Month: January 2012

Hot Toys 1:6 Scale War Machine Special Edition Review

Over the past few years Hot Toys has cemented itself as the company of choice for for many purchasers of high-end collectibles based on popular blockbuster films. From amazing screen-acurate paint jobs to the crazy realistic head scuplts that several of the figures see, it is no surprise that we are seeing rereleases of the company’s more popular figures in special color schemes.

The figure arrived in the standard brown “shipper” box that has become a highly sought after accessory amongst the more militant collectors of these figures. Unfortunately the company with whom I have ordered this from shipped it out bare like this. Thankfully there was no damage to the container but this is a bad thing because it could bring down the overall value should I one day chose to sell it.

The actual box itself is interesting. Hot Toys usually puts a lot of production into the boxes themselves and from a distance this looks like a black Nike box but when you get up close and see it in direct light you can see the subtle design lines imitating what is obviously the torso area of War Machine himself. This is very reminiscent of the San Diego Comic Con exclusive Secret Project Iron Man Mark IV that they also released this past summer and will probably continue to be a trend in repainted editions such as this.

Once you get inside everything is laid out in a form fitted plastic wrapped package. There packagers made sure that everything has been carefully placed and securely wrapped to prevent any damage that should occur between manufacturing in China and delivery to customers hands.

The figure itself is pretty slick. The black plays off of the white very well and the small imperfections in the form of paint scratches really is a nice touch. I also enjoy the level of attention paid to the small details of the movie such as the inclusion of the “Ex Wife” missile that is housed in the left shoulder mount. I had a little trouble installing the forearm guns but aside from that the rest was a breeze.

 

The red LED lighting display is also a major change from the initial movie version release which had a white ARC reactor. I am a little disappointed in the luminance of the figure though. When compared to the white lights of a couple of previous Iron Man releases the red is just not as bright. Considering how often that we will leave the lights on this is not as big of a deal though.

War Machine’s height came off pretty nicely in this scaled translation. When I had received my Mark IV Iron Man my immediate thought was “this is too thin for a normal sized human”. The beefyness of this figure is in full display when compared to other figures that are essentially a man in form fitted cloth such as Spider-Man.

At the end of the day the figure is pretty slick but with an APR of $240 it is not a “must buy”. It is pretty bare bones in terms of accessories and I am a little upset that this did not include a Don Cheadle alternate head that the original had. With the number of original Movie Based figures from The Dark knight Rises, The Avengers, Green Lantern, and X-Men: First Class that we are expecting to see in 2012 I say save yourself a few bucks and hold off on this unless you can swing or NEED to collect every figure released from the iron Man/Avengers film line.

You can find this figure for sale now over at Sideshow Collectibles for a cool $240. Here is the official breakdown of the specs and goodies included:

Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of War Machine from the Iron Man 2 film
Approximately 30 cm (12 inches) tall
Over 36 points of articulation
Movable parts on shoulder and waist
Two (2) pairs of interchangeable palms including:
One (1) pair with improved articulations, movable fingers and light-up repulsors (blue light, battery operated)
One (1) pair of fists
LED-lighted eyes and heart (red light, battery operated)
Articulated flaps at the back of armor on left and right legs
One (1) articulated shoulder-mounted gatling gun, rotatable and multidirectional
Two (2) shoulder-mounted cannons with Ex-wife Weapon on the left and cannons on the right
Two (2) machine guns with one behind left and one behind right forearm
Figure stand with War Machine (Special Version) nameplate and movie logo
Light-up figure stand (white light, battery operated)

T.I. Drops “F-ck Da City Up” Mixtape For Free

A full month before the release of his upcoming studio album Trouble Man and right after the ball dropped on the New Year, ATL rapper T.I. (aka Tip) released the mixtape F-ck Da City Up to the public, his first project since being released from prison a few months ago. and guess what? It is FREE! So does him releasing a high profile item like this for free necessarily mean it is good?

I am please to report that I have rather enjoyed this album. I actually had to listen to it a few times in its entirety over the last few days just to be sure it really was T.I. that I was listening to since his previous studio album (No Mercy) was almost my choice for the most underwhelming album of 2010.

We start out strong in this effort, with a little intro featuring Tip hyping up the album before leading into the very exciting “F-ck Da City Up” featuring Young Jeezy and from there the songs have held my attention. “Hot Wheels” features a side of group Travis Porter that I actually did not find annoying, “This Time of Night” has one of the catchiest lines I have heard in weeks (“This time of night aint nothing open but legs”) but the crown jewel in this album has to be the Dre produced and featured “Popped Off” that served as a closer to the mixtape. Seriously, the guests on the tracks looks like a Who’s Who of up and coming rappers. Just look at the track listing below.

Besides the quality of T.I.’s raps I was very weary about this mixtape for a whole other reason before I pressed play; the DJ. I have heard great songs absolutely RUINED because some ass wants to get a little more recognition for himself by talking over an entire song “hyping” up the crowd listening to it as they are on their comute or playing box or whatever. That is an absolute deal-breaker that I am happy to report is 100% lacking on this album.

In the end it is a good album and it leaves me excited for T.I.’s official studio album Trouble Man schedules to release in February. Did this mix f-ck the city up as advertised? No but it sure is at red alert.

Since this is a free album why don’t you be the judge and tell us what you think in the comments below? Click HERE for the album’s hosted site and check out the trailer below.

Track Listing:
 01. F*ck Da City Up (Intro) (1:36)
02. F*ck Da City Up (Feat. Young Jeezy) [Prod. By Chuck Deisel] (4:29)
03. Hot Wheels (Feat. Travis Porter & Young Dro) [Prod. By T-Minus] (4:50)
04. Loud Mouth (Feat. 2 Chainz) [Prod. By Valentino Khan] (4:45)
05. On Purpose (Feat. Trouble & Rich Kidd Shad) [Prod. By Jazzy & Mex Manny] (4:10)
06. Stunt’n Like A Fool [Prod. By Chizz] (3:39)
07. Pimp (Feat. Pimp C & Too Short) [Prod. By Cavi] (4:00)
08. This Time Of Night (Feat. Nelly) [Prod. By Mars] (4:00)
09. In A Nutshell (Feat. Lady G & Spodee) [Prod. By Will] (4:03)
10. Jeezy Speaks (Interlude) (2:09)
11. Who What When (Feat. Meek Mill & Yung Booke) [Prod. By Toomp] (3:37)
12. The One [Prod. By Manny Fresh] (3:18)
13. Piss’n On Your Ego (Feat. B.o.B) [Prod. By Lil C] (4:08)
14. Harry Potter (D.O.P.E. Feat. T.I.) [Prod. By Hit Boy] (4:43)
15. I See Ghost’s (Feat. Future & Rocko) [Prod. By Lil C] (4:51)
16. I’ll Show You (Feat. Pusha T) [Prod. By Cut The Check] (3:31)
17. Oh Yeah (Feat. Trey Songz) [Prod. By Just Blaze] (4:03)
18. Popped Off (Feat. Dr. Dre & DJ Drama) [Prod. By Dr. Dre] (3:43)
19. F*ck Da City Up (Outro) (5:08)

New Comic Books For 1/4/12

Welcome to the first comics Wednesday of the new year! I am very excited about what 2012 has to offer from the comic industry, from the X-Men vs Avengers over at Marvel to the bold new directions IDW is taking with Transformers and G.I. Joe. This week we get just a little taste of what they year will look like as the publishers lay out their groundwork leading up to the bigger events in the coming months!

Buzz Worthy Books!


Action Comics #5 (DC Comics)
In this issue we see the New 52 origin of Superman, well, the Krypton parts at least. I would be more excited if I didn’t just see the release of Superman: Secret Origin only a few months ago. Still worth a look though to see if Morrison craps all over what Johns had recently written.


Avengers Annual #1 (One Shot) (Marvel Comics)
This is the second part of a three part story that started forever ago with Wonder Man and his Revengers team causing damage. Despite the vague memory of what has transpired in the last issue this should still be good.


Avengers: X-Sanction #2 (Marvel Comics)
This series leads right into the upcoming X-Men vs Avengers event so be sure to pick this up! We left off with Cable on a mission to stop the Avengers from keeping Hope from saving the world and he has schooled Captain America with his sights on Iron Man next!


Batwing #5 (DC Comics)
In the last few issues Batwing has been getting his handed to him by Massacre. After almost all of the heros in Africa are killed by this guy, Batwing decides to call in the big guns: BATMAN!


Boys #62 (Dynamite Entertainment)
First off, that cover is nasty. Look at it carefully and see if you can see it. Second, this book is hitting a new round of awesomeness in my opinion and the final battle is almost here! As long as The Homelander gets his I’ll be happy.


Detective Comics #5 (DC Comics)
Someone is killing people and Batman blames The Penguin. But will his emotions get the best of him when he finds out that his girlfriend is on the list? Thats all well and fine, but I want to see more about The Joker and his missing face!


G.I. JOE #9 (IDW Publishing)
The search for the new Cobra Commander is over, now begins the epic crossover titled “Cobra Command”. IDW has quickly turned yet another franchise that I had zero interest about into a title I am 100% behind. I am going to make a bold prediction and call the entire G.I. Joe Line SERIES OF THE YEAR.


Penguin: Pain And Prejudice #4 (of 5) (DC Comics)
A series focusing on the life of the Batman villain and all of his criminal activity, this series made me look at a once laughable character in an entirely new, sinister light. I cannot recommend this series enough to both long time fans and new ones looking for something interesting to read.


Punisher #7 (Marvel Comics)
It’s a Punisher vs Daredevil brawl in the latest chapter of Rucka’s run on this book. It has been an interesting series so far and the injuries Frank has taken are, for me, the most interesting part. Just check out that eye patch! What’s that all about? Buy this and find out!


Robocop: Road Trip #1 (Dynamite Entertainment)
Rob Williams is where it is at in terms of Robocop. I fell in love with his Robocop vs Terminator series last year and because of that I am diving into this series with all of the enthusiasm that I can muster. This brand new series is not a continuation from that book so it is new reader friendly as we get to explore the main character’s world outside of the OCP dominated Detroit.


Uncanny X-Force #19.1 (Marvel Comics)
“This is the dawning of the Age of Apocalypse, the Age of Apocalyyyyypppsssseee” okay, enough with the Hair lyrics. This new Point One story was briefly touched on in the Point One One-Shot a couple of months back and sets as a launch issue for the new Age of Apocalypse series coming soon from Marvel set in the popular alternate reality.


Uncanny X-Men #4 (Marvel Comics)
I am all about team Cyclops when it comes to my X-Men, so I am looking forward to the new arc in the flagship Uncanny book. The alien race called The Phallanx are back and they automatically start a fight. Why does it always end like that for these guys?

Here is a complete list of what is due out this week.
DC COMICS
Action Comics #5 (Andy Kubert & Joe Prado Regular Cover)
Action Comics #5 (Andy Kubert Black & White Variant Cover)
Action Comics #5 (Combo Pack Edition)
Action Comics #5 (Rags Morales Variant Cover)
Animal Man #5
Batwing #5
DC Comics Presents The Dark #1 (was ‘DC Comics Presents The New 52’)
Detective Comics #5 (Tony S. Daniel Regular Cover)
Detective Comics #5 (Tony S. Daniel Variant Cover)
Green Arrow #5
Hawk And Dove #5
Huntress #4 (of 6)
Justice League #1 (Jim Lee & Scott Williams 5th Printing Variant Cover)
Justice League International #5
Men Of War #5
O.M.A.C. #5
Penguin Pain And Prejudice #4 (of 5)
Red Lanterns #5
Scooby-Doo Where Are You #17
Static Shock #5
Stormwatch #5 (Miguel Sepulveda Regular Cover)
Stormwatch #5 (Miguel Sepulveda Variant Cover)
Supernatural #4 (of 6)
Swamp Thing #5 (Yanick Paquette Regular Cover)
Swamp Thing #5 (Yanick Paquette Variant Cover)

Vertigo
I Zombie #21
Sweet Tooth #29 (Jeff Lemire Regular Cover)
Sweet Tooth #29 (Travel Foreman Variant Cover)

MARVEL COMICS
Avengers Academy #24
Avengers Annual #1 (One Shot)
Avengers X-Sanction #2 (of 4) (Ed McGuinness Regular Cover)
Avengers X-Sanction #2 (of 4) (Leinil Francis Yu Variant Cover)
Avengers X-Sanction #2 (of 4) (Stephen Platt Variant Cover)
Defenders #2 (Chris Stevens Venom Variant Cover)
Defenders #2 (I Am A Defender Variant Cover)
Defenders #2 (Mark Bagley Variant Cover)
Defenders #2 (Terry Dodson Regular Cover)
Fear Itself The Fearless #6 (of 12)
Hulk #47
Punisher #7
Strikeforce Morituri We Who Are About To Die #1 (One Shot)
Thor The Deviants Saga #3 (of 5)
Thunderbolts #168
Uncanny X-Force #18 (Jerome Opena 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
Uncanny X-Force #19.1
Uncanny X-Men #4
Villains For Hire #2 (of 4)
Wolverine And The X-Men Alpha And Omega #1 (of 5)
X-23 #20 (Kalman Andrasofszky Regular Cover) (Final Issue)
X-Club #2 (of 5)
X-Men #23 (Adi Granov Regular Cover)
X-Men #23 (John Tyler Christopher Venom Variant Cover)

AVATAR PRESS / BOUNDLESS COMICS
Ferals #1 (Gabriel Andrade Regular Cover)
Ferals #1 (Gabriel Andrade Gore Cover)
Ferals #1 (Gabriel Andrade Wrapround Cover)
Ferals #1 (Gabriel Andrade Slashed Variant Cover)
Lady Death #13 (Gabriel Andrade Regular Cover)
Lady Death #13 (Richard Ortiz Wrapround Cover)
Lady Death #13 (Michael Dipascale Art Deco Variant Cover)

BOOM! STUDIOS
Betrayal Of The Planet Of The Apes #3 (of 4) (Cover A Gabriel Hardman)
Betrayal Of The Planet Of The Apes #3 (of 4) (Cover B Declan Shalvey)
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser #9 (Cover A)
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser #9 (Cover B)
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser #9 (Cover C Nick Percival)
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser Masterpieces #5
Elric The Balance Lost #7 (Cover A Francesco Mattina)
Elric The Balance Lost #7 (Cover B Jonboy Meyers)
Elric The Balance Lost #7 (Cover C Francesco Mattina)
Irredeemable #33 (Cover A Kalman Andrasofszky)
Irredeemable #33 (Cover B Dan Panosian)
Peanuts #1 (of 4) (Charles Schultz First Appearance Of Charlie Brown Variant Cover)
Peanuts #1 (of 4) (Charles Schultz Regular Cover)
Valen The Outcast #2 (Cover A Liam Sharp)
Valen The Outcast #2 (Cover B Ale Garza)
Valen The Outcast #2 (Cover C Matteo Scalera)
Valen The Outcast #2 (Cover D Liam Sharp Negative Cover)
Valen The Outcast #2 (Cover E Ale Garza Sketch Cover)
Valen The Outcast #2 (Cover H Joe Jusko CGG 9.8 Virgin Variant Cover)

DARK HORSE COMICS
Brody’s Ghost (One Shot)
Goon #37 (Eric Powell Regular Cover)
Goon #37 (Eric Powell Variant Cover)

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Boys #62
Flash Gordon Zeitgeist #2 (Alex Ross Regular Cover)
Flash Gordon Zeitgeist #2 (Alex Ross Virgin Variant Cover)
Flash Gordon Zeitgeist #2 (Francesco Francavilla Variant Cover)
Flash Gordon Zeitgeist #2 (Francesco Francavilla Virgin Variant Cover)
Flash Gordon Zeitgeist #2 (Paul Renaud Black & White Variant Cover)
Flash Gordon Zeitgeist #2 (Paul Renaud Regular Cover)
Living Corpse Exhumed #5 (of 6) (Ken Haeser & Buz Hasson Regular Cover)
Living Corpse Exhumed #5 (of 6) (Mark Kidwell Regular Cover)
Lone Ranger #1 (Alex Ross Blue Variant Cover)
Lone Ranger #1 (Alex Ross Negative Art Variant Cover)
Lone Ranger #1 (Alex Ross Regular Cover)
Lone Ranger #1 (Francesco Francavilla Regular Cover)
Lone Ranger #1 (Francesco Francavilla Virgin Variant Cover)
Nowhere Man #1 (of 4) (Jeevan J. Kang Regular Cover)
Robocop Road Trip #1 (Fabiano Neves Black & White Variant Cover)
Robocop Road Trip #1 (Fabiano Neves Regular Cover)
Vampirella Vs Dracula #1 (of 6) (Joseph Michael Linsner Negative Variant Cover)
Vampirella Vs Dracula #1 (of 6) (Joseph Michael Linsner Regular Cover)
Vampirella Vs Dracula #1 (of 6) (Joseph Michael Linsner Sketch Variant Cover)
Warlord Of Mars Dejah Thoris #9 (Ale Garza Regular Cover)
Warlord Of Mars Dejah Thoris #9 (Ale Garza Risque Art Variant Cover)
Warlord Of Mars Dejah Thoris #9 (Joe Jusko Regular Cover)
Warlord Of Mars Dejah Thoris #9 (Paul Renaud Martian Red Variant Cover)
Warlord Of Mars Dejah Thoris #9 (Paul Renaud Regular Cover)
Zorro Rides Again #7 (of 12)

IDW PUBLISHING
Cold War #4 (John Byrne Regular Cover)
Cold War #4 (John Byrne Variant Cover)
G.I. JOE #9 (Cover A Dave Wilkins)
G.I. JOE #9 (Cover B Will Rosado)
G.I. JOE #9 (Nick Runge Variant Cover)
Godzilla Legends #3 (of 5) (Arthur Adams Black & White Variant Cover)
Godzilla Legends #3 (of 5) (Cover A Arthur Adams)
Godzilla Legends #3 (of 5) (Cover B Bob Eggleton)
Jurassic Park Dangerous Games #5 (of 5) (Jeff Zornow Black & White Variant Cover)
Jurassic Park Dangerous Games #5 (of 5) (Jeff Zornow Regular Cover)
Star Trek Legion Of Super-Heroes #4 (of 6) (Cover A Chris Sprouse)
Star Trek Legion Of Super-Heroes #4 (of 6) (Cover B Phil Jimenez)
Star Trek Legion Of Super-Heroes #4 (of 6) (Gabriel Rodriguez Variant Cover)
True Blood The French Quarter #5 (of 6) (Cover A Joe Corroney)
True Blood The French Quarter #5 (of 6) (Cover B David Messina)
True Blood The French Quarter #5 (of 6) (Joe Corroney Sketch Variant Cover)
True Blood The French Quarter #5 (of 6) (Photo Variant Cover)

IMAGE COMICS 
Artifacts #13 (Cover A Dale Keown)
Artifacts #13 (Cover B John Tyler Christopher)
Artifacts #13 (Cover C John Tyler Christopher)
Artifacts #13 (Dale Keown Sketch Variant Cover)
Artifacts #13 (Comics Pro Variant Cover)
Blood Red Dragon #3
Fatale #1 (Cover A Sean Phillips Beauty Cover)
Fatale #1 (Cover B Sean Phillips Beast Cover)
Graveyard Of Empires #3 (of 4)
Li’l Depressed Boy #8
Mudman #2
Shinku #4
Super Dinosaur #7
Vescell #5
Witchblade #151 (Cover A John Tyler Christopher)
Witchblade #151 (Cover B Dennis Calero)
Witchblade #151 (Cover C J. Scott Campbell)
Witchblade #151 (Foil Stamped & Signed Collector’s Edition)

215 INK
Fall GN
Price (One Shot)

ABSTRACT STUDIOS
Rachel Rising #4

ANTARCTIC PRESS
Gold Digger #134
Gold Digger Holidays Special #1

ARCHAIA ENTERTAINMENT
Cyclops #8
Black Fire HC
Billy Fog The Gift Of Trouble-Sight HC
Dare Detectives The Snow Pea Plot HC (Collected Edition)
Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal Volume 1 Creation Myths HC

ARCHIE COMICS
Betty & Veronica Double Digest #197
Life With Archie #16

ARDDEN ENTERTAINMENT
Atlas Unified #1 (Cover A Grim Ghost)
Atlas Unified #1 (Cover B Phoenix)
Atlas Unified #1 (Cover C Wulf)
Atlas Unified #1 (Cover D Wraparound)

ASPEN MLT
Scourge #6 (Cover A Eric Battle)
Scourge #6 (Cover B Ale Garza)
Scourge #6 (Infected Variant Cover)
Soulfire Volume 3 #6 (Cover A Jason Fabok)
Soulfire Volume 3 #6 (Cover B Micah Gunnell)

COMIC SHOP NEWS
Comic Shop News #1281

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
Wandering Son Volume 2 HC

LAST GASP
Terminally Illin #1

MARKOSIA ENTERPRISES
Raising Amy GN
Superfun Adventures Of Jax GN

MOONSTONE
Vampire PA Pittsburgh Noir HC

NBM
Inner Sanctum GN

PANINI PUBLISHING
Doctor Who Insider #9 (January 2012)
Doctor Who Magazine #442

PANTHEON BOOKS
Habibi GN (Limited Signed Bookplate Edition)
Metamaus A Look Inside A Modern Classic Maus HC

REBELLION
2000 AD #1763
2000 AD Prog 2012
Insurrection TP
Judge Dredd Megazine #318
Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files Volume 4 TP (Simon & Schuster Edition)

TITAN PUBLISHING
Star Wars Insider #130 (January 2012) (Special) (Previews Exclusive Edition)
Tank Girl Carioca #3 (of 3)

TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
Alter Ego #106
Modern Masters Volume 27 Ron Garney SC

ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT
Charmed #17
Grimm Fairy Tales Myths And Legends #11 (Cover A Romano Molenaar)
Grimm Fairy Tales Myths And Legends #11 (Cover B Anthony Spay)
Salem’s Daughter Haunting #4 (Cover A Stjepan Sejic)
Salem’s Daughter Haunting #4 (Cover B Natali Sanders)
Theater #4 (Cover A Eric Basaldua)
Theater #4 (Cover B Angel Medina)