Marvel Spider Man Classics Juggernaut Action Figure (2008)

The Unstoppable Juggernaut from Marvel (2008)

Ever since The Uncanny X-Men became a huge hit here in the Philippines, I can say that I was one of those very few individuals who never really "rooted" for the main mutant characters belonging to Professor Xavier's team, I mean Wolverine, Cyclops, Gambit et al are cool and all but the guys who were on the sidelines, so to speak, had the most impact on me. I guess I find them more ubër cool in terms of their attitude, aura, physical attributes and mutant powers all rolled into one character... and I have two particular human mutants that I really like. On Professor Xavier's side, Piotr "Peter" Nikolaievitch Rasputin or more popularly known as the mighty Colossus and his arch enemy from Magneto's team, Cain Marko or a.k.a. The Unstoppable Juggernaut. From comic books to the big screen, seeing these two mighty mutants collide was just plain awesome! It is like seeing David turned into a living, breathing chunk of organic steel fighting off a monstrous Goliath wearing a gigantic metal helmet with virtually an unstoppable momentum for total destruction.

When the X-Men action figures came out, I was bent on having one Colossus and one Juggernaut figure sometime soon, up until recently Marvel Select did an awesome job with their version of Colossus and I was just blown away with what they did to the Juggernaut figure as well!... it's huge, massive, very well detailed and worth the money you'll be spending on this item! The only petty issue I got with these Marvel Select goodies is that they are quite big in size and currently there is no way I can display them inside my cramped room and getting myself a new display cabinet may be the possible solution though sadly I can't afford to buy one right now. Having this dilemma is such a pain but a couple of weeks back I was lucky enough to have for myself a smaller version of Juggernaut that I purchased as a good conditioned loose item. It may not be overflowing with superb awesomeness like its Marvel Select counterpart but it is still worth having.

Removing the helmet will reveal his alter ego, the human-mutant Cain Marko

Released in 2008 by Marvel under the Spider Man Super Villain toy line, Juggernaut looks more proportioned in terms of its physical ratio and his built is more vertically lean. The only sole accessory you get to have with this action figure is his removable helmet that you can place over or remove to reveal his alter ego as the human-mutant Cain Marko with his head draped with a leather headgear. So far posing the figure has given me no problems and articulation is good enough to make him go into several action poses. I got the item for Php 395 (around $3.00++) though there are other toy shops selling him (as a loose item) at a more expensive price so technically it was a good steal for me and not quite bad for my first Juggernaut action figure.

Earlier this afternoon I decided to take out my camera and finally take snapshots of Juggernaut inside my tabletop studio. I've posted some of the other photos inside so please do check them out guys and I hope you all like it... until next time, stay safe always!

(*Click on the images for larger view and more photos inside)

Yes Virginia, there is such a thing called 'Toy Destiny'...

War Machine from Marvel-Hasbro

Never in my wildest dreams did I expect for this opportunity to come, and just when I thought that I had totally given up in finding a mini 3-inch figure of War Machine to somehow complete my Iron Man 2 collection... there they were... staring literally right in front of me... hanging on display at a famous toy discount store. I was in complete bliss! Where have you been all my life?!.. Is this real?!.. For heaven's sake somebody pinch me and tell me this isn't a dream! Instinctively I grabbed the very first War Machine figure I saw in front of me and knowing that there might be another one hidden somewhere, I began to thoroughly search each and every row I came across and bingo! Saw another one lurking somewhere in the middle section and immediately took it as well.


Before I continue folks, let me give you a brief rundown on the entire story behind my constant search for that elusive 3-inch War Machine figure for all of you guys to know what I have been blabbing just earlier... Marvel/Hasbro came up with this Iron Man 2 line-up of toys (which includes the 3-inchers) during the world premiere of the second Iron Man movie back in 2010. Eventually the excess stocks of Iron Man 2 toys went on sale around middle to late last year (2011) and that was the only time I was able to purchase the Mark III, Mark V and Mark VI since their prices were slashed by half. The 3-inchers were as abundant as it can be and all I had to do was carefully choose the better one where there were no issues with the paint job, cosmetic defects and so forth. And in that line-up, War Machine and the Tactical Assault Drone are also included... but not even one of these figures was to be found selling or even hiding somewhere from the Marvel Toy Section! Talk about "intentional scarcity" where some individuals would hoard the items that they know would be the most wanted by fans and collectors alike and jack-up their prices 2 to 3 times more! I couldn't care less about the Tactical Assault Drone if I don't get to buy it, but come hell or high waters I must have just even one War Machine figure... just one figure to complete my collection and that's it! Sadly weeks turned to months and months into years, and eventually I've decided to give up my search for those War Machine 3-inch figures because for one thing, I know for a fact that there are other toy shops who has those and as much as I want that item, I will not even dare to shell out my money for something that they are selling way too high than its intended retail price. But I guess it was indeed my destiny to cross paths with this baby and all I needed was to wait for a looonnnggg time, but it paid off quite well! I bought the two War Machine figures I found on the spot and went home feeling, as always, like a winner!

Despite being small with several paint job issues, this figure is still worth having!

I've posted some of the photos I took earlier and honestly, despite its small frame and limited posing action, this War Machine figure just looks awesome from every angle you look! No wonder every single War Machine item, from the smallest to the biggest figure, were selling out fast! Iron Man rocks big time no doubt about it, but there's something about the War Machine suit that gains (slightly) the upper hand than that of the other Tony Stark masterpieces... the colors? The payload of weaponry? Maybe these two factors have contributed greatly in making James Rhodes' alter-ego look really bad-ass! 'Til next time folks, stay safe always!


(*Click on the images for larger view and more photos inside)

Toys and Memories...

For the longest time have I contemplated over and over again on whether or not to take it out from its carded packaging this Shazam! figure from Mattel's DC Universe Crisis toy line, and obviously I never attempted to do so. I guess this action figure had too much sentimental value for me to just rip it open, so to speak. Toys or any stuff for that matter given to me by my family or friends isn't much of an issue though I do take care of them very well, but for something like this mini Shazam! action figure... I just wanted it to stay as it is and preserve the memories that came along with it.


This was given to me from someone very special and it was somehow like a "spontaneous gift" or a "spur-of-the-moment thought" if you may call it. I remember that day when she texted me around afternoon and told me that she'll be coming over to my place after work and hand me something. Later that evening my cellphone rang and I knew she was waiting for me outside with her car parked in front of our house. I told her if she wanted to come in but she told me that she wasn't going to stay for long and immediately handed to me the Shazam! toy figure, she told me that Toys "R" Us was having a bazaar sale in one of the open lots inside their office compound and she thought of getting me that action figure since it was selling for only Php 100 (around $2.00 ++), though she may not be that well-versed with comic book characters or superheroes but the mere thought of getting me one for no particular reason gave it more meaning and value, that is why up to this very day I still keep this toy inside a Ziploc bag to protect it from dust and dirt.


Eventually this Shazam! figure would turn out to be the very last toy item I'll be receiving from her as a gift... and sadly after being together for nearly a decade, we recently decided to go our own separate ways... and all that remains from this very special item are the fond memories from that day and somehow, that lingering thought inside me of what we used to be. Too bad for Billy Batson's alter ego and he won't be able to experience life outside the carded packaging... it's too early to say but I'm still not over it, maybe even if I have moved on it will always stay that way... memories are too precious to let go, even for something as trivial or cheesy like keeping a toy figure sealed and untouched, possibly forever.

Great buys: Iron Man 2 3-inch action figure from Hasbro

For the longest time I wasn't able to get myself a new toy for my collection since I have been stuck inside the house, most of the time doing nothing for some unexplained reason... maybe I was just too lazy to go out or I might be just too conscious to spend my money on cab fare since getting a taxi nowadays is gold, so to speak. It was only last July 16 (Saturday) that I got the chance to buy me a toy when I visited the Toys R' Us branch in Trinoma while waiting for my other buddies to appear for our 15th anniversary celebration at Yakimix. After getting my sister the Moxie Girlz Alice in Wonderland edition, I headed towards the action figures section where luckily I still found a number of Iron Man 2 3-inch toy figures being sold on sale for only Php 100 each.

Iron Man 2 Mark VI edition from Hasbro

These Iron Man 2 miniatures have been selling at Toy Kingdom and Toys R' Us for quite a while now and since they are still in circulation, I never hesitated to get myself one or else I might regret it later if they decide to take it off the shelves one of these days! Looking at the back of the packaging, the line-up consists of 5 action figures which comprises the Iron Man Mark III, Mark V, Mark VI, the Tactical Assault Drone and of course War Machine. So far only the three Iron Man versions are available in both stores but the Tactical Assault Drone and War Machine figures are rather elusive and nowhere to be found! It really sucks big time since I've been constantly searching for the War Machine figure in every shop or stall that I went to but to no avail. I'm pretty sure that sooner or later I'll be able to complete all three Iron Man figures, but I won't rest until I get myself that elusive War Machine fig to finally complete my collection.

Discovering a world of toys at CSCentrl.com...

I was Makati-bound last July 02 to drop by my friend’s place and help him work on the light box I have promised, and since he still lacks a couple of things needed to make one, we went straight to Greenbelt One and bought most of the stuff at National Bookstore. As soon as we were done with our task, we decided to hang out for a while since I rarely go to Makati and leaving Greenbelt that soon would be such a waste of opportunity. Of course one of the things listed on my agenda is to check out the toy shops there and since my pal Adi knows the place by heart, he led the way and it wasn’t for long that we stumbled upon Great Toys… there were a lot of goodies in store but unfortunately I wasn’t able to find anything that was affordable enough to fit my budget and all I did was drool at all the figures and collectibles on display. On our next stop Adi showed me this other toy shop called CSCentrl.com and as soon as we entered the store, I immediately got this groovy feeling that I’m into something good… and I even told Adi that I’m pretty sure I might be able to take home some lovelies for my toy collection, and so I wasted no time in switching on my radar and do some serious toy hunting inside this new-found toy oasis!

CSCentrl.com's awesome line of toys for sale

Gashapons and anime figures galore

As soon as you enter CSCentrl.com you’ll be greeted with a tower-like glass display on the left loaded with anime figures and other toys, but once you get inside, there’s this even bigger glass display behind the shop’s counter stuffed with literally a sea of gashapon figures, and the neat thing about it is that you can get to buy the figs individually… Olleh! Since I’m a random toy collector and buying toy figures in sets was never really my cup of tea, it was a good thing this awesome shop sells some, if not all of their anime figures by the piece! Adi was eyeing on several items there while I on the other hand have spotted a couple of possible candidates to be added to my growing collection of toys. The owner, Raymond (Sorry folks, I was too overwhelmed with the toys on display that I forgot to ask for his surname), was there at that time and he was so friendly and accommodating that he treats his walk-in customers like his buddies, a plus factor for me since shop owners with good and commendable customer-relation skills can make or break one’s impression as a first-time customer walking into their respective stores. I left CSCentrl.com with two gashapons on hand and went back to Adi’s place and worked on his light box the rest of the evening. Though I may not be able to visit the place regularly since I live in Quezon City but I will definitely drop by that cool toy shop as soon as I get the chance to visit Adi’s place once more… or if by fate that I strangely find myself wandering within the Makati area.


CSCentrl.com is located at the 2nd floor of Greenbelt One, Ayala Commercial Center, Makati City or you can visit their official website at cscentrl.com

My surviving original Star Wars figures...

I guess I can say that I was lucky to have seen and witnessed the birth of one of the biggest Sci-Fi motion picture series that ever came out in movie history, and though I was a toddler then when the first Star Wars film was shown in 1977, everyone flocked to the movie houses braving the long, winding lines of people eager to watch this phenomenal brain child of George Lucas, and from that moment on, Sci-Fi Movies will never be the same again.


Even young kids like me then easily knew the main characters of Star Wars , starting with Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Han Solo, R2-D2, C-3PO. And along with these legendary Star Wars characters came also their fabulous merchandising that included of course the numerous line of action figures that was a sure hit for both young and old alike, I for one did my best to try and get hold of all the Star Wars action figures but as far as I can remember, I only had three of them and these are Chewbacca, R2-D2 and a Stormtrooper figure... No Luke Skywalker, no Darth Vader, No Han Solo nor Princess Leia. Just those three and that's all.

My original Chewbacca and Stormtrooper figures from Star Wars (circa late 70's-early 80's)

Of the three Star Wars figures I have, only two remained as you can see on the photo that I took sometime last year, The last time I saw my R2-D2 figure it was lacking some of its essential sticker decals and both of its legs are badly loose, until I eventually lost him and couldn't find him anywhere. But nonetheless, a small part of my fond childhood memories stays with me thanks to these two.