Thor-rific!

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Based on Norse mythology's thunder god of the same name, Thor is a well-loved character and one of Marvel's front runners, famously played in the movies by Chris Hemsworth. The character was born in the 60's in the minds and hands of comics legends - Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and Larry Lieber. The trio geniuses made Thor one of the founding members of Avengers and has since then starred in several series.

His identity is tied with his powerful hammer weapon - the Mjolnir. We've seen him depressed without his hammer, for it is like his soul, his thunder. There are variations in his character, but mostly they are familiar because it is taken from mythology - so is all the other Asgardians who surround him.

Thor in Avengers Infinity

Product
Brand/Model: Unbranded
Condition: Bought without box, parts in clear plastic bag, with no separate build instructions

Character
Name: Thor Odinson
AKA: Thor
Species: Asgardian
Comics: Marvel
Affiliation: Avengers, God Squad, Thor Corps
Weapon: Mjolnir (hammer)
Superpowers: Superhuman strength, superhuman durability, electric manipulation

Thor minifigure has a lot of unique parts which depart from the standard bricks, hence there are compatibility issues, but nonetheless, this is an interesting buy.

The unbranded Thor brick figure has 10 pieces - 1 tan spiked hairpiece, 1 nougat head, 1 pair of nougat hands, 1 black, printed torso, 1 black, printed legs, 1 pair of black arms, and 1 pair of black shoes.

(L) unbranded brick (R) standard brick

The unbranded brick has no hip joint, showcasing a single piece for hips ang legs. If you notice the lower part seemed cutoff. The brick has customized shoe parts to fit the missing lower part. In the standard brick, there are two round pins which connect the torso; in the unbranded brick, there is a single, square pin in the middle which snaps to the torso. 

(L) unbranded brick (R) standard brick

unbranded brick - leg side view

The legs of the unbranded brick are smooth and rounded, whereas the standard brick has straight and edged legs, but are articulated.

unbranded brick - leg top view

The holes are for fitting the shoes.

(L) unbranded brick (R) standard brick

The arm of unbranded brick is straight, whereas the standard brick is bent.

(L) unbranded brick (R) standard brick

The hands of unbranded brick have shorter pins than that of standard brick. The end of the pin is rounded compared to the edged end of standard brick.

(L) unbranded brick (R) standard brick

(L) unbranded brick (R) standard brick

The torso of the unbranded brick is angular, whereas standard brick has straight, sloping side, making it sharper.

unbranded brick - shoe top view

unbranded brick - shoe side view

The shoes of the unbranded brick connects with the legs through a single square, holed pin. The heel of the shoes is compatible with standard baseplate.

On to the verdict!

  

Print Quality - the matte printing gives a nice sheen and detail to the front torso and legs. Sadly, the back has no print at all.

Parts - a few notable unique parts - detachable shoes, no hip joint, and angular torso. While they are not compatible with standard bricks, this minifigure stands out in your collection.

Articulation - limited articulation due to uniqueness of mold, specially of the legs.

Material - snap and fit! The material is as durable as the standard bricks. 

Affordability - as cheap as regular knockoff bricks.

Design - it could be a worthy contender in minifigure favorites, had there been side and back printing. A dual head printing would be great too. It will not hurt to add an accessory. After all, Thor is lost without his Mjolnir (hammer).

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Thor built brick figure

That's not the Mjolnir, Thor! And it's just a harmless dog!

Blue Deadpool

I admit that I have not seen the Deadpool movie yet. He's a character you either like or hate. In my case, I am not entirely familiar with his antics and his profile. I have last seen Deadpool in the X-men Origin: Wolverine film, where I think his character was also born (in the silver screen).

Wade Wilson, in that movie, is a scarred mercenary who took part in the Weapon X program. Based on the comics, he has a fallout with his girlfriend after discovering he is terminally ill with multiple cancer growth. He joined the Weapon X program, where his healing factor accelerated, thanks to a graft of Logan's tissue incorporated in his body.

Deadpool was made a probationary member of X-men under the watch of Domino. Mark Kincaid, who claimed X-men kidnapped his daughter, was planned to be killed by Deadpool to earn the graces of X-men. When his plan failed, Norman Osborne killed Kincaid and blamed X-men thru Deadpool, but Wade had it all set up to make X-men the heroes in the public eyes, earning him the full membership in X-men.

Chimichanga time!

Product
Brand/Model: SY 600-6
Condition: Bought with box, parts in clear plastic bag, with no separate build instructions

Character
Name: Wade Wilson
AKA: Deadpool
Comics: Marvel
Affiliation: Mercs for Money, Heroes for Hire, X-Force, X-Men
Superpowers: Superhuman strength, superhuman durability, master in multiple unarmed combat, master in assassin techniques

top left: print on the front of the box (brand covered)
bottom left: print on the back of the box (brand covered; build instruction)
right: print on the right side of the box, showing eight variants of Deadpool, including Wolverine

Deadpool minifigure in classic X-men costume consists of 23 pieces - 1 head, 1 torso, 1 leg connector, 2 legs, 2 arms, 3 hands, 2 katanas, 1 sword sheath piece, and 10 mini ship pieces.

Butchered!

While the printing in the head resembles Spider-man design, the supposed squinting Deadpool eyes are barely visible as they are in white printed over yellow. A little black outline on those beady eyes would have made emphasis. The alternate printing in the same head is grossly inappropriate. It looks like a scarred blue demon with happy yellow eyes. The only use I can think of this alternate head printing is to match it with Mystique minifigure; it would make her look a bit anime though.

A lot of care and effort is made in the details of the torso prints - this is the expertise of SY craftsmanship. I like the thinner outlines, which made the details clearer, as opposed to the thicker outlines of other brands which make the details cramped in one place.

The pearl gold sheaths blend with the yellow and blue ensemble. I wish that the katanas are in silver-grey color though and that hand guns are included.

top left: print on the back of Deadpool's torso
bottom left: black katanas
middle: assembled Deadpool minifigure in blue and yellow X-men costume
top right: alternate Deadpool head printing
bottom right: back of Deadpool's torso with mounted katana sheaths

PG and K*** brands have released a similar version of X-men Deadpool based on another artist's design available online. It boasts of a darker blue minifigure base, silver-gray katanas, hand guns, and a more badass face print. I like the SY blue though as I think it resembles closer to the classic X-men color.

ctto photo not mine
PG and K*** brands have this version

In lieu of extra weapons like guns, ten extra pieces are included, which can be assembled to a mini ship. While not appropriate to the character, the blue ship is more useful for other customization needs.

Space Deadpool?

Deadpool is a character that you either like or hate. Similarly, brick hobbyists and enthusiasts may differ on which Deadpool minifigure in X-men suit is appropriate or up to his liking. I prefer this SY version but I am swapping his head for that of PG or K***.

While crafting for a fun photo, I came up with Deadpool skiing using his katanas (lol) and him battling Master Yoda in a swordfight.

Bite my snow dust!

katana vs light saber

Enjoy! Til then. :)

Spider-Student

This is my second review of a Spider-man minifigure - the first one being Spider-man Noir.

It has been months since Tom Holland starred in the reboot of the Spider-man franchise. Frankly, I did not enjoy much of the film, as I think the plot is flimsily written, the effects look like an Iron Man movie leftover, and there is too much teenage comedy.

Every time a new movie is out, new brick sets and minifigure versions are also released. I am fond of Spiderverse but not a fanatic. This yellow uniformed Spider-man is a welcome addition to the growing collection.

chilling in the city

There is no official minifigure release of this yellow version but I am not certain where the designs originated. The inspiration though came from the release of the poster where Peter Parker in his superhero suit is lying on his back in what seems like a ledge across the city skyline, wearing his school uniform and a headphone.

The yellow jacket has grown popular to fanatics, who had it ordered or custom-made for everyday use or for cosplay.

Product
Brand/Model: DLP 9054-6
Condition: Bought with box, parts in clear plastic bag, with no separate build instructions

Character 
Name: Peter Parker
AKA: Spider-man
Comics: Marvel
Affiliation: Avengers
Superpowers: Spider-sense, superhuman strength, web slinging, wall crawling

top left: print on the right side of the box (build instruction)

bottom left: print on the front of the box

right: print on the back of the box

Spider-man in yellow jacket minifigure consists of 14 pieces - 1 head, 1 torso, 2 legs, 1 leg connector, 2 arms, 3 hands, 1 web sling, 1 web, and 2 glow-in-the-dark orbs.

Spider-man with moth balls

The head has a common print - web design and the trademark eyes, with no alternate printing. The torso and arms are yellow, with printing of the school logo patch, spider-man logo in the chest, and overlapping outlines of the jacket lapel. The legs have a rather shiny blue printing, which reminds me of a wet paint or nail paint. The line printings in the legs are simple, which try to simulate the Homecoming version; the printing though did not continue in the rear and back. This created a bland effect of plain yellow and red brick ensemble.

The accessories - orbs, sling, and web - are included. The white sling is common, in that it bore the same thread with alternating plastic grip. The white web is a little flimsy, making it look cheap. The orbs, while being cute in its glow in the dark function, are a little weird to me. I am not entirely certain what to do about them. They do not seem to fit the bill. (Please let me know what they are supposed to be.)

Which school are you from again?
top left: the head in comparison with the orb size
middle left: the front torso
bottom left: the back torso
right: assembled Spider-man minifigure

I toyed with the orb instead and came up with the Light Bulb Man! (lol)

Spider-light bulb?
top: orb that glows in the dark
bottom: Spider-man minifigure outfitted with the glow-in-the-dark orb

The verdict: We can never have a perfect knockoff brick minifigure, but this one's a cheap addition if you are collecting Spider-man bricks.The paint job and not-so-amazing accessories are excusable. If you are into customizing, you might want to repair the legs, cut some yellow cloth to replace the printed one, or put in a big headphone to make it look cooler.

Til then. ;)

Iron Duck

(Author's Note: The brand name is no longer explicitly announced. Code is used, which is readily recognizable by brick collectors and hobbyists.)

Marvel universe is so diverse in its range of characters, making it open to creativity of the artists and fanatics. From the heroic human like Agent Coulson to an unimaginable being like Dormammu, brick collectors and hobbyists can stretch their imagination in creating customized figures, scenes or sets.

One such weird character is Howard the Duck (he made it to Time's top 10 oddest Marvel characters). In case you missed the duck, he appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Howard the Duck is an anthropomorpic duck, who came from his home planet Duckworld, and dropped by Thog in our world following his abduction. He appeared in various comic serials, with his Quak-Fu fighting skills.

In the 80's, one of its creators, Steve Gerber, filed copyright infringement after being removed as the writer of the series. In the same decade, Disney threatened to file lawsuit, owing to Howard's early appearance looking like Donald Duck. Marvel changed his design from being Donald Duck-y to what he looks now, including having pants and human eyes. Fast forward to the 21st century, Marvel was bought by Disney.

Iron Duck was born in his fight with Doctor Bong, an evil scientist obsessed with his close friend Beverly Switzler. Despite the name, his costume is inferior to that of Iron Man, but clever in usefulness.

There can only be one Iron hero.

The brick minifigure of Iron Duck is a converted form of Iron Man and Deadpool Duck. It is nowhere close to the original comic look of Iron Duck and the official video game version. In the comics, he is adorned with leaping coils and a fire hydrant-like suit with built-in searchlight. In the video game version, he boasts of an awesome helmet with a headphone-like detail and red vest with protruded searchlight. Further, you'll notice his close-mouthed head piece compared to the common open-mouthed versions. At this point, brick hobbyist will sigh and wish we have the original version rather than the hastily put-together Iron Duck from old molds.

(ctto photo not mine)
Iron Duck comic version

(ctto photo not mine)
Iron Duck video game version

Product
Brand/Model: LP 03059F
Condition: Bought with box, parts in clear plastic bag with no separate build instructions

Character
Name: Howard T. Duck
AKA: Iron Duck, Howard the Duck
Comics: Marvel
Affiliation: Circus of Crime, Defenders, Ducky Dozen
Superpowers: When in suit - superhuman strength, flamethrowers in arms, leaping with use of coils

top left: print on left side of the box
bottom left: print on front of the box
top right: print on back of the box
bottom right: print on right side of the box

Iron Duck minifigure consists of 26 pieces - 2 heads (duck and Tony Stark), 4 wheel pieces, 2 motorcycle body pieces, 1 motorcycle handle bar, 4 transparent blue pieces, 2 helmet pieces, 2 arms, 2 hands (no extra piece), 1 torso, 1 leg connector, 2 legs, 1 short leg (like that of a Hobbit's), 2 flippers. The pieces are thrown together to make Iron Duck and Iron Man pieces interchangeable.

Duck in the oven

The Stark head has the usual angry expression with no alternate printing; I find that the printing is too thick. The duck head has squinting eyes, with flaws - in the print (broken line in the lower middle area) and in the production (hole on top of the head). The three protruded pieces at the back of the head make Howard look like a duck, a considerable effort from the production. The Iron Man helmet bore the old mold frowning look, with seemingly heavy mascara (lol).

The torso and leg printings are common (I am not sure which Iron Man model it bears), which has a few issues in the yellow-gold printing - seems they missed some tiny areas. The short legs have severe scratches at the back. The flippers are normal, but it reminded me of the time I became excited of having a pair from Robin's aquatic suit.

Anatomy of a duck

The red motorcycle does not seem to suit the character of Howard, but is a welcome addition for use in other setup. Though it bears the normal brick motorcycle setup, it reminded me of Akira film.

Akira!

The verdict: if you want an Iron Duck for your collection, skip this one and either customize the original look or wish hard for a release of the original version. If you're interested with butchering the pieces for other setup, this is a cheap alternative.

Til the next blog!

PS. Here's Tony Stark when he was a toddler (lol).

Girl On Fire: The Dark Phoenix

One of the well-known X-men saga is The Dark Phoenix Saga. Jean Grey has evolved from being the Marvel Girl with no telepathic powers to becoming Professor X's student and eventually to being the avatar of the phoenix.

Phoenix Jean Grey has three variants: in green costume, in red, and in white (in order of the immensity of her power).

Girl On Fire

Product
Brand/Model: Pogo 219
Condition: Bought without box in a clear plastic bag

Character
Name: Jean Elaine Grey-Summers
AKA: Dark Phoenix
Comics: Marvel
Affiliation: X-men
Superpowers: telepathy, psychic blast, astral projection, telekinesis, cosmic pyrokinesis, resurrection

Dark Phoenix minifigure consists of 11 pieces – 1 head, 1 leg connector, 2 legs, 1 torso, 2 arms, 3 hands, with baseplate.

Deconstructed Dark Phoenix

While Dark Phoenix's face printings in the head are flawless, the hole used to attach to the stud or neck is quite loose. The hair piece is standard but quite soft - which felt like a hybrid of plastic and rubber. Minimal printings are required for this character due to the costume being simple. While being simple, the torso and leg printings are a bit misaligned, especially in the leg area where the printing is supposed to give the collector an illusion of thigh-high boots.

(Upper Left) Head with normal expression
(Upper Right) Red torso and yellow legs
(Lower Left) Back torso with minimal printings
(Lower Right) Alternate face print (angry version) + red hair piece
(Center) fierce Jean Grey on fire 

This one is for Jean Grey and X-men standard collectors. There are no extra parts or weapons, other than an extra yellow hand. I don't highly recommend this for people on budget (while this may be cheap, you can skip on this one); I would suggest to get the blue-and-gold version of Jean Grey if you're completing the X-men squad.

(Left) Angry Jean Grey in the dak
(Right) Calm Jean Grey in the light

I didn't think it will be complete without the fiery wing effect of the phoenix, hence I toyed with the mecha parts of one of the Ninjago dragons.

The Dark Phoenix Saga

Until the next post. :)

Gladiator Hulk

Marvel fans around the globe are already anticipating the third installment of the movie Thor. Entitled Thor Ragnarok, the trailer boasts of a newly-dressed cast, which to brick fans mean a whole set of collectible Marvel characters in new elements.

The movie is set to adapt the plot line of Planet Hulk, where Hulk crash landed to Sakaar when his allies banished him from earth; coincidentally, Thor was held captive in Sakaar without his mighty hammer Mjolnir, and has to face his "friend from work" head on.

Undoubtedly, Hulk's gladiator form is an exciting twist for brick fanatics. Being used to Hulk's bigfig in various colors (Red Hulk, Gray Hulk, Yellow Hulk, etc.) and in various pants, the character suffered from inflexibility and commonness. In this new form, all is not lost; it seems that creators have stretched their imagination in replicating the movie version of Hulk. Although the bigfig used the old mold, the left arm mold and face-torso printing are good signs of investment.

(L) Hulk from Planet Hulk 2010 movie and (R) Hulk bigfig from Thor Ragnarok

Product
Brand/Model: Xinh 654
Condition: Bought without box in a clear plastic bag

Character
Name: Hulk (version from Thor Ragnarok movie)
Comics: Marvel
Affiliation: Avengers (banished)
Superpowers: superhuman physical ability, berserker strength, agility, healing
Paraphernalia: hammer

(L) bird's-eye view
(R) overhead shot

Hulk bigfig consists of 28 pieces – 1 head, 1 torso, 2 arms, 2 hands, 1 standard baseplate, 1 helmet, 1 panache, 16 hammer parts, 1 head connector, and 2 arm connectors.

I'll give you an arm!

Gladiator Hulk bigfig features a bad ass left arm. The brown, layered form replicates the leather feel of the animated version, while the blue layers in the shoulder area are supposed to match the theme of the much-awaited film. Take this arm and give it a red and silver look, then you will get a bad ass Colossus bigfig arm.

(L) side view of the helmet
(R, T) front view
(R, B) back view

The common Roman helmet adapted for this bigfig looks so Gundam-y and Alphonse-y (the latter from Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood) to me, which is cool. It could be the head to shoulder attachment, without too much room for neck, that gave this illusion.

(L) weapon in upright position and facing front
(C) upright and lateral position
(R) inverted

Harley Quinn would actually love this lamp post-looking hammer. Its beauty lies in the slanted sides of the hammer, where a brick with three connectors holds the elements together.

(L) torso with tattoos of digital or alien writings and printings of  straps connecting the armor elements
(R) baldy Hulk's face with similar tattoos and angry face

Hulk bigfig's printings in the torso and face are thematically-aligned with Thor Ragnarok. No arm printings, no alternate face, no printings on pants, and no printings in the back.

Get ready to rumble!

In three to five years, this bigfig might get extinct, so do yourself a favor and get a set. It's definitely a must-have! ;)

Ok! Doc Ock!

Doctor Octopus or Doc Ock is one of the prominent villains of Spider-man. Famed for his four mechanical tentacles that he control by will, Doc Ock fused with this contraption when a radiation leak from the lab caused explosion. This accident caused him to be insane, committing his life to criminal activities.

As you guessed, turning this character to a minifigure is quite exciting. Doc Ock minifigure will never be complete without the mechanical tentacles. I had fun playing around with these brick arms, as they are versatile, and quite creative, if you just let your imagination free.

Spiders and Octopus

Product
Brand/Model: Pogo 325
Condition: Bought without box in a clear plastic bag

Character
Name: Otto Octavius
AKA: Doctor Octopus
Comics: Marvel
Affiliation: Sinister Six
Superpowers: Technopathy, Danger Sense
Paraphernalia: Tentacle contraption

Doctor Octopus minifigure consists of 57 pieces – 1 head, 1 leg connector, 2 legs, 1 torso, 2 arms, 4 hands, 46 pieces for tentacles, with no baseplate.

Octo-bits

The suit is based on the classic look of Doctor Octopus with yellow and green color schemes. Unfortunately, while the legs are not dual-injected, the printing of the yellow boots are not done well. The print has a rubbery, rough texture and the finish is a bit shiny.

Old suit

The printing on the back torso is quite interesting as other Doc Ock minifigures. It has four pins where the mechanical arms are supposedly attached.

Attach tentacles here

The head has an alternate printing - one side has the angry face and the other has the evil-laugh face. What is cool about it is the metal-colored sunglasses and the characteristic thick brows. 

Cool shades!

The completed minifigure  and its mechanical arms are copies of the original brick set - Spider-Man: Doc Ock's Tentacle Trap, where the mecha build of Doctor Octopus has a detachable arms, that can be rebuilt to a smaller version fit to the minifigure.

The hands are yellow, which complete the color scheme. The hair piece is a must have. The round, straight-line hair simulates the classic Doctor Octopus, giving him the mad scientist look.

Ugh! The hair!

Once you attach the mechanical arms, you'd be compelled to pull out all your Spider-man stuff to shoot a scene or two. While it takes time to set them to behave, as you try to balance the position, you'd be thinking that the arms are quite useful for other moc stuff - i.e. studio lights.

Those tentacles look like studio lighting

Like a dead spider!

Until then!