Saturday, June 27, 2015

Your Toy Box: The Face-Off Edition


Have you ever gotten a present on another family members birthday? Neither have I, but it certainly felt that way the pther night when a double header of Your Toy Box packages arrived at our door. One, my eagerly awaited second installment. The other, a byproduct of my brother's (the birthday boy) forgetfulness as he'd wanted to cancel his subscription after the first box. Luckily he didn't cause the two of us got to have an unboxing showdown with no clear winner since both boxes this month were outstanding! How bout we check out the spread.?

My Haul

Quick note: I previously edited my toy box preferences by having comic books & Marvel removed while adding McFarlane in their place.

First up is another small Ultraman figure. I believe this one is Gaea but don't quote me on that. Actually like this one better than the Max figure from last month. He's got a much more interesting pose and the clear plastic boot is less noticeable. They could continue to toss one of these in every box and it'd be fine by me. There's still plenty of Ultras to go after all.
Next we have one of Clive Barker's Tortured Souls. I've read about these before since it turns out they have an interesting reputation. On the one hand, people complain about them being tacky and gross yet they helped prove there was actually a market for adult toy collectors. While I'm not the biggest fan of the Barker gory S&M style, this guy's pretty mean looking and solid as all hell. Seen some other entries in the series that are sorta dumb but I'm more than ok with having this one around.
In case you're wondering, that third figure is not a wookie with a pool noodle. It's an evil kaiju from one of the Ultraman shows. I can't quite peg him down but my sister seems to remember him so he's probably from an early series. Like last month's Nightcrawler wind-up, this lil dude grows on ya over time.
Got another GBA game. This time it's The Sims Bustin' Out. Like Tony Hawk from the last box, it's a well reviewed title and I can't think of a better franchise for portable gaming. I mean if I'm gonna spend all day telling a fake person how to live their life, I should at least get some sun.
My first Sega item has arrived and it's the mascot himself, Sonic in mini form. It's a sweet little figure and my god is the box ever secure. Actually wanted to be nice and keep that in somewhat nice shape after opening but it just wouldn't let the toy go! It died a warriors death as I snatched the figure from it's innards.
Also got a taste of Capcom with Megaman from the Battle Network series. Never had the chance to play one of those entries though I had my eye on em. Guess it was kind of Megaman by way of Digimon sorta thing. Kinda figured I'd get Megaman eventually but I'd forgotten about this particular off-shoot. He's actually really cool though. Can't pin it down exactly, he's just well made and perfectly weighted. It's the kind of item you never really think about but it'll surprise you with how nice it actually is, and that's one of the best parts about this service.
Last on the list is Brain Drain from the Total Chaos series. I should note that sometime after taking the photo is when I realized he can stand on his testicles. I'm still so used to toys from my childhood that couldn't stand for shit, it still throws me off. This freak has ton of articulation with like eight arms, two wings, the aforementioned tentacles. Even his mouth has movable parts. So weird to think McFarlane put this thing out when I was thirteen. Had I known about it then, I probably woulda been really into it. He's the sort of figure you blend in with other series. Like I can totally see him facing off with Godzilla or the Aliens. Might even make a good match for Thor.
I thought it''d be a good idea to try and show the value of this box by giving each item a quick search on Amazon and ebay. Note that this is just quick pricing without any real bargain hunting. Check out the number ranges I found.
Sonic $8-18
the sims $5-25
tortured souls $10-32
brain drain $10
megaman $10
ultraman couple bucks each.
As you can see, the value is definitely there. Hell, Amazon is selling the game alone for the price of this whole box! Like I've mentioned before, this is that rare box where you get some true value from the items. Now let's take a gander at the second package of the day.


Jeff's Haul

I've previously noted that Jeff wasn't completely gung-ho about his first box. There were a few nice items in there to be sure, but it just didn't quite mesh with what he was looking for. As luck would have it, his second box is also a showstopper so I think he's pretty pleased with it.

Starting once again at the left we've got this blue skinned, horny guy from Star Wars. Can't recall his character exactly. I know there were some senators from this race, think there was a Jedi too. Whichever one he is, think he's pretty nifty.
Next is a towering Geordi LaForge from The Next Generation. That Star Fleet emblem a few spaces over is actually his base. There's a stand inside the box that I assume is part of the equation as well. It's a good thing too since he's unstable on his own and he can't lean on green tea forever. My brother really liked this one a lot and I can't blame him. TNG was a family event growing up so anything cool related to it is just gravy for us.
Slightly harder to see than the other items is a Simpsons collectible film card. Looks like it was the promo card for the full series. Actually pretty cool for trading cards. Wonder how well they performed since the early 2000's was a bit late for both cards and The Simpsons.
The Akuma Street Fighter figure may have impressed me more than Jeff, but it's only natural since I'm the bigger game nerd. In case you've never encountered the character before, he uses the same form of Martial Arts as Ken & Ryu except he's evil. Not sure if he's an actual devil or what, Street Fighter lore rarely makes sense to me. The figure is boss and pretty easy to pose. Only issue I have with him is those damn prayer beads refuse to stay in place.
Two Marvel items were included. A mini Wolverine of the Superhero Squad Show variety. And a Spider-Man air freshener. Some people might scoff at the idea of an air freshener in a toy box but considering the amount of Middle-Eastern cuisine we take down, I'll gladly accept the help.
Finally we have what is possibly the crown jewel of all our boxes so far. It's Sebulba! One of maybe three good characters from The Phantom Menace. He comes with a few of those little aliens he liked to eat as well. More than a little jealous of my brother on this one. Just look at it! It's beautiful! If you were to whittle this face off to one item, this would probably be the winner. It's functional, gorgeous, and great for display which basically means it'll make it's way to Jeff's work desk.

So there ya have it. Two great mystery boxes. Loved mine. Think it may have been even better than the first. Still plan to continue my subscription with maybe some more category alterations. Jeff truly dug his haul as well though he still plans to cancel his subscription as a means of saving money and space. That's if he remembers to do it this time of course. If any of you want to give Your Toy Box a try, it's $25 with free shipping and I'll have the link at the bottom of the article. It's a blast.


https://yourtoybox.cratejoy.com/

No comments:

Post a Comment