Hot Toys Review: Winter Soldier

Eagerly awaiting the arrival of my Hot Toys Winter Soldier figure, unfortunately seems like FedEx wants to hold onto if for a second day in my hometown... Please just deliver it and not let it sit in the warehouse.

UPDATE: Yay it finally arrive on the 3rd day of it being in Adelaide. I had talked to a number of people who said this was fairly common for FedEx and their "Week Shipping", meaning that if it was shipped on a Friday then you'll get it the following Friday, even if it arrives to your home town only after a couple day... Meaning it will sit in their warehouse until the week is up, which is ridiculous...

When the FedEx delivery van rocked up out the front of my house I ran out to meet him as I was super excited to finally have my Winter Soldier figure. I had a number of errands to run that day so I wanted to unpack as soon as possible.

I was so excited to have another Hot Toys figure to join The Avengers Loki that I had pre-ordered 2 years ago after the movie had come out (unfortunately it got delayed more times than I can even remember). Because I was in a hurry I basically just pulled him out of the box, took a few quick snaps on my phone to post on my personal Facebook page and then set him up next to Loki before I headed out to finish my errands for the day.

Fast forwarding to today and I thought I'd give him a quick once over and take a few photos with my camera and set up a few of his accessories that he came with. Oh boy were some of them very fiddly. A number of time the guns on his pants kept falling off every time I tried to move him.

The box is beautiful. I love the design of it. The back of the box also includes a list of people that worked on the figure.

I'm glad that I did decide to pre-order it when I did. I think I would have been kicking myself if I did, like I do every day for not pre-ordering The Avengers Phil Coulson. After he was released there were only a couple available left on the website, however they would not ship it to Australia, only USA. I was so disappointed that I had missed out and I may just have to find a secondhand one on eBay at a later stage.

This figure is amazing! I just can't get over how amazingly detailed it is. Hot Toys always knows how to make a beautiful piece with such detail. So much effort goes into them and it shows.

Not only is the face very detailed, but the outfit also. I love that with each figure the base stand has not only the characters name but also the movie that they appear.

Close up of the face for a closer look at the accuracy to Sebastian Stan, plus a little close up of the upper body outfit. For such a small outfit there is so much detail still put in it. A lot of other companies won't put this much detail into something of this size and smaller. For example, if a similar  figure was made the straps wouldn't be this detailed. Many companies will give the illusion that they would be wearing straps but not add it the details like buckles and eyelets. These small detail is why I have been a fan of Hot Toys for some time now.

(Some of the accessories that come in the box)

(Some of the accessories that come in the box)

(Arm details) 

(Back details)

Unfortunately with mine there is an issue... As you can see with the above image the way that the gun sits. The holster should actually be rotated 180°. I never would have noticed if I hadn't looked at the instruction manual. It's not a huge issue that I could probably fix myself. It does make me wonder if mine wasn't the only one with this issue.

(Interchangeable head + removeable glasses) 

 (Interchangeable head + removeable glasses)

(Interchangeable head + glasses removed)

For now he sits on my table next to Loki until I get my new display case. He is in view of my computer so that I can admire the craftsmanship from my desk. If you have been hesitating getting one, I highly recommend not only him but any of the figures that Hot Toys makes. Yes, they do come with quite the high price tag, but to me it is worth it.

Soon I'll have a few more Hot Toys added to my collection,end of this month is the special 2 pack of Steve Rogers [not available separately] and Captain America [available separately]. Plus the Guardian of the Galaxy set which is due for release next year.

Comic Book Review: Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe (Marvel Comics)

For a very long time I have been reading Marvel comics, since 2013 when I was only 13. However, in all those years not once have I ever laid my hands on a Deadpool comic. A friend had suggested it to me a long time ago but I forgot about it till one day at the comic shop in my city I happened to see this comic, Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, on the shelf. Not only was it the name of the comic but the graphic cover that caught my eye.

(Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe collected edition cover)

I picked it up off the shelf and gave it a quick flick through. It intrigued me. I wanted to read more. I did however already have a list of comics I really wanted to buy so I decided to give it a miss and wait till the next time I ventured into the city. That plan didn't go so well when I got home and went to bed later that night, I needed to read it, and I needed to read it now. So I turned on my tablet computer and opened up the Marvel comics app. Found it, and for a rather decent price too of $6.99 for the 4 issue collected edition. I kept trying to convince myself that downloading and reading this at 3am was a bad idea, but I was too tired to argue with my brain that I still read it anyway. Upon the first read through at 3am, I took in most of it but there was a lot that I missed due to not being in the right frame of mind. It wasn't until a month later that I purchased a physical copy and decided to read it again, this time at a more decent hour where I could take in more of what was actually happening.

As you can see on the front cover it does have a parental advisory on it. I definitely would not recommend this for children. Teens would be fine with the content. This comic can get brutal at times, so be wary.

Please note that if you have not read this comic and don't want spoilers, please don't read. Although they aren't really spoilers when the comic is called "Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe". I won't go through all of the deaths but a number of them.

During my first read though I remember flipping through the first couple pages and laughing at Reed Richards (Mr Fantastic) face slowly, I don't know if you'd call it melting or stretching off this face but at 3am it was hilarious, falling off.

Next you see what looks to be the Marvel universe getting the upper hand when Sue makes Deadpool's head explode. However that doesn't last so long, which is obviously a good thing because then the comic would have been over before it even really started. Wade is handed over to Ravencroft Asylum by Charles Xavier and the X-Men because Charles feels that helping Wade is out of his reach. Again, things don't go as planned, and Wade escapes. As each page turns, more and more of your favourite heroes are being slaughtered. Deadpool will usually make a few jokes in between to try and lighten the disturbing images being displayed. I did find that most of the fight scenes didn't last very long and made me want to see more. It is a very short series that gets to the point but a lot of the time you'd like to see more of what happened.

You see the usual story plot of the heroes banding together to try and deal with the Deadpool issue. Discussing how they are going to try to stop him. Deadpools killing spree comes to an end again, but not for long (again!) Deadpool just keeps coming back to life! Never turn your back on Deadpool, even if you think he is dead! Deadpool leaves a trap, consisting of Charles, so other heroes come to the rescue. Whilst captive, Wade lets Charles in his head to see what he sees and feels. Deadpool of course slaughters all those that come to rescue Charles in many different ways, each unique to the heroes abilities.

You'll notice that Deadpool will come up with some fantastic ways to kill the heroes. I think one of my favourite deaths would have to be Wolverines all due to this frame here:

You see the fall of many heroes and villains, not only at the hands of Deadpool, but by their own hands too. Many fearing what Deadpool will do to them and decide to take matters into their own hands.

Deadpool finally finds what he's been looking for, The Nexus of All Realities. The Nexus was actually something that I missed the first read through but after the second it made me think back on everything that had happened. And that's when it hit me. This wasn't just a story about Deadpool brutally killing all the heroes and villains in the Marvel universe, it was about destroying that universe and where it came from, it was all about the writers that created him (and his story) and the universe that they had created. Deadpool likes to break the 4th wall constantly and this last page pretty much sums up this comic.

I'm not going to say that it's the best comic I have read, because that would be a lie. I did however enjoy it a lot. I'd give it a 7/10 for art and a 7/10 for story. It will make you think about everything that happened in the comic and open up your eyes a little. If you haven't read a Deadpool comic before and know nothing about him, then this is not the comic to get you into the Deadpool series. You'd be better off finding another Deadpool series to get started. It is an interesting read though so I'd still say go ahead and read it.

I'd love to here what others opinions on this were, so please don't hesitate to contact me about it :)