Robert Downey

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Sunday, 27 January 2013

Review "Star Wars: A Galactic Pop-up Adventure" book with light-up lightsaber

Posted on 15:21 by Unknown
There are pop-up books and then there's this stunning mind-blowing Star Wars POP-UP book that truly is out-of-this-world! With over 25 amazing pop-ups, "Star Wars: A Galactic Pop-up Adventure" by Matthew Reinhart is an extraordinary three-dimensional journey into the Star Wars universe for fans of all ages.

A pop up book is best reviewed by showing it to you rather than putting it into words, because words simply are not enough to describe the amazing, intricate, astounding pop ups that lie hidden in every page. And "Star Wars: A Galactic Pop-up Adventure" is no exception.


I'm actually letting the cat out of the bag by showing off the last page pop-up which is Darth Vader. What is truly amazing is that when you first open the page, Anakin Skywalker appears with a BLUE LIGHT-UP lightsaber which turns to a RED LIGHT-UP lightsaber as he transforms into Darth Vader. Yes, you heard right :) this pop-up book has a lightsaber that lights up and changes color from blue to red when you open the page - how freaking cool is that! Scroll down to see more pictures and remember to click on the pictures for bigger and better views. ENJOY!




Matthew Reinhart is a renowned paper engineer and bona fide STARS WARS aficionado. He created the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling "STAR WARS: A POP-UP GUIDE TO THE GALAXY" with Lucasfilm, published by Orchard Books. He also created DC SUPER HEROES: THE ULTIMATE POP-UP BOOK and MOMMY? by Maurice Sendak. He has worked with Robert Sabuda on many fantastic pop-up titles such as THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ; ABC DISNEY; the Encyclopedia Mythologica trilogy; and the Encyclopedia Prehistorica trilogy. He lives in New York City.


This is the second Star Wars Pop-up book by Matthew Reinhart. The first "STAR WARS: A POP-UP GUIDE TO THE GALAXY" covered Star Wars episodes IV to VI and this second book covers episodes I to III. The book starts with "A long time ago..." in "A galaxy far far away..." and covers all the different planets as seen in the first three episodes of Star Wars.


The "Star Wars: A Galactic Pop-up Adventure" book first opens up with the renowned Boonta Eve Classic Podrace scene showing young Anakin Skywalker in his podracer ahead of Sebulba, reigning and ruthless podracing champion. All the compartments open up to more stunning pop-ups and surprises which are completely hidden until you open them.

click on the picture for a BIGGER and BETTER view

The next page unveils the "Universe of Diversity", revealing all the different beings that populate the Star Wars galaxy with the Nexu and Acklay taking centrestage and flanked by all the various beasts and creatures.

click on the picture for a BIGGER and BETTER view

There's the armored opee sea killer, toydarians...


Geonosians, varactyls and wookies, and many more.


We are then introduced to the enemies of the Republic next and front and center of it all is General Grevious.


General Grevious pops up in a menacing pose with arms outstretched wielding lightsabers taken from fallen Jedi knights


And then there's the Destroyer Droids, also known as droidekas, which are first shown folded up into a compact wheel as they roll and barrel towards enemy targets.


Once in position, the Destroyer Droids / droidekas unfurl and deploy quickly into attack mode and formation. The great thing is that this is achieved with paper and pop-up effect :)


Let's not forget the battle droids of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.


Taking up positions from their compact packed stage


to their fully upright position and readying themselves for battle, alongside the super battle droids. In this case, from folded to pop-up all by just turning the page.


There's also the notorious Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett in pop-up effect


and the Sith Lord Darth Maul whom I swear seems to be executing a flying kick as you turn the page and then takes up his battle stance with his double-bladed lightsaber.


Up next are the vehicles seen in Star Wars episodes I to III, with the pop-up All Terrain Tactical Enforcer AT-TE, Jedi Interceptor, Republic Gunship and Slave I. There's also R2-D2 and C-3PO, the two droids that appeared in all six Star Wars films.

click on the picture for a BIGGER and BETTER view

And finally, the battle of the Force between the warriors of light and the forces of evil, culminating in the fall of a promising Jedi Knight who becomes the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, whom I've shown right at the top of this toy blog post.

click on the picture for a BIGGER and BETTER view

There's also the transformation of Chancellor Palpatine into...


the devious Darth Sidious, the mastermind behind the Clone Wars and his ultimate plan to rid the galaxy of the Jedi Knights in the great purge through the execution of Order 66!


Jedi Grand Master Yoda could do little to stop the onslaught and the remaining Jedi knights have to retreat and hide from the evil empire until the appropriate time when the Jedi can return.


This is a pop-up book like no other (well, there's "STAR WARS: A POP-UP GUIDE TO THE GALAXY" but it's under the same tree) and I highly recommend it to all Star Wars fans, young and old. When this book arrived at my home, my sons and I enjoyed opening the book together and sharing the joy of finding all the hidden surprises and pop-up effects and were completely mesmerized by the contents of this "Star Wars: A Galactic Pop-up Adventure" book with light-up lightsaber by Matthew Reinhart :)

Other notable books I have covered in my toy blog include:
"The Dark Knight Manual: Tools, Weapons, Vehicles and Documents from the Batcave" - posted HERE

and

"X-Men: The Characters and Their Universe by Michael Mallory", a HUGE (28 cm or 11 inches wide x 36 cm or 14.25 inches high x 3 cm or 1.25 inches thick), heavy, hardcover bound and crammed full of interesting facts (288 pages in all) about the X-Men - posted HERE

plus Hobby Japan Mil-FIG Customized 12-inch Military Action Figures book shown HERE

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Posted in Others, STAR WARS | No comments

Saturday, 26 January 2013

Play Imaginative upcoming Super Alloy Iron Man Mark VII 1/6 collectible figure with Hall of Armor

Posted on 22:16 by Unknown
There's the saying "Strike while the IRON is HOT!" which is to say "When you have an opportunity to do something, do it before you lose your chance."

It seems that many companies are taking it too literally when it comes to IRON Man ;p Everybody wants IN on the piece of the action, a taste of the pie. Due to the success of Marvel Studios "Iron Man" films, Hot Toys was the first to capitalize on them to make HUGE profits from dishing out endless Iron Man 12-inch figures in every variant and color and type. They had collectors eating out of their hands buying everything they sold, sometimes even more than one per type.

Now other companies have joined in the fray. This is Play Imaginative upcoming release: Super Alloy Iron Man Mark VII 1/6 scale collectible figure which will come with Hall of Armor. Pre-order is now open for sale in Singapore only. Well, what do you know? There's something actually coming out from Singapore.


Super Alloy Iron Man Mark VII
Approx. Height: 30.5cm (12inch)
Approx. Weight: 1kg
The Super Alloy Iron Man Mark VII features Tony Stark’s upgraded Iron Man suit as featured in the 2012 movie "The Avengers". This fully articulated figure has the full range of movements and poses, and is made of 88% die-cast metal alloy, weighing approximately 1kg.




Play Imaginative upcoming Super Alloy Iron Man Mark VII 1/6 scale collectible figure comprises of at least 88% die-cast metal alloy; Die-cast metal mask, torso, arms, & legs; Battery operated lights for ARC Reactor, eyes & palm areas (batteries included); Magnetised feet automatically activate Hall of Armor lights when placed in position; Armored figurine with 50 points of articulation; Ball-jointed shoulders for full range of arm movements; Double-jointed body, bendable at upper torso; Fully articulated hands and fingers. Comes with a figure stand, Packaging artwork by Adi Granov


The Super Alloy Hall of Armor is where Tony Stark houses his Iron Man suits. Featuring 5 different lighting modes activated by remote control, it allows for ease of use within any display cabinet. With a die-cast metal back interior and base, the Hall of Armor weighs approximately 3.6kg.

When the Iron Man Mark VII is positioned in the Hall of Armor, magnetised feet automatically activate lighting mode 5 for an impressive display.


Super Alloy Hall of Armor
Approx. Dimensions: 24.9cm(W) x 19.1cm(D) x 41.4cm(H)
Approx. Weight: 3.6kg
Features Die-cast metal back interior & base; Battery operated lights for side, top, back & base areas (batteries included); 5 different lighting modes to choose from; Infrared remote control operates lights for ease of control within display cabinet; Lighting mode 5 automatically activated by magnetised feet in Iron Man figure when placed in position; Magnetic sides, top and base allow multiple Halls of Armor to connect with and stack on top of each other; Magnetic waist clamp to hold the Iron Man figure in position

This all sounds GREAT but I would really have loved to see actual product pictures (even prototype images would have been good) of the Super Alloy Iron Man Mark VII 1/6 scale collectible figure rather than these computer generated images. I would love to see the 50 points of articulation in action poses to show what it can do.

I had seen this figure on display at the 2012 STGCC last year and posted pictures HERE but the Super Alloy Iron Man Mark VII 1/6 scale collectible figure was also placed in a static standing pose without any action poses to show off its articulation and range. The size and scale didn't impress me either and I found myself more drawn to Hot Toys version which is cheaper and seems to have more detailing plus a Tony Stark head sculpt to boot.

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Posted in 12" Figure, Iron Man, Marvel | No comments

Review III: Hot Toys 1/6 scale Captain America 12-inch Collectible Figure from "The Avengers"

Posted on 00:56 by Unknown
continued from my earlier post...

Gotta tell you, as a Captain America fan, I'm totally loving this Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series MMS 174 1/6 scale Captain America 12-inch Collectible Figure from "The Avengers" movie. I've already posted two earlier reviews of this Hot Toys Avengers Captain America 1/6 figure HERE (box packaging design and contents) and HERE (Cap with his trusty shield) but I just wanted to post more pictures of Cap to share on my toy blog because this Captain America figure ROCKS! And going by the number of page views since I posted the first review on January 22, 2013 of this awesome Hot Toys Avengers Captain America 12-inch action figure (as of time of this posting, over 1,700 hits so far), you guys seem to agree with me :)

Now I'm just posting pictures of Captain America in a dynamic standing pose with his shield (ready to spring into action at any moment) and you can see the various side profiles and turnaround views when you scroll down this toy blog post. You can also see how this latest Hot Toys Avengers Captain America compares with the earlier released Hot Toys First Avenger Captain America 12-inch figure. Scroll down to see the comparison pic :)


For Steve Rogers, all it took to go from a puny, military-rejected weakling to muscle-bound super soldier was a hyperbaric chamber and a couple injections of experimental serum. It wasn't quite so easy for Chris Evans to pull off the feat off-screen. Chris Evans went from his superhero role as Johnny Storm / Human Torch in "Fantastic Four (2005)" and "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)" to that of Steve Rogers / Captain America in "Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)" and Marvel's "The Avengers (2012)". He will reprise this role in 2014 in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier".




The star told PopSugar in an interview, "We did two hours a day, and it was brutal. I usually like working out. Going in sucks, but walking out, you're like, 'I'm glad I did that!'"


"This was different. I'd walk out and I'd be like, 'I need to vomit. I hate this trainer. I hate this movie. I want to go to sleep for a week.' It was just relentless. I've got a fast metabolism and I lose weight very quickly, so for me to get big, it was just eat a lot."


I quite like the movie version of Captain America's superhero costume as it retains the all familiar red, white and blue look and yet still manages to give it a fresh perspective. I think the red gloves / gauntlets and red boots are a nice touch.


The costume is described as a blue, grayish-white and red garment with embossed pattern as well as star on chest, one pair of red gloves / gauntlets, One (1) pair of blue pants, One (1) blue belt with pouches, One (1) pair of red boots. The metal-like electroplated shield completes the look.


As I had mentioned already in my earlier posts, my only gripe is with the pants, or lack thereof. The waist is set too low and there's too much torso showing.


Other than that, this is a GREAT figure


I've always been a big fan of Captain America and even though I've been collecting 1/6 scale pose-able action figures since 1994, this is only my SECOND 12-inch Captain America figure. The first is also from Hot Toys and is the Hot Toys First Avenger Captain America 1/6 scale figure. That's how long I had to wait to get my hands on 12-inch Cap.


Scroll down to see close-up views and pictures of this Hot Toys 1/6 scale Captain America 12-inch Collectible Figure from "The Avengers" film. A great action figure with an amazing Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America head sculpt.


Absolutely love all the little details found on the 1/6 scale Captain America superhero costume, down to even the pouches, gloves and boots


I like that the star on his chest is not too overwhelming :) It's okay in the comic books I guess but would look out of place in the real world scenario.


The wings on his head are now designed as part of his helmet and not sticking out like in the comic books because the wings sticking out looks okay on paper but wouldn't look all too great or functional when Cap is moving about and fighting aliens / villains


The silver strips on Cap's shoulders are a nice touch as it breaks the monotony of the blue upper chest area. Did I mention how much I like the red gloves / gauntlets and boots already?


And as promised, here's a picture of Hot Toys 1/6 scale First Avenger Captain America (reviewed earlier HERE, HERE and HERE) standing next to the latest released Hot Toys The Avengers Captain America 12-inch figure. Waitaminit! Did Steve Rogers grow taller while he was frozen in suspended animation before waking up in the modern world? Once again, Hot Toys does the unthinkable and upsizes modern Captain America. He now towers over World War II Captain America like a demi-god! I actually feel that Thor would be taller than Cap because being the crown prince of Asgard and the thunder god, it would be logical that he appear taller and bigger. So if modern Cap is so much bigger (taller), does that mean that Thor has to be even taller? Then there's the issue with Iron Man. After releasing so many 1/6 scale Iron Man figures in the various armor suits, Captain America who is without any armor whatsoever stands as tall as Iron Man which is supposed to be an armor suit wrapped over a human body. That doesn't seem right at all. If you were to put Captain America next to Iron Man, Iron Man should be bigger because Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is not a small man either. So shouldn't Iron Man be bigger and taller too? As tall as Thor? Scale-wise, I think there are some issues which means you cannot pose them side-by-side but you have to place them away from each other so that the size discrepancies are not obvious.


Related posts:
See the Hot Toys 1/6 scale Avengers assembled HERE
There's also the preview images of Dragon Models Limited (DML) 1/9 scale "The Avengers" Action Hero Vignettes posted HERE
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Posted in 12" Figure, Famous Faces, Hot Toys, Marvel, Movie-Superhero | No comments

Friday, 25 January 2013

Incoming: Hot Toys "Iron Man 3" 1/6 scale Tony Stark 12-inch Limited Edition Collectible Figure

Posted on 00:33 by Unknown
The Iron Man 3 movie is coming in just three months! Hot Toys is excited to present the 1/6th scale Tony Stark Limited Edition Collectible Figurine from this highly anticipated Iron Man 3 movie.

The movie-accurate Tony Stark collectible is specially crafted based on the image of Robert Downey Jr. as the genius billionaire Tony Stark in his workshop in the movie, highlighting the newly developed head sculpt, newly sculpted advanced body with light-up chest light and highly detailed accessories.


Hot Toys - Movie Masterpiece Series MMS191 - Iron Man 3: 1/6th scale Tony Stark Limited Edition Collectible Figurine specially features: Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in his workshop in the Iron Man 3 movie with Movie-accurate facial features with detailed beard, wrinkles and skin texture; Approximately 30 cm tall using Newly sculpted advanced body with over 30 points of articulations specially for Tony Stark plus LED light on chest (battery operated). Scroll down to see more pictures. Be sure to click on them for bigger and better views ;p




Metallic gold and red painting on armor including: One (1) left forearm armor, Three (3) interchangeable left palm armors including two (2) with articulated figures and one (1) fist, One (1) pair of leg armors, Three (3) pairs of interchangeable palms including: One (1) pair relaxed palms, One (1) pair of fists, One (1) pair of palms for holding tools. Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted


Costume / Outfit: One (1) grey and black patterned tee, One (1) pair of black jeans, One (1) pair of black shoes


Accessories: One (1) headset, One (1) articulated mechanical robot with wheels and camera, One (1) desk with wheels with armors (helmet, face mask, neck support, elbow, palm & leg armors), magazine, blueprints, electrical wires and tools (pincers & screw driver) on it, One (1) LED-lighted stage with a cardboard underneath (battery operated)


Newly sculpted advanced body with over 30 points of articulations specially for Tony Stark, includes LED light on chest (battery operated)


Metallic gold and red painting on armor



Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark





Tony Stark's work desk with wheels with armors (helmet, face mask, neck support, elbow, palm & leg armors), magazine, blueprints, electrical wires and tools (pincers & screw driver)



Articulated mechanical robot with wheels and camera


LED-lighted stage with a cardboard underneath (battery operated)



Artists: Head Sculpted by Kojun, Head Painted by JC. Hong, Head Art Directed by JC. Hong, Body Sculpted by T.J. Cha and Im Jung Hyuk

**Prototype shown, final product may be slightly different
**Tony Stark’s head sculpt: Prototype shown is not final, pending licensor approval
**Product details could be subjected to change without further notice
**Battery included for collectible figure & stage, button cells are required

Release date: Q2, 2013

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Posted in 12" Figure, Famous Faces, Hot Toys, Iron Man, Marvel, Movie-Superhero | No comments
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