Dr. Mindbender’s Lab Notes, 3/6/16

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Mar 062016
 
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Welcome, loyal subjects of the Cobra – er, OG13 empire, to the unveiling of this week’s Research and Development projects. Over a dozen new customs, including a deliciously chromed vehicle, were unveiled by our most decorated Techno-Vipers; and our spies continue to provide valuable intelligence regarding the Joes and that traitorous Destro.

… Read on, if you dare, and be sure to follow the link below for all the rest! COBRAAA!

Monkeywrench, by MAJESTY_77

Photo Credit: Meddatron

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Dr. Mindbender’s Lab Notes, 2/21/16

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Feb 212016
 

custom customs spotlight

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Welcome, loyal subjects of the Cobra – er, OG13 empire, to the unveiling of this week’s Research and Development projects. Last week’s flogging seems to have inspired our Techno-Vipers with renewed enthusiasm for the Cobra cause. Over 30 individual customs were revealed, including an incredible 18 from one of our newest recruits, CiBe240! Read on, if you dare, and be sure to leave your comments below or follow the links to the individual threads. COBRAAA!

Hawk, by Subway

GI Joe Renegades Customs, by CiBe240

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Dr. Mindbender’s Lab Notes, 1/25/16

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Jan 252016
 

custom customs spotlight


Welcome, loyal subjects of the Cobra – er, OG13 empire, to the unveiling of this week’s Research and Development projects. Over 20 new customs, including some great vehicles, were unveiled by our most decorated Techno-Vipers; and our spies also discovered an all-new G.I. Joe team that will be sure to frustrate and infuriate the Commander.

… Follow the link below, if you dare, and behold some of our brilliant creations! COBRAAA!

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Dr. Mindbender’s Lab Notes, 2/1/2015

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Feb 012015
 

custom customs spotlight

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Welcome, loyal subjects of the Cobra – er, OG13 empire, to the unveiling of this week’s Research and Development projects. Our top engineers were hard at work delivering over 14 new customs, our Tele-Viper spies delivering valuable reconnaissance in The “One-Shot” Picture Thread, and members Penntastic and Skydive shared some incredible dios and photography. Hit the button below to jump directly into the fray. COBRAAA!

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CUSTOMS

Tomax & Xamot, by ian

Battle Corps Topside, by Jogunwarrior

Golobulus, by Letal

Throne of Atlantis Mera, by Dravenheart

Vanquish, by Brokenclown

Cheech & Chong, by jr0d28

Customs Talk & Tutorials

  • The Custom Underground group is actively recruiting new members. Check out their Recruitment Post.

Dioramas & Photography

From The “One-Shot” Picture Thread:

Photo credit: PROVOST


Photo credit: Meddatron

Photo credit: Slaymaker

Penntastic’s Dios


Fireflight In The Apuanian Alps
, by Skydive

 

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Hot Toys: Captain Harlock 1:6 scale figure Review by

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Oct 082014
 

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From the desk of ska_lives:

“So, after preordering this about this time last year, I finally received my Captain Harlock figure from BBTS! For those not familiar with the character, the dude is a badass!

His original series is available for watch on one of the streaming networks..I think its HuluPlus. FHE also put out some edited VHS dubs of some of the older OVA adventures of the good captain, notably Revenge of the Space Pirate(good stuff). Also on top of this he appears in another series by his creator/ series direcctor(Leiji Matsumoto), called Galaxy Express 999. This was my first exposure to the character.

Through 999( Three9)’s two OVA films GE999 and Adieu Galaxy Express 999, you get a decent look into a small part of the universe in which Harlock inhabits. He has also had a spin off series for his love interest and fellow space pirate Queen Emeraldas. I do hope that they make a figure of her, I will buy the Hell out of it! In more recent years, I believe back in 2006? his series was rebooted as Captain Herlock, same character, same general story, goofy name translation. Then earlier this year or late last year, he was given the feature length CGI film treatment, and that depiction is what the figure is based on.

I know that this intro is a bit slap dash, but for the amount of mythos around him, I recommend watching the series that he is in and reading the wiki.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Harlock

Without further ado, the figure!”

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S.H. Figuars Dragon Ranger Review (by Phantom Stranger)

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Aug 072014
 

Here we have Burai, the Dragon Ranger, from Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Most probably recognize this as the origins of the Green Ranger in the Original MMPR.
For this review, we’ll obviously be looking at the Japanese release. Although this is pretty much the same as the American release, with only a few differences in boxart and accessory count.”

[REVIEW] Akiba Yellow Season Tsuu (by Phantom Stranger)

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Jul 192014
 

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From the desk of Phantom Stranger:

“Alrightly, so it’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a figure and I’ve recently acquired Akiba Yellow Season Tsuu. This is going to be a fairly brief (for me anyway) because a lot of what I have to say about this figure is pretty much the same as Akiba Blue Tsuu, so we’ll mainly be focusing on the differences.

Like Luna, Akiba Yellow comes in a nice rainbow window box. It’s pretty much that same as Blue’s but with Yellow and her accessories featured. There is text on the back, but I can’t read Kanji, so no idea if there is anything of interest. The box also wasn’t bent like Luna’s, so that was nice.

Opening it up we get a tray that holds everything in place, with a nice overlay to keep everything from spilling out. Since the box wasn’t damaged like last time, things went a lot smoother this go round. The overlay was easy to pop off but also fits snugly in place, so no worrying about tiny pieces going flying during removal. You also get instructions showing some of the accessories and how to combine them. They’re simple enough to understand because of the pictures, but you don’t really need them and we’ll get more into that in a bit.”

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REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Gaim Orange Arms (by Talisman)

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Jun 202014
 

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From the desk of Talisman:

Background:

HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOO ZAWAME CITY!

Zordon’s Wispy Beard, have I been looking forward to this. When the first images of the Gaim Figuarts hit back in January, I, like so many other fans, began frothing at the mouth. They were beautiful. Or, as the running joke among the fandom goes: “JUICY”.

The staggering, unforeseen popularity of Kamen Rider Gaim made me a bit unsure about whether or not I’d actually be able to secure a figure back when I preordered him alongside SHF Baron back in February, especially given my financial situation at the time and HobbyLink Japan’s notoriously sketchy habits of allowing more preorders than they can fulfill and then fulfilling them at random. While I was unable to secure Baron (at first), I was more than willing, and happy, to settle for Gaim.

So how does he stack up to the hype? Well dear readers, put down your lockseeds for a moment and let’s find out*.”

Click View below for many more pics and the rest of the review!

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[REVIEW] Acid Rain: Stronghold (by TheVP)

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May 072014
 

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From the desk of TheVP:

“I love GI Joe and I love transformers, so when I heard about Acid Rain military-ish transforming vehicles I already knew I was in.

A kind of blocky anti-aircraft tank vehicle I guess, would provide some armored cover for the ground forces. The paint apps are excellent as you can feel the texture, has two flip down foot rests on the outside arms for extra troops to stand on, cockpit seats one figure. has a panel that lifts down to put batteries in but I didnt have any of those type of batteries, but apparently it has a pew pew sound.”

 
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REVIEW: WWR Caesars – ARD and Deimos II (by ska_lives)

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Feb 242014
 

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From the desk of ska_lives:

ThreeA is the toy company that puts out the figures related to Ashley Wood’s World War Robot (WWR) series. These are premium priced action figures and often times sell out LUDICROUSLY FAST! I am lucky to have found these guys for pre-order on BBTS this time last year. They arrived today after having their initial release date of 4th qtr 2013 pushed out to 1st 2014. Quite the wait indeed.

The series is based on the comics and art books of the same name and are themselves tied into (albeit seemingly very loosely) his Popbot comic series. The story itself is great and, well, too much to get into here.

However here is a link to the wiki entry:

http://www.threeawiki.com/World_War_Robot

There are a variety of Robot styles and these figures represent some of the more common designs. Now, before I get too carried away, let us segway into the actual review so that I do not ramble.”

 

Click View/Discuss below to read the entire article, and view a lot more images.

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[REVIEW] Club Infinite Earth’s – Phantom Stranger

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Feb 212014
 

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From the mysteriously complicated desk of Phantom Stranger:

Alright, I’ve been putting this off for too long now. I’ve been meaning to review this figure since it came out back in February last year, but for some reason I never got around to it. Perhaps it’s because I didn’t have a lot to say about the figure, or perhaps it’s because I just didn’t feel it was worth the time. I honestly cannot say, but we might as well get it over with.

Starting with the box we have the usual style that the Club Infinite Earth figures came in, with original artwork of Stranger wearing a dinner plate around his neck.

Aaaand is seems Mattel didn’t know which version of the character they were doing. The Bio on the back indicates it’s supposed to be the New 52 character, but the figure itself represents the silver and modern age version, which had 4 different origins to confuse everyone. The box also states “None” for the name, which lines up more with the silver/modern as opposed to the N52. It’s like buying a Huntress figure and her name being Helena Wayne but the bio saying she was the daughter of crime lord, Santo Cassamento.

Opening the figure up is of course easy, just slide the tray out after popping the top. Getting the figure out of a tray is another matter, I wouldn’t say it’s hard, but they thread the cape through the tray, and the cape is wider than the cutout. Simply folding the (thankfully) pliable cape into a taco shape is enough to get it out, but it is a rather perplexing design choice that Mattel continues to stick with.

But I guess that doesn’t matter all that much. The figure is what really counts here.

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CCE Domestic Spotlight: Starduster (by Law)

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Feb 022014
 
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From the desk of Law:

Hello ELITE brothers and sisters. I have been working hard behind the scenes at making CCE the biggest baddest group on Facebook. That does not mean I have forgotten it’s time for the next installment of the domestic spotlight. This episode I bring you due to popular demand another mail in figure STARDUSTER. One of the coolest mail aways hasbro did it was still not an instant success, in my opinion due to its powder blue suit.

Starduster was available for mail order though hasbro direct from 1987-1991 before it was discontinued. There were 3 different versions of starduster offered though that time span. The versions have come to be known as v1a, v1b and v1c(v1c being the most common one available), Like steel brigade which we discussed last time starduster was made up of reused recolored body parts from previous figure molds. The versions were different in certain ways, mainly body parts used to create the figure but also there accessories. One main stay for all figures was the use of steelers head and flints arms for every figure.

Version 1A was made up of:

Recondo’s waist and torso.
Roadblock’s legs.
Flint’s arms.
Accessories were grenade launcher, helmet, visor and jet pack.

Version 1B differed only by…   click VIEW / DISCUSS below to read the full article.

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TOY REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Sailor Mercury (by Phantom Stranger)

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Jan 202014
 

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From the desk of the omniscient Phantom Stranger

“2012 marked the 20th anniversary of the Sailor Moon Franchise. By spring 2013, Toei announced plans for a new Anime series along with a ton of merchandise celebrating the anniversary. Among the new merchandise was a new line up of figures from Bandai’s S.H. Figuarts. Sailor Moon kicked off the line in August 2013, followed by Mercury a few months later, and is who we’ll be taking a look at today.”

“As you might expect from a Figuart, Mercury has a plethora of movable joints. Her hands are on ball joints, her shoulders are on a pin disc universal joint. She has single jointed elbows and knees, however these are on a disc joint similar to a figma, so while they’re not double jointed, they come close to having the range of a double joint. Her legs are your usual S.H. swivel down ball joint, her feet are on ball joints allowing you to pull off a full on tip toe if you so wish and they can even swivel. Her upper torso has a slight wiggle do it, but don’t expect much. Finally, her head is on a ball joint, with the only real hindrance being her hair sculpt preventing her from looking up.”

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[REVIEWS] Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (by Phantom Stranger)

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Dec 262013
 

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From the desk of Phantom Stranger:

Taking place in 18XX (What is this Mega Man?) The Belmont Family has been missing since 1797. But with the strong possibility of Dracula’s revival looming, several organizations have appeared in the Belmont Families absence to rid the world of Dracula.

At the forefront of these organizations is Ecclesia, headed by Barlowe who may have found a way to destroy Dracula using a type of spell called a Glyph. This particular Glyph set is made up of three different spells and when combined they form Dominus, and it is of immense power.

However, the Glyphs need a host body to unleash their power. The one chosen for this role is Shanoa, a member of Ecclesia and Barlowe’s personal disciple. But the ritual is interrupted by a fellow member of Eccleisa named Albus. Albus claims that Barlowe promised him and him alone the power of Dominus. Albus defies Barlowe’s orders, attacks him and steals the Glyphs for his self, but Albus is unable to properly absorb them.
During the scuffle, Shanoa was knocked unconscious and upon awaking has no memories, possibly taken by Albus along with Dominus. She must retrain her skills, find Albus and take Dominus back.

Storywise, I enjoyed this but there are some problems. Unlike PoR, we don’t have any connections here. We’re given a completely new cast with no connections to the Belmonts, or anyone else for the matter. We also finally get to see what was going on before the Morris family inherited the Whip and before the Lecarde family had the Spear. Leaving the year vague was also a good idea. We can assume this happens before the events told in Bram Stoker’s Novel, but we’re not too sure. Koji “IGA” Igarashi, has expressed a slight displeasure in using his revised timeline, stating:

“Because Dracula only appears every 100 years, we made the whole timeline and ran out of places to put in another game. I made the timeline, but I shouldn’t have actually released it, because now it’s all official. That was a bad decision.”-IGA in an interview with WIRED.

Click the View/Discuss button below to read the rest of this VERY comprehensive review!

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[REVIEW] S.H. Figuarts Gokai Blue (by Talisman)

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Dec 212013
 

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From the desk of Talisman:

“Talisman’s Tactical Appraisals

S.H. Figuarts Gokai Blue Review
Character: Gokai Blue (Joe Gibken)
Series: Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger (Pirate Squadron Gokaiger)
Brand: S.H. Figuarts
Producer: Bandai Japan
Price: Upwards from $50

Background:

When I first found out about Gokaiger a couple years back, it was through watching a few fandubbed episodes shown during the Livestream of an artist I’m rather fond of, who I shall keep unnamed due to the content of his works- But Kaity knows who I’m talking about. Anyway, putting aside the general premise of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger- which can be boiled down to “Space pirates seek the Ultimate Treasure and in the process team up with EVERY SINGLE POWER RANGER EVER to save the Earth”- what struck me first and foremost was the design of the Ranger’s costumes. Being a military brat with a strong connection to the Navy and growing up in North Carolina (which as some of you may know has a strong connection to piracy during its golden age), I was absolutely enamored. The collector in me DEMANDED that I obtain a toy of these, especially the Blue Ranger of that series. Only recently did I get the chance to, however, and after two years of waiting, am I pleased with the results?

Well, read on.”

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REVIEWS: MOTUC – 2013 – Castle Grayskull Review (Black Swan)

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Dec 132013
 

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From the desk of Black Swan:

CASTLE GRAYSKULL

This is easily of the most long awaited of playset for MOTUC line… The Fortress of Mystery & Power. It was sculpted by The Four Horsemen and is available at Mattycollector.com, as of December 16, 2013

Manufactuer : Mattel
Price : $300.00

At nearly 2 feet tall, this thing is beautifully painted and well detailed. From the stone walls to the little, nice wood tiles, Castle Grayskull is the “ultimate” battleground between the forces of good and evil.

Click the view/discuss button below to see more pics, and the remainder of Black Swan’s review!

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REVIEW: TMNT Shredder – Version 2 – SDCC 2013 Exclusive (by Lantern Lad)

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Oct 222013
 

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From the desk of Lantern Lad:

“The other day I get an email from BBTS sayingSDCC Exclusive TMNT Shredder figure Up Pre-Order. I, being hopelessly addicted to the TMNT line and cartoon jumped at the chance to pick up the only other SDCC exclusive I missed out on! To my surprise, the figure processed and shipped within 2 weeks time, arriving on my doorstep this afternoon!

This version of the figure is also being released in stores in a non-chromed version later this year, early next year according to the catalogs that come with each figure. So though, you may not get this chrome version, the sculpt and figure are coming!

The package (front):
Very nice 4-color packaging with spot varnish on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles logo. What I wasn’t happy with was that the SDCC2013 Exclusive decal was removed, leaving adhesive goo (ooze, if you will ) and some of the package artwork removed.”

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[REVIEWS] Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (by Phantom Stranger)

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Oct 032013
 

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From the desk of Phantom Stranger:

Taking place in 1944, right in the middle of WWII, we take on the role of Johnathan Morris, the son of John Morris from Bloodlines and Grandson of Quincey Morris from the novel. In addition to Johnathan, we also have Charlotte Aulin, a distant relative and descendant of the Belnades clan. With the Belmont family still missing since 1797, it is left to them to defeat the lord of the the castle.


Along the way they will have assistance from a friendly Priest named Vincent who will give them items… for a price, of course. They will also meet a mysterious ghost simply known as Wind, who has been bound to the castle since death. Johnathan and Charlotte will also learn that Dracula has not been fully revived, but another vampire, by the name of Brauner, has taken over the castle.

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