Iron Man, Mark III (from Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectibles)

In my mind a good indicator of a high-quality collectible -- *ahem* action figure -- is that I start getting ideas how the makers could have added even more layers, more detail to a piece that is already packed with detail. In the case of Iron Man, Mark III (from Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectibles), I wish there was a button to press for catch phrases from Capcom fighting games. It seems a perfect fit, especially given the fact the figure is already wired for lights in four locations. Why not a sound chip to spout, "Proton CANNON!"?

Makes me wonder if there's an after-market supplier that I could contact to install such a thing. I'd even settle for a sound chip in the large base that ships with the figure.

The attention to detail actually starts with the box Iron Man is packed into. And for the price tag of $309.99 USD ($405.00 CAN) that should be expected but as much as I like boxes, the showpiece, of course, is Iron Man.

No assembly required! Just free the figure from the deftly cut styrofoam liner, remove the copious bits of protective plastic and foam, and enjoy!

Well, there is some assembly necessary if you want the full effect of the lights. The package includes the necessary "button" batteries to install for the four light-up locations: visor (accessed through the forehead), the hands (batteries installed in the biceps); and the chest (located in the back). Each of these compartments are secured by a screwed-down hatch.

The included mini screwdriver is, in a word, terrible. This is a deluxe figure so why not include a screwdriver that will actually get the job done? The mini screwdriver slips easily when it use thereby damaging the heads of the screws. In the long run this will mean the battery hatches will become wholly inaccessible.

Wax On! Wax Off! WAX WAX!

I really did think I would be blogging up a storm about games lately, especially with E3 in the rear-view mirror and the very recent flip-flop from Microsoft regarding their DRM/always on plan and the battle against used game sales, but I'm struggling with actually caring very much about games at the moment.

I'm not sure I want to turn this into a "Dear Diary..." exposition of my personal life but I feel comfortable enough to say that there are a lot of changes happening in my life and a particularly big change in a few weeks: moving.

I'll be honest, I hate moving.

It has a lot to do with the last time we packed up the house and moved everything.

We'd just returned from three weeks away in Florida and after a long drive back home from Seattle -- riding the bleeding edge of a snow/ice storm that turned the highways into bobsled runs -- and thought we were relatively prepared to move prior to leaving on vacation. How wrong we were! During the night, while we tried to shake jet lag, it snowed. Not a ton, but just enough to make manoeuvring a large moving truck extremely tricky. And, well, the list of things that went wrong extended from there -- more snow, taking way too long to pack our truck, etc. -- and at 1:00AM I was single-handedly trying to extricate the moving truck from the alley behind our new home with a shovel, handfuls of salt, and tubs of hot water. It was nasty! That was the first time I've ever been able to honestly say I was "bone tired" because I was barely functioning at the end of it and every step felt like an effort.

"Plastic Prices, Batman!"

In doing some research on potential display cases for some of my large collectibles, I approached a local company for a quote on producing a large five-sided box made of clear plastic. Using the dimensions of the largest display box available on Sideshow Collectibles -- see this blog post -- they came back with an astounding price of approximately $500! (More or less, depending on the thickness of the material.)

I describe it as "astounding" because the cases available on Sideshow, which light up by the way, run about $300.

So, basically, it looks like I'll try my hand at building a display case of some sort. I already have a vision in my head as to what it will look like. Now it's just a matter of measuring and cutting, gluing and swearing.

That last item tends to go hand in glove when I attempt DIY projects. What initially begins so simply and easily... well, that's the warning sign that something is about to go completely sideways. I'm a realist when it comes to this. The only thing one can do sometimes is just stammer, throw down a hammer, and fire invective at the walls (which are hopefully thick enough to shield people walking by the house).

And a lot of the time that old nugget from Jurassic Park springs forward.

You were "so preoccupied with whether or not [you] could, that [you] didn't stop to think if [you] should."

DIY enthusiasts take note.

"For Display Purposes Only"

The bust, I mean, dust is a real challenge with mixed
media statues.

Dust is a problem for just about everyone and everything. Space dust, skin dust, dirt dust, clothing dust, dust dust... dust comes from everywhere and it's murder on things like electronics and lungs (especially if it's asbestos dust). Being a bit of a collector -- action figures and large collectibles mostly -- dust can drive me to distraction because next to heated electronics and my CPU fan nothing collects more dust than my collectibles.

For the plastic and poly resin figures, clean-up is easy. A little warm water and air drying is enough to bring the figure back to it's dust-free state. However, when it comes to mixed media statues (figures that combine plastic, polystone, and, in some cases, fabric) it becomes a real issue.

When I had Morrigan (Darkstalkers) on display I was constantly blowing dust off the leggings until my wife asked me if I wanted to be alone. Currently the issue is present with M. Bison.

Sorting, Sorting, Sorting

Just prior to the sorting, the bins await my attention.

I recently started sorting my massive collection of action figures -- I had upwards of 12 Rubbermaid totes stuff full -- and it has been a completely upward climb trying to organize everything, especially when it comes to accessories, which I typically just threw into the tote with little thought of the kind of frustration I would cause my Future Self.

I'm somewhat impressed that I've been able to match up so many of the accessories to the various figures, but I still have a couple of small cardboard boxes filled with swords, guns, tentacles, chains, and appendages. I either can't remember which figure the pieces go with or have no idea where the figure is that pairs with the accessories. And The Simpsons figures are another ballgame entirely. Each figure came with three or four accessories. My memory just isn't good enough to pair that stuff up and I don't have the time necessary to research that stuff. At least the accessories in tend to have a similar look so that makes it a little easier.

I've been heavily collecting and reviewing action figures for the last 12 years and I've built quite the collection so as I sort and bag these figures, I'm in a philosophical battle with myself about boxing them back up and shuffling them down to the crawlspace. I don't really get a chance to "enjoy" these figures. I have a small handful of figures displayed and a few large Sideshow pieces out, but that's it. What good are these things doing packed away?

At any rate, I've been taking pictures so I thought I'd share some:

I have enough Halo figures and accessories -- from Joyride Studios and McFarlane Toys --
to recreate Halo: Reach. The pile includes a Prophet and Flood figures.