Mattel: Movie Masters Faora

Who would have thought Faora would be the rarest figure for this entire line. I was thinking that the armored General Zod would be holding that title, but I was wrong. I've only seen Faora here in the Philippines once, and that one time I saw her, I immediately bought her. The Man of Steel Movie Masters are kinda pricey here at SRP (around $40 plus) but I believe she'll go higher than that on the secondary market. Anyway, on to the review

Faora and General Zod

Faora was played by German actress Antje Traue in the movie. She is General Zod's Sub-Commander and spent most of the time in the movie either following Zod's orders or beating the hell out of Superman. I personally think Faora stole the show from her co-stars as she might have been silent for most of the time, but her fighting skills were the best among them. Faora shone best during her fight scenes with Superman, displaying her mastery of the Martial Arts as she rescued General Zod from Superman's beating in their first encounter. Though I could have wanted to see more of her fighting Superman, she spends the remaining of her time assaulting the humans and personally dealt with Earth's would be saviors Lois Lane, Prof. Emil Hamilton, and Colonel Nathan Hardy (a.k.a The Guardian). Towards the end of the movie, Faora along with the other Kryptonian invaders were lucky enough to have remained alive but trapped in the Phantom Zone after unsuccessfully foiling the attack of the aforementioned saviors. If this is any indication that she would be brought back in future sequels, I would certainly welcome that development as I believe Faora deserves another chance at beating Superman, all in the name of General Zod.

Front Packaging

Back Packaging

Faora's card back shows a different Zod than the Armored Zod's card back. Though both of them belonged to Wave 2 of this toy line, Faora's card back shows the Armored General Zod while the Armored General Zod's card back showed the armor less Zod. Maybe the Armored General Zod (or the armor less Zod) is a Zod variant in this wave. Superman again is still featured prominently in Faora's card back.

Faora's base stand

Faora like the other figures in this toy line also comes with a base stand that features her family crest. The material of the base stand is also similar with that of the others. It also shares the same black and gray colors with that of General Zod.

Faora borrowing General Zod's helmet

Faora unmasked

Don't get me wrong, Faora's an awesome action figure but sometimes I feel that her head is bigger for her body. There are some photos that shows a good proportion while there are others that makes her head look bigger. But whatever the case, Faora is still a great looking action figure. Again Mattel gives us intricate sculpt details for Faora's armor and the good thing about this is that she has better mobility compared to Zod and Jor El. One explanation for this is that her armor is not as bulky as the others. The other reason for this is that she is given a new set of articulation. Will be explaining it later.

Faora

Faora's Cape

I also like the dusty look of Faora's cape as Mattel went the extra mile to give us a very close rendition of the character in action figure form. The dusty look gives this figure an even more realistic look. Something that can help us remember how Faora and Superman duke it out in the dusty streets of Smallville.

Antje Traue

I got to say, of all the females that appeared in Man of Steel, Antje personally for me is the most gorgeous among them all. I'm quite annoyed by Lois Lane/Amy Adams' pointy nose. Lara Lor Van/Ayelet Zurer is not my taste, and Martha Kent/Diane Lane (while still hot despite her age) is too old for my taste. But Antje is a beauty. And this figure does her justice as it almost perfectly replicates Antje's look. There are just a few misses here that I can't quite point out, but the face for me is just perfect for a six inch action figure.

Faora super kicks Superman

 On the articulation department, this is what sets Faora apart from the other action figures in this toy line. Faora from the upper body and lower body shares the sames articulation as the others (ball jointed neck, ball hinged shoulders, swivel biceps, wrists, waist, and thighs, pivot torso, hinged elbows and knees, double pivot hips and ankles), but what separates her from the others is her hip joints. Instead of the more traditional DCUC hips, here she is given the G.I. Joe like ball hip joints. This allows her to have better hip mobility, which can come very much in handy as she is an expert martial artist.

DC Direct Ursa and Mattel Movie Masters Faora

Another thing that bothers me with this Faora action figure is her height. When placed beside the other figures in this wave, she seems to be in good scale. But when placed beside other DCUC and DC Direct female figures, she ends up being short. In the photo above, I placed her beside a DC Direct Ursa. She looks shorter than she should be. Ursa by the way is an original creation of 1978 Superman the movie Director Richard Donner for his Superman movies. Faora was Donner's inspiration for his Ursa character, even writing her to inherit most of Faora's characteristics. Ursa's existence in the comic books was legitimized when Donner co-wrote a Superman story entitled Last Son.

In closing, Faora is a great catch. I never had second thoughts getting her because I never had any Faora action figure before this (not unlike with Zod). It is also a great joy to me that she literally fell on my lap, and despite the price point that I got her at SRP, I'm not regretting purchasing this action figure. I don't know what I would have done if I somehow let her pass by me and in the future come to realize that she would be the hardest to find in this toy line. I think here in the Philippines, only a few of us managed to acquire Faora. I heard in other countries like the U.S., Faora is rarely seen on the pegs. Her price point also shot up in the secondary market. Forcing collectors who are looking for her to bite the higher price. So if you manage to find her, do grab her and not let go. Now I better start looking for that Superman figure with the Kryptonian Key. He's getting harder to find too here in the Philippines.  

Personal tips when moving your toy collections to a new home.

Initial packing I did, still have another half of things to pack

Well, the day that I dread the most had finally arrived. It's finally time for me to pack up my toy collections and move them to our new home. I have not been updating this blog as regularly as I want to because majority of my stuffs were already all packed up and ready to go. I didn't realize that I was able to amass a huge number of toy collections since I last moved to a new home. For this entry, I'm going to try to share my experience and a couple of personal tips on how you could pack your collections in an effective way, preserve them, and how to be able to display them in their new homes seamlessly.

Action Figures still in their original packagings

Some still Mint in Card collections

Tip No. 1. If you have plans on moving in the future, don't open your MOSC/MISB collections yet

I've got a couple of items that are still in a box and unopened. I intentionally did not open them because I knew that I would still be moving to a new home in the future. And also, I no longer have enough display space for them. So it really came in handy when I finally moved to a new home.

Empty boxes for reuse

Tip No. 2. Prepare lots of Ziplocks, Plastic Cellophanes, Bubble Wraps, and if you can, keep the boxes intact and don't throw them away.

In my case, since I've got more than a hundred figures to pack, The thing that I find the hardest to do is to put all of them in bubble wraps or zip locks. So what I did was to just cherry pick on some items (the most valuable to me) that would be needing zip locks and let the other items be packed as is. Meanwhile, the other figures that still had their original boxes were returned to their respective boxes.

Half filled containers with more items to come

Tip No. 3. Pack them strategically to avoid breakage

The trick I did in order for the figures not to be piled up too high on each other is to fill half of the containers with figures/items that are still in a box and fill up the other half with loose figures. By doing this, it lessens the probability of the figures on the bottom end to be broken due to the weight of the figures on top of them.
 

Weaponless TMNTs

Tip No. 4. Separate the accessories/weapons from the figures and place them on a smaller container (i.e. ziplock, small plastic container/tupperware)

I separated the accessories from the figures so that I could avoid loss, breakage, bent plastics, and other problems that I might encounter once these figures are stored in the containers. It also will be easier to locate them in the container once you start redistributing it to it's rightful owners. Be sure to remember though which accessories went with whom. 

Chinese Martial Arts related action figures

The Beatles

Vintage Rambo and MOTU Battle Cat and Panthor

Tip No. 5. Categorize the action figures by genre/toyline/theme or whatever you could think of for your display when packing them in a container.

One dilemma of mine is how to display them in their new homes. Since I've got a number of action figures from different toy lines, the solution I found is to categorize them according to a certain theme (i.e. DC, Marvel, Pop culture). There's no problem for DC and Marvel action figures since they are my main toy lines and they would be accommodating a larger space in my new cabinet. But for the other toy lines, I'll have to be a bit more creative so that they'll look seamlessly a natural fit when mixed with other toy lines.

NBA Action figures

Fast food toys

As an example in my collection, what I had in mind is to categorize Non DC and Marvel action figures into a family. For example, my Beatles yellow submarine action figure collection will go with my Bruce Lee, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and vintage Rambo action figures as a display group featuring pop icons from different countries. ThunderCats will be grouped with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe as they will represent the sword wielding warrior themed cartoons of the 80's generation. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will have it's own display. The NBA action figures will also have it's own separate display. Power Rangers/Masked Rider/Dragon Ball will form another group. Others not mentioned will I guess be on sale if I could not make them fit in a group. I also realized that I've got a couple of superhero related fast food toys. I might sneak them along with the vintage DC and Marvel displays that stands at 5 inch below. These fast food toys actually would look cool for my son's room. But I'll have to check first if I could sneak them in.

Boxes I used in my comic book collection

Boxes I used in my comic book collections

Tip No. 6. If you are also into comics, secure boxes that has a snug fit to your comic book collection.

Before I went into toy collecting, I was (and still am) actually a comic book collector. I've managed to amass a huge number of comics that were concentrated on Superman for DC and X-Men for Marvel. I think for the Modern Age Superman, I have in my possession around 75% to 80% of all the issues released up to the last Superman story before the New 52 reboot happened. For X-Men, my collection is mainly concentrated on the Chris Claremont/Jim Lee X-Men 1 (Early 90's) up until the Grant Morrison run. I kinda gave up on X-men after Morrison's run as I felt that the stories were keeping on repeating but with different characters taking on the roles. I also have a good mix of DC and Marvel titles ranging from Justice League to major DC events and Marvel's Avengers related titles and a couple of Marvel's major events. As seen on the photo, I think I've got around 6 or more boxes full of comics in my collection. I got lucky that I was able to purchase these storage boxes that houses my comic books nicely. We can prevent creases, tears, and damages by choosing boxes or storage that has a snug fit with the size of your comic book. 

DC action figures on the left, Marvel action figures on the right on my old main cabinet

Extra action figures without a home

Slowly filling them out

Tip No. 7. Take a quick snapshot of your old display showcase.

To help you remember how you displayed your collections before storing them in those boxes, taking a quick snapshot is advisable. By doing this, it gives you an idea how to redisplay them in your new cabinet if ever you decide to retain the same look. Personally, I've always loved to display my DC and Marvel action figure collections on opposite sides. These 6 inch (and above) action figures of my favorite comic book universes are my favorite of all my action figure collections. So much so that I decided to build those two universes in action figure form in my collection. With that said, they will have the priority space in my new display cabinet. 

My new Display Cabinet

Tip No. 8. Plot your display space distribution in advance

The thing that excites me the most is when I actually start re-displaying them. For most, it would look tiring and daunting to display more than a 100 action figures. But for me, this is my stress reliever. Days before the actual moving in, I decided to plot where I would place the action figures on the new cabinet. It gives me a good perspective of how I would be able to present them in a more orderly manner. I'm actually eager to see if this new display cabinet would be able to house all of my action figure collection and avoid encroaching on other rooms/cabinets. One of the headaches that I had in my old home was that my action figure collections were scattered all over the place due to the lack of space. By plotting the spaces in advance, I get to have a head start on how I could keep them all in one room and in one display.


Well that's it for now. Hope you guys like my personal tips. I'm sure there are other better strategies out there than mine. If you have one, feel free to share them in the comments section below so that we can exchange ideas and help out other fellow toy collectors out there. I'll be taking a photo of my collections in their new display cabinet once I'm done displaying them. Will be sharing it to you guys here. Promise!

Mattel Movie Masters: Armored General Zod

Man of Steel Movie Masters General Zod

General Zod is perhaps the coolest action figure that Mattel released in their Man of Steel Movie Masters toy line. I actually skipped the unarmored Zod because I think that figure was bland. When preview photos of wave 2 was released on the net and I saw this Armored Zod, I knew I had to get him. But one of my problems was, will I ever find him? After all, he had the potential to be a hot item. Fortunately, I got lucky in one of my toy hunts as I saw this Zod along with Faora freshly displayed on the pegs. I will be making a review of the Man of Steel Movie Masters Armored General Zod for this entry. Read on.
 

General Zod and Faora

General Zod was played in the movie by Michael Shannon in a very intense role that gave this General Zod a more sympathetic villain. As opposed to the old Superman II Zod, this Zod had a more specific motivation as to why he invades Earth. Genetically engineered to be the protector of the Kryptonian race, Zod (along with his army) survives the death of the Planet Krypton after he was exiled in the Phantom Zone because of the treason he committed against the Kryptonian High Council and the murder of Jor El. He searches for Kal El/Superman, the son of Jor El in hopes of retrieving the codex that Jor El imbued on his son Kal El. He also plans to turn the Planet Earth as a New Krypton and to utilize the codex to revive the Kryptonian race. Shannon's performance as General Zod is quite remarkable as he gave us a villain that is not just a cardboard cut out. In fact his classification as a villain is even questionable as Zod's motivations are not even outright evil. However, this noble intention is squandered the moment he decides that the Humans and the Planet Earth  must be sacrificed in order for the Kryptonians to live again. Shannon, in perhaps the performance of his life gives us a menacing yet sympathetic villain in a Superhero movie. I specially love his banters with Jor El (Russel Crowe) as both actors exchanged highly charged debates about the fate of Krypton. He also engages Superman in a blow by blow battle and held his own quite well. Zod's fate in the movie however will definitely steal the show.

Front Packaging

Card Back

The Wave 2 Packaging is fairly consistent with that of the first wave. The card back also reveals to us the Faora figure along with Superman and the Unarmored Zod. I think that Superman figure came with the Kryptonian Key while that Zod figure comes with the shackles.

General Zod's base stand

The figure comes with a base stand featuring General Zod's crest. It bears a Kryptonian alphabet that I think is General Zod's family crest. It is also consistent with the chain mail feel to the base's surface.

General Zod in his Helmet

A closer look at General Zod

 All I can say is, Woah! This General Zod action figure is probably the most awesome action figure in this line. The figure might just be painted in metallic black colors, but the heavy detail that Mattel put into him is so impressive for an action figure this size. It's also a plus that this figure also comes with a helmet/breathing apparatus that Zod and the other Kryptonians used in the movie in order for them to be protected by the Earth's alien atmosphere.  The helmet, like the armor is delicately sculpted and you can actually see the heavy details that was put into the creation of this helmet. The helmet consists of a rubbery plastic substance that I hope won't eventually breakdown as it ages. 

General Zod Unmasked

In the beginning of the movie (the scene where Zod invades the council), we saw Zod wearing an armor that looked almost similar to Jor El's. It would be cool for Mattel to release that armor too but I think too much Zod variations (three variants) will unfortunately lead Mattel to decide otherwise. But I must say that it's a brilliant move by Mattel to make this Zod's helmet removable. I knew there was already a Zod released in Wave one (albeit the younger version), and I didn't expect Mattel to release another one but it's a brilliant move that we are getting an armored and a non-armored Zod. What irks me though is that they again released a non-armored Zod and packed it with a shackles accessory which we prominently saw during his Phantom Zone exile. I also noticed that the figure with the shackles had a scar on his face. I'm not sure though if the one that didn't came with the shackles had that same scar too.  

General Zod's cape

The cape on this General Zod figure is also nicely detailed. We are not getting those generic capes from the DCUC that looked flat at times. The folds and creases on this figure's cape is a very nice touch.

And older and wiser General Zod?

Another thing that differentiates this Zod figure with the previously released one is the head sculpt. The Non-armored Zod figure was the younger version of Zod. The version that battled with Jor El in the movie. This one is the older version. I don't have that younger Zod as I skipped him for now. I'm sorry I couldn't do a comparison photo. But the thing that I know differentiates this one to the other one is the beard. Down the line I'm sure some toy collectors would modify their Non-armored Zods by using this head sculpt and swap it with that of the Non-armored one, creating a Non-armored Zod that battled Superman towards the end of the movie.

Superman versus General Zod

General Zod again features the same articulation that is the standard for this toy line. It features a ball jointed neck, ball hinged shoulders, swivel biceps, wrists, waist, and thighs, pivot torso, hinged elbows and knees, double pivot hips and ankles. And just like the Jor El figure, because of the armor's highly detailed sculpt, some joints are limited by the armor. His legs can't be raised too high as there are some armor pieces protruding and blocking the joints.

DC Direct General Zod and Movie Masters General Zod

I also took a comparison shot of this figure with a DC Direct General Zod based on the art of Adam Kubert. This DC Direct figure is inspired by the Richard Donner Superman movies as that particular story arc where this figure was based from was co-written by Richard Donner (Superman I and Superman II director) himself. He gets an updated look as compared to the General Zod that appeared in Donner's Superman movies. For more about the storyline of this particular General Zod, visit this entry. Originally, this is the reason why I was hesitant to purchase the Movie Masters General Zod because I made it a rule in my collection to only purchase one figure per character if it's not a Superman action figure. I'm glad though that I snagged the Movie Masters General Zod.

The controversial ending to Man of Steel?

In closing, the Movie Masters General Zod is an excellent action figure. Arguably, this is the best Action Figure in this toy line. You have the sculpt, the accessories, the articulation, the likeness of Shannon. It has everything that you'll like. I'm glad that his figure along with Faora literally fell on my lap. Right now he is one of the more harder figures to find. I don't know what I'd do if I let this passed by me. The price though is ugly as it is two times the price of that in the U.S. And that price is even at retail. So I don't know how much he'll cost in the secondary market. One thing I'm disappointed about these Man of Steel Movie Masters is the lack of collect and connect parts. It would have been cool if Mattel included a collect and connect part that would form into Namek, that tall foe that Superman went up against in the movie. This is the first time that I actually had the motivation to complete an entire series of action figures at it's retail price. A collect and connect figure would have been sweet. I'm sure if there was a collect and connect figure, I also would have gotten the non-armored General Zod. Well this wraps up my entry. I'll be finishing up my Man of Steel Movie Masters review in my next entry as I will take up the Faora action figure. See you!

Toy Con 2013

 ToyCon 2013 for me was short and sweet. Went on the first evening and checked out the stalls but couldn't find any action figures worth buying. I did spot some vintage action figures that I wanted to purchase unfortunately my time was short (that's the reason why I wasn't able to take some photos), and when I returned, the stalls were already closed. But I did managed to snag some great finds. Check out my hauls below.

Superman: Secret Origin

I've been eyeing Superman: Secret Origins for quite sometime ever since I missed out on this both in Hard Cover format and in Trade Paperback form. I recently saw a Trade Paper Back form but it was priced at P1,000 (approximately $20+). So when I saw the complete set of singles at a reasonable price of P600 (approx $15), I knew I had to get him. Secret Origins very much feels like a Superman Comic Book with Christopher Reeve as Superman. I love Gary Frank's art and Geoff Johns new take on Superman's Origin. But alas, this Origin story did not stay long as this Superman was replaced by a younger version via DC's New 52 relaunch. So far I've got Byrne's Man of Steel Origin Story, Mark Waid's Birthright Origin Story, Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster's Original Origin Story, and Jeph Loeb's Superman For All Seasons. So essentially I've have in my collection the different Superman Origin Stories. Now I'm contemplating if I should get the New 52 Superman's Origin Story.  

Various titles

I also got some Justice League one shots. Lately I've been trying to acquire some JL titles too boost my JL collections. I'm focusing on One shots as I don't want to get started in building a JL comic book collection. Spider-Man is a sore thumb there, and I'm disappointed that this is my second copy. I forgot that I already had this one. I also got the promotional comic book Heroes for Hunger which was originally intended to raise funds to help alleviate Famine in Africa. In this issue, we have Superman and Batman team up against an Alien Master who desires the desolation caused by the world's hunger problems. It's a cool bronze age book that I think I need to have.

So I guess it's off to the next Toy Event for me. Let's see If I could get some luck digging some Action Figures in the next Toy Event.

Mattel: Movie Masters Jor El

Man of Steel Movie Masters Jor El

So I finally bought Jor El. I just couldn't pass up on this figure when I knew that he's going to be harder to find. When I saw him on the pegs, I knew I had to get him quick. And so far I'm happy that I made the right decision. Read on below for more about this figure and character.

Jor El v.s. General Zod

Jor El, the biological father of Kal El/Superman is played in the movie by Russell Crowe of Gladiator fame. He did quite a great job serving as Kal's guide while Kal was still lost as to what his destiny on Earth is. Crowe did a great job taking the role of Jor El. You could really feel his presence in the film. I actually didn't expected him to play a big part in the film other than having a brief role in the opening minutes. But his expanded presence was a huge anchor for the film. And he was also given an action sequence that I didn't even expected for him to have. The writers and director though tweaked his story a bit. As he died ahead of Lara Lor Van (his wife) during his battle with General Zod. I like it that Snyder and company expanded his role and gave him a proactive role in the opening and middle parts of the movie. His dialogues and fight scenes evokes some of his Gladiator days. So definitely he deserves an action figure. And Mattel's choice of having him is a great one as there was never a single Jor El action figure released in 6 inch form. He'll be a great addition to anyone's collection. Now if only Mattel could find a way to sneak in a Lara Lor Van figure. And a Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent action figures should also be a good addition.

Front Packaging

Card Back

The packaging of the figure is pretty much the same as that of Superman's. The only difference is that on the card back part. Here we are given a brief text about Jor El.

S shield Base

The Jor El figure comes with a base bearing their family crest, the House of El. This is exactly the same as Superman's except for the color scheme used.

Jor El

Man of Steel Movie Masters continues to impress me even without the ab crunch articulation. And Jor El is a great figure because you can actually see how beautifully sculpted the armor is. Mattel surely gave it a great amount of detail and I should say that this is one of the best figures that Mattel has ever made. The Man of Steel Movie Masters toy line certainly is changing the game at Mattel.

Back view of the figure

There's a minor complain here. I would have preferred Jor El to have his majestic cape, or robe. Having that accessory would somehow make Jor El more respectable. This is a minor qualm though as I think Mattel opted to release a battle ready Jor El. Which is fine for me anyway.

Russell Crowe

The head sculpt of the figure screams Russell Crowe the moment I saw it. It's really nice that Mattel did not fail to deliver on this part.

That's how much he could bend his hips

Jor El shares the same articulation with Superman, it features a ball jointed neck, ball hinged shoulders, swivel biceps, wrists, waist, and thighs, pivot torso, hinged elbows and knees, double pivot hips and ankles. A bit of the downside in the articulation department is that because of Jor El's armor's highly detailed sculpt, some joints are limited by the armor. You can't raise his arms too high because of that thing that attaches from his arms to the back of the armor. Same goes for his hip joints as there are some armor pieces protruding and blocking the joints.

Russell Crowe and Marlon Brando Jor El comparison shots

I took a comparison shot with the only other Jor El released in action figure form. This Jor El is from the Mattel Superman Returns two pack box set featuring Marlon Brando as Jor El. The Jor El of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies and Brandon Routh's Superman Returns. The Movie Masters Russell Crowe Jor El stands at 6 inches while the Marlon Brando Jor El stands at 5 inches. You could actually see the difference and how much Man of Steel made improvements with regards to Jor El's design. Brando's looks scientific while Crowe's looks barbaric.

Jor El, Superman, General Zod, and Faora

In closing, Jor El is a must buy. If you see him in the pegs, get him. I'm sure when toy collectors have finally seen the movie, they'd be motivated to get Jor El. And from what I heard, he's going to be harder to find. I'm really glad that I got lucky after I passed on him the first time. I just couldn't let him go again the moment I laid my eyes on him. My only wish right now is for Mattel to release a Lara figure. Though I'm afraid that it would be far fetch for Mattel to do that as Lara didn't really have a big role in the movie except giving birth to Superman. But I just feel that Jor El is incomplete if he's not with Lara. Mattel should reconsider this and release Lara anyway. Maybe as a two-pack with a caped/robed Jor El? Doesn't matter, she'll be good to have. So far Man of Steel has two waves, and wave two is even better than the first wave. I skipped on the armored less Zod figure from wave one as I feel that figure is bland. Watch out for my succeeding reviews as I would feature two more essential characters from the movie; General Zod and Faora. See you next time.