Tips-N-Tricks: Acrylic Risers

A few months ago, I decided to upgrade my action figure displays with some acrylic risers.  I googled, I eBayed and I poked around hobby shops in my area.  Nothing was nearly affordable enough to be practical for a collection of my size.  "Oh well", I figured.

Flash forward a few weeks, and I found myself at a Hobby Lobby.  I headed to the frames aisle to see if they had any glass cases suitable for placing over one of my more beloved figures.  While the didn't have that, they did have a ton of these:

Clear Plastic Baseball Case

For $2.99 a piece, they are significantly cheaper than any acrylic riser of the same size and they look great.  The edges are sharp, the plastic is crystal clear and they are quite sturdy.    When I got home with the twenty-something I bought, I found an even more amazing discovery:  to open, they split into two "U"-shaped stands, made from three sides each.  Each baseball case worked as two risers, each with less visible plastic than as a cube!  Now we're talking $1.50 per riser.  Combine that with Hobby Lobby's frequent 40-50% off sales, these are an amazingly affordable find.

They are 3" x 3" x 3" and work great to boost any back-row figures on a shelf or simulate hovering.  For smaller figures, they also sell Clear Plastic Golf Ball Cases (which are 2" x 2" x 2") for $1.99 each.

Clear Plastic Golf Ball Case

The Baseball cases are strong enough to hold up my Super Robot Chogokin GaoGaiGar, with his Goldion Hammer and a Tamashii Stage Act 5.  That's a lot of plastic and diecast, and it boosts it without any bowing or bending.  Seriously, I love these things.

S.H.Figuarts Darth Vader Photoreview

Tamashii Nation's take on the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader arrived on my doorstep today.  Let's open him up and take a look!

The box is very nice.  Lots of gloss and metallic paints.  The shininess of the clear plastic does make it hard to see the figure, in this picture and up close.

Backside shot.  Shows some neat poses and has some copy in English.

 Anakin removed from the box, and without the tray cover.  A good amount of plastic slips between some joints (to prevent them from rubbing in the box) including a hard-to-see and harder-to-remove slip around his lower torso.  

 Basic pose.  The cape is molded to sway slightly to the figure's left.  This picture shows it's neutral position.  It doesn't wrap around the sides of the figure very much, which is great for action shots.  For shots of Vader standing still, however, it doesn't look very convincing or screen-accurate.  This is my biggest gripe with the figure.

 Pretty good posability!  I could have probably have gotten him even lower, but his skirt hits the ground.  The skirt is seperated into three overlapping pieces which allows for much more range of motion on the legs than if it was just one.  The skirt as well as the cape are very soft, and can be moved out of the way off limps pretty well.  They also really help the figure to balance while standing, making posing off-center poses really easy.

 This is what you get in the box.  Figure, lightsaber (ignited), lightsaber (off), two open hands, two closed hands (which work great for force chokes) and one sliced off hand.  His right hands have hinge and peg joints while his left hands are only ball joints.  This allows his right hand to bend more for two-handed lightsaber holds.  The right hand pegs go through Vader's cuffs, holding it on.  If you remove the hand, the cuff can come off, making room for his "sliced off" hand accessory.

 Close-up of the head.  There's a lot of different finishes on Mr. Skywalker here, adding depth and realism, especially, the helmet.  By using different plastics and paints, he doesn't look like a black blob; you can easily read his form.  Along the back of his neck, you an start to see the gray electronics that connect this his helm to his mask.

The cape is molded to the chain around his neck.  There are pegs in the back (right around his shoulder blades) that can hold it closer to his body (for standing poses) or can be pulled out to make it flow more behind.  This is a really cool feature, and avoids the issues of some other Vader figures, namely, awkward-looking capes. 

Despite being a bit "hero"-stylized, he tends to look pretty lifelike and screen-accurate.  His left hand here is his lightsaber-grip hand, but works perfectly well as a force-choke.

Vader's hips can adjust, making him slightly taller or shorter.  In the shorter configuration, the hip joints are covered by his cod-armor, but lack range-of-motion.  In the taller way, they can bend much farther, but you can see the joint.  This is also very useful with regards the cape.  If can touch the ground when the hips are tucked up, or not, if they are pulled down, which is super useful when posing.  The cape would be much more restrictive if not for this feature.  I'm really glad they put it in.

The lightsaber blade is clear red plastic.  It tapers a bit towards the end.  Mine was ever-so-slightly curved, but not too bad, and was easy to fix.

His shoulder pauldrons have joints and can easily get out the way for poses such as this one.  They can be placed above or below his cape and chest armor.  If you watch closely in the movies, this is how his armor works.

This one's a bit blown-out to show the details.  The cloth of his costume is ribbed, like the films and has some creasing molded into it.  His elbow joints are pretty big and noticeable, despite having the ribbing and creasing molded on them as well.  There are tons of brightly painted lights on his chest controls and belt.  They really stand out, which I like.

The sliced off hand works well.  The wires poking out are all the same color of gray, despite being different colors in the movie.

The first-run bonus is huge!!  Its box eclipses the figures.

It assembles really easily.  The instructions are on the back of the box.

Inside the tray.  It truely is massive.

Here it is with Anakin on top for scale.  The shiny bits on the back wall are very reflective.  The stairs and back wall do not actually connect, I just placed the stairs flush with the back wall.

I can't wait for the S.H.Figuarts Luke, so they can duel on this amazing stand.

This is really cool: there are holes that fit Tamashii Stage pegs all along the sides of the diorama base!  That's very clever thinking on Bandai's part, and vastly increases the type of scenes you can make.

 Final thoughts.  This is a great figure.  The proportions, paint apps and posability are all on point.  (Alliteration bonus!)  The cape and skirt material, though flexible, is a bit thick for my tastes.  I also would have really appreciated a way to make the cape hang over his shoulders, either through a replacement cape or joints or something.  The iconic look of Vader with his huge cape draped over his front is not really feasible with this figure.  The face sculpt is great, looks just like him and with matte-finished eyes, you'll swear you can almost see David Prowse's eyes behind them.  A great figure, overall.

Toys-to-Life

The upcoming 3.0 version of Disney Infinity is set to be released in late 2015.  Just as 2.0 introduced the Marvel Universe to Infinity, 3.0 will be incorporating Star Wars favorites as playable characters.

The Disney 3.0 Starter Set

While exciting because, well, it's Star Wars, I'm also excited about what this means for the future of toys-to-life.  Star Wars is a big ticket property, one that draws both children and collectors.  The Variant Play Arts Kai Star Wars figures got a lot of press, and will undoubtedly draw new collectors to the hobby (see my post about it).  The same will happen now that Star Wars has invaded Infinity.  This new wave of toys-to-life collectors will pump up this already ballooning industry.  Considering that many will be adult collectors, it might also start to steer the future of toys-to-life to a style that caters to both young and adult collectors.

As it stands the big three toys-to-life lines are Disney Infinity, Activision's Skylanders and Nintendo's amiibo.  Infinity and Skylanders are both fairly simple platformer beat-em-ups, and, while great for kids, they are not particularly challenging or stimulating for less causal players.  I'm sure over time, these and other toys-to-life lines will continue to appeal to kids, but also engage older collectors as well.  (Beyond collecting the figures, that is.)  Disney Infinity does have a "Toy Box" mode, which allows for user generated content.  This opens the door to creative modders to create experiences that might  better engage more hardcore players.  Amiibo does a better job at working for both collector types, but their gameplay depth is still somewhat lacking (see my post about it).

As figures, all three lines are outstanding.  Infinity and Skylanders are fairly stylized and cartoony, while amiibo's stylization level depends on the franchise.  Skylanders is an original property (save for Spyro and possibly a few other characters) so this style is simply the style of the world of Skylanders, and it looks great.  Cute enough to look fun, but cool enough to inspire a sense of adventure.  For Infinity, which is entirely comprised of classic characters from a myriad of mediums, this uniform stylization serves to unite the otherwise divided looks of the various properties involved.  Jack Sparrow (a live-action character) is similarly styled to Sorcerer Micky (a 2d animated cartoon) and Jack Skellington (3d stop-motion puppet).  It works fantastically.  The chosen style looks great.  It is bit squared-off, with exaggerated proportions and expressive faces.  The bases of figures from one particular property are genrally the same, creating great sub-sets within the line as a whole.

Definitely captures that Sparrow "swag".

Smash Bros amiibo offer a wide selection from across Nintendo's huge library of characters, but Disney Infinity, especially with 3.0, has taken it to the next level.  There are literally thousands of beloved characters across Disney's repertoire.  I'm talking Sam from Tron fighting alongside Spider-man.  I'm talking Wreck-it-Ralph racing Princess Leia.  Too cool.  If you've played Infinity, then you know that these cross-world mix-ups are only possible in the Toy Box mode I mentioned earlier.

While, at first blush, this might seem like a limiting factor that detracts from the game, I think it is actually an intelligent decision.  The game worlds that only allow certain characters can then be tailor-made to the set of figures.  In terms of the narrative, they can stay within one "reality" and that permits them to reference connections between the player characters and the world instead of having to go for sweeping generalizations that fit any and all possible figures.  From a gameplay design standpoint, it also allows a great array of powers for the figures.  They can feel free to give Marvel's The Falcon flight abilities, and not have to worry that he breaks every platform-jumping level in the Star Wars playset.
Overall, a very exciting time to be a toy collector and/or a video game enthusiast; I'm sure this is only the beginning of a cool new age for both.

Accessory Figures

When I recently pre-ordered my Tamashii Effect Thunder (Blue Ver. and Yellow Ver.) I realized how excited for them I was, as well as the whole Tamashii Effect series.  Accessories like these are unique in that, they do not belong to specific character or even type of figure.  They promote creativity by allowing you to use them in many different ways and with almost any figure.

The blue one's going straight to my Sasuke Uchiha figure.

There are three levels of specificity for an accessory.  It can be intended for one particular character/figure, a subset of figures, or, as is the case with the Tamashii Effect series, be designed to be usable by the widest range of figures possible.  While the first two levels are necessary to accurately represent most fictional universes, I'm quite surprised how few companies are producing accessories of the third level.  Figure bases (the accessory type this blog gets its name from) are common, but this new wave of accessories is much more exciting to me.

Robot Damashii Strike Gundam is the king of character-specific accessories.  (Most pictured above are sold separately.)

They give new ways for collectors to display figures they already have.  While obvious, this fact is an amazing value.  Having new life breathed into an older action figure is a feeling difficult to come by.  Even after you've posed your favorite mecha figure a hundred different ways, by surrounding it with billowing flames, you can instantly transform the familiar "feel" of it into something much different, thereby reinvigorating the figure in your eyes.  Its presence in your display will increase as well, letting you shine a new spotlight on an old favorite.

Accessories such as this also give new dimensions of creativity when used with other figures.  New potential poses and dioramas become available, letting you set new scenes with believability.  Then, when you're bored of those scenes, the accessories seemlessly transfer to new figures, multiplying your whole collection's value and fun.  You're not buying just one new toy; you're buying an incremental upgrade to your whole collection.

Needless to say, I'm super stoked for the future of action figure accessories such as these. 

Realism vs Stylization

When designing a figure, one of the bigger decisions the artists have to ask themselves is, "Where along the spectrum of Realism vs Stylization will I design for?"  All figures fall somewhere along this spectrum, and none fall squarely on one extreme or the other.  No one side is superior to the other, they are simply aesthetic choices to appeal to one type of collector, or the other.

Stylizing a character removes real world details and replaces them with fun, cool or fierce features.  This moves the figure's representation of the character away from purely physical to something more interpretive.  Take the Power of the Force Luke Skywalker figure.  Hasbro greatly tweaked his physique away from that of Mark Hamill's, to something more demonstrative of Luke Skywalker's inner-heroism.  Collectors of stylized figures appreciate an action figure's ability to deviate from the source material's visuals, while still being recognizable.

Star Wars x He-Man

When an action figure line uses similar stylization throughout the line, it can have several effects.  If can represent deeper themes about the entire world the figures hail from, or create a sense of design cohesion throughout a collection.  Just take the popularity of Funko Pop!s.  There is obviously a desire in collectors for cohesive designs across multiple characters.

This is only a small, small, small sampling of the world of Pop!

Realism is usually a measure of how true-to-life something is, how accurately is portrays the actual world we live in.  In the case of action figures, however, this term can become a bit more complex.  Realism, when referring to action figures, can mean several different things.

The simplest case or realism in action figures is when a figure represents a real life person.  If the figure looks and poses similarly to the person, then it can be considered "realistic".  Figures of live-action TV or movie characters are also straightforward, but in the case of special effects, the designer has a choice between accurately re-creating the effect as seen in the movie, or as it was intended to be interpreted by the audience.  For example, is a figure of Godzilla that includes the zipper in the back of the suit, which can be seen in several of the earlier movies, more or less realistic?  It is more realistic to the Earth we live in, but less to the Earth we are meant to believe in those films.

This Microman Godzilla Final Wars figure has a zipper ... and a fully articulated person inside!

Even more interesting is the relationship of realism to a figure of an already stylized character, such as a cartoon character.  A "screen-accurate" figure of Spongebob Squarepants would have a smooth yellow surface and big, soft eyes.  A "real world-accurate" one would have the surface of an actual sponge with oversized human eyes.  Eerie, indeed, but that's what an anthropomorphized sponge would look like if you bumped into one on the street.  Considering how drastic a change from Spongebob's cartoon appearance it is, one could argue this hypothetical "real world-accurate" Spongebob figure is, itself, stylized.  Not stylized to look different from the real world, but stylized to look different from the world of Spongebob Squarepants the cartoon.

But what if you stylize an already stylized character?!

It is because action figures are an interpretation of an already interpreted character that this double-lens effect can happen.  A character is designed (a form of interpretation) for it's initial medium, then re-designed a second time as a figure.  The different possible levels of realism versus stylization in both of these interpretations leaves lots of room for possibility and interesting figures.

Darth Vader Mania

There sure are a lot of Darth Vader figures running around these days.  Lets have them battle it out, and see which Vader is truly the Lord of the Sith(s).

The contenders:

S.H.Figuarts Darth Vader

Manufacturer: Bandai

Price: 5500 Yen

Height: 155 mm

Revoltech Darth Vader

Manufacturer: Kaiyodo

Price: 5500 Yen

Height: 170 mm

Mafex Darth Vader

Manufacturer: Medicom

Price: 4500

Height: 170 mm

Black Series 6" Darth Vader

Manufacturer: Hasbro

Price: 19.99 USD

Height: approx 165 mm

Not included: Variant Play Arts Kai Darth Vader and Movie Realization Darth Vader (both are too redesigned).  Also, Bandai's model kit, as this is an action figure battle.

We will compare them based on several criteria.

1.) Price

Winner:  Black Series
Even without factoring in import pricing and shipping, the Black Series Vader is the clear winner at 19.99 USD.

Loser: S.H.Figuarts & Revoltech

Even though they are tied for most expensive, SHF is the shortest and Revoltech has so few accessories?  Not a lot of plastic for your buck.  (Unless you count the 1st-run exclusive stand SHF comes with.)

2.) Size/Scale

Winner: Revoltech & Mafex

Both are 170 mm tall, accurately portraying actor David Prowse's huge stature at 1/12th scale.

Loser: S.H.Figuarts

Too darn short.

3.) Accessories

Winner: S.H.Figuarts (with caveat)

If you count the 1st-run exclusive base, then this is a clear win for SHF Vader.  If not, most are pretty comparable, except for ...

Loser: Revoltech

With no severed arm and no Anakin head, Revo loses this category.

4.) Look (YMMV)

Winner: Mafex & S.H.Figuarts

If you're going for screen accuracy, Mafex looks the most like the films.  If you want a little more stylized, SHF is the way to go.

Loser: Black Series & Revoltech

Black Series looks almost as real as Mafex, but the helmet is oversized and Vaders' lenses are too reddish.  Revoltech looks strange, with a squished face and lumpy, segmented cape.

5.) Posability

Winner: Revoltech

Based on Revoltech's history, joint tech and the official photos of Vader, it is obvious this Dark Lord is the most flexible.

Loser: Black Series

With far fewer joints, the American contender just can't cut it.

6.) Announced/Released Star Wars Figures

Winner: Black Series

There are already dozens of Black Series 6" figures out, with many more on the way, including in-scale vehicles and creatures.

Loser: Mafex

Only a Mafex Stormtrooper to keep Annie Skywalker company.

7.) Size of Figure Line

Winner: S.H.Figuarts

As one of the largest figures lines in the galaxy, SHF Darth will fit in with the hundreds of figures Bandai has done in this line.

Loser: Mafex

Darth Vader can mix it up with Spider-Man and some Batman characters, but that's it.

OVERALL

S.H.Figuarts: 3 Wins*, 2 Losses

Revoltech: 2 Wins, 3 Losses

Mafex: 2 Wins, 2 Losses

Black Series 6": 2 Wins, 2 Losses

*1 win based on 1st-run exclsuive

Those results align with what figure I pre-ordered (SHF, obviously) but many of these categories are pretty subjective.  I'm sure they're all great figures.  A lot of which one you should go for depends on how you weight the categories.

The Waiting Game`

The amount of time between first seeing a Japanese action figure announced, to having it in your hands (especially if you live outside of Japan) can be quite astronomical.  Let's look at some examples, for figures I have personally purchased.

My first example is an extreme one: the notorious Armor Plus Kongou no Shuu from Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (or Kento of Hardrock, for you Ronin Warriors fans).  He was first seen at a figure show in February of 2011, but not released until April of 2013.  That's over two years!

Tamashii Features 2011

It's worth noting that, as Shuu is part of a 5-man team, he was announced along when his teammates were.  He was the final one to see release, meaning he had by far the longest delay between announcement and release.  Bandai could have released them closer together, however, but perhaps they wanted to wait for fans' wallets to rebound.  Whatever the reason, waiting over two years is just ridiculous.

Here's a more recent example.  S.H.Figuarts Darth Vader.  First shown at Tokyo Toy Show in early June of 2014, he just saw release a day or two ago.  About one month shy of a year between his first sightings and release.  Now, as an American collector, we have to tack on the several days or weeks for it to ship to my house.

Lord Vader's first appearance

I think this is too long.  Far too long, in fact.  The best time to release a figure is when those looking forward to it are at the peak of excitement.  The memories of opening it and first posing it will be so much more positive.  For most collectors, however, the hype for a figure spikes much earlier than a year after announcement.  By releasing them so much after-the-fact, toy manufacturers are shooting themselves in the foot.  Less excitement means less buying, and those that do buy them will remember them less fondly, hurting future business.

So, why do they announce figures so far ahead?  I have a few ideas.  Hype is also built up through cross-promotion.  S.H.Figuarts Darth Vader was probably announced when he was in order to ride the hype-train that Star Wars Episode VII is generating.  Another factor in this case is competition.  Several other manufacturers were announcing Star Wars figures at this time, and Bandai did not wish to be late to the party and come across as ripoffs.  Perhaps companies like Bandai are overzealous, constantly overestimating how quickly they can develop a figure from prototype.  

My final theory is one I really hope is untrue.  Maybe by showing off a future figure so early, a toy company can gauge fan reaction, and, if negative enough, abort a figure before it has cost too much to develop.  While this might avoid a costly failure of a figure, it also greatly seeds mistrust between consumers and companies.  Even though almost all figure announcements say something to the effect of "Display Only" (meaning the figure is not guaranteed to be made) everybody knows what the strong implication is.  If you show a figure, you are expected to sell it.  By announcing later in development, a toy company would be forced to follow through on their word.  That would require much more cautious planning on their part, however.  That means less "experimental" figure announcements.  So maybe the price of such diverse figure offerings is long wait times and the occasional canceled figure.

I'd rather receive less figures, but at the height of my excitement for them, than have more to choose from, but get them over a year later.  How about you?