Several decisions later

I seem to have a long list of things I'm waiting to be delivered. I wonder if I'm done with all the spending I've been doing. In retrospect, I made several decisions. Firstly I decided I needed to get the Sinister 6 and Masters of Evil as Marvel Legends. Then I decided I need Diaclone based (Generations) Transformers figures, then to get doubles of important characters. (I've decided important characters are those from Seasons 1 of G1 and Beast Wars, and the leaders of the various series.)

I got a Siege Ultra Magnus, I also got Netflix Hound. I've set myself the rule that although I'm getting two versions of important characters, they should be different in some way (if only a packaging difference). I think I'm done with Siege now, again. I'm eyeing up another Wheeljack, choice between Netflix and Kingdom, I guess the Netflix version would be a bit more interesting.

Ultra Magnus is great, my only thing against him is the dark blue plastic and the battle damage. He could be amazing. I like the whole white Prime thing (thanks Dreamwave). Transforming him for the first time was quite a challenge - his shoulders were pegged together incredibly tightly, and it took me a while to work out what happens to his butt bumper for white Prime mode. This figure reminded me of the Fansproject upgrade for Classics Magnus. Very happy though, I think I prefer the Cybertronian look to the front of the cab so I might keep this figure as white Prime and the Kingdom figure as Magnus.

I decided I needed 6" figures of the Star Wars characters from the Clone Wars cartoon (not that one), plus my favourite vehicles in 3.75" scale, complete with clones (specifically vehicles I used to have as Transformers). I think that's it..... I rewatched the Clone Wars cartoon (not that one) again. This time, I really watched it. Keeping a mental note of Jedi Starfighter types, the clone vehicles you see. Which characters you see. I hope we get an updated ARC trooper but I'm happy to have some good stand ins. I also realise I probably need a Starfighter for Saesee Tiin and Kit Fisto. Doh! I might need some droids but otherwise I have all the important characters and vehicles in toy form.

I opened Clone Wars/Episode III Obi-Wan and Anakin. They look great but sadly not quite posable enough to recreate the DVD cover. I also got Tsui Choi, apparently he is in Episode III, just very briefly. Good enough for me! I also got Darth Plagueis on some rather shaky ground, I need more little blue alien Jedi (the greens have got a monopoly....). If he was more humanoid I might have passed. He's too cool!

I received Battle Cat but he’s pretty huge so really doesn’t work for a smaller scale, so I will sell him on. I opened my first Kingdom figure - battle gorilla, Optimus Primal. He's got a significant scratch on him, but hopefully I can cover it with some paint. He's great, I opened him whilst watching Doctor Who (starting from the 2005 reboot with Christopher Eccleston). Off to a promising start on both counts.

The rumour mill seems to be going crazy. I accept that the leaders from Victory might not be mainstream enough, but I feel a bit aggrieved that the Throttlebots and Targetmasters don’t seem to be happening. They could just be repaints/remolds. Glad to hear a Tarantulas seems to be planned though.

It’s amazing thinking over the history of Classics/Generations, all the way up to thrilling 30, there was a definitive version of most characters. I changed Bumblebee and Springer a couple of times, but things were simple. There was the odd upgrade to a superior Takara version. Then came the Prime Wars trilogy, a few characters got better versions and crucially it stopped me collecting third party.

The WFC trilogy has been a reboot, and I've replaced a lot! Some like Shockwave, Cheetor and Dinobot definitely needed new versions. I had a look at the list of everything that's been released and which I consider new characters. Flywheels, Spinister, Crosshairs, Apeface, Snapdragon, Scorponok, Airrazor, Beast Wars Scorponok and Tigatron. (Two of those - Flywheels and Apeface had Titanmasters.) So a good few additions to the 1987 and 1996 lineups, plus Spinister, but not that many considering how much I've spent. I can't see myself replacing so many figures again.

I’ve preordered Legends She-Hulk, very happy they’re done the grey version in green. Looks like a great sculpt and it’s more interesting to have her in a different costume to her Universe figure. What I would do if money were do if money were no object is how I make my collecting decisions - I try and do a slightly scaled down version of that extreme. I like the idea of some carded Legends figures but unless I could get an entire team in matching packaging it doesn’t appeal to me. The MCU 10th anniversary figures might have been quite a good line to collect, I’ll keep an eye out for anything new that might appeal.

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I received Siege Bluestreak and Reflector (standalone), Netflix Wheeljack and Hound, and Dragon Shield and regular Black ranger. Bluestreak looks excellent and it will be a tough call whether to keep him or the Earthrise figure in robot mode. Reflector looks good and I will display him with the Pulse set in camera mode. Wheeljack and Hound look good despite me generally not being that keen on 'battle damage'. Dragon shield Black ranger I just got for the headsculpt - the regular one looks terrible, the hair colour is really off! Black Ranger is the first character to really be able to make use of the butterfly shoulder

I've paid my invoice for Super 7 Leonardo, he turned up quickly. Similarly to Raphael he grew on me quickly and although the second head is cool, I can't quite convince myself to not display the default one.

I grabbed an Earthrise Megatron and popped in a preorder for two Scourges. I realise that this really has to be it, even if Generations gets a reset again, I've really bought into the WFC trilogy - I've bought multiple versions of each character and mold. Of course they will do new and better versions and swapping out the odd figure is fine but it's financially and mentally draining to do it to such an extent. So despite saying they should be different in some way, I've doubled up on Sunstreaker, Trailbreaker and Blackarachnia. I did get a spoiler upgrade for Sunny though. Speaking of which, Blackarachnia’s great. An amazing transformation. Kingdom is shaping up to be pretty great. Preordered Magnus and..... done. For now.......

Cool for Cats

Time to start reflecting back on 2020, apart from being utterly crap generally, we got some really good toys! Classics got reset, and so super modern versions of key characters.

War Machine arrived, he's great! I was a bit unsure about whether to get him but the effect parts are really versatile and fun. I always appreciate an actual head for an armoured figure. Bring on modular Iron Man. Soundwave ditto! As everyone seems to be saying, this is the Soundwave we wanted in 2006. Super tight arms but he looks the business and great light piping.

I've made the transition from Jedi (and Sith) to troopers! I got the Episode II Clone Trooper. I've never really taken the time before to appreciate the evolution of the clone/storm troopers. It's fairly obvious when you look at them side by side. Still find the various colours on the clones quite confusing (which given the significance of colour changed from being rank based to division based is not surprising). I don't think I've ever had a figure with a removable helmet with headsculpt underneath. I tried to buy three 3.75" (phase 1) clone troopers, I got sent a Black series (6") figure. Guess might as well keep it.

I got some ARC troopers from back in the day, they look the business but possibility is lacking. Also got Depa Billaba, she's pretty much five POA. I can put together pretty much any Jedi Council lineup together now. I also got the Eta Jedi Starfighter for Mace Windu. It looks amazing. I've rewatched Episodes I and II. It's been ages since I last saw them - Episode I especially. I enjoyed watching for the Quinlan Vos appearance, I also noticed Aurra Sing. Which is weird because I didn't know I even knew who she was - I saw her and the name popped into my head. Subconscious thought and memory is a strange thing. I enjoyed them both, particularly trying to identify the background Jedi. I think with a few tweaks they could be the films I really want (introduce Dooku earlier, his relationship with Qui-Gon, perhaps mention Plagueis - who apparently paid for the clone army in the books). I opened 6" Dooku and Obi-Wan after finishing Episode II. Great likenesses.

My appreciation for Star Wars vehicles came from collecting Star Wars Transformers - my collecting is becoming strange last  self-referential as I want to get 3.75" versions of my favourite Transformers. I'll be keeping an eye on what vehicles are released in the Vintage line. I did get the Tigershark deco of the Republic Gunship though. What a beast!  It’s a solid old toy, and huge. I’m not quite sure whether collecting 3.75” vehicles is a good idea but will go with it for the time being.

My ARC Commander turned up to command said gunship. He’s great, I like the flexibility of phase 1 or 2 helmets. Shame they didn’t do the troopers in the same way. The new Rex figure is close so maybe we’ll see something. I also got Darth Plagueis, the main villain of the piece (in my mind at least). I also gave in and got an Anakin (mostly so I had an excuse to get another Starfighter). He's from The Clone Wars (yes, that one), but I like the deco and given I'm getting Episode II and III Anakin in Black series, it's nice to have him be different.

I opened Tigertrack and Exhaust, they’re both great molds so happy to have an excuse to get them again. I’d really like some reprolabels for Exhaust, he just needs a bit more decoration. I like Tigertrack more than I expected, but you can’t go wrong with a yellow Lambo (unless they use cheese coloured plastic). Thinking about the other Diaclone decos, I could happily take a blue Bluestreak and a black Ironhide but would be grateful for whatever they give us. Orange and red Trailbreaker and Hoist perhaps?!

There have been more leaks/reveals/nonsense about upcoming Transformers releases. Sounds like a mix of things I want and stuff I don't really care about. The frustrating thing about leaks is when the thing you want isn't mentioned you know you've got a really long wait. There are some figures I want which are straight up recolours of existing toys, Sunstorm, Diaclone releases. Then there are opportunistic recolours/remolds for characters which aren't import enough for their own mold - Omnibots, Throttlebots and Autobot Targetmasters. Then there are the big asks, but I don’t think there’s many left. Star Saber and Deszaras are top of my list, they need big dedicated molds. I hope with the move from one titan and one commander to two commanders we could see them - it would make sense to have them with opposing factions. I also hope we see commander Fortress Maximus and Scorponok, I don’t want those characters mind, I want Grand and Black Zarak.

I started looking at some scans of old Argos catalogues, I remember in particular one of the four Dinobots (no Swoop in the UK). Turns out it was from 1986 which makes sense but I’m surprised I remember it so well. I also remember when I got Powermaster Optimus Prime thinking about different it was to ‘proper’ Optimus and that must be an even earlier memory. Anyway, I’ve always thought (if money were no object) how cool it would be to have multiples of each figure like they had in the catalogues. (Can you see where this is going?) The WFC Trilogy really lends itself to this because you have multiple versions of the main characters with slightly different altmodes.

For a couple of days I went a bit crazy working out all of the different (or same) versions of figure I was going to get. It did feel like madness. I’m going to get doubles of the Dinobots, and I think I will get doubles of some others but only where it’s cool or economical. I bought Reflector so will display him next to the combined toy deco set I already have. I finally bought in and got Siege Jetfire - it’s oversized, but the ‘Jetfire’ (rather than Skyfire) robot mode looks great and I’ll have the old 30th anniversary figure in jet mode. I already have the Siege and Earthrise versions of Prowl and Ironhide (and Soundwave if WFC counts as Earthrise). I might pick up Earthrise Ratchet if I can. I particularly like the idea of doubling up on Optimus and Magnus, and also the seekers, so I might get another Starscream from Kingdom - I figure getting the same figure from different lines is fair game. Phew.......

Smyths have Kingdom figures in stock so.... I ordered Blackarachnia, Cheetor, Primal and Cyclonus. I'm not sure about the colours on Cheetor and Cyclonus but figure I might as well see what I think along with Primal who I'm not sure about.

And now for something completely different, Battle Cat from Masters of the Universe Origins. I want to see how I feel about the scale. I'm not a huge He-Man fan but like the idea of having He-Man and Skeletor (the latter mostly for my villains collection), and their cats.

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.

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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.