New stuff on the shelves and in the closet...

Yup it's been a while since I last made a post. Looking at my posts listings, I find that there are actually very little that are published, a lot that are in-the works, and none that are recent. Well here is one to break the long absence, and hope that it kicks me back into gear.

There have been a number of new additions to my room these last few months and I thought it would be neat to post about the more interesting stuff.

For starters, I finally got the Jim Raynor n00bz from Blizzard. After much convincing, ... (*ahem* *begging* *ahem* *cough*cough*) the same great guy who got me Ragnaros, finally sold me his convention souvenir. (in case the reader doesn't know, its the black box in the pic above)

The n00bz's case 'marine' mold was originally designed for this figure. It's made of the same high quality material with the same points of articulation as my earlier reviewed Ragnaros n00bz. What makes Raynor special though is the obviously awesome paint-job, but more importantly is the blaster. What would a marine be without his trusty side arm afterall? :)

Anyway, some interesting Eastereggs found on the armor are the BlizzCon '09 logo, a Horde insignia, and the Diablo III logo. I particularly like the tasteful distribution of detail on this figure. for instance, in front the Pixelated skull on the visor, and the armor plates stand out, but from behind the detailed backpack and the chimneys are the ones that attract attention, then even with a low angle view there are the details on the leg armor plates and joint designs the draw the eyes. This in my opinion makes the mini more interesting.

Now, back to that awesome 'gauss rifle'. The Jim Raynor n00bz comes with an oversized weapon. This is coated in a semi-gloss, bronzed-silver finish and is about 3" to 4"long. the 6" n00bz can actually use this as a cane, and can't lift it horizontally without tipping over. Despite this setback I still say the Rifle looks great and that making it oversized really adds character to this collectible. I'm not too sure but I believe the blank n00bz at the convention actually included plain white blasters as well. 

As much as I am enjoying this toy, after taking these shots, i am actually keeping Raynor in his box. I'll find a place latter in the year, on my shelf in the new house so that I can display it properly. So expect to see another post with this and a number of other Vinyl collectibles that I have stashed away in my closet for the time being.

Since we are on the topic of 'toys in the closet', here are some new Toy2R stuff that I'm also saving for the new house. First is the Joe Ledbetter Smash Ice Blue Edition. I'm not sure if this is a limited run, but it sports a yeti themed color scheme and a goofy face, which differentiates it from other apes in the Smash line. There are articulations on the wrist, shoulders, neck, and hip areas, though I personally found that only the wrist and shoulders were really articulate enough to play around with. 

The others that I bought from Toy2R's products are the Glow-In-the-Dark Evil Apes. These  guys are surprisingly articulated well, considering their odd shaped body and limbs. There are articulations at the waist, neck, shoulders, and wrists. They do not have a strong glow, but good enough so that they can be seen in the dark as blobs. I found the character amusing and wanted to paint one up, though for now I am unsure as I'd also like to keep the Glowing feature intact. 

Given the hectic last few months, there have been a number of additions to my room that were gifts. These, in their own quirky and amusing way, have helped me relax and smile every time. First up is Captain America Bobble head. My girlfriend gave him to me, and he shall keep me company in the office, wobbling away all me griefs at irritating clients and annoying hard headed personnel. Cap' features a clip-on shield and attached wings on his head, and stands about 4" tall. I tried moving the arms, though these didn't seem like they were meant to be movable. 

My other stress busting secret is another gift from my girlfriend, Panda the Ball. He isn't exactly a collectible, nor does he feature any points of articulation. All he are his floppy limbs and ears, and glass button eyes, but he can still make me smile by just sitting on my sofa. On occasion of course, being a properly shaped, the bear also serves as a giant stress ball. Panda is about 12" wide, the height depends on how long my little sister has been sitting on him though and it changes from time to time.

Ah now to finish things off. I apologize for the really long post, and for flying off in multiple topics. I am allowed to get carried away once in a while however, and I hope that this entry has proven a reasonable distraction from your work and if not informative, at least amusing. 

Till my next update.

-alger