Monthly Archives: August 2024

#3678: Luke Skywalker – Snowspeeder Prototype Edition

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

LUKE SKYWALKER — SNOWSPEEDER PROTOTYPE EDITION

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

“This Luke Skywalker is inspired by the colorful prototypes that enable the development team to look past the deco and focus on the sculpt, analyze mold alignment, and adjust for quality.”

During the action figure production process, there are a number of prototyping stages.  Once the sculpt is completed and has been tooled into a steel mold for the purposes of mass-production, the molds have to be tested to make sure they work properly.  Since you don’t want to use the plastic you’ve paid to use on final production for something that may or may not work and which will effectively be junked once the mold has been confirmed as properly working, factories will run these tests with whatever plastic they have left over from other jobs, often resulting in colorful results.  Over the years, some of the test run prototypes have surfaced, and they’re a fun little quirk of the process.  And, because it’s been determined that there’s money to be made in that particular quirk, Hasbro has jumped on mass-producing them.  Thus far, we’ve gotten six of them as part of the Star Wars: Retro Collection, and I’ve finally gotten one!  Huzzah!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder) Prototype Edition is a Target-exclusive offering for the Retro Collection, as all of the Prototype Editions have been thus far.  He arrived in January of 2023, and is the fifth of the six Prototype Edition releases.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Obviously, all of the Prototype Edition figures are re-using a mold that Hasbro’s already got in production for the main Retro Collection line, but in Luke’s case, he’s notable for being a new, actual in-house Hasbro mold, rather than a recreation of an old Kenner one.  As there were no proper Snowspeeder pilots in the vintage line, Hasbro did a sizeable rework on the X-Wing Pilot Luke from Kenner’s vintage line, bulking him a bit to add the extra padding, as well as making sure he’s got the gloves, and the modified boots.  He also brings the helmet’s visor down over his eyes, as it was more frequently seen in the movie.  For color work, these figures have no paint, instead relying on a variety of different colors for each of the body parts.  There are actually six different variations of color layouts available, with the blue, red, green, yellow, purple, and orange each being applied to a different body part depending on the variant.  This one has blue for the head, red on the torso, orange on the right arm, green on the left arm, yellow on the right leg, and purple on the left leg.  He’s packed with his lightsaber (which is molded in the same color as the head, so it’s blue here) and his grapple.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve been low-key wanting one of these since Hasbro started doing them, but not enough to really go hunting for any of them.  Likewise, I kind of wanted this mold, but also not enough to track down its original release with the board game.  This guy landed in front of me, and that made the whole thing a lot easier.  He’s very definitely a novelty, and I don’t see myself going in for any more of them (well, maybe an IG-88 if they did him), but I do like having at least one of them.

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.

#3677: Kilowog

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

KILOWOG

SUPER POWERS (MCFARLANE)

“A brilliant geneticist on his home world Bolovax Vik, Kilowog served as Green Lantern of Sector 674. Following the destruction of his planet during the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, Kilowog trained new Green Lantern recruits, teaching essential tools to survive the most dangerous job in the universe.”

Kenner’s sole Green Lantern entry for their Super Powers line was Hal Jordan, who was still the main GL at the time. There were plans at early stages to include a greater GL focus in the line, and the list of unproduced figures they’d planned even included a John Stewart. It’s hard to say if they’d have ever gotten to a character like Killowog, who wasn’t even introduced in the comics until the line’s final year in 1986. Nevertheless, he’s become one of the quintessential Green Lanterns over the years, and there’s no denying he’s got a cool visual, so he found his way into McFarlane’s continuation of Kenner’s line.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Kilowog was released in Series 7 of McFarlane’s Super Powers line under the DC Direct banner.  He’s the second of the new character additions, the other being Blue Beetle.  He’s also the line’s third GL, and he pairs off with the Sinestro Corps Sinestro figure from the same assortment.  The figure stands 5 1/2 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation.  His sizing is a lot larger than the rest of the line, putting him pretty much on the same mark as the vintage Darkseid figure.  It’s appropriate for the character, of course, and it’s nice to see, in contrast to how McFarlane scaling can sometimes go, that the line’s general trend smaller doesn’t affect a character who *should* be larger.  His sculpt is an all-new one, and it’s likely to remain fairly unique.  I think it’s honestly one of the line’s strongest (though I feel like I keep saying that for each new figure I get).  It’s a great match for his classic appearance, and fits in really well with the pre-existing Kenner aesthetic, especially the vintage Hal.  I appreciate the larger build, while still having a balanced set of proportions, and I really like the extra heft he’s got.  Kilowog’s paint work is okay.  It’s not his strongest mark.  The edges are a little sloppy in some spots, especially on his ring.  I’m also a bit bummed that the green’s off from the vintage GL, but I understand something like that can be kind of tricky.  It’s at least not a bad shade.  Kilowog is without any accessories, but given his larger size, that’s an understandable cut-back.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Before I was even sure I was going to actually jump in on this line, Kilowog was one I was waffling on, because I sure do like a good Kilowog figure, and even before they addressed the scaling issues, I figured he’d fit in okay with the older stuff.  I figured I’d snag him if I saw him in person, but then I didn’t, and I got impatient, so I wound up ordering him from GameStop.  Yes, I ordered a McFarlane DC product from GameStop.  I don’t really know what the world’s coming to, honestly.  Kilowog’s pretty darn great, and another figure that really feels like an authentic continuation of the vintage line.

#3676: Dhalsim

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

DHALSIM

ULTRA STREET FIGHTER II (JADA)

I’ve talked about Street Fighter here on the site only a few times, and the bulk of it’s been Minimate-related, which I suppose isn’t really disqualifying in any real sense, but sort of feels like it to me?  I’m weird like that.  The thing about Street Fighter that’s important is that I rather like it, but, like, in this very sort of involved yet also only tangentally interested sort of way.  It’s my go-to fighting game, and I love its colorful cast, and I love the cool toys its gotten, and I’m always intrigued by it, but I nevertheless always feel like sort of an outsider, and I couldn’t really tell you why.  I’m working on it.  Jada Toys, who have been making some pretty amazing strides in action figures the last few years, and Street Fighter is one of the licenses they’ve dived into.  I’ve been waiting for the right figure to jump in with, and it turns out that’s Dhalsim!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Dhalsim is part of the second round of Jada’s Ultra Street Fighter II line, which also includes Bison and Ken.  Dhalsim and Bison are hitting at the same time, while Ken preceded them by a bit, in sort of a reverse of Ryu and Fei Long from the first series shipping together, with Chun-Li trailing behind them.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 36 points of articulation.  Jada’s articulation scheme on the Universal Monsters and Mega Man lines has been pretty impressive, and the Street Fighter figures only improve on that.  Dhalsim’s articulation is very strong, once more being pretty much on par with Hasbro’s work with their 6 inch lines, right down to the use of pinless joints on the elbows and knees.  In particular, the addition of the butterfly joints at the shoulders is very useful for proper fighting poses.  The sculpt on Dhalsim is all-new, patterned on his more idealized model from more recent updates to the game.  It works well with the articulation scheme, working everything in pretty cleanly, while also keeping the overall look a good match for his design.  There are two different heads, one calm, and the other shouting, giving some additional variety to his posing.  I love the use of actual metal hoops for the earrings on both heads, and the general likeness is very good.  His necklace and bangles are free-floating pieces, which I’m typically pretty iffy on, but in Dhalsim’s case, the free movement of those pieces is kind of a feature, so it works pretty well.  Dhalsim’s paint work is rather basic for the most part.  It generally works pretty well, but there’s some notable slop on the wraps on the wrists.  Dhalsim is packed with two sets of hands (in open gesture and flat poses), alternate bendy arms and legs for his stretchy attacks, and a stand to aid in keeping him balanced when using the alternate limbs.  The hands swap easily enough, but you do have to be careful to not lose the bangles.  Likewise, the limbs also swap easily, though the arms take a little more doing the first time they’re used.  In a perfect world, I’d have liked to be able to use the fists from the stretched arms on the standard limbs, but that’s very minor, and what we got works well within the confines of Dhalsim’s attacks within the game.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

My introductions to Street Fighter as a whole are kind of all over the place, but Dhalsim figures into a couple of them.  I actually got a small little MUSCLE-style Dhalsim as an arcade prize years before I had any ideas of the game at all.  My first experience actually playing any version of the games was a ported copy saved on one of the computers at my middle school, where the only character I had any luck playing against the CPU was Dhalsim.  I wasn’t certain I’d get this one when he was first shown off, but once I saw him in hand, there was no way I was passing on him.  He’s a fantastic introduction to the line, and a fantastic figure in his own right.  I’m very excited for the rest of the line.  I’m not going full completism or anything, but I definitely want more of these figures.

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.

#3675: Sinestro

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

SINESTRO

SUPER POWERS (MCFARLANE)

Though it served as the most visible media presence of DC’s heroes for a long stretch of time, Hanna Barbera’s Super Friends didn’t have any direct toy tie-ins. Both Mego’s World’s Greatest Superheroes and Kenner’s Super Powers were clearly drawing from the show’s influence, of course, but there were a great many characters, even notable ones from the comics, who didn’t get coverage. Green Lantern and his evil counterpart on the Legion of Doom, Sinestro, were both left out of Mego’s run, and while GL found his way into Super Powers, Sinestro remained unlucky, not getting his first figure until the DC Direct days. It’s fitting, then, that he would be added to Super Powers by (what remains of) DC Direct!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Sinestro was released in Series 6 of McFarlane’s Super Powers continuation, which they released under the DC Direct banner. He’s the first of two Sinestros released in close succession, this one based on the character’s classic blue and black, while the other is his more modern Corps uniform. He pairs off in Series 6 with an updated Hal Jordan. The figure stands about 4 3/4 inches tall and has 7 points of articulation. Sinestro has typically been depicted as tall and lithe, something this figure’s stature captures. He’s taller than the average Kenner Super Powers figure, but in the way he should be, rather than in an “out of scale” sense like some of the line’s earlier offerings. The sculpt is all-new, and pretty decent. It definitely feels like it captures the Kenner style pretty well. You can certainly see where elements of it were designed with re-use for the Corps model in mind, meaning he does ultimately wind up with some costume details that are a little outside of the intended era. The collar in particular is just a little too modernized in its shaping. His head is likewise a tad more modernized, calling to mind his DCAU appearances, and lacking the larger forehead typical of classic Sinestro. None of it’s bad, mind you, and Kenner wasn’t always 100% faithful in their own figures, so he doesn’t look entirely out of place. Sinestro’s color work is pretty solid, hitting the usual colors, and feeling pretty on the mark for what a Super Powers paint job should look like. Sinestro is packed with his power battery, which, like the figure is maybe just a touch too modern. In reality, Kenner would have probably just reused Hal’s, so getting something different at all isn’t so bad.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After being won over so thoroughly by the Blue Beetle, I’ve gotten more invested in this line as a whole, so I’m looking more at some of the other figures that would fit well with my vintage set. I happened to find this guy at the Walmart close to my work. He’s not quite as on the mark as a few of the others I’ve looked at, but he’s still a marked improvement on the earlier releases, and a solid counterpart to my vintage Hal.

#3674: Stealth Venom

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

STEALTH VENOM

SPIDER-MAN (TOY BIZ)

“In the past, Venom has been both hero and villain, and Spider-Man knows how powerful he can be! With his chameleon-like abilities, Venom can even blend into his surroundings and virtually ‘disappear’ from sight. So, although Venom is unpredictable, one thing is certain; when he does appear, things heat up!”

Ah, yes, Venom’s chameleon like abilities. Of all the Spider-Man villains out there, surely it’s Venom whose abilities could be best classified as “chameleon-like.” …look, guys, I can’t just stand by and let this Chameleon erasure happen! He’s the original Spider-Man villain. Can’t we get him some respect? No? Well, I tried. I guess I’ll just review this “chameleon-like” Venom.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Stealth Venom was released in Series 7 of Toy Biz’s Spider-Man line.  The whole set was dialed into Toy Biz’s tendency to give their lines the occasional repaint-heavy line-up, so there were minimal new parts across the board, all dialed into more recognizable characters.  This was Venom’s third time in the line, and the first of the kind of made-up variants.  It was far from the last of either thing, of course.  The figure stands a little over 5 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation.  Venom lacks elbow joints for reasons I’m not entirely sure of, but there it is.  Otherwise, it’s pretty standard stuff.  His sculpt from the neck down was the same as the unmasked Venom from earlier in the line.  It’s honestly not a bad sculpt, and in particular it captured the animated approach to Venom pretty well.  He got a new head, which removed the removable mask feature…un-removed?  I don’t know.  There’s no unmasked head is my point.  It’s really bulky at the neck, and I’m not entirely sure why.  Also, he’s got this sort of permanently looking up thing going on, which seems odd for someone of his stature.  Venom’s stealth-ness came from the color work, which was translucent.  There were actually two different versions; the one seen here was the one that more closely mimicked Venom’s usual set-up, while the second one inverted the colors.  This one’s not nearly as different at a glance, especially in the photos, but I guess it works out alright.  Venom was packed with two clip-on hand attachments, as well as a web-line that was wrapped around his waist.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was surprisingly short on Venom figures growing up.  I had one of the 10-inchers, and I jumped on the original Spider-Man Classics one pretty quickly, but the 5-inch ones all eluded me until later in life.  This guy was mixed in with a handful of Toy Biz figures that got traded into All Time a month or two ago, and he was surprisingly complete, so hooray for me!  He’s kinda goofy, obviously, but it’s not like I’m collecting the Toy Biz stuff for its serious adherence to the comics lore, am I?  Now, I guess I just have to track down that variant.

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.

#3673: Mynock Hunt

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CHEWBACCA, PRINCESS LEIA ORGANA, & HAN SOLO

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

“Fleeing the fierce Imperial assault on the frozen planet Hoth, the Millennium Falcon and the Rebel crew fly into the midst of a waiting Imperial war fleet. Unable to engage the Falcon’s malfunctioning hyperdrive system, Han Solo steers recklessly into an asteroid field. Solo maneuvers the Corellian freighter through the deadly storm, missing large rocks by mere inches before locating sanctuary in the cave of a huge asteroid. Inside the cave it become apparent that the Falcon is in danger of being ravaged by mynocks. Large, winged parasites with an appetite for the mineral and energy-rich bulls of starships, mynocks can cause critical damage to star-freighting vessels. Forced to hunt the creatures before irreparable harm is caused to the Millennium Falcon, Chewbacca, Princess leia, and Han Solo don breathing gear and venture outside. But the mynocks become a secondary concern once the Rebel crew discovers that the cave they’re parked in is not a cave at all, but something large and very alive.”

To date here on the site, I’ve looked at 9 of the 10 Power of the Force Cinema Scenes sets.  That feels pretty wrong, right?  Yeah, I definitely need to fix that.  So, you know what?  I’m gonna do that now!  Because that’s the kind of commitment I’ve got to seeing things through!  And I’m also gonna stop shouting now because it seems like a bit much for Power of the Force!  …so, yay?  Okay, well, let’s just jump into the review, I suppose.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

The “Mynock Hunt” Cinema Scenes set was added to the Power of the Force line in 1998, as a standard release offering.  Interestingly, it’s the only set in the sub-line to be based on Empire.  The set included a stand for the three figures, as well as a Mynock.  Unfortunately, as with pretty much every Mynock ever, there’s no base or anything for it, so it’s just kind of…there?  Ah well.

CHEWBACCA

Despite his lack of drastic changes in the films, Chewbacca wound up in two Cinema Scenes, putting him on equal footing with Han, and second only to Luke. That’s honestly pretty crazy. The figure stands about 4 inches tall and he has 6-ish points of articulation. 6-ish because the neck is once again kind of pointless in its implementation. Structurally, Chewy is using the second iteration of the standard Chewy sculpt from the line, placing him in line with the Boushh Prisoner and Hoth Chewbacca figures, and retroactively making the first Chewy sculpt more specifically the A New Hope version. It’s a far less bulked up take on the character to be sure. I was never 100% sold on the head for this version, but otherwise it’s not bad. He’s a bit more pre-posed for this specific release, making him, amongst other things, the first Chewbacca that can properly hold his bowcaster two handed. His paint work isn’t bad; there’s some variance in the fur colors, which works pretty nicely. Chewy is packed with his bowcaster, as well as removable breathing mask.

PRINCESS LEIA ORGANA

This was Leia’s only time gracing the Cinema Scenes sub-line, and was also notable for being the easiest way to get her Hoth attire for a good while, thanks to the single card being locked behind the fan club exclusive set-up. She stands about 3 1/2 inches tall and has 6 points of articulation. Her sculpt was new, though admittedly pretty similar to the single carded version. Like the other Cinema Scenes figures, she’s a little more pre-posed, with her arms ever so slightly raised. It’s minor stuff. Honestly, it’s a decent sculpt, so I’ve got no complaints. The paint’s a little overboard, I feel. She’s in all white, but there’s this sort of yellowish film over it all, which is…well, I’m not sure exactly what. But it’s there, I guess. Leia is packed with her own removable mask piece.

HAN SOLO

They sure did like Bespin Han in this line. We had four of them in Power of the Force, all pretty close to each other. This one’s a lot like the single release, but, much like Leia, the limbs are posed differently. It’s not a terrible sculpt to begin with, and this version slightly slims him down even further, so it’s not bad at all. There’s still that Power of the Force flavor, but it’s not over stated. His paint is pretty much the same. The jacket is still black, since that was the Lucasfilm line at the time. He’s packed with his blaster pistol, as well as another removable mask.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This is actually one of the Cinema Scenes I was actively on the lookout for, and it still wound up being one of the very last two that I got.  Fitting, then, I suppose that I would save it to be the last Cinema Scenes set I’d review here on the site. I suppose there’s not a lot unique about the set, ultimately, but there’s a general vibe about it that I do quite like.

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.

#3672: Death’s Head

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

DEATH’S HEAD

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

In 2014, 27 years after the character’s creation, the toyline tie-in chat that’s not legally a toyline tie-in character Death’s Head finally got an action figure, courtesy of Hasbro’s late stages Marvel Universe scale. Just three years later, we got a Marvel Legends Death’s Head figure. Unfortunately, it was Death’s Head II, who’s emphatically not as cool. That figure sold pretty abysmally, and the name took a bit of a hit, hence the rather long wait to get the real Death’s Head as a proper Legends release. His final release is…well there’s some moving parts to how it all worked out, but here he is, and that’s the most important thing, yes?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Death’s Head is a solo release for Marvel Legends. He was initially promoted as an exclusive for SDCC 2024, with a limited stock for Pulse after the con, but it seems Hasbro made more than expected, so after the scramble to get him, we all found out he’s actually a Fan Channel exclusive later in the fall, so the SDCC one was just kind of a preview? SDCC figures have seen re-releases in the past, but usually with some form of change, even if it’s just to the packaging. Not so this time. Speaking of packaging, this guy’s got a ’90s trading card-inspired box, a lot like Havok & Polaris and the Love Triangle set, which is a vibe I very much dig. The figure stands about 8 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation. This figure’s construction uses the same approach as his smaller counterpart, reworking parts from this line’s version of Colossus. It was a good approach at the smaller scale, and it’s still a good approach here. The upper torso has been modified to cut the original shoulder pads shorter, and the upper legs have the knee joints switched to pinless (though the arms remain visibly pinned). He still gets a lot of new parts, including a new head and lower legs, and new overlay pieces for his cape, torso armor, and belt/skirt. I remain impressed by Hasbro’s ability to translate this look into figure form; the head is once again the spitting image of Death’s Head from the comics, and the textured details on the overlays are nicely implemented. I don’t like how the cape is so free-floating, which is actually my main complaint regarding the smaller one, so hooray for consistency! The color work here is alright. He’s not quite as metallic as the smaller figure, which is a little bit of a bummer. Also, I get just paining over some of the Colossus details for some of it, but I’m not sure why the sides of his tunic aren’t painted right at the ab-crunch. It’s like that on the prototype too, so that’s intentional. Weird. Otherwise, he’s very bright, and the application is pretty clean. Death’s Head is packed with two sets of hands (fists and an open gesture/gripping combo), his shield, and an axe, mace, and missile. The shield can be held or go on his back, and you can mount the weapons to the shield, or swap them out for Death’s Head’s hands.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I have this fixation on Death’s Head that I can’t fully explain, but it’s just there. As a kid, I remember a CustomCon entry for Bruce Timm-Style Marvel Animated figures, which had a Death’s Head custom featured, and I’ve wanted him as a toy since. I loved the smaller figure, but he’s not my preferred scale, so I’ve been waiting patiently for this one. I wasn’t thrilled that he was going to be exclusive, but Max was kind enough to get me set-up with one as a birthday present. It’s not a perfect figure, but it’s a very, very cool one.

#3671: Even More Parks & Recreation Figures

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

ANDY DWYER, ANN PERKINS, JERRY GERGICH, L’IL SEBASTIAN, RON & TAMMY 2, PERD HAPLEY, JEAN-RALPHIO, BOBBY NEWPORT, SICK RON, TOM HAVERFORD, & VOTE KNOPE

PARKS & RECREATION REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

I’ve mentioned Parks and Recreation only twice before on the site, but both times, I’ve taken the very important stance that, compared to The Office, it’s the superior work-place comedy.  I bring that up every time because, as stated, it’s very important.  I really need you all to know my point.  Genuinely, though, it’s one of my very favorite shows, and has one of the best ensemble casts on television.  Back in late 2022, Super 7 launched a line of ReAction figures based on the show, and…it’s apparently had four series?  I’ve had some stuff going on.  But I’m diving back in, because that’s how I do.  And, to show how absolutely insane I am, I’m reviewing everything I’ve missed since Series 1, all in a single shot.  Woooooo!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Andy Dwyer, Ann Perkins, Jerry Gergich, L’il Sebastian, Ron & Tammy 2, Perd Hapley, Jean-Ralphio, Bobby Newport, Sick Ron, Tom Haverford, and Campaign Leslie Knope make up the last three series of Super 7’s Parks and Recreation ReAction Figures.  Andy, Ann, Jerry, and L’il Sebastian are the standard Series 2 figures, with the Ron & Tammy 2 two-pack serving as a companion piece.  Perd, Jean-Ralphio, and Bobby are Series 3, and Sick Ron, Tom, and Campaign Leslie are Series 4.

ANDY DWYER

Series 2’s first figure is also the line’s first retread….sort of.  There’s not *technically* an Andy Dwyer in Series 1, since it was actually Burt Macklin that we got, but, you get the idea.  Anyway, this one’s an actual proper figure of Andy just as Andy, which makes sense, with him being Chris Pratt and all.  The figure’s 3 3/4 inches tall and he’s got 5 points of articulation.  Andy’s an earlier season version of the character, erring more on the casual, rock star side.  Honestly, I know Andy wears the t-shirt and flannel a lot in the show, but it’s not a look I ultimately associate with him by default, so this one sort of struggles to land for me.  The sculpt is notably quite pre-posed, especially for this line, with his arms being posed to hold his guitar.  Otherwise, it’s fairly standard.  I don’t see much of a Pratt likeness on the head, especially compared to the Macklin head, and the body feels a bit thin for Andy.  His paint work is pretty basic.  They do well with the plaid detailing, and I definitely dig the “Mouse Rat” shirt print.  While Burt had no accessories, Andy does at least get his guitar, which justifies the whole pose of the figure (and also makes him one of the only figures in this line that can actually properly hold his accessory).

ANN PERKINS

There were a handful of notable omissions from the first series, and high on that list was Ann Perkins, effectively the show’s secondary lead in the early portion of its run.  Unsurprisingly, she headlined the second round.  She’s in her nurse scrubs, which is a reasonable enough choice for her, especially since it helps her remain more unique from the others in the line.  Her sculpt is back to the more basic posing.  It’s not bad.  A tad more on the generic side, and lacking a lot of the the sorts of things that could make it more quickly recognizable as Ann, but not terrible.  The biggest problem this figure faces is the color palette.  For some reason that I can’t fathom, Super 7 decided to give Ann the complexion of a fair skinned Irish girl who’s never seen the sun, rather than, you know, anything actually close to what Rhashida Jones’ actual complexion is.  No matter what the quality of the underlying sculpt, it’s the paint that’s removing the likeness almost in its entirety.  I don’t know if there was some mix-up, or if it’s some sort of weird licensing thing, but it’s just thoroughly an odd end result.  Ann is packed with a clip board, which is a fine accessory, but, again, not overly dialed into Ann.

JERRY GERGICH

Alongside Donna, Jerry began as essentially a glorified extra (his actor, Jim O’Heir, had auditioned for Ron, but Michael Shur liked him so much that he cast him and decided he’d figure out the character later)in the show’s first season, but his role expanded as the show went on, until he got promoted to proper series regular by the end of the show.  He also gets one of the show’s very best send-offs in the finale, and just an all-around great progression on the show.  And he gets *so* many names.  They settled on his “original” of Jerry, but you can pretend he’s Larry, or Terry, or even Gary if you so choose.  Jerry’s seen here in his standard office attire, sweater vest and all.  He’s got one of the more consistent looks from the show, so it’s a pretty easy choice.  The sculpt on Jerry is pretty darn good, actually.  He’s got a unique build, and the facial likeness that’s a good match for Jim O’Heir.  His paint work is reasonable as well.  It’s fairly clean, if perhaps a bit thick.  Jerry is packed with an easel with a piece of art on it, which, in contrast to Ann, feels quite character appropriate.

L’IL SEBASTIAN

Though he only actually appears in a single episode of the show’s run, miniature horse L’il Sebastian is nevertheless a major fixture of the series, influencing a great many actions, and inspiring “5000 Candles In The Wind”, one of the show’s most memorable original songs.  L’il Sebastian is the smallest of the line’s figures, and he only gets 4 points of articulation, rather than the usual 5.  Obviously, it’s a rather unique sculpt in its own right, and, you know, it’s a pretty good horse sculpt.  And also tiny, which feels appropriate.  The little drape thingy (sorry, I don’t really know horse terms) is a soft vinyl piece, ala the original Kenner Star Wars capes, and can be removed, if you want to give Sebastian a more dressed down look.  His paint work is okay; the bridle detailing is pretty sharp (I apparently know one horse term), and the subtle shift on the coloring for the legs looks quite nice.

RON & TAMMY 2

Loosely related to the Series 2 line-up, we got what is thus far the line’s only multipack, Ron and Tammy 2, pairing the first Ron variant of the line with an all-new figure, based on his second wife Tammy, played by Nick Offerman’s real-life wife, Megan Mullally.  These two are based on their post-arrest appearances from “Ron & Tammy: Part 2,” Ron with his cornrows and kimono, and Tammy in her wedding dress.  Ron’s sculpt handles the head pretty well, still maintaining the Offerman likeness of the standard, but the body seems a bit small for his usual build.  Tammy 2’s sculpt isn’t bad from a technical side, especially the body sculpt, but I don’t really see much of Mullally in the head sculpt.  I suppose it’s not completely off the mark, but it just seems a tad too generic for her.  Ron’s paint work is generally alright, but he does notably have his entire mustache painted on, which is inaccurate, as by that point in the episode, it had worn off from “friction”.  Otherwise, the color work is basic, but matches the show.  Tammy 2’s work is sharp and clean, and definitely hits the mark.  This set doesn’t have any accessories, but I guess maybe they act as each *other’s* accessories?

PERD HAPLEY

This next figure is the one that I’m reviewing next, because it’s Perd Hapley!  The story behind Perd Hapley is that he’s a recurring character on the show Parks and Recreation portrayed by a real newscaster.  No, really, Jay Jackson, who played Perd, was a newscaster for 22 years, and has made an effort to play a newscaster in as many projects as he could.  Perd Hapley just happens to be one he stuck with, thanks to the writers loving the character so much.  The sculpt here gives us Perd in his usual suited look.  It’s not bad, but it’s also not one of the stronger ones.  I feel like preposing one of the arms bent on this one would work better.  As it stands, he’s a little stiff.  The head definitely tries to capture Perd’s usual demeanor, which I think it does alright, but I’m not sure the likeness is quite there.  Perd is packed with a coffee mug bearing the logo of his show “Final Word With Perd.”

JEAN-RALPHIO

Partner in crime to Aziz Ansari’s Tom Haverford, Ben Schwartz’s Jean-Ralphio Saperstein is one of the show’s most frequent recurring characters, and a natural choice for the line.  It’s curious that he joined the line *before* Tom, but ultimately that’s pretty trivial.  Jean-Ralphio’s sculpt is one of the most impressive in the line thus far.  The head’s got a strong likeness, with the hair being perhaps a little tamer than the show, but the character otherwise being summed up nicely.  He’s got some preposing, with his right arm bent to allow him to do his signature “amplifying his voice with his hand” move.  The detailing on the outfit is pretty sharp, with the texturing on the sleeves in particular being pretty impressive.  His paint work does its best to match up with the sculpt.  Some of the details get a little lost, and it’s a little sloppy, but it hits all the major notes.  Jean-Ralphio is packed with his smart phone, which fits perfectly into his left hand.

BOBBY NEWPORT

Bobby’s a notable recurring character during the show’s campaign arc for Leslie in the fourth season, made extra notable because he’s played by Paul Rudd.  The Rudd thing is probably the biggest reason he got a figure here, so, you know, good for him.  He’s seen here in full campaign mode, suited up and all smiley.  The sculpt does pretty well with it, and I think the likeness on the head’s honestly a pretty good one, definitely capturing Rudd’s general charm in the role.  The posing is generally just the basic, but his right hand’s a little different.  Why?  I’ll get to that.  The paint work is par for the course; the only notable issue I see is the solid color on the tie, which is a little understated for Bobby, who tended to go with more visible and bright patterns.  So, the right hand mold, what’s up with that?  Well, it’s sculpted to hand out a Bobby Bar, which Super 7 was nice enough to include.

RON SWANSON (STREP THROAT)

Series 4 officially pulls Ron into lead in terms of figures.  For a guy with the one set look for most of the show, he sure does get some fun variant options.  This one’s based on his look from the beginning of the Season 5 episode “Animal Control”, when he’s gotten strep throat from one of his step-daughters.  He’s in his Ignatius J. Riley-inspired bundled up attire, which is certainly a silly look, and also quite distinctive.  The sculpt does well with it.  He’s consistent with the standard version, keeping up with the likeness on the face, and also making him look sufficiently bundled up.  The paint work is pretty good, getting all of the different layers in there.  I also like the redness around the eyes; it really sells the “sick” look.  Ron is packed with is bottle of alcohol, his planned solution for his sickness.

TOM HAVERFORD

Easily the biggest missing cast member from Series 1, it’s astounding that it took until Series 4 to get to Tom, but here he is.  We get him in his standard suited set-up.  There’s certainly a lot of options for him, but I think this one’s a good starting one.  The sculpt is pretty good, apart from seeming maybe a little too big to properly scale with the others.  The head sculpt in particular has a strong likeness of Aziz, and the facial expression is what really sells it.  The body sculpt is okay, but there’s something awkward about how the jacket is sculpted at the hips.  We’ve gotten a few characters with suit jackets that go over the hips, and they’ve looked fine, but this one feels off for some reason.  Tom’s paint work is a little messy on some of the edges, but generally alright.  I’m glad that he didn’t suffer the same issue as Ann when it came to complexion.  Tom’s accessory is one of my favories: DJ Roomba!  It’s like a whole other character!

LESLIE KNOPE (CAMPAIGN TRAIL)

It’s a little surprising that it’s taken this long to get another Leslie figure, with her being the main character and all, but better late than never.  This one’s specifically based on her Season 4 campaign for city council, making her a good counterpart to the Bobby figure from the prior assortment.  This time around, she’s swapped out the skirt from the first figure for a more campaign-ready pantsuit.  She’s using the head and arms from the older figure, with new parts for the torso and legs.  It’s a good combo, resulting in a decent refresh to the look, without going too drastically different.  Her paint work is much darker, and she’s got a neat pattern on her blouse, which keeps things fun.  Leslie is packed with one of her ill-fated campaign signs, which appeals to the former IT guy and the former publication designer in me.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After getting the first series, I definitely wanted more, but I honestly didn’t expect them to hit as quickly as they did.  I did manage to snag Jerry and Ann at retail when they first hit, but then I lost track of the line, and suddenly there were a whole bunch of them I didn’t have.  That wasn’t daunting at all, you guys!  Thankfully, my parents were kind enough to get me everyone I’d missed for my birthday this year, so now I’m all caught up.  It’s kind of crazy how deep this line’s gone, and I’m here for it.  The Series 3 package renders had Chris and a “Janet Snakehole” variant of April on them, so presumably there’s more of these on the horizon?  I’d love to get them, and I also wouldn’t say no to a Councilman Jamm.  Or a Dianne.  Or a Craig.  Or a Mona Lisa.  I’d say no to a Mark, though.  Don’t make Mark….eh, I’d probably buy a Mark, too, honestly.

#3670: Superior Spider-Man

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

SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

Let’s go back to the beginning!  Okay, like, maybe the middle?  Post-intermission?  In 2014, after reviving Marvel Legends from its hiatus brought on by effectively running the line into the ground during their first go at things, Hasbro’s Return of Marvel Legends was losing steam, and they needed another angle.  That angle turned out to be mixing the comic assortments with movie tie-ins, under the Marvel Legends Infinite Series banner.  They launched with two sets, one based on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the other on Amazing Spider-Man 2.  The Spidey assortment’s comic Spidey was the still relatively recent Superior Spider-Man redesign, which I reviewed here when it was new….ten years ago.  A decade later, Superior Spider-Man got a brief revival in the comics, and is showing back up in Legends form, too!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Superior Spider-Man is a single deluxe release Marvel Legends figure, under the “Celebrating 85 Years” banner.  He’s based on the second Superior look, which was his more unique, and ultimately more relevant design.  It wound up outliving the original run, with Otto wearing during the time displacements of “Spider-Verse”, and Peter himself wearing it during the recent Superior revival run.  The figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 38 points of articulation.  SpOck re-uses the arms and legs from the Renew Your Vows body, which updates him to most of the modern articulation scheme.  He’s got a new head, torso, and pelvis, courtesy of sculptor Dennis Chan, which match well with the pre-existing stuff, though, for whatever reason, he’s back to the ab-crunch and cut waist, rather than a more modern articulation scheme.  He’s also got modified forearms, which add the gauntlets that were missing from the original release of this costume.  SpOck’s color work is honestly pretty solid.  The base work is pretty clean, and they’ve even got his rather uneven web-lining down alright.  One of the coolest parts, though, is the lenses on the default head, which simulate the reflective lenses from the comics by doing some printed detailing.  It’s quite dynamic, and makes for a very unique appearance next to the other Spideys.  The only issue I ran into on my figure is the presence of some errant red on one of his right hands.  SpOck’s main accessory is his back-pack, complete with…well, I don’t recall if they were actually called “waldoes” when Ock was using thing, but they’re the additional legs, and another major thing missing from the last figure.  Each of the legs gets 8 points of articulation, for a total of 32 points in addition to the 38 of the core body, bringing him up to a whopping 70 points.  They’re a little tricky to work with in some poses, but they’re strong enough to hold the figure aloft, which is really the most important thing.  SpOck is also packed with an extra head with white lenses (if you’re not into the artsier style), a compact back pack without the legs, and three pairs of hands (in fists, thwipping, and open clawed).  If I’m being extra demanding, I’d say I’d like an unmasked Otto as Peter head, like the Minimate version got, but there’s still plenty here.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The prior Superior Spidey was decent for the time, especially with the line still really figuring out its first year in a new direction.  That said, it dried up pretty quickly in terms of distribution, and it also aged pretty quickly.  Add in the missing elements, and the fact that its been a decade since the original, and you’ve got an easy mark for a new offering.  This one’s not perfect, but he’s pretty solid, and definitely brings the look more in line with the more recent standard Spideys.

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.

#3669: Halloween Jack

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

HALLOWEEN JACK

X-MEN 2099 (TOY BIZ)

“Once a schoolmate of the X-Man Meanstreak, Jordon Boone went on to become a most trusted employee of the monolithic Alchemax corporation, Alchemax installed nano-tech implants into Boone’s central nervous system-implants that render his cellular structure transmutable allowing him to change his shape at will. Calling himself Halloween Jack, this mischief maker causes trouble for friends and enemies alike.”

The 2099 imprint was a notable component of Marvel’s line-up in the ’90s, but these days, people tend to really only remember Spider-Man.  They did try to make some strides towards more unique storytelling, and X-Men 2099 in particular built a cast that wasn’t just re-hashes of prior characters.  The team also had a sizable portion of supporting players and recurring antagonists, such as Halloween Jack, a character who would later be revealed to actually be the future’s incarnation of Loki.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Halloween Jack was released in series 2 of Toy Biz’s X-Men 2099 line, released in 1996.  He was also re-released in 1997 on the Marvel Universe card back.  The figure stands a little over 5 inches tall and he has 17 points of articulation, which includes a moving ponytail.  The amount of articulation is honestly astounding.  Like, I’m not sure exactly why Halloween Jack of all characters go this much movement, but here we are.  The only thing missing was some sort of hinge on the elbows.  Jack’s sculpt was all-new at the time, though it would be re-used for Jackal in the Maximum Cloneage boxed set.  As Jack was a shapeshifter, his exact appearance in the comics was rather fluid, but the sculpt actually does a pretty good job capturing the general vibe of the character’s illustrated appearances.  There’s quite a bit of texturing in play, which certainly keeps him visually interesting.  His paint work is decent enough.  The black and bright green is a very striking combo, and the application is all pretty clean, though his face is oddly fuzzy, which is something I’ve seen on multiple copies of the figure.  Jack is packed with monstrous mask and glove pieces to showcase his shapeshifting abilities.  It’s not a perfect set-up, but they’re fun.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I didn’t have Halloween Jack himself as a kid, but I did have the Jackal repaint from the boxed set, so I remember the mold pretty well.  I had plenty of opportunities to get a Jack over the years, but never really jumped on it, and then by the time I wanted one, it was tricky to find him complete.  Thankfully, he was one of a small handful of packaged figures that got traded into All Time, so I got a chance to open a sealed one.  He’s a surprisingly good figure.  It’s kind of crazy the amount of effort they put into specifically this guy, but Toy Biz had a tendency to do that every so often.  It’s just one of their quirks, I suppose.

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.