#eldrador mini-creatures

[therobotmonster]

Big thanks to @dvandom, check out what arrived today!

It's these guys!

I got two packs, one a single figure pack (the black armored guy) and one a figure-and-many-critters-in-blind-bags pack:

First up, these guys are solid examples of essential toy design. The armor suits have a whopping 2 points of articulation (shoulders), they use the same sculpt, and the figures are single pieces. There appear to be some fancier suits in the line, but that doesn't matter, because that's all you really need.

These guys are heavy, solid, practically indestructible by modern toy standards, and a great example of how five chunks of plastic (body, two arms, weapon and head/critter) can be amazing if applied correctly.

The gimmick comes down to the little dudes, who serve as goblin-like stackable critters on their own, or when plugged (very solidly) into the suit by two foot-pegs, they resemble either a fantasy mecha pilot or a warrior in armor, depending on the creature.

My blind-bags landed me duplicates of the frog (awesome) and one of the ice critters. I got zero guys from the stone element, but that's blindbags for ya.

The critters are about the size of Real Ghostbusters ghosts, and all stand very solidly, both on their own feet and on each others' heads, with just enough slickness under their feet to make them topple and scatter satisfyingly when knocked over.

Blindbag minis are solid, pack-in-pilots are translucent. It's all good. Apparently they have their own "sunburst" figure in the form of a gold chase fig. All good.

They pack in at a hefty TMNT size or a stocky but short MOTU scale, and have a more-or-less 4mm grip that lets them hold some long-handled MOTU weapons. their weapons are very heavy (PVC) and slightly slimmer, so it's a loose fit going the other way.

Any kid that likes fantasy and monsters is going to love what Schleich is serving up, and these aren't as pricey and are nicely toyetic compared to their normal upscale offerings. Toy collectors will find a lot to like about the aesthetics and build quality.

My Druthers:

No toyline is perfect, and in the off chance someone at Schleich is out there 1) I have a great minifigure line that has your name written all over it, about 20 sculpts already done, and, more seriously 2) there's just a couple of tricks missed here that could really push this to an S-rank line.

I think its missing a trick to have the translucent minis to only as pack-in pilots. GitD or glitter-suspension plastics, anything that makes the material into a part of the gimmick, should be part of the blind-packs. Not as chases, but as wave-specific themes.

I'd like to see a backpack-ledge on the armor suits's backs so extra guys can ride along. Or foot-pegs on the shoulder-armor, something akin.

Hopefully, future waves will add more body sculpts and keep the same shoulder engineering so, more variety can be maintained over the line's lifespan via part-swapping.

That is praising with faint 'well I'd have-', however. Very cool line, very cool gift. And a thorough review seems like the least I can give.

You have indeed, cheered up the robot.

Have you seen Schleich’s Eldrador line? Besides some legit cool elemental monsters, there’s also these little head guys that can pilot robot suits with translucent spikes and interchangeable symbols. There’s not much lore because that’s just not how Schleich does things, but their designs have gotten pretty rad lately.

Schleich is delivering solid effort in this mostly bleak era of toy dev. I haven't checked out these particular ones, but there's a bunch of their monsters I'd love to have, but can't ever quite justify grabbing on the price level.

Not because it's not worth it, Schleich is like Lego in my experience, worth the extra cost in quality and care. I'm just broke.

I'm going to have to keep my distance on that one because that thing is designed to snag my magpie brain from what I've just seen: magic elemental headmasters-by-way-of-Crazy Bones with tons of clear plastic energy/crystal bits?

Yeeeaaaah... That's dangerous.

I can only really focus on one figure line for my own special-interest wrangling safety, so right now I'm on MOTU origins for the forseeable. I very easily could have gotten pulled in by Schleich's fantasy, but the line that routinely gets clearanced for $10 a pop is my dance partner.

Hasn't stopped me from putting a couple of the things on my cheer-up-the-robot-list tho.

[schleichoftheday]

Today’s Schleich is:

81000 Eldrador Mini Creature [2021]

[plasticpokedex]

Neat toys from Europe

Remember “Gormiti”?

Uh, yeah...””that””...but now I’m talking about THIS one:

When I went on a mini Euro-trip a couple years ago, I saw the famous sights: The Coliseum, Hans Christian Andersen’s grave, the many McDonald’s that SERVE BEER ALL DAY EVERYDAY and the best damn toy stores America doesn’t have anymore.

I’ve lurked around many toy communities: Toyhype, Toyark, /toy/...but the common topics are America’s affordable domestics and Japan’s expensive delays, but nothing about the neat stuff Europe’s been selling. 

But even after happily walking through the likes of BR Toys, Toys Center, Smyth’s, and Pinocchio Toys, I guess they don’t have a lot to show off. Most of what I remember is seeing a line of Maya the Bee, Die Nektons of the Deep, their own brand of Dreamwork’s Trollhunters, and Schleich. A LOT of Schleich, on their own shelf instead of an endcap or even a tiny aisle kiosk. Not just generic animals and Eldrador neither, they still sell “the Schtroumpfs” as if they're still relevant (oh wait, the Lost Village. nvm). And Dinofroz, which is also a cool toyline they have. Megantik too. Aaaaah they have such great stuff. Anyway the newer Gormiti is a lot more interesting this time.

Based on some of the non-English dubbed episodes I’d see at the hostel we booked, it’s about these 4 kids who enter the monster realm and summon  elemental creatures who must battle with the Ghost tribe king. As for the toys, they’re pretty cool and come in 4 scales. The basic 3.5″, the 5″, 8″ and the pocket multi-pack/blindbag 1″ ones. 

Here’s what I could horde from the various stores (even the airport had some, for slightly cheaper surprisingly). The basic toys are about as samey as the previous series, but this time they’re articulated. Ball-pin shoulders, hinge elbows and legs. Also, a neck if they have one. The Lord figures in addition have knees and ball-pin thighs, and extra features like karate-chop action or lights. Despite pretty much being Italy’s TMNT/Ben 10, they’re still cost as much as a Marvel Legend over here. No matter the store, Giochi Preziosi wants each of the 3.5″ for about $20, then $30 for the 5″. For about the same price there for a 5″,  some old lady’s grandson would have to struggle between a Lord Keryon or a Civil Warrior with what’s left of their birthday money.

Whether or not they scale well, they still have some nice design aspects that can fit with 1/18 stuff. I wish I’d have bought more, but it seems the series continued on way after I came back home. And with toy companies having lost their dumping ground, Toys R Us, no company seems interested in importing them. I don’t think even Canada wants any neither. Time to pay ebay’s scalp shipping, I guess...

;_;

[schleichoftheday]

Schleich 2023 First Half List

source: Spielzeug-Guenstig

By clicking Read More, you acknowledge pictures of these items are not known by Blog's Mod and are only allowed to be publicised in November.

Horse Club

13950 Haflinger Mare 13951 Haflinger Foal 13952 Paso Peruano Stallion 13953 Paso Peruano Mare 13954 Paso Peruano Foal 13955 Cheval de selle francais Mare 13956 Cheval de selle francais Stallion 13957 Cheval de selle francais Foal 13958 Noriker Stallion 13959 Camarillo Mare

Beauty Horses 42620 Quarter horse mare 42621 Akhal Tekke stallion 42622 Knabstrupper stallion

42591 Saddle chamber 42610 Stable grooming accessories 42611 Horse box with mare and foal 42612 Obstacles 42615 Styling accessories 42616 Hair clips accessories 42417 Horse care station

Farm

13960 Galloway cow 13961 Spotted american donkey 13962 Danish mastiff 13963 Bichon Frisé 13964 Abessinian cat 13965 Valais Blacknose sheep

Wild

14858 Chameleon 14860 Indian rhino baby 14861 Thomson's gazelle 14862 Harpy 14863 Aardvark 14864 Blue poison dart frog 14865 Otter 14866 Cheetah cub 14867 Caracal female 14868 Caracal cub

42601 Lowland gorilla family 42603 Moose cow with calf

Dinosaurs

15034 Tarbosaurus 15035 Monolophosaurus 15036 Gastonia 15037 Edmontosaurus 15038 Gallimimus

Eldrador

42557 Shadow Master robot 42618 Mini creature catapult 70153 Granite wolf 70154 Shadow Raptor (i think its the dinosaur) 70155 Swamp monster 81246 Mini creatures blind bag series 3 81262 Mini creatures blind bag series 4

Bayala

70756 Elements Fire unicorn stallion 70757 Elements Water unicorn mare 70758 Elements Water Flame foal 70759 Crystal turtle 70761 Llama unicorn foal 70777 Plant hatchling in egg 72207 Multicoloured spring calf

Collectible Unicorn Series 70763 Amethyst 70764 Aquamarine 70765 Emerald 70766 Amber 70767 Garnet 70768 Diamond 70769 Moonstone

42628 Axolotl discovery set