Mera and Firestorm dawn with DC Direct's Brightest Day!

I’ve been cherry picking DC Direct figures for some time now, and have been mainly sticking to characters or versions of characters that have never been produced. Next in my DCD review queue are the figures I chose from DC Direct Brightest Day Wave Two, which were Mera and Firestorm.

If you know me at all, you know that Aquaman is my favourite superhero, so buying Mera’s first proper appearance in 6” form was a no-brainer!

As much as it pained me that DC Direct released the Blackest Night Red Lantern version of Mera first, all is now forgiven. I am delighted to have DCD’s Mera on my shelf!

While I expect that Mattel will eventually bring us a Mera figure, there are elements that DCD brings to their action figures that will always keep this one a step above. Firstly, the female buck that Mattel uses for DCUC really is the greatest weakness of the line, unless you like your women with stick figure limbs and flat faces.

While DC Direct doesn’t match Mattel’s articulation, they do sculpt beautiful female forms, and the effort on Mera is certainly no exception. Her hair is beautifully sculpted, and her pose is excellent.

The second element that DCD brings is the finish. The texture that has been used here for the scales on Mera’s uniform is fantastic! It not only creates a scale effect, but almost a sparkle effect as well. It’s great look at but also sturdy to touch and it seems that it will wear well.

The only thing that keeps Mera from a perfect score in my book is the switch DC Direct has made from painted faces to coloured plastic. It doesn’t have the same effect, and it really drops the figures down a notch in my book. Nothing’s going to keep me from enjoying this great version of Mera, but it’s this bit of cost-cutting that keeps her from perfection.

While nothing compares to my Aquaman mania, I am definitely a Firestorm fan as well, and as this figure is meant to be a representation of Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond sharing space in the Firestorm Matrix for the first time, I thought it deserved a spot on my shelves.

One of the things I liked about this figure from the solicits is that the skin tone seemed to represent a mixture of Jason and Ronnie’s ethnic origins, so I was disappointed when the actual figure turned out to look more like a straight representation of Jason with his darker tones.

Now, that is in no way a comment about the tones themselves - I would have been just as disappointed if it was a straight representation of Ronnie. The point is that the mixed skin tone in the solicits wasn’t achieved in real life, and to me that defeats the whole purpose of the figure. A real shame.

While it’s a pretty significant issue to me, it’s the only thing I can fault on this figure, which is beautifully sculpted. Very nice touches include the translucent material used for Firestorm’s “flame-head” and the sculpted detail on his uniform, which easily could have been just painted on. It really is a quality action figure in every regard - which makes the skin tone confusion all the more disappointing.

While I have an issue with each of these figures, I am still glad to own both - but of course Mera is the star of not just the wave, but the Brightest Day series. She’s a beautiful piece and a much needed addition to a plastic DC Universe!

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and you can comment on this post to enter the November AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

Black Friday Magic at AFB!

Why should online retailers have all the fun on Black Friday? Sure, there are lots of opportunities out there to spend money on stuff, but here at AFB we love giving away free stuff, so our Black Friday Special has to be about outrageous give-always, not discounts!

All you have to do to have a chance to win one of three great prizes is register to become a member at the AFB Forum and make at least 1 post between now and the end of November. At the end of the month, all new members (from the time of this post) will go into the draw to win either:

The MOTUC Captain Glenn & Cringer Action Figure Set
The Marvel Universe Classic Avengers Box Set
The DC Universe Wave 18 Bronze Tiger Action Figure


All prizes are brand new and unopened, and include standard shipping.

So, head over to the AFB Forum, register now and and join in the conversation, and you could score yourself a Black Friday deal with the most amazing discount of all - free! And let's face it, who can say no to free toys??

It's Voting Time! Choose the "Kirby Your Enthusiasm!" Contest Winner

Our AFB customizers have been hard at work, and their efforts in the "Kirby Your Enthusiasm!" Custom Contest are now on display at the AFB Forum!

Click here to see the fantastic contest entries, and here to read the voting guidelines.

You have until 30 November to vote!

Bowen thinks out of the box with a new Spider-Woman statue

I normally review items in the order I receive them, but tonight I’m letting Bowen Designs’ Spider-Woman Statue jump the queue, because it’s simply too beautiful a piece to have to wait!

Having come into full on Bowen statue collecting (as opposed to just busts) a couple of years ago now, I have back-collected quite a number of pieces that came out before I started buying, but one I’ve never been able to pull the trigger on was the original Bowen Spider-Woman Statue. There’s something the pose that I always found a but off-putting. I really wanted Jessica Drew in my Full Size Bowen collection, so I was very pleased when I saw the solicits for this new version and decided this would be the one.

This is a very happy review, but it starts with a bit of a sad tale. As I was unpacking this statue from it’s mailer and Bowen box, I heard the last thing that any statue collector ever wants to hear - a rattle. I opened the box, a feeling of dread rising in my stomach, and sure enough, I found Spider-Woman’s right forearm floating free. I have to say other companies do a better job of providing padding for statue sections that can’t be snugly packed, and this was definitely needed here. Thankfully, it was a clean break at the glove line, and I was able to super glue the piece on very easily - crisis averted.

That little hiccup aside, this is a very exciting piece to add to the collection. Mark Newman is definitely up there on my list of favourite sculptors, and he has knocked this piece out of the stratosphere.

Bowen does a great job with standing poses for its “museum” style statues and more dynamic poses for its “action” pieces, but it’s nice to see them do something that doesn’t really fit in to any particular niche, and this piece certainly fits that bill. In this design, Spider-Woman sits on a very beautifully designed gargoyle, and the result is captivating.

You can never be sure how something that looks great in photos is going to look on your shelf, and I wasn’t sure from looking at the preview shots how this would play once I saw it in person, since angles from promo shots can often be deceiving. Thankfully this piece looks just as great in my display as I did in the preview shots, and the angles as photographed match what one can achieve when displaying the piece.  

One thing I really like about this piece is that it works well at different angles. It can be displayed with Spider-Woman facing straight-on, to the left or even from behind. I have a feeling I am going to be rotating this statue in my display regularly just to enjoy the different effects! The figure of Spider-Woman herself is a beautiful piece, and I love the way that she’s posed. It’s a relaxed, contemplative pose, but at the same time very powerful if you imagine her sitting on this gargoyle at a height overlooking the cityscape. As well as the classic costume and lines we’re used to, I particularly like the flowing way her hair is sculpted, and this is one of the effects that makes the piece work when viewed from the back. I also like her little spider-wings sticking out at the back. They’ve been sculpted and painted in a way that gives them a sense of texture and flow in contrast to the more “solid” aspects of the sculpt.

While Spider-Woman is the headline act here, the gargoyle she rests on is in itself is a really amazing piece, with an amazing level of detail. It’s been finished off to look exactly like an old stone outdoor statue, including cracks of age. Even more impressive, and another argument for displaying this back to front, is the damage at the back, where the gargoyle is crumbling to intricately sculpted rubble. This is the fruit of a master sculptor at work, going the extra mile to challenge himself as much as impress the viewer.

When this was first being discussed, Randy Bowen presented both flat and metallic painted versions of Spider-Woman’s costume. While the flat version is more comic-accurate, I have to say I’m very pleased with the choice of metallic, as it gives this piece a sense of life in person that I think is part of what I found lacking in the original Bowen Spider-Woman statue.

This has been an absolutely bumper year for Bowen, with this amazing statue coming in the wake of stunning pieces like Valkyrie, Banshee, and the stunning M.O.D.O.K.. I hope to see more Bowen work from Mark Newman, and more statues that are conceptually outside the box like this lovely Spider-Woman piece, which I expect to be a centrepiece of my collection for a very long time.

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and you can comment on this post to enter the November AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

Critical Mess tells Mattel Who's Who in the Legion!

Just thought I'd let AFB readers know that I'm moonlighting over at Critical Mess at the moment, helping to write up a follow up series to the "Dear Mattel, The Legion Should Be...." set of articles I worked on with fellow Legion enthusiasts JQ and KCekada some time ago.

In light of the success of Mattel's Legion of Superheroes 12-Pack, we've joined up again, this time with the addition of newer CM member Hyperion, to give our views on the choices and styles for the remaining Legion members - which we are now more hopeful than ever to finally see in plastic form!

The article is here (currently we're up to my favourite Legionnaire, Phantom Girl) and you can check back every few days for a new update!

Enjoy!

Andy

AFB Asks Matty for 15 November 2011

It's time for another round of “Ask Matty” answers at AFB! This month we cover the future of MOTUC releases at retail, plans for any new Legion of Superheroes products, the future of DC 12" Figures, Voltron issues and more!
Over to Matty!
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Q: Did the quick sell out of the Legion of Superheroes 12-Pack come as a surprise? What impact will this success have on future Legion releases - can we expect more?


A: We were excited that fans were as enthusiastic about the Legion of Superheroes 12-pack as much as we thought they would be! We would love to introduce additional Legion figures in the future. Stay tuned!


Q: Are there plans for any more 12" figures at Mattycollector to follow on from Superman and Zod?


A: There is nothing that we are in a position to announce at this time. But you never know what reveals and announcements we'll make in the future, so keep checking back on Mattycollector.com and the Mattycollector.com Facebook page for all the latest news!


Q: Now that the MOTUC / DCUC Two-Packs have finished, are there any further plans to sell MOTUC products in some form at retail?


A: No, not at this time.


Q: Will Mattel be doing tie-in lines for the upcoming Superman and Batman movies?


A: Yes, Mattel is working on toy lines for both of these upcoming Warner Bros Super Hero films but it is too early to talk any details!


Q: Will there be any additional Voltron items (eg oversized toys) sold next year or will all Voltron items be in the subscription?


A: You will have to wait and see…


Want to give your own answers? You discuss this at the AFB Forum, and you can comment on this post to enter the November AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

You can also add your thoughts to our future Matty Q&As either here or at the forum - please join in! The next Ask Matty will be on 1 December!



You can also check out other Matty Q&As from our friends around the web:


               Action Figure Insider      Critical Mess        It's All True         Pendragon's Post


               Poe Ghostal

Until next time!

Could tomorrow's Matty sale see another DC Sell-out?

After the raging success of the DC Universe Legion of Superheroes 12-Pack at last month's Mattycollector sale, do you think that the Justice League Unlimited 7 Pack, on sale tomorrow, will follow suit?

JLU items on Mattycollector haven't been quick sellers, as evidenced by the fact that remainders of most of the Matty-exclusive product are also on sale tomorrow at heavy discounts. The 7-Pack, however, contains the final characters required to complete the JLU show-specific set, including long-demanded releases like Gypsy, Doctor Mid-nite and Johnny Thunder with his Thunderbolt. 

Could the size and exclusivity of this set, its necessity to JLU completists and the momentum created by the surprise success of the Legion set combine to create a DC-related sell-out two months in a row?

Your opinions can be posted in the comments section here for a chance to win the AFB Comment of the Month Contest for November!

All hail the Queen - MOTUC style!

Convention exclusives are always a combination of frustration and excitement for me, since geography and budget limit me from being able to get any in person. The kind I like best are what Mattel did with their Masters of the Universe Queen Marlena exclusive for this year’s SDCC - different packing, but the regular version still contains all the pieces you need.

The version I bought was actually packaged as the Masters of the Universe Captain Glenn figure, but either set comes with all the pieces required to be displayed as either version of the character. This set is a triumph of concept and design by the Four Horseman - both for the options for character and display its provides, and for the way it is done. The Captain Glenn / Queen Marlena switch happens through a design even IKEA would be proud of for it’s flexibility and resourcefulness!

I’m on record as being a fan of the MOTUC females - I like the fact that they have a bit of meat on their bones as opposed to the anorexic DCUC ladies with their toothpick arms. Both display options for this pack look great - and it’s doubly impressive that the extra layer of body suit required to make the swap doesn’t make either character look overly bulky. The headsculpts for both characters are also beautifully done, with Queen Marlena in particular turning out very eye-catching.

The process of swapping the figure from Captain Glenn to Queen Marlena is a tad fiddly. I didn’t realise at first that there is a bodysuit on Captain Glenn that has to be removed before the Marlena body suit is attached. Once I worked that out, it was just a process of fitting the very tight Queen suit on and sealing it up properly at the back. This really is a very clever design that allows the creation two almost completely different action figures on the one buck.

Once you complete the swap, from whichever direction you’re doing it, you get a fantastic and completely different figure. I’m partial to Queen Marlena, as the way in which the Four Horsemen have been able to design her queenly gowns is simply amazing. I just love the shape and flow of it. The astronaut costume, on the other hand, is sleek and suitably space-like, and the greens in it are slightly different - a very nice touch.

As if the combo of Queen and Captain wasn’t enough, we also get Battle Cat’s alter ego, Cringer, as a pack-in. The Four Horseman have done a perfect job of capturing Cringer’s look and expression for his headsculpt - I just wish he was a smidge larger - was Cringer really THAT much smaller than Battle-Cat? Regardless, he is well done and well painted, and that facial expression really pops as an authentic representation of his classic look. Good fun, and a clever way of giving us a character that probably wouldn’t get a release on its own.

This set comes with a swag of accessories. In addition to the Queen Marlena head and bodysuit, there is a staff and a sword for the Queen, while Captain Glenn has a ray gun, rifle and removeable space helmet. I prefer the look of Captain Glenn when she isn’t wearing her headgear, but the helmet does look fantastic. As for Queen Marlena - she looks pretty amazing wielding that sword!

Mattel recently said in an answer to one of our “Ask Matty” that there is a hypothetical plan for MOTUC that runs over ten or so years. They certainly know how to mine the licence for all of its hidden gems, and this exclusive is a great example of that. I wonder what they have up their sleeves for next year’s SDCC?

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and you can comment on this post to enter the November AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

AFB Custom Contest Deadline extended by One Week!

The deadline for our current Custom Competition, "Kirby Your Enthusiasm", has been pushed back by one week to the 17th of November! We hope this gives everyone who was planning to enter a bit more time to produce some Jack Kirby inspired custom greatness!


You can read all about the contest here - anyone is welcome to enter!


Looking forward to some great results!

You call that an "All Star"? Mattel announces the line that will replace DCUC.

Mattel has announced the line that will take the place of DC Universe Classics when it ends at retail after Wave 20, and all I can say is that Mattel and I have very different ideas of what an “All Star” is.

Here’s what was announced today at Mattycollector.com, followed by my own thoughts:

“November 7, 2011

DC Universe Fans,

As you know, the DC Universe Classics line is finishing up at retail with the highly anticipated Wave 20, including the Fan's Choice Collect and Connect® Nekron. Then, following Wave 20, we'll introduce a completely new DC Universe 6" line at retail, the DC Universe All-Stars. Designed especially to complement the DC Universe Club Infinite Earths figures, this new line will blow your collector mind!

You first saw Larfleeze at New York Comic Con. Here's another look at him, plus your first official sneak peek at the rest of the figures from the first mix at retail…

Larfleeze: The wielder of orange light finally joins the DC Universe! This collection-essential figure builds out the Corps.

Superboy Prime: The only super-powered being on Earth Prime, he comes complete with his Anti-Monitor armor.

Flashpoint Plastic Man: Check out this edgy new version of Plastic Man from the popular Flashpoint comics.

Batman Beyond: Behold our sweet take on the iconic Caped Crusader.

So there they are – the four amazing figures that make up the first mix at retail. It's been an awesome year for the DC Universe line and with the DC Universe Club Infinite Earths program on Mattycollector.com and the DC Universe All-Stars line at retail, 2012 is going to be even better!

–Matty”

My thoughts: I have no issue with Larfleeze and Superboy Prime getting their shot at Mattel 6” glory, and I’m glad they are appearing at retail instead of in the Club Infinite Earths Subscription. Superboy Prime can be counted as Legion villain so that works for me, and his headsculpt actually looks like a vast improvement over the DC Direct version. Batman Beyond is a re-issue, and I was expecting that we would also see some re-dos at this point. I can live with that too,

Flashpoint Plastic Man, however, is a big worry. Why on Earth such a minor character from an alternative universe mini-series can be considered “mainstream” enough to appear at retail is beyond me. Was Mattel really chomping at the bit to make this character? Is a non-stretchy Plastic Man really going to be a retail gem? It’s hard to imagine this is anything other than a Geoff Johns ego stroke. Le sigh.

Of course, the saving grace of these figures is they don’t have CnC parts and they’re not in the sub. Still, if Flashpoint Plastic Man is an indication of what we can expect to see in DC All Stars, I may be buying even less of these than I thought.

Have your own opinions? Share them at the AFB Forum, or comment here at the blog to enter the November AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

New Bowen Statues and Busts up for order!

Bowen Designs has put a number of items up for order this morning - with some items so amazing, I had to share them here!

First off there are two new statues on offer, one of which is a Bowen Web Exclusive. For me, the pick of the statues is definitely The Thing - which has been sculpted by Randy Bowen himself:

The Thing will be followed by the rest of the classic Fantastic Four in due course, and there are plans for a large base on which all four statues will be able to be displayed - something I can’t wait to have in my collection!

I was just mentioning on the AFB Forum that I am constantly tempted to pay megabucks for the Sideshow Premium Format Thing - I’m very glad I’ve held off!

The other statue that’s on offer is one that’s been in the works for a long time - the Clint Barton Goliath Statue. Bowen has put a concerted effort into making all versions of Hank Pym’s superheroing efforts, and not even Hawkeye’s brief time using Pym Particles has been ignored:

This certainly isn’t the most fashionably costumed character, but to Avengers completists, it’s a must have. This is a Bowen Web Exclusive, which is available to US residents only due to Bowen’s contractual obligations. However,. the Statue Marvels store will be offering this to international buyers, and I can highly recommend them as providing a great service.

There are also two busts up for order, which are anything but “Mini”. The first is this amazing Surtur "Mini" Bust, with Tigra to give a sense of scale:

The second is an equally expansive piece of an even more expansive character, Eternity:

Surtur is a Bowen Web Exclusive, while Eternity is a Bowen Collector’s Club exclusive - see here for details.

Planning on ordering any of these? Thoughts on these or future releases? Comment here at the blog to enter the November AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

Hasbro's Marvel Universe Sentinel is a Giant in Stature and Style!

Seeing that my buying obsessions... er, habits.... are starting to lean more towards statues, I’m having to have a hard look at which action figures I’m collecting. I don’t know if Hasbro’s Marvel Universe 3 ¾” line will make the cut in the long run, but there was so way I was passing up on the Marvel Universe Sentinel!

Last year I was so keen to get my hands on the similarly sized Galactus that I bought the SDCC Exclusive Version from an eBay auction - not realising the trials that would come with trying to get the size of the box he came in to Australia. Thankfully I bought that item from a most understanding eBay seller, but once through that was enough - this time I decided to be wiser for the experience and happily settled for the non-exclusive version of Marvel’s Main Mutant Hunter.

I wasn’t collecting action figures enough to buy full waves of Marvel Legends in the serious Build-A-Figure days, so the chance to own a large scale Sentinel is one I couldn’t pass up. I’ve been anticipating this one ever since Galactus was announced, and there’s no disappointment with this big fella, let me tell you!

Unlike the Exclusive version’s classic comic colour scheme, the regular Sentinel comes with a silver face, upper arms and thighs instead of purple. It’s a simple change that creates quite a striking effect, and I don’t mind it at all. The paint on my Sentinel is fantastic from head to toe.

There is quite a bit of sculpting detail to be found on this piece, from the plating of the Sentinel’s armor to the circuitry which is visible at his ‘joints’. His headsculpt is extremely well done, and I quite like the detail on his hands as well.

Like Galactus before him, the Sentinel comes with sound effects, and in my opinion these are a great improvement over Galactus’ as the voice is much better, and the sayings, like “Mutant Detected”, are ones that we’re familiar with. There are light up features as well, mainly flashing eyes that go along with the different sound effects - these really add to the fun! Like any sound-producing toy, it can be a bit irritating if over-repeated, but good fun as a novelty.

It's worth noting that this comes with the batteries installed, so if you don’t plan to use the sound effects or if you are planning to store this, don’t forget to remove them to avoid damage from the batteries when they get old or, heaven forbid, if your Sentinel ever gets wet!

Whereas I’ve always found Galactus a little challenging to keep balanced in different poses, the Sentinel has no issues - possessing bigger feet and no giant head-dress probably helps! This means that you can make the most of the Sentinel’s articulation for a number of different poses - my favourite being holding a tiny mutant in his hand.

The Sentinel is much more flexible than Galactus - I’m not sure if this is due to any changes in design or simply that Galactus’ costume and sculpted pieces were more restrictive, or simply that my Galactus has stiff joints, which would be understandable considering his age, height and constant standing. Whatever the reason, it’s a welcome change.

Speaking of tiny mutants, the pack-in 3 ¾” figure for this set is Wolverine - which is such a relief since he’s been such a long-awaited figure in the MU line...... Yeah, the choice here could have been more inspired. Considering that no one is going to decide to buy or not buy a giant figure on the basis of the tiny pack-in, Hasbro could have gone to town with this one, and thrown in a choice we haven’t seen yet, like Banshee. Even using Nightcrawler, who appears on the packaging would have been a more interesting choice instead of the most over-used character in the line. Le sigh.

That’s a side note really, since the Sentinel really is the main event, and he is such a beauty. This is the sort of thing that keeps me coming back to the Marvel Universe line - Hasbro has certainly made an effort with oversized figures, and happily they work at the Marvel Legends scale as well, which means even if I ultimately finish collecting MU when Legends returns, these larger items will fit well, and so will the smaller oversized figures like Giant Man and Goliath - all very nice additions to the overall Marvel Toyverse - whatever the scale.

The question now is, where does Hasbro go from here in terms of these giant figures? Is there a character that could work as next year's SDCC Exclusive at this same scale? Who would you like the see as the next in the line?

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and you can comment on this post to enter the November AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

AFB Asks Matty for 1 November 2011!

Another month has come and gone, and that means another round of “Ask Matty” answers at AFB! This month we step in to the Elongated Man controversy, find out about the future of the Young Justice and Green Lantern Movie lines, and find out just how far in advance MOTUC is planned out!

Over to Matty!

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Q: It was recently reported that Toy Guru made a comment recently that DC was pushing against Elongated Man for "not being current enough". How can collectors be confident that we will see classic characters in Club Infinite Earths if comments like these are being made?



A: Elongated Man is a great character and we've already done him several times (we even did him in JLU in an non show outfit, that is how cool he is!). We look forward to getting him into our 6" line in time. He is open to us.



Q: While we know that the subscription programs are only renewed one year at a time, how far ahead is the "big picture" for MOTUC planned? Is there an "end point" in mind?



A: We have the MOTUC line planned out (hypothetically) for about 10 years. But we only have up to one year ahead approved by management at any given time. Anything after that is just words on paper. As we get to each new year we lift that next year from our master document and get it approved by management one year at a time. Right now we are just about to the checkpoint of getting 2013 approved by management (lifted from our master roll out document!)

Q: The Young Justice series is great! Will we be seeing the full team released in the 6" scale? Any plans for Mattycollector exclusives for Young Justice?

A: At this time we don't have plans for more YJ on Mattycollector.com. How extensive the line grows is up to the fans and retailers!

Q: Are the final waves of Green Lantern Movie Masters guaranteed to be released at retail so that we can complete our Parallax?

A: The final wave may not make it to all brick and mortar retailers, but we will be publishing a list in the near future of online retailers that will carry the final figures.

Q: Are there any plans to re-release past DCUC figures and Two-Packs on Mattycollector in the way that MOTUC product has been re-released in the past?

A: No, not at this time.


Want to give your own answers? You discuss this at the AFB Forum, and you can comment on this post to enter the November AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

You can also add your thoughts to our future Matty Q&As either here or at the forum - please join in!

Until next time!

The AFB Comment of the Month Contest for November 2011!

First off, thanks to everyone who commented on last month’s blog posts! Congratulations to my very good friend fishmilkshake for being our randomly selected winner! Once we hear from FMS, either the DC Universe Classics Wave 19 Atom Figure from Mattel or the Walking Dead Series One Michonne figure from NECA will be on the way when available from Mike’s Comics N’ Stuff.

Now to November’s Contest: on offer are two great prizes, either the DC Universe Classics Wave 19 Kobra Figure from Mattel or the NYCC Exclusive Deadpool Minimates set from Art Asylum- either of which would be a great prize!

A few bits and pieces:

• 
  
  every genuine comment on a post from the calendar month will be eligible to receive the prize. I’m going to stick to my own time zone and call it at 23:59:59 Australian Eastern Standard Time – best to comment often and comment early!


• if my super scientific randomizer comment selector system chooses an Anonymous comment, I’ll skip it and go again – you need to leave a name, a link, your AFB Forum username or email addy so that I can contact you if you are the winner. Blogger comments allows you to do this, as long as your profile is not set to private – check your settings.


• you will be given a choice of one of the two figures on offer from the month’s contest – figures will be in their original packaging.


• figures will be sent by first class mail within the US (Mike is sending them, remember) and first class international to any overseas winner. An overseas winner can elect to chip in for Priority Mail or Insurance, but otherwise we can’t take any responsibility for a parcel that doesn’t arrive – after all this is coming out of AFB’s not dreadfully deep pockets!

Once again, thanks to Mike for making this all possible for us, and here’s to another happy month of commenting!

Until next time!