New from NewSoul: Metal Boss (BDU version)

continued from previous post...

This is the other New Soul upcoming MGS figure: Metal Boss - BDU version. The Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) were the fatigues that the armed forces of the United States used as their standard uniform for combat situations from September 1981 to April 2005. These uniforms are called Battle Dress uniforms because they are intended for use during "battles," as opposed to "garrison" dress uniforms worn at parades and functions. The term is still an oxymoron to this day.

New from NewSoul: Metal Boss (Battle Armor Version)

This is a upcoming release by NewSoul: Metal Boss - Battle Armor Version 1/6th scale limited edition collectible figure - inspired by Solid Snake

Solid Snake (ソリッド・スネーク, Soriddo Sunēku) is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Konami's Metal Gear series of stealth video games. Solid Snake is a combination spy, special operations agent and mercenary of FOXHOUND, a fictional black operations and espionage unit. He is repeatedly tasked with disarming and destroying the latest incarnation of Metal Gear, a bipedal nuclear weapon-armed mecha.

New from ACI Toys: Gangster Johnny Brooklyn New York

"Public Enemies" is a 2009 American crime drama film directed by Michael Mann and written by Mann, Ronan Bennett and Ann Biderman. It is an adaptation of Bryan Burrough's non-fiction book "Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933–34". Set during the Great Depression, the film chronicles the final years of the notorious bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) as he is pursued by Bureau of Investigation agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), and his relationship with Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard), as well as Purvis' pursuit of Dillinger associates and fellow criminals Homer Van Meter (Stephen Dorff) and Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham).

And from ACI Toys comes this 1/6 scale 1930s Gangster 12-inch figure "Gangster Johnny Brooklyn New York" whose headsculpt bears a resemblance to Christian Bale who played FBI Special agent Melvin Purvis. That makes this 12-inch figure more of a law enforcement officer than a gangster, don't you think?

Sideshow Collectibles 1:6 Cobra Viper 12-inch Figure PREVIEW

As COBRA Troopers are forced into combat across the globe, they are pushed to their physical and psychological limits in their efforts to accomplish the demands of COBRA COMMANDER and other high-ranking COBRA officers as well as test their strength against the ever-vigilant G.I. JOE team.

Those COBRA Troopers that survive and prove their worth on the battlefield eventually attain the rank of VIPER. As a testament to their loyalty to COBRA, they are adorned with metal faceplates similar to that of COBRA COMMANDER's personal battle gear to hide their identities. They are more heavily armored than lower-ranking troopers because they often thrust into the most dangerous of missions. Attaining the rank of VIPER is but one small rung in the ascent to attain a higher rank. COBRA COMMANDER looks to his legion of VIPERS to see which ones are best suited for a multitude of combat and environmental specialties. It's all part of his plan to create the perfect, unstoppable army, capable of carrying out his every whim on the path towards global conquest.

Toys City 1/6 British Special Force Support Group PREVIEW

This is another Toys City 12-inch military figure coming to you soon. He's supposed to be a member of the British Special Force Support Group and will come with: Real-like head sculpt, T2.0 body, Custom AOR1 SMOCK field jacket, Custom 3-c combat pants, L.grey shirt, Duty belt, Smoke green hard plate carrier, Smoke green M16 triple mag pouch x 2, Coyote brown PRC-148 pouch, C.brown single M16 mag pouch x 2, C.brown double flash-bang grenade pouch, Black single pistol mag pouch x 3, Black utility pouch, 6004 holster, 3-c 3L hydra pack, L119A1 assault rifle with SF suppressor, 30-round M16 magazine x 4, 30-round MP magazine x 3, PEQ-15 laser indicator, 552 optic sight, Quick-detach gun sling, P226 pistol, Pistol magazine x 3, MICH 2000 helmet, GX NVG mount, PVS-21 night vision goggles, SF helmet light, Balaclava, combat boots, CQB gloves, ORDIN headset & TEA PTT, PRC-148 radio, S-10 gas mask, drop-leg gas mask pouch, kneepads, Wrist map pouch, Personal GPS, M-84 stun grenade x 2, D-ring x 2, Light stick x 4, Plastic hand cuffs, Patches, Military tape

New from DID: Sicherheitsdienst SS-Standartenfuhrer France 1943

Colonel Hans Landa is the primary antagonist of the 2009 Quentin Tarantino film "Inglourious Basterds". He is portrayed by Austrian actor Christoph Waltz.

Standartenführer (Colonel) Hans Landa is a cruel and ruthless, but charming, courteous, polyglot and diabolically intelligent German SS officer in the Sicherheitsdienst (Security Service or SD, the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany). He is nicknamed "The Jew Hunter" in reference to his keen ability to locate Jews hiding throughout France, a nickname he feels he's earned and wears with a certain measure of pride. Besides German, he speaks at least English, French and Italian. Despite several loyalty awards in the SS, Landa does not believe in Nazi ideology, and by the end of the film he is revealed to be driven by ambition and gladly switches sides over to the winning party when opportunity strikes. He even manages to negotiate a hefty deal such as a house on Nantucket Island, his military pension, recognition as being a war hero for working with America and to be awarded the Medal of Honor. [source: wiki]

Live, Work & Play on an Aircraft Carrier (USS Abraham Lincoln)

The USS Abraham Lincoln was in Singapore for a layover and left on Sunday for Hawaii. The 100,000-tonne nucler-powered warship, which is the first supercarrier to visit Singapore this year, docked at Changi Naval Base last Wednesday to refuel and replenish after a five-month deployment in the Middle East. (click on the picture for a bigger view)

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), is the fifth Nimitz-class supercarrier in the United States Navy. It is the second Navy ship named after former president Abraham Lincoln. Its home port is Everett, Washington. Fresh from being awarded the Battle Effectiveness Award for its high standards of excellence and combat readiness on February 03, 2011, the USS Abraham Lincoln supported coalition ground troops in the war in Afghanistan and recently scuttled a pirate attack when patrolling the waters off the Gulf of Aden.

Hot Toys Tracker Predator Collectible Figure with Hound PREVIEW

Hot Toys is proud to present their MMS147 (Movie Masterpiece Series) 1/6th scale Tracker Predator Collectible Figure with Hound from the "Predators" movie. The movie-accurate Tracker Predator collectible is specially crafted based on his image in the movie, highlighting the newly developed body armory; face mask, weapons and movie-accurate hound sculpture as accessory.

Winson Classic Creation x Hot Toys: Apexplorers - Ice & Laser Action Figure (Special Version)

Hot Toys is proud to present the 1/6th scale Ice & Laser Winson Classic Action Figure (Special Version) from the Apexplorers 2106 series created and designed by Winson Classic Creation, which is limited to 400 pieces only. This figure is fully poseable, highlighting the unique style of Ice, detailed weapons, and the real-like husky sculpture Laser as accessory. The figure also comes with a Limited Edition Certificate.

Winson Classic Creation x Hot Toys: Apexplorers - Ice & Laser Action Figure (Normal Version)

Hot Toys is proud to present the 1/6th scale Ice & Laser Action Figure (Normal Version) from the Apexplorers 2106 series created and designed by Winson Classic Creation. This is part of Hot Toys OEM Series, a collaboration with Winson Classic Creation. This figure is fully poseable, highlighting the unique style of Ice, detailed weapons, and the real-like husky sculpture Laser as accessory.

Backstory provided (pardon the English; this is given as it is and used without editing here):
Ice (Human)
Trait: Rude but brave, warm-hearted
Status: Foster daughter of Otto, will be the one who saves the earth.

Background: A special girl who was born in the Himalayas and adopted by Otto. She went to America with Otto and found out that she has mysterious strength. However, she has nightmares frequently.

Stikfas Beta Female Warrior with Dragon

Stikfas were initially sold in sturdy white cardboard boxes. Inside the box was a Stikfas logo ziplock bag containing the Action Figure Kit, several promotional and instructional post cards, and a sheet of stickers. Stikfas Action Figure Kit (AFK) was a super-articulated 3-inch figure you assembled and configured in numerous ways. With its unique design and solid parts, the Stikfas AFK is both playable and customizable.

This was the first Stikfas deluxe Beta Female Warrior with Dragon boxed set (two more different color schemes would follow later). The Beta Female has a feminine shape, is shorter than the Alpha male, and has a different style waist.

Why I collect toys

"Why I collect toys" - This short write-up on the reasons why I collect toys used to be on the side bar of my toy blog but I decided to include it as a post so that fellow bloggers and collectors can share their views and inputs :)

What is a toy? A toy is any object that can be used for play. Some toys which attract large numbers of enthusiasts eventually become collectibles. Other toys are marketed to adults as collectibles. A collectable or collectible is typically a manufactured item designed for people to collect. [source: wiki]

Here are some snap shots of the toys I've collected and blogged about (a total of 1,523 posts up till now). These images appeared when I googled "toyhaven". It was easier to screen grab these than to go through my albums to choose which picture to post.

USPS Star Wars R2-D2 Mailbox Coin Bank

Princess Leia Organa: "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you're my only hope." (I hope this letter reaches you)

What if Star Wars happened NOT in a galaxy far far away but right here and in the last century (i.e. 20th century before the advent of the internet a long time ago)? Princess Leia would have to send out her plea via snail mail through one of these R2-D2 Mailboxes :)

400 R2-D2 mailboxes ("80-something postal districts around the country, most of which received four of the R2-D2 boxes each") were installed nationwide in the United States from March 2007 as part of the Star Wars 30th Anniversary celebrations.

Got my FREE Star Trek Captain Kirk Retro Mego Style Figure :)

Blogging has its privileges :) Besides being invited to the Media Preview at this year's Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention (STGCC) 2010, I also managed to get hold of this Star Trek Captain Kirk Retro Mego Style Figure given out by STGCC. It doesn't cost a lot but it's nice to know it's FREE ;p

As mentioned in my post title, this is the Star Trek Classic Captain Kirk Retro Mego Style Figure by Diamond Select. This figure is a reproduction of the classic 70's Star Trek action figure that was originally produced by Mego. Mego constructed their figures primarily in an 8-inch (200 mm) scale with cloth fabric costumes - setting an industry standard in the 1970s. This retro figure comes in a resealable plastic collectors card.

The original Star Trek TV series debuted in 1966 and ran for three seasons. Beginning with the original television series and continuing with the subsequent films and series, the franchise has created a cult phenomenon and has spawned many pop culture references.

Hot Toys Tracker Predator coming SOON

Looks like Hot Toys will be releasing the third Predator from the "Predators (2010)" movie - the Tracker Predator, identified by a pair of tusks attached to its helmet, with the quadrupedal hunting beasts for tracking.

Stay tuned for details :)

UPDATE February 23, 2011: Official pictures by Hot Toys released HERE

Biggest Toy Collection in World on SALE

The recent arrival into the Sotheby’s sale on February 28, 2011 was the Jerni Collection, which is conceived, as the world’s largest anthology of historically significant toys. Jerni Toy Collection is a compilation of collection of proprietor Jerry Green’s life’s work. With toy collection being one of Greene’s abiding passion, he has been collecting trains and diddles since the age of 18. The Pennsylvania-based music executive, aged 67 today has acquired more than 35,000 vintage toys and trains assembled over 50 years. Some of the prominent features of the Jerni collection include replications of structures, which were destroyed during World War II together with countless hand-crated and antique trains.

Dragon 1/6 Berserk Guts 12-inch Black Swordsman Figure REVIEW II

No Guts No Glory? continued from my earlier post...

The Dragon Models Limited (DML) 1:6 scale Berserk Guts Black Swordsman 12-inch Figure which I reviewed in the earlier post came with a black cloth cape that obscured pretty much everything on the back of the figure and this figure came pretty loaded so I thought I'll post pictures of the Dragon Berserk Guts figure without his huge Dragon Slayer sword and with his cape removed so we can see how he looks like without it, especially from the back.

Wonder Woman Returns SOON!

NBC has found its Wonder Woman!

"Friday Night Lights" star Adrianne Palicki has landed the coveted lead role in the broadcaster’s reboot of the classic 1970s series. Wonder Woman is being remade by Boston Legal writer David E. Kelley, who has incorporated the superhero’s signature lasso, cuffs, and plane in the script.

Dragon Berserk 1/6 Guts Black Swordsman 12-inch Figure REVIEW 1

Berserk (ベルセルク, Beruseruku) is a dark fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura. It centers around the life of Guts, an orphaned mercenary warrior, and Griffith, the leader of a mercenary band called the Band of the Hawk (鷹の団, Taka no Dan). As he ages, Guts changes from a solitary boy into a man who realizes the value of camaraderie. The story contains elements of both fantasy and horror, as it explores both the best and worst of human nature. Both the manga and anime are noted for their heavy violence. [source: wiki]

Hot Toys Rango & Priscilla (Deluxe Version) PREVIEW

Rango is an upcoming computer-animated comedy film, directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Graham King. It features the voices of actors Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Bill Nighy, Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina, Harry Dean Stanton, Ray Winstone, Ned Beatty, and Timothy Olyphant. This is the first film produced by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM).

Blast from the Past #3: Mighty Max Blasts Magus

Mighty Max was a series of toys which were manufactured by Bluebird Toys PLC in the UK in 1992. The toys were similar to the earlier Polly Pocket toyline. However, these toys were marketed primarily towards young boys.

Hot Toys T-800 comparisons

This particular picture is my attempt at re-creating the iconic 1984 Terminator sci-fi movie poster image of Arnold Schwarzenegger as the T-800 Terminator, a cyborg assassin sent back in time from the year 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose yet-unborn son John Connor will become the leader of the resistance movement against Skynet and its army of machines in the future.

To get this shot, I had to use the latest alternate T-800 head (see my earlier post HERE) from Hot Toys MMS136 1/6th scale T-800 12-inch Collectible Figure from "The Terminator" movie and attach it to the very first HT MMS (Movie Masterpiece Series) figure released, MMS001 Battle Damaged T-800 with light-up eyes from 2005.

Hot Toys T-800 Terminator Figure (1984) REVIEW II

continued from the previous post...

This is a second part photo review of the Hot Toys MMS136 (Movie Masterpiece Series) 1/6th scale T-800 Terminator 12-inch Collectible Figure with Arnold Schwarzenegger likeness from "The Terminator (1984)" movie.

Dragon HK Police EOD Bureau "Simon" Figure with EOD Suit

continued from previous post...

This was the second 1/6 scale EOD suit to be released by Dragon Models Limited (DML) and it is a HK Police EOD Bureau "Simon" 12-inch figure. Simon is a member of the Hong Kong Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Bureau. He comes with the EOD-7B set (helmet, full body armor, jacket, trousers), boots, EOD belt, auxiliary battery pack, EOD clampo kit, cutter, SABER radio clip-on handset, walkie-talkie, water cannon and watch.

Dragon HK Police EOD Bureau "Jimmy" Figure with SRS-5 Suit

This was the very first 1/6 scale Dragon Models (DML) Hong Kong Police EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) 12-inch Figure with SRS-5 Suit to be released. Jimmy is a member of the Hong Kong Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau and he came with the lightweight blast suit (BlasTech SRS-5), helmet with blast shield, walkie-talkie radio and suspect container (canned fruit).

Toyscity Navy SEAL Recon Diver - coming soon!

This is the upcoming ToysCity release: TC9013 - a 1/6 scale US Navy SEAL Recon Diver 12-inch military figure.

It seems like the use of the term SEAL is a popular marketing term for all these 1/6 manufacturers. This is the umpteenth SEAL figure to be released (I've lost count of the number of 12-inch SEAL figures already in the 1/6 market or being released!) In reality, this figure could easily be a US Army Special Forces (SF) Diver (the SEALs don't own the water), Ranger Recon Detachment, CAG (Combat Applications Group, an abbreviation of the official name of Delta Force), AFSOC CCT (United States Air Force Special Operations Command Combat Controller), etc.

Happy Chinese New Year :) - it's not too late

The Chinese New Year started on Thursday, February 3 and it's already been a few days of the Lunar New Year but since traditionally, this "Spring Festival" - literal translation of the Chinese name 春节 (Pinyin: Chūn Jié) - is celebrated for 15 days, it's still okay for me to wish everyone HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

And because this is the Year of the Rabbit (2011), here's "hopping" everyone have a prosperous new year and as we say over here "HUAT ah!" (meaning: "To prosper")

Sideshow Collectibles G.I. Joe "Stalker" 12-inch figure

While most soldiers go through their most rigorous training in the academy, Lonzo Wilkinson earned his reputation as a fighter and a commander on the streets of Detroit. Wilkinson was the warlord of a vicious street gang, but as he saw the violence and destruction around him, he knew he had to make a change. He enlisted in the U.S. Army as soon as he got the chance, and after serving his country, he became one of the founding members of the G.I. JOE team.

Lonzo Wilkinson assumed the code name of STALKER for his ability to quickly and silently navigate the most intense missions the JOE team assigned him. He is skilled in multiple weapons and languages, a valuable skill as the JOE team pursues their enemies across the globe.

Hot Toys 160th SOAR “Night Stalkers” crewmember 12-inch figure

While waiting for the Soldier Story 1:6 scale 160th SOAR "Nightstalkers" Pilot Todd McDunn 12-inch figure (PREVIEWED here), here's a look at the Hot Toys 160th SOAR (Special Operation Aviation Regiment) “Night Stalkers” crewmember, released by Hot Toys in 2004.

Coomodel 1/6 Traveler's Equipment Set - coming soon

This is the Coomodel's upcoming release - Travelers equipment set which will include a Thoracic stent 1:6 bust, 1:6 luggage backpack and Desert Eagle pistol 1:6 full set of 3 modes.

What's with the mannequin (also called a mannekin, mannikin, manikin, dummy, or lay figure)? Seems pretty pointless to me and I just don't get it. Most likely the silver mannequin is a reference to the mall chase scene in T2 with the T-1000 but still, pretty lame.