Articulated Discussion All posts by wes

Bootleg Tuesday - March 9th

Although I missed out on Battle Cat during last month's MattyCollector apocalypse, TAO's review of the beast last week got me feeling the big kitty love. I rummaged through my boxes of toys and successfully located my childhood BC, and he received some love and attention for the first time in over a decade despite his smaller size and inability to "properly" seat Battle Armor He-Man. But then I remembered another cat who would love to share the spotlight -- and after heading to the back of a lower shelf of the cabinet where I keep my earliest transforming robot acquisitions, I had the star of this week's feature! Join us as we look at yet another offering from the Agglo company's Space Warriors: Transformable Beast-Tech Fighter line in...

Bootleg Tuesday - March 9th

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Author: Wes

Bootleg Tuesday - March 2nd

Transformers fans and bootleg aficionados will no doubt remember the Space Warriors: Transformable Beast-Tech Fighter line of bootlegs. Spanning various size classes, price points, and even Transformers sublines, it was one of the main sources of wacky TF knockoffs (and the line that birthed the excellent Gigatron bootleg we looked at recently). Moreover, until Hasbro put an end to those shenanigans and made Big Lots the nation's number one reseller of repackaged scout and legends figures from several years ago -- at twice the price that nobody wanted to pay for them when they were new -- they could be found in abundance on the pegs of a legitimate retailer. Alas, now you'll have to brave the clutter of Tuesday Morning for even a glimpse of these beasts... or you could just keep reading our Bootleg Tuesday feature, 'cause I've got a bunch of these suckers and will no doubt be sharing more of them as time passes. That's your cue to click the link below!

Bootleg Tuesday - March 2nd

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Bootleg Tuesday - February 23rd

If you've read my previous Bootleg Tuesday entries, you've probably gathered that I love bootleg and knockoff toys -- but unless you've read my work on Scary-Crayon, you likely don't know about my deep affection for Madballs. Much like gorillas and humans share a common ancestor somewhere along the evolutionary tree, these two seemingly disparate affairs likely stemmed from several specific childhood possessions. Keep reading to behold those influential keepsakes in this week's edition of...

Bootleg Tuesday

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Author: Wes

Bootleg Tuesday - February 16th

The collector community has recently become quite aware of the rising cost of action figures these days, but how many of us have realized that these increases go beyond retail and online exclusive lines? Although it has admittedly been a while since I was in a position to gauge the cost of bootleg figures outside of Dollar Tree, I recently visited an old independently owned "dollar" store and was shocked to find that, whereas just a few years ago bootleg figures could be had for $1 apiece, they now cost upwards of $4 -- with the old $6 multipacks selling for $10 and even $12. What the heck? I mean, I understand that plastic costs are increasing, but even four poorly and poisonously painted Bakugan figures are not worth $10. High-end replica knockoffs notwithstanding, what bootleg figure is?!

Actually, maybe this one is. Keep reading to behold it in...

Bootleg Tuesday

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Author: Wes

Plastic Surgery: Action Figure Modifications To Maximize Her Pleasure

Plastic Surgery: Action Figure Modifications To Maximize Her Pleasure

So after weeks of fruitless searching while site after site posts gloaty reviews of DC Universe Classics Series 10, you give up on ever finding that boobalicious new Power Girl figure. But then, just days before Christmas, you stroll down the toy aisle at the local Walmart and there she is! Sure, she doesn't look nearly as great in person with her spindly limbs and tiny fists, freakishly slim side profile, and huge mold line that's possibly a small gap down the side of her thigh... and that $12.97 price tag isn't helping. Nevertheless, for one or two heaving reasons, you decide to bite the bullet and buy the figure that you'd coveted for weeks on end and begrudgingly cursed your fellow collectors for displaying even after you'd accepted the reality that you would never own it.

And then you get her home and she seems even less appealing out of the package. Why the flip is she so darned skinny? What's up with her boots -- did they accidentally swap the left and right boots at the factory? Who the hell is she supposed to be punching out with those teensy fists? And why doesn't her bloody neck have much range beyond that of a swivel joint?

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Author: Wes

From Customer Service to Custom Service: A Tale of the Windmill Punch

Some of you might recall my review of Master of the Universe Classics Adora, which was unique among MOTUC reviews not only for the... shall we say, colorful language, but also because I gave a decidedly low score to a figure in a line that's otherwise garnered high praise among reviewers and consumers alike (value scores notwithstanding). However, many of the points Adora lost were due to the flaws of the particular figure I received -- and I have no problem admitting that the figure would likely have scored 10-20 points higher had the extreme looseness of Adora's shoulders not driven me to attempt to fix and ultimately mutilate the figure in strange and exotic ways.

But since Mattel ultimately sent me a replacement figure, it seems appropriate to revisit Adora for a second look... which may prove informative and helpful to readers whether they collect the MOTUC line or not.

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Author: Wes

Review - Masters of the Universe Classics - Adora

Yeah, you've read about a thousand reviews of Adora by this point -- but we're willing to bet that none of those reviews featured a figure with a semi-prosthetic left arm! (And no, we're not talking about an appearance by Trap-Jaw.) Equally a toy review, a tale of woe, a lesson in how not to fix a figure (or a tutorial, depending upon what you want to do), and a damning critique of subpar mass-market quality products at double specialty market prices, Wes shares his thoughts on the most sought-after offering (judging from how quickly Adora sold out) in the MOTUC collection.

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Bootleg Tuesday - January 26th

Question: How would you respond if you found a secret out this year: that you were once a pharaoh when Egyptians ruled the world? And then some sorcerer named "Scarab" tried to get you day and night?

Answer: You'd wish you had four guardians to protect your very life!

If that doesn't mean anything to you, you're probably scratching your head right now. But if you found yourself humming an all-too-familiar theme, you'll be delighted (or appalled) by what you'll find in...

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Author: Wes

Bootleg Tuesday - January 5th

If you thought we were going to spare you the horrors of bootleg toys in 2010, think again! No matter what year it is, it's TUESDAY -- or maybe Wednesday, depending upon how timely we are :P [TAO's Note: Be nice, Wes] -- and you know what that means...

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Author: Wes

The Articulated Accolades - Day 4

[TAO's Note: If you ever have to rely on Wes for a last minute decision between a red wire and yellow wire, you should probably prepare for impact. He's had an entire year to think about his favorite toy of 2009, and he's only managed to narrow it down to three. Keep reading and decide which of his three picks are best, so he doesn't have to.] 

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Bootleg Tuesday - December 15th

We like to rag on bootleg toys in this feature, but -- as we've seen before with those boobalicious Buffy Summers knockoffs -- not all such toys are bad! Check out a similarly palatable (but far less sexy) bootleg of the transforming robot variety in the latest installment of...

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Author: Wes

Review - Action Figure Displays Series 2 - Secret Base

 

[TAO's Note: JDP Design caused a bit of ruckus earlier this year when they announced their Action Figure Displays system, and they haven't stopped there, because Series 2 (which features a slew of new designs) is now available for purchase. They were kind enough to offer us an early look at one of these brand new displays, so to coincide with its release, Wes is taking a look at the "Secret Base" display. Keep reading to find out if he thinks it's worth the investment to "give your toys a world to live in".]

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Bootleg Tuesday - November 24th

We like to spotlight bootleg toys once a week here at Articulated Discussion, but we're quick to point out that there's a site that's been doing it a lot longer and with a great deal more passion: The Undiscovered Playthings. The site made a comeback this year with a nifty new blog, but Joe Bootleg has been sharing his counterfeit curios on the Internet for quite a while now. I used to visit Bootleg Toys frequently during college, and, although I kind of forgot about the site in the following years, there was one particular bootleg line that never left my memory: The Power Slayer. Join me in swooning over these fetching fakes in the latest installment of:

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Author: Wes

Guest Review - Power Rangers Jungle Fury - Jungle Master Jaguar Ranger

[TAO's Note: I was as skeptical as anyone when Wes started telling me how much I need to start buying Power Rangers figures. For the longest time I just thought he was some Voltron-obsessed crazy hobo, but after reading this review (and watching an episode featuring "Lily"), it's all starting to look so much clearer. If you're a doubter like me, then keep reading, because that dirty derelict named Wes might just turn out to be quite persuasive.]

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Bootleg Tuesday - November 17th

Go go Power Rangers! Although my push to get folks interested in Power Rangers toys only recently began in earnest, I've been happy to discuss my love of these figures for almost a year now -- they really are fantastic little toys. That said, if you ever take my advice and pick one up, make sure you're getting the real deal... 'cause there are a lot of Power Rangers imitators out there! One such group of misfit morphers can be found in:

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Author: Wes