Figures of the Month - September 2013

Welcome to the first of a new feature for the blog! Each month I'm going to take a look at my favourite action figure purchases of that month, or if I have nothing new that I've taken a shine to, an lod purchase that is still a big favourite of mine! That's the gist, let's take a look at the list!

Morbius -Doctor Who, Bif Bang Pow

 I actually only recieved this figure on Friday, and actually I didn't buy it! This was a lovely gift from my girlfriend after the woes I've been having with my busted External Hard Drive (more on that another time) and I absolutely love him! Eventually I'll do the proper video review when all goes quiet with the main Character Options line, but for now here are my musings as to why I love him!

Bif Bang Pow are very much an acquired taste. They're Marmite to toy collectors. Some people only want super detailed realistic toys and others love retro stuff that reminds them of Mego, truth be told I always thought I was in the former camp but after getting their 4th Doctor I immediately fell in love with their old school charm! These are the toys the children of the 70s wish they had got, but sadly didn't. A 'What if Denys Fisher made those other figures?' 

Morbius is marvellous! The prototype images didn't look up to much, even for a retro style figure it looked shoddy. I am happy to report that the finished article is much better! I love the texture of his 'skin' which is in fact a set of faux leather overalls. It works great and has some really cool details stitched into it to suggest wires. The only issue with the suit is that it wraps around the feet, making it hard for Morbius to stand up. The clumps of fur are a nice touch, but he does have a tendency to moult so I am wary of ever touching him! My favourite aspect is the head! It's fantastic! The sculpt on the brain and all of the interior wires are really cool, and the glass dome is very screen accurate. It looks as if they've just enlarged the Character Options head! 

A really cool toy that looks great alongside the other figures. A massive thank you to Kat for buying me this! He's probably my favourite monster in this line! 

Castaspella - Masters of the Universe Classics

 Obviously I don't just collect Doctor Who toys, so there's a significant chance other toy lines will make it into this article; case in point. Now I nearly sold Castaspella, purely because although I subscribe to the line it is getting tremendously expensive and this silly bint cost me more than I was willing to pay thanks to frigging customs and handling fees! Seriously, you know you're a hard core toy collector when you start paying those. I decided against selling her due to her high status in the Princess of Power portion of the MotUC line. She's one of the leaders of the Great Rebellion (She-Ra's mates, for the uninformed) and so it seemed like I should keep hold of her and lose someone like Perfuma down the line (apologies She-Ravers).

The sculpt is beautiful.The Four Horsemen did an amazing job, she looks like she stepped right out of the Filmation cartoon! The face sculpt is fantastic, one of their best female sculpts to date. Nice soft features that make her look very feminine and pretty. My only downside is there is no dark wash to the hair to give it that added detail. The paint apps are crisp and really well done, even down to metallic yellow piping on her boots. She's packed with articulation, so you can pose her in loads of cool battle stances when fighting the Evil Horde! She has some really cool accessories too, the first is the standard shield that all of the Princess of Power ladies turn up with. This time it is cast in a translucent yellow, as if she's constructed it from magical energy. A cool idea that emphasises her status as one of Etheria's top mages. Second is this massive wheel that clips to her back, which is taken from the vintage toy back in the 80s. This disc would spin around on the original toy, to suggest her powers of hypnotism! Finally, and my favourite, is the magical energy blast! This is very cool, and the first time we've seen anything line this in the line. It clips to her left hand really snug and looks great! I really hope this sort of thing turns up with other magical characters. 

It cost me extra because of those damn customs, which is always going to set my teeth on edge whenever I look at her, but I think she's a great figure and really stands out from the rest of the Princess of Power crowd. It's unusual but nice to have such a strong female character roster in a line of action figures. 

Leela - Doctor Who, Bif Bang Pow

Ah! Another Bif Bang Pow and another lady to add to the list! Rounding off this article is Leela, who I purchased on the very first day of this month while attending Cardiff Comic Con. It was between her and Sutekh, and Leela looked like more bang for my buck. 

She's the first female figure in the line and she's great! The headsculpt has something of Louise Jameson at certain angles, but then again it's not meant to be an exact likeness and to be fair even Underground Toys/Characters doesn't look that much like Louise. If anything at all. The costume is really well done her. Very accurate with some very nice details stitched into the clothing, much better than the printed look on the initial prototype. All of the little sections are really well done and she even has a little pouch that can be used to house Janus Thorns (not included). She comes with her knife and a little pouch to sheathe it.She has a necklace, which has annoyingly marked the figure's neck, but luckily this remains covered by the necklace itself. 

She has trouble standing up, but once in position she seems pretty stable. She looks great alongside the 4th Doctor battling the monsters of the universe! 

That's all for this month! Some really cool purchases! October is going to be quite a big month with Doctor Who's Ace and Priory Set arriving, along with Big Chief's 4th Doctor and MotUC's Sky-High and Jet Sled two-pack! Thanks for reading!