bluetac was gently applied to the front of the cover so that it just held the cover. The tweezers were put down and the eye eased into placed. The Bluetac was take off when the glue had taken. Now it would have been handy to have and extra hand to do this and I did need several tries to get it right! I don’t think this is strongest fix and the cover would probably fall through into the eye orbit with a heavy tap, but is has held in place despite taking the eye on outside trips for photography.

I wanted to put into the recess some extra pipe work dangling out. Thought it would be good idea to have some clear tubing, looking as thought it had just drain from it. I found some clear heat shrink tubing used for insulation. The idea being that when it is heated it contracts in diameter onto wire. Placed in hot water it contracts down to narrow clear tubing that works fine. Having cut suitable lengths I made up some yellowy brown thin paint and sucked it up into the tubes. It was then allowed to dry in the tubes, which it did in various random patterns which looked quite realistic. The tubing was then just glued into place were there was slight gaps.

The Nabler to red Bothead conversion was my second go. Included below is my first one, which I painted grey and applied more rust as a filter. The eye was done in a slightly different way. A circle of clear plastic styrene was cut and then small triangular section cut away to represent shattering. The lines to show cracking were etched on with a sharp scalpel blade.

A big thanks to Paul, who in my opinion is a master of the toy mod community and a big thanks to all you who keep coming back for more here @ RtR!

Happy New Year!

INVADE DOMINATE DESTROY

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Knives

Edit: Show’s over! Congratulations to the winners and a tip of the hat to the fine gents who put this contest together!

– knives

We here at RtR are proud to support the community generated raffle “Invade Dominate Destroy.”

In short, this raffle is to help out our friend and fantastic member of the toy and custom community, Simon”Goatballs” Be. What better time to do so than the holidays?

The quick version of how this will work all starts with you buying a ticket, which will cost you $15. Each ticket enters your name 5 times into the raffle. Obviously, the more tickets you buy the better your chances of winning the prizes will be.

Prizes you say? Oh, yes indeed.

So far, 2 grand prizes have been shown and a 3rd teased. Each has been hand painted and customized by custom toy wizards Razak Mahnster, Carlo ‘WWWETWORKS’ Cacho and Michael ‘BUBO’ Reilly.

Prize #1

A Custom 3A Tomorrow King 1:6th Scale toy, by Wwwetworks & Mahnster. It sports a black tee with a samurai face-shield logo in teal on the front. His pants and pouches are dyed a deep purple and comes with some really sporting tats!

Prize # 2

A custom 1/12th scale 2-eyed zombot diorama, by artist Wwwetworks. This set features a 1/6th scale square as a base, and a fantastic rust patina tying the whole piece together. Truly a one-of-a-kind diorama, and a welcome addition to any collection.

Prize #3

A custom WWRp 1/12th scale JEA Dropcloth by Bubo. This dropcloth features the popular ‘JEA’ colorway, which has not been available in this scale. One lucky winner will be adding this awesome bot to their crew.

Every ticket you purchase also gets you a custom 1/6 baseball bat cast by Bubo off of one of Goatballs’ own hand-made creations. (Check out Goat’s bat making tutorial he did for us) You’ll also have a chance to win a one of a kind, hand painted bat.

The unpainted bat you will receive for each ticket you buy

The hand painted/detailed bat you have a chance to win just by entering

For all the up to date information and to purchase your own tickets, hit up the websites below:

http://invadedominatedestroy.webs.com/

http://www.payitsquare.com/collect-page/8942

Hurry! The raffle ends next Wednesday, 12/12/12. Don’t miss your chance!

Thanks so much for your interest and good luck! These custom figures look sick! Big thanks to Bubo for putting this thing together!

Rad Toy Review is in no way affiliated with Invade Dominate Destroy or the creatives involved, however we want to help give back to the community. Their opinions and actions may not represent that of RtR’s.