Series 2 Collectable Mini Figures (Part 2) by LEGO

Well here we go again!

Around 3 months ago I was lucky enough to complete Lego’s mini figs series 1 thanks to my brother who completed it for me. About a month or so ago we he found out that series 2 was already out so he did his usual way of getting the items. However he only completed half of the series so he decided to use his other resource – friend.

After some help from his Singapore based friend we were able to finally complete two sets of Lego’s series 2. The characters were as cute as the ones from the first series and the third one is already scheduled for release soon (disaster for our wallets).

PhoTOYgrapher’s Perspective:

I have several colleagues who take AWESOME photos of Lego stuffs and once you check out their pictures you will definitely be inspired.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gpayne85/sets/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/smokebelch/sets/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/legofenris/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40195501@N06/sets/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kthai/sets/

Iron Man Mark VI Maquette by Sideshow Collectibles

With so many Iron Man merchandises coming out (kudos to the success of the 2 movies), it's no wonder companies are trying to outdo each other producing quality collectibles. Sideshow Collectibles, a huge company known for its extensive line of Marvel based statues, recently released (IMHO) the best Iron Man statue to date – Iron Man: Mark VI maquette.

When I first took a photo of Jon’s Iron Man Comicquette (still on my wish list), I kept telling him how much I love the statue. The Granov signature smashing the ground pose gave it a huge impact and the exclusive version came with an interchangeable head of Tony Stark. It was a blast and up to this day (it’s been more than a year or two) I still dream of having one.

When I first saw pictures of the Mark VI maquette from Sideshow’s website, I immediately said to myself, this is the best Iron Man statue to date. The resemblance to its movie counterpart is uncanny. I have seen (and photographed) several variants of Iron Man from classic, stealth, modern, extremis, etc. and they are all good with their designs. However, I so much love how they made him in the movie and this Mark VI totally blew me away!

The statue is at approximately 17 inches tall and comes with a base that when connected to the Mark VI lights up his eyes, chest and hands (via a power switch).

Sideshow Collectibles is selling this piece for $489.99 but the item is already sold out. You will be on the wait list if you decide to purchase from their site.

http://www.sideshowtoy.com/?page_id=4489&sku=400041&ref=preview_page

PhoTOYgrapher’s Perspective:

My tabletop setup works best for figures that are 15 inches, or less in height so I had to improvise on the background that I used. I also used a regular table instead of my Falcon Eyes one to have a more stable support for the 1/4^th scale statue.

A lot of possibilities entered my mind when I was taking pictures of the Mark VI. There was the dry ice effect (which Bleau already did with his BD Mark III, http://www.flickr.com/photos/bleau72/5068793674/) or maybe bring him on a dark alley with a single spot light place on top and use the dry ice there. Then again I would probably need to hire bodyguards to ward off nosy bystanders. Also the fact that this statue is not mine is another thing to be concerned with.

I did the usual rim lighting that I do, which I think worked really well for Mark VI. After several ‘catalog’ shots I decided to see how it would turn out by using just one light.

You can also flip the switch at the back of the base and be stunned when his eyes, hands and chest lights up. The base can be operated by 3 AAA batteries or a power supply (included).

Lighting Setup:

For this experiment I used a Union 4 Rime light 400 watts fitted with a bowl and 2 rectangular mirrors. I took one shot with just the Rime light and a couple of shots after using 1 mirror first then finally 2 mirrors.

As you can see from the 2 succeeding photos, the first one was just the Rime light while mirrors were added on the second one. By turning on the modeling light of the strobe and placing the mirror opposite it, I can see where the highlights will hit before I press the shutter. If you examine the left leg and upper torso carefully you will notice the difference. The other mirror was pointed towards the right leg.

Iron Man Extremis Version by Bowen Designs

I’ve been busy for the past 2 weeks with several things, and then I got sick so slowly getting back on track…

If you are a comic book fan (specifically Iron Man) then you have probably heard (or followed) the Extremis series. Here Iron Man gets a different look and basically after so many things that happened to Tony Stark he is back in the ball game.

This new 12” statue by Bowen Designs is inspired by the art of Adi Granov (remember the famous Iron Man punching the ground pose?) and features Iron Man firing his repulsor ray. It also comes with a base with the logo of Stark Enterprises printed in the middle.

BD makes good with the size of the statue (1/6^th scale) to collectors who have limited display shelves. I checked online and urban collector is selling this piece for $148.99, but is currently not available. I also checked Bowen’s site and this retails for about $175.00 and is also sold out.

http://www.urban-collector.com/iron-man-extremis-statue-bowen-designs.html

http://www.bowendesigns.com/sculptures.asp?id=567&type=

PhoTOYgrapher’s Perspective:

I did several rim light shots to see if this would come out as good as the Mark VI one by Sideshow Collectibles but I got a different treatment (you will see when I do a blog on the Mark VI).

I love photographing BD statues because despite of their smaller size than the others, they maintain the details of each piece. Here is where Bowen statues shine. The careful attention to details makes each statue a good photoygraphy subject. Kudos to the sculptor Avinash Hedge for executing this pose well (http://aysculpture.deviantart.com/).

I would probably try and shoot this together with War Machine, maybe do an outdoor shot or table top with dry ice on each side to emulate smoke. That would probably be nice. 

Some Issues:

1.) When I think of Iron Man I think of Tony Stark inside a suit of bulky armor (think of the movie) but the Extremis version is totally different. It looks more of a suit than armor for me. I still prefer Tony looking like a robot rather than one of the guys from Tron. However, BD captured the Granov Extremis very well with this statue. 

2.) The paint job could do some improvements. Once you use a macro lens for photoygraphy you get to see things that you normally would not using a regular wide angle or short-range lens.

The Warriors 3 by Bowen Designs

When Asgard is in great danger Odin summons its mightiest warriors – Fandral the Dashing, Hogun the Grim and Volstag the Voluminous. Together these 3 individuals form the Warriors 3 and aids the Mighty Thor in battles. I first noticed them when I read X-Men: Asgardian Wars (great job by Arthur Adams) more than 10 years ago and there were some scenes where the New Mutants came face to face with them and Volstag just kept on eating.

Following the releases of Bowen Designs (BD), I’ve been wondering for some time as to when these guys would have their own statues/bust and BD came through. My friend Kenneth who is a die hard Thor fan grabbed this opportunity to buy the Warriors 3 mini busts set when it was released. Ken’s the only person I know who collects nothing except Thor related collectibles and patiently waits for each Thor statue to be available. However my heart goes out to his Beta Ray Bill bust (boxed and stored) because wifey objects to how scary it looks on his display.

I was surprised to see how small the box of the Warriors 3 mini busts but BD made good with the details and paint job of each character.

This sells online for about $165.99 (http://www.urban-collector.com/warriors-three-mini-bust-bowen-designs.html) and another one at $178.95 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003B9EIBY/ref=asc_df_B003B9EIBY1263174?smid=A2I2G3C668O1EH&tag=nextag-toys-mp01-delta-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B003B9EIBY)

PhoTOYgrapher’s Perspective:

When I saw these guys the thought of having a thunderous background suddenly came into my mind or maybe a fortress (Asgard maybe?) so I did some tabletop setup and came out with these pictures. These mini busts would be awesome standing next to the god of thunder had they been made full, but otherwise they are still masterpieces.

Lighting Setup:

I basically used one piece of 400w light fitted with an octabox and a white board across to lessen the shadows on Fandral. The black background is by Savage and already pre cut to fit with my Falcon Eyes table.

Kingdom Come Superman Deluxe Collector by DC

I’ve been following the art of Alex Ross for a while now and consider him to be the best painter in the comic book industry. I’ve somewhat studied his lighting in illustrations and they are pretty amazing. When I was shooting action figures a few years back I was not aware that my style resembles how Alex draws (or paints) his characters.

I found out about this 1/6^th scale Kingdom Come Superman figure while browsing through one of Jon’s magazines and told him about it. Jon also a Superman fan ordered one and informed me when he finally got it.

I was very excited when he lent it to me (to the point of buying one for myself) because it was by far the best rendition of KC Superman in a toy that I have ever seen. I opened the box with much anticipation and my jaw dropped when I saw the figure. Alex Ross is indeed an awesome artist! The face sculpt of Superman is incredible; it captured the same essence in the comic book line. With regards to the rest of the figure check out my issues below.

Jon bought this for P5, 000.00 (approximately $113.00) locally. It is available online for $99.00 at DC's website (http://www.dccomics.com/dcdirect/?dcd=14180).

If you are a Superman collector then you got to have this. If you are an Alex Ross fan then you got to have this. Enough said.

PhoTOYgrapher’s Perspective:

I did a few light painting techniques to try to duplicate Alex Ross’ style and some fellow flickr colleagues immediately guessed what I was trying to do. I also tried some rim lighting and it worked as well.

Some Issues:

1.) My problem with this figure though is the Mr. Olympia like body and arms. This ruined (in my humble opinion) an otherwise good figure. I can do the famous Superman pose where he puts both hands on his waist but that is about it. I cannot bring down his arms side by side to his body because of the Olympian like pectorals inside his clothing.

2.) The plastic stand looks and feels cheap. Be careful with how you insert the stand to the base because mine slipped and made a slight scratch on the base (sorry Jon).

3.) I would prefer if the head tilts backward so I can do a flying pose.

Toy Story Revoltech by Kaiyodo

Toy Story is probably one of the successful Disney/Pixar movie of all time and despite ending the series with its 3^rd installation, its merchandise keeps popping up in toy stores all over the world.

The Revoltech phenomenon continues with their release of Toy Story’s two main characters in Woody and Buzz Lightyear. Revoltech is known for producing good quality and pose able figures and the poses are only limited by your imagination. While some poses are hard to do, I find others are almost next to impossible to accomplished. Almost all parts of their figures are bendable so collectors will have a grand time putting them on display.

If you check the diagrams in their boxes (Japanese words), it explains the joint system technology that they incorporated in their figures, hence the ability to do complex poses.

The Woody and Buzz Revoltech sells for $38.99 a piece at Bigbadtoystore (http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=KAI10311&mode=retail and http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=KAI10310&mode=retail).

Toy Story collectors will definitely appreciate the good attention to details, articulation, accessories and paint quality of each toy. Woody comes with several interchangeable hands, his hat, a microphone, an extra face and that cute binocular in the movie. Also as an added bonus a piece of Buzz’s hand is included.

On the other hand Buzz comes with detachable wings, an extra face and three little army green men. Aside from these accessories each figure comes with a plastic coin, storage box and name plate.

PhoTOYgrapher’s Perspective:

I used to own several Revoltech figures and more or less have a hard time giving them proper poses. Woody and Buzz are the same. It is a challenge to make both Woody and Buzz pose (Woody is harder) and I spent several minutes just making them stand.

These figures are very good subjects for phoTOYgraphy. Tabletop shooters will appreciate their small size and pose ability so you can probably pull off cool diorama photos with these two guys.

My colleague Ryan did a flying pose of Buzz with a Star Command background and he indicated that posing Buzz is a bit of a challenge as well.

Issue:

Despite the articulations, Revoltech products are harder to pose than most action figures and this is probably the drawback for me.  


For more pictures kindly check
http://www.flickr.com/photos/powerpee/sets/72157625002371218/

Iron Man Mark VI 400% Bearbrick by Medicom

The first time I saw a Bearbrick was when the local vinyl store FRESH Manila used to operate a few years ago. The owner who had several Bearbricks of different sizes on display introduced me to this.  I saw a small one, roughly about 3-4 inches and another one that is almost twice the size. What caught my eye were the bigger pieces to which they were coined 400% in size.

One of Jon’s haul during his Singapore trip was a 400% Bearbrick of Iron Man Mark VI. Even Medicom, the company who manufactures these Bearbricks capitalized on the success of the movie and made their own version of Iron Man.

I browsed online for the cost of this item and I saw someone selling it on eBay for 120 Singapore dollars http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/Hot-Bearbrick-400-Iron-Man-Mark-VI-Be-rbrick-Toys-/380257967437

Packaging:

Bearbrick collectors will definitely grab this opportunity to own a fantastic piece of Iron Man memorabilia with this purchase. The print on the figure is of high quality and captures the essence of Iron Man Mark VI. Also when you try to move the arms and legs there is a clicking sound with each rotation that informs you of the certain degrees to which you can move both the arms and legs.

PhoTOYgrapher's Perspective:

The posing is limited so I was able to get only a few shots of it. I was impressed with the paint job (printing) done with this figure. After taking several shots I decided to imitate the famous Adi Granov pose with a touch of rim lighting effect.

Issue:

1.) Light up eyes and chest? Nah, too much.

* Comparison in size between the 400% Bearbrick and Hasbro Mark V