A Day in the Life of a Duck

duc

WTD resting his tired legs after a morning of shopping at Orchard ION

US-born WTD has slowly come to terms with the Singaporean Chinese's love for roasted duck. He's learnt to channel his attention away at Chinese restaurants whenever he sees such acts of atrocities.

Duck-in-a-roll.

Catching a movie in town and enjoying it. Though he is quite unhappy with the lack of elevation of the cinema seating. Not very duck-friendly.

Yes. He went to watch The Green Hornet, of all movies.

He's spending his first Chinese Lunar New year in Singapore. Pretty psyched to learn about the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals. Why weren't ducks included?

This will be the year of the Metal Rabbit.

Helping with the decorations

WTD meets some auspicious rabbits

Cai shen ye is watching...

Hiding behind a pot of plant. Stalking the God of Prosperity (财神爷)

Firecrackers!

Perhaps 2 of these can propel him to the skies.

Alright, all this rabbit decoration is really getting way overboard.

New BFFs (best fauna friends)

DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 1 - Kyle Rayner

The main action figure from the DC Universe Green Lantern Classics wave 1 set that most people have been waiting for is Kyle Rayner.  So take a guess at who today's review will be on:

First up we have a look at Rayner in his packaging for those who do not want to take their action figure out of the packaging.  It's very similar to the DCUC toy line.  Action figure is encased in solid transparent bubble plastic.  Cool cartoon graphics behind that of the main Green Lantern characters.  On the back, there is a nice little bio on Rayner as well as pictures of figures from the entire wave.  We've all see this before so time to move on. 

Taking a look at the actual action figure now, as far as a sculpt goes, we see a lot of reused parts here.  The head being the only main difference.  Unlike with the Black Hand action figure from this wave, Rayner does not have the new double hinged elbow or knee joints.

Kyle's Green Lantern costume difference from the classic Hal Jordan.  You can see the GL symbol is not centered on his chest but more centered on his left pectoral muscle (reminds me of Robin's "R" symbol for some reason).  The costume is really true to what you would expect in a Kyle Rayner action figure.

Up close we can get a better look at the head sculpt which is one of the main highlights of this Kyle Rayner figure.  The mask is sculpted really well on his face and the hair is nicely detailed.  You can also see up close a few minor scuff marks in the paint on the left side of his chest.  Slightly sucks but overall, its not a big deal. This is really a luck of the draw thing.  Sometimes it happens, especially when you're ordering online instead of being able to pick them out at a store. 

Rayner's articulation is pretty standard compared to the old DC Universe Classics action figures between waves 1 to 15.  As we mentioned above, Mattel now appears to be incorporating double hinged knee and elbow joints to add more movement to these action figures.  It appears as though some figures from this Green Lantern Classics Wave have them as well as some from the upcoming DC Universe Classics Wave 16 set will also incorporate these new joints.  Unfortunately Kyle does not but his articulation is still as good as any previous DCUC figures.  He's got all the standard joints we've been use to over the last 2 plus years. 

One of the other highlights of this Kyle Rayner action figure is the accessories that come along with him.  I love it when we get addition green lantern accessories.  Kyle comes with a cool looking green lantern, much more sci-fi like than the one that comes with Hal Jordan.  He also comes with a giant sword that attaches on to his ring hand.  The good thing about these accessories is that you can use them with other Green Lantern members. 

As per my ATR poll that was asking which GL Classics wave 1 figure(s) they would purchase, readers responses was heavily favored to Rayner, and Mattel did not disappoint.  It is a bit of a bummer that he did not get the new double hinged joint treatment like Black Hand, but overall, Kyle Rayner is another great action figure.  I'm not sure how many Green Lantern Classics waves we'll be seeing but Rayner was definitely a must have figure for any DC or Green Lantern fan.  With the new Green Lantern movie due to come out in the next 6 months, you can bet these action figures will be very popular for at least the first half of 2011. 

Sculpt/Design - 8.5, Paint - 8.5, Articulation - 9, Accessories - 10, Fun - 9, Value - 9

If you're looking for your very own DC Green Lantern Classics Kyle Rayner action figure, ebay has a lot of good auctions available to get a decent deal for those of you unlucky souls that cannot find these Mattel bad boys at your local Wal-mart, Toys R Us or Target store. 

To find DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Kyle Rayner on eBay, click here

To find other DC Universe Classics action figures on eBay, click here

So many DC Universe Classics action figures coming out this year.  Ive just ordered my DCUC wave 16 which i expect will be in next week, not to mention, I'm still looking for a few more of these Green Lantern Classics wave 1 figures.  GLC wave 2 will be coming soon as well as DCUC wave 17, probably in March sometime.  One thing is for sure, alot of reviews to come so be sure to check back. 

Feel free to leave any comments regarding this review below or check out my poll questions on the left hand side of your screen. 

Android Plush Dreams of Electric Sheep Plush

Geeky Plush Toys

M is still debating whether she should abandon the Android phone for iPhone 4. Specs and user-interface aside.. Android has a definite edge over Apple in the eyes of our stuffed toy family members.. its mascot. We love the geeky little droid with its cutesy actions and Pacman-like mouth-work in ads promos. A true contrast with Marvin the paranoid android..  











Not to mention it has something Apple fans can't have.. its cute felt plush from Thinkgeek (pictures from Thinkgeek)

HELLO THERE SEXY.

Munching on obsolete phone models

Apple fans have this Steve Job plush as consolation. We hope all is well with Job.

Cranky Droid eats iPhones to survive.Perhaps its not so different from Marvin after all.

DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 1 - Black Hand

About a month ago, I previewed the DC Universe Classics spin off series, Green Lantern Classics Wave 1 and now that I've finally received a few of these babies, its time to start the reviews.  I'm going to start with one of the main bad guys from the Blackest Night comic book series and the figure that Mattel has labeled Figure #2 in this wave, (but he is #1 in my heart), The Black Lantern, Black Hand.   

Lets take a look at the packaging before ripping it open and throwing it away.  Very similar to its big brother DC Universe Classics toy series packaging.  The DC Universe symbol up top, graphics backing and character bio pictures of the entire wave on the back.  Of course, since this is Green Lantern Classics, the main color in the packaging is, green. 

Okay, outta the package, from afar, Black Hand looks like your normal but super cool standard DC Universe Classics action figure but bring him a little closer and there are some noticeable details that make Black Hand that much better.

As you can see on the side shots below, Mattel also has changed up the elbow and knee joints. Now there are both double hinge joints similar to Marvel Legends figures, to allow even more posability.  I noticed that some (not all) figures from this wave have these new joints as well as some (not all) of the upcoming DC Universe Classics wave 16 set judging by the promo pictures.

Up close, Black Hand is just awesome.  I love the detail in his face, the wrinkles in his dead gray skin and the veins in his arms.    The emblem on his chest (and head) are also nicely done.  They're not just painted on but actually sculpted in and raised slightly higher than the body level.  As are the defining lines between the black and blue colors on his costume and it looks really cool. 

The paint job is pretty good.  Minimal flaws.  Looking at Black Hand's right arm which as you can see below has a light gray arm and then the hand piece is a darker shade of grey.  It would've been nice to have more of a blend into the darker color as oppose to what looks like just two piece of totally difference colors.  Other than that, I really cant complain about the paint job.   

As mentioned above, we've got some new double hinged knee and elbow joints in Mattel's DC Universe and you can bet that they're probably going to be phased in on more and more of their DCUC action figures from here on in.  Black Hand is one of the first to get these joints which allow us to pose this bad boy in even more super awesome positions.  Of course, the articulation in the rest of this Black Hand action figure still lives up to normal DC Universe Classics standards.  I found that the shoulder joints were a little stiff for my liking and on the other end of the spectrum, one of his hip joints was a tad bit loose than normal.  This is of course a luck of the draw thing as it happens sometimes.  Generally speaking, Mattel's DC action figures, I find are of high quality and even with regards to my Black Hand, i still consider the joints to be in good working condition.

As far as accessories go, this is where Black Hands awesomeness takes a bit of a dip.  Mattel has not given us anything, not even a collectors pin!!!  WHAAAAT!!!  Okay, you do get the left arm of the CNC figure, Arkillo (which appears to be of similar mold as Kilowog) but after including Green Lantern accessories in DCUC Wave 11 figures, specifically with John Stewart, it only seems right that ALL Lantern characters, Green, Yellow, Black, White or whatever, come with AT LEAST 1 of these cool additions.  You do however, get a pair of paper 3D glasses and if you log into a specific web site you can watch...yadda...yadda...yadda, i chucked them in the garbage.  I would love to see Mattel just release some added Lantern accessories. 

After not being a significant player in the DC Universe, Black Hand finally got his moment in the spotlight in the very popular DC Comics series, The Blackest Night.  Now Mattel has given us a great action figure and you must go out and buy him, now!  For a character that was virtually nothing before the Blackest Night comic series, he is now one of my favs DCUC/GLC action figures of recent waves.

Sculpt - 9.5, Paint - 9, Articulation - 9.5, Accessories - 0, Fun - 8, Value - 9

These Green Lantern Classics, wave 1 action figures are starting to pop up in local stores and online vendors so its time for you to go out and buy your very own Black Hand.

I picked up my Green Lantern Classics from eBay since i can't find these Mattel DC action figures anywhere near me.  If you have this same problem, i strongly suggest you use them.

To find DC Universe Classics, Green Lantern Classics, wave 1 Black Hand, on eBay, click here.

To find other DC Universe Classics action figures on eBay, click here.

Thanks for checking out Action Toy Review.  I'll continue with my Green Lantern Classics Wave 1 reviews so be sure to come back and also don't forget to participate in my ATR Polls located on the left side of your screen.

Portfolio Archives

I have so much past artwork stuffed into two dusty portfolios I thought it would be fun to take them out of storage and share some of my favorites.

Here's a lovely water color I did of Mr Giraffe looking up to the conservatory dome. I did this one early 2000 or so in college.

DC Universe Classics - The Question

Time to backtrack a bit and fill in a few holes by getting to some reviews I have not had time for in the past.  Today, i'll take a look at Mattel's DC Universe Classics, Wave 11's, The Question which was, by the way,  the winning character of the 2008 ToyFare poll and released in early 2010.  Other characters in the poll were Huntress (who i would've rather had), Vixon, Starman (later released in wave 15), Catman and Ragman.  This was a very popular wave but not because of "The Question" being the peoples choice from a rather low level list of characters but mostly because of the very popular collect and connect character for this wave, Kilowog. 

Packaging from DCUC Wave 11 was old school.  The first 11 waves were basically the same as you can see below.  Mattel changed the DCUC packaging up a little after this wave was released by changing the graphics.  Packaging is not a big deal to me.  Its pretty but just gets tossed in the trash.

Fans of The Question should be generally happy with the final look of this action figure.  Overall, a very good likeness of the comic character. 

Those of you that are not a fan will just see this action figure as some dude without a face in a long

 coat....but if you're reading this, you're most likely a DC Comics fan at the very least and are aware of the character.

Up close, there is really not much special detail as the Question, has no face.  But the horseman have done a good job with regards to making it seem like The Question does have a face but its being covered up.  You can see indents where the eyes would be and nose and mouth. There is good detail work in trench coat, hat and jacket.  The inside suit jacket under his trench coat probably is the most flaw part of this action figure's design as it looks its sitting or it opens up a bit low on the torso.....  The Paint job is fairly clean with a decent color pallet. No complaints there. 

The are some similarities to The Question's Sculpt and Wave 10's The Joker as well as Wave 5's The Riddler and even Wave 8's Gentleman Ghost.  Mainly the Torso, arms, hands, legs and feet as far as re-used parts go.  The Question's main differences are obviously the head and long trench coat. 

The Question does lack a bit of articulation due to his sculpt.  Specifically the mid torso and hip joints we are use to with most DCUC action figures are hidden and restricted by The Question's trench coat and suit jacket.  The figure's leg movement is limited making posing this action figure in many different ways a bit hard.   I truly ran out of different ways to photograph this action figure as all the poses started looking exactly the same. 

There is not much else to mention quite honestly about The Question.  There are no additional accesories besides the left leg of the Collect and Connect action figure, Kilowog which to be quite honest is the main reason for purchasing this action figure. If you're going to give us an action figure with two open hands, then we would expect some sort of accessory to put in them, no?   

Sculpt - 7, Paint - 9, Articulation - 6, Accessories - 0, Fun - 5

Unless you are a big fan of The Question...or Kilowog, you're probably not going to be rushing out to buy this action figure.  It is a decent purchase and to finish Kilowog, well, that makes this buy totally worth it IMO.  Mattel has given us an action figure made of very good quality and sitting on ones shelf, looks pretty good with the rest of my DCUC collection.  The downside is once you pick it up The Question and start playing around with it, you'll realize its limitations very quickly.  It would have been cool if Mattel could have given us some accessories to make up for the lack of movement this figure provides us.

Mattel's DC Universe Classics "The Question" and other wave 11 action figures are not really available in the stores anymore but there are PLENTY of auctions on eBay where you can still get him at a reasonable price. 

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics, The Question on eBay, click here

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Kilowog and the rest of the wave 11 on eBay, action figures, click here

Im still waiting on my DC Universe Classics Green Lantern wave 1 action figures...they are in the mail thankfully.  Hopefully soon so I can post a few reviews.  Be sure to sure to check back.