[Acquisitions] Various Iron Man Goodies

The past few weeks at work have been a grind and I'm really finding it hard to find some free time to write new blog entries, thus the Chain Base Comics overload a couple of weeks back. The kind of workload avalanche we've been experiencing at work has slowly become the norm and even though I don't like it one bit, my only option is to swim along. Anyway, I'm quite free today so I decided to write about some acquisitions which are long overdue. Come on, let's check them out!

[Acquisitions] Marvel Universe Greatest Battles Daredevil and Bullseye Comic Pack

Even though I'm a toy collector, I actually live a normal life and I'm pretty much like everybody else, especially when it comes to matters concerning my finances. I work eight hours a day, five days a week so that I can provide for my family, save for the future, and buy the things that I need and want. I sacrifice blood, sweat, and tears to earn every penny I can and that's the reason why when I spend, I always want to get the most bang for my buck. I'm a quality freak, no doubt, but I'm the type who's willing to pay a premium for class and that's where my love-hate relationship with Hasbro manifests. It's no secret that I'm a sucker for Hasbro products. In fact, all of the toy lines that I religiously pursue are from Hasbro. If you've been following this site for a while, then you probably know by now just how much I dig the company's properties and licenses. Though I seldom encounter quality-related issues when it comes to Joes and TFs, I really can't say the same for MUs. Marvel Universe figs are usually hit-or-miss and the type of plastic used in making a certain figure plays a big part in determining whether that particular figure is a hit or a miss. The unfortunate thing is, we end up paying the same steep amount for the figures regardless of the type of plastic used in making them.

[Acquisitions] Marvel Universe Red Hulk and Black Widow

Nope, I haven't ran out of toys to talk about. In fact, I have yet to post entries about a ton of goodies that I had purchased during the past three months. Work has consistenly been an absolute killer as of late but I'll try my best to sneak an entry every so often to keep things moving. Today, I'm featuring two Marvel Universe acquisitions from my China Square Central visit last February and as usual, these figures have a story to tell.

[Acquisitions] Marvel Universe Iron Spider-Man & Iron Man and Spider-Woman Secret Wars Comic Pack

Yey! Cheap MUs! I really, really love cheap figures! Who doesn't, anyway? After buying most of my toys at suggested retail price (or even above SRP), markdowns are truly something I look forward to and cherish. Getting a few figures for cheap is like being rewarded for contributing to a company's (or retailer's) bottom line. Though the idea of hauling a ton of figures on sale seems fun, the sad part is that in reality, I have to keep my purchases in check due to an upcoming trip abroad. I would love to army-build some of those Marvel stuff on sale but I don't have the financial flexibility to do that right now and so, I have to limit my purchases to the figs that I actually need for my collection. Figs like these three.

[Acquisitions] Marvel Universe Modern Iron Fist

Whenever I see Iron Fist, I can't help but reminisce the good old Heroes for Hire days. I was a huge fan of the book during its short 19-issue run from 1997 to 1999 and the HfH team ranks second on my list of all-time favorite superhero teams, just behind the Avengers. There were a lot of reasons why I got hooked with Heroes for Hire but I think that the idea of having a team with a rotating cast of members was what really drew me in. The HfH crew was pretty much like the Avengers in that regard and it didn't hurt that the team featured a lot of former Avengers on their roster. And though the team was bannered by Luke Cage and Iron Fist, two heroes I wasn't deeply familiar with, I was quick to accept their roles and I easily learned to appreciate what the duo actually had to offer. When Iron Fist became part of the New Avengers in 2007, guess who the most stoked person on Earth was?

[Acquisitions] Iron Man 2: Fury of Combat

 

Happy New Year, guys! Let's set the tone for 2012 by welcoming the year with a bunch of new toys! Come on!

I had been eyeing this Fury of Combat set for quite some time because of the exclusive Nick Fury figure that banners it but I wasn't willing to purchase it at SRP since I was only interested in one figure and paying for three other figures that I thought I didn't need seemed like a rip off. When I attended the Hasbro Toy Fair last December, the sets were already on sale for 1500 bucks (USD 35) but I decided not to grab one as I continued to hold out hope of finding a cheaper set at the Christmas Toy Fair being held simultaneously on a different level of the same venue. I eventually found one being sold for 1400 bucks and needless to say, that's the set that I bought. I was really happy with the purchase but I didn't realize that I would later be in for a rude awakening! Upon reaching home, I hurriedly set all of my new toys loose only to learn that one of my Ground Assault Drones came without the inner outrigger/stabilizer of its left foot! I double-checked the box to see if it had been opened before but it was definitely sealed when I bought it and that only meant one thing: the figure passed quality control despite the missing piece! Darn! I'm not a pathological cheapskate and although I can't be classified as a big spender either, I guess this time I just got what I paid for. Tough luck.

[Acquisitions] Captain America: The First Avenger Crossbones & Winter Soldier

 

The Captain America: The First Avenger figs are already on sale and I decided to snag these Crossbones and Winter Soldier figs because I think they fit my Joe-verse seamlessly. I'm quite fortunate to be able to find both figs on the shelves considering how well they were selling prior to the price reduction and for 200 bucks each, there was no reason not to give these villains a try. Luckily, both figs are worth the purchase.

[Acquisitions] Marvel Universe Hulk

 

Merry Christmas, dear readers! I hope you're all having a wonderful day with your family and friends but please don't forget the real reason why we're celebrating today! Let's continue to strenghten our personal relationship with Lord Jesus and let's share His love and blessings with the people around us! My family and I will be off to the mall in a while but before we go, I'll be sharing with you another Christmas Toy Fair acquisition. I was able pick up an action figure of a character who is green, strong, and full of anger but no, I'm not talking about the Grinch here, I'm talking about the Hulk!

[Acquisitions] Iron Man: The Armored Avenger Mark V

 

I'm back with another 1:18 acquisition and this time I have something from last weekend's Hasbro Toy Fair. It's an Iron Man: The Armored Avenger Mark V figure and depending on your tolerance, it may be something that, in your opinion, doesn't really warrant a purchase. We already got a 1:18 Mark V fig from the Iron Man 2 toyline and to be honest, I don't like the idea of buying two figures with very minor paint differences between them. I passed up on this fig when I first spotted it at retail last March but the fig's now down to 60% of its original price and so, I decided to give it a try.

[Acquisitions] Iron Man 2: Comic Series Ultimate Iron Man

Another day, another toy. Yey! Today, we have the Iron Man 2 Comic Series Ultimate Iron Man figure, another figure that was not released locally here in the Philippines. I was fortunate enough to snag one through eBay and it's high time to check out this amazing piece of plastic that we almost missed out on.

[Acquisitions] Iron Man 2: Comic Series (Modern) War Machine

Greetings! I'm still feeling the euphoria of the just-concluded 6th Christmas Toy Fair and I'm very eager to share my hauls from the said event but before I can do so, I still have some good pre-Toy Fair acquisitions to show you. We don't really need to rush things because like I told you, what we'll be checking out are good acquisitions, and I'm quite sure you'll enjoy them.

[Acquisitions] Marvel Universe Firestar

Jeez, I can't believe it's been three long weeks since I made my last post! My sincerest apologies. We've been very busy at work and I've been finding it hard to attend to any of my hobbies because of the extra time I need to spend at work. But fret not, I'm back with some new toys and we'll be tackling them in the following days. I attended the 6th Christmas Toy Fair and the Hasbro Toy Fair yesterday, both at SM Megamall, and I was able to score some nice figures from both events. I still have some pre-Toy Fair hauls that I need to cover, so let's get them out of the way first.

[Acquisitions] Marvel Universe Greatest Battles Wonder Man and Quicksilver Comic Pack

It's ironic that this set has quickly become one of my most treasured acquisitions this year considering that I'm not really a big fan of these Marvel Universe comic packs. I was so disappointed with my first MU comic pack figs that the thought of avoiding all the 1:18 Marvel toylines actually crossed  my mind. Fortunately, the Captain America: The First Avenger toyline helped change how I see things and now I'm steadily building my 1:18 Avengers crew. Still, I can't get over the fact that these MU comic pack figs do not come with display stands. Hasbro, please give every figure a display stand, we don't need to remind you how important those stands are.

[Acquisitions] Marvel Universe Falcon

After being preoccupied with work the past couple of days, I'm back with another addition to my 1:18 Avengers ranks, mainstream comics' first African-American superhero, Falcon. Cap will surely be thrilled to have his partner back!

[Acquisitions] Marvel Universe Tony Stark Iron Man

If you simply can't get enough of Earth's mightiest heroes, you're in luck because today we've got Hasbro's favorite character (in terms of figure production), the Armored Avenger himself, Iron Man! And no, this is not your usual 1:18 Iron Man, this one's actually Tony Stark Iron Man!

[Acquisitions] Marvel Universe Darkhawk

We're back with more Avengers stuff and this time we have Darkhawk, an android that was once a provisional member of the defunct Avengers West Coast team. Unfortunately, I don't know much about the character as I never really developed a great deal of interest in him, most probably because the Avengers West Coast disbanded not long after Darkhawk gained his reservist status. The guy has been getting some major exposure lately and that may be the reason why we're finally having him in toy form which is a good thing.

[Acquisitions] Marvel Universe Sub-Mariner

As promised, more Marvel Universe Avengers stuff! Today, we have the Sub-Mariner! Umm, the Sub-Mariner? Well, it's Namor! Namor the Sub-Mariner! I know Namor's got a bunch of notable aliases, but I'm not sure why Hasbro/Marvel decided to use the name Sub-Mariner on the packaging when I think it's clear that the character is best known as Namor. Well, I can live with the name, especially because the figure is awesome!

[Acquisitions] Marvel Universe Spider-Woman

Okay, count me in. I'm officially a Marvel Universe convert, but I'll only be getting figures of my beloved Avengers crew. I tried to fight the urge, but I realized that 1:18 is the way to go when in comes to toy collecting, and I gave in. I really want my Avengers in 1:18 scale, and it's time to roll.

 

[Review] Captain America: The First Avenger Concept Series Desert Battle Captain America

I'm not sure where and when this Marvel "concept series" thing actually started, but I can fondly remember that my first encounter with it dates back to the release of the first Iron Man movie's toy line. Some people in the toy community say that the idea behind it was to take comic influences and mix them with the movie design to create new Iron Man armors, thus tying the Armored Avenger with the origin of this "concept series" phenomenon. That may really be the case, and I have to admit that as an Iron Man fan, I actually fell for it. But who didn't? What I'm trying to say is that this "concept series" stuff suits Iron Man perfectly because it fills a particular need, and I don't know if Hasbro understands that.

[Acquisitions] Captain America: The First Avenger Concept Series Desert Battle Captain America

 

I'm actually slowing down on 1:18 Marvel stuff while I'm still trying to complete my Autobot line-up, but this figure was pretty hard to pass up on and I just had to own one. Why? Because this is Desert Battle Captain America! So what? Well, to the casual toy fan, that may not sound too big of a deal, but to a true-blue G.I. Joe fan like me, there's more to the name than just cobbled-up words. You see, one of G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra's four themes is called Desert Battle, and there lies this figure's charm. Coincidence? I don't know, but for me, the Desert Battle tag officially ties Cap with my Joes, and that means trouble for Cobra!