EVERYTHING BATTLESTAR

MORE FIGURES = MORE VARIATIONS

2008-01-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

This Karl "Helo" Agathon figure is a pretty nice sculpt and the detail on his officers uniform is minimal but solid. It''s darker than I thought it was going to be but looks more like it does on T.V. In prototype shots it looked lighter and less articulated. Helo is one of my favorite characters on the show and I'm not the only one who thinks so. Check out this AWESOME link HERE for more on Tahmoh Pinikett, who plays Helo. I keep it in my favorites since it's where I get all of my latest BSG info.

Using my boiling water method, I used the Apollo flight suit body and swapped heads with Helo to make this "Trapped on Caprica with nobody to love except Boomer the Cylon" figure. Sweet.

Then I took the Apollo head and threw it on the left over Helo body and BOOYEAH! Officer uniform Apollo made to order. It's lonely at the top. I love being pathetic.

Then I took Chief's body and put Anders and Helo's head on to make casual duty uniform figures. The hits keep coming.

This Anders figures has an interesting story behind it. I met the guy who plays Anders, Michael Trucco, at a BSG convention about 2 weeks after this figure was previewed and announced. When I met him I congratulated him on his figure. He said, "Thanks man, are you gonna buy one?" I looked him in the eyes in a room full of fans and said, "No man................I'M GETTING TWO!" He cracked up and so did the fans. Apparently I'm funny to my BSG peers. Tough crowd.

Anyway, this figure is cool.

Here's the casual duty Apollo figure with a rifle. Big whoop.

CONVENTION RECAP with a BONUS

2008-01-04T18:49:00.000-08:00

MY LATE "BSG R A Z O R " REVIEW

2008-01-01T08:25:00.000-08:00

Battlestar Gallactica Razor centers around a new character named Kendra Shaw, who under Admiral Cain's command earned the respect of her crew but sacrificed her soul in doing so. Stephanie Jacobson plays Kendra Shaw and is the reason why this BSG movie did so well in the ratings. Fresh faces are always a welcomed sight but when that face is part Portuguese-Chinese-Norwegian-English, it's a pretty face to watch as well.

Razor is the story of the first mission taken by the Pegasus under Commader Lee Adama and is inter cut with several flashbacks to show what brought the characters to their current standing and why they think the way they do. Kendra becomes Lee's XO (Executive Officer) and steps on a few toes as the ships Second in Command. Those toes happen to belong to Starbuck. The word Razor comes from Admiral Cain as she describes the type of person Kendra needs to be inorder to be successful during war.

Kendra meets Gina aboard the Pegasus minutes before the ship is nuked by Cylon missiles. Nobody is aware that Gina is responsible for the death and destruction of 800 of the ships crew. Kendra later sees a copy of the 6 model when the Pegasus is boarded and incarcerates Gina.

Admiral Cain, in flashbacks, makes some brutal decisions that has her crew guessing where her loyalties lay. Upon finding a wandering civilian fleet, she orders Col. Fisk to strip them of their engines and take important crew members only, leaving the rest to die. Kendra ends up playing a fateful role in the acquisition of these blood parts.

Another flashback shows Admiral Adama in his youth during the Clyon wars. Young Adama crash lands on a cylon planet and discovers that the cylons have been experimenting on humans to create a hybrid and super weapon. It's a very graphic turn of events with the super weapon escaping in the end. The actor they found to play a young Eddie Olmos was amazing. He looked and sounded like the seasoned vet.

My overall rating of this last installment is a 10/10. It was an important story to tell and left a great cliffhanger for season 4. I think the series is better with the addition of Razor.

1 FIGURE = MORE POSSIBILITIES

2007-12-31T19:38:00.000-08:00

You're probably wondering why I got 7 of these CHIEF TYROL action figures straight from Diamond Select Toys.com. Well the answer is demented and sad but social. The Chief body represents the standard uniform for the BSG characters. So my Apollo and Hot Dog figures, with the help of some boiling hot water to soften the head and neck joints, get their standard uniform dress. See below.

All I had to do was switch the heads and add the military issued firearm and holster. I'm also going to do this for the Anders and Helo figures when they come in a few weeks. I'll take the Helo and Apollo figures and switch their heads to make a Raptor pilot Helo and Officer uniform Apollo. The possibilities are endless.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

COOL INTERNET FINDS

2007-12-31T16:37:00.000-08:00

I saw this auction for this BSG BLACKBIRD model on ebay the other day. It's a full studio scale model which means it's big and super detailed.
I don't know who made this but it was worth the $350 it finally sold for.

All of these cool parts and brass details made me salivate.

Good luck to who ever got it.

It's About Frakking Time

2007-12-22T21:22:00.000-08:00

After several delays and a fist full of impatience, the series 1 BSG figures from Diamond Select Toys (DST) are here. These figures are an example of the state of the art sculpting and painting technology of DST, down to the packaging. I have to admit, it was worth the wait.

This Apollo figure looks much better than I thought it would. Most of the promo shots didn't show the 33 points of articulation. Usually the final product looks just ok. In this case, the points of articulation don't hurt the overall look of the figure.
The detail on the flight suit is credited to the resources DST used to create these sculpts. They had full access to the wardrobe and schematics department of the BSG production design team.

This is a dead on scuplt of Jamie Bamber who plays Apollo. I should know, I've met him in person on several occasions (scroll way down for the proof). I can't believe I just said that.

Here's the complete Viper flight suit with 2 piece helmet. It's hard to tell in the pic but the visor is slightly tinted blue......just like in the show.......sweeeeet!

This Hot Dog figure isn't exciting but is an interesting bit of geek trivia. Geek trivia comes in handy once or twice a year and I love using it to stump certain friends of mine. That's right KISNER........I'm talking about you!

Although Hot Dog is a minor character on the show, in real life, he is the son of Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama) and has had minimal screen time with his father.

Again, another dead on sculpt.

This 6 figure is probably my least favorite in this first series of figures. Sculpting females has always been a difficult task. Typically, guys who sculpt women have never seen one up close.

In this case, the articulation in the arms ruin the look of the figure. The dress is a rubbery material that allows articulation in the legs. That part is.....neat.

Unfortunately, this final product looks more like Willem Dafoe in drag.

DUE IN 2008

2007-11-30T14:26:00.000-08:00

At the end of January, expect to these 2nd series of BSG figs to hit the stores in limited amounts. From (L-R) Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, Cylon Centurion, Kat, and Helo. The impressive sculpting continues with these 4 figures and 3 yet to be announced exclusive figures. These flight suits are slightly different than the series 1 suits and do not include the pilot collar ring. The flight suit is also unzipped and slightly more season 2 accurate color and detail wise.

I love knowing these things.

This resin VIPER MARK II statue is due sometime early next February.

I'm only getting one since I'll be using it as reference for the VIPER I'll be building to scale with my 6 inch BSG figs. Oh yeah, it's lonely at the top.

Order yours HERE

This CYLON RAIDER statue is really big and will also debut sometime early next year. It is to scale with the VIPER MARK II. You know what that means? Epic battles of static proportions in my display cabinet.

NEW FIGURES GALORE!!!!

2007-07-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

Here's another look at the BSG series 1 figures due out in September. I already pre ordered 2 of each because after all, I have to be consistent with my geekdom.
This new test shot is of Apollo with his pilot gear and helmet.

This is the scheduled SAN DIEGO COMIC CON exclusive CHIEF TYREL figure that will only be limited to 250 pieces for the show. Aaron Douglas will be on hand sign a few figures.

And here's my CHIEF TYREL figure, #51 of 250. I have another one signed by Aaron but it's #91 of 250. He's a great guy.....for a clyon. Did I ruin it?

This series 2 STARBUCK figure was a big surprise and a huge hit at the convention. No photos were allowed but what the heck. The flight gear is different than the series 1 Apollo figure. Why do I know things like that?

This is the Helo in flight suit figure when he was marooned on Cylon occupied Caprica. He looks a little pasty because of the radiation poisoning.

Here's the cold ADMIRAL CAIN figure with a prototype of the KAT figure head. Another beautiful sculpt.

This Deanna Biers figure played by Lucy Lawless will come in several variations except for the warrior princess dress.

I'm glad they made this Lt. Dualla figure. She's important in the series but you never know if these role players get the plastic treatment.

This is a Boomer (Sharon Valeri) figure when she realizes she's a clyon and freaks out. Played by Grace Park, Boomer is a conflicted character that will receive several action figure incarnations.

This resin VIPER MARK II statue was another fun surprise. There's not much to say about it other than I'll be getting a bunch of em. There was also a CYLON RAIDER to scale with the VIPER and an exclusive SCAR cylon raider due out next year. You can see the prototype of the ADMIRAL ADAMA bust in the back. It looks better in person.

KATEE SACKHOFF

2007-05-18T16:25:00.001-07:00

This is my time to brag about my 1 minute with Katee Sackhoff at the 2007 Grand Slam SCI-FI convention. She plays Kara "Starbuck" Thrace and had a hell of a season.

She's the most tormented character on the show and plays a big role in the Galactica finding earth. That's all I can say for now because that's all I know.

This is a still from the season 3 cliffhanger fiinale.

Here's an autographed card I luckily pulled from the trading card packs. It's worth $175 online.

This is from a episode where Apollo and Starbuck almost suffocate when the shooting range is sealed off and begins to decompress.

They try to shoot out the window on the door but can't lift their guns. Apollo finally grabs Starbuck's hand and together they blast the door open.

I asked Katee if she would recreate the scene with me (she didn't call security so I knew she was cool with it). I was the envy of everyone in line after this MEGA DORKY request. She was a great sport.

Then I was able to take a normal shot like the rest of my fellow peers.

Jamie and Katee ragged on eachother the entire time on stage and gave great insight to their tumultuous on screen relationship and the season 3 finale.

MORE JAMIE BAMBER

2007-05-18T16:17:00.001-07:00

Obviously one of the most popular characters on the show is a Jamie Bamber, a.k.a Lee "Apollo" Adama. Season 3 proved to be a bumpy and heart breaking ride indeed. In the end you still like him but don't understand what he's doing. Some are turned off by that, I think it's great writing. Season 4 is going to be insane. Trust me, I'm going to be there for all of it.
Jamie thought my gun was cool and said he felt a bit under dressed next to me. I explained that at least he gets paid to wear the outfit. I on the other hand have to ask my Mommy to sew and stitch and hem my gear.

Jamie and Katee were really going at it on stage during Q&A time. She makes fun of his feminine British demeanor and he called her things I can't put on this blog. Good times....good times.

MICHAEL TRUCCO

2007-05-18T16:02:00.001-07:00

There were devastating season 3 revelations where 4 people on the Gallactica found out that they were cylons. I won't ruin it, but cylons can be handsome.
Micahel Trucco plays Samuel T. Anders on the show and was on hand to pose for pics at the GRAND SLAM convention. He talked about the changes to his character and had a lot fo fun hamming it up in front of his adoring fans. He was nice enough to hold the replica prop BSG gun I had just finished hours before. Check out the video by clicking HERE.
The BSG trading cards some with exclusive costume cards of popular characters. This Anders card is one of my better picks.

PAST BSG CONVENTIONS

2007-05-18T15:41:00.000-07:00

This is my tolerant and adorable wife the night before our first BSG convention in Burbank. Our outfits were just put together and we're looking pretty authentic from our belt buckles and our dog tags.
At the convention we weren't the only ones dressed up. THANK GOD!!! There were others who showed their love for the show, new and old. This guy's Retro Cylon outfit cost him about $2K and got him second place in the costume contest. Mari and I took third and I still feel we were robbed. I'm not bitter though. It's not like I'm still talking about it a year later.

Here I am stealing the mic from the MC. I just told the audience that Mari and I are from the Japanese universe where we live on the Battlestar GaRRactica. Mari's Starbuck and I'm ApoRRo. It got a huge laugh and did I also mention only third place?

Here we are waiting for the judging to begin. The crowd cheers for their favorite.

Here we are accepting our third place certificate. I'm pretending to smile. The look on Mari's face is priceless here. She's whispering to me, "We were robbed." The couple on the right took first. We actually liked them a lot so it wasn't a big deal............coming in third.

This is from the GRAND SLAM convention on April 15th. A week later my daughter was born.

This guy acted like he was too cool to take this picture with me.

I have sunk to a new low.

This was one of the best costumes I saw all day. This was a really nice guy who made his own outfit. It was his first attempt and I have to say it was museum worthy. The color, stitching, and colonial pins were AWESOME! And he was a great guy about it.

ORDER YOUR BSG FIGURES NOW!!!

2007-05-18T15:29:00.000-07:00

Bigbadtoystore.com is offering the series 1 BSG figures from

DIAMOND SELECT TOYS for preorder.

ANDERS, HELO, SIX, APOLLO, CAPRICA SIX, and HOTDOG (not shown).

Follow this link H E R E to order yours today.

WHAT MAKES ME A NERD

2007-04-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a super accurate BSG patch and officers WINGS pin I got from last weeks Sci-Fi Summit in Burbank. The dog tags are from ebay and are a little small. There are better ones out there but for $75 a pair, I can wait.
I can't believe how serious I look in these pics. I've just become that guy everybody hates. It's embarrasing and sad.
Here's more of the same.

THIS JUST IN

2007-04-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

Diamond Select Toys just announced their limited edition (1,000 pieces) SIX bust. It will be available for a short time and will be very hard to get. This is probably the only time you'll get to see it, and by you, I mean normal people. People like me will probably have to wait in line outside somewhere for hours to find out it has been sold out.
She comes with an alternate arm to pose with the Baltar bust coming out later this year. Not a bad bust.....pun intended.

BSG FIGURES - A CLOSER LOOK

2007-04-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

Here are some cleaner shots of the Apollo figure from Diamond Select Toys. The detail and color codes are what really make this figure stand out. This pilot outfit is complicated and is still the elusive fan favorite when it comes to costume contests. I am determined to make my own for this years BSG convention. Hey, we all need a goal.
Check out the VIPER patch on his shoulder. That is technology at it's finest. It's hard to tell, but he's holding a lighter in his left hand that belonged to his grandfather. The silver collar around his neck is to seal off any escaping air when his helmet is put on. That way if he ejects from his Viper, he can still survive in deep space......or until his O2 runs out. Other figures coming out this year are Hot Dog, Anders, and Helo. I know someone who will be particularly excited for the HELO figure since her blog is totally commited to Tahmoh Penikett and all of his awesome glory.

Click H E R E to check out her amazing site.

This pic is slightly over exposed so it looks a bit harsh. It'll probably be the hardest figure to get in the line since nerds are into these sort of things.........or so I hear. There will be a variant black dress figure from an exclusive website. Start saving now geeks. And by geeks I mean me.

BSG MINIMATES

2007-04-17T23:13:00.000-07:00

(APOLLO and STARBUCK)

The inmates at ART ASYLUM have released more of their beautiful creations in the form of 2 inch BSG minimate figures. These figs are highly articulated in their boxed form and are a lot of fun. There's a whole slew of them planned and vehicles as well.

(Cylon Centurion and SIX)
(ADMIRAL CANE and PETTY OFFICER DUALLA)

(EXCLUSIVE STARBUCK FIGURE)

THE STATUE OF ALL STATUES

2007-04-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

When my wife gives birth to our baby girl (Any Day Now) we are going to celebrate by opening and displaying this 16 inch Battlestar Galactica Resin statue from Diamond Select Toys. It's a limited edition statue and has insane detail. Instead of popping a bottle of champagne, we're going to open this up.
It comes with a cool base and is going to look great with the rest of my BSG stuff. My poor daughter is destined to be an educated nerd.

BSG SIDEARM RESIN MODEL KIT

2007-04-17T22:39:00.000-07:00

I won this sweeeeeet BSG gun from an ebay auction a few months ago. It had a lot of physical problems (seams, uneven, and no barrel). It's cast of heavy resin which makes it easy to sand and paint. I had to drill out a 1/2 inch hole for a steel barrel. I also had to even out the space for the explosive round underneath the barrel. After a lot of sanding and carving, the gun was finally ready to prime and paint.
This is a shot of the primed and painted gun in my spray box. I had to drill a hole in the handle to prop it up during spraying. After I sprayed it black it looked much better. Still, it took forever to dry. As you can see here, the barrel and explosive round launch tube aren't even close to being done. These would prove to be the bane of my project.

After days of labor and getting high from spray fumes, here's the finished product. There aren't a lot of photos of these season 2 guns so this is the best I could do. I'm probably going to get another one for the wife to go with her BSG outfit. She's gonna love it.

Here I am putting the gun to good use. I should stay away from spray paints for a while.

AARON DOUGLAS

2007-04-17T21:57:00.000-07:00

Aaron plays Chief Galen Tyrol on BSG and has had some hard times in his past. First, he finds out his girlfriend is a secret cylon agent, then he gets accused of being a cylon, then his girlfriend gets killed, then he sees her come back to life, then he's almost killed on Kobol, then he is almost executed for killing a Pegasus officer for protecting his girlfriend, then he beats the crap out of his future wife, then he gets chastised by Brother Cavil, then he heads up the workers union, then he gets yelled at for not blowing up the temple with the eye of jupiter ruins, then he gets blown into space, then he starts a labor strike and almost gets his wife killed, then........see below (SPOILER ALERT).
Then he finds out that he's one of the 5 remaining cylon sleeper agents. Not a good year for the Chief and wife Callie. This was a devastating blow to fans of the show in the season 3 finale. I love this SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a prototype of the new Diamond Select Toys BSG figures coming out in the summer. This CHIEF figure will be an exclusive at this years San Diego Comic Con. My wife has already agreed to have me bring one back home even though our baby girl will only be a few months old. We sure do have our priorities down.
Aaron is good friends with the lady in charge of Art Asylum (the BSG toy sculptors) and loves the fact that he's finally getting the plastic treatment. They use high tech scanning computers to kick out these super realistic sculpts and poses. I can't wait for these figs to come out!!!!!!!!

As you can see, Mari was thrilled to take a pic with Aaron. He cast a spell on everyone. Even the security guards and photographer loved him.

Aaron represented with an old school BSG shirt and was kind enough to pose for pics with his adoring fans. He was one of my favorites from the weekend.

Thanks to amandaraesmith.com for these and many pics to come of Aaron at last years BSG con in Burbank. Aaron had us all cracking up and I think we all realized that if he gets killed off in the show, he'll have a great career as a stand up comedian. Great stories and insight into the show. Geeks like me eat this stuff up.

This is a classic Aaron moment. He had people in tears. My abs were sore for days.

TRICIA HELFER 6

2007-04-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

Here's the teaser poster that started the Battlestar craze. This close up of Tricia Helfer got sci-fi fans asking who, why, what, and whoa dude???!?!!

Simple and brilliant.
After a super successful first season, BSG received the comic book treatment and got high caliber artists to draw multiple covers. This is done by Michael Turner of Aspen comics. He's currently ranked #1 in the industry and also a huge BSG fan. He apparently knows how to draw girls.
This is a season 3 and 3.5 promo shot of Tricia. Her character is torn between her cylon programming and her obsession with a human (Dr. Baltar played by James Callis, see below). She ends up siding with the humans, making huge sacrifices, and receives very little in return for them.

This season 2 promo shot was on display at last years BSG convention and was the popular choice by the fans. I think she looks pretty hardcore in this shot. At this time, we think she's totally evil.

This is from season 1 and is probably the reason why most guys started watching the show. It's a famous outfit and her action figure is based on this pose with a variation in black.

Mari and Tricia are sitting in chairs set up by the photographer. We were the first to take pics with her until she realized that most of us were nonthreatening and got rid of the chairs. She's also 6'1" and towered over everyone. Even the girls thought she was hot and I'm proud to say that she was really sweet and happy to be there.

I'm sure you noticed she's smiling more with me than with Mari. Before this picture was taken I had just mentioned to Tricia that Mari was my wife. Tricia cracked up because she figured that out since we were both dressed the same. It's fun being charming. Ha!

Here Tricia tells about her first day of shooting and how she and her co-star James Callis had met minutes before performing a hot love scene. Although it was convincing, it was very uncomfortable. James seemed to be okay with it though.

JAMES CALLIS

2007-04-15T23:27:00.000-07:00

James plays the demented and troubled Dr. Gias (pronounced Guy-us) Baltar on the show. He's struggling with the fact that he was responsible for the massive cylon attack that wiped out the human race. Burned in his memory are the remnants of the civilization that is long gone. He's quirky and there are times you cheer for him and other times you hates his frakking guts. I hate to say it, but he's one of my favorites to watch because he's multi dimensional and the acting performance James delivers is pure genius.
You can see it on his face, this guy has a lot going on. He went from distinguished doctor to Vice President to hated President to traitor. Life's tough for this guy.

Here's a still from "Fragged" where Baltar makes a fateful decision and has to shoot one of his own. CRAZY EPISODE!

Mari loves this pic because James was a real fan of our outfits and took time to admire them. I think he realized how important the show is to us by doing this.

This is proof that he's a really nice and appreciative guy. My favorite line in the show is when he gets all fired up and says, "Ok, no more Mr. nice Gias!"

James fielded questions about his role in season 3 and admitted that there will be scenes of him aboard a cylon baseship. Back then that was breaking news.

JAMIE BAMBER

2007-04-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

I bought this drawing of Apollo and his Viper Mark II from an artist named JASON PALMER at Wizard World in March. Check out his site by clicking HERE. It's going in the baby room. It's unique and the artist has the same first name as I do.
The likeness is nice and subtle.
Jamie plays the son of Admiral William Adama played by Edward James Olmos or "Eddie" as the cast calls him. Jamie tells funny stories of the odd and stoic nature of Eddie who brings so much to the show.

This is a shot from an episode in season 1 called the Bastille Day. Apollo and a hand full of the Galactica's crew try to convince prisoners in the fleet to work for their freedom. Of course it all goes to hell and Apollo has to take matters into his own hands. In this shot, he's pointing a stolen gun at Tom Zarek played by Richard Hatch (Apollo from the original series) and encourages him to see things his way. Great episode!

This is a promo for BSG season 3 where Jamie's character Lee "Apollo" Adama is emotionally tormented and overwhelmed. There were times in season 3 where I really didn't like him. In all, Jamie pulled it off very well and got the job done......at the expense of others.

This is a rare Costume card randomly inserted in the Battlestar Galactica trading card set. It's from the actual material used on the show. It's cool to have a piece of history.

Jamie's figure "APOLLO" is the one in the middle. Due out this fall, these BSG figures from Diamond Select Toys are highly anticipated. Series 2 is full of surprises and cylons as well.

One of the true high-lights of Last years BSG convention was the photo ops with Jamie. My wife was thrilled to take this picture. I gotta admit, he's a charming and funny guy. There was a huge line for him.

This is picture is proof of 2 major facts.

1. I am a supreme NERD.

2. Jamie is a super nice guy and tolerant of geeky poses.

Here Jamie tells stories of his co-stars and how things get pretty heated on the set. Eddie Olmos is usually the center of these stories and how their relationship on and off the screen has developed.

Jamie answered questions from the audience and was asked to take his shirt off. The only thing creepier than a nerdy guy...........is a nerdy girl. They don't know when to give up.

Still with his shirt on, Jamie give us hints of season 3 and lets a few tid bits slip. Turns out they were not very revealing but made for a great time. At least he got a sense that as fans, we really care about the actors and the show. Did I just say we?

TAHMOH TIME

2007-04-15T17:18:00.000-07:00

This is a cool sketch of Tahmoh Pinikett I picked up at a recent Sci-fi convention done by Jason Palmer, the same artist who did the Apollo and Viper Mark II drawing. AWESOME for $25.
Tahmoh plays Karl Agathon and is appointed the new XO (Executive Officer-2nd in command) by Admiral Adama. This is a Battlestar Galactica season 3 promo shot. Season 3 turned out to be an insane 20 episodes and took all of the characters to new heights. There were revelations and deaths galore. Season four (Jan 2008) and a mid summer 2 hour movie are highly anticipated.
At the BSG 2006 Convention last Aug, Tahmoh took time to take pictures of us as he took the stage for questions and answers. He's a pretty big guy and had all the ladies drooling.
Here's one of the girls who was drooling. Mari's actually 4 months pregnant in this shot.
Tahmoh had to bend way down to get in frame with me. What a guy!

Here are some great candid shots of Tahmoh answering questions about his love scenes with his hot co-star Grace Park. She's a Cylon on the show and it's causes some catastrophics events to occur.

Here Tahmoh responds to more questions about doing nude scenes and things of that nature. He was a good sport and is a real intellectual guy.