Lego Review: Lego City Arctic Accessory Set

This week I bought Lego's City Arctic Accessory set. I don't collect the Arctic line, or City for that matter, but this set was grabbing my attention for some time, and I needed to bring my total up to $99 to get another Mini Mini Cooper. And man, what a disappointment this was.

In this set, you get two minis, a male and female arctic explorer. For the most part, the figures are identical. The decals on both are well done and pretty similar. The only major difference is the printing on the female mini is tapered to denote a more feminine frame. While each mini only comes with a single sided head, the male has green goggles with stubble, the female has orange goggles with a bit of lipstick. 

As for the accessories, you get a cloth-goods tent, a box, two fish, a pick ax, an ice climbing tool, an ice pop (for some reason), two coffee mugs, a camp stove, a skillet, and an ice block with a metal deposit inside. All these are actually well done. I like the camp stove in particular just due to how simple it is. The tent is neat, but I was disappointed to see that there's no real support structure behind it. It says upright because of the way the material was folded. The cloth itself is firm but I'm not sure how well it will keep it's shape after play.

My disappointment with this set doesn't come from the content. I actually think this is a pretty cool set, it's just in NO WAY worth the $14.99 I paid for it. That is it's biggest problem. At 42 pieces, this set comes across as a blatant cash grab and I cannot recommend this to anyone. I know it's supposed to be an accessory set that compliments the other sets in the Arctic line, but at this price you can do without it. If you can find this set for less than $10, by all means purchase it. If not, skip it and save your money for something better.

Lego Review: Snowspeeder

All right boys and girls, I'm back with my latest Lego review for the set 75049, the Snowspeeder.

So let's get the boring stuff out of the way. This set debuted in August, along with a B-Wing, the Mos Eisley Cantina, the AT-AT, and the Imperial Star Destroyer, all of which I plan on reviewing in the coming weeks. The Snowspeeder MSRP is $29.99 and comes with 279 pieces with three minifigures. 

The Minifigures

So the first minifigure I'll be touching on is Luke Skywalker. If this isn't the first Star Wars set you've purchased, you probably have plenty of Luke minis lying around, especially in his flight suit. Of course, this being the latest release, this is the only one with this much detail. As you can see, the printing on the mini is actually incredibly detailed. This version of our hero comes with pockets and straps added to the legs, even adding wrinkles in the suit as if it was worn by a real person. I also really like the way the back of the flight vest is printed slightly askew. It just adds an extra bit of detail that makes the design all the more impressive. From what I can remember, this set is also the first to come with white hands/gloves on their flight suits.

Luke comes with a double sided head: one side with his flight visor down and a stern look on his face; the other with his visor up and a more playful smirk. I must say that while I appreciate the extra detail that goes into the newer figures, I could do without the extra lines on Luke's face. It just makes him look much older than the character should be. He's also wielding his classic blue light saber and flight helmet.

Next we have Dak Raltar. His flight suit is the same as Luke's so I won't be going into it's details again. Dak also comes with a double sided head: one side with a smile; the other with a look of shock, or maybe fear on his face. Both sides have his flight visor down. He comes with a flight helmet, with blue printing instead of Luke's red, and a standard pistol.

I really like the Snowtrooper. The printing on the front and back is well done, and the backpack being a separate piece from the minifigure is great, giving it a bit more depth. In standard enemy fashion, the Snowtrooper only comes with a single-sided head wearing a scowling expression. He is "evil" after all. From what I can tell, this version of the snowtrooper is the only version to come with the skirt depicted in The Empire Strikes Back. The Snowtrooper comes with a helmet and a battle rifle.

While this isn't a minifigure, I do see the Tripod Gun as more of an accessory for the Snowtrooper. It's a cool set piece that looks great. I do wish there was a swivel or some other joint built into the piece to help with playability. And maybe another snowtrooper tossed in to help man the thing, but maybe I'm asking too much of a $30 set. Although this is supposed to be a companion piece to the AT-AT, which does come with a few more enemy minifigures.

The Snowspeeder

This is actually the third version of the Snowspeeder that I've owned, the first being the Lego System 7130 Snowspeeder, the other being the 8089 Hoth Wampa Cave, so it's been pretty neat to see the evolution of this vehicle over the past 15 years. While I no longer have the original snowspeeder, I did have the most recent snowspeeder readily available, so scroll further down for pictures of that vehicle for comparison,

As for this version, I thought it was really well done and a great step up from the previous versions, which was a concern for me. I considered skipping this release, but am ultimately happy I didn't. 

The overall feel of the build is very sturdy. It feels densely built, which is due to it's rather compact design. The use of the new blaster design (which actually fires and comes with five stud projectiles) as the rear cannon is a great addition to the set. The harpoon cable is also very solid, even incorporating a stud to allow it to attached to almost any set piece or vehicle, regardless of size. The underside of the ship also incorporates two spring-loaded missiles, so you no longer have to pretend the Snowspeeder is firing on the enemy snowtroopers.

The Verdict

I'm very pleased with this set. If you already have a version of the Snowspeeder, this might not be a must buy, but it's still worth the purchase. The printing and detail on the minifigures is absolutely fantastic, and the snowspeeder itself is really well done. I have absolutely no qualms about recommending this set for children or adult collectors.

So pick this up, the AT-AT, and go on recreating the Battle of Hoth. You won't regret it.

And if you were wondering what the differences between the modern snowspeeder and the 8089 version, here's a couple comparison shots. For the most part, the design is pretty much the same, which makes sense since it's based on a movie vehicle. The colors are different, the older set using more orange (although this is to differentiate Luke's snowspeeder from Zev Senesca's snowspeeder). The rear blaster is also different, only moving up and down instead of side to side on the modern version. The older snowspeeder is also lower to the ground due to the lack of wedge pieces propping it up.

Lego Review: X-Men vs. the Sentinel

I must say, of the four Marvel Superhero Lego sets that were realeased in June of this year, the Starblaster Showdown, the Knowhere Escape Mission, and the Milano Spaceship Rescue, I was least excited to buy the X-Men vs. the Sentinel set. I mean, I basically bought it to get my purchase up to $75 so I could get the Flashback Shredder from the Lego Store. But I finally opened and built the set, and I didn't regret my purchase.

The main reason I wasn't that interested in this set, apart from the $49.99 price tag, were the minifigures. The Blackbird looked cool but the minis were based these character's looks from an era I didn't grow up with. If the designs were based on the more modern, Astonishing designs (or roster), or the iconic Jim Lee designs, I would've been all over this set. But I digress, I'm not really here to complain about what Lego should've done with this set.

The Minifigures

This set comes with four minifigures, Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, and Magneto, as well as one full-sized figure, the Sentinel. 

Starting off with the full-sized figure, the Sentinel looks great and is well built. I do think he is a bit on the thin side, but that doesn't really detract from the build. I do wish the head was attached to a turning plate, but that's something that can easily be modded.

The flick-fire missiles on the shoulders are attached to a swivel, giving the, a 45-degree range of motion. I do think Lego dropped the ball by not incorporating a missile launcher into the arm cannon. It's basically a pin were a missile can be placed into for aesthetic purposes as it's non-functioning.

In terms of accessories, Magneto is the standout of this set. He comes with a platform that he can ride on, and his iconic helmet. What I liked about his design was that he came with a clear peg that allows him to hold his helmet in his hand, giving the appearance that it's floating before him. It's a pretty cool addition. You can also see that he comes with two expressions and a white hairpiece to round out his look.

Next we have Wolverine. The design is cool, based on his classic brown costume design. It's also the first Wolverine minifigure to come with a full mask. Apart from that, this figure isn't that much different from the previous Wolverine mini that came with the Chopper Showdown. It still looks great though. He also comes with two faces, two sets of claws and a black hairpiece.

Storm really looks great. I love the lightning accessories she was given to show off her weather witch abilities. Her cape actually can be attached to her hands, which looks just like her comic counterpart. Her hairpiece is nice, but I really wish they went mohawk Storm with this set. That would've been so rad.

Cyclops is the lame duck of this set. He has no accessories and no special features. And since he doesn't have a head piece or anything, he doesn't even have a second facial expression. Lego could've at least included something to simulate his optic blast, but we didn't even get that. I was ultimately disappointed with this particular figure.

The Vehicle

The Blackbird seems pretty simple, but it's actually a pretty neat design.

The overall build is pretty narrow, and I do wish it was a tad bit wider, but ultimately it works well. The interior is designed to hold four minifigures: two in the cockpit and two in the center of the plane. The larger wings are static but the two smaller flaps towards the bottom of the ship can be moved, although I think this is for "landing" purposes, not really an action feature. There are also some stickers on the interior which look like a view screen showing the Sentinel threat. Lego also used printed pieces for the cockpit, which I really appreciate.

But what sticks out in terms of playability is the missile battery on the rear.

The battery is designed in a way that allows it to slide to the top of the ship, basically in an on/off position. The missile launchers on Lego sets are pretty sensitive so this is a great feature just to avoid misfires, which is great because these things can probably launch a good six feet and easily poke an eye out.

The Verdict

While there I things I would personally change about this set, I was pretty pleased with it. The Sentinel and Blackbird are both solid designs that are pretty fun to play with. Magneto and Wolverine are essentially rereleases, but their new designs and accessories make up for that. Storm is also a great addition to the Marvel Superhero fold. Cyclops, on the other had, was incredibly disappointing.

But ultimately I recommend this set. It's a lot of fun to play with and not a difficult build, and it finally gave me a masked Wolverine.

So go buy it.

Lego Review: Research Institute

Today I'll be reviewing set 21110, the Lego Ideas Research Institute. Sadly, it's currently sold out on Lego's online shop, but if you're lucky, they may still have some in Lego's brick and mortar stores. This set should retail for $19.99, so be wary if you try to purchase it off Amazon or eBay, I've already seen it listed for over $70. I know this was supposed to be a limited run, but hopefully Lego will realize there is a demand for this set and get more on stock on shelves.

The Research Institute is a fan created set, thanks to Lego Ideas, and was created to increase the overall number of female minifigures and to show that girls can become anything they want. This is one of the reasons why I wanted this set so bad. There are female minifigures available, but most of Lego's popular themes, such as City and Superhero, are dominated by male characters. The Friends line is definitely geared towards girls, but the minifigures are at a different scale than standard Lego minis, and I know from experience that a lot of girls would prefer the Batmobile over Stephanie's Ice Cream Shop.

In standard Ideas' fashion, the Research Institure is packaged in a clamshell box and comes with a glue bound instruction manual that goes into further detail about the creation of the set, as well as job descriptions for each minifigure. Surprisingly, this is the first Ideas set I've seen to come with numbered bags, most likely due to it dealing with mostly small pieces (although that didn't matter for the Exo Suit) and three builds are independent of each other.

Shocking!

This set comes with three minifigures, a Paleontologist, a Chemist, and an Astronomer.

I was actually surprised by the detail that went into each minifigure. The outfits are great, and to be honest there isn't much to set apart an astronomer from a paleotologist, or from any other profession, to be honest, but they work with this set. I especially love the scarf on the astronomer. As you can see, each minifigure comes with two facial expressions, although I wish they were a bit different. Maybe a look of excitement instead frustration and uncertainty.

While the astronomer doesn't come with any accessories, the chemist comes with two styles of beakers and two syringes, which I'm pretty sure are supposed to be pipettes, and the paleontologist comes with a magnifying glass that actually works, which is pretty cool.

Each minifigure comes with a vignette that shows their profession in action. The astronomer build come with a telescope and star map that is used to explore the galaxy. The chemist build comes with a work station, more beakers, bottles, flasks, and a beaker holder. And coffee mugs that can be stored in the cabinets and drawers. The stand out of this set is the paleontologist vignette, which comes with a model tyrannosaurus rex, along with a microscope and a dinosaur bone for closer examination.

The Verdict

This set was a lot of fun. It's not a complicated build, and only takes times because there are a lot of small pieces involved. But the focus of this set was to highlight three profession that aren't normally associated with women, and in that regard it succeeds wonderfully. I'm really happy with this set, and hopefully anyone that wants it will be able to get their hands on one.

Vinnie's Weekly Haul: August 8, 2014

This week's comics haul was pretty big for me. I kinda wish DC would do a better job of spacing out their major releases. It's always a pain in the ass to not get any Superman: Doomed books for a while then have three tie-in issues drop on one day, two of them being $4.99 annuals.

Anyway, here's what I bought, and I'm bolding what I'm most excited to read:

• Action Comics #34
• Action Comics Annual #3
• Batman Eternal #18
• Black Widow #9
• Detective Comics #34
• Green Arrow #34
• Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #5
• Legendary Star Lord #2
• Moon Knight #6
• New Avengers #22
• Original Sin #5.3
• Original Sin #3.4
• The Punisher #9
• Rocket Raccoon #2
• She-Hulk #7
• The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #14
• Superior Spider-Man #32
• Superman/Wonder Woman Annual #1
• Swamp Thing #34

I also bought some digital titles:

• Grayson #2
• Robocop #2
• Guardians of the Galaxy (2008) #1-25

Heads up, Robocop was awesome.

I picked up a Funko Marty McFly ReAction figure. The throwback appeal really called out to me, and I love the "Adult Collectible - Not a Toy" warning printed across the top. I like the line because it reminds me of the action figures I used to get as a kid, although I'm pretty sure I never had a Back to the Future toy. A Doc Brown figure should be out but my comic shop didn't have any.

I picked up Boba Fett last week, so grabbing Han Solo was a no brainer. I'm not sure where I'm gonna put these guys as I've run out of space a long time ago, but I wanted it, and I'm an adult, so I bought it. Yay!

Rounding out my haul this week, I also bought some more Lego. I got two Exo Suits, which I reviewed earlier this week. It's a really cool set and I'm really glad I got one. And even happier that I got two. The second set is the Research Institute, which I will be reviewing next week. I also got the mini MINI Cooper for spending over $100 at the Lego Store.

That's it for this week.

Be Jealous :P

Lego Review: The Exo Suit

Today I'll be reviewing Lego Set 21109, the Exo Suit. It's one of two new releases to come out from the Lego Ideas line; the other is the Research Institute, which I'll be posting about in the coming weeks.

The Exo Suit comes packaged in the Ideas clamshell box, containing the 321 pieces across four unlabeled packages along with it's instruction manual, and retails for $34.99. In regular Ideas fashion, the manual stands out from standard Lego manuals, containing information about the creator of this set, Peter Reid, how this set came about, and an in-universe story explaining the motivations of the minifigures involved. It's pretty neat to get this background story since it's not something that's usually included with a Lego set. Although it doesn't quite touch upon why Pete seems so upset. Maybe he'd be happier if he actually got the pilot the suit.

Just look at him, so much anger.

The two minifigures included in this set, Pete and Yve, are modeled after the classic spacemen of the 70s and 80s. For the most part, these minis are pretty simple: a full green body with the Classic Space logo printed on the front, and accessories in the form of a helmet and air tank. Both minifigures share the same body, the only differences are their facial features that distinguish them as male and female. I think was a smart move on Lego's part, as it remains true to the Space theme and shows that once the minis are in their spacesuits, they're pretty much the same.

Since I happened to have a couple classic spacemen laying around, I compared the two and they are almost identical. The only difference is that the minifigures packaged with the Exo Suit use the modern helmet design. It would've been neat if they came with the classic helmet but it's understandable. Lego would have to create a new mold to match the original design, which doesn't make much sense since this set is supposed to be a limited run. 

The set also comes with a platform and two barrels to set the scene, and a Robot Turtle to help our spacemen on their mission, although it looks more like a robot dog than a turtle to me.

The Exo Suit was a lot of fun to build. It's a very intricately designed set, and amazing that it's designer was able to accomplish this. The types of pieces used to create this build is almost as incredible as the amount used. When I first opened the box I couldn't imagine how this jumble of pins and joints would come together to form a cohesive build, but they did. Just by looking at it, you can see how clever the design is.

It also has a very modular design. While the instructions are there to guide you along, it's easy to see how you can modify the set by adding or subtracting pieces. Sadly, this may be necessary in some instances as the suit is very sturdy in some places, while being flimsy in others. The legs and body are very well designed, but the arms are easy to pull apart. If you simply pose the figure and leave it be it'll be fine, but if you plan on playing with it, this could pose a problem.

Problems with the arms aside, this build is actually incredibly flexible. I was surprised at what kind of positions I could pose the suit in. The suit is also well balanced, allowing for a lot of poses to be maintained without outside support.

The Verdict

Few problems with the sturdiness of the build aside, this is an incredible set that is more than worth the $35 dollar price tag. It's a complex build that really shows just how modular Lego can be. The minifigures are a great throwback to the simpler designs of past minis, and the inclusion of the Robot Turtle is just awesome. I really loved that design.

Ovelall, I'm just really happy with this set, and thankful that I decided to pick it up. To be honest, I wasn't too keen on it before I got my hands on it, but it won me over. Pick one up if you can, I'm sure you'll enjoy it too.

Lego Review: The Milano Spaceship Rescue

Here we are, days before the release of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, which is currently sitting pretty with a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. I'm very excited about this movie, and will be seeing it as soon as I can, but I'm not here to talk about the movie today. Today, I'm reviewing Lego set 76021: The Milano Spaceship Rescue.

I was pretty impressed with this set. It's well put together and a fairly complicated build, took me about two hours to complete. It clocks in at 665 pieces, five minifigures, and a $74.99 price tag.  Having reviewed the other two sets in this line, The Starblaster Showdown and The Knowhere Escape Mission, I must say that I left the best set for last.

On a side note, while I generally prefer printed pieces to stickers, I did appreciate Lego numbering the stickers to match their corresponding placement. This isn't something I've seen before, but it did simplify thing a bit and I hope to see more of it.

The Minifigures

The set came with five minifigures, Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Ronan the Accuser, and yet another Sakaraan Soldier. 

I wasn't too keen on getting another Star-Lord but the mini grew on me once I ripped into the set. And while I would've preferred a second Nova Corpsman, I can't complain too much about having another faceless enemy for the Guardians to beat up on in the Sakaraan Soldier. Not that I'm playing with these Legos, but it's fun in theory.

The Star-Lord minifigure included in this set does differ from the minifigure in the Starblaster set, at least as far as the outfit goes. Here, Quill is decked out in his Guardians of the Galaxy uniform, which looks pretty good. I really like the detail on the front and matches the other Guardians in this set nicely. My one complaint is that the double-sided facial expressions on this figure are also the same as the previous release. While I'm no stranger to receiving the same figure across multiple sets, for $75 Lego could've included some variation.

Star-Lord also come with his signature mask, two blaster pistols, two cylinder pieces to act as his rocket boots, and another weapon that seems to be his "heavy artillery." It's a simple build but looks pretty neat in hand. 

Drax the Destroyer is the simplest of the minifigures, at least as far as extra's go, but the detail on the figure is actually quite amazing. It's really intricately designed and works really well at this scale. 

I love the detail on his back tattoo, especially since they use Lego skulls to make the figure fit better with the Lego universe. Drax also come with two knives that act as his signature weapons.

Gamora rounds out the Guardians, finally giving me a complete set of heroes. The detail is nice, pretty much the same as Star-Lord, except with feminine features. She is a lady, after all. The highlights on her hairpiece are nicely done, as well as the detail on her face. As you can see, she also come with a double-sided face, one angry, the other more sultry, and she has two swords as her weapons.

I really love the detail on Ronan the Accuser. His body is greatly detailed, and the battle damage across the front and back shows nicely. He comes with a standard black Lego cape, but the headdress seems to be a new piece. I also love his hammer, which not only looks great, but is something you actually have to assemble yourself. Ronan also comes with a silver orb, which everyone seems to be after, and a double-sided head.

Overall, the minifigures in this set are really well done and are great additions to the line. You'll notice I didn't talk about the Sakaraan Soldier, but there's no need to, as it's the same figure from the sets I reviewed previously.  

The Vehicles

In classic Lego fashion, we have the larger Milano spaceship serving as the hero's vehicle, and the much smaller Necrocraft servicing the bad guy's. I wish this wasn't the case, but I supposed if you're trying to sell the set to kids, you wanna show off the good guys first and foremost.

The Milano is a beast of a ship, measuring 15 inches wide, nine inches deep and three inches high. It's big enough to fit most off the Guardians (sorry Groot), comes with two flick fire missiles on the under side of the ship and two new blasters along the side which fires 1x1 round pegs. The detail of his build is great, and the ingenuity that when into it really shows. It's really amazing to see what can be done with Lego and this is example to show off.

The top of the ship is removable to fit the minifigures inside. Sadly, it isn't attached to the ship via a hinge put it's still pretty easy to remove and reattach. It's probably a good thing that the designer just got it out of the way rather than having you work around it.

Oddly enough, as great as this build is, the feature I enjoyed the most was the boombox included in the ship. There nothing quite like giving Star_Lord and company a ghetto blaster to accompany them on their adventures.

This time around the Necrocraft is a much better addition to the set than the one feature in the Starblaster set. It's about the same size, and much smaller than the Milano, but it features two missile launchers that are pretty awesome. The range on these missiles are quite impressive, and as I've said in previous reviews, they seem to have come straight out of a 1980s GI Joe action figure.

The ship itself is well built, although the purpose of the fins are still not explained. The front of this ship also has a small platform for Ronan to stand on, which is pretty badass, especially if this is a spaceship.

The Verdict

I'm pretty happy with this set. It's definitely the best overall set in this line, even if it's a bit overpriced. But you can't go wrong with this purchase. I had fun with the build, and kids will definitely enjoy playing with the finished product.

My SDCC 2014 wrap up, and I didn't even go

Another San Diego Comic Con has come to a close, another year where I didn't attend. I mean, it's expensive, and probably loud, and almost certainly smelly. It looks like fun, but seriously, it's hard to get convention stink off you.

So today I just want to focus on some of the announcements and news that broke over the weekend. I'm not touching every subject, just tossing in my two cents on a few bits of info that struck me as awesome.

First off, Marvel revealed a teaser image of what Vision will look like in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Apart from the mass of Ultron robots and a pretty cool shot of Quicksilver that reminds of his stint in The Ultimates 2, you can see Vision floating above the battle field in what looks like his classic yellow, green, and red attire. Super cool stuff. I'm excited that Paul Bettany will be voicing our favorite android, but I'm a bit disappointed Clark Gregg won't be able to take a crack at him.

Next up we have our first look at Wonder Woman from Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

I gotta say, Gal Gadot looks pretty good as Wonder Woman. Definitely looks like she put on a little muscle for the role. Not that she didn't always look fit, she just doesn't look as long and slender as I was expecting her to be. Although I doubt she'll be standing taller than Batman or Superman in the final cut of the movie.

I also heard some interesting things about the teaser trailer for BvS: DoJ (HA!). Seems as if Batman will be rocking the power armor he wore in his battle against Supes in The Dark Knight Returns. I'm sure it'll be neat to watch, but I can't honestly say I'm looking forward to Superman fighting Batman, even if it's an older, grizzled Batman. Seriously, can't we all just get along?

On the comic book front, I'm actually interested in the new Avengers title set to release in November, titled Captain America and the Might Avengers. It's supposed to reunite Luke Cage, Jennifer Jones, and Spider-Man under [new] team leader Captain America (the Sam Wilson version). It'll be written by Al Ewing, who writes a mean Loki in Agent of Asgard, with art by Luke Ross. 

It looks like Deathlok will be getting a new solo series with Nathan Edmondson at the helm. If it's anything like his Black Widow it'll be a great series.

Charles Soule seems to be willing to continue crushing Swamp Thing and Superman/Wonder Woman, which I'm super stoked about. What I'm still not excited about is Meredith and David Finch taking over Wonder Woman after Brian Azzarello finishes his run. I have nothing against Meredith, as I'm not familiar with her work, but I'm just not the fan of David's artwork that I used to be.

Speaking of artists I'm not a fan of, Greg Land is slated to be the artist on a new ongoing Spider-Woman title. I just don't know how the man continues to get work. I don't get how someone can have all his art look the same across multiple titles, yet different in the same book. It's perplexing.

Back to movie news, Marvel already announced Guardians of the Galaxy 2 for a July 2017 release, which isn't that surprising considering buzz around the interwebs is that Guardians of the Galaxy is the best Marvel movie to date. Which means Marvel has a tremendous track record for release "best movies."

I'm also excited about Mad Max: Fury Road. Here's the trailer if you're interested.

And last but not least, on the SDCC exclusive front, here's an image of the Lego Rocket Raccoon Warbird exclusive.

This set, which is 160 something pieces and supposed to "retail" for $39.99, is already going for over $200 on ebay, so I'm probably not gonna be getting this one, no matter how badly I want it.  

And that's it for what stuck out to me at this year's Comic Con.

Until next time!

Vinnie's Weekly Haul: July 24, 2014

I usually make my weekly comic shop run on Thursdays, so I decided to do a little showcase of the comics and collectibles I picked up. 

This was a fairly light comic week for me. Not that it matters, I've got a stack of comics on my desk at least 50 deep that I need to work through. But don't worry, I'll get there.

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo bring their Batman: Zero Year storyline to a close, which I'm sure will be fantastic, as Snyder hasn't written anything less than stellar when it comes to Batman. We also celebrated Batman Day on Wednesday, commemorating his first appearance in Detective Comics 27. So of course I picked up a few bat titles.

A couple other notable releases are Wonder Woman 33, marking the beginning of the end of Brian Azzarelo's run on the title. I'm interested in seeing how Dan Slott tie's Amazing Spider-Man into the Original Sin storyline. I also picked up Afterlife with Archie 6 digitally, which is an amazing yet creepy read. Roberto Aguirre Sacasa is absolutely crushing it with his zombie meets Archie tale.

I picked up a new statue this week, a Green Arrow minibust based on Jim Lee's artwork.

I'm pretty happy with the purchase. The colors are vibrant and the piece itself is well painted. Giving it a flatter color scheme would bring it closer to how Arrow is portrayed in his comic series, and I would've loved if the figure was hooded, but that's nitpicking. 

But most importantly, he'll look great next to my Hawkeye and Taskmaster statues. Archers FTW!

And to round out the week, of course I bought Lego.

I wasn't expecting these newer Star Wars sets to be out until August 1st, but thanks to Lego's penchant for soft roll outs, the Lego Store had these in stock. I'll be reviewing these sets in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out.

So that's it as far as what I spent my money on this week. Hope y'all enjoyed :P