Author Topic: New JD Review: Sora Bulq  (Read 6977 times)

Offline Jesse James

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New JD Review: Sora Bulq
« on: April 13, 2006, 03:29 AM »
Another week, and of course another review.

This time we are taking a microscope to one of the BIGtime steamers of the Geonosis Wave.  The Jedi Knight/Master guy Sora Bulq.  Check out the Full Review Right Here.



So what is it that Hasbro flubbed with Sora Bulq?  Well honestly, they were hitting all the marks till *drum roll* articulation came about.  It's typical of 2006, but with Sora Bulq it was probably the most annoying lack of articulation because the figure actually has 2 articulation points NOBODY cares about, and at the same time lacks knee joints, and thus lacks real poseability.

The arm articulation on him is stellar though and I feel the headsculpt is one of Hasbro's better efforts, at least on a Jedi figure.  There's a lotta detail there, and the way the dreadlocks hang separate of the figure, they're great looking.

The arms are super poseable too, and he can pull off great poses from the waist up, but for some inexplicable reason Hasbro toy designers said that Sora Bulq needs ankle joints but not knee joints...

WTF?   ???  Why would you articulate the ankles, but not the knees?  They did this with the Mustafar Sentry, The Utapau Warrior, and the Neimoidian Warrior...  And to be honest, and blunt, it didn't do a goddamn thing to help any of the above figures.

Why would you articulate a figure's ankles and not his knees?  That just doesn't make an ounce of sense to me...  Does it to you?  I don't know.

Anyway, read the review and share your thoughts...  Vent if you want because I felt like it too.
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Offline Darby

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Re: New JD Review: Sora Bulq
« Reply #1 on: April 13, 2006, 04:46 AM »
Another great review, Jesse.  He's actually one of the harder figs to find around here, so I haven't gotten him yet.  I was thinking when looking at the pics that the lower half of him may date back to the AOTC days, since it's so reminicent, but so much of him is new, I don't know.  With the ho hum articulation, A LOT of these figs look a couple years old.  The Coruscant wave ones are the only ones you know for sure were sculpted in the last year.

Offline ruiner

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Re: New JD Review: Sora Bulq
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2006, 11:28 AM »
I agree with the ankle articulation - I'd rather have knee arituclation vs. ankles.  Especially when you're not dealing with troopers.


Offline Jesse James

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Re: New JD Review: Sora Bulq
« Reply #3 on: April 15, 2006, 03:19 AM »
I think that, had this been 2004 and all these were what we were getting at that time at those prices, I likely wouldn't be this persnickity about articulation on EVERYTHING.

I've paid $7 for most every figure I got this year though...  That's outrageous at this point, to pay that and get basically something that has a little bit of poseability at the arms and NOTHING at the legs.  Veers is my best case for this...  You're getting a GOOD $5 figure....  You're getting a **** $7 figure.

It's not so much that I dislike the Veers figure, as I dislike the price I paid to get a figure that is about as poseable as a vintage figure is from the waist down.  The helmet bowing outward and lack of back armor flaws aside, it's a passable 2004 figure.  Veers would've gained high marks that year at the $5 pricetag I paid for most of 2004.

Then 2005 came, we got a movie year packed with figures I consider high quality like almost anything out of Collection 2.  IT was a great year for most of 2005.  Hell, even the OTC ended with the Cantina Wave...  How freaking great were those figures, and at $5 to $6 you got a deal on those IMO.  HOlsters, guns, articulation, booze...  They had it all plus scupts and paint aps that rivaled teh best work Hasbro has thrown our way.

Now jump to today, and we get Derlin...  He's not bad for 2004.  He's **** for 2006 and $7.  Same with Veers...  Sora Bulq goes right in that category.  Few figures are getting the pass because I know Hasbro can do better because they DID do better and for the love of god they charged us less on top of it!

I'm not so much bitching about $7 for a figure as long as I get a $7 figure, not something that falls FAR short.

Sora Bulq didn't even fall far short...  He's like a milimeter from greatness to me.  Just that someone at Hasbro...  We'll call him Hasbro Monkey #3.  He said, "Hmmm...  Why give him knee joints?  Let's put the investment in those into his ankles instead!  Because ankle joints really are versatile for poseable toys!"

Ankles are cool articulation points, no doubt, but when you don't articulate the knees...  Then wtf is the point?

It's like articulating a figure's elbows but NOT his shoulders, ya know?  Well what good is an elbow joint if the shoulders don't move?

The ankles can be omitted...  They're expendable articulation points on most figures (not all, just most).  The knees however, as with elbows and wrist joints, should really be a line standard, especially when you're raping your consumers for $7 a figure.
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Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: New JD Review: Sora Bulq
« Reply #4 on: April 17, 2006, 09:55 AM »
I completely agree about the articulation. It's almost like they're intentionally holding back, saying "wait, we can't give them a BG character with premium articulation. Cut back two points." :P I mean, seriously, what's the point of ankle articulation without knee articulation?
« Last Edit: April 17, 2006, 09:56 AM by Darth_Anton »
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: New JD Review: Sora Bulq
« Reply #5 on: April 17, 2006, 08:27 PM »
Exactly... 

I have Sun Fac on tap next, who I actually like a lot, but his physiology makes his articulation a bit different when reviewing him.  "ankle" joints actually make the figure as good as knee joints do really...  Wherever his knees are.

Either way though, at $7 a pop knees should be on all these figures...  No excuses to me.  It's amazing how anything appeals to you more at $4.50 when you find it that low like I did this past week at the TRU sale...  I'd say others agree with that too since the local TRU's sold out almost completely this past week from their walls of figures they all had the week prior.

Sora has such great arm articulation though, that the ankles just struck me as thoroughly disappointing.  Move those up tot he knees, and I'd have a whole new review outcome on Sora...  I'd be completely content with this figure.  Slap a brown cloth robe I have aorund here on him and he'd be amazing to me for a nice "neutral" Jedi display with the ROTS figures I have lined up.  He'd look great in a nice pose with the AOTC figures then too...  Shame he got short changed.  :(
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Offline Darth Depressis

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Re: New JD Review: Sora Bulq
« Reply #6 on: October 4, 2006, 05:48 PM »
i still can't believe how much they put into a scene filler Jedi from AOTC, but atleast he's a big EU bad guy, otherwise it would have been really odd. since i know him from the EU, this was a figure i was determined to get no matter what.

and so starts the story:

my wife and i go to the mall after she gets off work, eat dinner look at a bunch of stores and finnally end up in target. i head for the toy aisle only to find a Ebayer and his son poaching the pegs clean at 8:38 at night. ofcourse they got the only Sora Bulg to be found, so i waited them out as they continued to annoy the workers into looking in the back for them. when my moment came i seized it and charged to their carts, grabbed sora with their backs turned and got the hell outta there.  8)

Offline David

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Re: New JD Review: Sora Bulq
« Reply #7 on: December 18, 2006, 11:01 PM »
i still can't believe how much they put into a scene filler Jedi from AOTC, but atleast he's a big EU bad guy, otherwise it would have been really odd. since i know him from the EU, this was a figure i was determined to get no matter what.

and so starts the story:

my wife and i go to the mall after she gets off work, eat dinner look at a bunch of stores and finnally end up in target. i head for the toy aisle only to find a Ebayer and his son poaching the pegs clean at 8:38 at night. ofcourse they got the only Sora Bulg to be found, so i waited them out as they continued to annoy the workers into looking in the back for them. when my moment came i seized it and charged to their carts, grabbed sora with their backs turned and got the hell outta there.  8)

heh! great story. i opened one up a few weeks ago.

what a mistake that was!  :P
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Offline IshiTib

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Re: New JD Review: Sora Bulq
« Reply #8 on: December 28, 2006, 06:53 AM »
i think sora bulq looks really great, and because i am a jedi collector, i need him, but he is too expensive on german ebay and i can't find him in stores :(
Sorry for my bad English, i am German.