Review 1000toys SnakeEyes

Posted on November 19, 2016 by Knives

INTRO

My favorite franchise as a child was Transformers.. I loved the cartoon, the characters, comics and of course the toys… but my favorite toys.. the ones I played with more than anything else without question, was GI Joe. Not only because of the huge colorful cast of characters, amazing vehicles and battle sets you could fill your room with… but because of the articulation. Yes, back when I was <ten years old or so, I appreciated good articulation. More than appreciated it..I often turned my nose up at toys that lacked in that department. In fact, while Star Wars was easily my favorite movie/make-believe universe back then… I really didn’t like the figures… I never asked for them for Christmas (xwing, millennium falcon & tie fighter being the exceptions)or spent a dime of my allowance on them.. because I knew with their super limited articulation, I couldn’t pose them in exciting fighting poses. They couldn’t hold a gun in a cool way or wield those super rad lightsabers in both hands like they did in the films… they couldn’t even look up.

I had a ton of Transformers because I loved robots.. but I walked right past Masters of the Universe, WWF Wrestlers, Thundercats, etc in the toy isle. If they didn’t have a swivel bicep joint and rubber band holding them together, I really wasn’t interested.

Which brings me to today. Today, I’m holding a GI Joe… well, not just ANY Joe.. the most badass of Joes, freak’n Snake Eyes.. and he’s put together by the guys behind some of the MOST articulated and well made 1/6 figures available on the market today, 1000Toys. (Check out a few more of their figures we’ve reviewed here, here and here) Continue reading →

Miller talks “Thoughts on Earth’s most Mightiest Heroes: The Avengers”

Posted on May 20, 2012 by reallytimemachines

It’s best not to think too much about The Avengers and just enjoy it. However, if you do start mulling the Marvel movie melange of mighty men and woman, try to think back to the early nineties. The late eighties/ early nineties was a heyday of comic book glory. Chris Claremont was writing X-Men and X-Men spinoffs. Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, and [that bastard] Rob Liefeld were wowing us with highly stylized versions of our favorite characters. Infinity Gauntlets were being formed, Atlantis was attacking, and there were Acts of Vengeance being carried out. It was the dawning of the Age of Apocalypse. We were young, hungry, and eagerly anticipating every new issue as they sold in record numbers.

But alas, where were our young minds to turn for such quality entertainment and stimulation outside of the comic page? On TV we could satiate our rabid desire with “X-Men: The Animated Series,” but if we wanted a super hero fix on the big screen we were stuck with DC, and let’s be honest DC just isn’t Marvel. I’m not knocking Tim Burton’s “Batman.” It is an underrated classic that changed super hero movies forever, but it just wasn’t Marvel. We needed Spiderman. We needed Wolverine. We needed Steve frickin’ Rogers on the big screen and quite honestly, the handful of Marvel movies made by that point were wretched. If you did convince your Mom to rent that one dusty VHS of the Captain America movie that starred J.D. Salinger’s son, you were kindly rewinding that sucker just feeling ashamed for ever having loved Cap to begin with. It was a sad state of affairs.

So, we gave up. We grew up. We drank our first beers, tried smoking, got laid (Well, some of us anyway. I almost forgot what website I was writing this for). We stopped worrying about Wolverine on the big screen and started worrying about college, and how to make a gravity bong. Then it happened. Out of nowhere somebody turned a third tier Marvel character into a hit action movie and even though it wasn’t Spidey or Daredevil it was still a Marvel character and it was actually a decent movie. Blade, who’d a thunk it, right?

Next, came the mind-blowing cinemagasm of Bryan Singer glory called X-Men and everything just got awesome. Sure, you were at least 20, but don’t you see? Our generation never grew up for a reason. Those dum dum baby boomers came back from Nam with one mission left, coddle the crap out of your children and trip balls until you design the coolest toys, cartoons, comics, and video games the world has ever known. They still make our toys. Transformers, Care Bears, Star Wars action figures, and 80’s style G.I. Joe are still rocking the toy shelves, because they were the apex of childhood indulgence. Our generation of men keep reading comics, watching cartoons, and playing video games on our parents’ basement couches because the generation before us perfected the art of spoiling their kids, and thank the heavens for that.

Our development was just arrested enough for us to enjoy the crap out of Sam Raimi’s Spiderman, Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, Bryan Singer’s X-Men, Kenneth Brannagh’s Thor, and now Joss Whedon’s Avengers. Marvel and whatever studios they are affiliated with decided to hire REAL film makers who brought us “Evil Dead,” “Swingers,” “The Usual Suspects,” a bunch of Shakespeare movies, and “Firefly” to make real good movies using what we already knew were real good characters and real good stories.

Sure, Ang Lee’s Hulk movie was a misfire, but he bounced back with a couple of amorous cowboys and Mark Ruffalo is a great Bruce Banner. No harm no foul. Even the steaming pile that was the Daredevil movie was just a speed-bump to what is now paying off as the investment in entertainment magic beans called comic books of the late eighties and nineties that paid off with at least five genius superhero movies in the aughts and teens.

Avengers is a really fun movie, but even if you don’t like it (and you are a sad little person if you don’t), just think back to those days of the super hero cinema depression and kick yourself for not realizing just how lucky you are.

–

Miller still has his entire comic book collection from when he was an 8 year bifocal sporting youngster. That was over 70 years ago. If he’d sold them 15 years ago, he could of retired a rich man. Instead, he held onto them like a scrooge. With the comic book boom well behind us, those same comics are practically worthless. Instead of retiring rich, fat and happy.. he writes for us.

Cheap Thrills

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Knives

by Jim Bailey

I discovered 3A toys, and in particular, World War Robot, about a year and a half ago and reacted emotionally to say the least. Nothing had triggered that sort of bone-quaking visceral response since I was a kid and really, really into my toys and comics. As I began to devour everything on the 3A menu, I slowly puzzled out the metrics of this phenomenon I felt. It’s all deeply influenced by the pop stuff that Ashley Wood (and I) was enthralled with as a kid. Turns out we’re the same age and have the same iconic images and stuff burned into our psyches. Go figure. The Names of bots and colorways and characters are reminiscent of early eighties GI Joe. The early chiaroscuro Popbot art looks like Frank Frazetta pounded it out on one of his notorious Sunday evening last-minute frenzies. The robots look like they come straight out of Star Wars. Square is clearly influenced by the Gonk Power Droid. Bertie Warbot is R2D2 with hands instead of feet, two pegs where his third leg should be, IG-88 style bandoleer, and killer new paint jobs! Heck, the card packaging IS the Star Wars packaging but for a few tweaks. Nom Deplume variants are clearly influenced by Vader and the Stormtroopers. I have my carded Noir and DIY sitting with some Daywatch and Nightwatch bots. Right above them are carded black and white imperial figs along with some loose Stormtroopers and Vader. The resemblance is uncanny…and cool. The company logo is even a riff on my favorite model company as a kid: Tamiya. I could go on for pages about influence, homage, and art, graphic design, and toy history in 3A’s works but that’s not what this article is about. Maybe Brodie will nut up and invite me back to do another piece someday if I don’t get booed off stage with this one!

So…when 3A showed their prototype Stormtrooper and Boba Fett, I just about lost bladder control. There it was! The real deal! You have to understand that I had not purchased or really even checked out an action figure since I was about 12…and that was 29 years ago. When the word came down that they would not be granted a license, I started to look around. The first thing I found was the Medicom and Hot Toys stuff. Incredible, but a bit pricy and too tall. I never did go for the 12″ figs when I was a kid. Too much like dolls in my mind. Then, I found the Vintage Collection from Hasbro. We were shopping for something at Target and I happened by the toy aisle, picked up a 3 pack that was packaged just like the original 1978 3 packs (that I got all of for Christmas that year), got home, opened it up, and started playing. Couple hundred bucks later I had like 50 Star Wars figs laying around. These guys are amazing and dirt stinkin’ cheap, next to 3A stuff anyway. They ain’t your Daddy’s Star Wars figures, that’s for sure!

Luke "don't sass me" Skywalker

These are 3-1/2 inch figs like the originals. The sculpting is fantastic, the paint work is tight and the decals are really clean. Check out my homeboy Luke in the pic above. There is a holster for his pistol and that lightsaber clipped onto his belt comes off. He comes with powered-up saber as well as the helmet. Four accessories for an X-wing pilot? Wow! Oh, the individual blister cards for this line of figures are to die for. They look just like they could have been released back in the day. Don’t have any in these pics because I picked the figs up CHEAP in big lots on the ‘bay. Display room is at a premium anyway.

Princess Leia

The Rebellion. Featuring.. Jim's wife?

By the way, this is not actually a review of a set of toys but more of a “hey, check all this stuff out” kind of deal. I warn you that my photography sucks. You can find detailed reviews of all this and much much more on a whole host of dedicated fan sites out there. Better photos too :-).

editor’s note. Jim, are you REALLY telling people to go check out OTHER review sites? grumble grumble… sigh, continue..

One of the greatest things about these figs is the level of articulation. Almost any pose is possible. They have ball and/or swivel at neck, shoulders, elbow, wrist, waist/legs, knees, and feet. Some of the figures pictured here are from older lines but anything done in the last two years by Hasbro is insanely poseable. That’s an older Chewie above. I think he’s from the SAGA line. Good stuff there too but can’t hold a candle to the new figs. They haven’t redone Chewie yet. The other big deal with the Vintage Collection is that the face sculpts look like the actors. That Leia Hoth face is about the size of my pinkie nail but it looks like Carrie Fisher . So does my wife, strangely enough 🙂

Big daddy pimp Vader. And Crew

Yeah, that’s right. Check out Vader and his posse. These are stormtroopers from one generation back. The newer ones are even MORE poseable. Vader’s helmet is in two pieces so you can have him rockin’ the hamburger head if you want. I really love how cleverly the joints are all concealed, across the board. Most poses look seamless and natural.

"Comander, what good does chest armor do if our faces and crotches are exposed?"

The Hoth imperials above are a mix of new and older stuff. Snowtroopers, At-AT pilot, and Commander are TVC. Veers and AT-ST pilot are SAGA. At-AT Commander (far left) is a must. Seriously, just go spend twelve bucks on ebay and get one. Right now. Oh, there’s IG-88 hiding behind him. Get him too. He’s so poseable he can break dance.

Bossk

Big bad Bossk here shows you just how far action figure design has come in 3 decades. I LOVE this guy. I loved him then too although he clearly looks like a freaking muppet next to his contemporary counterpart. Another thing I’ve done is go back and collect all the recarded figs up through the second wave of ESB. That’s about when I quit collecting Star Wars in earnest when I was a kid. I moved onto GI Joe then punk rock and girls. This is fun too. You can buy restoration kits for cheap on ebay. Collect nice specimens of your favorite old figs and recard them yourself. Multiple variants of cardbacks are available too so you can match the backs you had as a kid…if you even remember. I don’t. I mean, I’m a geek and all but…

Snow Job

Yeah, GI Joe is doing it too. These figs are taller. More like 4″. They still feel just right. Check out Snow Job above. This is one of the single coolest figures in my collection. The illustration and graphic design on the packaging is really tight and homes looks all set to take out a Deep Powder Bramble or a Snowballer droppie with his recoilless. All of the previous comments RE Star Wars apply to this guy. Where he leaves them in the dust is the accessories. See the pic below. He has his rifle with removable swivel tripod, a backpack, 2 skis, 2 poles, camp stove, skillet, gas can, radio and handheld, an ice pick for mountain climbing and, get this, a tent (not shown) that utilizes his skis and poles as the structural elements. Oh, and his jacket comes off, and he comes with a base and cool fold-out mission insert. Is that crazy or what? That’s accessorization at the level of a 12″ fig! These are fetching about 20 bucks after-market. Still a steal at that price, sez I.

Snow Jobs Stuff, wow!

Snake Eyes. Badass and going strong since 1982.

The Snake Eyes above, from the Pursuit of Cobra line by Hasbro (Snow Job is too) is so dripping with accessories that I get lost. There are two knives with sheaths, a pistol with a holster, two katanas with two removable sheaths, explosives pack on shoulder strap, removeable tac vest/harness, trademark UZI and pistol (both have removeable silencers), an assault rifle (not shown), and a head variant (not shown). Whew! My only issue with the Pursuit of Cobra Joes is that they are weirdly long in the legs and the hip articulation, just like the old skool figs, detracts from the presentation. Most of the new Joes are just as goofy as the later waves of the originals so you have to dig around to find the good stuff.

They have that OG G.I. JOE smell

In addition to the Pursuit of Cobra, there are several other GI Joe lines that have interesting features or that might appeal to peeps. The pic above is of some figs that are the real equivalent of the Star Wars Vintage Collection. They are well articulated, nicely sculpted updates of their 1980-1982 counterparts and sport the original card art. Flash was my first back in the day. $1.50 at Best Products! It took me 6 weeks of allowance to save up for him. I fell out after the 2nd wave cos I grew up (sortof). Snow Job was my favorite fig as a kid. How could he not be. He had skis! There are a couple of nice figs in the Rise of Cobra line as well as the new stuff available at Target/TRU based on the animated series. Cartoony but lots of fun.

One last bit on all this stuff: it’s built to be chewed on by 2 year olds and dogs, go through the wash, and handle at least one bottle rocket shot. Enough Black Cats or a blowtorch will probably kill them (like they did in the eighties) but the point is that these are meant to be played with. They can handle it. Sometimes I think I get lost in the “value” of the relatively shoddily constructed art toys I’ve collected over the last year and a half and treat them too gingerly. Just pose them occasionally and let them sit there. Give yourself a rest from the fear and go slumming for some cheap thrills. For what you drop on a 12″ fig, you can get buckets of this mass-market stuff to mess around with. I guess I’m just an old guy. The mass-market stuff is so massively better than what I had as a kid (and in many ways, better than 3A) that I can’t help myself. If the devil himself handed me the Bossk and the Snow Job that I feature here back in 1981, I kid you not, I would have sold my soul.

Rock on, brothers and sisters!

Jim Bailey aka Grindhouse