May 2005

It may surprise you to learn that the finest source of light for photography is in fact regular old sunlight. This is what I prefer to use in all of my photos.

I had planned to have the review of the MegaMan NT Warrior Deluxe DoubleSoul RollSoul figure for Thursday, but due to rather lengthy and somewhat severe weather, this was not possible, and this afternoon was the first opportunity available to me to get photos in the light I so desired.

Now that I actually own two of these DoubleSoul figures, if you're inclined to get one, I'd say just go for the design that best appeals to you, since I feel pretty safe in saying the mechanics are all essentially the same, and any changes just come down to style. With this in mind, there probably won't be any further reviews from me on that particular line.

I like action figures for a variety of reasons. There are some toys I like as representations of characters or machines from series I enjoy, and there are some that I like from a purely "toy" perspective- something about the plaything itself is particularly intriguing, entertaining, or just a really neat idea. Today, we have one of the latter in Microman Godzilla.

The MicroForce body on its own should probably be rated as State of the Art. The fact that it's been adapted to a number of other characters and spinoff-lines is a testament to that- you can find the body used for the import version of Kicker from Transformers Energon, and it's also been used for figures from Street Fighter, and even Batman. (Tragically, a previously planned Microman Spider-Man has, to my knowledge, been cancelled.) It really is that impressive, and if you're lucky enough to live near a comic shop or Suncoast Video in the US, you may well be able to track down something that uses the design.

Just to reiterate something in the review: Microman Ken must, must be inserted into the Godzilla Suit headfirst. Any other method will result in hours of sweaty-palmed, expletive-emitting fun. The instruction sheet offers a series of three hints for applying the suit- all of which are in Japanese, so they were no help. I do make out the Katakana for "Baby Powder," however, and previous experience with latex accessories allows me to state that this is indeed a good idea. I didn't use it this time, for fear of having to wash off the outside of the suit before I could photograph, but next time I definitely will.

Assuming I'm ever stupid enough to try and get him out of that suit again.

Despite our impromptu Revenge of the Sith theme week being long over, the film itself still looms on the horizon- as of this writing, seven days remain until its premiere. To say that I'm anxious to see it is something of an understatement. To say that I'm somewhat suggestible in my toy-buying habits would be spot-on, though- I'm still buying ROTS figures when something grabs my attention.

The Royal Guards are today's example, and they are extremely nice, filled with detail that 90% of the time you'll never get a clear look at. The Red Guards in particular are a tribute to the power of costume design- they began as essentially glorified scenery in Return of the Jedi, but thanks to a simple and elegant costume, have since received more attention in toys, comics, and other media than seems appropriate for their limited screen time and complete lack of characterization. In short: they looked great, and everybody remembered them. And despite a cloth cloak, which you may or may not approve of, they've gotten a Very Good toy representation, at last.

While I have picked up some more ROTS figures- mostly Clone variations- it's my hope to maintain the variety It Figures! has demonstrated so far, and make my next review that of a non-Star Wars figure. As always, keep watching this space for more details.

Some information and a possible US release date are beginning to surface for the Playstation2 Gundam vs. Zeta Gundam game. This month's Official US Playstation Magazine features a short video of the game on its demo disc- nothing terribly exciting, if you've played the previous game, Federaton vs. Zeon, or saw the X-Play feature we mentioned some months ago.

However, the latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, which has just reached subscribers like myself, features a full-page ad stating that the game will be released June 2005. If you'd like to see for yourself, look for the July 2005 issue, #193, which features a cover story on the recently-announced Xbox 360.

Lastly, a search of Amazon.com brings up a pre-order page with an estimated release date of June 28th, and a price of $39.99. Things like this change all the time- the last I looked at that particular page, it said sometime in August, so I wouldn't put too much stock into it. Coupled with the advertisement, however, it's a bit more compelling. I sure hope it's accurate, anyway.

There is more content coming- I'm currently working on my next review, and I hope to have it done soon. ...ish. Thanks for your patience, all, and check back often!

Well, technically, dark blue for the most part, though the torso's good and black. This seems like as good a time as any to mention that the EMIA Gundam Mark II is actually a good bit darker in person- the flash I used lightened up the blue considerably. While I usually shoot for the most accurate photos I can get, this time it seemed appropriate, since it would show off the detailing more clearly.

And again, it's probably best if you put the Beam Sabers someplace safe- they're in great danger of being lost if they're attached while you install the Vulcan Pod, for example. I'm hoping, since this was the initial release, that something was done about this in the subsequent three releases of this figure, but since I can't say for sure one way or the other, consider yourselves warned.

This review pretty much brings my reviews up to date with the current state of my MSiA collection- for now. There are more figures coming out, and hopefully it won't be too long before I can add some more MSiA reviews. There are some other things I'm planning on getting up here too, of course, so by all means drop in anytime to see what we're up to.