Plague of Diaclone

I found myself looking at the Diaclone page on the Transformers Wiki, I can't remember exactly why. I think I wanted to read about Spin-Out and Cordon. Anyway, I was starting to think that if they did a blue Bluestreak I might need to get it. It turns out I need to start collecting the Diaclone version of Generations toys. I've already got Crosscut, I've bought Tigertrack and Exhaust, and have preordered Spin-Out and Cordon. I think part of my thinking is that in some magical world where money is no object, I’ve always liked the idea of buying every G1 figure (in multiple for each altmode), which would include all of the Diaclone toys as year figures (and the the other predecessor lines), including all of the variants. This is a small step towards that dream. The ability of my brain to identify new things I need is amazing!

I found a thread speculating on future Selects releases, which I had read a few days ago. Someone posted a picture of many of the Diaclone figures. That picture nestled its way into my subconscious, then emerged as an idea. 'Why don't I get the Diaclone version of Generations toys?' Weird. I think the same sort of thing happened with Star Wars Black - because I look at online shops selling toys I see things from all of the different lines, into my head they go. Then I see something, or listen to a podcast and that little subconscious thought is given life. Because of the overlap between the fandoms of the various Hasbro properties I can’t help hearing about them, and then I have to buy stuff. It's those ideas which are the most exciting part about collecting for me though. A collection is a physical thing, but it is also a mental thing - a collection of ideas.

So my idea for 6" Star Wars Black of collecting all lightsaber wielding characters except main main characters changed a little (what a shock!). My canon for Star Wars includes the Clone Wars cartoon (not that one). It includes Asajj Ventress, so I put in a preorder. It was basically a Clone Wars cartoon collection but without Obi-Wan, Anakin and Dooku. I then looked at the DVD covers and decided they are necessary. Walgreens even put out an Obi-Wan in clone armour, it was meant to be! Not to do things by half I've bought Episode II and Clone Wars/Episode III Obi-Wan and Anakin. And I bought Dooku. All I need is a prequel era Yoda and I'm set. Having my collection based around a TV series put Star Wars in line with my other collections.

I bought all of those new figures far too late at night, too late to be looking at a screen and too late to decide whether I really want them. That said, when I woke the next day I didn't feel any buyer's remorse. I realise that if I think something's cool I'll end up getting it. The only exception is when I can't make sense of it. I need to be able to get all of a set, and try as I might my brain doesn't cope very well with defining its own sets. I'm far less likely to get one off items. Case in point, the only thing I can think of that's cool that I don't own is the Storm Collectibles Mortal Kombat figures. The reason is I don't think there's any chance of a complete set (aside from every ninja). If they did Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade and Kano then I'd be there. (I think they did a Raiden.) I also didn't buy the Haslab Unicron, or Omega Supreme, or Jetfire. I can do it!

Talking about Star Wars canon, I’ve rewatched Force Awakens, Last Jedi, and Rise of Skywalker, and I’ve decided that Darth Plagueis is Snoke! Sure Snoke died in Last Jedi, but then Plagueis died once before. There’s a lot of fan theories about the whole thing and that’s what I’m going with. If Rise of Skywalker is (partially) believed then striking down a Sith causes their spirit to pass into you. Plagueis could have passed into Palpatine. Plagueis could have created a series of clone bodies for himself on the Sith world, then resurrected/saved Palpatine. I like the sequel trilogy I think they did a good job of having the balance of action and quest type plot lines, it might just need a little extra head cannon.

I’ve managed to go down a bit of a rabbit hole with Star Wars. I started thinking about getting some more vehicles. Funnily enough mostly ones that I had previously as Transformers, but upgrading to 3.75” versions. But bloody hell, Star Wars stuff is ridiculously expensive! I think I’ve just about convinced myself to wait and see what comes out in the next few years - people who grew up with the prequel trilogy are of age now. It seems quite likely Hasbro will want to tap into that.

I think Star Wars toy appreciation can be split into three parts. The Jedi/Sith themselves (probably best as 6” stuff?), Storm/Clone troopers plus the land vehicles that go with them (best as 3.75”), and finally the spaceships (probably best as micro scale but some possible as 3.75” scale). I’ve been collecting the first group for a while but am ready to move into the second.

Modular Armour Iron Man is rumoured for a Legends Iron Man wave and so..... I've bought the deluxe War Machine figure. I don't have any comic based armours but it would be good to have comic (well cartoon for me really) figures. Look like some good accessories with Rhodey so all good. It's been an expensive end to the year.

Some 3.75” Jedi have come in, Adi Gallia, Eeth Koth and Quinlan Vos. I wasn't expecting much from the first two since they are quite old, but I quite like a soft goods skirt (more so than a robe anyway). Vos is pretty good, he looks bored though. Too much sitting around desert planets, I spotted him in Episode I. Oh, I’ve just bought a couple more, plus a Jedi Starfighter or two......

And to top it off I got Netflix Soundwave. He was in stock from today, I kept on refreshing, he popped in and I snagged him. Very happy! That will be my Xmas present to myself. Well, I finish the year with Runabout, Bluestreak, Bumblebee and Soundwave, I can't ask more than that. But the highlight of the year has most definitely been Scorponok, he's incredible and was top of my wish list ever since FansProject started doing their headmasters and put the idea in my head that perhaps collecting the '87 figures was a good idea. It was. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

What a year

I felt quite excited opening the Amazon Prowl Ironhide set, which was a bit weird as I already have Earthrise Bluestreak and Smokescreen, and have Siege Ironhide and Ratchet. But, really, these are two of the most important G1 characters. My first impression was really good. Prowl was as I expected - he looks great, and I haven't bothered transforming him. I've got the Siege figure so I'll probably swap the head. I wasn't expecting much from Ironhide based on photos, but he also looks great! I like how the chest looks and all the colours look pretty consistent if a little pinky. I transformed him, I owned the G1 toy but never transformed it, this was the first time I've transformed an Ironhide into a van and it was amazing. I really liked the Siege mold but this is just as pleasing. If I could get the pins out I might just swap the shoulders.

The only reason I don't have Earthrise Ratchet was because it wasn't available to preorder in the UK when it was announced, but I think I am actually happy to have Ironhide and Ratchet be different molds because the legs are near identical which satisfies my need for their matching. That the Earthrise Ratchet doesn't have enough red makes it an easy decision, if they redid him in better colours I might reconsider. What a great set. If I could just get hold of Netflix Bumblebee and Soundwave then my set of core '84 characters will be complete and all done beautifully.

Between Marvel Legends having done the AEMH Avengers, Fantastic 4 and TAS X-Men perfectly, WFC doing the S1/S2 Transformers cast perfectly, Lightning collection having almost finished MMPR, and Super 7 working their way through the Thundercats and Turtles, I really feel lucky to be collecting. Such perfect toys, and the Transformers S3 and Beast Wars cast will soon be joining them. I'm not even gong to say what I need, I'm just going to appreciate!

Speaking of which, Dinobot and Airazor, Inferno and Huffer look great (all preordered). I think we could get Tarantulas from Blackarachnia, just need to beef it up a little, and Terrorsaur from Airazor, similarly to Tigatron from Cheetor. With Beast Wars Inferno I’m happy with the original figure so happy to be getting the G1 character. Artfire and Stepper two-pack? Make it happen Hasbro. I've also preordered Studio Series Hot Rod, Scourge and Grimlock.

I opened Sunstreaker, he's lacking a gun but is a great mold. Slightly cheeky use of false parts on the feet (identical car parts on each side). Not keen on the colour though, just like Legends X-Men, I love gold but not so keen on Sunny's cheese yellow. I wonder whether we could get a two-pack of Earthrise Sideswipe with a gold Sunstreaker? Despite the colour, I'm happy with my decision to get rid of the Universe figure. The Universe figure was good though. And finally, I've opened Trailbreaker. I have nothing else left to open. I did realise I'm not quite done with Earthrise - I'm still waiting for Rung! I like Trailbreaker, it's a nice mold in black. He's also quite forgettable but he's solid. Could do with some toes mind.

My collection is completely organised! Everything is opened, things not on display are bagged away with their instructions. I've achieved my aim for the year!

I’m on a bit of a Star Wars kick, I’ve bought the sequel trilogy on DVD, and..... I’ve given in (to the dark side.....) and got some 6” Black series. I got Kit Fisto and Plo Koon and preordered Mace Windu and General Grievous. None of the other characters really appeal to me. I don’t feel the need to get any of the original trilogy characters, nor Obi-Wan or Anakin, nor Maul, Dooku or Palpatine. It’s mostly about the alien Jedi for me. There aren’t any others that really appeal to me, but I’d get Saesee Tiin or Ki-Adi Mundi if they make them. Maybe a ROTS Yoda, maybe Shaak Ti or Aayla Secura. I rewatched the Clone Wars cartoon (not that one). I think that's where much of my appreciation for these characters came from. Eventually it struck me that the characters I want to get are all of those that the films tell you are amazing, you don't actually see in said films them being amazing, but in the cartoon you finally see it.

Also I realised that although I accept the the original trilogy is better than the prequel trilogy, I just don't really care about any of the characters in the original trilogy and that's where the prequel trilogy wins for me. Despite the fact that none of the characters are particularly well fleshed out, they just seem more interesting to me. I do like the characters from the sequel trilogy though and they're pretty well developed. I was hoping that a few of the prequel characters could have appeared (as force ghosts) in the sequel trilogy. I'm looking forward to watching it again and seeing what I think again.

Marvel Legends news, Ultron! Feels like a long time since a figure has been revealed that I wanted. MODOK is cool as well, although I have the old BAF in my 3.75" collection. Similarly to Thanos I have to decide whether to replace him.... Dammit, I've preordered both and will see how I feel. I've also ordered retro Green Goblin and Gambit. I think with Green Goblin I need to see it in person to see what I think about the colours. With Gambit, he's a member of my favourite time, I need a perfect version and a slightly better head/hair sculpt is all important. Passing on Rogue though, I need my yellows to be gold (not yellow or cheese coloured!).

Speaking of gold, after some fun and games I finally bagged a Netflix Bumblebee, hopefully he should be here soon. Will probably have the same thing with Soundwave. Groan.

************

Kit Fisto and Plo Koon arrived. I'm a 6" convert. Hasbro is on top of their game and they've hooked me right in. The head sculpts are an improvement over the 3.75" versions as you would expect. The articulation is a big step up, I was very happy to find a shoulder swing joint. Jedi definitely benefit from the articulation (Palpatine for instance probably doesn't need it). I've taken Plo's robe off. Kit Fisto is my favourite Jedi, but his head articulation is restricted. Both are great, I'm looking forward to Mace Windu and hope we get some more prequel jedi. I am thinking about the other human Jedi but not sure I need them, I think I will limit myself to lightsaber wielding characters but not the main main ones. As opposed to my 3.75" collection which is lightsaber wielding characters but excluding the non-main humans. (The difference between main main and main is Yoda and Mace Windu.)

I've decided that all characters on the Jedi Council are main characters and so have decided to (finally) get Adi Gallia and Eeth Koth, as well as Depa Billaba. And Quinlan Vos for good measure. I like the idea of being able to recreate the council from any film, but three of those are aliens anyway.

I spotted a fairly good deal on the XMCU Professor X and Magneto set. Despite being a huge 90's cartoon fan, Professor X is in a regular wheelchair in X-Men Evolution, Wolverine and the X-Men and in the films. As well as in the Illuminati group pictures. So really I just bought the set for the wheelchair (wish it has the 'X' on the wheels), but actually an extra suited body is quite useful - for Prof X himself, but also for Tony Stark. As a bonus the green suit works quite well for the Norman Osborn head from the retro Green Goblin. Speaking of which, I'm still a bit torn on which is the best version - one's too dark, the other's too bright. Similarly with Gambit although it's not nearly so pronounced

Whenever I see something, think that’s quite cool but dismiss it, I always go back. Should try and learn that!

2020, what a year. It has been quite frankly, utterly shit. Some decent toys though and I’ve got myself organised now. What do I hope to see next year? Transformers Victory Saber, Deszaras and Thunderclash, Marvel Legends Doctor Strange and Super 7 Snarf top the list. I’ll be moving house so that will take up a lot of my time but hopefully I can get myself settled and enjoy my toys.

Awesome and large

Falcon arrived, very happy with the deco (I was kinda worried they might have gone with the 70's version). Though he's got the same wings as Vulture, I played with him a bit more. I even gave him a little swoosh. The butterfly joints are excellent for a good flight pose. Ready for Falcon and Winter Soldier, he completes my essential Avengers lineup. Baron Zemo also arrived, he doesn’t complete anything but with Enchantress he’s the other main member of the Masters of Evil. Actually thinking about it, he is going to be in the upcoming Disney+ series so the timing is pretty good.

Dremel 4000

I completed my Mortal Kombat ninjas, I've finished V-Rex (Rexy as I’ve been calling her), I've built the Friends Lego set I bought. And I've made MP10 toy accurate (I couldn't get Soundwave's head off so he will stay cartoon). I've got no excuse now not to start putting together Goro and Kintaro!

I bought the Friends Lego as I realised my mini figures were tending towards a bit of New York theme so it sort of made sense - a place for them to hang out. I really enjoyed the build, the way the rugs work is really neat.

I also got Mega Bloks Splinter, he came with a technodrome accessory! Not cheap, but he's a character I needed some representation of. TMNT Mega Bloks are fantastic, such a shame we never got a lair or the blimp. They are still doing some Turtles stuff though (as individual figures) so there is some hope.

MP10 no longer has dead eyes and is toy accurate next to Megatron.

Marvel Legends Scorpion arrived, he's my 100th Legends figure! (Sort of, I consider Fin Fang Foom, MODOK, and Mojo to be part of my 3.75" collection, and Groot is technically Selects not Legends, but you get the idea.) He also completes my Sinister 6. I need to paint his face but I really don't need to put off working on Goro and Kintaro anymore.

I've got a sword for POTP Predaking, what is particularly galling about this is I bought and sold the un-chromed version many years ago for the G1 figure. This cost a pretty penny more, if only I'd held on to it. Talking of holding on to it, I need to make something so Predaking can hold on to it.

Bluestreak arrived! He looks great, hopefully Prowl should be on his way soon to complete the Datsun trio. I think Bluestreak will be my favourite of the three. Can’t believe I was contemplating keeping the Universe figures up until fairly recently.

I got some more alien Jedi, starting with Fi-Ek Sirch. The headsculpt is great, though his legs aren’t particularly possible despite being Vintage Collection. I’m not quite sure how he escaped my attention when I first starting buying 3.75” Star Wars. That he’s not on the council I guess. I got Yaddle, super articulated she is not - her head doesn’t even move. To complete the five I got Tarados Gon. There’s another Jedi called Khaat Qiyn who I think would have been a good name for him. Oh well. I’ve now got all Jedi that appear in the films and Clone Wars cartoon (not that one). Excluding the non-main humans (because they’re boring) and where they made up new characters because an actor wasn’t available. Whoop!

Legends Abomination arrived! He's Gamerverse, I like the mix of movie and comic looks. I also like the hands and feet more than the pure comic version. I did replace his head with the comic one though (need to do some colour matching). It got me thinking that I should collect the A:EMH version of the Masters of Evil. But, Enchantress and Baron Zemo are just a little, well, boring. Wonder Man and Crimson Dynamo aren't quite close enough looks wise (Crimson Dynamo being a different version). Executioner is non-existent. I will get Enchantress and Zemo though, just in case.

I found an excuse not to work on Goro/Kintaro. I've been working with a handheld drill, but bugger me if it's not a ridiculous amount of work - I've got blisters as well as it taking ages. I'm using balljoints I bought from Hobby Link Japan (many years ago). I've always been intrigued by people talking about Dremels on podcasts I listen to like it's a verb (in the same way that people do 'Hoovering'). I've bought a Dremel 4000 having done a bit of research on rotary tools. It cost £80 on Amazon so hopefully I can make progress more quickly.

I'm going to be moving house soon so have realised that as much as I should stop spending for monetary reasons, it's amazing how much time buying things takes up, opening, sometimes customising, photographing and storing. I also need to resist starting any new customising projects. I need to concentrate on sorting and packing things up.

The Masterpiece Raiden project seems to be completely devoid of news. I'd love a figure in scale with CW combiners, but I guess one which scales with Devastator makes more sense given their Diaclone origins. If then of course we get a smaller scaled Devastator I'd be in a bit of a dilemma.

Would you believe I finally opened the Seacons? I’ve been putting it off for some reason, I think because I didn’t want to rush it but knew it would take quite a bit of time. Just like with the Terrorcons, it surprised me how big they are - I’m used to the G1 figures. That they managed to make these figures so accurate but still being remolds of the Dinobots and Terrorcons is amazing. The colours are great and unlike the Aerialbot molds, I’m not bored of them.

The combined form is a bit wobbly (as are all of the combiners), but looks great. I think I might need to look into stands for them. One day it would be cool to have them all lined up. I decided to keep Lobclaw/Nautilator separate, I like his claws and I think his headsculpt looks a little MTMTE-ish. Speaking of which, the headsculpts are great, they’ve managed to give all of them a sense of character, which given how small the originals are is quite a feat. So overall, I’m very happy. More Masterforce is always good.

I’ve opened more stuff, Hiya’s 3.75” Jungle Predator. I’ve been sitting on this one for a while. I feel the box description is pretty enthusiastic, ‘standard setting’ and ‘super articulation’. *Cough* Marvel Universe *cough*. He looks good, the articulation is somewhat limited by the design - the head and legs are limited by the dreads and skirt. Rocker ankles would really help. I feel it’s a modest improvement over my custom, but I did pretty well really.

I’ve also opened the Blue Ranger. Pretty standard now really, I like the accessories, but the headsculpt. Between the glasses and beaming grin it really does look like someone cosplaying, particularly in conjunction with the weapon. Can I get some more serious faces please?!

Cyberverse Grimlock! (My WiFi isn’t working today so am opening stuff.)  I’ve heard excellent things about the cartoon. This to me looks quite similar to Animated/Prime/RID. He could certainly take a few more paint apps, a bit of silver on the face for instance. I started to transform him, but I gave up with the legs, one is fake and tucks underneath. I sort of lost interest, he turns into a dinosaur. It’s fine. I like the fire breath/club (like Animated Snarl) and rocker ankles. I got him because I collect Grimlocks, he fits in nicely but won’t be at the front of the display.

And now for something completely different, my Dremel 4000 arrived. So much easier than drilling by hand! Hopefully can make some progress with Kintaro now.

Busy postman

I opened Doubledealer, he’s fantastic! He’s best in robot mode, as some of the panels don’t quite line up properly in his other modes, but he’s great. I got his Powermaster friends as well, I hope to see more 1988 figures.

And so I’ve added some figures to my want list of Marvel Legends, and I’ve bought some straight away. I bought Sasquatch, big (furry) characters appeal to me, and the fact he has interactions with Wolverine and the Hulk add to the appeal. I’m also keen to get a Wendigo, but only if they rerelease him with a classic headsculpt. I really like Sasquatch.

I’ve decided I’m not compromising on figures - if the costume’s not right or the sculpt is off then I’m not getting placeholder figures. I’m tempted by Wendigo and Odin for instance, but need their classic looks. I sense that a Chameleon based his 90’s cartoon look might be in the offering. I therefore need the Sinister 6 (well, Insidious 6 really). I prefer the newer Mysterio figure so he’s in, plus Vulture, Scorpion and Shocker. I was tempted by these figures before but that was the original green gauntlets version of Mysterio, and I got grumpy about having to paint Scorpion’s face (I will). I already have a Doc Ock so just need a Rhino. I figure without Chameleon it’s either the original incarnation (with Chameleon as Vulture) or the second (with Chameleon as Mysterio).

I don’t want to get placeholder figures, but I figure even if they do a classic Ms. Marvel she might have the short hair and bare legs (I need her to look like A:EMH), so have bought the Warbird version. Can swap the head and legs if needs be. Surely we’ll get a classic version with the next Captain Marvel film? If I knew we were never going to get a classic Ms. Marvel then I’d get her in her Captain Marvel costume. Who knows though.

It’s hard after a little spending spree to return to normal, just a little check on the price of something on eBay or Amazon is hard to stop doing. My brain is desperately trying to find something I might need and making the case for it. Over several months there are many things that seem like a good idea, only to be discounted. Those are the sort of things that creep back up on you and suddenly seem like a much better idea than they did before (see above). Siege Omega Supreme and Jetfire are two that I’ve reconsidered a few times. The question I’m asking myself is whether my decision was financial or not. I don’t want to spend lots of money but if money is the only reason then it is something that is likely to haunt me. The new Unicron is another, but with the three of those. I don’t need them to be that big, I like having a couple of Unicron trilogy figures, and.... I don’t really care about them as characters.

Another set of figures I like the look of are the Storm Collectibles Mortal Kombat figures, but (and this is very similar to my reasoning for not getting Transformer Masterpieces), they’re expansive, and crucially, they’re never going to do the complete cast. I want a complete set of things, in some ways that’s where I get the most joy. They look amazing though. I’m also a little tempted by Star Wars Black 6”. I like the prequel Jedi - mostly the aliens. I’m tempted by Mace Windu and Kit Fistu. Maybe Plo Koon. The ‘main’ characters I’m not that bothered by. But I already have the 3.75” versions, and unlike Marvel Legends there’s no sense of characters not being available at the smaller scale, in the wrong costume or being a bit rubbish. The 3.75” versions are fine.

Legends Shocker has arrived. I like the modern costume for old pineapple head far more than the classic, to the point where it makes me like the character a lot more. He has the Deadpool head with one eye squinting which makes me think he has some of Deadpool’s humourous qualities. Anyway, glad to have him for my Sinister 6 (or 7).

Studio Series Jazz and Hot Rod have finally been shown off. Hot Rod looks amazing, Jazz looks a little cheap though I think the white background’s not helping. I would far rather he have more of a toy look than cartoon but with some reprolabels I think that can be sorted out - RTS also needed them. What I’m less sure about is replacing United Stepper, he is very pretty. An Artfire Stepper two-pack could be rather tempting though. (Glad I never got United Artfire!)

Over three years ago, I decided I needed to make a Kintaro from Mortal Kombat 2. I took my Goro figure apart and make a mold for each component and made a copy in resin. Except a few didn’t come out very well. And then some stuff happened (life stuff), and it has sat on the back burner for these few years. I felt strangely anxious starting to make the molds again, but I got there and finally put the resin in last night and am waiting for it to harden. Really hope they come out decently and I can finally starting putting the figures together. If I can’t do it before I move house then could be another few years again. I cast a few heads as well for a few custom bits and bobs. It’s hard resisting the temptation to start 'exiting’ new projects.

With virtually every single 1984-86 Transformers character getting a new figure, there’s not much in my mind that I want redoing, I reckon Blaster, Perceptor, Sandstorm, Metroplex, Devastator and Snarl (assuming he’s the Dinobot not getting a SS figure). That’s not bad. Add to that figures of the Throttlebots, some of the cassettes, Pointblank and Sureshot, and that’s pretty much the entire US cartoon done, and done well.

************

The new studio series '86 figures look great! You can see the extra budget for Hot Rod and Scourge. I'm down for Kup and Blurr (though I'm not getting rid of Generations Kup just yet). Jazz still looks a bit washed out but with some Reprolabels should be fine. Grimlock looks solid but to be honest, he's a placeholder until the properly gold chromed version. I'll get him anyway despite the cost. There's a rumour of a Punch/Counterpunch repaint in red. Please be Pointblank! There's an excitement of getting a new character that even new versions of my favourite characters doesn't quite match. I'd like a Sureshot from Mirage, but I think in an ideal world there would be a Slapdash from Mirage and a new mold for Sureshot and Joyride.

Marvel Legends Rhino arrived! He's a slightly older figure now, and really quite expensive. I think a new version is quite likely, but he's one of those big chunky characters that I can't help but like. Even though the head with the eyes uncovered is more cartoon accurate, it's a little too manic (and on mine the eyes are looking in different directions). They've cleverly put the weight into the legs so he's solid, the chest is fairly hollow so it's not top heavy. Looking good.

I'm about to check how my casts turned out. It's a both exciting and anxious time, if they all turned out well then I'll be extremely happy. If it doesn't then potentially I'll have to make another set of molds. Of course if they turn out well then I'll actually have to get on with Goro/Kintaro. Deep breaths.......

They came out brilliantly! The heads in particular came out very well, I think I've perfected how to create a mold of a head - pick a point for the hole that's not the socket where it fitted onto the neck ball socket (back or the top of the head works best). I made a mold from the 2010 Spider-Man 3.75" Lizard, third time lucky! The Goro parts have come out as well, though quite a lot of work will be needed to fill the holes and add working joints. No excuse now, it's time to get the joints and epoxy out.

Having received Rhino, I really like him. I’ve decided to lower my bar for collecting Legends ever so slightly, characters that I thought weren’t quite important enough. So I’ve popped in orders for Kang and Abomination. Kang turned up really quickly. Like Doom before him, this is an incredible version of a classic villain. His green tunic is very 70's futuristic looking. He can't really hold his gun in a satisfactory manner, but otherwise looks great.

I bought Emma Frost from the Hellfire set, I did something a little radical, I changed her legs out. Mostly for stability - she was wearing high heels, but also to make her a little more cartoon accurate. I used the deadly white Black Widow which itself had two advantages, better guns (with smoke and firing effects), but also a replacement head for my vintage Widow who had applied her lipstick whilst driving. Over speed bumps. Good stuff! My X-Men shelf lineup was the 90’s cartoon, having taken this Wolverine and the X-Men inspired picture, I’ve gone with an Evolution lineup for my shelf (Iceman is standing in for Spyke.)

I’ve received Mysterio and Vulture. Mysterio is a lovely figure, I appreciate the gold over the green, comic accurate or not. The special effect pieces are great as well. Vulture is good, there’s nothing else you might want from him. He looks like a bitter old man as you might expect. He feels a little like a filler figure - if we get a cartoon Chameleon I might not keep him. I’ve been wondering how to decide which villains to get, with X-Men and Fantastic 4 I don’t feel too conflicted. With the Avengers I’m getting Kang and Abomination. With Spider-Man I’ve got Green Goblin and the Sinister 6. Perhaps what I should think is that for my favourite characters I should get two of their main villains. (Considering Venom as an anti-hero and Kingpin as Daredevil’s villain.)

So I used the Lizard head for..... Reptile! I now have alternate heads for Scorpion and Reptile. I had a go at making some arms for Sub Zero in light blue resin but I couldn’t fit them so I’ve stuck with the regular arms but with a bit of paint. My human male ninjas are finished (and so all of the hidden characters).

I’ve received Ms. Marvel so I can put together a season 2 A:EMH display. Need a classic Ms. Marvel and a Yellowjacket really. Incidentally, I pulled out my Mark VII Iron Man for this picture, and realised he was missing his shoulder. I searched right through my Legends box trying to find it. I then looked at a photo from when I got the figure, it was always missing and I didn’t notice! Weird and annoying.

Kingpin arrived! He’s wonderfully accurate to the comic. Just perfect for what I want. He completes my comic versions of the Netflix Daredevil show lineup as I also opened Elektra. As expected she’s pretty great looking.

I keep on seeing 6” Black series Star Wars figures, I haven’t bought any but it did lead me down a bit of a rabbit hole. I think with my 3.75” collection, I developed some sort of criteria for buying figures - main character, force user, alien, whether on the Jedi council sort of thing. I can’t quite remember exactly. I do like me some random background alien Jedi though. Looking through some toy websites I may have found a list of every single Jedi that appears in a film or Star Wars: Clone Wars cartoon (not that one) episode. I may have googled each one to see whether they are an alien and whether they have a figure. I may be checking eBay regularly to see if they become available at a reasonable price...... So my new criteria are get all alien Jedi, and important human Jedi from the films and clone wars cartoon (not that one), and Ahsoka Tano from the clone wars cartoon (yes, that one). But Eeth Koth and Adi Gallia are excluded because I have Agen Kolar and Stass Allie and they're more or less the same characters but with different actors.

I got Sora Bulq and Que-Mars Redath-Gom now. Let's be honest here, they look like they might have been victims of the Jedi purge and then somewhat un-ceremoniously brought back to life. Alternatively they might have been filming the Geonosis scene in Attack of the Clones, realised they needed some more Jedi and sent someone out to get some extra masks from the joke shop....... The articulation on Sora isn't great, he doesn't have knees but he does have an action pose so it's not too troubling. It's nice to pick up a few extra Jedi so happy to have these figures.

My postman has been a busy man!

Really really organised

I set myself an objective several years ago to 'organise' my collection. I don't think I actually knew what that meant at the time, but I have finally got here now. I've packed up my entire collection into IKEA boxes. I've got 15 of the boxes with the largest footprint (of which 12 are the really shallow ones and 3 are just huge). Within each box, each figure is bagged up in an acid-free baggy, with instructions, parts and a little note to say the name and year of the figure. Large figures are wrapped in bubble wrap. 

The boxes are organised, so of the shallower boxes, two are G1 (one Actionmasters, Micromasters and reissues, one everything else), one Beast Wars (actual Beast Wars rather than the Generations figures), one everything in between Beast Wars and Combiner Wars, one Combiner Wars, one Titans Return and Power of the Primes, two 3.75" Marvel (one Avengers/street/mystic, the other X-Men/cosmic), one 6" Marvel, one video games and Star Wars (and other 3.75" stuff), one Turtles, Thundercats, Ghostbusters and Power Rangers, and one Masterpiece, WST and non-transforming Transformers (vinyl/Kreo). Of the large boxes, one is Metroplex, Trypticon, Omega Supreme, Unicron and Sky Lynx. One is Fortress Maximus, Scorponok, Predaking, Overlord, God Ginrai and Dai Atlas. The final box is my Lego Ghostbusters firehouse, Lego AT-AT, Minimates Thundertank, TB2 and TB3, and various 3.75" vehicles.

I started doing this because I wanted to be organised. As it happens I'm going to be moving house soon so am really well set. I've sold loads of things off as well, a mammoth task in itself. A few bits I was a bit reluctant to list, but I did it. I am organised now!

My collection is much simpler now, before I had G1 reissues, G1 leaders, G1 animal based Transformers ('Primatives'), Classics, Masterpiece, WST/Micromasters, toys I had as a kid, and Grimlocks and Ravages. Now I have most things in one collection - I have the best version of each character, so if a character doesn't have a modern update then it's the G1 figure. I no longer have G1 as separate collections. I have very limited Masterpiece and WST collections, and still have my Grimlock and Ravage collection, but otherwise it's one big collection. This meant getting rid of most of my reissues and G1 toys, and..... it feels good. For ages I kept them because they were the first things I bought when I started collecting, and you 'need' G1 Prime in your collection, and I had some of them as a kid. But, yeah, it feels okay. I feel free now, it's a good feeling! 

Despite having lots of things to get rid of, I don’t regret any of it. It was all part of the journey. The only thing I wish I hadn’t bought into is third party figures. Perfect Effect’s Warden (Fortress Maximus) is the only one I have left. Upgrade kits on the other hand, I am glad I bought and although I don’t have any of those anymore, they also feel like part of the journey.

I have got rid of figures I really like, figures that remind me of being a child. But they’ve spent the last ten years in a box. And just because I’ve got rid of a figure, I still have those memories. There are many great figures which I don’t have, but you know what? I don’t need to own them! My collection is mostly a concept in my head, I enjoy the thought of having complete groups or sets. That means I don’t need multiple versions of the same characters, G1 toy or not. With all the selling I always think ‘never again’, but the combination of rearranging my collection and WFC putting out great new versions of characters meant a lot of sell at once. Hopefully I can stop my list of things to sell building up too much again, I know the staff at the local post office very well now. 

An aside from this is I have a bit of money to play with now, if a WFC Black Zarak or Marvel Legends Galactus is announced then I'm all in. (I do need to own those.)

My Mastepiece collection is now Prime, Grimlock, Soundwave, Bumblebee, and MP-36+ Megatron. I previously had the regular version which didn’t quite work for me. I wasn’t immediately sure about this ‘toy’ deco version but once I got him into a pose from his G1 boxart I was sold. He looks great and a good counterpart to Prime. (Who has dead eyes, I’m wondering whether to paint them, perhaps in yellow.) I’d get a Blaster if/when they do him, but am now very happy with my minimal Masterpiece collection.

Speaking of Bumblebee, I actually opened him. Even as a kid I appreciated VW Beetles because of Bumblebee so it's great to have a figure with that altmode. The colour is perfect (it's a bit like the Legends X-Men), gold/light orange colour. I found Bumblebee's G1 cartoon face didn't work for me, so very glad to find I had the alternate face with toy look (I'd forgotten I even had it). Grimlock, Bumblebee and Megatron all have their G1 toy looks. Need to work out how to get Prime and Soundwave to match.

Strong Guy (wave) turned up. This is the first time I've bought an entire wave of Marvel Legends (I did once buy an entire wave of DC Universe to get the BAF Bane). Sadly I don't want any of the actual figures but Strong Guy looks great, he adds quite the presence to my display - I've got X-Factor displayed with the Blue and Gold teams, a little Excalibur (Captain Britain, Nightcrawler and Kitty Pryde), and a bit of X-Force (Cable). Need Wolfsbane. 

Pulsecon! Beast Wars Megatron, Blackarachnia, Optimus Primal and Rattrap. Warpath and Cyclonus! They all look great. But I’m not sure about whether I need them. I plan to pick them up and make a decision when they're in hand. If Megatron has the option of removing the tail to reveal a hand then would definitely need that. Cheetor is a done deal. Also some promising hints from the ark work they showed off.

The leaked Hot Rod and Scourge looks amazing, Kup I'm not sure about. I really like the Generations figure, but I think the new one will likely fit in better with Hot Rod and probably Blurr when we see him. I think Kingdom Ultra Magnus, Rhinox and Waspinator are also going to fall into the same category of ‘not quite sure’. Tracks, Huffer, Airrazor, Dinobot and Tigatron I think are going to be dead certs. Gears is in the artwork, a definite maybe.

The Marvel Legends reveals weren’t overwhelming, but the 21 characters I wanted were down to 20 with the Falcon reveal (and one of my top wants as well). It's exactly the version I want. I then came across a preorder for the Hellfire set, I kind of assumed that it would be really hard to get and/or very expensive. But I got it at a reasonable price and so have Emma Frost, my list is quickly down to 19. Her outfit doesn't match that from Wolverine and the X-Men, but given we're unlikely to get another option soon, I'll take it. Green Ranger is in the next wave of Power Rangers so will almost be done with that. Super 7 have shown off their next wave of TMNT - Donatello for me. Preorders in.

Had a bit of a switch up of my Marvel Legends, previously I had my all X-Men display but now have got what I consider to be the most 'pure' display. 90's cartoon X-Men, A:EMH Avengers, Spider-Man and Fantastic 4. Seems like a long time since I had Avengers and Fantastic 4 out. So many great figures.

My mind is still searching for things I want, Mega Bloks Splinter (from the Technodrome set) and a sword for POTP Predaking. Both on their way! I'm eying up a couple of Lego sets but I don't think there's anything else I've wanted but dismissed. I'm really really caught up.