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Messages - Jesse James

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17776
Toy Reviews / New JD Review: AT-AT Driver
« on: March 24, 2006, 02:25 AM »


This week's review is, as you can see, the Imperial AT-AT Driver resculpt from the "Hoth Wave".  Clicky the image above for the full review and enjoy!

My brief thoughts...  There's a lot to love with this figure and very little not to.  In 2006 we've seen a severely cut-back level of articulation across the board.  Fewer figures are near super poseable this year than we got in 2005's Revenge of the Sith line.  I for one was quite disappointed seeing that most figure's lacked knee arituclation, including some pretty great potential army builder fodder like Major Derlin and General Veers...  Hell, Bail Organa gets it in 2005 and Derlin and Veers get shorted in 2006?  bull****!

So that brings us to the AT-AT Driver...  The sculpting's fantastic and shows again that what you were happy with from the POTF2 line maybe wasn't as cool as you thought.  The great thing to me though is that, while the TIE Pilot resculpt really put its predecessor to shame, I find that the AT-AT Driver's resculpt blends in better with the POTF2 release figure.  That's a great thing to me though.

The figure comes packed with articulation though, and that is where it truly shines.  Ball/socket knees and shoulders, angle-cut elbow joints, wrists, neck, and waist make for a great poseable army builder.

If Hasbro made the AT-AT Driver's articulation the basic line's MINIMUM standard you'd read a hell of a lot more positive reviews out of me.  The 2004/05 POTC Cantina Wave had that articulation (more or less), and they're great...  Hasbro can make this a standard and if people would voice that they want it enough they'd cave and put out the effort we deserve.

Enjoy your AT-AT Driver people!  He's great, and unfortunately he's not the norm for quality this year, so don't expect too many to rival him for greatness.  Sad, but true.  You'll still get figure's with legs no more articulated than the Han Trenchcoat you bought in 1983...  Sucks ass when you think about it in those terms if you ask me.

17777
That is a pretty spiffy upgrade to the Jango helmet...  Helpful for multiple heads it can now fit.  I like the technique you used man, pretty seamless, as per usual with your work.  Very nice man, thanks for sharing it.

17778
Star Wars Action Figures / Re: Custom Works By Jedi_Master_Ben
« on: March 23, 2006, 04:16 AM »
Those are pretty impressive sculpts you have going Ben.  It's a shame they didn't survive the move.  The bottom alien is really impressive.  It would really translate to Star Wars well to me.  Any of them could really have been adapted as background creatures to any scene.

That's really nice work though sculpting overall, I'm definitely impressed.

Let me say some of your ship work is pretty outstanding too.  The Droid tank's great.  The Tantive IV, is it still in progress or have you finished it yet?  Quite a huge ship.

Nice work man.

17779
Star Wars Ships and Vehicles / Re: Star Wars Model Kits
« on: March 23, 2006, 04:10 AM »
The best advice has been said...  Throw out nothing.

Or if you do be selective and have good reasoning to do so. :)  Like it's just too damn big to keep for instance.

I keep everything from computer cases to drink stirrers and more...  Model kits are pricier and pricier these days, so buying cheap kits isn't as easy...  And buying from HLJ isn't always fun due to international shipping.

Keep your eyes open at toy shows for model kits cheap...  Or flea markets or whatnot.

Old Star Wars kits have as useful parts as old battleships...  One's no better than the other generally.  I just sold the Dagobah Encounter kit I had to Ryan actually and it's almost a full playset unto itself.  Little work and it's a fantastic set.

17780
That's a really interesting figure...  I think it's one of your better efforts combining "Earth Military" elements with Star Wars parts.  The Clone Pilot body is a great base for a lot of customs, and with the Imperial Trooper helmet it looks really believable.

The clip packs cover the chest piece well... 

I think sometimes the painting is a little over the top, but that's just me.  I think it still looks good.

I think the colors on the uniform are unique...  I think I'd have tried to keep it more in line with the Clone Pilot duds as they appeared, just damaged up by a trooper who's seen some combat...  Still, your choice of colors is pretty good too, just different, and I like it nonetheless.

Nice work man.

17781
Customizing Tips and Tricks / Re: Fodder Alert!
« on: March 23, 2006, 03:58 AM »
Just so you guys know, there's an assload of 21st's figures out there...  I'll break down some of it off the top of my head...

-1st series WW2 Europe Infantry (non-removable helmets, though the heads can be used for customs if you're creative.  Helmets come off but leave a gap/holes in the heads and they're misshapen.  Some just need a little hair sculpting).

-2nd Series Vietnam...  On the Nam figures, the Cong and NVA troops don't have removable headgear.  The U.S. troops do have removable headgear.  The Nam series isn't as easy to come by though, and some figures are flat out a pain to find.  A Navy SEAL has a bandana, there's a number of others.

-3rd Series U.S. and German Paratroops...  There's probably the most and best headsculpts in this series.  A number of grimacing faces, but there's some fantastic neutral headsculpts for both sides.  There's like 6 or 7 figures of both nationalities.

-4th Series Battle of the Bulge/Ardennes...  Fewer headsculpts, but all are neutral.

-Sub-Series Pilots...  They packaged pilots from the planes individually.  The leather flight caps aren't removable though.

-Sub-Series Patton...  General George Patton in 3 flavors with his pit bull terrier.  Same head on all 3 figures.

-5th Series US Marines (Pacific Theater, repainted 3 times but no new heads)....  Lots of headsculpts.  Some more neutral than others.  Some very neutral, some really exagerated.  Lots of variety.

-6th Series Japanese Infantry...  Again a mix of neutral, semi-neutral, and flat out exagerrated headsculpts.  All Asian of course, which is positive for variety.

-7th Series Battle of the Bulge (Series 2)...  They just started shipping.  These are probably what you got BrentS as they're including interchangeable heads, torsoes...  They're probably the best ever.  I haven't picked them up yet and I so desperately want these figures in droves. :(  They have a U.S. Rifleman in trenchcoat, awesome.

Anyway, that's 21st's line-up...  That also doesn't include NEW pilots like the Jet Fighter pilot, and some of the others.  There's German and US drivers for different vehicles too...  And that doesn't even get into what BBI puts out.  From BBI SWAT (older though) onto BBI's foray into World War 2 figures.  There's a lot of headsculpts available between these two companies.

Oh and I forgot Sahara figures too which I see more...  Good civilian bodies/robes there.

There's more coming too...  They're far from done. :)

17782

My silver figure was a RFT, and, amazingly, they found a way to make the RFT suck just a little more.

Of all the one's to get  :P

The Rebel Fleet Trooper SUCKS.  He's always gonna suck, he's never not gonna suck.  He can suck harder than he normally does too, don't be fooled.  He'll sneak up on you and BAM, before you know it you have a Fleet Trooper worse than the last one you had and you don't even know it.

17783


Now, if someone with a half an oz. of intellect at the corporate HQ actually sat on his/her fat ass and looked at the facts, obviously dropping price a $1 or more would be a big help...  It's the same at other stores too.  One Target near me has $6.99 figures, and they're sitting...  One has $5.89 figures and they're moving fast with few pegwarmers (a couple, not many)...



It's true that part of TRU's problem is the price tag on their stuff.  But the bigger problem in my area is that TRU hardly ever has anything on the pegs and shelves.  If you're not going to properly stock the hottest action figure line, what the hell do you think will sell? 

No doubt Dressel...

I can't find squat at any Wal-Mart near me.  Even the lone Bib that sat at the one is gone and has been for a month.

Target is getting things in sporatically (no huge finds around here though) and the lower priced stores are moving them...  The higher priced store has backed up with Hoth figures....  All Targets near me have a number of Hoth Vaders though, which goes to show that Vader isn't the boner figure Hasbro SHOULD be pushing on repack lists IMO.

TRU has been getting stuff, but they get one big ass cluster of figures, then nothing.  Right now, theyr'e getting nothing new that I've seen.  They had gotten Geo wave in and things at a number of TRU's, but once the sale ended they'd moved through what they had for the most part...  Now they have (at most local TRU's) Carkoon wave pegwarmers that ain't going anywhere for $6.99 and I'd say maybe 2 Pittsburgh TRU's that I can think of have some Hoth Wave remnants (Veers, Rieekan, etc.) for $6.99.  

Would I buy Veers for $4.99?  Sure...  But for a figure I'm gonna butcher I refuse to shell out $7.  It's dumb out there in the stores right now.  

17784
Saga Collection '06 / Re: 2006 SDCC Exclusive Shadow Stormtrooper
« on: March 23, 2006, 02:01 AM »
I really love this figure, I must say.  With more images of it around, I think it looks fantastic.  I dread the price, but my goodness it's a nice looking figure.  I didn't even like the comic it's from actually, but black stormtroopers are a must-have.

17785
Saga Collection '06 / Re: 2006 vOTC (or vTSC) - now with pics!
« on: March 23, 2006, 01:59 AM »
I dunno, it's smaller than stormtrooper helmets so I'm ok with it right now...  It's a snug fit on the actors from what I'd seen of "real" ones off the extras...  So I'm pretty content with that figure myself.

Paul, more awesome photos man.  Thanks for sharing.  You can't imagine my envy right now, haha. :)

The Han is great too because I agree, it's like 3 figures in one...  w/out the holster he's Carkoon Solo (as he should've been).  W/out the coat he's Endor Bunker Han (as he should've been).  Obviously w/the jacket he's the perfect Endor Landing Solo.

I'm all about buying multiple Solo figures at this point.  I'm gonna go broke as hell buying this series.

I'm not TOO concerned about pegwarming yet.  Finding the Scouts and Sandpeople I want I am concerned about.  For Han and the gang, this is one wave...  While ANH VOTC Han sat, I blame that in part because that was a staggered series of waves for each film...  Every store ordered assloads of ANH wave and they backed up the other waves.  It was silly.  Han was just a victim (as god knows we all are) of retail ignorance.

17786
Saga Collection '06 / Re: Battle of Coruscant Wave
« on: March 23, 2006, 01:53 AM »
Yeah buying for kids adds a whole new ****storm to it all...  I gotta get a Cody for one of the boys. 

Finding him Jango was a pain.  he just got it the other day because we happened to see him while we were out.  I'd gotten him a preview one a while back, but he wanted the Kamino one that is shipping now... 

And god bless him he complained about the ****** articulation on it!  :)  My pride just swelled.

17787
Saga Collection '06 / Re: Target "Demise of Grievous" Figure
« on: March 23, 2006, 01:50 AM »
It lives!

:)

Seriously though, the Lava figures were weird.  They definitely sat...  Some ShadowTroopers sat around here too (or so I have heard, I didn't see them out in my local area but others did get Shadows on clearance at a couple Targets out here).  I think Grievous, if produced heavily, may actually sit... 

I think the Lava figs caught people off guard...  I got mine on sale thankfully.  The ShadowTrooper I actually liked.  I'd love an army of him actually, but alas that ain't gonna happen.

I could see Grievous gathering some dust...  I don't think it'll end anything.  I think Target has it set in their heads that they can do this, and thus they will.  I'm going to get mine early (safe than sorry), but hang onto the receipt and see if I catch these backing up around the stores.  If that's teh case, back he goes and clearance time.

17788
Saga Collection '06 / Re: TSC Recent Purchases
« on: March 23, 2006, 01:45 AM »
I picked up a couple AT-AT Drivers the other day...  Other than that, there's nothing to really buy around here.  New stuff's not hit in large numbers like some of you guys have found.  At most, a case here and there.

I got a couple Utapau Clones in a package I received, but as for point-of-sale I haven't bought hardly anything.  It sucks out here.

17789
Feedback / Re: Darth Slothus' feedback
« on: March 23, 2006, 01:37 AM »
Jon hooked me up with a great box of goodies the other day.  I forgot to post this sooner, so my apologies to him.

Very fair price, fast shipping (too fast!), and as always a great guy to trade with here on the boards.  Thanks Jon, just put it on my tab of "I O U's". :)

17790
The Wookiee Arcade / Re: Star Wars: Empire At War
« on: March 23, 2006, 12:48 AM »
If you don't have a 3D Graphics Card CHEWIE, you're not gonna be able to run it irregardless of downloads. 

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