Author Archives: Ethan Wilson

#3516: Nightwing

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

NIGHTWING

DC COMICS MULTIVERSE (MATTEL)

It’s not uncommon to rag on modern comics as being total crap and having no value, or quality.  Certainly, not every one is a winner, that’s true.  Of course, that’s also been true of comics the whole time there’s been comics, so it feels like a middling point at best.  I myself am still a regular reader of a good number of comics, and there’s a few I’ve been really enjoying.  Perhaps the one I’ve been enjoying the most consistently for the last few years has been Tom Taylor’s Nightwing.  I’ve always loved the character, and I love where his current book places him within the DCU as a whole.  With the state of DC and its tie-ins being where they are, the book hasn’t gotten any proper tie-in figures, but Nightwing’s initial look was just his main Rebirth design, which snuck its way into Mattel’s late-run figures.  So, let’s look at that one.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Nightwing was released as part of the Ninja Batman Series of Mattel’s DC Comics Multiverse.  It was a largely Titans-themed set…you know, apart from the CnC.  Nightwing fit right in.  As noted in the intro, he’s based on his Rebirth redesign, which is a solid classic Nightwing look.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  Nightwing was built on the line’s mid-sized male body, same as Kyle.  It’s not *as* updated as some of the other late run figures from Mattel, but it was certainly an upgrade over the DCUC bodies.  It’s got decent movement, decent proportions, and even has pinless joints.  He gets a unique head, forearms, and hands, which are pretty respectable offerings.  Definitely dialing into that in-line aesthetic, and also fitting the character pretty well.  The forearms in particular are impressive, since they definitely could have gotten away without doing the arm wraps, and yet they did anyway.  Nightwing’s paint work is decent enough.  It reflects the color scheme from the books pretty nicely.  The blue is especially striking, and the paint application is all nice and clean.  Nightwing was packed with two sets of hands, in gripping and fists, as well as his eskrima sticks.  Not a ton, but also hits all the basics, which is what you really need.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

By the end of Mattel’s run, this line got pretty hard to find at retail, and chances of finding individual figures were zero to none.  Since I didn’t want to order a whole set online just to get a Nightwing, I wound up passing on this guy at the time of his release.  I was, however, fortunate enough to come across a loose one, when it got traded into All Time.  He’s the best Nightwing that Mattel put out, to be sure, and he’s honestly just one of the best versions of the character in this scale.

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.

#3515: Mike Power – The Atomic Man

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

MIKE POWER — THE ATOMIC MAN

G.I. JOE: ADVENTURE TEAM (HASBRO)

While a good portion of the fanbase has a tendency to ignore anything pre-1982, G.I. Joe had almost two decades of existence prior to its Real American Hero incarnation.  Originally “America’s Moving Fighting Man,” G.I. Joe began as a purely military line.  As public outcry against the Vietnam War grew at the end of the ’60s, desire for toys based on war declined sharply.  Hasbro adapted, easing out of the purely military side with Adventures of G.I. Joe.  When that proved successful, the entire line was then rebranded in 1970 as G.I. Joe: Adventure Team.  The group were now a non-military group of adventurers, focussing more on surviving the environment than on taking down enemy combatants.  The line was even more successful than its predecessor, allowing for expansion beyond its original set-up.  The team found themselves in even more fantastical environments, fighting aliens, and even taking on new members who were more than just simple adventurers.  That included today’s focus, Mike Power, the Atomic Man!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Mike Power The Atomic Man was added to the G.I. Joe: Adventure Team line in 1975.  His addition was in response to the success of The Six Million Dollar Man, and Hasbro had in fact attempted to make him the “Bionic Man” in hopes of locking up the trademark on “Bionic” before the show-runners could get it.  Kenner, however, already held the toy rights to the show, and Hasbro was forced to make Mike Atomic, rather than Bionic.  The figure stands about 12 inches tall and he has 28 points of articulation.  Mike was built using the standard Joe 12-inch body of the era, and is in fact the last new figure to be introduced on it, as the “muscle body” would become the standard issue that same year.  He does, however, feature the one notable change to the body from the prior year: Kung Fu Grip!  In 1974, the Joes got new hands, made from a softer rubber, which allowed them to more properly grip tools and weapons than the previous hard plastic hands.  It was a cool novelty, albeit one tarnished a bit by how quickly the rubber broke down, leading to many yellowed and torn up hands.  But, it was a cool idea at the start, and its cool when you find not as messed up ones, which I just so happened to do.  Beyond the standard parts, Mike got a modified right arm and left leg, which were his atomic parts.  The leg is essentially the same, just in clear plastic with some extra parts embedded inside.  The arm, however, gets a tweaked internal construction, which also adds a spinning action feature to the forearm.  Mike also got a brand-new head sculpt, which was quite distinct from the standard Joes.  He still kept the cheek scar (something that other non-Joes from the line tended to lack), but he’s got a different set of features, and a generally friendlier expression.  While most Adventure Team figures sported flocked hair, Mike was back to painted hair (at least for his US release; Palitoy’s equivalent figure had flocked hair like the rest of them), presumably to make his “Atomic Eye” feature work a bit better.  Mike’s paint is contained almost entirely on his head.  Again in contrast to the other Adventurers, his head was completely painted as opposed to having molded plastic skin.  It results in a little bit of a mismatch between the head and the rest of the body, but it’s minor.  Mike’s outfit was a rather simple one, as it was really just a placeholder for the more involved outfits you could buy for him.  He gets a camo shirt and brown shorts.  The shirt is the same as the one included in the main line’s “Jungle Survival” set, while the shorts were unique.  He also had a hand-held helicopter blade accessory, which is the one thing missing from mine.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

My first exposure to G.I. Joe was through my Dad’s old Joes from his childhood, which was largely a collection of ’60s era Joes that had been passed down to him.  His own proper Joe items were all from Adventure Team, and through researching those and obsessing over them as a kid, Adventure Team became my first real love of the Joe franchise (Check out my fan art of the Commander, Mike, and Bulletman, circa 2000, just down below).  Mike was one that always fascinated me in particular, and my Dad even got me my own Mike when I was a kid.  He took a bit of a beating (especially those poor hands), but he remained a favorite.  A month or so back, All Time got in a large collection going back to the ’70s, largely devoid of much Joe-related product, but it did have this guy in there all on his own, so your boi got himself another one to review.  He’s very, very fun.  Hokey, but fun.

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.

#3514: Black Widow

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

BLACK WIDOW

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Working alongside Captain America, Super Spy Black Widow makes a discovery that hints at a sinister worldwide conspiracy — and must do whatever it takes to counteract it.”

Back in May of 2014, when I reviewed the original Winter Soldier Black Widow, Scarlet Johannson’s live action take on the character was still quite a rarity in the toy world.  She was notably the only member of the original Avengers left out of the initial 6-inch line-up, and even her Winter Soldier figure was a short pack (since it was the days before the more even pack-outs on Legends).  In the almost decade since, that’s certainly changed.  It’s still not quite on par with her male counterparts, but she’s gotten a lot more headway.  And now, they’re even doubling back to that very first look to get the proper Legends treatment.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Black Widow was released the 2023 assortment of the Infinity Saga sub-line of Marvel Legends.  She joins the previously released Cap to make up this assortment’s Winter Soldier portion, and the two of them jointly help the Flashback Winter Soldier in giving us updates to all three of the original Legends tie-ins for the movie.  The figure stands just under 6 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation.  She remains too tall to truly be a Johannson Widow, but that’s been a consistent issue across the board.  Her articulation scheme has changed compared to the original, as she’s now got double jointed elbows (with swanky pinless construction), and her neck joint is a double ball joint, rather than a single.  These changes are due to the fact that Widow actually gets some new parts, in contrast to Cap’s total re-use.  Her upper torso and arms are new, while the lower torso and legs remain the same.  The new parts are quite nice, and fix some slight issues with proportions and suit detailing on the last mold, as well as improving her movement quite a bit.  Apart from the slight issues with standing, the fact that she’s still got visible pins on the knees, and those dreaded holsters with the permanently molded guns, the re-used parts do at least still look pretty good.  Near as I can tell, the head is also re-used, but its worth noting that the likeness looks *a lot* better this time around.  Widow’s paint work on her original figure was based on concept coloring, while this one is based on what she’s actually wearing in the movie.  In Winter Soldier, she’s notably wearing actual black for most of her gear, and that’s reflected here.  It results in a number of areas actually getting a lot less paint than the last time, but it looks better.  It also helps that the areas that *do* get paint are a lot cleaner this time around.  The face paint in particular is night and day, and it does really look like a different sculpt.  I also really like that they’ve done proper accenting for her hair.  Widow is packed with two sets of hands (fists and gripping), a pair of guns, a pair of widow’s sting effects, and the alternate Avengers-style head like the original had.  The guns aren’t real firearms, or accurate to the movie, but I’m glad she at least gets *something* this time around, rather than the complete lack from last time.  The alt head gets the same paint improvement as the main, which is very nice to see as well.  Of course, we don’t really have the rest of the core Avengers in a style that matches, but that’s hardly this figure’s fault.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Despite my issues with the original release of this costume, I maintained that it was still a pretty good figure, and didn’t really feel the same need for an update that I did with Cap.  I certainly wasn’t opposed to the idea, though, when her name popped up on the list.  I didn’t think that much of her when I got her, and I was prepared to be a bit let-down after Cap…but I really wasn’t.  There are a few small things that I’m still not 100% sold on, but in general, she’s just a solid improvement on the original figure, in ways that I hadn’t even really thought of.  I’m glad she got the new parts, and the extras, and she actually feels like she was worth the price of the upgrade.  Just a good 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.

Mutant X Re-Read #20: Death From Above

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews

THE COMING

MUTANT X #19 (MARVEL COMICS)

“In another place–in another life–Alex Summers led a team of mutants in a battle against oppression. His methods were extreme, his tactics questionable, but–in his soul–he knew that he was fighting for the greater good.

Now that soul has been transferred to another world, and Summers, also known as Havok, has found himself living a lie, allied with a team of mutants who are sinister, parallel versions of his friends and family. It is to this dark, new place that Havok has come, where he stands as a man alone… a mutant alone. Alex Summers is Mutant X.

Fear him. Fear for him.”

25 years ago, Marvel Comics launched Mutant X, a Havok led X-spinoff. I recently came into a complete run of the series, and so now I’m going to re-read the series once a week, and you guys get to come along for the ride!

This week, Havok re-encounters an old mentor in “The Coming”

THE ISSUE ITSELF

Mutant X #19 is cover dated May of 2000.  It has a creative team of Howard Mackie, Javier Saltares, Andrew Pepoy, Cliff Rathburn, Scott Elmer, and Rod Ramos.  Throughout the series, there’s been a lack of consistency on billing for the creative team, and this one’s really the peak of that, with just a list of names.  One assumes we’re sticking to Mackie as writer, Saltares on pencils, and Pepoy on inks, based on prior issues.

It is winter in New York. Charles Xavier runs through the streets, pursued by The Fallen, who leads the Four Horsemen. As the close in, Xavier sends out a psychic blast. Meanwhile, in Central Park, Havok and the Six meet up with Scotty and Elektra. Havok and Elektra discuss a potential relationship, when Scotty senses the incoming psychic blast from Xavier. Everyone but Scotty is incapacitated by the pain of the blast. Once the pain passes, they realize it was a message from Xavier, and set out to find him. Another wave blasts Xavier into the Six’s vicinity, and he warns Havok that “They’re coming.”  Who’s coming?  The last eight pages of “Fastlane,” that’s who.  But, once that’s through, we see that it’s actually the Horsemen.  The Horsemen and the Six face-off, with the Horsemen eventually being driven off.  As the Six regather and greet Xavier, Xavier has a vision, and realizes that Apocalypse has risen.

After a bit of perspective shift last issue, we’re firmly back to following Havok’s point of view this time around.  Honestly, there’s not a ton going on in this one, and, much like the issue with Mr. Sinister, there’s a general feeling that a lot of what happens here isn’t actually all that different from the main universe.  The Fallen’s return is supposedly this big deal, but not much comes of it, and his interactions with the rest of the team don’t do much with their history.  Likewise, the Horsemen are without characterization of their own, and their identities are unexplored, which feels like a missed opportunity.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

My knowledge of where the series goes later does a lot to fill-in what’s going on in this particular issue, so that definitely helps me to see the grander picture, but this one generally feels like a lot of filler.  It’s not bad, I suppose, and there’s some decent character work with the main team, but it’s more set-up than follow-through.

I snagged this whole run from my usual comics stop, Cosmic Comix, so I want to give them a shout out here, because it was a pretty great find.

#3513: General Hera Syndulla

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

GENERAL HERA SYNDULLA

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“Set after the fall of the Empire, Ahsoka follows former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy”

Yes, that’s certainly a very descriptive bio for Hera, who is very definitely mentioned in the text on the back of her packaging…Sorry, am I critiquing the bio text again?  I really don’t want to get back into that.  Those poor copy writers!

Ahsoka hit Disney+ back at the end of the summer, and, in addition to focusing on the eponymous character, it also brought back a good number of the cast of Rebels.  Amongst them was the Ghost‘s pilot, General Hera Syndulla, now portrayed in live action by Mary Elizabeth Winstead.  Her role is notably a bit smaller than some of the others, but she still gets a fair bit to do, as her personal goals place her at odds with her high-ranking position in the New Republic.  And she’s also gotten more Black Series treatment out of it, which is very dope.  Let’s check that out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

General Hera Syndulla is figure 6 in the Ahsoka sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series‘ Phase IV incarnation.  She’s part of the second assortment to bear figures from the show, alongside Marrok and Hyang from the show, as well as Pre Vizsla from Clone Wars and R2-D2 from The Mandalorian.  The figure stands 5 3/4 inches tall and she has 27 points of articulation.  Hera’s last figure was honestly in a pretty good spot when it came to articulation, but this one improves even on that, giving her a very good set-up, which allows for some really natural posing.  Hera gets an all-new sculpt, based on her look from the show.  She’s not too far removed from her Rebels design, changing things up, while keeping them within the same general theming of her prior look.  The biggest change-up is the addition of the bomber jacket, which is really just always an improvement.  It’s a good look, and it translates well to the toy.  The sculpt is nicely handled.  The head’s sporting a strong likeness of Winstead in the role, and I especially like the slight smile; it’s very friendly, and definitely very Hera.  The goggles are a separate piece, but do not come down.  I don’t believe she ever has them down in the show, but it might have been cool.  As it stands they’re just goggles that do nothing, which is really what they’ve been the whole time.  The rest of her outfit is sharply detailed, and the articulation is cut in in such a way as to not mess with the aesthetics too much.  Her color work is pretty decent.  It’s a lot of molded colors, as has become the norm, but it works well.  It’s eye-catching, without being too garish.  The face printing works well on this release, and really adds to the overall likeness.  Hera is packed with her blaster pistol, which she now has holstered on her hip, rather than her boot.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I really like Hera as a character, and I was happy to hear she was making the jump to live action, and then even happier to hear she was being played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, whose work I’ve enjoyed since Sky High.  I liked her take on Hera in the show, and I really dug the new design, so I was very much down for an updated figure.  Hera was my favorite of the Rebels figures for Black Series, so topping that was no small feat, but, well, this one kinda did just that.  She’s a very nice 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.

#3512: Captain America

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

CAPTAIN AMERICA

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Equipped with a streamlined new uniform and his Vibranium shield, Captain America leads a team of covert S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives on clandestine missions into the most dangerous corners of the world.”

During this site’s very first year, I got back into Marvel Legends hardcore for one major reason: Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  That was a pretty crazy shift.  And, as of next April, the movie is a decade old.  It tracks, of course, but, you know, it does still feel a little crazy to me.  Whatever the case, ten years means more toys, right?  It sure does.  In fact, we’re even getting them just a little bit early, so that’s not so bad.  Today, I’m taking a look at our latest update to Cap’s stealth look from the movie.  Oh yeah.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Captain America is part of the 2023 assortment of what has become the ongoing Infinity Saga sub-line of Marvel Legends.  I guess we’re just revisiting it every year now.  I got no problems with that, of course, so let’s do it.  We’re finally getting Cap in a standard release assortment for the line, which I’m always happy to see.  Cap is seen here in his S.T.R.I.K.E. suit from the movie’s opening half, which is patterned on his Commander Rogers gear from the comics.  It’s a very good look, and certainly one of the MCU’s most memorable Cap designs.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  His articulation is a lot like the Stealth Cap from 2014.  In fact, it’s identical to the articulation on the Stealth Cap from 2014.  Do you know why?  Because this figure is, aside from the head, the Stealth Cap from 2014.  The thing is, I liked the sculpt a lot in 2014, and it was very good in 2014.  But that was a decade ago and Legends has definitely made some advancements since then.  This figure, with his visible pins, somewhat limiting ab-crunch and waist swivel, and kind of scrawny arms, is…well, he’s dated.  Don’t get me wrong; the sculpt was top of the line when it hit, and it’s not completely outmoded in this day and age…but it could be better.  In 2021, we got a totally upgraded Mark III sculpt to replace the old movie figure, and this is serving as an update for a figure that’s almost as old, relatively speaking.  At least a new upper torso would go a long way.  He does at least get the updated helmeted sculpt from the First Ten Years two-pack; that sculpt is at least a very strong one, with a much better Evans likeness than the last release of this body.  This figure’s paint work is, unsurprisingly, very similar to the last one.  It’s a little cleaner this time, and he gets the printed face, as opposed to the rather thick paint from the last one.  In terms of accessories…we run into some issues again.  He’s got an unmasked head and a shield.  I can’t tell if the head is the same sculpt as the First Ten Years one, or not.  If it is, the paint’s not holding up its end, because the likeness doesn’t feel as strong this time.  It also looks a bit large on the body, which doesn’t help the overall scrawniness feeling.  The shield is the updated version from the two-pack, now in the stealth colors.  It’s a fine piece, but it again seems too large compared to the rest of the figure, making him feel a bit small by comparison.  And that’s it on the accessory front.  The last release included a shield and an alternate head as well, but also had a second set of hands, as well as a Build-A-Figure part, and he was $5 cheaper.  Now, I understand rising costs and all, but given that this figure features at most a single new part, it sucks that he can’t at least get extra hands.  We finally got a pair of gripping hands for Cap with the Infinity War update, so the fact that we’re back to him not being able to grip his shield properly so shortly after that is definitely frustrating.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve been waiting for an update to this look for at least five years, and I was very happy to see his name crop up on this list.  And then the figure arrived and…well, it let me down.  It’s very frustrating that after ten years, we don’t actually get an update to this design, and instead get yet another release of a mold that needs to be retired.  This very definitely should have been our chance to finally get a new Cap mold, built from the ground up, rather than continuing to get MCU Caps cobbled together from old parts.  It feels like a real missed opportunity.  Okay, ready for the flip around?  This figure?  I like him.  I know, I tore him to shreds up there, and brought up a ton of issues.  And I stand by those issues.  But, I also acknowledge that, viewed purely on his own, this is still a very good figure.  After getting through my issues with him, I just sort of sat back and took in the figure by himself, with no other figures, and I remembered why I loved this mold in the first place.  I’d still love an actual update (maybe they can do a new one without the shield and helmet and just say it’s him from the beginning of Endgame), but at the end of the day, there are worse things they could have done than re-use these parts.

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.

#3511: Blue Beetle

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

BLUE BEETLE

CLASSIC HEROES (DC DIRECT)

“Picking up the mantle of his predecessor, and lacking the mystical blue scarab that gave Garrett super-powers, Ted Kord turned his skills as an acrobat and Olympic-level athlete to fighting crime as the new BLUE BEETLE! With the technical knowhow to create the flying Bug, his mobile crime-fighting base, Blue Beetle is a potent force against the underworld!”

One of the best things about this year’s Blue Beetle movie (which is really, really good by the way, so please check it out) was how lovingly faithful it was to the legacy of the character.  While the story is very definitely Jaime’s, the scarab’s two previous owners are both addressed.  Ted Kord may not directly appear in the film, there’s no denying that he is a very much an integral player in the overall story, and a lot of his history with the role is explored, which was so very cool.  Of course, with no Ted on-screen, there’s no Ted for the minor amount of tie-in toys, so I’ll just have to rely on my backlog of them for a while, huh?  Let’s take a jump back to early in his figure run, then!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Blue Beetle was released in DC Direct’s Classic Heroes line-up.  He was released in June of 2002, back when they were still just kind of one long-running line with each assortment fitting a different theme.  Classic Heroes was a set specifically based on the characters DC had acquired from other companies, with Beetle and The Question showcasing Charlton Comics, and wave-mates Phantom Lady and Uncle Sam showcasing Quality Comics.  This marked Ted’s second figure, following up on his JLA figure from 1999.  The figure stands about 6 inches tall and he has 11 points of articulation.  Blue Beetle got a unique sculpt for this release.  He’s definitely patterned more on his earliest DC appearances, prior to his “Bwa-ha-ha” era, but not quite going full Charlton in design.  It’s a good sculpt, very clean and concise.  It’s not super posable, but it does the basics, much like the Legion figures from the same era.  Ted’s got a fairly realistic and balanced set of proportions, so he’s not superhuman, which feels right for the character.  His lower legs do seem maybe a touch too short, but it’s pretty minor.  The goggles are a separate piece on the head, allowing you to see his eyes beneath, which is definitely a cool touch.  Beetle’s paint work is very clean and very sharp, which I really dig.  The colors are quite bold, and feel proper for the character.  I love how the black line-work turned out, and his eyes look really good beneath the goggles.  Ted is packed with his BB Gun and grapple line.  The grapple has a suction cup on the end, so you can hang him from windows and such, which is really great fun.  The only downside is that he’s only got one gripping hand, so he hand hold onto the line and his BB gun at the same time.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I knew of Blue Beetle more as a concept than an actual character when this figure came out, but his release actually got me more interested.  Unfortunately, my local comic shop, Cosmic Comix, sold out of him before I could actually get one back in the day, and I’ve not seen one in person since.  Well, that is, until Cosmic Comix got one traded in over the summer.  Hey, it’s a fun little roundabout way of getting the figure, I suppose.  I’m glad I finally found this guy, because I do really love him.  I’ve gotten other versions of Ted since this one’s release, but something about this one just seems so…quaint?  I don’t know, but I love it.

#3510: Ultraman – Defender of the Universe

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

ULTRAMAN — DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE w/ JACK SHINDO

ULTRAMAN (DREAMWORKS)

“An evil space virus, Gudis has invaded Earth, producing horrifying giant mutant monsters which threaten to wipe out all life on the planet.

All might be lost if not for ULTRAMAN….Defender of the Universe. Towering 20 stories high, only Ultraman can save the world from the Alien Intruders.

However, earth’s polluted atmosphere is deadly to Ultraman, so to fight on this planet, he must share the molecular structure of a human – Jack Shindo.

Jack is a member of UMA. an international fighting force whose mission is to protect the world from hostile aliens.  But when the battle seems hopeless for UMA. Jack uses his secret Delta Plasma Pendant to transform into Ultraman.

Can Ultraman save the earth against the alien intruders? He must, for he is our only hope.”

Ultraman is a Japanese property, and has almost always been produced in Japan, but there have been a few periods during the franchise’s history where outside groups try to throw their hat in the ring.  In 1990, the South Australian Film Corporation partnered with Tsuburaya Productions to produce Ultraman: Towards the Future, a 13-episode English Ultra series.  Keeping with the series’ move away from usual Ultra production channels, the accompanying toys came not from Bandai, but instead from DreamWorks, who put out a line featuring the main Ultra, Ultraman Great, and the monsters he fought. I’m taking a look at Ultraman today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultraman — Defender of the Universe was released as part of DreamWorks’ 1990 Ultraman toyline. Despite the show getting a subtitle to differentiate it from the others, the line got nothing of the sort, nor did the main character get his full name.  So, it’s all just Ultraman.  The Ultraman figure stands about 8 inches tall and has 6 points of articulation.  He’s not exactly very mobile, since his construction is largely rotocast, and that limits what can be done with articulation.  He gets very basic movement, but is largely stuck in the pose he’s been sculpted into.  This Ultraman was based on Great’s design from the show, which was itself pretty close to the original Hayata design.  In the show, Great had a spandex suit, a notable shift from the usual rubber suits of the Ultras, but for the figure, his proportions and more sculpted musculature makes him look like he’s back in the same rubber suit as the others.  His proportions are a bit more cartoony, almost in line with the likes of vintage Masters of the Universe.  It’s definitely a departure from the usual Ultra stuff, but it’s certainly got its own vibe.  The paint work isn’t terrible; he’s definitely on the fuzzy side for all of the edges for the silver, but that’s kind of expected for the rotocast set-up.  All of the key details are there, though, and coverage is pretty even.  Though Great has no accessories of his own, he does include his human counterpart, Jack Shindo.  Jack stands about 2 1/2 inches tall and has 5 points of articulation.  He’s technically *far* too tall for proper scaling with Great or any of the accompanying monsters, but he’s at least enough smaller to sell the idea.  Any smaller and he’d pretty much just be a Micro Machine.  His sculpting is pretty basic, but honestly not so bad for the scale.  He’s got paint on the head and hands, with the rest being molded color.  My figure is the blue suited version, but there’s also a red one.  Jack also got his own accessory, a small gun to hold.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

In my early days of Ultraman collecting, I recall seeing this guy a few times, always loose, and I kind of wondered what his deal was, but I never actually got one.  Later, I found out what his deal was, but I still didn’t get one, because…well, I’m actually not entirely sure on that one.  This one was quite literally thrown at me, so it’s hard to miss that, right?  Yes, he was traded into All Time as part of a rather sizeable collection and owner Jason “handed” this one over to me because he knows I like Ultraman.  I do like Ultraman, so he’s onto something there.  He’s goofy, but I do really dig him, and it’s cool to get Jack, since alter egos are a rarity for Ultra tie-in lines.

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.

#3509: Space Knight Venom & Mania

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

SPACE KNIGHT VENOM & MANIA

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“To protect high school student Andi Benton, Flash Thompson accidentally bonds his symbiote to her, only learning later that the Venom symbiote had passed on his demonic Hell-Mark to her”

Once Venom’s popularity really started to take off, Marvel began its rather lengthy run of evolving the concept to keep it from getting stale. Eddie Brock himself evolved into an anti-hero, and ultimately lost the symbiote, which was bonded to Mac Gargan, in order to become villainous once more. After Gargan lost the symbiote, the US government passed it on to Flash Thompson, who took on the alias Agent Venom. After joining the Guardians of the Galaxy and visiting the Symbiote’s home planet, Thompson unlocked new abilities, taking on the form of Space Knight Venom. Whilst in possession of the symbiote, Flash also inadvertently created his own sidekick, Mania, who rounds off the pair of figures I’m looking at today!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Space Knight Venom and Mania are a Target-exclusive Marvel Legends two-pack, released in the fall of this year. Venom was previously a Build-A-Figure in 2016, but Mania is an all-new release.

VENOM

Though he may be a re-release, Venom’s the real reason for this set’s existence. The Space Knight Venom series was notoriously hard to find, making him one of the most expensive BAFs to piece together. All but one single release character from the set has seen some form of update since (and I don’t believe people are beating down Hasbro’s door for a new Ashley Barton), making Venom a natural choice for another figure. The figure stands — inches tall and has — points of articulation. The core figure sculpt is the same one used by the Build-A-Figure, which makes sense, since not many people got their hands on it the first time. It helps that it’s a generally pretty decent sculpt. It’s not without some signs of its age, of course. There are still visible pins on the elbows and knees, and some of the articulation is a little bit shaky. I do like how well it merges the comic design with the Legends style, and how unique it is from other Venom figures. There are also a lot of sculpted elements that could have just been painted on, which makes it look even better. The figure’s paint work is functionally the same as the Build-A-Figure. It’s hard to go wrong with black and white detailing that follows the sculpted elements, so it makes sense. There’s a bit of fuzziness around the edges of the white sections, especially where there’s no sculpted lines to act as guides, but the overall appearance is pretty decent. The BaF Venom was without accessories, but this release changes that, giving him an extra head (with more of an “unleashed” appearance), as well as blade attachments for both arms. I’m more a fan of the standard head, but the option is nice, and I definitely dig the attachments.

MANIA

While Flash’s Venom sort of bled out into other areas of the Marvel universe, his sidekick Mania remained fairly contained to Venom-specific stories, so I didn’t read much with her. She’s another take on the female Venom play, with more of Flash’s Agent Venom persona present, I guess. The figure is about 5 1/2 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation. She appears to be using a variation of the Spider-Girl body, with new limbs sporting the pinless double joints, as well as character-specific pieces for her head, lower arms, boots, and belt. The new parts mesh well with the old, and create a solid approximation of her comics look. It’s an interesting mix of cartoony and realistic, but that’s kind of the character, I suppose. Her paint work is pretty basic overall, with the whole black/white thing. She does get a little more accenting on her gloves and boots, which is pretty fun. Mania includes no accessories of her own, which is a bit of a letdown, but also I don’t know what she should get.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Try as I may, I was never able to get more than a single piece of Space Knight Venom in his original run, which very definitely sucked. I’ve been hoping for some form of rerelease for a while, but it’s been a long wait. I had no need for Mania myself, but I can dig her getting a figure, and this seems like a good way to do it. Venom is very fun, though, and I’m glad I got him, and that also acquiring him was relatively painless. I just preordered the set and they shipped out no problem. Yay for no problem!

 

Mutant X Re-Read #19: Young People of America, Join General Nick Fury in Ridding the World of the Mutant Plague

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Mutant X Re-Read

…AMERICA’S FUTURE!

MUTANT X #18 (MARVEL COMICS)

“In another place–in another life–Alex Summers led a team of mutants in a battle against oppression. His methods were extreme, his tactics questionable, but–in his soul–he knew that he was fighting for the greater good.

Now that soul has been transferred to another world, and Summers, also known as Havok, has found himself living a lie, allied with a team of mutants who are sinister, parallel versions of his friends and family. It is to this dark, new place that Havok has come, where he stands as a man alone… a mutant alone. Alex Summers is Mutant X.

Fear him. Fear for him.”

25 years ago, Marvel Comics launched Mutant X, a Havok led X-spinoff. I recently came into a complete run of the series, and so now I’m going to re-read the series once a week, and you guys get to come along for the ride!

This week, Nick Fury steps up his recruitment, and the Six become supporting players in “…America’s Future!”

THE ISSUE ITSELF

Mutant X #18 is cover dated March of 2000.  It has Howard Mackie as writer, Cary Nord and Billy Patton on pencils, and Andrew Pepoy on inks.

We are introduced at the start to Jack Lang and Dianne Davidson, two recent recruits to the Children of Humanity, Nick Fury’s anti-Mutant movement. Fury gives a speech to his new recruits as a montage is shown of Jack and Dianne’s training. Meanwhile, Alex, Brute, and Bloodstorm guard a young mutant boy. The Children of Humanity send out reinforcements to track the boy down, and Jack and Dianne encounter the boy, Harry, in the woods, alone. Dianne is dead set on following orders to deal with Harry, but Jack is hesitant after encountering him in-person. As they debate, they are set upon by Bloodstorm, followed by the other two. Dianne bursts into flames, revealing she is a mutant, something missed by the CoH’s screening. A shocked Jack calls for back-up, but before it arrives, a hooded woman steps out of the shadows and warns that someone is coming. The group is attacked by Frank Castle and his Punishers, and escapes thanks to a diversion from the hooded woman. Back on their plane, the woman reveals herself as Jean Grey. Meanwhile, Jack sits and thinks, his eyes reflecting a Punisher skull.

In a notable narrative change-up for the series thus far, Havok winds up a minor player, as the story shifts to Jack and Dianne, giving us a look at the other side of the human/mutant conflict. In contrast to the extremist bigots of the last issue, these two seem like nice, well-meaning people at the surface. In true dramatic irony, it is Dianne, seemingly the more hateful of the two, who discovers she herself is a mutant, while the seemingly friendlier Jack finds himself pushed more into fanaticism. It offers up some interesting current parallels as well, given the use of Frank Castle and the Punisher skull to symbolize Jack’s slippery slope. Where the last issue felt too close to the main universe, this feels more properly removed, giving a less cut and dry look at human bigotry, in contrast to the main universe’s cleaner lines on such things. At the end, even with his nicer demeanor, Jack is still the villain of the piece, more closely resembling real world bigotry, and also showing the darker turn of this particular universe.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I missed a lot of the anti-mutant subplot in my original reading, so I didn’t know quite what to expect of it. After last issue, I felt they were losing some of their alternate universe angle, but this one again refreshes things. It’s not a *fun* issue, but it’s a solid one, and I liked getting a different perspective for a change.

I snagged this whole run from my usual comics stop, Cosmic Comix, so I want to give them a shout out here, because it was a pretty great find.