Masters of the Universe Classics Castle Grayskull Un-Boxing Pics

For the most part, I’d rather just see pictures and read reviews about toys, so I rarely watch un-boxing videos. In the case of the Masters of the Universe Classics Castle Grayskull, its arrival at the end of last week felt like an event. And with the box being so big, it just felt right to snap pictures throughout the process of opening the outer box, inner box, and then the Castle itself. I also took a few shots of the parts and assembly, and then a couple more for fun.

Hopefully, if you’re still waiting for your Castle Grayskull, this will give you some flavor of what’s heading your way. By the power of Grayskull…

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Star Wars Black Series Tattooine “On Location” Quick Pics

Darth-Maul Sandtroopers-with-R2-D2

Several weeks ago, I snapped a picture on my desk at home for a quick Instagram shot – it featured some Sandtroopers searching for droids. I liked the idea so much that I resolved to recreate it “on location,” so to speak. But my neighborhood has got a lot of hills and trees. Just finding an unobstructed horizon with sky in the background is almost impossible without taking a drive. So I had scouted out where I might find some patches of dirt using Google Maps (thank you satellite view) and headed out there the next day. I had a dentist appointment first thing that morning, and I was a little rushed, so I grabbed my camera and my figures in a ziploc and headed out the door.

After my appointment, I drove to the location, which was a park / trail / dog park by the bay. The best spot I found was on top of a hill with the bay in the background, but it was so windy the Sandtroopers kept falling over. After much fiddling, I finally got a stable set up, and pulled out my camera – NO MEMORY CARD. Doh!

I snapped some pictures with my phone, but not really being able to see them that well on site, I discovered later that the bay was in most of them. So much for the illusion of a desert planet! The Darth Maul shot was a quick Photoshop job to make the bay look more like desert sand in the background. The Sandtrooper / R2 shot looks a little grainy, but somehow I think it makes it look more like a vintage shot.

And in case you missed it, Entertainment Earth has Star Wars Black Series wave 2 in stock with free shipping. Go get them!

Marvel Select The Wolverine Quick Pics by ActionFiguresRule

Marvel Select - The Wolverine 09 Marvel Select - The Wolverine 17

Our good friend Richard, aka ActionFiguresRule, from the MATRIX Photo Booth and AFR Studio pinged me to see if we’d done anything with the Marvel Select Wolverine from Diamond Select Toys. Not yet, I told him, because I haven’t yet picked him up. He said he’d send me a couple of pics – and before I knew it, I had almost 20 sitting in my email. And he says there’s more to come…

The more I see of the figure, the more I’m convinced it’s the best value from DST’s Marvel Select line yet. The figure has got a great sculpt from Gentle Giant, with probably the best likeness for Hugh Jackman outside Hot Toys. It’s got a ton of articulation. I’ve heard from DST before that they are limited by their license as to how many points of articulation that they can add. I suspect that modern joints that provide multiple axes of movement, like an ab crunch / swivel, must still count as one. On top of that, there’s 3 pairs of hands, 3 heads, and a katana. Looks like I have another purchase to make.

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Hasbro Star Wars Black Series Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 Quick Pic with Backdrop How To

Star Wars Black Series Luke Skywalker and R2-D2

As someone who never got to collect Star Wars action figures as a kid (I was so deprived, right? ;-)), it’s been a real pleasure getting the Hasbro Star Wars Black Series figures. With Gentle Giant acting as the design studio much like the Four Horsemen have from DC Universe Classics, what the first wave has given us is a very good mix of detailed sculpt and articulation, with serviceable paint apps. The result is a group of action figures that look great and are very photogenic, and I’ve enjoyed snapping pictures of them.

One shot I wanted was Luke and Artoo in a flight hangar, before their run at the Death Star. I think the shot of the figures came out nicely, but the backdrop was only a limited success. In this post, I’ll share how this shot was created.

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LEGO Back to the Future DeLorean Time Machine

Lego Back to the Future DeLorean Time Machine (1 of 14)

If you were alive in the 80s, then you’re probably a fan of Back to the Future. I definitely am, and I’ve been waiting for a long time for a Back to the Future fix for my toy habit. There’ve been close calls before – Diamond Select Toys has put out both a line of BTTF Minimates and 1:15 scale DeLoreans for the trilogy – very tempting. And Mattel acquired the license a couple years back, but have only managed to put out a somewhat disappointing Hover Board, at least according to many diehard fans who ponied up the big bucks for it.

When I learned about the LEGO Back to the Future DeLorean Time Machine, which was produced as part of its fan-created CUUSOO, I could resist no longer. I had to have it.

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