The OAFEnet Email Update wishes you and yours a very merry Giftsmas.
Since we all just want to get out of the office and start celebrating, we hope you'll forgive the fast and lazy version of the OEU this week. Here we go!
- JOE FRIDAY! Croc Master is an entirely new sculpt. The scaly details on his shirt and boots aren't exactly something you could fake, are they? Still, if the 1987 version could have a uniquely sculpted body, the fans would be crying bloody murder if this one didn't, as well. The boots lace up the sides, and seem to have rubber caps over the toes...
- Counting the horns on his helmet, Krayt stands 4 1/4" tall. He has a balljointed head, swivel wrists, waist and hips, and swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows and knees. Really, the only major joints he's missing are the ankles, which isn't much of a loss. The joints are rubbery, however, so getting them moving took some effort. He has two red lightsabers...
- The packaging also helpfully gives a potted summary of "Avatar" and what we're basically looking at is Our Hero (a Captain America type, idealistic but crippled, and offered a new lease on life) signing up to defend Earth's interests abroad, only to discover that "Earth's interests" involve slaughtering the natives and taking their land...
- MARVEL MONDAY! Beast's sculpt is very strong. The details in his fur are deep and crisp, and his ridiculous clothes look like thick rubber. His hands are thick and paw-like, but his feet are still mostly human; judging by the source artwork, they should be elongated paws, as well. There's some really nice detail where the fur near his elbows...
- TRANSFORMERS TUESDAY! Electrostatic Soundwave doesn't quite match the already-toned-down cartoon colors: instead of a nice grey, he's a desaturated blue, which falls into the "almost but not quite" camp. Come on, guys, black. Just make him black, since that works for a toy the way it wouldn't on the cartoon. Rather than merely changing colors...
- The ToYs are the voice of the real fan community, covering what's really the best of the best. What started out as one "best of" award has grown and expanded to include a few more categories, but still: they're all the best of the best. We've even inspired a few imitators, but when you want the real toy of the year, you head for the Toy of the Year...
- When NECA's Kratos hit stores two years ago, collectors of NECA's highly-detailed figures were surprised to discover hinged elbows, swivel biceps and balljointed ankles. NECA has used greater articulation on many of its videogame figures since, from Gears of War to Bionic Commando to Resident Evil (though sadly, not on their movie-based figures, such as Conan)...
- I love Christmas-themed toys because, since they double as decorations, I can buy toys from lines I don't collect. I'm not in the Playmobil loop the way Rustin is, but much like Lego, this ostensibly child-oriented franchise has been building a strong collector following for years. Originally developed in Germany in the 1970s, Playmobil now has...
Okay, that's all for us this week. Have a good one, and we hope you get what you want!
