Monthly Archives: January 2025

#3774: Professor Data

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

PROFESSOR DATA

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION (PLAYMATES)

Oh wow, more Star Trek?  So soon?  Could that possibly be right?  It seems it is.  And, when it comes to Star Trek figures specifically in my collection, a very surprisingly high percentage of it is Data, something I’ve touched on in the past.  Data’s incarnation of the franchise, Next Generation, was kind of drowned in finales and wrap-ups, but the first wrap-up, within the show proper, was “All Good Things.”  It gave us a glimpse into a possible future, and brought with it the potential for new variants of the main characters, which is something toy companies love.  And me personally?  I gotta have that Data!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Professor Data was released in Playmates Star Trek line in 1997.  He was after the line had switched over to one more all-encompassing set-up, though his set did include a handful of other “All Good Things” figures.  Since two of Data’s three looks in the finale were just general designs from earlier in the show, they went with his extra future-y, dressed down, professor garb.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 12 points of articulation.  He’s got all the traditional articulation for the line, for better or for worse.  His jacket further restricts the waist and hips, but it’s honestly not much of a loss.  Professor Data uses the standard Data head (since Data doesn’t actually age the way the others do, he’s supposed to just look the same).  He’s got a new body sculpt, which has some kind of off proportions, not uncommon for the line.  He does seem particularly wide and squat, and his arms seem a touch long.  In general, he also feels a little boxy.  He’s also a bit devoid of texturing, which is a shame.  That said, he fits right in with everything that Playmates was doing at the same time.  His color work is decent enough.  The hair line’s a little sloppy on my figure, but that’s the only notable issue.  I actually really like the pattern on the jacket.  Professor Data is packed with a display stand, as well as a tray, teapot, teacup, and decanter, all in a dark blue.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This guy holds the record for the longest I’ve searched for a Star Trek figure.  Admittedly, it was really just him and the Gorn that were really on the list, and I managed to get Gorn a while back.  I’ve been looking for this guy since some time in the early ’00s, and I just never managed to find him.  I don’t know why, because it’s not like he’s crazy rare or anything, but I just never seemed to land in front of me or be in the collections I was looking through.  Thankfully, a large Trek collection came through All Time last year, and I finally had the chance to snag one.  He’s goofy, and a bit silly, and perhaps not the greatest Data, but I’m quite happy to finally have 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.

#3773: Orko & Gwildor

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ORKO & GWILDOR

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: MASTERVERSE (MATTEL)

Looking back on my reviews, I haven’t just done a straight Masters of the Universe review in a fair bit.  I looked at some of the TMNT crossover figures, but I stuck to the Turtles characters, so, you know, it’s not really there.  It’s been since all the way back in March.  It was at least a Mekaneck, so that’s a good leave-off.  As always, I do tend to gravitate to a specific selection of characters in any given style.  One such character is Orko.  I’ve *technically* already got him in the Masterverse set-up, but the first one was more of an accessory than a figure himself.  But now there’s a new one, and he’s even bringing a Gwildor along for the fun!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Orko and Gwildor were released last year in the Masterverse line-up as an Amazon exclusive, though that information didn’t seem particularly well advertised….which might have contributed to the deep discounting of the set.  The pair are both based on their appearances together in Revolution.

ORKO

Hey, it’s Orko the Unnamed Power-Up!  His lack of subtitle here certainly frustrated his actor Griffin Newman, if his Dad-At-Arms interview is anything to go by (also, I really do recommend that interview if you’ve got the time; it’s quite entertaining and Newman is incredibly insightful about his character).  Maybe he’s Orko the Great?  I like that.  Seems solid.  We already got the weakened Orko from Revelation, which was okay, but not great.  This one’s more put together, in terms of both design and final product.  The figure’s about 3 inches tall and he has 9 points of articulation.  He’s decently posable for an Orko, and I certainly appreciate that he’s at least got elbow movement, something the last one was lacking.  The neck joint is a lot tighter this time as well, so no bobble-head Orko.  The sculpt’s a nice offering.  It’s clean and show accurate, with a good flow to the robes.  The paint work’s a little iffier on this guy.  Some of it’s pretty clean, but his notably got a lot of slop on the gold trim, especially on the hat, where it’s quite uneven.  He does get a nice selection of accessories.  He’s got a pretty sizable stand, with a larger magic effect that surrounds him, as well as a long flowing train for the robe, and two smaller magic effects to go over the hands.  It makes for a nice display, but I do sort of wish there was a smaller option on the stand.  I suppose you could always steal it from the prior one.

GWILDOR

After being sort of a shoddy replacement for Orko in the live action movie, Revolution does a pretty neat and compelling turn at weaving Gwildor into the main lore, and in fact giving him some fun interplay with Orko, making his replacement somewhat of a meta joke.  The figure stands about 4 inches tall and he has 24 points of articulation.  Gwildor’s a more conventional figure for the line, just a bit shorter than usual.  The articulation works more or less the same.  Some of them are a little more limited on range, but honestly, he’s not bad considering.  The only real issue for me is the elbows.  The sculpt’s pretty decent.  There’s more going on with it than Orko, with a lot more texturing and layering.  It makes for a contrast.  The sculpt is definitely more of an animated twinge, as expected given the source, but also he should work okay with the movie He-Man too.  His color work is rather on the bright side, again matching the animation.  In general, the application is cleaner than Orko’s, which is a plus.  Gwildor is packed with the Cosmic Key, which is solid, but also does feel maybe a touch light.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was all prepped to buy this set, but then they were an exclusive, and it wasn’t initially clear where, and then I didn’t wind up tracking them down after the fact.  It ended up working in my favor, because I was able to catch them on a particularly good discount.  And yes, that makes me part of the problem, and I am sorry about that.  I would not that it came in an exceptionally jacked up box, but the figures inside were fine, and given the price, I can’t really complain much.  Orko was my main reason in getting this set, but I also didn’t mind having a Gwildor, since I’m one of those people that actually kind of likes the live action movie.  Both of them are pretty solid, and I’m glad I finally managed to snag them.

#3772: Cammy

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CAMMY

ULTRA STREET FIGHTER II (JADA)

Last week, I really shook things up a bit with a video game related review, and this week, I’m taking the shake up and making it more of a status quo, so it no longer shakes things up? Look, what I’m getting at here is I’m doing another video game related review. This time around, I’m jumping over to Street Fighter, which actually does have a respectable little presence here. Keeping things in the Jada realm, just like last week, because their modus operandi appears to be “being awesome”, which is really good for them, honestly. A few months back, I looked at their Dhalsim, but now I get to review my personal favorite character from the game, Cammy!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cammy is part of Round 3 of Jada’s Ultra Street Fighter II line, alongside Guile and Dee-Jay. All three hit together at the same time at the very end of last year. All three from a set hitting at the same time is actually a first for the line, which has thus far been staggering pairs and singles. The figure stands about 6 inches tall and has 32 points of articulation. The articulation here is a little more straightforward than the Cammy Figuart I looked at a few years ago, but it results in some generally cleaner posing and range, especially on the legs. I was also quite happy that her neck joint allowed for upward movement, so she’s not perpetually looking down the way that figure was. Additionally, the assembly of the articulation is such that she winds up looking a fair bit less segmented when posed, which is always a plus. And, she’s surprisingly stable on her feet; the pose in the photo up top took some careful balancing, but required no other support. Cammy is sporting an all-new sculpt, specifically based on her SF2 design, which is my personal favorite. It’s an earlier Cammy, so the proportions are a bit more balanced, and not *quite* as thigh-heavy as later looks. In general, the sculpt is quite clean and a good match for the game design. She gets two different heads, one calmer and one more intense. Both expressions work well in the body and with the included parts, and the braids on both heads are articulated. Personally, I’d have loved a third head with a smiling expression, but two’s the standard, and the two they went with are solid. Cammy’s paint work is basic but clean, as you’d hope. I’m not super crazy about the marbelized plastic on the torso, and worry about its longevity. There’s also a little bit of mismatch between the molded and painted flesh tones. She is, otherwise, quite good. Cammy is packed with two sets of hands and a kick effect piece. I was surprised by the lack of stand, but as noted above, she balances okay on her own.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Due to the Toy Biz X-Men vs Street Fighter line, I had something of an early investment into Cammy.  I remember really wanting the SOTA one back in the day, but was never able to snag one at anything approaching a reasonable price.  Since she’s become my go-to character for the game over the years, I’ve always wanted a good figure.  The Figuart was an okay figure, but she was always a bit of a placeholder, especially with her being from V not II.  For a fraction of the price of the Figuart, this one is absolutely fantastic, and for me blows that one out of the water.  I’ve got my minor quibbles, but they’re very minor, and they don’t really hold her back.  Jada’s really onto something here.

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.

#3771: Green Lantern, Starman, & Hourman

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GREEN LANTERN, STARMAN, & HOURMAN

SUPER POWERS (McFARLANE TOYS)

Hey!  It’s Super Powers!  Hooray!  I love Super Powers!  …I’m kinda running out of things to say about it, though.  I mean, I expected a little over 30 of these reviews at the outset, and then, there were, like, more.  Not that I’m complaining, mind you.  It’s a good problem to have.  While the vintage line did have an impressive coverage of the JLA, it featured only a single member of the JSA, Dr. Fate.  And he was very lonely indeed.  But, it’s okay, because 40 years later, he’s finally getting some team mates!  And it’s not just one: it’s a whole three-pack!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Green Lantern, Starman, and Hourman were released as part of McFarlane’s Super Powers continuation in a three-pack.  This marks the second “standard” three-pack, following up on the Peacemaker set from earlier.  There doesn’t really seam to have been a specific theme to the three chosen beyond “let’s do JSA.”

GREEN LANTERN — ALAN SCOTT

If you’re jumping into the JSA, it’s hard to not go for Alan Scott.  He’s pretty obvious, and alongside Jay Garrick, he’s one of the central and most consistently depicted members of the team.  He’s also my favorite, so you’ll definitely hear no complaints from me.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and has 7 points of articulation.  He’s got an all-new sculpt, and it’s on par with a lot of the more recent offerings, which is to say it’s quite good.  It captures the vibe of the line, while also getting down Alan as a character.  Perhaps the only slight oddity is the lack of a collar on the shirt, but with the cape it’s not too distracting.  Compared to the rather horrid 7-inch figure, though, this is a breath of fresh air.  They even gave him the proper ring shape!  He’s got a cloth cape, which is a little more complex, having the collar and also being two-toned.  I definitely dig it, and it’s avoiding some of the issues of the other capes from the line.  The paint work here is slightly on the messy side, but not terribly so.  The color work is at least pretty nice, and they’ve again got the proper lantern shape for his logo, which I do like to see.  He gets no accessories, even though the hand posing seems like he’s begging for a power battery.  I’d guess that was probably a budget thing.

STARMAN

It’s Starman!  There’s actually been a lot of Starmen at DC.  This is the orginal, Ted Knight.  But not *that* Ted Knight.  Even though that one narrated for Super Friends.  Do you think the real Ted Knight knew about the fake Ted Knight?  Makes you think, right?  The figure stands almost 5 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation.  Okay, so, you see the height? Yeah, that ain’t right.  Here’s why: he’s on the old Superman mold.  Not the nice, new, improved one we just got before the end of the year.  No, the McFarlane Series 1 version, which is too tall and too bulky, and has its feet too close together.  I totally get re-using Superman for a Starman; they’re costumes are quite similar.  But why not use the new one?  It’s right there.  Now Ted’s really tall, and looks out of place with the other JSA-ers.  He gets a new head, which I also don’t love, because it feels like an earlier run head, as well as a new belt piece and an updated right arm with a new gripping hand.  He gets a cloth cape, which is okay.  I do particularly like the printed star on the back.  The paint on this guy is fine.  Decent, and it gets the job done, but it’s not much to write home about.  Starman gets the only accessory in this set, which is his Cosmic Rod, which fits nicely in his right hand.

HOURMAN

It’s drug use, but as a super power.  You know, for kids!  Like Starman, there have been a few Hourmen, but this is Rex Tyler, the original.  He’s built on a smaller base body, shared with Vigilante.  Rex has been up and down in terms of sizing and scaling, so the shorter at least adds some variety of scaling to the set.  He’s got a new head sculpt, which is…fine.  I can’t say I love it, but it’s alright.  Passable.  I’ll discuss it more in the paint section.  He’s also got a new belt and necklace, both of which work pretty well.  It’s topped off with a cape, which has a pretty impressive printed pattern on it and its own collar as well.  The paint work, especially on the head, is iffy.  The mask is missing the black section, which I always feel throws off the general look.  The DCUC figure did it the same way, and it bugged me there too.  The eye holes also feel like they’re painted up far too high, and the nose coverage feels like it goes too low.  And the eyebrows are just…I don’t know.  Don’t love them, that’s for sure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Obviously, there was no way I was missing this one.  I’ve been waiting a long time for more JSA-ers in the line, and I honestly never really expected to see them.  So, I jumped right on the pre-orders for this one.  Of the the three, Alan is by far the stand out, and by far my favorite.  The whole set’s worth it just for him.  Which is good, because the other two…well, they’re less than stellar.  That was a bit of a letdown.  I mean, they’re not awful.  Still better than the earlier figures from the line, but maybe not quite as good as the more recent stuff.  But, I’m not gonna knock more JSA Super Powers.

#3770: Green Lantern’s Light

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HAL JORDAN, GUY GARDNER, JOHN STEWART, SINESTRO, & TOMAR RE

DC UNIVERSE CLASSICS (MATTEL)

Last week, I did my first dive back in to DC Universe Classics since early last year, because that’s the space I’m deciding to occupy right about now.  I kicked things off by looking at the very first Green Lantern from the line, so I guess I’ll keep that particular theme running.  Green Lantern was at something of a high point for the property while DCUC was running, with the main comic being consistently at the top of DC’s list, plus multiple events building out of it, and, of course, the movie on the horizon.  In 201, there was quite a bit of lead-up to the film tie-ins, which included not just a whole GL-sub-line, but also a fair bit in the main line as well, such as today’s big ol’ boxed set!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Officially titled “Green Lantern’s Light,” this 5-pack was a Walmart-exclusive DC Universe Classics offering, which hit retail in 2010.  It was the second of three such 5-packs offered up by Walmart during the line’s run.  In contrast to the prior year’s set, all of the figures included here were unique in someway, and would remain so going forward (though that doesn’t mean the set didn’t have a lot of re-hash).  In addition to the five figures, the set also included 5 power batteries, this time in a more sensible color than the first release.

HAL JORDAN

“While training in a flight simulator, test pilot Hal Jordan was suddenly transported to the crash site of an alien spacecraft. The injured pilot passed on to Jordan his green ring and uniform. The ring allowed him to make real anything that he could imagine, from flying unaided through space to lifting mountains. With it, Jordan, chosen by the ring itself because of his fearlessness, must fight evil as a member of the Green Lantern Corps.”

After kicking off the GL-theme in 2007 and getting a two-pack release in 2008, there were notably no Hal Jordans to be had in 2009.  It’s okay, because 2010 made up for it by putting out three of them.  Like his standard Series 3 release, this one stands about 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 23 points of articulation.  He’s the same exact mold as that one, which was pretty much expected.  It’s a solid starting point, since it’s a pretty nice sculpt in the first place.  In order to mark a little more change, this guy was specifically based on Hal’s post-Crisis appearances, when they gave him the graying temples to signify his status as one of the last hold-outs from the Silver Age.  It actually works pretty well, and differentiates the figure more than you might think.  In addition to the hair change, this Hal gets the same iridescent green for the uniform as the rest of the set, which works a touch better than the flat green used previously.  I also find the paint to be generally cleaner and sharper than on the earlier figure.

GUY GARDNER

“When Abin Sur crash-landed on Earth, his power ring detected two equally suitable replacements: Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner. Jordan got the ring because he was closer to the crash. Later, Guy received a second chance to join the Green Lantern Corps, but he often clashed with Jordan. Still, the Guardians sensed great potential in him. After proving himself, Guy Gardner was promoted to ‘honor lantern,’ one of the highest ranks in the Corps.”

Hey look, it’s Nathan Fillion!  That’s a joke I could have done above, as well, I suppose.  It’s funny that he’s played two different Earth Lanterns, though.  With Man of Tomorrow hitting this year, Guy is set to get some focus, which is good for him, I suppose.  Personally, I never resonated much with guy, and he was always my least favorite Earth Lantern (at least until Baz showed up, but there’s a lot of layers to that one).  I’ve grown to appreciate him more in recent years, though.  Guy represented he heaviest allotment of new tooling in this set, given his more unique design.  He got a new head, forearms, and lower legs, as well as a new overlay piece for his vest.  Generally, it’s an okay set-up.  Certainly different.  The head’s notably very cartoonish, and I was never a huge fan of that.  He’s seems especially out of place with the other Lanterns, even just in this set.  Something just a little more refined might have worked a bit better. The rest of the new parts work out alright, though, and I do like the vest piece. The paint is also a little bit sloppier on this one, especially on his vest.  The white detailing seems to have given them difficulty in particular.

JOHN STEWART

“When Green Lantern Hal Jordan was incapacitated en route to a JLA adventure, Hal’s power ring selected John Stewart to be Hal’s ‘alternate’ peacekeeper of Space Sector 2814. Honest and utterly without fear, John was eventually awarded his own power ring and full-time status as a Green Lantern in his own right. He continues battling evil as a Green Lantern, his dedication earning him full membership in the JLA.”

John Stewart had been added to DCUC the previous year, with a pretty fantastic figure at that.  This one takes that one and sort of tweaks it and it sort of works but it sort of doesn’t.  Since he’s re-using parts from the last John, that places him on a different base body than the other four figures in this set.  He’s still got the same basic articulation set-up, and he’s only fractionally taller, but the upper torso in particular is a bit more bulky.  In general, the initial John sculpt is a very good one, on par with the initial Hal Jordan.  The issue it runs into here is that it’s clearly a modern John Stewart…and his costume isn’t.  The paint attempts to place him in one of his earlier suits, earlier in the Mosaic run…more or less.  It’s a bit of an amalgam of sorts.  It’s not a bad one, mind you, but the hair on the sculpt doesn’t really match, nor do the raised edges on what were originally wrist bands on the first figure, now supposedly gloves.  Overall, it’s not terrible, but he’s certainly off.  The application of the paint is at the very least pretty clean; not quite as sharp as Hal, but a little better than Guy.

SINESTRO

“Sinestro was chosen to patrol space sector 1417 as its Green Lantern, but instead he ruled Korugar with an emerald fist. While he trained fledgling GL Hal Jordan, the Korugarians freed themselves and exposed Sinestro’s abuse of power. The Guardians of the Universe stripped Sinestro of his mantle and power ring, subsequently banishing him to the anti-matter universe of Qward.”

Ooooooooh, every party has a pooper, that’s why we invited Thaal!  In short, this figure is not good and by far the worst in the set.  In long?  Well, the original Series 3 Sinestro wound up too short during production.  Something about his skinny stature just got sort of lost, and they made him just  a little guy.  People weren’t thrilled.  This one, which was originally shown on a skinnier body, overcorrects the problem by moving Sinestro over to the medium base body, which is just too big for him.  He’s still using the original head, though, which was sized for a much smaller body, and therefore looks way too small.  And to top it all off, he doesn’t get his mask, which is somewhat understandable, but also still rather annoying.  I just don’t care for this one.

TOMAR RE

“An ordinary scientist from an obscure planet named Xudar, Tomar-Re never dreamed he would be chosen to serve in the Green Lantern Corps, much less that his name would one day stand for courage and integrity, assigned to protect Space Sector 2813, Tomar-Re distinguished himself so thoroughly in the line of duty that the Guardians of the Universe promoted him to their elite honor guard.”

Ha-ha!  I’ve already reviewed this one, way back in #0422!  All by his lonesome.  Really, I’m just putting him here from the turnarounds, since I wasn’t doing those yet in 2014.  Also, to reassert that even with the other four around, this one’s still my favorite, so there.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I never saw this set at retail.  Not a huge shock, since I wasn’t doing much hunting, and I almost never went to Walmart at the time.  I recall being sort of “meh” on most of the set, so I ultimately settled for Tomar on his own, because he was the main one I wanted anyway.  But, the other four landed in front of me just before the end of last year, and I felt compelled to finish the set.  I’m glad I did.  Sure, Sinestro sucks, but I knew that up front.  Guy and John aren’t perfect, but they’re both still decent.  I really do like this version of Hal, though.  In general, I think it’s a set that’s better as a whole than as individual figures.

#3769: Vina as an Orion Animal Woman

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VINA as an ORION ANIMAL WOMAN

STAR TREK (PLAYMATES)

In the last five years, I’ve reviewed a total of three Star Trek figures, which is, you know, not a lot of them.  Less than a yearly entry.  This is largely because I’m not really an avid Trekkie.  I am, however, unable to really avoid Trek.  It’s like a sort of a background noise of my life.  I do enjoy aspects of the franchise, with The Original Series being my personal favorite.  Pike’s always been my favorite Captain, and I quite like “The Cage” and its re-cut airing “The Menagerie.”  Playmates did a small set of figures based on the “The Cage” for its 30th anniversary, which included Pike, as well as the franchise’s first instance of the green-skinned space babe, Vina.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Vina as an Orion Animal Woman was released under Playmates’ Classic Star Trek banner, as part of their larger “mixed” line in 1996.  She accompanied the other three “Cage” anniversary figures.  As the name implies, this figure is specifically based on Vina’s depiction as an Orion Animal Woman during one of the Talosian visions Pike experiences.  It’s not her standard look at all, but it’s by far the most distinctive one, and the one that everyone remembers.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  Vina is notably not particularly posable.  She just gets the 5 points, and of those, only the shoulder joints are actually really usable.  She also really can’t stand.  Like, at all.  No position on those legs is gonna make it happen.  At least there’s a stand.  The sculpt was unique, and it’s an okay offering.  It’s pretty decent for the era.  The head’s got an okay likeness, and the proportions aren’t too crazy or off.  The paint work is generally on the basic side.  It’s inoffensive, but it gets the job done.  She’s packed with a display stand, a fountain, and a torch.  The fountain and torch are just solid color casts, in my figure’s case, blue.  She can’t actually hold anything, so they just sort of sit off to the side.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I got the Pike figure from this set as a kid, and he was a favorite.  Spock and the Talosian I got later down the line.  This one was the last hold-out, and I was actively searching for her for a fair bit.  Thankfully, I was able to snag a loose one that got traded in with a sizable Trek collection during the summer last year.  She’s fine.  Not very playable, even for this line, but she at least looks pretty decent, and goes well with the rest of the set.

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.

#3768: Quicksilver

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QUICKSILVER

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Along with his twin sister, the Scarlet Witch, the ‘speedster’ Quicksilver joined the Avengers after leaving Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants”

Oh man, more Marvel Legends?  Whaaaaaaaaaaat?  Who could have foreseen such a shocking twist of events?  Okay, so it’s not really a shock.  Well, maybe a minor surprise?  I did run out of new Legends for a moment there at the end of last year.  There are always more on the horizon, but specifically at this moment, I’m back-tracking the slightest bit to grab more of a filler piece.  So, let’s look at Quicksilver, who is of a greener variety than his usual state of being.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Quicksilver is a stand-alone Marvel Legends release.  He was a retro carded figure, released exclusively through Walmart at the tail end of last year.  This is our second comic Quicksilver Legend in the modern era of Legends, following up on the blue version from the three pack back in 2019.  He’s seen this time around in his original green costume, which last got the Legends treatment as a variant to Hasbro’s original Quicksilver from back in 2007.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 34 points of articulation.  The construction on this figure is very similar to the last Quicksilver, but with a generally updated flair.  He’s got the upgraded version of the 2099 body, with the pinless elbows and knees, as well as a new head.  At least, I think it’s a new head.  The hair is certainly new, and has regained Pietro’s signature wispy bits at the front.  It also feels a bit less bulbous in comparison to the rest of the body, which is what leads me to think it’s a whole new head.  I certainly like it a lot more than the previous set-up.  The color work on Quicksilver is generally pretty bright and clean.  It’s not a straight palette swap from the blue; the white’s more of an outright white, and they’ve given him the lower collar that was more common to his earlier appearances.  If you want to get finicky, his boots and gloves were more often than not a lighter green with this costume, not white, but that’s really more of a by the artist thing.  Quicksilver gets two pairs of hands, one in fists, the other in open gesture.  The open gesture instead of flat’s an odd choice, and not one I love, but it’s not the end of he world.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This figure honestly flew under the radar for me until it was already out and people were getting them in-hand.  That was certainly a weird experience, but that’s how it is when you’ve got a lot going on, which is certainly where I am these days.  After hearing about him, I didn’t really go looking, because I’m even less up for the hunt than I used to be.  Thankfully, one landed in front of me without much fuss or trouble, and now I have him.  He’s not a perfect figure, but he’s certainly a much better figure than the blue one, so that works for me.  I wouldn’t mind an updated blue version, though, and I’ll never say no to the Perez costume, either.

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.

#3767: Elec Man

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

ELEC MAN

MEGA MAN (JADA)

Okay, things have gotten too comfortable and predictable around here, so I’m throwing caution to the wind and going nuts, and…well, I mean I’m still reviewing action figures, so I guess it’s not that much of a change-up.  But it’s a Mega Man review, you guys.  Or a Megaman review.  They’re both confusingly accurate.  Whatever the case, I’ve only done one of those before, so I guess I’m gonna do another one.  So, let’s break out one the original six Robot Masters, Elec Man!  He’s electric.  Boogie-woogie-woogie.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Elec Man is part of the second series of Jada’s Mega Man line.  He’s one of the two Robot Masters included (the other being Cut Man), bringing our total count up to four out of six.  Elec Man’s based on his look from the first game, albeit a more “evergreen” take on the design, as was the case with Mega Man.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 28 points of articulation.  Both his scaling and articulation are very similar to the standard Mega Man I looked at last year, and that’s a good thing in both cases, because that was a really nice figure.  He’s quite easy to pose and generally pretty stable on his feet.  Elec Man’s sculpt appears to be totally unique, and like Mega Man’s, it’s very clean and slick.  Some of the detail seems a little bit sharper, and there’s just generally more going on with his design, so it gives him a better starting point, I suppose.  Elec Man’s paint work is a little more basic than Mega Man’s was, not getting the same degree of accent work.  He gets the base colors, and the application’s overall not too bad, but there’s a little bit of slop on the logo.  Of course, given the price point, it’s still really not bad.  I also appreciate that the wrist pegs aren’t painted this time, so there’s less flaky paint.  Elec Man is packed with two different heads (one with a slight smirk, the other appearing to be mid cackle), two pairs of hands (fists and a pointing/thumbs-up combo), and an electricity effect piece.  It’s a nice little spread of extras, and while it’s a little lighter than what Mega Man got, he’s also a slightly more complex figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I don’t really have much specific attachment to this character, per se, so I didn’t have any sort of undying need to own this figure.  That said, I’m patiently waiting for Guts Man and Proto Man, the main figures I really want from this line, and my Mega Man sure looked lonely on the shelf.  Elec Man was one of the vinyl figures I had back in the day, and was also one of the only ones that didn’t fall apart, so I do at least have a familiarity with him.  He’s got a strong design, and seeing him in person, I caved.  I don’t need him, but he’s still very fun, and this is a great line of figures that I’m very carefully trying to avoid going all-in for.

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.

#3766: Wolverine

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

WOLVERINE

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“A broken and shame-fueled Logan reluctantly joins Deadpool’s side to fight for their survival — and a shot at redemption”

I discussed Deadpool & Wolverine very briefly when I reviewed the Legacy release Colossus, but didn’t really get into the whole film proper.  In general, my experience with the Deadpool movies was one that improved as they went along, going from not personally caring for the first film to being thoroughly entertained by the third.  In particular, the return of Hugh Jackman to the role of Wolverine after his departure in Logan was something I really enjoyed, especially since it was accompanied by him finally getting to wear the “yellow spandex” we were teased with 24 years prior.  And now, it’s time for the toys.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Wolverine is part of the three figure Deadpool & Wolverine tie-in assortment of Marvel Legends.  He’s one of the two Wolverines included, this one being the more “standard” of the two, since he’s wearing his actual hero suit from the movie.  Or…well, it’s sort of an idealized version of it, since we don’t ever see the mask and the full suit on screen at the same time.  Look, it’s close enough.  The figure stands a little over 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  The articulation’s interesting.  He gets a more unique style of shoulder articulation, which is sort of like a butterfly joint, but in all directions, being something more akin to the types of joints we see on McFarlane figures.  It’s a tighter connection, though, so it doesn’t feel like it’ll fall apart the same way.  It was a little tricky to get it posing at first, especially with the shoulder pads, but the range definitely improved after messing with it a bit.  He’s got a ball-jointed neck, with all the range that affords, but then a rather limited crunch and waist swivel on the torso, which feels…reductive?  Out dated?  It’s an all-new sculpt, so it was a choice for sure.  The sculpt is itself generally nice, but not without its drawbacks.  We get the full version of the suit, sleeves and all.  It’s a pretty good recreation of the film’s Astonishing-inspired suit, with its smaller details worked out pretty well, and plenty of texturing, so he looks as much like a basketball as he should.  He feels either too narrow at the shoulders or too wide at the hips; his proportions feel a little off either way.  Otherwise, things are pretty solid.  I do really love that masked head.  In terms of color work, he’s certainly garish, but in the way that he’s supposed to be, what with the clown suit and all.  Application is clean, perhaps a touch too clean, but clean.  Everything more or less goes where it should.  He would definitely benefit from at least a little accenting, but that’s not where Legends are these days.  He’s packed with two pairs of hands (fists with claws, and a clawless fist/gripping combo) and an unmasked head.  The gripping hand’s weird, since he doesn’t have any accessories to hold, but it gives you the option, I suppose.  The unmasked head’s as good a Jackman likeness as we’ve seen previously, so good on them for that.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was pretty excited for Deadpool & Wolverine.  It was really great to finally get to see Jackman in a proper Wolverine costume, and, if I’m honest, I was excited to see him get a better send off than Logan, a film that really didn’t work for me.  *ducks to avoid getting hit*  The yellow suit’s inclusion was certainly an interesting experiment, and it really worked in some ways, and not so much in others.  The figure sort of meets that assessment itself.  In both cases, I’m happy they gave it a go, and I enjoy the end result.  And, with this Wolverine and the previous Colossus, I can create my fantasy world where those two actually interacted the way they unfortunately didn’t in the movie.  And perhaps I’ll further that fantasy by hoping I might some day see more movie X-Men of a similar style.

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.

#3765: Green Lantern

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

GREEN LANTERN

DC UNIVERSE CLASSICS (MATTEL)

“While training in a flight simulator, test pilot Hal ‘Highball’ Jordan was suddenly transported to the crash site of an alien spacecraft. Recognizing Jordan as a man without fear, the injured alien passed to Jordan his green power ring and energy battery or ‘lantern’ which charged the ring. Jordan has since used the ring’s fantastic powers for good, distinguishing himself as one of the finest members of the elite intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps.”

Well, it hasn’t been a *whole* year since my last venture into DC Universe Classics, but it’s still been since April, which is a fair bit.  But, I’m feeling the need to dive back into it for a little bit.  Perhaps it’s some residual nostalgia from Friday’s Super Powers review, perhaps its that I snagged a stack of loose DCUC figures just before the end of the year.  Whatever the case, DCUC is a line that well and truly gripped me for most of its run, so I do have quite a good number of them.  Today, I’m delving into the earlier days of the line, with Earth’s second Green Lantern, Hal Jordan!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Green Lantern was released in Series 3 of Mattel’s DC Universe Classics, which hit in the fall of 2007.  While this wasn’t Mattel’s first Hal Jordan (the infamous Holiday Hal from JLU hit in 2005), it was the first to go to retail.  He was the assortment’s heavy hitter, and was paired off with Sinestro for the hero/villain dynamic that headlined the first few assortments.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and has 23 points of articulation.  Hal was built on the medium male base body, which was first used by Black Manta in the prior series, along with a new head and right hand, all of them supplied by the Four Horsemen.  The head’s the real star piece, as it has to do the heavy lifting.  It’s a really strong, sort of quintessential Bronze Age Hal.  It’s not *exactly* Jose Garcia-Lopez, but the vibe is certainly quite similar, and it just reads well for the character.  It’s also very sharply defined, and avoids being too reliant on paint to sell it.  That said, the paint does alright selling it, and does do more of the heavy lifting on the rest of the figure.  GL’s one of those character’s where a fully painted suit isn’t too distracting, since it’s supposed to be sleek and one-piece anyway.  Application’s generally pretty clean, and there’s even som slight accenting on the green sections to highlight the sculpt.  At this point, I do have to address the one major oddity of this figure: the residue.  Yes, the first batch of Hals, which my copy hails from, have some sort of issue with the interaction of the plastic and the mold release, and when exposed to air for long periods of time, they develop a white filmy substance over the arms and legs.  Said substance wipes off with a damp cloth, with not notable harm to the figure, but it will re-appear over time, and he’ll have to be wiped again.  So, just remember to wipe your Hals periodically.  It’s not weird.  Don’t make it weird.  Mattel did a later re-release of Hal under the “All-Star” banner, which fixed this issue, as well as tweaking some of the paint/color choices.  Both versions included Hal’s power battery, which seems to be an oddly bright green; I’ve always envisioned it being more on par with the color of his suit, but it’s more of a lime green here.  The Series 3 release also got a piece to the Solomon Grundy Collect-N-Connect, while the “All-Star” version got a stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Hal’s the figure that sold me on DCUC as a while.  I’d been a solid DC Direct devotee, and had been buying pretty much every Hal they’d put out, looking for that perfect version.  This one came along and blew them all away.  I was so excited by the prototype shots of this guy, that I bought what I could find of the first two series solely based on the fact that he was coming.  This set hit right around Baltimore Comic Con in 2007, so he was at the very top of my list of things to look out for.  I snagged him almost immediately after making it through the door, and was very happy and content.  Almost 20 years later, I’m still quite happy and content, even if it does involve the periodic wiping of the Hal.  I did manage to snag the later release as well, so I’ve got one without need of wiping, which is well enough.  In general, though, this Hal is a figure that makes me quite happy.