Topic: Job Posting Action Figure Reviews

[Tamer]

If there is one section I have been remiss with here at the Yards, its action figure reviews. I can't remember the last time I have reviewed one, let alone updated the buttons on the front page.

So I thought why not see if anyone here wanted the job? Let me list the requirements:

1. Review any new action figure paying attention to the things customizers want to know (articulation, paint apps, accessories, etc.)
2. Include a good mix of images and text
3. You would be in charge of keeping this section of our forums updated and current:

http://www.imperialshipyards.net/SMF/index.php?board=75.0

And I am think of changing this from Hasbro to just Action Figures (we love all the AF Lines)

4. You would also be responsible for creating "buttons" like this that I can use on the front pages:



That I could then use to update the front page.

It wouldn't matter which Action Figure Line and or vehicles (haha for the SW Line) you wanted to review, but of course we would love a Star Wars review now and then.

There is also no comittment or time frame for this, just whenever you wanted to review one and post on it.

5. You need to be a member in good standing. I am not against even entertaining a fairly new member, but you have to have a minimum of 50 posts than include integration of pictures and decent text skills (spelling, capitalization, grammar, etc.).

Now I ain't no grammar king (lol), but we have to be sure that we adhere to a certain amount of proper format.

If that sounds like something you would want to take on here let me know.

And of course we still want all the Yarders here to feel like doing a review for anything whenever they would want too, this just would be someone to keep it active and ongoing from time to time.

I know I sure ain't doing the job very well!

[JDeck]

I alway thought it would be cool to do figure reviews from a customizer's perspective. Take the figure apart, see what the peices look like, what parts fit with other figures, or what parts hasbro recycled, what figures can be potentially created by kitbashing what's available, that sort of thing. With TVC all the figures are pretty standard in articulation and so forth.
Seeing how this is a custom site, that would be great. It would be different. With preordering, you can't wait for a review to come out before you buy it, or you miss out. That's just my two cents. 

[The Spectre]

I do this periodically anyway when discussing new toylines and stuff I find. I just rarely put it in a dedicated space on the boards (it will usually just be in whatever line's thread I am posting in).

I can start putting them in a specific section, but I don't know how to make the buttons you mentioned (I'm old LOL).

[Darth More]

I got many reviews in the pipeline and if you want me to post less pictures and more text than before, that shouldn't be a problem!

[Tamer]

Folks please don't change how you do reviews. Philipp I like how you do reviews don't change em.

I just need someone dedicated to organizing that review section (mainly action figure themed stuff) and making sure we at least do a new review each month I would think. I like JDeck's view that it would be cool to tear apart the figure, but I ain't asking anyone to do that with the cost of figures nowadays.

And yes, I would need someone that can then make the front page "button" so all I would have to do is then add it to the website. I have a "blank" button HB94 made me so it would basically involve just making a square with part of a review image and then I tried to add in some isyer nomenclature to kind of give them credit for the review.

And I always want regular members to do the reviews too. This would mainly just be someone who makes sure it stays active and I put it on the front page every so often.

That Black Series six inch is the last action figure button I made and we know how long that AF has been around.

Dan, if you want to post your action figure reviews in the section I highlighted above that would be great. You are always doin good reviews too.

JDeck I would love to see you do new AF reviews in that section too.

I just got up early yesterday and was looking at the front page and noticed how long it had been since that was updated.

[Darth More]

Well, I know how to take picutures in sufficient quality I'd say, but I probably have not enough experience in customizing. So if we focus on "reviews from a customizer's eye" I'm by far not the best one on here.
I've been thinking of making video reviews since 2008, but time was never enough to start.
Maybe some day I'll be able to. In any case I'm glad you decided to give our review section an update! I got 7 reviews in the works of figures by Kotobukiya alone!

Oh, and I wonder if it's worth to go all-in with our review section when there already are detailed archives such as rebelscum, jedibusiness/galacticfigures, Jeditemplearchives or actionfigures411?

[Tamer]

Philipp you are not wrong about a lot of other dedicated action figure reviews from other places, but the ones we have on here are unique and like JDeck has asserted, many of them are done in respect to customizing in particular and I would like to give those reviewers some exposure and attention on the front pages.

I just know I am not the one to do it on a permanent basis.

[Tamer]

Ok. I did a little testing this morning and found an online photo editor that will do the buttons.

It is called pixlr:

https://pixlr.com/x/#editor

and I used this base image:



And then using screen snip I got the graphic to use for the main image and then copied and pasted Darth Anton's forum avatar to give him credit and then added in its 3.75" to ultimately get this.

For me it takes a ton of time cause I ain't what I would call a graphics person, but ultimately ended up with this button. This is part of what the job would entail doing.



Then, I can do the coding and add it to the website.

Once again, I wouldn't expect this to be done daily or even weekly for that matter, but just keep it current.

I will try to find some time to get the ones we have on the front page swapped out for some of our newer reviews in there.

[JDeck]

I would love to do reviews. At this time I'm not equipped, I'm still using a smartphone for everything. I can get by, but it's not optimal. I'm thinking of changing gears from dioramas to figure photography. The I'll still build, but they'll be modular and temporary as opposed to permanent fixtures. At any rate I need to get equipment. I need a new computer but im waiting for after the holidays as everything is either sold out or overpriced due to the chip shortage. But reviews are not a far cry from what I'm planning.  I pretty much buy full cases of TVC, and if I get more into toy photography, I'll probably buy some 6" or Neca but id be incredibly picky.

There are many on here that are more qualified and equipped. Faila and darth moore are both very thorough and take excellent pictures. I like Darth Anton's stop motion reviews, they're informative as well as entertaining. Im sure it's incredibly time consuming.

[Tamer]

Yeah, I mean I remade that button five times yesterday before I was satisfied with it.

I can code like a demon, but I am definitely not a graphics wizard.

I will try to find some time this week to make a few buttons for the newer reviews to replace the seriously old ones I have on the front page.

And I am not thinking a new review every day, but with the new waves coming out I could easily see us doing one or two good reviews a month.