Marvel Movie Ladies

Asgardian Squad

I don't like Thor. (By Thor, I mean Marvel's Thor not the Norse god he was based on.)  He's a classic example of a white privileged man. I doubt he would be worthy of Mjölnir, the hammer, if he wasn't the son of Odin. Gods! I know right?

In the Avengers, Thor takes the role of a dumb blonde. I heard that in the upcoming Thor movie, they will showcase Thor's dumbness more making the story more comic than the 1st two. I just hope that something tragic, like Odinson's death, will cap off all the dumbness. I think it's just as natural as any twist or irony. Plus, I can't wait for a female Thor to grace the silver screen.

If there's something I like about Thor, it's his squad. Thor has an Asian ally! Hogun is probably the first Asian action doll from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I know I had to get him. Thor also has a Black ally, Heimdall, but I still have to get me a Heimdall doll. The Lady Sif doll was harder to get because of not many were created to propagate the idea that female action dolls don't sell. (It is important to note that I started collecting these doll when I was able to buy Thor, Iron-man and Captain America dolls at heavily reduced prices because they didn't got sold.) Now, if only they make Fandral bisexual, that would be great. I only got Fandral and Volstagg because I don't want to break up the Warriors Three.

Heimdall is stationed at the Bifrost so he doesn't join much in Thor's battles, so I think I've completed Thor's squad. I wouldn't have been able to do so if the 4-inch figures are still popular. Many collectors are quitting their collection making it easier for me to complete my Asgardian squad.

A Road Bot and the Avengers

Road Bot 1:18 Toyota Land Cruiser

I grew up enjoying the Transformers but I outgrew them. Even the live action movies seemed alien to me. The main reason I bought this Road Bot is that it can transform to a 1:18 scale vehicle, something I could use with my 4-inch action dolls. 

The packaging, with photos of the doors that can be opened, really intrigued me. I wondered if a 4-inch doll could fit inside. Although it would still work as a prop, it would be a lot better if someone can drive it. I tried to look for more info online before I decided to buy it.

Superhero problem

Although fighting and violence are main ingredients in the lives of superheroes, not all of them intends to harm or kill their opponent. The Silver Surfer in the 90's animated TV series is an example. (I am not aware if the comic book version of the Silver Surfer is the same.) 

Starting off as the herald of Galactus, the Silver Surfer hunted for planets to feed his master. Galactus changed the Surfer's personality including his values towards life the moment he was given special powers. This made him forget about the teachings of his peaceful planet of origin, Zenn La. The moment he was reminded of his peace-loving origins, he rebelled against his master and vowed to protect life.

There were many moments where the Silver Surfer could just kill his opponents and get on with his life but he didn't take that path. The TV show ended abruptly with the hero seemingly failing in his mission. Season two never got produced so we have no way of knowing if the Surfer's non-violent ways was effective in saving the universe. But that's beside the point.

What I appreciate the most about the story of this superhero is the concern for life whether it's human, alien or villainous. I wish I could say the same for our local superheroes. I wonder why Darna doesn't try to capture her opponents and make them answer to the justice system. Why does Darna play judge and executioner? And why do a lot of Filipinos think that it's the right thing to do?

I heard that there will be an upcoming Darna movie. I hope that the people involved in that project will be more sensitive to the hero problem of extra-judicial killings. I want to see how Darna will value lives. I want to see a change in her after her first kill. I want to know how she will tackle the moral conflict of killing. I want her to have a conscience that haunts her. I want her to submit to a judicial system and not implement her vigilante type of justice. Do we want Darna to reflect the EJK culture of the Philippines?

I want the supporting characters to question her power and authority. I want them to think about a check and balance system. I don't want the towns folks to be hero-worshipping simpletons. I want them to be critical about Darna. If they are going to present characters similar to the older movies, they might as well just restore and re-release the old movies.

The 90's called

Would you believe that I learned about the Silver Surfer animated series (from 1998) just in this decade? Thanks to Youtube, I was able to watch the series last weekend. Too bad the series had to be cut short with that ending.

One more done on the to do's

I finished repainting the comic Vision although I may have to add one more item to my to-do list. I heard the movie Dr. Strange two pack is overpriced. I might just make one for myself.

Marvel Universe (aka 3.75-inch Marvel Legends) Classic X-men

I find their costumes cute but silly and I'm no 70's kid, but one of my favorite X-men stories The Dark Phoenix Saga was from that decade. I was introduced to it by the animated TV show from the 90's. I could have collected the action dolls with the 90's costume but completing the team was not an option made available by Hasbro. Up to this day, there hasn't been any 3.75-inch Storm doll in her white 90's uniform released by Hasbro. It has been around 8 years yet there is no sign that there will be one.

It must be annoying for other collectors to not be able to complete a team that belongs in the same period of time. No wonder people would rather cherry pick. They don't have the chance to collect them all. The only choice is to make the other characters yourself but would adults really have the time? There's alway better or more important things to do. Younger folks who have a lot of spare time can probably do it, but would they be interested in the older looks (90s below) of the characters? 

I guess that is one reason this toy line is dying. They always leave an empty space in the roster of characters that they don't intend to fill.

Intergalactic photoshoot with Gamora

After I adjusted the red accents on Gamora's costume, I decided to take more photos of her.

The bigger Groot is a Divisoria version. My OC-ness wants to modify the little skulls on Gamora's cape to a better sculpt. We'll see.

And since it's February, I took photos of her with one of her romantic partners Nova. If you enlarged the photos, you will see the strings I used to hang the two in front of the TV. Hashtag nofilternophotoshopbaby! Just water-marks, thanks to Photogrid.

Marvel Universe (aka 3.75 Marvel Legends) Gamora and the Guardians of the Galaxy

I finally took time to lessen the items in my toy-to-do list. I have created a custom Gamora 4-inch action doll. An official version was released but I felt it didn't fit in with the boxset group. I wanted everyone in their blue uniforms with red accents. The red accents on Gamora's uniform need another coating, I know, but I was too excited to take pictures.

While others opted to use the She-hulk doll as the base (probably because it needs less painting), I find it too bulky. I was afraid that the Elektra doll I used would make a very skinny Gamora but I liked how it turned out.

Hasbro didn't release decent 4-inch figures for the Guardians of the Galaxy  movie. I didn't watch it in the theater. The same is true with the Doctor Strange movie. (Although I boycotted the later because of racism.) I don't know if I will watch the GoTG sequel. Without the toys, probably not. 

Elite Force

This is another set of toys that I put off buying because I know they will be reduced to a more reasonable price. I like the detail in the sculpt but the articulation is very basic. They can serve the purpose of a military everyman.

I didn't saw a lot playsets aside from the buggy and parachute, which I don't find interesting. I would have wanted to see their version of a Humvee or a Blackhawk.

The not so giant Ant-man

See, it's not so bad to get a toy people have been talking about last year just now, especially if one got it for a good price, lower that anything sold online. This build-a-figure Ant-man was released along with the 6-inch Marvel Legends line, something I don't collect, so the only way I could get this is through the secondary market. Although I wanted the figure, I wasn't willing to pay the unreasonable prices online sellers where asking for it. Here's why.

This 10-inch Ant-man is still short for the 4-inch line, what more for the 6-inch figures? Any self-respecting 6-inch Marvel collector would find a better option for an Ant-man. When they realize that it's in bad scale, 6-inch collectors will let go of this 10-inch figure. Since the 4-inch figures is a dying scene, at least for the Marvel-Hasbro line, the demand won't be high. 

If you're still hunting for this figure, just wait it out until you get a good deal. You'll live even without one anyways.

Chinitos

My 1st (left) and 2nd (right) World Peacekeepers dolls

I thought they share the same face mold with different hairstyle. I was even planning to make them as identical twins, hence the matching clothes. Apparently, each one is unique. I haven't seen these two together in the same store for me to compare, until yesterday.



This is probably the last (for now) World Peacekeepers doll I'll be buying, unless they have it on huge discount, (which I expect sometime next year). Redressing them is less fun as not a lot of Ken shoes fit them.



I still like the 1st one better. The second one (above) has a dated hairstyle. It's so last decade ago. The 1st one has a more timeless hairstyle although it's a bit dorky. I also like the sensual stare and pout on the first one. I just bought the second one simply because I just don't have enough chinito male dolls.

Not-a-toy toy

I bought some toys, including a Barbie doll, over the weekend but I didn't get to play with them that much. Yeah, thanks to Pokemon Go.

A major toy I got was Pokemon related. My old phone had problems with the game plus it is already 2 years old so I needed an upgrade. I was supposed to get an Asus Zenfone 3 but their price scheme is designed to attract people who blindly equate price with value, or at least those who demands little from their phone and money. I was really planning to get one over the weekend even before Pokemon Go was a thing. Yes, I plan in advance. But when Asus revealed the prices for the Zenfone 3 series, I had to look for another. I was reading reviews all week to help me decide.



While I was out, I decided to check the toy specialty shops. I was looking for a decently priced Black Panther 4-inch doll. I was lucky to find one with a suggested retail price. The movie version was a more sensible purchase than the comic version. The Agent 13 it came with was meh.



The photos of the Marvel dolls above were taken using the new phone. Although I don't usually care much about phonecams since I prefer using my point-and-shoot, I'm glad the pictures from the new phone are decent enough. I don't have a cable for the new phone to connect with the point-and-shoot camera so I have to rely on the phonecam, for now.

This blog entry was also posted using my phone. I was afraid the old apps I use in blogging are not compatible with the new phone. The old version of the Flickr app (which I prefer) is not compatible which is sad but I'll get over it.

The true test was of course how well the new phone performed in playing Pokemon Go. It was definitely better than my old phone, although it sometimes hang. I don't know if the problem is in the app, the server, the network or my phone.

Nope, I'm not gonna name the phone.

Waiting for the end

I can't wait for Hasbro to just quit their 4 inch action doll line. With each new wave, I want less and less from them, especially since the price increase. I just cherry pick from what they have to offer.



From their hopefully last wave, I picked Quasar. Although he's not in his vintage costume he still fits nicely with other cosmic characters.

Never Forget

The Black Widow didn't have heroic roots. She used to be a villain. She committed crimes in the past and S.H.I.E.L.D. has a record of these crimes.  During the Hydra's takeover of S.H.I.E.L.D., Black Widow was willing to reveal her dark secrets to the world if it meant taking down Hydra. 

I find this very interesting because these days, there are people who are trying to cover up their crimes. There are already public records of the crimes and some people are spreading false information to make it look like the crime never happened or trying to place the blame on someone else. These are the same people who claim that the dictator responsible for these crimes was a great leader. These are the same people who fault other people who can't forgive and move on from the crimes even if they were committed decades ago. 

Maybe if they admitted the crimes and subject themselves to the authorities, the way Black Widow admitted her crimes and subject herself to a Senate subcommittee, maybe there is a chance to see them in a different light.

Revisionism

This is the Marvel Universe Avengers: Age of Ultron Captain America with motorcycle.  The box indicates that it is Marvel Legends Captain America: Civil War Captain America with motorcycle. The Marvel Universe toy line is for the 4-inch action dolls while the Marvel Legends is for the 6-inch action dolls. Now, Hasbro is revising the toy lines and calling all their Marvel action dolls, whether it's 4, 6 or 12 inch, as Marvel Legends. This has brought  a lot of confusion among toy collectors. Hasbro doesn't care as long as their products sell.

The toy is being associated with the Captain America: Civil War movie. I don't remember Captain America riding a motorcycle there. He did use a motorcycle in the Avengers: Age of Ultron movie. The action doll's uniform looks closer to that of the Civil War movie than the Age of Ultron movie, though. Still it's not exactly like the ones from those movies.

What's the problem with this revisions? It is an outright denial of what happened. It is an attack on the truth. If there is anything good about the Captain America: Civil War movie, it gives some attention on the victims of the tragic events. People died. There was no denial. The characters were not treated as if they were not affected. They didn't move on just like that.  They tried to learn from the past.

This toy defeats the aim of upholding the truth. It is just another denial exercise. It associates itself to the wrong movie for it's own benefit. The buzz for the older movie has died so marketing it along with the newer movie is the practical move. It may be a practical move but it certainly isn't truthful. I find it villainous.  Their exercise of power on naming toys reminds of how a dictator name his humans right violation and corruption as progress and development using state owned mass media.

It's a good thing I didn't pay for the full price for this. (I paid 50%.) That's what it's worth with its half-truths and reduced articulation. With all the undesirable revisions, I'm going have to revise my desire to collect this line of toys and watching the movie versions of these characters. I may just settle for watching the pirated version and just stop with the Age of Ultron. Not all characters in the Civil War movie will be made available, anyways. Another option is to just buy the knock off toys. They have more than five points of articulation and a whole lot cheaper. Plus, it is a good idea to know where to stop. Here.

Cheese

This first Captain Marvel action doll fits more in my collection than the current Captain Marvel, although I don't know much about him. I googled and saw cheesy (by today's standards, although they might been acceptable back in the days) comic book covers and decided to recreate them.

Gotta love what you have.

Reconsideration

I'm not a Ms. Marvel/Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel fan. I bought this figure because of the possibility for turning it into another character.  That shouldn't keep me from enjoying this toy in its original form. 

I heard a new movie will be made based on this character but that will be released around 3 years from now. I bet the comics will make this character more interesting. But then again, a Black female lead is overdue. The female Captain Marvel could be the Monica Rambeau. That's far-fetched, of course. You can't expect too much  from the Marvel Cinematic Universe writers/producers/directors.

I might like the character by then. I might regret not having a Captain Marvel action doll. There is no urgent reason for me to create a new character out of this toy, anyways. Who knows, other toy releases would be more suitable for the character I have in mind, or they will release a toy version of that character. This toy will remain as is, for now.

The toy came with a comic book. Unlike previous comics that came with toys like this, this comic book has an ad for another toy line. I feel that Hasbro is really pushing us 4-inch collectors to switch to the 6-inch line. No way!

They can end the 4-inch line, for all I care. I'm quite satisfied already with my 4-inch collection. I really don't need this toy. It was just accessible and available and I have the funds and it takes so little space to store this. I would have preferred the unmasked version, since one can do more with that head sculpt than this one,  but it sold out. No big deal. Toys aren't.

Denial Exercise

I have a problem with the look-at-the-bright-side mentality. The not-so-bright side doesn't get enough attention. I think that is why we have necks, to help us look at every side, bright or not. I'm a self-confessed pessimist so that should be expected of me.

At least, I don't know anyone personally who was affected when it was revealed that Captain America is an agent of Hydra. I did saw online reactions of some fans, mostly of disbelief, thinking/hoping that there will be a twist somewhere down the line. 

I'm more concerned with how people are not reacting when someone says that if you are a corrupt journalist, you might as well expect to be assassinated. This is from the same person who finds it appropriate to kill criminals even before they are tried. Look at the bright side. At least, there will be less criminals and corrupt journalists.

As of late, there has been a number of alleged criminals being killed. What can stop a cop, or somebody else, from killing a civilian and make it look like the victim is a criminal? How difficult could it be to plant evidences against a dead person? Bag and tag the body as a drug dealer or as a corrupt journalist and a common person will sleep soundly at night.

After reading the news about an alleged criminal who was killed, how many people will ask themselves if the dead person was indeed a criminal? Who can review the evidences? How can someone appeal to reverse the judgement? Due process, all that is taken away, not just from the person who was killed but from everybody who knows that the due process is part of what keeps us safe.

Somebody is killing our due process. Should we kill the murderer?