New Additions

Had a package come in lately much sooner than I expected – I had placed a pre-order for this particular assortment a month or so in advance, but I didn’t actually keep tabs on release dates. Turns out the items I had pre-ordered had slipped out into the public market quietly and discreetly, though I’m just glad to get my grubby mitts on a set for myself.

What a massive box for the two relatively small pieces that make up its contents! I like how the items are so carefully and neatly wrapped in packing paper; it’s almost cute and gives me a Christmas vibe…

If the packaging above didn’t give it away already, here they are! The latest additions to my already overcrowding collection, two Mark I Jaegers from Pacific Rim.

These are the two Jaegers starring in NECA’s Series 3 lineup of 7″ Pacific Rim action figures – the fan-favorite Cherno Alpha and the nationality-confused Coyote Tango (more on this in its upcoming review).

These figures are garnering more and more popularity and skyrocketing in value fast – NECA puts them out at $18.99 retail price, but I’ve seen individual Cherno Alphas go for upwards of the $40 mark. Coyote, meanwhile, doesn’t appear to be in as much demand, so it floats in around the $20 – $30 mark.

Gahd I could not wait for these to come out. I’m so glad NECA’s actively pursuing the Pacific Rim line, and expanding it as they chug along. Again, I’m not very partial to Kaiju, so I avoid them altogether. While I wouldn’t mind one if only to display fighting my Jaeger army, I can’t justify spending cash on things I don’t really want.

NECA seems to have really stepped up their game with these latest releases, as the schematics and blueprints for the figures show they have much more articulation and hopefully play value than their predecessors.

I’ve been especially excited for Coyote Tango, just because everything about it is damn cool. And that it’s based off of the Guncannon. But mostly because the design, name, and origins of the mech are downright awesome.

So with these two new additions added onto my current standing Jaeger army above, I’ll have owned all five feature Jaegers from the film (yeah, yeah Coyote was only in a flashback but whatever it was promoted big).

No, I didn’t bother with Battle Damaged Gipsy, just because I didn’t really care for having two of the same sculpt and the chain swords wouldn’t have done much with Gipsy’s current arm articulation. Good news is that for Series 5, NECA is looking at a Gipsy 2.0 release. As far as Jaegers go, I’m really hoping Tacit Ronin gets a figure release somewhere down the line. Japan always has the coolest mechs, I swear…

In other news though, I recently went on a bit of a shopping splurge.

After encountering this beast at Toys R Us a fateful day, I knew I had to grab it before it was too late. Being the last one on the shelf and armed with a 20% discount coupon, I had to spring for it.

For those unfamiliar with limited edition and specialty releases, this is a MP-10 Masterpiece Optimus Prime repainted and repackaged as a “Platinum Edition” figure to commemorate Transformers turning 30 years old. (Interestingly enough, it doesn’t say Masterpiece or MP-10 anywhere on the package).

Essentially, it’s the same figure as the Toys R Us exclusive MP-10 Masterpiece Optimus that was released a few years back, but this one features gold plating, special paint apps, and a clear trailer. Talk about exclusive features.

Now for the great irony – I didn’t actually buy this figure because I wanted it. I brought it so I could keep it in storage, have it accumulate value over time, and eventually sell it off for a profit. I know, I’m a cold, malicious bastard.

But the thing is, I’ve been coveting the original TRU MP-10 Masterpiece Optimus Prime for as long as I can remember. When it first came out several years ago, it was retailing at $100. But nowadays on eBay you can’t find it for less than $300. Therefore it’s been quite a difficult path for me to actually acquire the figure of my dreams, but ironically now that I have a variation of it, I intend to sell it off to perhaps raise the funds to buy the original.

Talk about a roundabout way to do things, eh?

Funny, I just can’t settle for anything less than the original release. I just can’t get around to displaying this version with the gold and clear pieces with my regular Masterpiece Prowl and Sideswipe and expect it to look normal.

Such is the woeful life of a collector. Sit on your bottom and the chances will slip right through your fingers. Not a day goes by where I don’t regret buying that TRU Optimus in stores when I had the chance…

Anywho, all gloom and woe aside, expect reviews soon! Not of the Masterpiece Optimus of course, since that won’t be taken out of the (beat up) packaging, but the Jaegers will definitely get their time in the spotlight soon enough.