Author Archives: Ethan Wilson

#3363: Wicket

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

WICKET

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

Isn’t it great how the Star Wars movies are all spaced out in such a way that you’re bound to be celebrating some sort of anniversary for them, almost every year?  The more recent theme on the Hasbro side has the been the 40th anniversaries of the Original Trilogy films, and up to bat this year is Return of the Jedi and its original 1983 release.  As with all the other 40th celebrations, Black Series is getting a couple of rounds of retro carded figures, which are a mix of old and new offerings.  There’s but one new offering in the very first of those assortments, and it’s one of those devilishly divisive Ewoks.  But it’s not just any Ewok: it’s Wicket!  He’s, like, the best one!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Wicket was released alongside re-carded versions of Endor Leia, Endor Han, the Scout Trooper, and Skiff Guard Lando in the first series of the RotJ Retro Carded Black Series figures.  As noted in the intro, he’s the only unique figure this time around, and he’s our third Ewok in the line.  As the main Ewok, it’s a little surprising that it’s taken quite this long to release him, but he’s at least a good choice for an anniversary.  As of right now, he’s exclusive to the Retro Card, but it wouldn’t be that shocking to see him show up in the standard line later, as they’ve done with a few of the other anniversary figures.  The figure stands 3 inches tall and he has 20 points of articulation.  Given how small he is, he’s honestly got a pretty impressive articulation set-up.  The only major joint missing is the knee, but that would probably have broken the legs up too much, and it admittedly doesn’t mess with the movement too badly, due to the range on the hips and ankles.  Wicket’s sculpt is all-new, and it’s a very strong one.  He’s very small, of course, but that’s proper scaling for him, so it makes sense.  Even with his smaller stature, there’s a ton of texturing, and it’s got a great likeness of the Wicket costume from the movie.  The face in particular really captures the look of the character.  His hood is a separate piece, which can be removed if you’re so inclined, but it’s not really much to look at that way.  He just looks extra goofy.  But, it’s cool to have the option, and it stays in place very well.  Wicket’s paint work is pretty well handled, with accenting on his hood and his fur.  The fur jumps a bit in intensity from piece to piece, but the head is again the best work, with a rather subtle set-up, as well as gloss on the eyes that really helps to make they pop up against the rest of the face.  Wicket is packed with his spear, which is his signature weapon.  Presumably to make up for his smaller size while still occupying the standard price point, Wicket also gets a bow, an arrow, and two different styles of club.  They’re not things that he uses in the movie, but they’re good base Ewok weapons, and it’s not like he *couldn’t* have used them at some point, and it does give you extra options.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Back when I was still operating under the delusion that I was only buying a very select run of figures from Black Series (in 2013, when the line first launched), Wicket was one of the figures on my list that I was definitely buying.  I assumed he’d be the first Ewok at the time, and also thought we’d be seeing him sooner than ten years into the line, but I knew I wanted him all the same.  In an otherwise kind of lack-luster launch wave for the 40th RotJ figures, Wicket was a pretty exciting figure, and in hand, I really dig him.  Sure, you’re paying full price for a figure that’s half the size, but there feels like an extra attention to detail on this one, and to me he feels like a better deal than Yoda and R2 were.  And he’s just a fun little guy.

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.

#3362: Hellboy

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

HELLBOY

HELLBOY (1000TOYS)

I don’t get to talk about Hellboy nearly enough on this site.  The last time I talked about anything Hellboy-related here on the site was all the way back in 2018, which honestly seems absurd to me.  But, there it is, I guess.  Well, I’m gonna try to make it better!  While the majority of Hellboy product has been courtesy of Mezco, there have been a few other manufacturers to take up the reigns since Mezco last left things off.  There have been a small selection of figures on the higher end side of things, including a couple of offerings from 1000toys, a company that always does its best to impress with me.  Today, I’m taking a look at their take on the titular character.  Is he sufficiently awesome?  I mean, more than likely.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Hellboy is the debut figure in 1000toys’ Hellboy line and was released in 2019.  There are a few different versions of him, but the one seen here is the most standard of the releases, which was the very first of them to hit.  This one covers all of your basic Hellboy needs, without delving into the more involved stuff.  The figure stands just shy of 7 1/2 inches tall and he has 45 points of articulation. Hellboy figures have a tendency to be a little more restricted on the articulation front, especially when it comes to the Right Hand of Doom, but that’s not the case with this guy. 1000toys has put their usual care into giving this guy a quite impressive range of motion, which even includes the Right Hand of Doom getting fully articulated fingers. Oh boy, are those a lot of fun. The shoulders took a little bit of getting used to for posing, and the right elbow can look a little odd depending on the pose, but its otherwise quite nicely implemented. Hellboy’s sculpt was all-new, though at this point it’s obviously been shared with his variants. It’s clearly Mignola inspired in its design, though it’s a slightly more cleaned up Mignola look, which lends itself just a little bit better to an articulated figure. He’s got a bit of a mixed media thing going on; the torso is a softer plastic, to allow for a little more movement, while preserving the cleanness of the design. It’s a little spongey when posing, and I always worry a bit with durability on such things, but it seems to work alright.  It also maintains a nice level of detailing, including his more rock-like features, as well as the various scars littered throughout his body.  Furthering the mixed-media set-up, he’s got his rosary, which hangs from his belt on an actual chain.  Likewise mixed-media is his coat, which is cloth goods here.  It’s bulky, as it should be, and has a wire running through the bottom, to allow for some minor posing.  The coat can be removed, though it will require popping off the right hand, which is a little tricky the first time around.  The color work on this guy is pretty solid stuff; the main red is bright and eye catching, which I really dig.  That’s largely molded plastic, of course, though I do have to give them kudos for being able to get the shades to all match up very closely; that’s especially difficult with reds.  The skin tones get a decent amount of accenting, which adds a little bit of shading, and also brings out the sculpt’s smaller details.  He’s also go those very bright yellow eyes, which make for quite an impressive pop of color.  This version of Hellboy is the most stripped down version in terms of extras, but he still gets an extra head, four hands, the Samaritan, and a holster.  The extra head gets an angrier expression, which is very in character.  Interestingly, the horns aren’t part of this sculpt, instead being shared between the two heads.  This was pre-planning for the release that also included his full horns, meaning this guy will still be compatible with those extra pieces, should you get them.  The hands are all lefts, since the right is fully posable; he’s got fist, gripping, relaxed, and open gesture.  The Samaritan is appropriately oversized, and fits well in the gripping hand.  The holster’s a touch tricky to use, but it works well enough and holds the gun securely.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve been hoping to pick this guy up since he was first released back in 2019, but, for a number of reasons, he just kept getting pushed off, until several different releases of him had all sold through, and I assumed I wouldn’t be finding one.  I assumed incorrectly.  I just needed to be patient was all.  This guy got traded in, opened but unused, at All Time, which gave me to perfect opportunity to get myself one for a not terrible deal.  1000toys has not disappointed me in the past, and they’ve still not disappointed me.  This guy’s easily the best Hellboy figure I’ve ever handled, and just a great toy in general.

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.

#3361: Pre Vizsla

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

PRE VIZSLA

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (HASBRO)

“Pre Vizsla is governor of Concordia, the moon orbiting Mandalore. Vizsla appears to support peace and criticizes the Death Watch, a violent group of Mandalorians who want to return to their warrior past. But when Obi-Wan discovers the Vizsla is actually the leader of the Death Watch, the governor tries to silence the Jedi in a duel — darksaber to lightsaber.”

If you’re going to try recreating Boba Fett at regular intervals, I suppose sometimes it just pays to go back to the source.  In The Clone Wars‘ second season, that’s what the franchise did, giving mass audiences their first glimpse at the Mandalorians.  Oh, sure, it’s all very passé these days, since they now make up a very large chunk of the franchise’s offerings, but this was back before that, when we were just learning about it all.  Leading the villainous contingent of Mandalorians was Pre Vizsla, voiced by none other than Jon Favreau, who was not yet involved in Star Wars.  Oh how times have changed.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Pre Vizsla was released in the second wave for the 2010 incarnation of Hasbro’s Clone Wars tie-in line, a wave which, in what would become fairly standard for the line, had been preceded by one entirely populated by repacks of main characters.  Vizsla was figure #8, making him the first of the new figures in his assortment, numerically.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 26 points of articulation.  Hasbro was getting pretty serious about actually articulating these figures by this point, and Pre represents the line at its peak in terms of mobility, rivaling the ARF Trooper, which was the best of the Clones.  It grants him quite a bit of playability, which is always a plus.  The figure’s sculpt was all-new; parts of it would be re-used for the standard Death Watch trooper later the same year, but for the start it would be unique.  It’s a pretty strong offering.  He’s notably skinnier than the clones, which was true to the character.  His helmet was a removable piece, with an unmasked sculpt beneath it.  The unmasked head is a touch on the small side, but not terribly so, and it matches up well with Vizsla’s earlier appearances on the show.  His half cape piece is cloth; it’s a little bit oversized for the scale, but it’s certainly a better set-up than a sculpted piece might have been, as it preserves the articulation.  Vizsla’s paint work is decent; the base set-up is all there, and he certainly captures the color scheme from the show.  You can see that they were intending the body to be re-used for standard Mandos from the start here, though; the Pre-specific elements are largely painted over the standard armor.  Pre is packed with the Dark Saber (making its toy debut here), as well as two dual pistols, and a display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

By the time of Clone Wars‘ second season, I was actually starting to get a bit more invested in it, and I remember the trailer that showed off Vizsla and his Mando goons for the first time.  It was very cool, and I was very excited.  This figure was one of the ones I was most looking forward to from the line, and I recall getting both him and the Mandalorian Police Officer while I was out buying things for my first college dorm room.  They were meant to be my last toy purchase for a while but…uh, I didn’t stick to that for long.

#3360: Captain America

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

CAPTAIN AMERICA VS MORRIGAN

MARVEL VS CAPCOM (TOY BIZ)

“When Steve Rogers volunteered to serve his country by undergoing the experimental super-soldier augmentation process, Captain America was born. Captain America is the defender of truth and justice, and is the living embodiment of freedom. He has sworn an oath to protect the weak and shepherd the innocent. Armed only with an unbreakable shield, Captain America guards the freedoms held most dear.”

Remember when you had go out to a place to play a video game?  Pepperidge Farm remembers.  Okay, it’s a little more than that, right?  In the ’90s, fighting games were a big craze in the arcade world, and comics, specifically Marvel comics, were big in other parts of the world, and some genius had the idea to smash those two things together.  First, we got X-Men vs Steet Fighter in 1996, followed but Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter in 1997, and then Marvel vs Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes in 1998.  With the games themselves a success, Toy Biz licensed the Capcom half of the characters, for the purpose of doing some two-packs interacting with their Marvel line.  Like the actual games, they started with X-Men, but they eventually expanded to the rest of the Marvel and Capcom universes for a short-lived line in 1999.  And all of this is a very long lead in for me saying “hey, look at the Captain America figure I’ve got.”  Oh, and I guess there’s another figure as well.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Captain America and Morrigan are one of the four two-packs that made up Toy Biz’s one-series Marvel vs Capcom: Clash of the Super Heroes line, which fell under their larger Video Game Super Stars branding.  They hit retail in 1999.

There was a surprisingly small number of standard Cap figures in the ’90s, and this one was on that rather short list.  The figure stands about 5 3/4 inches tall and he has 14 points of articulation.  He was on the larger side for Cap, at least in terms of height, though was not quite as crazy on the width as some of the other Toy Biz Caps.  His articulation scheme is amongst the best that this era had to offer, which was certainly a plus.  His sculpt was all-new at the time, though it was quickly re-used for the Silver Age line’s take on Cap, and the head got a subsequent re-use for the Greatest Moments Bullseye, all in the same year.*  It’s honestly a pretty respectable offering.  The head sculpt goes for a slightly more anime-styled look, which fits with the overall style of the game he’s meant to be based on.  It still captures his usual features, and keeps him from looking too angry or intense, like some other Caps ended up being.  The body sculpt is nicely balanced in its proportions, being bulked up, but not ridiculously so.  He’s still a little wonky in some spots, but for this era of the line, it was actually quite tame.  Cap’s paint work is generally pretty nicely handled; the base colors a touch more muted than usual, but not incredibly so.  There’s a little bit of accenting on the blue and white sections of the costume, which generally works pretty well.  The eyes get quite a bit of detailing, adding a lot of depth and life to his overall look.  Cap was packed with his usual shield; it was a unique piece, and, like oh so many Cap shields, the clasp on the back is quite prone to breaking.

Fulfilling the proper video game portion of the set, coming straight outta Darkstalkers, it’s Morrigan.  Look at her, over here, all Morrigan-y.  Oh yeah.  Morrigan.  ….Okay, I’m gonna be honest with you all here: I don’t really know much about Morrigan.  Or anybody from Darkstalkers for that matter.  I mostly know them as space fillers when Capcom needs more characters for a cross-over roster, which is probably really reductive, but it’s my site, and that’s where we are.  The figure stands 5 inches tall and she has 11 points of articulation.  Despite having a lot of articulation, the actual range of motion on most of the joints is pretty restricted.  The head can’t really turn because of the hair and wings, the shoulders don’t really go any further down, and there’s always the dreaded v-hips.  It all makes her rather difficult to keep standing as well, which is really frustrating.  She got an all-new sculpt, which has a fair bit of pre-posing, but does honestly look pretty spot-on for the character’s usual look.  Morrigan’s paint work is all pretty basic, but it matches well with her character again.  Everything is pretty clean in application as well, so that’s nice as well.  Morrigan is packed with a small bat creature thing, which clips onto her wrist.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

In 1999, I had some sort of half-day at school, and my father had a dentist’s appointment that he was unable to get out of, the location of which meant there would be no time for me to go home and actually get anything that I could entertain myself with.  There was, however, a Toys R Us rather close to the dentist’s office, so my Dad took me in to pick out something to entertain me.  This Cap (and the Morrigan that was packed with him, I guess) was what I picked.  I was always in search of the best possible Cap for my collection, and this guy looked right up that alley.  He’s honestly my favorite of the Caps in this scale, and remained my go-to Cap pretty much from the time I got him onward.  Also, there’s Morrigan.  She’s there too.

*This mold was also the one shown on all of the packaging images for the Avengers: United They Stand line’s take on Cap, though it was replaced with an entirely different mold before they actually arrived at retail.

#3359: Captain Christopher Pike

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

CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER PIKE

STAR TREK (PLAYMATES)

“After a disastrous mission on Rigel VII, Captain Christopher Pike diverted the U.S.S. Enterprise to Talos IV after receiving a distress call from survivors of S.S. Columbia.  On the Talosian surface, the landing party found a group of aging scientists and a young woman named Vina.  But it was all an illusion.

Vina led Pike into a trap set by the Talosians living underground.  Imprisoned in a menagerie, they were to begin repopulation of the surface.  Pike learned to fight the Talosians’ mental power, filling his mind with primitive thoughts they could not block.

After discovering that the humans would rather die than be held captive, the Talosians released Pike and his ship.  Vina, the only true survivor of the Columbia, remained with the Talosians.  The captain recommended to Starfleet that Talos IV be placed off limits.”

Star Trek reviews are certainly a rarity around here.  It’s not that I don’t like the franchise, but I don’t know that I enjoy it as much as a lot of other people.  What I do like from the franchise tends to be rather TOS-centric.  My favorite ship’s captain from the franchise, Captain Christopher Pike, comes from that era, although with some technicalities, I suppose, since he’s not a main captain by the point of the actual show, instead serving as the main character of “The Cage,” the show’s first pilot.  When the network didn’t pick up the show based on that pilot, lead actor Jeffery Hunter backed out, and Pike was replaced as captain of the Enterprise by William Shatner’s Kirk for the series proper.  Much of the footage from “The Cage” was then worked into the series proper as the extended flashback that makes up the bulk of “The Menagerie,” so there’s at least *some* Pike.  That’s better than none.  It also makes him a good pick for merch!  Yeah, the merch!  Let’s look at some of that.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Captain Christopher Pike was released in 1996 under Playmates’ combined Star Trek line, which gave a mix of all of the shows up to that point.  He was part of the fifth series of that set-up, and was released, alongside a Spock variant, Vena, and the Talosian Keeper, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of “The Cage.”  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 12 points of articulation.  Pike has the line’s standard articulation set-up.  Not exactly the best scheme, and I never cared much for those silly v-hips, but it is what it is.  They were at least consistent by this point.  Pike’s structure is pretty similar to the rest of the standard TOS Starfleet officers.  That being said, he’s notably a little skinnier than the others, which I’m not sure is entirely accurate.  Of course, it’s not like any of the proportions were all that accurate on any of these figures, so it’s all kind of a toss up.  The likeness on these figures were rarely spot-on, and Pike’s not an exception.  Playmates did three Pike figures with Hunter’s likeness; this one’s the weakest of those three, but it was, at least, still not a terrible offering.  He’s got at least a hint of who he’s supposed to be.  The head does seem a tad large relative to the rest of the body, but that was common with these figures.  The body sculpt is rather on the basic side; there’s a little bit of detailing on his collar, but he’s otherwise without any real details of note, making him a softer sculpt than even the rest of the line.  Pike’s paint work is likewise basic.  The eyes are the best work, and the lips aren’t bad either.  The hair on mine has seen better days, but that’s not so much Playmates’ fault.  Other than that, he’s very basic and very shiny.  Pike was packed with his “Starfleet Hand Laser”, communicator, shield, and spear, all molded in the same sort of indigo shade, as well as a display stand.  Of all the parts, mine only has the stand these days.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This figure started out as my dad’s.  He got it new, back when I was a kid.  I was always fascinated by “The Menagerie” and Pike in particular, so I would borrow this guy all the time, and he wound up taking a bit of a beating.  That scuff on the hair happened pretty early on, and it was around that time that my dad realized he wasn’t going to shake me off of this one, so he bought himself a replacement and let me keep this one.  Of my meager Trek collection, he was always a favorite of mine.  He’s dated and goofy, but I dig it.

#3358: Avalanche

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

AVALANCHE

MARVEL LEGENDS (HASBRO)

“Brotherhood of Mutants veteran Avalanche can generate powerful seismic waves from his hands.”

When the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants was reformed under Mystique’s leadership in the ’80s, they got a roster of characters with well-established traits, personalities, and arcs…and they also got Avalanche.  You know, the guy who was only ever really compelling on X-Men: Evolution, where the approach was essentially rebuilding him entirely from the ground up.  The guy whose backstory before joining the Brotherhood could be best summed up as “wasn’t in the Brotherhood yet.”  Essentially, he’s really just a glorified accessory for Pyro, a Brotherhood member who actually does things of note and whom people actually care about.  Honestly, he largely only gets figures to accent Pyro figures, too.  We got an updated Legends Pyro in 2020, so I guess we might as well get a proper Legends Avalanche.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Avalanche is part of the latest retro-inspired X-Men series of Marvel Legends.  This is his first time getting an official Legends figure, though he was previously offered up in the scale in Toy Biz’s X-Men off-shoot line.  Like most of the assortment, he’s got a vintage 5-inch counterpart, with the caveat that Avalanche was in the X-Force line, not the main X-Men one.  The figure stands just shy of 7 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  Avalanche uses the Reaper base body as a starting point.  It’s alright for the build, since he’s usually a little stockier, but the articulation’s rather stiff compared to more recent figures, and it’s still got the visible pins in the elbows and knees.  But, it’s just Avalanche we’re talking about here, so it’s not like it’s the end of the world.  Avalanche gets a new head, torso, forearms, and boots.  The head sculpt isn’t really doing it for me, honestly.  It’s a more recent take on his helmet design, with visible eyes, rather than the pupil-less look, and I just don’t think it works as well for the character.  Furthermore, the expression seems too neutral for what little characterization Avalanche has, which tends to see him as being rather brutish.  The body sculpt is alright.  I’ve seen complaints about how the shoulder pads stick out, but they don’t bug me.  The color work on the figure is almost entirely molded plastic, which works fine enough.  He gets a little bit of paint on the face, and I’m not crazy about the darker lips, but it’s other wise alright.  Avalanche is packed with two sets of hands, in fists and open gesture.  That seems rather light; it would have been nice to at least get an unmasked head, or possibly an alternate style of helmet.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I can’t say I was incredibly compelled to get Avalanche, but I did already have Pyro, and he could do with a guy to stand behind him and make him look cooler by comparison.  Also, we’re getting close to wrapping up this incarnation of the Brotherhood, so team building and all that.  This figure isn’t bad, but he’s not terribly exciting either.  I’m not big on the choices with the head sculpt, and he feels kind of bland.  But he’s alright, I guess.

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.

#3357: The Demon – Demon Knights

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

THE DEMON — DEMON KNIGHTS

DC MULTIVERSE (MCFARLANE TOYS)

“Jason Blood, once a mortal man who lived centuries ago, was bound to Etrigan after the Demon was summoned by none other than the wizard Merlin. Jason was rendered immortal and granted the ability to swap places with his demonic counterpart upon saying the magic words. Though Jason has tried many times to exert his will over Etrigan while he is transformed, the Demon is too powerful to be completely contained. Still, more often than not, Etrigan, despite his nature, is interested in the greater good—even if his motives and methods remain suspect.”

It seems quite a mistake at this time to craft a bio that features no rhyme.  Could it really be that hard, I ask of you, to describe the character in a way that rings true?  I suppose I’ll have to try my own hand, and see just how the words may land.  Behold the figure in front of you, which I must now rightly review.  It is a creation of McFarlane Toys, and they frequently avert my joys.  The DC line is often off the mark, due to its focus on the Knight who’s Dark.  This Man of Bats often leads the sales, but it’s not only his stories from whence each toy hails.  In this toy’s case, he’s more obscure, but a fan favorite you can be sure.  He’s brought forth with the proper chime of the summoning words that are a rhyme.  Gone, gone, the form of man, rise the demon, Etrigan!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Demon who’s of Demon Knights inflection is from McFarlane’s DC Multiverse collection.  The time in which this figure was done was the early part of 2021.  Demon Knights of the New 52 was the version that they chose to do.  It seems to me to be quite odd to not launch the character with a more classic nod.  But although it may be on the verge of odd, it could also just be Todd being Todd.  Although the design might not quite ring true, at the very least, he’s something new.  The figure stands just over 7 inches tall and his articulation is 35 points counted in all.  To the line’s other figures his movement matches, although it’s not without its own little scratches.  The ankles could be more secure, to keep him from falling to the floor.  The figure’s sculpt is one that’s completely new, and is really one that gives what’s due.  The character’s look is well reflected, and texturing is well perfected.  The figure’s head is my favorite piece, and really catches the character for this release.  The figure’s paint is well applied, and certainly feels as though they tried.  The color scheme is different there, then what he’s usually known to wear.  It’s very definitely a lot of silver and grey, which not the most eye catching, I have to say.  Still, it’s true to the source, so it’s only fair to let it run its course.  The Demon has amongst his cares a stand and sword, which are his wares.  His sword is hard for him to hold, and takes tricky wedging into his hand’s mold.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Demon’s a character I greatly enjoy, and so I’d like to have him as a toy.  His costume choice is not my preferred, but still my interest was not deterred.  Getting the figure was no real chore, I just waited for his arrival at the store.  In the end, the figure’s fine, which seems the curse of this whole line.  Even when it’s at its best, it struggles rising above the rest.  The Demon’s cool, that much is true, but as always, odd choices still come shining through.

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.

#3356: Cad Bane

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

CAD BAND

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (HASBRO)

“Cad Bane is hired by Darth Sidious to break into the Jedi Temple and steal a holocron containing the secret names of future Jedi. The resourceful and cunning bounty hunter carefully puts his plan in place using schematics of the temple, a techno-service droid and an unscrupulous shapeshifter.”

Cad Bane was introduced at the end of Clone Wars‘ first season, following in the tradition of every post-Empire entry in the franchise trying to create the next Boba Fett. In his defense, he’s probably the closest the franchise actually got to that mark, by virtue of just aiming more to be his own thing from the start, thereby making him feel a little less artificial.  The same year that Cad Bane debuted on Clone Wars, he also got his very first action figure via the tie-in toyline, and I’m taking a look at that one today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cad Bane was released in the fourth wave of the 2009 re-launch of Hasbro’s Clone Wars line, where he was figure CW22.  He was released alongside Clone Trooper Denal (who Bane notably impersonates after killing him in “Cargo of Doom”), as well as space versions of Anakin and Ahsoka.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 11 points of articulation.  Bane’s articulation is lesser compared to the best in the line, lacking any movement below the hips, as well as having rather restricted motion on the elbows.  Also, due to the construction of his elbow joints, his arms have a tendency to fall apart in the middle a lot.  All of this makes him a figure that’s just really not great for posing.  He’s really just built for standing there.  Given how much Bane does in the show, it’s kind of a shame.  There were later versions with better articulation, but this one still wound up with the most releases by far, so the mold was just really persistent.  The actual sculpt is at least pretty decent.  Not a spot on recreation of the animation model, but pretty close, and about on par with the best of the earlier run sculpts, at least in terms of accuracy.  His paint work is respectable; the colors match with his show design closely enough, and the blue skin gives him a nice and unique look.  Cad was packed with a removable hat (which started the trend of Cad Banes with hats that are hard to keep in place), his two twin blaster pistols, and a larger blaster rifle (missing from mine).

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I got Cad Bane while he was relatively new, but certainly not *brand* new.  It was probably in the spring of 2010, which is when I got a lot of my Clone Wars figures, since I suddenly had money and the means to drive myself places.  It really increased my toy buying options, I tell ya.  The figure’s honestly never been one of my favorites.  Like, he’s not bad, but he’s not really great either.  There were better versions, but they’re unfortunately a lot harder to get, which is a shame.

#3355: Cyclops

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

CYCLOPS

X-MEN: SECRET WEAPON FORCE (TOY BIZ)

“In an alternate universe very different from the one the X-Men come from, Cyclops acts on his own. Friend or foe, do not get in the way of Cyclops’ powerful optic blasts. With but the blink of an eye, Cyclops can punch a hole through the thickest walls or blast an opponent from the sky. Cyclops’ War Tank Battle Blaster is always at his side ready to unleash its secret weapon on any unsuspecting foes. Cyclops seems to be united against the evil mutant Apocalypse, but has yet to join forces with Wolverine and Jean Grey. Only time will tell if the three heroic X-Men will reunite for one final, ultimate battle.”

By the late ’90s, Toy Biz’s long-running 5-inch Marvel imprint had moved away from purely comics and cartoon adaptations, with their main lines based on Spider-Man and X-Men both getting a more toyetic flair.  In 1998, the X-Men line got the subtitle “Secret Weapon Force,” which meant plenty of wacky variants for the main characters.  The first assortment under this banner placed Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey in a *very* loosely AoA-inspired setting, with Cyclops in particular taking the “loosely” part of that to heart.  But hey, cool Cyclops is cool Cyclops.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cyclops was released in the “Battle Blaster” series of Toy Biz’s X-Men: Secret Weapon Force line.  Where Jean was a straight-forward AoA Jean (with the slight irony of the package backstory saying she was actually the main universe Jean transported), the other three figures in the set differed a bit in their own ways.  Cyclops was perhaps the most different, since his design had little to nothing in common with the AoA look for the character, instead being more closely linked to the standard Cyclops look.  That being said, this figure sports a design that has no direct comics or cartoon source; he’s instead a toy unique look.  It’s honestly not a bad one, and it’s a little surprising that it never got worked in anywhere over the years.  The figure stands a little over 5 inches tall and he has 9 points of articulation.  The entire Battle Blaster assortment was largely based around what Toy Biz could do with minimal new parts.  For Cyclops’ part, it means he’s almost entirely a re-use of the 2099 line’s Meanstreak figure.  The only difference between the two is the presence of a new visor, sculpted over Meanstreak’s face.  It’s a change that works surprisingly well.  It helps that the Meanstreak sculpt is honestly a pretty good one, meaning that he’s just a very playable figure.  The character specific elements are really kept to a minimum, with only the boots and gauntlets feeling very unique; even then, they read more generically ’90s X-Men anyway, so they still work fine for Scott.  His paint scheme goes for a rather different look for Scott.  There’s notably no blue, which is interesting, but also keeps him further from the Meanstreak origins of the mold, so it makes a degree of sense.  My figure’s paint has taken a beating over the years, as you can see, but he still looks pretty good all things considered.  Cyclops, like the rest of the assortment, was packed with his “Secret Weapon Force” weapon, which is dubbed a “War Tank Battle Blaster.”  It’s big and goofy, and curiously not color coordinated with the figure at all.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was a very big Cyclops fan as a kid, and jumped at any chance for a new version of him in toy form, so I made a point of getting this figure early after his release, during a trip to the nearest KB Toys with my Grandmother.  I remember being very excited for him, and he spent a good while as my default version of Scott, even with the non-standard costume.  He’s a fun figure.  Just a good, fun figure.  And still one of my favorite Cyclopses, honestly.

#3354: Nightwing

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

NIGHTWING

DC LEGION OF COLLECTORS (FUNKO)

Remember when those weird subscription boxes were literally everywhere, shipping out, intermittently, a box of actual garbage or a thing that everyone wanted that shouldn’t be locked behind a random subscription box?  Pepperidge Farm remembers.  Yes, it was a simpler time, before people realized that, instead of paying up front for a box that might contain something they actually wanted or might contain actual garbage, they could just, you know, pay for the the things they wanted.  And also that the boxes were perhaps a wee bit scammy.  Whatever the case, everyone and their mother was getting in on the trend, and there’s no trend in the world that Funko isn’t gonna at least try to sink in their own special way, so you bet they were in on this one.  They had a bunch of them, in fact, based on just some of the cacophony of licenses they hold firmly within their grasp, which included DC, which got a service called “Legion of Collectors.”  It was largely a delivery service for more Pops, but they mixed in a few other things, including a totally exclusive line of actual 3 3/4 inch figures.  That’s crazy.  And now I’m gonna look at the Nightwing.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Nightwing was one of the four retro style figures available in the January 2018 box for the DC Legion of Collectors subscription.  The whole box was Teen Titans-themed, and there were four figures in total (Nightwing, Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg), as well as a Nightwing Pop!, a T-shirt, and a comic.  Wooo.  Apparently no one liked the figures, so they’re not, like, super expensive, but also Funko collectors have a stupid sense of value, so they’re, like, still reluctant to let them go for cheap, because there’s a sticker that says “exclusive.”  I like them, so, umm, here I am.  The figure stands just shy of 3 3/4 inches tall and has 11 points of articulation.  Nightwing makes use of the post-ReAction 3 3/4 inch articulation set-up, like we saw with the short-lived Batman ’66 and Game of Thrones lines.  It’s basic, but honestly works pretty nicely; it’s a shame Funko didn’t do more with the style.  The figure gets a unique sculpt, based on the late George Perez’s first Nightwing design.  Like the other figures in this style, it’s got a bit of a retro vibe to it, though not quite so much as the ReAction figures.  Given the use of his original costume, this Nightwing fits well with the established style.  The costume details all translate well, and the head has a respectable likeness of Perez’s look for Dick Grayson.  Nightwing’s paint work is, like the rest of the figure, basic; there’s a little bit of fuzz and slop on some of the edges, and the skin tone is a little pale, but it’s generally a decent set-up.  Nightwing is packed with no accessories, though I’m not entirely sure what you would give him anyway.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I didn’t pay much attention to the Legion of Collectors stuff when it launched or while it was running, so I didn’t actually know of these figures’ existence until a good while after they were shipped out.  The figure that actually hinted to me that they existed was actually the First Appearance Superman from a different box.  I didn’t know of the Teen Titans figures until this one was traded into All Time, loose, about a year ago.  He’s kinda goofy, but I dig him.  I dig him a lot.  It’s a shame they didn’t do the whole team line-up in this style, but Nightwing’s cool.

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