Rampage Predaking Titan Class Figure (Power of the Primes)

Rampage is part of the Titan Class Predaking box set and transforms into a tiger and the left arm of Predaking.  Rather than exhausting myself with a week's worth of posts for the individual 'bots and their combined mode I'm going to spread this out over the next couple months interspersed with other posts so I don't get bored. It'll be worth the wait though...
(Beast Mode)(Robot Mode)

Ressha Gattai ToQ-Oh (Mini-pla)

We're back with another Super Sentai Minipla wave. This time it's the main mecha from Ressha Sentai ToQger: ToQ-Oh.  The fact that this robot is made up of five trains means the construction process was pretty simple compared to other minipla I'll spotlight in the future but the simplicity of their design also means the articulation is pretty good.

ToQ-Oh's transformation involves the five trains pulling up alongside each other, attaching and then basically lurching up to standing Dracula style. The way the Red Ressha folds up in front can look...a bit more adult... than was intended if you pause at the right moment. I do love the doors wooshing open to reveal the face though. Sadly that level of engineering is a bit beyond these little models.

(Red Ressha)(Pink Ressha)(Green Ressha)(Yellow Ressha)(Blue Ressha)(ToQ-Oh)

Musashi Ghost & Edison Ghost Set GC 02 (Ghost Change)

Kamen Rider Ghost was a fun show. Not my favourite plot-wise but it had some of my favourite Kamen Rider designs in a long time. Kamen Rider Ghost had to collect the "Eye-cons" containing the spirits of famous people from history in order to wish himself back to life.

I loved the ridiculous hoodie aesthetic of the various ghosts and the Ghost Change series of figures released a handful of bodies and then these two-packs of ghosts.

Here we get famous Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi and American inventor Thomas Edison. Musashi makes perfect sense and while I love the light bulb/electricity design the Edison Damashii just doesn't read "Edison" to me. But I come from a different cultural tradition and am probably a bit more familiar with Edison that the average Japanese 8-year-old who is learning for the first time that this white dude invented the light bulb. I mean a more "Edison-y" design would not have been as cool so I get it. This one is super fun.

The clear plastic stands so you can display the ghosts without bodies.

(Mushashi Ghost)(Edison Ghost)

Stripes Legends Class Figure (Titans Return)

Stripes is a legends class figure who transforms from a "spy-tablet," which is the Titans Return-era substitute for a cassette tape, to a fairly lame jet and a questionable tiger.

(Tiger Mode)(Jet Mode)(Spy Tablet Mode)

Golden Age Starman (DC Universe Classics)

Ted Knight, playboy and astronomer harnessed the power of the stars themselves to become Starman!
He joined the Justice Society of America with Dr. Mid-Nite in All-Star Comics #8 which was also notable for introducing Wonder Woman.

In 1994 writer James Robinson and artist Tony Harris launched a new Starman series focussing on Ted's son Jack reluctantly taking on the mantle. It became a critical success and Ted appeared regularly as a supporting character. 

This figure portrays Starman in his original golden age costume that somehow hid his identity via comic book logic.  It's a classic 1940's design with the cape, the trunks, and the head-fin. He also comes with his Gravity Rod which is the source of his powers and some sort of ray gun in the holster on his belt which is apparently the little used "Stellar Energy Pistol" that appeared in at least one "Times Past" issue of the 90's Starman series. I have a real soft spot for Golden Age superheroes and I'm glad they weren't forgotten in the DCUC lineup.

Ultra Hero Best Set 02 (Bandai Sofubi)

In this second box set of Ultra Sofubi we have the main heroes of the Heisei era. From 1996 Ultraman Tiga, from 1997 Ultraman Dyna, from 1998 Ultraman Gaia, from 2001 Ultraman Cosmos, from 2005 Ultraman Mebius, and from 2009 Ultraman Zero.

I have only seen a few episodes of their respective series but I have seen all of Ultraman Zero's appearances as he was created to star in a series of movies rather than a traditional TV series.

Each of these Ultras has several other forms and I'm not sure how Bandai decided which form would be represented here as there's a mix of base forms and power-up forms.

(Tiga)(Dyna)(Gaia)(Cosmos)(Mebius)(Zero)(Group Shots)

Build Ressha Gattai & Drill Ressha (Mini-pla)

My newest obsession from the world of tokusatsu collectibles is the mini-pla line. These are small plastic models that you assemble to form pretty decent action figures of various Super Sentai mecha that transform and combine like they do in the shows. Over the past few months I've accumulated a bunch of these guys and wasn't really sure where to start.

After thinking it over far too much I decided to start with the mecha of my favourite character from one of the first Super Sentai shows I watched, Ressha Sentai ToQger. Basically, Rainbow Imagination Train Rangers would be the American title which I'm sure we'll never actually see :(

So that brings us to ToQ Rokugou the orange sixth ranger who's a reformed Shadow Line rain monster that plays sad harmonica despite being clad in neon safety orange. I love him so much.

ToQ 6-gou drives the Build Ressha double train that forms Build Ressha Gattai Dai-Oh which makes up 3/4 of the boxes in this wave of ToQger mini-pla.

The fourth and final box in this wave contains the Drill Ressha, one of the auxiliary weapon trains that can replace an arm on Build Ressha Gattai Dai-Oh, ToQ-Oh, or Diesel-Oh.

Ocean Master (DC Signature Classics)

Ocean Master is one of Aquaman's arch-foes. Orm Marius is Aquaman's half-brother who covets the throne of Atlantis. He first appeared in 1966's Aquaman #29 but this is his look(sans goatee)  from the 1990's Aquaman book written by Peter David, the same series that gave us hook-hand Aquaman.

Honestly this isn't much of a departure from his previous costume, just coordinating the colours a bit better. His backstory changed more than his outfit though he was still Aquaman's half-brother what tends to get changed is which parent is shared between them. 

This figure has the typical DC Universe Classics articulation and he comes with his signature staff which in the mid-90's was made extra powerful by a demon in exchange for Orm's soul. Oh, the 90's. After I got ahold of "lefty" Aquaman it just felt right to have this version of Ocean Master to go along with him.