My Angel reviews...

[Haephestus]

Thanks for the reviews.

As for spin-offs which far surpass their predacessors - Xena: Warrior Princess (spun off from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys).

And I would personally agree that Angel was a better show than Buffy.

As for the figures, I only ever planned on getting Demon Angel and I'm pretty sure that is the only one I will end up getting.

I'm happy to wait for the deluxe version, especially when the facial sculpts on these are nothing spectacular.

Cheers,
Haeph.

[Shannon]

yea
GO XENA
never watched hercules, just Xena
cuz of Callisto!!!
and Hope!!!
and Gabrielle!!!
and everything!!!!

[michaelcrawford]

Look like the same exact head to me...

And yes, as I mentioned in the review, graduation day is slightly shorter, but that makes sense since he's not wearing shoes.

Michael
MWC

[Shannon]

oh thanks
must have missed that detail

[jmay25]

Great reviews Michael. The Angel figures definately look better and your evaluation of Grad Day's paint ops is right on. Although he was sweating profusely from the poison in that episode, it just looks really off in action figure format with the excessive gloss. But I will reserve final judgement when these get here.

I think The Ring Angel may end up my favorite even though I initially liked him the least. Hopefully the episode choices for the deluxe line will round out our Angel collection with some more important character moments.

[urbandruid]

Great reviews, Michael, thanks. I may have to pick up more of the Angel figures than I'd planned on now.

[willbueche]

Man, you're being so kind with these reviews, assuming your scale is 4 stars is perfection (if it is 5 stars, then, nevermind). Buffy and Angels figures have never been outstanding, so there's a bit of lowered expectation from the start, but, aside from the ball jointed head aren't these figures coming closer and closer to the Sigmund Freud and other Historical Character figures?

[michaelcrawford]

No - not even close. You need to have them - and many, many other action figures from different companies - in your hands to appreciate the difference in quality.

BTW, there's also a difference in a sculpt on a $10 figure, a $40 figure, or a $200 figure. A $10 figure could get a four star sculpt for something that wouldn't be even average for a $200 figure. Expectations vary by what you're paying, as they should.

BTW, it's not the gloss paint so much as how it was applied. As I said in my review, having the gloss there to simulate the sweat isn't a bad idea, but why does it stop on the shoulders? The finish on his biceps and forearms matches The Ring, and clearly that was a screw up. It's painfully obvious in person.

Michael
MWC

[MasterPizza]

Michael, can you put a close up picture of the face of Angel season V and Angel the ring. I really like to see the likeness.

[michaelcrawford]

Not any closer than they already are - you do realize there about three times actual size in those photos, right? When you start jamming up too close on stuff, problems and imperfections that you'll never see in person start showing up.

Then again, if you'd like to see those two next to each other:





Michael
MWC

[Shannon]

yea i see it
different skin color kinda threw me off
thanks!

[jmay25]

Is it me or does Season 5 Angel's face actually appear a wee bit fuller than The Ring Angel? If so, kudos to DST for the attn to detail. That would be accurate to the progression of the actor's appearance in the show.

Or maybe its just the hairstyle throwing me off.

[VampireStake]

Any ideaz when you will be reviewing Illyria? She seems to be the only figure you missed (Or do you not have her?)

[michaelcrawford]

Didn't get the regular Illyria...

Michael
MWC

[btvschosen]

well I think they look good could have improved a phew things but I'm gonna get them still.

[NewtonDKC]

Michael, excellent reviews - makes me even more anxious for them to start getting to stores and to end up in my collection! I envy you getting them early - I think I'll start my own Web Site for reviews so I can get them too! Haha! :-)

I initially looked for this thread to explain the sweat/poison stuff (and if I remember, there's even a scene where he wakes up and is so out of it he thinks Willow is Buffy, and I always thought his eyes looked funny in that scene, maybe not cross eyed...but anyway, several other people already beat me of course!). But I see your post about it stopping at the biceps...so probably a money saving part-sharing issue? Though one would think they could just change the paints ops midway through to match - surely they have to do that on shared parts all the time anyway, as many of those get repaints for variants. So who knows, maybe someone will have caught it and correct it before they all ship in that manner. If not, that's the sort of thing that will bug me and I can see myself ending up applying gloss to his arms to correct it! :-) Little chips of paint, flaws here and there - I always end up doing that to the point that if someone wanted to be picky, they could say half my collection is "customized" <grin>.

Anyway, great reviews, and thanks so much for them and the liberal use of pictures - really makes them exciting and waiting to read them when I first saw Fred/Shells Illyria was painful (in the delicious excited can't wait way, not the "I need an oxycodone" type way <grin>).

THANKS!!!

[MasterPizza]

Is it me or does Season 5 Angel's face actually appear a wee bit fuller than The Ring Angel? If so, kudos to DST for the attn to detail. That would be accurate to the progression of the actor's appearance in the show.

I ask the same question, but Michael said the face is the same.