Okay, let’s start with the stuff you’ll need: X-Acto blade, clippers, Spray Primer (white or black), a very stylish dishwashing glove, matches, needles (notpins), a luxurious chunk of Styrofoam, and a Dremel with polishing pads. If you have any questions about the tools, check out our tool blog here.

Cutting Pieces off the Sprue

First, you need to trim the pieces off the sprue. Use a sharp pair of clippers and clean up rough bits with the X-Acto. What you’ll have to look out for at this point are either spots you’ll be able to hide once the figure is assembled, like under feet or inside armpits, or leave a bit of a sprues riser on for our next step…

“Pinning”

The main reason people assemble before painting is because they can’t hold the little bits cleanly, but you can work around that, so get your matches and needles out. You want to light a match, heat the tip a needle, then jab the needle into a concealable spot on each piece of the figure. You need to be quick, and I’m a bit of a clutz and just drop the matches, but I guess an ashtray or saucer of water could prevent burning your house down if you don’t have cement floors where you’re working.

Once you’re done, you’ll have every bit of your figure impaled on a needle. You will now be able to hold the pieces cleanly and set them down by poking them into the Styrofoam.

Spraying

Put on the sexy glove and hold your pieces about 18” from the spray can. You’ll want to sue white primer for lighter figures and black for darker ones, though dark primer is good for novices since it hides a lot of painting mistake. Spray in clean shots and keep the can moving. If you stop at any point, you’ll filly in crevasses and make a runny mess.

If you’re really having trouble, don’t use the can to fill in the last gaps, it’s better just to touch them up with a brush rather than obliterate details with too much paint. I like to apply in two really light layers so I just barely cover the plastic by the end of the second spray.

Dremel Time!

Now it’s time to crack out the Dremel and a polishing pad. Since the patina of a spray can’s micro droplets has very little in common with whatever you’re painting, we’re going to buff it out. I suggest you stick to just a bare cotton pad, which is what I do. You can use a pad impregnated with some rubbing compound, or get a little jar of rubbing compound to apply to the pad, but it’s not necessary and can lead to damage. If you keep the Dremel’s speed within reason, this is perfectly safe.

What you want to do is run the pad over the primed surface until it goes from matte to shine. It’s easy on the flat bits, but try to work the edge of the pad into the crevasses or else you’ll lose detail.

And there you should have it! You should now have pristine pieces ready for paintwork.

Okay, this blog probably would have been better entitled “Basic Tools with Bonuses,” especially when it comes to the Dremel, but what’s done is done. So let’s go through the items…

Paints

Listen, I like the full paint set. Unfortunately, if you add up all the contents of the set, it’s only worth $232, though the set costs $250. While $18 for the case isn’t unreasonable, I really think Games Workshop should have worked a bit of a discount into the set. I mean you’re buying enough! It does keep my life in order though, there’s a tray to dry brushes on as well as a compartment big enough for all my foundation paints. Also, I never find myself sitting at my desk at 11PM wishing I had just a couple drops of a less common color for a highlight.

For the record, I hate that these are all acrylic paints. I know oil based paints need thinner, which is noxious, but acrylic paints are just so damned soft! The “’Ard Coat” varnish is latex-(water)-based, so it doesn’t offer much protection either. I like to mix some varnish in with the water I dilute the paints with to harden them up slightly, but it still doesn’t do much. I tried to coat a Space Marine in oil-based varnish and the paint melted on me, so that’s not much of an option either.

The Holy Tile

Kitchen tiles are great surfaces to mix your paints on, and once they’re cruddy, just throw them out! They’re only 99 cents after all. If you want something a little more luxurious, get a ceramic mixing tray with a plastic cover, then you can cover your paints up and they won’t dry out on you. Plastic trays are the cheapest, but I’m pretty much married to the ceramic surface now. Of course, my el-cheapo pictured tray is plastic. When you’re in a pinch, use the lid off a yogurt container. The container itself is perfect for holding water and when you’re done, you can just chuck everything out.

Designer’s Guide to Color 4

Anybody can match blue and gold or red and white, but what about a faded orange and brown with a deep blue? This book shows you over a thousand color combinations categorized by tone, just flip through it and you’ll find some incredible combos. You can find it for sale on Amazon (for the Americans) and Chapters (for the Canadians) at the two links below…

http://www.amazon.com/Designers-Guide-Color-Colo/dp/087701681X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200499034&sr=8-2

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Designers-Guide-to-Color-4-IKUYOSHI-SHIBUKAWA/9780877016816-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527designer%2527s+guide+to+color+4%2527

Foundation Paints

Have black paint for dark figures and white paint for bright ones. In truth, you can get great dark figures from a white paint foundation but applying judicious layers of ink. I like that best, but it’s time consuming. Spray cans themselves are limiting in that you can get spatter and tiny blobs, but using an airbrush is a hell of a lot more work. Also, get one of those grandma dishwashing gloves to keep your holding hand clean while spraying.

Styrofoam, Matches and Needles

My priming video will explain this fully, but a lot of figures, once assembled, are near impossible to paint properly. You end up with spaces deep inside the fold of a cloak etc. Also, a lot of more conventional figures benefit from painting the head separately so you get a clean edge between their neck and jaw, and there’s always the edge between a Space Marines crest and boltgun. Painting the pieces separately can be difficult since you can hold them properly or put them down to dry. So you heat a pin, jab it in a spot you’ll eventually be gluing. Then when you put a piece down to dry, you poke it into the Styrofoam. As I said before, we have a priming video on the way where I properly demonstrate this.

Glue

Games Workshop glue is good and invisible, but some figures really benefit from tougher super glue, so keep some on hand for staffs and outstretched arms. If it looks like gravity might be an issue, use the stronger glue. Some knockoff Krazy Glue dries white, but it’s easy to touch up afterwards, even so, it’s better to break out five bucks and buy the real stuff.

X-Acto Blade

Buy ten blades right away! If you don’t, you won’t be able to resist using a dull blade and you’ll get garbage results. Also, the case they’ll come in will have a little slot you slip used blades into, so you won’t have dangerous garbage bags. Also, blades can vary slightly in quality, but it’s not worth buying anything other than the cheapest available, and the handles are all the same, so definitely buy the cheapest and ignore that stupid $15 Games Workshop one.

Clippers

Forget the Games Workshop ones. First, the last generation ones weren’t very good. Second, the new ones are overpriced. Get a nice sharp pair from a hardware store and borrow the cutting stone from the kitchen to sharpen them up now and then. Again, ignore that stupid $15 Games Workshop clippers.

All Those Other Tools…

Don’t buy the $120 Games Workshop Tool Set! The parts are only worth $100 and the X-acto blade and clippers are incredibly overpriced. You can easily save another $20 bucks there, so you could save $40, and that’s if you still want everything, which you won’t…

Okay, onto the saw: I don’t have one. Modders might want one. The new Games Workshop one is meant to waste very little plastic, but it’s $22. Sorry, you’re on you own.

Onto the vice: again, I don’t have one, but I would check out prices at hobby shops and online before plunking down for the Games workshop one. I end up switching pieces so often I don’t see the point. I imaging people who assemble before painting would like one.

As for the files: $12 for three Games Workshop files seems like a good deal, especially if you work on metal figures, but then again, you can buy hobby files for $2.50 individually. Also, you only need two, a round one and a triangle one.

Finally, the toolkit: it’s stupid. I like the paint set because those paint can get confused easily. These tools don’t have that problem. In fact, most people would have enough space in their paint set to fit everything. If not there, get a nice metal toolbox for $20.

Dremel

The Dremel is definitely a more advanced sort of tool, but once you pick one up, you’ll be hooked! They’re pretty inexpensive, especially if you pick one up on sale. For attachments, definitely get the super tiny drill set and cotton polishers. You can also try out some polishing pads impregnated with rubbing compound, or even a little tub of rubbing compound, but be careful with that stuff! Also, cutting discs can kick ass, but I’m too afraid to them.

You can’t go too wrong buying a Dremel, someday you’ll use one on something.

Lighting

I’m not sure this is really a painting tool, but strong lighting is critical! Do your figures in dim light and you’ll have a cruddy result. Since I’ve always had them, I use my photography lamps with big fluorescent bulbs in them, but a directional desk lamp will do the trick. Also, a spare, warm lamp can help bake your paint dry.

I know certain sites are still offering pre-orders. You notice how they used to promise to ship the toys out a couple months ago? Now they’re magically meant to ship in October… well there’s less than 10 days left in that month… Well try this, it’s cancelled. I had to block out a lot of personal info on that letter above (sorry guys) but there it is black and white, Hasbro has cancelled all orders of the Brood Series.

Okay, we’ve seen pictures of finished toys, are they gone? Of course not! Sure they can cancel a toy here and there, like the Toybiz Hydra agent that will finally appear in this Brood issue, but an entire series? No way, it’s just too much money wasted! We won’t see Brood for Christmas because they’re focusing on the Fantastic Four and Spiderman series since they both have movie franchises and are more appealing to kids, who are kind of a big factor around Christmas. The Brood Series has a lot of characters that appeal to the hardened collector, so it makes sense to float it during the off-season .

I’m proud to say DorkToys.com doesn’t pull that pre-order garbage. Also, we’re usually cheaper and ship faster. Wait a minute, why do any of you buy from our competitors anymore?

Okay they have a higher price point, and they fill up a shelf real quick, but man, do some of these Icons look cool! My all-time favorites are Dr. Doom and the Silver Surfer, either one of those toys command some attention.

Okay, bad stuff first…

Room for Improvement

One critical selling point that I think Icons need to really grab hold of is that accents are critical. The plastic hunk of a Punisher would have been much better off with a T-Shirt, and Magneto’s cape just didn’t cut it. On the other hand, Doom’s cloak rocks and the Human Torch’s translucent flames make the figure. Now and then a figure like Cyclops gets away with conventional plastics and still looks good, but with figure’s this expensive, you should always look for some special feature and execute it well.

On a less critical note: always use matte paint for the skin! A couple of these figures have gleaming cheeks.

Also, where’s a girl? I know they have to be very careful about this since female figures are never as popular as male ones, but surely a Dark Phoenix figure could sell. Mix it in with some regular, green Phoenix toys just like back in Series 6. In truth, I can’t think of another bankable, female figure I would risk an Icon on, besides maybe an Invisible Woman around movie time, but surely a token female would be advisable.

Suggestions

Hasbro’s third and fourth Icons waves came out practically at the same time, please continue that! With just two figures apiece, I think that’s advisable. I know we can’t have as many Icons at a time since it’s a smaller market, but two at a time is just spreading it too thin.

SLIP COMICS IN! I know it wasn’t considered cost-effective to supply a comic with every 6” figure, but these guys cost more, wouldn’t it sweeten the deal?

While Brood is a good BAF, Modok was garbage. It seems to me that they are running thin on giant characters, so why not use Icons-scale heros as BAFs? Unless of course there are plans to include a larger bodypart with each Icon so that we can assemble and even bigger (life-sized) figure…

I preached about this toy in its review, then mentioned it in every garbage female figure I’ve had to review since, including Mystique,, Lady Deathstrike, White Queen, Jean Grey, Pyro… Oh Pyro’s a guy? Well his figure makes all the same mistakes as the bad female ones). The only other female figure I’ve truly been impressed by is She-Hulk. They’re close rivals, and if you want a high level of articulation, She-Hulk wins, but Batgirl has the edge in sculpting and paint, and it just so happens this blog is about Thrillkiller Batgirl, so let’s get on with it…

First, let’s start with the face…

Okay, I know I’m writing an article about the best female figure ever, so I should be starting with strong points, but I have two weak points to point out right off the bat. Guess what though, they’re the only two weak points!

First, the face is slightly too narrow. The face itself is very well detailed, incredibly detailed in fact, it’s just a bit too narrow overall. Seriously though, check out the cheekbones and the brow on the cowl. This is excellent work! A far cry from the awful White Queen and Jean Grey figures that just came out.

Second, the hair is too rounded. I’m guessing their was either a limitation with the plastics, or somebody was worried about kids poking themselves. The hair’s okay, but it would look a lot better if it came to sharp ends.

Next, articulation…

Okay, she doesn’t have a hundred points of articulation, but you can pose her in silly ways if you like. Really, we need to give up on articulating female figures as much as the male ones. Guys, well superhero guys at least, have defined muscles, which can be replaced with ball-bearing-like joints without ruining the illusion. Females, on the other hand, are more subtle, and those ball-bearing joints look stupid. Marvel Legends built its success on the promise of hyper articulation, but it’s not always necessary. Their Professor X figure looked awful because they tried to shove ball-bearing joints into a suit jacket. He’s a paraplegic!

The girls have thinner frames than the guys. Sure you can look for opportunities to articulate, but if corrupts the figure, leave it out!

Now, moving down to the business end of things…

All right, we’ve all probably had to explain to somebody why we’re into toys even though we’re not kids anymore, and believe me, if you run a site like this, you get asked about this interest a lot more often, and here we are, staring at plastic ass and hips, have we hit rock bottom? No, we have not, because today we’re studying the incredible sculpture that is this toy, let me continue…

Okay, bad female figures don’t have hips, they have a hinge with two knuckles for a “posterior.” This figure looks accurate. It’s not stick-like-Paris-Hilton-type either, this is a real girl. Sure we lost a bit of articulation by fusing the hips in place, but she looks lifelike because of it.

Finally, let’s check out the feet.

Some guys are into feet; they’re weirdos. I’m just showing the boot because you get a good look at, one, the glossy paint and, two, the detailing, which is similar to the gloves. No generic feet pieces here, just custom sculpting!

Onto the subject of glossy paints…

Here she is with her partner, what’s his name again? Bat-something? Anyways, look at the contrast between his matte black chest and his cape. She’s painted the same glossy black as Batboy’s cape, but without seeing that other figure, I was afraid the pictures weren’t doing her justice. The glossy black is deep and rich and better than anything you could ask from a toy. Also, the skin contrasts with a nice, matte finish, so no shiny, plastic pinks on her!

Someday I’ll have to decide on the best male figure of all time, but for now I just want to suggest that if the Hasbro’s and Toybiz’s of this world put a bit more care into their female figures, maybe they wouldn’t all be such unpopular toys.

While it’s beyond me why a tech magazine like wired put out an article on mod action figures, it’s kind of an interesting article anyways. I like Mods myself, and I can’t imagine proper toy producers like Hasbro and Mattel don’t pay close attention to them too. The lead-in article is inaccurate, incorrectly attributing much of the Mod world to improving articulation. Sometimes Mods (the lazy ones) promise better paint, but the vast majority are created in order to immortalize a character that would have otherwise never been produced. Anyways, there’s a nice eclectic mix of figures, some stronger than others, but worth checking out all the same…

http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2007/08/gallery_action_figures?currentPage=1&slideView=7

This isn’t really a “story,” but I just felt a tinge of pride recently when I boxed a couple loose Blob sets for one customer in Norway and another in Scotland. You really can’t ship outside of North America affordably, but I get a lot of emails from Europe and discovered a tiny box can ship affordably. I’m not sure if it’s worth the trouble, but I polybagged and sealed every figure and Blob piece.

Every now and then, I come across a Legends figure that is purported to have a variant, a variant whose price might even be documented in ToyFare as different from the standard toy, but in reality, there is no variant. Basically, there are two sorts of toys like these:

1) Toys that are adjusted mid-production so later ones look different than earlier ones; and,
2) Variants that are so incredibly subtle and weakly premised that I’m calling B.S. on the line.

Here’s a list of all that come to mind…

Series 1: Hulk with Articulated versus Bendable Fingers

Same figure, different hands. Here’s what happened: first, the Hulk had articulated hands, but Toybiz was new to the industry and the fingers kept breaking off, so they were soon replaced with the bendable fingers. Oddly enough, the articulated fingered versions are worth slightly more, even though they’re inferior. Any notions that Toybiz had its customers best interests in mind are dispelled by the fact that the late Series 2 Hulk with Torn Shirt variant had those defective, articulated fingers.

Series 2: Human Torch with a “4” versus without
The sculptors weren’t properly immersed in Marvel lore when they made the first Human Torch, so they mistakenly included the “4” on his chest. They soon removed the number, though I believe they should have added the classic, black, flame stripes to really fix the figure up. The incorrect, “4” version is rarer than the corrected model, so it’s worth a bit more.

Series 3: Daredevil with Beard versus without

First of all, they have the same UPC, so not even Toybiz is claiming these to be different toys. Also, the beard is barely visible. I actually had a “Variant” on the shelf for months before I realized. In fact, the guy who sold it to me never noticed at all.

Series 4: Punisher with Black Belt versus Grey
The black belt just didn’t look right, the Punisher just looks too much like he’s in a leotard. Toybiz noticed this and upgraded him with a contrasting, grey belt, but of course, the older, inferior one is worth more.

Series 5: Silver Surfer with Howard the Duck versus without
First off, is there any reason for the Silver Surfer to come with Howard the Duck? Of course not, but Toybiz pitched them as friends, which has zero basis from the comics. I have to say a bonus figure, even a nonsensical one, is better than nothing, so the later, duck ones should be worth more, of course, the earlier, inferior one is worth more.

Series 8: Ultimate Captain American with wings versus without, oh and with grey pants
First, it’s a chase figure to begin with, so it’s already rare. Of course it’s only a chase figure because there were production delays and the figures eventually got dumped in Face Off packages. The grey pants miss-paint, which I imagine has to be related to the production delays surround this figure, is supposedly the most valuable, but I’ve never seen one myself. Of course, I think it’s stupid that Ultimate Captain America doesn’t normally have wings on his skullcap, so the variant is simply doing the job right in my book, but the wings are so tiny, they don’t even turn up in pictures.

Legendary Riders: Wolverine with Green Khakis versus Blue Jeans
This is a proper variant, but it’s just such a lame one I have to call foul. When the only difference is the color of the pants and two grey flecks in the hair, that does not justify a new figure.

Apocalypse Series: Purple versus Black X-23s

The purple X-23 looked like garbage, so the black one, which looks a lot more like the prototype model that was pictured in ToyFare a couple months earlier, was soon released as an improvement. What’s remarkable is that the later, superior edition is the more valuable of the two.

Giant Man Series: Yellow versus Orange Sentries

Roll in the beards! The Sentry variant, a.k.a. Jesus, and his clean-shaven regular editions, all came in yellow and orange, making four possible editions. The yellow ones were earlier, and looked putrid, but the change happened later than normal so they’re more common. Toyfare once commented that the orange, bearded figure was never released to the public, which is ridiculous, all four are readily available.

Mojo Series Falcon and MODOK Series Wasp Variant Costumes
I’m calling B.S. here. The only difference between the Falcons is paint, which low-level modders could have accomplished, and besides paint the Wasps only have different hair, though they stretched that across three editions. They just didn’t try hard enough here.

Annihulus Series Ultimate Iron Man with Helmet versus without
First, this toy should have had a proper, gold variant. Some guys were actually repainting toys with metallic paint and replacing them in proper blister packs to resell on eBay, but Hasbro never released an official variant. Hasbro did however sell some with the helmet in place, and others with the helmet alongside. Values spiked and quickly dropped when the market realized how silly this was. There were rumors that the Blob series’ Xorn’s helmet might create a similar situation, but thankfully, nothing came of it.

Blob Series Jean Grey with Dark eyes versus just Plain Crappy Face
Green Quicksilvers and Gold Yellowjackets haven’t been turning up just yet, so we’re left with crummy Jean Grey variants, which are basically just here with shadows under her eyes, making the crummy face look worse. I call foul!