I was beginning to get worried about my Alpha Flight set, but I got the email just a bit ago it's shipping and due to deliver tomorrow. YES!

I wasn't so worried about it being now or early December, my main concern on these as always is...if they run out and my order has not been fulfilled, will I get it at all. Thankfully, not a problem here :)

Hoping everyone gets their emails soon!

Since walmart failed me I had to buy Valkyrie off of Amazon. I broke my toy buying rule and paid $36.56 for her. I feel a bit dirty paying that much but I know I will be happy having her.

Also got Binary Cap Marvel coming from Walmart which I got cheap

Arrived home today from work to find my Alpha Flight set waiting for me.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...04e8f7_k_d.jpg

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I've been in daddy mode since I came home so I really haven't had time to mess around with the set or take photos, but here's a couple of first impressions.

1. The paint apps are very clean for the most part on my set, with Vindicator being the worst of the bunch. The plastics on any of the pearlescent figures like Vindicator and the twins has kind of a stiff quality to them very similar to Blizzard from the Ant Man wave. I needed to heat up the arms on Aurora and Vindicator because they weren't bending and I began to fear I was gonna snap the arm right off the peg.
2. Vindicator is by far the worst figure of the set. There is a general fuzziness on the application of her costume design, and the pearlescent white parts seem to be partially stained by the red paint on the figure. In addition, the color of the plastic on the legs does not match the whites on the body, as it has a slightly stained, pinkish hue to it. Her ponytail rotates though...so it doesn't always have to have that wind swept look. (YES!)
3. Kinda bummed that for as good as Aurora and Northstar look, they don't have any hands that can be paired together for them to hold. They could give us those silly "heart" hands for Gwenpool, but they couldn't see past this oversight and fix it when they had the chance? SMDH. The headsculpts for them though are very good, and Aurora is probably my favorite figure of the set. I LOVE her subtle elf ears poking out.
4. Speaking of hands, the hands for Aurora and Vindicator are the same color plastic, and can be swapped, so if you want Vindicator to have two fisted hands, or Aurora to have two gesturing hands, or any combo in-between, it's an easy work.
5. The aftermarket values on Puck are about to take a serious dump. While technically a re-issue of the BAF, this one is really well done. The new headsculpt is good, although I wish they would have added some new articulation in the wrists at the very least.
6. Shaman is really well done, but a staff or magic effect accessory of some sort would have really helped here.
7. I really love how well Snowbird came out...but she suffers from not having any accessories as well. An owl or a wolf would have gone a long way. Otherwise she's terrific, and is my second favorite figure of the set behind Aurora. Just need to hunt for some 1/12 animals. Gonna have to take a trip to Hobby Lobby or Michaels this weekend.
8. All in all...a really good set, and one that scratches an itch that I've needed scratched for a while. This set blows away the last Amazon exclusive (Family Matters) in terms of quality. All it really needed to send it over the top was some accessories, as all we get are the six figures, with nothing else (unless you consider Snowbird's cape an accessory.) I tend to not keep the boxes for these sets, but I might do so with this one as I really like the artwork and colors....although I think Aurora looks a bit much like Kristen Ritter here. Jessica...is that you?

Damn scalpers.

I've decided to just cancel my Target pre-order for Stan Lee to stop the recurring temporary authorization charge. I doubt it'll be too difficult to get when it comes out.

I got my shipping notification from Amazon. The Alpha Flight set should be arriving on my doorstep by Saturday! I’m happy to hear that especially with yesterday’s confusion.

Opened mine this morning, I love the set...Everyone in the set looks clean...Love early Xmas present...Hasbro is getting better in my opinion with the figures...Where Hasbro is lacking is only in the BAF department, bigger BAFs please, and please Hasbro, make a Giant Giant man!

Yaay. Alpha Flight ordered. Should arrive in two weeks. Thank god for my US mates. Can't wait. Plus two xtra Danis next week from NY. That's it for me for the year.

BTW if anyone wants to check my collection I'm cataloging it in insta at eclecticactionfigures.

How nice to be done for the year!

Even after the AF set arrives, I'm still waiting on Heimdall, that blue Iron Man and the Love Triangle 3 pack from Dorkside, and possibly one more Moonstar to have a dedicated Wolfsbane in my collection. Unless the F4 and Spider-Man figures ship early of course.

Y'know, thinking about it, I'm surprised they didn't commission John Byrne to do the Alpha Flight packaging art. They're kinda one of his babies.

Damn, that would have ruled. I’ve got a wall full of Byrne-signed “Alpha Flight” stuff, I love his work on that series.

http://www.toyark.com/attachments/56...phaflight1.jpg

Nice.

My Alpha Flight set arrived today. The only notable paint mishap is that Aurora's left eye is just horizontally off-mark from the sculpt but it is only off by a little bit. I'll be waiting until Christmas to actually open it but on visual inspection I'm pleased.

Mine arrived today. My wife already checked it for paint flaws and found no deal-breakers (she tells me that Vindicator has some slight fuzz to her red paint, and Aurora has a very minor case of eye wonk). Can't wait to get home and check them out in-hand!

Now I really need the Wolvie/Hulk two-pack... gotta display 1st Appearance Logan with his old team!

My Alpha Flight set arrived as well - my only QC that I noticed was a red splotch on Heather's (whichever name you prefer she go by) left chest area. No fuzzy lines and everyone else looks good quality.

SO thrilled to have this set. Maybe not any one of them would make my top 10 figures this year, but as far as a singular item, it's the best thing Hasbro's put out this year, if only by combining the awesomeness that they went this far to complete the team.

Further thoughts: it may not be comically accurate but I didn't realize Northstar was so short! In hand, he seems like he would have benefited from being on a better buck, but I'm not sure what. the muscular scale ratio seems just very slightly bulky as well, but these are minor nitpicks I only bring up because he's the one I wanted most from the set due to his more entwined ties with the X-Men. I'm just thrilled to have a ML figure of him, honestly, so I'm not complaining that much.

I thinks also the best figure in this set is Snowbird. Really well done on a set that's really well done overall.

Honestly if they can release Alpha Flight this way, a GSXM boxset should be easy money.

FA Storm
Thunderbird
Banshee (with alternate neutral and yelling faces)
Cyclops (Re-release)
Wolverine (Re-release of FA Wolverine with slightly new deco and a new masked head)

Good idea. I'd probably replace Cyclops with GSXM Colossus but otherwise a good set. Though they'd have to go ahead and plan to re-release Storm single carded (or maybe do her single card first) since as much as this would sell really well, fans would also have a fit at only being able to get her as part of a set.

Or they could just go with a three-pack of Storm, T-Bird, and Banshee. It'd lessen the amount of grumbling (since all three are in need of a Legends release), and other releases of the remaining team members can fill in the gaps. Just go the "Family Matters" route for them. Include two heads for both Storm and Sean (I know Storm needs her whited-out eyes, but wouldn't it be great to get a head with her normal blue eyes as well?), some lightning effects for storm, and maybe two sets of hands for Johnny (fists and open-ish hands for grab poses).

I'm pretty sure that pack could sell with Storm as the 'popular' character anchoring it. I mean, if the 90s Havok/Polaris set is any indication, Hasbro's even willing to move away from that unspoken rule a bit.

This set really came out nicely. They even created a window for another team or two with Heather. I'd love to see Marrina, Talisman, Box Baf (Byrne, Magnolia), Nemesis, Diamond Lil (Rogue mold would be nice, but I could also see an Angela body with new arms), Wild Child (Beta Flight to match Lil), and Aurora with short hair and yellow & white duds. They could do a set, wave, or mix them in with Excalibur and other X-miniverse stuff. I'm pretty happy with this product and, as usual, I want more of this offshoot box-set goodness.

Glad to have these, finally.

Thanks to the Arker who mentioned Aurora's stiff arm. Just boiled her in some water along to loosen it up. Heather's right shoulder was stiff and her right hip.

Only problem is that Cyclops is notoriously hard to get, being a TRU exclusive at the tail end of Toys R Us' lifespan.

Oh, Canada!
(Wolvie is standing in until I pick up the 1st App. version)

So nice to see all your Alphan pics. Nice of Hasbro to give us 80's characters, not only 90's.
My wish list next year is going to be very different finally.

I demand a Captain Canada repaint!!!

If the AoA wave BAF is Sabretooth, I hope it has two noggins. I'd appreciate Exiles options.