2010 Is Looking Good

Collecting is a huge hobby, with many of us in the community. Some have been doing this for quite some time now...others are just getting started. Most of the figures we purchase are very limited in quantity. With the release of 2008's "The Dark Knight", Hong Kong toy maker "Hot Toys" TDK figure line were hot items in the high-end collector market making a huge dry spell for collectors leaving many to think...whats going to happen in the future for toy collecting? Well Hot Toys never seems to disappoint us with their amazing toys. We told you guys in our last post about the upcoming 1:6 Scale Terminator 2 T-800 figure, but that isnt all Hot Toys has in store for us.


At the beginnng of December Hot Toys announced via their website that they were releasing a new addition to their Iron Man line. Its a new 1:6 Scale Tony Stark featuring his mech test gear in the movie. The figure features a new head sculpt with realized likeness to Robert Downey Jr. in the film, and in our opinion is a huge step up from the head sculpt on the Mark III version.
Other features include brand new ABS material TrueType body with newly designed chest, forearms and forelegs, 34 points of articulations, two pairs of interchangeable hand palms, LED-lighted heart device, hand gauntlet and boots, articulated mechanical robot with 360° rotated base and fire extinguisher as accident detector, a 6” X 6” black-color square-shape figure stage, and a cardboard backdrop imitating Tony Stark workshop setting where he practiced flight in the film. It will definitely be quite an amazing figure.

Another upcoming figure is the 1:6 Scale King Leonidas from the movie 300. This figure is just too much for words. Personally I wasnt to fond of the movie, but even I would spend the money on this guy. The life likeness is simply stunning, and the sculpter paid amazing attention to detail. The figure features a Hot Toys newly sculpted and developed muscled body with over 26 points of articulation, dressed with a real fabric cape with harness, faux-leather belt, vambraces and greaves, helmet features a real-like horsehair crest, realistic wolf’s tooth necklace, sword and faux-leather scabbard, battle damaged Spartan shield features the faux- leather hand hold and removable broken arrows, spear, figure stand with 300 movie logo and King Leonidas nameplate, and head sculpt with authentic Gerard Butler likeness as King Leonidas. Hot Toys recently announced on their website that they would be including an alternate headsulpt with a different expression.

Twas The Toys After Christmas

We've recently obtained a couple new additions to our collection. Christmas did us well this year, and being the first Christmas since we started seriously collecting, I think we did pretty good. We're planning on reviewing all the toys we got, with full reviews and pics. This is whats coming...

Hot Toys 1:6 Scale Two Face/Harvey Dent






Hot Toys 1:4 Scale Batman Bust






DC DIRECT Legends of the Dark Knight Box Set


Hasbro Target Exclusive Jabba's Rancor


Hasbro Ecliptic Invader TIE Fighter


Hasbro 3 3/4" Darth Vader Bespin Dual


Hasbro 3 3/4" Stormtrooper

Hot Toys 1:6 Terminator 2 T-800

Hot Toys recently announced their plans for their 2010 line. Thanks to our friend Alex, we have an exclusive new look at another amazing addition to their Movie Masterpiece collection, the 1:6 scale Terminator 2 T-800.

This figure is amazing! Hot Toys just never ceases to amaze us with their life-like detail and amazing craftsmenship, and this figure is no exception. The figure features a headsculpt with authentic likeness to Arnold Swarchenegger as the T-800 from the 1991 film "Terminator 2: Judgement Day." The figure will include 2 spare sets of hands, sawed-off Winchester 1887 shotgun hidden inside a box full of roses, a pistol, his classic sunglasses, and the much anticipated accessory...a spare forarm exposing his t-800 endoskeleton. This is one of the most anticipated figures for 2010 right now, and if this is any hint on the figures due to release in the upcoming year, its going to be a good one!


For upcoming news on the figure click this link

2010 Coming Soon!

We got a bunch of new toys this christmas. We also got a new 50mm lens for our Canon camera, so we'll be doing some new shots for the flickr, and thanks to an idea from our new friend Alex Teo we're going to be doing in-depth reviews and pics of our favorite collection pieces. 2010 is just around the corner, and Wicket is going to keep going strong. Happy collecting people!

Dear Santa...

Bring us some new figures!!!

Tis The Toy Season

With the biggest holiday right around the corner, what have you asked from Old Saint Nick to put under the tree? Well we’re going to give you a little list of what we think the best presents will be for any toy lover’s Christmas.
Keep in mind, no high-end collectible comes cheap, and if you’re not a Trump maybe the holidays are the perfect chance for you to expand your collection without reducing your wallet bulge. Here are a couple pieces to get you in the Christmas gift mood.
With the recent December release of Terminator Salvation on DVD and BluRay, what better gift to add than Hot Toys’ 1:6 figures modeled after the motion picture itself? There’s John Connor, Marcus Wright, a whole line of the Terminator robots, and a definite deal, the T-700 Terminator Factory Diorama.
















Hot Toys has recently released their much anticipated DX series, and in perfect time. The series feature an all new Joker figure with a change of costume of his police outfit, and Batman in his Dark Knight suit, both with Hot Toys signature "PERS", or "parallel eye rolling system". Both have a December release date, and make great additions to your collecting. To most that have not been able to get their hands on Hot Toys Tumbler or Batpod, this season might be your best shot.

Sideshow Collectibles Darth Vader Life Size Bust

Sideshow is proud to announce the Darth Vader Life-Size Bust, created in partnership with the talented FX artists at Spectral Motion. Capturing every detail of the Sith Lord and his helmet, this versatile bust has been constructed so that the helmet may be removed to reveal Anakin's scarred visage. The interior of the face and neck portions of the mask are fully detailed to represent all of the wiring and technology necessary to sustain Anakin inside his suit. The bust is crafted in fiberglass, polystone, fabric and metal for the most authentic and realistic representation. Each piece is individually painted and finished, each with its own unique quality and detail that is the trademark of a handcrafted Sideshow Collectibles product. Standing over two feet high, the Darth Vader Life-Size Bust is a must-have for any STAR WARS collection.

Updates

Sorry everybody for lagging on updates, pics, and reviews, we've been very busy. We havent really had any time to work with Wicket. We havent had any money to spend on new collectibles, and both of us have been very busy with school so we havent done any reviews. We'll be doing some new shots very soon, and thanks to the upcoming holiday...will hopefully have some new tiny marvels in our possession.

Whats new with Wicket?

We finally have some new shoots done, and are in the process of editing. The shot that you see below will also be a part of our new layout that will be up soon. So all that and more soon. Keep checking back for updates. Check us out on flickr.com/wickettoys.

The Search for Sideshow

I recently came into some money and finally able to buy some new collectibles. I immediately ordered the Hot Toys 1:6 The Joker and the Hot Toys 1:6 Bank Robber Version The Joker. So I got them in mail this week and very happy with my purchases. Next, I promised Andrea I’d buy her the Sideshow Collectibles 12” Stormtrooper as an early Christmas present. So we decided to make a trip over to Things From Another World this weekend, instead of ordering online. When we arrived we looked around for a bit and found the figure. Unfortunately to our disappointment the figure’s price had skyrocketed from $90 to $120.
We were a little bummed out, but Drea looks up and notices a Sideshow Collectibles 12” Luke Skywalker Eps IV Version for $90. She lit up with excitement and asked “you sure you want to pay that?”. I smiled and said of “of course.”
So now we have 3 new additions to our family. She’s going to do a shoot with SC Luke sometime this week, so look forward to that. =]

New Additions to the Wicket Family

We've finally bought some new toys to add to both Drea and I's collection. We've recently recieved the Hot Toys Bank Robber Joker, Hot Toys The Joker, and Sideshow Collectibles 12" Luke Skywalker Eps IV Version. We're going to be doing some new shoots with these, and we're really excited, and happy we have these new items in our collection. =]

1:6 Batman Original Suit...The Comparison.

The Dark Knight released July 18, 2009, and the world was ecstatic. To most of the media, the cash in was purely for promotional purposes. To merchandisers though, that was a whole different story. Many companies rushed to get the license to manufacture toys of all kinds and age groups. Mattel was a main player in this race, modeling children’s toys after vehicles, scenes, and characters from the movie. They sold very well, and to many it was a surprise that such an aggressive movie would be so accepted by the general public.
However, like most movie merchandise, interest fades and production of these toys slows down to accommodate the lack of sales. Even with public interest fading, true fans stay interested and want more. That’s where high-end toy manufactures come in. These companies’ products availability is very exclusive and can become very pricey. But true collectors spend the money on these figures, and the market moves on.
Three companies seem to be the most popular when it comes to the high-end Batman 1:6 figures: Hot Toys, Takara, and Medicom. All have been debated greatly on ever since the release of The Dark Knight, because it’s the first time there has been 3 different figures of Batman in his original suit available. In my opinion (and what seems to be most) Hong Kong toy maker Hot Toys has the most movie accurate, detailed, and best scaled figure available. The suit is made of complete rubber, stretched over a plastic Hot Toys Truetype body with 32 points of articulation. The head sculpt is completely movie accurate, and has the best cowl out of the 3. It comes with many accessories and separate interchangeable head sculpt featuring Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne. Takara offers a separate Bruce Wayne head as well, but does not even come close to the detail that Hot Toys offers. The scale of the figure is actually too tall, and throws the overall look of it off. The only plus that the Takara Batman offers is the accessories. Takara offers the harness and ski-mask from the beginning of Batman Begins. In my opinion, last place goes to Medicom’s rendition of Batman in his original suit. One of the negatives that throws me off, as well as Takara’s, is the fact that his neck can turn. In the movie The Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne asks Lucious Fox to design him a new suit, because his original suit’s cowl does not allow him to move his head and turn his neck. This was a critical detail in the plot of the movie, and is the whole reason why The Dark Knight bares a new suit. I’m very disappointed that Medicom and Takara didn’t take this into consideration. Medicom didn’t seem to care about accuracy, because he is far too short, and for the most part the body of the figure is made of plastic and just makes it appear very cheap. The detail is very poor as well, and makes this figure fall short below the other 2.