The Balrog, Takara Batman reviews

[Gareee]

My estimated delivery date is tomorrow as well. (it's been updated)

Very odd route though.. it went from Fort Wayne, IN, to South Bend In, almost the extact oposite direction then heading here!

Don'tcha LOVE package tracking?

Two Balrogs, winging their way in th edark of night, to descend on two unsuspecting customers....

[Gareee]

Ah, I couldn;t wait, and everyone has problems locating my house here in the mountains, so we're going to go pick the Big Guy up today ourselves.

He arrived at the local office at 8:15 this am...

[Michael Crawford]

Be careful with those wings - they aren't meant to come back off! They lock in...

[Biomechanoid]

That's what I thought. Looks like I'll just pop off the tail and put him in the child seat.

[Biomechanoid]

HERE WE GO

[Gareee]

Good to know about those locking wings.. I figured they might be removable for moving him.

I'm also astoundingly pleased with him. he's easily the most expensive "toy" I've bought in months, but he's worth every penny of the $97.45 shipped price I got, and I'd be happy even if he was $120 shipped, an dyou KNOW what a cheap bastard I am! LOL!!

Mine works fine, with both head and back lighting up fine.

I'd like to see neca make some cash on him, and I suspect, just like the sideshow Balrog statue, this sucker will be going up in price. if they can sell them all, I'd suggest they do a rerelease in translucent plastic, solding black wings, and then use black wash over him. The lights would then light up the moputh interior and eyes as well. (Basically a re-release done like the big Votive they did.

The votive head is too large for the figure, so he'll be stuck with the head the did for him.

I'm thinking a blacklight will probably be the best route to go with him, to make him look lit all the time at night. Looks like they did thier best to hide seams, even using sonic welds rather then cheaper screws, so disassembling him for additional lighting would be a chore.

I think the "red striped horns" issue some people have had could be resolved petty easily, by adding just a little dayglow orange in th ered stripes nearest his head. for ,looking at the votive, I'm guessing the horns were somewhat translucent on the movie, and they were trying with paint, to pull off that effect.

I DO kinda wish his whip was a bendy, but I used a piece of thin fishing line, an dsuspended it over him, and it looks killer.

Damned thing is I ALSO scored an Icons II Green Hulk, and thought he was killer, until I unboxed the beast.

"Puny Hulk! Balrog SMASH!"

[Biomechanoid]

sweet...mother...of god...

I had my hangups about the money for the longest time. Fuck all that. This thing is worth its weight in gold, and at 12.5 lbs (according to the digital scale here at the office), that's a lotta gold. So, at $120 shipped, it's a bargain as far as I'm concerned. Not one pic on the net that I've seen has come close to doing justice to the enormity and detail of Balrog. What Michael said in regards to the legs is certainly true of mine, and it will need some modifications for long-term display. The funny thing about it is that although this is my first NECA (and I'm very, very pleased), the shoulders have McF's Spawn S20 Overtkill written all over them. I don't have the fig handy, but I'd swear their almost the exact dimensions. I can see why some collectors will want to touch the paint up a bit, but I like it just the way it is. With the red across the chest, it looks more molten than just burnt, and it helps to imagine a shroud of thick black smoke around its form. Long before the movies, this is pretty much how I pictured DA each time he's flayed Andyman...except maybe with more hair...

I'll have to get someone with a camera phone to take a shot or two for me while it's here. Right now it's on my desk over my left shoulder where I usually lay large drawings, its 40" + wingspan nearly covers the entire cubicle shelf behind him. He's turned to face my monitors, with his right hand up high, holding the whip as if to strike, and I've hung a text ballon from the claw of his left wing that says "Get back to WORK!!" I had to do that and add a "Don't touch" note because it's been drawing a little too much attention since it got here at about 10:30. I'm debating whether or not I should pluck the wings back off for the ride home.

I can't wait for it to meet my HeroClix...

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