Author Archives: Ethan Wilson

#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

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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

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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

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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.

#3587: Doc

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

DOC

G.I. JOE: ULTIMATES (SUPER 7)

Fun FiQ Fact #0066:  The G.I. Joes have no shortage of soldiers, but they’re a lot shorter on medics, with just two on hand, and usually only one of them at a time.  The first of them was Doc, introduced in 1983.

I’ve always liked the non-combatant portion of the Joes, since a story can’t just be all action guys all the time.  Admittedly, my personal favorite of the bunch is Lifeline, the Joes *other* medic, but that doesn’t mean I can’t also appreciate Carl “Doc” Greer.  He is, after all, the original.  Let’s give him his moment, shall we?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Doc is part of Series 3 of Super 7’s G.I. Joe: Ultimates. He’s the second of the two Joes in the set, following up on Scarlett.  He’s very definitely the deepest dive the line’s taken thus far, having been pretty heavy-hitter driven up to this point.  He’s also the first instance of Ultimates beating the Classified version of a character to market, though Hasbro’s in-house release is coming later this year.  The figure stands about 7 inches tall and he has 31 points of articulation.  The articulation scheme here is intended to be the same as the other male figures in the line, but my figure has a pretty major issue with the hips.  It seems the dark tan plastic used for the majority of this figure’s construction has some issues with getting stuck, resulting in the hips being pretty badly fused right out of the box.  I did what I could to free them up, but it resulted in some stressing and tearing, and I wasn’t able to get the left hip fully freed up.  That’s a pretty major issue, and it was right out of the box.  The actual sculpt isn’t bad.  It’s on par with the others, specifically being pretty similar to the Duke and Flint releases.  There are three heads here, much like a lot of the others.  There’s standard, smiling, and screaming expressions.  The sculpts match well with Doc’s animated likeness, and they’re consistent across all three heads.  Unfortunately, the QC issues showed up again here, as the glasses on the screaming head broke while I was swapping the heads out, which is again not fun.  The color work on Doc is okay.  The skin tone is painted again, which looks decent.  I’m not big on the molded color for the uniform, especially from a consistency standpoint.  Doc gets four sets of hands (gripping, trigger finger, fists, and alternate gripping in white for gloved), his helmet, first aid kit, satchel, flare gun, a laser rifle, radio, comic book, and a two piece mortar that references his original figure.  It’s actually a really nice selection of extras, and I particularly like the comic and the first aid kit.  I was a little surprised that he didn’t get a stretcher to complete the set-up for his vintage figure, but I do like what he got.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

While Scarlett was definitely my biggest want from this assortment, I was actually rather looking forward to this figure, since I like some of the more minor and unique characters.  I had high expectations for him, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit disappointed by the final product.  The hip thing is really, really annoying, and it’s a shame, because all the architecture is there for him to be a really fun figure.  As it stands, he still *is* a fun figure, but just not one without his drawbacks.

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.

#3586: The History of Superman

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SUPERMAN (GOLDEN AGE, SILVER AGE, & MODERN AGE)

THE HISTORY OF SUPERMAN COLLECTION (KENNER)

Fun FiQ Fact #0065:  On April 1st, 2016, Superman was the subject of my third April Fools Day gag.  Neat, huh?  Anyway…

I don’t talk a *ton* about 1/6 scale figures here.  I mean, sure, I’ve looked at a lot of higher end figures, but for base level 1/6, it’s not really hip and happening.  That’s not to say that I don’t own any of them.  Back in the day, I had a whole bin of 12-inch G.I. Joes, and a handful of other characters as well.  Even some DC stuff.  Today’s figures *weren’t* actually in my collection as a kid, but they did exist, so I suppose they could have been…theoretically.  Isn’t that wild and crazy?  No, not really.  More just a factoid.  Anyway…

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

“The History of Superman Collection” was released by Kenner exclusively through FAO Schwarz in 1996.  There was also a similarly-themed “History of Batman Collection” also released via FAO Schwarz that same year.  The set included three versions of Superman, as well as four trading cards produced by Fleer/Skybox.  Three of the four cards each give a cover that lines up with one of the figures, and the last one’s a holographic, chrome thing.  Weird, but fun, I guess.

GOLDEN AGE SUPERMAN

The purpose of this set was to cover the major bases for Superman’s looks over the years, so they start, as you might expect, with some of his earlier appearances.  Not his *earliest* appearances, as he had a slightly more drastically different look at the beginning, but more after his look had refined just a touch.  This figure is clearly a ’40s Superman, which is really the heart of the Golden Age, so it’s sensible.  The figure stands about 12 inches tall and he has 14 points of articulation.  The construction here is…well, it’s very much a product of its time.  The head sculpt is undoubtedly the strongest part here, doing a pretty strong job of capturing the essence of the early appearances of Superman, without getting too artist-specific.  Obviously, this isn’t meant to be anything even close to Hot Toys quality, and it’s definitely on the softer side, but it works.  His base body is definitely the most dated part of the whole thing; the articulation is a bit stiff and restricted, and those hands are just humungous.  It does mean he fits right in with Hasbro’s very short-lived JLA line in the same scale, though, so that’s all pretty cool.  The outfit is permanently attached to the figure, with a jumpsuit and cape, as well as a sculpted pair of boots/feet.  He’s got an embroidered logo, which is the proper Golden Age one, and there’s a matching one on his cape.

SILVER AGE SUPERMAN

Our next Superman moves to the “Silver Age”, which is generally late ’50s into the ’60s, though for this one, we’re definitely angling more towards the later end of the Silver Age, if not early Bronze Age.  Ultimately, “classic” would probably be a more accurate description for the figure, but that wouldn’t really fit the set’s naming scheme, so I get it.  He’s using the same basic set-up as Golden Age, so he’s the same height and has the same articulation set-up.  He does get a new head, though.  It’s not *drastically* different from the first sculpt, but the eyes are wider and the spit-curl is far more pronounced.  I dig the subtle changes, and they really work to sell the later look.  His outfit remains pretty similar as well, keeping more or less the same coloring.  The cape is a little longer here, and his logos have been updated to the more standard S-logo.

MODERN AGE SUPERMAN

Last up, it’s the most mullet-tastic and least exclusive member of the set, Modern Age Superman….or at least as modern as you got in 1996.  This one would actually get his own single release at mass retail, under Kenner’s Man of Steel banner.  He’s using the same base body again, with another new head sculpt.  This one’s all mullet-y, as it should be.  It’s still got the same general features, though his chin is a little narrower, and he’s got the extra locks.  His outfit adjusts the design even further, giving him an even longer cape than the Silver Age version, and his blue and red have been switched to much deeper hues.  The single release had a silk-screened logo, but this one keeps the properly embroidered one to match the rest of the set.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I didn’t step foot into FAO Schwarz until I was a teenager, more than a decade after this set’s release, so I didn’t have one growing up.  I did know of its existence, though, thanks to Raving Toy Maniac’s archives, and it’s one I’ve always been fascinated by.  It’s not something I felt the need to track down, but when one landed in front of me last summer through a trade-in at All Time, it was hard to say no.  So, umm, I didn’t?  It’s hokey and goofy, and I probably didn’t need it, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it.

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.

….oh, you guys weren’t expecting something April Fools-related, were you?  Well, maybe this year the gag is the lack of a gag.  Yeah, that’s totally it…

#3585: Fennec Shand

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

FENNEC SHAND

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0064: Fennec Shand actress Ming-Na Wen has been a Disney Princess, a Star Wars Bounty Hunter, and an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., giving her a tri-fecta of Disney franchise appearances!

Star Wars: Retro Collection has somehow steadily become my main go-to line for modern Star Wars collecting, which is, I guess sort of paradoxical, with it being branded “retro” and all.  I don’t know, I just like my Star Wars figures to be more on the basic side, and the death of the 5POA line after Solo really bummed me out, so I like having *something* in that range.  That said, I’m finding myself a little less attached to all things Star Wars, so I wound up skipping pretty much all of the Book of Boba Fett tie-in set from the line.  Admittedly, it was a little bit same-y for a lot of it.  I didn’t want to miss out on Fennec, though, so here she is!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Fennec Shand is one of the seven figures in the Book of Boba Fett assortment of Star Wars: Retro Collection.  She kind of hammers home the set’s place as a Mandalorian continuation, since she’s had several appearances there, but hadn’t yet gotten a figure from the specifically Mando assortments.  Thankfully, she kept the same look in Book, so this figure can pull double duty, just like the Black Series and Vintage Collection.  The figure stands just over 3 1/2 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  The movement on the neck is slightly limited by the ponytail, but the way it’s draped, it’s not entirely restricted, which is certainly a plus.  Her sculpt is unique to her, and it’s pretty nice.  It does a good job of threading the needle on keeping a lot of detailing, but also still dialing into the retro Kenner vibe.  She’s clearly meant to be aping one of Kenner’s later figures, especially given the removable helmet set-up.  The underlying head isn’t a perfect match for Ming-Na Wen, but it’s respectable enough to be obvious who it’s supposed to be, and it works well within the style.  Fennec’s paint work is actually pretty solid, with some subtle dark grey detailing mixed in with the molded black color, as well as the proper orange highlights seen in the show.  The application is pretty clean, and the whole thing looks very proper for the line.  Fennec is packed with a removable helmet (which sits very nicely on her head) and her blaster rifle.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I wanted Fennec when these figures were first shown off, but when they actually arrived, it was at the same time as the Ahsoka assortment, which I wanted more.  I’ve also been trying to scale my collection back where I can, so I didn’t want to buy just to buy.  That said, I gave it some thought and realized I still wanted the figure, so I wound up going back for her.  She’s pretty fun, just like the rest of the line.

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.

#3584: Scarlett

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

SCARLETT

G.I. JOE: ULTIMATES (SUPER 7)

Fun FiQ Fact #0063: Scarlet is G.I. Joe’s First Lady, debuting as part of the 3 3/4 inch line’s Original 13 in 1982.

It’s been seven months since I’ve taken a look at Super 7’s G.I. Joe: Ultimates, largely because it’s been about eight months since there were new G.I. Joe: Ultimates to look at.  In general, Ultimates seem to be in a rocky spot, but I’m still invested in getting at least the line’s Joes…or most of them.  Scarlett’s one of my favorite characters, an essential counterpart to Snake Eyes in my collection, so I’ve been waiting for her addition to the line since the first series.  She’s here now, and I’m taking a look at her today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Scarlett is part of Series 3 of Super 7’s G.I. Joe: Ultimates.  She’s the first of the two Joes in the set, the other being Doc.  She continues the trend thus far of keeping the Joes pretty much on the heavy hitters side, especially in terms of the cartoon, where she’s one of the the four most recurrent Joes.  The figure stands about 7 inches tall and she has 33 points of articulation.  Scarlet’s articulation scheme matches pretty much with the slightly improved articulation from Series two, matching up pretty closely with the layout used by Lady Jaye.  Scarlett continues the line’s trend of basing the sculpts on the Sunbow animation models.  It’s an all-new mold (though one that’s already been slated for a re-use on a follow-up figure in her DiC colors), and it’s on par with the rest of the line.  It’s simple, clean, and very effective.  I really like the smaller details, like the folds and creases at the base of the boots.  She gets three different head sculpts, one with a neutral expression, one smiling, and one with a headset.  They continue the Sunbow likeness of the figure, and they’re really consistent internally.  They also swap out without much fuss, which I always like.  Once again, the headset wearing one is my favorite, but all three are equal quality.  Scarlett’s color work is handled pretty well.  It’s a lot of molded colors, but, in contrast to Flint and Lady Jaye from Series 2, she’s got painted skin-tone for the faces, which I admit, does help to better sell the animation angle.  Scarlett is packed with three pairs of hands (in fists, flat, and gripping), two styles of crossbow, 3 identical standard arrows, 3 different specialty arrows, a bag for holding the arrows, an assault rifle, and a radio.  The hands are cool enough, though it’s a bummer that she’s got one less set than prior figures.  I do like the crossbows, as well as the swappable arrows.  The arrows are a little delicate, but they swap into place alright.  The bag on mine had the strap come unglued right out of the box, which was definitely frustrating.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I loved the first series Snake Eyes, and since one of my earliest Joe pieces was the ToyFare exclusive Snake Eyes and Scarlett two-pack, I’ve been hoping to duplicate it in modern styling.  She’s not quite as strong as Snake Eyes, but he’s the high mark for the line, and she’s still a lot of fun.  They’re a really fun pair, and even if the line doesn’t have longevity, it got me these two, which is my big thing.

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.

#3583: Lieutenant Commander Data

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

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER DATA

STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT (EXO-6)

Fun FiQ Fact #0062:  I saw Star Trek: First Contact in the theatre on opening night as a guest of Star Trek writer Howard Weinstein.

Though I owe my very existence to the franchise, my personal relationship with Star Trek is a bit hit or miss.  I dig the original series, and some of the movies, but I find a lot of it to be rather unapproachable.  Of course, the flip side to that is that the things I like from Star Trek are things that I *really* like.  Case in point, Star Trek: First Contact is just genuinely one of my favorite movies, period.  Like, not even just under the “Star Trek” heading.  I just really love it, and I especially love Data’s role in the movie, to the point that he’s been cemented as one of my favorite parts of the franchise, despite me generally being iffy on Next Gen as a whole.  But Data?  That guy’s pretty darn cool.  Cool enough that I’ve got, like, so many figures of him, and yet it’s still not enough.  Well, you know what, here’s one more.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Lieutenant Commander Data was the inaugural release in EXO-6’s Star Trek Series, hitting in 2021, just in time for the 25th anniversary of First Contact.  While it’s on one hand a bit surprising that they didn’t start with, say, Picard, it’s not a complete shock, I suppose, given Data’s popularity within the franchise.  I’m certainly not complaining.  The figure is a little under 12 inches tall and he’s got the usual “over 30 points of articulation” we see on the 1/6 scale figures that don’t have visible articulation.

Data gets two separate head sculpts for this release.  The one he comes wearing is the standard Data head.  It’s got a really strong likeness of Spiner, specifically Spiner in First Contact.  I found the likeness to be stronger when viewed from his right, but it’s not like it’s unrecognizable the other way.  The second head is the one that truly solidifies this as a First Contact figure, as it’s his appearance from the climax of the film, after he’s received a skin graft from the Borg in their attempt to turn him to their side.  It’s a great recreation of his patchwork design, maintaining consistency with the standard head, while also getting his adjusted look from the movie down pretty much on point.  While neither head is quite Hot Toys level in terms of sculpt or paint (especially on the paint, which is a little thicker), they’re still both very strong, and a truly impressive offering for a first try.  I’d have also loved a third head from after he gets the skin graft melted off, but I don’t want to be greedy.  The patchwork head will suit me just fine.

Data is sporting his uniform from First Contact, which is, of course, the redesigned uniform that he and the rest of the cast would wear for their final three films.  They’ve always been my favorite look for the cast, and I think they make for a good counterpart to the Wrath of Khan uniforms for the original series cast.  The uniform here is decently handled, if, again, not quite Hot Toys level.  The main suit is all one piece, which I’ll admit surprised me, especially with the follow-up Picard figure getting a two-piece set up.  However, I doublechecked, and that’s what it’s actually supposed to be, so it’s accurate.  The tailoring on the black part is good, but the grey section is a little bit bulky and not quite as sharp in its shaping as the full-scale uniform.  It’s far from terrible, though.  The gold collar is part of a full tunic under the suit, which is again accurate.  It’s a good fit, but you do have to take a little extra care in making sure it doesn’t slip too far under the jumpsuit when swapping the heads.

Data’s underlying base body is pretty respectable for a non-Hot Toys 1/6 offering.  It has good proportions, and handles posing well.  It doesn’t feel like the joints are too loose or he’s going to break, and the parts that are supposed to swap out are easy enough to do the swapping on.  The biggest issue for me is the skin tone just being completely wrong for Data, which is a real issue when you’re doing any posing that has his wrist joints visible.  Had they at least gotten a slightly closer color, it wouldn’t be as bad.  Also, this is again probably me being a bit greedy, but it’s a shame that the right forearm doesn’t have the skin graft detailing to complement the alternate head.

Data gets a nice little selection of extras, which includes four pairs of hands, his Mark II phaser, his tricorder, magnetic holsters for both of those, a larger phaser rifle, and a display stand.  The hands give us relaxed, fists, and a variety of differing grips to correspond with his accessories.  The phaser is basic, but nice, and the tricorder’s got magnets in it to keep its connections hingeless, which is fun.  The stand looks like a transporter pad, and also get’s an extra swap-out illustration for the combined set-up with the other figures.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

As a kid, I loved First Contact, and I was particularly obsessed with Data’s looks from the end of the movie, for which there were no official toys.  I had to make do on both his patchwork and cybernetic appearances, usually resorting to sticking silly putty on figure’s faces.  I finally got the cybernetic look from DST, but the patchwork look was still absent, which just didn’t seem right.  I remember this figure going up for order, and I remember coming very close to ordering one, but it wasn’t the time for me to be ordering expensive figures.  When All Time got its very big recent collection in, I saw a number of the EXO-6 Trek figures, but I wasn’t sure Data would be among them.  What a fool I was.  He wound up being some sort of joint early birthday/father’s day gift from my parents.  Even they’re not entirely sure.  I think the main point was just getting me a First Contact Data I didn’t already have.  I won’t argue with 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.