Figuarts Zero: Crocodile

I want to finish April on a high note, so here are some shots of the excellent Figuarts Zero Crocodile.

Honestly, some characters just translate well into figures.  It's a shame for characters that are really energetic 2d mediums (like Luffy) but tend to look awkward in 3d form.  Crocodile figures, even cheaper ones, always seem a little better off than other One Piece characters.  The POP is one that comes to mind.  It was the overall grandness and the expressions that made me really interested in this Crocodile figure.

Even his box is regal looking, and fits the luxury that Crocodile himself likes to exude.  I personally love the snakeskin like texture behind the gold lettering.

The back of the box is again pretty standard, and I'm amused that the only characters they could put around him were the fellow Impel Down escapees Luffy and Jinbe.  Onto the figure!

Again, it's the details that make me shell out money for Figuarts Zero figures.  His rings, belt, and hook are spot on with excellent paint jobs.  They even had the foresight to make him hair out of a softer material and gloss it up to match his locks in the design, and still have enough variety in the black tones to make the figure interesting. Personally I prefer his Impel Down garb, and wouldn't be interested in his Alabasta outfit if it did come out in this line.

Possibly one of the best modeled coats of all my figures.  I love the paint work of the inside and the creases billowing down the backside.  It helps give width to this already sturdy figure.

Every figure with buttons and/or buckles should have them painted/designed this perfectly; Even the studs on his belt are not missed or bleeding.

Yes, Crocodile is one of the more vicious villians (he went down like a punk though) but if you're going for the role you may as well go all the way.  Crocodile does for sure, and the best part would be his sneer when he is being especially cruel.  This guy is on the levels on Batman villainy when he traps everyone in a Kairoseki cage to either drown or be eaten by his pet bananawani's under his casino.  So I love how this expression looks like he is about to do his "Ku Heh Heh Heh" laugh.

 I should mention that Crocodile can stand without his base and without his coat.  He is well balanced for a guy sporting such a huge hook.  Whats nice is they didn't forget about his backside or shoulders even though he has the coat covering them usually. 

Yo Croc, those are some tight pants, but I am not complaining~

 Here is a better shot of the hair, fur lining, ascot, and his beloved golden hook.

 The additional parts for this one are the disgruntled expression smoking a cigar (his usual expression in figure form) and the delightful cheap trick, his poison hook.  It has an lovely silver sheen with the clear purple poison dripping out of the holes.  Again, wonderful detail.  Oh and also the base, which I can't fail to mention with these.  I've always enjoyed the baroque works jolly roger so I was pleased to see it again for Crocodile's base.  he is still availiable at almost all the figure shops online.  He is another case of shop around, since his price tends to range between 30 and 60 bucks. I got this Croc from Ami Ami, closer to the 30 dollar range. (They still have a few)

I'll put up another fun teaser. This one is just to show a size comparison (poor child sized Coby!) and the ever so exciting Doflamingo.  As promised, I had to get this punk.  He will be my first review for May, and then I will move on to other figures/games/art books/movies etc. to change things up again.  Nerd away!

Figuarts Zero: Coby and Helmeppo

Here is a follow up to my last Figuarts Zero review, this time with the beloved misfits Coby (or Kobi, Koby, and uhhh Cobby)and Helmeppo from One Piece.  What I enjoy most is the growth these two characters experience throughout the series, and that figures of them came out.

This is normally how I keep the pair displayed, since they are small when alone on their bases (and I'm losing a lot of space for my figures lately). 

They have a Marine themed box that looks clean.  I think it would be really cool to display them with the admirals like on the back photo.  Here they are one on one:

Alternate parts for these guys are really quite nice.  Coby has his salute arm/determined face and Helmeppo comes with his crossed arms/smug face.

Their bases, in contrast to the pirates, have a Marine theme instead of "Dead or Alive" which makes sense.  They also have perfectly polished shoes for the Marine Officers.  They fit nice and snug into the bases without trouble.  Although I'm still getting used to seeing "COBBY" instead of Coby on that base.

Whats interesting is the pair fits really well together on either base (pegs and holes being basically the same size on their bases/shoes).  I found Helmeppo fit better on left side here.

What really makes these guys standout (and makes me more interested in the Figuarts Zero line) is the level of detail in the sculpt: The folds in their clothes, the positioning of their arms, details in the hair and accessories, and the paint work.  The stripes and the emblems on them are prominent and clean.  Plus, maybe it's just the adorable bashful expression Coby has, which is possibly the sweetest face on all of my figures so far.

 I really enjoy Helmeppo's Kukri swords.  They look wicked when they are out, but even their sheaths look just like their designs.  They even have tiny rivets and sword handles sparkling in silver paint.  All the parts are made with high quality and fit easily into the figures.

You can recreate them as seen on the box as well.  This is easy to do since they can stand on their own off of the bases.

 Coby has such a good nature to be able to deal with the moody, but well meaning Helmeppo.

So yes! Another Figuarts Zero that is really a treat.  I do recommend them to anyone who is a fan of the One Piece Marines, or just these two in general. 

They are easy to find (rare for One piece Figuarts Zero) on sites like amiami, hobbylink japan, toyslogic etc, etc.  Most people tend to be interested in the Mugiwaras, but I have a fondness for side characters in One Piece and was really pleased to see that these two were made.  Thus I had to have them.  Should Figuarts Zero make a Garp I may have to pick him up....Figuarts Zero Crocodile and Doflamingo reviews are coming up soon, and later on I'll be getting Smoker and battle version Zoro.

Figuarts Zero: New World Chopper

OK, I'm going to admit it, I really love the One Piece Figuarts Zero line. 

In the past I had heard of them but never paid too close attention.  Partly because  I didn't have the funds to pay any, nor did they have the characters to keep my attention.  Then last year, a Donquixote Doflamingo figure from the line was previewed and sparked my interest in the One Piece Figuarts Zero line. 

Fast forward to here and now. I ended up treating myself to a few sale figures (over on amiami) of characters I really adore from the line: Donquixote Doflamingo, Coby & Helmeppo, and the Timeskip version of Chopper.  I ended up loving these so much that Figuarts Zero Crocodile, Smoker and battle posed Zoro are also on the way.  I never intended to be a collector of a certain brand (like figma collectors or nendo collectors) but Bandai hits the right points for me, so this may be a new venture (oh my poor wallet). 

So I'll start off with the cutest little bad ass of them all, The Strawhats pirate doctor Chopper!

Everyone knows Chopper is the almost more advertised that Luffy when it comes to merchandise for the series.  As much as I enjoy the little guy, none of his other goods interested me.  They would tend to seem off either in face or features.  But, I simply adore his redesign for the timeskip, and couldn't resist this deal of a figure.  I got this one for 12 bucks; which is amazing considering it's one of the few Choppers that really lives up too Oda's style. 

The box is pretty typical and pretty small.  I like the design of it; it's very clean with the white and eye catching with the pink and large photographs.  The "easy to collect" line on the back is a liiiiie because these sell out really quick.  Be sure to look for the "Toei" sticker on the box if you are shopping around online.  Figuarts do have bootlegs. (and the look damn awful)

For such a small figure (he is in scale with the rest of the Figuarts Zero One Piece characters, so he has to be) They did some wonderful details: Ridges on his hat, even stripes on his tank top, Gradation on the blue, and a pivoting head.

I rather enjoy the rectangle bases with the personal Jolly Roger, Name, Quote, and "Dead or Alive" wanted theme.  Plus (and yes this is a petty gripe of mine) the square bases fit better next to each other than the round ones of the older Figuarts Zero figures.

 This is a fantastic side view, it looks like how Chopper would be drawn in the manga, from the antlers to the profile to the tiny little hooves.  Chopper fits very well into his pegs on the base.

The white and blue portions on the hat do have some bleed, but it really isn't too bad.  I would rather it be spot on in those areas, but I can't complain about a figure that is otherwise so well done.

Choppers head does turn so you can have him interested in something on the other side of the room if you wish.  The nice addition is the extra arm (you get one with a stick and one without) so he can seem like he's waving.  These arms also pivot so you can have them as high or as low as you prefer.

Here are some size comparison shots (with previous figures I reviewed).  And a little teaser of my next figure post. (Coby and Helmeppo) Really this is a shot to show what a standard base would be for this line and how they minimized Chopper's base.  Which is terribly cute and saves room as well.

Basically if Chopper can be found for a reasonable price, he's a worthy buy.  I love mine, and need to take some better picture sin the future.  Especially when I can get more Figuarts.  I'm also very interested in the Persona 4 Figuarts, but they are more expensive being exclusives. I'll only pay that extra money for a Kanji Figuarts. 

GUNDAM 00 1/144 HG-22 "OO GUNDAM"

I return, for once in a blue moon!  If anyone is following my humble blog, I apologize for my time away.  Not only did I have a new job, but I also did a complete remodel in my room.  These events did not stop me from collecting, but instead did interfere with my photograph/write up time. 

Once again I will try to update weekly, most likely on Friday or Saturday.  To be safe just check out whatever I may have posted on Saturday night.  Something will be up again, even if I just attempt to dabble in figure/gaming/comic news.

Tonight I revel my next build (still painfully simple) but a worthy kit, my "00 Gundam" from the Bandai Gundam 00 1/144 HG-22 Kit.  Honestly, The more I get to do these kits, the more I enjoy them.  I'm really like the 1/144 scale, although I may spend more in the future for a larger size. 

I hit up my local hobby shop and found this guy.  Couldn't resist since I had since it on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/GUNDAM-00-144-HG-22-OO/dp/B001D76J68/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1334369164&sr=8-4     This is also a good link if you are interested in getting this specific one.

Again when I do these small builds, I'm just hanging out at my desk checking my email, so these pictures are a little flashed out.  Once I get my camera stand back I can go back to taking higher quality photos.

So onwards to the build!  I'm going to just put up my picture, since it's pretty basic.  I must say about this kit, much better than my last one.  The joints are super smooth and flexible, and my gigantic fold out instructions were easy and clear.  (should've taken a picture of those, but didn't)  I love the variety of poses you can get through these joints.  Basically it was well worth my time, and I still wish that hobby store was closer to me, but maybe it being so far away saves me money in the end.

Four trays with a nice color set, and even clear plastic parts that looks pretty fantastic.

The stickers for this one were also very nice with no peeling, and the optional open hand instead of only the two grip hands was a welcome touch.

Some leg building, with a shot displaying the range in the knee/ankle bend.

Silly, silly shots.

The end result, with the weapons.  I love how the swords "transform" into guns with the movable parts.  The sword seems to fit better in the gripped hand. The hips are also equipped to hold the sword in place if that is your preference, but I guess I like my Gundams armed and ready to fight.

I recommend this kit if you enjoy the design, or are looking for more posable 1/144 scales.  I had a blast with it personally.  Nerd away!