303 TOYS 1/6 scale China series 12-inch Soldier with Spear figure - time to build a Chinese army

The term "grunt" is used in the military as a general term for someone who's MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) is "Infantry". In the Marine Corps all MOS' preceeded by the number "03" are Infantry. About as "grunt" as you can get in the Corps is "0311 - Basic Rifleman" (but they prefer the term "Jarhead"). In recent times, Grunt is used to refer to an Army soldier of the combat arms branches, being Infantry ("Grunt"), Armor ("Tanker"), and Cavalry Scout ("Girl Scout") although it is still understood to mean the Army in general. It's slang for "An infantryman in the U.S. military, especially in the Vietnam War: 'They were called grunts....They were the infantrymen, the foot soldiers of the war' (Bernard Edelman)".

Every army needs its grunts. The Chinese Army is no different. Without the grunts, a General is just a man in a uniform with a lot of stars and no bloody use unless he has an army to command and send to battle / war.

This is the upcoming 303 TOYS 1/6 scale China series 12-inch Soldier with Spear figure and he will come wit 1/6 scale Head sculpt, 12-inch figure Body, four interchangeable Hands, Clothes / uniform, Pants, Shoes, Belt, Spear, Armor and Helmet

Related posts:
August 24, 2009 - War in pictures (3) "The Grunt" posted HERE
January 1, 2013 - Toy Action Figure Review: NECA Gears of War 3 Series 3 7-inch tall COG Soldier Action Figure
April 28, 2013 - Check out 303 Toys new China series 1/6 scale General Guan Yu (Yunchang) 12-inch figure HERE
June 29, 2013 - Soul Three Kingdoms Elite General Series - Zhao Yun Limited Version 12-inch figure Preview HERE

Kitbash "X-Men: The Last Stand" 1/6 scale Wolverine Limited Edition 12-inch Action Figure

A most unexpected surprise find at the flea market on Sunday :)

First I saw what looked like a Hot Toys MMS187 "X-Men: The Last Stand" 1/6 scale Wolverine head sculpt and wondered what I could do with it. Then I came across a loose "X-Men: The Last Stand" 1/6 scale Wolverine costume / outfit with claw hands but no head sculpt at another stall. So I bought both items for SGD $100, brought the items home and this is the outcome. Not bad for something that costs less than USD100 right?

I'm not sure if the 1/6 scale Hugh Jackman as Wolverine head sculpt is authentic Hot Toys Wolverine or a re-cast but it looks really good. I didn't get the Hot Toys MMS187 "X-Men: The Last Stand" 1/6 scale Wolverine Limited Edition 12-inch Collectible Figure (see pictures HERE) because I didn't like the way Hot Toys kept increasing their prices and decided to make a stand (pun intended). I always say "Not happy, don't buy" so I didn't. In the end, paying less than USD100 for a "X-Men: The Last Stand" Wolverine 12-inch figure is just too good to resist and I am most happy with the end result. Scroll down to see more pictures \(^o ^)/

To be honest, I also don't know the origins of this 1/6 scale X-Men Wolverine costume. I know it's not by Hot Toys and not by Medicom Toys either (see the Medicom Wolverine pictures HERE). I even looked up Marvel Studios 12-inch Wolverine figure and this doesn't look like it either. Whatever the case, I'm pretty pleased with it as it also came with the Wolverine claws for the complete look.

Since Hugh Jackman's debut and first appearance as Wolverine in 2000, he has continually played the role for the last 13 years, with his latest turn in "The Wolverine" which has just been released in cinemas and movie theaters worldwide. He has played the role most convincingly even though he is actually too tall to be Wolverine as the character in the Marvel comics was really short. You can bet Hugh Jackman will be back as Wolverine in "X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Wolverine is a mutant with a number of both natural and artificial improvements to his physiology. His primary mutant power is an accelerated healing process, typically referred to as his mutant healing factor, that regenerates damaged or destroyed tissues of his body far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary human. This power facilitated the artificial improvements he was subjected to under the Weapon X program (in later comics called the Weapon Plus program), in which his skeleton was reinforced with the virtually indestructible metal adamantium.

Wolverine's mutation also consists of animal-like adaptations of his body, including pronounced, and sharp fang-like canines and three retractable claws housed within each forearm. While originally depicted as bionic implants created by the Weapon X program, the claws are later revealed to be a natural part of his body.

Wolverine's hands do not have openings for the claws to move through: they cut through his flesh every time he extrudes them, with occasional references implying that he feels a brief moment of slight pain in his hands when he unsheathes them.

Although his body heals, the healing factor does not suppress the pain he endures while injured. Wolverine's healing factor also affects a number of his physical attributes by increasing them to superhuman levels. His stamina is sufficiently heightened to the point he can exert himself for numerous hours, even after exposure to powerful tranquilizers.

Wolverine's senses of sight, smell, and hearing are all superhumanly acute. He can see with perfect clarity at greater distances than an ordinary human, even in near-total darkness. His hearing is enhanced in a similar manner, allowing him to both hear sounds ordinary humans cannot and also hear to greater distances. Wolverine is able to use his sense of smell to track targets by scent, even if the scent has been eroded somewhat over time by natural factors.

Here's a closer look at the 1/6 scale Hugh Jackman as Wolverine head sculpt as seen in "X-Men: The Last Stand". The quality of the head sculpts (including the paint work) has improved tremendously ot the point where they are now very life-like and realistic looking. Sometimes one can't tell if they are looking at a photograph of the actor / actual person or collectible toy figure

During his time in Japan and other countries, Wolverine becomes a master of virtually all forms of martial arts and is experienced in virtually every fighting style on Earth. He is proficient with most weaponry, including firearms, though he is partial to bladed weapons. He is also an accomplished pilot and highly skilled in the field of espionage and covert operations.

Wolverine will sometimes lapse into a "berserker rage" while in close combat. In this state he lashes out with the intensity and aggression of an enraged animal and is even more resistant to psionic attack. Despite his apparent ease at taking lives, he does not enjoy killing or giving in to his berserker rages. Logan adheres to a firm code of personal honor and morality.

Wolverine is frequently depicted as a gruff loner, often taking leave from the X-Men to deal with personal issues or problems. He is often irreverent and rebellious towards authority figures, though he is a reliable ally and capable leader.

Wolverine is one of the very few X-Men characters to be included in every media adaptation of the X-Men franchise, including film, television, and computer and video games, and he has also starred in his own video games (e.g. X2: Wolverine's Revenge and X-Men Origins: Wolverine).

Related posts:
November 20, 2008 - Hugh Jackman / Wolverine named 'People's Sexiest Man' for 2008 posted HERE
November 22, 2008 - Marvel Comics Wolverine by Medicom Toys HERE
May 5, 2009 - Wolverine on top (group shots / pictures HERE)
January 15, 2010 - Hot Toys "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" Reviews HERE, HERE and HERE
July 19, 2013 - Evolution of Wolverine: Every Costume Logan's ever worn in almost 40 years (1974 – 2013) HERE
July 20, 2013 - The Price of being Wolverine, then and now infographic posted HERE

Happy to report that my Batman Collection photo got published in Discovery Channel Magazine :)

Benefits and privileges of blogging :)

Some weeks ago, someone from Discovery Channel magazine contacted me and asked me for a high resolution photograph of my Batman collection which she had seen on my toy blog that I had taken some years back. She said she wanted to publish it in the Discovery Channel magazine. So it was quite a nice surprise to receive the magazine in the mailbox today with the picture of my Batman collection in it as part of an article titled "Toy Story". I've scanned the pages in their entirety and have posted the pictures / pages here in my toy blog for those of us who can't get hold of the magazine. It does make for quite an interesting read and I think most of us will enjoy it :) Click on the pictures for a bigger and better view, especially if you want to read the text.

Some of the text:
CAUTION: ADULTS AT PLAY - As borders blur between young and old, more grown-ups now find that the pleasures of youth aren't necessarily just for the young anymore (written by Eric Talmadge of Discovery Channel magazine). Scroll down to read more.

Youth, they say, is wasted on the young. Who hasn't looked back on their younger days and wished they could somehow experience once again the pleasures of play. The sheer enjoyment of winning a game, no matter how silly or pointless the game might be. The thrill of having a box full of TOYS, or a collection of marbles, and the joy of sharing and comparing these prized possessions with their friends. Whatever happened to these simple pleasures? Could we ever feel that way again?

Time to grow up? Not so fast! Researchers are finding that one answer to the eternal question of how to stay happy longer lies in rediscovering the very things we took the most joy in as children. Forget about the Peter Pan Syndrome, these researchers say. As such, for millions of people throughout the world, toys and games are just what the doctor ordered.

Amazing Parent-child Cosplay

Old Hobbies, New Joys + Robots and Ray Guns

274 Transformers Toys (101 Autobots, 81 Decepticons and 92 licensed products) sold for USD $1 million, or nearly US$3,650 per toy!

And here's why my humble Batman collection got featured :)
Rise of the Fans: Collector Alex Teo, alias Toy Haven, tells DCM he has turned his Singapore home into a mini toy museum, with his collection proudly displayed throughout the house.

To give you an idea of the size of Alex Teo's collection, the selection of Batman collectibles pictured comprises less than five percent (5%) of the items he has displayed in his home.

Attendees dressed as Hourman, Atom and Flash during the 40th Annual San Diego Comic Con in 2009

The article goes on to say that "Toys, games and nerdy collections are officially okay, and no longer just for kids. The time has come for you to get your vinyl, comics and Wii on."

Yuji Ueda, who produced a 2013 documentary "Tokyo Toy Guy" visited six cities to feature some of the world's top Batman memorabilia collectors says it best:"At some point, every kid in the world has played with a toy. What really counts is merely experiencing the joy of a toy. It's the natural, childlike pleasure you get from something."

Recently I came across this definition someone shared on Facebook on the two kinds of model kit and figure collectors (based on attitude):

The Happy and Passionate Collectors who really enjoy the hobby. They enjoy buying the stuff because of the happiness it brings to own them. Often times they are eager to share their knowledge and experiences to co-collectors who are most likely walking down the same path. Seeing other collectors finally getting the stuff they were looking for makes them happy. They are sincere and very open-minded individuals who love to share a laugh :)

Then there are the Competitive and Too Proud collectors who think collecting is a contest. They love to look down on others who cannot afford the hobby, as if they are not on their level. They do not really love the hobby, but they only love the attention the hobby gives them. They cannot take criticism lightly and talking with them might end up in an argument especially if the topic is against their beliefs. Sharing is mainly bragging rights for them. They would not even share info or tips to help collectors. If you meet them personally, they don't usually have a friendly aura. They love to make jokes at the expense of others.

Sadly I've come across both kinds. Some of the latter (ugly collectors) seem to be the new generation Hot Toys collectors who only buy Hot Toys, think highly of themselves and their Hot Toys collection and have no interests in any other collection of toys, unless it's Hot Toys! They give a bad name to toy collectors because they don't seem to enjoy the toy. They are just out to show off that they have the means (money) to buy the toy and multiples of the same Hot Toy if it's an exclusive and they will flaunt it in your face so that they can brag about how many very limited edition Hot Toys figure they have! They do not even open the box to appreciate the toy. It stays sealed the day they got it because they want it MISB (Mint In Sealed Box)! It's different from carded and clam shell figures because for those, you can still see the figure inside the packaging. One cannot see a Hot Toys figure in its sealed box unless one opens the box to examine and appreciate the figure and its intricate details. Where's the joy? I pity them.

Happy collecting guys and gals :) Don't give in to the dark side of toy collecting.

Every dog has its day and G.I. Joe's Snake Eyes pet wolf 1/6 scale Timber has its own post

continued from previous post...

This is the 1/6 scale articulated Timber from Sideshow Collectibles G.I. Joe 12-inch Snake Eyes And 1/6 scale Timber Figure Set (previewed HERE).

According to Sideshow Collectibles, Timber is Fully Posable with 12 points of articulation. I really don't think that you can pose him very much :( Unlike a 12-inch human figure which can be fully pose-able if it's not restricted by the clothing or armor that is put on him, Timber is pretty much set in this pose and even though you can move his legs to achieve some running poses, I doubt you can make him sit and fetch or roll over like a real dog would ;p That said, I just like me a 1/6 scale wolf!

Timber comes with movable joints and its body is in three parts so that you are able to pose it. 1/6 scale Timber wolf is sculpted very well but he's also very heavy. How heavy? He's heavy like a brick which is odd because normally everything else in 1/6 scale that is not a statue doesn't weigh this much. He's heavier than most (if not all) of my 12-inch figures.

Because of Timber's heavy weight, it puts a lot of pressure on the joints and makes it very difficult for him to stand, let alone be posed in any other way.

What attracted me to Timber was the sculpting. It's a very good sculpt in itself though adding the movable joints to make it pose-able was a tad ambitious.

What I didn't expect was the heavy weight of this 1/6 scale canine. It's still a nice creature figure :)

One day I'm going to put all the 1/6 scale animals together for a group shot. That should be interesting ;p Check out other critters/creatures in my collection HERE ;p

Incoming: OE (original effect) 1/6 scale killer instinct "Mechanical" SAM 12-inch female figure

Backstory provided:
The first “Mechanical Sam” begins on pre-sales of the “killer instinct” series which are the latest series of the OE(original effect) figure series. The story and the characters are completely new. In the near future, the world becomes more turbulent. In the turmoil, the devil Devadatta who has sunken into the hell appears again in the world. He leads the martyrs who have suffered all kinds of hardships in the human world as a headmaster of a school. He comes to the world with the purpose of instilling the shocking indoctrination education to human beings, that is, death. The headmaster of the school only has one purpose. If human beings cannot send the killer who can kill those devils that disguise as teachers, the city will be destroyed until someone can kill the teachers. Everyday, the courses are the same in each city. Everyone is facing the threat of death. How will human beings deal with the course concerning life and death?

The first style of the series Teacher Sam with heavy bomb possesses powerful mechanical arms and the fire bomb with surprisingly large caliber. She has the power to destroy one city. Come and collect your own teachers!

OE（original effect) 1/6 scale killer instinct "Mechanical" SAM will come with the following plus 1/6 scale Accessories: 1/6 scale Sam head sculpt, 12-inch Woman body, White swimsuit, Green working pirate shorts, Yellow working boots, Orange scarf with iron wire around the edges for posing, Special bullet waist belt, Special bullet x 6, Mechanical arm, Alternative arm, Bare hands x 2, Leg protector

Other OE (original effect) 1/6 scale female figures:
November 21, 2012 - First look at Original Effect Army Attractive series 1/6 scale Viola 12-inch female action figure HERE
January 4, 2013 - OE (Original Effect) Army Attractive 1/6 蓮池砂雪 Hasuike Sunayuki 12" female figure HERE
April 2, 2013 - Original Effect 1/6 Army Attractive Series Vol. 3 Harp Bullseye 12-inch female figure HERE