Natchios on the toy shelf

I tried to look for more discounted Barbie fashion packs in other malls but I wasn't interested in the ones left. I tried looking for more Skrulls but they were not sold in the store I visited. Luckily, I saw an Elektra Marvel Universe figure and immediately grabbed it.

This figure is being sold for around US$19 on local eBay. That's just a dollar mark-up from what the other sellers sold it for last year. I got it just last night for around US$13.

Based on hearsay from the toy community, it was only now that these figures reached local toy shelves because the distributors didn't want the Marvel Universe toy line to compete with the Avengers toy line. They only made it available to selected collectors and hobby shops to help build up an appetite for the majority (via blogs and FB reviews). The distributor with the help of the scalper-collectors and hobby shops resell it for a higher price as they have connived to make it appear rare. These transactions usually doesn't involve a receipt so the tax portion also goes to their pockets. (No wonder a lot of MU collectors are pissed and decided to stop collecting.)  This is also what happened to other figures like Dagger, Thanos, Rhino and Abomination. The remaining inventory were just released recently in local toy stores, others on a later date.

There might not be many Dagger and Elektra figures left since a lot of collectors have hoarded these figures to customize.  (15Jan2015 Update: This figure and others from the same wave are still in stock. This has 5 units in one major department store.) A lot are impressed with the new articulation compared to the old female figures. Personally, I'm torn.

 

New and old body comparison

Yes, the new body has better articulation in most body parts except the hips. The new female body can't do a side split! Others also like the proportion but to me it's not comic nor sexist enough, so unlike how they are represented in the comics. I like the rounder boobs of the old female figures. I also like that their feet seem smaller. The new figures are also more leggy. These are all subjective, of course.

So, I'm not really sure if I like this Elektra figure just because of the added articulation. Maybe I can do a posing showdown between a poorly articulated figure like the Black Widow and this Elektra. I'm so glad that I didn't have to pay that much just to get something I feel lukewarm about.