Lman316
04-02-2005, 03:09 PM
So Midnight Madness has once again come and gone and I find myself with a few new figures in my collection. Some I'd say are good, some very good in fact, while are others aren't even reaching par.
First, I've got to complain about the "action features." I thought perhaps the lesson was learned and that we had moved past this. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to go crazy over the issue. Some of them are occasionally tolerable, especially if they're well concealed or out of the figure entirely (i.e. Tarfful's Bowcaster or Yoda's cannon accessory).
I'm familiar with the "but these are for kids" argument and I disagree with it on a few points. One (and this is point I know a few people agree with me on) kids don't seem to be all that interested in Star Wars anymore. Oh, sure, there are always some, especially in a movie year, but the core constituency is collectors. There were many figures I had to turn away from because I knew the "action feature" was going to hinder the actual toy. And two, even if the toys really are for kids, what makes anyone think that there is a need for "action features" ? I'm only 21, some would still consider me to be a "kid," but back when I was a kid-kid, I don't recall needing action features. They were on figures, sure, but it was something I had to deal with. One of the best figures I ever owned (and one my cousin and I always clamored to have control over) was the multi-jointed Spider-Man from Toy Biz's animated series line. The reason that it was so great was because there was very little limitation with it. You could pose it a number of different ways and actually have it play like Spider-Man would. A great figure with no gimmicks. It was one of those toys that actually let kids play. That's why I like the ROTS Saesee Tiin, Yoda (#3), Luminara Unduli, Count Dooku, etc. Each of them has very minor issues, but I'm thoroughly impressed with all of them.
Next... I'm not too keen on the new packaging. The reason I don't like it is because there is absolutely no comfortable way to hold onto more than a few figures when you're taking them off the shelf. With the POTF 2, Episode 1, POTJ, Saga and OTC packaging, stacking was a breeze.
And they're not really that easy to open. I cut under a fingernail last night trying to get one open.
I know this next issue is a bit specific, but it was such a let down. What the heck happened to Kit Fisto? As I said in another post on here, it looked worse than a vintage sculpt, hitting along the lines of "Happy Meal pack-in." I was so looking forward to picking that figure up, but once I got up close, I had to pass. I'd really hope that future releases of this figure could somehow be fixed.
Not all of this post is going to be negative. I've got to give credit where credit is due and I have to say that I'm really digging the soft goods. I really didn't mind one way or the other before (plastic or soft goods) as long as it looked all right. But to me, it just seems that on these new figures the material hangs better and just looks a little more realistic. Maybe I'm alone in that sentiment, but I've got to extend my compliments. I look forward to seeing more of it in the future.
End...
First, I've got to complain about the "action features." I thought perhaps the lesson was learned and that we had moved past this. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to go crazy over the issue. Some of them are occasionally tolerable, especially if they're well concealed or out of the figure entirely (i.e. Tarfful's Bowcaster or Yoda's cannon accessory).
I'm familiar with the "but these are for kids" argument and I disagree with it on a few points. One (and this is point I know a few people agree with me on) kids don't seem to be all that interested in Star Wars anymore. Oh, sure, there are always some, especially in a movie year, but the core constituency is collectors. There were many figures I had to turn away from because I knew the "action feature" was going to hinder the actual toy. And two, even if the toys really are for kids, what makes anyone think that there is a need for "action features" ? I'm only 21, some would still consider me to be a "kid," but back when I was a kid-kid, I don't recall needing action features. They were on figures, sure, but it was something I had to deal with. One of the best figures I ever owned (and one my cousin and I always clamored to have control over) was the multi-jointed Spider-Man from Toy Biz's animated series line. The reason that it was so great was because there was very little limitation with it. You could pose it a number of different ways and actually have it play like Spider-Man would. A great figure with no gimmicks. It was one of those toys that actually let kids play. That's why I like the ROTS Saesee Tiin, Yoda (#3), Luminara Unduli, Count Dooku, etc. Each of them has very minor issues, but I'm thoroughly impressed with all of them.
Next... I'm not too keen on the new packaging. The reason I don't like it is because there is absolutely no comfortable way to hold onto more than a few figures when you're taking them off the shelf. With the POTF 2, Episode 1, POTJ, Saga and OTC packaging, stacking was a breeze.
And they're not really that easy to open. I cut under a fingernail last night trying to get one open.
I know this next issue is a bit specific, but it was such a let down. What the heck happened to Kit Fisto? As I said in another post on here, it looked worse than a vintage sculpt, hitting along the lines of "Happy Meal pack-in." I was so looking forward to picking that figure up, but once I got up close, I had to pass. I'd really hope that future releases of this figure could somehow be fixed.
Not all of this post is going to be negative. I've got to give credit where credit is due and I have to say that I'm really digging the soft goods. I really didn't mind one way or the other before (plastic or soft goods) as long as it looked all right. But to me, it just seems that on these new figures the material hangs better and just looks a little more realistic. Maybe I'm alone in that sentiment, but I've got to extend my compliments. I look forward to seeing more of it in the future.
End...