Elvira, Mistress of the Dark Figures on the Way

AmokTime is offering pre-orders on two new Elvira figures. As I'm sure many of you know there isn't nearly as much Elvira products as thee should be, and when it comes to action figures the selection is pretty poor. So far, these look pretty good but I'll let you judge for yourselves.







To view or order the regular version click here.

To view or order the winking version click here.

New Spawn Resin Statue offered from McFarlane Toys

McFarlane Toys foray into high-end collectibles continues with their second 8"-scale resin statue, Spawn: The Beginning, based on one of the original pieces of promo artwork for Spawn. It will be limited to 1,500 pieces total. Currently, you can preorder either the signature edition, limited to 500 pieces, or the regular edition, at 1,000 pieces.

More information here.

Black Friday Game Deals

Well it seems almost too soon but Black Friday is upon us again.
cheapassgamer.com has a fairly comprehensive list of the specials that are out and like most years there's some pretty decent deals and some mehs as well

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/?f=547

Review: Halo 3 Legendary Collection - Brute Chieftain

McFarlane has launched its newest Halo 3 line: Legendary Collection. Previous Halo 3 figures from Mcfarlane were well articulated, about 5 inches and ranged from $10 -$15. The previous lines were too small for me, so I waited for the Legendary line. The Legendary figures are bigger, limited articulation, and of course, the dynamic posse. Pretty much what you expect from a McFarlane line. But this time around, the figures costs around $20. Is it worth the price?

Packaging:
While older McFarlane packages were about saving shelf space, The Legendary Collection will take up space. Comes in a square box, with the front clearly displaying the Brute Chieftain while the back shows information about the character and the other two figures in the line: Master Chief and Arbiter.
Grade: A

Sculpt:
The Brute Chieftain stands 7.5 inches and looks like he's about to crush a poor soul with his gravity hammer. It's a cool looking dynamic pose and really captures the Brute's intensity. The Chieftain comes with his traditional red and orange armor. The armor is very detailed and plenty of layers. The different layers really make the armor look heavy.
Grade: A

Paint:
Paint job is decent but it could have used more blackwash. The prototype had deep blacks while this figure's blacks and grays blend. The orange and red colors on the armor are perfectly balanced. Colors are spot on and there's no bleeding. I just wish there were more different shades of black, it would have added more depth to the figure
Grade: B-

Accessories:
The Brute Chieftain comes with a base, a removable helmet and his deadly gravity hammer. The removable helmet is a nice touch. The gravity hammer is as detailed as the rest of the figure. Be careful when you assemble the hammer. Mine broke when I connected the two halves together and moved the right hand. Super glue will fix the problem but it's very fragile.
Grade: B

Articulation:
The figure has articulation on his wrists, forearms and neck. This is pretty much a statue and he will only be displayed in one pose.
Grade: D

Value:
Just like Master Chief, I bought the Brute for $20. Even though this figure is bigger than Master Chief, I still find it overpriced. Quality could have been better, especially the paint. Because I've been a McFarlane collector since day one, I don't expect anything but the best, especially for $20.
Grade: C

Variations:
None.

Conclusion:
I can't recommend this figure to anyone but hardcore Halo fans. I expected the figure to be a bit bigger. But to McFarlane's defense, it is proportioned to other 6 inch figures. It's just that other lines from McFarlane such as Twisted X-Mas and Oz were bigger in scale and had better paint jobs and cheaper. If this figure was $15, I'd give it a solid B+ but since it's $5 more, I'll give it an average score.

Overall Grade (not an average): B-

I want to thank Avi for making me a guest blogger on the site. If you're interested, Master Chief is reviewed on my site, nerdsociety.com.

DC Universe Wave 8

Yeah, I haven't really covered a lot of DC Universe stuff, or DC in general but something recently piqued my interest about the lineup.

Dr. Fate

I can't really tell you how long I've been waiting for a solid update on a new Dr. Fate figure but it's been quite a while. Here's the word from Mattel.

DC Universe Wave 8

Look for these to hit stores in mid-Spring 2009. Truly some of the best figures we have done to date!

Wave 8 will include:

Hawkgirl™

Gentleman Ghost™

Dr Fate™ (with a chase classic version)

Parademon™ (both Red and Yellow versions split 50/50!)

Mr. Terrific™

Vigilante

Commander Steel™


And drum roll…the Collect and Connect™ bonus figure, and our biggest yet at a whopping 10 inches is… GIGANTA™

A great new wave with some army builders and characters who have never made it to toy shelves before! We couldn't be more thrilled with the fan support and the quality of these figures.