Monthly Archives: April 2024

#3597: Goblin Queen

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

GOBLIN QUEEN

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0076: Though she’s existed since 1983, Madelyn Pryor has had, to date, only two action figures, more than 20 years apart from each other.

I find Madelyn Pryor a generally tedious character.  The concept’s not awful, I guess.  I can certainly understand Claremont’s initial desire to give Scott Summers his planned “happily ever after” even with the adjustments to the end of “The Dark Phoenix Saga” resulting in Jean’s demise.  But, it does put Madelyn in an unfortunate spot of being nothing more than a placeholder, which isn’t ideal.  The whole dissolution of her marriage to Scott is sloppy at best, and “Inferno” is making the best of a bad situation.  So, X-Men ’97‘s take on the entire thing is, honestly, a refreshing reinvention of the set-up, which I actually quite enjoyed.  And it got her a second figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Goblin Queen is the third figure in Series 2 of Hasbro’s X-Men ’97-tie-in sub-line of Marvel Legends.  I suppose you could get technical and say she’s *actually* the second of two Madelyns in the set, depending on how you treat the second head with the Jean Grey figure.  But, you know, let’s not focus on that for now.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation.  Her articulation scheme is generally what we’ve come to expect for this line at this point, at least in terms of set-up.  In terms of range, Madelyn is rather restricted.  It comes with the territory, at least as far as the design is concerned.  She’s good for standing around, provided you can get her balanced, which is admittedly a little tricky, but not impossible.  Madelyn’s sculpt is largely new; the arms appear to be the standard double-jointed female arms, but everything else looks new.  It’s a solid piece of work, though on mine the upper part of her chest doesn’t slot quite right into the rest of it, so there’s an odd shelf and the edge of her skin…which is odd.  Beyond that, though, I do generally like the sculpt.  The head in particular manages to stay consistent with Jean’s sculpt, while still having its own flair of character.  Madelyn’s color work is decent enough, if not 100% accurate to the show.  I don’t know if there was a change to the design during production, but in the final product, the leggings on her thighs are much closer to regular skin tone than what we see here.  It throws the vibe of the look off a touch, but it’s ultimately not the end of the world, I guess.  The rest of the paint is pretty nice, and I do quite like the slight variations in the colors on her outfit.  Madelyn is packed with two sets of hands (fists and open gesture), a pair of energy effects, and, most importantly, baby Nathan Summers.  Nathan is using the body of the baby Hulk/baby Nightcrawler, but gets a new head, and even gets the special x-printing on the blanket, which is extra fun.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I may find Madelyn’s storyline’s questionable at times, but I don’t hate the character or anything, and I’m not opposed to a figure.  This was certainly high on my list when these figures were shown off.  I do like her, though I can’t say she quite shines for me the same way as Cyclops and Jean.  It could certainly be worse, though, and I especially like the baby Nathan.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3596: Batgirl

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

BATGIRL

DC: THE NEW 52 (DC COLLECTIBLES)

Fun FiQ Fact #0075:  Barbra Gordon, the second Batgirl, was introduced into the comics in 1967 as a prelude to the character’s introduction in the third season of the live action Batman.

Barbara Gordon’s victimization at the hands of the Joker in Alan Moore’s “The Killing Joke” is a pretty messy story for a lot of different reasons.  Ultimately, DC’s decision not to quickly reverse Barbara’s paralyzation, and in fact embrace it and make her a stronger character *because* of it worked in her favor, with her Oracle role becoming quite a defining turn for her.  That said, it was still definitely a bummer the way they ended her time as Batgirl.  So, honestly, one of the New 52’s biggest selling points for me was its reversal of Barbara paralysis, allowing her to return to the role.  And return she did!  She’s even maintained it through several reboots, which is cool, and now she’s a major supporting player in Nightwing, which continues to be a favorite book of mine.  But we’re not talking about that right now.  No, we’re jumping back to the New 52 days right now.  Oh yeah.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Batgirl was released in DC Collectibles’ DC: The New 52 line in September of 2014, with a second run in February of the following year.  She was released alongside Supergirl both times, and Nightwing the second time.  The figure stands about 6 3/4 inches tall and she has 19 points of articulation.  She’s down the two thigh swivels that Nightwing got, but swaps them for shin swivels at the top of the boots.  Beyond that, the articulation scheme remains more or less the same.  It’s not a fantastic range of motion or anything, but it’s alright for some more basic posing.  Again, it’s biggest hold-up is the lack of mid-torso joint.  Still, it’s not awful.  She has a totally unique sculpt, based on her New 52-era design.  Her re-work is one of the ones that was a lot more “just add ridges to the classic look” oriented.  Honestly, it’s one of the more passable looks.  I think the ridges on the yellow sections are a little much, but it generally still works okay.  The sculpt translates it well, and generally makes some of the parts I like less work a little better.  My figure has a slightly warped right ear, which was caused by how she was packaged, but beyond that, the sculpt holds up.  I quite like the head sculpt in particular; while the Nightwing sculpt didn’t quite feel like Dick Grayson to me, this one definitely feels like Barbra Gordon.  The color work on Batgirl is decently handled.  She’s technically using a slightly later color scheme for the design, since her earliest appearances had a purple lining to the cape.  That said, I like this scheme a little more.  I do wish the paint used an actual black for the bulk of the costume, rather than the very dark grey, but it’s at least a clean application.  Batgirl is packed with a grapple gun, which there is no way for her to hold without snapping the thumb off her hand.  Gotta love that DCC quality.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

After breaking on the Nightwing figure I reviewed last week, I felt a need for a corresponding Batgirl.  I was in luck, because this one came into All Time fairly shortly thereafter, allowing for me to stick to my usual Nightwing/Batgirl pairing.  She’s actually a little better than the Nightwing figure, I think.  Not the best Batgirl ever or anything, but certainly still very cool.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3595: ShadowHawk

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

SHADOWHAWK

SPAWN (MCFARLANE TOYS)

Fun FiQ Fact #0074: Today’s review increases my Spawn line reviews by 50%!

Hey, remember back in 2017, when I reviewed a ShadowHawk figure?  Well, this review is gonna be very similar because, um, the figures are also very similar?  Because, if there’s one thing McFarlane has always enjoyed, it’s very easy variants.  And early on, he made up a lot of very easy variants, exclusively for the purpose of having very easy variants.  Here’s one of those.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

ShadowHawk was released in Series 4 of McFarlane’s Spawn line.  I’ve already reviewed the standard black and silver edition, but this is the bronze variant.  He was bronze, instead of black, for, um, reasons?  It doesn’t correspond to a specific comics thing as far as I know, much like the weird gold DC variants more recently don’t correspond to anything specific either.  Like the other figure, he stands about 6 inches tall and he has 9 points of articulation.  Sculpturally, he’s identical to the standard version, which is a fun enough toy, even if it’s not *super* accurate to Jim Valentino’s design for the character.  It’s still got the whole “can’t remove the weapons” bit going on, which is odd to say the least, but it is what it is.  The change-up here is the paint work.  It’s about the same quality as the standard, but with bronze in place of the black, and a slightly duller version of the silver, which is molded, rather than painted like on the standard.  It’s nowhere near as striking as the main scheme; he kind of looks like a dirty penny.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I bought the standard ShadowHawk figure on a whim seven years ago, and I honestly really dug him.  I wasn’t going to go hunting for this one, but All Time got a huge ’90s Spawn collection, and there he was, and I caved (and, in fact, there were two of him, so Max and I both caved separately for the same figure).  He’s different.  Not better different.  But, different different.  Also, seven years later, I realize I haven’t yet read any ShadowHawk despite saying  should at the end of the *last* review.  I should get on that.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3594: Jean Grey

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

JEAN GREY

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0073:  This figure’s technically two figures in one!

Well, X-Men ’97 continues to deliver on the awesomeness front, so I’m going to keep jumping into that particular well.  I already looked at Cyclops earlier this week, and what better follow-up to him is there than Jean Grey!  Jean’s gotten her fair share of ’90s inspired figures, and here’s one more!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Jean Grey is part of the second X-Men ’97 tie-in assortment of Marvel Legends.  She’s the first ’90s Jean at regular retail since the Rocket Raccoon Series figure, which was quite a while ago.  The figure stands about 6 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation.  The last ’90s Jean re-used the 3-Pack Jean molds, just done up in animated colors.  This one, however, is an entirely new sculpt, based on her updated model for X-Men ’97.  It’s a really nice sculpt.  I wasn’t much of a fan of the prior one, but I made do with it because I felt I had to…but, like, now I don’t?  Because, again, this one is so nice.  All of the costume elements are actually sculpted this time around, which makes them a lot cleaner and pop-ier.  There are two different head sculpts, one with the hair up in a ponytail, and one with it down.  The ponytail head is undoubtedly my favorite, but I may be slightly biased on that front.  Both sculpts are really strong, and again so much nicer than the ones from the prior figure.  Jean’s color work isn’t bad.  It’s a lot of molded color work, of course, but there’s a little bit of paint as well.  The faces are nice and clean.  Her belt is a real mess on my copy, which is a bummer, but it’s also not the end of the world, since it’s just a belt.  Jean gets the two different head sculpts, as well as two sets of hands.  It still feels a little light, but she does at least get the extra head.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I’ve gotten two versions of ’90s Jean for my Legends X-Men already, and I didn’t dislike them, but I didn’t love them either.  I was bummed by the less animation-specific elements of the VHS figure, so getting another chance is really awesome.  Cyclops may be my favorite figure in this series, but I think Jean is the most needed one.  I really love this figure, and I think she’s a fantastic Jean Grey.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3593: Ultraman Orb Spacium Zeperion

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

ULTRAMAN ORB SPACIUM ZEPERION

S.H. FIGUARTS (BANDAI)

Fun FiQ Fact #0072: Ultraman Orb is the 14th form-changing Ultraman in the franchise.

I’m gonna level with you guys: I’ve gotten back to Ultraman reviews, and I can’t kick the habit all that easily.  So, there’s gonna be more Ultraman reviews.  Not a ton, because, well, I have slightly more limited means of getting new Ultramen right at this moment, but still, there’s more Ultramen, and that’s always a great thing.  Alright, let’s look at an Ultraman Orb variant!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultraman Orb Spacium Zeperion was a December 2017 release for Bandai’s S.H. Figuarts line.  The figure stands 6 inches tall and he has 40 points of articulation.  Thankfully, this time around, I didn’t have any instant breakage like I did with Ginga, so all of his articulation works the way it’s supposed to.  The articulation scheme isn’t bad, but it’s a little awkward around the hips.  I’m always amused by how often the hip joint construction changes for Figuarts.  Ultraman Orb makes use of a good number of different looks over the course of his series, each based on a fusion of two prior Ultras, with elements from Orb’s “Origin” look worked in.  Spacium Zeperion is a merging of Hayata and Tiga, and is one of Orb’s primary looks for the show, taking the place of his standard look while he works to regain his original powers.  The sculpt translates it well into figure form.  It’s very clean, and I dig how the complexities all work together.  Orb’s color work is fun; there’s a lot of color going on, and it leans more on black and purple, two more uncommon colors in the world of Ultra.  Orb is packed with 5 pairs of hands (in fists, open gesture, two styles of flat, and relaxed), two color timers, his Sparion Beam, and his Sparion Light Ring.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Following Ginga breaking on me, I was a little bummed, and felt like I was missing out on some of the Ultra-inspired joy in my life.  Thankfully, Ginga wasn’t the only Figuarts Ultra in the massive collection that is currently still being processed, and Orb in particular had really spoken to me.  He’s a lot of fun.  Definitely a different style of Ultra than Ginga, but I love having options.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3592: Cyclops

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

CYCLOPS

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0071: Since taking over the Marvel license, Hasbro has released Cyclops as a Marvel Legend 13 times.

I have spent the last few weeks in a X-Men bliss, thanks to X-Men ’97.  X-Men: The Animated Series was an unquestionable influence on me as a kid, and I was thrilled by the announcement of the continuation.  The end result (or the four episodes we’ve seen of it thus far) has been nothing short of phenomenal, and one of my very favorite things about the show has been its fantastic focus on the X-Men’s field leader, Cyclops, who has gotten to be sufficiently awesome.  Perfect time for some action figure love, right?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cyclops headlines the second X-Men ’97 tie-in assortment of Marvel Legends, which hit retail just shortly before the launch of the show.  Like the first series, these ones are on the retro-style card.  It’s the same retro-style card, in fact, with the line-up of characters on the top of the card even just being the first series line-up again, which is a little humorous.  But now’s not the time for humor; now’s the time for ’90s Cyclops!  The figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation.  Cyclops’s sculpt is almost entirely a re-use from the VHS Cyclops, which is at its core built on the Vulcan base body.  It’s a very strong offering, so its re-use makes a lot of sense here. This Cyclops gets not one, but two new heads. There’s a standard head, and one built to interact with the included optic blast effect. They’re both based more directly on Scott’s updated show design. I’m admittedly not as big a fan of the standard head here as I was either of the last two Jim Lee-inspired sculpts; something about the exact shaping seems a touch off. I think it’s more a direct

comparison thing though, because it’s certainly not a *bad* sculpt. The alternate head, however, is just amazing and I love everything about it. That grimace with the teeth is just perfect. Cyclops’s color work is basic, and mostly molded tones. He’s using the same basic color palette as the VHS release, just without the cel-shading. Cyclops gets the two heads, an optic blast effect, and five hands (in fists, open gesture, and the usual two fingers extended left hand).

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Have I mentioned I like Cyclops? How about my love of X-Men ’97? Both. Cool. I got this one the day after the show premiered, which was really just peak timing. Yeah, I’ve already got the VHS one. And the love triangle one. And the Warlock Series one. And the X-Men: Classics one. But, my need for Jim Lee Cyclopses is unyielding. And this one’s really, really fun. Boy, do I love this figure.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3591: Nightwing

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

NIGHTWING

DC: THE NEW 52 (DC COLLECTIBLES)

Fun FiQ Fact #0070: Though he had an early lead on the Fun FiQ Facts, Nightwing’s been stuck on two since January.  Now he’s up to three!

When the New 52 launched, everybody got a new costume design.  For his part, Nightwing, who has classically been very blue-skewed for coloring, was swapped to red accenting, calling more to mind his days as Robin, especially his Batman & Robin design from 1997.  His initial costume was one of the more short-lived ones, but his initial redesign still stuck to the red…for better or for worse.  I’m not big on the red for Nightwing myself, and I never really have been, but that doesn’t stop me from being on board for a good enough Nightwing figure.  So, here we are.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Nightwing was released as part of DC Collectibles’ The New 52 line.  He was initially slated to arrive in September of 2014, alongside Supergirl and Batgirl, but he was delayed until February of 2015 (and Supergirl and Batgirl got second runs to accompany him).  The figure stands about 6 3/4 inches tall and he has 19 points of articulation.  The articulation showcases DCC’s odd back and forth approach to movement on these figures.  When The New 52 line launched, they were using a very basic set-up for articulation, but they attempted to improve it pretty quickly.  That said, there’s an odd path of advancement for different lines.  So, while the Greg Capullo artist version of Nightwing was released first, he has a much better articulation scheme when compared to this one.  Ultimately, the biggest downfall is how restricted the torso is, since there’s no waist or mid-torso movement.  But, for a DC Direct/Collectibles figure, he’s not terrible overall.  The figure got a brand new sculpt.  He’s based on the character’s second New 52 era design, which wasn’t *drastically* different from the first.  That said, it feels more New 52-y than the first, since got more of the tech lines and ridges that were signature to the whole redesign.  Honestly, I don’t hate it for the most part.  I don’t like the red “belt” because I just think it breaks things up too much, but the extra smaller lines and ridges aren’t as offensive on a figure that’s predominantly darker colors.  The sculpts for the New 52 line weren’t designed to be as artist-specific as other lines, so Nightwing’s a bit more “house style” here.  He’s pretty skinny for Nightwing, though I don’t actually mind the build.  I like the head sculpt overall, but it does honestly give me more of a Tim Drake vibe than a Dick Grayson one.  I’m not entirely sure why.  The color work on this figure is accurate to the source, so I can’t knock it in that regard.  I still don’t really vibe on the red, but I’ve made my piece with it.  The application’s a little sloppier on my figure, especially on the belt piece.  Nightwing is packed with his eskrima sticks, which are very tiny for this release, and go more for the nightstick design.  They can also be stored in the holsters on his thighs.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I remember this figure’s release, but at the time I had just gotten the Capullo version, and I was still very much not a New 52 guy.  One red Nightwing was enough for me.  But was it really?  It turns out not so much.  This figure actually rattled around the back room at All Time for a good while before I finally snagged him, which I did mostly on the basis that he was cheap and he was a Nightwing I didn’t have.  He’s okay.  Nothing amazing, but certainly far from terrible.  He’d be better if he was blue, though.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3590: Abe Sapien

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

ABE SAPIEN

HELLBOY (MEZCO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0069:  In the 2004 Hellboy movie, Abe Sapien is voiced by an uncredited David Hyde-Pierce, who after seeing Doug Jones’ on-set performance of the character refused to be credited.

20 years ago this week, Hellboy hit theaters.  It was a big deal for the franchise, and it was a big deal for me, because it was my first introduction to the characters.  I found myself instantly enamored, and I was particularly a fan of Hellboy’s fellow “freak” from the BPRD, Abe Sapien.  Abe’s remained my favorite part of the franchise since, and I do love to collect him in toy form when I can.  Let’s check out one of those today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Abe Sapien was released in the first series of Mezco’s Hellboy movie tie-in line.  This one is the standard release, but there was also a shirted PX-exclusive, which I reviewed back in 2018.  The figure stands 7 3/4 inches tall and he has 25 points of articulation.  As I’ve discussed before, the articulation on these figures is an interesting mix.  This is a line that ran concurrent with Toy Biz’s Marvel Legends, which was setting some pretty major standards for articulation.  Compared to that, this has some restrictive spots.  But, it’s certainly serviceable.  Abe’s sculpt is the same one used by the exclusive.  It’s a pretty solid one, and it does a nice job of capturing Abe’s movie design.  It’s a little stylized, as is Mezco’s way, but I feel like it works well for Abe’s design.  Abe’s paint work is decent enough.  The patterning on his skin is pretty impressive, and I do like the shiny finish.  It’s a bit less murky in its coloring than the PX version, which I think helps.  Abe includes an extra head with goggles, plus the collar and rebreather device, his belt, and a small Samael (not pictured).  The alternate head doesn’t really work, since he’s always wearing the shirt with the rebreather set-up, but the thought is there, and it did at least give them the tooling in advance for the repaint.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I really wanted this figure when the movie came out, but the tie-in figures were tricky to find at best.  I saw this guy maybe one time, and didn’t get him, and that was that.  I did eventually get the exclusive, which was a perfectly fine stand-in, but I still wanted this one.  Thankfully, I had one land in front of me a month or so back.  Sure, he’s not drastically different than the repaint, but I do really love this figure, no matter how he’s painted.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3589: Stalker

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

STALKER

G.I. JOE: ULTIMATES (SUPER 7)

Fun FiQ Fact #0068:  Lonzo “Stalker” Wilkinson was part of the “Original 13” debut line-up for A Real American Hero in 1982, and was also the line’s first African American team member.

My general lack of interest in Duke as the face of G.I. Joe is, in part, due to the fact that I find his predecessors in his various roles more interesting.  Obviously, I’m a big Hawk fanboy, and I dig him as the top-tier leader of the Joes, but I also dig Stalker, who originally occupied Duke’s role as the team’s field leader, and had a much larger role in the original comics.  In the Sunbow cartoon, he was a more minor player, appearing in only 23 out of 95 episodes (and only having a speaking part in 10 of them).  Still, he was there, and he was still somewhat important, so, you know, justification for a toy, right?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Stalker was released in Series 4 of Super 7’s G.I. Joe: Ultimates.  There was supposed to be a distance of time between the release of Series 3 and 4, but they wound up shipping within about a week of each other, so more Joes for me, I guess.  Stalker’s the first of this set’s two Joes, the other being Gung-Ho.  Like Doc from earlier this week, Stalker’s a slightly deeper dive character, at least as far as the cartoon is concerned.  The figure stands about 7 inches tall and he has 31 points of articulation.  After the issues I faced with Doc, I’m happy to report that the articulation on Stalker works as intended, and I had no issues with things getting stuck or warping.  I’m glad it seems to have been a one-off thing.  Stalker’s movement is pretty decent, but back to Series 1 standards, it seems, rather than the slightly improved motion from Series 2.  Stalker is sporting an all-new sculpt, which I was admittedly a little surprised by.  He and Snake Eyes (and most of the rest of the original 13, to be fair) have a history of sharing parts, and their designs in the cartoon would have still allowed for it to a degree.  I kind of expected re-use to be the main reason for Stalker’s inclusion, honestly, but that’s not the case.  He’s got a slightly stockier build than Snake Eyes, which I suppose is more true to more individualized takes on the character.  It’s a strong sculpt, and one I definitely dig.  There are three heads to choose from, one stoic, one smiling, and one shouting.  All three have the beret as a separate but permanently affixed piece, in contrast to how it was handled for Flint.  I don’t believe we see Stalker in the cartoon with his hat off, so it makes sense that they’d all be attached.  I’m partial to the friendly smile, because I generally think of Stalker as being that sort of character, but I like all three of them.  Stalker’s color work is done to match his animated appearances, which slightly brightened up the colors of his original figure.  It’s pretty basic, but a good set-up.  His face paint is very clean, and the skin tone is very consistent on all three heads and his assorted hands.  The figure is packed with three pairs of hands (in fists, trigger finger, and gripping), an animated style pistol, a re-use of the animated style rifle (which is back to being totally painted, after being molded color for Doc), the assault rifle we saw with Scarlett, his toy-style sub-machine gun (re-used from Duke, but in the proper dark grey), a jump pack (re-used from Snake Eyes, but with tan straps instead of green), a radio, binoculars, a canteen, and a bundle of dynamite.  That’s quite a bit, especially on the weapons front.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I like Stalker a fair bit, what with the whole “alternative to Duke” angle and everything.  It was kind of a big deal for me when I opted to skip the Classified Stalker, on the basis that he just really wasn’t speaking to me.  Just a few weeks later, this figure was announced and made me feel a lot better about my decision.  I wasn’t expecting to get him as quickly as we did, and with a bunch of other things piling up, I almost skipped this one too, but I didn’t, and I’m glad for that.  I actually like this one a whole lot more than I’d expected to.  He may not dethrone Snake Eyes as my top of the line, but he’s a close contender, and certainly got an underdog vibe about him.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3588: Ultraman Ginga

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

ULTRAMAN GINGA

S.H. FIGUARTS (BANDAI)

Fun FiQ Fact #0067: This marks my fifth Figuarts Ultra review since they ended Ultra-Act and switched over to SH Figuarts full-time, and only my second live-action Ultra in the style.

I got into smaller-scale imported figures, specifically Bandai’s Figuarts-style range, with Ultra-Act, the specifically Ultraman-themed line.  With the end of Ultra-Act, I stepped back on Ultras specifically, but I dipped my toes back into the waters with the Anime-based figures, before jumping in headfirst late last year with Ultraman Z.  And, since Ultraman’s like a hard narcotic to me, and I’m the recovering addict in this analogy, I find myself greatly in need of more live-action Ultramen.  Like, say, for instance, Ginga!  Yay Ginga!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultraman Ginga was added to Bandai’s SH Figuarts line in October of 2019.  The figure stands just under 6 inches tall and he has 37 points of articulation.  Well, he’d have that articulation if mine weren’t defective.  Yeah, unfortunately, about 30 seconds after taking Ginga out of the box, his neck joint cracked, and the only option for repair was gluing it.  Real bummer there.  The articulation scheme is a little on the fiddlier side (which I think may have contributed to the breakage on mine), but it works well enough, and I especially like the range he gets on the shoulders, even with the extra armor.  Ginga is based on his standard starter design, which is a pretty fun one.  It goes for the traditional red and silver Ultra look, and then adds a bunch of transparent blue accents, which are totally fun.  His sculpt is a pretty good rendition of Ginga’s design.  It’s a little cleaned up, notably missing some of the folds from Ginga’s actual suit.  Ginga’s color work is pretty cleanly handled.  I especially like the translucent blue, and it adds some really fun pop to the figure.  He’s packed with four pairs of hands (in fists, gripping, flat, and open gesture), an additional hand with a Ginga Cross Shoot effect attached, the Ginga Spark Lance, and both versions of the color timer.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Ginga was one of the last Ultra-Act figures, and I came very, very close to buying one, but I knew the line was ending, and I just fell out of it all.  Since then, I’ve always wondered about the world where I got a Ginga…okay not really.  But I did still kinda want one.  The Figuart was in the big epic collection currently being processed at All Time Toys, and I was looking to snag him, when the owner Jason just handed him over, because he knows I like Ultraman.  I was bummed that he broke so quickly after I opened him, but, on the flip side, at least it happened on one I didn’t have anything into.  And, ultimately, he wasn’t beyond repair.  His neck’s gonna be a little stiffer than it’s supposed to be from now on, but it’s not the end of the world, and I do still really like the figure.