Random Toy Sightings 2018

I've been collecting random toy sightings at the local park over the past few months and thought it was time to share a few again.  Enjoy! 😃

This tiny dollhouse-sized pram was lying next to a pile of tree branches.

The Canadian Tire Wow Catalogue's Toy Section

It's been ages since I've posted now - I'm still staying with my mother as she's recovering from surgery (and thanks to everyone who sent her well-wishes! :)) - I did manage to fit in a holiday in during November (which will soon be highlighted over on Project Evil Bunny), but instead of going home, I cam back to Toronto. And since I'm here, I thought it might be fun to share the toy pages from the annual Canadian Tire Wow Catalogue (90% of which isn't toys, so just a few photos here).  So here they are!

The Front page

Out of the Box: Star Wars - The Power of the Force Luke & Coin

In the box.

One of the fun things about moving frequently is that unpacking is a little like opening presents while one of the less than fun things is that it's easy for things to get misplaced.  Clearing out my guest room closet this past weekend (which had become a bit of a dumping ground for things that should have gone into storage), I found an example of both of these things.

I have no memory of buying this "The Power of the Force" Luke Skywalker in Endor Gear with Display Coin, and yet here he is. In fact, he's apparently an old enough release that it's entirely possible that he's made every move with me since leaving my mother's house (I suspect that was a gift from some of my old school friends, since they had a habit of buying me Star Wars toys).

The coin.

Luke Skywalker.

In any case, I decided to keep and unbox him.  He's a standard Kenner figure, but the base and coin give him enough presence that it feels like he'd be easier to display than most figures of this size.  I have a decent number of figures in this size range that I've never found a satisfying way to display, but the stand really does make this one feel substantial enough to sit on a shelf on its own.

Return of the Jedi-style Luke on the stand, with a coin

New Arrival: American Girl Cécile

I think I've mentioned before that while I'm an admirer 18" play dolls, I'm not really a collector of them, so I was happy to own just two, my old AG Samantha and then my more recent SewDolling Madison.  But with the Samantha in storage I found that I missed having an AG around, and with rumours of the retirement of a couple of the historical dolls floating around, I decided to pick up a Cécile.

Having just been looking at my sister's old AG's a little over a week ago, I immediately noticed that this doll is much smaller (or at least less plush) than the old ones.  She also seems to have better hip mobility in that she can sit with her legs more-or-less out in front of her rather than with them splayed to the sides, which I think is a lovely feature.

In any case, I've talked about these dolls before, so I won't go into too many details expect to say that I'm quite pleased with this girl!

Cécile up close.

In modern gear.

Out of the Box: Play Arts Commander Shepard

The Play Arts Commander Shepard

I've posted before about the DC direct Mass Effect figures and the limitations of that line, so this figure makes an interesting comparison piece, since it's a character from the same franchise produced by a different company.  To be fair though, this figure is in a larger scale and at a higher price point, so it goes without saying that the smaller, less costly figures are going to suffer by comparison - this toy is simply superior in almost every way: sculpt detail, paint work, articulation and accessories.  It does lack some of the charm that a few of the less detailed figures had (namely the Mordin figure), but some of that is simply due to the fact that this is a human character.

I actually hesitated in picking up this figure originally as I'm not generally a fan of default character figures from games that allow for character customization, but ultimately I decided that the default Shepard was iconic enough that I wasn't really bothered by the fact that he doesn't particularly look like my version of the character.

The Box

The figure is packaged in a standard cardboard package - all sided, but with a book-style flap that's secured with Velcro.  The box art is quite attractive - it actually looks quite similar to the game's box art, but with the action figure front and centre. I actually took longer than usual to de-box this figure specifically because I was so fond of the look of the box that I considered keeping him on display inside it.  Ultimately though, my desire to save on space (and to handle the figure) won out.

With the flap open.

The figure comes with a solid set of accessories: two firearms of different sizes, a second set of hands (posed to hold the weapons - the default hands are fists), and an omniblade (the orange dagger/personal computer/communicator device from the game).  The details on all of the accessories are top notch, although I found it a little challenging to fit the fingers of the gun-hands around the guns.  I was also less than thrilled that the omniblade can't be slipped onto the figure without first removing a hand.  It seems like it would have been simply enough to add a slit to the straps, and I may end up modifying it along those lines (depending on how I decide to display this guy).

Standing on his own.

In terms of balance, the figure is nicely symmetrical,  but not to an unnatural degree.  He's also very well balanced and can easily stay upright without the assistance of a stand and without too much fiddling with the pose.

In terms of articulation, the figure is well-jointed and can move through a variety of poses.  I'd expected the head movement to be somewhat limited by the collar on the armour, and it is, but not nearly to the extent that I'd feared. 

The only issue I had in terms of joints was in removing the figure's left hand - although one only needs to take off the hand itself to swap hands, I found it a little too easy to take off the wrist piece along with it.  That may be an issue unique to this particular piece though, as the right hand worked perfectly, and I've not had the same problem with other Play Arts figures with option hands.

Imagine some waist-high cover here. ;)

A closer view of the armour

Overall, I'm very pleased with this figure.  His posing is solid, the details of his paint and sculpt are spot-on, and the accessories are nearly perfect. 

Retro Week

The king of pop

I'm heading back home next week and have some more detailed posts planned once I'm back, but before I leave my mother's house, I thought I'd share some amusing blasts from the past (with apologies for the poorly lit photos).

My mother has been organizing her storage room (also known as the unfinished basement), and putting old toys into labelled bins.  This made it easy for me to find things like my sister's old Michael Jackson doll (with two outfits!), and a variety of other dolls of that era.

Optimus Prime

A variety of mini figures

Other fun finds were my old transformers (I only ever had four, but they were some of my favourites) and a sorting table full of tiny figures (I recognized Muppets, Monchichis, Cabbage Patch Kids and Strawberry Shortcakes amongst them) that are still be organized.

Works in Progress: The Unfinished Dolls

SDC Miko in his default look

Some people never buy a doll without a plan for what to do with it.  I am not one of those people.  Naturally, that means that my collection is sometimes a little less cohesive than some, but it also means that it's full of unfinished projects, and I thought it might be fun to share a few of them.

WIP #1 is my Volks SDC Miko.  I'd been eyeing the SDC line for years, but had never had the opportunity to pick one up (at least at a price I was comfortable with) until coming across this guy whilst browsing Mandarake late last year.  I was surprised to find him at all, but to have found him with his complete fullset was even better, so of course he landed in my cart.

But when he arrived, I realized that while he's a fabulous doll, I don't actually like his default look.  So the first thing I did was put his head in the freezer and take out those big blue eyes (if you've never taken the eyes out of an older Volks doll, tossing the head in the freezer will make it easier - although the newer ones seem to use a freeze-proof glue, so the newer your doll, the less likely it is to work). 

SDC Miko and Fdoll Charlotte
in their most recent styles

I replaced the eyes with some brown glass ones, but felt like that wasn't enough of a difference - unfortunately I didn't have any flashes of inspiration, so the poor guy ended up in cast-off wigs and clothes.  I'm thinking that a faceup with darker colours may be in his future now, but we shall see!

In his most recent photo (there on the right), you will also see WIP #2, a Fantasy Doll Charlotte.  I ordered her last year, when rumours that Fdoll was discontinuing their dark tan started circulating.  I didn't have a plan for her, but I'd been thinking about picking up one of their tinies for years, and had a good experience with sister company Angel Street, and had always wished that I'd picked up my Angel Street doll in dark tan.

So as with the Miko, this girl came home without a plan.  She also (unexpectedly, since I didn't do much research) came with a free faceup, which I believe may be one of the barriers to knowing what to do with her.  I should wipe it, because it's not to my taste, but it's just cute enough that I haven't done it yet.

Fdoll Charlotte in looks that just didn't quite work.

I will say that one great benefit of not knowing what do with with a doll of this size is that it's so much easier to find clothing for them since they can share with standard size fashion dolls.  In these photos she's wearing a Liv and Barbie outfits (and even a Liv doll wig in the pool photo), and another taken from an anthro doll.

Li Shang's default look

Lest anyone think that it's only BJDs that end up in the unfinished pile, WIP #3 is a customization project built around a Disney Classic dolls - Li Shang from Mulan. 

Years ago, I had a plan to turn the old McDonald's Li Shang (more an action figure than a doll) into Sky from Jade Empire.  I never got around to it. In part that was because I lost the base figure during a move (although he would have been easy enough to replace), but primarily because I was getting away from working on smaller action figures in general.

Jade Empire's Sky

But then I was wandering through a Disney Store last week (looking for a t-shirt for a nephew), and the "Sale! $10!" sign caught my eye.  And remembering my old plans for the figure, I thought I'd give that project another go, doll scale this time.  We'll see if I actually get around to it this time! ;)

Back at the ranch...

I'm on the road for the month (currently in Toronto, having just spent a week in Vancouver), so my toy documentation project is on hold for a bit.  That said, there are some new incoming/unpacked dolls in the queue, and I have access to my mother's collection of toy storage cubes, so I may try to dig through some of that.

In the meantime, here's a sneak peak of the toys who are waiting in line:

A confession about my guilty fondness for the Bratz Boyz line, an unboxing of the Play Arts Commander Shepard, and perhaps an introduction to Ivy, the newest member of my accidental AG mini collection.

I ordered an Aiden from Withdoll back in February, and have been informed that the box arrived yesterday.  Photo source.

A review/overview of Sew-Dolling's Sew-Able line is in the works.  I've had the doll for a while now, but wanted to be able to compare her to the same-sized American Girl dolls in person before posting about her.

If today is a long weekend for you, I hope it's a good one!

Out of the Box: Adam Jensen ( Play Arts Deus Ex: Human Revolution)

In my post about the DC Direct ME figures, I mentioned the higher quality of the Play Arts figures that Square Enix puts out, and the Deus Ex licensed line was no exception to that.  These are lovely figures with fantastically detailed sculpts and solid accessories.


The Jensen figure came with multiple hands - a pare for gripped the included gun, a pair of fists, and a pair with the blades that one uses for stealth kills in the context of the game.  For display purposes I generally keep the gun hands on him - and since everything else is in storage at the moment (along with "Federova", the other figure from this line in my collection), he's currently on display accessory-free.

With gun and an optional left closed hand.

Not an easy pose for this figure to hold

Despite the fantastic details of the sculpt, this figure is not without its weaknesses, as it's a bit top heavy, making him a challenge to have him standing unassisted.  Additionally, the sculptural details of his vest and belt, while fantastic visually, limit his torso and hip movement, which also make certain poses a challenge.

Still, the level of detail really makes this figure shine, so I give the line top marks for that.

Out of the Box: The Normandy Crew (DC Direct's Mass Effect series)

L-R: Grunt, Mordin, Tali, Thane

I mentioned having unpacked one of these figures (Tali) back in January, but now they've all been put out on display - I suppose I missed them!

Unlike the higher-priced (and higher quality) Play Arts series that includes many of the same video game characters, DC Direct's Mass Effect line are fairly simple figures.  Each has a reasonably (but not spectacularly) sculpted face, a single weapon accessory and a simple black stand.  The figures and weapons are sturdy (they were packed loosely for the move and all arrived intact), but the stands are surprisingly flimsy for such simple pieces - two of my four broke in transit.

Mordin: Probably the best figure in the series

The quality of the figures themselves varies: Mordin and Grunt look solidly like their in-game counterparts and can pose fairly naturally.  Tali is reasonable, but is painted with non-game colours while Thane is well-sculpted, but awkwardly posed, and isn't articulated enough to compensate for that awkwardness.  There were several other figures in this series that I passed on altogether because they were both poor likenesses to the characters and awkwardly posed (I had the opportunity to buy the Miranda figure for $5CDN and still stayed away).

Grunt and Thane, with weapons

If these figures hadn't been released more than a year prior to the Play Arts line, I probably would have skipped over them entirely due to the poor quality of all but a handful of the figures (and in retrospect, I should have skipped buying the Thane figure).  But ultimately this is a case where my fondness for the franchise overcomes my dislike for the actual products in question - I keep the toys on display because I more because I loved the game series than because I consider the figures to be works of art on their own.  Still, the ones I have do work as talking pieces, so at least three of them will be staying on display.

Live from Mayonaka Arena! (Taito's P4U Kanji Tatsumi)

"C'mere, Take-Mikazuchi!"

I've never been a big fan of non-articulated PVC figures; I've always felt that if I want a stature, I'd rather it be made of something other than plastic.  But then I saw Taito's Persona 4  tie-in series (Full title: P4U The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena - they're designed around the spin-off Persona 4 Arena fighting game rather than the core RPG) and I was ready to make an exception to my rule.  I was tempted to pick up 5 of them, but cooler heads prevailed (They seem to range in price from $28-$50USD, depending on the source) and I started with the one that had the lowest price (although admittedly it was only lowest by less than $1).

Despite the lack of pose-ability, what attracted me to this series is the sense of action that these static figures manage to convey.  The figure that I picked up is Kanji Tatsumi, and he's posed in the stomp position of his final combination attack move - knees bent, coat flying up, necklace whipping back, the whole bit.  It may be a permanent position, but it conveys movement well and is such a perfect replication of the in-game pose that it makes me smile and quote taglines whenever I walk past him.

The windowless box

The figure was well-packed for shipment, with the three separate pieces all wrapped in bubble wrap inside a solid cardboard box (a very colourful cardboard box, I might add!).  I was surprised that the box was solid.  There have been figures from the main Persona 4 game, and when I've seen them in shops they've always had a plastic window on one side, so the change for this series is an interesting choice.


The sculpt is well done and reasonably well-painted (there are some missed bits in a couple of places - noticeably on top of his head), but overall it's an attractive figure (and it looks exactly like the character).  The chair (which he uses to deliver beat-downs) comes off, and while it feels flimsy it's been solid so far (and I did have to force it into his hands when I put it together).

"Now's our chance for a beatdown!"

The stand is a thin plastic, and is the part of the whole that I'm least impressed with - it really seems cheap in comparison to the rest of the figure.  That said though, it's an eye-catching even yellow, which is in-line with the game design and the feet of the figure fit into the pegs well.  It's also of a design such that the stands of the other figures could fit together like puzzle pieces.

Overall though, this is a great figure.  Even though I'm still on the fence about the static pose,  I'm seriously considering picking up another one or two figures from this series (maybe Chie and Yu.  And Naoto.  And maybe Yosuke...).