First Look Wondercon Exclusive Star Wars Shock Trooper Two Pack ArtFx+ Statue by Kotobukiya

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Knives

INTRO

Can statues be toys? I’ve been asking myself that question since my early days of collecting, particularly when McFarlane toys started to systematically eliminate articulation with each new update of their Spawn figure series. The line blurred further as I began to delve into collecting comic book-based statues to crowd my office with. They’re awesome to look at but you can’t play with or pose them.

As an adult collector, I still enjoy posing and “playing” with my toys, although certainly on a different level (I’d like to think) than when I was 10. As a 3D character artist, I really appreciate and enjoy looking at high quality sculpted characters, searching for that hidden detail that sets the whole piece off. So what do you get when you combine a little bit of toy and a little bit of statue? I think you’d get something along the lines of what ARTFX and Kotobukiya have put together with their ARTFX+ Statue series.

Today I’m excited to have the opportunity to review the 2012 Wondercon Exclusive Star Wars Shock Trooper Two Pack. These 1/10th scale figures are limited to only 1000 pieces and now available for preorder ONLY through Action Figure Express.

PACKAGING

The Shock Troopers are packed up in a classic black-dominated box befitting the Empire. A small “limited edition” sticker on the front informs you that you’ve just gotten something only available in finite figures.”Star Wars” embellishes several of the sides so there’s little question what you’re getting into. The front and back features the Shock Troopers themselves posed up in a few of their available configurations. On the back, a few paragraphs give you a little back story on these elite security soldiers and fills you in on some of the things that make ARTFX+ figures unique.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Once you crack her open, you’ll find all your goodies cased in a plastic prison tray. It’s a pretty daunting amount of individual odds and ends. You have your two base Shock Trooper bodies, ten extra arms, four extra legs, two DC-15S carbines, two DC-15A blaster rifles and two magnetic bases. Each one is individually packed in little plastic sleeves. You could probably watch the entire Star Wars collection including the 1978 Holiday Special (slight exaggeration) by the time you got them all unwrapped, but the pile of stuff you have left over once you do should get you pretty excited to start piecing together what kind of options you have in front of you.

THE BREAKDOWN

I really didn’t know what to expect when I started to rummage around with this set. I’ve been a fan of Kotobukiya’s Bishoujo line for awhile now as well as a (almost-goes-without-saying-because-I’m-an-adult-toy-collector-running-a-website-about-toys) huge fan of Star Wars. I’ve had countless Star Wars toys and Koto’s Bishoujo statues are of course pvc plastic statues. I’ve never had a difficult time telling them apart. But I’ve never had a statue that’s not quite a toy but not quite not-a-toy either. The only thing I knew to do was to jump right in.

There’s a little instruction paper included with the set that shows the default stance for the troopers. It details how the arms for that stance have hands that swivel at the wrist to help you better get the pose just right. At the bottom of the page it also gives you a handful of reference poses to point you in the right direction with the other pieces. After that, you’re pretty much on your own. Like so often is the case, I skipped the directions my first go and just got right into mixing and matching pieces to see for myself what would and would not work.

First, let me just say that I really like the magnetic bases. It’s such a simple but great idea that makes moving these guys around into various positions so much easier. No worries for balancing them or one toppling over once you get them arranged like you want. The base will hold them nice and secure.

How the pieces fit together is pretty self explanatory. Peg goes into hole. You can’t jam a left arm into a right’s spot just as you can’t have your Trooper sporting legs for arms. The joints fit nice and snug with very little wiggle room for error. I found everything to be fitted very exact with hands meeting the rifles soundly as expected.

Aside from letting you switch out different limbs, each Shock Trooper’s head is on a ball joint and can be rotated side to side/front to back. Coupled with a twist joint at their waist, this adds further flexibility to your setup.

One thing you’ll notice if you start blindly placing pieces as I did, is that not all configurations are created equal. While I found one or two variances that looked alright to me, you pretty much can’t stray too far from the options shown in the instruction paper. This isn’t a bad thing at all as the poses given are dynamic and “tell a story”, it’s simply the intent of the design. But if you went in blind, it’ll take you a few minutes to sort it out. Lesson learned: Read instructions.

So after playing with these guys for about an hour, I’ve gotten a pretty good handle on what arrangement I think looks best and a pretty solid grasp on ARTFX’s interchangeable limbs system. But what about everything else? Are these guys well made? Are they worth the cost of admission? Are they cool?

I was pleasantly surprised with the nice solid feel of these figures. I’d compare them to high-end models minus having to worry about glueing your fingers together or delicate pieces snapping off. The sculpt itself is clean and accurate to the character design. Details like the wrinkles in the cloth under their armor add a few nice subtle touches.

Individually sculpted, yet already attached, pieces for the elbow/knee pads, hand/shoulder guards and belts gives them a convincing layered look.

The paint application, being mostly red and black accents on white plastic is pretty straight forward. These guys must have just had their armor dry cleaned or never seen a second of battle because there isn’t a speck of dirt or grime on either of them. Because of their incredibly clean look, there really isn’t a ton to discuss except to say that what’s here is done well. The bold red is a good deal glossier than the white, particularly in the boots. Whether this was by design or simply the result of paint vs plastic, it definitely adds to the overall look.

FINAL WORD

I’m a child of the 80’s and thus have always been a much bigger fan of the original Star Wars trilogy than anything related to the franchise that’s come along since. But I admit, prequel or otherwise, I really like these guys. I can imagine how great they’d look with a few other Clone Troopers and maybe a Jedi or three. Once I got my head away from the “toys or not toys” thought bubble, I started to really enjoy the simplicity and exactness of their design.

I’m happy with the way I’ve set my little crew up. I will probably leave them that way for a couple of months, after which I’ll swap a few things out and be good to go for another few. ARTFX+ Statues are all about giving you a bunch of fun options and basically letting you squeeze a little play and interaction out of what would otherwise be a couple of static figures.

If you fancy yourself a Star Wars fan, whether or not you’ve ever experienced Kotobukiya/ARTFX+ Statues, I highly recommend giving this Limited Edition Shock Trooper 2-pack a look. Though I must caution that if you pick it up, you might want to clean some space off your shelf because I highly doubt it’ll be your last.

I can see a slippery slope a mile away. You’ve been warned.

A big thanks to Kotobukiya for providing us with this set to preview.

Make sure to hit up Kotobukiya’s Facebook page to stay updated on all their upcoming releases! If you’re interested in preordering this exclusive set, head on over to Action Figure Express and they’ll take care of that for you lickity split!

If you’re digging our style here at RtR please show us some support by following us on Facebook and Twitter. That way you’ll be updated whenever we post new shenanigans!

Thanks for reading!

GALLERY

Coming This week!

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Knives

A few exciting updates this week despite the toy lull!

– Tomorrow we’re very excited to bring you an exclusive first look of Kotobukiya and AFX’s 2012 Wondercon Exclusive, Star Wars Shock Trooper Limited Edition Two Pack! Say that three times fast.

– The Workshop keeps growing with yet another cool tutorial… or two.

– Miller brings some prose discussing one of his current favorite albums. Bruce Springsteen’s Wreckingball

– knives

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