Pre-order 1/6 scale Doctor (Bruce Banner from The Avengers) 12-inch Action Figure

I certainly didn't see this coming at all. Some company with no name (no kidding - simply listed as "others") has released pictures of a 12-inch "doctor" action figure that bears a rather distant resemblance to a certain Mark Ruffalo who played Dr Bruce Banner / Hulk in the 2012 "The Avengers" superhero film. Since no other company has tapped into this particular character (Hot Toys has so far only released pictures of their 1/6 scale Hulk figure), it seems someone would sooner or later ;p

This doctor doesn't come with a doctor's white coat or stethoscope and has no ties to any ER or MD television show. He will come with a 1/6 scale head sculpt, 12-inch muscular body (NOT the Hulk kind), dark grey suit jacket with purple shirt and dark grey pants, shoes and glasses plus two extra hands. Scroll down to see more pictures.

You can pre-order this 1/6 scale Doctor (Bruce Banner from The Avengers) 12-inch Action Figure from TFH

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Review I: ACI Toys 1/6 scale Warriors III Roman General (Maximus Decimus Meridius) 12" figure

In the 2000 epic historical drama film "Gladiator" directed by Ridley Scott, Russell Crowe is Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius who is forced into becoming a slave and seeks revenge against Commodus for the murder of his family. He had been under the favor of Marcus Aurelius, and the love and admiration of Lucilla prior to the events of the film. The film "Gladiator" opens with General Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russel Crowe) leading the Roman army to a decisive victory against Germanic tribes at Vindobona, ending a long war on the Roman frontier and earning the esteem of the elderly Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris).

This is the recently released ACI Toys 2012 Anniversary Product - 1/6 scale Warriors III Roman General 12-inch figure which is limited to 1500 pcs. I have been waiting for this figure for 12 years, since the movie came out in 2000. I am very glad ACI Toys produced and released this 1/6 scale Roman General 12-inch figure and to say that this is an AWESOME figure would be an understatement ;p This figure is beyond awesome; it's stunningly good and a great addition to any collection IMHO!

General Maximus Decimus Meridius is a fictional character partly inspired by Marcus Nonius Macrinus, Narcissus, Spartacus, Cincinnatus, and Maximus of Hispania. Mel Gibson was first offered the role, but declined as he felt he was too old to play the character. Antonio Banderas and Hugh Jackman were also considered. (source: wiki)

Scroll down to see more pictures of ACI Toys 1/6 scale Warriors III Roman General 12-inch figure.

The box packaging art is nice and strangely shows the Roman General's back on the front flap with the words "Roma Victor". After the battle against the Germans, Maximus lets out a cry of victory: "Roma victor." This is supposed to be Latin, but, they got the grammar all wrong. "Roma" is feminine, so it should be "Roma victrix". Amazing how a mistake is still possible as there are only about three sentences in Latin in the entire movie and a lot of specialists were supposed to have been working on it (source: moviemistakes.com). The back of the box packaging shows the General fully attired and lists down the 1/6 scale items that are included in the box.

The box opens with a short write-up on the inside flap.

Click on the picture to have a bigger and better view :)

And then there's the all important instructions sheet - Warriors III Roman General User Guide

And here's what you get: a 1/6 scale highly detailed head sculpt that resembles a lot like Russell Crowe as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius from "Gladiator", ACI fully articulated 12-inch male body, Embossed Cuirass with shoulder armor, Embossed helmet with feathered mane, Jerkin, Tunic, Pants and Scarf, Roman General Boots

Greaves / Leg Armor, Gauntlets, Gladius + sheath x 2 pcs, Fabric cloak with faux fur, two extra pairs of hands for posing.

Here's ACI Toys 1/6 scale Warriors III Roman General basic figure straight out of the box, wearing just his Jerkin, Tunic, Pants and Scarf, Roman General Boots. Last time you'll see him like this because once he's fully outfitted, most of his jerkin will be hidden by his armor / embossed cuirass. The Pteruges or skirt of leather or fabric strips is worn around the waist to protect the upper legs. Pteruges could be fitted with small metal studs and plates to provide additional protection.

Scroll down to see the turnaround views of 12-inch Russell Crowe as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius from "Gladiator" before he puts on his battle armor

As with 12-inch figure bodies that will be built upon layer after layer with armor or fabric clothing, it is best that the basic figure starts looking rather slim as in this case so that once the armor is put on, he'll look just right instead of being overly bulky if he had started out with a more muscular body type.

The tunic was the basic garment worn under the armour by all soldiers in the Republic and early Empire. Normally made of wool, tunics originally consisted simply of a piece of rectangular cloth sewed to an identical piece, with holes for the arms and head left unsewn. It became fashionable later on for tunics to be produced with sleeves, and worn with braccae (woolen trousers).

A focale or scarf is worn by Roman legionaries to protect the neck from chafing caused by constant contact with the soldier's armor (typically lorica hamata or lorica segmentata) and helmet.

Braccae / woolen trousers were worn as well as Caliga or military boots worn by Roman legionaries and auxiliaries throughout the history of the Roman Republic and Empire. The boots were made from leather and laced up the center of the foot and onto the top of the ankle. Iron hobnails were hammered into the sole for added strength.

And here's ACI Toys 1/6 scale Warriors III Roman General (Maximus Decimus Meridius) 12" figure with just the Embossed Cuirass. It is held in place by six plastic "buckles". More pictures to follow.

The laminated-strip cuirass was a complex piece of armour which in certain circumstances provided superior protection to the other types of Roman armour, mail armour (lorica hamata) and scale armour (lorica squamata). The testing of modern replicas has demonstrated that this kind of armour was impenetrable to most direct and missile strikes.

Wearing a padded undergarment known as a 'subarmalis' relieves the wearer from bruising both from prolonged wear and from shock produced by weapon blows against the armour.

Check out the details on the Embossed Cuirass of ACI Toys 1/6 scale Warriors III Roman General (Maximus Decimus Meridius) 12" figure. It's pretty amazing and very movie accurate :)

NEXT: See ACI Toys 1/6 scale Warriors III Roman General (Maximus Decimus Meridius) 12" figure with his full armor as he was meant to be. This is a stunning figure and it will blow your mind.

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A gift from a dear friend – Bronze (metal) United States Navy Mark V Diving Helmet (heavy metal)

Blogging has its privileges :) Since I started my Toy Haven blog, I have made many friends along the way which is a bonus I never expected. Companies too have sent me toys and figures so that I can review them on my toy blog. Plus there's the added income from advertisements which have funded my collection as well so that I don't have to pay for everything. I really feel that I've been very blessed indeed ;p

One of the friends I've come to know through blogging is Marc. He first emailed me way back in September 2009 because we both happen to collect Action Man although he's a true vintage Action Man collector - hats off to him :). The friendship just grew from there although in truth, I never met him until yesterday. Marc and family paid a visit to my Toy Haven (some say "Toy Heaven") and we had a fantastic time sharing stories and I learnt quite a lot from this great yet humble man. Not only that, Marc packed lots of makan for us (yes! he cooks some mean peranakan dishes too) and also brought me a gift - this Bronze (metal) U.S. Navy Mark V Diving Helmet which is a beauty! I say, he should come by more often haha

Diving helmets are worn mainly by professional divers engaged in surface supplied diving, though many models can be adapted for use with scuba equipment. The helmet seals the whole of the diver's head from the water, allows the diver to see clearly underwater, provides the diver with breathing gas, protects the diver's head when doing heavy or dangerous work, and usually provides voice communications with the surface (and possibly other divers). (source: wiki)

If a helmeted diver becomes unconscious but is still breathing, the helmet will remain in place and continue to deliver breathing gas until the diver can be rescued. In contrast, the scuba regulator typically used by recreational divers must be held in the mouth, otherwise it can fall out of an unconscious diver's mouth and result in drowning (this does not apply to a full face mask which also continues to serve air if the diver is unconscious).

Historically, deep sea diving helmets (copper hats) ranged from the no bolt to two bolt to four bolt helmets; helmets with six, eight, or 12 bolts; and Two-Three, Twelve-Four, and Twelve-Six bolt helmets. Bolts being the method of securing the helmet to the diving suit.

A standard diving dress consists of a metallic (copper and brass or bronze) diving helmet, an airline or hose from a surface supplied diving air pump, a canvas diving suit, diving knife and weighted boots. An important part of the equipment is the lead weights, generally on the chest, back and shoes, to counteract the buoyancy of the helmet and diving suit. Weighted boots may use brass, iron or lead for soles. The uppers are often made of oiled leather or canvas.

The type of diving equipment is also known as hard-hat equipment or a "John Brown" rig, so-called after the British company that built many of the helmets. In the United States, it is sometimes known as a "Diver Dan" outfit, from the television show of the same name. It was commonly used for underwater civil engineering, commercial diving and naval diving.

One of the best known diving helmets in the world is the U.S. Navy Mark V. The helmet had a top view port to provide the diver with an upward view. The front view port, called the faceplate, was hinged. Like this, no tender could incidently drop a faceplate overboard ! On the commercial helmets they tested, the exhaust was at the rear of the helmet. This was a good spot: air bubbles would not block the divers' view.

The Mark V was used by the U.S. Navy from 1916 till 1984, when the fiber glass Mark XII that was introduced in 1979, finally took over permanently. The only visible difference between the MkV helmets made prior to 1918 and those made after is the exhaust handle. The eight point exhaust handle is found on hats produced during or prior to 1918. It was changed to a four point handle on divers' requests. It allowed the diver to more easily adjust the valve and determine its setting. (source: divingheritage.com/markvkern.htm)

The front viewport is called faceplate. It is the only one that can be opened. This way the diver can speak to the tender without removing the bonnet. The faceplate on the Mark V is hinged, which is quite unique for diving helmets. Practically all other helmets have a "screw in" faceplate. A wingnut on a pivoting stud extending from the bonnet is rounded and tapered on the "seating" end and fits precisely into the receiving cup of the two pronged fork on the faceplate. To prevent the wingnut from unscrewing completely a small circular "keeper" is swaged onto the end of the stud.

The inscription reads "U.S. Navy Diving Helmet Mark V Boston Mass No. Date"

And here's the bronze copper brass diving helmet taking pride of place in my display :)

It belongs right there with all my other collection in my "Under the Sea" theme. You can check out my earlier toy blog post HERE to see the entire display. Also gives you an idea of the size and scale

Click on the picture for a bigger and better view :)

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Hot Toys MMS Diecast Series Iron Man 3 1/6th scale Mark XLII Limited Edition Collectible Figure

Marvel’s Iron Man 3 is coming to town this month and Hot Toys is proud to present the 1/6th scale Mark XLII Limited Edition Collectible Figurine from the Iron Man 3 movie for the MMS Diecast Series. This is only the second collectible to be introduced in our premium Diecast Series.

Leading the MMS Diecast Series is the iconic Iron Man 3 Series, in which the collectible figures are made of diecast material, specially designed to look more closely to the realistic Iron Man characters in the movie. The MMS Diecast Series will bring fans to the next level of authenticity, focusing on the materials, fine details and engineering of the Iron Man collectible figures, while some of the parts can be shared between our MMS and Diorama Series for displaying together in 1/6th scale. More collectibles from Iron Man 3 will be coming from the MMS Diecast Series!

The movie-accurate Mark XLII Collectible Figurine is highly detailed and fully deployed, specially crafted based on the image of Robert Downey Jr. as Mark XLII in the movie, highlighting the highly detailed head sculpt, metallic red, golden and silver well equipped armor, light-up functions.

Features: Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of Mark XLII in the movie + Battle damaged head sculpt with helmet with authentic likeness of Robert Downey Jr. as Mark XLII in the movie + Alternate helmeted head with light-up function, Approximately 30 cm tall with Over 36 points of articulations

Special features on armor: LED-lighted eyes and circle-shaped RT on chest (white light, battery operated). One (1) interchangeable battle damaged mask, One (1) pair of damaged shoulder armor, One (1) chest armor, One (1) damaged chest armor, One (1) damaged biceps armor, One (1) pair of damaged forearm armor, Three (3) pairs of interchangeable palms including: One (1) pair with improved articulations, movable fingers and light-up repulsors (white light, battery operated) - One (1) pair of forceful fists - One (1) pair of battle palms with light-up repulsor (white light, battery operated). Improved articulations on waist armor which allow flexible movement, Fully deployed air flaps at back of the armor, Metallic red, gold and silver colored painting on armor

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