under Art, carousel showcase, Design, Gallery Add to Flipboard Magazine. A new batch of Nathan Sawaya’s delightful LEGO sculptures recently popped up at New York City’s Openhouse Gallery and we stopped by to take a gander. Unlike some of Sawaya’s previous works, many of which have a bit of an outrageous quality to them, “IN PIECES” glorifies quieter, more mundane objects – a bucket, a cloud or a pair of flip flops – that we often take for granted. Sawaya’s LEGO creations take on an unexpected new flavor when paired with photographer Dean West’s haunting and slightly “off” photos featuring the sculptures. Take a look here.Age of Ultron is already breaking box office records across the world, and will finally make its way to US theaters tomorrow — and already one of the things that’s gotten people most excited is the movie’s take on the Vision. Want some cool swag for the Avenging Android? Unfortunately, there is not a lot out there for the MCU incarnation of the Vision — just as he was exempt from most of the marketing until recently, he’s largely been kept off the toy shelf too.
But that doesn’t mean there’s not some nifty looking things out already. Here’s a few of the best. Sure, in this set, Quinjet City Escape, there’s a Quinjet and trucks and excitement and all that. But let’s be real: this Lego set is all about the Vision minifigure! Look at him being all tiny and androidy and stuff! Frankly, everything else is merely icing on the synthezoid cake. Great icing, but it’s no Lego Vision. Pros: Adorable and tiny enough you could put him on your desk at work for a bit of colour, lots of other cool Age of Ultron lego figures included too (Widow! Cons: If you’re just looking for Vision, at a whopping $80 on Amazon this set is a little steep. You might be better off looking up the Vision figure on eBay to see if anyone’s selling it on its own, but expect to pay a decent price for him that way. Unlike The Avengers, the only small-scale figure line for Age of Ultron is Hasbro’s budget 4” range. Designed for younger children, the figures have five points of articulation (kind of like retro-style action figures) and limited paint apps, but there’s also a bunch of little playsets and a cavalcade of other Avengers you could put this Vision with.
Pros: Cheap (should be around $8 or less), ideal for kids to play with Cons: Although the 4” figures are hitting shelves, Vision hasn’t just yet, so you may be waiting for a bit before you can get your hands on him. And if you’d prefer a detailed, fully articulated figure, unfortunately this one isn’t for you. With only limited articulation you can’t pose him all that much, and the quality of the sculpt may not be as good as you’d want. From one action figure extreme to the other — if you want a high-end toy of the Vision, this is for you. Part of Hot Toys’ long line of Marvel Cinematic Universe 12” figures, Vision is one of the last figures to be revealed in the line. Although we’ve not seen anything beyond this first teaser image, if you’re familiar with Hot Toys’ eeriely accurate quality, you can expect a small poseable version of Paul Bettany to be staring back at you out of the toy packaging. Look how fabulously swooshy that cape looks already! Pros: Probably the best AoU-style Vision you’ll be able to get, in terms of likenessCons: Considering Hot Toys hasn’t revealed much in the way of information about the figure, you’ll be waiting a long time to get this figure — the end of the year if not early next year depending on when they officially unveil him (presumably after the movie is out).
Also, with great quality, comes a great price tag! Hot Toys sells its figures for around $200-$250, so while this toy may look amazing, it’ll burn an Android-shaped hole in your wallet.Is there any media property they haven’t got their grubby mitts on and turned into these cute little toys? Age of Ultron is certainly no exception, and the Vision stands among the heroes and villains to have been transformed into wee little bobble headed fellas. Not only that, he comes in two flavours: the normal Vision figure, and a Target Store exclusive “Phasing” Vision, representing the Android’s ability to manipulate his density and move through solid objects. Pros: Affordable (Funko Pops are usually around $10-12), cute look, small enough it’s ideal for desks and whatnot. If you’re in Europe it might be easier toget a phasing version, as it’s not exclusive to one store.Cons: The cutesy look isn’t for everyone, so if you’re not a fan, this probably won’t float your figurative boat.
Although he’s available now, expect a baby-Groot style surge on this little buddy after the movie is out. If you want one, snap him up before everyone else does.Not too keen on the movie Vision design? The classic comic book versions of the Vision have had some nifty looking toys over the years — and there are some new ones coming out to capitalise on his appearance in Age of Ultron. If you prefer your androids capable of crying and in red, green and yellow, look no further than here. Sadly, the Age of Ultron Vision has been left out of Hasbro’s 6” line, but his comic book counterpart is getting a wonderfully shiny figure this summer. Based on some of his more recent looks in the comics (but not his latest), the figure comes in a wave featuring the likes of Valkyrie, Thundra, Doctor Strange and more. If you’ve got the cash to blow and you get all six figures in the wave, you get a rather spectacular Age of Ultron Hulkbuster bonus figure to boot too! Pros: The first great 6” scale Vision figure in a very long timeCons: Vision won’t be out for a few more months, so you’ll have to wait to drop your $20-25.
Also seriously, a comic book version of Vision and it’s not the one with his iconic version of his cape? You wait ages for a good Vision to come along, and two come along at once! This White West Coast Avengers version of Vision comes in a Target exclusive three-pack with a Classic Comic book Ultron and a “Doc Green” Hulk Variant. Still, nice to see him. Pros: Neat version of Vision not turned into a figure before, comes with two pretty cool figures on top of what is a neat figure.Cons: Not the iconic version of the character you might want, and if you only want him, you’re still have to get him in this Target 3 pack. Finally, we’ve got this Vision that’s aimed pretty much just for kids. The chunky stylised toy is from Hasbro’s “Hero Mashers” line, a set of Marvel figures that can be broken down into parts and combined for kids to create their own superhero. Vision comes with Thor in a two-pack, but there’s a wide variety of heroes and Villains you could mix and match him with.