Unboxing #1 (FINALLY!!!)

Hey everyone! I was on a short 3-day vacation with my two close friends and had a blast! But now that I'm finally back home, I big box was waiting for me. Oh yes, it is THAT time... My first unboxing! As everyone can see its a decent-sized box, and everything inside of it cost me $75...

First up are my two Action Bases. I got both a Version 1 and Version 2 because the white Version 1 was on sale, so I decided to pick it up for one of my kits you'll see at the end of this. I got the Version 2 Clear Sparkle Green because I just like it and I like putting my models in Aerial combat poses.

Second is my SECOND SD Gundam Exia. My first SD Exia was the unfortunate victim to a bouncy ball gone wild and broke the V-fin. After I glued it back on and looking terrible, it's hip-to-leg connection joint managed to snap off and into the leg so... yeah I decided to pitch it and buy a new one. So here it is and I'm uber-excited to have it again!

Third is a SD kit from one of my favorite lines; Sangokuden. This is the Ryuubi Gundam which is a cross between Liu Bei of that Shu forces in Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the RX-78 Gundam. I like this guy cause he looks so ninja and in all honesty I'm thinking of getting another to convert and custom paint it to be a ninja! :P

Fourth is a kit that is a purchase that is LONG overdue; 1/144 HG Gundam Exia! I personally love this MS from Gundam 00, even though I loved Dynames the most before I watched the series (I went through my Call of Duty: Modern Warfare phase then, I hope you guys get that). I think Exia's massive arm blade is the iconic symbol of Exia, and if it weren't for that blade, I don't think he would be as awesome as he is.

My fifth and last (but certainly not least) is my newest and second Master Grade... GOD GUNDAM!!! Oh hell yes, he is freakin' epic and I cannot wait to build him! I love MGs because of the length of time and amount of detail that goes into building them. This kit will be the last kit I build in this lot, and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it's awesome-ness!

So that's pretty much all I got, other than the single Black Gundam Lining Marker, a free GundamStoreandMore.com pen and magnet (all of which you can see in the photo above). So I'm gonna end my first Unboxing and start on my SD Exia!!!

Gundam Review: Songokuden SD Shibai Sazabi

Hey everyone! Well, if anyone watched zversus' youtube video promoting me, you would know I am a gunpla fan and have yet to do a review of one. The reason being is not one kit I have built is finished with painting/detailing. However, one kit is almost does painting. My Songokuden SD Shibai Sazabi!!!

This kit was one of my first SD kits along with my SD Exia (which had an unfortunate accident...) My Shibai Sazabi isn't panel lined, but it is painted (ok.. but I'd like to redo it). The kit was a very fun and simple build, and it only cost me $5! I think that's one thing I like about SD kits: They are cheap and you can put a lot of work into them!

So that's my painted Shibai Sazabi with his 'peace sign' hand in his Gunshi (army advisor) Mode. Songokuden kits are based on the storyline of the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' which I know an extensive history of because the Dynasty Warrior games and researching the real lives of those characters. (Yes, RotTK is all real) Shibai Sazabi is based of off Sima Yi, the tactician of Cao Cao and the Wei kingdom. Sima Yi was an amazing tactician and rival of Zhuge Liang, the Tactician for Liu Bei and the Shu kingdom. Sima Yi was obsessed with becoming stronger, and searching through 'darker ways' to gain power (hence the Tenshihou Shibai Sazabi). Because of this, it confuses me why he has a peace sign hand when he was NEVER interested in peace, but destruction and power.

But to the kit itself, I love it! As I said earlier, it was a fun simple build with approximately 40 pieces and a polycap sprue. Very small, simple, and fun!

First I'll talk about color. The colors are simple when you get it fresh outta the box: WHITE, red and a slightly metallic dark gray. That's it. Almost all the red you see on my kit was hand-painted and as you can tell, sorta looks like crap, but you get the idea (I plan on repainting him using different techniques and afterwards I'll post new pictures). Another color that on the kit in one piece is a brighter metallic silver, for the headpiece when in General Mode. However, one color that is quite a necessity for this kit that is only included on stickers is gold. Oh, how necessary the gold is... This kit doesn't look quite the same without the gold. I used a gold Gundam Marker for the gold on my kit and it looks amazing. I only used two stickers on my kit, the two on the face (mono-eye and chrome facemask).

The articulation is pretty basic for an older SD kit, ball joint for the neck, shoulder, below the shoulder, wrist, leg-to-hip, and ankles. The waist is a peg-in-hole join and allows for 360 rotation. The articulation is pretty good, with no hindered parts except for around the legs. The skirt armor is quite large and bulky, but it doesn't hinder much movement. The accessories are nice enough; the only true accessories being the fan (Kouyokosen) and sword (Shirogane no Kiba), with the shoulders and extra headpiece being used for General Mode.

This is the Shibai Sazabi in his Bushou (general) Mode, with the added shoulders and headpiece. In either form, he can wield either the Shirogane no Kiba or the Kouyokosen, OR, combine them to form his ultimate weapon: the Gayoku no Taiken!

Shibai Sazabi doesn't have any gimmicks, but is an amazing kit nonetheless. If your a fan of Songokuden or SD kits, pick him up without hesitation! You certainly not regret it!

(Shibai Sazabi in Gunshi mode with his Kouyokosen)

(Shibai Sazabi in Gunshi Mode with the Shirogane no Kiba)

(Shibai Sazabi in his Bushou Mode with his ultimate Gayoko no Taiken)

Overall, I'd give this kit a 5/5. It's amazing and fun to build (plus cute to look at! XD). This kit got me into Songokuden kits and SD kits alike, they are personally, my favorite kits to build. So if your a fan, get it, and if not, get it anyways!

An Unboxing Soon...

Hey guys, I figured I'd share with you I am expecting a box of Gundam kits from GundamStoreandMore, a website I absolutely LOVE! A few kits, and a couple action bases (I really need them...) But other than that, I plan on doing my next review over the Songokuden SD kit, Shibai Sazabi. Probably one of my favorite kits look-wise because of the clean white with red trim. The other kit I am currently painting is the Songokuden SD Tenshihou Shibai Sazabi, pretty much the more beefy version of Shibai Sazabi that takes on a Nightingale look. A concept pic is posted below for viewing.

Other than that, I will continue doing Iron Man 2 figure reviews, covering the Concept and Comics series figures next, but I'm hoping to cover more Gundam reviews soon. So expect an Unboxing post in the next few days, so be looking for that to see new kits I'm going to be building.

Thanks for reading and I'll keep you guys posted! See ya soon!

Fifth Review: Iron Man Movie Series Mark I

Hey guys! I just picked up this figure and I figured I'd do a review of the Iron Man 2 3 3/4" Movie Series Mark I figure. This is a very nice figure and I am quite a fan of it for starters. A brief history of this figure is that it was built in the Iron Man 2008 film. It was built with spare parts from various missiles and military equipment to allow him to escape from a group of terrorist that call themselves the 'Ten Rings'. This suit served as the basis of the Mark II and Mark IV suits.

For colors, the suit features a worn iron color for the armor, and a khaki overall-suit worn underneath the armor itself. The details are spectacular on this armor, there are lines on the armor itself that show where plates were welded together to make the armor. There are gears on the back and mechanisms on the sides of the thigh to allow movement of the legs. The ARC Reactor in the center of the torso is freakin' awesome! I love the intense detail on this figure, up there with the Mark II.

Articulation is actually a bit different from the other figures, so I'll re-list the articulation...

- neck (ball joint)

- shoulders (360 rotation/in-and-out)

- elbows (360 rotation/in-and-out)

- waist (360 rotation)

- hips (forward-and-back/in-and-out)

- upper thigh (rotation)

- knee (single-jointed)

- ankle (up-and-down/ 360 rotation)

As you can see, there is no upper torso or wrist rotation, nor do the upper thighs rotate as much as the other figures can. But, for such a bulky suit, the articulation is really impressive.

As you can see, the 3 Armor Cards are once again included with the figure as well as a base and a missile launcher designed like a flame thrower with a flame-designed missile. I really liked that they gave the Mark I a flame thrower designed missile launcher since he used a flame thrower quite a bit in the movie during his escape.

(rear view)

(Mark I on Base, Missile Launcher, & Armor Cards)

(Mark I w/ Accessories in Action Pose)

Overall, I'd say this figure is a 5/5. The figure's details are spectacular, the articulation is very good for being so bulky, and he's just a great figure overall. I'd recommend this figure but only if you REALLY like it, I was skeptical because I like the sleek look of the other armors, but I was happy after buying the Mark I, so if you're skeptical, I'd say go for it! He's completely worth it!

Fourth Review: Iron Man Movie Series Mark V (Suitcase)

Hello! I thought I'd continue with my Iron Man 2 3 3/4" figure reviews and take a look at the Mark V Suitcase Armor. For a brief history of the armor, this is the armor that Tony Stark built in the Iron Man 2 2010 movie so he would have easy access to a suit anywhere he is. Because the suit is so portable, it lacks protection like the other suits, but is very impressive nonetheless.

For color, the suit takes the basic 'Silver Centurion' color scheme with the red and silver. Personally, I like this color scheme better than the red and gold but I still like the standard Iron Man colors as well. The details are spectacular! The silver panels lining the ENTIRE suit is just awesome and I do enjoy the amount of silver details against the dark, glossy red. Very impressive look-wise, but looks is where the goodness ends...

Articulation is the same as all other figures, which I hope you guys are familiar with, but if not...

- neck (ball joint)

- shoulders (360 rotation/in-and-out)

- elbows (360 rotation/bend 90 degrees)

- wrist (360 rotation)

- upper torso (ball joint)

- hips (forwards-and-backwards/in-and-out)

- upper thigh (360 rotation)

- knee (double-jointed)

- ankle (forward-and-back)

The articulation for these figures are awesome, and you'd believe that since the suit doesn't have shoulder armor and is much lighter weight than other armors, the articulation would be amazing, right? WRONG. The arms can barely go away from the body, not even 30 degrees! And the head can't even go up an down, just rotate 360 degrees... the articulation is a little irritating on this figure.

The accessories for this figure are the same as for other figures, a base, 3 Armor Cards, and this figure comes with a suitcase that can fire 2 missiles and open on one side, revealing details inside the suitcase. He also comes with an extra hand to hold the suitcase. All you have to do is pull off the left hand, plug in the extra hand, and then put the suitcase in the hand. Pretty simple, but I'd rather not...

(Mark V on Base, Suitcase Missile Launcher, Extra hand, & Armor Cards)

(Suitcase open, revealing inner mechanics and details)

(Baaaaaad arm articulation... left -- all the way in/right -- all the way out)

(Mark V in Action Pose)

Overall, I'd give this figure a 3/5... Reason being is because the detail and overall appearance is very nice and crisp, but articulation is VERY disappointing and I'd prefer it to be a bit better. Would I get it? Sure. Would I recommend it? Nope, but if your a collector like me, it's a nice figure to have.

Third Review: Iron Man Movie Series Mark II

Hey everyone! For my third review, I will take a look at one of my favorite Iron Man figures from the 3 3/4" Movie Series Action Figures: The Mark II!! Man oh man, I got to say that the Mark II is a wonderfully detailed figure. From the ARC Reactor, to the good articulation, and the gleaming silver armor, it is AMAZING! For a brief history, the Mark II was the second suit Tony Stark built in the Iron Man 2008 film. Very fast and very powerful, the only issue the armor had was the icing problem at high altitudes.

The color for this armor is pretty simple: BRIGHT silver. The entire armor is silver except for the ARC Reactor, repulsors, and eyes. They are light blue that fade to white toward the center. A very pretty suit of armor if you ask me. The details are very good, the lines painted with thin black lines to show off the individual armor plates, and personally, my favorite detail is the "rivets" put around the front torso for detail. For colors/details I'd give this figure a 5/5.

Now for articulation, the figure has the best articulation out of all the Iron Man figures I have. If your just now catching my reviews, the articulation is as follows...

- neck (ball joint)

- shoulders (360 rotation/in-and-out)

- elbows (360 rotation/bend 90 degrees)

- wrist (360 rotation)

- upper torso (ball joint)

- hips (forwards-and-backwards/in-and-out)

- upper thigh (360 rotation)

- knee (double-jointed)

- ankle (forward-and-back)

So it's pretty good articulation if you ask me. One thing that makes me especially happy is -- with help from versusZ -- my Mark II's legs can go front and back instead of just in and out. Thanks, Z! XD

The accessories are, as you know, the same as any other Iron Man figure. It comes with a base, 3 Armor Cards, and a missile launcher with a BLUE missile, which I thought was pretty cool. His missile Launcher looks exactly the same as the Mark VI's but is instead all in silver. Overall, I would recommend the Mark II over the majority of the Figures, other than War Machine!

(rear view)

(Mark II on Base, Missile Launcher, & Armor Cards)

(Mark II w/ Accessories in Action Pose)

Overall, the Mark II is a fantastic figure and I would highly recommend it because of it's simple, elegant look. I do think It's funny that this figure is from the first Iron Man movie and he was released in an Iron Man 2 line... but I guess you can't do anything about it, nor do I really want to! I LOVE THIS FIGURE! If you find it, pick it up with War Machine and any other figure you want, but this one is a must have! Two thumbs WAY up! Thanks for reading and I hope you tune in for my next review!